Golfchick sighting on Shakesville

Admittedly, I don't read too many non-golf blogs. It's a time issue, mostly. One I do like to read is Shakesville. While its success and readership dwarfs that of this humble blog, I only discovered it recently, thanks to the addition of contributor William K. Wolfrum, the strapping golf blogger I also read over at Worldgolf and on his own site.

Wolfrum recently posted a brief Q&A on Shakesville featuring yours truly. In it, I talk about how I started golfing, blogging and attempt to make my own little contribution toward promoting women's golf. The Golfchick on Shakesville. I'm honored.

Women's golf week June 2 - June 9

I wrote about Women's Golf Week in my Worldgolf column this month. Also, check out the Play Golf America site for more information.

I suppose that's a better name than Golf chick's week, but either way, let's get out there and play.

Honorable mention: it seems the photo Worldgolf used for my column was taken by "Christ" Baldwin. Has Baldy's ego reached new heights or does it just mean I've been blessed?

Update: The photo credit has been edited to read "Chris" instead of "Christ." Just to prove I'm not insane, here is a snapshot of it before the adjustment. I may still be insane, but this won't be the proof. Unless I'm crazy to prolong this but that's another story.

The Armchair Golfer's new digs

The Armchair Golfer has a new gig. The people over at The Most Valuable Network have wisely chosen Neil (evidently that's his name) to write their golf blog, "Down the Middle."

He has been blogging steadily about golf since September 2005 - almost as long as I have. Like he says on his new site profile, golfers persist!

Congrats and good luck, Neil. I'll be reading.

Next post.

Charity Event at Moorpark Country Club

On Thursday, May 17, Moorpark Country Club will be the site of the Phillips & King International annual charity golf tournament.


This year, Phillips and King has chosen the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation as the recipient of the proceeds. This foundation is working to improve the lives of families in the villages surrounding the town of Caribe in the Dominican Republic. They do this by helping to build much needed schools, health clinics, recreation facilities, a safe drinking water network, youth programs, adult training and much more. Last year, the tournament raised almost $19,000 and would love to make that same kind of contribution to this year's recipient.

The details

When: May 17th, 2007, 12:00 PM shotgun start.
Where: Moorpark Country Club (I'll post an update when I find out which two of the three nines they will use)
Update: The tournament will be played on the Ridgeline and Canyon Crest nines.
Women: White tees, Men: Blue tees
Entry fee: $225

The entry fee includes lunch, a full course dinner, a gift bag and lots of cigars.

Prize opportunities include a new BMW or Harley Davidson, airline tickets, a Caribbean cruise, rounds of golf, trophies and more, and are awarded for Hole-in-one, Long Drive (Male and Female), Closest to the Pin (Male and Female), putting contest, 1st and 2nd place and a raffle. There will also be a live auction.

Since this event is only two weeks away, sign up soon using the registration form below (click on it to get a larger version) or by calling (805) 744-4188 or (800) 532-4427 x 188.

I know it can be difficult to get out to play at noon on a weekday, but I hope to see you there! (You can also just come for the dinner, auction and raffle for a $100 contribution.)

Interview with Geoff Shackelford - Part Two

Last week I posted Part One of the Geoff Shackelford interview in which we discussed his golf game and some thoughts on golf course architecture.

As promised, here is the rest of the interview which covers his writing and some personal topics. For some background, you can check out Geoff's bio on his website.

You'll notice a couple of times he references the Masters as though it hasn't happened yet. He actually submitted these responses back to me while I was on a break from blogging, right before the Masters took place.

Once again, Scott Tesar provided a few questions, which are denoted with his initials (ST) in place of my own (KW).

Enjoy!

Geoff Shackelford interview - Part Two

Writing

KW: When did your interest in writing begin/how did it develop?

GS: I edited my high school paper and have always loved reading the newspaper. Though I rarely opened a book until the age of 20.

KW: Who was the first person who acknowledged your talent and encouraged you?

GS: My parents.

KW: Does the insecurity even end?

GS: Of course not. I can't stand to read stuff I've done that's more than 2 weeks old.

KW: Clearly you have a creative mind. Have you ever pursued any other ways to express it in addition to architecture and writing?

GS: Well besides my work as a male stripper and my "Def poetry" rants on postmodernism as it relates to the life and work of Leroy Neiman? Oh, sorry. Well, I wrote a couple of movie treatments and a novel, both with some golf in them. Not sure if those count.

KW: Do you write about other subjects than golf and golf architecture?

GS: Nope. I should, but golf has thankfully been keeping me busy and paying the rent.

KW: When and where were you first published? How did it happen?

GS: Riviera Country Club hired me to do a club history in time for the 1995 PGA. That was privately published. After that Masters of the Links was the first actual book bought by a publisher. As for magazine and print stuff, Golfweb on the Internet.

KW: How have your writing pursuits progressed since then?

GS: I wrote and compiled several more books since the early ones. Lately I've been doing more blogging and magazine writing, a lot less book writing.

KW: Do you ever write a book without a publishing agreement in place (now that you're established)?

GS: Every book but Cypress Point and Grounds for Golf has been started without an agreement in place.

KW: When you write a book, what approach do you use (methodical, outline first, type away and edit later, etc.)?

