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Just use Your Tree Iron

At times pro-golfers get a bad swing and the ball may well end up stuck in a tree. Well, when that unfortunate event happens there are 3 ways out for a continuing play,

a. Unplayable – Declare the ball unplayable under Rule 28 and take a one-stoke penalty

b. Lost Ball – One-stoke penalty and return to the spot if the previous stroke and replay the shot

c. Play It as It Lies – Meaning, climb the tree, get into a position and take a swing at the ball. By doing so you avoid the one-stoke penalty.

On the tour, where every stroke counts, the process are apt to choose option c – see the famous examples of Bernhard Langer and Sergio Garcia. These guys really do have every swing in their bag!

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59ers in PGA Golf History

For several decades 59 has been the magic number on the PGA Tour. 6 Players so far have shot 59 on the PGA Tour. Here is the list of players who achieved this rare feat – which one is your favorite?

Al Geiberger, 1977

The first-ever player to shoot 59 during the second round of the 1977 Memphis Classic at Colonial Country Club.

He began his round on the back nine, and dropped an 8-footer on the final hole to mark his name in the history books. His score included a 11 birdie and an eagle.

Chip Beck, 1991

Beck shot a 59 in the third round of the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational on the Sunrise Golf Club (par 72) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

His round included 5 pars and 13 birdies overall (a PGA Tour record for birdies in one round) including a three footer on the 18th hole. Beck finished tied for third in the tournament.

David Duval, 1999

Between 1997 and 1999, Duval won 11 times on the PGA Tour. It was in his peak period and at the final round of the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic he got his magic score of 59.

He had 10 birdies heading into the 18th, and then eagled the par-5 with a 6-foot putt to reach his 59.

Paul Goydos, 2010

During the first round of the 2010 John Deere Classic, Goydos became the fourth player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59 . His round included 12 birdies and 6 pars.

His 8-under 28 on the back nine matched the lowest nine-hole score in relation to par on the PGA Tour. He is also the oldest person to post the number by seven years.

Stuart Appleby, 2010

Stuart Appleby became the 5th person to record a 18 hole score of 59 in PGA history at the 2010 Greenbrier Resort to win his fifth PGA Tour title.

Appleby birdied the last three holes, giving him nine birdies and an eagle in a round of 11-under par 59. He is also the first non-US golfer to break 60.

Jim Furyk, 2013

Jim Furyk became the sixth golfer in the history of the PGA Tour to join the 59 Club by shooting a 12-under 59 at the BMW Champioship, Conway Farms.

Furyk made 11 birdies and holed out for eagle on the par-4 15th hole. He made a 3-footer at the par-4 ninth hole, his final hole, to shoot 12-under 59.

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Top 100 Courses: #55 Garden City G.C.

Continuing with our series from The Itinerant Golfer’s quest to play all top 100 American golf courses, The Scratch Pad is glad to bring you a profile of the 55th rated golf course in America, Garden City G.C, New York.


Architect: Devereux Emmet
Year: 1899
315 Stewart Avenue , Garden City, New York 11530
(516) 746-8360
– driving range available
– walking only
– caddies available

Today I’ll be playing at Garden City Golf Club. Garden City is just a little over 20 miles from LaGuardia, but the route is mostly through business and residential areas so it was a good 35-40 minutes before I pulled into town.

Once I pulled up to the club and parked I did something that I’ve never done before at any other golf club I’ve visited. I stepped out of my car and put on my blue blazer. Upon arrival at Garden City Golf Club all members and guests must be wearing a jacket and leather shoes. Having a jacket rule for entrance to the clubhouse during evening hours is not uncommon, but I’m not aware of any other club in the U.S. where it is a requirement all day long. Since I would be wearing a jacket I also wore long pants to complete the ensemble and brought my golf shorts in a bag so I could change in the locker room. I found it rather humorous how easy it was to tell the difference between the members and the guests. The guests seemed to have all arrived like me, wearing slacks to go with their jackets. The members, on the other hand, were clearly more comfortable with this unique piece of club culture and were walking around in their jackets with short pants and loafers. I loved it!

Garden City Golf Club was founded in 1899 and throughout its 111 year history has always been a golf club exclusively for men. The course was originally designed by Devereux Emmet, and then redesigned in the 1900s by the great amateur golfer Walter Travis. Travis was a founding member of Garden City Golf Club and in addition to having a hand in the design of the course he is very much a large part of the club’s history. There is a wonderful biography about this great golfer entitled The Old Man. If you are interested you can pick up a copy here.

As you would expect of a club established in the 19th century, Garden City Golf Club has a rich tournament history having been host to six events put on by the U.S.G.A. There was the 1902 U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur in 1900, 1908, 1913 and 1936 and finally the Walker Cup in 1924. These days the only event held at Garden City Golf Club is the Travis Invitational which is one of the premier Mid-Amateur events in the U.S.

