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Where SGIC Plays Santa for the Local Golf Scene

Dozens demanded it, so on this day of celebrating Festivus, I dress up like Santa and hand out some gifts to the local golf scene. I spent ~~hours~~ wait…a good ten minutes checking my list to see who’s naughty and nice.

SGIC as Santa doing research

To Falls Road GC, it’s a pace of play guide! In fact, a whole box of them! Give ’em to your marshals and anyone playing on weekends! Need more? Just ask Santa!

To Golfdom, it’s a lease option on a store in Maryland! A chance to expand the empire into Maryland, and a chance for Maryland golfers to shop somewhere that isn’t a chain!

To Golf Galaxy you’re getting a chance to sell big and tall sizes and wide width shoes! If you want to stay relevant, try stocking wide width (since it seems like these go pretty quickly). I’d love to actually try shoes on (and buy them) but when you don’t have my size in stock (and online isn’t much better) you’re practically begging people to go elsewhere.

To Hobbit’s Glen, Santa is giving you online tee times for all CA members! Bask in the glory of not having the same group of people take every weekend morning tee time! And for your pro shop staff, a big giant ball of friendliness! The people on the other end of the line are trying to give you money. They’re not bothering you. They’re why you exist.

To Waverly Woods, Santa is going pull the giant stick out of your butt for you! If you want to become a private club then by all means have at it. Otherwise, embrace the masses, especially if they’re trying to give you money.

For Sligo Creek and Old Gunpowder, Santa got you each a 2-year lease to continue to operate. Keep embracing and welcoming new golfers.

For Cross Creek, Santa is getting you an email spam filter because you’re sending Santa five emails a week. Let’s improve conditions a bit and see how that helps (however, I completely feel for you in losing your signature hole to the ICC).

For Timbers at Troy, Santa is going to give you a do-over. You can’t possibly be this poorly run and in that bad of shape two years running. Santa wants you to do well, and so do a lot of local golfers. So let’s pull it together.

For Redgate, Santa is getting you a chain saw to cut down all the damn trees on the 16th tee area so you can have actual grass in the tee boxes, and not hardpan dirt. And while we’re at it a couple sticks of C4 to blow the entire damn hole up and start over. And because Santa likes you a lot, he’s also getting you green grass tees for the range!

For Golfstyles Magazine Santa sends you good karma for your 2015 Solstice Survival series which benefits a very worthy charity and is a must-do for any local golfer who’s partially insane. But $20 for a coffee table book of bad writing so I can get your magazine for free? No thanks.

For the LPGA Tour Santa is begging you to bring an event to the DC/MD/VA area in 2015. Please.

Lastly, a holiday wish from Santa’s buddy Denis Leary (NSFW lyrics)

Happy Holidays everyone.

It’s SGIC version 2.0

December 19, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

100% better than before

Look who’s all grown up…why that’s me! Thanks to some help from my crack research team, the site looks a bit different now. What’s that word? Oh yeah…more professional looking. Using what are called “tools” and “diagnostics” and fancy stuff like that, hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Bloge Salming is a sometimes-contributor with SGIC favorite Sean McIndoe, otherwise known as Down Goes Brown (by the way, if you like hockey and have a sense of humour his book makes a great holiday gift- even if you hate hockey and can’t read, the book makes a fantastic paperweight). His Brett Favre holiday video is still the stuff of genius…it may be a couple years old but it still makes me laugh (and that NHL.com uses this same music for their holiday commercial is a gift that keeps on giving); it’s not really the festive season until I hear this delightful missive.

Happy holidays. My second annual SGIC plays Santa is coming soon- just in time for Christmas!

The 2014 SGIC Awards

November 29, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

After careful consideration and a long and deliberative process (at least 15 minutes and a couple double scotches), I’m pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Single Golfer In Cart Awards (SGIC) and general Airing of Grievances for Excellence in Whatever I Damn Well Deem Appropriate. Since the Grill Room at Fairway Hills was busy (someone put brochures on the one table), I held the awards at the House of SGIC. It was a black tshirt affair. The awards are only for local area golf courses. Below are the other members of the voting committee.

Molson and Kona. You guys rock.

Behold, our award winners:

The Refusal To Die Award: Shared among Old Gunpowder and Sligo Creek Golf Courses. These courses continue to exist despite their deaths the stuff of constant speculation. Both courses offer new golfers and the thriftier set options to enjoy the game.

The First Thing We’ll Do is Kill Pace of Play Award: To Falls Road GC and any other course that throws dozens of groups on the back nine on weekend mornings, resulting in play grinding to a halt. At one point there were 7 groups on 2 holes (at 9:15 a.m.). And you wonder why rounds take 5 plus hours?

The Why Are You Even Trying Pro Shop Award: Fairway Hills…where you can get a hot dog, a soda and a dozen Top-Flites in one stop. All in a room the size of a prison cell.

The Excellence In Conditioning Award: Northwest Park. While their green fees have gone up over the last couple years, you’re paying for top-notch fairways and greens. Proof that people will pay for quality.

The Excellence in Customer Service Award: Northwest Park, who phoned me and left a voicemail after a heavy storm in May to explain that the back 9 was closed and we’d be playing the front nine and the “inside 9” during our round.

The I can Has Technology Award: To courses who refuse to let people know their aeration schedule. This is not difficult. It should be on your course’s website and anyone booking over the phone should be advised, and a sign in the pro shop should be visible.

