Here it is 10 days into 2013 and I am still fooling around writing a blog about the coming year.  So far, I’ve got nothing – but not for lacking of trying.

 

I’ve made two or three false starts.  I’ve begun typing furiously and with the best of intentions about what I’d like to see happen in golf in 2013.  I’ve also taken a run at my Top 10 predictions for the year.

 

Of course, no way I could have predicted the first tournament of the year, in the paradise of Maui, would get rained out and blown out for four straight days.  More of my navel-gazing has been devoted to thinking about what Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy will do.

 

I’ve made lists, jotted down witty observations and dark forecasts.  And each time, afterward, I read over the blog, then hit the "spike" key.  That’s because I eventually realized none of that stuff mattered to me this year – not like it used to.

 

If Tiger finally ends his majors draught and wins No. 15, good for him. But whatever happens with Tiger won’t keep me up nights.  Ditto for Phil, who seems to be at a stage in his career where he’s looking for fresh challenges.  Rory is good, obviously, the best there is, but nothing he says or does moves my "Excite-o-meter" very much.

 

What I’ve come to realize is that for me, all that really matters in golf during 2013 are (1) the U.S. Open at Merion and (2) my own enjoyment of the game – not necessarily in that order.

 

Who among us doesn’t want the Open at Merion to be a huge success for Philadelphia,  for Merion and for old classic golf courses everywhere?  I can’t wait.  I think it will be the most memorable Open in years.

 

But personally, I’m ever more pumped about my own golf game.  I want to play more this year, I want to enjoy it more and I want to get back to golf courses I haven’t played in years, maybe ever.  I want to take a good golf trip this year.  I want to his fewer stupid shots, fewer putts that don’t even sniff the hole.  I want to play rounds with friends during which we never write down a score on a hole.

 

That’s another thing: I’ve reached a point in my golfing life – perhaps inevitable with age and perspective – when I care less and less about my score, or my handicap.  When I play a crappy round, I don’t beat myself up like I used to.   Because, let’s face it, what’s the point?

 

I’ve got a couple of young friends I like to play with because they blow the ball 50 yards past me.  It’s fun watching them go all Dustin Johnson.  But I also enjoy playing with a couple of older buddies who are constantly waving me to move up to the forward tees with them, where the golf course is so much kinder and gentler.  For a while there, I felt guilty moving up; not any more.  With age come certain entitlements, and I’ve earned them.

 

I’ll tell you something else, nothing has made me appreciate good health and an active life like the hip replacement surgery I had last summer.  I hated being sidelined for three months during pre- and post-surgery.  I hated missing the lazy late summer afternoons on the golf course, sneaking in a quick nine holes before the sun went down.

 

Every measure of success I have for the coming year of golf wouldn’t have meant diddly-squat to me a few years ago.  Now they mean everything.

 

Happy golfing in 2013.  I hope you’ve got goals of your own.

I’m kinda liking this Tom Watson pick as Ryder Cup captain.

 

True, it’s a surprise and a major departure from the tried and true (some would say tired) formula the PGA of America has used in the past to pick captains.  Up til now, the criteria was: a former Ryder Cup team member and major winner (preferably a PGA Championship), between the ages of 46-50, so that they were still reasonably connected to the guys most likely to make the team.

 

Using that formula, all indicators pointed toward David Toms.  In some corners, there was also hope that Larry Nelson, 65, who’d already been passed over twice, might get the nod.

 

After this morning’s press conference, we now know that neither Toms nor Nelson ever had a shot.  The new PGA of America president, Ted Bishop, revealed that he had pretty much settled on Watson 14 months ago, even before the U.S. team took a Sunday nosedive at Medinah earlier this year.  All Bishop had to do was sell the idea to the rest of the board, which was probably ready for some kind of dramatic change in strategy.

 

The big losers, obviously, are Toms, who did nothing wrong, other than fail to inspire the confidence of the PGA America, and Nelson, who conceded he was disappointed.

