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
Cox & Greer 2-Man Champs at Smoky Mtn C.C.
Jonathan Cox & Ryan Greer kept their winning streak as a two-man team going and put an end to another streak in the Smoky Mountain 2-Man Scramble. Their smooth 10-under (62) back-to-back rounds was good enough to hold off Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron who were three-for-three at Smoky Mountain when combining the Mountain/Berry and Scramble wins. At the beginning of the round on Sunday, after fighting a day of occasional drizzles on Saturday, Greer & Cox were tied with Bodie Bible & John Bernard of Greeneville. While Bible & Bernard slipped to a 64 on Sunday, Ricker & Catron improved by one shot for the second place finish.
Cox & Greer will be focusing their attention on the River Islands 2-Man Scramble next weekend where they are the defending champions.
Freshman Walter State golfer Caleb Whaley joined forces with the "Boss of Moss" at Smoky Mountain, Mr. Jim Fred Ramsey to win the First Flight by two shots over former Knox Country 2-Man Champions Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner as well as Smoky Mountain locales Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill. Ramsey & Whaley birdied the last three holes to come from one down while Makin & Zenner slowed to a par pace the last five holes. Bradshaw & Hill eagled the par-5 13th and birdied two of the last five to finish tied for second.
In the Second Flight locales Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton found the flat side of the putter on Sunday to improve by eight shots for a three shot win over Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass. Smoky Mountain owner Cecil Gilland and Kenny Brown landed in a tie for third after improving one shot over Saturday. Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger improved by seven shots to pull even with Gilland & Brown.
The Third Flight featured a shoot-out between three teams pushing each other to the limit as Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson, one-up going into the round, shot a seven better 66 on Sunday to stay one-up on Jeff Webb & Mike Jones and Fudd & Whitney Ball who also posted 66 rounds.
The Burchetts, David & Brad finished tied for first with a one-under 71 on Sunday to save-off the fast charging team of Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes. Terry & Jake Quinton fell short by one shot to land in third place.
Competitors looking for a fair game, need look no further than the Smoky Mountain tournaments. Owner, Cecil Gilland divided the field into five flights and paid well above average to the prize winners for a 60% of the field payout. Golf News Superintendent of the Year, Shannon Shelton was also on top of his game as the greens were healed from aeration and running smooth.
The next Smoky Mountain event is May 17-18, the 2-Man Scottish Lowball. Call the pro shop for details and registration.
Results:
Championship
1st- Ryan Greer & Jonathan Cox 62-62--124
2nd- Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron 63-62--125
3rd- Bodie Bible & John Bernard 62-64--126
4th- Shannon Moore & Randall Irwin 64-63--127
First Flight
1st- Caleb Whaley & Jim Fred Ramsey 67-64--131
2nd- Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner 67-66--133
2nd- Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill 68-65--133
Second Flight
1st- Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton 70-62--132
2nd- Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass 69-66--135
3rd- Cecil Gilland & Kenny Brown 69-68--137
3rd- Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger 72-65--137
Third Flight
1st- Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson 73-66--139
2nd- Jeff Webb & Mike Jones 74-66--140
2nd- Fudd & Whitney Ball 74-66--140
Fourth Flight
1st- David & Brad Burchette 76-71--147
1st- Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes 78-69--147
3rd- Terry & Jake Quinton 76-72--148
Cox & Greer will be focusing their attention on the River Islands 2-Man Scramble next weekend where they are the defending champions.
Freshman Walter State golfer Caleb Whaley joined forces with the "Boss of Moss" at Smoky Mountain, Mr. Jim Fred Ramsey to win the First Flight by two shots over former Knox Country 2-Man Champions Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner as well as Smoky Mountain locales Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill. Ramsey & Whaley birdied the last three holes to come from one down while Makin & Zenner slowed to a par pace the last five holes. Bradshaw & Hill eagled the par-5 13th and birdied two of the last five to finish tied for second.
In the Second Flight locales Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton found the flat side of the putter on Sunday to improve by eight shots for a three shot win over Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass. Smoky Mountain owner Cecil Gilland and Kenny Brown landed in a tie for third after improving one shot over Saturday. Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger improved by seven shots to pull even with Gilland & Brown.
The Third Flight featured a shoot-out between three teams pushing each other to the limit as Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson, one-up going into the round, shot a seven better 66 on Sunday to stay one-up on Jeff Webb & Mike Jones and Fudd & Whitney Ball who also posted 66 rounds.
The Burchetts, David & Brad finished tied for first with a one-under 71 on Sunday to save-off the fast charging team of Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes. Terry & Jake Quinton fell short by one shot to land in third place.
Competitors looking for a fair game, need look no further than the Smoky Mountain tournaments. Owner, Cecil Gilland divided the field into five flights and paid well above average to the prize winners for a 60% of the field payout. Golf News Superintendent of the Year, Shannon Shelton was also on top of his game as the greens were healed from aeration and running smooth.
