World Record 179,022 at TPC Scottsdale in 2013 WMPO!

February 18, 2013 By
Phil Mickelson tees off on the 16th in the Stadium enroute to victory at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Phil Mickelson tees off on the 16th in the Stadium enroute to victory at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Photo Credit: Hunter Martin Getty Images

The number 179,022 will always be etched in my mind. That’s how many people came out to watch the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday this year. On Saturday, one day alone. It was a record for the tournament and in the history of golf as far as anyone knows.

If you explore the Guinness World Record website there are 82 results for ‘golf’ but no category for the ‘most people to watch a single-day golf event in person.’ There are records for the ‘largest one-day golf tournament,’ the ‘largest golf facility,’ and the ‘most people playing golf walking on a single golf course in 24 hours.’ But none for the largest gallery ever to watch golf in person.

Legendary Thunderbird Bob Wasser can be found on the 16th tee every year at the WMPO. Great guy!

Legendary Thunderbird Bob Wasser can be found on the 16th tee every year at the WMPO. Great guy!

Of course, there is a strong community charity consciousness in the Phoenix-Scottsdale metropolis. The Thunderbirds, hosts of the WMPO, are a charitable organization that has been around since 1937. There is a cadre of sales and marketing professionals associated with TPC Scottsdale golf course, the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament and the PGA TOUR.  The tournament predates even The Masters with its roots in the 1932 Arizona Open and has been contested 74 times since then. Over 80 million dollars has been donated to Arizona charities with 5.5 million coming in 2012 alone.

These folks know what they are doing leveraging a lot of history and tradition. But still, 179,022 golf spectators on one golf course on one day! More than America’s other top sports- baseball, basketball and football. More than a record 115,300 at the Dodgers-Red Sox game in L.A. in 2008; more than a record 108,713 at the N.B.A. All-Star game in Dallas in 2010 and certainly more than can fit in any football stadium in America.

The numbers speak for themselves... 179,022 on Saturday and more than $80 million to charity!

The numbers speak for themselves… 179,022 on Saturday and more than $80 million to charity!

There was never a doubt watching Phil Mickelson open with a 60 this year, then adding rounds of 65-64-67 to win by four strokes for a record-tying third time (with Mark Calcavecchia, Gene Littler and Arnold Palmer). Thursday’s attendance was 79,532, Friday’s at 121,901 with Saturday the peak at 179,022—a total of 525,821 for the week! Amazing!

Other than the golf, the most amazing sight of the week was to stand on a hillside off to the right of the 18th green and see the people flood in beneath an overpass coming from the main entrance. Seas of people, imagine the sidewalks of Manhattan at lunch hour and the entire width of 5th Avenue as well. Non-stop for as long as you wanted to watch.

Where do these people go on an 18-hole golf course that has ample room, certainly no Merion but nonetheless there are 179,022 people! The hospitality areas surrounding the 17th and 18th holes are legendary and swallow up a big chunk of the masses. Then there is the Stadium in golf encompassing the par-3 16th hole. Nearly 20,000 right there.

Coming back to play the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale a few weeks after the tournament on the way to the WGC Accenture Match Play, the wintery wonderland we now know as Dove Mountain, was a real treat. Gone were the 179,022 Saturday patrons yet the majority of the Stadium on the 17th remained.

TPC Scottsdale is an awesome golf course to play in its own right. A Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish design this golf course is fun to play. While it looks hard but plays easier don’t expect to go to a record low 29-under par like Phil did this year or Mark Calcavecchia did in 2001. If you knew what I knew and an opportunity to play TPC Scottsdale comes along you would do what I did. Love Weiskopf’s thinking and his golf design talents! Remember he did win a British Open though his four runner-up finishes at the Masters and comments on Jack Nicklaus do come to mind.

Another piece of golfing history at TPC Scottsdale. The rock or loose impediment that the gallery moved for Tiger Woods in the 1999 WMPO.

Another piece of golfing history at TPC Scottsdale. The rock or loose impediment that the gallery moved for Tiger Woods in the 1999 WMPO.

