Seriously!

Posted on March 17, 2013 by moegolf

34 year-old Kevin Streelman starring in those Wilson Staff commercials as the super confident pro juxtaposed to the high bravado slacker seemed like a stretch to me. Maybe those producers knew something the rest of us had missed about a guy who had yet to win on the PGA Tour. Winning the Tampa Bay Championship from behind Streelman displayed unexpected moxy of someone who had been there and done that.

Boo Weekly came from nowhere shooting a sizzling 63 in the final round to set the clubhouse lead at 8-under. But he would have three hours to eat pizza and sip hard lemonade and see if anyone could match his number and extend his day. The pursuers included Streelman, Justin Leonard, Jim Furyk, and defending champ Luke Donald. Most of them wilted under the pressure struggling to hit fairways and greens on the tight tree -ined back nine of the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.

Streelman donned his red cape on the 13th tee and hit a baby fade boldly into a phone booth location between water, bunker, and high rough on the par 3 to set up an unlikely 6-foot birdie putt and grab the outright lead at 9-under. A couple of routine pars on the next two brought him to the fabled snake pit, the last three holes on the Copperhead Course, with the task of making pars to protect a slender one shot lead.

On sixteen he put the thrill back into a three-footer slipping a putt into the right side pocket to save a par. At the long par three seventeenth he put that same aggressive baby fade on his tee ball covering the flag line all the way leaving him a 20-foot birdie putt right up the gut that he buried for another unlikely birdie and a sweet two-shot lead at 10-under going to eighteen.

It was evident that close call misses pursuing in previous events had taught Streelman that playing conservative with the lead is a formula for disappointment on the tour. He played full bore. flag hunting all the way in to close out his first win in style.

We should not be all that surprised at this because Streelman has been on an uphill trajectory for years. After winning a million bucks in the year-long Kodak Challenge in 2009, he had 11 top-10 finishes on the tour in 2010 and 2011 and another 3 in 2012 to compile over $6 million in career winnings.

Guess it is time for a Streelman image rethink for the rest of us. At least this day that “Seriously” line in the Staff commercial seems to fit like a glove.

March, 2013

Mizuno MP-H4 Hybrid Long Irons

Posted on March 8, 2013 by moegolf

This spring’s equipment juggling act has guys rethinking to some degree that bouquet of head covers crowding the top compartment of their bag. The swoon for hybrids has people discarding every long iron because, rightfully so, these hybrids are easier to elevate than the butter knives, they work better out of the gnarly lies in the rough grass, and they land softer on the business end of the shot. Who wouldn’t go all in for this concept.

Long irons try to reclaim your affection (mizuno.com)

But as the snows recede you may note some better players toying with a new version of their old friends, utility long irons. Titleist and TaylorMade call them driving irons, Callaway’s are utility irons, and to Mizuno they are hybrid irons. They basically took the long irons-2 thru 4 in most cases-fattened the sole and widened the cavity back to improve the center of gravity and make them easier to launch and more forgiving. These will not replace all of your hybrids but for certain players they will backfill niches created by full migration to hybrids.

Players may have found three conditions for which hybrids have left them without an implement. The monster player, you know him, 27 years old, without a dimmer switch, 290+ off the tee, he finds driving it into the tight nook of the dogleg about 240 a tough task with a 3 hybrid. The regular stiffs have that 210 yardish shot into a gale force wind where lowering the trajectory on the hybrid is not an option. Lastly for all of us a wayward drive ends up in the pine straw with a limited access window about 10 feet off the ground 20 yards ahead of us and still a long way to go to reach the green.

The new Mizuno MP-H4 Hybrid Irons have a 2,3, and 4 iron (18, 21, and 24 degrees of loft respectively) which can provide a solution for these problems. For people who actually have to pay for their equipment, Mizuno makes the finest players irons out there. These H4s are Grain Flow Forged like all of their Mizuno cousins and have been craftily engineered by their white jackets to deliver the forgiveness required and maintain the normal top edge look of a long iron.

