Spending More Time in the Sand Than David Hasselhoff

Playing for your country. Awesome, intimidating even. Olympic athletes, national soccer teams – anything with USA on the chest brings that added bit of pressure to any sporting event. And after the Ryder Cup experience a couple of weeks ago, playing golf for your country is a hot topic – how it changes you (Anthony Kim), how it changes people’s perception of you (Anthony Kim), etc.

How about this scenario? In 1681, a pair of English noblemen told the Duke of York, a Scotsman who would later become king of both countries, that golf originated in England. This was an over-the-top insult to the grand Scot and so a challenge match was agreed upon in order to settle the matter. The two English dogs on one side, the Duke and John Patersone, a local cobbler said to be the best golfer in Edinburgh, on the other.

For the heritage of golf and the pride of your country. That is pressure! Not just having to answer to Vince Cellini from The Golf Channel in the post-match interview or dodge the champagne spray from the winning side – but for history! Real history, not the nauseating fake history that CBS puts on for every overly dramatic golf tournament promo they run (”Last Chance for Glory – the 84 Lumber Invitational is next!”)

The Englishmen and the duke struck their drives, then Mr. Patersone ripped his tee ball well past the other three. And the match continued in that manner to lead the Scotsmen to a rout of the English. The Duke was so pleased, he split his winnings with his partner, a fair and just thing to do it seems.

So Scotland’s honor was assuaged and history need not be re-written.

_____________________________________________________

A few fun facts about the Duke of York:

• The Duke of York title has been granted since the 15th century
• It is usually bestowed upon the second son of the British monarch
• The current Duke of York is HRH The Prince Andrew (that’s how he is described – I didn’t make it up!)
• The city and state of New York were named for James Stuart when he was Duke of York
  • This is the golfing Duke in the story above as well
• In ancient times. York was the main city in northern England

Who said golf wasn’t educational?

______________________________________________________

You may have noticed a new title to the blog – thanks to Jess and JMac!

Tags: History, Ryder Cup by
No Comments »

The Tour Championship is on today.

And I don’t care.

That’s a fairly remarkable statement because I love golf. I am a fan of golf. I am the PGA Tour’s preferred demographic. I watch the US Bank Open, the BMW Wachovia Traveler’s 84 Lumber Open, the Nationwide tour, even the Champions Tour, for goodness sake (which was in lovely Cary, NC this weekend, I might add).

And this weekend, the culmination of the PGA Tour season, is ignored by me and, I believe, by millions just like me.

Because it doesn’t matter. Let me count the ways:

• The Ryder Cup was so good and so satisfying to the downtrodden American golf fan that ANY tournament the next week is a letdown
• How long has it been since the last PGA Tour “playoff” event – 3 months?
• It is football season
  • I must add here that my beloved Wisconsin Badgers must be under the mistaken impression that a football game lasts 30 minutes. It is 60 minutes, boys, Six Zero minutes. Start with the basics, Coach Bielema. And I still dislike Michigan, possibly more than ever.
• Given the financial straits our economy is in, it seems a bit obscene to watch Vijay Singh stroll through 4 rounds, no matter his score, to get a 10 million dollar cash grab.
  • Let me repeat that – 10 million dollars
  • 10
  • million
  • dollars
• There are still a whole bunch of tournaments after this weekend, so how is this the conclusion of the season? Is the World Series the first of several season ending events in baseball? Does the NFL do anything besides sun themselves in Hawaii after the Super Bowl?

It just doesn’t matter.

Tags: PGA, PGA Tour by
No Comments »

The old driving range. I love driving ranges at night. That’s a picture of Knight’s Play’s driving range here in Apex, NC tonight. And that is my son, Alex, in motion to the right. If you can’t tell, that is indeed the mighty Badger on his shirt and the Wisconsin fighting W on his hat. And GO BADGERS, BEAT THE WEENY WOLVERINES!

We went out to hit a bucket of balls at the range tonight. It isn’t something we do very often since we have a great place to practice during the daylight. But it sure brought back the memories.

