It seemed that the same faces and same clubs were showing up in the winner’s circle year after year and that winning net scores were becoming more and more preposterous. Our member clubs were hot, they were letting us hear it and they were demanding action.

In response, the most ambitious program of its kind was launched in 2004, the NCGA Net Score Database.

The program has seen many changes since its inception, mostly the result of trial and error. At its core, however, the program remains remarkably simple, unbiased and wrapped in sound handicapping fundamentals. Here is how it works.

Every round recorded by every NCGA member in an NCGA event played with handicap is logged. And I mean every round by every NCGA member beginning at the regional qualifying stage. NCGA gross events and club events are excluded from review. The current database, consisting of scores from the three most recent seasons, includes 17,000+ players and 76,000+ scores.

Each individual round within the database is posed a question. Did the golfer play to or better than their handicap that day? If “yes,” how far below their handicap?

The first law of handicapping holds that a golfer will only play to their handicap once every five rounds or so. Many golfers refuse to believe this statistic, but proof is just a couple of keystrokes away. At any point in time, look up your current Handicap Index and inspect the 20 rounds that went into the calculation. Count the number of differentials among the 20 that are lower than the Index you were issued for the month. At all handicap levels you will typically only find four rounds that qualify.

Another indisputable truth of handicapping is that golfers, on average, actually score about three strokes above their handicap. Due to the rarity of scoring well below one’s handicap, stage two of our review consists of applying USGA-established odds to every round that scored a “yes” in step one. The lower the score, the higher the odds.

The third step in the process consists of looking at the entire body of NCGA net scores for a given individual. We count the number of “yes” versus “no” rounds and weigh this with the odds for the good scores. If our final tally exceeds certain thresholds, we take action in the form of assigning a “number” that the golfer will be required to play to in all NCGA handicap events that season (our number, or their current Handicap Index, whichever is lower). This number in no way, shape or form is to be confused with a Handicap Index nor does it impact the Handicap Index issued to the golfer each month. The club that the golfer is a member of is the one and only authority that can adjust a Handicap Index.

How many golfers are impacted by our action? Less than 1.5% of 17,000+ golfers in 2009.

There are some obvious drawbacks to our program.

One, the system is reactive. Our action can only take place after the low net scores have been recorded. A philosophy of “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” is the best we can hope to achieve.

Two, our analysis is only as good as the accuracy of the scores credited to the golfer. Accuracy is not in dispute in stroke-play events where an attested scorecard is involved, but it is a factor in Team Match.

Match play creates a number of unique scoring situations, most notably those involving concessions and unplayed holes when a match ends prior to the 18th hole.

You would be amazed at the number of people who seem to think that if you are conceded a 25-foot putt, you post the score for handicapping purposes as if you would have made the putt. How much sense would that make? No, you post the score you most likely would have made had the  hole been completed.

Many also dispute the concept of posting par plus any handicap strokes they are entitled to for unplayed holes. No matter how well they are playing up to that point, many seem convinced that they would have scored worse than net pars had they played in. This is a difficult argument to make.

Then there are the frontal assault appeals.

“Of course I play better in tournaments, I practice a lot more for them.” Just once I would like someone to explain to me why the non-tournament round the day before and the day after didn’t likewise benefit from all this practice.
 
And last but not least, “of course I play better in tournaments, I concentrate more.” This one irritates me the most since it implies that the golfer just kind of goes through the motions for most rounds only to kick it into higher gear for important tournaments. They see nothing wrong with having their handicap based upon those rounds where they did not give it their best and then outperforming this handicap with ease and great regularity when the moment is right. It should go without saying that no golfer is entitled to such an advantage.

I have a simple philosophy when it comes to handicaps. Show me a golfer who can raise the level of their game at will in big tournaments, and I will show you a golfer with too high a handicap.  Our Net Score Database program identifies and neutralizes such golfers.

If you would like to have your say, please post a comment below.

LIFTING THE FLAGSTICK: A typical reaction of a player who sees a ball about to strike a flagstick lying on the ground is to lift the flagstick.  In the past this action resulted in a loss of hole penalty in match play or a two-stroke penalty in stroke play, but as of January 1 there is NO PENALTY.  Go ahead and lift the club or flagstick lying on the course and breathe easy as this action is an exception under Rule 24-1 to the penalty incurred for moving an obstruction that might influence the movement of the ball.

PENALTY REDUCTIONS: Under Rule 19-2 when a player’s ball in motion is accidentally deflected by him, his partner or either the caddie or equipment, the penalty is now one stroke in both match and stroke play.  You may recall Jeff Maggert’s ball at the 2003 Masters hitting the lip of a bunker and then hitting him in the chest.  The one-stroke penalty that is now in effect would have been much easier to take. There is an exception: If the ball strikes the person attending or holding up the flagstick or anything carried by him, there is still a loss-of-hole or two-stroke penalty. See Rule 17-3b.

