Robert Samek

Robert Samek | Inside CT Golf

Robert Samek is publisher of CTGolfer.com & CTGolfer.com Course Guide

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Mother Nature's Christmas gift

By Robert Samek on January 9, 2012 10:25 AM

You don't get many days in January when the temperature rises to 50 degrees, let alone 60. But that's what we enjoyed here in Connecticut on Saturday, and it appears a good number of golfers took advantage.

Golf courses throughout the state that have remained open due to our unseasonably warm winter and lack of snow cover saw incredible numbers of golfers come out to play this past weekend. At Stanley GC in New Britain, the line stretched out the door of the golf shop and into the parking lot for what turned out to be a shotgun start after a frost delay. In Stamford, at E. Gaynor Brennan GC, more than 150 golfers teed it up for a mid-winter round.

And at Shennecossett GC in Groton, which sits at the mouth of the Thames River where it empties into Long Island Sound, well over 200 golfers played even though the temperatures did not get as warm as they did inland. Head professional Todd Goodhue said there were so many players that they sold out the morning shotgun and added an afternoon start that nearly filled up as well.

Goodhue said the course typically stays open all winter because it's rare when snow blankets the shoreline for the entire off-season. But he told me the past three seasons have been snowier than usual, and that meant the typical diehards who play all year couldn't get out. This year, Goodhue said, he's seeing players that usually put the clubs away until March coming out.

All of this is tremendous news for golf courses, which really took it on the chin this past season. The late August tropical storm and the October snowstorm -- two highly unusual weather events -- closed golf courses for several days and resulted in significant lost revenue. That came on top of the wettest season on record, which hurt play the entire season. You don't need to be an accountant to figure out the financial hurt.

As Goodhue says, the unexpected play in December and now January is "found money."

While temperatures have come back down to Earth, as you might expect, this week will still be unseasonably mild and very playable for golf. I can't think of any better way to shorten the winter by getting out to play a round of golf.

So give a big thanks to Mother Nature for her Christmas gift to golf. It's a gift that can't be exchanged, that's for sure.

Why golfers don't play more

By Robert Samek on December 15, 2011 8:04 AM

Golf experts, or the so-called experts, have been grappling with the question of why there’s been a decline in the number of rounds played over the past decade. Everyone has their own theory it seems, but I’ve never seen any real definitive study that gets to the heart of the matter.

Until now.

This month, the National Golf Foundation sent out an email with the compelling title, “Why 18% of Core Golfers are Actually Playing More.” It’s a statement that seems to fly in the face of the downward trend, until you realize we’re only talking about 18% of what the industry refers to as Core Golfers — players who tee it up at least eight times per year. I’m not sure how they arrived at the number eight, but that’s the number they use.

Before I get to the reasons why this small group is playing more, let’s take look at the inverse side. The report also explains that 34% of this same group of Core Golfers is playing less golf. That’s not surprising, and, really, neither are the basic reasons — except for one.

Here in CT, we’ve had the rainiest season on record. While the NGF acknowledges that rain does impact play, weather wasn’t the first or even the second reason why the study group played less this past year compared to the season before. Twenty eight percent said they played less because of the weather.

That’s not an insignificant number, but it pales in comparison to money and time. More than half cited money (57%) and time (54%) as the primary reasons to stay home. And the lower the household income, the more likely money was the culprit. Half of the Core Golfers with incomes of $50,000 or less played fewer rounds this year than last.

On the other hand, the small group that played more did so for three reasons: 50% said they had more time for golf, 41% said their improved play made the game more enjoyable, and 37% said they found renewed interest in the game. The NGF summed it up this way:

“An improving golfer is a happy golfer. And a happy golfer is a valuable customer for everyone.”

The main thing to take from all this is that, although there are more golfers with reasons not to play than golfers with reasons to increase play, we know why both are happening. How we go about responding is the big question.

Interestingly, while improved play and enjoyment were big reasons for more rounds, playing bad golf and enjoying it less were not the top reasons for fewer rounds. This tells me that a lot of golfers, although they always want to play better, cannot devote either time or money to getting better. They may be just content with going out to play, knowing they’ll hit as many bad shots as good.

So really, it seems there are two paths to growing the game. One, as evidenced by the 18%, is helping golfers to play better and enjoy the game more. The other is addressing the issues of time and especially money.

There’s a spirited debate among courses owners and operators these days about discounting. Some courses regularly offer specials and discounts, figuring that it’s better to have some players at reduced rate than no players at full rate. On the other hand, some courses fear that frequent discounting trains players to wait for reduced fees and play only when specials are offered.

I don’t own a golf course, so I can’t tell you exactly what side I’d be on. But what I would do is take a close look at this new evidence of why one-third of the Core Golfers in this country are playing less and why just a scant 18% are playing more.

Golfers who play better. play more. Golfers concerned about time and money, play less. You don’t have to do the math. It’s been done for you.

The good news is that there are efforts underway to address these big three reasons for golf’s malaise.

For those concerned about money, courses continue to offer discounted rounds and programs to ease the financial sting. That’s why we’ve introduced the CTGolfer.com PlusPass for 2012, a discount program that offers free rounds and discounts at golf courses, driving ranges and golf shops across the state.

For those concerned about time, next year will see the introduction of the new Golf Center at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, featuring a first-class nine-hole executive layout that you can play in a brisk 1:15.

And for those concerned about playing better, the PGA of America will launch a major initiative next year called Golf 2.0, a wide-ranging plan designed to improve the way beginning players learn the game.

We can argue whether these ideas are too late or too soon, but the important thing to understand is that there are ways to turn that 18% into 34%. The golf industry has had its head buried in the bunker for far too long, allowing profound changes in society to negatively impact the game. We’re long past the point of wakeup calls. We’re at the point of taking immediate action — action based on the needs and desires of the golfing consumer.

Continue reading Why golfers don't play more.

How to save money on golf

By Robert Samek on December 1, 2011 7:45 AM

Some people complain that golf is too difficult. Many argue that a round takes too long to play. And others moan that the game is too expensive.

Well, I can't do much about the first two, but we can definitely help you out on the third point.

Today, we're excited to introduce the 2012 CTGolfer.com PlusPass, our new golf discount program that can literally save you hundreds of dollars on golf throughout the season. The CTGolfer.com PlusPass offers free rounds, free carts and even free buckets of driving range balls. There are numerous discounts at courses across the state along with opportunities to save big on apparel, equipment, simulator golf and even Travelers Championship tickets. I'll pass along the link to complete details down below.

