Enjoy! Greg

GOLF

Of all sports- a frustrating game,

Once you play, you are never the same.

Stance-swing- techniques galore,

Unwanted advice-and much more.

Always optimistic on the first tee,

Then it’s the gods of golf- you see.

Out of bounds-laterals-and hazards,

Hitting it straight is all that matters.

Looking for pars birdies and such,

Is an occasional eagle asking too much?

Bogies and worse could ruin your day,

Then asking yourself why do I play?

Water hazards- more than aware,

Told to pretend that they aren’t there.

If this is the positive way to think,

Why does the ball end up in the drink?

One thing that we all should know,

It’s drive for show and putt for dough.

Woods and irons may lead the way,

But that little putter may save the day.

Tiger-Phil- and all pros of fame,

Make it look like an easy game.

It’s enjoyable watching them fuss,

When they miss a shot-just like us.

Golf is as fickle as a petulant dame,

No matter what it’s never the same.

She may treat you very well today,

But next time-she’ll have her way.

Playing the game for exercise  it’s said,

So on the course with cart instead.

But the only exercise that we extol,

Bending our elbow at the “19^th” hole.

By Thomas L Shields

(Oh yeah, we’ll tip you off on how to find the proper “flat stick” as well!)

Question 11

What exactly does our set look like right now?

Now that we have decided on a driver, the number of long game clubs to carry (we’re using a combination of 3 fairway & hybrid metals for our example), an iron set make-up (4-9) with its foundation resting on your longest playable iron, and a wedge set-up (3 of them) let’s look this over:

10 degree driver

15 degree 3 wood

19 degree hybrid

24 degree hybrid

4 iron

5 iron

6 iron

7 iron

8 iron

9 iron

48 degree PW

54 degree GW/SW

60 degree LW

This set looks pretty good, eh?

Wait, there’s only 13 clubs?!?

We’ll get to that in a minute.

Question 12

How Can We Tell That We Made The Right Decisions?

In my “intro” for this post I noted the importance of carrying “playable” clubs.

Playable clubs are simply ones that are serving a direct purpose in your bag from round to round.

In leading you to this final post on this subject, you’ll note that I have encouraged you to think about scenarios where you will use your clubs.

A great example is the 24 degree hybrid that we have selected.

Will that 24 degree be used primarily from the rough when you don’t trust your 4-iron as much, or will you rely on that more for safe plays from the tee of narrow par 4′s. Will you use it for both?

Which wedge do you use for shots from a greenside bunker? Do factors such as the height of the bunker’s lip and the overall distance of the shot play a factor, or do you use one wedge for all greenside bunkers?

These are the types of things that you should be making note of to yourself when you are out on the golf course.

Trust me, nobody knows your individual game like you do and gaps such as tough distances (you know those distances that you “just don’t seem to have a club for”) or clubs that you simply do not trust will identify themselves over time and point to potential changes in your set make-up.

Question 13

How Do I Choose The Best Putter For Me?

Should I get a putter with an insert?

What does it mean to me if my putter is face balanced??

Mallet or blade???

Do I need to go to the Belly????

Any of these questions can be very important for your 14th club, however in my opinion no individual characteristic of a putter should be weighed heavier than either of the following 2 equally vital factors:

-How does the putter set up to your eye at address?

-How does the putter feel when you strike a putt?

If you have ever gone to an off-course golf retailer, you’ve surely noticed that they will have a putting area with a myriad of models available for viewing/demo and, if you are like most, you will gravitate toward certain styles that fit your eye better than others.

Do you like something with a plumber’s neck or a straight, center insert? Does the extra mass of a mallet inspire confidence, or do you prefer the sleeker style of a more traditional blade-type?

Once something sets up nicely to your eye, stroke a few putts and see how it feels. You’ll notice that some feel softer off the face while others have more of a spring-like feel.

Feel -like set-up- is player dependant, so it is up to you to decide on a putter that feels the best on putts both short and long. (If you go “the Belly” route make certain that you are comfortable on putts of all lengths!)

How confident you are in your choice will make all the difference in whether or not that putter stays in your bag!

Question 14

Where Do I Personally Get Started On Putting My Optimum Bag Together?

