Flooding: Somber Scenes From Calgary Golf Courses

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With good reason Graham DeLaet contributed $1000 for each birdie he made during the Travelers, matched by the tournament and others. Seeing the latest articles sent by reader Andrew along with the video puts into perspective just had bad the flooding sitaution in Calgary is.

Wes Gilbertson reports that Canadian Open hopeful Glencoe Golf & Country Club is in bad shape but no major damage was done to the newly renovated course.

“It’s sickening. It’s truly sickening,” said Mike Kenney, the executive professional and associate general manager at Glencoe, one of the large number of Calgary-area golf courses impacted by the worst flood in Alberta history.

“We were going to be opening the Forest next Saturday after 23 months of renovations, and that’s probably the hardest pill to take, just knowing we were that close. Now, I’m not sure when it will open again. It’s going to be awhile.

“It’s just going to take time to recuperate. A lot of it is going to have to be stripped and re-sodded and shaped a bit differently.”

Brody Mark on Kananaskis Country GC closing for the season in June because of the flooding.

“While we cannot measure the damage until the waters of our rivers and creek beds receded, it will be some time before the courses (Mt. Kidd and Mt. Lorette) will be playable.”

Robinson announced full refunds will be given to all with a confirmed tee time.

While no official word has been levied on the 2013 fate of Inglewood Golf and Curling Club, Glencoe Golf and Country Club, Cottonwood Golf and Country Club, Redwood Meadows, Valley Ridge and McKenzie Meadows, each of those courses had pictures of extensive flooding posted on various social media sites.

A video from high above the world famous Banff Springs golf course.

Father-Son Aces On Same Hole, Same Round

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Thanks to reader Taylor for passing along Cameron Smith's interpretation of David Barron's behind-a-paywall Houston Chronicle story of a father-son hole in one double.

It seems Lonnie and Zach Widener pulled off this amazing 1-in-17 million accomplishment at River Pointe Golf Club's 6th hole, dad from 115 and son from 100 yards.

"It's probably going to be the most memorable thing we accomplish together," Lonnie Whitener told the Chronicle. "I just hope we have a lot more good things to come. It's one of the coolest things you could ever do."

AJGA Teen Fires 61; Makes Nine Straight Birdies!

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Thanks to reader One Universe for the tip on Colin Kober's 61 at the AJGA event in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He's listed as class of 2016, so he's 15 or 16.

The 11-under round came on a 6608 yard course with a rating of 72.2 and a Slope of 131.

Even more amazing for the Southlake, Texas resident: nine straight birdies. Nine!

He leads by two.

Belmont Goes Bushwood: Tale Of An Overbudget Clubhouse Redo

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Thanks to reader Bud for this Callum Borchers story of a Belmont Country Club's members feuding over an $18 million clubhouse redo swelling to over $30 million.

Add this one to the files of, why do people spend millions on a place where they will spend 15 minutes and skimp on the golf course they'll spend 5 hours on, and think it'll turn out well?

Backslapping has been replaced by back stabbing, and successful business people are doing “things that we would never do in our professional lives,” according to one message from the clubhouse building committee.

“Welcome to Belmonts very own - ‘Big Apple Circus’!!!,” Robert A. Schlager, president of Bulfinch Cos., wrote in an e-mail­ to club leaders last year.

Schlager had been asked by a friend on the building committee to offer advice on utility work and concluded that the club had a “team of misfits” handling the project.

Video: Rickie Does Dallas

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Under dark and blustery Dallas skies Rickie Fowler and Colt Knost plugged sponsor Red Bull and launched Crowne Plaza Invitational week while attempting to make a hole in one to a Texas-shaped green.

Take that...guys over playing the Open Championship qualifier.

The name of the game was to see who could hit it closest to the pin, while egged on by special guests and former Dallas Stars hockey player Marty Turco and Kip Brennan.  The two contestants strolled out to the sidewalk and warmed up with an 80-yard lob wedge, followed by 115-yard gap wedge from across the street and onto the AT&T Plaza green. Fowler started off slowly in these practice rounds, while Knost consistently landed on the green.

Then the two players jumped into a golf cart and drove around the block to an adjacent 3rd floor parking structure for the main round.  From there, they attempted blind shots from 140+ yards that to had fly over a 6-story building or be sliced left-to-right to land softly on the Victory Plaza green.  With golf balls flying over the heads of hundreds of spectators, Fowler first jumped on the MIC to let the fans know they “should probably duck.”

The video.

Only On ebay Files: The Unworn Memorial Shirt

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Thanks to reader John for sending this link to an auction ending soon on a shirt with quite the backstory in the seller's mind.

I'll just copy and paste the opening graphs in case they disappear...

This is a NWOT, never been worn Jack Nicklaus "The Memorial Tournament" commemorative golf shirt which was purchased at the PGA Tour 2011 Memorial Tournament gift shop at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin Ohio as a gift from my significant other who of course is a golfer.  Feel free to ask any questions.
 
I never liked golf - frankly if you need to wear a collared shirt to play it, it is not a sport.

Dare you to tell that to a rugby player!

My SO wanted to introduce me to his "classy" gentleman's game for whatever reasons since I've always found it Freudingly peculiar that grown men want nothing more than to stare down and wrap their hands around a shaft for 5 hours a day in a toxic artificially manmade environment they call "nature".

So, so cynical. Clearly this person hasn't heard of the minimalist movement.

Anyway, the buyer goes on to detail a broken foot and ankle. It's quite the yarn!

Romo To Spend More Time Not Golfing Publicly This Off-Season

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Fresh off signing a $108 million extension, Dallas Cowboy quarterback and excellent golfer Tony Romo is giving up some tournament appearances and attempts to qualify in the name of being like Peyton. Or at least, letting Jerry Jones think he's getting his money's worth.

Calvin Watkins reports that Romo won't be trying U.S. Open or Byron Nelson qualifiers:

Romo isn't interested in those things now, but it was nice following him around in Houston a few years ago when he tried to qualify for the U.S. Open.

The public perception was that Romo cared more about golf than football. I've always thought this theory from some fans and media members was silly. Romo always cared about football.