Reminder: Players TV Times, Live @ 17

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NBC/Golf Channel goes all out for this one and with the previously mentioned innovative efforts (plus one other surprise I learned of yesterday) and the limited commercial interruption, these are always some of the season's best telecasts.

The ET schedule for broadcasts and the online coverage accessible at PGATour.com:

Thursday, May 10, 1-7 p.m. - Golf Channel
Friday, May 11, 1-7 p.m. - Golf Channel
Saturday, May 12, 12-2 p.m. - Golf Channel 

2-7 p.m. - NBC
Sunday, May 13, 12-2 p.m. - Golf Channel 

2-7 p.m. - NBC

LIVE VIDEO SCHEDULE
    •    Thur-Fri 9:00a - 7:00 p
    •    Sat-Sun 12:00p - 7:00 p

Finchem On Augusta: Too Important To Be Consistent With Our Anti-Discrimination Policies

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Oh the comedy of listening to Tim Finchem answer questions about the PGA Tour's double standard on for-profit country club discrimination. Namely, Augusta National's refusal to admit women is okay because they are too important, but those other measely tour events at courses that discriminated against African Americans? Eh...

Doug Ferguson's first few graphs sum up the absurdity of Wednesday's Finchem "state of the tour" presser:

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday the Masters is "too important" for the tour to take it off its official schedule, even though Augusta National has never had a female member in its 80-year history.

"We have concluded a number of times now — and we have certainly not moved off of this — that we are not going to give up the Masters as a tournament on our tour," Finchem said. "It's too important. And so at the end of the day, the membership of that club have to determine their membership. They are not doing anything illegal."

Finchem spoke at a news conference that featured The First Tee announcing a new corporate partner. The First Tee tries to attract kids of diverse backgrounds to golf.

Steve Elling summed up the irony/hypocrisy/absurdity of Finchem's stance Wednesday.

“We concluded -- we have concluded a number of times now and we have certainly not moved off of this -- that we are not going to give up the Masters as a tournament on our tour,” Finchem said Wednesday. “It's too important.”

Speaking at his annual press confab at the Players Championship, Finchem moments later welcomed two men of African-American descent to the dais to discuss the national First Tee program, which was founded in 1997 to bolster -- get this -- the number of minorities in the game.

Oh, the levels of irony, huh?

I'm pretty sure any dreams the Commish had of a cabinet appointment in the next administration (Obama or Romney!) went out the window with today's comments. Well, there's always PV for you, Commish!

Here is the full question and answer from the transcript:

Q.  With Augusta National's all‑male membership again an issue at this year's Masters, how does the PGA TOUR view its discriminatory policy?

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM:  Well, I think the position of the PGA TOUR hasn't changed.  We have a policy that says that when we go out and do a co‑sanctioned event, we are going to play it at a club that is as open to women members, open to minority members, etc., and we follow that policy carefully.

In the case of the Masters, we concluded‑‑ we have concluded a number of times now, and we have certainly not moved off of this; that we are not going to give up the Masters as a tournament on our tour.  It's too important.  And so at the end of the day, the membership of that club have to determine their membership.  They are not doing anything illegal.

But we just elect to continue to recognize them as an official money event on the PGA TOUR because we think it's that important to golf, so we don't get to determining whether their policies are right or wrong, because we don't have to, because we made the conclusion that regardless of those policies, we are going to continue to play and recognize them as part of the PGA TOUR.

I know some people don't like that position, and I appreciate that and I understand their reasoning, but that's the decision we've made.

"I would love to have played TPC Sawgrass just after it opened in 1980."

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That Geoff Ogilvy statement will have the howling players of the early 80s questioning his sanity, yet it's hard not to look at the old photos as Ogilvy has done and wonder if, other than some extreme and immature greens, maybe the lambasted version was ahead of its time?

Either way, we'll never know as Pete Dye hasn't stood up to Commissioner Monk's neat and tidy sterilization of the place and therefore we get a TPC Sawgrass which doesn't quite get the juices flowing like it could. Ogilvy explains in Golf World:

The fairways were beautifully maintained, but outside those playing areas there was an unkempt, Pine Valley-type feel to the place.

Not that I've ever seen any of that at Sawgrass. In my time on the PGA Tour, it has always been strictly maintained and manicured. Which is a pity. I'd like to see the course allowed to be a little more "wild." It's a bit too neat. It would be nicer to look at if it wasn't so nice to look at, if you know what I mean.

