Three-Putt Poker is another variation on the traditional golf rules that you can play to add some gambling excitement to your friendly golf game. You should only play this game with people that you are familiar with since there is a gambling element and some people frown down on friendly wagers. That being noted, here are the rules.
Before you tee off, each player puts $5 into the pot. This dollar amount can be changed to whatever you’d like but $5 is a good number to start with for a game with your friends. After paying the ante, each player receives one card from a traditional deck of playing cards.
The rules of the actual golf game remain the same but whenever a player three-putts a hole, that player adds more money to the pot ($1 is a good amount to use when the opening bet is $5). If a player one-putts the hole, that player gets another card from the top of the deck.
At the end of the front nine, whichever player has the best poker hand wins the entire pot. The game then repeats for the back nine. This is a great game to play that mixes the fun of poker with the fun of golf.
-Flashback- The Hot Streak Continues…I played in a three-man nine-hole skins game last night and my five bogeys and four pars were good enough to win eight holes for 16 skins. My confidence was high going into tomorrows round…-Currently- I Suck…I…
What a weekend at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. There was quite the showdown on Friday between Nick O’Hern and Tiger. A match that went to 20 holes after Tiger did what Tiger does best and birdied the 18th hole in regulation. Then on Sunday in the 36 hole finale we saw someone who isn’t very well known in the United States win the biggest tournament of his career. To be honest with you I had never heard of Henrik Stenson before this weekend. With the win this weekend Stenson will now take over the 5th spot on the World Rankings. What an impressive game this guy has. Not only was I impressed with him but with his opponentGeoff Ogilvy as well. All in all the final day of this event was a great duel between two players whose names were not Tiger, Phil, or Ernie. Great day for golf.
After reading about this club I figured I might as well give it a try. After hitting a about three balls I had already made my decision on the club. I would never ever buy this club, I will even go as far to say that if someone gave it to me I would tell them to return it and get their money back. I hated this club. The sound that it produces is ungodly. I know that having the weight distributed around the outside of the club will give it more forgiveness, but why make the club look like a box on a stick? It does however seem very forgiving, just like Nike says, and because of that you can forget about working the ball off the tee with this club. If you are a lower handicapper this club is not for you. If you are looking for a club that will allow you to hit the ball straight no matter how bad your swing is or where you hit the ball on the club face then this club is for you.
When you mix golf and business, as many people do, there are a few rules and guidelines that you should follow to help make it a successful experience. Usually, playing a game of golf with a corporate executive or potential client is somewhat different from playing a round with your college buddies. These guidelines will steer you in the right direction:
Obey proper golf etiquette - rake sand traps, repair divots, don’t talk during someone’s back swing. Respecting the rules of the golf course shows that you will be more likely to obey the rules of business too.
Don’t try to make a hard sell on the course - if this is your first time golfing with this person, you should focus on getting to know them on a personal level after 18 holes. You do not have to make the sale while you are golfing, there will be plenty of time for that after you’ve built a relationship.
Show composure - if you get frustrated after a bad shot and begin swearing and throwing clubs, you are exposing how you would react in a similar business situation. Remain level headed on the golf course and this will show that you know how to handle pressure and unexpected difficulties in business.
Avoid giving unasked for advice - do not offer up advice about your golf partner’s swing unless you are Tiger Woods or the advice was requested. Most likely, there is no simple tip that you can give that will drastically improve your partner’s game.
Relax and have fun - be yourself and enjoy the game. Your potential business partner will most remember the enjoyable experience of golfing with you and equate this with the possibility of developing an enjoyable business relationship with you.
Of course, there are many things that are not covered here but by following these guidelines, you should be able to lay the groundwork for a successful business relationship. Feel free to comment on any other guidelines that you may have discovered in your career.