NON-CONFORMING CLUBS: Another player-friendly reduction occurs when a golfer discovers he is carrying a non-conforming club during a stipulated round. When Kevin Stadler recently discovered on the second hole of a tournament that one of his shafts had been bent during travel, he was disqualified.  In 2008 his penalty would be the same penalty as for carrying more than 14 clubs.

In match play at the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round, two holes.  In stroke play, two strokes for any hole at which a breach occurred; maximum penalty is four strokes. The player must immediately declare the club out of play upon discovery.  The penalty of disqualification still applies if a player uses a non-conforming club. See Rule 4-1 and -2.

IDENTIFY YOUR BALL IN A HAZARD: Probably the most discussed change to the rules is a player is now allowed to identify a ball in a hazard (bunker or water hazard) when he cannot visually determine it is his ball. It should be noted that it must be necessary for a player to lift his ball to identify it in order to be allowed to lift it under this rule.  If he lifts the ball when he could have identified it without lifting, he incurs a one-stroke penalty.

The procedure for lifting is identical to what players have already been doing under Rule 12-2 when identifying a ball on other parts of the course.  This change should speed up pace of play as a player will not walk back after discovering the ball played from the hazard was not his ball.  It does, however, change the penalty situation as a player will now be penalized if he plays a wrong ball from a hazard.  Match play – Loss of Hole; Stroke play – Two strokes. 
VIRTUAL CERTAINTY is the new term replacing “reasonable evidence” when a player wishes to take relief for a ball that has been struck toward a water hazard, an abnormal ground condition, an obstruction or if the ball has been moved by an outside agency and is not found. If the player’s ball could be somewhere else on the course, the player must proceed under the penalty of stroke and distance.

As you become more familiar with the changes to the rules you will also discover they have been reorganized for standard construction to make it easier for golfers to navigate and understand the rules. Learn and enjoy the new changes to the Rules of Golf; they offer you better options and will help you achieve a lower score.

The NCGA will offer classroom and on-course rules seminars throughout 2008.  Please check times and locations for a seminar that meets your needs at ncga.org under “Education.”  If your club would like a rules seminar, contact Gail Rogers at grogers@ncga.org or call 831- 625-4653. This is just one of the many benefits of being an NCGA member.

It seems that the scoring records of some very high-profile CEOs were examined by reporters to reveal round after round posted while their companies were in the throes of financial ruin.

It is not my place to decide whether such play was right or wrong. It is my place to explain the dynamics of handicapping and the perceived conflict between an individual’s right to privacy versus the “peer review” requirements of the USGA Handicap System. It is also my place to explain peer review as it relates to the NCGA.

In its simplest form, peer review is the ultimate check and balance within the system that truly gives handicapping a backbone and integrity. A portion of peer review includes the unalienable right that we all possess to review the scoring records and handicaps of those we play with to ensure that all is in order.

The reporters who wrote the exposés took advantage of some of the tools of peer review to perform their dirty work. They likely visited an NCGA-like website and performed a last-name look-up to discover the scores.

Were these reporters exercising their peer review rights?

Of course not. The accuracy of the Handicap Index and posted scores was the last thing on their minds.

Should the scope of peer review somehow be reined in due to the abuse of a few reporters?

An even more resounding “NO.” Take away peer review and you take away the heart and soul of handicapping.

Legal opinion puts any debate to rest. If you want a Handicap Index, you must expose your scoring record to the review of others. If you are not willing to expose your scores to the review of others, you cannot have a Handicap Index. The choice is simple.

So how does peer review work at the NCGA?

Fellow club members and officials of tournaments you participated in are entitled to complete access, as is anyone who can supply your NCGA/GHIN number during the handicap look-up process on the NCGA website.

New for 2008, those that do not have your NCGA/GHIN number and must resort to last-name look-up will receive an abbreviated view of your record (full access minus the day of the month of each round and golf course name).

As long as there is a Handicap System, peer review is here to stay.
2008 Update

As most Handicap Chairmen are aware, updates to the USGA Handicap System occur every four years — 2008 is such a year.

Typically the changes are minor and represent little more than refinements of long-established policies.

All-in-all, the changes for 2008 are not earth-shattering; the slight change in the details of scoring records displayed under peer review as stated above, a better way to combine nine-hole scores, a more palatable way to determine the stroke holes on a course, etc.

There is one clarification that I am very partial to.

