Els On Augusta and Technology

There was so much to post yesterday I didn't get around to Ernie Els' press conference, which sadly (for the Bay Hill folks) turned into a Masters chat session. Here he is talking about the changes to the course:

No. 4 is big. The one day it was downwind, I hit a 4 iron to the left flag. The second day, the wind was a little into us to a right flag and I hit 2 iron. Both times I made par, thank goodness. But going with a 2 iron into that hole is quite something. It's a bit of a change.

7 was another big one. I hit driver and a 7 iron both days was a little into the breeze. Going into that green with a middle iron is also quite a big change. I wouldn't want to go in there with 4 or 5 iron like some of the guys might go in there with. It's quite big.

Again, 11, quite a big change with the tee further back. That fairway is really narrow now. It's almost like a U.S. Open hole now. And then 17 I thought also was a big change with the fee further back.

So all in all, you know, it's very tough. If we have tough weather conditions, it's going to be a very tough week. It will be it's becoming one of the toughest one of the majors now. Where it used to be kind of the most fun of all the majors, it's becoming the hardest one now.

Q. How about No. 1?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, No. 1, another one. No. 1 I feel the tee shot is almost easier for us. It's 297 yards to the front edge of the bunker, so you know, again, 80 percent of the field is not even going to reach the bunker. It's an easier tee shot, much more difficult second shot. I was going with 6 iron my second shot. On the first hole, you know, it's kind of a tough start to your round.

Q. Did you see that tongue in the bunker the way it's separated?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, if you go into the front of the bunker, you essentially can't get to the green, even if you go just to the right of it, I don't know if you'll have a stance to hit the ball out of there. Yeah, very different.

And here he is responding to a question about the possibility of back nine charges:

You know, I think the second part of your question, I mean, 13, I think most of the guys can still get it on there in two shots. But 15, there was a bit of a breeze into us and I really cranked a drive there. As I say, I had 230 in.

So it's going to take a bit of the excitement away definitely. The time like with myself when Mickelson won, that kind of golf, I don't think that's going to happen that often anymore because the holes are getting so long. I mean, 10, you can still get 10 down there, hit an 8 iron into the green. 11 is so long now, you're going to probably hit 3 , 4 iron in there, so that's not really a birdieable hole. 12 obviously is. 13, you probably can get there. 14 is longer, you're not going in there with wedge anymore you're going in with 7 iron. 15 is debatable if you're there in two. 16 is what it is and 17 is longer; that's not a birdie hole, and 18 is not a birdie hole. So you're going to do well to break par the back nine.

And here's where the always eloquent Els started stumbling through his answer, perhaps because he might recall that three years ago he said that a "governor" should be put on the ball and even suggested that there should be some consideration of a return to wood heads.

Q. How do you feel, you're one of the prime examples of the modern power game, how do you feel away the traditionalists and courses are going about trying to rein in the power game and bring nuance, subtlety and accuracy back into it; do you think the way they are going about that is the right way and how do you feel about being one of the causes of it?

ERNIE ELS: Well, I think technology is a good thing. I think the world, we keep ticking on, don't we. We've got to get better in many ways and golf is just another sport that's going that way. Athletes I think are bigger maybe, and I wouldn't say more healthy, but they are a bit stronger. And with technology, you know, we're going to hit the ball longer. It's like any other sport. Cars get faster; guys in the NFL, get bigger, hit harder. That's just the way of life.

But we've got some great, great golf courses that are just not they just don't play the way they used to play. Bunkers are just way out of play. We play a great golf course down in Melbourne, an Alister MacKenzie course and on a good day there I shot 60 around there with no wind, I was bombing it to the greens, chipping it on and making putts, I was in perfect shape. That course played on that same weather conditions in the 50s or 60s, we would have done really well to maybe shoot 65 coming in with 7 irons, but I was just hitting sand irons into the green.

