Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A TRIBUTE TO DAPHNE'S
by Doug McAllister
For the uninitiated, Daphne's Headcovers are the finest on the market!
Enjoy them and...
Hit 'em Long and Straight!
For the uninitiated, Daphne's Headcovers are the finest on the market!
Enjoy them and...
Hit 'em Long and Straight!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
"HEADCOVERS" EXPLORED
by Doug McAllister
If you had a look at my latest post, you saw the first installment of my new golf cartoon "strip" Headcovers. Probably need to set the stage a bit for what is coming.
THE
"PLAYERS"
The main players in Headcovers are the main three headcovers in my bag and are featured on the strip's logo. BEAR has been there the longest. He's steadfast and dependable. Truth is, he'll be there until I give up the game. Haven't ever given him a name and doubt I ever will.
Sadly, a few years back, he got his nose caught in the van door, smashing his plastic nose. Instead of replacing him I got some black yarn and whip stitched a new nose in place. It shows a bit in my drawing of him.
Like his pal, Bear, BUFFALO doesn't have a name either. He's more the
brawn with Bear being the brains. Strong and tough and sometimes downright snorting mean. Truth is, he's all bluff.
Buffalo represents my love of Western culture and he'll be a mainstay in the bag as well.
Last, but certainly not least, of my Headcovers triumvirate is FRANCIS, the fox. Francis is immensely proud of his name, named for the immortal Francis Ouimet. He is also very proud of his arms — which Bear, Buffalo and many other headcovers do not have. As with all foxes, Francis is all about mischief and sees it as his personal mission to drive all of the other residents of the "Boss's" golf bag absolutely crazy.
Although certainly not the oldest headcover in the bag, Francis views himself as the self-proclaimed leader and favorite. This is evidenced in his debut in yesterday's strip.
So there they are. Guest appearances will be plenty from the bags of many of the best players in the game, as well as from the other headcovers found in my bag. Truth is, no headcover out there, whether I own them or not, is exempt from showing up in the bag from week to week. So stay tuned and hope it will be fun!
Until the my next post,
Hit 'em Long & Straight!
If you had a look at my latest post, you saw the first installment of my new golf cartoon "strip" Headcovers. Probably need to set the stage a bit for what is coming.
THE
"PLAYERS"The main players in Headcovers are the main three headcovers in my bag and are featured on the strip's logo. BEAR has been there the longest. He's steadfast and dependable. Truth is, he'll be there until I give up the game. Haven't ever given him a name and doubt I ever will.
Sadly, a few years back, he got his nose caught in the van door, smashing his plastic nose. Instead of replacing him I got some black yarn and whip stitched a new nose in place. It shows a bit in my drawing of him.
Like his pal, Bear, BUFFALO doesn't have a name either. He's more the
brawn with Bear being the brains. Strong and tough and sometimes downright snorting mean. Truth is, he's all bluff.Buffalo represents my love of Western culture and he'll be a mainstay in the bag as well.
Last, but certainly not least, of my Headcovers triumvirate is FRANCIS, the fox. Francis is immensely proud of his name, named for the immortal Francis Ouimet. He is also very proud of his arms — which Bear, Buffalo and many other headcovers do not have. As with all foxes, Francis is all about mischief and sees it as his personal mission to drive all of the other residents of the "Boss's" golf bag absolutely crazy.Although certainly not the oldest headcover in the bag, Francis views himself as the self-proclaimed leader and favorite. This is evidenced in his debut in yesterday's strip.
So there they are. Guest appearances will be plenty from the bags of many of the best players in the game, as well as from the other headcovers found in my bag. Truth is, no headcover out there, whether I own them or not, is exempt from showing up in the bag from week to week. So stay tuned and hope it will be fun!
Until the my next post,
Hit 'em Long & Straight!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Saturday, September 10, 2011
OF HORSES & BARNS — THE LONG AND SHORT OF PUTTERS
by Doug McAllister
Much has been said in recent days about long putters. Moreover, a whole lotta rationalizing has been done, on the part of some of the world's best golfers, about how the proverbial "horse has bolted from the barn" and, therefore cannot be brought back to the stable. Makes me wonder whether we're talking more about professional rodeo or horse racing than about golf.
Here's my take on the whole mess. First off, I agree with Tom Watson, one of the greatest putters in the game. Watson observes that anchoring the putter to your body — whether the belly or the chest — creates a stroke that provides an unfair advantage and, therefore, should be prohibited. Watson also states that the stroke used with long putters is not a golf stroke at all.
Interesting!
But, apparently, that is neither here nor there in the minds of the USGA and the R&A, golf's ruling organizations. They are currently spinning their wheels and wasting time trying to look like they are taking action when, actually, they apparently don't want to spoil the current "horse ride!"
But, wait a minute! It's really more simple than anyone wants to admit and I am monumentally surprised that memories in golf circles seem to be so short!
It's been just a few months since the golf world was rocked by the determination to outlaw offending grooves — especially grooves on shorter irons and wedges. I ask you, HOW LONG HAD THAT HORSE BEEN AWAY FROM THE BARN? Way back in 1987, Mark Calcavecchia hit his "shot heard round the world" of golf from deep rough with a Ping Eye 2 iron that feature U-grooves. A shot that screamed to a halt so fast that a collective gasp was heard echoing, not only from the gallery at hand, but also from TV watchers everywhere. Remember? According to the rationale of long putter proponents, the barn door was wide open for golf club technology that would be radically game changing in nature.
So let's add things up. Hmmm. Let's see... 1987 to 2011. 24 some odd years, if my calculation is correct, that the horse was loping all over the place. But after 24 years the USGA and R&A still managed to lasso the elusive equine and bring it back to the so-called barn! The appropriate ban was struck and all of golf is now — albeit grudgingly, in many cases — working to adhere to the new rule.
Which brings us back to the question of long putters. It has certainly NOT been nearly a quarter century — as it was with wedges and short irons — that long putters have been in use. So why is it that so many are vehemently arguing that it is too late to appropriately ban the offending putters?
Resolved! Let's just rein in the out-of-the-barn horse. Time to say no to the long putter and get back to golf as usual. And let's all take a deep breath and recognize that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BANNING GROOVES AND BANNING LONG PUTTER SHAFTS! PERIOD!
So, go out today to your local putting green and, with a putter of correct length...
Hit 'em (or putt 'em) Long & Straight!
Much has been said in recent days about long putters. Moreover, a whole lotta rationalizing has been done, on the part of some of the world's best golfers, about how the proverbial "horse has bolted from the barn" and, therefore cannot be brought back to the stable. Makes me wonder whether we're talking more about professional rodeo or horse racing than about golf.
Here's my take on the whole mess. First off, I agree with Tom Watson, one of the greatest putters in the game. Watson observes that anchoring the putter to your body — whether the belly or the chest — creates a stroke that provides an unfair advantage and, therefore, should be prohibited. Watson also states that the stroke used with long putters is not a golf stroke at all.
Interesting!
But, apparently, that is neither here nor there in the minds of the USGA and the R&A, golf's ruling organizations. They are currently spinning their wheels and wasting time trying to look like they are taking action when, actually, they apparently don't want to spoil the current "horse ride!"
But, wait a minute! It's really more simple than anyone wants to admit and I am monumentally surprised that memories in golf circles seem to be so short!
It's been just a few months since the golf world was rocked by the determination to outlaw offending grooves — especially grooves on shorter irons and wedges. I ask you, HOW LONG HAD THAT HORSE BEEN AWAY FROM THE BARN? Way back in 1987, Mark Calcavecchia hit his "shot heard round the world" of golf from deep rough with a Ping Eye 2 iron that feature U-grooves. A shot that screamed to a halt so fast that a collective gasp was heard echoing, not only from the gallery at hand, but also from TV watchers everywhere. Remember? According to the rationale of long putter proponents, the barn door was wide open for golf club technology that would be radically game changing in nature.
So let's add things up. Hmmm. Let's see... 1987 to 2011. 24 some odd years, if my calculation is correct, that the horse was loping all over the place. But after 24 years the USGA and R&A still managed to lasso the elusive equine and bring it back to the so-called barn! The appropriate ban was struck and all of golf is now — albeit grudgingly, in many cases — working to adhere to the new rule.
Which brings us back to the question of long putters. It has certainly NOT been nearly a quarter century — as it was with wedges and short irons — that long putters have been in use. So why is it that so many are vehemently arguing that it is too late to appropriately ban the offending putters?
Resolved! Let's just rein in the out-of-the-barn horse. Time to say no to the long putter and get back to golf as usual. And let's all take a deep breath and recognize that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BANNING GROOVES AND BANNING LONG PUTTER SHAFTS! PERIOD!
So, go out today to your local putting green and, with a putter of correct length...
Hit 'em (or putt 'em) Long & Straight!
Monday, April 25, 2011
THE DOWNSIDE OF THANKSGIVING POINT
by Doug McAllister
When Thanksgiving Point Golf Course first hit the scene it immediately began the process of proclaiming that it was the premier golf course in Utah. Why? Because it was designed by Johnny Miller. Because it offered "resort golf at public prices." Because it was bound to be included as the venue in the near future for a PGA Tour event.
Because. Because. Because! So what's my take on the inimitable Thanksgiving Point? Overrated. Overrated. Overrated!
Let's look at the "becauses" one by one and consider whether each is fact or fiction.
1. BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED BY JOHNNY MILLER
Fiction!
Mind you. Thanksgiving Point was designed by Johnny Miller. The fiction I refer to here is that Thanksgiving Point should be considered as Utah's premier course on the basis of its designer. Thanksgiving Point used to go to ridiculous lengths to brand the course as a Miller course. The course's head pro was featured on TV commercials drooling and gushing about Miller designing the track with the Hall of Famer embarrassingly standing by.
The proof of the pudding is, indeed, in the tasting and, very likely, there are all sorts of golfers who relish rounds at Thanksgiving Point. I just don't happen to be one of them. Give me, rather, Tuhaye, the excellent Mark O'Meara course in Kamas or any of Gene Bates courses, especially Talon's Cove in Saratoga Springs. Any of these course is far superior to Thanksgiving Point.