Language has been added to make it clear that clubs have the power and responsibility to suspend score posting when course or weather conditions dictate.

Let’s face it, some courses play to their ratings year-round, others do not. Those that don’t should stop score posting until suitable conditions return. To continue posting would only distort handicaps, probably to unreasonably high levels.

And what goes up must come down. Most golfers whose handicaps go way up in the winter, come way down in the summer, meaning that they enjoy a stretch of time where they outperform their handicap with great regularity and at great profit.  No golfer is entitled to such an advantage (as confirmed by a new 2008 handicap decision addressing unwarranted seasonal fluctuations in handicaps).

Other highlights for 2008 include the following:

• A new NCGA Handicap Manual covering 2008-2011 is currently in production and will be distributed to all clubs in early 2008.
• A web-based NCGA Handicap Certification Seminar alternative is in the works. All clubs will be required to complete an NCGA Handicap Certification Seminar in person (or complete the online alternative) between 2008 and 2011. Complete details will be forwarded to all clubs.
• All clubs are required to complete a USGA Handicap License Agreement between 2008 and 2011. A web-based means of completing such a license agreement is in development.

It all depends.

Much of the rest of the country subscribes to the same handicap service that we do (GHIN). When playing in such a state, you simply activate the Guest Score Posting feature appearing on the score posting screen and then enter your NCGA/GHIN number when prompted. The only difference in your GHIN posting experience outside Northern California is that here the computer will recognize your number and display your name and current Handicap Index. This is because you are a member of the NCGA and we want this information displayed to confirm that you are entering a score into the correct scoring record.

Outside the NCGA, the screen will not recognize your number and will not display your name. Instead, you will need to type in your last name as a form of verification. When the score makes its way back to GHIN, it will be accepted or rejected based upon a perfect match between your number and last name as registered with GHIN. Once these formalities are out of the way, you record your score, confirm the correct tees and date, etc.

How about score posting in areas that subscribe to a different handicapping service such as Southern California or Arizona?

Many inquirers are surprised to learn that the process of posting scores from these areas is nearly as simple.

Though the screen shots and terminology may appear different, all such programs will include a reference to Guest, or Visitor or Non-Member posting. Activate such a feature and look for a reference to IGN identified by the following logo:

IGN (International Golf Network) allows for the exchange of scores between golf associations that subscribe to different handicapping services. It was brought about by the desire to allow for the quick and convenient posting of scores immediately following play at the course regardless of handicapping service or location.

When posting on unfamiliar screens, again, activate some sort of Guest/Visitor or IGN feature. When prompted, identify yourself as a member of the NCGA, enter your NCGA/GHIN number and last name and then input the scoring details. Due to transmission schedules that vary by state, it may take a little longer for the score to make it to your home club, but the score will arrive.

But IGN doesn’t stop there.

If you are a snowbird and reside in Southern California or Arizona for much of the winter, contact the NCGA with your southern handicap identification number and we will cross-register it with your NCGA/GHIN record. We will likewise contact your southern association and provide them with your number here. Once fully cross-registered, a single score posting to either of your records will result in the score being routed both north and south.

If you find the unfamiliar screens too daunting and your club permits Internet Score Posting (all but a handful do), you always have the option of logging onto the NCGA website to post your scores.

Besides Northern California, all or parts of the following states or regions subscribe to GHIN.

As you prepare for the 2008 season I would like you to think about the kind of program we would have if we did not have the use of Spyglass Hill, Poppy Hills, Poppy Ridge and all the member clubs that provide us quality playing fields. As they say, “you cannot have a dance without the barn.”

Roger Val worked his fifth U.S. Amateur in August at The Olympic Club.

We are very fortunate there are member clubs that continually host some of our championships and major qualifying events. Those of you who participate in NCGA events might not realize the importance of this continued support which enables the tournament program to stay alive, grow and succeed. Clubs’ support of the tournament program and the long lasting relationship we have with our member clubs is the secret of our success.  2008 CALENDAR

As a reminder, the 2008 calendar is on the NCGA website (http://www.ncga.org/); it would be wise to review the information to ensure your entry closing dates and your qualifying dates are compatible. Remember, the zone program rotates so your zone dates could be earlier or later depending on the dates that are given to us by the Pebble Beach Company. Entries for club events will be mailed the first of the year and will contain appropriate information. The upcoming NCGA Golf Bluebook edition (mailed in early January) will have all the tournament information as well. It is important to make sure all the players that qualify at your club for team events know the dates for NCGA qualifying and the date of the championship proper.

