WAM Golf

The Five Strangest Places I Have Seen A Golf Ball

As a golfer, it's easy to spot a golf ball where it doesn't belong, unless it's your own. There have been countless times in my golf "career" I've misplaced a tee shot ever so slightly and have not been able to find it, this happens to the best of us. When I see a ball in a place is doesn't belong, I often wonder how it got there.

(How did this ball end up on the Metro North train tracks?)

The inspiration for this article came as I was standing on the platform waiting for my train to New York City. I hate waiting and usually pace up and down the platform to exercise kill time until my train arrives. As luck would have it on this one particular day I spotted a golf ball, pictured above. I stood on the platform staring at it confused as to how a golf ball could have landed here. I've hit some errant tee shots but there isn't a golf course for miles. 

This got me thinking about the other times I've seen golf balls where they didn't belong. It doesn't happen all the time but occasionally I'll find a golf ball in an odd place and it stays in my brain forever. I have also taken on the assumption other golfers have spotted golf balls in strange places and was hoping this would create some hilarious comments. Here are the five strangest places I have spotted golf balls: 

5. In a Tree: This was on a golf course but I have only seen it once, a golf ball stuck in a tree. Every golfer has hit a tree and at some point said the words "I didn't see it come down". In this case, there was good reason. Some of you might be thinking it was your ball and I'll spare details other than to say it had the words Top Flite on it. 

4. The Side Of The Road: This one might not be that strange but it always grabs my attention. I've seen it a couple of times and a few of them have been near golf courses so it makes sense. That being said, I still think it's odd when I see a ProV1 next to a Honda at a traffic light. 

3. In The Ocean: I know what you're thinking, it's not that uncommon if you're at Pebble Beach or another seaside golf course. I have no argument there but on one vacation I discovered a golf ball while snorkeling on an island did not have golf. I'm sure it was placed by someone in good fun but it was still odd to see fish, seaweed, a small wreck and a golf ball. 

2. On The Train Tracks: Yes, my inspiration for this article and the picture above. My guess is someone took the train to play golf and this managed to slip out of their bag and onto the track. It's not that exciting of a story but occasionally I get off at this stop and the ball is still there. Take that Hurricane Irene! The most frustrating part about this is I can't see what type of ball it is. I have considered buying a ball retriever and going after it but I fear I would get some odd looks for doing so. 

1. In The Cup: In a world of match play and not wanting to hold up the group behind you, I can't tell you the number of times the words "It's Good" are said on the putting green. It's now become more common for people not to finish out than it is for us to hear the sound of the ball rattling around in the plastic. 

Dustin Johnson Wins The Barclays

Dustin Johnson shot a 6-under, 65, to win the rain soaked Barclays in Edison, New Jersey on Saturday. The PGA TOUR shortened the tournament to three rounds due to the threat of Hurricane Irene. Johnson shot 8-under during his second round to propel him into second place, just a couple of strokes behind 2010 Barclays champion, Matt Kuchar.

  (Dustin Johnson won the 2011 Barclays. Photo: Daily Mail UK)

 Despite all of the distractions, Johnson managed to play spectacular golf from start to finish. He made only two bogies and one double while adding 21 birdies and an eagle to reach his winning total of 19-under. The win earned him enough points to move from 19th in the FedEx Cup standings to first place. He leads The Barclays runner up, Matt Kuchar, by 748 points. Kuchar's second place finish moved him from 12th to second in the standings.

Notables

Brandt Snedeker shot a 10-under, 61, Saturday to move into a tie with Vijay Singh for 3rd place. Snedeker made and impressive 11 birdies during the final round which included a streak of five consecutive birdies on holes one thru five. The one blemish on his Saturday scorecard was a bogey on 13. The third place finish moved him from 18th to 6th in the FedEx Cup Standings. 

Camilo Villegas finished the three round Barclays at 14-under, good enough for a 6th place tie. Although he struggled this season, Villegas moved up 58 spots in the FedEx Cup standings from 109th to 51st place to qualify for the next round of the FedEx Cup. He's joined by Ian Poulter, Padraig Harrington, and Ernie Els as some of the big names who were outside the top 100 coming into the weekend. 

Players Move Wrong Way In FedEx Cup Standings

There was a lot of talk about Adam Scott coming into The Barclays. Scott had finished his last two tournaments of the year with a win and a top 10 finish. Coming into the playoffs, he was ranked 13th in the FedEx Cup standings. Despite playing well the first two rounds, Scott shot a 5-over, 42, on the backside Saturday afternoon. The difficult round dropped Scott 58 places in the tournament and dropped him from 13th to 23rd in the FedEx Cup standings. 

