Better Golfing Days

The Big Boy Persimmon Golf Era was Real Pro Golf

2025-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

Roughly speaking, the persimmon golf era I’m referencing is anything before 1995, when persimmon woods were used with hickory shafts until 1925, when steel shafts were introduced and adopted as a preferable improvement to the game.

As we know, the golf ball has undergone many changes and improvements in its inner materials and design. Besides the controversy with golf ball changes, I believe the major shift in the game has come predominantly with the oversized 460cc driver and metal woods.

It wasn’t a problem when the metal heads were the same size as the persimmon wood drivers, but when they became oversized around the late 1990s, the game changed to what it is now — with the emphasis on speed swings and hitting the driver as far as possible, instead of being restricted by small club heads and the need to hit the sweet spot solidly, which is much harder when swinging as hard as can.

Golfers using persimmon woods had to be much more accurate with their drivers, just to hit the sweet spot and get any decent distance. Not hitting the sweet spot on the persimmon drivers takes off 50 yards.

Golf was harder back in the persimmon era, which is why I call it the Big Boy Era of pro golf. The golfers in that era used to stand on the 1st tee in front of all the golf fans, nervous and stressed, trying to hit a persimmon driver halfway decently to avoid embarrassment, or even hitting a shank into the crowd lining the tee! That took big boy pants in my opinion.

Since golf has had oversized metal drivers and woods, standing on the tee box isn’t that scary; it isn’t that hard to hit the surface of the oversized drivers.

Imagine hitting the persimmon wood in a pressure moment for a Major win! So much harder than hitting the modern metal woods. The driving aspect of professional golf has turned into a video game anyone can play. I hear of regular golfers hitting 400-yard drives, hitting the green on a decently long par 4, etc. I get tired of hearing these stories; it has become mundane and common. Anyone can hit these new drivers.

The problem with the pro game, they are hitting the driver 50 yards farther at least, so the classic courses from the past have to be modified with more length, maybe excluding them from the tour in favor of longer courses.

The tradition of golf is being ruined because of the oversized drivers allowed in the game in the late 1990s, right when I was graduating from high school, playing on my high school golf team with a cheap generic set of Voits, which had oversized metal woods to replace the persimmon woods I used for my first two years of high school, 94 through 95.

Oversized drivers could still be used outside of professional golf, yet, like pro baseball, let the big boys play with the wood bat, the persimmon woods, and see who is the best.

The USGA is working to roll back the distance on the golf ball, but this isn’t the problem, and they should know it. The problem is the oversized metal woods they’ve allowed to be used in the professional game they regulate; they don’t want to disrupt the commercial side of the game, with their club manufacturing and marketing partnerships. The business aspect is the culprit for the pro golf game being ruined by this disruptive decision to allow oversized metal woods, and it has been too long for them to even consider rolling it back.

Maybe what they could do is regulate the metal woods to be the same size as the persimmon woods used to be. That would satisfy my criticism, as the small metal woods didn’t give a substantial advantage over the persimmon woods in distance, as shown in the 90s when some professional golfers started using the metal woods, such as Curtis Strange in the late 80s.

I like to watch the big boy era (persimmon, blades, and balata balls) more than the oversized driver era that followed. It would have been great if the USGA had stopped the oversized metal drivers coming into the pro game, but they didn’t, and I think golf fans and players are worse off for it when it comes to following the professional game and comparing it to past eras.

Just to be transparent, I play with 1959 Hogan Starburst blade irons and Hogan persimmon 3 and 4 woods (70s?), but I do have a Taylor Made SIM driver instead of a persimmon, cause it is much easier to hit and I’m not a professional golfer. Yet, if the pros start hitting persimmon drivers again, I probably would too.

LIV Golf has officially destroyed pro golf

2025-02-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

I’m tired of not seeing my favorite players on the PGA Tour!

At this point, LIV Golf has officially ruined professional golf. The PGA Tour also helped ruin golf by not letting the LIV golfers play in their tournaments after they joined the alternative league.

I never liked the way the PGA Tour handled the matter, yet the LIV Tour is the impetus of the destruction, let’s be honest.

I’ve kept track of the LIV Tour since it began, yet I’m tired of keeping track at this point — the tournaments don’t mean as much as the PGA Tour, and the tournaments on the PGA Tour don’t mean as much without the LIV golfers…

As an X Gen golfer, I was looking forward to seeing the older guys in their 40s competing against the young generation golfers. This is happening in some measure with Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Adam Scott, Ryan Palmer, and others, yet many of the best of my generation and the older Millennial Gen golfers are gone.

I’m tired of looking over the players at the weekly PGA Tournaments and not seeing the golfers I’ve been used to seeing for decades. And I don’t want to turn on the midnight rave party to see them playing for essentially some big money and hollow prestige…

I’ve been a fan of LIV Golf as much as I could be, since it began in 2022, mostly because I didn’t like how the PGA Tour was acting when the players left. Still, when it comes down to it, the LIV Golf Tour doesn’t compare to the real deal…it is a crap show.

This year, I turned on my LIV app for the first time in what seemed like a year (their off-season) and it wanted me to download the latest version, OK, so I did. Then after that was opened, the next day it wanted me to download another updated version — that’s when I made the decision to just delete the app.

Also helping this drastic decision, I turned on the first tournament of the year (held in Saudi Arabia) to see fluorescent lights and hear loud rave music while the once great golfer Jon Rahm (now off in golfing obscurity) was teeing off — while he teed it off into a foreboding night full of jungle beats, I turned off the app in disgust.

What the heck is this? Whatever it is, it isn’t golf like I know it and I don’t want anything to do with it anymore.

I still have the PGA Tour app, and that’s all I need this year. As for all the once-great golfers now on the RAVE Tour, they are essentially retired to me.

I don’t care who is at fault, I’m sick of not seeing my favorite players around my age play in the tournaments I have always watched or kept track of!

They are missing out and for what? Time off? Money? Give me a break, they had plenty of money and time off.

I understand that LIV is team golf, yet golf is not a team sport no matter how you dress it up. That is why I like golf, it is an individual sport, the golfer vs. the golf course. That is all it will ever be and all it needs to be.

The best part of LIV was that it had no commercials. I enjoyed watching the entire last day without any interruptions, yet that is going to change and then it will just be a crap show without any prestige or meaning past money and fabricated team dynamics.

Maybe this is a bit harsh, yet this split is proving to be a long-term destruction, which means the finite years of competitive golf of my favorite players is dwindling away on some RAVE Tour crap show. Thanks a lot.

What a sad state of golfing affairs. Maybe we are close to the end of the world if this is the best we can do, and, of course, we are.

Yours truly, an average golf fan in America.

Playing in the 2024 Oregon Public Links Championship at Mallard Creek GC

2024-07-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

This year, the Oregon 27th Public Links Championship was held at Mallard Creek Golf Course, located near Lebanon and a little town called Waterloo, on the weekend of June 29th and 30th.

My amateur golf season this year includes this two-day tournament and the Christmas Valley Golf Course 4th of July 4-man scramble tourney, which is coming up in two days.

Since this is the only OGA event I’m playing this year, I decided to go on Friday and play the free practice round. Good thing I did because Mallard Creek is a tricky course full of trouble — it helped to scope things out, although my scores didn’t show it.

Interestingly, I shot the same score three days in a row, a +19, 91 on a par 72 course. The last two days are what counted, the weekend, where I shot a total of 182 (+38).

That score resulted in me finishing overall T64 out of 79 golfers and T48 out of 56 golfers in the Championship division (tied for last among those who finished in the harder division). A disappointing finish for me, yet not a total disaster.

Bogey golf at its best is never too bad, yet I went into the event hitting the ball better than ever and putting well, so it was disappointing. I played well, just got into too much trouble in the end, even stubbing my putter once when trying to tap the ball in from a few inches!

The course was around 6700 yards from the black/blue tees and the rating was around 73.8/137 (they changed it slightly from the black tees for the tourney specifically). It was a hilly course with trees, water, and a unique design that made placing your shots at a premium.

I did have a birdie for each round, including the practice round. The worst hole I had was a +4 over on Sat., and too many doubles and triples on both days to shoot in the 80s with the handful of pars I managed to get.

Here’s how it worked out for 36 holes:

2 birdies

10 pars

13 bogeys

7 double bogeys

3 triple bogeys

1 quad bogey

This is the 4th Public Links I’ve played in and it wasn’t the best score or the worst. It was probably the hardest course I’ve played. The best I did was in 2019 when I shot +28 overall at Quail Valley. The best two-day event ever was 167 (+23) and the best 18 holes in the competition was 81 (+9) at Aspen Lakes in an OGA individual tournament — both in 2019. I will also mention the best 9-hole score in competition, in the Air Force squadron team I shot a -1 under 35 on Hill AFB golf course (the first nine I shot 50), which halved the match.

