Tigerless Major - Dull US Open?

This week I was asked by a friend if I had finally given up on Tiger and who I was rooting for at the US Open.

Around noon today, I emailed him the leaderboard and asked a simple question, "Am I really suppose to get excited about a leaderboard like this?"

Tonight, I am sitting here watching the replay of today's ESPN coverage and I am still as unimpressed. The course is not in good shape, and the action is leading me to believe that this US Open will be unmemorable. Phil, the guy who everyone said was primed to do well, did, well..., not so well. Rory, remember Master's Sunday?, is leading. The number 1 golfer in the world is in danger of missing the cut and will need to play better.

Who wants to bet that we'll continue to see pictures of Tiger in his "boot" all weekend?

Golfweek for Her

Today Golfweek announced there new micro site for woman call Golfweek for Her.

http://www.golfweek.com/news/golfweek-for-her/

Which I applaud, but at the same time I found myself a little confused, dazed and to a certain degree upset.

So I have played golf for over 35 years now, have followed professional golf for almost that entire time period. During this time period the one thing I never thought of was "Golf for Him" and "Golf for Her" but just "Golf". Having played organized sports, I had always been exposed to the concept of the boys and girls teams, we have seen the controversy surrounding woman playing on the men's tour, but at the social and under the elite amateur golf level, golf has always just been golf to me. Never a his or her game.

I grew up playing on a local town run golf course, where "kids" played after school and all summer by showing up and getting paired with what ever group had room. This sometimes meant I played golf with senior men, working men taking a day off, senior woman, working woman taking the day off, or the mom taking some time with her friends (sorry I don't remember playing with any "Mr. Moms" but I would gladly have done so). Each of these groups accepted me and the rest of us junior golfers with open invitations and full acceptance.

As I grew up and moved to being a member of a private club, playing with the same types of continued. Never once moving to a mentality of his versus her. At certain points members of my regular foursome were woman, some better than I.

Today as I sit here writing this I commend Golfweek for creating this woman's versions of their site, but I also sit here amazed that in over 45 years of life, I find offense with the very game I love the most, and amazement with myself for missing that it was occurring (okay I'm leaving out that I do know about Augusta National).

In 2011, that golf and society still cannot meld together His Golf with Her Golf without separation is wrong and disturbing. For anyone that doesn't agree, I just ask one thing, next time your at your course play "co-ed" golf, if you don't agree after that so be it, but don't ask to join my foursome.

Is winter golf, golf?

So for us north easterners, golfers tend to fall into 2 general groups. The off season golfers who might practice, rest up from a long season or just plain ole do something else unrelated to golf. Then there are the winter golfers who don layers of clothing, set a meet up tee time that is a little later than would normally occur during the other 3 seasons of the year and tee off towards temporary tees.

Recently I was told I was crazy which I don't necessarily deny when it comes to golf, but I was also told that "winter golf is not golf".

Well to say the least I was a little put off, especially given this person can't play a round of golf without breaking at least 1 rule per 9 holes.

Real golf and golfers don't care what the temperature is, how hard the ground is or whether for 3 months the green might just be low cut fairway. What real golf is, is going out enjoying the sport play in outdoors with good friends.

Playing Golf - Best round ever

I am constantly asked what's the favorite course I have ever played and every time I am asked that I always have the same discussion. Today I was asked again in reference to my recent trip back to Maui. The discussion was with a friend back here in Connecticut who is fully aware of the long list of fine golf courses I have had the pleasure and privileged to play. Back here in Connecticut, as you would expect courses like Kapalua Plantation and Bay course along with Wailea Gold and Emerald are the envy of most north easterners, especially in December with daytime temperatures in the mid 30's.

But even though I have had the opportunity to play these courses along with places like Pebble, Doral, Bay Hill, Old Course and others I don't even think to rank my golf experiences by the courses I have played.

So my answer was actually my most memorable round of golf was my normal foursome at my home course, Oronoque Country Club a few years back. One of our foursome was relocating to Georgia and this was to be our last round together as a regular group. I couldn't tell you what any of us shot, although my partner, mr relocating, and I did win the match and proudly took our $20 and framed it with our photograph from the 1st tee that day.

Of my next 4 most memorable rounds of golf only 2 were played on courses that the average golfer would know, both being the Wailea courses on Maui. But neither round was because of the course we played, but instead the people I played with. In all my top 5 rounds, the groups comprised of people who I count as my closest and dearest friends, not the least is playing with my dad. Are there really better golf moments than that?

As a golfer, what I wish that the non professional golfers that most of us represent realize that golf experiences should not be rated based on the course they play but the experience of playing the game with great people.

I'll concede that great people and great golf courses can offer extraordinary golf experiences together but I propose that playing golf with great people can be just as extraordinary.

Captains show baby boomer mentality

So first, let me say that if the use of twitter and facebook are the biggest stories at the Ryder cup, the event has probably reach a point of desperation. Of course the story is better than some classless british writer questioning Tiger being ordinary.

Are these captains clueless. The event is partially going to occur before americans get up, and for some it may even start on friday night in america before some people go to bed. In today's world just about everyone has acknowledged that some (if not most) people want instant news and interaction. So Pavin and Montgomery can hide behind locker room "secrets" but how can the PGA and R&A tolerate the same social media that they have come to start utilizing themselves.

None of these guys are known to be obsesive compulsive tweeters, so letting fans follow the activities in this manner just seems so disconnected from the realities of todays world.