The next Smoky Mountain event is May 17-18, the 2-Man Scottish Lowball. Call the pro shop for details and registration.
Results:
Championship
1st- Ryan Greer & Jonathan Cox 62-62--124
2nd- Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron 63-62--125
3rd- Bodie Bible & John Bernard 62-64--126
4th- Shannon Moore & Randall Irwin 64-63--127
First Flight
1st- Caleb Whaley & Jim Fred Ramsey 67-64--131
2nd- Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner 67-66--133
2nd- Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill 68-65--133
Second Flight
1st- Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton 70-62--132
2nd- Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass 69-66--135
3rd- Cecil Gilland & Kenny Brown 69-68--137
3rd- Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger 72-65--137
Third Flight
1st- Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson 73-66--139
2nd- Jeff Webb & Mike Jones 74-66--140
2nd- Fudd & Whitney Ball 74-66--140
Fourth Flight
1st- David & Brad Burchette 76-71--147
1st- Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes 78-69--147
3rd- Terry & Jake Quinton 76-72--148
Cox & Greer 2-Man Champs at Smoky Mtn C.C.
Jonathan Cox & Ryan Greer kept their winning streak as a two-man team going and put an end to another streak in the Smoky Mountain 2-Man Scramble. Their smooth 10-under (62) back-to-back rounds was good enough to hold off Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron who were three-for-three at Smoky Mountain when combining the Mountain/Berry and Scramble wins. At the beginning of the round on Sunday, after fighting a day of occasional drizzles on Saturday, Greer & Cox were tied with Bodie Bible & John Bernard of Greeneville. While Bible & Bernard slipped to a 64 on Sunday, Ricker & Catron improved by one shot for the second place finish.
Cox & Greer will be focusing their attention on the River Islands 2-Man Scramble next weekend where they are the defending champions.
Freshman Walter State golfer Caleb Whaley joined forces with the "Boss of Moss" at Smoky Mountain, Mr. Jim Fred Ramsey to win the First Flight by two shots over former Knox Country 2-Man Champions Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner as well as Smoky Mountain locales Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill. Ramsey & Whaley birdied the last three holes to come from one down while Makin & Zenner slowed to a par pace the last five holes. Bradshaw & Hill eagled the par-5 13th and birdied two of the last five to finish tied for second.
In the Second Flight locales Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton found the flat side of the putter on Sunday to improve by eight shots for a three shot win over Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass. Smoky Mountain owner Cecil Gilland and Kenny Brown landed in a tie for third after improving one shot over Saturday. Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger improved by seven shots to pull even with Gilland & Brown.
The Third Flight featured a shoot-out between three teams pushing each other to the limit as Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson, one-up going into the round, shot a seven better 66 on Sunday to stay one-up on Jeff Webb & Mike Jones and Fudd & Whitney Ball who also posted 66 rounds.
The Burchetts, David & Brad finished tied for first with a one-under 71 on Sunday to save-off the fast charging team of Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes. Terry & Jake Quinton fell short by one shot to land in third place.
Competitors looking for a fair game, need look no further than the Smoky Mountain tournaments. Owner, Cecil Gilland divided the field into five flights and paid well above average to the prize winners for a 60% of the field payout. Golf News Superintendent of the Year, Shannon Shelton was also on top of his game as the greens were healed from aeration and running smooth.
The next Smoky Mountain event is May 17-18, the 2-Man Scottish Lowball. Call the pro shop for details and registration.
Results:
Championship
1st- Ryan Greer & Jonathan Cox 62-62--124
2nd- Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron 63-62--125
3rd- Bodie Bible & John Bernard 62-64--126
4th- Shannon Moore & Randall Irwin 64-63--127
First Flight
1st- Caleb Whaley & Jim Fred Ramsey 67-64--131
2nd- Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner 67-66--133
2nd- Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill 68-65--133
Second Flight
1st- Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton 70-62--132
2nd- Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass 69-66--135
3rd- Cecil Gilland & Kenny Brown 69-68--137
3rd- Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger 72-65--137
Third Flight
1st- Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson 73-66--139
2nd- Jeff Webb & Mike Jones 74-66--140
2nd- Fudd & Whitney Ball 74-66--140
Fourth Flight
1st- David & Brad Burchette 76-71--147
1st- Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes 78-69--147
3rd- Terry & Jake Quinton 76-72--148
Cox & Greer will be focusing their attention on the River Islands 2-Man Scramble next weekend where they are the defending champions.
Freshman Walter State golfer Caleb Whaley joined forces with the "Boss of Moss" at Smoky Mountain, Mr. Jim Fred Ramsey to win the First Flight by two shots over former Knox Country 2-Man Champions Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner as well as Smoky Mountain locales Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill. Ramsey & Whaley birdied the last three holes to come from one down while Makin & Zenner slowed to a par pace the last five holes. Bradshaw & Hill eagled the par-5 13th and birdied two of the last five to finish tied for second.
