PGA Championship Network TV Schedule & Interactive DirecTV Experience

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, August 8th, 2013
Categories: Champions Tour • FedEx Cup • PGA Championship • PGA Tour • Pro Golf • Rory McIlory • Tiger Woods • Web.com Tour

Below is the regular network TV coverage of the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill:

Thu, Aug 08 TNT 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
Fri, Aug 09 TNT 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
Sat, Aug 10 TNT 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET
Sat, Aug 10 CBS 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
Sun, Aug 11 TNT 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET
Sun, Aug 11 CBS 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
All times eastern.

In addition to the regular network coverage, DirecTV has some great interactive coverage like featured groups and live coverage of all par-3 holes. See the press release below:

The PGA Championship Experience Only on DIRECTV

Golf fans will have one last shot at in-depth, expanded TV coverage of a Major this year when DIRECTV’s 2013 PGA Championship Experience begins four-cell Mix Channel coverage of all the action at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. Aug. 8-11.

DIRECTV’s exclusive Mix Channel (Ch. 701) coverage of the last of the four majors this year will feature the main broadcast from TNT or CBS (Ch. 702); a featured group channel (703); a dedicated channel for par 3 holes on the Oak Hill Country Club East course (704); and a PGA Championship In Depth channel (705). They can all be watched at the same time or selected and tuned to full screen. The service is all in HD and free of charge to customers.

Viewers can also use interactive features forreal time updates by pressing the red button on their remote while watching any of the PGA Championship channels to see: Leaderboard for information on all golfers in the field; Scorecard – hole by hole stats for each player, including driving distance, fairways hit; and Top Five Leaders a quick view of the real-time scores of the top five players. For more information visit www.directv.com/golf<http://www.directv.com/golf>

Fantasy Golf PGA Championship Edition – Bonus Prizes This Week

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, August 7th, 2013
Categories: Fantasy Golf • Miscellaneous • Site News

For this week’s PGA Championship fantasy golf competition, our friends at Bridgestone Golf are throwing in boxes of Bridgestone Golf balls as a bonus! The top THREE (I was going to do two, but have extras) finishers this week in the standings! Even if you haven’t joined yet, you can have a chance at winning some Bridgestone Golf balls! Signup details below…

2013 Fantasy Golf is brought to you by Hooked On Golf Blog and The Golf Space.

Feherty Bridgestone

SPONSOR UPDATE

The following four sponsors have been confirmed for 2013!

Nike Golf – Nike Covert Driver
FootJoy – Shoes/Apparel
Bridgestone Golf – Bridgestone Golf Balls
Tornado Tee – Very cool golf tees (weekly)

I’m still hammering out prizes and arrangements for coupon codes to claim the weekly prizes. Stay tuned!

It is never too late to join HOG Space fantasy golf FREE. Follow the easy instructions below:

1. Go to www.buzzfantasyleagues.com
2. Create an account if you don’t have one
3. Click on “Join an Existing League”
4. Enter League ID 233, and Season ID 335
5. Create your team, enter league password “HOG”

Sponsors Wanted

If you wish to sponsor 2013 Fantasy Golf, let me know. Sponsorship would mean providing prizes in exchange for weekly air time, banners and links to your web site via the fantasy golf updates.

Discussion

HOG Space fantasy golf is a dual effort between Hooked On Golf Blog and The Golf Space. Official fantasy golf forum discussion thread is in The Golf Space Forum here.

Golf Book Review: Loopers: A Caddie’s Twenty-Year Golf Odyssey

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, August 6th, 2013
Categories: Golf Books • Reviews

I was enjoying the book Loopers: A Caddie’s Twenty-Year Golf Odyssey while doing a ton of golf travel in July. I didn’t realize how much I was enjoying the book until I lost it. On my return from the Hooked On Golf Blog World Tour stop in Los Cabos, Mexico, I thought I’d left the book on the plane. I was at a crucial part of the book too, right when John Dunn, the world’s most traveled golf caddie gypsy, arrived in Bandon Dunes. Big bummer.

