Golf Confessions

 D.A. Weibring brought some golf to the re-design course at TPC Resort Los Colinos.  D.A. started redesigning the course immediately after last year’s event.  The players are finding a much different track this week and the scoring is showing the efforts of the changes.

The projected cut is 3 over par.  And most of the cuts on the PGA are usually par or better, except for the majors.  Speaking of the majors, the latest major winner, Trevor Immelman had a short week.  Trevor was double digits over par.  The mental fatigue of winning any tournament, not to mention a major is very draining.  After winning at Augusta Trevor has been non stop on late night shows and guest appearances all over the country.  Trevor will need to regroup and get back on the winning track that he displayed winning The Masters.

The eighteenth hole may be pivotal come Sunday.  The new water hazard definetely comes into play and if the tournament is on the line Sunday afternoon watch for some bailing to the right.

In 1945 Byron Nelson set records that may never be broken.  Byron played in 30 events and won 18 which is 60% of the events he played.  At one point Nelson won an incredable 11 tournaments in a row.  Many historians beleive that this feat will never be broken.

Byron’s greatest competition was boyhood caddy companion Ben Hogan and another golfer that started his golfing career as a caddy in Virginia, Sam Snead.   These three great players were the same age and each set many golfing records.  Nelson had his winning streak, Ben Hogan is one of only five players to win the Grand Slam and Sam Snead leads the trio and all players with the most wins on the PGA.

Byron started his professional career in Texarkana, Tx.  Byron had gone to Texarkana from the Dallas area to play in a tournament and when he paid his five dollar entry fee and approached the first tee he declared he was going to play for the money.  This immediately made Nelson a professional.  In his first tournament as a pro Byron made seventy five dollars.  This was a huge amount of money during the depression.   

Like most young professionals Byron struggled at first and eventually borrowed money from his future father-in-law to stay on the tour.  The tour was hap hazard at best in those days and all the players had a hard time making a living.  In those early days all of the pros had to have a club job too make ends meet.

Byron was determined to make it on the tour and he kept a diary of his play so he could analize the areas that he needed to improve.  Nelson and Hogan first began competing against each other as caddies at Glenn Garden CC.  In their first match, Nelson won a caddy tournament  79 to 80.

Hogan’s skill as a golfer came along later than did Nelsons.  Ben fought  a terrible hook early in his career.  While these two future Hall of Famers fought it out in Texas another Hall of Famer was perfecting his skills in Virginia, caddying at the Homestead.

The three would go on to have some great battles.

Today Scott Verplank will open his defense of the EDS Byron Nelson tournament in Dallas at the TPC Resort Los Calinos.  Scott was over whelmed when he wrapped up the tournament victory last year.  His victory came just a few months after his friend Byron Nelson had passed away.  Verplank had been friends with Nelson for twenty five years, which included his younger days growing up in Dallas and his college days at Oklahoma State University.

Trevor Immelman will also be in the field this week, this will be Trevor’s first tournament since he won The Masters.  The field will be testing the newly rennovated tournament course.  After last year’s tournament the decision was made to bring in D. A. Weibring as a consultant and completely redesign the tees and greens.  The course is reported to be in great shape and the tournament committee is anxiously waiting to see how the new changes will stand up under tournament conditions. 

I wonder how many people are like me and would like to see an official event on the PGA that is played with vintage balls and clubs.  All the players would use balls and clubs from the 1950’s.  The ball manufacturers could make up some Titleist and Maxfli balls to fit that era stats.  The clubs would be the old Wilson Staffs or whatever one may choose from that era.

A course would be chosen that would represent the best of that time period, something like Marion.  These modern players and fans would get a real look see  into how the game was played by players like Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jack Burke Jr., a young Palmer,Gene littler, Byron Nelson just to name a few.

The players would have to make some fast adjustments to the game they play today.  The ball would be completely different from the one played today.  And you can just imagine the look on some players faces when they hit a wedge from the rough and the ball continues to roll over the back of the green.  There were no square grooves in those days.  A player would probably have a hard time lining up a putt since the older players did not have majic markers to mark a line on their ball to line up with.

I think one of the hardest things would be handling the par fives.  The medal fairway wood and the hybrid clubs have made laying up on the par fives almost a thing of the past.  Before these medal clubs came along even the best players had to have a very good lie before they would take a chance with the old wood head clubs.  It was much harder to get the ball elevated and if you did not have a good lie the direction may be in question.  Now with these new medal clubs a player can have the same confidence as hitting an iron.

 Maybe this event once a year would be very entertaining for the fans and put a little humility into the modern professional.

What are your thoughts?

Ernie Els and Cliff Kresge discussed their families efforts to fight Autism.  Both Ernie and Kresge have young sons that suffer from this disease.  They, like many others are trying to find a cure for this situation that affects 1 out of every 150 young people in the US.  Hopefully with these two recognizabel figures from the PGA more attention can be brought forward and more people will be aware of this problem that affects so many.

Ernie who has not played very well after recording a win earlier in Florida insists that the Autism with his young son has not affected his performance on the golf course.  I know that these players are like the rest of society when it comes to their loved ones and family.  We all want the very best for our children and we would do everything in our power for them.  Ernie and Cliff are human and the things that go on in their lives when they are out on the golf course trying to make a living will creep into their heads.  People tend to forget that everyday things happen to these guys just as they do around your own home.  When they call home at night they get news about t-ball, dance recitals and the hot water heater blowing up just like everyone else.  The life of a professional golfer living in a hotel room week after week and eating all your meals out is not all the glamour that you may think.  This style of living gives you a lot of time to think about all the things you may be missing back home.  A lot of birthdays, ball games, gymnastic meets and all the other things that a lot of people take for granted are not shared by these athletes.

