Cowboys and Redskins

Alright so you were expecting golf news? Well Tuesday night turned into a shootout but not between the Skins and Boys it called a shootout in golf when playing less than 18 holes and using a special format in this case "Shamble". It's not important what a shamble is just how the teams were comprised. There were 5 teams made up of a Pro (that's me), a celebrity, a local news media and a military person. Dave Feldman from Fox 5 sports, Keenan McCardle (wide receiver formerly of the Redskins and Capt. Scott an Airforce pilot who had 2 tours in Iraq and an 8 handicap which would make most tour pros pause and take notice. Our team played four holes finishing on #18 for the sake of the 30 or so patrons who were enjoying themselves in the VIP tent located right next to the green. There weren't too many highlites to recount except for the 3 minutes on tv last night when they(Dave Feldman) showed a few shots from our group and introduced me as his Pro and the D.O.G at Woodmore which was good!
Wednesday proved to be a 3 hour practice day while a huge pro-am was being contested so other then beating some balls and making small talk with some of the pros I met last year, this day was in the books. Can't wait to get this party started! Don't forget the Golf Channel.

Calm before the storm

Practice, practice and more practice at least that is what was on Tuesday's schedule. I played 18 holes with Brendan Post today during what will likely be the coolest part of the day. It was far and away the most relaxed I've been during a practice round for a PGA event which was probably why the golf ball was traveling in the right direction. The putter, for some reason is a little shaky so Wednesday will be spent on the practice green getting used to tournament speeds. The other 358 days of the year are spent on slower speeds. Not to worry though I'm a quick study. In other news the tee times are out and I'm starting for the second year in a row on #10 at 9:00 am. On Friday it will be on #1 at 2:10 pm. Most likely I won't get any air time since the telecast only begins at 1:00 pm although if the round is taking longer than usual like last year they could get us on our last hole which will be #9. The t.v. towers are on the back nine holes #10-18 and of course #9 which is where the stationary broadcast booth will be located. It should be a beautiful sight as the broadcasters are overlooking the lake on #9. Remember if anyone needs tix for the event please email me. Tonight by the way, I'm involved in a celebrity shootout where I will be paired with a news media member, a celebrity of some kind and an armed forces person. Not sure what the format will be but most likely a photo shoot opportunity...I will fill you in tomorrow with the details and results, DL

Pro-Am Day

Starting a bit early today but not as early as my fellow staff members who most likely have been at Woodmore since 5:00 am. There is a Pro-Am today beginning at 10:00 am with approximately 80 golfers(mostly sponsor related people) and one Pro for each of the twenty teams. For the pros it's also used as a practice round as most of these guys are seeing this course for the first time. After the tournament we have a junior clinic from4-6:00 pm. where a few of the "name" players and some of our local pros will do a little instruction for about 60-80 kids. For most of these juniors this will mark the first time they have ever seen a golf club so this will require a bit more patience and safety measures.
I found the Golf Channel's live telecast schedule beginning on Thursday and Friday at 1:00 pm so set your dvr's! The golf course has never looked better which was echoed by a couple of the PGA tour officials I played with on Sunday night, Tommy Sheridan and Tom Hearn who birdied two of the first four holes and picked up a bunch of "skins" a.k.a. cash...These guys are on the road about 30 some weeks every year and see all kinds of courses but still think we have one of the best out there, that's a huge compliment for us and also our golf course superintendent Brandon Collins. If you have an opportunity to watch any of this you won't be disappointed and hopefully you'll have a chance to me making a few birdies! Stay tuned, DL
b

Melwood Prince George's Count Open 09

Hey everybody! Welcome to the Nationwide edition of this blog. As you may or may not know, I qualified this year by shooting a 71 at Woodmore on May 8th to grasp one of two spots available to PGA Professionals in our Mid-Atlantic Section. It was helpful to have a plan "B" with a sponsor's exemption to fall back on but that really was even more motivation to make it on my own. It's been a rough couple of weeks as I lost my step-father to Leukemia on May 6th at the age of 83. Roger will be missed dearly and will be memorialized this Saturday the 30th in his home town of Hershey, Pa. In honor of Roger Ingold I was able to get Callaway to put his initials on a new staff bag I will put into play for the week ensuring his presence every step of the way.

Ok, so the table is set for next week. There is some unfinished business to attend to as last year's debacle shooting 89! yes 89! the first day lead to a great turn around of 72 on the second day and obviously missed the weekend cut by a bundle. I'm setting the bar a little higher this year and not looking to just make the cut, oh no, I really want to make some noise and get the crowds roaring like Augusta, well sort of like Augusta. I doubt we will have the kind of patrons they bring to the Masters in April but with the Golf Channel's presence this year maybe they will draw a few more people. Monday I'm playing in one of the Pro-Ams being held that week so that will serve as a practice round, not that I need to see the course any more but definitely need the reps. Tuesday will be another practice round this time with a fellow PGA member and the other gentleman who shot 71, Brendon Post. Wednesday will most likely be a day of rest or maybe just short game stuff. I hope everyone has a chance to come out and watch the action and see this great golf course as I'm looking for a fast start and big finish! "I'm all in." DL