The Golfchick

New home for my second anniversary

2007-06-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

This blog has moved to the new golf chick site.

Golfchick sighting on Shakesville

2007-06-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I don't read too many non-golf blogs. It's a time issue, mostly. One I do like to read is Shakesville. While its success and readership dwarfs that of this humble blog, I only discovered it recently, thanks to the addition of contributor William K. Wolfrum, the strapping golf blogger I also read over at Worldgolf and on his own site.

Wolfrum recently posted a brief Q&A on Shakesville featuring yours truly. In it, I talk about how I started golfing, blogging and attempt to make my own little contribution toward promoting women's golf. The Golfchick on Shakesville. I'm honored.

Apparently there's some big golf tournament going on

2007-06-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Sports writers and golf bloggers are covering the U.S. Open and Oakmont Country Club with the same fervor of CNN covering Paris Hilton. No detail left unreported.

Of course the difference is sports writers and golf bloggers are supposed to write about golf. It's right there in their titles. The Cable News Network is supposed to cover the news. Even if they could somehow win an argument that Paris Hilton is news, that doesn't excuse them from failing to report on all the real news going on while they spend 24 hours on Shawskank Redemption (thanks, Jon Stewart).

But since this isn't the Shmaily Shmow, I'll get back to golf.

There is so much being said about this tournament and the golf course that I really don't feel I have much to add. Just like I do, you can get all the latest from the fine bloggers in my links list as well as the journalists on the commercial sites. I'll just watch and root on my favorites like the fan I am. And I'll be checking in with Brandon Tucker for live bloggerage from the event. Congrats to Worldgolf for getting media credentials for their bloggers at recent events!

Speaking of Worldgolf, they're conducting a survey and if you complete it, you're entered into a drawing to win a set of Ping clubs and bag.

Next post.

Another one bites the dust

2007-06-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well, here is a case of a golf blogger popping up and then quickly disappearing. Usually, I like to wait until a new golf blogger has been around for a little while and looks like they're going to stay and keep posting before I link to them.

In the case of Elizabeth Jones, I guess I just got so excited to see such a skilled female player joining the fray that I jumped on it right away. That was three weeks ago. Two weeks later, her site was gone... vanished! Email communication ended abruptly.

Was it too good to be true? Could there have been a Liz Jones? A woman with a plus three handicap who was so perfectly adorable that she photographed like a pro right down to the detail of a subtle nipple poking at her cute, pink golf shirt? Perhaps we'll never know.

Maybe she will pop up again somewhere and we'll be able to hear more from her.

Until then... bye bye, "Liz Jones." Good luck selling your instructional golf books.

Next post.

Gotta weigh in on Wie

2007-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Exactly what does it mean to be non-competitive? Well, the LPGA has put a number on it: 88.

If a non-member shoots an 88 or higher in an LPGA tournament, she is banned from LPGA events for the rest of the year. Golf writers have been typing until they're blue in the hands about Michelle Wie's withdrawal from last week's Ginn Tribute.

In case you've somehow managed to miss the coverage, the gist is that she withdrew from the event after playing 16 holes including five bogeys, a double, a triple and even a quintuple-bogey (!) leaving her just two bogeys short of reaching that dreaded 88. However, she claims she withdrew because her previously injured wrist was bothering her. (Like, I tweaked it, you know?)

Would they have allowed her to withdraw if the reason was avoiding the 88 rule? No? So if that was the reason, she had to lie. What? Dishonesty is frowned upon in golf? It shows a lack of respect for the game, its rules, and your fellow players? Like, whatever. I guess it's the truth, then.

There have been implications of a conspiracy involving LPGA officials and agents that warned Wie to drop out despite the rules on giving and receiving advice except from a caddie. Speaking of advice, there was a questionable situation in that same round in which she might have received those dreaded two strokes in the form of a penalty because her father gave her advice on that triple-bogey hole (they didn't assess the penalty because she didn't ask for the advice - though I agree with Beth Ann Baldry that perhaps the "didn't ask" clause isn't meant to include parents or coaches).

Yet another rule she gets away with not breaking - this time because she's a non-member and it doesn't apply - is that she played the golf course the week before the tournament, something members are barred from doing.

Learning how to avoid these types of mistakes (and learning that they are mistakes) can be done by players as they work their way up the ranks, playing in events in which they can compete and getting accustomed to the rules, etiquette and decorum expected of a professional golfer. This isn't to say that Wie can't be competitive in LPGA events. Of course she can, but her camp of marketers has launched her into a spotlight where every misstep is highlighted and must be defended.

The controversy surrounding her, plus her lack of experience leading to many of the blunders (like needing advice from a parent in the first place), plus her entire camp's superstar attitude as if golf should be a laissez-faire system (but only for her) just eats away at my brain like the buzz of a casino when I get back to my hotel room. I think it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of anyone who cares about the rules of golf.

So what do we have here...

Possible dishonest withdrawal
Receiving advice
Pre-playing the course

All this in one tournament - no, one ROUND - on an LPGA Tour event. Funny thing is, sponsors are going to be chomping at the bit to give her more and more exemptions to LPGA and PGA Tour events because of all this. Just look at all the attention it generates.

So what about PGA Tour Events?

After conducting ~~exhaustive research~~ a quick google, I was unable to find any specific score associated with non-competitiveness on the PGA Tour. I guess that rule is a little more subjective over there. And Michelle Wie, Inc. excels at exploiting subjective rules.

I'm currently reading John Feinstein's book Tales from Q School, from which I learned that in that tournament (the qualifying tournament for the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour), players will be deemed non-competitive if they don't "come close to breaking 80" in four rounds. The PGA doesn't just ban these players for a year, they maintain a list of non-competitive players and make them prove that they can compete, essentially qualifying to qualify. The idea is that it's not fair for players to be distracted by non-competitive players in a tournament that can make or break their careers. Q-School is grueling and a rite of passage that most players on the PGA Tour have had to endure, many of them several times. To go through all that just to be distracted from a PGA Tour event by a non-competitive player (or even sideshow) when they know they'll have to go back to Q-School if they don't produce... well, that certainly can't be fair.

Remember Casey Martin, the golfer with the degenerative disease in his leg that took the PGA Tour all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to play in a cart and won? All the attention from that case made him into something of a sideshow as well, but he had the respect for the game not to exploit the system with his star power. Martin went back to Q-School year after year and played on the developmental tours in between, trying to work his way up to the PGA Tour. He did not use his stardom to apply for exemptions and try to make some cuts and maybe win enough money to stay. According to Tales from Q School, Martin "thought it pointless to take a spot in the field from someone else when he was likely to miss the cut." I guess that's because he knows how hard it is for those guys to earn their way there. No matter where you stand on the cart/no cart issue, you have to respect him for that.

Some people may blame the sponsors for giving Wie exemptions in the first place. I'm sure she doesn't even have to apply for them, they're just thrown in her lap. But that doesn't mean she has to accept them. Some poor schmuck is going to have to go back to Q-School because some non-competitive player took up a coveted spot in the field in one too many tournaments. Of course, there is no way for a female player to earn her way to the PGA Tour. Not officially, at least. But maybe the next time she plays on an exemption and doesn't "come close to breaking 80"(the standard for Q-School), maybe she should get a letter of non-competitiveness and be kept on file. Would they let her attempt Q-School? Even if she qualified to qualify? I doubt she'd dare if they did.

Oh, and... pssst.... Ms. Bivens... over here. How about a golf blogger's exemption? I've been known to break 88 and who knows, I could string together a couple of miracle rounds and possibly make a cut. Okay, probably not, but think of the publicity we could generate!

Next post.

Ron Mon's playing 100 for charity

2007-05-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

Golf may not be reserved for the elite like it once was but let's face it - it can still be an expensive hobby and we're privileged enough if we have the luxury to play. That's why I love it when people use golf to give back.

Long time travelgolf blogger, Ron Montesano (wasn't he killed off in the Sopranos?) is playing 100 holes of golf on June 18 and seeking sponsors to benefit the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and its fight against cancer on behalf of "Carly's Club."

Please visit this site and contribute what you can for this great cause.

Next post.

Women's golf week June 2 - June 9

2007-05-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

I wrote about Women's Golf Week in my Worldgolf column this month. Also, check out the Play Golf America site for more information.

I suppose that's a better name than Golf chick's week, but either way, let's get out there and play.

Honorable mention: it seems the photo Worldgolf used for my column was taken by "Christ" Baldwin. Has Baldy's ego reached new heights or does it just mean I've been blessed?

Update: The photo credit has been edited to read "Chris" instead of "Christ." Just to prove I'm not insane, here is a snapshot of it before the adjustment. I may still be insane, but this won't be the proof. Unless I'm crazy to prolong this but that's another story.

There's a new golf chick on the scene...

2007-05-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

... and she means business!

Her name is Elizabeth Jones, and she's a +3 handicap. That's right - PLUS 3! I'm only a plus ONE... in my dreams.

As a recent college grad, she's struggling to make ends meet while working two jobs and fitting in practice time so she can work towards her ultimate goal of playing on the LPGA Tour.

She started a new blog where she writes about golf stuff like many of us do, but her site also promotes her products that are instructional books to help people improve their golf games. She's just trying to earn enough money to help her pay for the tests she needs to become a pro and start her golf career. She recently wrote about some pink golf shoes she got, and as an Imelda myself, I can appreciate that. I think I'm gonna like this girl.

Not only is she adorable, but she can really play golf!

It's always nice to welcome another female golf blogger to the scene, but it's a rare treat to have one who plays so well - I guess the same can be said for the guys, right? Check her out and let's hope she sticks around awhile (where have you gone, Megan?).

Update: broken links removed.

Next post.

I am a Birdie Girl - with a minor in Ogio

2007-05-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm also giving new meaning to the term "bag lady." I guess when a girl obsessed with handbags develops an obsession with golf, it's only natural that she will start to collect golf bags.

Awhile back, I posted about Birdie Girl's great looking bags and especially lusted for the orange stand bag. It was still in production so I had to wait but in the mean time I got my hands on the pink and white tour bag. Because I was still traveling for work quite a bit, I also got their travel bag. I don't think these two items were meant to go together, but I'll get to that later.

The tour bag is gorgeous and adds a powerful, feminine touch to any golf course. (No, guys, that's not an oxymoron.) But it is a tour bag and is meant to be carried, not carted. It's a touch too bulky and the pockets aren't the most accessible from a cart position. Much to my chagrin, I'm not on any tour, don't have a caddie and wouldn't dream of carrying this baby myself. The bag lady in me just thought it would be cool to have a tour bag.

Here it is pictured in action - providing some much needed brightness at a miserable 5 1/2 hour round at the rock hard Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills, CA where it was a wrist-breaking risk to try to take a divot on approach. Ugh - but at least my Birdie Girl bag made me smile. You can see the beautiful detail work in the close up shot. The side view shot was at Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda, CA. This golf course certainly didn't need any dressing up but the bag still stood out - far more than my performance in that tournament.

Throwing some Ogio in the mix

Since the tour bag is a bit unwieldy and much of my golf is played on courses that aren't too walker-friendly, I knew I needed to revert back to an actual cart bag. I love my chocolate Ogio and think Ogio makes the most tricked out bags designed from a planning perspective based on what golfers need. From what I've seen, some other bag manufacturers are catching on, but Ogio innovates and the others seem to follow. I decided to upgrade from my chocolate bag to the latest and greatest.

I chose this cool bag, the Atlas, in the indigo color scheme. Ogio thinks of everything but my enjoyment of the handy pockets, ball dispenser, individual club dividers, and sleek look only lasted for a short while. Why? Because Greg liked it just as much as I did and it turned out that indigo would have been his color selection as well. He doesn't lust for products too much, so I took the opportunity to make a sneaky trade along with a friendly couple's wager (the details of which shall remain private) and he is now the proud owner of this bag. We both ended up winners in this deal.

Back to Birdie Girl

Then the long awaited orange stand bag was off the Birdie Girl production lines and on my doorstep. I was giddy. It's even better looking up close and personal - and with my stuff in it! The attention to detail of the designers isn't evident in the photos of this bag on the Birdie Girl website.

When I first opened the package and saw the tiny pink and white polka dots on the stand's legs, I thought "whaaa?" Then I set it down on its stand and noticed how the white mesh on the orange side pockets almost looks like pink polka dots and it all made sense. It's even hard to tell with the lights and shadows in this photo, but trust me, this is such a cool touch!

If you zoom in on this photo, you'll see the neat splashes of other colors in the detail work on the logo and handle. I never would have thought of the polka dots or putting all these colors together, but I love the way they work together! Kudos to the Birdie Girl designers.

Here it is on the course and on the cart. Again, I love the brightness!

Here it is with Greg's new Ogio bag. What a cool looking pair!

Yes, I'm using it as a cart bag. My chocolate Ogio just looks so dull after having my Birdie Girl bags out there. Oh yeah, something else after which to lust. I guess now I need this powder/chocolate Luxe Cart bag for my collection! We play walking rounds with our friends Lou and Leslie on Friday afternoons in the spring and summer so my orange bag could still see some action. Well, I play other walking rounds but I use my push cart for those so I can strap on either kind of bag and I'll be able to mix it up.

Now to the travel bag

My one complaint with Birdie Girl is about their travel bag. It looks smart and is easy to spot on the luggage carousel - I'll give it that, but then I'd expect that from Birdie Girl. It's the size that bothers me. Of course I never expected the tour bag to fit in there, but I did expect it to accommodate my golf clubs in any other golf bag with ease. No go. I understand that it is designed with women in mind but even if I had shorter golf clubs, that's only another inch or so of room. After taking off the club head covers, it was a really tight squeeze to get my golf clubs in this travel bag. I worried that when TSA searched it and tried to repack they might damage my stuff. And I worried that such a tight fit might cause a snap with a rough throw. Thankfully neither happened and my clubs made the trip unscathed, but I won't risk it again. How about just a couple more inches of leeway in the length, Birdie Girl? Maybe it would be good for a junior set of clubs.

Accessories

The club head covers I got with the orange stand bag are nice, but not for me. First, they're too big. I don't like it when club head covers are too tight and difficult to take off and put on, but I also don't like them to be too baggy and loose. I know, I'm hard to please size-wise. Many women are. They're also orange and black instead of orange and white, which, unlike their other color surprises doesn't work for me. Besides, though it might not be hard to displace my Ruger and Taylor Made headcovers on my 3- and 5- woods, nothing's going to take the place of the Goose on my driver.

My accessories of choice by Birdie Girl are these snazzy umbrellas!

Yes, I am a Birdie Girl

So what if I miss a lot of birdie putts? So what if the most birdies I've had in a round is a whopping 2? I'm a Birdie Girl - my bags say so! Birdie Girl makes the cutest stuff and keeps me stylin' on the golf course whether I'm making birdies or not.

Next post.

Ask the Goose - question from David

2007-05-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

I'm channeling Kess today so I went into her inbox and found this old question that she never got the chance to answer. So, in her first column since her passing, the ghost of the Goose takes this question from David Joseph:

Dear Goose,

I have been golfing for a long time. I have been living for a long time too. As I get older I am getting faster. I need to get where I am going before I go croak. As golf gets older it is getting slower. This incredibly slow play is driving my friends away from the game.

I would like to know if there are any rules governing pace of play at public golf courses. I (and my quickly disappearing friends) need to be able to play a round of golf in less time than is currently possible. Can you help us out here?

David Joseph

Dear David,

If you haven't already, I recommend going ahead and "croaking." The golf courses are wide open and you can reunite with all your friends and play at whatever pace you like on any course you choose.

If you're still circling the drain, try going to your favorite local muni on a weekday when the non-retired people are too busy in their offices to be on the golf course. Also try the more expensive courses where you can enjoy the senior rates and the faster pace of play (because the greens fees are too high for the young whippersnappers).

Maybe even join a senior league so you can share your common concerns like creaky hips and slower swing speeds. Stepping up to the forward tees might also speed up play for you and your friends. Make sure you all watch each other's tee shots for a better chance at finding them with all those old eyes. Spread the word so that others do the same (especially the groups in front of you).

Good luck and I'll see you soon,

The Goose

Next post.

Once again - beware of rattlesnakes!

2007-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's rattlesnake season again, so be careful out there!

If you're daring (or stupid) enough to go into the brush looking for your golf ball, at least take a club with you and make lots of noise as you go about it. For me, that $3 ball just isn't worth the risk of a bite.

Sure, they rattle to warn you, but you might come across one without the time to warn you because they hide and camouflage themselves so well. A friend of mine saw his playing partner get bit on the arm as the guy just reached in for his ball. End of round, hospital visit and about a week of agony. I think he learned his lesson.

Here's an ambitious little snake that wants to be a rattlesnake when he grows up. He was stretched out on the cart path, blocking my way down a hill last week. I touched his tail with my toe to get him to move along and he got all badass on me. From then on, I treated him with the respect he was seeking. I managed to just squeak the cart through between his tail and the tall brush on the side of the path at top speed so he didn't have time to strike. Sure, he might not have the venom of a rattler but I'm sure a bite would still hurt. I even let out a little squeal as I drove by - but only to make him feel better about himself.

Next post.

The Armchair Golfer's new digs

2007-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Armchair Golfer has a new gig. The people over at The Most Valuable Network have wisely chosen Neil (evidently that's his name) to write their golf blog, "Down the Middle."

He has been blogging steadily about golf since September 2005 - almost as long as I have. Like he says on his new site profile, golfers persist!

Congrats and good luck, Neil. I'll be reading.

Next post.

"New" rental clubs?!?!?

2007-05-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

Mom needs some golf clubs!

My mom has only played golf a few times but she really enjoys getting out on the course with me and swatting the ball around. The last time we played, I was impressed with her as she thwacked some really good ones from the tee, the fairway, the rough and the bunkers and made some really good putts. And she did all that with a beat up set of clubs she rented.

Before they brought out the rental set, I inquired if they had any used rental sets for sale (since Mom's in the market). He said they didn't sell (or have) demo clubs. I repeated that I was actually asking about rental sets and explained that I thought maybe when they upgraded their rentals they sold the old ones. He told me that all their sets are still quite new and they weren't ready to be replaced. Then he brought out the golf clubs in question. I laughed out loud.

I know rental sets see some abuse, but to describe these as NEW and to sound so proud of them was ridiculous!

The photo doesn't even really do them justice. Each and every club in the set (including the putter) looked like it had been through a few good rounds of street golf. And if they hadn't been used on asphalt, they had seen hundreds of hard rounds with hackers in the weeds and rocky, dried-up hazards. However many times they have rented out this set, I'm sure they were paid for many times over and they were ready for retirement.

I later looked up the set online and found a brand new set of the same model (Aspire M3) for $80 - with a bag. I'm no math whiz, but at $20 per rental, which is what they charge, I think they can afford to get a few new sets with what they've brought in from this old bag of nuts and still have enough left over to pay the water bill.

Time for Mom to get some golf clubs of her own, 'cause she's got skillz! Hmmm... if only there was an occasion for a gift, like a day celebrating all things Mom. Oh, wait.

Next post.

Charity Event at Moorpark Country Club

2007-05-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, May 17, Moorpark Country Club will be the site of the Phillips & King International annual charity golf tournament.

This year, Phillips and King has chosen the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation as the recipient of the proceeds. This foundation is working to improve the lives of families in the villages surrounding the town of Caribe in the Dominican Republic. They do this by helping to build much needed schools, health clinics, recreation facilities, a safe drinking water network, youth programs, adult training and much more. Last year, the tournament raised almost $19,000 and would love to make that same kind of contribution to this year's recipient.

