Tres: Spring Edition

Uno: Loss Aversion

We all fear losing more than what we desire to win. This phenomenon, known as loss aversion shows up everywhere, from the stock market to the golf course. Economists Devin Pope and Maurice Schweitzer, analyzed more than 2.5 million putts and found that at every distance from the hole, players were more successful when putting for par than for a birdie.

In another study Ryan Elmore and Andrew Urbaczewski examined loss aversion in the US Opens played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Oakmont Country Club, In the last two tournaments at each course, they changed the par rating of a par 5 to a par 4 without fundamentally altering the hole. The results? You guessed it. Players scored better by when the par was changed from 5 to 4.

Next time you really need to make a birdie, tell yourself it is for par. The odds will improve.

Dos: That’s impressive but insane!

Being over-golfed has never been an issue. However, it is very impressive what Former MLB player Eric Byrnes was able to accomplish by playing 420 holes and setting a 24-hour speed-golf record.

A good friend of mine recently did something I thought was crazy. He flew from Calgary to Halifax, landed at 1 a.m. then drove for three and a half hours and made a 7:20 a.m. tee time at Cabot Cliffs. That afternoon, we played another 18, this time at Cabot Links. The next day was even more epic. He played 54 holes from dawn to dusk, before driving back to Halifax and flying back to Calgary. I mentioned this to the GM at Cabot and he told me that, while impressive, they had a father and a son that played 72 holes without a cart in one day! Have you done anything like this?

Tres: Cocktail Fodder

An estimated 300 million golf balls are lost or discarded in the United States every year, according to research by the Danish Golf Union. The term “sandbagger” originated from the game of poker whereby a player would hold off raising the stakes in order to lull the other players into a false sense of security. The poker sandbagger would pounce late in the game, clobbering the other players with his "sandbag" or good hand.

19th Hole

Patio season and a nice Rose go hand in hand. A great choice is Tightrope which is distributed by my friend Reed White. This year’s Rose is made almost entirely of Pinot Noir, but with a splash of Barbera (6.5%), to give it backbone and elevate the fruit, as well as adding a touch of spiciness. The grapes sourced for this wine came from the Shandro and Tightrope vineyards in Naramata. the were handpicked, crushed and left on skins to cold soak for 1-2 days before being pressed. After the juice had settled it was cool fermented, in stainless steel, at 14 degrees Celsius. It took 30 days to complete.

Tr3s. Chek Our New Blog

Uno: Golf is number 1 in Canada

It is not an overstatement to say that Canadians love golf. It is the country’s most popular sport with a participation base of 5.7 million people who enjoy more than 60 million rounds annually. The golf industry represents more than 1% of Canada’s total GDP with contributions to the economy exceeding $14.3 billion. According to a report by Golf Canada, there are 37,587 golf holes in Canada. If we say that the average distance of each hole is 400 yards (365.76 m) that means there are over 15,034,800 yards (13,747,821.12 m or 13,747 km) worth of green grass golf holes in this country. To put this into context, the Trans-Canada Highway between Victoria, BC and St. John's NF, which is the world's longest national highway, is only 7,821 km (4,860 mi.) in length.

Dos: Raising Green for Great Causes

PGAtour.com reports that unlike other professional sports organizations, the PGA TOUR relies on more than 100,000 volunteers annually to run its tournaments. The vast majority are structured as non-profit organizations designed to donate 100 percent of net proceeds to charity. Since 1938 the PGA tour has donated over $2.84 billion,. Of that total, more than $1.3 billion has been generated since the TOUR surpassed the $1-billion plateau in 2005. The $2 billion mark was passed in January of 2014. That’s a lot of greenbacks. If you ever wonder where the term greenbacks originated, Sensationalcolor.com, establishes that “in the 1860s, the US government printed new currency. One side of the bulls were printed with green ink to prevent counterfeiting since cameras during this time could only take black and white photographs. Paper currency has henceforth been called “greenbacks.” In 1929, when the government regularized the size and denomination of its currency, green ink was chosen because it was both plentiful and durable.”

Tr3s: Cocktail Chatter

Random and somewhat useless tidbits of info, unless you happen to be at a cocktail party or waiting for the group ahead to move on.

-Saint Lucia is the only country in the world named after a woman. It was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French. Great golf there. Stay tuned for a future story.

