Lexi Thompson, an Inspiring Young Lady!

October 1, 2014 By

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with Lexi Thompson, An Inspiring Young Lady!

Here’s an articulate, smart and awesome poster lady for the future of the LPGA!

Lexi Thompson turned professional at the age of 15 and is the personification of persistence and performance in sports!

Influenced by two older golfing brothers and growing up living on a golf course she sees golf as bringing people together, first and foremost her family and now through the Olympics!

Thanks for a heartfelt and interesting interview.

Play well in Rio!

Filed Under: People in Golf

Isabela Seduced Me as I Hiked down to the Beach…

September 30, 2014 By
The path past the swimming pool was headed in the right direction—DOWN!

The path past the swimming pool was headed in the right direction—DOWN!

Catchy title I know but that is exactly what happened to me!

I am only using her first name here because she is part of a Royal Family.

The encounter was as innocent, as unintended as it could be. I was on assignment with Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary at Royal Isabela in Puerto Rico (oops I may have outed her). I have to make up for my lack of competence as a golf writer (and perhaps a lover) with preparation and thoroughness. In the future Royal Isabela will be expanding their golf course with the addition of three holes down on the beach. My task was simple—to venture down to the beach and get a feel for the setting. I awoke early in the morning and was summoned to take a walk down to the beach. The sun was just coming up. Jonathan Star’s Two Suns Rising, given me by Didier my yogi, was going to be apropos in my life after all.

Thee were exotic flowers to be observed along the way...

Thee were exotic flowers to be observed along the way…

I remembered how I was drawn to the beach at Royal Isabela the day before. I sensed her desire for me to explore her beach the first time I played the Golf Links. While walking up to the first green the blue Atlantic is visible through a V-shaped gap in the ridge. Her coast and sands are hidden from that vantage point though one knows her beach must be there. The waves coming inward, some cresting and breaking, must have a place to find rest. Once I learned of the future plans for ocean side holes and that there was a path for guests to descend to the beach I knew I had to venture to her sandy shores.

I remembered yesterday's view from above of the wide beach accessible through a V-shaped gorge.

I remembered yesterday’s view from above of the wide beach accessible through a V-shaped gorge.

On the back nine the beauty of the beach is fully exposed on most every hole. The vastness of the ocean lays below the golfer as we traverse the sandy plateau dressed up in green tees and fairways. Her putting greens are our only desire as golfers with club in hand. Her most enticing, most sought after feature are the 4-1/2 inch holes our golf balls roll into if we are skilled and fortunate at the game. The golfer quickly arrives at the edge of the cliff with a full view of the ocean and a rocky beach immediately below at the short 11th. Further north though one can see an indentation in the mountainous sides of the plateau and all of her wet and sandy beauty lays in the distance. Perhaps like the double 12th & 14th green above there will one day be a matching green pair below. Doubtful with only a threesome of holes that two would share a green. As  the ocean wind massaged my face, it was here at the bow of the back nine, that my yearning from within came to seek Isabela’s invitation to visit her at her lowest depths.

This sign gave me feedback that I was headed in the right direction.

This sign gave me feedback that I was headed in the right direction.

The best view of the beach is to the north or to the south, not down below for one cannot see the beach there unless one is at the very edge of the cliff looking straight down several hundred feet. The fear is too immense, the vegetation too slippery and dangerous to get that close to see the white of her beauty from straight above. Isn’t it as difficult for us to look straight in the mirror, straight into one’s own eyes. We easily focus on the hair or the makeup but not on the vastness within our or others’ pupils. Isabela was calling to me to come visit her ground zero, where her beauty and mystic ways began. I knew my chance might be tomorrow, in the early morning, just before departure from this golfing and living paradise. She was calling to me to discover yet another of her beautiful attributes. There was something more too. I was not sure what it was. I had an inkling it was something about me, not her.

The quality of the stonework on the path to the beach was of 'Isabela Quality.'

The quality of the stonework on the path to the beach was of ‘Isabela Quality.’

It wasn’t a risky trek down to the beach though my early morning thought was that we all have a common destiny—death. We are all destined to die hopefully surrounded by family and friends. But in the end, we take that step, like birth, alone and individually. I wondered if we will hear the call of our Lord like the roar of the sea to come home, to follow Him, to stay the path. I realized I didn’t know where I was going. I had  heard there was a path down to the beach and that is all I knew. It had to be close by being within the V-shaped gorge. I found a main path and walked it until it emerged near the first green and knew I had gone too far. I turned around and this time took a right past the secluded swimming pool and found a new path heading the right way- down hill. Why is it we think of directions as left or right and not up or down?

Wooden stairs took me safely down steep descents.

Wooden stairs took me safely down steep descents.

Ahead, after a few minutes I could see that the path ended in a circle area. There was a sign next to a gate referencing the gate as the gate to the beach so I was in the right place. Unlocked, I opened it and continued my odyssey downward to the beach. The path now became a series of connected stone steps and wooden platforms and steps. Stonework was utilized for the gradual descents while the woodwork was the choice of construction for the steep grades. The attention to detail and creative design of my new world embraced me as almost like being swept into a people mover at Disneyland. There were cliff walls to my left and jungle dropoffs to my right and only one way to go—down! I went merrily on my way with excitement to be answering Isabela’s call.

There was a small cave in the side of the cliff.

There was a small cave in the side of the cliff.

But I realized it was not only Isabela’s call but that of the ocean—its increasingly louder roar being amplified up the canyon as I drew closer. The face of the native Taino near the entrance to Royal Isabela where one turns off the main road came into my mind. I recalled the profile of another, or perhaps the same, indigenous person visible in the cliffs from the 12th tee. Am I walking a suspended pathway down through where they have walked since time began? I noticed a small cave in the side of the cliff and now wonder what native and wild animals lived in this slanted jungle between grounded civilization and watery wilderness. What if one were to suddenly appear? Would I jump over the railing and be more or less at risk in its native vegetation and landscape. Would the beast be more afraid than I? Though I felt inspired and that I was on the right path to my destination I still felt a bit of fear within the descending tunnel of jungle. What was happening was that simply the fear of the unknown was overcome by the excitement and joy of a new adventure. This was to be a new relationship with Isabela.

Bright and narrow was the path before me.

Bright and narrow was the path before me.

The way became narrower though brighter. I sensed I was getting somewhere. Most of the journey down to the beach was over or so I thought. They saw there is darkness before the dawn, calm before the storm but I haven’t heard anything about narrowness and brightness? It is always brighter once the sun comes up and now I was emerging from the darkness of the jungle and cliff encased descent to see that brightness of the risen sun. The one and only we think though we do not know. We know the corners of our rooms, the surface of our planet but not the edges of the universe or the depths of the sea. It is good to know what we do not know. If only we could remember that very one thing we do know when we think we know so much more about ourselves and others. I wonder what the native Tainos knew about Isabela, her land, her abundance and her love?

Once past the gate it was all unobstructed downhill to the beach.

Once past the gate it was all unobstructed downhill to the beach.

When I came to the end of the walkway there was a gate. It was locked shut with a chain. Funny how the entrance was unlocked and now once I am within my journey I find shackles which prevent me from exiting this phase and continuing on to the beach. I check my watch and according to my watch I am past opening time and before closing time. It makes sense if you could only lock one gate to lock the one closest to the perceived danger and farthest away from that which you are trying to protect and keep safe. I have a flashback to Rio de Janeiro on the Journey to Olympic Golf where I scaled a fence to  get closer to and get a better view of Sugarloaf Mountain. But that was after hours and I was encouraged to do so by a Carioca girl. When in Rio do as the Carioca girls tell you to do is my only South American slogan. As I pondered what to do next in my present situation the thought that time is relative came to me. Who really knows what time it is? Maybe I am off by an hour due to misinterpreting local daylight savings customs. That has happened to me before. Is time real or simply something we fabricated. Am I soon to be 55 years old or simply only 20 thousand-days young? Needing to get to the beach I hopped the gate. Moments later I said hello to the security guy who was coming up from the beach to open it for the day. I didn’t share my thoughts with him because they were frivolous and I knew he probably has other tasks to get to and do today.

When I reached the beach and saw another Taino face I realized both suns had risen for me that morning with Isabela.

When I reached the beach and saw another Taino face I realized both suns had risen for me that morning with Isabela.

So did I as I was leaving Royal Isabela later today and hoping to get nine more holes of golf in before I left. But this was important to do. To see where the future golf holes were to be designed and located. But I realized that I hadn’t thought of that, even once, since I left the casita. Here I was on some sort of ‘discovery of self’ journey. Somehow I was being seduced to do this and to continue on by Isabela herself. How could that be? It doesn’t make sense. I came for the golf, the room and the food. Let’s keep life simple, right? But what is life? Why are we on the path that we have chosen? How much time do we have left? These aren’t simple thoughts and questions, are they? But they seemed to be being answered for me as I made my way to the beach. Maybe it is simple? At that moment I was having the time of my life. I was clear and present in the moment. I was physically safe and sound but felt nothing physically. I was emotionally secure and balanced then though I know some readers might be questioning my sanity now. My thoughts were clear. In the background my mind was only being called to action to think for me when it seemed my soul needed it to. My soul was summoning and directing the mind to function when needed. How serene it was. Isabela had indeed seduced me into a state that quite frankly was better than other seductive states of being that I have been in.

Another native Taino face greeted me at the beach after two suns rose that morning at Isabela.

Another native Taino face greeted me at the beach after two suns rose that morning at Isabela.

I realized there is more to me to be discovered by me and others. The corners of our rooms are self imposed exiles from the true life that is innate within each of us. Any locked gate can be climbed over whether or not there is a Carioca girl present to encourage and help. That is fine if there is but we can do it ourselves too. Connecting with self can be a thrilling experience. To hear and answer the call from within can be as simple and as transforming as we want and need it to be.

There is something more within each of us, there when we seek it—a renewed spirit, another energized look at our lives and a commitment to live each day to its fullest knowing that the greatest gift in the world is to be alive. For me on that morning it was to be alive and embracing Isabela one more time in a closer, more meaningful manner than ever before. She’s mature now in all senses of life and understanding. It is the young and wise beauty of her that brings out the joy and gratitude in me. It’s a beautiful thing and I can’t wait to visit her again though this time I have taken a bit of her endless spirit, grace and beauty along with me deep within the heart she touched on that journey down to the beach early one morning.