My favorite hole is the short par-4 17th which is 332 yards from the tips and only 254 yards from the whites. I hope you are “playing it forward” like I am these days and having a ton of fun on the golf course. Like Phil I hit it way left off the tee, so far left it stayed dry. Unlike Phil I pitched it up onto the green and 3-putted for bogey. I didn’t shoot 60, in fact I didn’t even shoot 1-under par on any hole. I guess I was too excited from my experience at the tournament. For me on that day the golf course looked hard and played hard too.

It was still cool to tee it up on the 16th with most of the Stadium still surrounding the hole. I thought I could imagine what it would be like doing so during the tournament but honestly I can’t say that I could. It did lead to one charity fund-raising idea. On Saturday let the biggest charity donors tee it up and hit tee shots on the 17th Stadium hole when time allows between the professionals. There is trouble on the water-logged par-5 15th and sometimes there is a gap in play.  What a thrill, what a rush it would be. Sort of a modern day coliseum swing and make contact or be consumed by the thirsty crowd. Even if they can get the club back I doubt anyone will hit it on or even close to the green. TPC and the PGA TOUR new ultimate Stadium Golf experience all for charity!

Even the chairs are BIG at the WMPO!

Even the chairs are BIG at the WMPO!

There were only 22 people, including Bobby Jones, who saw Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on the par-5 15th in the 1935 Masters. Quite a few more saw Tiger Woods’ ace on the 16th at TPC Scottsdale in 1997. About 20,000 of the 179,022 present saw James Hahn double-bogey the 16th on Saturday. But 20,000 saw him birdie it on Sunday and then dance his way off the green ‘Gangnam Style.’ What excitement at TPC Scottsdale!

I have to say I am a big proponent of TPC Sawgrass as the ‘Crown Jewel’ TPC Network of 30 prestigious courses. I live nearby, it is the ‘Home of THE PLAYERS Championship’ and we all know there are four majors but only one PLAYERS. Tiger Woods style this year. But I have to say that maybe TPC Scottsdale, ‘Home of the Largest Galleries in Golf’ is the ‘Western Crown Jewel’ of the TPC Network.

Play it if you can, soon!

By the way, as far as Guinness records go… the largest one day golf tournament consisted of 1,562 participants at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, on June 25th, 2010, which is also the largest golf facility with twelve 18-hole courses. The greatest number of walking golfers to complete a full round on the same course within 24 hours is 632 and was achieved by The First Tee of Ireland, at Faithlegg Golf Club in Waterford, Ireland in June 2009.

But the number 179,022 will stick in my mind until at least next year. Who knows, maybe 200,000 plus at the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open?

Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Week 6: Pebble Beach Nat’l Pro-Am

February 9, 2013 By

 

Here is our chronicle for Week 6 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. After a week in the desert at Scottsdale we are cool and hydrated on the stunningly beautiful Monterey Peninsula. Can Phil defend his title and win for the second consecutive week on tour? How will we manage three golf courses, 156 professionals and 156 amateurs and celebrities galore? We are here on tour loving every minute. Enjoy the game; it's the game for life!

 

Definitely a celebrity, artsy sort of week:
 
Visited the gallery of Suzanne Yost McCourt, daughter of amateur Dick Yost… very talented Lady Artist of Pebble Beach with a neo-realism golf-art flavor.
 
Interviewed Jeannine Henebry, sister to John. A fascinating story of golf course photography. Interview video to come…
 
Met and interviewed Gary Mule Deer, another fascinating story with interview video to come…

