Everyone,
As you know, I also cover sports (mainly prep) for the Oakland Press. I have three excellent stories featuring preps.
The first is on Jamie Stanton Jr. who is an excellent young man who excels at various sports while participating in them with one leg. Hopefully you will be inspired by Jamie who has a positive attitude while inspiring others. I would like to thank Bob Picot for letting me know about that story.
A second one is where we examined the three holes that will most likely decide the Division 1 MHSAA Golf Championship at Katke Cousins golf course in Rochester Hills, Michigan. I filmed Perry Busse, the head pro and he takes us through the course with the help of some prep golfers who were playing the course and they give strategy tips for playing the course.
Finally, we take you through the Oakland County prep golf season and recap some hilights and some expectations for the prep championship at Katke Cousins this weekend.
Here is the link to the online Oakland Press.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Blog readers should read a story before making snap judgements
Hey, we all make decisions and judgements before coming to conclusions. That statement is not just for teens or for parents that judge those teens but it goes for you and me. A blog reader called me out on my opinion on the Oxford scorecard situation. Super. But please read the story I referenced which is tagged below my response.
Anonymous said...
Jon, read the original Oakland Press story. The Oakland Press asked the AD and coach for a comment and they said they gave their side of the story to the MHSAA and declined further comment. When you decline comments, often others fill in the blanks for you. The blog entry did not say the player was a serial cheater. This was most likely a one time thing and perhaps even a misunderstanding and all could have learned from it. As a coach, why play a player when they admit to an imporpriety at the next tournament. Remember, we report the news and give the newsmakers a chance to explain actions. No one is talking at the school in question and the player was not mentioned. If he had not played at Flushing Valley last week, this would not be a story. I am very sure he is an outstanding young man who probably made a mistake. Haven't we all done that?
Here is the link.
http://miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=5068
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Carl's Jr. Clinic and Future Golf Course Reviews.
Carl's Golfland is hosting a Jr. Clinic on Thursday, June 23rd from 10-12 pm at their Bloomfield Hills location on Telegraph Rd. They will have instruction and lunch for kids 13 and under. Call the number below to reserve your spot.
Carl's Golfland1976 S. Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
Phone # 248-335-8095
Future Golf Course reviews will be at:
Beacon Hill in Commerce Township
West Wind in Rochester
Flushing Valley in Flint
Katke Cousins in Rochester Hills
The Sharf in Rochester Hills
Tyrone Hills in Tyrone Township
The Coyote Preserve in Fenton
Carl's Golfland1976 S. Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
Phone # 248-335-8095
Future Golf Course reviews will be at:
Beacon Hill in Commerce Township
West Wind in Rochester
Flushing Valley in Flint
Katke Cousins in Rochester Hills
The Sharf in Rochester Hills
Tyrone Hills in Tyrone Township
The Coyote Preserve in Fenton
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Did Anyone Learn a Lesson When a Prep Player Erased Scores?
This is my opinion and does not reflect the views of the Oakland Press
I was at Flushing Valley the other day when the regionals were held and four county teams were vying for the three spots in the State tournament finals. I arrived at the tournament about 15 minutes after the golfers teed off but I could tell after talking with the tournament director and a couple of coaches that there was a little tension in the air but I thought after speaking with one coach that it had to do with coaches coaching players during the hole which is a no-no. While I am good at sniffing out a story I really did not want to pursue this but am glad that Keith Dunlap did and his story appears in the Saturday paper. When the awards were released, I went to talk with Davison (who won the event) and had planned to speak with Oxford but they quickly left the grounds.
What makes prep golf an honest sport is not only the honor code in golf but players from different teams keep your score and you go over it with them before turning it in to your coach or in this case to the tournament officials that total up all of the scores. As I understand it the unnamed Oxford player changed his score in three seperate places after meeting with his playing partners and changed his 87 to an 84. His playing partners alerted tournament officials who confronted the golfer and he admitted that he erased his original score and marked his scorecard one stroke better on three seperate holes. He was promptly disqualified but here is where the controversy really begins.
In basketball, if you step on the end line and the official does not catch it and your team goes on to score a basket, it is considered no big deal because an official was there and did not call it. In golf, you are expected to hold yourself to the honor code and in this case it did not happen. Golf is the other extreme of "if you are not cheatin' you are not trying." Since NASCAR is not a MHSAA event we do not have to worry about that in this case.
