Social Media

We’ve finally caved to the Social Media monster. Next to a Skins Module (Read Below), “how about more Social Media” is the most common request I receive. Well, here you go…

• Twitter. You’ll see the golfscoring Twitter Feed on the far right-hand side of your league website. The golfscoring Twitter Feed contains bits of information to help you promote, organize and run a successful golf league along with my occasional words of wit and wisdom but don’t worry, conveners can leave the golfscoring feed on there, install their club/personal Twitter Feed or remove it altogether. See below for instructions about installing/removing Twitter on your league website. If you’d like to add the golfscoring.net Twitter Feed to your list of people/entities you follow you can do so here… https://twitter.com/golfscoring

• Facebook. I don’t pretend to completely understand the allure of Facebook but based on the number of requests we receive for more Facebook interaction it appears I’m in both the dark and the minority. Golf marketing gurus insist that Facebook is the most cost effective method when it comes to increasing the profile of your golf club and/or league. Effective immediately, participants can post their comments, scores and general league activity on their personal Facebook page and, if you really dig that scene, you can broadcast live Facebook comments on a separate slide on the club TV.

• Linked In. A short while ago I created a Group on Linked In called the Golf League Network. The purpose of the Golf League Network is to provide a forum for league conveners to exchange ideas regarding golf leagues. I’m hoping we can all learn from each other and, hopefully, it will lead to some exciting new upgrades for 2013. I hope you’ll consider joining the group.

Edit League

When you log into the administration site (www.golfscoring.net/admin) be sure to click on “edit league” which is located near the top of the page. Here you’ll see the Headers for most of the league web pages and some of the TV slides… Useless Bastards/Highest Net, Low Sandbagger, Low Gross, Beat The Pro, etc. Naturally, you can leave them as they are but if you ever want to change a header this is where you do it. You are welcome to change a header as often as you wish. The “edit league” section is also where you’ll enable/disable a specific Twitter feed, enable/disable the Comments feature, etc. Here is the explanation for these commands…

Show Facebook Live Stream: I realize this one’s a bit out there but you now have the option of displaying real-time, league-related Facebook comments on the club TV’s. A check mark in the box enables Facebook Live Stream. No check mark disables the live streaming.

Show Twitter Feed: Put a check mark in the box if you’d like to see a Twitter Feed along the right-hand side of your league website. No check mark disables the Twitter Feed.

Twitter username (optional): If you would like to display your personal or club Twitter Feed on the right-hand side of your league website just type the appropriate Twitter Username in the box. If you leave this box blank the golfscoring.net Twitter Feed will be displayed on the right-hand side of your league website.

Show Comments: The comment section of the blog allows participants to interact with one another making it a very effective method of building a sense of community within your league and I highly recommend you leave it active. If, however, you want to disable the comment section you now have that option. Removing the check mark from the Show Comments box disables the comment feature.

Mobile Site – www.golfscoring.net/m

We’ve had plenty of requests for a mobile site that would allow participants to check the scoring on their Smartphone so, now we have one. The mobile site will have almost all of the information that’s available on the regular website but it’s specifically formatted for your phone.

Skins Module

It’s finally here and I’m very excited about it. Beginning in 2012 the golfscoring.net system will include a Gross Flighted Skins Module. I’m hoping the Skins Module will provide a fresh twist for leagues that have been with us for a while and, because the number of skins and the value will change throughout the day, it should add a little spice to the TV broadcast. Some details…

• No limit to the number of flights
• No limit to the handicap range of flights (flights can’t overlap)
• Skins will work for leagues regardless of your scoring method (Stroke or Stableford)
• Conveners have complete control of their Skins Module. You can name each flight, add/remove flights and change the handicap range of each flight as often as you wish
• Program uses league handicaps for Skins
• Entry Fee for skins can stay the same or change every week
• If no Skins are won, system will carry pot over to following week
• Website and TV will indicate number of entries, number of skins, name of winner(s), skin value and which hole(s) were won.
• Results on the TV should keep people engaged and compel them to stay around longer
Please let me know if you have any questions about the Skins Module or if you’d like some help setting up the flights for your league.

