Observations from a Member Guest Tournament

I had a great time recently playing in a 3 day member guest event at one of the best private clubs in the metro DC area. It's the first time I have played serious golf in quite a while and suffice to say my game was not up to the challenge. That's okay - my scratch days are long gone!

While my game flagged it gave me time to observe some of the newer trends emerging with club golfers. Here are 3 alarming observations.

1. Who came up with the idea to put a ball marker on your hat? I grant you it is acceptable for Paula Creamer and her pink Swarovski crystal encrusted marker to adorn her CDW hat. But and it is a big but, guys fiddling around for their marker on a sweaty hat is just plain wrong. That's why the US Treasury came up with dimes. Get a few and put them in your pocket!

2. With the average handicap remaining at around 19 (as it has done for 30 years) why do the hackers insist on using all manner of GPS and electronic devices to help them get around a golf course? Do they really need to know it is 159 yards to the front edge and 168 yards to the hole? Even if they could hit a club 168 yards, they rarely do it on request. All they are doing is slowing down play and contributing to the 5 hour rounds that seem acceptable in America. Use your eyes you people, look around, enjoy the walk, smell the flowers. Don't we all spend enough time looking at electronic screens?

3. The antithesis of GPS is plumb bobbing. Old school, harking back to a gentler time in golf - the only problem was it didn't work then and it doesn't work now. We had a group of 4 guys playing in front of us who were all doing it, almost as if they had all been afflicted with the same disease! I'm not sure who they have seen on Tour doing this....but for goodness sake...STOP. Did Hogan plumb bob? Nicklaus? Woods? No, they didn't and nor should you. Especially if there is a 4 ball behind waiting to hit!

Okay, I feel better now!