Author: currin29 (page 2 of 3)

Joining the social media thing

Since my feelings about social media run similar to Ron Swanson, joining Twitter was akin to getting a bad tattoo while sober. Nonetheless, I’m on twitter. You can follow my incoherent ramblings and drunken stupidity @1golferincart where I seek to perform the Twitter equivalent of 4-putting from 10 feet.

A FedEx Cup Playoff Proposal Nobody Asked For

First off- full marks to Henrik Stenson for winning both the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the European Tour Championship. To get hot like that when it counts, and be able to raise his game both in September and again in October-November is no small feat. From the system used, he won. Nonetheless, I keep wondering “is this the best system?” which led me, like many, to go have a few drinks and then go to my special thinkin’ place and work up a solution. It took me about 20 minutes. It’s fair, it’ll be easily understood by audiences, and it’s nothing silly at all.

To begin, I started by looking at playoffs in other sports. In the “big four” team sports in North America, a total of 54 teams out of 121 make the playoffs. That’s 43.9% or 44%. Less than half. In tennis, only the top 16 make the World Finals out of approximately 250 players on the circuit. In looking at the PGA Tour, factoring in past champions and current players, I came up with approximately 200 players (not counting Monday qualifiers). Half of that would be 100. However, in my system I’m all about helping certain events that don’t always get the best fields. So much like the Open Championship does, it’ll be the top 95 getting in, along with the top 5 players in the events immediately following majors (when they tend to suffer from depleted fields).

I’d use the first event and get down to the top 60. How do we do it? First- using what other leagues do, the top 10 players are automatically entered in the second week. It’s the first round bye. So from that, it’s rather simple- finish in the top 50 and you move on. In every other sport (including tennis) there’s no credit other than a first round bye or home game advantage for having a great midseason. A regular season is just that- this is the playoffs and it’s about winning when it counts.

The second event starts at 60 (top 50 from week 1 plus your top 10). Have to finish in the top 40 to move on to the 3rd event (so no more “I have a boo-boo…this course doesn’t suit my eye). If the top 10 guys can’t put it together here…too bad. You had 2 weeks to prepare. Much like the old Q-school days, if you can’t play then you’re out. The point of a playoff system is that you have to play your best golf at this point.

The third event is where I make things interesting. Instead of standard stroke play, the third event is a Stableford. The PGA Tour used to have a Stableford event. Under my system they do now. The top 16 move onto the PGA Tour Final or Tour Championship (same number as make the ATP/WTA Finals).

The fourth event is matchplay. Use the existing rankings that come out of the last event (see- there’s your reward for season-long excellence- a better seed in the final event). 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, and so on. No math formulas, just win and you move on. You end up with one match for the $10mm first prize (I’d throw in a lifetime exemption). The average sports fan won’t understand the whole points thing, but two guys playing one match for $10mm? A true Final.

For the players who make the playoffs, there should be an incentive- your Tour card is guaranteed for the next year (that’s your reward for making the playoffs). I’d also grant automatic exemptions into the following year’s majors for anyone making the top 16.

So that’s my modest proposal. A playoff system that the average fan can understand and one that does what a playoff should do- build interest and have a Final day that rewards your champion.

Random thoughts on a frosty November evening

Open ended question for DC area golfers- at what point do you put the clubs away for the season? First freeze? First day below 50 degrees? First measurable snowfall? When frostbite causes you to lose a digit?

I ask because with the hard freeze of the last two days followed by what should be torrential rain/messy mix the next couple days, not sure how many courses will be open on Thanksgiving Day (expected to be around 40 at best but clear…this following a boatload of rain).

I’ve always gone back and forth on this. I used to live in California where you can play year round (unless it’s an El Nino winter and then it’s raining every day and the courses all close) and enjoyed those winter-season rounds when everyone else was in the throes of real winter. On the other hand by summer I would feel golfed out almost…ready for something new. But having re-introduced myself to an actual winter, I find myself chomping at the bit by mid-March (the PGA Tour West Coast swing always making me nostalgic for living on the West Coast and the early Florida swing a big hint of what’s to come). Funny- I played in shorts in early April in 38 degree weather but somehow doing so in November seems not nearly as fun.