JUNIOR PROGRAM

For the past 77 years, the NCGA has had one Junior Championship while still working in youth golf throughout the region. Since 1983, we have administered the CIF boys and girls Northern California High School Championships. Recently, the NCGA and the SCGA conducted the High School State Golf Championship on a north/south rotation. Beginning in 2008 we will add more junior tournaments to the NCGA schedule and work with a couple of existing programs — the Junior Golf Association of Northern California and the American Junior Golf Association. Our purpose is to fill any voids that exist, offer resources and provide all juniors the opportunity to participate. We have a staff person in the Rules and Competitions Department dedicated to grow this new junior program. All of us are excited to piggyback the efforts of our Foundation and become more involved with youth and the future of golf.   

A fresh example for me is when they renovated the NCGA offices. They started the process of tearing out the exterior walls in December 2005 and we moved our offices into the cart barn several months later. I can vividly recall some refreshingly cool mornings as the winter wind whipped through the tarps that doubled as my wall. By June we were moving back into the renovated offices. Our brief inconvenience slowly became a distant memory.

As for renovating golf courses, the biggest question is why? Why tear up something that provides a source of recreation for countless people, revenue for the owners, city or company, jobs for employees, habitat for wildlife and satisfaction or dissatisfaction (depending upon how you most recently played) for the game? The simplest answer I can think of is “The Joneses.” As in keeping up with the neighbors.

Golf course architect Bill Love, who recently completed improvements at The Olympic Club, claims that renovation is “being competitive in the marketplace. Golf courses change over time – they are living and breathing entities,” noted Love.

Here are a few examples of changes or worse yet, deterioration on the golf course:
• The turtle shell tee syndrome – divots are constantly filled by sand and seed mixes which form a turtle shell shape on the tees.
• Sloughing off of bunker slopes caused by golfers exiting the bunker slope (high side) versus walking out the low point of the bunker
• Elevation of bunkers lips caused by the constant splashing of sand from golfers hitting explosion shots from a common collection area in a bunker.

“By sticking with status quo – you are getting passed by,” said Love. The facilities who embrace improvements in technology and materials will ensure improved playability in addition to providing a fun and appropriate challenge for every golfer.

Constant splashing of sand can cause elevated bunker lips.

As with every challenge, there comes a new level of unknown. Renovating a golf course has various stages of disturbance which directly corresponds to degrees of frustration for golfers. The first level of disturbance generally contains some small to medium cosmetic changes. These may include rebuilding a tee, reshaping a bunker as well as installing some fairway drainage. The project may alter the hole for a day or two. After a few weeks, everything is back to normal. The golfer can tell that something is different, but hopefully nothing too dramatic-much like a new coat of paint in your living room.A remodeled kitchen or bathroom poses more than just a little inconvenience. On a golf course, this could alter play for several weeks or months. The project may force you to play temporary greens or makeshift par threes as the holes undergo improvements. Once the dust settles and the tee is clear, everyone will notice the improvements. Function and form are paramount and the end result is an improved experience for the golfer.

Completely remodeling your home/golf course is a huge ordeal. Provisional quarters are a must as the contractors gut, strip and tear up your worn and comfortable establishment. The walls that withstood many stories and held pictures of memories are gone temporarily. Once the demolition has occurred and the new construction has started, the hassle of displacement is replaced with anticipation and the vision of the new facility and amenities. In most cases, the new and improved home or golf course has a dramatic effect on the senses. The smell, look and feel of new is as satisfying as a well struck iron – crisp and clean.

There comes a point in time when every golf course faces the inevitable – change. Changing things for the sake of change just does not cut it anymore in this fast paced and ultra-competitive golf industry. How club officials and regular golfers embrace this fact determines the amount and length of anxiety. Planning and due diligence by qualified professionals as well as a close working relationship with course management and select committees will hopefully bring the level of discomfort to one that is acceptable and brief.

As an assistant director of rules and competitions for the NCGA, Ryan was a candidate for this honor because of his exceptional expertise in the Rules of Golf and his attendance at numerous PGA/USGA Rules Workshops. The USGA requires a 92% or better score on its test to officiate at U.S. Opens or U.S. Amateurs; on his most recent test he scored 98. Ryan has enjoyed extensive tournament experience including conducting USGA Qualifiers and refereeing for the NCGA Amateur. In 2001 he was a rules official at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in Fresno.

It is USGA policy to afford local officials at regional golf associations the opportunity to officiate in the region where championships are held. Roger Val, NCGA director of rules and competitions, also officiated at The Olympic Club. Roger has worked a number of U.S. Amateurs including the 99th at Pebble Beach Golf Links and the 100th Amateur at Baltusrol in New Jersey. Other NCGA officials (also serving on USGA Committees) who officiated at the August championship include Jim Moriarty, Junior Committee; Sheri Erskine, Handicap and Course Rating; Pat Newmark, Senior Women’s Amateur; Lon Haskew, Mid-Amateur; and Gail Rogers, Women’s Committee.

