Hickory Golf — Page 11

Memories of the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013 Masters Tournaments!

April 1, 2013 By admin

Scoreboard at entrance right of first fairway in 2013 Masters.

My first visit to Augusta National and The Masters was on a family pilgrimage via a Hilton Head vacation in 1999. I returned in 2005 as a guest of my dear friend and the renown golf bibliographer Richard E. Donovan (The Game of Golf & the Printed Word). I remember how much I felt at home when Dick and I attended the Golf Writers Association of America dinner honoring Dan Jenkins. Then came tw0 more visits with friends and golfing buddies. Since 2009 I have been present at the Masters for the entire week arriving early and leaving late each day. The Augusta National Golf Club is a very special place and The Masters Tournament is an extraordinary golfing competition. Here are some of my pictures, stories and memories from the last five Masters.

Memories of the 2013 Masters Tournament won by Adam Scott:

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Memories of the 2012 Masters Tournament won by Bubba Watson (1st):

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Memories of the 2011 Masters Tournament won by Charl Schwartzel:

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Memories of the 2010 Masters Tournament won by Phil Mickelson (3rd):

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Memories of the 2009 Masters Tournament won by Angel Cabrera:

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

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

February 18, 2013 By admin

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!

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!

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 18^th 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 5^th 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 17^th and 18^th holes are legendary and swallow up a big chunk of the masses. Then there is the Stadium in golf encompassing the par-3 16^th 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 17^th 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.

My favorite hole is the short par-4 17^th 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 16^th 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 17^th Stadium hole when time allows between the professionals. There is trouble on the water-logged par-5 15^th 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!

There were only 22 people, including Bobby Jones, who saw Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on the par-5 15^th in the 1935 Masters. Quite a few more saw Tiger Woods’ ace on the 16^th at TPC Scottsdale in 1997. About 20,000 of the 179,022 present saw James Hahn double-bogey the 16^th 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 25^th, 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

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

February 6, 2013 By admin

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 16^th 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 16^th hole.

Merri & Andy recap video of our experiences at the 2013 WMPO.

Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

TPC Scottsdale World Record 179,022

February 2, 2013 By admin

Thunderbird Bob Wasser in position on the 16th tee.

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

Everything is BIG at the WMPO even the chairs!

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

Play it if you can, soon!

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 48^th 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 admin

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

2013 Week 2: SONY Open at Waialae CC

January 11, 2013 By admin

Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through their website “Outside the Ropes Entertainment,” they will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people they meet, and the adventures they have along the way. Here is their chronicle at the SONY Open at Waialae CC in Honolulu. Enjoy the game; it’s the game for life!

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World? Do you remember the 1963 epic comedy about a treasure buried “under a big W?” Well that “big W” is right behind the 16^th green at Waialae CC. Kind of like Seinfeld; people either completely get this reference or don’t get it at all. A madcap pursuit of what at Waialae? And by whom? The first place prize of $1,008,000 by 23 of the 30 rookies on tour this year, six of whom have never played in a PGA TOUR event? Or perhaps the treasure to be revealed is Merri & Andy’s new “Outside the Ropes Entertainment” venture. Stay tuned, we have the shovel… it is a FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN adventure!

There are moments of clarity in one’s life. Some profound, some interesting and others just a lot of fun. Or maybe they are known a “WOW” moment for you. So there I was in the men’s room washing my hands. The Golf Channel was playing on a television in the background and I was listening to Rich Lerner’s commentary. He said something like Waialae CC dates back to 1929 and that they still have Vitalis hair tonic in the men’s locker room. I looked over and there it was- Vitalis hair tonic. The Hawaiian Open dates back to 1929 when “Wild Bill” Mehlhorn won one of his 20 PGA TOUR wins.

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Memories of the 2012 US Open at Olympic Club Won by Webb Simpson!

June 15, 2012 By admin

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Memories of the 2012 PLAYERS Championship won by Matt Kuchar!

May 4, 2012 By admin

A Players tradition with the champion Matt Kuchar coming into the Barn to thank the volunteers!

This was one of the all-time great Players with American Matt Kuchar triumphing in a close and competitive competition. Martin Laird and Ian Poulter shot 65 in Round 1 with Kuchar three strokes back. Zach Johnson, Kevin Na and Kuchar led at 8-under at the midway point with the cut coming at even par 144 and another six golfers within two strokes of the lead.

On the weekend Na nudged to a one stroke lead over Kuchar going into Sunday but faltered with a 76 as Kuchar posted a 70 to win by two strokes over four players—Ben Curtis, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson and Martin Laird.

This was a Players to remember meeting so many new friends and seeing old friends too! Over 100 pictures in this gallery to relive the memories of good golf, good friends and good times at TPC Sawgrass, Home of The Players!

