Since early July, when Joe Bausch, Villanova chemistry
professor, unrepentant golf addict and itchy-fingered amateur photographer, uploaded
three more course galleries, he has another six, a mix of private and daily
fee: Skippack
GC, Blackwood
GC, Clayton
Park GC, Torresdale-Frankford
CC and Saucon Valley – Old
Course and Weyhill
Course.The total is now up to
112.
If you are unfamiliar with Joe’s course galleries, they are the
most complete assemblage of golf course photo galleries in the region, as well
as an invaluable resources for golfers.
If you haven’t already done
so, check them out.Tell your
golfing friends.Even golf courses
that offer photos of their courses on their own websites often do not provide
the kind of complete overview that Joe
comes up with, snapping away with his point-and-shoot camera as he plays.
Thinking about trying a new
course?Joe has probably already been there and photographed it.Considering joining a private club?You can probably narrow the list of
possibilities thanks to The Bausch Collection.
Not surprisingly, Joe’s biggest body of work is from
Pennsylvania (87 courses), followed by New Jersey (18 courses), then Delaware
(4) and Maryland (3).More are
always on the way, especially since joined the ranks of course raters for Golfweek magazine.Now, he has even more incentive to try
new courses.
For Temple
golf and golf coach Brian Quinn, these are the best of times
and the worst of times.
In the current rotation of Featured Stories onMyPhillyGolf, there are two stories that involve
talented young Temple golfers.One is about Andrew
Mason, who just finished his eligibility at Temple.He is riding the hottest of hot streaks
right now, having won the Philadelphia
Open, the Pennsylvania Amateur,
the Patterson Cup and, soon enough, Player
of the Year from the Golf
Association of Philadelphia.Next week, Mason will tee it
up in the U.S. Amateur.
The other story involving a Temple golfer is nothing short of
tragic.It’s about Connor
McNicholas,
another talented young player who will be a sophomore a few weeks, assuming he
returns to school.He could be in
jail.
McNicholas, who is
only 19, faces 20 charges, including homicide by vehicle while driving under
the influence, following the Aug. 6 high-speed crash that
killed two of the four teens who were in the car with him that night.
As it happened, the fatal crash involving McNicholas
occurred while I was researching the story on Mason.You can
imagine the tone of the conversation I had with Coach Quinn.
It started out upbeat, because my early
questions were about the phenomenal success of Mason.Quinn was so proud of Mason and so happy for him.The coach couldn’t stress enough what a
great young man and student athlete Mason
is, in addition to being a golfer with an unlimited future.
Eventually, unfortunately, I had to broach the
subject of McNicholas.There was silence on the other end of
the phone as Quinn gathered his
emotions and his thoughts.At that
point, the toxicology reports on McNicholas were not back yet, so he had not been
charged.But there was so much
sorrow in Quinn’s voice.Even in a best case scenario,if McNicholas were not charged, Quinn and I both knew that he would
live the rest of his life knowing that two of his friends died that night.
Quinn did not want to speculate on
how things would play out for McNicholas. The coach couldn’t get past the needless hurt
and suffering, for all involved."Your life changes in an instant," he said, sadness in his voice.
Quinn’s pain was only compounded by
the fact that he also had high praise for McNicholas.What a likable kid, fine young man
and promising golfer.Oh, and he
misery of his family.How could something
like this happen?
I saw in the paper a couple of days ago that
when McNicholas
appeared in court to be formally be charged, there to support him were his
parents of course, but also his golf coach.I wasn’t surprised.Sometimes coaching is about more than "Xs" and "Os."
When Tiger
Woods announced that his big return to golf would be at this week’s WGC
Bridgestone Invitational, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would end up
eating my own words.My last blog
posting, after all, had been about my current indifference to Tiger and the future of his career.
Still, when he teed off at 1:40 in the first round on Thursday, I’d
be lying if I didn’t admit I had taken up my usual position in front of the
hi-def big screen, in my big leather chair. I had
to see what he would do.
So I watched, and I watched some more.
But then, something very strange happened.I got a little bored.Soon, I had my laptop on my lap, uploading
stories to MyPhillyGolf as I kept
one eye peeled to the TV.A few
minutes later, I was up puttering, loading the dishwasher, gathering up all the
old newspapers and magazines that tend to pile up around my chair.Next thing you know, I was away from the
TV altogether, upstairs throwing a load of washing into the washing machine.
True, I continued to pop downstairs to check on
the progress of Tiger’s round.But I wasn’t glued to the TV, like I used to be whenever he played.I wasn’t frozen in place, noting every
loose shot, evaluating every birdie opportunity.
