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That chick blabbing about anything golf related.

Tag: robbie biershenk (page 17 of 32)

Stock car racing is easy – but watch out for those golf carts!

December 12, 2006 / / 2 Comments

This weekend, Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson took a spill from a golf cart and fractured his wrist in the process. The incident happened at a celebrity charity golf tournament in Lecanto, Florida.

In his official story he claimed that he “was in a golf cart and the driver took a sharp turn… I wasn’t holding on tight enough, landed awkwardly on the ground and heard a little pop.”

As it turns out, he was in fact ON the golf cart when that driver took a sharp turn. I guess golf cart driving isn’t quite as exciting as NASCAR racing. Yep, “horsing around” on the roof of the cart, according to his team.

Don’t fall off, Jimmie!

It is the off-season for NASCAR, so he’ll have plenty of time to heal before he has to compete again. However, the much celebrated driver of the Lowe’s car won’t be able to participate in the all-star, international “Race of Champions” in Paris this coming Saturday.

Maybe Jimmie should stick with this golf cart next time.

I bet his teammates and competitors aren’t going to let him forget this mishap for awhile.It kind of makes me think that driving a stock car must be relatively easy. I mean heck, I drive golf carts all the time and have never had a single incident. No crashes, no injuries, nothing. I bet if I had a huge corporate team behind me that designed a winning car, I could get strapped in to that baby with all the protective gear and drive that thing to victory! Need a sub in Paris, Jimmie?

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Improving my putting skills

December 6, 2006 / / 6 Comments

Perhaps I mis-titled this post. I guess I should say developing some putting skills instead of improving. Improving implies that I had some skills to begin with. I didn’t. I used to putt like a stoned chihuahua – spazzing out and either timidly leaving it way short or nervously hammering it past the hole with a freakish jolt. In either situation, I would often completely misread the putt in the first place so whether it was short or long it was way off line. Three putts were standard fare and I’d throw in a four or five putt for good measure, especially when I had a “good round” going. I used to dread going to the green to putt and just wanted to get to the next hole so I could take some more swings. My favorite thing about getting a hole-in-one was not having to putt.

Then the one and only Luke Swilor responded to one of my posts lamenting about my putting woes and he recommended the book Putting Out of Your Mind. Dog bless Luke Swilor. And Dog bless Dr. Bob Rotella for writing the book. Now I love putting. I can’t wait to get up there and try to knock it in the hole. That’s my real scoring opportunity!

Book Report – Putting Out of Your Mind, by Dr. Bob Rotella with Bob Cullen


There is really no big mystery to putting. It’s just like it was when you were a kid on a mini-golf course. You look at the target, read the putting surface, choose your line and stroke the ball into the hole. For some reason, now that we’re “adults” and golfers, putting has become so important in our brains that we psych ourselves out about it. At least I did. Suddenly it’s not as simple as it used to be. It means so much more now so it must be more difficult. I must have to concentrate more and really really try. WRONG!

In Putting Out of Your Mind, Dr. Bob Rotella explains it all so simply. It’s not a book that teaches you putting mechanics like holding your triangle or keeping your head over the ball or any of that nonsense. Not that those aren’t things that might work for you, but they might not for someone else. Grips, stances, strokes and routines can vary immensely from golfer to golfer and none is necessarily better than the other. What does have a big impact on every putt no matter who you are is what happens in your head.

This book taught me to develop a solid, repetitive routine. That much is pretty common knowledge, however overlooked or disregarded it can be in any given round. But I also learned not to over-read greens or second guess my lines. Not to stress over speed. “But, but, but… I don’t want to leave it short… I don’t want to end up 10 feet past the hole.” Forget it! If you putt just to get it close, you’re putting to miss. I now putt every putt with the full intention of making it. And guess what? I make a lot more! Sure, I still have the occasional three putt and I’m sure I always will, but I have a lot fewer of them now. More importantly, I make a lot more one-putts.

How can that be? Just by putting to make it? Well, I guess you have to read the book to really have it sink in and be convinced of the overall concept that makes it successful: trust your putt. Just like you have to trust your swing. Speaking of trusting your swing, I have also read and highly recommend Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, also by Dr. Bob Rotella. Every shot I take from under 100 yards, I aim to make it in the hole. I actually chip it in more often now, too.

