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.
Gossip columnist Norm Clarke on Tiger's weekend in Las Vegas:
Tiger Woods was back on the gaming tables during his Las Vegas visit, hoping to change his luck.
Spies said he was in the red for as much as $250,000 at Mandalay Bay, where he hosted his Tiger Jam charity on Saturday.
Good news as one of the better college golf courses has been spared the ax, reports Club and Resort Business via a New Mexico Golf News report (that I can't locate).
“The Championship Course has been revamping its business model, and anticipates that it will come close to break even next fiscal year. There is no closure or sale at this time,” a University spokesperson, Susan McKinsey, said in response to an inquiry.
McKinsey’s statement followed a meeting of the UNM Board of Regents at which student tuition and fees were increased by 5.5 percent for the 2011-2012 budget year.
With the tuition picture made clearer, the regents were scheduled to meet again at the end of April to finalize details of the university’s budget for the coming year.
It's just nice to see the words golf and hire in the same headline, especially when it's a nice guy. For Immediate Release:
Respected Golf Journalist Jason Sobel Joins Golf Channel Editorial Team
Sobel’s First Online Column for GolfChannel.com: Sobel Online Column Video of Sobel’s Debut on Morning Drive: Morning Drive Debut
ORLANDO, Fla., (May 2, 2011) – One of golf’s most-read and innovative online journalists, Jason Sobel, today joined Golf Channel and the NBC Sports Group.
A 14-year veteran of ESPN – most recently as golf editor, popular columnist and blogger for ESPN.com – Sobel joins GolfChannel.com as a senior writer and brings a wealth of experience and a writing style with a reputation of bringing golf events to life online. Through the years, he has built a large and loyal following of readers and the respect of his peers, which has garnered him accolades and multiple writing awards. Currently, Sobel has nearly 20,000 followers on the social media website, Twitter.
Sobel’s role at GolfChannel.com will be multi-faceted and aimed to help increase fan interaction through live blogging and chats. He also will post columns, news stories and long-form features while covering select events on the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and at golf’s major championships. In addition, he will regularly make appearances on Golf Channel’s news and talk shows.
“Jason is a very well known and respected golf journalist who is very in tune with the game,” said Tom Stathakes, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming, production and operations. “His strong opinions and perspective have attracted a loyal following who will continue to enjoy his contributions on GolfChannel.com.
“If you want to cover the sport of golf, this is the place to be,” Sobel said. “I’m very excited about the new challenge and can’t wait to get started.”
Sobel’s introductory column was posted earlier this morning and can be seen at http://www.GolfChannel.com/tour-insider/firing-opening-tee-shot-42723/. He also made his first on-camera appearance on Morning Drive, with hosts Erik Kuselias and Gary Williams. Video of the interview can be seen here: http://www.GolfChannel.com/golf-videos/audio-morning-drive-5211-jason-sobel-analysis-15901/
I'm guessing he didn't play since that dialysis machine would be a bit cumbersome, but Osama Bin Laden's (now former) safe house was almost across the street from a golf course.
Besides having the worst name ever, the Abbottabad Golf Club is kind of an odd looking track with what appear to be about 15 halfway houses.
Golfweek's roundup of Sunday's Zurich Classic finale explains what happened with Webb Simpson's violation at the 15th hole, costing him a stroke that ultimately forced a playoff loss to Bubba Watson.
Simpson made bogey on the 15th hole after calling a one-stroke penalty on himself when his ball oscillated on the green. He was leading by one stroke at the time.
“You get greens like this that are burned out, balls are going to move all over the place,” he said. “It’s unfortunate.”
Simpson made birdie on the first playoff hole, after putting his second shot on the par-5 finishing hole over the green. On the second extra hole, he couldn’t get up-and-down out of a greenside bunker and settled for par.
Afterward, however, the talk focused on the ruling on 15 green.
“You have to call it on yourself in that situation,” he said. “But it stinks that the tournament might have been decided by a rule that’s borderline a good rule. I’m a little disappointed, but I’ll learn from it and hopefully have another chance next week.”