Here’s the real kicker.Midway through Tiger’s back nine, I was totally disengaged.I switched off the TV and went to the
range to hit a bucket of balls.You
know, my own game over Tiger’s. It was clear by then he wasn’t going to shoot
64 and he wasn’t going to shoot 78, anyway.As the cops say in the movies, "Move
along, folks, nothing to see here."
The longer Tiger
Woods is missing in action, the less I miss him.My curiosity about him, the condition of
his leg/knee/Achilles, the state of his game and, of course, the timetable for
if and when he ever returns, stir very little interest or me these days.
If he shows up again, okay.If he doesn’t, that’s okay, too.
Meanwhile, golf moves on, and I am finding
other people to watch and like.I
like this Rickie Fowler kid.I hate his hat.I hate the flat brim, and I hate the way
he pulls it down over his ears and his goofy haircut.I’m not crazy about those Kandy Kolored Kool-Aid Klothes he
wears, either.But, hey, Rickie could probably find a few nits
to pick with in my golfing ensemble, too, so I suppose it’s a wash.
What I like about Rickie is that he is exciting to watch.He’s got flare and style and he
goes for broke, like Phil Mickelson
at that age.I also have to admit I
was very wrong about Rickie.At the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines,
when he was still a hot-shot college amateur, I stood behind Rickie on the range for 30 minutes
watching him balls. I turned to my friend and said, "With that whippy,
home-made swing, no way he makes on the PGA Tour.Rickie
hasn’t won yet, but Rickie appears to be making it.
I also like Rory McIlroy.Gorgeous swing, hard-working, ambitious,
humble.Once he learns how to
handle all the fame and success that is going to come his way, Rory McIlroy
could easily settle in for a long run as No. 1 in the world.
Dustin Johnson I like watching but I cannot
figure out him out.He is
perhaps the best athlete on the golfing scene today, and he kills it the ball.Obviously, he has been at or near the
top of the leaderboard at most every major for the past couple of years, biding
him time for his big breakthrough.
But I don’t know what to make of that almost
vacant-look on Dustin Johnson’s face
so much of the time.I wonder what
he is thinking, if he is
thinking.I’ve sat through three or
four of his press conferences and I come away yearning for some of the
intelligence and sophistication you hear from the Australian players, like Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy.
I don’t know who is going to winner a major
sooner, Dustin Johnson or Jason Day.My money is on Day.
It’s good to see Matt Kuchar finally coming into his own,
after a major swing change a couple of years ago.It’s also good to see Steve Stricker,
who is one of the most earnest guys on the planet, become one of the top
players in the world.I never would
have guessed Stricker
had it in him.
If you didn’t smile when Darren Clarke won the British
Open, then you haven’t followed golf or you haven’t been following Darren Clarke.
I’m also rooting for Phil Mickelson to remain competitive and maybe win another major,
preferably a fourth Masters.
John Daly?I lost interest.
If Tiger
ever returns and starts to mount some kind of career comeback, I might even
find it in my heart to pull for him.It would help if he would stop acting like a complete ass.
I would still root for Tiger Woods to get it back. The PGA Tour is more fun with him around. There may be a few hot players right now, but McIlroy is the only one with legs. It seems like every week the commentators of the Golf Channel are touting this week’s winner as the guy about to break through and contend in every major. It seems to me that the last few years, most of the major winners are guys that leapfrogged the "best contenders". (McDowell and Kaymer wouldn’t fit that description, but they are mostly European players, not PGA Tour players). When I would look at a typical leaderboard, there aren’t that many players I really care about. Take a look at the WGC leaderboard. Of the first couple dozen names, there aren’t that many I really can get into. Some good guys, I’m sure, but does it really matter whether Jason Day or Adam Scott win? Adam Scott won The Players’ a couple years ago. Didn’t make him a more compelling player one bit. Stewart Cink (cheater) won (I mean Tom Watson lost) the British Open 2 years ago. Yawn. Y.E. Yang took down Tiger (though now we know that Tiger was unravelling). Since then, anything?
acer3x
[8/4/2011 9:15:03 AM]
The WGC event at Firestone is on TGC today at 1:30pm. Strangely enough, TW’s tee time today is at 1:40pm.
Ben M.
[7/28/2011 6:59:06 AM]
I am so over Tiger.
Ben D’Antonio
[7/28/2011 6:17:33 AM]
Feeling the same way about Tiger. Never thought it would come to that but it has. I’m even using non Nike products which in the past was tantamount to sacriligeous.
