Celebrate America with Golf in National Parks

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, fellow Americans. I hope you’re having a safe and enjoyable Independence Day weekend. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns called the national parks America’s best idea in his PBS miniseries by the same name. Brought to my attention by Janeen Driscoll, formerly of the Pinehurst Resort, here’s another good idea: golf in national parks.

If you’re visiting a national park this summer, you might want to pack the golf clubs. Following are a handful of national parks that have one or more golf courses within their boundaries, some constructed nearly a century ago.

Anacostia National Park, District of Columbia
The Langston Golf Course is an 18-hole course that includes a driving range. More info

Yosemite National Park, California
The Yosemite Golf Course is a 9-holer that was built way back in 1918, five years before Bobby Jones won his first major. More info

Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier Park Lodge Golf Course is also a 9-hole track that has the oldest grass greens in Montana. It was built in 1927 by the Great Northern Railway. More info

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
This is the place to play if you want to maximize yardage on your drives. The altitude at Rocky Mountain National Park ranges from 7,500 to 14,259 feet, and there are three public golf courses to choose from. One is a 9-hole executive course. More info

There are also a large number of golf courses within driving distance of America’s 392 national parks. And if there’s no room for golf clubs in the car because of too much luggage or camping equipment, you can often rent or borrow a set. I’ve been known to do that on occasion.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: bingpoint-uk/Flickr)

3-Year-Old Boy Hones Game for Q-School

WHEN ALEXIS THOMPSON RECENTLY turned professional to play on the LPGA Tour at the age of 15, some questioned whether she was too young for the rigors of tour life and openly wondered about the potentially damaging attention she might receive. But Thompson is a grizzled veteran compared to a 3-year-old Arizona boy who may enter the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School this fall.

The boy’s agent told ARMCHAIR GOLF in an email that his young client got an even earlier start in golf than Tiger Woods and other golf prodigies. The boy began making arm movements in his mother’s womb that simulated a golf swing and has aspired to play on the PGA Tour since he was 1. That was when he watched Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.

“He’s that good,” the agent said, “and he has a great attitude. Nothing keeps him down for very long.”

One large roadblock that stands in the boy’s way is the PGA Tour’s age rule. A player can enter Q-School at any age but isn’t allowed to become a PGA Tour member until his 18th birthday.

“We’re looking at it and talking to Ponte Vedra,” the agent said. “That’s all I can say right now.”

Apparently, business opportunities are also available. Golf-related companies and mega brands are always on the lookout for the game’s newest star players.

“Several potential sponsors are interested in signing him. He’s a great kid. He really is.”

For now, the boy’s parents and agent are guarding the boy’s identity should they decide to enroll him in preschool and forgo the Q-School bid until he’s 4.

−The Armchair Golfer

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

(Image: The Geary’s/Flickr)

Joe Ogilvie and the Dreaded De-Greener

“Last week at Hartford I had two de-greeners, and that’s never a good thing.”
—Joe Ogilvie, on Thursday at the AT&T National

JOE OGILVIE IS PUTTING much better. And that, along with the Fourth of July, is cause for celebration. Because poor putting sucks, especially when you make your living by said putting.

How bad has it been for ol’ Joe? He explained it to the press after carving a 66 out of Aronimink Golf Club for a share of the first-round lead with Arjun Atwal, Jason Day and Nick Watney at the AT&T National.

“Last week at Hartford I had two de-greeners,” Joe said, “and that’s never a good thing, to have one. I usually have one maybe every three years, and to have two in the same tournament—for those of you at home, de-greeners is where you hit the green and putt it off of it.” (Laughter in the media center.)

De-greeners! That’s just perfect. I hadn’t heard that one, but it’s priceless as that credit-card empire likes to say. If Joe and his PGA Tour comrades don’t mind, I will give de-greener the acronym “DG” and file it in the ARMCHAIR GOLF acronym list with my recent addition, “SPD” (Sudden Putting Disaster). Actually, I think they’re cousins.

“So this was a lot better,” Joe said, finishing his thought. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable over my putter.”

And that makes me feel more comfortable. And probably you, too.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Paul Lawrie and the Eight-Putt Green

Free Drawing for ‘THE OPEN: Golf’s Oldest Major’

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IS returning to St. Andrews this year, which also happens to be the 150th anniversary of golf’s oldest major. I have a special treat for you: a free drawing for a 304-page photographic history of the ancient golf championship.

