The Waste Management Phoenix Open is underway this week. The tournament draws close to 500,000 spectators, which is about five times more than the weekly average attendance for PGA tournaments! It is truly "the greatest show on grass". The par-3 16th hole is known as the most raucous hole on the PGA Tour and it is substantially more tame now than 10 years ago. Since 1987, the tournament has been played at the TPC of Scottsdale Stadium Course, which was specifically designed for spectator golf with large mounding and great site lines. But the best views are not within the ropes. All of the beautiful people in Scottsdale come out for the golf tournament, although many come at the end of the day or after the golf to go to the Bird's Nest, the after-hours bar and music venue set up for the golf tournament. The charitable organization, the Thunderbirds, run the golf tournament like a well-oiled machine. The Phoenix Open makes more money for charity that any other PGA tour event.
The golf course is pretty easy for the pros. The winning score is usually 16 to 20 under par. The par-5 holes are all reachable in two shots and there is one par-4 that is reachable from the tee box. Phil Mickelson drove the green on Thursday with a three-wood. But the crown jewel of the course is the 160 yard par-3 16th hole. The players enter through an underpass between the grandstands and as each player comes into view the fans break out into the golfer's college fight song or other parody song and the noise does not always die down on the tee box. If a golfer misses the green there is a lot of good-natured booing. When the tournament moved to Scottsdale in 1987, the college students sat on the hills surrounding the 16th hole and drank beer and sang fight songs. Over the years, the Thunderbirds took advantage of the reputation of the 16th hole and started building stands for VIPs. The apex of the hysteria on the 16th hole was Tiger Woods' hole-in-one in 1997. The thunderous noise of the crowd was heard for miles. Now, the 16th hole is completely enclosed in a bowl with VIP skyboxes surrounding the tee box and green and stands along both sides of the short fairway. I am not sure that is progress, but all of the money raised on the 16th hole (and elsewhere) goes to local charities.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
An Ugly 88!
This weekend I played golf with one of my former law partners, his 12-year old son and one of his golfing buddies. He arranged the game at the Links Course at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club. I woke up at about 5 a.m. to pouring rain and dark skies. By 8:30 a.m. the rain had stopped but it was overcast and ominous. Normally, I would have called and canceled but since we booked the tee time through golfnow.com you get charged full price if you do not show up. When I paid for the round at the golf shop I asked about the rain check policy and was told that after 6 holes there was no refund and no rain check. This is the typical attitude at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Course (please note that the Arizona Biltmore Resort is not affiliated with the golf course and the resort understands the meaning of customer service). The Arizona Biltmore Golf Course is very well located in central Phoenix but the courses are not first class, the rack rate price is exorbitant and the customer service as noted above is terrible. Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, back to golf.
We played the Links Course, which is more interesting than the Adobe Course, but it is very short at 6,300 yards from the so-called "Championship" tees. I was out-of-sorts for the first seven holes because it was cold and raining on and off. I am spoiled living in Arizona. If the weather is not perfect, you just play the next day. At the beginning of the round I was not getting through the ball and hit two miserable drives out-of-bounds right. Starting on the 8th hole I played very well. I had five pars and only one double bogey when I hooked a nine iron into the water after a great drive. I shot a 45 on the front and a 43 on the back for an 88. The 15th hole is the signature hole on the golf course. It is a 190-yard par 3 that plays about 175 yards because of the elevation. From the elevated tee box you look down to the green and across to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Squaw Peak (the politically correct name is Piestawa Peak, but why be politically correct). I hit a 4-hybrid pin high about 15 feet right of the flag stick and made an easy two-putt par. Our youngster played this hole from the championship tees and hit his 3-wood to about 5 feet, but just missed the birdie putt (at least he did not leave it short). His dad should have taken a picture of that shot for the scrap book.
On Saturday I had a short game golf lesson from Will at the PGA Golf Superstore. We worked on the sand shots, pitching and chipping. I need to keep my lower body and wrists "quiet" on all short game shots, which means using less leg motion (keeping my right foot on the ground) and not rolling my wrists. He also suggested that I consider using my L wedge on some chips and pitch shots because of the additional loft to help with the chili dips and skulls. I started following Will's advice after skulling 3 or 4 chips with my pitching wedge on the first 7 holes and I had 4 or 5 nice chips and pitch shots using the L wedge. I also opened my stance on my putts, which helped me to hit the putt on the intended line and I made a couple of 8-10 foot putts. I only hit into one greenside bunker and the sand was so wet that I thought I would break my wrist getting out of the bunker. I got out and onto the green but it was not pretty. I am not a good enough golfer to complain about an 88 on any golf course, but I left a lot of strokes on the course because my head was not in the game.
