A Look Back at the 1984 PGA Championship

Shoal Creek Country Club is one of the best courses in Alabama (Golf Digest ranked it No. 1 on its list of the best courses in the state for 2021-22) and has hosted several prominent events, beginning with the 1984 PGA Championship. American Lee Trevino scored under 70 in each of the four rounds to win the tournament with a final score of 15-under-par, four strokes ahead of American Lanny Wadkins and South African Gary Player, a nine-time major champion. Trevino’s sixth and final victory at a major championship marked his first tournament win of any kind in three years.

The field for the 1984 PGA Championship featured 148 golfers, including legends like Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, and Jack Nicklaus. Still, the spotlight was on Trevino, Wadkins, and Player for much of the tournament, especially in the fourth round as the golfers played together in a threesome. Each of the three golfers was already PGA Championship winners, while Player and Trevino were nearing the end of their career on the PGA Tour. Player 48 was only a little over a year away from qualifying for the Senior PGA Tour and was never in contention at subsequent events. Trevino, meanwhile, never won another PGA Tour event.

Wadkins gained an early edge over Trevino and Player by tying Mike Reid and 1982 PGA Championship winner Raymond Floyd with a low round score of 68 in the tournament’s first round. Trevino shot 69 in the first round. Player responded in the second round by shooting 63, which, at the time, was the lowest single-round score in PGA Championship history. It was especially surprising given that, before the tournament, Player had been struggling with his putter and recorded eight rounds at 75 or above. After the second round, Trevino, Player, and Wadkins were tied for the tournament lead.

However, Trevino began pulling away in the third round and finished with a score of 67. Player and Wadkins shot 69 and 68, respectively, in the third round. Trevino padded his lead during Sunday’s final round. He shot 69 in round four, whereas Player and Wadkins scored over 70. He won $125,000 for his first-place finish, while Player and Wadkins earned $62,500. American Calvin Peete and Spaniard Seve Ballesteros finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Larry Mize, Russ Cochran, and Victor Regalado were among the top 10 finishers.

Putting wasn’t just an issue for Player entering the tournament. Trevino had also been struggling on the green, which was one of the main reasons he purchased a new putter weeks prior on a trip to the Netherlands. His putting was particularly impressive during the third round when he shot 67. During Sunday’s final round, Trevino made an 18-foot birdie on the 18th hole to secure a 69 and become the first PGA Championship winner in history to shoot in the 60s in all four rounds (69-68-67-69). He accomplished the same feat at the 1968 U.S. Open but has since said his victory at the 1984 PGA Championship is the most memorable career.

Shoal Creek has since hosted the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship, 1990 PGA Championship, and 1994 Jerry Pate’s National Intercollegiate.

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What Is an Alternative Investment?

An alternative investment is a financial asset not falling under the conventional investments categories like cash, stocks, and bonds. Hedge funds, real property, private equity, crowdfunding, and commodities are common types of alternative investments. Pieces of art and antiques also belong to this category of financial assets.

Hedge funds are private, professionally managed funds that operate with pooled capital. Rentals, real estate development companies, raw land, and others can all fall under the real estate type of alternative investments. Private equity usually requires directly investing large amounts in not publicly traded private companies. Often this means investing in new companies with high growth potential.

Crowdfunding uses pooled money from individuals to fund new business endeavors. Investors can receive company equity shares in return. And commodities typically involve investments in raw materials, such as precious metals, electricity, and oil.

Alternative investments usually have higher fees and require higher minimum initial investments than retail-oriented mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). They are also more complex, less liquid, and entail higher risk. Thus, typically large institutional investors or accredited, wealthy individuals hold alternative investments.

However, alternatives have lower transaction costs because of lower turnover. This last characteristic and the smaller number of buyers make them less liquid. For example, it can be considerably harder to find a buyer for a 100-year-old bottle of wine than for 1,000 shares of a leading software company.

As for the higher risk, it is difficult to obtain verifiable financial information for alternative investments or advertise them to potential investors as they have fewer opportunities to do so. In the case of private equity, investing in new yet untested companies significantly increases the investment’s risk. The same applies to commodities as their supply and demand are highly susceptible to external factors like the weather or natural disasters.

Alternative investments tend to be subject to less clear regulation than their conventional counterparts. Although the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates alternative investment vehicles, their securities do not require registration. In the case of hedge funds, being less regulated allows their managers to transact a wider range of assets, invest in more complex deals, and apply more complex investment strategies.

