The Golfer's Wife

You can get one of those?

So you’ve heard of birdies, and bogeys, and eagles. And holes-in-one. But I learned a new one today. The BMW Open was played this weekend in Munich. The 18th hole was a par 5. An Argentine name Rafa Echenique did something that is very rare. He scored a 2. He hit his drive. Then holed out his second shot from 243 yards out. And it turns out there is a name for getting a 2 on a par 5. It’s called an Albatross.

It’s good to get a birdie. It’s even better to get an eagle. But how seriously cool is it to get an Albatross?

Person sitting next to you at the 19th hole:  You ever get a hole-in one?
You: No. But I’ve had an Albatross.
Person sitting next to you at the 19th hole( thinking the next line will be a punch line ): A what?
You ( completely serious ): An Albatross.
Person sitting next to you at the 19th hole ( still suspecting there is a joke involved somewhere ): How do you get one of those?
You: You cut the dog leg on number 15 and land just past the second fairway bunker, then hole out your second shot.
Person sitting next to you at the 19th hole:  Wow. That’s seriously cool.
You: Yeah

So there you go. It is possible to get an Albatross. Well. It is perhaps possible for YOU to get an Albatross. I have a better chance of lucking into a hole-in-one then I do of getting an Albatross. But a person can dream.

Young Ladies

The Wegman’s LPGA Tournament is being played in Rochester New York this weekend. And just to prove that they don’t play favorites, the Golfing Gods arranged for the second round to get rained out today. Last weekend Bethpage, this weekend Rochester. New York must have done something to really piss off the GG’s.

Player of note in the Wegman’s tournament is Cheyenne Woods. Cheyenne is an 18 year old student at Wake Forest. She also happens to be an outstanding golfer. Oh, and she has a famous uncle. You’ve probably heard of him. Cheyenne is playing as an amateur in her first LPGA tournament on a sponsors exemption. Here are two pictures of Cheyenne.

Remarkable family resemblance wouldn’t you say? If her game resembles his anywhere near as much she is going to be force to be reckoned with on the LPGA. Her uncle didn’t make the cut in his first PGA event. Hopefully the rain lets up tomorrow so they can play the second round and we’ll see if Cheyenne can do better her first time out.

***

Remember Elizabeth Wang? Who I wrote about here? She is 9 now. A couple of weekends ago she played in the Colorado Junior Golf Associations annual tournament. She played up a division, with the 11-13 year olds. She won by 9 strokes. Remember her name. In 8 years or so, when she is the phenom on the cover of all the golf magazines, you can impress them at the water cooler by saying ‘Oh yeah, I’ve been following her for years’.

Finally, the clouds parted

Well that was really…..wet, wasn’t it? The first three rounds were a little..confusing actually. Trying to keep track of which round it was. And was the coverage you were watching live, or what was played before they called things off because of rain. Did you see them squeegeeing off the greens? And the huge splashes of water when players hit out of the rough? Those first three rounds were just barely watchable. But the last round today, that was great golf. Congratulations to Lucas Glover. He really earned this one.

Although I have to tell you, here at The Household we were really, REALLY, pulling for David Duval. He is a long time favorite around here and we have been hoping he would eventually get his game back. He almost managed to pull it off. I had to be careful not to cheer at work when he made the birdie on 15. Yes, yes, I admit, I was a less than stellar employee today until it was over. But I wasn’t so bad as to actually stream it. I followed Jason Sobel’s blog over on ESPN, and The Golfer was watching at home and sending me minute by minute updates via IM. Ain’t technology wonderful?

It would have been better to actually watch it, but at least this way I didn’t have to listen to Johnny Miller. Honestly NBC, you have GOT to get rid of him. I’m sure he’s a very nice guy. The other announcers seem to actually like him. But I want to put duct tape over his mouth and make him sit in the corner. He is just too snooty and snarky, and full of himself to be allowed any where near a microphone. Please, please, PLEASE, tear up his contract and change the locks on the announcer booth door.

