Tom Watson - you are not alone!

Watching a leader in a professional golf tournament on TV,  sometimes it seems like they're taking a serene and pleasant walk down an isolated fairway.

Not!

This photograph was of Tom Watson as he approached the 16th green at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento.  At the time he was the sole leader in the US Senior Open and getting most of the attention from the TV boys. 

I can tell you I counted 9 different cameras pointed at him for the shot, including one atop a movable robot pillar pushed (or pulled) into position from the edge of the fairway.

The player in this group on the left of the picture wasn't in the hunt.  It was one of those lonely walks for him, kind of!

Some of these guys get a little upset when a butterfly flutters in a nearby bush.  Can you imagine the distraction from this traveling band of video chroniclers?   

Jeez....

US Open Chambers Bay & Tesla too!

A report on a road trip--

It was year 3 for your reporter at a US Open golf tournament.   This trip to Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington - which is near Tacoma - which is near Seattle - was spectacular.

First they had to open the gates

Where to go?

View from the top looking toward Puget Sound (Pew-jet - not puh-get)... 

See the train?

Down the hill...looking up to the Trophy Club.

 Your intrepid US Open adventurers - Ed Mahr & ...

And we saw a Tesla:

WOW!

And so it goes!

Coyote and the bunny

Here are a couple of pictures I snapped with my phone during a round of golf at the UNM Championship Course this Monday.

This big fellow was just lumbering along in front of the first tee - and we all agreed he was stalking a mid-morning snack.   He was not one of those scrawny coyotes, he appeared very healthy.

And, then a few holes away we spotted this charming little fellow.   Hope he got out of the way of wylie coyote!

US Open around the bend

The folks in University Place, WA have turned a gravel pit into a golf course.

It's just waiting.

Aerial view from local newspaper

 The Trophy Club  - perched on a hill

When was the last time a train rambled through a professional golf tournament?  

May happen this year.

No Bull Bob Turner Dies

I was saddened to learn that an Albuquerque icon has died.

Bob Turner had one of the most successful car dealerships in our city for many years.  Bob was a salesman.   His big move came when he took over a fledgling Frontier Ford - re-named it Bob Turner's Ford Country - and then went on to build a new dealership headquarters.

Bob was famous (or infamous) because of his TV commercials.  Thanks to the work of Roger Dibble, who for so many years helped put them together.  There was "no bull" in those commercials - a tag line used for many years.  

(I lifted this photo from a Google search)

Turner was a good citizen of this community.  A Lobo fan thru-and-thru.  I think he even contributed substantial funds to help develop the team golf training facility at UNM.  The last time I saw Bob a few years ago was at the Mountain West Basketball tournament in Las Vegas - we were there watching the Lobos. He also had a home there.

Occasionally I'd see Bob at the now defunct Charlie's Back Door. He would always ask how things were in Taos (my hometown).

Oh, and I had another connection to Bob Turner.  The home we presently reside in, I've been told, was built and first occupied by the same Bob Turner.  I mentioned that to him one time, and in his loveable Texas accent he recalled..."Oh yeah, that house on Peeda Rose."   It's actually Piedra Rosa.

Thanks Bob for all you did.

No Bull!

Idea for Tiger Woods

Hey Mr. Woods...pay attention.

Forget that guy you're paying tens of thousands of dollars so he can tell you how to hit a golf ball,

Fire him, now, today and call Hank Haney or Butch Harmon - both of them earned a small fortune teaching you - and it paid off...you won.

This guy you've got now ain't getting it done.  Tell him to hit the road.

Then, stand up there and hit the ball.

Oh, and by the way -  El Tigre' - you're getting up there in age - forget about trying to hit the ball off the tee as far as those flat belly young kids.  You still have a flat belly - but you're not young.  Be satisfied with a shot down the middle - instead of blasting away hither and yon.  Admit it - and go forth.

Lee Trevino says he could solve your golf swing problems in 15 minutes.  Maybe you should call him, or drop by his place near Dallas on your way to the US Open in a couple weeks.  It might be the best use of your time.

Most of us want to see you succeed - buckle up, admit you're not 21 any more - and play like an adult.

You'll be a lot happier  -  and the TV networks will love you for it - because you'll be back in contention, the rating will soar - and all will be right with the golf world.

Come on Tiger - think about it!

Mayo en Mexico

Having just returned from a few days near Puerto Vallarta, it might interest you to know:

Crime is not rampant in the streets.

The water treatment plants work and beer is REALLY GOOD in the hot climate.

There are not many tourists on the streets - but the airplanes coming and going are filled to capacity (explain that, please).

Punta Mita has become an enclave of the rich and famous who stay at a St. Regis or a Four Seasons resort - and we can almost see them from our porch across Banderas Bay.  Attempting to get there via kayak is difficult --- Connie and her coach Ricardo were trying.

A US Dollar will bring you about 15 Mexican pesos - which is good for the travelers.
Most vendors accept Pesos or US Dollars (Try paying for something in Albuquerque with a Mexican Peso and see how far that goes.)

And, while we were with friends, the most substantive discussion I had during the trip was with Jack Daniels.