The details

When: May 17th, 2007, 12:00 PM shotgun start.
Where: Moorpark Country Club (I'll post an update when I find out which two of the three nines they will use)
Update: The tournament will be played on the Ridgeline and Canyon Crest nines.
Women: White tees, Men: Blue tees
Entry fee: $225

The entry fee includes lunch, a full course dinner, a gift bag and lots of cigars.

Prize opportunities include a new BMW or Harley Davidson, airline tickets, a Caribbean cruise, rounds of golf, trophies and more, and are awarded for Hole-in-one, Long Drive (Male and Female), Closest to the Pin (Male and Female), putting contest, 1st and 2nd place and a raffle. There will also be a live auction.

Since this event is only two weeks away, sign up soon using the registration form below (click on it to get a larger version) or by calling (805) 744-4188 or (800) 532-4427 x 188.

I know it can be difficult to get out to play at noon on a weekday, but I hope to see you there! (You can also just come for the dinner, auction and raffle for a $100 contribution.)

The Dreaded "Y word" at Worldgolf

2007-05-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of month again. No, not the time when I get all cranky and roll around in chocolate - my latest column is up at Worldgolf. Since their disaster of a new site design isn't just ugly, but a navigational nightmare, you might want to use my link below if you want to read it. Hmm... maybe it is that time of the month after all. I hope I don't get fired for voicing that opinion.

Anyway, the column is about understanding the bizarre phenomenon called The Yips. WAIT - hear me out: as a superstitious person myself, it was a daunting topic for me at first. But the more I learned about it, the more comfortable I was talking about it without fearing that I'd catch it.

Unfortunately, I have a small word count range in these columns so it's difficult for a long-winded writer such as myself to turn in anything substantive. I plan to follow up that article with more about the topic here on The Golfchick blog. I have a very cooperative friend named Neil who is suffering from the putting yips and I hope to include video clips in future posts. I guess the column could be considered an introduction to what might become a series here. We'll see!

For the victims and families at Virginia Tech

2007-04-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

Next post.

The bird putts better than I do

2007-04-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

Saw this darling bird on Letterman tonight and had to share. He three putted on the show but he didn't let it get to him. I wish I had his skills!

AJ the parakeet can also dunk a basketball, do gymnastics and bowl - also all better than I can do. Damn bird.

Next post.

Interview with Geoff Shackelford - Part Two

2007-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted Part One of the Geoff Shackelford interview in which we discussed his golf game and some thoughts on golf course architecture.

As promised, here is the rest of the interview which covers his writing and some personal topics. For some background, you can check out Geoff's bio on his website.

You'll notice a couple of times he references the Masters as though it hasn't happened yet. He actually submitted these responses back to me while I was on a break from blogging, right before the Masters took place.

Once again, Scott Tesar provided a few questions, which are denoted with his initials (ST) in place of my own (KW).

Enjoy!

Geoff Shackelford interview - Part Two

Writing

KW: When did your interest in writing begin/how did it develop?

GS: I edited my high school paper and have always loved reading the newspaper. Though I rarely opened a book until the age of 20.

KW: Who was the first person who acknowledged your talent and encouraged you?

GS: My parents.

KW: Does the insecurity even end?

GS: Of course not. I can't stand to read stuff I've done that's more than 2 weeks old.

KW: Clearly you have a creative mind. Have you ever pursued any other ways to express it in addition to architecture and writing?

GS: Well besides my work as a male stripper and my "Def poetry" rants on postmodernism as it relates to the life and work of Leroy Neiman? Oh, sorry. Well, I wrote a couple of movie treatments and a novel, both with some golf in them. Not sure if those count.

KW: Do you write about other subjects than golf and golf architecture?

GS: Nope. I should, but golf has thankfully been keeping me busy and paying the rent.

KW: When and where were you first published? How did it happen?

GS: Riviera Country Club hired me to do a club history in time for the 1995 PGA. That was privately published. After that Masters of the Links was the first actual book bought by a publisher. As for magazine and print stuff, Golfweb on the Internet.

KW: How have your writing pursuits progressed since then?

GS: I wrote and compiled several more books since the early ones. Lately I've been doing more blogging and magazine writing, a lot less book writing.

KW: Do you ever write a book without a publishing agreement in place (now that you're established)?

GS: Every book but Cypress Point and Grounds for Golf has been started without an agreement in place.

KW: When you write a book, what approach do you use (methodical, outline first, type away and edit later, etc.)?

GS: Depends. Most of my books involve several components, so I've started with an outline and then it evolves. Sort of like a golf course design: start with some ideas on paper, and then it all goes to hell from there and you hope it comes together at the end.

KW: How much of your time is spent on writing and how much on course design? Is it the ratio you want it to be?

GS: It's 50-50 right now.

KW: What inspired you to start your website/blog?

GS: I wanted to follow up on the Future of Golf's many topics covered related to the health of the sport. So that's why I continue to blog on the things I do. It all still goes back to that book. Though I would love to have more course design projects to post about! I also started doing it because I think it's the future of journalism and communications and allows me to share my clipping files online with the rest of the world. Which can be a bad thing when I start getting too snarky.

ST: With the massive amount of content on your site and the frequency of your posts, you seem to post to your blog 24/7. There must be an established income stream to support that. Can you tell us about it?

GS: An established income stream? Did Tim Finchem submit this question? Just kidding. Actually, there isn't one. It's what Finchem would call a loss leader. It costs me a small amount per month to maintain thanks to a great host site called Squarespace (that I highly recommend). I don't have too much bandwidth use because I don't post a lot of photographs or video, so that keeps the costs down (though I'd like to post more photos and video if available). The site promotes my books and hopefully will be - big MBAspeak word here - a platform to write about and obviously promote my golf course design work as well. I'd like to think it has also helped me get in the door at some magazines I wasn't writing at before, so it's paid for itself.

ST: How much time do you spend reading the online world's resources?

GS: I spend about an hour a day and generally do most of the posts in the evening with a few follow ups the next morning if there's something I feel like commenting on or a story worth sharing. That might be a lot to some, but as far as looking for material, it's stuff I was already reading and looking at for ideas because of my other interests in writing. During the majors it's more than an hour a day, obviously, but that's where blogging is most fun. I'll be live blogging from the Masters so that I can make sure to document every silly thing Peter Kostis says.

KW: What are your favorite sources of current golf information, online or otherwise?

GS: Golfobserver.com online and of course in the print world, Golf World, Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated Golf Plus. I don't get Golfweek anymore. I got tired of their publisher, Jim Nugent, shilling for the manufacturers both in print and behind the scenes. But now that he's spending more time with his family and pursuing other opportunities at the PGA Tour publishing that bastion of journalism, PGA Tour Partners, I may re-subscribe because they have people like Brad Klein, Scott Hamilton, Adam Schupak, Rex Hoggard and Jim Achenback doing some interesting stuff.

KW: What peeves do you have about blogs/bloggers/blog writing?

GS: Not very entertaining or surprising. I want to be entertained and enlightened. That's what I hope to do with my stuff.

KW: Can you give any advice to aspiring writers - specifically golf writers? (i.e. What to focus on, what to avoid, how to get published, how to make the transition from self-publishing, what to expect, other helpful hints, etc.)

GS: Don't expect to make much money in books. I'm not sure about blogging yet, but probably don't expect it there either. Outside of that, and it's a cliché, but cliché's are just truths that everyone gets tired of hearing about: find a "voice." Even if it's a pithy, sarcastic voice like mine, it's me and I'm not pretending to be someone else. It will serve you well in all fields of writing and lets you sleep at night. When I read the golf columnists today in the magazines, there aren't too many like Dan Jenkins who you can honestly say have an original voice. Bob Verdi, Jaime Diaz and Alan Shipnuck, in the magazine world come to mind (whether you like their work or not), while John Huggan, Lawrence Donegan and Steve Elling are really distinctive voices in the newspaper world. That's not to say that the many others doing great work in golf are no good because they may not be getting the chance to strut their stuff writing a game story.

Personal

KW: Where is your home base?

GS: Santa Monica, CA

KW: How much do you travel?

GS: Not too often. Though I hope that changes with the golf course design work.

KW: Is your office at home or in a separate location?

GS: In the east wing of my mansion.

KW: Are you married, in a relationship, a playa, live alone, co-habitate/Is your - if there is one - significant other in the golf industry or even play golf?

GS: I actually wear a diamond-encrusted necklace that says PLAYA and my mom asked why I was paying tribute to the beach. I had to explain to her what it means to be a playa.

ST: Describe your typical day?

GS: Jeeves wakes me around 8:30 with breakfast in bed along with the L.A. Times, New York Times and the Journal, then we spend the next half hour debating how to bring peace to Darfur and sobriety into Britney's life. No wait, that's Bertie Wooster's life. Sorry.

KW: Why Pepperdine and not UCLA?

GS: I wasn't good enough coming out of high school to play golf at UCLA, and my grades definitely weren't good enough!

ST: What is/was it like being Lynn's kid? What opportunities did that afford you (i.e. doors opened, contacts made) or did it put up any barriers, challenges or assumptions you had to overcome?

GS: Well once I stopped playing basketball, there were no barriers to overcome. It was great though because I got to travel with him a ton when he was announcing, so I had seen much of the world by the age of 18 and met so many interesting people. And that was when flying was fun.

KW: Do you have any time for other hobbies? If so, what are they?

GS: I try to spend as much time at the beach as possible. I like to work out, read, watch movies and when we aren't in the middle of a drought, I love hiking in Southern California and taking in our unique environment, especially in spring when the wildflowers and sage scrub look so great. I've even started to get into bird watching, something Ben Crenshaw has taught me a little about and which I've really grown to appreciate in my old age. I also love music and concerts, and love discovering new artists.

KW: Name one specific thing that makes you smile?

GS: Knowing that Bobby Clampett has been reduced to a fill in announcer for CBS? Oh sorry. Actually with the depressing state of our world, of late The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert and 30 Rock really make me laugh, which, therefore, makes me smile.

KW: What makes you the happiest?

GS: Good food, good wine and laughing with friends about this mad, mad world. Oh, and knowing that the Masters is just about here.

Thanks again to Geoff for his time and effort in answering all these questions and for sharing himself with all of us. I don't know about you, but I certainly learned some things. Like who knew a male stripper could be so pithy?

Next post.

Butts on golf courses

2007-04-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

I often find myself saying - either aloud or in my head - "What is WRONG with people?" Sometimes it's for more serious actions, but I also use it for the stupid little things people do.

Like leaving cigar and cigarette butts all over the golf course. I mean, come on! Presumably, you'll repair your divots and ball marks in an effort to clean up after yourself and keep the course nice. So what's the difference? Do you have to be told to pick up your trash as well? Well, if you haven't yet, here goes...

I hereby dub it official golf etiquette (because I have that power) to keep all golf courses free of your own litter, including butts!

Just remember...

BAD Litter

GOOD Litter!

Next post.

Graphite shafted irons and custom fitting

2007-04-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

For awhile now I've been thinking about trying some graphite shafted irons as part of my experimentation. I know a lot of women use them but I've been a steel shaft girl from the beginning. While I'm at it, I should probably get them custom fitted and do it right. At first I didn't think it was necessary because my swing wasn't well defined. Now that I'm a little more established, it's probably time.

I figure if I go with graphite, they should be stiff flex and men's length, but it'll be interesting to see what a professional fitter would say. Out of curiosity, I just tried the SmartFit custom club fitting calculator on Golfsmith.com and came up with the following recommendations:

Shaft Model: Mid launch
Shaft Flex: Stiff
Club length: Men's standard
Lie angle: +1° Upright
Grip size: Men's + 1/64 Inch

I wonder if the results will be the same when I actually go in and get my swing speed calculated and all that. I should probably go ahead and do it for my current set of steel shafted irons since I'm not quite ready to take the leap on graphite shafts.

While I'm mulling it over, I'd be happy to hear recommendations on makes and models if you feel like sharing.

Next post.

Interview with Geoff Shackelford - Part One

2007-04-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Geoff Shackelford is one of the most prolific golf bloggers out there. His popular blog is a constant source of informed commentary especially when it comes to history and golf course design. He often posts observations on "MBA speak" and I particularly enjoy his hilarious series IM'ing with the Commissioners. SportsIllustrated.com's Gary Van Sickle named GeoffShackelford.com one of the 10 "essential" golf websites along with the likes of ErnieEls.com, GolfObserver.com and Golfweek.com.

Even when I disagree with him, I find his opinions intelligent and thought provoking and he elicits some of the most engaging discussions you'll find in the comments section on a golf blog.

But he's much more than a blogger. He is a golf course architect and has authored multiple books on the subject and he writes for several online and printed golf publications as well. I personally admire his writing, style and career, and figured if I wanted to know more about him, so might others. When he agreed to participate in my e-interview, I went a little crazy with my quantity of questions. Knowing that my friend Scott Tesar (best friend I never met) was also an admirer of Geoff's, I even threw in a few questions he wanted answered.* I never expected Geoff to answer as many as he did, and I am truly thankful for all his responses and the time he put into them.

Since there are so many questions, I have broken them down by category and will post them in two parts. This part covers his game and golf course architecture. The second part will cover his writing and some personal tidbits, so stay tuned for that!

*Scott's questions are indicated with "ST"- mine are "KW".

Geoff Shackelford interview - Part One

Your game

KW: When did you start playing golf and what were the circumstances?

GS: I tagged along with my dad and granddad when they played Valencia, home to the Champions Tour event. That was back when it was private, and not to sound too old, was surrounded by nothing. You could stand on the 14th tee and see nothing but open fields and farmland. Now there's a Hyatt, movie theaters and a really neat putting course/restaurant called The Greens.

KW: Was it love at first sight or how did it develop?

GS: It developed slowly, more tagging along and then gradually got more into it as I got older and realized I had no jump shot, nor any ability to jump.

KW: What are your top five courses to play and why?

GS: If I had to pick in one of those desert island kind of ways, it'd be Valley Club of Montecito, St. Andrews, Riviera, Royal Dornoch and Armand Hammer. They're all fun. In fact, I've had more fun golf experiences at Armand Hammer, a $2 pitch and putt in Holmby Hills, than just about anywhere else. My Pepperdine teammates and I used to go there after playing Bel-Air and it was by far more fun than the round at Bel-Air!

KW: What's your favorite local course (in which you're not personally invested) and why?

GS: Riviera. Masterful design. Though it's slipping away quickly. I'm glad I got to enjoy it before Tom Marzolf got his hands on it.

KW: What's your handicap?

GS: No idea. I rarely play. The last handicap I carried I was around a 2 index, which cost me a lot of money. I'd be thrilled to break 80 today. Bum wrist really took the fun out of it, as does the time it takes to play. Though I've had some desire lately. I found a chiropractor who adjusted my wrist and have graphite shafted irons that help.

KW: Lowest round score?

GS: 67 twice at Riviera from the white tees.

KW: Any holes-in-one?

GS: One, at Pismo State Beach par-3 when I was about 15. I also double-eagled No. 1 at Riviera with a 2 iron.

KW: Ever compete?

GS: Tried. Played at Pepperdine where I started for a little while, had a whopping two top-10 finishes in a four year career. Also played various amateur events, U.S. Open and Am qualifyings. Don't miss it even a bit.

KW: Do you belong to a club?

GS: No. Though I'm sure there are many honorary membership committees reading this and wondering how to reconcile their oversights.

KW: What's in the bag/do you have a favorite club?

GS: These days, as it's been since the first Bush administration, it's my trusty Ben Crenshaw Cleveland putter, an 8802 knock off. I had one I liked better, but it got stolen out of my car along with my other clubs. I am an all Taylor-Made guy now, with graphite shafts in the irons in hopes that it will take some of the pain out of hitting shots in cold weather. Finally got rid of my lousy Titleist irons and driver. What junk. Just kidding Wally!

Golf course architecture

KW: When and how did you first get interested in course design?

GS: Growing up at Riviera and reading George Thomas's book as a teenager.

KW: Did you/do you have a mentor?

GS: Ben Crenshaw, Dan Proctor and Dave Axland were very kind to me during the Riviera greens reconstruction in 1993. I learned a lot from them and they encouraged me quite a bit. Bill Coore just thought I was some spoiled brat. Now he tolerates me!

KW: How and how quickly did your involvement grow/What was your first big break?

GS: I've had many, but I guess the first real break was doing a redo of Sinaloa with Dan and Dave when my dad operated it. I learned a lot. Meeting Gil Hanse was the next one.

KW: What do you consider the single most important aspect of a good design?

GS: Whether it's fun and interesting.

KW: Are you a consultant now/what is the state of your business?

GS: I'm consulting at a few older clubs looking to restore some of their old style design character, and doing that either on my own or in one very special case, with Gil Hanse. I'm also hopeful that a few new projects with Gil are going to start soon. We have just gotten a job on Vancouver Island in Canada. The Prairie Club in Nebraska is still on the drawing board and inching toward a start date in 2008, and there are a couple of others we're hopeful about.

KW: Do you/have you done course "makeovers" or do you stick to new course development?

GS: I'm interested in new stuff and restoring great old designs. Makeovers are tough, but I'd be interested if it's the right project. There surely is no shortage of bad architecture built in the last 20 years in need of help. I'm just amazed how many courses call back the architect who messed up the first time around!

ST: When you first start a new golf course project, what is your first step?

GS: Routing the course. It sets the stage for everything else in the planning process. It's all about routing. And that's the most fun too. Trying to solve all the issues and walking the land, discovering great land forms or interesting quirks in the landscape that you want to build around.

KW: Do you have particular grasses and sands you prefer to use and do they vary based on region and climate?

GS: Varies. But as a lover of links golf and rugged looking courses, fescue grasses are my favorites. I can only imagine what Rustic Canyon would look like with more fescues and less rye. With sand, anything but the blinding white stuff.

KW: When you design a course, do you base playability on the average player or professionals?

GS: Both. I tend to be overly concerned with the average player since they're the ones who ultimately make or break the course. But the design concepts for a hole start with figuring out a strategy for the good player, then placing tees, bunkers, greens based on that.

ST: What steps do you follow when designing the layout? What is your strategy/thought process for challenging the golfer?

GS: I'm interested in what is going to make them think. What is going to make them stand on the tee and want to place a shot on a certain side of a fairway based on the green design and day's hole placement. It's sad how rarely this occurs in golf course design. Yet most of the great holes have some meaning where the player has to take factors like hole location and hazards into account before teeing off.

KW: A lot of the newer courses that are built to challenge the longer hitters and their new equipment have plenty of room for a couple sets of forward tees yet it seems strategies and playability from there are barely considered. How much consideration do you put into how a course will play from the forward tees?

GS: A lot. It's so tricky now with such a divide between long and average players. And then of course most golfers look at certain numbers on a card to determine the quality of the course, and that usually is just a number with little meaning about what the design has to offer. But you have to address it or else people will write off a course if it doesn't meet certain "standards."

KW: Do you see course design mentality starting to reflect the influx of female players?

GS: A little. Alice Dye's formula for forward tees is really getting used a lot and has helped get some better forward tees in place. But we have a long way to go.

KW: Do you ever consult with/work with female designers when developing a course?

GS: Never have. I've talked with Amy Alcott a fair amount about design. But other than her, I've met very few women who have even the slightest bit of interest in golf course design. Why that is, I have no idea.

KW: What's your biggest peeve about modern golf courses? Any peeves with the classics?

GS: With modern courses, they're boring, overbuilt, ugly, drain poorly and little thought is put into the actual placement of hazards. Classics? Not really. They did some amazing things with horses and road scrapers!

To be continued...

And that concludes part one of the interview. Geoff really gave some interesting answers and I wish the interview could have been in person so I could have followed up on some of them! Thanks to Scott for for providing some great questions and of course to Geoff for his responses. And again, stay tuned for part two about Geoff's writing and personal tidbits!

Next post.