We elected to play the Championship tees which play to a par of 73 and a yardage of 6,911. Although this is the longest tee option on the scorecard, players who want to stretch it all the way out can move back and play the plates which give just a little bit more added length.

The photo below was taken on the first tee which is a friendly starting hole of a mere 302 yards with a par of 4. Bombing driver is an option, but I think the smarter play is a nice little 200 yard shot to the left side of the fairway.

The fairway on the first hole is a split fairway of sorts. If hitting a shorter shot the line is to take it down the left hand side. You can see the ball lying there in the fairway in the photos below. If hitting driver its better to play to the right side of the hole and have you ball land in the other part of the fairway. David hit driver here and you can see him in the white shirt up around the green. That is near where his ball landed.

The 2nd hole is a par 3 that plays 137 yards over a small valley. There are plenty of bunkers and long grass to cause problems for tee shots that come up short. The photo below was taken from the green looking back towards the tee box. This is the only par 3 on the the first nine holes.

Continue reading “Top 100 Courses: #55 Garden City G.C.”

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Golf Photographers: Robert Matre

Robert Matre‘s passion for photography was born on a golf course, when he took his camera to a practice round for the WGC- American Express Championship in Atlanta in the Fall of 2003.  Over the past ten years, he has photographed over 50 tournaments, including eight consecutive U.S. Opens from 2004 – 2011. To see more of his work click here, and prepare to be mesmerized.

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The Original Rules of Golf

We all know how some of the golf rules are a bit complicated – our Costliest Rulings in Golf series covers some of these instances. But way back in 1744, when the original Rules of Golf issued by the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, it was much simpler – just 13 rules vs the 182 pages rule we have today.

Here are those 13 golden rules for our Scratchpad members – you’ll be surprised to find how many are still in play today.

1. You must tee your ball within a club’s length of the hole.

2. Your tee must be on the ground. (Note that Tees back in these days, consisted of little pyramids of sand)

3. You are not to change the ball which you strike off the tee.

4. You are not to remove stones, bones or any break club for the sake of playing your ball, except upon the fair green, and that only within a club’s length of the ball.

5. If your ball comes among watter, or any wattery filth, you are at liberty to take out your ball and bringing it behind the hazard and teeing it, you may play it with any club and allow your adversary a stroke for so getting out your ball.

6. If your balls be found anywhere touching one another you are to lift the first ball till you play the last.

7. At holling you are to play your ball honestly at the hole, and not to play upon your adversary’s ball, not lying in your way to the hole.

8. If you should lose your ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the spot where you struck last and drop another ball and allow your adversary a stroke for the misfortune.

9. No man at holling his ball is to be allowed to mark his way to the hole with his club or anything else.

10. If a ball be stopp’d by any person, horse, dog, or any thing else, the ball so stopp’d must be played where it lyes.

11. If you draw your club in order to strike and proceed so far in the stroke as to be bringing down your club, if then your club should break in any way, it is to be accounted a stroke.

12. He whose ball lyes farthest from the hole is obliged to play first.

13. Neither trench, ditch, or dyke made for the preservation of the links, nor the Scholars’ Holes or the soldiers’ lines shall be accounted a hazard but the ball is to be taken out, teed and play’d with any iron club.

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20 Interesting Tee Markers

It’s true that anything small in sports can be branded. In Golf, tee markers are no exceptions. But this form of advertising is cute and not annoying – go through the below list of some interesting tee markers we came across.

Tee markers at the John Deere Classic
Hyundai Classic
Coca-Cola tee markers at The Tour Championship in Atlanta
Friendly's Classic (1995), Crestview C.C., Agawam, Mass
Tee markers at the FedEx St. Jude Classic

Continue reading “20 Interesting Tee Markers”

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Moe Norman – The greatest golfer you’ve never heard of

Murray Irwin “Moe” Norman was a legend. He was arguably one of the best ball strikers ever.

His accuracy and ability to hit shot after shot perfectly straight gave him the nickname “Pipeline Moe”. But it is unfortunate that many don’t even have heard of him, probably because of a short career. He turned professional in 1957 but played just 27 PGA tour before returning to play in Canada after a bitter experience with the officials. But nothing can take away the serious talent he possessed and we’ll never know what he might have achieved if he had a longer career.

He won 55 Canadian Tour events, had 33 course records, and 17 hole-in-one’s. Yes you read that right – 17 hole-in-one’s! 59 is considered to be the magic score in golf – well, he did that too, not once but thrice!

In January 1995, Titleist decided to pay Moe $5,000 per month for nothing more than his unique contribution to the game of golf.  Moe passed away September 4, 2004 at the age of 74.

Watch this below video (or Click here) on Moe Norman. Truly inspirational!