I know that Ernie and Cliff want the very best for their children, just being able to have a normal life is so important.  With a lot of help and maybe some devine intervention a cure for Autism will be found and these youngsters can enjoy a normal and happy life. 

I wish the best for these families and others that may be dealing with this situation.  To go public with this situation by private people takes a lot of courage, Sam Snead had a handicaped son and I know how much he loved his son and would do everything to help make his life easier.  This has to be in your mind all of the time. 

This week the PGA will pay tribute to one of golf’s greatest.  Lord Byron as he was known set some of the game’s greatest records, eleven in a row and eithteen wins in one season.  These records may well stand the test of time.  Not only was Byron a great golfer he was a true gentleman.  When you talk to the players they all have a kind word to say about Byron Nelson and the same was said about Byron in that no one remembers hearing Byron say anything bad about his fellow competitors.

This has been one of the most successful tournamnets the past many years after being associated with Nelson.  The Salesman Club of Dallas has also helped to make this one of the best when it comes to raising money for charity.

Byron Nelson grew up with the legendary Ben Hogan and Sam Snead was also the same age a Byron and Hogan.  Can you imagine three of the best golfers of all time being the same age.  That would be like three Nobel Peace winners being the same age, it just doesn’t happen.  What a golden area in golf this had to have been.  Byron gets credit for starting the modern swing and his career also came along at the beginning of the modern steel shafts.  Just think about going to the first tee and knowing you had to beat the likes of Sam Snead and Ben Hogan.

Byron cut his career short to enjoy his love for the country.  Nelson played during hard economic times and a lot of the money earned on the  tour came in the form of bonds.  He saved his money and bought his dream ranch in Texas and played sparingly after that.  To retire when you are in your thirties and you are just getting into your prime is not very likely in today’s golfing world.  Byron was always giving back to the game, Tom Watson credited Nelson with helping him with his game.

The golf tournament gift business has become a very large endeavor.  There are very few organizations both large and small that do not use golf tournaments to raise money, for charity, fund raisers or to entertain their customers or prospective customers.  These tournaments will always have some sort of golf gift for the participants.  The gifts can range widely in value and practicality.

Some of the larger corporate and member guest tournaments can have some extremely nice and valuable prizes.  These gifts can range from airline tickets, golf shirts, fine crystal, or a variety of personal items.

The golf gifts do not always have to be affiliated with a golf tournament, there are any number of occasions that golf gifts are approiate for the golfer. A few of the occasions that one may receive a golf gift are weddings, birthdays, retirement, Christmas, Father’s and Mother’s Day.  Some of these gifts often consist of prank gifts, exploding golf balls, Goof balls-ex-wife or ex-husband.  Some of the finer gifts could be personalized crystal, framed pictures of famous golfing destinations, paperweights for the home or office.  Something that most all golfers can use is a golf valuable pouch, these can be made from cloth or fine leather. 

So keep in mind the many options you have when planning your next golf tournament or a gift for your golfing friend. 

Lorena Ochoa contiunes to dominate the LPGA with her fifth out of six tournament win this year.  She joins the greats in women’s golf that have also accomplished this feat, Annika Sorenstam, Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright, who won four in a row twice in her career.

Since Tiger Woods will not be winning the Grand Slam this year, all of the attention will now be shifted to Lorena to see if she can accomplish this feat.  Ochoa has already won the first ladies major this year.  So far Lorena has been blowing away the field this year, twice she has won  tournaments by 11 shots.

The golf cart has become a valuable form of transportation in many areas other than the conventional golf course buggy.  When you look up the many uses of the golf cart you will be blown away.  Also, the old conventional golf cart may surprise you when you see the variety of ways that the cart can be customized. 

Shopping malls, race tracks, apartment complexes, marinas, ranches, and a unique use is for ice fishing.  Any large comlex, such as a large car dealership or factory can certainly benefit from the use of a golf cart.  They are reasonably fast and the battery operated ones are certainly quite.  The stretch version will carry several passengers to their destions quickly and comfortably.

The hunting industry has adopted the golf cart into its variety of toys for the avid ourdoorsman.  The camo version offers a quite approach into the hunting area and with a few modifications the hunter can have a traveling blind.  Hunting carts can also be accomodated with four wheel drive for the hard to get to areas and dealing with bad weather conditions such as rain or snow. 

You may see golf carts at school functions, such as baseball and football games and practices.  The cart comes in handy for carrying practice equipment and training supplies.  The golf cart when customized to fit the situation may be used to carry injured players from the playing field.

But still, the number one use for the golf cart is to ferry the millions of golfers around the golf courses world wide.  Many golfers would not have the opportunity to enjoy the great game if it were not for the golf cart.  The golf cart has been adapted for the many varities of courses.  Gas powered carts are used in many mountainous areas because more power is needed for the steep terrain.

When using a cart one should always practice safe driving and be courteous to others.

Boo Weekley coasted to a three shot victory today to win back to back at Hilton Head.  This is the first back to back wins at this tournament since Davis Love did it in ‘91 and ‘92.

Boo did not have his best tee to green ball striking as he did in the first three rounds.  Weekley relied on good chipping and putting when he would miss a green.  Boo got it in the hole from off the green twice on the back nine to secure his second win on the PGA.

Boo was a very popular winner and he was greeted often with BOOOOOO as he approached the tees and greens.  A folk hero may be in the making.