We played the Links Course, which is more interesting than the Adobe Course, but it is very short at 6,300 yards from the so-called "Championship" tees. I was out-of-sorts for the first seven holes because it was cold and raining on and off. I am spoiled living in Arizona. If the weather is not perfect, you just play the next day. At the beginning of the round I was not getting through the ball and hit two miserable drives out-of-bounds right. Starting on the 8th hole I played very well. I had five pars and only one double bogey when I hooked a nine iron into the water after a great drive. I shot a 45 on the front and a 43 on the back for an 88. The 15th hole is the signature hole on the golf course. It is a 190-yard par 3 that plays about 175 yards because of the elevation. From the elevated tee box you look down to the green and across to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Squaw Peak (the politically correct name is Piestawa Peak, but why be politically correct). I hit a 4-hybrid pin high about 15 feet right of the flag stick and made an easy two-putt par. Our youngster played this hole from the championship tees and hit his 3-wood to about 5 feet, but just missed the birdie putt (at least he did not leave it short). His dad should have taken a picture of that shot for the scrap book.
On Saturday I had a short game golf lesson from Will at the PGA Golf Superstore. We worked on the sand shots, pitching and chipping. I need to keep my lower body and wrists "quiet" on all short game shots, which means using less leg motion (keeping my right foot on the ground) and not rolling my wrists. He also suggested that I consider using my L wedge on some chips and pitch shots because of the additional loft to help with the chili dips and skulls. I started following Will's advice after skulling 3 or 4 chips with my pitching wedge on the first 7 holes and I had 4 or 5 nice chips and pitch shots using the L wedge. I also opened my stance on my putts, which helped me to hit the putt on the intended line and I made a couple of 8-10 foot putts. I only hit into one greenside bunker and the sand was so wet that I thought I would break my wrist getting out of the bunker. I got out and onto the green but it was not pretty. I am not a good enough golfer to complain about an 88 on any golf course, but I left a lot of strokes on the course because my head was not in the game.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Tiger Woods' Non-Press Conference
As hard as I may try it is impossible to ignore the Tiger Woods non-press conference. My followers are clamoring for my insightful comments.
First of all, congratulations to Elin Nordegren Woods for not attending the press conference. I am sure that the Woods camp tried to pressure her to attend. It is sad to see the "deer in the headlights" faithful spouse at the philandering husband's press conference, e.g., Silda and Eliot Spitzer. Throughout this episode, Elin has graduated from the lowly au pair that Tiger Woods elevated to stardom to become a strong woman in her own right (rumor has that she knocked some of Tiger's teeth out and he flew to Phoenix for some oral surgery immediately after the car crash). It was also interesting that Tiger was not wearing his wedding ring.
Second, Although it was an empty gesture by the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), congratulations to the GWAA for having the backbone to tell the Woods camp that it would not accept the rules imposed on the non-press conference and would not provide the three pool reporters originally permitted by Woods (later Woods offered to permit six pool reporters). I do not know if we will ever know exactly how many people worldwide watched or listened to the non-press conference live, either on television, through streaming video or otherwise, but I have a feeling that the numbers were huge even though it was held on a weekday morning. Volume on the New York Stock Exchange dropped dramatically during the 15-minute speech as everyone on the floor of the exchange stopped to watch the television monitors.
Third, of course the speech and the pregnant pauses and the times when he looked directly into the camera were scripted by the Tiger team. So what! Tiger apologized to everyone (other than the mistresses who felt they deserved apologies); admitted that he was unfaithful, had affairs and cheated on his wife; accepted personal responsibility for his transgressions; exonerated his wife from any responsibility or domestic abuse; implicitly acknowledged Tom Watson's and others' comments about his on-course demeanor and lack of respect for the game; denied using performance-enhancing drugs; and told the media that he intended to continue to zealously guard his privacy. I thought his most telling comments were his admission that he thought he was "entitled" and did not have to live by the same rules as everyone else and he could get away with whatever he wanted. Now, let's see if his actions are consistent with his words.
Finally, Tiger said that he does intend to return to professional golf and he did not rule out returning sometime this year. He needs to come back sooner rather than later. I hope that he plays in the four majors this year beginning with the Masters in early April. The best way for Tiger to begin to rebuild his image and his marketing empire is to come back to the tour and win with grace and respect for the game and, if he and Elin reconcile, be a good husband, and in any case be a good father.
First of all, congratulations to Elin Nordegren Woods for not attending the press conference. I am sure that the Woods camp tried to pressure her to attend. It is sad to see the "deer in the headlights" faithful spouse at the philandering husband's press conference, e.g., Silda and Eliot Spitzer. Throughout this episode, Elin has graduated from the lowly au pair that Tiger Woods elevated to stardom to become a strong woman in her own right (rumor has that she knocked some of Tiger's teeth out and he flew to Phoenix for some oral surgery immediately after the car crash). It was also interesting that Tiger was not wearing his wedding ring.
Second, Although it was an empty gesture by the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), congratulations to the GWAA for having the backbone to tell the Woods camp that it would not accept the rules imposed on the non-press conference and would not provide the three pool reporters originally permitted by Woods (later Woods offered to permit six pool reporters). I do not know if we will ever know exactly how many people worldwide watched or listened to the non-press conference live, either on television, through streaming video or otherwise, but I have a feeling that the numbers were huge even though it was held on a weekday morning. Volume on the New York Stock Exchange dropped dramatically during the 15-minute speech as everyone on the floor of the exchange stopped to watch the television monitors.