The MHSAA stipulates that when a player commits an unsportsmanlike act, they are supposed to sit out the next event which in this case was the Regional Tournament. In this case, both the MHSAA and in my opinion Oxford Schools dropped the ball. The MHSAA passed the buck and said this is a matter that should have been handled at the course and it occurred in the disqualification of the golfer at the event and the scores were moved back to the original score shot. The tournament director alerted the MHSAA and the schools and tournament officials expected this to occur but it was not ruled that way by those making the decision in Lansing. But why Oxford would allow the golfer to compete at the next event when he clearly violated the rules and admitted to it is beyond me. If he would have had to sit out the event, we would not have had much of a controversy. You take your medicine and go home. Instead, he shot a 78 instead of a subsequent Oxford player that shot a higher score and his score allowed Oxford to move onto the State Finals instead of Lake Orion which finished tied with Rochester, both two strokes behind Oxford. Lake Orion won a tie breaker with the Falcons. High school golf has become extremely competitive. Of the 72 golfers that competed at Flushing Valley, 27 golfers finished with scores of 79 or better and most of the top ten had at least two golfers reach that mark and some had three.
As a coach you have to have discipline on your team. What it says it me is that your score is more important than integrity. I do not want to ever bury a student and these are lessons that can be learned from by everyone. If I was the coach, he surely would not have played. If I am the AD of the school I would have interviewed the coach and the player and assume that must have happened in this case. Instead the player and coach proceeded to Flushing Valley like nothing ever happened. The student athlete and the Coach must walk between the ropes this week at Katke Cousins and decide if this was truly an honest mistake or if they deserve to compete instead of another school that competed honestly. An adult should have made a wiser decision so the community could celebrate this team instead of have to read this stuff in this blog and the local newspaper.
This is my opinion and does not reflect the views of the Oakland Press.
.
I was at Flushing Valley the other day when the regionals were held and four county teams were vying for the three spots in the State tournament finals. I arrived at the tournament about 15 minutes after the golfers teed off but I could tell after talking with the tournament director and a couple of coaches that there was a little tension in the air but I thought after speaking with one coach that it had to do with coaches coaching players during the hole which is a no-no. While I am good at sniffing out a story I really did not want to pursue this but am glad that Keith Dunlap did and his story appears in the Saturday paper. When the awards were released, I went to talk with Davison (who won the event) and had planned to speak with Oxford but they quickly left the grounds.
What makes prep golf an honest sport is not only the honor code in golf but players from different teams keep your score and you go over it with them before turning it in to your coach or in this case to the tournament officials that total up all of the scores. As I understand it the unnamed Oxford player changed his score in three seperate places after meeting with his playing partners and changed his 87 to an 84. His playing partners alerted tournament officials who confronted the golfer and he admitted that he erased his original score and marked his scorecard one stroke better on three seperate holes. He was promptly disqualified but here is where the controversy really begins.
In basketball, if you step on the end line and the official does not catch it and your team goes on to score a basket, it is considered no big deal because an official was there and did not call it. In golf, you are expected to hold yourself to the honor code and in this case it did not happen. Golf is the other extreme of "if you are not cheatin' you are not trying." Since NASCAR is not a MHSAA event we do not have to worry about that in this case.
The MHSAA stipulates that when a player commits an unsportsmanlike act, they are supposed to sit out the next event which in this case was the Regional Tournament. In this case, both the MHSAA and in my opinion Oxford Schools dropped the ball. The MHSAA passed the buck and said this is a matter that should have been handled at the course and it occurred in the disqualification of the golfer at the event and the scores were moved back to the original score shot. The tournament director alerted the MHSAA and the schools and tournament officials expected this to occur but it was not ruled that way by those making the decision in Lansing. But why Oxford would allow the golfer to compete at the next event when he clearly violated the rules and admitted to it is beyond me. If he would have had to sit out the event, we would not have had much of a controversy. You take your medicine and go home. Instead, he shot a 78 instead of a subsequent Oxford player that shot a higher score and his score allowed Oxford to move onto the State Finals instead of Lake Orion which finished tied with Rochester, both two strokes behind Oxford. Lake Orion won a tie breaker with the Falcons. High school golf has become extremely competitive. Of the 72 golfers that competed at Flushing Valley, 27 golfers finished with scores of 79 or better and most of the top ten had at least two golfers reach that mark and some had three.