Until my handicap is low enough to try and qualify for the Mid Am, Oregon Am, or the Stroke Play Ch., then the Public Links is the tournament for me to shine or not.

I stayed in a hotel around 20 miles away in Halsey, which cost too much and wasn’t very nice, yet it was nice to have the time to play the free practice round and relax more than usual. For the last three, I never played the practice round and showed up on Saturday to play, staying in a hotel for only one night.

I knew the course was going to be tough when it started off with a fairway beginning 220 yards across a water hazard. I hit the hazard two out of the three rounds, making it over but hitting it into the native on the right.

I played with great guys each day and enjoyed the competition. One of the golfers works as a greenskeeper at the resort I work at, so that was cool. It was a pleasant experience with all the playing partners I had each day, not to mention it was fun to watch them hit the ball so far (on the weekend).

The players I was paired with all hit the ball at least 30-50 yards ahead of me each time. They didn’t always stay out of trouble, yet unfortunately, neither did I.

I hit my drives around 240y on average. I hit 20 out of 28 drives in play on the weekend, which means 8 holes had penalty strokes already, which is where most of the bigger scores came from. I didn’t drive the ball well enough to take advantage of my accuracy.

The backdrop story to this year’s tourney is a recent development with my swing, which is taking my ball striking to another level. I just found this breakthrough a couple of weeks before the tourney, so I hadn’t yet practiced enough with it to feel confident, although it did help me hit some great shots among the mediocre.

For instance, I wasn’t using the technique on my drives, just my irons, and even then I wasn’t fully committed to using it, which hurt the outcome at times.

Unfortunately, I will have to wait until next year to have that breakthrough at the Public Links; this year, I just hung in there enough to not have a disaster round and not come in last place with those who finished in the Championship division.

Just to clarify, the Championship division plays from longer tees than the Open division. When I say I came in T64 out of 79, that includes the Open division, even though they had a significant advantage playing from the shorter tees on such a tricky course.

There were a few holes where we had to tee off between two huge trees like a field goal. Thankfully, I never did clip one of them, although I came very close a few times.

The first round I played with a guy and his caddie who almost fell out on the last hole. He was losing balls and struggling, nearly falling out because the women golfers were right behind us and after them the rest of the field. Thankfully, I had a gas cart and let them use it to go back and hit another ball (two times). In the chaos, I was able to find his ball in the native and he was able to finish the hole. I played with him and his caddie the next day as well, we ended up tying for last in the Championship division — cool dudes for sure.

The OGA and Mallard Creek employees were all very nice and helpful. It was a pleasant experience all around. The sandwiches were priced too high and the fairways were soggy, otherwise, everything was great. Yeah, I got no roll on drives because of the soggy conditions, and there was no lift clean and place rule.

Since I’ve been back, I shot my best 9-hole round of the year at CV golf course, 39 (+3), so the new swing change is taking my game to another level, it just hasn’t been refined and practiced long enough. Hopefully, in the tourneys to come, I will be able to shoot in the 70s and really compete in these great events.

I did ride in a gas cart on the weekend after walking my practice round and being totally spent at the end. I decided to use a cart to ensure I didn’t fall out because of a lost ball and to help those in my group if needed.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and I played the best I could. I hit and putted many good shots, yet got into too much trouble to shoot in the 80s or 70s. Until next time, know that better golfing days are ahead, praise God.

Famous golfers from Oregon: Peter Jacobsen

2024-03-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe Peter Jacobsen is now 70 years old, as he was born on March 4, 1954. Peter is one of the most famous and successful golfers from Oregon, born in Portland, graduating from Lincoln High School, and going on to play for the University of Oregon golf team in college.

Peter turned professional in 1976 after winning the Oregon Open as an amateur. His journey to play on the PGA Tour happened quickly when he qualified in Q-School on his first attempt in 1976. He went on to win 7 times on the PGA Tour and 2 times on the Champions Tour (both Majors). He never won a Major Championship on the PGA Tour, yet he did play well enough to be on two Ryder Cup teams in 1985 and 1995.

Peter had an interesting career with a total of 18 professional wins, including one on the PGA Tour of Australasia. His first win came in 1980 at the Buick Goodwrench Open and the last one in 2005 with the Senior Players Championship. His last win on the PGA Tour at the Greater Hartford Open in 2003 came when he was 49 years old.

After retiring from competitive golf, Jacobsen went on to do some broadcasting and hosted two shows on the Golf Channel. He also went into the golf course design business, helping to design courses like Brasada Canyons Golf Course in Powell Butte, OR – near Pronghorn designed by Jack Nicklaus.

He also was in a musical band in the mid-80s as the guitarist/vocalist with fellow pro golfers Mark Lye and Payne Stewart called Jake Trout & The Flounders. They produced two albums full of humor and music about golf. The last album called “I Love to Play” was released in 1998 with songs such as “Love the One You Whiff,” “I Just Wanna Cry,” and “Get it to the Hole.” Sadly, bandmate and Hall of Fame golfer Payne Stewart died the next year, in 1999, in a plane crash.

Here is one of their humorous remake cover songs:

Jacobsen played in 662 events on the PGA Tour, making 463 cuts with 15 runner-ups, 8 third-place finishes, 40 top 5 finishes, and 77 top 10 finishes, making him a total of nearly $7.8 million total.

Other golf accolades include winning the Individual Pac-8 Conference Championship in 1974 and the Western Australian Open in 1979.

When asked by Links Magazine what his favorite golf course to play, Jacobsen said Pebble Beach. As for the first course he ever played, Gearhart Golf Links was the answer – the oldest golf course in Oregon and west of the Mississippi. The course he’s played the most often, Waverley Country Club in Portland. The hardest course he ever played, Oakmont; and the best course he’s ever played, Winged Foot.

Interestingly, Jacobsen was also featured in the movie "Tin Cup" in 1996 with Kevin Costner, as the winner of the movie’s U.S. Open.

Pro golfer, golf course designer, musician, and actor, Peter Jacobsen has been busy in his 70 years of life. His laid-back and humorous personality always made him a fan and fellow player favorite, and his golfing ability was on the elite level for four decades.

The final bit of information about Jacobsen comes from the 1985 Open Championship, where he became famous for doing something very strange – tackling a naked streaker on the 18th green at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. I’ll share the video below, so you can see the type of good humor and personality Jacobsen brought to the game of golf and why he is a great representative of Oregon golfers.

Originally published at NewsBreak

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LIV Golfers are Missing the Most Important Golf Tournaments for What?

2024-02-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

Missing the 2024 Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club when Tiger Woods is playing in the field has to be gut-wrenching for the LIV Golf players, especially, last year’s winner Jon Rahm, the winner two years ago Joaquin Niemann, and other former winners now playing at LIV Golf:

Phil Mickelson won in 2008 and 2009
Dustin Johnson won in 2017
Charles Howell III won in 2007
Bubba Watson won in 2014, 2016, and 2018

This is one of the three player-hosted Signature Events the PGA Tour is holding this year. The other two are the Memorial with Jack Nicklaus and The Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The Genesis Invitational has a history going back to 1926 and has a list of Champions that resembles a Major; Hogan, Palmer, Snead, Nelson, Miller, Watson, Venturi, Casper, Faldo, Scott, and Irwin, to name a few. Two notable golfers not on the list are Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus — a tournament neither has won, yet Tiger still has a chance.

All three of these events and the Players Championship have to be hard for the LIV golfers to miss. The RBC Heritage is one of my favorite events and it is now a Signature Event as well, so include that one too.

While I respect the LIV Golf League and the players that went over, I would never jeopardize playing in these PGA Tour events. If I had enough money to live comfortably (doesn’t take much), then my priority would be to play in the events I felt were special and meaningful to the history of golf.

Say, I’m on the PGA Tour and never win a Major, yet I win the Genesis or Memorial (like Howell III), then I have done something significant that will go down in golfing history. If I won a LIV golf event with rave music playing in the background while only playing a measly 54 holes, it wouldn’t mean much in comparison.

I realize the competition is just as good on LIV as the PGA, yet the courses, the events, and the history aren’t there. The prestige and other intangibles aren’t there and maybe never will be. After 20 years or so, LIV Golf events may have some history and prestige, yet nothing close to Rivera Country Club, the Memorial, the Players Championship, etc.

Hopefully, the LIV golfers can come back and play on the PGA Tour again, so they can play in these special events that mean so much to golf and its history. It would be much more exciting if they were playing this week in the same field as Tiger Woods.

LIV golfers have essentially forfeited their chance to compete against one of the best golfers of all time in the few remaining competitive years he has left on the PGA Tour. That has to hurt considering how much Tiger Woods means to the game.

