The Best In Golf

Entries categorized as ‘Friends’

10 People (Or So) Who Won’t Win The U.S. Open

June 11, 2009 · 3 Comments

gesIt’s that time of year again.  With the U.S. Open next week at Bethpage Black…can’t wait… with all due respect to the great and near-great golf scribes in the world, here is B.I.G.s version of 10 (Or So) People Who Won’t Win the Open:

1.  Blair “Wee Man” Leburn- although he has the prodigious length necessary to hit the par fours in two, his other nickname of “nice drive” should be explanation enough on why he would struggle in this most revered championship…plus he’s a fuzzy foreigner

2.  Ed “let’s all paint our faces camo and get a cocktail” Butler-  stopped at security for his Glock 9 to which he replied “What’s your problem?  Never seen a handgun in a shoebag before?”

3.  Michael “Did I tell you how good I hit the ball yesterday?” Scott- always played great the day before which is problematic in a 72-hole event

4.  Ed “where is it, where is it, I can’t see that far” Hardee- just had his bad eye rebuilt which is a shame for those of us who love to tell him his shot went in the water when it’s really pin high 10 feet

 5. “Touchdown”  Tom Bair- all set to head to qualifying but stopped by police for the combination of a strong odor from the bag of Whattaburgers in his travel bag  and the silver golf shoes he was wearing to the airport

6.   Tom “Lanky” Pashley- qualified for several USGA events but will only play those held at Pinehurst #2.  Just doesn’t understand why they don’t just move the Masters to The Deuce

7. Matt “Matty G” Ginella-  too busy working on The Matty G Project- tracking down (stalking) the prettiest cart girls in golf and blogging about it.

8. Patrice Hardee- got the short game but not tall enough to see over the back tees at The Black

9. Mike “The Old Pro” Harmon- liberal Yankee press don’t take kindly to his rants on how if global warming was true how come the greens don’t come back ’til May and he can’t cut that 1-iron like he used to?

10.    Laura ” waive the bleed and you’re over” Sequenzia- backed out of special exemption when told nearest decent Tapas bar over an hour away

11.  John “what’s our tee time tomorow?” Rusher- has completed the Grand Slam numerous times.  Author of the bestseller “How to Attend All Four Majors and The Ryder Cup on $5 a Day.”

12. Jim “Tiger” Woodring- in a spring cleaning frenzy got rid of all but 22 pairs of his golf shoes…not sure that would last the week

13. Marion “The Governor” Moore- a true contender but Open is same weekend as Carolina Dixie 4-ball Senior Team Championship…playing in Walterboro this year, Thatababy!!!

14.  John “another seabreeze if you pleeze” Corder- finds the 6-hour round a little too quick for his taste…just kiddin’ Boogalee.

So, there you have it.  Everybody wants to tell you who will win the Open but only Best In Golf tackles the tough issues.  Cheers and see you on the couch.

Categories: Friends · US Open

Friendship Cup Report

March 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment

sancI don’t care about A-Rod, Manny, or The Jonas Brothers…I don’t care about T.O. or Chris Brown…in fact I don’t even know who the Jonas Brothers are. 

What I do know is a first class buddy trip when I see one and there is just no better than The Friendship Cup held at Kiawah Island last week.

What makes a great buddy trip?  It starts of course with the golf…how about The Ocean Course with a caddie?  It continues with a good place to sanstay…the five-star Sanctuary is pretty good…but the most important part are the friends. 

Here are a few of the teams:

Tom Bair and Blair Leburn- these two are not really here for the golf.  Last year I went down to their room to find them toes up watching the match play with the entire contents of the mini-bar dumped out on the bed.  That was a pricey afternoon.  They played great together this year and probably would have placed really high except for the rogue snowstorm that moved through the whole east coast sending a good part of the field scrambling for home before the last round.

Marty Hackel and Matt Ginella – Mr. Style and Matty G. struggled a tad on the Ocean but that’s nothing to be ashamed of.  They led the league in laughs on the patio outside the great new clubhouse though, and that’s what really matters after all.

