TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - Could You Break 100 at the U.S. Open?

In light of a Tiger Woods comment that a 10-handicap could never break 100 at a U.S. Open venue, Golf Digest is running a contest for those amateurs out there who think they could do just that. Consequently, ome lucky hacker will win the opportunity to play Torrey Pines outside San Diego the day before the U.S. Open week commences.
The odds of your typical joe accomplishing the feat is mighty slim considering their every move will be scrutinized by a USGA official and recorded by an NBC camera and commentator. Most 10-handicaps wouldn’t break 100 at their home course under those conditions, much less one with shin-deep rough and concrete greens with evil pin placements and just enough sand in the bunkers to encourage at least two skulled shots.
I played in a PGA Tour pro-am once and was sufficiently nervous that I couldn’t feel my hands for three holes–and that was with three other guys and a lesser-named Tour pro all pulling for me.
BTW, Merry Christmas, folks. As with the rest of you, I hope my new pen pal in Iraq, William Lesiak–a.k.a BT–has a very safe and happy new year.

Ted

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - Mike Weir’s New Deal, and Tiger Wins Again–Yawn!

The Thomson Corporation has signed on as Mike Weir’s new major corporate partner. It’s a five-year agreement for the company, a leading provider of information solutions to business and professional customers worldwide that is poised to complete a takeover of communications giant Reuters in early 2008. The Thomson logo will appear on the front of Weir’s hat in all competitions, marking the end of a 15-year relationship with Bell. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement was seemingly met with little interest from media. During a live press conference in Toronto earlier today, not a single question was asked in person or by phone.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods won again–yawn–using a new model of the Nike Platinum One ball to outdistance his competitors by a record seven shots at the Target World Challenge.
Another addition to Woods’ bag was a 19˚ SasQuatch (SQ) 2 Fairway Wood.
Give him a broom and a tennis ball if you want to make it competitive. Outside of that, I’m not watching golf until March. Enough of the 2007 season already!!

GOLF THROUGH THE LENS, Chris Gallow – Which camera is the best.

The most-asked question I get is “What is the best camera to buy?”

I understand why people ask me this, but in truth that is a very hard one to answer. My response is usually, “What do you want to do with it and how involved with photography do you want to become?”

Before you go looking around at all the new shiny toys behind the glass, you first need to do some serious thinking about your intentions with your soon-to-be-purchased camera. Then you need to research the products available to you. Just don’t walk into your local Henry’s and base your purchase on what the staff has to say. Now I’m not saying they don’t know what they are talking about–I purchase most of my photo equipment through Henry’s or their pro store Headshots because their costumer service is excellent–but you wouldn’t purchase a new TV or home theatre system with only the word of the salesperson, would you? So do some research look on the web, read magazines, call the manufacturer’s costumer care desk and ask LOTS of questions. Now take your results and look at how they fit into your needs.

Given the speed at which camera technology is moving these days, I would imagine you saying, “But I don’t want to buy a camera that will be out of date in a few months!” Again, look at what you would like to do with it. Think about it this way: Cameras all take pictures and that is your final goal, right? So if the camera you choose takes a picture the quality you like, then it won’t go out of date. I can still make a great image with my film cameras from 10-15 years ago. And there are many other professionals making a living with equipment much older than that. The only real reason a camera will go out of date is if your needs change, if you become more serious about your photography and require the flexibility of a higher-end camera. So take that into consideration when making your choice. If you’re planning on taking courses or reading up about expanded photography techniques, you might want to look at a higher-end model in either a Point-and-Shoot or DSLR style.

My next post will address your needs as a “photographer” and the difference between P&S and DSLR cameras.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - An Accidental Letter to Iraq

