Greatest Golf Nicknames

Greatest Golf Nicknames

 

“What’s in a name?”

 

– Bill Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

 

Nicknames are listed in descending order of greatness, so the last is the best.

Honorable Mention:

 

“Shooter” McGavin, Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy

Both outstanding players in the mid-to-late 90s, McGavin and McAvoy suffered crushing defeats during the 1996 season. McGavin lost the Gold Jacket to a young upstart bomber with an unorthodox style in Happy Gilmore, and McAvoy famously lost the U.S. Open to Peter Jacobsen by taking 12 on the final hole (he did get the girl when David Simms took himself out of contention by laying up though). Both remain legendary figures in the golf world.

 

10. Scott “The Choke” Hoch

Mr. Hoch probably doesn’t relish this nickname, but it’s a great one. He was known for choking away major titles, especially at the 1989 Masters when he missed two three-foot putts to give Sir Nick Faldo the title.

9. Greg “The Great White Shark” Norman

Perfectly fitting name for the Australian. He even kind of looks like a shark. In fact, if you were to picture the human version of a shark, it would be Greg Norman.

8. Hal “Halimoney” Sutton

He has three ex-wives.

7. Louis “Shrek” Oosthuizen

Yes, he does resemble the ogre. His real name is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen, and if that was my moniker, I’d make everyone call me by my full name at all times.

6. Craig “The Walrus” Stadler and Kevin “The Smallrus” Stadler

Father and son. Fantastic.

5. “Champagne Tony” Lema

A sad story but a fantastic nickname. Champagne Tony won the 1964 Open Championship at St. Andrews before dying in a plane crash in 1966 at the age of 32. He got the nickname when he promised the press champagne if he won the Orange County Open in 1962 (he did).

4. Miguel “The Most Interesting Man in the World” and “The Mechanic” Angel Jimenez

Probably the smoothest dude to ever tee it up, hence “The Most Interesting Man in the World”. He also worked in a garage for 6 months before turning pro, hence, “The Mechanic”.

3. Ernie “The Big Easy” Els

Named after that awesome, fluid swing. Does anyone else feel like he should have won a lot more than he did?

2. Mildred “Babe” Zaharias, Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus, Sam “Slammin’ Sam”  Snead, Ben “The Hawk” Hogan, Gary “The Black Knight” Player, Gene “The Squire” Sarazen, Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, Arnold “The King” Palmer, Annika “Miss 59” Sorenstam

These are all in their own group because they’re collectively the best players golf has ever seen. A few great ones, but I like “The Black Knight” the best.

 

1. John “Long John” and “Wild Thing” and “The Lion” Daly

 

So he may not have the greatest actual nicknames, but John Daly will always be in a league of his own. With a crazy swing and an even crazier personal life, it’s hard not to root for Long John. Unfortunately, “The Lion” nickname was self-appointed, which never works and should be avoided by every human in any endeavor.

 

Obviously there are more great monikers, Including “Boom Boom”, “Huckleberry Dillinger”, “The Scientist”, etc. Feel free to yell at me if I missed one. Have a fantastic rest of the weekend and happy golfing!

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Farmers Insurance Open Preview

Farmers Insurance Open Preview

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve officially reached the unofficial start of the PGA Tour season. Let’s take a look at the course, players, and some terribly inaccurate predictions for the upcoming Farmers Insurance Open in La Jolla, CA.

The Course(s):

Torrey Pines GC, San Diego, (La Jolla), CA

North Course: Par 72, 7,258 Yards

South Course: Par 72, 7,698 Yards

Yes, we have another one of those weird events where the players will play two different courses. Some will tee off on the North Course (much easier) Thursday, then play the South Course (former U.S. Open venue) Friday and vice versa. Those who make the 36-hole cut will then play the South Course through the weekend. Torrey Pines is widely considered one of the nicest municipal courses in the U.S., as it should be, considering it’s also in one of the richest neighborhoods in the U.S.

Distance is always at a premium at the South Course, which stretches into one of the longest on Tour. Distance can sometimes be negated if the wind blows off the ocean, but generally the bombers will have an advantage. The South Course will again host the U.S. Open in 2021.

The Players:

The FIO generally sports a strong field, and this year is no exception. While many of the Euros wait until later in the year to play in the U.S., Jon Rahm (2) and Justin Rose (6) will tee it up, as well as Rickie Fowler (7), Hideki Matsuyama (5) and Jason Day (14). The notable exclusion is Dustin Johnson, who usually plays this event. Of course, all eyes will be on Tiger as he plays his first “real” tournament since last year’s FIO, where he missed the cut.

Rahm is the heavy favorite yet again, coming off a victory at the Career Builder Challenge and winning this event last year. Again, if the wind blows, it’s anyone’s game.

Prediction:

Justin Rose is in excellent form at the moment, and there are a lot of hometown guys who know the course well, but I’ll once again go with Rahm. He came out of nowhere last year to vault all the way to #2 in the world, and has all the tools to be a long-time superstar on tour. I don’t usually like to pick guys that have won the previous week, but he’s one of the few I’ll make an exception for.

 

Losing DraftKings Lineup:

Jon Rahm

Tony Finau

Jhonnatan Vegas

Jamie Lovemark (Local)

Charley Hoffman (Local)

Michael Kim (Local)

 

Enjoy the tournament this weekend, and remember, we’re not that far away from playing on the course ourselves. Happy Golfing!

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Some Incorrect Predictions for the PGA Tour Season

Some Incorrect Predictions for the PGA Tour Season

 

Golf is nothing if not fickle. Last year, everyone and their mother had DJ dominating at Augusta until some slick stairs resulted in yet another freak golf accident. Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Jason Day didn’t record a win, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka became stars, Sergio broke the curse and Bubba and his pink ball were awful.

