Greetings Golfers,

Next week is April. We’re getting close. Tomorrow is supposed to get to 58.

I usually look at the Masters as the start of the golf season. This year the Masters is April 10-13. And at the moment, we’re planning to open the golf course on April 15. Not bad – a week later than normal.

Are you in a Masters pool? Pools can really make sporting events interesting – look at March Madness.

So I’m in the Tee Times magazine’s Tee Times Cup – a bunch of characters are put on the spot every month to pick guys for the big tournament – usually a major. For the Masters I chose Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia. Here’s a link to the other picks: http://teetimes.epubs.forumprinting.com/publication/?i=196907  (see page 3).

Tee Times has great content. R.J. Smiley’s columns are always unusual and interesting. Chris Foley always has helpful and insightful thoughts on the golf swing. That’s the end of my review – check it out for yourself.

Good luck with your NCAA picks – and get into a Masters pool. Because when they’re over … the golf courses will be open and you’ll be outside making up for this long winter.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

Have you seen that new show “True Detective”? I haven’t, but everyone’s talking about it. In fact, everyone seems to be talking about these serial television shows. “The Sopranos” was the first of the genre, and it’s exploded with shows such as “Mad Men”, “House of Cards”, “Game of Thrones”, etc. (“Justified” is my favorite).

But “True Detective” appears to be the monster hit – sort of like the Beatles 50 years ago on the Ed Sullivan Show. I would compare the impact of these new tv shows to the music of the “British Invasion” in the 60’s.

These television shows are great vehicles to really explore characters. Typical sit-coms were half-hour shows chopped up with commercials, and formula plots with laugh track humor. Not bad when they were new … but after many years of the same formulas in different settings … it was time for a new format.

What about a golf show? Golf could provide an opportunity for a gifted writer to delve into the mysteries of the universe. Golf movies like “Tin Cup” touched on the quirkiness of golfers and the psychological issues so central to the game. And books like “Golf in the Kingdom” wrestled with the metaphysical issues golf seems to inspire.

How about a detective show focused on figuring out the golf swing? That would take a “True Detective”.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Profesional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Greetings Golfers,

A year ago I wrote about how driving back from the PGA Show reminded me of traffic on a golf course. On a freeway, you can pass… a golf course has only one lane.

At the Show this year, Callaway had a huge tank on display. Harvey Silverman – a golf consultant – suggested that our Rangers use those tanks at Deer Run.

Pace of Play definitely needs to be talked about. Some people feel that paying a green fee entitles them to play at whatever pace they want to play.  No… they paid for a slot on the course … if they want to pay for 10 slots (10 tee-times), they can play at a very slow pace. Otherwise it isn’t fair to the people behind them.

Down in South Carolina, I like to play at goofy little Par-3 golf course with hound dogs hanging around the driveway. That’s not my only option. The Pros and owners down here have been very generous and let me play their courses non-gratis. I hope that I don’t over-use my privileges, but that’s not why I play the Par-3. I just get a kick out of it. It’s like restaurants – I like a whole variety, and up in Charleston there are some phenomenal restaurants. But I also love the Waffle House – seriously.

So, back to the issue of pace of play. The woman who owns the Par-3 was telling me about her problems with Pace of Play. She told one of her slow players that they should play a hole in 13 minutes. Well, later on that day, that same player was holding things up on the course – the player thought she meant 13 minutes a shot!

So you wonder why Pace of Play is an issue. Think about 13 minutes a shot. People like that probably need those tanks.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com         

Greetings Golfers,

Good morning from the PGA Golf Show in Orlando.

Not everyone in the golf industry shares my love of the annual PGA Show in Orlando. Why they don’t love seeing what’s new in golf equipment, clothing, etc is beyond me.

And, seeing other golf pros and other golf people is really the best part of the show. Are people here talking/arguing about what’s best for golf, and the future of golf? Of course. Does it get heated? Usually.

