Rough Raking

If you want a good laugh, go to the 2005 PGA's official site and click on the home page link to "Launch Photo Gallery." 

Once there, look to the right side of your screen and select images for Sunday, Round 4. The first image in the upper left of the thumbnail gallery is a shot of one of the volunteers proudly raking the rough. You can't make this stuff up!

Rangefinder Update

Jeff Shelman in the Minneapolis Star Tribune regurgitates the Laser Link press package while writing about founder Michael Plitman's quest to speed up play (and sell $240 devices to golfers). Shelman does have some new information on the reported USGA-R&A agreement first reported by Jim Achenbach in Golfweek: not yet.

Last week, officials from the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Association -- the game's governing body outside of the United States -- met in Kohler, Wis. Changing Rule 14-3b was one of the items discussed. Plitman is confident that the rule will be changed effective Jan. 1, but it has yet to be announced.

He also notes:

Golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer both have a share in the company, and the range finder is installed on their home courses.

It's All About The Brand...

Larry Stewart in the LA Times talks to Mark Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and production. Shapiro is leaving the network and is known to not be a big fan of golf. Tim Finchem probably won't be shedding many tears. But more importantly, the ESPN brand will be losing a dear friend in Shapiro:

"Yes, I have a great job. I love my job. I love my boss. I love my employees, I love the ESPN brand.

"I'm leaving for a bigger and better opportunity. We are trying to take over a theme-park company that is seriously underperforming.

"At ESPN, I was in the entertainment business. My aim was to raise ratings and strengthen the brand. At Six Flags, I'll be trying to improve attendance and strengthen the brand."

Schneider in Golf World

The lead to Stu Schneider's Golf World PGA TV column:

Now I know why that new Kyra Sedgwick cop show was promoted so often during the PGA on TNT. On the first show, Gary McCord, David Feherty and Bobby Clampett guest star as suspects in the murder of the English language.

Add Campbell To the List

U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell is another one who just doesn't get it. A liberal technophobe not only living among us, but winning a major .

"It's going the wrong way by toughening the golf courses up through length," said Campbell.

"They should put a stop to something because it's getting ridiculous now. There's no controlled shot now. Technology has really helped players with a lot of clubhead speed, Ernie (Els), Tiger (Woods), John (Daly), rather than the average guy like myself."

Wait, you mean the average golfer isn't getting the benefits that the pros are? I'm stunned.

The rest of the quotes in the story are painful, but should be read to be believed. Darren Clarke and Luke Donald want more rough. Tall, nasty stuff.  No mention of more narrowing from any of them, perhaps because they realize that hasn't done a bit of good.

I wonder what makes them think that taller, thicker rough will be a positive?

It's also fascinating that yet again, it's the courses that have the burden to address the situation, not the governing bodies.

Firestone's Bowling Alleys

I forgot to point out this interesting quote from Tiger's NEC early week press conference.

Q. You say this is one of the best golf courses. Tell us why.

TIGER WOODS: It's straightforward. There's no hidden agendas. There's no elephant burial grounds like we play nowadays where it's target golf and the fairway angles so that it ends at a certain distance and that's it. Every hole is like a bowling alley and you've got to somehow fit a ball down there.

Never heard "bowling alley" used to describe a course in a positive way!

Hannigan on the PGA

Frank Hannigan says the PGA's Sunday debacle is actually worse than it appears and ends with this anecdote:

When the l967 Open was played at Baltusrol — the one Nicklaus won after hitting an ungodly l iron to the final green — there was a monumental thunder storm immediately after Nicklaus and his fellow competitor, one Arnold Palmer, holed out.

The USGA Executive Committee at its next meeting voted unanimously that it would never again schedule a U.S. Open to end after 6 p.m. so that it would have more than two hours, on the year's longest days to cope with weather delays. That action was simply ignored by the present crop of USGA nickel-and-dimers at Bethpage.

Ah, there were giants in those days. There are weasels in these days.