What better is there to blog (brag) about than a current hot streak!I played last night in a four man skins game at my home course, the Par-3 nine-hole Green Caye. I was playing bogey golf and the money pushed to the fifth hole, where I chip in for bir…
I have had a Scotty Cameron putter since I was about 16 years old. Needless to say over the years that putter has had some wear and tear on it. I first found out about the Scotty Cameron Custom shop about 2 years ago, but it was in the middle of the golf season here so I didn’t want to send my putter in then. I never got around to it during that off season until it would have been too late so I had to wait until this off season to send it in.
After reading on the Scotty Cameron site that a full restoration would take about 40 days I figured I better get in gear. I filled out the online form specifyingexactly what I wanted done. I chose to get the full restoration done, which refinishes, reshafts, and regrips the putter as well as gives you a new head cover. I also decided that I would have them make the lie on my putter 1 degree flat in order to suit my stroke better. Once the Scotty Cameron Custom shop received my putter it took about 40 days for me to get my putter back, just like they said it would.
I just got my putter back yesterday and man was I impressed. My putter looked just like it would have if it were brand new. All the dings were gone, the finish was perfect, and all the paint for the lettering was once again bright. I only wish I would have taken pictures of my putter before I sent it in, so I could have posted before and after pictures. Although this service is kind of pricey I would recommend it to anyone who has a Scotty Cameron Putter that has some wear and tear on it. If you are interested visit www.scottycameron.com. Trust me you will not be disappointed if you chose to do this with your putter.
Sometimes I look out the window and get the feeling I’ve taken up residence in a waste bunker. I live in the Sonoran Desert. That’s desert, of course, not dessert. Dessert is Ben & Jerry’s. Desert is sand & gravel, burrowing animals and cactu…
That was quite the finish yesterday at the Nissan Open. We saw Charles Howell III finally break through and win, and not only did he win be he made a lot of clutch shots when it counted. I can only imagine what getting up and down on all three play off holes will do for his confidence.
If he keeps playing like he has been he is going to see his world ranking sky rocket. This year alone he has two second place finishes and now a win, he is leading the Fedex Cup points, and the money list. Watch out Tiger!!!!
After buying a set of Mizuno MP 32 irons I decided that I might as well give their new wedges a try. I figured I was in need of new wedges since it has been sometime since I have purchased a new set, so why not try these. I went out to the local pro shop and took out a few different lofts and bounce angles. I eventuallydecided to get a 52 with 7 degrees of bounce, a 56 with 10 degrees of bounce, and a 60 with 9 degrees of bounce.
This club comes in a chrome finish as well as a black nickel finish. The black nickel finish is pretty cool but they didn’t have all the wedges in stock with it so I settled on the chrome.
These wedges are by far the best wedge I have ever hit. The feel that they have is consistent with all the Mizuno grain flow forged clubs. Very soft and tons of feedback. I think that the thing that I was most impressed with was the fact that I was stopping shots on the ground of an indoor driving range. Keep in mind that under the green rug at this place is a slab of concrete, I can only image what they will do when they hit a real green. Great great club would recommend to anyone. You can buy any of these wedges here at Amazon.com.
Cold and Windy…Things have begun to dry out here in Houston. We are currently on the backside of a cold snap that included a series of fronts that kept the lows near freezing and the winds howling. Perfect conditions for playing your home course.I …
I had a very enlightening 9 holes the other day. I played with Metro’s SkyCaddie GPS demo unit.The device uses global positioning satellites to give you target yardage (to various parts of the green, to hazards, etc.) It can also calculate the distan…
Recently I decided that I wanted to create a place in my house that I could hit golf balls in. The first thing that I needed was to find a place where I could swing a club freely. After searching for a little bit I settled on my attic. Now if I had a garage this would have probably been my first choice but the attic was sufficient for me.
Now that I had found the place to make the driving cage I now needed to find some netting that would work for what I need. After going to every store I could think of that would carry netting I came up empty handed. After this I decided to do a little searching on the Internet to see if I could find anything that would suit my needs. After doing a few searches with Google I came across a site called, www.gourock.com, and they had exactly what I was looking for. They sell netting panels which come in different sizes. I ended up ordering a 10 by 10 panel from them.
