The Links at Victoria-Carson

Divebargolf had another magnificent weekend in Los Angeles in the South Bay. After a good night's sleep courtesy of the barkeeps of The Mermaid in Hermosa Beach the DBG crew arose to the sound of waves crashing in beautiful Manhattan Beach.

Before any big round of golf its always important to have a good breakfast. And what better place than Hermosa Beach's Ocean Diner. If you are hungry for a meal that's homemade and brings back the memories of Grandma's kitchen then this is the place! DBG headed here after a tip from "Deadly from 100" and was it ever the right call--free refills on coffee yes sir! If you are every in the area definitely head to the Ocean Diner for some good eats!

Last Saturday we had the usual competitors--"The Surgeon", "Deadly from 100", "PR", and the "Big Cat". To be quite honest the golf was mediocre all afternoon. Just when someone got going a collapse ensued. I made sure that I got a picture on the first tee box for all of the divebargolf followers who have never played at the Links at Victoria. As you can see the famous Goodyear Blimp is located just off to the right side of the course.

Big Cat with the Goodyear Blimp

The beers flowed like the salmon of San Juan Capistrano on the links. Of course we started with the typical 18'er of Coors Light, but on a hot summers day you can imagine how quickly those went. At the turn we got a chance to meet Mike Brent, Food & Beverage Manager of the course. Mike refreshed our thirst with some delicious Miller Lites and more Coors Lights. Needless to say DBG was good to go!

Unfortunately, I'm ashamed to report that divebargolf yet again played a course with no cart girl. We hope Natalie from El Prado-Chino Creek enjoyed her reign as Cart Girl of the Month--July. Remember ladies you can become the Cart Girl of the Month by sporting a nice smile and a positive attitude. Be sure to always be looking your best and have your game face on because you never know when divebargolf will be playing at a course near you!

As for the golf game it was pretty competitive between "The Surgeon" and "Deadly from 100" with about 6 holes left to play and then experience took over again. Much expected "PR" was nowhere to be found at this point and the "Big Cat" was still looking for his lob wedge, putter, and more double and triple bogies on the front 9! Final scores went as follows:

The Surgeon--83 + 11
Deadly from 100--89 +17
Big Cat--99 +27
PR--106 +34

Here's a couple of gems from the Links at Victoria:

Hole 7

Nice Tee Shot--"Big Cat"

As for next weekend divebargolf will be taking a break from the game due to a birthday party and the glory that is the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club...if you don't know what it is I suggest you research it. See you on the tee box in 2 weeks!!!

RBC Canadian Open-Vancouver, British Columbia

Sean O'Hair was too happy to end a miserable slump with a win at the Canadian Open to feel bad that it came at the expense of Kris Blanks. O’Hair tapped in for bogey on the first playoff hole Sunday, and then watched Blanks lip out his bogey putt from just over 5 feet to earn the victory. It was the fourth PGA Tour win for O’Hair, but his first since 2009 and his first top-15 during a season in which he had missed 10 of 17 cuts.

“I m sorry he missed the putt, but the fact I won knowing he missed it was just overwhelming,” the 29-year-old O’Hair said. “It just was overwhelming.” That could also describe O’Hair’s slump heading into this week. Coming off a frustratingly close missed cut at the British Open, and in the midst of his worst season on the PGA Tour, O’Hair “played horrific” in Wednesday’s Pro-Am on the eve of the $5.2-million Canadian Open.

O’Hair started three shots off the lead before shooting 68 to get into a playoff with Blanks (70) at 4-under 276. It was the second-highest winning total on the PGA Tour this season, and the first non-major without a bogey-free round since 2008.

Only eight players finished under par on the tree-lined Shaugnessy Golf and Country Club, so it was perhaps fitting it was won with a bogey. After a tough week, O’Hair didn’t mind seeing Blanks miss, but felt his pain.

Nice $936,000 Payout--BOOM!

Shorecliffs Golf Club-San Clemente

“Shorecliffs Life Lessons”

This past Sunday started out a little rough around the edges.  An epic combo of barhopping on Friday (divebargolf salutes you, Sandpiper Lounge!) and a beer pong tournament on Saturday (queba-nation forever homie!) left the DBG crew weary and on sea legs as they pointed the whip towards their home-away-from-home…Shorecliffs!