2. BECAUSE IT OFFERS RESORT GOLF AT PUBLIC PRICES!
Fiction!
Thanksgiving Point is currently priced for 18 holes at $65 during the week (Monday thru Thursday) and $85 for weekend play (Friday thru Sunday). Interesting. Up Provo Canyon and a bit farther in Midway, Utah, is the Homestead Resort. The place boasts a fine 18-hole golf course. Given Thanksgiving Point's claim to offer "resort golf and public course prices," it should stand to reason that its fees, listed above, should be less than those of The Homestead Resort. Not quite. Currently golfers can play the 18 holes, including a cart, at the Homestead for $55 during the week (Monday thru Thursday) and for $60 during weekend play (Friday thru Sunday).
Not convinced. The Homestead not really a resort? Okay. Let's compare Thanksgiving Point to a real resort course that I was privileged to play last summer — Arnold Palmer's Teton Pines in Jackson Hole Wyoming. I'll even compare Teton Pines prices during its prime season schedule. From June 18 thru September 30, Teton Pines charges $160 for 18 holes of golf (before 2:00 p.m.) and all the range balls you care to hit! Sure, that's nearly double Thanksgiving Point's weekend rate. But look here: After 2:00 p.m. the rate falls to $120, or just $35 dollars more than you'd pay at "the Point." And is that added amount worth it? Is an Arnold Palmer designed course worth an additional $35? In my humble opinion it certainly is! And I suspect that most individuals who are familiar with Palmer courses versus Miller courses would heartily agree!
3. BECAUSE IT IS BOUND TO BE INCLUDED AS THE VENUE FOR A FUTURE PGA TOUR EVENT!
Fiction!
Thanksgiving Point opened for play in 1997. Since then, the closest the course has come to hosting a PGA Event has been Johnny Miller's Champions Challenge, an event that really boils down to an exhibition match between Miller and some of his buddies. And that's it! Does it look like the course will succeed in luring the PGA to send an event — even a Champions Tour event — its way? Not hardly! The course is now 14 years old and has lost that "New Course Smell!"
SIMPLY NOT UP TO SNUFF!
The real problem with Thanksgiving Point has always been ego. They've always worked overtime to position themselves as a course that's just too good to be true and, all too often, way too good for you!
I played the course today and was disappointed that things simply haven't changed. From its exorbitant pricing to snooty and condescending pro shop personnel. The place reeks of exclusivity and out-and-out silliness.
On one hole, for example, we were confronted by a snotty, pushy and unfriendly "Player Assistant." Was he really interested in "assisting" us? Not hardly! Rather, his whole goal was to push and enforce his supposed authority. Why? Because we committed the unpardonable sin of driving our cart on a fairway that was supposedly closed for carts! Did we disregard warning signs — that happened to be conspicuously staked on other fairways similarly closed — warning us not to take carts on the forbidden fairway? No! we were supposed to read the minds of groundskeepers who simply picketed off the fairway with temporary ropes! And never mind that there were so many cart tracks on the fairway in question BEFORE our venturing thereon that you could easily have dubbed the place "Indianapolis Speedway!" There he stood as we exited, like an elementary school principal who has just caught some truant third graders hiding in the lunch room! And he was actually shaking his head disapprovingly!
Enough said. By all means, play Thanksgiving Point if you have a free pass or if a friend offers to pick up your greens fees. Otherwise, steer clear of the place. After all, you'd be better served to choose Talon's Cove, Wingpointe, Old Mill or Hobble Creek — all of which feature resort golf experiences with actual public course pricing!
HELAS!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
BALL FITTING MYTHOLOGY & DAVIS LOVE III IS REALLY EXCITED!
by Doug McAllister
Well, golf fans, we can all rest a little easier knowing that Davis Love III has found a new sponsor. The perennial Titleist poster boy has now joined Bridgestone (isn't it interesting that he has also apparently sworn off FootJoy shoes? Check out the adiPures from Adidias...) and, as noted, on the Bridgestone web site, Love III is "excited!" Well, that's fine.
WHAT WAS SAID:
In the short video clip on Bridgestone's site, Love III mentions:
"I'm excited to be with Bridgestone! I'm really excited about the technology. I'm really excited about the equipment...One of the things that really attracted me to Bridgestone was the whole ball fitting thing...I'm excited about a fresh start with the Bridgestone ball!"
WHAT WASN'T SAID:
Unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity to be a "fly on the wall" of Davis' brain. If we had had such a chance, I think we would have heard something a bit like this:
"More than anything, I'm REALLY excited that a sponsor is willing to shovel a truckload of dollars my way at this stage of my career! I haven't won anything in a light year and, I know, I am on my way out. Just trying to survive long enough to skid into the Champion's Tour. Whew! I was really getting nervous there with Titleist. They're all about keeping a stable of the best young golfers, without any loyalty or consideration for someone, like me, who helped put them on the golfing map beyond just golf balls!"
Okay. I don't begrudge Love III having an opportunity to keep an income from a sponsor. It's just fine! What I can't stand is that — among touring professionals — golf is nothing more than money. NOTHING! They change their equipment more often than most of us change our underwear. And, after all, the golf equipment companies are all about getting their pound of flesh out of you and me.
As Davis Love III changes to Bridgestone there's the real chance that many of us might think it's because there is something dramatically wrong with Titleist's ProV1 family of golf balls. After all, Davis wouldn't jump ship if he wasn't getting a better game, right? Truth is, there really isn't that much difference between Titleist and Bridgestone — other than the fact that Bridgestone makes a far better tire for your car!
BALL FITTING MYTHOLOGY
And let's talk about this nonsense of Bridgestone's ball fitting prowess. Have you visited the Bridgestone site and gone through the ball fitting process they offer? Just in case you haven't, here's the content from a chat session about ball fitting that I just completed (the spelling and exchange is exactly as it occurred online):
Well, golf fans, we can all rest a little easier knowing that Davis Love III has found a new sponsor. The perennial Titleist poster boy has now joined Bridgestone (isn't it interesting that he has also apparently sworn off FootJoy shoes? Check out the adiPures from Adidias...) and, as noted, on the Bridgestone web site, Love III is "excited!" Well, that's fine.
WHAT WAS SAID:
In the short video clip on Bridgestone's site, Love III mentions:
"I'm excited to be with Bridgestone! I'm really excited about the technology. I'm really excited about the equipment...One of the things that really attracted me to Bridgestone was the whole ball fitting thing...I'm excited about a fresh start with the Bridgestone ball!"
WHAT WASN'T SAID:
Unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity to be a "fly on the wall" of Davis' brain. If we had had such a chance, I think we would have heard something a bit like this:
"More than anything, I'm REALLY excited that a sponsor is willing to shovel a truckload of dollars my way at this stage of my career! I haven't won anything in a light year and, I know, I am on my way out. Just trying to survive long enough to skid into the Champion's Tour. Whew! I was really getting nervous there with Titleist. They're all about keeping a stable of the best young golfers, without any loyalty or consideration for someone, like me, who helped put them on the golfing map beyond just golf balls!"
Okay. I don't begrudge Love III having an opportunity to keep an income from a sponsor. It's just fine! What I can't stand is that — among touring professionals — golf is nothing more than money. NOTHING! They change their equipment more often than most of us change our underwear. And, after all, the golf equipment companies are all about getting their pound of flesh out of you and me.
As Davis Love III changes to Bridgestone there's the real chance that many of us might think it's because there is something dramatically wrong with Titleist's ProV1 family of golf balls. After all, Davis wouldn't jump ship if he wasn't getting a better game, right? Truth is, there really isn't that much difference between Titleist and Bridgestone — other than the fact that Bridgestone makes a far better tire for your car!
BALL FITTING MYTHOLOGY
And let's talk about this nonsense of Bridgestone's ball fitting prowess. Have you visited the Bridgestone site and gone through the ball fitting process they offer? Just in case you haven't, here's the content from a chat session about ball fitting that I just completed (the spelling and exchange is exactly as it occurred online):
Jeff: Hi, this is Jeff. Welcome to B-Fit. How can I help you today?
Doug: wanted to use the ball fitter and see which bridgestone ball to use
how do it get started
Jeff: Hey Doug,
Tell me a little about your game and your ball flight.
Doug: i play to a 7 handicap. Hit it pretty straight with a slight fade
Jeff: Do you know what your swing speed is w/ your driver?
Doug: not exactly...but I have a smooth, probably comparatively slow swing
Jeff: Ok.
About how far do you hit an average drive?
Doug: probably 250-270 yds
Jeff: Good.
Are you a low or high ball hitter?
Doug: generally a higher flight
Jeff: Any issues getting your approach shots to stop?
Doug: nope
Jeff: When you hit your driver, do you get much roll?
Doug: on my driver, yes
Jeff: What would you say is more important to you Doug, distance or spin?
Doug: distance
Jeff: Ok.
What ball do you usually play?
Doug: does that really matter?
Jeff: It gives me a point of reference. If you're already playing a raw distance ball, that would be different compared to if you are playing a spin ball for example.
Doug: At this point, I haven't played a Bridgestone ball. I assumed that the fitting process would look at my game and tell me what Bridgestone ball was best for me — independent of what other companies offer. Was I mistaken?
Jeff: I can certainly make a recommendation without know what ball you currently play Doug, but like I said, if I know what type of ball you are currently playing, that helps me decide which direction we may need to go. If you want more distance, and you are currently playing a firm, low launch high spin ball, I might make a differnt suggestion than if you told me you were playing our e6, which is already a really long distance type ball. It's not that big of deal, I've just never had anyone have a problem with it.
Based on what you've told me, I recommend the B330-RX.
The B330-RX is a high performance, 3 piece tour caliber ball designed for players who swing between 85-105 mph. It's the softest urethane covered ball on the market, making it easy to compress for players who have swing speeds less than 105 mph. It offers excellent distance, spin and shot shaping ability.
Doug: no problem with it. I just didn't want my current ball to bias the proper fit from Bridgestone.
Jeff: It doesn't bias it really at all. Some players are already playing a Bridgestone, but if I know which one, I can put that information together with the info I have been given about their ball flight to make a suggestion. The more info I have the better, that's all. No worries.
