In golf construction art and utility meet; both are absolutely vital; one is utterly ruined without the other. GEORGE THOMAS
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).
Watson's unique shapes are reminiscent of the way soft shafts, persimmon heads and balata balls allowed shots to be worked in past eras, except with extra zip and ADD-fueled creativity. Bubba's best example was the mind-bendingly hooked gap wedge from oblivion in sudden death that won him the Masters. Not since the similarly self-taught Lee Trevino came from nowhere to win the 1968 U.S. Open has a method and style almost instantly gone from being regarded as limited to transcendent.
“I’m going to be a little more cognizant about junior play because I think that’s probably where it’s going to go,” Holtgrieve said of the Walker Cup selection process. That’s a safe bet considering 2011 Sage Valley runner-up Patrick Rodgers made Holtgrieve’s 10-man roster last fall.
“Last year having Patrick Rodgers on the team was eye-opening,” said George Cunningham, 15, of Tucson, Ariz., who played in his second Junior Invitational.
Because of the pending changes to Q-School, Holtgrieve has received every indication that top American collegians Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth will pass up hanging around as amateurs another year in order to participate in the final Q-School that hands out PGA Tour cards. Cantlay and Spieth were Holtgrieve’s top point-getters with 2.5 each in last year’s Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen, and they would have been the expected leaders for next year’s campaign to win back the cup.
“Nobody is a lock, but there’s no doubt about it that both of them are great players and great ambassadors for the United States,” Holtgrieve said. “So selfishly I’m hoping they stay amateur and try to make the team again.”
Realistically, he knows that won’t happen. Because Holtgrieve understands that amateur and collegiate golf are all the unintended victims of the death of Q-School.
“Absolutely,” he said when the trickle-down consequence of Q-School’s demise was broached.
By the way, if you get weepy seeing the yellow jacket ceremony at the Junior Invitational presented by Electrolux, or nauseous at the sight of 16 year olds with caddies in white overalls, don't watch the final round highlights produced by PGA Tour Productions. They also had W on hand for the banquet.
When Greg Norman and Pete Dye were selected to design the 36 holes at San Antonio, a policy board member famously suggested budgeting for the inevitable post-opening redo. Wonder if the Commissioner listened? Wait, what was I thinking. I'm sorry for wasting that last 15 seconds of your time.
"I'm very surprised that he would write it," Harmon said this week. "I'd never do that to Tiger or Greg [Norman] or any of the guys I've been with. We get to spend a lot of time with these people, sometimes even more time than their own families. Things are said, or you see different things, and it's just—it is what it is, you just leave it where it belongs. I was really shocked to see him talk about Elin and Tiger's kids and stuff like that, I don't think that had any place in it."
He went on: "It almost seems the way he has everything documented in there—too many times and dates and places that you wouldn't come up with from memory—it's like he kept precise notes all along with writing a book in mind."
Doesn't every great swing instructor keep a diary?
As for Tiger, Butch offers his advice from afar, which probably won't be appreciated by Tiger's current instructor Sean Foley.
"For me, and I think we saw this at the Masters, he looks like he's playing 'golf- swing' and not golf," Harmon said. "In my opinion, he's very robotic. And you could see that at Augusta with all his practice swings and the double-cross shots when he's trying to fade it and he hooks it. I think everyone thought because he won at Bay Hill that he was back; well, he didn't hit it great at Bay Hill, he hit it OK. And Bay Hill's not a major."
Bill Pennington follows up on his story from last year about Polara's non-conforming ball and in his latest story reports that sales have been solid for the dreaded pill that could finally convince manufacturers that there is a market for non-conforming equipment.
About 70 percent of these same driving range golfers also said they would not use the ball. Summoning a kind of hacker moral code, they said it was against the rules. Interestingly, nearly every golfer wanted a handful of the balls anyway. As one duffer said: “Just to test out.”
Since then, the Polara golf ball has generated close to $3 million in sales, which represents more than 1.2 million nonconforming golf balls in the market. The Polara, which had modest beginnings, now is available in about 750 stores nationwide as well as online at Polaragolf.com.
Edwin Watts carries the ball in 60 of their 86 stores
Steve Claude, an Edwin Watts purchasing agent who participated in the decision to place Polara balls next to the displays of traditional, established golf balls, said the Polara ball was the only nonconforming item sold in the chain. But he said the company hoped more nonconforming equipment found its way into mainstream golf.
“Anything that gets more people playing,” Claude said. “We need to welcome everybody and grow the game. If that gets people out there, then I’m not worried about what they’re using. If they learn to love the game, in time they’ll want to try other kinds of equipment, too.”
Of course, USGA and R&A rules do not forbid anyone from making or selling non-conforming equipment.
The rumors are true, the USGA has asked for and received the installation of a new bunker on Olympic Club's 17th hole just 56 days before the start of practice rounds on June 11th.
One of the main prospects is Vladimir Osipov. He is just 16, and would turn 21 at the Rio Olympics.
The Games will see the return of golf, after just two appearances, early in the 20th century. But to make an Olympic dream come true, players need to dig deep. “Of course I want to go to the Olympics,” he said. “But, to give myself a chance, I need to be high up in the world rankings. So I'll have to turn pro soon and start racking up ranking points, and improve my game.”
For this season, the youngster is setting his sights on the European Amateur Team Championships in Portugal in September, and then probably the World event.
The Russian national side are fresh from a training camp in America and local trainers praised their progress as a unit.
But the sport's officials are after strong performances, not just words of approval. “To go to the Rio Olympics, golfers will need to rocket up the world rankings,” Nikolay Afanasiev from Russia’s Golf Association said.
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.
Thoughtful analysis from Jaime Diaz on Bubba Watson now that the Masters dust has settled. Also love Streeter Lecka's image accompanying the story and the epic cover.
