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Thursday, June 22, 2006
Chiongbian: Spin that white ball, baby
By Edgar R. Chiongbian
Teetime
Can you believe how difficult the US Open was? It made the pros look like amateurs. Mickelson and Montgomerie making double bogeys on the final hole to lose the championship? It was very hard to watch them go through that. And we thought Shinnecock was hell. This was it.
Maybe you noticed that most of the pins were placed in the front portion of the greens. We now know that the Achilles heel of the pros is when they cannot make the ball spin backwards. If the greens are relatively flat, it’s a different story because the pros love to spin the ball back and that’s like taking candy from a baby.
And let us relate this scenario to our local golf game but with a slightly different point of view. Because of our never-see-change rock-hard greens, the results are very predictable. They won’t bite and they will bounce anywhere, with exception to some golfers who have high spin rates and use balata balls.
So what to do? Most of us just target an area a few yards from the front edge and let the ball hop, run or roll on the green and pray it gets near the pin. Of course the difference is that we have no tall grass or rough around the greens like the west course of Winged Foot in New York.
But to the high handicapper, the story is the opposite of this. They have difficulty when the pins are placed in the back because of the extra yardage and because it makes for a long chip from the front of the green requiring extra judgment on how hard to hit the shot and how far the ball will run.
This brings me to the point why we hardly have any roughs outlining our fairways. The areas we see some rough are the side mounds or hills and areas that the mower can’t go over. Or a small portion in the fairway where the sprinklers are located and where there is generally standing water.
Five or so years ago I asked cousin Bruce C why we don’t have a rough outlining the fairways and the answer was very simple. It was a decision to make our golf courses very playable to minimize or eliminate the time looking for golf balls in the rough and to let people enjoy golf, especially the beginners and high handicappers.
This is a very acceptable action or decision by the clubs but there is something else that should go with this. The course and slope ratings should also be adjusted to make our handicaps competitive with golfers from other golf clubs. It’s no wonder when some golfers from other clubs from Manila and Mindanao come to play; we find that they have a higher handicap than their skill level. We should get the golf experts back to Cebu and review our golf courses for an updated rating.
Don’t forget to sign up for the June 30 golf tournament of Copa de Golf at Cebu Country Club. It is a team play of four players with three to count and Stableford scoring. Registration fee is P1,500 per player. There are only very few team slots open so don’t waste time and end up watching from the sidelines.
There will be a mini concert during the awarding dinner at Casino Español by “The Bloomfields,” the hottest new band from Manila. This is a Beatle-mania band complete with mop heads. It’s free for registered players and only P500 extra for their spouses. For non-golfers, tickets are available for P1,000 each that includes dinner. This is an event you cannot afford to pass up.
GOLF TIP: The setup for an uphill lie can be as simple as 1-2-3. First take one more club to compensate for the higher trajectory and aim a little right of target because the shot will tend to move left. Next, place your feet together and set the clubhead behind the ball so the sole is level or even with the ground. This will set the angle of the shaft at address. With the club at this position, tilt your shoulders until they are parallel to the slope.
The hill will tilt the club back and there is a tendency to push your hands ahead to compensate. Instead, shift your stance back to match the club. You want the butt end of the grip pointing slightly ahead of your belt buckle, as if it were from a level lie. Moving your stance downhill moves the ball position forward. Now you’re ready, 1, 2, 3, Go!
(erc@kyinet.net)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 22, 2006 issue)
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