Stenson Gets a Taste of Muny Golf

The 2008 U.S. Open will take place at a municipal golf course, the South Course at Torrey Pines just outside San Diego. Torrey Pines hosts the Buick Invitational every year. But if you're a touring pro who's never played the Buick, how do you get a preview of the course? At most U.S. Open venues - the toniest of the tony, ultra-exclusive clubs of America - you'd call the director of golf and arrange some practice time.

But at Torrey Pines? Well, Henrik Stenson found out recently: Like thousands of other golfers every week, he booked a twosome and waited for the starter for get him on the course:

No special treatment for Stenson. He paid for his range balls (real range balls, not a case of balls provided by his equipment sponsor). He paid for his round of golf - the first time in 10 years he'd paid a green fee.

But Stenson did get a break on the price. He got the San Diego County residents' rate, rather than the out-of-county rate. (Residents pay $42 Mon-Thur, $49 weekends; non-residents pay $145 or $181.)

When you think about it, there are some similarities between muny golf and PGA Tour golf:

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• Munies are plagued by slow play. PGA Tour events are plagued by slow play.
• At the muny you have to put up with jokers screaming "boo-yah!" when they make a putt. On the PGA Tour, you have to put with jokers screaming "you da man!" when you make a putt.
• At the muny golfers stalk the greens and look at putts from every angle as if they are playing for millions of dollars. On the PGA Tour, golfers stalk the greens and look at putts from every angle because they are playing for millions of dollars.
• At the muny, many golfers whine about course conditions. On the PGA Tour, many golfers whine about course conditions.
• At the muny, many golfers recoil at the price of green fees. On the PGA Tour, many golfers recoil at the price of Learjets. (OK, maybe there aren't that many similarities after all.)

Unless the pro shop announced he was at the course, I bet Stenson played without being bothered. Wonder what would happen if Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson just showed up at a muny ...

Fred Couples plays a muny near his house on a regular basis. But he has a regular group, playing with the head pro and two of the muny's better players. Celebrity golfer Samuel L. Jackson is known to play often at his local muny, just showing up and waiting for the starter's call. He once played with an elderly couple who eyed him suspiciously throughout the round until near the end, when the wife exclaimed, "You're Coach Carter!"