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George Pazin

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Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« on: June 06, 2011, 01:51:13 PM »
Haven't done one in awhile, and Steve has been gracious enough to accept.

For those who don't know Steve, he is a top notch golfer, the kind most of us dream about being, having played at the highest levels of amateur golf. His on-site reports from the Mid-Am at Bandon a few years ago are one of the standout contributions on here.

Please welcome Steve with lots of interesting questions. Steve said he's playing in a tourney today and will start answering questions either this evening or tomorrow. Good luck, Steve - in the tourney.

Have fun, play nice.

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On deck: TBA

Full list of Get To Know participants
« Last Edit: June 06, 2011, 01:55:57 PM by George Pazin »
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

JLahrman

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2011, 02:29:05 PM »
Steve,

I believe you are a Cincinnati native, like me.  Please tell us your ten favorite Cincinnati-area courses, along with any that you'd like to play but haven't (if there are any).

jonathan_becker

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2011, 02:40:15 PM »
Hey Steve,

To jump on with JLahrman, what are some of your favorite non-Nati courses in Ohio that you've played?  

I live up near Akron and have played a fair amount of courses in Ohio but not many down near you.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2011, 02:59:30 PM by jonathan_becker »

Bill_McBride

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2011, 03:44:38 PM »
Steve, when you played in the Mid-Am, was it played on Bandon Dunes or Trails?

Either one, what were your favorite holes?

What were the hardest holes?   Why?

Thanks!

Billsteele

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2011, 04:09:48 PM »
Steve-Skyline or Gold Star (or some chili parlor under the radar)? What are some of the lesser known courses in Southwest Ohio/Northern Kentucky that you enjoy?

Jeff Shelman

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2011, 04:29:09 PM »
Steve,

This kind of falls under the best courses in the 'Nati category, but if money/location wasn't an issue, what is the best club in Cincinnati other than Camargo to be a member at? Use whatever criteria you'd like.

Also, Bearcats or Muskies?

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2011, 05:40:45 PM »
Steve,

I believe you are a Cincinnati native, like me.  Please tell us your ten favorite Cincinnati-area courses, along with any that you'd like to play but haven't (if there are any).

I am a Cincinnati native. By far and away the best course is Camargo. An absolutely great routing over rolling terrain with some really, really good holes. And the course is always in terrific shape. Thankfully the US Am qualifier is there every year. So, I get to play it three times a year. After that things drop off quickly although Hyde Park is a standout after its renovation. Not long but fun and surprisingly difficult given how short it is. A cool set of Ross greens.  I like Coldstream (some drawbacks include every par 3 has water and some holes feel cramped to me). Nothing else really stands out to me. The old line clubs are pretty similar - short, hilly and an interesting green every now and then. I don't play much at public courses. I have played most of the decent ones but nothing would make a top anything list for me.

Basically, I think Cincinnati is pretty weak when it comes to high quality golf. Heck…even good golf. 

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2011, 05:43:21 PM »
Hey Steve,

To jump on with JLahrman, what are some of your favorite non-Nati courses in Ohio that you've played?  

I live up near Akron and have played a fair amount of courses in Ohio but not many down near you.

Really like Inverness…except for the new holes (can't remember if they are Fazio or Rees) that stick out like a sore thumb. NCR is very good and quite tough. The Ohio Am is there this year. Played Muirfield Village almost 20 years ago a couple of times. It is nice but really lacks soul to me. There's something bland about it, except for the 14th which is freaking fantastic. I haven't played anywhere around Cleveland.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2011, 05:51:10 PM »
Steve, when you played in the Mid-Am, was it played on Bandon Dunes or Trails?

Either one, what were your favorite holes?

What were the hardest holes?   Why?

Thanks!

It was played on Bandon Dunes (match play) and Bandon Trails. I thought Trails was the much better golf course. BD seemed repetitive at times (like holes 8, 10, and 14). The 16th at BD is all world though. On Trails, I loved the whole thing. 9 and 10 were a little bit of a let down but I thought everything else was great. In particular I liked the short par 3 (5?) and number 8 (drivable par 4…much more so than 14). And I am a huge fan of BT #14. I'll be interested to see if I notice any changes when I play there next week!!!