Now that I had the netting all I needed was a mat to hit off of. So I went to the local Wal-Mart to see what they had, and sure enough they had something that was cheap and would do the job. Once the panel came I hung it up in my attic and started hit balls. This is something that everyone could do it just requires the space and getting the materials. I like this idea better than buying one of those pop up nets because it allows you to form the netting how you want it.
One of the great things about golf is all of the different variations of the game that you can play. Next time your are golfing with three of your friends, suggest a game of ‘Lone Wolf’ for a change. ‘Lone Wolf’ is a very simple points based game that adds a new twist to a friendly golf game.
Before the game starts, a fixed rotating order is established for teeing off. On each hole, the first player to tee off is designated as the “wolf”. After the “wolf” tees off, he or she can choose to play the hole alone or wait to see how the other players drive and choose one of them as his or her partner.
The “wolf” can’t wait until all players drive to make the decision about who to choose as the partner. For example, Player A is the “wolf”, Player B hits a decent drive but the “wolf” does not decide to take Player B as a partner, and Player C hits an awful drive. The “wolf” can no longer choose Player B as the partner and is forced to choose to take Player C before Player D tees off or to be left with Player D as the partner for the hole.
Each player plays his or her own ball just like in a normal game of golf but the side with the lowest better ball score wins the hole. If it’s 2 on 2, each player on the winning side wins 1 point and if there is a tie, no one earns a point. If it’s 1 on 3, the “wolf” wins 3 points or loses 3 points.
On the next hole, the player who was the “wolf” on the previous hole tees off last and the next player has the chance to be the “wolf”. After playing through all of the holes, the player with the most points at the end wins the game of “Lone Wolf”.
I’ve found that this game is great to play with a group of experienced golfers but also a great game for when a few experienced golfers are playing with a newcomer to the game of golf. This lets the beginner still get involved in the game and compete with the other players even though his or her golf skill may not be up to the level of the other players.
We will feature many different golf variations on this blog but if you have any of your own favorites, we’d love to read about them in the comments!
Recently I purchased a set of Mizuno MP 32’s. After trying out just about every player’s iron I could find I made the choice to get these. The Mizuno MP 32’s are a blade style iron in Mizuno’s cut muscle line of irons. They offer more forgiveness than a true blade iron does which is very nice for thosemis-hits. When trying these out it didn’t take me to long to figure out that these were the clubs for me. I just wish I would have tried these first because it would have saved me the time of trying all the others. The feel at contact with these clubs is great. You know when you hit a great shot and you also know when you hit a bad shot just from the feeling you get. These clubs allow you to easily work the ball left or right. They also have pin point accuracy, which is a must for any golfer. I would highly recommend these for anyone who is a low handicapper. A++ buy. If you’d like to purchases these, you can get them here from Amazon.com.
No doubt you saw clips from the media day they had at the Super Bowl. It’s a promotional day in advance of the event. It’s a chance for the media to collect information and sound bytes.
Well, our media day in advance of a U.S. Open looks more like a corporate meeting compared to that circus atmosphere in Miami. But, our media get to play golf after listening to some presentations. So, it’s a pretty good day’s work.
To tell you the truth, I can’t even remember what has been said over the years. But, let me share with you a couple of the memories I have from 18 years worth of U.S. Open media days.
Times were simpler before Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997. A defending champion was likely to find time to attend and address the local media in the city where the Open would be held. Now, the top players are often just too busy to attend in person. And I fully understand.
But back in 1995, I met Ernie Els and his wife, Liezl, at the Newark airport and we headed into New York for a media day luncheon at the famous Tavern on the Green restaurant. He had survived a playoff to win the 1994 Open, his first win in the U.S., at age 24.
My 15-year-old godson tagged along with me and helped me with the set-up. Then, instead of sitting bored during the press conference, Liezl took my godson for an hour-long carriage ride through Central Park. What a treat!
By the time Ernie won in 1997, times had changed. He had his own jet and I couldn’t afford the freight to get him to San Francisco for the next year’s media day. Instead, we arranged a satellite interview from New York, where he was for some business meetings.
