Futre Course Reviews... and other golf tidbits

Updates from the world of golf.

I appreciate all the readers that have read the Golf Course Review of Oxford Hills CC. in this blog. It is a nice place to play and I truly hope that you will play this course and all the others that we feature during the course of the 2011 golf season.  This weekend weather permitting I will be at Brentwood C.C.  located in Commerce Township and The Sanctuary located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. I have been at Brentwood C.C.  in the past and it is a nice place to play. Sanctuary is a new place and I am looking forward to playing there.

Over the next few weeks, I will be working on feature stories on both players and golf matches of various prep golfers in Oakland County. I truly do not think much video coverage has been provided in the past using video feature stories beyond raw video as golf is a hard sport. Reasons include the matches  taking place over three to four miles of terrain and unlike network tv, you must take a golf cart and shoot video golfers from the ground. Networks use  60+ cameras and shoot  from towers and blimps and have hundreds of people that work on a telecast. Wish me luck. If you want your program featured for a feature story or a golfer whose story we should inform our readers and viewers of, we will do that. We can both print and post videos in this blog.

Do not forget that Paula Creamer from the LPGA Tour will be at Carl’s Golfland at 7pm on Monday, May 9^th. You must sign up to attend this golf clinic. Call Carl’s for more information.   

Bob Krause and I will be working on my golf game over the course of the 2011 season. Krause was featured by Paula Pache in our Oakland Press golf program earlier this month. Krause has plenty of credentials as he has worked with multiple media outlets and is very enthusiastic about helping golfers of various skill levels work on the efficiency in their golf games. I will have more information on this and a way to contact him. Our paper is setting up weekly golf lessons and tips and I would love to publish them in this blog and point you to how to contact him. Read both the online and daily paper to get the details.

Finally, Golf.Com’s World Amateur handicap championships are happening later this summer in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For entry information, call them at 1-800-833-8798 or e-mail them at wahc@golfholiday.com. If you have a handicap, they will find a place for you.

Until next time, 

Roy J. (Joe) Akers

Course Review Oxford Hills Country Club

I had a lot of firsts while golfing at Oxford Hills Country Club on April 26th. The first is I have never played the course although I have driven by it quite a few times over the years. I have to admit that I should have stopped in a time or two and after this experience, I want to come out at least a time or two every golf season.

Why? Tim Kalohn is one reason. He is really nice guy and bent over backwards to make sure I had a great experience. He is helpful, made sure I had had a covered cart and bought my first coffee of the day. What more can a golfer ask for? I asked him to give me a few observations on the toughest holes on the course and what makes Oxford Hills a unique experience and he typed up his thoughts and I will share many with you throughout this review.

As for the course, I felt like Foghorn Leghorn as the fog was thick and lasted for nearly sixteen holes of golf. When you add this to the rain and sprinkles it made for an interesting golfing experience.

   I hit a nice tee shot on number one. Being that this is the first time I played the course, I had no idea that the scorecard that showed a dogleg left meant a long dog leg left that framed the hole. My second shot was less than my best and my third shot was just off the green and then a two put game me a bogey five to start off my day. Tim Kalohn, the Director of Golf shares his view of this hole.

What is the signature hole on your golf course? – #1 is a great starting hole, a dogleg left around Bailey Lake.  You can either hit a safe shot about 180 to 200 yards out to the dogleg and leave yourself 150 yard shot into the green or you can cut off all you can handle of the dogleg.  Some of the brave players even go for the green, 250 yards to carry the front of the break wall!  A great risk reward starting hole.  Tim is very right. I am glad that I did not see the risk/reward feature of the hole as in my younger days would have went for it. I would not have went for it today as I do not have command of my driver this early in the golf season. On my way home, the fog had lifted and I saw what a dandy of a golf hole this is.

The par three 5th hole is a test of golf that makes a golfer think about whether to hit a 5 wood, a hybrid or a three or four iron. While everyone hits it differently, a pond guards this hole down the right side and you do not want to putt from the back of the green as a three putt awaits you if you are not careful. Tim Kalohn said this about this hole.

What is the toughest par 3? – #5 is the toughest of four par 3’s playing at 208 yards from the tee it is important to carry the water in front of the green and to avoid hitting it right into another pond.  A shot to the left of the green will leave an impossible up and down.  The green also slopes severely from back to front so it is wise to leave your shot from the tee below the pin.

