Golf 101

So you want to know more about golf? Here are a few things to get your knowledge on par with those that spend their time chasing that little white ball. But first, the main thing to know, is golf a game unlike any other. Each course is unique, it's a game you can play alone or in a group and unlike most sports, the lowest score wins! So when you are wondering what good is... lower is better. If you are woman reading this blog, you may also be wondering, why are some men obsessed with this game? Well, it's really the only way we men can ask one another to go on a walk in nature together.

The History

The game of golf dates back to the late 1400's. Though Scotland is credited to being the home of golf, a similar game was also played in the Netherlands during that time! The modern game continued to flourish in Great Britain during the 18th and 19th century with formation of clubs and codification of rules. Golf's home is still considered Scotland with the Old Course at St. Andrews being the designated mecca. 

There are multiple governing bodies in golf. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) set and update the games rules. The same rules are used for men, women, children, professionals, and amateurs with limited modifications based on the event. It is now estimated that 65 million people worldwide play golf! The Netherlands itself has over 400,000 golfers registered!

The Game

A full-round of golf is consisted over 18 holes, played in a set order. There is a designated starting point for each hole, the tee, and a specific end point, the hole, which is located on the green. The goal is to make it from tee to hole in the lowest amount of strokes as possible. Depending on the situation, a golfer will use a different club for each shot during the hole.

Each hole has a given par.  The par of the hole is the recommended score for the hole. Holes can be either a par 3, 4, or 5. The sum of the holes par, is the par for the course. Traditionally, a course is a par 72 consisting of ten par 4's, four par 5's, and four par 3's. However, this is not a rule and it is common to see courses with a Par 70 or 71 as well.

When a golfer does better than par on a hole i.e. takes 4 strokes on a par 5, this is a birdie. If they score more than par i.e. five strokes on a par 4, this is a bogey.

Based on scores relating to par, a handicap index (handicap) is given to the player. A player with a handicap index of 5 would generally be expected to shoot fice strokes over par on an 18 hole course. Handicaps are important as it allows players of all abilities to play against each other.  Handicaps also give you a quick idea of how good the player is. Professional golfers would have a handicap below 0.

Playing 18-holes can take over four hours. It is permissible and becoming more common for individuals to play only nine holes (about two hours). These nine-hole scores can also be used for to calculate golfers handicap.

The Professionals 

Not only do golfers enjoying playing the game, they enjoy watching others play the game! The standard format for a professional tournament is four 18 holes rounds that take place Thursday- Sunday. The golfer with the lowest score after the 72 holes is the winner. There are professional tours all over the world. The most prestigious being the PGA Tour which has the majority of its events in the United States. The DP World Tour (European Tour) is the second most prestigious tour with events traditionally held in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. No matter what tour golfers play on, they come together for four majors championships every year. Each championship has it's own personality. Similar to tennis, different styles of play are rewarded at the different championship venues. The majors are as follows:

• The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - April 
• The most traditional tournament, same course, same weekend, invite only
• Winner receives a "Green Jacket" as a prize
• The PGA Championship- Rotating courses in United States- May 
• The least prestigious of the majors but maybe the best competition
• Only professional golfers are invited to play
• The U.S. Open- Rotating courses in United States- June
• "Golf's Toughest Test"
• Open qualifying allows any golfer to make tournament through series of events
• Held on America's best public and private courses
• The Open Championship- Rotating Courses in the United Kingdom- July
• Held on golf courses that are mainly "links" i.e. close to the sea
• The oldest and most storied major championship
• Weather is always a factor
• Only major outside on the U.S.

The best professional golfer of our generation is Tiger Woods. Though because of a series of injuries and off the course incidents, his last major championship win was in 2019. Today, golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, John Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are fan favorites and usually in contention come Sunday.

How to sound like a golfer

You now know the basics! But what are some questions to ask to make you sound like a pro? Here are some examples.