Doug: it's just that I have done ball fitting before with other companies and, nine times out of ten, when I have told them what competitive ball I play, they suggest their version of the competitor's ball. What good is that, really?
Jeff: I see where you're coming from.
Is there anything else I can help with Doug?
Interesting, don't you think? Did you follow all of that? The key here is simple. After the usual housekeeping items regarding ball flight, distance and spin — the selfsame items used in every ball fitting exchange, regardless of the manufacturer — the HUGE question is: "So what are you playing now?" In short, the whole gig is "we want to know what you are playing now and we will simply tell you to pick up the Bridgestone counterpart." PERIOD!
You should note, as well, that the jump from "I see where you're coming from..." to "Is there anything else I can help with Doug?..." to the session shutting down from Bridgestone's end was a matter of seconds! Jeff, probably sensing that he had hooked into someone who was onto him and his company, ran for his life!
But, I am REALLY excited about Davis Love III being REALLY excited!
HELAS!
Interesting, don't you think? Did you follow all of that? The key here is simple. After the usual housekeeping items regarding ball flight, distance and spin — the selfsame items used in every ball fitting exchange, regardless of the manufacturer — the HUGE question is: "So what are you playing now?" In short, the whole gig is "we want to know what you are playing now and we will simply tell you to pick up the Bridgestone counterpart." PERIOD!
You should note, as well, that the jump from "I see where you're coming from..." to "Is there anything else I can help with Doug?..." to the session shutting down from Bridgestone's end was a matter of seconds! Jeff, probably sensing that he had hooked into someone who was onto him and his company, ran for his life!
But, I am REALLY excited about Davis Love III being REALLY excited!
HELAS!
Friday, January 7, 2011
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO...HERE WE GO AGAIN!!
by Doug McAllister
Well, it's the new year and, with its beginning, its time to get going right where it seems we left off. What am I talking about? Seems Camilo Villegas broke a rule while playing yesterday in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. As a result of the domino effect that ensued, he was DQ'd from the event.
Wow! Must have been something terrible! What'd he do? Punch someone in the gallery? Let all the air out of the cars in the course parking lot? What did he do? Okay...we don't even need to talk about that. Really! We don't!
So what's the problem? Also seems that some television viewer saw the violation — something that all the on-site rules officials missed — and called in and ratted on Villegas! Now, if you've read my stuff before, you know that this makes my blood boil more than taking a snowman on a par 3!
WHERE IS THIS CONTACT INFORMATION?!
Okay, I've heard the first part of this too many times. A television viewer "calls" or "contacts" the USGA or the PGA or the Golf Channel or Golf Snitches Anonymous. Where on earth do you find these phone numbers, email addresses or fax numbers? Where are they listed? It drives me nuts! Even if I wanted to play the stool pigeon — which I don't! — I don't know the numbers!
Which begs the question: why is this information available at all, especially during the course of an event? Heck, I can't even change my Fantasy Golf Foursome after tee off time. Why should there be anyone manning a phone or a fax or a computer during an event with the sole purpose seemingly being waiting for some 25-handicap golf vigilante who couldn't hit a straight putt in a rain gutter to blow the whistle?
AREN'T THE RULES IMPORTANT?
Of course they are! But there is also the human element that has to be taken into consideration and honored just as stridently as the rules of the game! There are officials all over the course at each event and it's their job to monitor things and cite those who break the rules. But do they miss violations here and there? Darn straight!
So now, with the added technological possibilities out there, we have thousands of officials sitting comfortably in their Lazy Boy's and watching for the violation that will get past the paid judges.
ISN'T THAT A GOOD THING?
Hell no! The game is played on the course and not inside a TV camera. Ergo, what happens on the course needs to be called on the course — when and where it happens! And what if a rules violation isn't caught? SO BE IT! Once the day of golf is completed the books on that round should be closed, hermetically sealed and dried hard like last week's cement! This nonsense of officials waiting at the 18th green the next day to deliver the bad news has got to stop!
RESOLUTION
It's simple. To the governing bodies of the game at sanctioned events: once the tournament commences do us all the decency of turning off every communications device you own. Turn off your cell phones (and get new numbers, while your at it, so viewers won't be able to call you), shut down your computers. And for Pete's sake, get off Facebook and Twitter! (Everyone knows that real golfers are NOT actively involved in social networking! It causes slicing and hooking!) Make it a New Year's resolution to accept that golf is a game played by fallible human beings and officiated by the same! Yeah, do your darnedest to see that the rules are upheld but, when they're not, don't have kittens over it!
Determine now that what happens on the course will be handled on the course and — regardless of how well-meaning they may seem — resolve to NOT take any tips, phone calls, Facebook posts or tweets from anybody! Not even from your sainted mothers!
Golf doesn't need an instant replay. NO INSTANT REPLAY! Remember? It's supposed to be the game where the players call penalties on themselves. Not the game that allows faceless, nameless, brainless fools to do it for them!
What golf needs is for more of the armchair rules officials to get off their butts and get out their and try to...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
Well, it's the new year and, with its beginning, its time to get going right where it seems we left off. What am I talking about? Seems Camilo Villegas broke a rule while playing yesterday in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. As a result of the domino effect that ensued, he was DQ'd from the event.
Wow! Must have been something terrible! What'd he do? Punch someone in the gallery? Let all the air out of the cars in the course parking lot? What did he do? Okay...we don't even need to talk about that. Really! We don't!
So what's the problem? Also seems that some television viewer saw the violation — something that all the on-site rules officials missed — and called in and ratted on Villegas! Now, if you've read my stuff before, you know that this makes my blood boil more than taking a snowman on a par 3!
WHERE IS THIS CONTACT INFORMATION?!
Okay, I've heard the first part of this too many times. A television viewer "calls" or "contacts" the USGA or the PGA or the Golf Channel or Golf Snitches Anonymous. Where on earth do you find these phone numbers, email addresses or fax numbers? Where are they listed? It drives me nuts! Even if I wanted to play the stool pigeon — which I don't! — I don't know the numbers!
Which begs the question: why is this information available at all, especially during the course of an event? Heck, I can't even change my Fantasy Golf Foursome after tee off time. Why should there be anyone manning a phone or a fax or a computer during an event with the sole purpose seemingly being waiting for some 25-handicap golf vigilante who couldn't hit a straight putt in a rain gutter to blow the whistle?
AREN'T THE RULES IMPORTANT?
Of course they are! But there is also the human element that has to be taken into consideration and honored just as stridently as the rules of the game! There are officials all over the course at each event and it's their job to monitor things and cite those who break the rules. But do they miss violations here and there? Darn straight!
So now, with the added technological possibilities out there, we have thousands of officials sitting comfortably in their Lazy Boy's and watching for the violation that will get past the paid judges.
ISN'T THAT A GOOD THING?
Hell no! The game is played on the course and not inside a TV camera. Ergo, what happens on the course needs to be called on the course — when and where it happens! And what if a rules violation isn't caught? SO BE IT! Once the day of golf is completed the books on that round should be closed, hermetically sealed and dried hard like last week's cement! This nonsense of officials waiting at the 18th green the next day to deliver the bad news has got to stop!
RESOLUTION
It's simple. To the governing bodies of the game at sanctioned events: once the tournament commences do us all the decency of turning off every communications device you own. Turn off your cell phones (and get new numbers, while your at it, so viewers won't be able to call you), shut down your computers. And for Pete's sake, get off Facebook and Twitter! (Everyone knows that real golfers are NOT actively involved in social networking! It causes slicing and hooking!) Make it a New Year's resolution to accept that golf is a game played by fallible human beings and officiated by the same! Yeah, do your darnedest to see that the rules are upheld but, when they're not, don't have kittens over it!
Determine now that what happens on the course will be handled on the course and — regardless of how well-meaning they may seem — resolve to NOT take any tips, phone calls, Facebook posts or tweets from anybody! Not even from your sainted mothers!
Golf doesn't need an instant replay. NO INSTANT REPLAY! Remember? It's supposed to be the game where the players call penalties on themselves. Not the game that allows faceless, nameless, brainless fools to do it for them!
What golf needs is for more of the armchair rules officials to get off their butts and get out their and try to...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
Monday, December 13, 2010
NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL GOLF NEWS!
by Doug McAllister
Sorry for not tuning in for awhile. What's going on? To borrow an analogy from Nature, "the trees have gone dormant. Hibernation. What have you."
But isn't golf a year round pursuit? Maybe if you live in Florida, Southern California or Arizona. Here in Utah, when the mountains begin to fill up with snow, the thought of hitting rock-hard golf balls is about as appealing as the prospects of a colonoscopy! But that's neither here nor there.
But I had to post today! Just read Devil Ball, THE preeminent golf blog out there (supposedly). The title was, nauseatingly and stupidly enough, was "Is Elin moving on from Tiger with a new gentleman? Could be..." (and you thought I was nuts for temporarily hibernating from golf!)
Oh, I should add that the author warned in a slipshod disclaimer at the beginning that the story wasn't, at all, about golf. Oh, really? SO WHY, THEN, WASTE THE DIGITAL INK?
There you have it!
First off, I couldn't give a pachyderm's posterior (that's an elephant's...well...you know) about Elin's latest...whatever you might want to call it. She never was golf news before. At best, she is simply golf soap now (even with the pathetic disclaimer)! Secondly, if you seriously know anyone who really thought that Elin would take her millions and join a convent instead of getting on with her life send 'em my way. I own some wonderful oceanfront property near Delta, Utah that they might be interested in buying.
But, then, that's what's wrong with golf blogs right now, isn't it? Too much "as the Tiger turns" and not enough golf. And nutty commentary about Elin's love life constitutes "as the Tiger turns" once removed! Inexcusable!
Enough said!
Hopefully some of you are getting out where it's warm and continuing to play the game. Golf, I mean. Me? I was hoping to get out this week. Still might if these Chinook winds that we're enjoying right now here in north-central Utah hold up. If not, It may be a while before I can get out and find out whether I can still...at least some of the time...
Hit 'em Long and Straight!
Sorry for not tuning in for awhile. What's going on? To borrow an analogy from Nature, "the trees have gone dormant. Hibernation. What have you."
