Thursday, April 24, 2014

Golfing Roosevelt Golf Course Review



I dare say (yes I dare!) that Roosevelt Golf Course in Griffith Park is one of the hidden gems of Los Angeles. It opened way back in 1933 and has been offering golfers a short but challenging "executive course" experience since then.

Maybe it was the scent of the pine trees swaying my senses or the up and down nature of the course, making each hole unique as opposed to boring parkland courses. Sure there are no par 5s but with blind tee shots coupled with severe doglegs


and tight greens


Roosevelt will give you all you could want and more.

Perhaps I am so fond of Roosevelt is because I had a plugged lie in a bunker which, through some act of the golf gods, I blasted out to 2 feet for a par. When you hit one good shot, it will bring you back for another round, well that shot will definitely bring me back to Roosevelt.

While I played there recently, the greens were being aerated so I don't know how they roll but regardless of their condition, I was SUPER disappointed in how many ball marks there were in the greens. I had to repair so many marks just to putt my ball. Usually I like to fix a few stray marks when I find them but I would've spent 15 minutes a green cleaning them up. Seriously, what is up with that?

One of the big benefits of the course is the Griffith Park scenery, particularly the Griffith Park Observatory:



Double bonus? On a Friday afternoon, the round was 2 hours and it could've been shorter but I was just having too much fun!

If you want more info about Roosevelt, here is the official site: http://www.golf.lacity.org/cdp_roosevelt.htm

Here is also a nice write-up: http://rooseveltgolf.blogspot.com/

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Reviewing the Masters App


Those kids and their cell phones, amirite? Now, excuse me, I have to go chase some teenagers off their lawns. In actuality, I have been pleasantly surprised and the strides technology has made in the world of golf since my enforced sabbatical.

Back when I was playing more consistently, you marked off yardage by striding from a yardage marker to your ball. Some guys had view finders where you tried to line up a little painted golf flag with the actual golf flag (it was just as weird as I am describing). Now, it seems smart phones with GPS allow you to see where you are, the yardage and even keeps track of your scores, putts (and heck maybe will clean your clubs for you if you ask it nicely).

I haven't quite worked up to whipping out...the cell phone at the course yet but I decided to put it through its paces for the recent Masters tournament which I gloriously recapped on the ol blog.

How did the app do? Well you are overloaded with media,


top notch pictures, live streaming,


interesting articles, the app had it all.

It was also smooth. Nothing the Masters does is half assed and the app is no different. Streamlined, intuitive getting around the media, articles, etc. it worked like an app should, and isn't that what we want from an app?

I am going into app-mentioning overload. App, app, app.

It was also easy to share pictures, videos, etc. via social media with everything working in conjunction with Twitter and FB.

In 2015, I highly suggest this app. App app app app app app app


Sunday, April 13, 2014

ReGripped Masters Coverage- Day 4


As my loyal readers (all one of you, hi sweetheart!) of this blog know, I am just getting back into golf. So what could be better than my uninformed take on one of the most important golf tournaments of the year, the Masters? My half-baked thoughts are below.

Here we go, the final day, for all the marbles. Who is going to take it?

8:30am: Great interview with Jordan Spieth. Seems like a level-headed guy who has big things ahead of him since he is only 20 and at the start of his career. We will see how he fares under the spotlight of the final group. An old chestnut states that the tournament doesn't begin until the back 9 on Sunday and I think that is going to hold true here.

9:15am: Finally! We get off the practice green and following a group. Yes that is a greedy statement to make but there have been groups on the course for hours, why not stream it for the psychos like me? The first featured groups involves a guy who is plus 7 and another who is plus 5. The plus 7 guy sliced it right off of 10 into the trees and the plus 5 guy hooked it left into the other trees. I hate watching the practice range so much that I am glad to be watching this display at the moment.

10:30am: The featured groups are really hacking it up out there on the course. They look like me! Instead of following this action with rapt attention, I headed over to Golf Digest's live chat with Dan Jenkins, a living legend who wrote great articles when I was first playing the game and continues to do so now. Check out the chat recap here.

