Category: Players & Pros

Golf News for April 7, 2017

April 15, 2017
Follow the Money-colored Golf Balls!

Why does Bubba Watson use pink golf balls? — He uses green ones, too, so look for those on the weekend — or maybe even on Monday, after everyone’s left you can hunt for the green balls he couldn’t find.

Sorry, it’s not for sale: Meet the homeowners who have resisted Augusta’s advances — Living in a sea of parked cars for one week a year is only a minor hassle, the Thackers say, and it doesn’t prevent them from going about their daily routines. Come Masters week, Herman still fires up the grill while Elizabeth rakes the pine straw in the yard and keeps her landscaping immaculate. The other 51 weeks they enjoy their privacy.

Fantastic Four Lead at Augusta — “I love looking up and seeing the big leaderboards,” Fowler said. “It’s a cool thing about Augusta, very old school with the non-electronic leaderboards out there. It’s a lot of fun to see your name up there, so hopefully I can go ahead and keep it up on the big leaderboards.”

Fought, ASGCA, and Fry, ASGCA, provide their perspectives on Augusta National — As part of a roundtable discussion on Augusta among golf course architects with Epoch Times, John Fought, ASGCA, and Dana Fry, ASGCA, included their viewpoints on the best the course has to offer – and a couple suggestions for improvement.

GCSAA Job Board — Did you know Golf Course Superintendents Association hosts a nationwide Jobs Board?

As we all get out for our first rounds of the season, here is a refresher course on Etiquette Around the Greens:

Golf News for April 6, 2017

April 15, 2017
DSG 100e – A hi-tech premium ride built for both serious and casual golfers.
Field Staff – South Central Regional Representative — The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is seeking a dedicated professional to serve as a conduit to the nine affiliated chapters within Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Snoop Dogg played golf in Augusta and it was marvelous — Wuh-woh, Snoop Dogg wants to Rap Up The Masters!

Trump Wins Privacy Rights Case in Scotland — An anti-Trump activist urinated on his golf course, then sued when staff cameras filmed her. It’s what we might call a wicked pissah!

How exactly is Bernhard Langer still so damn good? — Langer’s greatness lies in his organized, consistent but also intuitive approach to patient improvement. If you’re a golfer, it’s worth paying attention.

The snitch speaks! A conversation with the fan who ratted out Lexi Thompson — Why is The PGA encouraging this behavior? “I’m the Henry Hill of golf! I’m the guy who nailed Tiger with a four-stroker at 15 at Augusta in ’13! Remember? Cost him the green jacket? His wedge hit the stick and ricocheted back into the water. And he lost his mind and dropped a full yard BACK from the original spot? What a fraud! Anyway, I didn’t catch that one until dinnertime. Same with that time I nailed Padraig Harrington nicking the water from that riverbank lie that one time. Slowed it down 50x. Nailed him good. What a scammer!”

Golf Cart of The Future — It looks like you could fit an entire foursome in there!

Opinion: Golf’s Leaders Must Take Stand on TV Call-Ins — In the pre-Twitter era, the O’Meara incident faded away quietly. But the issue of amateur rules officials phoning in potential violations from home continues to rage. Hopefully, leaders in our game will take a stand and end this scourge once and for all.

Golf News for April 5, 2017

April 15, 2017
Michael Bruce of Fort Fairfield follows through on a drive.

Bruce places third in putting in national youth golf contest — Michael Bruce will be honored by proud citizens of his hometown of Fort Fairfield Thursday, April 6 at a reception beginning at 5 p.m. at the Fort Fairfield Elementary School. The 9-year-old has just returned from an expenses-paid trip to the national Drive, Chip and Putt Finals, held at Augusta National, the home of The Masters golf tournament, where he placed third in his age bracket.

Golf for Life promotes golf in Houlton — Golf is a lifelong sport. Some take the game up as children and other wait until later in life to learn to play. Last year over 50 beginning golfers took part in the program and that exceeded expectations.

