It’s back!
Twenty years later Tatra Press has kindly allowed me to bring back Grounds For Golf now that golf architecture is of more interest to the masses. A new Introduction looks at what’s driven the interest growth and two new chapters I had a blast adding (plus a few edits to keep things up-to-date).
The Amazon purchase page for the book arriving June 15, 2026.
Doug Ferguson reports...
Chad Campbell made one last impression on U.S. captain Paul Azinger and was rewarded Tuesday with a spot on the Ryder Cup team, joining Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan and J.B. Holmes as captain's picks.
Thoughts?
Azinger's transcript is here. Not too many revelations, though the course setup stuff is all over the map and therefore entertaining to read.
The Brand Lady speaks! A week after
The British press is having fun now. The early verdicts on the Poulter selection...
Lawrence Donegan offers probably the most sympathetic perspective:
The irony is that there really was a strong case for choosing Poulter over Clarke, or Casey for that matter. For one thing, he is a fabulous competitor. More crucially, he is a fabulous putter - the most important attribute any player can bring to a Ryder Cup. He finished 12th in the qualification rankings and, at No23 in the world, was the highest ranked player who had not played himself into an automatic spot.
Most people could marshal these facts, and a few others, to make an insurmountable case for Poulter, but not Faldo.
Remarkable for someone who makes his living as a TV commentator these days, the Englishman is uncomfortable under the glare of the cameras and, thus far into his captain's role, has made the famously tongue-tied Ian Woosnam sound like Winston Churchill. Yet on this occasion his hesitation might have had more to do with the fact that he was hiding a deeper truth - that his selections may have had little to do with form and a lot to do with personality.
And shares this about Monty:
Faldo was sympathetic to those left out, especially when it came to Clarke. "Darren made a massive, massive charge, a big effort the last few weeks. It's a tough call - some will agree, some will disagree. I briefly spoke to Darren and you could sense he was disappointed," he said.
"Monty, I only managed to leave a voice message - apparently he was watching football or shopping. My run came to an end and the first one you miss it stinks. Monty's had an historic career, but unfortunately his summer wasn't great and he's finished down the list."Derek Lawrenson reports that Bernard Gallacher suspects the pick was a mistake.
'I am shocked,' said Gallacher. 'A lot of people were very surprised that Ian didn't come back and fight for his place, and I think team morale will be a bit lower for picking him over Darren, who tried so hard to make it.James Corrigan in the Independent doesn't sound too high on the selection:
'I felt Darren and Paul Casey were certainties to be his picks. But Nick's always been a bit controversial and he's certainly lived up to that.'
In ignoring the seemingly irresistible claims of Darren Clarke and picking Ian Poulter alongside Paul Casey as his two wild cards, Faldo left himself exposed to criticism, from both inside and outside the team room.Lewine Mair in the Telegraph notes the cozy ties between Faldo and Poulter.
Poulter may have finished second in the Open at Birkdale in July but elsewhere he has recorded just one top 10 finish all season and that came in Abu Dhabi in January. He has not shot a single round under 68 since then. In fairness, the flamboyant Englishman has been consistent in racking up the top-30s and, as Faldo pointed out: "He was the highest ranked player who had not already made the team." Undeniably, Poulter is a brilliant putter and a confident competitor. He is also a friend of Faldo's, however, and that inevitably assisted in filling the whispers here.
It was back at the PGA championship that he spoke of being in constant contact with Faldo. "We've been friends for the last few years so I've just been keeping in touch and he's always been supportive of me over the last year," he said at the time.
"I'm in a situation where I'm close to making the side and where I think I should be in contact with him. I want to know what's going to happen and what the team could be doing."
The above, in itself, resulted in nothing more than a few raised eyebrows. But when, in withdrawing from the Johnnie Walker, he made another mention of having spoken to Faldo, it was hardly surprising that so many put two and two together.John Hopkins in the Times notes that the dreaded Clarke-Westwood pairing is not an option now:
Yet Faldo stands accused by some of having made an error already in selecting Ian Poulter ahead of Darren Clarke and Carl Pettersson. Clarke, 40, has won two tournaments since mid-April, the more recent eight days ago. His partnership with Lee Westwood has yielded an enormous dividend for Europe. Clarke and Westwood have beaten the world No 1 and No 2 in three of the recent Ryder Cups - Woods and Duval in the four-balls at Brookline in 1999, Woods and Mickelson in the foursomes at Oakland Hills in 2004 and Woods and Furyk in the four-balls in 2006. To discard such a potent partnership seems to be brave at the very least.