With that said, I’ll preface this with the fact that no one has any clue what’s going to happen in 2018. Elite professional golf can be just as streaky as amateur golf, albeit on a different stratosphere of skill. Now that the Silly Season is over, and the Tour starts its West Coast swing, we’re going to give you some wildly inaccurate predictions for the upcoming season.

 

 

1. Major Winners

 

Masters, April 5-9, Augusta National, Augusta, GA: Jon Rahm

U.S. Open, June 14-17, Shinnecock Hills, Southampton, NY: Thomas Pieters

The Open, July 19-22, Carnoustie, Carnoustie, Scotland: Rickie Fowler

PGA Championship, August 9-12, Bellerive CC, Town and Country, MO: Tony Finau

Town and Country is an appropriate name for an affluent suburb, isn’t it? I’m not telling you to go parlay this bet in Vegas, as these would all be first-time major champions. The last time that happened was in 2011, and the last time before that was 2003. Luckily, few people will read this and even fewer will remember my picks.

2. Tiger Woods Will Win a Tournament

Tiger is going to win once early in the year, adding fuel to the fire. He’s going to take Bay Hill and sneak into the top 10 in two other events.

3. Next Big Name

Stephan Jaeger once shot a 58 in a Web.com event, and is a German with a sense of humor. Oxymoron or not, he’s going to win a couple times and have a top 10 in a major.

4. Worst Collapse

Jordan Spieth is going to be in contention a lot, because he’s Jordan Spieth. I could see him possibly overtaking DJ for number 1 in the World Golf Ranking, but he won’t get a major this year (now watch him win all 4). He’s going to have the lead on the back 9 at Shinnecock and blow it.

5. The Ryder Cup Will Be One of the Closest Ever

Le Golf National is, by all accounts, extremely difficult. At 76.9/155, she’s going to play like a U.S. Open venue. This will only be the second Ryder Cup played on Continental Europe (most are in the UK or Ireland). The U.S. hasn’t won in Europe since 2003, and though the they will be heavily favored, it will be close. Prediction: U.S. 14.5 – Europe 13.5.

6. World Golf Ranking, Now and Then

Current:

1. Dustin Johnson
2. Jordan Spieth
3. Jon Rahm
4. Justin Thomas
5. Hideki Matsuyama
6. Justin Rose
7. Rickie Fowler
8. Brooks Koepka
9. Henrik Stenson
10. Sergio Garcia

October:

1. Jordan Spieth
2. Justin Thomas
3. Dustin Johnson
4. Rickie Fowler
5. Jon Rahm
6. Hideki Matsuyama
7. Rory McIlroy
8. Henrik Stenson
9. Marc Leishman
10. Tony Finau

 

7. FedEx Cup Winner:

Jordan Spieth. Duh.

 

For me, the PGA Tour season begins January 25th with the Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torry Pines. I’ll give some periodic updates and previews of the majors throughout the season. It will of course be another crazy one. Happy golfing!

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2018 Event Schedule

2018 Event Schedule

Hello friends! Below you’ll see our (somewhat tentative) 2018 event schedule. We have a few changes this year, as we’re moving up the Spring Creek Classic (member-guest) and moving back the Club Championship. Men’s League will also start at the end of May and go until the beginning of August, so it doesn’t interfere with school.
There may be additional tournaments added throughout, but we’ll be sure to let you know via email and Facebook. Mark your calendars and we can’t wait to get rolling on the golf season!

MARCH

March 17th or 24th – Spring Shamble

MAY

May 14th – HS Pre-Region “B” – 9:30am
May 18th – YoungLife – Course Closed All Day
May 21st – HS Region “B” – 9:30am
May 28th – Memorial Day
May 29th – Men’s League Starts

JUNE

June 8th – SDGA Two-Woman Championship – Practice Round
June 9th – 10th – SDGA Two-Woman Championship
June 13th – Junior Golf Starts
June 15th – Friday Night Derby Starts
June 21st – Make-A-Wish – 8am Shotgun
June 23rd – Hart Ranch Best Ball

JULY

July 9th – SDGA Jr. Tour – 8am Shotgun
July 21st – 22nd – Spring Creek Classic
July 26th – Junior Golf Picnic/Party

AUGUST

August 5th – Hart Ranch Couples Tournament
August 18th – 19th – Hart Ranch Club Championship

SEPTEMBER

September 3rd – Labor Day
September 21st – Black Hills Lutheran Schools – 8am Shotgun
September 29th – LA Open

OCTOBER

October 13th-14th – Gary Gross Memorial 3-Sticker
October 27th – Heaven and Hell

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Preview of What’s New in 2018

Preview of What’s New in 2018

Happy New Year! Hopefully you had a fun and safe holiday season. Now that everyone is back to the grind, we’re here to give you a quick preview of new things coming to Hart Ranch GC.

 

1. New Carts:

We’re happy to announce that we’ll have an all-new cart fleet in 2018 (see above). We made the switch from E-Z-Go to Club Car. Be sure to get out and try them when the snow melts!

2. New GPS System

We’re also in the process of implementing a new and updated GPS system. While the old system was good, it would occasionally show erratic yardages. The new GPS will be more user-friendly and accurate.

3. New League Format

Our Men’s League will now be in a 2-person team format, with various games throughout the season. Keep an eye on your email for sign-up dates and additional info, and start thinking about who you might want on your team!

 

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact us at (605) 341-5703 or stop in the shop. You can check out our 2018 membership options by clicking here, or visit HartRanch.com for updates. Remember, the simulator is open for play all winter, and we will continue with our Monday Night Simulator League starting next week, January 8th.

Be sure to stay tuned as we roll into spring. We’re looking forward to making 2018 your best golf season yet, and as always, being the best place to play in the Black Hills. See you at Hart Ranch!

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