The 6 best quotes from Jack Nicklaus’s Masters press conference, ranked — Old School: “We wanted to grow up with our kids, so that’s what we did.  And so we got married and we waited 14 months before our first one. Sometimes the first one comes anytime.  The second one takes nine months.”

LPGA commissioner Mike Whan weighs in on the Lexi Thompson ruling — We think the entire rule allowing viewers to phone or text infractions to the Rules Committee is outrageous. Imagine if other sports allowed this behavior?

Embracing events and other streams of revenue could help golf courses increase their popularity — On top of business outings on the course, which can be very lucrative, golf courses are also becoming popular spots to hold events. From small business meetings to award ceremonies to charity tournaments, golf clubs have opened themselves up to the public on a broader basis, whether the event directly involves the game or not.

New Vertical Groove Driver golf club being used by Rocco Mediate and John Daly — Feeling groovy? “We’re the only club in the world that has vertical grove face technology.  What the vertical grove’s do, carries a tighter dispersion down the fairway and we’re getting more carry distance. It’s a disrupter to what’s out there today.”

Golf News for April 3, 2017

April 14, 2017
Meet the newest staff members of your local driving range

Where have all the golf writers gone? — “Jordan Spieth wins the Masters, and the Dallas Morning News isn’t there? Are you kidding me? It has been pretty much across the board ever since the 2008 market crash and other economic and market factors severely impacted media companies. Most newspapers, beset with reduced resources and staff, no longer cover majors and many don’t even have a reporter assigned to golf.”

Golf Course Mechanic, Sugarloaf Golf Club — This full-time, year-round position is responsible for the repair and maintenance of all golf course equipment, detailed record-keeping and a preventative maintenance program.

Ranking the Top 20 Golf Courses in the World — “The modern game of golf has been played since the 15th-century in Scotland. And from the humble, rolling sheep-grazing spaces of the early courses of the British Isles, through the grand venues of the Open rota and similar, to the wide-ranging masterpieces in the U.S., there is no shortage of brilliant golf courses to choose from. To that end, feel free to disagree or debate. Any and all discussion ultimately betters the game we all love and serves to enhance future venues.”

Why choose robots for driving range outfield maintenance — Truebot robots are an alternative to traditional driving range maintenance equipment and can offer facility overall cost savings of between 30-50%. There energy cost is a third of what thermal machines would cost, and can provide significant savings on human resources. Another beneficial feature is how quiet the robot are which is a huge advantage in a golf-playing environment.

Rules Question of the Week — If a player’s ball lies in a water hazard, which object in the hazard may he touch with his club during the backswing for the stroke?

A) A branch of a bush growing in the hazard.
B) A small insect moving along the ground near his ball.
C) A small mound of sand directly behind his ball.

Answer.

The non-golf fanatic’s complete guide to the 2017 Masters — This article isn’t for the serious golf fan. That group already knows everything inside of this. This is to help out the sports fan wanting a quick crash course on what has happened since the last time they checked in on the sport, at last year’s Ryder Cup.

And now for something completely different…

Our only question is, what type of shoe do you wear, golf or bowling?

Golf News for March 31, 2017

April 11, 2017
Driving Range Employee from Days of Yore

Maine boy heading to National Drive, Chip & Putt Championship — Michael Bruce is 9-years-old and qualified for the championship at Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland. Bruce’s home course is Aroostook Valley Country Club in Fort Fairfield. The best round Michael has ever shot was an impressive 77.

Assistant Golf Professional Wanted — Country Club in Poland Spring, Maine is looking for Assistant Golf Professional.

MCI’s Eric Dugas Headed to Husson Golf, Brother Gavin is Transferring to Eagles — Next season coach Mike Dugas will have some familiar faces on the team. Not only will he have a number of returning players, but, he’ll have two of his kids on the team.

