WAM Golf

New York Golf Fest & Demo Day

The New York Golf Center in New York City will be hosting its 9th Annual Golf Fest & Demo Day at Chelsea Piers. The event will take place on Saturday, April 28th from 12-6pm and allow golfers to test new equipment from the top golf companies in the world. 

The famous Golf Club at Chelsea Piers closes to the public on this day and allows only those attending Golf Fest to use the facility. The $15 admission (for adults) includes beverages, food, coupons and complimentary hitting tips from professionals. Golfers will also have the opportunity to test out the latest golf equipment from:

• Taylormade
• Ping
• Callaway
• Titleist
• Cleveland
• Miura
• Srixon 
• Mizuno
• Adams
• Fourteen
• Cobra

Additional Information

The New York Golf Center, located on 35th between 7th & Broadway, will offer a free shuttle from midtown to Chelsea Piers. The shuttle will run approximately every 30 minutes to take golfers to and from the event. 

During Golf Fest and Demo Day, the Golf Club at Chelsea Piers will NOT be open to the general public. Your admission to Golf Fest includes range balls at the famous driving range which points out into the Hudson River. 

The Cleveland Tour van will be on hand to build custom Cleveland clubs. 

For more information or to buy tickets please visit the New York Golf Fest & Demo Day page on the New York Golf Center website. 

Who: New York Golf Center & The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers

What: The 9th Annual Golf Fest & Demo Day

Where: The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers

When: April 28, 2012 from 12-6pm

 

 

AccuWeather Launches 25-Day Forecast

We all take our shots at the weather men and women when they are incorrect but the truth is the golf industry relies on them heavily. At some point every golfer has spent the night prior to a tee time watching the weather hoping it won't be rained out. While we have no control over the weather, it can be helpful in determining what we are going to wear and if it's worth making the drive to the golf course. 

(If only I had rain gear. Knowing the weather in advance can help golfers be prepared.)

 

In an effort to make planning a little easier, AccuWeather introduced a 25-Day Forecast aimed at helping people plan outdoor events in advance. Although this feature was not launched specifically for golfers, it may as well have been. The ability to plan 25 days in advance will allow golfers to:

• Plan Golf Weekends: I'm always looking to plan a golf weekend away my college teammates but weather is a concern. Since we can't get together often, it would be great to know a few weeks in advance what the weather will be like and try to pick a weekend based on that. 
• Golf Outings: I'm the chairperson for a charity golf outing and one of the major concerns is weather. Last year I made several promises to God if he would keep the rain away for our outing. What I didn't think of was it being too hot. The weather was 105 degrees and left us scrambling last minute for extra water and wet towels. If only we had known in advance.....
• Dream Golf Courses: We all have our "bucket list" of golf courses to play and imagine having the opportunity to play your dream course and it gets rained out. The ability to plan almost a month in advance can help. 

 I'm sure it will take time to perfect this new program but as AccuWeather continues to improve its forecasting, golfers and golf courses will surely benefit.

Read more about the 25-Day Forecast on AccuWeather.

Bubba Watson Wins The Masters In A Playoff

We have a new Masters Champion walking amongst us. Bubba Watson (@BubbaWatson) made par on the second playoff hole to defeat  Louis Oosthiuzen and win the 2012 Masters. It's Watson's first win of 2012 and first victory since the 2011 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. 

 

(Bubba about to hug his caddie after the win. Photo RTE)

Watson, who played all four rounds under par, looked as though he would be on the outside looking in as he made the turn on Sunday. His bogey on 12 could have been the end of Bubba's run but he followed the lone bogey with four consecutive birdies to move to 10-under with Oosthiuzen. When Bubba couldn't convert his birdie putt on the 18th, the two headed to a playoff. 

 

On the first playoff hole Bubba found himself with a birdie putt to win but just burned the edge and settled for a par. The second playoff hole (the 10th hole) looked to be the end of Bubba's run as his tee shot found the crowd. Left with 155 yards to the green, Bubba made the shot of a lifetime and knocked it onto the green. After Oosthuizen couldn't convert his par putt, Bubba was left with a 10 feet and two putts for the win. 

Bubba Watson earned $1,440,000 and 600 FedEx Cup points for the victory. He jumps to second in the FedEx Cup standings and earns a lifetime exemption to The Masters. Throughout the tournament Bubba made 19 birdies and nine bogies. 

Masters Notables

Heading into Sunday The Masters leaderboard was crowded with big names at the top. Here's how some of the top players in the world finished.

• Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar and Peter Hanson all finished tied for 3rd at 8-under. Westwoods 4-under was followed by Kuchar's 3-under to move up to third place while Mickelson shot even par and Hanson finished the final round at 1-over. 
• The story heading into the week was on Rory McIlroy v. Tiger Woods. The two battled it out but unfortunately it wasn't to see who would win The Masters. In the end they both finished at 5-over for the tournament, tied for 40th.
• The Australians continue to search for their countries first Masters and will have to wait until 2013 for another shot. Jason Day withdrew and Adam Scott finished tied for 8th. His final round 66 (6-under) included a hole-in-one on the 16th hole. 

 The PGA Tour heads Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the RBC Heritage where Brandt Snedekar is the defending champion. 

The Masters Preview & Groups to Watch

The first major of the 2012 season is upon us. We've gone through The Masters Club Dinner, the interviews and the Par 3 Contest and have nothing left to do but play golf. Charl Schwartzel is the defending champion but most of the focus falls on two players: Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy enters The Masters with thoughts of what could have been. In 2011 he lead the field on Sunday before a meltdown which lead to him finishing 15th. But that was then. Since then McIlroy went on to win the U.S. Open and in 2012 already has a win under his belt. Can he redeem himself on golfs grandest stage?

Woods is one of 18 Masters Champions in the field but none have earned the green jacket more than he has. The four time Masters winner is entering the week fresh off his first PGA Tour win in over 2 years. The last time he won The Masters was 2005 but he has finished inside the top 10 every year since then. 

Three Groups To Watch at The Masters

3. Martin Kaymer, Adam Scott & Bo Van Pelt: Kaymer and Scott haven't played much on the PGA Tour this season but that doesn't mean they should be taken lightly. Scott, the 10th ranked player in the world, narrowly missed victory here last year when he finished tied for 2nd. Kaymer, is the 4th ranked player in the world and has missed the cut at The Masters four consecutive years in a row. That's not a typo, Kaymer has missed the cut at Augusta every year since 2008. Is this the year he can prove to people he can play here?

2. Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh & Lee Westwood: Singh is the only one in this group who has won The Masters. The 2000 champion has missed the cut here in 2011 and 2010 but he is a talented veteran who may be able to steal the show. Furyk and Westwood are in search of their first Masters championship. Furyk has a U.S. Open title under his belt while Westwood continues to search for his first major. 

1. Peter Hansen, Hunter Mahan & Phil Mickelson: Tiger Woods is the only player in the field who has won The Masters more times than Mickelson. With three under his belt, "Lefty" will look to claim number four where he claimed his first major in 2004. He enters the first major already with a win this season. Hunter Mahan is the only player in the field this week with two wins in 2012. Mahan won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and captured the Shell Houston Open title just a few days ago. He missed the cut here in 2011 but finished in the top 10 in 2010 and 2009. 

@WAMGolfs pick to win: Adam Scott

The Masters Club Dinner: What's On The Menu?

The Masters is full of traditions but one of my favorites is the Masters Club Dinner. The invite only dinner is "hosted" by the winner from the previous year and welcomes all previous Masters winners. It could be the most exclusive dinner in all of sports. 

(Masters Club Dinner Invite Tweeted by @TrevorImmelman)

What's on the 2012 menu? The 2011 Winner, Charl Schwartzel wanted it to be casual but have some of his South African roots. According to an article in The Post Game, Schwartzels BBQ themed menu includes the following:

 

• Biltong (Appetizer)
• Droëwors (Appetizer)
• Various Seafood 
• Lamb Chops
• Filet Steaks
• Boerewors

The menu will also include traditional BBQ sides and of course, dessert.

What Would Be On Your Menu?

It's unlikely I'll ever win The Masters (understatement) but I gave some thought to what would be on my menu if the opportunity arises. The appetizers would include a raw bar featuring clams and oysters on the half shell. For the non-raw eaters, bacon wrapped scallops and "pigs in a blanket".

The dinner would be a BBQ including grilled flank steak (Rocket, my dad, would man the grill), hot italian sausage, hamburgers and grilled chicken. I'm not big on sides but potato and macaroni salad as well as french fries and a traditional salad. 

Dessert would be simple, an assortment of pastries including cannoli's, cream puffs, eclairs and mini pies for everyone to sample. Why choose just one when you can have them all.

Your turn.... If you win The Masters, what will be on your menu? Leave a comment!