I hope to return to see those three new golf holes and feel the warmth of Isabela once again.

I hope to return to see those three new golf holes and feel the warmth of Isabela once again.

Two suns rose for me that morning at Royal Isabela. When I reached the beach and went to the water I looked to the south and there in the cliffs I saw another Taino face. Similar but different than the one at the entrance and the one off the 12th tee further south. This one was right here, close by, next to me. I wondered how many dual sunrises he had witness in his lifetime. I wondered if he had ever read the following poem from Rumi placed as an introduction to Jonathan Star’s Two Suns Rising book?

 

I simply wonder and hope you do too…

 

What a day today.

There are two Suns Rising!

What a day.

Not like any other day.

Look!

The Light is shining in your heart.

The wheel of life has stopped.

Oh, you who can see into your own heart.

What a day.

This is your day.

— Rumi

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, People in Golf, Travel Golf

Royal Isabela, Heaven on Earth, with More to Come…

September 30, 2014 By
Royal Isabella is all grown up with La Casa and 20 Casitas and more to come!

Royal Isabella is all grown up with La Casa and 20 Casitas and more to come!

Royal Isabela, Heaven on Earth with more to come. I first saw her as a baby toddler back in 2011. Now she is all grown up, a young beautiful woman, with a magnificent future in front of her. Royal Isabela is no different than the highly acclaimed graduate at a commencement exercise. You can see the doctor, the engineer, the lover of life within a vibrant, young and engaging entity of destiny. Three years ago when I visited Royal Isabela she was the location, the golf course and the visionary people building the finest golfing destination of the Caribbean Cosmos. Today our Isabela has gone well beyond where she was then. Royal Isabela is now a ‘home,’ a place to be one with yourself, your mate and nature. There are 20 casitas ready to host you. There is fine dining at La Casa as delectable to the appetite as the setting and views are to the golfing experience. With the spirit of the native Taino present on the land and sea and within you once there, she is Heaven on Earth. Yet she is only beginning, there is more to come, even more intimacy to come than I found on these first two visits. There is more there, past, present and future, than even I could fathom during my two cherished visits. Let me reminisce with you and take you back with me to Royal Isabela to experience all her delights and promises.

The Taino Indian face carved in the rock wall makes the turn to Royal Isabela. You are getting close and can feel her presence.

The Taino Indian face carved in the rock wall makes the turn to Royal Isabela. You are getting close and can feel her presence.

Whether you fly commercial into San Juan or a private jet into nearby Aguadilla there is a point where you turn the corner on Route 2 and the most beautiful part of all the 300 miles of Puerto Rican coastline lies before you. Where the beautiful blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean transition south to the Caribbean Sea, Isabela sits royally on the cliffs high above the surging waters. She knows her destiny is to welcome guests and share her heritage, peacefulness and beauty with them in a meaningful way. A century ago you could have arrived to this area via the national railroad through the Guajataca Tunnel. Today, take a right at the Taino Indian face carved in the rock wall. Welcome to Royal Isabela!

Like any other ultra highly acclaimed resort it is the people that make the difference at Royal Isabela. The people behind the scenes with the vision and the people one meets face-to-face in the course of a luxury vacation.

Good to see Stanley again and catch up on Royal Isabela's last three years and her future plans!

Good to see Stanley again and catch up on Royal Isabela’s last three years and her future plans!

For me, and likely for you when you visit, lucky are we who get to meet both. This isn’t going to come out sounding right, but like the golf course, owner Stanley Pasarell,  General Manager Joaquin ‘Tito’ Lopez, Director of Golf Miguel Suarez and Golf Course Superintendent Dean Vande Hei have all gotten better with time! It was good to be with old friends. Stanley looks fantastic and is beaming as any loving parent would be as Isabela continues to grow and mature. Tito, the man behind the scenes is managing better than ever as is evident with your visit to Royal Isabela. All one needs to say about Miguel is that this was the 7th Puerto Rico Open edition of the PGA TOUR on the Enchanted Island and this young man has competed in all seven. With regard to Dean, all one needs to see and play is the golf course in her Open links style condition and you will feel his loving contribution to Royal Isabela.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with Stanley Pasarell and Dean Vande Hei.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with Miguel Suarez.

Stanley's brother charlie was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013. I have yet to meet him but feel I know him through Stanley and Royal Isabela.

Stanley’s brother charlie was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013. I have yet to meet him but feel I know him through Stanley and Royal Isabela.

Can you tell I love these guys and this place?

This return trip, staying in the new casitas, upon reflection, was like the difference of visiting friends for dinner and an evening together versus being an exchange student and staying with a family for a few months. Casita No. 15 was my home for a few nights embedded in the golf links and a few steps from fine dining at the Restaurant at La Casa and the wet and wild beach below. Let’s focus on the accommodations, restaurant and golf for now. My interesting and seductive descent to the beach early my last morning there will be the subject of another story.

Plunge pool with an ocean view in each casita!

Plunge pool with an ocean view in each casita!

The casitas are immaculate, perfectly designed and incredibly comfortable. And the view of the Atlantic Ocean from every one is breathtaking. Whether it is opulent functionality or functional opulence it is a sensational experience to reside in the casita neighborhood at ‘Heaven on Earth.’ There is a circular course within each casita- from a bed so comfortable that it must be what it is like for an angel to sleep on a cloud, to the high tech living area, out to the deck with an inviting lounge chair for an afternoon nap, to being immersed in the refreshing private plunge pool, to returning inside via the shower room and through the lavish bathroom back to the open bed space. Second time around there is the door to the swimming pool, lap pool, beach, tennis court, golf course or La Casa. One of the finer, if not the finest, place I have ever stayed and I have stayed in quite a few!

Flashback to 2011 visit. With my buddy Pedro Amengual, golf writer Mike Bailey, Stanley and Tito at a local restaurant. FYI Mike won our match that day but I evened the series in Texas... Match No. 3 TBD...

Flashback to 2011 visit. With my buddy Pedro Amengual, golf writer Mike Bailey, Stanley and Tito at a local restaurant. FYI Mike won our match that day but I evened the series in Texas… Match No. 3 TBD…

Three years ago there was only golf and not a bed or plate on the property. Actually that is not true as I stayed with Stanley on my first visit in an existing house that was retrofitted into an office and lodge by the front gate. I also ate at The Grill at the Pro Shop with a beautiful view of the golf course. I still remember sitting there three years ago after playing the first nine eating a tasty panini. But let me tell you that the culinary delights at Royal Isabela rival the casita and golfing experience. It is true that the chef goes out to their farm and garden each morning to see what is ready to harvest. They do cook real food with real heat just in time for your watering mouth to be satisfied.

With Pastry Chef Katiria Nieves Diaz and Chef Jose Carles Fabregao. There food satisfies my hunger and is part of Royal Isabela's fascination and inspiration!

With Pastry Chef Katiria Nieves Diaz and Chef Jose Carles Fabregao. There food satisfies my hunger and is part of Royal Isabela’s fascination and inspiration!

While playing golf with Stanley he took care to point our the tropical fruit trees in the 5th fairway that bear heart-shaped Corazon. He spoke of their unique taste and evidently picked a few and snuck them into his golf bag sort of like my Dad up at Ely Park. Growing up there was always something in season to be picked- raspberries, apples, mushrooms, you name it! The next morning the ultimate host surprised me with Corazon hearts prepared for me to taste! They were exquisite with a mango-pineapple-pear taste and texture. At the end of the article I have attached a six pictures of the savory and succulent dishes prepared by Chef Jose Carles Fabregao and Pastry Chef Katiria Nieves Diaz. But of course, like sleeping in the bed in the casita, plunging into your own private pool, playing the golf links and absorbing the intimate comfort of Isabela, you will want to taste these and other dishes for yourself.

Aerial view of 17th green. Photo Credit: Royal Isabela (I can't get as high as John Denver!).

Aerial view of 17th green. Photo Credit: Royal Isabela (I can’t get as high as John Denver!).

Last, and of course first, in my mind- the golf, the golf, the golf! When Hollywood makes the Royal Isabela movie entitled ‘Heaven on Earth’ I want to play the part of Hervé Villechaize but instead of calling me ‘Tattoo,’ call me ‘Golf Redo Anytime Andy.’ The Tee, The Tee, The Tee! Seriously it is a vision of mine! What can I say but what I said when I first saw, played and experienced the Golf Links at Royal Isabela? I only infrequently use comparisons to other golf courses and always like to go beyond the words ‘awesome, spectacular and incredible’ with more details and texture to my experiences. But you may have experienced two golf courses either in person or while intimately watching others play them on television or seen them in golf picture books. The Golf Links at Royal Isabela, in my opinion, are similar to a combination of Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Old Course at St. Andrews. There I have said it without regret or offense to anyone because it is true.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW & Tour of the Golf Links with Stanley Pasarell.

Did I mention the sunsets on the links were spectacular and romantic for an evening walk upon arrival?

Did I mention the sunsets on the links were spectacular and romantic for an evening walk upon arrival?

The land, the cliffs, the proximity of and the view of the ocean is similar and even more natural and undeveloped than Pebble Beach. The golf course design, especially on the second nine, albeit only six years old, rival the grounds at St. Andrews. After all haven’t both been in existence the same length of time? Stand on the fairway of the 5th hole near those Corazon heart trees and laid out below you is a V-shaped gorge that centers the beauty of the Atlantic ocean like a vase overflowing with pure blue joy. Take a moment to do a full 360 at the point by the double 12th & 14th green as slow as you can opening each eye as wide as you can. And then do it again with your eyes closed and feel the ocean breeze gentle on your face. Have one day at Royal Isabela of golf, dinner and remember those sights and feelings before you close your eyes in the comfortable bed of a casita and I guarantee you your life will never feel the same.