But it's what went on at #18 that caught the eye of several readers here and elsewhere online. Reader BenSeattle wrote:
When (on the first hole of the playoff) Simpson was took a drop from the greenside sprinkler and was allowed to PLACE his ball by hand after the first two rolled down the slope, didn't his first "place" come to rest? I thought it did when he took his hand away but just a second later he picked it up and tried once more. Again, it seemed to turn maybe a half revolution and settle but Simpson quickly picked it up again and then finally placed it in a spot to his liking.
Am I being a stickler or merely uninformed if I should maintain that Simpson picked up a ball that had legally "come to rest," was therefore IN PLAY and therefore Webb should have been penallized for THAT infraction as well?
Reader Red concurred:
After Simpson released his fingers from the ball when placing the first time, it appeared to be at rest. When he lifted it, I immediately thought, "Uh oh." I had a strong feeling that a couple of tour officials became instantly sick to their stomachs But when nothing came of it, I mentally let it go and assumed it MUST have moved..
d. Ball Fails To Come To Rest on Spot
If a ball when placed fails to come to rest on the spot on which it was placed, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. If it still fails to come to rest on that spot:
(i) except in a hazard, it must be placed at the nearest spot where it can be placed at rest that is not nearer the hole and not in a hazard; (ii) in a hazard, it must be placed in the hazard at the nearest spot where it can be placed at rest that is not nearer the hole.
If a ball when placed comes to rest on the spot on which it is placed, and it subsequently moves, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, unless the provisions of any other Rule apply.
The tape would seem to indicate the ball was at rest and perhaps because of nerves or because he thought it was moving, Simpson grabbed it again and tried to place it. I'll leave it to you rules gurus to hash this one out. It doesn't impact the event either way, but it would be good to know!
An ubylined AP story says Brazil's only public golf course is under threat by an eminent domain grab to build a new highway to ease traffic.They have a nice leaderboard down in New Orleans so hopefully it'll lead to an exciting finish, as it often does there. I'll be recording but not watching. I know that makes your day better knowing that.
Some of you know that in the midst of a very busy last year juggling writing and course restoration duties, I was also under the spell of Zenyatta, the great racing thoroughbred who made her home in Southern California. Like many, I wasn't really a follower of the sport until I experienced the energy and presence of this magnificent mare whose pre-race dances and thrilling come-from-behind style led to a record 19 consecutive victories.
Here I was thinking the royal wedding was pricey, but then reader Rob sends me this Wired story by Duncan Greere about plans for a $500 million "floating" golf course.
The 18-hole course might sound like the kind of energy-guzzling project you'd see off the coast of Dubai, but it's intended to have zero footprint on its environment. It's powered by solar energy -- a resource that the Maldives has plenty of, lying as it does just north of the equator, and the development will also employ sustainable desalination and water cooling techniques.
The course will be made up of a series of floating platforms containing two or three holes each, which will be linked together and to a series of surrounding hotels by underwater tunnels. Waterstudio.NL designed the project, which is being engineered by floating-architecture expert Dutch Docklands. Troon Golf is on hand to offer their expertise in the design of the course itself.
Miracles do happen! And on a Friday of a dreadful earnings report to boot. Thank God Wall Street is above the Friday news dump shenanigans we see from politicians.
Blackstone Group LP (BX.N) is teaming up with Callaway Golf Co (ELY.N) for a possible bid for Fortune Brands Inc's (FO.N) golf business, two sources familiar with the matter said.
A deal could be worth up to $1 billion, one of those sources said. Final bids for the auction, which has attracted interest from Asian bidders, are due on May 9, that source added.
Meanwhile, they freed up some cash by selling three Carlsbad buildings to help pay the fees of two Blackstone junior associates working on the purported bid, reports Pat Maio.
The buildings were sold in March but leased back as part of the company's global plan to reduce more than $84 million in expenses since it launched a cost savings program five years ago.
George Fellows, president and chief executive officer of Callaway, and Brad Holiday, chief financial officer, said in an interview that the golf equipment maker still has $35 million to $40 million left to shave in expenses by 2013.
"It doesn't stop there," Fellows said. "You always look to further improve the value of the company."
Thought I'd get through this without a v-word dropping. Oh well.
Now, I don't know a lot about business, but why would a successful private equity firm team with a fledgling golf company want to buy a successful golf company? Please, help me here?
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
