Stevie: I Should Have Left Tiger Right After Scandal Broke

In a lengthy interview with Graham Bensinger recorded before controversial remarks in Shanghai, luggage looper Stevie Williams says he should have left his man when scandal broke so he could go out on a high note.

“I think everything you do in life, you’d like to go out on a high as opposed to a low,” Williams said. “Looking back, perhaps after Tiger competed down here in Australia at the Australian Masters, it was a very memorable win. I really enjoyed that tournament. That was the last event he played before all the events transpired. Perhaps I should have, you know, left him then.”

And...

“I didn’t know all was going to happen, obviously. I didn’t know what was about to unfold. Looking back, my gut feeling at some time said that was a good way to finish."

Here's the interview:

"Members are welcome to forward this email to all their golfing friends."

Thanks to reader Patrick for this email making the rounds Down Under following last week's John Daly meltodown at The Lakes:

The PGA Tour And Australia

It's wishful thinking, but I'm advocating in this week's Golf World Monday that the PGA Tour's possible fall kickoff for official money starting in 2013 include consideration for an Australia event(s) based on what I saw last week. In other words, stop obsessing about emerging markets and figure out how to tap underutilized or appreciated markets. Thoughts?

Golf Channel Records Big Numbers Down Under

I'm a little unclear which telecasts these are since the events started airing on Wednesday and Thursday, but either way, the numbers from Golf Channel are impressive:

Headlined by Tiger Woods and as a lead-in to our exclusive coverage of The Presidents Cup this week, the Thursday and Friday’s opening rounds of Australian Open pulled some great numbers on air and online, proving our strategy a success:
 
Round One garnered 396,000 average viewers (0.4 household rating).

·         Up 212% from same week in 2010 (JB Were Masters Round One)
·         Up 146% from same week in 2009 ( also JB Were Masters Round One)
·         3rd-highest non-PGA TOUR Round One on Golf Channel this year.
 
Traffic on GolfChannel.com also garnered some impressive numbers.  On Thursday, November 10, online traffic (1.2 million page views) experienced its busiest day since the new site launched in June, exceeding the busiest days of the US Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
 
Preliminary numbers for Australian Open Round two attracted 447,000 average viewers (0.5 household rating)
·         Up 105% from 2010 JB Were Masters Rd 2
·         Up 22% from 2009 JB Were Masters Rd 2
·         3rd-highest non-PGA TOUR Round Two on Golf Channel this year.
 
On Friday, November 11, GolfChannel.com continued the momentum for online traffic (1.1 million), experiencing the one of the busiest days since the new site launch, second only to previous day which broke all records.

Q&A With Mike Clayton

Melbourne University Press has published "The Courses Of Royal Melbourne Golf Club," with text by Mike Clayton, Photography by Kimbal Baker, a Foreword by Ben Crenshaw and a Preface by John Green. And just as you'd hope, this beautiful publication focuses on the magnificent 36 holes found at the host of this year's Presidents Cup.

Clayton introduces the courses with a solid and straightforward explanation of Alister MacKenzie's genius and what that meant for golf in Melbourne. Appropriately, the book then moves quickly to the vaunted course, where Clayton's text is augmented by the occasional quotation from a golfing great or architecture critic. Even better, Baker's photography given plenty of room to show off the best features of each hole.

Also included are maps of the various composite courses used at Royal Melbourne and a perfect side-by-side aerial photo collection showing the course evolution. Those interested in the book may purchase it at the club website.

On the eve of the Cup, architect and senior golfer Clayton answered questions about the course and this impressive publication.

What was the genesis of the new book on Royal Melbourne?

A friend of mine,Viv Beer is a member there and we spoke a coupe of years ago about doing a book that could be ready for the President's Cup that spoke about the architecture, the holes and the things that had happened there over the years.


Besides your words, the book features beautiful photography by Kimbal Baker and accurate water color renderings of the holes by Mike Cocking. Tell us about the artist.

Mike Cocking has worked with me (firstly at Michael Clayton Golf Design and now Ogilvy Clayton) for more than a decade. He was a good player - good enough to win the State Amateur and finish 3 behind Colin Montgomerie in the 2000 Australian Masters when he was still an amateur. He and Geoff played a lot of amateur golf together. He is an environmental engineer but draws beautifully and he has had some help from Bob Wade, a renowned Australian watercolour artist. He did the individual hole drawings as well a beautiful map of the Composite Course that is now framed in the clubhouse.


