A Great Day at the Frys.com Open

We know that we promised that the next Golf Talk posting would be about the Natural Golf wide stance setup, but yesterday my buddy Jack Challender and I had such a great day at the Frys.com Open in Scottsdale, Arizona, that I decided to jump in here and tell you about it.

If you haven't been to a PGA tournament, you owe it to yourself to do so. We have been going to the Frys.com Open for the past few years, and every time I come away with a deep appreciation for the talent and discipline these players have. It is so much better to see them perform in the real and beautiful surroundings of Grayhawk Golf Club than to watch it on television. Television coverage is wonderful for watching the entire tournament. The producer, director, camera operators and announcers all deliver a terrific story of the event, the place and the people. But, it is still not like being there and seeing the real people hit the golf ball.

The day started on an up beat for us when a fellow passenger on the shuttle bus from the parking lot held out two tickets to the Open and asked if I knew anyone who could use them. I politely reached across the aisle to grasp the ducats (worth $50) without pulling his arm out of its socket, and then genuinely thanked him for the courtesy. I told Jack "It's a good day. Maybe, we should buy a lottery ticket."

As we walked along the cart path leading to the clubhouse area - clustered in the center of the 1st tee, the 9th green, the 10th tee, driving range, practice green and all the vendors and food caterers - we were surrounded by fans, players and caddies. What other professional sports event can you think of where Aaron Oberholzer says "Excuse me" as he crosses in front of you on his way to the driving range? We stood for a while watching Oberholzer, Mike Weir and Nick Watney hit five irons out to the 200 yard marker. Drivers put the ball out of sight...and every shot hit clean and to the same place. Great stuff.

Our next stop was the 1st tee, where we sat in a small grandstand directly behind the teebox...about 15 feet from the 16th pairing of Steve Flesch, Jeff Magggert and Rod Pampling waiting to tee off. Close enough to hear them talking with their caddies, and close enough to watch each player's golf bag being inventoried before play began.

Until a few years ago, I never knew that everything in a pro's golf bag was inventoried as he starts the golf tournament. It makes a lot of sense, though. The sponsors have a right to know that the player they pay is actually using their golf ball, putter or golf shoes. Believe it or not, there have been golfers play tournaments with equipment other than their sponsor's.

It happens in other arenas, too; Barbara, my wife, recently told me about a lady singer who had photos taken for some event wearing a wrist watch other than the one she had been paid a million bucks to advertise and wear. When the sponsor saw the pictures in a magazine - bye, bye contract.

After lunch, Jack and I found a fabulous spot under a shade tree on the shore of the water hazard directly across from the 515 yard 18th fairway and green. What a spot! The teebox was hidden behind a stand of mesquite trees on the left, but we could see the tee shots land 250 or 300 yards out, depending on the player. That left another 250 or 200 yards to the green. It was like watching a huge 3-D screen as the players set up to hit their approach shots onto the green...or in the water...or into the crowd at the back of the green. Steve Lowery got two wet before struggling to the green.

The best example of how good these guys are was Davis Love III. His tee shot on 18 went a little left, landing in a fairway bunker about 220 yards from the green. He hit a beautiful second shot out of the sand that had to have 15 seconds of hang time, sailing into a greenside bunker on the left - releasing a loud groan from the grandstands.

Davis, looking like he was strolling through the park from our vantage point, walked down the fairway, climbed into the bunker and hit an amazing sand shot into the air, trickling to within 6 inches of the hole. He tapped in for par 4 - after hitting into two bunkers! Unreal.

Don't ever let anybody tell you these guys are like the rest of us. Although, if I had hit a million golf balls in my lifetime, I probably could have been that good, too. Nah!!

Do yourself a favor...get out there with the Big Dogs, where it's up close and personal. It really makes golf come alive again.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

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