June 2011 by Dan Michel

AVID St. Louis

Golf

> FATHER

Lifestyle

& SON

How Golf Can Bring Us Together

The Hilarious Truth Behind

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Athlete Golfers Danny Amendola Craig Dahl Cam Janssen T.J. Oshie and Ozzie Smith

JUNE 2011

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PARTICIPATING COURSES Aberdeen Golf Club Acorns Golf Links AL Gustin Golf Course Arlington Greens Bear Creek Golf Club Branson Creek Golf Club Cottonwood Golf Club The Courses At Forest Park Deer Creek Golf & Country Club Dogwood Hills Golf Resort Emerald Greens Golf Course Golf Club of Florissant Governors Run Golf Course Innsbrook Resort The Landings at Spirit Golf Club Locust Hills Golf Course Meramec Lakes Golf Course The Orchards Golf Club Quail Creek Golf Course The Ridge Club Riverside Golf Club Rolling Hills Country Club Ruth Park Golf Course St Ann Golf Course Stonebridge Golf Course Sugar Creek Golf Club Sun Valley Golf Course Wolf Hollow Golf Club Wolves Crossing Golf Course Woodlands Golf Club

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FEATURES 53 Course Opinion : Quail Creek Golf Club On the shores of the Meramec River, Quail Creek is a course co-designed by St. Louis native Hale Irwin that’s sure to test your game, not only with its undulating fairways and elevated greens, but also with the highest slope rating of any course in the area. Find out how golf writer Ryan Scott rates this track, and which hole he says is unlike any other in St. Louis. 73 The Pen & The Club : An Excerpt From Steve Friedman Golf has long been a game of bonding between friends and family members—fathers and sons in particular. In his new book, St. Louis–born author Steve Friedman explores the sport’s bonding power and renews his relationship with his father. Find out how the idea for the book came about and read an excerpt from his intimate, moving and often comical experiences on the course. 77 Swell : The Truth Behind Male Enhancements You’ve seen the advertisements on newsstands and TV, in your mailbox and your inbox. Find out what writer Sean Kelly has to say about the epidemic that is over-the-counter male enhancement drugs—what they do to the bodies and psyches of American men, how they rake in the dough and, most important, whether they’re worth a damn. 82 COVER STORY: St. Louis Athlete Golfers St. Louis has its share of brag-worthy sports teams. It’s also rife with top-of-the-line golf courses—a fact that no one can deny or resist, least of all the most talented athletes in the city. Hear what pros from the Blues, Cardinals and Rams have to say about their passion for the game, what their favorite local courses are and how golf helps them improve their game.

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Departments 13 letter from the editor 15 Contributors 16 access 21 Bag Check Take a peek inside Tom Kite’s golf bag to find out what items he can’t live without on the course. 25 The Lab Preview the newest fairway woods, an irresistible line of luggage for the summer and Nintendo’s new 3-D handheld device. 32 Vice Looking for a tropical alternative to beer and white wine? Give these dangerously tasty tiki cocktails a whirl. 34 Muse Learn to avoid slip-ups with women as advice guru Jenn Clark tells us the best ways not to drive the ladies crazy. 37 Fuel Salt, the Central West End’s newest eatery, is serving up farm-to-tablestyle meals, made almost exclusively with locally harvested ingredients. 41 The Cut Discover Norwegian artist Sondre Lerche, and get the lowdown on this summer’s influx of comic book blockbusters.

45 Burn Fitness professional Greg Barker shares his balance-enhancing exercises sure to improve your game, and LPGA instructor Maria Palozola gives her tips on how to hit monster drives. 50 Executive Profile Logistics pro and golf fanatic Dennis Schoemehl is a master of mass transportation. Read how his company, Logistics Management Solutions, and his golf game are really going places. 59 Stitch Tired of strapping on the same old swimsuit every year? Learn how your body type can find you trunks that fit to a tee, and take a look at this summer’s coolest warm-weather attire. 97 AVIDDIVA Get to know the Gateway Area’s most charming cart girls. 102 Caddy Shack AVID talks with Sandy Jones, who tells what it’s like to caddy for pros such as Tom Kite. 103 AVID Calendar 104 Cease & Desist Matt Mathison gives his not-sosubtle opinion on the Players Championship and its moniker as “golf’s fifth major.”

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avid co-publisher Matt Mathison co-publisher Richard Riney

editor-in-chief Dan Michel associate editor liz miller art director Richard Kearns copy editor Bryan Hollerbach style editor JAN LEACH editorial interns RAFEEQ WARFIELD MICHELLE MARKELZ

contributing photographers MARK CHRISTIAN John Fedele RYAN SCOTT LESIA TATARSKY

contributing writers GREG BARKER JENN CLARK RYAN FALLER BRYAN FAQUIN KYLE HARSHA SEAN KELLY EVAN C. JONES MARIA PALOZOLA RYAN SCOTT FRED W. WRIGHT JR.

account executives Brett Borgard David Drovetti

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AVID Magazine is published by Flagstick Media Co. and has no affiliation with any other media outlet or publication or any variation thereof. This magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without expressed written consent of the publisher. For permission, please contact matt@avidmagazine.com. For questions, comments or feedback, please contact feedback@avidmagazine.com. Back issues, reprints and PDFs are available for an additional charge. For more information, please contact info@avidmagazine.com.

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letter from the editor

A Small Favor Working for a magazine, I’m often forced to impose on people. “I need 30 minutes of your time,” “I’ll need this story twice as fast” and “I need these images even larger” are phrases that come out of my mouth with astonishing regularity. I try to keep these impositions to a minimum and always accompany them with a “please” and “thank you,” but something about this issue made me feel as if I really stepped on some toes—more than usual, that is. Rounding up the city’s best and brightest star athletes—who also happen to be golf nuts—for a photo shoot was no easy task, but getting them to juggle, balance and throw golf equipment around a studio was an imposition I was slightly hesitant about. Photographer John Fedele jumped right in, joking and snapping pictures of these guys. He came up with some ideas that were slightly unorthodox but genius, and in true St. Louis fashion, these superstars were all great sports. They were as cool and cooperative as they are fantastic at their respective sports, and the shoot revealed some of the most compelling photos we’ve ever published. (Read the story on page 82.) We had to pull some strings with this month’s Stitch section, as well, including a last-minute model booking, scrambling to find a golf course where we could take pictures and shutting down the Four Seasons rooftop pool area for several hours while we shot on location. But these provisions, however stress inducing, made for a great Stitch section, packed with great ideas for summer clothes and swimwear. (Read it on page 59.) Still, nothing beats the task I assigned to new contributor Sean Kelly. After several rounds of pitches, all of which were hilarious, I gave him a story idea of my own: “I want you to investigate all these so-called ‘male-enhancement’ cure-alls that are so aggressively advertised and get the real story behind them. But more than that, I want you to test them, too.” I figured, hey, these are over-the-counter pills. They can’t kill him, right?

Worst-case scenario, he’s left with a bad taste in his mouth; best-case scenario, they work! Once again my imposing ways were met with great enthusiasm and energy. Mr. Kelly not only tested several of the most popular male enhancements on the market, but also pumped out a hilarious review of them and the strong hold they have on the psyche of the American male. (Read the story on page 77.) At least all of these tasks I’ve assigned to people have paid off, and I don’t appear to have burned any bridges in the process. Between the insightful interviews and fantastic photos in this issue, it might be the best we’ve done yet, but I’m just a wee bit biased. You tell me. Visit us at facebook.com/avidmag, and let us know what you think. —Dan Michel

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 15

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CONTRIBUTORS Writer SEAN KELLY is dedicated to his craft. “I’m proud to say that I will do anything— be utterly shameless in pursuit of a story,” he says. “My work this month is an obvious example” (page 77). Born and raised right outside of Chicago in Rolling Meadows, Ill., Sean has called St. Louis home for the past year. “My favorite St. Louis anything is Forest Park. Chicago has nothing like it.” Sean enjoys the outdoors, and likes to backpack and rock climb. He considers himself a connoisseur of old video games and lists Psychology Today, Newsweek and Mad Magazine as his favorite publications. Sean is currently training with his girlfriend for a marathon in 2012. “I’m only just starting, so I’m still in the ‘woefully out of shape’ phase,” he says.

Maria Palozola has received regional and national recognition for her impressive golf skills for almost 25 years. She is ranked as one of the Top 50 Best Teachers by the LPGA, and Golf Digest named her one of the Top 10 Teachers in Illinois in 2007 and 2008. Maria is active in the St. Louis golf scene, having founded The St. Louis Women’s Golf Academy and the Naked Golf Academy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing at the University of South Alabama, where she was a Division-I golfer for four years. When she’s not on the course with clients, she enjoys spending time with her children. For this issue Maria shares golf instruction for landing monster drives (page 46).

Freelance writer Ryan Faller, who wrote this month’s Burn: Rules story (page 48), spends most of his time penning articles for a handful of magazines and news outlets, but still budgets time for the important things, like trips to the gym and online dating. Ryan is a proud alumnus of the University of Missouri, and his work has been published in Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, Inc. and on ESPN.com and AskMen.com. Ryan’s initial career pursuits were in broadcast work, but the glamour of writing eventually won him over. “I actually graduated with a degree in television and radio production, but switched my focus to writing once I realized my future may be defined by long days, longer nights, measly pay and the potential for food stamps,” he says.

Photographer John Fedele has been shooting photos full time since 2005, but his introduction to the arts came at a young age. “I grew up with a father who always seemed to be snapping family photos on his Canon,” he says. “And my mother, who is a full-time artist in St. Louis, exposed me to the arts early on.” In 2010 John was elected president of the St. Louis outlet of the American Society of Media Photographers, a position he still holds. For this issue he shot photos of St. Louis’ top athlete golfers (page 82). “I love the creative process and environment on a shoot where I’m able to collaborate with my clients, crew and subjects. It can be quite chaotic, and I find it to be invigorating and fulfilling when I can mold all of these elements into the final images.” When he’s not working in his studio, John spends time with his wife Sara and their two children.

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 17

ACCESS

AVID Magazine’s monthly round-up of facts, figures and useless information from the world of golf.

Number of shots Kevin Na took at the ninth hole at the Texas Open in April. For his efforts Na set a PGA Tour record for the most strokes on a par-4.

10 years University of Missouri – St. Louis has advanced to the NCAA regionals for the first time in 10 years.

1960

Year the PGA Championship became a major championship tournament.

– TWENTY-FOUR

Nicolas Colsaerts set a tournament record at the China Open in April, finishing at 24 under to win by four shots over a group of four players.

3,100 ft

Length of Lake Michigan shoreline at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club in Arcadia, Mich. Discover the beauty and course play on page 66.

1941

6,980 YARDS

Year that Marvel Comics (then called “Timely”) released its first Captain America comic book. See page 42 for details on the film adaptation hitting theaters this July.

30% # 1

# 1

18 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

Length of the championship course at Quail Creek Golf Club in south St. Louis County. Get the lowdown on playing this track on page 53.

How much premium golf-ball sales increased in the first quarter of 2011 from the same period last year.

number 1

For the 48th time the world No. 1 ranking has changed hands. It now belongs to Britain’s Luke Donald.

$500

MILLION

Amount the owner of male enhancement company Enzyte was forced to forfeit in 2008 in the wake of a fraud and money laundering scandal. Read more about male enhancement products on page 77.

25th

Anniversary of the St. Louis Golf Classic for Kids happening this year on June 13 at Glen Echo County Club. All proceeds will benefit Boys and Girls Town of Missouri.

TWO

Number of holes-in-one a golfer in Worcester, U.K., hit in a single round in April at Worcester Golf and Country Club.

$1.03

million

In winnings earned by Brandt Snedecker at the Heritage Tournament in April. The win was Snedecker’s second career title on the PGA Tour.

6,743

580

Number of stolen bases Ozzie Smith had over his 19year career. Learn about Smith’s passion for golf on page 82.

Number of yards Forest Hills Country Club has from the longest tees for a par of 72. Turn to page 103 to learn what events are happening this season at Forest Hills.

Congratulations To St. Louis native Scott Langley, who has been named to the watch list for the 2011 Ben Hogan Award.

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ACCESS This Month’s Mulligan

AVID Magazine’s monthly round-up of facts, figures and useless information from the world of golf.

Course: Innsbrook Resort Pro Since: 2007 Handicap: Scratch Course You Learned On: Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, Ind.—that’s my hometown. Golf Mentor: I would say Ron Holmes; he was a very world-class amateur player that I played a lot of golf with. Still to this day he is a fantastic golfer. What’s in Your Bag: I carry Adams drivers, 3-wood and 5-wood, PING putter, and I have the Adams CB2 irons and wedges. Most Notable Golf Partner: My brother Lee. We played a lot growing up. He’s my older brother and he’s a very good golfer. He’s always inspired me to play better. Favorite Golfer to Watch: Freddie Couples. He’s older, like me, and I like his relaxed approach to the game. He stays very much in rhythm—he’s a wonderful rhythm player. He’s always been very powerful, but he does it with such great ease. Greatest on-Course Accomplishment: I’ve had five double eagles. I’ve never had a hole-in-one—I wish I would—but I’ve had five double eagles. My first was with my son. We were in Vale, Colo., and it was getting dark, and it was the 18th hole at Eagle Vale Country Club. We hit our second shot to a par-5, and we looked for five minutes for my ball and couldn’t find it. Then looked by chance, and it was in the hole. Favorite Part of Teaching: The interaction with the players and watching them improve, and the joy that they get by improving. Once you see them grow in confidence, that’s great feedback for a teacher. Last year I did more than 350 lessons, and all of them have come back to me saying they enjoy the game more. The reason they enjoy it more is that they’re more confident. Must-Haves on the Course: The only real superstition I have is that my clubs have to be situated in my bag in a certain way. If they are somehow wrong, my whole karma is in jeopardy. 20 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

—Jim Thorpe, after returning to the Champions Tour following a year-long prison sentence for tax evasion.

Hackwards Masters’ Bat Big PGA young gun Rickie Fowler, known for his flamboyant fluorescent getups, has been reprimanded twice in the past year for wearing his brightly colored hats backward in violation of two prestigious clubs’ dress codes: Quail Hollow and (not surprisingly) Augusta National. Fowler, not wanting to cause a scene, obliged. Apparently it doesn’t matter how unattractive your clothes are at these courses, so long as they’re worn “properly.”

Mistake

During this year’s Masters at Augusta National Golf Course, a security guard denied reporter Tara Sullivan of The Bergen Record the opportunity to interview golfer Rory McIlroy because of her gender. “This is not an issue of sensitivity,” Sullivan says. “This is just an issue of doing my job.” The guard on duty told Sullivan that female journalists are not allowed in the club’s locker room, an erroneous claim that Augusta communications director Steve Ethun apologized for several days later. This was the fourth time Sullivan has covered the Masters, but the first time she’s been denied reporting privileges.

DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION PGA Tour golfer Ben Crane is known for his straightforward, but toned-up style, which Crane says has earned him a reputation as “a boring person.” In April, Crane released a video that should put such rumors to rest. In its first few seconds, Crane confronts those who called his personality bland, arguing, “I grew up in the dance academy.” The remaining 60 seconds of the video show Crane dancing, mostly half-naked, to “Respect Your Partner” by Con Bro Chill. No, we’d say “boring” is no longer the right adjective to describe this guy.

SOURCES: CNN, Golf Digest, NBC Sports, stltoday.com PHOTO: Courtesy of Innsbrook Resort

Know Your Pro: Brad Ford

“Tom [Watson] sent me some letters [in prison], which were unexpected, and he gave me some putting tips, and when I saw him [on Wednesday], I said, ‘I could’ve used those tips 30 years ago.”

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Adoption Centers

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Our Animal Cruelty Task Force is the only organization in Missouri rescuing abused or neglected animals from puppy mills, animal hoarders, dog fighting rings and other acts of cruelty.

Full service adoptions of dogs, cats and critters (such as rabbits).

