The A Position

The family that plays together stays together, although maybe not all the time if Mom and Dad figure it out properly. There are three necessities for a family friendly golf resort--pressure-free golf, plenty to do besides golf, and time enough to do it all. Here are a few suggestions: WALT DISNEY WORLD This is pretty much a no-brainer. With four theme parks and two water parks ... Read more

A few years ago when I arrived at the Masters, the first place I visited was the new patron sitting area on the hillside overlooking the par-three 16th hole. For some reason, I’m always curious to discover and assess the many tournament and course improvements made over the past year.  Many of them are never announced or commented upon by the club. After some storm-damaged ... Read more

The recent passing of Frank Chirkinian, the storied and award-winning CBS-TV golf producer, brought back memories of an exclusive inside-the-truck story on the legendary television pioneer who helped shape a generation’s perceptions on tournament golf, the Masters, and the game itself. Here’s the story. A rookie editor for the fledgling Michigan Golfer magazine, I interviewed CBS golf commentator Ken Venturi in June 1983 when he was in ... Read more

Take the game seriously but never themselves   Always recognize a good shot and if the spectacular occurs will even break out in polite applause   Have the flagstick already in their hand when the last putt falls, minding the maxim, “First one in, grabs the pin”   Are ready to hit when it’s their play   Walk and carry/pull their clubs so you’re all experiencing ‘the journey of the game’   Search earnestly for ... Read more

I’m thankful for my Saturday morning golf partners. Good guys who take the game seriously but never themselves. Armed with a bullet-proof sense of humor, they join me as comrades strolling down the fairways, foregoing noisy carts that spoil the journey, the simple quiet steps of the day. Even more than their deft soft wedges, I admire their good-natured bantering and the little courtesies extended. ... Read more

Texas is a mighty big place, but I confine my interest in all things Lone Star to a geological oddity known as the Hill Country, a crescent of layered limestone in the state's southern tier. The Hill Country is a shocker for anyone who arrives in Texas expecting dusty prairies, cattle herds and oil rigs. Limestone escarpments, spring-fed lakes and swift, clear streams sluicing through ... Read more

After a recent round with two chip-ins for birdies and several other up-and-downs for pars, my playing partners were asking me, “Hey, what’s going on with your short game?” I had to confess, “I watched a Phil Mickelson DVD and it gave me a system.” Over the years I’ve often found immediate success in a particular part of my game whenever I picked up a helpful instructional ... Read more

“I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree…” -Trees, Joyce Kilmer With apologies to Joyce Kilmer, I’m having some issues with trees. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed too many courses, including some championship venues, are neglecting and putting a blind eye to how their trees are impacting play. It’s not uncommon to find one’s shot on a par-three to be partially blocked ... Read more