Third, of course the speech and the pregnant pauses and the times when he looked directly into the camera were scripted by the Tiger team. So what! Tiger apologized to everyone (other than the mistresses who felt they deserved apologies); admitted that he was unfaithful, had affairs and cheated on his wife; accepted personal responsibility for his transgressions; exonerated his wife from any responsibility or domestic abuse; implicitly acknowledged Tom Watson's and others' comments about his on-course demeanor and lack of respect for the game; denied using performance-enhancing drugs; and told the media that he intended to continue to zealously guard his privacy. I thought his most telling comments were his admission that he thought he was "entitled" and did not have to live by the same rules as everyone else and he could get away with whatever he wanted. Now, let's see if his actions are consistent with his words.
Finally, Tiger said that he does intend to return to professional golf and he did not rule out returning sometime this year. He needs to come back sooner rather than later. I hope that he plays in the four majors this year beginning with the Masters in early April. The best way for Tiger to begin to rebuild his image and his marketing empire is to come back to the tour and win with grace and respect for the game and, if he and Elin reconcile, be a good husband, and in any case be a good father.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Accenture Match Play Championship
The Accenture Match Play Tournament started Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, northwest of Tucson. We are having Chamber of Commerce weather for the tournament with high temperatures in the mid-70s and clear blue skies with little wind. The golf course is a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that opened in January 2009. The course is 7,833 yards and the 3,000 foot elevation is not going to shorten it by much. There are eight par-4 holes over 450 yards and all of the par-5 holes are over 575 yards, but the three hardest holes are par-3s!
The first day of match play is one of the most exciting days in any tournament. There are 32 individual championships and the players are so evenly matched that the number 1 player probably beats the number 64 player 6 out of 10 times. Wednesday was one of those four times when the number 64 seed, Ross McGowan, beat the number 1 seed, Steve Stricker (by the end of the second day of the tournament the number one seed in each of the four brackets lost). The lower seeds won 12 of the 36 matches played on Wednesday. The downside with match play is that if you have one mediocre round or your opponent has one great round, you are out of the tournament. You do not have three other rounds to make up for one poor score.
By the end of the day Thursday, not only were the four number 1 seeds, Stricker, Kaymer, Westwood and Furyk, out of the tournament, but Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Geoff Ogilvy and Anthony Kim were also finished. For television purposes, the remaining big-names are Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Paul Casey (an ASU boy) and Camilio Villegas, all Europeans! Stewart Cink, Mr. Personality, is the highest ranking American remaining in the field. Tiger and Phil both chose to sit this one out.
Of course, tomorrow morning we will all be glued to the video feed of Tiger Woods' non-news conference that is being choreographed like a Martin Scorsese movie. He will be speaking from a script to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates. A hand-picked press pool will be invited. He will not be taking any questions. The London bookies are taking bets on the number of times he says "sorry", "family", "apologise" (the English spelling), and whether he will mention any of these words: "ashamed", "Nike", "car", "addiction", "demons", "retirement", "gambling" or "sex". It will be like a drinking game!
The first day of match play is one of the most exciting days in any tournament. There are 32 individual championships and the players are so evenly matched that the number 1 player probably beats the number 64 player 6 out of 10 times. Wednesday was one of those four times when the number 64 seed, Ross McGowan, beat the number 1 seed, Steve Stricker (by the end of the second day of the tournament the number one seed in each of the four brackets lost). The lower seeds won 12 of the 36 matches played on Wednesday. The downside with match play is that if you have one mediocre round or your opponent has one great round, you are out of the tournament. You do not have three other rounds to make up for one poor score.
By the end of the day Thursday, not only were the four number 1 seeds, Stricker, Kaymer, Westwood and Furyk, out of the tournament, but Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Geoff Ogilvy and Anthony Kim were also finished. For television purposes, the remaining big-names are Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Paul Casey (an ASU boy) and Camilio Villegas, all Europeans! Stewart Cink, Mr. Personality, is the highest ranking American remaining in the field. Tiger and Phil both chose to sit this one out.
Of course, tomorrow morning we will all be glued to the video feed of Tiger Woods' non-news conference that is being choreographed like a Martin Scorsese movie. He will be speaking from a script to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates. A hand-picked press pool will be invited. He will not be taking any questions. The London bookies are taking bets on the number of times he says "sorry", "family", "apologise" (the English spelling), and whether he will mention any of these words: "ashamed", "Nike", "car", "addiction", "demons", "retirement", "gambling" or "sex". It will be like a drinking game!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Lost Dutchman Marathon
Sunday was Valentine's Day so SO and I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and drove out to picturesque Apache Junction, Arizona. The fabled Lost Dutchman Mine is rumored to be located around Apache Junction. We were not heading to Apache Junction to pan for gold, but rather to walk in the 8K (4.98 mile) Lost Dutchman trail run/walk to benefit the Arizona Lost Boys Center. There was also a marathon, half marathon, 10K run and 2K fun run. Our time was 1:19:11, which is about 16 minutes per mile. Not bad for walking on a trail. At the beginning we picked out a group of four 80+ seniors that we wanted to beat and we were pretty confident until one of them began running and never looked back (to be honest she looked like she was in much better shape than me!). We blistered the remaining three super-seniors.