-Scotland was one of the few countries able to hold off being conquered by the Romans in the first century A.D. 

-The unique smell of rain actually comes from plant oils, bacteria, and ozone.

19th Hole

This time we are highlighting a modern coffee liqueur made with tr3s of the best ingredients ever put together: Kona coffee, dark chocolate and Caribbean dark rum.That trio, is equivalent to a great drive, that allows you to go for it in two, followed by a double breaker that finds the bottom of the cup.

Yes amigos, it is time to write a double circle on your scorecard!

Tr3s: Masters Edition

Uno: Green Jacket The green jacket is the most coveted clothing piece in the game of golf. Interestingly its first use was purely utilitarian. According to The Augusta Chronicle, the tradition of members wearing green jackets began in 1937, when jackets were purchased from New York's Brooks Uniform Co. The idea was that Masters patrons easily could see members who would have accurate information. In 1949, the first Green Jacket was awarded to that year's Masters champion, Sam Snead. During its first five iterations, the tournament was called the "Augusta National Invitational" Bobby Jones, Co-founder of the club and the greatest golfer of his generation, thought the name "Masters" was immodest, and he would not go along.

Dos: Dr. Alister MacKenzie “The Good Doctor” Augusta National was designed by Alister MacKenzie, arguably the world’s greatest golf architect, and Bobby Jones, Co-founder of the club. Jones was a big hitter, and he played a high right-to-left shot. New York Times columnist Curt Sampson wrote: “There is a distinct preponderance of dogleg left holes on Augusta National and the tremendous advantages it offered the long driver, particularly on the par fives, could not have been a coincidence.” Hence, if you are trying to win the office pool, please remember that short, or even middle length hitters, that have a low ball flight and fade the ball, do not win or even contend at Augusta. Augusta National was built during the Great Depression. “The construction of the course was a financial high-wire act, a dangerous race to get the thing built and producing income before the underwriters' money ran out. Construction started late in November 1931 and was completed 124 days later, on May 27, 1932. Subtract Sundays, when no one worked, and thirty days when rain prevented progress. Incredibly, Augusta National was built in seventy-six frenzied working days,” added Sampson. Sadly, on January 7, 1934, MacKenzie died at his home in California. He never did play or see the course in its finished form.

Booby Jones in 1921

Tr3s: Saving Every Dollar The construction budget for the course was one hundred thousand dollars but a variety of factors enabled the project to come in at least $15,000 below that. For the first year’s tournament a daily badge was $2.20 and the event was not sold out. (According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2019 are 1,786.39% higher than average prices throughout 1934. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.52% per year during this period. In other words, $2.20 in 1934 is equivalent in purchasing power to $41.50 in 2019, a difference of $39.30 over 85 years). The tournament was not played during the years 1943, 1944 and 1945 because of World War II. To help with the war effort, turkey and cattle were raised on the Augusta National Grounds.

Bonus: Under the Radar

It is easy to make the case for the biggest names in the game. Rory, DJ, Rose, Tiger, have all legitimate chances to wear the green jacket come Sunday. However, there is a second tier of players that are under the radar and offer great odds. These players have very good track records at Augusta, can shape it and can hit the ball really high. They are:

Rickie Fowler 16-1

Jason Day 25-1

Marc Leishman 30-1

Paul Casey 30-1

Hideki Matsuyama 35-1

Tony Finau 35-1

Adam Scott 40-1

Louis Oosthuizen 40-1

Hopefully, Eddie Pepperell will contend this week but since it is his first appearance his chances are very low. Nonetheless, if you want a refreshing perspective regarding the world of golf his twitter musings are the ones to follow.

19th Hole The most traditional Augusta menu offering is the pimento cheese sandwich. Taste of the South Magazine reports that the original creator of the Masters’ pimento cheese sandwich was Nick Rangos from Aiken, South Carolina. He supplied the tournament with the Southern staple for 45 years. Here is a recipe of the Pimento Cheese Sandwiches from Food Network Magazine

Directions

Combine 2 cups grated extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons chopped pimentos, 2 tablespoons grated onion, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread on white bread.

Enjoy!

Tr3s is a bi-weekly blog by Double Circle Golf. A social enterprise dedicated to helping elderly women with great skills but few employment opportunities. Through handcrafted, unique, and original golf headcovers, Double Circle Golf provides our artisans meaning, self-respect and the ability to financially support themselves.

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