What was neat was that Ernie insisted that as soon as media day was concluded on the West Coast, I sneak out and hop a plane to meet him for dinner that night in NYC. I got back just in time to join him and his company of friends for a wonderful night. We had plenty of wine and talked about everything but golf!
I was tired, but back in the office the next morning, holding down my normal office job.
I guess I hope Ernie wins another Open real soon. It’s been a while since I’ve had a media day as memorable as these were.
Welcome to Drive, Chip, Putt! We’re here to blog about all things golf from tips for your swing, club reviews, course reviews, golf trips, etc. So, check back soon and we’ll have all kinds of information about the game of golf.
A few months ago during a Communications Group meeting, RandJerris, who overseas the Museum and Archives, talked about a project that needed to be completed. A company in Boston had been hired to develop a data base for the USGA championships, but small summaries – around 300 to 400 words – needed to be written up on each individual competition. As the words were emanating from Jerris’ mouth, Marty Parkes, our senior director of communications turned his head immediately at me. It was one of those Life cereal “Mikey” moments. “Let’s get David, he’ll do anything.”
All joking aside, I was more than happy to take on the project. In fact, RhondaGlenn and I accepted the task, with Rhonda, a women’s golf expert, taking the women’s events and yours truly taking the others: i.e. U.S. Open, Amateur, Junior, Amateur Public Links, etc.
Because the months of January and February are generally slower than others – the previous championship season is behind us and we are just getting ready for 2007 – I generally have plenty of time to take on new projects. So I began to peruse through the USGA Record Books, Media Guides, old Golf Journals and other newspaper articles to find the necessary information. Sal Johnson’s U.S. Open Almanac was also a huge help for that particular championship.
And while the work was a bit mundane – lots of typing – I did find it quite fascinating. I learned a lot about past champions and certain championships that I didn’t know before. This just gives me a few more bullets to add to my encyclopedia holster. Around the inner-circles of Media Relations, I have a reputation for being Mr.Encyclopedia because of my ability to retain trivial pieces of information.
Anyway, I uncovered some interesting stuff as I began to compile the write-ups for each event. Now I could attach little anecdotes to the year-by-year champions listed in the USGA Media Guide.
Did you know, for example, that Smiley Quick almost won the U.S. Amateur in 1946 after winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links earlier that summer? This was nearly 50 years before RyanMoore completed the rare double in 2004. In fact, competitors in the APL were forbidden from even playing in the Amateur at the time, but the USGA offered special invitations to the semifinalists. Back then, you couldn’t compete in the Amateur if you were not a member of a USGA Member Club, which included virtually all public courses. That may sound wacky now, but it was the way things were done.
And all of you who hate the notion of sponsor or special exemptions, you’ll be interested to know that in the past, only the defending champion was exempt from qualifying for the next year’s championship. In 1981, BillyTuten was the APL runner-up to JodieMudd, but had to go through sectional qualifying the next year. Tuten didn’t make it, but got into the field as an alternate when ChristopherYoung had to withdraw. Tuten then went on to win the title, and then repeated the next year. This was a brilliant run for Tuten in USGA events. He played in three consecutive APL finals (1981-83) after losing the U.S. Junior championship match in 1979.
How about this little nugget: Yorba Linda (Calif.) Country Club boasted back-to-back U.S. Junior champions. ScottErickson won in 1981 and his friend and fellow member RickMarik captured the title the following year.
In the 1964 APL final, 20-year-old William McDonald was suffering so bad from blisters on his feet that he went to the hospital during the lunch break and was treated before coming back in the afternoon, where he won the match.
Or how about this: At the 1951 U.S. Amateur Montebello residents and friends Dave Stanley (current APL champion) and Tommy Jacobs (reigning U.S. Junior champion) met in the third round with the 16-year-old Jacobs advancing. Jacobs, who later played on the PGA Tour, advanced to the semifinals that year, nearly becoming the youngest Amateur champion in history.
Finally, teammates from the same high school golf squad (Bellarmine Prep in San Jose, Calif.) squared off in the 1962 Junior finals, with JimWeichers beating JimSullivan, 4 and 3.
