THE FIRST TEE Things were going great as we arrived at the first tee. Christopher has never been on the Ed Sullivan or Johnny Carson shows demonstrating his elevated skills at the age of three, however, we had talked about grip, alignment, and posture. Chris has been picking up a club and swinging at random from the time he was two. His attention span is about 15-30 seconds before he moves on to his fire trucks and front end loaders. His first request was , "Can I Drive, Pa?" Having driven the … [Read more...]
NBC Coverage of 2016 Ryder Cup-Zero *****’s
LIVE AT THE 2008 RYDER CUP If you have never been to a Ryder Cup, put that on your bucket list. And if you watched NBC coverage of the 2016 Ryder Cup that should be enough reason to boycott any NBC golf telecast and go "Live to a Ryder Cup". To experience a week at the Ryder Cup is a golfer's ultimate pipe dream. Ryan was fortunate to win the ticket lottery back in 2008. Kim (Ryno's mom) and I got to attend the 2008 Ryder Cup along with Ryan. I got there at the beginning of the week and … [Read more...]
Slow Play or Just a Day of Golf?
OLD TIMER'S VIEW OF SLOW PLAY Still trying to learn the rules of engagement for posting articles and blogs for #Front9/Back9. One topic of conversation has been the issue of slow play. Coming from an old-timer, I have a totally different view of "slow play" and how it applies to an enjoyable round of golf. Don't take this the wrong way, slow play is a major factor in the game for the novice golfer and a real pain in the rear for us avid golfers. Each round of golf brings in different factors … [Read more...]
Ryan’s Final 36/ “In Memory of Ryan”
From Front9Back9, Ryan's dad and mom want to thank all of the golf bloggers and the #golfchat twetters who have reached out to our family. A special thanks to Zeb for including our family in Tuesday's (08.02.16) #golfchat. Ryan's last 36 were played in the Destin, Florida area while on a family vacation. Ryan's brother, Kyle and I, joined Ryan to play two great layouts, Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club and Regatta Bay Golf & Yacht Club. Ryan was consistent with an 85 and 84. I will … [Read more...]
Ryan Randall Young….December 10,1980-July 24, 2016
This is Ryan's dad, Randy, I want to share with all of you the passing of Ryan. I am not really sure that this post will connect with the universe. My goal is to keep Front9Back9 going in memory of my son. I have had the honor of reading all his posted and how creative he was in his writings. We hope in the near future to establish a "Memorial Golf Tournament" in his name to support his two sons, Christopher (age 3 ) and Bryson (to be born in October 2016). Please send me any of the information … [Read more...]
Sammy Schmitz Raises $25,000 to Pay For Masters Prep. Should It Violate His Amateur Status?
From the outside, Sammy Schmitz is your typical American guy. He's married, has a couple kids, and schleps to work everyday as a regional director at a healthcare services company. What isn't typical about this 35-year Wisconsin resident is the opportunity that awaits him next April when he tees it up at Augusta National Golf Club for The Masters. Schmitz earned the opportunity of a lifetime by winning the U.S. Mid-Am Championship victory two weeks ago at John's Island Club in Vero Beach, … [Read more...]
Tour Championship Field Set for FedEx Cup Finale
The Tour Championship field is set and the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings after the BMW Championship are heading to Atlanta for the final golf tournament of the PGA Tour season. With the wire-to-wire victory at the BMW Championship for, Jason Day stays atop the FedEx Cup standings and will be the new number one ranked player in the world when the tournament tees off at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday. The FedEx Cup points will be reset for the Tour Championship, giving the top … [Read more...]
Lydia Ko wins Evian Championship to become youngest major champion in LPGA history
First it was the youngest player to win a professional golf tournament. Next, it was the youngest player to win on the LPGA Tour. Then it was the youngest golfer to become #1 ranked in the world. Now, Lydia Ko has become the youngest major champion winner in LPGA history. Ko fired a 63 in the final round of the The Evian Championship to earn her first the major championship and 4th LPGA Tour win this year. The 8-under par day included eight birdies and no bogeys in route to what turned … [Read more...]
Tiger Woods commits to Frys.com Open
Tiger Woods has made it official. He will be playing the Frys.com Open at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, CA to kickoff the 2015-2016 PGA Tour season. The decision was not necessarily a surprise, as the PGA Tour had granted special permission for Woods to play in the Turkish Airlines Open in 2013. In exchange for what's known as a Conflicting Event Release to play in Europe, Tiger agreed to play in the Frys.com Open at some point in the future. This will be the first time he's been 100% … [Read more...]
BMW Championship announces new venues through 2019
Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, IL will play host to the BMW Championship next week as the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs tees it up outside Chicago. The golf tournament has been played in the Chicago area for many years but recently the trend has moved towards hosting the tournament in other cities but keeping Chicago in the rotation every other year. We see this trend continue as the venues were recently announced through 2019. Next year, the BMW Championship will head back to … [Read more...]
