Month: March 2023

Categories
PGA Tour

This Week on the PGA Tour – 2023 WGC Dell Technologies Match Play

By Scott Messner

This past Sunday brought an end to an era on the PGA Tour. Designated events, select PGA Tour tournaments with bigger purses to compete with LIV Golf, have replaced the World Golf Championship events on the schedule. The World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play event at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas, was most likely the last World Golf Championship. 

The WGC Match Play has been played at various venues since 1999, and it has been in Austin with Dell as the title sponsor since 2016. Since being in Austin, the tournament has raised over $6 million in charitable donations for the Greater Austin Area, with Dell Children’s Medical Center and The First Tee as two of the multiple beneficiaries. Volunteer at a PGA Tour Event near you and make a difference in your community!

This year’s two semi-finals consisted of 1st seed Scottie Scheffler vs 13th seed Sam Burns and 3rd seed Rory McIlroy vs 15th seed Cameron Young. I was probably not alone, but I was hoping for a final showdown between world number one Scottie Scheffler and world number three Rory McIlroy. Scottie and Rory ended up meeting, but in the consolation match. 

Both semi-final matches went to extra holes. In a see-saw match which saw Scottie Scheffler down three holes early and Sam Burns down two holes on the back nine, Sam came back and birdied the 21st hole to win the match. Cameron Young was up early in his match with Rory McIlroy but found himself down from the 6th hole through the 17th hole. He rallied to birdie the 18th hole and first extra hole to win the match.

The championship match failed to deliver an exciting finish to match the semi-finals, as Sam Burns birdied his last four holes and eight of his last ten, winning easily 6&5 over Cameron Young. It was Sam’s first appearance in the Dell Technologies Match Play, while Cameron was looking for his first PGA Tour win. Seeing Sam and Cameron in the final was an example of the beauty of match play, where anyone in the field has a legitimate shot at winning the title. Hopefully the PGA Tour finds a way to get a new match play event on the schedule.

Rory McIlroy led the whole way in the consolation match and won 2&1 over Scottie Scheffler.

In stroke play tournaments, players play their own game, playing the course, trying to shoot the lowest score possible, then seeing how their score stacks up against other competitors. A common theme heard on the network coverage was that in match play, a competitor will many times alter their game from playing against the course, to playing their opponent. There are occasions when that happens, but for the most part the PGA Tour players are playing their same game, just going out trying to shoot the lowest score possible. 

Rory McIlroy alluded to that during his on-course interview on the 6th hole of his Saturday quarterfinal match against Xander Schauffele.

Many times, the world wants us to live our lives according to its ways. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he tells us not to conform to this world, but through the Holy Spirit discern what is pleasing to God.

Romans 12:2
2
 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

When the world gets loud, it’s reassuring to know we have God’s living word in the Bible to rely on.

Categories
Golf Tips

Are You Tracking the Correct Golf Stats?

By Scott Messner

Wow, over ten years ago already, I wrote about How Statistics Can Improve Your Golf Game. I used to track basic stats for all my rounds. The stats included the big three at the time – fairways hit, greens in regulation, and number of putts. One extra stat was number of penalty strokes. Eliminating penalty strokes is impossible, but greatly reducing them is the fastest way for a beginner or high-handicap golfer to lower their scores. 

Example of Scorecard Stats

I had big intentions of making a website where I could analyze my stats. I eventually hoped to share it with other golfers. The website never came to fruition, but I did learn a great deal about my game through consistently keeping stats.

Still, I felt back then when I wrote that post that these stats could be misleading.

I’m assuming we all have mishit a driver off the tee, with it barely making it to the fairway. Even though we may have only hit our driver 100 yards, we still get to check the box that we hit the fairway. 

Number of putts must be the most unreliable stat. We could have a low number of putts for the round, with it only meaning we missed every green and chipped it close. Our putting wasn’t good. Our short game was. Or, we could have large number of putts after hitting every green in regulation. Our putting may have been very good, but we started 30 feet away on many greens. 

Out of the big three stats, greens in regulation may have been the most reliable gauge for the state of your game. If you hit a green in regulation, giving yourself a birdie putt, you can read at least a few things into it. First, regardless of whether you hit the fairway or not, you put your drive in a place where you had a decent look at your second shot. From there, on a par 4, you hit a good enough shot to put your ball on the green. On a par 5, you at minimum hit a combination of your next two shots that ended up with your ball on the green.

The PGA Tour stopped using these stats a long time ago. They knew there had to be a better way. Twenty years ago, they began logging every shot for every player in almost every tournament, in a system they named ShotLink. 

