Discover Monarch Dunes, golf on the central coast of California
Friday November 20, 2009 | 12:10:26 pm 152 words, 420 views
While the Monterey Peninsula and Southern California area enjoy a reputation for fine golf, often overlooked is the central coast of California.
It’s a little tougher to get to, but it’s well worth it if Monarch Dunes Golf in Nipomo is any indication. First, there’s the already-established and superb Old Course at Monarch Dunes. But the newest addition, the 12-hole Challenge Course, is the icing on the cake.
If you’ve only got a couple of hours to kill, it’s the perfect solution. Plus it’s a great one-two punch with the Old Course. This is no ordinary par 3. In fact, I would ...
Course marshals at The Bridges Golf Club tops in my book
Wednesday November 18, 2009 | 12:50:44 am 375 words, 703 views
When I arrived at The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon, Calif., this morning and was introduced to my playing companions, I knew it was going to be a good day.
The Bridges is a fairly challenging Johnny Miller-credited daily fee course (It was really designed by Damian Pascuzzo) that just celebrated its 10th anniversary. While it isn’t exactly target golf, having a guide to get you around this KemperSports-managed golf course is helpful.
This morning I got three guides, who were decent sticks and even better people. Barry and Dick are both retired from non-golf careers; Craig is in between ...
Tiger Woods' antics on the golf course are so polarizing
Sunday November 15, 2009 | 06:32:26 pm 581 words, 1588 views
So it’s come to pass that once again Tiger Woods has won a tournament, and once again, he is being criticized for his on-the-course antics.
Over the weekend, Woods won on the other side of the globe. He fired a final-round 68 en route to a two-shot victory at the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath Golf Club near Melbourne. Ho-Hum, it’s Tiger’s seventh win of the year. So what else is new? We’re pretty used to that part.
And, by the the way, anybody who says Woods isn’t the greatest player of all-time also believes we faked the moon landings (yeah, I ...
A little incentive to play golf in Mexico
Thursday November 12, 2009 | 10:56:26 pm 190 words, 930 views
How’s this for an enticement to come to Cozumel, Mexico?
Free golf.
Well, OK, nothing in life is ever truly free, but if you book a package at the Playa Playa Azul Hotel ($255 a night) in Cozumel, you can play all the golf you want at Cozumel Country Club for free. Just pay cart fees.
And yes, it’s time for United States citizens and Canadians to start thinking about going south.
Designed by Jack Nicklaus’ son, Steve, Cozumel Country Club is the first course in Mexico to earn designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary from Audubon International. The course has ...
Troon Card could pay off on the golf course
Tuesday November 10, 2009 | 04:37:49 am 282 words, 1161 views
If you’re planning to travel around the country next year or as early as this winter, and your plans include a lot of golf, you might want to look into a discount card or program. In this case, I’m referring to the Troon Card by Troon Golf that will allow to you to play the company’s courses for up to 50 percent off as well as replays for as little as $10.
If that seems somewhat limiting, consider this: Troon Golf has a pretty nice portfolio, especially in Arizona, where it is based. And in the winter, green fees in Arizona ...
Fry.com Open's run at Grayhawk Golf Club short and sweet
Thursday November 5, 2009 | 11:51:29 pm 292 words, 1318 views
Scottsdale, Ariz., has one less tournament now after the PGA Tour made this announcement yesterday: The Frys.com Open is moving from Arizona to California.
For the past three years, the Fall Series event has been played at Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course in golf-rich Scottsdale. Now it will move closer to Fry’s Electronics headquarters in San Jose, Calif., which is just a 30-minute drive from the tournament’s new home – exclusive CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, Calif.
This really shouldn’t come as a big surprise as this tournament has moved quite a bit in the last few years. Before Scottsdale, ...
PGA Tour suspension of journeyman golfer tells us very little
Tuesday November 3, 2009 | 07:50:57 pm 388 words, 1440 views
So it’s come to light that Doug Barron, a little known player who lost his PGA Tour card three years ago, is the first to be suspended for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug.
Barron only played one PGA tour event and a handful of Nationwide tournaments this year. The PGA Tour isn’t saying what he tested positive for, and Barron hasn’t divulged what the substance is either. Barron, a 40-year-old from Memphis, did issue an apology, though, for any “negative perception of the tour or its players” resulting from his suspension, which is a year. That’s right, a ...
Plenty are bummed out about losing Viking Classic golf tournament this week
Sunday November 1, 2009 | 08:52:44 pm 340 words, 1982 views
If a golf tournament is canceled and you didn’t notice, is it missed?
The answer is a resounding yes. While the casual golf fan stops watching golf after the Tour Championship and most likely any event that Tiger Woods isn’t in, these PGA Tour “Fall Finish” events have plenty of drama.
In this case, the Viking Classic at Annandale Golf Club just outside of Jackson, Miss., was the victim of Mother Nature this week. Ironically, this tournament survived Hurricane Katrina four years ago… well, sort of. The course was severely damaged and the event was moved from September to October that year ...
Will new LPGA commissioner be the tour's magic (Michael) Whan?