As a coach you have to have discipline on your team. What it says it me is that your score is more important than integrity. I do not want to ever bury a student and these are lessons that can be learned from by everyone. If I was the coach, he surely would not have played. If I am the AD of the school I would have interviewed the coach and the player and assume that must have happened in this case. Instead the player and coach proceeded to Flushing Valley like nothing ever happened. The student athlete and the Coach must walk between the ropes this week at Katke Cousins and decide if this was truly an honest mistake or if they deserve to compete instead of another school that competed honestly. An adult should have made a wiser decision so the community could celebrate this team instead of have to read this stuff in this blog and the local newspaper.
This is my opinion and does not reflect the views of the Oakland Press.
.
Discount Golf, Airfare and Charity Outings and Jr. Clinic at Carl's
Father's Day is coming up next Sunday and plenty of courses are down in play this year and what this means is discount rounds are coming up. One offer sent to me comes from Oakland County Parks and Recreation.
Carl's
USGA
Carl's
USGA
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Davison wins Regional over four County Teams... Alex Waelchli wins wildcard entry
Flushing Valley was the home to twelve teams competing for three team spots and three wild card spots into the State Tournament Division One Golf Finals.
This is how this works. The three lowest team scores out of twelve qualify all five golfers into the individual finals. Then you add the top three scores from the three teams not making it and a total of 5x3=15 + 3 make it to Oakland University from this regional. There are a total of 5 Class A regions so there are a total of 90 golfers in this class alone.
Here are the top scores for both teams and individuals. For a complete video recap, see both the online Oakland Press and MyPrepZone for replays, interviews and the final word.
Individual
==========
Just Missing the Finals are Lake Orion and Rochester who tied for 4th with 313.
9
This is how this works. The three lowest team scores out of twelve qualify all five golfers into the individual finals. Then you add the top three scores from the three teams not making it and a total of 5x3=15 + 3 make it to Oakland University from this regional. There are a total of 5 Class A regions so there are a total of 90 golfers in this class alone.
Here are the top scores for both teams and individuals. For a complete video recap, see both the online Oakland Press and MyPrepZone for replays, interviews and the final word.
Individual
1 Alex Waelchli, Lake Orion 72
2 Gates Muller, Traverse City West 73
3 Michael Kelley, Swartz Creek 73
Team Results
1 Davison 305 2 Traverse City Central 309
2 Traverse City West 73
3 Oxford 311==========
Just Missing the Finals are Lake Orion and Rochester who tied for 4th with 313.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Coyote Golf Club Course Review
I had the pleasure of playing at Coyote Golf Club in New Hudson off I-96 near Wixom and it is a tremendous amount of fun playing this links style course.
Jason Raney and the staff are very friendly and professional and they have a cart girl that is available to wet your whistle with a cold beverage.
Did you notice the golf hole illustration listed above? This is a model of what all golf courses should do on their scorecards and on the course signs.
The third hole is a 546 yard par five. There are trees lining both sides of the fairway although the right side is really marks the woodss. A pond guards the green about 50 yards short of the green. You can hit driver here and a three wood will work here if you are trying to frame your shot. You can go for the green in two if you are a very long hitter but the fairway rolls fast and an errant shot will roll into the pond if you are short. There is room on the right side if you are looking for a bailout area or room to maneuver. Jason Raney says this about this hole. "
Most would say #18, but #3 is also a gamblers delight. Go for it in 2 with a green surrounded by trees or choose the proper club to avoid the small pond 50 yards short of the green." Birdie Alert. I did not get on in three as my second shot was less than stellar. I Chipped over the pond to about 8 feet above the hole and rolled it in this sloping green. A super way to keep the day rolling.
Here are some additional notes from Jeff Raney.
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What hole should you par or birdie or lose a shot to the field?
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#13 – The shortest par 4 on the course, playing 320 yards. Just keep your tee shot from going into the water on the right and you will have just a short distance left to a severely sloped back to front green. Stay below the hole here!
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What makes your course unique?