11:00am: And we get to CBS coverage. With the streaming and ESPN coverage, I forget how sugary sweet the CBS coverage is. It has to be that way to some extent but I think Nantz is losing it a bit (especially with an hour lead-in special which was all about him and Augusta and horrible). Just get me to the golf is what I say!

12:30pm Freddie is giving me a heart attack. 2 birdies so far, a 40 foot made putt for par, just missing a must make birdie. This is intense for such a low intensity sport. Meanwhile, Spieth is playing well, scrambling a bit due to his poor driving but is leading while Bubba and Kuchar drop off the lead. Of course, just as I type this, Spieth lands in a bunker and then HOLES OUT FOR A BIRIDIE. It is his day, no question.

1:45pm: It sure looks like it is a 2 horse race between Watson and Spieth. Sadly Spieth is losing shots left and right but considering yesterday, I don't put it past Bubba having a meltdown as well. Fred is having a meltdown on the back 9 as well. Poor Fred, that Saturday sunk him and just couldn't make up enough ground on Sunday.

3:25pm: Fowler and Jimenez finish up. They both had the game to make a move today and didn't but they were entertaining nonetheless. Golf needs more of these guys, too much of it is stiff shirted corporate golfers with zero discernible personality. The knock on Spieth is that he is a hot head but so what, at least he let's the mics know he is unhappy with the shot. Kuchar has a nice smile but I know nothing about him. Golf needs to make me care about these guys more.

4:00pm: And that is it, a guy named Bubba is your Masters champion for the second time. As I have said before, I am conflicted about Bubba due to his twitter-stand on gay rights issues but you can't be conflicted about how well he played and how poorly everyone else played. Spieth faded, Freddie faded and Kuchar/Fowler/et al couldn't make the charges needed. Soon I am sure we will be seeing this taking place in Augusta Georgia.

Overall, this was a great tournament to get back my serious interest about golf. The course is classic, the names are known while the results aren't. I had fun live blogging the last 4 days but I think its time to take a break from the wall-to-wall Masters coverage here at ReGripped, at least until next year!

Here are my final horse-analogy good/bad days:

They Will Make A Bad Disney Movie Based On Your Exploits:

McIllroy: Was flogging him all week but closing with a -3 round was great. I have no idea what he is going to do on any given day/week and today was no different.

Blixt: I have no idea who this guy is but he had a great tournament and hung tough all day. He couldn't buy a putt but he might be a real factor in the years to come.

C'mere I Need To Seal An Envelope With You:

Weir: I love this guy, great golfer, seems like a good guy, former Masters winner. That being said, watching him hack around the golf course today wasn't pleasant to watch and while he didn't shoot as bad as his 79 yesterday, Mike not your best tournament.

Scott: Dude you killed my fantasy pool. Hot to trot the first few days, just like the last tourney you played then a drop off on the weekend. Please just take the top spot away from Eldrick already will ya?

Saturday, April 12, 2014

ReGripped Masters Coverage- Day 3


As my loyal readers (all one of you, hi sweetheart!) of this blog know, I am just getting back into golf. So what could be better than my uninformed take on one of the most important golf tournaments of the year, the Masters? My half-baked thoughts are below.

Here we go, Day 3! Whew watching this much Masters can eat at your brain a bit. My brain must taste like a pimento cheese sandwich.

9:00am: Yea practice range time and talking head time. I have enjoyed Golf Channel's fill-in-the-gaps coverage but at the end of the day I don't want to watch Frank Nobilo talk about something potentially happening when I just want to watch it actually happen. I don't really watch the NFL pregame shows and I think I am in the same mindset regarding golf "pregame" shows.

9:15am: Just as I am done complaining, Amen Corner on the The Masters live feed pops up! The golf gods clearly heard my bitching and took pity on me.

9:30am It is fascinating to watch Rory McIllroy go around the course with a "marker". Since the remaining field is not even and Rory would have to play with himself, Augusta has a member play with to make it a twosome. This marker was pretty impressive and actually outplayed Rory through Amen Corner. Here are some details about the guy.

9:45am After watching the travails of Rory, I switch over to follow Jason Day and I what I realize with all this live streaming is that I STILL haven't watched much of the front 9, all of this coverage is focused on 11-13th holes and beyond for the most part. What secrets lie DEEP within the front 9?