Filed Under: Uncategorized

2013 Week 5: Waste Mgmt Phoenix Open; Outside The Ropes Entertainment!

February 6, 2013 By
Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through our “Outside the Ropes Entertainment” website we will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people we meet, and the adventures we have along the way. Here is our chronicle for Week 5 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. We missed Tiger’s win at Torrey Pines for the PGA Show but could not miss our first visit to TPC Scottsdale and the Coliseum 16th hole, a breakthrough head over shoulders for Stadium Golf. Enjoy the game; it’s the game for life!
Highlights of Week 5; photographs below, videos coming to the OTRE web soon:
Record of 179,022 people in attendance on Saturday.
Interview and video with LPGA founder and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marilynn Smith.
Interview and video with our host Frank, an aficionado of golf courses around the world.
Interview and video with Thunderbird Jock Holiman, announcer on the 16th hole.
Merri & Andy recap video of our experiences at the 2013 WMPO.
Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Dick Yost: Am Golfer Extraordinaire

February 5, 2013 By
Golf Writer Andy Reistetter is back at Pebble Beach Golf Links for his fifth consecutive AT&T National Pro-Am. While excited to think about the possibility of Phil Mickelson defending his title and winning for the second consecutive week on tour, his thoughts returned to last year's event when Tiger Woods competed. He met Suzanne Yost McCourt, a lady artist, outside the Golf Links to the Past shop near the practice putting green at Pebble Beach. She told him stories of her father, Dick Yost, a great Northwest American amateur champion golfer and her artistic journey to golf. Today their stories seem to capture the spirit of the Pro-Am at Pebble Beach where the story is as much about the amateurs as it is about the professional golfers.
 
 
Two women, I later came to know as artist Suzanne Yost McCourt and her agent Rohana Loschivo, were carrying a large piece of artwork prominently displaying Tiger Woods. I, of course was intrigued by the movement and the scene. There is probably a name for this type of art, maybe neo-realism sport-art, but it was the context and texture that immediately brought me in. Tiger completing his swing, a confident champion beside his golf bag and amidst a collage of introspective beauty. The Pacific Ocean and the 18th green in the background. A scoreboard of champions with Dustin Johnson the last listed for his win in 2009. This piece of art with all its displayed history was to be the first ever cover to be created by a woman for the program of the best pro-am in the world.
Here was a woman that put Tiger on the cover. Only the cover was never published for Tiger did not make it to Pebble Beach in 2010 after the Thanksgiving incident involving a fire hydrant at Isleworth. The conversation and the story quickly shifted to her father and her journey to golf art.
Dick Yost originated in Portland, Oregon and made an impact in golf like no other golfer. His talent and competitive abilities are unquestionably great. The fact that he passed on at a relatively young age, when Suzanne was only 16 years old, may have shortened his list of accomplishments but recently has acted as a catalyst to broaden, deepen and share his spirit to a new generation of golfers. Suzanne has gone back and captured the essence of her golfing father and developed a new sense of golfing art that furthers the spirit of the game. A spirit present at Pebble Beach especially in February with the playing of the Pro-Am.
While actor, comedian and golfer Bill Murray winning in 2011 with D.A. Points is the ultimate "Cinderella Story," Dick Yost has quite a story of his own. In 1957 he beat a 17 year-old kid named Jack Nicklaus 3&2 is the U.S. Amateur. Nicklaus was out in 32 but was 1-down against the hot Yost. Two years later Nicklaus got his revenge beating Yost 2&1 in the same national amateur championship. By then everyone knew who Jack was including Yost who admitted to being distracted by his notoriety in press clippings even though he was 1-Up after 10 holes.
Yost had a bit of notoriety himself as he was invited several times by Bing Crosby to come play in what was then simply known as the Crosby. In fact one year Bing went out of his way to visit Yost's superiors in the Army where he was stationed at the Presidio to insure he would get leave and be able to play at Pebble Beach. He also played on the victorious 1955 Walker Cup team and in the 1957 Masters. A Portland lad that became friends with the likes of Crosby and Bob Hope and walked the fairways of Augusta National Golf Club was the humble Dick Yost. A Western Union telegram from Bing sending his regrets for missing a dinner honoring Dick Yost has the true ring of Sam Wainwright's confidence and admiration to George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life.
Suzanne's dad was not only creative in his golf game but as a writer as well. He wrote daily chronicles of the 1955 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club for the San Francisco Examiner. His tremendous knowledge of and love for the game are evident in his writings including the extra playoff edition where he gives Jack Fleck his due credit for upstaging Ben Hogan on the national stage of golf.
An artist is always looking for passion, for something personal to create upon. Daughter Suzanne found it in old boxes of letters and pictures and created a new sense of insightful golfing art. By coincidence she found herself in an art class many years ago with Hank Ketcham, the creator of Dennis the Menace. They became friends and creative pals and exchanged notes of sketches and kind words of encouragement at a time when she created her jazz musician phase of artistry.
While it is an oddity of golfing lore that her original artwork never made it to the cover of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am it is not an oddity that she has found golf and that golf has embraced her art. The spirit of the Pro-Am and the spirit of her father are alive in the artwork of Suzanne Yost McCourt. Let's celebrate golf, Pebble Beach and another wonderful year of the Pro-Am and like always let's accept the Crosby weather whatever it is.
                                                                  
Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Spotter, Research and Broadcast Assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.
Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook or e-mail him at AndyReistetter@gmail.com
Filed Under: People in Golf

Marilyn Smith; LPGA Founder; Major Champion, & WGHOF Member: A Delightful Spirit!

February 5, 2013 By

3W-Marilynn-Smith-WGHOF-Trophy-Fri-2-1-13-WMPO-Goodyear-AZ1Sad news today with the passing of Marilyn Smith, one of the greats, a legend of the women’s game of golf! Spent a beautiful morning with her in her home in Phoenix during the 2013 WMPO courtesy of her neighbors & friends Jackie & Frank Abel. We exchanged books and just talked about her career and how wonderful life is! What a beautiful spirit, so clear and present she was—delightful in every way! An original founder of the LPGA; 2 Majors, 21 LPGA wins, World Golf Hall of Fame Member. Lived to 4 days shy of 90; what an amazing lady! God Bless Marilyn Smith! John 14:2-3: “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”   (Andy Reistetter, Facebook Post with 1 Pic, 4-9-19)

Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf

TPC Scottsdale World Record 179,022

February 2, 2013 By

The number 179,022 will always be etched in my mind. That’s how many people came out to watch the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday this year. On Saturday, one day alone. It was a record for the tournament and in the history of golf as far as anyone knows.

If you explore the Guinness World Record website there are 82 results for ‘golf’ but no category for the ‘most people to watch a single-day golf event in person.’ There are records for the ‘largest one-day golf tournament,’ the ‘largest golf facility,’ and the ‘most people playing golf walking on a single golf course in 24 hours.’ But none for the largest gallery ever to watch golf in person.

Thunderbird Bob Wasser in position on the 16th tee.

Thunderbird Bob Wasser in position on the 16th tee.

Of course, there is a strong community charity consciousness in the Phoenix-Scottsdale metropolis. The Thunderbirds, hosts of the WMPO, are a charitable organization that has been around since 1937. There is a cadre of sales and marketing professionals associated with TPC Scottsdale golf course, the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament and the PGA TOUR.  The tournament predates even The Masters with its roots in the 1932 Arizona Open and has been contested 74 times since then. Over 80 million dollars has been donated to Arizona charities with 5.5 million coming in 2012 alone.

These folks know what they are doing leveraging a lot of history and tradition. But still, 179,022 golf spectators on one golf course on one day! More than America’s other top sports- baseball, basketball and football. More than a record 115,300 at the Dodgers-Red Sox game in L.A. in 2008; more than a record 108,713 at the N.B.A. All-Star game in Dallas in 2010 and certainly more than can fit in any football stadium in America.

There was never a doubt watching Phil Mickelson open with a 60 this year, then adding rounds of 65-64-67 to win by four strokes for a record-tying third time (with Mark Calcavecchia, Gene Littler and Arnold Palmer). Thursday’s attendance was 79,532, Friday’s at 121,901 with Saturday the peak at 179,022—a total of 525,821 for the week! Amazing!