Disable Participation For a Specific Player’s Score

It’s becoming more and more common for clubs to allow participants to play their league round earlier in the week if necessary. I certainly understand why clubs/leagues encourage their members/participants to get in as many league rounds as possible but there were some concerns. In order to maintain the energy level of their league day and protect the integrity of the event, most clubs/leagues limit the number of “early plays” but a few conveners wanted something more. I’m hoping this new feature will address all of the issues. Effective immediately, you have the option of disallowing a participation point when entering a player’s score.

TV Rotation

The TV Rotation is, arguably, the most entertaining feature of the system but, based on the number of TV display questions I receive, I think it might be the most overlooked feature as well. Again, just so we’re clear; I’m happy to set up your TV Rotation but each convener knows much better than I do what will work best for their club/league. Important: Conveners have full control over what is broadcast on the TV. You can also create your own slides and add them to the TV Rotation. Here is a brief explanation of the TV Rotation commands on the Administration website…

Rotation – Update… Clicking on Update opens the actual TV Rotation. This is where you determine the sequence , which slides are displayed, how long the slide stays on the TV and the size of the font. You can also remove any slides that don’t suit your league. Please make sure you click on Update at the bottom of the TV Rotation page once you’ve made any changes.

Rotation Images – Add/View… This is where you add or delete the images that appear behind the scores on the TV. The only restriction is that the image must be a jpeg and no larger than 10 Megabytes in size. Images that are 6 – 10 Meg in size look the sharpest in the TV. If you click on Rotation Images – VIEW you can see the background images that are currently a part of your TV Rotation.

Rotation Ads – Update… This is a very cool feature. It’s where you create your own TV Slides. When you click on Update a new page opens. Clicking on Create a new Ad opens a new page where you can create your own TV slide. You can upload sponsor logos, promote club events, publicise a hole-in-one, etc. When you’re finished, give it a title and then click on Add at the bottom of the page. You can then Preview it, Edit it or Delete it. Presuming you’re satisfied, go back to the Main Menu, click on Rotation – Update and then add it to the TV Rotation.

…Much More To Come!

The Men’s Night draft is one of the few environments outside of a club board meeting where intellect, weirdness and stupidity are celebrated equally. The 2009 draft was held this past Sunday and though it lacked a “wow” moment a few of the boys managed to distinguish themselves during the proceedings.

The first order of business was admitting that we had to deal with the 2,000 pound monkey that was sitting on the couch. The monkey was without a doubt the hottest topic during the traditional captain’s game of golf and as I was handing out the information so it was pretty obvious all of the boys had the monkey on their mind. Interesting, don’t you think? I probably ran into 7 or 8 people as I was leaving and not one of them asked me which team they were on. The most pressing issue was whether or not anyone had drafted the monkey. I like that. Our boys have their priorities straight.

But wait… Are You Sure Everyone Knows About the Men’s Night Monkey?

I’m going to ask that my regular readers grant me a little latitude with this next paragraph. If you’ve logged on in the past you’re undoubtedly familiar with the troubles some captains have experienced while trying to choose a team but I want to be absolutely sure the newbies know the entire story. Let’s see… where to begin… well, several of our guys are stupid. I could probably leave it at that and go three-putt a green somewhere but where’s the fun in that. The practice of captain’s drafting one another started way back in 2004 when, Mr. Brian Knott, tried to add Peter Katadotis to his roster despite the fact that Mr. K was sitting directly across the table from him. Not to be outdone, Messr’s Sharp, Cybulskie, DeAngelis and, last year, Mike Hurley Sr., all followed suit when they also picked a man who was sitting not 4 feet away. In Mike Hurley’s case I believe the person he named was actually topping his beer glass at the time. While trying to describe last year’s debacle my natural anthropological tendencies led me to compare the curious actions of our captains to that of a monkey. I settled on two conclusions; 1) You could put a troop of monkeys in the room and they’d probably pick a squad capable of going .500. 2) I’m almost certain that the monkey’s wouldn’t try to draft one another. It wasn’t long until the practice became known as ‘drafting the monkey’. Again, for those of you who are new; please don’t misunderstand. My intention with this commentary is not to disparage or slight anyone’s character. There’s still plenty of time for that later in the season. My purpose with this paragraph is to point out that several of our boys are stupid. I hope this helps. Anyway, the answer to the question is, unfortunately, no… ain’t nobody done drafted a monkey.