• What did you shoot today? How many birdies did you make?
• Did you win your match?
• Has your handicap been going up or down this year?
• What are the strengths in your game? What are the weaknesses?
• What is your favorite golf course? Why?
• Who is your pick to win the Open?

Royal Lytham and St Annes

1st Green with Club House and Dormie House

Last Friday evening work required that I be in Manchester so I took advantage of the playing a nearby Open Championship course. I figured if I could survive driving on the wrong side of the road, a championship golf course would be a great way to start my golf season off. Royal Lytham & St. Annes, one of the 66 clubs in the world that holds the “Royal” title won out over two over “Royal” courses in the area, Birkdale and Liverpool. I’m guessing primarily because it was open to guests on Monday. I paid £125 for the round, which was a little steep for the season in my opinion. It was a chilly and windy day, 42F to start, getting up to 47F with 30-50 mph winds. Nothing that this Idaho boy can’t handle!  It had just been a while since I swung a golf club with that many clothes on.

The course starts with a shorter par-3, one of the only opening par-3 holes I think I have ever played. A clunky seven iron got me on the front of the green where I was able to two-putt for par. I was playing with the wind on the first three holes but I only made it to the second before losing my first ball. On the third hole is where I noticed the first of the dramatic bunkering. The count that I’ve read is 206 bunkers in total. Some are hardly big enough to take swing, others look and act like snakes in the sense you don’t know they are there until it’s too late.

6th green in foreground, 7th fairway going away

My favorite stretch of the course were holes six through ten. Six is par 5 (plays as 4 in the Opens) that is a dog leg left, it’s under 500 yards and the wind is usually helping. Yet, here is where the course showed it’s teeth, I found a bunker just short of the green and I liked it so much, I stayed there for the next three strokes. Seven is a long sucker, playing close to 600 yards, with danger on both sides and a fairway tighter than your work wife’s pencil skirt. There is rough, bunkers, and trees to the left and rough, bunkers, grouse, and trees to the right. I lost my driver here and then slapped it down the fairway for a score of 9, I remind you the wind was helping here. Eight is a shorter, visually pleasing par 4 with an elevated tee and a green that elevates quickly. Even the longest hitters lay-up here as there are three bunkers that guard the green; a la the hole is a pinball machine where you ball goes in and you lose a turn. The ninth hole offers some relief but is still a tough par three and in my opinion is the most visually pleasing hole on the golf course. Found another bunker here… The tee shot on ten is blind, one the few blind shots on the whole course. There is room to miss, just miss big. 

Par 3 9th

The last six holes are all par fours, two you can make birdie on (13, 16), two that you will be happy with bogey on (15, 17) and then two that will make or break your round (14, 18). You can ask Adam Scott for the fact check here. Overall, this course is fun and was in good condition, especially for the time of the year. The staff and the few members I met while playing are really friendly. I’d include it on a list of must plays if you are golf fan! But there were a few things missing. The main one, the water views! There were none. The course is almost blocked in by houses. This caused the course to lose out on “mystique” and holiday feel. It is not a resort, there is only course at the club and it’s very tough. This is a home club where a golfer will be continually challenged.

Posting Score: 89

Actual Score: Somewhere between 90-100 (when it went bad, it went really bad)

Cost: £125

Golf Balls Lost/Found: -3 Net

PS- I have a new friend that will be traveling with me across the golf courses of Europe. Everyone welcome Spuddy Buddy! 

The Old Course - St. Andrews

Swilcan Bridge- No. 18 Old Course

Playing this course is a bucket list item for every golfer I know. So when we checked the open ballot results Wednesday afternoon for the Friday draw and saw our names listed for a 3:00 pm tee-time, you can imagine that my dad and I were beyond elated. To make the news that much sweeter, the weather forecast was for some clouds, a little breeze and no rain!

We arrived in the town of St. Andrews, Scotland on Thursday afternoon via Edinburg and really the

only way I can describe the town of 16,000 inhabitants is as a golf paradise. The links courses and the Old Course Hotel are among the first things you see on the roadway when entering town. Then as if right out of a fairy-tale, you see the 17^th and 18^th of the Old Course making up one of the most dynamic settings of all golf. The next day couldn’t come soon enough.