Yes, some of them can play against Tiger in the Majors, yet what about the rookies and young journeymen who have given up this opportunity? Puig, Ortiz, Lee, Gooch, and others whose names are harder to spell. Doesn’t Garcia miss playing against Tiger?

The opportunity to play against Mickelson is also a great honor, yet they are playing at courses and events without historical meaning with only 54 holes of competition.

I’ve been a defender of LIV Golf because I didn’t like the pompous way the PGA Tour dealt with the golfers leaving. They should be able to play and try to make the requirements like every other pro golfer.

On the other hand, the PGA Tour has all of the valuable cards because they have the meaning and history of professional golf. LIV Golf looks like an expensive sideshow with loud annoying music compared to the PGA Tour.

You can’t buy history and meaning. The intangibles that fans and golf lovers appreciate are with the PGA Tour and always will be. They should rest confident with this and allow the LIV golfers to play on the PGA Tour under the same requirements as everyone else.

As for the LIV Golfers taking the week off during the Genesis Invitational, I bet they wish they could play against the great Tiger Woods at such a special event. They surely are missing out on many of the most important golf tournaments in the world, and any victories on LIV will simply pale in comparison.

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Bogey Golf is Par Golf for Most Golfers

2024-01-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

On the typical par 72 course, bogey golf would be a 90, or +18. For most golfers, this is the actual par for the course.

Anything shot under 90 is like shooting under par. Maybe not the happiest with an 89, +17, yet it is under 90.

If shoot a 12 under, that would be a 78, +6. On any given golf day, if I could shoot a 39 on 9 holes or 78 on 18, I would be playing very well, as would most other golfers if keeping score correctly.

So, why does the average golfer expect to shoot around par, instead of around bogey?

There is another level from breaking 90 to breaking 80 consistently. That level is achieved by talent and skill. If you are low on one, have more of the other.

For some, the talent is too low for their skill and craft to compensate, therefore, they end up having the mind of a par golfer in expectations (considering their tireless effort and frustration), yet their actual skill will come short of achieving par golf.

Essentially, most golfers must go into hyperdrive focus to work out their golf game, breaking through to reach their potential. Working smarter and not harder, they gain discipline and confidence with their new approach and the positive results.

Golfing is a game of momentum. It is a mind game. Training the mind and body together to reach harmony with our potential takes a special effort that most people don’t take action to achieve, including me.

There were plenty of times I started on this path, yet the distractions and challenges of life kept me from taking the time needed.

Many times, it seems golfers don’t reach this level until they are retired and finally have the time and energy needed to figure their game out. Oh, then they wish they were younger! Remember, there are always senior events to play in.

I realize we can’t go around telling everyone we shot par golf when we shot +18 over. That would be considered cheating and I’m not advocating for that or changing the actual par to 90.

Things are good the way they are. Golfers love the game because of the impossible nature of it. Shooting par is exceptional, no matter how many people can do it or better — they still are the small minority of amateur and pro golfers in the world. Most of us are still struggling to break 100, 90, and 80.

Bogey for par golf is a consolation in perspective. While you may not have broken your record for the year or all time, nor did you scare breaking 80, you did shoot 6 under bogey par (84), not bad.

If you shoot over bogey par, in the 90s, then there is no consolation. Feel the pain.

Well, you broke 100. If it is the worst round, at least you are setting records.

I hope one day par will be par for me, until then, I have to think of stuff like this to help console my disappointment of being a consummate hacker.

Is the LIV Golf Tour Changing Golf for the Better?

2024-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Watching the first two years of LIV Golf and keeping up on the controversies surrounding the “rebel golf league,” I’ve come to the conclusion it is good for golf overall.

Being that I’m a traditionalist-leaning golfer, LIV shouldn’t have interested me so much, yet it did. While I don’t like the loud music playing during tournaments, I did enjoy watching the first two seasons and generally like it better than a regular PGA Tour event.

I’ll try to stay on topic with this broad topic, yet, as golf fans know, it can be an in-depth topic. When this much money is being thrown around, things get more serious and the stakes higher.

Speaking plainly, most golf viewers and fans aren’t as interested in the money players make as the golf being played and the golfers playing it. The storyline for the tournament is what makes it unique and interesting.

Money is more important to the suits behind the scenes than to those who love the game.

I don’t believe LIV players are sell-outs or greedy for joining the league. They likely believe things will have to change eventually and they will be allowed to play in PGA Tour events in the future — things will straighten out soon enough.

The big problem for LIV is world ranking points. It has kept probably a dozen good golfers from playing in the Majors the last two years.

Golf fans just want to see the best players play in the Majors, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and signature events. That is all.

At the regular PGA Tour stops, having some of the top players with a field of underdogs works just fine for most viewers.

Benefits of LIV to Golf

In general, siphoning 48 golfers from the DP and PGA Tours has created more opportunities for that many players who wouldn’t have the chance if they stayed. LIV Golf is opening the game up to more people to play professionally.

See, 50 players move up from the Korn Ferry and Challenge Tours and then there are 50 players who can now move up from the third-tier pro golf tours and 50 who can then enter those tours.

With all of the great players LIV Golf has and will have, it is set to become the premier pro golf league in the world. That is what the struggle has been all about, the PGA Tour vs. LIV Tour for the top status.

For now, the PGA Tour has that status, but with the money LIV Golf has, it will inevitably become the premier golf tour when it has the prestige to go with it.

The recent merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour is a good thing for both organizations, as it will dissolve the animosity and start creating a product that viewers want to see and support.

This will have to include LIV Golf getting world ranking points and being able to play in PGA Tour events and the Ryder/President’s Cup.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf will get an influx of the rest of the best golfers in the world, puffing its ranks and making it the premier pro golf league in the world. Jon Rahm just showed an example of this.

When I talk of the PGA Tour, just include the DP World Tour as well.

Cons of LIV Golf

The 3-day tournament thing needs to go, and so does the loud music during the tournament — sounds like a rave party.

Besides the critiques of LIV tournaments, the impact of the upstart league hasn’t been all positive for the golf world in general.

I don’t think anyone who loves golf and is a fan of watching it likes how LIV Golf has disrupted the traditions and history of the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is a well-respected pro golf tour that upholds charity and values beyond just profit and fame.

LIV Golf has yet to define what it stands for beyond just offering the most money and having loud music disrupt the atmosphere of tournaments.

The PGA Tour has memory after memory of the best golfers in the past and present playing on certain courses at certain times of the year, etc. The routine of golf revolves around the PGA Tour, and it is a pleasant scene built upon years of work from those who love and honor the game.

LIV Golf threatens these values; in a way, just to be different.

Conclusion

Overall, I like watching LIV Golf and think it is good for professional golf. The team aspect is great, the golfers playing there are great, and the worldwide aspect is interesting.

In this off-season from golf, leaders have been quiet so far with the particulars of what the merger means for golfers. I’m sure this will change as the year unfolds, and this will reveal what the future of the game looks like.

Hopefully, LIV Golf turns down the music and adds a day to their tournaments; as for the PGA Tour, hopefully, they allow LIV golfers to play in PGA Tour events, Majors, and Ryder/President’s Cups; and world golf rankings need to be given to the LIV Golf Tour.

Last thought, it would be great to have an over 50 team on LIV representing the seniors. I know the Majestics are almost there, but not quite. Go RangeGoats!

How many golf courses are in Oregon?

2023-02-28T12:34:00.001-08:00

This is a question that golfers in Oregon want to know, and sometimes searching for the simple answer is difficult. I’ve found a great resource where they have a detailed map of all the golf courses in Oregon, which may come in handy for those who like to travel around and try out new courses.

From this resource, I’ve counted a total of 208 golf courses in Oregon. And, for those interested to know, there are 59 courses east of the Cascade Mountains in Central and Eastern Oregon — most of those are in the Bend area, which has 29 golf courses.

I believe this Oregon golf course map is accurate, as it even has the small rural 9-hole golf course I work and play at in Christmas Valley.

The majority of the golf courses are located where the majority of Oregonians live, that is, in the area around Portland, which has a total of 76 golf courses.

Interestingly, the U.S. has a total of around 16,700 golf courses and the world has around 39,000 in total. That means the U.S. has around 43% of the world’s golf courses, and Oregon has about 1.3% of the golf courses in the U.S.

Those numbers are what you will normally find with multiple online sources, yet according to IBISWorld, there are 8,776 golf courses and country club businesses in the U.S. in 2023. Maybe the difference comes from many of these businesses owning multiple golf courses.

Originally published at NewsBreak

What is the longest and toughest golf course in Oregon?