Two of our attorneys are very involved with the Arizona Lost Boys (and Girls) Center and the Fennemore Craig Foundation supports the Lost Boys activities. One of the Lost Boys works for the firm. Since the mid-1980s, there has been a terrible civil war in Sudan (in East Africa). Thousands of children fled into the jungle and began walking to Ethiopia. They stayed in refugee camps in Ethiopia. In 1991, they were forced to leave Ethiopia and they began another long walk—this time to a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. In 2001, the United States government resettled 4,000 of these, now, young men in America. 550 “Lost Boys” settled in Arizona and have made it their new home. The Arizona Lost Boys (and Girls) Center is a safe haven for Lost Boys to gather socially, learn important life skills, and receive assistance in many areas including education, employment, crisis intervention, and emotional health support. Many Lost Boys receive scholarships to attend technical schools, colleges, and universities in the Phoenix area.
In the afternoon I watched the end of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament. How can you not love golf after seeing Pebble Beach Golf Links in high definition! The 14th hole is a bear. It may be the hardest par-5 on the PGA Tour. It is not often that you see three tour professional make 9 on a hole within 45 minutes. Alex Prugh, Bryce Molder and Paul Goydos, the tournament leader at the time, each made quadruple bogeys on the hole. It was great to see David Duval on the leaderboard. When he was at the top of his game in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was not well-liked because of his dour demeanor, but after his golf game fell off the end of the earth for 9 years due to injuries, vertigo, etc. he is the comeback kid and although he still does not show much emotion on the course I was rooting for him. He has a beautiful golf swing and great putting stroke. He shot four rounds in the 60s and lost by one stroke to Dustin Johnson, who has now won this tournament back-to-back. The U.S. Open will be played at Pebble Beach this summer and although the golf course will be set up to U.S. Open difficulty standards, Dustin Johnson should have a lot of confidence.
Two of our attorneys are very involved with the Arizona Lost Boys (and Girls) Center and the Fennemore Craig Foundation supports the Lost Boys activities. One of the Lost Boys works for the firm. Since the mid-1980s, there has been a terrible civil war in Sudan (in East Africa). Thousands of children fled into the jungle and began walking to Ethiopia. They stayed in refugee camps in Ethiopia. In 1991, they were forced to leave Ethiopia and they began another long walk—this time to a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. In 2001, the United States government resettled 4,000 of these, now, young men in America. 550 “Lost Boys” settled in Arizona and have made it their new home. The Arizona Lost Boys (and Girls) Center is a safe haven for Lost Boys to gather socially, learn important life skills, and receive assistance in many areas including education, employment, crisis intervention, and emotional health support. Many Lost Boys receive scholarships to attend technical schools, colleges, and universities in the Phoenix area.
In the afternoon I watched the end of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament. How can you not love golf after seeing Pebble Beach Golf Links in high definition! The 14th hole is a bear. It may be the hardest par-5 on the PGA Tour. It is not often that you see three tour professional make 9 on a hole within 45 minutes. Alex Prugh, Bryce Molder and Paul Goydos, the tournament leader at the time, each made quadruple bogeys on the hole. It was great to see David Duval on the leaderboard. When he was at the top of his game in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was not well-liked because of his dour demeanor, but after his golf game fell off the end of the earth for 9 years due to injuries, vertigo, etc. he is the comeback kid and although he still does not show much emotion on the course I was rooting for him. He has a beautiful golf swing and great putting stroke. He shot four rounds in the 60s and lost by one stroke to Dustin Johnson, who has now won this tournament back-to-back. The U.S. Open will be played at Pebble Beach this summer and although the golf course will be set up to U.S. Open difficulty standards, Dustin Johnson should have a lot of confidence.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Stonecreek Golf Club - Nice Track, Great Location!
The weather was perfect today, low 70s with a wisp of wind. We played Stonecreek Golf Club, which is located in north central Phoenix at about 48th Street and Cactus Road. I have not played Stone Creek Golf Club for 15 years and it is much better than I remembered. The course meanders past the Anasazi Apartments, an Embassy Suites hotel and residential neighborhoods. One of my clients used to own the Anasazi Apartments. I played with Chad Feldheimer, another friend of mine and his son. My friend played amateur tournament golf as a young man but gave up golf and had not picked up a club for 18 months. He showed some glimpses of greatness and some rust, but you can tell if he wanted to play well again it would not take him long to get back into the groove. The course is a good walking course. Chad Feldheimer claims he has plantar fascitis so he rode the cart and carried my bag and I walked. It was the perfect way to play golf!
We played from the back tees, which are 6,871 yards with a course rating of 72.8 and a slope rating of 131. The tees were at the back of the tee boxes on most of the holes so the course was playing even longer. The par-3 holes were playing between 196 yards and 226 yards and are listed as the four easiest handicap holes! The fairways and most of the rough areas were overseeded with winter grass so the course is very green and lush, but the ball generally sits up in the rough. I am playing reasonably well, but I am having trouble piecing together a good front nine with a good back nine. I play well for one nine hole stretch but not the other and today was no different. I was striking the golf ball really well on the front 9. I had four pars and one disaster. On the par-3 196 yard 5th hole I hit a nice 3-hybrid that landed pin high right of the green in a deep bunker. I tried to blast out three times with no success and finally picked up for a triple bogey maximum 6! I still shot a 43 on the front 9, which could easily have been a 40.