How You Can Help Make a gift. Become a Humane Hero. Volunteer. Call 314-951-1542

Veterinary Medical Centers Open to the public and certified by the American Animal Hospital Association—our 3 full-service veterinary medical centers see 47,000 patients annually.

Last year, the ACTF conducted more than 4,400 investigations of possible animal abuse involving more than 25,000 animals.

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JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 21

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BAG CHECK

Photos: Courtesy of Acushnet Company, Callaway Golf, Coca-Cola, Diamond Foods, Kraft Foods, Rife Putters, Sun-Maid, Sun Mountain Sports, TaylorMade Golf

AVID peeks inside Tom Kites’s golf bag to see what clubs he carries and what he can’t live without on the course.

+ Peanut-butter sandwiches, trail mix, raisins, water, and mixed nuts

Clubs, from top to bottom: Driver: TaylorMade white Burner Superfast 2.0 (8.5-degree) Woods: TaylorMade Burner 3-wood (13-degree), Titleist Pro Trajectory 97F 5-wood (18.5-degree) Hybrid: Titleist 3-iron (22-degree) Irons: Callaway X irons Wedges: Titleist Vokey wedges (56- and 61-degree) Putter: Rife TwoBar, long putter JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 23

SH T Oceans of Hope Dream Gala May 7, Kemp Auto Museum Guests of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oceans of Hope Gala were treated to an underwater extravaganza complete with nautical-themed cocktails, silk performers swimming down rafters and stilt-walking jellyfish. In addition to deep blue sea dĂŠcor and diversions, the evening included live music, dinner and an awards ceremony hosted by KMOV-TV news anchor Russell Kinsaul. The evening raised $1 million to fund research and treat, cure and prevent juvenile diabetes. A

Photos: Blacktie Missouri

Dana and Arash Amini

Joann and David Berg, Linda Moreland

24 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

Kathie and John Silberberg

Bob and Laura Roeder, Emily and Derek Repp

Ron and Caroline Koenig

Matt and Jennifer Harbaubh, Dianna and Anthony Sardella

Roz and Carlos Perea

Vonnie and Greg Jurley

Melissa and Jim Fox, Ginger and John Eichhorn

David and Gale Braswell

Larry and Leslie McDowell, Jennifer Betz, Kevin Davidson

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 25

sAKs FiFtH AVENuE MEN’s CollECtioN KNoW WHAt You’RE WEARiNG Our Italian-made pinstripe suit is crafted in luxurious super 120s wool

ST. LOUIS AT PLAZA FRONTENAC 314.567.9200 © SAKS FIFTH AVENUE 2010 ONLINE: SAKS.COM FACEBOOK.COM/SAKS TWITTER.COM/SAKS

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st. louis

THE LAB

Fair Game

Fairway Woods

No bag is truly complete without a quality fairway wood, and these three clubs will save you the shame of buying anything but the best.

Callaway RAZR Hawk

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Adams Golf, Callaway Golf, TaylorMade Golf

TaylorMade R11 Like the RAZR, the R11 fairway wood from TaylorMade was named on Golf Digest’s Hot List for 2011, receiving the accolade almost immediately on its release this past March, and it’s clear why. The R11 is easily the most versatile club on this list, giving players the ability to manually alter the loft and angle of the club face via flight-control technology and an adjustable sole plate, respectively. TaylorMade throws in a specialty wrench so you can morph the R11 to fit your trajectory specifications, but two weights that sit on the back side of the club can also be arranged for you discerning shot-shaping artists who love a good draw or fade. Essentially, the R11 is multiple clubs all in one, which could go a long way in helping you slim down your bag and fatten your wallet—assuming you can budget the $300 for the snazzier titanium version. But there’s one crucial caveat to consider: The R11 could be its own worst enemy. Per our research, it can be a struggle to hit, but that’s nothing a little prepurchase inspection can’t quell. $300, Golfsmith, 11955 Manchester Road, 314.822.2374, golfsmith.com

The only thing more appealing than the RAZR’s forged-composite material, which Callaway codeveloped with Lamborghini and claims is lighter and stronger than titanium, is its price tag. Retailing at a cool $230, the RAZR is the cheapest among this trio of clubs and has drawn favorable reviews for its noticeable blend of consistency, playability and forgiveness—which can be directly attributed to what the manufacturer calls “aggressive VFT technology.” In layman’s terms that means a larger sweet spot for fewer missed hits and greater distance. Callaway also shrewdly contoured the surface of the club head to complement the weight, which equals higher speeds at impact and a reduction in drag of more than 43 percent over the RAZR’s predecessor, the FT-9. Finding dissenting opinion about the RAZR Hawk was like pulling teeth, but if we had one complaint, it’s that some testers cited a muffled sound at impact. When you’re blowing the ball by everyone in your group, though, that’s splitting hairs. $230, Golf Galaxy, Multiple Locations, 800.287.9060, golfgalaxy.com

ADAMS F11 SPEEDLINE A revolutionary in club design dating back to the 1997 release of the groundbreaking Tight Lies series, Adams knows a thing or two about fairway woods. Say hello to the company’s newest breakthrough, the F11 Speedline, which promises a tempting harmony of increased forgiveness and better distance. The key is a patent-pending design tweak called velocity slot technology, which is designed to enhance aerodynamic drag of the club head and produce a spring-like effect upon impact, resulting in a 21 percent improvement in forgiveness and up to 12 additional yards. As has been the case with many Adams products, the F11 Speedline has drawn concerns for its funky appearance, but we promise the slots on the crown and sole of the club are only a means to an end. With that said, you certainly wouldn’t be alone if you find the overall look too distracting. In the end you have to deem what’s more important: aesthetics or increased forgiveness. With a $200 price tag, maybe it’s worth trading traditional appeal for newfound accuracy. $200, ProAm Golf, 3174 S. Brentwood Boulevard, 314.781.7775, www.proamgolfctr.com

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THE LAB Luggage

Classic Carry-ons Keep your luggage as cool as your wardrobe with these stylish bags.

AVID-Approved

Mulholland

372 Sutter Street San Francisco, Calif.

shopmulholland.com

man’s luggage reflects how he wants the world to see him. For the past quarter-century, Mulholland, a high-end leather-goods brand founded in San Francisco, has made chic, yet undeniably rugged luggage that complements any man’s style. Using materials like extra-durable leather, deerskin and waxed canvas, Mulholland bags are sturdy and cool and only look better with years of wear and tear. For co-founder Jay Holland, fine luggage and leatherwares are a way of life. “We started Mulholland in the basement of our house, making hunting gear,” says Holland. “We’re all into hot rods and motorcycles, so we tailored our activities—and our products—around the kinds of cars we were driving at the time.”

PHOTO: Mark Christian

As the Mulholland brand expanded, it began manufacturing clothing, wallets, outerwear and golf gear. Still, of all its wares, Mulholland’s luggage takes the brand to a new level of cool. The bags’ expert coloring and construction make them pieces that will still look stylish and survive for generations. “Our bags have a feel—a look,” says Holland. “There’s incredible attention to detail. In some cases it’s really just a nuance, but it’s important to us.” It’s that attention to detail that caught our eye and makes Mulholland one of the finest luggage companies around. —D.M.

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THE LAB Golf Shoes

Putt, Putt, Spike New technology makes walking the golf course a greener experience for players, course managers and the environment.

It isn’t on the market yet, but Kickspike technology is already the talk of the golfing world. Anthony Kim, Tiger Woods and Paul Zinger have all shown interest, and it’s gaining attention with the USGA, the PGA Tour and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. That’s because, as cocreator Darrell Bachmann explains, Kickspike isn’t just another golf shoe; it’s a totally new concept. “You don’t need traction when you’re on greens,” he says. “You only need it from tee to green, and now you’ll have that.”

AVID-Approved

Kickspike 1.778.476.5757 kickspike.com

Kickspike celebrated its soft launch at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, where an overwhelmingly positive reception encouraged Bachmann to further develop and perfect the mechanism. At present, Kickspike technology for golf shoes is still in its prototype stage, and Bachmann is in talks with national shoe retailers. He says that consumers can expect to see a model of the shoe early next year. “We’re looking at doing a golf shoe on our own or dealing with the top-tier brands (Adidas, Nike, FootJoy, Echo), one of those four,” Bachmann says. “So we’ll either be coming out with our own brand or dealing with one of the top-shelf brands.”—L.M. 30 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Kickspike

ts hybrid technology features retractable spikes that players can activate by simply knocking, or lightly kicking, the shoe in the right spot. Kickspike offers players optimum grip and traction while taking their swing, but takes green-destroying spikes out of the equation when they’re not needed. This creates a variety of benefits: Top golfers often complain— tweets by Ian Poulter, for example—about how badly spiked shoes damage golf courses, and as Bachmann says, it increases costs for golf courses to maintain manicured greens, and the fertilizers, fungicides and water use involved burden the environment.

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THE LAB

Third Dimension

Nintendo 3DS

Gamers who thought the Nintendo DS was a mighty upgrade from its original 8-bit ancestor are in for a 3-D awakening.

Not only does the 3DS have an inward facing camera to put your face in the game, it has two cameras on the outside to take 3-D photos to keep or to share.

If at any time the 3-D feature gets to be an eyesore, 3-D viewing can be switched off to reveal a 2-D gaming option.

Photos: Courtesy of Nintendo

lame it on James Cameron. 3-D had enjoyed its brief, headache-inducing moment in the sun and was on its way out when Avatar was released in 2009 and changed everything. Thanks to the success of Cameron’s blue-skinned aliens, all three dimensions are becoming standard throughout the entertainment world—movies, television sets and, as of this spring, the new Nintendo 3DS. The latest in a venerable line of handheld gaming devices that extends back to the classic Game Boy, the 3DS promises glasses-free 3-D entertainment that anyone with two eyes should be able to see and enjoy. The secret is the “parallax barrier display,” which creates an illusion of depth that’s visible to you—and anybody looking over your shoulder—sans the nerdy specs. Let’s just say you’ll be seeing Street Fighter in a whole new light. Nintendo’s currently advising that when playing the handheld, it’s important not to look too long or too hard.

“There’s a warning to only play so many minutes at a time, to take breaks,” says a manager at a St. Louis GameStop location. Fortunately, if break time arrives and you’re not ready to stop your furious button-mashing, 3-D viewing can be turned off with an analog switch on the side. You can choose to tone the effect down or turn it off entirely…but we’re fairly certain this is one warning you’ll be ignoring. Of course, if that was all the 3DS had to offer, it would be little more than a kid’s toy (admittedly, a neat one). But the sexiness doesn’t stop there. The processing power of this little giant easily surpasses Nintendo’s full-size console, the Wii. The internals of the device include an accelerometer and a gyroscope for potential motion-control game play. There are two cameras on the outside, enabling users to take 3-D photos, and a third camera above the screen for 2-D photos and videos. And if that wasn’t enough, the 3DS is Wi-Fi equipped, enabling you

to take on anyone else in the area—and someday, rumor has it, allowing you to stream Netflix videos as well. As of right now, launch titles for the 3DS are slightly anemic. “The hardcore Nintendo consumers are waiting for games that are coming out down the road,” says the GameStop manager. “Right now, if you’re a casual gamer, you’ll probably go for Pilot Wings or Super Street Fighter. But the Mario Karts are coming out, [as well as] the Legend of Zelda, so most people are waiting for those.” While you’re waiting for the 3DS library to expand, however, there are still options: The system is compatible with original DS games. And with Nintendo moving just shy of 400,000 units in the first week the device went on sale in March, that gives Nintendo 400,000 reasons to release new games as quickly as the company can create them. —S.K. JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 33

VICE TIKI DRINKS

Tiki Time

words: Kyle Harsha

A resurgence of WWII-era Tiki drinks is upon us, but fortunately, today, rationing is no longer a concern.

Everyone knows the sayings “There’s nothing new under the sun,” and “What goes around comes around.” Both of these adages could be used to describe what has happened lately in the world of cocktails. That’s right, gentlemen. Drag out your brightly colored shirts, pineapple-shaped mugs and hula-girl lamps. The days of the Tiki drink are officially back. The original Tiki bar was a Polynesian-themed joint called Don the Beachcomber, started in 1934 by Ernest “Donn Beach” Gantt in Hollywood, Calif. After WWII, with soldiers returning from the South Pacific, the craze hit full tilt thanks to a crop of Don the Beachcombers peppering the coast, as well as the iconic Trader Vic’s (started by Victor Bergeron in Oakland, Calif.) and another one of Gantt’s bars, Waikiki Beach. These were the bars where popular rumbased drinks such as the Zombie, Mai Tai, Scorpion Bowl and Piña Colada were invented, perfected and sold to millions of thirsty Americans. The modern brand of mixology practiced in St. Louis hot spots including Taste, Demun Oyster Bar, Salt, Monarch and Sanctuaria has seen a comeback of classic, retro-inspired cocktails. Here at AVID, we are fans of all things classic—and alcoholic. It should be noted that these recipes have seen many renditions over the past 70 years. So pick one, tweak it to fit your personal taste, kick back in a hammock, and sip away. A

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Piña Colada No, this isn’t the watered-down version served at the last all-inclusive resort you visited. This version is from the Painkiller NYC, a bar that is leading the charge in the Tiki revolution, and will change your view of the drink forever. 1½ ounces aged Puerto Rican rum 1½ ounces cream of coconut 1½ ounces fresh unsweetened pineapple juice (not the sugary, canned stuff) 4 large chunks of pineapple 8 ounces crushed ice Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend for 45 seconds. Pour into a hollowed-out pineapple, and garnish with shredded coconut, an orange slice and a cherry. Serve with a straw.

Scorpion Bowl This is a drink normally made for a group of people and served in a large ceramic or glass fishbowl.

Mai Tai

6 ounces silver rum 6 ounces fresh orange juice 4 ounces fresh lemon juice 1½ ounces orgeat or other almondflavored syrup 1 ounce brandy 3 cups crushed ice, plus additional ice cubes for serving

There are literally hundreds of recipes for this Tiki cocktail. In fact, there’s still debate as to whether it was invented at Trader Vic’s or Don the Beachcomber’s. This recipe is sourced from the latter.

Combine all ingredients in a blender with crushed ice and pulse until the mixture is a half-blended slurry. Pour into the bowl and add ice cubes. Top with a fresh tropical flower and multiple straws.

2 ounces water 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice 1 ounce simple syrup (dissolve 1 cup sugar into 1 cup boiling water and let cool) 1 ounce dark rum 1½ ounces golden rum ½ ounce Cointreau or triple sec ¼ ounce Falernum syrup (available at specialty liquor stores) 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1 dash or scant Pernod or other anisetteflavored pastis Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice, and strain into a tall highball glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a piece of pineapple, an orange slice and a cherry, and serve with a straw.

Zombie Warning: This sucker is potent. There’s a reason behind its name—usually how you feel the day after you have a few of them. (Adapted from the Trader Vic’s 1934 recipe) 1 ounce Jamaican rum 2 ounces Puerto Rican rum ½ ounce 151-proof rum 1 ounce orange curaçao 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 1 ounce fresh orange juice ½ ounce grenadine Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with a large chunk of ice, and pour over cracked ice in a pint-sized Tiki mug. Serve with a straw. JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 35

MUSE “Men are problem solvers. But what women really want when we’re having a crisis is someone who can empathize with us. It makes us feel like you’re on our team. “

(*And Not in a Good Way) WORDS: Jenn clark

Do you operate like a CFO instead of a partner? One big way men often assert their power in a relationship is through finances, especially if they are the majority stockholder. Issuing her an allowance, sanctioning her for overspending or micromanaging her shopping habits will cause her to see you more like a financial director than an equal. And since no one likes to be controlled, it can inspire her to attempt a hostile takeover. Instead, manage your money as a team. Include her in the budget-making and financial decisions. If her paycheck outweighs your own, the same rules apply to her. It’s a responsibility that’s handled best when both parties are invested.