Now that we have mapped out a hypothetical game plan to follow, it is important to know that if you are starting from scratch you may end up with any of a number of set make-ups depending on the characteristics of your game.

As I have (not so subtly) mentioned throughout this series of posts, getting fit by a trained club fitting professional is highly recommended.

Iron fittings to determine your proper length and lie, driver fittings to determine appropriate loft and shaft, and wedge fittings to discover the best loft make-up for your set are all out there for you.

Demo days are a great way to get started, with a major benefit being that most major manufacturers attend each of the same events giving you the opportunity to find specific models that fit your preferences.

From there you can choose to get fit by a PGA professional or, in some cases, you can actually go to the manufacturer’s facility for a more in-depth fitting.

Most every major club manufacturer will list opportunities to help you get started and, as with choosing your putter, the method/level of the fit you attain is up to you!

Greg

Now that we have helped determine your driver loft, figured out your longest playable iron, and gotten an idea of the long game clubs you should carry, let’s go to the other end of your set and decide on your wedges.

Question 7

How Many Wedges Should I Carry?

While there is no finite answer, let’s attack this in two scenarios using our earlier discussion regarding your long game.

Scenario 1: You are leaning toward one fairway wood and two hybrids.

Scenario 2: You are leaning toward one fairway wood and one hybrid.

In scenario 1, you should think of carrying 3 wedges (including your pitching wedge)

In scenario 2, you should think of carrying 4 wedges (also includes your PW)

Question 8

What Lofts Should I Have?

I mentioned in last week’s long game post that it is important to stay within the mindset of having no less than 4 degrees and no more than 6 degrees variance from one club to another.

Unlike with your long game clubs, however, I do not suggest straying at all from these loft parameters.

When we began looking at hybrids, I advised you to decide the loft of your longest iron (which we said was a 4-iron at 24 degrees). Now that we are looking at wedges, my advice is to begin by finding out the loft of your shortest non-wedge iron, which would be your 9-iron.

For this example we will use a 44 degree 9-iron.

Let’s take a broad view of wedge lofts and say that the spectrum begins with a strong pitching wedge of 45 degrees and goes up to an extreme lofted lob wedge of 64 degrees.

In the first scenario used in Question 7, you would want a 48 degree pitching wedge, a 52/53 degree gap wedge, and a 57/58 degree sand/lob wedge to comprise your 3 wedges.

Using scenario 2, you would want a 48 degree PW, a 52/53 degree GW, a 56/57/58 degree SW, and a lob wedge of at least 60 degrees to fill out your set.

Question 9

How Important Is Bounce?

Bounce, which in technical jargon is the angle between your club’s sole and the turf as you set it at address, is very important when choosing a wedge.

While turf conditions play a part in determining the best bounce for you, my suggestion is to weigh your decision heaviest on your individual swing type.

If you are a player that has a steep angle of attack and tend to dig into the turf when you swing, you should gravitate toward wedges with higher bounce. Conversely, if you have a more traditional ”sweeping” angle, lower bounce profiles will benefit your swing.

Not sure? As always, a trained set of eyes such as an experienced club fitter and/or a PGA professional will be a major asset.

Question 10

Which Wedge Should I Use In Specific Situations?

Get a good sense of how far you hit can each wedge by testing yourself both on the range and on the golf course with the goal of determining if your wedges are gapped out appropriately.

Once you have a good idea of your “max” distances, see how much distance control you have by developing  3/4 and 1/2 swing shots.

Figuring out how far you hit a wedge with a full swing and on “knock down shots” will begin to help you determine your full capabilities with a wedge, however it doesn’t take someone playing golf very long before finding out that wedges perform a variety of functions on the golf course.

From bump & run shots to flop shots, and from tight lies to sandy lies you ask a lot out of your wedges.

Figuring out how you use your wedges around the green is ultimately the essence of deciding on which wedges you should carry.

Through trial and error, discover which loft you are best with from greenside bunkers, for basic pitch shots and for the times when you are faced with a forced flop shot.

Ask yourself if these 3 greenside shots require you to use 3 different wedges or will 2 wedges suffice? (For argument’s sake I am saying that your pitching wedge would be your 4th or 3rd wedge pulled from the above example)

The answer to this question, in conjunction with what you’ve found when testing your long game, could be a key answer in putting your bag together.