I fell apart on the back nine and shot a 49 for a total score of 92. I lost two balls way right on my drives and hit two balls into the water for 4 penalty strokes. I had an 80 yard sand wedge shot to the par-5 548 yard 13th hole green that I skulled 20 yards over the green for a 7. I hit some really good shots but I am no longer measuring my game by how many good swings I make, but just by the score I post. I have a hard time righting the ship when the wheels start to fall off (how is that for mixing metaphors).
We played from the back tees, which are 6,871 yards with a course rating of 72.8 and a slope rating of 131. The tees were at the back of the tee boxes on most of the holes so the course was playing even longer. The par-3 holes were playing between 196 yards and 226 yards and are listed as the four easiest handicap holes! The fairways and most of the rough areas were overseeded with winter grass so the course is very green and lush, but the ball generally sits up in the rough. I am playing reasonably well, but I am having trouble piecing together a good front nine with a good back nine. I play well for one nine hole stretch but not the other and today was no different. I was striking the golf ball really well on the front 9. I had four pars and one disaster. On the par-3 196 yard 5th hole I hit a nice 3-hybrid that landed pin high right of the green in a deep bunker. I tried to blast out three times with no success and finally picked up for a triple bogey maximum 6! I still shot a 43 on the front 9, which could easily have been a 40.
I fell apart on the back nine and shot a 49 for a total score of 92. I lost two balls way right on my drives and hit two balls into the water for 4 penalty strokes. I had an 80 yard sand wedge shot to the par-5 548 yard 13th hole green that I skulled 20 yards over the green for a 7. I hit some really good shots but I am no longer measuring my game by how many good swings I make, but just by the score I post. I have a hard time righting the ship when the wheels start to fall off (how is that for mixing metaphors).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Golf Fix with Michael Breed
I have been watching "The Golf Fix" with Michael Breed on the Golf Channel. It is broadcast on Mondays at 7 p.m. Eastern time (5 p.m., Phoenix time), so I record the show and watch it later. Breed is a Class A golf professional (I am not sure what a Class A golf professional means). He teaches at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, New York, which is a stone's throw from where I grew up. I actually took tennis lessons at Sunningdale Country Club when I thought I was going to be a professional tennis player (but that is a story for another day). Breed is a little too frenetic for my taste, but he knows what he is talking about and is able to convey the information in a simple, straight-forward manner. He has a state-of-the-art studio with all of the bells and whistles and takes phone calls, e-mails and videos from his viewers and provides one or two suggestions and some simple drills to implement his suggestions. If you have not watched this television show, I highly recommend it.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Super Bowl Sunday
We went over to SO's mother and stepfather's house to watch the Super Bowl with their friends. It was not quite as exciting as the previous year when the hapless Arizona Cardinals made an unlikely trip to the Super Bowl and almost came away with the victory.
Before the game, we played our "traditional" Super Bowl golf at Greenfield Lakes Golf Course. Greenfield Lakes is a nice little 3,626 yard, par-62 executive course with some water hazards and even two relatively short par-5 holes. The par-3 holes range from 92 yards to 180 yards. I needed a little massage to my ego after Saturday's poor play at Camelback Golf Course. I hit the ball really well and shot a 72 with two double bogeys, one birdie, nine pars and seven bogeys. On one of the double bogeys I mis-clubbed and hit a good tee shot that flew over the green by 15 yards. Although I did not keep track, I probably hit 13 greens in regulation and I lipped out a couple of putts and one chip. I three-putted three holes! I did not realize it at the time, but executive courses can be input for USGA handicap index purposes. I have now accepted that I cannot hit my sand wedge 100 yards and I was using my pitching wedge for the 100 to 110 yard shots and hitting the middle of the greens. But our third player had a set of Ping G10 irons and I hit a few shots with his clubs and my ball traveled about an additional ten yards!
The Super Bowl was a well-played game. I like both teams and both quarterbacks but I was rooting for the Saints. Other than the obvious big plays like the on-side kick to start the second half (gutsy call by Sean Payton!) and the interception and return for a touchdown by Tracy Porter (the same player that picked off Brett Favre's last pass in the NFC Championship Game), I thought that the turning point in the game was after the Colts stopped the Saints on the two yard line with 1:30 remaining in the first half, the Colt's overly conservative three-runs up the middle series and the Saint's field goal to end the half. The Colts had all of the momentum, two or three timeouts and arguably the best quarterback to ever play pro football. The rookie coach should have shown confidence that Peyton Manning would not make a dumb mistake from his own end zone and opened the offense to try to score and put a dagger into the Saint's heart before halftime. Although Peyton Manning did not show it, I am sure that he was seething at the coach's decision to try to run out the clock.