Another hole on the front nine where a good player will gain confidence is the 439 yard par 5. Yes, you read that right. This hole is shorter than two other par 4's at Oxford but is rated as a par five. Other than a creek that is in front of the tee, there is little trouble on the hole and a long hitter will hit a medium to short iron into the green. The ladies play this as a 339 yard par 5 so this is a place to pick up a shot on the field for our better half. Tim had this to say about this hole.

I will be the first one to tell you that I usually do not look at scorecards to see what the top handicapped holes are on a course as quite often, I play better on the tougher holes and sometimes let down a little on the easier holes. That was not the case here. I had no idea where the flag stick was on number 11. It was a 477 year par 4 and the fog was thick enough to not see where the landing areas where let alone the pin. I goofed this hole up and missed with my driver. Hit a tree with both my second and third shots and finally hit a fourth shot below the hole. It still took me seven shots on this hole before I got out my pencil. One worthy note is that I saw Sand Hill Cranes on this hole. For those of you that do not know, they are birds that are not usually found in Michigan. They look like storks and make a sound like a Taradactyl. This photo is poor but there were two walking around. The photo to the right shows what they look like with a good camera.

My favorite hole was the 12th. Why? A beautiful t-shot splitting the fairway of this 362 yard par four and a pitching wedge put me several feet from a birdie. My putt trickled just by the hole and I'm still looking for my first birdie this season.

I really enjoyed the 169 yard par three 13th. You are shooting across a valley and some water guarding the green. I thought for sure that my 6 iron tee shot was on the green but it hit the hill guarding the green and rolled to the bottom. I could not believe it and I hit a second ball that landed within several feet of the first ball. My five iron is in for repair so I took my lumps. I did par the hole as a chip was carved in about six feet from the hole and I actually made a putt. Well I made several but none with a green in regulation (GIR).

The 15th is another hole I enjoyed. Besides the golf on this 196 yard par three, (another par) there were four deer par grazing on the course in broad daylight. I will have video of me (in a later post) driving slowly by one young deer that would barely move. When I left the green, the deer that did go into the woods collected back on the fairway. For the first time today, the fog was starting to lift.

Finally, the par-5, 17th is 644 yards from the blues. Ordinarily I would have played it from there but could not figure out how the hole was laid out. I moved up to the whites and had a better idea but still was not sure and played it up the left side to take the woods out of play with a good shot. I hit a decent t-shot from the 467 yard white tee, and a second shot that was ok.  My third shot was a dandy and I put it just on the green. A two putt and I had a par on this hole and felt good about my day early in this season. Here is what Tim Kalohn had to say about 17. What is the toughest par 5? – #17 may be one of the longest holes in Oakland County if not the longest at 644 yards.  Not only is it long but slopes towards wetlands all down the right hand side of the hole.  A great drive and second shot are a must to have a chance to hit a long iron or fairway wood into a small raised green.  A bogie 6 here feels like a par.

I did ask Tim to expand on a couple of questions and here they are. 

Do you have a junior program at your course? – The Junior league at Oxford Hills runs for seven weeks during the summer and consists of 60 junior golfers between the ages of 10 and 15.  We also have a junior program headed by Oxford Varsity golf coach Terry Kelley, which runs from the end of June to the beginning of August.

What High school programs play at your golf course? – The Oxford Boy’s Junior Varsity and the Oxford Girl’s Varsity and Junior Varsity Teams play here.  We also host the Oxford Invitational Cross Country Meet every October, there are usually anywhere from 18 to 23 schools.

What makes your golf course special and different from other area golf courses? –Oxford Hills is a great course for leagues and outings, our dining room seats up to 150 people and overlooks scenic Bailey Lake.  The course is very player friendly for golfers of all skill levels.  The front and back side of the course offers two totally different 9’s.  The front side is narrow with creeks and ponds on almost every hole.  The back side is much more wide open, but plays much longer.  The course offers a lot of great wildlife scenery as well as some holes surrounding Bailey Lake.  Oxford Hills is also a great course to walk. 

I really enjoyed my day at Oxford Hills. I do have a couple of suggestions for golfers and the course.

