"The English star lost patience and instead of hiring a local caddie decided to take care of it herself."
/Another great note from Doug Ferguson, this time on Laura Davies opting to go without a caddy after hers had visa problems.
Read MoreWhen you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
"Where have the nine-hole and super-twilight rates gone?"
/Sean Martin asks a few questions of the golf course industry as we head into 2012. Namely, will we see more creativity and urgency to get golfers on the course?
Some of my local courses are getting creative. Not enough, though. More are beginning to embrace Twitter and Facebook. Kudos to them.
One morning, a local course sent an email saying their afternoon was light on tee times. They were offering discounted rates for anyone who wanted to play that afternoon. I thought it was a great idea. Golf, at least for me, has become more of a spontaneous activity. Unpredictable work and personal schedules, as well as the fact that playing golf has been pushed down our list of priorities, mean my friends and I no longer plan tee times 7-10 days in advance. I don’t think we’re alone in that regard.
Any nominations for creative facilities working to get golfers out to play?
Impressive Entry In Rory Trick Shot Challenge
/You can enter, watch and vote on entries here in the Rory McIlroy Trick Shot Challenge, sponsored by Santander. This entry by Myles Angell is mighty impressive. I'm assuming the minimalist production values are designed to show this is not edited, so patience is required. But it's worth it.
Read More"Trick-shot golfer determined to fight cancer"
/Jim Axelrod reports on trick shot specialist Ben Witter, who almost turned pro until a diagnosis of salivary gland cancer.
2012's Hot New Toy: A Non-Conforming 73-Degree Wedge?
/John Strege reports that Feel Golf will be introducing non-conforming wedges with U-grooves after market research told them customers didn't care about playing by the rules.
Only One Genuinely Difficult Par-5 Left On The Tour?
/Loads of good stuff in Doug Ferguson's weekly notes column and since it's a slow week, I'll start with this gem of a stat he unearthed. I'm not sure what this speaks to more, the dearth of old-style three-shotters or the sheer genius of the tour's physio's who enable the lads to hit the ball so far.
Read More"I think Fluff was willing to keep going if I had been up to it, but I waved the white flag."
/Alex Miceli files a year-end thoughts column for Golfweek and shares this about an excursion I heard rumors about:
Read MoreChime In: "The 18 Most Annoying Golf Partners"
/I finally got to spend some quality time with GolfDigest.com's "18 Most Annoying Golf Partners" slideshow and while it's great fun, I've been a little disappointed at the reader nominations in the comments below. Maybe they did such a good job that no one could offer anything to top "Ball Retriever Guy," "Oblivious Guy," the "Air Counter" guy. I was however, slightly hurt by the Plumb Bobber, which hit a little close to home.
Read MoreGalleries, Galleries, Galleries...2011
/Thankfully there is little going on in the golf world, which allows for a little reflection on the year and I can't think of a better way than to look at the work of some of the game's talented photographers.
Read More“We want people to have great facilities that they can go play at a reasonable rate.”
/In Gene Yasuda's online column about his year in golf, he takes the opportunity to figure out why he played less golf and thinks part of the problem is the golf course industry.
Read MoreBetting On Rory In '12
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Brian Keogh posts some of the tantalizing and not-so-tantalizing Rory McIlroy wagers offered up by the betting houses, including just 10/1 odds to win the U.S. Open at Olympic Club even though it'll be an entirely different course (firmer, narrower, colder few driver holes) compared to Congressional (soft, wider, hot, lots of drivers).
Paddy Power also features a series of tempting golf bets for 2012, including its ‘Rory McIlroy Specials’.
For the majors, Paddypower.com rates McIlroy at 7/1 behing Tiger (5/1) for the Masters, 8/1 for the Open, 10/1 for the US Open and 12/1 for the US PGA.
Not offered are any Holly Sweeney related bets, but after reading Alana Fearon's latest story in the Mirror (thanks reader David), there may more drama to come.
The model is pulling out all the stops to make sure she doesn't bump into McIlroy and his new lover, Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, 21. She has even banned Rory, 22, from sending her presents or cards and got a pal to deliver presents to her dogs at the home the ex-lovers shared.
Handicapping The Olympic Design Finalists
/The field has been set for golf architecture’s grandest Grade 1 race. Eight will line up in a fiercely contested battle to become the lucky designer charged with building a course expected to inspire future creations with its environmentally sensitivity and playable charm. Here’s a look at the field set to be chosen by a jury panel in late January or early February.
Read MoreThis Won't End Well Files: Vietnamese Shelter Savings In Club Memberships
/Joe Ogilvie tweeted that and I'd have to concur that it's hard to see the efforts of many Vietnamese to invest in club memberships as a good thing, particularly considering how fondly the government looks at golf these days.
Read MoreGolf Illustrated Is Back...Have You Seen It Yet?
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I'm hearing great things about the UK Golf Illustrated's first issue and based on the preview this quarterly looks mighty impressive. (Make sure to use the full screen option in the preview.)
Anyone seen it yet? You can order it here.
2011 In Review, Vol. 1
/I really enjoy year-in-review items and Steve Elling posts the best overview of the year in pro golf, with this reminder for what continues to be an amazing story that hopefully gets plenty of attention during the first half of 2012:
Storybook tale continues: The Nationwide Tour doesn't get much coverage for obvious reasons. After all, Triple-A baseball doesn't, either. But one of the most heart-warming, fulfilling stories of the year continued to develop on the Nationwide this year when Erik Compton finished 13th in earnings to secure his PGA Tour card for 2012. Compton is, quite simply, a medical marvel and an inspiration in spikes. He's the only known sports figure in the world making a living in a professional game after having received a heart transplant, much less two of them. The obstacles that Compton has overcome defy description.
And what do Dan Quayle, Jack Nicklaus, Kevin Na, Roger Ebert and Luke Donald have in common? They're all part of Mike Walker's compilation of the best quotes of the year.
