What are the odds of three golfers, with handicaps between four and 15, making birdie on the same hole on a given round? I'm not sure. But it happened in my group this past Monday at Mystery Valley on the 7th hole. I was playing along with Jim Greene and Jamie Morrison, and quite frankly none of us was hitting the ball worth a darn. But a little magic reared its magnificant head on the par-5 7th. I teed off first and striped a drive down the right side, which is perfect on this downhill dogleg right. Jimmy, who's struggled with his driver of late, then sliced a drive into the trees right, and appeared to be in jail. As for Jamie, he did something I've never seen before from the blue tees. He smashed a towering blast over the trees on the right. His ball would settle inside of 200 yards.

Jimmy was first to hit his second shot. With two trees lurking precariously in front on him, and just two weeks removed from a member of our group seriously injuring himself by a speeding ball that ricocheted off a tree, he carefully threaded the needle with a mid-iron, his ball finishing near the 150-yard marker. I was up next, and was not at all pleased when I discovered my ball in a divot, about 230 yards from the pin. But thank goodness for rescue clubs! I low-burned my 22-degree Nike to within 60 yards of the green. Now it was Jamie's turn. He was left with 195 yards. It called for his trusty 2-iron (more on this club in future blogs, a story that will make you both laugh and cry - the latter because you're laughing so hard). He pured it! A high-driving hook that landed just in front of the green. Unfortunately, it skipped right thru the putting surface, and into the back bunker.

Jimmy was first to hit his third shot. A short iron that landed pin high, about 15 feet from the cup, which was center cut. I was next. A sand wedge to approximately 5 feet, leaving a straight up hill. Finally it was Jamie. With a precarious lie some 50 feet from the hole, he decided to putt from the bunker. Great creativity! A smooth stroke, his Molitor rolling end-over-end, to within 5 feet.

Jimmy was first to putt. A curling left-to-right sidewinder that dropped in the middle of the cup - birdie! I was next. A straight uphill putt that I had little difficulty draining - birdie! Next was Jamie. He was left with a slight downhill breaker. He knew the pressure was on. But it never showed. His claw-grip produced a stroke that was spot-on! Birdie! A group hat trick!

So I ask the question again - what are the odds of three golfers in the same group birding the same hole? Not sure, but it was a pleasure to see.

In an effort to help Bob inform the wold of all of the most important golf news, I thought i'd help out with today's BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS. It appears there is a hidden danger on some golf courses in America, and the government nor the USGA nor the PGA doing anything about it. Somebody help.

February 9th, 2007

While I sit and watch Phil Mickelson challenge for the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, by the way you can click onto PGATour.com and watch it live, I just received an email from American Golf, the company that runs Browns Mills, Bobby Jones and North Fulton, to name a few.

You may not have considered playing any of these courses in a long time, and justifiable so, but a trip to the "new" North Fulton may well be worth your time. I played there about two months ago, and must report it was great fun. American Golf installed new Champions bermuda greens this summer, which is a strain of grass very similiar to bent, and they putted exceptionally well. Not only smooth but fast. Weekday greens fees start at $28. Their easy to use website is Americangolf.com. Tee times can be booked online.

FYI - I shot a smooth 73 - best round of the year!!

February 7th, 2007

The PGA Tour is back on the Monterey Peninsula for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and you've gotta love it. Well, at least most of it. The Pebble Beach Golf Links remains one of the most spectacular on the planet. Holes 6-thru-11 are classics by the sea. And the par-5 finishing hole can be pure theatre. Spyglass Hill is also a sensational layout, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. It is a seaside gem that meanders through the sandy dunes. However the third course, Poppy Hills, is simply not worthy. It's like comparing Hilary Swank with Jessica Simpson and Beyonce. Hilary certainly isn't chopped liver, but she's in the same class with the other two.

All in all, the AT&T is always a sight for sore eyes. Here's hoping Tiger returns to play the tournament in the not-to-distant future.

Feb 5th

So much for global warming! After a colder than normal January and a cold start to this month, it's finally nice to see the temperatures break into the 50's. Nonetheless, the cold weather didn't stop my foursome from hitting the links on Monday at (Lakemont) braving the sub-freezing conditions. If you like slick greens, Stone Mountain's are lightning right now. And pretty darn smooth, too!

Feb 4th

Now that the Super Bowl is history - congrats to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts - it's time for the 2007 golf season to officially begin. This website has been in winter hibernation, but finally we're ready to tee off on the new year. So stick with us, as we promise you many new and exciting features to whet your appitite for the greatest game ever invented.

Bob Fiscella

-------

What was in the water this past weekend? Arkansas, which lost a game 50-14 earlier this year, beats #2 ranked Auburn by 17! The Detroit Tigers, which lost 119 games only three years ago, humiliate the "greatest lineup ever", pounding the Yankees in four games. And a golfer who has had a precipitous fall from the #3 ranked player in the world to one outside of the top 25, regains his mojo and wins another PGA Tour title. Whatever it was, here's hoping you all get a sip of that yourselves. And the best of the rest of the web:

A golfer at the Chi Chi Rodriguez course takes off his hat and starts dancing around. You'd think he was honoring the namesake of the course, right? Uh, no. He was being attacked by thousands of bees.

John at MyDailySlice has ingeniously figured out how to beat the stock market market using one of golf's most beloved figures.

The local sheriff is caught using taxpayer time and money to play golf. His response? "I'm not golfing enough." Um, so when was the last time O.J. Simpson was in Utah?

You know what's bad? When you shoot 16 over par as a professional golfer. You know what's worse? When it's on one hole.

They're rich, they're famous. Too bad they suck at golf.

We all know (and have used) mulligans. Hopefully, only on the 1st tee, but hey, it happens. But what if, you swing several times...realize you screwed up....swing again...several times....realize you screwed up again. Is it okay to go for a third time? Well, what if the first two times you were using your golf clubs to swing at a car and then realized, "hey, this isn't the car I wanted."

Let me tell you what's bad. It's bad when you get hurt in a golf cart accident. It's real bad when you're 51 and the other injured party is a 19 year old girl. It's doubly real bad when they say that alcohol was involved. And to top it off, it was at 12:30am. Ouch.

Of course I love golf. I love to play it. I love to read about it, write about it, talk to course architects, historians, club professionals, tour players, etc. I used to work so that I could indulge my passion for golf. But what if...work WAS your passion for golf. Well, we're about to find out.

I've just accepted the Coordinating Producer position at PGA.com. Yes, I'm working directly with the PGA of America to make sure that golfers, club professionals, industry representatives, and tour players all have the ultimate golf resource available to them. Daunting? A bit. Exciting? You bet. I will continue to need all of your prayers and help as I undergo this new challenge. No, you can't all accompany me to Augusta, but who knows where this could lead to so many of you who have supported me along this unbelievably fun journey.

As for this site, it goes on for the time being. At some point, I will have to back away and hopefully, we'll find a new caretaker who will take this site to places unreached. Keep checking back, I'll be here a while longer. But thank you all sooooo much for everything you've helped me do thus far.