Big Cat with Rick Nueheisal at Hennessey's LB

 

We had a 9:30 AM tee time, but our condition caused us to run 20 minutes late--OOPS!  One thing about the cliffs' is that they are very accommodating.  Terrence in the pro shop is basically the man.  Boom. The round featured The Surgeon, The Big Cat, PR aka “Tommy”, and a newcomer, “Uncle” Arnie.

Let me just state here and now that the round was a complete trainwreck for Tommy. Lifting of the head, avoidance of any semblance of a plane, and happy feet all plagued this up-and-comer. Even the Surgeon was a step behind, dropping the round to Uncle Arnie with rare shots like a 9 iron to the wrong fairway on Hole 8. Divebargolf is use to that from the rest of the crew, but was happy to see that everyone has a bad round every now and then. That is Shorecliffs Life Lesson #1.

Hole 1

Big Cat’s round was mostly the definition of “meh”, with a few good shots, a few really bad shots, and a lot of in between. Uncle Arnie played pretty well overall, taking care of business when needed. He helped to put things in perspective, framing the round in terms of a perfect Southern California summer day…sunny, warm but not hot, nice ocean breezes, and great views. Just get outside and swing the sticks for the sake of it. That’s Shorecliffs Life Lesson #2.

Pace was well maintained, with everyone eventually putting together a few ok strokes to keep things interesting and moving. The Surgeon unleashed a fierce new Titleist 9-10 3 wood that should prove to be a worthy addition to the bag over the long haul (be the right stick!). The Big Cat started to find his driver after finally letting the voices in his head die out. And even Tommy got in on the act, paring 18 to hit reset and start the next round with a little bit of swagger. All you need is one good hole to make it worthwhile--that's what she said. That’s Shorecliffs Life Lesson #3.

Hole 3

Divebargolf will be traveling back to Los Angeles to battle the famous Links at Victoria in stunning Carson--you know right next to the Goodyear Blimp!

See you on the TEE BOX!

Royal St. George's-Sandwich,England--Day 4

After a long hard faught four days at Royal St. George's it finally came to an end. Darren Clarke's bleary, bloodshot, Northern Irish eyes told the whole story. The party began after he walked off the 18th green at Royal St. George’s with the claret jug in hand! Beer and red wine flowed through the night, the revelry not letting up until Clarke had to return Monday morning for a few more interviews and some picture-taking at the spot where he tapped in the final putt to win the British Open.

This was Clarke's 20th appearance at the British Open. No one had ever gone more than 15 British Opens before winning! Clarke became the third golfer from Northern Ireland to win in the last six majors, following U.S. Open champions Rory Mcilroy and Graeme McDowell.

Guiness--Why Not???

As for the Americans...

The Americans haven’t won any during that span, their longest drought of the modern Grand Slam era, though they did have five of the top seven at Royal St. George’s.

As I had been saying all week it was only a matter or time for this...

Phil Mickelson played the first 10 holes Sunday at 6 under and actually claimed a share of the lead at one point, only to fade down the stretch when his putter faltered.

And Another Botch...

And then there's Dustin--always a brides maid and never a bride...

Johnson was in contention again at a major but made another huge blunder, knocking a shot out of bounds just five holes from the finish.

Congrats Darren you earned this one!

Darren with the Claret Jug

Royal St. George's-Sandwich,England--Day 2

Darren Clarke managed to come out of the woodworks on Day 2 of the British Open. Clarke had a very up and down round of golf, but at the end of the day he sits a top the leaderboard with the bearded American--Lucas Glover. Glover closed his round with a solid 8 straight pars.

Thomas Bjorn kept the good strokes coming and only remains one shot back as well as sie German Martin Kaymer.

Rory Mcilroy and Rickie Fowler remain in the hunt at Even Par for the Championship. These two will be paired again tomorrow for the 3rd straight day.

Rickie and Rory on Hole 18

And lets not forget about our favorite American Golf Course designer Mr. Tom Lehman sitting at -2 after Day 2.

Tom putting on Hole 17

Notable mention...Phil Mickelson at -1, but lets all be serious...the BLOW UP is coming!!!

Is there any other word than AWFUL???

And finally for our shot of the day we have to go with Tom Watson at age 61 with a Hole in One!

