Dear Goose,
What is the Indio effect, just mentioned moments ago during the Kraft Nabisco broadcast? We all know it means the greens tend toward the town, the question is WHY??
Scott
(Answering from beyond the grave):
Dear Scott,
In the early 1900s there was a Pavuul (shaman) of the Agua Caliente Indians who held a ceremony to bring rain to the area of Palm Springs. The ritual was held in Indio, thus the rain that followed was more heavily concentrated there. It is believed that the pull of force extended beyond water and indeed acted like a magnet for all manner of objects and continues to this day.
I know this because I speak coyote, which was that shaman’s totem animal and is his permanent form in the hereafter. Apparently, he became one on occasion during his time on Earth, especially after such rituals as mentioned above. I hope this answers your question.
Sincerely,
The Goose
Editor’s note: OR, the elevation and terrain of the area surrounding any golf course is often a large factor in the slope of the greens. Indio is lower than Rancho Mirage. Course designers can integrate such natural slope to create optical illusions when forming greens with more “obvious” ridges and breaks. Ever play a course near the ocean and the greens all tend to break toward it? Or near a mountain where the greens break away from it? Tricky.
Indio, Shmindio. Try putting on the beach.
As the Kraft Nabisco (Dinah Shore) got underway today, the women of the LPGA were making and missing putts on slick, true greens in their first major of the year. The announcers just would not stop talking about the “Indio effect,” which just means the greens tend to break toward the town of Indio even if they don’t look like they will.
Meanwhile, I went out for a local round and encountered the seediest sandiest greens I’ve ever seen. Seriously, it was like putting on a beach. The bunkers there seem to be mostly hard dirt, so maybe they should reconsider how they want to use all that sand. Waaaah. I’m such a whiner. Somehow I managed to squeak in at 90 but still, I think I want my money back. This photo has not been doctored in any way.
Next post.