Who Won The Golf Tournament?

     Who won the golf tournament? Yes, I do know that Dustin Johnson won the Genesis Los Angeles Open.  Congratulations Mr. Johnson for your dominating win in the tough conditions that were The Riviera Country Club.  I'm not talking about The Genesis L.A. Open though.  I'm talking about who won the NCGA qualifier at the local golf course.  Which do you think is more important to golf?
     We all know that golf is a great game.  The game can be played for many reasons and on many levels. There is the recreational player who really isn't out there for score but is playing the game for the sheer joy of playing it.  Then there is the player who keeps score and keeps track of their scores in order to improve their game. Thirdly, there is the player that keeps score and joins the course player's club and establishes an index through the G.H.I. N. system which determines their course handicap. Where do you go from there?
     I think the next step is to enter the club tournaments.  There is a bit of controversy when I say this because many feel that in every club there are "sandbaggers".  We all know that this a true part of the game and it will always be with us. The issue of "sandbaggers" causes many players to feel that they have no chance of winning one of these club tournaments so they don't enter tournaments.  However, you have to ask yourself why you play tournaments. Do you play specifically to win the club tournament or do you enter for the social aspect of the game?  The bottom line for me is that club tournaments are a lot of fun, no matter where you place.
     Yes, when I enter a tournament I do enter with a reasonable expectation of topping the leader board but that is not the only reason. More importantly, I want to get to know others in the club and enjoy the fellowship of playing the game in a more competitive setting. This was a four-ball event and the teams were not randomly made up. You chose your team. But most of the tournaments are individual events and you don't know who is going to be in your foursome. You meet a lot of people in the club you wouldn't normally play golf with. Its not the competition itself, but playing in the tournament with others.
     Yes, winning is the goal here but its more than that. Step back for a moment and watch the happenings in the clubhouse after the tournament with those waiting for the results. There is a lot going on. We can talk about the rubber chicken that I earned many times for coming in last place. That was quite an honor being recognized by your peers in such a way, but it was all in good fun.
 Just listen to the conversations and see the interactions among those who are there. Even though everyone in the room is totally different, there is a bond everyone shares and that bond is the game of golf.
      What is more important for the game of golf? Is it Dustin Johnson winning the Genesis L.A. Open?  Is it the televising of professional tournaments on TV? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching these tournaments and they give great exposure to golf. I feel that four ball tournament which was played at our local course is truly the real face of golf and is just as important. Players are of course the heart and soul of the game, and club tournaments are its true nature as far as people playing the game and competing. Keep in mind that not all gofers want the competitive side of the game, and that's OK as well. The idea is to play the game and have fun. Golf is a game for everyone, and the club tournament is one place that is a reality.

I miss playing tournament golf. I should be back soon though.

   

Of East And West--Golf Tournaments That Is (Update)

     How many of you watched AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am which was played on the famous courses of the Seventeen Mile Drive of The Monterey Peninsula? The first two days of the tournament the weather was questionable at best with some heavy rain, but then the sun came out for Saturday and Sunday.  The weather was gorgeous for the last two days and the tournament was a lot of fun to watch.  More importantly, most of the big names in tournament golf were there. This is a fantastic thing for golf, especially for golf on The West Coast.
     It seems as though The West Coast Swing is back, at least for now anyway. A couple of blog posts ago I wrote about how the big names of golf did not care to play in the tournaments out here on the West Coast early in the PGA golf season.  That seems to be changing. My thoughts are that the FedEx Cup has a lot to do with it but I don't have a detailed explanation. What I do know is that these top names playing the tournaments out here is good for golf. There are a lot of golfers out here living in the western states and they deserve to see the big names play in person. Yes, it is a big thing for us.
      The Western Swing is played on some wonderful old and new golf courses. The whole series of tournaments, from Hawaii to California, carries a rich heritage as well.  Most of the great names of golf have played in them and many of them have won.  Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are just a few of those names. The West Coast Swing was very important for them.  They played in the tournaments on courses such as Riviera in Los Angeles, Torrey Pines in San Diego and of course Pebble Beach along with the other beautiful courses on The Seventeen Mile Drive of the Monterey Peninsula.
      The "Stars" of the game are returning to The West Coast Swing.  We have seen Jason, Dustin, Ricky entered and playing in "The Swing".  I was surprised to see Justin Rose play in so many tournaments out here in the west.  Phil plays out here in most of the tournaments and is very much involved in bringing back the old Bob Hope Desert Classic. Next week's Los Angeles Open will again have a full field with some of the biggest names in golf.  Attendance has been up at these tournaments.
      A huge thanks goes out to the big names of golf in their return to the West Coast Swing. A hearty congratulations goes to Jordan Spieth for winning the AT&T Pebble Beach. Even more than your win Jordan is that you played in many of the tournaments of The West Coast Swing. Its great to see The West Coast Swing gaining some of its old luster back. We welcome you back to the West Coast PGA and the "stars" of golf.  