So, Are You Telling us That Nothing Happened?

I didn’t say that. First out of the blocks was, Mr. Reg Madison, who appears to have continued the time honoured tradition of Captain # 1 squandering the first overall pick by going with, well, me. I can’t speak for the rest of guys he ultimately chose but, up until the third week of team play, I think both Reg and I were feeling pretty good about his decision. Since my deplorable showing on June 10th the list of believers has dwindled considerably leaving only Reg, who always looks on the bright side, and my brother John, who is well aware of Reg’s dismal record as a past captain, as the only two people on the planet who think he went with the right Alpaugh. I’m of two minds with respect to Reg’s performance at the draft this year; to be fair, I was playing decently at the time and he had no way of knowing my gross scoring average would balloon to the size of Arnold Palmer’s prostate but, on the other hand, it’s pretty much common knowledge my short game’s been A.W.O.L. longer than Dino’s been in denial so drafting me first was probably every bit as stupid as it seems.

Returning for another shot at the Men’s Night Wall of Fame is the Captain of Team # 2, Mr. Bill Howden. Bill eagerly embraced the idea of returning as a Captain in 2009 and, based on last year’s performance, we shouldn’t be surprised. He bagged a 2nd place finish in 2008. I’ve now seen Bill at the draft twice and let me tell you he comes prepared. Mr. Howden arrived at the table with a with a bib, a bed pan and a hundred bucks for the Captains bet along with a myriad of lists sorted by handicap, participation and proficiency so he was obviously ready regardless of which way the day proceeded. So far, it looks like he knew what he was doing. Speaking of the Captain’s wager; it’s now one of the nice traditions of the draft. Each captain puts $100 in the pot at the conclusion of the draft. At the end of the season, the Captain of the 3rd place team gets $200 from the $1400 kitty. Just so we are clear; there is no moral obligation placed on the winner to do anything altruistic with the booty. When Mr. Mark Moffat won a few of years ago I made it clear he was free to spend the money on cigarettes, booze or liposuction for all I cared but he very generously offered to host a wonderful team get together at his house instead. A nice touch by a good member and a good Captain. I just hope he feels the same way about me after reading this.

But What About Monster? Surely He Came Through For Us Didn’t He?

Mr. Bryan Monster, the Captain of the last place team in 2008, was back for an encore performance and let me tell you he didn’t disappoint. At first, I thought it was the drink that fueled his exploits but even a drunkard drifts back into lucidity on occasion. Mr. Monster managed to invite sympathy after round three, probably deserved a mulligan after seven and had me seriously considering a bailout for the poor bastard when he wanted to choose a “member to be named later” in round # 10. Beginning almost immediately Bryan employed an incomprehensible system based on, well, nothing – which is not to say it wasn’t interesting. All of his usual trademarks were there; inexplicable symbolism, disorienting shifts in subject and time and a 4 minute affirmation during the break when he tried to convince me that the more esoteric and impenetrable the method is, the closer it probably resides to misunderstood genius – he’s kind of like Orson Welles with a poor grip. Now, I don’t want to get too deep on you here but one can’t possibly consider Bryan’s place in any intellectual exercise without first simplifying the environment and providing some kind of context – which is to say… the boy is none to bright but, please, I would like you to at least consider this; dimness of his stature is quite possibly an art form – if indeed you subscribe to the notion that the absence of an idea is an idea of sorts. Important: I think I might have finally outdone myself with that last bit of abstractedness… even I don’t know what the hell it means although I am fairly certain of it’s validity. Anyway, now, we can move on. Good luck Team # 13 but, in my opinion, this group would have difficulty beating a parking ticket let alone another Men’s Night team though I’d prefer you keep that last part quiet if you don’t mind.

