Big Break Atlantis
Spring, TX resident and University of Texas standout, Shannon Fish will be appearing on ‘Big Break Atlantis’, premiering May 14 on Golf Channel. Learn more.
Even as a Golfer’s Nerves Foil Him, He Shows Grace
Before his second shot in the final round of the Players Championship, Kevin Na took his club back six times without hitting the ball and then backed away. Once he had regrouped, he performed two more waggles before striking the ball.
In the gallery, the fans counted each of Na’s waggles the way spectators usually keep track of strokes. One month after Bubba Watson steered golf outside the ropes of tradition with his freewheeling victory at the Masters, Na was poised to give the sport another quirky hero: the Unnatural. Read more.
Pitch and Putt and Behold the Glory
BANDON, Ore. — On Tuesday, more than 150 golfers lined up to plunk down $100 to play a 13-hole par-3 golf course called Bandon Preserve, at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the coast of southern Oregon.
Pay $100 for a par-3 course?
Not taken completely seriously, par-3 courses are a frequently overlooked part of the golf world. The holes are generally under 200 yards, and the greens can usually be reached by players of modest ability in one shot. Par-3 layouts are not usually sanctioned by the United States Golf Association and hence need not adhere to particular rules. Some courses might have 9 or 18 holes, though they are almost as likely to have 6-, 10- and 12-hole layouts.
Par-3 courses are often perceived as practice areas, an extension of the driving range, and somehow not quite “real golf.”
“If you were to review every par-3 course in America, most would fall into the ‘rudimentary’ category,” said Ron Whitten, Golf Digest’s architecture editor. “However, the same can be said for most regulation golf courses. Par-3s play an important role. They are the sandlots of golf, where people can go to build a passion for the game.” Read more.
Net Trophy + Ace
Congrats to all the winners at Eagle Pointe. The course was in perfect condition and the weather was beautiful – the ‘EP curse’ is over! Xuan Lanh Nguyen took home the B-flight net trophy(62), but the highlight of his round was an ace! Welcome to the exclusive Ace Club, Anh Lanh!
View photos from Eagle Pointe.
10th Annual HVGA Crawfish Boil
All current members and their immediate families or a member and his/her guest are invited to HVGA’s 10th annual crawfish boil Sunday, April 29th, Crawfish will be provided along with games and a moonwalk for the kids. The event begins at noon.
Can You Think Your Way To That Hole-In-One?
Psychologists at Purdue University have come up with an interesting twist on the old notion of the power of positive thinking. Call it the power of positive perception: They’ve shown that you may be able to improve your golf game by believing the hole you’re aiming for is larger than it really is.
Jessica Witt, who studies how perception and performance are related, decided to look at golf – specifically, how the appearance of the hole changes depending on whether you’re playing well or poorly.
So she took a large poster board to a golf course with circles of different sizes drawn on it. Some circles matched the size of the golf hole, some were larger and some were smaller. As golfers finished their rounds, she showed them her poster board and asked them to select the circle that matched the size of the hole.
After she got the golfers’ scores, she did some math: “The golfers who did better and had a lower score selected larger circles as matching the size of the hole,” Witt says. The good golfers overestimated the size of the hole by 10 to 20 percent.
But then Witt wondered whether this difference in perception could be put to use to improve a golfer’s game. So she tried an experiment. In her lab, she made an artificial putting green and used an optical illusion to make the golf hole appear larger or smaller than it really was.
The trick involved projecting small circles of light around the hole to make it look larger, or projecting large circles of light around the hole to make it look smaller. It’s an optical trick called the Ebbinghaus illusion, which you can see here on the left.
“The illusion wouldn’t interfere with the putting; it would only change what people perceived,” Witt says. The hole itself never changed sizes.
As she writes in the journal Psychological Science, the result was clear: “When people perceived the hole to be bigger, they also made their putts more successfully.” Witt thinks the change in perception to make a task seem easier will apply in a lot of different circumstances.
Read this complete article at NPR.org
9 Things You Didn’t Know About Bubba Watson
By: Neil Helsper / Photo: Getty Images
You may think you’ve heard everything about new Masters champ Bubba Watson’s self-taught game, hot-pink driver, and crazy ability to shape shots. But here are 9 more facts you probably haven’t heard about the man from Bagdad, Florida.
