For Sale: North Augusta Golf and Country Club

In perhaps a sign of the times for a struggling (or at least uncertain) economy, the exclusive North Augusta Golf and Country Club has just announced it will sell at auction on January 29, 2009. Not to be confused with it’s prestigious neighbor Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, North Augusta Golf and Country Club is a storied course of it’s own. According to their website, the club was founded in 1962, and has remained the only full service country club in North Augusta. This means the club has such amenities as a swimming facility and restaurant. Their 18-hole golf course was recently renovated in 2005.

My take: Perhaps this is just another sign of the times, but this certainly is not the first and will not be the last time a golf property has gone up for sale. In fact, this might be a prime opportunity for you if you have a few spare millions laying around. The city of Augusta has experienced tremendous population growth over the past 20 years. According to the 2000 census, the population grew by over 300% to around 150,000 residents, and according to the Augusta website, the estimated population in and around Augusta is currently around 500,000 people. That’s tremendous growth, particularly considering a major city like Atlanta is only 80 miles west of Augusta. My guess is someone is going to make off like a bandit with this deal.

Plus, the club recently signed a soon to be very prominent member: Superbowl-bound Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Your take: Do you think this is a sign of the times? Do you think we will see even more golf courses go up for sale, or perhaps worse yet, start closing? How do you think this will affect the game of golf?

No Golf Channel HD on Verizon FiOS … yet.

It appears the Golf Channel is having feed problems in our area here in Central Maryland, at least on Verizon’s FiOS service. We get sound, but no picture. This is just one of many problems that I’ve been having with the Golf Channel and Verizon FiOS. Frankly, it’s been nothing short of disappointing.

First off, I ordered the Golf Channel back in December specifically because the Golf Channel HD was going online in time for the start of the 2009 PGA Season. Personally, I think there are only two sports that really benefit from true HD coverage: football and golf. And golf even more than football. With golf in HD, you basically get Discovery Channel meets ESPN. The natural beauty inherent in golf course designs represents a (basically) natural vista for sporting events that you really don’t see in other major sports. Golf courses are built into natural landscapes, whose beauty and majesty is best seen in crystal clear HD.

So imagine my disappointment when I realize first that the Golf Channel HD is actually merged with another channel that I really have no interest in (Versus). Then imagine my glee when I read that company that owns the Golf Channel and Versus was planning to split the two channels at the beginning of 2009 to allow each to provide adequate coverage of their respective topics. And then finally imagine my utter shock when Versus remained in my channel listings and Golf Channel HD disappeared. Poof. Gone. Once again I’m stuck watching golf in a non-HD haze.

I’ve contacted Verizon, and they claim that FiOS will definitely carry the Golf Channel HD soon. There are rumors floating around the internet that it may be as soon as the 3rd week of January (which depending how you look at it, is either this week or next). But I’m not holding my breath. There is no indication that the channel is coming soon, which Verizon typically does by placing a holder channel in it’s listing. They did this with the new MLB Network — for months they listed MLB Network as a channel, with each program slot titled “Coming Soon!”. I would expect to see the same for the Golf Channel.

Now, I understand there is a supply and demand issue at play here. Golf is still by far the most popular sport in America to play, but is by no means the most popular professional sport to watch. I understand that, I get it. But considering there are literally thousands of channels available these days covering every possible niche you can imagine, it doesn’t make any sense to me at all that Verizon would not have the Golf Channel HD available for the beginning of the 2009 PGA Tour. To me, it’s even worse than the NFL Network not being available at the beginning of the NFL season (or same for MLB) — neither of those networks is the primary and premiere source for watching their respective sports. The Golf Channel, with major tournament exceptions, is the primary (and possibly best) coverage of professional golf. Not to mention all of the other programs for amateur golfers that we all love. I think they really missed an opportunity with this one, and if the Golf Channel HD doesn’t appear soon on Verizon FiOS, I will consider discontinuing my service.

