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Happy 8th Anniversary to the GolfBlogger!

doug — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Wanted to give a shout-out to my buddy, John, over at GolfBlogger.com. It was his 8 year anniversary of the launch of Golfblogger.com just a few days ago. Congrats, my good man!

8 years. Wow! that’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Here at GolfDash I think we’re about 4 or so now but to be around for 8 years in the blogosphere is just damn impressive.

I always love reading and perusing the content at GolfBlogger. It’s “hands-down” one of the top golf blogs in operation today. Period. You don’t hang around that many years because you have crappy content.

I have never met John personally but we have collaborated on a few golf related projects and always love working with him. A true professional.

Please put GolfBlogger on your radar and read it as often as you can. And share it (by passing along the link) with all your golfing friends. Like I said, it’s always quality content and there is always some just plain fun stuff there too.

Again, Congrats, John! Wishing you health, happiness and all the golf content your GolfBlogging mind can muster!

President’s Cup 2009 – Essential Information

doug — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:16:36 +0000

2009 President’s Cup

October 6-11 at Harding Park Golf Course located in San Francisco, CA

See course flyover

Here are the matches and how they unfold for the next few days.

Thursday, October 8 – Foursome Matches

Friday, October 9 – Four-ball Matches

Saturday, October 10 – Foursome Matches, Four-ball Matches

Sunday, October 11 – Singles Matches, Closing Ceremonies following completion of play

TV Times:

GOLF CHANNEL
Thursday: 3pm & 8:30pm
Friday: 2pm & 8:30pm

NBC
Saturday: 11am – 9pm
Sunday: 12pm – 6pm

All Times ET

U.S. TEAM
Captain: Fred Couples
Assistant Captain: Jay Haas

1. Tiger Woods
2. Phil Mickelson
3. Steve Stricker
4. Kenny Perry
5. Zach Johnson
6. Stewart Cink
7. Sean O’Hair
8. im Furyk
9. Anthony Kim
10. Justin Leonard

Captain’s Picks
Lucas Glover
Hunter Mahan

INTERNATIONAL TEAM
Captain: Greg Norman
Assistant Captain: Frank Nobilo

1. Geoff Ogilvy
2. Vijay Singh
3. Camilo Villegas
4. Retief Goosen
5. Ernie Els
6. Angel Cabrera
7. Mike Weir
8. Robert Allenby
9. Y.E. Yang
10. Tim Clark

Captain’s Picks
Adam Scott
Ryo Ishikawa

The Beauty of Tiger Losing

doug — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:03:28 +0000

I say this somewhat *tongue in cheek* because I mean no disrespect for Mr. Woods and his many amazing golfing accomplishments but the beauty of Tiger losing IS the beauty of sport itself.

Tiger 2 up going into the last round of a major is/was a forgone conclusion for a win. After all, he has done it every single time he has been in the lead. So why watch? We could do something else rather than watch the boob tube and then pick up the next mornings newspaper with the headlines “Tiger Captures Number 15″

But, as we all know, that did not happen. Y.E. Yang (the 110th ranked golfer in the world) stuck like crazy glue to Tiger, played some downright exceptional golf and ended up doing the “impossible” by prevailing over world number 1 Tiger Woods and winning his first major championship.

Now the beauty of sport is really the unpredictability of it. In other sports: The Patriots going 19-0 and losing in the Superbowl, The US hockey team beats the USSR in the 1980 Olympics, Boxer Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson in 1990, The 1969 Miracle Mets and so many more.

In golf: Jack Fleck Beats Ben Hogan in the 1955 US Open, Jack Nicklaus wins the Masters at age 46, John Daly comes from nowhere to win the 1991 PGA Championship, Y.E. Yang beats Tiger in 2009 PGA.

Along with the unpredictability goes the hope of the regular guy beating the heroic champ. It feels “real” to us. It doesn’t always happen, like Rocco almost slaying the invincible Tiger at last years US Open or Tom Watson (2009) almost winning the British Open or Greg Norman’s quest for the same Claret Jug in 2008.