If you’re like most men, there’s probably been a time or two when you’ve wondered why the lady in your life is acting “crazy.” Although women are usually more proficient at demonstrating our emotions, many of us are not so adept at initiating uncomfortable conversations with our significant other—but then, you men aren’t always so great at that either. If you’ve hit a rough patch and can’t make sense of her behavior, it’s possible her conduct is due to some of the common mistakes men make in relationships. Take a moment and ask yourself the following questions: How to Get Her Do you put romance on the back burner? When the passion fizzles, women cease to feel like a lover and instead fall into roles such as mother, housekeeper and personal shopper. Although these are vital components of long-term relationships, women need to believe their man still finds them attractive and desirable. Just because the initial burn eventually evolves into a simmer doesn’t mean you have to settle for a deep freeze. Guys, it really is up to you to get those flames roaring again. So court her. Plan a date night or romantic weekend. This will help to reignite the spark and remind both of you that she’s still the same woman you fell in love with. Do you try to fix rather than listen? Generally speaking, men are problem solvers. But what women really want when we’re having a crisis is someone who can empathize with us. It makes us feel like you’re on our team. Telling her why she’s wrong, pointing out flawed thinking or immediately presenting solutions often makes matters worse. Here’s a simple rule to follow: Listen, sympathize and then offer your opinion. Do you let her call all the shots? It’s no secret that women respect and admire strong men. And to us passivity equals weakness. At first it may feel good to run the show, but ul36 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

Heart Racing* (*In a Good Way)

If your relationship isn’t sailing as smoothly as it once did, try some of these small gestures to get things back on track. Calm her emotions by giving her space. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. If increased attention is more appropriate, try forgoing a bit of your “guy time.” Turn off the game or skip boys’ night out, and spend the evening with her instead. Tell her where you’d like to go for dinner. And take her there. Show you appreciate all she does and take over one of her responsibilities for the day. Offer to drive carpool one morning, or do the grocery shopping without her asking. If all else fails, you can always fall back on a thoughtful compliment or a small gift.

Do you encourage her jealousy? Most women are constantly evaluating our female competition. It’s the reason we go on crazy diets, critically look each other up and down, and say snarky things like “I don’t get it. Heidi Klum isn’t that pretty.” (Side note: The correct response here is “You’re right, baby. She’s way too skinny.”) So if you’re one of those guys who has a roving eye or who feels the need to frequently comment on other women’s “hotness,” might I suggest you tone it down. Keep the guy talk where it belongs—in locker rooms and gentlemen’s clubs. I’m not trying to suggest that the responsibility for your woman’s happiness falls entirely on your shoulders. Not even close. Your woman doesn’t want you to define who she is; she just needs a little understanding. Hopefully, you’ve gained a bit of insight into how your behavior can affect hers and make the necessary adjustments. A

Have an issue you’d like Jenn to address? Send your questions to jclark@avidmagazine.com.

Photo: David Burridge

How to Drive Her Crazy*

timately we know that this isn’t how it’s supposed to work. When a man disengages from the relationship and has a “whatever you want, dear” attitude, this can frustrate a woman to no end. Not only do we interpret that as you don’t care, but we also feel overburdened and overworked. And that’s when the nagging starts. There’s nothing wrong with stepping up and taking a more active role.

THE COURSE NEVER LEAVES YOU

\11 SPRING & SUMMER LOOKS FRED COUPLES. PGA Tour Professional

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 37

ASHWORTHGOLF.COM

The golfing metaphor normally goes here.

Sure, we could talk about “driving straight” to market with an “eagle-eye” strategy. But your business probably works with a marketing agency who talks like that already. We’re sorry. Because at Scorch, we connect our clients and their customers with smart integrated marketing, digital and social media strategy that not only gets noticed, it gets results. Some might say we “really crush it at the tee” with our approach. But we never will. Want to talk more? Need to talk more? Hit us up, we’re here.

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FUEL : SALT

farm-fresh cravings cured at Salt The Central West End eatery is the latest to serve locally harvested ingredients in an upscale, cozy environment.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Salt

words: kyle harsha

When you think of salt, you think of something simple—a basic building block that is essential to almost all of the food we eat. This is exactly what Wes Johnson had in mind when he named his new restaurant. Located in the former Savor space on Lindell in the Central West End, Salt is the brainchild of Johnson and his partner, Brendan Hickham. Opened in April, the new eatery features American “farm-to-table” food and is quickly becoming the place to congregate for those in foodie circles. You may recognize this chef from his previous stints around town, previously at the Shaved Duck and most recently at Eclipse Restaurant at the Moonrise Hotel. “What we saw was a window of opportunity,” Johnson quips with an easygoing smile. “We wanted to create a spot where dining is more about being social than about the food.”

And social it is. With patrons at the bar chatting with strangers about the delights they’ve ordered while sipping on cocktails prepared by bar manager Matt Obermark, you get the feeling that this is a place you’ve been to before. The décor alone is a story. For now, let it suffice to say that the bar features dark woods that create a comfy atmosphere, the dining room is bright with a springtime feel, and the upstairs could be described as an Egyptianinspired bordello. Just because the restaurant’s theme is “simple, essential,” don’t think that the food isn’t good. Johnson, in talking about the name and philosophy, says that salt is “the most simple element. It’s in everything we have,” he says. “We don’t like to do complex things. In fact, we’re pretty old school. Our menu harkens back [to old food] instead of toward modern food.” This concept can be seen immediately in JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 39

One thing that Wes Johnson is adamant about is sourcing his food from local producers. “Why would I buy a can of tomatoes with garlic and herbs in them when I can buy the same things locally or grow them myself?” he spouts. Johnson and his staff buy a bulk of their meat, sausages, vegetables, cheese, fruit, and eggs from these producers, who operate within 100 miles of the St. Louis area:

Buttonwood Farms (Grass-fed beef) Greg Pusczek of Nature’s Way Gardens (Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs and Cut Flowers) Baetje Farms (Artisinal Cheeses) Schubert’s Packing (Meats, Sausages) Mills Apple Farm (Apples) Andy Ayers of Eat Here Saint Louis (Vegetables, Mushrooms, Eggs, etc.)

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the selections on the menu, which is rife with country-style foods such as terrenes, cheeses, rillettes and game. The menu is also uncannily affordable, with small plates ranging from $5 to $9 and large plates not exceeding $17.

Dessert options are few, but precise. If you don’t go for one of the cheese plates, definitely try the Candy Bar. It arrives with chocolate, nougat and a bit of sea salt to make it seem, well, like a spruced up candy bar.

An excellent way to start your meal is with the pear salad with blueberries and smoked jowl bacon. The tart, crisp texture of the pears plays delightfully with the darker fruit flavor of the blueberries and the smokiness of the bacon. Another fantastic small plate is the seared scallop, served with a jar of cracked mustard sauce and actual hickory smoke that you “pour” over the perfectly cooked, fleshy meat. Fans of Johnson’s cooking at the Shaved Duck will be relieved to know that the duck-fat fries also made it onto the menu again. They are delicious, but come in a bird’s-nest form that can be difficult to eat. The chef assures me that the form is being fixed.

Because the restaurant is so new, the cocktail and wine list is still in developmental stages, but we hear that there will be a strong slant toward classic items. Wine enthusiasts might inquire about Salt’s wine-locker program, which is also in the works. There is a lot of buzz about this space, and rightfully so. Judging from my experience, Johnson and his crew will soon find themselves the subject of many “best of” discussions.

Assuming you have room after the small plates, check out the hay-roasted hen. It is expertly roasted (over hay, as advertised), juicy and succulent, served with locally grown grilled vegetables. For those that are looking for more heft, lamb steak, filet and pork steak are all on the menu. Novices and pescatarians alike will be happy with the seared trout, especially with the bright flavors of the chilled-pea salad that comes with it.

AT A GLANCE SALT 4356 Lindell 314.932.5787 enjoysalt.com Hours: Wed–Mon, 5 p.m.–Midnight; Sat–Sun, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Pricing: $$$$$ Style: One step up from farm attire, but jeans are still welcome. Cuisine: Farm-to-table, American-style food Chef: Wes Johnson, Brendan Hickman

PGA TOUR PROFESSIONAL

DUSTIN JOHNSON

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JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 41

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THE CUT: preview

Sondre Lerche

Who: Sondre Lerche Where: The Old Rock House When: June 15, 8 p.m. how much: $15–$17

Wistful singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche brings his brand of sunny guitar strumming to The Old Rock House.

Tracks to Get You Started: “To Be Surprised,” “stupid memory”

WORDS: Evan C. Jones

PLAY LIS T

10 New Songs You Need to Download Now “County Line”

Cass McCombs

“Underneath the Sycamore”

Death Cab for Cutie

“Learn & Burn”

The Sheepdogs

“I Don’t Want Love”

The Antlers

“The Valley”

Okkervil River

“Calgary”

Bon Iver

“Grown Ocean”

PhotoS: Courtesy of amazon.com, Big Hassle

Fleet Foxes

“Pumped Up Kicks”

Foster the People

“Brick by Brick”

Arctic Monkeys

“Last Night at the Jetty”

Panda Bear

ondre Lerche admits it’s not the most glamorous thing to do on tour, but one ritual seems to help him out a lot.

“I usually bring a candle because sometimes hotel rooms, the lighting or the decoration or whatever, the vibe can be a mental health hazard, in a way,” Lerche says. “When you check into a hotel, you turn off all the lights and just light a candle. A simple trick, but it can make all the difference in the world and change the whole vibe. It’s not very rock ’n’ roll, but f*** it.” The candles seem to be working for the Norwegian-born Brooklyn resident. His seventh album, Sondre Lerche, comes out June 7 and is full of mellow guitar tracks and Lerche’s soft, inviting voice. Growing up in Norway, Lerche listened to the ’80s music his older siblings played at home—he’s a fan of Norwegian pop outfit AhHa—but also sought out local artists at venues around his hometown of Bergen. He was able to gain perspective on the “model” of pop music waved on the airwaves, but the authentic singersongwriters he saw perform live had just as great an impact. “I find both the idealized and the realistic to be as real in a way,” Lerche says. “This album is much more concerned with how things actually are, but in the

past I’ve done records where it’s been more of an idealized version, or escape into an idea of how you would want things to be. They can both be very real and honest, but this new album is much more concerned without trying to see things how they actually are. Music creates mediums for both.” Lerche’s new album was recorded and mixed in a three-week window with producer Nicolas Verhnes, who recently recorded with experimental indie-rock sweethearts Animal Collective. Despite being on the opposite side of the musical spectrum, Lerche was up for the challenge. “What [Animal Collective] does is very different from what I do, but I really love that music,” he says. “I thought it’d be fun to work with someone who would bend and provoke the more ambient, abstract way of approaching it and also knew how to work with more

classic songwriters. I thought it’d be fun to work with Nicolas, and he had a hand in a lot of my favorite records of the recent years.” Lerche says that his latest record covers new ground for him, as he took a step back from straightforward songwriting and played with arrangements and sound. “I became more and more interested in music that didn’t come from songwriting, necessarily… traditional songwriting,” Lerche says. “I wanted to make more room for more atmosphere and more ambient.” On June 15 Lerche will bring his melodic music to The Old Rock House in downtown St. Louis. Fans can expect a smattering of songs from the musician’s catalogue, with tracks from the new album taking center stage. As long as there’s room for a candle, we’re sure Lerche will be able to tackle the challenge. A

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THE CUT: movies

Strip to Screen words: liz miller

AVID investigates how three big-budget comic book films will fare with moviegoers this summer

very summer sees its share of blockbusters and Hollywood flops, and each year comic-book adaptations usually fall into one of those two categories. This summer three films will fight for fan approval and box-office revenue. Here, AVID gives you the lowdown on each film and asks Jon Scorfina, general manager of comic shop Star Clipper (6392 Delmar Boulevard), to weigh in on this trio of superhero movies.

X-Men: First Class Opening: June 3 Director: Matthew Vaughn Starring James McAvoy as Professor X, January Jones as Emma Frost and Michael Fassbender as Magneto

Captain America: The First Avenger Opening: July 22 Director: Joe Johnston Starring Chris Evans as Captain America, Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull and Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips

Green Lantern Opening: June 17 Director: Martin Campbell Starring Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris and Mark Strong as Sinestro

For comic-book readers and probably actor Patrick Stewart, it’s strange to see Professor Charles Xavier with a healthy crop of hair. In X-Men: First Class, moviegoers get the back-story behind Professor X and his archenemy, Magneto. Well before James Howlett became Wolverine, Professor X and Magneto were working with other mutants to fight for survival. The film reveals the source of their schism and shows how the X-Men ultimately came to be.

Aptly slated for a July release, Captain America: The First Avenger is the first legitimate portrayal of the superhero on the silver screen. It chronicles the transformation of skinny, weak Steve Rogers into the U.S. Army–engineered supersoldier. In the movie, which is set in the 1940s, Captain America is dispatched to fight the Red Skull, Hitler’s head of advanced weaponry. Of the three films profiled here, Captain America might contain the most elements for surefire success: a familiar, fan-adored hero, intense action, sophisticated special effects and Marvel branding to back it all up.

Of the three films released this summer, Green Lantern is the only one from DC Comics. The film tells the story of skilled, slightly smug pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds), who is recruited by a brotherhood of aliens called the Green Lantern Corps., who protect the universe from evil. Jordan is the first-ever human chosen to wear a Green Lantern ring, and with the help of fellow pilot Carol Ferris (Lively), he’s tasked to help save the galaxy from ruin.

Expert Opinion: “The movie will only fare well if movie fans are not sticklers for continuity, which if X-Men Origins: Wolverine is any indicator, they’re not. Twentieth Century Fox might get lucky again with this one. It does have January Jones walking around as the scantily clad Emma Frost. However, of the four films released this summer, I say absolutely stay away from this X-tragedy.”

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Expert Opinion: “Captain America: The First Avenger looks like it will be the best of the summer lot. The only thing I could see hurting Cap’s performance is superheromovie fatigue. I’m also a little surprised they didn’t premiere the film on Fourth of July weekend for maximum patriotism. Either way, my bet is on [this film] to win the war of the summer comic movies.”

Expert Opinion: “Unfortunately, the first Green Lantern trailer didn’t seem to be the hit DC was looking for. With its bad CGI, overabundance of characters and an uncharacteristically goofy version of Hal Jordan, comic fans feared this was going to be the biggest bomb of the season. Thankfully, a second WonderCon exclusive trailer hit the Web, and a sigh of relief was heard throughout Sector 2814 [the title character’s intergalactic beat]. Green Lantern could surprise as the biggest hit of the summer.”

Photos: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Ent.

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 45

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BURN

Balancing Act

Center yourself with these balance-enhancing exercises designed to up your game.

Words: Greg Barker photos: lesia tatarsky

As a golfer you probably understand that maintaining great balance during your swing is a must. Less-than-perfect balance during any part of the swing can land your ball in a number of compromising situations. Improving balance involves five key components: vision, proprioception (the body knowing where it is in space), fluid in the inner ear, age and genetics. All play a key role in our balance or lack thereof.

from stimuli within the body,” proprioception plays a critical role in maintaining balance. With all of the variables that come into play—an uneven lie, moving limbs and long levers (standard drivers are 45 inches long)—a player’s ability to adapt to changes will determine what happens on impact. A great setup and a balanced stance at address will affect your ability to adapt to the stimuli produced. Of all the factors affecting balance, this may be the easiest to train, but the hardest to develop.

Vision Depth perception depends on vision on and off the course. However, a golf swing requires even more attention to detail because of the depth created by the space in which we interact. As the brain receives visual feedback (e.g., the yardage required for carrying a hazard), our ability to maintain balance during our swing can determine whether we can actually pull off a shot. Outside of balance the rest comes down to hand-eye coordination and player ability. The drills listed here can be performed with one eye closed to improve this component of balance.

