Kroichick on Harding's Future

Ron Kroichick in the SF Chronicle sheds more light on the rapidly deteriorating Harding Park situation.  

You may recall that earlier this week the Chronicle reported that the cost to redo the place ended up closer to $23 million, raising numerous questions and also hurting the chances of future muni-rejuvenation projects.

Kroichick writes: 

The Tour's contract with the city includes a provision in which it can back out if the course is not deemed in suitable shape. The city also needs to keep Harding in good condition so it can lure coveted non-resident players, who pay anywhere from $82 to $138 to roam the fairways alongside Lake Merced.

Whoa! $138 for a muni?

Macaulay acknowledged his concern about maintaining the course. Tour officials told him they believe Harding needs a gardening crew of 32 to 34, but that's unrealistic given Rec & Park's obvious financial constraints. Macaulay's staff numbers 24, though fewer than 20 are currently working full-time.

An 18 hole country club staff on the big size would be in the 22-25 range. 32-34 for Harding and Fleming?

What a city!

The next event will occur no earlier than 2008, and it will not be the AMEX (now the CA Championship in Miami) or the Tour Championship (tied to Atlanta). The Bridgestone Invitational also is a longshot, despite last week's speculation; the Tour apparently is committed to keeping that event in Akron, Ohio, through 2010. Maybe the Match Play Championship comes here in '08, or the Presidents Cup in '09.

In other words, Harding had a nice run with the PGA Tour. It's only hope now is a USGA event or LPGA major. 

But more importantly, what's going to happen on a daily basis for the people who matter?

Harding's Crunching Numbers

In America's Sweethearts, John Cusack's character watches the bizarre new Hal Wideman film as it is being screened, turns to Billy Crystal's publicist character and whispers, "sometimes you look at a film and you say, where did the money go?"

Some are looking at Harding Park today and asking the same thing.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, an audit revealed that not only did the city managed to lose $141,619 on the recent American Express Championship, but the overall cost of the course renovation project skyrocketed to $23.6 million, $7.6 million over the original (and excessive) $16 million cost.

The audit also shows how funds meant to improve park and recreation programs for lower-income San Franciscans were borrowed to reinvigorate the public golf courses.

According to Rose, the renovation of the 18-hole Harding and nine-hole Fleming golf courses at Harding Park, which began in 2002, wound up costing $23.6 million, which was $7.6 million, or 47 percent, over the original estimate of $16 million.

The project wound up being a "significant opportunity cost to the rest of the city's recreation and park system," Rose wrote.

In 2001, the Arnold Palmer Golf Management Co., which had reached a deal with the city to carry out the project and then manage the courses, withdrew. Officials tapped state bond funds that had been awarded to San Francisco and that were earmarked for recreation and park projects in underserved or economically disadvantaged areas.

In 2002, the Board of Supervisors authorized the Recreation and Park Department to use the state funds for Harding, provided that the money was repaid with interest from golf course funds within 25 years.

But, according to the audit, city courses lost money in fiscal year 2004-05, needing a $536,000 subsidy from the city's general fund to cover their expenses.

The auditors may get their wish on this next suggestion, based on the Tour Championship setting up shop at East Lake and the WGC events locking in to Tucson, Doral and Firestone.

Citing the losses on the American Express Championship -- which featured the world's top players and was won by Tiger Woods -- Rose recommended renegotiating the city's agreement with the PGA Tour or terminating the deal.

The contract currently calls for five tournaments over 15 years.

Agunbiade, citing broader economic benefits to the city from PGA play, said terminating the agreement would be shortsighted.

William Strawn, a spokesman for the PGA during the tournament at Harding, said the event brought at least $55 million in tourist spending to the Bay Area.

"Although difficult to quantify," Agunbiade wrote, "the benefits to the city go far beyond the dollars and cents which accrue to the Recreation and Park Department."

You may recall that I wrote a Golfobserver column on the high cost to renovate Harding...at the $16 million figure.

Sadly, this revelation may doom future municipal course restoration projects.
 

Harding Wrap Up

Ron Kroichik talks to Sandy Tatum and Chris Gray about Harding. Tatum is hoping for a U.S. Women's Open, which will be tough with Pebble Beach getting one in the near future and David Fay not exactly chairman of the Tatum fan club.

Meanwhile, Gray is having to defend the 18th hole and he raises a good question:

"As I said before the tournament, No. 18 is an awkward drive and somewhat of an uncomfortable hole," Gray said. "The question is, is that a bad thing?" 

More Munis, and How 'Bout Them Scores

Golfobserver features Art Spander's take on Harding Park (scores weren't too low, it's passed the test!). I can't wait to heckle Art about this, since he knows there is much more to the game and to courses than birdie prevention. And I just wonder, if 16 under had won, and everything else was the same (leaderboard, crowd buzz/turnout, etc...), would the reaction really be different?  Hope not.

There is also my take on Harding and the Tour's dire need to fine more mid-city munis like it if they want to generate the kind of buzz that their events so rarely have.

Finchem on Harding

Ron Kroichik talks to Tim Finchem about the AmEx and Harding. Finchem realizes that the U$GA will be interested in a Women's or Senior Open after the success of the AmEx. (Uh, for those dreaming of a US Open, remember that is across the lake in 2012, so the earliest they could talk is 2020. And you can probably guess who will be in line to host that year).

But this quote from Finchem says a lot about how the game has changed since the Harding project commenced just a few years ago:  "We thought it would be reasonably good, but it's really been off the charts. I don't think we could have predicted that a course of this length would give the players the kind of challenge it has."