My Tent Is Bigger Than Your Tent

The Boston Globe's Jim McCabe reports in Golf World on The Country Club and their 2013 U.S. Open hopes (or is it a dilemma?). He ends this excellent piece, clearly with a bad taste in his mouth after speaking to USGA and PGA officials:

In 1999 the folks at The Country Club provided the stage for what would prove a measuring stick by which all golf spectacles would be judged and especially impressive was the 20,000-square-foot merchandise tent. Nice, but guess what?

 "We could have fit it inside our merchandise tent at Shinnecock Hills [at the 2004 U.S. Open] two or three times," said a USGA official, sounding very much like a PGA of America official.

Hit A 1-Iron By the Plaque and Still Not Get There

E. Michael Johnson in Golf World writes that technology has not rendered Baltusrol obsolete because, well, the scores were higher than '93 and because Davis Love says so.

"Technology has not changed as much as everyone makes it out to," said Love."We can hit 1-irons by the [Nicklaus] plaque and still not get there."

We can hit 1-irons by the [Nicklaus] plaque and still not get there?

Did Davis mean to say that the players can hit a drive by the plaque with a 1-iron and still not get home in two? Or did Love mean that you would hit driver past the plaque but still not reach the green in two with a 1 iron? 

I think it was the latter of the two based on what Johnson wrote:

Love wasn't speaking hypothetically. During a practice round last week, he hit a number of 1-irons from where the Golden Bear famously knocked a 238-yard 1-iron onto Baltusrol's 18th on the 72nd hole in '67--and failed to reach the green with any of them.

First, who carries a 1-iron anymore? Second, Tiger's hitting 7 iron from 190 into 18, so he would go at the green from the plaque with what, 4 iron from 238? Now he is working out! Goosen hit 5-iron from not far in front of the plaque, so a key fact seems to have been left out here: what kind of wind was Love hitting into.

Or Davis really needs to have his lofts checked.

Johnson sees technology has not having an impact by pointing out that the winning scorewas higher than it was for the 1993 Open, and he writes:

As for those claiming it's because they lengthened the track by 300-plus yards and grew rough, well, the cost of rough was fair: 0.489 of a stroke--hardly excessive.

No mention that the fairway widths were 10-15 yards narrower than the '93 Open, as reported by Golf Digest's Ron Whitten. The fairway is oh, 20-40% narrower this time around. What will they be next time, 10-15 yards wide? Is there a concern at that width as opposed to 25 yards on a sloping fairway?  Apparently not.

Finally, this:

As for the added length, [Kenny] Perry says it equals out. "You're hitting your driver farther so the holes are playing about where we played from in 1993," said Perry. "I'm playing my approaches from about the same spots." Added Janzen, "Even though technology has advanced how far we hit the ball, I hit a lot longer clubs to the greens today than I [did then]."

Huh? So for some, the course is lengthened and it balances out to play the same. But Janzen hits longer clubs to the greens than he did in 93, even though technology has helped him advance his ball?

Maybe someone else needs to get their lofts checked.

Diaz on Haigh

Golf World's Jaime Diaz writes about Kerry Haigh and the success he's had setting up PGA courses. Now his thoughts on weather forecasting and moving up tee times? That's another story.

Tiger Watched With Us, Vol. 3

Golfweek's Jeff Rude looks at the Tiger fiasco and raises similar questions about the intimidation factor his presence would have had. And he has some quotes from Stewart Cink at the end, questioning Tiger's thinking.

Here's Tiger's press conference at Firestone. Notice that the assembled scribes asked some decent questions, despite attempts by a rally killer to change the subject. And then there's the point-misser who puts the exchange out of its misery.

Q. What did you do Monday?

TIGER WOODS: I was at home working, working on my game, trying to get ready for this week, make sure that everything is sound and solid.

Q. You obviously had to show up Monday. What did you do Monday morning?

TIGER WOODS: I was at home.

Q. What time did you leave Sunday night?

TIGER WOODS: After the delay.

