Tag: Bay Hill

Farewell to the King

Last night as I was watching the PGA Tour Champions playoff in Canada between Colin Montgomery and Scott McCarron, the broadcast cut to the Golf Channel studios where Rich Lerner delivered the news. Arnold Palmer had passed away at the age of 87. The announcement made an already somber day downright miserable, as I was already reeling from the news of Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez having been killed in a tragic boating accident earlier in the day.

Whenever you hear about someone’s death you tend to reflect on their life through personal memories. In my case, I was lucky to have run into Mr. Palmer at his Florida home at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando. To say I ran into him is not technically accurate. In fact, he almost ran into me – Literally! I was coming out of the lodge and walking towards the Golf Channel hospitality tent on the 9th hole during the Bay Hill Invitational a few years ago when Mr. Palmer came around the corner in his golf cart and almost ran me down as I stepped out from behind a trailer.

“Good thing the brakes still work!” – He said with his trademark smile as I stood there petrified. After gathering myself and apologizing, I added that I couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather be run over by. We shared a quick laugh and went our separate ways, and I realized I had become one of the many thousands of people that have been (almost) impacted by Mr. Palmer. (pun intended) At least I could now joke with my friends that I was almost run over by The King.

Like the countless people that watched him growing up, followed his life after competitive golf and been around him over the years, I will always remember Arnold Palmer very fondly. He leaves us with great memories and will always bring a smile to our faces. Farewell to the King, may he rest in peace.

September 26, 2016
Tiger Woods Hires Former Bush Aide Ari Fleisher

Ari Fleisher, the former press secretary to President George W. Bush has been hired by Tiger Woods to help re-shape his image and plot a comeback to competitive golf. Since leaving the White House, Fleisher has started a company called Ari Fleisher Sports Communications to help athletes “…handle the bad news and take advantage of the good.” The company’s website states “The way the press treats athletes and sports executives has become increasingly adversarial and conflict-driven. Athletes who are trained to give it all and leave it on the field now face a public and a media that demand more.” Fleisher recently helped St. Louis Cardinals Hitting Instructor Mark McGuire with his public admission to using steroids. He also counts Major League Baseball, the NFL and the Green Bay Packers as clients, and College Football’s Bowl Championship Series has also turned to Fleisher amid a push to eliminate the BCS in favor of a playoff system.

Woods and Fleisher reportedly have been working on how to properly handle Tiger's comeback, and the speculation is that it will happen at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, a short drive from where he lives, on March 25. Other reports suggest that he may start with the Tavistock Cup on march 22-23 at his home course and community of Isleworth. Earlier this month, his good friend and neighbor Mark O'Meara stated that he wouldn't be surprised if Tiger returned at the Tavistock Cup, which has small and very private galleries and isn't open the the general public. Since making his public apology, there has been much speculation as to when and where Tiger Woods would return to golf. According to a source at the New York Post: “They were in his living room this week going over a strategy for how to handle Bay Hill in two weeks.” Where as Bush political adviser Karl Rove was frequently referred to as "Bush's Brain", perhaps now his former colleague Ari Fleisher will become known as Tiger's Brain?

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March 11, 2010
Orlando’s 10 Best Golf Courses
Living in central Florida provides me with an opportunity to play golf year round. Since May of 2007 I have played in over 50 golf tournaments all over the state, which has allowed me to enjoy many different courses. Florida’s golf courses have great variety, despite having very little elevation. In fact, the highest point in FL (in the panhandle) is only 345 feet above sea level, and the mean elevation is 100 feet above sea level. Heck, the highest point in the state south of Orlando is a land fill, so it should come as no surprise that most of the elevation and contours on the golf courses have to be manufactured by bringing in dirt or digging lakes to give the designers dirt to play with. Florida has almost 1500 golf courses, and some of the best in the state are within a 30 minute drive of Downtown Orlando. Being one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country not named Hawaii (Check here for Hawaii tee times) there is no shortage of things to do when not playing golf. Tourists from all over the world come to Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, Cypress Gardens and nearby Busch Gardens. With that in mind, I will present my list of the ten best golf courses or destinations in the greater Orlando area.

This was not a scientific study, just a subjective list based on my personal experience and the feelings of some of my fellow Floridians. Most of these courses have been a mainstay of the Orlando top ten list for years, and some are newcomers. Tee times at many of these courses can also be booked at discounted rates through Orlando Tee Times. So, without further ado...
Ten Best Greater Orlando Golf Destinations
There you have it, in no particular order. Before the discussion starts and everyone throws a list of courses that should have made it on the list my way, I'll present my list of Honorable mentions, since there are many fine courses worth playing.
Honorable Mentions
The amount of quality courses in the Orlando area makes it very difficult to select the best courses, since there are probably another 10 or 15 courses that deserve mention. I've listed 20 courses or resorts here that any visitor will enjoy, with greens fee ranging from $35 to over $200. I could have listed more, or moved a few of the honorable mentions into the top ten list, and Sugarloaf Mountain almost didn't make the list because of the unfortunate condition of their greens lately, but the design stands on it's own as one of the best in the area, and would probably make my top 5 list. So with my opinions put to paper - let the discussion begin! {This post was originally written on 18 June, 2009 by John Duval}
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March 6, 2010
Tiger wins at Bay Hill – Again

Did Tiger win it, or did Sean O’Hair lose it? I think maybe a bit of both. Clearly Tiger had to make that 16 footer on the last hole to win, but O’Hair dumped one in the water on 16 to give Tiger a free pass. It’s easy to sit here and play Monday morning quarterback; wondering what could have happened if Sean did this, or Tiger did that, but a few things are certain. It seems that no one is able to play well on the back nine on Sunday in the presence of Tiger, and no matter how long he has been away or how he played up to that point, Tiger is the most opportunistic player of this generation. When an opening presents itself, few players in history are able to seize the moment like Tiger. One great example of this was the clutch par save on 16 after O’Hair dumped a ball in the water.

That hole was the pivotal point in the round to me. Even though his play was sloppy and he was obviously nervous, O’Hair was still in control and ahead by one shot. After Tiger pushed one into the trees requiring a certain lay up, Sean O’Hair hit a ball that came up 2 clubs short and rolled back into the water. You could clearly see that Tiger knew he had been let off the hook and given an opening. He responded with a great hook spinning wedge shot and a par to O’Hair’s bogey, taking the lead into the 17th. O’Hair has been here before. At the ’08 Player’s Championship he dumped 2 balls in the water at 17 to lose to Sergio Garcia. However – That day he was behind and going for the win by shooting at the flag. Sunday, he was defending a lead and going at the fat side of the green. Despite a Woods bogey on 17 to draw back even with O’Hair, after the approach shots into 18, I could sense that O’Hair new he was defeated. With the sun setting and the flash bulbs popping, there wasn’t a true golf fan in the world that thought Tiger would miss that putt.

So, did Tiger win it or O’Hair lose it? Most of the time Tiger gets credit for winning tournaments. I think this time Sean O’Hair lost it. Better luck next time Sean. Maybe next time your final round opponent will be Phil the Thrill…

April 1, 2009