In my field testing I have found these to my liking, very easy to elevate, generous forgiveness, dependable contact except out of the heavy rough, and very pliable trajectory control. Mizuno offers them in a wide variety of shafts so you need to do some research to find the right combination to fit your swing aptitude.

My son, who fits into the first category above, hits his Zuno H4 2 iron about 240 to 250 off the tee with much greater towardness control than his old hybrid. I used my H4 2 to replace my 19 degree hybrid and the low trajectory and roll out to accessible greens works very well into the wind. From incarcerated circumstances they prove very crafty off of skinny lies with limited windows of escape and a 130 yard carry to clear the rough.

I see both the H4 2 and 3 iron finding their way into my starting lineup at times this year. Seeing that in their current state of mind the USGA is likely to frown on my petition to expand the acceptable club limit to 16, it looks like there will be some serious social networking of long irons and hybrids in the boot of the Mini Cooper this spring.

Watching the flat bellies on TV, you are seeing a number of the pros migrating back to these clubs for reasons one and two. Club players with a bit of imagination are finding some favor in them as well. Much like adding a gap wedge to the north end of the set, going to a hybrid long iron is a circumstantial switch to address voids created by our total abandonment of low lofted irons. If you are tempted by this I highly recommend the Mizuno MP-H4 as a place to start your inquiries.

March, 2013

(For another person’s opinion on the Mizuno H4 Hybrids check out this Golfwrx review)

The Ultimate Showman

Posted on March 4, 2013 by moegolf

To most golfers who have any recognition of Walter Hagen it is as the ultimate showman, a man with flashy clothes and cars, a way with women, and a sense for the dramatic in golf competitions. Unfortunately this pushes his compelling competitive record and the seismic changes he brought to status of the professional golfer to the back burner and relegates memory of him to more of a caricature performer than one of the truly great golfers in history.

The attached biographical article called “Sir Walter” by Ron Fimrite was written for Sports Illustrated in 1989. It is a thorough account of the real and unreal life of Walter Hagen who single handedly changed the position of professional golfers in the U.S. and around the world. He deals with many of the myths about the man as well as the full breadth of his accomplishments both on the course and around the clubhouse.

Hagen’s competitive record was astounding. He won 11 majors over his career-(2) U.S. Opens, (4) British Opens, and (5) PGA Championships. Between 1916 and 1928 he won 32 of 34 matches in the PGA Championship, including 22 in a row, a record that is astonishing by any standard. Fimrite estimates Hagen won some 75 tournaments and played in more than 3,000 exhibition matches from 1912 to 1939. Much like Tiger in our time, Hagen’s feverish popularity helped set new standards for tournament purses and exhibition fees from which all of his professional brethren benefited.

His only shortcoming was not of his own doing. He played in an era where the amateurs were considered the aristocrats of golf and during the reign of the greatest amateur of them all, Bobby Jones. The fact that he never won a British or U.S. Open in which Jones played clung like a persistent piece of lint to his cashmere sweaters.

Hagen’s outsized personality was well cultivated. He won more money than any professional golfer of his time and appeared to spend twice what he earned. From 1926 he became known for his carousing and, as Fimrite says, “By then he had the money to live in a the grand manner and he did”. His antics made golf popular to the entire public. “He brought golf into the mainstream of the Golden Age of Sport. He was as colorful and popular as many of the other legends of his time, Ruth, Grange, Dempsey, Tilden…..golf became not merely a rich man’s game but everyman’s game.”

To the professionals who came after him he was a ground breaking hero. To the rest of us he was just another character of the Roaring Twenties who was bigger than life. Either way you see it, enjoy the details of the exploits and accomplishments of Sir Walter in this timeless article.