As for hardest holes. On BT I though 7 was really hard. I think that is the pretty long uphill par 4. I just found the second shot (a long iron uphill) intimidating. On BD I though 12 - long par 3 along the ocean - was really hard. In stroke play I play that hole at 200 with a 25-30 mph wind blowing into and left to right. All you could think about on that tee was the ocean. Pin was back a little to the left. I hit a stinger 3 iron that didn't quite get to the green and barely stayed out of the ocean. Then chipped over. Then chipped to 8 feet. Made the putt for par…er…bogey. I believe that hole average around 4.5 that day. That's a par 3 folks.

Bill_McBride

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2011, 05:54:59 PM »
Thanks, Steve.  Agree with you on all that.  The Bandon Dunes back nine par 3s are brutal, 12 with the ocean and 15 with the really deep bunker with the magnet in the bottom.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2011, 05:56:14 PM »
Steve-Skyline or Gold Star (or some chili parlor under the radar)? What are some of the lesser known courses in Southwest Ohio/Northern Kentucky that you enjoy?

Skyline without a doubt. I hate that they have Goldstar at the Reds games. I'll eat Goldstar but it is clearly inferior. If you like Goldstar I feel sorry for you.  ;) I have three go to orders - 3 cheese coneys with mustard, 4 hot dogs with just cheese (two hot dogs per bun for a total of 8 hot dogs…yes I have lost 40 pounds in the last 10 months), and a three way with 2 cheese coneys with mustard. The last is only if I'm really hungry. If you haven't had Cincinnati chili you are missing out on some great late night food.

I've grown to somewhat like my home club of Ivy Hills. It's a Smyers course that has a couple of really bad holes due to the original owner forcing Smyers on to some crappy land. Hyde Park is one outside of Cincinnati people have probably never heard of but I think everyone on this site would love it.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2011, 06:02:02 PM »
Steve,

This kind of falls under the best courses in the 'Nati category, but if money/location wasn't an issue, what is the best club in Cincinnati other than Camargo to be a member at? Use whatever criteria you'd like.

Also, Bearcats or Muskies?

I don't care about anything but the golf. I think I would choose Hyde Park. It has the most interesting greens. However playing off zoysia all the time would be a drawback as I think it would make for a hard transition to tournament golf. Coldstream and Terrace Park (my home club growing up) would probably tie for second. Coldstream would be great because there are some really good players there and the course can really be stretched out which would help prepare for tournaments. Terrace Park would be great for my wife and son because it is flat and easy and it has a great practice facility.

I used to be a huge Bearcat fan. My best friend and I would go to basketbal practices in high school. We'd be the only two in the gym other than the team. I stopped following them when they fired Huggs. Not because Huggs was some God that should stayed no matter what but because of the university went about it. They destroyed the basketball program doing what they did. They should have just fired him on the spot. But Cincinnatians are plain stupid when it comes to their sports heroes. I've matched maybe 5 complete Bearcat games since the firing.

Doug Wright

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #12 on: June 06, 2011, 06:04:21 PM »
Steve,

Your top 5 favourite courses outside Ohio? Why?
Twitter: @Deneuchre

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #13 on: June 06, 2011, 06:07:14 PM »
Thanks, Steve.  Agree with you on all that.  The Bandon Dunes back nine par 3s are brutal, 12 with the ocean and 15 with the really deep bunker with the magnet in the bottom.

In the stroke play we played 15 very short. In the match play it was a 6 iron for me. I had lost the previous hole to go one down. On the walk from 14 green to 15 tee I was kind of giving up and kicking myself for throwing away the match. Then I looked at my ball and saw a scripture I had written on there. It was Psalm 119:165 - "Great peace have those who love your law and nothing will cause them to stumble." I hadn't played a tournament in five years prior to trying to qualify for the Mid-Am. So, I wrote that scripture on every ball that I used at every stage of the tournament, including local qualifying. Also, I repeated that scripture at least a 1,000 times during the tournament to keep my nerves in check. So, when I looked down on 15 tee and saw the scripture reference I said "This guy may beat me but I have God's peace and nothing will cause ME to stumble." I hit my six iron to about 15-20 feet and made the putt to win the hole. I lost 16 then birdied 18 to tie the match. My opponent birdied 19 to win.

