golf

We Won!

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Man, I’ve been patiently waiting three years to write this next blog post…from one Ryder Cup to another. Don’t believe me!?!  Well that makes two of us!  As I mentioned in one of my last posts from three years ago, the Ryder Cup is my favorite golf event…more than the US Open, more than the Masters, more than anything else about golf.  And what else can I say about the Ryder Cup but…we won!  Pretty convincingly at that…maybe a sign of Ryder Cups to come with the young guns we had on the team.  It was a much different result from three years ago, and even weeks later I still am floating.  All seems right with the world.  I must be feeling what Europe has been feeling for years and even decades. 

I enjoy team events to my core and I enjoy golf team events even more.  The joy comes from knowing this is truly an individual sport and an individual event that is different than most. In this format all individuals must come together as a team to unite together to vanquish their foes.  Compare this to other team sports where you are a team for the entire season.  One week versus an entire season! The personality clashes within the team chemistry are set aside for just one week for each individual to represent their country in the grandest of arenas! The team chemistry is mostly formed through patriotism and an unquenchable urge to destroy the other country’s best players on the course…ok I caught myself! I could go on and on about this event but I will stop for now because I have an quenchable urge for some coffee.

No matter how you look at it, you must be feeling my smile through each letter that I am typing.  If not, know that I am and am looking forward to the next Ryder Cup.

Laces Out…

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Laces Out…

Laces Out!  Those two words always remind me of that sweet little old lady from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.  Laces out, to me, is synonymous with Ray Finkle, a clean pair of shorts, and a botched kick to get in to the Super Bowl.  Super Bowl Time is a great time of year as some might consider it a little extension of the Holiday Season.  Yes, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years might be over but there is still the Super Bowl, a time to gather with friends, and family if they are still in town, and watch some funny commercials and football.

This is also a great, and some might consider long, segway into what I really wanted to talk about, the Waste Management Open in Scottsdale which happens the same weekend as the Super Bowl!  So while the entire country is getting geared up for the Super Bowl, Scottsdale is abuzz with excitement and attendance for one of the most ruckus crowds in golf for the entire year.  The host of the “Greatest Show on Grass” always seems to one up itself year after year, with huge crowds and even rowdier fans.

Even if you don’t like golf, Waste Management Week has at least one day that appeals to everyone.
Monday: ‘Get Your Steps In’ Day
Tuesday: ‘Diehard Golfer/Junior Golf’ Day
Wednesday: ‘Is that Marky Mark?’ Day
Thursday: ‘Shot, Shot, Shot, Shot, Shot (Liquor and/or Golf)’ Day
Friday: ‘Just Got Off Work’ Day
Saturday: ‘What Golf?’ Day
Sunday: ‘What Super Bowl?’ Day

So whether you are a single digit handicapper or never played golf before, there is something for both of you and every person in between.  I would recommend going to the event and I would recommend bringing your friends and family.  I have brought my two year old every year since he was born and I will continue to go every year that we can!  It is worth the price of admission.

Have you been to the Waste Management?  What is your favorite day to go?

New Rule Changes for 2019…

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New Rule Changes for 2019…

In case you haven’t heard, golf is in for some exciting times starting in January.  In an effort to “modernize” and “speed up play,” the USGA and R&A have decided to update and continue their collaboration to issue a single set of rules that govern the game worldwide.  There are some updated/improved rule changes that will take effect in January of 2019, so we wanted to go over a couple highlights for you:

1. No Penalty for Putting with the Flagstick In!

Starting in January, there will no longer be a penalty for hitting the flagstick while your ball is hit from on the putting green.  You may have heard Bryson Dechambeau talking about keeping the pin in for the Tournament of Champions event in Hawaii at the beginning of the year.  Ever the tinkerer, he will be testing out this rule to find the advantages and disadvantages to it.  If I were to ask one person to determine the effectiveness of this rule, it would be him.  As of right now, the “ruling” is still out on this rule and we should have an answer soon as to whether this rule makes sense or not scientifically.

2. No Penalty for a Double Hit!

If you are a golfer like me, you probably gave a big sigh of relief after reading that and might have some difficulty wiping a smirk off your face. The dreaded double hit is as scary as watching a horror movie by yourself in a creaky cabin in the woods on a full moon!  After experiencing this shot myself, I’m not sure which is more embarrassing, the double hit or the penalty stroke after the fact.  The USGA has apparently decided that shot is scary enough that it can take away the embarrassment!  Thank you USGA…my golf game is embarrassing enough!

3. A Fourth Relief Option for Unplayable Lies in a Bunker

We all know, or at least know when we pull out the rule book, the three current ways to get relief from an unplayable lie in a bunker with a ONE stroke penalty…1) Stroke and Distance – 2) Back on the Line Relief IN the Bunker – 3) Lateral Relief in the Bunker.  Now there is a fourth relief option which allows us to drop the ball back on the line of relief OUT of the bunker for a TWO stroke penalty.  This could be the most beneficial rule change to golfers who struggle to get out of the bunkers!  When I first heard this rule change, my mind started to wander to the bunkers in the British Open and what could happen in the upcoming years.  This rule will definitely be used more by those who struggle to get out of the bunkers, but I wonder at what point someone who is great out of bunkers takes advantage of this rule?

What do you think?