Luxembourg, where I have been living, has been lovely, but it has a serious lack of golf. The tee-shot off #1 of the Old Course would be the beginning of my first real round of golf in nearly nine months. With my caddie Allen’s help we picked a target that wouldn’t leave me in bad shape if I drew or cut the drive and we were off to the races. I picked up 5 straight pars before a stray drive led me to a bogey on the par 5 6^th. Three more pars led me to a 37 going out and I am left to believe that hiring a caddie was one of the better decisions I’ve made in my life. The highlight of the front nine came when my dad drove the green on the 9^th and had about 15 feet for an eagle, his putt missed just to the left side and led to a tap in birdie. I got my own birdie on the 12^th after a drive just short of the green, a putt from the fairway left me only about 4 feet to finish. 

We didn’t play from the tips by any means, in fact the course was probably only playing 6500 yards on the day. There is one tee set for the day marked by flat markers and a moveable caddie box. The greens were rolling perfect but not fast. All-in-all the course wasn’t overly hard. It was easy to see that how on a calm day, the pros could post really good scores. Again, my perspective of this may have changed greatly without the help of a knowledgeable caddie and with a little more wind.

As we made our way to the final and most well-known two holes of the course, the sun began to poke out from behind the clouds. I was only two over on the day and had hopes of a birdie, birdie finish to cap off a near perfect day. Those dreams ended as fast as my tee-ball on the 17th faded out of bounds. I was yet another victim of the Road Hole. 

The last hole on the Old Course provides a golf experience unlike anything else, finishing in the heart of a historic village there are tourists and locals watching the last few shots and putts (cheers and jeers included for free). Of course we stopped on the Swilcan Bridge for a few good pictures before playing our approaches. And even after each hitting a good drive, my dad and I both found the deceptively big Valley of Sin from which I was unable to save par. We finished with bogeys but unforgettable memories and I can wait until I return to the Home of Golf.

Live from Luxembourg

The Grund, Luxembourg

So, I moved. To Luxembourg. No, not a city in Germany but a tiny country and city right next to Germany. The country is a little larger than the state of road and has almost as many inhabitants (600,000) of the Boise, ID area. I obviously moved here to try to make the country's Olympic golf team. Kidding, kinda. Amazon (work) gave me the opportunity and though I was extremely happy in Seattle, I couldn't say no to living abroad for few years.

There have been some cool/interesting sports moments for me already. I was invited to play golf at one of the country clubs in the area, Kikuoka, with another an Amazonian who is a member of one of the local golf society's. Think of a golf society like a men's league in the States without course sponsorship but exclusive, as in you need to be invited to join.  I must say, the first nine holes on continental Europe did go well as I was able to shoot a +1 (37) for nine holes and tied for the lowest score of the evening and won a sleeve of Pro V1's for having the lowest score as a guest. Hopefully, I will be invited back.

Another interesting event that happened in this first couple weeks is that Luxembourg's National soccer team played France to a tie in a World Cup Qualifying game. It was a huge moral victory for the team and the country as most of the Luxembourg team members are no where near the caliber as Les Bleus. I am hoping to go to see a qualifier when Luxembourg hosts here in the first week of October.

The thing I miss the most about the USA is football (and big kitchens, story for another time).  Thankfully, I have a good VPN and am streaming the Utah State football game as I type this.

Over the next few years, I hope to take in as many European sporting events in person as possible including:

The British Open
Wimbeldon
Ryder Cup (Sept. 2018 in France)
Tour de France
French Open
Champions League
... and who knows what else!

Along with golfing all the classics in the United Kingdom and skiing in the Alps, I should be busy. Stay tuned for more pictures and posts!

Chambers Bay

Chambers Bay

University Place, Washington

Hole 15- The Lone Fir

In my last course review on Prince's, I defined links golf; Chambers Bay redefines and modernizes that definition. The home to the 2015 U.S. Open is hard, fast, and unforgiving. It's also one of the most fun and fair courses I have played.

