Tees2Greens on Golf

I’m not sure if any credentials are required to create a list of the ten best of anything, but it’s fun, and more or less harmless unless you’re talking about something important like barbeque. Assuming the position of every man, I know that I’ve been in agreement with as many list as I’ve disagreed with. For example, why is Cool Hand Luke not considered the best movie ever made? But I digress.

Several years ago I wrote an article about caddying for Champions Tour Pro and golf course designer D.A. Weibring. As we walked down the fairways of Oak Hill Country Club in San Antonio, we chatted about what great golf courses A.W. Tillinghast had designed back in 1922. Here was a seemingly simple 6,765-yard course that had survived golf technology because it was protected by the Bermuda grass rough that surrounded each tiny green. Miss the green, add a stroke to your card. But being a great golf course can’t be that simple, I thought.

Throughout the day I asked myself why is this golf course better than my course. Since that day, I’ve asked many friends and foes alike what makes a golf course great and few if any have agreed. Perhaps that’s why it seems to take many years for any golf course to make anybody’s top ten list, or perhaps golf and golf courses are locked up forever in a time warp. It’s the good old days personified.

I’ll give you an example; in the top-ten U. S. course list I have included only two were built after 1933, and none are on the world list. In addition, seven of the top-ten courses in the world are in the United States, which may have more to do with who made the list than anything else.

Pine Valley seems to be everybody’s number one golf course. Robert Trent Jones said, “Pine Valley fills you with dread and delight… it takes your breath away… It’s monster, but it’s beautiful.”

So, is it the dread or the delight that makes Pine Valley number one? I’m thinking dread. For many years it was considered the most difficult golf course in the world, and golfers all over the world still take great pride in being embarrassed by Pine Valley, which proves another theory of mine that golfers are basically masochist. Why else would we return to the scene of the crime so often?

Another puzzling thing about the lists is the diversity of the course designs. Pine Valley is nothing like Augusta National, or St. Andrews, or Pacific Dunes, or Royal County, and perhaps therein lies the answer. Great golf courses don’t require the vistas of Pebble Beach, or the hills of Augusta, or the winds of St. Andrews to be great. They require uniqueness without gimmicks. Great courses are like great wine requiring time to mature. I can imagine hearing Old Tom Morris at the opening of Royal County after being asked if his new course was as good as St. Andrews, “No, but it will be in a hundred years.”

Okay, so we still don’t know what make a golf course great, but here’s what many Americans consider the top-ten courses in the U.S. and worldwide. If I were ranking them I’d do it by which courses are the most fun to play. On the other hand, you may be one of those golf masochists who thinks difficult is the true measure of greatness, but that’s why we have lists, so we can disagree.

By the way, if you don’t live in the U.S., Scotland, or Ireland, you’re going to really hate these lists.

Top Ten Golf Courses In The United States

1. Pine Valley, Designers George Crump, H.S. Colt in 1918 in Pine Valley, N.J.
2. Cypress Point, Designer Alister Mackenzie in 1928 at Pebble Beach, Calif. 
3. Augusta National, Designers Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones, 1933 Augusta, Ga.
4. Shinnecock Hills, Designer William Flynn, 1931 Southampton, N.Y.
5. Pebble Beach, Designers Jack Neville, Douglas Grant, 1919 Pebble Beach, Calif. 
6. Oakmont, Designer Henry Fownes, 1903 Oakmont, Pa. 
7. Merion (East), Designer Hugh Wilson, 1912 Ardmore, Pa.  
8. Sand Hills, Designers Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, 1994 Mullen, Neb. 
9. National Golf Links of America, Designer C.B. Macdonald, 1911 Southampton, N.Y. 
10. Pacific Dunes, Designer Tom Doak, 2001 Bandon, Ore.

Top Ten Golf Courses In The World

1. Pine Valley, designers George Crump, H.S. Colt, 1918, Pine Valley, N.J., US
2. Cypress Point, Alister Mackenzie, 1928 Pebble Beach, Calif., US
3. Augusta National, Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones, 1933 Augusta, Ga., US
4. St. Andrews (Old Course) Nature, St. Andrews, Scotland
5. Royal County Down Old, Tom Morris, 1889 Newcastle N. Ireland
6. Shinnecock Hills, William Flynn, 1931 Southampton, N.Y. US
7. Pebble Beach, Jack Neville, Douglas Grant, 1919 Pebble Beach, Calif. US
8. Oakmont, Henry Fownes, 1903 Oakmont, Pa. US
9. Muirfield Old, Tom Morris, 1891 H.S. Colt, 1925 Gullane, Scotland
10. Merion (East), Hugh Wilson, 1912 Ardmore, Pa. US

I’m never excited when they tee it up at Kapalua in January. Granted, if I were lying on the beach in Hawaii I’d be a lot more excited. I’d also look like a glass of milk on the beach and NASA would be trying to figure out how to harness the power of the blinding sun reflecting off my white belly, but that’s another story.

The truth is I’m selfish, and if I’m not lying on the beach I don’t really care if you are. So, week number two at Waialae Country Club doesn’t interest me much either.

By the time the Tour reaches La Quinta, California and the sponsorless Bob Hope Classic, I should be interested, but it’s hard to get excited when the scores reach 30 under par or whatever it was. I don’t know why this tournament doesn’t interest me. Frankly, it never was a great event even when Bob Hope was alive, but at least he could pick up the phone and fill the roster with celebrities and keeping a sponsor was never a problem. I miss Bob Hope, but his tournament misses him more.

The Farmers Insurance Open, or what used to be the Buick Open, was always Tiger’s first tournament and he owned Torrey Pines; great vistas, great golf and the promise of sunshine on the mainland. But alas, Buick has dumped Tiger and packed up its golf budget and gone home. Now, without the Buick sponsorship no one is really sure if Tiger will ever return to Torrey Pines and that’s too bad. Which begs the next question; will Farmers Insurance hang in there if Tiger doesn’t?

I hate that I have to worry about these things, but if I don’t who will? In the words of Holden Caulfield, “When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around.  I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something.  Only, I don't go.  I'm too worried to go.  I don't want to interrupt my worrying to go.”

Torrey Pines keeps me up at night.

For some reason I only remember the 18th hole at Riviera Country Club and the Northern Trust Open. I assume that there are 17 other holes, but I’ll have to take your word on that. I feel the same way about the 17th at the TPC Sawgrass.