Other than the golf, the most amazing sight of the week was to stand on a hillside off to the right of the 18th green and see the people flood in beneath an overpass coming from the main entrance. Seas of people, imagine the sidewalks of Manhattan at lunch hour and the entire width of 5th Avenue as well. Non-stop for as long as you wanted to watch.

Where do these people go on an 18-hole golf course that has ample room, certainly no Merion but nonetheless there are 179,022 people! The hospitality areas surrounding the 17th and 18th holes are legendary and swallow up a big chunk of the masses. Then there is the Stadium in golf encompassing the par-3 16th hole. Nearly 20,000 right there.

Tracking board in the media center shows the record 179,022 for Saturday and total of 525,821 for the week!

Tracking board in the media center shows the record 179,022 for Saturday and total of 525,821 for the week!

Coming back to play the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale a few weeks after the tournament on the way to the WGC Accenture Match Play, the wintery wonderland we now know as Dove Mountain, was a real treat. Gone were the 179,022 Saturday patrons yet the majority of the Stadium on the 17th remained.

TPC Scottsdale is an awesome golf course to play in its own right. A Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish design this golf course is fun to play. While it looks hard but plays easier don’t expect to go to a record low 29-under par like Phil did this year or Mark Calcavecchia did in 2001. If you knew what I knew and an opportunity to play TPC Scottsdale comes along you would do what I did. Love Weiskopf’s thinking and his golf design talents! Remember he did win a British Open though his four runner-up finishes at the Masters and comments on Jack Nicklaus do come to mind.

My favorite hole is the short par-4 17th which is 332 yards from the tips and only 254 yards from the whites. I hope you are “playing it forward” like I am these days and having a ton of fun on the golf course. Like Phil I hit it way left off the tee, so far left it stayed dry. Unlike Phil I pitched it up onto the green and 3-putted for bogey. I didn’t shoot 60, in fact I didn’t even shoot 1-under par on any hole. I guess I was too excited from my experience at the tournament. For me on that day the golf course looked hard and played hard too.

It was still cool to tee it up on the 16th with most of the Stadium still surrounding the hole. I thought I could imagine what it would be like doing so during the tournament but honestly I can’t say that I could. It did lead to one charity fund-raising idea. On Saturday let the biggest charity donors tee it up and hit tee shots on the 17th Stadium hole when time allows between the professionals. There is trouble on the water-logged par-5 15th and sometimes there is a gap in play.  What a thrill, what a rush it would be. Sort of a modern day coliseum swing and make contact or be consumed by the thirsty crowd. Even if they can get the club back I doubt anyone will hit it on or even close to the green. TPC and the PGA TOUR new ultimate Stadium Golf experience all for charity!

Everything is BIG at the WMPO even the chairs!

Everything is BIG at the WMPO even the chairs!

There were only 22 people, including Bobby Jones, who saw Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on the par-5 15th in the 1935 Masters. Quite a few more saw Tiger Woods’ ace on the 16th at TPC Scottsdale in 1997. About 20,000 of the 179,022 present saw James Hahn double-bogey the 16th on Saturday. But 20,000 saw him birdie it on Sunday and then dance his way off the green ‘Gangnam Style.’ What excitement at TPC Scottsdale!

http://www.pgatour.com/tourreport/2013/02/05/hahn-s-dance-new-youtube-hit.html

 I have to say I am a big proponent of TPC Sawgrass as the ‘Crown Jewel’ TPC Network of 30 prestigious courses. I live nearby, it is the ‘Home of THE PLAYERS Championship’ and we all know there are four majors but only one PLAYERS. Tiger Woods style this year. But I have to say that maybe TPC Scottsdale, ‘Home of the Largest Galleries in Golf’ is the ‘Western Crown Jewel’ of the TPC Network.  

Play it if you can, soon!

By the way, as far as Guinness records go… the largest one day golf tournament consisted of 1,562 participants at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, on June 25th, 2010, which is also the largest golf facility with twelve 18-hole courses. The greatest number of walking golfers to complete a full round on the same course within 24 hours is 632 and was achieved by The First Tee of Ireland, at Faithlegg Golf Club in Waterford, Ireland in June 2009.

