The best FAM trip, ever!

Golf journalism is a tough job ... but someone's got to do it.

I mean look at the hassles one has to face getting where one is going. The trip to the airport. Expensive parking at the airport. Security line-ups and delays inside the airport. People hacking and coughing on the airplane. And on and on.

But hey, I'm a trooper when it comes to answering the call on a FAM (familiarization) trip, so I'm right in there.

I have been afforded a few of these junkets while working for Inside Golf (insidegolf.ca) to such places as the premiere of Golf Channel's Big Break  Mesquite (AZ); a seven-day journey through the Rocky Mountain courses in Alberta and another journey down to the host site of the 2015 U.S. Open tourney at Chambers Bay (near Seattle). Yet my latest adventure, to the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, AZ tops all of those by a mile.

And it wasn't just the golf that was great in the West Valley of Phoenix. No, it was the "outside" offerings we were afforded by our hosts that made this trip something extra special.

Prior to the FAM beginning you're given a list of what's going to take place. This usually involves lots of golf and lots of food.  And yes, lots of fun.

And the trip to the Wigwam though had all that plus more. Lots more.

After a meet-and-greet the first day, we gathered for breakfast and golf the second day. After playing 18 holes on the redesigned Gold Course (a monster of a parkland track that's challenging but still fun) we had lunch and then began doing things I only dreamed about as a kid, or never dreamed of doing at all.

One of those that I'd never dreamed of was being afforded the opportunity to fly an F16 fighter jet. Well, OK. "fly" is maybe a rather broad term. What we were given the chance to do, after watching these war machines land and take off from about 200 yards away (the ground actually shakes when these jets take off!), was take over the controls in a simulator at Luke Air Force Base.

The F16's flight info centre - tough to focus on one thing with so many dials, buttons and switches in front of you!

As the only Canadian involved in this trip, my only thought was, "Don't cause an international incident by crashing your pretend jet into a populated area."

That didn't happen but at the same time, I can see why I never got a pilot's license. I was cruising along, quite happily I might add, when someone said to me, "Uh, you may want to slow down a bit. You're going so fast your jet, if it were real, would be disintegrating around you!"

Yeah, OK. So, where are the brakes for this thing?

The good news is I never did create a monster-sized pothole in the earth. The bad news, if you will, was that I never got to contact any "enemy" fighters so I never really had the chance to shoot at anything with the jets armament, other than the sky.  Well, maybe I "downed" a few clouds.

The real thing, which we didn't get to fly but in hindsight, that was probably a very wise decision on behalf of the United States Air Force!

The next day started with a trip to the Spring Training home of the Cleveland Indians where we six writers undertook a "homerun hitting contest" using golf clubs and golf balls. While it would seem easy to clear a fence only 110 yards away with a golf ball, the choice of clubs was limited to a 9-iron or wedge. Still not that far, true, but when you figure the fence was likely 30 feet high to replicate the Indians home park, Progressive Field, things did get a bit tougher (especially at my age and with my swing!)

I also had to hit the ball to right field, and as a left-hander, it was a somewhat awkward cut. In minor ball I was a spray hitter without a lot of power and it showed here, even with a golf ball. I took one over the fence in fair territory and another that was foul. As for the other three shots, I had a bit better than warning track power hitting the middle to lower third of the fence with each shot.

To top that off, I "ran" (and I use that term loosely) the bases which seemed awfully far apart!

The set-up for the HR contest at the Indians Spring Training site in Goodyear, AZ.

We then went into the hitting cages where I was able to take a few cuts. It's been years since I swung a bat with the thought of hitting any moving object so my timing was off, but I did connect solidly a few times, including one line-drive right back at the writer throwing the BP. That cared both of us, so that was the end of that.

Surprisingly, well maybe not so much, no one from the Indians office rushed out to sign me to a tryout contract, so I guess my days of dreaming of being a pro ball player are now officially over.

Maybe to help soothe feelings of dreams dashed, we then headed to the Phoenix International Raceway, or ZoomTown, USA, for some track action. While we weren't allowed to drive around the 1-mile oval track with a dogleg in the backstretch, I did ride shotgun. Officially we were going 75mph in the official pace car; unofficially it was somewhat faster (like over 100mph).

What intrigued me most was the things the NASCAR drivers look for while driving. This isn't as easy as simply always turning left. The "chauffeur" pointed out track signage that is used to accelerate or brake coming out of corners and the pylons, along the homestretch straightaway, that drivers use to count down to braking for a turn.