Old timers at Riviera like to call the place Hogan’s Alley, but the folks at the Colonial in Fort Worth think they own that alley. I suspect if you asked the egomaniac Ben Hogan, which one was Hogan’s Alley he would have answered both.

I like how 18 looks at Riviera and I like how so many times the winner needs a great shot on 18 to bring home the bacon. Remember Fred Couples shanking his second shot into the trees on 18 a couple of years ago? Riviera makes me want to clean my clubs.

As much as Torrey Pines keeps me up at night, The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am puts me to sleep. Bill Murray is funny, but not for hours on end. I’m glad that Dustin Johnson won, but I would have liked it more if Phil had won (sorry, I like my stars).

I don’t like it when the weather turns bad at Pebble Beach. If I was interested in bad weather I’d move to Minnesota. I want blue skies, blue water, hot golf, and beautiful scenery. It’s not the Crosby and many of the Pros are not willing to put up with a six hour round without Bing. The golf is still great, but the atrophy of a once great tournament is hard to watch. Perhaps the U.S. Open in June will revive the players and my own interest in Pebble Beach.

This past week the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship looked in the mirror and saw the enemy. The final round of a match play tournament with only two players makes golf look as exciting as knitting. Now, imagine that neither of those players speaks American, and are at best mid-range stars, and you have the exact scenario that helped make curling popular.

The WGC Match Play Championship is a made for TV event, so hire the editor from Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, pre-record it and cut out all of the waiting. Slow play is bad enough when you’re playing and it is really bad if you’re just watching.

PS: I heard that they also played a tournament in Mexico last week.

So, here we are at the Waste Management Phoenix Open at the TPC Scottsdale, in Scottsdale, Arizona. For nine weeks now I have taken my clubs in and out of my car. Winter has come and gone and come again in Dallas. There have been twenty or thirty cases of people getting their tongues stuck to their five-irons, but that didn’t scare me. I knew that Phoenix was close and the crazy fans were waiting to cut loose.

I’ve asked this question before and I’ll admit that I don’t know the answer. Is Phoenix the future of golf and is that bad or good? There are people who love the noise and just as many who think that it’s despicable. Ben Hogan wouldn’t play there, but he’s not playing anywhere these days. I suppose it’s like a lot of things, meaning that nothing bothers you when you’re winning.

With the cheers of the crazies still ringing in my ears, I’ve put the clubs back in the car. I’m scheduled to play in a tournament in two weeks, but if it doesn’t warm up here I may have to go cold shaft with nary a warm-up, and that’s not good news for anyone within shank range. The Tour is moving to Florida next week and the Masters is only seven weeks away, but who’s counting.

So, take the clubs out of the garage, buy a new glove, and put away your non-conforming wedges (sure). It’s time to practice and play.

The last thing I wanted to do this week was write about Tiger, but with Steve Stricker eliminated on day one of the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship, it was Tiger or curling. By the way, what is curling, shuffleboard without beer and a jukebox?

As I write this more than 24 hours before Tiger is scheduled to speak to the press, I can’t help thinking that nothing has changed. Tiger is still trying to control everything, that’s why there will be no questions allowed.  I expect repentance, contrition, remorse, regret, sorrow as well as penitence packaged neatly into his apology. Make no mistake it will be choreographed better than Dancing With The Stars.

I do not expect to see his wife standing by his side, frankly that would be too much to ask, and besides Tiger still flinches when he sees her making a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. I do expect the first tear at exactly two-minutes into his prepared statement. I also expect a dramatic pause to collect himself before continuing, and then more tears.

In the end he will tell everyone that, with God’s help and the help of his family he will put all of this in his rearview mirror and therefore he will not talk about any of this in the future. He will say something like, the only thing I can do is ask forgiveness and play golf and that’s what I’m going to do. Then he will wipe the last tear from his face and magically look like the Tiger of old.

At this moment the TV cameras will slowly pan the carefully chosen audience for an understanding smile or two being careful to avoid Commissioner Tim who always looks constipated, but that’s another story.

That’s it. At least that’s what Tiger and his people hope, but hope springs eternal and in my opinion we’re a long way from “that’s it” time.

I say this not because I don’t believe that fans will forgive Tiger. Frankly, Tiger could show up wearing his green jacket and no pants and they would forgive him. Hootie Johnson wouldn’t forgive him, but the fans would. And this is not about whether or not I believe Tigers’ repentance, contrition, remorse, regret, sorrow and penitence packaged neatly into his apology, which I don’t. Do I believe that he’s sorry he got caught, so were Bill Clinton and John Edwards… but I digress.

The reason that this is not “it” for Tiger is because what I like to call the Mike Tyson moment. If you will recall, before Mike Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas he was considered unbeatable. However, once that aura of invincibility ended, Mike Tyson’s end was not far behind.

Remember, Tyson’s the guy that paid to have the New York Zoo open for a private viewing and said, "When we got to the gorilla cage there was a big silverback gorilla there just bullying all the other gorillas. They were so powerful but their eyes were like an innocent infant’s. I offered the attendant $10,000 to open the cage and let me smash that silverback's snotbox! He declined."… but that’s another story, as well.

When all is said and done, Tiger will not miss the millions in endorsements he has lost, but what he will miss is his aura of invincibility. He is no longer the 500-pound gorilla. He will win again, but he will never achieve the greatness he believed his stars foretold.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."

Tiger Woods will never again receive the respect he once received no matter how many millions he makes in the future, nor will anyone on either side of the ropes ever fear him again. That’s the price of losing your aura of invincibility.

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is one of golf’s great events.  Pros and amateurs alike compete on three of the most beautiful golf courses in the world: Spyglass Hill, Monterey Peninsula Country Club, which replaces Poppy Hills, and of course Pebble Beach. These should be on everyone’s list of places to play before you die. It was originally known as Bing Crosby’s clambake, or simply The Crosby, and an invitation to Bing’s party was on everybody’s wish list.

From its earliest days in 1947, the tournament has been known for three things: great golf, celebrities, and unpredictable weather. The rain and winds that often visit the tournament are as much a part of the championship's character as the competition they often interrupt.