But the number 179,022 will stick in my mind until at least next year. Who knows, maybe 200,000 plus at the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open?

 

This is the 48th edition of Golf Writer Andy Reistetter’s series of “Play-Write” golf travel articles.  

 

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer and a broadcast assistant for the various golf networks. He spends time on all four major American golf tours- the PGA TOUR, Champions, Web.com and LPGA.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Embark on a “Journey to Olympic Golf” with Reistetter in the Fall of 2013 as he travels from St. Louis, Missouri where golf was played in the 1904 Olympics to Rio de Janiero where it will be played again in the 2016 Olympics.

http://www.journeytoolympicgolf.com/

Or read more articles in Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary:

http://andygolftraveldiary.com/

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook or touch base with him by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf, Travel Golf

2013 PGA Show: Outside the Ropes Entertainment!

January 25, 2013 By
Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through our “Outside the Ropes Entertainment” website we will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people we meet, and the adventures we have along the way. Here is our chronicle for Week 4 at the PGA Show in Orlando. Taking a one week break from being out on tour at the Hyundai, Sony and Humana tournaments. We can’t miss the biggest show in golf! Enjoy the game; it’s the game for life!
Photograph:   Bridgett Brennan (standing with microphone), CEO Female Factor and Author of Why She Buys and Stina Sternberg (seated), Global Golf Director and Columnist for Golf Digest teamed up at the 2013 PGA Show to present “How to Grow your Business with Women Golfers.”
What is interesting about Bridgett is that she is a newcomer to golf, seeking instruction for the first time in October 2012. Her expert opinion, supported by industry studies, is that women influence and spend comparably less in golf than other sports. This is occurring even though on paper golf is perfect for them from a lot of perspectives: has finesse versus brute strength as a sport, very social & co-ed, peaceful, natural setting, fashion is great and there are drinks and conversation afterwards. Golf needs to adapt and show women we want their business.
One striking thing occurred at her first lesson, the pro Billy Knilans at Willow Hill tossed her the keys to the golf cart and said let’s go play. Now she was in control, more comfortable and experienced the magic of golf out on the golf course. In a short period of time (remember she lives in Chicago), Bridgett gets golf and loves it because “what it is teaching me” and is locked into constantly improving her game. She wants to come back to the golf course for “more of that feeling.”
Women are natural recruiters of people, pied pipers to recruit family and friends in activities they love to do. Women can help grow the game of golf. It is literally not what golf can do for women but what women can do for golf. Though, unlike the Pied Piper of Hamelin, women in golf will lead us men to a brighter, better future, not doom and gloom.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Bobby Clampett in his Impact Zone booth. Before Merri went to Golf Academy of America a mentor friend of hers had just read Bobby’s book and told her that “he had been teaching golf wrong for 15 years and focusing on all the wrong things and that Bobby’s Impact Zone is the right way.” Andy has assisted Bobby during Masters golf broadcasts and received his first on-air credit from him.
Clampett, a private pilot, is a great guy all the way around and really has two tigers by the tail. With a million dollars in winnings on the Champions Tour in his pocket and golf instructors lining up to be certified in the Impact Zone, the young golfing prodigy is no longer young or a prodigy, he is the real deal today.
Style-based teaching is out of style as there are as many styles as there are golfers and all that matters to the ball and you and me is the Impact Zone. TMI, there is too much information out there and we need to get back to basics if we want to improve in golf. The genesis of Bobby’s Impact Zone is really his work over a 15-year period watching the game’s greats and analyzing their swings via slow motion cameras.
Consider it a “think tank” sort of sabbatical where the realization is that the low point of Tiger’s swing is 4 inches in front of the ball whereas us mere amateurs make contact with the ground or thin a shot on average 2 to 4 inches behind the ball. It’s not complicated, there is no mystery and the golfer, as well as instructors are now empowered to simplify the golf swing.
Bobby Clampett seems surprised as anyone with his dual success though in golf, like life, time after time it is proven that those with the passion and willingness to do the work will over time succeed. We wish Bobby all the success in the world and every golfer to take the opportunity to get it right and easy with the Impact Zone.
 http://bobbyclampett.com/impact-zone/
Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Week 3: Humana Challenge