In the meantime, if you feel the same way and also have Verizon FiOS, I highly encourage you to contact Verizon to register a complaint and threaten to leave your service for jockeying you around like this. I realize alot of people have signed contracts and can’t leave their service without paying a penalty (this is changing more and more actually), but golf fans who want to see the sport continue to grow and excite the next generation of golfers beyond Tiger, should be insistent on being heard!

There is no specific site to link to at Verizon, as they have a complex user feedback / customer service site that requires you to contact them based on the state you live in. But you can simply go to here to Verizon’s Customer Service Site and send them an email. If you don’t want to do that, drop a line below as a comment to at least get yourself out there!

How you DON’T want to start your next golf vacation…

Jeff Kolodjay was on his way from the incredibly cold Northeast to the reasonably warm Carolina’s to play golf. Unfortunately, Jeff was a passenger of US Airways Flight 1549, which crashed today shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia into New York’s insanely cold Hudson River.

Being billed as the “Miracle on the Hudson” by many (including the Governor of New York), all 155 passengers and crew are safe, with only very minor injuries sustained. Obviously, our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and families of today’s near-catastrophe. And here’s hoping that Mr. Kolodjay finds way (perhaps by bus or train this time) to the Carolina’s for a now very well deserved round of golf!

My Take: Personally, whenever they announce that our seat may be used as a flotation device in the event of a “water landing”, I always think 2 things. First, I’m never in a “water/hydro plane”, so let’s just call a spade a spade: if we’re going down over water, we’re *crashing*, not landing. Which leads to my second thought. Why would you call it landing to begin with over water? You’re really coming in for a watering…but I guess that just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as landing. Come to think of it, I’d rather hear we’re coming in for a landing, even if it’s over water. There’s just something reassuring about that.

How To: Tips for Playing with a Beginner Golfer

From time to time you may find yourself paired with a beginner golfer, someone who is looking to learn the sport exactly how it’s intended to be learned - by playing it! Unfortunately, on most golf courses these days, there are fairly strict pace-of-play rules in effect that aim to speed up game-play as much as possible. For better or worse, this means having a beginner golfer in your group can mean trouble. Here’s some tips to help keep your pace moving while also helping the rookie golfer learn a few things about their game along the way!

Tips for Playing a Round of Golf with a Beginner

1. Suggest Playing Paired Scramble

Offer to play scramble format with the rookie. Remember, they may not know what scramble means. Explain to them that scramble simply means that each of you take a tee shot and then the best drive between the two of you is selected. After that, all players hit from that point and the best shot is selected again. The process continues until the hole is complete. If you are playing with other seasoned golfers in your foursome, you might suggest that the rookie golfer rotate between the other members of the group. At the very least, you never know when a beginner might save you from a poorly timed slice or shot in the drink!

2. Save Practice for the Range

Beginning golfers frequently want to spend a great deal of time preparing for each stroke, taking alot of practice swings, running through the flood of information that they’ve picked up about how to swing (head down, back straight, etc). It’s ok to remind a beginning golfer that the best way to improve their swing is to practice either on the range or in their backyard. You might suggest a two practice swing limit per shot. If they exceed it, simply make an encouraging but straight-forward statement like “Swing looks good, John! Show us what you got!”.

3. Set a Good Example

More likely than not, your novice companion is nervous. Even more likely, they are probably observing your game to learn a thing or two. So be on your best behavior! Replace divots, fix your ball marks, pick up other players clubs for them as they exit the putting green, etc. These small gestures can make a lasting impression with new golfers!

4. Be Encouraging

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to encourage a beginner golfer. Whether it be congratulating them on a great drive, or even just missing a long putt by a few inches - whatever the case may be, try to find something to encourage them about on each hole. They will appreciate that you are investing some time in their game, and you’ll feel pretty good about it too. We were all beginner golfers at one time - and we’re all still apt to be pretty frustrated by the game. Encouragement can make all the difference in loving the game or hating it.

