Now that I am a full three weeks removed from the Michigan Trail, I can reflect back on the best of the best, what each place and space had to offer to which type of traveler. Here is my “Best” list from the seven properties that I visited. Best Single Golf Course: Tie between Tullymore and Arcadia Bluffs. They stood out beyond the other fine courses. If Bay Harbor’s three nines had a 3500-yard set of tees, they would be listed beside the other two. Best Group of Courses: Boyne Highlands. With four courses on site ... full post »

Tom Watson shook off the ghosts of Whistling Straits with a one-stroke victory in The Senior British Open. Unlike the USGA Senior Open, where a tenth-hole, double bogey began his demise, Watson rebounded with an 11th-hole birdie to right the ship. Even a 72nd-hole double bogey on the heels of a 71st-hole Ginn birdie could not close the four-stroke differential and force a playoff. Ginn, in fact, handed the tournament to Watson by running a five-bogey streak from holes 64 to 68. In other words, Watson gagged again, but survived, thanks to Ginn! Note to ... full post »

Yea! Natalie Gulbis is winless no more. There’s hope for all, as the Californian stopped the Korean freight train at the Evian Masters in Haute-Savoie, France (Remy’s hometown in Ratatouille.) full post »

A sunny hot May and June meant one thing for the Niagara Falls Country Club: no rough. And some hardpan. Those are two things. It meant that the 6700-yard (more or less) course would be subject to dart after dart from the world’s finest amateur golfers the fourth week of July. And that was just fine for the 49th annual Porter Cup. Brian Harman took the first-day lead with 64 and has yet to relinquish the top spot. He added a second-round 63 to extend his lead to three, and only a 53rd-hole bogey on ... full post »

Man, oh man! When the USGA calls a kid “ostentatious,” it’s on! I’d always been an ignorant Peter Uihlein fan, figuring that the son of the CEO of Titleist must have some game if he can get to be the number one junior in the country, despite all the pressure and profile. Until today, that is. Here, in essence, is what Ken Klavon of the USGA had to say about Uihlein: Augusta, Mo. – The script was supposedly pre-conceived. David versus Goliath. Fourteen year old against 17 year old. The top-ranked junior player from the Pendleton School ... full post »

Maybe I was the only guy to miss it in the theaters. You can imagine my cautious optimism when I spied The Foursome in the local rental joint. I snatched it up, hoping that the pantheon whereby Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore and Dead Solid Perfect reside might have room for one more deity. Nah. The Foursome reunites four college friends with the usual assortment of issues, both past and present, for a weekend of golf and reminiscing. It feel apart for me when the “bonding moment,” the one we all have had with friends, was revealed to be ... full post »

It’s a lovely, rainy Tuesday morning in the middle of the Niagara River, a perfect day for reflection on a massive world of golf. Here are my thoughts for the day. 1. Dicks. I couldn’t figure out Dick Pound’s need to support the Black Night in his assault on golf, and then it winked at me: distraction. As the Tour de France pedals on, as the world track and field season sprints ahead, Dick is diverting enhancement attention from areas within his purview to other, noteworthy targets. Start a rumor and people might actually believe ... full post »

Kimberly Kim shot a 10-under 62 in the first of two on-site qualifying rounds at Tacoma Country Club. The course measured over 6300 yards, making it average LPGA Tour length. If Kim is the Forest, the remainder of the field is the Trees, and it’s important to see the Trees through the Forest. 41 other players shot 72 or better, 63 others are at 74 and lower. That would be the cutoff for match play…74. Kim has a fair way to go to match another record: low qualifying score. 68 gets it done, ... full post »

My attention was captured when Gary “Newsworthy” Player sparked a flame at Carnoustie with his insinuation that steroids and/or enhancement drugs have a building presence in golf. He did not mention on which tour, if any, the competitor(s) that confessed to him compete. My naive response in this blog space was to snidely remark that Player was after an attention grab, that he got it, sating his appetite for the time being. As expected, responses poured in from Wolfrum, Judge Smails, and other worthwhile sources. My initial affront was replaced by a need to do a bit of ... full post »