I was going nuts, wanting to know how the book ended. I decided that I’d have to contact the publisher who sent the book in for review to at least get a PDF version of the last couple chapters. I even thought of contacting John Dunn directly, but I figured that would be tough because he was probably hitchhiking through Death Valley or someplace nutty like that, between two caddying gigs.

Then I found it.

I’d put the book in my backpack on the way back from Mehico, inside the laptop section, which is sort of hidden. I was thrilled. So I grabbed a glass of vino and headed for the back porch to finish it off. Like the last caddie book I read by Oliver Horovitz, An American Caddie in St. Andrews, the book ended with me in tears.

Gypsy

When I do golf course reviews or golf travel articles, I tell the whole story. But golf books, especially non-fiction titles like this one, I can’t. I don’t want to give the story away.

In short, Loopers is the story of a John Dunn. He has to be golf’s most traveled caddie gypsy. Dunn has caddied all over the country the last 20+ years, even in Scotland. Most of the time Dunn made his way around without having a car or in many instances a place to sleep. What an intersting life. I’d love to be in a situation where the only possession I have to worry about is my golf clubs. No car payment. No insurance. No mortgage. No obligations, except to the game of golf.

I’d bet John’s story continues even now. I wonder where he is?

John, if you pass through Utah again look me up. I have a spare bedroom. You can crash here if you need to.

Conclusion

Loopers is a fascinating inside story about the life of a nomadic caddie.

Buy It

To purchase John’s book click the photo or this link: Loopers: A Caddie’s Twenty-Year Golf Odyssey.

Fantasy Golf – WGC Bridgestone Invitational Results

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, August 5th, 2013
Categories: Fantasy Golf • Miscellaneous • Site News

John Deere Classic Winner: balls

2013 Fantasy Golf is brought to you by Hooked On Golf Blog and The Golf Space.

SPONSORS/PRIZES

Nike Golf – Nike Covert Driver
FootJoy – Shoes/Apparel
Bridgestone Golf – Bridgestone Golf Balls
Tornado Tee – Very cool golf tees (weekly)

I’m still hammering arrangements for coupon codes to claim the weekly prizes. Stay tuned!

It is never too late to join HOG Space fantasy golf FREE. Follow the easy instructions below:

: Nike Covert Driver Grand Prize

Sponsors Wanted

If you wish to sponsor 2013 Fantasy Golf, let me know. Sponsorship would mean providing prizes in exchange for weekly air time, banners and links to your web site via the fantasy golf updates.

Discussion

HOG Space fantasy golf is a dual effort between Hooked On Golf Blog and The Golf Space. Official fantasy golf forum discussion thread is in The Golf Space Forum here.

Golf Course Review: Cabo del Sol – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, August 5th, 2013
Categories: Course Reviews • Golf Courses • Golf Life • Golf Lifestyle • HOG World Tour • Reviews • Travel
Tags: Golf Lifestyle • Golf Travel • golf vacations • Mexico • Mexico Golf

For the millionth time I must say I have one of the coolest gigs in the world. To be able to travel to fantastic golf vacation destinations like Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for the purpose of reviewing world class golf courses, is a privilege I don’t take lightly.

Cabo del Sol Ocean Course – Los Cabos – click for more

On my recent Hooked On Golf Blog World Tour stop to Cabo, I had the pleasure of playing Cabo del Sol, a Jack Nicklaus signature design course built in 1994. The course is ranked by many top publications in the top 100 in the world, as well as ranked #1 in Mexico.

Location

Part of what makes Cabo del Sol and the other golf courses in Cabo so great is the location. Los Cabos is located about 1,000 miles south of Los Angeles on the Baja California peninsula. That’s barely a 2.5 hour flight from Denver.

