In golf construction art and utility meet; both are absolutely vital; one is utterly ruined without the other. GEORGE THOMAS

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.

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop.org (supporting independent stores and 10% off)

Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People

Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)

Amazon Australia

Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.

August 18, 2009

Rough and the PGA

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

You may recall that before the PGA I suggested that we would find out this year whether the clever, low rough setup at Southern Hills was an abberation or whether the less nuanced, high-rough hackout nonsense seen at Oak Hill and Oakland Hills was more typical of the modern PGA Championship.

August 18, 2009

"Of all the people you are going to offer things to, you certainly wouldn't want to approach the ex-partner."

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

An unbylined Scottish Herald story on a "hapless crook" getting 60 days for trying to sell a set of stolen golf clubs to their owner's estranged wife.

August 18, 2009

"The country-club softies who have made a habit of lying down for Woods have collectively done little farming and spent even less time guarding naval installations"

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Fun to see that both SI and Golf World's game stories touched on Y.E. Yang's toughness in fending off Tiger Woods.

August 18, 2009

There's No "Mr. and Mrs. Wie" In Team!

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Jim Gorant reports that the parents have been told they weren't welcome in the Solheim Cup team and locker rooms.

August 18, 2009

President's Cup Update And Thought Bubble Help

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Brian Wacker sums up the Couples-Norman press conference, which included Couples saying that Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan are his likely picks, while Norman says Adam Scott isn't even on his radar as a captain's pick.

August 18, 2009

Aus Open Officials Confident Daly Too Weak To Repeat Last Year's Camera Chuck

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Assured that John Daly's 600 daily calorie intake

August 18, 2009

"An argument could be made that what the world witnessed Monday was the latest -- and perhaps greatest -- example of the market phenomenon known for a decade as the Tiger Effect."

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Spotted by John Strege, this is disturbing on a level I can't even begin to describe. Ty Wenger at TheStreet.com:

August 18, 2009

ESTMATED 35.7 MILLION SUFFER THROUGH ALL-OR-PART OF CBS SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF 2009 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

And survey's report a record spike in DVR sales directly attributed to CBS's promo-cluttered, commercial-heavy, golf-light broadcast.

August 18, 2009

"It was only a short putt, but I thought Tiger’s early departure was pretty bush."

August 18, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Alan Shipnuck answers a reader question about Tiger's gamesmanship ploys at Hazeltine, adding a couple more possible incidents to our list.

August 17, 2009

“When we urged him to go into farming, he would say: ‘I’m not going to live like my father"

August 17, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

There's plenty of great reporting the day after Y.E. Yang's improbable PGA win covering an array of topics.

August 17, 2009

CBS Scores Ratings Spike In Spite Of Awful Coverage

August 17, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

Despite relentlessly plugging CBS shows and having almost nothing prepared to tell us more about Y.E. Yang, the network scored the highest PGA ratings since 2002.

August 17, 2009

Acushnet Wins New Trial, Lawyers Rejoice!

August 17, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

E. Michael Johnson first reported at GolfDigest.com that a federal appeals court tossed the Callaway-ProV1 patent infringement verdict

August 17, 2009

"What was up with Steve Williams coming off the 13th tee yesterday?"

August 17, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

I haven't seen anything in the first round of stories about some of the possible gamesmanship and perhaps tension that was part of the Tiger Woods-Y.E. Yang. Several readers have posted or emailed about this incident on the 13th, including reader Cam:

August 17, 2009

Yang Ball On Ebay...

August 17, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

...not the one you are thinking.

August 17, 2009

"You enhanced our people's morale by winning the major title for the first time as an Asian."

August 17, 2009/ Geoff Shackelford

AP's Kwang-Tae Kim tracks down Y.E. Yang's family and reports that the president called Yang. Photos are posted with the story showing billboard photos that have already been erected.

Geoff Shackelford

Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse is the author of eleven books.

What Is The Quad?

TheQuadrilateral.golf

_______

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Golf Architecture For Normal People now available for pre-order!

INSTAGRAM

Labor Day Sunday sunset shots, in reverse order. Today saw the highest recorded temperature in LA County. 🥵

Better than most sunset

Thanks to @collin_morikawa for capping off a great week in style with the lowest final 36 holes in major history, and to the @pga and @pgatour for putting on a safe, well orchestrated week in tough circumstances. Nice of @stephencurry30 to stop by fo

@rorymcilroy, 15th fairway, 2020 @pgachampionship @tpchardingpark. Hoganesque!

@tigerwoods practicing at Harding Park, 2020 @pgachampionship Monday. He looks focused and flexible. Watch the first shot, his tee ball on the 4th with such a full throttle swing he had a bit of a Greg Norman follow-through. With an unfriendly breeze

Unorthodox at the (almost) top, Classic at the finish. @matthew_wolff5 @thegenesisinv

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