(Click to read Ron Fimrite’s SI article “Sir Walter” from 1989)

Ron Fimrite

Sir Walter

SI Vault

June, 1989

A Lack Of Wisdom

Posted on March 1, 2013 by moegolf

It seems incumbent upon most of us to cut Rory McIlroy a bit of slack when it comes to day-to-day behaviors. He is young, likeable, and seemingly without an enormous ego that prompts rash acts of selfish behavior.

But his withdrawal from the Honda Classic this morning after going 7 over on his first 8 holes is the stuff of youthful indiscretion and probably worse. I don’t doubt that the pain in his wisdom tooth was very discomforting and trying to maintain his focus on mundane things like reading the grain or factoring in the crosswinds was extremely difficult.

As the defending champion and one of the two marquee players fans had paid their hard earned money to venture out to see today, he owed it to the sponsors and the paying public to bear with it for two more hours, sign the card with an 82, and then head to the periodontist’s office.

The media should take him to task for this, but they won’t. There will be lots of we feel your pain rationalization of his action. But truth be told most of us go to work with aches and pains like this every day to perform what we are paid to do. Unless Rory had Swoosh golf ball like swelling in his cheek or puss pouring from the abscess I think he should have shouldered on and finished the round for posterity sake.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh but when you are the main attraction at the circus it is your responsibility to do everything in your power to make sure the show goes on as planned.

March, 2013

Rory took ownership of this mistake in judgement in an interview two days later with Michael Bamberger of Sports Illustrated.

(Click to read Rory’s apology interview with Bamberger)

Without An Anchor

Posted on February 25, 2013 by moegolf

Tim Finchem’s did the full Jim Baker in his award winning performance announcing the PGA Tour’s objection to the intended ban on anchored putting. The man was smooth building his case on the interest of everyman, or at least an inflated 20% estimate of all amateurs he says are using this method as a salve for their putting woes. He carefully left out of his explanations any mention of the old guys on his Apostle Tour or the equipment manufacturers who have the deepest self interest in keeping these walking sticks in play.

With the PGA Tour and the PGA of America now weighing in against the ban the USGA and R & A are almost without a tether on this issue. These two professional organizations will be putting on the full court press over the next month through their access to broadcasts, press conferences, and probably public service announcements trying to rile public opinion and force the USGA to relent on this intended ban.

The self interest represented in these two bodies is simple. The PGA of America and it’s member club professionals sell tee times, lessons, and equipment to the broad spectrum of amateurs playing the game. They view the anchored putting method as instrumental in keeping the interest and resulting cash contributions of players whose putting acumen has gone south. BTW the equipment goliaths of the game will be more than happy to provide financial support to present this position to the wider public.

In spite of what Tim said, the PGA Tour could give a rat’s behind about the young players who grew up honing this method, they would throw Keegan, Webb, and Carl off the plank in a heartbeat. Their concern is sustaining the competitive level and public interest in their second cash cow The Champion’s Tour. Now there is a place where the 20% estimate might be low and without it many of their marquee guys-Freddie and Bernard to name a couple-might not be shilling Pro-Am slots and Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning units any more. Without Vijay, Sluman, Michael Allen, and the like we could be watching club pros competing for the Charles Schwab points each weekend.

Tim made it sound like his constituency, the PGA Tour pros, were solidly behind their position opposing the ban. Yet many of the best players in the world, including Mr. Woods, have sided with the USGA saying that the anchored method is not really a putting stroke and it does provide an advantage to tour players who have adopted it.

My view is that the ruling bodies picked a fight on the wrong issue because in the end the implementation of the ban is more about principle than tournament results. They should have pointed their arrows at the ball or the trampoline club heads instead. These are the things that have radically changed the way the game is played and marginalized some of the most revered traditional venues in the game.

February, 2013

Pelican Hill-Ocean South

Posted on February 20, 2013 by moegolf

The Ocean South is the first of two stunning seaside offerings Tom Fazio did at the Pelican Hills resort overlooking the Pacific at Newport Beach. Pelican Hills is a grand resort done in the 16th Century Palladiam architectural style of Northern Italy. Everything about it is large scale, top shelf, with great attention to detail. The golf facilities share all three of those characteristics.

