Port Ludlow

Port Ludlow Voice Page 40
Tide and Timber
From the Desk of the D.O.G.
by Vito DeSantis, PGA, Director of Golf
I sat in a meeting this morning listening to a gentleman
from the Pacific Northwest PGA, who spoke about the
number of golfers that had stopped playing the wonderful
game we call golf. In the last year the total number of
golfers in the U. S. shrunk more than four percent.
The statistic didn’t mean much to me at that moment, but
after chewing on it for a few hours, I realized this number
is more than staggering. It is flat out alarming. How
can such a beautiful and rewarding game force so many
people from it? What could possibly make more than a
million players hang up their golf bags?
After days of contemplation, I came up with a few
hypotheses as to why this number is so astronomical.
Here goes: there are great reasons to play golf—
wonderful exercise, camaraderie with friends, the challenge
and the ever changing scenery. But there are downsides.
Golf takes an extremely long time to play. It takes
a commitment of even more time to become proficient.
Golf courses are getting longer and more difficult to play.
Some golf courses are designed in hopes of landing a
U.S. Open Tournament instead of remembering that most
of the world’s golfers do not break 90. We impose dress
codes. We boggle golfer’s minds with the ultimate buzz
kill, the Rules of Golf.
On top of all of this we worship the Golf Channel and
listen to golf commentators who try to explain how to
swing the club 350 different ways like Tiger Woods. What
kind of message does this send to new golfers or casual
golfers or even those not in the game yet? In my mind it’s
the wrong message. It screams, Go play anything but golf!
So how do we fix it? We need to make golf more enjoyable
and more fun. It should not take five or six hours to
enjoy. Golf instruction should not be some secret formula
but rather simple and based on a sound set of principles.
Rules of Golf should be more fluid for beginners and
intermediate players.
I propose that it is okay to throw a ball out of a bunker
after two tries. It is okay to tee the ball up anywhere on
the course when you are learning. It is okay to play each
hole as a Par 3. We all need to do a better job of being
inclusive to new players. Golf is too intimidating already!
Do you remember the first time you walked out to the
first tee and had no idea what to do or whom to ask for
help? Invite a new player to join your group this month.
You may be surprised that while you enjoy a new friend,
more importantly, you may have sparked their love for the
game of golf!
News from the Lady Niners
by Barbara Berthiaume, Publicity
The official start of the 2012 Niner golf season begins
Thursday, March 15, 5:00 p.m., at the Bay Club. Be sure
to mark this on your calendars to attend. You can reconnect
with friends, meet new golfers, sign up for the year
and pay your dues all at one time. Appetizers will be
furnished by the Board and Trustees so just BYOB.
The Lady Niners’ captain, Kathy Traci, invites fellow
Niners to a Welcome Back Salad Potluck Luncheon after
golf on Thursday, April 12, 1:00 p.m. at her home. Watch
for a sign-up sheet and details that will be posted near the
end of March on the Niners’ Board at the Pro Shop.
The Lady Niners are a very friendly group and welcome
new members. They can contact Membership Chair, Cynthia
Durham, at afdurham@olypen.com for further details.
We look forward to a great year of Niner golf!
Walking with Nicklaus at PGA West
by Randall Shelley, Guest Writer
A call from a friend one Sunday night in February alerted
me to a remarkable, unpublicized event taking place at
PGA West near Palm Springs. That Sunday Jack Nicklaus
and Arnold Palmer, among many golf and entertainment
luminaries, were there for a charity event. The next day,
as part of that event, each would play a round at one of
the courses each had designed nearly 30 years before
at that six-course golf mecca. The tab for each amateur
member of each foursome was $50,000—that’s right,
$2,777 for each hole, per amateur.
I was invited to follow the rounds. Because Nicklaus is
arguably the best golfer ever, I chose to follow him on the
Jack Nicklaus Private Course. It is a fine course used in the
PGA tournament held every January. I was interested in how
Nicklaus would react to “his” course given the passage of
time and how his age at 73 had impacted his game.
His equipment was up-to-date. His irons were 3-9 with
only two wedges, pitching and sand with his name on
them. They were not cavity backs but blades, as the pros
prefer, and had been well used. I watched him use a driver
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