Putting Jack's Comments Into A Different Context
Some of you defended Jack Nicklaus's remarks regarding Tiger's ability to speak "intelligently" about design at this point in his life. Others found the remarks as condescending as I did, while still others pointed out that the rest of Jack's remarks were quite positive. (Jack: Tiger raises my design fee! Well, pre-2009.)
What we think does not matter. But if Tiger interprets the remarks as I did, there is a way he could quietly get his revenge.
I say this because I now have two reliable sources reporting that Tiger is strongly considering a return to the 2010 AT&T National at Pebble Beach if Poppy Hills is removed from the three-course rotation. Contrary to Commissioner Tim Finchem's remarks after Thomas Bonk revealed the PGA Tour was checking out Fort Ord ("We just want to be up to speed with what the options are," Finchem said. "You never know."), efforts are being made to accomodate Woods.
This is noteworthy in the case of Nicklaus because Tiger did not care for the new home of the WGC Accenture Match Play, The Ritz Carlton Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus design that received little positive feedback from contestants. So should Tiger want to make a statement, he could suggest he will not return to the Accenture until a new venue is found. Obviously this would be hugely problematic considering that Nicklaus was handpicked to design a match play layout and the PGA Tour was active in its development.
But in case you forgot, Tiger is sponsored by both AT&T and Accenture. And I just think Tiger gets what Tiger wants these days, especially when he would have the backing of his peers, something that seems likely with Poppy Hills and The Ritz Carlton GC.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 08:07 PM
Reader Comments (24)
Nicklaus is at best a marginal designer and his "match play" course - used in the recent Accenture event - was disliked by almost everyone. If the venue is changed, because of Tiger, it would be applauded by players and fans alike.
Most people who have been around golf for years are aware of Jack Nicklaus' arrogance and self centered approach to business. If he had more humility - and humanity - he could have been up where Tiger will be when he is finished.
Yeah, because Tiger is the epitome of humility.
By the way, is it still too soon to lump Mr. Favre into the Jack and Phil category? Sorry, couldn't resist...
On another note: I heard some complaining about how crazy the greens were at Dove Mountain, but I didn't hear the overall bashing of the golf course that some of you heard, where are these comments? (And please nobody tell me that Johnny Miller didn't like it, cause if there is somebody who should never be critical of other's designs....it's Johnny.)
Nobody is mentioning Spanish Bay. I recall the greens on that course were real elephant burial grounds. Hazarding a guess, I'd bet the area surrounding the fairways is too environmentally delicate to take any crowds.
I find it odd that they are not looking at Monterey Peninsula CC especially after they just leaked an amazing composite course that would give it world class fame. The other course which the Pebble Beach Company would embrace is Spanish Bay. Granted Spanish Bay is flawed but it would be far better then Poppy.
By the way, who wouldn't be interested in an anonymous tell-all book by some PGA has been or some beat writer? I'd love to find out what these guys are really like and what their peers think of them. I've caught snippets here and there, but never anything concrete (FIGJAM, Tiger and Jack are friendly and Phil and Arnie are jerks, Vijay is great but media hates him, etc)...
We are not required to agree with Jack, and we can certainly question his motives for his comments. He has earned the right to be a crusty bastard if he wants.
And he is still a factor in the game of golf - obviously the Tour asked him to design a course specifically for a marquee event. That's a pretty big deal.
I doubt the Cypress members would ever permit any "renovation" to make the course tour friendly.
Both senior and regular tour qualifying events have been played at Bayonet (Fort Ord) and the scores are always high. It is a difficult course, and like the others say, quite a distance from the main action.
John
Many of Spanish Bay's enviornmental hazards would have to be played as free drop areas because they can't be considered true water hazards under USGA rules unless there is actual water in the hazard (or seasonal water). I feel for the architects of Spanish Bay - it actually has some good concepts, some good holes and interesting greens, but suffers from all of the environmetal areas. If you grassed over all of the scrub (or had playable waste areas a la MPCC Shore) it would be a far superior course to its current form. It is now a miserable experience in the wind, unless you are a very, very good ball striker.
Here's another vote for MPCC - the Shore Course is AT MINIMUM the third best course on the peninsula, which is saying something.
http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/honda.html
I think Jack is of an age where he is seriously not interested in anybody's work but his own. And that is not at all uncommon, nor is it a character flaw. I kinda doubt that it bothers Jack at all if his courses don't please the Tour players. This is the Jack of the deep-groove bunkers at MV! And I expect Tiger will reach that point in his designs someday too. Complaining about courses is nothing new ("I've hated every course I ever played"--Sam Snead) and Jack contributed his bit ("I've never been very good at stopping 5-irons on the hood of a car").
Krueger's husband is the member of the club. She is a member of the women's section, the Otters.
Not The Beavers?
The insensitivity of that reached all new levels, and try as I might, I can't come up with a positive way to spin whatever it was he actually said. He didn't even add qualifiers, like "but Tiger's relationship with his dad is no doubt different than mine" or anything.