2023-02-28T12:27:00.003-08:00

The longest golf course in Oregon is likely going to be the toughest too. In this case, I believe it is the toughest golf course Oregon has to offer. The Crosswater Golf Club at the Sunriver Resort is the longest golf course in Oregon from the back tips. It is also the 15th longest golf course in the U.S. according to Golf Course Gurus.

Crosswater is a semi-private golf course where annual paying members and Sunriver Resort guests can play if they stay at the Central Oregon paradise. From the back championship tees at this challenging golf course full of water, sand traps, and countless dangers the yardage is 7,683 with a par 72 layout. The longest par 4 is 480 and the longest par 5 is 687.

One feature of the course when using the more difficult tees is there is no forgiveness for topped or duffed drives, as there are unplayable bushes and native areas between the isolated tees and the playable areas.

Crosswater has two waterways flowing through the course from which it gets its name, the Deschutes and the Little Deschutes Rivers. It is set apart a little way from the Sunriver Resort on its own 600 beautiful acre area in the heart of Central Oregon.

The one good thing about the long yardage is the high elevation of 4,164 ft. will help the ball fly further down the fairway (or out of bounds) to give golfers a fighting chance to make their par, yet bogey golf isn’t bad for most golfers playing by the rules.

Crosswater is rated at 76.9/150 by the USGA, has bent grass fairways and greens, was built in 1995, and was host to Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf in 1999 featuring John Daly and Fred Couples (video below).

The Sunriver Resort is home to three other great golf courses as well, Meadows, Woodlands, and Caldera Links (a 9-hole par 3 layout).

Originally published at NewsBreak

Streakers and Drunken Idiocy Define the New PGA Tour

2023-02-12T16:31:00.003-08:00

After seeing two stories over the last two days about the Waste Management Phoenix Open involving drunken degenerate idiots, I have to conclude this defines the new PGA Tour.

The 16th stadium hole at the WM Phoenix Open had to ban bottles from the rebellious children, as they were throwing them on the course like the idiots they are. Now, a streaker, a man in a speedo, is doing pole dances on the flagstick to everyone's seeing delight as they wave their satanic salutes.

Heed my advice Christian golfers, don't have anything to do with the PGA Tour anymore. After their behavior towards LIV Golf last year, showing their peevish snobbery and ugly controlling greed, their tournaments are turning into disrespectful drunk idiot games.

I thought this was a gentleman's game?

The irony is the PGA Tour has been acting self-righteous towards LIV Golf, as though they uphold the traditional game and values, lol. Does the traditional game include drunk idiots poll dancing on the green and throwing beer bottles onto the course for "fun."

I thought just enjoying the nice day in the sun and watching golf was the fun part. Since when is tournament golf all about getting wasted and having games to play on the sidelines?

What a bunch of shameful crap the PGA Tour represents now.

At least LIV Golf doesn't pretend to be traditional. I haven't seen any streakers at their tournaments and they like to provide a family atmosphere.

Then I see an article the same day, today, comparing Tiger Woods to Jesus! The prolific fornicating adulterer is now Jesus!

That is the culture of the PGA Tour for you, represented by Golf Digest.

I honestly don't even want to watch or keep track of the Majors these days, if it has anything to do with the PGA Tour, the operation stinks like something defiled and dead.

Maybe I'll watch some LIV Golf if they don't sell out to attract the same group of drunken idiots. Or, maybe I'll start following the Hickory Stick Open and watch their tournaments.

This world is going to hell quick and the golf world has become a carnival of drunken, wicked, sold-out idiots.

These highlighted stories this week prove this to be true.

Stay away from this worldly influence Christian golfers. It will only defile you and hinder your walk with God. How can we support this type of thing in any way and call ourselves Christian?

What is the oldest golf course in Oregon?

2023-02-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

There is an easy answer to this question, as the oldest golf course in Oregon is even arguably the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi, and there is no argument it is the oldest continually running golf course west of the Mississippi.

The answer is the seaside Gearhart Golf Links, established in 1892 as a 3-hole golf course by some homesick Scotsmen as the legend goes.

Gearhart Golf Links’ website gives a lot of detail about the origins and subsequent history of the over 130-year-old course in the northwestern county of Clatsop. This includes homesick Scotsmen sticking tin cans into the dunes and knocking balls into them with sticks. A rudimentary yet accurate explanation of the game of golf.

The oldest course in Oregon started out with just three holes in 1888 along the seaside meadows of the Northwest Coast. Although golf was relatively new to the U.S. at that time, guests from the close-by Gearhart Hotel adopted it as a regular past-time. Over the years, the links course grew to 18 holes as it is today.

Some of the interesting history of the oldest golf course in Oregon includes donkey-powered beverage carts, the Sittin’ Seagulls Tournaments from 1959-68 where participants dressed in a different theme every year, and it recently hosted the 2021 U.S. Hickory Open where only hickory shafted golf clubs are used – the tournament was started in 2008 at Mimosa Hills in Morganton, N.C by the Society of Hickory Golfers.

Here are the yardages of the 18-hole course layout:

- Green: 5157 Par 71

- White: 5741 Par 72

- Craic: 5896 Par 72

- Black: 6176 Par 72

- The Stones: 6551 Par 72

While Bandon Dunes Golf Resort might get the attention when it comes to links golf in Oregon, Gearhart Golf Links is a special place with a rich history. To put in perspective how old the course is, the oldest golf course in the U.S. started only 8 years before, the Oakhurst Golf Club in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Other notable old golf courses in Oregon are the public municipal Eastmoreland Golf Course founded in 1917 located in Portland, and east of the Cascades the Pendleton Country Club had its origins around 1903.

Originally published at NewsBreak

The Golfer's Corner Part 1

2023-01-06T14:39:00.002-08:00

(written in 2014)

In the Beginning

In the beginning, I had some clubs but I didn't have a bag. I had to use a loaner bag from the course my stepdad and I were about to hack our way around. Unfortunately for me, it was a pink bag. I was 12 years old when I first stepped foot on a golf course, not knowing it would become a passion for me all my life.

I remember playing that day as if t were yesterday. I was absolutely horrible, shanking, topping, missing, and losing balls right and left. I hit every hazard that was in front, beside, or even behind me. It was a wonder we even made it through the 9 holes we did. My stepdad wasn't much better, but he had some practice playing on the company golf team at the brake plant in Tennessee.

That first day I even tried my best to keep score, even though the math was so complicated it could merit an invisible algebra equation. I can't remember exactly what I came up with, but the score for 9 holes was probably around 100 if I were to count all the penalties. And if I were to keep a good score, I would have had to disqualify myself I'm sure.

Nevertheless, the rusted old blades my stepdad got me back in the early 90s were my first set of clubs. I cleaned them up and even got a used bag later for them. I constructed a mini golf course around our farmhouse with hula hoops and a Wiffle ball. I challenged my brother, stepdad, and mom to compete. I kept score and we all had a lot of fun. I even drew out the course design and put the stats on paper. It was the beginning of a lifetime love affair with golf.

Getting Better

As time progressed, our family moved back to where we were from in Oregon. I didn't get the chance to play golf for a while, but when I entered high school the opportunity to play again presented itself with the golf team.

As I lived in a small rural place in Eastern Oregon, having a golf course was a dream come true. It was as if God put it there for me. I played that course all the time, every chance I could get. Because I was a member of the high school golf team, they let me play all year round for a membership of $90/year! I even had a golfing buddy who would come with me often and we would challenge each other to get better.

Those times were the heart of golfing in its essence. I didn't know about St. Andrews or the Masters. We didn't have cable or the internet and I knew very little about professional golf, or even where golf came from. All I knew was that I loved the game.

In the first year of high school at our 1A school, I was about the third best player shooting rounds around 110-135 on eighteen holes. By this time, I had learned the rules and was playing tournaments where I needed to show golf etiquette.

I became a strict rule-keeper and wanted nothing to do with mulligans and cheating whatsoever. I was tempted a few times of course, and admittedly even bent the rules, but was deeply burdened at my lack of integrity until I became an uncompromising rule keeper as I still am.

This is how I got better at golf, playing on a lonely course in Eastern Oregon, playing on the high school golf team. We played 1-3A schools and in my 10th-12th grade years I was the top player.

I progressed each year until finally in the last tournament I broke 90 with an 88. This was the highlight of my high school golfing career. This was the district's tournament and I believe I came in right in the middle of the pack after the two-day tournament was over.

The Dream is Still There

In high school, I began to dream of becoming a college golfer; after high school when I was in the Air Force I began to dream of becoming a professional golfer. I played on the Air Force squadron golf team where I was the second-best player out of our security forces squadron.

I played all the time, read magazines, and started to learn about the golfing scene and history. Tiger woods was emerging about this time and I remember being pained if it was nice outside and I had to work and couldn't play golf.