In preparation for the upcoming 2008 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, I searched out a Florida musician named Jeff Howell. The gang at Ontario Golf makes an annual pilgrimage to Howell’s gig on the Saturday night of the PGA Show. On his website, I found a link and emailed the comedic one-man band to find out where he will be playing the evening in question. Somehow, somewhere in cyberspace, the communique was diverted to the laptop of U.S. Army Specialist William Lesiak, stationed in Iraq. Don’t ask me how it got there. Lesiak kindly responded that he was definitely not Jeff Howell, although he knew of him and was a big fan. Lesiak just wanted me to know that my inquiry had not reached its intended target.
What has come out of the unlikely meeting has been an ongoing correspondence and the appreciation that Lesiak (pictured below) is a pretty cool cat.
An occasional golfer, he’s been stuck with a set of ancient Golden Bears (hopefully there’s a manufacturer out there who can help him out). “They aren’t forgiving in the least,” Lesiak wrote me, “so if your swing is off due to poor form, you know it immediately.
“I love to golf!” he adds. “Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure in the last two years as I’ve been a little preoccupied! lol. Sand hazard isn’t even the word! lol.
“In Florida, I’ve played at Celebration a couple of times with some friends that had an in with some people, and I’ve been to Rock Springs, The Oaks and often at Wedgfield, a much lesser known spot due to its being rather secluded. We have a pretty nice course on post at Ft. Riley, KS. that I hit once before we deployed.”
No Canadians in site in Iraq, though, he notes. “There are soldiers from all over running around on our FOB (forward operating base), but I haven’t seen any Canucks yet.”
Married with three children (”my son Hayden is four, my daughter Kennady is 9 and we have a newborn, Olivia, born 27 Oct.”) Lesiak has been stationed in Iraq for two years. “Christmas will be rather glum for us all here, as it is my particular favorite time of year,” he notes. “Thanks again for writing me and keep on swingin!”
Your heart goes out to someone like that. How easy it is to forget the lives that some lead as we prepare for our Christmas parties and take for granted spending the season with our loved ones. Say a prayer for the forgotten soldiers. Lord knows most of us have little appreciation of the sacrifices they make.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - Cobble Beach and Other Awards

The awards keep coming for Cobble Beach Golf Links. Editors of Travel + Leisure Golf have named the Owen Sound course one of the top 10 new courses worldwide in 2007 in its November/December issue. Cobble is the only Canadian course on the list.
Incidentally, I love this Doug Carrick design, but I beg to differ with their description of “links-style”–the most over-used (and poorly used) adjective in the golf design vocabulary. Can’t we just say it’s a beautiful course on a great piece of land and be done with it?
The Travel + Leisure mention is particularly notable considering they listed only two non-American courses among their top 10–Jack Nicklaus’ Kinloch Club in New Zealand being the other. (You gotta wonder how much these folks actually get out and travel!)
In other awards announcements, there was little shock is the naming of Tiger Woods, Jay Haas, Nick Flanagan as the Players of the Year by their fellow competitors on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour. Mickelson was the only other PGA Tour player nominated. I can’t help but wonder whether this lone non-Tiger pick came from Woods or Mickelson.
The 31-year old Tiger earned the honour for the third consecutive season and ninth time in the last 11 years. He won seven events this past season, including the PGA Championship, his 13th major, and captured the inaugural FedExCup and its $27 billion or so in deferred payments. In addition, his season was highlighted by wins in two World Golf Championships events and four of his final five starts overall. He also collected the Arnold Palmer Award for the eighth time as the leading money winner, earning $10,867,052—the second highest total in Tour history. He also took home his eighth Byron Nelson Trophy for leading the Tour in scoring average–his 67.79 mark equaling the lowest average in Tour history.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - What a Meltdown for Ernie Els