Wednesday October 28, 2009 | 11:17:02 pm 260 words, 1851 views
With a dwindling schedule and corporate dollars hard to come by, the LPGA announced earlier today that Michael Whan, a marketing whiz who once worked for TaylorMade-adidas Golf, will be its new commissioner come January.
Whan, 44, has plenty of golf experience, but more importantly, he has a successful track record of company growth. Most recently, he led Mission-ITECH Hockey, which makes and markets hockey gear, to success.
In the mid- to late-1990s Whan was with TaylorMade as its North American executive vice president. If he had anything to do with TaylorMade’s growth back then – which I suspect he did – ...
Gator biting golfer isn't funny; it's terrifying
Tuesday October 27, 2009 | 07:11:18 pm 357 words, 1951 views
Did you hear the one about the golfer who went to retrieve a golf ball and lost an arm? Sounds pretty funny, doesn’t it?
I’m guessing 77-year-old James Wiencek can’t laugh about it, although he probably realizes he is lucky to be alive. I’m sure someone his age never thought that an alligator attack might spell the end, but it nearly did.
According to a story in the The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, Wiencek was on the 11th hole earlier this month at the Ocean Creek Golf Course at Fripp Island (S.C.) Resort when an alligator attacked him ...
If you're not in a hurry, play golf on the Nullarbor Links in Australia
Sunday October 25, 2009 | 12:01:07 am 274 words, 4099 views
At 8,200 yards, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge in Alabama is one of the longest courses in the world. But that’s nothing compared to Nullarbor Links, which just opened in Australia.
The new par-72 course Down Under stretches 1,365 kilometers. That’s right, about 848 miles – and 301 yards for good measure. Of course, you’re not having to hit it that yardage, but it’s more dramatic when you put it that way.
In reality, it’s merely 18 holes spread over a whole lot of land, which isn’t in short supply in Australia. In this case, we’re talking about ...
Despite Lucas Glover's easy win, good effort from the boys at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
Wednesday October 21, 2009 | 09:57:35 pm 405 words, 2319 views
In case you missed it, the four major champions played in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf the last couple of days. And this year it actually featured the major champions for a change.
In years past, Tiger Woods might win a couple of the majors (meaning that they needed a fourth) or simply not find time in his schedule, leaving the PGA of America to find alternates. It also used to be played in Hawaii, but now it’s in Bermuda, specifically the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton.
And while Stewart Cink (British), Y.E. Yang (PGA), Angel Cabrera (Masters) and Lucas ...
Youngster's artwork of San Francisco golf nets $2,000 for First Tee program
Tuesday October 20, 2009 | 07:58:45 pm 180 words, 2333 views
The weather might have been dismal Monday evening during The First Tee of San Francisco’s Annual Awards Dinner, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of bidders in a charity auction to benefit First Tee.
In my previous blog, I related the story of how 14-year-old Jessica Kent got to go to the Presidents Cup at Harding Park because she won the “Kids Fore Kids” art contest sponsored by KemperSports. Her piece was auctioned off yesterday.
Apparently, a rain storm came out of nowhere to make things a little uncomfortable at the dinner, but Kent’s work still brought in $2,000, courtesy of George ...
San Francisco First Tee program also a big winner during Presidents Cup
Friday October 16, 2009 | 10:54:52 pm 530 words, 2646 views
There’s an aspect of last week’s Presidents Cup that might have gone somewhat unnoticed, so I’m giving it a little attention.
While the U.S. team was busy dusting off the internationals, a new satellite site for the San Francisco First Tee program was unveiled in the area.
As part of the festivities, 14-year-old Jessica Kent was flown to San Francisco with her family. Jessica, you see, won an art contest in the Kids Fore Kids program, sponsored by KemperSports, which manages Harding Park, the host site of this year’s Presidents Cup and the main location for the San Francisco First ...
Free fun, stellar golf awaits at the Administaff Small Business Classic near Houston
Wednesday October 14, 2009 | 09:15:25 pm 322 words, 2561 views
Sometimes, I enjoy attending Champions Tour events more than regular PGA Tour events – even majors. This, I’m pretty sure, will be one of those weeks.
First of all, the crowds usually aren’t as intense, but more importantly, these guys seem to have more fun.
And why not – at least for the guys who already made their mark on the PGA Tour and invested wisely? For players like Nick Price, Jay Haas and Mark O’Meara, this is gravy.
As an added bonus, this week’s Administaff Small Business Classic at the Tournament Course at The Woodlands (Texas) Country Club is ...
The Accidental Golfer
The Accidental Golfer (AKA Mike Bailey) has spent more than 15 years writing about the game that has brought him unbridled joy and temporary bouts of insanity. Now on staff at WorldGolf.com, Bailey is a former senior editor for PGA Magazine, senior writer for Golfweek's SuperNEWS and Turfnet magazines and past president of the Texas Golf Writers Association. He has covered every facet of golf, including the PGA and LPGA Tours, equipment and course architecture, as well as the bane of his golfing existence: instruction. The last has led to at least 30 different golf swings, which all feel different but appear to his playing companions to be the same.
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