I was never a real fan of either of these captains when they played, guess that opinion will carry over to my thoughts in the role of captains.

Bye Week

Is the PGA tour off their rocker or what. They are about to kick of a Tigerless PGA Championship with no momentum. Okay for some of obsessed golf fans we did have the unique golf new host less nationwide tour broadcast. The PGA tour this year had the opportunity to show that it's leaders could adapt to a extremely altered landscape with Tiger's lack of participation along with a bad economic environment (apparrently no longer a recession though). Instead we saw nothing new to draw fans and sponsors. Now we come off a bye week, guess if it's good for football it must be good for golf. With limited appeal, it'll be interesting to see what the ratings look like when the weekend is over. I will watch (because my golf OCD will kick in) and root for Kuchar as my feel good winner but let's all admit if we had not had a week of "rest" we probably would all be much more enthused.

Mark Twain a Tiger Woods Fan

I can't help but think that either Mark Twain is a Tiger Woods fan or vice versa.

Most Twain and golf fans know the famous quote of Twain's about golf which became the title of a golf best selling book "A good walk spoiled".

Probable more famous, his quote "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

The last two weeks, Tiger, if he is a Twain fan, must feel the alignment of his life to these quotes.

I wonder as he finished play yesterday, was he hiding the same kind of comedic joy that Twain showed when he was responding to his death rumor.

Nobody can really win....

So we have the last PGA Major upon us and can anyone really leave this tournament a winner?

Lee Westwood - He won't play due to an injury which means he automatically loses without even playing. The press can only leave Whistling Straits with questions of what would have happened should he have been here. Poor guy sits home and will probably still get written about on Monday.

Phil Mickelson - The only one of the "favorites" that can possibly win and actually win. The stories are generally all good, rebound from illness, the all familiar family lines and the long path to #1 in the world. But trust me there is the loser story. I put the odds at even that at least 1 media member stomps the guy for taking so long to get to #1 and what should have been....

Tiger Woods - The guys wins and maintains #1 yet again, I bet that all the stories will have negative tilt.
- He should have won before this
- He will say something that gets twisted
- Too bad his family isn't here
- Etc.

The field - This is easy, the only story will be about why the big names lost.....

As a golf fan, I can no longer stand Monday golf news. For the last major of the year can we please read about the positives. Because when the top pro's are playing it seems the story no longer seems to be the winner but all about the "losers".

Thankfully the good news/feeling tours, Champions and LPGA are back next week


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Not me, must be the equipment, caddie, spectators, marshals

When did some professional golfers determine that bad play, shot or outcome in an individual sport was someone or something else’s fault? Over the last two weeks of watching way too much golf on TV I have noticed that some of today’s golfers think that errant shots or a bad hole is not actually their fault. Before I go any further, I admit that I have had some bad days on the golf course and done nothing but blame someone or something. I have been known to mumble a little bit, even about squirrels scampering up a tree. But I’m by no means a professional golfer. Two weeks ago I observed Rory McIlroy pull the “Colin Montgomery” glare at the caddie for what he could only have felt was a misclub by the caddie. Even the announcer commented on it. Lee Westwood apparently hadn’t practiced or used his new clubs before his season began, as he dubbed them feeling like fishing poles. Geez, his equipment company flew a club fitter out just to make him happy (not sure that mission was accomplished). Not sure how to take the “slanderous” comment by fellow Phil Mickelson golfer. Could that be interpreted as, “I don’t have any of those clubs so now I can’t play as well”…. Not sure personally on that one. (My other opinion on that is “Get a life and worry about it instead of someone else’s”, but that’s probably another future blog idea). Another questionable “blame” event had to be by one of my favorite active golfers. Retief Goosen hits one out of play into a lateral hazard and to put it mildly was a little ticked no one (fan or marshal) saw it cross the hazard. I am only going based on the TV coverage as I saw no post round interviews of him. But when was the last time you played golf that you didn’t watch a ball to mark where you thought it crossed a hazard. And gee the bad swing was really the issue to begin with. Hey I get the heat of the moment or heat of the battle. At the end of the day it’s the golfer who hit the shot and not all this other stuff that is really at fault. I would much rather see someone like Tiger yell at himself than someone blame someone or something else.

Champions Tour Comes to MY Age

Last night as I watched the Champions Tour's Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and found myself reliving my childhood to young adult golf memories. Growing up the career's of Watson, Irwin, et all were ending and the playing Career's of Nicklaus, Palmer and Trevino were over and amounted to appearances at the majors and big stops (albeit the 86 Masters remains one of my biggest golf memories). As I entered high school and then college names like Kite, Wiebe, Price, North, Jacobson were in their prime and then came Couples, Calc, Pavin and the rest of the new and soon to enter batch of today's seniors. Last night felt like a family reunion of sorts where my old friends suddenly reappeared into my living room. But as I thought about it, it wasn't the fact that they along with myself, had reached an age where they could play golf with guys their own age and physical "abilities" where they became equal competitors. It was that the "friends" were playing golf worth watching again. I as much as any huge Tiger fan have loved watching the golf era of Tiger golf. Last night I saw what I and most fanatical golf fans of the 40+ age group are missing. These guys who are coming of age for the champions tour are just that, they are "golfing guys", the characters, heroes and personalities we loved to watch play real good golf. It appears to this aging golfer that the Champions Tour may have come of (my) Age.