The pace car we rode in around the Phoenix International Raceway.

Since I thought those guys just got in and went it was interesting to find out how much timing and how many things there are to do out there - especially with 42 other cars zipping around at the same time.

From there it was back to the golf course for a few holes before dark, then dinner, than a whiskey taste testing put on by a local distributor that was enjoyed by all.

Sunset over the Gold and Patriot Courses at The Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, AZ.

The last day was quiet, a round of golf on one of the two other courses at The Wigwam I hadn't played and then it was back to the grind of being a golf writer - you know that whole airport thing in reverse.

Yeah, it's a tough job, but hey, somebody's gotta do it!

Are we more trustworthy than our American peers?

Why don't Americans trust each other?

It would appear that the game of golf, seen by most as a game of honesty and integrity, is quite up to par south of the 49th Parallel.

After all, ho do you explain the USGA fobidding those playing by themselves to use the scores they record as honest enough to count toward their handicap index? Land of the Free? Not so in golf, it appears, because in the United States you need at least one playhing partner before any additions can be made to an index card.

In Canada, things are a little more balanced. Here we don't need another pair of eyes to verify we're telling the truth. I guess that's maybe because were Canadian, citizens of the nation that is seen as polite and honest.

Or maybe, just maybe, our national amateur golf body is a step ahead of our neighbours and that not everyone likes to play with others all the time.

Wanting to play by yourself doesn't make you a cheat, or a liar. It maybe means you've had enough of the hubbub in our everyday life and want a break from that noise, that you want to take a nice walk and enjoy the peace and quiet.

In a time where golf is starting to really worry about a downturn in numbers, something like this ruling by the USGA seems strange.

As a single player chances are pretty good that you're not going to make it all the way around the course by yourself. Sooner or later you are going to catch up to other groups, or yes even other singles, who will in all likelihood ask you to join them. What then?

In Canada you join up and at the end of the day your score is your score. What about in the U.S. though? Does that part of the round where you had witnesses suddenly become credible while before that, well, who knows how many mulligans and gimmes you took.

One thing I've noticed in my life on the course is that those who take putts, or hit another ball after a poor shot at no cost to the scorecard aren't the kind who keep handicaps (or if they have one, it's what they think they play to, not a documented fact).

If they are in fact taking those shots off their total before they have a playing partner or two, they'll continue that practice even after they've  joined up with others. That's human nature.

Those that are serious about what they score on the course are going to tell the truth. That's the nature of the game, what makes golf the sport it is.Does the USGA really think those people are so nefarious they're going to shave a stroke or two here and there, or for that matter, add a stroke every so often.

People that keep an index do so in good faith and it demeans them to have an organization as big and as powerful as the USGA say they don't trust their members.

So, here's my solution: Have all those single American players come north of the border and tee it up here. Nobody is going to point fingers at you for doing so because the RCGA trusts its members enough to tell the truth.

Kananaskis Golf Courses rebuild to re-start

 Kananaskis Golf Courses rebuild to restart


Tonight I feel sort of like the back-up goalie on a championship team. You know, the guy that for the most part sat on the bench but who, every once in a while, stepped in to put a point or two on the board as their team rolled toward a title.

In this case the sport is golf, not hockey. And no, I am not accustomed to stepping in front of tee shots attempting to stop their journey, although truth be told I have done that once (and it hurt!).

Rather, I feel I lent a bit of a hand in having the two great courses in Kananaskis Country brought back to life. I wrote several pieces for Inside Golf on the two adult playpens - Mt. Kidd and Mt. Lorette - following the floods of 2013 in Alberta and then again when the former PC government finally came up with a plan to rebuild them.

Then, the PC’s got tossed like yesterday’s lettuce salad and the NDP came into power. Their first move on the rebuild was to halt proceedings because of some nefarious shenanigans by their opponents.

During the time before the stoppage, I was one of a few golf writers who outlined the benefit of bringing the provincially owned golf courses back to life. That was based on what the tracks mean to businesses not only in the Rocky Mountain corridor of Alberta but also in the outlying areas like Calgary, Canmore and Banff.

To me, at that time, it didn’t make sense not to go ahead and rebuild what was there. After all, in conversations with GM Darren Robinson it was pointed out that to bury the golf courses and allow nature to take the area over would be as expensive as rebuilding.