For example, hedge funds often use the so-called merger arbitrage, where they concurrently buy and sell the corresponding stocks of two merging companies to realize “risk-free” profits. But the lower regulation has also rendered alternatives more prone to fraud and investments scams. Thus, any investor considering them must conduct thorough due diligence.

The main appeal of alternative investments comes from their low correlation with stock and bond markets and higher potential return. Alternatives usually move opposite to stocks and bonds markets, which means they keep their values during a market downturn. This feature makes them suitable for portfolio diversification and volatility or price swings mitigation. Real estate and commodities like precious metals and oil are particularly good for that purpose. In addition, they also make for an effective hedge against inflation, which compromises paper money’s purchasing power.

Similar to any investment, no return is guaranteed, alternative investments can potentially create higher returns than traditional investments. Furthermore, some alternative investments also offer tax benefits unavailable with conventional ones.

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Important Tennis Shots to Master

Individuals learning the sport of tennis have several unique shots to master. The basic shots in tennis include the forehand, backhand, and serve. More specialized shots include lobs and drop shots, to name only a few.

The vast majority of tennis rallies involve players exchanging groundstrokes, the collective term for the forehand and backhand. The mechanics for groundstrokes can vary considerably from one player to the next. The type of grip a player uses plays a key role in the manner in which they hit groundstrokes. An eastern forehand grip, for example, helps players hit flatter shots, while the semi-western grip is ideal for players trying to add more topspin to their games.

Both the forehand and backhand can be hit with either one or two hands. The one-handed backhand has become increasingly sparse among professional players, though all-time great Roger Federer uses a one-handed backhand, as do up and coming talents such as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov. The two-handed forehand, meanwhile, is completely absent from the highest levels of tennis, though grand slam champions of the past like Monica Seles and Marion Bartoli have made use of the technique.

Similarly, groundstrokes can be modified with several types of spin. Topspin shots bounce high off the court, pushing opponents back and providing players with a larger margin for error. Slice shots, on the other hand, move slowly through the air and stay low to the ground, functioning as effective defensive shots. Flat shots are groundstrokes hit with little to no spin. They are dangerous offensive weapons but can be difficult to control.

Forehands and backhands can both be used to hit specific types of groundstrokes, such as passing shots. There is no specific strategy or technique for hitting a passing shot. Instead, players are forced to come up with a passing shot when an opponent positions themselves at the net, leaving players only a small window of opportunity to get the ball by.

The serve can be viewed as the single most important shot in tennis. A player’s service motion represents the only time in a match when the player can hold the ball in hand and take a moment to think about exactly how and where they would like to place the ball on the court.

As is the case with groundstrokes, serves can be hit with different kinds of spin. Topspin serves, or kick serves, can be directed into an opponent’s body, making it difficult to respond with a complete stroke. Slice serves, meanwhile, can be used to draw opponents off the court, setting up a quick one-two punch. A far less common type of serve is the underhand serve. Often considered a “cheap tactic,” Michael Chang famously used an underhand serve against Ivan Lendl on his way to the 1989 French Open championship.

Lastly, drop shots and lobs function as the most commonly implemented specialty shots in the sport of tennis. Players use spin and deft touch to place drop shots just over the net, forcing opponents to dash into the court. Lobs, by contrast, are hit high overhead, driving opponents deep into the court. Lobs are great defensive shots, but topspin lobs serve as an effective offensive tactic after a drop shot has drawn an opponent in.

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Amenities and Activities at the Birmingham Country Club

Individuals and families living in and around Birmingham, Alabama, interested in joining a local country club should consider the Birmingham Country Club. While the Birmingham Country Club maintains a championship-caliber 18-hole golf course, the club provides members and families with a depth of additional amenities and recreational opportunities. In addition to the course, the club features a swimming pool and tennis facilities, each of which provides both adult and children programs, including SISCA league competition for swimmers aged five to 18.

The club’s 25-meter competition pool features six lanes, a diving board, and a shallow end for younger swimmers. An outdoor pool, the facility includes plenty of room for members to lay out in the sun or enjoy a nice day from the comfort of some shade. In addition to swim clinics, which range from group training to private swim lessons, and SISCA league meets, the pool is used for the annual Mini-Meet, which allows swimmers aged eight and under to compete with athletes from other country clubs in the area.

Meanwhile, the Birmingham Country Club’s Racquet Complex is home to four paddle courts, four hard courts, and two clay courts. The club pro and a team of assistant pros provide lessons to members of every age group and skill level. The Racquet Complex also hosts a full-service tennis shop that provides popular tennis brand products. Members can also visit the shop for racket repairs, grips, and string jobs.

