By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor
For those of you unfortunate enough to live in the North, you must be salivating at the thought of the spring golf season.
Hold on, Tiger. You ain't the man you used to be. You can't just jump up and go straight to the golf course after a long winter of sloth and mold.
Now, you will find any number of charlatans willing to sell you their total golf fitness regimens. These sleazoids always assume you're a golfer interested in a cleaner, healthier way of living and golfing. I've seen you out on the course, and I know that's not the sort of thing you're "into."
So here is my total golf fitness regimen for the "real" golfer:
• For God's sake, you have to strengthen your core! This involves eating really hard food, like jawbreakers. Eat a bag of those and have your neighbor punch you in the gut to see if your core is all it can be.
Options: Month-old fudge, Purina Dog Chow, pine bark.
• You also have to really work your obliques, I mean really work the hell out of them. Here's the perfect exercise for that. Lie flat on your back with knees bent slightly wider than your hips. If you have really fat hips, you're either going to have to really stretch your knees like in a cartoon, like The Elastic Man from India, or just skip this exercise. In fact, if you have really fat hips, just skip playing golf, nobody wants to see you out on the course.
Now, you slim-hipped people reach your hands to the ceiling like you're crying out for the Lord Jesus Christ to spare you from your miserable existence. You can hold light hand-weights, or not. What do I care? Lift your head and chest toward the ceiling and rotate to reach both hands just outside of your fat, right knee. Repeat on the left side. Now, take a breather. Ask Christ for forgiveness.
• Breathing exercises: Breathing properly and deeply is critical, especially for those tense moments on the course when normally you would start crying.
This deep-breathing exercise involves attending your local adult movie house, or calling up one of those sites on your Internet browser. Follow your instincts. It's either that or follow mine, and then you're looking at jail time.
• Horizontal abduction/adduction: I can't give you much help here, because I always get "horizontal" confused with "vertical," and I have no idea what adduction is. Who came up with that word, anyway? It's a stupid word and should be eliminated from the English language, if it's even English.
• Standing hip rotation: Don't do this. It makes you look like a girl.
• Alcohol fitness: How many times have you lost $2 Nassaus because while you were getting hamboned, your playing partners were just holding up that bottle of Jack Black pretending to drink?
Well, no need to waste good liquor. You can still drink and maintain your competitive edge. You just need to build up a tolerance. Stand upright in a dark closet, with a wide stance, and suck it down. Keep drinking until your wife leaves you.
• Aerobics: Ha! Don't make me laugh. This is golf!
• Putting: Don't bother to practice putting. Putting in golf is overrated. I play golf maybe 200 times a year and I've yet to meet anyone who can putt. You either make it or you don't. If you miss, just keep putting until the ball goes in the hole. Simple.
• Seniors: As we age, our bodies react differently, so seniors must prepare for golf differently than young punks. An important thing to remember is that there is an inverse relationship of increased ear hair to laughably short drives off the tee.
So keep those ear hairs trim and neat. If you're proud of your thick mane of ear hair, don't sweat it. If you're short off the tee, you're probably small in other areas, and I think you know what I'm talking about.
• Excuses: A healthy psychological outlook is a must for Better Golf. If you can convince yourself that the snap hook you hit into the weeds over there is not your doing at all, you'll retain the confidence needed to excel in the game.
The first time you smack one of your all-too-typical lousy shots, turn to your playing partner and snarl," "Will you stop that!" Look at him, looking all hurt and everything. Who would have thought golf fitness could be so much fun?
• Torque development in the downswing: This is so important, I can barely contain myself. This is vital to any golfer who has ever wanted to improve his score. You could even say it is absolutely critical in terms of reaching your full potential as a golfer and knowing what it is to be truly human.