Golfers, you should play this course from the blues. There is less than a 300 yard difference from the blue to white tees and on this day, it was more like 150 yards.  One thing I do like as a golfer is a well-marked course. I like markers at the 100, 150 and 200 yard marks and sprinkler heads to be marked when possible. Many courses do not and it is a suggestion for all courses to do this. Perhaps it is my pet peeve but I like appreciate it and this in my mind helps speed up play. 

Still, I enjoyed playing Oxford Hills and hope that you will make a tee time with the staff and book a foursome to play there as it is a fun place to play and you will pull out most of the clubs in your bag at least once. Tim was awesome and not all golf courses are lucky enough to have great staff and golfers can attest that those they encounter help people to want to come back. Tim, I would love to come back later this summer and play the course again. Golfers who play Oxford Hills, let me know what you think about the course. We would love to hear from you.

To book at tee time, call 248.628-2518 or http://www.oxfordhillsgolf.com/

Golf Poupourri

My tour of Metro Detroit area golf courses continues at Oxford Hills GC in where else... Oxford Hills, Michigan. I have never played this course and I will be more than happy to give you the best golf holes at this course and opinions on what could be better.  I must be dedicated because I will do it in possibly the pouring down rain. (While it did not pour, the fog was heavy for most of the round.  Is there a course locally that you would like previewed? Let me know and we will try to play it ASAP. This offer is for public courses in the area.

     Paula Creamer from the LPGA will be visiting Carl's Golfland on Monday, May 9th and we will be there. Depending on her schedule, we would like to ask her a question or two and would like to do a story on her recommendations for junior players.

     I do not think there is much geekier than talking to others about your fantasy sports team. So what do you consider someone that has a fantasy sports golf team? I don't know but I have my first time in a number of years. To add to the geek factor, I am in the top 85% of all players from the golf world and consider myself more than lucky and perhaps a little bit good. I am a person that believes someone that is successful a few times at a course ( Tiger Woods at Riviera for instance) whether racing (I have a racing team too) or golf, a golfers track record at a course should tell you whether they will be successful. Luckily, I had Luke Donald as my 'A' golfer at the Heritage last week. He nearly pulled off a wire to wire win. He led the first three rounds before being tied down the stretch on Sunday. Brandt Snedeker closed with a surprising 7-under 64. The 33-year-old Donald could have jumped up from No. 3, surpassing previously top-ranked Martin Kaymer and fellow Englishman and Ryder Cup partner, Lee Westwood, at No. 2. Instead, Westwood takes over the top spot after winning the Indonesian Masters earlier Sunday.    
 Prep golf coaches and players, I would love to give your players and teams some video coverage this spring and do a video story on a match or a feature story on your team or an individual player or prep golf issue, I’m would love to help. The stories will appear in the MiPrepZone part of the online newspaper and in this blog. Nothing would please me more than to arrange this ahead of time. You can call me Roy J. (Joe) Akers direct at 248-238-4449. I want to hear your story ideas and if you would like coverage of a match, contact me and we can arrange some coverage.

Until next Time,

Roy J. (Joe) Akers

Survey of area golf courses- Pontiac Country Club

This year, the Oakland County Golf Scene is bringing you coverage from soup to nuts and we will be and this includes playing and giving you updates on many of the metro Detroit areas best courses with an emphasis of the OC. I will start by thanking Mark Syron, whose family has owned the club for generations for letting me survey the course to let everyone know what a super experience the course is.

        Pontiac Country Club has long been a jewel in Oakland County golf and attracts among the most players from sunrise to sunset among all courses locally. This year, the golf season has gotten started slower than most due to Mother Nature giving us highs in the 40’s most days. 

We kick off our 2011 playing season at Pontiac Country Club in Waterford. Remember when Birmingham was in Troy care in the old car commercials, as anyone that plays golf knows, Pontiac Country Club is located in Waterford and has some of the most strategic holes collectively as any in Oakland County. This 6360 yard layout from the blues (6116) from the whites and (5334) yards from the ladies tees is a golf course where everything is strategic. Typically, in my mind, the Syron’s have built a course where every bunker has a purpose and they use the lay of the land to make golfers play the golf course with their minds as much as their skills making you think about which clubs you pull out of your bag.

Hole one is a par 5 where at 465 yards is reachable in two but is not the smart play because of two large bunkers guarding an elevated green and trees and a small green making any play in two a risk for most golfers who could hit the green but then leave an unplayable lie from behind the green. A short pitch shot where you can control your third shot will give you a birdie opportunity.

