The month of May is here, and it is starting to happen around here. We have golfers, racers and fans all coming to the Brickyard for one reason or another.
In a paragraph or two, we are going to try and answer some of the most popular questions asked on a daily basis.
The No. 1 question asked is, “How many holes are inside the track”?
The answer is four holes. Numbers 7- 10 are now on the inside of the track. Prior to 1992, there were nine holes inside the track that were known as “the inside 9.”
The No. 2 question: “Is the course open when the race cars are running?”
The answer is yes, on practice days the golf course is open to the public if an event is not taking place at the course. The course is closed on qualification days (May 10-11, May 17-18), Miller Lite Carb Day (May 23) and Race Day (May 25). The driving range is also closed for the month due to the range being adjacent to the backstretch of the racetrack.
The No. 3 question: “Do many of the drivers play?”
The answer is yes, there are quite a few who play. I think a lot more will start playing due to the business aspect of golf. It is a great way for drivers to interact with sponsors and potential sponsors.
Those are the most popular questions we field on a daily basis.
Some other information we would like to share is that we now have a Twilight fee after 4 p.m. daily. The cost is $55 and includes a cart. We also have rental clubs available if you are traveling and do not have yours. We take reservations 30 days in advance, which must be secured by a credit card. With out a doubt during May this is one of the most unique golfing experiences in the world.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
This week, the Brickyard is hosting the Women’s Mid-American Conference golf championships.
Weather once again looks like it might be a factor. It is windy and warm, but the forecast is calling for falling temperatures and a chance of rain.
My alma mater is here, Ball State, and today my old coach for the men’s team, Earl Yestingsmeir, came by, and I chatted with him for a while. He was men’s golf coach at BSU for 35 years. Besides being the golf coach, he also was the Sports Information Director at the school.
The Masters is over and Tiger Woods is on the DL for six weeks.
The Masters tournament was once again a great mental test for the professionals; Augusta is a golf course that has no rough to speak of and is one of the most intimidating courses the tour plays. It can leave the best players in the world scratching their heads and talking to themselves.
In the end, though, Trevor Immelman turned out to be the player of the week with the most determination and patience. Brandt Snedeker emerged as the feel-good story of the week. He also may be the next Tom Watson in the manner in which he plays. One thing that does somewhat stick out is the pace of play. I understand it is The Masters and a lot is on the line, but to be in twosomes and take almost five hours to play?
The Masters has started, and the stars are circling the top. But young guns seem to be trying to stave off the notion that Augusta is for veterans.
The thing about The Masters is that the tournament really doesn’t start till the back nine on Sunday. Most players are just trying to keep within striking distance for Sunday. My pick for the title, Tiger, is just where he needs to be for Sunday, hanging around.
This so-called spring has been an April Fools’ Day joke here in Indy. Weather once again can not figure out” weather” it is still winter or spring.
Enough of the gloom of the weather forecast. The Brickyard now has been open for play for over a week, and believe it or not, we have had some hearty souls out here to play. The course is doing well but just a little too wet for our liking with the recent rain.
The 2008 golf season has started here at Brickyard Crossing. Mother Nature has been the star of the show, with up-and-down temperatures and rain.
So let’s talk about the upcoming Masters at Augusta. The Masters is like the Indy 500 of golf; it is something that is on everyone’s to-do list as a spectator. I have been fortunate enough to have been to Augusta a few times for the tournament, and it is an incredible experience.
My father, Rollie Schroeder, pro emeritus here at the Brickyard, got to play the course twice back in the late 80s. I asked him about it upon his return, and he said it was a trip of a lifetime, without a doubt.
Finally the rain has stopped here in Indianapolis, for at least a day, and the forecast is a little more promising after this weekend.
Brickyard Crossing will open for play on Tuesday, March 25. We already have a few players signed up.
The course is starting to green up a little after our superintendent, Jeff Stuart, and his crew mowed fairways and greens. Jeff does a great job here at the Brickyard keeping the course in tournament condition for everyday play.
Decent weather here in Indianapolis for the last few days, which was good. We also received our new fleet of EZ-GO golf carts and our new PROLINK GPS system Monday, March 10.
The new carts are really nice and have some new, high-tech features. Along with our new GPS system, Brickyard Crossing is one of the few facilities that has the amenities for an outstanding golf experience.
The new cart has been a project of EZ-GO for the last few years. Some features on the new cart include a new brake system that does not require setting the brake to keep the cart from rolling. The RXV cart also has an AC motor.
The GPS system is the new Prostar version of PROLINK, with the Scorecast system embedded into the program. This will allow players to keep score on the monitors, and it also has some neat features for scoring golf events. It also has space for advertisement.
Hate to say this, but there is nothing exciting going on in the golf world right now here in Indiana.
The PGA Tour is in Florida, Tiger is not playing, Ernie Els finished off a victory last week, and Brickyard Crossing’s opening day of play has been pushed back due to weather.
A couple of weeks ago, the Professional Bowlers Tour was in town, along with my good friend Randy Pedersen. He is a 13-time winner on the PBA Tour and is now a broadcaster for PBA Tour telecasts on ESPN.
Weather seems to be the winner these days when it comes to planning a trip.
I just returned from Sea Island, Ga., where we had three days of good weather and then the bottom fell out Wednesday, Feb. 27. We arrived on Sunday, Feb. 24 and had the privilege of playing one of the resort’s ultra-private courses, Ocean Forest.
Ocean Forest is a great course and hosted the Walker Cup a few years back. We basically had the course to ourselves in the morning due to the club having a member event in the afternoon. The weather was perfect. It was sunny and 70 degrees, with light winds. The course is somewhat tree-lined, with smaller greens. So the shot value into the green was at a premium.