10:00am: Gary Woodland is tearing up the course. He shoots a 30 on the front side of Augusta so I definitely had to check him on on the back 9, he could be a contender. And just like that, he birdies 10 to go to -4. And just like that, he bogeys 11 and puts in the water at 12 for a double bogey.


The Golf Gods are fickle.

12:00pm: FINALLY actual Masters golf on CBS. This harkens back to when it was only on CBS. Although I have to admit the DirectTV coverage looks amazing.

1:00pm: Day 3 of continuous Masters coverage and I have to admit, event my interest is flagging. Jordan Spieth doing well is keeping me in it and tied for second. That kid's swing looks great and he puts it into practice on the course for sure.

1:4pm: Saturday in the golf world is often referred to as "Moving Day" meaning that a lot of golfers shoot low scores to get them in contention for the title. Rickie Fowler shot 5 under to get him in contention. Matt Kuchar shows up and is currently 3 under for the day. Some guys go the other way like Adam Scott who is currently +4 for the day and Watson is currently +2 for the day. Suddenly, a tournament which looked like Bubba was going to run away with it is now anyone's game.

3:30 A Spieth is in the clubhouse with -5. What a day and while Bubba is tied with Jordan currently and Blixt and Kuchar within 1, it is anyone's game tomorrow.

Horses Making The Final Turn:

Fowler: Rickie, darling of the fashion set and so far has exhibited good but not elite game put together a great round of 5 under and is in contention for Sunday. Could this be his year? Will he ever wears something that clashes?

Kuchar: Finally putting it together after a ho-hum first 2 days. He has self destructed a bit on Sundays so we will see if he can hold up.

The Glue Factory Called, Its For You:

McIllroy: Sure you shot a 1 under today but your playing partner was a "marker" not even in the tournament and he shot a 2 under. Rory you destroyed my fantasy team go out there and destroy Augusta National tomorrow!

Walker: He was there at the beginning of the day at -2 and a +4 countered all of that.


All images poorly photographed from Masters.com are their property and their use herein is for commentary and criticism purposes only and no rights are claimed to the copyright thereto.

Friday, April 11, 2014

ReGripped's Masters Coverage- Day 2


As my loyal readers (all one of you, hi sweetheart!) of this blog know, I am just getting back into golf. So what could be better than my uninformed take on one of the most important golf tournaments of the year, the Masters? My half-baked thoughts are below.

Welcome to Day 2 of this ill-informed coverage of the Masters! How about another sorta running diary of my take on the Masters? Sound good, sure let's do it!


7:40am Ok, back into the swing of things (rim shot). We start off again with coverage of Amen Corner with a group containing amateurs. Harkening back to the days when Bobby Jones (who has deep roots at Augusta National) was a professional amateur, the club invites amateurs who win particular events over the year. It must be really cool to go from duffing it with the locals to hitting with the big boys on one of the most exclusive courses in America. By "really cool" I mean "pretty freaking cool". Of course, it also must be knee knocking to play in front of so many people (they average about 50,000 people a day there), heck I am not so great on the first tee with another foursome there!

8:15am: Marc Leishman takes over the lead of the Masters. He is an Aussie. Apparently Australians are very good at golf. I heard something that for the last however many months it has either been Americans or Australians who have won golf tournaments (English golfers go in the corner and think about what you did!). Guys like Adam Scott are world class no matter where they were born but what is in the water in Australia to pump out so many good golfers. Its because the toilettes flow in reverse right? Or that through natural selection with dingos eating so many babies only the good golfing babies survive? I think those are the only 2 answers.

9:15am: Amen Corner was great and all but today, the live steaming coverage on the Masters was offering the ability to follow on 1 and 16, 2 under appreciated holes on the course. Amend Corner (11-13) and 17 and of course 18 get all the love but what about good ol Firethorn and Redbud?

9:30am: Why are so many golfers wearing all black today. Black shirts, pants, hats, maybe underwear (I mean if you are going to match, MATCH).

10:00am: I have now switched over to the featured groups. First up, Sergio/Bubba/Luke, sounds like the worst boy band of all time. Looking forward to following these guys until Freddy gets on the course. Garcia is killing me in my fantasy pool. +4 so far today, I thought for sure with his length and general Sergio-ness he would be in the mix this weekend. Lord knows what I would do on this course, probably shoot 120.



