[Kyle Henderson]

Gib rules. Henderson stinks.....
 

I assume you're referring to my tumultuous golfing prowess, as my scent is heavenly. In fact, my pheromones are surprisingly effective in currying female advances -- much better, in fact, than my necrophilia jokes. But, now that I'm engaged, I plan to sell my sauce to those in need. Perhaps I can help move a few more cases of Donald Trump: The Fragrance.

Congratulations, Kyle!  I trust (and hope) that the lucky woman loves golf and wants nothing more than to be taken out to the course at every opportunity!  A toast: a votre sante!

Thanks, B McB! She's not an avid golfer, but she says that she wants to learn and she encourages me to play often. Plus, she's hot.

[Jon Spaulding]

Gib rules. Henderson stinks.....

The only thing worse than the condition of the greens was the design of the greens. They make Ted Robinson look like an inspired genius.

Newsom learned everything he knows about humping from Benham. There's a secton of the mission devoted to both.

I've never actually watched the presidents cup, and this year shall be no different. It's always been a made for tv deal, less the laugh tracks.



 

Smooch!  I thought you've played O-Lake.  

Matt Cohen,

Gib also has a big bite.  Be careful.  From what I remember, you might have an edge on the golf course, but perhaps not on his home turf.

Gib,

What do you have against monkeys?  If trees should have legal standing in court and frogs are more important than people having jobs, doesn't it follow that our simian brothers are deserving of hipper, healthier food?  Be careful, some day you may depend on one for your medical needs.

Louis....I have played Lakeside. It's very good, an excellent test of golf. I will reserve judgement on the new 8th hole until I see it in person.

Now Benham, I thought he and Newsome know each other thru the Bronco Bunch Foundation; our university's answer to an ineffective and overfunded black hole.  Turrns out I was wrong....on Michael knowing him anyway.

They could use a "beer summit", which could solve all of the world's problems.

[Jon Spaulding]

Gib rules. Henderson stinks.....
 

I assume you're referring to my tumultuous golfing prowess, as my scent is heavenly. In fact, my pheromones are surprisingly effective in currying female advances -- much better, in fact, than my necrophilia jokes. But, now that I'm engaged, I plan to sell my sauce to those in need. Perhaps I can help move a few more cases of Donald Trump: The Fragrance.

I'll take 2 bottles; that should be good for a couple more kids on my end. They can always go stay with Uncle Kyle. Each time I've played with you I return home and it's like Joanie loves Chachi. Must have been the stench absorption from all the chest bumping after we make our bogey putts.

Congrats on the engagement; but going out on a limb and guessing that 3 days at Ballyneal was better and curvier. The greens are a slight bit more inspired than those at Harding.

[Matt_Cohn]

Too much fertilizer hurts Harding Park greens
Ron Kroichick, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, August 3, 2009      

(08-03) 20:04 PDT -- Barely more than two months before the Presidents Cup, five greens at Harding Park sustained significant damage recently when course officials mistakenly overfertilized them, burning brown streaks into those greens and prompting them to be closed to the public.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/03/SPGV193CHG.DTL#ixzz0NBrjO3PP

[JSPayne]

Does anyone have the chance to get out there a snap a few pics of the greens? I'm just curious..........

Sounds like another Harding debacle. I don't care how much the players raved about the conditions last time. Any course that brings in 100+ volunteers and closes a course weeks before can "pull it together" to make large strides in improving conditions. But to have it all fall apart during the entire time between? What a slap in the face to SF public golfers.....

[David_Tepper]

JS Payne -

How many times have you played Harding in the past 2-3 years?

I have played it 4-6 times a year for the past several years. Harding did not "fall apart during the entire time between" now and when the AMEX event was held several years ago. You are wrong to imply that it has. 

Harding Park probably gets 50,000+ rounds of golf a year. Regrettably, many golfers do not replace the divots or repair their pitchmarks. To expect that Harding would be in PGA Tour condition 365 days a year to totally unrealistic. As a sometime San Francisco muni golfer, I have been very satisfied with the golf experience at Harding every time I have played there.

This was one incident of poor/mistaken judgement by the greenskeeping staff at Harding. Nothing more.

DT       

[Ian Larson]

With everyone that plays there some pictures would do this thread a world of good

[JLahrman]

The article was good clarification for me, I played the course the first week of July and while the greens were slow (certainly slower than they will need to be for the Presidents Cup) I did not notice any burned patches.  Looks like that didn't happen until later in the month.

[Bob_Gold]

I played there last Saturday.

6 of the greens were closed so they gave us a 20% discount which still ended up being basically $50 for a SF city resident. The greens that were open were in poor condition. Many areas without grass and many areas where the grass was very shaggy. Almost like it hadn't been cut for a week. Slow indeed. The rest of the course was in great shape. Really great.

I don't really care if the pro's have great conditions. There are serious problems out there for sure with those greens but i want them to fix them for 15 handicappers like me, not for the 30 or so pro's who will play there for a weekend and then split.