The two main sides are the purists and the changers. I believe there’s room for both sides. Recreational golf can have courses for purists … and have courses that are more Disney-esque. Why not?

Where it becomes an issue pertains to tournament golf. And I believe tournament golf should be pure. The PGA Tour would be much more interesting if they had to play the same ball.

Does that mean the recreational player would have to play the same ball as the Tour players? No. Would that ruin the game? Hardly.

The issue is that the big equipment manufacturers are worried that they wouldn’t sell equipment if the public player couldn’t play the same equipment as the Tour player.

OK… keep the jumbo drivers, etc… Just standardize the ball for Tournament golf.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com         

Greetings Golfers,

Have you ever heard of Count Yogi? He was a golfer – a trick shot artist, and a very good player. I bought his book in the 70’s and didn’t know what to think of it – I still don’t.

Just finished watching a video where the Count makes about a 5 foot putt using crazy putters, a stick, a spatula, a cane, etc … it goes on and on as he putts between his legs, while kneeling, etc. Check it out on YouTube. This isn’t a recent video – it was filmed in 1960.

The Count claimed to have 55 holes-in-one, to have averaged 67 for 203 rounds in 1940 playing either right handed or left handed, many course records with scores in the 50’s, and other incredible feats of golf prowess.

What I do know, is that his name was Harry Hilary Xavier Frankenberg. He was half-American Indian, and the PGA Tour bylaws in those years had a Caucasian-only clause … maybe that’s why he’s not a household name. Here’s his secret to golf: “I keep the swing simple and think of only being relaxed, graceful, and smooth.”

See why I don’t know what to think?

No matter how crazy all of this seems – and whether it’s true or not – I did watch him sink all of those putts … and I have seen video of his beautiful golf swing. Those of you familiar with my rants, know how much I dislike the modern, robotic approach to golf. The Count seems to be a real life version of the golf guru.

I want to believe in Count Yogi – I just hope he’s not golf’s version of Santa Claus.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

GOOD BYE METRODOME by Tom Abts

This February the Metrodome will be torn down. It opened in April of 1982 – so it had a run of over 30 years. That’s pretty amazing considering that it was a pretty brutal facility.

I know – it was home to a lot of great Minnesota sports memories … especially the 1987 World Series. I honestly never thought I would see a Minnesota team win a world championship. The pain of being a fan of the Twins, Vikings, and North Stars through ’60’s and ’70’s had hardened my heart.

And “The Dome” is the only facility to host the MLB All Star Game, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. That’s pretty incredible.

But, it came at quite a price. The Minnesota Gophers’ football team left the U of M campus to play downtown. I believe that not only did the dome hasten the demise of Gopher Football, but it also really negatively affected the campus atmosphere of the university. Everybody’s talking about the resurgence of the U of M … yeah … and they have football back on campus – maybe a correlation there?

Not only was Gopher football affected, but Vikings’ football really changed. The Vikings had the best tailgating in the NFL at Met Stadium in Bloomington. And people talk about the dome home field advantage… the Vikings never lost outside at “The Met.” Was it cold? Yeah – I sometimes wore a sleeping bag. But it was great – really great.

And the Twins. Summer nights at the old Met watching Major League Baseball … the days of Carew, Oliva, Killebrew, Mantle, Yaz, Kaline … don’t let me go on – I won’t stop. Sure, the Twins won two World Series at the “Homer Dome,” but when the Twins weren’t winning, the fans weren’t coming. The last three years the Twins have been horrific, but they still fill Target Field.

Architecture is important. Look at the incredible ancient cities of Europe adorned with magnificent buildings. Even cities in the States like Charleston and Savannah are beautiful because of the gorgeous architecture of long ago. Some of our cities in the American West are about as attractive as the Metrodome. I don’t say that to be cruel – it’s just a short-sighted philosophy in action. Good things are built to last. The Metrodome was built to be torn down.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com