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The links style layout that sets up well for all level of golfers. You can have a great challenge and play the course at 7200 yards from the tips or move up and play a comfortable 6300 yards from the blue tee. Also, a very women friendly course from the silver tees and is always in country club conditions!
|
What types of junior programs do you have?
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Home course of the South Lyon Lions and host to the top 50 Jr. tour every season. Great Junior rates for 9 & 18 holes Mon.- Fri.
|
Most would say #18, but #3 is also a gamblers delight. Go for it in 2 with a green surrounded by trees or choose the proper club to avoid the small pond 50 yards short of the green." Birdie Alert. I did not get on in three as my second shot was less than stellar. I Chipped over the pond to about 8 feet above the hole and rolled it in this sloping green. A super way to keep the day rolling.
The fourth hole is a club where tricky club selection and a well-marked course work hand in hand. The tee is well marked and tells you how far it takes to go into the marsh and a sloping fairway that will put your ball into the wetlands.
There is a yield sign that helps you frame your shot and I advise you to hit it in a direction as close to the sign as possible. I didn't. I blocked my tee shot into a cluster of trees on the right side. Thankfully I had a shot to the green and hit just short of it. Two putts later and I just gave back my birdie to my scorecard. The greens at Coyote roll true but like any course, hit it true to take advantage of the course.
Helpful Information for Playing a Hole
There is a yield sign that helps you frame your shot and I advise you to hit it in a direction as close to the sign as possible. I didn't. I blocked my tee shot into a cluster of trees on the right side. Thankfully I had a shot to the green and hit just short of it. Two putts later and I just gave back my birdie to my scorecard. The greens at Coyote roll true but like any course, hit it true to take advantage of the course.
Number five is a severe dog leg par four. I would call this a true target golf hole. I occasionally get it right in golf and do what I think is best with my course management. Hitting a three or five wood to the stake is what you need to do here. I did that going about 220. I then took a 7 iron about 150 and put it on the green. I really took my time with my putt as the green does have some undulation. I missed my putt about two feet left but even with the hole as the worst of the break I feared did not materialize. A par putt and now I am in business. My advice is to not try to bend it around the corner. Playing your ball to the stake is the way to go here.
Moving to number nine. I really enjoyed playing this hole. This par five is plenty for most golfers from the gold (568 yards) but I played it at 528. The fairways are plenty wide and I suggest that while you want to bomb it here, try to go right side or right center if you can as you will have a better angle to the green. I hit a solid but unspectacular tee shot but smoked a three wood to about 50 yards short of the green. A cluster of trees will disturb any left side tee shots and will force you to play your second shot to the right side unless you go over them and I would not bother if possible as a lost ball and a low angled metal wood will get you tangled in the trees. My loft wedge was played as a pitch and run went to the back side of the green just inside the dog hair and I just missed birdie here. Having that option in my opinion helped me achieve my par that was almost a tweeter. Boy I love this course.
Moving to the backside.
One feature I love about Coyote is they have a walk up carry out window for both beer and food orders. They are pretty quick about serving you and the waitress couldn't have been a nicer person.
Number 11 is a par three that while unspectacular, is a fair test of golf.
The visual card says you cannot miss. Well you will not miss when you put the tee shot even with the pin but 20 feet right. The green is a big as an olympic style swimming pool and it was hot enough on the course to take a dip. I took a dip just missing my birdie putt by about 18 inches past. I tapped it in from there. There are four sand bunkers and a grass bunker on this hole. A solid shot will put you on the green. I played through a really nice family and two of the three were on the green. The dad is still playing the hole though. :)
One of my personal favorites is the 494 yard par four. What made this hole comical for me is I looked at the yardage and thought it was a five. I smoked my driver and then took out my five metal wood and got out in front of my shot and it took off like a bottle rocket straight and left engaging in some trees before settling with a great lie and look of the green about 20 yards short. I think I'm chipping for eagle and pull my wedge in the long grass above the hole.
Jason Raney provides the review for the toughest par three on the course and that is the 14th hole. #14 – Long uphill par 3. Well guarded all to the right with long fescue grass and to the left with a bunker. The green is deep and slopes back to front. Easy par 4!? I admit that I played this hole pretty silly. I popped up my five wood and then had a side hill lie just missing a bunker with my second shot. A lucky two-putt saved four or I would have double-bogeyed this hole that looks all innocent and tame.