Your thoughts: What do you think? Did you have a memorable expierence as a beginner golfer? Have you had the opportunity to be an 18-hole mentor for a rookie golfer? Please share, I’d love to hear any stories out there!

Ailing California Legislature Proposes New Golf Tax

In more signs of a struggling economy and it’s effect on all of us, the California legislature has proposed a 1.5% tax increase on golf. Of course, you may ask, “Chris, what do you mean a tax on golf? That could mean anything!”. And you would be correct about that. The legislature has been mum on any clarification of what the tax actually means.

According to The California Golf Economy Report from June 2008, the 2006 direct golf economy for the state of California was $6.9 Billion. The report also lists “Golf Facility Operations” as the largest golf subindustry, with a revenue of $2.846 Billion across California’s estimated 926 golf courses. The report classifies “Golf Facility Operations” as the following:

Revenues for this segment include: annual membership fees, greens fees, range fees, and cart rental fees; purchases of golf apparel and equipiment in pro shops; golf lessons; tournament entry fees; consumption of food and beverages; etc.

My Take on Proposed California Golf Tax

If you want to take a good guess where this tax is going to apply, I would say all of the areas above are a good guess, since they constitute the largest and easiest taxable segment of the California golfing sector. Of course, it’s really the single area that affects the average, amateur golfer (you and I) the most. With California in such desperate financial shape, this is probably considered more a tax on the wealthy than anything else. But according to a 2002 study conducted by The National Golf Foundation (NGF), 45% of all golfers were between the ages of 18 and 39. Hardly what most of us would consider the wealthiest age group. On top of that, the report states that 33% were golfers over the age of 55, the age group most associated with retirement (which works well since golf is so often associated with retirement!). Clearly there’s an opportunity for California to realize tax income on the other subindustries within golf (Capital Investments, Supplies, Tournaments, Real Estate, Tourism), which constitute the other $4 Billion in annual revenue.

Either way, I’m sure the state legislature was licking it’s chops at a potential $103 million in additional tax revenues to help them out. If it goes through, it’s going to be unpopular, particularly because no other recreational sports were targeted (e.g. tennis, swimming, etc.). Of course, who plays those sports? Oh wait, sorry Chris Paul and LeBron James, I forgot about bowling! That’s right, we should tax all those bowlers who shun natural light (unless you mean the popular bowling alley beer).

Your Thoughts:What do you think about all of this? Do think this will become the trend nationwide as golf continues to grow in popularity?

How To: Warmup Tips to Prepare to Play Golf

If you’re playing a serious round of golf, or just serious about playing golf whenever the occasion presents itself, you’ll benefit dramatically from a little bit of preparation. I don’t know about you, but my first few holes are never my best, and I think that has something to do with how I prepare for that first hole. So, here are some tips I’ve tried to help ease some of the tension on that first tee box. And we all know that a good first tee goes a long way towards setting the tone for a great round!

Mental and Physical Warmup Tips Before Playing a Round of Golf

1. Arrive Early

Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your tee time, if not more. Getting from your car in the parking lot to the first tee can be a dizzying series of events, and those distractions are what play a large part in hurting your game on the first few holes. After you get your clubs out of the car, golf shoes on, find your cart, register with the clubhouse/starter, pay your greens fees, etc, you want time left to focus your mind on your game and prepare your body for the best possible start (and finish!).

2. Take a Walk

Even if it’s just to the driving range, take a brisk walk to get the blood moving. Even if you’re going to spend the day in a golf cart, a brisk walk gets your heart moving. This is a sport after all, and it does involve strain on your body and heart. So get moving!

3. Stretch

Stretch the major muscle groups, working from your upper body down to your lower body. Arms, shoulders, torso/waist, back, and legs. Stretching promotes blood flow which loosens your muscles and prepares them for the strenuous demands of a golf swing. Here’s a great list of simple stretches you can do in about 5 minutes. If you’re looking for more on golf fitness, I also highly recommend the book Get Yourself in Golf Shape :Year-Round Drills to Build a Strong Flexible Swing.