My apology as I went off a little bit there but I was back at Royal Isabela in my mind as I am writing this. Golf is interchangeable with life for me. Not the sport (and it is a sport) but the inward searching expanse that golf offers to anyone who is open minded enough to view the game as I do. The name of this website should really be ‘Andy’s Golf, Life & Travel Diary.’ Hopefully the subtitle “Inspired by Golf & Life and Sharing My Experiences & Insight” will suffice for the limited digits of the title.

I digress no further at this point on my idiotic, I mean idyllic, life.

Sunrise along the future golf holes on the beach at Royal Isabela.

Sunrise along the future golf holes on the beach at Royal Isabela.

Royal Isabela is old enough now to have a past, present and future. As far as golf goes you can see her future through that same V-shaped gorge that we see the ocean through on the 5th hole. One day the links and the golfer will continue down that gorge and play three seaside holes, Nos. 6,7 & 8 before reemerging to finish the first nine on the Stanley-Charlie, you choose which green to play, par-5 hole (which is now No. 6) that brings you back to the clubhouse area. The second nine, all links and ocean side on the cliffs, remain the same and the current Nos. 7, 8 & 9 become warm up holes which in of itself is a  master design gem by golf course architect David Plaff and brothers Stanley and Charlie. Those three holes- a memorable dog-leg-right par-4, a strong straightaway par-5 with a green tucked right and protected by water and the island green par-3- are themselves a golf course in miniature. David, Stanley and Charlie didn’t take credit for the complete design. On the scorecard Mother Nature herself is credited. What a design foursome!

CLICK here for a BEAUTY VIDEO of Royal Isabela- the Golf Links, La Casa & View from Casita No. 15.

As far as the future at Royal Isabela, the culinary creations at the Restaurant at La Casa are as unlimited as what the ground can grow. If you are looking for a beautiful place to call home there are 29 homesites embedded amidst the links with a mind sure to preserve the views and sensitive intimacy of Royal Isabela. In that case La Casa truly becomes your home.

Like the migratory ‘Atlantea Tulita’ butterfly that disappears and then reappears at Royal Isabela I hope one day to make my way back to her loving arms. There is no doubt in my mind that she will have blossomed even further. Once onsite and in her enveloping presence she will take me some place new, within and outside myself. I think that is Isabela’s promise. There will be renewal, awakening and inspiration in each guest on every visit.

It has now happened to me twice!

CLICK here to see my 2011 article on my first visit to Royal Isabela.

Pictures below of the culinary delights to be found at Royal Isabela:

Carazon heart fruit was tasty, Note bite taken before picture!

Carazon heart fruit was tasty, Note bite taken before picture!

Two massive shrimp make a meal!

Two massive shrimp like these make a meal! One wonders about the origin of the nickname. There are big shrimp too!

Cordillera Coffee-Crusted Rib Eye, Served with Yucca and Plantain Gratin and Sautéed Organic Chard.

Cordillera Coffee-Crusted Rib Eye, Served with Yucca and Plantain Gratin and Sautéed Organic Chard.

Local Snapper with La Casa Grove Citrus Sauce, Accompanied by River Farm Chayote Slaw and Warm Gatehouse Garden Heirloom Tomato Salad.

Local Snapper with La Casa Grove Citrus Sauce, Accompanied by River Farm Chayote Slaw and Warm Gatehouse Garden Heirloom Tomato Salad.

Puerto Rican Farm-Raised Rack of Lamb with Acerola Mint Sauce, Served with a Tomato, Eggplant and Zucchini Tart.

Puerto Rican Farm-Raised Rack of Lamb with Acerola Mint Sauce, Served with a Tomato, Eggplant and Zucchini Tart.

For dessert Apple a la Royal Isabela mode!

For dessert Apple a la Royal Isabela mode!

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Travel Golf

Life’s Golden Lesson for the Americans in the 2014 Ryder Cup!

September 29, 2014 By
Captain Tom Watson had his hands full of European problems in the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland. They played so well they won again.

Captain Tom Watson had his hands full of European problems in the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland. They played so well they won again. Photo Credit: Google Images

I just spent the last three days of my life watching the Ryder Cup on Golf Channel and NBC. Mostly via my DVR since I was here at home on this side of the pond. I am a rabid golf fan but not rabid enough to get up or stay up (though one night I did) to 2 am to catch the action live. I remember the jubilation of American Ryder Cup victory when I was there at Valhalla in 2008. It felt like when my friend Sir Walter lag an 80-footer up to the hole so I could tap it in and together we won his member–guest at Royal Melbourne in Chicago. Our names are forever etched on the men’s locker room door. Forever at least in my mind as nothing is really forever except love and we know how that changes with time or it ceases to be love at all.

That was then and now is now and in between I did not get to Wales but I was at Medinah and personally felt that deep sense of loss knowing what could have easily been an American victory that was not. At Medinah I was okay with the loss. The golf was exceptional and the finishes heroic. I was entertained and I learned something about sportsmanship and congratulating the other side. I did find it odd that Phil Mickelson would give Justin Rose a thumbs up for making that long putt on 17 to keep his and his teams hopes alive. Maybe as Rory once said the Ryder Cup is merely an exhibition.

Patrick Reed & Jordan Spieth teamed up and showed America how to win in a Ryder Cup.

Patrick Reed & Jordan Spieth teamed up and showed America how to win in a Ryder Cup. Photo Credit: Google Images

I was enthralled by the youth and spirit of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. They went out there, played golf and got the job done for the most part as far as they could. I loved it when Reed matched Henrik Stenson’s birdie on the sixth green and then shushed the European crowd and rallied the American fans. I wonder if they were there at Medinah if the  USA would have won? But like Mom would tell me growing up: “If ifs were horses we would all be riding.” Which I never understood completely since nobody is riding around on a horse these days.

American Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson is certainly not riding around on a horse today. We all wanted him to be the white knight to come to the rescue of the hopeless American Ryder Cup team. I was there in 2009 at The Open at Turnberry when he hit that 8-iron in the 18th fairway needing a par to win. I believed he would win that golf tournament like I believed the Americans were destined to win at Gleneagles. Captain Tom had his moments of brilliance like when he paired Spieth and Reed and he had his moments of fear like when he benched them and played Mickelson and Keegan Bradley in the afternoon alternate shot on Day 1. The fear there being, in my opinion, not duplicating the Saturday mistake at Medinah of sitting Phil and his wonder kid look-a=like younger brother.

Having said all of that which came from my heart first let me say what is evident in both my heart and mind. The European team played brilliantly and their victory in the 2014 Ryder Cup was hard earned and richly deserved. Congratulations Europe for a job well done. It was both a learning experience and exciting entertainment for me these past three days.

President Andrew Shepherd tells it like it is in the movie The American President. Photo Credit: Google Images.

President Andrew Shepherd tells it like it is in the movie The American President. Photo Credit: Google Images.

The 1995 movie The American President is a romance, a comedy and a drama with some great life lessons too. There is a great scene where the embattled president comes to the moment of clarity both in his personal life and his job as president leading the country. He speaks honestly and from the heart to his fellow Americans when he says “I promise you, (insert fear for Bob Rumson here) is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. And wave an old photo of the President’s girlfriend and you scream about patriotism and you tell them, she’s to blame for their lot in life, and you go on television and you call her a whore. Sydney Ellen Wade has done nothing to you, Bob…  You want a character debate, Bob? You better stick with me, ’cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out of your league.”

Captain Tom & Team Member Phil. Neither got it done on the 2014 Ryder Cup. Photo Credit: Google Images.

Captain Tom & Team Member Phil. Neither got it done on the 2014 Ryder Cup. Photo Credit: Google Images.

Point being, we can’t solely look to the good old times and say simply that is the answer to our current and future problems. Yes, Captain Azinger’s ‘pod system’ in 2008 was an amazing invention and yes that was a thrilling (and the last) victory for USA. Captain Watson did his job to the best of his ability and Team Member Phil Mickelson played golf to the best of his ability. The bottom line is that held true for all three days. Even though Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley did not play on Saturday, their teammates did.

The reality is that the Americans played very good golf. Remember Jimmy Walker holing a bunker shot and chipping in on Friday morning best ball? That match was halved. Remember Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan making six birdies in Friday afternoon alternate shot? Their opponents Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson made six too and won 2&1. Remember Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar making nine birdies on Saturday morning best ball only to be outdueled by Rose and Stenson who made twelve birdies. My God, twelve birdies in sixteen holes, ten straight to finish! Remember Saturday afternoon alternate shot? Forget them, we only earned one of eight points in alternate shot. Actually the Spieth & Reed rescue team nearly held off Rose and Kaymer to earn a full point.

Close as it got on Sunday, a projected 14-14 tie. Photo Credit: NBC/Golf Channel.

Close as it got on Sunday, a projected 14-14 tie. Photo Credit: NBC/Golf Channel.

Sunday, down 10-6, brought hope in a new day. There was a point early on with all 12 matches on the course where if the current was projected as final the Americans had 14 points. That was when McIlroy and Kaymer were dominating their matches but all the other ones were either American led or all square. I remember seeing that bounce in Phil’s step and thinking maybe Captain Watson’s decision to rest him on Saturday would be come his “I had a feeling moment” in this Ryder Cup. Was it that at the time of change we only project one way? Phil and Keegan not playing on Saturday meant they could not win a point for the USA. It could have meant they would win points on Sunday too.

But a Sunday American comeback, like Brookline in 1999 or last time for the Euros with Seve’s Medinah Miracle, was not meant to be. I never did see a possibility for 14-1/2 American points on the scoreboard. The highest was 14 points and that would still have Europe retaining the Ryder Cup which is a victory in of itself. There was more good golf by the Americans. Remember Kuchar’s hole out for an eagle on No. 8? The Europeans win the 2014 Ryder Cup 16-1/2 to 11-1/2.

The point being the matches were closer than  what appears in the score. A difference of five points is only two and one-half matches out of twenty-eight going the other way. Less than 10 percent. With one more all square turning into an American point or one Euro point turning into an all square and there you would have had the needed American win. But then again we would all be back riding horses and who would like that?

I remember the good old days too! At Valhalla on the 17th when Jim Furyk sealed the deal for America!