In an op-ed piece I did for the spring issue of Inside Golf magazine, I outlined that theory, plus others, that in essence said it would be a shame to waste such a beauty. Sure it was going to cost millions to restore the two courses but in this day and age you have to spend money to make money, and that’s what will happen here, hopefully starting again in early 2017.

“It’s just great!” Kananaskis head pro Bob Paley began in a phone interview. “Moving forward, it’s just great to have some direction. There’s no question that the March stop-work order was a major issue that caused some significant delays. It was a small glitch and now we have to get back at this. We’re just ecstatic to be a part of such an important project and I have to tell you, the feedback on social media has been 99 per cent positive. It’s been awesome! ”

To say golfers around the province, and the world for that matter, are happy about this news is akin to saying the Edmonton Oilers have high hopes for this coming season, what with some guy named Conner McDavid and all.

But like every hockey team, everywhere, there is a back-up to the big boys and every once in a while, the little guys come up big.

For me, this was one of those times.

For more on what Paley had to say on the rebuild re-starting, go to insidegolf.ca.

A great way to stay connected on the road

As I mentioned, I will be doing a bit of writing on travel, and as such I think the most important thing for anyone - someone just on a relaxing holiday unwinding from work or a journalist on a working holiday - is to stay connected. The thing is, with most cell phone plans in Canada, that is an expensive proposition no matter what recent TV ads would have you believe.
What I've found works well for me is a simple card exchange - with an unlocked phone - that Roam Mobility into your world.
This is a Canadian company and their SIM cards can be purchased relatively inexpensively just about anywhere including airports and 7-11 stores.
Pick one of these up and follow the instructions for activation when you travel to the U.S. and I believe Mexico now, and you'll find great savings on phone, text and data plans.
I generally go with the phone/text plans because of the availability of free Wifi in so many places.
For the phone and text plans you pay under $3 a day and you get unlimited calls to both Canada and the U.S. (I haven't traveled to Mexico in the recent past so not sure about the cost, if any, there).
Like many, I was once 'stuck' with an outrageous roaming bill from a Canadian provider - whom I no longer use - so when I came upon Roam Mobility, I looked into it, tried it, and was hooked.
Their price points make staying connected when you travel a thing of ease and with no charges for phone calls when you're using their SIM card, you can talk to your heart's content without the fear of a big bill tracking you down post-holiday.
You can find out more @roammobility.ca

I'm Baaack!

Well, after an almost four year hiatus from blogging, I'm back.
There's really no good reason why I left this blog, started back in 2011, other than I got overwhelmed with real life things like work, work, and yes, more work.
Now though, having been retired from a full-time career for just over a year, I am ready to let my fingers do some talking again through this site, about all things golf. Oh, and some travel ideas as well.
Please realize from the get-go that this isn't simply about how to play better golf; where to get great green fees; how to hit the ball farther than you ever have before while still using your 1970-vintage clubs; or even about what equipment is best.
Rather, I hope it's all of those things and even a bit more.
What I will do is touch on different topics in the golf world as seen through my eyes. I'll talk with people in the game who are making a quiet impact on the sport and hopefully through that make an impact on you with some thoughts about this great game. As for the travel end of things, I do get the occasional trip so I have some great info on winter getaway spots as well as great courses in the Alberta and B.C. markets that I'll write about.
I have written golf stories for eight years  now, mainly with Inside Golf, a Western Canadian publication. I have also done freelance work for SCOREGolf and the Alberta Golf Association, so know my way around the game, both from the playing side and the business side.
So, here's to a new start. And here's the hope this time around lasts a little longer than the first time.
My two original blogs are still attached to this site so they will hopefully give you an idea of where I'm coming from and together we'll discover where I'm headed.
Take care and keep 'em in the fairway.

Enough already with the phones!