There is a new composite routing at Royal Melbourne for the Presidents Cup, what do you make of it and how it will impact the matches?

The original composite was played in 1959 at the Canada Cup and it was that way until the PC in 1998. This version is another and one noticeable feature is the start where they play 3w,4w,5w,6w,7w and 10 west to begin. It is hard to think of a better opening six holes in the game. The finish is not quite so good. 17 east is now 15 and has been hurt by alterations made to ensure balls stay inside the boundary fence to
the right.

18 east is a terrific hole but then they go to the 1st on the West which is a fantastic opened but a uninteresting 17th. 2 west is played as a long four from a forward tee - it's a really good hole and into the prevailing wind, quite difficult.


What should viewers who've never been to Royal Melbourne be most keen to pay attention to during the Presidents Cup?

They should think about the space afforded the player from the tee - MacKenzie's belief that golf was a bad game if players were constricted from the tee by narrow fairways - but how there is a always a preferred place to play from to get to the flag and even then when the greens are hard (as they are sure to be) you have to hit the right shot to get close. You have to shape it, land it in the right place and control - and estimate - the bounce. It is the sophisticated form of golf championed by Peter Thomson.

Also no rough around the greens highlights how short grass can be a hazard as it feeds ball away from the green but offers a multitude of options for the recovery.


Since joining up with Geoff Ogilvy, how has the design partnership gone and where will we get to see the first results of the new partnership?

So far it has been good fun. Bonnie Doon, next door to The Lakes is coming on well as is Torquay, a beachside course south of Melbourne. Like so many we have a few projects that look like they may happen.There are are three here in Australia that are particularly exciting - and like most designers if we can get to do one of two of them in the next few years it would be a great result. I honestly believe all three could be amongst the top ten in the country.

Geoff obviously is busy playing. He know everything that is going on and it is exactly what he wants to do when he is finished playing. Geoff, Mike and Ashley Mead - the three others in the business - are in their early to mid thirties and I think there is the basis of a fantastic long-term business that can produce some pretty good work.

"Missing the fairway on the correct side is invariably better than hitting the fairway on the wrong side... just like Augusta National."

Geoff Ogilvy gets us in the mood for Royal Melbourne's return to championship golf with this Golf World column telling us what to look for during the Presidents Cup.

Speaking of Augusta, when you see Royal Melbourne on TV, you will immediately be aware of the strategic similarities between the two courses. Both have wide fairways and sloping green complexes where pins can be tucked hauntingly behind bunkers. But, although the landing areas at Royal Melbourne may seem outwardly generous, it is absolutely vital to be approaching the flag from the correct side and angle. There is challenge for the good golfer: Drive into the wrong spot and you're going to have an awkward -- and sometimes impossible -- second shot. In fact, missing the fairway on the correct side is invariably better than hitting the fairway on the wrong side... just like Augusta National.

Random Observations, Sydney

A few random non-golf thoughts on Sydney before heading to Melbourne and the Presidents Cup…

- The downtown area is arguably the world's most beautiful city--think San Francisco, only cleaner, warmer, a little less hilly and almost as difficult to navigate. Photos don't capture the scale and beauty of the harbor. And if you win the lottery, shack up in Rose Bay, join Royal Sydney and you'll live happily ever after.

-Driving on the uh, proper side of the road remains a challenge. The windshield wipers were activated in lieu of the turn signal on a 2:1 ratio. My rental wanted to veer left so I hugged many a line, earning plenty of honks, stares but unlike in America, never a bird flipping. When I left my shoes atop the car for four blocks, many kind Aussies tried to get my attention before one kind pedestrian came over to the car to hand them to me at the traffic signal. Also bodes well for the traction of that pair.

-Needless to say, the people are remarkably kind and patient. Me, driving like Woody Allen blindfolded, would be my evidence.

-Even the most touristy restaurant offers fresh, delicious tasting food. And when they make a fresh smoothie here, it's actually fresh and made with real, non-frozen fruit. Novel stuff.

-American accents often earn stares and at times, glassy-eyed awe. I suspect this speaks less to our empire's lofty place in the world and more to just how rare American tourism is with the price of everything.

