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The Pro Tours

This section focuses on the pro tours (PGA, Senior, and LPGA). Articles typically focus on how the professional world of golf affects the recreational golfer.

The Real Story at the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

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AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Logo
Why is this year’s Pro-Am unique?

Normally, we here at GolfStinks don’t write about where the tour is playing in a particular week, but the celebrity pro-am is a bit different. After all, if Bill Murray is cracking jokes on his way down the fairway, it’s probably one of the more fun events in golf.

But this year’s tournament is a bit unique: It marks the 30th year that AT&T is sponsoring the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and as such, AT&T is doing something that is pretty cool – they’re giving four golf fans a “fans-eye-view” of the event.

So what does this mean? The four fans, who are neither golf professionals nor celebrities (yet), will get a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament, while utilizing the AT&T Network and HTC devices to document their journey via social media.

And there will be plenty for them to document – they get to walk the famed Pebble Beach with a course historian; get swing advice from a top 100 golf school; and perhaps most importantly, find out what it takes to raise more than $120 million in charity (not-to-mention watch the tournament from AT&T’s sky box).

But perhaps most intriguing of all is who these fans are: A military vet who took-up golf to help him rehabilitate from a devastating war injury; An African-American woman who began playing golf to bolster her career and ended-up founding an organization to help other minority women learn the game; An average guy who quit his day job to try and play on the tour, even though he had never picked up a club before that; and a shy teenager who has used golf to both build confidence in herself and inspire other girls.

The tournament is next week and while the match will assuredly be compelling to watch, perhaps the real storyline is how the event is covered from these four fans’ perspectives. As such, we’ll be following them – with a post both next week during the action and the following week, post-tourney.

Meet the four fans and follow their journey, via the hashtag, #ATTProAm and their Twitter handles:

@TimLangGolf
@BlackGirlsGolf
@TheDanPlan
@KTHorsford

Tim Lang AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Tim Lang
Tiffany Fitzgerald AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Tiffany Fitzgerald
Dan McLaughlin - AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Dan McLaughlin
Katie Horsford - AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Katie Horsford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post is in partnership with AT&T. All opinions are GolfStinks’.

Has Tiger Fallen To “What Could’ve Been” Status?

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Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods (photo by Keith Allison via Flickr)

How many great sports careers have been cut short by injuries?  How many players can you look at and say “If only he could stay healthy?”  Some players may have already established a hall of fame career when the injuries began to pile up – players such as Ken Griffey Jr., Sandy Koufax or Gale Sayers.  Others land on the list of “What could’ve been.”  That list includes players such as Ralph Sampson, Tony Conigliario or Maurice Stokes (look him up if you don’t know who he is).  So the question is, is this how Tiger Woods will be remembered?

Tiger was dominant without question through most of his career.  You can present the argument that he may have been the greatest of all time.  But over the past few years, the injury bug has struck him in several different ways.  From his back to his knee to his Achilles, Tiger could be well on his way to a “What could’ve been” status.

It seems strange that, just a few short years ago, we all expected Tiger to own just about every significant record in golf there is to own.  Now, many of us would not be surprised if he never wins another major.  Actually, there are probably a few of us who don’t see him winning any tournament for that matter.  While that may be a stretch, the history of some other great athletes suffering significant injuries does not bode well for Tiger.

Take Griffey for example.  During his time in Seattle he, along with Barry Bonds, could be considered the top two players in baseball.  But after injuries to his knee, hamstring and wrist, he was a mere shell of himelf for the second half of his career, several seasons failing to play in even half of his teams games.

Basketball fans also remember Penny Hardaway.  For the first six or seven years of his career, Penny was compared to the great Magic Johnson.  However, five knee surgeries later, his all-star and possible hall of fame career became that of a part-time starter and decent bench player.

So has Tiger already begun walking down the same path?  With back problems over the past two seasons and four or five knee surgeries throughout his career, one could imagine that Tiger’s best days are well behind him.  The only thing left to see would be if Tiger can buck the trend and avoid becoming the next Grant Hill.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

5 Reasons I Hate Watching Golf on TV

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Just the thought of watching golf on TV...
Just the thought of watching golf on TV…

Part of my problem with the sport of golf is simply that I find watching it on TV pretty boring.  I love to get out and play, but have no real interest in watching.  Some ask me why and my typical response is that it’s, well…boring.  But I guess, when I think about it, that’s not really a good enough answer.  So in fairness, I should probably get more into exactly what I don’t like or, to me, what makes it boring.

#1.  It’s Too Slow – There’s isn’t much more to say – the game simply moves too slowly.  The worst thing is to see a pro taking four or five practice swings, walking away from the ball, wandering around for a bit, walking back to the ball and taking a few more practice swings before finally addressing the ball and taking their shot.  And we wonder why there is slow play on the course.  Maybe the idea I had a few years ago of a “shot clock” isn’t so bad?

#2. I Can’t Follow a Certain Player – This makes it hard to root for one player.  The network has to move between cameras around the course to get a look at everyone since, of course, there are 36 players out there at once.  So you never quite know when you’re going to have the opportunity to see your favorite PGA pro.