An Open Letter To Golf Pros About Lessons

     I am writing this as an eighteen handicapper.  My game, as I said in an earlier post is good, but I do have the potential to get better.  The question has come up many times and from many people especially those I respect and admire (Mark, Wayne, Phil, Brad, Matt, Tom and all the rest of my FaceBook Golf Pro Friends) as to why I don't take a lesson from my local pro.  There are a few reasons why I do not, and when I am on the golf course I hear the same reasons from many of the players whom I am playing a round of golf with. As a journalist, I ask the question to of course see what the answer is.  I don't want to offend anyone, but here are some of those reasons, many of which I share with the average golfer.
     Here goes, and that is not to say that I shouldn't take a few lessons.  I am not anti lesson, far from that.  I think what it all boils down to is commitment.  That is not a commitment to the game, that is a commitment to time and to the funds that it takes to devote not only to the process of improving, but to the time and financial constraints of taking lessons.  Is the time and money spent on lessons worth it to me? For me, it doesn't, and I know that to many that statement is almost a sacriledge. Keep in mind that many of us feel the same way.  I understand that my feelings here may be contrary to the logic of improving my game, but I am being realistic.
     Let me explain how I feel, and I am sure that many recreational golfers feel the same way.  The statement I am about to make will clear a lot up.  I will never be a scratch golfer. I would like to be, but I have a life that gets in the way of that pursuit. When I go out to play golf, even if I have a bad round I enjoy myself.  First of all, I don't know how I am going to play or what I am going to shoot. It is an adventure.  Sometimes I hit some shots that amaze even myself, others other shots I wonder if I have ever played this game before. Each round is different. That's the beauty of it.  I have the potential to be a better golfer and score much lower, but I don't have the time to practice.  Life gets in the way, life and the fact that we only have one car and my wife uses it for work. Getting to the course to play or practice can be a major undertaking.
     I am sixty two years old.  You have heard the saying you can't teach old dogs new tricks.  That statement is very true.  It takes a long time to engraine a new concept or move into my golf game.  Changes take practice and time.  In the meantime, putting those changes in practice on the golf course takes a lot of sacrifice and frustration in order to make them permanent and while I am putting those changes in place, those changes take time really messing up my game when I am playing. I'm getting too old for this.  I want to go out and play as my time on this earth is limited. Improvement is a great thing, but I am never going to play on tour. I like where I am at and lack the patience to do that which will improve my game.
     Cost is also a factor.  In my case, I just don't see where it is a good return on my investment of the cost of lessons to take a lesson or two.  Don't get me wrong. If my game goes to heck in a hand basket or there are major changes in my physical makeup and I have to change something or not play, I will take a lesson to steady the ship. I won't take a lesson just to shave a few strokes off my scores. There won't be a significant improvement in my scores, just a marginal moving of the dial should I take a lesson.  I have to ask myself if that $40 and hour is worth the cost when I could go out and play, probably fixing whatever problem or hitch I have developed by myself. If I can't figure it out, there is always YouTube (Of course I say that facetiously.). Besides, I am not going to spend the time on the range to make any significant changes that are suggested by a qualified professional.
     One last thought here on the cost of lessons that I would like to share. I have to make a choice since I am a senior and live on a fixed income.  That choice is a major one.  Do I spend money on lessons or do I take that $40 and spend it on green fees?  Think about that for a minute.  In our household every dollar counts.  I have to justify playing golf, let alone springing for a golf lesson. I'd rather play golf. It seems to be just that simple.
      One last thought about this that I will share.  Which teacher and what philosophy of golf learning do I seek out?  There are many and I am confused.  There are the "Naturalists" and then there are the "Technocrats".  The Naturalists boil down to a philosophy of keeping it simple.  The Technocrats uses every bit of technology they can get their hands on and boil the swing and the game down into nanoseconds and very minute moves.  Where do I go for instruction. Who do I listen to? Which school of golf teaching is correct. It seems as though most golf pros and teachers can't decide how the are going to teach the game and don't know when what they are teaching is not enough or when it is too much.  This old guy doesn't want to sort it out, but I just want to play and that's it. It makes for some great conversation but how important is it?
     I want to say again here and EMPHATICALLY that I am not saying don't take lessons.  If you have a problem in your game by all means see a professional. I strongly recommend it, especially if you are just starting out in the game. I am just stating why I personally don't take lessons.  If you feel that you need a lesson, by all means take one or two. I'm definitely not an expert on this, but I do know my game and what I want from it. Right now I enjoy the game of golf and how I play it.  Yes, I do have my ups and downs as far as scores are concerned and how I hit the ball. Change is hard for me and I just want to go out and play golf. Is that too much to ask?

