When one comes to the quality of the bunkers and other hazards we pass into realm of much dispute and argument. Primarily bunkers should be sand bunkers purely, not composed of gravel, stones or dirt. Whether this or that bunker is well placed, has caused more intensely heated arguments outside of the realms of religion, than has ever been my lot to listen to. C.B. MACDONALD
Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People
Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)
Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.
Reviews:
"Golf Architecture for Normal People . . . should be required reading for those who are not ashamed to admit they know little about the subject, and for those who think they do . . . . Golf course architecture geeks have trouble slimming their thoughts down to bite-sized chunks, but Shackelford has achieved a remarkable success here." —Independent (Ireland)
"From the relative newcomer who’s slowly getting hooked to those that have played the game for most of their lives and think they know a thing or two, Golf Architecture for Normal People provides a solid and sober perspective that will help everyone recognize why some golf courses are worth playing more than once while a single trip around others is all you’re ever likely to want or need." —Links Magazine.
“It’s a wonderful book. An easy read that arrives just in time for your summer reading list. If you’ve never thought about how an appreciation for course design could heighten your enjoyment of the game, you must check this out.”—The Peterborough Examiner
"As in his prior publications, in his newest book Shackelford shows a deep appreciation for what can be done to create a golf course that appeals to the broadest possible golfing audience…Shackelford’s prose is succinct, often witty, and accessible."—Cape Gazette
"Author, blogger and golf architecture expert Geoff Shackelford, who helped Gil Hanse design Rustic Canyon and restore 2023 U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, taps into his passion by creating a guide that helps every golfer understand the nuances of course design. Published by Tatra Press, the 164-page hardcover book is a must-read for every golfer to better understand the game they love." —Golf Pass
"Shackelford provides an informative picture [and]...sprinkles in history lessons about those who planted the game's architectural roots, defines common terms and helps you hone your eyes when it comes to identifying some of the tricks of the trade."—FORE Magazine
"This new book does a great job demystifying golf course design ideas for average players, but can also be a beneficial read fro PGA Professionals and other golf course employees to get a better understanding of their home courses." —PGA Magazine
Lot to unpack from 2020 Memorial week and to help with the Tiger Woods portion I called up ESPN.com’s Bob Harig.
Here’s the Apple podcast link and of course, you can listen here via iHeart where you can subscribe as well.
I don’t want, in any way, to diminish Collin Morikawa’s exciting win in the Workday Charity Open. It’s pretty thrilling for golf to have a young star who has so much upside delivering such consistency and also showing that playing four years in college, the Walker Cup and, in general, the old fashioned way to the pro ranks.
However, it was a bit of a broadcasting placement debacle compounded by the pandemic and opportunity golf has to gain new fans. I was hardly alone in this assessment. (To be clear, CBS’s crews are doing amazing work in the midst of pandemic constraints.)
So, here’s a short Shack Show rant about Sunday’s weirdo tease of early live golf hinting at a fantastic young gun showdown in early Golf Channel coverage, only to be interrupted by beancounters, clashing corporate interests and those ironclad contracts that forget about the viewer.
On the latest Shack Show I take a few unmistakable forces in golf convering this week to highlight the issues surrounding Bryson DeChambeau’s use of power and the dreary lack of imagination in presenting two tournaments at Muirfield Village. And producer Tim Parotchka, big fan of the distance game then joins me to discuss the joys of the power game (that he passed up watching).
And the iHeart embed option below, or subscription page here:
After a short hiatus, Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly discussed a nice array of topics with the 2006 U.S. Open Champion.
The should be available wherever you get your podcasts, or you can listen below.
I spoke my piece in this Winners and Losers post, but wanted to touch on a few of those and just zero in on the most absurd of first world issues, players and microphones that they treat as their Kryptonite.
I’m also joined by show producer Tim Parochka to dive into a few things thar arose Charles Schwab Challenge week, and he dares to bring up the distance issue! No explicit tag was needed, however.
The Apple podcast link where iPhone users can subscribe.
The iHeart link or you can always play the embed below:
Children’s Course at North Berwick
How time flies!
To celebrate the first ten Shack Shows (eleven now after a chat with Hank Haney about his change of heart on rules bifurcation), I’m offering up something a bit different: a look at the par-3 course renaissance.
I love a good par-3. Always have. And from the earliest days playing golf I could never grasp why there were so few. Maybe it was my exposure to a couple here in southern California that shaped this view, but either way, the resurgence of appreciation for wee courses that appeal to all golfers and schedules is a beautiful thing.
