PGA Expo

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Eriko and I just returned from the PGA Expo in Orlando, FL. After a Redeye where we had a baby crying 2 rows behind us and a guy that sat behind us telling his neighbor about his life story and he was 117 we arrived in Orlando very well rested. I was at least smart enough to book us an exit row that we got kicked out of because they didn't think Eriko spoke fluent English, just kidding. It was a funny experience, we had this Asian woman ask us that and all of us in the exit row couldn't understand what she was saying because her English was very broken. So about the exit row, for all of you that think you can out-smart the system, a little word of advise. Ask for the second row in the exit row, the first row seats don't recline. I am due for a neck rub if any of you want to come by my office.

So Thursday i had the opportunity to sit in a room with Bob Vokey, the Titleist Wedge designer. It was a great learning experience and we really discussed the affects that the new grooves have on the design of clubs and the lofts. As many of you know Phil Mickelson took some grief for using an old Ping Eye 2 wedge, with grooves that were box, but approved for play. The reason he took this 60 degree wedge and bent it to 64 is because with the new grooves the ball is just sliding up the face on a 64. There isn't enough traction for the ball to bite on the face. He really was amazing to listen to. The ball flight they are finding is a bit higher and not quite spinning as much. From the fairway the difference isn't too dramatic, but they are finding the Pro's are thrilled since now for a back pin they can hit it at the flag and the ball isn't spinning back 20 feet. These changes won't bother most of us as changes to the casual golfer doesn't go into effect until 2024. What i wanted to really share with you was a concept that i take for granted but i thought you might enjoy. When really good golfers get a wedge in their hands we look at trajectory. Trajectory can be broken down into 9 windows. For a straight shot you have, high, low, and middle. Then you add left to right and right to left depending on what the shot requires. Next time you go out and have a wedge in your hands, imagine looking through nine window panes and pick one to hit your shot through. The short game gives all of us an opportunity to be very creative. Have some fun out there!

On Friday i sat in the room with Scotty Cameron as you can see in the photo with our very own Jason Gore in the background. Scotty talked about his past and what got him into putter design. Scotty is not an instructor of putting. He is an artist that studies what happens in a putt and how to help that process as much as possible. The basic theories behind putting is the ball is in a minor depression because of the weight of the ball and gravity. The putter hits the ball and lifts it, studies have proven 4 degrees is the perfect loft to create that experience, out of its depression. The ball ideally comes out with no spin and lands and begins it's roll down the target line. Now there are only 15,672 sequences that have to happen to make that consistent, that is why he makes his putters the way that he does. He guarantees his putter to take out 14,327 of those sequences leaving you with only....my brain hurts. It was a great trip and please feel free to come find Eriko or me to discuss anything else we saw.

GHIN Update

Tournament scores that were brought over during the conversion into the player's file only included the date of the round and the handicap differential. In order for the information to be displayed in GHIN the score, course rating and Slope rating had to be artificially created to arrive at the correct handicap differential. So if the player sees a score listed under the two low tournament scores that they did not shoot please understand the handicap differential and the date are correct but the score and ratings do not match what they shot that day.

If a golfer is reactivated at the SCGA office or through www.ghinclub.net, the Handicap Index will not be displayed until the next revision takes place. If you would like the golfer to be listed with an index immediately you will need to use the modified index feature. An option is to use the player's trend and have it removed on the day of the next Handicap Index revision.

The association golfer list has been pushed down to all clubs in Southern California. When a player in Southern California posts a score they will be recognized with their name and current index prior to entering the scoring information.

You can look up any player's Handicap Index in Southern California on the posting screen by selecting the Guest CRS HCP Lookup button and then selecting the HDCP Lookup button. By entering the last name of the golfer you will see a list of player's in Southern California and what their Handicap Index is. However, you are not able to retrieve the player's SCGA membership number.