Updating my golf bag - Golf Research in Play

2007-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

The contents of my bag have been changing lately. Of course, the bag itself has been as well, but I'll talk about that in a future post. I'm also not talking about the crushed chips & crackers, tees I'll never use, gadgets I forget about or the orgy of heterogeneous golf balls I have collected from my forays into the weeds to find my originals.

No, this long post is about the guests of honor in the bag - my golf clubs.

Brand and designer names

I have mentioned in several previous posts that I'm a Taylor Made girl. Despite TaylorMade's apparent lack of interest in my endorsement of their products, I continue to give it. I draw the line at pimping, though, and don't wear or carry items advertising their logo. Or would that be whoring? Either way, I never saw the point or taste in wearing a designer item with the designer's name emblazoned on it and why would I do it for golf gear manufacturers? Unless, of course, they ~~paid~~ sponsored me. That being said, I'm still quite happy with my now nearly three-year old set of Taylor Made irons, wedges, fairway woods and driver.

New clubs, golf research

I have TM's RAC OS Pitching (45 deg) and Sand (55 deg) wedges. Awhile back, I decided to try out some new wedges because so much of my game is played from 100 yards and in and I wondered if carrying a couple more wedges might improve my precision. So I ordered some wedges from GRIP, or Golf Research in Play, which is exactly what I intended to conduct. I went with the Gap wedge (52 deg) - to fill the Gap between the P and W, and the Lob (60 deg) looking for a 75 yard club.

The dilemma that shouldn't have been

The trouble was, in order to really conduct this research out on a golf course, I'd have to remove two clubs from my bag (following the 14 club rule) in order to carry all four wedges to get a good comparison. Then, to add to my dilemma, GRIP threw a hybrid in the shipment for me to try. Well, I removed my left-handed club without a blink, but to remove two more would be difficult! The hybrid is a 5-H, which should theoretically replace my 5-iron, probably my favorite iron of all. See, the 5-I is my ~160 club, and I find myself in a lot of situations that require that yardage. I wasn't about to remove it for an untested replacement. I decided to take them all to the range, where the 14-club rule doesn't matter. I know, I'm such a stickler. Like I couldn't have just taken them all out and played a few rounds that I didn't post, right? Or replaced some clubs and played a test round and posted whatever the results were. That score would have been thrown out anyway. Stickler or idiot. You decide. ANYWAY...

Experimenting - the plan

Not that kind of experimenting, you dirty, dirty chipmunks! That's supposed to be done in college and I skipped that semester. Of course I'm talking about experimenting with new golf clubs.

I was excited to try my new wedges but not so much about the hybrid. (I bought a TM 3H over a year ago and hardly ever use it. I've thought about going back to my 3-iron.) For the wedges, my plan was ambitious and was meant to determine exact yardages for each and had something to do with vectors. As for the 5H, I was just going to take a few swings and kind of get a feel for it.

I need to find a better practice range. Tom Barber is a fine establishment and a quick stop on the way from anywhere, just off the road. Plus, I just load up my micro-key with credits, keep in on my key chain so I can just pull up, grab my clubs, pop it in the ball machine and go straight to a station. Trouble is, the stations are all mats. I hate mats. And it's almost always super windy there so it's hard to get an accurate read on distance. That and the fact that it's all downhill. I never said my plan wasn't faulty.

Funny how things turn around

The GRIP wedges felt okay - at least as good as any iron can feel off a stupid mat. Difficult as it was to judge distance, I went ahead and decided that the 52 degree Gap wedge was too similar to my SW in distance to justify its place in my bag. And I guess I have to face facts - I'm just not that precise. The jury was still out on the 60 degree Lob wedge, and I clearly needed some grass time with it.

What really surprised me was the GRIP 5-Hybrid. I was immediately impressed with its feel. It has a weight and balance that is extremely comfortable - natural, even. Every shot felt pure, even when my execution wasn't. Still, I felt that way about my TaylorMade 3 rescue at first, too, so I knew to take a wait-and-see attitude with this one.

The real test and the results

I went ahead and exchanged my 5-iron for the hybrid and the left-handed club for the Lob wedge in my bag for a few rounds. Of course I never had even one 75 yard attempt, let alone several in order to determine if the Lob wedge was the club. I usually use my PW for 100-115 yard shots and my SW for everything inside 100. In order to give the LW a chance, I decided to use it in place of my SW for everything under 75. I think it was all psychological, but I just couldn't get comfortable with it. I guess I'm just too loyal to my SW.

The wedges will probably get another shot at a place in my bag, but for now they're resting quietly. I have to say, they look really sharp. I like the smoke plating (even though I could do without the big white logo on the back) and the sharpness is also literal. The bottom edge is a lot sharper than the edges on my TM wedges, which might be why I couldn't get comfortable with them right away. The grip feels great and the shafts have a strong, confident feel (I got the men's clubs because I'm used to playing with steel shafts).

And now the good news

This all took place in January. My first round out with the clubs was in the bitter cold at Los Robles Greens. The new GRIP hybrid made its debut on the #1 handicap 3rd hole. A good drive would have left me with less than 100 yards to the flag, but good drives were scarce that day. So, after a less than great drive, I was in some ugly rough on the right, about 155 from the green which was guarded by a bunker from that angle. In the past, I'd probably have used my 4 iron in that situation because of the rough and the bunker at the end. From the fairway, it would have been 5 iron all the way. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try the new 5 Hybrid. Blammo. Nailed it clean, sailed over the bunker and ended up about 12 feet from the pin, whereupon I made the birdie putt. That was the beginning of my love affair with this new club that is still going strong.

Physically, it's not exactly my type with its blue color and its bumpy lines, but love isn't all about looks. Besides, as our relationship matures, I'm even starting to find it attractive. I use it from the rough, I use it from fairways, I use it from fairway bunkers and I'll use it off the tees on the right par 3's. After my initial skepticism, it has become my "go-to" club. Yardage-wise, it replaced my 4-iron instead of my 5 (probably because I hit it cleaner more consistently), so my 5 is back in the bag. I keep my 4-iron for low punch shots, but maybe if I get ~~kinky~~ creative with my 5H, it will handle those, too.

It's not like this is my first square-dance, either. Many people have great responses the first time they try a hybrid club. I did with my TM 3 rescue but it faded. I guess it's all in the design of the club. I think maybe that bulgy slot on the bottom - if you'll pardon my technical jargon - helps keep the club in its groove through the swing no matter the lie and provides the forgiveness that allows me to keep hitting good shots with it more than any other. As for the weights, I'm sure they play a part as well. Maybe I'm supposed to adjust them or something but it seems to be working for me the way it is. Anyway, I don't need to know how an engine works as long as I like the way the car handles.

Ironically, the amazing forgiveness also concerns me, because I can get sloppy with my swing and not worry about it. The rest of my clubs aren't that forgiving and I worry that I'll get sloppy with the rest of my game. Maybe I'll have to get as many GRIP hybrids as possible!

And to think the whole idea was to get new wedges. Why am I always wookin' pa nub in all the wrong places?

Next post.

Commentary on The Masters and a proposed new PGA Tour slogan

2007-04-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

These Guys are ~~Good~~ ~~Pretty Good~~ Better than You.

Whether it's all part of the hoax or not, Tiger Woods looked almost human at The Masters.

In fact, Augusta National Golf Club made a bunch of professional golfers look silly this year. The combination of the weather, the rock hard course conditions, insanely slick greens and magnitude of the event made for unprecedented high scores at The Masters this year. The more it gets to you, the more it'll get to you.

The shot that doesn't fly as far as you'd expect and spins back into the water starts you thinking.

Now that you're thinking, you miss a putt by less than an inch and it ends up 10 feet away from the hole which makes you nervous.

Now that you're nervous, your next tee shot finds the trees and forces you to lay up (if you can get out) and now you're scared.

Now that you're scared, you remember where you are and you try too hard instead of just playing your game.

Now that you've abandoned your game, you'll be lucky to shoot even par.

Don't try to tell me these guys made bad swings, poor decisions and squeaky putts because their skill sets weren't strong enough. They should be able to adapt to difficult course conditions, formulate sound strategies, club up and calm down. They got rattled on that first demanding day and their mental games failed them.

The strangest thing about it all for me is that every golf writer or blogger I've read is complaining that it was no fun to watch! Au contraire!

Now it's not that I enjoy watching people suffer (not that anyone who gets invited to play at Augusta - in The Masters, no less - should be considered to be suffering at any time) but watching them struggle a bit allowed me to relate a little better to the players.

Of course, if in some parallel universe I actually got to play that course in those conditions from a special set of tees at a reasonable distance even without the added pressure of the event, I'd be lucky to break 100. But the point is, their struggles were recognizable. I am very familiar with punching out from the trees and hitting from drop areas and three putting. I could practically feel myself there doing it.

Unlike Zach Johnson whose dream of playing in The Masters was realistic, most of us will have to settle for watching others do it. Perhaps a realistic dream for mere mortals is to watch them do it in a recognizable fashion.

For me, this tournament was not only not boring, it took entertainment to a new level for golf. Even if my skills could improve enough so I could play more like the pros, this may have been the closest I'll ever get to playing Augusta.

Next post.

Latest submission up at worldgolf

2007-04-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

My latest column is up at worldgolf.com. Well, most of it is.

In light of my recent circumstances and the strong feelings I have about my personalized golf gear, I thought it would be nice to do a column on the personal nature of such items and the impact they can have on a person's golf game.

I wanted to bolster the article with some thoughts from someone in the business. Since Scott at Tartan Golf Grips provides such comfort items (including my putter grip) and knows a little bit about what they can mean to a golfer, I included a quote from him in my original submission. Worldgolf removed that portion of the article, probably because it was essentially free advertising and they make their living on selling advertising. Can't blame them, plus I tend to come in over the desired word count anyway. They were also nice enough to retrieve the photo of my gear from my site (I didn't submit it with the article) and include it in the story, so I give 'em props for that. However, the cut paragraph lended itself to summarizing my thoughts on the topic and segued nicely into my closing sentence.

So if you read it, please mentally insert this blurb in the article right before the closing line:

Scott Tesar, owner of TartanGolfGrips.com, finds it rewarding to provide such a distinctive product that enhances people's enjoyment of the game on such a personal level. Speaking about his Artan(TM) grip designs and feedback he has received from customers, he says "Many people derive a sense of identity, pride and comfort from their family heritage and history... It's just basic human nature to enjoy seeing your name and when it's incorporated into a piece of golf equipment that you use on every hole, and it looks attractive, it creates positive energy and differentiation that contributes to a feeling of confidence on the course."

New putter grip

2007-03-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post the grip I received from Scott at Time Fore Tee (also www.tartangolfgrips.com). I just installed it on my putter and it looks great! I'm psyched to use it in my round tomorrow. The thrill I got in slicing off that heinous red Cameron grip with the stupid lettering and crown design was a bonus. I couldn't stand that grip and now I have the perfect grip to replace it!

Now I have The Goose represented on my big stick AND my little stick.

Scott does a great job designing these gorgeous grips and I'm honored that he designed this one just for us in Kess' memory. It is one of the nicest, most thoughtful gifts I have ever received and I can't thank him enough. He also writes an interesting and detailed golf blog, so check him out at the links above!

Bring on the one-putts, Kessy!

Next post.

Breaking the silence

2007-03-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a month since I lost my best friend.

I will always miss her and while I think I've gotten through the hardest time, I'm sure the tears will continue to spring up, just fewer and farther between as time goes on. It was necessary for me to take almost a week off from work but since then it has kept me busy and I think that helped. My grief clouded my thoughts and I'm afraid I produced some of the worst work in my life, but it all worked out and my contribution to the project proved successful anyway. Work was required, blogging was not, so I focused my attention where I needed to.

I put together a memorial tribute to Kess which I think also helped in the healing process by consolidating and sharing memories and getting out a lot of my tears.

Thank you all for the comments you posted and emails you sent. Please know that your kind and caring words are much appreciated even though I didn't respond to you all individually.

Special thanks to Jay Flemma at A Walk in the Park and Mulligan Stu at The Waggle Room for the thoughtful posts and Scott at Time Fore Tee for the beautiful grip design and donations in her honor. Scott sent me the gorgeous Artan grip he designed based on the MacKessock tartan. It will become my new putter grip so that I can have a symbol of her with me on every golf hole I play (though I will continue to try to hole out from off the green).

My moment of silence is now officially over and I'll get back to the business of blogging about golf. The "Ask the Goose" feature will continue in Kess' honor, and I hope she will channel through me to continue to answer the mailbag and that I can do her column justice.

Again, thank you all for your patience and support.

Kess "The Goose" Williams - the day before her last on Earth.

Next post.

Kess "The Goose" Williams - 1995-2007

2007-03-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Life was better yesterday.

Because I got to hold her.
Because I got to smell her.
Because I got to kiss her.
Because she was here to kiss my tears away.
Because she was here.

I miss you, Kess.
You were my best friend.
You made my world so sweet.
There isn't anything better than you.
I will always love you and you'll always be here with me in my heart.

Hello, see you later.

Kess "The Goose" Williams 1995-2007
Rest in peace, peanut butter cup.

To know her was to love her. Everyone loves The Goose.

This blog will now be observing a moment of silence for The Goose. I don't know how long the moment will last. E-mails and comments may go unanswered because words are too hard.

Next post.

All riled up and groovy at Worldgolf.com

2007-02-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

Golf chick gets her groove on?

The possibility of a rule change regarding the grooves on golf clubs has me all riled up. Check out my latest column at worldgolf.com and see why the USGA and golf club manufacturers might not think I'm a groovy chick.

Next post.

Donald Trump invades my happy place at Cap Cana

2007-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

The public beach at Cap Cana.

Cap Cana - the home of my happy place, Punta Espada golf course - is a massive, beautiful, upscale resort in the Punta Cana area on the coast of the Dominican Republic overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

They just announced that a deal was made with Donald Trump to develop a new resort on a portion of the property to include a golf course, golf villas, golf lots, estate lots, a beach club, a condo hotel and residences with ocean views. And of course he has to put his name on it so it will collectively be called "Trump at Cap Cana." No word yet on what they will call the golf course. Maybe Punta Trump?

Naturally, it will be a luxury resort. I toured the Cap Cana property including finished products and some of the developments under construction and even the lowest priced condos are luxury. The golf villas and beach club attached to Punta Espada are gorgeous and elegant and I felt like a princess just being there. The design and amenities are classy and understated but leave no doubt that you are in a special place where your every whim has been considered and attended to.

Here is the bungalow where I stayed. Just off the 12th hole of Punta Espada.

That's "my" bungalow on the right and my own little path down to the water.

That path in the previous photo is just to the left of the screen. This is part of the wraparound patio of the bungalow.

Here's the view from the other side of the patio with the screens down.

Here's another view with the screens open.

Enter Donald Trump. I can only hope Cap Cana has design standards they will enforce or that Trump's involvement will primarily be the usage of his name and the investors he brought in. It would be such a shame to see this place spoiled by the brash and gaudy style that Trump considers classy.

I have submitted some questions regarding more specifics on the golf course and I'll post an update once I get them answered.

Update: Here is a portion of the Master Plan of Cap Cana. "Trump at Cap Cana" is circled in red. Looks like 36 holes up on the bluff.

Here it is pre-development. You can see the bluff where the new resort will be.

Next post.

World record hole-in-one at Ko'olau!

2007-02-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Ko'olau is considered by many the toughest golf course in the United States. I have a Ko'olau shirt that boasts the rating right on the sleeve. It's also one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever played.

The number 1 handicap hole at Ko'olau (for the handicap ~~handicapped~~ challenged that means the hardest hole) is number 18.

So, you're on the most difficult hole of the most challenging course in the country. What do you do? If you're Bret Melson, you ace it! Sure, he's part of the San Diego Golf Academy: Hawaii campus, it's his home course and he has probably played that hole hundreds of times, but none of that makes it any less of an amazing feat. And yes, a new world record for the longest ace. Congratulations, Bret! You can read (and hear) the whole story on the SDGA website. For most people, acing a par-3 is enough of an accomplishment. Acing any old par-4 would be absolutely incredible. I guess for Bret, that just wouldn't have done it.

It really is challenging!

I have played this golf course twice. The first time was three months after my very first round of golf. I played the forward tees which only have course and slope ratings of 72.9/129. I actually managed to make par on 18. The second time I played there was 7 months later so I'd been playing for 10 whole months and thought I should really experience the difficulty so I played from the blue tees (the next set back from the forwards - equivalent to white tees on average courses) with course/slope ratings of 78.7/153 for women (when I played the ratings from the tips for men weren't even that high but it looks like the course has been re-rated since then). And... I experienced the difficulty. I carded a 9 on 18. Yes, a 9. And I recorded the whole bittersweet experience on digital media.

My 18th hole experience at Ko'olau

From the tees at 18. The first of two forced carries (unless you're like Bret and decide to cross the rain forest on the right with your teeshot).

My first shot actually ended up here, near the drop area. (Local rules indicate that balls lost in ravines are a one stroke penalty, then played from the drop area on the other side on holes 1,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,14,16,18. Gotta speed up play somehow on this monster.) No penalty for me. Only one stroke so far. What could go so wrong now? Well, there's another forced carry up there but I'm no hero. I'll lay up...

...to here. Perfect - so far so good. Two strokes so far, I still have my golf ball and at this point I'd be happy to get a bogey. Forced carries off a tee aren't as daunting to me as danger on the deck. My hacking around commences with my 3 wood from here, which, when struck well would have been on the green. But alas, it finds the ravine.

I decided this was the drop area. Hitting 5 from here. Coincidentally, that patient man waiting on the green was also named Bret. Just some guy that joined on the back nine. There was no one behind us and I told him he could play ahead without me because I'd be taking lots of photos. But there he is... just waiting and waiting.

Two sand wedges later, I'm on the green in 6. Then I proceed to three putt. Yes, from here. I know, but I guess this course just rattled me. 5 over on one hole. Ouch.

Here's the overhead view. If I played this course every day, I might try carrying it all in one at some point like Bret Melson did. I wonder: if you go that way and it goes in the forest, do you get to drop over there instead of on the fairway on the left? That would save a few strokes. :)

Here I am attempting to cross yet another ravine on #6. Failed here, too, but only took a triple bogey on this hole. Damn you, Ko'olau! I'll be coming back for you!

Update: thought I should show the damaging evidence. Here's what you can't see in the previous photo.

Next post.

Happy Birthday to The Goose!

2007-02-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's a big day at the Williams house. We are honoring the 12th birthday of Her Royal Highness Kess (a.k.a. The Goose). For those of you who don't know, that's an impressive number for a Great Dane. I know I'll never make it that far in human years. Not even close. So what do you get a Goose who has everything?

Well, the same question arose for Christmas and she answered it for me: A hospital stay, twice-weekly acupuncture sessions, a new car to more comfortably transport her to and from those visits, boxes and boxes of potty pads, a diaper bag (thanks, Greg!), a new sling, specially concocted medications by the truckload, Chinese herbs, a stethoscope, a new airbed and blankets, several more doctor's visits and lab tests, home-cooked people food and never leaving her alone long enough for a round of golf (priceless).

Kess is thrilled about her birthday.

And of course she also got some new necklaces, toys and treats to make the gift opening session more fun.

Now what to get her for her birthday? Shhh... don't tell her yet and spoil the surprise, but she's getting another urinalysis! She'll also be starting a new hydrotherapy regimen this week with underwater treadmill workouts. She's having a chicken pecan Lean Cuisine lunch (she's tired of my cooking) and tonight we'll be celebrating with a big birthday steak.

I got a little something for her birthday, too. Check out the strategically placed Birdie Girl bag behind her in the picture. Now I just need a chance to use it! I'm sure Greg will come over and babysit and maybe I can scrape up enough change from the couch cushions to pay for a round.

