Some interesting Observations from the Waste(d) Management Open

I know that most of you were glued to the Olympics this weekend - according to the folks I follow on Twitter, only a moron was watching the Waste Management Open (until Sid Crosby slapped in the final goal). Well, if you weren't at least channel surfing to catch SOME of the event, you missed a few interesting things.

Congrats to Hunter Mahan on a great win...

Hunter Mahan is one of my favorite golfers, and really put the pedal to the medal (except on #17 & 18) on the back 9 to secure his 2nd win. One of my very first posts was a recap of the 2008 Ryder Cup, where Hunter really stepped up his game and established himself as a young gun to watch out for. His experience really set him apart on Sunday, and I hope he wins a few more this year. While I was perusing the "Hunter Mahan's winning clubs" post on golf.com, I noticed that Hunter plays a Ping Rapture driver...the same one as Masters champ Angel Cabrera. What's interesting about this you say...not much except that this is Ping's "SUPER game improvement" driver...with MAXIMUM forgiveness. In other words, two guys who do this for a living are playing a "Max Game Improvement" club...I'm just sayin...

Rickie Fowler....hmmmmm....well....

To be fair, I'm just gonna say that his lack of experience was as obvious as Hunter's experience was. His decision to lay up on the par 5 #15 has been roundly derided by everyone with a laptop, so I won't pile on any more. The young man has game, I think we can agree on that...but he did not close like a winner...that's for sure. Rickie is also catching a lot of flak for his clothing choices, and most of it is deserved. I get it that he is being "young and fashionable", and that those clothes are "not intended to appeal to people like me"...however, some "young and fashionable " people also think Lady Gaga looks cool...and they are just wrong. And sadly, in Rickie's case, his defenders are just wrong as well. The clothes are bad enough,but not nausea inducing, until you get to the headwear. I'm not sure who in the world has told him that the "hat over the ears look" is "working", but for the love of humanity, JUST STOP...it is flat out scary. And please, dude, CHANGE THE HAIRSTYLE ! I don't care if you grow some dreads, get it Tiger striped, bleach it white, rock an Arsenio Hall fade, or shave it off...but the "20's Flapper 'do" is frickin' KILLING me (and dozens of other people) - plus it SO makes you look like a WOMAN... As I tweeted yesterday, Katharine Hull called, and she wants her hair back...

The biggest feel good story of the weekend - a GREAT finish by Chris Couch

Most of you probably don't even know who Chris Couch is...just another journeyman PGA player. Others will remember Chris as the guy who won the 2006 Zurich Open in New Orleans by chipping in from 55 feet on the 18th hole...., but only after hitting a really crappy bunker shot and practically throwing away any chance he had to win. Unfortunately, that win did not lead to much more success for him. He was 167th on the money list in 2007, sat out 2008 with a shoulder injury, and played in part of 2009 on a major medical exemption..but made only 3 cuts, winning less than $60k. Chris was in the field this week via the major medical exemption, and by birdieing 5 of his last 10 holes, he finished in a T4, and pocketed a cool $300k. Congrats to a great guy, and someone who I hope continues to play well this year.

Calling All Golf Equipment Companies - Can we show the LPGA a Little Love ?

As I was watching the US Women's Open last week, I was reminded of something that I have been very curious about for a while. I watched many of the players, and even looked back at some video of earlier events, and the evidence was staring me in the face like a hungry wolf....and I could no longer ignore it.

Equpiment manufacturers practically IGNORE LPGA players from a "staff player" perspective. Rather than try to argue my point however, I will let the facts speak for themself. I put together this chart which shows the major equipment companies (TM,Titleist,Ping,Callaway,etc) and a list of their LPGA STAFF players (players who are sponsored by the equipment companies). Don't confuse this list with one which shows which players USE which company's gear - this shows who actually has LPGA players as sponsored "Staff" players. Check it out (no, I don't expect to make any friends with this list by the way...)

Equipment Company	Staff Players
Titleist / Cobra	None
TaylorMade	Creamer,Gulbis
Callaway	V. Hurst, Lindley,Gal,Pressel,Ueda
Cleveland	Blasberg
Adams	Lang,Leon,Lincicome,Tseng,Wright,Loudon
Ping	Delasin,Friberg,Hjorth,P.Hurst,Koch,Nordqvist, Ochoa,J.Park,Stahle,Stanford,Steinhauer,Ward,I.K.Kim
Nike	Blumenherst,McKenzie,G. Park, Pettersen,Wie,Simon

Now,compare this list of 33 LPGA players with the PGA Staff players for just ONE of the companies above....interesting,huh. Rather than try to draw any conclusions from this (other than Ping really supports the LPGA), I think it is much more meaningful to use this in a positive manner. As more and more women are playing golf at the amateur level, these companies are seeing more opportunities to sell them product. In a time of difficulty for the LPGA, wouldn't it be great to see several of these companies step up and show some strong support for the LPGA ? Perhaps one of them could sponsor an event that's looking for a one ? Or how about committing to sponsor at least 5 LPGA players ? Maybe a 2 year sponsorship deal for the top 5 qualifiers from the Duramed Tour ? There is a lot that these companies can do to help support the LPGA even more thasn they already do, and there could not be a better time for them to step up.

