at c ( )
Opening Drive
At the Ready
by CHRIS LANG
I WAS ON A GOLF TRIP NEAR ASHEVILLE , N . C ., IN LATE MAY , and at the second course we visited , the signs were everywhere . Just hit it , baby .
Maybe I ’ m paraphrasing a bit , but that was the general message . Each cart featured a laminated card offering tips ( some funny , some aggressive ) on how to play a round of golf in the fastest way possible . It ’ s not the Masters , one bullet point noted . Do you really need to take five angles on your 25-foot putt to save bogey ? Is that golf ball that you hit deep into the woods worth an expedition that halts the progress of your group , and potentially leaves you with ticks or poison ivy ? Is ready golf a foreign concept to your group ?
Mike Stott takes a deep dive into the paceof-play problem many clubs face in this issue of Virginia Golfer . As the weather heats up and tee sheets fill up , playing at a reasonable pace is as important as ever . Club officials understand this . It ’ s not just about maximizing potential revenue . It ’ s about the customer experience .
Case in point : I once played a public venue ( I won ’ t name names ) where we were at the 5½-hour mark heading to the 16th hole . I walked away . At some point , enough is enough . We all lead busy lives . Finding 4-plus hours to play is hard enough . But 5- or even 6-hour rounds ? That ’ s absurd . As Stott ’ s story points out , club officials have multiple ways to combat slow rounds , including spacing out starting times , ensuring a friendly and fair course setup on heavy-traffic days , and utilizing technology to ensure everyone is moving around the course at a proper pace . Check out Stott ’ s story for full details . Also in this issue :
• The NFL ’ s all-time sack king loves golf . We chat with Virginia Tech and Buffalo Bills legend Bruce Smith , a member at Bayville Golf Club , about his journey into the game .
• We continue to explore the topic of the transition from high school to college golf . Marymount University coach Daniel Neben , PGA , shares tips on what to focus on when you ’ re looking to play at the next level .
• Looking for an off-the-beaten-path golf destination ? Lisa Mickey explores golf in the Canadian prairie province of Alberta . We ’ re hoping the wildfires have abated there some by the time you read this issue .
Thanks for reading , and as always , my inbox is open for story ideas and suggestions .
Chris Lang , Editor clang @ vsga . org
As the weather heats up and tee sheets fill up , playing at a reasonable pace is as important as ever . Club officials understand this . It ’ s not just about maximizing potential revenue . It ’ s about the customer experience .
In memoriam : Matt Chandler ( 1983-2023 ) Cont ’ d ...
“ Matt had a heart of gold and I think just the support and how many people are toasting about it online shows just how many people really liked him .”
— Brandon LaCroix
“ Ed Curran really was the one who took Matt under his wing ,” LaCroix said . “ He would pick Matt up in the morning early and drop Matt back off in the evening late . Matt , because of Ed , was at the Waterfront all the time growing up .”
That Junior Match Play title , in 1997 , was the first of seven VSGA championships for Chandler . He won another Junior Match Play trophy in 1999 . Chandler attended Ferrum College for one year , playing baseball and golf , before turning pro . He later regained his amateur status and was a force on the VSGA mid-amateur scene .
Chandler won the 2012 VSGA Mid-Amateur with a three-day total of 200 — a record that stood until 2021 when Evan Beck and Garland Green matched it . His closing round of 61 that weekend at Hidden Valley remains one of the best rounds ever played in a VSGA individual championship .
“ Matt , that day , was a volcano ,” Craft said in an interview with the Roanoke Times .
Chandler won two more Mid-Amateurs ( in 2015 at Cedar Point Club and — fittingly — in 2016 at The Water ’ s Edge ), and he teamed with LaCroix to win a VSGA Four- Ball Stroke Play title in 2014 and a VSGA Four-Ball Match Play title in 2016 .
“ The mid-amateurs stick out to me because those are really talented fields in statewide events ,” Chandler said in his final interview .
According to LaCroix , iron play was the key to Chandler ' s game , not that anybody begrudged him otherwise .
“ They were like lasers when he got going ,” LaCroix said . “ It was like watching a video game if he had an iron in his hand . He ' d just knock it at the pin and he ' d have a couple of feet .” In the end , nobody begrudged him . “ Matt had a heart of gold and I think just the support and how many people are toasting about it online shows just how many people really liked him .”
6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY / A UGUST 2023 vsga . org