We've been thinking about offering a golf discount program for many years, and now the timing seems just right. Like everyone in the golf industry, we want to see more people playing golf. Yet, we understand that folks are more vigilant about how they spend their money. So we've developed a program that requires just a small initial investment, yet returns huge dividends all season long. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

How does the program work? The CTGolfer.com PlusPass is a booklet of tear-off coupons that you present to the participating facility when you arrive. There's no need to sign or stamp a sheet of paper. It's that simple and easy to use.

Most of the facilities require advance reservations (which is understandable) and some have day and time restrictions when the discount can be used. Restrictions are printed clearly on each coupon, so there can be no confusion from either the user or the facility.

So check out the 2012 CTGolfer.com PlusPass and start saving money. Get one for yourself. Tell your partners about it. And if you're looking for a holiday gift for a special golfer, this is one they'll use all season long.

State continues to recover

By Robert Samek on November 8, 2011 8:07 AM

Living without power for six days makes you think hard about priorities, doesn't it? While six days is a long time, it pales in comparison to some of our friends in Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Bloomfield and elsewhere, where they are well into their second week of living in the dark and cold.

It would be easy to say, life goes on. But I feel somewhat guilty that I have my power back while others are struggling beyond anything considered reasonable. Yet, we have to move forward, and most of us are doing just that.

Which brings me to the game of golf. It was hard to think of anything beyond basic needs during the blackout. But since this Web site is about golf, and golf is an important diversion for so many of us, I want to talk briefly about where we stand. Please don't misinterpret this as being insensitive to those still under duress. However, recovery is both physical and mental, and a round of golf during what appears to be a stretch of great fall weather may be just what is needed to soothe our damaged psyches.

If you do want to play, the good news is that even though we're nearing mid-November, the weather this week will be fantastic and courses are re-opening as fast as they can. And when you do play, you will find perhaps some of the best conditions of the season. The insulating blanket of snow followed by sun and relative warmth made fairways and greens lush and inviting.

Even the courses that were spared snowfall look tremendous. On the Monday after the storm, I got in the car and took a drive to several courses along the shoreline, and I couldn't believe what I saw. These courses were alive and brilliant in the autumn sunshine. And many golfers were out there taking advantage. I only wished I could join them.

But it made me wonder if the season north of the shoreline might be over. With all the damage, and a foot of snow in many places, how could courses possibly reopen?

Well, I'm happy to report that courses are, indeed, reopening. Just days after the storm, golfers again teed it up Lyman Orchards GC in Middlefield and Stanley GC in New Britain. A few days later, Richter Park GC in Danbury put the flag sticks back in the cup. And today, even Willow Brook GC in hard-hit South Windsor reopens, although half the course will remain closed while clean-up continues.

This season has been a frustrating struggle for golf courses, with frequent rains, tropical storms and October snowfalls sharply reducing the number of rounds and revenue. But they continue to battle back from adversity.

We should not forget those still in need during these tough days. But if you need a break for your mental health, a game of golf might be just what the doctor ordered.

Rule changes in the wind

By Robert Samek on October 24, 2011 7:51 AM

Sometimes the USGA can be full of hot air, especially when it defends some of the more archaic and ridiculous rules that date back to the beginning of golf time. But this morning, the USGA announced what I consider to be some “earth-shaking” rule changes, leaving real hope that golf’s governing body is, at last, realizing the game needs major resusitation.

The most important rule change is officially known as 18-2b, for those of you scoring at home, and it’s titled “Ball Moving After Address.” Golfers are now exonerated from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed and it’s certain they did not cause the ball to move. In other words, if you address your ball to make a putt and a wind gust causes it to move, you no longer have to call a penalty on yourself.

I can only say, it’s about time. Why was this a penalty in the first place? I agree that there has to be safeguards in place to prevent golfers from improving their lie, and as many of us know, a little rotation of the ball here and there — intended or not — can make a huge difference. The old rule basically took out the guesswork by making any movement at address a penalty.

Clearly, that made no sense, but it was a rule we lived with. That is, until this year’s British Open when Rory McIlroy was penalized during the championship’s final round because the wind caused his ball to move on the 7th green after he grounded his putter. Apparently, that was enough for the R&A, which got together with the USGA to push through the new rule.

The other big rule change announced this morning makes me recall the 2010 PGA Championship. You remember when Dustin Johnson grounded his club in what he thought was a waste area but turned out to be a bunker? That cost Johnson a two-stroke penalty and a shot at a playoff for his first major championship. After today, players can smooth sand or soil in a hazard at any time as long as it’s not intended to improve your lie, stance, swing or line of play.

Now the rule change doesn’t say anything about grounding your club, so I’m not sure this new rule would have helped Johnson at the PGA. The question is, does grounding your club in a bunker improve your lie or help your swing. I’m sure we’ll hear more interpretations, but clearly, the USGA recognizes that sometimes black-and-white rules aren’t appropriate.

A third rule change amends the penalty for starting your round late in a competition. Previoulsy, if you didn’t show up within five minutes of your starting time, you were disqualified. Now, under the rule change, in match play you’d lose the first hole and in stroke play you’d lose two strokes.

These rule changes are quite profound and quite necessary. But more importantly, I think the changes show that the USGA is finally starting to address some of the serious problems affecting the game of golf, and that bodes well for more needed improvements.

What rule changes would you like to see?

Continue reading Rule changes in the wind.

By George, quite an honor

By Robert Samek on October 18, 2011 8:07 AM

Here at CTGolfer.com, we try to bring you the best of golf in our state. And that’s what we’ve done with our golf instruction blog, authored by George Connor. We’re excited and proud to learn that George has been named the CT Section PGA Teacher of the Year for 2011 — the second time he’s won this honor.

George began blogging for us back in June, and has offered many tips on how to improve your game. His advice is typically short, concise and simple, so it won’t bog you down with complicated swing thoughts. It’s this kind of approach that helped George earn this year’s Teacher of the Year honor.

Many of you know George as the director of instruction at the Academy of Golf at Gillette Ridge GC in Bloomfield, where he has worked since 2008. I first met George at Hartford GC in West Hartford, where he worked under the tutelage of Gary Reynolds, one of the CT Section’s best golf professionals who retired recently. Many years ago, we produced a series of golf instruction tips with Fox 61, and George was one of our featured instructors.

There are probably as many approaches to teaching golf as there are golf teachers, but George’s philosophy is one I think really works well. He offers advice that focuses on causes rather than symptoms in the golf swing, and he believes that the hands and arms do more to disrupt a good swing than anything else.

George will be honored next month at the Section’s annual fall banquet at Foxwoods.

So kudos to George Connor on winning such a well-deserved honor. I just hope he it doesn’t mean he’ll be looking for a raise.

Continue reading By George, quite an honor.

