'I'm still three-putting but now I don't give a..."

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Thanks to reader Greg for this very serious John Coomber piece on the role antidepressants have played in the lives of Brett Ogle, Stuart Appleby and Steven Bowditch. It ends on this light note.

Five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson, who is at Royal Sydney this week, said he never knew depression or stress related illness to be a factor during his playing days, though he suspected some who sought refuge in alcohol may have been suffering.

Thomson recalled that American golfer Tommy Bolt, famous for his temper tantrums on the course, once tried taking sedatives to control his rage.

"In 1956 (the year Thomson won his third successive British Open) Tommy started taking a drug like a kind of valium to calm him down," he said.

"When I came back to America for the 1957 season I asked him if he was still taking the tablets and whether they were doing him any good.

"'Yeah,' he said. 'I'm still three-putting but now I don't give a shit.'"  

"We are talking about a 37-week accomplishment."

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I'm sure the PGA Tour's Ric Clarson means well, but everytime he talks about the FedEx Cup, he gives you new reasons to not like it.

From Steve Elling in the Orlando Sentinel, writing about the 5-year exemption that goes with winning the FedEx Cup: 

Forget the $10 million bonus.

That's not chicken feed, but it's not all the winner of the forthcoming FedEx Cup will earn. The PGA Tour has added a potentially more valuable carrot -- a five-year playing exemption to the FedEx winner, matching the reward accorded winners of golf's vaunted major championships.

Sounds like heresy, huh? Then listen to this.

"Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel, they all had a significant one-week accomplishment," tour official Ric Clarson said of three recent, and mostly obscure, major winners. "That's on the resume for the rest of their life, but we are talking about a 37-week accomplishment. I'd say this trumps that.

"We are not saying the FedEx Cup is better than winning a major, but it's a totally different measurement."
Okay, you're saying, he's drinking the Kool-Aid, no news flash there. Then Elling drops this: 
As if the exemption isn't enough to stir conversation, Clarson said that based on computer models run by the tour, it is possible that a player could win the FedEx Cup race without winning any of the four so-called playoff events in August and September.

Which again is a reminder that these "playoffs" will be the most confusing in the history of sports, as viewers wait anxiously after the rounds for the points standings to be spit out of the computer. A true playoff would simply eliminate people each week in the build up to the Tour Championship.

Elling concludes:

Not to pick on the guy, but in theory, a player like David Duval could get hot for four weeks, win the FedEx bonus and then fall off the face of the earth, just like he did after winning the 2001 British Open. Yet his exemption would cement a spot for him on tour.

Oh, you can pick on him. 

Rackham Photos

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Thanks to reader Smitty for these photos of the historic clubhouse at Rackham, the Donald Ross designed Detroit public golf course that may be developed.

I don't know what it looks like on the inside, but the exterior architecture is pretty extraordinary.

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2006 Golf Digest Best New

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Golf Digest unveils its latest Best New Courses awards, and a couple of things stand out.

After a decade of using a $50 green fee to separate affordable from upscale public courses, we believe an increase to $75 reflects the economic landscape of the times.

Sheesh, couldn't even raise it to $60?

No major embarrassments like last year's award of a Best New Remodel to a former Best New Course Award winner, though the panel gives longtime Top 100 course Stanwich the Best New Remodel. And since Tom Fazio did the work, the course is setting itself up nicely for another Best New Remodel award in ten years.

Here's the best new private list, the best new upscale public list, the best new affordable list, and the best new Canadian courses.

Seve To Play Masters; WD Announcement Pending

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From the wires:

Seve Ballesteros is heading back to professional golf and will compete in the Masters and British Open next year.

The five-time major winner said yesterday that he also wants to join the Champions Tour in the United States when he turns 50 in April.

"My plan is to continue withdrawing for another four or five years," Ballesteros said.

Wait, I meant to copy and paste the version where he says he will continue playing for another four or five years. 

"This is new ground for us"

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Doug Ferguson on the USGA selling its soul creating a brand alliance with American Express:

"This is new ground for us," USGA executive director David Fay said. "We hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with Amex. For some of those elements of the USGA that don't get much publicity, we hope this relationship helps us. And we'll do our part to provide Amex with some benefits for its members."
The question this begs is, why now, after 112 years? Any thoughts. Anyone, anyone? 
 American Express had been the title sponsor of a World Golf Championship the past eight years, a relationship that ended two months ago in London when Woods won the event for fifth time.

And while Woods has not signed an extension of his deal with American Express, the world's No. 1 player made a series of phone calls last week to talk about the USGA's first corporate partner in its 112-year history.

"It's a tremendous opportunity," Woods said. "This is two enormous brands coming together to help golf."

Yes, the USGA is one enormous brand. I'm sure that's what CB Macdonald and friends were hoping for back in the day!

Tiger Talking About Al Ruwaya

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Here's a clip of Tiger answering boring questions about his Dubai project. If anyone has seen the video presentation that was sent out to the press and which appeared on my local newscast, please let me see the link. Naturally, the footage of Tiger and entourage looking at the property (complete with massive power lines) is worth seeing.

