TOM

(Photos by David Cornwell)

By Tom Bedell

Robert Edwin Labbance gave me my first golf writing assignment in 1996, and plenty thereafter. So I always gave Bob all the credit, or blame, for my subsequent golf-writing career.

He was my George Bailey–if it hadn’t been for Bob, I probably wouldn’t have wound up playing golf in Australia, or Iceland, or Italy, or Ireland, or even as much as I have in New England. He lit the fuse.

Bob was the editor at Vermont Golf magazine at the time I made a remarkable discovery. I had quit playing golf before moving to Vermont in 1991, to the point of selling my clubs at a garage sale. But once here and eventually enticed back out onto a golf course, I found I couldn’t get enough of it.

There was only one thing to do with this addiction–turn it into a vocation. So I sent Bob a query letter out of the blue suggesting that I was about to rededicate my writing life to the subject of golf, and it seemed only logical to begin in my adopted state.

Bob took me up on it, up to a point. The parent company, Divot Publications, was launching New York Golf magazine, and Bob suggested I might have the properly skewed viewpoint to write about a goofy annual tournament in Chesterton, New York called the Dalai Lama Golf Classic.

I did, and the personal history piled up from there. Bob had said, “Maybe we could play in the tournament.” We didn’t, which seemed like an opportunity lost; behind any golf-writing assignment there lurks the perpetrator’s true wish–not to lay up riches or even necessarily to produce some great literature, though either or both would be happy byproducts.

The main goal is to enter a new world once again by playing another round, at an unfamiliar course, a sense of discovery quite like the excitement of turning the pages of a new book, a sensation that never grows old.

It was Bob who inspired me to see golf that way, with his love of the history of the game–the courses, players and the architects in particular, subjects of his many books–and its literature, to be sure. Whenever I visited Bob’s Notown Communications office in Montpelier I was stunned by the extent of his golf library. I could easily have spent days there, and naturally now wish that I had.

Bob in his office with his last two books

Bob succumbed on Sunday morning, August 24 to Lou Gehrig’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a mere two months after the fund-raising tournament on behalf of his family where I saw him for the last time. I was surprised then that the ALS was progressing as quickly as it was, and shocked to hear of his death.

It pains me that I can’t remember the first time we actually met, possibly because we had already developed a lively relationship through editorial correspondence. Bob was the master of the terse email, all in lower case to save time even though he appeared to have more than most; he got by on about four hours of sleep a night, yet always seemed a dynamo of energy.

Whenever we met, it was surely at a golf course, and if there were many rounds together to come, there weren’t enough.

A few stand out. Bob and I took a day and a night off from the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando one year to play a round at the King and the Bear course at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, later met up with Bob’s old friend, the golf course architect Bill Amick, for a dinner that fascinated me with its rich talk of the game and course design, and then we spent the night at Bob’s mother’s house. I suppose we traded our respective histories more in that trip than at any other time.

Then there was the not atypical media day debut of the Ragged Mountain Golf Club at the resort in Danbury, New Hampshire. The course had been designed by Bob’s friend Jeff Julian, who had two cups of coffee on the PGA Tour in 1996 and 2002 (before he, too, died from ALS, in 2004).

I have a vague recollection we played in a fivesome that day, with some of the usual fellow suspects. The recollection is vague because the usual sense of hilarity set in as early as the second hole. It didn’t improve the playability of the course, which was off the charts difficult to begin with, but it did make it fun. (The course is now being redesigned by Brad Booth and Brad Faxon.)

Golf is supposed to be fun, Bob believed. In his annual Stockbridge-Cayman Invitational, which he held for over 20 years, he fashioned a homemade course from adjacent neighbors’ fields and sent players out with a limit of three clubs and the Cayman golf ball, made to travel shorter distances than a regular ball.

Aside from the technical rules, Bob’s Rule No. 9 summed it all up: “If you are not having fun you are disqualified.”

Bob doing his last photo shoot at Stowe Mountain Club in Vermont

I played with Bob and his son, Griffin, in the last year’s last SCI. He was still having fun, though his real playing days were over. Now it’s all over. But Bob crammed a lot of life into his 56 years. I’m glad he didn’t linger through the mental torments of ALS, but I’ll keenly miss his advice, his informed counsel, his encyclopedic knowledge of New England golf, his humor, his friendship.

It would be nice to imagine that Bob has entered a new world once again, playing another round at a highly unfamiliar course, and again enjoying that great sense of discovery. But then I imagine his lower case email in response: “blatant sentimentality!”

Scoff away, pal. Then tee it up, and have fun.

* * *
Donations to the Labbance Family Fund can be sent to P.O. Box 53, Bloomfield CT 06002

By Tom Bedell

With another exciting Padraig Harrington victory in the recent PGA Championship, the majors are over as far as the PGA Tour is concerned. How much more nail-biting viewers could stand is open to question anyway.

But the Tour still has the FedEx Cup to hand out, even if no one is quite sure how the point system works that determines the players vying for the Cup. Not even the players are clear on it, as rising young stars Anthony Kim and Brandt Snedeker admitted at the Deutsche Bank Championship media day in Norton, Massachusetts in late July.