Upon hearing that Clarke had not been selected, Paul Azinger may have let out a sigh of relief. “I thought he was a lock,” the US captain said.Mark Lamport-Stokes reports that even Jim Furyk was shocked by the selection.
"I think everyone kind of felt like Darren was going to get the nod," Furyk told reporters after shooting a two-under-par 69 in the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.As for the rest of the team, GolfBrief.com offers AP team capsules.
"All of his team mates and actually our guys respect him. He's a good friend of a bunch of guys over here and I know the guys on their team love him.
"He's great behind the scenes, a good team guy, so I think I'm a little surprised Darren wasn't a pick.
"From a personal perspective, Darren is a friend and I feel badly for him that he's not there," added Furyk, who like the Northern Irishman has played in the last five Ryder Cups.
Now the fun really begins as we await the European press reaction to Nick Faldo inexplicably picking Ian Poulter over Darren Clarke. Or is it inexplicable? As reader Chris noted, check out this buried in an unbylined golf365.com story:
Faldo's first words to Poulter, though, revealed how close a relationship they have developed.
They regularly speak to each other in the voice of a character from 'Only Fools and Horses' and on the phone Faldo said: "Raquel, go and put your overcoat on. It's time to go to the Ryder Cup."
Lordy. Let's get these two some tickets to see a Bette Midler concert.
An unbylined Scotland On Sunday story (Tom English?) takes Captain Faldo to task for not appearing at Gleneagles for Saturday's third round.
Yes, Faldo would have soaked it up. If he was here. Which, of course, he was not. A face in the crowd at the tennis at Flushing Meadows earlier in the week he was believed to be at a corporate day at Wentworth yesterday. No doubt he had his reasons and we'll be mightily interested to hear them when he announces his wild cards a little after 6pm this evening. Quite honestly, he's got a bit of talking to do today.Meanwhile Bill Elliott in The Guardian sums up the issues Faldo faces in selecting two players, one of which is not going to be Monty.
On the LPGA's planned English-speaking requirement, John Huggan becomes the first to drop the "r" word in a major publication, talks to a player who offers a fresh perspective and drops the mini-bombshell that Commissioner Bivens has instituted a new rule requiring media background checks. Anyway, the "r" word part:
Now, quite apart from the obviously tricky legal aspects of such a distasteful and questionable move – and the equally self-evident irony in having those who, like, routinely mangle the, like, English-language on a, like, daily basis, claiming the upper hand in any linguistic argument – such nonsense represents nothing short of blatant and specific racism. Note that, despite today's LPGA tour being more diverse than it has ever been, only the Koreans were summoned to answer for their perceived verbal shortcomings.
Just why one nation should be singled out is not difficult to discern. For the US-based LPGA, the by-now routine domination of the tour by foreign-born players – a group largely made up of Koreans – is something of a commercial problem. Twenty-four LPGA events have been played so far this year and in 18 of those a non-US national has finished first. Seven of those 18 victories – including the two most recent major championships – have been recorded by Korean women.
For Middle America, such a phenomenon is the golfing equivalent of sleeping pills. For it is a sad and insular fact of life that Wally Hamburger III and his wife, Betty-Sue, have little or no interest in watching an apparently homogenous group of "furrners" beating up on homegrown twinkies like Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Cristie Kerr.He also talks to Catriona Matthew who offers this common sense attitude:
"To me, the whole thing is a bit odd in that I can't think of too many players – Korean or not – to whom this would apply. After two years on tour, 99 per cent of the players know enough English to get by. Which begs the question: Why is the LPGA bothering?
"In most cases I have found that the players can understand English but they are less comfortable speaking it in a public forum. That is understandable. It's easy to get something wrong in a second language. The bottom line is that the LPGA has more important issues it could be focusing on."
Monty and Ian Poulter are going at it on the even of Captain Faldo's Ryder Cup picks. Ah this getting fun! James Corrigan reports:
Never mind squeaky bum time, this is squawking gob time. As the race to make the Ryder Cup reaches its critical stage, two of the players in the frame to be named as Nick Faldo's wild cards here on Sunday evening are involved in a verbal skirmish that reveals just how tense this run-in has become. So much for all that legendary European camaraderie.And here's the monumental debate at hand...