Before the game, we played our "traditional" Super Bowl golf at Greenfield Lakes Golf Course. Greenfield Lakes is a nice little 3,626 yard, par-62 executive course with some water hazards and even two relatively short par-5 holes. The par-3 holes range from 92 yards to 180 yards. I needed a little massage to my ego after Saturday's poor play at Camelback Golf Course. I hit the ball really well and shot a 72 with two double bogeys, one birdie, nine pars and seven bogeys. On one of the double bogeys I mis-clubbed and hit a good tee shot that flew over the green by 15 yards. Although I did not keep track, I probably hit 13 greens in regulation and I lipped out a couple of putts and one chip. I three-putted three holes! I did not realize it at the time, but executive courses can be input for USGA handicap index purposes. I have now accepted that I cannot hit my sand wedge 100 yards and I was using my pitching wedge for the 100 to 110 yard shots and hitting the middle of the greens. But our third player had a set of Ping G10 irons and I hit a few shots with his clubs and my ball traveled about an additional ten yards!
The Super Bowl was a well-played game. I like both teams and both quarterbacks but I was rooting for the Saints. Other than the obvious big plays like the on-side kick to start the second half (gutsy call by Sean Payton!) and the interception and return for a touchdown by Tracy Porter (the same player that picked off Brett Favre's last pass in the NFC Championship Game), I thought that the turning point in the game was after the Colts stopped the Saints on the two yard line with 1:30 remaining in the first half, the Colt's overly conservative three-runs up the middle series and the Saint's field goal to end the half. The Colts had all of the momentum, two or three timeouts and arguably the best quarterback to ever play pro football. The rookie coach should have shown confidence that Peyton Manning would not make a dumb mistake from his own end zone and opened the offense to try to score and put a dagger into the Saint's heart before halftime. Although Peyton Manning did not show it, I am sure that he was seething at the coach's decision to try to run out the clock.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Camelback Golf Men's Club
I was invited by my partner Right Guard to play golf with the men's club at the Camelback Country Club this morning. Right Guard played football at Arizona State University in the early 1960s and then graduated number 3 in his class from the University of Arizona Law School. He is one of the eminences of the real estate bar in Arizona. But Right Guard is still feeling the effects of his football days. He had a hip replaced a few years ago and has very little flexibility. He and his wife took up golf ten or so years ago and are both avid golfers (I think that she beats his butt!). Right Guard is about a 24 handicap. We played with Gene and Mark. Mark is 77 years old and a former club golf champion. He has all of the shots and still has a long smooth swing and a sweet putting stroke. Gene is in his early 70s and strikes the ball very well and quietly scores pretty well. There was a lot of good natured ribbing and jokes and a lot of whining by each golfer about his poor play, but you could tell that they enjoyed each other's company and the camaraderie of the men's club.
We played the Padre course from the burgundy tees, which are only 6,457 yards. The Padre course has a lot of water hazards and I found every one of them! I started off with a 7 and a 6 on the first two par-4 holes and it did not get much better from there. I shot a generous 94! On the positive side (and there were very few positives) I won the closest to the pin contest on the par-3 11th hole hitting a 6-iron to about 4 feet from the flagstick and I made the birdie putt. I also only hit into one greenside bunker (generally because I was so far right or left of the green) and I hit a nice sand shot out of the bunker. The rest of my game was miserable! The entire round I was hitting my iron shots thin and right, or worse, skulling my shots. And I either skulled or chili-dipped my chip shots (I did skull one chip shot that hit the flagstick and went in the hole!). Even when I thought I hit a relatively good shot, somehow I found the water hazard. A small portion of my problems were because I was not familiar with the course, but most of the problems were because I was not hitting the ball where I intended, which makes for a long day.
We played the Padre course from the burgundy tees, which are only 6,457 yards. The Padre course has a lot of water hazards and I found every one of them! I started off with a 7 and a 6 on the first two par-4 holes and it did not get much better from there. I shot a generous 94! On the positive side (and there were very few positives) I won the closest to the pin contest on the par-3 11th hole hitting a 6-iron to about 4 feet from the flagstick and I made the birdie putt. I also only hit into one greenside bunker (generally because I was so far right or left of the green) and I hit a nice sand shot out of the bunker. The rest of my game was miserable! The entire round I was hitting my iron shots thin and right, or worse, skulling my shots. And I either skulled or chili-dipped my chip shots (I did skull one chip shot that hit the flagstick and went in the hole!). Even when I thought I hit a relatively good shot, somehow I found the water hazard. A small portion of my problems were because I was not familiar with the course, but most of the problems were because I was not hitting the ball where I intended, which makes for a long day.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Lost Ball Rule in the Television Era
I am perplexed by the application of Rule 27, "Ball Lost Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball" as it was applied to Robert Allenby's tee shot on the 17th hole at Torrey Pines last Sunday. Allenby hooked his tee shot. It was clear from the television cameras that the golf ball cleared the cliff and landed in the canyon. There were no marshals or spectators in the area where the ball entered the hazard and the golfers could not see the edge of the cliff or canyon from the tee box. Allenby and his caddie rummaged around in the rough area on the cliffs for awhile and then called over the Rules official. After some discussion between Allenby and the Rules official you could see Allenby getting extremely upset and you could hear the Rules official saying that he needs "clear and convincing evidence" that the ball was lost in the hazard.