-Yes it is expensive. And accessing the Internet reminds me of 2003, only three times the price and half the speed. What are you going to do?

- The fitness fanaticism here makes Californians look like couch potatoes. And they start so early.

- Koala bears and kangaroos live up to the hype. Thanks to reader Josh for the Koala Park Sanctuary tip.

- They read newspapers here. Papers are stacked in the hotel, with your choice of rag delivered to your doorstep if you so choose. And everywhere you look in the mornings, papers are tucked under arms or pored over at breakfast. And the papers themselves are quite bulky, full of these mysterious things called ads. Something else you don't see in America.

New South Wales GC Review And Images

My first taste of Australian golf came at the classy New South Wales Golf Club where Darius Oliver and Michael Goldstein kindly tolerated my jet lag swing. As you'll see in the image gallery posted below (and viewable permanently on the Photos page), we played the day after a huge storm and in the midst of maintenance work.

As far as golf course sites go, New South Wales is on par with Cypress Point and Shinnecock Hills in terms of diversity of terrain, stunning views and a fantastic routing offering interaction with the coastline on both nines. Architecturally, the course has suffered a few too many tweaks over the years, leaving a hodgepodge of ideas, looks and design philosophies throughout. The bunkering sums it all up: sod-stacked pits along with some attractive scruffy waste areas near the fairways and most unfortunate of all, some newly installed scrub to narrow a few landing areas. It's a big leap from old photos showing traces of Alister MacKenzie's influence. Throw in some unnecessary fairway contours and new changes by Greg Norman to man the place up, and it's hard to understand what the vision is for the design: more fun for hearty-but-older membership or trying for another Australian Open?

Most golfers won't notice the architectural inconsistency simply because the setting is so supreme and the club so ably operated. The facility is second to none, kicking off with one of the game's great, understated entrance drives (no road sign, just the national park sign), finished off by a beautifully divided car park which immediately lets you know you've arrived at one of golf's flagship properties.

Nonetheless, it's easy to envision a restored design and properly revitalized set of green complexes vaulting the course to top 20 world status. And as you'll see in the images below of the 15th tee view and a historic shot from the clubhouse walls, the old dunescape has badly overgrown. In some places the plant life is protected, but in others, it's nothing a little brush fire can't fix.

 

Q&A With Darius Oliver, Part 2

Darius Oliver has authored three of my favorite reference books, most notably the stunning Planet Golf and Planet Golf USA books, the product of five years seeing and playing courses across the globe, studying more than 900 layouts in 45 countries. He is currently the architecture editor of Australian Golf Digest magazine, operator of the Planet Golf website and a design consultant.

In preparation for the Presidents Cup, I've asked Oliver about planning a trip to Australia, the state of the game here and about the real star this week, Royal Melbourne.

GS: Golf in America is struggling with our economic woes, how would you characterize the health of the sport in Australia?

DO: In similar terms, because many second-tier clubs are struggling to attract members and the professional game has been on the slide for years here. They are both related. Back in the 1980s and 90s, when Greg Norman was in his peak, golf was a mainstream sport in Australia. We had a healthy professional circuit and were able to generate plenty of media coverage.

Apart from walking, running and cycling, golf is still the most popular game in Australia, so plenty of people play the game but the media has lost interest and clubs are finding that attracting and retaining members is becoming more and more difficult.

There are many factors for the downturn in Australia, and unlike America those don’t really include economic issues. It’s more about our changing lifestyles, the increased time pressures on family men and women and more competition from other sports. Also, the fact that our best players are largely foreign to the average sports fan in Australia is a major concern.

I point the finger of blame at golf administrators in Australia, who are largely disconnected from those of us who picked up the game during the Norman era and have been largely devoid of ideas and leadership in the recent decades. We have great courses here, a perfect golf climate and a stack of high-quality professionals. So the game has solid fundamentals, it’s just that recovery seems unlikely without a serious clean-out at the upper levels of administration.


GS: A golfer and spouse have 7-10 days, a budget and want to make a trip to Australia that blends the Royal and Ancient with sightseeing? Could you give us a dream trip in terms of courses, sights and maybe suggestions on how to get on private courses?