Although Buffalo has yet to receive official coronation as the Vegas of the Great Lakes, the Monaco of the Midwest, it is only a matter of time. As such, I will go out on a limb hyar and give you my six picks to win today’s Open championship. Keep in mind that my selections are based solely on one fact: ludicrous abstention from major championship success. We begin with Stewart Cink and Chris DiMarco. Cink three-putted in 2001 from some two yards to give away a playoff opportunity for the US Open. He hasn’t been the same ... full post »

Remember that Wisconsonian from the 1970s and 1980s, name of Andy North? Seemed to come out to win a US Open every ten years, then head back to the woodshed with his cash. In the era of Tiger Woods, Andy North wouldn’t win spit, but his legacy is carried on by Steve Stricker, another badger who finds a way to establish himself as a major contender. Stricker has three tour victories to his credit. Two happened nearly a dozen years ago, when his wife was on the bag. The third took place six years past, in the ... full post »

While bouncing around the major magazine golf sites this morning, I came across some wag’s response to a news item: GolfBiz: “LPGA Commissioner Bivens hasn’t been able to increase LPGA purses, so what does she do? ‘Buys’ the Futures Tour that has an even worse purse structure.” By my way of thinking, this is a move of near-brilliance, wherein Commissioner Carolyn Bivens and the LPGA Tour need not invest the time and energy to develop their own tour. Instead, they acquire the Futures Tour, a series that moves through Florida, Texas, New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois and Ohio, to name most ... full post »

Fortunately for the golfing world, hotter heads prevailed, and current world golf figures went off on Gary Player after his random press conference on doping in golf. PARNEVIK After his round, Parnevik responded harshly to recent comments from Gary Player, who on Wednesday urged golf to begin random drug testing and said he knew of at least one player who uses performance-enhancing drugs. “I thought it was stupid,” Parnevik said. “I personally don’t know one person who used them.” Parnevik, decked out in tight black pants and a black derby he called a “Chicago mob hat,” said steroids wouldn’t help a golfer play better ... full post »

20 to 12. That was the score during the first round of the HSBC WWMPC in New Rochelle, New York. That was the score, with the margin of victory favoring … the favorites. Twelve upsets took place, where lower seeds found a way to win (or higher seeds found the guts to lose.) Sounds similar to USGA championships, the men’s World Golf Championship, and every other event that is contested at match play. Heck, even the NCAA hoops tourneys turn out that way. Five matches made their way to extra time, with three going ... full post »

It only took one round over the nastiest course along the Open rotation to prove that the British Open will be the best of the Majors of 2007. Does the PGA even get a nod? NO, NO, NO! Why not? Two words: Southern Hills. Bad course in a furnace. Back to Carnoustie and my reasons. 1. Obligatory amateur near the top. They used to have these in the US Open and the Masters. Rory McIlroy found a way to shoot -3 on Thursday at ‘Noustie. When did we last have ... full post »

On the heels of Gary Player’s attention-grab at Carnoustie, it is my intent to come clean and let you know what I know about steroid use in the golf writer world. To begin, the case of Kiel Christianson. A few short years back, Kiel was a chubby academic, with paunches everywhere and a goofy smile… Now look at him I rest my first case. Next, Mark Nessmith. As a child, he was the prototypical “kid-made-fun-of,” as seen in this photo: After taking medications, you see a more robust, developed Nessmith: Finally, Brandon Tucker. Tucker actually reversed the aging process with his use of ... full post »

A picture is worth a thousand words, according to philosophers, songwriters, and ad agencies. It might require a simple four words here, to dispute the decades-old trumpet song of glory of Ben Hogan at Carnoustie in 1953. I’m looking, as are you, at this overhead shot of the 6th at Carnoustie and wondering if you see what I see. See the bunkers in the middle? See the land to the left, between the sand and the road? See the land to the right, between the sand and the rough? Which looks narrower? Unless the road ... full post »