Q. Did you look at the leaderboard?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, there was three guys ahead of me, two guys tied and Goose at 1 with two par 5s. They're not coming back.

Q. It was a risk?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it was, but also it really wasn't, either. These are the best players in the world. Look at who's on that board. It wasn't like guys who have never been there before. If you have guys who had never been there before, then it might have been a different story, but each one of those guys had won major championships up there on that board.

Q. What's your favorite moment here, 21 under, playing against Furyk, finishing in the dark with headlights?

TIGER WOODS: Probably that one because I didn't want to come back on Monday, and Hal and I were racing around, and they asked us do you want to call it. We were on 17 tee, we can call it, and I looked at Hal and Hal said, no, I'm going for it. So we played quick and hit that shot, and the story behind that shot is that Stevie's favorite number is 21, and I was stuck at 20. He said when the ball is in the air, he says, "21." He knew it was the right club, and that's what made that shot so sweet.

Q. Were you watching Monday morning?

TIGER WOODS: I caught a piece of it. I caught it towards the end. I was in the gym working out. When I turned it on, I thought that Elk was hitting his second shot on 18, like, "what's he doing right there?" Then they showed a replay, and I was like, oh, he got a good break to get there. Then he ends up in a divot. Those are not very hard holes with the wind like it is. You can be pretty aggressive on those flags now, especially on 17. You couldn't get it close when we played it because it was straight downwind. Now it turns into the wind you see those guys backing the ball up. Nobody even sniffed at backing the ball up on Sunday.

Q. I'm working on a story on autographs up on ebay and things like that. What's your policy on that?

TIGER WOODS: It's frustrating.

Putting a Renewed Emphasis on the Scoring Game

Oakland Hills will be toughened for the 2008 PGA, writes Vartan Kupelian in The Detroit News.

Rick Bayliss, chief operating officer, said 90 percent [of the membership] voted in favor of renovations that will stretch the course to 7,300 yards but, more importantly, put renewed emphasis on the scoring game. At last year's Ryder Cup, the South Course played 7,068 yards. Championship par is 70; members play to par 72. "Adding length is only a small component of what will be done," Bayliss said. "The changes will be about angles and bounces. The greens complexes are our resistance to scoring."

7300 in 2008?  Child's play!

"We're thrilled with Rees' efforts," Bayliss said. "It's a great story to have him do this after his father came in to make the changes in 1950. The challenges Rees faces are the same. It's about challenging the players' abilities."

The late Robert Trent Jones massaged the original work of the legendary Donald Ross, who designed both of Oakland Hills' courses. The North Course, directly across Maple Road, complements its more famous sister layout and will not be impacted.

Erin Hills Awarded USGA Event (Already)

Erin Hills outside Milwaukee will get the 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links.

David Fay, apparently with a straight face, called the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links "a very good test lab" for the U.S. Open. He said "that both championships normally are in June." And that's about all they have in common.

Erin Hills is owned by Bob Lang and designed by Dana Fry, Michael Hurdzan and Ron Whitten with shaping by Rod Whitman. Gary D'Amato's article notes that "the course will have multiple sets of tees but can be stretched to more than 8,000 yards."

Now that's a yardage worthy of a major. Not this 7,300 stuff.

John Daly Story

John Daly meets the family he donated $30,000 to after his 1991 PGA win. The family lost their father to a lightening strike at Crooked Stick during tournament week. Daly talked about it in his recent Golf Digest interview.

Baltusrol...Odd NY Course Out?

"It would be silly of us to remove a course like Baltusrol from future consideration for USGA championships, including the U.S. Open. And we haven't," David Fay wrote in a letter to the club he's a member at.

"On the other hand, the rest of the country might look at the greater N.Y. metro area having four different courses in the so-called (and definitely unofficial) de facto U.S. Open rota and howl about geographic bias."

Translation: you're fourth in line behind Winged Foot, Shinnecock and Bethpage. Three's a crowd.