The I can Has Technology Award Runner Up: Courses who can’t be bothered to tell people they’re open after a horrible winter. See Timbers at Troy and pretty much anything in Howard County.

The Excellence in Lying Out Their Ass Citation: Columbia Association’s never-ending tv ads touting their two courses. One’s a complete shit show in terms of conditioning that has their own “club” that gets all the early-morning weekend tee times (Hobbit’s Glen) and the other one has at least two holes I’d like to fire into the sun (Fairway Hills).

Best Retailer: Golf Galaxy (by default). Mammoth Golf is but a memory, and Dick’s Sporting Goods (yes- same parent company) is a loud thunderdome populated by teenage jockbros. I’ve had two club fitting experiences at Golf Galaxy and both were pretty good. Plus, Dick’s got rid of all of their PGA Professionals so now you’re dealing with someone who might have been selling camping gear the day before. If Golfdom (see below) opened a Maryland store and started carrying big and tall sizes this could change.

Worst Retailer: Pretty much everyone in the area, because there’s no retail golf stores that sell big and tall sizes. I’d like to support a locally run golf retailer; other than Olney Golf Park (selection is very much meh) there’s not one that exists other than either your “green grass” retailers (at courses) or a big chain. Yes- I’m aware of Golfdom in Virginia, but that’s an hour-plus drive for me.

Best Online Retailer: TGW. They carry big and tall sizes, and their reviews are from verified purchases. If they’d stop emailing me every goddamn day that would be nice, but in the main I can’t complain.

Worst Online Retailer: Too many to mention.

The Oblivious Award: To the two jackasses I played with at Laytonsville back in April who spent half their day on their cell phones or taking 3-4 practice swings on every shot. Either pick up the pace and take on practice swing or take up tennis. Hopefully my golf didn’t get in the way of you talking on the phone.

Best overall Experience Award: Despite rain, my round at Whiskey Creek was, for the most part, what I was hoping for. The course was in good shape, pace of play was good, and the staff was uniformly fantastic. I enjoyed Worthington Manor as well, but I’d have to shade it to Whiskey Creek.

Worst overall Experience: Laytonsville. It’s hard to believe that the same parent company that runs Northwest has this clunker, but it’s true. The marshal giving me the gears over pace of play (and not my playing partners), conditions that were lousy at best, and a round that took way too long? No thanks.

Places I’m in no rush to re-visit: Tied between Timbers at Troy (a complete shit show- I had one visit there to renew my handicap and it was a 45-minute ordeal) and Waverly Woods (the public track that thinks it’s a private course replete with the attitude). Their collective policy towards single golfers is the equivalent of an extended middle finger. I can be treatedly warmly by Worthington Manor and Whiskey Creek (and countless other tracks), and I will spend my dollars accordingly. My experience at Waverly Woods from 3 years ago was not exactly welcoming. A great layout and conditions are nice, but treating people like you’re doing them a favour in letting them play is not how you build a business.

Best new purchase: The Titleist AP1 irons I bought this past February have been a welcome addition in the bag.

Worst new purchase: The Titleist Golf Bag I bought. I love everything about it except for one thing- THE STRAP IN IN THE BACK OF THE BAG WHICH MAKES CARRYING IT A NIGHTMARE. A suggestion- put buckles in both sides so that the main strap can get moved. Otherwise…it’s a great bag.

The Why is This a Thing Award: Courses that feel the need to have US Open level rough. It kills pace of play when you’re spending forever looking for a lost ball. Cut the damn rough.

Holes that need to be blown up: Tie between Redgate #16 and Hampshire Greens #2. Two holes that are set up to destroy pace of play. Stop with the “signature hole” bullshit. Redgate punishes a fantastic drive and encourages a layup to a brutal third shot. Hampshire Greens #2 starts innocently enough but makes the second shot brutally hard with invisible hazards. This doesn’t challenge the average player- it punishes them. Even having red or yellow stakes that are visible would help you see where you can and can’t go.

Hard hole that does what it should: Falls Road #12. Straight shot that favors the right side to an uphill green. Anything left is dead. I’ve never scored well on it, but it’s fairly simple and doesn’t try to trick the player.

In Memoriam (cue the sad music): Montgomery Village Country Club, my old Ping G2 irons, the Dick’s Sporting Goods PGA Professionals, the LPGA International Crown at Caves Valley (moved out for 2015 and probably won’t return to the area), and any professional Golf (PGA Tour, Web.com, LPGA) in Maryland in 2015.

Revealed – The Post Ryder Cup Task Force Meeting

October 24, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

Once again, Sean McIdoe who runs the beyond-fantastic hockey website downgoesbrown.com and has written a fantastic book and if that’s not enough is a frequent contributor to Grantland has generously loaned his infamous “spies” to me as I try to uncover what happened at the super-secret PGA of America Task Force meeting.

Seriously, Sean’s a great writer and his book is hilarious. Buy his book. Hell, buy several copies.

Okay, enough plugging. Below are the meeting minutes. Present were PGA of America President Ted Bishop, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Rickie Fowler and Tom Watson.

Ted Bishop (PGA of America President): Thanks, everyone for taking time out of their day to join me here in Orlando as we try to figure out how we can improve the US Ryder Cup team. We’ve lost 8 of the last 10 Ryder Cups, and frankly they’ve outplayed us. So I want to hear your ideas on what we can do so we can start winning again. Because if there’s one thing that golf fans agree on it’s middle-aged white guys chanting “USA” never gets old. It’s almost as great as the guys who yell “Baba Booey” or “GET IN THE HOLE MASHED POTATOES.” So who wants to start? Remember, you’re here to come up with ideas on how we can regain the Ryder Cup in 2016.