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, or just old, but a recent announcement by the PGA has set me to hoppin'.
It seems it's now OK to take cell phones onto the course during play at PGA events - a former no-no that was punishable by having your phone impounded.
Now though since those supposedly wiser than the rest of us have decided it's fine to make, and yes, receive phone calls while those about you toil away from the minimal amounts of money they play for, all hell is likely to break loose.
Can you imagine the vile looks coming from Tiger as he yanks yet another 3-foot putt wide of the mark because you're phone rings in his downstroke?
The lambasting you'll get from Stevie Williams, who's now toting Adam Scott's bag when you let out a yelp over some good news your buddy just informed you of while Scott's about to hit a drive?
Or the scowls of the ever-present tourney marshals who watch everyone like a hawk sizing up a chicken coop?
Apparently though, the PGA thinks everything will be OK.
"Mobile devices have become an important part of everyday life, and we understand it's difficult to ask our fans to 'unplug' during their time on the golf course at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions," said Tournament Director Nancy Cross said in a media release. "Allowing cell phones on the golf course has been a tremendous fan enhancement at PGA TOUR events since the policy was implemented. We anticipate our fans will be respectful of the rules and regulations associated with the policy, but also very active while at the tournament."
Yeah, right.
To me, not enough people know yet you can take a cell phone onto the course. This was prohibited before - in fact last year and the one prior, phones had to be checked at a special booth as you entered the grounds for the Hyundai T of C.
Not now though, so now it's life as normal, even on the golf course.
You know...people yakking on their phones in the movies; annoying you in the check-out line at the grocery store and making you feel like an eavesdropper at the park because you're close enough to hear them "phone speak" to their colleagues.
And now, that's coming to a golf course near you....'Honey, pick up some milk on your way home,' or 'Where the hell are you? You're mother's here and driving me nuts!'
I can hardly wait...although the players probably won't feel the same way.

Are you man enough to play with coloured balls?

  Are you man enough to play golf with coloured balls – and no, we don’t mean blue ones from cold weather.

A recent trend in the golf world is the return of the coloured ball – but this time around there is a difference

As an average golfer I tend to wander a bit on the hallowed grounds. Oh, don’t get me wrong – I only stray off the beaten path at the most inopportune times.

I mean, I can hit the fairway every time, time after time, when there’s all sorts of room to bail out on either side. Line me up with a hazard though – the wooden variety more so than the liquid sort – and I can plunk as many missiles in there as the next guy, and sometimes even more, losing touch with those balls all too soon in their young lives.

One other area I struggle with besides seeing my ball disappear into the trees/water/wild blue yonder is that at a distance of about 180 yards or so, my ball just sort of vapourizes into the hemisphere.

As such, I have tried orange golf balls back in their heyday. I’ve dabbled with the newest yellow golf balls offered up by Srixon and also teed up the other odd ball colour (no, not pink, at least not yet) but I always tend to return to the standard white golf balls.

But being an adventurous type, my journey continues.

My most recent trek into “easier to see” variety of golf balls was down the metallic Chromax highway and no, I didn’t tee up the pink variety of those either – at least not yet.

Supposedly these shiny implements of frustration are easier to follow in the air and find once they land on terra firma – no word on whether they’re also easier to spot at the bottom of a water hazard though!

Being a cutting edge kind of guy, I bought a few of these glistening orbs and trooped off for a round and a test of sorts to see if they are actually easier to track in flight and once they land.

The answer to that dilemma, at least in my eyes, is yes…and no…and sort of…and maybe in the right light.

In other words, it’s buyer beware and make sure you’re wearing shades on a sunny day when lining up a putt with the silver spheres – the reflections can not only blind you from certain angles and they are hugely distracting when concentrating on making that 40-foot bogey putt.

Just joking there -  it was actually only about 30 feet.

I’m not sure who the first guy to ever use a coloured ball in a major golf event was but I do know Wayne Levi was the first to win using an orange ball. It’s likely he couldn’t foresee the day coming where these glistening metallic balls would be put into play.

What it all comes down to though is this: Are these balls in fact easier to see in the sky or on the ground?

Again, that’s a tough one to answer. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they aren’t.

Would I buy more of these balls?

No.

Then again, if someone were to give them to me, I’d use them until they’d decided they had had enough of my company and we’d part ways with no hard feelings.

Note: The toughest part of this judging job was in playing two balls off the tee, or fairway, as groups behind you tend to get a little peeved. So, it’s a case of finding a course and a time of day to play in this manner where a few extra swings aren’t going to bother anyone else’s enjoyment of their day.

As for shot distances, the Chromax balls were virtually identical to name brand golf balls but again, this was very unscientific and with a swing like mine, which rarely seems to repeat itself, it’s not really fair to judge this aspect and the spin of the ball on greens.

So, if you’re man enough give these balls a try but be warned – some eyebrows will be raised.