The Albatross Ball of Louis Oosthuizen

Both Dennis and Henry sent me this update:

OK, what happened to the famed “albatross” ball of Louis Oosthuizen that he tossed into the gallery surrounding the second hole at the Masters on Sunday? Well, as you have probably seen or read, it was caught by Wayne Mitchell, 59, of New Tripoli, PA which is outside Allentown. Vice-President of Air Products, Mitchell and his wife were tournament guests of an executive of Dow Chemical in Midland, Michigan. Along the rope line, they had been seated at the par-five second hole since 10:00 a.m., patiently waiting over four hours for the leaders to come through.

After he caught the ball and placed it into his pocket, Mitchell was later escorted by security and Augusta National members to Butler Cabin where he met Billy Payne, Augusta National’s Chairman. As reported by several news outlets, including the Augusta Chronicle and The Morning Call, Mitchell’s local newspaper in Bethlehem, PA, Mitchell gave the ball to the club for its archives located in the Trophy Room which includes the ball Gene Sarazen holed out with for his iconic double eagle in 1935.

As quoted in The Morning Call earlier this week, Mitchell said: “I'm not a souvenir-grabber. For me, the ball clearly represented a special moment in history. Now, it's in the hands of the club, where it belongs." Mitchell and the club declined to discuss details on the actual transaction.

However, I’ve learned from a reliable source that in exchange for the ball Mitchell was offered two Lifetime Passes to the Masters. Before happily accepting, Mitchell also asked Payne for one other request: the opportunity to play Augusta National. Payne said that could be arranged.

That’s what I call a great catch: Lifetime passes to the Masters topped off by a memorable round at Augusta National. So next year don’t be surprised to see patrons with catcher’s mitts.

The Great Northlands Challenge 2012

       Seated at Coach's office at Northland Golf Course clockwise is Hugh, Coach, Wes and Hal.

Each Spring when the Coach first arrives in Vancouver it is time for the Northlands Golf Challenge.
The competition is a best ball match play format with Coach and Hugh Forster taking on Hal McInerney and Wes Hadikin.

Last year the Coach and Hugh were victorious in winning the Challenge with Coach posting an incredible par 71 on the tough Northlands layout and beating Hal and Wes one up with one to play.  However, for 2012 Hal and Wes were ready and out for revenge.  When the dust settled on April 14, 2012 both Hal and Wes each shot their best scores ever of 72 recording a best ball 5 under score and beating Coach and Hugh 2 up with 2 to play.  The victory was sweet revenge and the beer and burgers tasted just that much better. 

There is already trash talking going on about the 2013 Northlands Challenge but for this year Hal and Wes will enjoy well deserved bragging rights.

24 Laws of Golf

Dennis Halabecki sent me the following 24 Laws of Golf that seem so true, here are the first 12 Laws with more to come:

LAW 1:
No matter how bad your last shot was, you should have Inner Peace knowing that a worse one is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.

LAW 2:
Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever.  The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.

LAW 3:
Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.  Expensive clubs have been known to be partly made with this most unusual natural alloy.

LAW 4:
Golf balls never bounce off of trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.

LAW 5:
The higher a golfer's handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.

LAW 6:
A golfer hitting into your group will always be bigger than anyone in your group.

Likewise, a group you accidentally hit into will consist of a football player, a professional wrestler, a convicted murderer and an IRS agent -- or some similar combination.

LAW 7:
All 3-woods are demon-possessed. Your Mother in Law does not come close.

LAW 8:
Golf balls from the same "sleeve" tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into the water. See LAW 3.

LAW 9:
The last three holes of a round will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.

LAW 10:
Golf should be given up at least twice per month.

LAW 11:
All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until the sunset.

LAW 12:
Since bad shots come in groups of three, your fourth consecutive bad shot is really the beginning of the next group of three.

Thanks...Dennis