Jones on "So-Called" One Shotters

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While going through some of the quotes left out of Lines of Charm (note that shamless plug as the Christmas shopping season gets underway), I found this beauty from Bobby Jones:

I never have been convinced that a so-called one-shot hole of 240 or 250 yards is a forthright golfing problem.

Now, you may recall Mr. Jones's name and writings have recently been invoked (and will be many more times between now and April) to justify the lengthening of Augusta National's fourth hole to 240 yards.  Just thought I'd share this so that some of you out there can understand why us architecture junkies want to scream when we read that Jones would approve of the new-look course.

Golf and Steroids

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Matthew Rudy pens an excellent and downright stunning Golf World feature analyzing the possibility of steroids in golf. Stunning, in part because of the certainty experts have that players are using steroids, but mostly it's a jaw-dropper because of the ho-hum, naive and downright bizarre responses from certain governing body.

It's easy to peg the explosive distance gains in professional golf to a familiar set of theories: supercharged modern equipment, improved agronomy and sophisticated workouts by dedicated athletes. No one in the preservation-of-the-game versus unfettered-technology debate disputes these factors. But could golfers also be getting an assist from something else?
Yes, and why is the door open to steroid usage? Could lax rules on modern equipment fitting offer ususually juicy benefits for those with certain clubhead speeds? Could fault equipment regulation have shifted the playing focus from players developing a balanced game to a power-focused style?

After six months of research, Golf World has not turned up a documented case of steroid abuse on golf's major tours.

Research reportedly entailed photo analysis of LPGAers once known for their peach-fuzzed lips suddenly requiring shaving, and a thorough search of PGA Tour lockers for Clearasil and bras (or Manzeers?). John Daly and Phil Mickelson's lockers were skipped for obvious reasons.

Sorry, just trying to keep it light.

Still, the rampant use of steroids in other sports and the insistence of medical experts that steroids can enhance performance lead some to believe steroids will inevitably encroach upon pro golf, probably first among young amateurs and developmental pros. Those concerned about the matter suggested that golf's governing bodies address such a possibility by enacting more clear rules and drug testing now.
"I haven't heard any talk about steroids in golf, but no sport is immune to it," says Dr. Gary Wadler, a clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency. "Any component of strength is going to be enhanced by taking them. If a golfer can benefit from added strength, steroids are going to be a benefit in that regard."

Naturally, statements like that mean golf will need at least a 3-year study to disprove an expert like Wadler. 

The average driving distance on the men's tour has increased almost 30 yards since 1980, but that gain has been attributed mostly to equipment advances, not chemistry.

Get Rudy some talking points!  They're working out more, Matthew. Oh, and there's lots more roll than the old days when before three-row irrigation systems.

Run the numbers, though, and it's easy to see why a chemical "helper" might be enticing for a player who has hit the wall in terms of adding distance conventionally, through a combination of exercise and finely tuned equipment. On a launch monitor, each additional mile per hour of clubhead speed is worth roughly two yards of carry. If the average male tour player swinging 118 miles per hour with the driver added 10 percent more speed, he could carry the ball nearly 25 more yards. For an LPGA player swinging at 95 mph, that means a gain of almost 20 yards.

 

Here's where it starts to get scary, or sad, or just plain pathetic:

 

"If I had 5 percent more clubhead speed, I'd still be playing 30 tournaments," says [Nick] Price, who averaged 282.6 yards in 2005. "Let's face it. Unless you can hit the ball 310 yards now, you will never be No. 1 in the world, and that's a sad state of affairs. If I'm playing with a college kid and he's hitting it 280, I tell him he has to find more. But what if he's maxed out his power? The message we're sending him leaves the door open for him to try something else to find the power he needs."

And why is this message being sent? Ah yes, right, so that grown men can continue their equipment shopping addiction unfettered by silly rules.

In golf, the risk of detection is almost zero. No professional tour -- or the USGA -- has specific language in its rules prohibiting performance-enhancing substances. 

But surely the USGA, which this year made a big fuss about updating its gender reassignment policy to keep up with the International Olympic Committee, is on top of this to remain IOC-consistent, right?

USGA executive director David Fay says he not only has no comment about the USGA's position on steroids, but he won't comment on whether the subject has even come up in the organization's policy meetings.

That's our David. Inconsistent as ever.  

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem says the tour's conduct rules -- and the tradition of players policing themselves when it comes to those rules -- have been a sufficient deterrent to this point, but the tour would not hesitate to incorporate a random drug-testing program if it had evidence of a pattern of use by players. "I don't think it is naive to think our players follow the rules," says Finchem.

I do! Self-policing on steroids? What are guys supposed to do, stick a cup in front of a player when he's at the urinal?

"Maybe there are doctors who would say that steroids would help a player hit a golf ball farther. We could debate that, and we could debate that the side effects might hurt a player other ways. I don't go there. We have a rule, and we expect players to follow it.

Uh, no, you don't have a rule or testing.

