When one comes to the quality of the bunkers and other hazards we pass into realm of much dispute and argument. Primarily bunkers should be sand bunkers purely, not composed of gravel, stones or dirt. Whether this or that bunker is well placed, has caused more intensely heated arguments outside of the realms of religion, than has ever been my lot to listen to. C.B. MACDONALD
Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People
Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)
Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.
Reviews:
"Golf Architecture for Normal People . . . should be required reading for those who are not ashamed to admit they know little about the subject, and for those who think they do . . . . Golf course architecture geeks have trouble slimming their thoughts down to bite-sized chunks, but Shackelford has achieved a remarkable success here." —Independent (Ireland)
"From the relative newcomer who’s slowly getting hooked to those that have played the game for most of their lives and think they know a thing or two, Golf Architecture for Normal People provides a solid and sober perspective that will help everyone recognize why some golf courses are worth playing more than once while a single trip around others is all you’re ever likely to want or need." —Links Magazine.
“It’s a wonderful book. An easy read that arrives just in time for your summer reading list. If you’ve never thought about how an appreciation for course design could heighten your enjoyment of the game, you must check this out.”—The Peterborough Examiner
"As in his prior publications, in his newest book Shackelford shows a deep appreciation for what can be done to create a golf course that appeals to the broadest possible golfing audience…Shackelford’s prose is succinct, often witty, and accessible."—Cape Gazette
"Author, blogger and golf architecture expert Geoff Shackelford, who helped Gil Hanse design Rustic Canyon and restore 2023 U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, taps into his passion by creating a guide that helps every golfer understand the nuances of course design. Published by Tatra Press, the 164-page hardcover book is a must-read for every golfer to better understand the game they love." —Golf Pass
"Shackelford provides an informative picture [and]...sprinkles in history lessons about those who planted the game's architectural roots, defines common terms and helps you hone your eyes when it comes to identifying some of the tricks of the trade."—FORE Magazine
"This new book does a great job demystifying golf course design ideas for average players, but can also be a beneficial read fro PGA Professionals and other golf course employees to get a better understanding of their home courses." —PGA Magazine
**I'm moving the contest thread up to the top again just in case...
This one's simple: pen a post about your memories of watching the 1986 Masters on that epic event's 25th anniversary. It seems just about anyone in the game over the age of 32 remembers where they were when they watched or heard about Jack Nicklaus' sixth Masters win.
A few of the rigorous guidelines:
- Try to keep the posts under 500 words
- No fighting, gambling, bare feet and especially no swearing.
- Your words remain your property
- If you are a member of the media, please post your memories of that day, but you can't win a prize.
- Please post your email in the box a provided under your screen name. Aliases are fine, but you can't win if I can't email you your prize.
Ah, the prizes. A panel of esteemed three experts will select their favorite three entries Thursday and then you will get the chance to vote on your favorites Thursday through Sunday. The winner will be announced Monday, April 4, as the Masters kicks off.
First Prize: A copy of John Boyette's 1986 Masters, a DVD that any fan of the '86 Masters will love and, even though I know all of this website's readers already have one, a one-year subscription to Golf World.
Second and Third Prize: All of the above except Boyette's beautiful book, which they'll have to buy. (Boyette will be the subject of a Q&A later this week.)
So there you have it. Write away, don't be ashamed. This is about celebrating the greatest Masters ever and one of the iconic moments in the game that so often has people asking and certainly never forgetting where they were when Nicklaus won his sixth Masters.
Dave Shedloski files an interesting item about Phil Mickelson and Houston next week that should be noted for you Masters pool players who look at the previous weeks play.
"Houston is not going to set up well for me," Mickelson said Saturday after a 3-under-par 69 at Bay Hill Club. "The way the course is set up, you can't hit it more than 285-290 off a lot of the tees. It's not going to be a course where I'm going to play the most strategic and expect to really score well."
The Tournament Course at Redstone is a big ballpark, 7,457 yards, par 72. It would seem a good venue for Mickelson's high-ball power game - if the wind doesn't blow. But many fairways aren't as open as he'd like at the 300-yard mark. Mickelson finished T-35 there a year ago.
"The problem for me there is there is so much water that pinches off the tee, and I'm just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta," Mickelson said. "And then when it gets windy and I'm trying to hit high balls for Augusta and it requires a low knock-down shot, it's not going to work.
Having not seen the course, I'm not sure this is more of a statement about the set-up or the design. Knowing Phil's love of Rees Jones' oeuvre, I'm guessing the latter.
Did I say suckers? I meant the wise American public.
John Strege says the Las Vegas Hilton folks expect to surpass last year's Masters wagering, even with Tiger and Phil struggling. Or maybe because of Tiger and Phil are struggling says the Hilton's Jeff Sherman.
"Tiger's right up there with most tickets written compared with other players. But we had most of our money taken [when he was] at 4 or 5 to 1. At the same time, with his odds being higher, Nick Watney at 15 to 1, Dustin Johnson at 20 to 1, all these guys in the 15 to 20 to 1 range, a lot of people are taking a lot of chances on these guys.
"The most popular golfers right now, ticket-wise, are Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. There are a lot of golfers with a lot of tickets on them. [Tiger's slump] has really spread it out."
What happens should Woods handily win the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week? Or should he miss the cut?
"Based on that scenario [winning handily], I could see him going down to 9 to 2," Sherman said. "If he misses the cut, the odds could hit 10 to 1."
Why haven't the odds moved to 10-1 already?
The new Masters Journal is out and and usual it's an impressive publication, but this year it's a must-have for MacKenziephiles due to the inclusion of the original hole diagrams and green complex watercolors that appeared in the hard-to-find original program.
But I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure out this unlabeled page 101 image. Anyone care to guess what old hole we are looking at? I'm pretty sure it's Augusta based on the trees, bumps and the whacky shape of the green, which screams MacKenzie.
**You can by the Masters program through the official website.
Thanks to reader Jordan for noticing the appearance of Golf Digest's Augusta National Change Tracker, which debuted on the iPad and is now viewable online.
Jordan notes: "The trees look like a disease that is slowly taking over the place."
The big takeaway from Tiger's CNN International interview with Shane O'Donoghue revolved around his suggestion that maybe he wasn't ready when he came back at Augusta last year. But I was fascinated by something he mentioned in responding to a question about whether the club will have to lengthen the course for today's bombers.
Note that he mentions the added length, the second cut, the cutting of the fairways toward the tee to slow balls down, but I don't recall anyone before saying that the fairway cut is a little longer, as he does here. He certainly would know and it's something I'm going to ask a few former champions about next week.
My number one observation from watching the 86 Masters today was how much more the tee shots roll when they hit the ground. It's great fun watching what the ball does on the ground, especially on 15 fairway.
Who knew people cared so much about a video game?
Apparently Tiger Woods 12 including the current iteration of Augusta National is quite the exciting moment in golf gaming history. Especially since they'll have to update it every two years to reflect the latest changes. Planned obscolescence baby!
The Twittersphere is errupting over the news of Augusta National jumping into bed an international partnership with Tiger and EA Sports to grow the game around the world. But the more interesting news for me is this new foundation and its mission to grow the game around the world even though the place growth is most needed would be here in the good ole USofA. Where, it should be noted, the tax benefits of this foundation will be most enjoyed!
From Jason Sobel's ESPN.com story:
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
