Chip Shots

Team Tiger tries to control chaos

The Tiger Woods Redemption Tour continued Sunday night with a pair of speed interviews (five minutes only, please) with The Golf Channel and ESPN.com.

He admitted to “living a lie” and other failings.

And I couldn’t care less.

Woods step-by-step return to the golf world is a little too scripted and controlled for my tastes. You can practically see the invisible hands of his PR hacks behind his every move.

But we shouldn’t be surprised. Woods has always been _ and always will be _ a control freak. But he’s found himself in a completely chaotic situation. It’s simply beyond his _ or anyone else’s _ control. It’s taken on a life of its own.

You have to believe that most sports fans _ especially golf fans _ can see through this charade. He is not coming across as being sincere. That doesn’t mean he isn’t sincere. Only he knows if he’s really changed. But his public appearances so far, orchestrated by Team Tiger, haven’t exactly been convincing.

To be honest, he would’ve been better served by staying silent.

Maybe when he finally faces the media mob in a uncontrolled, untimed situation, we will see the real Tiger Woods. But don’t bet on it. Tiger likes to keep his real self to himself.

The rest of us get Controlled Tiger or Corporate Tiger. Always have. Probably always will.

 

Tiger’s return a matter of debate

It looks like Tiger Woods will return to pro golf within the next month.

But the exact date is a matter of debate.

According to the New York Post, Tiger is targeting the Arnold Palmer Invitational in two weeks for his return.

The Associated Press says it’s more likely he’ll return for the Masters, which starts April 5.

Based on the reliability of the sources, put your money on the Masters. I’ll take the AP over the New York Post anytime.

Both Arnie and the folks at Augusta National would certainly do everything possible to limit the media frenzy. I’m sure both would try to keep out the tabloid media, such as TMZ, Radar Online and the National Enquirer.

But I still believe Augusta would have an serious edge in controlling the media mob. They are absolutely manic about protecting the Masters “image.” They wouldn’t want it sullied by the tabloids. My guess is the Augusta bosses would simply deny credentials to everyone but the “golf” media. That would certainly be a plus in Tiger’s eyes.

But, Arnie’s tournament has the added benefit of being very close to Tiger’s Orlando home. And it would give Tiger a warm-up prior to the first major of the season.

Still, I’d still put my money on the AP and the Masters for his return.

The puzzling part of this is that Tiger has apparently hired Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for President George Bush, as his PR point man.

Fleischer recently orchestrated Mark McGwire’s return to Major League Baseball, and frankly, he didn’t do a very good job. I thought McGwire came off very poorly in his media interviews. I wouldn’t think that would inspire confidence in Tiger.

But we shall see.

Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

A long, hard winter finally ends for local golfers

You can smell it in the air.

Golf season has finally arrived in York County.

It became official over the weekend when Briarwood Golf Club became the first local facility to open up.

Not surprisingly, the place was packed.

After all, it’s been a long, hard winter for local hackers. They were overdue to get their golf fix. There’s been a snow cover in York County nearly all winter, meaning even the most hardy winter golfers were kept off the links.

But that changed this past weekend at Briarwood. And by this coming weekend, all the local courses should be nearly snow free. Unfortunately, the weekend forecast doesn’t look real promising right now. The weathermen are calling for rain. But forecasts can change.

But even if this coming weekend is a washout, local golfers can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The white stuff is nearly gone. Now it’s time to hit the little white ball.

 

 

 

 

Snow _ the winter golfer’s worst enemy

I hate the snow.

I hate driving in it.

I hate shoveling it. (OK, I snow blow it, but it’s still a massive pain.)

I hate looking at it, especially when it turns into a gray, disgusting mess after it’s pushed to the side of the road by the snow plows.

But I hate it most of all because its covers the beautiful landscape of our local golf courses.

Yes, I’m one of the lunatics who plays golf all winter _ provided the temperatures stay above 30 and the snow doesn’t cover the courses.

Now, no matter what the temperatures, winter golf is out of the question, at least for the foreseeable future.

Saturday’s 15-to-20-inch snow storm made sure of that.

Now, I’ll almost certainly have to wait until our annual late January jaunt to Myrtle Beach to get the sticks out again.

That’s way too long for this golf addict.

Winter golf, with its cheap prices and tiny crowds, can often provide some of the most enjoyable rounds of the year.

But it’s something I won’t get to experience for at least several weeks, probably longer. 

And it’s all because of those miserable white flakes.

God, I do hate the snow so.

 

 

 

Moral outrage all the rage in Woods case

It’s easy to pile on Tiger Woods right now.

Moral outrage is all the rage.

But my take is simple _ let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

I have no idea what it’s like to be Tiger Woods. Almost none of us do.

To be young, famous, good looking and rich beyond imagination. And to have women of enormous beauty constantly throwing themselves at you.

It would take a man of great integrity and serious restraint to turn them all down.

This is not a defense of Woods. If the rumors are true, what he did was wrong. No excuses.

But we all have failings. We all come up short at times.

Now Woods is paying a serious price for his mistakes.

An intensely private man is having his dirty laundry aired out 24 hours a day. His marriage may be in trouble. His financial empire may suffer. And his children may have to pay a terrible price.

It must be causing him great distress.