The third hole is a par 5 where 482 yards is all it takes to hit the center of the green. Still, a large tree overhangs this hole and forces you to hit a draw, in the rough in a cluster of trees or you can play to the left of the tree and take your chances in the rough. A series of bunkers protect the green and will turn any short approach shot into perhaps one sand shot landing into a second sand shot for golfers who are too aggressive. Long hitters will not have to worry about this as there is a large landing area on the green.

The fourth hole is a short (307 yard) par four and since I last played this course several years ago, has landscaped rocks guarding it and is not wise to drive as there is not much room behind the green. Have you noticed a pattern here? Every shot is a shot where you have to think about the risk/reward. On the cold day  40 degrees) I played PCC, this was not the day to be going for too many pins as just keeping my hands warm was as much as I could do on this day.

Photo from Unknown

I love the par four 7^th hole. This 364 yard dandy is cut by a creek in the landing area for most golfers and once again forces you to think about whether you want to chance a penalty stroke for hitting a great shot that ends up in a creek that rarely surrenders a golf ball you hit into it. (Trust me, I know). This hole was my best of the day as I split the fairway about 15 yards short of the creek thanks to the wind and I put a pitching wedge on the green and just missed a birdie putt. Since this is the first time I have played this year, I was really hoping for one on this frigid day.

The back nine also have plenty of super holes and the 10^th is a par 5 (493 yard hole) where two well played shots can reach the green in two but I played this hole everywhere but where you are supposed to. I made a mess of the hole and double bogeyed it. The hole is ripe for the pickings and a smart player will birdie or par this hole and gain a stroke on the field.

The 12^th hole is a little tighter than some on the course and is severely uphill at the flag. You can easily reach the green with a well placed second shot but the green is an adventure and putting a ball above the hole could be an easy three putt. My advice is to play the pin from below the hole if possible. For those of you just hoping to be on the green in two to really stare your putt down and think about this shot. 

The 14^th hole is a 374 yard dandy. A straight hitter should hit it and take a wedge to the green. A longer approach shot will bring the fence protecting neighborhood from errant golf shots into play. An errant t-shot to the left will give you an uneven lie for a second shot and a really long bunker will collect errant tee shots to the right and will quickly pinball your score if you try to reach the green. Pitch it out and play for a tough par or a bogey if that happens.

The 16^th hole has been rated as one of the toughest par threes in Oakland County. It is a 220 yard par three and has a large bunker for collecting short t-shots and a pond to remind golfers that accuracy is important to playing this hole. The green is very tricky and if you do have a birdie putt, chances are this enormous green will leave you with a putt that will not do what you think it should. If you birdie this hole, you certainly have gained a shot or two against a tournament or your league.

Finally, the 17^th hole is a 169 yard par three. It is guarded by a creek in front which should not bother most golfers as the green is deep and you can club up one to take it out of play. There is a large dead tree guarding it to the left and anyone that plays a fade or want to land it soft might get there golf ball caught up in it and then the creek is a problem. Hitting the green is still not terribly hard, the putt is tricky as the greens at this course require thinking and making sure that you do not leave yourself a tricky putt on the comeback and a possible three putt. I saw a girl from Walled Lake nearly hit a hole in one last fall against Kettering and her tap in netted her a bird.

The bottom line about Pontiac Country Club is that it is a fun course and a challenging one for any golfer. Serious golfers love this course for the strategy as the Syron Memorial is a must play for golfers from all over and the Syron’s host many prep golfers for county tournaments and have for years.

I suggest you call the course at 248-682-6333 ahead as once the weather gets warm, you will want to call ahead. If you agree or disagree with my opinions, send in a post as we want to present the most informed opinions possible in this golf blog.

If you are a golf pro or course owner, call me Roy J. (Joe) Akers care of the Oakland Press at 248-238-4449 and we will make sure we make an appointment to visit your course.  

High School Coaches and Golfers...Let's ramp up the Oakland Press Coverage of Golf

Here is a call out high school coaches and players. I would love to give your players and teams some video coverage this spring and do a video story on a match or a feature story on your team or an individual player or prep golf issue, I’m your huckleberry. The stories will appear in the MiPrepZone part of the online newspaper and in this blog. Nothing would please me more than to arrange this ahead of time. You can call me Roy J. (Joe) Akers direct at 248-238-4449. I want to hear your story ideas and if you would like coverage of a match, contact me and we can arrange some coverage.