So the 2009 US Open is officially in the (soggy) books. Next major: The Open, Turnberry Scotland, July 16-19.  

Something for a rainy day

Well the first round of The US Open was rained out.

But Heather over at Real Women Golf put together a little something for those of us who were really looking forward to the 1:25pm tee time. And may I just say Very Nicely Done. Very.

All Bethpage Black, all the time

So I hope you all made a successful transition off of analog TV this past week. This would not be a good week to be trying to figure out how to get a TV signal back into your home. Because this is US Open week. You remember the US Open? The tournament where last year Rocco came thiiiiissss close to beating Tiger?  The last tournament Tiger played before his knee surgery? When we all thought he just had shin splints and turns out it was his ACL?  Remember that? I thought you did. Well it’s that time of year again. The second major of the year. And since it’s an Open any one can qualify and play. So there will be the usual crowd of top players, a few who-the-heck-is-that’s, and a large field of amateurs. Of note here to The Household, John Daly did not qualify, which takes the fun, and colorful clothing, meter down a notch. But David Duval did. He is a past favorite of The Household, and a local guy, so it’s nice to see him back in the game. And of course Rocco and Tiger will both be back.

This year The Open will be played at Bethpage Black. Bethpage is a set of 5 public courses in Bethpage State Park in New York. The courses each have a color name. Bethpage Black is the most difficult and challenging, and has been the host of many tournaments over the years, including the 2002 US Open, which Tiger won. Here is a nice description of the course, along with some of it’s history by Ron Whitten. It is a given in most golf circles that Bethpage Black was the final great achievement of A. W. Tillinghast, a famous golf course designer who was also responsible for the masterpieces that are Winged Foot, Baltusrol, Ridgewood and Quaker Ridge. Back in 2002 Mr. Whitten wrote this piece which questions that conventional wisdom. If you enter into any conversation with a Golfer this week, no matter how far removed from golf it may start out, they will eventually bring it around to the US Open. If you read that article you should be able to hold your own, and maybe even tell them something they don’t know.

In any case, for this next week, in the golf world, it will be nothing but Bethpage Black. The only downside to this is we must one again put up with the know-it-all snarkiness of Mr. Johnny Miller. Ah well, into each life a little rain must fall ( which I am just using metaphorically oh Golfing Gods. I am not in any way shape or form suggesting there needs to be real rain this week at Bethpage Black. Are we clear on that? Good. )

On a personal note, here at The Household we will of course be tivo-ing all the available TV coverage. And we ( at least the female portion of the ‘we’ that makes up The Household ) will be paying close attention to the group with the 1:25pm tee time on Thursday and the 7:55 tee time on Friday. The Golfing Gods ( bless their white dimpled little hearts ) have decreed that Cutie Pie, Cammmmmmilo Villegas, and Adam Scott will be playing together. And golf viewing just doesn’t get any better than that.

With just a few changes......

  "  Tucker Case did not play golf. He'd tried it once, and although he'd enjoyed the drinking and the driving the little electric car into the lake, he just didn't get the appeal. It seemed--and he'd examined the game closely because his father had loved it--an awful lot like a bunch of rich guys in goofy clothing walking around on an absurdly large lawn hitting absurdly small white balls with crooked sticks. If the greens were at opposite ends of the same fairway and foursomes had to play against each other, defending their own green while assaulting the opponents' and risking getting hit with a ball or a club at close quarters, well, then you'd have a game. If the game was scored on how quickly one got through the eighteen holes instead of the fewest strokes and they dropped small-block Chevys into the little carts, why then you'd have yourself a game. ( Maybe put those little Ben-Hur food processors on the wheels and make it legal to hamstring competitors.) But traditional golf, as it was, had always left Tuck cold.  "

   ( from Island of the Sequined Love Nun,  by Christopher Moore )

Not Earl Woods

Somewhat apropos to the previous 2 posts….