But isn't golf a year round pursuit? Maybe if you live in Florida, Southern California or Arizona. Here in Utah, when the mountains begin to fill up with snow, the thought of hitting rock-hard golf balls is about as appealing as the prospects of a colonoscopy! But that's neither here nor there.
But I had to post today! Just read Devil Ball, THE preeminent golf blog out there (supposedly). The title was, nauseatingly and stupidly enough, was "Is Elin moving on from Tiger with a new gentleman? Could be..." (and you thought I was nuts for temporarily hibernating from golf!)
Oh, I should add that the author warned in a slipshod disclaimer at the beginning that the story wasn't, at all, about golf. Oh, really? SO WHY, THEN, WASTE THE DIGITAL INK?
There you have it!
First off, I couldn't give a pachyderm's posterior (that's an elephant's...well...you know) about Elin's latest...whatever you might want to call it. She never was golf news before. At best, she is simply golf soap now (even with the pathetic disclaimer)! Secondly, if you seriously know anyone who really thought that Elin would take her millions and join a convent instead of getting on with her life send 'em my way. I own some wonderful oceanfront property near Delta, Utah that they might be interested in buying.
But, then, that's what's wrong with golf blogs right now, isn't it? Too much "as the Tiger turns" and not enough golf. And nutty commentary about Elin's love life constitutes "as the Tiger turns" once removed! Inexcusable!
Enough said!
Hopefully some of you are getting out where it's warm and continuing to play the game. Golf, I mean. Me? I was hoping to get out this week. Still might if these Chinook winds that we're enjoying right now here in north-central Utah hold up. If not, It may be a while before I can get out and find out whether I can still...at least some of the time...
Hit 'em Long and Straight!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
YOU...ARE THE COURSE!
by Doug McAllister
First off, apologies for being "away." Where was I? I suppose I was temporarily lost in that horrible abyss known as "responsibility." But that's no excuse.
Actually I have been working on a new addition to "This For Birdie!" Remember when I promised "golf-litical" cartoons? Well, I have been brainstorming madly about a new strip — yep, not just a one framer — to be added periodically here. What will it be called. What else? "HEADCOVERS!" Wait and see. Should be fun.
But to today's post...
MYTH: DESTINATION GOLF AS A DEFINING EXPERIENCE...
Ah, St. Andrews! Just the name conjures images of golf in its purity. It's a planned pilgrimage included on many a golfer's "bucket list" — whether that's a large bucket or a small one! If one could only play St. Andrews he or she would surely achieve golfing Nirvana!
But, for many, destination golf is the rule and not the exception. Off they go to this "great course" or that one. Lists include such destinations as Pebble Beach, Harbor Town, TPC Sawgrass and Pinehurst #2. Some of the more deluded even add Augusta to their lists. And in each case the expectation seems clearly to be the search for the perfect round on the perfect course.
But does that really happen. One thing is certain. Regardless of where one travels to play golf he takes his game with him, right? Which simply means that, regardless of where one goes the same game — flawed as all golf games are — goes along.
In short — YOU ARE THE COURSE!
Golf is also a head game. The worst head game there may be! Meaning? Meaning that when you finally save enough kopecks to get to whatever golfing Shangri-La it may be, chances are very good that your best game or, You—THE COURSE, may not be along for the ride.
TO GO OR NOT TO GO. THAT IS THE QUESTION...
So my advice, then, is to stay behind? Certainly not! I have played several "destination" courses when the opportunity presented itself and played MARVELOUSLY at each site.
NOT!! I played the Geronimo Course at Desert Mountain and barely made it in with enough golf balls to finish! I played Teton Pines in Jackson Hole and could never get a fix on length — either way too long or way too short! At Silverado in Napa I killed more worms than I could count! (hopefully they weren't needed for the good of the wine industry there!) And, in each case, I came away feeling like I had somehow betrayed the game and needed to hang it up.
What I wasn't realizing is that the destination course is to be experienced, sometimes, in spite of golf! In other words, you could go to St. Andrews, simply walk the course without hitting a single ball and be the better for it. Of course, if you get there you had better play or you'd be looked upon as an idiot of elephantine proportions!
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
But in the end I advocate playing the game between your ears. With that in mind the physical course doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter if you're playing the manicured track of a world-class course or a sorry cow patch. What matters is what happens with course that you always carry with you.
Remember! You are the course!
Now, with that, you're probably wishing I had abandoned this blog permanently!
HELAS!
First off, apologies for being "away." Where was I? I suppose I was temporarily lost in that horrible abyss known as "responsibility." But that's no excuse.
Actually I have been working on a new addition to "This For Birdie!" Remember when I promised "golf-litical" cartoons? Well, I have been brainstorming madly about a new strip — yep, not just a one framer — to be added periodically here. What will it be called. What else? "HEADCOVERS!" Wait and see. Should be fun.
But to today's post...
MYTH: DESTINATION GOLF AS A DEFINING EXPERIENCE...
Ah, St. Andrews! Just the name conjures images of golf in its purity. It's a planned pilgrimage included on many a golfer's "bucket list" — whether that's a large bucket or a small one! If one could only play St. Andrews he or she would surely achieve golfing Nirvana!
But, for many, destination golf is the rule and not the exception. Off they go to this "great course" or that one. Lists include such destinations as Pebble Beach, Harbor Town, TPC Sawgrass and Pinehurst #2. Some of the more deluded even add Augusta to their lists. And in each case the expectation seems clearly to be the search for the perfect round on the perfect course.
But does that really happen. One thing is certain. Regardless of where one travels to play golf he takes his game with him, right? Which simply means that, regardless of where one goes the same game — flawed as all golf games are — goes along.
In short — YOU ARE THE COURSE!
Golf is also a head game. The worst head game there may be! Meaning? Meaning that when you finally save enough kopecks to get to whatever golfing Shangri-La it may be, chances are very good that your best game or, You—THE COURSE, may not be along for the ride.
TO GO OR NOT TO GO. THAT IS THE QUESTION...
So my advice, then, is to stay behind? Certainly not! I have played several "destination" courses when the opportunity presented itself and played MARVELOUSLY at each site.
NOT!! I played the Geronimo Course at Desert Mountain and barely made it in with enough golf balls to finish! I played Teton Pines in Jackson Hole and could never get a fix on length — either way too long or way too short! At Silverado in Napa I killed more worms than I could count! (hopefully they weren't needed for the good of the wine industry there!) And, in each case, I came away feeling like I had somehow betrayed the game and needed to hang it up.
What I wasn't realizing is that the destination course is to be experienced, sometimes, in spite of golf! In other words, you could go to St. Andrews, simply walk the course without hitting a single ball and be the better for it. Of course, if you get there you had better play or you'd be looked upon as an idiot of elephantine proportions!
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
But in the end I advocate playing the game between your ears. With that in mind the physical course doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter if you're playing the manicured track of a world-class course or a sorry cow patch. What matters is what happens with course that you always carry with you.
Remember! You are the course!
Now, with that, you're probably wishing I had abandoned this blog permanently!
HELAS!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
A MUST FOR THE "WILFULLY" STUPID! PRESENT AND FUTURE
by Doug McAllister
One of the first entries that you will read in the book THE BEST ADVICE EVER FOR GOLFERS is a quote about golf penned in 1908 by Arnold Haultain. Haultain observes, simply, that to be obsessed with golf "is not so much a sign of pitiable insanity as of wilful stupidity." We'll here's to the "wilfully" stupid and to anyone else to wants a collection of observations, anecdotes, quotes, quips and stories about this sport of sports. THE BEST ADVICE EVER FOR GOLFERS by Robert McCord is a must for you and for your library.
One of the first entries that you will read in the book THE BEST ADVICE EVER FOR GOLFERS is a quote about golf penned in 1908 by Arnold Haultain. Haultain observes, simply, that to be obsessed with golf "is not so much a sign of pitiable insanity as of wilful stupidity." We'll here's to the "wilfully" stupid and to anyone else to wants a collection of observations, anecdotes, quotes, quips and stories about this sport of sports. THE BEST ADVICE EVER FOR GOLFERS by Robert McCord is a must for you and for your library.
It's all here. Chapters include "Golf the Obsession...", "Down the Fairway...", "Grace Under Pressure..." and subjects that cover just about every aspect of the game. Contributors include some of the greatest names in the history of the game from Hagen to Hogan, from Palmer to Player, from Watson to Woods and from Nicklaus to Nelson and everyone in between.
More than a "How To..." book, THE BEST ADVICE EVER FOR GOLFERS is idle chat about the game by the greats as if you were with them at the 19th hole. It's also a great "almanac" of golf for everyone from seasoned golfers to those thinking about taking the golf plunge. If you are among the latter, be very careful when reading this book. You may find yourself, before you know it, among the ranks of the "wilfully" stupid as Mr. Haultain so eloquently put it.
Hit 'Em Long and Straight — wilfully and stupidly!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
THE GOLF HALL OF FAME (OR NOT SO FAMOUS)
by Doug McAllister
This day in golf history saw the birth of a Golf Hall of Famer and the death of another. In 1890 future U.S. President and golfing fanatic, Dwight David Eisenhower was born on this day in the obscure prairie town of Abilene, Kansas. And, some 87 years later, an equally obsessed golfer named Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby died in Madrid, Spain on October 14, 1977.
I bring this up because of the recent caterwauling that resulted from news of one of the latest inductees into the same storied Hall.
Former President, George W. Bush was inducted and almost immediately the naysaying began. "What has he done to deserve to be there?" was the most common question asked. What indeed?
To tell you the truth, I can't say why. The 'W' in his name does stand for Walker — tied directly to the Walker Cup. Maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe not.
But, hey, why Bing Crosby or President Eisenhower? One used money and influence to establish an event that contributed mightily to west coast golf while the other, through his own talentless addiction to the game, popularized the game in the 1950's. Oh...and he got a tree named after him at Augusta National. Why? Because he couldn't, for the life of him, manage to play a round there without hitting it! Even went so far as to try to use his influence to have the darned thing torn out by the roots! Yep, the stuff of a Hall of Fame Career if there ever was one.