In spite of all the recent news coming out of Carnoustie, the Open Championship will go on, in all its gore and glory. However, there is one feature on OpenGolf.Com that will allow you to enjoy the event on the web even more. It’s the course guide. OPEN COURSE GUIDE You can do a push-pull, a zoom-in, a turn-yardage-on/off, and really get to know the holes. Cheers and hats on to the R and A folks for this coup. It beats knowing Dot Wong personally, which I don’t. full post »

Word on the fairway is that practice rounds at Carnoustie have been unpredictable. Tiger plays in wind and rain (like most cats, he despises crappy weather), TIGER IN WIND AND RAIN while Phil comes out in shorts and slides a few hours later. Ask yourself, after Tiger’s sexy t-shirt exhibition at Oakmont, TIGER LOOKING YOKED aren’t we ready for Phil in shorts and slides? No matter how poorly a practice round goes at Carnoustie, though, it can’t possibly be as off-target as one engaged in by special ops forces a week ago. At Carnoustie, missing a fairway by a foot ... full post »

“It blows my mind,” Mark Brooks the 1996 PGA champion, said of Austin’s decision to miss the British. “I can’t even imagine it. I think he owes it to himself. It’s good to have an appreciation of the game and its roots. When he stops playing and sits in a rocking chair someday, maybe he’ll understand it better.” The above quote (from a GolfWeek article) personifies the Alpha-Male mentality of many professional golfers. If the opportunity is there, take it. I guess that, being a Beta Male (or is it Omega Male?) myself, these things are just ... full post »

If all good things must come to an end, imagine how I felt when a great thing came to an end. Fortunately for me, northern Michigan was more of a flirtation than a relationship, so I don’t have the heavy teen angst that one might feel when things get serious, nor the mid-life crisis of past-glory delusion. Treetops is a Rick Smith, co-owned property in Gaylord, Michigan. A winter wonderland when the snow falls, it gets greener than Thurston Howel’s flow when the warm weather arrives. In a brief recap, there are two Rick Smith 18-hole courses, one ... full post »

I know that the golf world will be startled at the interruption of my Michigan Road series, but when PGATour.Com titles a sub-head “Eaks Streaks,” it’s time to digress and reflect. Many are aware of my former student-teacher relationship with Lonnie Nielsen, recent first-time winner on the Champions Tour. Outside of Lonnie, there is no golfer I’d rather see win on the Retirees Circuit than Raheeb Winnebago Eaks. Those may not be his given names, but they sound better than whatever his parents came up with. After all, who goes by initials, unless he/she despises one’s own name(s)? Again, ... full post »

There is a movement in Michigan … not a political one, nor an ethical one, but a geographic one. You move from the terrain of the “flatlander” to the heights of the “highlanders” without so much as a notion. There are no precipitous climbs up the sides of steep mountains, and in truth, I rode through more switch-backs in my golf cart than I did in an automobile. To get to Boyne Highlands, you pass through Petoskey, which is a terrific town right on the shore of Lake Michigan. You imagine it to be a small, ... full post »

I’ll be honest: the lounge at Boyne Highlands closes in 40 minutes, we leave for Treetops at 5 am, and drive back to Buffalo after 27 holes at Treetops … I need to eat and sleep, so this will be a picture blog. Here are four quick shots of Cedar River Course (Weiskopf) and The Legend Course (Palmer) at Shanty Creek. We have not been greeted nor treated by anyone like we were at Shanty Creek. I will return and write more, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy the shots. CEDAR RIVER BELOW THE LEGEND BELOW Despite what ... full post »