Being married to The Golfer, and having children, means I have sat through many golf lessons and practice sessions. I usually read a book. Or do crosswords. But even when trying to figure out 5 down, I do notice whats going on. And I would like to say something to a certain set of parents out there.

You are paying a very good instructor to teach your child golf. You should not be standing behind them commenting to your child after every swing.  Your child should be looking at and listening to the instructor after each swing. Not at you. They should not have an anxious look on their face until they see what your reaction to the shot was. And you don’t need to talk in a loud voice to make sure all the rest of us can hear how sage your advice to your child is. The instructor has taught a lot of kids, and they should be the ones to make club recommendations. You should not tell the instructor, in front of your child, about the new wedge you bought your child in spite of the fact that the instructor said your child didn’t really need it, because you are sure that your child plays well enough to need it, because after all, they came in 2nd in their last tournament. And yes, we all heard that. Once again, you don’t need the loud voice. We can all hear you when you tell the instructor that your child needs to leave now to go do the extra homework they have because they will not be in school this Thursday and Friday because they will be playing in an out of state tournament. We can all also see the look on your child’s face. And quite frankly we would all really like to say a few choice words to you, and take your child out for some ice cream. The kid really looks like they need it.

Let me tell you something. I’ll write it very slow. Read it very carefully. 

You. Are. Not. Earl. Woods.

In fact Earl would probably have had a few choice words for you himself.

And I know your child’s name. And it is not Tiger. Or Eldrick for that matter.

You are not creating a Tiger clone. Far from it. You are creating a child for whom the great game of golf represents nothing but anxiety and parental judgment. And as soon as they gain a modicum of independence they will throw those clubs away and never go near the game again.

Please. Put the clubs in the back of the garage somewhere. Pull your kid out of the out of town tournament and let them go to school. And then take them out for some ice cream.

And Also

Moving from high school up to college ‘next generation’ wise…..

The Palmer Cup was played here in The Wild West this week. This is what it’s web site has to say about The Palmer Cup…

In 1997 Arnold Palmer was approached by the Golf Coaches Association of America regarding lending his name to an international collegiate event between the United States and Great Britain and Ireland.  The event would use a Ryder Cup-style format and bring together the top eight collegiate players in the United States against their counterparts from GB&I.  Palmer, a former collegiate player himself, has been called America’s greatest Ambassador for the game of golf.   With his blessing and the support of the Arnold Palmer Golf Company, the inaugural event was played at his own Bay Hill Club in Florida in June 1997.

“I had long thought that an international competition such as this would enrich the lives of young men through the universal bond of the great game of golf.  This year is particularly significant since it comes on the centennial anniversary of the founding of golf on the college level,” said Mr. Palmer.

Great venues have highlighted the competition since its inception in 1997.  After Bay Hill, the Palmer Cup was next contested in Scotland in 1998 on the Old and New Courses at St. Andrews.   In subsequent years the matches have been played at such historic venues as The Honors Course, Royal Liverpool, Baltusrol, Doonbeg, Cassique, Ballybunion, Whistling Straits-The Irish, Prestwick, Caves Valley, Glasgow Golf Club Gailes Links and most recently Cherry Hills in 2009.

Upon conclusion of the 2002 event at Doonbeg in Ireland, a decision was made to alter the team composition by including European players with those from Great Britain and Ireland.  The affects of this decision has significantly changed the Palmer Cup in its international appeal and competitiveness of the matches.    Currently the Team USA leads Team Europe 6-5-1 with the European team having won three of the last five years.

During the short twelve year history of this event, the list of outstanding collegians that have participated include such names as:  Luke Donald, Rory Sabbatini, Charles Howell, III, Jonathan Byrd, Ben Curtis, Lucas Glover, Bryce Molder, Graeme McDowell, Bill Haas, Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore, D.J. Trahan, Alejandro Canazares, Gonzalo Castano, J.B. Holmes, 2006 USGA Amateur Champion Richard Ramsey, Open de Portugal winner Pablo Martin, Dustin Johnson, and Luke List.

