From the Fringe

September 2009 - Posts

• A round from the White Tees

  Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing really went your way and you just feel crabby? This is how my week started out.  I started out in a bad mood on Sunday and really made no effort to look at the bright side of anything...then things progressively got worse - I found a small water hazard in my basement that appeared after my water heater decided to start leaking who knows when.  An unexpected home improvement project later and I'm ready to call this week a wash - but then I remembered that I was going to play golf with one of my favorite people yesterday.  We had talked about golfing for awhile, but life gets busy sometimes.  So Wednesday was the day - it was a beautiful afternoon and I was looking forward to being at my happy place with a long-time friend.  My mood had gotten better until I remembered that we had negotiated some stipulations on our match - he would play from the blue tees (back for us) and I would play from the whites...straight up.  Clearly I had been high on cold medicine or something to have agreed to this, but I guess I had. The very first hole gave me only about a 20 yard avantage - and the first view I had was nothing like what I was used to - instead of looking at a wide flat fairway with tons of room to bail right, I was looking at hitting through a shute of trees with a tee box that made me feel like I was aiming directly left.  Talk about a different perspective!  What can be a potential "on in 2" par-5 for me had become a third shot of about 130 yards.  I missed the green left, had a tough chip and then barely missed my putt to end up with a bogey.  That was hard work!  At the par-3 2nd hole I came to realize how much shorter I hit than the guys - my friend hit a 5-iron from the tips and I hit a 5-wood from the whites - we both made the green, but I felt I was the one hitting from the back tees.  I realized then that I really needed to hit great shots to end up 50 yards back! After complaining about the fact that I had to hit from the whites on the first several holes (which I know my friend appreciated!), I started to marvel at how different the course looked from these tee boxes.  I found myself hitting shots I never had had before and seeing angles and lies that I never gave a thought to.  It felt weird to feel like I had hit about as good as I could and seeing my ball so far back from where I usually am.  After finding myself struggling with the driver I felt like I needed to pull out the 3-wood, which meant losing a few precious yards to keep the ball in play...I can't tell you how many times I had to go 3-wood, 3-wood and was still not able to reach the green.  UGH! I couldn't get over how narrow some of the landing areas looked from farther back and I also realized how much I am on auto pilot on the course because I hit my ball in the same places and just know what club I'm going to hit without even checking yardages.  Approach shots looked different and I really had to trust yardages and my knowledge of the holes to make sure I left myself in a good place for my chip shots.  Besides 2 of the 3 par-3's, I only hit 1 green in regulation the whole round...and I was hitting the ball  pretty good!  I gained a whole new appreciation for my 5-wood, 3-wood and hybrids, but the real winner of the day was my 60 degree Cleveland wedge - besides my putter, that club was used more times than any other club, and it came through in the clutch most times!   I must admit that after our round I was really glad I had agreed to play from the whites - it was hard, and truly not where I belong, but I liked the challenge - being forced to play different shots and seeing the course from a different point of view.  I'm not going to say who won the match, but I will say that my goal was to break 88 and I did!!   It was great to escape the world for a few hours - the sights and smells of Fall were all around and I couldn't help but soak them all in.   And the time on the course reminded me of my old days working there - some of my favorite times. I went out and had some "me time" this afternoon after getting some house projects done - as I drove up to the first tee I contemplated for a second hitting off of the whites again, but then I heard my friend "red tees" welcoming me and I couldn't say no!  I waved as I drove by the whites, but I know deep down I'll visit again sometime. I love that golf can offer both challenges and beauty at the same time...and a great opportunity to spend time with a friend.  September golf is the best!   Posted Sep 24 2009, 03:58 PM by Cathy Erickson with 1 comment(s)

