Fri. Aug. 31 – Mon. Sept 3

 I’m a golfer and there’s nothing more satisfying than being in a foursome, where you’re all competing against other foursomes, and you save the team by shooting two pars in a row and a mate shouts “You da man!” And, briefly, you dat man. But golf – for us amateurs – tends not to be a game where that accolade holds up very long. And that was the case at the TPC in Norton where I and a bunch of other media types were invited to play a month ahead of the 10th Annual Deutsche Bank Championship, which takes place Friday Aug. 31 through Labor Day, Monday Sept. 3. (It’s the second PGA Tour Playoff event for the FedExCup, and golfers are vying for an $8 million purse and ranking points that determine the top 70 players to move on to the BMW Championship,) The idea was for us bogey men to enjoy the course’s sumptuous luxury and treacherous fescue and then, I’ve got to think, come away thinking how frigging difficult this game is (not a new thought, but still) and how good those pros that will play it this weekend are. Even the worst of them. Of course, I also can talk away this: My two pars were equal to what some of those pros will get on those holes leading me to the illusory thinking that I could do what they do. (And I can, one out of every 20 times or something, but that’s one of the things that brings us back. Even though, on one par five I hit a massive tee shot, a long straight hybrid to short of pond in front of a green. And ready to pitch 100 yards into the heart of the green to be putting for birdie, I dumped two – not one, but two – shots into the pond, picked up, walked off, sat in the cart and sulked. Some of the TPC members could probably relate. When I was in the clubhouse I noticed the handicap rankings of the 330 male members  and they when from a +2 to -35.)
   This weekend I return as a spectator to see how it’s really done and I recommend you do so too, if you’ve got an interest in this grand old game. (Old Joke: Why is it called golf? Because the gods decreed the the letters g,o,l and f be used and “flog” was taken. Ba-da-boom!) I’ve watched in on TV and can say how much cooler it is in 21st century HD and multiple cameras and no viewer down-time. In the old days of low-def, you could barely see the speck in the sky and had no real feel for the game. Live TV has made me more appreciative of a game I’ve loved to play since I was 12, but never enjoyed watching much on telly until the last few years. And having made that leap, why not the Tiger Woods Foundation-charity co-sponsored tourney? (No Tiger jokes in this space now. His charity, among a myriad of local others, has benefited from this since inception and they’ve raised over $20 million.) The course has been “toughened up” over time, we’re told, like the 18th green has a reduced size to 4100 square feet and angled front-left to back-right.
  “They continue to tweak the course,” said Seth Waugh, the outgoing CEO of D-B America, at the press conference, and said, “It’s become a Labor Day tradition and something tour players put in their calendar.” He said the event pulls in $50 million+ to the area, “a substantial ROI.”
   Top golfers will include, Tiger, of course, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Rory Mcllroy, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Luke Donald, Keegan Bradley, Vijay Singh, Graeme McDowell and defending champ Webb Simpson.
    Webb was going to touch base with us at the video press conference when all us golf media types were down there, but as it happened his wife as having a baby so Vermont-raised, Hopkinton-born Keegen Bradley stepped in. Keegan won the 2011 PGA Championship, gaining him the rookie of the year title. He’s currently ranked No. 13 and while he finished out of the money in his last tourney, he snared $384,500 in the previous one.
    “It still kind of seems like a dream,” says the affable 26-year-old Keegan, answering the golf equivalent of softballs, about his previous year. Of Boston: “The people in Boston treated me unbelievably well at Deutsche Bank. Last year, I was a little bit worn out. I was pretty strung out from winning the PGA. This was unlike any tournament I’ve ever played in, the way everybody was behind me.” (Everyone loves a winner, and especially a local one.) “I put a little more pressure on myself. The crowd started cheering me even before they announced my name.”

Jerry Lehane, a friend, gollfing buddy and singer for the Dogmatics chipped in: "Read the article about the Deutsche bank...So cool you got to play there.  I know the hole your talking about where you dumped it twice in the water...decieving hole.  I've never played, but 2 years ago I walked it with my wife watching Phil Mickelson.  It was very interesting,  it wasn't a an adrenaline rush like a playoff game but an graceful walk among great players and appreciating the spectacular shots they made.  I really liked how close you could get.  There's a huge separation between guys like us and the pros, especially in the acceleration of the swing and the accuracy of the shot...all I can say is if you appreciate the game then what you see is magnificent."

   There are a zillion packages offered. The most simple being a ticket for any day is $55 (Parking is another $10.) Go to the website below for more specialized, expensive stuff.
http://www.deutschebankchampionship.com/club/scripts/library/view_document.asp?GRP=13880&NS=TK&APP=80&DN=VIPACCESS

http://www.deutschebankchampionship.com/club/scripts/library/view_document.asp?GRP=13880&NS=TK&APP=80&DN=PREMIUMACCESS

Check website for start times. My understanding is Friday and Saturday kick off around 6:30 A.M. and Sunday and Monday a bit later.

20 Arnold Palmer Blvd. Norton, 877-849-4322  www.dbchampionship.com