While Ryan Gregg did not have any unusual rulings with his groups of players or matches, Newmark had the unpleasant duty of informing a player he had just incurred a two-stroke penalty. During the second day of stroke-play qualifying on the 15th hole at the Ocean Course, a player, knowing he had hit a ball into the deep rough during a practice round and it was easy for a ball to be lost even with spotters, had his caddie go forward to watch his tee shot. His caddie stood behind a tree, watching to see where the ball would land. Unfortunately the player’s ball hit high into the Cypress tree where the caddie was standing, bounced from limb to limb and eventually came free, striking the caddie before it hit the ground. Under Rule 19-2b, in stroke play the player incurs a two-stroke penalty and the ball is played as it lies.

It was Newmark’s training and experience that allowed her to apply the correct ruling. What about you? If “winning an Oscar” sounds interesting, and you would love to walk the fairways as a referee at a USGA Championship just as the seven NCGA officials did, here is how to get the necessary training and experince: 

The first step is to volunteer at your club or course. Serving as the rules or tournament chairman for a year or two will give you a great understanding of the details of tournament administration and provide a variety of opportunities to learn. If you love the rules, consider attending an NCGA Rules Seminar.  See the NCGA website; under the “Other Services” link click on “Education” for the seminar dates for February – April of 2008. As you continue to master the rules, the next step is to attend a USGA Rules of Golf Workshop.  

If you are still intrigued, have the time to volunteer and the type of personality that wants to help players avoid getting a penalty, ask for an application from your regional golf association to become a tournament official. The Northern California Golf Association, Pacific Women’s Golf Association and the Women’s Golf Association of Northern California are always looking for members to be part of their tournament/rules committees.

As your skills grow, continue to volunteer at the highest level. Before long you will reach the range of 92 – 100% on the USGA Rules test. One day you’ll open an envelope inviting you to officiate a major USGA event. Winning the Oscar for a Rules Official can happen. Just ask Ryan.

Photo Caption: Jim Moriarty, Pat Newmark, Gail Rogers, Lon Haskew and Ryan Gregg

Without going into excruciating detail regarding every practice superintendents use on a regular basis, what follows is a simple multiple-choice quiz to see if golfers can tell the difference between cultural practices utilized on courses today.

Match the proper cultural practice with the corresponding piece of equipment.

Aerification – removes small plugs from the greens. This removes organic matter and promotes root growth, improves water infiltration and helps alleviate compaction.

Verticutting – removes a small amount of material from the green, grooms the surface

Deep verticutting – removes a great deal of organic matter from the green

Topdressing – smoothes the surface, fills in damaged areas; sand is the material of choice

Planet Air – small slits on the surface, minimal surface disruption

The surface quality of putting greens is a delicate balance of providing satisfactory playing conditions (firm versus soft), plant nutrition, trueness (smooth versus bumpy), disease suppression, plant water requirements and root zone fitness. Factor in environmental considerations such as excessively high temperatures, strong winds, artic fronts and sheets of rain or blankets of snow and the surface quality dynamic is challenged even more.

Successfully juggling weather demands, an active tournament schedule and special events while to trying to hit the narrow agronomic window for a quick recovery is difficult. Because of specific time restraints and recovery needs, one can understand why the greens are subjected to cultural practices when they are already in pristine condition.

The above mentioned are just a few examples of cultural practices that are employed on golf courses to enhance or improve the surface quality of putting greens. In order to keep putting greens in top-notch condition now and into the future, golfers must endure some short-term pains.

1	A
2	| B
3	C
4	D
5	E

The answers to the quiz are: Picture 1 – D, Picture 2 – E, Picture 3 – B, Picture 4 – C, Picture 5 – A.
 

by Jaime Diaz

The center of Northern California is a 30,000 square mile rectangle connecting Sonoma, Monterey, Fresno and Sacramento. It’s an area almost exactly the same size as Scotland. It also contains exactly the same-sized heart for the game.

Taking everything that makes up real golf tradition — iconic courses, great players, memorable major championships, important leaders, and a large and avid playing population – and Northern California has the richest tradition of any geographical pocket this side of the actual cradle of golf.

To start with, it contains Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Spyglass Hill, The Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, to name only the most famous of Northern California’s courses. 