Glen Nager, RIP

The USGA came to their senses and sent Glen Nager packing. on the subject by Ron Sirak details what exactly Glen Nager was trying to pull off (they did some equally excellent reporting in their November issue on how their deal with Fox went down).

Now if they can just get bifurication into the rules (leave the 10-handicappers alone, but have a different set of rules for professionals and elite amateurs) and adopt Jack Nicklaus’ going-on-three-decades idea of a tournament ball (each company can make their own “brand” but it has to conform to tournament specs) we’d be in a much greater place.

The USGA and the Fourth Estate

With our golf season largely done now that we’ve had a freeze (some courses are still open but with limited daylight hours it’s hard to find time), I have to say that I managed to play my best golf of the year in September/October. I kept expecting my game to regress, but somehow I kept posting scores of 80 and lower. I’d like to say that I took lessons or had some mental breakthrough, but it came down to putting better and not taking a handful of 3-putts every round (again- no lessons or “oh wait- so I should putt the ball toward the hole” level stuff).

On that note, I have to say that the more I read about the “new” USGA, the less I like. Their inability to adapt bifurication with regard to belly putters is, I suppose, the starting point. As someone who plays other sports, it’s ridiculous to have the NHL govern beer leagues or the NBA try to govern recreational basketball (or at the very least give amateurs a different rulebook). But yet, the USGA waddles about trying to tell double-digit handicappers that they can’t use a belly putter. The “While We’re Young!” campaign was pure folly given that the pace of play at the US Open was glacial (and that’s with every hole having marshals and spotters helping players out). Lastly was the manner in which they handled their new TV contract. It’s “their” contract and they’re free to go to another body (and certainly they’re free to go to the highest bidder). But to make that announcement during the USPGA Championship is, at best, tacky and at worst a move on a par with not repairing divots and ballmarks (making matters worse were Glen Nager’s derogatory comments about NBC). I’ve been a member but I cannot and will not be renewing. To give the USGA another dollar is literally making a deal with the devil. The sooner Glen Nager buggers off the better for the sport.

The other imbroglio involved…wait for it…Tiger Woods who didn’t like Brandel Chamblee’s column about the year in review, and specifically, his comments about Woods’ frequent rules violations. That Woods’ handlers threatened legal action is almost comical. Woods had four rules violations in 2013. This from someone who has stated that he considers himself an expert on the rules. That the 4th estate is still afraid to be critical of His Tigerness is beyond silly (and if Woods can’t handle being criticized he should quit). Unfortunately, the path we’re going down is to where you’re going to have to have rules officials on every hole or with every group and the policing at tournaments will have to be done for the players and not by them. I do think the Tours (PGA and European) have to work out some form of rules change that prevents people calling in rules violations and players being DQ’d the day after. It’s unfortunate that this is where we’re at, but you cannot have players be unaware of a violation, sign for a score, and then be DQ’d because someone called in a violation that the player and his playing partners missed. Woods was bang-on wrong to be critical of Chamblee but you’re going to have to have a better form of policing the game.

Lake Presidential Course Review

I took an early start to the Labor Day weekend with a trek down to Upper Marlboro and a round at Lake Presidential Golf Club, which is part of a larger residential development. I had played a charity event at Lake Presidential back in 2009 so I was interested to see how the course had matured since then.

Lake Presidential is located off US 301; south of the Bowie/Crofton area. Because of this, your traffic time to get there can vary. If you take the Capital Beltway it’s north of Rt. 4 but south of Rt. 214. Playing early, I made easy time to get down there. I was greeted by a friendly pro shop and a cart attendant got my bag on a cart for me (they are going for the “member for a day” type of club). One nice thing is that they include range balls on their practice facility and have grass tees in season (they may use mats during the winter). Carts have GPS and the course has several sets of tees; the black tees are just over 6800 yards and have a 137 slope. The blue tees (which I played) were just under 6400 yards with a 129 slope (this I found to be a good fit). They have a championship set of tees that they normally don’t use; at over 7200 yards and a 141 slope…probably for the best. They have a grill inside and had a tented half-way hut (the grilled hot dogs were smelling pretty good), and their pro shop was very well stocked.