It could be done too. The green complexes are sufficiently challenging. You could get rid of the rough and create some interesting angles for the approach shots. Right now, scoring isn't easy even from the middle of every fairway, because that isn't necessarily the best place to be on any given hole. It isn't playing from the rough that makes the course so difficult, it is missing such undulating greens in the wrong spots.

Finchem: Penalities, Schmenalties...Slow Play's Only A Problem For Everyday Game

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I did an informal poll of players at The Players and asked what question they'd most like to have me ask Commissioner Tim Finchem during his 2012 Players "state of the tour" presser. Slow play on the tour won in a landslide and the Commissioner Denial didn't disappoint!

Let's go to the tape...

Q.  Top players like Luke Donald have said that they believe slow play is killing their sport, our sport.  Do you feel an urgency at all to address slow play, and do you feel the TOUR has an obligation to set an example for the game when it comes to pace of play?

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM:  You know, as long as I've been in the game, this has been a constant discussion.  There really isn't any difference.

No, just about an hour more tacked on to the round. That's all. Go on...

A lot of people look at the deliberate nature of the way we play the game at the TOUR level and relate that to when somebody says it's impacting the game negatively, they are referring to the amateur or average player making a determination whether they want to play golf if it takes me X long to play. 

Now if you look at my question, I tried to help the Commish by mentioning Luke Donald's name, but he didn't take the hint and I'm guessing he's not a big Twitter guy. So for the Commish: here are Luke's comments, most definitely not directed away from the tour, or, TOUR level.

After bellowing on about his preferences for fast play at the "club" level (he's sooo in touch with the everyday game he only mentioned club golf multiple times), Commissioner Fast Play got to the legitimate argument about field size...

When we put 156 people on the golf course, they are not going to play in four hours, typically.

Now, when we cut, on the weekend, and we go to, let's say we have got 70 and ties and we are at 74, then we are playing, what, if we play in twos, we are probably playing in 3:45.

These are the same guys that played on Thursday and Friday.  These are the same guys that are showing the same deliberation.  But when you put that many people on a golf course, that's just not going to happen.

On a Pro‑Am day when you play four amateurs and a professional and now you're five, you're playing a good Pro‑Am at 5 1/2.  We elect to continue to do that because we want that many people playing in the Pro‑Am, and it's kind of a different experience, anyway.

We are all ears to suggestions to help make the game of golf either faster, or funner; that's the way I refer to it.  Can we make it faster; can we make it funner?

Yes, make it faster! Keep the fields large.

And Jack Nicklaus addressed this at Augusta.  He said we architects‑‑ all of us in golf are to blame.  Architects are at the top of the list; we made the golf courses too difficult.  If it ain't much fun and it's slow to play, that's not what we're looking for.

Anything we can do from‑‑ we reach all of the fans.  Anything we can do from a communications standpoint to encourage people playing faster, we will do.  But clubs have got to take the initiative to drive play, and the average player has got to take the initiative and say, guys, let's go out here and play in three hours and 45 minutes, and that doesn't happen too many places.

So if I'm watching‑‑ I'm giving you a long answer, but I've been talking about this for a long time.  If I'm watching a PGA TOUR player, and I'm going to go through the same pre‑shot routine that that player takes, and he's hitting it 69 times and I'm hitting it 93, I'm going to be playing a lot longer than that guy.  So it's a different game from that perspective.

Again, this is not a PGA Tour problem. Well, kind of since it's their routines setting a bad example. So...which is it Tim?

And if you notice our players, they move; they don't want to be on the clock. 

Except Webb. And Ben. And Zach. And...

They hit a shot and they move.  But there are different variables out here at this level and we measure it pretty carefully.

One thing we are sensitive to is a player who is slow and as such impacts his fellow competitor, which is a different thing from how long it takes to play.  That results in some counseling, and we have had good success with counseling.

Counseling!

But I don't think PGA TOUR golf is the culprit here.  I think the culprit is taking steps to drive the pace of play for the average player, and if we can be helpful in that regard, we're open to it.

Q.  The USGA has a pace of play system they have implemented in all their championships except the U.S. Open, and they feel they need the TOUR to implement a similar system with penalty shotsfor them to be able to introduce it to the U.S. Open.

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM:  I actually think we might want to experiment with penalty shots.  But I don't think penalty shots make a difference to be honest with you.

Experiment with them? Pssssst Tim. You have slow play rules you don't enforce. Are you saying you don't believe in the rules in place? Not a big rules guy these days?