#3. They Are All Too Good – I know that sounds stupid.  However, what I’m trying to say is, there are rarely “bad shots.”  Everyone is just consistently good.  And there is nothing to prevent a great shot.  No “defense” if you will.  Watching a pro football game, the best players get dropped for a loss, picked off or miss tackles.  The best baseball players make errors or strike out.  That stuff needs to be seen.  It’s hard to watch a players’ approach shots consistently land on the green.  It’s like watching pro bowling – strike, strike, strike, spare, strike, strike…

#4. No Crowd Noise –  Spending a Sunday watching football, or being at an actual game, you realize how much the excitement of the crowd increases the intensity of the game, and even has an effect on it.  So having a crowd completely silent for most of the round really takes something away from the “excitement” of the game.

#5. All The Players Blend Together – This is really due to a combination of numbers two and three but, for the casual golf fan, it’s hard to care about, or even tell the difference between, any of the players on the tour.  Outside of a guy like John Daly, there aren’t a lot of great “personalities” on the tour.  Now when I say that, I don’t mean a great personality for a golfer…I mean a great personality in general.

Now, maybe if I was to watch a whole round and try to block out the examples above, I might change my mind.  But the problem is, all of the examples above are exactly why I don’t watch a full round.  Maybe if the tour was to bring in some form of remedy for problem #1 above, that would be a good start for me.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Baba Booey & Having Fun On The Course

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Somehow Baba Booey has become part of golf... (photo by Genevieve / CC BY 2.0)
Somehow Baba Booey has become part of golf… (photo by Genevieve / CC BY 2.0)

It never fails, the gallery quiets down as (insert favorite tour pro here) sets up for his or her shot when from the crowd someones yells “Baba Booey!” Now, I’m not really sure when Gary Dell’Abate (aka Baba Booey) from the Howard Stern show became such a hot phrase to yell. And since we’re on the topic of yelling crap out at a golf tourney, we can put “mashed potatoes” in that category too.

Back to Mr. Booey, apparently it has ruffled some golf pro feathers. I personally think it’s hysterical, but I also could see why some of the older players on the tour get a little worked-up about it.  But when younger players are complaining, come on. Please remove the stick that has found its way up your bum and relax. The more you fight it the more it will present itself. However, I do agree with respecting the players and not yelling during a swing, but before or after…fair game in my book.

Last time I checked we live in a free country. Let’s enjoy the fact we have this luxury and have fun. Another great example is Rory McIlroy’s recent left handed shot. His drive off the tee box put him in some trouble and he had two choices 1) take your next shot from the water or 2) stay dry by inverting your club and swing lefty. By all means his left handed shot was terrible but he showed there is a  lighter side to some of the tight-assedness (yes, I just made that up) surrounding golf.

Good for you Rory and you too Baba Booey. Keep golf interesting, unpredictable and fun. You never know you might even attract some new fans. It’s no secret the slump golf is in since the post-Tiger era has started. Go ahead, be creative and yell some wild, zany s*** or take a chance and hit a nearly impossible shot. Just remember to respect the players and the game, it’s cool to be “the guy” just not “that guy”

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Golf Could Use A Derek Jeter

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Will golf ever have an ambassador like Derek Jeter?
Will golf ever have an ambassador like Derek Jeter? (photo by chris.ptacek / CC BY-SA 3.0)

As we bid farewell to the Yankee’s captain and think back about all his memorable moments, you can’t help but give this guy the respect he deserves. I don’t care if you are a die hard Boston Red Sox fan, there’s a spot for him in our hearts somewhere. Besides his storied career on the field, this future hall of famer has quite an impressive résumé off the field too!

Whether it’s his Turn 2 Foundation, his annual golf tournament or the countless hours and donations to charities, the dude is a class act through and through. With all the bad press baseball was getting for a while, Mr. Jeter was an ambassador of what’s good about the game or any sport for that matter. Now, when we look at golf (a sport traditionally considered a “gentleman’s” game), I can’t quite recall anybody in recent years that embodies the golden boy characteristics Jeter does. Tiger was sort of on his way but, well…we all know what happened there. Certainly no one from the U.S. comes to mind anyway – heck even betting sites aren’t giving the USA team a chance this weekend at the Ryder Cup.

But other than Americans, some might argue Rory McIlroy is in line to fill that role (which could very well happen hopefully). Time will certainly tell. Even so, and no offense to Mr. McIlroy, there’s that certain quality Jeter has that McIlroy hasn’t quite developed yet. Many call it the “It” factor, I think in the ol’ Capitan’s case it’s just being genuine. As simple as that sounds, being yourself isn’t always that easy. I mean, look what happens when John Daly is himself…ba dum…I’m only joking with you J.D.

Granted, a player like Jeter only comes around once or twice in a lifetime but for golf’s sake they sure could use one in this lifetime. As we speak, golf (along with our economy) is in a slump. If ever there was a time that golf needs a squeaky clean face, it’s now. You know what…f*** it, I volunteer to be that person! Oh wait…you have to be good at golf. Oh well, a hack can dream, right?

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!  Thanks for the memories Jeter!

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