     The high school boys prep golf season is in full swing and while the weather has been more fitting for Frosty the Snowman to go snowboarding than to shiver through nine holes of golf, the players are concentrating on taking home individual and team medals in June. The teams to beat this season are Birmingham Brother Rice, Novi Detroit Catholic Central and Lake Orion in the upper divisions and Oakland Christian, Detroit Country Day and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in the lower divisions. While I mentioned the top three teams in each, there is enough depth in both divisions to see players and teams that have been shaping up their games to blossom and move up this list.

The individual player and it is tough to mention some players because inevitably you will leave out terrific names. While I will mention a few, coaches, by all means let me know if I have missed someone.

1. Francisco Ruffino (Soph.) Birmingham Seaholm- Arguably and the list is short to take this crown, he is the state’s best golfer. He was the top freshman last year and finished second individually at the Division 2 state tournament last year. He was voted all-state last year and made the super team and qualified for the U.S. Amateur last summer.

2. Nick Dennis (Sr.)- He is a senior for a team that has depth and is one of the state’s best and looks to lead Oakland County’s top ranked Oakland Press as written by Keith Dunlap. He, like Ruffino was voted to the all-state super team last year.

3. Sean Friel (Jr.)- Also from Brother Rice, was outstanding as a sophomore and is capable of shooting in the 60’s scratch as evidence of a 67 he shot under pressure in a regional tournament in 2010.

4. Charlie Green (Soph.) Novi Catholic Central- Have you noticed the top teams have the top players? Well Green as a freshman helped the NCC team win the Division 1 state title last spring. How good was Green? He shot under par both days of the state tournament.

5. Zach Preuss (Jr.) Auburn Hills Oakland Christian- I called his old stomping grounds only to find out he ended up at parts unknown and see he has settled at AOHC. Preuss golfed in Division 4 and won a title in that division and hopes to continue his success at his new address.   

Kevin Na Turns Sweet 16 and local golf Discounts

“My hand's numb.” – Kevin Na, after taking quite a few shots amongst rocks and stuff en route to his 16 on the par-4 ninth Thursday in San Antonio.

It is hard to believe that Kevin Na wrote a 16 on his scorecard at the Texas Open over the weekend. The ninth hole will leave him turning and tossing in his sleep in the upcoming months as he recorded the worst par four golf score for one hole in PGA Tour history. Na This occurred after playing an unplayable lie from a tee, a two stroke penalty off a tree struck him and five more shots to get out of the woods. Na thought he escaped a hole with a respectable 15 but after looking at video in the scorers tent realized that a sweet sixteen should needed to be put on his scorecard. Na does not have the highest one hole golf score in PGA history. The one and only dutch boy himself John Dale shot an 18 on the par-5 sixth hole at Bay Hill in 1998. Some say Daly still doesn't realize he shot an 18 or remembers anything from the late-1990's to this day. The incomparable Ray Ainsley took 19 shots on the par 4 16th hole at Cherry Hills in the 1938 U.S. Open. I guess I can start marking snowmen on my score card instead of the two double eagles I shot last weekend. Ouch.

We all need to be inspired and no doubt need to get to our potential. We all struggle with playing our best every day. Somedays we play well and other days we look like we haven't picked up the clubs for a long time. In the case consider this quote from Alvaro Quiros.

"If I play at 100 percent of my potential for the rest of my life and I'm only 50th or 100th in the world. That's OK, because I did my best. But if I play at 80 percent of my ability for the rest of my life and I reach 20th in the world, that's a problem. Because I would have a debt to myself."

I do not think my words can shed any light on Quiros statement but I would say never tank a hole because that could be the hole that gives you the best stretch of golf you play in 2011 and for many rounds beyond that.

Have you been innudated with golf offers. I have. I love getting the offers and many courses like sending them. I received a half off Groupon offer on Sunday for the Metroparks coursesand the one below is for Metamora Golf Club. This offer comes from a Groupon knock off.

We want to make sure your check out today’s special Half OFF deal on CBSDetroit.com for the Metamora Golf and Country Club!

