Sunday, June 15, 2014

Viraat Badhwar reminiscing upon Prairie Dunes

Blog: NCAA Championships
Hutchinson, Kansas

The sun was setting as we left Prairie Dunes Golf Club for the last time. For the first time that week, there wasn’t any country music or lively conversation for the ride back to our hotel. As the team reminisced on what could have been, I relived the amazing experiences we had of playing the NCAA Championships.

I remembered the excitement and eagerness I had to play a Perry Maxwell for the first time as we prepared for the practice round. We started on the 2nd, an amazing 160 yards par 3 with all the features that could lend it a comparison with the 12th at Augusta National. Two deep bunkers guarded the front of the diagonal green that had more undulations than I’d ever experienced. And it only got better. The stretches of holes five, six and seven as well as eleven, twelve and thirteen were personal favorites with their extreme variation in design, length and difficulty. The rolling topography and green complexity made the course a great test of golf.

I recalled the memories of watching Cameron hit some outstanding golf shots coming down the stretch to claim the Individual Championship after a nail biting finish and then two grueling sudden death playoff holes. Amidst all the distractions late in the day, his performance was exemplary and he made the whole team proud. His individual win, complemented by David’s closing round of 65, led us to a 9 shot victory in the stroke-play. This was great momentum for the team heading into the match play as the first seed.

After a close win against Illinois in the first round of match play, we were paired with Oklahoma State in the afternoon in the semi finals. It was a close match for the whole round, with continuous shifts in momentum from one team to the other. I was one down with two holes left to play as the teams stood at two games each. Despite being unsuccessful in our attempt, those two holes were an incredible experience for me as I felt the team’s support.


As we approached the hotel, I came to realize that this was the last day of college golf for both Cameron and Patrick. As they embark on their professional golfing careers, I think they shall look on NCAA Championships, our 2013-2014 season and their years at Stanford run with a lot of pride and honor.



>> Viraat Badhwar (in Prairie Dunes action photos above) will be playing a strong summer golf schedule, starting out here:

June 16-21 - The Northeast Amateur (Wannamoisett Country Club, Rumford, Rhode Island)

June 23-30 - The Dogwood (Druid Hills Golf Club - Atlanta, Georgia)

July 1-4 - Sahalee Players (Sammamish, Washington)

July 8-13 - The Players Am (Okatie, SC)

Follow at www.stanfordmensgolf.com

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Jim Liu provides a glimpse into his Freshman year and recent team successes....


As the regular season came to a close, our team came on strong, playing some great golf to cap off the season with convincing wins at both the Goodwin Invitational and the Western Intercollegiate. 

With our team playing well heading to the postseason, we had high expectations and we started it off with a bang at the PAC 12 Championship in Tucson, Arizona. As we won by 15 shots in wire-to-wire fashion on the demanding North Course of The Gallery Golf Club, we also captured the team’s first PAC-12 title in 20 years. The last time we won the PAC 12 title was also in the Arizona Desert. Ironic? Perhaps. But after finishing our schoolwork, fighting through wind and freezing rain in the third round, coping with the pain of some jumping cholla, and living through standoffs with javelinas, we managed to play some great golf, and the fact that the team won again in the desert was probably more of a coincidence. I’m really proud of our team, for the way we played, and also for how we carried each other as a whole. A win by Patrick Rodgers individually also marked his 4th win in the last 5 events, with Cameron Wilson capturing the Western Intercollegiate, and Stanford capturing the last 5 individual titles. It is really neat to see Patrick Rodgers and Cameron Wilson lead the team with some outstanding golf as they near the end of their Stanford Golf Careers. 

It’s an exciting time in the Stanford locker-room, because we all are excited for what lies ahead, beginning with NCAA Regionals. However, amidst the hard work and preparation for the challenges that lay ahead, we were fortunate enough to take a quick step away from reality and live the dream of what it is to be a Stanford golfer. Two Friday’s ago, before PAC 12’s, with the generosity of a few supporters of Stanford Golf, the team made the trip down to Monterey Bay, and the main headline on our agenda that day was a round at Cypress Point Golf Club. My time at Stanford has been relatively short so far as a freshman, but from the stories I’ve heard from upperclassmen like Cameron Wilson and Shane Lebow, this would be one of those trips that you will cherish and remember for a long time. 

It turned out to be a very accurate assessment and quite the experience. We drove down in the morning with everyone sharing some epic stories about the famed 16th hole. The drive flew by quickly and before we knew it the van got very quiet as we drove up the entrance into Cypress Point Golf Club. What happened after that was slightly a blur for me, as I was soaking up as much as I could. I’ve heard so much about Cypress Point and to be there and playing the course was pretty special. As we walked around, some of us gave each other one of Viraat Badhwar’s signature expressions – a wide-eyed and bushy tailed facial expression accompanied by an enthusiastic yet sarcastic, “Stop it”. Jokes and humor aside, we teed off after hitting a few balls and rolling some putts. The round on the course was just as fun, as we played with some good company and played against each other in friendly Stableford match. It might have been what I had for breakfast (which I will omit in case our sports performance and conditioning coach choses to read this), because I was feeling good as I finished birdie, par, birdie, birdie to shoot a 63, and tie the low round of Ben Hogan and former Stanford golfer, Jordan Cox. 

