"Rolling the ball back isn't going to change that; all that will do is save land"

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Scotland on Sunday's John Huggan lets Hank Haney ramble on about how the game has never been tougher, and therefore, a little ball rollback that only impacts the tour pro would be a disaster.

"The biggest factor, however, is that golf courses today are generally so much more difficult than they used to be. What makes a course difficult - and you tend to see this whenever a big event is being played and the greenkeeper has prepared the place specially - is fast greens. Not only are fast greens more difficult to putt on and chip to, you have to hit your drives into the right spots if you are to have any chance of getting your approach shots close to the hole. When the ball runs after it lands, the game is always harder."
Okay, fine.
 

Shoulda stopped him there Huggy!

"It is no exaggeration to say that everything is more difficult these days. You have to be more precise in every aspect of the game. Look at it this way: I hear all kinds of talk these days about how modern equipment has made golf easier - at least at the highest level - but what has been done to make the parts of the game that amateurs find hardest any easier? Nothing. In fact, the opposite is true.
Uh, what do those things have to do with one another? 
"So, I just don't see where the game has gotten easier for the typical amateur. I think it is harder than it has ever been. And will continue to get harder, as long as courses get longer in response to the top 1 % of players. I have to say that makes no sense to me. Why do clubs worry about what the pros do?"

But hey, if we bring the pros back a little, won't the divide you speak of be fixed? Apparently not...

"Okay, I can see how the narrower fairways have reduced the incentive for players to shape shots," he concedes. "In the US Open at Winged Foot last year, the correct way to play the course was just to hit to the corner of the dogleg on every hole.

"But I'm not sure what people mean when they say that shot-making has been lost to the game.
Whoa there. He says there's no incentive to shape shots, but he doesn't see a disapperance of shotmaking?
The only thing that has really changed on tour is the clubs that are being hit to the greens. Players are a lot longer off the tee than they used to be. Where Ben Hogan was hitting a 2-iron, most guys are now hitting 7-irons. If that makes the game boring, then I would have to agree.

"But the alternative doesn't bear thinking about. If you haul the ball back 40 yards, you make the game so much worse it is incredible.

"Already we have a certain amount of players who the game has passed by, and that number would increase if the ball didn't go as far as it does now.
And we all know how hard it is to move tee markers UP.
"Golf, after all these years, has finally gotten like other sports. It hasn't changed because of the equipment or the ball: it has changed because better athletes are now playing the game.
Ahhh...it's been a while since anyone has mentioned the better athletes concept. Not since...oh right, all of that talk about steroid testing. 
"Every sport is the same. If you are small, you better be quick. If you are big and slow, there is a spot for you. If you are big and fast, you are a superstar. And golf has finally reached that point.

"So it isn't the ball. The problem is that there is such a big gap between those who can really 'send' their drives out there and those who can't. All of which takes the little guy out of the game. And that is the way it is in every sport."

So don't address the issue at the professional level because the amateur isn't reaping the benefits of the equipment like the pro. Brilliant.

This is an interesting point at least...

Indeed, Haney paints a pretty bleak picture of the future for a game that has, until now, not simply been a size and distance contest. "The new generation of golfers hit the ball so far, you can't roll the ball back," he maintains. "If that happened, Tiger's edge is only going to get bigger. The problem with distance is that height comes with it."

And my favorite...

"Rolling the ball back isn't going to change that; all that will do is save land, and make the game worse by widening the gap between long and short.

Save land? Exactly, why would you want to that. It's only land. Nike doesn't have to pay for it! 

The long hitters won't mind if the ball is rolled back. And they would love to see the grooves on wedges altered. That's all you need to know."

Oh yeah, end of debate!

"My goal for the next 10, 20 years is to build up the Annika brand name"

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Annika Sorenstam is talking retirement...and building her brand.
"I'm pretty tired of golf," said the 36-year-old Sorenstam. "I want to have kids and if we decide to do that the time is now and I probably can't combine that with a golf career."
And...
"The question is whether I'm willing to make the effort, because it requires me to give all I've got," Sorenstam said. "It's all or nothing if I'm going to play."

"Last year I barely practiced and I still won six tournaments and finished third in the money rankings, but being sloppy like that doesn't hold up in the long run."

If she does retire, Sorenstam said she would still like to be involved in the business side of golf.

