Across the Alley from the Alamo
By Fighting Chip
This, the fall of my discontent, has weighed heavily upon my golf game. It has almost gotten to the point where I flip my collar up, turn my back to the past and put my thumb out. Orange slices, 3 foot gimmies and mandatory post-round group hugs have me wondering whether the PCGC has been infiltrated by hard line commies, or worse, the AYSO. The AYSO is a youth soccer anti-competition terrorist group. They are hell bent on leveling the playing field into mediocrity. Is there any wonder why multi-club snipers from Crystal Springs, Green Hills and HMB travel down to our flat lands and dominate our NCGA events? The answer is quite simple, we have become soft! Dave Goddard, Bobby McConnel, and The Moose are sipping a cold one somewhere in the afterlife nodding in agreement.
The Maginot Line, the ill-conceived and easily defeated WWII first line of French Defense is the Alamo compared to our limp-wristed, left-wing approach. We penalize the winners! Our course rating and slope are too high. Play a good round, win a tournament or two, blow up your handicap and then get penalized. Good God, are we pandering to Gaven Newsom in advance of his governorship?
We must Fight Back! Bring back the first daylight tee times. This will hinder the pro shops ability to slip 15 groups in ahead of our tournaments. Those with mani-pedis who don’t like the wet, the cold or the early, can simply play in the back of the field. Bring back the pace of play. The NBA, which has even more prima donnas then we do, has a shot clock, why not us? Four hours and twelve minutes is a very comfortable round.
The Lake Course at the Olympic Club, one of the finest clubs in the world, has these words on the first tee bench: Play Fair, Play Fast, Have Fun.
It is time for us the members, and the board that represents us, to Fight Back!