GS: Depends. Most of my books involve several components, so I've started with an outline and then it evolves. Sort of like a golf course design: start with some ideas on paper, and then it all goes to hell from there and you hope it comes together at the end.

KW: How much of your time is spent on writing and how much on course design? Is it the ratio you want it to be?

GS: It's 50-50 right now.

KW: What inspired you to start your website/blog?

GS: I wanted to follow up on the Future of Golf's many topics covered related to the health of the sport. So that's why I continue to blog on the things I do. It all still goes back to that book. Though I would love to have more course design projects to post about! I also started doing it because I think it's the future of journalism and communications and allows me to share my clipping files online with the rest of the world. Which can be a bad thing when I start getting too snarky.

ST: With the massive amount of content on your site and the frequency of your posts, you seem to post to your blog 24/7. There must be an established income stream to support that. Can you tell us about it?

GS: An established income stream? Did Tim Finchem submit this question? Just kidding. Actually, there isn't one. It's what Finchem would call a loss leader. It costs me a small amount per month to maintain thanks to a great host site called Squarespace (that I highly recommend). I don't have too much bandwidth use because I don't post a lot of photographs or video, so that keeps the costs down (though I'd like to post more photos and video if available). The site promotes my books and hopefully will be - big MBAspeak word here - a platform to write about and obviously promote my golf course design work as well. I'd like to think it has also helped me get in the door at some magazines I wasn't writing at before, so it's paid for itself.

ST: How much time do you spend reading the online world's resources?

GS: I spend about an hour a day and generally do most of the posts in the evening with a few follow ups the next morning if there's something I feel like commenting on or a story worth sharing. That might be a lot to some, but as far as looking for material, it's stuff I was already reading and looking at for ideas because of my other interests in writing. During the majors it's more than an hour a day, obviously, but that's where blogging is most fun. I'll be live blogging from the Masters so that I can make sure to document every silly thing Peter Kostis says.

KW: What are your favorite sources of current golf information, online or otherwise?

GS: Golfobserver.com online and of course in the print world, Golf World, Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated Golf Plus. I don't get Golfweek anymore. I got tired of their publisher, Jim Nugent, shilling for the manufacturers both in print and behind the scenes. But now that he's spending more time with his family and pursuing other opportunities at the PGA Tour publishing that bastion of journalism, PGA Tour Partners, I may re-subscribe because they have people like Brad Klein, Scott Hamilton, Adam Schupak, Rex Hoggard and Jim Achenback doing some interesting stuff.

KW: What peeves do you have about blogs/bloggers/blog writing?

GS: Not very entertaining or surprising. I want to be entertained and enlightened. That's what I hope to do with my stuff.

KW: Can you give any advice to aspiring writers - specifically golf writers? (i.e. What to focus on, what to avoid, how to get published, how to make the transition from self-publishing, what to expect, other helpful hints, etc.)

GS: Don't expect to make much money in books. I'm not sure about blogging yet, but probably don't expect it there either. Outside of that, and it's a cliché, but cliché's are just truths that everyone gets tired of hearing about: find a "voice." Even if it's a pithy, sarcastic voice like mine, it's me and I'm not pretending to be someone else. It will serve you well in all fields of writing and lets you sleep at night. When I read the golf columnists today in the magazines, there aren't too many like Dan Jenkins who you can honestly say have an original voice. Bob Verdi, Jaime Diaz and Alan Shipnuck, in the magazine world come to mind (whether you like their work or not), while John Huggan, Lawrence Donegan and Steve Elling are really distinctive voices in the newspaper world. That's not to say that the many others doing great work in golf are no good because they may not be getting the chance to strut their stuff writing a game story.

Personal

KW: Where is your home base?

GS: Santa Monica, CA

KW: How much do you travel?

GS: Not too often. Though I hope that changes with the golf course design work.

KW: Is your office at home or in a separate location?

GS: In the east wing of my mansion.

KW: Are you married, in a relationship, a playa, live alone, co-habitate/Is your - if there is one - significant other in the golf industry or even play golf?

GS: I actually wear a diamond-encrusted necklace that says PLAYA and my mom asked why I was paying tribute to the beach. I had to explain to her what it means to be a playa.

ST: Describe your typical day?

GS: Jeeves wakes me around 8:30 with breakfast in bed along with the L.A. Times, New York Times and the Journal, then we spend the next half hour debating how to bring peace to Darfur and sobriety into Britney's life. No wait, that's Bertie Wooster's life. Sorry.

KW: Why Pepperdine and not UCLA?

GS: I wasn't good enough coming out of high school to play golf at UCLA, and my grades definitely weren't good enough!

ST: What is/was it like being Lynn's kid? What opportunities did that afford you (i.e. doors opened, contacts made) or did it put up any barriers, challenges or assumptions you had to overcome?

GS: Well once I stopped playing basketball, there were no barriers to overcome. It was great though because I got to travel with him a ton when he was announcing, so I had seen much of the world by the age of 18 and met so many interesting people. And that was when flying was fun.

KW: Do you have any time for other hobbies? If so, what are they?

