The Latest Bivens Era Fiasco

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logo_header_LPGA.gifIf you wonder why many believe the hiring of LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens is not looking too hot, this story ought to give you some idea where things are headed for a tour that is otherwise on the rise.

Actually, before you read it, keep in mind a little behind the scenes saga that was just averted last week.

It seems that Bivens wanted to give USA Today (where she used to work!) first right to release and print the new Rolex World Ranking. The AP and others questioned the fairness (and logic) behind the move.

Until the last moment, it appeared Bivens was going to follow through with the USA Today fiasco. Someone obviously changed her mind because all news agencies received the rankings at the same time, except weekly magazines that needed them in advance of presstime midday Monday.

So now it seems the LPGA wants control of photographs taken at their events. To receive a credential, reporters and photographers must sign away rights that say the use of any photograph used after the event covered requires LPGA approval.  ap_logo.jpg

This AP story spells out what may become exhibit A in why Bivens may not be the right person for the LPGA job, bypassing her handling of longtime official Barb Trammell, the suspect Annika-Creamer ruling or her first press conference.

The Associated Press was denied credentials to cover the LPGA Fields Open tournament Wednesday in a dispute over new restrictions on use of its stories and photos.

AP reporter Jaymes Song was not allowed on the course during Wednesday's practice rounds or in the media room to cover Michelle Wie's pretournament news conference after refusing to sign the credential form with the new restrictions. Freelance photographer Ronen Zilberman also refused to sign the form and was denied a credential.

It's one thing to ban the photographer from the East Valley Penny Saver, but you don't mess with AP when you are already begging for media coverage in newspapers. 

The Green

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thegreenmag.jpgAccording to this story, a golf magazine called "The Green" managed to provoke outrage over a recent cover.

 

(February 21, 2006) The Green Magazine recently learned that the management of the Sports Authority retail stores issued a nationwide directive to destroy all copies of the February/March issues because of customer complaints about the cover image. The issue, which celebrates African American and Women's history, has a cover image of a 1784 sign advertising "Negroes For Sale."

 An Arizona-based Sports Authority employee, who noticed the magazine because of the email from his superiors, contacted the magazine's offices to say that the image was "just rude to be on the cover of a golf magazine."
Obviously the Sports Authority folks haven't seen any of Golf Magazine's recent covers.

 

Sorry, continue... 

The Green Magazine, which carries the slogan “golf beyond the links,” is privately owned and operated by Ina and Rafael Martinez. The publisher says he founded the magazine because of a distinct multicultural void in the editorial content of mainstream golf publications.

"I think we have an obligation to provoke people to think and ask questions about slavery and many, many other issues we are clearly still grappling with," said Ina Martinez. "I stand by our decision and welcome the dialogue."

 

And the publicity! After all, I wondered what the magazine is, and found this on their website:

Vision Media & Communications is a privately-owned multimedia publishing firm committed to reaching the untapped affluent multicultural market through print and broadcast venues. Since its June 2004 inception, The Green Magazine has enjoyed an international audience that continues to grow. Vision Media is planning a network/cable television program to complement The Green's focus on travel, luxury, and golf called “The Green TV.” The projected timeline for the program's launch is 2006.


TGC Talk From Perth

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You won't hear a conversation like this on U.S. television this weekend:

RENTON LAIDLAW: You were talking about the difference in equipment and how it has affected the game, Ken.

KEN BROWN: Well the modern ball not only goes a long way, but it goes very straight as well. So the dispersion of your iron shots going to greens, where you were going with 5s and 6s, now your going with 8s. Certainly the bunkerings now a bit remote. 230 yards used to be a big carry with the driver.

RENTON LAIDLAW: Is all this big hitting affecting the game? Is it a detriment to the game?

MIKE CLAYTON: Well I think it is. I think it cost a fortune to change golf courses. And people change golf courses for people people who are never going to play them. At Lake Karrinyup, we had a meeting and we had to explain that there is no point designing a course for Ernie Els. He plays there once ever ten years, and its a members course. And you start seeing ridiculously long courses that people can never play. I don't know how you design golf courses for pros. You need to make them 8,000 yards and if you make them that long--even 7,500 yards--you don't have any great short holes and it seems to me this is why the game is in a mess. They need to do something about it. J.B. Holmes is not going to be the only guy driving it 350 yards.