I know, I know... poor me. But only literally! I'm lucky and elated to have her happy and home to celebrate this big day and with a lot more luck and love, she'll be celebrating her 13th standing on all fours!

Next post.

DST extended... means more golf this year!

2007-01-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

Whatever else you want to say about the U.S. government, it did something good for golfers (and nuclear and oil companies) back in 2005 when President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Starting this year, Daylight Saving Time will start earlier and end later than before, giving golfers more opportunities to play! We can start squeezing in those twilight rounds after work in March now! And if we're lucky, the golf courses will be slow in adjusting their twilight rates to follow suit so we can weasel in some real bargains.

The new system gives us four weeks more of DST, with three of the weeks coming at the beginning and one week at the end. So, where we used to set the clocks forward on the first Sunday of April, now we do it on the second Sunday of March. And we don't have to set them back until the first Sunday of November instead of the last Sunday of October.

I don't know about you, but I always looked forward to Daylight Saving Time even before I became a golfer. Now I have even more reason to rejoice.

I keep all the extra daylight in a 5-gallon Arrowhead bottle and cash it in when it's full. I hear American Express and Diners Club are going to start exchanging it point for point in 2008 so we can redeem those rewards even faster!

The Department of Energy will study the impact of the change and report its findings to Congress, which has reserved the right to change it back if the report is unfavorable. Just in case, enjoy the shifted time while you can! That is, unless you live in one of those weird places that doesn't observe DST in the first place.

Next post.

The "other Goose" puts up a dramatic win and Jennifer Mario has nothing to say?

2007-01-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it. Jennifer Mario, probably the biggest Goosen fan in the golf blogosphere, has nothing to say about Retief's win at the Qatar Masters? For crying out loud, he birdied 17 and eagled the final hole to do it - it doesn't get much more dramatic than that. AND he hadn't won in over a year. I know you've been absent from blogging for awhile, Jennifer, but come on! Where are you??? Is your book Michelle Wie: The Making of a Champion keeping you so busy that worldgolf, travelgolf and all your readers are just dust in your taillights? If a Goosen win doesn't call you out, what will?

(Photo of Jennifer Mario by Tonya Locke from the back cover of Jennifer's book Michelle Wie: The Making of a Champion. Photo of Retief Goosen with his trophy at the Qatar Masters - what the hell is that thang?)

I mean really... my Goose (THE Goose) gets more press than Retief. And everyone else is busy talking about Tiger. It's the least you could do.

The old lady diva gets the ink.

Next post.

Steroid testing in golf

2007-01-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

Some women are naturally stronger or more athletic than others. Some really work on their bodies to increase their strength and skills. Some are more logically than emotionally oriented. These women already have an edge against their peers and will be among the first to be accused of "juicing."

I know from experience that such an accusation, however tongue-in-cheek it is disguised, can rile a girl. A word to the innocent - don't react angrily; it'll just fuel their malice or raillery with innuendos of 'roid rage to further push your buttons.

My new column on Worldgolf.com discusses the topic of steroid testing in golf.

For more opinions on this subject, check out these posts on The Sand Trap, Golf Punk and The Golf Blogger. If I've left out your favorite reference or you have your own opinions, let me know!

Next post.

Golf horoscopes, why I'm like Tiger Woods, and why to bet on Natalie Gulbis

2007-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

It is Friday night, right? I expected to be doing something else tonight but my other half is down with some kind of nasty cold. Rather than dosing up on Airborne and Emergen-C like I'm known to do in such situations, I opted instead to go the route of the martini. Truth be told, I intended to do the martini thing last night but I never got around to it, so I am glad for the opportunity. And though I've cautioned in the past against drinking and flogging, here I am - sitting with my Goose, my martini (also a goose of the gray variety even though they spell it wrong) and Tom Waits, typing away. I have to say that these blue cheese olives I bought at BevMo suck. Shoulda stuck to my own hand-stuffed freshies. Ah well, live and learn.

I suppose I should find the point. Not the one on my head (I actually have a pointy skull and if I ever shaved my head I'd probably look like a real Conehead - my parents swear they didn't drop me) but an actual golf-related type of point. Ah yes, golf horoscopes.

While sitting here surfing around, I found a site called Pargazer which is my new favorite site. This ain't my first square dance, though, so I won't stick it in my links list just yet. (Ever really connect with someone at a bar and declare them your new bestest friend and swear you'll call?)

ANYWAY - Why do I like this site so much? It actually likens me to Tiger Woods simply because I was born within a few days of him. It's mostly a site that sells stuff, but the gimmick is golf humor and horoscopes. I think we all like to believe in the reading of the stars when it's favorable. Which is why so many horoscopes focus on the positive aspects of a person's sign. This one uses the same general horoscopic - did I just invent that word? - theories and applies them to a person's golf game. It's pretty fun, actually.

I'm a goat, through and through. Hey, maybe that point on my head is actually a horn trying to stick through. No, that would make me a unicorn. Nevermind. Almost everything I've read about Capricorns pretty accurately describes me. Even the bad stuff. I'm a major astronomy geek which makes some people see irony in that I'm also terribly fascinated by astrology. Not Capricorns, though. They know that while we may be commonly known as pragmatists we can also be quite creative and apply that flair to our logic. When you really think about the cohesive nature of the universe, why wouldn't the position of the stars at the exact moment of our births have something to do with our personalities and indeed, everything about us? I could go on and on and delve into quantum physics and really rationalize this.

But oh yeah - this is a golf blog. And I'm like Tiger Woods. Just lookie here:

But wait a minute...

Isn't it interesting that there's no mention of noted female Capricorn golfers? Nancy Lopez and Natalie Gulbis are both Capricorns. Shame on you, Pargazer! Now you're not getting on my links list for sure (as if they'll feel the pain). I'm not going to spend any time researching this ~~right now~~ but it seems to me that horoscopes are typically more of a chick thing and the folks at Pargazer are morons for not knowing their audience.

There may be critics who say Natalie hasn't won, she won't win, she doesn't "have it," she's too "flaky." If anyone doubts what Natalie Gulbis will accomplish, hear me now: if she wants to win at golf, she will. She may be too busy right now applying her dogged Capricorn-ness to enlisting sponsors, endorsements and fans at the moment, but when she really focuses on golf, watch out! ~~Calendars~~ Looks fade; skills develop. She's a goat, alright!

Okay, so I'm way older, shinier and drunker, but can't you see the Capricorn in us both?

Next post.

Another Taylor Made driver

2007-01-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

Since I'm such a TaylorMade chick, this new driver caught my eye. It seems to have been launched with a whisper and I can't find that much information about it. It's not even on the Taylor Made website yet!

Here it is: The Taylor Made Burner Driver. It also comes in a "TP" model, which increases the price by $100 if nothing else. It's less expensive than many other TM drivers, at only $299 and $399 (for the TP). Maybe our golf blogger friends at the PGA Merchandise show will bring back some more information on it. Personally, I think TaylorMade oughta send me one to test!

I'm just happy that as far as I know, Taylor Made has not released a square driver. Hallelujah. I know, I know - it's probably just a matter of time. And maybe that's why this one's sneaking onto the scene - it's not in line with the current fad.

Next post.

Justin Timberlake or Taylor Hicks?

2007-01-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just have to weigh in on this. Seems a bunch of folks are up in arms over whether Justin Timberlake or Taylor Hicks should have been playing as a celebrity at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Taylor Hicks, hands down! It's not like I'm an ongoing fan of his and I'm sure he has a record out but I don't own it (although I have to admit I'm a self-loathing, non-voting American Idol devotee and enjoyed his performances and rooted for him in last year's season). But in this competition, I have to say I'm not so much "voting" for Taylor Hicks as I am against Justin Timberlake.

That squeaky wormish boy-band slangsta actually put out a song about being sexy? He's bringing sexy back? Yeah, to the dollar store where he bought it because it was defective! The kid's got as much sex appeal as a Q-Tip. That's exactly what he looks like. A fricken used Q-Tip. He can get as buff or ripped as he wants, but unless he removes his head, he'll just be a ripped fuzzy Q-Tip. I don't know or care how good of a golfer he is. I don't know that about Taylor, either. But Taylor would never put out a song about being sexy, either.

Umm... did someone say something about sexy?

Phew. I think I just needed a forum to release my pent up JT thoughts. I don't think I've ever expressed an opinion on him one way or the other. It feels good to get it out. It's always nice to disagree with Chris Baldwin, too.

Personally, I like the alternative Patricia gives us in her poll for next year's tournament. Snoop Dogg all the way!

Next post.

Worldgolf in the news

2007-01-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

My editor over at Worldgolf sent me a link to an interesting story. A group of investors teamed up to buy the Worldgolf network which includes many golf and travel websites with worldgolf itself as the flagship property. Here is the story on the"multi-million dollar" acquisition.

Buyouts usually bring big changes, but worldgolf already had some changes in the works. From their press release, it sounds like those same changes are still in progress.

In our e-mail exchange, William K Wolfrum was optimistic about what the sale will mean for the site (and optimism is not his specialty). He said he didn't think there were going to be major changes in personnel, that they will be "moving forward, not cutting back... it'll be like a surge around here," and finally, that "the sale will be a very good thing overall."

There are a few ways to look at his angle here. Perhaps:

He's using the "never say anything in an email you wouldn't want published in the company newsletter" rule of thumb (and doesn't trust me not to betray his confidence)
He's truly that professional
He really believes this will be a positive thing

I think it might be all three. People don't buy websites to run them into the ground - unless they're a competitor. There are a few changes I know I'd like to see on worldgolf, but I think I'll reserve those comments, at least for now.

I'm interested to know more about the new owners but a quick search on David Brittain didn't come up with anything definitive, and the PR company's website doesn't even show "Worldgolf.com LLC" as one of their clients yet. I just contacted them via email so I hope they'll have some more info for me.

Next post.

Playing to miss???!!!

2007-01-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

The mental game is the most important part of golf. Personally, I don't think that's an opinion, I think it's a fact. With that in mind, I can't believe I haven't written more about it or started a category on it yet. I'm going to change that now.

I hear a lot of people talking about "playing to miss." From amateurs I play with to commentators and pro golfers, I hear them say such things as "if you're going to miss, you don't want to miss left." Huh? I never got that.

I understand there are worse places to miss than others and if there's trouble on the left and a friendly spot on the right, it would be better to end up on that side. If you miss. However, if you approach your shot from a mental standpoint of not wanting to end up on the right, doesn't that mean you err to the left in your setup, swing and, in fact, aim? Even if it's only subconscious, it still effects your swing. And doesn't that mean you're not really going for your target so you're essentially playing to miss? How are you going to make it if you aim to miss? HOW?

Of course I guess it's different for professional golfers on Tour. Brains are programmable and for the most part, theirs are already out of beta testing. A safe strategy for them can make the difference in a few hundred grand in earnings. For me and others like me, it means we're programming our brains to miss, thus we will never have the luxury of playing it safe with a comfortable lead.

Next post.

Say it ain't so, Phil!

2007-01-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

While looking over some more Birdie Girl bloggerage, I saw a disappointing report about Phil Mickelson on Score Golf.

Phil will "most likely" use Callaway's FT-i square driver at the Masters this year. Seems he's convinced the thing will help him hit it straighter. I don't know if that's the magic bullet or not but if he's got it in his head that it will do the trick, that might be all it takes. He's got his body in better shape. As for whether he's got his mind right, that he's using one of those weird square things makes me think he doesn't.

I was wondering if any Tour players were going to try one.

As for the technology, he's almost got me convinced with this quote:

The FT-i isn’t an evolutionary driver, it’s a revolutionary driver,” Mickelson said. “Because the MOI is so high, because the ball goes so straight it doesn’t want to curve. That’s why I’m leaning towards that driver for Augusta. I’m not really trying to maneuver it or curve it; I’m just trying to hit high bombs.

If that's the case, why is he only "leaning towards" it? Maybe he's waiting for the jury of his peers to weigh in on it to see if he's going to get laughed off Augusta National if he shows up with it in his bag.

Hmm... two posts in a row about ugly drivers. Dude, I hope they don't prove out and force me to eat my words, buy one and play blindfolded! Maybe the look will grow on me???

Next post.

Putting a Hex on Ugly Drivers

2007-01-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

Square drivers are ugly. There, I said it. I might have said it already but just to be clear - I think they're unappealing, unnatural and good old fashioned icky. But I guess square drivers weren't different enough for one manufacturer. HiPPO Golf has a new offering that makes the square drivers look like pageant queens (I'll let you decide if that's a compliment or not).

HiPPO decided to take a hacksaw to the square design and came up with this six-sided gem set for introduction at the 2007 PGA Merchandise Show:

But wait - it's called the Hex squared. Are there thirty sides on there I'm missing?

Can I just say... Blech! 460 cc's of nasty. [Say something nice, Kristen] The background colors in the photo go nicely with my blog design.

Aside from the aesthetics, what about performance? Maybe the extra wind resistance cuts down the swing speed ever so slightly and channels that power into a more aligned path. Right. Wait... what did their PR person say?

The HEX² features a unique hexagonal shape that allows optimum weight distribution to reduce the effect of side spin and provide more energy transfer from club face to ball resulting in the straightest and longest driver ever designed. The aerodynamically shaped 460cc club head is designed to reduce drag on the backswing and generate higher head speed at impact.
-citation

I'm no engineer but something about that doesn't make sense to me. If the shape causes weight distribution, wouldn't that be accomplished via wind resistance, thus slowing down the driver? I guess technically that's still aerodynamic, just a different dynamic of the aero than is usually associated with the word. Or maybe I'm just full of wind myself and should stick to the aesthetics.

On the brighter side (and I mean that literally), HiPPO released a bunch of new full club sets not too long ago, including this prize just for the ladies:

Maybe I'm harshing on HiPPO, but it sure seems like their new marketing strategy is going for shock value with all this ugly. Maybe they thought their older product lines were getting lost in a sea of sameness? At least it was a calm sea that didn't induce vomiting.

Next post.

Eat Golf Tools: golf course finder and product comparison

2007-01-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I'll get questions from readers asking for recommendations on golf courses or golf products. If I don't have intimate experience with the areas, courses or product types, I usually refer these people to the awesome tools over at www.eatgolf.com.

Eat's creator, Rich, developed some really cool gizmos for just these types of inquiries. I like to use them myself. Rich is the geekiest stud in the online golf world. And I'm proud to say he's also a personal friend of mine.

So, I have added both of these tools to my site in the sidebar.

Golf Course search

Search for a golf course in the United States by entering a zip code.
(Sorry, Hawaii's not in there yet)

Golf Product Shopper

Search for a golf product by entering keywords. Be as general or specific as you want.

I challenge you to try 'em out and NOT think they're terrific!

Next post.

Birdie Girl: more fabulous than a blogger

2007-01-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

"We may not be able to correct your slice and we sure can't shorten that dreaded par 5. But what we will do, is make you the most talked about golfer this side of St. Andrews."

When I started this blog, I was looking for a more interesting name than "The Golfchick" and really just started using that as a placeholder until I came up with something better. It took me too long and golfchick just stuck. Even if I had considered the name Birdie Girl, I probably would have shied away from it anyway. I mean, I doubt I could be that presumptuous since I'm happy when I get any birdies in a given round and hardly qualify as a "birdie girl."

However, I think it's a great name for this line of bags, umbrellas, headcovers and accessories designed for women by women "who define themselves by how they look - on the scorecard or in the clubhouse." Birdie Girl had sellouts in their first set of offerings and have announced that they're doubling their line for this season.

Oooh, I think that orange bag has my name all over it.

Founder of Birdie Girl, Rosemary Brdar, says she "founded this line with a single, stubborn mission: to create a line where women were the focus, not the second thought." Hear here, girlfriend.

Birdie Girl already has a few supporters on the Duramed Futures Tour - Tina Miller, Jessica Shepley and Connie Isler. Not surprising these women would carry such cool bags with their respective degrees in graphic design/marketing, journalism, and finance/international business.

Compared to some other female targeted product lines, these items are acutally reasonably priced, too! Check out their pink set benefiting the Rethink Breast Cancer program for only $149.

So if you can't make it to the 2007 PGA Merchandise show, check out the golfanista smorgasbord over at www.birdiegirl.ca. Maybe you'll be the next "most talked about golfer this side of St. Andrews." (Wow, really?)

Next post.

True "winter golf" isn't for sissy-babies like me

2007-01-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

Here in Southern California, winter golf just means possibly wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt when we play. Maybe a light jacket. Since taking up golf a couple years ago, this became the number one reason I am glad to live here. A real rationalization for paying a premium for my mortgage and other costs of living. I can golf year round - comfortably. Usually.

I mean, it's January and a few days last week saw temperatures of 80 degrees. Circumstances have precluded my playing much golf this "winter," in fact it had been over a month since my last round. I was happy to get the chance to go out and play this past Saturday in my club's first tournament of the season. But the 80 degree weather was long gone! In fact, when I arrived for my teetime it was half that. That's right - 40 freaking degrees plus a cold wind. People were out there in ski hats and mothballed sweaters. I wore a turtleneck under my golf shirt plus a jacket and I was still freezing. I actually wore a scarf around my face and ears a lot of the time. I kept my golf glove on even while putting and put a glove on my right hand in between shots. Some folks had on long-johns which they said helped keep them warm. I don't own any long-johns. My ass was numb by the end of the round.

They actually predicted snow here - SNOW! Had there been any precipitation with this cold snap, it certainly would have been of the flaky variety. Come on, this is Southern California. This ain't right.

Like I said, I hadn't played in awhile and couldn't arrive early enough to hit any warm-up balls in advance of the round. I was so stiff I could barely complete a full backswing, and it kind of hurt. I hit the snack shack on #2 where I picked up a hot cocoa and a bottle of Jack Daniels - you know the little airplane/minibar sized bottles that make you feel like a giant. That warmed and loosened me up right quick! I birdied #3 with authority and almost birdied #4 but tapped in for par. That was the highlight of my round. I just couldn't stay warm or focused.

There was a two-club wind that swirled around and refused to be predicted. I don't think I was the only one who couldn't get over the fact that it was this freakin' cold. The last few holes were in the shade and it was getting close to dusk so the temperature dropped even further. I could see and hear the chattering teeth of one of the guys in my foursome.

Too many double bogeys later, I ended up shooting 96 for a net 78 (on a par 70 course!), which was surprisingly the second best score in my group. Greg, who has a handicap 5 points lower than mine, shot a 97. The winner of A-flight shot a net 2-over, so I guess that means we're all a bunch of sissy-babies out here.

At least I won 20 clams for claiming the long drive victory. They had me playing the forward tees so I had a big advantage, but I didn't feel too bad about it because the guy I out drove to put my name on the card was behind me by more than the difference in the tees. Most people didn't keep it in the fairway.

Next post.

Tadd Fujikawa - where's your shiny Rolex?

2007-01-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

You're a sixteen year-old amateur. You're playing in the Sony Open against the big boys. You eagle the final hole on Friday to make the cut by three strokes. The world knows your name and image and you have multi-million dollar endorsement deals with Nike...... screeeeeeeeeeeeech.

Sorry about that last part. That's the girl behind you in the funky hat. She has the weekend off. The cameras and attention will be on you really soon. Really. As soon as they're done back there. Maybe tomorrow when she's gone.

Coveting my neighbor's course: Sherwood Country Club

2007-01-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

My friend Scott over at Time Fore Tee had the good fortune to play the ultra-exclusive Sherwood Country Club as a reward for volunteering at the Target World Challenge. I'm sure that's the only way I'll ever be able to play there myself, but so far I haven't been able to take the weekdays needed to do the volunteering. Hmmm... of course if I got an invite, I'd somehow manage to take a weekday off to play the course!

