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A Primer on Byron Nelson

In honor of the HP Byron Nelson Championship, I thought I would post a quick primer on Byron Nelson, one of the greatest golfers to ever walk the fairways of the PGA Tour.
Byron Nelson

In 1945, Byron Nelson won 18 of 35 PGA Tour events (and finished 2nd seven times), including an 11 tournament win-streak. It’s a record that’s as unlikely to ever be matched or beaten as anything else in sports.

And while it receives less attention, Byron Nelson’s streak of 113 “cuts made” is second only to Tiger’s 145. The difference is that in Nelson’s era only the top 20 in a tournament received a check, which the current record books define as a “cut made”. So in reality, Nelson finished in the top 20 113 times in a row. Continue reading “A Primer on Byron Nelson”

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Golf’s Lost Art Form: The Exhibition Match

There is a lost art form within the game of golf. An art that produces an experience because of golf’s rare mix of mental, social, and physical skills required — traditionally, this is called an exhibition match.

A Very Brief History

Before there was a professional golf tour, many of the game’s greatest players earned money by competing in exhibition matches against each other. There was no better ‘exhibitor’ than Walter Hagen. A man with a larger than life personality and a grandiose lifestyle to match it. To draw the widest audience as possible, celebrities of that time would also join in on the competition. Continue reading “Golf’s Lost Art Form: The Exhibition Match”

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“Flight Plan” Takes Off

Below is Flight Plan by artist Michael David Murphy. Twenty five different ball flight sequences of eleven different golfers, all on one major championship afternoon and masterfully timed gives you Flight Plan.

If you are wondering who’s ball flight you’re watching, the list is below. You can see more of Michael David Murphy’s work here. These images were captured during the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Continue reading ““Flight Plan” Takes Off”

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How To Get Masters Tickets?

“Having tickets to The Masters is the best dowry a wife could have in the South.” Those were the exact words exchanged in a brief conversation I had with a young lady late last week. She’s right – as of 2000, there is no direct way to get Masters badges to the tournament. That said, with the tournament coming up next month (April 2-8, 2012) there are some indirect ways to get a hold of tickets and experience the Tournament.

Ten years ago, patrons would get their individual daily badges for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Most of the badges were used by those who originally go them, however too many were traded, exchanged, and sold online. As a result, members began to crack down on this abuse of the system by adapting to the times.  First, they created a single tournament badge. This cut down on the exchange significantly because if you sold your badge for Thursday it was gone for the rest of the week — unless you knew the person using it and they gave it back to you. Further, if you sold your badge to someone who acted inappropriately on the grounds, their (i.e. your) badges would be taken away and you would not receive another one come this time next year.

So how do you grace one of the game’s most hollowed grounds; a place that fosters the sport’s greatest traditions by an organization that advocates its finest lessons? Continue reading “How To Get Masters Tickets?”

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Top 100 Courses: #40 The Golf Club

The Golf Club
Location: New Albany, OH
Architect: Pete Dye
Year Constructed: 1967
Played: June 21, 2009

If I were to start my own golf club today I would hope it came out looking exactly like The Golf Club in New Albany, OH. The Golf Club was founded in 1967 by Fred Jones with the simple goal of having a private club where he and his friends could play golf and enjoy themselves. Mr. Jones managed to piece together a 400 acre parcel of land and then took a chance on a virtually unknown architect by the name of Pete Dye to build his golf course. When the project was finished a world class golf club was left as a monument to their partnership.

Thanks to my fellow Top 100 golfer Larry Berle. I’m playing The Golf Club today with his friend Bob. I cut through the quaint little pro shop and over to the main clubhouse building where the dining and locker rooms are located. When I stepped through the door to the locker room I saw what might be my favorite locker room ever. There were tables and chairs in a bar area, leather couches for lounging, card tables, stacks of books and magazines on golf, exposed wooden beams, a huge fireplace and rows of nicely aged dark wooden lockers.

