When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Liberty National co-architect Tom Kite's remarks that a vocal minority in 2009 got too much attention for criticizing the course might carry a little more weight if they hadn't completely blown the place up.
Brett Cyrcalis reports on Kite's visit to Liberty Monday on the even of the Barclays.
“There were a lot people that raved about the golf course, and there were a few people that were critical,” Kite told The Post behind the driving range at Liberty National, where the first tournament of the four-event FedEx Cup playoffs will begin. “We tried to address some of the issues that were a concern to some of the players, and at the same time build on all the really good things most of the players said. It wasn’t written about, but most of the players said really good things.
“It’s easy to write negative stuff,” Kite continued. “It’s more than that. When people say complimentary things about you, you all don’t write about it. There’s no question that that was the case.”
**PGATour.com has a roundup of all the course changes as well as links to hole-by-hole drawings detailing the changes.
We architecture geeks will have no complaints this week, still high on The Country Club looking better than it has in years and Colorado Golf Club proving downright amazing to watch even if the Solheim Cup matches ended up a blowout. But reality sets in as the tour moves to the new, re-re-improved Liberty National for the Barclays.
Players will be on fine-watch for saying anything remotely critical after Commissioner Finchem buddy Paul Fireman sank even more millions beyond the initial $250 million he spent on this Bob Cupp-Tom Kite design that brought up the rear in Golf World's PGA Tour course ranking.
Still, it's good fun to go back and read the remarks from last time, including one of Tiger's all time best lines.
Brett Cyrgalis talks to the PGA Tour's Steve Wenzloff about the softening of features and shifting of the 18th green to give the Barclays corporate tent more room, not that anyone will miss the old finishing hole.
“The goal of the modification was really to help increase the overall receptiveness of the golf course,” said Steve Wenzloff, the PGA Tour’s vice president of design services and player liaison. “I say receptiveness as sort of a broad definition. Specially, two facets: the tee shots and the approach shots.”
So you're softening the tee shots and the approaches to the greens, which leaves? Nothing else.
The nuts and bolts of the re-do:
In total, five greens were entirely rebuilt, and an additional six were reconstructed; 13 landing areas were altered; and 11 tee boxes were expanded or moved. Some fairway bunkers were moved farther from the line of play, and the greens complexes generally were made flatter, allowing for more hole locations and less severe run-offs into deep chipping areas.
The 18th green was moved 20 yards down the fairway to allow for Barclays to have a larger corporate tent, and the hole stayed the same length by virtue of a rarely used back tee, 20 yards behind the one used in 2009.
That could be a first...a green moved for a corporate tent.
Disappointingly, the Reset Cup has not become the preferred description of the algorithm infused, two-points reset system best known as the FedExCup Playoffs, until next year when the vernacular changes again.
For Immediate Something:
NEW LOGO FOR THE FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS
The seventh year of the FedExCup Playoffs kicks off this week at The Barclays, featuring the top 125 players in the 2013 FedExCup standings.
For your use, we have attached the new logo, "FedExCup Playoffs," that replaces the previous version, "PGA TOUR Playoffs." We would greatly appreciate any references going forward to be the "FedExCup Playoffs" and use of the new logo as well.
Additional changes to PGA TOUR vernacular are as follows:
· The Playoffs officially become the FedExCup Playoffs (with new logo).
· There should be no more reference to the Regular Season.
What about lower case regular season?
· The 2013 PGA TOUR Season concludes October 6 at The Presidents Cup. The 2013-14 PGA TOUR Season begins October 7 at the Frys.com Open.
· Reference to a specific tournament will still be by the calendar year in which it is played.
· There no longer will be a “Fall Series” on the PGA TOUR; those should be referred to as “season-opening events.”
· The final four events on the Web.com Tour are the Web.com Tour Finals, ending with the Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass (Dye's Valley course).
At least, for the residents of New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas where local CBS stations have been blacked out by the cable operator in a pricing spat.
Meanwhile, it may not really matter as Tiger has a seven shot lead and based on what Bob Harig wrote, Tiger got his bad round of the way and still managed to score, a big positive heading into Oak Hill and the PGA.
"I didn't quite have it, but I scored," Woods said. "And that's the name of the game is posting a number, and I did today. Grinding my way around that golf course today. As smooth as yesterday was ... [that's] as difficult as today was. I was just trying to build my lead somehow, and for most of the day I was doing that. Ended up being a dead push for the day, but that's not too bad, either."
Adam Schupak 
with the amazing WD by Canadian Open 36-hole leader Hunter Mahan.
Cameron Morfit explores whether having Attention Deficit Disorder is a positive for professional golfers and while many players suspect they have ADD, many don't want to know.
The clinical characteristics of adults with ADD vary but include fidgeting, impulsivity and inattention. Those with the condition can also come off as cocky or brash, experts say, but that's because they're compensating for often feeling invisible. The ADDed Dimension, by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo, cites a 2001 study showing that people with ADD/ADHD tend to thrive in natural, outdoor and preferably green environments—yes, like golf courses. Hallowell says people with ADD crave both stimulation and structure, which is why the Navy SEALs, for example, tend to attract ADD/ADHDs.
Does that mean SEALs aficionado Tiger Woods has ADD? No. And what does it matter? Who cares whether or not Bradley, Day, Poulter, Watson and so many others on Tour have ADD/ADHD? Answer: Because a growing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that it can be a tremendous asset. "I always say it's bad for [school] teachers," Garrigus says, referring to the high rate of ADD among school-children, "but good for golfers."
And there was this from Bubba Watson:
"When you get under the gun you get hyperfocused," Watson says. "Payne Stewart got hyperfocused." (Stewart, who was diagnosed with ADD, was so hyperactive that his family used to sit in the church loft so as not to disrupt the service.)
The sweet-swinging South African might be number one in the world?
Just wondering after reading this Craig DeVrieze PGATour.com story about the Oosthuizen clan's visit to the John Deere factory on the eve of the John Deere Classic.
I love the passion, but this is also mildly disturbing:
Louis Oosthuizen has no need for a combine on the 150 acres where he raises cattle on the Indian Ocean coast near his parents’ farm. He is eager, however, to step into the new John Deere R450 Windrower tractor he recently ordered. It will join a 6000 Series John Deere tractor that was among the first items he purchased with his British Open winnings.
Piet Oosthuizen said his son’s love of John Deere green knows no end.
“You can ask him anything about John Deere,” the father said. “He is on the computer every day, and he knows every spec of every piece of John Deere equipment. He loves it.”
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