Fluid in the Ear Your ears do a lot more than just hear. The fluid in the inner ear greatly affects how sound and nerve signals are transmitted to the brain. Any imbalance in this fluid can cause vertigo (dizziness) and blurred vision. Although most of us will never experience symptoms, moving your head left to right or up or down, like a nod, can cause balance changes. Have you ever been told to keep your head still during your swing? That’s because head position is directly correlated to maintaining your spine angle.

Proprioception Defined as “the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising

Age and Genetics The last components of balance are age and genetics, both of which cannot be

single-leg wabble board balance

1/2 STYROFOAM SQUAT

Single-Leg Balance (Eyes Closed) .

SINGLE-LEG CONE TOUCH

Less-than-perfect balance during any part of the swing can land your ball in a number of compromising situations.

changed—but that doesn’t mean our balance has to suffer as a consequence. One common balance-related injury I come across is someone who “fell and broke a hip.” In all likelihood it was probably the other way around—the hip broke first, causing the fall. Some of the exercises outlined here, which can prevent injury as well as enhance performance, are performed standing on one leg. It’s very important to train each side of the body independently. I like to have one side of my body support all of my body weight to stress the bones, joints (ankle, knee and hip) and muscles, which in turn prevents any deterioration of balance. These drills and exercises are a great start to improving your balance. Keep in mind that they’re not comprehensive and that if you already have great balance, you may need to increase the difficulty or search for new methods of training for balance. A

Greg Barker, BS, CSCS, is a personal trainer at NutriFormance in Frontenac. He works with golfers of all abilities, and can be reached at nutriformance.com or at gbarker@avidmagazine.com. JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 47

BURN INSTRUCTION

Driving Lessons Get back into the swing of things this summer, and learn how to hit monster drives with these three essential elements. WORDS: MARIA PALOZOLA

Coming off harsh winter and spring weather is always hard, but luckily, June is a perfect transition month for getting back into shape. Maybe you’ve lost a bit of timing in your swing, but focusing on the right elements can help you power up quickly. Focus on these crucial concepts to help achieve maximum results: technique, kinematic sequence, strength and flexibility.

Technique Ball Position Getting into a setup position to create power is key. The ball should be lined up inside the left heel so that you can catch it on the upswing a bit and have the right angle of attack. Long-drive champs often play it even more forward than that. You want to launch the ball high. Many of my students are surprised when they go to a tour event and see how high the tour pros launch their tee shots. Ball Height Again, tee the ball high. At the very least, half of the ball should be above the top of the club head. On the new, larger club heads, the sweet spot is slightly higher in the face than it was in days gone by. Swing Path Keeping your head behind the ball helps promote an inside-and-out swing path coming into the ball. This will produce a high launch with a bit of a draw and topspin, allowing the ball to release and roll a bit. Tons of students come to me hitting down on their tee shots from the outside, causing the ball to cut or slice with backspin, which effectively robs the golfer of 30 to 50 yards.

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Spine Angle You want to feel a little extra tilt to the right. This way you can use all your body weight to move through the ball and power the shot. Too many people get ahead of it, and all they have left to use is their arms and hands—very weak muscles compared to your core, back shoulders and legs. Swing Arc To generate a lot of rotational force and thus club-head speed, keep a wide arc in the backswing. Everyone has heard the old tip of “keeping your left arm straight.” The right arm is really the culprit here. Your left arm wants to stay straight and function as a lever, but when the right arm pulls in, it forces the left arm to break at the top of the swing. Try pushing your right arm out away from your body as you swing to the top of the backswing.

Kinematic Sequence Your kinematic sequence is the order in which your body parts fire. To achieve maximum distance you want your hips to fire first, and then as they slow, your shoulders will accelerate. Next, as your shoulders start to slow, your hands will fire the club. Having these body parts engage out of order can really slow things down and cause a huge loss of distance. Practice without a ball, listening for your club to whoosh in front of you. Then practice making it whoosh louder and louder. This will ensure you are accelerating your hands and club head late in the swing and not firing them too early. Remember: You need speed to create distance, and your driver is your “home-run club.” Strength and Flexibility I’m not going to lie to you. You can’t generate speed without strength and flexibility. Tight, tense muscles are slow muscles. Flexibility can go a long way to help you generate a wide swing arc and rotational speed, even if you aren’t muscle-bound. Men are constantly surprised to see good lady players, who are smaller and more flexible than they are, hit much farther. Get on a good daily stretching routine, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day right before you go to bed. Swinging a weighted club can do a lot for you whether or not you work out. It takes only a few minutes a day and will make your real club feel like a twig. If you do work out, focus on your legs, core and the back of your lead shoulder. Those are the power muscles in the golf swing. A study released by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Sports Medicine shows that at impact your abductor muscles (the muscles in your legs that help you push out) are bearing three times your body weight. So it’s crucial that these muscles are strong enough to support it. A

Release Release the club head as late as possible. You want to pull the club to the ball, not push it. The club head will get there merely because of centrifugal force. You don’t need to help it. Store your power and unleash it at the very last minute.

Maria Palozola is the founder of The St. Louis Women’s Golf Academy and the Naked Golf Academy. She is ranked as one of the Top 50 Best Teachers by the LPGA and currently instructs at the Big Bend Golf Center. mpalozola@avidmagazine.com

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BURN RULES

Settle the Score

The USGA’s newest game-changing revisions on how golfers should keep score WORDS: Ryan Faller

Scoring your card in golf is as simple and habitual as counting upward from zero, but the USGA frowns on anything less than absolute validity, so a brief brush-up on the repercussions of doing it incorrectly couldn’t hurt—particularly when brand-new revisions to the rules can potentially change the game.

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USGA 6-6 Keeping Score in Stroke Play By the (Rule) Book Far be it for us to judge, but unless you’ve earned a reputation for perhaps “misremembering” a stroke here and there, you’re probably keeping your own score. However, if you’re a by-the-book kind of golfer (or just a stickler for the rules) USGA Rule 6-6a states that the timeless art of scorekeeping is a craft to be deftly handled between the watchful eye of a marker and the schoolboy honesty of a competitor. 50 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

In short, a marker is someone appointed to keep the score of a competitor, who is simply a participant in a stroke-play format. Yes, we’re saying what you think we’re saying: Let someone else record your score. The rules stipulate that the marker confer with the competitor after each hole to settle on the correct score, so it’s not as if you’re completely relinquishing your duties. That said, be sure to reciprocate—be a marker to someone in need. We promise there’s an almost sinister enjoyment to be gained from knowing your partners won’t be able to shave off a stroke or two.

Sign Here, Please Equal parts marker and competitor, you’ve realized that this scoring thing can be taken a bit outside the box. After the round, sit down with the other members of your group—all of whom, not just one, could be your marker—and confirm that your card is correct. If things check out, have everyone responsible for keeping your score, yourself included, sign the scorecard, as outlined in Rule 6-6b. Repeat the process for each member of the group. If discrepancies arise, official procedure would be to take it up with a rules committee, but since you’re not on the PGA Tour, seek a consensus in the group, if possible. Otherwise, we recommend a best-two-out-of-three in paperrock-scissors. And remember: Once an agreement is reached, that’s it, as Rule 6-6c prohibits alterations being made to an official scorecard. Basically, put that eraser away. Failure to Proofread It almost goes without saying that each player is ultimately responsible for the validity of his or her own score, so in the spirit of accountability, the USGA reserves the power to disqualify any player who “returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken,” per Rule 6-6d. If that score is higher than actually taken, the higher score shall stand. Golf’s governing bodies take a hard stance when it comes to players having a thorough understanding of the rules, but recent incidences involving the disqualification of players because of video replay have led to some wiggle room. Hours before this year’s Masters tournament kicked off, the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club put into immediate effect a new interpretation of Decision 33-7/4.5, which previously disqualified a player if he or she turned in a score lower than actually taken, regardless of whether the player was aware of the error. Under the revision, if it is determined that a player is “not aware he (she) has breached a rule because of facts that he (she) did not know and could not reasonably have discovered prior to returning his (her) score card,” that player must incur the penalty associated with the rules breach, but is not disqualified. We’re sure Padraig Harrington and Camilo Villegas are thrilled with the timing of this new exception. A

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[ E xecutive ]

Dennis Schoemehl The transportation CEO who never stops moving shares how he got his start words: Liz Miller

photo: lesia tatarsky

Logistics Management Solutions, headquartered in Creve Coeur, manages transportation operations for industry heavyweights such as Monsanto, BASF, Emerson and Firestone, just to name a few. In 15 years the company has grown from three employees to approximately 170 and gone from a $350,000 startup to a $130 million corporation. In 2012 LMS plans to expand its domestic business into global markets. At the helm of all this is Dennis Schoemehl, LMS president and chief executive officer. It all started in 1996. Schoemehl was handling national account sales for Monsanto through another transport agency, and Monsanto was looking for a new partnership. Attuned to his client’s needs, Schoemehl approached the director of transportation at Monsanto with a bid. The company accepted his offer, and LMS was born on-site at Monsanto. Within two years LMS moved its offices to Creve Coeur and began taking on new business. In 2001 it launched T.O.T.A.L., a Web-based transportationmanagement system that’s customizable to fit client needs. “We are a boutique 3PL [third-party logistics company] that competes with national names such as FedEx and UPS supply-chain services, and we rank right up there with them,” Schoemehl says. “We developed our own software which really makes us different in the marketplace. Our proprietary system, T.O.T.A.L., allows us to compete with any of the global 3PLs in the market today.” Kerry Carey, marketing manager at LMS, has worked with Schoemehl for 10 years. She says his positive energy and enthusiasm help drive the LMS team in St. Louis and at its many satellite locations across the country. “He’s a step ahead. He’s a good leader and he’s just, to be honest, a lot of fun to work with,” Carey says. “He has a lot of passion for the business, and that translates into how he runs his company.” For Schoemehl the success of LMS is measured not only in industry, but also in the rewards of building a dedicated, 52 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

Schoemehl discusses golf with a palpable passion, comparing hard-won victories on the course to acquiring new business. tightly knit team. “It’s really been fun watching young people come through, just grow and go forward in life,” he says. Carey comments that many LMS employees have been with the business for five to 10 years and that Schoemehl has created a dynamic, enjoyable work environment for his staff, always going the extra mile to arrange staff parties, contests and incentive programs. She relates a recent contest that challenged employees to see who could eat the most White Castle burgers and office events such as “dress like Johnny Cash day” and the company’s annual Halloween party. “He’s passionate about his employees. He goes out of his way to make it a fun place to work,” Carey says. Employees and clients aren’t the only ones recognizing Schoemehl’s business accomplishments. LMS has accrued a long list of awards and distinctions, including “Top 150 Privately Held Companies” by the St. Louis Business Journal (SLBJ) four years running, and for the past eight years, it’s been named one of the “Fastest Growing Private Companies in St. Louis” by the SLBJ. Industry publications such as Inc. and Inbound Logistics have recognized LMS for its success and innovations, and in 2004 Ernst & Young awarded Schoemehl its “Entrepreneur Of The Year” award. Schoemehl says he subscribes to the Jack Welch business model that companies must grow with their industries to thrive. “You have to stay tuned in, and you have to be able to be willing to change as you go forward,” he says. His drive and focus aren’t relegated only to the workday—he brings the same competitive spirit to his golf game. Schoemehl picked up the sport with fraternity brothers while studying at Southeast Missouri State (SEMO), “the Harvard of the Mississippi,” he says wryly. At SEMO he played college football for four years, and today, keeps ac-

tive on the golf course. Schoemehl is a member at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka and Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood, and although he admits a good golf game has a place in the business world, he prefers not to mix work with play. “I traditionally keep business and golf separate,” he says. “Golf, for me, is to relax and enjoy myself. I like to play a lot of golf, but I’m one that thinks golf isn’t always for business.” Instead, he takes in games with friends and with the fraternity brothers he first learned the game with. He says that the most difficult part of a round is landing a ball where you’d like to and says it all comes down to the challenge and reward of hitting a monster drive. “Some days you feel great when you’re finished, and other days it’s not so great. It’s how you play—it’s how you feel after a great shot,” he says. “You may be playing a horrible round of golf, and then you hit a par or birdie the last hole, and you’re like, ‘Wow, what a great game.’ You walk off the course with a great feeling.” He discusses golf with a palpable passion, comparing hard-won victories on the course to acquiring new business. “It really is an individual sport. It’s you against that course,” he says. “I think that from an athletic background, if you’re competitive in sports, you’re also competitive in business. You always want to do better, do better, do better. I think that’s one part that continues to drive me.” Schoemehl’s latest endeavor with LMS has been acquiring McCann’s Piggyback Consolidation Inc., an intermodal-marketing and freight company. LMS created a subsidiary it dubbed Freight Management Systems Logistics to manage the new services that his acquisition creates. “What we’re going to be doing with that is acting as a broker, if you will, for finding freight, trucks, transportation for clients, and also using intermodal [transportation], so, rail: rail to truck, truck to rail,” says Carey.

Quickfire What’s in your bag? Callaways in one bag and PING in the other. I carry Callaway X22s. Odyssey is the putter I use, and my woods are also Callaways. Any items you must have on the course? No, not really. I wish I could just have more patience. Which golfers do you follow? It’s changing so quickly. [At the Masters] it was a shame to see Rory fall apart. I enjoy watching him, and I still enjoy watching Phil and Tiger. It’s just fun watching the younger kids come along as the sport’s evolving. What’s your dream course? I played Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Spanish Bay in February, and I’d love to go back and play Spyglass again. It’s the hardest course I’ve ever played—very difficult course. Pebble is absolutely a beautiful course as far as the aesthetics of it and the way that it plays. It gets a lot of play. There is so much scenery that you almost get distracted. You’re standing there going, “Wow, I can’t believe I’m playing this course.” It’s beautiful. When did you begin playing golf? I picked it up later; I picked it up in college. That’s when I first started playing. I went to Southeast Missouri State. I played football there for four years at Southeast and picked up golf with fraternity brothers. Who do you golf with? Normally I play with friends. There’s a group of guys who play on a regular basis. I still play quite a bit with some of my old fraternity buddies, and then I also play, depending on which course I’m going to, with a group of guys. One course we have a game on Wednesday, another we have a game on Friday afternoons.

Moving ahead, Schoemehl says that clients have inquired about the company expanding its business model into international markets—so that’s exactly what it will be doing. “Some of the more rewarding things are the competition to grow,” he says, adding that LMS technology should have a European presence as early as 2012. A

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QUAIL CREEK GOLF CLUB co u rs e opinion

WORDS & PHOTOS: Ryan Scott

On the edge of the Meramec River is a course that makes the grade and challenges your game.

or 25 years there’s been a course in St. Louis County showcasing the highest slope rating of any course in the area: 141. It’s a course designed by Hale Irwin and Gary Kern to be a true championship course, and it’s hosted USGA events, as well as a U.S. Open Qualifier. Built on the tip of the Ozark Plateau less than a half mile from the Meramec River, the course features a combination of water and elevation change you won’t find elsewhere in the area. The course is Quail Creek. Have you played it? I’ve had Quail Creek on my list of courses to play for a couple of years now, but many times talked myself out of it because the slope rating seemed daunting. The thought of having to buy more balls at the turn because all yours are in the bushes never builds confidence. But having managed other difficult courses such as Stonewolf Golf Club and Tapawingo National Golf Club, I was up to the challenge.