A big honor for Suzy Whaley

By Robert Samek on October 12, 2011 8:14 AM

Got an email from Bill Whaley yesterday with some great news about his wife, Suzy. She made the list of Golf Digest's 50 Best Teachers in America, which will be featured in the magazine's November issue. That's quite an honor, but hardly surprising.

Suzy became a national sensation in 2003 when she qualified for the Greater Hartford Open as winner of the CT Section PGA Championship, only the second woman to ever play in a PGA Tour event. Since then, Suzy has carved out a niche as an instructor and activist in the PGA of America, currently serving as the PGA Junior Golf chairwoman and as a member of the organization's national board.

Suzy typically works the range at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, site of her famous appearance and where Bill is general manager and national director of golf operations for the TPC network. And the Farmington couple has two teenaged daughters, Jennifer and Kelly, who are terrific golfers themselves. Don't have to think too hard to figure out why. Kelly, 14, just won the CT Women's Amateur and Jennifer, 17, plans to play Division 1 golf at Quinnipiac.

In his email, which he titled "A proud husband sharing Suzy's latest accomplishment," Bill explained that Suzy's coaching mentor is Jim Flick, the 1988 PGA Teacher of the Year. Her other teaching accomplishments include a top-5 national female teacher designation by Golf Digest, a top-50 US Kids Golf teacher, a two-time LPGA Northeast Teacher of the Year and a two-time PGA Teacher of the Year honoree in the CT Section PGA.

She's also appeared on the Golf Channel and has taped numerous instruction segments for ESPN, Golfweek, Golf for Women, among others. Suzy also played the the LPGA Tour for two years.

That's all fine, but the big question is whether Suzy would be able to help me. My game is quite hopeless and getting worse by the shot.

Nonetheless, getting tagged by Golf Digest is a big-time honor for Suzy. Our state is fortunate to have someone like her making contributions to the game of golf, from top to bottom.

Survival: Black Hall Club

By Robert Samek on September 15, 2011 8:27 AM

Driving down Route 9 toward the shoreline is one of life’s great pleasures. And when one of the stops includes Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, well, there’s nothing better.

That’s where I headed Wednesday on a steamy late summer afternoon for the 80th CT Section PGA Championship, the biggest tournament of the year for our state’s head professionals — at least those confident enough about their game to pay $300 for a chance to win $5,000.

I caught up with the final threesome as they headed to the final nine holes of the three-day competition, and what a marquee threesome it was: Fran Marrello of Canaan CC, Tony Kelley of Wyckoff CC and Kevin Giancola of Golf Quest in Southington, your leader after both the first and second rounds. This high-octane grouping had combined for nine Section championships and 14 Player of the Year titles. Big-time stuff.

So I was expecting to see something of a shootout on Black Hall’s back nine, which looked magnificent other than the numerous trees felled by storm Irene, fortunately, most of them along the perimeter. Surely, this group would be knocking down pins like Irene knocked down timber.

It didn’t quite happen that way, as all three players took turns making crucial mistakes at the wrong time. In fact, Giancola gave up the lead on the front, got it back, and gave it up once again with an untimely duck hook into the pond on the par-3 17th hole. Meanwhile, Kelley and Marrello each squandered opportunities that would have locked up the title.

To get an idea of how the day unfolded, Kelley made a par-5 on the dogleg 14th hole by hitting driver into the trees, chipping out with a wedge and then striking a magnificent 3 wood to 15 feet. Not exactly how you’d order it up.

But it was Giancola who provided most of the drama due to problems with his poor iron play down the stretch. He bogeyed the 15th and 16th holes and made a double bogey with the tee shot into the pond on the 17th. The wheels were flying off. Oil leaking everywhere.

When the threesome drove their carts to the 18th tee for the final hole, Marrello was in the driver’s seat. He led Giancola and Kelley by the slimmest of margins, a single stroke. That’s when Marrello took his cue from Giancola and drew his fairway iron shot into the left green-side bunker. Meanwhile, Giancola, desperate to make up that single stroke, chunked his fairway iron about three-fourths of the way to the green. Ouch.

Giancola managed to get up and down and make par, as did Kelley, and when Marrello two-putted after exiting the bunker, regulation play ended with perhaps the three best players in the CT Section PGA tied atop the leader board.

Now these tournaments don’t operate exactly like the PGA Tour. As host, Black Hall blocks out a good part of the day for the Section, but it doesn’t shut down completely to members. With such a splendid day to play golf, members flocked to the 1st tee after the Section tournament moved along. That caused a little issue about where and how the playoff would take place. Heading back to the 18th would hold up members who jumped out behind the tournament. And starting immediately from the 1st tee might cause the playoff contenders to plow into the members. Pace of play was already a sore subject among the pros.

Finally, it was decided to wait about 10 minutes for the members to move along sufficiently so the playoff could start on the great par-4 1st hole at Black Hall. This sweeping hole offers generous room for less-than-perfect tee shots but then turns devious on your approach. That’s where a stately oak tree stands guard just short of the green as the fairway bends to the left.

And fittingly, it was the tree left standing from the recent chaotic weather that would decide the championship.

Although Giancola, Kelley and Marrello all landed safely in the fairway, each player had to contend with the oak tree in some way. Hitting first, Marrello sent a shot skyward that at first appeared to be plenty long. But the tree reached out and clipped the ball, and it landed in a bunker short of the green. Next came Giancola, and he hit a moon ball that easily cleared the tree and landed securely on the green. Kelley had perhaps the clearest route to the green, but his approach clipped a branch and fell short.

Shortly thereafter, the match was over. Giancola two-putted for par while Kelley and Marrello missed their par putts. The golf carts turned around and hightailed it back to the clubhouse, where Giancola kept muttering how he thought he had lost the tournament while Kelly and Marrello kept their thoughts to themselves, immersed in an opportunity lost.

What struck me, though, was the golfing survival test I had just witnessed on a course that had literally weathered a storm. As one member told me, some 60 trees were lost from Irene, although just one of those lost trees was important to the playability of a hole.

And I thought about that one lonely oak tree on the 1st hole that survived Irene’s wrath, to live for another day and to impose its own wrath on Kelley, Marrello and countless other golfers. They will curse its existence but appreciate what it represents about golf — about overcoming adversity and the will to survive.

Continue reading Survival: Black Hall Club.

Keeping the appointed rounds

By Robert Samek on August 26, 2011 9:35 AM

How wackier can this golf season get? We've had tornados, earthquakes and now an approaching hurricane. The weather gods certainly have not been kind to the little white ball here in CT.

Yet, we persevere. As the song says, we get knocked down but get right back up again. And isn't that the nature of golf itself? You can't wallow in adversity because the next shot beckons. How many of you have stormed off a golf course after hitting a bad shot? Instead, you tee it up again and hope for the best.

