Tiger Woods Scandal

This week the top PGA tour players are competing in the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, California. Many of the top players in the world are competing, but one name you will not find on the top of the leader board is Tiger Woods. Tiger has got himself into a little dilemma which will need some time for healing.

On November 22, 2009, Tiger struck a fire hydrant and a neighbor’s tree around 2:30 am Friday morning. There was no alcohol or drugs involved in the wreck, and there were minor injuries. The accident was a big deal to the media, but the fact that he was not answering questions made it even bigger. News began to spread and the world now knows that Tiger Woods was having an affair with multiple women. It is sad and disheartening to know that one of the worlds best athletes would act in such a terrible manner. Tiger is a role model to so many aspiring golfers including myself.

One question I have been asking my peers since the accident is: What will this do to golf? When you mention the game of golf, the first thing that comes to mind is Tiger Woods. He has absolutely dominated the game and has never been involved with the law. He had one slip-up and now the media is bombarding him with questions. How long do you think it will take for the world to forgive Tiger for his actions? Currently Tiger is working on keeping his family together and paying the price for his wrongful actions.

SCJGA Players Championship

The 12th Annual SCJGA Players Championship was held at Hartsville Country Club November 21-22, 2009. This is a junior tournament that has a lot of talent in the field every year. The fun began November, 19th after the players completed their practice rounds. Hartsville Country Club arranged a buffet of great food that brought friends and family together. Everyone really enjoyed their meals and had a great time. After the players finished dinner, there was an evening glow ball competition, sponsored by Wal-Mart. The kids had a blast and it made this year even more special. This year’s Players Championship was very well organized thanks to the Hartsville community, the SCJGA, and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Brown. This year, the Browns conducted a wonderful tournament and devoted countless hours of hard work to this event. I noticed them working hard on the course months before it even started!

Day one of the tournament was cold and windy. The playing conditions were not conducive to low scoring, but solid scores were still posted in all age groups. I asked participants what their favorite part of the tournament was, and they all answered the “French Fry Guys”. This is a group of guys who make amazing food, but best of all for this golfing crowd ---- the home made French Fries. So, I would like to say thank you to the French Fry Guys for their hard work and great food.

Bad weather also plagued the second and final day. The morning tee-times had to contend with the cold weather, and those later in the day had to manage the rain. But, good scores were still posted, and champions were still crowned.

This is a great junior tournament for Hartsville. It showcases the high level of talent in the state of South Carolina. This is the second year I have helped out along with my fellow Coker teammates, and I enjoy it every year. Finally, kudos to Chris Miller and his SCJGA staff. Great job as usual with this tournament!

Stay tuned for my next blog!

Jared Crane

Hartsville Country Club

Coker College has access to a golf course that is really a great place for our team to practice and play everyday. When I first stepped foot onto Hartsville Country Club (HCC), I knew I was going to fall in love with the course. I saw the potential that the course had because of the good layout.

The first day I went to HCC, I meet Brad Nycum. Brad is the new general manager and teaching professional at Hartsville. He was very nice and welcomed me to the club. He explained how he would be working with us to become better golfers. Brad actually played at Florida Sate along with PGA member, past PGA Champion and former Ryder Cup Captain, Paul Azinger. Brad has made tremendous changes to the club and the results are amazing. I see Brad working very hard from sun-up to sun-down. Everyday you will see him mowing the fairways or even cutting down shrubbery to make HCC the premier place to play.

Just recently, the HCC community raised money to over-seed the golf course. If you aren’t familiar with this process, it is a very expensive task. It cost thousands of dollars for the over-seeding, and, to me, it is well worth the money. The fairways are starting to come in, and they look outstanding. The greens are rolling true and are looking better than ever. With the changes that have happened in this short amount of time, I can only imagine how great the course will look my senior year. The whole community is helping with the project of making HCC the place to play. I have noticed many small projects that have made the course look great. Landscaping has been done around the putting green and adjacent to number 2 tee-box. The bag drop was painted and looks really good. These small changes have made a great difference in the new look of the golf course.

My freshman year I thought our team was very fortunate to have HCC as a place to play and practice. The range was very good and the chipping green was easily accessible. Brad has the range looking even better now, plus there is really nice (and fast) putting green for us to put in extra hours working on those grueling 5 footers. Nets have been set up to make a fun range game with my fellow teammates. Also, the club has switched to stacking the range balls in pyramids which enhances the private club feel.

I really like the layout of our course and there are plenty of challenging holes. On behalf of our team and coaches, I want to thank HCC for the opportunity for us to improve our skills and become more competitive.

In this video I talked with Ben Conroy about Hartsville Country Club.

Thanks for your time and tune in for my next blog entry!

Jared Crane

Off- Season Training

Hello Cobra Fans,

This year, coach Tommy Baker has us striving towards excellence on two fronts --- in the classroom and on the course.

We are now in the off season, and the entire team is working on becoming stronger through our weight lifting program. You can find the Cobra golf team in the Hartsville YMCA at 6:30 A.M. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Coach Baker, a major in exercise science, has us working on the specific muscles needed for gaining yardage and achieving better balance. We do a lot of work on our core and forearms. Coach knows exactly what to tell us to do in the gym. He is doing an excellent job, and I am already seeing results for our team. The team is hitting it farther, and we’re developing more stamina for those grueling 36 hole one day tournaments.

The fall weather has been very cooperative here in Hartsville. It has allowed us to compete for the Cobra Cup. Coach Baker developed the Cobra Cup to enable the team to stay at the competitive level during the off-season. The Cobra Cup consists of intra-squad matches, where we play two matches against each teammate. The player with the most victories will earn the first annual Cobra Cup. Freshman Ben Conroy stated, “The cup is good intra-squad competition, keeping us sharp for the upcoming spring season.”

This off season, I have noticed the team working harder in the gym than my freshman year. I see more range balls being pounded into the Hartsville horizon. The team is working harder than ever to prove that we will be a force to be reckoned with in the spring.

By the way, I would also like to congratulate Coach Baker on his recent engagement! Also, congratulations to the Men’s soccer team for winning the Conference Carolinas Championship!

Thanks for all the support towards the Cobra golf team. Please check back for my next blog!

Go Cobras!

Jared Crane

Season Ending Success

I am sophomore golfer Jared Crane, and I will be the new voice of the Coker golf team. I will be posting these blogs periodically to keep everyone up to date on how the Coker College golf team is progressing.

With the 2009 fall season coming to an end, the Cobra golf team ended on a high note. The Cobras won the Coker College Intercollegiate by a commanding 39 strokes. Along with the team title, senior Chris Marsh also took home the individual title, with rounds of 70 and 66. He defeated teammate John LaDow by six strokes. The whole Cobra golf team was able to compete and all eight players finished in the top 15.Following this tournament title, the Cobras fired rounds of 289 and 293, and finished four under par and in a tie for third in the Honda Fall Classic hosted by Newberry College.

At the State Farm Laker Colligate, hosted by Clayton State University, freshman Jake Murphy had a very solid finish in the toughest tournament of the season. Murphy fired rounds of 74 and 71 to finish 27th in a field of 83. A finish of this caliber from a young star is what the Cobras will need in the near future to compete at the top level.

The Cobras are now ranked 43rd in the nation and are looking forward to carrying on their winning ways in the spring season. Please stay tuned for my next blog entry!

Go Cobras!

Jared Crane