 

Let’s be honest: is either Toms or Nelson, both nice guys and fine players, the kind of warrior-general the U.S. team needs to lead them to Scotland in 2014 to reclaim the Cup and salvage some dignity after the ass-whupping in Chicago?   Frankly, I’ll take Watson.

The more I think about the proposal by the USGA and the R&A to ban anchoring the putter, the more it occurs to me that there are other issues confronting the game that need to be addressed first.

 

Therefore, here is my list of 10 proposed rules changes:

           

                                                           

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Rule 13-9/a:

 

If a player lies 8 and still has not reached the green, the player shall be deemed to be "done" for that hole.  Player should pick up his ball and move on.

 

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Rule  1-17/b:

 

Any player(s) who thinks he looks stylish or golf-y in argyle socks, vests and hats shall be escorted from the course and banned from the game until further notice.

 

*

Rule 6-10/b:

 

If at any time during a round, a player(s) hits the 5½-hour mark, the round is deemed to be over.  Player(s) shall immediately return to the clubhouse and have a drink. Or two.  Player(s) have done enough damage for one day.

                                                                                   

*

Rule 20-11/c:

 

If a player is deemed to be to blame for reaching the aforementioned 5½-hour mark, player shall toss his bag and clubs in the dumpster behind the clubhouse on his way out.

 

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Rule 24-10/d:

 

If a player is addressed in what he deems to be a smug and condescending manner by a surly young assistant in the pro shop who is attempting to charge more than $60 in green fees at a mediocre course, the player is permitted reach across the counter and slap the assistant.

 

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Rule 33-1/12:

 

If while admiring a logoed shirt in the pro shop a player discovers that the shirt retails for $125 or more, the player is permitted to hock a loogie onto the front of the shirt and discreetly return it to the display table.

 

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Rule 25-2/18/c:

 

If a player has plunked down hard-earned cash for a round only to discover that the pro shop has failed to inform him that the greens and/or fairways were aerated the day before, the player is permitted to fail to inform the pro shop that he has left a massive, coiled floater in the toilet in the men’s locker room.

 

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Rule 6-14/a:

 

A player who has reached the age of 55 is permitted to invoke "Senior Privilege" three times during any round, entitling him to move up one set of tee markers (two if he feels like it) at any time, at no penalty and without explanation or apology.

 

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Rule 2-16/d:

 

In match play, if Player A fails to concede a short putt to Player B that everybody knows Player B will miss, and if Player A is doing so only to demoralize and humiliate Player B, Player A shall be deemed "A prick."  Any player who accumulates three "Pricks" during a match shall be deemed an "Unmitigated Smacked Ass." 

 

                                                                                   

*

Rule 3-12/c:

 

Snapper soup in the grill room shall be mandatory.

As the snow falls outside my office window, it’s hard to believe that 24 hours ago I was playing golf – not in Florida or Scottsdale or North Carolina, but in Philadelphia. 

 

South Jersey, actually, since the course I played was RiverWinds GC in West Deptford, with its string of scenic holes running along the banks of the Delaware River.

 

To me, yesterday’s round was "bonus golf."  When you live this far north, any round of golf after Thanksgiving qualifies as bonus golf, as far as I’m concerned.  Like most years, I haven’t officially lugged my clubs down to the basement for the long winter’s rest.  But I have taken them out of the trunk and leaned them against the wall at the top of the steps to the basement. 

 

That’s where they were Sunday when I got all from Ed Shearon, who designed RiverWinds, Raven’s Claw and The Vineyard at the Shore.  Monday was going to be a nice day, with the high hitting 50 degrees, and he knew (a) I’m a sucker for a last-minute round and (b) I have a flexible schedule.  Ed also wanted me to see how much conditions have improved at RiverWinds.

 

He was right – RiverWinds is vastly improved since Ron Jaworski bought the course.  The fairways were lush and green and the greens showed none of the splotches and ball mark nicks I remembered from my last visit.