At this point, I was threatening to break 80 on many occasions but never did, nor have I shot better than a +8 on any 18-hole course to this day. One time I played a par 71 and shot a 79, but this didn't count in my book. Still, I chase this elusive goal of breaking 80. (Update, I did finally break 80 a few years after this article with a +7, but only one time).

I was an 11 handicap playing on one of the toughest courses in Utah, Hill AFB course, where they often held the state amateur championship. And at one point during a squadron competition, I shot an -1 on 9 holes, so a 35! Too bad on the front nine I shot a 50!

The dream was there and I thought all the time about golf. When I got out of the Air Force all I wanted to do was work on a golf course. God had other plans for me though, and I had a long road of discovery in my personal life to go through. I needed to get right with Jesus, and my search for truth overrode my dreams of golf. Still, the dream has always been there.

The Aging Dreamer

As I got older, I would go through golfing phases and still do. At times the dream would awaken and I would play more golf, and other times I would put it away and pursue other dreams which I had in me. As I also wanted to be a writer and a musician.

At one point when I was 26 years old, I got my handicap back and entered two amateur tournaments in Oregon. I was an 18 handicap at this point, a bit rusty. In the first tournament, I barely was able to shoot under 100 the first day, and on the second I shot 102 or so. I came in about 97th out of 120 golfers. This was discouraging, but I was very excited to be competing again.

The next tournament I entered was different. I was ready for this one and I ended up shooting two rounds in the mid-eighties and winning the net score for the entire tournament! So, I am actually a winner of an amateur golf tournament with my net score. Although I had a high handicap, it was accurate at that time in my life.

About ten years later, here I am about 35 years old. I still golf about 10 times a year and have a driving range across the street from my house. I have been keeping meticulous stats on each round I complete and I always keep a tournament accurate score. I don't have a home club or an official handicap, but at this point, I am about a 15 handicap.

The dream is still there, but there are other dreams and priorities that are more important in my life at this point. I am married and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, own and operate a lawn care business, and am a part-time writer on the internet.

My plate is full you may say, but when I do get out there on the course it's like I'm out there on my home course in Eastern Oregon again; I start to think if I could just shoot par I could become a professional. The dream is still there.

Experiencing Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the Oregon Coast

2023-01-03T11:23:00.003-08:00

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is an essential destination for every purist golfer and a must for every golf lover. Fortunately for Oregon golfers, it is right in our backyard near the small coastal town of Bandon.

One of the unique aspects of the resort is they don’t allow motorized carts to be used, except for people with disabilities. This means golfers have to golf the old-fashioned way by walking.

Golfers can either carry their bags, use a push cart, or pay one of the resort’s caddies to carry their bags for them.

It goes without saying, the scenery right along the Pacific Ocean is stunning and the quality of the golf courses is magnificent.

On the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort website, they feature 6 courses to play, yet there is another small course called Shorty’s near the golf range.

The golf practice facility itself is amazing with a huge putting green, a large chipping green, and two golf ranges to hit balls.

putting green/author

Here is a list of the golf courses in order of their creation:

(yardage from furthest tees — black tees)

Bandon Dunes (1999), 6,732 yards, Par 72
Shorty’s (2000), 1,106 yards, Par 27 (9-hole Par 3 course)
Pacific Dunes (2001), 6,633 yards, Par 71
Bandon Trails (2005), 6,788 yards, Par 71
Old Macdonald (2010), 6944 yards, Par 71
Bandon Preserve (2012), 1,609 yards, Par 39 (13-hole Par 3 course)
Sheep Ranch (2020), 6,636 yards, Par 72

Although playing the main 6 courses is expensive, the practice range and Shorty’s are free for staying and playing guests and only $10 for visitors to use all day with a day pass.

If you golf in the winter the prices are more reasonable and the place is more spacious, yet dealing with the coastal weather may be rough.

Another thing to keep in mind is even though the yardages don’t seem very long, the nearly zero elevation means the ball doesn’t fly as far. Coming from an elevation of 4,200 ft., I noticed an estimated 20 percent less ball flight on shots.

Visitors will also find 6 miles of hiking trails at Bandon Dunes:

Jamie McEwan Trail
Woodland Trail
Dune Trail
Beach Trail

These are free to walk and hike on for visitors.

My wife and I lived in Bandon for nearly a year as I worked at Bandon Preserve as an agronomist (greenskeeper). This was an amazing experience for me as a golfer and greenskeeper.

The Awesome Job of a Golf Course Greenskeeper

We walked the trails and enjoyed the beauty of the courses, surrounding forests, and ocean views.

What I realized when enjoying my time there was that it was a place for everyone who appreciated golf and the beauty of nature. The resort isn’t private or closed off, and although expensive to play on the main courses and stay as a guest, there was also the practice range, Shorty’s, and the hiking trails for free or very affordable.

Ultimately, Bandon Dunes is a public resort open to all who want to experience what true links golf is all about. I was able to play Bandon Preserve and Bandon Trails while there and it was a great experience.

There are many nice benches along the paths and courses to sit and take in the beauty like my wife is doing in the picture above. This was in December 2019.

The experience of living and working there was memorable; hopefully, it won’t be the last time I venture on those beautiful grounds with my bag of sticks and camera. Just to note, their website has many amazing pictures and video footage of each course if these pictures weren’t enough.

The Renewal of the Christmas Valley Golf Course in Eastern Oregon

2022-12-27T13:58:00.008-08:00

Hole #7 August 2022Photo by author

Originally opened in 1964, the Christmas Valley Golf Course, located in Eastern Oregon in the city by its name, has had its ups and downs. 2020 was probably the worst down the course has had in its 56 years of being open. The greens were dying in spots, the fairy rings were growing unchecked in the fairways and some of the flags were made of caution tape to scare the geese away.

Hole #9 April 2021Photo by author

This is when I got the job as superintendent and greenskeeper. With one day of training, my co-worker had a stroke (he survived) and I was on my own. Despite some political issues that continued to harm the improvement of the course, the season of 2021 was when the renewal started.

Coming from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort where I worked on the Bandon Preserve course, as what they call an agronomist (greenskeeper), and before that Sunriver Resort where I was a greenskeeper at the Meadows course, I learned the trade from some of the best in the industry. Thankfully, I made good contacts and was able to use them as consultants in the renewal process.

The 2021 season was rocky as I adjusted to being the only greenskeeper and being in charge of an entire full-length 9-hole golf course (3321 yards from blue tees). My main focus was to fix the greens and make the course playable.

As a backdrop, this course is where I grew up playing golf in high school around 30 years ago. I had many fond memories of playing the course and dreaming about becoming a professional golfer. Unfortunately, that lofty dream still escapes me, yet another dream had come true when I became the superintendent greenskeeper of the course.

With all the problems the course had and the paltry pay the job offered, it took this love for the course for me to stay motivated through the difficulties.

After being spoiled by working at Bandon and Sunriver, I found myself having to do everything; irrigation tech, pest control, course maintenance, spray applicator, mechanic, and superintendent. My skill set had to get better and quick, including my ability to be the center of attention as the person in charge.

Green repair spring 2021 Photo by author

Long story short, the spring green repair was a learning process, to say the least, and between the damage from the geese and an unpredicted freeze, the growth of the damaged areas was about 20%. Still, removing the metal poles that held up the caution tape on the 1st and 9th green and putting some new flags on the poles already started making the course look and feel respectable.

The volunteers from the golf committee and the park and recreation office manager were helping as much as possible in the uphill effort and were key in the entire renewal process.

By the time the annual 4th of July tournament came around the golf course was looking better and much more playable. The attendance was better than it had been in years if not decades. One of the committee members who lives on the course organized another tournament in the fall called the harvest tournament, which did even better in attendance and raised upwards of $10k for the course from local businesses and community members.

Hole #7 summer 2021Photo by author

With the support of the local businesses and community, the golf course slowly improved and the renewal started taking shape.

The fall green repair in 2021 was refined from what I learned in the spring and had much better results. The growth this time was around 60%. The dead and diseased patches in the greens were now mostly gone -- they went from covering around 30% of the greens to around 5%.

Besides the green repair, general greenskeeping horticultural practices such as verticutting, aerating, and topdressing were used as well as light chemical product applications and plenty of watering. One of the most helpful practices I did was refine the watering schedule and methods to make sure every part of the greens were getting hit and not missed -- on the tees as well.

Hole #8 fall 2021 topdressing Photo by author

The antiquated above-ground watering system has great redundancy, yet required many leaking pipes to be repaired from years of neglect. Also, some of the valves had been bent and damaged over the years by golf carts accidentally running them over; this in addition to the heavy winds made it hard to hit the entire surface of the greens.