My dad was a “golf-o-holic” and he passed his disease on to me at a young age. He used to take me to Storm’s Driving Range out on National Avenue in New Berlin, Wisconsin to teach me how to swing. Those were some great memories. I don’t know how old I was, but I still remember my dad standing behind me with the range guy (the “pro”) while my dad told him how great my puny little swing was. Looking back, I’m sure the guy was rolling his eyes – I would have – because my swing was only great in the eyes of a father. But I still remember, so it had a big influence on me.

I obviously passed the gene on to my kids as well. Erik, my oldest son, played some junior golf and was a very good high school player. In fact, he just took 6th in the City of Wilmington Men’s Amateur after not having played in tournaments in a while. Alex, pictured above, first started swinging a club when he was about 15 months. While I was sprawled on the couch watching the PGA, he would watch a swing, then imitate it with his plastic club. He would go to his older brother’s soccer games and spend the whole hour whacking a plastic practice ball around the field with his weapon. And now, he is a sophmore in high school and a very good junior golfer. Both of them are way, way, way better than me.

Funny how one night in one place in North Carolina can bring back so many great memories of fathers and sons in places thousands of miles and many years away.

Tags: practice by
No Comments »

As I ran into Golf Galaxy to reload on some pellets yesterday, I saw a lot of clearance items, and it got me thinking. The golf business (big B on business) is supposedly tanking, according to the media. The current economic problems are hitting an already struggling industry is the story one hears often in the lay press. So how are some big parts of the mainstream golf industry doing at closer inspection?

• Golfsmith
  • Stock price has fallen by about 60% over the last year
  • 9.3% decrease in online revenue reported for last quarter
  • The company expects earnings growth to be driven by “reduced operating expenses and marketing costs” – that doesn’t sound particularly encouraging to me
• Callaway
  • Stock price dropped from $16 to $11 from one year ago to July but has rebounded lately to just over 14
  • Declared a dividend of $.07 per share – may not seem good, but usually a good sign from an investor standpoint
  • Announced record sales for first half 2008 globally
  • Halle Barry joined the Callaway Golf Foundation as ambassador – ’nuff said
• Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy
  • Dick’s reported 5% loss of net revenue in 2nd quarter 2008
  • Same store sales decreased by 3.7% at Dick’s; 4.5% at Golf Galaxy
  • Dick’s CEO, Ed Stack, stated, “We anticipate the golf business is going to be a little bit difficult through 2009.”
    • Ed. note: Hey Ed, when wasn’t the golf business “a little bit difficult”?
• Ashworth is considering a sale or merger to “enhance shareholder value”
• The USGA couldn’t get any of the Big 3 automakers to bite on being it’s “Official Car”, so chose Lexus instead. Buick and Cadillac have long been synonymous with the PGA and Senior Tour respectively, so that is a big moment in the relationship of Detroit and big time golf.
  • Ford has even cut it’s relationship with Lefty Mickelson (gasp!)
• In a not-so-official survey by Golf Digest, 41 of 60 private golf clubs contacted felt they were in a membership “crisis” and were offering incentives of various types.

________________________________________________

On the other hand, a recent study has shown that golf’s economic impact in the US has increased by $14 billion in the last five years (up to $76 billion from $62 bill.) This is a larger segment than the motion pictures and video industries. Now, how that’s measured can be construed in many ways, but it is obvious that golf remains a major force in the economy.

________________________________________________

I hope you weren’t looking for some grand conclusion, were you? ‘Cause I just present the numbers, ma’am.

Tags: Golf Business, Retail by
No Comments »

As I’m sure most of us will hear around town, on line, and on TV this next few days, “we” won the Ryder Cup. You know, me, Jimmy, Phil and the guys. We.

Riiiiiiight.

It is one of my many pet peeves: when fans use the proverbial “we” in talking of a team’s victory. I love the Packers but “we” won’t be playing the dreaded Cowboys tonight – they will. You know, the Packers. The professionals. Some might say the collection of mercenaries who represents the Green Bay community. They aren’t my teammates, my friends – not even my acquaintances. They are the people who wear the uniform of the team I’ve grown attached to over 4 decades of fandom and Wisconsin living. I am no more a part of their lives and circles of influence than I am for the elite of the elite pro golfers who played in Louisville this week. That has no bearing on how frustrated I’ll get when Tony Romo throws 6 touchdowns to TO tonight, though.