DO: Firstly private clubs in Australia aren’t difficult to access if you are a member of an international club, and reasonably flexible. You just need to write to the club and request manager introduced access, and then be prepared to pay what is often a fairly inflated green fee.

But to answer the question of where to play and what to see, you’d have to start with Sydney, which is clearly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I’d suggest a round at the NSW Golf Club and a day sightseeing in the city. From Sydney you would fly south to Melbourne and Tasmania. Barnbougle Dunes in Tasmania is now a must-play destination, with two wonderful courses that you could either play once or twice over a two day, one-night visit. The rest of the time should be spent around Melbourne and its surrounding Peninsulas.

In terms of golf, it depends how keen you are but you should include Royal Melbourne (West) and Kingston Heath at an absolute minimum. You can add others on the Sandbelt, or head to the Mornington Peninsula to check out the wineries, the popular beach towns and golf courses like the Moonah at The National and Tom Doak’s St Andrews Beach. On the other side of the bay is the Bellarine Peninsula, which is only a short ferry ride from Sorrento on the Mornington side. The ferry takes you close to Barwon Heads and its charming old links. If you want to see kangaroos you could then play Anglesea as well, before embarking on Victoria’s world-famous Great Ocean Road drive right along the southern coast. At the end of the Great Ocean road is the small fishing town of Port Fairy, which also has its own fun links.

That’s probably more than 10 days in total, so the other option is to stay in Melbourne the whole time and play other Sandbelt courses like Victoria, Metropolitan, Commonwealth, Woodlands and Peninsula. You could then include the odd day trip as well. Phillip Island is always popular for its nightly penguin parade and the city of Melbourne itself is an under-rated gem for those who like walking around cosmopolitan cities.

I’m massively passionate about Australian golf and always struggle to limit itineraries here to 7-10 days because the country is so big and there is so much to see. No matter how long you stay there are things you are going to miss, whether great golf courses or attractions like the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsunday Islands, Uluru, Kakadu, Margaret River etc. If golf is your priority though, then three nights between Sydney and Barnbougle and the rest (4-7) around Melbourne is about right.


GS: You recently wrote a piece about the "resuscitation of Royal Melbourne" where you recount how the club's reaction to Ernie's 60 in 2004 led to a lot of positive improvements. But considering how much has changed in just seven years, won't players still find Royal Melbourne short or even shorter?

DO: The short answer is yes, that Royal Melbourne will still play short for the Presidents Cup. And it’s not a difficult course either, but that has never been part of the allure of the place.

What happened after Ernie Els shot his 60 was more about the climate here in Victoria, than any need to future proof or toughen the golf course. The new fairway grass, the broader leafed Legend couch, will eventually become more drought resistant than its native cousins, and it has the added benefit, if you like, of reducing roll on fairways and slowing down the bigger hitters. But the reality is that RM is a short course, and it’s the greens that protect it from the technological advances made over recent years. The greens are now better (ie firmer and bouncier) than in the last decade thanks to the new stormwater harvesting system that has not only increased the supply of water but also improved its quality.

In my view, the current set-up is perfect for the Presidents Cup and for other professional events in the future. If I were a member though, I’d lament the loss of the native couch because playing RM with tight, bouncy fairways was incredible.

GS: You speak highly of the special Presidents Cup routing, while others have groaned about it. Tell us why you think this composite course works.

DO: I have to add a caveat here, and say that while I prefer the 2011 Presidents Cup routing to the previous Composite routing, an earlier Composite version was clearly the best. The last incarnation ended with seven straight par fours and, like the Presidents Cup plan, was created to ensure the final few holes were close to the clubhouse, to help with spectator flow. So if we accept that organizers now need the 16th and 18th to be near the clubhouse, then this newest version is better balanced and seems to work well. Plus it includes the brilliant par three 16th on the East Course, in place of the harder but far less impressive 4th.

As good as it may be, an earlier Composite course that was used throughout the 1980s and 90s, to me, was hands down the best layout ever in this country. That layout started with 1 West, which is a somewhat uninspiring hole but ideal as an opener. This year it will play as the 17th hole. The flow of the older course, with its par 3, par 5, par 4 finish, seemed the perfect way to showcase the holes at Royal Melbourne. Plus you end with 18 East and all the drama of that wonderful green complex.