Next week we finalize your bag!!!

Greg

In last week’s first post we looked at loft considerations when selecting a driver and we also advised you to get a trained eye to help you find the longest “playable” iron that you should carry.

This week we look at bridging the gap between your driver and lowest iron.

Question 3

How Do I Approach “Gapping” My Long Game

If you have an average driver loft, say 10 degrees, and your longest iron is a 4 iron, typically about 24 degrees, we are looking at what clubs will most effectively cover the 14 degree difference.

The answer will come in two forms, fairway woods and hybrids.

As I mentioned in my statement on discovering your longest playable iron, the emergence of hybrids have truly made the game easier and that’s where I’d begin this process.

Test out a hybrid of similar loft to your “long” iron and see how well it performs for you. If you find something that performs well, try a similar model/shafted hybrid with less loft and see if you can get the proper forgiveness and trajectory.

Question 4

What is the amount of variance of loft I want from club to club?

Throughout the set the general rule of thumb is to have no less than four degrees and no more than six degrees of separation from club to club.

While this serves as a great guideline, the above example could lend itself to be the exception to this rule.

Hybrids should travel higher and with more carry than similarly lofted irons based on the enhanced hitting area and increased overall mass.

Using the loft example cited in question 3, if you have a 24 degree 4-iron you can look at hybrids of 21,22,23, and possibly even 24 degrees, to potentially find enough of a distance variance for it to fit in your bag.

Once you have decided on your hybrid preference(s) and are ready to look at fairway metals, remember that you should notice more distance hitting a fairway metal than a comparably lofted hybrid given the fairway’s extra mass.

Question 5

Fairway Wood or Hybrid Club?

Using our earlier example with a 10 degree driver and an iron set beginning with a 24 degree 4-iron, let’s say you have chosen a 19 and 24 degree hybrid.

You are thinking about a 3-wood, which is 15 degrees, but you’ve hit a 15 degree hybrid and like the ball flight and feel of that as well and don’t know which one to choose.

For me, there are two things to consider here:

-I suggest trying each one side by side to see which fits you better, keeping in mind what situations you might use these clubs. Ask yourself if are you more likely to use a fairway wood off the tee on a short par 4 or a hybrid club on a par 3?

-If you still find yourself torn between the two with only one spot available in your bag, remember that hybrid clubs combine the best of both irons and fairway metals, meaning that they are easier to hit from the rough as well as providing a better trajectory into the green. You may get a bit more distance with the fairway metal, however if you don’t have as much control it will be a poor choice in the long run.

Question 6

So How Many Total ”Long Game” Clubs Should I Carry Then?

The short answer is you don’t know!

Not for sure.

Not yet at least.

Now that you have figured the loft on your driver, your longest playable iron and discovered long game clubs that fit your game and your preference, it’s time to look toward the other end of your bag, the wedges, and decide what is more of a necessity and better fit for you.

Will it be an “extra” wedge or an “extra” hybrid?

Take what you now know about your long game preferences and set that knowledge aside as you work out what wedge lofts and bounces are best for you.

Next week: Questions 7-10 tackle your short game sticks.

Greg

14 clubs.

One of the first things that most golfers are taught is that this is the number of clubs that they are allowed to carry in their bag.

The question becomes, which 14 clubs?

Having interacted with literally thousands of golfer at golf demo events over the years, I really don’t think the majority of golfers know the answer.

Good news, I’m here to help!

Beginning today I am going to start a series of posts addressing 14 questions that are pertinent to putting the correct 14 clubs together in your bag.

Question 1

What loft for my driver?

This is one area where I think people are making better decisions in recent years.

I am seeing many more drivers that have 10 degrees of loft or more and less and less of the 7.5 or 8.5 variety.

The days of playing a low lofted driver for the sake of ego have seemed to dim as they have even on the PGA Tour (Nick Watney has won on the tour with an 11.5 degree driver!).

Today’s drivers are designed for maximum carry relying less on roll-out than previous generations. For most players more loft also equals more carry.

What loft should you play? That is for you and an equipment expert and/or PGA pro to figure out, but if you are undecided between two lofts remember that (more) loft is your friend!

Question 2

What Clubs For My Long Game?