Jeff Shelman

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2011, 06:12:37 PM »
Steve,

I liked Hyde Park and Coldstream when I played them a few years ago.

Do you like Traditions at all? I only played there once. Like that the clubhouse is small and there aren't tee times, but I'm not sure I remember enough about the course.

Don't know if I told you this, but I covered Huggs and the Bearcats for the two years I worked at the Post (RIP). It was just after Fortson and during the Mel Levett, Ruben Patterson, Kenyon era. Mick was actually on Huggs staff at that point. The whole thing was very poorly handled on both sides. I do think Mick has done a decent job rebuiliding the program from less than zero in a very difficult conference.

And I totally agree on Skyline v. Gold Star.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #15 on: June 06, 2011, 06:23:27 PM »
Steve,

Your top 5 favourite courses outside Ohio? Why?

In order (U.S. only):

1. Pine Valley - hands down the best golf course I have ever played. Each hole lays on the land like it was always there.
2. Ballyneal - a tremendously fun golf course to play with fun greens. That short game options are outstanding. And my host is fantastic.  ;)
3. Pinehurst #2 - I have played it a couple of hundred times and know every inch of it. The redesign, really a sprucing up, is simply fantastic. It's hard for me to put it at #3.
4. Riviera - I was surprised at how good the course was after watching it on TV all those years.
5. Bandon Trails - I just can't understand why this course isn't ranked higher. But it will probably get replaced next week when I play Pacific and Old Mac.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #16 on: June 06, 2011, 06:27:53 PM »
Steve,

I liked Hyde Park and Coldstream when I played them a few years ago.

Do you like Traditions at all? I only played there once. Like that the clubhouse is small and there aren't tee times, but I'm not sure I remember enough about the course.

Don't know if I told you this, but I covered Huggs and the Bearcats for the two years I worked at the Post (RIP). It was just after Fortson and during the Mel Levett, Ruben Patterson, Kenyon era. Mick was actually on Huggs staff at that point. The whole thing was very poorly handled on both sides. I do think Mick has done a decent job rebuiliding the program from less than zero in a very difficult conference.

And I totally agree on Skyline v. Gold Star.

I've only played Traditions twice. It's nice but nothing out of the ordinary. The Met is there this year.

I think Mick has done better than a decent job given where that program fell to and joining the Big East at the same time. They could have become another DePaul. I loved watching all of those 1990s teams. In the early 90's I was in high school and my friend and I learned our vocab words by relating them to the Bearcats. The one that stands out to this day is apotheosis - becoming a deity. We used Herb Jones to remember that one.

My friend won a charity dinner for four with Huggs. He said Huggs was great at the dinner - tons of hilarious stories - but drank a ton. My friend called me the next day worried that Huggs would get a DUI at some point. It was just a few months later that every thing blew up.

JLahrman

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #17 on: June 06, 2011, 08:06:08 PM »
Skyline without a doubt. I hate that they have Goldstar at the Reds games. I'll eat Goldstar but it is clearly inferior. If you like Goldstar I feel sorry for you.  ;) I have three go to orders - 3 cheese coneys with mustard, 4 hot dogs with just cheese (two hot dogs per bun for a total of 8 hot dogs…yes I have lost 40 pounds in the last 10 months), and a three way with 2 cheese coneys with mustard. The last is only if I'm really hungry. If you haven't had Cincinnati chili you are missing out on some great late night food.

I am a vegetarian now and have tasted my last chili, but Skyline is the best.  And I ate a lifetime's worth of it.  I personally don't feel that Gold Star is so much of a step down that the eater deserves pity, but Skyline certainly is superior.

