Nota Bene

Tiger has once again proven why he is number one in golf...victorious in the last two playoffs and the FedEx Cup. He's taking a well deserved break until his Target World Challenge in December. He's caught flak for skipping the PGA Grand Slam, but why shouldn't he take some time off? He's won 60 tournaments in his career, 7 tournaments this year alone, millions in the bank, and, most importantly, has a new baby. Glad to see he's got his priorities right!

Speaking of families, Michelle Wie has arrived at Stanford University. Of course, she won't be playing for Stanford, but she played nine holes yesterday. I was hoping that she'd live in a dorm and have a college life away from her parents. Unfortunately, that's not the case--her parents have rented a home nearby. I'm not surprised, but it sure would have been nice for her to experience college life as just a teenager without the pressures of her hovering parents.

I played Olympic Club's Lake Course on Monday, and found it to be the hardest course I've played thus far. I played Medinah #3 a month before the PGA Championship and it was tough with the 4.5 inch rough. But, at Medinah, I could at least see the green and the pin location. There were so many holes at Olympic, especially the par 3's, where all I could see was the large deep bunker in the front and the tall lip of the bunker. I couldn't tell if the green sloped left to right, or front to back. Would love to be able to play it again now that I have a little bit more course knowledge.

The PGA and other governing organizations in golf have agreed in principle to an anti-doping policy for professional golf on a global basis. It will be accomplished in two phases. The first phase was to put out the list of prohibited substances, which include the following: Anabolic Agents Hormones and Related Substances, Agents with Anti-Estrogenic Activity, Diuretics and Other Masking Agents, Stimulants, Narcotics, Cannabinoids, Beta Blockers, Enhancement of Oxygen Transfer, and Chemical and Physical Manipulation. The last one is interesting. It sounds vague enough to include chiropractic and physical therapy, but it can't.

The next phase, which is to be completed by the end of the year, is to generate "general standards for all the fundamental elements of an anti-doping program for golf organizations that become signatories to the Policy, while providing flexibility for such signatories to develop specific policies and procedures necessary or appropriate for their organizations."

Obviously tour players and their physicians and trainers need to be careful about the meds or supplements that the players take.

Finally, fall is soon upon us, and the end of the golf season is near, so get out there and play as much as possible. Sunset isn't until around 6:00, so hit a bucket or play nine, but enjoy it while you can!