Monterey Peninsula Country Club

The Monterey Peninsula Country Club was easily the biggest surprise of my recent trip to California. Though it’s located within shouting distance of a few of the classics like Spyglass, Cypress Point and Pebble Beach you rarely hear anything about it. The Shore course was, not long ago, underwent a massive renovation under the guidance of the late Mike Strantz and it has been receiving rave reviews. As seems to be the case with all of the Monterey based courses several of the holes play along the coastline so the views, as you might imagine, are often spectacular. Like Cypress, as we cool guys call it, the MPCC is extremely expensive, incredibly exclusive and one of those establishments that thrives on keeping things very, very PRIVATE. Everyone I met went out of his or her way to make me feel uncomfortable and being a self-admitted golf snob I sincerely appreciated the effort.

The first clue that my blood was the wrong shade of blue was my rental car being approximately $175,000 cheaper than anything else in the lot. The valet assigned to park our ride was noticeably offended by the $10 tip I offered but I was undeterred my friends; I can play Niles to their Frasier any day of the week. I gave him the dough, looked him in the eye and told him to be careful when parking the thing. I then headed to the Pro Shop to see whom we could upset over there. I introduced myself to the gentleman in the shop, presented my credentials and requested help with the usual things; where I might change my shoes, directions to the driving range and if they might provide my spouse Cheryl with a “logoed” golf ball to add to her collection. The associate professional had no intention of providing me with anything other than an economical one-word answer that covered every issue nicely… No. He went on to coldly explain the club’s policies; unaccompanied guests are not allowed in the locker rooms or the clubhouse, using the range is prohibited and get a load of this… guests are forbidden from buying anything. Now, I’m not exactly new to the private club experience but I have to admit this was an entirely different level. It was clearly evident that I was dealing with professionals and elitists of the highest order, obviously well trained in the supercilious arts and comfortable dealing with movie star and business mogul alike, but I wasn’t ready to give in; rare is the bird that can out-snob me while at a golf club. The least of my concerns was not being able to buy any of the items in the Pro Shop, from what I could see I couldn’t have afforded anything anyway but forbidding me from using the range, well, that was untenable. I broached the subject once more with the obviously misinformed lad behind the counter explaining to him that, albeit in an extremely round about way, I was actually doing them a favour by taking the time to stop in and review their little track. Now fully apprised of the situation the attendant’s demeanor slowly changed from irritated to merely disinterested. He was kind enough to suggest that if we wanted to warm up prior to our round we were certainly welcome to make the short drive over to Poppy Hills to use their range. Based on this new information the following brief exchange ensued…

I – “That’s very considerate.” Do you have a reciprocal agreement with Poppy Hills?”

He – “No”.

As soon as the words left my mouth I swear I knew that answer was coming. How nice.

It has always been my practice to avoid paying for anything so the idea of getting back in my car, probably having to under-tip the valet again and then actually forking out the dough for some range balls was out of the question. I went outside to the putting green and considered my next move. Apparently it was okay for me to stand at the putting green because I went back to being completely ignored. It was now 1:15 and our pre-arranged time of 1:30 was just around the corner. I thought for a minute, chuckled to myself and decided to head back in.

I sauntered into the Pro Shop, admittedly more humble, but far from ready to acknowledge defeat. Thankfully, there was a different attendant behind the counter and I was sure this clean cut young man would extend me the warm and courteous greeting I am more accustomed to receiving – I was wrong – my name had been erased from the tee sheet. These Guys Are Good. I once again explained who I was and how fortunate they were to have me there. After a lengthy phone call to the office I’m proud to say that I was back on the sheet – for 2:00 – but I figured I’d just tell Cheryl that I prefer to play later in the day. He, like his associate, kindly took the time to restate their policies about treating people like me like crap.

