May USGA Newsletter

Thanks to reader Marty for sending the May issue of the USGA’s wannabe shareholder rag. You can learn all about what goes into the U.S. Open. Scintillating merchandise anecdotes are featured. Beanie-bag bears “became a hot item in 1998” and at Pinehurst they sold 10,000 lanyards in 1999.

The real fun is in the “Championship Countdown” section. "Six to seven years out" from the event they explain the selection and final negotiation process. Next to the text is a photo of a very dark hand shaking a very white hand. Yeah, that goes on a lot. And beside the “five years out” section, there’s a picture of a guy rolling a green. Wow, they start early! Finally, in the “six months before” section, the text mentions “construction of grandstands, tents and other facilities begins” and “final preparations are made to the golf course.” That must be interesting at places like Shinnecock and Winged Foot, since six months out is the middle of January.

Walter Driver’s banal setup philosophy statement is printed to help those USGA members with sleep deprivation issues, while the summary of the Shinnecock debacle is priceless: “By Sunday, Shinnecock’s greens had become extremely tricky even for the world’s best players.” Extremely tricky? Oh and “criticism was leveled at the USGA. Players felt conditions were too severe.” You think?

Driver has a couple of keeper quotes on setup: “If there was a mathematical formula that we could use, that would be great.” And my favorite, “We want to force players to hit some clubs they wouldn’t normally hit.” Force, or ask? Kind of a difference isn't there?