"His photographs are a little like the nude paintings of Bouguereau"

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It's been a while since I've read some of that epic New York Times intellectual horsepuckey, but I got a nice pile of it while reading Charles McGrath's Sunday review of David Cannon's $195 coffee table book:

Many of the courses were photographed, moreover, either at dawn or at dusk, when most golfers never see them. The deepness of the colors — reds and yellows and shadowy greens — together with the lushness and grandness of the whole book and the great number of panoramic and aerial views, suggests that Cannon is less interested in the traditional aim of golf photography, which is to show you what it looks like from the tee of any given hole, than in evoking what the Romantics called the Sublime: an experience so dizzying it verges on the spiritual.

Or, maybe that's just the best time to photograph a golf course? Oh no, big metaphor coming. See if you can read this without rolling your eyes: 

His photographs are a little like the nude paintings of Bouguereau: they’re erotica that aspires to the condition of art.

"Landmark agreement that makes American Express the USGA’s first corporate partner in the Association’s 112-year history."

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From that classy gang in Far Hills (hey, Barry Hyde finally did something!):

AMERICAN EXPRESS BECOMES FIRST-EVER

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION CORPORATE PARTNER
Relationship Will Enhance the USGA’s Mission for the Good of the Game

No, I'm not making this up. Just go to the website if you don't believe me. And love the big AmEx logo on he home page today.

American Express Cardmembers Gain Full Access to the Golf Lifestyle Now With Exclusive Trophy Club Ticket Packages for 2007 U.S. Open® and Beyond

New York, NY and Far Hills, NJ (December 4, 2006) – American Express and the United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced a landmark agreement that makes American Express the USGA’s first corporate partner in the Association’s 112-year history.  The multi-year agreement strengthens American Express’ association with the game of golf by bringing a premium level of customer service and unique benefits and experiences to Cardmembers and golf enthusiasts.  In addition, this agreement will allow the USGA to broaden its communication with golfers.

Love that last line.  Yeah, they get their logos on ads, like the full pager in today's L.A. Times. That's broadening its communication...

Beginning December 4, Cardmembers will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase daily or weekly otherwise sold-out Trophy Club tickets to the 2007 U.S. Open® at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.  American Express will also deliver benefits to Cardmembers across a broad range of golf experiences.  These experiences will include exclusive access to some of the USGA’s championships, exclusive access to play U.S. Open® courses, past and present, on select USGA-hosted days and a variety of benefits to enhance the enjoyment of the game.  

I bet the members at some of those courses past and present are looking forward to hearing about the access they've sold to AmEx cardholders.

Okay, it's quote time.

“American Express is thrilled to be the first corporate partner of the USGA, the national governing body for the sport of golf,” said Jud Linville, President of the Consumer Card Services Group, American Express.  “This relationship is just one of the many ways we bring special access and experiences to our Cardmembers in the world of golf and across all of their passions, and we’re thrilled to offer them Trophy Club tickets to the 2007 U.S. Open®, an event which has sold out every year for the last 20 years. Today is just the beginning of this great relationship and we look forward to working with the USGA to continue to bring our Cardmembers exceptional access to the golf lifestyle as well as increase awareness of all that the USGA has to offer.”

Access to the golf lifestyle. Hmmm...not one platform mention.

“We are very pleased to announce this new agreement with American Express, a company whose programs and values we’ve admired for a long time,” USGA President, Walter W. Driver Jr. said. 

What values would those be? 

“We believe this partnership will allow us to reach more golfers and make them more aware of our many programs that benefit their golf game.  For example, we want more golfers to have a USGA Handicap Index®, know the Rules of Golf, join our Members Program, and abide by and appreciate the game’s etiquette and traditions.  We believe that American Express is well positioned to help us make such outreach programs a success.”

Oh please.

While attendees can expect an enhanced experience, corporate signage displayed on the grounds at the U.S. Open® will remain limited, as it has been in the past.

Will remain limited? Uh, as far as I know there hasn't been any corporate signage. Will this be changing?
 
In a list of "benefits" for cardholders, this caught my eye...

·          Access to the USGA’s collection of golf memorabilia and content, for example private tours of the USGA museum and private rules seminars

Maybe they can actually photocopy stuff from old magazines, since no one else can?

Yes, it's a landmark day.

Anyone else see this as the prelude to the 2008 U.S. Open Presented by American Express?

First Ever Name Translation Contest!

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You all leave so many great comments on posts, but now it's time to test your creativity...and knowledge of Arabic in the first ever site translation contest.

I'm not sure what the winner will get, probably a signed copy of Masters of the Links since I can see a stack of those from where I'm sitting.

But here's the contest: translate Al Ruwaya, the name of Tiger Woods's first design in Dubai.

For bonus points, include the actual translation of Al Ruwaya. And please, have fun with this! Don't worry about insulting him. He's got 40 million reasons to not care.

PS - I see there's a novel named Al Ruwaya. That poor bastard of a writer will probably get sued any day now!