Of course it isn’t quite as easy as I’m making it out to be. These things take time and I have had some setbacks. But that’s why I decided to refresh my memory of this book by re-reading it and writing this book report.

Dr. Rotella is a psychologist who works with many professional golfers and has done so for years. The book includes many anecdotes from those interactions to illustrate just how important the mental aspect of putting (and golf in general) is. It’s a quick and easy read and can have such a big impact on your game – and your scores.

I highly recommend this book. It’ll make a great holiday gift for your favorite golfer (even if that’s not yourself). Like me, you’ll probably want to pass it along to someone else after you read it. Also like me, you should opt instead to get that person his own copy so you can keep yours on the shelf because you will probably want to read it again. And again.

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Rustic Canyon fire damage

December 5, 2006 / / 0 Comments

I have some updated information about how Rustic Canyon Golf Course fared in the Shekell / Happy Camp fire.

Some areas on the back nine were singed and a lot of the environmental or native areas burned. None of the actual playing surfaces sustained any damage. The golf course was without power until 9:00 AM today. The watering system that was in some of the native areas was damaged and is being repaired. Right now, they’re in a clean-up and repair mode and the course will re-open for play on Friday.

Moorpark Country Club is open and pretty much back to business as usual today.

Scroll down for yesterday’s post on the fire which has some other updated information.

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Gilda’s Club Worldwide auction – golf stuff up for bid

December 5, 2006 / / 0 Comments

Gilda’s Club Worldwide is auctioning off items on ebay to raise money that will help support people living with cancer. That’s Gilda’s Club as in Gilda Radner, the hilarious actress and comedienne best known for her funny business in the first cast of Saturday Night Live. Gilda was taken early by ovarian cancer in 1989.

The auction includes golf items such as passes to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and World Woods Golf Club. It looks like the big ticket item of a vacation package to the 2007 US Open with behind-the-scenes privileges courtesy of The Golf Channel has already closed, but there is still time to get bids in on many other items. Here is the e-bay link to the Gilda’s Club Auction site.

The Gilda’s Club Mission

“The mission of Gilda’s Club is to provide meeting places where men, women and children living with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build emotional and social support as a supplement to medical care. Free of charge and nonprofit, Gilda’s Club offers support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social events in a nonresidential, homelike setting.”

And Elizabeth Berkley has something to do with it as well. Far from her teen queen period from Saved by the Bell or lascivious stripper character in Showgirls, she is now applying her image and name recognition to help this charitable cause.

Since I don’t blog about Natalie Gulbis bikini shots and calendars or other such sexy-golfer related hit generators catering to the perverted Michele Wie upskirt crowd, I was tempted to put up the stripper photos of Elizabeth Berkley while I had the chance. However, due to the nature of the post and the cause and what she’s trying to do, I opted instead to do the right thing and use this more respectable photo.

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Moorpark (Shekell) Fire

December 4, 2006 / / 4 Comments

I am updating this post periodically. Updates are in blue.

Most of you have probably heard about the fire that is blazing through the Moorpark area.

For detailed information on evacuations, road and school closures from the sheriff’s department, visit this website.

Update: I got an e-mail from KNBC that they are running a live stream of continuing coverage and raw video from the fire. I checked it and it was last night’s coverage but they told me the chopper is refueling and live stream will be back up soon. Here’s the link. (10 AM – 5 PM)

It is fire season and it seems like in each of the last several years there’s been at least one fire right around here that puts us all on edge. In the so-called Shekell fire (named for the road where it started), several homes and buildings have already been lost and thousands are still threatened as it continues to burn and the Santa Ana Winds continue to move it through the fuel filled brush areas.

Embers fly in this photo of the building and property of MGR Design going up in flames. (L.A. Times)

Moorpark Country Club

The fire went right through my favorite local public golf course, Moorpark Country Club. Sunday morning around 8:00, golf pro Leo Lee closed up shop as the Sheriff’s department recommended evacuations in the area.

This morning, Moorpark CC seems to be out of harm’s way as the fire has moved along to torment other areas. The golf course sustained damage to scrub brush and it’s still very smoky so only a skeleton crew is on location and no golfers are around. The roads are closed and it’s unsafe to be outside breathing all the particulates. Even without a fire, golfers would be scarce because of the insane winds.