Phil Mickelson dropped out of the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings. Mickelson came into the playoffs holding the 6th place position but a tie for 43rd moved him down to 11th place, more than 1,900 points off the leader Dustin Johnson. 

The PGA TOUR resumes the FedEx Cup playoffs at the TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts with the Deutsche Bank Championship. The Charley Hoffman is the defending champion. 

Golf Bloggers Meet In New York

Every book I read about Social Media says the key is to go beyond Twitter and Facebook and connect with the people you meet face to face. In a new world that can be summed up in 140 characters or less, it's easy to brush it off and say "we should meet up sometime". I was fortunate enough to have that "sometime" come last week.

(Stacy Solomon on the tee & Patricia Hannigan watching)

A few of us who live in the New York and Connecticut area had said we need to meet up and it finally happened. Stacy Solomon, who you may know as @Golf4Beginners on Twitter, was finally able to get, me and Patricia Hannigan, aka @GolfGirl, together for a round at Putnam National Golf Club in Mahopac, NY.  

A Truly Unique Experience

Social Media is changing the world and has had a serious impact on the game of golf. Some of the biggest names in the world are on Twitter regularly and give the fans some great insight into their daily thoughts but that's not what makes Social Media great. As I tell my clients, Social Media is a way to develop relationships, not replace them. That's exactly what happened when the three of us got together.

Stacy Solomon has over 8,500 followers on Twitter and her blog, Golf for Beginners, has been around since February, 11, 2005. Want proof, here's the link to Stacy's first post (Sorry Stacy!). She's credited with being one of the first golf podcasts to hit the internet (along with her husband Barry) and fought to get bloggers media credentials for professional golf tournaments. 

It was about 18 months after Stacy's first post that Patricia Hannigan entered the golf blog scene with her blog: Golf Girl's Diary. That's right Patricia, I dug up your first post from September 18, 2006 for everyone to read. After following her on Twitter and reading her golf blog, it's not wonder she became a published author when she wrote The Little Tartan Book. 

Here I am just 18 months into my golf writing career and through Social Media, I was able to connect with two of the most well respected golf writers in the New York region and the golf industry. I knew this was a great opportunity and wanted to take full advantage...

(@Golf4Beginners, @WAMGolfs, @GolfGirl. Photo: Golf For Beginners)

No, the picture was the advantage, it was more of a perk! The advantage was being able to talk with two prominent golf writers in the New York Metro area about golf and social media. How far the industry has come and where we expect it to go. Did I mention we also got to play golf? If not it's because I was embarrassed to be the only one not in the fairway on the first hole and several holes after... these women (and Barry) can play!

Get To The Point

Now that you have made it through my ramblings and praise, I have a point. Social Media is a great way to connect and enhance relationships but I believe it is still important to take these connections one step further. My golf blog, Twitter, and Facebook have allowed "meet" some really great people but what good is it if I don't follow up and connect with them on the golf course when the opportunity presents itself?

It was great to hit links with Patricia and Stacy. Their knowledge of golf and social media was even more impressive in person than in the 140 characters we share multiple times a day. They are true golf writers who share the same passion for the game as I do but more important, they are great people. There is more to Social Media than logging into your accounts and typing away, it's about meeting the people behind the accounts and developing the relationship even further. 

Links:

Golf for Beginners (Stacy Solomon)

NewRoc Harley Davidson (Stacy's husband Barry)

Golf Girl's Diary (Patricia Hannigan)

Putnam National Golf Club Review

 

 

The Barclays Preview & Groups To Watch

The PGA TOUR playoffs begin this week with The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey. The field features the top 125 FedEx Cup point earners from the regular season and will be cut to 100 for next weeks tournament, The Deutsche Bank Championship.

(Nick Watney won twice this season and holds the top spot going into the FedEx Cup Playoffs)

Although 125 players have qualified for the Playoffs, Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel and J.B. Holmes will not be in the field this week making the field is 123 players. Schwartzel is currently 21st in the standings and could skip the first two tournaments and likely advance. Holmes is having brain surgery this week and will miss the playoffs, he was ranked 66th.

There's a buzz in the air about Keegan Bradley returning to New Jersey. The PGA TOUR rookie comes into the playoffs in 5th place after winning the PGA Championship just a couple of weeks ago. The former St. Johns University golfer is almost guaranteed a spot TOUR Championship by being ranked this high and a win here could give him the lead going into the final 100. 

