The Arizona Republic
"When Bad Shots Look Good"

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When bad shots look good
Trash golf rewards duffers, hackers

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 30, 2005 12:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE - How to say this politely . . .

These golfers aren't right in the head.

Get them discussing their latest rounds, and they switch to another language, bragging about their skippies, rockies, barkies, Willies, Watsons and Super Watsons.

They're obviously trashed.

And to them, that's a compliment.

They're part of a new breed of golf, and they'll be on display May 9 at the first Trashmasters Arizona Golf Tournament at the Mirabel Club in Scottsdale.

The long-term intent is to raise money for the Desert Foothills YMCA & Community Center, a $9 million joint venture of the Metropolitan YMCA of Phoenix, the Foothills Community Foundation and Paradise Valley Community College.

The immediate gratification is to have fun with the clubs, to embrace - rather than curse - the sport's misfortunes, which many find as irritating as a severe case of foot fungus.

"This all started about 13 years ago, when a bunch of us got tired of the traditional round," said founder Boone Schweitzer of Aspen, Colo. "We realized that a bunch of strange and bizarre things happen on the golf course, so we thought, 'Let's acknowledge them and give them a name.' "

And with that, the garbage tournament was born.

The concept: Taking your wayward shots and converting them into trash points. For example, a player earns a barkie (one point) if his ball strikes a tree, bush or shrub. He earns a (John) Daly (two points) after hitting his ball out of bounds, or losing his ball and taking a stroke penalty.

The person who accumulates the most trash points over 18 holes wins. Only catch: The player must make a net par on the hole to collect any applicable trash points.

"So, you just can't go out there and create trash," said Scottsdale's Dick Segil, the Arizona event's director and a five-time Trashmaster veteran. "If you intentionally hit it into the water (a drinkie), chances are you're not going to make net par. The trash just happens when it happens."

And, of course, there's usually no shortage.

"Everybody can buy into this," Schweitzer said. "Men, women, young people, old people. Tour players play a lot of trash. On their off days, they all play trash. They love trash."

Twenty-four trash elements are listed in the rulebook. An Arnie, an ace, is worth 13 points. A Willie - sing it with us: "On the road again . . . " - is worth two, earned when a player's ball hits the cart path or a road with his or her ball.

"When I first heard about it, I immediately wanted to sign up and play, but I couldn't because I have to work that day," said Michael Ryan, general manager at Mirabel. "I think it sounds like a great time."

Schweitzer doesn't just hope for such things, he promises them.

"Anyone who plays really gets jazzed because they have fun," he said. "I've seen people who played in the event have career days because all the pressure is off. There's just a whole different attitude that prevails."

© Copyright 2005 The Arizona Republic