Hole 6

See you all bright and early at 4:00 AM EST for Day 3 tomorrow

Royal St. George's-Sandwich,England--Day 1

Does anyone else think it's down right hilarious that Royal St. George's is located in SANDWICH, England or is it just me?

I will tell you one guy who doesn't think its funny and that's Tom Lewis (A)! And you ask yourself who is Tom Lewis? Well he is the man who is named after the man he was paired with today--Tom Watson. Tom Lewis shot a stunning 65 at Royal St. George's to tie for the first round lead.

Lewis is tied a top the leaderboard with crusty veteran Thomas Bjorn. But as we look at the leaderboard after Day 1 we all wonder just how long can Bjorn can compete at this high level--not long lets all be serious!

Enough about the leaders lets take a look at some of my personal favorites...

Rickie Fowler--best dressed as usual shot an Even 70!

All PUMA Black Baby

It was a struggle for everyone's favorite Rory Mcilroy on Day 1, but I don't think we have seen anything from Rory quite yet...or have we?

And lets not leave out our favorite ASU Skum Devil--Phil Mickelson

Nice Period Pants Phil

And finally for the shot of the day we have to go with the United States own--Dustin "Don't Ground Your Club" Johnson with the Hole in One!!!

Sweet 16

Can't wait for Day 2 at Royal St. George's...

Casta Del Sol-Mission Viejo

Divebargolf took itself to the challenging executive golf course in beautiful Mission Viejo known as Casta Del Sol or "Casta" to us locals yesterday afternoon. While sitting at my desk at work at 3:30 PM I said to myself, "Why don't you go play a quick 9 after this nonsense?" After touching base with "The Surgeon" there we were at 5:50 PM ready to tee off on Hole 1. We chose to walk this Par 60 3,670 yard MONSTER after Ole' Man River in the Pro Shop told us it would be $10 per person to ride. Come on gents' everyone needs to walk it off now and then. If you are ever in the mood to play some quick golf after work Casta is definitely the place to do it! We each only paid $12.75!

Playing Casta was a great call by the "Big Cat". The course was wide open and we never had to wait on a tee box.

"The Surgeon" and the "Big Cat" were each able to crush a 6'er while walking the course and playing some speedy golf. We ended up getting in 14 Holes in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Scores went as follows:

Matthew Nance: 51 +4

Stephen Reilly: 58 +11

Due to darkness no pictures were taken of divebargolfers in action. Here are a few quick looks of Casta Del Sol if you've never seen it or played it...

Stayed tuned for divebargolf's next stop as we head back to Shorecliffs in San Clemente on Sunday to celebrate "The Surgeon's" 26th Birthday!

See you on the Tee Box...

If you're interested in joining divebargolf on the links please email me directly at smreilly85@gmail.com !!! We'd love to have ya...





Stricker wins Deere Classic for 3rd straight year!!!

SILVIS, Ill.--Steve Stricker holed a 25-foot putt from off the 18th green to win the John Deere Classic for the third straight year. The shot that set it up was one to remember, too.

“It’s probably a one-in-10 shot or a two-in-10 shot of hitting that, but it came off,” Stricker said about his approach shot from an awkward stance on the lip of a fairway bunker.

“And then to make the putt, I don’t know what to say about that.”

After opening with rounds of 66, 64 and 63, Stricker closed with a 69 on Sunday to beat rookie Kyle Stanley by a stroke and become the 10th PGA Tour player since World War II to win the same event three straight times.

Great job on winning your 3rd straight John Deere Classic Steve!

El Prado-Chino Creek, Chino Hills

Divebargolf had another stellar performance in Chino Hills yesterday afternoon. Other than the fact it was hot as balls we had an amazing time! Unfortunately, I am sorry to report that Kevin "Discover Card" Bohrer was unable to make the tee time due to unforeseen circumstances at Fat Joes' the night before. Kevin had a little too much to drink and couldn't crawl out of bed like the rest of us men. Divebargolf wishes Kevin the best and hopes to introduce him to in the coming weeks. Fortunately we were able to get a hold of Ryan "Deadly from 100" Leahy on such short notice to join us at El Prado. Pat "PR" Reilly and Matthew "The Surgeon" Nance joined us on the links as well.

