Golf World Tour Players Course Ranking: Augusta #1

John Antonini reports in Golf World Monday that Augusta National landed in the top spot of Golf World (or anyone else's) first ever PGA Tour player ranking. I can confirm this is correct as this has been a special project in the works for over a year, with reporting work done mostly by Craig Dolch and the package pieced together by yours truly.

I'm scheduled to appear on Thursday's Morning Drive (8:45 ET) to discuss the player list and their comments, followed by an 11 a.m. ET appearance with Peter Kessler on Sirius 208/XM 93.

And if that's not enough talking, there will be a GolfDigest.com podcast that will help launch the online coverage of the ranking, though print subscribers will get the real treat: our Zagat style summary of each course, with the best player comments featured on all 52 eligible courses.

Comments

[happy Gilmore]

Next up: GD's list of ratings by Cart Girls of America.

[GregM]

Better - Cart Girls of the East -- West -- South --- North East. I can't imagine the publisher hasn't thought about this ;-)

[My Dixie Itches]

Several years ago an Atlanta golf course and commercial photographer photographed and published a golf and country club drink cart girl calendar. It was well done. No naked chicks ... a couple were skanky looking ... but sexy enough!

[Steve Elling]

Semantics: Augusta National is not a PGA Tour course. The tour has virtually nothing to do with the tees, yardages, pin positions, lack of rough, etc. The tour has people there, who mostly consult.

Ask tour rules official Jon Brendle, who was ovver-ruled on that Ernie Els free-drop deal a few years back by the ANGC rules guy, Will Nicholson.

My point is that ANGC is not a PGA Tour course, per se, anymore than Oakmont is when the USGA uses it for an Open.

[rob]

Hey Geoff -
regardless of the above I am looking forward to your Morning Drive appearance.
Any idea of your time slot at this point ?
I'm a Morning Joe / Imus channel flipper and would hate to miss you.

[Press Agent]

Is it possible to listen to Morning Drive on the Internet?

[Geoff]

Steve,
Thank you for that information, but Augusta does host the tour annually, does give a spot in its field to winners of tour events and had we left it off, would have been a glaring omission.

Rob,
They tell me 8:45 ET for Morning Drive.

Happy,
I'm the first to make fun of lists, but I think this is just a tad more informative and interesting! This is the players voting on the courses they play, and I can tell you from the reporting I did (and from what my colleague Craig Dolch says), they took the task very seriously. The shortest session I had interviewing a player was 25 minutes, a couple ran nearly an hour.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

@Steve: Yes, we know. When you get right down to it, there may be only one PGA Tour course, right? As for the ruling, I was watching when that occurred. I remember thinking that no way will ANGC let that pile ice storm debris stay there, even hidden in the forest to the left of the 11th fairway. IIRC the rule states that if the material is piled up to be removed, you are entitled to relief from it. At least that has been the case in the "real" events I have played in. Just another case of the rules being your friend, if you understand them.

[Ted Mitchell]

Ky,

'Piled for removal' is not the same as 'pile that will be removed.' 'Piled for removal' means that a human created the pile from scattered debris not that nature (the ice storm) knocked down a bunch of branches into a loose collection.

[Chris C.]

Interesting to see the courses the players appreciate the most (Harbor Town, and Riviera) are also the courses most impacted by increased driving distance. I can't believe this fact is lost on the players.

What is the future of the game if we continue to bulldoze the past in search of more distance?

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Thanks, Ted. As Einstein put it, "Subtle is the Lord, and the Rules of Golf." I'm pretty sure that the fallen branches, etc. had been piled up for removal later by the maintenance staff and that formed the basis of the ruling from the Chairman of the Competition Committee. I don't think it was scattered debris from the ice storm, in which case you just shouldn't have hit your ball there. Wouldn't you be entitled to relief in that case? For example, in my experience, if you hit the ball into a pile of clippings from mowing the green that have been left to turn slowly into humus, tough luck (been there, done that). But if the ball ends up in a pile of branches that were collected by the maintenance staff for later removal, you get a drop (been there, done that, too; I suppose I should hit the ball straighter).

[My Dixie Itches]

Chris C ... when we get over our need to be tough and macho. I have no idea when this trend began, but it's repulsive. Precise shotmaking and putts for birdie and eagle is so much more interesting than a golf ball that floats for a long time in the air.

[Floyd]

Shave and a haircut, two-bits.

[Ted Mitchell]

If the branches had been piled for removal by the greenkeeping staff then yes, the pile would by definition, have been ground under repair.

[rob]

Geoff -

How about this as a nod to your forum readers - you work in "Ky Lafoon"s Ghost" somewhere in the conversation ;-)

rob