Hole #9 irrigation repair fall 2021Photo by author

The main water pipe basically runs right down the middle of the 9-hole course around the greens and tees. Reaching missed spots is accomplished by using hoses connected to the quick coupler sprinklers. Making sure the hoses are out of the way of play is a unique task needed for the antiquated course.

Mainline irrigation repair fall 2021Photo by author

The 2021 year went well and the renewal was taking shape, yet the 2022 season is when the course really started to look and feel like a golf course again.

In 2022 the same horticultural practices were used again, building upon the improvements already made. With fewer overall issues to deal with, the fine-tuning of the greens and tees started to show good results. The applications were refined for better results, including the addition of a 40-gallon battery-powered water tank with a pump sprayer. Attaching this to a golf cart allowed me to have a mobile water system and spray applicator to streamline operations.

Hole #2 aeration fall 2021Photo by author

The only other particular that is worth noting is the exclusive use of solid tine aeration on the greens in both the spring and fall. With limited sand, I was only able to topdress the greens after these aeration efforts. The solid tines reduced labor to a manageable level for the one-man crew and were adequate because the soft greens don't get rolled nor see a lot of play.

The 2022 season had record attendance for the 4th of July tournament and nearly as many for the Harvest tournament in the fall, once again bringing in around $10k to help the renewal cause.

Hole #8 Summer 2022 Photo by author

What will 2023 bring? Everyone involved in the renewal efforts is optimistic for the future of the course after the last two years of progress. While improvements are still needed, the ones accomplished over the last two years have been remarkable and much-needed.

Once again, the Christmas Valley Golf Course is full of life and offers golfers a fair test in a beautiful setting. Although not perfect, the greens are vastly improved and the course is very playable, thus giving the course back the dignity and respect it deserves.

Ultimately, I'm grateful to have been part of the renewal of the Christmas Valley Golf Course and look forward to its future.

The Awesome Job of a Golf Course Greenskeeper

2022-12-26T18:28:00.005-08:00

Meadows Golf Course/author

Does anyone else dream of being a greenskeeper?

Rolling around in a golf cart, buggy, mower, three-wheeler, utility cart, or tractor under the sunshine with the wind blowing on my face, thinking it doesn’t get any better than this.

Simply being around a golf course is like being home for me. This is partly the reason why I’ve always dreamed of being a golf course greenskeeper. My first dream job was to be a professional golfer, but this requires being exceptionally good at golf — something I’ve yet to accomplish.

Despite being an 11 handicap after nearly 30 years of trying to break the par code, I did finally accomplish my dream of being a greenskeeper.

Seeds of a Dream

Like other young and ambitious Americans, I started off my college years working toward a respectable career, specifically for me, being a secondary education history teacher. I was interested in history, liked to teach, and the pay was good.

While working toward my Associate degree at a community college I took a career development course. During this course, the teacher asked us to write a list of the careers or jobs we wanted to do. A what do you want to do when you grow up question.

For some reason, the teaching idea was getting lost in my head, so I chose to be a greenskeeper and a writer as my top career choices. There were others who wanted to be a writer, but I was the only one who wanted to be a greenskeeper.

Fast forward 19 years and I finally became a golf course greenskeeper!

Meadows Golf Course

I did work as a golf course cart attendant for a season around 7 years after this class, yet it wasn’t until I landed a job at Sunriver Resort’s Meadow Golf Course when I was 40 years old that I finally realized my dream job.

The hard part about this job is I had to drive 82 miles one way to get there. This meant my 8-hour job with a half-hour lunch turned into an 11-hour day with the drive — and the gas took a huge chunk out of my already small paycheck.

Besides the paltry pay and long commute, this was the best job I’ve ever had. I absolutely love being a golf course greenskeeper.

Starting at the break of dawn (or earlier in the dark at some courses) the crew would get on their daily assigned machines and head out to the course to accomplish the maintenance hole by hole.

The greens, tees, trim, fairways, and rough all had separate mowers dedicated to cutting the grass at a certain height. Then there was the rolling machine and the bunker rakes (three-wheelers pulling a metal rake). Either the roller or the greens mower had to cut the cups.

The difficult part was staying ahead of the golfers, as they would also start around the break of dawn. If we got behind they would soon catch up with us, and letting them through wasn’t an option, as there would continually be groups coming afterward and we’d never finish — I’ve had nightmares of golf carts chasing me down since becoming a greenskeeper.

Meadows is an amazing golf course in a beautiful setting. Riding out to the first hole in the morning was like entering paradise, especially when the weather was nice in the summer. Being in the high country in central Oregon (4300 ft.), the spring and fall had plenty of inclement weather including snow, rain, sleet, and freezing temperatures.

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

After working one season at Meadows and doing very well, I had the golf fever once again (dreams of being a professional golfer at 40 YOA). With other extenuating circumstances, we decided to move to Bandon, Oregon, so I could work as a caddie at the prestigious resort and begin to practice more for my ultimate dream job.

I ended up getting a job as an agronomist (greenskeeper) at the Bandon Preserve Golf Course, which was a 13-hole par 3 course sitting right on the Pacific Ocean. The beauty of this course was equal to that of Meadows.

Hole #6 at Bandon Preserve

I tried being a caddie for one day but didn’t like having to be around drinking golfers. Ultimately, I realized being a greenskeeper was much better for me.

I worked at the Bandon Preserve course during the pandemic year of 2020. The good part of this was the course shut down for a month and I was able to work without golfers getting in the way — it was paradise.

The hard part about working at the Bandon Preserve was starting about 2 hours before dawn. We would put on our headlamps and work in the complete dark. Starting the job in January, the cold, wet, and stormy weather weren’t easy to deal with.

I did well at this second greenskeeping job, yet because I wasn’t willing to take a COVID test I had to quit and move on. This was unfortunate because they wanted me to mow the greens for the Bandon Trails course (we shared the maintenance shop with their crew) for the 2020 U.S. Amateur tournament — that is why we had to test.

We ended up moving back to Eastern Oregon after our year-long journey living on the coast. What I didn’t realize when moving to the coast is how badly it affected my health. The low elevation and frequencies from shifting weather patterns caused me to have issues with my blood and breathing.

We were glad to get back to the high country.

Christmas Valley Golf Course

I was thinking about going back to work for Meadows again when a greenskeeping job opened up locally in our small county. This was the golf course I grew up playing in high school called the Christmas Valley Golf Course — a 9-hole full-length par 36 course.

I ended up working this course for the next two years as the superintendent and only greenskeeper. It is the off-season now, yet I plan on coming back next year for the third season in a row.

Christmas Valley Golf Course hole #8

I recently wrote an article on NewsBreak detailing the renewal efforts at this course, as it was in bad shape when I began. The picture above is from the fall of this year (2022) after the renewal efforts have taken effect.

The renewal of the Christmas Valley Golf Course in Eastern Oregon | Robbie Newport | NewsBreak…

Conclusion

Being a jack of all trades and a master of none most of my adult life, I’ve really enjoyed focusing on one trade. Being a greenskeeper is more than just mowing lawns as some people may think. It is a trade that requires skill and attention to detail; and to do well, it requires a love of golf courses and making them look beautiful.

Maybe being a greenskeeper isn’t what most people dream of doing because it doesn’t offer much prestige, power, or money, yet for me, it is a dream come true to get paid for spending time on these beautiful golf courses.

God even worked it out so I ended up working on the golf course I grew up playing as a teenager while dreaming of being a professional golfer. While it hasn’t been easy and the old rural course pales in comparison to the quality of Meadows and Bandon, it holds a special place in my heart and offers plenty of peace and tranquility throughout my working day.

The awesome job of being a golf course greenskeeper has come true for me and I’m very grateful it has. Working in this trade for the last 4 years has been a blessing and a dream come true.

Only months away from earning my BS in Human Services, I don’t know how long I will continue to be a greenskeeper, as it seems God may have other plans for my life down the road. Whatever the future may hold, I’m comforted knowing greenskeeping will always hold a special place in my heart and be there for me if needed.

Watch: Lucas Black, Robert Duvall | Seven Days in Utopia (Free Full Length Movie)

2022-12-25T15:38:00.002-08:00

The bad part about movie reviews is they often tell you too much of the story. Instead of giving away the plot and ruining the movie-watching experience for you, I'll instead let you watch the movie.

I'll just add that this is a good golf movie for golfers and non-golfers alike. Robert Duvall is a great actor and Lucas Black does a good job as well. The town and the scenery are a bit like a utopia, except for the negative character every movie needs to create a good plot.

While golf is on pause in the world due to winter and the short off-season for pro golf, don't forget that in no time the links will be back up and running (for those in the north, me included) and the golfing fever will be here again.