Sorry but I wont be going back to take pics. I don't like temp. greens. (by the way, the guy i was playing with came an inch away from a hole in one on a temp green....he was yelling for it to NOT go in. ha!)

[Mike Benham]

Can anyone confirm that there was a change in management companies over the past few months? 

If so, that could explain the deteriorating conditions ...

[Joel_Stewart]

Can anyone confirm that there was a change in management companies over the past few months? 

If so, that could explain the deteriorating conditions ...

The web site still says the course is managed by Kemper Sports.

It doesn't really matter who manages the course since the entire staff of maintence workers are SF park and rec employees governed by the Teamsters.

[David_Tepper]

Update article on the condition of the greens at Harding:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/26/SPR019E4NU.DTL

[Joel_Stewart]

The conditions at Harding have reached a point in which the super was recently replaced and the new super was supplied and his salary is being payed for by the PGA. 

The old super was reassigned to Sharp Park which will come as a complete shock.  Harding had pretty much brand new equipment and Sharp Park has 30 year old equipment.  Harding had brand new irrigation and drainage and Sharp has virtually nothing.

[David_Tepper]

Article from today's SF Chronicle on the changing of the guard at Harding:

Hired hand for Harding

PGA Tour officials were not at all happy with course conditions at Harding Park for the Presidents Cup - so they brought in their own agronomist.

The tour recently struck an agreement with the city for Jim Abate, formerly senior assistant superintendent at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, to take over at Harding (at the tour's expense) the next two years. Wayne Kappelman, the former Harding superintendent, was reassigned to Sharp Park.

"We're very hopeful this will have a significant impact," said David Pillsbury, the tour's executive vice president of championship management. "Our motivation is to ensure that Harding Park is in the best possible agronomic condition."

San Francisco officials, strapped by budget shortfalls, have long struggled with course maintenance. Given the string of tournaments on tap at Harding - starting with the Schwab Cup in 2010 and '11 and a PGA Tour playoff event in 2013 or '14 - the tour obviously has a vested interest in keeping the course in good shape.

E-mail Ron Kroichick at rkroichick@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[Mike Benham]

Given the string of tournaments on tap at Harding - starting with the Schwab Cup in 2010 and '11 and a PGA Tour playoff event in 2013 or '14 - the tour obviously has a vested interest in keeping the course in good shape.

Joel - Maybe the replaced Super is more comfortable with old broken down equipment ...

[Mike Benham]

TPC Harding Park?

Ron Kroichick reports that the PGA Tour "is on track to officially take over operations of Harding this summer."

The Rec & Park commission approved a proposal last week to hand clubhouse and golf management to the tour. The two sides still must negotiate a contract, but that's expected to occur well before Aug. 22, when the city's agreement expires with Kemper Sports, the current management company.

It requires no sixth sense to spot the PGA Tour's motive: keeping Harding in tournament condition. The tour's contract with the city calls for four more events in the coming years, including the Schwab Cup Championship (Champions Tour) in November, and tour officials were well beyond frustrated with course maintenance leading to the Presidents Cup.

The city stands to benefit financially, because the tour has agreed to waive the standard management fee (Kemper Sports received $192,000 annually). The city expects to save about $250,000 in all per year, according to Rec & Park spokesman Elton Pon.

No decision has been made yet, but the tour also figures to change the course's name - probably to TPC Harding Park, to align it with other tour-run venues in an attempt to generate more revenue for the city.

It's unknown whether the management change will affect green fees, though Rec & Park's budget proposal for the next fiscal year (2010-11) includes a 2.9 percent increase in resident rates and a $20 increase in non-resident rates.

[Tom Yost]

Any chance the city will channel the money saved into the other golf facilities?   

Not.

[Matt_Cohn]

Any change in how that place is run has to be a good change, right?

[John Keenan]

Curious what happens to Fleming?    Does it stay around? I hope so I enjoy playing it every now and again

[David_Tepper]

John Keenan -

I am sure the Fleming 9 is part of the package and will stay up and running. That is a very challenging 9 holes of golf.

DT

[Mike Benham]

The simple question that I have that needs to be answered is how is the management with the TPC name any different then Kemper Management?

Are they going to have a higher budget to spend on maintenance of equipment, labor and other resources.  The common belief is that the SF Union Labor was inefficient at best, will TPC be able to change that?

Does TPC have the resources ($ $ $) to fix the drainage problems that have become very evident the past few years and continue to spend on capital improvements?

If anything, I might see the TPC vested interest to have a shorter lifespan then any other operator, they only have to keep it in good shape for 4 more tournaments (if that is what is under contract) ...

[Mark Provenzano]

Any chance the city will channel the money saved into the other golf facilities?   

Not.

Tom- Which other ones? Gleneagles is fine the way it is. Is $250K is enough to make a dent at Sharp or Lincoln?

They should put the money back into Harding; when I played there in March the greens were bumpy and very inconsistent, balls were plugging and disappearing completely in the fairways (except on 7, where the fairway was closed completely and it played as a Par 3 from a temporary tee.)  A $20 bump in non-res fees to $155/$175 is unconscionable if they can't keep it in good shape.

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