Being that I don't get the opportunity to play U.S. Open courses often, I wanted to make the most of the experience and teed it up from the back set. The course has the following stats: 7165 yards, a 75.6 rating, and a 139 slope. Oh, and in case you didn't know, the course is at sea level. I can confidently say it was the toughest recreational round of golf I have played. (The course played up to 7700 yards in the U.S. Open.)

Hole #3

The opening hole, a 559 yard, somewhat downhill par-5 is the most score-able hole on the course in my opinion. Of course, I went right under my 40 yard approach shot and made the first of many bogeys for the day. The fun really begins on the third hole, an average length par-3 with a huge two tiered and well guarded green and continues on the fourth hole, an uphill 530 yard par-5 rightly named "Hazard's Ascent."

The fifth hole is the first to offer the spectacular down hill views of the Puget Sound. Fourteen and fifteen offer similar views and start a set of spectacular set of finishing holes.

Hole #5

What I enjoyed the most about Chambers Bay was it wasn't the least bit gimmicky. It's a hard course but a fair course. Few tee-shots are blind and when they are, you have big landing areas. All the par-3's (with the occasional exception of number nine) are downhill and provide great attacking opportunities. There are so many ways to play this course, but long iron play is key. Unfortunately, it was one of the areas I was lacking in on the day I played.

My only real gripe about the course, would be the same as the players had in the 2015, the greens. They weren't always true and it did at times feel like you were putting over "broccoli".

The highlight for my round was driving the 12th green! (No blog pun intended.) It was the easiest par I had all day! I'm excited to get another crack at this course and definitely recommend it if you are in the area. I was able to get the twilight rate for my round and found at $100 the course is a great value.

The Halford Hewitt

The Hewitt being contested on Royal St. Georges

This last week was my first trip overseas and one of the things I was most excited about was to meet new people and learn about different ways of life. While we in the States speak the same language and have a lot of similar interest to our English counterparts, there are little intricacies about the ways of life that lend themselves unique traditions. One is the rich history of boy’s preps schools in England. Though maybe more common in New England, this is rare type of school in the westerns states and from what I can imagine quite different to our traditional high school environment. It’s the comradery that is made at these school that lend themselves to the Halford Hewitt.

I first heard about the Halford Hewitt from Will on my train ride out to Sandwich. He was there to support his school. He told me about the cup and it being the largest competitive amateur tournament in the world and I thought, “Impossible! I would have heard about this before.” Chalk one up to American ignorance. Indeed, the Hewitt has 640 players from 64 schools playing on Sandwich’s prestigious courses, Royal St. Georges and Royal Ports. The teams are made up of 10 best amateurs that have attended the school. Some schools, have many interested parties so a try-out is held. Will’s school held a 36-hole competition consisting of stroke play and a match play portion where the team captains watched and chose the best 10 players to represent the group. The mates I met while playing Prince’s were from Rugby School (they invented their namesake game, a long, long time ago).  This year Rugby only had 12 players interested in the event and one was a new father so a tryout this year wasn’t necessary. As long as the schools keep fielding a team, they will keep being invited back. If they can’t field, there is a long list of prep schools waiting to get in. The format is simple, the 10 players from each team are paired making five-twosomes. They are then matched against a single competitor school to compete in an alternate-shot (foursomes), match-play event. At the end the round, whichever team has won more matches moves-on, the loser goes home. It’s March Madness for golf and I love it! I am convinced the Olympics should adopt something similar to bring out the spirit of the game. 

The boys from Rugby were great fun during our practice round, talented golfers and good all-round individuals. Two of the three had played Rugby at the university level, one at Creighton and the other at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Johnny, who attended St. Andrews, use to wake-up in his dorm room and overlook the 18^th hole at the Old Course. He explained, he wished he had spent less time drinking and more time golfing during his days at the university, but then again, don’t most of us.