10:30am Bubba Watson is currently tearing up the course. I am conflicted about him, he is a very good golfer, has done some funny stuff but he is also stridently Christian who apparently supports anti-gay attitudes. Enjoying sports can certainly be divorced from politics and religions and I think everyone has the right to believe whatever they want but I can't really root for this guy based on this his twitter stance. I am CONFLICTED.

11:00am Reports coming from the course indicate that Mr. Couples is doing really well and on the first page of the leaderboard. I am eagerly awaiting the live feed of all of this but as we wait, let me direct you to yet another outrageously priced item for Fred, these Ecco shoes (Masters edition). While I might be willing to wear a limited Freddy shirt that cost $100, wearing limited edition shoes for $275 is wear I draw the line (get it?, rim shot).


12:15pm: Ok, time for Freddie on the live stream. The 11th hole at Augusta (White Dogwood) looks absolutely terrifying from the tee. A 505 yard par 4 that goes right and then kinda left. If someone offered me a 6, I would take it in a second.

1:15pm: Freddie's ball gets hung up in the rough preventing it from going in the water, just like in 1992 (history does repeat itself!)


Unlike in 1992 where Fred got up and down for a par and on his way to the win at the Masters, this time around he bogey'd it. Still, in true Fred fashion, he went out and birdied the next hole getting him back to -3 and only a few back of Bubba.

3:15pm: These Masters greens are insane. Some guys will put going away from the hole so it will curl back to it. Some guys are overshooting holes so it will come down the slope. The course looks immaculate (as always) but the greens look treacherous.

4:00pm: Jordan Spieth is the real deal. He isn't setting the Masters on fire but that swing will take him far. He is still a kid though in some ways, wearing Under Armour clothing is a very trendy thing that the "youngs" are doing instead of my old person Ashworth shirts. I don't know what that says about me or about Jordan, but it says something, I am sure.

Ok that is it! Another day in the books. Continuing our horse analogy from yesterday, here is the current state of the ponies:

Ambling Into The Stretch:

Senden/Bjorn/Blixt: Proof that golf is a global game, these guys shot a combined 9 under and are in serious contention this weekend.

Kuchar: Got his aggregate score back to even today. Seven shots back with moving day coming up, could he turn it on? Sure why not!

Back Up The Glue Truck:

Dufner: 9 over par. I saw this guy's name a lot this week mentioned as a contender (although having your last name along the lines of "duffing a shot" I am surprised he has made it this far) but an 80 on day one sunk him.

Zach Johnson/Dustin Johnson: Zach is 7th in the world in points standings but did not do anything this week as the Masters and a 78 on day 1 sunk his chances. Dustin is 3rd in the world, shot a 77 on Thursday, also missed the cut. These guys are so high in the standings and yet have had lousy weekends (and lousy years) I am going to name him and Zach Andy and Ollie from now on.

All images poorly photographed from Masters.com are their property and their use herein is for commentary and criticism purposes only and no rights are claimed to the copyright thereto.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

ReGripped's Masters Coverage- Day 1


As my loyal readers (all one of you, hi sweetheart!) of this blog know, I am just getting back into golf. So what could be better than my uninformed take on one of the most important golf tournaments of the year, the Masters? My half-baked thoughts are below.

Here is a sorta running diary of my following the Masters on Day 1, enjoy the stream of consciousness and run on sentences!

6:55am: I am up early on Masters Thursday (6:55am PST baby! yeesh do I have a life, not sure) and switch on the ol Golf Channel to see what is shaking. Lots of shots of people on the practice green or on the driving range since we aren't on the official ESPN coverage yet. Most people think golf is boring to watch on TV, I can only imagine what they think about watching people PRACTICE golf on TV.

7:45am: After suffering through watching people practice, suddenly my Masters Live webstream pops up with a live look-in at the famous Amen Corner.