Many different factors go into a course’s level of difficulty, however. Slope rating alone isn’t absolutely telling of how difficult a course is. Instead it indicates how much more difficult a course is to the average bogey golfer versus a scratch golfer. The higher a slope

rating is, the more trouble a bogey golfer is going to have putting up a respectable score. Quail Creek’s slope of 141 means that if you have trouble hitting fairways and carrying greens, you’d better bring a full bag of balls. And the course creates the challenge through many means, primarily tight and long fairways with many forced carries to the green. The saving grace for the high capper is that most greens are large enough to be somewhat forgiving, so take some of the distance out of play, and you still have challenging but less sweat-inducing slopes of 130 from the silver tees and 118 from the greens. I prefer a challenge without being totally humbled, so my round was from the silver tees. If you’re a slow starter, you’ll appreciate that Quail Creek doesn’t immediately throw you into the fire. Holes 1 through 3 are relatively straightforward and will provide scoring opportunities for the average or better ball striker. On Number 4 you get your first glimpse of what’s to come: a 400-yard par-4 with a narrow landing area and hazards on either side. Hopefully, you’ve found your swing by now, because after a well-placed tee shot, you’ll need a solid approach to avoid the traps on either side of the green. Holes 5 through 7 continue to ramp up the difficulty, each JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 55

course opinion

with their own set of tests. Number 6 has a daunting tee shot through trees left and right that then must carry a drainage ditch before reaching the landing area. Your approach on 6 is long for a par-4 that’s a forced carry onto a green with plenty of protection from bunkering and trees. Hole 7 is the first par-5 of the day and another intimidating tee shot, which narrows at the landing area. From there it’s over a creek and up a hill that will require around 200 yards to put yourself into position for the green. Fortunately, the green here, like many at Quail Creek, is large enough to attack and make up precious strokes. Moving to the back, Number 10 is a hole that’s difficult to play the first time around. It requires some knowledge of what’s ahead. Your tee shot must travel through a narrow path of trees and land on a fairway that doglegs right and is hidden by the right-side tree line. I hit what I thought was a perfect tee shot, curving around the trees and with plenty of distance. But I actually rolled off the end of the fairway and was directly under the branches of a tree that blocked my shot onto the elevated green. From the two forward tee locations, this is a totally different and much easier hole. The final six holes, 13 through 18, are a wonderful stretch that present a diverse array of challenges and shots required to meet them. Thirteen is a long par-3 that will make you earn that score, and 14 is one of the prettiest tee shots you’ll find in the St. Louis area—elevated and looking out over the picturesque, rolling par-4. Step onto the 15th tee, and you’re in for a treat. It’s a majestic hole with a layout reminiscent of Augusta National. The hole doglegs twice, with a draw from a long iron or fairway wood being the preferred shot off the tee. From there you have a demanding approach over a creek onto the green. This hole is consistently rated as one of the toughest in St. Louis, and if you ask me, it’s possibly the most beautiful I’ve seen. Quail Creek is worth playing for this hole alone. The par-3 Hole 16 is beautiful as well, almost the shorter version of 15 with the same kind of challenge. You must carry a creek onto the green, and any offline shots will land in deep trouble. Seventeen and 18 bring the lake into play, with 17 as a long par-5 that 56 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

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JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 57

course opinion

SHOW-ME LEGEND HalE Irwin

tees off over the water. The large bunkers on 17 will force most players to adjust their club selection. If you go for the green and don’t get all of it, you’ll likely end up on the beach. Eighteen travels the other side of the lake, but likely won’t bring it into play for most hitters. It’s a nice finishing hole that will give you an opportunity to close the day with a birdie. What struck me most was how well Quail Creek works with the land. Each hole feels as if it was put there by nature, not man. And talking with general manager George Ermold, that’s what Irwin and Kern envisioned when they designed and built the course. When you begin with a piece of land such as this, you end up with a wonderful variety of holes and shots required. Quail Creek will stress every part of your game and treat your senses at the same time. George describes the course as a solid “B+,” one that has all the makings of an A course, but purposely lacks all the amenities of the finest courses. The cart paths are a bit rough, some out-of-bounds areas aren’t meticulously manicured, and the clubhouse doesn’t have all the size and stock of many top-tier courses. The upside to this is that Quail Creek keeps rates within reason for any budget, and there’s no sacrifice in the enjoyment of the course itself. After playing I’d agree with George’s assessment of Quail Creek. If you want a true test of your skills, play the silver or gold tees. If you want something a bit less stressful, then play the green tees, and you’ll still enjoy the same high level and variety of golf. Either way it’s a course that deserves to be in the discussion for finest in the region. A

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the d e ta i l s Year Opened: 1986 Course Length: 6,980 Yards Designer: Hale Irwin & Gary Kern Head Pro: T.D. Morris Grass: Burmuda, Bent Grass Rates: $19.50–$59.50 Other Info: 6022 Wells Road St. Louis, MO 63128 314.487.1988 quailcreekgolfclub.com

Missouri has produced its share of golfing talent—names such as Bob Cochran, Jay Haas and 1946 Masters champion Herman Keiser come to mind. But one Missouri native stands above the rest: Hale Irwin. Born in Joplin in 1945, Irwin first picked up a golf club at age 4 and was a scratch golfer by 14. To date he has 20 PGA tour wins, including three dramatic U.S. Open victories. Now on the Champions Tour, formerly known as the Senior PGA Tour, Irwin has become the most dominant player in the tour’s history. With 45 victories he has a strong hold on the record for the most wins. Beyond his playing career the legacy of Hale Irwin will live on for many years to come through the work of his course design. Spending much of his life in St. Louis, Irwin is heavily involved in the landscape of the city’s finest golf courses. Quail Creek was one of his first projects, and he has since been involved in the renewal of courses such as Norwood Hills Country Club, Old Warson Country Club and The Courses at Forest Park. As one of the best players in golf, as well as one of its finest course designers, Irwin is a key component to St. Louis’ place in golf history.

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STITCH SUMMER IN THE CITY AVIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essential looks to get you through the summer, including how to score that impossible-to-find, perfectfitting swimsuit

WORDS: Jan Leach & Dan Michel PHOTOS: Mark Christian STYLING: Jan Leach HAIR & MAKEUP: Dalton Franklin Poolside at Four Seasons St. Louis: Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, $95; (Sweater) NSF, Neiman Marcus, $215 Blazer: Shirts: (T-shirt) J.Crew, Hotel $25; (Button-down) Armani Collezioni, Neiman Marcus, $625 Shorts:Plaza Polo by Ralph Lauren, Neiman Marcus, $90 Shoes: (Tennis Shoes) John Shirts: (Button-down) Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, Frontenac, 314.567.9811, $195; (Henley) Theory, Neiman Varvatos, Neiman Marcus,Nordstrom, $95; (Oxfords) Cole Haan, Plaza Frontenac, 314.997.3460, $198; (Sandals) John Varvatos, Marcus, $75 Shorts: Paperbacks, West County Center, 314.255.2000, $85 Belt: Saks Fifth Avenue, PlazaNordstrom, Belt: Lacoste, $65 Sunglasses: Carrera, Neiman Marcus, $140 Miansai, Watch: Emporio Armani, Neiman Marcus, $395 Frontenac,$145 314.567.9200, $78Nordstrom, Watch: Victorinox, Saks Fifth Avenue, $595 Bracelets: Neiman Marcus, $205 each Bracelet: J.Crew, $13 Hat: J.Crew, Duffel Bag: Nordstrom, Cole Haan, $328 Sunglasses: D&G, Saks Fifth Avenue, $150$40 Shoes: Sperry, $55 Tote Bag: J.Crew, Plaza Frontenac, 314.862.2739, JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 61 $85 Hat: Free Authority, Nordstrom, $30

STITCH All Hands On Deck Madras shorts are a fun, stylish alternative to their predictable khaki cousinsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not to mention you can wear them everywhere from the links to the bar. Go simple and casual with a faded T-shirt and a pair of Chucks, or ready yourself for cocktails at the country club with a button-down, a neutral tie and a deconstructed blazer. For those cool nights try a lightweight sweater and a pair of leather sandals for a dynamic look that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go out of style anytime soon.

Shirts: (T-shirt) J.Crew, $25; (Button-down) Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, $95; (Sweater) NSF, Neiman Marcus, $215 Blazer: Armani Collezioni, Neiman Marcus, $625 Shorts: Polo by Ralph Lauren, Neiman Marcus, $90 Shoes: (Tennis Shoes) John Varvatos, Neiman Marcus, $95; (Oxfords) Cole Haan, Plaza Frontenac, 314.997.3460, $198; (Sandals) John Varvatos, Nordstrom, $145 Belt: Lacoste, Nordstrom, $65 Sunglasses: Carrera, Neiman Marcus, $140 Watch: Emporio Armani, Neiman Marcus, $395 Bracelet: J.Crew, $13 Hat: J.Crew, $40 Duffel Bag: Cole Haan, $328 62 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

STITCH

Fit for a King Not sure what kind of swimwear is best for you? Let your body type show you the way. You won’t need to fret as much as the ladies, but a little forethought can go a long way when it comes time to show some skin. Here are some tips for picking out the right trunks for you, no matter your shape:

If you have an average body type, don’t be afraid to try trunks with racing stripes and surf prints, which are big this year. Wear a slimmer-cut leg; just be sure they hit you at least 3 to 4 inches above your knees.

Shorter guys should stick to shorter trunks. Those that fall past your knees will make you look as if you put on your dad’s shorts. The same goes for slimmer body types. Baggy shorts will make you look even skinnier. As a rule, only choose an elastic waist if you’re super trim around your midsection.

If you’re a little heavier, go for a darker short that hits a few inches above the knee and has a softer, more forgivable waistband. The most important tip for all body types is to keep your shorts, well, short. Make sure they don’t reach your knees.

Shorts (from the top): Boss Orange, Saks Fifth Avenue, $69; J.Crew, $53; Boss Orange, Saks Fifth Avenue, $79 JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 63

STITCH From Turf to Surf If you plan on hitting the pool after playing 18 holes, you’ll want to bring all your essentials with you, but leave your wife’s flowery beach tote at home. We’ve found a bag big enough to hold everything you need and manly enough that you’ll be proud to carry it. You’ll also need some of this season’s coolest footwear to get you there. Oh, and don’t forget to take care of your skin and slather on sunscreen while chilling by the pool. Our favorites are in the bag.

Teeing off at The Courses at Forest Park: ABOVE: Bag: Mark New York by Andrew Mark, Nordstrom, $295 Scarf: J.Crew, $40 Cap: J.Crew, $20 Flip-Flops: J.Crew, $24 iPad Case: Cole Haan, $98 Skin-Care Products: Clinique Skin Supplies for Men SPF21, Nordstrom, $23; Jack Black Intense Therapy SPF 25 Lip Balm, Nordstrom, $8; Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+, Nordstrom, $34 Sunglasses: Oakley, Golfsmith, 11955 Manchester Road, 314.822.2374, $151 Sandals (left to right): Cushe, Nordstrom, $60; Saks Fifth Avenue, $135; Clarks, Nordstrom, $45 BELOW: Shoes (left to right): Toms, Neiman Marcus, $95; Jack Purcell, Saks Fifth Avenue, $80; Cole Haan, $138

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STITCH

shoot THE BREEZE This season lots of clothing lines are introducing mesh into their golf shirts to keep players dry and cool. This design by Nike Golf is one of the cooler, subtler designs we’ve seen. To beat the heat, opt for lighter shades of blue, green and, of course, white. It’s the next best thing to golfing without a shirt.

Shirt: Nike Golf, Golf Galaxy, 16 THF Boulevard, 636.537.8400, $65 Shorts: Nike Golf, Golf Galaxy, $65 Belt: Nike Golf, Golf Galaxy, $45 Hat: Travis Matthew, Golfsmith, $30 Sunglasses: Oakley, Golfsmith, $151 Shoes: Adidas, Golfsmith, $100 Glove: Nike Golf, Golf Galaxy, $22 Socks: Nike Golf, Golf Galaxy, $8 Bracelet: Sabona, Golfsmith, $55 JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 65

STITCH

watch

B.R.M. G45-T $ 6,950 Cy Fredrics Jewelers 2719 Pfingsten Road Glenview, IL 60026 847-564-8828 cyfredrics.com

Clocking In in the life of a racer, every second counts. the same goes for the french chronographers at Barnard Richards Manufacture (B.R.M.), the group behind the ultra-sleek, race carinspired G45-T-AB—a timepiece fit for the most zealous racers and the biggest fans of the checkered flag alike. The G45’s Swiss-made automatic movement clocks every second with precision, and its checkered stainless steel case gives it a streamlined look. The lucky owners of this limited-edition wristwatch will keep a low profile with ultra slim stainless steel lugs—reminiscent of those from a formula-1 race car—but will certainly raise a few flags with its black and white odometer-like face, with its own hint of a red zone as the minute hand approaches the hour mark. Its ultra light hour and minute hands sport holes, like those found on high-performance disk brakes, making it a sporty companion on the track, and its sturdy leather strap makes it perfect for a night out as well. In addition to their stunning good looks, all B.R.M. watches are made in small quantities ensuring that you won’t soon come across any other like it. The watch is water-resistant up to 100 meters, but we’re guessing the only moisture your G45 will come in contact with is adrenaline-fueled perspiration that you can only experience from behind the wheel. Whether you’re a racer, a race enthusiast or just a fan of top-of-the-line designer watches, the G45 will keep your engines revved well past the finish line.—D.M.

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JET

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NORTHERN DELIGHTS One of Michigan’s most heralded golf courses comes with a resort experience that’s not easily forgotten. As you drive up to the entrance to the Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club, two features are impossible to ignore. The first is Lake Michigan to your left. You just know it will be part of your play on the course. The second feature is four sod-lined bunkers, two on each side of the entrance, each about 10 feet deep. They’re not part of the course—just a preview of what lies ahead.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Arcadia Bluffs

WORDS: Fred W. Wright Jr.

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JET There is a charming newness about Arcadia Bluffs, which opened in 1999, that suggests exclusivity. The lodge has 15 luxury guest rooms on the second floor, with amenities and nuances often found only at membership clubs. There’s a full practice range with a separate short-game facility. The golf carts even come GPS-equipped. There are natural features—elevated, undulating greens; unpredictable winds off Lake Michigan and those deep, deep sod-banked bunkers—that can challenge any handicap. In reality, there is no exclusivity to this course. If you can get there, you can play. It’s a daily-fee golf course open to the public seven days a week; from mid-April to mid-November, weather permitting. Although still being discovered by many golfers, Arcadia Bluffs has quickly earned recognition from the golfing world. Golfweek has rated the resort’s 18-hole course No. 1 in Michigan. And Golf Digest said Arcadia Bluffs is among the Top 100 public courses in the U.S. Arcadia Bluffs’ 72-par course sits on 245 acres of lakeside property. The Warren Henderson– and Rick Smith–designed course drops 225 feet from its highest point down to the bluffs and has 3,110 feet of shore frontage. “We see an estimated 22,000 rounds of golf here between April 1 and Nov. 13,” notes general manager William Shriver, a PGA member for more than 20 years. “And we’re in the middle of nowhere.” “Nowhere” being 55 miles from the nearest metro area, Traverse City, Mich., and 130 miles from Grand Rapids. On the map

Arcadia Bluffs is almost directly across Lake Michigan from Green Bay, Wis. Those who choose to stay overnight in the lodge, which opened in 2010, can choose from 10 rooms facing west, offering an elevated view of Lake Michigan, and another five offering a bright and early sunrise view. Each room comes with a king-size bed, a 50inch flat-screen TV and a private walkout porch. Each night’s stay comes with breakfast, 24-hour room service, laundry service and even shoeshine service. Lodging guests can also have their breakfast or dinner served in their room or even on their private patio. The dining room at Arcadia Bluffs, like so much of the lodge, offers expansive westward views of Lake Michigan, both from inside tables and from a dining deck. The menu, while limited, includes an emphasis on locally raised vegetables and fruits, plus fresh fish and aged beef. The restaurant’s much-talked-about wine inventory is on display, with hundreds of bottles cradled in cherry wood cases with glass doors. The course at Arcadia Bluffs is designed to offer challenging play, but also to endure Michigan’s tough winters, which can see as much as 200 inches of snow. And this is a links course. Set next to Lake Michigan, the course has almost no trees in play—except for one lone oak next to the No. 3 green. There are no water hazards here, either—except for the very big lake 30 to 40 yards away. “Hitting trees is not the problem,” Shriver notes. “The greens are very large and very undulating. That’s the course’s defense.” The first hole, a 498-yard par-5, provides a good introduction to the Arcadia Bluffs layout. It’s a very generous hole, according to Shriver. Driving from the tee, the landing areas are wide and

“Hitting trees is not the problem,” Shriver notes. “The greens are very large and very undulating. That’s the course’s defense.”