Anyway, Scott has done this for several years now but now that he has a blog he has written a post about this year's Volunteer Day playing experience. Sure, he pimps his wares in the post, the fine Tartan Golf Grips he creates - why shouldn't he - but most of it is about the golf! He wrote about the actual volunteering in another post, but I get more excited about playing golf than watching the pros play. Especially on a sweet course like Sherwood. I will play there one day!

It is quite a long write up, giving salivating readers like me a nice big juicy taste of what a day spent playing at Sherwood is like. He explains how his camera battery took a dive so there aren't as many photos as he (or I) would like but there are still quite a few! In the post, he points out how it's been very dry and windy out here lately so the course is dry and the greens are fast. Then he mentions the "cart path only" rule they made the players use that day. Usually that rule is for when it's wet and they don't want the carts to damage the course. Maybe they just don't trust the riff raff not to do burnouts on the fairways.

I guess it's awfully nice of them to let the volunteers play at all. I mean, this is no ordinary country club. If I put all my golf beans in one kettle I could have a membership at a few of the clubs around here. Not Sherwood. I could maybe swing the annual dues, but not the ~$400K+ membership fee (I think it's less if you own a house in Sherwood - another $5 million+).

So until I get an invite or earn my own way on by volunteering, I'll just sit back and covet. And read about others' experiences there to make me drool and covet even more.

Next post.

Rules of Golf Animations

2007-01-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

With the new golf season beginning, some people may want or need to refresh their knowledge of the rules of golf. Some people may just be starting out or still learning the game and want to know more about golf etiquette and the official rules.

The USGA website has a nifty new tool to help. They have flash animations of some of the rules and etiquette.

Here's a captured image from the animation on "Ball Lost or Out of Bounds"- playing a provisional ball.

There are low and high bandwidth versions of the animations and they're also narrated to explain the rules. Not all rules are animated, of course, but the more basic ones are.

It's important to know proper etiquette as well, so don't forget to check out the etiquette section including animations.

You can also search the rules to lookup something more obscure, or browse the FAQs for the in-betweeners. You know, common enough to get asked frequently but not common enough to animate.

Here's a snippet of some of the FAQs. Just the faqs, ma'am.

My club's first tournament is this weekend. Now that I'm a board member, I may be asked by other players to rule on stuff during the round. Dog help us. Luckily, the president of the club is usually in my foursome and he's been known to call people on minor infractions (how diplomatic am I?) so I guess I can just defer to him.

Next post.

Non-golf Goose post

2007-01-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

This isn't golf related but if anyone's interested in seeing more of the infamous Goose, you can see a cute video of her opening some of her Christmas presents here.

Next post.

Paula Creamer isogood and calendar

2007-01-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

There is a golf photoblog called "onedayoneshot" and that's exactly what it is. Every day the owner and artist, Patrick Micheletti posts a new golf photograph and each image is truly amazing. For a long time I had it on my links list under "other golf sites" and consequently forgot to check it regularly. I moved it to my "favorite golf blogs" category so that I might better remember to get my daily fix. Either way it's no loss because I can always scroll back through the days if I've missed any.

A couple days ago, Patrick posted this beauty of Paula Creamer. You really have to look at the photos on his site, though. It is set up to display them in all their stunning glory .

I'm no fashionista but I know what I like and what I don't. Paula will occasionally make a misstep in my opinion but this is not one of them. I do like pink in the right combinations and I especially like it with brown. In fact, I wore my own brown and pink set of duds just yesterday. Sure, she still completely over-accessorizes but she's a young little chippie so somehow it works for her. This is a fine getup. And let's not overlook her concentration! I'd like to think I wouldn't be looking at the ball yet, either.

But the real approbation goes to Patrick for his photos, not Paula for her outfits. I am simply in awe of his work.

In the same Paula post, he provided a link to a site with Paula Creamer's calendar. Personally, I like Patrick's photos better. Maybe she should hire him for her 2008 offering. Now don't go thinking her calendar is one of those salacious or semi-naked PR machinations. Paula's got more class than that. Or at least more modesty.

Next post.

Oh Lord, Won't you Buy Me a Mercedes Benz

2007-01-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have nowhere near the amount of soul to pull off that song.

And I'll probably never get a real Mercedes-Benz as a gift.

But I like to think that the PGA Tour and its players are honoring my birthday by kicking off their season today on Maui with the Mercedez-Benz Champonship at the Plantation Course of the Kapalua Resort.

I just wish they would have brought me with them. Maybe a couple days early, you know? Perhaps play a *friendly* round with Adam Scott or something? Warm him up a bit? Just thinking out loud here. Or at least thinking through my fingertips. Oh don't be like that - you know what I mean.

Next post.

Snap previews: annoying or cool?

2007-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

I found a little plerb that I added to my site that shows snapshot previews of my links. Run your mouse over any of my outbound links and you'll see what I mean. I got it on snap.com and thought it was groovy but now that I see it in action I think it might get old fast. I haven't decided yet if it's annoying or not. Any thoughts?

Update: They were really getting on my nerves so I took 'em down. Thanks for the input and not complaining when I make up words like 'plerb'.

Next post.

New Year, New Gig - Worldgolf column

2007-01-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a safe and festive New Year celebration and that 2007 brings great things for your lives and golf games.

To start my own year, I have accepted an assignment with Worldgolf to write a monthly column. My first effort is now posted on the site. Since the words I wrote for it technically don't belong to me anymore, I can't post them here, but here is the link if you'd like to have a look.

When the editors asked me to do this, I imagine they were expecting my usual style of writing that I generally apply to this blog and some golf course reviews I have shared with Worldgolf in the past. However, my first piece is somewhat of a departure from that style as I chose a more "poetic" slant to start the new year. If you take a peek, I hope you enjoy it!

There will be a new item from me every four weeks over there and I have been told I can write about any golf topic I choose. If there is a topic you'd like to see me cover, I will welcome your suggestions! Just post a comment here or send me an e-mail.

I look forward to another year of playing golf and writing about it here and for Worldgolf (and maybe elsewhere). Thank you so much for sharing it with me and reading my little blog in 2006! I don't exactly make resolutions because they're made to be broken, but I do intend to write more about golf this year including posting here more frequently. Thanks for making me want to - I really enjoy it!

Happy 2007!

Next post.

Fantasy Golf

2006-12-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

The PGA's golf season begins on January 4, 2007.

Yahoo's Fantasy Golf begins that week as well.

Join the Hooked on Golf/Golfspace fantasy golf group on Yahoo to get started in that first tournament and start racking up points for prizes galore. A lot of cool prizes were given out last season and Tony's lining up some more great sponsors for this year's fun. Oh, and I should mention - it's absolutely, 100% FREE!

I totally suck at fantasy sports games but somehow I managed to win a weekly prize last year. If I can do it, anyone can! (Hey, Tony - I never did get that Swing Juice you were going to deliver in person.)

Check out these links for more info and instructions for joining the group:

http://www.hookedongolfblog.com/fantasy

http://www.thegolfspace.com/content/view/642/140/

See you in my fantasy!

Next post.

Merry Kess-mess

2006-12-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

And Happy New Rears!

Next post.

Deck the blog

2006-12-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd hang some decorations here on my blog. I even found some golf menorahs!

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy New Year, and Happy Anything-else-you-may-celebrate-this-time-of-year. May all your golf wishes come true.

Next post.

Stock car racing is easy - but watch out for those golf carts!

2006-12-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson took a spill from a golf cart and fractured his wrist in the process. The incident happened at a celebrity charity golf tournament in Lecanto, Florida.

In his official story he claimed that he "was in a golf cart and the driver took a sharp turn... I wasn't holding on tight enough, landed awkwardly on the ground and heard a little pop."

As it turns out, he was in fact ON the golf cart when that driver took a sharp turn. I guess golf cart driving isn't quite as exciting as NASCAR racing. Yep, "horsing around" on the roof of the cart, according to his team.

Don't fall off, Jimmie!

It is the off-season for NASCAR, so he'll have plenty of time to heal before he has to compete again. However, the much celebrated driver of the Lowe's car won't be able to participate in the all-star, international "Race of Champions" in Paris this coming Saturday.

Maybe Jimmie should stick with this golf cart next time.

I bet his teammates and competitors aren't going to let him forget this mishap for awhile.

It kind of makes me think that driving a stock car must be relatively easy. I mean heck, I drive golf carts all the time and have never had a single incident. No crashes, no injuries, nothing. I bet if I had a huge corporate team behind me that designed a winning car, I could get strapped in to that baby with all the protective gear and drive that thing to victory! Need a sub in Paris, Jimmie?

Next post.

Improving my putting skills

2006-12-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I mis-titled this post. I guess I should say developing some putting skills instead of improving. Improving implies that I had some skills to begin with. I didn't. I used to putt like a stoned chihuahua - spazzing out and either timidly leaving it way short or nervously hammering it past the hole with a freakish jolt. In either situation, I would often completely misread the putt in the first place so whether it was short or long it was way off line. Three putts were standard fare and I'd throw in a four or five putt for good measure, especially when I had a "good round" going. I used to dread going to the green to putt and just wanted to get to the next hole so I could take some more swings. My favorite thing about getting a hole-in-one was not having to putt.

Then the one and only Luke Swilor responded to one of my posts lamenting about my putting woes and he recommended the book Putting Out of Your Mind. Dog bless Luke Swilor. And Dog bless Dr. Bob Rotella for writing the book. Now I love putting. I can't wait to get up there and try to knock it in the hole. That's my real scoring opportunity!

Book Report - Putting Out of Your Mind, by Dr. Bob Rotella with Bob Cullen

There is really no big mystery to putting. It's just like it was when you were a kid on a mini-golf course. You look at the target, read the putting surface, choose your line and stroke the ball into the hole. For some reason, now that we're "adults" and golfers, putting has become so important in our brains that we psych ourselves out about it. At least I did. Suddenly it's not as simple as it used to be. It means so much more now so it must be more difficult. I must have to concentrate more and really really try. WRONG!

In Putting Out of Your Mind, Dr. Bob Rotella explains it all so simply. It's not a book that teaches you putting mechanics like holding your triangle or keeping your head over the ball or any of that nonsense. Not that those aren't things that might work for you, but they might not for someone else. Grips, stances, strokes and routines can vary immensely from golfer to golfer and none is necessarily better than the other. What does have a big impact on every putt no matter who you are is what happens in your head.

This book taught me to develop a solid, repetitive routine. That much is pretty common knowledge, however overlooked or disregarded it can be in any given round. But I also learned not to over-read greens or second guess my lines. Not to stress over speed. "But, but, but... I don't want to leave it short... I don't want to end up 10 feet past the hole." Forget it! If you putt just to get it close, you're putting to miss. I now putt every putt with the full intention of making it. And guess what? I make a lot more! Sure, I still have the occasional three putt and I'm sure I always will, but I have a lot fewer of them now. More importantly, I make a lot more one-putts.

How can that be? Just by putting to make it? Well, I guess you have to read the book to really have it sink in and be convinced of the overall concept that makes it successful: trust your putt. Just like you have to trust your swing. Speaking of trusting your swing, I have also read and highly recommend Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, also by Dr. Bob Rotella. Every shot I take from under 100 yards, I aim to make it in the hole. I actually chip it in more often now, too.

Of course it isn't quite as easy as I'm making it out to be. These things take time and I have had some setbacks. But that's why I decided to refresh my memory of this book by re-reading it and writing this book report.

Dr. Rotella is a psychologist who works with many professional golfers and has done so for years. The book includes many anecdotes from those interactions to illustrate just how important the mental aspect of putting (and golf in general) is. It's a quick and easy read and can have such a big impact on your game - and your scores.

I highly recommend this book. It'll make a great holiday gift for your favorite golfer (even if that's not yourself). Like me, you'll probably want to pass it along to someone else after you read it. Also like me, you should opt instead to get that person his own copy so you can keep yours on the shelf because you will probably want to read it again. And again.

Next post.

Rustic Canyon fire damage

2006-12-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have some updated information about how Rustic Canyon Golf Course fared in the Shekell / Happy Camp fire.

Some areas on the back nine were singed and a lot of the environmental or native areas burned. None of the actual playing surfaces sustained any damage. The golf course was without power until 9:00 AM today. The watering system that was in some of the native areas was damaged and is being repaired. Right now, they're in a clean-up and repair mode and the course will re-open for play on Friday.

Moorpark Country Club is open and pretty much back to business as usual today.

Scroll down for yesterday's post on the fire which has some other updated information.

Next post.

Gilda's Club Worldwide auction - golf stuff up for bid

2006-12-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

Gilda's Club Worldwide is auctioning off items on ebay to raise money that will help support people living with cancer. That's Gilda's Club as in Gilda Radner, the hilarious actress and comedienne best known for her funny business in the first cast of Saturday Night Live. Gilda was taken early by ovarian cancer in 1989.

The auction includes golf items such as passes to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and World Woods Golf Club. It looks like the big ticket item of a vacation package to the 2007 US Open with behind-the-scenes privileges courtesy of The Golf Channel has already closed, but there is still time to get bids in on many other items. Here is the e-bay link to the Gilda's Club Auction site.

The Gilda's Club Mission

"The mission of Gilda's Club is to provide meeting places where men, women and children living with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build emotional and social support as a supplement to medical care. Free of charge and nonprofit, Gilda's Club offers support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social events in a nonresidential, homelike setting."

And Elizabeth Berkley has something to do with it as well. Far from her teen queen period from Saved by the Bell or lascivious stripper character in Showgirls, she is now applying her image and name recognition to help this charitable cause.

Since I don't blog about Natalie Gulbis bikini shots and calendars or other such sexy-golfer related hit generators catering to the perverted Michele Wie upskirt crowd, I was tempted to put up the stripper photos of Elizabeth Berkley while I had the chance. However, due to the nature of the post and the cause and what she's trying to do, I opted instead to do the right thing and use this more respectable photo.

Next post.

Moorpark (Shekell) Fire

2006-12-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

I am updating this post periodically. Updates are in blue.

Most of you have probably heard about the fire that is blazing through the Moorpark area.

For detailed information on evacuations, road and school closures from the sheriff's department, visit this website.

Update: I got an e-mail from KNBC that they are running a live stream of continuing coverage and raw video from the fire. I checked it and it was last night's coverage but they told me the chopper is refueling and live stream will be back up soon. Here's the link. (10 AM - 5 PM)

It is fire season and it seems like in each of the last several years there's been at least one fire right around here that puts us all on edge. In the so-called Shekell fire (named for the road where it started), several homes and buildings have already been lost and thousands are still threatened as it continues to burn and the Santa Ana Winds continue to move it through the fuel filled brush areas.

Embers fly in this photo of the building and property of MGR Design going up in flames. (L.A. Times)

Moorpark Country Club

The fire went right through my favorite local public golf course, Moorpark Country Club. Sunday morning around 8:00, golf pro Leo Lee closed up shop as the Sheriff's department recommended evacuations in the area.

This morning, Moorpark CC seems to be out of harm's way as the fire has moved along to torment other areas. The golf course sustained damage to scrub brush and it's still very smoky so only a skeleton crew is on location and no golfers are around. The roads are closed and it's unsafe to be outside breathing all the particulates. Even without a fire, golfers would be scarce because of the insane winds.

I actually had a tee-time at Moorpark on Saturday morning and opted out with the rest of my foursome because the wind was blowing us away as we stood there and discussed whether or not to play. Gusts to 70 mph - sustained winds probably around 40-50. No thanks. But punishing winds are merely an inconvenience for golfers.

Those are the same conditions that make the fires nearly impossible to fight. Firefighters can't stand steady with their hoses and helicopters can be grounded (they're up right now). Small aircraft has difficulty staying on course to land their targets with water. However, when they need water, they can use water hazards at the area golf courses to fill up their tanks.

Residents evacuate at the north end of Valley Road in Moorpark. (L.A. Times)

Update: I got an e-mail from Steve Vigiano, the Director of Golf at Moorpark CC. He says: "We are fine. Just some minor fire damage to the brush on the Canyon and Ridgeline side of the course. We have been closed for the past 2 days [and] we will be open tomorrow. I have heard that Rustic Canyon had a lot of damage to the Native areas. I believe that the course is OK. There is no way to communicate with Rustic right now."

Rustic Canyon Golf Course

Another fire that is part of the Shekell blaze burned through Happy Camp which is the location of Rustic Canyon Golf Course. I have tried to contact them this morning for an update but have been unable to reach anyone there. Perhaps the power and phone lines are down there. I'll continue to try and post an update when I have more information. If anyone knows anything, please post a comment here.

Update: I got through to their phone number and heard the message that they are closed due to the fire and directing people to call later in the week when the phone service will be available. No report is given on the message about damage to the course.

Don't be stubborn (and stupid)

It was reported on the news that many people in the area are refusing to evacuate their homes. Everyone, please be safe. Stuff is just stuff. Get your animals, hard drives, hard to replace documents, photos, mementos and golf clubs and just get out. Those embers are flying and it's still really dangerous out there.

A word to the local news stations:

It sure would be nice if you could display an accurate map of the fire areas and where the firelines are. Last night I was watching the news and one of the stations showed an actual image of the fires with an overlaid map of the area. According to that map, I was on fire. If you're going to do it (and you should), do it right!

Update: Here are a few more links posted by reader "ELY" in the comments section. I thought I'd put them here for easier access:
Ventura County Star's Affected areas map
Ventura County Star's Wind map
Ventura County Fire Department

Update: As of 7:00 AM this morning (December 5), the fire is 80% contained and the fire department expects full containment by 6:00 PM tonight.

Next post.

The Golf Space heats up

2006-11-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Back in early April, The Golf Space was launched with a bang. I posted about it the day after it officially "opened" and at the time, there were already 157 members.

In the nearly and merely 8 months since it began, it has added over 1000 more members and today has an official count of 1204. It's basically like a myspace for golfers and already has an enormous amount of golf content, much of it supplied by its members.

My golf blog buddy Tony (of the Hooked on Golf blog) runs it and he's really doing an amazing job. Members can track their scores and stats, browse for other members, blog or read other members' blogs, view photo galleries, read golf news, chat with other members and more. There are even ways to win free golf stuff.

Check it out at www.thegolfspace.com. You can also visit my own personal golfspace URL (get yours if you haven't already!) at www.thegolfspace.com/golfchick (naturally).

Next post.

Pro Team Golf League update - interview

2006-11-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, I put up a post about the launch of the Pro Team Golf League. Perhaps naively, I thought it sounded like a great and novel idea. I have since learned that similar projects have been attempted in the past and failed to either have a solid business model or solid intentions.

I still think it sounds like a great idea and I hope it works. I have also discovered that I wasn't the only person who found the concept to be slightly confusing. This confusion seems to stem from the fact that there is fan involvement. At first glance, some might think it's a fantasy league. However, this is a league played by actual professional golfers. It crosses the fantasy line because the fans not only pick their teams but the choices they make for those teams are actually reflected in the game.

I wanted to know more about the concept and plans for this new golf league that I previously juxtaposed with baseball's minor leagues or farm teams. I submitted some questions to the league and received some answers back from Tom Belton, General Counsel and Executive Committee Member for PTGL. They cleared up a few things for me. Here are his responses:

Golfchick: Who owns the current teams?

TB: A team owner is separate from the owners of PTGL. The owner could be a local business person with strong ties to the golf, travel or entertainment markets. The owner could be the foursome at the country club who loves the idea of team golf, or owning an affordable sports franchise. The owner could be the person who wants to be in the forefront of bringing a brand new form of sports entertainment to market. The owner could be a retired sports or entertainment celebrity. Owners are likely to be technology or sports geeks, or both. We know this because we happen to be in discussions with each of these interested groups.

