9 Things We Love Right Now, 3 Not So Much
by Team FG
WHAT WE LOVE
1. Heads Up for Good Works
Next time Tiger pulls Frank the Headcover off his driver — who knows when that will be — give a quick nod to Daphne’s Headcovers, the Arizona-based creator of most of the colorful animal-themed covers we see out on Tour and sticking out of our buddies’ golf bags (one FGer has his own fluffy dog pound).
Daphne’s head honcho Jane Spicer gives shoppers the opportunity to support several charities represented by certain headcover characters. Select a cause that appeals to you, buy the corresponding item and Daphne’s donates 10 percent.
“This effort is hugely meaningful to me,” says Spicer, who has taken her company from a garage-bound startup to industry leader. “We’re doing some good!”
2. Art for Kids’ Sake in SF
FG’s final issue of 2009 loaded you up on Presidents Cup coverage, but we shouldn’t move on to this Ryder Cup year without a shout out to golf course operator KemperSports’ proactive effort to help raise money for San Francisco’s 5-year-old First Tee chapter.
Before the big boys came out West to duke it out at Harding Park, the well-regarded company sponsored the KemperSports Kids Fore Kids Art Contest to benefit The First Tee of San Francisco. Kids from five western states were invited to submit artwork depicting their vision of “Golf in San Francisco.”
When the brushes and pens finally went dry, 10 finalists were selected and votes were gathered online. Jessica Kent from Bellevue, Wash., won the contest by collecting nearly 1,000 votes.
3. The Fast & Brown Trend
Water is like gold here in the West, and in today’s across-the-board golf industry money crunch, there’s a lot less “gold” to go around. So what are most modern golf course owners and superintendents doing? Taking the game back to its less-is-more roots, which means fewer roots themselves, as in lush, broad spreads of thirsty grass.
One national magazine recently identified four well-known West Coast resort course operators that are going the extra mile to make golf green in a very different, environmentally friendly way. No doubt you’ve heard of two of them — one is a little ol’ oceanside course down Monterey way, the other is a Champions Tour stop in Central Oregon. Here’s hoping everyone will embrace water-friendly substance over flash.
4. Brews, Birds and More
We’ve always been big fans of Central Oregon’s resort golf, and have been known to hoist more than a few microbrews in downtown Bend, which remains one of the nation’s top spots for sudscraft. But putting the two together for an epic fundraiser with gourmet grub filling out the picture? Where do we sign?
Broken Top, one of Bend’s original private layouts, is set to host the Sagebrush Classic July 16-17, and it’s shaping up as a must-attend golf and culinary event for the Northwest — and the hottest night of the year (perhaps literally and figuratively). Here you can not only sample the food of celebrity chefs, you can actually meet them and talk with them in person.
Plus, last year’s event raised $80,000 for the Deschutes Children’s Foundation, and it has pulled in $2 million for charity to date.
5. The Devil and Mr. Troon
Talk about match made in heaven, with a touch of devilish delight. Arizona-based Troon Golf, long a leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing has taken on an FG favorite from way back: Diablo Grande in Patterson, Calif., an hour’s drive from the Bay Area and 10 minutes off Interstate 5.
The 36-hole golf facility is set in the historic ranchlands of western Stanislaus County, which features rolling hills, native wildlife, stands of oak trees, creeks, and vineyards. With nearly 10 tumultuous years under its belt, Diablo Grande is way overdue for the big break that will put it back on the map for traveling golfers looking for two very different golf courses with foothill views, a laid-back pace and good value.
6. The New Groove
Actually, it’s the old groove. Back to the future for the PGA Tour, and we’re lovin’ it. Big boys who find the rough can’t just whip out the sand wedge and dial in their distance anymore.
With the re-introduction of V-grooves, they’ve got to get creative and manufacture a shot that will stay on the putting surface. At the Sony Open in Hawaii, where the Bermuda rough plays havoc with even the most honed short games, guys were running their pills through the green and into even more deep stuff at every turn.
For the casual golfer, watching these guys struggle is a thing of beauty. We can’t wait to see what happens at Pebble Beach come June, where the USGA will grow Pebble’s rough to four to six inches and damp conditions will only amplify the gnarly noise.
