R&A Chief: Open Will Remain Open

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In John Huggan’s wide-ranging interview with Martin Slumbers, the R&A Chief addresses several issues of the day, from Trump Turnberry’s status to Open qualifying to Greg Norman. He makes clear that any talk of bans is not on the table.

I cover that in the latest Quad here along with a look at a key point made by the Washington Post writer who went to Saudi Arabia and LIV’d to tell about it.

Major(s) News & Notes October 27th, 2022

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The Majors Should Freeze Purses

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R&A Warns: Don't Take ScotRail To The 150th Open

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On the 150th Open’s eve, the R&A is asking fans who planned to attend by rail to find other means of getting to St Andrews. This is a result of its on-going dispute between ScotRail and train drivers.

Last month Willie Rennie warned of the need for a contingency plan in this scenario.

Here is what the R&A sent to ticketholders:

Dear Ticketholder,

We are contacting you to provide an important update and guidance regarding travel to and from The 150th Open at St Andrews on 10-17 July.

Based on information we received at the start of this week and in order to minimise disruption for fans, unfortunately we have to advise all ticket holders that they should not travel by rail using ScotRail services to and from Leuchars when attending The Open each day.

All ticket holders should travel by road or use alternative public transport.

This is due to circumstances not in our control in which ScotRail will continue to operate a reduced timetable on the dates of the Championship as a result of its on-going dispute with ASLEF members (train drivers).

We cannot guarantee that fans using rail services will be able to get to and from Leuchars without disruption. There is a risk that fans who travel by train may find there are no services to get them home.

If you have purchased GolfLink tickets, you should contact ScotRail for a refund.

We are increasing capacity at our Park and Ride facilities to cater for more vehicles using the road network. We strongly recommend that fans purchase Park and Ride tickets in advance to minimise waiting times and to take advantage of a £5 discount.

If you are travelling by road for The Open, you should expect longer journey times and delays due to increased traffic and plan ahead for these.

All drivers should follow the directional AA road signage in place on designated routes for accessing the Park and Ride facilities and not use satnav or equivalent devices. Designated routes are being prioritised by Police Scotland and other traffic management measures to ensure everyone has the smoothest journey possible.

Alternative public transport, including buses and taxis, is available for fans to use. Local bus services are complemented by an express network that connects St Andrews with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Cupar and Glenrothes. More information on bus services can be found via Stagecoach and Moffat and Williamson.

A designated taxi rank and private hire drop off/pick-up area will be in operation and is located at Petheram Bridge within walking distance of the course.

We appreciate that some fans will be disappointed with this update and that the resulting situation, not of our making, is less than ideal, but we wish to reassure you that we are doing all that we can to ensure your experience of attending The Open is a memorable one.

Please visit TheOpen.com for more information.

Kind Regards,

The R&A Ticket Office

Latest Governing Body Notice To Manufacturers Outlines Significant Rollback Possibilities (For Elites)

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GolfDigest.com’s Mike Stachura reports the latest notice to manufacturers outlining new “areas of interest” proposals that would have a huge impact on golf balls and driver faces.

While we already knew of these were the focus, the June 8th specifics suggest as much as a thirty percent reduction for the longest of long hitters. Stachura writes:

The original proposed change was to raise the test swing speed for the Overall Distance Standard from the current 120 miles per hour to 125. The June 8 announcement now proposes studying a test speed “between 125 and 127 mph and will include studies of the effects of these test speeds on the launch conditions and aerodynamics of the golf ball.” At the maximum, that speed would be more than 12 mph faster than the current average clubhead speed on the PGA Tour but only a little more than two mph faster than the two current fastest swings on tour, Cameron Champ (124.76) and Branden Hagy (124.41).

As the USGA’s John Spitzer previously indicated when the speed being considered was 125 mph, nearly all of the balls played on tour would be non-conforming under the new standard, and of course many of those balls are also among the most purchased balls on the market.

The bigger set of changes proposed in the June 8 notice, however, would not affect average golfers, but could dramatically alter the performance of drivers at the elite level. The new proposal suggests tournaments or tours could institute a “model local rule” for equipment that would severely roll back how springy faces are and how forgiving drivers are on off-center hits.

As Stachura notes, these are just proposals and may have been crafted to begin a discussion, listen to the inevitable whining, and negotiate to a place that would keep courses relevant and anticipate the next generation of decathletes reared on modern stuff.

The notice also appears to have taken a few things off the table: grooves, changing the size of the ball or minimum ball spin.

Interested parties have until September 2nd to get their comments submitted. To date the manufacturers have been largely silent on the proposals.