The Great Pretenders

Tour golf is dead.  Tiger has gone home to lick his wounds and now the golfing world is in mourning.  There are many out there who pretend they can fill his shoes, but the sad truth is they cannot.  I want to talk to you about the U.S. Open.  An injured golf pro and a 45-year-old who’s prepping for the senior (oops, Champion Tour) duke it out for the national championship.  The gist is this: there are no contenders when Tiger is teeing it up.  The super elite of the PGA Tour according to our famous broadcasters have yet to turn up.  We have been waiting for Phil, Davis, Baddely, Sergio and a whole host of others to at least compete against this injured golf pro.

Here is my take on why the PGA Tour is flat when Tiger doesn’t play; the problem lies with the sponsorship to these players.  They wake up on the first of January with a million to 10 million in their pockets and haven’t even played their first shot.  What incentive is there for them to win?  I think the corporations who sponsor these “superstars” should redesign their contracts to be performance based.  You receive your check when you step into the winners circle.  Let’s be honest, working pros like Dee and I who stand on the tee all day long would love to have a performance-based program, clothing contracts, courtesy cars, etc.  Who wouldn’t?

The moral of the story is this: players aren’t hungry enough to win.  They have become fat cats climbing their way to media success on the backs others.  With the exception of Tiger and a few others, athletes today are not earning their keep.  I’ll never forget my first PGA Golf Tournament in 1967, The Gallaghers Open Championship where I arrived at the club on my bike with my clubs on my back.  I was stopped by a guard and told players only for this entrance.  Oh, have times changed!

-- Gerald McCullagh

The Life and Times of Paul Shepard

Through our lifetimes we meet certain people that put an indelible mark upon us.  I want to tell you the story of my friendship with a retired golf professional named Paul Shepard.  He was of the era of men and women who have since been called “the greatest generation.” Born in Anoka in 1923 he embarked on a legendary golf career that is unparalleled by any other Minnesotan alive today.  He worked at some of the most prestigious golf clubs in the United States, and he was a golf instructor to many celebrated movie stars like Burt Lancaster, Clark Gable, Hogie Carmichael, Bob Hope, Don Knotts, and Forest Tucker, to name a few.  He also mentored many young golf professionals, including one of the PGA's most honored, Gary Wiren.

He started his golf career working for Willy Kidd as an assistant golf professional at Interlachen CC in Edina.  Paul lived in a room in the clubhouse, a common practice at clubs back in those days.  While there he had the wonderful opportunity to play a lot of golf with Minnesota icon Patty Berg.  Paul moved on, as is common with young assistants, leaving Minnesota for California where he became the assistant pro to Harold Sampson at California GC.  While there he met Ed Lawery, who was the featured caddy to Francis Ouimet in the movie The Greatest Game Every Played.  At the time, Lawry was a member at the club and a successful business man.  His list of prestigious clubs he worked at is as extensive as his list of well-known clients.

I first came across Paul on a radio show on WCCO.  He called in to ask a golf question: “Who wrote the tips for the Mulligan Minute?”  I replied that I did, and he jokingly replied that he didn’t think the Irish were that smart!  He intrigued me, so I contacted him after the show and we met for dinner.  He brought a large envelope with him that night, containing letters from all his golf students.  The most memorable were from Bob Hope, but they also included letters from Patty Andrews (the Andrew Sisters), Tommy Dorsey, Rick Dees … the list went on and on.  However, Paul is a simple man and quite modest; he shared with me not because of who he knows, but just to share his stories.  If you ever go to the local diner in Anoka, ask one of the waitresses if Paul is in … if you're lucky enough to see him, buy him a cup of coffee and be prepared to be entertained.  He is one in a million!

-- Gerald MCCullagh

K.I.S.S.

Have you ever heard of the K.I.S.S. method to playing golf?  I was first introduced to this concept many years ago by my father and have tried to keep it as my modus operandi every since.  I would over-think most everything, and he would rein me back by telling me to “keep it simple stupid.”  I have always said golf is pretty simple; you hit the ball, chase it down, and then hit it again until you roll it into the hole.  But, like our lives today it has become way too complicated.  Every aspect of the sport has gone under the microscope and been brought forward into the space age.  Now, I’m not complaining about the advances in the technology... there is no question that our current version of a football on a stick whops the ball further down the fairway than that pretty persimmon wood driver that I have in my basement.  But does it really take a personal trainer, a sport psychologist, ball flight monitors, launch monitors, high speed motion analysis, dietitians, 3-D renderings of your internal organs, and finally yoga and Pilates instructors that specialize in golf to allow us to hit a little draw off the first tee?

I went to a high end golf shop not long ago for a club fitting.  I was thinking that the technology might give me that edge to keep up with those young gals.  Going through the process and listening to the tech give me his song and dance, I realized that my mental processes were a bit better than that computer of his.  I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I have 20 years of professional experience and worked with a great club fitter in the early part of my training as a golf professional.  Back then we had to rely on a blend of technology (we had a few gadgets back in the day) and our intuition on what the golfer needed to get the most out of their equipment.  It was not rocket science.  The best club fitters were really great artists and master craftsmen who could put the right club into the golfer’s hand by simply observing their client.

So here is my advice: If you slice the ball you need to learn how to hook it, and if you hit it high it might teach you something to hit it low.  If you are out of shape, work out, and if you don’t have time to do all that, don’t expect a miracle.  Good golf doesn’t happen by fancy gadgets and self proclaimed gurus but by hard work and common sense.

-- Dee Forsberg

Parkland Golf at its Best

Dee and I had a wonderful preview of the newly renovated North Oaks GC last Sunday. What a treat to be greeted in the pro shop by head pro Ray Vennewitz Jr., who grew up there as the son of Ray Sr., who served the club for over 31 years as head professional. As we proceeded to the first tee, we were greeted by golf course superintendent Jack MacKenzie, who was our playing companion and guide to the new Tom Lehman redesign.

North Oaks GC was built in 1950 by Canadian golf course architect Stanley Thompson, whose contribution to golf course architecture includes Banff Springs and Jasper Park in the Canadian Rockies. A little known fact was that Sam Snead played an exhibition match against Patty Berg in the 1950s. Guess who won?

Filled with information, the “super” detailed the redesign hole by hole. The pride in his golf course was evident as he took us through the changes. The par 5's are set up as risk/reward holes that allow for birdy opportunities with good play, however an errant second shot will leave you with high numbers on the card. The par 4's are very challenging, with the terrain forcing a player to shape their shots off the tee in order to gain clear approach shots to the flagstick. I thought the par 3's were four of the best in the Twin Cities. They were not only difficult to a member but also for a professional golfer. Another wonderful feature about North Oaks is the five sets of tees that challenge golfers of all ability levels.

Tom Lehman did a remarkable redesign for North Oaks. He retained the distinctive features of the original architect, but changed the aesthetics of the course by strategically placing bunkers into the right positions. While challenging, the course is very playable and offers many holes that could be trademarked as “signature holes.” Of particular note are 7 and 18 which feature spectacular bunkers and scenic elevations.

A test of a great golf course is whether you would play the same course on a daily basis and still be challenged. I can assure you that North Oaks is one of those golf courses!

-- Gerald McCullagh