After figuring out the best loft for your driver, you need to -again with a club fitting professional and/or a local golf professional- figure out what your longest “playable” iron is.

Playable trajectory is determined in a club fitting based on ball flight and ability to get an appropriate launch angle.

The emergence of hybrid clubs have made the game much easier and many of us should be replacing our difficult to hit 2,3,4 irons with them. (These days manufacturers are making hybrids that replace the 5,6, and 7 irons as well and have made the game much more enjoyable for golfers with slower swing speeds!)

Figuring out what your longest playable iron is then incorporating hybrids into your bag, will help you hit higher, longer shots with more accuracy than you ever hit with your long irons. They’re much better out of the rough as well!

Check back next week for tips 3-6 starting with how to “gap out” your long game.

Greg

I absolutely love the Open Championship.

Let me rephrase that, I absolutely love the British Open.

It’s more than the crazy golf course layouts and even crazier weather, it’s the simple context of when I actually get to watch the event. The leaders are teeing off at 6:30AM local time and yet I find myself gleefully getting up well in advance of that to catch as much action as possible.

DVR the Open Championship? Not a chance.

Living here on the West Coast, literally a world away from the action, and waking up to what will inevitably be another gorgeous sunny Southern California day, there is just something special about clearing my eyes -and mind- while watching overcast skies, whipping wind, and sometimes sideways rain gusts take over as this fierce competition unfolds.

The scenario plays out every year, especially on the weekend rounds. Put on a pot of coffee, search for that first leaderboard on TV, take a peek at the computer to see who has done what as my brain is just taking in the fact that hours and hours of golf has been played while I slept and I am completely frazzled in my attempt to play catch-up.

2011′s version will be as wide open as any, which has me near giddiness with anticipation. If you are looking to predict this year’s winner, it is either put your money on Rory or try to work your way through the following facts to chose your favorite:

-Tiger is out again, and “the field” for its part has divied up the last 11 majors 11 different ways.

-Royal St. George’s is known for adding even more unpredictability to this crazy event. Remember the last winner here was world ranked #396 Ben Curtis in 2003.

-We’ve had three different world #1′s in the past 12 months who hold a total of one career major victory between them. Last year’s Fed Ex Cup champion is playing horribly, and no-one expects last year’s unknown South African Open Champion to repeat and not too many people are giving this year’s relatively unknown South African Masters Champion much of a chance to win either. 

-For the first time ever we have not had an American winner in five straight majors.

To this last point, I say this needs to stop before it comes a major story.

Major Championships are how the pulse of golf is judged. Jim Furyk winning the Fed Ex Cup last year gets yawned at. Mentioning that all four multiple winners on the PGA Tour thus far this year are Americans doesn’t raise a single eyebrow. “Wait until Tiger gets back” is losing its luster with every passing month.

We need an American to win this week to take back world golfing supremacy! Alright that might be a bit much but shouldn’t the fact that this week’s event is now, somehow without explanation, simply called THE Open Championship enough of a call to action??

Sound the alarm, I can’t wait until the British Open starts!
Greg

Make that over 10 million dollars.

This is the type of thing that you find out when you watch a little Champions Tour Golf on the Golf Channel on a Sunday afternoon.

Bob Gilder just finished a streak of 178 consecutive starts on the Champions Tour.

He fell exactly 100 short of Dana Quigley’s record of 278.

These are the types of thing that you find out when you watch a little Champions Tour Golf on the Golf Channel on a Sunday afternoon.

I follow the PGA Tour very closely and the Champions Tour hardly at all and felt like I was in a time machine earlier this month when I found myself happening upon coverage of the Principal Charity Classic. (Alright I didn’t exactly stumble upon it, I sought it out after seeing something on pgatour.com about Mark Brooks essentially throwing the tournament away and Gilder taking it. For the record, I didn’t turn it on just to see Brooks collapse, I just figured it was a guaranteed good finish. I swear.)

It was a good finish as Gilder throated a 30 footer for birdie and Brooks blew his shorter birdie putt 5 feet by before missing that and handing the tournament over. Old Familiar Mark Calcavecchia was in the final group and in contention late providing the star power that typifies most golf fans’ only connection with the Champions Tour, essentially a well-publicized year long lead up of “who’s next” to hit 50. I bet they already have a campaign centered around Vijay Singh’s arrival.

