Inspirion Joomla Template

There have been some interesting issues in the golf press lately.  I particularly love the Tommy Gainey story.  His swing, clearly, is not Hoganesque, but his spirit is inspiring.  He just keeps getting up and coming back for more.  I can't tell you how much I was rooting for him on Monday, at The Waste Management event.  This guy is definitely golf's Every Man.  And I'm a fan.

I've seen some other items, though, that are sending me over the edge.  First, I read last month in Golfweek that Taylormade CEO Mark King "…has a theory about why people are leaving the game of golf, or not taking it up at all. It’s not the time or the expense. No, King feels golf is too hard."  Please!   How many people do you know that just throw down their clubs and walk away from the game because they think it's too hard?  And what does Mr. King propose?  15 inch cups.  And allowing golfers to toss their balls out of bunkers.  One doesn't get to Mark King's position without a lot on the ball.  But, speaking for one golfer who celebrates the fact that the game is hard… Mr. King, bite me!  How much "leveling of the playing field" can our culture handle?  When did political correctness creep into golf?  Yikes.  This idea, to mix a metaphor, is definitely a bridge too far.

And then there's my favorite pet peeve.  I can't remember the source… either an online golf mag or Golf World… Golf Magazine… I don't know.  (I get WAY too many golf publications!)  But earlier this week I came upon an article in which the author was pitching a collection of "Affordable Golf Getaways" to lesser known locales.  I read with interest.  For a few minutes.  He pitched little known golf destinations like San Antonio.  Ever hear of it?  And Las Vegas.  Please.  And his set of recommended golf outings was full of $450 per night per person packages!  I wish I could be more specific about the source of this info… it's a bit unfair to criticize with so little specificity, but I was just so steamed after a few minutes of reading this tripe that I simply walked away.  And promptly forgot the source.  Sorry.

So an "Industry Leader" wants to make golf easier.  And another "authority" wants to send folks on $450 a night golf adventures.  Am I living in Bizarro World?  Or are the folks in the upper echelon of golf marketing just tone deaf?  Hey, guys!  Listen up!  How about a wonderful golf course 2 hours from home, with a $75 per night hotel and a great local diner nearby, if I decide to stay?  It's just not necessary to empty one's wallet to have a great golf adventure!  Try a HIDDEN FAIRWAY!

I've mentioned on my Facebook page a number of times lately that I'm now working with some new photo techniques that are really exciting, but it occurs to me that I haven't really put anything on Hidden Fairways that shows what HDR is all about.  Mostly, that's because I haven't had a chance to do any HDR work on Hidden Fairways courses yet.  I have done some HDR shots at a couple of private clubs and I had some fun over Christmas doing some architectural shooting in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, but nothing so far on Hidden Fairways.  How rude of me!

So, here ya go.  CLICK HERE to see what I'm talking about when I refer to HDR photos.  I can't begin to say how excited I am about HDR photography and how much using HDR shooting and processing techniques is adding to my photos.  It's just SOOO much fun.  For me, photography is about more than just taking a great picture.  It's about conveying a feeling.  And HDR opens up a wide range of possibilities for doing just that.  I could ramble on.  We all know that.  But I'd rather show you what I'm talking about.  CLICK HERE to see the new HDR gallery.

Golf is such a wonderful activity.  It can be a serious sport.  It can be a casual pastime.  And it can be amazingly rejuvenating therapy.

That's the case with American Lake Veterans Golf Course, in Tacoma, Washington.  I'm officially making ALVGC an honorary Hidden Fairway after watching THIS VIDEO and learning about what this place is all about.  The course was built on VA property in 1955 as a 9-hole facility, and is kept alive and well by some folks we could all emulate.  Folks like Pepper Roberts, President of Friends of American Lakes Golf Club, former PGA Tour player and Tacoma native Ken Still, and a little known golf course designer named Jack Nicklaus, who has volunteered his efforts to design a second 9.

You'll probably be hearing more about this course in the coming weeks and months. They're launching a national campaign to raise funds for the Nicklaus nine.  You can help.  Visit the ALVGC web site and contribute.  If you're a vet and in the Tacoma area, drop by and play.  This is what golf is about.  And it's what our country is about.  It's kinda nice.