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tree-free. “There’s a huge margin of error off the tee,” Shriver says. “Nothing is hidden. You can take a couple of full swings to get to the green. People like that.” Once near the green, though, golfers encounter the course’s trademark—deep, sod-lined sand bunkers. But there are fewer of these trademark bunkers this season, thanks to maintenance. Several have been converted temporarily into more natural bunkers with sloped sides, allowing the wheat-like fescue to grow. The sod-walled bunkers have a life expectancy of only five to seven years, Shriver explains, so they have to be replaced and renewed. About 25 will be refurbished this year. “Still, we got a lot more out of them than we expected,” he adds. The sod-lined bunkers, those that remain, vary in height and challenge. Perhaps the deepest bunker is on No. 10—around 10 to 11 feet deep. At No. 14, the bunker is “shallow and deep,” Shriver says. He agrees that No. 10 is perhaps the course’s most challenging hole. There’s a ridge between the tee and the green, so players must use an aiming post to line up the drive. “If you hit your drive and go over the post so that you can’t see your ball, that’s a good shot,” he says. That will leave you with about a 185-yard second shot to the green. The finishing hole gives golfers a taste of Arcadia Bluffs’ biggest defense: wide, uneven greens. It’s uphill

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JET

After that last shot, you get to turn and take in Lake Michigan. “It’s a tough hole to finish, but you’re very rewarded when you do.”

The Cherry Hut Perhaps because Michigan’s winters can be so harsh, locals love to celebrate spring and its bounty. The first harvest— especially cherries—appears at roadside stands everywhere.

all the way from the tee, with a quite visible bunker to the right of the fairway. The second shot is elevated; you need to add a club, at least.

And one of the most popular off-property options for visitors of Arcadia Bluffs is on U.S. 31 in nearby Beulah, called The Cherry Hut.

Once at the green, there’s the gallery—usually a dozen or so golfers lounging in Adirondack chairs watching you finish. It’s a tough green without the spectators. There are not many flat spots, so there’s a lot of roll to the cup from every direction.

Established in 1922, the small restaurant features much more than just the obligatory, but delicious, warm-from-the-oven cherry pie (a la mode or plain).

“And once on the green, you still have some work to do,” Shriver says. But after that last shot, you get to turn and take in Lake Michigan. “It’s a tough hole to finish, but you’re very rewarded when you do.”

Guests can order biscuit-topped chicken pie and chicken salad topped with dried, tart cherries, or buy pies to go as well. The most popular items are creatively cherryfocused: cherry jam, cherry jellies, dried cherries, Cherry Jerry’s chewy sour cherries, cherry salsa—even cherry dog bones.

This is also where the GPS tracker on your golf cart can be your friend. Each hole is programmed into the GPS tracker, which can then tell you, within a pace or two, how far you are from each cup. “No need to get out and pace off the yardage,” Shriver explains. “It’s really helpful in terms of the pace of play.” Players can even order their lunch from the tracker at the end of the eighth hole, so that it’s ready by the time they make the turn. If Lake Michigan wasn’t visually distracting enough, the Arcadia Bluffs course also offers the occasional wildlife sightings. For example, there is a resident badger. “We’ve been chasing him for two years,” Shriver says. There are also deer, fox and bald eagles. A pair of the eagles has been nesting in the southwest corner of the property; they can often be seen soaring above the bluffs, Shriver says. The best views are at the No. 1 tee and the 11th green, which sits near the bluffs. As some locals like to say, catching sight of one of these magnificent birds coasting above the bluffs is sometimes the only way to score an eagle on the Arcadia Bluffs course. A

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Light up the Night wherever the night takes you. Experience the taste of all-natur al ingredients and artisan cr aftsmanship. It’s everything you never knew tequila could be.

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The Pen and the Club WORDS & Interview: Dan Michel

Photos: Courtesy of Jeff Colt, RODALE Books

St. Louis–born writer Steve Friedman pens a book about renewing his relationship with his dad over rounds of golf, just in time for Father’s Day.

egardless of age difference or physical ability, golf has always been a sport that fathers can share with their sons. We often hear touching stories from tour players such as Tiger Woods or Bubba Watson about the connections they shared with their fathers over rounds of golf and how, looking back, some of their fondest memories were those spent with their dads playing golf. Steve Friedman isn’t a golfer by nature—he’s a writer, but he understands as well as anyone the merits of quality time on the course. He was born in St. Louis to a golf enthusiast, but never developed much of an affinity for the game, as anyone can read in his latest book, Driving Lessons: A Father, A Son and the Healing Power of Golf. So when Friedman got the opportunity to mix his father’s passion for golf with his own for writing, it yielded a renewed faith in the bond between the two, as well as the one sport he never thought he’d come to like.

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“It’s such a maddening sport. Anyone can hit like Tiger Woods for one shot and think, ‘Oh, I’ve got it.’ I think the frustration and joy are very easy to share.” AVID: How did the idea for this book come about? Steve Friedman: About seven or eight years ago, I was freelancing, and I pitched the idea to Travel + Leisure Golf. I thought, “Hey, why don’t I learn to play golf from my dad, who is a big golfer? I’ve never been much of a golfer. And it’ll be an exploration of sorts of my relationship with my dad.” But my big motivation was a free trip to St. Louis, to make some money and to spend some time with my dad. I’ve been going through kind of a bleak time right now, and I think that’s reflected in the book. So it became a magazine article, and it ran in a much shorter version, and it won some awards. My editor at the time said, “You know, we should make this into a book.” He’s been pushing this for five or six years now. So that was kind of the genesis of it. AVID: Did your dad know about the project? SF: He knew about the magazine project. I think it’s safe to say he was a little surprised at the final result of the magazine story and especially the book. It’s clear in the book— we’re very different. I write about my family and myself for a living, and he’s a much more private person. He was like, “Does any of this really need to be published?” But he came around, and he was happy that I got a book out of it. It was great hanging out with him and playing golf. AVID: Did the process further develop your relationship with your father? SF: I think it definitely took things to another level. At first he said, “I don’t want this published.” And we had a lot of conver76 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

sations about that. He doesn’t care for a lot of private things to be published, but that’s what I do. So we talked about that stuff. We never really talked about our differences in that way. He kept saying, “I’m really proud of you, and I love you.” I said, “Dad, I know that.” This book is really about my journey of realizing that. As a kid, I often felt like, “Oh, my dad’s disappointed.” I think this book helped us get to a better place in regards to [our relationship with] each other. AVID: What is it about golf that allows for such bonding between two people? SF: This is a nongolf answer, but just the enormous amount of time you spend together and not actually golfing. There’s walking, riding—a lot of leisure time together. Also, it’s such a maddening sport. Anyone can hit like Tiger Woods for one shot and think, “Oh, I’ve got it.” I think the frustration and joy are very easy to share. AVID: I take it that your father was leaps and bounds better than you. SF: Yes. In fact, a couple months ago, my father was 79, and he shot his age. He’s quite a golfer. AVID: St. Louis was the setting for this book. How big a role did your hometown play in your writing? SF: I hadn’t really thought of that. In fact, I think if it had taken place in some neutral site, it wouldn’t have nearly the emotional richness. Being back in St. Louis takes me back. Just landing at Lambert airport, I cannot just remember, but feel, what it’s like to be younger there. I think all of

our interactions in the context of where I grew up and where he grew up and where his father grew up really added a kind of emotional texture to it. It still feels like home, even though I haven’t lived there for 19 years. It probably gave me a chance to subconsciously measure where I am versus where I was back [when I lived] in St. Louis. AVID: In the book, as you do in a lot of your writing, you use a lot of self-deprecating humor. You say you were in a rut. How would you describe that situation? SF: In the beginning it felt like my dad was disappointed in me—here we go again. Then by the end of the book, through the various ins and outs of the publication, I came to realize what his life was like, what his childhood was like. And really, just to have this respect and admiration that, in a way, we should all have for our parents. To realize how limited our initial emotional reactions to things can be. It also showed me how memory can play tricks on us. My dad said how my mom never gave him a hard time about golf, even though I distinctly remember that. I think I mention that in the book, too. AVID: What would you recommend to fathers and sons trying to reconnect with golf? SF: The easy answer is to go play some golf together. But they should spend time together and be open and be compassionate. I sound like a preacher, but everyone goes through hard times. And you know, that’s not always the easiest balancing act—and of course, buy the book. AVID: Of course.

CHAPTER ONE Okay My father tells me to grip the seven-iron “like you’re holding a bird in your hands and you don’t want to crush it,” and I say “okay,” which is what I always say to my father when I think he is criticizing me, or when I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about, or when I’m filled with a vague and guilty rage toward him, or when all three are happening at once. I say “okay” when he talks about investment strategies and tax shelters and the enduring value of discipline and why I should buckle down and write a bestseller and when he tells me the story of the ant and the grasshopper, which he started telling me when I was two years old. I’m forty-nine now, and I’ve been saying “okay” for forty-seven years. “You want to sit, not bend,” he says after I slice one. “Okay,” I say. “Both hands working together now,” he says. “Belly button focus.” I hook one. “Uh-huh. Okay.” “Keep your lower body still.” I swing with savage intent and miss. “Okay.” “But not completely still.” Another whiff. “Oh, I see now. Okay. Yeah. Okay.” We face each other, holding clubs, alone together on a Tuesday afternoon at a driving range. It is a brilliant, sunny spring day in St. Louis, home of my father, and of his father’s father, and—after he’d emigrated from Hungary—my father’s father’s father. I have come here from New York City, where I moved to twelve years ago, because my father has agreed to teach me to play golf. I asked to golf with him because I wanted to understand his life better, because I wanted to find out what he was doing all those Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings and Sunday summer evenings, whether golf was a cause or a symptom of his failed marriage to my mother. I asked because I wanted to learn what my father found in the fairways and on the greens that he didn’t find at home, or at work, and whether he was still looking for it. After he’d agreed, I put off the trip for five years. Because I was busy. Because I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answers to my questions. Because neither my father nor I had ever discovered much joy in our teacher-pupil sessions, whether they involved cutting grass or changing oil or polishing shoes. And then my father had emergency bypass surgery and a subsequent bout of mild depression, and shortly after that his parents fell ill and died. I helped write the eulogies that my father delivered. And so, filled with a sense of loss and impending mortality—his and mine—I called to finalize

the details of the golf lessons. There would be three days of lessons, he said, at least a few hours a day and maybe more, culminating in a nine-hole match in which we would be joined by my older brother, who was flying in for business. Okay, I said. He told me to read Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book. He told me to buy or borrow a couple of irons and go to the driving range and work on my swing. He told me to practice, especially the short game, “because if you really want to play golf, if you’re serious about this, that’s what you do, you practice the short game.” What I heard was, “You don’t really want to play golf. You’re not serious. You’re not serious about the short game, not serious about making money, not serious about getting married and having children, and not serious about making a success of yourself.” “Okay,” I’d said, half a country away. “Okay, okay, okay.” And now, hour four of day one, I’m hooking and slicing and whiffing and topping in St. Louis. If I’d read a solitary page of Penick’s book, would I be wiser? If I’d made a single trip to a driving range in New York, would I be better? If I’d done my homework, would either of us be happier? Does my father sense how I have already failed him? “We’re going to work on the fundamentals this week,” my father says. “Stance, grip, putting, the short game, and the basic swing.” “Okay,” I hiss, and when I look up, he is frowning, in pain, as if he knows what my okays really mean. I think he does know. I hate when he worries about me. I like it, too. I think he has been worrying about me for a long time. “But most important,” he says, “is that we’re going to teach you to have fun. That’s the most important thing.” He tries so hard. He worries so much. I want to reassure him. I want to make him proud. I want to promise that I will practice the short game and hold my club like an endangered bird, that we will stride down lush

fairways together for many years to come. But I don’t, of course. I can’t. “Okay,” I say. CHAPTER TWO The Value of a Dollar If I’m a good boy when my father is playing golf on Saturday morning and I don’t fight with my older brother, our mother says she’ll buy us chocolate cupcakes. I’m four years old and Donnie is six, and sometimes our love of sweets overwhelms our relentless and savage rivalry. We walk together from our apartment to Platt’s Delicatessen, where our mother orders a nice piece of fish. In the basement of Platt’s hang the hot furs that Donnie and I have heard our parents whisper about.

“I asked to golf with him because I wanted to understand his life better, because I wanted to find out what he was doing all those Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings and Sunday summer evenings…” JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 77

(RULER IS ACCURATE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.)

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WELL S One man’s quest for male enhancement WORDS: Sean Kelly

Even if you’ve been living under a rock, chances are that your stony hovel is covered, floor to ceiling, with crude advertisements for male-enhancement products. These ads are omnipresent, unavoidable, and they’re all saying the same thing: Your equipment is too small, and means exist to make it bigger. All-natural, herbal means, they promise. All you need to fork over for increased thunder is your credit card number.

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Little, um, egos, it would seem, are making for big business. Take Steve Warshak, the guy who originally brought us Enzyte—if that brand doesn’t ring a bell, kudos to you and your confident manhood. In 2001 his business was operating out of a garage. By 2004 his annual sales topped $250 million, and by 2008 the company had more than $500 million in assets. The bait is tempting, and clearly a lot of guys are taking it. Even if you’re a normal, healthy, average male, the promise of bigger, better, more, is difficult to ignore. Well, gentlemen, put your wondering to rest: I’ve been tasked with discovering, for men everywhere, if any of this stuff actually works. On receiving this mission I promptly called my girlfriend. The following conversation ensued.

AVID MR PETER JOHNSON 7351 2935 1462 2384 0000

Me: “Hey, guess what? I got an assignment!” Girlfriend: “From the magazine? That’s great! Was it one of the ideas you pitched?” Me: “Nope—they want me to try out a bunch of those ‘male enhancement’ tablets.”

With that in mind, I decided to stick with major players and name brands.

There was a pause—a long one.

First on the block: ExtenZe. Judging by the commercials, I assumed that these pills were supposed to work by diverting blood flow from the part of your brain that controls action abilities. It’s pulling in big cash and big names—it recently signed as a spokesperson noted former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson, who, with a name like that, you’d think would try harder to distance himself from dick jokes.

Girlfriend, at last: “I have a headache.” This headache turned out to be a big one, as it lasted from that very moment all the way up till I met my deadline. It was around this time that I discovered that “But baby, it’s for science!” doesn’t work as an effective come-on. Procuring the materials for this type of experiment is easy, provided you have absolutely no shame. When picking my poison, I opted to go for the ones least likely to be actually poisonous. This is not, as you might imagine, a paranoid concern: In 2003 an article published in the Wall Street Journal showed that some of the tablets sold through errant link-clicking contain such fun additives as mold, lead and E. coli bacteria.

Even if you’re a normal, healthy, average male, the promise of bigger, better, more, is difficult to ignore. 80 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

“Go long with ExtenZe,” he says. “I do.” Between this and appearing on Survivor, it’s starting to look like Coach Jimmy is desperate for a bit of the green, not to mention a few extra inches. According to the promotional materials, ExtenZe works by improving your circulation—further engorging the chambers of your penis—for an erection that is effectively longer, firmer and larger. This isn’t exactly correct, according to Dr. Ted Weiss, an assistant professor in the Nutrition and Dietetics department at Saint Louis University, who holds a degree in exercise physiology. “An alternative would be to think of a healthy person as having proper circulation and, consequently, good erectile function, while men with poor circulation often have erectile dysfunction,” Weiss says. “A logical implication is that there’s little or no benefit for a person with normal, healthy circulation.” I took my daily dose of ExtenZe with some trepidation. The packaging insists that ExtenZe is not for nursing women, children under 18, people sensitive to caffeine or people with a medical condition. Note that cautions say “a” medical condition, rather than any specific medical condition. Are they talking about heart conditions, or do they mean any medical condition? Gluten sensitivity? Halitosis? Dry scalp? I wasn’t spontaneously gifted with any sizable changes in my Levi’s or even any noticeable ones, which I’d put on the cons list. A definite pro, however, was that none of my vital organs exploded out of my rib cage—which I was more afraid of than I care to admit.