An hour of watching and the stories just kept coming.

Tied for third that day, receiving the accompanying six figure pay check, was Rod Spittle a Canadian who is treating the Champions Tour like an ATM this year with nearly a half million in the bank. As he was finishing up they told how he was likely headed for retirement, or at the very least a 4th trip to the ChampionsTour Q-school, when he erased a dismal 2010 by winning the Tour’s final full field event on Halloween in a playoff to change his fortunes.

I think Spittle’s survival story -as well as Gilder and Quigley’s consecutive start streak- really amplifies the fine line out there as, outside of the four majors, there are essentially no cuts. Sure you’re playing for much less money than the PGA Tour, but your still playing for a bunch of it. (Gilder’s win netted him a winner’s check of over quarter million dollars) Sure your sponsors aren’t paying you nearly as much as they are the Flat Bellys, but they’re likely covering all of your expenses. These factors can make it feel like you’re truly got nothing to lose.

Let’s just say it’s good to be exempt on the Champions Tour.

Once the tournament finished though, my mind kept going back to Gilder, one of those guys whose name is familiar to an avid golf fan like me but whose success over the last 10 years really drove home how little attention I’ve paid to the Champions Tour. I remember Hale Irwin tearing the Tour apart in the mid-late 90′s but once Tiger took over the difference between the two tour’s exploded.

I looked back 20 years ago to 1991 as I think Tiger’s influence on the game -and purses- started long before his first win, namely with those three straight US Amateur titles.

If you want to see the results of the “Tiger Effect” check this out:

On the Senior Tour (as it was then known) Jack Nicklaus won $110,000 for winning the 1991 Tradition while that same year Fred Couples won $180,000 for winning the St Jude’s Classic on the PGA circuit. Fast forward twenty years and Gilder is winning $258,750 for his win while Steve Striker collected 1.16million for winning Jack’s tournament the very same week. Essentially, one tour’s purses doubled while the other one has gone up tenfold.

Still, Bob Gilder can take home eight relatively under-the-radar figures home during the last 10 of those years.

Life is indeed good if you are playing full-time on the Champions Tour, where the balance of the tournaments not only do not have a cut, they are only three rounds in length.

As Rod Spittle I’m sure would attest, you just need to hold onto your job.

Greg

A good example of this came from the recent Memorial Tournament where former world top-10 Henrik Stenson continued his tough year with a missed cut. Happens all the time, right?

Well yeah, but…

Stenson missed by one shot after shooting a 79-67, the second round included a furious rally on his second nine that fell just short. Had I just checked the scores on Friday evening I likely would have seen that he missed the cut by one shot and shrugged it off, but what actually unfolded was poor play (clearly) followed by great play (the 67 was the 2nd lowest round of the day) that served to tantalize just enough before coming up empty. This wasn’t nearly the most frustrating missed cut of the year -Zach Johnson finished bogey-triple to miss the cut at the Heritage- just the most recent.

It truly is maddening when you follow this stuff closely enough.

In the second half of my fantasy team’s first half analysis I take a look at the guy’s who have put me in a great position as well as those who are ummm, for lack of better analysis, ruining things for me!

12-15 (The guys that are ruining things for me…)

12 – Ian Poulter
After a top-10 to start the year, didn’t play on the PGA Tour for 6 weeks and was unceremoniously bounced in the first round of his title defense at the WGC-Accenture. Hasn’t shot a weekend round in the 60s since early March and I’ll need to see more starts in the second half to know what I’ve got with him.

13 – Jamie Lovemark
The other pride of Rancho Santa Fe has been battling a bulging disk and hasn’t teed it up in ten weeks. A friend of mine who works on Tour told me not to look for him anytime soon which is unfortunate for someone who should be a future star. Another Tour Rep I know told me before the year started to make Jhonattan Vegas the “Nationwide Guy” on my team. This could aptly be described as unfortunate for me.

14 – Henrik Stenson
Missed five of his last six cuts yet I somehow feel like he is on to something. Yes I know this is on the heels of a Memorial-esque 79-68 at the Heritage which was preceded by an opening round 83 at Augusta, I’ve just got a feeling here.