Leon Leggett and Andy Groves- Andy told Leon at dinner Saturday that he couldn’t carry him up the stairs and all day on the golf course…ouch.  These two won a skin, a closest to the pin, and drank 48 and 51 Blueberry Vodka and Lemonades respectively ( and respectfully for that matter)…the true winners.

Geoff Russell and Tom Nolan- the Editor and Publisher of the greatest little magazine in show business, Golf World, were on form and ready to strike again as champions before the aforementioned snow hurricane hit.

The other really cool part of this event is the option to bring your wife.  I can tell you from experience the Spa takes away all worries of calling home when the kids are in the bathtub, the phone is ringing, the chicken nuggets are burning, and you just had a steak and a bottle of sporty Cabernet for dinner. 

This is the third “Cup” and according to tournament founder and all-around Ayotollah-in-chief  Tom Bewley, golf’s 5th Major.  The scores might argue this point a little…except for the (cough) net 59 posted on the Ocean Course in the wind and rain…oh well sandbaggers are great travellers what can you say?

Hope you will put the Friendship Cup on your calendar next year…it’s a Best In Golf.

Categories: Friends · Hotels · Kiawah

Just Hangin’ Around

February 14, 2009 · 3 Comments

cameroncrazies11Nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for what I witnessed Wednesday night inside the Cameron Arena at Duke University.

I don’t have to tell you the Duke/UNC rivalry is maybe the biggest in sports, college or professional.  I’ve been to Packers-Bears, Notre Dame-USC, Cubs-Cardinals,  and they all looked like a Girl Scout cookie sale next to this madness…but more on that in a minute.

I was on this trip, then off, then on, off, and finally, thankfully on.  I was  third alternate and that might be pushing it.  My stock rose and fell as the days approached but that’s OK…I made the cut in the end.  After all, how many Majors have been won by someone “just hangin’ around?”  And this was a Major.

Now regular followers of  B.I.G. know what a  lucky cuss I am when it comes to playing golf and hanging at good spots…no doubt about that.  And I know it’s luck, not deserved.  But what I am about to describe to you, at The Pinehurst Resort and surroundings,  may go down as the Best 24 Hours In Golf…and I’ll be brief in fear that when you read about this I might lose you forever.

It started with dinner at The Magnolia Inn, a creeky old tavern in the Village of Pinehurst with two great pals…a couple hours on the porch outside the recently ruined, I meant renovated, Ryder Cup Lounge and off to bed.  Then the fun began.

Next morning it was biscuits and gravy followed by golf on course  #4, Tom Fazio’s terrific rewind of a D. Ross underachiever. 

We met at 5:00 and motored north for an hour or so to Durham, NC, home to the Duke Blue Devils, Coach K, about 100 banners hanging from the rafters, and last but not least The Cameron Crazies.  These  are the students and they are all painted blue…and I mean they are ALL painted blue.  They never sit or stop chanting in one very loud voice from before tip off until the end of the game. 

Some of it is a little unseemly, like when they repeat the announcers introduction of a Tarheels player with a “you suck,” but the rest is just good college mayhem.

PA Announcer:  “Welcome 5-11 guard, from Clinton Maryland, number five…Tyyyyyyyy Lawson”

Cameron Crazies:  ”Ty Lawson, you suck!!!”  Guess you don’t really need to hear the rest of the roster.

Our fourth was none other than author Jim Dodson (I won’t call him golf writer because his subjects are much more diverse than that) which was a true treat for me.  I’ve read almost all his books on golf from Final Rounds, to Hogan (best Hogan biography by a lot in my humble opinion), to his latest,  A Son of  The Game…this is a good one that I’ll post more about when I’m finished.  You’re going to want this book either as a Dad, for your Dad, or just if you really like good golf writing.  It comes out just before Father’s Day, trust me.

It’s 80 degrees and 90% humidity in the arena…everyone looks like they’ve had a shower at the end of the night.645dcazuormfcadfezelca6l5p7wcane0l66camfaxkica8bubvkcacsxluzcauwp3fqca970kflcalv3rc0cau1uuescakmu4lsca1gvcrrca5xnxyacatqqg8tca0mf61tca8p5bwacackk7xocaei9fwb1  Krzyzewski on one bench, Roy Williams on the other, not 20 feet from each other…an unholy place…and something I’ll never forget.