From the moment you drive up it is obvious that everything about this place-the front entrance, clubhouse, golf shop, and restaurant speaks of a high end private club. They spared no expense in developing the property. Hell, the on-course bathroom facilities are probably in the $1.2 million dollar range. This would be a lovely course to walk and appreciate the dramatic ocean views but the golf course is built on a severity of the terrain with long walks from greens to tees that takes away any consideration of walking. The carts are even outfitted with performance seats with side cushions to make sure you stay in place on some of the billy goat turns. The only disappointing feature is that the practice facilities-range, short game area, and practice putting greens-are really not up to the standard of the rest of the place.

Try not to be distracted by the jaw dropping beauty of the opening hole.

First impressions matter. Once you drive down the path from the staging area you cross the most expensive cart bridge on the planet and pull up next to the first tee box to watch the world unfold beneath your feet. The grandeur of this impression should not be lost on you because it will be repeated throughout your four and half hour tour of this course. From the high perch you have a sense of vertigo as you try to maintain your balance looking down a tree lined 400 yard log flume that spills to a green resting on a grass ledge above the ocean below. The question crosses your mind as you prepare to alight your drive, is this ball ever going to stop rolling and will I be able to play from where it comes to rest. Keeping your ball in front of you through the day is a must because the wayward shots have a way of becoming unplayable.

Par 3 4th-the first look down into the gorge at a majestic green setting.

After the free fall on the first Tom marches you right back up the hill from which you came and you will get to the environmental gorge clusters that dominate the center of the property. After a dramatic two story downhill approach to the par 3 fourth green, you are staring to your right across an environmental abyss that would feel right at home at Kapalua on Maui. Your play on the fifth is across and adjacent too this intimidating haven for rocks, scrub, and critters that will make your knees chatter. Having the focus to pick targets and make unfettered swings is a requisite in this version of target golf. When your ball does start to wander just let the fear of the result go and bask in the wonderful beauty of the terrain that just ate your Titleist.

The full length of this hole on the 5th hangs precariously above the snake sanctuary.

Skirting the gorges for a few holes you step out of your cart onto the secluded seventh tee. This hole is ensconced by trees, water, sand, and some serious boulders creating a surreal sense of tranquility as you ponder the articulate task at hand. The ensuing short ride to the eighth tee will take you by some troll caves on the left amongst the boulders and a look across Walden Pond to the landing area in the eighth fairway. It is almost like you should have brought your sketch pad or a writing tablet instead of 14 clubs, there is something genuinely mesmerizing about the atmosphere created in this corner of the course.

Fazio used the artists full palette of features on the par 3 7th.

Working your way out of the deep topographical divides over the next three holes allows you to catch your breath and prepare yourself for the pure sensory drama of the seaside holes ahead after the turn. Make sure to charge your camera battery before the round because you could fill an entire flash card with stunning images over these three holes.

Sand is the major concern on the 11th-first of the seaside holes.

Baywatch begins on number 11 with a downhill march to the beach. Unlike on number one this time it is literally to the beach as the sand and rock outcroppings that frame this green complex will bring to mind Lawrence of Arabia. The approach shot into this green is one of the scariest shots you hit all day-anything missed to the right will be painful series of recovery attempts from Ramal’s abyss.

Elevation change is the least of your worries on the Par 3 12th.

The next two holes are a unique tandem of consecutive seaside par threes. This is not like at Cypress Point or Bandon Dunes, not near as punitive, but the holes pack visual drama that will be the postcard images you remember in bed tonight. The first is a carry over a large piece of the Sahara to a long and narrow green hanging precariously above some nasty sand pits. The ocean backdrop makes it difficult to frame the target so you have to trust your yardage and give the wind a bit of respect in picking your club. Serious tilt from back to front in this one so being on the green is no guarantee of making a par.