So we have to look at that, changing golf courses a little bit. That's what they have done at Augusta. I don't agree with all it. There's a good argument that you can have, with technology and the design of golf courses. I think the modern day golf courses that we design, I wouldn't design a course under 7,500 yards, off the back tees, not for you guys. I think it's definitely there's two different games being played today. There's the professional game where we hit it 300 and the amateur game where you guys hit it 200. I mean, I played at Augusta off the back tees it was 7,400 and a bit, and the member I was playing with was playing off 6,300 and a bit.

Can we still put you down for a competition ball Ernie?  We'll assume you'll take a pass on the return of persimmon.

TCC As A Tournament Host

Jim McCabe puts to rest rumors reported in Golfweek that The Country Club was looking to join a Deutsche Bank rotation with the TPC Boston (just typing that was difficult). He also reports that the 2013 U.S. Open at TCC is highly unlikely.

'We definitely want to do some sort of celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ouimet's victory, but it's highly unlikely it will be a US Open," said John Cornish, a longtime TCC member who is on the club's Tournament Policy Committee and was instrumental in pulling off the 1999 Ryder Cup, a spectacular event. ''An amateur event would be more appropriate. We've always been a big supporter of amateur golf."

Two Views On Golf Industry

Blaine Newnhan writes about the struggles of the Pacific Northwest golf business while Chad Graham paints a different picture of the situation in Arizona, where they feel the slump has ended. If nothing else, check out the Newnhan story to see the pictured golf hole and its subtle mounding.

Huggan On Musselburgh

John Huggan files a lengthy dispatch on the Musselburgh Links situation, which doesn't sound so hot if you are in that strange camp that has a hard time envisioning how floodlights and an all-weather track will improve the setting.

Here's the "Hands Off Our Links" web site with the latest on today's vote by the East Lothian planning commission. 

Golf "Wife Swap"

Ah, nothing like a little reminder that the Big Break is harmless, shoot, even classy compared to this, which came courtesy of the Golf Nuts Society:

CASTING CALL FOR ABC'S "WIFE SWAP" TELEVISION SERIES

 

The hit show Wife Swap is currently casting amazing families with huge personalities that are incredibly passionate and dedicated to the sport of Golf! (must be married with kids 5 or older) Ideally our candidate, loves to play and its something the whole family can do together! There is also a $20,000 honorarium offered to the family that is selected! Any additional exposure you can bring to this project would be greatly appreciated! So, if you or anyone else you know is up for the experience of a life time, please feel free to contact me on how to apply for the show today!

Best regards and many thanks,
Daniel Markell
Casting Producer
Wife Swap
212-404-1441

Another Norman Flashback

Ron Sirak writes in Golf World that he hopes Greg Norman's threatened lawsuit is not about petty vengeance.

This July, 2003 Golf Magazine interview with Peter Kessler may indicate what Greg Norman wants to know about the PGA Tour's financial dealings.

How do you think the Tour is doing these days running the business end?

I still am unhappy about it. I really don't think we know the entire story. Because when I speak to some of my business friends about certain ways the Tour operates, they say they couldn't do that in their world. It always intrigues me that they have this huge business. It is hard to be a master of everything and if you dilute yourself too much, sometimes you lose a little focus.

That is the most careful response I have ever heard from you.

When I spoke out on this at the end of last year, the message I was sending was to the 21-year-olds, not the 30- or 40-year-olds. I wanted them to think: OK, everything is great right now and your future looks fantastic, but where will you be when you are 45 or 50? Where will the Tour be? There is no business in the world that can sustain that growth curve that the PGA Tour is on. If there is a correction, how are they going to manage it?

Put your mind to it. Find out where the money is going. Find out how big the administration is. Find out what actually goes on. It is very difficult to get an answer, but if you are young enough and you ask the questions, you eventually will get the answers. It is the players' Tour. It is not one administration person's Tour. The players have every right to do all they can do to understand the internal workings.

If you were appointed commissioner for a day, which three things would you tackle first?