But there are plenty more interesting nuggets of information. It’s always fun to delve beyond the name and final score. And when the renovated ArnoldPalmerCenter for Golf History opens in 2008, you’ll get a chance to discover these individuals as well.
Phil Mickelson, who fell apart late last year after taking the PGA tour by storm in early 2006 won his 30th career title at Pebble Beach in California.
The left-handed Mickelson pocketed $990,000 to exceed $40 million in career earnings with his win in Cali. This is a much better way for Phil to start the [...]
Metro GM Darryl Davis just clued me in to a good event coming up Saturday, Feb. 24. There will be a free golf clinic for young people from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm. There will be four one hour clinics covering the fundamentals of golf. These clinics will…
I played the back nine at my home course this morning. I actually got up late and rushed out the house to meet my friend. I felt so bad because I was late..actually I’m always late..but the fact that I seem to be making a habit out of this. Anyway, …
You’ll notice that one recent change the Association has adopted pertains to the playoff at the Women’s Open. We no longer will play 18 holes on Monday in the event of a tie on Sunday. Instead, we’ll have a three-hole aggregate playoff on Sunday night after the completion of 72 holes if there is a tie.
Few folks have disagreed with this decision. The players in last year’s final 18-hole playoff strongly stated that they would prefer to end things on Sunday. And since all other events in women’s golf are determined by sudden death, this change still allows the Women’s Open to remain unique.
We’ve been asked change for the Women’s Open foreshadows a similar change for the Men’s Open. The simple answer is no. The two events have, for the most part, different venues. They have different fields of players. They have different sizes of galleries. They have different television times and audiences. And the British Open features a multi-hole playoff in the event of a tie. Others are determined by sudden death. Thus, the U.S. Open stands alone as the only 18-hole playoff in the game.
The USGA is quite comfortable in maintaining this playoff system for the Men’s Open. We intend for the U.S. Open to be the sternest test of a golf in a year. I think there would be little argument that an 18-hole playoff is a more stern test than sudden death or three holes. So, if we’re tied at the end of Sunday at Oakmont this summer, we’ll see you on the following Monday.
Natalie Gulbis Autographed2007 CalendarAutographed versions of Natalie Gulbis’ best selling calendar are here as Natalie has just signed several of the Autographed 2007 Natalie Gulbis Wall Calendar for us.The Autographed Natalie Gulbis 2007 calendar fe…
Natalie Gulbis Autographed2007 Calendar
Autographed versions of Natalie Gulbis‘ best selling calendar are here as Natalie has just signed several of the Autographed 2007 Natalie Gulbis Wall Calendar for us.
The Autographed Natalie Gulbis 2007 calendar features the always gorgeous Natalie Gulbis in a different swim suit or stunning outfit each month.
These autographed versions will go quick. [...]
Autographed versions of Natalie Gulbis‘ best selling calendar are here as Natalie has just signed several of the Autographed 2007 Natalie Gulbis Wall Calendar for us.
The Autographed Natalie Gulbis 2007 calendar features the always gorgeous Natalie Gulbis in a different swim suit or stunning outfit each month.
These autographed versions will go quick. Don’t be left [...]
One of the fun parts of my time in San Francisco was listening to Louise Suggs give her speech accepted the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award. She’s a three-time USGA champion (’47 W. Amateur and ’49 and ’52 W. Open). She also became a respected instructor as well. She was smart enough to give many of her lessons at Sea Island, a beautiful area along the coast.
She said a lot of interesting things the other night. But the one that struck me the most was when she noted she won 58 tournaments in her career. Her total earnings for all those victories: less than $200,000. “If that won’t make you throw up, nothing will…” she said with a measure of disgust
Now that I’m back at Golf House, I thought about her remarks some more. I did a bit of research and found out that at last year’s Women’s Open at Newport, the total purse stood at $3.1 million. Champion Annika Sorenstam’s share was $560,000 for a week’s work. Louise made only about one-third as much for a career’s work. It makes you hope that the young players today appreciate those who came before and cleared the way for them. If not, they definitely should do so as the gap between these numbers indicate
Take a few moments to watch Louise’s speech. This segment lasts less than three minutes and it’s worth every second.