[Golfchick note: good information, but that didn't answer my question about the owners of the two existing teams that will be competing in the inaugural event. Tom, if you're reading this, could you answer that in a comment on this post?]

Golfchick: What is an owner's involvement?

TB: The owner has total control of the team. The owner negotiates and signs up the players from the Player Eligibility List provided by PTGL. The owner picks the home venue for matches. The owner negotiates and signs up local advertisers and sponsors. The owner connects with the fans and tries to drive more fans to his or her team. The owner makes the profit and shares with the league in its 60% revenue share and 10% profit pool. The owner truly owns a sports franchise.

Golfchick: Does the league pay the players or do the owners?

TB: The team owners have total control and responsibility here to compensate the team players subject to minimum compensation requirements established by PTGL. The League requires something beyond a base compensation to be paid to players to make sure the League also benefits players.

Golfchick: Do the players earn prize money in addition to a salary?

TB: Team owners are required to give players some financial upside either as a percentage of the purse or total team revenue or profit. The League guidelines suggest that 50% of the purse be distributed to players. We are also recommending that team owners set aside some equity for players just like a Wall Street business. We want players to be partners with team owners, not adversaries like in most sports franchises today.

Golfchick: What kind of recruitment efforts are being made to attract players?

TB: Mike Davis, an ex-PGA player and one of the most recognized golf instructors in the country, leads our player recruitment effort. It just so happens his son Brien is currently a player on the Canadian Tour and knows many of them already. We’ve had a 100% success rate in attracting mini-Tour players to sign up for the Player Eligibility List. We will continue to look for the best players out there. And we encourage player’s who participate in your blog who have an interest in competing to come to ptgl.com and apply for the Eligibility List.

Golfchick: Will the teams be limited in number or geographical area (e.g. only 8 teams the first year, expand to X number in the future, only one team per geographical region)?

TB: No, although the initial focus in the first 3 years will be in North America. One of the goals is to help

players develop match play skills. Some of these players will be future Ryder Cup players. We expect to have 24 teams in North America within 3 years but this is easily positioned for a much larger roll-out if there is fan demand for more.

Golfchick: How many players max per team?

TB: Team owners have flexibility here but generally a maximum of 12 with only 8 playing per week.

Golfchick: How does someone interested in being an owner put a team together?

TB: Dick Newbert is the PTGL Director of Team Develoopment. You can contact him through ptgl.com by clicking on the Team Development tab and sending an email with either a question or description of your interest in team ownership.

Golfchick: Will there be ladies' teams or co-ed teams?

TB: We hope so. PTGL is open to the best professional golfers on the mini-Tours or the LPGA. We'd love to see an LPGA Team go against a team from one of the other Tours. How does that sound as a potential exciting rivalry? It also gives US women a chance to hone match play skills.

Golfchick: Does the PTGL have any television contracts yet?

TB: No, but The Golf Channel will televise our inaugural event –

Canada

Jamaica

. It will be played 12/13-12/16 and televised sometime in January. We expect to have a television contract in place before the League regular season launch in 2007. Our plans also include streaming video for matches over the internet.

Golfchick: Who are the major sponsors?

TB: The Canadian Professional Golf Tour and the Rose Hall Resort in

Jamaica

are our first sponsors. We are currently in negotiations with 2 large financial services industry leaders and some sports equipment companies for sponsorship.

Golfchick: Is every involved fan a ProCoach?

TB: Yes. Every fan who registers as ProCoach on ptgl.com can be as active a ProCoach as desired. The fan could lead blogs, message forums, and IM campaigns to discuss and lead team strategy. Or the fan could keep a low profile and quietly make selections. But the higher the fan's Strat.EQ (success quotient), the more weight that fan gets in voting.

Golfchick: Does the system aggregate the decisions of the ProCoaches or is there a team leader?

TB: That’s up to the team and the fan. Other than the weighting factor above, every fan’s voice counts the same. But like in any community, some fans can actively take leadership roles. I’d listen to the fan with the highest EQ more than I’d listen to the fan with the lowest EQ.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Tom.

I have been invited to participate in beta testing of the "Strat.e.golf" system, so if I have time, I'll try it out and post my thoughts about it.

I'm interested to know what you all think about this league and its potential. Please feel free to comment or even ask more questions of the PTGL and I'll try to get them to answer. For more information, check their website at www.ptgl.com.

Next post.

Reader question: Golf "sandwiching"

2006-11-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

Rick from Boca Raton, FL asks:

I just bet my friend 10 bucks that there is an expression in golf called "sandwiching."

When, for instance, you are playing teams in match play and one guy does well on one hole and the other does poorly but they keep switching back and forth, one makes birdie, the other bogeys but they never screw up the same whole, this is called SANDWICHING (like "ham and eggs" but sandwiching is another expression)!

My friend says there is no such expression. I say there is.

Have you experts head the term "sandwiching" for good match play golf!?

*Looking around for experts* Oh well, I guess I'll take this one.

I queried the goose just to get another opinion, but she just rolled her eyes at me when I asked.

Sorry, Rick. I haven't heard that term. By no means does that mean it isn't used by golfers everywhere. I play with a lot of different types of folks, but I'm still relatively new to this game and still find out new things all the time. I say if you use it as an expression, it is one! And I'll start using it now so if it isn't out there already, we can spread it.

I have heard other uses for "sandwiching" that have nothing to do with golf, but that's another blog entirely.

Here's a golf sandwich - look at this gigantic tuna melt I got at Glen Annie in Santa Barbara!

Thanks for the question. Sorry about your 10 bucks.

Next post.

Punta Espada Grand Opening!

2006-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Of the courses I've played, Punta Espada is my favorite by far. When I went, only the back nine were open. A couple months ago, they opened the front nine and they continued fine tuning the landscaping, clubhouse and amenities.

Today is their official Grand Opening with the presence of Jack Nicklaus himself. It will eventually be a completely private course, so play it while you have the chance!

To see my video of the back nine, look here.

For more information on this beautiful Jack Nicklaus course in the Dominican Republic, check out my previous post about it or the Punta Espada section of Cap Cana's website.

Ask the Goose: question from Scott

2006-11-02T19:56:00.001-08:00

Scott in Thousand Oaks, CA writes:

What do you do all day to keep busy while Kristen [the golfchick] is away at work?

Thanks for asking, Scott. Sometimes I feel so forgotten.

Now that I'm a retired security executive and don't have the requisite thumbs to play golf (that lack of freakin' thumbs has plagued me all my life), I still seem to find plenty to keep myself occupied. Sleep is paramount among my hobbies and time-fillers. I'm not even too keen on the obscenely overflowing room they call a toy trunk anymore.

Actually, Mom's been working from home when not traveling with her current gig, which allows for slightly more peaceful sleep. Notwithstanding the onslaught of kisses and pets I receive every time she nears me, I prefer her being around simply because it's less work for me.

Allow me to explain.

My career with the Williams Household organization was long and honorable and I enjoyed a generous compensation plan. Part of that plan was my college fund. I failed to read the fine print of that benefit and when I neglected to go to college, it automatically rolled over into my Medicare plan. Although not quite as convoluted as I understand the human equivalent to be, this Medicare is a bitch (no offense to myself). Granted, I'm taking full advantage of the monetary benefits with my current illness and ongoing disability and I can use whatever drug plan suits my needs best, but here's where I actually get to the point of answering your question: I have to do chores!

That's right. How many Medicare recipients do you know that are required to do laundry, clean the house, go grocery shopping, cook the meals and take out the trash? I mean, I don't actually do those things, but I'm supposed to. Actually, I enjoy taking out the trash, but I don't do it quite to the satisfaction of the plan provider. And lately, I have been struggling to do even that.

Here I am after a failed (foiled) attempt at taking out the trash Goose style. Look how I play it up for the sympathy. It worked, too! Mom didn't even get mad at me for the attempted smorgasbord.

I have to admit she's been more than gracious in light of my frequent contretemps due to my temporary infirmity. I guess I'm lucky she only beats me on Wednesdays. Maybe this plan isn't so bad after all.

It seems the answer to your question is that I don't do much of anything whether she's home or away. Now excuse me while I drown my sorrows in pooch hooch.

Yours,
The Goose

Next post.

Unofficial Ryder Cup news

2006-11-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

Seeing that for the American team, there's nowhere to go but up, Paul Azinger gladly accepts his appointment as Captain for the 2008 Ryder Cup.

His history with Europe's captain, Nick Faldo, should make for an interesting Ryder Cup, not to mention two years of material for golf writers around the world.

Next post.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

It's time once again for tricks and treats. Oh yeah, and costumes. Dress up your golf ball this year in this cute but practical costume:

When you send it into the lake to go trick or treating, it will be safe, warm and secure (and can still go home in your goodie bag).

I found this and a lot of other silly golf things at Prank Place.

And a special treat just for my friend Rich at Eatgolf.com:

Why are graveyards so noisy?
Because of all the coffin!

Mummy, mummy what's a werewolf?
Be quiet and brush your face.

How did the witch almost lose her baby?
She didn't take it far enough into the woods!

Why do black cats never shave?
Because 8 out of 10 cats prefer whiskas!

Why do demons and ghouls get on so well?
Because demons are a ghoul's best friend!

Next post.

Garb for golfchicks

2006-10-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

It's great to see new stuff for women in golf.

Girlsgreen is a new online retailer of women's golf apparel. Sisters Katie and Karyn saw a gap that needed to be filled and started their business to provide golf clothes for women that are "fun, classic and trendy." Right now, they have a cute selection of tops including polos and "range tees," and they're looking to expand the line in the Spring/Summer season to include accessories and additional tops.

I may never be fun, classic or trendy, but maybe I could take a first step with these clothes. Meanwhile, all you other golf chicks can check 'em out. And guys, you know the gift giving season is approaching. I'm just saying.

Next post.

Golf Course recommendations near Washington D.C.

2006-10-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

This week I find myself in Washington, D.C. Well, in and around DC. Most of the week is being spent in the Reston/Herndon area with a few trips downtown. Unfortunately, I won't have time to play golf while I'm here this time, but it does look like I'll be returning a few times in the coming months. It's already getting cold here, but I'm not going to let a little thing like seasonal weather stop me from trying to add Virginia and Maryland to my list of states played. I may be spoiled with year-round Southern California golf, but if I need a fix I'll get it where I can.

I'll be researching it on my own, but if anyone can recommend a few golf courses in the areas surrounding DC, I'm listening.

Next post.

Driving for Life: Fighting ALS at Riviera Country Club

2006-10-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

What: A golf tournament with breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening reception, auction, pre-round clinic, keynote address and awards.

Where: Riviera Country Club.

When: Monday, November 6. Registration and breakfast starting at 9:30, shotgun start at 11:30.

Why: To raise money for the ALS Therapy Development Foundation, which is a non-profit organization developing treatments for this devastating disease (commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease).

From the Driving 4 Life website:

"Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, progressive neuromuscular disease that causes complete paralysis and loss of function—including the ability to eat, speak and breathe. Thirty thousand Americans have ALS, and 250,000 Americans alive today will eventually die from the disease. Most patients die within four years of diagnosis. There is currently no known cure.

Driving 4 Life is a national fundraising campaign founded by World Golf Hall of Fame member Tom Watson, his late caddy Bruce Edwards and former PGA TOUR professional Jeff Julian. The campaign has raised more than $3.5 million to date. Both Bruce and Jeff lost hard-fought battles with ALS in the summer of 2004."

How you can help (and what you get out of it):

Charity golf tournaments capitalize on the irony that charity is selfish by giving the giver even more for their contributions than altruistic warm fuzzies. They give them golf.

And Driving 4 Life does it at premier locations with this event being held at the esteemed Riviera Country Club.

With available sponsorships ranging from $500 - $30,000, you can feel as warm and fuzzy as your wallet will allow. (The foursome rate is $5000.)

But wait: If you happen to be a golfer without such sizable contribution capabilities, you can still help out the ALS cause and possibly play in the tournament for a mere $50.

That's right. You can buy a raffle ticket for $50 and designate Riviera and be entered into a drawing to win a playing spot at the tournament. And a winner is chosen for every 25 entries, so the odds are pretty good! You can buy as many tickets as you want. There it is: you get to give, gamble and possibly golf all for the low, low price of $50. Tickets must be purchased by October 30, so head on over to their website now to start feeling good right away.

Still more opportunities: Maybe you're not quite ready for a $50 commitment. Maybe you're scared of tournament play. Or maybe you're a golf fan and not a player. They have something for you as well. You can still enjoy Riviera Country Club from a fan's perspective with the added bonus of being able to watch the pros play.

Make a $15 minimum donation and get a ticket to the Nissan Open at Riviera next February. Get a ticket for each $15 you donate. Retail on these tickets is $25! You're spending less and getting more! Remember, you're GIVING.

When you make your donations online, just enter in the comments box whether you want Nissan Open tickets (and how many) or if you're entering the raffle for the tournament. And don't try to double dip with a $50 donation. That's just greedy, not ironic.

And, of course, all donations are tax deductible.

Next post.

Ask the Goose: Where to put the bunker rake?

2006-10-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Goose,

We are leaving it up to you to settle a bet for us. What is the proper etiquette on where to leave a rake - in the bunker or next to it?

~Puzzled in Pittsburgh

Poor Puzzled,

Oh, the perpetual perplexing predicament. I can't tell you how many times I have heard this question. I also can't tell you how many times I have changed my answer. Since you're the betting sorts, I guess it won't matter to you that I'm tossing a coin to choose how I'm going to answer it now.

Oh dear, the quarter came to rest on its edge. You know what this means. Pity, Pittsburgh. No one wins your bet because the answer is to put the business end of the rake in the sand along the edge of the bunker leaving the handle just outside the lip.

Yours,
The Goose

[Editor's note: according to the USGA, "There is no set rule as to where the bunker rake should be placed. It is recommended that rakes be placed outside bunkers and in positions where they will be least likely to affect play. Other considerations, such as golf course maintenance and the size and design of the bunkers, will impact the final decision made at each course."]

Next post.

Updating my site

2006-10-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

I recently switched over to "blogger in beta," which allows me to categorize my posts. This way, a reader can click on a category, for example, "golf course reviews and stories" and see all the posts of that nature.

Categorizing new posts will be easy enough as I write them, but the rest is a work in progress as I go back and label all my old posts. Feel free to let me know if you have suggestions for label names or categories under which you think certain posts belong.

My category "Rants and Random Ramblings" is kind of a catch all miscellaneous category. If anyone can help with ideas on how to better sort out the posts in it, I'd really appreciate it!

I also have to rebuild my links lists so if you used to be on one and aren't now, let me know!

Next post.

The Pink Panther goes too far

2006-10-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything against the color pink. In fact, I'm quite fond of it.

I also don't have any problem with Paula Creamer declaring her devotion to the color pink. Gimmicks are good for marketing.

However, all things in moderation.

Maybe her collision with the Pepto Bismol truck on Sunday at the Samsung World Championship was in recognition of Breast Cancer awareness month. Even if it was, come on, Paula! Would an accent color hurt so much? Even a pink golf ball? I'm glad you weren't in the final group because I couldn't have handled having to look at you long enough to watch the coverage.

I usually like the fashion choices she makes, which, coming from me is probably insulting since my own fashion choices often end up looking like garanimals.

I remember an unfortunate incident of my own from when I was about 12 years old. My favorite color at the time was purple. Somewhere, there are actually photographs of me on a ski slope wearing purple ski pants, a purple parka over a purple turtleneck and purple sweater, with purple gloves, a purple hat, purple earmuffs and purple sunglasses. I looked like a human grape. I wonder if when Paula is older she will want these photos of her to disappear as much as I hope those photos of me never see daylight. The difference is I was twelve and just out having fun with my family. Paula Creamer, while still quite young, is a professional golfer on a world stage.

So, Paula, chalk one up to the mistakes column and learn from it. That saying about there not being such a thing as bad publicity is for those who can't get the good kind.

Next post.

Funny search phrases

2006-10-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Keyword activity is always a fun stat to check. How are people finding my site? Sure, they're mostly golf term searches, but not always! There have been some good ones. I wish I could remember some of the better ones from longer ago, but some recent entries prompted me to share some of my favorites here:

Stupid cats brain
Colorado corn bread
Heather McMichael leaving (Heather, are you going somewhere?)
Goose abuse
I need my space t-shirt
How to spent twenty dollars (careful, misspell something in your search and you could wind up here)
Stupid birds

Hmm... I'm starting to detect a stupid pattern.

Next post.

New additions to the lineup

2006-10-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you find the greatest things in the comments.

More Golfchix

A reader recently posted a comment turning me onto some more online golf chicks. GolfchiX, actually. It's a radio show you can listen to online or on Sirius or wherever it has been picked up. It features three great golf chicks: Susan Hunt, "a seasoned network cable correspondent and producer;" Linda Giaciolli, "the mother of all sports agents;" and Amy Alcott (do I really need to introduce this LPGA hall of famer?).

It's an hour long show by the "founding mothers of golf talk radio." Check it out at www.golfchix.com. I have added them to my links list. Also newly added is someone I should have added a long time ago, and someone they interviewed on a recent Golfchix show: Geoff Shackelford. I don't know what took me so long.

The reader who directed me to the Golfchix has an interesting product and I've linked him in the product category: Tartan Golf Grips.

And still another golf chick

We have a new female golf blogger in our midst. This was another discovery from the comments section - Patricia (thegolfgirl) is the new hip chick on the golf blogosphere scene. (I guess golfchick was taken.) It's great to see another woman blogging about golf and she brings a fresh perspective with her golf diary. Her style and her game seem decidedly more girlie than my own, plus she includes photos of herself which the guys will definitely appreciate. Check her out. Welcome, golfgirl!

Next post.

The Future of Golf?

2006-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

There's a new golf league in town, just launched today.

What is it?

A golf league with match play competitions in team play format for aspiring PGA and LPGA tour players, with involvement from the fans! The Pro Team Golf League.

It almost seems too obvious, begging the question: Why hasn't this been done before?

I was invited to attend a press conference for the launch of a "new golf experience that we think will dramatically change how the game is played professionally, and how it is enjoyed by fans."

I know - that's what I said - suuuuure! Can it really be that important?
I have to admit, I was pretty intrigued. I sometimes get requests to try and/or review and/or promote new products and most of them are less than impressive, which is why you don't see too much of that here.

This one is the real deal, and really could be game changing for golf. Wait, that's not right. Of course golf will still be golf. They're not going to change the rules or anything. In fact, all the competitions will be golf by USGA rules. And all the golf will be in team match play format much like that of the Ryder Cup. That's where the traditional aspects end.

So who plays?

Teams are assembled from "touring professional golfers not playing on the PGA or Nationwide tours." I guess this means that anyone playing on the LPGA is eligible? But I digress. I think I did see somewhere on their website that LPGA players are also ineligible, which hints that there might be female teams or even co-ed teams being developed. Right now, there are two teams - USA and Canada - which have been assembled from the top money earners on the Canadian Tour. From the looks of it, Canada currently has a numbers advantage with 11 players to the USA's 10, but I guess things are still in the works.

They're planning a kickoff event of USA vs. Canada to be held in Jamaica this December. They expect to have eight North American teams for the inaugural 2007 season.

This seems like a great farm system for young players to develop their games and get ready for the big leagues. (Not to mention a good way for the USA to actually develop some team skills so they can make a showing at future Ryder Cups!) And, as mini-tour players know, trying to make it to the bigs the "usual" way costs a lot of money and not everyone has the necessary trust funds or sponsorships.

So what do the fans have to do with it?

Well, it's like fantasy golf except your decisions actually show up in reality! Fans can decide on pairings and strategies for their teams, and those decisions are given to the "ProCoach" (you can be one!) who actually manages the team based on the collective ideas. (I think. Maybe everyone's a ProCoach.)