Many are saying he’s getting what he deserves. That may be true.

But that doesn’t mean we have to enjoy it so.

  

 

 

Silence is the worst policy for Tiger

Tiger Woods is an intensely private person who loves to be in control.

Unfortunately for him, he’s embroiled in an extremely public story over which he has little or no control.

No one _ except Tiger and his wife Elin _ knows exactly what happened on early Friday morning outside his gorgeous house inside a gated Florida community.

But the rumors are swirling in cyberspace.

And Woods can’t do anything to stop them. In fact, he’s making the whole situation worse by saying nothing _ both to the media and authorities.

The vacuum created by his silence is being filled by all kinds of nasty innuendo.

Woods’ best option now is to come out and explain what really happened _ like David Letterman. Do that, and the story may go away, like the Letterman story.

But Woods seems determined to remain in hiding. And that’s a mistake. This has gone beyond a sports story. The cable news networks and blog sites such as TMZ are involved now. And since they’ve gotten their hooks in the story, it’s evolved and grown exponentially.

Tiger can remain silent if he wants, but the noise surrounding this story is getting deafening.

 

 

 

 

Phils fans could get used to this winning thing

Yankees fans are used to “this.”

In fact _ in their own arrogant, overbearing way _ they expect “this.”

But for long-suffering Phillies fans, “this” is completely new territory.

What is “this?”

It’s the expectation that somehow, someway, your team will find a way to win.

After more than a century of near-constant disappointment, Phillies’ fans had become accustomed to expecting the worst. And they usually weren’t disappointed. The 1964 implosion left scars that still haven’t healed for many Phils’ fans.

But this is a new generation of Phillies team. For them, winning has become a way of life.

The unbelievable September comeback to beat the hated Mets and win the NL East in 2007 started the new era. The 2008 World Series title cemented the new era. And Monday night’s dramatic, ninth-inning comeback to eliminate the Rockies, 5-4, added another chapter to the new era.

Now it’s on to an NLCS rematch with the Dodgers. And one thing is certain. The Phils fully expect to return to the World Series.

Their fans may still have their doubts. After all, it’s hard to shake decade after decade of frustration. But the players have no such baggage.

And if the Phils keep winning, their fans may finally come to expect ”this,” too.

After all, it’s kind of easy to get used to “this” winning thing.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cream rises to top in match play event

The first-ever York County Amateur Golf Association Match Play Championships are getting down to the wire.

And, not surprisingly, the names that are still left are very familiar to local golf fans.

In the overall championship bracket, three of the four semifinalists are Bob Ruby, John Lowder Jr. and Dan Wolfe. The other semifinalist will come from the winner of the match between Matt Henry and T.J. Ostrom.

All five of those players are having outstanding golf seasons. In the 2009 YCAGA War of the Roses point standings (through Aug. 13), Henry is No. 1, Ostrom is No. 2, Wolfe is No. 4, Ruby is No. 5 and Lowder is No. 12. Henry was first and Wolfe was second in the York County Amateur. And Lowder recently set a new course record at Cool Creek with a 60.

In the Senior Bracket, the finalists are Jeff Poet and Scott Knouse. The third-place match will pit Bill Brenner vs. Bob Kuhn. In the YCAGA Senior Player of the Year standings (through Aug. 22), Brenner is No. 1, Poet is No. 2, Knouse is No. 3 and Kuhn is No. 6. The senior championship and consolation matches are set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Out Door Country Club.

The cream has really risen to the top for this first-ever event.

 

 

 

Surprise! Tiger says something controversial

This just in ….. Tiger Woods said something controversial.

Wow!

Woods, who typically speaks in bland cliches off the course, has questioned Ernie Els’ work ethic during his comeback from knee surgery.

Woods, meanwhile, praised his own diligence in rehabbing from a similar knee surgery.

My guess is that Tiger will claim he was misquoted or misrepresented somehow. But I hope he doesn’t. If that’s what he said, and what he truly believes, bravo.

I’d like to see Woods speak his mind more often.

It would be a refreshing change of pace.

 

Whitetail offers serious golf challenge

Are you feeling pretty good about your golf game?

Are you looking for a challenge?

Are you up for a road trip?

If you answer yes to all three of those questions, I have the course for you.

It’s Whitetail Golf Resort in Mercersburg, Pa.

I’m not going to lie _ it’s a haul from York. It’s about 100 miles west and at least a 1-hour, 45-minute drive from Continental Square.

But in my opinion, it’s worth it.

The group I play with normally goes there about once a year. We call it our annual “beating” _ for good reason.

The course is always in nice shape, the rates aren’t outrageous (you can play there on a weekend after 11 a.m. for just $36.25 with this coupon) and it’s an absolutely brutal test of golf.

From the white tees, the slope rating is 134 and the course rating is 71. And, if anything, this course is even harder than those numbers indicate.

From the first hole on, there’s just no let up. One difficult hole is followed by an even harder hole. There’s numerous forced carries, plenty of high native grass that constantly comes into play, lots of water hazards and a forest of trees.

It will test all of your golf skills.

Sure, your score will probably soar, but it’s still fun to take on monstrous challenge every once in a while.

And when you get back home, it will make Briarwood, Honey Run or Cool Creek seem like a walk in the park.