"Blurring the Line between Golf Bloggers and Traditional Writers"

Chicago Duffer Adam Fonseca takes a look at the world of online golf writing and the reduction in print options for both established and aspiring writers. I'm quoted and frankly, I can't believe I used the platform word. Impactful and activate may be next.

Interesting take from FoxSports.com's Robert Lusetich:

“The bottom line is that Old Media is finished,” Lusetich states. “New Media – including bloggers – will find a way to survive, as journals and newsletters did after the printing press was invented. The key is discovering how to make money from the enterprise, as it needs to be a business.

“Now it’s up to bloggers to find the money to make it work. It’s still evolving, but I think it’ll happen.”

golf.com's Story On Brandel's Writing "Resignation"

It's a great read. It looks something like this:

Whew! Take that, Fergie!

Making matters worse is the headline reel story on Tiger putting the ball in Brandel's court from a few days ago.

Since then, Chamblee (sort of) took that ball, did his thing and said sayonara to his role at Golf/golf.com.

How do you ignore a national news story made so by your own website? Especially since Chamblee exonerated you from any kind of criticism for bad editing by saying he overruled his editor? I know the lawyers are running the show, but this is a bit much.

Here's the news reel the day after the on-air resignation, sort-of apology. ESPN hosts dressing as Lindsey and Tiger, but now Brandel having been dressed down by Tiger?

Dreaming Of The Woods V. Chamblee Trial

At the websites Brandel Chamblee employers GolfChannel.com and golf.com, I had to look hard for a story on Team Tiger's reaction to Chamblee's golf.com column. Granted, the harsh rebuttal statement and comments by Mark Steinberg went out at about 6 pm ET on a Friday, a news window reserved only for USGA Presidency announcements and press releases on Old Course changes.

Eventually I found a (non-front page) story by that wily scribe his ownself, GolfChannel.com Digital. He's the first-born son of The Digitals of Key Biscayne, armed with a J-school degree that prepped him to take stories no one else will write.

And what about Golf.com, which stands to be sued if Steinberg finds a lawyer willing to sue over the insinuation that Tiger is a cheater? No story was posted as of 1 a.m. ET.  Here's guessing the on-call legal minds at Klapp, Lard and Doppleganger took an early weekend.

Now, before Chamblee apologizes or some lawyer advises Tiger that he can't win this battle, I want the folks involved to think about the merits of a televised trial. Planned creatively--scary words in the golf world-- this could be a ratings Godsend. Way better than the PGA Tour wraparound events. (Okay, that's a low bar to set, I know.)

But think of the possibilities. Sean Foley takes the stand to be grilled by Brandel's attorney over the pitch angle of Tiger's hips at impact.

Tiger testifies about how much Brandel's relentless criticism stings, at which point the judge rules with the defense that questions about the stinger are now permissible.

Outside the Jupiter courthouse, Alex Miceli and Nancy Grace host Golf Channel's daily coverage. Hank Haney, Tim Rosaforte and Frank Nobilo are called in to testify and plead the fifth, only to give exclusive post-courtroom interviews to Golf Channel.

What could be more American?

Tiger's Agent On Brandel Chamblee Column: "It's atrocious...I have to give some thought to legal action."

Bob Harig reports on the statement issued by agent Mark Steinberg and also shares his over-the-phone reaction to Brandel Chamblee's Golf Magazine insinuation that Tiger Woods is cavalier in interpreting the rules of golf.

From the phone interview:

"There's nothing you can call a golfer worse than a cheater," Steinberg said. "This is the most deplorable thing I have seen. I'm not one for hyperbole, but this is absolutely disgusting. Calling him a cheater? I'll be shocked, stunned if something is not done about this. Something has to be done.

"There are certainly things that just don't go without response. It's atrocious. I'm not sure if there isn't legal action to be taken. I have to give some thought to legal action."

Oh now that would that be a great trial!

Q&A With Dan Jenkins, Vol. 6: Merion

The U.S. Open's return to Merion marks Tweeter Supreme and mutiple-award winning writer Dan Jenkins' 60th U.S. Open, a milestone he marked in the June Golf Digest with his favorite players, courses, holes and even constructive criticism through the years. And for the sixth straight year, he answers my softballs in anticipation of America's national championship.

Previous U.S. Open Q&A's can be read in order, here, here, here, here and here.

GS: Big return to Merion, judging by your comments in the June Golf Digest, this is a favorite US Open venue of yours? How so?

DJ: I guess I like Merion a lot because of these things. History, "Merion lightning" (the greens). flag baskets, quarry holes. It's one of my three favorite courses to play and look at, the other two being Pine Valley and Cypress Point.

GS: Your man Hogan sealed his comeback at Merion. Was it his greatest performance?

DJ: Merion wasn't Hogan's best golf, just his timeliest and most historic. His best golf came in the last round at Oakland Hills in '51, and all week long at Oakmont in '53. Study his career and you find  his game at its best when his obstacles were the toughest.

GS: Did you ever talk to Hogan about Merion, the 1-iron or the Hy Peskin shot?

DJ: I do wish I'd been at Merion in '50---I didn't start covering the majors until '51---but I talked to him about it many times over the years. It wasn't a 1-iron, by the way. It was a 2-iron. That's what he always told me. Once in later years he even said it was a 3-iron. To get more of this you'll have to read my "journalism memoir" that's coming out from Doubleday sometime around the first of the year. The Mystery of the Stolen One-Iron at Merion is part of two long chapters on Ben.

GS: Does the book contain any words of wisdom about the state of journalism and the media industry in this time of "transition"?

DJ: Of course it does. But nothing to put in a scrapbook.

GS: Sergio, your sometimes Twitter alter ego, will be setting foot on American soil for the first time since his fried chicken remark. Will you be brokering peace settlement talks between he and Tiger and Tiger and Sergio and your ownself?

DJ: Knowing me, Geoff, surely you know I don't much care about Tiger or his feuds, even those with Sergio, except for the comedy involved. I love it that people ask me about Tiger all the time. I really don't know what I'm expected to say. I do say he's the greatest putter I've ever seen, and the greatest reader of greens. But ask me to place him somewhere in golf history, and I still have him behind a lot of players who did more for the game at the time of their peak years, those gentlemen being, not in any particular order, Hogan, Snead, Byron, Jones, Hagen, Arnold, Jack, Gary, and even Demaret, Trevino, and Seve. But of course I'm a geezer.

GS: Is the journalism book it in that mysterious phase where the publisher accepts it and then spends a year sitting on it? What's it called?

DJ: I was dragged kicking and screaming to the title of my book that the publisher has insisted on:  HIS OWNSELF----A Semi-Memoir. I was thinking A Farewell to Arms had a ring to it.

See you at Merion.

McGrath's NY Times Cabot Links Travel Story

Charles McGrath's NY Times Travel story on golf at Cabot Links and elsewhere in the vicinity is one of the best travel stories I've read in a long time and is an absolute must read if you are considering a trip to Cabot. Not only are the observations and tips superv, but the overall presentation by the NY Times nearly makes up for the utterly ridiculous "Golfers are working out these days" cover story they posted earlier this week.

To match McGrath's insights, photographer Piotr Redlinski's images flesh out the presentation and he includes a video diary item as well with interviews of people like Cabot developer Ben Cowan-Dewar.

Besides the super information, this package is another one to add to the list of examples showing how the NY Times really getting this whole digital world thingy.