However, no one expected the cause of the final round's delay in 1962: Snow. It was the first time in 40 years it had snowed on the Monterey Peninsula, prompting golf pro Jimmy Demerit to make the famous remark, "I know I got loaded last night, but how did I end up in Squaw Valley?”

Some of the more memorable happenings at the tournament include Sam Snead’s request for a new partner when Roger Kelly, an amateur and terrible drinker, got sick in the bushes beside the 1st tee. Snead demanded, but was denied, a new partner. The Snead-Kelly team went on to win the Pro-Am, then paired up for many years to come.

In 1951 Phil Harris, a longtime bandleader and Crosby crony, curled in a 90-foot putt on 17 to capture the Pro-Am title with partner Dutch Harrison. Never at a loss for words, the hard-partying Harris said, “Ain’t this a heckuva blow to clean living?”

Ben Hogan spent his last Crosby in 1956 paired with the Bing himself. The weather for Sunday’s finale was God awful, so Crosby invited Hogan to his house on 13 to warm up. The Hawk declined, completing the round with an 81.

The very next year, “Champagne” Tony Lema lost his footing on the cliff on 9 and fell eighteen feet to the sand below, acquiring several bruises and contusions. Thank God it was before YouTube or you would still be watching the video.

In 1977 Bing Crosby died the way every golfer should.  On the afternoon of October 14, Bing was playing at the La Morajela golf course near Madrid, Spain.  He finished 18 holes with a score of 85, and with a partner, defeated two Spanish golf pros. After his last putt, Bing bowed to applause and said, "It was a great game." He was about 20 yards from the clubhouse when he collapsed from a massive heart attack. He was 74.

After Bing’s death the Crosby family had an unfortunate falling-out with the Monterey Peninsula Association, the organization that actually owns the tournament, about the use of Bing’s name, or more accurately about the money for the use of Bing’s name, and from that time forward the tournament has been known as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Sorry, Bing.

It may come as a surprise to you, but Pebble Beach is only 6,737 yards from the Championship tees.  Par is 72 with a course rating of 74.4 and a slope of 142. The U.S. Open Championship has been played at Pebble Beach four times, most recently in the year 2000 for its 100th tournament. "The U.S. Open at Pebble Beach is always memorable," said the United States Golf Association's Craig Smith. "There are always tremendous finishing holes that add incredible drama. There's just a sense that you're seeing something great."

As for Official World Golf Rankings, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Padraig Harrington represent the top-ten. In addition, there are seventeen major winners, six past champions, and a slew of international players. As for celebrities, Bill Murray and Ray Romano are the headliners along with Tom Brady, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Vince Gill, Huey Lewis, George Lopez and Tony Romo. There are also a lot of corporate bigwigs, but who’s counting.

I’ll admit that I suffer from the good old days syndrome. I miss Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Phil Harris and Jack Lemmon. I also miss the party atmosphere and the funny stories it produced. It helps me remember that golf is a game and games are supposed to be fun.

Laughing is good for the soul and your golf game. Stop and smell the perennial ryegrass in fairways at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am because the world just might not be there when you plan to return.

1991 was the beginning of the rollercoaster ride. John Daly, the chain-smoking, hard drinking kid from Arkansas had just escaped from the obscurity of being the ninth alternate to win the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick. Life was good and the rollercoaster was just starting up the first hill.

He was Cinderella in spikes, an overnight success with a bowl haircut. The crowds loved him because they shared the same mantra: hit it harder. Sponsors also loved him and lined up at his door begging him to take their millions and millions of dollars. Still climbing that first hill he took the money and never looked back, or forward for that matter.

Soon after his rollercoaster topped that first hill came the wives, the booze and the gambling, and for a while it appeared that he might be that ever-popular one trick pony, but youth was on his side. He seemed strong enough and talented enough to survive more bad decisions than Robert Downey, Jr., and he was, for a while.

Then, with every reason to fail, somehow, some way John Daly won the 1995 British Open; and the rollercoaster approached the second hill. We never doubted you big John, here’s another million, a new wife, and a free room at any hotel in Las Vegas where they never say no.

From that point on there have been a few more wins and several more hills on his rollercoaster ride, each one smaller that the preceding one, but that’s the way rollercoasters work. The crowds still came, some for the thrill of seeing someone like John hit the ball nine miles, but others came to see the car wreck called John Daly. His weight flucuated wildly as did his drinking, gambling and marital life. One ex-wife even went to jail, if I recall correctly.

John’s last win was 2004 Buick Open six years ago. Since then he’s lost his card, his money and the youth that he rode so hard. In 2009, John spent much of his time in Europe where he played in 10 events and actually finished tied for second at the BMW Italian Open. In the words of Toby Keith, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good one time as I ever was,” or something like that.

In the middle of all this, he’s gone under the knife for lap-band surgery and dropped a hundred pounds, which is a lot easier than going on a diet and going to the gym, but I digress.

In 2010 John Daly is living on sponsor money (yes there are still a few hanging around) and sponsor exemptions. He hasn’t made a cut this year, and frankly he might have a hard time beating your club champion, but he still draws a crowd because he’s famous.

After a particularly poor outing last week John announced, "I'm done.” Egged on by a Golf Channel producer asking with what, John responded “With golf. I just can't do it anymore," Daly went on. "I'm tired of embarrassing myself."

However, by late Friday Daly was twittering, "I never said retirement.” By Saturday afternoon, his agent confirmed that Daly isn't retiring. Very Favre-ish.

One of the saddest sights in sports is an athlete who doesn’t know when to retire. Even sadder is when an athlete like John Daly knows when to retire but can’t because he believed that the money was never going to end and now he owes everyone in town.

Sadly John Daly’s rollercoaster ride is almost over. The hills ahead are not big enough to raise your hands for, it’s simply time to hold on to the bar so you don’t fall out. But don’t feel sorry for John Daly, he had his time in the sun, and even though you and I may think he blew it, the truth is we don’t know if he did or not.

I saw a story some years ago about a Brinks armored car driver who absconded with something like 5 million dollars. They found him eleven months later totally broke. When asked what he did with the money he smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen and said, “I spent it.”

I always wondered if he played golf?

As you read this I will be in sunny Florida at the PGA Merchandise Show. I’m staying in a $300 room at the Rosen Center Hotel next door to the convention center. If I were actually somebody important, I’d be staying in a $450 room at the Peabody, which is across the street, but that’s another story.

