Running 2022 Golf Thread

Today was Eastward Ho! day. Started off bogie-bogie-par and felt like a world beater. Then on the most exposed hole on the course, par-3 4th, balls on the green were blown yards and yards after coming to alleged rest. When pro tournaments have that happen, they stop play. We just picked up and moved on. Winds laid down to a modest 20 mph after that. Had four pars, mostly doubles, and four others. Cape Cod is very beautiful and the course shows it off to best advantage. I couldn't help thinking that yesterday, Nantz and Co. made the field playing in 20 mph winds like going up Mt. Suribachi and us hackers just hunched up and moved on.

 

Our son and I were talking about this week at the RBC and post-Masters.

What's the vibe at the RBC? Complete relaxation for those who were in Augusta? I'm sure they want to play and do well/win, but it has to be quite a change in the mental makeup.

He and I want to go sometime for the tournament. We played Harbour Town seven years ago. Quite lovely in November when no one is at HHI.

 

Usually if I remember correctly RBC has a pretty strong field. Often not the Masters winner, but for the other guys, it's a short trip to another chance to win and/or a big check. It's also another Pete Dye course, so the relatively shorter hitters don't want to pass it up.

 

Haven't been to Hilton Head, but it seems to be a good week-after a major, and part of that is that it's nowhere near as tense as Augusta.

The only knock I've heard is from a former co-worker who worked in and near Hilton Head. Wasn't so much a knock on the tournament or the Tour stop as much as the area in general. Seems like a fun tournament. Certainly not a bomber's course ... station-to-station course where placement and trying to stay out of tree lines and overhangs are at a premium.

 

Recorded a podcast yesterday with the tournament director of the Wells Fargo, which is moving to Avenel this year due to the President's Cup being at Quail Hollow in the fall. He had some interesting insight on player recruitment and scheduling. He made a good point that the Wells Fargo is probably never getting Jordan or Scottie because of the way the schedule falls. It's two weeks before the PGA. Most players don't want to play both weeks, and the following week the Tour is in Texas for the Byron Nelson. No top contender is playing both tournaments in the run-up to a major, and the Texas guys are going to choose to play close to home. Just the way it goes.

 

The front nine, best I remember, is tight and requires precision shots. Back nine, most of it, was more open and IMO forgiving for a sprayer-chaser like me. Our son and his flat-belly buddies could pipe it straight, though, so they had fun watching the old man. We had a forecaddie who helped them with shot placements and angles.

We also played Palmetto Dunes, and Old South in Bluffton. Wide open, bomber fun.

 

Palmetto Dunes is fantastic. ... That whole area us. A favorite of mine is the course on Parris Island. Got paired up with some retired colonels there and they proceded to entertain my Dad and me with four-plus hours of stories. The more they drank, the better the stories got. We bought them a lot of beers. They paid us back for them at the end of the round. We probably won like 8 and 7 but they didn't seem to care. Course was great too.

 

I've looked high and low for a lousy course in the area and still haven't found it.

 

Good riddance to him. I’m not watching any tournament because he’s playing.