Fifeteen is another par five where you can pull out your whipping stick and let it ride. You can air it out on the fairway and right side if need be and have a good look at your second shot. There are trees on both sides of the wide fairway. My three metal wood was solid leaving me with a pitching wedge that I let chip and run and it ended up on the back of the green. I was putting for birdie and did miss the putt but it was a tappable for a par. This is one fun hole and the ability to chip and run made it possible for me.
Seventeen made my day. This 400 yard par four on this day has a pretty cocked dog leg left. There is trouble on this hole with water on the right side and woods to the left. It is not as diabolical as I just made it sound. I aimed for the right center of the fairway and hit a nice tee shot here. I did not bomb it but put it about 160 yards away just in the rough. My second shot landed on the green and rolled about six feet passed the pin. My down hill putt looked to be straight and I aimed dead center. Darn it if I made birdie here. All right!
Sand Hill Cranes patrol the 17th and 18th holes.
Jason Raney, the PGA Professional reviews the 18th here. Jeff considers this to be the signature hole on the course. (This is a) "Risk / Reward Finale with a marsh sitting 200 yards out from the middle tees. Takes a big tee shot of 240+ to carry and then leaves you with another 240+ left, as a pond in front of the green waits for anyone to come up short. Big hitters can have eagle opportunities or finish with an “other”.
Fescews will make you think twice here. They will come into play on any dubbed or short drives and anything other than a long tee shot will make you lay up to the green.
So, what did I think? I think everyone should trek out to Coyote and give the course a chance. It is a friendly course both in staff and for golfers that want a combination of a challenge and be able to score.
Customer Service- 10 - Staff Friendly and professional. Jeffe and his staff were very nice. The total score price for your first beer is a nice touch.
My Daughter and I at the 19th Hole. I got a beer for under a $1.
Course Markings- 9- Excellent. Markings at 100, 150, 200 yards and sprinkler heads. A suggestion is to put the yardage distances on the scorecards that are posted in this review. I have seen it at other places. The scorecard will help you navigate the course and there are carry signage postings at appropriate places.
Conditions -10 - Course well taken care of and you can find your ball even in some out of bounds areas.
Playability 10- Anyone can play when you hit them long and straight. Bump and Run feature is especially a nice touch. When golfers can play with various tactics, it tends to bring out more creativity. Greens are fair and will force you to hit your ball firm. The greens are very readable.
Course Design- 9- Adjacent farmland and woods and gives you an idea how this designer put the course together and it looks super.
Pace of Play 9- I played in 3 1/2 hours. Three different groups waived me through during the round. I appreciate that. If not for playing through, I would have played at least an hour longer.
My complete rankings will come out later but this course receives a 300 yard drive.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Coyote Golf Club- Course Review
I have played some tough tracks lately (The Orchards and Copper Hills) and Coyote in New Hudson is not diabolical like the other courses but offers very challenging shots and an extremely playable course.
Coyote is a 7200 yard course from the blacks and I played this course from the gold (6646) yards and am glad that I did. The course does not play much different from the various tee boxes as they are largely parallel with one 20, 40, 60 yards in front of the other on all but a few holes.
Jason Raney of Coyote Golf Club and his staff are very friendly people and will make sure you have a great time. Jason bent over backwards for me and helped provide insight into their course and you will see his comments sprinkled in this review.
Number one is a hole that allows a golfer to play driver and is only 410 yards from the Black and 388 from the Gold where I played. You can bomb away on this hole and do not dub it like I did. The greens on this course are very playable and from the black a 250 yard drive will leave you a wedge to the green. I had to hit three wood and smoked it just a few yards from the green. Unfortunately I chipped about 10 feet above the hole and two-putt from there for a bogey to start. I think the picture below makes the fescews look closer to the action than they are. You have plenty of area to drive the ball. The bunkers on either side of the green are there for seriously errant shots.
Chip and Run
Links COurse
http://www.coyotegolfclub.com/
Jason Raney
Coyote is a 7200 yard course from the blacks and I played this course from the gold (6646) yards and am glad that I did. The course does not play much different from the various tee boxes as they are largely parallel with one 20, 40, 60 yards in front of the other on all but a few holes.