I mention the cost of the rooms not to impress you, but to make a point about how crazy costs are at events like this. There is a semi-pervasive attitude at these things that costs are not important because the company is paying, so it’s okay to pay $300 for a room that would cost $150 or $200 back home.

While I’m exposing my cheapness, why is it that you can stay in a Motel 6 and receive free Internet and my $300 room charges me an extra $10 a day for that service?

Speaking of cheap, I’ve attended the show for the last ten or fifteen years mainly because someone else has paid, and if you have learned anything about me since I invaded this space it is that I rarely pay for anything, and once again that is true. But I’m not alone; the lobby bar at the Rosen is standing room only with guys who have less reason to be there than I do. It’s a Confederacy of Dunces, dressed in company clothes with official-looking credentials hanging around their necks. Some are selling, some are buying and some are looking for a job. Me? I’m doing all three.

The PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando is an odd bird. While it is fun to check out all the new stuff, I also use it as a barometer for how the golf business is doing. Last year the atmosphere was fearful; the banks were going broke faster than the golf courses and nobody was signing any long-term leases.

As it turned out, everyone’s fears were justified as sales in the retail golf business fell as much as 30 to 40 percent in 2009. The truth is, even if you would like to help the economy, you’d be dumb to buy a new set of clubs if you’re worried about losing your job, so you re-grip and make due.

This week’s Farmers Insurance Open, or what used to be the Buick Open, is another indication of how the year went. It’s hard to believe that they used to say, “What’s good for General Motors is good for America.” Paybacks are hell, and paybacks for fifty years of sleeping at the wheel are often fatal. But the Buick Open is not the first golf tournament to lose a sponsor and it won’t be the last; the question is has anyone at General Motors learned a lesson?

When you hear of the PGA Merchandise Show you naturally think of shiny new golf clubs, and there are a lot of those here to be sure, but like your local pro-shop, the PGA Merchandise Show has become a soft-goods show. I never actually measured, but I’ll bet half of the display area is clothing. One of the things that retailers have discovered is that selling golf shirts requires little if any training, therefore your local pro-shop has become a glorified bright colored shirt store.

In addition to clothes, there is a ton of golf crap. A couple of years ago I told you about the guy who invented the fake golf club that served as a portable urinal. There, years ago, I did a video on Loud Mouth clothes; you know that ugly stuff that John Daly is wearing these days. Then there was the potty-Putter, which makes me believe that there is nothing too stupid for the American investor.

I’ve talked to several manufacturers that plan on attending this year’s show and generally their attitude is better than last year. Maybe recessions are organic and every twenty years we need one to remind us that $450 hotel rooms are a bad idea for the most part.

If I see something totally cool, I’ll post it ASAP, and if I get something free… well I guess I’ll keep it.

Because you know how much I love the FedEx Cup, I feel it’s my duty to report that Geoff Ogilvy and Ryan Palmer are leading the FedEx Cup with 500 points. I can hardly wait for the playoffs.

Speaking of playoffs, the FedEx Cup won’t be breaking for the Ryder Cup this year, instead they’re delaying the Ryder Cup until October 1st. You think the weather is unpredictable in Scotland in July, wait until you catch the weather in Newport, Wales in October.

Oh, well. We’ll always have Sony Open and Waialae in January. If you missed Geoff Ogilvy last week he headed home for the birth of his third child. Geoff said he expects to play in the Accenture Match Play Championship in late February, but that’s another story.

As I was perusing the field of last week’s Sony Open, it occurred to me that there are more Boo’s, Bubba’s and Bo’s than Sam’s in the field. There’s also a Chad, Charlie and Chez, but only one Bob, one Billy and one Bill. I saw a Kaname, Daisuke, Ryuichi, Retief and ViJay, four John’s and one Jonathan, but no Sam’s.

Just for the record, who names a kid Briny, Brian, Blake, Brendon, Brenden, Brett, or Bryce when they could have named him Sam? And what about Y. E., W. C., D. A., D. J., T. J. and K. J.; Those aren’t even really names, are they?

At least Shigeki, Fredrik, Jesper and Henrik have an excuse; they’re all from who knows where, but Bubba is an American. Why didn’t his daddy just call him Hick?

I’m telling you, if we don’t do something fast the PGA field is going to start sounding like As The World Turns, which reminds me that Parker, Lucas, Brad, Ryan, Harrison, Tadd, and Derek will all be playing this week. And don’t forget Alex, Roland, Garth, Rory, Jason, Dean and Shane.

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, and where are all the manly names like Sam?

In Indonesia all male first children have the same name, as do all second male children and so on and so forth. In other words, if you’re a first child your name is Tom the same as your next-door neighbor’s first male child. Granted, this caused a bit of a problem when they are calling roll at school, but it’s all worth it because they have no Parkers, or Tadds, or Chezs do deal with.

Perhaps the American Indians have the best idea naming a child after the first thing they see, like Sitting Bull, Running Deer, Tall Tree or Dances With Wolves, but then again having the first name Sitting, Running, Tall or Dances is not all that appealing. But I digress.

So, here’s my message to parents all over the world; let’s get back to basics. I know all of my Japanese readers who are with child may be considering naming their next male child Shigeki, but I’m asking you to reconsider and name him Sam. The same goes for you Swedes, Danes, Koreans, English and Aussies. I know there is tremendous pop-culture pressure to name your next male child Jesper, or Fredrik, or Y. E., or Monty, or Geoff, but you must fight this with all your heart.

I’m not asking for a Bubba, or a Woody, or even a Joe, just one more Sam on Tour. Is that too much to ask?

There is something strange about starting the golf season with half of the U.S. freezing and 49 percent just plain cold. The one percent not freezing is Kapalua, Hawaii; luckily that is where they are playing the SBS Championship.

Getting to tee it up the first week of the season is pretty special. The invites for the SBS Championship are tossed around like manhole covers; win and you’re in otherwise you’ll be forced to wait for the Sony Open just down the street at Waialae (why do all Hawaiian words have three As?). Geoff Ogilvy took the prize money last year and before that Stuart Appleby won it ten times in a row… Okay, it was three times, but seems like ten.

I’ve never played Kapalua, hell, I run out of As trying to spell it, but it appears to be one of those resort courses with wide fairways and greens the size of a Texas dancehall. I don’t know what the green fees are, but I expect it’s north of 300 bills, but that’s another story.

