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
“Next year when we go there, if it's not good, it'll get beat up because the other one was so good."
/Richard Oliver details the textbook PGA Tour move from classy old course near a population base to a new TPC course away from civilization. In this case it's the Champions Tour's 2011 AT&T Championship moving from classy old Oak Hills after this week, in favor of a new Pete Dye design outside of town at the TPC San Antonio. The players are besides themselves, but of course, they'll show up no matter where the suits send them.
Read More"This time of year people are not thinking about golf."
/Don Markus is already branding The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship's free ticket concept dead on arrival after day one, but considering that the PGA event looked just as poorly attended and you have empty seats at MLB playoff games, it'd be a shame to write the idea off just yet.
Read MoreFree Admission To A Major!
/Granted, it's one of the fourteen senior majors, but I like the creative use of different sponsors each day to supplement the revenue lost. If carried out properly, it would seem to be an innovative way to bring recognition to secondary event sponsors instead of the tacked-on feel of a "presenting sponsor" in addition to the main sponsor of an event, no?
Read More“The response from the general public was tremendous."
/If you tune into the 3M Championship this week take note that it's a free-admission week. Just in case you were wondering why there was a nice sized crowd at an old geezer's event.
"With soft conditions and little rough, a Tour course needs to be 8,500 yards or more to have teeth. Seriously."
/There's so much to chat about from Sunday's exciting day of golf: Tseng winning a second major this year, Appleby's 59 to win and Langer's amazing sweep of old geezer Open titles at Carnoustie and Sahallee (how's that for opposites!).
Read MoreSenior Open/Greenbrier Open Thread
/Yani Tseng edged Katherine Hull to deprive Pepperdine of its first major, but a couple of more compelling events await. Not sure how much I'll watch, but naturally all observations welcomed.
Read More"What were considered rebellious acts back then are now celebrated traditions."
/Peter Kostis rightly slams the Champions Tour for not offering Ken Green an extension to make up for the lost tournament time caused by his horrific RV accident.
Read More"Who's going to drive the future of Colorado Golf Club?"
/In a world where you have clubs that would kill to host a major, then there's Colorado Golf Club.
It's kind of an amazing thing to read Anthony Cotton's story on Colorado Golf Club's shaky status and realize that the PGA of America sees it as a potential host site for future majors and yet, the place seems to have a corporate ownership situation that may doom the course.
“I hope it’s interesting.”
/There are many reasons to admire Ben Crenshaw, but it's especially fun to contrast remarks he makes about his own design hosting a major versus the stuff we normally hear from course doctors.
Read MoreCrenshaw's Fellow Player-Architects Compliment Colorado Golf Club...
/...but is it me, or does it sound like it's killing them to pay a compliment to this week's Senior PGA host site?
"It's a good test," said Watson, who also designs courses. "It has great variety to it. There's plenty of room (in landing areas), and yet there's some toughness that you have to worry about. . . . That's the way golf should be played."
After playing Colorado Golf Club for the first time, Tom Kite said it's worthy of hosting a major championship.
"The golf course is going to stand up very well to the players. It's very difficult," Kite said. "There's a lot to know. We're going to have to kind of fly by the seat of our pants to learn the golf course as we go."
With the thin air, and depending on the wind and slope of the terrain, a shot that normally would require 180 yards might be 220 or 130, said Bernhard Langer, who already has won twice on the 2010 Champions Tour.
"It's kind of crazy," he said, "and then you have to figure how much the ball is going to run when it hits. But it's a great golf course, great layout, beautiful scenery. And some interesting design work."
Bobby Clampett, Please Quit Your Part-Time Day Job
/With play like this, who needs fill-in gigs at CBS or Masters online? Right? Please?
"I desperately want to do this."
/After reading Larry Dorman's account of Ken Green's return to golf on Friday, and reading the AP account of his future plans, and just soaking up his post round press conference transcript, I'm really glad the Champions Tour policy board vetoed his medical exemption application.
Read More"Everywhere we go, we hear, 'Is Freddie coming? Is Freddie coming?'"
/
Bill Fields returns to his old beat on the Champions Tour to figure out why things are on an upswing while the other tours are scratching and clawing to remain relevant."When you look at changing the major medical category for a nonexempt player, the ramifications it has for field makeup are incredible.”
/Larry Dorman tracked down Champions Tour president Mike Stevens for some clarification on the vote against Ken Green. Essentially, Green should have played better.
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