Ego Golf vs. Having Fun

Do you play golf for Fun or Ego?

Last weekend, I was 2-under par through seven holes at Walden on Lake Conroe. I eagled the first hole with a 186-yard 5-iron shot that bounced once and disappeared.

Into the cup.

 

I hit it pretty good Sunday at Walden
on Lake Conroe. For a while, anyway.

I birdied the par-5 second hole, too: 3-wood, 4-iron, lob wedge to six feet.

Poured it in.

I was on fire, 3-under through two holes.

My good friend Tony just laughed.

At me, mostly.

I convinced him to play the white tees, which are 6,248 yards. Yeah, that’s short. But have you played Walden on Lake Conroe? Its defense is not length—the tips are only 6,756 yards. The beautiful, lakeside course has tight, tree-lined fairways, smallish greens and more doglegs than my dad’s kennel of German shorthairs.

Point is, it’s hard golf course. The Women’s Texas Amateur will be played there at the end of the month, and I’ll be surprised if there are many red numbers.

Tony and I have a long-running debate. I like golf to be fun. He likes it to be hard.

Tony Belzer, Ego Golfer

To his credit, Tony is a strong player with a compact, powerful swing. He keeps a 4.9 handicap index at the Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in McKinney. That’s only the hardest course in Texas. He’s won the club championship in his flight two of the past three years. He’s really good.

He’s also an Ego Golfer.

He enjoys playing the hardest courses, the longest courses. He’ll tell you he has fun playing hard golf courses. I get that. My point is golf could be even more fun if it wasn’t so hard. We’d play faster, too.

Compared to Tony, I’m a hacker. I carry a scrambling 8.4 index at Memorial Park in Houston, which isn’t exactly Bethpage Black from where I play it at 6,500 yards.

But I don’t care. I’m a Fun Golfer, or try to be. I want to chase birdies. I want 7- and 8-irons into par 4s. I want a chance.

It’s not like I don’t have an ego, though. I’m not immune to Ego Golf. Every so often, I test myself from the back tees (usually with pathetic results). I recently played Ross Bridge on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail for an Alabama travel story I’m writing for Houston Links and DFW Links magazines.

Ross Bridge is the third-longest course in the world at 8,191 yards (that’s the length of 246 football fields). It’s an amazing course with plenty of 70- and 80-foot elevation drops. The views are stunning. They played a Champions Tour event there from 2005-10. I buckled up and played it with the pro from one set of tees up from the tips at 7,446 yards. I played well. Even with double-bogeys on 17 and 18, I shot 88.

Ego Booster.

But I’m not sure I’d call it “fun” ... not if I played from those tees every time, anyway. It was too much work. Too much driver, 3-wood to get close to the greens on almost all the par 4s. There’s no doubt that the beauty and condition of Ross Bridge made for a breathtaking, memorable experience. When I go back, however, I’ll play it from 6,700 yards or less. That will be fun. Maybe I’ll even make a birdie.

Two knuckleheads at Royal Oaks CC.

So last weekend, Tony came down to Houston for 36 holes. We started at the immaculate Royal Oaks Country Club. I’ve played this Freddy Couples-designed beast five or six times. It’s always in the exact same shape: absolutely perfect.

Tony picked the tees. All Ego. We played one set from the back, 6,733 yards. I was surprised he didn’t lobby for the tips.

We had exactly zero birdies between us on the day. It was driver, 4-iron or driver, hybrid for much of it. We didn’t play well, and the length off the tee didn’t help.

Aside from the flawless condition of the course and the fact that NFL players Vince Young and Selvin Young played in the group ahead of us, it wasn’t very memorable. Not because of the golf course, but because we didn’t scare up many looks at birdie.

The next day at Walden, we scooted up.

The PGA of America had a July initiative called “Tee it Forward” to try and get golfers to play from appropriate tees relative to how far they hit driver. It’s a novel concept. Golf is hard enough without stretching the course to unrealistic lengths.

This attitude of, “We paid for the whole course, so we should play the whole course” has become an epidemic. It’s slowing down the game and often leads to frustration (and double bogeys). That’s no good for anyone.

The beautiful par-3 sixth at Walden on Lake Conroe.

If Ego Golfers could relax a little and move forward one set of tees, they might have more fun. Golf is a game, after all. It’s supposed to be enjoyable.

Between us, Tony and I had three birdies and the eagle at Walden. We had several other looks at red numbers but didn’t convert. (My ego would like me to mention that the eagle didn’t come on a push-over hole. The par 4 was uphill and 446 yards from the white tees.)

“Well played,” Tony laughed and said after my birdie on No. 2. “You’re right. This is fun.”

