"You want to associate yourself with a charity that you feel close to, and UNICEF works mainly as a children's charity, and I feel like I'm the sort of age that I can relate to the younger people," he said. "I just don't want to really put my name to it, I wanted to do something, and they were very keen for me to go and see somewhere where they're hands on and they're working, and it sort of just fit in quite well that I could go to Haiti for a couple of days and see what they do."
I can confirm that Jerry admitted that he was targeting just one blogger, yours truly.
And he's correct that there is no such thing as a bad course when every links provides enjoyment, employment, a place for wildlife and a much better alternative to a parking lot.
However, there is a difference in my criticism, and before we head to Congressional and you feel the need to complain about my highlighting of the mediocre renovation work there, this is a good time to clarify.
When I'm critical of certain architects who like to bend Jerry's ear about criticism directed their way, it's certainly not personal but driven by the constant labels of "greatness" bequeathed to them. With lavish budgets and the "genius" word thrown about, I naturally take a closer look at their work and when I see tell-tale signs of mediocrity--rushed construction, strategy-free holes, more attention paid to cart path placement than bunker locations, excessive use of catch basins to substitute for creative drainage, etc.--I'm going to point it out. Is that elitist? I don't believe so when the topic is the work of "genius" and the label of "greatness" is thrown about.
Jerry said it best himself in the column:
"A bit of elitism is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, Pebble Beach is better than Dyker Beach. Elitism is about high standards, but the application gets us in trouble."
Here's a screen capture of the column if you are interested in computing your Golf Snob Index.
Bloomberg's Mason Levinson profiles Paul Fireman, founder of the $250 million Liberty National where they are pining to return to the PGA Tour's Barclay Classic rota. To get the event back, they've made changes to the dreaded links.
Jack didn't sound too pleased to find out earlier this week that (A) the club had given a free membership to a milllionaire and (B) said young rich guy and Masters runner-up was taking the week off.
In the July Golf Digest, Jaime Diaz writes about his final visit to see Seve Ballesteros. Besides pointing out he died younger than any giant of the game since Young Tom, Diaz reports that friends feel Seve's health slid after depression set in when doctors advised him to skip last year's Open Championship.
Q. The new 16th out there, what was your experience like on that?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's certainly more difficult. You know, you're hitting over the water. I thought that you were going to hit more up the green, kind of like 16 at Augusta, but really, you're coming at it from a whole different angle where you're having to fly over the water. I had to change the way I look at that hole. I thought if we shot up the green I might think about 2 a few times, but really, I'll just try to make it 3 there.
I've noticed quite a bit of grumbling on Twitter about Luke Donald taking the No. 1 spot without having won a major or for that matter, many tournaments over the last five years. But the Official World Golf Ranking rewards consistency, and Donald has only been out of the top 10 once in his last 15 events.
It was the 1992 Champions Tour event at Rancho Park, then known as the Senior Tour and the tournament title was the Security Pacific Classic. I was looping for DeWitt Weaver, a super guy and long hitter. Before we teed off in the first round, about five drops of rain fell and DeWitt sent me to the car to get an elaborately designed, heavy plastic tarp that covered the entire cart, complete with loose flaps covering the entry point to the seating area. Needless to say, as it was my first caddying gig in a professional event, trying to put this silly thing on one of Rancho's dated carts just 15 minutes before the tee time was not fun.
Anyway, DeWitt finally got the heavy white plastic cover on and while the rain never materialized, I had to contend with this plastic thing throughout the front nine while he walked the fairways. I could not strap the clubs on the back, so I was constantly getting in and out of the cart, trying not to get the clubs tangled in the cover flap. After we finished play on the seventh hole, I was driving the cart up the hill toward the eighth tee behind defending champion John Brodie. As he parked and got out to hit his tee ball, my foot got tangled in the door cover portion of the plastic cover and I could not hit the brake. I nearly ran over the football legend.
Thankfully, he just thought I was a bad cart driver and no one really seemed to notice, but I'd managed to block out memories of the day I almost killed John Brodie. Until today, watching this European Ladies Tour posted video...
Me thinks the Tiger true believers have been badgering Brandel Chamblee for his pointed analysis of Tiger's decline, because I'm not sure how else to explain the timing of a strange GolfChannel.com commentary offering the view that he does not believe Tiger ever used performance-enhancing drugs.
Jack Nicklaus's Q&A at Muirfield Village included a "What would Woody think" question about Jim Tressel and Jack serving as his own rally killer later on. But in this sequence he proved that he is absolutely not reading the Muirfield Village club newsetter.
Q. Jason Day has had to withdraw from the tournament needing to take a break before the U.S. Open. I know you've just recently granted him membership to Muirfield Village. What do you see in young Jason?
JACK NICKLAUS: We did?
Q. Just recently.
JACK NICKLAUS: Did what?
Q. He has playing privileges at Muirfield Village.
JACK NICKLAUS: He does, and he's not here? (Laughter.) We'll take that away. (Laughter.) I did not know that.
Does Jason live around here?
Q. Yes, he's married a girl from Ohio.
JACK NICKLAUS: Oh, he did?
Q. I just wanted to get your opinion on his play these days because he's a young star in the making for Australia.
JACK NICKLAUS: He's a good player, and if he's got a gal from -- has he married a gal from Ohio?
Q. Yeah.
JACK NICKLAUS: He should be here. (Laughter.)
Update on 2011-05-31 19:50 by Geoff
**A few people in the room wrote in to clarify that the (laughter) was not Jack's, but the audience. Apparently Jack looked less than pleased.
For Immediate Release...and only of interest to golf industry insiders. (Though I do wonder how this will impact any possible announcement tomorrow from Mark Steinberg, who has been shackled by an agreement with IMG to not reveal his future until June 1.)
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse is the author of eleven books.
