Surely, short hitters everywhere were celebrating Fred Funk’s win at The Players, at the TPC Stadium course at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. Funk showed you don’t have to be a long bomber, like a Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods or those guys, to win on the PGA Tour. Funk takes some ribbing about his short stature off the tee, but no one makes sport of his soft approaches into the green. Course management, baby, that still has a place in this era of 350 and even 400-yard drives. Give John Daly a touch of Funk and you’d have a dominant force ... full post »

The Oaks golf course in Biloxi is having serious problems with its greens, as are a number of courses in the area. Officials there say freak weather in November is the culprit – first it was unseasonably hot and then they got 10 inches of rain, destroying the overseeding. Fine, that’s acceptable, but shouldn’t courses that are in admittedly bad shape give discounts? Their product isn’t up to par, so shouldn’t the price be adjusted accordingly? Most other businesses sell damaged goods at a reduced price. Why not golf courses? Look for the full review coming soon… wpeop full post »

Hmmmm, so Dennis Silvers, the Las Vegas Guru, doesn’t know what I do for a living. Hey Dennis, you might want to check out the site you blog for a little further. Check out who the National Golf Editor is, and you’ll find my name. This isn’t a difficult thing to do, Dennis. It’s called “research.” I’m the National Golf Editor for the very site you blog for! Now I guess, research – even baby research like knowing who you blog for – is something talk show hosts are incapable of. But, you would think they could read, couldn’t you? Maybe, ... full post »

I didn’t hit every casino in the Biloxi, Miss. area, but I hit enough. For my money – and they have most of it – the Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis is the best, especially if you’re a golfer. Casino Magic has everything you need right there on the grounds – the slots, the tables, a couple of very good restaurants and a good, Arnold Palmer-designed course, The Bridges. The Bridges is a fun course that gets a lot of play, so the conditioning isn’t as good as, say Shell Landing or Grand Bear, but it’s more of a challenge ... full post »

The Favres are big in this part of Mississippi. I’m speaking mainly of Brett Favre, in particular, the extraordinarily talented quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, but also Favres in general. It’s a popular name in this part of the South. Scott is Brett’s brother, and like his brother, a big, friendly, easy-going Mississippian who inherited a ton of athletic ability. The brothers are renowned down here for their ability in sports, and both of them hit the ball a mile off the tee. People tell stories of some of the legendary drives they’ve hit. I played with Scott at ... full post »

The drive along U.S. 90 in the Biloxi area has to be one of the prettiest stretches in the country on the cross-country highway that starts – or ends – in my hometown of Jacksonville, which ain’t so pretty. In fact, it’s ugly, but that’s another story. The Gulf of Mexico is off there to your right as you cruise this part of the Gulf Coast, and the great state of Mississippi gives you plenty of access to the water – unlike my hometown, but that’s another story. Well, here goes anyway: If Florida politicians got ahold of this ... full post »

What is it with Yankees and beaches? Doesn’t matter how cold it is, if they’re on vacation, they’re going to the beach. It’s about 40 degrees, overcast and windy here, unseasonably cold for Biloxi, Miss., this time of year. And there they are, out on the beach, in shorts and swimsuits, trying unsuccessfully to pretend it’s blue skies and 85 degrees. They’re getting bowled over by an Artic gale, almost bare naked, trying to toss a football back and forth like they’re standing in Waikiki. How did these guys win the War? full post »

Biloxi is sort of the poor man’s Vegas. You see a lot more RVs than you do limos, and they have Hank Williams and Minnie Pearl impersonators to go along with the usual quota of Elvis look-alikes. But, it’s a low-key, unpretentious sort of place where you can play golf during the day and gamble to your heart’s content at night – at substantially lower prices than Vegas. This is Biloxi’s high season, and you won’t find green fees over $100. Costs that much in Vegas to have the ball boys wipe down your clubs. When you’re leaving the Biloxi casinos, ... full post »

If you’re in the Biloxi area, and you like barbecue, you must – repeat, must – go to the Shed. It’s a little ramshackle place right off I-10 near Gautier, not too far from Mississippi National golf course. It looks like it was made from several different junk piles, which it was, basically. It looks like what a barbecue joint should look like. The barbecue is fantastic. The baby back ribs fall off the bone without any prompting. The potato salad is the best I’ve ever had. Get yourself a big ol’ sweet tea and sit outside and watch the dogs ... full post »

Actually, it’s hard calling the Great Southern Golf Club in Biloxi hidden – it’s been there for about a hundred years. I can see where a lot of big hitters might look at the yardage – 6,236 yards from the back tees – and scoff. Until they played it. The greens remind me of the greens Donald Ross also did at Pinehurst No. 2: they’re small and elevated and fall off dramatically – landing a soft approach shot is a must if you want to score well there. Ross has the same strategically placed bunkers here and throws some other small ... full post »

So I’m in the motel parking lot, with the sparkling Gulf of Mexico shimmering behind me, rummaging through my car for that banana I brought with me but forgot to eat, when I hear a voice from behind me: “Big man! Come here for a second. Got something to show you.” I walk over to the car, a 1991 Lincoln Continental, and the man behind the wheel, looking around surreptitiously, pulls out a diamong ring. I take it from him and stare at it. Then he takes out another, and another. Each ring is gaudier than the last and has ... full post »