It’s been the spawning ground of native professional and amateur major champions like Tony Lema, Johnny Miller, Ken Venturi, Al Geiberger, Juli Inkster, Pat Hurst, Bob Rosburg and George Archer, as well as transplants like Lawson Little, Marion Hollins, Harvie Ward and Patty Sheehan. It’s been the base of operations for big time movers and shakers like Francis Ouimet, caddie and Bay Area golf benefactor Eddie Lowery, USGA presidents Sandy Tatum and Grant Spaeth, Bing Crosby, and current Pebble Beach owners Clint Eastwood and Peter Ueberroth, who grew up caddieing at the oldest course in California, Burlingame CC.

It’s the home of the most egalitarian golf tournament in history, the San Francisco City Championship, as well as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where golf and pop culture first — and apparently forever — interlocked. Out of the eight U.S. Opens it has hosted, five have been genuinely momentous — at Olympic in 1955 and 1966, and at Pebble Beach in 1972, 1982 and 2000. And the biggest hometown miracles this side of  Ouimet – Nathaniel Crosby’s 1981 U.S. Amateur victory at The Olympic Club, and Miller’s all-world valediction at the 1995 AT&T. And for a recent Cinderella story, consider the Cal Berkeley men’s golf team winning the 2004 NCAA championship.

Speaking of college golf, the school whose alumni have compiled the most professional major championships is Stanford, with Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, and Bob Rosburg combining for 22 (edging out the 19 by Ohio State’s Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf). And the high school with the most U.S. Open champions — two (Venturi and Miller) is San Francisco’s Abraham Lincoln.

Northern California has been blessed with some important golf teachers, like John Geertsen Sr. (who groomed Miller and Mark Lye), Ben Doyle (mentor to Bobby Clampett), Tommy LoPresti (Bob Lunn and Barbara Romack), Lucious Bateman, the pioneering Afro-American teacher who gave Lema his start, and Laird Small, the 2003 PGA of America Teacher of the Year.

It also gave us the only man to play pro football and the PGA Tour simultaneously – San Francisco native John Brodie, who played the PGA Tour in the 1960s while quarterbacking the 49ers, and who went on to win on the Senior Tour.

The raw facts are impressive. But what makes Northern California most special as a place to play golf is its ineffable but palpable connection to the game’s beginnings. Especially along its coastal areas, the heavy sea air, wind and irregular ground breed a wonderfully natural way of playing, and a true appreciation for the nuances of the game. NorCal’s best have always been artistic players – reflected in the iron mastery of Venturi and Miller and Ward, the short game wizardry of Rosburg, the putting of Archer. Although they haven’t yet come to full fruition in young Arron Oberholser, he’s most distinguished from his PGA Tour peers by a coastal NorCal toughness and creativity. Perhaps best evidence of the ties to elemental golf was Lema going to his first British Open in 1964, and winning handily at the Old Course at St. Andrews.

“Man, we had some good players,” says San Francisco native and recent octogenarian Bob Rosburg, an ultra accurate player who in his heyday was known for “hitting the most froghair in regulation.”

“Guys who really had control of the ball, who could really improvise, who could really play. Hell, I thought the California State Amateur in the 40s and 50s was harder to win than the National Amateur. A lot of NorCal guys couldn’t afford to go back east for the big national tournaments, but they would be at Pebble. I could have picked 12 guys you never heard of from San Francisco and we would have had a hell of a Walker Cup team.”

Johnny Miller felt his made-in-San Francisco game always gave him an advantage. “At Olympic and San Francisco Club and Harding, the ball never really went anywhere because of the fog, you had to be able to turn the ball both ways, had to be able to play from slimy lies,” says Miller, who was known for winning by huge margins in Phoenix and Tucson. “Especially in the desert, it seemed like every shot was flat and the ball was teed up and the ball went forever. Compared to where I came from, the game was easy.”

Miller was the beneficiary of a noble tradition when he was given the first junior membership at the Olympic Club, and youth has generally been well served in NorCal. “I think golfers up this way appreciate young talent, rather than resent it,” says renowned golf writer and historian Al Barkow, who moved to the Bay Area with his teenage playing son after spending most of his life in Chicago and New York. “They enjoy being around and encouraging kids who have potential. And take pride in having helped those who go places in the game. On the whole there is a nice democratic easiness about Bay Area golfers – a relaxed, not-so-strata-conscious California-style of golf being.”

Two former PGA Tour players who developed their games in Northern California in the 60s and 70s felt that encouragement.

“I’m so thankful for where I grew up,” says Pat McGowan, a native of Colusa. “The competition was so keen; the conditions, especially on the San Francisco courses, were so tough. If you were one of the better players in Northern California you could get a golf scholarship anywhere in the country.”