4. Do Nothing

Head the advice of baseball hall-of-famer Satchel Paige - “Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.” Before doing much else, try to find some a quick moment to just clear your mind. Pray, meditate, even write in a journal. Do whatever it takes to get the distractions out of your mind and get your mind prepared for the task at hand. Even if you are on a business outing, having a clear mind prepares you to be at your best.

5. Play the First Tee Before Your Round Begins

If you know the course you are playing, think about the first hole, what shots you typically make, what shots you need to make to be successful, and start playing that hole from the driving range. Do it several times until you get comfortable with it. Then, when you get up to the first tee, just tell yourself it’s just like the range. If you don’t know the course you are playing, try to find a picture of it on a scorecard, or ask someone at the course about the first hole. Try to determine some characteristics of that hole that are similar to other holes you have played, and tailor your practice as if you were playing that hole.

Your thoughts: What tips do you have on successfully warming up for a round? Obviously this list is not exhaustive, so please feel free to add more via comments!

ESPN to Broadcast Open Championship Beginning in 2010

Storied Royal & Ancient Golf has come to an 8-year contractual agreement with ESPN to broadcast all 4 rounds of the Open Championship beginning in 2010. Previous coverage had been split between TNT and ESPN’s broadcast sister network ABC. ESPN will provide highlight coverage of the event throughout the weekend on ABC.

My Take: I’m cautiously optimistic about this move - personally I want to see more golf on network TV, not less. But the reality is the demand may not be there for this event. Plus, ESPN flat out knows how to produce sporting events, and it may very well be that they will provide innovations in how golf is broadcast that will change the sport. As I recall, ESPN introduced the overhead camera in football games a few years back that basically brought you into the huddle. Now everyone has that camera as a part of their broadcast. ESPN also pays top dollar to obtain the very best golf analysts, which means the coverage and analysis should be superior. The bottom line is, ESPN is a business that just made an “major” investment (pun intended), signalling their confidence in where the sport is going in the next 10 years. It’s an exciting time to be a golf fan!

Your thoughts: What do you think? Was this a good move? Do you have cable? Will you be able to watch Tiger tear up the R&A Golf links for the next decade?

ParfectGolfer PGA Player of the Year 2008: Tiger Woods

I realize it’s almost cliche at this point to suggest that Tiger Woods is the player of the year, decade, century, or heck, even lifetime. And it’s perhaps not even best for the game to suggest Woods for the honor in a year in which he only played in 6 tournaments. But that’s what makes the 2008 PGA Player of the Year question so interesting. Nominated this year, you’ve got Padraig Harrington (one of my personal favorites) winning two majors, Vijay Singh leading the money board with $6.6 million playing some incredible golf, Camilo Villegas’ strong showing in the Fed Ex Cup, and who can forget the inspirational play of Kenny Perry to bring the Ryder Cup back to the United States. And then there’s Tiger. Again, in a class unto himself. Oh what a year it could have been. And still, what a year it was.

So let’s pair Tiger against each of his Player of the Year rivals and see where he stands.

The Major-Man (Tiger vs. Padraig): If majors won are the standard by which you gauge the player of the year, then Padraig Harrington probably has the edge here. But if you look at total wins, Tiger doubles Padraig’s total. And in only 6 tries. I don’t think anyone suggests that Tiger would have maintained his mind-boggling .667 winning percentage, but I think it was extremely likely Tiger would have won 5 or 6 more tournaments. Not to mention that Padraig didn’t have to face Tiger for either of his majors.