It used to be that you would never see the front 9 of Augusta National, just on highlights and you would see the back 9 when CBS geared up their coverage which, if you think about was a peculiar way to cover a golf tournament. Nowadays we have live streaming, radio coverage and 4 days of TV coverage so every gap is filled. I still haven't decided whether that is a good thing or not (why won't those kids get off my lawn with their rock music?).

7:35am:  In watching the beginning coverage of the Masters, the sounds of nature really bring me back to watching previous Masters. The birds singing, the turtles caring less, the silence despite 50,000 people there. Its like you are watching a live painting of a park when you watch the Masters.

8:30am: Watching nothing but the same 3 holes for 3+ hours straight has me thinking the following thoughts: 1) There is such a thing as "pro shot dispersal" where a lot of these guys will hit within 5 yards of each other on the drives. Most guys face similar second shots.

2) However, the iron play varies wildly. Some guys really lose it right on 13 or overshoot the green on 12 while others are dialed in.


3) Everyone putts well but watching the same 3 holes hour after hour, you gain almost a Groundhog's Day -like omniscience on how the puts will roll from the various parts of the green.



9:23am: If it isn't apparent already from this blog, I am a Fred Couples fan (so much so that I am having a Devil/Angel shoulder conflict over purchasing this bad boy). It is great (and not unexpected) to see him near the top of the leaderboard on Thursday. He always has done well at Augusta (including a 6th place finish in 2010). Hopefully this bodes well for him for the rest of the week. 

10:41am: There are so many young golfers at the Masters. Jordan Spieth being all of 20. Also at 20 Matteo Manassero and a whole bunch of 24 year olds. I still feel like a spring chicken at 35 but clearly I am losing some years to these guys if I ever want to make a run at playing at the Masters (first step, playing at my local 9 hole course).

11:30am: Even I got tired of watching the same 3 holes so I switched over to follow the Fowler/Walker/McDowell group. It was great to be able to follow golfers in the traditional sense (on my laptop). The course looks in amazing shape, which given the concerns over the ice storm in Georgia, means the club threw tons of money at it and it shows (in a good way).

12:30ish: Ran some errands and decided to put the Masters App through its paces. I will have a more in-depth review of the App next week but for now, suffice to say it was impressive. Video, pictures and it all didn't crash or asked to take my credit card number "just in case".

That is it! Day 1 of the Masters is in the books. Let's talk about some of the horses of the tournament shall we?

Hot To Trot:

Scott: Big surprise, basically the best golfer in the world, winner at the Masters last year, Adam got off to a -3 start and is prime position to go back-to-back for the first time in a long time.

Snedeker: 2 under, this guy has a ton of game and I really dug him as a person with his recent interview with Feherty. He could definitely take a run at a jacket this weekend.

Spieth: -1, kept himself around all day and with scores not that low (current leader is at -4) he is very much in it. Big things coming from the wee colt. 

Headed For The Glue Factory:

Lefty: Fascinating that for a long time it was him or Tiger as the favorites to win any given tournament but this year with Tiger out Lefty was not in the conversation as contending for the jacket. He didn't do so hot today carding a +4.  

Rose: Is it just me or is Justin Rose permanently fixed in my mind as a young amateur kicking butt during the 98 British Open? He has gotten much better since then but today with a +4 he did himself no favors.

Moore: +5 sadly. I really like Ryan's game but for whatever reason he couldn't get it going today.

All images poorly photographed from Masters.com are their property and their use herein is for commentary and criticism purposes only and no rights are claimed to the copyright thereto.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

First Post Squirrel


This squirrel says hello. This squirrel wants your sandwich. This squirrel wants to introduce you to Re-Gripped, my blog about rediscovering the game of golf after a looooong hiatus of living life in the big city.

My dad taught me the game and I used to play it all the time in high school, during college (between exams and beer runs for the cheapest swill around, Utica Club) and then during law school in Virginia. Once I moved to New York, golf took a back seat to life but since moving to LA, I made a New Year's resolution to get back into golf, so come on my adventure won't you?

Also, I am a BIG Fred Couples fan. So much so that I take pictures of golf cart keys.


So stay tuned for all the blogger adventures of me (can you stand the excitement?!?). First up, I will be blogging my thoughts of the Masters all week! Then on to more mundane posts about my secret WGT Golf addiction and squirrels, golf squirrels.