January 19, 2013 By
Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through our "Outside the Ropes Entertainment" website we will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people we meet, and the adventures we have along the way. Here is our chronicle for Week 3 at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. From the "Big W" at Waialae CC on Oahu to the "Big HUMANA" sign at PGA West in La Quinta, California. Enjoy the game; it's the game for life!
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Question the Pros- Russell Henley

January 18, 2013 By
Who: Russell Henley, PGA TOUR rookie in 2013
When: Thursday, 1/17/13 after his first round 64 at Humana Challenge, After winning last week at the SONY Open at Waialae CC in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Why did Andy ask the question: I saw him win the WGJO on Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass last October (his 3rd Web.com win). He finished 3rd on the Money List to earn his card for 2013. I wanted to know how that win compared to his first win last week on the PGA TOUR. In the follow up question I wanted to know what his experience was on the Stadium Course, was he looking forward to the 2013 PLAYERS and did he like Ponte Vedra?
What was Russell's response (entire response below courtesy of ASAP.com): His win at TPC Sawgrass was a come-from-behind win whereas he was in the lead most of Sunday after being tied after 3 rounds with Scott Langley at the SONY. He won the 2004 SEJT event at TPC Sawgrass at age 15 by shooting a 1-under 71 on the Stadium Course and an even par 72 on Dye's Valley. He likes Ponte Vedra and enjoyed the Blue Angels air show during the week of his WDJO win.    
 Q. Can you talk a little bit about your win on the Dye's Valley at TPC Sawgrass in the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open compared to your win last week?
RUSSELL HENLEY: Sure. In my opinion that's the best course we played, one of the best courses we played throughout the year, in terms of how good a shape it's in, the challenge of the course, I thought that was a very difficult golf course. Long rough, fast, hard greens. So it's the kind of course I like to play.
That week I was second to last group on the last day and I think I was two shots off the lead or something like that. I shot 5-under on the front nine. I think I shot 30 on the front nine. So immediately I was back in contention and just tried to hold it together. 
And I was going into 18 and I thought I was 2-down and I looked at the leader board and when I was walking up to the green and I was 1-down. And knew I had a putt to tie to at least have a chance. And I made it and went to a playoff. 
 
So it was a little more of a come from behind victory in Jacksonville and last week I felt like I had the lead pretty much the whole day. At least I think I did. And just had to hold everybody off.
Q. There's another course there the Stadium Course and the PLAYERS Championship. Can you talk a little bit about competing in that this year and maybe anything, your thoughts about the Ponte Vedra community?
 
RUSSELL HENLEY: I'm excited. Both those golf courses are great. I played the Southeastern Junior Golf Event, Golf Tour event when I was 15 there. You play each one of them one time. And I love both of the courses. Obviously there's a reason there's a lot of guys down there, the practice facility is great and just the area is really nice. 
 
There's a lot to do, close to Jacksonville Beach and Jacksonville. And when I was down there last time I had a lot of fun. Obviously my family was there and that helped a lot, but there's a lot of cool stuff to do. There was an air show and it was a blast down there. So I'm definitely looking forward to going back.
Filed Under: Uncategorized

JTOG Day 96: Play Buzios Golf Club in Brazil

January 14, 2013 By

Back in Rio de Janeiro after an exciting time in Buzios playing the Buzios Golf Club… good CNN interview with Gil Hanse on the Olympic Golf Course… meeting with him tomorrow and touring the golf course… all journeys, especially the “Journey to Olympic Golf” should end at a golf course! Interesting video after Gil’s is Mr. Roberto De Vicenzo… to Orlando on Friday! See you at the PGA Show! (-:   (Facebook Post, Andy Reistetter, 1/15/14)

Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, Journey to Olympic Golf