Arnold Palmer: Well if you idiots would stop listening to Jack, we’d be playing the Brits and the Irish and not the whole continent. But…no…you had to go invite the whole damn continent. And wow…thanks for letting me hear that “Ole Ole Ole” song. Every time I hear it I want to go drink gasoline.

Dan Jenkins: Can I make a comment about Sergio Garcia that’s mildly offensive or should I just talk about TCU football? Can I polish Ben Hogan’s statue a bit? Should I be using the Twitter and talk about Tiger and pool parties? People like that stuff. Or should I just mention “try putting better” like I did back in August.

Tiger Woods: TCU old man? That choke job last week at Baylor was worse that the 2012 choke we had at Medinah, amirite? You need Stanford guys running things like…what’s that old guy…?

(Jenkins whispering in Woods’ ear to remind him that Tom Watson went to Stanford)

Tiger: Well never mind then.

Watson: Thanks, pal.

Rickie Fowler: Go OSU Cowboys! I enjoy the Ryder Cup…it’s a great honor to represent my country. Now if you excuse me I’m getting on my motorcycle and do a couple wheelies in the parking lot.

Phil Mickelson: Well, the first problem is that we’re having this meeting in Orlando. Should I spend 20 minutes going over this power point presentation Bones and I made about why we should have it in Phoenix or San Diego? Should I mention I’ll have to leave between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to take Amy and my daughter to lunch at the Varsity in Atlanta? And if you look at the last five slides they’re art work made by my kids.

Jenkins: Seriously…do these guys know how to putt? Ben Hogan knew how to putt. So’d Lee Trevino. I need a drink.

Watson: Well, we practiced our putting for a couple hours…so there’s that.

Tiger: I know what you were missing…

Jenkins: Someone who can go 0-4 and not find the fairway with a map?

Jack Nicklaus: I can’t believe I haven’t spoken yet. I’d like to talk about this one time I played with Arnie back in 1971. We were both hungover as skunks and we teed off. Arnie hit a baby draw that ended up in the rough. I was in the fairway about 175 yards from the pin, and I hit a little fade with a 6-iron …Angelo thought it was a 7-iron but I knew that with the wind that it would be a six; so then Arnie hits this beautiful 4-wood from the rough to about 10 feet..he caught it a bit heavy but he got a good roll on it…

Palmer: Holy shit Jack…can’t you go design a golf course somewhere or go spend time with your grandkids? I’m old and going to die soon and honestly you talking about golf shots is nowhere near what I want to be hearing about when I go. You know what would hit the spot right now? An iced tea/lemonade combo. I’ve got a great name for it. Anway, so there were these two cheerleaders when I played at Wake Forest…wow. So the one’s a redhead and tells me about this trick she had involving ping pong balls…

Tiger: Go on…did she work at Perkins?

Jenkins: Are we doing Tiger dating Perkins waitress jokes? Because I have a few.

Phil: Sophia did a research project about the effective curve of Perkins waitress jokes. Can I show her analysis?

Group: NO!

Bishop: NO. What do you guys think would help our players play better in Tournaments?

Fowler: Our captains have always tried their hardest. Can’t we just say that anyone who lives in the Orlando area is automatically ineligible to play for Europe? That would mean McDowell and Poulter couldn’t play…that would help, right? What about if we had more captain’s picks.

Watson: More captain’s picks would be helpful. I mean, how’d I get stuck with Webb Simpson? He’s a nice kid but how’d he qualify?

Bishop: Someone kill me…please.

Jenkins: Putting. Instead of staring at the green for two minutes, how about hit the damn ball so it goes in the hole? The Euros seem to have this figured out. What would help if these guys could…oh I don’t know, maybe make a putt every now and then. And have a personality. Most of you goobers are as exciting as a roll of paper towels.

Tiger: Military style training. I run 8 miles a day in army boots. Okay, so I couldn’t find the fairway with a map, but I’m in the greatest shape of my life (he rips off shirt and begins doing bodybuilder poses).

Jenkins: Tiger, watching you try to hit a driver is like watching me not make borderline racially inappropriate jokes about Sergio Garcia every time he pisses away a tournament. Is for me, Sergio! And now your putting has gone bad as well. Insert thing about how Ben Hogan would dominate you.

Tiger: If you mention Ben Hogan two more times I get a free car wash.

Bishop: None of this is helping.

Palmer: These guys don’t care anymore. They’re happy with their free courtesy cars and private planes. Make ’em fly commercial and take a bus.

Mickelson: Remind me who started this whole private plane shit. Hint- his name is Arnold Palmer.

Nicklaus: You tell ’em…which reminds me about the 1972 US Open…

Tiger: Oh shit…you’re going to summon it from the depths of Napa.

(Door opens and Johnny Miller walks in)

Miller: Did someone mention the 1973 US Open? I shot a 63 there and won.

Bishop: You’re a year off…Seriously? We’re talking about the Ryder Cup and you silly bastards go get Johnny Oakmont? Do any of you actually have an attention span?

Miller: Seriously…am I the only one awed by that 63? I can go through it hole by hole if you like.

Tiger: If you do I’m putting a gun in my mouth.

Mickelson: Whatever, did I mention Amy made me a cake for my birthday? It was awesome. Anyway, Pelz and I have put together this 500-page report on how we can putt better. If only I had done this before the PGA Championship this year.