I remember the good old days too! At Valhalla on the 17th when Jim Furyk sealed the deal for America!

Point being in my mind is that the Americans  played well and that level of golf inspired, once again, the Europeans to play better and win the Ryder Cup. I could write for the next three days on the exceptional golf played by members of the European team, namely, but not limited to Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jamie Donaldson and Graeme McDowell who all scored three points for the blue team. Both teams are to be congratulated for competing in the true sense of the game of golf with honesty, integrity and true sportsmanship. All 24 players and the captains well represented their country and our human race on and off the golf course this past week in Scotland. Except when they did not.

Let’s look forward to another formidable competition in two years. Let’s not let fear or the reality of defeat take us back to fonder memories with no commitment to action for the future. Let’s learn from Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. We can’t be as young as they are (at least I cannot be) but we can be as young in mind and spirit and perspective as they are.

The last three days of Ryder Cup TV watching was not all in vain. An American loss does not mean it was time wasted yet it was time entertained and time spent marveling at this human life experience. The golf ball does some pretty silly things as does us humans.

Di Dougherty did a smashing job hosting the Opening Ceremony and the Trophy Presentation.

Di Dougherty did a smashing job hosting the Opening Ceremony and the Trophy Presentation. Photo Credit: Google Images

Maybe the Ryder cup is merely a golf exhibition. What was exhibited was good in my mind. I remember back when I was 12 years old and received the Ben Hogan Five Lessons book from my older brother Larry. In it he inscribed “golf is a lot like life, the more you learn and understand about it, the easier it is to meet its challenges.” America continues to have a Ryder Cup challenge. What can we learn from this one to make it easier to win the next one? Somehow I think it is more about life than golf at this point.

The world has changed a great deal since America dominated the Ryder Cup.. Honestly, we all wake up in the morning first as human beings living on this one planet Earth and secondly as citizens of our countries. Golf has a leadership position in the world of sports. Think about it. Only golf and soccer for the most part have international team competitions. The Super Bowl and NBA Champions are really only champions here at home. Golf is more global than any sport in terms of world leadership and impact. There is a huge responsibility, in my opinion, that comes along with that position.

Kate & Justin Rose help kids in the Orlando community. Photo Credit: Kate & Justin Rose Foundation.

Kate & Justin Rose help kids in the Orlando community. Photo Credit: Kate & Justin Rose Foundation.

I realized I missed seeing Luke Donald compete as much as I did Jason Dufner, Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods. Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson call Lake Nona in Orland, Florida, USA their home. Justin Rose and his wife Kate will be hosting a fundraiser for their foundation next Monday at Lake Nona. They give back in terms of inspiring local children to grow from the inside out through nutrition, education, and new life experiences. We are all tied together and what is important is that we continue to inspire each other to new heights which give us a better perspective of our world together.

Congratulations Europe on a hard earned and well deserved Ryder Cup victory.

Americans, let’s grow from the inside-out. Nothing is hopeless, especially not hopeless is the 2016 American Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits or the one that will head to Paris in 2018 to win on foreign soil for the first time in 25 years.

It’s a new day in a new world. Golf is like life and life is like golf.

Life’s royal lesson from the 2014 Ryder Cup is to live and learn…

Captain Paul McGinley and the European Ryder Cup team celebrate another victory!

Captain Paul McGinley and the European Ryder Cup team celebrate another victory! Photo Credit: Google Images

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

50 Golfers Spring from the Web.com Tour to the PGA TOUR!

September 21, 2014 By
The golfers who earned their PGA TOUR card posing for a picture in the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse.

The golfers who earned their PGA TOUR card posing for a picture in the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse.

The new era golf in the United States is upon us as 50 graduates of the Web.com Tour earned their right, this past Sunday at TPC Sawgrass in the Web.com Tour Championship, to compete on the PGA TOUR next season. Now with the second season of the new format completed there is no question that this is a ‘fairer and truer’ way, and as exciting, as the old combination that included a Q-School avenue to the PGA TOUR. Sunday at the Finals Finale is like the old Monday finish at Q-School, as there is no tomorrow, the designation is final, you either go UP to the PGA TOUR or back DOWN (if you are a PGA TOUR Nos. 126-200) or back AROUND (if you are a Web.com Tour Nos. 26-75) to the Web.com. Plus we still have the ‘rarer and more volatile’ Q-School to come for direct entry of newcomers to the world of big-time professional golf on the Web.com Tour.

It wasn’t that long ago when we thought of a ‘web’ only as a cobweb or something that snares or entangles. Nowadays the web is the worldwide internet that connects everything and everybody. The mission of the Web.com company in the corporate world is just that: to connect every business, especially small businesses, with their customers by leveraging their web and website-making expertise. In the golf world their mission, through sponsorship of the Web.com Tour, is to develop the future players and stars of the PGA TOUR. Rather than trapping someone, they want to be the springboard to fame and fortune, in both the golf and corporate worlds.

The final scoreboard for the 2014 Web.com Tour Championship.

The final scoreboard for the 2014 Web.com Tour Championship.

Adam Hadwin and Derek Fathauer jumped aboard the Web.com springboard and are now soaring to competing on the PGA TOUR in two weeks time at the Frys.com. Hadwin won the the No. 1 spot on the season-long money list with a T7 finish in the season-ending event. Fathauer won the 2014 Web.com Tour Championship by one stroke with a 65-66-67-68 performance this week. He also won the special Web.com Tour Finals series by finishing at the top of the Finals money list.

Six players played their way to a 2014-2015 PGA TOUR card with stellar finishes this week: Zac Blair (2nd), Heath Slocum (T4), Alex Prugh (T14), S.J. Park (T11), Chad Collins (T7), Eric Axley (T25). On the other side, there were six players losing ground and their PGA TOUR cards for next season: Roberto Castro (T40), Vaughn Taylor (T61), and Greg Chalmers, Dicky Pride, Will Wilcox, and Patrick Rodgers, all four who missed the cut this week.

Good luck to all in the 2014-2015 season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Weekend Drama Set for 2014 Web.com Finals Finale

September 20, 2014 By
It is time to hand out 50 PGA TOUR cards!

It is time to hand out 50 PGA TOUR cards!

The cut at the Web.com Tour Championship, the last of the Four Final events to determine 50 PGA TOUR cards for next season is agonizing in and of itself. When there is a an hour or so weather delay on Friday, the sun still sets at 7:27 pm and there are golfers left on the golf course with their fate and the fate of others yet to be known. Saturday morning comes with no sun rise, at least not visible to those with golf clubs in their hands heading out to Dye’s Valley to finish Round 2. It is a dreary day and drizzling outside. Perfect weather to make the competition even more challenging and dramatic. Oh, the agony and sheer excitement to make it to the PGA TOUR.

Sunny and bright is Zac Blair who is 13-under, bogey-less and leading by three strokes with three holes remaining to be played in Round 2. Blair was ranked dead last coming into the Final Finale, one of 21, including 2003 Open Champion Ben Curtis, with zero dollars earned in the first three playoff events. Blair went birdie, bogey, par to post 13-under and maintain a three stroke lead going into Round 3. The number is important, relative to other numbers, not whether or not one is bogey-free at this stage. Three missed cuts and a top finish to be No. 50 or above is coming into focus for Zac. Only two more rounds to go.

Web.com's hospitality on the 18th green was filled to the brim Friday afternoon.

Web.com’s hospitality on the 18th green was filled to the brim Friday afternoon.

At dawn Saturday morning there were 68 golfers at even par making the cut. Once all golfers finished Round 2 play the final cut of the year came at 66 players at even par. Jeff Curl, another Web.comer, in the 26-75 category with no golden Top 25 tour card bogeyed the 17th and finished outside the cut at plus-1.

Harrison Frazar, with only his last hole, the 9th, to play this morning, posted a 10 to go from 1-under to 5-over and miss the cut. It is reported that he found water left with his tee shot, took a drop then found water left with his approach shot last night. This morning he found his ball in the water and attempted to get it up and down for the much needed bogey on the par-4 hole. Frazar won the 2011 FedEx St. Jude Classic, his first win in 355 starts, played in 15 regular tour events this year and made 3 cuts. He missed all four cuts in the Web.com Finals. After sitting out the 2013 season with a back injury, he is playing on a Major Medical Extension and has 10 events to earn 332.25 FedEx Cup points or $548,236 to retain his PGA Tour card according to Wikipedia.

Midway through the Web.com Tour Championship six players are projected to move into the Top 50 and earn their tour card by virtue of their play this week. Note that these are only projected at this time. There are still 36 holes to be played. The hopeful group of six are led by Zac Blair who is projected to win the event and the $180,000 first place check. Updated ‘Bubble Boy’ is No. 50 Tag Ridings with $35,798 in Finals earnings. A sixth place finish alone earns $36,ooo. As in the financial markets, historic golf performance, even that within the last 48 hours, does not project the future final two rounds. Hopefully for those involved along with Blair- Sung Joon Park, Miguel Angel Carballo, James Nitties, Chad Collins, and Ridings future is what has been projected.

There was excitement inside and outside the ropes on Friday afternoon.

There was excitement inside and outside the ropes on Friday afternoon.

For every six that enter the Top 50 there are six that leave the Top 50 surprisingly whether or not they made the cut this week. Four missed the cut and can no longer make money, improve their position and rebound back into the Top 50- they are Dicky Pride, Greg Chalmers, Will Wilcox, and Patrick Rodgers. Even though Vaughn Taylor (T34, 69-70) and Carlos Sanz (T50, 70-70) made the cut they slid out of the Top 50 mainly due to Zac Blair  (1st, 63-65) and Miguel Angel Carballo (T3, 68-65) coming from oblivion to possibly winning a Finals event and a ticket to the BIG SHOW next year. The Web.com golf competition is as exciting as the PGA TOUR, except you may not know the players as well. That is why their caddies wear the number associated with the players Top 50 rank. Remember (sure you do) the Rocket, Billy Horschel’s meteoric rise to the FedExCup title?