If they were in the schoolyard, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter would probably have their heads banged together (or at least their sponsored visors). A petty squabble has descended into the bitterly personal and has overshadowed the Johnnie Walker Championship where six Ryder Cup rookies were trying their damnedest to qualify by right.
Responding to Poulter's advise that he should "keep his head down and play good golf" rather than make comments about the Open runner-up having "a hotline to Faldo", Monty let rip.
"Nice to be told what to do by one so young and one so inexperienced," said the 45-year-old, his quivering top lip underlining the extent of his fury. "Can you honestly believe he said that? The only reason that we said 'a hotline to Faldo' is because he has said he has spoken to Nick. Has anyone else said that? No. Right then. It is Nick Faldo's decision. Self praise is no praise."And what a fine captain Monty will make!
As with any issue dealing with race, the viewpoints are getting wilder and whackier each day with regard to the proposed LPGA English-only concept. Which, by the way is at day five and not a peep from the Commissioner! Anyway...
Beth Ann Baldry follows up on her exclusive by talking to several Koreans. Included was this observation that the LPGA's full-time English instructor might actually be making the problem worse.
Hae-Won Kang takes it a step further, saying that first-generation Koreans on the LPGA (i.e. Se Ri Pak, Hee-Won Han, Mi Hyun Kim) learned English quicker because they had little help. Since the LPGA hired a full-time staffer who is fluent in Korean and can help with interviews, Kang thinks many players have become complacent.Brian Hewitt responds to reader emails, many of which support the LPGA Tour's position.
Many writers and bloggers are enjoying the opportunity to throw self-righteous grenades at the LPGA, but that's because they don't understand that being a touring pro means more than putting a ball in a hole. Public relations, sponsor seduction and fan interaction are all part of the job.Sponsor seduction? Wow, he's right. I didn't realize that pro-am work went beyond saying "I like three inches outside the left edge."
Lamar Alexander, a Republican Senator from Tennessee, has been the most vocal proponent of an amendment that would make English mandatory in the workplace. "This is America, and in America we speak English," said Sen. Alexander, a former Secretary of Education. "Since 1906, no immigrant has been able to become an American citizen without learning English."
Why shouldn't the LPGA tour adhere to this inalienable right to mutual progress? Ultimately, if the LPGA didn't seek to set a standard for English literacy it would be furthering the alienation and isolation that minority and immigrant groups have historically felt in the United States.Yeah, but they play a whole bunch of events outside the United States now. And the way things are going, more and more in the future.
When I finish writing this essay, I will hail a cab on St. Nicholas Ave. in Upper Manhattan. Chances are, my driver will speak almost anything but English. He will only recognize the address that I give him. We won't talk about our kids or the weather. We won't talk about why we can't talk to each other. I'll pay him and wave goodbye as I leave his car. I'll probably never see him again.Sounds about like how most player's would like their pro-am rounds to go!
The stakes are too high for the LPGA to continue these types of casual lost-in-translation encounters. For its business to thrive in a tough economy in a sport that struggles even during the best of times, it needs more. It needs to make a statement, loud and clear.
Life isn't fair.
Hey, at least he didn't also write that golf is a metaphor for life.
There's a wonderful unbylined but very personal obituary of Bob Labbance at reformer.com. If anyone knows who the author was, please let me know.
Jim Wagner filled me in with a few more specifics about the minor work done at TPC Boston. Most of this won't show up on television, but I can say it makes a huge difference in making the greens feel a bit more naked and giving the golf course an older feel.
It was interesting how many players didn't care for the tee shot options on No. 18 last year, so the expansion should help the shorter hitters a bit.
Here's No. 10 with some of the rear containment mounding that should be gone.
I'm glad I played them when I did and I'm even more pleased to say I witnessed some wonderful tournament moments on both because the new and improved 7th and 8th holes at Olympic Club (Lake) will have a hard time capturing the character of the current.
Here's Ron Kroichick's story on Olympic's decision to rebuild all 18 greens to USGA specs:
"If the greens were fine, we wouldn't be doing this work," said Pat Murphy, chairman of Olympic's green committee. "But since we're doing this work, we think it will be a better course."
No. 18 created lively debate in '98, before Lee Janzen surged past Stewart to win the Open. USGA officials chose such a precarious pin placement for the second round, one of Stewart's putts inched past the hole and slid 20 feet downhill. He was not happy.