KEN BROWN: But who is going to do something about it?

MIKE CLAYTON: Well, the people who run the game. Does Titleist run the game or does the USGA run the game?

RENTON LAIDLAW: Kevin Flint for par [laughing].

KEN BROWN: You're very quiet Renton.

RENTON LAIDLAW: [Laughing]

KEN BROWN: An R&A member.

RENTON LAIDLAW: I don't think that really has anything to do with it. It's not at all relevant. [Laughing] 

Tiger In Dubai

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This has to be scary for anyone dreaming of winning the Masters this year:

TIGER WOODS: I just have to my list of things I needed to work on is a lot shorter than it was last year at the same time. And I just felt like I didn't have this ability at this time last year to turn things around, because I had so many things to try and work onto get things to where I could do that, and my understanding of my new swing.

But after another year of experience with it, I had that ability now to turn things around because I have an understanding of ball flight and my swing and the mechanics that [instructor] Hank [Haney] has been trying to teach me.

And I'm not sure if this qualifies as a rally killer, a point misser, or a point missing rally killer?

Q. Did it ever cross your mind as you were going back on the 18th tee that you don't like that hole and Ernie Els has a fantastic record on that hole?

TIGER WOODS: No. I thought the hole was playing pretty easy for me today because it was into the wind. If I hit the ball on the line like I did earlier in the week, I can't get to the hazard. So it eliminates an obstacle for me. So even if I hit a straight ball, I'm still fine. I'm still going to be in the fairway. And so I don't have to turn it that much and the wind is coming off the right a little bit, just hit a straight ball at the indicate, kind of bring it over, and I can't run into the hazard. So for me, I thought it was playing easier being into the wind than it was downwind.

Q. Going back to memories, what is your fondest memory at Stanford?

TIGER WOODS: At Stanford? [Here Tiger's thinking huh!? But you'd never guess it...] There's so many, there really are...

Oh, To Be A Subscriber, Vol. 1

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Regular readers of this site may know of my personal struggle to receive golf publications in a reasonable amount of time. Or at all.

logo_golfweek.gifOver the years customer service reps have insisted that the late service is caused by my choosing to live in the far west, or because of nearby postal delivery personnel mysteriously choosing my Golf World or Golfweek to read.

Even Golfdom usually arrives at the end of the month it was intended to arrive. That's a solid 2-3 weeks after east coast readers have sent me their hate email. Frustrating, you know. By then I can't even remember what I wrote that upset them so.

But imagine the shock when I opened my mailbox to find the February 4 issue of Golfweek...on February 2! Lately, the trade publication has been a real favorite of the gang manning the 90403 mail distribution center. Not this week. Maybe it's Tiger fatigue. He's on the cover. (And it's a great issue too).title_progolfweekly_sm2.jpg

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for my first SI Golf Plus of the new year. After three calls so far, no luck. However, Jamiqua (sp?) dared to go where other customer service reps would not. She has written a note to the distribution plant to find out why they can't get me my beloved Golf Plus. She says I may see a Golf Plus in a couple of weeks.

Golf World, meanwhile has been unusually timely since the new year.  As in, arriving the week of its publication date.

I know you all feel so much better knowing all of this.

But I'm curious how many others have trouble getting their magazines in the mail?  And if so, does it send you to the internet for more information?  I've set up a thread under the Technology section if you should feel compelled to post on this absolutely vital topic.

Hey Bill, How About A Caddyshack 2?

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Crack questions from a scribbler at the FBR Wednesday after Bill Murray (God only knows why) stopped by the press room after his pro-am round.

Q. With Caddyshack and what it's meant to people, people rate it as the Top 5 sports movies of all time, is there a thought of maybe coming back, let's do it again, let's maybe do a Star Wars theme type of deal?