Remember it is not necessarily the main combatants that determine their fate in this fighting format for a PGA TOUR card. The Golden Boys with tour card for next year securely in hand and those still playing this week and seemingly out of the tournament and the race for the Top 50 can suddenly emerge to impact the final outcome. If Zac Blair falters a bit and someone ties him for that needed sixth place finish his earnings drop from $36,000 to $34,750. Another one and one more to make it a four way tie and it is nearly $4,000 less than a singular finish. A Sunday 65 can topple the apple cart for some. That is why they payout in dollars and cents. It can literally come down to the last putt, a penny and someone’s prayer being answered.

Jim Furyk addresses the crowd in front of a decked out Clubhouse. The big star of the night was the war veteran seated to the right.

Jim Furyk addresses the crowd in front of a decked out Clubhouse. The big star of the night was the war veteran seated to the right.

It is a day projected of rain, a Northeaster sending waves of rain at times to Dye’s Valley to raise the bar of competition just a bit. Another variable for the competitive golfer to adjust to and perhaps another outside agent that determines one’s fate. Of course, any and all outside forces can be combated with stronger inside forces for golf, like life, is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to what happens to us. Vaughn Taylor and Carlos Sanz are still playing along with 64 other golfers that made the cut, some with a card securely in hand, others with a hunger to have one with their name on it come Sunday evening on the back lawn of the Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass. Game on, whatever the inside or outside conditions or thoughts and golf clubs being swung to impact golf balls. Play well and keep praying whether you are playing or not.

A couple experiences from earlier in the week to report on from outside the ropes.

Excited to start my new journey...

Excited to start my new journey…

The 9th annual ‘Taste of Golf,’ a fundraiser for The First Tee of North Florida, was another incredible and successful affair on Thursday night at the Clubhouse. If you get a chance go out to their home and play the Brentwood Golf Course. It is a regulation 9-hole reduction (the 6th hole is original) of the 1923 Donald Ross design that was redesigned by the PGA Design Services Group for the First Tee. Sam Snead won two Jacksonville Opens on the very same ground. If you are lucky you will meet some of the First Tee kids and hopefully get to play nine holes with them. The kids weren’t at the fundraiser but they were as their thoughts were present in the form of placards prominently displayed throughout the elegant Ponte Vedra Room and upper level of the Clubhouse. I liked the one best by Angelina because it referenced golf as a journey that she seems excited to explore. I am thinking that is how she approaches life and with her First Tee experience, will undoubtedly impact the world well after my years here have passed. It is a great feeling anytime I am connecting with The First Tee organization, playing golf or not, tasting golf or not, staffers or kids, it does not matter!

Erin & Joshua Spalding, a true love & golf story!

Erin & Joshua Spalding, a true love & golf story!

I came across a golf and love story when I met Erin Spalding while enjoying the deliciously sweet confections of the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. Her fiance, now husband Joshua, was playing the local Arnold Palmer Signature Plantations Course with her father David back in November 2012. Starting on the back nine, he had it going and was 5-under par when they arrived at the par-3 third hole. Full of confidence he couldn’t wait until Christmas and politely asked David for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Evidently the answer was yes from both father, and later from the daughter, though the golf score suffered terribly for the remaining seven holes. The marriage, as you can tell in the picture, is going extremely well. Joshua Spalding’s golf game came back as this week he shot 68-71 to advance through the Web.com Q-School Pre-Qualifying in Texas. Golf and love do go together!

With Milan Moore of the 'Milan Touch' persuasion!

With Milan Moore of the ‘Milan Touch’ persuasion!

As surprising as the ins and outs of the Web.com Finals is the common link between the ‘Taste of Golf’ First Tee Benefit Event and the Dye’s Valley reconstruction- the always stunning Milan Moore. Milan, a golf course architect with the PGA TOUR Design Services Group, was both the Chairwoman of the Taste of Golf Committee and Project Manager for the Dye’s Valley project. The golf course is as stunning as she is and has received rave reviews from the players this week. Mother Nature tested the golf course with a deluge Friday afternoon that was a resounding ‘Awesome Yes’ as the players returned to playing golf in a little over one hour. A good Pete Dye design brought to modern life so much so that it seems as if there was a ‘Midas Touch’ during the reconstruction or maybe a ‘Milan Touch.’ Congratulations Milan and the entire PGA TOUR Design Service Group for a reconstruction well done!

Sergeant Sean Karpf, a American Hero is the story so far this week at TPC Sawgrass. WOW! Sean, thank you for your service to our country!

Sergeant Sean Karpf, a American Hero is the story so far this week at TPC Sawgrass. WOW! Sean, thank you for your service to our country!

One more thing, and we saved the best for last, as we head into a Ryder Cup week. The Friday night Military Appreciation Ceremony was one of the best ever at TPC Sawgrass, right up there with President George H.W. Bush’s PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award and Military Celebration at the 2009 PLAYERS Championship. There were chants of ‘USA, USA, USA’ for Jim Furyk as he heads across the pond to represent the United States of America in the Ryder Cup in Scotland. But Jim’s mission was bigger tonight as he introduced a true American hero Sergeant Sean Karpf. Sergeant Karpf gave a heartfelt account of his wartime experience and shared his gratitude for being alive and an American. All the best to you Sean and good luck in the Ryder Cup Jim!

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Battle of the PGA & Web.com Tours at TPC Sawgrass!!!

September 17, 2014 By
Tournament Golf is back at TPC Sawgrass! This week its the Web.com Tour Championship on the Dye's Valley Course.

Tournament Golf is back at TPC Sawgrass! This week its the Web.com Tour Championship on the Dye’s Valley Course.

It is a Battle of the Tours, the PGA TOUR versus the Web.com Tour, at TPC Sawgrass this week. They call the Battle the Web.com Tour Championship but it is really the FedExCup Points Nos. 126-200 from the PGA TOUR versus the Money List Nos. 26-75 from the Web.com Tour. The Top 25 from the Web.com are already golden and have a tour card in hand for the 2014-2015 PGA TOUR season. They are playing to improve their priority position. What is really at stake is an additional 25 tour cards based solely on money won in the four Finals events which culminate this week on Dye’s Valley Course. That competition pits 75 former PGA TOUR players versus 50 current Web.com Tour players who may or may not be former PGA TOUR players. It can be confusing!

For instance, Bud Cauley played in 19 PGA TOUR events this year, made $647,886 and finished No. 129 on the Money List. He did not make the FedExCup Playoffs and won the first Web.com Finals event, the Hotel Fitness Championship. His $180,000 in winnings ranks him as the highest non Web.com member behind Season Winner Carlos Ortiz and Adam Hadwin. Unfortunately, Cauley torn his labrum cartilage in his left shoulder, is recovering from surgery with a full recovery expected. Priority for the PGA TOUR next year is alternated between the Top 25 Web.com regular season finishers and the Other 25 from the Web.com Finals.

Bud Cauley posted this picture on Instagram. Get healthy soon Bud!

Bud Cauley posted this picture on Instagram. Get healthy soon Bud!

The other two Finals event winners Adam Hadwin (Chiquita Classic) and Justin Thomas (Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship), both Web.com Top 25 players, improved their priority. Adam improved to No. 2 just behind Ortiz and Justin to No. 4 just behind Cauley. One spot can make all the difference in getting into a PGA TOUR event especially early in the season. Remember there are 125 PGA TOUR members that kept their cards this year and with sponsor exemptions, prior champions and limited hours of daylight early in the year fields fill up quickly.

Colt Knost played in 21 Web.com events this year, made $106,460 and finished No. 34 on the Money List. So far in the Finals he has won $138,000 with a 2nd place finish at the Hotel Fitness Championship and a T8 at the Chiquita Classic. He chose to not play last week and is playing this week. The 2007 U.S. Amateur Champion is ranked the highest of any of the Web.com 26-75 Finisher at No. 5. Like Billy Horschel did on the PGA TOUR, you can make a season in the post season on the Web.com too.

Jonathan Byrd, a 5-time PGA TOUR winner, who ended the 2010 Las Vegas event with an ace on his final swing, needs a high finish to regain his tour card.

Jonathan Byrd, a 5-time PGA TOUR winner, who ended the 2010 Las Vegas event with an ace on his final swing, needs a high finish to regain his tour card.

So how is the Battle of the Tours going through the first three Finals events? It is 14 versus 11 for the PGA TOUR (Nos. 126-200) and Web.com (Nos 26-75). Taking into account the different group sizes (50% more PGA TOUR players), the Web.com players are ahead on a percentage basis 22.0% to 18.7%.

Patrick Rodgers, the Tiger Woods protege out of Stanford University, is the Bubble Boy at No. 50. A nonmember of the PGA TOUR he played in seven events on sponsors’ exemptions. He made five cuts, $75,104, and most importantly 85 FedExCup points, the equivalent of No. 196 this year, barely enough to get a spot in the Web.com Finals. His T8 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship earned him the $30,000 to place him No. 50 with a good shot at earning a PGA TOUR card for next season.

The next ten players below Rodgers are comprised of four PGA TOUR (Nos. 126-200) and six Web.com (Nos 26-75). The Web.com is definitely “the Path to the PGA TOUR” and the path back to the PGA TOUR.

Carlos Ortiz doing a media interview in the shade near the TOUR Academy.

Carlos Ortiz doing a media interview in the shade near the TOUR Academy.

After a morning of analyzing numbers and becoming more familiar with the field of 128 players I decided to head to the practice range to check out the players.

As fate would have it I found the following on Carlos Ortiz, the Season Winner on the Web.com Tour and currently the No. 1 ranked player in the Finals. To finish No.1 is huge as it comes with a fully exempt tour card and an invitation to come back to TPC Sawgrass and play the other course (The Stadium Course) in THE PLAYERS Championship.

Carlos Ortiz is the poster child for the 2014 Web.com season, winning three times in Weeks 4, 6, 23, the third time at the final regular season event. Officially a battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR but that battlefield was in Playoff mode so has to wait for 2014-2015 season which starts in two weeks at the Frys.com Open. His birthplace is the same as Lorena Ochoa- Guadalajara, Mexico. Maybe it is his destiny to wind up in St. Augustine, Florida with her in the World Golf Hall of Fame? Ortiz is a ‘dot com hopper’? Played in two Finals event and missed cut in both. Time for celebrating is over. Time to get his PGA TOUR game face on and quickly!

