Chicago GC/Macdonald Exhibit

Bob Goldsborough files a Chicago Tribune piece on the new museum exhibit devoted to Chicago GC and C.B. Macdonald:

 A new exhibit filled with rare golf artifacts to pay tribute to the landmark course at the 114-year-old Chicago Golf Club, just outside Wheaton, opened recently in the Center for History in a former firehouse at 315 W. Front St.

Titled "Fairways, Greens & Clubs," the $500,000 exhibit also highlights the Chicago area's influence on the evolution of golf in the Midwest, particularly from the 1890s through the 1940s. With red leather chairs, a faux fireplace and 30 custom-made wood display cabinets, the exhibit has the luxurious feel of a golf clubhouse.

And...

There are trophies and memorabilia on loan from the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, the North Shore Country Club in Glenview, the Flossmoor Country Club in Flossmoor and the Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields.

The exhibit also celebrates the father of American golf architecture, Charles Blair Macdonald, who founded Chicago Golf and laid out its course.

Macdonald, whose expertise as a player is demonstrated through two of the trophies he won, lived in unincorporated Wheaton from the club's founding until 1905. His mansion, which overlooks the club, is known as Ballyshear and still stands.

Lorne Visits With Ben and Bill...

...at the opening of We-Ko-Pa in Arizona.

Redoing TPC Las Colinas...Again

Todd Wills has the details in the Dallas Morning News.

The EDS Byron Nelson Championship, after its namesake's death, will be getting a redesigned TPC Four Seasons at Las Colinas to attract the PGA Tour's top players.

The renovations, which will cost $4 million to $6 million, will begin immediately after the April 26-29 tournament.

Tournament officials had been seeking major changes, highlighted by a redesign of the TPC, to maintain the Nelson's status as a top tour stop.

"We want an update that will generate a 'wow' on several holes," director of golf Paul Earnest said.

D.A. Weibring Golf Resources Group, John Fought Design and Gil Hanse Golf Course Design are the three finalists for the renovations, said Angela Enright, director of public relations for the Four Seasons Resort and Club.

Whichever one is chosen, the architect will oversee a project that includes new greens and several redesigned holes.

Earnest said they will look for two or three spots where 30 to 40 yards can be added to keep up with the players and new technology.

"Creating a marketing platform from which these independent contractors..."

Tim Finchem, from the first page of the transcript of the "PGA TOUR INAUGURAL COMMUNICATIONS SUMMIT..."

If we could just think for a second about what we're all about, we're all about creating benefits to players directly and indirectly.  Directly is cash and prize money and retirement plans, and indirectly is creating a marketing platform from which these independent contractors who are our members can take advantage of, can utilize that platform in conjunction with the agents and business consultants that are represented here today and others in their lives to build their future.  That's part one of what we do.   

Part two of what we do is we try to create a platform that will throw off the opportunity for charitable organizations around the country to utilize our collective efforts to impact individuals' lives through charitable work nationally and in the markets where we play. 

And then thirdly, we are dedicated to growing the game and protecting the game.  So those are the three things we try to do with our effort. Now, over the last six years, going back to 2000, we have been focusing on the long term of the sport and looking at ways that we could elevate this platform, elevate the business model, and create more impact. 

I stopped reading after that. But I think it's safe to say that platform is making a comback!

"Two inches by the time we get to The Players."

In his story on the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course redo, Stan Awtrey shares this quote from the PGA Tour's David Pillsbury, which I must say doesn't sound like the course is returning to its original style of de-emphasizing rough:

"The feedback has been extremely positive," Pillsbury said. "The rough is very punitive. It will grow another inch and a half or two inches by the time we get to The Players."

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

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."

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

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.

(click on image to enlarge)

Update on 2006-12-06 15:42 by Geoff

There is a Christy Strawser story in today's Daily Tribune on the efforts to save Rackham.

2006 Golf Digest Best New

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.

More Q-School Coverage

Tod Leonard covers the highs and lows of day 6 along with the San Diego angle, while Larry Bohannan offers a short and sweet final day overview.

Seve To Play Masters; WD Announcement Pending

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. 

These Enormous Brands Coming Together...

The art department would like your thoughts...personally, I think it captures the essence of the brands quite nicely.

 

"This is new ground for us"

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!

Final Q-School Coverage

Tons of great Q-school coverage at the Golf Digest blog hosted by John Strege, and in this Golfweek story.

Tiger Talking About Al Ruwaya

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.