9. His name isn’t Bubba
Well, not his legal name at least. Watson’s actual first name is Gerry, which was his late father’s name. Also, as Bubba told David Feherty, it’s pronounced “Gary” and not “Jerry” as most people assume.
8. He’s been on social media since the beginning
Bubba’s currently one of the most active pros on Twitter, but he’s been ahead of the game for a long time. In early 2010 he launched a Twitter campaign to get himself on Ellen, tweeting at her and posting several videos (including one where he sings happy birthday). It worked and he appeared on the show on February 3, 2010.
7. He’s not much of a dresser
While Bubba’s well-dressed on the links in Travis Mathew attire, he claims to own only two formal suits for off the course: the two he was given for competing in the 2010 Ryder Cup and 2011 Presidents Cup. He’s probably one of the few millionaires who are more comfortable in overalls than eveningwear.
6. He’s nearly won the “Insurance Slam”
Tiger Woods has his “Tiger Slam.” Agent Chubby Chandler nearly won the “Chubby Slam.” But Bubba’s close to capturing the career “Insurance Slam” by winning all the tour events sponsored by insurance companies. Before taking home the green jacket, Bubba won the 2010 Travelers Championship, the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open and the 2011 Zurich Classic. Now if he can win next year’s Humana Challenge, he’ll complete a truly bizarre achievement.
5. He dominated at community college
Bubba doesn’t take the usual route when he’s attacking a golf hole-and he didn’t take the expected path in collegiate golf, either. He started his career at Faulkner State Community College in Georgia, where he crushed the local competition with five individual wins, 18 all-tournament honors (out of 20 events played) and a 2nd place finish at the national junior college tournament. After getting his associates’ degree, he went on the University of Georgia where he helped lead the team to the SEC team title.
4. He’s not very into golf history
With his Masters win, Watson joined a list of golf legends that have taken the title at Augusta. Not that he could necessarily tell you who they are. Watson revealed to Sports Illustrated that “I’m not sure how many Masters Tiger has won. Actually, I’m not sure how many Jack has, either.” If his strong play continues, he might end up in the hall of fame someday with a bunch of nobodies like Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan.
3. He battled anger issues
It’s hard to imagine the laidback Bubba turning into the Incredible Hulk, but that’s what happened regularly on the course until early in the 2011 season. Fed up with Bubba’s tantrums after poor shots, his caddie Ted Scott threatened to quit. Watson changed his ways and hasn’t looked back.
2. He’s a terrible putter
Everyone talks about Bubba’s incredible length. He leads the tour with an average drive of 313.1 yards. But like Happy Gilmore, this long-hitter has trouble on the greens. He’s currently ranked 164th in overall putting and 182nd in putts from 5-10 feet. At this rate, there might be a belly putter in Bubba’s future.
1. He hasn’t always been super-thin
The Bubba we see today-lean, lanky and incredibly athletic-wasn’t the Bubba that first came on tour. (Just check out this comparison photo.) Since turning pro, Watson has dropped over 30 pounds by working with trainer Andrew Fisher and improving his diet. Rumor has it that Bubba once loved fast food more than Rickie Fowler loves orange shirts.
Newsletter – April, 2012
Hello HVGA Golfers,
Thank you for coming out to the Quail Valley golf tournament to support our club. We had quite a turnout, and even had plenty of new members and guests to fill the tee sheet with. The course was rumored to have narrow fairways and many challenging obstacles, and based on some of the high scores posted, the rumors were true. Other than the winner of A-Flight who shot an exemplary score of 74, most A-Flighters struggled with breaking 90 on Eldorado. The story was similar in B-Flight, with a couple of players shooting in the 70′s and low 80′s. The conditions were mostly OK that day, but the course itself proved to be a challenge for many golfers. If we happen to return to this course in the future, let’s hope we will be more acquainted with the layout and improve on all our scores. Perhaps we just need to pick the winners’ brains to gain insight into strategies on how to score well on this course.
With that said, it is my pleasure to present the winners who proved they earned their places in the winner’s circle:
A Flight GROSS: Hien Vo
B Flight GROSS: Thanh N Tran
A Flight NET: Kevin Le
B Flight NET: Minh Le
C Flight GROSS: Tu Dang
Closest to Hole #2: Vinh Vu
Closest to Hole #6: Kevin Dang
Closest to Hole #8: Leo Pham
Closest to Hole #11: Kiet Luong
Closest to Hole #14: Hien Vo
As we prepare for the upcoming annual crawfish boil, the reported financial figures below will give us a great starting point.