Five holes later I was still 2-under par. Playing my best golf of the year, absolutely in the zone.

I felt invincible walking up to the eighth tee. No. 8 at Walden is a gorgeous, downhill, dogleg-left par 4 that touches a small inlet of Lake Conroe and has an Augusta-like green with 10 feet of elevation from back to front.

“This is one of my favorite holes in all of Houston,” I said.

“No, it’s one of my favorite in all of Texas.”

Then I promptly sliced my drive out of bounds. Re-teed and almost killed the cart girl with a snap hook. Hack, hack, putt, putt, putt.

So much for Karma.



Missed my putt for a triple-bogey
7 on the eighth hole at Walden.

I made an 8. It didn’t have anything to do with the length of the hole. (It’s still one of my favorite holes anywhere.)

Next hole, made another 8. The 466-yard, uphill par 5 has OB left and water right. I pull-hooked my drive over the trees and into someone’s backyard.

In less than 25 minutes, I went from 2-under to 5-over.

I could only laugh. My game was solid for about 90 minutes. Then it crumbled worse than LeBron James in the fourth quarter.

That’s golf. It was fun.

Tony birdied once on the front and again on the back. I made par on the difficult, double-dogleg par-5 11th. You’ve seen that hole in the aerial photograph used in membership ads for Walden. Charlie Epps calls it the “best par-7 in Texas.” A five on that hole feels like a birdie. I can now say that from experience.

At Walden, instead of reaching for the big dog on every tee box, we actually had to look at the hole and (gasp!) think about whether to hit driver, 3-wood or even hybrid.

Sometimes we forget that golf is game. It’s supposed to be fun. Put aside your ego once in a while and play a new set of tees. Scoot up. You’ll see the course in a different way, hit different clubs into par 3s and put yourself into better position to make birdies.

Doesn’t that sound like fun?

- Mark

Denton's Kraft Wins Trans-Miss Am

Two-time Texas Amateur champion Kelly Kraft from Denton added some new hardware to his collection Thursday by winning the 108th Trans-Mississippi Amateur.


Kelly Kraft won the Trans-Miss
Am with a final round 66.
(Photo: Trans-Miss GA)

Kraft shot a final round 66 at Kansas City Country Club in Kansas City, Mo., to win by four shots with 14-under-par 266. Read about Kraft's historic repeat victory at the Texas Amateur in the current issue of DFW Links and Houston Links magazines.

University of Texas junior Dylan Frittelli finished in a tie for second place with Oklahoma State freshman Tanner Kesterson from Plano. Frittelli and Kesterson finished the 72-hole championship at 10-under par 270.

Four birdies and a bogey allowed Kraft to make the turn in the final round at 3-under 32 on the course where World Golf Hall of Fame member and eight-time major champion Tom Watson grew up. Kraft birdied Nos. 13 and 14 to get to 15-under, but a bogey on No. 16 narrowed his margin over Fritelli and Kesterson.

Kraft, who played his college golf at SMU, steadied himself and parred in to win the prestigious amateur championship.

In June, Kraft shot 3-under 285 at Pete Dye’s gorgeous Austin Country Club to hold off Humble’s Garrett Driver at the 102nd Texas Amateur. Kraft also won the 2008 Texas Amateur at Houston Country Club. He joined the likes of Scott Verplank, Mark Brooks, Chip Stewart and Gus Moreland as multiple-time winners of the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy.

- Mark Button, Texas Links Magazines

Texans Gilchrest, Quinton Score First AJGA Victories

Southlake's Matt Gilchrest

Matt Gilchrest of Southlake, Texas, fired a low-round score of 5-under-par 67 on Thursday to win his first American Junior Golf Association tournament. Gilchrest rallied from a four-shot deficit to win the Genesis Shootout presented by the Valero Texas Open on the Live Course at at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club in Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas.

Houston's Kayli Quinton also made the Genesis Shootout her first AJGA victory. She shot a final round 71 and finished at 1-under-par 215.

The 54-hole tournament field consisted of 96 boys and 39 girls from eight states and Mexico. The boys played the par-72 course at 6,943 yards. The girls played at 6,197 yards.

Gilchrest, who carded six birdies in his final round, said he was overwhelmed with excitement considering this was his first AJGA win.

“I wasn't sure how I was going to stand because I was four strokes back from the leader at the beginning of the final round,” he said. “I feel exactly like I always dreamed I would feel like to win a tournament.”

Eric Ricard of Shreveport, La., finished second after carding a tournament total of 1-under-par 215. Kyle Francis and Kirby Gorzell both of San Antonio tied for third, with an overall total of even-par 216. Tying in fifth with a tournament total of 1-over-par 217 were Brendon Jelley of Tulsa, Okla., Brandon Pierce of Covington, La., Roman Robledo of Harlingen, Texas, Edwin Hyslop of Del Rio, Texas, and Frederick Wedel of The Woodlands. 