Apparently, a number of manufacturers are coming out with a new style of golf club head. Square. I have one word for ‘em: hideous. And I do not care if the geometry is more suitable for hitting the ball further or not. Just like their fellow overbloated predecessors, I can’t stand to look at them while addressing the ball. Maybe it is just a matter of adaptation — I’d get used to it after a while until it becomes the new norm. There is only one problem — they cost too much.
The prices of clubs skyrocketed in the 90s or so. I remember when a driver was in the $100 range or so, then all of a sudden the next increment took ‘em to $300, $400, $500. Was it the new materials? Titanium. Graphite. Inflation?
Maybe a quick comparison would help. What else can you buy in the $400 range? How about a bandsaw? Jet sells a modest 14" model for that price.
Now, what is it about a golf club that even remotely compares to the materials, labor costs, shipping constraints, etc. of producing a piece of machinery like this? Maybe it is because they don’t sell that many, so they are more expensive? Unlikely. How many people do you know that would buy a bandsaw vs. a driver? It has to be that they price those clubs like that because they can. All those people who have such tremendous amounts of disposable income, the piles of it are practically pushing them out of their homes, are just so desperate that they just gotta have that latest golf club, they’ll pay anything. Why can’t people take a stand and just say, no, that’s too much. I’d rather do without than pay that. It would work with cable service, internet service, cell phone service, home construction and supplies (esp. kitchen cabinetry), etc. But don’t get me started on that stuff.
I’m pleased to say that I made it home to New Jersey from San Francisco in time for the Super Bowl kickoff. However, I will admit that I am tired today so I’ll be brief.
During the USGA Annual Meeting, various Association officers provide reports about particular activities. Many folks listen most closely to the one about equipment testing. USGA VP Jim Vernon, who lives in Los Angeles, oversees the USGA’s Equipment Standards Committee and gave this year’s report. I’d like to share with you the final paragraphs of his report because I thought it gave an excellent summary about our goals concerning regulation of golf equipment:
“For the past several years, all measurements of Tour Player performance indicate stability. We expect this period of stability to continue into the future. While we recognize that some believe that this stability is at the wrong level, we see it as an opportunity to spend the time and resources required to fully understand the technical issues.
Some voices call for a quick fix, but we believe that this course of action could be merely a treatment of symptoms. Instead we prefer to conduct the careful research needed to fully understand both the how’s and why’s of technology’s impact on the game – in other words the causes rather than just the symptoms.
Our exhaustive research work on grooves is an example of this. We now clearly understand both how grooves function and why they have had an effect on how the game is played. Our work doesn’t end with grooves. We need to understand how all modern golf equipment technology affects the game. Once we have this type of full understanding of causes and effects, sound decisions can be made to change - or not change - equipment rules.”
There you have it… a short, simple, and accurate synopsis about our equipment testing… I’ll hopefully find some other worthwhile information to share when I return again on Wednesday…
The recipient of our Bob Jones Award this year was LouiseSuggs.She is one of the pioneers (think Annie Oakley) of the LPGA Tour, a renowned instructor, and someone who helped to put women’s golf on the map.You can click here to see our press release that talks more about her accomplishments.She’s known to be a bit feisty as well… as evidence, she has a dog called “Damit” that lives with her at her home located right near the WorldGolfVillage in Florida.
The other award we present is the Joe Dey Award.It’s named after the USGA’s long-time executive director (1934-1969) and it honors a USGA volunteer.It’s given annually.In some ways, I think this is our greatest award.That’s because it’s normally given to someone who is unknown to the general public but has been dedicated in service to golf as a volunteer – which means they work for free and without much recognition or appreciation.It’s akin to being a parent, in other words… This year the award goes to HarryMcCracken of Massachusetts.You can read the release we put out about him by clicking here.
