"Sharp Park is the latest Flanders field between the stereotypes of rich, white, middle-aged golfers and the ponytailed, sandals-and-socks set."

A nice twist in the Sharp Park saga: two San Mateo County supervisors penned an op-ed for the SF Examiner advocating saving Alister MacKenzie's embattled public course and say the county would be happy to take on the burden of operating a potentially fantastic, profitable and environmentally important public course. Go figure!

Carole Groom and Adrienne J. Tissier write:

However, Sharp Park does not have to become the philosophical moonscape of trench warfare, where slogans and sound bites obfuscate reasoning. Sharp Park can be a place where golfers from all socioeconomic strata successfully co-exist with sensitive coastal species.

Actually, San Mateo County and Pacifica already have the framework of a plan to do exactly that. The golf course can be reconfigured to support the endangered snakes and threatened frogs, while recapturing some of MacKenzie’s original layouts. Additionally, San Mateo County has already identified private sources willing to underwrite most — if not all — of this proposed peaceful co-existence.

Deep Meaning Quiz: 2015 U.S. Open Logo Unveiled

Todd Miles reports on the unveiling of the 2015 U.S. Open logo for Chambers Bay and I can't say it has me reaching for my wallet hoping to buy some '15 swag.

In this case, the 2015 U.S. Open logo is very similar to the original Chambers Bay emblem, designed by Tacoma freelance graphic artist Scott Bailey in 2005.

The defining image of Bailey’s design is two sails.

“We ended up with the sails because the course is right next to (Puget Sound),” Bailey said. “It seemed like the most obvious symbol that represents the Northwest in feel but that did not identify something specific.”

I'm not sure sails would have been in my top ten things those two lines represented. In fact, I made a list before reading the story and came up with the following:

- It's two bent legs representing the ideal shape necessary to navigate the Chambers Bay "dunes"

- It's a Machu Picchu symbol for "Be Careful, Robert Trent Jones Jr. Wasn't Thinking Of A U.S. Open When He Built This Place"

- Logo finalist for Phillip Morris rebranding with innocuous new corporate name that I can't recall.

- An homage to the memory wellness ad appearing next to the U.S. Open logo story (see image)

Of course, I'd love to know what you see in this logo...

When's A Whiff A Whiff?

Check out the YouTube video while you can because I'm sure the men with the little red phones in Ponte Vedra are working to get it taken down.

Ryan Ballengee explains what happened Saturday with Kevin Na in Las Vegas:

On the 15th tee Saturday at TPC Summerlin, Kevin Na was in the middle of his downswing when he decided not to hit the golf ball. He pulled up his swing and finished it by missing over the top of the ball. It seemed Na had whiffed but he didn’t, according to PGA Tour officials.

Na told officials and reporters he felt his weight transfer was amiss and would lead to a hooked tee shot, so he missed.

“I’ll take it back; it feels decent, and my transition is what I’m always working on,” Na said. “It’s always my bad habit is I get quick. And on the way down my transition doesn’t feel right, and I try to stop, and obviously it’s impossible for me to stop. The only way for me to stop is I have to come up and go over the ball.”

I think I'll remember this next time I whiff one! Thanks Kevin!

I believe Woodward and Bernstein would call this a non-whiff whiff.