Tell me more

So, if you're a professional golfer and want to play on a team... OR
if you're a fan and you want to manage a team or be a ProCoach... OR
if you actually want to assemble a new team of real players... OR
you just want to know more about this potential new phenomenon,
check it out at www.ptgl.com.

Is this as big as it seems to me?

Next post.

Punta Espada Video

2006-09-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Rich at Eatgolf, I finally decided to get off my butt (or on it, actually) to put together this 3:48 video of the back nine at Punta Espada, my happy place.

Click on the play arrow and it will play here in the small window. Click on the YouTube logo and you can view it larger on YouTube. Or, click here to see it on google video even larger.

Music credit: I want to be Charo, by The Mudhens.

Next post.

It's finally time for the Ryder Cup!

2006-09-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Finally, the golf event with the most build up is upon us!

In my opinion, this event is worthy of all the recognition it receives. Yes, even more than the Masters. It's about the best golfers in the world competing for honor, not money. Not that there's anything wrong with money, but golf is a game of honor, with rules largely enforced by its own players. I can't think of another sporting event that compares. Sure, you have the olympics (where the athletes used to be amateurs) but those sports are either judged or ruled over by officials at every play.

Now that I'm a golfer, I'm a golf fan. Now that I'm a golf fan, I have chosen my favorite golf event. It is the Ryder Cup. Others have their advantages and I like them for different reasons, but I hereby make my choice official.

There is SO much television coverage with this one! Still, the only day that conflicts with my Angel's attempt to rally against the A's in their pursuit of the playoffs is Saturday. I'm sure my TiVo(s) and I will figure something out!

Hey, Team U.S.A. I think the European team is trying to tell you something with this photo. It'll be like taking candy from a baby! Go get that trophy!
(photo: Getty images from www.rydercup.com)

Next post.

Do Wie really need another post on Michelle?

2006-09-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Or another not-so-clever use of Wie in a sentence?

Awhile back, I put in my two cents on how Michelle Wie should gauge her success (or failure). Other than that, I have avoided commenting on all the hype and hoopla surrounding her.

My blogger friend Tony over at the Hooked on Golf blog is calling for a boycott on all "Wie articles" until she wins something. How does he do it? With an article on Wie, of course. For this post, he asked me for a quote. Since he's so special, I broke my own unspoken boycott to comment for him. I figure I should go ahead and post my own words here as well and leave it at that. At least for now.

If you've ever read my blog, you know that this is actually a short quote for me. Of course I have more to say on the issue, I just can't be bothered. Here is the quote I gave Tony:

Michelle’s failures in the PGA tour events aren’t so much about her being female as they are about her lacking experience. However, her performance to date definitely indicates that her presence there in the first place has everything to do with that “novelty” aspect which is gender related. It’s becoming embarassing. Maybe they should start a “teen phenom” tour and have all the best boys and girls compete against one another. Then she could gain the experience she needs without having to accept all the sponsors’ exemptions and the boys would have a shot as well since they’re not getting those now. She does need to play more than the LPGA is currently allowing before she can get her card, I just don’t think it should be with proven players on the PGA when many mini-tour players could kick her ass. I think her ambitions are terrific and she should stick to them, but she needs a better path and better representation in order to get there instead of being a cash cow.

Next post.

The Golfchick's Pick: Moorpark Country Club

2006-09-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is it: my local favorite!

Hidden in plain sight, Moorpark Country Club is a sweet, sweet, tasty treat. I am tempted to keep this treasure to myself but I just have to sing its praises. A 27-hole course with each nine returning to the swanky clubhouse and five sets of tees, Moorpark will keep you interested and challenged with its Peter Jacobsen design. Avoiding commitment is easy around here with all the choices in golf courses, but this is my local favorite and if I had to pick a steady date, this would be my home course.

Note: If you're not going to read the entire post, skip to the bottom to read about the discount offer!

Yes, it is a country club and memberships are available, however they are also open to the public which is great news for riff-raff like me. I don't get to play too many private courses, so I really enjoy playing on the rare public course that is kept up to private course standards. They do that at Moorpark.

Steve Vigiano, the Director of Golf, bragged about the exquisite greens before my round. "That's what they all say," I thought. Can I trust a man who takes better care of his skin than I do? I certainly can. Golf course pros often have a snooty, slightly less than gruntled aroma about them. Not Steve. He puts the fessional back in golf pro. Someone so polished has no business being so accessible and genuine, but he is. Kind of like the golf course itself. I don't know how long he's been there, but maybe they're rubbing off on each other. He's genuinely proud of his course, he has good reason to be, and he represents it well.

Again I indulge my tangential thoughts. Dog bless blogs. Back to the course.

I think I mentioned the greens. When I close my eyes and picture one of the greens, my eyebrows raise, my mouth opens and I hold my fingers out like I could pet it. I might drool a little bit. They're that nice.

Smooth, beautiful, polished and pure. These are the nicest greens around. We would all be better putters if we played on greens like this all the time.

Oh, I just want to get back out there and play it again!

The Maintenance

They really stay on top of things and keep every hole looking and playing its best. For example, the fairways were recently attacked by a fairly new disease to these parts, called Gray Leaf Spot. They completely overhauled the course, putting in a new Bermuda base (Bermuda resists it) and will be overseeding with Rye to get that beautiful green color back. This only affected the fairways. The greens and tees are perfect. I just took these photos and you can see it's already looking pretty good. Right now, it's cart path only because they're sensitive, but it's still a beautiful course and completely playable. Soon it will be back to how it looks on their website. Comprehensive website, by the way. They've got descriptions and photos of every hole, scorecards for each nine and much more. Check it out at www.moorparkgolf.com.

Hole #1 on the Ridgeline nine.

The Nines

Of the three nines, Canyon Crest, Ridgeline and Creekside, it's difficult to pick a favorite. Each one has its own personality and style.

Creekside requires serious strategy and shot making capabilities with its doglegs and carries. Ridgeline will also test your skills with its long, narrow, undulating design. Canyon Crest is probably the friendliest nine with wider landing areas and more approachable greens. If I had to play this course only once (thankfully I don't!), I think I'd prefer to play Creekside and Ridgeline. I feel like I'd be getting the most golf there somehow. If I had to compete there, I think I'd pick Canyon Crest and Creekside. Not that Creekside is easier - in fact, the course and slope ratings are higher; perhaps it's just more suited to my game than Ridgeline. Not that my score showed it, but I can feel it. I guess since I picked Creekside in both scenarios I could say that's my favorite. For now.

Creekside #4 - La Bruja Verde (The green witch). This is the first forced carry on this dogleg left par 4.

Looking back on the "green witch" from beyond the green. You can see the creek that cuts across it - the second forced carry. The fairway beyond that was the first landing area. Or you can try to cross both on your tee shot if you're brave.

Ridgeline #3: Don't mistake whimsy for sarcasm. This sprinkler head means business as does this golf hole! At 266 yards out (as measured by the GPS), this is all the yardage you need to know from here. Unless you can hit the ball like Tiger Woods, lay up from here or even 100 yards closer. (Look for other fun sayings on sprinkler heads around the course! Uncle Jim discovered this baby.)

Same hole as above, looking at the green from about 150 yards closer than the "Eat Your Wheaties" marker.

I had to throw in this photo from the MPCC website to illustrate the importance of eating your Wheaties if you're not going to lay up. Same hole as above. Short is obviously trouble, but long is no picnic either. It's nothing but wildlife and rattlesnakes on this hill behind the green. In my opinion, this is the toughest hole of the 27.

Note: none of the nines are walking courses. It's just too spread out and hilly. Even for you die hard walkers, I wouldn't try it even if they'd let you. Don't worry, though, the carts are primo with coolers and illustrated GPS devices.

Ratings and Tee selections

As I mentioned, they have five sets of tees, which offer a nice selection for men and women alike. Female golfers often find that to be a welcoming sign. Two of the sets of tees are considered "lady's" as evidenced by their position on the bottom of the scorecard and that they only have one set of ratings. I played the white (middle) tees - which are rated for both men and women - in order to get a better vantage point for my assessment, but I'm sure I'll be trying out both the reds and the golds. I'll be playing the whites again, too - I know I can do much better than my 146 (that's 27 holes, not 18).

As for which sets of 18 are considered more or less difficult, that really depends on which tees you choose. For example, if a woman plays the white tees, the Canyon Crest/Creekside combo is rated the highest for difficulty. If she plays the red tees, the Ridgeline/Creekside combo has the honors. Since the ratings aren't on the versions of the scorecards they have on their website, here they are for your convenience:

The Facilities

The public range and practice facilities are first rate to complement the rest of the course. The restaurant rates four stars and there is lovely patio seating outside the restaurant and bar with a nice view of some of the golf holes you just played.

There is also a members-only range at the top of the hill hitting down it.

The Service

They really take care of people at Moorpark. Members and riff-raff alike are treated like they're at a resort. The greens fees, while high compared to some other local courses, are nowhere near the fees of resorts with similar course conditions and amenities. They have special packages, ladies' days, and are doing all the right things to make your experience not just excellent but an excellent value. Plus, you are special so you can get the Golfchick discount! Hey, instead of just killing time with this extra long post, there's actually a reward with this one.

Get there

If you live within 60 miles of this golf course, you really shouldn't miss it. Hell, I've been known to drive a lot farther than that to play courses that aren't this nice. So there's my not so secret secret. Anyway, with three nines they keep the flow organized and moving along for a nice pace of play, so go ahead and fill 'em up.

I told Steve I was going to write about the course and asked if they could give my readers some kind of deal. He was generous enough to agree! So, when you reserve your tee-time, tell them the Golfchick sent you and enjoy a 30% discount off their regular rack rates! And please, please, please, repair your ball marks. I don't want the velvety greens I pet in my daydreams to morph into the pock-marked face of Tommy Lee Jones. Bglylehlchh!

Update 12/20/06: The Golfchick discount period has expired. For discounted teetimes, book them online at the Moorpark CC website.

Bonus shots. It just wouldn't be a complete Golfchick review without restroom photos.

Update: As was pointed out to me by an astute reader, I neglected to mention WHERE this terrific golf course is in the world. (I did link their website, which has that information, but still - what a faux pas on my part!) The answer is Moorpark, California, which is about 45 minutes from Los Angeles. Here is the address and phone number:

Moorpark Country Club
11800 Championship Drive
Moorpark, California 93021
Ph:(805) 532-2834
www.moorparkgolf.com (you can get directions on the website)

Next post.

Natural Golf on Mars

2006-09-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Martians must be huge. Look at the size of this golf hole!

The Victoria Crater on Mars

On its way to Victoria, Nasa's rover, "Opportunity" better watch its back lest it get smushed by a giant golf ball heading into the cup. Oh wait. Maybe that's just the ball mark on a giant green. Holy crap - imagine the size of the actual hole if that's the case.

Next post.

Track the Ryder Cup

2006-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

Are you a die hard Ryder Cup fan (either team?) Here's a site to watch: Ryder Cup Diary.

It's a blog style site, not affiliated with the PGA or Ryder Cup. But it's all Ryder Cup, all the time. It's got posts about players & teams, the course, history, news, and more.

Here's a snippet from a post about Ryder Cup odds:

So what are the betting odds at this stage? Who do the betting public favour? We had a quick look at PaddyPower.com

Europe to win 8/11
USA to win 5/4
Tie 10/1

This means that at this stage the Europeans are favourites which is amazing when you look at the depth of the US Team.

Lets revisit this after the European Team is finalised and see if there is any change in sentiment…

It seems like a pretty comprehensive and organized Ryder Cup resource to me. Check it out.

Next post.

My theory on Tiger Woods - you heard it here first

2006-08-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

No human being can play golf that well so consistently. The kind of domination Tiger Woods wields over everyone in the world who plays golf requires a mental consistency of which no human being is capable. Therefore, Tiger Woods is not human. So what is he? Well, I have a few theories and stay with me because they kind of blend into each other. They are:

A. Tiger Woods is a robot
B. Tiger Woods is an alien
C. Tiger Woods is a changeling

First, you know we common folk aren't aware of the truly cutting edge technology that exists and prototype testing that goes on in secret. Tiger could be the product of the uber-private robotics industry. This could either be done in the private sector or by a major government power. Given that he is an American, probably the United States government. I don't see another country's government just handing us a winner like that even if it meant a better cover.

Second, you know we are not alone. Not only in the universe, but here on Earth. Exhibit A: The praying mantis. A friend recently pointed out to me that they are, of course, actually aliens and I completely agree. Look at their cool demeanor and the way they observe the world and indeed, you. Look at the way they control their numbers on Earth in order to remain inconspicuous until they decide to take over: the females bite the heads off of the males after mating. I think they know that the human form has the greatest advantage over other species on the planet and they will take the form of humans once we have killed ourselves off with our stupidity. Tiger might just be their prototype. That's where the third theory comes in and the blending begins.

Perhaps the aliens are capable of a changeling type of metamorphosis.

Is this what Tiger looked like before the change?

"Achieving trust is always the final step with a change." - Tiger Woods
Maybe deep down, he wasn't talking about his swing.

More than likely, their evolution is so far beyond our own that we couldn't even comprehend the kind of mental discipline, intelligence and physical power they possess. Maybe they didn't want to "waste" one of their own by experimenting with the form of a human. Instead, they developed a robotic simulation of themselves for the test. I guess the simplistic human equivalent would be like sending a monkey into space before a human.

How about when he doesn't win?

If Tiger ever has a bad hole, four in a row, comes in second in a tournament or even misses a cut, you can bet it's by design. They don't want to blow their cover. It's just that their little experiment has his own highly involved intelligence center (way beyond our simple brains). He's fully capable of winning every tournament every time and they let him dominate the sport but he's gotta make it look good. Lately, I think he disobeyed some of his orders and is drawing too much attention to himself. I wonder if they'll rein him in a bit.

But he's so emotional!

Oh, and what about that emotional display at the British Open? Was that some kind of flaw in the dominant mental system? Not at all. He became attached to his earthly father and probably has some true feelings there, but I think he never would have expressed them. The superiors were looking for a way to make him appear more human, so after his "father" died, they had him miss a cut and then activated his emotion chip on the 18th hole at the Open. I wonder if his earth family and Steve Williams are the biggest victims of the deception or if the aliens are using some kind of mind control in order to let them in on it.

Why Tiger?

Okay, so why would they choose to do this with a golfer? Easy. They wanted it to be an athletic figure so they could test the physical capabilities of the human body. They wanted him to be a public figure because it's just fun to bamboozle so many people. Of the sports, golf is the most mentally challenging. But most importantly, it's the sport with the most nature around so the mantis can observe unobtrusively. I'd like to see some of that nose-hair zoom camera work at the next PGA event focusing on the mantis leader.

So, there you have it. Tiger Woods is a robotic changeling alien. You heard it here first.

Photos courtesy Erich Mangl.

Next post.

It's my golf-i-versary!

2006-08-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Happy two years to me!

Not to be confused with a golf blog-i-versary. Exactly two years ago today, I took up golf.
When I passed the one year mark, I officially declared that I was no longer a beginner. Now? I'm just another mediocre golfer. Yay, me!

Just thought I'd throw in this random photo of a golf dog I spotted at Mountain View awhile back. Check out the cool convertible rides. Two of my favorite things - golf and dogs!

Next post .

Happy Place Revealed

2006-08-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I posted a teaser about my new "happy place." Since then, I've had cause to visit it in my head many times.

Update: 10/04/06 - I have posted a short video of the back nine here.

I have been reluctant to post about it here because I'd love to get a story about it sold to an actual printed golf publication, and I know how they are about exclusivity rights. But I realize I've been leaving you hanging for too long now and besides, I'm not going to write here what I'd sell to them anyway.

¿Cómo se dice "distracting"?

A few weeks ago, I was very fortunate to have been invited to be among the first to play the brand new Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, Punta Espada. It is on the very eastern tip of the Dominican Republic in a development called Cap Cana. It is the first of three planned Jack Nicklaus courses that will be built there.

When I went, only the back nine were open but I got a "backstage tour" from the pro there, Mark Clouse. He played the back nine with me a couple times and took me on a tour of the front nine and the clubhouse inner workings during its construction. It was an experience I will never forget.

I got soaked on this hole while standing over by the side of the green waiting for my playing partner, Mike (the time I played without Mark) to hit up from just off the green. Another foot and he'd have been in the water. A wave came up and soaked me, Mike and our caddie, Armando. It felt great!

Hands down, this is the nicest course I've ever played and possibly ever will play. Many of the holes on the back nine are played right on or over the Caribbean Sea and the rest of them have amazing views of it. Not just a sliver viewed from atop the very back tees.

Happy opening!

Yesterday, the front nine opened. I'm dying to go back and play the rest of the course. The front nine has some holes I'd love to get my clubs on with equally as stunning views and strategies required as the back nine. The grand opening with Jack Nicklaus is scheduled for November 7.

Word of caution: if you want to play this golf course (and anyone reading this site should), do it soon. When they open the next golf course (end of 2007), Punta Espada will be entirely private. And no, you can't just go buy a membership there. You must purchase some of the amazing property there to even be eligible for a membership and they only have about 100 memberships left to sell. They are going to keep the membership number LOW.

For more information, see their website at www.capcana.com.

If you're from a golf publication and would like a story on this golf course (and I have many, many more photographs), contact me at thegolfchick@gmail.com.

Next post.

I have bad news and I have good news (and bad news and good news and bad... )

2006-08-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Which do you want first?

Okay, the bad news:

I went to the range Friday night before the tournament to see if I could swing a golf club. I could, but I was being so cautious with my back that I was swinging with all arms which caused disastrous results with the golf ball. I took about 20 swings and had to call it quits. I almost cried on the way home, but there's no crying in golf. My pain increased throughout the night, possibly due to the exertion and I had a difficult time sleeping. I woke up on Saturday thinking there was no way I could possibly play golf.

The good news:

I went to the chiropractor as scheduled Saturday morning before the tournament. Even though I had to report a flare-up and backwards progress, I received my treatment which felt good. He followed that up with an amazingly positive attitude and when I told him I didn't think I could play, he actually prescribed golf for therapy. He said "if you go home and lie around feeling lousy, that becomes your new condition." He told me I need to get out there and continue to do what I do and that golf is good exercise for my back right now. He didn't know the stakes of the round, but suggested that I just go out and try and get through as many holes as I could.

The bad news:

I revealed my condition to the board and asked if I could get consideration to reschedule my match. My competitor is on the board, so the cat was out of the bag.

The good news:

They granted me the continuance. I went out to play as much of the round anyway as my doctor "prescribed." I didn't waste any swings warming up since I wasn't competing. I teed off first and hooked my first shot left into the trees but was in bounds and kind of playable. It hurt but I survived it. I was deep in thought as the rest of the foursome teed off. My would-be opponent hit a great tee shot well beyond mine and in the fairway. It occurred to me that it was lame and weak to be out there playing the round but pussying out of the match. After all, a lot of these guys are older men who play hurt nearly every time. After watching his great tee shot, I said "let's play it." He said "Are you sure? You don't have to, but if we start, we finish." I said "if I don't finish, you win." Game on.

The bad news:

I lost.

The good news:

I finished. I powered through it, and played pretty well considering. Actually, it would have been a pretty good round for a healthy me, and I was proud of that because of the pain I endured. But pretty good was not good enough. My opponent played a great round and earned the win. Under normal circumstances, it's hard to say if the result would have been the same. I tend to think not, since I am a fierce competitor, but we'll never know. What felt worse than swinging the club was teeing up and retrieving the ball from the cup, and the WORST was riding in the golf cart. I stood and walked as much as possible. Hitting out of the sand was the hardest of the swings and was usually followed with ginger swings which produced terrible results. I gave away a lot of strokes by taking swings trying to baby my back.