Jenkins: Holy shit Phil…watching you miss that inevitable 8-footer is like watching TCU sorority girls stumble around drunk. It stopped being funny a while ago and now it’s just pathetic.

Tiger: Can’t you just make golf commercials Phil? You know Phil, you can grow that hair as long as you want but it won’t cover up that bald spot.

Phil: Whatever…anyway, Amanda and Sophia (opens wallet and pulls out photo) were talking with Amy, and we put together this 25-slide power point going over how they think that having a day of math and science and that Sophia would make a great captain.

Palmer: Why exactly am I here?

Bishop: To try to help us be better at the Ryder Cup and because people know your name. I mentioned Webb Simpson earlier nobody knows who he is…and he won a US Open? I mean, how hard could that be?

Mickelson: Eat shit and die.

Palmer: I’d suggest that they start to play practice rounds for real stakes…I mean shit that means something…not cash. So it was 1965 and I was out on the tiles with Dean Martin and Joey Bishop, and we had a couple drinks…

Jenkins: Go on…

Palmer: Thanks. So anyway, we meet up with these cocktail waitresses and I ask them if they want to play leaky submarine.

Bishop: Please NOBODY LOOK THAT UP ON URBAN DICTIONARY.

Jenkins: Have I mentioned become better putters yet?

Palmer: My point, Mr. Fun Police, is that these guys are about as exciting as a pair of socks. Oh, you clowns play ping pong? Unless you mean beer pong before hanging out with an entire sorority. Do you know what we used to do at Ryder Cups? Hint- get drunk and screw girls! Plus…they don’t care if they lose or not. It’s not like they’re going to suffer any consequences or lose money as a result.

Tiger: You know, Freddie Couples always does a great job at the Presidents Cup. He’s not a hard-ass and let’s face it, beating the International side isn’t exactly difficult. And Freddie pretty much lets me do whatever…

Jenkins: So lose a lot then…

Fowler: I like Freddie as well. He listens to our ideas and he offered me several great suggestions.

Phil: When I suggested to Freddie that he pair me and Keegan together he thought that was a great idea.

Nicklaus: Freddie sure seems like a nice fella, but don’t forget about my Presidents Cup wins either.

Palmer: Hey Jack, can you mention those 18 majors? Pretty sure it’s been a day since you’ve done that.

Nicklaus: You’re not counting my US Amateur wins.

All: SHUT UP JACK!

Watson: So who’s our next captain?

Bishop: We need someone who will command the respect of the players and can inspire the team to victory. Someone who can unite players of different backgrounds towards a common goal. Someone who understands the global game of golf.

Miller: What about me? It’s not like I’m doing anything right now. Do you know what it’s like to hang out with Dan Hicks? My social life becomes the equivalent of that dog commercial with the Sarah McLachlan song. He spent 20 minutes talking about new socks.

All: NO!

Bishop: I’ve made my decision. After careful thought I’m pleased to introduce the 2016 US Ryder Cup Captain and Assistant Captains. We think that these men will give us the chance we need to get the cup back. Gents?

US captain Ian Poulter, and assistant captains Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose walk into the room. There are audible gasps and two members of the panel jump out of the building.

Bishop: I’d say we just gave ourselves a fantastic chance of winning.

Worthington Manor Course Review

September 1, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

Much like Whiskey Creek, when Worthington Manor golf course opened in 1998 I wasn’t in the market of playing upscale daily fee tracks. It looked good and certainly got its share of accolades. Golfstyles magazine has repeatedly given it accolades as has Golfweek magazine (full disclosure- I subscribe to both publications) in their “best you can play” rankings.

Since I’m trying to expand beyond the usual tracks I play at, I took another flyer of sorts on Worthington Manor to find out how good it really is. How good of a course is it, and despite the fact that it’s been used for US Open qualifying on several occasions, does this still translate to a course that regular players can play on?

On a chilly summer morning (which we’ve had quite a few of- no complaints as I’ll take having to wear a windshirt over searing heat and humidity every day of the year) I got in the golf wagon and headed west (it’s in Frederick but only about 10 minutes from Whiskey Creek- you could, I suppose, play both tracks in the same day if that sort of thing had appeal).

Check in at the pro shop was quick and friendly (and I have to say that for whatever reason, I’ve had great luck this year by not running into your Golf Police types in the pro shop). They asked if I’d like to donate for Patriot Golf Day (I’m happy to say I’ve donated every year I’ve played over Labor Day weekend…it’s a worthy cause and worth a couple bucks if you’re so inclined).

If nothing else, Worthingon Manor seeks to provide value. Range balls are included, and there’s a serviceable short game area in addition to a practice green. My only complaint on the day I played was that the range was open for mats only. If we hadn’t had the best summer (weather wise) I can remember I’d totally understand (i.e. drought, course was waterlogged, they’d had fungus issues, etc.) but the range was green and lush. A friendly starter paired me with another twosome (very friendly guys…if they played faster it would have been perfect) and we were off.

While most courses give you something of a handshake opener, Worthington Manor immediately tests you with a forced carry over a ravine to a fairway running 45 degrees to the left of the tee box. It’s just enough to get inside your head and make you think about trying to make a good shot. From the back tees it’s soil yourself time, but from the blue tees (where I played) it wasn’t that bad.