The small back left green on #13 is an elusive target into a prevailing wind.

As I mention in the detailed descriptive of the course below Tom was of two minds when he looked at the ground for this next hole so rather than decide which he liked better he created a short pitch three par with two green settings. The one on the left is the more dramatic and wind affected-the tiny green surface makes that task all the more forbearing. Take a moment to walk off the back of the left green to catch a glimpse of the jagged California coast line that is a Kodak moment for sure.

After the breathtaking seaside romp, the transition par five that comes next will give you a chance to regain your balance before your return to the gorges and a very demanding set of finishing holes. Fifteen is quite unusual, a hole that would feel right at home in the rocky terrain of Eniscronne Golf Club in the north of Ireland. You drive wide left to a precipice landing area respectful of a furry wilderness that shadows the right side of the hole just beyond the corner of the dogleg. Your approach has no margin for error as the narrow sliver of a green hangs off a Jai Alai wall on the left and the wilderness preserve on the right. Two well placed shots and two putts would be extremely gratifying as you head to the sixteenth tee.

Infinity edge looking Par 3 16th with only the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop

The last of the three pars is drop dead gorgeous especially if you playing it late in the day into the setting sun over the Pacific. It calls for a full hybrid or fairway metal across the gorge to a green set on the edge of the horizon. The mound above the green on the left has a tree that stands sentry overlooking the green. This vista has the Monterey look of Carmel Bay to it.

Approach into the roller coaster Par 5 17th..from 150 out this is a totally blind shot

After a very rigorous three-shot par five on seventeen the finishing hole is a potpourri of everything you have seen today. Needing a par here to win the back nine is a tall order. This is a double hop scotch affair where you drive away from the line to the green to a grassy plateau across the ever present gorges. The second is either a lay up to a landing area left and short of the putting surface or a bold carry over more oblivion to a long green set on a diagonal into a ledge above the grassy canyon. Pitching up the length of the green from the lay up area is a doable up and down. If you figure out how to save your par here that après Guiness will go down smoothly when you are done.

The last 175 yards of the finishing Par 4 to a green that sits majestically below the palacial hotel building

This course is a pure southern California experience-perfect weather, stunning vistas, and unique gorge laden terrain for making memorable golf holes. Much like Pebble Beach this a place where the golf seems almost secondary, four hours of riding up and down these hillsides will leave you with a strong sense of why so many people want to settle in this part of the country.

Newport Beach, California

Architect: Tom Fazio (1991)

Tees       Par   Yardage         Rating      Slope
Black      70        6580             71.9        134
Blue       70        6323             70.5        131
White      70      5929             69.1        126
Yellow     70        4723             68.2        119

(Click to see the complete hole-by-hole review of the Pelican Hill-Ocean South Course)

(Click to see more photos from Postcard From Pelican Hill-Ocean South)

Feherty’s Fun House

Posted on February 17, 2013 by moegolf

A.K.A. the grey matter between his ears. As Feherty says, “I’m unable to stop the wheel in my head from spinning, even if I drug the hamster”.

There is a good bit of insight into the mind of the Mad Hatter of golf broadcasting in this Golf World article by Franz Lidz called “Scorecard From The Edge”. His ability to lampoon a sport which codifies conventional behavior as scripture is explained by Feherty’s unique combination of a tough love Irish Protestant upbringing, considerable professional successes, and the torturous experiences of his personal life.

Throw in the fact that he is bright, opinionated, irreverent, and can improvise better than most stand-ups and you have a combination that makes for plenty of pregnant broadcasting moments. Lidz says of Feherty, “For all the mugging and slapstick, his interview can be as languidly brilliant as his tournament commentary. He’s affectionate, but not infatuated; admiring, but not adoring”.