Then the trip turned back to golf on B.I.G. personal fave, and home of the Best Par Four to Ruin a Round Early, the #2 course at Pinehurst.  The last time I  was here was at a very high quality road trip to the 2008 US Amateur, watching eventual champion Danny Lee treat the Deuce with the utmost disrespect…birdieing half the holes and showing enough fear to fill a small grape. 

Along for the walk were great friends and customers Jeff Fiorini and Wright Chandler from GolfPride.  We had a match under a sky that North Carolina fans would say proves God’s loyalty to the Heels…just as blue as it could be.

After my good partner and I lost the first two holes to the Grip Boys it looked bad…actually it looked a little like a handicap miscalculation…but we won the third and no one was more than one-up until we lost the match and 10 bucks on 18…money well spent to say the least.

Our caddies were great as usual and included Hall of Famer Eddie Mac, who spends the same amount of time talking about the  latest poetry he’s reading as he does 10-footers for bogey.  He likes to hear what you think the putt will do before he expresses his opinion and even has his own unique way of doing this. 

“What say you knave?” is a typical Eddie Mac question…now I ask you who says knave?

That’s it for now and maybe forever for the reason listed above…I hope this happens to you some day, I really do…now what say you knave?

Categories: Amateurs · Caddies · Courses · Friends · Pinehurst · Travel

New Year’s Day 2009

January 1, 2009 · 5 Comments

bp

Big Pine Gets Wet

What better way to ring in the New Year than jumping into 55 degree water and jumping out into 45 degree air?  Doing it with great friends and family, that’s what.

We had the brilliant idea we needed our own personal Polar Bear Plunge so there it was.  Not being able to breathe for a minute or two is a great way to put things in a little perspective.  Not being one to really buy into the New Year’s resolution silliness, today made me think of a few things I’m going to try in 2009. 

1.  I’m going to stop making fun of the belly putter.  If I used one I’d probably stop shooting 82 in every single %$#*@ round I play.

january_1st_2009_007

Son Michael says "BURRR"

2.   I’m not going to smoke anymore

3.  I’m going to accept more invitations to play golf and not worry about the work so much

4.  I’m going to take my kids fishing a lot

5.  I’m going to learn how to cook…really cook

6.  I’m going to go to mass every now and then

7. I’m going to catch a bonefish on a flyrod

churchsignOK, that’s all I have for now.

I can only hope you have the wife, family, friends, and business partners I do…if so then we are both truly blessed. 

Cheers and I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Categories: Friends

The Most Underated Things In Golf- Part IX

November 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment

fall

I hope some day you have the chance to play the Donald Ross gem just refurbished in Charlotte, NC as I did this week.  Charlotte CC, home of the Best Fried Oysters In Golf, is one of the greats…and a place for one of the Most Underrated Things In Golf.

Fall golf is without a doubt one of the true small pleasures in life.  Teeing off at nearly 2:00 allows for a late twilight finish which comes with it’s own special bonus…it’s already cocktail time!

My friend John “Isn’t it Wunnerful?” Corder hosted us for this walk in the park with two superb caddies, Dave and Box Car…the latter got his name when he used to ride the rails to work and one day the train was moving too fast for him to jump off at the construction site where he was working…so he had to ride it to the end and walk back the 30 miles…good Sherpa lore.

 

I remember working at the golf course as a kid in the fall with the smells of burning leaves in the air…stealing a three hole loop before dinner and riding my bike home in the dark.  No way I’d let my kids do that but that’s another story for another day.

 

But the fall is a time for some of the best things in life.  We move too fast, especcially in these times, to really enjoy them.  Football, Thanksgiving, fireplaces, and maybe the best of all…golf. 

Categories: Caddies · Courses · Food · Friends · Underrated

The Best Gift In Golf

October 26, 2008 · 2 Comments

This may not look like the Best Gift In Golf…but let me tell you about it and you decide.