The Inspiration: (Tiger vs. Kenny): If inspiration is your deciding factor, Kenny Perry presents an historic case. A man on a mission, Perry played some of the best golf of his career for the opportunity to play in front of a home-state crowd as part of the United State’s 2008 Ryder Cup Team at Valhalla in Kentucky. Considering Perry hadn’t won a tournament in 2 years, winning 3 tournaments to make the team, and then playing a pivotal role in winning the Ryder Cup for the US, it’s hard to argue against it. But then there’s the U.S. Open. Tiger, playing with a knee injury and a double-stress fracture in his left tibia, endured the unthinkable - an 18 hole playoff plus a one-hole sudden death match over feisty Rocco Mediate, to win his 4th tournament of the year. I think there is probably a fine line between inspiration and stupidity (Tiger could have seriously jeopardized the remainder of his career, and the results remain to be seen), but to play through what Tiger did, not only at the U.S. Open but all of his 2008 tournaments, I give him the edge over Perry.

The Breakthrough: (Tiger vs. Camilo): This one is really not even a contest in my opinion. But props to Camilo for a breakthrough year, and a great runner-up finish in the FedEx Cup. He stormed from five strokes behind in the final round and faced Sergio Garcia in an exciting play-off to win the Tour Championship. He’s certainly a rising star, and finished 7th on the money list, but compared to the rest of the individuals in contention for Player of the Year, least of all Tiger, his credentials just don’t make the cut.

The Money Man (Tiger vs. Vijay): And finally, there’s the money man, Vijay Singh. Personally, I don’t like to use earnings as the barometer for determining my choice for player of the year, but I’ll save that topic for another day. Suffice it to say, Vijay came home with alot of dollar bills. 6.6 million of them, in fact. Of course, that’s $6.6 million over 23 tournaments for an average of about $287,000 per tournament. Tiger’s average is $962,000. Ok, I understand that Tiger would not have maintained his pace, but with the start he had last year, it’s easy to see how over an average of 17 tournaments per year, Tiger would have been on pace for substantially more than $6.6 million.

Your thoughts: Who will win the 2008 PGA Player of the Year? Who should win the honor?

Impact of Government Auto Industry Bailout on 2009 PGA Tour

The recent news that Buick will not provide courtesy cars at PGA Tour events this year, combined with the increasing buzz that Detroit automakers are next on the Federal Bailout list, raises some very interesting questions about possible effects on the PGA Tour and it’s ability to entice golfers with larger than life purses. The total purse amount for Detroit-based sponsors alone is $15.5 million. If Congress decides to bail out Ford, Chrysler, GM - will these sponsorships last? Can you justify having the US tax payer playing a role in Anthony Kim’s newest set of diamond-studded AK belt buckles? Or how about Tiger’s next yacht?

What a Government Bailout of the Auto Industry Would Look Like

It’s still to early to tell, but there seem to be a couple of routes Congress might take. In every case, taxpayer dollars are required to assist the struggling auto manufacturers in Detroit. Here are the options being floated around by various lawmakers:

1. New Stimulus Package

Under this plan proposed by majority leader Harry Reid, Congress would sign into law a $100 billion economic stimulus plan that would include $25 billion in loans for the auto industry. The plan would also include other tangentially related funding for roads, mass transit, public infrastructure, jobless benefits and (according to the New York Times) food stamp assistance. (Personally, it seems to me with such a supposedly dire situation, you would want to allocate more than 25% of the funding to solve the problem. But politics are what they are, and it looks less like a stimulus package and more like a bailout at that point.)

2. Use of Financial Sector Bailout Funds

If the stimulus package plan fails, Congress could expand the scope of $700 Billion bailout to include Detroit Automakers. At this point it seems unlikely the current lame-duck Congress has ability to execute such a plan, unless it were clear the automotive industry were on the precipice of failure (and there are certainly signs this is true).

3. $25 Billion Band-aid Solution

The White house proposes tapping into a $25 billion low-interest loan already approved earlier this year by Congress. Problem is, this loan was supposed to help Detroit automakers speed their transition to more fuel-efficient vehicles. There are very strict terms on that loan, but Congress could change those terms to allow automakers to use these funds for opeartional costs. It would only be a stopgap measure, though. The next Congress would almost certainly need to look at giving additional funds to Detroit automakers. And with that would almost certainly come some major conditions that could could change the entire landscape of the industry for the next decade.