Because of their scale, par-3 courses are the perfect place for children to begin the game. They’re also ideal spots for those without the time or ability to play a full-length course. And, no offense good players, your game inside 120 yards or so would be a lot better if you played one instead of banging range balls.
As for Shack Show 12, I asked some of the previous guests about their thoughts, memories and emotions when considering a par-3 course. So after my introduction sketching out the history and beauty of the par-3, you’ll hear from, among others, Nick Faldo and Ben Crenshaw talking par-3 courses.
As always you can subscribe and listen via Apple podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. And the iHeart embed below. Thanks as always to producer Tim Parotchka for the editing, guidance and polished turnaround.
Show Notes:
If you are looking for a reference piece or just some assurance that my assertions in this podcast are not all a figment of my imagination, check out Adam Schupak’s definitive Links story on the par-3 comeback.
The proposed MacKenzie approach and putt course at Augusta National, found by Josh Petit and posted by him here.
The Horse Course designed by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford credited by Mike Keiser as inspiring his interest in par-3’s at his developments.
And the epic ace referenced in the show:
I admire Brett Cyrgalis’ ability to play reporter and open-minded man considering the “Battle for the soul of a game in an age of science”. I did not take that path in The Future of Golf sleep fine at night, but Cyrgalis is trying to do for golf what Moneyball did for baseball, only with stronger consideration for the more traditional approach.
Golf’s Holy War (Avid Reader Press, out May 5, 2020) includes chapters on Tiger Woods and Dualism, Technology for Profit, the Art of Architecture, Hogan and Science in Slidell, Louisiana. In between Cyrgalis, a New York Post writer on the Rangers beat, considers the views of a wide golfing swath to let you decide if the sport has sold its soul to technology.
The Hogan chapter has been posted as an excerpt at GolfDigest.com.
You can buy the book at Amazon (link above) or support independent’s at Bookshop.org, where the price is lower and the profits go to support local bookshops.
I tried to get Cyrgalis to admit he’s a technophobic something or other (sorry Wally, second blog reference this week). No luck, but I do hope episode 9 is still a fruitful use of your time listening to the articulate author.
Please subscribe to the Shack Show wherever you get podcasts!
Here is the Apple show page and embed from iHeart:
Rick Reilly doesn’t produce a weekly column any longer but his latest guest contribution to the Washington Post reminded me that the greats never lose their ability to read a green. “The first things I’ll do when this is over” produced some comforting laughs during what is an otherwise not the easiest times to crack wise.
So I hope you enjoy this chat with Reilly from his southern California home where he’s doing some reading, some longing to get back out playing, and Tweeting away about Donald Trump. Reilly’s lastest book, Commander in Cheat, is now in paperback and we discuss why he tackled a book about the on-course antics of the 45th president. A dollar of every paperback copy is going to a good cause, discussed in the show.
Though as discussed during the show, the staggering funds raised for Nothing But Nets, all after he decided to turn on a hotel TV and get a column out of it, alone should make Reilly Noble Prize worthy. ($70 million!)
Before recording, I brushed up on some more recent Reilly columns from Tiger Meet My Sister…And Probably Other Things I Shouldn’t Have Said. I found a lot to love.
It’s been a while, but I was always a huge Missing Links fan, and as the podcast discussion revealed, so have been some of the bigger names in Hollywood.
While I embedded Amazon links above, I’m encouraging use of Bookshop.org where all of Rick’s in-print books are available, too. And to the benefit of independent booksellers (now up to $1.1. million raised).
As for other writers mentioned—Murray, Wodehouse, Runyon, Twain, Wilde—I’ll let you find those.
Rick’s favorite pasta-tossed-in-a-cheese-wheel spot in Florence.
All but one food spot in this Instagram post I did is courtesy of his outstanding suggestions.
Here’s the show on iHeart’s page, or the Apple option, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscriptions are most appreciated.
After a few guests I felt there was an opening to consider the Ryder Cup/fan matter as a first world news distraction. In part, because after watching some of the recent replays and considering the times, maybe this is the year to tone things down.
It’s only about 9 minutes of my thoughts, so your input on both this Shack Show format and today’s topic is always appreciated.
In lieu of what would have been an 1100 hundred word blog post, you can just listen here at the show’s iHeart page.
Before half of Wisconsin sends hate mail, understand I was initially in the no fans/no Cup camp, and after looking through photos from Versailles in 2018, it pained me to offer this perspective knowing how many American fans were eager to root on their team at Whistling Straits.
We covered a nice gamut in this chat, including the times, the world of travel, the recent Masters replay, radical game transformations, the driver head, Pringle sweaters, par-3 courses and dogs in a time of pandemics. Among other topics.
