Meet JC and Phyllis, my dear friends and hosts for stops #2 and #3 on my Four-Tours-In-Five-Days expedition. Two of the most accommodating people you’ll ever want to meet, you’ll notice that in preparation for my arrival, they had gone to the trouble of installing a set of bleachers in back of their house.

OK, I made that up – the grandstand was installed by the previous owner to hold plants, but the “most accommodating people” part is absolutely true.

On tap this day was the LPGA Championship, the second “major” tournament on that tour’s 2010 schedule. Held at Locust Hill Country Club outside of Rochester, NY, right from our arrival it was obvious that this was going to be an entirely different experience than that of last week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
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Lost Marsh Golf Course in Hammond, Indiana is a modern marvel of civic engineering and land use. Built entirely on a landfill in the industrial corridor southwest of Chicago, the course is truly an oasis in every sense of the word. I get the sense that the course is always kept in good shape, but on this particular week each year, when Lost Marsh hosts the Futures Tour’s City of Hammond Classic, I arrived to find it in impeccable condition.

The fairways were lush, the tees were neatly manicured, and the greens rolled quick and true. Most impressively, given the plot of land to work with, the course routing is surprisingly interesting (and I mean that in a good way). Sure, water comes into play on a lot of holes, but then again water on one hole proves to be a formidable challenge for me.
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Lost Marsh Golf Club, Hammond IN

I feel bad for women professional golfers. I really do.

I’ve spent a fair bit of time around women’s golf, so I feel qualified to say this – I have yet to see a female pro truly grasp the essence of the golf swing. I’m not trying to get all Hank Haney or anything, but they all seem to labor under the misconception that swinging smoothly and rhythmically through the golf ball will somehow propel it adequately. Please.
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This is Betty the Cat. You may not be able to tell from the picture, but she’s a big golf fan. Unfortunately, the U.S. Golf Association feels the same way about pets as it does about amateur photography, so she, like my camera had to stay home when I went to the U.S. Open.

You may have noticed in my previous post that I didn’t describe much of the golf action. Well there’s a reason for that…

See, the very thing that makes Pebble Beach a spectacular location for viewing golf also makes it a very difficult place to view golf. The eight holes that run along the ocean are by definition “one-sided” holes, meaning that only one side of the fairway can accommodate a gallery. Add to that the fact that the tees and greens are located very close to each other on these holes, eliminating the possibility of creating viewing areas in between tee and green. Consequently, entire swaths of the golf course are roped off and inaccessible. And lastly, because it is a links course, there is precious little terrain that provides a natural amphitheatre.
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According to various myths and legends, there are tribes of indigenous people scattered throughout the world who believe that to have their picture taken is to have their soul stolen. While I haven’t been able to verify the exact genealogy of these people, I’m pretty certain there’s a connection to the U.S. Golf Association. There’s really no other rational way to explain the USGA’s relentless assault on the harmless pastime of recreational photography.

Distant view of Pebble Beach

Closest I Could Get With A Camera

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