Worthingon Manor 1st hole

The second is similar to the first hole; a forced carry at an angle. While not a particularly long hole, a wayward shot will get punished. The third hole is one of their “signature” holes, a long par 4 that plays shorter than the number on the card due to an elevated tee box (the view, seen below, is really nice). A second shot brings a large tree and another ravine into play. One oddity of their course- no intermediate rough. Your ball is either in the fairway or in some fairly lush and think rough. I didn’t care for this since several of my drives were in the cabbage by a foot or two. I’ll be polite and simply say I didn’t like this.

Worthington Manor 3rd hole

Four straight par 4’s to start was a bit boring, if we’re being honest. The par 3’s on the front along with the 9th are the gems, in my opinion. The sixth hole is the first par 3; a carry over water and a long bunker to a well-protected green. The 8th is a longish, uphill par 3 to a plateau green. Number 9 is a great par 5; a true 3-shot hole (the third requires a carry over a ravine to an uphill green; the number on the card might make a bomber think about going for it in two, but the green is very well protected).

The back nine is fairly mundane; 10 is a short par 4 with a green protected by water (another short and/or right is getting wet). 14 is a short par 4 that long hitters might try to reach (the elevated tee makes it play short). The closing holes are the best of the bunch. 17 is a classic downhill, tree-lined par 3 to a tiny green well protected.

Worthington Manor 17th hole

All courses should have a home hole that gives you something to remember, and Worthington Manor doesn’t disappoint. A tee shot through a chute of trees to a fairly open fairway that splits for the second shot, all leading to a well protected green (left is dead, right is heavily bunkered, and long is dead as well). I’d like to say my finish brought honor to my round, but I took a pedestrian bogey at the 17th and was lucky to save par at the 18th.

Worthington Manor 18th hole

There’s a bar and grill if an on-course 19th hole is your thing (I played early so they weren’t open); they have a pro shop that, while small, had a decent if not great selection of balls, hats, tees, and a couple racks of shirts and the like.

Course conditions were good; greens had clearly been punched but otherwise rolled fairly true and didn’t lack for speed. Fairways were in good shape, and the aforementioned rough was lush, thick, and deep (again, not having an intermediate rough or collar didn’t get me all giddy but the superintendent and his staff should be given credit for taking full advantage of favourable summer weather.

The course has four sets of tees- the blue tees measure just over 6500 yards on the card, which is my upper limit. The white tees were just over 6000 yards (the black tees are over 7000 yards and should be avoided unless you’re a scratch golfer). A set of forward (red) tees are just over 5200 yards and still offer plenty of challenge.

Comparing one course to another is, at best, subjective, however it’s worth noting that Worthington Manor’s prime weekend rate is more than $10 below that of Whiskey Creek (I played on a Friday and paid substantially less). Both courses are among the best that the state offers.

All in all, I had a great time. Would I go back? Yes. A friendly staff coupled with great conditions and a challenging layout puts it as an option for me to consider.

Going Sideways In Santa Barbara and Solvang

June 14, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

After two days in the searing heat of Paso Robles, our journey of the absurd took us approximately two hours south via US 101 into Santa Barbara; a trip that offers numerous ocean and mountain vistas. Santa Barbara is a coastal town right on the ocean. Unlike the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific tends to cool things down with prevailing onshore breezes.

Golf

Santa Barbara has a few options, but opting for a “taste of what you can’t get back home (always a preferred option when on the road)” I opted for the pricey yet scenic Sandpiper Golf Club, located just north of Santa Barbara (approximately 15-20 minutes north of downtown via car). Check-in was fairly perfunctory, but unlike most tracks, there’s no slip or bakery ticket to hand to the starter…the young man in the pro shop sent me on my way to an equally young starter who appeared to be young enough to be my offspring (if such a thing had happened). Range balls are included with your green fee (honestly when you’re paying $100 plus this should be automatic), and to their credit, the range was actual green grass, and not mats. So after a dozen or so swings to get the body warmed up (on a morning where the famous marine layer was in full effect), it was off to the first tee.

The course isn’t cheap, so saying Sandpiper is a value proposition would be a bit foolish, but much like in real estate, it’s all about location. An opening straight-forward par 5 offers a straight hitter a chance at a birdie; holes 2 and 3 are relatively benign. It’s not until 5 and 6 (4 and 5) that you start to sense where you’re at, when the Pacific Ocean vistas you’re paying for come into play.

5th hole @ Sandpiper

You’re started with an uphill par 5 that ends at the very edge of a cliff, followed by a short par 3 that punishes any leftward shots with a trip to a watery grave. Can’t imagine anyone who’d be dumb enough to hit a big ole hook into the Pacific Ocean. Surely you’d want to miss short or right…

Sandpiper #6. Note hazard left (closest point of relief is Catalina)

The back nine goes right into visual golf porn mode; the tenth is one of those holes where pulling out the camera is completely within reason; the ocean framing the short dogleg par 4.

From 10th Fairway @ Sandpiper

dogleg par 4 while 11 offers a downhill par 3 to a green that fronts the ocean.

Sandpiper #11. Avoid the guy sunbathing.

On a clear day (the day I played the marine layer was in full effect) you can see forever. A few more holes lead you to the finisher; a par 3 that requires a full carry over a lake.

18th hole @ Sandpiper. Over a lake.

There are other options; you could drive approximately 30-40 minutes up to Solvang/Buellton/Lompoc and play courses up there. While these tracks are lighter on your wallet, you won’t get the dramatic vistas on offer at Sandpiper. All in all I enjoyed my round (it definitely had a Torrey Pines feel to it in terms of design, layout, and the native flora) but would I put in on a must play list? Not so sure about that one. The clubhouse and pro shop aren’t exactly opulent, and other than the holes that front the ocean, there’s a lot of fairly boring holes of similar yardages. Did I have fun? Yes, but when I return to the area I’ll probably look for something in the Santa Ynez valley area just for a change of pace.