Even with the mounting concerns over Hurricane Irene, many of you still plan to play this weekend. To me, that's a testament to the devotion of those who play the game. We've all heard the naysayers question the future of golf. But as long as the devotion remains unbreakable, our game will live forever.

It reminds me the phrase engraved on the New York City post office:

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

Congratulations and a big pat on the back to those of you who plan to keep your tee times as long as conditions allow. You are the backbone of our game and what makes golf truly a sport of devotion and dedication.

The times, they are a-changin'

By Robert Samek on August 18, 2011 10:03 AM

When I first got the, ahem, bright idea to publish golf information for our state way back in 1995, the original plan was to produce a simple and traditional monthly golf newspaper that would be delivered to all the golf locations around CT. It’s what I knew best — the newspaper business, that is — since I worked as a reporter and editor for various papers up and down the east coast for almost 20 years. Little did I know where this would all lead.

Just a short time into my due diligence for the prospects of a golf newspaper, I was introduced to the Internet and the World Wide Web, and everything changed. I mean everything. The cost of entry into the publishing world was mere pennies compared to the investment for ink and paper. Hence, the Web site www.ctgolfer.com was born.

We were digital pioneers, far ahead of our time, and it took a while for the audience to catch up to the site. At times, it felt like we were publishing for no one, as we awaited the critical mass to emerge. It finally happened around the turn of the century (wow, that sounds ancient, doesn’t it?) when broadband Internet connections began replacing dial-up accounts. The number of visitors took off like a hit from an R11 driver.

Today, everything is changing again. Yes, the Internet is here to stay, but the proliferation of smart phones, e-readers and tablets are redefining how publishers distribute their content. And that includes us.

This week, we unveil the CTGolfer.com Course Guide 2011 App for the iPad on the iTunes Store. It’s a digital version of our highly popular print guide that seems to get more popular every year. I would say the print guide sells out fast, but we don’t charge for it. More on that in a second.

I’m really excited about the iPad version. It offers photo slide shows for our featured courses and easy touch access to our advertisers’ Web sites so you can learn more about over 40 CT courses and even book tee times right from your iPad. For a first attempt, I think it’s pretty good, and I’m already coming up with enhancements for 2012.

We did make one major change from our print guide that we thought long and hard about. We decided to charge $2.99 to for the iPad download. Charging for content is one of the most debated issues in the age of digital publication, especially in light of huge declines in ad spending. We’ve managed to keep our Web site and print publication free for readers, but it’s becoming increasingly harder to do so.

I think the iPad is the prototype e-reader or tablet on the market and sets the standard for everyone else. I’ve had one for about six months and use it far more than I ever imagined I would. That’s why we’ve made the investment in an iPad edition, because we believe more and more golfers will be buying the iPad and — most importantly — will rely on it as their primary platform for information retrieval. Apple has sold nearly 30 million iPads in just over 16 months since being introduced. That’s a great start, but it’s only a fraction of the potential customer base.

Is the iPad ahead of its time? Perhaps, but it so clearly reminds me of a time not so long ago when a golf newspaper for the state seemed like a great idea. And you now know how that all turned out.

So, if you have an iPad, show us a little love and buy our App. Take it for a test drive, rate it on the App Store and let us know what you think. And thanks for your loyal support over so many years!

Continue reading The times, they are a-changin'.

Best course in CT? Says who?

By Robert Samek on August 4, 2011 8:24 PM

I usually don't like lists or polls that rank golf courses. One person's Augusta National could be another's dog track. And exactly what makes a golf course one of the best? You may think it's one thing, I may think it's another. Get the picture?

And that's exactly what's wrong with Golf Magazine's new list of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the U.S.

Our state has many wonderful golf courses. But can you tell me which is the best course of all? The answer is, you can't, because there is no such thing as the best golf course in CT. At least best to everyone.

Yet, weighing in as the 71st best course in America and the only course in CT to make the list is Yale GC in New Haven, which would also mean that Yale is the best course in CT. Raise your hand if you agree.

My guess is that a few hands flew up, but I'm willing to bet that a lot more of you said something like, "Says who? And again, that's the reason why I don't like lists and polls of the so-called best courses. Says who?

I have absolutely nothing against Yale GC. In fact, everything I've heard is what a terrific golf course C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor created way back in 1926. But I've never played Yale, so I can't tell you if it's worthy of all that praise.

However, I have played a lot of other CT courses that I would consider very good, and if there was a so-called king of the hill, they would certainly qualify as solid candidates. And that's another point: How can you say a course is the best unless you've played every single course?

Even then, personal biases would come into play. Are you a long hitter? Then you probably love courses that reward distance. Are you a shotmaker? Then you most likely adore courses that require accuracy and placement.

I'd like to hear what you think about the ranking of golf courses. Is there such a thing as the best course in CT? Here's your chance to answer the question, "Says who?"

Golf slows to a crawl

By Robert Samek on July 22, 2011 7:47 AM

Anyone who plays golf knows that slow play is a problem. Even slow players know this. Yet, it seems we've gotten nowhere in solving this curse when everything tells you it should be priority one in making golf more enjoyable.

And given that the most recent study by the National Golf Foundation revealed the number of golfers nationwide dropped by one million players from 2009 to 2010, the issue of snails and turtles clogging the flow of play takes on even greater significance. I will repeat that, because the statistic is astounding. We lost one million golfers in the past year.

There are a lot of reasons why, but enjoyment of the game is a big factor why people play golf. And if it's not enjoyable, why do it? Waiting on tee boxes and in the middle of fairways, to me, not only is unenjoyable but a huge waste of my precious leisure time.

That's why I'm so amazed to see the lack of concern among many players about keeping the pace. And I'm clearly not alone. This month, Golf magazine published the results of a survey of more than 4,000 golfers on the issue of slow play. In the survey, 86 percent said that slow play is frequently or occasionally an issue on their home course. Friends, that's nearly everyone. And when asked how much slow play detracts from their enjoyment of golf, almost 94 percent said "a lot" or "somewhat." Hello.

Now here's the kicker: While almost everyone says slow play is a problem, fewer than 1 percent consider themselves a slow player.

Houston, we have a problem.

So how do we go about fixing this if everyone is pointing fingers at someone else? The Republicans among us would let it fix itself. In other words, players need to wake up and ask themselves these questions, as the Golf Magazine survey did:

Do you carry a ball retriever?
How many times per round do you check your email?
Have you hurt yourself trying to imitate Camilo Villegas?
How long do you spend chatting up the cart girl?