Unfortunately, for me, no one has stepped up in both game and wardrobe.
The AT&T National might be gone from Aronimink GC, but never let it be said that
important developments in the life of Tiger Woods didn’t take place on the
premises.
We
learned after the fact that in 2010, the first of the two years Aronimink hosted
the AT&T, Tiger finalized the divorce agreement from ex-wife Elinfrom his cell phone, supposedly in the
Aronimink
locker room.
Now, in
the wake of Tigeraxing
long-time, loyal looperSteve Williams, we
learn that the actual face-to-face firing took place in the board room at Aronimink after
the final round of the 2011 AT&T.
Perhaps
a couple of it-happened-here plaques are in order.
I was cleaning out the basement late Sunday
afternoon as I pondered what I might write about the British Open and Darren
Clarke’s heartwarming and long-overdue victory, when I made a pleasant and
unexpected discovery.Back in the
corner, under a pile of junk, I came across my old pull cart.
When was the last time I saw this thing, let
alone used it?
My immediate reaction was to set it aside for
the trash truck on Monday morning, which I did.But as I returned to my cleaning and
rummaging, I kept thinking of the history this old cart and I have
together.
It’s old and creaky and layered with crud.But when I stretched out its legs and
extended its arm, I could see there was still life in the old pull cart.A touch of arthritis, maybe, but no
serious sprains or broken bones.A
cleaning rag here, a drop of oil there, and it would be practically as good as
new.When I laid my son’s golf bag
into its waiting arms and gave it a whirl around the basement, I realized there
was no way I was parting with this valued relic from my golfing past.
I say it is mine, because it has been for the
past 40-plus years.Originally, it
was my late father’s.He passed it
on to me when I was in high school and he got a new one for himself.
My father was a firm believer in pull
carts.He loved golf, and he played
with a passion until he was almost 90. But to him, the game was as much about
the walk and the exercise as it was about hitting the ball – he walked
briskly and with a purpose.In all
our rounds together, I saw him ride in a cart maybe a half-dozen times, and it
was always at some fancy resort or vacation spot where carts were mandatory.He endured it like he was wearing a hair
shirt.
I didn’t quite inherit my father’s insistence
on walking, although I did put thousands more miles on that pull cart.Why I have hung onto it for all these
years, through six states and 20 or more moves, I can’t say.Truth is, I wasn’t even aware I still
had it.
Sad to say, but I rarely see a pull cart these
days.Most courses want the revenue
from the carts.And young golfers,
if they walk, prefer to sling one of those new ultra-lite bags over their
shoulder.Who can blame them?Those bags are way cooler than a pull
cart.
It’s different in the UK.In all the golf I’ve played in Scotland,
England and Ireland, I can recall riding in a cart no more than three or four
times, usually at an Americanized resort such as the K Club.Many courses over there don’t even have riding
carts.Golf is a walking game over
there, and more than likely with a pull cart, or "trolley," as they call them.
I’m glad I found my old pull cart.I intend to nurse it back to health with
a cleaning and some oil, then take it for a spin.Like in the old days, I’ve got a feeling
my old cart and I are going to be spending a few late afternoons together.
I am a member of a club where pull carts are allowed in the late afternoon. That works for me because I like to play 9 holes after work. I never ride. I always walk with my pull cart. It is the best way to play golf. As far as I am concerned, it is the only way to play golf.
Joe Logan
[7/19/2011 8:18:12 AM]
Acer3X, that’s what they do in the UK. Outside the golf shop, there is a fleet of trolleys, owned by the club/course, that rent for a pound or so.
Acer3x
[7/19/2011 5:35:41 AM]
The use of pull/push carts at private clubs is limited to those clubs that really don’t what care others think- Merion West & Sunnybrook come to mind. I’m sure there are others in the area that allow them.Other clubs that allow walkers want them to carry their own bag if no caddies are available because of the "image problem"- that is that pull/push carts present a public course image. Why not have a uniform fleet and charge a modest rental fee to use them as Merion does at their West course?
Eleanor Thompson
[7/18/2011 11:25:15 AM]
Daddy would be proud that you kept it. I think the biggest fight I ever saw our parents have was over his refusal to rent a golf cart for them to ride and play in a Scotch foursome. He was serious about his walking, but then, maybe that’s why he lived to be almost 93.
If you are new to MyPhillyGolf or need a refresher on
what the Bausch Collection
is and who is behind it, here is a
blog I wrote some months ago on Joe
Bausch, introducing the him and his photos.