My 9 Most Memorable Golf Moments In 2015 So Far
Before we get going here talking about my nine most memorable golf moments in 2015 so far, I want you to know that yes, I do understand the actual golf season starts in October. But just to remind everyone, I hate the PGA Tour wraparound season, so I still consider it a calendar year golf year. So with that being said, half the year is in the books and it's been one hell of a golf season so far! Since January, when the Hyundai Tournament of Champions kicked off the 2015 golf year, we've … [Read more...]
John Deere Classic: Preview and Fantasy Golf Picks
John Deere Classic July 9-12 TPC Deere Run Silvis, IL Defending Champion: Brian Harman (-22) FedEx Cup Points to Winner: 500 Total Purse: $4,700,000 This is the final tune-up on the PGA Tour before The Open Championship next week at St. Andrews. There’s 15 guys this week in the John Deere Classic who will be teeing it up next week in Scotland, including the second ranked player in the world, Jordan Spieth, who will be going for his third major of the year. It still … [Read more...]
15 Final Thoughts on the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay
Twenty-two hours ago, the leaders were making their way to the back 9 at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. I was sitting in the same spot on the couch as I am now, and as the next two exciting hours unfolded, one of the best golf tournaments would unfold in fantastic fashion. Jordan Spieth would hit his second shot on the 72nd hole to the center of the green and make birdie to take a one shot lead. Just one group behind, Dustin Johnson needed to make birdie to force a Monday playoff. It … [Read more...]
Future US Open Venues: 2016 – 2024
Future US Open Venues The United States Golf Association has announced future US Open venues through 2014 so far. Two of these golf courses over the next nine years will be first time hosts, while one will keep adding to it's list of memorable tournaments. Here's a look at the future US Open venues: June 16 - 19, 2016 - Oakmont Country Club - Oakmont, Pennsylvania The U.S. Open has been hosted at Oakmont Country Club more times than any golf course in the United States; 8 times to … [Read more...]
The Golf Nut Podcast 003: Jordan Spieth Dominates the 2015 Masters
In episode 003 of The Golf Nut Podcast, we'll recap what turned out to be a dominating performance by Jordan Spieth in the 79th edition of The Masters and talk about what is in the future for Spieth, as we know it all on The Golf Nut Podcast (or not.) Let us know your thoughts on the tournament and if you think Jordan will turn out to be the next big thing in golf! The Golf Nut Podcast on Twitter Front9Back9 Golf Blog on Twitter Subscribe to The Golf Nut Podcast on iTunes … [Read more...]
2015 Masters Recap: Jordan Spieth Wins in Dominating Fashion
I don't know about you, but when I was 21 years old, all I cared about was which bar had the best happy hour specials and how many ladies were going to be there. I certainly wasn't flushing long-irons into Augusta National par-5's and draining clutch par putts to hold onto a lead at The Masters. What Jordan Spieth did over the last four days at The Masters was truly something special. At 21 years old, he becomes the second youngest player in Masters history to add a Green Jacket to his … [Read more...]
The Masters is Upon Us and It’s Going to Be a Good Weekend
It's one of the best weekends of golf throughout the entire year, if not THE best. The best players in the world will be teeing it up tomorrow morning in the 79th edition of The Masters. There's just too many storylines to hit on them all, so here's the couple that come to mind real quick: Tiger Woods is making his first start since his WD at Torrey Pines after just 11 holes. He showed up to Augusta smiling and jamming out on the chipping green on Monday. Since then, he's hugged … [Read more...]
8 Takeaways From Watching a PGA Tour Event Inside The Ropes
This last weekend I had the chance to spend four days at a PGA Tour event inside the ropes. My time volunteering at the Valero Texas Open was a really cool experience and it's something I always look forward to each year. In my last post about volunteering at TPC San Antonio, I wanted to share with you eight takeaways from watching a PGA Tour tournament inside the ropes. #1: These guys are great scramblers. "Drive for show, putt for dough." You know the saying and as golfers we all … [Read more...]
Valero Texas Open Volunteer Experience: Day 4
Today was the final round of the Valero Texas Open which means it was also my final day of volunteering for the tournament. I'm happy to say the tournament today announced live on air it reached it's charitable goal of $100 million since the exception of the event. On the Day 1 post below, I laid out why I enjoy doing this for four day in the sun and one of the reasons was the money that goes to local charities. I'm glad they made their goal and I feel like I contributed just a bit. Valero … [Read more...]
Chip-In’s & Chunks: Jimmy Walker Wins Valero and Tiger Still Uncertain
Chip-in's & Chunks is a weekly feature highlighting the good (chip-in's) and the bad (chunks) from the world of golf over the past week. If you have something you'd like to see added please contact me on Twitter @Front9Back9 or email me directly. We're less than two weeks away from The Masters and the fellas are in full prep mode getting ready for the first major of the year. This week the PGA Tour teed it up in San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open where I spent the last four days out … [Read more...]