With No. 1 golfer Carlos Ortiz and his mother 'Chela.'

With No. 1 golfer Carlos Ortiz and his mother ‘Chela.’

When I went out to the practice range I came across him doing a television interview. I didn’t understand much because it was in Spanish but I met his mother ‘Chela’ which is short for Graciela. I thought it interesting that she mentioned Carlos Jr. (his father is also Carlos) did play at the same Guadalajara Country Club as Lorena. Carlos Jr. was ‘sporty-like’ Mom & Dad and began playing tournaments at age 7. He went to a German school growing up and they sent him to Germany for a year at age 12. His only wish was to continue playing golf which was possible after their search found a year-round golfing school. I wonder if Martin Kaymer winning this year’s PLAYERS and the German flag flying over Champions Circle at TPC Sawgrass is a good omen for Carlos to lock in that top spot this week?

A Google search for Carrie Underwood-Golf returned this picture. Maybe Justin will teach her how to play golf?

A Google search for Carrie Underwood-Golf returned this picture. Maybe Justin will teach her how to play golf?

One other interesting thing I came across researching a few of the players. Justin Thomas won a playoff over Richard Sterne last week in the third Finals event, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship on the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University. The 21-year old was a star freshman at Alabama in 2012 on a team that lost the national championship on the final hole in the final match that year. Justin won one national championship as a sophomore before turning pro and missing Alabama’s second consecutive NCAA Championship this year. His other profile data included: “Favorite courses played are Augusta National and Cypress Point” and “Would like to play Pine Valley and Shinnecock Hills.” I am thinking that will happen. His Dream Foursome would include his Dad, Carrie Underwood and Nick Saban. I don’t know who Nick Saban is? I did not know Carrie Underwood played golf?

I am very excited for tomorrow to come so we can begin the Web.com Tour Championship! With a Scott McCreery Military Appreciation Day Concert Friday and College Game Day Saturday for crossover football fans the tour slogan “Come for THE FUN, Stay for THE GOLF,” probably makes sense for a lot of people.

I am coming back for the golf, will have fun and MORE FUN after the golf is over!

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Ponte Vedra Beach… Just ‘Home’… Thankfully!

September 16, 2014 By
Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass all decked out for Friday's Military Celebration at last year's Web.com Tour Championship.

Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass all decked out for Friday’s Military Celebration at last year’s Web.com Tour Championship.

These last two days, as the Web.com Tour Championship comes upon us at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, I seem to be quite at home, which makes sense since this is where I live, except when I am somewhere else. But I am back now, most recently from a 5-week, 8-state, 4,243-mile ‘East Coast Journey,’ just in time for the Grand Finale, the Final of the Finals, of the Web.com Tour which is played on Dye’s Valley Course.

TPC Sawgrass is known world-wide for its island green on the par-3 17th hole on its Stadium Course and as being ‘the Home of THE PLAYERS Championship.’ Now almost exactly six months later, TPC Sawgrass is back in the worldwide golfing spotlight. That means that Anne Nimicht, who celebrated 50 years of volunteering at this year’s PLAYERS, is now celebrating 50-1/2 years of volunteering. The first Lady Chairperson of THE PLAYERS in 1997 is, and has been, the Volunteer Chairperson for the Web.com event here since its inception in 2010. Like all things at TPC Sawgrass, it has gotten better every year.

It is time to hand out 50 PGA TOUR cards!

It is time to hand out 50 PGA TOUR cards!

In the Spring, TPC Sawgrass grants one player ‘the right to be called THE PLAYERS Champion.’ In the Fall, the prize is at least fifty times bigger and more important, the granting of 50 PGA TOUR cards for the upcoming 2014-2015 season. TPC Sawgrass, ‘the Home of Opportunity,’ or ‘Dye’s Valley of Opportunity’ have nice rings to them too, especially if you are from Binghamton, New York, the original ‘Valley of Opportunity’ with IBM, Endicott-Johnson, Link and GE. Off the golf course, outside the ropes, the same can be said for the folks who dwell in the Ponte Vedra community.

I was reminded of this the last two days at an event at TPC Sawgrass and one at the local Winston Family YMCA.

Sometimes, the best things are already right in your back yard. I am sure that is true for everyone, everywhere. As a guest in Louisville, Kentucky; Endicott, New York; Lynbrook, Long Island, New York; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Mrytle Beach, South Carolina during the recent ‘East Coast Golf Journey,’ the people I stayed with knew how fortunate they were to live where they do. So much so I consider Puerto Rico a state, a lucky state with their own Olympic team. I am not sure how they got that one by Texas. Maybe when you are a wee bit smaller you can sneak one by?

With Jim Furyk and other entrepreneurs at the 2013 Web.com Small Business Seminar. Yhey are successful, I am in the remedial class again this year.

With Jim Furyk and other entrepreneurs at the 2013 Web.com Small Business Seminar. Yhey are successful, I am in the remedial class again this year.

At Monday’s Web.com event at TPC Sawgrass, Jim Furyk was back at home with his wife Tabitha, after another strong showing in the BIG Tour Championship at East Lake. I thought it was a toss up between him and another Ponte Vedra resident Billy Horschel as to who would win the tournament and the FedExCup. Less than 24 hours later, here is Jim Furyk doing a corporate event. And if that wasn’t enough, when Master of Ceremonies (and master of on course golf reporting) Billy Kratzert served up a question about what it meant to him to play on the Web.com tour he responded emphatically that he was happy he had a place to play when he came out of the University of Arizona way back in 1992 (then called the NIKE Tour) and proud to tell people that he was going to be playing on the NIKE Tour. I mean the excitement was there in his words, same as when he finished Miguel Angel Jimenez on the 17th green at Valhalla to win the Ryder Cup for America (our last win by the way) in 2008, or when he won the FedExCup in 2010!

David Brown, front & center, with PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem (right) & Web.com President Bill Calfee.

David Brown, front & center, with PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem (right) & Web.com President Bill Calfee.

David Brown, Mr. Web.com Company Man, (Chairman, President & CEO) spoke briefly about his 10-year sponsorship (until 2022) with the PGA TOUR. Pumped up by the Web.com highlight video and someone handing him a facsimile PGA TOUR card he made everyone laugh by saying he was leaving Web.com and heading to the PGA TOUR. Maybe future commissioner but not golfer!

Here is a Jacksonville-based company with a good product, a strong brand and good marketing just like the PGA TOUR. Their mission is to help small businesses, just like me, striving to be big businesses. Big, for me would be being hired 25 weeks a year in golf broadcasting, instead of just 4. Web.com did 50 Small Business Summits in 2014 and are planning 75 in 2015! I am attending the one Friday morning at TPC Sawgrass. My point being, guys like Jim Furyk and David Brown are helping a community (here in Ponte Vedra Beach and many others) and helping me even though I do not know them personally. While there is business involved, it is not all business, it is home.

Baptist Healthcare Healthy Living Center at the Winston Family YMCA in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Baptist Healthcare Healthy Living Center at the Winston Family YMCA in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Today I stayed at the YMCA after my regular (I am lying here) yoga, weight lifting (light) and swimming (short distance) workout for the ‘Talk With a Doc,’ presented by Baptist Health in the new ‘Y Healthy Living Center.’ Dr. Mona Shah, a local cardiologist gave a talk about the connection between healthy minds and healthy hearts. I learned how my thoughts and emotions can affect my health. This was a free seminar with a free lunch and there are many more scheduled. I geard about it last Tuesday (see I do exercise regularly) when I met Baptist Healthcare’s Megan Girad who is our Y’s health coach. Talk about a Godsend! There was a handout for what is good for you in your 50s. I also took the ones for the 60s, 70s and 80s and am hereby pledging to extend my self-projected date of demise from 80 to 90. Seriously, Baptist Healthcare, along with the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa, Legacy Trust and Sea Best is a founding sponsor of the Web.com Tour Championship.

Another great day at TPC Sawgrass is coming this Thursday with the 9th annual ‘Taste of Golf’ charity function benefiting an awesome organization- The First Tee of Northeast Florida. As the name implies, this is THE incredibly delectable gastronomic event of the year with the finest Chefs from local country clubs, near and far, including TPC Sawgrass!

TPC Sawgrass: Home of THE PLAYERS Championship and Home to the Web.com Tour Championship.

Ponte Vedra Beach, simply home to about 30,000 people, including me and I am very thankful to be living in such a wonderful community!

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

September 11th Memorial, Mom & Me…

September 11, 2014 By
The National September 11 Memorial Museum.

The National September 11 Memorial Museum.

I recently visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Some dates are forever etched in our memory. Some things take time to absorb, process and feel even though our minds and bodies want to automatically react in the moment. Once we have the time and the growth associated with that perspective of time, we see that there is time before and after these historic dates. Dates like that of our birth and September 11, 2001.

For me the date that can’t be separated from September 11th is September 10th of the same year. My mother passed about ten hours before that first plane hit the North Tower. I was with her with two sisters and it was a beautiful though sad experience. I remember my sister telling her that it was okay to go and  her trying to audibly relate what she was seeing. My father had passed unexpectedly too eight years before in 1993 so I felt alone in the world. The next morning we were at the house getting ready to go to the funeral parlor and my brother-in-law called to say turn on the TV. I did just in time to see the second plane hit the South Tower and watched with horror as the towers came down. Though I saw I did not relate to the loss of life at the time as it seemed that my life was lost. Maybe that is how you felt or will feel when both of your parents have passed too?

I was and will always be my Mom's 6-foot 3-inch baby!

I was and will always be my Mom’s 6-foot 3-inch baby!

It took me three to six months to realize and grieve for the loss of life on September 11th, at the World Trade Centers, at the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania. I remember that first attack in 1993 that claimed six victims. Maybe that was the first time in my life I really wondered why someone would do something so terrible to innocent people. What were they thinking and how did they come to think like that? Now it seems there is terror all over our world even some right here at home in our schools and movie theaters.  How is this all happening?