To get the year started off right, I’m here to complain about the length of the seasons, not the golf season, but sports seasons in general. There once was a time, not too long ago, when sports seasons sort of made sense. Baseball filled the days of summer and you strapped on the football pads when the air turned crisp. Hockey and basketball were cold weather sports and soccer and tennis were played when there was nothing good on TV.

Most of the early golf season was a warm up for Pebble Beach and the Masters. Everything made sense. 

Now, here we are in the first week of the golf season and the football season is only half over. The World Series ran into November, the Super Bowl is being played in February, the NBA basketball playoffs will be going until May or June… what’s a sports fan to do?

I don’t know about you, but I’m still eating turkey sandwiches and in 30 days the Winter Olympics are starting and I’ll be growing my Apollo Ohno soul patch.

I’m from Texas so I have to be a football fan, but Football seems to be the worst season poacher. The Dallas Cowboys off-season workouts start the day after the Super Bowl. There are five pre-season games and there’s talk of adding two more games to the regular season. At this rate, they will be playing the Super Bowl during the Masters.

College is no better. The last BCS Bowl is January 7th. So much for the student athlete.

So, what is this season stretching all about? Why do good college football teams play 14 games and bad ones play less… don’t the bad ones need the practice more? Why is the NFL contemplating an 18 game season? While we’re at it, why did the PGA create the Players and FedEx Cup? For the fans, right; and if you believe that I’ve got some oceanfront property near downtown Dallas I’d like to show you.

The rich and powerful people and the ivy-covered academics that control sports need to check their fans as often as they check their checkbooks. Nobody except your CFO really wants the last BCS bowl on January 7th, or the Super Bowl in February, or the World Series in November. The golden goose has a pulled hamstring and the fans, even the crazy, fanatic fans are ODing.

… and golf guys, enough of the silly season already.

For 2010 I predict beans in Boston, Eskimos in Alaska and Tiger in divorce court. So much for the obvious. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of keeping count of how many women pass through the Tiger turnstile, but more than that, I hate the fact that Tiger’s off course shenanigans ended up being the number one story in golf in 2009. As I said a couple of weeks ago, I don’t care if Tiger is dating the entire cast of Momma Mia; however I do care that Tiger has stolen the thunder from so many great stories in 2009.

So, in no particular order, here is some well-deserved thunder.

Tom Watson and Stewart Cink

I loved watching Tom Watson trying to turn back the clock at the British Open. I hated that he looked like me when he missed the eight-foot putt on the 72nd hole, and somehow I knew that he had invested too much in the previous 71 holes to survive the playoff.

I felt sorry for the Open winner Stewart Cink. Even though he slept with the Claret Jug under his pillow that night, he knew that most of the people watching wanted Tom to win. Life is hard and 53 year-old guys don’t make that putt no matter how much we want them to.

Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell

I enjoyed watching Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell at the Masters. It seemed like some kind of manifest destiny when Cabrera survived two terrible shots on the first playoff hole and somehow managed to get up and down, and then, unlike Tom Watson, one hole later he was trying on a green jacket sized 44 stout.

This is Cabrera’s second major and he is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. Great talent, great power, and he looks like he is having a great time. I like that.

Lucas Glover, David Duval and Ricky Barns

It’s hard being the next big thing, but that’s what Lucas Glover has been for four or five years now. He had a great 2005 winning the FUNAI Classic as well as racking up six other top tens to boot. Since then he spent four years trying to figure out whatever happened to his game.  Well, at the 2009 U.S. Open he figured it out. He also had second and third-place finishes, finished 17th in the FedExCup standings, was a Captain's Pick for The Presidents Cup team and earned more than $3.5 million.

There was a strange masochistic faction that wanted David Duval or Ricky Barns to steal Lucas’ thunder, but it was not to be. Still, even with the U.S. Open win, Lucas Glover is not a household name and for some reason I doubt that he ever will be, but as Rick said to Ilsa, “We’ll always have Paris” and Lucas will always be the 2009 U.S. Open Champion.

Y. E. Yang

Fellow Dallasite Y. E. Yang very unexpectedly became the first Asian-born player to win a major, and he did it with Tiger breathing down his neck, on one of the great golf courses in the world, Hazeltine. Here’s a guy that didn’t pick up a golf club until he was 19 years old and suddenly he’s holding the Wanamaker trophy. It’s the American dream with Korean sub-titles.

By the way, Yang’s victory marked the first time that Tiger Woods failed to win a major after holding at least a share of the lead at the end of 54 holes. Tiger was so disappointed that later that night it took twelve cocktail waitresses to console him.

Padraig Harrington

Imagine that you’ve won three of the last six majors, which I suppose also means that you have lost three of the last six majors. I can only assume that was the logic for this Irish lad to come to the conclusion that he should change his golf swing.

Starting the 2009 season with the rules for his new swing still taped to the side of his golf bag, Padraig promptly missed six cuts in his first 14 tournaments and had only one top twenty; still he persevered. Were this a movie Padraig would have then won his next 14 tournaments, and rode off into the sunset with the girl… yeah, right.

However, all was not lost. Padraig finished 2009 new swing still in place, with six-straight top-10s, including two runner-up finishes at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and The Barclays. I can’t imagine what Padraig would have done to his swing had he won four or five of the last six majors.

Anthony Kim

The biggest non-story of the year was Anthony Kim going winless in 2009. Anthony may not be the next big anything and if that turns out to be the case he will only have Anthony Kim to blame. The way I hear it was that Anthony’s first year was hindered by too much party and not enough practice. In 2008, with a new agent and new endorsements in the bank, Anthony turned it around to the tune of two wins and several million bucks.

I don’t really know if 2009 was a return to more party than practice, but hopefully there was a lesson in there somewhere for Anthony. However, I’m sure of one thing, the lesson is not to buy more diamond studded buckles.

I’ve heard it said that youth is often wasted on the young and sometimes we forget that being young and talented is not the same as being young and mature… just ask me. I’m also an expert on being young and ugly, young and stupid and young and talentless.

2009 was a great year for golf, and I may never forgive Tiger for making everyone forget that.

This is a true story I wrote several years ago. Granted, it’s not “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Jimmy Stewart I’m not, but it’s the closes thing on these pages to a tradition. Happy Holidays.

