Local Golf News
FORE May 2025
By Bradford Bixby, For The Mountain Times
Welcome back, dear reader, to Fore, the sort of hard hitting, kinda controversial, semi- dangerous column that tries to expose the soft underbelly of the world of golf. As many of you know, I rarely watch golf on television, but the Masters is a must watch and this year was no exception. I was very happy to see Rory win and complete his career Grand Slam. Good for him – he’s always been a great ambassador for the game. I will say I feel that if you leave the PGA to make guaranteed money on the LIV, you should forfeit the opportunity to play in any PGA events. It would suck to be a PGA player who doesn’t a make dime unless he plays well, then lose out on a big paycheck to a guy making guaranteed millions on another tour.
But life as a Masters attendee is not easy either. You can only get a ticket by lottery, and if you are caught scalping it within a half mile of the venue you are arrested. Then the dress code is archaic: no shorts, no denim, no untucked shirts; no five pocket pants, no hats worn backwards, no strollers, no cell phones – and you can be arrested for taking a sample from the sand traps. It’s not a lot better for the TV personalities. They can’t refer to the attendees as fans, spectators, crowds, or for that matter attendees. They must call them patrons. The announcers are not allowed to call it the fairway and the rough, it’s the first and second cut. Announcer Gary McCord got himself banned from the Masters for saying on air “They don’t cut the grass here at Augusta, they use bikini wax!” Suffice it to say I wouldn’t last two minutes.
Now that the weather has become spectacular it’s time to get out and enjoy the course. The women kick off their season on the first Wednesday in May. The Mount Hood Golf Club will be holding their annual two-day event on Saturday and Sunday. The Resort is opening Mallards on the 23rd of May, with food and drink specials plus live music.
Mother’s Day is coming and the Resort will be holding a brunch. In the arena of golf, Tom has informed me that he is planning on having social golf events on Tuesday and Friday. These are open to everyone and the scramble format makes everyone feel good.
If you remember last month’s column, you know I spoke at length about what great shape the course is in. It’s even better now. They have cleaned out more areas of overgrowth to improve the eye appeal of the course. They have also trimmed up a lot of trees in key places to make those areas more friendly. In fact, this would be the perfect time to mention them by name. So thanks to the hard working crew of Kyle Taylor, Tom McGraw, Keith Painter, Dennis Lane, Danny Lies and Melody Davis. They even got Wray Ennis and Jamie Simpson to groom the area around the sign by the highway. I commend the upper management of the Resort for making the financial commitment to achieve this. Well done.
That’s all I got, so until next time, remember to “Hit Em Straight.”