Jason Raney of Coyote Golf Club and his staff are very friendly people and will make sure you have a great time. Jason bent over backwards for me and helped provide insight into their course and you will see his comments sprinkled in this review.
Number one is a hole that allows a golfer to play driver and is only 410 yards from the Black and 388 from the Gold where I played. You can bomb away on this hole and do not dub it like I did. The greens on this course are very playable and from the black a 250 yard drive will leave you a wedge to the green. I had to hit three wood and smoked it just a few yards from the green. Unfortunately I chipped about 10 feet above the hole and two-putt from there for a bogey to start. I think the picture below makes the fescews look closer to the action than they are. You have plenty of area to drive the ball. The bunkers on either side of the green are there for seriously errant shots.
Chip and Run
Links COurse
What is the signature hole on your golf course? | #18 Par 5 – Risk / Reward Finale with a marsh sitting 200 yards out from the middle tees. Takes a big tee shot of 240+ to carry and then leaves you with another 240+ left, as a pond in front of the green waits for anyone to come up short. Big hitters can have eagle opportunities or finish with an “other”. |
What is your best par three? | #14 – Long uphill par 3. Well guarded all to the right with long fescue grass and to the left with a bunker. The green is deep and slopes back to front. Easy par 4!? |
What is your best par four? | #12 – playing 490 yards from the back tee, may the wind be a your back (rarely here…) Long par 4 featuring a ridge down the middle of this very elongated green, so choose the correct side to approach the flagstick. |
What is your best par five? | Most would say #18, but #3 is also a gamblers delight. Go for it in 2 with a green surrounded by trees or choose the proper club to avoid the small pond 50 yards short of the green. |
What hole should you par or birdie or lose a shot to the field? | #13 – The shortest par 4 on the course, playing 320 yards. Just keep your tee shot from going into the water on the right and you will have just a short distance left to a severely sloped back to front green. Stay below the hole here! |
What makes your course unique? | The links style layout that sets up well for all level of golfers. You can have a great challenge and play the course at 7200 yards from the tips or move up and play a comfortable 6300 yards from the blue tee. Also, a very women friendly course from the silver tees and is always in country club conditions! |
What types of junior programs do you have? | Home course of the South Lyon Lions and host to the top 50 Jr. tour every season. Great Junior rates for 9 & 18 holes Mon.- Fri. |
Is there anything else you would like us to share with our readers? | After enjoying a fantastic day of golf on the course, you can always bring you scorecard in and receive your 1st 12oz. Draft beer for the price of your score. Hopefully, everyone will be drinking for under a $1.00…. |
http://www.coyotegolfclub.com/
Jason Raney
Coyote Golf Club Course Review
I have played some tough tracks lately (Copper Hills in Oxford and the Orchards) and playing the Coyote in New Hudson near I-96 was a real treat. The course has a very friendly staff and Jeff
The Coyote has a sister course in Fenton and I am looking forward to playing it
The Coyote has a sister course in Fenton and I am looking forward to playing it
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Bridgestone Ball Fittings at Pontiac Country Club
I had the pleasure of receiving a ball fitting from the staff of Bridgestone Golf. They have been making golf equipment since 1931 but they are not a household golf brand such as Top Flite and Titleist as they have been a latecomer to the US market as they have concentrated on overseas golf. Their ball fitting staff of Jordan Heath and Chuck Anderson have been making the rounds. They have had previous scheduled stops at the Sanctuary and Tyrone Hills rained out but have resceduled them and hope you will schedule a ftting. What happens at a fitting? They use a sophisticated sensor and have you compare your balls technical features with theirs and pull out data after you play both bals. They check launch, backspin, side spin and swing speed among other features. What I liked the best is they told me their recommendated ball does not play as well as a ball I purchased earlier this year and told me so. If I would have presented a different ball, who knows. Bridgestone has a ball for nearly every golfer and they are straight with you. They go over the results with you and give you a sleave of balls. Most golfers will have at least a better idea of what ball to hit. 
A story will be filed in the online Oakland Press early this week. Check it out in the prep and general sports section. For a complete ball fitting schedule, click on the link below. Remember, Sanctuary Lakes in Troy and Tyrone Hills in Tyrone Township will have fittings in June. You must sign up ahead to make sure you get in.