The course was a bit worse for wear the day I played it; several greens had dead spots and the fairways were similar. I don’t think (based on my observations) that this is down to a lack of maintenance (I saw several folks out working on the course) but rather a function of some awful weather patterns.

Lake Presidential doesn’t start off easily- the first hole is a tough, tree-lined par 4 that bends to the left and will punish any wayward drives. The first par 5 is on #3 and is no slouch (in fact, all of their par 5’s are stout and have numerous challenges).

The signature hole is #8, a tight and long par 5 with a peninsula green and several danger areas. I was lucky to get off of the green with a 6. The front 9 finishes with a longish par 3 that’s all carry over water to a 2-tiered green (I had a bit of good luck to use the slope to my advantage and ended up with a 2).

The back 9 starts tough and stays tough. The 12th is a tough downhill par 3 that looks easy but can wreck your card. The 13th was unlucky for me (it’s a beauty of a hole- a par 5 with an elevated tee to a picturesque tree-lined fairway (I’m sure it was pretty- I spent the hole hacking out of trees). From there, holes 15-18 give you a chance to recover and end positively. 16 is a downhill par 3 to a large green, 17 is a short par 4 that the big hitters could go for (or you could go into the trees on the right)…which leads to 18. 18 is a par 5 that requires a longish carry over a lake to a fairly generous fairway and ends with a very tricky green (for me at least- I three-jacked it to end with a dissatisfactory bogey after 2 great shots had me thinking birdie).

Because of its proximity and relationship with the Gaylord Resort at National Harbor, they get their fair share of outings (which if we’re being honest can’t help with conditions).

All in all, it’s a tough but fun track. Would I go back? Yes assuming I could keep the ball in the fairway.

Timbers at Troy Course Review

Any time I do a course review, I try to write this for someone who hasn’t played the course, and try, to the extent possible, to present factual and balanced information about the course. So here goes.

Timbers at Troy is located in Elkridge, MD and is a partnership between Howard County with the course managed by Kemper Sports Management. The course has been open since the very early 2000’s (I played my first round there in 2003 and still have the scorecard-I have all my scorecards so when the Golf Channel starts their “Golf Hoarders” show…look me up).

For various reasons, Timbers has fallen off my rota of courses that I play, largely due to conditioning and their attitude about single golfers like myself. Even trying to get a tee time is brutally hard (their tee sheet the day I played was wide open…but if you’re a single…not happening). Nonetheless, I walked on and hoped for the best. The guy in the pro shop was friendly enough and got me on my way. There was no starter, so went off.

Unlike most courses, Timbers at Troy doesn’t give you a handshake hole; they give you a toughie from the start- a tight long par 4 with woods to the right and trees left. The day I played I noticed signs up touting that they were starting a project to improve their bunkers (good on them- their bunkers are currently in dire need of repair- you can argue about what kind of condition bunkers should be in- if you want to go the “natural” look I’m all for it…but if you’re going with a traditional tree-lined parkland course…they shouldn’t be like hitting out of rock-strewn paste). The second hole is a dogleg par 5; after that a couple short par 4’s before you hit their “signature” hole, a medium length par 3 that’s all carry over an environmental area. The 9th is a brutish par 5 with a semi-blind second shot uphill to an elevated landing area.

The day I played, the course was in mixed condition. Several fairways had clearly not fared well with the summer (June was one thunderstorm after another, July was all over the board and August has gone from cool to hot and back to cool). Despite this, I’ve played several tracks this month that are in much better condition. Greens were mixed as well- on some holes there were great, others they were a touch bumpy. I don’t know their aeration schedule but it’s probably happening later this month (their website didn’t have any information on this; if you plan on going my advice is to ask).