There are some good one-shot chili parlors too.  Blue Ash Chili, Camp Washington Chili, and Price Hill Chili all warrant a visit.

Steve, tell us about a few of your interests outside of golf and chili.

Wade Whitehead

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #18 on: June 06, 2011, 09:25:55 PM »
Steve:

1. What's the worst score you've ever made on a hole in competition?
2. Tell us five courses you haven't played but which you'd cancel a tournament to visit.
3. Do you focus squarely on each swing when playing a competitive round OR are you distracted/inspired by the architecture?  Many of the best competitive players I know couldn't care less about the golf course while they're playing; they simply get a yardage, figure a shot, and work to execute it.

Thanks.

WW

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #19 on: June 06, 2011, 09:47:06 PM »
Quote from: JLahrman link=topic=48492.msg1093047#msg1093047 date=

Steve, tell us about a few of your interests outside of golf and chili.
[/quote

The last two years I have a taken a mission trip with my church to the Philippines. The trips have lasted 10-14 days and we go to a youth conference. Unlike a lot mission trips, we do not do any building or manual labor type stuff. We go to mnister to people. Each trip I have had the oppprtunity to preach 3-5 times. Each time has been a truly miraclous experience! Things have happened that have no other explanation than God. I wasn't always a Christian. I grew up an atheist and never attended church until I met my wife. I love studying a passage of scripture and sharing what I have learned, which is just what I get to do on mission trips. I am looking into to going to Jordan or Russia in the next 6-9 months. The other cool thing about the mission trips I have done is experiencing other cultures. What I have found is that people all over the world are the same: the want to be loved, they want to love some body, and they want to be left alone to live their life and provide for their family. Despite how poor mkst people in the Philippines they are all so happy. It really puts things in perspective - like when we walked through a village that you had to see to believe people lived there.

Another passion of mine is economics. I am basically self taught as I only took one econ class in college. For those that follow economics I am of the Austrian persuasion. My journery into Austrian economics started with the crash in 2008. From reading Austrian economics I got turned on to Murray Rothbard, Lew Rockwell, and anarcho-capitalism. I have gone from a diehard Republican to a neocon to a conservative to an anarchist in the last three years. Oddly enough a guy at my office who used to be a lefty that I would debate has ended up in the same spot as me. We both laugh at how we have arrived at the same spot. So the passion for economics has affected my politics. To the point that i try to opt out of the state at any opportunity.

These two passions merged a couple of years ago when I wrote a "paper" for some friends at church reharding what the Bible had to say about our banking and monetary system.

I also like listening to live music. I became a Dead Head in college ('72-74 and '77 were my favorite years). That led to a love of Bruce Hornsby and the various incarnations of his bands. Now I listen exclusively to Christian music much of which is recorded live. I have Christian music that spans all genres from rock to metal to reggae to blues to bluegrass.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #20 on: June 06, 2011, 10:08:21 PM »
Steve:

1. What's the worst score you've ever made on a hole in competition?
2. Tell us five courses you haven't played but which you'd cancel a tournament to visit.
3. Do you focus squarely on each swing when playing a competitive round OR are you distracted/inspired by the architecture?  Many of the best competitive players I know couldn't care less about the golf course while they're playing; they simply get a yardage, figure a shot, and work to execute it.

Thanks.

WW

In a high school match I made a nine on a par four. I still managed to shoot 39 for that nine hole match. It is rare that I will make more than a double. You can recover from bogies but recovering from doubles in a tournament is tough. You have to learn to limit the damage to a bogey.

Five courses I would cancel a tournament to visit...Well I decided to not play the Ohio Mid Am this year because I got an all expenses paid trip to Bandon thanks to the printer of my magazines. Since I had not played Pacific or Old Mac I decided to bag the Ohio Mid Am which is being played at some soulless Nicklaus course in northeast Ohio. Of course this depends on the tournament I would be skipping but I would skip any local tournament for Cypress Point, NGLA, Shinnecock, Augusta, or Sand Hills (the top 5 on my buxket list). It would be harder to skip the state Am and there is no way I would ever skip a national USGA event. My one taste at that was too awesome and I like the competiton too much.