• FedEx Cup Queen for a Day

  Okay, so I think we can all admit that we probably like the FedEx Cup commercials we see when we watch golf on TV, but honestly, we probably don't know what the heck is going on with the FedEx competition besides the fact that Tiger is most likely in the lead (although Steve Stricker took over for one week!).  I've decided that it's time to give the FedEx Cup some attention and throw in my own ideas for how to adjust it again for next season.  Oh sure, I know they should probably just leave it alone for a few years to let it all settle, but what fun would that be? If you read golf stuff like I do, you've probably browsed through more than a few articles that lament, lambast, or loathe the mystery that is the FedEx Cup.  They tell us why it doesn't work or why it's not fair.  Apparently to most, even including some tour players, the scoring system is "confusing".  This I don't understand.  It's a simple points system actually (better this year than the last two) - based on how you finish you get points, at the playoffs the points get higher, and right before the TOUR championship you get seeded and a new point total is assigned - the better you played throughout the season the bigger head start you get in the final tournament.  How hard is that? It seems like the reason this is so hard to follow and understand is that there are just too darn many lists that mean different things and everyone uses a different one to measure a player.  You've got the World Rankings, aka OWGR (now THAT'S confusing!), then there's the official money list (that you follow if you want to see who's going to be exempt next year), we all love to keep track of Major winners (and losers), and then we've got the weekly leader boards combined with an endless list of stats on just about anything you can do on the golf course.  No wonder we don't know who's ahead in the FedEx Cup points list! I think we need to keep in mind the FedEx Cup was not created to determine the best golfer in the world - the money list and OWGR do this - the FedEx Cup is a contest, and that, by nature, encourages elements of excitement or risk reward.  I mean, do we really just want to hand over the money to Tiger because he's got more talent in his little finger than most of the Nationwide Tour combined?  What's the point in that? The playoff cutoffs and higher point totals were incentive enough to have Tiger, Phil, and others playing in those early playoff events where in the past they were automatically getting into the Championship so they chose not to play.  That was a good change. The volatility in the points at the end also made it more exciting for the fans and it was definitely a motivation for the players.  I think we can debate if Heath Slocum "deserves" to be in the Top 5 (controlling his own destiny) to win the whole thing, but to give him some credit, he beat one of the best fields of the year, so I guess that should count for something. I think in order for the final event to have any drama there needs to be more people that have a chance to win.  I believe you need to reward the strong play throughout the year, but I also think that adding the element of the "hot guy" or "streaky player" is good, too.  With those ideas in mind, here would be how I would set up the FedEx Cup if I were FedEx Cup Queen for a Day - There would still be a season long race to the Tour Championship, and I would keep the points system the same as they have it now, except the points would double in the first 2 playoff events and triple in the last event before the Tour Championship (these would be 125 field events) - the Top 60 players on the points list get in after the 3rd playoff event and get a chance at the cup (I think 30 is just too small for a final event).  But rather than seeding with reset points, players get strokes based on their performance throughout the season.  So the points mean nothing once you get to the Tour Championship...the points only determine if you get into the top 60. Win an event during the regular season?  You start the Championship at -1 (win 6, like Tiger and you start at -6!). Win a major - you get -2.  Any event you win by more than 5 shots you get an extra stroke, too (Tiger gets another -1).  If you don't play in the 3 events leading to the Tour Championship you lose a stroke (+1) for each event not played.  Wouldn't it be great to be 6-under par before hitting your first tee shot?! Maybe this format might help some of the less popular events get a higher ranked player to enter thinking it could give them an easy win and an extra stroke in the Tour Championship.  It's a little more rewarding for the Major winners, too.  It might have a little less drama without the cuts each playoff week, but with half of the field being eliminated on the last week, double and triple points available, and the loss of a starting bonus stroke for not playing there could be room for a little excitement. So there you have it!  My own little FedEx Cup event.  I know, you think I'm a little goofy, but heck, I think it's a pretty neat format!  And if I wasn't in the middle of a busy time at work and trying to get my last rounds of the year in before the weather turns I'd be making myself some great little spreadsheets to make this thing shine! My goal, being FedEx Cup Queen, would be to make it a little less about determining the best player in the world (we already know that), but rather add a little incentive for wins and make the last event something that more than a few people could win...that's something I would want to watch.  Because I'll be honest, if Steve Stricker wasn't in the hunt at East Lake next week, I'm not sure how motivated I would be to watch...it's just lucky for me one of my favorites is in the top 5.  I think it would be cooler if any one of 20 or 30 guys could be the winner...and it would mean having to outplay most of the season's winners.  That sounds like something I'd worth tuning into. Feel free to share your ideas on the FedEx Cup - anoint yourself King or Queen and give it a shot!  Good Luck Steve Stricker at East Lake!!!!!! Posted Sep 15 2009, 01:59 PM by Cathy Erickson with 2 comment(s) Filed under: playoff, Steve Stricker, TIger Woods, Queen, FedEx Cup, points

• September is here...

