A Memorable Memorial

Oops, he did it again, didn’t he? He captured all your hearts back with one shot, didn’t he? He made you wait a whole three years for a magical, suspenseful, hold-your-breath moment. Most devoted fans have probably been blue in the face waiting for that to happen. Well, y’all can exhale now because he finally gave you what you have wanted since Elin took a nine iron to his face.

Allegedly. Probably. Most likely.

Yep, Tiger Woods won again on Sunday and for a few holes it looked like he was going to slowly fade away like a rookie on the Nationwide Tour, trying to win for his first time. But he didn’t. He actually did the complete opposite of that. The old Tiger came out of the proverbial bag, and Woods showed us some of his old tricks. Apparently, Tiger likes to wait till, say, the 16th hole of tournaments to close the door on the tournament. For those who forget easily, I will remind you of what Vern Lundquist said way back in 2005 at The Masters: “In your life have you seen anything like that?”

Well, Vern, we saw it again on Sunday at The Memorial. In Jack’s house, of course. Tiger picked a perfect time to clutch up, and in my humble opinion, hit a shot that was tougher than what he had at The 2005 Masters. Hitting his tee shot over the green on the 215 yard par three, Woods was faced with an extremely difficult up and down for par. With the green running away from him and towards water, Woods had to land his ball on a dime. Woods has been known to chip in at The Memorial before, but this was no picnic. Or, I guess you could say it was. With lots of ants ruining his lunch, and clouds moving in, ready to pour down rain. But this time, it was perfect weather for the perfect storm.

Woods hit the perfect shot, quietly rolled down the hill and into the cup. BAM! Pandemonium struck and the town of Dublin had experienced a 2.9 tremble on the Richter scale. Tiger didn’t look back, parred the 17th and threw his nine iron to, well, nine feet for birdie on 18 to wrap up his second victory of the season. The intriguing thing about this victory, is that it comes two weeks before the next major. Well, Tiger won at Bay Hill, which was also two weeks before a major. He then went on to produce a club-throwing, scattered ball striking, tie for 40th.

Oh, Tiger, your timing couldn’t be more perfect. The U.S. Open is in two weeks! Will history repeat itself? Tiger always talks about, ‘peaking for the majors.’ Well, he better not peak too early. Olympic Club won’t take anything but near perfect driving accuracy and precision iron play. Last I checked, Tiger’s not the straightest driver of the golf ball. When asked if he’ll put a 2 iron in the bag, Woods replied, “absolutely.” Well, it better be absolutely straight. And long.

Olympic Club will play about 7,170 yards but will feel much longer than that. Golf’s toughest test will again make the pros feel like weekend hacks, scrounging around the course trying to find a par. Get ready for cliché statements from players who are just “trying to shoot around par.” Players who find themselves “around par,” will also find themselves near the lead on Sunday. That’s just how it goes during the U.S. Open.

For those youngsters and adults who are trying to find par themselves, “summer” is in full swing here in San Diego. Now I put summer in quotes because, let’s be honest, it’s always summer here. I laugh at myself every time I find myself checking the 10-day forecast. My point is simple: get out and golf! If you’re a newbie to the game, the JC Intro2Golf program is perfect for  you. Summer golf camps start next week at Oaks North. As an instructor, I love this time of year. All the kiddos come out in their stylish little outfits and display their innocent but boisterous personalities. It’s a lot of fun to see the future of golf and be able to be a part of molding these kids into future golf stars!

I hope to see you all out on the course this summer!

Hit ’em straight!

Eddie

Golfer’s Gone Wild Recap; Women’s Golf Month

Well, the party has come and gone. As for the golfers? Clearly, they’ve gone wild. The third annual Golfers Gone Wild tournament was another huge success. With two shotguns going at 8am and 2pm, golfers had plenty of time to find their birdies, avoid the bogeys, and drink their suds. Or tequila. Don’t worry, they also bestowed the golfers with Bloody Marys for those needing an early morning “wake up” call.

They didn’t forget about you, beer lovers. The kegs were fully tapped on the short par 4, 15th. Players chose their suds, then chose their fate by trying to clear the water. Many tried, and many failed. Sure, there were groups who laid up, but where’s the fun in that?! Yes, the tees were up, but players still had to hit a great shot. If you haven’t been to Twin Oaks lately, you need to make your tee time now! The course is in great shape and they have moved the pro shop across the parking lot. The pro shop abuts the new grill, 2 Oaks Pub.

After making the turn, players were greeted on the par 3 10th with pink margaritas and a game called “Beat the Clock.” The fastest foursome to get their ball into the hole, won golf prizes and golf discounts. Some teams would tee off one at a time and race to the hole. Others would send four balls into the air at the same time. In my opinion, that’s the best strategy. But, wait! What about those pink margaritas?! The girls mixed them early and often and plenty of the players indulged.

Behind the pro shop, the beer garden was in full swing with The Damn Dirty Apes providing the sounds and Hooters providing the wings and suds. If you haven’t heard The Damn Dirty Apes before, drummer Chad LaShelle welcomes you to a taste. The perfect cover band for the perfect cover up of a bad round of golf. Famous Grouse doused you with their finest scotch and there was plenty of it. 

Cruising around the course, players found the Bloody Mary table on the par-3 7th, over the pond. Tees were put at 125 yards and Sean, from Reidy Creek, was shaking up some tasty drinks. If players wanted, they would have Sean hit a shot on the green for the team. It’s just a wedge for Sean, so odds were pretty good. If you missed it this year, make sure to get your foursome ready for next years scramble. You have a year to prepare. I have faith in you.

The month of May was a great month for local golf and was a month where Jason Dufner’s name came up in almost every conversation about golf. He won twice in the span of four weeks and almost completed the hat trick if it weren’t for Zach Johnson. And Johnson almost gave Dufner the Crown Plaza Invitational by forgetting to move his coin back to its original position on the 72nd  hole.  Johnson was in breach of Rule 20-7c (Playing From Wrong Place; Stroke Play). The penalty in stroke play is two strokes. Johnson was up by three strokes when he violated the rule. He made his putt for par but then had to change it to a six, holding on to a one stroke victory. Moreover, how did his caddy forget to remind him to move his coin back?! Imagine if Johnson had lost the tournament due to that violation. Johnson may have had to call in Donald Trump for the famous words, “You’re fired!”

June had always been a great month for golf. The U.S. Open always humbles the best players in the world and showcases 3-4″ rough. Driving accuracy and ball striking are always paramount in the U.S. Open and this year won’t be any different. June is also women’s month in golf. The entire month of June, JC Golf will be offering special programs to women of all ages hoping to attract more women to the game of golf. If golf needs anything, it needs more women players. Only 6% of adult women play golf. Trust me, the men miss them on the course. Especially the single men. If you’re a beginner or a veteran, come on out to the course and let our pros handle the rest. Make sure you follow JC Golf on twitter for all your upcoming specials.

We say goodbye to May gray and welcome June gloom. That also means the kiddos are out of school and summer golf camps are right around the corner. Click here for all the information on junior camps and junior golf specials.

“A kid grows up a lot faster on the golf course. Golf teaches you how to behave.”-Jack Nicklaus

Hit ’em straight!

Eddie