Likewise, “we” did not win the Ryder Cup. The American team did. And my congratulations to them. It was fun to watch and good to see an “underdog” win, just like most Americans like to see. But I didn’t play a role. Neither did you – unless Steve Stricker has heard my compliments about him that came from this blog and has been checking in regularly. Then, Stevie, you won the Ryder Cup, but me and the rest of the misfits who read this did not.

I like the American team and I rooted for them this weekend. But I also like the Euros. Lee Westwood is a stand up guy and great golfer who came from oblivion a few years ago to rework his game and become a dominant force on the Tour. Sergio, whatever his other faults, brings an enthusiasm to golf, and the Ryder Cup specifically, that is tremendous. Miguel Angel Jimenez is great – he reminds me that overweight 40-somethings can still play great golf. I tuned in not to cheer for “my” team but to see great golf. And I saw a lot of it.

America won the Ryder Cup. Paul Azinger and his men won it. Anthony Kim and Boo won it. But “we” didn’t.

Tags: European PGA Tour, PGA, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup by
No Comments »

I’ve succeeded in avoiding hearing any news about the Ryder Cup all day today – through work, a quick visit to the golf course, and now sitting in Caribou Coffee sipping a mocha waiting for my son to call to pick him up. Can I hold off until I get home to watch today’s recorded matches? Can I fast forward through enough commercial breaks and fluff to see the whole 10 hours of coverage before sleep overtakes me?

No and No.

But I still like the suspense of not knowing.

Tags: European PGA Tour, PGA, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup by
No Comments »

It’s started – Ryder Cup Fevah!

Someone thinks that because Sergio and Padraig Harrington can’t stand each other that the US will win.

Some think that since the US of A has two native Kentuckians who, gasp, are going to possibly, maybe play together in a match (Kenny Perry and JB Holmes), that the crowd will be in such a frenzy for their fellas, they will spur the US to victory.

Some (Tim Rosaforte from Golf World and The Golf Channel) feel that this is the Ryder Cup of Lefty – Mickelson, sans El Tigre, has the opportunity to become the leader that Colin Montgomery has been for the Euros.

Settle down, folks. The Ryder Cup will come down to putting. The US hasn’t hit the broad side of a barn in almost a decade (since Justin Leonard’s bomb that led to the stampede in 1999). The Euros hit everything, under pressure and, well, over pressure – if that’s the opposite.

Specifically:

Sergio and Paddy have never liked each other but they still play well in the RC and kick the US upside the head every other year.

JB and Kenny, though good players, haven’t had high pressure situations like this before. And I haven’t seen the crowd come out and hit a 5 foot downhill slider for a match tie in foursomes yet.

And, Mr. Rosaforte, Philly has been uninspiring in the Cup in his career, in spite of his many attempts at it. He’s probably best known for infuriating Tiger in their alternate shot match together (I can still picture the Striped One with a stone face, fuming about his next shot while standing next to the fence that Phil’s drive landed by). Oh, and changing clubs immediately before that same Ryder Cup.

So watch the putting green, kids. That’s where the next champ will rise to the top. And that’s one reason I love Steve Stricker as a Captain’s pick.

Tags: European PGA Tour, PGA, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup by
No Comments »

My good friends, Jonny Mac (also known as Blue Devil Jonny and J Dukenstein) and Jess “The Baron of Brewing” Stokes, have given some good suggestions for a title for this so-called blog. You can see them all in their comments but here are my favorites:

“Please Stop Yelling “Get In the Hole!”" (You got that right, brother!)

“Gunga galunga . . . gunga, gunga-galunga” (Can never have too many Caddyshack references in any golf related writing)

“Spending More Time in the Sand Than David Hasselhoff” – nice!

