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User tales of travel woes
Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity was a 42-year-old 8 handicapper when he suddenly lost his swing. Since December 1989 he has been looking for it -- a modern-day Odysseus adrift on the troubled waters of swing theory. As Garrity travels the world reporting on golf, he visits as many driving ranges as he can, avoiding the dreaded "mats only" ranges that prevent him from teeing it up. Tuesday, March 13 CHICAGO -- The good people at Southwest Airlines must have read my recent columns about America West and its mishandling of my golf clubs. I flew into Chicago Midway with my wife this afternoon, walked 10,000 yards from the grimy old concourse to the gleaming new baggage-claim area, and gratefully spotted my four-club Caddy Carry circling the carousel. Only a churl -- and I am not one -- would have complained when our other two bags did not arrive. I mean, if I had wanted to hit shots at a lighted driving range, I could have -- assuming, of course, I could first find a one-hour optometrist to replace my distance glasses, which were in the lost luggage. Apparently my Web whining has touched a nerve with aero-victims around the globe. Kevin O'Connell, writing from China, says that he once flew from Shanghai to Phoenix to attend a five-day golf school near his mother's home. After collecting his clubs outside customs in Los Angeles, Kevin re-checked the sticks with -- yeah, that Phoenix outfit. "The America West people were very helpful in giving me updates about the location of my clubs," he writes. "Omaha, Vegas, San Jose, L.A. again, etc." Kevin eventually got his clubs back, but he says, "The least they could have done was give me the mileage that my clubs racked up on the trip!" And I thought I was ill-served by AW's $25 check. "I don't think America West has the patent on club abuse," writes Joseph Daiek of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I was traveling to Scotland with my three brothers on the golf trip of a lifetime -- a true pilgrimage, with rounds at Turnberry, Carnoustie and St. Andrews. Because of bad weather in Chicago, American Airlines had us change flights. Unfortunately, neither our clubs nor luggage arrived in Glasgow with us. Imagine teeing it up with rental clubs in your sneakers and the clothes you traveled in. Not quite the way I pictured it." The Daiek bags arrived three days later, having completed a true pilgrimage of their own. (Heathrow, Gibraltar, Barcelona?) A similar tale of unrequited baggage comes from Tom Washington of Minneapolis, who flew Air Canada to Montreal last summer -- which was a shame, because his golf clubs flew Air Canada to Martinique. Says Tom, "Maybe I should have put my clubs on the plane and mailed myself to the island." Finally, Joe Logan of Philadelphia opens my eyes with a sharp, "Ha! At least you got your golf clubs back." Two years ago, it seems, British Airways lost Joe's clubs "for all time and eternity" when he was returning from the British Open at Carnoustie. "Initially they were very apologetic," Joe writes, "but they soon took a hard line and refused to compensate me for more than about the price of a new driver and a 3-wood. Needless to say, the next time I fly British Airways will be because I am returning to assume my rightful position as the King of England." Way to go, Joe. But at the rate we're boycotting airlines, we'll soon have to visit Scotland by tramp steamer or hot-air balloon. Wednesday, March 14 CHICAGO -- I got in five minutes of practice today. No mats, no grass. No golf clubs, even. I just spent five minutes studying my setup in a mirror at my niece's house in Evergreen Park. I suspect that my current problems -- which include, but are not limited to, a tendency to hit every tee shot out of bounds right -- are related to posture or alignment. If my hands are too low at address, for instance, I either hook it or slice it (I can't remember which). Similarly, if my right shoulder gets too high or too low something bad happens (I can't remember what). I also worry that my chin is starting to sink down to my chest, but that has nothing to do with my setup. It's just a natural reaction to the kind of shots I've been hitting lately. "Don't lose hope," writes Joe Poulas of Vernon, N.J. "For me, all it takes is one good shot or one good putt. It's like magic." Thanks, Joe. I needed that. Thursday, March 15 FAIRHAVEN, Mass. -- A few driving-range recommendations have come in for Rich Shropshire, the English lad who is touring our East Coast to get ideas for the range he plans to open in the U.K. Jeff Zysek of Ocala, Fla., says Rich should visit the elegant grass range at the Faldo Golf Institute on International Drive in Orlando, not far from the Orange County Convention Center. (But I would ask Rich not to copy ball-buying procedure at Faldo's, which involves a trek up a flight of stairs to the golf shop and a tedious spell at the cash register, followed by a trip to the cart barn with a receipt -- and you're still a hundred yards from the range.) Another Florida resident, Mike Moore of Rockledge, says Rich can brighten his time in Orlando with a trip to the range at Orange County National. "Well-maintained grass, a 125-acre circular practice area, and an 18-hole putting course. Enjoy!" Two New York correspondents point Rich in the direction of the Chelsea Piers driving range on the Hudson River in New York City. "This is one cool golf range," writes Michael Kist of Greystone, "and cutting edge with its locker room, automated teeing machines and party rental space." "I remember two things," echoes Andrew Ponzoni of Farmingdale . "The high price and the machine that tees the ball for you. It's a great novelty range." The virtual mailbag also brings an interesting e-mail from Ben Storey of Seattle, who amplifies a recent pan of the driving range at Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, Calif. "World-class golf course, kindergarten driving range," writes Ben, who haunted the municipal facility in the '60s, when he was a teenager. "The original driving range was to the right of the 18th fairway on Torrey South, and that range was a sad, sick joke as well -- tilted, barren and a long walk from the first tee. It was so bad that in the early days of the San Diego Open, before they used the North Course on Thursday and Friday, the touring pros used the first and 18th fairways to warm up. No, this wasn't Doug Sanders and Tom Weiskopf being impulsive; this is where the Tour insisted they be allowed to practice." As for why the bad old range made way for an equally bad new range, Ben says, "Always mindful of a buck, the city worked a deal that allowed several pricey La Jolla hotels on the site of the old practice ground. Some 'improvement,' huh?" Speaking of some improvement ... I'll be back in the California desert next week to cover the LPGA's first major of the year, the Nabisco Championship. That means I can squeeze in a lesson with my West Coast swing guru, Rob Stanger. Unfortunately, Rob's lesson tee at Mission Hills Country Club will be taken over by the pros, so we'll have to settle for a lighted commercial range somewhere in the Coachella Valley. Do I care? Not one bit. To get rid of this push-slice, I'd take a midnight lesson from Happy Gilmore in a hangar at the TWA overhaul base in Kansas City. Actually, that might -- naw, forget it.
Watch this space for another installment of Mats Only. To send John Garrity advice, share your experiences, or suggest a driving range, click here.
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