I actually had a tee-time at Moorpark on Saturday morning and opted out with the rest of my foursome because the wind was blowing us away as we stood there and discussed whether or not to play. Gusts to 70 mph – sustained winds probably around 40-50. No thanks. But punishing winds are merely an inconvenience for golfers.

Those are the same conditions that make the fires nearly impossible to fight. Firefighters can’t stand steady with their hoses and helicopters can be grounded (they’re up right now). Small aircraft has difficulty staying on course to land their targets with water. However, when they need water, they can use water hazards at the area golf courses to fill up their tanks.

Residents evacuate at the north end of Valley Road in Moorpark. (L.A. Times)

Update: I got an e-mail from Steve Vigiano, the Director of Golf at Moorpark CC. He says: “We are fine. Just some minor fire damage to the brush on the Canyon and Ridgeline side of the course. We have been closed for the past 2 days [and] we will be open tomorrow. I have heard that Rustic Canyon had a lot of damage to the Native areas. I believe that the course is OK. There is no way to communicate with Rustic right now.”

Rustic Canyon Golf Course

Another fire that is part of the Shekell blaze burned through Happy Camp which is the location of Rustic Canyon Golf Course. I have tried to contact them this morning for an update but have been unable to reach anyone there. Perhaps the power and phone lines are down there. I’ll continue to try and post an update when I have more information. If anyone knows anything, please post a comment here.

Update: I got through to their phone number and heard the message that they are closed due to the fire and directing people to call later in the week when the phone service will be available. No report is given on the message about damage to the course.

Don’t be stubborn (and stupid)

It was reported on the news that many people in the area are refusing to evacuate their homes. Everyone, please be safe. Stuff is just stuff. Get your animals, hard drives, hard to replace documents, photos, mementos and golf clubs and just get out. Those embers are flying and it’s still really dangerous out there.

A word to the local news stations:

It sure would be nice if you could display an accurate map of the fire areas and where the firelines are. Last night I was watching the news and one of the stations showed an actual image of the fires with an overlaid map of the area. According to that map, I was on fire. If you’re going to do it (and you should), do it right!

Update: Here are a few more links posted by reader “ELY” in the comments section. I thought I’d put them here for easier access:
Ventura County Star’s Affected areas map
Ventura County Star’s Wind map
Ventura County Fire Department

Update: As of 7:00 AM this morning (December 5), the fire is 80% contained and the fire department expects full containment by 6:00 PM tonight.

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The Golf Space heats up

November 30, 2006 / / 2 Comments


Back in early April, The Golf Space was launched with a bang. I posted about it the day after it officially “opened” and at the time, there were already 157 members.

In the nearly and merely 8 months since it began, it has added over 1000 more members and today has an official count of 1204. It’s basically like a myspace for golfers and already has an enormous amount of golf content, much of it supplied by its members.

My golf blog buddy Tony (of the Hooked on Golf blog) runs it and he’s really doing an amazing job. Members can track their scores and stats, browse for other members, blog or read other members’ blogs, view photo galleries, read golf news, chat with other members and more. There are even ways to win free golf stuff.

Check it out at www.thegolfspace.com. You can also visit my own personal golfspace URL (get yours if you haven’t already!) at www.thegolfspace.com/golfchick (naturally).

Pro Team Golf League update – interview

November 16, 2006 / / 3 Comments


Awhile back, I put up a post about the launch of the Pro Team Golf League. Perhaps naively, I thought it sounded like a great and novel idea. I have since learned that similar projects have been attempted in the past and failed to either have a solid business model or solid intentions.

I still think it sounds like a great idea and I hope it works. I have also discovered that I wasn’t the only person who found the concept to be slightly confusing. This confusion seems to stem from the fact that there is fan involvement. At first glance, some might think it’s a fantasy league. However, this is a league played by actual professional golfers. It crosses the fantasy line because the fans not only pick their teams but the choices they make for those teams are actually reflected in the game.

I wanted to know more about the concept and plans for this new golf league that I previously juxtaposed with baseball’s minor leagues or farm teams. I submitted some questions to the league and received some answers back from Tom Belton, General Counsel and Executive Committee Member for PTGL. They cleared up a few things for me. Here are his responses:

Golfchick: Who owns the current teams?