The "Big Cat" at El Prado

The round started off sluggish for all of us. Was it all the booze from the night before or was it because we didn't hit any practice balls on the range? It was probably a good mixture of both. "The Surgeon" got it going with a monster 300 yard drive on Hole 2. We proceeded to Hole 3 where we ran into some wildlife. This stunning coyote was looking for a little lunch...perhaps a squirrel would have done the trick? "PR" was fascinated with Mr. Wiley Coyote!

"The Surgeon" on Hole 2

PR & Wiley Coyote

We had a two-some pushing up on us on Hole 5 so we let them play through so that they could get back to their big important lives in Chino! This fine gentleman was kind enough to let me take a picture with him after which he proceeded to hit his ball less than 50 yards off the tee. What a real 909 skumbag--wouldn't expect anything less however! A guy like this only drinks from fountains like that!

The "Big Cat" & The "909"

Once we finally tee'd off on Hole 6 I managed to push my ball right! Thank god my shot wasn't as bad as the one you see below...

Excuse me is that your ball sir?

We all had great tee shots on the Par 3 Hole 7. Everyone hit the green, but only 3 of us were able to close out their par putts. "The Surgeon" 3 putted this hole away.



After completing Hole 8 we FINALLY ran into our first cart girl! Jessica was awesome--kinda. Not only did she tell us that Jack Daniels and Original Coors makes a great drink she also would not allow us to photograph her for divebargolf. It was mainly because of the man wedding ring (man band) she was wearing. She managed to losen up once we saw her again on Hole 10 before she headed off to the Big A to watch our LA Angels battle with the Seattle Mariners. Turns out she played for Mount Sac in college and El Prado was her home course. The 4 of us then managed to put our tee shots in the shit as she looked on! Thanks Jessica-hope to see you again soon!

After everyone crushed a hot dog at the turn it was time to get back to work. Holes 10 and 11 did not turn out well for divebargolf, but once we got to Hole 12 everything changed. On the 12th tee box we ran into the 2nd cart girl of the day--Natalie! Natalie was amazingly gorgeous and we also got to watch her hit my ball twice with a 4 iron. Natalie has won the award of "Cart Girl of the Month" for July! Divebargolf is proud of Natalie!

After we got a little adrenaline from our visit with Natalie the golf started heating up. The "Big Cat" got hot draining 2 lengthy 20 foot putts to put pressure on "The Surgeon". The "Big Cat" managed to make four straight pars and could see his prey right in front of him. Going into Hole 18 the "Big Cat" had a one stroke lead. After managing to completely collapse on the hole getting a Double Par the final scores were as follows:

Matthew Nance--85 +13

Stephen Reilly--88 +16

Ryan Leahy--92 +20

Patrick Reilly--107 +35

Just another amazing weekend for divebargolf. Stay tuned for next weekend...





Shorecliffs Golf Club-San Clemente

Divebargolf took advantage of a rare mid-week opportunity to swing the sticks Thursday by venturing to a local favorite…Shorecliffs in San Clemente!  The cliffs' represents a unique value in the Southern California golf scene: plentiful tee times, a challenging layout, and ocean views for around $25-30 (click above for EZLinks, GolfNow, or Click4TeeTimes).  On the tee box yesterday we had Matthew “The Surgeon” Nance, Ryan “Deadly from 100” Leahy, and Pat “PR” Reilly. 

The day would turn out to be a scorcher, but we cooled our jets with screwdrivers from the one and only Mr. Longpoursman and plenty of ice cold CL Smooths (the mountains were almost purple aka SUPER COLD!).  Shorecliffs has a little watering hole famous for rogue characters and notoriously strong cocktails.  Check out the opacity of the cocktail…that means it’s strong, people!  Time to be A Golfer and not A Duffer!

The opening hole at the Cliffs' is a preview of what lies ahead…rated as the toughest hole on the course, this beast measures 563 yards from the tips but plays much longer due to the hill/cliff and narrowness of the fairway.  As usual, it turned out to be a tough start for the group.  The rest of the front nine was quite smooth, with good pace and major blowup holes averted.  If you can score at Shorecliffs, you can play anywhere!

The "Surgeon" really turned it on beginning on Hole 11, which is a 500-yard bowling alley of a hole. 

