David Feherty does the player introductions at the 2012 Tavistock Inter-Club and leaves no funny bone unturned. You might want to close the office door first.
(Click to enjoy Feherty’s on Golf Channel doing Tavistock player introductions)
March, 2012
Some entertaining reality TV the next two nights as The Tavistock Cup is broadcast on the Golf Channel in prime time. These are the most famous B-Team inter-club matches of the year-difference being the players are a little better and arrive in helicopters instead of Camrys.
A blatant real-estate infomercial disguised as a golf tournament this involves promoting four Tavistock Group real estate properties-the Isleworth and Lake Nona communities in Orlando, the Albany resort in the Bahamas, and the Queenwood Golf Club in England.
The six players on each team are loosely associated with each property so the team comraderie is a bit contrived. The varied two-man team formats keep it interesting and the overall atmosphere is loose so the pros get to let down their hair for some adult beverage fun.
Team Albany- Tim Clark, Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods
Team Isleworth- Robert Allenby, Daniel Chopra, Charles Howell III, Sean O’hair, Bo Van Pelt, Bubba Watson
Team Nona- Ben Curtis, Ross Fisher, Refief Goosen, Peter Hansen, Graeme McDowell, Gary Woodland
Team Queenwood- Thomas Bjorn, David Howell, Soren Kjeldsen, Tom Lewis, Paul McGinley, and Adam Scott.
This year the matches will be played at Lake Nona, a Tom Fazio course outside Orlando with superb look and charm. Lake Nona is defending the cup so they have real interest in protecting their possession on home turf.
Feherty announces the players on the first tee and you never know what personal diddies that will reveal. With microphones everywhere and a full cadre of the most entertaining announcers let loose this always provides quotes to share with your Saturday foursome.
(Click to hear Feherty’s first tee unorthodox introductions of the players from Golf Channel)
So make a big bowl of Jiffy Pop, pour yourself a cool one, put the Lazy-Boy
in half recline, and enjoy another bit of March Madness.
March, 2012
With the LPGA Tour coming to the U.S. this week for the first time in 2012 all eyes will be on young Lexi Thompson who will be making her state-side debut as a full fledged, card-carrying LPGA pro. There has been so much written about this young phenom since here win at the Navistar Classic in September and the Dubai Ladies Masters in December, almost too much to digest. But as you can read in this Sports Illustrated article by Alan Shipnuck last fall, there is a whole lot to this young lady and the clamor is justified.
She is about the same age as Michelle Wie when she went pro at 16 so the comparisons are inevitable. But unlike Michelle, Lexi’s focus has totally been on the women’s game and beating her peers. From age 12 to 16 the results have been phenomenal. She has the game, the poise, the athleticism, and the drive to compete at the LPGA level right now.
Shipnuck says in the article, “Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez says that the ideal formula for an LPGA player to achieve popularity is “to look like a woman but play like a man.” Which is why (Jim) McLean, in a nod to the LPGA commissioner, says, “Lexi Thompson is God’s gift to Mike Whan”.
In reading this article you have to conclude that Lexi’s strongest attribute the next few years will be the support group of her family. It has provided her the competitive foundation within which to develop her golf skills and the grounded perspective to handle the challenges success and fame will bring.
It is not going to be easy for her to develop as a regular kid competing every week with women ten years her senior. She will need to avoid the “burn out at a young age” that has foiled careers of other gifted and talenteds in women’s sports. Some mentoring from more recent peers like Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel who have made this transition successfully would do her a world of good. Hopefully her parents will give her the latitude to seek this out.
Any way you look at it Lexi’s arrival will be a huge boost for American presence in the ladies professional golf ranks. American fans have lots to be excited about, the next Solheim Cup should have another loaded gun on the American side.
(Click here to read Alan Shipnuck’s “Lexi Thompson” SI Article)
Alan Shipnuck
Sports Illustrated
November, 2011
Brandt Snedeker is an accomplished player on the PGA Tour with over $12 million in career earnings since 2004, three PGA Tour wins, and a boatload of fans who just love the lanky boyish gait, blond curls popping out of the back of his visor, and the Opie Taylor smile that seems to say “I’m glad to be playing the game I love for a living”.