I would take a look at the players' pension. The retirement plan is an asset of the Tour. But let's just say there is another Ping scenario. [The company sued the Tour in 1989.] That asset is vulnerable. The Tour's so-called retirement plan goes poof. It is not a true pension plan where it is protected.

I would like to really understand the structure of the TPCs [Tournament Players Clubs], how profitable they are. I see the annual report, but it is not a full-blown, in-line report.

In all the years I have been involved in golf, I have never been asked to give my opinion. Yes, we have these forms to fill out. And we have our players meetings, our Players Advisory Council, and our player directors. That's wonderful, but still I think you need to tie into the best players because they do have some good sense. I'm talking about four or five players. The problem with the Tour is that it's one man, one vote. A vast majority of the players are happy with the security blanket instead of saying they want to build this thing to be a better, safer, longer-lasting organization.

The Future Is...?

Rex Hoggard wonders if the Tour is making it too difficult for young players to break through. And this is 2006. Starting next year, it's going to get even tougher for Q-school grads to play a full schedule.

It'$ In The Name

Joe Passov looks at the architects who enhance real estate value. The list might surprise you..at least the low end of the Top 5.

Passov also has this bit about his brother-in-law:

Choosing a name architect is often more about marketing than the course. Just ask Ken Kavanaugh. He was two weeks from starting construction on a course in Sedona, Ariz., when the property was sold and the new owners bounced him in favor of Tom Weiskopf. "There's a niche out there which shops exclusively for designer labels, whether it's Gucci, Prada or a golf-course architect," Kavanaugh says. "A Timex and a Cartier both keep the same time, and I think there's room for both in the marketplace, but some folks aren't going to buy unless it's a Cartier."

Not The Smoothest Transition...

Thanks to reader Scott for the link to this John Davis story on Carolyn Bivens' rocky start.

It began with the world rankings, which had Michelle Wie No. 3 even though she hasn't won an LPGA title and only one significant amateur championship. She has since climbed to No. 2, based on 16 events. That puts her ahead of Paula Creamer, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, who has won two tour titles and four worldwide.

"I was a little surprised," top-ranked Annika Sorenstam said Wednesday. "I do think it needs to be tweaked a little bit."

Bivens said the new media regulations fall in line with those of other pro sports and give the LPGA more control over its own property and player images.

But, as a result, the season began with virtually no media coverage of the new Fields Open in Hawaii as writers and photographers refused to sign credential forms. After two revisions, AP agreed to sign the new forms, but Golf Digest refuses to do so. That's no small loss for the tour because it also publishes Golf World and Golf for Women magazines.

Fields Open Executive Director Tim Humes wasn't happy about the lack of coverage, telling Golfweek magazine, "We felt like we delivered. How do you have this good a product and not allow it to be covered? My disappointment was more towards the LPGA for not thinking about the impact this would have on our tournament."

Four of the tour's top executives have resigned in the past six months, but Bivens dismisses that as the normal fallout that comes with new leadership.

"That often is what an organization does from one administration to another and from one stage to another," she said. "I look back on my career at USA Today, and there was a wonderful group of people who were part of the launch. There were people who were so critical for the first five years that didn't make the transition to the next for a variety of reasons.

"It's not that unusual for people to leave, and I have maintained friendships with a number of those who have left the LPGA."

Wendy Ward had this to say about Bivens:

"She has ruffled some feathers because she has a different way of going about things, and some people don't like change," Ward said. "But I wish I had another year left on the board because I see her as someone who is confident in her ability and not afraid to do things her way."

I'd love to know how keeping Golf Digest/Golf World/Golf For Women from covering your Tour is a good thing? 

Hard Equals ?

Ernie Els at Bay Hill, talking about The Masters:

 "If we have tough weather conditions, it's going to be a very tough week," the world number five said. "It's becoming one of the toughest of the majors now.

"Where it used to be the most fun of all the majors, it's becoming the hardest one now."

I know a lot of people take pleasure in seeing the pros struggle because it makes them feel better about their own feeble golf games.  And I have no problem with that once a year at the U.S. Open.