TB: A team owner is separate from the owners of PTGL. The owner could be a local business person with strong ties to the golf, travel or entertainment markets. The owner could be the foursome at the country club who loves the idea of team golf, or owning an affordable sports franchise. The owner could be the person who wants to be in the forefront of bringing a brand new form of sports entertainment to market. The owner could be a retired sports or entertainment celebrity. Owners are likely to be technology or sports geeks, or both. We know this because we happen to be in discussions with each of these interested groups.

[Golfchick note: good information, but that didn’t answer my question about the owners of the two existing teams that will be competing in the inaugural event. Tom, if you’re reading this, could you answer that in a comment on this post?]

Golfchick: What is an owner’s involvement?

TB: The owner has total control of the team. The owner negotiates and signs up the players from the Player Eligibility List provided by PTGL. The owner picks the home venue for matches. The owner negotiates and signs up local advertisers and sponsors. The owner connects with the fans and tries to drive more fans to his or her team. The owner makes the profit and shares with the league in its 60% revenue share and 10% profit pool. The owner truly owns a sports franchise.

Golfchick: Does the league pay the players or do the owners?

TB: The team owners have total control and responsibility here to compensate the team players subject to minimum compensation requirements established by PTGL. The League requires something beyond a base compensation to be paid to players to make sure the League also benefits players.

Golfchick: Do the players earn prize money in addition to a salary?

TB: Team owners are required to give players some financial upside either as a percentage of the purse or total team revenue or profit. The League guidelines suggest that 50% of the purse be distributed to players. We are also recommending that team owners set aside some equity for players just like a Wall Street business. We want players to be partners with team owners, not adversaries like in most sports franchises today.

Golfchick: What kind of recruitment efforts are being made to attract players?

TB: Mike Davis, an ex-PGA player and one of the most recognized golf instructors in the country, leads our player recruitment effort. It just so happens his son Brien is currently a player on the Canadian Tour and knows many of them already. We’ve had a 100% success rate in attracting mini-Tour players to sign up for the Player Eligibility List. We will continue to look for the best players out there. And we encourage player’s who participate in your blog who have an interest in competing to come to ptgl.com and apply for the Eligibility List.


Golfchick: Will the teams be limited in number or geographical area (e.g. only 8 teams the first year, expand to X number in the future, only one team per geographical region)?

TB: No, although the initial focus in the first 3 years will be in North America. One of the goals is to help US players develop match play skills. Some of these players will be future Ryder Cup players. We expect to have 24 teams in North America within 3 years but this is easily positioned for a much larger roll-out if there is fan demand for more.

Golfchick: How many players max per team?

TB: Team owners have flexibility here but generally a maximum of 12 with only 8 playing per week.

Golfchick: How does someone interested in being an owner put a team together?

TB: Dick Newbert is the PTGL Director of Team Develoopment. You can contact him through ptgl.com by clicking on the Team Development tab and sending an email with either a question or description of your interest in team ownership.

Golfchick: Will there be ladies’ teams or co-ed teams?

TB: We hope so. PTGL is open to the best professional golfers on the mini-Tours or the LPGA. We’d love to see an LPGA Team go against a team from one of the other Tours. How does that sound as a potential exciting rivalry? It also gives US women a chance to hone match play skills.

Golfchick: Does the PTGL have any television contracts yet?

TB: No, but The Golf Channel will televise our inaugural event — US v Canada in Jamaica. It will be played 12/13-12/16 and televised sometime in January. We expect to have a television contract in place before the League regular season launch in 2007. Our plans also include streaming video for matches over the internet.

Golfchick: Who are the major sponsors?

TB: The Canadian Professional Golf Tour and the Rose Hall Resort in Jamaica are our first sponsors. We are currently in negotiations with 2 large financial services industry leaders and some sports equipment companies for sponsorship.

Golfchick: Is every involved fan a ProCoach?

TB: Yes. Every fan who registers as ProCoach on ptgl.com can be as active a ProCoach as desired. The fan could lead blogs, message forums, and IM campaigns to discuss and lead team strategy. Or the fan could keep a low profile and quietly make selections. But the higher the fan’s Strat.EQ (success quotient), the more weight that fan gets in voting.

Golfchick: Does the system aggregate the decisions of the ProCoaches or is there a team leader?

TB: That’s up to the team and the fan. Other than the weighting factor above, every fan’s voice counts the same. But like in any community, some fans can actively take leadership roles. I’d listen to the fan with the highest EQ more than I’d listen to the fan with the lowest EQ.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Tom.