Now, I know there are those who will suggest I should have tried to exact some type of retribution but I think we all know that I had absolutely no business being there and they were just making sure I was aware of that. Sure I could have gone “old school” on them and stolen a few range balls, skipped out on a tab or just absconded with all of their toilet paper but I couldn’t get near the place, besides, the serious player knows and respects the etiquette associated with true exclusionary practices.

Revenge? Yea, right. The way I look at it, whoever said, “the best revenge is living well” was probably already a member, had changed their shoes in the locker room and was right then warming up on the range to prepare for my 1:30 time. What is a guy to do? To paraphrase an old adage… they had me by the short par 3’s. I took the 2:00 time before they decided to play hard ball and send me packing. They won, I lost, great course. Lesson learned, baby… lesson learned.

Riviera Country Club

The Riviera Country Club is located just outside the city of Los Angeles and is probably best known as the yearly host of the Northern Trust Open.  Because of its proximity to Hollywood the membership has included some of the entertainment industry’s most interesting stars; the late Howard Hughes, Douglas Fairbanks, Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable, Dean Martin and W.C. Fields all tipped the odd martini on the veranda while Jerry Lewis, James Garner, Peter Falk, Mel Brooks, Jack Nicholson and Joe Pesci are regulars there today. “Hogan’s Alley”, to which it is often referred, was the site of Ben Hogan’s first U. S. Open championship and one of the few sites that Hogan actually spoke openly about as being a favourite.  The movie, “Follow the Sun – The Life of Ben Hogan”, was filmed at Riviera.  The foyer of the famous clubhouse is filled with irreplaceable golf treasures including signed one-of-a-kind photographs and hand written letters of appreciation from Jones, Sarazen, Nelson, Snead and Nicklaus.  It really is breathtaking.  A staff member escorted me to my guest locker where I sat quietly for a few minutes reflecting on the day ahead.  It was Easter weekend and Riviera, to me anyway, is hallowed ground and this was about as close to a temple as I was likely to get.  I was pretty sure the Lord would understand.

In some ways Riviera is not unlike most clubs you visit on a Saturday; the area around the putting green and Pro Shop were in total chaos and the starter had lost control of the tee.  My presence went completely unnoticed and I’m certain that if I had just stepped on the tee and played away nothing would have been said.  The attendant led me to the Pro Shop where I was introduced to the head professional and given directions to the range for a brief warm-up.  I have to admit the driving range was a bit of a surprise.  It was cramped, worn and located much too far away from the first tee.  Members grab a cart to make the drive down and then actually have to purchase tokens for the automated ball dispenser.  Now I know you have to watch your costs but when you consider the initiation at Riviera is in the neighbourhood of $200,000 and the dues around $10,000 a year… well, I like to think they could find a way to bury the price of some practice balls in those fees.  An even bigger surprise than having to pay for the practice balls was the range itself.  Many of my snooty friends are staunch advocates of sign-free golf courses and they’d be positively shocked at the number of large threatening signs that are seemingly everywhere.  If the size and quantity of the notices is any indication one has to assume that Riviera has far too many lousy cart-driving, dirty range-ball-stealing, dangerous over-the-net-driving, filthy stopped-too-long-at-the-half-way-house members.  In other words; it’s pretty much the same as every other club.

The golf experience at Riviera is an entirely different thing.  Other than the opening tee shot, which is played from a very elevated tee, the entire course is set in a lush basin amid hundreds and hundreds of huge Eucalyptus trees.  There are no water hazards, enough room that even the most directionally-challenged player would have trouble losing a ball and the only real trouble is a huge “Baranka” that cuts across a few of the holes.  Members describe the Baranka as either a really large gulley or a really large piece of shit depending on whether or not they manage to stay clear of the damn thing.  Another distinctive feature of this classic old course is on the 6^th hole.  It’s a mid-length par 3 that plays slightly downhill but five huge permanent spotlights encircle the green complex.  In order to keep the grass at the optimal temperature the lights are on 24 hours a day.  The light posts aren’t that unsightly but the extremely high wattage of the spotlights makes the hole appear rather odd. There is also a very controversial bunker located directly in the middle of the green.  A back pin means the bunker is almost always in play due to the unique and severe slope of the putting surface.  Lore has it that hall-of-famer Billy Casper hated the idea so much that during practice rounds, if the bunker was between his ball and the hole, he insisted on taking 2 – 3 full practice swings with his wedge prior to always deciding on his putter to play the shot.  Come to think of it – I’m surprised there wasn’t a sign forbidding Billy from doing that.