Get the picture? You may think you're an average or fast player, but in reality, you're among that perceived 1 percent mucking up the game.

It's also not surprising, then, that the majority of golfers abandon their rightist leanings and look toward an institutional fix. When asked if their home course could do more to keep play moving, more than three-fourths said yes.

I like to play my golf fast and furiously, mostly not to prolong the agony. Seriously, I like to chat it up like anyone, just not when it's time to hit. When another player is hitting, I'm standing over my ball ready to fire away. When my ball finally reaches the bottom of the cup, it's time to get out of Dodge and onto the next tee as quickly as I can. If I'm there first and the rest of my group is lagging behind, I'll go ahead and hit. That is, if the coast is clear, which it usually isn't.

If everyone played that way, case closed. But they don't and it's highly unlikely such an epiphany will strike the golfing population en mass anytime soon. That means the onus has to fall on golf courses to take control. And I don't mean more rangers or even longer intervals between tee times. As anyone who watches a lot of golf on TV, this is the age of taking action.

Courses can start by studying Bandon Dunes in Oregon, where, as Golf Magazine said, "everyone walks and sub-four-hour rounds are par for the course." How do they do it? Through accountability and an on-time culture. From bag boys to starters to waitresses, the course drops subtle reminders about tee times to keep things moving and to make sure everyone is on the same page. It's self-perpetuating.

Then there is Angel Park GC in Las Vegas. This course offers "Express Lane" tee times to start the day, requiring players to finish in 3:45 or less. If you fall behind, you're sent to the back of the line. But it happens rarely, if ever.

Like a lot of things in golf, innovative thinking is necessary to spark growth in our game. I'm not interested in discounted rounds, GPS, WiFi and happy hours. Speed up my round and I'll find time to play 18 hours more often. It's as simple as that.

Golf doesn't have to be Fairfield County at rush hour. Even government knows that clogged highways hurt growth. Courses need to understand this quickly before the problem goes away because no one shows up to play.

No more secrets in Bloomfield

By Robert Samek on July 14, 2011 9:14 AM

When we think of big golf tournaments here in CT, we think immediately of the Travelers Championship, and rightfully so. The PGA Tour is as big as it gets, and the event is our state's biggest sports gathering.

But if I asked you to name the next biggest tournament, you'd probably have to stop and think. And you might have trouble coming up with an answer. I'll give you a hint. It's happening this week.

Again, you may still be stumped. But I'll forgive you, because despite the best efforts of organizers, the ING New England Golf Classic is still somewhat of a golfing secret. Which is a shame, because after the Travelers Championship, the next best group of world-class golfers to play in our state is in Bloomfield right now.

I'm talking about the LPGA Futures Tour, the official training ground for aspiring LPGA players. I don't need to name-drop here, but graduates of the Futures Tour have won literally hundreds of LPGA events over the years. You may not know this, but Laura Ochoa, the world's top-ranked player who retired recently, actually played on the Futures Tour when the ING New England Classic came to Avon under a different name.

So starting Friday, a field of 133 players (and and an unborn female named Elizabeth -- more on that in a bit) representing 37 states and 27 countries, including 19 who played in last week's US Women's Open, will tee it up at Wintonbury Hills GC in Bloomfield for the Tour's 13th consecutive visit to CT. And I'm hoping that with a spectacular weather weekend in the forecast that they will do it before more than just family and friends.

In actuality, the CT event is one of the better-attended tournaments on the LPGA Futures schedule. Tournament Director Maura Majeski and her group of tireless volunteers have done a tremendous job not only drumming up support and interest but also keeping the tournament alive.

It began as a small charity event to raise awareness of breast cancer, and over the years has

contributed about $400,000 to various medical research programs, including Hartford Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the current beneficiaries. Like any event that relies on corporate coffers for its existence, this tournament has seen title sponsors come and go, but for the past three years it was fortunate enough to land CT-based ING insurance. Like the Travelers, ING took ownership of the event and now has the tournament in its best shape ever.

And that's the rub, so to speak. This is ING's final year of sponsorship. At a media luncheon last week, I talked to ING officials and they were quite non-commital on whether they planned to renew. But if you read between the lines, you'd believe that the company is going to take a long, hard look at its investment, particularly at what kind of response the community shows this weekend.

That's why I'm hoping CT turns out in a big way this weekend. If you like the Travelers Championship, you'll love the LPGA Futures. The players are very approachable and a majority of them enjoy interacting with fans. All of them have interesting stories to tell, but none more than Juli Erekson.

Erekson grew up in nearby Chicopee, MA, where she learned the game from her father, Via Wightman, a CT Section PGA member and now head professional at Holyoke CC. She played golf at Brigham Young University, where she majored in early childhood education. That degree will come in handy on Oct. 22. That's the due date for her first child.

This weekend will be Erekson's 10th and last event this year on the LPGA Futures Tour as she and her husband prepare for the arrival of their daughter, who they've named Elizabeth. I played a couple of holes with Juli at the media outing last week, and was amazed she could still compete six months into her pregnancy.

So why not head to Bloomfield this weekend to show your support for Juli. Or for West Hartford's Natalie Sheary, now a professional looking for the brass ring. Or for New Britain's Sarah Sideranko, a young amateur hoping to learn from Juli, Natalie and the others. Or for any of the other rising stars of women's golf.

The ING New England Golf Classic is CT's best-kept golf secret. Let's make it a secret no longer.

Sheary's turn to roll the dice

By Robert Samek on July 8, 2011 7:52 AM

I can't calculate the odds of a town like West Hartford producing a native son or daughter who ends up as a world-class golfer playing on the PGA Tour or the LPGA. All I know is that lightning bolts and winning lottery tickets come to mind. You might have a better chance that either of those two will happen first.

So now take that calculation, whatever it is, and multiply it by two. And that will give you the odds of what has occurred, or is about to occur.

I'm talking, of course, about Elizabeth Caron -- Elizabeth Janangelo before her recent marriage -- and Natalie Sheary. Caron has already made it to the LPGA and Sheary will likely join her sooner or later.

On Thursday, Sheary stepped up to the lectern on the outdoor patio at Wintonbury Hills GC in Bloomfield, where next week she will play in the LPGA Futures ING New England Golf Classic. This is the minor league tour and training ground for future LPGA players, and organizers held a media gathering to promote the event and some of the local news angles, like Sheary's budding professional career.

I couldn't help but feel a flashback, when it seemed like yesterday that Caron stood behind a similar lectern, as she began her transition from collegiate star at Duke to the vagabond world of a touring professional. And I remembered how much we all expected of Liz, not that she would simply make the tour but that she would excel on it.