With so many physical activities to enjoy, members may find themselves quite hungry at the end of a visit. Fortunately, the Birmingham Country Club provides four unique dining experiences to choose from. Members can find a table in the Club Room for a more upscale evening, while the patio makes for the ideal dinner setting on a warm summer’s night. Families may enjoy the more relaxed experience of the Founders Pub. Finally, The Maguire provides an adults-only setting for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Additionally, the club maintains banquet facilities for special events and parties, including weddings.

Of course, the Birmingham Country Club golf course remains the largest draw for many members. Known for its fast, hilly greens, the course was designed by Thomas Bendelow in 1916 and has hosted both amateur and professional tournaments. To best serve its membership, the club has continuously updated and renovated the course as recently as 2015. Five sets of tees allow golfers to customize their experience on the loop-style course.

Beyond the course itself, the club provides members with practice grounds, including a driving range and a full-service pro shop.

While the club is dedicated to enjoyable, high-quality amenities and activities, the organization strives to serve members as a second home. Community and tradition are the cornerstones of the Birmingham Country Club experience, with 85 percent of the club’s more than 600 members living within a five-mile radius of the club and numerous employees having served the organization for between 15 and 30 years. To learn about membership options available at the Birmingham Country Club, please visit the organization’s website at bhamcc.com or call (248) 644-4111.

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The Top Two Golf Courses in Alabama

Shoal Creek and the West course at the Country Club of Birmingham have once again ranked as the top two golf destinations in Alabama in 2021, according to Golf Digest. They were followed by other noteworthy courses at The Ledges Country Club in Huntsville, Killen’s Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club, and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill’s Judge course in Prattville. In addition, the Vestavia Country Club, also in Birmingham, made its debut on the list as the state’s seventh highest-rated course for the 2021-2022 golf season.

The course at Shoal Creek is a 7,400-yard par 72 with a course rating of 60.5436. Designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1977, the course ranks No. 119 in the United States. While scouting locations for the course throughout swaths of Alabama forest, Jack Nicklaus initially feared the mountains and trees would not allow for par 4s or 5s but ultimately settled on a small valley that could support a more diverse course.

Jack Nicklaus and former design partner Jim Lipe joined forces once more nearly four decades later to update the course at Shoal Creek. Jack Nicklaus and Jim Lipe dug up every hole at the course rather than touch up a few greens or modify some of the routing decisions. They removed several large fairway bunkers in favor of small groups of traps and recontoured several greens. Most notably, the 12th hole now maintains a front-to-back flow, a rarity in 1977.

Two Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championships have taken place at Shoal Creek. In 2018, the updated version of the course was the US Women’s Open site, culminating in Ariya Jutanugarn’s four-hole playoff victory over Kim Hoo-Joo. Shoal Creek ranked among the top 100 courses in America from 1981 through 2014, peaking at No. 14 for the 1985-1986 season.

Meanwhile, the West course at the Country Club of Birmingham was created by Donald Ross in 1929, though Pete Dye and son P.B. Dye have made significant contributions over the years. The course, ranked No. 200 in the nation, was a fixture in the top 100 between 1967 and 1984, peaking at No. 10 ahead of the 1969-1970 season.

After falling out of the top 100, revered designer Pete Dye discussed returning the course to its former glory with club members. However, Pete Dye handed the project over to his son, P.B., who quickly set to work on bulldozing every tee and spreading clouds of grass-killing chemicals. The result was a complete dismantling of the classic Donald Ross design so controversial that many club members refused to speak to Pete Dye. Fortunately, Pete Dye managed to win the club back over and returned to the course, mitigating a number of his son’s more abrasive design decisions.

Other top-rated courses in Alabama range from the Links course at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Opelika to Kiva Dunes in Gulf Shores. FarmLinks Golf Club in Sylacauga joined Vestavia as a new entry on the list, debuting at No. 10.

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Information About the Bonefish

The bonefish (Albula vulpes) is a member and type species of the bonefish family (albulidae), the only family within the order albuliformes. For a while, experts believed bonefish to comprise a single species found in oceans worldwide. Over the years, however, biologists have cataloged 12 distinct species of bonefish. Four bonefish species inhabit the Atlantic Ocean, while the other six can be found in the Pacific Ocean.

The Albula virgata is possibly the rarest species of bonefish, as it has only been seen in Hawaii. That said, it is unclear whether the animal appears in low densities throughout the Pacific or is endemic to the region, like the round jaw bonefish (Albula glossodonta).

