TERRE HAUTE — I played in the Terre Haute Golf Association Women’s City Match Play Tournament a couple of weeks ago. It had been a couple of years since I had played in it, and I had missed three or four before that due to conflicts of schedule, so I didn’t feel like I was quite in “tournament shape,” especially mentally. You have to really want to play four days in a row, especially with those dew-sweeping early morning tee times! The lure of playing with some tough competition won out over my intense dislike for playing while still asleep, so I signed up. Besides, if Eileen Mann could get out of the house that early with a 2-year-old boy at home, it was a piece of cake for me.
The venue for the tournament was at Hulman Links, which often scares many of the women away. This year however, many of the tees on the par 4s and 5s were moved forward, making the course less daunting for some, and very playable for others. The move seemed to work. There were 37 ladies playing in the tournament this year, up from 33 last year when the event was held at Rea Park.
If you’re familiar with Hulman Links, you can visualize some of these tee placements on the par 4s and 5s: The green tees were on the forward part of the tee box for holes 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 15, and 18. Black tees were placed in the first cut of the fairway for holes #5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, and 17. This made the course much shorter, which made it less tiring and easier for most. The forward tee that affected my play the most was on number 7, because the lake came into play for me, so I decided I should visit it in my match against Rachael Pruett. I almost saved par though, and should have, with a very makeable 5-foot putt.
I was probably helped the most by the forward tees on the long par 4s. Both Cara Stuckey and Rachael hit a long enough ball that they would have had no trouble reaching them with the tees in their regular position, while I might have been hitting a wood or long-iron into those greens. With the forward tees, I was usually left with a mid or short iron (if I hit a decent tee shot). Granted, they were hitting wedges into those greens, but I was at least in the ball park.
The days of match play were fun, and I think they can be very good for your game. My first day of match play I played Stephanie Meyer, and I felt nervous that day. I missed a lot of shots that I would normally have no trouble with, just due to nerves. I finally prevailed 2 & 1 (which means I was two up with one hole to go) after hitting a great shot into the 17th green. My son Phillip was my caddie, and by that point he knew what club I needed to hit, so he just handed me a club and said, “Don’t look at it, just hit it.” That took all of the doubt, and overthinking out of my mind, and all I had to do was hit the shot. It worked great!
The next day I played against Pruett, who is a long hitter and a very good player. She was very enjoyable to play with, even though I lost. I didn’t play badly though, so I couldn’t feel too bad. I was 1-under par at the turn, and down by two holes, because Rachael was 3-under at that point. She had had four birdies and one bogey on the front 9. I had had three birdies and two bogeys.
Rachael and Cara played an outstanding match on Monday in the finals. Rachael ended up winning on the 18th hole, when Cara had her first 3-putt of the tournament. She had a downhill and sidehill putt to win after Rachael had left her birdie putt on the lip. She just missed, but the putt slid by 3 or 4 feet, leaving her a longer putt than she would have liked for the comeback. When that putt circled the lip and stayed out, Rachael was the winner. Both ladies played a great match.
All in all it was a fun time, and I do owe a lot to Phillip for being so wonderful to me, and being a great caddy. I did already buy him dinner and a cherry pie. He thinks he deserves more pies though, so that might be an ongoing thing!
• Quote of the Day: “Match play is so much more fun than stroke play.” — Sergio Garcia
Vigo County Golf Leagues
Rea Park Wednesday Evening — Standings: Mann-Bocard 29, Clements-Harden 23, Cannon-Snow 23, Swalls-Hiatt 23, Durand-Atterson 22, McCord-Price 21, Meyer-Petty 19, Honselman-Luttrell-19, Padgett-Pair 19, Hamilton-M.Johnson 18, Hyde-Rusk 18, Lanke-T.Johnson 18, Horrall-Ugo 16, Mozley-Bedwell 12. Low gross: Toni Johnson, Shirley Padgett 42. Low net: Cheryl Bedwell 33. Birdies: Eileen Mann (1), Candy McCord (2). Chip-in: Carolyn Hyde.
Ft. Harrison Ladies 9-hole — Low gross: Mary Shake, Low net: Annita Cheek. Low putts: Lucy James. Play of day: Darby Gugliemetti, Mary Ann Tackett. Birdie: Mary Shake.
Paitson’s Eastend Ladies — Standings: Natalie’s Consignment Furniture 556, Turner Coach 533, Coaches Corner 526, Sandy’s Touch of Magic 521, Krock Racing 521, Otis Elevator 512, Advanced Chiropractic 457, Baesler’s Market 452. Low gross: Marge Kintz 41. Low net: Lou Ann Johnson 28. Play of day: Kintz.
Mark’s Par Three Men’s Senior — Standings (second half): Watts Farms 313, Vigo Bowl 286, Dew Drop Inn 275, Tabco 256, C&E; Environmental 253, Mattingly Collision 253, Old National Trust 248, Sycamore Chevrolet 224. Low gross: Kenny Walsh 36. Low net: Walsh 27. Closest to pin: Bill Brock (12). Longest drive: Al Newman (18). Longest putt: Dennis Hays (17).