"If we have credible evidence to think that a player was taking them, we would consider taking other measures. Players have been fined and suspended for other conduct that was unbecoming a professional, and we wouldn't hesitate to do that in this case."

Oh, so conduct unbecoming a professional. But there's no testing, so what are they unbecoming of if you can't prove they're unbecoming?

You know, you wouldn't be in this mess if they hadn't scrapped the optimization...ah, forget it.
 

Panelist Summit Reports?

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Come on you Golf Digest panelists, write up your thoughts, observations and memories of the first-ever panelist summit. Email them in, post in the comments here, we want to hear about it! And no more of these phone calls and cryptic emails informing me that my Golfobserver column was not far off.

Over on Golf Club Atlas, panelist attendee Bill Schulz writes about Jack Nicklaus's comments on Augusta (an identical description was shared to me by another panelist):

Nicklaus received a loud applause from the group when he criticized the recent changes at Augusta National.  He said that he does not recognize the current course and that the original design features of the wide fairways with strategic angles of attack are being deleted.  I think he cited the extremely narrow 7th hole as one such example.

Nicklaus made these criticisms of Augusta National and the earlier comments I repeated regarding Shadow Creek with the architect of these projects, Tom Fazio, standing in the back of the room.  But I do not feel Nickalus was being disrespectful, just speaking his mind.
 

Moonah Madness

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This sounds familiar (thanks to reader Michael for this):

The Australian PGA Tour has fined its own chairman, Wayne Grady, as the fallout over Moonah Links continued yesterday on the final day of the Australian Open.

Grady was fined an undisclosed sum over his verbal spray directed at Australian Golf Union executive director Colin Phillips on Friday. At least three other players — Stephen Leaney, Stuart Appleby and Craig Parry — are also to be fined for their criticisms of the course and the AGU, which runs the Open.

The fines come from the tour's tournament director Andrew Langford-Jones.

"Obviously 'Grades' committed a breach of our code of conduct," said the tour's general manager, Gus Seebeck, yesterday. "As our chairman he knows he carries extra responsibility to stay within that code. The comments that were made were not meant for public consumption, but they were overheard by certain people, unfortunately, and they were of a personal nature.

"Grades knows this, but it's a closed shop now, and it's between Wayne and Colin to patch up their personal issues."

Grady's attack came during the furore over the state of the 12th green on Friday, when Peter O'Malley's ball blew off the green in high winds. Phillips was the tournament director, and this was his last assignment after 27 years in charge of the AGU.

Doesn't this boil down to the same thing? Today's players are not eloquent when it comes to explaining why setups are over-the-top, and governing bodies either (A) don't have much idea what they are doing when it comes to course preparation in inclement weather, or (B) are trying to produce a "respectable" winning score in the face of major changes in the sport?

Moonah course architect Peter Thomson responded to the player complaints, and it leaves me wondering if the golfing great has spent just a bit too much time sitting around the Royal and Ancient clubhouse listening to clueless administrators commiserating about the spoiled modern pro. From Martin Blake's story:

Thomson responded wryly when I asked: "Do you think some of these players spend so much time in the U.S., where they are pampered and looked after so much with course preparation and everything else, that when they come home and it gets a bit tough they don't react well?

"I'm impressed with your opinion . . . I know that is what everybody else thinks," he replied.

"But, as a side issue, it has struck me that it would be a very sad day if the players were able to select the courses on which they wanted to play.

"The R&A would not have a bar of that, nor would the USGA. In fact, for the last 50 years of my lifetime, the USGA has been responsible for making courses so difficult that people take three irons off the tee.

"But neither the R&A nor the USGA buckle when they get a bit of criticism. I would like to think our championship joins that category.

"In order to convince the world that we have a championship that matches the big two, we have to have a comparable course. That's what this is."

Trying to mimic the USGA and R&A course setup strategies probably isn't the wisest thing to do these days. But based on the player feedback, I'd say the AGU succeeded in one respect.

An Eco-Signature Design

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Remember, I merely copy and paste this stuff:

Jumeirah Golf Estates is set to become one of the world’s most prestigious golfing and residential communities. Located in the Jebel Ali district on the south side of Emirates Highway, opposite Jumeirah Village, it lies approximately 22km south west of Dubai city centre.

Jumeirah Golf Estates will boast four environmentally themed 18-hole courses - Fire, Earth, Water and Wind - that mirror the elements of nature and integrate with distinct gated communities, featuring a variety of investment opportunities, world class amenities and premier services. Jumeirah Golf Estates draws on the remarkable talents of some of the game’s most famous names – among them, Greg Norman, the legendary ‘Great White Shark’, and the 2004 world number one, Vijay Singh.

As part of Phase A of the project, Greg Norman will personally be involved in the creation of two Eco-Signature courses, which focus on eco-friendly principles and practices and feature flora and fauna that are indigenous to the region. These two courses, Fire and Earth, will be the first two Eco-Signature courses ever designed by Greg Norman Golf Course Design exclusively for Nakheel.

Where's the R.I.P. Ball?