One minor quibble…they were punching greens the day I played. Their website had no notice of this. I am now convinced that there is a wild pack of crazy green-punchers who show up and punch greens at random courses. These people must be stopped.

Wine

Since SWIRIC enjoys the occasional tipple, the après golf activity of choice was wine tasting. If you like Pinot Noir, you’re in what is arguably the Pinot Noir capital of the US (people in the Williamette Valley part of Oregon might justifiably want a say on this but both regions are doing the good work). Options number in the hundreds. My list is by no means comprehensive nor definitive, but we hit Foxen (two different tasting rooms) and were met with incredibly fun and knowledgeable folks. After Foxen we hit Babcock, Melville, and Sanford. My wine palette pales in comparison to SWIRIC, but if you go, Sanford would be at the top of the list if you’re into Pinot Noir. If you’re really into the film ‘Sideways’ you can find an app that has all of the places in the area that they filmed at/were at (if you really want to nerd out Sanford was one of the locations).

One other pro tip- in Lompoc there’s a Wine Ghetto that’s only open on Sundays. We missed out, and while I made a stream of jokes about doing tastings of Mad Dog 20/20 and Thunderbird (why yes, the 2014 Thunderbird has delightful notes of high fructose corn syrup, urine, flop sweat, and just a hint of stale beer farts), it’s a real thing, and well worth your time.

Food

While no trip to Buellton would be complete with a trip to the Hitching Post II (the steaks are really good and the 2011 Highliner was a great wine once it opened up), there are other and less expensive options in Solvang (warning- the entire Solvang/Buellton area isn’t known for late nights so plan on making it an early night). The Solvang Brewing Company has good pub fare (and a selection of fine beers).

However, the real honest-to-god-if-you-ruin-this-place-I’ll-beat-you-with-a-bag-of-hammers culinary find was Los Agaves in Santa Barbara. Honestly I don’t know where to start. It’s casual. It’s packed. Parking can be a nightmare. You wait in line and order at a counter and grab a seat and they bring you your food. They have bottled beers if that’s your thing…plus fountain sodas. First, some tortilla chips, so go ahead and get a few samples of their many salsas (seriously they have about 8); SWIRIC was ready to steal whatever Salsa Aguacate (an avocado-based salsa) they had left, and that was before her shrimp and halibut enchiladas in chipotle cream pepper sauce (sounds funky but it’s oh-so-good). The shrimp tacos I had were easily the best tacos I’ve ever had (and let’s just say I’ve had a few). Topped with a mango salsa and cabbage slaw that normally I wouldn’t like…but this…oh, me likey. This place will never be on a concierge’s list of recommended hot spots, and the area isn’t exactly upscale. Their beer selection is the usual- Corona, Dos Equis, Carta Blanca, Tecate, etc. It’s just damn good Mexican food, done right. The crowd was about 98% locals, which is all you need to know. I may or may not have frightened the manager when I begged him to open an East Coast outpost.

All in all, Santa Barbara/Buellton/Solvang is a great place to visit if you like golf and wine. Just go easy on the tasting (one trick we found that worked was sharing a single tasting- we got to taste everything and no sobriety issues).

Paso Robles-Do Golf and Wine Mix?

June 7, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

Paso Robles-is it just about the wine or can golf and grape get along?

Being someone who understands that the key to life is compromise, it was in that vein that She Who Is Really In Charge (SWIRIC) suggested that we add a trip to Paso Robles during our annual vacation/family visit trip to California. SWIRIC is a fan of wine…on several fronts but mostly the enjoyment of a really good glass or two of wine.

Paso Robles is approximately two hours’ due north of Santa Barbara via US-101. The drive is a bit of everything; ocean views start the drive before an inland turn, followed by another quick hit of coastal views before heading further inland until coming upon this town. When I used to drive between San Francisco and Orange County, Paso Robles was a town on the way back to San Francisco…I’d never so much as stopped for gas.

We got in on a busy holiday Sunday evening; tired from a long day of travel and approximately four hours driving. The summer months mean one thing- heat and lots of it. After some aimless searching, we stopped for wine at Artisan, a great restaurant in their central business district (a 3-4 block area of shops and restaurants). It was over a couple glasses of wine that we began to relax.

Dinner was at Firestone Walker, a brew-pub amid hundreds of wineries. We both enjoyed pizzas that were outstanding; SWIRIC enjoyed the Portobello mushroom pie while I opted for the barbecue chicken pizza. Both were outstanding. We didn’t imbibe in any of their brews, but if wine’s not your thing, they have beer tasting tours as well.

If you go to Paso Robles and you like wine, then you’re in luck. There are hundreds of wineries in the area; several locals touted their area as “the new Napa” which might be a bit of a stretch, but while I’m not the wine lover in the family, my admittedly less-than-perfect taste buds know a good wine when they taste it.

This is a golf blog…with limited time I only played one of the two area courses- Hunter Ranch (considered the tougher and more upscale of the two). At just over 6700 yards from the tips and just under 6300 yards from the middle tees, I found the middle tees offered plenty of challenge. The starter in the pro shop was friendly, affable, and sent me on my way. I took a cart as is my style, but I saw a few people with pull carts so I reckon it’s walkable (having said that several holes have lengthy distances between them).