Here are some of the PGA Tour staff that courrently playing the Bridgestone series on Tour.
There are Two Community Courses in Birmingham
The City of Birmingham has two community courses that may be nine holes each but offer the opportunity to swing all of the clubs in your bag.
The first course I played was Lincoln Hills GC across the street from Birmingham Seaholm High School. Lincoln Hills is a 3023 yard layout from the blues and for men I suggest playing those tees as the whites are only 2847 yards and you get the same look at the course from either box.
The staff is friendly at the course but you will only see the cashier as there is no beer carts or on this day a starter. Hole number one is a 487 yard par five. This is the number two handicapped hole on this nine. It sits on top a steep hill and overlooks a pond that will only come into play if you dub it into the drink. There are trees on the left side of the course and the rolling fairway will affect your second shot as depending on your drive you will have a uphill or downhill lie for your second shot. A bell is on the left side of the fairway for you to notify those on the tee box that you are out of range. I love those. I believe White Lake Oaks has one and it is a smart idea to keep play moving. Lincoln Hills greens are true. If you like bombing the ball and who doesn’t, you can let it fly at this course. The greens roll true and you should not be afraid to make a run at a birdie or eagle if you can.
The second hole is a 160 yard par three and the green is ripe for the taking. Errant shots will be swallowed by a pair of sand bunkers that are deep and will surely make you hit a solid sand shot and depending on the pin position, you may actually be trying to save bogey instead of par.
The number one handicapped hole on LHGC awaits you on the 402 yard par four fourth. You need to be on your game for this hole as a dubbed drive will surely give you a second metal wood or long iron into a green that sits about 30 feet above a sloped fairway sitting below. The green is undulated so making par or birdie will take a solid effort. The fairway to the left is also pretty fairly sloped and there are woods to consider before hitting your tee shot. Making a good score here is certainly a plus.
As you are heading down the stretch on this nine, number six has some character and teeth. You really need to hit a solid tee shot. I went right up a hill that gave me a terrible second shot. The hole is only 355 yards from the blue tees and I had to shoot through some trees and of course I clipped some branches but the ball did go onto the fairway for my third shot. A pitch and a two-putt gave me a six when simply hitting a solid tee shot would have set me up for a good score here. Two sand bunkers are ready to capture any short tee shots so be careful.
The eighth hole is a 480 yard par five and you will hit your drive past a water pumping station (it should not come into play). My suggestion is do not go left as the hole does run along the fence on Cranbrook Road and the ground does get soggy and there are some hills that will give you a poor look at the green. The right side of the rough does slope downhill so hitting the ball over there is not your best bet either. Playing a couple of solid shots will get you to the green in two or leave you with a nine iron or wedge.
My favorite hole on this course is the par three ninth. This 176 yard par three is hit to a green that sits about thirty feet over the tee box and a tee shot that misses left or right of the green will leave you with a tricky chip to this devilish green. I went left and chipped to a slope that picked up steam and even though I was careful, the ball rested several feet from the pin and I two putt from there as I just missed my par.
I think Lincoln Hills is a well-maintained community course. Golfers that want to shake off the rust, play a quick round or have an enjoyable round with their family or friends will love this course. The ladies or forward tees are only 2336 yards and other than the first hole (406) yards, any golfer that plays them will have a short ride for this nine.
Now for Springdale
Springdale is a short drive just four miles from Lincoln Hills and it sits in the back of a neighborhood off of Woodward Avenue. You will turn onto Strathmore and the course sits along railroad tracks and a small kids part also is there for the neighborhood kids.
Just like its sister course, the clubhouse is fine and the staff is friendly. There was no starter that day and after all of the rains, there was not a course full of people wanting to play. Springdale is a course that is only a 2732 yard par 34 course from the tips for nine holes so playing it from the whites (2429 yards)is a good distance for beginning golfers or those wanting to shake the rust from their game.
Hole number one is a good starting hole. It is 369 yards and you do have to negotiate a creek in front of the green. The creek runs along several holes and the landing area for your tee shot could find its way into a fairway bunker to the right side. Since water runs along the left side of the hole the natural assumption is to take it out of play. It is a good idea here as the fairway is always your first option and other than the bunker, you should be all right here. The green is fairly straight so you should be fine to go right at the hole.