The logic seemed sound; I would surprise my wife with new golf clubs and lessons. It would be a great Christmas gift that she would use to gain an appreciation for the beauty and difficulty of the great game. Ultimately, that appreciation would translate into playing only when we were on vacation and in the meantime she would return to shoe shopping with a carefully crafted understanding of why I’m playing golf instead of retiling the bathroom. Perhaps I didn’t think it through.

And, the look on her face on Christmas morning quickly confirmed that fact.  In her defense, I should say that she is not a violent woman, but had she been, I could visualize her beating me to death with a brand-new Ping five-iron that fateful Christmas morning. Obviously, her grip would have been a little strong because she had not taken her lesson as yet, but I would have been just as dead.

Perhaps the situation was exacerbated by the sheer size of the package and the stupid smile on my face; but trust me, after a woman wrestles a giant package to the ground looking for who knows what and finds you know what, she is not very happy.  In all likelihood, the situation was made worse because I had just opened her package to me containing a $2,000 Giorgio Armani jacket that I had coveted for months. Don’t get me wrong, I love golf, but Armani defiantly trumps Ping.

So, where is the lesson here? Is it to never buy your wife golf clubs and lesson for Christmas, or is there a bigger more profound message to be learned?  The answer is “yes” to both questions, but there is also a tactical question at hand.  Remember the circumstance; there I was on Christmas morning; I had just snap-hooked my drive into the deep woods. The easy thing to do would be to pitch it back into the fairway, take my punishment and move on, but I didn’t get to where I am by laying up, so I took dead aim through the trees and let it fly. Then, as the tears welled-up in her eyes, I boldly announced that her first golf lesson would be in Cabo San Lucas.

It was like watching a great golf shot as her arms went around my neck. I saw the ball emerge from the hazard, land softly on the green and roll to within two-feet of the hole for an easy birdie.  Granted, I could have gone for an emotional eagle but that would have likely cost me a trip to Europe.

Okay, I hear you.  It was a bad premise to begin with because I really don’t want to play golf with my wife or any other woman for that matter. It is not because it is a sacred game as much as it is because golf resides in a sacred place called “guy-time,” that most sacred of all places where we scratch, spit and cuss at will.  It is that place where your best friend nickname describes at least one of his inadequacies.  It is that holiest of places where you don’t care if your shirt is wrinkled or has a Gatorade stain down the front, or, you have terminal hat-hair; those things have zero importance in Guy-time.

In a world filled with equal rights, women executives, and unisex barbershops, guy-time is in danger.  Once safe bastions of manhood such as golf, football and fishing are under attack and in grave danger of being neutered. The enemy of guy-time is women with their never-ending list of domestic chores and “us-time.” Mow the grass, fix the sink, and turn on the TV and watch “Dancing With The Stars” with me; is there no end to this assault?

Reading the latest golf stats, perhaps it is too late for you and me. The number of people playing golf is not growing.  The simple answer is to make sure that you teach your son the great game of golf, and if that fails invite a NASCAR guy to play.

These are desperate times.

A dedicated reader and professional golf junky recently sent this product review to me, and with Christmas at hand I thought I would pass it a long. I checked and no one received any money or any free stuff for this review… although if Sonic Golf wants to send me money I’d take it.
 
When I first received the Sonic Golf Swing system I was just as skeptical as ever, but you know me...if it’s after 2 am and the infomercial says I can be a better golfer, I am calling and ordering!

Being a complete golf junky, I have basically seen every golf swing aid ever created. From the PGA merchandise show to homemade devices, I really have tried everything at least once!

Now Sonic Golf is a bit different but it takes on the same persona as some swing aids from the past and gives it a new spin, look and feel. And it uses sound and motion to help ingrain a better swing!

Teaching golf has, for the most part, relied on a teacher examining a person’s golf swing and focusing on the faults and trying to put needed changes into a perspective that each student can understand. Easier said than done! With Sonic Golf you can actually use sound to help your body understand the feel of a perfectly timed golf swing which is a tremendously helpful thing for both student and teacher and with this device you can actually practice these moves on your own to perfect your own swing.

Contents Include: (I got the basic edition for this test drive, but they do have a Pro Edition and Solo Edition. For more information on those packages please visit sonicgolf.com)

• One RX-1 Receiver
• One SX-1 Transmitter
• 2 Golf Pride Grips
• One Roll of Golf Tape
• One Belt Clip
• Instruction DVD (mine did not work, but the web site has good information as well)
• Getting Started Guide

Set up is a bit tricky and if you have not been well instructed in changing grips you may (as Sonic Golf suggests) take the equipment over to your local club fitter and have him/her put the grip on and fit the device onto the club. You will have to have the SX-1 Transmitter fit into the shaft of the club and secure it before you are ready to begin working with the device.

Once I got the club set-up I was ready to give the Sonic Golf system a whirl!
Sonic Golf is an audio feedback device and they would prefer you to use headphones while using the swing aid, it helps to hear the lower tones when swinging the device. I personally used my iPod buds, but the other editions come with earpieces.

Now that I have the club set up (I used a 5-iron) with the transmitter and the receiver in my back pocket I was ready and I must tell you it doesn’t get any easier than taking a few swings to get the device performing. You will hear low tones when swinging slow and higher tones when swinging faster.

Right from the start making my normal swing I noticed that my tempo was a bit slow and I was not accelerating the club at the proper point in my swing. One of the most important things in the golf swing is building consistency; we have all heard that many times before and Sonic Golf makes this as simple as repetition swinging and following the instructions of the training guide. Once you understand what you are going to be listening for and in what part of the swing, it’s very, very simple and the great thing is once you are ready you can actually hit balls while using the device. I thought it would be a hard to listen and hit balls but it really was not and the sounds keep you in tempo and concentrating on acceleration through impact. Swing fixed just like that! 

So watch out everyone…Sonic Golf has given me the quick fix I needed to get my feel, tempo and acceleration back in tune!

Oh and by the way, just in case you need any street cred for Sonic Golf… Vijay Singh used this device to help him win the 2008 Fed Ex Cup!

“Sonic Golf has helped me tremendously. I always had a good rhythm, but I never had a consistent rhythm. It’s making my swing a lot more consistent, not just with the driver but the whole game. It’s one rhythm for the whole game instead of having a quicker rhythm for irons or slower rhythm for the driver.”