Titled THE OPEN: Golf’s Oldest Major and published by Rizzoli, the book features black and white and color photographs from Getty Images. The rather sparse text is by Donald Steel, with a foreword by Arnold Palmer and afterword by Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A. This hardcover measures 12.3 x 9.4 x 1.4 inches and weighs 4.8 pounds. It’s hefty and gorgeous, a prized coffee table or sports den book for any armchair golf historian. (I love my review copy. I am not giving it up. The publisher is making another copy available for the drawing.)

Here are a couple of excerpts from the publisher’s news release:

THE OPEN: Golf’s Oldest Major revisits the history of the fourteen legendary links courses along the spectacular British coastline on which The Open has been played, with a chapter dedicated to each course highlighting the famous moments of victory, defeat, partnership, competition, and tradition that have come to define them.

The book brings together the classic images of the sport’s icons—from early stars such as Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones, and masters like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, to the exceptional talents of today, Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington.

OK, I must add three names not mentioned in the above publisher copy: Harry Vardon, Peter Thomson and Tom Watson. Because those three remarkable champions won the Claret Jug 16 times. (Vardon, 6; Thomson, 5; and Watson, 5.)

WANT TO GET IN ON THIS?

How to enter this free drawing: Just email your name and mailing address to armchairgolfer@gmail.com. I’ll blind draw the winner in a couple of weeks during the championship. Good luck!

−The Armchair Golfer

Kenny Perry, Friend of Coal Miners

I’VE NEVER MET KENNY PERRY, so my impressions of him are from a distance. But I think of Kenny as a good guy, or a “good ol’ boy” as he might be referred to in his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and around Franklin, his current residence in the Bluegrass State. I just don’t get the feeling that Perry has a false bone in his body, which is endearing but has also irked folks at times.

James Kenneth Perry can play golf with the best players in the world. Otherwise he comes across as a pretty regular fella and family man, the kind of guy that has worked behind the counter at his Country Creek Golf Course without customers knowing it. I became a bigger Kenny Perry fan when he stuck to his schedule in 2008 and made the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He didn’t attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. He didn’t enter the British Open. He did take serious heat.

So this week’s story about Perry is no surprise to me. Kenny will donate $2,000 for every birdie he makes at the inaugural Greenbrier Classic later this summer to the 29 families that lost loved ones in the recent West Virginia mining disaster.

“Kenny is from Kentucky, not far away,” said Greenbrier Resort chairman Jim Justice at Roanoke.com, “and he certainly knows the miners, how dedicated they are and what immense work they do. It’s a great gesture on Kenny’s part and we’re very proud to be a part of that.”

Hope your putter’s hot, Kenny.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
What to Do If You’re Kenny Perry’d
Stunner: R&A Moves British Open to Milwaukee

(Image: ben_lei/Flickr)

Kerr Pow!

2010 LPGA Championship Recap
Winner: Cristie Kerr
Score: 19 under, 269 (68, 66, 69, 66)
Quote: “It’s a dream performance.”
Fact: Shares same birthday with yours truly (October 12).
Thought: Watch out for CK in the U.S. Women’s Open.

THAT SOUND ON SUNDAY in Pittsford, New York, was the shattering of a tournament record. Cristie Kerr obliterated the competition to win the LPGA Championship by a record 12 shots. It was her second major title and 14th career win. Kerr’s four-day masterpiece left her nearly speechless. I can see why. Ginormous victory margins are unusual in golf, especially in majors.

Cristie carded 23 birdies and just four bogeys in 72 holes of major-championship golf. When I saw that she held an eight-shot lead going into the final round, I thought she might put it on cruise control on Sunday. After all, an even-par round would mean her closest pursuer would have to post a 64 just to tie. But there was zero let up. After reeling off six straight pars, Cristie birdied seven of the last 12 holes to shoot a final-round 66. The field had no chance. It was total domination.

Song-Hee Kim was runner-up at 7 under and Ai Miyazato and Jiyai Shin tied for third a very distant 14 shots back.