You can get two rounds of 18 holes of golf with cart for just $45--- a $90 value!!
Founded in 1990, Metamora Golf and Country Club is a 177-acre facility, home to an 18 hole championship golf course, complete practice facilities, full service clubhouse, and pool. In other words, Metamora is a semi-private club offering a wide variety of services for the golfer and non-golfer alike. 
Visit Now to start saving and take advantage of this awesome deal!

We will have a preview of some county golf courses and what if Jim Leyland was a caddy and managed his golfers like he manages his pitching staff. Plenty to talk about as for equipment, golf outings and so forth. Let me know what you want to talk about and it shall be done.

Roy J. (Joe) Akers

The Good, the Great, and the Ugly from the 2011 Masters

The Good, the Great, and the Ugly about the 2011 Masters. The Good- For Rory Mcllroy, the first sixty-three holes of the Masters was a truly great story. He stepped on the stage on in my mind is the greatest stage of American Golf and slayed the demons also known as nerves. He stared down tough golf situations and built a lead that was exciting, and perhaps historic as he stared down the field and had a 'tigeresque' lead coming down the back stretch at Augusta. The good will turn to great if Rory knows he will get future chances to win tournaments and major ones at that if he keeps his head on straight. Tiger Woods- You knew this was coming. Tiger Woods was written off by nearly everyone coming into this Masters. Heck, I am number one in his list for him to get back at anyone that ever said they are disappointed in his behavior. He hung around and hung around all weekend long and on his outstanding front nine Sunday, he strung together perhaps the most important golf he will play in the future at a course he has used as a footstool four times in his mostly brilliant career. When Tiger got to 10 under, you could sense that Tiger was accomplishing perhaps his greatest feat and this includes his brilliant 2007 Masters victory and his one legged US Open win just a few short years ago. Even though he stalled out on the back nine Sunday, it was a win for him in that he got it back for a long stretch and lets him know that with hard work, he could get back some of what he lost after the Incident in November 2009. Great- The Field- What a stretch of golf we saw on Sunday. Clutch shot after clutch shot. To watch a cluster of golfers including Schwartzel, Day, Scott, Oglivy and Donald among others string together below par golf on a test of golf with a degree of difficulty that will test the world's best from tee shot to nerve wracking putt is a testament to a great sport with a bright future. The PGA Tour would be wise to start marketing the younger players who will carry the sport now and in the future as Tiger is still wobbly and in my mind will never unring the bell that he rung in the minds of many in the public. -The Masters is a throwback to what we all love about sports. The old fashioned hand-held scoreboards are refreshing when the big electronic scoreboards have taken over sports and are a part of our sports culture and in the case of the Palace, they scare the hell out of me when they blow off that sonic cannon twice before the game and this includes when I know it is coming. This is as close as we get to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. Looking at the Azaleas and the beautiful mulch and pinestraw is breathtaking and is the opening day of the official northern golf season to me. Equally charming is the ban on electronic devices on the course. I think most people are pretty dependent on this and (yes, my hand is raised). how refreshing it must be to not get the event on the phone or leader updates and have to depend on the roars you hear to perhaps tell you what is going on on the course.  Can you imagine what was going on in the minds of those attending the event when Mcllroy shot his snowman Sunday? How about Oglivy and his four consecutive birdies? It must be riveting to watch the leaderboard change. What drama it is to watch it.  - By all accounts Rory Mcllroy was all class. His interviews on CBS and with the press afterward may brand him forever as a man who handled a potentially career altering collapse with as much dignity and class as a man in his position could have. It speaks volumes that after witnessing him speaking to the press that he received a standing ovation from the members of Augusta National who are experienced at witnessing great golf and great collapses. From Peter King of Sports Illustrated's Peter King: Tweet of the Week III "Oh and congratulations charl schwartzel!! Great player and even better guy! Very happy for him and his family!'' --@McIlroyRory, Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who entered the final round of the Masters in the lead, only to shoot seven-over on the back nine and lose I think many people could say they would have done the same but would you or I have meant it? Final, Charl Schwartzel. What a finish. Finishing with a final round 66 after three other below par rounds shows that Charl is the man for the 2011 Masters. It proves that if you hang around and hang around and finally break through, you have a chance to win a golf tournament and Charl deserves to be the champion. Now take your money and buy some advice from other multiple major winners and find out what they say are the common denominators to winning majors. Then talk to fellas that have never won after winning their first ones and see what the difference is. Also, now that you have all that money, ask Vanna White to let you buy a e and an s. I cannot for the life of me call a grown man Charl.   The Ugly Tiger Woods- After signing his scorecard yesterday, Tiger was interviewed on CBS by I believe Bill McAfee. He was short and curt and McAfee did not deserve short answers to good questions such as "Tiger, does this finish help you gain momentum for future golf tournaments?" Tiger, "we'll see." It wasn't the words but the poor attitude. One of these days he will have to play a club short as a reporter will wrap a club around his neck and tie it tight and will go Jim Gray all over him. Tiger better get it together or the public may continue to be frosty to him and perhaps he might consider being the opening act for someone else with tiger blood. That would be one Charlie Sheen. -The golf ball going to far. Gary Player told ESPN during their weekend broadcast that the ball is going to far and they will need to build a golf ball for the pros to play at their tournaments. He said and I agree that you cannot make golf courses 8,000 yards long for reasons from maintenance to real estate issues. While I have not been to Augusta, he said there is essentially no more room to many golf courses including many Pine Valley that have no more room and are seen as being to short to hold pro golf tournaments. -Finally, The Augusta National Golf Club- We've come a long way baby. Well, a security guard at Augusta did not get the memo and a female reporter was not allowed to interview Rory Mcllroy after his epic collapse. Columnist Tara Sullivan of the Bergen Record in New Jersey was stopped from interviewing Mcllroy after his collapse and had to resort to receiving notes from another reporter after the fact. In the Master's defense, they later apologized to Sullivan and blamed it on an 'overzelous' security guard. While it is true, I'm sure that there is a staging area for reporters and what is interesting to me is that the culture of men only still exists at this private club that gives the public a peak at its inner sanctum on its terms once a year. Still, it is a great week with a little of good, great and ugly.