GS: I try to spend as much time at the beach as possible. I like to work out, read, watch movies and when we aren't in the middle of a drought, I love hiking in Southern California and taking in our unique environment, especially in spring when the wildflowers and sage scrub look so great. I've even started to get into bird watching, something Ben Crenshaw has taught me a little about and which I've really grown to appreciate in my old age. I also love music and concerts, and love discovering new artists.

KW: Name one specific thing that makes you smile?

GS: Knowing that Bobby Clampett has been reduced to a fill in announcer for CBS? Oh sorry. Actually with the depressing state of our world, of late The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert and 30 Rock really make me laugh, which, therefore, makes me smile.

KW: What makes you the happiest?

GS: Good food, good wine and laughing with friends about this mad, mad world. Oh, and knowing that the Masters is just about here.


Thanks again to Geoff for his time and effort in answering all these questions and for sharing himself with all of us. I don't know about you, but I certainly learned some things. Like who knew a male stripper could be so pithy?

Next post.

Interview with Geoff Shackelford - Part One

Geoff Shackelford is one of the most prolific golf bloggers out there. His popular blog is a constant source of informed commentary especially when it comes to history and golf course design. He often posts observations on "MBA speak" and I particularly enjoy his hilarious series IM'ing with the Commissioners. SportsIllustrated.com's Gary Van Sickle named GeoffShackelford.com one of the 10 "essential" golf websites along with the likes of ErnieEls.com, GolfObserver.com and Golfweek.com.

Even when I disagree with him, I find his opinions intelligent and thought provoking and he elicits some of the most engaging discussions you'll find in the comments section on a golf blog.

But he's much more than a blogger. He is a golf course architect and has authored multiple books on the subject and he writes for several online and printed golf publications as well. I personally admire his writing, style and career, and figured if I wanted to know more about him, so might others. When he agreed to participate in my e-interview, I went a little crazy with my quantity of questions. Knowing that my friend Scott Tesar (best friend I never met) was also an admirer of Geoff's, I even threw in a few questions he wanted answered.* I never expected Geoff to answer as many as he did, and I am truly thankful for all his responses and the time he put into them.

Since there are so many questions, I have broken them down by category and will post them in two parts. This part covers his game and golf course architecture. The second part will cover his writing and some personal tidbits, so stay tuned for that!

*Scott's questions are indicated with "ST"- mine are "KW".

Geoff Shackelford interview - Part One

Your game

KW: When did you start playing golf and what were the circumstances?

GS: I tagged along with my dad and granddad when they played Valencia, home to the Champions Tour event. That was back when it was private, and not to sound too old, was surrounded by nothing. You could stand on the 14th tee and see nothing but open fields and farmland. Now there's a Hyatt, movie theaters and a really neat putting course/restaurant called The Greens.

KW: Was it love at first sight or how did it develop?

GS: It developed slowly, more tagging along and then gradually got more into it as I got older and realized I had no jump shot, nor any ability to jump.

KW: What are your top five courses to play and why?

GS: If I had to pick in one of those desert island kind of ways, it'd be Valley Club of Montecito, St. Andrews, Riviera, Royal Dornoch and Armand Hammer. They're all fun. In fact, I've had more fun golf experiences at Armand Hammer, a $2 pitch and putt in Holmby Hills, than just about anywhere else. My Pepperdine teammates and I used to go there after playing Bel-Air and it was by far more fun than the round at Bel-Air!

KW: What's your favorite local course (in which you're not personally invested) and why?

GS: Riviera. Masterful design. Though it's slipping away quickly. I'm glad I got to enjoy it before Tom Marzolf got his hands on it.

KW: What's your handicap?

GS: No idea. I rarely play. The last handicap I carried I was around a 2 index, which cost me a lot of money. I'd be thrilled to break 80 today. Bum wrist really took the fun out of it, as does the time it takes to play. Though I've had some desire lately. I found a chiropractor who adjusted my wrist and have graphite shafted irons that help.

KW: Lowest round score?

GS: 67 twice at Riviera from the white tees.

KW: Any holes-in-one?

GS: One, at Pismo State Beach par-3 when I was about 15. I also double-eagled No. 1 at Riviera with a 2 iron.

KW: Ever compete?

GS: Tried. Played at Pepperdine where I started for a little while, had a whopping two top-10 finishes in a four year career. Also played various amateur events, U.S. Open and Am qualifyings. Don't miss it even a bit.

KW: Do you belong to a club?

GS: No. Though I'm sure there are many honorary membership committees reading this and wondering how to reconcile their oversights.

KW: What's in the bag/do you have a favorite club?

GS: These days, as it's been since the first Bush administration, it's my trusty Ben Crenshaw Cleveland putter, an 8802 knock off. I had one I liked better, but it got stolen out of my car along with my other clubs. I am an all Taylor-Made guy now, with graphite shafts in the irons in hopes that it will take some of the pain out of hitting shots in cold weather. Finally got rid of my lousy Titleist irons and driver. What junk. Just kidding Wally!

Golf course architecture

KW: When and how did you first get interested in course design?

GS: Growing up at Riviera and reading George Thomas's book as a teenager.

KW: Did you/do you have a mentor?

GS: Ben Crenshaw, Dan Proctor and Dave Axland were very kind to me during the Riviera greens reconstruction in 1993. I learned a lot from them and they encouraged me quite a bit. Bill Coore just thought I was some spoiled brat. Now he tolerates me!