BILL MURRAY: Do Caddyshack again?

Q. Do a Caddyshack II?

BILL MURRAY: They did a Caddyshack II. It's guys like you that made Caddyshack II.

Q. Revise it one more time with all the technology that's out there.

BILL MURRAY: You know, I'm under a doctor's care (laughter). You know, Caddyshack was a great thing. There were some extraordinary people in it, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield, the guy who played the bishop, these are people who have passed away. They were great people, great actors and lots of fun, and it was an unusual thing. Can't you be happy with having seen it and watched it? You want it again? You're one of those guys that wants to make love twice a week. Once is plenty (laughter).

The Bashers vs. The Artists

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SI's Chris Lewis takes on the Bubba Watson and his eye-opening drives, but instead of focusing on Bubba and what car he drives or what he thinks of yoga, Lewis actually explores the concept of how the game is played (really!). Even more scary? He considers the ramifications.

Lewis says the main 2006 PGA Tour plotline will be "the Bashers vs. the Artists."

Subtitle: In which the ever-growing ranks of PGA Tour dogleg-cutting, tree-flying, dimpled-ball bombardiers finally and forever vanquish the ever-shrinking number of short-hitting, fairway-dwelling, shot-shaping sissies.

Besides Bubba, he looks at other bashers and artists. And he explores why John Holmes changes his Tour name to J.B. 

Reporter: Why go from John B. [Holmes] at Q-school to J.B. [Holmes] here?

Holmes: You know the answer to that.

Dear Media Member...

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This landed in my email box...name, email and phone number deleted to protect the innocent.

Dear media member,
 
We appreciate your consideration to join us on an upcoming media trip to experience first-hand two heralded destinations in Florida's Great Northwest.

This trip ­taking place February 28-March 4, 2006 will showcase the varied offerings of SouthWood in the state capital of Tallahassee, and the WaterColor Inn & Spa, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World member located on the Gulf of Mexico in Seagrove Beach.

Our itinerary includes 36 holes of golf at both SouthWood Golf Club and Camp Creek Golf Club, luxury lodgings, spa treatments, fine dining and VIP box tickets to the Florida State Seminoles vs. Duke Blue Devils basketball game on March 1.

Space for this trip is limited, so please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested.
 
Thank you and best regards,
 
xxxxx xxxxx
XXXXXXX Communications

St. Joe Towns & Resorts
Winter 2006 LUXURY GOLF FAM TRIP, February 28 – March 4
 
SouthWood Golf Club, Tallahassee, FL
www.southwoodflorida.com
Camp Creek Golf Club, Seagrove Beach, FL
www.campcreekflorida.com
The WaterColor Inn & Resort, Seagrove Beach, FL
www.watercolorinn.com
 
About the Courses
 
SouthWood Golf Club -- Opened in Nov. 2002 and located at the heart of the SouthWood development in historic Tallahassee, the Fred Couples/Gene Bates designed SouthWood Golf Club was named one of “America’s Best New Courses” by Golf Digest Magazine. Chosen from more than 500 courses, SouthWood was the only course in Florida to be named in the “Best New Upscale Public” category. Framed by towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss, the course was also named to GOLF Magazine’s prestigious “Top Ten You Can Play” list in 2003.
 
Camp Creek Golf Club/Water Color Inn -- The Tom Fazio-designed Camp Creek Golf Club offers a link-style, “dunescape” experience where rolling fairways, plenty of water and abundant bunkering make for challenging-yet-fun rounds. A member of the elite “Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the luxurious St. Joe’s WaterColor Inn & Spa includes the renowned Fish Out of Water restaurant, a private beach club, extensive exercise facilities, dune walkovers and boardwalks, a lakefront park and the recently opened WaterColor Spa. Camp Creek is rated the no. 8 course you can play in all of Florida by Golfweek and was named the “No. 1 Florida course of the new millennium by T+L Golf.
 