The article reveals much about the tribulations Feherty has gone through-alcoholism, depression, a disintegrating marriage just to name a few. But somehow he has found his ballast in the oddest of places, himself. LIdz says, “Feherty doesn’t just want to be good, he wants to be seen as good”. Feherty says it best himself, “I’ve found that the longer you spend on this planet, the more important the time you have left becomes”.

For those of us willing to put up with Jim Nance just for the opportunity to hear Feherty’s commentary, we get glimpses of what is inside this Fun House and become more and more infatuated by the humor and vision contained therein.

(Click to read the Franz Lidz article about David Feherty “Scorecard From The Edge”)

Franz Lidz

Golf World

February, 2013

Bay Hill Charger Nine

Posted on February 16, 2013 by moegolf

One of the hidden gems at Bay Hill is the nine hole Charger Course. Call it an intramural, warm-up, settle-the-bets, or happy-hour nine, but this is a well thought out strand of holes that replicates the challenges of the championship course and stands on it’s own as well as a quality test of your golfing skills. Find a way to slip this one into the itinerary, your trip to Bay Hill is incomplete without the Charger experience.

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Starts out simple enough with a shortish four par looking for about 220 off the tee straight down the pike. As you stare at the green you think you are seeing double, which you in fact are since one and eight share a double green in Arnold’s apparent nod to this common sight at St. Andrews. The green complex is typical of what you see throughout, tiny green raised up from the fairway tightly wedged in between collaring deep bunkers. Aside from the size of the surface this is in full character with the big course.

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The second is a cold splash of water to the face, a forced carry short par three to a sliver of a green draped across a shoulder of water and sand. Pins on the left are pure suckers, aiming spot is center over the bunker to the crown point of the green. The technical theme continues with a hopscotch target par four where reason must prevail over temptation or you stand to send your match into arrears. Something 200 to 220 at the aiming bunker though the fairway will bring your ball to rest left center and take the first water experience on the hole out of play. The second is a short pitch into a clever green arrangement collared by sand left and the second water experience on the right. Like the previous hole all pins call for a deep play to the center and putt back from there. If you walk to the fourth tee one over or better you are in command of your game today.

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The next par five is the least interesting offering of the nine. This plays as a straight three-shotter into another tight green complex squeezed by sand. The green is deep so it should contain an aggressive long club that successfully negotiates the narrow opening in the front of the green.

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The par five that follows is pure thrill ride and may be the pivotal decision making hole of your match. A strong draw will follow the shape of the hole and leave you adjacent to the fairway bunkers that define the left corner of this dogleg. From well above the target you are looking down at a stunning green complex. A long kidney shaped green lies between a hillside left and boulder trimmed water on the right. This hole shares the distinctive wharf style look of the sixth from the championship course just to it’s left. If you choose to take a poke at it on your second aim at the left edge of the green because the contour in front will feed the ball the right. Taking on the flag directly will leave you a Flintstone lie in the rocks. Even a lay up needs to favor the left edge of the fairway for a clean look up the angle of the green. A good score here is great fodder for post round conversations in the bar.

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The sixth is one of those innocuous looking par fours that will have you scratching you head walking off the green wondering what went awry if you don’t maintain focus. Approach angle is important so hoist a hard one to right center and you leave a short club to a sand nestled green slightly above you. This green is fairly long by Charger standards but there is a rise in he center that demands a full carry to the back pin positions. Two controlled shots and this is a routine par, anything wandering brings lots of possibilities to you scorecard.

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If they had a postcard hole for this nine this next dramatic par three would be it. Depending on the tee you play it can be a short pitch to stiff long club from a high tee to an appetizing green arrangement below. Full forced carry over more boulders and water to a green stuffed into the foot of the slope behind. You have to play the back third of this green to hedge the carry and any putt back down to the pin will be a ripper. If the wind is blowing at all the club selection is a Donald Trump crap shoot with a significant elevation change just complicating the formula. Once you send you ball on it’s way just sit back, relax, and enjoy the IMAX view of what will result. This is as fine of a three par as there is on the property.

