THE NEW NICKEL LOOK FROM LAB GOLF PUTTERS-WHITES PINE GOLF IN BENSENVILLE is entering into a new management agreement with Mistwood Golf. _____________________________________________________________________
THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS-Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or LinkedIn and Facebook. At Bandon Dunes Resort Oregon
IT’S quite a week for golf, the Playoff’s are starting on the PGA Tour.
Now in the three tournament format, with the BMW Championship sitting as the second stop in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how long this format change is in place, or if the PGA Tour changes it again.
The top 125 in the Fed Ex Cup point standings are in the field this week. Then it’s the top 70 for the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields next week. Finally the top 30 players make the Tour Championship field in Atlanta.
There is a fall series event in California the week after the tour championship in Atlanta, then the U.S. Open at Winged Foot back in New York. Sounds a bit silly-coast-to-coast travel the week before the U.S. Open, but if players are looking to play the week before and travel 3,000 miles to get to Winged Foot-so be it. I would think that many of the worlds top players, would spend the week before playing some of the other top rated courses in the New York & Long Island area instead. Makes a lot more sense.
I’M really impressed with the new-look Nickel finish on the LAB Golf putters. (Pictured above). LAB Golf-Lie-Angle-Balance is a quickly emerging putter with pro’s on tours that are looking to make it to the next level. I tested both models at the Vernon Hills PGA Tour Store and was really impressed. It took only a few putts to start filling up the cup from 20 feet.
LAB putters weren’t very stylish, but the new Nickel look changes that. LAB Golf putters are the best putter on the market you have never head of, until now. If your hitting great drives with that new fitted driver, hitting greens and regulation or not, but can’t make short birdie putts and or saving par putts, give the LAB putter a try. Your playing partners might laugh at first look, but they won’t be laughing when you keep taking their money, or they have to buy the burgers and beer at the end of the round each weekend.
SAD ENDING to a great match in the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes this past week, when a local caddie that was used in the championship, tested the sand when his player was in the bunker by rubbing his hand in the sand. The match was all square on 18, and with a loss of hole penalty, the match was over on the spot. All parties handled the situation with class, still not a way to finish a great U.S. Amateur match.
IT WILL BE INTERESTING to see where a new agreement between Mistwood Golf and the White Pines Golf Courses owned by the Bensenville Park District will go. A return of a dome by winter of 2021-2022 ? The courses getting some needed renovation work ? Bringing in Andrew Godfrey as the new head professional is a great first step, but there is more yet to do at White Pines.
IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR about a limited public play package at one of the great private golf properties in the country, Firestone Country Club in Akron Ohio. I’ll have more on this opportunity this week. Firestone hosted the Senior Players Championship this past week, won by Wisconsin’s Jerry Kelly, who made an ace in yesterdays final round. The historic South Course at Firestone played tough, only Kelly and Scott Parel broke par (70) at -3 and -1 respectively for the week. Maybe an idea a few other clubs should explore, if the 2020 bottom line is sagging heading into the fall golf season.
TRAVEL GOLF, it’s not that I’m taking the pandemic lightly, but some of this state to state quarantine stuff needs to go. If people are coming from real Covid “hot spots” that’s one thing, but before the season ends. It would be nice to travel the Midwest a bit to some top golf destination properties without quarantine issues to come home to. I know some places are doing 72 hour to 5 day quarantines which makes much more sense. What should be taken into account is where people have gone, and the contact they have had with others. I can head to a resort in the north woods of Michigan and see less people in 3 days, than I see in 1 trip to my local grocery store. Here’s to dropping quarantine from the states in our Midwest region.
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA..or maybe some other places. Bud Cauley while playing in the PGA Championship at Harding Park, had a window smashed on his SUV and a few items taken. He called police to report the situation, and was told that San Francisco Police were ” too busy” handling other matters to respond to his call. Anyone now feel safe traveling to California, especially the Bay Area ? #I’llTakeAPass.
IT WAS NICE TO SEE local high schools have a golf meet to start the IHSA season in the last few days. Glad some high school athletes are getting their season in, and I do feel bad for those in sports that are not so fortunate and are not getting to play and compete.
Last week I played the Preserve at Oak Meadows, and was there to see the steel going up on the second floor of the new clubhouse. The clubhouse is really taking shape, but likely won’t be open before the golf season in 2020 comes to an end. But wait til next year, I know we have all heard that phrase somewhere before.
THE GOG BLOG returns tomorrow. RS