But I keep wondering if it ever occurs to the folks running the game that when a course is set up just tough enough and still vulnerable to attacks by the best players, it translates to fun for the players, and most likely fun for the fans.  

The point here is rather simple and not a new one, but as you can see, I feel it's worth repeating:  the folks at way too many golf courses make setup about them, and not about the players. It's about producing a certain score, and producing a post-event reaction that has 20 handicappers patting each other on the back for putting those spoiled Tour boys in their place.

Nothing new here, just kind of sad when you realize how intensely selfish it is. 

Ferguson On Flogging (Or Lack Of?)

Doug Ferguson warned me that he wasn't buying into the flog branding that has been sticking to certain players, and he wrote about it in this dispatch from Bay Hill.

"If you hit the ball a long way, you should be reasonably accurate," [Ernie Els] said. "Not one player on tour has the philosophy of just going out and hitting all over the place. It might work out that way, but we try and aim and get it in the fairway and give yourself the best opportunity to make birdie."

It looks that way at times, especially considering the driving statistics.

Woods is hitting 47.9 percent of his fairways, which puts him at No. 179 in driving accuracy. The feeling is that big hitters blast away, believing it's easier to hit the green with a wedge in the rough than a 7-iron from the fairway.

But that isn't always the case.

Woods had a solid week off the tee at Doral, even if the statistics don't bear that out. He rarely missed the wrong side of a fairway, sometimes dribbling into the first cut or barely into the rough, but usually leaving himself the perfect angle to approach the pin.

He and his caddie, Steve Williams, went over his drives and found that Woods was in the first cut 13 times.

"If you add that into the fairway mix, it's not that bad," Woods said. "So it depends on your perspective. I feel like I'm driving the ball much better now than I was earlier in the year, because things we've been working on are starting to come together."
 

Tiger On Augusta: Interesting, Very Interesting

Translation: yuck, very yucky.

Amazingly (or is frighteningly), I read all of Tiger's press conferences and continue to marvel at his ability to answer the same questions over and over again. He's also become quite good at acting like he's enjoying some lame question about a player he's played with twice. And he can be so positive when talking about a course he probably thinks is mediocre at best.

So I think it's safe to say--lacking much in the way of complimentary talk--that this is a not-so-flattering assessment of Augusta:

Tiger at Bay Hill:

Q. Speaking of The Masters, now that you've had a chance to play the course firsthand, what do you think of the changes?

TIGER WOODS: Interesting, very interesting.

 Hey, at least he didn't say it was the best of its kind! Sorry, continue...

I didn't hit enough club to No. 4. I needed wood to get to 4. 7 is certainly changed. It's a totally different hole now. 1 is 300 yards just to get to the bunker now. If we get any kind of cool north wind like we have today, you won't be able to see the flag. You won't be able to see the green. Some of the changes are pretty dramatic and certainly going to be very interesting if the wind ever blows.

Q. Do you think they accomplished (inaudible)?

TIGER WOODS: I've talked to some of the older guys who played there back in the '50s, '60s and '70s and they never had to hit wood into 4 before, but you'll see a lot of guys hitting wood in 4 this year.

Q. What do you think will happen if there's rain?

TIGER WOODS: It will be brutal because now you're hitting some really long clubs into the holes. Again, we haven't seen the greens hard and fast either. With the rain, with or without rain last year, we were thinking in the practice rounds that over par is going to win the tournament. If you can keep it around even par, you're going to win it easily.

So, you know this, year, if it stays dry, probably the same thing.

Q. Did anyone ask you about Jack's comments, and do you agree that there's only ten or a dozen or so guys that are capable of winning because of the changes, because of the length?

TIGER WOODS: It eliminates a lot of guys, yeah. If you hit it low and rely on your game that way to get the ball out there and hit your irons not so high, if you have a flatter ball flight, you're going to be struggling there.

Q. If even par were to win there, is it a shame in a sense that you guys already have a U.S. Open?

TIGER WOODS: It's just different. I think it they should get rid of that second cut and get rid of and bring the pine needles and the pine trees back into play. But they see it differently than a lot of us do as players.