The course may not look that menacing on the scorecard, but the one characteristic that came true is that in order to score you have to not just be in the fairway but on the correct side/position. It’s not true target style golf, but is definitely in the vein of rewarding positioning and punishing wayward shots. Several holes abut into vineyards (on the front nine the third and fourth holes vineyards are in view but unlikely to come into play unless you get completely wild). Bermuda greens rolled very fast and true. Wayward shots are punished with hardpan dirt and scrub after a small area of rough (given the water issues that plague the area I suppose it’s understandable). Playing it a second time rather than a pedestrian Paso Robles Golf Club may be a bit heavier on the wallet but their refusal to allow a single golfer to make a tee time made it a non-starter. I suppose if you’re with a group or have a partner who plays you could play both tracks. One thing- the afternoons tend to get breezy so keep that in mind when making plans.

Two courses aren’t exactly becoming of it being a true golf destination, but you could do worse than playing Hunter Ranch. Both courses are close to most of the hotels in the area. Without knowing or caring about details I know water use is an ongoing area of controversy and it’s possible that this might be limiting future courses from coming in.

After my fairly quick morning 18 before it got too hot (temperature swings of 40-50 degrees are not uncommon so if you go, plan and dress accordingly), we set out for a day of wine-tasting. There are literally hundreds of wineries in the area so use my list for what it is- indicative of one day’s tasting while insisting on driving relatively sober and not wanting to break any traffic laws. We started at Hope Family Wines; we had enjoyed one of their wines the night before and wanted to get a better sampling. We were met by some really friendly folks and some very good wines (they were easily the friendliest group we ran into).

One surprise that we encountered was the quality of rose wines…I admit to associating rose wines with the giant 1.5 liter jugs of sugar-sweetened swill that people drank. The rose wines we drank were not sugary-sweet, but were blended wines that tasted like…well, adult wines that you’d serve at a summer cookout and not be ashamed to uncork.

Our next trip was to Zenaida where another group of friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff answered questions and were generous with their pours. A trip to Jada offered a tasty wine and cheese pairing tasting; while their wines were fine, it was their cheeses that were, in my opinion, the real treat.

Inspired by a rather interesting scene from the book “Vertical” (a very readable sequel to the book “Sideways” which was made into the seminal movie by the same name) that took place at Justin Winery, our day of wine took us to the palatial offerings of Justin. Their restaurant wasn’t open, however their staff pointed us in the direction of some charcuterie and cheese offerings. Their wines were more than worth the drive; the Savant (a blended wine mainly of petite syrah) and the Isoscoles (another blend) are the pick of a very good group of offerings.

After a stop for a late lunch, we headed to Tobin James; a cacophonous building selling Tommy Bahama shirts amid a crowd that looked like they belonged at Margaritaville; I half expected to see Jimmy Buffett break out into song or at least a guzzling of the spit bucket take place. I’ll admit to being put off by a large number of children- my deal has always been that I’ll stay out of Chuck E. Cheese and the kids leave places like wineries to me. It was a bit much, but if that sort of thing is to your liking, then have at it. Maybe Tobin James is a good starting point; by the end of the day when fatigue sets in you’re just not prepared for TGI McWinery.

All in all, SWIRIC and your humble blogger had a great time in Paso Robles.

Emptying the bag out

May 25, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

On a day that might be as perfect as you’ll ever hope for to go play (seriously- go play…this will be here when you get back), I’m inside emptying out my bag with all kinds of stuff.

Went to go renew my handicap today at (club name redacted for my own sanity)…a 20-minute slog of patiently and quietly watching someone try to figure out how to collect money so I can post the horror show of scores I have to put in and have some half-wit call me a sandbagger (not really the case- I tend to play really well when I’m playing at a fast pace but when it’s a 5-hour slog my game goes to pot). I don’t know how the MSGA works with clubs on handicaps, but a way to renew online would be totes awesome.

My first two interviews are almost done. They’ll be posted in early June. I hope they’re informative.

If you haven’t heard, the LPGA is returning to Maryland in July (the old LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock is no more, having been moved out) with the LPGA International Crown which is a 2-person international team event at Caves Valley. I wish the tournament a ton of success and weather similar to today.

The former AT&T National has been re-named the Quicken Loans National. Next year (2015) it moves to RTJ in Manassas, VA. So there’s that. RTJ has been used on three occasions to host the President’s Cup.

Right back where we started

May 10, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

It’s been a while, and between work and everything else that goes on, the migration out of the old blog into the new site is done.

So let’s talk about slow play. Really. No, put the baseball bat down. It won’t help.

I started my year with two of the slowest rounds I can remember, and for no good reason. If you decide to play early, you’re committing to playing fast. Seriously. This means YOU.

I had the misfortune of playing a round at Laytonsville last month, where we were paired with your classic “well if Tiger does it then it must be great” rubes. Million dollar wardrobes, Air Jordan golf shoes, top of the line equipment and these two clowns would have made Kevin Na scream “while we’re young!” Playing early we got around in a tidy 4 hours and 40 minutes. On a course that isn’t exactly on anyone’s toughest in the region list.

The list of particulars is an all-too-familiar refrain. One of these two took 2 minutes 10 seconds to hit a putt. 20 seconds is more than sufficient. But he had to walk every square centimeter of the green, and then proceed to hit the putt short and leave it on the amateur side (on greens that were punched). They both were taking 3-5 practice swings on every shot. I have to say that the marshal/ranger was of little help- when we got rightly confronted I explained what was going on…and he proceeded to ignore them.