An Open Letter to Mark Calcavecchia from one of the "Chops"

Dear Mr. Calcavecchia,
I read the following quote that you made about playing with "chops" this week: "Of course, it will be nice to play golf [Thursday] with two other pros for a change. Jesus. Five days in a row of chops. Four days at the Hope--mind you, they were all a bunch of nice guys, but I've seen enough bad shots in the last five rounds I've played to last me all year."

To hear you speak with such distaste and contempt for the very people who made your millionaire lifestyle possible is sickening. Maybe your years of living a lifestyle of excess (as is obvious by your physique) has also made you soft between the ears. It is difficult to imagine a PGA player making such insensitive,crass remarks in the face of the erosion of the gravy train of corporate sponsorships - yet there you are, insulting us all. Perhaps you have forgotten a couple of basic economic concepts -maybe you were not in econ class the day we learned these

(1) Your sponsors (the people who put their name on your hat) make golf equipment - that is called "Supply". The people that buy that equipment...it's us "Chops" who you are so tired of dealing with - that is called "Demand". No demand, no need for supply, no name on your hat, no cash in your pocket. Capische ?
(2) The people who sponsor the events you play in - they sell stuff - cars, banking services, houses, etc. Supply again... Who buys that stuff ? Who creates the demand...Maybe you guessed it by now - it's us Chops again.

So you see, Mark, your livelihood (even though you have already made more money that most of us Chops can imagine) is inextricably linked to us Chops.

Now before I am done with this rant, let's contrast your attitude with that of the LPGA. That's the tour where they play for a lot less money, the players sign autographs with a smile, they are NICE to the fans, and they never complain about playing with us Chops. That's where I will be spending my hard earned cash - where I am appreciated a little.

In closing, I hope that one day, when I am old and gray, I see you face to face...and you say to me, with a smile, "would you like fries with that, sir"...

P.S. - Calcavecchia's sponsors include Ping, Titleist, and Foot Joy. If you are as disgusted by his arrogant and disrespectful comments as I am , please let his sponsors know.

Amber Prange - Touring Professional Interview

(photo property of Play Golf Designs - copyrighted)

Bushwood Country Club is proud to share with the membership our FIRST tour pro interview. However, our first one is not just any interview - it is a special one with a young lady named Amber Prange, who is playing on the Duramed Futures Tour this year. You will remember Amber from the latest installment of "The Big Break" on The Golf Channel. Amber is not only a very talented golfer, she is also a budding business woman who was gracious enough to spend some time with us this week. So, without further adieu, here's Amber....

1. Tell us a little about yourself – age, hometown, where you live now,college, etc. I'm 24 years old, and grew up in Noblesville, Indiana (Go Colts !!!). I played collegiate golf at the University of Washington for four years, and graduated with a degree in Communications, with a minor in Business Marketing. I now split my time between Noblesville, Orlando, and wherever the Tour takes me.