His dramatic playoff win at Torrey Pines this year and getting to the third round of the WGC Accenture Match Play have put him on our radar screen once again this year. Currently eighth on the PGA Money List, FedEx Cup Standings, and 2012 Ryder Cup List would indicate that he is likely to stay there for the rest of this year.
.
With The Masters approaching it is a great time to reflect on Sneds connection to the major he probably covets more than any other. Flash back to 2004 when Snedeker, playing college golf for Vanderbilt, qualified for The Masters as an amateur winning the U.S. Public Links Championship. He knew of The Masters tradition providing players who qualify access to the course prior to their appearance in the tournament. So for the eight months leading up to his first appearance he would drive seven hours each way nearly every weekend between Nashville to Augusta to play a couple of rounds on one of the most revered venues in the game.
In that Masters, he made the cut as an amateur, shooting 12 over for the four rounds, but this cache of practice rounds gave him a familiarity with Augusta that would serve him well four years later.
Flash forward to 2008 (I love these special effects) he was not playing his best coming into the Masters and he only hoped to somehow get into the top 16 to get an automatic invite back in 2009. He got a dream pairing with Tom Watson his boyhood idol and proceed to play the course he knew so well like a wily veteran shooting 69-68 to get within one of the lead after the halfway cut.
With family and friends walking each step of the way, Sneds flirted with history and embossed that smiling image into the consciousness of a growing group of endearing golf fans. Take a moment and read this revealing 2008 article by Michael Bamberger from Sports Illustrated Vault that recounts Sneds journey that week to an incredible third place finish in The Masters.
With his putting stroke, I would not be surprised this Easter Sunday if Sneds is hawking twenty footers through Amen Corner and nipping at the seams of a green jacket.
(Click to read Bamberger’s article “No Man Is An Island”)
Michael Bamberger
Sports Illustrated
May, 2008
At the 2011 PGA Show in Orlando the buzz around the place was about the new distance line of TaylorMade Rocketballz drivers, fairway metals, and hybrids. The notion was circulating that TaylorMade had trumped the USGA and the rest of the industry with the introduction of a power slot behind the face of the latter two categories resulting in an enhanced trampoline effect which would have the ball rocketing off the clubface. Notwithstanding that Adams Golf had introduced this same idea last year, it was the bold marketing of the “Ballz” line that had started a wind-aided brush fire across the convention center.
The driver cannot use this same power slot since the COR (the measured trampoline effect) for drivers has already hit it’s max, but they did refashion the clubhead aerodynamics to increase speed and the inside of the head to get a low and forward center of gravity to help get the optimal launch and lower the ball spin to increase the carry distance.
So for me, a guy with a driver head speed of 89 with a 25 mph wind at my back, it just was too much to resist sampling this reality and seeing for myself if there was “another 15” waiting to be garnered. The results of my personal testing were startling and a visit to my club fitting guru at Golf Care Center confirmed it so a new troika of Rocketballz Driver, Three-Wood, and Five Wood are now in my walking bag. You can say, in respectful deference to the late Davey Jones, “I’m A Believer”.
Simply stated, with the benefit of a launch monitor, comparing the potential replacements head-to-head to my existing hardware the key numbers of ball speed, launch angle, total spin, and carry distance, there was little doubt I would gain significant yardage on every club.
The 9.5 loft Rocketballz Driver vs my 10.5 loft TaylorMade R9 was on average 4 mph faster off the face, lower launch angle, 700 lower total spin rate, and a carry distance improvement of 16 yards. The three wood was 2 mph faster, slightly lower launch angle, 110 lower total spin, and 7 yards more carry. The five wood was similar- 2.5 mph faster, slightly higher launch angle, similar spin rate, and 5 yards more carry.
The key is the combination of correct launch angle, faster ball speed off the face, and lower spin rate which results in less resistance in the air and further carry. Further, and this was evident when I got them into the field, the lower spin rate means more roll out on the ground. It is observable to me that all three of these clubs generate shots with more ground enthusiasm which means more yards when the turf is dry and fast.
In a recent Golf World magazine article “Out to Launch”, Mike Stachura talked extensively about the “hunger for extra yards” that has swept across the professional ranks. For them the extra yards pay in money list results. He says, “Last year the average rank on the money list of the top 30 in driving distance was 67th, while the average rank for the bottom 30 was 119th”. Little question even historically less brawny guys like Mark Wilson and Justin Leonard are hawking longer distances by tweaking their equipment with the newest technology.