Rule 27 generally states that if your golf ball is lost or out of bounds the penalty is "stroke and distance", i.e., you are assessed a one-stroke penalty and required to re-hit from the spot where you hit your previous shot. However, if there is clear and convincing evidence that the golf ball is lost in a water hazard, immovable obstruction or casual water, you fall under different rules that are less penal.
Generally, I would just take it for granted that there is no "common sense" rule under the Rules of Golf, but the USGA has issued rules of decision that hearing a ball splash in a water hazard satisfies the "clear and convincing evidence" test so there is at least a modicum of common sense applied. In this case, the television cameras provided irrefutable evidence that the ball landed in the canyon, but the Rules official either could not, or would not, consider that evidence. Therefore, Allenby was assessed a one-stroke penalty and walked back to the tee box to hit his third shot on the hole. He double-bogeyed the hole.
Interestingly, under the Rules a golfer can be penalized well after he completes his round if a television viewer spots a rules infraction and somehow contacts a tournament official. This has happened on numerous occasions at PGA tournaments and oftentimes leads to a player disqualification because the rules infraction imposes a penalty stroke and the golfer is disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard! See Rules of Golf - Playing Ball as it Lies.
It would seem that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander so if television cameras can be used to spot rules infractions they should also be used when available to provide "clear and convincing" evidence. What do you Rules purists think?
Rule 27 generally states that if your golf ball is lost or out of bounds the penalty is "stroke and distance", i.e., you are assessed a one-stroke penalty and required to re-hit from the spot where you hit your previous shot. However, if there is clear and convincing evidence that the golf ball is lost in a water hazard, immovable obstruction or casual water, you fall under different rules that are less penal.
Generally, I would just take it for granted that there is no "common sense" rule under the Rules of Golf, but the USGA has issued rules of decision that hearing a ball splash in a water hazard satisfies the "clear and convincing evidence" test so there is at least a modicum of common sense applied. In this case, the television cameras provided irrefutable evidence that the ball landed in the canyon, but the Rules official either could not, or would not, consider that evidence. Therefore, Allenby was assessed a one-stroke penalty and walked back to the tee box to hit his third shot on the hole. He double-bogeyed the hole.
Interestingly, under the Rules a golfer can be penalized well after he completes his round if a television viewer spots a rules infraction and somehow contacts a tournament official. This has happened on numerous occasions at PGA tournaments and oftentimes leads to a player disqualification because the rules infraction imposes a penalty stroke and the golfer is disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard! See Rules of Golf - Playing Ball as it Lies.
It would seem that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander so if television cameras can be used to spot rules infractions they should also be used when available to provide "clear and convincing" evidence. What do you Rules purists think?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I Love My Ping Eye 2 Clubs
I do not want to get embroiled in the new groove rule and risk a lawsuit from Phil Mickelson, but I am interested in the legal twist. Ping (or Karsten Manufacturing Corporation as it is legally known) is an icon in Arizona. According to legend, Karsten Solheim started Ping out of his garage and first invented the Anser putter and then the cavity-backed, perimeter weighted golf club, which was a great boon to the amateur golfer. Unlike the "blade" golf club used by professional golfers at the time, the cavity-backed, perimeter-weighted club was much more forgiving of "off center" shots and "thin" shots because more weight was at the base and perimeter of the club. Ping irons also used square grooves, rather than the standard v-shaped grooves (or more precisely, wider grooves and less distance between grooves), which was meaningless for the weekend golfer, but made a huge difference for the PGA Tour players because the width and location of the square grooves allowed the player to impart significantly more spin on the golf ball, especially from the rough areas. In my humble opinion, the Ping Eye 2 golf club is the greatest golf club ever made. I still have my original pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 golf clubs, which I gave to SO and she somehow lost my 7-iron!
In the late 1980s Mark Calcavecchia, a Phoenix resident, was one of the first PGA professionals to endorse and use Ping irons. Calcavecchia finished in the top 10 money winners for four consecutive years from 1987 through 1990. But even more impressive, Calcavecchia could spin his ball like no one's business, whether from the fairway or the rough. Calcavecchia was not the straightest driver on the Tour, but it did not matter in most PGA Tour events because he was still able to spin the ball from the rough. In 1987, Mark Calcavecchia won the Honda Classic hitting an 8-iron shot from the rough that miraculously stopped on the green. The USGA and PGA Tour were apoplectic and tried to outlaw the Ping Eye 2 clubs.
In August 1987 Ping filed a lawsuit against the USGA and Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Phoenix. Ping later filed a $100 million antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Ping was a relatively small Arizona company represented by a local Arizona law firm, O'Connor Cavanagh, against the giant USGA and PGA. The USGA suit was settled 1n 1990 about a week before the trial was set to start. As part of the settlement, the USGA agreed to drop its ban on the use of Ping Eye 2 irons and Ping agreed to stop producing the Ping Eye 2 iron with the "non-conforming" grooves and begin producing a club with conforming grooves and (this is where the "aw shucks" small-town lawyer snookered the big city lawyer) any Ping Eye 2 iron produced before April 1, 1990 was grandfathered and would forever be deemed legal under the Rules of Golf.