15 – Michael Sim
Good golly. Nine cuts missed in 12 attempts and if I am to believe what I hear from my buddy that gave me the Lovemark update, what I thought would be a breakout year will ultimately be a costly selection for me.

4, 3, 2, 1 (The guys who validate this insanity for me!)

4 – Brian Gay
Plays just about every week, has already racked up seven top-25s, and only two missed cuts!?! Sign me up! I took him because plays all the time, but the rewards have been a great deal more. Just qualified for the US Open which I am hoping is the beginning much more to come from one of my most consistent performers.

3 – Nick Watney
Welcome to superstardom Nick, I’ve believed in you all along!!! Seven top 10′s and a win in a WGC event at the Cadillac have already pushed his 2011 earnings past his 2010 season total showcasing a career on the rise for a player who is now in the short discussion of best young American player. 

2 – Webb Simpson
Absolutely killing it for me this year, and that includes a heartbreaking playoff loss that was largely a result of a self-imposed penalty that Simpson incurred late in the 4th round of the Zurich Classic. That finish was his second 2nd place finish of the year as he has already more than doubled his earnings from last season.

1 – K J Choi
Doesn’t have as many top 10′s as Watney and hasn’t even come close to doubling his earnings to this point like Simpson has, but you can certainly count me as a west coast charter member of Choi’s Bois! He won the Players -which also doubles as the biggest pay day of the year on tour- was in the hunt (again) at Augusta and is looking just now to hit his stride in his 40′s. Going forward he has the feel of a guy who can win any week he tees it up, and you can bet I’ll be cheering him all the way down the stretch in 2011, maybe even in a personalized t-shirt.
Greg

A great player and a man of the people too!!

(Though as I alluded to in an earlier post I am still waiting to see one truly watered down field in 2011. It seems as if all of the world’s top players got together and decided to make certain that every Tour stop gets a solid field. Seriously, I cannot think of one truly “second rate” field all year)

With great fields, great tournaments, and great finishes behind us and what would have to be the best of the season yet to come the time beckons for a mid-season style breakdown of my fantasy team’s performance where I am happy to say that I am ahead of last season’s pace. (I currently sit 32nd out of 193 which puts me well ahead of my subpar rookie performance last year )

For this week, I will concentrate on my middle of the pack performers, saving my biggest praise -and harshest critisism- for the second part of this breakdown to be published before the US Open. (For the listing of my entire roster scroll down to my January 5th “Fantasy Primer” post)

Here are the #5 thru #11 performers to this point on my 15 man roster with a look back at the good and the not so good as well as an outlook for the remainder of the season:

#5 – Stewart Cink

Birdie: Has six top 20′s in 13 events with only one missed cut.
Bogey: Best finish was T-9th at the Wells Fargo which was the only tourney he seriously contended.

Caddie’s Read: Like anyone on this week’s list he’s one good week away from making my investment in him well worth it. Has a great track record at Jack’s tournament and could kick things off in style this week.

#6 – Rickie Fowler

Birdie: Just like Cink he has six top 20′s in 30 events. 
Bogey: Unlike Cink he has three missed cuts and sans a 66 as the WGC-Cadillac in March his Sunday scoring has been quite bad.

Caddie’s Read: He may be young, but if we are simply looking at 2011, which we are, his 4th round inconsistency may be a bad omen.

#7 – Graeme McDowell

Birdie: Three top-10′s in his 1st three events including a closing 62 and a closing 64 in the first two
Bogey: Just about everything since. Outside of the first three very impressive rounds of the Players he has only two rounds in the 60′s in the past three months.

Caddie’s Read: This one is a double breaker. G Mac’s season could go in any of a number of directions and I wouldn’t be surprised with any of them.

#8 – Zach Johnson

Birdie: Coming on strong with a six-figure pay day every time he teed in up in May
Bogey: Has yet to be in contention on Sunday with a back door 4th in his last event serving as his only top-5

Caddie’s Read: Zach was my highest priced player and I need a win in the 2nd half for him to be worth the investment.

#9 – Alex Cejka

Birdie: Made a double eagle on his 1st hole at Pebble this year en route to a 64.
Bogey: Missing four cuts in 17 events is certainly understandable from a low-cost guy, but three withdrawls to go with those??