Interestingly, there was a bit of complaining about Ernie Els being inducted this year as well. Barely eligible to enter the Hall from an age-requirement standpoint, some believed that he should have had to wait for a while. Interesting. Some even rationalized, as Els might have another Major in his future, it would be best to wait. As if adding another Major to his impressive credentials might disqualify him? (Okay...so I know what they mean. But it's still a remarkably stupid observation to make, in my humble opinion!)
It needs to be remembered that, like most other sports Halls of Fame, every golfer will not make the Hallowed Hall. Just take a look at the list of those IN the Hall. See any names missing that you were just sure would be there? I did.
Where is Oscar Bane "Pop" Keeler? Bobby Jones' friend and confidant and golf writer. Where is Grantland Rice? Rice coined the famous saying "It isn't whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." In my opinion, these sports journalists are as deserving as Bernard Darwin, another golf writer who IS in. And it goes without saying that Keeler and Rice would be far better additions to the Hall than Crosby, Eisenhower or Bush!
And, then, there are the many "generic" golfers in the Hall. Undoubtedly a case can be made for each, I suppose. But, just to name a few — who the heck are Fred Corcoran, Joseph Dey, Herb Graffis and Richard Tufts? To look at their plaques, they appear to be suited bean counters. No doubt they were perceived as contributors to the game and no doubt, as well, they may have dropped a few too many bucks to be given the privilege. Money, after all, opens far too many doors. But, recognizable names or not, there they are in the Hall. And far less notable than George W. Bush.
But like so many things about the game, The Hall of Fame, really has very little to do with the intrinsic quality and enduring value of the game itself, regardless of who is there or not. But, you knew I was going to say that, didn't you? That's because you're smart!
You know, then, that I am also going to say...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
This day in golf history saw the birth of a Golf Hall of Famer and the death of another. In 1890 future U.S. President and golfing fanatic, Dwight David Eisenhower was born on this day in the obscure prairie town of Abilene, Kansas. And, some 87 years later, an equally obsessed golfer named Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby died in Madrid, Spain on October 14, 1977.
I bring this up because of the recent caterwauling that resulted from news of one of the latest inductees into the same storied Hall.
Former President, George W. Bush was inducted and almost immediately the naysaying began. "What has he done to deserve to be there?" was the most common question asked. What indeed?
To tell you the truth, I can't say why. The 'W' in his name does stand for Walker — tied directly to the Walker Cup. Maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe not.
But, hey, why Bing Crosby or President Eisenhower? One used money and influence to establish an event that contributed mightily to west coast golf while the other, through his own talentless addiction to the game, popularized the game in the 1950's. Oh...and he got a tree named after him at Augusta National. Why? Because he couldn't, for the life of him, manage to play a round there without hitting it! Even went so far as to try to use his influence to have the darned thing torn out by the roots! Yep, the stuff of a Hall of Fame Career if there ever was one.
Interestingly, there was a bit of complaining about Ernie Els being inducted this year as well. Barely eligible to enter the Hall from an age-requirement standpoint, some believed that he should have had to wait for a while. Interesting. Some even rationalized, as Els might have another Major in his future, it would be best to wait. As if adding another Major to his impressive credentials might disqualify him? (Okay...so I know what they mean. But it's still a remarkably stupid observation to make, in my humble opinion!)
It needs to be remembered that, like most other sports Halls of Fame, every golfer will not make the Hallowed Hall. Just take a look at the list of those IN the Hall. See any names missing that you were just sure would be there? I did.
Where is Oscar Bane "Pop" Keeler? Bobby Jones' friend and confidant and golf writer. Where is Grantland Rice? Rice coined the famous saying "It isn't whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." In my opinion, these sports journalists are as deserving as Bernard Darwin, another golf writer who IS in. And it goes without saying that Keeler and Rice would be far better additions to the Hall than Crosby, Eisenhower or Bush!
And, then, there are the many "generic" golfers in the Hall. Undoubtedly a case can be made for each, I suppose. But, just to name a few — who the heck are Fred Corcoran, Joseph Dey, Herb Graffis and Richard Tufts? To look at their plaques, they appear to be suited bean counters. No doubt they were perceived as contributors to the game and no doubt, as well, they may have dropped a few too many bucks to be given the privilege. Money, after all, opens far too many doors. But, recognizable names or not, there they are in the Hall. And far less notable than George W. Bush.
But like so many things about the game, The Hall of Fame, really has very little to do with the intrinsic quality and enduring value of the game itself, regardless of who is there or not. But, you knew I was going to say that, didn't you? That's because you're smart!
You know, then, that I am also going to say...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
TALON'S COVE: UTAH'S TRUEST LINKS COURSE
by Doug McAllister
Seems today that the buzz when it comes to courses is "links." You hear it everywhere, "I played a links course today..." or "it's a links style course..." But the truth is, there is a distinct set of characteristics that are involved in true links courses. Take St. Andrews for example. The granddaddy links course of them all defines what is involved. Most specifically, it involves land that has been washed and worked over time by the action of water. By definition, links land was the land that "linked" the seashore to inland lands used for farming and grazing. Nothing to do, as some assume, with a linkage of holes on a course. It's this water-worked characteristic that truly defines a links course.
Which brings me to Talon's Cove in Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Situated on the northwest shore of Utah Lake, Talon's Cove — I believe — offers a true setting for a links course. The land, washed and shaped by the action of the waters of ancient Lake Bonneville, offers the a rolling and moguled landscape that is ideal for links golf. Shaped by
Architect Gene Bates, the course, featuring panoramic views of Utah Valley in all directions, is nothing short of spectacular.
From the back tees, Talon's Cove offers a monstrous championship track of just over 7,000 yards with a rating of 72.5 and a slope of 127. But five different tees insure that the course offers a great experience for golfers of all ability levels.
But it's the course's setting that sets the place apart. Nothing I have played in Utah is remotely similar. On a fair day the experience is wonderful. When the wind picks up off the lake, be prepared for a true Open Championship experience.
For more information, check out http://www.talonscove.com.
If you get a chance, play Talon's Cove. You won't regret it. I promise!
HELAS!
Friday, October 8, 2010
SWING THEORIES OLDER THAN STOCKTON, HARMON AND THE CAST OF THOUSANDS!
by Doug McAllister
I'm sure that you've seen the recent avalanche of name-brand golf instruction that has saturated the game of late. It seems that you can't swing a pitching wedge without hitting Dave Stockton or Butch Harmon or Hank Haney or Sean Foley or some other notable in golf instruction squarely in the face. With all the hoopla, I found myself asking, is it really all THAT?
Let's take Eldrick for a case study.
Starts out with the venerable Butch Harmon. The whole world flocks to Butch as a result. Tiger's game flourishes. Eldrick wins majors. Everyone is happy! Then something goes wrong. Eldrick's game fizzles. A drought begins. Can't be that Tiger is to blame. Must be Butch's fault. Out with Butch! Bad, bad Butch!
In with Hank...for awhile.
Haney quits. Global golf disappointment abounds. Next Eldrick strikes out on his own. No coaches needed. After all, how can the greatest ever learn anything from anybody?
But, surprise! Suddenly Sean Foley is seen sniffing around Tiger on the practice tee. Eureka! A swing change is implemented that, we are told, will take months and months to groove! But, hallelujah! Eldrick will be back soon!
Now, the question. If Butch Harmon was the best teacher for Tiger then, why not now? Is it that Harmon underwent a questionable neuro-medical procedure — like Ernest Hemingway — and has now lost IT? The same might be asked about Haney. Why not ask that about Tiger?
And a peripheral question: what ever came of Tiger switching putters back and forth and back, again, at St. Andrews? Hmmm! Kind of smacks of the "musical chairs" game being played with his coaches. But, we'll get back to that...in a future post!
And then there's the strange case of Dave Stockton.
Stockton works with Phil. Long made putts are the result. Stockton appears in every golf periodical under the sun and there is much rejoicing! The golfing gospel has a new messiah—Dave Stockton!
But wait! Funny! It's as if I've heard it before. Golf déjà vu? Why is that? Because I have heard it all before. From my golf class teacher, Jay Naylor, from my university days to lessons with my friend Brent Wade to studying books by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.
You mean Stockton isn't preaching anything new in the golf instruction game? Absolutely not. And the really sad thing is that when the winds of changes blow in a different direction, Stockton will like be yesterday's golfing fad. His "original theories" about putting, however, will remain in the lexicon of golf fundamentals for everyone to pick up and try.
What am I driving at here? Quite simply the fundamentals of good golf are probably older than Old Tom. And, as it probably was in the old days at the Old Course, golf is the king of the head games.
In the end, it isn't who teaches you that matters. Unless bragging about designer golf lessons and paying the price for them is what "floats your boat!" It's who you choose to believe that shaves strokes. And, hopefully, that who is you!
Hit 'em Long and Straight
...and you don't need a teacher with a brand name to accomplish that!
I'm sure that you've seen the recent avalanche of name-brand golf instruction that has saturated the game of late. It seems that you can't swing a pitching wedge without hitting Dave Stockton or Butch Harmon or Hank Haney or Sean Foley or some other notable in golf instruction squarely in the face. With all the hoopla, I found myself asking, is it really all THAT?
Let's take Eldrick for a case study.
Starts out with the venerable Butch Harmon. The whole world flocks to Butch as a result. Tiger's game flourishes. Eldrick wins majors. Everyone is happy! Then something goes wrong. Eldrick's game fizzles. A drought begins. Can't be that Tiger is to blame. Must be Butch's fault. Out with Butch! Bad, bad Butch!
In with Hank...for awhile.
Haney quits. Global golf disappointment abounds. Next Eldrick strikes out on his own. No coaches needed. After all, how can the greatest ever learn anything from anybody?
But, surprise! Suddenly Sean Foley is seen sniffing around Tiger on the practice tee. Eureka! A swing change is implemented that, we are told, will take months and months to groove! But, hallelujah! Eldrick will be back soon!
Now, the question. If Butch Harmon was the best teacher for Tiger then, why not now? Is it that Harmon underwent a questionable neuro-medical procedure — like Ernest Hemingway — and has now lost IT? The same might be asked about Haney. Why not ask that about Tiger?
