—If these be our last moments men, Let us live them with honor. J.R.R. Tolkien— Somewhere on the road between Spokane and Seattle, I could hear the pain in Jeff Shelley’s voice through the Bluetooth speaker, though four hours of driving distance still separated us. My spider-sense was tingling. Stammering…hurt…disappointment…I had never heard...
Here are the links for the Masters preview show with Marino Parascenzo and Brian Keogh of Irish Golf Desk!
Marino Part 1
Marino Part 2
Brian Part 1
Brian Part 2
Coming next – John Piterresi of the Utica Observer-Dispatch on hockey, golf and the Utica Comets 10 game win streak and Frank Corrado, star Comets defenseman with a wicked slap shot.
If this were the Middle Ages, Tiger Woods choosing to come to Augusta National and play in the Masters while Rory McIlroy chases a career Grand Slam and third straight major would be akin to some potentate announcing his own public condemnation and execution as part of another King’s coronation. Or as they might have said back in my Dad’s day, “Hey...
FOREST HILLS, NY – Is Donald Trump truly as he is depicted by his detractors? A rapacious Gorgon? A ravening-fanged, slavering-jawed, leathery-winged, blood-stained ogre slaughtering his way through an innocent golf universe? Or is he a hero? A white knight, saving golf courses that would otherwise go under by swallowing them whole and re-branding them in his...
This one was a lot of fun to write. Streamsong, Seminole, and Old Memorial are next. Then it’s time for the Masters! Here’s the link to the Cybergolf article. From the article: Is Donald Trump truly as he is depicted by his detractors? A rapacious Gorgon? A ravening-fanged, slavering-jawed, leathery-winged, blood-stained ogre slaughtering his way through...
ISABELA, P.R.-It was one of those magical nights that would only have been better if a beautiful woman had been beside me. High on a rocky cliff-top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the air perfumed by violet, maga (Puerto Rico’s version of hibiscus), tropical lilies, fragapane, banyon, avocado,and countless other fragrant flora, I bask in one of the great...
I’m all for quirky golf courses, but there’s “Quirky Interesting” and then there’s “Quirky Weird,” and although it’s a fine a line between the two, you know the difference when you see it. It’s unmistakable. Sometimes just a matter of millimeters, like the difference between a beautiful woman and a plain one, or...
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – So it really can happen. A golf course truly can take your breath away. It doesn’t happen often – maybe one round in a thousand, one golf course in hundreds, one day in a decade, but that fleeting moment, so elusive yet so moving, can appear. If you love golf enough, if you travel near and far, if you play the game as a game of a...
Poor Royal Liverpool (or Hoylake to locals): It’s become even more of a football for wise-cracking critics of Open Championship venues than Somber Olde Carnoustie. Normally Open Championship venues conjure images of hallowed, centuries-old golfing Meccas. There’s the stately architecture of St. Andrews, the romantic beauty of Turnberry, the rugged...
GREAT FALLS, VA – The name may be nondescript – there are at least half a dozen courses called River Bend in America – but thanks to a remodel by golf architect Keith Foster, you’ll be hearing about the River Bend Club in Great Falls, Virginia soon and often. It’s yet another masterful reworking by Foster, who is riding the crest of a...
PINEHURST, NC – If I had a dime for every club in America that wanted to host a U.S. Open, I’d be able to buy Turnberry back from Donald Trump. Sadly, too many clubs spend inordinate amounts of time, energy and money in a futile pursuit of U.S. Open glory, and end up needlessly turning their clubs into unplayable torture chambers just to show how hard...
FLOURTOWN, PA – From out of the mists of history, an ancient adage still rings true: Gods and Wonders always appear to attend the birth of Kings. And with the Sun beaming so brightly it was as though Apollo himself was driving his fiery chariot through the skies once more, Philadelphia Cricket Club’s fabled Wissahickon Course re-opened in a golden blaze...
We had a great day at the Grand Reopening of Philly Cricket Club. Cybergolf has my piece here. From the article: “All in all, the restoration was nothing short of a monumental success.If, as an old mentor of mine used to say, “The proof of the pudding is in the tasting,” then the myriad accolades golfers and pundits are already heaping upon Philly...
While I get ready to live-webcast the reopening of Philly Cricket Wissahickon Course, here’s my piece on NYC public golf over at Cybergolf. From the article: “Apologies to hairy rockers ZZ Top (of La Grange, TV Dinners and “Sharp Dressed Man” fame), but you do have to make it to the upstate New York town of Lagrangeville for some excellent...
Dave Droschak, my writing mate over at Cybergolf, has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking article over at Cybergolf about how much harder Pinehurst No. 2 has become. The article is here. Here’s the crux: “With No. 2 stretching more than 7,500 yards as a par 70, and golfers facing more than 100 bunkers, the course appears harder than a year ago...