Mark Broadie, a professor at Columbia Business School, developed the Strokes Gained method of stat keeping, using all this PGA Tour shot data as the benchmark. By using the millions of shots in ShotLink, the average number of shots needed by PGA Tour players to finish a hole can be calculated from any distance and position (tee, fairway, rough, sand). Using these numbers, a player’s “strokes gained” on the field can be determined for every shot. 

Here’s one quick example. Let’s say on average it takes 3.9 strokes for PGA Tour players to get the ball in the hole from 360 yards off the tee. You hit your drive 200 yards in the fairway. The average strokes to get in the hole for PGA Tour players from 160 yards in the fairway is 3.

Using the following formula: 

(Average strokes at starting point) – (Average strokes at ending point) – 1 (for your shot) = Your Strokes Gained for that shot

Strokes gained can either be positive for a good shot or negative for a bad shot.

We would find that 3.9 – 3 – 1 = -.1 Strokes Gained. You would have lost .1 strokes on your drive against the PGA Tour average. 

You can use this methodology for strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained tee to green, strokes gained around the green, and strokes gained putting. The beauty of stroked gained is that in each of these categories, the unit is strokes. This enables you to add your strokes gained on shots together, to have stats like strokes gained on the hole, strokes gained on the round, and total strokes gained.

I encourage you to read Mark Broadie’s excellent book, Every Shot Counts – Using the Revolutionary Strokes Gained Approach to Improve Your Golf Performance and Strategy, for much more information on strokes gained.

With the abundance of shot tracking products now available, amateurs can easily track their own strokes gained. Arccos Smart Caddie and the Shot Scope X5 are just two examples. With the large amount of amateur shot data these systems have collected, you can also use various handicap levels as your benchmark instead of PGA Tour golfers. 

I’d like to build my own mobile app to track my own shots gained, tracking enough of my own shot data so I can use myself as the benchmark. After all, the only golfer or person I need to be better than tomorrow than I was today, is myself.

While we should be tracking meaningful stats for our golf game, we more importantly should be careful not to compare ourselves to the world, but instead follow the perfect example that Jesus provided for us.

In his first letter, the apostle John states we are in and remain in Jesus when we walk in his ways.

1 John 2:5-6
5
 But God’s love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him: 
6
 he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked.

Whether you are on the golf course, in your home, at your job, or anywhere out in the world, strive to walk in the ways of Jesus.

Categories
PGA Tour

This Week on the PGA Tour – The 2023 Valspar Championship

By Scott Messner

Taylor Moore shot a final round 67 on Sunday, for a total score of -10 to win the 2023 Valspar Championship by one stroke. It was the 29 year-old Moore’s first win on the PGA Tour.

The tournament has been played on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida since its inception in 2000. The final three holes are named the Snake Pit and are a formidable test for the world’s best golfers. Taylor birdied the 16th hole with a 25-foot putt and scored pars on 17 and 18, playing the Snake Pit at one under par.

The not-for-profit organization Copperhead Charities, Inc., operates the Valspar Championship with the help of over 2,000 volunteers. This year they will go over the $50 million mark in money raised for primarily Tampa Bay, Florida area charities. The 2022 Valspar Championship raised $1.75 million for nearly 70 local charities. Make a positive impact in your local community! Volunteer at a local PGA Tour event!

This is the tenth year that Valspar, a leading paint brand, has been the title sponsor of the tournament. Playing off Valspar’s vibrant color offerings, the tournament bills itself as “the most colorful PGA Tour tournament in the world”. The tournament also plays off the fact it is around spring break week and is the last tournament of the PGA Tour Florida swing. It makes every effort to provide fun and entertainment for the whole family. 

Part of the fun is allowing players to put a nickname or social media handle in place of their last name on the back of their caddie’s bib, provided it’s not for advertising merchandise. The Valspar Championship is the only PGA Tour event that allows this. Runner-up Adam Schenk had his dog’s name Bunker on the back of his caddie David Cooke’s bib. Rory Sabatini’s caddie Dean Elliot had “PLEASEMAKEAPUTT” on his bib. J.T. Poston was paired with Justin Thomas the first two days. J.T. Postman’s caddie Aaron Flener wore “The Other J.T.” on the back of his bib.

One of the funniest had to be Max McGreevy’s caddie Brett Swedberg with “Mr. 89” on the back of his bib. This was a bit of self-roasting by McGreevy, who followed up a first round 69 with a second round 89 during the Players Championship the week before.

Max shooting an 89 one day after shooting a 69 helps remind all of us that we are going to shoot a wide range of scores, especially as beginner or high-handicap golfers. His attitude shows us to handle adversity out on the course. Your bad shot, bad hole, or even bad round is over and done with. If a professional golfer can laugh off a bad round, us amateurs should certainly be able to!

