Iss. #231 | Full Swing Season 3 Watchalong Begins!

Iss. #231 | Full Swing Season 3 Watchalong Begins!

"I was like, man, this doesn't feel right, oh, I'm good, hiyaah, and then I was, man, I wonder where that is going to end up." - Kevin Kisner on executing the first true shank in TGL history... or me finding my groove out on the course last weekend, praying that the sliced driver I landed on the rocks near the Coronado marina doesn't ricochet into a nearby sailboat.

 

An 18-hole course no more 

GET OFF MY LAWN
The Holyhead Golf Club in Northern Wales was told this week that they needed to close the entire 18th hole of their course by the local city council as a neighbor "said golf balls were leaving the boundary of the course and going onto their property."
 
You first likely ask aloud, "Isn't that what every person who lives on a golf course has to deal with?" Yes, I do believe so.
 
But then you likely wonder whether, perhaps, the course is brand new and therefore, the homeowner and course weren't aware that there would've ever been an issue. Fair point. If "brand new" meant that the club opened in 1912, making it 113 years old.
 
Now, the club has to apparently scrape together $75,000 (it's actually in British pounds but who the f knows where that button is...) to construct a new green complex.
 
They've opened a GoFundMe page to try and close the gap and the plan is to re-open on May 1st. But you can only imagine what a golf club of surly Welsh golfers is going to do to that neighbor's backyard once play resumes.
 
To which I also imagine an even surlier neighbor pulling their best Clint Eastwood impression. Dude, you live on a golf course in coastal Wales... throw up a net and enjoy the ride.

 

TGL enters the playoff push

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING SIM GOLF
With only one week left of the regular season, the TGL has entered the final playoff push.
 
My main takeaway from popping in and out of broadcasts over the past month or two is... this league is totally lawless in a (currently) endearing way.
 
This week, we saw the Los Angeles Golf Club sign PGA superstar Tony Finau for a one week appearance. How is that possible? You ask. I have literally no idea. I remember being pretty shocked that Tony wasn't on a team to begin with, but the idea that in the middle of a season in which four-person teams only had to field a three-person team for five matches... LAGC still had to dip into the free agency pool is wild.
 
We also saw the rules governing how "The Hammer" may be used changed mid-season as well once they realized that no one was actually using the advantage in the first few weeks.
 
The broadcast is super wonky—I tuned in one day to find Marty riding a piece of turf being dangled by a crane as he bonded with the greens crew over a recent marriage.
 
It's looking highly likely that both Tiger and Rory will miss out on the playoffs entirely.
 
And Kisner is continually shanking balls live on-air.
 
But the difference between why a similar level of sloppiness in LIV caused me to be so critical while this is causing the opposite is simple—tone.
 
LIV showed up as the braggadocious new league that will revolutionize golf as we know it and crush its top competitor.
 
TGL showed up a year late after the roof was torn off the stadium with their hands in their pockets like, welp, we hope this goes well. And for longtime readers, I hope you connect which personality I'm more likely to empathize with. Unless you are Alex from Golf Digest and then maybe I might take on a little LIV edge.
 
Also, it's helping that I dropped a little wager on The Bay to win it all...

 

Where my map nerds at?

LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE
Over the years I have really tested just how niche I can get with these pieces. And despite the occasional Real Housewives joke or my undying obsession with AI-created, hyper-niche golf landscapes—today could take the cake and reach single digit numbers of people who find this interesting.
 
What I have for you are two maps of the United States, broken down by longitude and latitude, showing the number of golf courses in each band.
 
Upon first reading these maps, I marveled at just how many golf courses seem to be in the Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio region seeing as both fall within the super red zones.
 
Then I realized that I actually can't read these maps.
 
Because what I'm really seeing is that located in the same latitude as those states are Northern California, Oregon, Chicago and... oh... the greater New York metro area.
 
And located in the same longitude as those states are Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
 
Long story short, I'm an idiot.
 
Long story longer, I hope at least 7 of you find these maps interesting because this was one of the more unique golf-related posts I've come across in a long time. Respect to Jay Cuda.

 

Come. Watch with me.

FULL SWING S3: EPISODE 1 THOUGHTS
We are BACK! And perhaps it's because the first episode often uses The Masters as one of its core settings, but the release of Full Swing is slowly becoming the unofficial kickoff to "Scott is getting pumped for golf season" season. 
 
Another key reason is because I watch one episode per week. So by starting now, this basically takes us all the way through The Masters with little morsels of golfing goodness.
 
For the bingers out there, I hope this season was enjoyable. But for those who want to take this journey, welcome!
 
EPISODE TITLE:
A Brave New Game
 
TAKEAWAY 1:
As predicted, Neal Shipley was the runaway star. He was exactly as advertised (and more) in this episode—providing some all-time one liners like...
 
re: Camo Crocs - "Red neck Gucci"
 
re: his physique - "Body by Waffle House"
 
re: drinking his Starbucks coffee with the cup only - "The no lid lifestyle. A power move."
 
And another reason I loved including Neal in this season was to give us as the viewing audience a proxy for the Masters experience. It was awesome to see him wide-eyed chatting with the green jackets at the pre-tournament dinner. We got a peek into the Nest—a multi-bedroom apartment above the clubhouse at Augusta where the amateurs stay during the tournament. And the conversation with him and his buddy/caddie playing ping-pong as he revealed that he did not even tell his classmates he was playing in the Masters... only to get a text from them after they saw him on TV.
 
Uhhhhh, guess Neal isn't sending in his Slides for our presentation guys...
 
TAKEAWAY 2:
The Masters turns any normal human being into absolute jelly when they first visit.
 
The best representation of this was watching Akshay Bhatia checking in and chatting with the registration woman. His body language, his voice, his tone—all just peak bashful as I'm sure inside he's losing his mind to be able to compete there as a pro. And Akshay competed in the Drive, Chip and Putt finals at Augusta when he was 12... so he'd been there before!
 
Meanwhile, despite Ludvig being golf's new heartbreaker... we got a great glimpse into his inner nerves during the bedroom conversation with his girlfriend. Which makes his finish in last year's tournament all the more impressive. The moment is just too big for any mortal.
 
TAKEAWAY 3:
This season is clearly designed for the casual (or non) fan first. Previous years the focus seemed to be much more on the game play and the back channel, insider topics that I love to hear... but my wife? Less than enthused.
 
From the very jump, we got the Bravo-style sizzle reel of Scottie's arrest, Rory's divorce, and Keegan's redemption tour. And if that wasn't enough—Netflix can't resist a little cross-promotion with the Happy Gilmore 2 teaser. (Speaking of, I'm starting to get worried it will suck now... but maybe that's just a me problem.)
 
EPISODE GRADE:
B
— Scott Fluhler
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