Like the building of this magnificent Memorial and Museum, some things take time, longer than we expect or think we can endure. But once built, once addressed, the process eventually works and we get it right. They did get it right, as close to perfection as can be, with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. That ’11’ represents the two towers and they are still standing in my mind. The 2,995 heroes, alphabetically from Gordon M. Aamoth, Jr. to Igor Zukelman are still loving and inspiring in my mind. There are many things left in my mind and heart and other minds and hearts that I meet to share and to act on while we are still here living on this earth.

Smiling, it was a beautiful day to be alive and in lower Manhattan to visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Smiling, it was a beautiful day to be alive and in lower Manhattan to visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

I didn’t know what to expect as I walked onto the Memorial Plaza. I was a little disoriented. Coming from mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral I missed my subway stop and ended up in Brooklyn. Once back in Manhattan I walked around the construction site with many others until I found the right approach to enter. Like others, I was naturally drawn to the side of the pool in the footprint of the South Tower. I saw names inscribed in the bronze parapets protecting me from falling into the waters rushing down the 30-foot waterfalls. The water continues to a smaller center void and disappears. I stood there and noticed some of the yellow roses placed by those heroes whose birthday was today. I thought about life and death and how most people wake up on the day they die thinking it will be another day like the one before. My thoughts were not of terror but of respect, honor and admiration for the people whose names were inscribed on this Memorial. I did wonder why was the museum underground. Doesn’t this water lead us to a darker, colder place than this beautiful sunny and warm day? Don’t we place things on high that we admire? I didn’t get it then but a few hours later I did and I am grateful I did, it made me more human and alive.

The opening video takes you back to September 11th and your visit to the Memorial and Museum begins...

The opening video takes you back to September 11th and your visit to the Memorial and Museum begins…

As fate would have it, it does always work out for me, I waited in line less than 10 minutes and bought a ticket for the 1:30 entrance group which was only 15 minutes away. I would highly recommend buying your tickets online, in advance, when you go if you can better estimate your schedule than I can. My first reaction after entering the shaded doors to the museum was one of anger and hatred. The first thing I saw was a security checkpoint like the ones in airports. I don’t want to prove to anyone I am peaceful and I don’t want to think that anyone else will want to terrorize me and need to be screened before I associate with them. But the feelings pass quickly and I smile as I begin to partially disrobe and chit chat with the attendants.

The opening video is not to be missed. I went around and saw it for a second time. It took me back to September 11, 2001 and I knew today would be the day I fully experience that tragedy and the hope and inspiration associated with it. I felt whole, as if my Mom and Dad were with me too, along with the whole world actually. It is a place, like Ragtime’s at the beach, where you can show up alone and feel like you are with everybody. The staggered entrance times are necessary and create an ongoing flow of people passing through the museum. much like the water flowing in the pools above. Though unlike Ragtime’s, it is a somber affair, though joyful in a quiet way as you feel proud to be an American and proud to be human like the people who responded to help those hurt or killed in the tragic events of September 11th.

The Freedom Tower, the new One World Trade Center, is the skyline pointer to find the Memorial & Museum.

The Freedom Tower, the new One World Trade Center, is the skyline pointer to find the Memorial & Museum.

The video takes place in a barren, stark and simple theater of light wooden seats and sleek metal railings. The introduction is brief and the video is entitled Facing Crisis: America Under Attack. It is a melody of our leaders on that fateful day- Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, President George W. Bush (No. 43), New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others as the events of the day unfold. Giuliani witnessed one of the 2,955 dear souls leap to their death and knew early on that Father Judge, the Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, was the first fatality. His heroic leadership emerged from realizing this was beyond anything ever experienced before and that he would have to rely on people and the human spirit to figure it out as they went along.

There was concern that the U.S. military had shot down that plane in Pennsylvania after the order was given to have F-16 pilots shoot down any civilian plane that was unresponsive to their commands. This was before anyone knew about alphabetic Hero No. 153 out of 2,955 Todd M. Beamer gave his order “Let’s roll” aboard Untied Flight No. 93.  President Bush, elected with no campaign debate of such an event, became a wartime President early in his first term. His comment “life is that way, you have to deal with things that you don’t want to deal with,” stuck with me. How many times do we fail to accept reality, turn to alternatives that placate us, or worse yet cause more harm, instead of dealing with the core issue? I know I have done that lots of times in my life.

Like I said the opening video was so riveting, so informative I went around and saw it a second time.

Two tridents guard the entrance to the Museum with the new Freedom Tower beyond.

Two tridents guard the entrance to the Museum with the new Freedom Tower beyond.

From there, the tour of the Museum and Memorial is all downhill. First past two tridents from the North Tower. The tridents are the steel columns that were anchored in bedrock 70 feet below street level and rose the first five stories of the World Trade Centers. Their name trident comes from the three prongs that they branch into at the top. What I noticed as I walked down the stairs was the new Freedom Tower, the new One World Trade Center, a gleaming 104-story superstructure beyond the two tridents. Somewhat of a phoenix, rebirth from the ashes.

Soon on an on a ramp in a sea of people as we descend into the main Museum and Memorial. There are numerous artifacts, too many to include in this article but CLICK here to access the Commemorative Guide. I began to see the square outlines of the two towers below ground and tried to figure out the destination of the water from the waterfalls and void above ground. It came to me when I arrived at the lowest level and saw the exposed bedrock where the steel of the tridents had been sheared off. This was truly Ground Zero, this was the rock the original World Trade Center Towers were built on. Now it was the rock upon which a September 11th Museum to respect that day, and a September 11th Memorial to honor the 2,955 souls who perished, had been built. The water from above, was their spirit and the spirit of all that is good in the world, flows down through the heart of these two footprints in our lives. I am not afraid of terror. I live and rejoice in the light of the goodness of our world.

Although I did not meet anyone on my four hour tour I felt connected to all that were there with me that day. I noticed many pictures being taken but few selfies or with anyone in the picture. The subject matter and presentation made for a respectful manner by which all conducted themselves. From this point on photographs were not allowed.

The Last Column removed from the September 11 recovery site sits at Ground Zero of the Museum.

The Last Column removed from the September 11 recovery site sits at Ground Zero of the Museum.

I first went into the Historical Exhibit of September 11, 2001 in the footprint of the North Tower. The flow through the exhibit was along the timelines of the September 11 Attack and the Recovery at Ground Zero. What must have took evil people a long time to plan took professional fire  fighters and policemen and everyday people nanoseconds to respond too. The recovery began immediately. Good and the human spirit prevailed immediately and still does. I was moved by this exhibit, partially because it took me back to the night before, but fully because of how fellow human beings responded to such a horrific situation. I can only hope to be like one of those 2,955 heroes if given the opportunity.

I remember coming down to New York City to visit my college roommate. It seems like we would always go to lower Manhattan and go up on top of the South Tower. The North had an antenna and there was no way to get from the top of the South to the top of the North. Only French aerialist Philippe Petit did so, walking on a cable suspended between the not-yet-completed twin towers in August of 1974. It felt ironic to me that so many like myself could now walk as though free and on air from the North Exhibit to the South Exhibit. Somehow this Museum and Memorial takes you from the depths of Gotham City to the Heavens above to be with those now living an eternal life.

"No Day Shall Erase You From The Memory of Time" by Virgil, each tile is a different shade of blue for each of the 2,955 souls.

“No Day Shall Erase You From The Memory of Time” by Virgil, each tile is a different shade of blue for each of the 2,955 souls.

The memorial exhibition, In Memoriam, commemorates the lives of those who perished on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. On the outside square corridor there are head shots of the 2,955 people from floor to ceiling. This is a big square, probably 75 feet on each side and 20 feet high it seemed to me. You feel immersed in this sea of humanity and it is hard to walk by without making eye contact with each face. Inside the square in a theater with seats on all four walls with two projections of the same here picture and bio on opposing walls. There you sit, facing other visitors, getting to know each September 11th person as their spouse or loved one tells you about them and you read and see the picture on the wall. The feeling of connection and community is unlike any other I have experienced in my life.

It is time to leave, find the subway and catch a LIRR back to my sister’s place in Lynbrook on Long Island. It is difficult to leave since there is so much good to absorb in the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Though I saw most of the material I know there is so much more to process. Even though I knew no one directly connected to this tragedy, after visiting the Memorial and Museum I feel even more directly connected to its sustenance and spirit. I will be back to visit again sometime soon.

Happy Birthday John Talignani. We miss you dearly.

Happy Birthday John Talignani. We miss you dearly.

As I emerged to the light of day once again it is pouring rain outside. I see the tears of rainwater coming down the window behind the old tridents that salute the new Freedom Tower not as tears of sadness but of joy. I need to catch the subway to catch the train that leaves once an hour. I am back in reality and thankfully remember that I have a small umbrella in my backpack. Life is good, rain is wet and the air a bit cooler than before as I run out on the plaza past the yellow flower commemorating the birthday of Alphabetical Hero No. 2,676 John Talignani. I am not sure why but I sort of wave and smile his way as I hopscotch the puddles of rain water. Maybe it is because I feel like we are all connected, we are really basically all the same. Like water, we could be flowing in the Memorial pools or down the Mississippi or in the waves crashing on the shores on the Maine coastline. Hopefully we are not too isolated in small puddles for too long in our lives. Ultimately we are droplets waiting above to fall gently down upon this earth, perhaps as angels like those 2,955 souls of September 11.

Mom & Dad on Dad's 59th Birthday, same year I graduated from high school. They were married nearly 48 years until Dad passed in 1993.

Mom & Dad on Dad’s 59th Birthday, same year I graduated from high school. They were married nearly 48 years until Dad passed in 1993.

In reality there is another significant date in our lives, along with our birth and September 11th. We are not going to live forever and that day will likely start as simply as the one before it. A kids playground song came to mind on the train ride out of the city. You know the one that goes like this- sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby. No expectations, time wise, but it would be nice when my sons sing that song to completion.

As for me, I am grateful to be alive, even for one more day. I love life and everyone that is a part of my life yesterday, today and tomorrow, or hopefully for all three time periods. I miss my Mom and Dad dearly and always will until we are united again. If I learned one thing those two days in September 2001 it is that life is too short and we can never love enough. Hopefully y’all know I love you because I do whether it is raining or not.