In the Second Flight locales Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton found the flat side of the putter on Sunday to improve by eight shots for a three shot win over Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass. Smoky Mountain owner Cecil Gilland and Kenny Brown landed in a tie for third after improving one shot over Saturday. Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger improved by seven shots to pull even with Gilland & Brown.
The Third Flight featured a shoot-out between three teams pushing each other to the limit as Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson, one-up going into the round, shot a seven better 66 on Sunday to stay one-up on Jeff Webb & Mike Jones and Fudd & Whitney Ball who also posted 66 rounds.
The Burchetts, David & Brad finished tied for first with a one-under 71 on Sunday to save-off the fast charging team of Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes. Terry & Jake Quinton fell short by one shot to land in third place.
Competitors looking for a fair game, need look no further than the Smoky Mountain tournaments. Owner, Cecil Gilland divided the field into five flights and paid well above average to the prize winners for a 60% of the field payout. Golf News Superintendent of the Year, Shannon Shelton was also on top of his game as the greens were healed from aeration and running smooth.
The next Smoky Mountain event is May 17-18, the 2-Man Scottish Lowball. Call the pro shop for details and registration.
Results:
Championship
1st- Ryan Greer & Jonathan Cox 62-62--124
2nd- Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron 63-62--125
3rd- Bodie Bible & John Bernard 62-64--126
4th- Shannon Moore & Randall Irwin 64-63--127
First Flight
1st- Caleb Whaley & Jim Fred Ramsey 67-64--131
2nd- Glenn Makin & Wayne Zenner 67-66--133
2nd- Joey Bradshaw & Mike Hill 68-65--133
Second Flight
1st- Jerry Messer & Mike Shelton 70-62--132
2nd- Dwayne Yarbrough & Todd Douglass 69-66--135
3rd- Cecil Gilland & Kenny Brown 69-68--137
3rd- Chuck Mason & Barry Clevenger 72-65--137
Third Flight
1st- Jason Williams & Bob Kesterson 73-66--139
2nd- Jeff Webb & Mike Jones 74-66--140
2nd- Fudd & Whitney Ball 74-66--140
Fourth Flight
1st- David & Brad Burchette 76-71--147
1st- Randall Copas & Tommy Haynes 78-69--147
3rd- Terry & Jake Quinton 76-72--148
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
VU's Curran is SEC Men's Golfer of the Week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Vanderbilt junior Jon Curran has been named the SEC Male Golfer of the Week, conference officials announced on Monday.
The Hopkinton, Mass. native, finished as a runner-up in the Furman Intercollegiate, held March 28-30 at the Furman University Golf Course in Greenville, S.C.
Curran fired a tournament scorecard of 71-72-71 for a total of 214, one shot behind tournament winner Jonathan Hodge of Chattanooga. He finished in the top two in his third consecutive tournament after winning the Seminole Intercollegiate and placing in a tie for second at the Kauai Collegiate Cup.
Curran leads Vandy with a 72.54 scoring average over 24 rounds and has shot par-or-better in eight of his last nine rounds. He is also ranked 50th in the nation by Golfweek.
The honor marks the fifth weekly award of the 2008 SEC spring season. The next SEC Male Golfer of the Week will be selected on April 15 while the next SEC Female Golfer of the Week will be named on April 2.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
UT Ranked #10
Adjusted Avg.
Division Scoring Drop Versus#
Team *Record Average Score Top 25 Wins@
1 Alabama, U. of 289- 0 71.32 76.99 23- 0 5
2 Georgia, U. of 288- 1 71.35 76.45 19- 1 2
3 UCLA 287- 2 72.24 76.57 13- 2 2
4 Charlotte 286- 3 71.34 75.37 16- 3 4
5 Southern California 285- 4 72.64 76.80 15- 4 1
6 Oklahoma State U. 281- 8 72.64 76.72 13- 6 1
7 Georgia Tech 281- 8 72.09 77.98 11- 8 0
8 Florida, U. of 280- 9 72.67 77.65 14- 9 1
9 Stanford University 280- 9 72.41 76.88 8- 8 1
10 Tennessee, Univ. of 279- 10 72.25 77.01 12-10 2
11 Duke University 278- 11 72.70 76.99 11- 9 1
12 Florida State Univ. 277- 12 73.16 76.94 10-11 2
13 Auburn University 275- 14 71.88 76.17 10- 8 1
14 Wake Forest Univ. 275- 14 72.69 77.66 9-11 1
15 South Carolina 275- 14 72.61 77.51 9-12 1
16 Clemson University 271- 18 72.77 77.51 3-14 0
17 Mississippi, U. of 269- 20 72.50 78.53 4-10 4
18 UCF 269- 20 73.04 78.55 5-18 1
19 Tenn.-Chattanooga 269- 20 71.92 76.40 2-13 2
20 UNLV 269- 20 71.71 75.96 3-13 2
21 Indiana University 268- 21 73.39 77.62 4-13 1
22 UAB 266- 23 72.69 77.87 6-11 1
23 Texas Tech Univ. 266- 23 72.69 77.31 3-15 3
24 Louisville, U. of 265- 24 72.92 77.42 6-10 1
25 Michigan State U. 264- 25 73.64 77.60 3-13 1
Monday, March 17, 2008
Ricker & Catron capture Yukon Open at Smoky Mtn C.C.