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

2011: Dye’s Valley at TPC Sawgrass: Home of the Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open

October 25, 2011 By admin

Golf writer Andy Reistetter lives in the Golf Capital of the World- Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., home of the Nationwide Tour’s Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open on Dye’s Valley for the last two years.

Also, Florida’s First Coast is home to the PGA TOUR, TPC Sawgrass, The Players and the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Reistetter captures the spirit of this year’s tournament in this slideshow. Do you see a familiar face?

Welcome to Dye’s Valley…

Welcome to Dye’s Death Valley II. This is no half sister to the Stadium Course. It is a pure blood “Dye-abolical” designed golf course. You may need some simple “Dye-rections” to find Dye’s Valley, as it is a little more than driver distance from the iconic TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse.

Who Cares About Football Anyway?

Even Jaxson de Ville, the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars mascot, played hooky from work on Monday to catch the Junior Clinic with Nationwide Tour players and then a demonstration by two-time world long drive champion Jamie Sadlowski. Judged by how he hits the golf ball, Jaxson the Jaguar plays better golf than the Jaguars do football.

Winn Dixie Junior Clinic a HUGE Success!

THE best junior clinic I have seen in four years on tour. What made it so? Twelve instruction stations manned by dedicated NWT players (and one Champions player) where the kids got to hit the balls and apply what the professionals where telling them.

Local favorites included Len Mattiace, Frank Lickliter, III, Russell Knox and Champions Tour member and 2005 Players champion Fred Funk. Others giving of their time to promote the game of golf to juniors on a beautiful day were Ron Whittaker, Brendon Todd, James Sacheck, Clayton Rask, Matt Hendrix, Tommy Biershenk, Will Wilcox and Danny Wax.

Fred Funk Knows How to Teach Kids

Fred starts each kid without a club or ball. He works on posture, balance and then body movement, focusing on the triangle between extended arms and shoulders. He gives them a club and works on grip and rehearsing the swing without a ball. Then, he tees up a ball for them, and voila, the ball gets in the way of a good swing!

Son Taylor is a sophomore golfer on the local Ponte Vedra Sharks team which just won the district championship. Next up is the regions, and then hopefully, the state finals.

Jamie Sadlowski Hits it a Long Ways

Sadlowski (in black shirt) tries to “hit it as far as humanly possible.”

He says it’s easy. “Just count to eight seconds before it lands.”

Jamie readily admits being 23 helps! Hey, maybe Dye’s Valley is less than a driver from the Clubhouse. Note that Jaxson Jaguar dude taking notes…he’s a golfer dude for sure. Also note the number of Nationwide Tour players that hung around to watch and perhaps pick up a tip or two.

Guinness Book of World Records: TPC Sawgrass Stages World’s Largest Pro-Am

Not sure how accurate that is, but it is the largest pro-am on the world’s largest tour, so doesn’t that make it so?

Think about it: Two courses, morning and afternoon shotguns, five-hour rounds, 10 hours of daylight (OK, 12 hours) and over 400 golfers. Head professional Matt Borocz and his team should be coordinating the handling of all luggage at our nation’s airports. Takeoffs and landings too! WOW factor to the 18th degree.

Look Who’s Back in Town

… and playing the stadium course before his concert Wednesday evening: Florida’s own Jake Owen! Owen wanted to be a professional golfer, winning his first tournament at age 15. He went to Florida State University.

A wakeboarding accident and ensuing reconstructive surgery ended his golfing career.

The Stage is Set

… and fans of Jake Owen are getting settled in on the back lawn of the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse for an evening of great fun and good music.

Inside the Truck

Golf Channel’s Karel Schliksbier gives the local Ponte Vedra Sharks high school golf team a tour of the behind-the-scenes action in golf broadcasting. With more than one ball in play at the same time and 18 fields of play, broadcasting golf is one of the more demanding of all sports.

Inside Another Truck…

Golf Channel Producer Keith Hirshland (black shirt of left) is the storyteller during the broadcast. Ponte Vedra Sharks Hanks Massey (yellow shirt in center) and Jack Bishop (red shirt with black vest on right) survey the activity in the main truck.

Get the Picture?

Golf Channel cameraman Randy saddles Hanks with a HD lite 25-pound camera. Try carrying running around with that on your shoulder all day with two hip replacements! Being a remote cameraman on the ground is not an easy job!

The Planters Peanut Mobile Came to Dye’s Valley…

But who is inside?

Well, It’s Mr. Peanut Planters!

(With volunteer Shelley)

We see this guy swim really fast in commercials. In Dye’s Valley, he not only parts the water really fast, but he walks on water as well. Did you catch him in the water at No. 9 and 13 on TV?

