The Best In Golf

After three weeks of swinging my weighted club, watching what I eat, and dreaming of Royal Dornoch, I hit a real golf shot today.

It was a  6-iron on the par- 3 fifth at Cassique on Kiawah Island, SC.  What makes it cool is, depending on the previous hole,  you either play a ball busting uphill par 3 or a downhill easy one shotter where most of the holes-in-one in the county are made.

Ours today was the more difficult of the two.  My shot wasn’t close…Mark E. Mark hit it a lot closer and made birdie…but my shot was as good as I’ve hit it in months.  The road is long but I think I can make it.

This space has been dedicated to  the “Old Pro” before.  He defines the profession.  I knew that 15 years ago when our paths first crossed but last week he made par from the parking lot.

If you read my previous post on how, after a lifelong love affair with the ancient game, I found myself shooting 90 and caring zero.    It’s not that I stopped liking golf…no it was much worse than that,  I couldn’t care less.

Fast forward a few days and I’m on my way to the PGA Show in Orlando.  I’m just about to Jacksonville when the phone rings.

“Ricky, It’s your Pro.”  Not it’s Mike, but “Your Pro.”

Proey, what’s shakin?”

“What’s shakin’ is I read your BLOG and I need to see you”

“Love to see you Pro, what’s up?”

“If you’ve lost it for golf then that’s my business…I am your Golf Doctor and I want to see you, dig?”

So here it was.  Mike Harmon, the Old Pro, loved by every member at Secession, at least the ones that matter, called me to tell me he was taking my malaise for the dimpled grape to heart…it was “his business”.  Whoa.  The montage that had become my game meant more to him than it did to me…what in the world can you say about that?

He asked me how much of my recent downturn in enthusiasm had to do with how I was playing.  Fair question, it’s probably about 50%.  His prescription (it wasn’t advice) was to swing a weighted club 30 times a day in a specific manner.  He would show me when I saw him…fair enough.

I’m walking the golfer’s candy store trail which is the PGA Show an hour before my Doctor’s appointment when by karma I find myself squarely in the middle of the training aids section of the floor.  I look and look, talk and talk, and am convinced that I have found the gold standard in weighted clubs…of course you have heard of it, most of you own at least one I’m sure, yes… The Orange Whip.

Scared to purchase the Masters of all training clubs before I see my Pro, I take the brochure, supremely confident that Mike will give the all green to purchase.

The appointment came and my excitement waned as my Pro told me to throw away the brochure I had brought on the Orange Whip…he wasn’t interested.

“How many old sand wedges do you have?”  Only about 20 says I.

“Take one and saw it off.  Put it against another and duct tape them together…that’s your weighted club.”

That’s not Old School, that’s just School.

So we set aside a few minutes out of  our busy days and got together.

He cares about my golf game…how cool is that?

I wish I had something to teach him because he showed me something that day.

As all Best In Golf loyalists know, we’re big on trendy here at the ol’ Blog.  If those snappy designs came in a little more athletic sizes (XXL +) we would be a lot moreso, that’s for sure.

Heard from O.O.T.G. (One of the Greats) today…the original…The Wizard of Wilshire.   He was filling me in on this great new company and website getting off the ground out there in the land of whey shakes and sprout burgers…Trendy Golf.

Well if The Wiz gives it one of his boney little thumbs up, that’s good enough for me…check it out.

Dan Jenkins is on Twitter at The British Open (danjenkinsgd) and here is a sample of his Tweets…that sounds nuts coming from a guy covering his 201st major but you have to love it that he’s grabbed on to the technology. 

In fact with his quicker than my backswing wit you could say Twitter was invented for him.

Here’s a sample:

• History lesson: Walter Hagen won four British Opens, but he never won a major Bobby Jones played in
• If you’ve never been to Scotland: Turnberry & Troon, west coast; St. Andrews & Carnoustie, east coast. England down here; Ireland over there
• In my experience at the Open, the best order of fish-and-chips is when the fish tastes like chips and the chips taste like fish
• When there’s a lull in British Open action you can keep the mind alert by counting the toenails in your pork pie
• Is it harder to hit an iron out of heather or swallow a mouthful of haggis? My vote goes to the haggis
• In earlier days the only thing thicker than heather at a British Open was the nose hair on an R&A official

He’s the original…check it out.