I have been invited to participate in beta testing of the “Strat.e.golf” system, so if I have time, I’ll try it out and post my thoughts about it.

I’m interested to know what you all think about this league and its potential. Please feel free to comment or even ask more questions of the PTGL and I’ll try to get them to answer. For more information, check their website at www.ptgl.com.

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Reader question: Golf “sandwiching”

November 14, 2006 / / 4 Comments

Rick from Boca Raton, FL asks:

I just bet my friend 10 bucks that there is an expression in golf called “sandwiching.”

When, for instance, you are playing teams in match play and one guy does well on one hole and the other does poorly but they keep switching back and forth, one makes birdie, the other bogeys but they never screw up the same whole, this is called SANDWICHING (like “ham and eggs” but sandwiching is another expression)!

My friend says there is no such expression. I say there is.

Have you experts head the term “sandwiching” for good match play golf!?
*Looking around for experts* Oh well, I guess I’ll take this one.

I queried the goose just to get another opinion, but she just rolled her eyes at me when I asked.

Sorry, Rick. I haven’t heard that term. By no means does that mean it isn’t used by golfers everywhere. I play with a lot of different types of folks, but I’m still relatively new to this game and still find out new things all the time. I say if you use it as an expression, it is one! And I’ll start using it now so if it isn’t out there already, we can spread it.

I have heard other uses for “sandwiching” that have nothing to do with golf, but that’s another blog entirely.

Here’s a golf sandwich – look at this gigantic tuna melt I got at Glen Annie in Santa Barbara!

Thanks for the question. Sorry about your 10 bucks.

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Punta Espada Grand Opening!

November 8, 2006 / / 2 Comments

Of the courses I’ve played, Punta Espada is my favorite by far. When I went, only the back nine were open. A couple months ago, they opened the front nine and they continued fine tuning the landscaping, clubhouse and amenities.


Today is their official Grand Opening with the presence of Jack Nicklaus himself. It will eventually be a completely private course, so play it while you have the chance!

To see my video of the back nine, look here.

For more information on this beautiful Jack Nicklaus course in the Dominican Republic, check out my previous post about it or the Punta Espada section of Cap Cana’s website.

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Ask the Goose: question from Scott

November 2, 2006 / / 3 Comments

Scott in Thousand Oaks, CA writes:

What do you do all day to keep busy while Kristen [the golfchick] is away at work?

Thanks for asking, Scott. Sometimes I feel so forgotten.

Now that I’m a retired security executive and don’t have the requisite thumbs to play golf (that lack of freakin’ thumbs has plagued me all my life), I still seem to find plenty to keep myself occupied. Sleep is paramount among my hobbies and time-fillers. I’m not even too keen on the obscenely overflowing room they call a toy trunk anymore.

Actually, Mom’s been working from home when not traveling with her current gig, which allows for slightly more peaceful sleep. Notwithstanding the onslaught of kisses and pets I receive every time she nears me, I prefer her being around simply because it’s less work for me.

Allow me to explain.

My career with the Williams Household organization was long and honorable and I enjoyed a generous compensation plan. Part of that plan was my college fund. I failed to read the fine print of that benefit and when I neglected to go to college, it automatically rolled over into my Medicare plan. Although not quite as convoluted as I understand the human equivalent to be, this Medicare is a bitch (no offense to myself). Granted, I’m taking full advantage of the monetary benefits with my current illness and ongoing disability and I can use whatever drug plan suits my needs best, but here’s where I actually get to the point of answering your question: I have to do chores!

That’s right. How many Medicare recipients do you know that are required to do laundry, clean the house, go grocery shopping, cook the meals and take out the trash? I mean, I don’t actually do those things, but I’m supposed to. Actually, I enjoy taking out the trash, but I don’t do it quite to the satisfaction of the plan provider. And lately, I have been struggling to do even that.

Here I am after a failed (foiled) attempt at taking out the trash Goose style. Look how I play it up for the sympathy. It worked, too! Mom didn’t even get mad at me for the attempted smorgasbord.

I have to admit she’s been more than gracious in light of my frequent contretemps due to my temporary infirmity. I guess I’m lucky she only beats me on Wednesdays. Maybe this plan isn’t so bad after all.

It seems the answer to your question is that I don’t do much of anything whether she’s home or away. Now excuse me while I drown my sorrows in pooch hooch.

Yours,
The Goose

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