KW: How and how quickly did your involvement grow/What was your first big break?

GS: I've had many, but I guess the first real break was doing a redo of Sinaloa with Dan and Dave when my dad operated it. I learned a lot. Meeting Gil Hanse was the next one.

KW: What do you consider the single most important aspect of a good design?

GS: Whether it's fun and interesting.

KW: Are you a consultant now/what is the state of your business?

GS: I'm consulting at a few older clubs looking to restore some of their old style design character, and doing that either on my own or in one very special case, with Gil Hanse. I'm also hopeful that a few new projects with Gil are going to start soon. We have just gotten a job on Vancouver Island in Canada. The Prairie Club in Nebraska is still on the drawing board and inching toward a start date in 2008, and there are a couple of others we're hopeful about.

KW: Do you/have you done course "makeovers" or do you stick to new course development?

GS: I'm interested in new stuff and restoring great old designs. Makeovers are tough, but I'd be interested if it's the right project. There surely is no shortage of bad architecture built in the last 20 years in need of help. I'm just amazed how many courses call back the architect who messed up the first time around!

ST: When you first start a new golf course project, what is your first step?

GS: Routing the course. It sets the stage for everything else in the planning process. It's all about routing. And that's the most fun too. Trying to solve all the issues and walking the land, discovering great land forms or interesting quirks in the landscape that you want to build around.

KW: Do you have particular grasses and sands you prefer to use and do they vary based on region and climate?

GS: Varies. But as a lover of links golf and rugged looking courses, fescue grasses are my favorites. I can only imagine what Rustic Canyon would look like with more fescues and less rye. With sand, anything but the blinding white stuff.

KW: When you design a course, do you base playability on the average player or professionals?

GS: Both. I tend to be overly concerned with the average player since they're the ones who ultimately make or break the course. But the design concepts for a hole start with figuring out a strategy for the good player, then placing tees, bunkers, greens based on that.

ST: What steps do you follow when designing the layout? What is your strategy/thought process for challenging the golfer?

GS: I'm interested in what is going to make them think. What is going to make them stand on the tee and want to place a shot on a certain side of a fairway based on the green design and day's hole placement. It's sad how rarely this occurs in golf course design. Yet most of the great holes have some meaning where the player has to take factors like hole location and hazards into account before teeing off.

KW: A lot of the newer courses that are built to challenge the longer hitters and their new equipment have plenty of room for a couple sets of forward tees yet it seems strategies and playability from there are barely considered. How much consideration do you put into how a course will play from the forward tees?

GS: A lot. It's so tricky now with such a divide between long and average players. And then of course most golfers look at certain numbers on a card to determine the quality of the course, and that usually is just a number with little meaning about what the design has to offer. But you have to address it or else people will write off a course if it doesn't meet certain "standards."

KW: Do you see course design mentality starting to reflect the influx of female players?

GS: A little. Alice Dye's formula for forward tees is really getting used a lot and has helped get some better forward tees in place. But we have a long way to go.

KW: Do you ever consult with/work with female designers when developing a course?

GS: Never have. I've talked with Amy Alcott a fair amount about design. But other than her, I've met very few women who have even the slightest bit of interest in golf course design. Why that is, I have no idea.

KW: What's your biggest peeve about modern golf courses? Any peeves with the classics?

GS: With modern courses, they're boring, overbuilt, ugly, drain poorly and little thought is put into the actual placement of hazards. Classics? Not really. They did some amazing things with horses and road scrapers!

To be continued...

And that concludes part one of the interview. Geoff really gave some interesting answers and I wish the interview could have been in person so I could have followed up on some of them! Thanks to Scott for for providing some great questions and of course to Geoff for his responses. And again, stay tuned for part two about Geoff's writing and personal tidbits!

Next post.

Breaking the silence

It has been a month since I lost my best friend.

I will always miss her and while I think I've gotten through the hardest time, I'm sure the tears will continue to spring up, just fewer and farther between as time goes on. It was necessary for me to take almost a week off from work but since then it has kept me busy and I think that helped. My grief clouded my thoughts and I'm afraid I produced some of the worst work in my life, but it all worked out and my contribution to the project proved successful anyway. Work was required, blogging was not, so I focused my attention where I needed to.

I put together a memorial tribute to Kess which I think also helped in the healing process by consolidating and sharing memories and getting out a lot of my tears.

Thank you all for the comments you posted and emails you sent. Please know that your kind and caring words are much appreciated even though I didn't respond to you all individually.

Special thanks to Jay Flemma at A Walk in the Park and Mulligan Stu at The Waggle Room for the thoughtful posts and Scott at Time Fore Tee for the beautiful grip design and donations in her honor. Scott sent me the gorgeous Artan grip he designed based on the MacKessock tartan. It will become my new putter grip so that I can have a symbol of her with me on every golf hole I play (though I will continue to try to hole out from off the green).

My moment of silence is now officially over and I'll get back to the business of blogging about golf. The "Ask the Goose" feature will continue in Kess' honor, and I hope she will channel through me to continue to answer the mailbag and that I can do her column justice.

Again, thank you all for your patience and support.

Kess "The Goose" Williams - the day before her last on Earth.

Next post.