Augusta, the Cathederal of Golf

Multiple golf polls ask golfers what golf course they would like most to play and invariably the cathedral of golf known as the Augusta National Golf Club comes out first or second. While Pebble Beach also is mentioned as a most desired golf destination, most golfers will point out that The Masters is the first golf major of the year. Another reason for the revelry is this golf course is the beautiful girl most guys will never have the chance at dating or in this case play. Augusta makes no apologies for its snob appeal. It has outlived protests from feminists, been Tiger proofed and taken full advantage of the snob appeal it holds over the public as it keeps a stiff arm from the public.

     Well, this is about to change. This club has always considered anyone with a bank account of under 3.2 billion to be white trash. Well that charge seems harsh but few people outside of corporate American get the chance to be a spectator … I mean patron at Augusta. For generations, this has been the hardest ticket to obtain in sports. Yes, harder than the Super Bowl or a chance to be a season ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers. One score and seven years ago, Augusta experimented with allowing the public to have access to the course and allowed public sale of practice round tickets on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the tournament. Within a few short years, the course was overrun with entrepreneurs and scalpers who were charging thousands of dollars to the limited access tickets that the Augusta National Golf Club would allow and turned the event into a circus. For a day trip visit to the course, it would cost some golfers thousands of dollars to walk the course during practice rounds in combination with airfare. There were no available hotel rooms so like Allen Iverson and his aversion to practice, Augusta tightened the rules and once again kicked out the average golfer. In a scandal that caused the loss of club membership and access to the tournament, some members allowed the use of their yearly badges to be rented or sold and those caught were put in the eternal damnation hell hole known as a public golf course.  Let’s move to two score and 2012.

     That change I alluded to is an announcement that Augusta has approved and will once again allow members of the public to participate in a lottery where winners will receive the right to purchase practice tickets and a few daily tournament tickets to watch real tournament action. It is a lot of money to watch the azaleas bloom and purchase the world famous pimento and cheese sandwiches. While most of the golfing public will never get the opportunity to step between the ropes and hit a ball in amen corner or drop a second ball where Gene Sarazen hit his double eagle back in 1935, this announcement still gives the club control of their course and lucky lottery winners an opportunity to breath the fresh air of golf’s hallowed ground. While the course makes no apologies for being elitist, it knows that he who has the gold makes the rules. For the public, the relationship is dysfunctional but with a potential foot in the door, it is a step in the right direction. If I was offered the opportunity to go, I have no idea if I would go but just writing this blog would disqualify me from ever attending.