Olympic Club officials later flattened the green, but many members thought the new green had become too tame for a short par-4. Murphy said the next version will have more slope than it does now, though it won't be quite as severe as it was for the 1998 Open.
That sounded fine to Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competition. Davis expects no problem finding suitable hole locations on No. 18, so he can avoid an encore of the '98 mess.
"Even if they were to move the green back to exactly what it used to be, we could do it," Davis said Wednesday. "I think the USGA just made a mistake in '98, putting the hole there. ... If we meet somewhere in the middle (on the slope), we can have that green the same speed as the others."Ouch! Oh that ought to bring out the Tom Meeks fan club members.
Davis knew the Olympic Club was contemplating changes, but he said he learned of last week's board approval only when On Golf called. He echoed Murphy's statement that the changes were member-driven, not demanded by the USGA.Here's the depressing part:
The other striking wrinkle in this project: moving No. 8 to the right of its present location. That will turn a 137-yard par-3 into a much longer hole - with championship tees at 200 to 210 yards - with a different angle. It also allows Olympic officials to push back the green on No. 7.
"One short par-3 is fine," Murphy said, knowing No. 15 measures only 149 yards, "but two short par-3s just doesn't work in this day and age."How many times have we heard PGA Tour players talk recently about the beauty and difficulty of short par 3s and 4s? You can have more than one, Mr. Murphy. The beauty of Olympic Club is that the Lake course follows no formulas. Well, not anymore.
There will be other tweaks to the Lake Course, including lengthening a few holes and re-contouring the greens on Nos. 7 and 15. The work will begin Nov. 4 and last until approximately June 1, 2009.
Things are going well at Gleneagles! But not to worry, Monty is on the case. Thanks to reader Nick for this Mike Aitken story on Lee Westwood blasting the 2014 Ryder Cup venue:
"You can't bring the Ryder Cup on to greens like this," rued Westwood after taking 31 putts in an opening round of 72, one under par. "They have a bit of rain and the best professionals in Europe can't hit the hole from two feet."
Asked what could be done to improve the sodden greens in Perthshire, Westwood replied: "They could rip them up and redo them. That's my fear for the Ryder Cup coming here. That they're just going to keep patching them up over the years. Hopefully they redo them.
"You build a course between two valleys in Scotland and you have to expect rain. So rain is not an excuse for having bad greens this week, I'm afraid. I've put down a green at home which is like concrete and we've had almost as much rain as they've had here.
"They need to dig them up and put the right construction underneath them."
Colin Montgomerie, the chairman of the championship committee, who missed himself from two feet on the 15th, didn't rule out future changes. "There's been an awful lot of rain and the greens are soft. I was practising here last week and they had to close the range a couple of times because of the rain. The weather has been awful and the greens have suffered. I think some greens drain better than these, there's no doubt about that. So we'll have to look into that in the future."Whoa Nellie!
Westwood also took a swipe at golf course architect David McLay Kidd, the Scottish designer of Bandon Dunes in Oregon and the Castle Course near St Andrews, who is in charge of the redesign on the PGA Centenary, including the controversial seventh hole. "I hope they don't use the designer who has had two gos at doing the seventh green," the Englishman cautioned. "Because if you need two gos to get it to that stage, well, I think my kids could come up with a better design than that in one afternoon."
Steve Elling notes Phil Mickelson's bizarre remarks Wednesday.
With it becoming increasingly obvious that the sweeping points overhaul has placed too much emphasis on the performances of players in the four-event playoff series and devalued the importance of play in the regular season, Phil Mickelson dropped a bomb Thursday at the Deutsche Bank Championship that probably had a few officers at tour headquarters reaching for aspirin, if not hankies.
Those aren't raindrops from the latest tropical storm falling in Ponte Vedra Beach, those are teardrops of sheer fright. After a handful of prominent players had expressed the opinion Thursday that the new FedEx points system had overreached, Mickelson offered an entirely unanticipated answer.
"I think that the intent was to have more turnover, and certainly it has done that," he said. "I don't feel as though the season, the regular season, has anywhere near the same impact that it had, and so that could be a good thing because now we don't have to play as many events if we don't want to."
Uh-oh.
The points volatility is going to shine a big bright light on something we've known all along: way too many of the PGA Tour's finest are spoiled, unimaginative or willing to realize just how weak their "product" is these days.
Of course it means the regular season means less. But for a little excitement at the end, isn't it worth it? Do these guys realize how little interest there is in the PGA Tour playoffs?
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