  Ah, September.  I almost missed the turning of the calendar this year because our entire summer felt like September, and FINALLY, this past week we had what felt like summer.  My first reaction when I realize it's September is to panic.  We've hit the downhill slide of the golf season and I know I've got to take advantage of every opportunity I can to get out on the course.  Every year at this time I look back and wonder where the summer went.  Our window of opportunity opens in May (sometimes April if we're lucky), and in the next few weeks the golf shade will start to be pulled down.  Wait!  I'm not ready yet! Normally September is my favorite month to golf - the course is usually a little firmer (aka more roll!!) the trees start to turn a bit (although we don't have near enough beautiful maples on our course), and we can still have warm days with sunshine, with that welcome breeze of fall. After Labor Day we usually see a drop in play, so the course is usually ready to welcome us after work...we can usually still get in 18 holes before dark if we don't have to wait.  I love that about fall.  I also hope to get in a few rounds with my favorite golf pals before the end of the season - half of the fun for me is getting to spend time with so many cool people.  Just a few days ago I had headed over to have some "me time" with the course and get some practice in, and instead I ended up running into a couple of guys and having a really fun 9-hole round. Yesterday was a really great golf day for me, too - I played 9 with one of my curling teammates and because it was such a nice day we decided to walk - normally, I'm a cart girl who likes to zip around the course as fast as I can, so hoofing it brought a whole new element to the day and my game - everything slows down a notch and I actually take time to see the course. We never had to wait for a group in front of us because the pace was perfect (until the last few holes), and it just felt good to take some deep breaths and soak in the sights and aromas of fall.  I was a little worried about carrying my bag with my sore arm, but I feel pretty good today! And apparently my golf game appreciated it, too - after a crummy 3-putt bogey on the first hole (#10), I parred the next 3 holes before getting to the par-5 14th - this is a good birdie hole for me if I play it smart...my game plan is usually, if I hit my drive inside the 200yd. marker I'll try to go for it, and if I'm more than 200 I'll lay up.  I hit my best drive of the day and ended up about 170 out.  With a pond on the right and wind coming from the left I wasn't feeling all that great about hitting the green, but I pulled out one of my trusty hybrids and aimed at the left of the green. I had that rare feeling of having a great swing and when I looked up my ball was slowing moving towards the  front center of the green (with the pin front right)...I'll admit it, I thought to myself, this could be close!  It lands and takes a funky bounce left instead of right and I'm about 15 ft. away just barely on the green.  It felt good to walk off my slight frustration on getting the bad bounce and I was able to refocus on the fact that I hit the green in 2! Our greens fell victim to "dollar spots" and I was facing a "plinko putt" that looked pretty straight if it holds its line.  My brain went into defensive mode because lately I have been blowing putts 6 to 10 feet by the hole...while an eagle would be great, a tap in birdie would get me back to even, so I really needed to slow down my putter a bit.  I lined up my putt and gave it my best guess - a couple small hops offset each other and all of a sudden it was going right for the hole, but did I hit it hard enough?  If it weren't for the dry conditions I probably would have been one revolution short, but instead it leaked its way into the right side of the hole for an eagle! One-over to one-under just like that.  I don't know about you, but now my whole round goes into defensive mode - the back is my harder side, and the next 3 holes are like my own Amen Corner.  All I want to do now is par out - I'm not even thinking about birdie.  My only competitor is the course, and I'm a nervous wreck. #15 is a long par-4 for me, but thankfully it's playing downwind.  I am able to get to about 160 out in the left rough.  I've got a good lie, but my brain is scanning my past approach shots and I get an alert - You always pull it left here!  I want to fight against that, but missing the green right isn't the best either.  All that thinking converted into a tentative swing which left me just on the front right of the green to a middle left pin. With another plinko putt and a right to left breaker, I really don't want to blow it by too far.  