 

I’ve got my heart set on at least three or four more bonus rounds in December, before winter fully sets in.  I don’t care how goofy I look – two, three four layers , a knitted cap, hand warmers – so long as I can get the club around. 

 

The best part about bonus rounds of golf is you feel like you’re stealing.  The chilly air is also invigorating, not to mention the snifter of Jameson whiskey afterward.  It’s just good to be outdoors.

 

Several years ago, we had a run of three or four years when it was warm enough to play  on New Year’s Eve.  I remember because I did.  That was the ultimate bonus golf. 

Joe Bausch, Villanova chemistry professor and photographer extraordinaire behind The Bausch Collection of golf course galleries, has been at it again.

 

Recently, we uploaded another 12 more course galleries, bringing to total number of galleries of courses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland to 153 by my count.  The man gets around, what can I say.

 

The latest galleries are:

 

Pennsylvania: Green Pond CC, Macoby Run GC, Phoenixville CC, Spring Hollow GC, Twin Ponds GC, Westover GC and the late Horsham Valley GC.

 

New Jersey: Sand Barrens GC, Beckett GC and Tavistock CC

 

Delaware: Delcastle GC and Garrison Lake GC.

 

Maryland: Bittersweet GC.

 

Another tip of the visor to Professor Bausch, whose passion to experience new courses and photograph them as he goes is pretty much unrivaled.  If you’d like to suggest a course for Joe add to The Bausch Collection, please send me an email.  Soon, I’ll have an email set up so you can email Joe directly.

 

As a reminder, here’s the original blog post I wrote about Joe and how MyPhillyGolf came to host his collection of photos:

 

Introducing The Bausch Collection of photos Thursday, September 30, 2010 By Joe Logan   I am delighted to report that we are adding a terrific new feature and invaluable resource to MyPhillyGolf – The Bausch Collection.   That’s the name I half-jokingly suggested for what is a remarkable collection of photo galleries of golf courses in the region.   Haven’t played a course but want to get a sense of what it looks like?  Check out The Bausch Collection.   The first few galleries have already been uploaded to MyPhillyGolf.  To see them, on the home page, go to the upper right-hand corner of the menu bar and click on the drop-down under "Photos."   Toward the bottom, you’ll see the list of courses – private and public -- whose galleries are already in place: Aronimink GC, Bella Vista GC, Blue Bell CC, Broad Run GC, Cobbs Creek GC, Inniscrone GC, Island Green GC and The ACE Club.   Then click on the galleries themselves, and each individual photo for an expanded version.   What you see is only the beginning.  In the coming weeks, we will add photo galleries for another 50-60 courses in the region.   To my knowledge, it will be the most comprehensive assemblage of Philadelphia-area course photos anywhere.   The Bausch Collection is named for Joe Bausch, a Villanova chemistry professor with a passion for golf course architecture.  As he plays courses, Joe snaps photos along the way, from every conceivable angle.  From the quality of the images, I assumed Joe was working with some sophisticated single lens reflex camera with a top-dollar lens.  Not so.  He get these results with a small, high-end point-and-shoot camera.   MyPhillyGolf came by the photos because I happened to be playing a recent round of golf with Joe at the GC at Glen Mills (gallery coming soon) when he mentioned that the growing collection of galleries was beginning to tax the limits of his 10-year-old Mac and wondered if we’d like to host them.   I had to think about it for a full half-second before I said, "You bet we would."   The Bausch Collection has been a work in progress for quite some time, as Joe points and shoots his way through the regional golf landscape.  If you know of a course that deserves to join the collection, let me know and I will suggest it to Joe.   In the meantime, keep an eye out as we add more and more course galleries -- and tell all your golf friends about The Bausch Collection.

 

When I got the call a couple of days ago from his daughter-in-law that Jim Sykes had died, I couldn’t help but think back over the 16 years I’d known him.