7. Ray Romano on TV Again
Sure, he’s gonna be all over The Golf Channel as part of the new “Hank Haney Project,” but we’re more impressed with Raymond’s return to the fictional small screen, where he plays an addicted gambler with dreams — and apparently the drive — to play professionally on the “senior” tour.
It’s all part of the well-written Men of a Certain Age, which sports a stellar cast and some spot-on golf scenes, and is wrapping up its first season on TNT, with episodes also available on iTunes.
And if you want to see how his Hank Haney swing is working out, there’s always a good chance Romano will play in the San Diego Celebrity Championship, where he’s known to ham it up for the crowd and remains a fan favorite among the star-studded field.
8. Sports Bars with Golf Simulators
It just might be the perfect storm of sporting indulgence. With more and more sports bars adopting a “game” philosophy, which includes not only pool tables but high-end gadgets like full-screen projection golf simulators, we can see a tempting, call-in-a-sick-day scenario that involves a mix of March Madness and playing Pebble Beach, only without the smell of the ocean.
Seriously, how great would it be to spend hours during the NCAA Tournament’s opening round gazing at multiple live games and stepping away during halftimes and downtime to beat your buddies in an actual golf match. No five-hour rounds here, just a few swings when the action lulls — and you can always call your own timeout when a buzzer-beater appears to be in the works.
9. Multi-Level Hotel Rooms
We don’t see it very much, but when we find a hotel that understands the importance of space planning in rooms with two beds, we definitely appreciate the effort.
Our latest recognition goes to the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, part of the Indian Wells golf complex in the Palm Springs area. With a simple step-down, multi-level design, two traveling golfers can share a room without feeling like their, well, sleeping together.
Other hotels in our Double Bed Hall of Fame include Coeur d’Alene Resort, which uses a similar multi-level approach to its rooms (which also optimizes views of the dramatic lake setting out the window) and Bandon Dunes, which goes a step further by providing separate bathrooms and a right-angle design that allows both guests to view the TV without snoring in each other’s ears all night long.
…NOT SO MUCH
1. Competition Collision
If you’re a West Coast golf fan looking for a fun event to check out a couple weeks after July 4, who would you pay to see play: Peyton Manning and Charles Barkley or John Rollins and … whoever?
We’re betting the former, which makes the PGA Tour’s decision to move the 11-year-old Reno-Tahoe Open from August to the middle of July, opposite not only the British Open but the wildly popular American Century Celebrity Championship just up the road at Edgewood Tahoe such a head-scratcher.
It’s tough enough sticking around as an encumbered event on Tour, but now it’s got double-barrelled competition. FG will cover both its latest edition at Montrêux and the 21-year-old Celebrity, but we know which party will attract the bigger crowds and TV ratings. Not cool.
2. Baggage Buggery
If the current airline craze of hammering travelers with checked baggage fees continues, golfers in particular will be forced to leave their weapons at home (settle down, TSA, we don’t mean those weapons), or just stay home with them. Charging $50-$100 per bag is just plain crazy.
What are we wanderlusters supposed to do besides go with the collapsible three-club rule — wear our sweaty golf shirts more than once, unscrew the spikes from our shoes so we can double-duty them at dinner every night and share our toothbrushes so we can just carry everything on?
We hate to resort to unpaid product placement, but we’ll do it. For full-on hackin’ packin’, Southwest is best. Just keep each bag under 50 pounds, and you’re good to go.
3. El Niño
This meteorological phenomenon that wallops the West Coast every few years is a blessing once summer rolls around. Depending on when the biggest storms hit the valleys and mountains, our beloved chunk of America looks and acts a little less arid, golf courses green up more quickly and linger that way longer, and the water cops stay at bay.
But that payoff is overshadowed by the bummer of the winter months, which may extend halfway through spring and leave golfers in colder climes — from Reno to Central Oregon to the upper I-5 corridor, and even parts of Southern California — staring longingly at their sticks as the snow piles up and rivers swell.
Oh, well. There’s always Hawaii, and if we can’t make it there, summer will get here eventually. And then we’ll be begging for the rains and cooler temperatures. FG
Published in FG Magazine, March 2010
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