The back nine starts off with a brutish par 4 that requires a second shot over a hazard/environmental area to an uphill green. For me the best hole on the back 9 is 17; a dogleg par 5 that plays downhill and has a man-made lake on the left side of the green. A definite birdie opportunity and also a chance to ruin your round (everything a good par 5 should be). 18 is a longish par 4 that plays uphill (and longer). You can score here and make a number, but get wild off the tee and you can easily make double bogey or worse. You don’t need Tour length. You need acccuracy.

The problem with this, as you might imagine, is that pace of play can be diabolical on weekends (or anytime the course is busy). One thing they used to do (their new scorecards don’t have this) is a recommended tee box by handicap index; I’ve seen 20-handicappers play this course from the tips (it’s one of the places six hour rounds come from). The blue tees are just over 6100 yards and will give most golfers plenty of challenge (at that you’re looking at a 70.8 rating and a 134 slope).

The course has a pro shop that has hats, balls, shirts, and a few other items for sale. There’s a snack bar that has what you’d expect (nothing fancy but it’s perfunctory).

Timbers will always be a special place for me; my career best round came there (a 73 a few years ago), but like many things, it’s changed. I wish them well and hope that their renovations bode well and they end up with a course in tip-top condition. But given the options available to me, I just don’t know how many more times I want to be treated like a third class citizen because I’m a single (if you don’t want to take tee times for singles, follow the PB Dye example and spell it out).

Plus, if you’re sending people out in the morning on the back 9, they better be able to keep up (the day I played they put a bunch of slow-moving types…and just like that, things back up and your pace of play grinds to a halt). Your time par in the morning should be a lot faster than during middle of the day.

If you’re playing as a twosome, you could do a lot worse than Timbers at Troy. There are some fun holes, and most of the people I’ve met there are friendly and want to be helpful. You might do better but you could do worse.

USGA Rights Package to Fox Say What?

Lost amid the buildup for the PGA Championship this week was news that the USGA TV rights package (which includes all USGA-conducted events including the US Open, US Women’s Open and US Senior Open) was awarded to FOX starting in 2015. Lost amid the glee of never having to deal with Chris Berman polluting my television during the US Open, was one tiny little issue- FOX has never produced nor aired a professional golf tournament in North America. Yes, BSkyB in Britain airs the US PGA tour as well as the European Tour (and the Ryder Cup), but their US coverage consists of using the US network’s feed.

When NBC acquired the rights from ABC beginning with the 1995 US Open, at least NBC had golf coverage (and Johnny Miller was already their lead analyst). FOX cannot say that, which means that their first coverage will be for the US Open in 2015 in Chambers Bay (which has hosted a US Amateur but never a US Open). They don’t have a producer (Tommy Roy and Lance Barrow handle this for NBC and CBS respectively), and they don’t have announcers.

So why did this happen? The only logical reason is money- FOX outbid NBC (John Feinstein, in his outstanding book “Open” about the 2002 US Open at Bethpage Black, detailed the negotiations between the USGA and the networks…his book revealed that NBC outbid ABC by several million dollars per year…and this was 1994 dollars).

It’s hard to see CBS or NBC allowing their announcers to go work for a competitor (and with Fox rolling out Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 later this month they won’t want to use other networks for coverage), especially with what I’m sure is no small amount of acrimony. So FOX is essentially starting from scratch. If I were running things, this would be what I’d do:

Host: Joe Buck. Novice to golf, but NBC uses Bob Costas in a similar role at the US Open. Name recognition and there’s that familiarity to boot.

Anchor: If FOX is serious, they should make a play for someone like Rich Lerner at The Golf Channel. While casual sports fans may not know him, your core golf audience does. If they have to bring someone in internally, I’d look at Thom Brennaman. Solid on baseball, and knows enough to punt to the analysts. Your wild card would be Vin Scully, who’s done golf and was pretty good. Question is does he want the gig and is he willing to travel? Which brings me to…