"My goal for the next 10, 20 years is to build up the Annika brand name, with my own golf school and golf course design and other things I want to develop."

Klein Headed For Caddie HOF

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Add multiple points to the Rapture Index, Golfweek's Brad Klein is headed for the PCA Worldwide Caddie Hall of Fame.

Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D.- 52, resident of Bloomfield, Conn.
Klein is a former PGA Tour and club caddie and a longtime advocate for caddies worldwide. A respected golf industry leader, he is the architecture editor for Golfweek and founding editor of SuperNews. He is author of "Rough Meditations: from Tour Caddie to Golf Course Critic, an Insider's Look at the Game" where he devotes an entire section to caddying and the history of caddying. PCA Worldwide was honored by the fact that a majority of the caddies mentioned in Klein's book are former inductees in the PCA Worldwide Caddie Hall of Fame.

Klein owes part of his success to caddying. His hard work and determination qualified him to become a recipient of the Long Island Caddie Scholarship Fund in 1971, which enabled him to attend college and earn a Bachelor's degree and eventually a Ph.D. in political science. While in graduate school and even afterwards, Klein caddied on the PGA Tour, 1976-1986. He has combined his love of golf and writing in form of numerous articles, not only about course design but often about caddying.

Besides His book "Rough Meditations" he is the author of four other books, including "Discovering Donald Ross," which won the USGA International Book Award. Klein, is an expert in golf course architecture and at Golfweek he oversees the "Golfweek's Best" golf course rating program that publishes annual lists of the top-100 Classic and Modern courses. He is a frequent keynote speaker at allied golf association meetings in the United States and Canada.
 

Paige On International Rumblings, Vol. 2

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Woody Paige speculates on why Wednesday's press conference between the PGA Tour and Jack Vickers was cancelled, though he comes to no conclusions and the whole thing sounds strange.

I have no inside information or sources but I believe the PGA Tour could be offering The International a World Golf Championship event in the future, tournament dates more conducive to Colorado or, most likely, assistance in gaining a title sponsor, maybe an automobile company, maybe Buick - the car Tiger Woods drives. (Woods won the Buick Invitational and the Buick Open last year.)

Are there tournament dates conducive to Colorado? June's too early, July has too many international events, August has too many thunderstorms and the Broncos--God's gift to sport--start in September.  

More Blogging Fun From The Hope

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Golfweek's Jeff Babineau at the Hope:

"Because I stayed busy at my office desk on Wednesday, I didn't get to catch complete first-round coverage of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

However, I did have my TV on in the background, with the volume turned off. Judging simply by the amount of airtime Golf Channel gave certain players, and not having seen a scoreboard, I'm guessing George Lopez has to be leading – by at least three shots ...
Brett Avery has some fun inside-the-ropes stuff too over at PGATour.com. He's even occasionally funny. Can't imagine how that humor stuff gets past the Ponte Vedra red pen brigade.

George Lopez's caddy is also blogging and led with this:

Imagine being at dinner with PGA TOUR pros like: Bubba Watson, Todd Hamilton, D.J. Trahan, Eric Axley, Charley Hoffman, Cliff Kresge, etc. You notice that the normally cool, calm and collected pros are all, to a man, staring almost google-eyed at something. And then I remember, sitting with us in this private dining area are: George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia, Anthony Anderson, etc.

Uh, sorry, but who is Anthony Anderson? 

 

International Passed; Still Sponsorless

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Anthony Cotton in the Denver Post offers confirmation that the International passed on a FedEx Cup playoff date (fools!) and that event organizers now they are going to have a weak field. All of this was reported after a Tim Finchem-Jack Vickers conference call was cancelled "indefinitely" according to the Tour's Ty Votaw. The story also notes that the event is without a sponsor again this year.

Other than that, everything is going great in Denver.  

Taylor Hicks, Celebrity?

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Fun entries from Brett Avery's Hope Classic blog...

3:29 p.m.
Idol Security
Celebrities have been all over Bermuda Dunes, wading into the galleries to give autographs and pose for photos. Can someone please explain why the only burly security guard on the property -- identifiable by the eight-inch-high letters on the back of his windbreaker -- is shadowing American Idol winner Taylor Hicks? Please.