And there is little doubt the manufacturers can deliver it. The sophistication of launch monitors and accompanying analytic software, introduction of adjustable drivers, greater specificity in shaft engineering, technological advances in head design, and even better understanding of swing mechanics make it easier than ever for pros and schlubs alike to get in on the distance buffet. It is all about optimizing launch conditions-ball speed off the face, backspin, and launch angle-that can produce extra yardage.
In this Golf World article Steve Ball, a top rated instructor and club fitter from Oklahoma city says, “I have about 70 percent of my fits pick up at least 25 yards”.
I don’t know about you but this is pretty hard to ignore. So Endora, Samantha, and Tabatha, as I have affectionately named them, will be twitching their noses for extra yardage for me this coming year and I am damn excited about it.
March, 2012
Oakmarsh was created at Amelia Island by Pete Dye in 1972, around the same time his more famous Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head came on line. This wonderful layout weaves it’s way through winding salt marshes and old oak trees draped with hanging moss has many of the design features as it’s more famous cousin so be prepared for a day of the full Dye challenge. Built in the beginning of his “railroad tie period” many of the water hazards you experience on 14 of the 18 holes are framed with this accent. The native flora and the marsh grasses around the preserved natural wildlife habitats just make this a spectacular visual as well as golfing experience.
Looking for gondoliers on 6 thru 8 (Tom Spousta/Worldgolf.com)
The outward nine is set among the heritage oak trees that frame almost every shot you play. Anything off line seems to get swatted by their limbs so you have to play position golf off the tee to have any chance to score well. It begins easily enough with a few routine challenges but when you get to the short par four third you will feel your heartbeat start to pick up rapidly. It is something out of Merion demanding focused execution on both a position tee ball and the approach into a undulating tight green complex. Starting at the sixth you enter the Venician part of the course-holes tightly framed by a series of canals that define the playing lines. Beware on this side that if the wind is blowing the trees may mask it’s effect-so you need to concentrate on your club selection to avoid disappointments.
The inward half is an entirely different tale-the oaks back off but you get the full force of marsh golf and all of it’s exigencies. Ten is a short hole that will have you shaking your head walking off the green if you do not play carefully. When you step on the 12th tee and feel the wind off the marsh on your left you will understand what the rest of the day is all about-trajectory control and proper club selection. It is really from fifteen to the end that will define your day because here you can play well or simply toss the scorecard into the rubbish bin if you are careless.
Drive under the canopy on 15th (Tom Spousta/Worldgolf.com)
Standing on back tee on the par three 16th is worth the entire green’s fee. You will swear there are Sirens calling your name across the marsh. The last two holes put a premium on sense over bravery but I must admit the approach shots present a risk reward challenge that may be hard to resist.
Listening for voices on the 16th tee (aipfl.com)
These nines are extremely tight-demanding accuracy from the tees and to the greens, but are extremely fair in what he demands of you to score well. You will find each of distinctly different in flavor and trappings. As is the case with most Dye creations there are real obstacles to deal with and a whole lot of deceptions woven in between. He is a master of either suckering you into a gamble that is much more stacked against you than it appears or a bit of bravado that is really more intimidation than real threat. You have to look at each hole carefully for the best line to take for the achievable result-you score will depend on your ability to sort out the strategic choices and consistently make the right one.
On most days play from the Gold tees-the course need that for it’s teeth. If the wind is howling then pocket your manhood and a step up to the blue tees so you will have a chance to enjoy your day. If you are a fan of Pete Dye then this is a course you must add to your scrapbook.
Amelia Island Plantation, Florida
Architect: Pete Dye (1972)
Tees Par Yardage Rating Slope
Gold 72 6580 72.2 136
Blue 72 6019 69.6 122
If you would like a printable PDF of this posting including yardage book quality hole-by-hole descriptions of how to play the course click the moegolf logo below.
What you have to love about Rory McIlroy is the fact that he does not seem to get caught up in himself. As you can read in Gene Wojciechowski’s article from ESPN.com Rory is not buying this Tiger-Rory Rivalry thing that the media seems so intent on creating.