It didn't quite happen that way. Today, after injuries and marriage, Caron is teaching golf at a country club in Stamford and living in Greenwich. Whether she intends to return to competitive golf or even wants to is something only she can answer. For right now, though, Liz seems happy and content with her new life. And how many of us can say that?

So it seemed like a passing of the torch on this blazing summer afternoon as Sheary talked about the thousands of miles she and her dad, Mike, have driven the past few weeks. Iowa. Ohio. Illinois. Michigan. Indiana. Now it's Natalie's turn for the endless miles in her Honda CRV and spins through the revolving doors of faceless motels.

Liz and Natalie share so much that it's impossible not to think of them in the same breath. They were both golf phenoms, growing up a few years apart in the same stylish suburb. They worked with Rich Crowe at Rockledge GC and swing guru Dave Pianki. They both won the CT Women's Amateur as teenagers and went on to make names for themselves at big-time colleges. And when graduation rolled around, they turned professional.

And now you wonder how it will turn out for Sheary. Last year, she won the qualifying tournament for the LPGA Futures and jumped aboard right after graduation this past spring from Wake Forest. With only 12 events remaining in the season, that leaves precious little time to crack the tour's top 10 in earnings for a free pass to the LPGA. She has managed an eighth-place finish, in Iowa, but sits in 38th place with $7,517 in total earnings so far.

Sheary explains how the competition is so much better than college, how she's playing unfamiliar courses and that she still hasn't played her best golf, or the kind of golf she knows she can play on a regular basis. But in the back of your mind, you think about how much she thinks about Liz, the friend she considers a role model for her own career.

For most of us, golf is a game. We play it for fun, as recreation or leisure-time activity. For professionals, it is something much different. It is your life and livelihood. It is how you feed yourself and your family, pay your bills, build financial security. Can professional golf still be fun? I'll never know, but I suspect that for some, the answer is no. That's the point where you make decisions based on what's best for you, not on the expectation of others.

I'm sure that Sheary will experience the same ups and downs that Caron's experienced. For all the similarities, they are still two different people. And what's right for one may not be right for the other. All you can do is work hard, keep your goals in sight. learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others.

And even after all of that, it's still a roll of the dice, because you never know what's going to happen. That, you can bet on.

A showcase event in Danbury

By Robert Samek on June 30, 2011 10:53 AM

Our state is blessed to have a number of fantastic municipal courses where conditions can often challenge those you'll find at private courses. And one of the best of the best is Richter Park GC in Danbury. Year after year, Richter Park wins praise from national golf magazines, ranking it among the top public courses across the country.

And that's why it's great to see the folks in Danbury showcase their course every year with an event the kind of which I wish more municipal courses would present. On July 16-17, the 21st Annual Danbury Amateur will tee off at Richter Park, a tournament that not only gives top amateur golfers a chance to compete on a great public layout, but also to help those in need.

Until three years ago, the Danbury Amateur raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Hanahoe Children's Clinic in Danbury. But when the owners decided to retire after 35 years of operating the clinic, Family & Children's Aid became the primary beneficiary. A secondary beneficiary is named annually, and this year the Danbury Regional Child Advocacy Center was chosen.

Anyone who has ever volunteered to run a charity tournament of any size knows these events require a lot of hard work to organize and host. And they take time to grow and become established. It's not simply a matter of build it and they will come.

This is especially true in attracting a high-quality field. Most of the state's top amateurs are booked with events hosted by the Connecticut State Golf Association, which is the state's official amateur golf body. To get top players into your event, you need a top event. And that takes time.

I talked to Maria Sanyshyn, the general manager at Richter Park, and she said the competition has gotten better over the years and the event now attracts scratch golfers from all over the Tri-state area. She said the field is capped at 160 players, with a wide range of handicaps participating because the tournament is flighted. There are also flights for seniors and women, which has two flights.

The entry fee is $200, which has not changed in five years, and includes greens fee, cart, food voucher, prize pool, gift and trophies.

With the competition continuing to improve, the tournament will have a cut for the Championship flight. The 48 golfers with the lowest handicaps will compete in a championship flight qualifier, with the top 24 finishers plus ties playing for the overall championship on day two.

The defending champions are expected to play. In fact, the women's titleholder, Jen Holland of Branford, a former CT State Amateur champion, has won the women's championship flight six times. Four of the last five men's champions are scheduled to compete, including last year's winner, Mike Miller of Brewster, NY.

As I said before, these are the kinds of events that other municipalities with outstanding golf courses should try to establish. The CSGA presents a terrific series of amateur events, but not in the name of charity. For the city of Danbury, the Amateur is a great way to showcase a great course, and raise money for a great cause. Other towns should follow suit.

Been waiting such a long time

By Robert Samek on June 26, 2011 1:48 PM

Each year at the Travelers Championship a new story line emerges that tournament organizers use to manufacture interest for the following year. Such as when Phil Mickelson returned to defend his title or when hometown hero J.J. Henry won his first PGA Tour crown here in Cromwell.

It’s difficult to generate a lot of sizzle when a golfer such as Fredrik Jacobson wins the championship, as he did Sunday. For all his talent, Jacobson isn’t one of golf’s mega stars, a local favorite or even a very well-known name outside of golf’s limited universe.

But the theme I see emerging from this year’s Traveler’s Championship goes beyond what a popular champion or charismatic one like last year’s winner, Bubba Watson, might produce. It’s a theme that will have longer-lasting implications for an event that will complete it’s 60th year in 2012.

It’s a theme I saw evolve Saturday evening at the unlikeliest of places — the old TPC driving range, tucked between the opening and closing holes.

The Travelers Championship always tries to introduce a new wrinkle or two to make the event more satisfying and more appealing to attend. Saturday night that wrinkle took the form of a rousing concert by Huey Lewis and the News on the old range. By my guess, the show attracted a crowd of 3,000 people or so, including some who came to the course caring little about golf.

That got me to thinking about what this event used to be, in its heyday, when the name Sammy Davis Jr. was attached to the tournament and some of the biggest names in show business would show up for the pro-am. The Greater Hartford Open, or GHO, as many of us still like to call it, was a happening, the place to be and the place to be seen.

Sammy is long gone, and the world has changed in many ways. Golf became defined by Tiger Woods, and tournaments were judged by whether or not Tiger played. For many years, not having Tiger in the field gave this event a stigma of second-class citizenship. No matter how tournament officials tried to spin it, the field was always questioned because it lacked TW.

But now that’s all changed, too. Tiger’s injuries means he hardly plays at all. The PGA Tour itself now includes a slew of exciting young players who are winning tournaments and establishing themselves as the game’s best. And many of them were in Cromwell this week. This means the Travelers Championship can present a top-quality field and not worry anymore about the Tiger factor.