Caddie’s Read: Even if the results aren’t there -and they typically aren’t- I find the guy fun to follow. You really never know what to expect!

#10 – Anthony Kim

Birdie: ummm he’s playing a lot.
Bogey: 5 missed cuts and a w/d through 15 events, he’s slipping further and further away from when he was seen as “the next guy”

Caddie’s Read: If the thumb is healthy, I still believe he could win any week but then again so do most people as he is owned by over half the people in my league.

#11 – Tiger Woods

Birdie: The front nine of the final round at Augusta.
Bogey: Well, you get the same weekly updates that I do.

Caddie’s Read: From a fantasy standpoint he is amazing close to his 2010 pace thanks in most part to that top-5 at the Masters. Problem is 94.8% of my league owns him so it is nearly a moot point what he does.

At this point I have to add my obligatory note that I STILL think he will find the winner’s circle this year, maybe multiple times at that, though I have to admit that I am feeling more and more alone in the “Tiger is not that far away” camp.
Greg

As with most people who love golf, I don’t feel that I get to play as much as I would like, so when a golf getaway with a group of buddies presented itself this past weekend I leapt at the opportunity! The weekend came complete with a Friday night pairings party where the teams were divided up and the format was selected.

It was during this get together that our host for the one private course that we were playing announced, in what can only be described as an emphasized whisper, that everyone needs to remember to not bring their cell phones out on the golf course. Now, as I have stated many times before in this space, I’m no dummy. I didn’t raise a question at the time of the announcement nor did I during any portion of the trip. I was a guest and acted accordingly … and I have to tell you I am glad that I did, the course was awesome!

It did get me thinking privately, however, whether or not those types of rules make practical sense in the day and age of the smart phone.

Ten years ago? Sure, especially at private golf courses where individual reputations tend to be on the line with each round played, and being the guy who yakked away on his tele while it was his turn to putt was an easy way to find yourself hanging around the shop looking for a game. But as I longed to get scores for my favorite basketball team while I was finishing up my 36 holes for that day it just seemed, well, unnecessary.

I don’t think I need to go into full detail all the things that our phones can now do, but I do think that I can best illustrate country club cell phone rules best through a simple time:

Old Tom Morris – 1995: No real need for any policy, though caddying as a kid I can remember the “box” cell phone being dragged out on the course by doctors (very much warranted) and important business folk (not so much). Good thing those went on a cart, they were the size of a defibrillator!

1996 -1999: These things are starting to show up everywhere, and I can remember working at a private club and this beginning to be an issue that was brought up at Board meetings.

2000-2004: Everyone has a cell phone and we are all yakking away on them. Many country clubs -mostly private and resort- have policies against talking on cell phones on the golf course and I can tell you that fellow golfers/members were indeed policing their own. These were the really contentious years.

2005-2008: Somewhere in here most of us starting texting and/or taking pictures of stuff with our phones. Quieter? Sure. Less distracting to others in the group? Maybe. Maybe not.

2009-Present: iPhones. Apps. Blackberries. Android networks. These things have become such an integral part of our lives, that spending 5 hours without your phone seems like an eternity. Outside of airplane flights I think the 2008 US Open at Torrey was the last time I went that long without my phone before Saturday’s round. (Speaking of Torrey, the fact that they now allow you to bring your phone onto the golf course but strongly discouraged texting tells you that the PGA Tour is still trying to figure out how to balance the quiet and serenity of the golf course with the realism of today. I mean if you can’t text someone that you are meeting to tell them where you are on the golf course, what the heck else would you be able to do with the phone anyway?)

I hope I haven’t been misunderstood here, I love the silence and peace that a round of golf brings, I just think that we as a society have gotten over the freedom and excitement of running our gums on our cellular phones, and to be able to check a sports score or to be prepared for a fairly vital text by looking at your phone when its not your turn to play seems like an adult decision that can be made independently.

After my trip I asked JC Golf’s Director of Golf Sales and Marketing, and my good bud, Erik Johnson what his take on cell phone policies is and I thought he said it best, “I’ve got no problem with someone taking a cell phone out on the golf course, I just expect that they will put the golfing first and treat their usage with the same etiquette they would treat their playing partners and the golf course with.”

Perfect. Would he have had the same response in 2001?

Who cares, its 2011.
Greg