Main Analyst: Ken Venturi was and is the gold standard. FOX can go three directions:
1) Greg Norman. Norman tried to start a World Golf Tour (reaching out to FOX’s David Hill) in 1994…before the PGA Tour started the World Golf Championships. A light schedule of 3-4 events per year wouldn’t overly tax him (given his other business interests). He’s not afraid of speaking his mind.
2) Lee Trevino. Younger fans may not know him, but pre-Johnny Miller he worked on NBC’s golf (with Vin Scully). Your “core” audience knows him; he’s funny and always has a good story to tell. He’s won the US Open so he can speak to the pressure (and given his very modest beginnings he can speak to the “Open” part of said championships).
3) Jack Nicklaus. If you want name recognition Nicklaus is the gold standard. Like Norman, he’s already busy with his businesses but I suppose the question is would he want the gig? Only problem…he’s horrible on TV. Go watch him on the Memorial Tournament. I’m not saying he should show up with a fauxhawk and an earring but he’s not exactly known for being critical. I just don’t know if he’s able to give the viewer that expert opinion without needing 10 minutes to do so.

Hole/walking analysts:
1) Fuzzy Zoeller. Won a US Open. And a Masters. Okay, so there was the whole foot-in-mouth at the 1997 Masters, but he’s funny and I do think that would translate to TV.
2) Tommy Armour III. Knows the game. Funny.
3) Notah Begay/Paul Goydos. Both work for the Golf Channel, but I’d look at using them. Begay played college golf with Tiger Woods so he can be…well, not exactly quick to lay on the criticism, but both know the game and translate well to television.

It is interesting that while Fox Sports 1 has landed NFL, NHL, and MLB analysts, they’ve been silent on the golf front.

Either way, the 2015 US Open should be interesting.

Little Bennett Thoughts and Review

When I first moved to the DC area my knowledge of local golf was nonexistent. But shortly after moving here and playing a few rounds with locals, you’d here them talk of this “Little Bennett” in revered tones, and yes- in the old Kemper Open days they had used it to host the Monday Qualifier for the Kemper Open (RIP). But not living near there, and not really knowing the area that well, I never played it. New courses opened up, and they became the flavor of the month. Nearby, I’ve played PB Dye (Whiskey Creek remains on my “to play” list as does Bulle Rock), and going further west I’ve played Musket Ridge (twice during the Golfstyles Solstice Survival) and Maryland National. With a newly renovated Northwest Park and Hampshire Greens closer along with other options nearby, it became the course I forgot about.

Until today. A former colleague who, like me, lacks the good sanity to sleep in and rather is perfectly happy playing at sunrise met me for a round at this forgotten gem.

With all the rain we’ve had in the last month, I wasn’t feeling optimistic at all, and having spent the last 3 weeks trying to get back on my two feet, I made the drive on I-70 in the dark fearing an energy-sapping beat-down at the hands of this behemoth.

Pulling up as the sun was just starting to make first light, I was greeted by a friendly and affable gentleman in the pro shop; pleasantries were exchanged along with greens fees, and we were off. Shockingly, while I spent the drive in a sense of dread over the “cart path only” policy we were surely getting…behold! Why, that’ll be scatter…so drive to thy ball and be off. With our tee time fast approaching we quickly headed to the first tee. The starters were these two polite older gentleman who, while friendly, weren’t letting anyone tee off before 6am and that was that. The twosome in front of us went off, and then we did.

While most courses give you the proverbial handshake hole as a starter, Little Bennett announces its presence with the #1 handicap hole right at the start. A lengthy forced carry off the tee to a narrow fairway got us off to a rocky start. The 3rd hole plays two clubs shorter as it’s downhill to a tiny green. The par 3’s are of widely varying yardages; from 15 and 17 which are very short to a much tougher 6th hole at over 210 yards, you’re getting a good variety. The par 4’s also have variety. The 13th has a split fairway to a carry over a ravine to a small severly sloped green. The 18th is a good finisher; a stout par 4 dogleg with a narrow sloping fairway and a forced carry over a ravine for the second shot. All in all, a solid course.

I was amazed at the course conditions; I was expecting a sloppy, soggy mess. Not the case at all. It was hardly what you’d call firm and fast, but the bunkers were in great shape and the greens rolled very true if not particularly speedy (understandable). The course superintendent and their staff…you’re aces in my book for doing great work in some brutally tough weather.