2. What are your goals for 2009 ? My goals for 2009 changed a bit based on my experiences in my rookie year on tour. For this year, I am placing much less pressure on myself, and will be focusing on 2 areas: First, Play one shot at a time – focusing on the moment. Second, Play my best every time out, and finish as high as possible in each event.
3. How many events do you plan to play in 2009 ? I want to play as many as possible. The Duramed Futures Tour has 16 scheduled events, and I need to play well early to qualify for as many as I can. Regaining my full-time status is a key objective for me this year.
4. What part of your game are you working the hardest on ? Distance off the tee is the main area I am focusing on – I have always been able to hit the ball accurately off the tee, and my iron play and short game are good – but gaining an extra 15-20 yards is something I am working really hard on. I've been working on improving my core strength and conditioning this of season, and I am happy with my progress – I am in the best shape of my life.
5. How were you introduced to golf ? Golf has been a part of my family since I was born – My dad and his family are all avid golfers – counting 5 PGA professionals among them. Early on, I was not a huge golf fan – but in my early teens it really began to click for me and I developed a real passion for it.
6. What's in your bag ? I am a big fan of Ping clubs – I play the G-10 driver, fairway woods and hybrids. My irons are Ping I-10's, which I love, and my wedges are the Ping Tour series. My putter is a Yes! Tracy – the folks at Yes! Golf are incredible supporters of the Duramed Tour (shout out to Glenn at Yes! Golf- your rock…). My ball is the Titleist Pro v1
7. So we have to ask, How do you mark YOUR Titleist ? I mark my balls with little dots around the number to look like a flower.
8. Tell us about your work with Play Golf Designs – what is involved in that ? Play Golf Designs is an incredible company that I work with. They are based in Las Vegas, and offer golfers the ability to book a complete package at the best courses in the area. Packages include golf with one or more of the Professional golfers on the staff at PGD (including me), and it provides a great opportunity to meet and get to know the pro's the PGD roster. For us, it is a great chance to network with people who are passionate about golf and meet our fans.
9. What has been you most memorable experience with PGD ? Meeting someone who helped me get into LPGA Q- school.
10. How many holes in one ? Only one so far – but it was very memorable. It happened in my FIRST collegiate golf tournament, and my Dad was there watching. I hit a 5 iron onto the 165 yard 17^th hole - it hit about 5 feet away, and rolled right in the cup.
11. OK, now for a personal question - how far do you hit your driver ? Ah, a personal question, huh ? I currently hit my driver about 225-230 - so adding the 15-20 yards that I am shooting for will get me out there in the 240-260 range. That's really important to me for posting lower scores this year – so you can see that's why I am focusing on it.
12. Who would be in your dream foursome and why ? My dream foursome would include Ernie Els ( a super nice guy who I met at Lake Nona), Trevor Immelman, and a tie between Tiger and Sergio. OK – I know that's five people – but we would play fast and not hold anyone up !
13. Favorite sports other than golf ? I love to play Volleyball, and want to take up Tennis at some point. I also love skiing and kickboxing.
14. Favorite athlete ? Peyton Manning
15. What frustrates you the most ? On the golf course, Bogeying the last hole or three putting. In the "real world", selfishness and rudeness.
16. What makes you smile ? Polite people and pure selflessness.
17. What's on your IPOD ? Ah, I knew this one was coming ! I like practically every genre of music - currently in rotation I have a mix of Hip Hop, Sinatra,Techno, Mickey Avalon. Hard Rock (think Korn), and Classic Rock.
    
18. What is one song that gets you really pumped up and ready to compete? …Hmmm, that would be a song by Buckcherry called Crazy Bit*h. The lyrics are kind of racy, but the beat and tempo really get my heart pumping.
19. What is one thing that will surprise the members of Bushwood about your experience on The Big Break ? hmm Big break shocker... they try to feed us a lot of alcohol and everyone got along great with one another except for Dave
20. Can we get the first interview after you win your first Duramed event ? Of course…how could I say no

Amber Prange will be playing on the Duramed Futures Tour in events across the USA this year. She is super nice, and I encourage everyone to go out and support Amber AND the Duramed Futures Tour events ( 2009 schedule is here). She is also the newest official member of Bushwood Country Club, and will receive an official Bushwood Country Club t-shirt – Welcome to the club, Amber !

Putters - Looking for Love or Happily Hitched

Admit it, Putters are a lot like the opposite sex.... hard to live with the same one for long, but can't live without one for very long. Ok,Ok - I hear the howls out there ...maybe that is a bit harsh....but ya' gotta admit it's close to the truth.

I'd argue that most golfers fall into one of two camps:

(1) Looking for Love (e.g. Sergio, Vijay, Charley Hoffman, J.B. Holmes) : We switch putters like Daniel Chopra changes his hair color - which is several times each year. About every 4-6 weeks, our eyes start wandering, we find one that "looks" good, and we begin the flirtation process....you know, first its a little "lunch putting" at the local golf emporium, then it's the "extended lunch putt-a-thon" in the same venue, then on to scouring eBay for an "almost new" version, and finally....you take the plunge and dive headlong into what you are sure will be a long term commitment. All is fine until another "cutie" catches your eye, and the cycle starts anew.
(2) Happily Hitched : (e.g. Tiger, DL III, Paddy) We are still using the first (or maybe 2nd) putter we have ever had. If the house caught afire, we would grab the putter first, give it to the firemen, and run back in the house for ....all the other important stuff. Whenever we travel to play golf, the putter sits in the front seat ( or in first class), while the rest of the bag bumps along in the cargo hold. The only thing we look for on ebay is an EXACT duplicate of old faithful, just in case anything ever happens to "the putter that Moses learned with".

I will admit to being a poster boy for the "Looking for Love" set....if I bought every putter that has made my heart quicken, I would have more putters than Michelle Wie has excuses. My latest fave is a Ping Piper H (replete with flaming orange grip), which replaced a long and beautiful string of Scotty's. I'm rolling them good right now, so maybe she (her name is Angelina....) is the one.

So, after that confession, I gotta ask - which camp do you fall into ?