I said I don't take lessons.  I didn't say I don't try to learn as much about the game as I can.  This is Rick, a pro that was on board a cruise I was on.  I learned a lot from him. 

  
         

Of East And West--Tournaments That Is

      I am a Californian by birth. I grew up with all that is West Coast but I have a sensitivity for that which is East Coast as well. My father was from Ansonia, Connecticut and I still have family on the East Coast.  You just can't get a great pizza out here but things kind of even out because you can't get decent Mexican food on the East Coast. One thing truly bothers me and that is that there is an East Coast bias in the way this country is viewed, especially in sports.
     The Forty Niners are never supposed to contend for anything (Yes, I know they are not what they should be right now, but we will just leave it there.) but seem to always be in the thick of things.  How many Super Bowls have they won?  And the Giants, how many World Series Titles have they won in the last five years and weren't even considered to place.  The A's have come close, but just haven't gotten over the hump. What is a Dodger, by the way?
     The same thing has been true for a long time with the PGA tour.  Golfers generally don't want to come out here beginning with the Hawaiian tournaments and play in the West Coast swing.  To most of them, the tour begins in Florida.  That's on the East Coast, isn't it?  Big names on the tour would very rarely come out and play the early tournaments held here on the West Coast and many of them opt out for tournaments like The Dubai Open  Yes you did have a few such as Phil and even Tiger would play in San Diego, but it was rare that big names would come out to play the great historical tournaments such as The LA and San Diego Opens and many would even skip "The Clambake" or AT&T as it is known now.
     I'm not sure what the fields look like for this year's West Coast swing.  It seems as though they are getting better as some of the bigger names are deciding to play in some of the tournaments.  The Phoenix Open had a good field as players love to play the course, especially number 16 with it's huge gallery.  It is a shame that many players opt out of some of the wonderful traditional tournaments here especially in California like The AT&T.  San Diego's Farmer's Insurance Open is seeing a resurgence and that is a good thing, especially since Tiger Woods enjoys the tournament and Torrey Pines is one of his favorite courses. Phil Mickelson's involvement in the old Bob Hope Desert Classic--which has a new sponsor by the way--is also great for West Coast golf. Come on guys, we fans here on the West Coast deserve to see you play.
     With the advent of the FedEx point system, it is good to see that the West Coast swing is becoming important again. However, it will take time for it to regain the prestige it once had when all the big names like Palmer, Player Trevino and Nicklaus would not miss it. I realize that golf was different back then and in many cases a missed tournament was a missed pay check. The big names in golf need to come out and be seen here on the west. Its good for the fans here on the West Coast and good for golf in general. Golf is pretty big out here and these tournaments are played on some wonderful courses.  Welcome back and we hope to see more of you out here in January and February. The weather is nice and the money is good.

Ah yes, San Diego.  OK, so this is Coronado but San Diego is across the bay.