Overall, Little Bennett is worthy of what people were saying; if it’s not the flagship course of Montgomery County Golf it should be. It’s a tough course; there’s four sets of tees (we played the whites; at just under 6200 yards it was plenty of course- the tips max out at just over 6700 yards). A well-conditioned course, friendly people, and a layout with plenty of variety. It may have taken me well over a decade to finally find this gem, but I’ll be back.

Mid-season thoughts

While it’s never fun to be sick and unable to play this wonderful game, to have this happen during the meat of the season is particularly frustrating. Without going into details, it’s been two weeks of maladies I wouldn’t wish on anyone and it’s kept me looking wistfully at my clubs, hoping they’ll see plenty of use before too long.

In a rare moment of smarts, the PGA Tour agreed to a ban on the anchored stroke. However, they agree that amateurs (meaning you) should be able to use these until 2024 at least. We’re finally on the way to bifurication (professionals and elite amateur events under one set of rules, and everyone else under another). With the game not growing, those that run the game have to look at ways to keep the game growing. Telling a bunch of casual golfers you can’t use a belly putter doesn’t serve that purpose.

Unfortunately we’re still dealing with slow play issues; last month’s US Open made that abundantly clear. While the USGA was running some clever “While We’re Young” ads to encourage folks to move it along, you have elite golfers taking 5 to 5 1/2 hours to get around. Not to pick on him, but Ian Poulter doesn’t help things when he points out that it would take casual golfers even longer to get around, and thus, the pros should be above criticism. He’s missing the point; it’s that people see you take 60-80 seconds on a putt, and guess what- that’s what your weekend golfers end up doing. Add that up over 18 holes and all of a sudden we’re at 6 hour rounds. And yes, Ian- you’re a great deal more talented than a 10-handicapper…which is why you’re playing for millions in prize money and you earn millions in endorsements while we pay to play.

As I’ve noted, this is something everyone collectively owns. Pointing fingers doesn’t help. Playing faster does and that’s the point.

In talking to several trusted sources and doing some sleuthing on my own, if Howard County is serious about trying to build itself as a golf destination, than I should offer up a few tips:
-Maintenance costs money. Letting bunkers at one of your few public courses fall out of disrepair doesn’t help. The management company has a case to answer on this (and yes- all the rain we’ve had isn’t helping), but people see disrepair and it doesn’t help things. Spend a little now, or spend a whole lot more later.
-Any quasi-public course that effectively blocks out the first six tee times every weekend for the same group (when the course claims that it’s available for a fairly large segment of the population) is killing itself softly. Oh, but you’re building a new clubhouse…why that’s wonderful! Never mind that the course is, by several accounts, in dire need of upkeep and maintenance. You do a great job of keeping people from playing the course (or worse, if they are lucky enough to play there…between the attitude of people working there and the conditions…they won’t come back) which generates…you know, revenue! If you talk to golfers, things like pace of play, course conditions, and friendliness of staff typically are what bring them back. Which leads me to my next point…
-Treat golfers like the customers that they are. I made a few phone calls trying to secure a tee time (because while every other course in the area allows online bookings…well, they don’t do it that way). What a gong show. If your website says “call this number for tee times”…you know what helps? Having someone to answer the phone! Oh- I need to call between only certain hours…well that makes sense. And I need to talk to only one person. And I have to have my papers. Let’s review- I’m trying to give you my money…all you need to do is to accept it. This, apparently, is too much. So this leaves Turf Valley resort (which caters to guests staying there), and the nearby Waverly Woods (sister course of Blue Mash) that seem to get it.
-There’s no way that I’m the only solo golfer out there. It would be nice to not be treated like I’m from a leper colony. Just saying. As much as it pains me, I can go to that larger county west of here, and be treated like an actual human being with courses that are either in good shape or are being renovated (Rattlewood is converting to Bermuda Grass; and on their website they have several notices about it- good on them for taking the short term hit for a long term gain). This isn’t rocket science.

Older posts Newer posts