The second fairway is wide and you have some wiggle room to fire away. The hole is only 296 yards and two large bunkers are ready to hit any tee shots short of the green. A cluster of trees could make you pitch your second shot on the fairway but you will have to really hit a bender here to go into them. The green could subtly break but you should par this hole at worse and I’m sure that there could be a birdie at least every other foresome.
The third hole is a 486 yard load of fun. The drive is one where you can bang away. Be careful as while the fairway is wide, you want to have a chance to bite as much off as possible so you can chip your third shot over the creek and up a steep hill where the green sits. Could you go for the green in two? Sure but it is not the appropriate play. If you go short, the grass could trip you up. A steep hill will give a difficult shot with a sideways stance. Some trees will block you if you shank it so the hole is deserving of a number two handicap for this nine and is a challenge. I did par this hole and played it outstanding hitting the fairway, laying up and using a wedge to hit the green. I did not make my birdie putt and ended up with a par.
The fourth hole is a par three 210 yard hole with the same creek running through it. Both sand and grass bunkers surround the green and this hole is a good par with a chip or a two- putt giving you a solid par or even a birdie.
Skipping to the seventh hole. This hole was funny and frustrating. This is a easy 123 yard par three from the blues. It plays only 87 yards from the ladies tee. I am taking lessons and my usually reliable irons are an adventure. I actually hit it short of the green with a nine iron. Jeez, usually a decent pitching wedge would be solidly on the green. I chipped over a sand bunker and the nice size green helped me to a two-putt and I had a four on a pretty easy hole.
The eighth hole has birdie written all over it from the scorecard. I was not initially sure where to hit the ball initially as the green is hidden from the tee box. It only plays 279 from the blues but you need to play the course once or twice to know where to hit the ball. The green is quite a trip. It slopes from back to front and the very front of the green severely slopes and missing it above the hole will roll faster than the trains that frequently run adjacent to the hole. I hit my drive right and short of the green and hit it where I had to chip on the fairway. Talk about not taking advantage of an easy hole, well I’m your guy. I chipped my third shot to the green above the hole. I hit a decent putt but it had steam running out of it and even though I putted just enough to hit the extreme slope, it rolled off the fairway and I two-putt for a six. How embarrassing. A good drive and I am putting for an eagle and a likely par or birdie should be the order. I had better get out and practice.
The final hole is like coming out of air conditioning into the steamy heat on a summer’s day. The reason for this observation is that the course plays pretty short as I said from the onset. This hole is really a dynamic one and you hit downhill to a wide open fairway over a pond. The pond or stream is the same one that runs throughout the course and shouldn’t come into play for anyone as it sits in front of the tee box. Sand does guard this 443 yard par four. I did hit a solid drive about 270 yards. The ball is not rolling but plugging for most golfers so I was pretty happy with the result. My second shot though came up short of the green and landed in the sand trap. The trap had standing water in it so I did have to place my ball as it was situated in the middle of it. My sand shot was a little heavy and I only hit it a few feet onto the green. A solid putt just missed for par and my two footer gave me a five.
I really liked this course and of the two I probably liked this one just a tad better than its sister course. Saying that, Birmingham has a couple of really nice community courses and is very friendly to junior golfers as they have clinics coming up.
You can make tee times and find out about the junior clinics by contacting them below.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Would You Like to Virtually Play the US Open? Here's How
The US Open at Congressional may or may not be something you can attend but you can be there for sure in cyber space. Golf Magazine has opened the course and you can step between the ropes by clicking here. You will get the tall grass, tough lies and spectators and you can hack all you want. Let me know how you did. Perhaps we can have a leaderboard when you respond by e-mailing this blog.
http://www.usga.org/news.aspx?id=55547
You can also check it out using the interactive course map and USGA Executive Director and championship set-up expert Mike Davis walks you through an interactive map of the 18 holes that will decide the 111th national championship.
Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/usopen/2011#ixzz1OIwg15KJ
http://www.usga.org/news.aspx?id=55547
You can also check it out using the interactive course map and USGA Executive Director and championship set-up expert Mike Davis walks you through an interactive map of the 18 holes that will decide the 111th national championship.
Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/usopen/2011#ixzz1OIwg15KJ
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