As always thanks to all who made this possible, starting with Sir Nick, show producer Tim Parotchka, everyone on the iHeart Golf team.
The iHeart show page. The Apple podcast page for episode six. And to subscribe or review the show.
Show notes:
A preview of Faldo’s new CBS Sports Network’s shows debuting Monday at 7:30 pm ET.
If you’re looking for lessons and swing tips, @NickFaldo006’s new show on @CBSSportsNet is just for you. FALDO FORMULA – MIND. BODY. SWING debuts on Monday at 8 PM ET pic.twitter.com/c9M4i2ELOG
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) April 23, 2020
If you’re looking for lessons and swing tips, @NickFaldo006’s new show on @CBSSportsNet is just for you. FALDO FORMULA – MIND. BODY. SWING debuts on Monday at 8 PM ET pic.twitter.com/c9M4i2ELOG
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) April 23, 2020
Sir Nick and Saxon on Medterra:
Take1 Morning SNAX. @medterracbd tell us which one you like best? @FWeims @SnickLindz pic.twitter.com/XVCOViTvxN
— Sir Nick Faldo (@NickFaldo006) April 11, 2020
Podcasts this week considering Faldo’s career and 1990 Masters win, starting with The Shotgun Start’s two deep effort featuring guest Sean Martin. (Really great discussions for those who’ve forgotte how incredible Faldo’s post-game remake run turned out to be.)
If you’ve been watching tennis on ESPN for the last forty years you’ve listened to Cliff Drysdale.
The former grand slam doubles champion, a U.S. Open finalist and International Tennis Hall of Fame member has also served as the first ATP President and popularized the two-handed backhand. Oh and he loves golf.
Knowing how he sprinkles in golf comments, has worked the The Open and played a lot of golf and tennis with Jack Nicklaus, I’ve long wanted to hear from Drysdale on what similarities he sees between golf and tennis. Namely, what he thinks of the shifts to power emphasis, tennis’ effort to dial in a one-dimensional approach, and even the emergence (again) of a team concept as golf considers the Premier Golf League’s dreams of a team competition. We even talked a bit of golf TV vs. tennis TV coverage.
Oh, and I just figured we could all enjoy listening to the 78-year-old’s ageless, calming voice that has made him ESPN’s longest serving on-air presence.
Here’s the iHeart show page, the Apple podcast link and the embed below are good starting places. Or, check out The Shack Show wherever you get your podcasts.
One of my goals for the Shack Show is to talk to interesting folks after news breaks. Clearly these are not days where the golf news warrants conversations based on news, but today’s word on Marion Hollins finally joining the World Golf Hall of Fame provided a fine excuse to chat with David Owen.
A New Yorker staff writer since 1991, Owen has written about a wide array of topics outside of golf. But it’s his work for Golf Digest and as a book author we value. His officially sanctioned The Making of The Masters remains an underrated work in the pantheon of important sports books, with Owen ably handling the warts-and-all information uncovered in club archives with the obvious desire to portray the club’s founders in a positive light.
In researching that book, Owen knew little about Marion Hollins but after much research, helped explain her small, but incredible role in shaping Augusta National.
We also discussed where golf will land after the COVID-19 pandemic, David’s buddies trip to Wales that’s been cancelled and the joys of discovering lesser-known links courses.
David’s site of blog posts and articles is MyUsualGame.com. You can find some incredible writing there on a wide array of topics, including the best of links golf.
Here is the GolfDigest.com story, Back Roads Scotland, that we discussed during the show. David has also posted photos and more insights about these gems on his site.
As for the Shack Show, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, but for some guidance, here is the Apple podcasts option and below, the iHeart embed.
Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and I convened but don’t get your hopes up for much ball rollback chat, unless you count the suggestion made to just do it now and get it over with.
Mostly, we just assess the state of the game and how to manage golf’s place in a pandemic world.
Andy Johnson https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-fried-egg-podcast/e/68110094
While we agree there must be a less unseemly word than “opportunity”, the virus may shine a light on the benefits of golf and highlight it as a safe alternative to other pastimes. And in first world fashion, we also agree that the demise of germ-toting bunker rakes—I knew it!—will maybe reset what a bunker should look like.
Anyway, give it a listen…
Pods!
So much to talk about and so many fun people to talk to in these wacky times, starting with a special State of the the Game where I promise we technophobic, Golden Age architect cultists don’t gloat too much about this week’s distance announcement. The show page.
And I spoke to The First Cut/CBSSports.com’s Kyle Porter about the distance report and the Premier Golf League story. Hit the link above, or play below, or just go and subscribe already!
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