And then there’s Huey Lewis and the News. What I saw Saturday night was reminiscent of the old GHO when the event was not simply a golf tournament, but something more like what another rock group, Chicago, once sang about.

Saturday in the park
I think it was the Fourth of July.
People talking, people laughing.
A man selling ice cream.
Singing Italian songs.
And I’ve been waiting such a long time,
for Saturday.

We’ve all waited a long time for the moment that came Saturday night. My hope is that the Travelers Championship builds on this moment and that there are many more like it for years come.

Patrick Cantlay, unplugged

By Robert Samek on June 25, 2011 6:19 PM

With the sun blazing and fresh off two rainy days cooped up inside the media barn, it was a no-brainer to step outside Saturday and take in the Travelers Championship up close and personal. And the obvious thing to do was to head over to the 1st tee where the newest, greatest golfer to arrive on the scene was preparing to tee off.

That, of course, would be Patrick Cantlay, 19 years old, and holder of the TPC River Highlands course record as well as the only amateur, ever, to shoot 60 on the PGA Tour, both of which were accomplished before an intimate gathering of close friends, family and a few stragglers still on the course Friday evening. By 1:45 p.m. Saturday — Cantlay’s scheduled tee time for Round 3 — word about this amazing feat had spread sufficiently to attract a modest crowd looking to satisfy their curiosity about this phenom from the West Coast, me among them.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Cantlay, by virtue of his brilliant Friday, was the leader of the tournament, too. And he would stay in the lead for a good portion of Saturday, until a hiccup, a cough, a gag and another cough — otherwise known as bogeys — knocked him from his perch.

Still, there was no spoiling my good walk on this Saturday afternoon, which was inside the ropes, I might add, because of my media affiliation. That meant I got to stand pretty close to the action and avoid the crowds that gathered around the greens and tee boxes. And I would get to witness the real Patrick Cantlay, unplugged and unprotected.

When he was announced to the crowd on the 1st tee, Cantlay underwhelmed anyone who was looking for You Tube material. He made a feeble wave with his right hand to the adoring crowd after hitting his drive down the middle of the fairway. A few minutes later, he missed the green with his approach, chipped past the hole and made a 4-footer for par. Applause.

On the 2nd hole, he again hit a perfect drive. And again his approach was hardly what you’d need to shoot 60, unless you had your putter working, which Cantlay didn’t. He blew past the hole for birdie then missed the comeback. Bogey. Applause.

If you weren’t counting strokes, you’d have no idea how Cantlay was doing. Talk about poker-faced. Not a hint of emotion, whether he’s saving par or blowing it. And when he finally rolled in his first of just two birdies on the day, that coming on the 9th hole, another straight-line.

I originally planned to follow Cantlay just for nine holes, then head back in to the media barn and chow down on Ben & Jerry’s and chocolate chip cookies. But it was such a splendid afternoon that I said, what the heck, let’s keep going. A couple of other reporters opted for the Ben & Jerry’s, so I had a premonition that I would see something, some detail, some emotional display from Cantlay that no one else would witness.

Lo and behold, that premonition came true on the 13th tee.

By now, the wind began swirling as the Cantlay Tour reached the shores of the Connecticut River. It was getting late in the third round, guys were going low everywhere and Cantley’s share of the lead was clearly threatened. He swung mightily, sending the ball on a swift flight path to the right and over the sprawling pond along the fairway’s right side. The landing was reminiscent of Captain Sully’s impromptu visit to the Hudson River.

It was Cantlay’s worst moment in the 49 holes he had played to that point. He looked down, took a couple of steps toward his bag and gently tapped a tee on the ground with his driver.

That was it. No words, no groans, no grimaces — nothing to indicate what was going through his mind other than preparing to hit his next shot.

And that is what makes Patrick Cantlay so fun to watch. He’s barely removed from junior golf, yet he carries himself like a grizzled veteran who’s seen it all and been through it all. He shows maturity beyond his years and knows that the most important shot in golf is the next one. It’s why he shot 60 on a course that he played only once before and why he’s the only amateur to ever go that low on the PGA Tour.

I left the Cantlay Tour after he barely missed a birdie putt on the 15th hole. He ended up making bogey on the final two holes, dropping him to 11-under par and five shots behind the leader, Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson.

But guess what? He’s still in contention. And while Saturday at the Travelers Championship was a special day, Sunday still has a chance to be even more special.

A round for the ages

By Robert Samek on June 24, 2011 6:59 PM

It’s easy to spot an amateur on golf’s score board. A lower-case “a” in parentheses usually follows the player’s name. You can’t miss it, especially on the PGA Tour, where amateurs are as rare as double eagles.

But if you were watching Patrick Cantlay, a lanky 19-year-old amateur golfer from Los Alamitos, CA, in Friday’s second round of the Travelers Championship, all is forgiven if you thought you were witnessing another young professional frolic his way around the accommodating TPC River Highlands.

Cantlay made history Friday at the Travelers when he rolled in a birdie putt from less than 3 feet on the 18th hole. That gave him a course record 60 and tied a tournament record that has stood for 57 years. It also was the lowest round ever shot by an amateur on the PGA Tour, and it extended Cantlay’s lead to 13-under par for a tournament that pays $1.08 million to the winner — a winner, that is, who can accept prize money as a professional.

Last week at the US Open, Cantlay finished T21, which paid $97,000. But as he said Friday to the assembled media throng at the Travelers, where he was invited to play on a sponsor’s exemption, money is irrelevant. “I’m not thinking about that right now,” Cantlay told us. “I’m going to try and take care of business this week and then see what’s going on. But I’m going to stay amateur definitely for the Walker Cup, and my plans are to stay amateur, you know, until I finish college.”

Cantlay stepped to the 18th tee around 7 p.m. under a gloomy sky that was quickly darkening. He was 12-under par and leading the tournament thanks to a par-save on the 10th, an eagle on the 13th and birdies on the 14th and 17th holes. Meanwhile, fewer than 125 fans gathered around the amphitheater surrounding the 18th green.

Cantlay’s drive was 284 yards, right down Broadway. He hit a perfect 8 iron from 152 yards, so well struck that it almost went in for 59. Moments later, he stepped up and rolled in the birdie, eliciting loud applause and cheers from the small gathering of spectators. As Cantlay walked off the green, one spectator shouted out, “Tiger who?”

Afterward, Bruce Berlet talked to Cantlay’s father, Steve Cantlay, who said he thought a low round of 63 or 64 was possible. “But I never thought a 60,” Ken Cantlay told Bruce. “He struggled a bit at the start of the back nine and was kind of lucky to make a par at the 10th. But I couldn’t believe he went for the flag on the 17th hole.”

