Series: Diary of A Golf College Student
Article 10: The Florida Swing

by Jonathan Gibbins

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For a fan of golf, the month of March is a very exciting time to be in Florida. For 4 consecutive weeks building up to The Masters, every tournament is in Florida. It all starts with the Doral Ryder open in Miami, then Bay Hill in Orlando, then The Honda Classic in Palm Beach and ends with the biggest one, The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra.

I am particularly excited because our golf captain, Wicus (from South Africa) claims that he can get us free tickets to The Honda Classic from his fellow countryman David Frost (apparently, they are good mates). An added bonus comes when Wicus invites me and a team-mate to go to dinner with him and Frosty, which we kindly accept. To cut a long story short, David Frost was a charming man with very large and very hairy forearms. He also picked up the cheque, which was nice.

I am lucky enough to get the tickets and me, and a friend go on Sunday afternoon to see the finish. It surprised me very much to see that the golf course (Heron Bay) was basically a rugged, building site with a beautiful golf course in the middle. Rather like the lush green oasis of the Dubia Classic in the desert.

Another surprise was how crowded the tournament was for just a regular stop on the tour. The galleries were 15 deep and then it struck me; Tiger Woods was playing.

I read an article the other day about the huge changes the tour has undertaken because of the Tigermania that has gripped America.

The aspects that get most of the attention are the standards he has set on the tour, and the efforts other players are making to catch up. The US Tour is changing at an amazing rate because of overwhelming ticket sales, an increase in prize money and record TV figures. The total prize money on tour last year went up from $75 million to $158 million and it is predicted to grow even more over the next few.

One big change at events is the disappearance of the fitness trailer and the appearance of a full size gym. The modern pro is now striving to be leaner and meaner because of the definite focus of Tiger towards fitness. Even Craig Stadler and Tim Herron (his nickname is “lumpy”) have now hired personal trainers in order to shed a few pounds and get stronger.

I didn’t get a chance to see Tiger because he had finished hours before after a disappointing showing, but that didn’t stop the fans from staying to see him hit the practice ground after the final round. Incredibly, there were just as many people watching Tiger practice than there was watching the winner hole out!

Come back to the site next week and read the next installation of life on a golf scholarship!