The Bible tells us in Proverbs that too much discouragement leads to a sorrowful heart.

Proverbs 17:22
22
 A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 

No matter what is thrown at you, do not let anything in this world steal your joy of Jesus!

Categories
PGA Tour

How to Watch the PGA Tour on the Cheap

By Scott Messner

The way many of us watch television has changed significantly over the past few years. For decades, the majority of TV viewers were cable or satellite subscribers. The number of cable or satellite subscribers has been steadily declining over the past several years and will continue to do so.

The percentage of viewers streaming content through the Internet has now surpassed cable customers. Streaming allows us to determine when and where we watch shows and movies. It also allows us to pay for content from many different sources, paying only for what we want to watch on a month-to-month basis, instead of paying for a multi-year contract of cable or satellite, which includes so much content we may never watch.

I still enjoy watching golf, specifically the PGA Tour, but I wanted to avoid paying for a live TV streaming service that costs, as of this writing, over $60 a month. Thankfully there are ways you can still watch a lot of the PGA Tour without the need for live TV.

First and foremost, you can do what one in five viewers do, and watch broadcast TV. Buy an indoor HDTV antenna for $20 or less and pick up local station signals over the air. CBS will air weekend coverage of 23 PGA Tour events in 2023, including 11 of the 17 designated tournaments. NBC will air weekend coverage of 8 PGA Tour events in 2023. That’s quite a few hours of golf!

You may have the desire to watch more golf. Or you may not be able to receive good over the air signals in your location. I may be able to get NBC by investing in a better antenna, but with my current setup I can only get CBS and Fox. Or you may, like me, enjoy watching first and second round coverage on Thursday and/or Friday. In any of these cases, you’ll need to look at streaming options. 

With NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service for $4.99 a month, you can watch all 8 of the PGA Tour events on NBC, plus 26 more! Coverage from all 4 rounds of the tournaments is many times included.

ESPN+ streaming service is the current home of PGA Tour Live. For $9.99 a month, you get coverage of over 35 PGA Tour events in the 2022-2023 season! This includes main coverage feeds of many of the rounds, especially the first and second rounds, and featured group and feature hole feeds of all four rounds. I initially thought I’d miss not seeing all the golfers by watching a featured group feed, but there is much to be learned from watching the same golfers traverse the whole course. 

With all these options, if you enjoy watching professional golf, you can watch a large amount of it for $15 a month. You’ll also get a great deal of content besides golf on both Peacock and ESPN+.

God provides for us through his abundance. By being good stewards of what He provides for us, we can do more with it, helping others.

When Jesus fed 5,000 men, probably over 10,000 total people when including women and children, with five loaves and two fish, there were still twelve baskets of leftovers. Even with all the abundance, he instructed his disciples to gather up the leftovers.

John 6:12-13
12
 When they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost.” 
13
 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.
Categories
PGA Tour

This Week on the PGA Tour – The 2023 Players Championship

By Scott Messner

Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship this past Sunday with a score of -17. Scottie took control of the tournament early in the final round and coasted through the back nine to a five shot victory over second place Tyrrell Hatton. With the win, Scottie once again regained the number one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Although it lacked an exciting finish, The Players Championship still gave us several other memorable storylines. Tyrrell Hatton finished his final round with five birdies in a row for a 29 on the back nine. Tom Hoge shot an opening round 78 in route to barely making the cut, then stormed back with a course record 62 in the third round, ending the tournament in a tie for third. 

Since its inception, The Players Championship has raised over $100 million for 300 charities in northeast Florida. Make a positive impact in your community. Volunteer at a PGA Tour event near you!

Of course, you cannot talk about The Players Championship without talking about The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. It was built in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida as the permanent home for the championship and has hosted it since 1982.

The course was designed by renowned golf course architect Pete Dye, who designed dozens of courses, including Whistling Straits in my home state of Wisconsin. One statement heard several times over the course of the tournament was how The Players Stadium Course does not favor one style of play over another, as any player in the field has a chance to win if they can string four good rounds together. Scottie Scheffler did just that as he was the only player with all four rounds in the sixties. 

The signature hole at The Players Stadium Course is the par 3 17th, the island green, one of the most recognizable holes in all of golf. Pete Dye has credited his wife Alice with the idea of the island green, who commented “Why not just make an island green?” when he was pondering what to do with the 17th hole. 

Craig ONeal – Flickr

While there were several balls hit in the water on the 17th hole this year, especially during the windy finish of the final round, three players, Hayden Buckley, Aaron Rai, and Alex Smalley each scored a hole-in-one on the 17th hole during the week.