The usual suspects are also drawing some attention. Nick Watney has two wins on TOUR this season which earned him the top spot coming into the playoffs. Watney won the AT&T National and WGC-Cadillac Championship, two of the biggest non majors of the season. A win could give him a big enough lead to run away with the playoffs.

Watney may come into the playoffs with a huge advantage but Steve Stricker (2nd), Webb Simpson (3rd), and Luke Donald (4th) all come into the playoffs less than 50 or fewer points off the lead. Stricker currently sits in second place, only 41 points away from being number one. He has the honor of being the highest ranked American in the world and with two PGA TOUR victories this season, knows how to win. I normally write players off the week following their first PGA TOUR victory but there seems to be something different about Webb Simpson. Just 45 points off the lead, his win last week could give him the momentum swing to be a contender in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how he reacts this week. Finally, Luke Donald sits just 50 points back of the lead in perfect stalking distance. The top ranked player in the world, it will be impossible for Donald to sneak up and surprise anyone. A win here would only help his FedEx Cup chances and increase his hold on the world's number one spot. 

The Barclays Groups To Watch

3. Adam Scott, Jason Day & Bill Haas: Adam Scott could be the hottest player on TOUR right now. He won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and followed up with a top 10 at the PGA Championship. He's my pick to win this week. Aside from missing the cut at the PGA Championship, Jason Day has had a career year despite not winning. Runner up at two majors, it's a matter of time before we see him win again. Bill Haas has two second place finishes this season and has made the cut in 18 of 22 events this year. It's a good year for him and hopefully he can take the experience from this years playoffs and grow next season. 

 2. Nick Watney, Steve Stricker & Webb Simpson: I don't think I need to re-explain why this group is one to watch. The top 3 in the FedEx Cup Standings, we could easily see one of the guys crowned FedEx Cup Champion in about a month. 

1. Keegan Bradley, Phil Mickelson & Luke Donald: Phil is always entertaining and seems to always play well in the Northeast. They love him in New Jersey and I think he'll thank the crowd with a stellar performance. I mentioned Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald above. It's going to be interesting to see how Bradley plays after winning a major as a rookie. I expect him to be cool and put on a good showing the next few weeks. Luke Donald always seems cool. If he wins the FedEx Cup, I won't be surprised at all. 

 WAMGolf.com Pick to Win: Adam Scott

Webb Simpson Wins Wyndham Championship; FedEx Cup Field Is Set

Webb Simpson shot a final round 67 to hold off charges by Tommy Gainey and George McNeill to win the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. Simpson was bogey free during his final round and made birdies on the 9^th, 15^th and 16^th to get to -18 for the tournament, three strokes better than McNeill.

  (Webb Simpson earned his first PGA TOUR victory this week. Photo: Yahoo! Sports)

The win is Simpson’s first career PGA TOUR victory and caps off a great 2011 season for the upcoming star who graduated from Wake Forest in 2008. In 20 starts this season Simpson has recorded 15 finishes in the top 25 and seven top 10’s. Prior to winning this the Wyndham he had finished in second twice, at the Transitions Championship and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans where he lost in a playoff. 

Along with $918,000 and a two year exemption on the PGA TOUR, Simpson jumped nine spots in the FedEx Cup standings moving from 12th to 9th. He now sits just 45 points behind the lead, Nick Watney. The win just about guarantees he will be in the TOUR Championship featuring the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup Standings.

FedEx Cup Field Is Set

Webb Simpson wasn't the only one to move into a better position. While Nick Watney and Luke Donald  hold the top two spots, Ernie Els, Camilo Villegas, and Padraig Harrington all played themselves into at least one more event. Villegas, who has had a disappointing year, came into the Wyndham Championship in 125th place, holding the final spot to make the playoffs. A top 10 finish moved him up to 109th place and gives him a fighting chance at advancing to the "second round". 

Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington, both major championship winners, rose to the call and moved from the outside in this weekend. Els came into the event in 126th place but finished in a tie for 30th to sneak into the playoffs in 118th place. Harrington cut it even closer. Coming into the final event he was in 130th but earned enough points with his 47th place finish to climb to 124th place and just make the field next week. 

The most notable name to miss the FedEx Cup, Tiger Woods. Woods, who didn't compete this week, finished in 132nd place. He missed the playoffs by just 20 points despite playing in only eight events. 

The FedEx Cup playoffs begin next week with the top 125 golfers at The Barclays. Matt Kuchar is the defending champion.