Golf Channel has gone as far as hyping this week’s WGC event at Doral as Rory against “the red hot Tiger Woods”. Bad news for Golf Channel is that wearing a particular color shirt and shooting a 62, especially after being only one under in the previous three rounds, does not constitute being red hot.
Rory understands, as the article says, that a rivalry on this order takes a decade to gestate and bring to fruition and that focusing on that would only be a distraction to what his real goals are-to be the best player he can be.
The wise young one says, “To be honest, in golf, you can have a rivalry if you want, but at the end of the day your biggest rival is the golf course”.
Rory seems content following the script he has been using that has gotten him to the #1 World Ranking, setting goals, working hard, and enjoying the ride.
“I’ve never said that I want to be the next anyone. I just want to be the first Rory McIlroy”.
I like his perspective-it should take him a long way.
(Click here to read Wojciechowski’s Article on Rory McIllroy)
Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com
March, 2012
This golf course is a quiet jewel in the middle of the east coast “strip” of Florida it stands out as one of the best tracks I have played in this region. They spared no expense in presenting first class practice facilities, superb design esthetics, wonderful conditioning, and great support features. It took guts and vision to put this much into a public course and my hat is off to the developer.
Stunning views begin on the first tee
The practice facilities are top shelf-as good as you will find anywhere. The double sided driving range has over 8 acres of grass hitting surface in the same 419 Bermuda Grass found on the course. There are five target greens flanked with bunkers as well as a practice fairway bunker adjacent to the main teeing ground. Fazio developed a separate short game area adjacent to the clubhouse. It has a 9500 practice putting green as well as bunkered practice pitching greens with Ultradwarf Bermuda built to full USGA spec just like the course. There is even a 19th hole par three that can be played from 85 to 135 yards. This area alone is worth the price of admission.
Par 3 4th is a bouquet of visual elements
As with most Florida courses Tom Fazio has generously appointed this one with water-it is in play on 15 out of 18 holes- and sand-there are over 100 bunkers- but it is not so punitive as to be unplayable. As Tom is apt to do he often buffers the water with long sand hazards to keep you in play-though not out of trouble-and keep up the pace of play. The strategy required on every hole is not evident at first blush. There is plenty of visual misdirection going on so you need to take in the information in the yardage book or the deluxe on board computer and think your way around this course.
Short Par 5 11th requires serious tactical consideration
An enormous amount of attention, and money, was spent on the presentation of the holes. Earth was moved to create visual and tactical interest and the plumes of sage grass, floral plantings, and stonework throughout enhance the beauty of the holes creating holes that will grab your attention. This is not your typical Florida experience it has a very natural dunes style felling about it.
Approach shot to 17 green can be precarious
The conditioning of the course is superb-lush fairways and some of the best rolling firm greens I have played in Florida. They even paint the top inside edge of the hole cut to match the cup itself-very professional. You will have to really pay attention to speed on these greens or you will end up with lots of eight and ten footers coming back.
View from atop the 18th tee is as mesmerizing as the first
This course is worth going out of your way to play if you can arrange it. A great test of golf and a wonderful visual experience as well. Fazio was at his best when he did the design work here.
(All photos from Emerald Dunes website http://www.edgclub.com)
West Palm Beach, Florida
Architect: Tom Fazio, 1989
Tees Par Rating Slope Yardage
Green 72 72 132 6507
White 72 70.1 125 6062
If you would like a printable PDF of this posting including yardage book quality hole-by-hole descriptions of how to play the course click the moegolf logo below.
As the media is apt to do these days, they are anxious to crown the next greatest player in the world and it has been apparent for a while that young Rory McIlroy was most likely to fit that bill. After a major disappointment in the final round of The Masters last year, Rory, at the tender age of 22, came back to lap the field and win his first major by eight shots at Congressional at U.S. Open in June. With a crowd of Europeans at the top of their games challenging Luke Donald’s hold on the top position, it just seemed like a matter of time until Rory broke free from the pack and claimed the #1 spot in the World Golf Rankings.
His play the last 8 months has been phenomenal as he has methodically built his resume as one of the most competitive forces in the game of golf. On the European Tour in 2011 he had 2 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, and 12 top tens out of 19 events winning over 4 million Euros and finished second in their Order of Merit. In his last 11 events he has been fifth or better 10 times. Last week at the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play he won a heart stopping match against his British rival Lee Westwood in the semis before losing in the final to Hunter Mahan and missing his chance to claim the world number one.