My twelve year old friend Gage gave it to me.  It’s a bag of golf balls he collected during a recent community service project his Boy Scout troop took part in.  He and several other boys were charged with cleaning up an area, picking up trash and the like in an area next to a public golf course. 

He picked up the balls, took them home to wash them, and put them in a Ziploc bag for me.  We met each other in Cub Scouts.

Gage is an interesting kid.  He’s not very big and looks like he might sit on the sidelines because of it…not quite his style.  He goes on every hike, camp, and service activity.  Nobody has helped the adult leaders more or shown more enthusiasm than Gage. 

He’s a Boy Scout in every positive sense of the word.  I told him once I would wear a tuxedo to his Eagle Scout Court of Honor if he got there, the ceremony where Scouts are awarded the highest rank achievable.  I will…and so will he.

So I have eight new golf balls.  A Callaway, two Titleists, a Nike, a Dunlop, and three that have no markings at all. 

Best Gift In Golf?  What do you think?

Categories: Friends

The Most Underrated Things In Golf Part VIII- Night Chipping

August 23, 2008 · 1 Comment

I’ve posted about Pine Needles before.  It is without a doubt one of the most underrated golf courses and golf experiences in the country.

For a variety of reasons it’s not on the short list of avid golfers looking for a high quality vacation but it should be. This week we played Pine Needles during the National Amateur held a few thousand pine cones down the road over at The Amazing Deuce…Pinehurst #2…a little on that in a minute.

“Buddy Trips” as they’ve been coined, are among the most sacred events in  the game.  It doesn’t take much to make one a success.  The elements are good friends, good or great golf, a nice but not too nice place to stay, and a little beer.  But the best part was none of the above.  The thing that made this 36 hours The Best In Golf was, you guessed it, night chipping.

Since we were staying next to 18 green the lure was too great.  We had to hit a few lobs in the dark, not quite sure where the flag was…then again who cares about that anyway.  I’m pretty sure I lost. 

Then over to the US Amateur for a couple hours.  If you ever want to have a great getaway, find a golf course near the Am to play, then go watch college kids hit it miles and putt 13.5 greens with all the fear of a US Marine.

The fun part is you get to do all of this from the middle of the fairway.  It takes a hole or two to get used to this…big major chamoionships are supposed to be mob scenes, with all the intimacy of a fall Saturday at Death Valley…but not here.  These amateur championships have got to be the last best secret in the game.

Strolling up a perfect fairway behind two great golfers is a treat…take it from me.  And the best part?  You don’t have to ruin the experience by playing.

Categories: Amateurs · Courses · Friends · Travel · Underrated

I Can Hear Jim McKay

August 15, 2008 · Leave a Comment

The Thrill of Victory…

This is part of an e-mail I received from my former friend Michael Scott regarding the most stunning come from behind victory in his annual Majors Pool:

From Michael:

“Once again we have an amazing comeback in the Majors Pool.

I give you your new champion, Rick Hall. Rick was in 43rd place after the US Open. Good thing we don’t have a 2-round cut. He was 16th after the Open Championship. He closed the deal yesterday.

Rick is one of the funniest people I know. He is the self-proclaimed “Health and Fashion Editor” for Golf Digest (He’s not, but for those who know the story, it’s awesome).

He’s proprietor of the incredibly funny, well-written “Best In Golf” Blog. His day job is Golf Digest’s major league ad rep in the Southeast. First ballot hall of fame player.

And he knows how to finish. Unlike Sergio.

Thanks to everyone for playing (and paying).”

Michael Scott

Then today…The Agony of Defeat Phone Call!

Michael: “Hey bro, remember who won the ’68 Masters?”

Me: “Uh, Bob Goalby?”

Michael: “Exactly, and do you know who won the 2008 Majors Pool?”

Me: “Not me?”

Michael: “Exactly again!  There was a slight accounting error and you finished 43rd…but can’t wait to have you back next year”

Me: “Ouch”

Categories: British Open · Friends

Boys On Tour-Porter

June 1, 2008 · 2 Comments

“When ya goin‘ ta’ Scatland?
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So came the question from Jim Porter in his grew-up- in -Minnnnesooota accent…or his other nickname, Slap…short for Slappy Mittens.