I don’t know McCracken personally but I know that he’s worked about a zillion USGA and other state/regional competitions during many decades.There are few who have contributed more to New England golf than he has.And since I was born in Rhode Island, lived in Massachusetts for my first two years of existence before moving to Connecticut where I remained until I reached my early 30s, I can appreciate the value of what he’s done.
The USGA was lucky to have a good year in 2006.Our championships came off with few problems, unless you were PhilMickelson on the last hole at Winged Foot.Most of our governing roles like Rules, Handicapping, Amateur Status, etc. passed without incident.That’s usually the best indicator that we’ve done a decent job in a given year… when folks notice us, it usually means something has gone wrong.If they haven’t, we’ve done okay… Come to think of it, it’s much like being a kid in that respect…
WalterDriver of Atlanta was reelected as USGA president for another year.It will be his last year… nearly all USGA president serve two consecutive one-year terms… Walter offered some interesting remarks, outlining our successes during 2006.He emphasized how important it is for us to do a good job running all our national championships, which is really our main reason to exist.I found the most noteworthy part to be near the end.He said it was crucial for non-profits like the USGA not to become “clock builders” and become too cozy and comfortable and “tell time” without accomplishing much.Instead, the trick is for an established organization like the USGA to “preserve the core but change the process.”To put this concept simply, we need to remain absolutely dedicated to serving the needs of our game (the core) but be willing and able to change the way we operate (the process).That means adapting to things like new equipment technology for clubs and balls and using the Internet well…
All in all, our stay in San Francisco went off according to plan and with few glitches.Next year we’ll meet on Feb. 9 at The Hilton Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas.Now I need to grab a few hours sleep before I head to the airport on Sunday morning for my flight home across the country.If all goes well, I should cross the threshold of my home just before Super Bowl kickoff.
On Monday, from Golf House, I’ll be back with you.I’m sure I’ll think of a few other things that happened in San Francisco that I should share with you…And feel free to email me at mparkes@usga.org if you have any questions… Until Monday…
Marty Parkes serves as USGA Senior Director of Communications and can be reached at mparkes@usga.org.
Okay, who attends the USGA’s Annual Meeting?Who is invited?Why is it held?What happens during the meeting itself?
The USGA is organized like a lot of non-profit organizations.That is, it is an association of a bunch of people and/or facilities involved in a particular industry or business.In our case, the USGA is legally an organization of member golf courses.They come in all shapes and sizes: some are wealthy and private, others are public and poor.
We have nearly 10,000 such member facilities that legally comprise the Association.Each one of them – regardless of whether they are public or private; nine or 18 or 36 or 54 holes; or a driving range or “short course” where you can take lessons and hit balls — receives a ballot each year that they can cast toward the election of USGA officers for the next calendar year.Many courses receive this ballot, fill it out, and mail it back.Representatives from each facility can also attend the Annual Meeting, if they so choose. Our courses also receive a copy of the Association’s Annual Report at the meeting or in the mail afterwards.
This situation isn’t much different than what you see in the private or corporate world.Most companies have stockholders.These shareholders receive an annual report each year along with a ballot to cast concerning the election of members of the board of directors as well as other governance issues that may be out there (such as whether to merge with another company).Shareholders can choose whether or not to attend the meeting, who to vote for, and express their opinions about the general state of things.
Most of the folks who attend our Annual Meeting come from member facilities located near the site of the meeting (San Francisco in this case).Certain USGA staffers like me attend, as do many USGA committee volunteers.We invite certain members of the media (especially local ones) to come.Officials from many state and regional golf associations (again mostly local ones) come as well.And, by the way, the folks who attend are one and the same with our invited list of guests.We have few, if any, gatecrashers…
The Annual Meeting is held on a Saturday each year.Its main purpose is for election of incoming members of our Executive Committee (better known as XC around Golf House).This XC has the final say on all USGA matters, great and small.During the meeting, we also recognize those who are retiring from the Committee and thank them for all their hard work and sacrifice of time and money.This year, for example, we have three people retiring from the XC and three new folks joining.
