{"id":3247,"date":"2020-12-29T22:39:18","date_gmt":"2020-12-29T22:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/?p=3247"},"modified":"2020-12-29T22:39:18","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T22:39:18","slug":"a-look-back-at-my-personal-favorites-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/golf\/personalities\/3247\/a-look-back-at-my-personal-favorites-of-2020","title":{"rendered":"A look back at my personal favorites of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\"image033\"<\/a>\n

Take a ride as I recap some of my favorite golf memories of 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Favorite quote about the Arnold Palmer U.S. Postal Service stamp issued in March:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI poured through a lot of images before I found one showing Palmer swinging his club. In that pose you could see his grip, his concentration, and his determination. Also, it was an image of him at the top of his game,\u201d said Antonio Alcal\u00e1, U.S. Postal Service\u2019s Art Director and designer of the stamp whom I interviewed for a story posted in January.\u00a0My Q & A with the Palmer stamp designer<\/a><\/p>\n

Favorite golf round during the pandemic<\/b>: In April and like most staying-at-home Michigan golfers, I was chomping at the bit to get out and play. As soon as the Governor announced at a press conference that Michigan courses could open, I immediately called The Meadows @ GVSU, where I\u2019m a member, and secured the very first tee time. Our happy foursome took special notice of the excellent course conditions, thanks in part to the lack of play. But most impressive was the energetic hustle of Meadows\u2019 limited staff\u2014two from the golf shop and two from course maintenance\u2014who had already aerated the greens (fully healed) and made other course improvements over the non-golf period. The course was in such top shape it could\u2019ve hosted another Division II national golf championship. Thank you Don, Steve, Ron and Jeff!<\/p>\n

\"American<\/a>

American Dunes<\/p><\/div>\n

Favorite new Michigan golf experience<\/b>: American Dunes GC, a massive and impressive redoing of the former Grand Haven GC, is a winner and ticks off all the right boxes: intriguing layout, eye-popping bunkers and exposed dunes, walkable, not penal and exemplary course conditions. Plus, it\u2019s all dedicated to a worthy cause, the Folds of Honor. (Note: American Dunes officially opens for public play in May.)\u00a0A brief take on American Dunes column<\/a><\/p>\n

Favorite out-of-state golf experience<\/b>: Another tap-in because it\u2019s hard to match the golf, the remote locale and spot-on accommodations and amenities at Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin. Located two-and-a-half hours north of Milwaukee, Sand Valley\u2019s two sublime courses are owned and managed by the same savvy people that delivered Bandon Dunes, Barndougle Dunes and Cabot Links. Like some of the operators in northern Michigan, they know \u201cdestination golf.\u201d\u00a0A brief take on Sand Valley<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lori<\/a>

Lori “Ace” Pospiech<\/p><\/div>\n

Favorite feat of the year<\/strong>: Getting one ace will make any golfer’s year but how about three? That’s what The Meadows member Lori\u00a0Pospiech did in remarkable fashion at three different par-threes at the course in 2020.<\/p>\n

Favorite impression of a Ben Hogan comeback:<\/b> Here\u2019s a nod to crony BR (darn HIPAA!) who successfully recovered from three major surgeries (one lasting 15 hours!) at the Cleveland Clinic in early July and then, after a long and arduous rehab period, managed to play golf again on Oct. 15. In December, he earned a few precious bucks in a hotly contested Nassau while going even par over a 11-hole stretch. Golf is good medicine.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/a>

What might have been<\/p><\/div>\n

Best Emotional Return on a $10 Masters bet<\/b>: Thanks to another golf crony Pat H. (darn IRS!) who placed some $10 Masters bets for me while he was in Las Vegas on a golf trip in October, I held a 200-to-1 straight bet to win on Cameron Smith for this year\u2019s Masters. Using an old Bob Newhart line, holding that ticket as Smith battled Dustin Johnson down the final nine \u201cdidn\u2019t necessarily make me nervous, but I was incredibly alert!\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite<\/b> foreboding golf line<\/b>: Was uttered to me by my friend JJ before I teed off in the second round of the GAM Super Senior Championship in July. Knowing the day before I had birdied the first three holes of the tournament, he good naturedly quipped, \u201cGood luck today. And I hope you get off to a better start!\u201d In a typical reversal of golf\u2019s fortune, I then went par, bogey and triple bogey\u2014a seven shot swing from the day before!<\/p>\n

\"Indian<\/a>

Indian Trails GC<\/p><\/div>\n

Favorite quote lending another perspective to the value of a municipal golf course in an urban area:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIndian Trails Golf Course is probably the largest green space in Grand Rapids,\u201d said Craig Kooienga, Course Superintendent and Manager, Indian Trails.\u00a0Craig Kooienga column<\/a><\/p>\n

Favorite putting tip:<\/b> PGA teaching pro and putting guru Mike Boogaard of The Pines in Grand Rapids urged me \u201cto accelerate thru the putt. If you can\u2019t lead with the back of your left hand (as a right-hander) then do it with the palm of your right hand.\u201d Bingo! (Incidentally, a guy named Jack Nicklaus used the same putting thought in his prime.)<\/p>\n

\"Bullseye\"<\/a>

Bullseye<\/p><\/div>\n

Favorite column as indicated by reader feedback and a friend\u2019s “new” putter: <\/b>In a column titled \u2018Hoard Harden\u2019 (a lame pun on the former Masters chairman) I asked various golfers to list some of the \u201cold and trusty\u201d golf clubs still in their possession. The aforementioned JJ was inspired to find and dust off his old Bullseye, bringing it out of retirement and lifting him out of a putting slump. As my depleted wallet will attest, he holed a lot of putts!\u00a0Hoard Harden column<\/a><\/p>\n

Favorite er best shot of the year among the cronies: <\/b>Fellow Meadows member JR (he’s too modest to reveal his full name and wants to avoid autograph seekers) was inside a deep fairway bunker for his second shot at the always demanding par-four 18th at The Meadows. Facing a stiff two-club wind and 155 yards out, JR rocketed a towering 7-iron to within 20-feet of the back pin and later drained the putt. Suffice to say, the rare birdie was a skin.<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/a>

Jake Hamilton crunching the Trackman numbers<\/p><\/div>\n

Favorite late season golf purchase: <\/b>Blame it on the pandemic but I purchased some new irons for the first time in a decade. Thanks to the expert clubfitting of Jake Hamilton, Manager at GR\u2019s Club Champion location, the irons performed beautifully out on the course. A gleaming new iron well struck is a thing to behold.<\/p>\n

With that, let me say I can\u2019t wait for the 2021 golf season to arrive. More favorite moments lie ahead among golf friends, new and old. Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Images courtesy of the US Postal Service, American Dunes GC, Indian Trails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take a ride as I recap some of my favorite golf memories of 2020.\u00a0 Favorite quote about the Arnold Palmer… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":2890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,18,17,7],"tags":[1028463,1028473,1028474,1005525,1028476,2832,1028477,1036821,894,975983,1028433,1028460],"class_list":["post-3247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-lifestyle","category-courses-and-travel","category-personalities","tag-american-dunes","tag-arnold-palmer-commemorative-stamp","tag-indian-trails-gc","tag-club-champion","tag-three-aces-in-one-year","tag-terry-moore","tag-the-meadows-gvsu","tag-masters","tag-ben-hogan","tag-hord-hardin","tag-sand-valley-golf-resort","tag-cameron-smith"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/01\/palmer-stamp-e1579841876689.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3247"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3269,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247\/revisions\/3269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}