Golf Empire

It’s the 30st hole of the Final Match and Ogilvey’s 5-up over Casey. What a grueling match for those who made it into the weekend! At least they’re playing in the sunshine under a brilliant sky; we’re expecting up to a foot of snow tonight/tomorrow here in the NY area.

Before the telecast started today, there was an hour special on golf equipment. I watched part of it; all the ball makers were explaining their latest technology for making the ball go farther and stop quicker. I guess that goes back to the on-going debate over how to best control the propensity of the pros to overpower courses by using the latest in golf technology. The USGA has rules concerning the technology to limit the advantage but that hasn’t slowed the pros much. Golf courses are responding by making the holes longer and longer to the point where many courses aren’t much fun for hackers like me (although the latest trend seems to be for the Tour to shorten some of the par 4 holes to make them drivable – makes for more exciting TV). It seems to me that the Tour should really consider standardizing the equipment used by the pros: baseball, basketball, football, they all use the exact same equipment. No team or player can bring their own balls to use and there’s a leveling of the field. If golfers were issued identical balls by the Tour to use at tournaments, wouldn’t that allow for more emphasis on skill than on equipment? I suppose that’ll never happen but it’s something I often think about. Of course, golf is very different from almost every other game, starting with the honor system, one of the most attractive elements of the game. Look at all the flopping in basketball; the slap-on-the-wrist penalties for outrageously unsportsmanlike conduct in football – it’s whatever you can get away with. Golf is truly the gentleman’s (and ladies’) sport that demands self-adherence to the rules. Play it as it lies, not lie about where you’re going to play it!

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy other sports; as a matter of fact, we’re about to enter one of my favorite times of the year, the NCAA Tournament. My team’s UCLA. They’re currently ranked 22nd and beat Cal last night. They’re playing Oregon State on Thursday and they can’t afford to lose any more games. BC recently beat another of their ranked ACC rivals, Florida State, and they’re hoping to get into the Tournament; again they can’t afford to lose any more games. I know this is a golf site but you’ll be hearing about b-ball from time to time!

I figured the Match Play Championship would be over but Casey’s being “pesky” according to Johnny Miller. He can close it out now with a birdie, which he does! He wins this Tournament for the second time: good for him! All that’s left is the consolation match, which I’ll probably pass on, much to the relief of my wife!