– 2008 Fed Ex Cup Champion Vijay Singh

Nuff said!

Truthfully, I don’t care if Tiger Woods is shacked up with the entire cast of Momma Mia. Frankly, they deserve each other. The narcissistic behavior displayed by Tiger too often accompanies fame and fortune, just ask Bill Clinton. It is unfortunate that sometimes the rich and powerful forget the lessons of Julius Caesars who, to keep from getting too big for his toga, would have a servant ride with him in his chariot during triumphant parades through Roma whispering in his ear, “You are mortal great Caesar.”

Perhaps Bob Dylan was right when he said, “Money doesn’t talk it swears,” but of course Bob was already rich when he wrote that.

On the other hand, never being rich and famous myself, who’s to say how I would react sitting at such a tempting banquet table. At the very least, I hope I would be smart enough not to put my girlfriends’ phone numbers in my cell phone, but that’s another story.

I don’t feel sorry for Tiger even though the paparazzi have now taken up permanent residence at his front door. Paybacks are hell, just ask Jon & Kate. I do feel sorry for his wife, who by the way is better looking than any of the other women, but in Tiger’s case, narcissism is apparently not about who, but how many. What’s it up to now, 11?

Tiger’s kids are too young to know what’s going on, but at some point in the future Tiger will have to explain his actions. And, just in case you're listening, I suggest that posting a statement on your website is not a good way to explain why Mommy and Daddy are now sleeping in separate countries. For their sake, I hope their Tiger steps up to the plate and tells them what a moron he was. But frankly, there aren’t enough Spin Doctors on the planet to make this sound good to your kids.

My inside sources on this story, better known as the grocery store tabloids, tells me that if Elin Woods decides to walk she’ll get $50+ million, but if she stays two more years she’ll walk with $80 million, but who’s counting. I can’t imagine her staying, but “Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.”

All of which got me thinking; what would I do for $50 million? But that’s another story as well.

Putting aside all of the trash TV, paparazzi, and muckrakers like myself, it ought to be interesting to watch Tiger deal with the hecklers as well as every hooker with the price of a tournament ticket. I can’t imagine what he is going to say to the millions of young kids that idolize him? Oh well, just another day in the NBA.

Will Tiger ever be the same, probably not, but I suspect that the golf world will forgive and forget what Tiger has done, because that’s what we do. After all, Bill Clinton is still running around the world collecting huge speaking fees, and Jimmy Swaggart is still on TV telling you how he’s been saved… again.  In the end this entire escapade will cost Tiger millions, but almost none of it will end up in the hands of the other women. Life is just not like that, and for some reason the other woman never understands that.  

I don’t know if Elin will leave Tiger. I suspect she will, but who knows, she may have aspirations to become Secretary of State herself. In any case, life and golf will go on, but make no mistake about it; Tiger’s game will suffer because he is no longer infallible. In clubhouses all over the world golfers are whispering, Tiger is human. And guess what?

We don’t like our gods, even our golf gods, to be human.

Not all that many years ago TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, the site of one of the second round Q-School tournaments, was a cotton field with a nameless creek winding through it north to south. And except for that nameless creek bed, the TPC Craig Ranch is a treeless, long, grinding golf course that punishes hackers like me and rewards the long-hitters, but that’s another story.

As I parked not more than a hundred yards from the clubhouse, it struck me that were it not for all the PGA Officials scurrying around, this could have been a Members/Guest tournament at any country club. There were no barricades, no ropes, none of the lavish accoutrements that normally accompany regular season PGA Tour events. This was the argyle-covered underbelly of the PGA Tour. The pampering and money were one more round away. 

I had come to this place hoping to gain an insight into the pressure-cooker called Q-school; what I didn’t realize was that there were so many different stories. I saw players without caddies dressed in sponsorless golf shirts, carrying their own bags standing next to well-dressed veterans of the golf wars like Brenden Pappas with his caddie helping him read putts. Brenden made the cut, the sponsonless golf shirt guy didn’t.

There were young wives following young husbands and I watched them both live and die with every shot. I wanted to talk to one of the wives and ask what she was going through, but it seemed rude to invade those shared moments.

I watched the faces of family members and friends who had come to support their guy and saw how they shared both the excitement and the frustration. And I watched singular golfers, who like gypsy orphans, played alone without family or friends, and it didn’t look like any fun at all.

The first shot I saw was a flubbed chip shot, which was followed by a major expletive that would have garnered a fine had there been anyone around to hear it.  But there was only me.

I walked up the tenth fairway and watched a guy I never heard of drive the ball 30 yards past the other two players in his threesome, one of which was Paul Stankowski. Paul made the cut, long-ball guy didn’t.

I moved over to the twelfth green where I met T2G’s own Randy Smith, who happens to be Colt Knost’s coach. Colt’s entourage included his father, his high school coach, a childhood friend and assorted other folks who had stopped by to watch the local boy do good, which he did. After starting 70, 71, 70, Colt pulled out a final round 65 to secure a place in the finals, then he celebrated by heading to the buffet table.

I met a nice young pro by the name of Niall Turner from St. Paul, Minnesota who shot 76, 68, 67 for the first three rounds and need a 69 to make the finals. Unfortunately he shot a 72 (better than any round I ever shot in my life), and finished 33rd, which is better than half the field, but not good enough.

In the end, there were 23 players that made the grade at TPC Craig Ranch. Leading the way was Martin Flores with four rounds in the sixties for a 269 total. Included in the 23 guys that made it were Tommy Gainey, Paul Stankowski, Colt Knost, Brenden Pappas and Hunter Haas, as well as guys like Kelly Grunewald, J.J. Killeen and sixteen other guys you couldn’t pick out of a two-man lineup. The low round of the tournament was Colt Knost’s final round 65. The high round of the week was Wil Collins’ third round 79, which is also better than any round I ever shot in my life, however I don’t think he would take any comfort in that fact.

Not everyone that had a caddie made it, nor did everyone with a sponsor on their shirt, but everyone that did make it earned it, and now they have to do it again. If Q-school isn’t the most difficult job interview on the planet then I don’t know what is.

Therefore I have decided that I could never be a professional golfer; not because I don’t have the talent, which I don’t, but frankly I’d go broke buying Maalox, or possibly die of a heart attack… however, I do look good in the clothes and I talk a good game.