• Alignment and posture: Face the target squarely and stand erect, with your rump jutting out slightly. Feels a little silly, doesn't it? Can you think of another situation in life where you would position yourself in such an odd manner? I can't.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Big South Announces Men's Golfer of the Week
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Coastal Carolina freshman David Dannelly (Easley, S.C.) has been selected as the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Men’s Golfer of the Week, it was announced today by the League office.
Dannelly carded a 3-under 141 (73-68) at the Administaff ASU Invitational (par 72, 7,403 yards) and tied for eighth out of 89 participants from a field that featured 14 teams ranked in the top 50. His 68 in the final round was a season-best and helped the Chanticleers move up two spots in the final standings. Dannelly also recorded his team-leading second Top 10 finish of the year and it was just the fourth Top 10 finish by a Coastal golfer this season.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Kirchmayr Ties for Third at Bryan Park Collegiate
Steffi Kirchmayr finished tied for third with a 221 as the
Of the 18 teams in the tournament, 12 are in the top 40 in the nation and of those four are in the top 10.
Following Kirchmayr and her third-place tie for the Cougars was Fiona Puyo, who tied for 64th with a 242. Emily Rapp and Joanna Klatten tied for 68th with a 243 each. Rounding out the Cougar effort was Kati Scholten who tied for 84th with a 253.
Team Results
1 #5
2 #1 Duke 294-304-310=908
3 #11 Auburn 301-303-305=909
4 #9
5 #42 Furman 301-304-310=915
T6 #20
T6 #15
T6 #23
9 #37
T11 #18
T11 #33
13
14 #27 TCU 310-325-312=947
15 N. Car.- Greensboro 314-328-322=964
16 UNC
17 #31
18
Cougar Results
T3 Steffi Kirchmayr 69-74-78=221
T64 Fiona Puyo 77-81-84=242
T68 Emily Rapp 78-79-86=243
T68 Joanna Klatten 85-76-82=243
T84 Kati Scholten 87-90-76=253
Saturday, March 22, 2008
USC Aiken Men Ranked #3
Adjusted Avg. Rank
Division Scoring Drop Versus# of
Team *Record Average Score Top 25 Sced Wins@
1 West Florida, U. of 192- 1 72.75 78.20 11- 1 187 2
2 Sonoma State U. 191- 2 71.89 76.62 5- 1 247 2
3 South Carolina-Aiken 190- 3 74.38 80.96 9- 2 172 0
4 St. Edward's U. 190- 3 74.07 79.32 15- 0 307 3
5 Florida Southern Col 189- 4 73.39 78.05 10- 1 166 2
6 Nova Southeastern U. 187- 6 73.53 77.89 14- 4 195 1
7 Valdosta St. U. 187- 6 73.34 78.47 11- 6 190 1
8 Western Washington U 186- 7 73.12 79.03 9- 3 214 0
9 CSU-Stanislaus 186- 7 72.88 77.96 5- 3 243 1
10 Georgia Coll & St. U 183- 10 73.81 78.34 8- 6 186 1
Monday, March 17, 2008
Hootie event continues to grow
By BOB GILLESPIE - bgillespie@thestate.com
Dean Felber, bassist for Hootie & the Blowfish, still remembers the phone call that got the band into the college golf business.
“Puggy (Blackmon, South Carolina’s then-coach and now director of golf) was talking about us doing an event,” Felber, a golf addict along with band members Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan and Jim Sonefeld, said this week. “We were knocked out that we could do that.”
The result, The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, returns March 23-25 for its fourth year at the Mike Strantz-designed Bulls Bay course in Awendaw, near Mount Pleasant. The 15-team field has seven of the nation’s top 25, including defending champion Wake Forest (No. 19), No. 10 Florida, No. 11 Duke and No. 13 Auburn.
No. 21 USC, No. 15 Clemson and the College of Charleston are local favorites.
“The Hootie” kicks off with a player-am tournament Saturday and a dinner concert by the band that night. The event has raised $150,000 for the Hootie Foundation, which supports S.C. junior golf.