Association officers drawn from within this Executive Committee are also appointed for the next year.Officers are given an opportunity during the meeting, which normally lasts about 90 minutes, to give reports about topics like championships, Rules, handicapping, etc.The USGA President customarily gives about a 15-minute speech that recaps the previous year and looks ahead to the new one.After the formal meeting, cocktails are served before we head into a large dinner where our highest Association honor, the Bob Jones Award, is presented to that year’s recipient.After all, it wouldn’t be a golf meeting without food and drink…
In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that most staffers and several volunteers arrive a few days before Saturday.We are sequestered in various committee meetings during those days, conducting discussions and deciding upon policy for the future.
Several years ago, my boss and our executive director, DavidFay, asked me to take the minutes of our XC meetings.That is, to be blunt, hardly a coveted post at the USGA.To my utter amazement, I retain this duty to this day.I’m not sure whether it’s because I’ve done a good job or David just can’t find anyone else that he feels deserving of being saddled with this task.He once told me, in fact, that even if I leave the Association, I will still be required to return to take XC minutes.I must admit that while it’s a relatively thankless chore, it keeps me apprised of all doings in our Association.And I guess that’s a good thing for the person in charge of all Association communications to possess… although I wouldn’t be broken hearted to see it pass from my “to-do” list someday.
Since the curtain is about to rise on our Annual Meeting tomorrow, I will wrap it up for today.I will drop back for a few minutes late tomorrow night after our meeting held in the City by the Bay…
Marty Parkes serves as USGA Senior Director of Communications and can be reached at mparkes@usga.org.
What is this stuff?The simple answer is that the USGA has entered the blogosphere.This is the first installment of our official USGA blog.For the past few months, we’ve thought about establishing such a USGA blog where certain members of the Association could share news, add perspectives beyond those items contained in our normal communications channels, and just plain chat with those who care about our Association.
We don’t have a set schedule … instead, we’ll probably end up posting to the blog a few times a week as we have information or opinions we want to share. We hope it will give you a reason regularly to check out our website. As the head of communications for the USGA, I’ve drawn the short straw and was designated to bat leadoff…
We thought that starting this blog at the beginning of the month of February would make sense.After all, multiple great Americans like GeorgeWashington, AbrahamLincoln, and I were born during the year’s shortest month.Actually, the real reason we chose this time to launch our blog is that it coincides with the USGA’s Annual Meeting.
Our Annual Meeting is really the New Year’s Day of our Association.It’s the time when our Association officially kicks off its next year of existence, elects new officers, sets priorities for the weeks and months ahead, and adopts resolutions to try and do better.Like most of us, our record of success in satisfying such resolutions is mixed.Sometimes we’ve done quite well.Other times, we’d be better off getting amnesia.But whether good or bad, it’s the starting point for our next USGA year.
The meeting this year will be held in San Francisco.It moves around the country to different locations each year.For those of us unfortunate enough to live in New Jersey during the winter, it’s often a welcome chance to scamper to a climate where chapped lips, heavy overcoats, and sloppy sidewalks are, mercifully, in short supply.This year’s session will be held at the elegant Fairmount Hotel that, like a lot of San Francisco, sits high atop a downtown hill, in this case Nob Hill.We had an annual meeting there a few years back – I’ve been here nearly 16 years now so these past meetings run together in my hazy memory – and I must admit that no one had to hold a gun to my head to threaten me to go back there.
Tomorrow and Saturday I intend to return with some explanations about the Annual Meeting itself.I will also share some thoughts about the meeting next week from Golf House as well.Meanwhile, our web editor returns from a week in the sun in Cancun, Mexico to evaluate what I’ve done in his absence.I pray that he will then decide to introduce other USGA hitters into our batting order each week.In any case, I’m sure that, at a minimum, various USGA types will share some thoughts with you at least a handful of times each week on an ongoing basis … we also intend to blog on our USGA national championship web sites starting in June…
Until tomorrow then…
Marty Parkes serves as USGA Senior Director of Communications and can be reached at mparkes@usga.org