The L.P.G.A. Tour and Donald Trump: It’s Complicated — Before Trump became president, he was the Daddy Warbucks of women’s golf. But that was before #TheResistance became a trendy thing.

Judge Fines Pennsylvania Golf Course $1K for Errant Shots — This story reminds us of the time people bought condos on the Portland Waterfront, only to complain that the lobstermen started their boats too early in the morning. Buy a house on a golf course, get a hardhat and some tall fencing!

Phil Mickelson Spent Nearly $2 Million to Repay Gambling Debts in 2012 — The 46-year-old is one of the most recognizable players in the world with five major titles, including three Masters wins. However, he has never been shy about wagering on the course.

Golf News for March 28, 2017

April 11, 2017
Golf Archeology?

Golf tip of the week: Club fitting 101 — The fact is, very few golfers own a real set of custom clubs. Buying a set of golf clubs from a box store and referring to them as being custom fit is like baking a birthday cake from a box and saying you made it from scratch.

“Inc.” magazine: “Why Golf’s Future is Brighter than Media Portrays” — “When you talk to golfers, many will tell you that they “only wish they’d started playing earlier.” This is happening. In 2015, over 2M new golfers took up the game, many of whom were junior-age.”

Oregon superintendents use tee time donations to help fund research assistant position at Oregon State — Oregon superintendents donated tee times at 19 courses throughout the state in 2016, including a highly regarded stay-and-play package at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and rounds at Bend Golf and Country Club.

Has Gene Sarazen’s 1950 Masters medallion turned up on Reddit? — Although it’s impossible to verify from a photograph, the medallion looks remarkably like the other medals that were given out that year to each of the players in the tournament, some of which have gone up for auction.

United Airlines says leggings aren’t appropriate for travel, but are they OK for golf? — Several women on the LPGA Tour are taking a stand when it comes to sporting a more athletic look while teeing it up.

Tom Brady plays golf with Jordan Spieth at Augusta before Masters — In Jordan Spieth’s world, figuring it out means teeing it up with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and Augusta National member Jimmy Dunne for 18 holes.

Golf News for March 25, 2017

April 10, 2017
“I guess the beaver got the short end of the stick.”

Titleist maker teed off over Costco’s cheap golf balls — As golf product makers scramble to avoid new hazards, Costco is not conceding anything. In fact, the dispute raises the question of whether publicity about Costco’s ball will only send more golfers on a long, straight drive to its warehouse stores.

Only serious golf nerds will score 10/10 on this impossible golf course quiz — We scored 7 of 10, plus the bonus round!

WATCH: LPGA launches clever new ad campaign to attract more girls to the game — Currently, fewer girls than boys play golf, but as the new LPGA’s new advertisement points out, girls are now the sport’s fastest growing segment. The biggest factor behind that growth is Girls Golf, which now has more than 400 program sites at golf courses across the U.S. and 60,000 participants between the ages 5-18.

Limited-edition shoe from Adidas Golf is pimento-cheese inspired — A shoe that even Charlie Chaplin could eat.

Trump National Golf Club offers $10,000 reward to find vandals — How many golf courses does Trump Own? We predict this sort of destructive behavior to continue throughout Trump’s four eight years in office.

Under Par: How Golf Courses Are Fighting for Survival — Rounds are down, water’s a wild variable. What can course owners do to cope?

5 Gadgets to Improve Your Golf Game — After spending the $1,500 or more for these five gadgets, we hit our first drive of the season into the pond to the left of the first fairway anyway.

Birmingham golf course beaver kill a dystopian Caddyshack — You thought life served you a raw deal? Think again. The beavers out at Roebuck got it the worst. Consider this life calculus: The beavers naturally create the environment for the watercress darter to live, and then get blamed for also destroying that environment, at which point the beavers have to die so the watercress darter can live. “I guess the beavers caught the short end of the sticks, so to speak,” Howell said. “It’s the beavers that have broken the law, and not man.”