He then proceeded to go birdie…birdie…birdie on Holes 11-13.  Amazing stretch for a kid from Philly.  Scores for the round (note she played like a par 70 today because of renovation on the slope on Hole 16):

Matthew: 75 (+5)

Ryan: 95 (+25)

PR: 110 (+40)

Other Memories:

The "Surgeon" B-O-D

Tee Box Hole 3

Leahy on Hole 5 in the Canyon...Crazy Winds

Check back on Sunday as we chronicle the newest challenge…El Prado in Chino Hills! We will be introducing the newest member to divebargolf as well...Kevin "Discover Card" Bohrer!!!



Wade Wilson-PGA Pro-El Niguel Country Club

Good Afternoon Avid Golfers and Happy Thirsty Thursday! I wanted to let you all know about a good friend of mine Wade Wilson. He is a PGA Professional and a man of pure class. He is originally from Dallas, Texas and is a graduate of The Unviersity of Oklahoma "BOOMER SOONER". Wade is the head of golf instruction for El Niguel Country Club located in beautiful Laguna Niguel, California.

If you are in need of golf lessons quite like myself and many of the golfers you see on divebargolf give Wade a call or visit his website (see below) and he will get you set you up!

Happy Trails...

                                             http://www.wadewilsonpga.com/

Scholl Canyon Golf and Tennis Club-Glendale

Divebargolf has successfully returned to Orange County after another epic adventure on the links in Los Angeles. Scholl Canyon provided many highlights--some much better than others. We enjoyed a refreshing 12 pack of Miller Lite on this loop. It was a good thing we brought them too because we needed a hydration station for this hot summer day. Even though we were playing on top of a mountain it was still murderously hot, but divebargolf doesn't let heat get in the way of glory!

Scholl Canyon was a wide open track on Sunday. People obviously weren't playing because of the heat. We managed to finish our round in 3 1/2 hours. So for the $20 we each paid I'd say we got our money’s worth. Even though the total yardage at Scholl is only 3039 yards it still provides many challenges. Tee shots need to be precise and putting is an adventure all in itself. Every green is sloped so you'll be lucky to two putt some of these greens.

As for the round I think the score card says it all...

Steve Reilly—78 +18

Ryan Leahy—83 +23

Patrick Reilly—95 +35

Although Ryan had a tremendous start to the day the dynamics of my golf game were just too much for him to handle. Double pars came early and often for Ryan this round, but he will regroup and be back out on the links again soon. All in all just another great day for divebargolf!!!

Here's a few memories from Sunday's round...

Where will divebargolf be playing next weekend??? Suggestions and comments welcome...

San Juan Hills Golf Club-San Juan Capistrano

Good morning avid golfers! Well yesterdays round of golf was certainly entertaining to say the least. We had a strong threesome of myself, Pat Reilly, and Matt Nance. The threesome was joined by Matt's new boyfriend Rob--nice guy from the "Sunshine" state—Florida. The foursome was only able to complete 12 holes due to the lackadaisical nature of the four clowns in front of us who chose to play from the blue tees when it was clear they should have been playing from the ladies tees (Sorry Girls!). Not to mention the multiple tee shots each player took on every single hole—I mean really gents’ who does that???

Four Clowns

We were able to put down an 18 pack of ice cold Coors Light between the three of us. Of course sorry Rob, BYOB—divebargolf does not support additional players drinking habits.  


Golf conditions were rough at San Juan Hills. The swirling winds of San Juan Capistrano made it tough to handle, but nonetheless we were able to hang some nice scores through 9 holes. Holes 1 & 2 played extremely tough, but Holes 8 & 9 played extremely easy. I would also like to make note of my birdie on Hole no. 8—TWEET TWEET!!!

Hole 2

Matt Nance—39 + 3

Steve Reilly—47 +11

Pat Reilly—56 +20

As for the most important part of the round—the cart girl…I’d like to say she was HOT, but not only did she almost take our cart out, but she didn’t even stop to ask if we wanted an ice cold beverage or a snack? The cart girl at San Juan Hills—NOT HOT!!!

Here’s a few memories from Friday’s round…

Pat Reilly--B-O-D

Can you find the ball in this picture?

Another green PR ain't hitting?!?!

Divebargolf heads to Los Angeles next to play one of the top mid-length golf courses in the country—Scholl Canyon. We will also be joined by one of the top mid-length players in Southern California—Ryan Leahy. See you on the Tee Box in Glendale aka the "818"