Thursday, February 21, 2008 Chiongbian: Valentine golf for the husbands By Edgar R. Chiongbian Teetime
LAST week, the CCC Ladies chapter had their usual Valentines Day golf tournament. For two years now, the field has been divided into two divisions. Golfers paired with their husbands are placed in Division A and the friendlier mixed doubles in Division B. This was to give recognition, consideration and acknowledgement from the cries of husbands that partnering with their highly competitive wives, is to say the least, utterly difficult.
However, based on the results last week and last year, there are no basis for the husbands’ claims because they completely dominated Division B. Maybe it is because of the triple DDD, dictation, discipline and dysfunction. Hahaha.
My thought is that the intimidation is coming from the partners of the lady singles since they have single digit Class A male partners. And since each player has to contribute and hit the shot, the handicap does balance out. So husband golfers, fear not and let the games go on as before so you can show them who the real champions are!
The PAL Seniors Interclub tournament in Bacolod is underway today. This is the time of the year when our best players in Cebu go and compete with the other golf clubs in the country to find out how they fare with the skills of other golfers in the land.
This year’s senior team from Cebu Country Club is the strongest ever team they have put together and so I have no doubts that they will do very well in the Founders Division and may even stand a good chance as overall seniors champions. Mactan GCC also has a good team but it depends which division they are put in.
Last year, the CCC senior’s team that was not as strong as this one, took the lead on the first day but failed to deliver on the second day to finish fourth in the Founders division. Notably missing in this group with this year’s skipper Tony Jackson was last year seniors team captain, Reny Sarmiento.
And next week, the CCC men’s team will go to Bacolod to defend the Founders championship and make a four-peat or seven championships in eighth years. Good luck to all our Cebuano golfers to the PAL Interclub.
We are getting a lot of opportunities to watch Ladies PGA golf tournaments in the Balls TV, which is rather … err, a misnomer.
I am still miffed about missing the Super Bowl, especially when my favorite team, the NY giants won an upset victory over the undefeated New England Patriots. One cannot just write, read, imagine or fully understand the impact of the game unless you are a fan. It is not just watching, rooting or betting on the game. It is how one can relate to the team. And that is what a fan feels and breathes with. The heartache, the agony of the defeat, the pleasure of winning and history, is what it’s all about.
I have been a New York Giants fan ever since they moved to New Jersey in the early 70’s. The mood in our office in New Jersey would be dictated on whether the Giants won or not. Even our bosses were absolutely impossible to bear with when the Giants lose; it’s the time to hide and wait for Tuesday to see the boss.
GOLF TIP. There may be only a few times you will use your lob wedge but when you do, it generally delivers because it is a specialty club and is designed to do a specific job. It is much like a sand wedge but with less bounce to allow you to pick the ball up easily. It is weighty and is the most lofted club in your bag. But remember practice makes perfect so you must use it to be good at it.
The lob wedge is also very useful for chipping, especially when you are in the rough, or when you have to pop the ball over some rough or bunker and need to stop it quickly. To do the lob chip, place the ball even with your back foot. This will help you get a clean contact with the ball. Set the clubface square to the target line and simply cock the club with your wrist and drop it back down with minimal follow through. The weight of the clubhead will help your momentum and so executing the shot would be with less effort.