At least he acknowledges that 7,000 yards has become yesterday's 6,300 yards. But one has to wonder if Harding at 7,000 yards could get selected for a $16 million renovation with the driving distance spike making 7,500 the new "championship" standard?

Woods and Daly Post AmEx Final Round

Tiger Woods talks about the final round. And here's John Daly's post round press conference.

Harding Buzz

One can only hope that Sunday's incredible buzz at Harding will lead to more public course restorations...at a more reasonable cost. Though key holes played a role, it was the combination of personalities like Daly/Woods/Garcia and the enthusiastic crowds that made Harding special.

Gary Van Sickle wrote about the buzz after Saturday, while Doug Ferguson's AP notebook has some interesting quotes from Tim Finchem, who can already $mell the governing bodie$  moving in for a piece of the action...err, excuse me, the opportunity to position themselves in the the northern California marketplace.

"We know the USGA was already interested in Harding after we got it rebuilt,'' PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Sunday. "Looking at some of their different championships, I've got to believe the PGA of America would have some interest after this week. We want to sit down with all the interested parties and talk about the best possible schedule.''

Finchem said the key was to stage tournaments that would raise money for The First Tee and to continue repaying the city for the $16 million renovation. [That'll take a while!] A steady diet of championships would mean Harding Park stays in pristine shape, although residents would not be able to play as much in the weeks leading up to a tournament.

"If I owned this place -- if this is my baby, but it was not for profit -- I would want some texture to the communication of this place,'' Finchem said. "That would be being interested in having the best women play, the best seniors, and being interested in getting these guys back. That would round out the field.''

Texture to the communication of this place?

Threesomes?

Did anyone hear a decent explanation as to why the AmEx WGC is playing threesomes with a field of 70?

Daly For President

He hits as soon as Monty plays. His caddy talks to him as he stands over the ball. How can you not love the guy!?

Here's the AP story on Daly taking the 3rd round lead at Harding Park, including the details of his 378-yard drive (no doubt thanks to the stairmaster and weight work John has been doing). Here's his post round press conference.

Q. Everybody has been incredibly enthusiastic, you, Tiger, Sergio, Colin, about this golf course and the city. Did you guys have any idea of what you were getting into? Did anybody play this before? Did anybody talk about it and say, hey, it's good, or was this completely blind walking in?

JOHN DALY: This is a hidden secret. We were at Olympic Club at the Open and I had never heard of Harding Park, I really hadn't until I got here. It's just amazing. What I was telling some other guys, you know, there's so many great public golf courses that we need to find. The older, the better, because they just seem to be more friendly towards driving and anyway you want to play a shot. Torrey Pines is well noted one of the greatest golf courses in the world and it's public. St. Andrews. I mean, I think every player that's playing in this field this week loves this golf course.

Q. What would you say if they told you this course was a parking lot for the 1998 U.S. Open, which it was? They used it to park cars?

JOHN DALY: Well, they need to park cars at Olympic Club and play here (laughter).

 

Daly Unplugged

John Daly after round 2 of the WGC event at Harding Park:

Q. Tiger came in here with a turtle neck and a vest and Colin Montgomerie is wearing a sweater. You played in short sleeves today.

JOHN DALY: You put both of them on the scale and they'll weigh just about what I weigh right now. I'm a lot warmer than they are (laughter).

Q. When is the last time you played with Monty?

JOHN DALY: It's been a while. It's been a while since I played with Colin.

Q. Do you enjoy his company?

JOHN DALY: Yeah, we always chat it up a little bit.

Q. About what?

JOHN DALY: Whatever (laughter). Sometimes it's golf. I mean, both of us have had plenty of divorces so we can always talk about that (laughter). I've had a lot more than he has.

Kann on WGC's

Kraig Kann tactfully criticizes the World Golf Championship concept and it's failure to do much more than further separate the "Haves and Have Nots."  Though Kann can get overly enthusiastic at times on air, he demonstrates (again) a knack for quality constructive criticism. And The Golf Channel web site provides yet another reminder that it's doing...a heck of a job. ;) Interesting that a television channel has a more complete and active web presence than the print world, isn't it?

Ostler Column On Harding's 18th

Thanks to reader Scott for this heads up on Scott Ostler's column about the par-4 18th at Harding. No mention by any player of the goofy-narrow fairway contouring.

Actually, no one really quite explains that it's a goofy setup and not the hole's fault.

This tee shot view was taken a year ago, before someone brought the rough in on the left, oh, at least 20 yards.

Harding Day 1

Boy, the par-4 18th sure looked great during day one of the AmEx World Championship. I loved how the 25 yards of rough between the lake and fairway really tempts the player to cut the corner!

The player has to try to fit their ball into what, 22 yards of width resting at an angle from the tee?

And they wonder why the guys flog it out there with little regard for strategy.

Here's Doug Ferguson's Round 1 story.  And Ron Whitten's rave review of the renovation.

Harding Numbers

Here is the link to my Golfobserver.com column looking at the renovation of Harding Park, with some questions about how $16 million was spent to rebuild an existing course.

7,086: Short

Ron Kroichik offers a hole-by-hole preview of Harding Park. The headline for the story: "Harding might be short but it's big on challenge." That's right, 7,086 yards in heavy air has become short. Damn those workout programs!

PGA Tour officials hope rail-thin fairways, thick rough, slick greens and rows of cypress trees will present a suitable challenge. It's entirely possible the players will overpower Harding and post low, low, low numbers. Or maybe the refurbished 80-year-old layout will quiet skeptics and produce a winner at, say, 10-under-par.

Because, after all, resistance to scoring is the mark of a great design.

Seve's joke about fairways eventually disappearing is looking more prophetic every day.