…needs to spend the time to watch this.

I’m not in the habit of posting links on B.I.G. but this is something special.  Jim Nantz and Jaime Diaz on the Charlie Rose Show talking about golf, The Open, and Dads. 

It takes a little time to navigate and at times it’s a little pedestrian for golf insiders, but the last two segments are magic and worth your attention.

The Friendship Cup at Kiawah is in it’s third year which officially makes it a major in the buddy trip rota.

It’s going to start with what looks like a windy rainy day on The Ocean Course…perfect.  You have to catch a rare day to play this golf course without some weather.  I’ve been there in sun, clouds, wind, and rain…and that was the front nine.

Full report next post.

I’m going to try and act a little more like Joel Johnson in 2009…here’s a story that came across my e-mail last week from friend Doug Hart.

Trent Peterson is a senior for the South Dakota State golf team. In June, he won the Minnesota Match Play championship at storied Northland in Duluth.

In July, Peterson won the Minnesota State Amateur championship at Windsong Farm. A week later at Keller in Maplewood, he missed qualifying for the Minnesota State Open by one stroke, leaving him as an alternate. The qualifying field was 156 golfers, mostly professionals.

Hopeful for a chance to get into the State Open at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids, Peterson showed up at sunrise the first day and hung around the putting green, just in case a qualifier took ill or didn’t show up.

There were no openings in the field, however. Joel Johnson, an accomplished golfer and insurance agent who plays out of Keller and is twice Peterson’s age, was on the putting green and spotted Peterson, whom he recognized from other competitions.

Johnson approached Peterson and asked what was his tee time.

“I don’t have one,” Peterson said.

That surprised Johnson, who figured surely the best amateur golfer in the state would be allowed a spot in the State Open.

So Johnson took Peterson across the putting green to discuss Peterson’s status with tournament officials.

Too bad, they said.

Johnson then asked officials, if he were to give up his spot, could young Trent get into the tournament?

Sure, they said.

Peterson was in.

Johnson had just one request of Peterson.

“Now, can I caddie for you these three days?” he asked.

Of course, a thrilled Peterson said, then beat every professional in the field, finishing as runner-up in the tournament as an amateur.

Johnson’s caddie fee? Peterson’s parents bought him a beer, which is all he would accept. And they invited him and his wife to Thanksgiving dinner at their Eagan home.

In October, Peterson was named the MGA’s player of the year. At the banquet at Midland Hills to accept his award, Peterson asked Johnson if he would accept for him.

Johnson was overwhelmed.

Do you know this man?  He is on the verge of the Best Gig In Golf…and I for one hope he gets it.

This is Todd Palin, husband of Sarah, and if the election in November goes his way you and I will have a new hero. 

Think about it.  You get to live in this sporty house, have a maid, butler, and a few husky guys in sunglasses watching over you and your family…sounds good you say?  There’s more.

The Vice-President’s mansion is exactly eight miles from Congressional and six from Burning Tree…two pretty handy places to work on your bump and run.

If it were me here’s what my day would look like…a little lobster salad and a nice Pinot Gris’ out on the patio.  I’d find a couple single-digit Secret Service agents.  “Hey lads, fire up the Suburban, think we can get 27 in if we leave right now.” 

A quick shower cocktail at the club, slip into my “FOUR MORE YEARS” tee shirt and home to a chef-prepared gourmet dinner…bed at 9:30…get up and do it again…sweet.

This was my advice to my two boys after the Cubbies lost game 1 of the Divisional Series. 

“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son.”

Two division titles and swept two years in a row is no way to go through life either son.  Just to add a little salt to the wound both years were to western teams (Arizona last year) so we got to watch all of about 6 innings before bedtime…total.

There’s no cure for me.  I spent too many Tuesday afternoons in Wrigley Field drinking Old Style and eating brats at Murphy’s to jump the ship now.  But you my boys, you’re young, there’s still time.

I’m having Tampa Bay tee shirts overnighted…you’ll thank me some day I promise.