2023 promises to be interesting with the LIV Golf tour's full schedule and the players being allowed in the Majors. Will they get world ranking points and what players will come over to their tour, we'll find out soon enough.

For now, we can work on our mental game like the character in this movie, and hope this will be the lowest handicap year we've had yet.

Watch: LIV Golf 2022 Team Championship | Finals | October 30

2022-11-01T07:58:00.002-07:00

What an exciting final day at the LIV Golf team championship! This golf league is definitely only going to get more popular next year, watch out PGA Tour, you have met your match and more. It would be better for the PGA Tour to recognize how awesome this new format and league is and to partner with them, rather than act like they have with the banning, snide remarks, and superiority complex. LIV Golf is the future of golf at the top level, at least for as long as this world last.

As a golf fan who has played the game since 1991 and watched the game for just as long, this new league and format is the most exciting golf I've watched besides the Majors, and maybe even more than the Majors. Next year with the full 14 events and probably even more top players, LIV Golf is going to easily become the favorite league for golf fans.

Right now, the league has 48 players and 12 teams; I predict this will grow to 60 players and 15 teams. It would be cool if they had a formal seniors team, full of guys at least 50 years and up in age. The Majestics are nearly there, but really only Lee Westwood is in his 50s -- and he almost won one tournament, playing very well along with another 50-something Phil Mickelson.

As for this tournament at Doral, the season finale, competitive golf doesn't get much better. I was hoping to see my favorite team the HY Flyers do better, but there was plenty of storylines to root for. The Four Aces barely won the tournament after some late heroics from team Punch, most notably the real world number 1, Cameron Smith with a -7 under.

Team Smash and the Stingers did great to get to the final day, yet they faltered in the end leaving the competition down to the Four Aces and Punch. This was a real team effort, as all four scores counted on the final day. I think having all four scores count on the last day of every tournament would also be a good change for next year.

I haven't even watched the highlights for the last 3 or four PGA Tour events, especially when LIV Golf has been playing. The PGA seems so boring compared to this new league and format, they are really in trouble next year, especially when some more top players come over to LIV. Three months off until the first event in 2023 and I'm looking forward to this more than even the Majors -- and if the Majors don't allow the LIV golfers to play in them, I won't even bother watching them anymore. Bravo Norman and fellas, bravo!

Playing in the 25th Oregon Public Links Championship in 2022

2022-09-20T17:28:00.002-07:00

My 2022 amateur golf season consists of playing in three tournaments this year, including the Public Links Golf Championship, which is a USGA and an OGA hosted 36-hole two-day tournament. This year it was held at McNary Golf Course in Salem Oregon. The other two tournaments this year are the Christmas Valley Golf Course 4th of July 9-hole best ball tournament and the upcoming Net Championship hosted by the OGA Tour in Woodburn, Oregon -- another 36-hole two-day tournament (Sept. 24). This event happened July 9-10, 2022.

The McNary Golf Clubs from the back tees wasn't very long at only 6239, Par 71, yet I found myself having trouble getting to some of the Par 4s in two with the elevation drop and lush fairways not giving my high drives any roll. The length wasn't the problem overall, rather it was not being accurate with my approach shots -- I didn't hit one GIR the second day, shooting a +20, 91. This added to the +19, 90 the first day, giving me a Gross 181 total +39.

Playing in the Championship division, I placed 44 out of 49 Gross, with all the scores including the Open division (who players from the easier tees), I placed 57 out of 70. As for Net, I placed 24 out of 49 in the Championship Division with a +13.

The second day I was out of position many times and it looked like I would have a blow up day, yet God was with me and I drained some huge putts to save bogeys and make pars (praise Jesus is what I said after these miracle putts). I even made two birdies the first day, still not breaking 90, even with a Par 71. It was basically bogey golf at its best.

The winning score was -7 and there were three golfers under par for the tournament, so good competition at the Public Links this year. The golf course was in great shape, the greens were rolling very fast, and there were enough trees, water, and bunkers to make it a tough test. I wasn't very happy with not shooting in the 80s, yet I was driving it straight and hitting some great shots and putts to stay in there, never getting any worse than a double for two days.

Here are some more pics, donuts from the Mexican bakery (Woodburn is like little Mexico -- where my hotel was), my old car in the midst of all the expensive ones, myself after buying a new shirt at Bi-Mart (one I brought for the second day had holes in it!). Until next time.

By the way, in the Christmas Valley Tournament, my team shot a 33 (-3) and came in about 5th out of 12 teams -- 4 man best ball with mulligans you can buy isn't really golf, yet was good to see people out at the course I work at to have fun and raise some money for the course.

Watch: "LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster | Final Round | July 31, 2022"

2022-08-02T17:19:00.001-07:00

Watch the entire final round of the Bedminster LIV Golf tourney without commercials! Wow, this is the type of golf coverage I've been dreaming of, as I don't and won't ever pay for cable television. Not only this, but these tournaments are exciting, everyone is playing at the same time, and everyone has some reason to play besides money, that is to help their team win or at least threaten to win.

Matthew Wollfe and the Hy Flyers (with Phil Mickelson) did this when he shot 7 under the final day and nearly took 3rd place away from Sergio Garcia's Fireballs. I have to say, this golf league is going to become very popular in the next few years. Of course, it is probably the NWO's new golf league, yet no more than the PGA Tour already is -- just now it is worldwide. Of course, there will still be room for the PGA and DP Tours, they'll just have to settle for 2nd and 3rd tier status, that's all. The Majors will still be relevant if they allow the LIV Golf players to play in them and offer world rankings to them, same with the Presidents and Ryder Cups.

The story of this tourney was Henrik Stenson, the frank, humorous, and real dude from Sweeden. His win here really said something to the DP Tour as they recently stripped him from being Captian of the Ryder Cup-- can the R&A, DP Tour, and PGA Tour be more pathetic doing this? Give me a break, all they are doing is driving people to the LIV Golf Tour and giving themselves a bad name, as peevish snobs angry about their status being demoted. Well, get used to it, and taking it gracefully is already out the window.

While I can't say I like the Club 54 theme and the loud music while they are playing near the clubhouse, everything else with the coverage and tournaments has been excellent and fun to watch. Now, Charles Howell III, Paul Casey, Jason Kokrak, and Bubba Watson are officially on the LIV Golf tour as well, awesome, these are some of my favorites. Just wait until Rory goes over, then the PGA Tour will have to concede and say, let's play nice Greg...will it be too late, will their reputation already be tarnished?

If the world keeps going without a total NWO takeover, all these professional tours will still be relevant, the Majors will still be the main thing in golf, yet all this ugliness from the PGA and DP Tours will not be forgotten quickly (and the freemason R&A boys). In the end, LIV Golf will only increase the opportunities for more professional golfers to make a living. Bravo chaps, and bravo Henrik, you are my hero this week! Also, shout out to the all-American team the 4 Aces winning the team event for the second straight tournament; all of these guys are awesome, DJ, Reed, Perez, and Gooch who shot a 7 under to help catapult his team on the 2nd day -- a special bravo to the young Talor for handing all the negativity and playing like a champ, I like this guy!

BTW, I hope Bubba Watson goes to the Hy Flyers with Phil and Wollfe, my favorite team! Also, just wait until the FedEx Cup is over to watch the floodgates open for top players making the move to LIV Golf! I can't wait to see the meltdown at the golf channel!

Watch: "Cameron Smith wins The 150th Open Championship | Final Round Highlights"

2022-07-28T20:45:00.006-07:00

The British Open or The Open as it is called today was held at St. Andrews this 2022 year and Cameron Smith the Australian won the tournament and the official title of Champion Golfer of the Year. This is the first Major for Cameron who has come of age lately playing the best golf of his life.

This was an extra special Major this year being the 150th Open and being held at St. Andrews -- and with the backdrop of coming out of the coronavirus hoax the last couple of years, which actually shut it down in 2020. That's right, everyone was too scared to catch the flu or the cold to play that wonderful year of fun and games. Hey, at least they didn't denigrate the game by playing without fans like they did at the Masters, sorry DJ, it was strange.

Other noteworthy comments, the R&A decided to be snobs and self-righteous pricks when snubbing the greats Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson, both former champions of this particular freemason celebration. Heck, it hasn't been the same since Peter Alliss passed away anyway, in 2020, may he rest in peace and God have mercy on his soul.

The reason for the snubbery? Oh, the R&A and the PGA Tour have gotten all bent out of shape over the LIV Golf Tour, banning and fining players left and right with self-righteous vigor. It really was ugly when the popular Phil and Greg were told they can't eat at the Champions dinner and go to the 150th celebration/memorial -- only good golfers who do everything they are told get to go. To Phil's credit, in the interview tent he showed dignity and tact about the issue, something that can't be said about Tiger and the R&A freemason boys.