“I Just Did All That?” (I’m not sure on the exact link to me and my golf game but I chuckle everytime I read it)

“It’s Not the Clubs” (Nor would Mizuno, The Ben Hogan Company, Ping, or Cobra want me to attribute the results I get to their clubs which have ended up in my paws)

“One Man’s Torture – A Golfer’s Tale”

As outstanding as these entries are, I’ve got to hold the contest open. For now, as you may have seen, I’ve come up with my own temporary title which fits my view of golf most often – “Golf – Huh! – What is it Good For? Ab-so-lutely Nothin’” And I will say it again!

_______________________________________

Just finished a great book – “Two Years in St. Andrews: At Home on the 18th Hole”, by George Peper. I really liked it. I’ll give you some highlights down the road.

Tags: Blogging by
No Comments »

I hit some balls yesterday, then played a few holes. Amazing! And not in a good way.

I’m trying to learn a new swing and, after a couple of weeks, finally have felt like I got the hang of it. Hitting 6 irons with a nice little draw, right at or consistently just to the right of the flag. Pretty happy – on the range.

On the course – not so, amigo! Have you ever gotten a weird sensation that some activity you’ve done your whole life – chewing a hamburger or unlocking the door, for example – has become this brand new activity your mind cannot quite grasp? I felt that for 7 holes. I wondered what type of neurological disorder, such as a conscious stroke or temporary insanity, had taken over my mind and prevented me from hitting the ball in any valuable way. I not only didn’t have a clue, but I wasn’t within radar range of one! The only good thing was that no one was taping it so I won’t ever have to see those swings again. I’m shaking just thinking about it now!

Golf is stupid.

By the way, check out Jess’ contributions to naming the blog. I laughed out loud.

Tags: frustration, learning, practice by
No Comments »

–>

The PGA Tour – gulp
– has taken a week off.

It’s the first time in a millenium that the Tour has taken a
week off during the regular season. It seems a bit unusual. I’m used to seeing
highlights on Thursday night of what went on in the first round, taping the
second round on Friday to see the “spotlight group” of Phil, Sergio, Tiger, the Baron of
Backspin, or Veej biding their time until Sunday, watching Saturday’s “moving day” while
snoozing on the couch, and, usually, missing the finale on Sunday because I was
doing something else.

A few questions I’ve been pondering because of this untoward
laxity in my sports viewing schedule:

1. What
   will The Golf Channel do to create unbridled excitement during the
   weekend? Well, the “Tour Championship” is right around the corner. That,
   unfortunately for the kind folks at FedEx, is a joke. The “playoffs” are
   already over – Vijay gets $10 million if he’s breathing on Sunday of
   tournament week. The winner of the last two majors won’t be there. The
   best golfer in the world won’t be there. And the Ryder Cup is the week before,
   so who is going to even watch the Tour Championship?
2. Maybe
   TGC will talk a little bit about this Ryder Cup thing – I’ve heard it’s a great example of a little friendly competition.
3. What
   will I watch on Saturday while “resting my eyes” as my dad used to say? Hey,
   college football has started! Query retracted.
4. What
   will be on TGC’s crawl at the bottom of the screen all weekend – the US
   Open scores for this year, just to put “1. Woods” on the screen again?
5. What
   will NBC and/or CBS show during the weekend instead of Vijay and the boys?
   Maybe something as riveting as the soon to be seen Faldo vs. Azinger Death
   Match – in fishing and poker, no less. That is great TV!

Actually, I’m OK with enforced time off for pro athletes in
general. Name one sport that doesn’t get days off. Admittedly, baseball,
basketball and hockey don’t get whole weeks off like the NFL and the lads of
the PGA, but they do get some days off. The problem here is that most of the
tour pros take time off during the year anyway. They get to pick and choose
which weeks they’ll play. (I was going to say that is a unique situation, but
have you seen the Carolina Hurricanes play the last two years?)

Maybe the lucky 30 still “left alive” would rather blast
through this so-called “playoff” and then get the week off after the TC – you
know, to let the competitive juices stay at a high rollin’ boil for 4 straight
weeks instead of cooling off during the off week, and then Ryder Cup week.

I’m going to the couch to think it over.

Tags: PGA, PGA Tour by
No Comments »