With this week’s Honda Classic he once again had the opportunity to claim that top spot if he could pull off a win against a tough field on one of the most penal courses they play all year. His play all week was on form and he came into the final round with a two shot lead and a simple mission-make pars and make someone come from behind and catch him.
As is only fitting it was Tiger Woods who made the noise, coming from miles back in the final round shooting an 8-under 62 with a statement birdie-eagle finish to post 10 under and become the leader in the clubhouse. When the Tiger roar subsided, McIlroy stood on the 14th tee with a two shot lead facing a formidable five hole stretch which includes the fabled “Bear Trap” that has doused the dreams of many would-be champions over the years.
Rory played the final five holes with the patience and resolve of a seasoned veteran getting up and down for par three times from more than a bit of bother. His short game has been his salvation all week, leading the field in scrambling at 83% with 20 out of 24 up and downs when he has missed the green. Today in particular he did not miss a single putt inside of 10 feet. A routine par on the last hole gave him a two-shot victory at 12 under par and moved him to the top spot in the World Golf Rankings.
The next two months include a World Golf Championship at Doral, Arnie’s Event at Bay Hill, The Masters, Jack’s Memorial Tournament, and The Players Championship against all the top players in the game. Rory will have his work cut out for him trying to consolidate his grip on the top spot. Given his resolve and performance since last April’s Master’s meltdown I think there is a good chance he will weather that storm.
March, 2012
Donald Ross only built two golf courses in this region of Florida and this one is a real gem worth seeking out. Donald Ross once said, “A course that continually offers problems – one with fight in it, if you please – is the one that keeps players keen for the game.” Like a tough little terrier Sara Bay has some fight in her. The original course was restored and updated over the last two decades by Brian Silva an expert on Ross designs who gave it a lovely new polish with full respect for the original design.
Created in 1926 as the centerpiece of the Whitfield Estates one of Florida’s first golf course communities, Ross gave it all the design features that Ross courses are known for. The greens throughout have the full measure of the distinctive precipice design that we know from Pinehurst #2. The fall offs on most greens are on at least three sides which puts an enormous premium on a player’s decisive intent when pitching and chipping.
Signature Crowned Greens Ross Is Known For
Mature growth trees give the holes tactical framing throughout. Fairway bunkers are done in constellations-but always on one side of the fairway-generally the premium drive location is just off the bunkers. Greenside bunkering is very selective but severe-the long holes have free access in front-the shorter ones have hurdles, but in all cases there is a tactical way to play around them if you choose. The greens are very difficult by virtue of the crowning, but what makes it even more challenging is that the surfaces are awesome pure-probably 11 on the stimpmeter on a daily basis. Grain direction on every green is crucial because it will determine the relative speed and direction of every putt. One thing to note is that the two par fives on both sides are in the last three holes so your best scoring opportunities are late in each side.
Driving Areas Well Defined By Creative Bunkering
The club itself has a quiet humility about it. There is no glitz here at all. The clubhouse is understated except for the extraordinary vintage pictures in the lobby of Jones, Hagan, Zaharias, Tommy Armour, and others. The course itself is very simple in it’s presentation. Short yardage driving range-nothing more than a 160 club-makes for lots of finesse practice time. Pitching area is a cart ride away off the first hole. No hole identification markers other than the yardage plate on each tee-so you have to pay attention to the course map to know where you are going. Everyone from the pro to the starter is a low key understated type who just has a confidence in the quality of this place and why people ought to play it.
Rich History Of The Club On Display In The Clubhouse
This is a private club so you will need to arrange to play it through your club professional. If you are in the Sarasota areas it is well worth the effort to seek this out-it is a great walk and a distinctive Ross experience. Playing these greens will be an afternoon to remember all to itself.
(All images from http://www.sarabaycc.org)
Sarasota, Florida
Architect: Donald Ross (1926)
Brian Silva (restored 1991/2006)
Tees Par Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 72 7021 73.8 136
White 72 6414 71.0 125
If you would like a printable PDF of this posting including yardage book quality hole-by-hole descriptions of how to play the course click the moegolf logo below.
moegolf 