Professional Golf And Gambling
It's sad to learn that one of our favorite professional golfers, Phil Mickelson, might have a gambling problem.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has made Mickelson a "relief defendant" in a lawsuit stemming from an insider trading investigation in which it was discovered that Mickelson made $931,732.12 in gains from a short-term trade in Dean Foods.
What has been made public in this matter is some questionable judgement and decision making and that he is chummy with one William T. "Billy" Walters---a known gambler and somewhat of an overall seedy character.
Mickelson made the $2.4 million purchase of Dean Foods stock at the suggestion of Walters, who Mickelson apparently owed money.....which is commonly described as a gambling debt.
Mickelson ended up paying back the $831k plus about $105,291 in interest since 2012 for a total of more than $1 million.
But the news get worse as last year about this time it was discovered that Mickelson sent nearly $3 million through "an intermediary" as part of an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events and again Mickelson's "intermediary" was another seedy fellow named Gregory Silveira of La Quinta.
Mickelson dodged the bullet as he was portrayed a victim.
But is there a problem here.......is there a pattern that is noticeable? Folks tend to let things like this slide if it is a one time thing but two times tends to put it into the category of a trend.
If Mickelson had been in Major League Baseball, the NFL or NBA he most likely would have faced a long suspension.
The PGA Tour player guidelines has a section on "Conduct of players related to gambling," and it clearly states that PGA Tour players "shall not."
PGA players in situations like this should get counseling and give up any gambling gigs.
We as many golfing fans love Phil Mickelson but gambling is dangerous and destructive and we are sure it is not healthy for him or his family.
We hope Phil and the PGA tour addresses this issue with a fair resolve for all concerned.
Ed's Outlook
Golfers have often commented to us about our hole by hole description of how to play holes on golf course we highlight in our column.
With our recent play of the 9-hole Sullivan County Golf & Country Club here are our highlights for this course.
Hole No. 1 is a 315-yard par 4. Straight down the middle over the directional flag will put your second shot into the green and the opportunity for a birdie or par. Don't hit it short as a small stream runs in front of the green.
Hole No. 2 is a 295-yard par 4 and the green is uphill off the tee. Take your drive to the left center of the fairway and play to the upper half of the green on your second shot as the green slopes left to right.
Hole No. 3 is a 400-yard par 4 with the fairway sloping down hill left to right. Better to play right center for a second shot to the green.
Hole No. 4 is a 152-yard par 3 with an elevated tee taking your tee shot down hill left to right. Club selection is key to a par on this hole and knowledge of how to play your tee shot off the hill to get the right roll onto the green.
Hole No. 5 is a 280-yard par 4 with water to the left. Take your drive right center for a good approach shot to the green which has bunkers left to right.
Hole No. 6 is a 275-yard part 4. Take the drive right down the center of the fairway. A small stream runs just below the tee. A good tee shot here can help you to produce a possible birdie. Green slopes so second shot to the green is important.
Hole No. 7 is a 422-yard par 4 with an open fairway so let it all out off the tee. A good tee shot and second shot makes this a possible birdie score.
Hole No. 8 is a 545-yard par 5 making it the longest hole on this course. Open fairway to the left and center and trees on the right. Tee shot should go center of the fairway and club selection is key on the second shot to the green or your approach shot.
Hole No. 9 is a 395-yard par 4 with Route 52 and trees on the right. A left center tee shot makes for a better approach to the green with traps on the right and rear section of the green.
Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the sport of golf. Ed writes and compiles the information for this column. If you have league or tournament information, shoot a hole-in-one or even shoot your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this unedited column and all of Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.
Golf Tip
By Bob Menges
Choosing A Set of Tees To Play From:
Most golf courses have different tees to play from on each hole. They are called tee markers and are set up on the teeing area.
In the past, most courses have red tees for women, white for amateurs and blue tees for advanced players and some also offer tees for seniors.
Most courses today refer to the tees as forward, middle and back tees and some courses have as many as five different tee boxes to choose from.
One problem I see with most golfers is trying to play a golf course that is too long for them. I believe a golfer should pick out a set of tees to play from that will let them enjoy the golf course and not get frustrated.
Some courses will recommend what tee you should play from based on your USGA handicap, but all golfers do not have a handicap so they do not understand what this means.
On a typical scorecard you should be able to find out the total yardage of the course from each different set of tees.
The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association started as program called "Tee It Forward." Basically, this was designed to get golfers to move up to the tees that are best suited for his or her game.
The program encourages golfers to play a course yardage based on how far they hit the ball off the tee. For example, if you drive the ball 250 yards off the tee you should play a course that is 6200 to 6400 yards in total distance for all 18 holes.
As your driving distance goes down in length, you should play from the tees that make the course shorter in length. In doing this, it will allow the golfer to reach the green in less shots, thus making the round much more enjoyable.
You can look up the "Tee It Forward" program to get a chart on the recommended yardages you should play based on your driving distance. If you play from the tees that are suited for your game you should see lower scores and enjoy yourself more on the golf course.
Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club on Mt. Hope Road in Swan Lake. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 845-292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net
Putting Tip
By Joe Bermel
A major key to putting well is to prepare well.
This means you should spend at least 10 minutes on the practice putting green before each round of golf.
This amount of time is important.
Putt several 4, 5, and 6 foot putts, straight in.
See the ball going in the hole then putt several 10 ft putts and several 20 ft lag putts.
Get your speed smooth on the 20 ft. lag putts.
Now you are prepared to putt well for the round.
Joe Bermel is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organization and golf shows-tournaments. His special edition DVD "How To Putt Well" is available at 631-589-1384, at his web site, www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by email at joe@theputtingdoctor.com
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