“It’s very likely that many of the mail-order products have never been vigorously tested, and it’s not known, therefore, if they work,” Weiss notes. Considering my test group consisted of one person, I can’t definitively claim that ExtenZe doesn’t work period, but I can say it didn’t work for me. The simplest explanation would be that there’s nothing wrong with me (honestly, there’s nothing wrong with me). So if there’s nothing wrong with you, don’t waste your money and time hoping for something extra. Up next: the Playboy Passion Shot for Him. Marketed as a “libido enhancing drink,” the Playboy Passion Shot is available at that bastion of medical curatives: the Circle K station by my apartment. I had reason to be hopeful for this one; after all, Hugh Hefner has been routinely having sex with 20-year-old blondes since before my dad was born—the idea that he owed his virility to some magical elixir would certainly explain a lot. To obtain this potion, I did what any guy would do: I made my girlfriend pick it up for me. There was a “For Her” version for sale as well, but she wasn’t interested for some reason. It was probably her headache, still going strong. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe we even sell this stuff—it doesn’t work,” the clerk said to my girlfriend—who was purchasing the stuff at the time. The Playboy Passion Shot was labeled Cherry Berry, but ultimately tasted like a mixture of cherry-flavored cough syrup and Red Bull, with an aftertaste that reminded me of licking a 9-volt battery. I’m sure this was intentional, as we’ve been programmed since childhood to think of vile-tasting liquids as medicinal. If it tasted like Pez or was remotely palatable, we’d know instinctively that it was a fraud.

Something Borrowed,

Something Brewed

While most people were focusing on Prince William’s storybook wedding to Kate Middleton leading to the pair’s April 29 ceremony, the blokes at U.K. brewery BrewDog decided to cut through the crap and skip ahead to the part we’re all secretly wondering about: the wedding night. Enter Royal Virility Performance, the limited-edition brew geared toward providing the royal family with a fresh pack of heirs. An invigorating 7.5 percent alcoholby-volume IPA, Royal Virility Performance contains aphrodisiacs from across the spectrum, from the traditional (chocolate), to the modern (Viagra) and the crackpot (goat weed). Commemorating the royal wedding was a big deal in the U.K. in the weeks preceding the royal nuptials—and BrewDog wasn’t having any of it.

Ultimately, it didn’t prove to be liquid gold. I didn’t receive any jolt to the libido, nor did I come down with a sudden urge to wear a smoking jacket—a side effect I had sort of anticipated.

“A beer should be brewed with a purpose, not just because some toffs are getting married,” the company’s website states. “So we created something at our brewery that will undermine those special edition beers and other assorted seaside tat, whilst at the same time actually give the happy couple something extra on their big day.”

Last, but certainly not least, was Enzyte. It was my first, indirect exposure to the male-enhancement world. There was a period where I’m fairly certain Enzyte had purchased all advertising dollars on Spike TV. Seriously, commercials featuring Smilin’ Bob selling his wares was the only thing breaking up the network’s three-year marathon of CSI: Las Vegas. Sometimes, due to programming glitches, an Enzyte commercial would get interrupted halfway through by a different Enzyte commercial. But of course, that’s an identity

A bottle was hand-delivered to Buckingham Palace for the bride and groom. Whether or not it actually reached William and Kate, we’ll probably never know. But with a limited run of only 1,000 bottles, BrewDog has managed to produce a collector’s item— whether it really delivers or not.

JUST ADD EXERCISE

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 81

crisis for the company to sort out. Research shows Enzyte spent approximately $125 million on the campaign. Remember Steve Warshak? From a few paragraphs ago? Yes, in 2004 he was pulling down $250 million in sales. By 2008 he was forced to forfeit $500 million in assets and was imprisoned for giving his customers the metaphorical shaft, rather than the literal one they had been promised. He was convicted of a number of charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. That same year, Pristine Bay, an investment company, purchased what remained of Enzyte for $2.75 million. Warshak went to jail, while the Enzyte machine adjusted and went on without him.

Not surprisingly, exercise improves sexual function

These people have my credit card number. What truly separates Enzyte from the glut of herbal supplements out there is Smilin’ Bob. Even if you doubt the abilities of these tablets, you’ve got to admire the innuendoladen hilarity of the Smilin’ Bob commercials. His constant, death-rictus grin is reminiscent of the terrifying Burger King king’s mask, and the whistled theme song is a perfectly crafted “earworm” you won’t soon shake. Pair those elements with an announcer who never really says what the product does, and it’s the foundation for creating a cultural icon. There are Smilin’ Bob T-shirts for sale on the company’s website. I kind of want one.

Erectile dysfunction can be caused by things completely unrelated to circulation—for example, depression

I signed up for the smallest supply available, the one-week trial, though careful reading of the fine print indicated that I’d actually signed up for a three-month supply with more being auto-billed until the heat death of the universe. Only time will tell if this is something I will actually be able to extricate myself from. And I do need to extricate myself, because these pills do not work. I also started to get chest pains around this time, though I’m pretty sure that’s unrelated. I only mention it because it’s the closest thing to an effect I had all week, side effect or otherwise. So what’s a guy to do? Sadly, predictably, the answer to this dilemma is much the same as it is for most other problems that can’t be cured with a quick fix. “Not surprisingly, exercise improves sexual function,” Weiss tells me. That’s right, making changes to your diet and exercise can, in many cases, fix you right up—and you don’t have to set up a recurring credit card charge with anybody

to do it, except maybe a gym. Still a better deal, as that could actually yield desired physical results. “Erectile dysfunction can be caused by things completely unrelated to circulation—for example, depression,” Weiss says. “In these cases drugs or supplements would not be expected to be beneficial. In contrast, exercise has a broad spectrum of benefits, some of which can improve sexual function through mechanisms unrelated to circulation. For example, exercise decreases depression. It also has a huge array of effects on hormones, which have their own effects on erectile and sexual function.” Incidentally, if you’re trying to take these supplements to correct a real problem, you may want to consider seeing a doctor. In addition to depression or poor circulation, problems in the bedroom could indicate the start of coronary artery disease or diabetes. As usual, there is no magic bullet. But if need be, you can improve your sex life, provided you’re willing to —gasp—work at it.

WARNING: This story is not meant to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease—in fact, if that’s why you’re reading it, you’ve just wasted 10 minutes of your life. 82 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

DO I NEED MALE ENHANCEMENTS? What’s the Problem?

NOTHING! Just kidding.

I think… I have E.D.

No Skill? I’m BAD in bed!

1”–3”

How small are we talking?

Why?

4.5–7”

no confidence TOO BIG!

8+”

REALLY?

Are you healthy?

I’m small.

Do you like placebos?

???

YES

Congrats! You have a micropenis. There may be surgery, but your best bet? Tongue exercises.

m m

YES

No.

m m E? YES!

You’re a monster. Stop mocking us.

Dude... You’re normal.

Cu nn ing ics Li nguist

Lay off the porn_

PRACTICE!

Sex Ed .

See a Doctor.

PRACTICE! I don’t need any! A+ Yes, you do.

GO FOR IT!

NO. JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 83

ST. LOUIS

ATHLETE GOLFERS WORDS: Dan Michel & Liz Miller

PHOTOS: JOHN FEDELE

Five of St. Louisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; finest athletes have one thing in common: They all like to chase the little white ball.

The Big Hitter

CRAIG DAHL Craig Dahl has been playing golf just as long as he’s been playing football. The 6-foot-1-inch safety grew up just a mile from a golf course in Mankato, Minn., where he would practice as a kid. Some of his earliest memories are riding along with his dad in the golf cart and competing in a junior golf league. Of course, these days Dahl spends most of his time working out and playing football. The notoriously hard-hitter and special-teams standout says that although skills from football such as concentration and dynamic hip movements cross over to help improve his golf game, his innate aggression doesn’t necessarily serve him well on the course. “I definitely have to slow myself down sometimes, because I can get overly aggressive with the club and try

and swing too hard,” he says. “As a football player, you try to put all your energy and all your force into it, but with golf it doesn’t always work out the best when you do that.” Dahl says that he tries to play as much as possible in the off-season and that he especially enjoys playing with teammates. “I try to golf at different courses for charity tournaments. When I go back home, I have a few public courses that people I know will take me out to, also. Danny [Amendola] and I play, and I’ll play with Chris Chamberlain every so often,” he says, adding that the Rams keep their competitive nature even when they’re on the links. “It’s definitely competitive when we get out there with other teammates, but it’s also really relaxing to be outside and enjoy a nice, calm day out on the course.” Dahl says that his short irons are currently the strongest part of his game, but that he’s always looking to improve, whether it be from practice or with a little theatrical inspiration. “I try to keep my head and shoulders down,” he says. “But actually, every time I get up to the tee box, I always think of the line from Tin Cup, one of my favorite movies growing up. He says ‘Let the big dog eat.’” Despite his desire to improve as a golfer, Dahl mostly enjoys golf as a therapeutic way to compete without the everyday physical demands of his day job. “I just enjoy the competitive nature of it. It’s not something that’s physically demanding like football or basketball. It’s just something you can enjoy with your friends.”

Team: St. Louis Rams Position: Free Safety Years Active: 2007–present St. Louisan Since: 2009 Favorite Courses: Boone Valley Golf Club and Old Hickory Golf Course Handicap : “I’m a bogey golfer. I hit in the upper 80s.” Must-haves on the Course: “My divot repair tool and ball marker with the North Dakota State logo on it. That’s where I went to college.” Favorite Clubs: “My Adams 3-hybrid and my 52-degree wedge.” 86 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

DanNY Amendola THE SPEED

Many football players talk about “the switch”—a state of mind they adopt to pump themselves up while out on the field. Danny Amendola knows this concept all too well, although he says it doesn’t help him too much in his other sport of choice: golf. “I’m more of an aggressive football player. Golf is a mental game,” says Amendola. “With golf I don’t have to switch that on like I do in football. I can just go out and enjoy the game.” That’s a frame of mind that comes with growing up as a golfer. He might not get too aggressive, but does he maintain his competitive edge? “Without a doubt. I’m not as good as some of my friends, but it’s definitely a sport where you can compete at a high level.”

the field, he does get to play in the occasional charity outing. He also likes watching a round or two on TV, especially the Masters. “I’m usually off during that period, and it’s one of the biggest [tournaments] of the year. I like the tradition they have,” he says. “I wanted Rory [McIlroy] to win it…I like to see young guys win because they’re going to be the future of the sport for the next 20 years because you can play golf forever.” Although a football player’s shelf life is just a bit shorter than a golfer’s, Amendola says he has a lot he’d like to do in golf. “I’d love to play Pebble Beach. I’d like the opportunity to lose some golf balls [there] one day,” he says. Although he remains true to his football career, he says golf is a healthy release for him. “I don’t necessarily get that adrenaline rush if I hit a good shot like I do when I make a good catch, but it’s still fun to get out there with your boys and enjoy the camaraderie.”

Amendola grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, where he started playing golf with friends in high school. “It’s a big golf community, and we had a number of country clubs where…we could go and play,” he says. Amendola also worked at a golf course while attending Texas Tech and does most of his golfing in Houston, where he lives while not in St. Louis. Although the wide receiver, who held the 2010 NFL record for all-purpose yards at 2,364, spends most of his time in St. Louis either in the gym or on

Team: St. Louis Rams Position: Wide Receiver Years Active: 2008–present St. Louisan Since: 2009 Handicap : 12 Favorite Golfers to Watch: “Anthony Kim and Rory McIlroy—any time you see young guys come in and dominate is exciting for me.” Favorite Club: TaylorMade R9 Driver JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 87

THE MUSCLE

CAM JANSSEN Cam Janssen likes to hit people. It’s no secret. So how, you might ask yourself, could he possibly be into a sport such as golf? Well, the Eureka-born win actually didn’t have any interest in the sport until he started playing competitive hockey.

“Everyone I played with in hockey played golf,” Janssen says. “I didn’t like it at first. I thought it was kind of a goofy sport—no contact involved. I didn’t like anything that didn’t have any contact.” Eventually Janssen came to like the sport once he gained consistency and realized how relaxing golf could be—not to mention how it complemented his life as a tough-as-nails hockey player. “I play hockey all year long, then in the summer I work out and play golf,” he says. “It’s beautiful.” It’s that tough-guy attitude that’s earned Janssen a reputation with fans and hockey players alike, even though he says fights

in hockey are waning. “It’s kind of hard to get in a fight these days. It’s kind of dying out, but it’s like a light switch, man. When I have 20,000 people cheering for me, I just go out and do my thing.” With such an aggressive, competitive nature, it’s only natural to wonder if Janssen gets in any fights on the golf course. “Only with myself,” he says jokingly. “No, my hands and my body go through so much during the year that I just go out on the course and enjoy the weather and play… instead of driving myself crazy every time I have a bad shot. “Just like any other sport, you have to have your mind right,” he says. “If I’m thinking about all kinds of different kinds of things when I’m trying to golf, I’m not going to be as consistent as I want to be.” Janssen says golf and hockey do require some similar technical skills. “Hand-eye coordination. You need it in both sports,” he says. “The only difference is, I can’t let my frustrations out in golf like I can in hockey. That’s why I go through so many clubs every summer.” So, does he have any tricks to keep his temper low? “Yes, it’s called beer,” he says. “It works out really well until those last couple of holes. I’m not very good then.”

Team: St. Louis Blues Position: Right Wing Years Active: 2004–present St. Louisan Since: 1984 Favorite Golfer to Watch: “John Daly. Because he could be the worstlooking athlete I’ve ever seen in my life, but boy, he can hit the ball, and I like to hang out with him.” Favorite Club: Big Bertha Driver and 3-hybrid Favorite Courses: Fox Run Golf Club, Country Club of St. Albans and Pevely Farms Golf Club

88 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

The Fan Favorite

T.J. OSHIE Since he was a kid, T.J. Oshie has played what seems like every sport under the sun. As he worked his way through school in Mt. Vernon, Wash., many different sports fell by the wayside, but hockey and golf always remained strong with him. “Originally golf just started out as a way to get out of class and go to meets,” Oshie admits. “Then I started loving it. I only played for two years until I was on varsity.” The 24-year-old Blues forward, who’s adored by fans for his intense play on the ice, says he sees a lot of crossover between his two favorite sports. “There are a lot of similarities,” he says. “Hockey players usually hit a pretty long ball off the tee, and I think that’s just because of how much we have to snap our wrists through for a hockey shot. You’re hitting the puck in pretty much the same spot as you are in golf.” Although Oshie eventually picked hockey as his sport of choice, he still respects golf for being among the most challenging sports around. “I think just the fact that it’s so hard. You even see pros falling apart on the course,” he says. “Obviously they’re at a much higher level, and the courses are much more difficult, but it’s so hard to master; it’s almost impossible. You just want to keep getting better.” His passion for the sport eventually led him to found the T.J. Oshie Golf Tournament with his father, who manages it. “It was awesome,” he says of the most recent tournament. “The money was donated to the youth hockey program in Grand Forest [in Washington]. It was a really good turn out.” Oshie also co-chairs fellow Blues player Alex Steen’s golf tournament, which is held every year in Winnipeg. Oshie says that he and his teammates are always enthusiastic about combining sports with philanthropy. “Anything that any of us can obviously do to give back to the community, we definitely jump at the chance,” he says. “With something as simple and fun as golf, where anyone can come out and play, it doesn’t matter what your handicap is. It’s always fun to get out there, have a good time and play some different games on the course—all for a good cause.”