Since this is a quasi- family friendly BLOG you’ll just have to call me for that explanation.

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“Tuesday”, which is the day the trip started, was my reply.
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“Let’s go the Friday before, see the sights, hang out.”
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“Can’t do it Slap…family you know?”
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“OK, no problem, I’ll go by myself”, which he did.

If there is one guy on a buddy trip you can’t do without it’s this cat. After a thorough review it’s my conclusion Porter was responsible for 70% of the laughs during our recent invasion of the home of the ancient game.

He descended on a good Pink Elephant brother four days before the rest of us arrived and drank and slept his way through Edinburgh.

Mark, Fiona (R), and Sarah (L) took good care of him as you can see here and delivered him to us on time and just slightly damaged.

I walked him home one night after he let out the 2nd F-Bomb in a room full of grannies.
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He’s loud, obnoxious, inappropriate, and has no filter between brain and mouth…and we need him.

Categories: Friends

Boys On Tour Scotland Edition

May 29, 2008 · Leave a Comment

There are two things I am sure of about Scotland. The bad weather is a lie. I’ve been twice for a total of 16 days and have never reached for the Gore-Tex. The first time was in July and the average daily high was 80 which made the average daily low in the non air conditioned hotel 84.
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The other thing I’m positive of is the beer tastes better than here…a lot better.
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This go ’round, for the first three days, we were in The Land of Black Faced Sheep and Single Malt Whiskey, north of Juno and Moscow in the Highlands region of this great golf country.
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The “we” this time were eight members of the Blue Elephant Golfing Society (B.E.G.S.) headed to Scotland to play golf and drink lager until we a) ran out of money or b) fell over from exhaustion.
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Our primary purpose was to play a match with the soon to be 50 year-old organization which holds our charter, The Pink Elephant Golfing Society (P.E.G.S.). That didn’t work out so well for our side due to several questionable handicaps on the other side…most notably John Morrison’s 8…but I digress.
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Days 1 & 2
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Two golf courses that should be on your Things To Do Before You’re a Loose Impediment list are within an hour of each other. They are Nairn GC and Royal Dornoch. Our first day was spent at Nairn in weather that felt more like Florida in March than Scotland in May…sunny with just a slight breeze.
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Nairn sits hard by the Moray Firth, a lovely little water hazard connected to the North Sea. It’s generally gray and kicked up but this day it was blue and calm. The gorse, normally a Titleist swallower and the quick death of every golfer, blooms bright yellow every spring and we hit it at its peak…a little like the azaleas at Augusta in early April.
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We started the day at Nairn Dunbar which might be termed the muni in town but that’s no dig…it was really good and very difficult. We met some really nice people…like these two ladies who asked “if they could pick up a man” from our group.
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We were afraid they would hold us up…the reality was we saw them on the first tee and not again until the bar…where they were already eating lunch. Women are slow…right.
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We had dinner with our hosts at Nairn GC and it just happened to be the night of the Chelsea/Manchester United soccer final. This is kind of like stumbling into a bar in Boston during game 6 of the World Series…only louder.
A pool was going around the room. We all threw in our 2 quid for a chance to win 50. Of course the winner came from our group which the members thought was hilarious…since most of our guys thought football was played on Saturday in Athens and Clemson…here’s Leon with his take.
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The next day we rode up to Dornoch where we got our only real taste of Scottish weather all week. The boys were scrambling to the pro shop for a stocking cap or two but the day turned out perfect.

Dornoch is a magic golf course laid out by Old Tom himself. This place would be on the British Open rota in a heartbeat if it wasn’t driver driver from the middle of nowhere. The fun part, other than all the doubles, is being where Donald Ross grew up and seeing the inspiration for Seminole, Oakland Hills, and Pinehurst #2…just great and the consensus favorite for the week.

Dinner that night at our usual 9:00, a cocktail or three, and nighty-night.

Next Up : Doon The Coost To Troon and The Match With The Pinks

Categories: Courses · Friends