“You had every kind of course and every kind of climate in Northern California, and you could play year round,” says San Francisco native John Abendroth. “You developed versatility and became a well-rounded player. But the thing I remember most was the real sense of tradition. You knew a lot of great players had come before you, and you wanted to follow them. Some of my favorite times were hanging around the pro shop at Harding or Olympic and listening to the head pros – John Fry and Kyle Burton – tell these great stories.”

It further builds the case for Northern California as a golf Camelot. As Bernard Darwin wrote of St. Andrews, “It may be immoral, but it is delightful to see a whole town given up to golf; to see the butcher and the baker and the candlestick maker shouldering his clubs as soon as his day’s work is done and making a dash for the links.” It was thus in San Francisco, where seemingly every fireman, skycap and truck driver carried his bag on the city’s courses, and where the finest players were revered.

“San Francisco was probably the best city ever in which to be a good player,” the late Harvie Ward remembered in 1998. “It seemed like everybody liked golf, especially all the restaurant owners, and they treated us like we were big time. When we walked into one of their places, we were on par with Joe DiMaggio and Hugh McElhenny.”

Such an appreciation breeds knowingness about the game. It’s beyond coincidence that a disproportionate number of native Northern Californians – Rosburg, Venturi, Brodie, Miller, Roger Maltbie, Clampett and Lye all had or are having successful second careers as television golf announcers.  They have all come from a culture that has been collectively open minded, the place that fostered the Beat Poets, the Summer of Love and a general diversity and tolerance. Salinas’ Michael Murphy, one of the founders of the Esalen Institute, wrote “Golf in the Kingdom,” which opened golf to the concepts of the human potential movement, the foundation for sports psychology’s ever-expanding influence of the game.

Not that it takes a New Age sensibility to appreciate the elemental attraction of NorCal golf. Consider Byron Nelson, who after winning the San Francisco Open three times in the 40s came back regularly in the 50s to play exhibitions and tutor the young Ken Venturi. “In my experience,” Nelson said in 1998, “it’s the best area in the country to play golf if you want to be a good player. I really loved playing there.”

Or Sam Snead, who won his first professional event at the 1937 Oakland Open at Sequoyah, and when asked his favorite course, said the Sonoma Golf Course. Or Ben Hogan, who always maintained the most important check of his career, was for his third place finish at the 1939 Oakland Open at Sequoyah, saving him from quitting the tour. The finest U.S. Open player in history, Hogan called The Olympic Club his favorite of all the courses that held that championship.

The people with the most knowledge simply knew. Upon coming to Northern California for the first time in the 1920s, architect Alister MacKenzie wrote, “The sand dune country owned by The Olympic Club, although not so spectacular as that on the Monterey Peninsula, is the finest golfing territory I have seen in America.” MacKenzie went on to greatly enrich NorCal, building Pasatiempo, where he spent his last days, the Meadow Club, Sharp Park, Haggin Oaks, and a wonderful nine holes in Pittsburg. And it was experiencing MacKenzie’s masterpiece at Cypress Point that convinced Bob Jones he should hire the architect to help him with Augusta National, and the course is the most common answer to the question, “If you had only one round left to play, where would it be?”

Admittedly, I’m biased. I grew up in the Bay Area and learned to play in the fog on those San Francisco courses. And I lived in Sacramento, as easy a place to play golf as there is. Moving around has given me a chance to compare. First in the New York area, then in Southern California, and now in my current home near Pinehurst, NC. All wonderful strongholds of the game in their own right. But for me, NorCal remains special.
In retrospect, the validation really took place the first time I played in Scotland. Whereas some of my American friends didn’t take to the sea air and the wind and the uneven ground, I immediately loved it. I realized it was because of where I’m from. I’m guessing Lema felt the same way.   

Jaime Diaz is a senior writer for Golf Digest and formerly with The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.

What if you could play a course that embraces the traditional values of the game, has an exceptional staff trained to maximize the potential in every member, and happens to be located in one of the prettiest places on earth? Welcome to The Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing.

Opened in May of 2007, this new private Peter Jacobsen-Jim Hardy gem is already drawing rave reviews. “Basically, we wanted to develop a big club membership,” said General Manager Dirk Skillicorn. “This property is phenomenal. It’s just a beautiful setting.”

Utilizing the experience and creativity of Jacobsen, a former PGA Tour standout and current Champions Tour regular, and Hardy, an innovative and respected PGA Tour instructor, The Tahoe Mountain Club envisioned a fresh, exciting course that would promote old-style shot-making values and test the skills of high and low-handicappers alike. Jacobsen and Hardy were able to accomplish that goal by designing five sets of tees ranging from 7,446 yards from the back tees to 5,030 yards from the forward markers.

