Arnie: Tiger Should Let Media "Shoot At Him"
/I think a firing squad is a wee bit harsh, no?
Update on 2010-03-25 03:19 by Geoff
The entire Arnold Palmer transcript.
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.
"A high-profile golfer has been laying bets that Williams would be axed and replaced with Billy Foster"
/Robert Lusetich's original story on Steve Williams' denial of Joslyn James' suggestions that they knew each other was "updated" with this little item:
A high-profile golfer has been laying bets that Williams would be axed and replaced with Billy Foster, a well-respected Englishman who caddies for Lee Westwood.
Foster, who said last week that he knew nothing of any such plan, filled in for Williams at the 2005 Presidents Cup so Williams could be with his wife, Kirsty, as she gave birth to their first son.
But Williams confirmed Sunday that he would be on Woods’ bag for his comeback tournament next month at Augusta National.
ShotLink And Timing Players
/Doug Ferguson dropped a tantalizing Tweet over the weekend and now he files a story fleshing out the PGA Tour's ability to track player pace via ShotLink. Information that is given to players, but not us lowly inkslingers.
Read More"That is pretty significant for the head of any large charity"
/So I'm skimming Mike Fish's ESPN.com featured under the banner headline, "Woods' foundation carries on mission," and glad to read that the foundation is carrying on as best it can. I'm about to close the window out though when Fish's narrative takes this turn:
Read MoreTim Finchem Will Do Just About Anything For A Former PLAYERS Champion
/There's so much fun stuff in the bizarro Tim Finchem Nov. 23, 2009 memo exposed by Doug Ferguson urging tournament directors explaining why they should give exemptions to Steve Elkington.
Read MoreTiger Can Go On The Hogan '53 Plan And Only Lose Voting Rights
/Some of you have wondered what happens if Tiger doesn't play 15 events this year or ever again. The answer, courtesy of Doug Ferguson? He won't be able to vote on player of the year.
Read MoreThe Last Two Ari Fleischer Questions
/We hardly knew ya, Ari. Before we say goodbye, there are still a few unanswered questions I have regarding Tiger's former advisor.
Now, I was listening to the Golf Channel Tavistock coverage Monday and heard my pal Tim Rosaforte say that Ari has laid out a script and Team Tiger will be following it in the days to come. That may well be the case. But I doubt it.
Isn't it hard to believe that a PR guru would leave because he was was causing an unwanted distraction, when the client in question needs people to be distracted as much as possible right now? Or when it's arguably the greatest account a PR guru could possibly land in the history of celebrity image rehab?
Jimmy Kimmel On Tiger's 5-Minute Interview
/I'm not able to embed it, but just hit the link. Funny stuff.
"Ron, you are not only the lone golf writer to work all eight majors in the same year, you are the only one who wanted to."
/That's Dan Jenkins, talking to Ron Sirak in a line dropped late in a fun column about something else entirely: Sirak's attempt to cover the Tavistock Cup, only be told he had to pick a side and wear a red or blue shirt!
Read MoreBay Hill Will Be New To The Players...Again
/
Jeff Shain on Arnold Palmer's latest redo of Bay Hill.
"We've literally done something to every hole," said Palmer, who has made Bay Hill his winter home since 1965 and acquired the club 11 years later. "It'll be new to most all [the players]."
Bedecked with an old-school par. After three editions as a par 70, it reverts to 72 as two long par-4s are returned to their original state as par-5s. One of those comes at No. 16, which should help inject some risk/reward thrill to the closing stretch.
"I think it's going to be more fun for the players and a lot more entertaining for the fans," said rookie pro Sam Saunders, who as Palmer's grandson has more familiarity with the new look than anyone else in the field.
Like an aging house, every golf course gets to a point where it needs some maintenance and upgrade. Greens and bunkers tend to shrink as rough slowly overtakes the edges; new technology requires some modification.
Or some committee guy or benevolent dictator jacks around with it to the point that no one really likes it anymore!
Whew. Glad Bay Hill doesn't fall into that category.
On a serious note, wouldn't it have just been cheaper to mow the rough down and change 16 back to a par-5?
Okay, Now They're Reading Too Much Into This!
/I've read several accounts of Tiger's ESPN interview with Tom Rindaldi in which writers seized on Woods talking in the past tense about why he married Elin.
Rinaldi: I ask this question respectfully, but of course at a distance from your family life. When you look at it now, why did you get married?
First Masters Question: The Sounds Of Silence?
/Tiger Woods mentioned in his ESPN interview that he is nervous about the fan reaction and hoping for a few claps.
Read More"Yet they will not be so nonchalantly swatted away when it comes to Dr Anthony Galea."
/James Corrigan makes a strong case for why Tiger has many questions to answer on one particular subject.
Read More"Gone Afar: A Beautiful Day Building Shanqin Bay"
/Dave Zinkand pen's a guest piece for Tom Dunne's Out And Back blog about constructing Coore and Crenshaw's latest course on Hainan, China.
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