The well-known phrase “No man is an island” was written by English cleric John Donne just about 400 years ago in 1624. It is a great reminder for Christians that we are all connected to each other, all members of the church body.

The book of Ecclesiastes tells us the benefits of cooperatively working with others, building each other up instead of toiling alone.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9
 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 
10
 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. 
11
 Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? 
12
 If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Don’t be on an island. Find brothers and sisters to team up with, serving others in the ways of Jesus.

Categories
Golf Tips

Controlling Your Emotions on the Course

By Scott Messner

Golf can be a hard game. It’s especially hard when you are a beginner or high-handicap golfer. At times we will make bad swings. Other times we will catch a bad break even after a good swing. Frustration can set in if we allow it to. There are many reasons to control your emotions when out on the course.

Golf can be a hard game, but it’s still just a game.

Analyze your bad shot, discover what you did wrong so you can avoid repeating the same mistake, but don’t dwell on it. We rarely make good decisions when frustrated. We are just not thinking clearly. Mistakes will be compounded, and our scores will skyrocket. Relax and make a better swing on your next shot, taking your medicine on this hole and avoiding a huge score. The next hole is a new opportunity.

Remember that we are not professionals. We are not great golfers. We are going to hit bad shots. Learn to always enjoy the game. Have fun when you are out on the course, even if you are not playing your best. Make a conscious effort to not get frustrated. Soon keeping your cool on the course will become second nature.

Throwing a tantrum, tossing clubs, or swearing out on the course isn’t a good look for anyone. It certainly isn’t Christ-like. How are we going to keep our peace when serious life situations arise if we can’t handle the game of golf?

Like the obstacles we face on the golf course, we also face obstacles in most areas of our lives. We should find peace in all areas of our lives and in all situations.

The great news is through prayer and being thankful for what we have, God will give us peace. The apostle Paul tells us so in his letter to the church in Phillippi. 

Philippians 4:5-7
5
 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.  
6
 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 
7
 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

By continually building our relationship with Jesus, our worldly problems become less significant, and we find peace.  

Find peace on the golf course, in our careers, in our family life, in all areas of our life through Christ Jesus.

Categories
PGA Tour

This Week on the PGA Tour – 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational

By Scott Messner

Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida served up an extreme test for the top golfers in the world this past Sunday, with tough conditions usually saved for major championships. With the tournament being another designated PGA Tour event bringing out 27 of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, it sure did not disappoint. Five players were tied at -8 with two to three holes to play. Kurt Kitayama survived a triple bogey on the 9th hole and took the lead with a birdie on the 17th hole, winning the tournament by one stroke with a score of -9. It was Kurt’s first win on the PGA Tour to go along with his two previous wins on the DP World Tour.

The main charitable beneficiary of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard is the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Mastercard and The Arnold Palmer Invitational have raised millions of dollars for local charities since their partnership began in 2004. Arnold and Winnie Palmer encouraged fans, affectionately known as “Arnie’s Army”, to donate to children’s causes for decades. The Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation creates opportunities for children to live a “Life Well Played” through support of organizations such as Children’s Hospitals, The First Tee, and Canine Companions.

Get involved and volunteer at a PGA Tour event near you!

Although Arnold Palmer passed on in 2016 at the age of 87, his presence is still obviously very much felt around Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Since leasing the course in 1970 and buying it in 1975, Bay Hill as almost been as synonymous with Arnold Palmer as Latrobe Country Club, the course he grew up on. Probably the most endearing thing you hear said of Arnold Palmer, said again during the broadcast this past weekend, is that he treated others in a way he would want to be treated. He stated this trait, along with manners and politeness, were instilled in him by his father. We should always remember to teach our own children the same values.

Imagine a world where all of us follow Mr. Palmer’s example and put others before ourselves. 

King Solomon prayed to God for wisdom to lead his people. In Proverbs, Solomon writes we should pursue a good name through righteousness and kindness over riches.

Proverbs 21:21
21
 He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor. 

Look for opportunities to show kindness, love, empathy, and compassion to others today. Make this world a better place one encounter at a time. 

Next week is THE PLAYERS Championship, which some have nicknamed the 5th major, from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida!

Categories
Golf Tips

Playing Golf Alone vs Playing Golf in a Group

By Scott Messner

Back in 2016, the USGA changed the rule and prohibited rounds played alone from being posted for handicap purposes. This rule change was deemed necessary so rounds could be peer reviewed to protect the integrity of the game. It’s unfortunate some would post inflated scores to increase their handicap for tournament purposes, but nothing should really surprise us nowadays. Golf is most enjoyed with others anyway, so this rule change doesn’t affect much when all is said and done. 