Fast-forward to 2010 and the "New Groove Rule". Phil Mickelson creates an uproar on the PGA Tour when he decides to pull out his old Ping Eye 2 wedges from his Arizona State University days and the "forever be deemed legal under the Rules of Golf" settlement language comes back to bite the USGA and PGA Tour on the butt. In the original lawsuit Ping claimed that it was trying to protect all of the golfers that purchased Ping Eye 2 golf clubs believing that they were conforming. I am hopeful that John Solheim, the President of Ping and the son of Karsten Solheim, will magnanimously agree to waive the "forever legal" provisions of the settlement agreement for professional tournaments, but that the original settlement agreement will still apply to those amateurs that continue to use their beloved Ping Eye 2 clubs.
In the late 1980s Mark Calcavecchia, a Phoenix resident, was one of the first PGA professionals to endorse and use Ping irons. Calcavecchia finished in the top 10 money winners for four consecutive years from 1987 through 1990. But even more impressive, Calcavecchia could spin his ball like no one's business, whether from the fairway or the rough. Calcavecchia was not the straightest driver on the Tour, but it did not matter in most PGA Tour events because he was still able to spin the ball from the rough. In 1987, Mark Calcavecchia won the Honda Classic hitting an 8-iron shot from the rough that miraculously stopped on the green. The USGA and PGA Tour were apoplectic and tried to outlaw the Ping Eye 2 clubs.
In August 1987 Ping filed a lawsuit against the USGA and Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Phoenix. Ping later filed a $100 million antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Ping was a relatively small Arizona company represented by a local Arizona law firm, O'Connor Cavanagh, against the giant USGA and PGA. The USGA suit was settled 1n 1990 about a week before the trial was set to start. As part of the settlement, the USGA agreed to drop its ban on the use of Ping Eye 2 irons and Ping agreed to stop producing the Ping Eye 2 iron with the "non-conforming" grooves and begin producing a club with conforming grooves and (this is where the "aw shucks" small-town lawyer snookered the big city lawyer) any Ping Eye 2 iron produced before April 1, 1990 was grandfathered and would forever be deemed legal under the Rules of Golf.
Fast-forward to 2010 and the "New Groove Rule". Phil Mickelson creates an uproar on the PGA Tour when he decides to pull out his old Ping Eye 2 wedges from his Arizona State University days and the "forever be deemed legal under the Rules of Golf" settlement language comes back to bite the USGA and PGA Tour on the butt. In the original lawsuit Ping claimed that it was trying to protect all of the golfers that purchased Ping Eye 2 golf clubs believing that they were conforming. I am hopeful that John Solheim, the President of Ping and the son of Karsten Solheim, will magnanimously agree to waive the "forever legal" provisions of the settlement agreement for professional tournaments, but that the original settlement agreement will still apply to those amateurs that continue to use their beloved Ping Eye 2 clubs.
Monday, February 1, 2010
I am a 14.3!
This morning as soon as I got to the office I went to the Arizona Golf Association website and there it was, a 14.3 USGA Handicap Index! It was beautiful. I only need to drop 4.4 points/strokes to get into the single digits. Some golfers try unsuccessfully their entire lives to reduce their handicap index by 4.4 points/strokes, but I want to do it in the next six months.
When I proudly told Slim Whiskey my handicap index, he pointed out that golfers that play for money like a higher index because it works to their advantage for gambling purposes and golfers that want a lower handicap index are generally lying about their scores and will not play for money. He was ready to go out and play tomorrow and fleece me at my handicap index! Chad Feldheimer was also licking his chops.
In order to reduce my Handicap Index to single digits I need to consistently score 85+/- on the courses I have been playing like Southern Dunes, Phoenix Country Club, Chaparral Pines and Arizona Country Club. I have to limit the double bogeys and eliminate the triple bogeys. I have to really work on my short game. I probably average 36 putts per round, which does not include the Texas wedges from the fringe area. All I need to do is reduce my putts per round to 31. Given the number of holes where I miss the green and take 3 shots (one chip and two putts) to get the golf ball in the hole, it is very realistic for me to shave 5 putts per round from my score by chipping better and making a couple of 10 foot putts. Oh, I almost forgot, I also need to get the ball out of the greenside bunkers and onto the putting surface in one shot.
When I proudly told Slim Whiskey my handicap index, he pointed out that golfers that play for money like a higher index because it works to their advantage for gambling purposes and golfers that want a lower handicap index are generally lying about their scores and will not play for money. He was ready to go out and play tomorrow and fleece me at my handicap index! Chad Feldheimer was also licking his chops.
In order to reduce my Handicap Index to single digits I need to consistently score 85+/- on the courses I have been playing like Southern Dunes, Phoenix Country Club, Chaparral Pines and Arizona Country Club. I have to limit the double bogeys and eliminate the triple bogeys. I have to really work on my short game. I probably average 36 putts per round, which does not include the Texas wedges from the fringe area. All I need to do is reduce my putts per round to 31. Given the number of holes where I miss the green and take 3 shots (one chip and two putts) to get the golf ball in the hole, it is very realistic for me to shave 5 putts per round from my score by chipping better and making a couple of 10 foot putts. Oh, I almost forgot, I also need to get the ball out of the greenside bunkers and onto the putting surface in one shot.
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