Kim (left) and Snedeker at the DBC Media Day

Kim said, “I’m not good with numbers to begin with, so I’m not going to go into all those points, I’m just going to try to play golf.”

Snedeker added with upfront uncertainly, “It’s the second year of the FedExCup, so hopefully people kind of understand what’s going on now.”

Whether people hopefully kinda sorta understand or not, the Deutsche Bank Championship has quickly become a strong fixture on the PGA Tour, with a deep field and a record of exciting finishes, like last year’s battle between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Tiger is out of action until next year, but defending champ Mickelson will be on hand for the tournament, which begins Friday, August 29, and closes out on Labor Day at the TPC Boston course, which has undergone more agreeable renovation under the hand of architect Gil Hanse.

As of Friday there were still tickets available, either by checking the website or calling 877-TIX-4DBC.

* * *

No tickets are necessary and admission is free to watch some of the best amateur golf around, when the Vermont Senior Amateur comes to the Brattleboro Country Club on Wednesday and Thursday, September 3 and 4.

For those who would rather be swinging the sticks than watching, the tournament is open to any Vermont amateur aged 55 or more, with a Super Senior division for those over 65, who are members of a Vermont Golf Association club.

The entry fee is $100 but there’s no handicap requirement (unless the field grows too large). The application deadline is nigh, so contact the BCC pro shop for more details, 802-257-7380.

The tournament itself is straight medal stroke play, no handicap divisions. Several past champions will be in the field: Hans Halligan from Equinox who won in 1993 and 1995, Bud Lucas of Newport who won in 1988 and 1997, and Dave Anderson out of Alburg, the defending champ, who also won in 2002.

Anderson will have one of the furthest trips to play at BCC. Hugh Barber, who finished sixth in the Vermont Amateur tournament held at Rutland this year, will have one of the shortest, and should be a real threat in the competition.

* * *

I played in a few interesting rounds in the past few months. One was not a tournament at all but a fund-raiser for Vermont golf writer Bob Labbance, whose plight and battle with ALS I’ve mentioned here before.

Thanks to the efforts of some fellow golf writers, a benefit and auction to add to the coffers of a college fund for Bob’s children was arranged and carried off with considerable aplomb, although the door remains open for donations (send to: Labbance Family Fund, P.O. Box 53, Bloomfield CT 06002).

Bob having his say at the June tournament to benefit his family

The odd thing about the event was that it was held at a private Vermont club that hasn’t had a public event for so long it appeared rattled to be holding it at all. So the word went out that in any publicity the course was to remain nameless, preferably not even alluded to at all.

Thanks to this mystery course anyway for the alacrity. Bob was on hand for the event, and spoke his thanks, while summing up his attitude toward ALS with editorial concision: “This disease sucks.”

* * *

Bruce Gilman isn’t too happy about having MS, either. “I used to play all sorts of sports, and I was competitive as all get out. Now golf is the only one left I can play.”

Despite being in braces, Gilman indeed plays, and plays pretty well at Pine Grove Springs, his home course in Spofford, especially in a custom golf cart his wife recently gave him. He played in The Gathering Place tournament at BCC in May, and I played with him at Spofford in June for the third annual MS Golf Tournament he co-hosts, with proceeds going to the Montel Williams MS Foundation.

Bruce Gilman sets up to a shot…

… and blasts away

Watching what Bruce has to go through to play the game he loves is a lesson in determination and perspective, as are stories about limbless vets playing or sightless golfers teeing it up. In light of these troubles, it doesn’t make much earthly sense for me to fulminate about my most recent three-putt.

Although I still will, naturally.

By Tom Bedell

Tuesday was a big day in the world of golf, as far as my email box was concerned. Three major announcements landed, which we’ll call:
1. Feeling Groovy
2. Nontoxic Golf
3. Ryder Cup Red

FEELING GROOVY: The governing bodies of golf, the USGA and the R&A, have spoken, and as of January 1, 2010, there will be (as phrased in a USGA release), “…new restrictions on the cross sectional area and edge sharpness of golf club grooves.”

Okay, now what does that mean? For the average player, not much, especially since all currently conforming clubs will be just fine for use until after 2024 when I hope to, first, still be alive, and second, have a new set of clubs anyway, as befitting my advanced age.

Amateurs competing in USGA events will have to pay somewhat more attention, since it will affect them in five years (2014), and professionals beginning in 2010.

It is professional play the golfing bodies are looking to here in any case, aiming to, “…restore the challenge of playing shots to the green from the rough by reducing backspin on those shots.”

There’s already speculation that the ruling may mark a return to a softer ball for greater control and therefore less distance, but there’s surely lots more speculation to come.

The full announcement is at: http://www.usga.org/news/2008/August/grooves.html

NONTOXIC GOLF: My daughter tipped me off about this one, a study out of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (where she works). To go directly to the press release:

“While some golfers may wonder if they are being poisoned in their pursuit of pleasure, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that residues of two widely used insecticides picked up by golfers during a typical golf game do not pose a health risk.”

