CA Course Reporters: Wednesday

Editor's note: The CA Course Bloggers -- Ellie Maniery, Desi Brantley, Stefano Diaz and Philip Spano -- will be taking PGATOUR.COM fans behind the scenes at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship this week. The bloggers will be filing a total of 32 entries over five days, so check back frequently to see what they have discovered.

An informative day one
By Stefano Diaz

You'll never believe this. Today I met up with Retief Goosen and I had a very meaningful conversation with him. We talked about how Ernie Els influenced him as a kid (and vice versa) to become a pro golfer. Then we went into an equipment truck and saw the whole process of changing the shaft on a club and re-gripping it. I asked Donald (the guy doing the grips) if he has ever worked on Tiger's clubs. He hadn't, but he had worked on clubs for Tiger's dad, Earl Woods. I saw him re-shaft and re-grip a 3-wood and, to tell you the truth, it only took 10 minutes. So when a golf shop tells you that you have to pick it up tomorrow then you know that they are just too lazy to do it because it can be done pretty fast.

Also, I talked to Aaron Baddeley's caddy and asked him what preparation they do before a tournament. He told me that "we never really change -- even if it's the Masters or the Las Vegas Open. We just go play a practice round on Tuesday then play a practice round on Wednesday. Plus, we putt a lot and hit a lot of balls on the range."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A look behind the scenes
By Ellie Maniery

My first day at Doral has been a hectic plunge into excitement. I've hardly had a moment to breathe since I landed here, but I wouldn't trade being here for anything. I'm sitting here typing in this cavern of a media room lined with computers and reporters, with clocks for eight time zones lining the top of the front wall. I can hardly believe I have access to all this. At the front of the room there is a giant hole-by-hole scoreboard for every player in the tournament, and four monitors so those in the media are never behind what is happening on the course. It's amazing, all the behind the scenes work that goes on in a big tournament that the public watching in their homes all over the world never see.

After our tour of the media center and the interview room (which is smaller than it looks on TV, but no less majestic), we went out to talk to Retief Goosen as he finished his first practice round here at Doral. I've never been so close to a TOUR pro before; the four of us, plus Retief, sat around a table inside the ropes to ask him questions about his life on the PGA TOUR and the tournament this week. Media buzzed around us everywhere; cameramen shot the entire interview while photographers took snapshots. All their equipment and commotion was immensely nerve-wracking, and one of the questions I ended up asking him was if the media ever distracted him while out on the course. He said that at first, yes, but after a while one simply got used to it. He even mentioned that the added pressure actually helped in developing the mental fortitude it takes to block out distraction while playing. It was awesome to meet and take pictures with a TOUR pro; I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of my week here at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earning his stripes
By Desi Brantley

Well I was a little nervous and shy because I heard that I was going to be the only course reporter in elementary school. When I got to Doral I was introduced to the other reporters and was given my directions.

When we went outside we talked to a professional golfer, Retief Goosen. I asked him, "What are your favorite things about being a professional golfer?" As he answered he said some funny things that made us laugh. Oh yeah, we took some pictures with him and got some autographs.

Then we went to the putting green where the professional golfers practice. We saw some of them practicing their putting. Stefano and I were talking about them missing and making their shots. He told me that the person we were looking at (Aaron Baddeley) was the best putter in pro golf. Then we talked to his caddie, Anthony. A caddie is a person who carries the golf clubs for players. We asked some questions and he answered them.

Then we went to a trailer where they fix golf clubs. The man there taught us how to fix a golf club and how everything works. After that, we went to go eat lunch. We ate then went to the media room and that's when I started writing this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A long trip well worth the journey
By Philip Spano

After taking a really long and enduring plane ride, I arrived at the Doral Resort & Spa. One look at the beautiful pool and I knew that this trip was worth it. Water fountains streamed crisp cool water. I couldn't wait to jump in, but first, I needed some sleep...

I am a CA Course Reporter for the CA Championship at Doral (the course that is being played is the Blue Monster). As a CA Course Reporter, I get access to everything this golf championship has to offer. I get to talk to golf pros, meet some of their caddies and get access to all the grounds. (Truly an excellent experience.)

I had the great pleasure of meeting one of the nicest people in the world, Retief Goosen. Retief, one of the top golfers in the CA Championship, sat down with me and chatted about his pro-golf career and other interesting things. He was a very carefree, friendly guy. After asking him if he had any lucky charms that helped him win the U.S. Open twice, he laughed and told me, "Oh I wish. I'd probably win more if I had one."

I also was able to talk to Donald A. Parker, a man who fixes and re-grips golf clubs for pro-golfers. When I saw what he did and how much he enjoyed his job, I saw a new possible carrier path for myself. He talked to me about how he made sure that the golf club's weight was evenly distributed, and demonstrated how to re-shaft and re-grip a golf club. When I left his work-space, I kept picturing myself coming up with new golf club designs and sending them off to be created. My ideas materializing into something tangible really intrigued me. The concept of making new types of golf clubs really made me excited.

Overall a very exciting day. I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds. I wonder if I will get to meet Tiger Woods. My younger brother would be SOOO jealous if I get his autograph!