  
The Palmer Cup was played at Cherry Hills Country Club, which is where Arnold won his only U.S. Open in 1960.

In addition to The Palmer Cup being held here, there was a local kid on the American team. Here is an article about it in the local rag, The Denver Post.  And here is a article on the final round.

The European Team won.

But keep your eyes on all these kids.

Team USA Roster

Bud Cauley                Alabama                 Freshman     Jacksonville, FL
Morgan Hoffmann     Oklahoma State    Freshman      Saddle Brook, NJ
Trent Leon                Oklahoma State    Senior           Dallas, TX
Erik Flores                UCLA                    Senior           Grass Valley, CA
Adam Mitchell           Georgia                 Senior           Chattanooga, TN
Cameron Tringale      Georgia Tech         Senior           Laguna Niguel, CA
Mike Van Sickle         Marquette            Senior           Wexford, PA
Steve Ziegler            Stanford              Sophomore     Broomfield, CO

Team Europe Roster
 
Jorge Campillo        Indiana                      Senior              Caceres, Spain
Stephan Gross        Arizona State            Sophomore       Leimen, Germany
Leonardo Motta      IULM-Milan                                        Roasio, Italy
Henrik Norlander    Augusta State            Sophomore       Danderyd, Sweden
Chris Paisley           Tennessee                   Senior              Newcastle, England
Andrea Pavan          Texas A&M                 Junior              Rome, Italy
Tim Sluiter             Southern California    Sophomore       Hattem, The Netherlands
Robin Wingardh      Tennessee                   Sophomore      Morarp, Sweden
   

Next Generation

Allow me to introduce you to Zach Olsen. Zach just recently turned 15. On Wednesday Zach shot a 66 during a qualifying round for the Southern Amateur at Colonial Country Club in Cordova Tennessee. From the back tees. Is 66 a good round?  Well. The St. Jude Classic, which has been a regular stop on the PGA Tour for over 50 years, was played at Colonial Country Club until 1989, when it moved to it's present location of TPC at Southwinds. In the last year it was played at Colonial Jodie Mudd won with rounds of 68, 68, 67 and 70. The year before that Curtis Strange won with rounds of 70, 68, 68 and 69. So yes, 66 is a good round. 66 is a good round for a professional golfer. 66 is a great score for a just-turned-15 year old.

Last year, as an eighth grader, Zach won the Tennessee State High School tournament.

Believe it or not ( and if you have spent any time in the golf world you will have no trouble believing it ) kids as young as Zach are already ranked nationally. See here. If you look on that page you will see you can select based on graduation year. If you pick 2013, you will see Zach at #10. With an asterisk noting he hasn’t played enough tournaments at the high school level to be ranked. Zach will be playing quite a few tournaments this summer, and everyone expects him to move quickly up the list.

Zach is one of many very good young golfers. Most of whom you never hear about at this stage of their lives. We here at The Household know about Zach because The Golfer’s Brother is a member of Colonial. And of course the membership keeps a close eye on Zach.

So here’s the thing. There is a kid who will graduate from high school in 2013 who at the age of 15 can score 66 on Colonial playing from the same tees the pros use. And if you look at that web page you will see a whole lot more kids just as good, or better. Boys and girls. You should keep an eye on these rankings. Remember the names. Google them and follow their progress through local/state/national tournaments. The names you see in those rankings are the names you will be seeing on the tops of leader boards in the years to come.

If Tiger plans to win more tournaments then Jack ( and he does of course ) he might want to get a move on. Because those kids he hears walking up the fairway behind him are GOOD.