Kess "The Goose" Williams - 1995-2007

Life was better yesterday.

Because I got to hold her.
Because I got to smell her.
Because I got to kiss her.
Because she was here to kiss my tears away.
Because she was here.

I miss you, Kess.
You were my best friend.
You made my world so sweet.
There isn't anything better than you.
I will always love you and you'll always be here with me in my heart.

Hello, see you later.

Kess "The Goose" Williams 1995-2007
Rest in peace, peanut butter cup.

To know her was to love her. Everyone loves The Goose.

This blog will now be observing a moment of silence for The Goose. I don't know how long the moment will last. E-mails and comments may go unanswered because words are too hard.

Next post.

Donald Trump invades my happy place at Cap Cana

The public beach at Cap Cana.

Cap Cana - the home of my happy place, Punta Espada golf course - is a massive, beautiful, upscale resort in the Punta Cana area on the coast of the Dominican Republic overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

They just announced that a deal was made with Donald Trump to develop a new resort on a portion of the property to include a golf course, golf villas, golf lots, estate lots, a beach club, a condo hotel and residences with ocean views. And of course he has to put his name on it so it will collectively be called "Trump at Cap Cana." No word yet on what they will call the golf course. Maybe Punta Trump?

Naturally, it will be a luxury resort. I toured the Cap Cana property including finished products and some of the developments under construction and even the lowest priced condos are luxury. The golf villas and beach club attached to Punta Espada are gorgeous and elegant and I felt like a princess just being there. The design and amenities are classy and understated but leave no doubt that you are in a special place where your every whim has been considered and attended to.

Here is the bungalow where I stayed. Just off the 12th hole of Punta Espada.

That's "my" bungalow on the right and my own little path down to the water.

That path in the previous photo is just to the left of the screen. This is part of the wraparound patio of the bungalow.

Here's the view from the other side of the patio with the screens down.

Here's another view with the screens open.

Enter Donald Trump. I can only hope Cap Cana has design standards they will enforce or that Trump's involvement will primarily be the usage of his name and the investors he brought in. It would be such a shame to see this place spoiled by the brash and gaudy style that Trump considers classy.


I have submitted some questions regarding more specifics on the golf course and I'll post an update once I get them answered.

Update: Here is a portion of the Master Plan of Cap Cana. "Trump at Cap Cana" is circled in red. Looks like 36 holes up on the bluff.

Here it is pre-development. You can see the bluff where the new resort will be.


Next post.

World record hole-in-one at Ko'olau!

Ko'olau is considered by many the toughest golf course in the United States. I have a Ko'olau shirt that boasts the rating right on the sleeve. It's also one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever played.

The number 1 handicap hole at Ko'olau (for the handicap handicapped challenged that means the hardest hole) is number 18.

So, you're on the most difficult hole of the most challenging course in the country. What do you do? If you're Bret Melson, you ace it! Sure, he's part of the San Diego Golf Academy: Hawaii campus, it's his home course and he has probably played that hole hundreds of times, but none of that makes it any less of an amazing feat. And yes, a new world record for the longest ace. Congratulations, Bret! You can read (and hear) the whole story on the SDGA website. For most people, acing a par-3 is enough of an accomplishment. Acing any old par-4 would be absolutely incredible. I guess for Bret, that just wouldn't have done it.

It really is challenging!

I have played this golf course twice. The first time was three months after my very first round of golf. I played the forward tees which only have course and slope ratings of 72.9/129. I actually managed to make par on 18. The second time I played there was 7 months later so I'd been playing for 10 whole months and thought I should really experience the difficulty so I played from the blue tees (the next set back from the forwards - equivalent to white tees on average courses) with course/slope ratings of 78.7/153 for women (when I played the ratings from the tips for men weren't even that high but it looks like the course has been re-rated since then). And... I experienced the difficulty. I carded a 9 on 18. Yes, a 9. And I recorded the whole bittersweet experience on digital media.

My 18th hole experience at Ko'olau


From the tees at 18. The first of two forced carries (unless you're like Bret and decide to cross the rain forest on the right with your teeshot).

My first shot actually ended up here, near the drop area. (Local rules indicate that balls lost in ravines are a one stroke penalty, then played from the drop area on the other side on holes 1,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,14,16,18. Gotta speed up play somehow on this monster.) No penalty for me. Only one stroke so far. What could go so wrong now? Well, there's another forced carry up there but I'm no hero. I'll lay up...


...to here. Perfect - so far so good. Two strokes so far, I still have my golf ball and at this point I'd be happy to get a bogey. Forced carries off a tee aren't as daunting to me as danger on the deck. My hacking around commences with my 3 wood from here, which, when struck well would have been on the green. But alas, it finds the ravine.


I decided this was the drop area. Hitting 5 from here. Coincidentally, that patient man waiting on the green was also named Bret. Just some guy that joined on the back nine. There was no one behind us and I told him he could play ahead without me because I'd be taking lots of photos. But there he is... just waiting and waiting.

Two sand wedges later, I'm on the green in 6. Then I proceed to three putt. Yes, from here. I know, but I guess this course just rattled me. 5 over on one hole. Ouch.

