C-C's Ready To Go

/

He doesn't have to pitch a Game 7 and now he has a wedge line named after him. So good to see the nice folks in Fairhaven, Massachusetts paying homage to...oh, not that CC? David Allen at GolfChannel.com writes:

In response to the new restrictions being placed on the volume and edge sharpness of grooves, Titleist has come out with a conforming line of its popular Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges. The new wedges are named, appropriately enough, Vokey Design Spin Milled C-C wedges. The C-C stands for the “Condition of Competition” adopted by both the USGA and R&A, which prohibits PGA Tour and most Tour-level participants from playing the non-conforming irons and wedges after January 1, 2010.

Titleist will continue to manufacture and sell the previous generation non-conforming Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges through 2010. The C-C wedges, which will be available through authorized Titleist retailers beginning November 1, 2009, generate a higher launch, less spin and more run-out than the previous “bigger groove” wedges.

Wouldn't COC have been more accurate?

See, Bivens Was A Visionary!

/

Granted, wrong tour, but look at the insights we could glean if players were allowed to Tweet mid round.

As Stephanie Wei notes, the USGA says there's nothing in the rules that forbids the use of an electronic device during a round. However, I thought we decided this was a no-no since with Twitter or any phone that a player could receive advice?

"If we are able to accelerate that process of creating heroes then I would predict that the overwhelming new demand for the game will result in some mechanism that creates far more accessibility to the game itself."

/
Scott Michaux writes about Billy Payne's China trip this week to help crown the first winner of the Asian Amateur Championship (which will be on ESPN2). And while I appreciate the sentiment, I'm not quite sure I'm buying his philosophy:
Read More

"We think (the change in ownership) is a very positive thing in the sense that it will now be properly capitalized."

/

Gary D'Amato settles the questions about the Erin Hills ownership change: the USGA approves and it approves big time.

Though Lang is selling Erin Hills to Milwaukee businessman Andy Ziegler, the USGA considers it a seamless transition and remains high on the potential of the 3-year-old course in the Town of Erin.

In fact, the USGA championship committee on Friday presented eight potential Midwest sites for the 2017 U.S. Open to the executive committee, and Erin Hills was on the list.

"It's such a special site," said Mike Davis, the senior director of rules and competitions for the USGA. "We love Bob Lang and think the world of him, but we think (the change in ownership) is a very positive thing in the sense that it will now be properly capitalized."

The USGA is expected to vote on the 2017 U.S. Open venue at its annual meeting in February and announce the choice in June. Erin Hills is considered a front-runner.

Brad Klein notes the new ownership's walking only policy and yet another design change.

In the past year, the course underwent modification that reworked three greens, tweaked numerous fairway contours and added more than a dozen bunkers. According to Hurdzan, more renovations are planned for this fall, with a handful of bunkers slated for removal. Moreover, the par-5 10th hole will be shortened to a long par 4; that will entail removal of a blind, fallaway Biarritz green and its replacement by a new putting surface closer to the tee on a knoll.

Erin Hills Gets New Owner!?

/

This strikes me as odd on many levels, then again, I've never understood Erin Hills as a possible major venue with Whistling Straits having a grip on the region and so many variables in play. Gary D'Amato reports:

Andy Ziegler of Mequon, the co-founder and CEO of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership, has reached an agreement to purchase the course from Bob Lang.

"I'm buying it individually," Ziegler said in a telephone call from London. "There are no Artisan partners involved. We may close as early as Friday of this week. I will be the 100% owner of the golf course."

We've been told over and over again that Erin Hills was a lock for the 2017 US Open, but unless the USGA was somehow consulted on this sale and gave a thumbs up, it's hard to see how this reinforces the supposedly inevitable decision. (One that some have suggested might be announced as soon as next June.)

Ryan Herrington notes that the Erin Hills-gets-major talk has quieted down a bit but also points out that former USGA Executive Comittee member Jim Rinehart is now part of a board at Erin Hills, as reported by D'Amato:

Ziegler said he would be the chairman of a newly established board of directors but would not be involved in the day-to-day operation of the course. Jim Reinhart, a former vice president of the United States Golf Association and a former minority partner in Erin Hills, will serve on the board, Ziegler said.

This is also a reminder of the perils in courting major venues so far in advance, particularly those where the course is untested and may be relying on the awarding of a major to ensure survival.

And it's just a stunner because Lang has been so intimately involved in every facet of Erin Hills, including recent course changes that were intended to comfort the USGA.

Perhaps there's now a glimmer of hope for Cog Hill and Southern Hills, Midwest venues with more stable ownership situations? Or maybe Rinehart's involvement seals the deal for Erin Hills?