While I might speak negatively about those who think they run The Open, fate had its way when an Australian won the tourney (Greg Norman was vindicated). And, although Rory, the ever faithful PGA Tour golden boy almost won the day, it wasn't to be, as the Champion Golfer of the Year always goes to the one who has the most heart. The U.S. Open always goes to the best golfer, the Masters to the one with the most nerves, the PGA Championship to the one who is the most steadfast, and The Open to the one with the most heart. Bravo Cameron, you definitely have the most heart and it couldn't have been won by a better golfer and person.

Now, time to join LIV Golf and have some real fun.

I have to say, this was an awesome tourney despite the snobbery.

Watch: "Final Round | LIV Golf Invitational London"

2022-06-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

How would you like to watch some of the best golfers in the world play golf for free on YouTube? Well, LIV Golf offers just this, as you can see above, the entire rounds from the LIV Golf series are free to watch for all. This is a nice change from the corporate sports world that blocks us from viewing entire rounds because of all the cable rights, etc. For someone like me who doesn't have cable, nor subscribes to any streaming services, being able to watch golf like this is awesome.

LIV Golf is great and it will only get better. The team format, the shotgun starts, the way they have the scores and show the golf is all different and fun to watch. One thing that makes me want to watch LIV Golf more than the PGA Tour is the way the PGA Tour has handled this new golf league. Essentially, the PGA Tour has met its match and is scared they will be made irrelevant because LIV Golf has more money to offer players -- supply and demand. While it is OK for the PGA Tour to suspend players from the Tour that play in LIV Golf, it also is petty and greedy. It shows fear and insecurity...

Remember, the Rothschilds and their worldwide central banking system they run for the AntiChrist Papacy, funds both the PGA Tour and this new Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour, so there is no higher moral grounds to reach, especially when the PGA Tour shut down over the seasonal flu as well as mandating testing and other COVID measures. In other words, the PGA Tour is a stooge of the NWO, as is likely the LIV Golf Tour, yet they haven't yet shown their fear of the seasonal flu yet.

I'm glad the PGA Tour is being disturbed, they have had a monopoly for too long on the game of golf. I do appreciate the traditional format and the Majors, yet the Tour otherwise is nothing but a corporate marketing campaign devoid of reality and true people able to speak their minds. Essentially, the PGA Tour is as much part of the Beast system as this LIV Golf Tour, except they are making a big stink about this new tour, acting as though they are some pure form of golf, some moral form, haha.

I hope all the major players leave the PGA Tour and start playing in the LIV Golf series, so then the PGA Tour can come back down to earth and realize it doesn't own the golfers that play on its tour. Bravo to Mickelson, Johnson, Perez, Reed, Gooch, Bryson, and all those who took the leap and stood up for freedom, despite the smear campaign waged by those who want to control the game of golf to its detriment. If the PGA Tour would have just allowed its players to play where they want when they want, this wouldn't have been a big deal, yet now everyone can see the PGA Tour is the problem and soon its popularity and dominance in the game will evaporate...I know it has with me and many others already.

Have fun watching some golf for free! PGA Tour move aside, a new Tour is in town!

Watch: "Dustin Johnson confirms PGA resignation during LIV Golf press conference"

2022-06-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

The LIV Golf league might just be the future of golf despite what the PGA Tour and the purists want. The format for the fans and the money for the players are both huge factors in why this Saudi-backed alternative professional golf league promises to rival the popularity of the PGA and DP golf tours.

I find it intriguing how this is developing and despite being a purist, I find myself looking forward to this new way to watch and play professional golf. Shotgun starts, 54 hole tournaments, 4 man teams, and drawing from players around the world are all exciting reasons why the LIV Golf Tour is likely to become widely popular -- also, that it will be streamed on digital platforms rather than cable, this will resonate with the younger generations even more.

While I appreciate the PGA Tour and its traditions, I also have lost all respect for the tour when it shut everything down for the seasonal flu and then proceeded to enforce testing, etc. For this cowardly act, I'm glad another tour is rivaling it. I'm sure LIV Golf would also comply with Covid insanity, so it's not that I think it is morally superior, esp. considering it is backed by the Saudis. The fact is though that the PGA Tour is backed by the Rothchilds, which happens to be the same central bankers backing the Saudis -- so it doesn't matter, it is all wickedly derived money.

The Majors are great, yes, and they will have to allow those who play on the LIV tour to play in them if they don't want to lose all their fans. As for the Ryder and President's Cups, who cares, patriotism to central banks is stupid folly anyway -- I could never stand these tournaments with all the drinking and pride, etc.

I say bravo to those players who are brave enough to play in this new league despite the threats of the PGA Tour. Not only do I think it is good to break up the monopoly, but I also believe this new tour will become the future of professional golf. The Majors will also be important, but this league will become more popular than the weekly tournaments sponsored by all the wicked elite with their corporate names on them -- the Shriners tournament is especially wicked.

I had mixed feeling about this one, but I'm now excited to watch this new form of golf and glad that Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson are going to be there along with other notable golfers. Get ready for the future of golf starting this weekend, ready or not!

Watch: "Billy Horschel wins 7th PGA TOUR title | Round 4 | the Memorial | 2022"

2022-06-06T06:20:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Billy Horschel for winning his 7th PGA Tour title at the Memorial Tournament this year 2022! Although Billy hasn't won a Major yet, he has won some very high-profile tournaments, including the Tour Championship, the WGC Match Play event, and now the Memorial tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

Sounds strange to me (being 43 YOA) that Billy would be considered an older player on the Tour now at only 35 YOA! I have to face reality though and admit, I'm getting older when the younger players for me are now the older players on Tour and all those who were babies when I was a young adult are now the main hot shots on Tour -- don't worry though younger players, soon enough you will be the older players with some even younger upstarts coming to fruition.

Billy's win here shows how older players can dominate with their crafty games and valuable experience. Billy is a streaky player, so watch out for him the rest of the year. In an interview after the win, he explained how his wife and children haven't been present for any of his wins, so this time when they were present was very special to him, even helping him get the "monkey off his back."

Bravo Billy, way to play and keep it going!

Watch: Amazing Highlights of the 2022 Betfred British Masters

2022-05-14T18:45:00.009-07:00

First known as the Dunlop Masters from 1946 until 1982, then the British Masters, held until 2008, then back again in 2015 until the present, this prestigious European Tour event now called the Betfred British Masters had an amazing and unbelievable finish.

The course is called The Belfry, it is 7328 yards, par 72. Golf courses keep getting longer, yet the equipment and balls keep getting longer too, not to mention the amount of people playing is producing longer hitters. Still, this is a tough course with some good distance to navigate, I think I've seen it being played on the Europro Tour, a 3rd tier mini-tour based in England.

Olesen had an up and down day, while Ramsay, unfortunately, fell to the choke factor on the 18th hole and put it in the water. The ups of Olesen were good enough to place him one stroke on top with some amazing and even unbelievable putts. This type of putting is what makes golf and sport interesting, as it shows more than a technique, it is a certain focus and fate, it is unexplainable, yet amazing to watch the best golfers in the world get in this type of rare zone.

Way to roll it Olesen!

Watch "Million Dollar Golf Swing" George Knudson Documentary

2022-05-10T06:23:00.003-07:00

George Knudson was another great golfer from Canada in the latter part of the 20th century. His contemporary Moe Norman was another notable Canadian golfer. This is a great documentary on this relatively obscure golfer; George made his claim to fame on Shell's "Wonderful World of Golf" television series in the 60s and 70s. Back then, golf on television was very limited, only showing the last few holes usually on Sunday. This series highlighted the world's best golfers at the time in one on one matches with other greats of the time -- this gave the fans a more personal look at their favorite golfers.

Like Moe Norman, George was sort of a golf philosopher, always working on the swing, making it quiet and consistent. If only George was as good of a putter as he was a ball striker, then he would have been a household name in the world of golf with Major wins to his credit. His strong grip and inside-out swing made golf look easy, which is something good golfers tend to do.

Considering Canada is frozen half of the year like it is in Oregon where I'm from, it is amazing how many good golfers have come out of Canada. My favorite currently is Mackenzie Hughes who will likely win a major before too long like his countryman Mike Weir did in 2003 at the Masters -- the only Major win for a Canadian golfer ever.

Unfortunately, George didn't live a long life, dying in his early 50s from lung cancer that spread to other parts of his body. If only George knew of a natural cure, yet the medical establishment made sure he and others didn't know of the many cancer cures available at the time and at the present. His golfing ability will be remembered, as one of the best ball strikers ever to have played the game, which is saying something. Let his swing and efforts at golf inspire you to play and swing better.