Once we were sufficiently warmed up we went to the putting green to wait our turn. The practice green here is unique in that it is a shared green with the 18th hole. This is something I’ve not ever seen before. As there are no tee times at The Golf Club so members just hang around on the putting green until its their turn to go off. The membership is VERY small at 150 so even at its busiest times there aren’t many golfers on the course.

We played from the white tees which were 6632 yards. The first hole pictured below is a 349 yard par 4 dogleg right. The smart player will avoid the bunker on the right. Its very much in play for a sliced shot and the grass in the middle of the bunker is very long and very penal . . . trust me on that. The 2nd hole is a long par 4 at 444 yards with a blind tee shot.

The 1st hole

The 3rd hole pictured below is a fantastic par 3 that plays 185 yards. Shots that fall short will find the water and those that are long will get in the nasty bunkers behind the green. Note that Pete Dye was using his signature railroad ties even this early in his career. The 4th hole is a 518 yard par 5. In the photo below you can see that the fairway throws everything to the right so the line is to play down the left hand side as close to the tree as possible.

Continue reading “Top 100 Courses: #40 The Golf Club”

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Top 100 Courses: #13 Seminole Golf Club

Seminole Golf Club
 Location: Juno Beach, FL
Architect: Donald Ross
Year Constructed: 1929
Played: June 28, 2011

Playing the Top 100 is rife with hurdles and pitfalls. Anyone who has been following my quest at this website knows that the largest and most difficult obstacle is the fact that about 85% of the courses are private and require a member host or sponsor to play. Searching for members is difficult when it comes to all clubs, but for a variety of reasons some are considerably more difficult than others. Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida is one of the most difficult ones on the list.

Seminole is only open for a 5-6 month period of time and, as I understand it, most of the members live outside of Florida during the summer. This leaves me once again searching nationwide for the proverbial snowball in a snowstorm. Guest play at Seminole must be accompanied by a member. For Seminole members who wish to have guests but are unable to play with them, there is a very small window for two member sponsored groups of unaccompanied guests each day.

One of the many great things about the Top 100 Quest is the incredible people I have met along the way. Golf is full of kind and friendly people who have been enormous supporters of my quest which never ceases to amaze me. One of those people is a young club pro from Michigan. Corey and I became friends about two years ago and like me Corey loves, appreciates and respects great golf courses. Corey also has the great fortune to work at a top quality club that includes a large number of members who belong to multiple clubs, many of them on the Top 100 list. One day in January of this year I received a phone call from Corey who informed me that his member friend had sponsored an unaccompanied group and that Corey had a spot for me to join him!

We arrived at the club at 8:30 and the nice lady in the office opened her window and gave us the book to sign in before we made our way to the locker room. I have to say that it was a great feeling to write my name in the guest book. That simple little act was a bit of pinch me moment and drove home the gravity of the situation in which we were currently ensconced. Continue reading “Top 100 Courses: #13 Seminole Golf Club”

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The Game, The Tournament, The Man, — Bob Hope

I didn’t grow up watching Bob Hope — I wish I did, but that era was a bit before my time. I knew the man through the game and through his tournament. Through Bob’s influence, his Hollywood connections, and his sincere love for the sport, he was able to connect audiences to the game because he made it relatable and more entertaining.

I view the Bob Hope Classic like I do IBM.  Back then, an entire golf tournament hosted, played, and produced by a celebrity was new. Parallels lie within IBM; a company that changed the way businesses do business. Both have been through their growth stages and now live in their more established, mature years. Companies like Google and players like Tiger have come on the scene and progressed both fields. Bob Hope was a lodestar of his time that took his extraordinary amount of popularity and created things bigger than himself that still live on.
Continue reading “The Game, The Tournament, The Man, — Bob Hope”

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2011 PGA Tour winning balls

Titleist had yet another big year on Tour, including wins at the US Open (McIlroy), Tour Championship (Haas).  But while they may dwarf everybody else on tour, other brands picked up some big wins as well.  In particular I hadn’t realized that Taylormade  snagged 5 wins with the Penta this year:

1. Titleist Pro V1x – 21 wins

2. Titleist Pro v1 – 6 wins

3. Tayormade Penta – 5 wins

4. Nike One Tour D – 3 wins

5.  Callaway Tour i(z) – 2 wins

6. Srixon Z-Star XV – 2 wins

7. Bridgestone B330s – 1 win

How does your favorite golf ball stack up? Can anybody make a dent in Titleist’s numbers for 2012?