Here's the overhead view. If I played this course every day, I might try carrying it all in one at some point like Bret Melson did. I wonder: if you go that way and it goes in the forest, do you get to drop over there instead of on the fairway on the left? That would save a few strokes. :)

Here I am attempting to cross yet another ravine on #6. Failed here, too, but only took a triple bogey on this hole. Damn you, Ko'olau! I'll be coming back for you!


Update: thought I should show the damaging evidence. Here's what you can't see in the previous photo.

Next post.

DST extended... means more golf this year!

Whatever else you want to say about the U.S. government, it did something good for golfers (and nuclear and oil companies) back in 2005 when President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Starting this year, Daylight Saving Time will start earlier and end later than before, giving golfers more opportunities to play! We can start squeezing in those twilight rounds after work in March now! And if we're lucky, the golf courses will be slow in adjusting their twilight rates to follow suit so we can weasel in some real bargains.


The new system gives us four weeks more of DST, with three of the weeks coming at the beginning and one week at the end. So, where we used to set the clocks forward on the first Sunday of April, now we do it on the second Sunday of March. And we don't have to set them back until the first Sunday of November instead of the last Sunday of October.

I don't know about you, but I always looked forward to Daylight Saving Time even before I became a golfer. Now I have even more reason to rejoice.

I keep all the extra daylight in a 5-gallon Arrowhead bottle and cash it in when it's full. I hear American Express and Diners Club are going to start exchanging it point for point in 2008 so we can redeem those rewards even faster!

The Department of Energy will study the impact of the change and report its findings to Congress, which has reserved the right to change it back if the report is unfavorable. Just in case, enjoy the shifted time while you can! That is, unless you live in one of those weird places that doesn't observe DST in the first place.

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Steroid testing in golf

Some women are naturally stronger or more athletic than others. Some really work on their bodies to increase their strength and skills. Some are more logically than emotionally oriented. These women already have an edge against their peers and will be among the first to be accused of "juicing."

I know from experience that such an accusation, however tongue-in-cheek it is disguised, can rile a girl. A word to the innocent - don't react angrily; it'll just fuel their malice or raillery with innuendos of 'roid rage to further push your buttons.

My new column on Worldgolf.com discusses the topic of steroid testing in golf.

For more opinions on this subject, check out these posts on The Sand Trap, Golf Punk and The Golf Blogger. If I've left out your favorite reference or you have your own opinions, let me know!

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Another Taylor Made driver

Since I'm such a TaylorMade chick, this new driver caught my eye. It seems to have been launched with a whisper and I can't find that much information about it. It's not even on the Taylor Made website yet!



Here it is: The Taylor Made Burner Driver. It also comes in a "TP" model, which increases the price by $100 if nothing else. It's less expensive than many other TM drivers, at only $299 and $399 (for the TP). Maybe our golf blogger friends at the PGA Merchandise show will bring back some more information on it. Personally, I think TaylorMade oughta send me one to test!

I'm just happy that as far as I know, Taylor Made has not released a square driver. Hallelujah. I know, I know - it's probably just a matter of time. And maybe that's why this one's sneaking onto the scene - it's not in line with the current fad.

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Worldgolf in the news

My editor over at Worldgolf sent me a link to an interesting story. A group of investors teamed up to buy the Worldgolf network which includes many golf and travel websites with worldgolf itself as the flagship property. Here is the story on the"multi-million dollar" acquisition.



Buyouts usually bring big changes, but worldgolf already had some changes in the works. From their press release, it sounds like those same changes are still in progress.

In our e-mail exchange, William K Wolfrum was optimistic about what the sale will mean for the site (and optimism is not his specialty). He said he didn't think there were going to be major changes in personnel, that they will be "moving forward, not cutting back... it'll be like a surge around here," and finally, that "the sale will be a very good thing overall."

There are a few ways to look at his angle here. Perhaps:

• He's using the "never say anything in an email you wouldn't want published in the company newsletter" rule of thumb (and doesn't trust me not to betray his confidence)
  
• He's truly that professional
• He really believes this will be a positive thing
  

I think it might be all three. People don't buy websites to run them into the ground - unless they're a competitor. There are a few changes I know I'd like to see on worldgolf, but I think I'll reserve those comments, at least for now.

I'm interested to know more about the new owners but a quick search on David Brittain didn't come up with anything definitive, and the PR company's website doesn't even show "Worldgolf.com LLC" as one of their clients yet. I just contacted them via email so I hope they'll have some more info for me.

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Stock car racing is easy - but watch out for those golf carts!

This weekend, Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson took a spill from a golf cart and fractured his wrist in the process. The incident happened at a celebrity charity golf tournament in Lecanto, Florida.

In his official story he claimed that he "was in a golf cart and the driver took a sharp turn... I wasn't holding on tight enough, landed awkwardly on the ground and heard a little pop."

As it turns out, he was in fact ON the golf cart when that driver took a sharp turn. I guess golf cart driving isn't quite as exciting as NASCAR racing. Yep, "horsing around" on the roof of the cart, according to his team.

Don't fall off, Jimmie!

It is the off-season for NASCAR, so he'll have plenty of time to heal before he has to compete again. However, the much celebrated driver of the Lowe's car won't be able to participate in the all-star, international "Race of Champions" in Paris this coming Saturday.

Maybe Jimmie should stick with this golf cart next time.