Conceptually it makes sense.  If you're going to put a couple of shots on a guy, it's going to make him play faster.  But that's not the culprit.  The slow player, even though we have some slow players, is the system that's creating what you're seeing on television.

In today's world, we go to a golf course like we just left in California, Poppy Hills, and you've got like three drivable 5s and a drivable 4, and with a full field in our tournament, you're going to back up. 

I'm sorry, Poppy Hills? Last played in 2010? That Poppy Hills? Go on...

People are going to wait.  That's just the way it is.  The only way, we have to have smaller fields.

Now, you have players on our TOUR who would say, yes, we do; let's have them.  Let's put 130 players out there, 122 players.  At Augusta, they get nervous if you are going over a hundred players.  And let's have a good pace of play.

We elect not to do that, because as much as we like to see a stronger pace of play, the playing opportunities for the number of players we have had are more important, and we'll generate the playing opportunities first and take our lumps second.  It's as simple as that.

At least he was honest in that last part. It's as simple as that.

Tiger's Punta Brava On Track For Fall '13 Opening

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From the PR wire, amazingly detailed plans for Punta Brava's environmental stewardship efforts and golf course construction timeline for Mexico's Punta Brava, aiming to be the first Tiger Woods 18-hole design to be completed that is projecting play as early as September, 2013.

“As a development, we are proud to have engaged the world’s brightest minds in the field of sustainable golf construction, emerging clean technologies, as well as the Ensenada community, throughout the planning stages of Punta Brava. And we believe many of the innovations we achieve will have a catalytic influence across the golf industry,” added Leggat.

Course Construction Timeline

Upon completion of current conservation programs in the coming months, the first phase of golf construction consists of earthwork, fairway shaping and bunker construction. This 10-12 month phase is timed to coincide with the peak germination period of the Baja coastal desert climate (June 15th – August 31st 2013).

The second phase of construction consists of drought-resistant grassing, irrigation and drainage. Due to the mild summers in Ensenada, it is estimated the course will reach optimal root base and allow for member play as early as September of 2013.

"Phil Mickelson has quietly used his position to better the lives of a wide variety of people"

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Nice idea and execution by sometimes Phil Mickelson-buddy, sometimes-antagonist Alan Shipnuck in looking at Phil's unadvertised charitable endeavors with limited cooperation from Mickelson.

Mickelson, 41, has always enjoyed a deeply personal connection with his fans, thanks to his interaction on the course and the endless autographs he signs when the round is over. (He is also beloved in the service industry because of a penchant for dispensing $100 tips.) In the wake of Evan's harrowing delivery, Mickelson has become an agent of change, beginning with an eponymous foundation that does not solicit outside contributions. Mickelson is a science nerd and the son of an Air Force pilot, so supporting education and providing for military veterans have become twin passions. In recent years he has found other creative ways to give back. "I'm lucky to be in a position to help," Mickelson says, and he'd like to leave it at that. It is up to others to tell of his impact outside of golf.

Rick Smith's Tragically Inconsistent Views On Technology

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Speaking in his native Michigan and contradicting himself sentence by sentence, pro-technology instructor and course designer Rick Smith is all over the map.

Brian VanOchten reports:

“I love new technology,” Smith said. “So the ball is hot.

That's right, so what if it's juiced!

You look at the PGA Tour pros and they still hit it all over the place.

Oh, well, if you want to put it like that, okay...

I think we need to preserve tradition, and I think the driver and ball are maxed out (per USGA limits).

So if it's maxed out, then why not reel things in a tad for "tradition" purposes of using classic courses and having players play a game we can relate to?

So if technology helps people play the game, I don't see anything wrong with that.”

Now that is some good stuff! It helps people. The pros hit it all over the place. The ball is hot. We should preserve tradition and the distance is maxed out. Now that's "all over the place."

"There is reason to think par-3 courses will gain popularity."

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With the opening of Bandon's par-3 course, Chris Santella posts a NY Times item on the history and possible resurgence of par-3 courses.

But although the image of par-3 courses is decidedly downscale, they need not be ugly or unchallenging. The par-3 course at Augusta National Golf Club has holes that replicate some of the greens and approach shots of the famed site of the Masters. The par-3 tournament held the day before the Masters has been televised in recent years, helping to elevate the status of par-3 golf, Whitten said. There is also a par-3 course at San Francisco’s Olympic Club, where the United States Open will be held in June.