“But he’s always been pretty calm. Even when he went to a graduation, it never was anything really big. But that’s a good trait for golf.”

Remarkably, Cantlay has scored a 60 before. He did it at his home course, Virginia CC in Long Beach, CA a few months ago. Imagine that. The kid is 19 and he holds course records of 60 on two coasts.

I have to tell you, Cantlay is about as calm and collective as anyone I’ve ever seen thrust into the spotlight. And to think he’s just 19 years old makes you stop and just shake your head. Whatever happens the rest of the weekend, what happened here Friday will be hard to top.

Although I can think of one scenario that most definitely would. But as a certain 19-year-old reminded us all, that would be getting ahead of ourselves.

Here are some excerpts of Cantlay’s Q & A with the media after his record-setting round:

Q: When did you realize sort of what you were doing out there?

I was just trying to stay in the moment. So as far as realizing what I was doing, I was just, you know, trying to make good swings and put a good stroke on every putt.

Q: Was there any point when you were on 18 that you starting thinking about 59 or 60 or knowing that no amateur has ever shot a 60 or anything like that?

I didn’t know that no amateur had ever shot a 60. So that wasn’t really in my brain. I knew where I was and I knew I needed to make eagle on 18 for 59. But you know, it’s tough to hole it from 152.

Q: Did it look like it might have a chance to go in from you angle?

I thought it had a chance. It was covering the flag pretty good. But it takes some luck.

Q: Will it be easy or hard not to get ahead of yourself when you step on that tee as the leader possibly going into the third round?

It’s very difficult. I’ve had a couple of leads before, and I know it’s really important to stay in the moment. I mean the tournament’s halfway over and guys haven’t even finished their second round. So I really need to not get ahead of myself and stick to my game plan, stay aggressive, you know, have a good time.

Q: If a million dollars for first pays here, I mean, that’s tough to sort of filter. What goes through your mind when you think of that, or try not to think of it?

It wasn’t a factor at the beginning of the week, so I had nothing to gain at the beginning of the week. I have nothing to lose as far as money’s concerned, and it’s just not a factor. It’s like playing in an amateur tournament for me. The money is irrelevant because I can’t win any at the beginning of the week and I can’t lose any at the end of the week.

Riding the flow, wherever it goes

By Robert Samek on June 24, 2011 1:33 PM

There isn’t a player in the field who doesn’t think he can win the Travelers Championship or any other PGA Tour event they enter. That’s why they tee it up, for the chance to win the big prize and all that comes with it. Confidence, real or contrived, is as important as playing the right club at the right time.

But the reality is that all players aren’t created equal. Some have a better chance than others by virtue of more talent or knowing how to win because they’ve done it before. Even with a vast number of first-time winners on Tour this year, many of them were simply bound to win sooner or later.

So that leaves everyone else, and for them, success is not measured by wins. Victory comes in making the cut on Friday and knowing you’re playing the weekend for a paycheck. And there’s a certain flow to it all — tee it up on Thursday, watch the cutline on Friday, stay or go away on Saturday.

This week, that flow turned into a washout.

Only six players completed their opening rounds Thursday before over an inch of rain flooded the TPC River Highlands and rendered the course unplayable. Not until 2 p.m. Friday did the last putt drop in the first round.

At about 11 a.m., the Tour produced a sheet of second-round groupings and tee times, starting with Kent Jones, Tag Ridings and Troy Merritt off the 1st tee at 12:45 p.m. and ending with Jarrod Lyle, Justin Hicks and Jim Herman off the 10th tee at 7:30. That’s p.m., folks, as in 7:30 Friday night. They probably haven’t teed it up that late since they were kids sneaking onto their local muni.

For the grinders, it means another day of anxiety and worry over making the cut. Another 24 hours, wondering about a paycheck, airline reservations, lodging and if they even get to play again next weekend.

For the most part, these guys are creatures of habit, like most of us. Ridings, a 14-year journeyman pro still looking for his first victory, began his second round just 40 minutes after getting up at dawn and playing his first 18. He shot 65 and was only two shots off the lead. “Just keep rolling with it,” he said between rounds. “The guys that finished yesterday probably have a tougher time of it, they’ll go all day without playing and might tee it up 5:30.”

Ridings is the kind of player who will make a hole-in-one and then lose his ball two holes later, as he actually once did. He played on the Nationwide Tour last year after losing his PGA Tour card the year before, then earned his way back by finishing 10th on the Nationwide money list. But this year he’s made the cut in only half of the 16 events he’s entered. With just two finishes in the top 25, Ridings is ranked 148th on the Tour money list and needs to improve to keep his card.

This week in Cromwell, it’s a different kind of Friday for Ridings and others who share his anxiety. The cutline looms somewhere out there, unknown for certain until Saturday or — shudder the thought — even Sunday.

But when the rains come, all they can do is go with the flow and wherever that flow takes them.

Tea time at the Travelers

By Robert Samek on June 23, 2011 1:12 PM

The calendar said Thursday, so at 10 minutes before 7 in the morning, Ben Curtis stepped up to the tee and drilled a drive some 285 yards down the left side of the fairway to set the 2011 Travelers Championship officially in motion. The question at that point was how long it would stay in motion.

Like the day before, a constant threat of rain hovered over the TPC River Highlands, and at 11:28 a.m., Mother Nature made good on the her threat. The sirens wailed halting play, and players climbed aboard golf carts and courtesy vans and headed in. Only a couple of groups had finished play, and the later tee times became afternoon tea time.

The only thing you can do about the weather is complain about it. Or maybe find a good book.

But, if you're Michael Bradley, who made it through 16 holes before the proceedings came to a halt, you can take comfort in the 6-under par that puts you atop the leader board after a mere 4 hours and 38 minutes of actual play.

Or, if you're Bo Van Pelt and Chris Couch, you can compare notes on the eagles you made on the par-5 13th hole.

And, if you're Vijay Singh, you can organize a search party for your missing ball on the 15th and beat yourself up for hitting a tee shot so badly.

Everyone else, well, all we could do is wonder what would happen next, or more precisely, when it would happen. As the rain picked up in intensity and thunderclaps boomed throughout the afternoon, the media barn waited for Jim Cantore to step over the threshold and make sense of it all.

This has been the spring of discontent for golf in CT, a state besieged by day after day of rainy weather. So why should the Travelers Championship be any different? It makes you wonder why the golf gods have been so cruel, but more so, you feel the disappointment. We get one chance at this every year. And this was a year when the stars were aligned to produce a really big show, as Ed Sullivan used to say.

So, with the radar screen still looking like someone's MRI, we wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Any suggestions for a good book?