Okay, I don’t look that good in the clothes.

I made a phone call to PGA headquarters in Florida yesterday to check on media credentials for one of the second round of Q-School tournaments being held at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas just a couple of zip codes north of my front door. Normally, I would check on credentials much earlier, but for some reason I didn’t until photographer David Stubblefield asked me if I had secured his credentials as I had promised.

The conversation with the PGA went something like this, “Hello, this is Sam Johnson with Tees2Greens.com and I was wondering if you could give me a name and number to call at TPC Craig Ranch to secure media credentials for the second round of Q-school?” 

“There are no media credentials required,” the young lady replied.

“How about photo credentials?”

“Nope, you don’t need one of those either. The crowd is so small, mainly just friends and relatives. You won't have any problems getting interviews or pictures.” She promised.

I thought about what she said, then I thought about guys like Shaun Micheel who won the 2003 PGA Championship. His five-year exemption now spent, he finished 180th on the money list in 2009 and is playing in the Q-school in Panama City, Florida, this week and you don’t need media credentials to ask him for a quote.

All in all there are more than a dozen multiple winners in this year’s Q-school including five-time Tour winner Jim Gallagher Jr. You’ll also see Joe Durant and Carlos Franco each with four wins.  Then there’s Robert Gamez, Nolan Henke and Kirk Triplett each with three wins, followed by Frank Lickliter, Ted Tryba, J.P. Hayes, Jonathan Kaye, Len Mattiace, J.L. Lewis and Dallasite Paul Stankowski each with two victories.

Other former Tour winners competing in second stage include Mark Carnevale, Peter Lonard, Dicky Pride, Michael Clark II, Robert Damron, Ian Leggatt, Jim McGovern, Tom Scherrer, Brian Bateman, Dennis Paulson, Jim Carter, Neal Lancaster, Bob Burns, Jason Gore, Mark Hensby, another adopted Texan Phil Tataurangi, Eric Axley, David Gossett and Mike Heinen.

After that you’ve got a couple a hundred guys that you may or may not have ever heard of that can still flat out play golf. Like former U.S. Amateur Champion and Walker Cup darling Colt Knost, he’ll be there, as will the young stars Jamie Lovemark, Mike Van Sickle and Drew Weaver. If pedigree helps as Jay Haas Jr. is hoping, he will follow his father and join his brother Bill on Tour, but there are hundreds of guys that don’t care who Jay Jr.'s father is. All they know is that he’s one more obstacle in their way to achieving their own dreams.

These guys are as serious as a heart attack. Everyone knows in this stimulus package there are millions of dollars and 125 jobs on the line. The pressure is enormous and for the most part there will be few if anyone to cheer them on. Not all of the multiple winners will be returning to full status, and major champion Shaun Micheel has no guarantee either.  There are young bucks with dreams of their own. It is an evolutionary changing of the guard, the survival of the fittest, and in the words of Bob Dylan, “Those not busy being born are busy dying.”

Q-school is a ladder that you’re either climbing or descending and throughout the process you’re expected to be a sport. You want drama, joy, tragedy? Go cheer on the guys at a Q-school near you. You don’t need media credentials.

Next week we’ll have pictures and some nitty-gritty details from TPC Craig Ranch.

You may not know the name Blackie Sherrod, but he was one of the best sports writers ever to sit at a typewriter.  A nationally recognized talent, he held court at the defunct Fort Worth Press, the defunct Dallas Times Herald and later the barely alive Dallas Morning News. He could turn a phrase with the best of them, but more importantly he was whip-smart, and because he was, you were a little smarter for having read what he had to say.

I don’t think Blackie liked golf very much, but he loved Byron Nelson and the tournament that borrowed his name. He sometimes questioned why Ted Williams could hit a 90 mph fastball with 100 thousand people screaming, but Sam Snead couldn’t make a two-foot putt if someone in the crowd turned over a quarter in his pocket, but that’s another story.

Blackie grew up pounding on the keys of an old Underwood before moving to an IBM, and although he has been retired for many years, he did write his column on a computer before hangin’em up. I too grew up pounding on a mechanical typewriter, which is why I still pound on the keys of my Mac. I don’t touch-type, but that’s good because I don’t think that fast. However, before you start calling me Geezer, I have an iPhone, a FaceBook page and a Twitter account. I text now and then and read the wall on my FaceBook page if someone writes on it, but I don’t tweet… even in private.

What does all of this have to do with golf you ask?

LOL. As I was scanning the PGA website I noticed that there is now a PGA Tour APP and best of all it’s free. With this clever application you can watch complete video highlights that cover everything from previews to highlights to analysis on your iPhone. It also has live scoring so you can follow your guy in between video poker games. You can also download graphics of the courses complete with hole descriptions.

It says right here in the brochure that you can “Get inside access to top professional golfers including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Camilo Villegas and other world class talent on the PGA Tour” although I’m not sure how that works. But since it’s an iPhone APP, and they have your phone number, I suppose they could call you and invite you over, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.

And, because this is America and Americans are in such a hurry you can get live, play-by-play updates on every shot your favorite player makes throughout the round. You’ll also get info on specific shots and yardage, so you can call Tiger or Phil and let them know that they need to keep that left or right elbow straight.

Total golf geeks can also follow the Champions and Nationwide Tours. As a matter of fact, from what I can tell, you can now watch every official tournament on all three PGA Tours. I’m telling you all this not because the PGA is paying me, because they are not, although it would be alright if they did (hint, hint). But this is not a commercial, it’s a warning. The Internet and the iPhone are killing newspapers and magazines, but that’s okay because most of what’s written is certainly not worth cutting down trees for, but that’s another story.

The danger is that in the instant world of the Internet and iPhone communications we sometimes forget the difference between information and content. Information, good and bad, is free on the Internet, but sports, just like everything else, is more than information. I love to know the score, but I love sports even more when the Blackie Sherrods of this world write that “In a perfect world, a fair world, Bob Hayes should be forced to carry a small calf on his shoulder when he runs the dashes... Mark Spitz, in all fairness, would swim with a sea anchor...and Ella Fitzgerald must sing every note with a mouth full of Tootsie Rolls."

Life and golf are not just about the score. Don’t waste your time on information alone… even if it’s free.