Jim Liu's Scorecard at Cypress (63)

Our day didn’t end there, as we made our way over to Carmel beach after our round. While there, we observed some of the golf that was being played above us on hole 10 at Pebble, and we were reminded of the fact that stray golf balls can be dangerous. The day was topped off with a dinner at the Dunes Shelter at MPCC overlooking the Pacific Ocean as we shared stories of what unfolded on the golf course. It was a day to remember, as was this past Sunday at the Gallery Golf Club. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed a little glimpse into what has unfolded during the past few weeks with the team, and I’d like to thank all of you guys for your support, it really means a lot to us! 

Go Card!


Here's Jim warming up his woods at Erin Hills in the Fall 2013

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Coding for birdies (or even albatrosses)! - by Maverick McNealy


As "Nerd Nation" golfers, who hasn't spent hours conjuring up designs for golf holes on Paint or some other computer art program? 

Yes, we've all done it! 

But... how many of us could actually write the artwork's computer code from scratch?


Here below, Maverick McNealy shares with us his coding "artistry" from one of his computer science classes and how he has already coded some great golf shots...


TO JUMP THE CODE AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE PICTURE click here >>



/*
 * File: Artistry.java
 * Name: Maverick McNealy
 * Section Leader: Matt Lathrop
 * ==========================================================
 * This is a pretty awesome picture. It is what I hope happens a lot this year for
 * our team! (Funny thing, because in the week after I programmed this, Keegan English made a hole-in-one on hole 7 at Peninsula G&CC, David Boote made a hole-in--one on hole 1 of the Peter Hay par 3 course at Pebble Beach and Viraat Badhwar made a double eagle on hole 12 at Fort Ord - Black Horse!!!)
 */


import java.awt.Color;

import acm.graphics.GLabel;
import acm.graphics.GOval;
import acm.graphics.GLine;
import acm.graphics.GRect;
import acm.program.*;

public class Artistry extends GraphicsProgram {
     
      //makes the best picture in the history of GraphicsProgram pictures (GO STANFORD GOLF!!)
      public void run() {
            addPuttingGreen();
            addSandTrap1();
            addSandTrap2();
            addLake();
            addHole();
            addPin();
            addBall();
            addSignature();
      }
     
      //Adds a green oval putting green
      private void addPuttingGreen() {
            GOval puttingGreen = new GOval (400, 300);
            puttingGreen.setColor(Color.green);
            puttingGreen.setLocation(150,50);
            puttingGreen.setFillColor(Color.green);
            puttingGreen.setFilled(true);
            add(puttingGreen);
      }
     
      //adds a yellow oval sand trap to the bottom-left of the green
      private void addSandTrap1() {
            GOval sandTrap1 = new GOval (100,100);
            sandTrap1.setColor(Color.yellow);
            sandTrap1.setLocation(100,300);
            sandTrap1.setFillColor(Color.yellow);
            sandTrap1.setFilled(true);
            add(sandTrap1);  
      }
     
      //adds a yellow oval sand trap to the bottom-right of the green
      private void addSandTrap2() {
            GOval sandTrap2 = new GOval (100,200);
            sandTrap2.setColor(Color.yellow);
            sandTrap2.setLocation(550,230);
            sandTrap2.setFillColor(Color.yellow);
            sandTrap2.setFilled(true);
            add(sandTrap2);
      }
     
      //adds a blue oval lake to the top left of the screen
      private void addLake() {
            GOval lake = new GOval (300, 500);
            lake.setColor(Color.blue);
            lake.setLocation(-150, -250);
            lake.setFilled(true);
            add(lake);
      }
     
      //adds a black oval hole in the left center of the putting green
      private void addHole() {
            GOval hole = new GOval (20,10);
            hole.setLocation(250,250);
            hole.setFilled(true);
            add(hole);
      }
     
      /*adds a black line (flagstick), coming out of the hole, with a red rectangle flag on
       * the top of the flagstick
       */
      private void addPin() {
            GLine flagStick = new GLine (260, 260, 260, 140);
            add(flagStick);
           
            GRect flag = new GRect (260, 140, 30, 20);
            flag.setColor(Color.red);
            flag.setFilled(true);
            add(flag);
      }
     
      //adds a white circle golf ball with black outline and two black horizontal lines to its top right
      private void addBall() {
            GOval ball = new GOval (7, 7);
            ball.setLocation(280, 230);
            ball.setFillColor(Color.white);
            ball.setColor(Color.black);
            ball.setFilled(true);
            add(ball);
           
            GLine streak1 = new GLine (291, 230, 301, 220);
            add(streak1);
           
            GLine streak2 = new GLine (287, 227, 297, 217);
            add(streak2);
      }
     
      //adds a red signature flush up against the bottom right corner of the screen.
      private void addSignature() {
            GLabel signature = new GLabel ("Artistry by Maverick McNealy. Go Stanford Golf!");
            signature.setFont("Sans Serif-25");
            signature.setColor(Color.red);
            Double xCoordinate = getWidth() - signature.getWidth();
            Double yCoordinate = getHeight() - signature.getDescent();
            signature.setLocation(xCoordinate, yCoordinate);
            add(signature);
      }

}


hole-in-one!