Total Revenue: $12,870
Total Expenses: $8,737
Current Balance: $4,133
As mentioned, the Eagle Point tournament coming up on April 22nd will be a Sunday tournament and not the usual Saturday. The survey we conducted at the end of last year suggested that many members are open to playing on Sunday, therefore, this tournament will determine whether Sunday tournaments will be a regular event for our club or not.
Please sign up as early as possible to reserve your spot on the tee sheet. The Sunday following the Eagle Point tournament will be the annual HVGA Crawfish Boil. A sign up request will be sent out shortly, so please RSVP as soon as possible to make sure we will provide enough food for everyone. The May tournament will then follow the Saturday after the Crawfish Boil. It will be a busy three weekend in a row for HVGA golfers, therefore, pencil in these dates to make sure you can show up for all three events.
Hope to see everyone out golfing and eating mud bugs soon.
Kiet Luong
HVGA President
2012 VGA National
The 2012 VGA National will be held at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course located within the private Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. The tournament will be held during the weekend of Aug. 3rd, 4th and 5th. Of all the courses where the VGA National has been hosted in the past eight years, this will be by far the the highest rated course of them all. Dinah Shore also happens to be where the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship is hosted annually.
Visit vganational.com for more info.
9 Surprising Secrets About the Masters
By: Neil Helsper
9. Amen Corner wasn’t always called that
Lately it seems like every golf course has branded a set of signature holes, from the “Bear Trap” at PGA National to the “Snake Pit” at Innisbrook. But the original is Amen Corner, the name for holes 11 through 13 at Augusta National. Surprisingly, though, the name isn’t that old: it was coined by sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind in 1958 and didn’t immediately catch on. That means that for more than 25 years of the tournament, the world’s most famous stretch of holes were best known as just “the 11th, 12th and 13th.”
8. The Crow’s Nest isn’t that nice
Sure, it’s an incredible honor to stay in the Crow’s Nest during Masters week-you have to have won the U.S. Amateur or another elite amateur tournament-but it’s no presidential suite. This apartment-style dwelling at the top of the clubhouse is more dorm room than luxury villa, with shared living space and bedrooms that lack floor-to-ceiling walls. With all the college players who’ve stayed here, it’s amazing that no one has brought a young lady back and pulled the whole “sock on the doorknob” routine, leaving the other amateurs to sleep out on the first teebox.
7. Augusta is a trendsetter
With a tight rein on tradition and seemingly never-ending controversy about its membership policies, Augusta National is an unlikely place to be on the cutting edge. But the truth is, the Masters is responsible for several of the innovations that golf tournaments still use today. The Masters was the first 72-hole stroke play event to be held over four days (now a professional standard) and the first to report scores on the over/under par system we now see on TV every weekend. Now if only the other tournaments would follow Augusta’s lead on dirt-cheap concession prices.
6. There’s a Secret Service-certified house onsite
In the 1950s, Augusta liked Ike-and the feeling was mutual. In fact, President Eisenhower visited so frequently that the club built him the eponymous Eisenhower Cabin just 200 feet from the main clubhouse, providing a home-away-from-home for the Commander in Chief. The construction of the house reportedly followed Secret Service security guidelines and even hosted President Reagan in 1981.
5. Green Jackets have to stay on the grounds-unless you’re Gary Player
When you imagine yourself winning a Green Jacket, you probably see yourself wearing it for years-lounging around the house, laughing with friends as you sip on eggnog during a holiday party, maybe even getting your driver’s license picture taken in it. But technically, each champion can only take his Green Jacket home for a year; afterwards it has to remain on club property. That is, unless you’re Gary Player, who won in 1961, 1974 and 1978. He took his jacket back to South Africa and has refused to return it, despite several chairmen asking him “pretty please.”
4. The clubhouse has another name
The clubhouse you see on TV every year-also immortalized in miniature as the Master’s trophy-was originally called the Dennis Rodman house. Wait, that’s not right. It’s the Dennis Redmond house, named after the original homeowner who built it in 1854 as his plantation home. Bonus fact: Rae’s Creek, probably the most famous water hazard in all of golf, was named after settler John Rae, who lived along the creek starting in 1765. Ironically, Rae hated when kids would play sports on his lawn.