And a peripheral question: what ever came of Tiger switching putters back and forth and back, again, at St. Andrews? Hmmm! Kind of smacks of the "musical chairs" game being played with his coaches. But, we'll get back to that...in a future post!
And then there's the strange case of Dave Stockton.
Stockton works with Phil. Long made putts are the result. Stockton appears in every golf periodical under the sun and there is much rejoicing! The golfing gospel has a new messiah—Dave Stockton!
But wait! Funny! It's as if I've heard it before. Golf déjà vu? Why is that? Because I have heard it all before. From my golf class teacher, Jay Naylor, from my university days to lessons with my friend Brent Wade to studying books by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.
You mean Stockton isn't preaching anything new in the golf instruction game? Absolutely not. And the really sad thing is that when the winds of changes blow in a different direction, Stockton will like be yesterday's golfing fad. His "original theories" about putting, however, will remain in the lexicon of golf fundamentals for everyone to pick up and try.
What am I driving at here? Quite simply the fundamentals of good golf are probably older than Old Tom. And, as it probably was in the old days at the Old Course, golf is the king of the head games.
In the end, it isn't who teaches you that matters. Unless bragging about designer golf lessons and paying the price for them is what "floats your boat!" It's who you choose to believe that shaves strokes. And, hopefully, that who is you!
Hit 'em Long and Straight
...and you don't need a teacher with a brand name to accomplish that!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
THIS AREA RESERVED FOR DEDICATED GOLFS ONLY!
by Doug McAllister
Golf has become a pathetic business networking dodge all over the planet, as corporate types gather on courses to schmooze each other, their clients and anyone else who might get caught in the crossfire! Sad, really. But, nonetheless, all too true. Golf in far too many circles has become nothing but a write off. Nothing more than a hollow fashion statement.
Why not just go some place at eat? Everyone pretty much knows how to eat and it's a rare problem when someone misses their mouth because of a too much of a slice being applied when trying to get their food from their fork to their mouths!
Why does it have to be golf? Golf is arguably the hardest game on the planet so why subject coworkers and clients to the humiliation? And if it has to be a physical activity, why not start some interest in corporate bowling outings? How about bocci? The alternatives seem endless.
But apparently is has to be golf. But it kills me that people come together to participate in an activity that they have no intention of really pursuing.
Case in point. This morning, while practicing putting at a "premier" local course, I happened to listen in on a conversation among the sort that I am discussing here. The conversation lasted a good 15 minutes and, in that time, guess how many references were made to golf? Yup, the big fat goose egg. NONE!
Oh, the conversation was brisk. Never stopping. They discussed the travel plans of one colleague. They discussed new product releases. They discussed promotions. They discussed corporate politics. They even discussed the venue for an upcoming corporate Christmas party. But not one of them cared enough about the game to say one word about anything golf-related.
They had come to play golf, right? I quickly glanced over my shoulder. Four golfers. Four set of clubs. Two golf carts. Each was wearing a brand new golf glove. Must be here to golf. Surely one of them would drop a few balls on the putting green—where I was the sole putter—and try to get ready for the round. Nope!
And then a thought struck me. Why not allow the corporate outings to come to the course and not play — just network? Eureka! Surely I was on to something big! Let them go through the motions and put on brand new golf gloves and wear really expensive golf apparel and act like they wanted to play — just don't require them to! Charge them the very same green fees. After all, part of the charade is forking over the bucks, especially at really-ultra-cool-premium golf courses.
Naturally, this "Corporate Round" would be able to be "played" in a third of the time that a normal real round would. And a new scoring system could be implemented for the proceedings. Three business cards placed in less that 15 minutes would constitute a birdie, while four would be an eagle. No cards placed or spending more than ten minutes on the cell phone in any given stretch would constitute a bogey. Marshals would have the option of throwing anyone off the course who spent more that fifteen continuous minutes on a call. Longest drive would be awarded to the participant who not only placed a card but closed a sale as a result! Closest to the hole would be awarded to anyone who secured a job interview during the course of the "round" while a "hole-in-one" would be awarded for getting hired right then and there!
It would be fun!
This would have the added benefit of allowing real golfers to access the links. And, since the corporate klatch will be paying green fees, the rates for those of us who really want to play will be less exorbitant!
Okay...so it's not really realistic. But you can't fault me for trying.
HELAS!
Golf has become a pathetic business networking dodge all over the planet, as corporate types gather on courses to schmooze each other, their clients and anyone else who might get caught in the crossfire! Sad, really. But, nonetheless, all too true. Golf in far too many circles has become nothing but a write off. Nothing more than a hollow fashion statement.
Why not just go some place at eat? Everyone pretty much knows how to eat and it's a rare problem when someone misses their mouth because of a too much of a slice being applied when trying to get their food from their fork to their mouths!
Why does it have to be golf? Golf is arguably the hardest game on the planet so why subject coworkers and clients to the humiliation? And if it has to be a physical activity, why not start some interest in corporate bowling outings? How about bocci? The alternatives seem endless.
But apparently is has to be golf. But it kills me that people come together to participate in an activity that they have no intention of really pursuing.
Case in point. This morning, while practicing putting at a "premier" local course, I happened to listen in on a conversation among the sort that I am discussing here. The conversation lasted a good 15 minutes and, in that time, guess how many references were made to golf? Yup, the big fat goose egg. NONE!
Oh, the conversation was brisk. Never stopping. They discussed the travel plans of one colleague. They discussed new product releases. They discussed promotions. They discussed corporate politics. They even discussed the venue for an upcoming corporate Christmas party. But not one of them cared enough about the game to say one word about anything golf-related.
They had come to play golf, right? I quickly glanced over my shoulder. Four golfers. Four set of clubs. Two golf carts. Each was wearing a brand new golf glove. Must be here to golf. Surely one of them would drop a few balls on the putting green—where I was the sole putter—and try to get ready for the round. Nope!
And then a thought struck me. Why not allow the corporate outings to come to the course and not play — just network? Eureka! Surely I was on to something big! Let them go through the motions and put on brand new golf gloves and wear really expensive golf apparel and act like they wanted to play — just don't require them to! Charge them the very same green fees. After all, part of the charade is forking over the bucks, especially at really-ultra-cool-premium golf courses.
Naturally, this "Corporate Round" would be able to be "played" in a third of the time that a normal real round would. And a new scoring system could be implemented for the proceedings. Three business cards placed in less that 15 minutes would constitute a birdie, while four would be an eagle. No cards placed or spending more than ten minutes on the cell phone in any given stretch would constitute a bogey. Marshals would have the option of throwing anyone off the course who spent more that fifteen continuous minutes on a call. Longest drive would be awarded to the participant who not only placed a card but closed a sale as a result! Closest to the hole would be awarded to anyone who secured a job interview during the course of the "round" while a "hole-in-one" would be awarded for getting hired right then and there!
It would be fun!
This would have the added benefit of allowing real golfers to access the links. And, since the corporate klatch will be paying green fees, the rates for those of us who really want to play will be less exorbitant!
Okay...so it's not really realistic. But you can't fault me for trying.
HELAS!
Monday, October 4, 2010
RYDER CUP TRIUMPHS AND DISASTERS ARE STILL IMPOSTORS!
by Doug McAllister
And with that, the end of another Ryder Cup. Now, the eternal analysis begins! Why? Because we are disasterologists. We are drawn to it. We have to try to make a drama out of a game, complete with a script befitting a Shakespearean tragedy!
That being the case, let's get started.
DONE BEFORE IT STARTED?
Johnny Miller, when analyzing the failed shot of a competitor in a Major Championship, once observed, "That shot was missed before he ever hit it! Look at where he placed the ball. Look at where his feet are. He missed that shot with a bad set-up!"
Could the same be said of the U.S. Team at this year's Ryder Cup? I think so. Just compare it to what happened in 2008. There was no Tiger nonsense in 2008. Nothing there to draw Paul Azinger's mind away from the golf. No wild guessing games as to who would make it and who wouldn't. No melodrama.
This year everything centered on Eldrick! And with the farce the attention was drawn away from how the team would compete. How do you think the players who qualified felt? They qualified with their play and yet they were simply bit players in our drama. It was as if the PGA said to them, "Oh...yes...you. Congratulations! Now, go sit over there and be quiet. We need to see whether Tiger will be playing."
AND A STEP EVEN BEFORE THAT!
But, the real problem began when Corey Pavin was tapped as captain. Spare me! I can hear the objections already. "But he's the bulldog! He deserved it! It wasn't his fault!"
Wasn't it? If Pavin is a, so-called, bulldog, then what does that make Paul Azinger? A grizzly? What does it make Ben Crenshaw? A saber-tooth! Surely, there has to be some difference!
What was the difference? Azinger was in charge from the beginning to the culmination of impressive victory in 2008. Crenshaw believed in fate and had "a good feeling!" Pavin simply stood around with the look of a lost little boy who had somehow wandered onto the course at Celtic Manor! Always with that little forced smile of his.
Interestingly, there was never an air of his being in charge. When he announced his captain's picks he sat there with that silly look on his face. It was as if he half expected someone to relieve him of command for his choices.
Maybe someone should have.
THE RUB OF THE GREEN!
Those are arguments that have and will be made. But — truth be told — there was nothing nefarious or scandalous or triumphant or tragic about any of this year's Ryder Cup proceedings. No, there was no questionable gamesmanship by Colin Montgomerie involving delayed reports about U.S. play or involving piling hoards of British fans into the course on the last day (although he did handle things masterfully, didn't he?). There was nothing weird or staged about the weather-forced changes in format (unless, of course, Montgomerie was able to call in a marker with God in order to get it to rain like it did).
In the end, there was nothing tragic about Hunter Mahan's fouled chip at 17. This isn't, after all, the sport of ancient Aztec competition which saw the losing team killed and sacrificed to the gods of the winning players! This is a game. A game that, in its playing out, is as entropic as anything in nature! Think of it. One bit of grass leaning just wrong can transform a championship-winning putt into a Dante-esque disaster! A routine chip, then, can become a career-making triumph or goat-making chunk! And, no, I don't for an instant label anyone as the goat of this year's event!