The Volunteers Are the Heart of Any Tournament on the PGA Tour

This is volunteer Kathy Hodges. She has more flair than Jennifer Aniston in the movie Office Space.

Sometime it Hurts To Be a Volunteer

Ask Sheila on the 15th hole, who got hit by an errant drive of Luke List. Peter Lynch, president and CEO of tournament sponsor Winn Dixie, happened to be driving by and went to get some ice for her shoulder. Note the ice back is a plastic glove, which I guess is the ultimate helping hand.

Team Tim Finchem?

NOT. Team Tim Wilkinson. The black shirts are for the Kiwi’s favorite rugby team that recently won the world cup. The silver fern only grows in New Zealand. Go TTW!

I Will Have a Jacksonville Double!

Winning caddie and local resident Michael Carrick (no, Stevie Williams does not win every event) has won the Jacksonville Double! On the bag with Tom Kite when he won The Players in 1989, Carrick is the only one to have won both of Jacksonville’s professional golf tournaments.

Charity Wins at TPC Sawgrass

Whether is it The Players with a record $5.9 million or the Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open with a strong $1.8 million, charity in the Northeast Florida and Jacksonville area wins. Champion Galvin Coles more than “stopped by” the volunteer’s party Sunday evening…he “came and stayed” to the delight of all the volunteers and Yours Truly! What an outstanding event: the 2011 Winn Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by PLANTERS.

Dye’s Valley…

TPC Sawgrass, Winn Dixie, PLANTERS, the Nationwide Tour…Dye’s Valley…it all seems to be truly “Dye-licious.”

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a spotter, research and broadcast assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. He spends time on all four major American golf tours- the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA Tour headquarters and 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. He can be reached by e-mailing him at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

October 2011: TPC Sawgrass: Home of High School Golf & PV Sharks!

October 8, 2011 By admin

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter lives in the golf capital of the world—Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida—home of the PGA TOUR, TPC Sawgrass and THE PLAYERS, with the World Golf Hall of Fame nearby in St. Augustine. A big supporter of amateur golf, Andy was excited to recently catch his first high school match of the local Ponte Vedra Sharks. Let him take you back to high school in this article. Recall and “en joie” the innocence and fun of life and golf at that time in our lives…

Freshman Kevin Slayden with Lauden Golf’s Banana Hybrid.

TPC Sawgrass: Home of the PLAYERS, where guys like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods triumph on Pete Dye’s Stadium Course.

Guys like K.J. Choi and Sergio Garcia come through in the clutch to win a major-like tournament that can be a springboard in their careers.

Guys like Paul Goydos and David Toms lose in the clutch but come back the next week to win, or later go out and shoot a 59 on tour.

The Stadium Course is also home to the collegiate Jacksonville Invitational in late January, hosted by local golfer and 1988 PLAYERS Champion Mark McCumber.

Not too long ago, Galvin Hall went out and shot a 64 on his 17th birthday on Pete Dye’s Valley Course. The next day he conquered the Stadium Course, with its world famous par-3 17th to win the Jr. PLAYERS.

In a few weeks, the Nationwide Tour will come back to TPC Sawgrass and Pete Dye’s Valley Course in the second rendition of the Winn Dixie Open.

Strategically placed the week before the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island, the road to a top-25 finish and the 2012 PGA Tour comes right through the backyard of the PGA TOUR headquarters here at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

But wait… high school golf on Pete Dye’s Valley Course?

What is that, and how does that tie into the world of golf?

When I was getting ready for high-school golf, my older brother “LP” (for Lawrence Peter) did a remarkable thing for me.

He gave me a book—Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

Not remarkable? You are right.

What was remarkable was that he inscribed it with the following written words…

“Golf is a lot like life, the more you learn and understand about it, the easier it is to meet its challenges.”

Maybe that is why watching and supporting high-school golf is such a remarkable thing to do?

No matter the scores or the players, you will see it all.

The drama, the ups and downs and the storylines of emerging golfers and developing citizens of the world, not just the world of golf.

The day I watched was the day the Ponte Vedra Sharks hosted the Panthers of Palatka and the Yellow Jackets of St. Augustine.

The Sharks scored 149 and easily defeated the Panthers and Yellow Jackets.

Evidently, sharks are as fierce on land as in the sea and somehow can de-buzz the terrors of the air as well.

Palatka’s Michael Farley (L) and Ponte Vedra’s Anthony Scolapio (C) with St. Augustine golfer (R).

Scoring for the Sharks were co-medalists senior Marcus Plunkett and junior Anthony Scolapio (even par 36s), along with junior Chase Berlin (38) and sophomore Jack Bishop (39).

Their average score was 37, one over par on a course set up for the upcoming Nationwide Tour event.

As one opposing coach put it, “This is more golf course than we can handle.”

But that is not the story here.