As is my custom for this type of outing, I employed a local caddy to steer me around and provide a little local knowledge.  A longstanding member and very friendly gentleman, Mr. Gerald Abrams, also accompanied me during the round.  Though Gerald is a successful producer in his own right, his son J. J. is one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood.  J. J. Abrams is responsible for producing both the hit television series Alias and Lost and has directed several hugely successful movies.  I always enjoy a brush with greatness regardless of the stretch.  As I mentioned earlier, Riviera is not without its celebrity members; while standing on the 1st tee a rather disheveled Dennis Hopper loitered nearby and as we putted out on # 17 the creator of Seinfeld, Mr. Larry David, four-putted the nearby 6^th which, from my vantage point, appeared to curb his enthusiasm if you know what I mean.

Riviera is everything they say it is and, in my opinion, it’s most definitely worthy of the 22ndposition it currently occupies on the most recent listing of Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.  The best feature of the course is the many options that each hole presents you with. You can always bomb driver if you choose but accuracy is still paramount if you want to do more than just play bogey golf.  The huge perfectly placed bunkers are very penal for both drives and approach shots and they usually sit perpendicular to the intended line of flight so you really can’t avoid dealing with them.  If you prefer a more moderate approach to the game Riviera is the place for you as well.  There are a number of holes where a fairway wood or long iron is probably the prudent play.  The “driveable” 10th is just such a hole and it has long been regarded as one of the great “short” par 4’s in the game.  While reachable if you really go deep the green is very narrow and completely surrounded by bunkers so a miss in the wrong spot means you’re looking at a big number.  I got the impression that all but the very stupid at the club play the hole conservatively.  “Mojo”, my caddy, had already taken my rescue club out of the bag and was handing it to me as I approached the tee.  “Into the wind, pin back right.  We be laying up today boss”.  (Caddies often speak as if you’re in it together but final ownership of the shot usually remains in escrow pending the result – “don’t worry boss, we can get that up and up and down…  sweet mutha boss, you is dead).  Well my friends, I had traveled almost 2400 miles to get here and more importantly, I had just bogeyed the ninth from the middle of the fairway… I had no intention of laying up here or anywhere else.

The 10^th really is a very cool hole.  It encompasses a significantly disproportionate number of the 300 acres the course sits on – there are driving ranges that employ less land than this great par four – yet it measures only 315 yards from the tips and plays slightly downhill.  Tour players go for the green about 60% of the time.  Now, before we go any further, it is important to understand that I have probably never hit a 315-yard drive in my life.  I figured the chances of my generating the necessary club head speed while still keeping the face square to the target were about as likely as seeing a bald spot at this predominantly Jewish country club but come on, I can lay up anywhere.  Try as I might to control it, when I really go after one I have the tendency to give it an Ian Baker-Duval type of swing that can produce almost anything but I was determined to watch my rhythm and tempo for this once-in-a-lifetime tee shot.  I tore into that ball like it was a free bag of tees.

The sound that my ball made when it hit the maintenance shed is something that neither I nor the residents of Pacific Palisades, California will ever forget.  It reverberated throughout the entire golf course like the blast from a high powered gun causing the mostly Spanish speaking grounds crew to instinctively kneel and assume the position and my playing partner Gerald to remove his yarmulke as a show of respect for the dead.  It was another great moment in golf.  I ended up having to make about a 12-footer from just off the green for my bogey but I did manage to finish with a respectable 76 for the day.

Pat Alpaugh