You’ve got to hand it to Ernie Els. The guy has arguably the worst final hole of his career and doesn’t miss a blog entry.
Els entered the final hole of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club in his native South Africa on Sunday with a two-stroke lead over Briton John Bickerton. With 190 yards to go, Els caught his approach slightly heavy and left the ball in the water fronting the green. What was really shocking was what happened next, with Els knocking a short lob wedge over the island green and into the water again. He chipped to six feet, but missed the putt for a triple-bogey and one-stroke loss.
“To be honest with you, yesterday is about the most disappointed I’ve ever felt walking off a golf course,” Els writes in his blog. “I was gutted. But hey, let’s keep things in proportion. This is sport. It’s not like anyone died out there.”
Well, except for the tournament organizers, maybe, who lost the marquee promotional player they were praying to win.
“I had a two-shot lead playing the last and bombed a great drive down the middle of the fairway. I’m sure some people today might say I should have laid up short of the water, but hey, I had only about 190 to the front edge and for me that’s just a comfortable 6-iron. I really didn’t feel like it was a lay-up situation. Like I said, people will disagree, but it’s easy to be smart and make judgments after the event. I went with what I felt was the right shot at the time. I just didn’t get all of that 6-iron. Then on the pitch shot I got a bit quick with the hands and pulled it a fraction, so it went a few yards longer through the air than it should have…into the water again. Anyway, you know the rest. It was horrible, but it’s history. It shouldn’t happen, but it does.”
The beneficiary of the event, Bickerton, was not paying much attention to what seemed a formality.
“I’m shocked. I don’t know what to say,” said Bickerton, a two-time European Tour winner who entered the event ranked 254th in the world. “I had no idea what was going on. I was busy signing a ball for a young boy when all of a sudden I got told I might be in a playoff, and then a few minutes later everybody’s saying congratulations. I couldn’t believe it.”
In other South African News, Hamilton, Ontario’s Alena Sharp (57th on this year’s LPGA Tour’s money list) is teaming up with Lorie Kane (74th) at the upcoming Women’s World Cup of Golf on Jan. 19-21 in Sun City.
Hopefully it sparks Sharp to greater heights. As it now stands, there are no other Canadian women on the radar with any potential to crack the top 25 in women’s golf.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - Getting to Pearson International

I think I’ve found my new best friend in the airport transportation department–Gem Taxi. Came across them in the Yellow Pages prior to my most recent excursion to the luxurious Fairmont Mayakoba south of Cancun Mexico a couple weeks ago. I’m used to shelling out at least $55 from West Oakville to get to the airport via taxi or the numerous shuttle companies, but Gem picks you up in a plush Lincoln Town car. The driver stood beside the car until we were ready with our luggage, then did most of the work carrying our suitcases and golf clubs to the car. He took down our flight info and was ready to pick us up upon arrival, even though we were a half-hour early, having monitored the flight. The fee was $45 (it was an extra $10 coming back since they have to buy a $10 chit due to the airport’s transportation policy, but still a huge bargain for the quality of service). Very professional!

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - Callaway, CPGA Are Gonna Teach You a Lesson!

Callaway Canada and the Canadian PGA are linking up for an intriguing initiative. The two have teamed to offer a free 30-minute golf lesson with the purchase of any driver or set of irons from Callaway’s 2008 product line. The purchase must be made between April 1 and July 31, 2008, with the lesson from a certified CPGA pro being redeemed before the end of the calendar year.
Consumers receive a certificate at the time of purchase, log on to a specific website, register, then search by location for a pro and facility to book their lesson.
Obviously the sooner you buy your new clubs, the sooner you can secure your lesson after the July 31 cutoff, although players also have the option of redeeming their lesson at the facility where they purchased their clubs, if that opportunity exists there.
It should be a win-win-win situation for all parties involved. Callaway, which will foot the bill for the lesson costs, has a nice value-added for its customers when peddling its 2008 gear, players–most of which could seriously use it–get a free lesson, and the CPGA gets its hooks in prospective students. Along the lines of the free first visit offered at many fitness centres, the CPGA hopes to introduce its services to players who might otherwise have never booked a lesson, and perhaps lock them in for further visits.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - A Taste of Tiger Woods

You won’t see it here in Canada for at least eight months–perhaps more than a year–but Gatorade is poised to launch its new Tiger Woods signature beverage in March, 2008.
“Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I’m training or competing, so this is an ideal match, says Woods. “Gatorade is a winning brand with a proven formula and the science to back it up. That’s why I wanted to partner with them. I’m eager to launch my first signature product in a few months and look forward to developing additional sports performance beverages with Gatorade in the coming years. The first product, Gatorade Tiger, is a Gatorade Thirst Quencher sub-line that will be launched in March 2008. This charters new territory for Gatorade, as it marks the first-ever licensing deal for the $5 billion brand (US) and Tiger Woods’ first-ever endorsed sports beverage.
You can even check out a very rough account of Tiger’s testing of the new drink and the company’s testing of Tiger’s sweat (I’m not kidding) at this site. mnr.onthescene.com/Gatorade/TigerWoods_Video2.html