With the victory Kerr claimed the top spot in the women’s world golf rankings (Rolex Rankings). She displaced Miyazato who had been No. 1 for a week after winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Shin was the top golfer just two weeks ago. Cristie hopes to be queen of the mountain for awhile. “I’m there now,” she said, “but I have to prove I deserve to be there.”

There certainly was ample proof on Thursday through Sunday that Kerr can dominate against the best when her game is on.

−The Armchair Golfer

Q&A: Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee

Editor’s note: The following Q&A was provided to ARMCHAIR GOLF by Mandarin Media the week before the U.S. Open. Thongchai Jaidee finished in a tie for 47th.

Q: You are currently ranked No. 46 in the world, good enough to earn a U.S. Open spot at Pebble Beach. Is that a thrill or just another competitive opportunity?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: As a professional golfer, I try to perform well in every tournament. But since the U.S. Open is one of the majors, every player tries harder to perform well—because the field is full of talented people.

Q: You have won 12 times on the Asian Tour; you competed in your second Masters this year, you were a quarterfinalist at the World Match Play in 2010, and you are slated for this week’s U.S. Open. What are the similarities between players in the U.S. and Europe, compared with Asian tour pros—and what separates them?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: Looking at world golf generally, there aren’t many differences between each tour. This shouldn’t surprise anyone because players from the Asia-Pacific region, such as Y.E. Yang and Michael Campbell, have already won majors. Other leading players are performing well on the European Tour. The standard of play today is very high everywhere.

Q: You didn’t play golf until you were 16 years of age, and soon thereafter you entered the Royal Thai Army. Where did you learn the game?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: The very first course, where I started my golfing life, was Jompol Por Golf Course located in the army camp in my home town. This is not unusual. Many army bases in Thailand include golf courses that are accessible to public play. My old house was right beside the course and my first contact with golf was serving as a caddie there at Jompol Por.

Q: Tell us about your golf foundation. What does it set out to accomplish?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: The Thongchai Jaidee Foundation officially launched in 2009. My initial thought was that I wanted to support children, hoping to create new generations of Thai golfers. Who knows? We might find another Tiger Woods among those boys or girls. My intention is to give them knowledge of the game, a tool to earn their living perhaps. I’m hoping at the very least to assist in turning them away from drugs.


Thailand as a Golf Destination

Q: Thailand is by far the most popular golf destination for Asians, but North Americans and Europeans may not know much about it. In your view, what recommends golf in Thailand?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: I recommend golf in Thailand for its year-round golfing, and for the numerous world-class golf courses. There are hundreds. Nevertheless, I believe the hospitality of Thai people is the one thing that will impress visitors most when they visit my country. Thailand offers so many relaxing activities—Thai massage, the world’s finest beaches and so many other tourist attractions—but it is Thai hospitality that makes the strongest impression.

Q: When you play golf in Thailand today, where do you prefer to play? What are your favorite Thai courses and why?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: When I am home, I still practice at Jompol Por GC, and Narai Hill Golf and Country Club in Lopburi. These two courses are close to my home and make for easy access. But when I have more time, I will practice at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin, which I can highly recommend for beginners, serious golfers, even professionals. It is one of my favorite courses because it boasts a very challenging layout and championship-standard course conditions. Also, the way the wind blows up there, it prepares me well for the conditions I can expect when playing in Europe.

Q: Lopburi, your hometown, is a rather new area for golf in Thailand. What makes it special and do you recommend golfers visit this area of Thailand?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: Well, it’s a bit early to consider Lopburi in the same breath as golf destinations like Hua Hin, Phuket, Rayong or Samui. These regions are home to some of the top resort courses in the world. But the courses here in Lopburi do offer a fine challenge to golfers who seek new venues. They are standard courses and well equipped with facilities.

Q: You surely play many pro-am tournaments alongside amateur players. Have many of them played golf in Thailand? What’s their impression of golf in your native country?

THONGCHAI JAIDEE: If I am playing a pro-am in Asia, most of them already know very well that Thailand is a wonderful golf destination. I would include some of those who play with me in European pro-ams, as well. Thailand has been promoted as the ultimate golf destination for golfers seeking championship-standard courses, offered at very reasonable prices. That describes Thai golf very well, in my opinion.

(Brought to you by YourGolfTravel.com.)

(Image courtesy of Mandarin Media)