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This summer Lawrence Donegan wrote about a rolled back ball that a manufacturer distributed to certain people. As you may recall, it was stamped "R.I.P. Distance" on one side and "This is the ball Jack wants you to hit" on the other.

Now, the manufacturers haven't submitted the requested rolled balls to the USGA for their ball study, but one of them was able to make this ball and stamp it facetiously? Go figure.

What Happened At The Australia Open?

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Since those of us in the States did not get to see the Australian Open this year on The Golf Channel, it's hard to tell from accounts whether the players just don't like playing in wind, or the Moonah Links was poorly set up. Or a bit of both.

Here's one commentary defending the setup, and Peter Thomson, Moonah's architect, chimes in. 

He also warned against allowing the players to dictate where the tournament is played, saying the R&A (controller of the British Open) and USGA (in charge of US Open) would never bow to the wishes of its competitors.

"I don't think they need any sympathy," Thomson said. "In real championship circumstances it ought to put them to their highest possible test of skill.

"One of the side issues of the criticism, it struck me, is that it would be a very sad day when the players are able to select the course on which they want to play. The R&A wouldn't have a bar of that, nor would the USGA.

"The USGA doesn't buckle when it gets a bit of criticism nor does the R&A. I would like to think our championship joins that category of championship. They are the ultimate, the big two.

But as usual, it appears the design was not the problem. 

"I don't have a problem with the course, I don't think it is bad or anything," [Peter] Lonard said.

"I don't know whether it is set up perfectly. But if you compare it to the Open courses we play, very few of them have greens where (the ball) will run off the edge and run 40 yards away."

Arjun Atwal: Another Anti-technology Anarchist

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From one of my favorites, the Sunday Indian Express:

Q: Let’s talk a little bit about what’s changing with your game. Is technology doing something to your game like it’s doing to tennis, or with cricket — what’s happening with golf?

ARJUN ATWAL: Well, with golf, you know, they’re actually going a little overboard with the distance. Distance meaning the golf ball is going a lot longer when you hit it than it did 20 years ago, or maybe even 10 years ago. What that does is make old-style golf courses like the RCGC obsolete. They’ve become too short, not challenging enough. Anyway, today’s players work out a lot; they’re much, much stronger than players before. And you’ve got equipment which is far superior. But they can only go so far with the golf ball. I think Jack Nicklaus, who is the greatest player that ever played, has put up a point to the USGA and the RNA, which are the governing boards of golf around the world, that you must now put a limit. And I think he’s right. Otherwise they’ll be building 8,000 yard golf-courses and only the long hitters will survive. Shot-making ability will go from the game.

20/20 Report

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Sounds like the Golf 20/20 summit was so thrilling that they are going to make it a biannual meeting. Actually, everyone's just sick of playing The Slammer and the Squire Course once a year.

This, from Ron Sirak's report in Golf World, was a shocker:

In a separate report, Frank Thomas of Frankly Consulting released results of a survey of 14,420 U.S. golfers that showed most want to play shorter courses and that the average male overestimates how far he hits his tee shots by 30 yards. The study also indicated time, cost and difficulty were the most common reasons people don't play more golf.

Tour TV Deal Perspectives

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A few weeks removed from Tim Finchem's impactful press conference and it appears some perspective has set in. First there was this quote from Greg Norman, Chairman Emeritus of Finchem's Fans:  

The PGA Tour plays things close to the chest. You really don't know what's going on until [Tim] Finchem decides to say something and then when he says something he really doesn't tell you anyway.

And Ron Sirak puts the PGA Tour's network problems this way:

...tour players should volunteer to freeze purses for the duration of the next TV contract, which will go into effect in 2007, and agree to play each tour event at least once during that four-year cycle.Golf simply has priced itself out of the market with the networks, and schedule manipulation will not make that reality go away.

Skins Drive Watch

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Once a great event because it was played on unusual looking designs and featuring the biggest names in the game, how does the Skins Game hope to muster excitement these days?

Wondering if Annika will outdrive Fred Funk.

That's what a gimpy Tiger Woods and others are curious to see, as these stories explain here and here.

And if you were curious where they are playing--shocking you can't remember, I know--the Skins returns one more thrilling time around that lovely Indio sod farm known as Trilogy. Here's my 2004 Skins Game obituary in case you missed it and wanted a copy for your scrapbook.
 

The Art of Course Setup, Vol. 467

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From the wild and wacky Australian Open:

Stephen Leaney refused to sign his card for a 74 in protest and was disqualified.

He had a bogey and playing partner Peter O'Malley had a triple-bogey at the par-3 12th, prompting tournament officials to start lightly watering the green for every subsequent group to negate the impact of the strong northerly wind.

O'Malley had a par putt of less than a meter that was caught in a wind gust and rolled three meters past the pin. After he marked and replaced the ball, it rolled further from the hole. He asked officials if he could replace the ball again, but the request was disallowed.

"You can imagine how we felt," said Leaney. "We'd got the rules officials over to make a decision and then they recognize what was going on and water it."

O'Malley, who made the cut at 4-over, declined to comment.