Unfortunately, I'm a bit too tentative and leave myself about a 6 footer for par.  I can see the line - one ball to the right...now it's just getting the right speed.  I talk to my Titleist and tell it how important this putt is, and thankfully it listens!  I'm realizing that you just can't baby putts up there with the bumpy greens.  One par down, 3 more to go! The 16th is a 135 yard par-3.  The wind is coming straight left and the pin is back right.  I'm at hybrid distance and on this hole I have a tendency to pull left...and with a bunker left, that is not where I want to be today!  I aim for the center of the green and take a full swing.  I land in the front half of the green and leave myself about a 20 footer for birdie.  I feel pretty good about my safe play, but in the back of my mind I know I could have clubbed up one and probably could have been pin high.  But playing for pars, this is a good shot. This green is in good condition and as one of our "original" greens, I know it plays a tad slower than others.  I know the line and I try very hard to keep my head still and not look up - I've been doing that lately and pulling all my putts left.  It's a good effort, but I leave it 6 inches short.  Any other time I'd be really disappointed, but at the time I'm just relieved to put another par on the scorecard. The 17th is one of my nemesis holes - it's a shorter par-4, but it's a slight dogleg left (not good for my slice), with water on the left, trees left of the green and 2 bunkers on the right.  When the wind is coming from the west (downwind) I almost always hit a 3-wood, but today the wind is directly in our face from the east and I'm going to need to hit driver to give myself a good approach into the green.  I have to block out some bad swing thoughts and I aim at the left rough line - it cuts towards the bunkers, but I'm safely in the rough on the right side and have a pretty decent angle at the pin.  I'm starting to feel some nerves and it shows in my approach - I hit the right club but I pull it left and end up pin high about 4 ft. off the green in some good fringe.  I decide to putt through the fringe to a downhill hole about 15 feet away that will break a little left to right.  I babied it, never really giving it a chance to go in but leaving myself a tap in par straight up the hill.  Three down, one to go. The 18th hole (my 9th), is a dogleg left with a pond on the left.  When playing downwind I can clear the corner of the pond and leave myself a short wedge in, and darn it if we're not almost dead downwind now.  Defenses kick in and playing safe wins out over risking the pond (Sorry Bob!), but I'm also realizing if I go right and hit my driver I could actually put it in the trees right.  I've never hit my 3-wood off of this tee before and I'm not feeling confident with that option.  I've been in this position before and have racked up bogey or worse, so I'm just not sure what to do. I pull out the Hyper X driver and try to aim for the center of the fairway - with my cut (that I can't control) I will probably end up in the right rough, but it's actually a good angle at the green.  I hit it about three-quarters and I end up exactly where I expected...about 115 out.  Now that we're closer to the lake, the wind has really picked up and it's coming straight left - the pin is on the left side and if I go too far left to play the wind I'll end up with a short sided chip and if I slap at it I could end up in the right bunker.  I decide my best option is to hit just short of the green, if it sticks I'm chipping up the hill, but there is a pretty good chance to have it roll up, too. I pull out my trusty 10-iron (Big Bertha 2004 model) and take a deep breath.  I hit it left, into the wind and I'm realizing this could be short if the wind knocks it down...but it lands about 6 feet short and takes a nice big hop to the right and starts rolling up the green - the break is back to the left and it starts moving it's way back towards the hole...it ends up about 18 inches away.  A tap in birdie for a 34!! The bad news is that with Men's League playoffs going on on the front 9, I didn't have the opportunity to try to break par for 18 holes (my goal for 2009!).  But it was fantastic to celebrate a great day with a great pal on a beautiful September afternoon.  I hope I'm doing the same thing this afternoon.   It's time to make the most of September!! Posted Sep 09 2009, 12:44 PM by Cathy Erickson with 4 comment(s) Filed under: 2009 Goal, hybrid, wind, Fall, Eagle, September