Potential Impact of an Auto Industry Bailout on the 2009 PGA Tour

1. Change of Sponsors

Eventually Congress will probably get involved to some extent, because loosing any of the big automakers would be catastrophic on so many levels. But with any aid from Congress might come some major restrictions, including use of tax payer funding for such things as sponsoring PGA Tour stops. It’s unlikely anything would happen in time to effect the 2009 PGA (I’m sure these contracts are iron-clad), but if the situation were drastic enough (e.g. bankruptcy), you could see changes to some of the later tour stops like the Buick Open. If that happens, look to strong sectors of the economy to step in to sponsor tournaments, including more companies in the Energy and Technology sectors. Instead of the Buick Invitational and Buick Open, next year we may be watching the Constellation Energy Invitation and the Google Open (I would have said Yahoo Open, until recent news broke of avid golfer Jerry Yang’s departure as CEO).

2. Lower Purses

Well, not in the immediate future. This seems an unlikely course in the short run. Frankly, Congress has bigger things to worry about than the $5 million in purse money spent at a Golf Tournament. Not to mention the unlikelihood of contractual agreements allowing such a thing. But over the next few years, if fresh sponsors don’t emerge, this could become reality.

Do you think there will be sponsorship issues? One the one hand it does seem like it might be a good marketing/branding decision to continue with these sponsorships, because these tournaments do go a long way to promoting brands with an excellent image of trust, sophistication, etc. On the other hand, thanks to negative publicity surrounding companies like AIG, anything seemed “above and beyond” gets particular scrutiny (and deservedly so).

For reference, here’s a list of the auto-sponsored tour stops for 2009 plus their purses:

• Mercedes-Benz Championship: $5.6 MM
• Bob Hope Chrysler Classic: $5.1 MM
• Buick Invitational: $5.3 MM
• The Honda Classic: $5.6 MM
• Buick Open: $5.1 MM
• BMW Championship: $7.5 MM

Other bloggers are writing about this same topic. Golfblogger recently wrote:

What worries me about a potential bailout, though, are the strings that are sure to come with it. I have absolutely no faith that Congress—or the current or future presidents—have a better grasp of what needs to be done than the auto executives. The government will only wreck it beyond repair.

And when the automakers finally are no more, instead of the Buick Invitational, and the Chrysler Classic, we’ll have the Treasury Department Open and the Government Accounting Office Pro-Am.

Your thoughts: Will the next generation of sponsors emerge to reflect the new economic realities? Perhaps more international sponsorships?

Welcome to Parfect Golfer!

Hi! Welcome to ParfectGolfer.com! I’m glad that you’ve stopped in! My name is Chris, and this blog is my way of merging my passion for golf (both playing and watching) with the expanded community of golfers in the blogosphere. I’ve always been intrigued by the game of golf - whether it was playing golf with my dad golfing while I was growing up, to playing mini-golf with my friends, I always knew golf would in one way or another be a part of my life. Now it has become a healthy (?) passion, hobby, and useful tool in my toolkit for growing my career.

I’m not one to sit still much, and over the past year I have been really focused on getting into shape and establishing healthy fitness habits in my life that I could take into my thirty’s and beyond. So about halfway through the year, I decided to start “really” playing golf. And by the end of my first 18 holes this year, I knew it was going to be a lifelong pursuit.

So I’ve started Parfect Golfer as a way to meet other golfers online, particularly “hobby golfers” who love the game and everything that comes with it, and to share my own experiences and things I’ve learned along the way. My hope is that this blog will become a fun place for golfers everywhere to share tips, anecdotes, insights, and frustrations (because we’re full of those, I know!).

Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you enjoy your visit.

Cheers!

Chris