Major Golf

[Oakland]

I just realized that I have played 3 of the 4 courses that are on the majors rota this year. Shot 92 are Chambers Bay in 2007, 83 at St. Andrews in 1991, and 93 at Whistling Straits in 2011. I supposedly had a chance to play Augusta in the early 1980s; a colleague, who was the sales manager and whose father was head greens keeper at a US Open course in the mid west, said he would get me on if I went out and troubleshot a customer problem in Charleston, SC - I being the idiot devoted employee thought that was a bad use of my time and didn't take him up on the possibility (I'm smarter now, trust me), though, I still doubt he could have gotten me on. On the other hand, the same guy got me on a midnight tour of Ronnie's oval office and the security center of the White House so you never know.

Notes on St. Andrews: had the best day of my life driving with my old Top Flite laminated driver, intentionally fading my 260 yd drive around the shed on the 17th just confirmed how awesome I could be on one shot. The pain of getting a double on the Road Hole was soothed by the fact that I got out of the famous green side bunker in one. On the other hand, I believe my putting yips started that day on the 4th hole, or so, when I pulled my approach shot about 40 yds to the left. Unlike a normal hole, where you would be 25 yds off the green, I had a 140 foot putt. I 'studied' this putt for many moments, and was discombobulated by it. I then hit the putt and it stopped within just...50 feet of the hole. Over the course of the next 15 years, my yipping gradually moved from 140 ft to 1 ft.

 

[cuseattle]

I am watching a bit of the Open right now. Some low early scores. It should be a fun few days to watch!
(Funny how it was so dry for our open and so green there)