Team: St. Louis Blues Position: Forward Years Active:2008–Present St. Louisan Since: 2008 Handicap : 12–14 Favorite Course: “Missouri Bluffs. I played the best round of my life there. I shot a 71 all around.” Favorite Club: 60-degree TaylorMade wedge

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 89

THE LEGEND

OZZIE SMITH Every self-respecting St. Louisan knows the legacy of Ozzie Smith and his indelible impact on the world of baseball: 2,460 hits, 580 stolen bases, 15 All-Star Game appearances and 13 consecutive Gold Glove awards. He’s clearly earned the title “The Wizard,” but many don’t know the impact he’s having on the world of golf—one that comes with its own impressive title: president of the Gateway PGA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Gateway PGA Association. But Ozzie Smith wasn’t always a golfer. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, country clubs weren’t exactly abundant. “Golf was never one of those games we had access to,” says Smith. “That wasn’t a sport we even looked at on the radar.” It wasn’t until Smith was in the majors that he took notice of the sport, but even then he didn’t play. “I didn’t want the confusion of the different planes of swing when I played,” he says. “So I didn’t take it up actively until I retired in 1996.” That year, a member of the board of directors at the Gateway PGA Foundation asked Ozzie to participate in the Whitey Herzog Golf Tournament. “I went out there the day before and hit some golf balls. I spent my career hitting a ball that was moving. [I thought], “This ball is sitting still, so how hard can it be?’” he says. “I found out very quickly that it’s probably the toughest thing I’ve ever taken on.” Smith adds that golf fills the competitive void that retirement left in his life and that he tries to hit the course whenever he can. “I play to a seven handicap. Sometimes it feels like a 14.”

Team: St. Louis Cardinals Position: Shortstop Years Active: 1978–1996 St. Louisan Since: 1982 Handicap : 7 Favorite Courses: Bellerive Country Club, Boone Valley Golf Club, Country Club of St. Albans and Fox Run Golf Club Most Sought-After Skill : “You’ve got to be able to improvise. That’s what you see with Tiger Woods and Phil [Mickelson.]”

90 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

As more than a decade passed, Smith golfed regularly, but almost two years ago, two members of the Gateway PGA approached him with the idea of becoming president of the foundation. He was apprehensive at first. “Being president was something I’d never taken on before,” he says. “They convinced me that I would be able to have an impact on helping them grow the game in the inner city and in the process maybe find another Ozzie Smith somewhere, so I took on the challenge.” Today, Smith’s presidency finds him, among other things, planning the Gateway PGA Foundation Pro-Am, an annual tournament that takes place in early June. But instead of a slow-paced, celebrity-laden event, Smith wanted to breathe some life into his tournament. “I wanted people to have this personal experience,” he says, adding that the tournament hosts no more than 24 foursomes. “That way I’m able to meet and greet people and spend some time with them.” Despite his busy schedule and the occasional flare-up from old injuries, Smith still sets goals for himself and has no intention of slowing down any time soon. “I have not reached the level of consistency I want to be able to shoot at,” he says. “I’m just going to keep going until I can’t swing the club anymore.” A

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 91

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CORRECT GAP SPACING

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SCORING SYSTEM

A DV E RT I S I N G

AVIDDIVA

S E CT I O N

The Gateway Area’s most charming cart girls sit down with AVID to answer some of life’s less important questions.

w <<<<< Ca rt gi rl

e love >>>>>>

Anne Voelker The Ridge Golf Course

JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 99

Photos: Mark Christian Hair & Makeup: Dalton Franklin

S P E C I A L

AVIDDIVA

A DV E RT I S I N G

S E CT I O N

Q+A How old are you? 23 How long have you worked at The Ridge? About two and a half months. I really like it so far. So, you’re brand new. What’s the best perk so far? I get to work with a friend of mine out there. Also, I teach kids during the day, so it’s nice to have different conversations and different clientele to mix things up. The people out there are really great. Do you have any regulars? Absolutely. I actually have people who recognize me by now. We’re open to the public, but we get lots of regulars. Some come out as often as every day. The pro usually has a good idea of who’s out there and what they drink, so we’ll stock their favorites. What topics and grades do you teach? I substitute teach different subjects from grade school all the way through high school in Waterloo. What grade is your favorite? They all have their pros and cons. I really like third, fourth and fifth. They’re able to do things on their own at that age. They’re starting to get really smart, and they’re testing their boundaries, but they still respect me as a teacher. What kind of teaching would you like to do eventually? I want to go back and get certified in all different areas of teaching. Basically the more

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S P E C I A L

A DV E RT I S I N G

S E CT I O N

AVIDDIVA

“It’s nice to have different conversations and different clientele to mix things up. The people out there are really great.”

kids I’m capable of teaching, the better. But I wouldn’t want to leave my district. I really like it here. Are you a golfer? I’ve only gone out on the driving range. I’m kind of new to golf. Do you play any other sports? I played college softball. I was a pitcher for Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville. What kind of music do you listen to? I like country music like Jason Aldene, and when I go out I like listening to hip-hop. Drink of choice? I’m not picky, but I like vodka with cranberry. I like Blue Moon in the summer, too. Favorite kind of food? I’m a pizza junkie. Have you traveled much? I’ve actually never been on an airplane! I really want to go to Fiji. I had a geography teacher who used to go there every year, and she used to show us slides all the time. It really stuck out to me. It was so colorful and out there. A

102 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

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CADDY SHACK

Sandy Jones The Champions Tour caddy shares how the game has changed in the last 16 years.

It’s going on 11 years. I was working for Walter Hall, and he and I had just come in second place in a tournament. Walter didn’t think that he and I could win together—so pretty much I got fired. Tom and his caddy had split up the week before so he was asking a whole bunch of caddies to interview, and I was one of the caddies that worked for him for a couple of weeks. We just hit it off, and next thing you know, he asked me to work for him full time. How is the PGA Tour different from the Champions Tour? There’s a huge difference because you have to worry about the cut. Travel plans are so much easier on the Champions Tour because you pretty much know you’re going to be there on Sunday. [On the Champions Tour], you get so used to your family, or the traveling circus or whatever you want to call it. You get to know everybody. On the other tour it’s not as comfortable because you’re the new person in. I love the Champions Tour; I love everybody there. I think it’s a lot more cutthroat on the other 104 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

tour, but I haven’t been out there in five years, so I don’t really quite know. Where are your favorite places to caddy? You’ve got to love Pebble [Beach] just because it’s so gorgeous. I may not like the weather there, that marine layer just goes straight through my bones. I do love that tournament, and this next one we have coming up at Shoal Creek I’ve heard is fantastic too. There’s another course in Newport Beach,

What’s your least favorite part of the job? I love all of it. I really do. Some people say they hate Pro-Ams; I love Pro-Ams. I will tell you that practice rounds are probably [what] I don’t like. You have to read your player’s mind, and I’m not that good. It’s kind of funny—they hold out their hand for something, and you’re going, “Wait, what? What do you want? Do you want a golf club?” But I even like practice rounds because I’m learning the golf course. You’ve been caddying for 16 years. What’s changed? Everything. Seriously, even the way we walk a golf course. When I started we [used] a dis-

tance-yardage thing that you had to roll on the ground. It was called a wheel, so you had to roll that down the fairway, and if you were to look back, half the time you would see that you’re kind of wavering. You’re trying to figure out how many yards it is from a sprinkler to the front of the green, and if there’s water in the way, you couldn’t use it—you just had to hope whoever wrote the yardage book was right. Now we have lasers, and we can go out and do the distances. What do you think is the No. 1 reason caddies get fired? I’d have to say a lot of it has to do with personalities. You’re with these guys, like with Tom, eight to 10 hours a day. So if your personalities don’t mesh, it’s not going to work. Of course, you have to show up on time, and if they start giving you mouth, you have to accept that and not talk back. You have a tendency to mumble under your breath. A

Age: 43 Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn. Caddied for: Tom Kite, Larry Nelson, Ed Toole, Buzz Thomas, Walter Hall and Dewitt Weaver, among others

Photo: Courtesy of Sandy Jones

How did you get hooked up with Tom Kite?

Calif., that I also like, Newport Beach Country Club. It’s because it’s one of the smaller, older golf courses. It’s more traditional. You don’t have to have a cart to walk it, and it’s not 12 miles between the green and the tee box.

AVID CALENDAR JUNE / JULy / AUGUST

June 4

Seventh Annual Golf Tournament Normandie Golf Course St. Louis, Mo., 314.389.4804 projcope.org All proceeds benefit Project Cope June 6

Cassidy Turley, Ronald McDonald House Golf Tournament Meadowbrook Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 636.227.5361 rmhcstl.com June 6

St. Patrick’s Irish Open Norwood Hills Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.521.0682 stpatrickcenter.org June 6 OASIS Food Pantry Charity Golf Tournament Old Hickory Golf Club St. Charles, Mo., 636.294.0973 oasisfoodpantry.com June 6 Assistants Pro-Am Innsbrook Resort Golf Club Innsbrook, Mo., 636.745.3000 innsbrook-resort.com June 6 Golf for Children Tournament Glen Echo Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.261.6011 saintvincenthome.org All proceeds benefit St. Vincent Home for Children

June 6 36 Hole Stroke Play Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club Bolivar, Mo., 314.326.7456 midwest.pga.com June 11-12 East Side Amateur Belk Park Golf Course Wood River, Ill., 618.251.3115 metga.org June 13 Southern Illinois Open Rend Lake Golf Course Whittington, Ill., 618.629.2353 gatewaypga.org June 13 St. Louis Golf Classic for Kids Glen Echo Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.919.4733 bgtm.org All proceeds benefit Boys and Girls Town of Missouri1

June 14–June 15 Senior Match Play Championship Sunset Hills Country Club Edwardsville, Ill., 618.656.9380 gatewaypga.org June 20 US Junior Amateur Qualifier Bellerive Country Club Creve Coeur, Mo., 314.434.4400 bellerivecc.org June 21 Swing Fore Hope Golf Tournament Sunset Hills Country Club Edwardsville, Ill., 618.659.9900 swingforehope.org All proceeds benefit Siteman Cancer Center

June 21 National Kidney Foundation Golf Classic Glen Echo Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.961.2828 kidneymo.org June 27 Boys and Girls Hope Pro-Am Whitmoor Country Club St. Charles, Mo., 800.926.9622 gatewaypga.org June 27 US Senior Open Qualifying Sunset Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.843.1100 metga.org June 27 Gateway To Hope 2011 Golf Tournament Meadowbrook Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 636.227.5361 meabrk.org June 27 Golf Fore Kids 2011 Tournament Forest Hills Country Club Chesterfield, Mo., 314.533.6400 thefirstteestlouis.org July 7–9 MAGA Open Championship Country Club of St. Albans St. Albans, Mo., 636.458.3062 metga.org July 11 Pro-Open #4 Annbriar Golf Course Waterloo, Ill., 618.939.4653 gatewaypga.org

July 12 Fourth Annual Golf Classic Norwood Hills Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.644.5055 x 116 familysupportnet.org All proceeds benefit Family Support Network

July 14 Pro-Junior Pro-Am Old Hickory Golf Club St. Peters, Mo., 636.477.8960 gatewaypga.org July 15 Alzheimer’s Pro-Am Spring Lake Country Club Quincy, Ill., 217.222.5021 gatewaypga.org July 18 MAGA Amateur Franklin County Country Club Washington, Mo., 636.239.6678 metga.org July 18–July 19 Gateway Section Championship Old Hickory Golf Club St. Peters, Mo., 636.477.8960 gatewaypga.org July 25 Team Championship Club at Old Hawthorne Columbia, Mo., 573.442.5281 gatewaypga.com July 25 Birdies and Bass Tournament Persimmon Woods Golf Club Weldon Springs, Mo. 636.926.7227 dsagsl.org Benefitting the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis

August 2-3 US Amateur Qualifying Dalhousie Golf Club Cape Girardeau, Mo. 573.332.0818 metga.org August 8 UnderArmour Pro-Am Dalhousie Golf Club Cape Girardeau, Mo. 573.332.0818 gatewaypga.org August 8 Hunting for Heroes 1st Annual Golf Tournament

The Courses at Forest Park St. Louis, Mo., 314.367.1337 forestparkgc.com August 11-13 MAGA Amateur Championship St. Louis Country Club St. Louis, Mo., 314.994.0017 metga.org August 19 Slice of Life Pro-Am Crab Orchard Golf Club Carterville, Ill., 618.985.8011 gatewaypga.com August 22 Sr. Section Championship Pro-Am WingHaven Country Club O’Fallon, Mo., 636.561.9464 gatewaypga.com August 22 Family Resource Center’s 17th Annual Golf Tournament Country Club of St. Albans St. Albans, Mo., 636.458.3062 metga.org August 25 Eight Annual Golf Tournament The Courses at Forest Park St. Louis, Mo., 314.367.1337 forestparkgc.com All proceeds benefit the Kwame Foundation

August 27 Fifth Annual AFS Charity Golf Tournament The Falls Golf Club O’Fallon, Mo., 636.240.4653 fallsgolf.com August 29 ACG Pro AM Meadowbrook Country Club Ballwin, Mo., 636.227.5361 meabrk.org August 30-31 GPGA Sr. Section Championship The Falls Golf Club O’Fallon, Mo., 636.240.4653 fallsgolf.com Want to see your event in the AVID calendar? E-mail us at listings@avidmagazine.com. All entries must be submitted by the 15th of each month to be included in the subsequent issue. JUNE 2011 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / 105

cease & desist

and their allegiance is to their tour—justifiably so.

Play On, Player The Players Championship has been dubbed by many as the fifth major. It’s been called that for many years now. So why is the tournament’s status still being debated and not simply accepted—officially— as one of golf’s majors? The question is brought up every year and continues to be debated to this day. What’s interesting is that none of golf’s majors—The Masters, The U.S. Open, The Open Championship or the PGA Championship—are governed or sanctioned by the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is different than the PGA of America, which is different than the 106 / AVIDMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2011

Should The Players Championship officially become golf’s fifth major? WORDS: Matt Mathison

USGA. The rules of golf are governed in accordance to the practices and principles of the USGA, as well as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Many other sports, such as tennis, have four majors. Horse racing has the Triple Crown. But for the most part, a grand slam is related to the number four—even Denny’s recognizes that. Seriously though, what would you call the champion of five majors? If there was a creative name that had a nice ring to it, I’m sure that would allow the idea of making the Players Championship into the fifth major to hold a bit more water.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great event. The back nine at Sawgrass is as good as it gets. Holes 16, 17 and 18 make for a dramatic finish, and if a playoff ensues, then heading back to 17 makes the drama all the better. The problem is that it’s a PGA Event. It doesn’t necessarily attract the best players in the world. The best players are technically eligible to play, but if they’re not a PGA Tour card carrying member then they’re restricted to the number of events they can play on the PGA Tour. Granted, the majority of the non-PGA Tour members make their home on the European PGA Tour,

The point is that if the PGA wouldn’t force non-tour players to count the “fifth major” as one of the 12 tournaments they play in any given year, they would probably get a much stronger field. It’s all about schedule and commitments for these guys. Compared to the other majors, the field is the weakest. But when playing any of the four majors in golf, none of them count toward the magic number 12 for non-PGA Tour members. That’s why they’re all there, to play against the best in what is arguably the best championship the great sport of golf has to offer. The hype leading up to this year’s Players Championship did not disappoint. KJ Choi is a remarkable player and an even more remarkable man. If you have any doubts about that one, feel free to Google the KJ Choi Foundation. He is the Players Champion, and there is no disputing that. With the trend of golf’s greatest players coming from Europe, the idea of a world tour is going to be brought up a lot in the near future. The problem is that with the Euros gaining traction, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more Americans playing overseas. Regardless, the PGA needs to do something and quick. The only thing standing in the way is the PGA itself. It can make the Players Championship an even greater tournament if it wanted to. Yes, it’s the richest purse in golf, but as we’ve seen from the greatest players, it’s not just about money for them—a concept other professional athletes should take note of. A