3. The course is a glorified cow pasture (or at least it used to be)
These days you’ll hear shouts of “Tiger!” echo off the pine trees at Augusta National, but in the 1940s you were more likely to hear people grumbling about all the cows. Forced to shut down for two years during World War II, the club tried to pull in some money by raising turkeys and cattle on the property. The disappointing revenue taught the club two things: the land is better off as a golf course, and there’s a lot more profit in pimento cheese sandwiches than in turkeys.
2. Bobby Jones planned a 19th hole
During course construction, Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones wanted to build a 19th hole-and it had nothing to do with chugging Miller Lites with his buddies. Jones proposed building an actual extra hole, a short par-3 that would help settle bets from casual rounds. The plan never came to fruition, although between his fame and taste for whiskey, an unofficial 19th hole probably sprung up wherever he went.
1. A tragic death haunts the property
Bobby Jones gets a lot of press, but less is said about his counterpart, club co-founder Clifford Roberts. That might be because of Roberts’ horrific death that occurred on the property: suffering from poor health, he shot himself on the club’s Par 3 course in 1978. With the Par 3 course now serving as the site of a playful, family-friendly exhibition, I have a feeling this won’t be mentioned on this year’s broadcast.
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Newsletter – March, 2012
Hello golfers,
After weeks of waiting out the rain, we finally got our chance to show off our golf games to ring in the new golf year. However, it still wasn’t a walk in the park even though we played on the all so familiar River Ridge Golf Course. As expected, winds were howling, conditions were tough, and green speeds differ from the front nine to the back to test all aspects of our game. The winners of all categories definitely earned their keep as they battled their way to victory on this tested day. HVGA congratulates the following winners and recognize their hard-earned achievements.
A special recognition goes out to CT for making a hole-in-one on the Par 3 hole # 6. It’s not often someone makes a hole-in-one during a tournament, AND finish with a winning NET trophy. Congratulations on a job well done!
A Flight GROSS: Thinh Vu
B Flight GROSS: Bang Le
A Flight NET: Thanh Trinh CT
B Flight NET: Viet Do
C Flight GROSS: Kevin Trinh
Closest to Hole #4 (River): John Pham
Closest to Hole #6 (River): Thanh Trinh CT (Ace)
Closest to Hole #8 (River): Vinh P Nguyen
Closest to Hole #2 (Ridge): Mike Bui
Closest to Hole #8 (Ridge): Bang Le
Our financial status in good standing as evident in the following numbers:
Total Revenue (collected membership & tourney fees): $7,165
Total Expenses (trophies, golf balls, tourney fees): $5,606
Current Balance: $1,559
Our next tournament will be at Quail Valley Golf Course, El Dorado Course. We hope to see everyone there, and please try to come out early. There was a putting contest held right before the start of the last tournament where everyone had a blast with, so don’t miss any events that may come up on the next.
Kiet Luong
HVGA President
Bear Creek Little League
Hello fellow HVGA golfers,
In addition to playing golf with you guys, I am also a volunteer coach with the Bear Creek Little League. I am a head coach for one team and an assistant coach for another. My teams are looking for businesses that would sponsor us. This is a great way to get 100% tax deduction and an avenue of advertising for your businesses. Our teams will have the names of your businesses on the back of our baseball jerseys, among other things.
If you are interested, please click here for additional information and sponsorship form. You can also contact me at 713-367-4698 or kevin.trinh@kbr.com. Thank you very much for reading.
-Kevin Trinh
River Ridge + Ace
Congrats to all the winners at River Ridge. The course was in perfect condition and the wind was definitely a factor. Thanh Trinh took home the A-flight net trophy, but the highlight of his round was an ace! (156 yard, 5 iron + 20 mph head wind)
HVGA Tournament Rules – 2012
Notice to Players – Local Rules and Conditions of Competition
The Rules of the United States Golf Association govern plays, as modified by HVGA. Unless otherwise noted, the penalty for breach of a Condition or Local Rule for stroke play is two strokes.
If you have any doubts as to a rule, please ask your playing partners. If they do not know, then play an alternate ball under rule 3-3. You will play both balls from the point of doubt and must hole out both balls. At the end of the round, you are required to ask for a ruling from the Rules Committee (See item 10 below). The exact language of the Rules may be found online at usga.org under rules. Apps for iphones and Droids may be available for downloads from the website. Read more.