But sports gives us all the feeling at times that we (you and I) CAN do amazing things in our lives, that we can overcome adversity, that we can reveal our own greatness, that we can prevail and win. That we can do what YE Yang did. It gives us hope.

That’s why Tiger losing is a good thing. It puts sport above the individual. The “game” is bigger than all of us and we know we can never win all the time. Tiger has been proving us wrong every time. Until yesterday. When the game of golf became bigger than Tiger himself.

Golfer sentenced for assaulting another player with 6-iron over slow play

doug — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:51:21 +0000

Check out this interesting tidbit below. Talk about going postal. Hey John, this is one idea to speed up slow play, huh!? – df

KENT, Wash. (AP) — A golfer has been sentenced to 1½ years in prison for bashing another player over the head with a 6-iron during a fight over slow play.

The 34-year-old man, Nicholas Jay Shampine, had been convicted of assault in King County Superior Court.

At Thursday’s sentencing, he said he was sorry, but also claimed he was defending his brother in the clash a year ago between two groups of golfers.

The victim, 45-year-old James Compton, says he still has memory loss and headaches.

Privileges of Winning the US Open

doug — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:01:06 +0000

Congratulations to 2009 US OPEN winner Lucas Glover!

Although I was hoping for a Phil or Duval story, Glover played smart and steady with no real hiccups throughout the day.

His final card looked like this: 69-64-70-73-276 -4

Besides the check for $1,350,000 here a few other US Open perks he receives:

In line with the other majors, winning the U.S. Open gives a golfer several privileges that makes his career much more secure.

U.S. Open champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, the Open Championship (British Open), and the PGA Championship) for the next five years, as well as the Players Championship, and they are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open itself for 10 years.

They may also receive a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, which is automatic for regular members. Non-PGA Tour members who win the U.S. Open have the choice of joining the PGA Tour either within 60 days of winning, or prior to the beginning of any one of the next five tour seasons.

The top 15 finishers at the U.S. Open are fully exempt from qualifying for the following year’s Open, and the top eight are automatically invited to the following season’s Masters.

U.S. Open In Disarray

John — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:15:30 +0000

The luck of the draw certainly plays its part in golf, but at this year’s US Open it IS the story. After Friday’s rounds were over, all of the players in red figures, except 2, came from the second groupings. It couldn’t be clearer that they had a huge advantage.

Those who teed it up Thursday played in rain until play was suspended, then had to come out Friday morning to damp soggy conditions and finish up. The second pairings got to play almost two rounds on Friday as they began late morning, playing until darkness. What they got were dry clubs, quickly draining fairways and rough, and greens soft as a baby’s bottom. The leaders were firing at the flags, even with their hybrids.

It may get even better with the original 2nd pairings from Thursday finishing their rounds today beginning at 7:30 – while it’s forecasted to be dry. Thunderstorms are predicted later in the day, maybe just in time to ruin the rounds of those who endured the elements on Thursday.

As far as I can recall, never has the weather so clearly impacted who is atop an Open leaderboard. What could the USGA have done differently? Cancel Thursday’s play and start the tournament on Friday? Maybe, but what’s done is done now.

I’ve read every publication I can find and no one seems to be saying how the rounds will proceed to conclusion. Piecing together bits of information, it looks like the 2nd round play will conclude today, the 3rd round will be played tomorrow and the 4th round will go Monday – all weather permitting of course. Am I mistaken that the USGA, responsible for a sport that loves rules and certainty, should clearly make known their intentions?

Predictions are out the window now. Neither Doug nor I could have guessed in our wildest dreams that David Duval – whose comeback we have followed closely for years - would be a couple of strokes from the lead as of early this morning. Or how about a couple of amateurs leading at the conclusion of the first round of the early pairings?

If nothing else, the pundits will be discussing this US Open for years with all the shoulda, coulda, and woulda’s unless Tiger somehow wins it. That looks to be pretty far fetched at the moment, but you never know. Tiger is Mr. Miraculous and Mother Nature may not be finished playing with our beloved and truly ‘open’ golf tournament.

Quail Hollow Championship Review

John — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:31:28 +0000

I have just a few quick impressions on Quail Hollow as I’m still unpacking from our Scotland trip.

