Golf
August 9, 2016
This is the first part of a series in discussing pace-of-play Have you ever asked a staff member at the course, “How’s the pace today?” An answer to that question can set the tone for the round. You typically see golf courses’ pace-of-play policy being 4 hours to 4 hours and 30 minutes. There are many factors that create pace-of-play issues, but I am here to debunk a few myths. Pace of Play Discrimination Slow play does not care […]
July 28, 2016
Last evening I watched the Golf Channel’s live presentation: “This Week at the PGA Championship”. During the telecast I heard one of the commentators remark that the PGA was once played as a head to head match play completion and, for many of the past championships, played at match play, the stymie rule was in effect. I, as an older and life-long golfer, immediately knew about the stymie rule. But, I immediately wondered if many of the other viewers had […]
July 5, 2016
Bunker Sand A few years ago I was invited to play a golf course in Maine named Belgrade Lakes. Located about 12 miles due north of Augusta, a bit off the beaten path, Belgrade Lakes is a lovely course. I found the layout, designed by Scotsman Clive Clark (he also did Lake Winnipesaukee Country Club), to be an enjoyable play through rolling terrain. Beautifully conditioned greens, tees and fairways but, from the very first hole, the most striking feature of […]
June 21, 2016
After a round do you ever say to yourself: “I played OK but I could have scored better”. Maybe it was the putt(s) that lipped out, or the errant shot that found a pond. Either way, you feel that your score should have been better. Well… How do you improve that score? Practicing seems to be the obvious answer; that, or taking a lesson. But, before you take the step to lowering your scores, I suggest you first determine which […]
June 14, 2016
The U.S Open at Oakmont — Green Speed and the Stimp Meter This week’s U.S Open championship will be contested just outside Pittsburg, PA at Oakmont Country Club. It will be the ninth U.S. Open hosted at this famed venue. Virtually all of golf’s aficionados consider Oakmont one of the most difficult courses in America; a fantastic facility to host the nation’s most prestigious golf championship. Narrow fairways, deep bunkers and punishing rough… but, the real challenge of Oakmont is […]
June 7, 2016
Have you ever had a hole in one? Tradition is that the player who hits a hole in one buys a round for everyone. I was curious about this tradition and looked into it and its history. There is no definitive event marking the first round bought by a player acing a hole but may assume it was the result of exuberant golfers celebrating their accomplishment with others and eventually became customary to buy a round for everyone. Naturally […]
May 17, 2016
When going to the driving range/practice facility and you take a look around. What is the most commonly used golf club? That’s right…you guessed it…The Driver! It is the longest club in the bag…It hits the ball far…it makes that great smash sound when you hit the ball…and best of all, the golf ball is teed up! Of course, when we play it is important to hit the tee shot well. However, there are several parts of the game that […]
May 10, 2016
During the summer months of my golfing youth I loved playing a late day “twilight” nine with my father. We’d arrive at the course between 5:00 and 6:00 PM and always find a group of evening golfers to join with for a game. And, as the season moved to the latter part of the summer, we’d frequently finish these twilight rounds in the dusk of the soon to be darkness of night. The ninth hole at the course we played […]
April 26, 2016
Perhaps the most despised piece of equipment on the golf course; the aerator and the process involved with it, produces more golfer questions and frustrations than any other. I commonly hear the question “is it really necessary?” My answer is usually the same, “I wish it wasn’t.” Of course the aerating process is a very necessary part of maintaining healthy greens; however it is easy to understand why many golfers cringe at the very sight of the aerator. Usually right […]