John Clark, a professor of veterinary and animal sciences who specializes in toxicology, said, “After extensive monitoring, estimated exposures to golfers following full applications of two turfgrass insecticides that are used throughout the northeastern United States were 19 to 68 times lower than levels set by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency designed to protect human health.”

Well, that’s a load off my mind. I can’t count the number of three-putts I attribute directly to my fear of being poisoned out on the course, which is why the plot at the UMass Amherst Turfgrass Research Center in South Deerfield–that the research team mowed and watered like a fairway–may be one course I don’t regret not playing.

Then again, I haven’t seen the layout that two groups of volunteers roamed over, to play 76 simulated rounds, hitting a ball 85 times, with 85 practice swings, walking 6,500 yards over a period of four hours–this after the plot had been dosed with the active ingredients in the common insecticides Sevin SL and Dursban Pro.

I have seen the full report, published in the July 2008 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, and can attest that the prose is thicker than U.S. Open rough, unsafe for the non-scientific.

But a few nuggets underline that the general populace should be more concerned about front lawns than golf courses. According to Clark, there are more than 16,000 golf courses covering at least 2.4 million acres in the United States, but over 66 million private lawns. Figures now about ten years old note that if golf courses were treated with 15 million pounds of pesticides annually, residential lawns accounted for 85 million pounds.

Clark admitted to me that he plays himself, badly, and not enough to maintain a handicap: “On a good day 90’s, on a bad day, more.”

A tip of the golf cap to him and the research team nonetheless for the good news. Hey, it means I have better odds of still being alive after 2024, playing with a new set of clubs.

RYDER CUP RED: Maybe I could increase the odds more by drinking red wine, if the French Paradox is to be believed. Well, I believe it, just as I believe that a moderate intake of any alcoholic beverage is more beneficial to one’s health than tee-totaling.

What’s the beverage of choice for the 37th Ryder Cup, to be held September 19-21 at the Valhalla Golf Club? Beer in my case, preferably something from a microbrewer in Louisville, where the competition is being held. The Bluegrass Brewing Company makes a hearty IPA I’d like to try, Professor Gesser’s Mind Numbing Ale.

But it’s a sure bet that Euro captain Nick Faldo (above) will be bringing some wine to the table. Okay, this doesn’t quite qualify as a major announcement, but the email I received did note that there should be an ample supply of Faldo Selection Shiraz 2005 on hand at $14 a bottle.

Faldo is one of a number of PGA Tour pros who have turned their hand to wine-making, in Faldo’s case turning to the red wine region of Coonawarra in South Australia for his vintages.

I wrote about this in my regular outlet, American Airlines’ Celebrated Living magazine, in the 2007 Food and Wine Issue, so no need to go on about it at length here. Better to get healthy, and go uncork something.

The U.S. team can hope that the Euros go overboard on the Faldo Shiraz, but I wouldn’t count on it helping. As my Turnberry exploits written about here showed, even massive intakes of wine seem to have no discernable effect on European playing abilities.

Maybe the Yanks should instead push the Euros’ way extra pints of Professor Gesser’s Mind Numbing Ale. Worth a try.

By Tom Bedell and Eric Sandstrum

Nine-time club champion Hugh Barber has added his tenth claim to the title, as the 2008 Brattleboro Country Club championships were waged at the course on August 2 and 3. Elizabeth Walker won the women’s crown for the third consecutive year and her fourth title overall.

In a 36-hole match play final on Sunday, Barber defeated defending champion (and three-time winner) Jeff Houle in the Men’s Championship Division. Despite an eagle by Houle on the sixth hole, Barber finished the first nine 2 up, and three consecutive birdies at the end of the morning round left him with an imposing 5 up lead. Steady play in the afternoon helped Barber close out the match on the thirtieth hole, 7 and 6.

Jeff Houle hits an approach shot to the ninth hole Photos by Eric Sandstrum

Barber finished sixth in the Vermont Amateur held at Rutland Country Club in July, and is a threat in the Senior Amateur that will be played at BCC on September 3 and 4. He advanced to the BCC finals through a tough quarterfinal match with Drew Richards that went to nineteen holes, and then defeated Bob Kessen 2 and 1 in the semifinal. Houle had beaten Dick Noel in the quarterfinal, and bested Pete Zachary in the semifinal with a dramatic birdie on the eighteenth hole.

In the Men’s Net Flight, Rich Sanborn used a steady dose of pars to dispatch Archie Alexander in the final, 7 and 6.

In the Ladies 36-hole stroke play championship, Elizabeth Walker made a dramatic eight-foot bogey save on the eighteenth green to edge overnight leader Sheryl Libardoni (a five-time former winner) by one stroke, 84-84 (188) to 81-88 (189).

In the Women’s Net Championship, overnight leader Cyd Strand cruised to a five-shot victory over Wendy Scott, 66-71 (137) to 70-72 (142).

Cyd Strand chips to the eighteenth green