Even though you cannot post scores for handicap when playing alone, there are still reasons to enjoy a round by yourself.

The solitude you get alone on the course can be the perfect counterpart to the social demands of our world. Sometimes it’s just nice to spend time alone in God’s beauty, both the scenic landscapes and the abundant wildlife found on most courses. First thing in the morning with the dew still on the ground or twilight are great times to soak it all in. The cheaper twilight fees that most courses have are also a less expensive way to check out new courses.

On the course is one of the best ways to practice your game. While there are times you’ll want to know your official score while playing alone, to judge the state of you game, most times you do not have to worry about your score since you can’t use it for handicap. Do not be afraid to try different shots or take swing changes you’ve been working on at the range to the course. Drop another ball and hit a shot over if you’d like. You even can play two balls if the pace of play allows. 

As I mentioned earlier, golf is best while playing with others, for several reasons.

We humans were not created to be alone, so while a round by yourself can be recharging, a round of golf with others is more enjoyable, mostly because of the laughs. We should always remember golf is a game and is meant to be fun. As a beginner or high handicap golfer, never take golf too seriously. 

You can meet new friends. Sometimes, or many times depending where you live, the course you want to play on is so busy that you could not play alone even if you wanted to. The course will put you with others to make a larger group to maximize their revenue. Though you may not know the other players, you’ll already have something in common. You all love golf!

As a beginner or high handicap golfer, many times the others in your group will be better golfers. You can learn a lot about course management, green reading, and much more from watching golfers better than you.

Some of the same things can be said of bible study.

Whether you do a daily GRIP like I do, or some other daily devotion, reading the Bible in solitude every day is important. God will reveal things to you through the living word of scripture. Early morning is the best time. Give God the first part of your day. The wisdom you receive from reading the Bible every day will make you a better person.

There is also power in group Bible study. A group of brothers or sisters holds each other accountable. Those farther along in their faith journey pour into those new to the faith. The group supports and builds up each other. 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:20 that he is with us when we are gathered in his name.

Matthew 18:20
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 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.” 
Categories
PGA Tour

This week on the PGA Tour – 2023 Honda Classic

By Scott Messner

Chris Kirk won on the PGA Tour for the first time in almost eight years on Sunday at The Honda Classic, played on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Chris made birdie on the first playoff hole, the par 5 18th that he just bogeyed to end regulation, for the win over Eric Cole.  Chris and Eric were tied at the end of regulation with a score of -14.

Chris’s win put an exclamation point on his comeback after taking a seven month leave of absence from the PGA Tour in 2019 for alcohol abuse and depression. After finding sobriety, he has fought on the course to first retain his PGA Tour status and now return to the winner’s circle.

https://twitter.com/Chris_Kirk_/status/1125764305113239552?cxt=HHwWgMC2sfiqwp8fAAAA

A lot can be learned from the way Chris handled his issues. His coming out publicly gives a great example to not hide our problems, but admit them and find the help we need. There is no reason to fight a battle alone.

This year’s tournament marked the end of an incredible 42-year run, the longest on the PGA Tour, for Honda as the title sponsor. Since Children’s Healthcare Charity became the host organization and the event moved to PGA National Resort and Spa in 2007, almost $46 million in charitable donations have been made to the South Florida area.

The primary beneficiary is the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, established by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus in 2004. Its goal is to provide families access to world-class pediatric healthcare and supports the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami.

Volunteer at a PGA Tour event near you! Your seemingly simple gift of time can make a positive impact in your community!

Of course, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation is not the only tie Jack Nicklaus has to the Honda Classic. The Golden Bear redesigned the Champion Course in 2014 and the three-hole stretch of 15, 16, and 17 have been named “The Bear Trap” in recognition of him.

What makes The Bear Trap so daunting? Much of it has to do with the water lurking on every hole, waiting to punish a bad shot.

Beginner, high-handicap, and many other golfers are terrified of water. A good reason for that is golf balls do not float! Something often heard is to pretend the water is not there, but I’m not sure that’s the best advice. No amount of pretending is going to make the water go away. You are still going to have to trust your shot. Trust you can hit the ball over or away from the water.

The apostles also had a fear of water during a storm. They woke Jesus in a panic. Jesus asks them why they are afraid and where their faith is.

Matthew 8:25-26
25
 The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!” 
26
 He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

We will all face trials in life. Put your faith in Christ Jesus.

Next week there are TWO PGA Tour events! The Arnold Palmer Invitational is being played at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida. The Puerto Rico Open is being played at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.