I am certainly not "taking in" the architecture while playing a tournament. But I think you have to do that to shoot a good score and hit the right shots. How else would you know where to bail out, what slopes you can use on greens to get to certain pin placements, which side of the fairway to be on to access certain hole locations, etc. I think every good played is doing this but may not be realizing that they are playing off the architecture. Why else would the pros be playing all these practice rounds? There wold be no point in playing a practice round if all you needed was a yardage and you hit your standard shot like a range robot.

For example, today I played in the Ohio Am qualifier (shot 2 under 70 with two missed three footers and a double on 16 and made it easy). With any club more than an 8 iron I am always looking where I can leave the shot if I miss for an uphill pitch and easy up and down. I also look for slopes that I can use to work the ball to the hole. On the 8th and 9th holes I had the opportuntiy to use backboards behind the hole to spin my wedge off of. This allowed me to elminate a short miss that would not have been on either hole. And on a par 5 I went for in two my second shot was 214 yards to the pin. The ball was slightly below my feet and the pin was on the back left with a bunker on the front left. The wind was blowing left to right and a little helping. The lie and wind seemed to call for a fade 4 iron. But, there was the bunker short left and a bunker long right whixh seemed to dictate a draw through the gap to a back left pin. I decided to draw a 5 iron and hit it to three feet, making an eagle.

I would to hear your friends talk out the shot they are going to hit before they hit. i bet they are processing more of the architecture into the shot than they realize. I just do not see how you can shoot good scores without using the architecture to your advantage.

Kevin Jackson

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #21 on: June 06, 2011, 10:49:34 PM »
Steve,

I am a Cincinnati native as well.  I work and caddie at Camargo and love being able to see that course every day (and the ability to play Mondays isn't a bad gig).

What do you think about Kenwood?  I've played Kendale (or which ever is  the longer track) a hand full of times and enjoyed it.

Jim Colton

Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #22 on: June 07, 2011, 05:58:28 AM »
Steve,

When you werent using them to chip in or laser down flag sticks, I noticed at Ballyneal that your wedges had some sort of custom stamp on it???

Jim

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #23 on: June 07, 2011, 06:05:58 AM »
Steve,

I am a Cincinnati native as well.  I work and caddie at Camargo and love being able to see that course every day (and the ability to play Mondays isn't a bad gig).

What do you think about Kenwood?  I've played Kendale (or which ever is  the longer track) a hand full of times and enjoyed it.

Kendale is good but I have only played a couple of times. i do not remember any standout holes. It was in great condition both times I played it but there are some spots with too many trees. Sometimes it feels a little cramped to me.

Steve Kline

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Re: Starting Tues, 6/7/11 - Get to know Steve Kline
« Reply #24 on: June 07, 2011, 06:13:13 AM »
Steve,

When you werent using them to chip in or laser down flag sticks, I noticed at Ballyneal that your wedges had some sort of custom stamp on it???

Jim

The scripture that I mentioned earlier in the thread is also stamped on my wedges. I got all new clubs as a Christmas present this year. I went to the Titleist facility in Mass. and got fitted for everything. When I was ordering the wedges I saw you could get something engraved on them. Of course the examples were nicknames or initials. You were limited to 8 characters and PS119165 fit perfectly. The wedhes are the brand new Tour Van Design and look beautiful so everyone wNts to take a look at them. Then they ask me what the stamp is because it looks like something about the club because it seems like random letters and numbers.

Of course, I am not perfect as this weekend I hit a bad shot and threw one of said wedges at my bag breaking the shaft. Then I felt like a huge idiot with that stamp reminding me of God's peace staring me in the face as I held the two pieces of the club in my hands. Plus, the shafts aren't carried at Golf Galaxy so I had to custom order it. So, I did not have my 60 degree wedge for the qualifier yesterday and I probably will not have it at Bandon next week. Hopefully that is a lesson learned.

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