I bet his teammates and competitors aren't going to let him forget this mishap for awhile.

It kind of makes me think that driving a stock car must be relatively easy. I mean heck, I drive golf carts all the time and have never had a single incident. No crashes, no injuries, nothing. I bet if I had a huge corporate team behind me that designed a winning car, I could get strapped in to that baby with all the protective gear and drive that thing to victory! Need a sub in Paris, Jimmie?

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Rustic Canyon fire damage

I have some updated information about how Rustic Canyon Golf Course fared in the Shekell / Happy Camp fire.

Some areas on the back nine were singed and a lot of the environmental or native areas burned. None of the actual playing surfaces sustained any damage. The golf course was without power until 9:00 AM today. The watering system that was in some of the native areas was damaged and is being repaired. Right now, they're in a clean-up and repair mode and the course will re-open for play on Friday.

Moorpark Country Club is open and pretty much back to business as usual today.

Scroll down for yesterday's post on the fire which has some other updated information.

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Moorpark (Shekell) Fire

I am updating this post periodically. Updates are in blue.

Most of you have probably heard about the fire that is blazing through the Moorpark area.

For detailed information on evacuations, road and school closures from the sheriff's department, visit this website.

Update: I got an e-mail from KNBC that they are running a live stream of continuing coverage and raw video from the fire. I checked it and it was last night's coverage but they told me the chopper is refueling and live stream will be back up soon. Here's the link. (10 AM - 5 PM)

It is fire season and it seems like in each of the last several years there's been at least one fire right around here that puts us all on edge. In the so-called Shekell fire (named for the road where it started), several homes and buildings have already been lost and thousands are still threatened as it continues to burn and the Santa Ana Winds continue to move it through the fuel filled brush areas.

Embers fly in this photo of the building and property of MGR Design going up in flames. (L.A. Times)

Moorpark Country Club

The fire went right through my favorite local public golf course, Moorpark Country Club. Sunday morning around 8:00, golf pro Leo Lee closed up shop as the Sheriff's department recommended evacuations in the area.

This morning, Moorpark CC seems to be out of harm's way as the fire has moved along to torment other areas. The golf course sustained damage to scrub brush and it's still very smoky so only a skeleton crew is on location and no golfers are around. The roads are closed and it's unsafe to be outside breathing all the particulates. Even without a fire, golfers would be scarce because of the insane winds.

I actually had a tee-time at Moorpark on Saturday morning and opted out with the rest of my foursome because the wind was blowing us away as we stood there and discussed whether or not to play. Gusts to 70 mph - sustained winds probably around 40-50. No thanks. But punishing winds are merely an inconvenience for golfers.

Those are the same conditions that make the fires nearly impossible to fight. Firefighters can't stand steady with their hoses and helicopters can be grounded (they're up right now). Small aircraft has difficulty staying on course to land their targets with water. However, when they need water, they can use water hazards at the area golf courses to fill up their tanks.

Residents evacuate at the north end of Valley Road in Moorpark. (L.A. Times)

Update: I got an e-mail from Steve Vigiano, the Director of Golf at Moorpark CC. He says: "We are fine. Just some minor fire damage to the brush on the Canyon and Ridgeline side of the course. We have been closed for the past 2 days [and] we will be open tomorrow. I have heard that Rustic Canyon had a lot of damage to the Native areas. I believe that the course is OK. There is no way to communicate with Rustic right now."

Rustic Canyon Golf Course

Another fire that is part of the Shekell blaze burned through Happy Camp which is the location of Rustic Canyon Golf Course. I have tried to contact them this morning for an update but have been unable to reach anyone there. Perhaps the power and phone lines are down there. I'll continue to try and post an update when I have more information. If anyone knows anything, please post a comment here.

Update: I got through to their phone number and heard the message that they are closed due to the fire and directing people to call later in the week when the phone service will be available. No report is given on the message about damage to the course.

Don't be stubborn (and stupid)

It was reported on the news that many people in the area are refusing to evacuate their homes. Everyone, please be safe. Stuff is just stuff. Get your animals, hard drives, hard to replace documents, photos, mementos and golf clubs and just get out. Those embers are flying and it's still really dangerous out there.

A word to the local news stations:

It sure would be nice if you could display an accurate map of the fire areas and where the firelines are. Last night I was watching the news and one of the stations showed an actual image of the fires with an overlaid map of the area. According to that map, I was on fire. If you're going to do it (and you should), do it right!

Update: Here are a few more links posted by reader "ELY" in the comments section. I thought I'd put them here for easier access:
Ventura County Star's Affected areas map
Ventura County Star's Wind map
Ventura County Fire Department

Update: As of 7:00 AM this morning (December 5), the fire is 80% contained and the fire department expects full containment by 6:00 PM tonight.

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Pro Team Golf League update - interview

Awhile back, I put up a post about the launch of the Pro Team Golf League. Perhaps naively, I thought it sounded like a great and novel idea. I have since learned that similar projects have been attempted in the past and failed to either have a solid business model or solid intentions.

I still think it sounds like a great idea and I hope it works. I have also discovered that I wasn't the only person who found the concept to be slightly confusing. This confusion seems to stem from the fact that there is fan involvement. At first glance, some might think it's a fantasy league. However, this is a league played by actual professional golfers. It crosses the fantasy line because the fans not only pick their teams but the choices they make for those teams are actually reflected in the game.