Houston's Kayli Quinton

Quinton grabbed early momentum with an eagle on the first hole. She made two birdies on the back nine and won by three shots.

“I am really excited to finally earn my first AJGA event, as I have been playing since 2007,” Quinton said. “This win is going to give me the momentum I need, because I will be competing in the U.S. Girls Junior Championship next week.”

Marijosse Navarro of San Antonio, Sierra Sims of Austin, Texas, and Summar Roachell of Conway, Ark., tied for second with a tournament total of 2-over-par 218.

- The AJGA contributed to this report

Meanwhile, in Illinois

"Quiet, please."

How often have you heard that on the golf course? Most who play are aware that you're not supposed to make too much noise.

Reagan Kennedy (Photo: AP)

Count 6-year-old Reagan Kennedy among the most courteous golfers of all time. The Bloomington, Ill., junior golfer made a hole-in-one on the 85-yard, par-3 eighth hole at The Links at Ireland Grove last week.

How did she celebrate? She quietly walked back to the golf cart and put away her club.

According to a story by the Associated Press, Reagan's father had told her not to make any noise on the course.

She didn't realize that a hole-in-one is the exception.

Reagan has been playing golf since she was 2. Now that she has an ace to her name (something this golfer of 25+ years has yet to do), she is moving on to her next goal: Beating her dad.

Remember that name: Reagan Kennedy. She might make some noise in this game yet.

- Mark Button, Texas Links Magazines

PSA: Pay Less to Play Golf

Earlier this year my boss, the publisher of Texas Links Magazines, started TexasGolfOn.com, a website for discount rounds of golf at some of the best courses in Texas.

Today he added the Blue Sky Golf Pass to the expanding list of offers. For $30, you get 65 rounds of golf at 16 North Texas area courses, including Bear Creek, The Bridges, Bridlewood, Buffalo Creek, Champions Circle, Southern Oaks, SugarTree, Robson Ranch, Stewart Peninsula, Trails of Frisco, Whitestone, Willow Springs, WinStar and Woodbridge.

The Blue Sky Golf Pass retails for $99 and carries a value of more than $3,700. With TexasGolfOn, you can get the 65 rounds for the ridiculous price of just $30. If you play golf in North Texas, you'd be silly not to jump on this opportunity. It's not going to last forever.

Score the great Blue Sky offer by clicking here: http://bit.ly/owLyHg.

For Houston golfers, TexasGolfOn just added Cypress Lakes to its deal pages. Home of some of the best greens anywhere in the state, Cypress Lakes is a fun, playable track just west of Houston off highway 290 in Cypress.

Now you can play Cypress Lakes for just $27.50, which is 50 percent of the regular rate of $55.

The big sticks can play it from 7,024 yards, but there are three other sets of tees to accomodate everyone. I like the 6,566-yard tees because I don't hit it far enough, and I like to make birdies. There are tees at 6,136 yards and 5,351 yards, too.

For the huge savings at Cypress Lakes, click here: http://bit.ly/onWEAH.

Go save yourself some money and chase those birdies.

- Mark

Meet Connor Black, the top-ranked 15-year-old in the U.S.

Played golf today with the No. 1-ranked junior golfer in the country for the high school class of 2014.

Fifteen-year-old Connor Black played Memorial Park from the tips and shot a ho-hum 73. That’s all of 7,305 yards, by the way. And he did it with 32 putts – an abnormally high amount for him.

Katy's Connor Black is the top-ranked
junior in the U.S. for the class of 2014.

(I scuffed along with an unimpressive 84, for what it’s worth … which isn’t much.)

We’ll feature Black, who lives in Katy, Texas, prominently in the August issue of Houston Links. Pat Wheeler is working on a story about Dallas junior Scottie Scheffler for the August issue of DFW Links.

Black ranks first in the U.S. for boys in the class of 2014 by both Polo/AJGA and Golfweek. He won the Western Junior Amateur last month, only a week after he placed third at the prestigious AJGA’s FootJoy Invitational. He said the competition was a little tougher at the FootJoy, but the win at the Western Junior Am meant more "by far" to him.

"I didn't win at the FootJoy," he said.

He’s got an interesting story, as he was homeschooled in junior high because it was easier to travel the country playing amateur golf. He changed it up last year and attended Cinco Ranch High School as a freshman … and won seven of the eight high school tournaments he entered.