“It keeps growing bigger,” Felber said. “It’s as much fun or more to watch as a pro event, especially when you’ve got a team (USC) to root for.”
Admission is free. Call (843) 881-2223.
Rawls Creek opens. Last weekend’s debut was delayed 24 hours by bad weather, but the Club at Rawls Creek (ne Coldstream, 2121 Lake Murray Blvd.) is open for member and public play.
“We had so many people join at the last minute (161 members, topping a goal of 150), we had to borrow extra carts,” manager Chuck Baer said of Saturday’s opener. “We had to cancel an outing on Friday, but still had 100-plus for a members party that night.”
The course, which has 10 holes available (the final eight are scheduled to be ready in September), has been highly anticipated. Despite wet conditions and some wind damage, Baer said 150 rounds were played as of mid-week.
Response to the $750,000 restoration project has been good, Baer said. “Everyone recognizes you don’t go from being idle for two years to playing like Augusta National,” he said. “I wish we were further along, but we can’t do anything until the weather breaks.
“One comment inspired me,” Baer said. “A member on the first tee said, ‘I don’t care what condition it’s in; I’m just glad to be out here with my friends again.’”
Mike Butler is Rawls Creek’s professional. Call (803) 781-0114.
Chip shots. Columbia brothers David and Robert Dargan shot 65-68 to finish second in the S.C. Golf Association’s Partners Championship at Spring Valley CC, a shot behind Taylors’ Ken Carter and Stephen Kirven. Blythewood’s Eddie Hargett and Surfside Beach’s Sammy Truett tied Columbia’s Jarrett Grimes and Chris Mitchell for third. ... Four former Ryder Cup players — Jim Furyk, Scott Verplank, Chris DiMarco and Vaughn Taylor — and former Clemson players Jonathan Byrd, Charles Warren, Lucas Glover and D.J. Trahan have committed to the Verizon Heritage, April 17-20 at Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Links. ... Ten S.C. courses, led by Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course (No. 20, modern/1960-present), were named to Golfweek’s Best in America, which selects 100 classic (pre-1960) and 100 modern layouts a www.golfweek.com ... Greenwood’s Jimmy Self shot 78, then won the boys title in a three-way playoff in the S.C. Junior Golf Association Pee Wee Championship. Jessica Hoang of North Augusta (78) won the girls division.
Upcoming. Columbia Long Drive Contest and Super Expo/Demo Day, April 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Par Tee Driving Range, West Columbia. Call (803) 732-9311. ... Hurricane Junior Tour’s Oak Hills Open, April 19-20. Call (813) 355-4554 or go to www.hjgt.org.
Reach senior writer Bob Gillespie at (803) 771-8304.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Clyde Johnston to Renovate Fort Mill Golf Course
Clyde Johnston has done renovation work on vintage Donald Ross- and George Cobb-designed golf courses before. But at Fort Mill Golf Course the golf course architect will get the chance to enhance the handiwork of both designers at a single facility.
Located in the upstate
The work involves renovating the tee and green complexes. All the bunkers on the course will be rebuilt, with several on the front nine being repositioned or eliminated to match the drawings from Ross's original design.
The greens at
Fort Mill GC is owned and managed by Leroy Springs & Company, Inc., which has three other courses in the area, including Springfield Golf Club, a course Johnston designed in 2001.
CofC Men’s Golf 10th at Seminole Intercollegiate
Harrison Moore shot a 68 in the third round to finish tied for ninth and lead the
Following
Team Results
1
2 Auburn 286-287-289=862
3
4
T5
T5 Vanderbilt 300-292-281=873
T5 UAB 291-296-286=873
8
9
10
11
Cougar Results
T9 Harrison Moore 74-74-68=216
T34 Soonam Kim 74-78-71=223
T49 Scott Larkin 73-79-76=228
58 Tim Tang 77-75-80=232
62 Dennis McCollum 78-83-75=236
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