I remember pulling that ball off the first tee and it's going straight through the pine trees. Now you have a chance of it stopping in that second cut. They think it's harder to play out of that than it is out of the trees.

Q. Ernie was saying how The Masters used to be most fun major and now it's become the toughest, do you think it has gotten up to that?

TIGER WOODS: Without a doubt, it's gotten so much more difficult now. With the added length, with those greens being the way they are, it just makes it so hard out there. You're hitting clubs that, granted, they are trying to get you to hit clubs like the older guys used to hit, and yeah, but the greens were not running at 13 on the Stimpmeter either. So it just makes that much more difficult now.

With the speed of these greens now, each and every year, it all depends if they are firm. I mean, if they are firm, that golf course is probably the most difficult golf course you'll ever play.

Q. Could you have imagine them dialing some of those changes back a little bit, get rid of the rough or move the tees forward a little bit?

TIGER WOODS: They may move tees around. I think that's what they did with some of the tee boxes. Like on 4 and 7, they are really long tee boxes, so they have the ability to move it around and play with the tee markers a little bit. Because if you get soft, yeah, you can go ahead and move the tees up a little bit and give the guys a chance. So I think that's one of the smart things they have done. 

The Commish and The King

The Commish dropped his usual stuff about enhancing the texture and fabric of the Tour (are we making quilts here!?), while Arnold Palmer was mostly asked about the Augusta changes. He sounded like he was trying to back off some of the remarks he made to the Golf Digest Panelist Summit.

The final question was the most interesting, albeit way too long. 

Q. You and Jack obviously have a unique relationship with Augusta National, as architects, champions and members there, and you exerted some influence on the chairman a couple of years ago with regards to the age limit there, do you think that if they feel like maybe they have gone too far on some of these changes on the course, would they be willing to dial it back a little in the future and maybe restore a little less length in places or maybe cut a tree down here or there? And if you had had any influence on the changes what kind of ideas would you have to make it a course that could keep up with today's golfers without just adding length?

ARNOLD PALMER: (Turning, looking at Commissioner Finchem.)

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: Don't look at me. (Laughter).

ARNOLD PALMER: I think I'll stay out of that. (Laughter).

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you for joining us.

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: Thanks for rescuing us Joan. 

Great Tournaments On DVD?

Commenting on Guy Yocom's oral history of Nicklaus's 1986 Masters win, Intermurph raised the question of why can't we buy a DVD of the '86 final round as CBS televised it.

While that event has always been a natural for such a release, few other majors would probably be worth buying as they were aired.  

But what if majors were given a similar treatment that films receive when going to DVD? Perhaps there is a player commentary option where we hear the eventual champion or another track with contenders talking over the telecast?

Or say, in the case of the '86 Masters, a commentary by Frank Chirkinian and some of the announcers discussing that epic telecast? Other extras could include the daily highlight shows, tournament preview shows, post round news conferences, etc...

For instance, the 2004 U.S. Open could include Walter Driver's press conference where he blames the mystery roller  For instance, the ESPN or Golf Channel  Sunday night interviews with the winners, or perhaps with certain events, the views of writers or announcers about the day.

Thoughts? As Garth Pancake says in The Ladykillers, it's just a trial balloon.

Oh, and what events would you put at the top of a dream major you'd like to see with bonus commentary?

Off the top of my head, the must-Masters would be 75, 86, 87, 95, 97, 04 and 05. 

Update on 2006-03-16 03:25 by Geoff

Ernie Els at Bay Hill today, talking about the 1986 Masters:  "That was exciting stuff. They can show that on the Golf Channel every day instead of all that other stuff they show." (Laughter).

Latest Bunker

The latest edition of Golf World's "Bunker" is now posted and includes the Greg Norman item by Tim Rosaforte, a few new insights into the Deepdale situation and Stu Schneider's always entertaining TV Rewind column.