For the first time in several years Mother Nature was smiling on East Tennessee as the Yukon Open at Smoky Mountain played to excellent weather conditions. The record setting field of 46 teams played the course in perfect winter conditions prepared by Golf News Superintendent of the Year Shannon Shelton and his staff.
The Greeneville duo of Todd Ricker & Sasha Catron set the pace on Saturday with a 12-under 60 round and never looked back. Their lead of three-shots was not challenged as Jerry Cureton & Jimmy Green finished second. Ricker & Catron always play well at Smoky Mountain and laid claim to two titles last year in the 2-man and 3-man events.
In the first flight Dwayne Yarbrough & C. Talley set the course on fire Sunday with a 61 to win by two-shots over three teams tied for second. Bounds & Bounds, Messer & Thornton, and Skeen & Hatcher finished with 130 totals for the tournament.
The second flight was won by Gallen & Hodgsen with a nine-shot turn-around on Sunday. The beat Brown & Payne by two-shots and Fender & Hopson by three.
The third flight was won by Shumate & Wolfenbarger by two shots of the wounded Makin & Zenner duo.
Watch the Golf News for the tournament calendar to include the balance of the tournaments at Smoky Mountain.
CHAMPIONSHIP
1st- Ricker & Catron 60-65-125
2nd- Cureton & Green 64-64--128
3rd- W.T. Daniels & Smith 63-66--129
4th- Whittenburg & Honeycutt 66-67--133
FIRST FLIGHT
1st- Yarbrough & Talley 67-61--128
2nd- Bounds & Bounds 67-63--130
2nd- Messer & Thornton 67-63--130
2nd- Skenn & Hatcher 68-62--130
SECOND FLIGHT
1st- Gallen & Hodgsen 72-63--135
2nd- Brown & Payne 70-67--137
3rd- Fender & Hopson 71-67--138
THIRD FLIGHT
1st- Shumate & Wolfenbarger 73-69--142
2nd- Makin & Zenner 73-71--144
3rd- Barrett & Knight 73-72--145
3rd- Cagle & Taylor 74-71--145
2007 Best of the Best Golf Course Awards
Here are the award winners for 2007
Read the presentations in the December issue
of Golf News at your local course Friday
Best Overall Golf Course
Willow Creek Golf Club
Farragut
Best Public Golf Course
River Islands Golf Club
Kodak
Best Private Course
The Country Club, Inc
Morristown
Best Semi-Private Course
Woodlake Golf Club
Tazewell
Most Improved Course
Lambert Acres Golf Course
Maryville
Best Nine Hole Course
Creekside Plantation
Seymour
Best Par-3 / Executive Course
Executive Meadows
Lenoir City
Best Traditional Style Course
Pine Lakes Golf Course
Rockford
Best Value Course
Laurel Valley Golf Club
Townsend
Best Greens
Patriot Hills Golf Club
Jefferson City
Best Tournament / Outing Course
Three Ridges Golf Course
Knoxville
Best Layout
Three Ridges Golf Course
Knoxville
Best Snack Bar
Millstone Golf Club
Morristown
Best Hot Dog
Pine Lakes Golf Course
Rockford
Best on Course Restaurant
Angelo’s on the Green
Baneberry Golf & Resort
Best Competitive Tournament
Clinchview 2-Man Scramble
Bean Station
We Try Harder Award
White Pine Golf Course
White Pine
Monday, March 3, 2008
Dick Horton to be on 104.5 The Zone
(Golf House Tennessee, Franklin, TN) - Tune in on Tuesday, March 4 at 3:00 p.m. to hear Tennessee Golf Foundation President Dick Horton live on 104.5 The Zone's The Sports Zone. Mr. Horton will be joined on the show by Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed to promote the upcoming Screaming Eagle Pro-Am on Saturday June 28, 2008 at Gaylord Springs Golf Links. The proceeds from this event will benefit soldiers of
Mr. Horton is a native of
Mr. Reed has been President and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment since May of 2001. Prior to coming to Gaylord, Mr. Reed was CFO at Harrah's Entertainment Group. He is very active in the
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