I was a Panther and Yellow Jacket combined when I was in high school.

It was a big deal for this kid from the Ely Park, Binghamton, New York, municipal course to go over to Endicott and play the Union Endicott Tigers.

Their home course was En Joie Golf Course, home to the PGA Tour’s B.C. Open and now the Champion’s Tour Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

En Joie’s slogan is “Play where the pros play.”

Sadly, I never played quite as well as a pro, but in a Section IV Championship at En Joie I did finish only five or six strokes behind Joey Sindelar and Mike Hulbert.

What is the story here?

Play golf and live life to the fullest!

The camaraderie of high school teams is exceptional.

They have fun with golf and life.

As Sharks’ coach Pete Molinaro puts it, “Individually they are competitive but they all like each other and cheer for their teammates.”

No wonder, because the coach is out there on the final green along with the boys congratulating each person as they finish… no matter what the score.

Parents and spectators look on as a school of sharks come off the 18th green.

Here’s the story lines I saw that day…

To know why the kids have so much fun, one needs only look to the supportive parents…

Mrs. Berlin is the snack lady extraordinaire for the day, driving a golf cart around with water, soda and treats for all days before Halloween.

Mother Nicole is the team mom, an amazing organizer, ensuring every parent gets a chance to drive the snack cart. She is also the team photographer.

Mother Elizabeth does scoring and communicates the results to the local newspapers.

But the kids—the kids are really cool.

Ponte Vedra Sharks junior Andrew Ullman and senior Tommy Anderson.

Junior Andrew Ullmann and senior Tommy Anderson were the first golfers that day.

At first, I thought Andrew had an exceptionally tough day out on the links because his team uniform was a bit tarnished and he looked a bit disheveled.

Turns out it was “Spirit Week” at school, with football homecoming on Friday night, and the appearance I saw was merely face-painting gone body- and clothes-painting as well.

As a testament to the course setup (that is. the rough being grown in for the Nationwide event), Andrew lost two golf balls. Balls he hit only a few feet off the fairways of the Valley.

Remarkably, he shot a 2-over 38 playing by the rules of golf.

One lost ball became a double bogey, the other only a bogey, which would have been a mulligan par and birdie to most social golfers.

Andrew, the birdie warrior!

Freshman Matthew Plunkett, known as “Little Matteo,” stands out for his tall, lanky build and almost knee-high white socks.

Reminds me a bit of myself at that age, sans my black shoes. It is Ponte Vedra Beach, after all.

“Little” must only refer to being Marcus’ younger brother.

Freshman Matthew Plunkett with “Amazing Grace” after draining a 50-footer on the 18th green.

Matteo drained a 50-footer with a belly putter for bogey on the 18th to card a 41.

The Name of Matteo’s belly putter?

“Amazing Grace.” An F-22-LONG prototype design by Bobby Grace.

Belly putters in high school?

Okay, 25-year-old Keegan Bradley started it by winning the PGA Championship with a belly putter.

Having seen Keegan win in Atlanta, I had just returned from the Tour Championship at East Lake.

I had Phil Mickelson’s group on Sunday and watched him struggle with the belly putter all day.

Phil—give it up.

Keegan, Matteo—keep it going!

Freshman Kevin Slayden navigated the rough with a special locally designed club by Jim Laudenslager of Lauden Golf.

The name?

Banana!

With a palm tree logo, though maybe that is a banana tree… not sure, new to Florida.

But the best story line came from Palatka’s junior Michael Farley, who described his experience on the tough Valley course with a series of hand gestures and a simple three-step story.

With hands outstretched to shoulder width, he began by noting the fairways were narrow… narrowing the separation of his hands to about the width of his nose.

Secondly, he pointed out with his hands outstretched over his head like he was commanding the pilot of a 747 on how to taxi his aircraft to a stop… the rough was UP, way UP!

Finally, with a hand gesture reminiscent of Jackie Gleason’s “away we go” and adding a verbal “swish,” the greens were FAST!

While one cannot predict whether or not one of these kids will go on to play golf on the PGA Tour, I would place a bet that one Michael Farley will become a great entertainer one day.

His is a good-natured, funny kid!

Living life large, isn’t that what it is about?

Other playing students of the shark school include senior David Novakoski, sophomore Taylor Funk and freshman Hanks Massey.

The Sharks are currently 10-2.

Maybe these storylines and others will comprise a book to be written someday: The Five Modern Fundamentals of Life.

TPC Sawgrass: Home of high-school golf.

Why not go out and support high-school golf at your local golf course?

Have the time of your life!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Spotter, Researcher and Broadcast Assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. He spends time on all four major American golf tours—the PGA Tour, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA Tour headquarters and 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. He can be reached through his website Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary or by e-mailing him at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

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

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