“We had a great piece of property,” said Jacobsen, who has worked with Hardy on almost a dozen projects. “We tried to incorporate all that’s natural and not get in the way of the land.”

The Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing, set among majestic Lodgepole and Jeffrey Pines near North Lake Tahoe in Truckee, offers expansive views of Mt. Rose and the Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges. The course features gradual elevation changes and meanders through native wetlands and wild flowers. Fairways are tight yet accommodating, and 83 strategically-placed bunkers keep you focused. Water comes into play on three holes.

Many holes on the 620-acre site offer risk-and-reward opportunities. The wide variety of shot options is what separates Gray’s Crossing from other courses. Most greens are open in front allowing players to hit the ball in low or high, depending on your comfort level, preference and ability. In addition, bail-out and chipping areas have been created, and in most cases the terrain feeds the ball toward the green. Green complexes are relatively small and flat, which will allow for higher speeds.

“We really took our time designing the course,” Jacobsen said. “There are forced carries, bump-and-run shots and short par-5s. It’s a real nice blend.”

The entire course was sodded and features 6-Way Blend Kentucky Blue Grass on tees, fairways and rough, and Dominant Extreme Creeping 2-Way Blend Bentgrass on the greens. Superintendent Mike Cornette has done a masterful job preparing the course for membership play.

Regulars like the change of pace at Gray’s Crossing, where the front nine boasts undulation and movement, while the back nine is flatter and more traditional. The bottom line: Jacobsen and Hardy want you to be able to play your own game and be rewarded for good shots.

“We didn’t put a lot of humps and bumps that look like they didn’t fit,” said Jacobsen. “If it looks like golf, put it there. That’s what Jim and I try to do.”

The last five holes have become immediate favorites. From the middle tees, the par-4 14th measures 302 yards but has water along the right side of the fairway and a cluster of bunkers along the left. Jacobsen tempts players to go for the green on this hole, which usually plays downwind. But a bunker also protects the right portion of the green on this fun, short hole.

The narrow, wind-aided 491-yard 15th is a dogleg left and is the shortest par-5 on the course. A large fairway bunker forces you to stay left with your second shot, and the green is flanked by a spacious bunker on the left. The terrain tilts from right-to-left and most shots will release toward the green.

The spectacular 194-yard par-3 16th is played from an elevated tee and boasts bunkers on all three sides of the green. The front bunker is actually closer to the tee than it appears. Clear it, and the ball will usually find its way to the putting surface.

Local knowledge definitely comes into play on the 395-yard par-4 17th. This is a position hole, where proper placement of the tee shot sets up an approach over native wetlands. The farther down the fairway you go, the easier the second shot and less carry you have to the green. But beware: the hole usually plays downwind, bringing the wetlands into play.

The long, par-5 18th is a challenging finishing hole that will make you earn a good score. It normally plays into the wind and has a split fairway after your tee shot. If you stay left, the hole plays longer and the third shot must be precise to a shallow green. If you gamble and safely carry the native wetlands to the right fairway, it sets up a much easier approach. It’s a fitting conclusion to a course that makes you yearn for more.

“We think it’s a wonderful member’s course,” said Skillicorn. “With five sets of tees, you can make it as tough as you want.”

The staff at The Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing will structure individual programs to help members and their children improve at their own pace. In addition to private lessons and clinics, they also offer personal fitness, physical therapy and a condensed version of Titleist’s fitness program, TPI. Heavy emphasis will be placed on physical conditioning, and members will be encouraged to use the multiple practice facilities and a state-of-the-art fitness center.

A key component of golf at Gray’s Crossing will be the caddie program. Modeled after Augusta National and Pebble Beach, the program will be designed to promote walking and enhance the overall playing experience.

The clubhouse blends seamlessly into the landscape and will feature low roof lines. Multiple indoor-outdoor buildings will service members with their every need and offer panoramic views of the surrounding area. Amenities include indoor/outdoor dining, outdoor event lawn, patios for gathering around the fire, outdoor hot tub, heated lap pool, cutting edge fitness equipment, separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, private open air sanctuary with fire pit and steam room and hot tub.

Gray’s Crossing is owned by East-West Partners. The club consists of 400 members, who also have playing privileges and special family and guest rates at nearby Coyote Moon (daily fee) and Old Greenwood (resort). The initiation fee is $150,000. Homes will be built on 10 holes with ample setbacks for privacy.

“From a real estate standpoint, it’s not intrusive,” Jacobsen said. “It’s just got a real, relaxing feel.”

 For information, please call (530) 550-5800.

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Mark Soltau is the editor of tigerwoods.com and contributing writer to Golf Digest.

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