Long before the world heard of Tom Doak, Bill Coore, or Jim Engh, and long after the likes of Walter Travis, Donald Ross, and Seth Raynor had worked their magic on the land, golf courses were designed by local folk who exhibited no pedigree for the craft. They used simple logic, fitting the course to the available land, with an emphasis on simplicity. Fortunately for the guests of Crystal Mountain a certain Bill Newcomb was handy enough to build a golf course that challenged and satisfied at the same time. WILLIAM NEWCOMB Mountain Ridge moves across a meadow ... full post »

Arcadia was “a mountainous region of ancient Greece, traditionally known for the contented pastoral innocence of its people,” so spaketh dictionary.com. Evidently, when you bring bluffs into play, all contentment and innocence goes to pot! Those northerly breezes that blow off Lake Michigan make navigation of the fairways a fair challenge. Those brown spots you see above might be construed as rough, but in actuality they are the acne of the devil! You can barely find your ball in them, although the fescue is quite wispy. Playing a legitimate shot back to reality takes quite a bit ... full post »

In days of yore (the 1960s), men of wisdom proclaimed that a northern golf resort could indeed turn a profit. These wise men, of Michigan stock, set the table from which other northern golfing folk would dine for years to come. In this spirit, three men of average wisdom set forth on July 7th to chase The Michigan Road. Their goal? To know the state’s courses, from the shore of Lake Huron to the bluffs of Lake Michigan. Their alpha? Tullymore at St. Ives … Stanwood, Michigan. Jim Engh came to Michigan near the turn of the ... full post »

Herb Kohler sat down for an interview this week (big shock, that one) with the USGA, Rand Jerris, and assorted media. I was not present, so I’ll have to take them all at their respective words. HERB KOHLER In the interview, he hinted at the type of project that makes his whistle pucker: “Our minds are going, and our search for land is continuing. There aren’t many areas left in this country, frankly, especially shoreline, especially on water you can’t see across. Very little land in this country left to build great golf courses. But there are those kinds ... full post »

The University of Southern California is pleased to announce the potential arrival of the next Tiger Woods. His resume has been building quietly over the past few years of his education and edification, but his excellence can be kept unmentioned no longer. Presenting: Jamie Lovemark. Proof? Here are links to recent finishes. 2007 NCAA Division One Championship: First place individual competition 2007 Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby (Nationwide Tour Tournament) Playoff-Non-Winner and tournament runner up as an amateur. 2007 AT&T National (PGA Tour Tournament) Second-low score on day one…Click Here to follow his progress. When the dean of college ... full post »

Two quick thoughts: The Kohler / Whistling Straits website is the best one I have seen for bringing you closer to the action. The hole-by-hole profiles take place in the main window, with no p.i.t.a pop-opens or shrunken hooey. Each hole of the course has a real-world flyover from behind the tee to the green (no Second Life pseudo crap.) And just in case you don’t know the best way to play the hole, architect Pete Dye gives you his tips on how to navigate safely through the dunes, wetlands, and other frights of the Straits ... full post »

As the rains continue to descend on the spongy grounds of The K Club in Ireland, I am reminded of the flexibility needed in the conduct of tournaments and qualifiers on professional golf tours. This week, a story made the rounds about a British Open qualifying round that was re-started due to a rogue hole position. Calling to mind the Callaway commercial a few years back about the mischievous greenkeeper, the hole was deemed unputtable and was moved from high to low in an effort to ensure fairness. In an unprecedented motion, the eight players who had come through ... full post »

Free fitness…who doesn’t like free? Many golf websites provide a bit of exercise as a tease, leading you to purchase their products. Since I don’t garner a percentage of those sales, I’ve decided to rebel and find you three sites that offer fitness tips of immediate use. So even when you’re standing, beer in one hand, greasy burger in the other, this U.S. Independence Day, you can still work on your fitness with a quick visit to the following sites: Site One: European Tour.Com Nice video, good variety of exercises, not too demanding, but certainly helpful. Site Two: ... full post »