Defending Roy

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A very minor quibble. Adam Barr writes in a New Year's rules resolution column:

DRIVER ENVY. A player shall do his best to strike a decent tee ball without delay occasioned by bragging about the new war stick he or she received for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Boxing Day. Enforcement of this rule may be waived by the committee, unless the offender uses terms such as “Linda Ronstadt (Blew By You)” or announces loudly that his drive is a monster, even as it lands in ankle-high Kikuyu.

Recently Butch Harmon evoked the eye-roll inducing "Linda Ronstadt (Blew By You)" on the Natalie Gulbis Show (yes, yes I watched the show).

Besides the fact that it's not funny (as Barr is kindly trying to point out without offending his readership), the citation is not accurate.

But if you must use it, that's Blue Bayou, and Roy Orbison wrote the song along with Joe Melson in 1963, and also recorded it to major acclaim. Linda Ronstadt covered it in 1977.

I believe Tim McCarver started this "Blue Bayou" nonsense a few years ago during a baseball telecast.  And I know your day wouldn't be complete without this kind of important insight and clarification.

How Many Credit Cards Do You Have and What Color Are They?

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"The Golf Digest Interview" is typically full of fresh stories and revealing insights. Then there was January's sitdown with Paula Creamer that would have been better suited for pages of Miss Teen. Maybe.

And no, I'm not making this up:

GD: When you turned pro, was your press conference televised?
PC: Um . . . no. I think I had something later on The Golf Channel, but it was nothing like she had.

Do you have any idea how much you're worth?
I have no idea.

No idea?
I don't care about that kind of stuff. I care about my quality of life and money, but I don't know an exact number.

Definitely not $10 million?
No, not $10 million.

Maybe $5 million?
In that area.

Who handles your money?
IMG [International Management Group]. My parents are also involved, but I have a person who handles all of my money.

So if you go to an ATM right now and get cash, what's your available balance?
I've never gotten cash out of a machine. I use my credit cards, so I don't need to do that.

You've never gotten cash out of a machine?
Never. I've watched people, but I've never done it.

Come on! How do you get cash?
My dad, I guess.

How many credit cards do you have?
Three.

What color are they?
I have platinum. I have a new green one, which is pretty cool.

Golf Digest people probably don't get the new green ones.
[Laughs.] I do go to the bank and make withdrawals, but not from those machines.

Do you have a PIN number?
I might have one, but I don't know it. I have a debit card, I think, but I've never used it.

Do you get an allowance?
From who, my parents? No, but I'm trying to learn how much I'll allow myself to spend each month: $4,000, maybe $2,000. I haven't figured out the number yet. It depends on where we play. New York was terrible. That was the week I won for the first time, so I went crazy.

How much a month do you spend on clothes?
Too much. It depends. I can go from $1,000 in a week to $1,000 in a month. It's a lot.


Verdi: Can't Legislate Progress, Next Question

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Bob Verdi asks and answers questions.

Did technology affect golf in 2005?

A tired theme, in our opinion. You can't legislate against progress. The big story in bowling, besides Asbaty, is the new scented ball. You can now collect the 7-10 split with an amaretto ball. In tennis, it was the introduction of a magnetic racket, which instantly returns to its original shape after you hit the ball and which doesn't smell like amaretto. Yet.

So, you're really not worried about emerging technology? 

I worry about technology when I call my bank two blocks away to find out whether a check has cleared and the person who picks up the phone is in New Delhi.

Here was Verdi last year writing about the issue.

Meanwhile, the piece inspired me to to offer a similar question and answer session to myself.

Did technology really impact golf in 2005, or is everyone from Jack Nicklaus to Arnold Palmer to Greg Norman to Tiger Woods suggesting this just to get attention?

A tired theme, in our opinion. You can't ask golf writers to do anything but cover stars on the PGA Tour. I mean, who wants to write about something that requires thought, historical perspective, curiousity, a grasp of science and a concern for ramifications beyond the PGA Tour?

So you're not worried about emerging technology?

Why, I'm a blogger? I'm not the one whose publication arrives in the mail three weeks after the publication date...during the non-holiday season. Or the one who calls customer service to get some Canadian telling me that postal works must be reading my issues.