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.
Regular readers of this blog might be shocked to learn that I worship at the temple of Chili Palmer, the great 20th century philosopher who once said to Leo Devoe the dry cleaner, "Never say anything unless you have to."
I share this with in light of Tiger's statement today, which, contrary to Chili's belief, was necessary in some form. But after reading much of the media and fan reaction to the statement (negative), I offer this edited version.
I really have no idea why they issued this, who it is on behalf of, or how this accomplishes anything:
Tiger's statement speaks for itself. We offer our full support to Tiger and his family and will continue to honor and respect his request for privacy in this matter. We will have no further comment on Tiger's statement.
**A PGA Tour friend called to make a fair point: if the tour responded to reporters with a "no comment" they would be viewed as abandoning Tiger, creating a new and unfounded news story. I countered that posting the statement on the website was the mistake.
A new statement from Tiger:
I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Gawker reports US Weekly paid $150,000 for it. For the amount of damage this will do to Tiger's image, it does make you wonder if he turned down the opportunity to pay for this himself?
From USWeekly.com:
Trent Baker reports for the Scotsman:
Construction of new courses has been so rapid, widespread and unregulated that Beijing officials can only estimate how many have been built. One guess, appearing in the China Daily newspaper yesterday, put the number at 2,700 by 2015 – up from none before 1984 and more than 500 today.
Seems like there more great Q-School finals storylines than normal? John Strege lays out his favorite stories and Sean Martin singles out several to follow.
From Golf Digest:
In the upcoming January issue of Golf Digest, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde is going straight to the top in the name of improving golf’s image in Washington D.C. That’s why President Obama, along with Tiger Woods, is on the cover:
The message to Congress and the Obama administration? The golf industry accounts for 2 million jobs with a total economic impact of $195 billion annually.
In addition to the cover, the feature article focuses on 10 things Obama could learn from Tiger—and vice versa. Providing the tips is a group of influential writers and players, including Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Brokaw, Mark Whitaker, Don Van Natta Jr. and Steve Rushin. The piece is attached below:
Additional highlights include:
· Golf Digest Survey – “What’s a Reasonable Amount of Golf for President Obama?”: 45.9% of readers said “As much as he can without affecting his work,” compared to only 7.8% who said “Never”
· Fun Fact: Using Golf Digest’s Presidential Rankings, we compared the Dow Jones Industrial Average on both the inauguration and final day in office of our best golfing Presidents. Nine out of the top 10 saw increases in the Dow during their terms.
Thanks to reader Kyle H for this:
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