Have a TROML Day today!

Andy (-:

I love y'all.

I love y’all.

 

 

 

Filed Under: People in Golf

Mr. Palmer, It was an Honor to Meet You!

September 10, 2014 By
In front of the Palmer home office in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

In front of the Palmer home office in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

I never really expected to meet Mr. Palmer in his home office near Latrobe CC. Here is my story on how it happened and what the experience has meant to me.

It was one of those things were a seed is planted in your mind, germinates for a few years and suddenly sprouts out into your life and becomes a reality. I remember the media announcement at the 2012 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, the one where Keegan Bradley won a Major in his first Major, that Arnold Palmer was opening up a Springhill Suites near Latrobe CC. Guests would have access to play the childhood and adulthood (summer, Bay Hill Lodge & Club in the winter) home course of the legendary golfer. I made a note in my mind that day that hopefully one day I would get the chance to visit Latrobe, stay at the Springhill Suites and play Latrobe CC. Maybe even meet Mr. Palmer himself.

With Chris Rodell in Palmer Country at the Springhill Suites in Latrobe, PA.

With Chris Rodell in Palmer Country at the Springhill Suites in Latrobe, PA.

Earlier that year I had met Chris Rodell, a writer for Palmer’s Kingdom Magazine, on a fam golf trip to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Long story short, we hit it off, my knickers and his crayons and kept in touch. Fast forward two years, the PGA Championship is at Valhalla outside Louisville, Kentucky. My next gig is at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in my hometown of Binghamton, New York. Okay, so En Joie is next door in Endicott, still the Triple Cities (including Johnson City) is my hometown. You do the Google Maps and see that to get from Louisville to Binghamton you pretty much pass right by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Something watered my brain a bit and the seed started to germinate.

I had built the two gigs and some golf travel stops into an ‘East Coast Golf Journey,’ which turned out to be a 5-week, 8-state/Commonwealth, 4,243-mile odyssey. Why a Commonwealth? Because I flew down to San Juan, Puerto Rico from JFK for the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show. I shouldn’t just say ‘some golf travel stops’ as my visit to Cronin’s Golf Resort in the Adirondack’s and Sunny Hill Resort & Golf Course in the Catskills were quite extraordinary. With the DSGO a Friday start there was plenty of time to overnight in Pittsburgh. I was on it early in the week at the PGA which is long term planning for Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary as many of you who have hosted me well know.

With host Andrew Catalon and analyst Billy Ray Brown at the PGA at Valhalla.

With host Andrew Catalon and analyst Billy Ray Brown at the PGA at Valhalla.

The kicker came while working in the DIRECTV Par 3 broadcast booth with host Andrew Catalon (backed up by Grant Boone and Australia’s Luke Elvy) and analyst Billy Ray Brown (backed up by Rich Beem, Bobby Clampett and Brian Crowell) while researching some statistics on the best Club Professionals to play in the PGA Championship. There was Bob Ford’s name near the top of the list of ‘Most Appearances by a Person that Qualified as a Club Professional’ with 10. Wow, that is pretty impressive. Add in three U.S. Opens and making the cut in all three and you have a guy that can compete at the highest level with the best in the game. But his day job is Head Golf Professional at Seminole in the winter in South Florida and at Oakmont CC in the summer. Oakmont CC is outside Pittsburgh. Now there are two reasons to stop in Pittsburgh on the way home. The course was closed for maintenance but Bob set up a tour for me which was remarkable in of itself.

With Green Bay Packer Super Bowl Champion Coach Jimmy Robinson in Steeler Country.

With Green Bay Packer Super Bowl Champion Coach Jimmy Robinson in Steeler Country.

There are no appointments with Mr. Palmer, at least not for someone with my credentials, or lack there of. I had tried to work my magic at the Springhill Suites and Latrobe CC to no avail. When I arrived and met my friend Chris Rodell I learned why- it was the Steelers’ training camp at Saint Vincent College. Evidently football is big in Latrobe too? I sat next to a guy at the bar wearing a Super Bowl- retired Wide Receiver Coach of the Green Bay Packers Jimmy Robinson. In 2010, Robinson’s final season in Green Bay, the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 31-25. Wasn’t this Steeler Country? Yes and he was here to play golf and visit with his Steeler coaching friends. Plus he was waiting for a room to open up that never did, even with the help of Arnold’s brother Jerry Palmer. We both had to find shelter elsewhere.

My friend Chris Rodell introduced me to Mr. Palmer, brother Jerry. Often times you find in golf the low key brother slightly behind-the-scenes is just like the public brother except, for whatever reason, he did not excel to the same level on the world stage golf course as his brother. Brothers support and love one another and sometimes the lesser known brother is the driving force behind the other brother’s success. I remember my first World Golf Hall of Fame Induction in 2009 when Lanny Wadkins called out his younger brother Bobby for doing just that. Ditto for Curtis Strange and his identical twin brother Allan. I know it to be true for Chi Chi and his younger brother Jesus Rodriguez. Jerry Palmer is a heck of a guy and not just because he invited Chris and I to visit the Palmer home office the next day.

With Mr. Jerry Palmer in the Presidential Section of the Palmer Home Office.

With Mr. Jerry Palmer in the Presidential Section of the Palmer Home Office.

From the moment we drove up the hill and Chris started pointing out the buildings, that’s Winnie’s House, that’s the house where Arnold and Kit live and there’s the home office time slowed down to barely moving and became completely surreal. Jerry greeted us at the door and introduced us to a few staff members and began to take us through memorabilia.  This was historic and as well preserved and displayed as the World Golf Hall of Fame where I volunteer. We could hear Arnold stirring and talking a bit in his office and then Jerry asked if we would like to meet him. I smiled immediately and said yes that would be a great honor. I learned my lesson at Kenny Perry’s Country Creek on the way to the PGA. Mr. Perry, Kenny’s father asked me if I wanted to meet his son. He had stopped in to regrip his clubs after winning in Minnesota and before heading up to Valhalla. I deferred since I did not want to distract him from his craft. I didn’t want to distract Mr. Palmer from his business either but I did not want to miss out on a lifetime opportunity to meet and say hello to the King.

With Mr. Arnold Palmer in his home office in Latrobe, PA.

With Mr. Arnold Palmer in his home office in Latrobe, PA.

I have to admit I was quite nervous though prepared with some questions if he cared to let me interview him on camera. The opportunity never arose and I did not ask. Since I failed to pack any dress shoes I wore my knicker outfit with some nice matching Vecci gold tipped blue and white shoes. Actually it worked out well. Mr. Palmer was as gracious and kind as ever with his smile, gestures and warm greeting. He got up and came out from behind his  desk for a picture. I spoke of my father, the son of a dirt poor coal miner in eastern Pennsylvania who came to golf at an early age as a caddie at Scranton Country Club. My father loved golf and Arnold Palmer and I loved all three growing up at Ely Park Municipal Golf Course in Binghamton, New York. I showed the King my hickory shafted putter made in 1899 in Binghamton by the ‘Golf Goods Manufacturing Company.’ We had a nice little chat and Mr. Palmer also needled Chris about something in the Kingdom. five days later Mr. Palmer would have pacemaker implant surgery at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.

In Mr. Palmer's Workshop along the 'Putter Wall.'

In Mr. Palmer’s Workshop along the ‘Putter Wall.’

Jerry continued the tour into Arnold’s club workshop which was just as big as his office which was huge. I have never seen so many putters in one place, not even a golf store. Chris called it the ‘putter wall.’ Jerry spoke with humble pride about his brother’s life and accomplishments though I knew he was speaking of their father and even his own life. As Mr. Palmer would readily acknowledge nobody gets to where he got to alone. His parents, his brother and two sisters, Winnie and Kit, family and his faith and his inner drive earned him the success he so richly deserves. Jerry reminds me of George Bailey in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ who is the solid character who quietly earned all there is to be in life too. The Palmer family with the King leading was, still is and will always be the face of American golf in my opinion.

On the tractor in the Palmer memorabilia barn.

On the tractor in the Palmer memorabilia barn.

Just when I thought I had seen it all, Jerry suggested we take his golf cart down to ‘the barn.’ Talk  about a treasure trove of golden golf memorabilia! There was the  club aisle, tractors, shoes and artifacts hung on the walls to 20 feet high. Jerry talked and Chris and I listened. There were so many stories that I could not take notes fast enough. It seemed in a matter of about three hours we went from the birth of a golfing legend to today, his 85th birthday! I couldn’t thank Jerry enough for the courtesy, honor and privilege of receiving such a gift of gratitude. It was a memorable Wednesday morning for sure!

Poignant Chris Rodell with United States Congressman Tim Murphy.

Poignant Chris Rodell with United States Congressman Tim Murphy.

Chris and I headed over to tour Latrobe CC. The author of seven books, including his latest one, ‘Use ALL the Crayons! The Colorful Guide to Simple Human Happiness,’ Rodell is an affable and poignant man. I still chuckle at the last scene of him in my mind. Latrobe CC which was closed  for a fundraiser for Timothy “Tim” F. Murphy, the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district, since being elected in 2002. After seeing a good bit of the golf course and meeting Head Golf Professional Randy Bisi we meandered over to the first tree to see the old Penn Oil tractor. Everyone else was out on the golf course and we see the United States Congressman on the practice putting green. He comes over and I shake his hand and say hello. Chris, without a hesitating breath, starts right in on issues that are important to him and his family and the Latrobe community. At first I laughed but then realized this is our system of government in action. Congressman Murphy is the only elected official in our federal government that is also a practicing health care professional. We spoke of the Robin Williams tragedy and he shared a true insight that when someone feels hopeless, even when there is hope, it is necessary for someone to step in and help them. I like that guy and would vote for him if I lived in his district. Yes, Chris is a poignant crayon story teller, motivation speaker and future political interviewer.

You know I didn’t stay at the Springhill Suites or play Latrobe CC but it was one of the best days of my life!

With Mr. Palmer in the home office in Latrobe, PA.

With Mr. Palmer in the home office in Latrobe, PA.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Mr. Hickory Golf REAL, People in Golf