The rundown

I really battled on the front nine. I got three strokes on that side and used them well. After losing the 1st hole, we halved the 2nd (where I got a stroke) when I bogey'd and he par'd. One down. 3rd hole, we both bogey'd. Still one down. 4th hole, we both bogey'd but I got a stroke. All square. 5th hole, he bogeys, I double. Back to one down. 6th hole, I par, he doubles. All square. 7th hole, we both bogey but I get a stroke. One up. 8th hole, I bogey, he pars. All square. 9th hole, we both bogey. All square after nine.

At the turn, I used the privacy of the restroom to let out some of the winces and pained facial expressions I'd been suppressing. The soreness and fatigue were really wearing on me and I was amazed I was even giving this guy a run for his money. That was my downfall. Under normal competitive circumstances, such weakness in attitude doesn't exist.

I got two strokes on the back nine and knew I had to start making some solid pars but instead of feeling the exhilaration of the challenge, I felt like it was an uphill battle at this point. 10th hole, he bogeys and I triple! One down. 11th hole, he pars and I double. I got a stroke on this hole and gave it away in the middle of the fairway. I still could have halved it on the green but missed a make-able 2nd putt. Doubt and lack of confidence had crept in. Two down. 12th hole, we both bogey, still two down. 13th hole, we both bogey, still two down. 14th hole, he pars, I bogey. Three down, four to go. 15th hole, I got a stroke but the exact same thing happened as on the 11th. I gave one away on the fairway and one on the green. He pars and I double. Match over. I finished the round with double, par, par. I was disappointed in the loss (my first match loss) and the mental weakness that caused it. But I was proud of my physical effort and courage to do battle.

The bad news:

I'm feeling the repercussions of all the strain I put on my back yesterday.

The good news:

Underneath the tenderness, I feel like it's getting better and when the soreness from overuse subsides I'll be well on my way back to normal. I'm continuing my stretches and have more follow up visits to the chiropractor scheduled.

More good news:

Greg won his match and advanced to the A-flight championship next month. (Incidentally, he played a worse round than I did, relatively speaking - he shot a net 76 and I shot a net 71.)

The bad news:

It won't be me he faces. (Don't think for a second I won't be secretly keeping track at the next tournament to see who would win if we were playing each other.)

The mixed feelings news:

After the round, the board invited me to join them as Secretary. It took them about a half hour of persuading me before I caved in and accepted. I know they just want some sucker to fulfill those duties (mainly writing to keep members informed and promoting to recruit new members). I also know I'm pretty busy right now and don't need more unpaid responsibility. However, as the only female member of the club, I was impressed they were willing to have a female on the board with voting power.

I think they were impressed with the way I handled the match situation. In fact, at the 19th hole, I noticed a marked difference in attitudes toward me from the members as well. It could just be that they were happy I got beat, but it also felt like an increase in respect. Too bad my decision to play came on the first tee, though. I bet that thwarted a lot of wagering that would have taken place had they known the match was on.

Next post.

Against my better judgment, but I gotta try something

2006-08-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have always been leery of chiropractors. It's not that I don't believe in alternative or therapeutic care. I just get this paranoid feeling like while they're working on you they're going to do something to make sure that you have to keep coming back. I'm sure they're not all like that, but how does one go about finding a good one?

Mom pleaded with me to go see one and told me her doctor fixed her right up when she had a similar back injury; that she felt immediately better. With my upcoming tournament and a desperate feeling (and to appease my loving mother), I found one just blocks from my home and I went. He performed electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound and gave me what they call an "adjustment." After the endorphin rush of that last treatment, I did feel markedly better, but it didn't last. I was back to the pain and not being able to get comfortable in any position soon enough. However, unlike the night before, I was able to sleep through it.

This morning I'm feeling well enough to at least sit here and type, so that's progress. I'm sitting up straighter than ever before, so maybe something good will come of this whole mess. I'm going back for another treatment this afternoon and again tomorrow morning before I attempt to play golf. He urged me not to play but said he would do all he could to make me feel well enough to try if I insisted.

Meanwhile, I'm amazed at all the little things I took for granted before the pain. Wiping my ass, for example. Or physically helping my 11 year old Great Dane up the stairs. We must look like a couple of old grannies out on our walks. Standing and walking are the least uncomfortable things I can do, but I know I must look like there's something lodged up my aforementioned ass as I cautiously take my steps.

If I can swing a club and end up playing tomorrow, I think I'll invite someone in my foursome (not my competitor) in on my secret. Maybe have him slyly retrieve my golf ball from the cup after I sink it. Surprisingly, squatting doesn't hurt that much, but I've tried the move with the reach for the ball and it will look awkward at best. I don't want my competition to know that I'm struggling. With a secret helper, I might be able to pull it off. That is, if I can even swing.

Next post.

I screwed up my back

2006-08-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Crap - what now?

It's immensely painful to just sit in this chair and type. I will make this very short.

Our club championship is determined based on a match play bracket. I have won two matches and the two players who win the next matches play each other for the flight championships. Then the flight champions play against each other for the club championship. I am the reigning club champ. The next match is this Saturday. If I can't play, I forfeit. That sucks.

What makes it even more interesting is that if I win my next match and Greg also wins his, we go up against each other for the flight championship. I really need to be able to play this one to try to get there.

If anyone has any ideas for a winning self medication prescription, I'm listening.

Please, help...

Kristen

Next post.

Ask the Goose - question from "Chuck"

2006-08-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Chuck from Woodland Hills, CA submitted this question:

Dear Goose,

My name is Chuck and I am a very handsome black and white cat. (Note I didn’t say kitty, that’s for pussies!) Anyway, I have a major problem with my parents! I know they love me but they keep leaving me!!! And it makes me so mad just cause they want to go have some fun. Hey – aren’t I fun enough??

Well, the problem is that when they get back, the way I show them I’m unhappy with them I think just might cost me my life!! You see, I peed on my Dad’s shorts and peed on my Mom! Yep – you read that correctly – I peed ON her!

My Dad just took me to the vet to get checked out and do you know what the vet had the unmitigated gall to say? That I had a small kitty brain and what did they expect from me?!!!! Can you even believe it? I AM appalled.

Well Goose – do you have any suggestions for how I can show my displeasure with my parents when they take off for places unknown and just abandon me at home ALONE? I think my Mom can probably handle it but it’s my Dad I’m worried about. Should I go back to throwing up on the carpet or bringing them a dead rat? What’s a cat to do?! Anxiously awaiting you’re response with bait on my breath!

Fondly, Chuck
PS (Love the golf blog!)

Dear Bait,

What the hell is wrong with cats? As you mentioned at the end, this is a golf blog! My mom didn't want me to post a response to this!

You call yourself a cat but you are truly a pussy. I never understood the stupid kitty brain anyway. When my mom goes out to play golf or leaves me for any other reason, I get upset but I get over it right away! Live for the NOW, you moron. You may have nine lives, but your time here is still too short to be spending it all stressed out. Frickin whiner!

Sure, sometimes I get bored and go through the trash or other fun things while she's gone. Today I'm trying something new - posting a response on her blog to a dumb cat. She might remove it when she finds out. Anyway, when she gets home she's all "disappointed" in me and I act remorseful for a little while and then the loving returns.

Throwing up on the carpet - now that I can relate to! Sure, do that! Or if you like rats, show them how you missed them by presenting one to them when they return. Maybe put it on the dining room table or on a pillow in bed. Just have your fun, take lots of naps and keep busy while they're gone. Whatever you do, don't try to punish them once they're HOME, you idiot. Don't you know that just extends your own misery? Why do you want them home so much if you're not going to enjoy it?

Frickin stupid kitties. You're lucky they haven't woofenized you yet. Speaking of that, tell your mom and dad I'd be happy to provide a private one-on-one training session for you.

The Goose Kitty Project: I'm so scared!

Your doctor is right about your small kitty brain. That's why cats get nine lives, by the way, because they're so dumb. I'm surprised you haven't used all yours up by now by sticking your paw in a socket or shredding yourself in the garbage disposal and other stupid cat stuff. Maybe you'll get what you deserve and they'll go all new age on you and put you on some kind of pussy anti-depressant.

Good luck,

The Goose

Reader question - golfer slang

2006-08-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Mike from Philadelphia submitted this question (to me, not the Goose):

Someone was telling me that there are different types of golfers such as Golf freaks, trunk slammers, and club members. I was trying to get a good definition for each but I couldn't find much on the internet because it appears some of these terms are slang. I was wondering if you've ever heard these terms used a lot and if you have an idea how you would define these terms.

Mike figured out that these terms are slang right away. Good job, Mike. Aside from "golf freak," I have never actually heard these terms used, but I won't let that stop me from answering the question and defining the terms here and now.

Golf Freak(glf frk), n.

1: A golfer that is markedly unusual or deformed; (see circus freak)
2: A person who is so utterly devoted or addicted to the game of golf that he or she plays as often as possible, can't get enough gear or knowledge of all things golf, constantly talks about golf and proselytizes; (see Jesus freak, golf blogger)
3: A combination of 1 and 2 (see photo insert)

Mediaeagle, the golf freak
photo courtesy www.eatgolf.com

Trunk slammer (trngk slmr), n.

1: A person who slams the trunk of a car
2: An occasional golfer not overly concerned with rules, etiquette, or his or her equipment (they park their cars, grab their gear, slam their trunks and off they go)

Club member (klb mmbr), n.

1: A member of a club
2: A golfer belonging to a private country club
3: slang A golfer of limited ability belonging to a private country club who looks down on non-members and trunk slammers (see pompous, snob, Judge Smails) and expects to get the "members bounce" even when playing an alternate course

Thanks for the question, Mike. I hope this helps.

Next post.

I have a new "happy place"

2006-07-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

I recently had the amazingly good fortune to visit a brand new golf course. It's my new favorite place and where I can go in my mind when I need to "go to my happy place." There is definitely more to come, but I will let it be a mystery for now unless someone knows or can guess where this is.

From the red tees, I made par here. Then from the blues (perspective shown here), I par'd once and bogey'd once. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Next post.

British Open Ups and Downs

2006-07-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Up until almost two years ago when I started playing golf myself, watching golf on TV for me was like watching paint dry. Now that I am a golfer and I understand the challenge I'm watching, I still find myself falling asleep with the Tivo remote in my hand. Now it's more like watching someone paint: sometimes it's a masterpiece and sometimes it's a white wall. The Open Championship had a bit of both for me.

Getting up

Watching Tiger Woods play a nearly flawless round (or four) is pretty amazing. He made some exciting shots even though his game was really safe. The final round had plenty of drama and intensity, especially if you were rooting for Chris DiMarco like I was. Having Ernie Els in the mix was fun and made things interesting, too. And watching Tiger's emotional floodgates breaking down on the last hole was delicious. You could almost see his composure seeping out as he walked to the green and finished the hole. Then, when it finally broke, it was a dramatic demonstration of how impressive his focus really is. He wore that competitive golf robot persona for the entire tournament and wow, was it heavy. His emotional display brought tears to several people's eyes and almost had me as well. Good for him. Nice win.

A little privacy, please? I guess the price you pay for being the best golfer in the world and earning all the money that goes with it is having your intimate moments in public. But could that camera guy get any closer? Photo from Golfweb.com.

Getting down

Having said that, 18 under at a major? Seven players were double digits below par. What a dull course! I know it's probably like golf blasphemy to criticize such a historic golf course, but come on! Boring. And ugly. Have these guys ever heard of watering a course? The announcers kept talking about the lack of rain there. There's this thing called irrigation. Blech.

Looking at the course from the air is actually quite nice. From the ground it's another story.
Photo from Golf Digest.

Tiger was smart to just play it safe and keep the ball in the fairway. Sure, he's more of a machine than other players and can make more of those longer approach shots, but it was a pretty easy course for most of those guys anyway. And if more of them played that safe strategy, the Royal would have been an even duller dullsville.

Moving on

I often sit around and ponder... how can I be more like Michael Bamberger? But who doesn't, am I right? I said earlier it was a "nice win" for Tiger. Or was it?

In the Conditions section on the entry form for the Open, it states that caddies must wear the Open Championship bib during all practice rounds and the championship. It also states that players are responsible for the conduct of their caddies as well as their adherence to the conditions. Steve Williams removed his bib on the 18th hole before play was concluded. On the 18th hole! Of course Tiger and Steve had gaggles of cameras on them for the whole tournament, but the most visible spot and seen by more people than anything is the 18th green and the winner. People who don't watch or care to watch golf will see it in the newspapers and on TV without trying. And Steve wasn't in the correct attire.

Without Steve's bib, how are we to know which winning Sunday this is for Tiger?
Photo from Golfweb.com.

So, should that have been a two stroke penalty? Or a DQ? The Conditions also state that the championship committee can amend and interpret the conditions, so I guess it's up to them. Taking the win away from Tiger for such a technicality would be scandalous, for sure. But when it comes to golf, rules are usually rules.

Next post.

Introducing a new feature: Ask "The Goose"

2006-07-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

If you've read my blog for awhile, you know about The Goose. She's the 11 year old Great Dane I abandon for a few hours every time I play golf. Her name is actually Kess, but she's more often called by her nickname, The Goose.

She's never been one for chasing balls and so doesn't quite see the appeal of doing it for 18 holes, but she understands my addiction nonetheless. Since she has retired from her security job, she has been restless and wants to contribute to this blog to give her something to do. I'm all for it if it will keep her out of the trash.

She's so bored!

I thought the best way for her to contribute was to use her uncanny wisdom in a feature I'm calling "Ask the Goose." Readers can send in their questions to her via e-mail using the link on the sidebar and if she answers them, I'll post them here.

Before I introduced this feature, I wanted to test it myself to see if her response would be a good fit for this site. I think it is, and I'll share the example here now:

Dear Goose,

What is the best way to practice my short game?

Love, Mom

Dear "Mom,"

I love the short game because it involves chips, and I love chips. It's good that you understand this is the most important part of your game, and to make sure you practice it, you should make it fun. Playing is good.

Take some friends if you can and make a game out of your practice. Even wager on it if you want. With your bump and runs and your flop shots, choose a target and mark it. I recommend using something other than pee because it doesn't always show up and it can be messy. Then play "GOOSE" (HORSE is so tired) with your friends.

You chip the ball until you hit your spot exactly, counting the number of strokes it took to hit it. When I say hit your spot, I don't mean roll the ball there, I mean on the fly. Then your friends take turns at it counting their strokes. The person who takes the fewest strokes to hit it gets a "G" and gets to pick the next spot and start again. Whoever spells GOOSE first, wins! See, with HORSE, you're eliminated when you spell it. With GOOSE, you win when you spell it! It keeps people from being eliminated so everyone gets their practice.

Now feed me.
Love,
The Goose

Sounds great - I think I'm going to try it!

I'm a little concerned that her responses might not all be this useful, but I guess we'll see.

If you have a question for The Goose, you can e-mail it to her at askthegoose@adelphia.net or use the link in the sidebar.

Next post.

Golf Vacation: After the golf

2006-07-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, did you guys fly all the way to Nashville just to play Greystone and then go home?

Well, no. We had our "away tournament" with our club in Primm (California/Nevada state line) on one weekend and the next weekend we were going to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion to participate in the drag races. Greg's dad owns and drives the Beach Racing car in the Nostalgia Eliminator class and Greg is on the crew. Nashville is the closest airport and we decided to make the week in between our golf vacation.

The drag racing weekend

Beach Racing is good friends with Larry Dixon, Sr., and even though he is largely a one-man show, the Beach crew is his neighbor in the pits and helps when necessary. Prior to the Kentucky race, they were in Indianapolis together for another race there. We couldn't make that one because of our golf tournament, but we met them in Bowling Green.

After playing our round at Greystone, we picked up the crew chief at the airport and the three of us met up with Greg's stepmom (and co-owner of the car) for dinner. The next morning, we all drove up to Bowling Green together in our rental SUV, which also served as the tow vehicle for the race car.

Rather than having different classes for Nostalgia Eliminator based on index, the race was set up to do staggered starts based on your chosen index OR you could just run Open Fuel and go as fast as you can. Usually, we run in the 7.60 (NE1) class, but staggered lights are difficult for a twitchy driver. Plus, I think he was just really hot to try Open Fuel.

Greg and Lou (crew chief - in the hat) waiting for the signal to start up the car.

In our first pass, the car was tuned so powerfully the tires didn't hook up right away. I forget what we ran, but it wasn't enough to qualify. The crew used the data to work out a better tune up, and we ran a 7.36 in our next pass, which was exhilarating. We were among the top qualifiers but got bumped on the last pass. There was to be one more qualifying pass to admit one more car to the show, and I think the crew felt confident that our next pass would secure that spot.

Wet blanket

Then it rained. Actually, it poured. Evidently, the track staff is familiar with such sudden downpours. The announcers told people to take cover if they could and within seconds, the staff had removed all the electronics (i.e. the tree) from the dragstrip, and all the cars out there were soaked.

Back in the pits, we didn't take the threat of the clouds seriously enough to put the car away like some of the Top Fuel cars did right next to us. Our E-Z-ups protected the cars but we had to keep pushing up on them with a broomstick as the water collected on top. The rain stopped and the staff almost had the track dry enough to race when it started up again. This time it wasn't as much of a downpour but it was enough to stop racing for the night.

Dixon in his car, preparing for a pass. Lou in the foreground.

The Cacklefest

The award winning show cars paraded out on the track for the fans while they figured out what to do about that night's planned "Cacklefest." For those who don't know, a Cacklefest is a fan-favorite exhibition in which all the famous nostalgia race cars start up and go down the track, then sit and cackle their engines in a noisy showcase of fumes. With a wet track, it was too dangerous for them to run down the track, so they were all towed or pushed to the center of the track, and fired up at once to just sit and cackle there. Dixon was piloting (cackling) the famous Howard Cams "Rattler."

Things got ugly out on the track. One of the cars peeled out (accidentally?) in reverse and smashed a man against the wall of the track. Down toward the other end, I was just on the other side of the wall and saw one of the track workers apparently seizing and choking and fall to the ground. His friends and/or co-workers came to his aid, but it was all such chaos out there. Fans continued to scream and shout for the cacklefest, either not knowing or not caring that a couple of people could be dead out there. The EMTs were on the scene pretty quickly, but it seemed like an eternity before the cacklefest finally ended. I thought they would have stopped it when things went south but they just kept cackling and cackling. After it was over, I went out on the track in the chaos to try to find our team (we got separated right before the cackling began). I went and talked to Larry for awhile and, sure enough, our crew chief showed up there. We went back to our pits under a somewhat somber veil.

We had a little barbecue back in the pits and we got word that the man who had been hit was fine. He had been on one of those "rascal" types of motorized chairs and while he was shocked, he wasn't hurt. We also heard that the man I saw in distress actually had been having a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. I never heard anything more about it. I hope he was okay.

The party's over

Now that there was to be an abbreviated race, they would eliminate the last qualifying pass and if the weather held up, the races would go on with the limited field. We were done. We set off some fireworks and ended the night in celebratory manner. Even though we weren't in, it had been a fun experience. The next day, it was back to being hot and muggy without rain and we watched some of the top fuel races, packed up the cars and our pit areas and headed back to Nashville where we stayed the night and flew home the next day.

Thanks for the memories

I got a lot of great video footage of the events. A week later, when they arrived in the RV towing the trailer with the car, I got that on film as well. Then I spent a few solid days editing the footage into a DVD I called "The Kentucky Experience." It's a fun little 30-minute flick set to music with some of the original sound - funny quips and vroom-vrooms - worked into it. It was a big hit with the team and a nice enhancement to all the still photos everyone took to memorialize the events.

Golf vacation and racing weekend - check.

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