How very fitting it is that it was a Scottish poet, Robert Burns (perhaps a golfer, himself?), who penned the applicable lines:
"The best laid schemes of mice and men
"Go often askew,
"And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
"For promised joy!"
No doubt everyone involved planned victory, sought "promised joy." No doubt everyone hoped for the best. No doubt the "schemes" for a win were seemingly "best laid" on both sides of the competition. So, what happened?
Well, to use the most appropriate term from golf, Europe's win and the U.S.'s loss was nothing more than a proverbial golfing "Rub of the Green!"
SO, LET'S ALL TAKE A DEEP BREATHE!
Nothing was really lost or won today! Nothing! In fact, Colin Montgomerie cannot say that he finally has his "Major" as a result of today's European win. Last I looked, winning a Major still means playing in and coming in first at one of the four of Golf's Major Championships! But, if it makes him feel better...
Hunter Mahan really doesn't need to feel badly about missing his chip on 17. Oh, of course he would have liked to make it. But he really should feel more badly — as should all of the U.S. competitors — that he lost his match on Sunday, when Europe won 5 1/2 out of 6 points and took a three point lead into today's singles matches! Mahan is still one of the best up-and-coming players in the game and it would be a real shame if this "artificial" setback were detrimental to his ongoing success.
Comparisons will abound as to whether Corey Pavin or Paul Azinger or Tom Lehman or Ben Crenshaw is the better or worse Ryder Cup captain. Luck plays far too much into any of those discussions so it might be best to let sleeping dogs lie. Consider it. Had Justin Leonard missed his putt at Brookline, something that, given the level of his play that week, he probably should have done, Crenshaw would be another also-ran in the long line of loser U.S. Ryder Cup captains instead of being, according to many, the "Patron Saint" of modern American golf. Something to think about.
And with that, the end of another Ryder Cup. Thank goodness! Good thing this year's triumphs and disasters are still, according to Kipling anyway, still impostors.
Treat them exactly the same and get out there and...
Hit 'em Long and Straight!
And with that, the end of another Ryder Cup. Now, the eternal analysis begins! Why? Because we are disasterologists. We are drawn to it. We have to try to make a drama out of a game, complete with a script befitting a Shakespearean tragedy!
That being the case, let's get started.
DONE BEFORE IT STARTED?
Johnny Miller, when analyzing the failed shot of a competitor in a Major Championship, once observed, "That shot was missed before he ever hit it! Look at where he placed the ball. Look at where his feet are. He missed that shot with a bad set-up!"
Could the same be said of the U.S. Team at this year's Ryder Cup? I think so. Just compare it to what happened in 2008. There was no Tiger nonsense in 2008. Nothing there to draw Paul Azinger's mind away from the golf. No wild guessing games as to who would make it and who wouldn't. No melodrama.
This year everything centered on Eldrick! And with the farce the attention was drawn away from how the team would compete. How do you think the players who qualified felt? They qualified with their play and yet they were simply bit players in our drama. It was as if the PGA said to them, "Oh...yes...you. Congratulations! Now, go sit over there and be quiet. We need to see whether Tiger will be playing."
AND A STEP EVEN BEFORE THAT!
But, the real problem began when Corey Pavin was tapped as captain. Spare me! I can hear the objections already. "But he's the bulldog! He deserved it! It wasn't his fault!"
Wasn't it? If Pavin is a, so-called, bulldog, then what does that make Paul Azinger? A grizzly? What does it make Ben Crenshaw? A saber-tooth! Surely, there has to be some difference!
What was the difference? Azinger was in charge from the beginning to the culmination of impressive victory in 2008. Crenshaw believed in fate and had "a good feeling!" Pavin simply stood around with the look of a lost little boy who had somehow wandered onto the course at Celtic Manor! Always with that little forced smile of his.
Interestingly, there was never an air of his being in charge. When he announced his captain's picks he sat there with that silly look on his face. It was as if he half expected someone to relieve him of command for his choices.
Maybe someone should have.
THE RUB OF THE GREEN!
Those are arguments that have and will be made. But — truth be told — there was nothing nefarious or scandalous or triumphant or tragic about any of this year's Ryder Cup proceedings. No, there was no questionable gamesmanship by Colin Montgomerie involving delayed reports about U.S. play or involving piling hoards of British fans into the course on the last day (although he did handle things masterfully, didn't he?). There was nothing weird or staged about the weather-forced changes in format (unless, of course, Montgomerie was able to call in a marker with God in order to get it to rain like it did).
In the end, there was nothing tragic about Hunter Mahan's fouled chip at 17. This isn't, after all, the sport of ancient Aztec competition which saw the losing team killed and sacrificed to the gods of the winning players! This is a game. A game that, in its playing out, is as entropic as anything in nature! Think of it. One bit of grass leaning just wrong can transform a championship-winning putt into a Dante-esque disaster! A routine chip, then, can become a career-making triumph or goat-making chunk! And, no, I don't for an instant label anyone as the goat of this year's event!
How very fitting it is that it was a Scottish poet, Robert Burns (perhaps a golfer, himself?), who penned the applicable lines:
"The best laid schemes of mice and men
"Go often askew,
"And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
"For promised joy!"
No doubt everyone involved planned victory, sought "promised joy." No doubt everyone hoped for the best. No doubt the "schemes" for a win were seemingly "best laid" on both sides of the competition. So, what happened?
Well, to use the most appropriate term from golf, Europe's win and the U.S.'s loss was nothing more than a proverbial golfing "Rub of the Green!"
SO, LET'S ALL TAKE A DEEP BREATHE!
Nothing was really lost or won today! Nothing! In fact, Colin Montgomerie cannot say that he finally has his "Major" as a result of today's European win. Last I looked, winning a Major still means playing in and coming in first at one of the four of Golf's Major Championships! But, if it makes him feel better...
Hunter Mahan really doesn't need to feel badly about missing his chip on 17. Oh, of course he would have liked to make it. But he really should feel more badly — as should all of the U.S. competitors — that he lost his match on Sunday, when Europe won 5 1/2 out of 6 points and took a three point lead into today's singles matches! Mahan is still one of the best up-and-coming players in the game and it would be a real shame if this "artificial" setback were detrimental to his ongoing success.
Comparisons will abound as to whether Corey Pavin or Paul Azinger or Tom Lehman or Ben Crenshaw is the better or worse Ryder Cup captain. Luck plays far too much into any of those discussions so it might be best to let sleeping dogs lie. Consider it. Had Justin Leonard missed his putt at Brookline, something that, given the level of his play that week, he probably should have done, Crenshaw would be another also-ran in the long line of loser U.S. Ryder Cup captains instead of being, according to many, the "Patron Saint" of modern American golf. Something to think about.
And with that, the end of another Ryder Cup. Thank goodness! Good thing this year's triumphs and disasters are still, according to Kipling anyway, still impostors.
Treat them exactly the same and get out there and...
Hit 'em Long and Straight!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
5 BIG STARS FOR FOX HOLLOW GOLF CLUB!
by Doug McAllister
Many folks around here remember it as Tri-City. Tri-City? The course, now Fox Hollow, was apparently owned by three cities in northern Utah County: American Fork, Lehi and Pleasant Grove. I think most agree that "Fox Hollow" has a decidedly classier ring to it.
But, regardless of how it is remembered, Fox Hollow Golf Club is about as classy a course as you will find.
It wasn't always that way. Before the new clubhouse and new name, the course sported a rundown shed-of-a-shop that, according to employees, was infested with all sorts of critters and had a basement/cart garage that spent many a day filled with water. After the old place had been torn down I happened to be speaking to one of the club pros. "Did you shed a tear or two when they knocked down your old digs?" I asked. "Hell no!" he snorted without hesitation. He then chuckled as he told me how he and others on staff teed up range balls and broke all the windows in the place just before the wrecking crew did its worst.
And the new spread is something to behold, complete with a full-service pro shop and a reception center!
A VISIT FROM THE KING
Fox Hollow has a reputation of being one of the hardest golf courses in Utah. An apocryphal account still circulates that, while on a course designing trip to Utah, The King, Arnold Palmer, played a variety of courses in the area and Fox Hollow — still named Tri-City — was on his list. After his round, the course staff wanted to know Palmer's impression of their beloved course. According to the story, Palmer noted that it was a nice course. "Too long for the weekend player," he added. Needless to say, it was probably the finest compliment that Palmer could have paid. For years thereafter, the Tri-City faithful would boast to anyone that would listen that Arnold Palmer, himself, had said their course was too hard for just anybody!
Would have been interesting to hear Palmer's assessment of the old clubhouse.
STILL A TOUGH TRACK
A tradition of solid golf continues with Fox Hollow. Never mind what the clubhouse was, the course has always been, in my opinion, a well-designed and challenging showpiece, offering players the feeling that you are away from things when actually surrounded by suburbia. And it seems to be getting better with age.
Yeah, it's a tough track — for those who insist on playing from the back tees of machismo land. 7,077 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 73.1 and a slope of 123. But, like most courses out there, the course does have three tees besides the back ones, offering an enjoyable time for players of all skill levels.
The Utah Golf Association web page describes the Hollow like this:
"Old style golf course, with water on 5 holes. A premium is placed on the tee shot on most holes, with length and accuracy both required to score well. Many trees and few bunkers with a beautiful view of the Wasatch Mountains."
Most of the individuals who seem to have a problem with Fox Hollow hate its length. Add to that some narrow fairways, lined with old, full-size trees and it's easy to see why many would rather go elsewhere. Fine with me if they do.
TOP-NOTCH PRACTICE FACILITY
Fox Hollow also sports one of the best practice facilities that I have ever seen. You won't find AstroTurf-covered-cement hitting pads to jangle your arms and destroy your clubs if you happen to hit it a little fat. The driving range, planted with natural grass, is also fully lighted for after dark practice.
Fox Hollow Golf Club is a 5-star public course that is well worth the visit. Play 9 or 18 and, given the challenging nature of the course, you'll want to...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
Monday, September 27, 2010
THE STRANGE TALE OF BOB HUDSON THE GROCER
by Doug McAllister
As the Ryder Cup approaches this weekend, I thought a bit historic sentimentality was in order.