The weather in Cabo is fantastic all year, averaging 78 degrees. There are 350 sunny days per year, meaning one could take 10 days break from golfing per year for other activities, like going to a spa.

Design

Jack Nicklaus had some fantastic real estate to work with when designing Cabo del Sol. Nearly half of the course’s 7,091 yards are on the ocean in the form of holes 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17 and 18. Can you say “Pebble South?” Jack Nicklaus himself said about the course, “the best piece of golf property I’ve ever seen.”

There are five sets of tees at Cabo del Sol. The longest playing set of tees (Black), measures at 7,091 yards. Slope from the back tees is 145 with a course rating of 74.4. In other words, the course is plenty of challenge even for scratch players or pros.

One of the most dramatic parts of the course is the stretch from hole five green through hole eight tee. Hole five is ranked the toughest on the course, a 490 yard par-4. From there holes six (pictured above) and seven are back-to-back par-3’s on the sea. Absolutely fantastic stretch of golf.

Carve this tee shot left to right. Try not to let the Sea of Cortez distract you!

Tee

Teeing areas at Cabo del Sol are typical of desert target style courses. The tees are mini islands in the desert, framed by finely manicured desert foliage and large cacti.

Many tee shots require some forced carries but nothing crazy. They’re completely manageable. Movement of the ball in both directions can help the player navigate the course from the tee and many tee shots tempt the player to hit driver when perhaps a more conservative play may be a better idea.

Fairway

Cabo del Sol’s fairways are much wider than they appear from the tee. The landing areas are spacious. Missing the wide fairways is possible though, and penal. Native desert areas are often the last resting place for a chance at par.

Looking at the fairway and the Sea of Cortez as a pirate ship passes by in the background. Where else does this happen?

Hitting approaches from the fairways can be a challenge. Stances can be slightly uneven, influencing shot lines which may be opposite what may be optimal.

Green

Approaching the greens at Cabo del Sol is challenging, Nicklaus style. Jack’s bunker complexes and design angles make approach shots the most critical shot on most of the holes. Proper approaches are the key to making par or birdie here.

Not a bad green complex, if you like tremendous scenery. Click to zoom.

The greens at Cabo del Sol are quite fun to putt. They’re large, with some very tasteful and fair undulations. Good reads and properly executed putts won’t produce any unwanted surprises. They’ll produce birdies and pars.

Make your own tacos! Brilliant – click to zoom

Tacos

One of the highlights of my ENTIRE trip to Cabo was the taco stand at Cabo del Sol. The course is world famous for their tacos, to such an extent that sometimes the tacos get more press than the golf. Please note that I dedicated only one paragraph to the tacos…

Facilities

The practice area is very well maintained with high quality range balls and cleaning stations. I was happy to hit the range before my round. The back was not happy. But after a few swings and loosening up in the warm Cabo weather, my back was back…so to speak.

There’s a practice putting area right next to the 1st tee, surrounded by large cacti and beautiful desert foliage.

Clubhouse as seen from #1 tee. Click to zoom.

The 40,000 square foot clubhouse at Cabo del Sol is home to a well appointed and classy pro shop. The open air building also boasts fine dining, men’s and women’s lounges, lockers and meeting facilities.

People

Even better than the courses and the places I get to see on my golf press trips are the fantastic people who run them, like my new friend and director of golf at Cabo del Sol, Greg Tallman. I had a fantastic time playing my round with Greg. I’m still amazed by the driver “off the deck” shot. Brilliant…

The service at Cabo del Sol was impressive, as has been my experience with just about every course and resort in the area. On the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, customer service is as good as anywhere I’ve been.

Conclusion

Cabo del Sol deserves all the accolades and awards it has received. The golf experience at Cabo del Sol does not disappoint. The facility has no weaknesses. From course design to amenities to course conditioning, throw in one of the best locations on the planet, the golf experience is tough to beat.

Cabo del Sol website

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