Things I Miss In Golf

thebestingolf — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:53:00 +0000

If you are old enough to remember “The Baffler” then you are old enough to remember the following:

The redolence of the locker room and no I don’t mean sweaty socks. There used to be a combination of Old Spice, shoe polish, and fresh cut grass that I just miss. The last time I smelled it was at Latrobe CC last summer.

The Shagbag- there was a time before driving ranges (now they’re called practice facilities and take up more acreage than a high school) when we would go over to the side and practice with our shag balls. They were yellowed with age or had a “smile” in them, but they worked just fine. Hell, today’s golfer has never even seen a smile in a golf ball let alone a shagbag…what a shame.

The Long Lunch at the Club

The 9-hole golf league- guys on Mondays, gals on Tuesdays, couples on Fridays, and kids on Saturdays. Want to know why golf is hurting? Look no further.

Spikes- I don’t miss the pockmarks between me and the 4-footer to halve a match….but man I miss with a passion the sound spikes made on the pavement when you walked from the parking lot to the starter’s shack.

Dave Marr saying anything…but mostly “man he’s a tough dog to keep under the porch”

Things To Do Before You’re A Loose Impediment Part I

thebestingolf — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:30:00 +0000

Last week I did something you need to do.

Blair and I were guests of Golf Digest for the US Open. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and headed for Oakmont. The majesty of this golf course is well chronicled…and should be.

What a sight this monster is from the top of the hill looking down on numbers 2, 3, and 4.

Unfortunately the skies opened up as soon as we acquired our first cocktail so we were forced to sit in the air conditioned open bar for a couple of hours before it cleared…brutal I know.

We had a great couple of days hanging with our buds Meg, Jen, Tom, and Jim.

Our hospitality passes were waaaaaay too good for us to see much of the golf course Friday. We did amble out into the mayhem at about 2:00 but once we hit the wall of true golf fans, we made a hasty retreat back to the safety of the tent and it’s 100 TVs…”Sea Breeze here please”

But the indisputable highlight of the trip was a round at Latrobe CC complete with a King sighting.

As all Best In Golf readers know Arnold Palmer grew up on these fairways and greens…and mowed both I’m sure.

The sense of history for a golf fan is as strong as the 11th at Charleston CC. I’ll probably need a few more shots at it before I could play AP…he knows the course pretty well.

We were welcomed by Jerry Palmer (pictured) with a warm smile and firm handshake telling us how happy he was we were there…was he kidding?

It was obvious from his likeness to his brother as well as his friendly, unforced, known you for years demeanor that this was a man educated by the same Dad as The King himself.

I didn’t expect much of the golf course. After all this is a working man’s club where the local dry cleaner, car dealer, and podiatrist throw in 10 bucks on Saturday morning and play for it…dollar trash, two dollar birdies…not a fancy place.

But what followed was a really good, borderline better than that, mountain course with big elevation changes, old trees, and enough Rolling Rock at the halfway house for the entire town to come knock back a couple.

You get the feeling in the cozy grill room where an Arnie sighting is not just common but almost guaranteed…that they have many times.

That day Tim Finchem and a bunch of very important looking cats were enjoying their grill cheeses at what must have been his regular table. What was discussed? Who knows but it looked awfully social.

We just sipped our Bloody Marys and stared…or Blair stared, I didn’t.

Latrobe CC is a throwback, the fact Arnold Palmer learned to play here and still lives across the street is a bonus.

Get there if you can for a Best in Golf day.

The Best In Golf » Palmer

Things I Miss In Golf

Things To Do Before You’re A Loose Impediment Part I