Next year he plans to go back to homeschooling – he missed out on too many coveted national events because of Cinco Ranch’s annoying attendance policies. He will attended Pensacola Christian Academy remotely. He receives his lessons in DVD form and chooses the times he attends school. Sometimes he is "in school" early in the mornings, other times it is in the afternoon. Some weeks he's in school for five days; other times, it's six or even seven days a week.

“It depends on the weather,” he said.

Black has been playing golf since he was 4 years old. He won a U.S. Kids World Championship at age 12 (he took third place in the international championship as a 10-year-old), and he won the Starburst Junior Golf Classic in 2007 as an 11-year-old.



Black will try to become the third Texan in the
past five years to win the U.S. Junior Am.

Besides being blown away at his accuracy off the tee and overall ball-striking, what was interesting about today was Connor’s personality. I’ve covered him a few times – he tied for third at the Houston City Amateur last year – and I’ve always pegged him for a quiet, introverted kid.

I couldn’t be more wrong. During our time today, he asked me as many questions as I asked him. He was curious about where I grew up (Kansas), whether or not I played golf in high school or college (no on both counts) and what my other interests were.

He wasn’t shy in the least. It was refreshing, and it made the day that much more enjoyable.

(Side note: I guess I have to get used to this “Mr. Button” thing. I heard it about 20 times today. Connor is polite as he is talented.)

The kid definitely has a bright future, and it will be fun to watch him continue to grow as a person and a golfer. He’ll tee it up next week at the U.S. Junior Amateur at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.

Texas has had a rich history at the U.S. Junior Am recently. Houston's Cory Whitsett won the national championship in 2007, and Dallas' Jordan Spieth won it in 2009. Connor will attempt to keep the odd-year streak alive for Texas juniors.

Be sure to check out the August issue of Houston Links to read about this extremely talented young golfer.

- Mark Button, Texas Links Magazines

A Win for Steve Timms and a Jordan Spieth Clarification

Every time I see Steve Stricker enjoy success on the PGA Tour, the first person I think of is Steve Timms.

Stricker’s improbable birdie-birdie finish Sunday earned him his third consecutive victory at the John Deere Classic. Among the nicest, friendliest guys on Tour (definitely one of the best guys I’ve had the pleasure to meet and interview), the 44-year-old Stricker joined the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson as players to win the same PGA Tour event three years in a row.



Steve Stricker won the John Deere
Classic for a third straight time.

He shot a final round 2-under 69 today and posted a winning, four-day total of 22-under 262. Next week he’ll try to win his first major championship at the British Open.

No doubt, Timms is smiling ear to ear right now. Stricker never shies away from giving Timms, the Houston Golf Association president and CEO and tournament director of the Shell Houston Open, a heaping load of credit for the success Stricker has achieved in the past five years.

After winning three times in his first seven years on Tour, Stricker lost his game in 2005. As a result, he lost his PGA Tour card, finishing 162nd on the money list that year.

Steve Timms, president/CEO
of the Houston Golf Assoc.

The next season, he relied on sponsor’s exemptions to get into tournaments and make a living. Timms gave one of those coveted exemptions to Stricker for the 2006 SHO, and the Wisconsin native made the most of it. He shot 65-66 on the weekend and finished in the top 10. The confidence gained propelled Stricker to six more top 10s in 2006; he won the first of his two PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year Awards.

When Timms made the decision to offer the exemption, Stricker was ranked 331st in the world. Before his win Sunday, Stricker ranked fifth in the world. He's won eight times since Timms helped him in 2006.

"It all got started here (in Houston), and it kick-started my good play," Stricker said in 2008. "I gained a lot of confidence from this event a couple years ago and have kind of rolled with it since, and this place means a lot."

A win for Steve Stricker is a victory for Steve Timms.

Two of the nicest guys in the world of golf.

                                                                       * * *

Just in case anyone got the wrong idea about the column I wrote here on Friday (Blaming Jordan Spieth), I felt I might explain myself.

The column was supposed to be funny.

I don’t blame Jordan Spieth for anything except making my job exceptionally fun every time I get to watch him play golf and write about his accomplishments. In my seven-plus years of covering golf exclusively in Texas, no amateur golfer has impressed me more -- on and off the golf course -- than Spieth.

It’s really not even close.

The fact that he calls me Mr. Button only shows his solid character and upbringing. The best junior golfer I’ve ever seen play is also the most respectful and humble.

I guess if I really had to document one complaint about the future PGA Tour star, it would be that I was unable to convince him to play his college golf at the University of Kansas, my alma mater.

I wouldn’t bet against Spieth leading the University of Texas to multiple national championships in the next few years.

He did promise me once that whenever Kansas plays Kansas State in basketball, he’ll root for the Jayhawks.

I’ll take what I can get.

- Mark Button, Texas Links Magazines.