TH Savings Bank Senior Men — National Division standings: Fore Seasons Golf Complex 200, Pizza Hut 198, Page’s Market 182, Complete Kitchen and Bath 175, Paitson Bros. 168, Lough Bros. 168, TH Savings Bank 156, SMC 143. Low gross: Ernie Smith 37. Low net: Dave Laycock 31. American Division standings: Poplar Flower Shop 209, Spring Clean Car Wash 197, Tabco 184, Gurman Container 184, Salt of the Earth 170, VFW No. 972 145, Baesler’s Market 127. Low gross: David Bays and Chuck Cardinal 39. Low net: Elmer Mason 31.
Idle Creek Home Builders Tuesday Evening — Low gross: Lenny Isles 41. Low net: Jack Simpson 32. Closest to pin: Simpson (3). Closest to pin: Roy Longstreth (9).
Idle Creek Ladies Tuesday Morning Scramble — First place team (40): Peggy Burlison, Kathy Brannen, Mary Brannen. Second place team (41/tie): Katy Drummy, Candy Lovvron, Barb Alcock and Lora Snyder, Tracy Woolery, Michelle no last name. Longest putt: Snyder (4). Closest to pin: M.Brannen (3), Burlison (9).
Idle Creek Terminal Sports and Spirits Wednesday Evening — Low net: Mitch Love 34. Closest to pin: Cliff Carrithers (12), Love (16).
On & Off the Course
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s City Match Play had tough competition
- On & Off the Course
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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On and Off the Course: Remembering former South golfer Ian White
It’s usually a bit of a struggle for me to figure out what my topic will be for this column. This week I could have written about Tiger’s withdrawal from the Players’ Championship due to a bulging disc in his neck, or by association, the health hazards a violent golf swing can have on the human body, or any number of other golf-related topics.
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On and Off the Course: Ochoa’s departure to impact LPGA
LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan already had a tough job, trying to promote the LPGA tour and keep the 25 events that they have on the schedule, but that job was made tougher last week when the tour’s No. 1 player announced her retirement from the game at the ripe old age of 28.
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On and Off the Course: Examining the square groove rule change
Even though the Masters is going to have its own little drama going on with the return of Tiger Woods, an interesting thing to note will be how well the players are able to hold the hard fast greens at Augusta. An underlying part of the bigger picture that everyone might not realize is a rule change that could dramatically affect most, if not all, of the players. That rule change took effect on Jan. 1.
- On and Off the Course: President's Cup should be entertaining Just when we thought golf season was over, and it was time to concentrate on football, we must awaken from our naps, because there’s going to be some exciting golf for us to watch next weekend. The President’s Cup will run from Oct. 6-11 at Harding Park in San Francisco.
- On and Off the Course: The obscure of golf's rulebook Golfers know that the rules that govern the game are abundant. The game originated in the 15th century on the links of Scotland, and somehow as time went on and people became more civilized, rules were adopted.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s City Match Play had tough competition I played in the Terre Haute Golf Association Women’s City Match Play Tournament a couple of weeks ago.
- On and Off the Course: One for the ages … well, almost! I wonder how long people will be referring to last week’s British Open, as “one for the ages.” They could also refer to it as “one for the aged!” Tom Watson’s near miss of a 9th Open Championship (as the Brits prefer to call it, and as it rightly should be by virtue of its longevity) was a rallying cry to all those golfers who have toiled for so many years at their game, but had given up hope as for ever getting it back to where they had it twenty years ago.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: In a bad economy, should LPGA raise its fees? For 31 years The LPGA’s Corning Classic was held at Corning Country Club in Corning, N.Y., with Corning Glassware as its title sponsor. This year, however, was the end of an era as LPGA players played their final rounds in its’ longest-running event. Due to many factors Corning chose to not renew their contract for 2010.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: ‘Average golfer’ ready to face challenges of Bethpage Black Golf Digest, in association with the USGA and NBC Sports, has asked the question, “Can the ‘average golfer’ break 100 at Bethpage Black under U.S. Open conditions?”
- On and Off the Course: Golf is for Mother’s, too I’d like to wish all of my readers who are mothers, whether they play golf or not, a Happy Mother’s Day — and if you do play golf — I hope you have a fine day today and that you find the time to get out on the course.
- The Haig changed golf off the course
- On and Off the Course: Fall a great time on the course If I could have fall weather year-round, I would take it. I love the crisp air, the blue skies, and the bright sunshine. Ever since my childhood I have associated a beautiful fall day with Turkey Run State Park, one of my favorite places to go, especially in the fall. This is Covered Bridge Festival week so many other people are seeing the beauty of the fall in the trees, rivers and bridges in Parke County too!
- On and Off the Course: Life’s lessons on the golf course During the Ryder Cup last weekend, there aired a number of commercials for RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) that starred participants from The First Tee, a program founded by the World Golf Foundation to enable kids from every walk of life to participate in golf, a game that teaches values for life and can be played for a lifetime.
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