I wanted to know more about the concept and plans for this new golf league that I previously juxtaposed with baseball's minor leagues or farm teams. I submitted some questions to the league and received some answers back from Tom Belton, General Counsel and Executive Committee Member for PTGL. They cleared up a few things for me. Here are his responses:

Golfchick: Who owns the current teams?

TB: A team owner is separate from the owners of PTGL. The owner could be a local business person with strong ties to the golf, travel or entertainment markets. The owner could be the foursome at the country club who loves the idea of team golf, or owning an affordable sports franchise. The owner could be the person who wants to be in the forefront of bringing a brand new form of sports entertainment to market. The owner could be a retired sports or entertainment celebrity. Owners are likely to be technology or sports geeks, or both. We know this because we happen to be in discussions with each of these interested groups.

[Golfchick note: good information, but that didn't answer my question about the owners of the two existing teams that will be competing in the inaugural event. Tom, if you're reading this, could you answer that in a comment on this post?]

Golfchick: What is an owner's involvement?

TB: The owner has total control of the team. The owner negotiates and signs up the players from the Player Eligibility List provided by PTGL. The owner picks the home venue for matches. The owner negotiates and signs up local advertisers and sponsors. The owner connects with the fans and tries to drive more fans to his or her team. The owner makes the profit and shares with the league in its 60% revenue share and 10% profit pool. The owner truly owns a sports franchise.

Golfchick: Does the league pay the players or do the owners?

TB: The team owners have total control and responsibility here to compensate the team players subject to minimum compensation requirements established by PTGL. The League requires something beyond a base compensation to be paid to players to make sure the League also benefits players.

Golfchick: Do the players earn prize money in addition to a salary?

TB: Team owners are required to give players some financial upside either as a percentage of the purse or total team revenue or profit. The League guidelines suggest that 50% of the purse be distributed to players. We are also recommending that team owners set aside some equity for players just like a Wall Street business. We want players to be partners with team owners, not adversaries like in most sports franchises today.

Golfchick: What kind of recruitment efforts are being made to attract players?

TB: Mike Davis, an ex-PGA player and one of the most recognized golf instructors in the country, leads our player recruitment effort. It just so happens his son Brien is currently a player on the Canadian Tour and knows many of them already. We’ve had a 100% success rate in attracting mini-Tour players to sign up for the Player Eligibility List. We will continue to look for the best players out there. And we encourage player’s who participate in your blog who have an interest in competing to come to ptgl.com and apply for the Eligibility List.

Golfchick: Will the teams be limited in number or geographical area (e.g. only 8 teams the first year, expand to X number in the future, only one team per geographical region)?

TB: No, although the initial focus in the first 3 years will be in North America. One of the goals is to help US players develop match play skills. Some of these players will be future Ryder Cup players. We expect to have 24 teams in North America within 3 years but this is easily positioned for a much larger roll-out if there is fan demand for more.

Golfchick: How many players max per team?

TB: Team owners have flexibility here but generally a maximum of 12 with only 8 playing per week.

Golfchick: How does someone interested in being an owner put a team together?

TB: Dick Newbert is the PTGL Director of Team Develoopment. You can contact him through ptgl.com by clicking on the Team Development tab and sending an email with either a question or description of your interest in team ownership.

Golfchick: Will there be ladies' teams or co-ed teams?

TB: We hope so. PTGL is open to the best professional golfers on the mini-Tours or the LPGA. We'd love to see an LPGA Team go against a team from one of the other Tours. How does that sound as a potential exciting rivalry? It also gives US women a chance to hone match play skills.

Golfchick: Does the PTGL have any television contracts yet?

TB: No, but The Golf Channel will televise our inaugural event – US v Canada in Jamaica. It will be played 12/13-12/16 and televised sometime in January. We expect to have a television contract in place before the League regular season launch in 2007. Our plans also include streaming video for matches over the internet.

Golfchick: Who are the major sponsors?

TB: The Canadian Professional Golf Tour and the Rose Hall Resort in Jamaica are our first sponsors. We are currently in negotiations with 2 large financial services industry leaders and some sports equipment companies for sponsorship.

Golfchick: Is every involved fan a ProCoach?

TB: Yes. Every fan who registers as ProCoach on ptgl.com can be as active a ProCoach as desired. The fan could lead blogs, message forums, and IM campaigns to discuss and lead team strategy. Or the fan could keep a low profile and quietly make selections. But the higher the fan's Strat.EQ (success quotient), the more weight that fan gets in voting.

Golfchick: Does the system aggregate the decisions of the ProCoaches or is there a team leader?

TB: That’s up to the team and the fan. Other than the weighting factor above, every fan’s voice counts the same. But like in any community, some fans can actively take leadership roles. I’d listen to the fan with the highest EQ more than I’d listen to the fan with the lowest EQ.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Tom.


I have been invited to participate in beta testing of the "Strat.e.golf" system, so if I have time, I'll try it out and post my thoughts about it.

I'm interested to know what you all think about this league and its potential. Please feel free to comment or even ask more questions of the PTGL and I'll try to get them to answer. For more information, check their website at www.ptgl.com.

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