"The four biggest events in golf are too important to be compromised to the extent that last week was."
/John Huggan makes two valid points with regard to the PGA, Whistling Straits and Dustin Johnson. The first:
Read MoreWhen you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
"They (the USGA) want to have data to present against emotional arguments."
/Ryan Ballengee adds a few important details about the USGA's ball testing event in Canada and features quotes from an equipment company goon perspective.
"[The] USGA may have progressed on collecting data with short distance balls," the source said. "[A] few years ago, OEMs were asked to provide balls with 20% less driver distance."
So, is there a desire to roll the ball back?
The source says the data collection may be done in the event that a ball rollback is eventually needed, but that it is not imminent because of the flattening of distance increases in the last three years.
The source added, "They (the USGA) want to have data to present against emotional arguments."
Actually, the manufacturers getting emotional on this topic clouded their judgment and has them now boxed in a corner with little wiggle room for club innovation. All to protect those little white balls that we'll always have to buy to play the game, no matter how far they fly.
“When the No. 1, most-recognized athlete isn’t playing, there’s a falloff, but it doesn’t mean the falloff translates into a proportional drop in the value we deliver to our partners.”
/The Mirage set the first "value" reference over/under at 31 words for Ty Votaw's response to Richard Sandomir's look at sagging golf ratings. If you took the over you won easily.
Read MoreRules Of Golf Outrage Going Viral
/I'm not sure if this speaks to a general disdain for the rules or maybe just the power of ESPN.com, but as happened during the last freakish golf story (Tiger and his women), an item about the Dustin Johnson violation has landed in my email box in three different chain email forwards in the last two days. The text does not include a byline, but unlike in the Tiger case, this one is real and it can't be spoofed because we know the incident was already teetering on the edge of farcical.
Read MoreTalking (2010 Majors) With Rod Morri
/Talkingolf.com's Rod Morri interviewed me this week about the 2010 majors and in particular, the architecture and setups we saw. It's a long one...you were warned. But Rod knows his stuff and asks some great questions.
There is also a version with media player embedded on the News And Reviews page.
Rod has also interviewed Tom Doak and Bill Coore.
"I believe technology from a distance perspective is now absolutely stable."
/If you are looking for a little perspective on the USGA's stance on technology, there's no better place to look than Pat Jones' interview of architect Steve Smyers, chair of the USGA's Green Section committee.
Read MoreFeedback From USGA's Prototype Ball Testing Event
/Lost in the PGA Championship hoopla was Monday's USGA-hosted competition for select Canadian Tour invitees to play modified balls as part of the organization's ongoing ball testing.
Prior to the competition, played August 16th at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, the event was comprised of a small field organized by tour deputy Dan Halldorson, who you may recall, refused comment a few weeks back when it was revealed the USGA might be conducting tests in Ontario. The field of luck rollback-ball testers played 18-holes with a small competition and purse featuring something in the neighborhood of $1500 for first place (reportedly it was a 67), coupled with an appearance fee in the $200-300 range.
Read MorePrior to the competition, played August 16th at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, the event was comprised of a small field organized by tour deputy Dan Halldorson, who you may recall, refused comment a few weeks back when it was revealed the USGA might be conducting tests in Ontario. The field of luck rollback-ball testers played 18-holes with a small competition and purse featuring something in the neighborhood of $1500 for first place (reportedly it was a 67), coupled with an appearance fee in the $200-300 range.
Rory Commences Biennial Pre-Ryder Cup Competition To See Who Can Provide The Most Provocative Bulletin Board Material
/Granted, he was just being honest. But maybe this is the spark Tiger has been looking for:
Read More"I chuckle at the thought of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson or Bobby Jones having a swing coach. They would have killed him!"
/Dan Jenkins sits down for a most enjoyable Q&A with Stephanie Wei for the WSJ online.
Read MoreAtwal's 61 Positions Him For Run At Next Year's FedEx Cup
/Is there any question that we have to root for Arjun Atwal to win this week's Wyndham Championship, not only because he's experienced his share of hard luck, but also because he's ineligible for this year's playoffs, even with a win. I might even tune in just to hear how television spins this one!
Read MoreWoods Commits To Barclays!
/
Heartwarming to see Tiger entering the event he's typically skipped (except to play lovely Liberty National) from the admittedly clogged portion of the schedule.
After The Barclays, only the top 100 are eligible for the second round, the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, which ends on Labor Day. That will be the final event before U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin announces his four wild-card picks.
"The daily fee course can help us from a marketing perspective of the game."
/Doug Ferguson poses the question of the PGA going to a true public course and gets the expected lip service from PGA of America officials, though I never would have expected the excuse. We're booked too far in advance!
Read More"DJ took about four minutes from the time he arrived to the scene to the second he made contact with it."
/
Stephanie Wei interviews photographer Allan Henry, who could be seen in several images directly behind Dustin Johnson when he violated the rules in the 18th hole bunker. Henry says Johnson never grounded his club on his practice swings and also notes this, which might be of interest to those who think Johnson rushed the shot.
According to the time stamp on Allan’s pictures, DJ took about four minutes from the time he arrived to the scene to the second he made contact with it. In those few minutes, he had the marshals move the crowd, take a few practice swings, make a few jokes with the gallery and then hit it.
Another PGA Question: Who Wants To Return To Whistling Straits?
/Definitely not the media!
And the player comments haven't exactly been glowing. Not that this means anything. After all, we know that complaints about a course can often be a compliment to the architecture. But after another four rounds at WS, I'm not sensing it really is worthy of a return visit. Yet a 2015 return date looms and a few days removed from the PGA, I've had the pleasure of listening to several phone rants from folks who found the entire week to be one they'd like to forget.