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The Comeback of Ben Hogan at Merion Golf Club

One of golf’s greatest feats is the comeback of Ben Hogan. After being struck by a Greyhound bus, doctors predicted Hogan would never walk again. His legs were crushed at impact and a main reason he survived was his selfless act to protect his wife by throwing himself on her lap right before impact.

Hogan was always someone who beat the odds: the odds of him making it to the Tour, of overcoming his father’s suicide, and battling back from his car crash.

That summer Monday in 1950 is stated best by the NY Times: Yesterday his challenge to the disbelievers was on the line.

What escapes the average golfer is that Hogan had a 1 stroke lead over Lloyd Mangrum and a three stroke lead over Tom Fazio; however on the sixteenth hole, Mangrum incurred a two stroke penalty which gave Hogan a three stroke lead on both competitors with two holes to play. Hogan dropped a two tier putt for a birdie two on the long par-3 seventeenth.

The New York Times article ends the story by referring to the nickname Ben had growing up:

Then the bug alighted on Mangrum’s ball at the sixteenth, and the penalty for handling the ball sealed the victory for Little Ben.

Below is a great interview with Hogan discussing not only his comeback, but also his mental approach. A great gem:

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Top 100 Courses: #5 Cypress Point Club

Continuing our profile of 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 5th rated golf course in America, Cypress Point Golf Club.

Cypress Point
Location: Pebble Beach, CA
Architect: Alister Mackenzie & Robert Hunter
Year Constructed: 1928
Played: April 15, 2008

I’ve just knocked my ball onto the green at perhaps the most famous hole in golf and my caddie has walked ahead while I enjoy the long walk to the green with my putter in hand. As I stroll around the path to the fairway watching the seals play in the inlet below I can’t help but get a little overwhelmed by the moment.

Anyone who is familiar with the great golf clubs of the world knows Cypress Point Club. Bing Crosby was a member and made the club famous by including it in his annual Crosby Clambake (regretfully renamed the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) which was a regular tour stop until 1991 when the club elected to withdraw. Another member, Bob Hope, very famously stated in regards to the exclusivity of the club “One year they had a big membership drive at Cypress . . . they drove out 40 members”. The bottom line is that this place is one of the toughest tee times in the world to obtain.

Opened in 1928 Cypress Point is often referred to as Alister Mackenzie’s finest design. Mackenzie also designed Bobby Jones’ beloved Augusta National so that gives you an idea of the gravity of the statement that Cypress Point is Mackenzie’s finest work. The course is laid out in 3 groupings of holes. Holes 1 through 6 are woodland holes set in the midst of the cypress and pine trees. Holes 7 through 13 are dunes holes expertly laid out among the natural sand dunes. Finally holes 14 through 18 are seaside holes that test the mettle of even the best of players lucky enough to tee it up here.

My day at Cypress Point started early. I had the dew-sweeper tee time of 7:15 AM and I would be playing alone today. I play solo a lot at home so I’m used to playing my match against Old Man Par and often times prefer it. In retrospect, I think playing alone here made the round that much more special.
cypress point locker room
The guys in the pro shop directed me to the locker room where I could change shoes. It was one of those great old locker rooms where the benches have spike marks from years of shoe tying before the days of soft spikes and ghosts lurk around every corner. Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus . . . all the greats have laced their shoes up here. In a quick glance around the room I saw Clint Eastwood’s locker and Charles Schwab’s but I didn’t linger too long as I was anxious to get out on the course. The photo to the right is not real clear, but it shows the unusual locker design.

Continue reading “Top 100 Courses: #5 Cypress Point Club”