Sir Charles and Mr. Haney - part II

As mentioned before we have been watching The Haney Project. We finally sat down and watched the final episode last night. It was just as entertaining as the rest of the shows. We have been seeing a lot of Sir Charles here in The Household the past couple of weeks. Since he is part of the basketball team coverage on TNT. And it has been interesting to see Sir Charles in the basketball world as opposed to Sir Charles the frustrated golfer. Totally in charge, total expert on TNT. Hitting 100’s of balls on the driving range with Mr. Haney holding his head still on The Haney Project. Takes a special kind of person to let the world ( ok, maybe just the overly-involved-with-golf world ) watch you try to improve your singularly awful swing. Charles has a lot of interesting and funny friends, and he obviously enjoys life. But he was still really struggling, and not happy with, his golf. Nothing like putting one of the not-going-well parts of your life on TV and having everyone watch you try to deal with it. That said, he never gave up, never slacked off, and maintained his general good humor throughout.

As for his golf swing, the end result was good, but not great. Charles’ swing definitely improved, but it isn’t ‘fixed’.  Which was to be expected actually. You can’t fix something that wrong that fast. But it has improved enough that Charles is having fun playing golf again. And he will keep working on it.

Mr. Haney said that Charles had not made the progress he had hoped for, but had made the progress he had expected. And then he said that perhaps there was more of a mental element to Charles bad swing than he had thought. With all due respect, and I mean that sincerely – Mr. Haney came across as a thoroughly nice and decent guy, and he is obviously a great coach/teacher - so with all due respect to Mr. Haney,  Well Duh.

There are a lot of things were you will hear people say ‘It’s 90% mental’. That is never more true than with golf. You can be the most coordinated, natural athlete on the planet, and still suck at golf. Or you can be John Daly and, at least occasionally, excel. The trick is not hitting the little white ball. The trick is hitting it where you want it to go. And being able to do it over and over, with each shot needing to be different than the last, based on where your ball landed. You can just use your body and swing the club and hit the ball. That’s really not too hard. Little kids can do that. But to get the ball to go where you want takes brain power. When a golfer stands over the ball they are mentally adjusting every part of their body to try and get muscles to react just so, to get the club to follow a certain arc, so the ball will follow a specific flight path. Even I hit a great shot every now and then. What I freely admit I lack is the mental part of the game that would allow me to hit great shots over and over. The ability to stand over the ball and know exactly what muscles have to do what to get the ball where I want it, and the mental ability to make them do it. And to ignore the geese, and The Offspring, and the people laughing on the next hole over, and the smell of The Golfers cigar, and the dog barking and….well, everything but how I need to swing the club to hit that little white ball. And that’s all mental. Has nothing to do with my actual physical ability to swing the club.

All you had to do was look at Charles swing to see that there was a rather large mental block going on. Obviously the physical part of the swing needed help too. And when your swing is that bad, part of what you do when you work on the physical swing is convince the mind that yes, if you concentrate, you really can hit the ball well. But that ‘hitch’, as Mr. Haney called it, is pure mental. Towards the end there Charles was swinging quite well on the driving range. No hitch at all. But when he played a round on a golf course, with his friends there, and the cameras, that hitch showed up again. Not nearly as bad. All that practice convinced his mind that a nice smooth swing was certainly possible. It just got a little distracted with the other stuff going on, and forgot to pull on this muscle here just so, and let go of that one on the down swing, and wait a minute was I supposed to tighten this one or relax it? Darn, better stop here for just a sec and regroup….and there was the hitch again.

Unfortunately for golfers of all levels everywhere, the mental part of the game is much harder to fix than the physical part. And it’s impossible to fix if you are frustrated to the point of quitting the way Charles was. So props to Mr. Haney for getting Charles swing back to the point where he is enjoying the game once again, and is willing to continue to work on things. I’m sure his mind will catch up to his muscles sooner rather than later and he’ll have control of his swing even on a golf course full of spectators at a charity tournament.

As for me. Well. I find that a cocktail, or two, during a round may not help my mental concentration, but it certainly helps my mental state. And that probably goes a long way towards explaining the state of my golf game.