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The run to the house is a pair of wonderful par fours that continue to emphasize line and distance control. Tee ball on eight is semi-blind into a landing area above. Right center off the tee gives the best attack angle into this green. Double vision again prevails as you may remember that the eighth is a continuation of the first green bisected by a separating bunker. The approach sets up for a soft draw working at the pin on the left.

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The final hole shadows and replicates to some degree the ninth on the championship course. As you will find on it’s big brother, you have to turn it over off this tee to follow the line of the hole. The second is a long shot into a very deep green narrowed by shading bunkers on either side. The green falls off gently back and right so you can use the ground to assist a low trundling shot to get to a back right pin.

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When you finally settle in for the beer and Bay Chips at the bar with your buds or the wife, you will take great pleasure in replaying in your mind this bonus nine and the shots it required.

Orlando, Florida

Architect: Arnold Palmer
Tee              Par   Yardage   Rating   Slope
Blue             36       3085       35.2       125
Yellow          36       2867       34.1       115
White (L)      36       2278       33.8       118

(Click for a printable version of this course review)

(Click to see the moegolf Bay Hill Championship Course review)

(Click to see the moegolf Bay Hill Short Game Area review)

(Click to see Bay Hill photos from the Postcard From Bay Hill)

Arnie

Posted on February 15, 2013 by moegolf

(arnoldpalmer.com)

He is the most immeasurable of all golf champions. But this is not entirely true because of all that he has won, or because of that mysterious fury with which he managed to rally himself. It is partly because of the nobility he has brought to losing. And more than anything, it is true because of the pure, unmixed joy he has brought to trying.

Dan Jenkins

The Dogged Victims of Inexorable Fate

1990

Postcard From Bay Hill

Posted on February 13, 2013 by moegolf

Bay Hill Club and Lodge is known to most golf fans as the home of the Arnold Palmer Invitational by Mastercard that fills our TV screens in March of each year. It is actually one of the finest golf resorts in Florida, the product of the imagination and hard work of Arnold and Winnie Palmer. The low key presentation of this top shelf golf facility
is a reflection of Arnold’s passion for the game and Winnie’s attention to detail in every interaction with resort guest and residents.

A stroll through these hallways is a walk through an Arnie Museum….this Wall of Fame has signed pictures of Arnie with friends of every generation including Ike, Gerald Ford, Dinah Shore, Ben Hogan, Jack, Phil, Bill Murray and countless others.

Then there is the comfort food…beside the waffle I recommend the Bay Hill Chips and garlic dip.

The watch tower that overlooks the practice green, staging area, and starter’s hut.

Old school….the Men’s Locker Room has a full bar, gin tables, and plenty of table space
to calculate the results. Shared lockers with Tiger or Ernie are an unexpected extra.

The Dick Tiddy Memorial Rock….commemorates his decades of service as the Director of Golf at Bay Hill..presented by The Shootout Gang.

Apparently not all paying customers know how to follow directions.

The show is coming…..preparation is well underway to handle the patrons.

Trust me it will be straight by game time.

Arnold thought of everything…here is a peek through the imported Magnolia hallway that frames 15th fairway.

A Do-Si-Do between the archer and counsel in picking the right bow.

The target…..#2…..seems so docile but actually a daunting task with trouble lurking everywhere.

Wind, water, hills, and sand make the approach to 8 a real challenge….take note of the white dimpled speck 25 feet left of the hole.

Robert Gamez’s 7-iron seared this image of the eighteenth in the viewing memory of the golfing public and Greg Norman in 1990.

The Little Lady and supporting cast…The Mish and Troy The Seer….apres game.

Bay Hill is a place where you can let your hair down, kick back, and enjoy golf the old fashioned way, one Arnold Palmer at a time.

February, 2013

(Click to read the full moegolf Bay Hill Course Review)

(Click to read the full moegolf Bay Hill Charger Nine Review)

(Click to read the moegolf Bay Hill Short Game Area Review)

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