So, for those of you new to the game, a few tips on how to speed things up-

1) Ready golf on the tee if you’re all hitting from the same set of tees. This also means taking one practice swing. One. Not two. Not three. If you do the Sergio Garcia “waggle the club 10 times” bit…just stop. It’s one practice swing. That’s it.

2) You do not “need to see all of it”…courses are doing a better job of listing handicap index recommendations by set of tees. Take their advice. Seriously. You’re not going to be castrated if you move up to the middle set of tees. You might find that you’re hitting shorter irons to the green…when you’re bragging to your buddies about making 3 birdies in a round, do you think they’ll mock the fact that you played from the middle set of tees (hint- they’ll be jealous). When you make a birdie, does the fact that you didn’t play from the tips cheapen it? NO! You still had to drain the putt.

3) Continuous putting. The Ohio Golf Association did a study that says you can chop 20 minutes off rounds by doing this. Try it. If you’re playing an official match you can’t do this (under match play rules) but how often does that happen?

4) In a casual round, if you spend more than 2 minutes looking for a ball then wear a sandwich board that says “I’m the reason your round takes forever.” One stroke penalty and drop one. Hint- stop using ProV1’s. Oh, and if you have one of those ball retriever doo-hickeys and it gets used more than once in a round? You also get the sandwich board.

5) Know your yardages (meaning how far you hit clubs). Easy hint told to me by a club pro. Go hit your 5-iron at the range until you know how far you hit it. Subtract 10 yards for the 6, add 10 for the 4. So if you hit your 5-iron 170 yards, you probably hit your 6-iron 160. Will you occasionally nuke one? Sure.

6) Figure 10 yards of distance gained/lost for 10mph of wind.

7) If you use a DMD (distance measuring device), use it while someone else is hitting. If it takes you more than 20-30 seconds to get a number, go find one that works faster. The one I use measures distance to the pin. Takes 10-15 seconds. I will, if asked, measure distance and give it to the other players in the group (i.e. “it’s 157 yards to the pin”) and go about my business (and distance is NOT considered giving advice per the rules of golf).

8) Put your mobile phone away. If you must, take a peek to make sure there are no emergencies as you’re waiting to tee off (so let others go first). Updating facebook/twitter or making calls in earshot of other golfers? Unless you’re dealing with an actual emergency, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT. IF YOU WERE (AND YOU’RE NOT) YOU WOULDN’T BE ON A MUNI COURSE ON A SATURDAY MORNING.

9) Have an extra ball in your pocket. Ideally it would be different number or have a different marking than the one you’re using. Also, keep a few tees, a divot tool (and for the love of God and all that’s holy learn how to use one), and a ball marker in your pocket (hint- do this BEFORE you tee off so you aren’t scurrying about looking for a peg).

10) The goal is to keep up with the group in front of you. Are you more than a hole behind them and the people behind you are on your ass the whole time? We have seen the slow players, and you’re it.

How hard can this really be?

March 8, 2014 / currin29 / 0 Comments

So with today being quite nice, and Monday and Tuesday of this week expected to be nice as well, it’s not unreasonable to ponder sneaking out of work early to go play golf (I mean, the clocks go forward Saturday night- it’s like they’re doing this on purpose or something).

And yet, here in Howard County, you’d think that our courses would want to let folks know what’s going on. You would think that.

My goal was to send out a blog on what courses are and aren’t open, and hopefully see signs of excitement after this really cold and snowy winter we’ve had. Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way.

Timbers at Troy and Waverly Woods “should” be open. I say should, because their attempt at communication is poor at best. Timbers at Troy has a Twitter account, which is nice (except that it hasn’t been updated in 2 years). Waverly Woods is worse- no tweets since 2011! Their websites have nothing on them that say “we’re open” or “we’re opening on ‘X’ date.” So they might be. Maybe. Or not. Unless they are.

Waverly Woods does, however, have a Tumblr page from their Superintendent that was updated on 2/24/14 but makes no proclamation of “hey everyone we’re open!”

Timbers at Troy? No clue. Their website has great photography, but nothing about being open (it does have a calendar with all of their outings and league dates).

I hate to keep hitting them with this stick, but compare that to Montgomery County Golf. They sent out tweets TODAY for every course (most of them along the lines of “open and cart path only” or “open and walking only”), and not only that, but they have a PUBLISHED aeration schedule! You can see when they’re going to aerate what courses.

Columbia Association? Nothing about golf in the last month.

Turf Valley? Nothing about golf this year.

At January’s PGA Merchandise Show, there was no amount of bleating about trying to grow the game. It’s not easy, it’s not cheap, and it takes several hours to play an 18-hole round. One good thing to do is to reach young people, and that would be via social media (seriously- it takes about 30 seconds to send out a tweet). Updating your website might be good, but I can understand that this can take time. Twitter is easy. Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram are also easy. This is where young people (and Gen-X’ers like myself) go for info. Yes, your website is important, but sending out a Tweet is cheap, easy, and is a great way to reach people.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go ask my magic 8-ball if our local courses are open.

Tag: Golf (page 10 of 11)

Where SGIC Plays Santa for the Local Golf Scene

It’s SGIC version 2.0

The 2014 SGIC Awards

Revealed – The Post Ryder Cup Task Force Meeting

Worthington Manor Course Review

Going Sideways In Santa Barbara and Solvang

Paso Robles-Do Golf and Wine Mix?

Emptying the bag out

Right back where we started

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