I liked Jim.  He was a no BS guy.  He’d tell you what he thought, whether you wanted to hear it or not.  He and I spent more than a few hours together, hanging around GAP events, walking golf courses, on the phone.  He even took me to Pine Valley, where he was a long-time member, a couple of times.  What’s not to like about that.

 

Up until the time he moved into a retirement home, Jim and I lived in adjoining suburbs and we’d bump into each other at the shopping center from time to time.  Those meetings took on new meaning after he retired as Executive Director of the GAP in 2000.  We’d catch up, gossip about GAP and about golf, and he would describe his new life as a retiree.  He missed being in the game.

 

That’s because Jim Sykes was the ultimate pro.  Years ago, when I was trying to figure out the proper balance for covering the national golf scene (i.e. Tiger, Phil, et al) and the local golf scene (GAP, WGAP, Publinks), I would often seek out fellow my golf writers at other big-city metro papers to ask how they did it.

 

I’d go on for a few minutes about all the GAP did and the time and space that the Inquirer devoted to their events.  More often than not, I’d be met with a blank stare from my fellow scribes.  They’d shake their head and say, "It’s not really an issue for me because we’ve got nothing like the way you describe GAP."

 

GAP is a very special organization, pretty much in a league of its own among local and regional golf associations.  For that, Jim Sykes deserves and enormous amount of credit.  That, to me, is his proud legacy.

 

The last time I spoke to Jim was two or three months ago.  I was writing a column for the Global Golf Post about the GAP Team Matches and I wanted to mention the one year GAP was forced to cancel the Team Matches because of the late snow, 1994.  I figured he would remember everything. 

 

I reached him in his retirement village in Audubon, where he and Sue had moved not too long before.   He complained a little about his health, but his mood was good and his mind was sharp.  Sure enough, Jim had instant recall of every detail I needed.   I wasn’t surprised.  I also wasn’t surprised when we gossiped for another 20 minutes.

 

Jim Sykes has earned his place in Philadelphia golf history. 

I can’t wipe the grin off my face this morning.  Yesterday, 11 weeks and a day since undergoing left hip replacement surgery on July 31, I played my first full 18-hole round.  Ah, the marvels of modern medicine.

 

My score (87) was irrelevant.  What matters is that I felt great, I had no pain and I could make a decent pass at the ball, including the necessary but worrisome rotation of the hips.

 

On top of all that,  it was an perfect fall day and the company was excellent:  Jeff Silverman, golf writer and a veteran of double- hip-replacement himself 11 years ago, who advised and counseled me throughout my own hip odyssey.

 

Until now, I had only played two nine-hole rounds and hit balls a few times.  I went to the range on the eight-week anniversary of the surgery, but after a a bucket, I realized I was pushing it.  I waited another week and tried again.  It was a little better, but I still feared asking my new titanium hip to do more than it was ready for.  This healing business takes time.

 

Two weeks ago, 10 weeks after going under the knife, I went out for my first nine holes with one of my regular golf buddies, Tim Black.  It went well, and my swing felt good, but I was pooped after nine and ready to call it a day.

 

I played my second nine one day last week, when I looked up my computer and realized it was another clear, crisp fall afternoon.  I jumped up and headed to the course.  That also went well, but again, nine holes was all I was ready for.

 

Yesterday, I was determined to go the full 18, and I’m glad I did.  I got tired toward the end and I limped a little the last few holes, but that was okay.  Another 18-hole round is in my near future.

 

I write this to share my own progress, obviously, but I also write to encourage anyone else who might be hobbling around on a bad hip or knee, potentially facing the same decision Jeff and I faced.

 

Joint replacement surgery and the weeks of recovery are no joy ride, that’s for sure. But the alternative is living in constant pain, and living a very restricted life.  I’m glad I did.  Faced with the same circumstance, I’d do it again.  Slowly but surely, I’m getting my life back.

 

Happy golfing.  Happy living.