Cross country golf returns to Cape Region

I played a cross country golf tournament several years ago at Shawnee Country Club. The memory of that day still brings a smile to my face.

This format uses the 18-hole golf course acreage to create a nine-hole tournament of incredible length and unusual challenges. For example, in that Shawnee event, golfers teed off at the second hole, trying to hit over a tree line to the fairway of the adjacent third hole. From there they tried to reach the 15th green or find a good spot to hit over more trees to reach a spot where they had a good angle for their approach.

You will hit more fairway woods and hybrids than anything else, and it is a lot of fun.

Rookery North, the former Shawnee CC, will hold a new two-person cross country scramble tournament Sunday, Dec. 8, with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. As the club’s announcement notice said, it will be “nine holes of golf you’ve never played.”

The $40 fee for nonmembers ($30 for members) includes the round, a golf cart, lunch and awards.

To sign up, call Rookery North at 302-684-3000.

King scores ace

Congratulations to Cape Region golfer Doug King for his hole in one at the 17th hole at Rookery South Nov. 15. His playing partner Abe Ellison not only witnessed the shot, but also had his own ace earlier this year on the course’s ninth hole.

Golf Pride grips

Golf Pride has been a leading producer of golf grips for more than six decades. The fact that an overwhelming percentage of professional golfers use its products without any endorsement money is a point of pride for this division of the Eaton Corporation.

At the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., I spoke with Bruce Miller, a Golf Pride product manager and resident of Southern Pines, N.C.

We first discussed the company’s Align technology, found in its four most popular model lines. A slightly raised ridge on the bottom side, combined with the grip pattern adjacent to it, promotes a more consistent square grip. “It’s like Braille for your hands,” Miller said.

That sounds fine for most shots, but what about when the club face needs to be manipulated at address, such as chip shots from just off the green? Miller said golfers learn quickly where the Align ridge sits best for those shots at different locations in the hands or fingers, which makes sense. It also made sense that you should work on this technique at the practice range well before you take to the course.

Miller said Golf Pride’s leading seller is the MCC model. The all-weather grip combines rubber and cord in a two-tone color pattern, in both standard and midsize configurations.

I was interested in the new MCC Plus 4 design, which also comes with the Align ridge ($5.99 SRP). As Miller explained, the grip design where the lower hand is located is larger, simulating what it would feel like if four layers of tape were layered under a normal grip. I use a 10-finger baseball-style grip, and this concept might be useful for players like me.

The Tour SNSR Contour Pro putter grips went on the market earlier this year. The rubber-blended pistol designs are measured in 140cc or 104cc sizes, and will sell for $26.99.

FourBall App

Apps are everywhere, including golf.

“Apps” is short for applications, the software developed for smartphones and other devices to meet specific needs or wants – at least, that’s what the developers hope.

At the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show, I met Arsalan Amdani as the two of us waited to take our turn at the Bridgestone golf ball test spot. He is the developer of the new FourBall app, available online at fourballapp.com and at Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store.

Think of Tinder for golf and you have the concept.

Amdani told me he came up with the idea while on vacation with his wife in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, at a golf course resort. He wanted to play a round but couldn’t find anyone to join him.

As with Tinder, FourBall uses a swipe interface. Golfers can filter prospective playing partners based on distance from the course, handicap or other variables, according to Amdani.

I can see the potential benefits of this location-based mobile app for the Cape Region hospitality trade as well as the local golf courses. If these businesses highlight the app as part of their marketing, vacationing golfers coming to the area could more easily put together pairs or more of like-minded players.

If you were ever stymied by an online tee-scheduling system that required two to four players at a minimum, this app could be very handy, especially when traveling solo or otherwise playing solo because no one else in your group is a golfer.

From the course operator perspective, the app could certainly help fill otherwise unused playing spots.

For more information, go to fourballapp.com or the company’s Facebook page.