Albula vulpes are both the most widespread and largest bonefish species in the Atlantic. They can reach up to 14 pounds in weight and 31 inches in length. That said, larger specimens have been observed. In 2007, Bob Schroeder landed a 16 pound, three-ounce bonefish in the Florida Keys, thought to be the largest catch of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. In 1976, 19 and 17-pound bonefish catches were recorded in South Africa.

Bonefish generally sport silver scales, though some can have olive green tint and yellow bases along with the pectoral fins. A bonefish reaches sexual maturity once it has grown to 17 inches in length, generally between two and three years. They can live for up to 20 years.

Bonefish are preferential to inshore tropical waters and often return to the sandy flats of their youths to feed. In fact, it is not uncommon for adults and juveniles to group in shoals. They time their hunting to coincide with the incoming tide, with favorite meals ranging from benthic worms to various crustaceans. In some cases, bonefish may travel with stingrays to prey on what they leave behind.

Fishing enthusiasts categorize the bonefish as a premier fly and light tackle game fish. Southern Florida, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas are just a few global locations where the art of bonefishing has taken on considerable popularity. In The Bahamas, individuals interested in catching a bonefish should head out between October and early June. However, it should be noted that The Bahamas is generally viewed as a “year-round fishery” and that the comparatively lower levels of bonefish may be offset by the lack of anglers traveling to the islands during the winter months. Regardless of the time of year, bonefishing expeditions should be timed for early morning or dusk.

Because the bonefish live and hunt along inshore shallows, bonefishing is typically achieved by wading out into the water or using a small raft. Catching a bonefish is no simple task, as the animal is extremely wary of human interactions. Nicknamed “grey ghosts,” bonefish are only caught by individuals who have perfected their approach and striking tactics.

As a game fish, bonefish are often released after being caught, though they are valued as sources of food in some locations. In The Bahamas, for instance, bonefish are seasoned with pepper sauce and salt, then baked.

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Point Penalties in Tennis

In tennis, a player charged with multiple rules infractions risks being ejected from the match, more commonly known as a default. Chair umpires and other tournament officials may also remove a player from the court after a single egregious violation of tennis rules or conduct.

Officials begin handling unruly players with a warning. Players are typically warned for behavior such as taking too much time between points, making audible or visible obscenities, or angrily abusing tennis balls and other pieces of equipment. Any verbal or physical frustration directed towards an official should result in penalization. A player may even receive a warning or penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior that is not their own, such as receiving illegal coaching from a coach or parent in the audience.

If players continue to engage in such behavior, they will receive a penalty of a single point. This means that the next point to be played is immediately awarded to the opposing player, even if it results in the end of a game, set, or match. Players continue as if the penalized point was played. For instance, if a player was preparing to serve from the deuce court, they would switch to the ad side even though no deuce point was played.

Following a warning and point penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct and related offenses are met with a game penalty. This penalty functions in the same manner as a point penalty, with the current game, immediately going to the opposition, regardless of how much of the game has been played to that point.

There is no set penalty in tennis. Suppose a player commits a third offense after receiving a warning. In that case, the umpire has the right to default the offending player from the match, resulting in an automatic win for the other player. It should be noted that these penalization rules function as guidelines for the chair umpire’s discretion. An umpire may issue several warnings for minor violations before issuing a point penalty, for instance, or might immediately default a player for a gross violation of conduct.

There are countless examples of defaults at the professional level of the sport. Argentinian tennis player David Nalbandian led Croatian Marin Cilic in the 2012 Queen’s Club final in London when a default cost him a chance at his 12th and final career title. After the former world No. 3 relinquished a break advantage midway through the second set, he kicked an on court advertising sign. The sign snapped in half, and debris cut the leg of an official, drawing blood.

Nalbandian had not received any warnings or penalties to that point, but the default was immediate. Nalbandian apologized during the trophy presentation and described the incident as a mistake, though he generally disagreed with how the ruling was handled.

Two of the most memorable defaults in tennis history occurred at the US Open, involving American great Serena Williams. Serving to prolong a semifinal encounter with Kim Clijsters and set up a second set tiebreak, Williams was called for a foot fault, which gave Clijsters two match points at 15-40. Williams disagreed with the call and berated the lineswoman who made it. The verbal abuse was met with a point penalty, which ended the match. Clijsters went on to win the event.

Williams let a potential 24th grand slam title escape nine years later after a coaching violation led to a complete on court meltdown. She later smashed a racket and continuously feuded with official Carlos Ramos, who eventually docked her a point and a game, allowing Osaka to serve out the 6-2, 6-4 win.

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