"The sad reality for China, is that despite all the noise and activity, most of the golf is very disappointing, and unlikely to support or sustain the type of participation growth industry ‘insiders’ are fond of quoting."

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Dan Washburn posts an interesting email from Darius Oliver, who takes aim at the rush of mediocre, unsustainable golf courses popping up all over China.
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Prince Charles To Make Ryder Cup Appearance; Promises Not To Bellow On Like His Little Bro

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For Immediate Release      Thursday September 16, 2010

PRINCE CHARLES TO VISIT THE RYDER CUP

The Ryder Cup is set to be given a Royal seal of approval when His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visits The Celtic Manor Resort in the build-up to the 38th biennial contest between Europe and the United States of America.

The Prince of Wales will attend part of the second official practice day on Wednesday September 29 and will meet respective Team Captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin at The Twenty Ten Clubhouse as well as Jim McKenzie, Director of Golf Courses and Estates Management of The Celtic Manor Resort, before undertaking a Tour of the complex’s vast Tented Village.

Ah yes, the dreaded hands behind the back tour pretending to look interested.

Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills said: “We are truly honoured that The Prince of Wales is to visit The Celtic Manor Resort during the week of The Ryder Cup. Having the contest staged in Wales for the first time is a huge honour for the country as a whole and we are delighted that His Royal Highness is able to join us and share in the celebrations.”

The visit to The Celtic Manor Resort is part of a full day of Ryder Cup related activity for The Prince of Wales on Wednesday September 29.

Following the course visit, His Royal Highness will attend an official Ryder Cup Dinner at Cardiff Castle where Captains Montgomerie and Pavin will introduce him personally to the 24 men who will make up the two respective Ryder Cup Teams.

Please, don't let him speak!!! We know what happened last time a royal family member shared his thoughts.

Hackel Gives Captainess "9.98" For Ryder Cup Uni's Despite Richie Cunningham-Turns-Mobster-On-Easter-Sunday Motif

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Golf Digest style guru Marty Hackel gives Captainess Lisa Pavin a rave review for the Ryder Cup uniforms, which do sound very cool thanks to some fun retro touches, but the lone item revealed prior to the September 19 embargo lifting sure looks like Banana Republic dressing our boys for a Mad Men picnic.  Not that we'll ever see any of it if the weather does its part.
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"There are so many ways the Tour could have regulated Tiger to East Lake next week, starting with the stipulation that the defending FedEx Cup champion gets the chance to defend."

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I thought Cameron Morfit was going for a tongue-in-cheek/April Fool's deal with his suggestion that the tour should have figured out a way to get Tiger to East Lake--kind of like when NBC scrambled to figure out a way to keep Charles Van Doren after he intentionally lost on Twenty One. But it appears Morfit is serious in his criticism that the FedExCup has taken a hit because the PGA Tour did not rewrite the rules to get Tiger to the Super Bowl, even though he's got a .500 record.
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"Expectations were high for Lost Farm, and Coore has delivered with a course that is top shelf."

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Darius Oliver files the first review of Lost Farm, the companion course to Tom Doak and Mike Clayton's Barnbougle Dunes, and not surprisingly it sounds like a winner. Thanks to reader Jon for this.

Expectations were high for Lost Farm, and Coore has delivered with a course that is top shelf. It does need a growing season or two before the fescue grasses mature and provide golfers with the sort of firm surfaces ideal for this type of layout, but preview rounds will not disappoint. Golfers who have been putting off a trip to Barnbougle Dunes since it opened in 2004 now have no excuse.

“Tackling everything from Tiger Woods to Brett Favre, the show’s format will be unlike anything we’ve done before and we are very excited to be launching it in 2011.”

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Yesterday we learned from Tom Cunneff's interview with Golf Channel suit Keith Allo that they were developing a morning show. And voila! Today a light-on-detail press release lands announcing "Dawn Patrol," which, incidentally was the name of the scripted drama I was developing centering around a group of renegade cart driving residents of the Villages who flesh out subversives in the flush retirement community. It was sort of Road Warrior meets A-Team in the vein of Splash. 
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"Ms. Evans declined to comment."

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The NY Times' Susanne Craig and Peter Lattman ponder the oddity of the folks who live in the revolving door world of corporate boards somehow retaining their prized place in that incestuous little world even after they've been part of a number of stinkers. One of golf's higher profile personalities from not too long ago was prominently featured for her fine work at Lehman Brothers, but oddly, her support of Brand Lady Bivens during her LPGA Board days was not noted.
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