Ever hear of Bob Hudson? Me neither and yet it is highly possible that without him there would be no Ryder Cup this week! Really? Apparently so!
Thanks to a wonderful article by James Achenbach that was recently published in Golf Week Magazine, I learned about this unlikely golfing hero. If you love the Ryder Cup you should know about him as well.
The year was 1947. Seems that the Ryder Cup was on the ropes following World War II. The event hadn't been played in a decade. Interest waning on both sides of the Atlantic. No money available to fund the event or bring the British/Irish team over for the matches scheduled to be played that year at the Portland Golf Club.
Enter Bob Hudson. Hudson, never better than a 16 handicapper, was, nonetheless, passionate about golf, explaining that, while his well-to-do friends put their money into yachts, he put his into golf.
To make a long story short, Hudson apparently almost singlehandedly funded the 1947 event. He paid for everything, the price of passage of the British team to the States, their hotel rooms when they arrived — all expenses! And he did the same for the American Team as well! The remarkable article can be read in its entirety at http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/sep/27/bob-hudson-ryder-cup-portland-golf-club/.
Now, the lesson.
There seems to be no record whatsoever of Bob Hudson — at least that I could discover — arising from searches on the Internet, other than Mr. Achenbach's excellent article. Surely Hudson had to have some semblance of an ulterior motive. Did his wholesale grocery business benefit from his generiosity, just as FedEx's did this past weekend at the culmination of this year's uber-event that so prominently bore FedEx's name? Not that I could discover. Surely a comprehensive biography would pop up on Wikipedia or on some other online encyclopedia. Try as I did, I could find nothing!
Marvelous!
In short, here was an individual who benefited the game at the grandest of levels who seems to have been content that the Ryder Cup continued on! Bob Hudson apparently didn't step forward after first calculating the ROI that he would enjoy. No. Apparently he stepped forward as a golfer, one dedicated to the game and its continuity at all levels and in all arenas!
For me, the story of Bob Hudson will make the matches this weekend that much more meaningful.
With that in mind all of us should be more inspired than ever to...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
As the Ryder Cup approaches this weekend, I thought a bit historic sentimentality was in order.
Ever hear of Bob Hudson? Me neither and yet it is highly possible that without him there would be no Ryder Cup this week! Really? Apparently so!
Thanks to a wonderful article by James Achenbach that was recently published in Golf Week Magazine, I learned about this unlikely golfing hero. If you love the Ryder Cup you should know about him as well.
The year was 1947. Seems that the Ryder Cup was on the ropes following World War II. The event hadn't been played in a decade. Interest waning on both sides of the Atlantic. No money available to fund the event or bring the British/Irish team over for the matches scheduled to be played that year at the Portland Golf Club.
Enter Bob Hudson. Hudson, never better than a 16 handicapper, was, nonetheless, passionate about golf, explaining that, while his well-to-do friends put their money into yachts, he put his into golf.
To make a long story short, Hudson apparently almost singlehandedly funded the 1947 event. He paid for everything, the price of passage of the British team to the States, their hotel rooms when they arrived — all expenses! And he did the same for the American Team as well! The remarkable article can be read in its entirety at http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/sep/27/bob-hudson-ryder-cup-portland-golf-club/.
Now, the lesson.
There seems to be no record whatsoever of Bob Hudson — at least that I could discover — arising from searches on the Internet, other than Mr. Achenbach's excellent article. Surely Hudson had to have some semblance of an ulterior motive. Did his wholesale grocery business benefit from his generiosity, just as FedEx's did this past weekend at the culmination of this year's uber-event that so prominently bore FedEx's name? Not that I could discover. Surely a comprehensive biography would pop up on Wikipedia or on some other online encyclopedia. Try as I did, I could find nothing!
Marvelous!
In short, here was an individual who benefited the game at the grandest of levels who seems to have been content that the Ryder Cup continued on! Bob Hudson apparently didn't step forward after first calculating the ROI that he would enjoy. No. Apparently he stepped forward as a golfer, one dedicated to the game and its continuity at all levels and in all arenas!
For me, the story of Bob Hudson will make the matches this weekend that much more meaningful.
With that in mind all of us should be more inspired than ever to...
Hit 'Em Long and Straight!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
JIM FURYK SAVES THE (PLAYOFFS) DAY
by Doug McAllister
And just like that the PGA Playoffs and the FedEx Cup are redeemed! At least for today.
As noted in my last post, I was more than a bit skeptical about how things might turn out this year. Fortunately the new guys fizzled and a tried and true tour veteran rightfully took his place at the pinnacle of this year's golf world.
But, aren't we supposed to welcome new greats to the game? Didn't Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart, Ernie Els and many, many others have to win their first BIG ONE somewhere and sometime?
Sure they did, but none of them did it by sneaking in the proverbial back door of the current "lottery loaded" PGA. The FedEx Cup, with its complicated points system and its unreasonable weighting of the final four events, is the latest in a long line of snotty and materialistic MARKETING-BASED programs, supposedly designed to bring golf to the forefront. It's all about money any more. Golf, the game, is secondary.
I had to laugh as during today's event one of the suits from FedEx was interviewed. Nothing but transparent business posturing! The guy probably wouldn't know a real golf ball if it hit him in the back of the head. All he could talk about — and I was absolutely amused at how unabashedly he laid it out there — was how the FedEx Cup was nothing more to the main sponsor than a pathetic marketing ploy. He said nothing about FedEx's dedication to promoting the good of the game. No! It was all about how the event and FedEx's participation therein was adding to the company's illegitimately bloated bottom line!
Even more telling were the interviews with the players. When each was asked whether they knew during the course of play where they stood in the points tally, each laughed off the system as being wildly complicated. How true! Each would have needed a statistician walking the course with them along with their caddy! In the end, the common statement by each was something like, "I came here to play the best golf I could and really didn't have time to be worried about where I stood in the points tally or calculating which shot would win things for me." Good for them!
And, what if Golf doesn't need to be brought to the forefront? What if Golf was just fine and dandy before everyone and their dog decided that the game was the latest chic fashion statement?
Which brings me back to Furyk's achievement. Here we have a golfer's golfer. No weirdo glamor or pretty-boy face that everyone is trying to get a piece of. Just a steely-eyed game designed to do what it did for Furyk this weekend and all through the year and Playoff series. Minus, of course, his being inappropriately and shamelessly disqualified at the Barclays. But that, my friends, is another discussion entirely.
Everything about Furyk seems to be...well...unattractive. Except for the results he achieves! And no apologies necessary! His hawkish looks. His gangling physique. And swing coaches have been commenting on his unorthodox swing since he hit the tour. You won't find him on glitzy ads for Gillette razors. You won't see him on billboards, wistfully staring off into space, stupidly contorting his wrist so you can't miss seeing his Tag Heuer watch! You won't see his face staring back at you from posters stumping this or that golf brand. As I said, no glamor. No glitz.
But that's what makes Jim Furyk so beautiful! His notoriety — what there is of it — comes from his performance on the greens and fairways of whatever event he is currently playing. Furyk plays golf because it's as much a part of him as his eyes or feet or elbows or heart!
Player of the year 2010? Unquestionably! If the honor goes to anyone else it will be a major injustice to Furyk and to the game.
Enough said! HELAS!
And just like that the PGA Playoffs and the FedEx Cup are redeemed! At least for today.
As noted in my last post, I was more than a bit skeptical about how things might turn out this year. Fortunately the new guys fizzled and a tried and true tour veteran rightfully took his place at the pinnacle of this year's golf world.
But, aren't we supposed to welcome new greats to the game? Didn't Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart, Ernie Els and many, many others have to win their first BIG ONE somewhere and sometime?
Sure they did, but none of them did it by sneaking in the proverbial back door of the current "lottery loaded" PGA. The FedEx Cup, with its complicated points system and its unreasonable weighting of the final four events, is the latest in a long line of snotty and materialistic MARKETING-BASED programs, supposedly designed to bring golf to the forefront. It's all about money any more. Golf, the game, is secondary.
I had to laugh as during today's event one of the suits from FedEx was interviewed. Nothing but transparent business posturing! The guy probably wouldn't know a real golf ball if it hit him in the back of the head. All he could talk about — and I was absolutely amused at how unabashedly he laid it out there — was how the FedEx Cup was nothing more to the main sponsor than a pathetic marketing ploy. He said nothing about FedEx's dedication to promoting the good of the game. No! It was all about how the event and FedEx's participation therein was adding to the company's illegitimately bloated bottom line!
Even more telling were the interviews with the players. When each was asked whether they knew during the course of play where they stood in the points tally, each laughed off the system as being wildly complicated. How true! Each would have needed a statistician walking the course with them along with their caddy! In the end, the common statement by each was something like, "I came here to play the best golf I could and really didn't have time to be worried about where I stood in the points tally or calculating which shot would win things for me." Good for them!
And, what if Golf doesn't need to be brought to the forefront? What if Golf was just fine and dandy before everyone and their dog decided that the game was the latest chic fashion statement?
Which brings me back to Furyk's achievement. Here we have a golfer's golfer. No weirdo glamor or pretty-boy face that everyone is trying to get a piece of. Just a steely-eyed game designed to do what it did for Furyk this weekend and all through the year and Playoff series. Minus, of course, his being inappropriately and shamelessly disqualified at the Barclays. But that, my friends, is another discussion entirely.
Everything about Furyk seems to be...well...unattractive. Except for the results he achieves! And no apologies necessary! His hawkish looks. His gangling physique. And swing coaches have been commenting on his unorthodox swing since he hit the tour. You won't find him on glitzy ads for Gillette razors. You won't see him on billboards, wistfully staring off into space, stupidly contorting his wrist so you can't miss seeing his Tag Heuer watch! You won't see his face staring back at you from posters stumping this or that golf brand. As I said, no glamor. No glitz.
But that's what makes Jim Furyk so beautiful! His notoriety — what there is of it — comes from his performance on the greens and fairways of whatever event he is currently playing. Furyk plays golf because it's as much a part of him as his eyes or feet or elbows or heart!
Player of the year 2010? Unquestionably! If the honor goes to anyone else it will be a major injustice to Furyk and to the game.
Enough said! HELAS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