My young colleague Chris Baldwin is oh so typical of many of his generation: they’ve grown up being bombarded by commercials and are so brainwashed they have become oblivious tools of the vast marketing machine that has taken over America – yes, we are a nation of car salesmen. Sure, it’s great to have Tiger, Phil and Vijay going head to head in a tournament, but do we really want them 24/7 at the exclusion of everyone else? Look at Doral: the final day coverage was a love-telecast of Mickelson and Woods – hey, there was some pretty good golf ... full post »

The corporate fat cats are at it again. A sports management company, IMG, wants to get its tournament directors to lure big stars to tournaments by paying big “appearance fees” to top players like Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, John Daly, etc. for “corporate outings” held before tournaments. This, in spite of the fact it is expressly against PGA Tour rules to use appearance fees to induce players to compete in tournaments. And what player is going to accept $500,000 to play with the fat cats before a tournament, and then bolt? You can bet there is all sorts of pressure ... full post »

The Rebel Blogger blasted Santee, S.C. as a golf destination recently, and I think the guy is inhaling his own cigar smoke. Santee is a little place that tries hard. It’s true, their marketing efforts are pretty hokey – the place is definitely not a world-class golf destination – but the place itself is OK. Decent golf courses for very reasonable rates, and the people are friendly as Mayberry. It’s a great place for people who like to golf and fish and tired of the Myrtle Beach hustle. That’s basically what I said in the story I did on Santee ... full post »

Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle put forth a ridiculous premise in trying to explain why Phil Mickelson choked against Tiger Woods Sunday at Doral. Campbell said Mickelson “underestimated” Woods, and that was the reason he lost. Incredible. Mickelson was clearly intimidated by El Tigre. You could see it in his eyes. How could anybody – most of all Mickelson – underestimate Woods, now the No. 1 player in the world again? Some sportswriters will say anything to get attention. I know, I used to be one. full post »

Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid is a guy who’s been tracking golf over the years. He’s a bit of a rebel in that he differs drastically with the estalished guys like the PGA, Golf 20/20, etc.; he paints a much more pessimistic than the happy-talk business suits. Koppenhaver makes a good point in his most recent report, saying that the polarization of the consuming middle-class – or the phenomenon of “trading up” at places like Wal Mart (you save money by buying cheap toilet paper there and use that savings to buy nicer things elsewhere), isn’t happening in golf. In other words, ... full post »

NBC didn’t miss a single chance of cramming in as many commercials as it could during the final holes Sunday at Doral. They broke away every 30 seconds, it seemed, and showed us Mickelson and Woods walking to the 18th via tape. That should have been live. And is there anything more worthless than the live interview with the sponsor bigwig dduring the final, dramatic moments? These guys never add anything to the broadcast. The Ford clown said nothing of any value. full post »

It was painful watching Phil Mickelson succumb to nerves in Sunday’s last round at Doral. Tiger Woods showed signs of choking, too, but Mickelso blew two chances to move past him, and when Woods had his shot, he made the putt. It was almost like Mickelson knew he didn’t belong in Woods’ rarefied air, even though he has a bigger and more imaginative array of shots than Woods. This wasn’t the Ryder Cup or even a major, but Lefty couldn’t get his nerves under control. The guy isn’t ready for No. 1, and who knows, he may just ... full post »

The Society of American Travel Writers has told us in the past it stands behind it members, but it must not be keeping a close watch. Every time I read stories by members, I find incredible exaggerations, outright lies or – at the least - misrepresentations and purposeful ignorance. In short, they turn a blind eye to the bad things going on in the destinations they write about. Why? Because they have a great life – free trips to exotic locales. Who suffers? The people who read these stories and think everything is hunky-dory. If the SATW was serious about ... full post »

A freelancer of ours caused quite a stir a while back when he called Pinehurst No. 2 overrated. After playing it recently, I agree with him – with a qualification. All of No. 2’s difficulty lies in its greens, which resemble a stainless steel bowl turned upside down. You could throw a dart in the middle of most of those greens and it would roll off. I understand John Daly’s frustration at the 1999 US Open there, when he hit the same putt twice – after it came rolling back down. The fairways are wide open, and there is virtually no ... full post »

This time I agree with the cranky old Rebel Blogger – somewhat. Most golf trails are bogus, nothing more than a few courses getting together with a Chamber of Commerce, throwing some marketing money together, and calling themselves a “trail.” But at least the RTJ trail has a theme. What about the Arkansas Golf Trail? What’s that – a string of third-rate goat tracks scattered around interstate rest stops? The RTJ was a great, original idea – it’s successors have cheapened the concept full post »

Kiawah is a beautiful island, but it seems like they’ve walled it off to the common folk. You can enjoy Kiawah only if you’re in the six-figure income bracket. The natural setting is unbelievable – wind-swept dunes, pristine marhses and all that – but the man-made part seems artificial and contrived to me. There’s a sameness to all the houses, villas, roads and signs. It was never allowed to evolve naturally with all the rules and codes; the place has that “developer” stamp all over it. Where’s a barbecue joint? full post »

Anybody over, say 38 years of age, should forget Myrtle Beach as a golf destination, and head to Pinehurst. Myrtle Beach is a mess, with nothing but withering traffic and fried food joints, and only a handful of good courses. Pinehurst is about nothing but golf. You can drive in minutes to any of several great courses – including of course, No. 2, and contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend a fortune. Of course, there’s no nightlife, but aren’t you tired of the same old, tired, run-down MB “gentlemen’s clubs?” full post »