3:18 p.m.
Rockin' Out
Note to self: Spend time tomorrow with amateur team 31 (Taylor Hicks, Scott Hamilton, Alice Cooper). May be the only time in golf-writing career to put groupies and stilettos in a sentence.

I don't know what's more frightening, Taylor Hicks qualifying as a celebrity, or that all-star pairing with Scott Hamilton and Alice Cooper.

Wow...kind of makes you long for the star power of Vic Damone. 

Few More Thoughts On Phil Entering Design

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In re-reading the story on Mickelson entering design (this Golfweek version pretty much regurgitates the press release), a few things came to mind.

First, it was refreshing that there wasn't the obligatory paragraph about how he wants to design courses that are challenging for the professional and yet playable for the average golfer. (It was probably T.R. Reinman who spared us that nonsense.)

But at the same time, it would be nice to know why Phil is entering the business now just a year or so after indicating that he was slowing down to focus on playing. (He was featured in a Links cover story I wrote on emerging player-architects, but his design career was downplayed because of this apparent dedication to his game while he was still at his peak).

I'm fascinated by the move of Tiger, Phil and Ernie into design when the money is really not that great compared to what they make on the course. That was one of Mickelson's reason for not being more interested, unless of course, like Tiger, his fee has skyrocketed into a stratosphere that us mere mortals.

Actually, I think I've answered my own questions here. Thanks for bearing with me. 

More Knockdown Shots

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Steve Elling talked to Scott Hoch about the historic Ford-Bush-Clinton pairing from 12 (!) years ago, and also followed that up with his typically entertaining knockdown shots. My favorites, which bookended some un-Elling like gushing over The Golf Channel GOLF CHANNEL's coverage:
News item: The Golf Channel's new crystal-ball statistical device, the Win Zone computer, predicts with eight holes remaining that Howell is 72 percent certain to win. Tilghman quickly adds that once you reach that threshold, "You have a 97 percent chance" of winning.

Knockdown shot: Huh, what, eh? We are quantitative illiterates here at Knockdown Shots, but when Goydos is listed as having a 1 percent chance with eight holes left and ultimately wins the trophy, somebody's computer needs to be rebooted. Or booted, period.
And...
News item: Again stumbling under a national spotlight, Michelle Wie beats two players in the field and misses the cut for the fourth year in a row at her hometown Sony Open.

Knockdown shot: Badly as she played, did you see that awful "pageboy" lid she was wearing? Did she sign an endorsement deal with the Union Pacific Railroad?

"I'm just trying to hit high bombs."

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One other item of interest from Mickelson's press conference was this comment about the new square headed driver...

Q: Could you talk to us about what you think the reception of that will be on the PGA TOUR and what you think about it?

Phil Mickelson: Well, I think that the FTI, the square-headed driver, is not just an evolutionary driver. I think it's more of a revolutionary driver. Because it's such a drastic change, because the moment of inertia is so high, because the ball goes so straight it doesn't want to curve, I think it's actually going to take a little bit more time on the PGA TOUR.

There will be guys that love it. Guys that don't like to work shots and want to aim it down the middle of the fairway and rip it, this will be perfect for them because it goes so straight but some guys like to hit little draws, hit a fade, hit high shots, low shots; and the design from my manufacturer, the FT5 is a much better fit to hit those variety of shots.

But if I just wanted to hit it straight, I'll go to the FTI which is why I'm leaning towards that driver for Augusta when I tried to hit it a lot longer. I'm not really trying to manoeuvre it or curve it; I'm just trying to hit high bombs.

Thank God Hootie has retired. Otherwise they'd probably be out planting more tacky pines today at Augusta. 

Paige On International Rumblings

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The Denver Post's Woody Paige says that Jack Vickers isn't happy with his new date and other demands of the PGA Tour, but offers no actual specifics, nor any quotes from those associated with the event.

In fact, as he works his way through this apparent tragedy, Paige buries this note late in the column.

The PGA Tour did propose that one of the late-season "playoff" tournaments this year be held at Castle Pines, but the timing (the first weekend of football season in Colorado and potentially cooler weather), the cost ($7 million) and the prospect of miserable ratings and few corporate partners turned him off.

Whoa Nellie. He got offered one of the playoff events, with likely a great field, and passed?

Sorry, if that's true, and it's definitely an if when read some of the other stuff in Paige's column, there won't be much sympathy here for The International's plight.