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April 5, 2009

Observations from the SHO

The following are a few observations from my annual trek to the Shell Houston Open at the Tournament Course at Redstone Golf Club:

• As I've noted on a number of occasions, the Tournament Course has a reasonable number of interesting holes that are effectively distributed between three different courses -- no. 1 and 18, no. 2-9, and no. 10-17. Inasmuch as the three sections of the course are relatively far away from each other, the best way to watch the action is to pick one of the three courses and then stick to that course for much of your stay at the tournament.

• If you prefer to limit your walking while at the tournament, stick to the area that contains no. 1 and no. 18. That area includes two reasonably interesting holes -- no. 1 is a short par 4, while no. 18 is a long 4-par that is one of the hardest holes on the course. In addition, the area includes the driving range and putting green, numerous grandstands and concession areas. Accordingly, you can see all of the competitors without having to walk around much.

• My favorite spot on the golf course to watch the action is the area behind the 6th hole, the adjacent 7th tee and the close-by 8th tee. The players have to hit a reasonably long shot into the 6th green, a short but dicey iron on the par 3 7th and a big drive on the par-5 8th. Thus, you can watch all of the players hit a nice variety of shots while walking a very small area of the course. The only downside -- the area is a good 30 minute walk from the 1st tee-18th green area.

• The Tournament Course is in extraordinarily good shape. The Houston Golf Association overseeds the course with rye grass during the winter months and the rye remains vibrant in Houston through about mid-April. That's why the players enjoy putting on the greens so much -- the rye has very little grain in comparison to the slower and grainier Bermuda grass that takes over the course during the warmer months from mid-April through mid-November.

• Although the Tournament Course is in great condition, the HGA could spruce it up a bit by planting some flowers around the course. For example, the unsightly drainage ditch that separates no. 1 and 18 from the rest of the course could use some wildflowers on the banks to provide some color. Moreover, given the lush green color of much of the rest of the course, some well-placed azaleas and other bright flowers would improve the ambiance of the course nicely.

• One of the most enjoyable aspects of PGA Tour events is that the players are almost all extremely nice and friendly. Each time I said "nice putt" or "nice shot" or "great birdie" to one of the players walking by, every one of them made eye contact, smiled and said "thanks."

• I'm always amazed at the increasing number of good ball-strikers on at these events. Everyone knows about such long-time ball-strikers par excellence such as Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Tommy Armour, III, among others. But relatively unknown players such as Jonathon Byrd, Vaughn Taylor, Michael Leitzig and Kevin Na are absolutely wonderful ball-strikers. It really makes you appreciate the depth of talent on the PGA Tour.

• By the way, the 54 year-old Norman and the 49 year-old Couples remain marvelous drivers of the golf ball. They remain amazingly long and accurate.

• Geoff Ogilvy is now firmly entrenched as one of golf's big stars. You can tell it by the way he carries himself -- he has that quiet air of confidence of one who knows that he belongs among the top players in the game. He is going to be around the top of the leaderboards for a long time. He really does hit the ball high, too.

• It is simply amazing to me that Paul Casey has never won a PGA Tour event. He is an wonderfully well-rounded player. His lack of a Tour win is another reflection of the incredible depth of talent on the PGA Tour.

• Phil Mickelson was a mess in his two rounds at Redstone (9 over par). On Friday morning, I watched him fan a 144 yard 9-iron into the water hazard 20 yards left of the hole on the par 3 7th hole. His drives were similarly erratic and he didn't putt well. I can't imagine that he feels much confidence going into Augusta National next week.

• While strolling over to the driving range, I had a nice chat with Houston-based teaching professional Jim Hardy, who was tutoring a number of his pupils during the week. We shared a nice chuckle on how Jack Nicklaus' idiosyncratic swing principles had created an annuity for teaching professionals over the past generation because of the necessity to correct the swings of all the golfers who were attempting to emulate Nicklaus.

• If Sergio Garcia putted with the confidence that he hits his other shots, then he would have won multiple majors by now.

• A conversation between a couple of Tour pros on the 2nd tee overheard by a friend of mine: "Were you in Stanford [Financial Group]?" "Thank God, no. I passed on that one."

Posted by Tom at April 5, 2009 12:01 AM

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