When is the last time you saw Tiger Woods open a tournament at 7 under after the first round and then go only 2 under over the next 3 rounds? When is the last time he started the last round within a couple of shots of the leader and never made up a single stroke? Tiger is still the best, it just goes to show how difficult it is to return to competitive golf after a long layoff. Think back and it’s hard to find a golfer who has ever come back to pre-layoff form!

I’ve had enough of Gary McCord and the constant chatter. If he just talked about golf it wouldn’t be so bad, but he’s constantly giving us his stream of consciousness patter that covers everything from what he had for breakfast to who will be the next ‘American Idol’ winner.

I watched some of the European PGA over the weekend. What refreshing coverage. They don’t say anything that doesn’t need saying and they don’t insert background music when they are reviewing earlier play. Golf is a quiet sport, it doesn’t need bands, cheerleaders and extemporanious hoopla!

It was nice to see Sean O’Hair win, he’s a good guy and has worked hard on his game. It’s also nice to see a guy bounce back after taking a beating by Tiger at Bay Hill.

With the advent of the super high speed video camera and knowledgeable commentating you can learn a lot about playing golf just by watching professional tournament coverage. It certainly helps on full swing shots, but don’t overlook learning how to play chips, flops, sand shots and even putting.

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golfdash — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:04:51 +0000

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Golf Clubs Feel Pinch of Economy

doug — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:43:49 +0000

By BILL PENNINGTON

Behold the golf country club, a place of privacy, exclusivity, privilege and markdown bargains.

Bargains? Markdowns?

Although many restrictive private country clubs traditionally recruit members by invitation only, this month, the private Glenwood Country Club in Old Bridge, N.J., is advertising on the New York sports-radio station WFAN to promote memberships with no initiation fee and no monthly spending limits. The club is raffling off a free membership online and has advertised on billboards in New Jersey, inviting member applications.

In eastern Massachusetts, the resplendent Golf Club of Cape Cod opened two years ago with an attention-grabbing initiation fee of $85,000. Late last year, the club announced it would accept affiliated members who did not have to pay the fee for about three years. When that time period ends, the affiliated members will have to decide whether to remain and pay the full fee or to resign from the club — perhaps to look for another deal from another club.

In Arizona, the Anthem Golf & Country Club, about 35 miles north of Phoenix, is offering this month to pay the golf dues for new members through November. Anthem is also pursuing what is becoming a common strategy among private clubs, aggressively chasing the family market with a host of low-cost, nongolf programs and attractions.

“There are definitely bargains out there,” said Dana Garmany, the chairman and chief executive of Troon Golf, which manages 200 golf facilities, including 50 that are private. “It’s just like buying a car or a house right now. You just have to have the guts to pull the trigger.”

Read the rest of the New York Times article here:

Golf Clubs Feel The Pinch

Urban Golf: The New Cool

doug — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:05:32 +0000

HOLZundEISEN—German for wood and iron—sells equipment for a new sport that’s taking off in cities around the world: urban golf. Also known as cross golf or street golf, urban golf isn’t limited to country clubs, and its players don’t have to fork over exorbitant greens fees (although a good personal liability insurance is advisable). Instead, they play their rounds on building sites, campuses, rooftops and quiet streets.

Since urban golfers literally hit the pavement, HOLZundEISEN’s iron is extra durable. It’s equally suited to long and short shots, a definite advantage for golfers trekking through the city without a caddy. As befits a democratic game, the club is priced at an affordable EUR 22.

The tongue-in-cheek brand, which describes the club’s design as ‘high-porno-anti-glamour style’, was founded by two German students aiming to promote the burgeoning sport. Besides its urban iron, HOLZundEISEN also offers tips and a Google map marked with urban golf ‘courses’ across Germany.

Want to distribute HolzundEison outside Europe or find your own up-and-coming sport and cater to its underserved players? Since manufacturers in China and other low(er) cost production countries are increasingly accessible, designing and manufacturing equipment for niche (sports) audiences is more feasible than ever.

Website: www.holzundeisen.de