Pebble Beach Green Changes Just The Beginning Of Future Plans?

Jerry Stewart reports on the new range already under construction at Pebble Beach and also mentions the 9th green changes that apparently will be part of a longer term program to restore more square footage to the badly shrunken surfaces.

Thanks to reader Joel for the story alert and this photo of the green from last week. The bunker is an apparently homage to Apple's iCloud logo.

The biggest change to the green has been the reclamation of 600 square feet of surface area that had been lost from its original size. The reclaimed area is on the left side of the green, which will allow a new pin placement directly behind the primary bunker protecting the green.

Crews have also softened the grade in the middle of the green, lessening the severity of its back-to-front slope in order to improve playability in severe weather conditions. Being tucked on the coast, the green, which was one of the course's fastest during the 2010 U.S. Open, has no protection from high winds.

All that remains in the renovation on No. 9 is for the new grass to grow in. Due to the changes, an alternate green has been used. Like many of the improvements made to Pebble Beach over the past few years, the changes on No. 9 are subtle and in keeping with the intent of the course's original design.

"It's the beginning of plans to make some changes to a few of the greens," Perocchi said. "The ninth green is the first one."

Ageless: Captain Couples Edges Tiger & 14 Y. O. Guan Almost Does

Tiger said his red-hot putter was undermined by a couple of bad reads but an overall decent ball striking afternoon, even if his Presidents Cup Captain and Hall of Fame geezer Fred Couples beat him in their (requested) head-to-head pairing. By no means is this a setback in his quest to win an amazing 6th Memorial or to get his game ready for Merion (unlike McIlroy's 78 in the benign morning conditions).

Dave Shedloski reports on the Woods, Couples, Bradley pairing.

"I won't lie to you, I asked to see if I could get paired [with Woods]; it probably might be my last time playing with Tiger," said Couples, who withdrew from last week's Senior PGA Championship because his bad back flared up. "Maybe at Augusta I might get paired with him. If he can be leading after two rounds again, maybe I'll get a shot at him. So I was blessed to play with him. And my goal when I play with him always is to try to hit it solid and stay out of his way. And today was a good one. I did beat him."

The 14 year-old Tianlang Guan missed a short putt on the last to post a still-impressive 72 in the afternoon when unpredictable breezes created headaches for the last few groups.  Doug Ferguson's assortment of notes covers Guan's late round and also includes an item on how fast the course is playing, another on Rory and a look at the cell phone task force at work.

Ashleigh Ignelzi and I talk about the opening round from the Nationwide Digital House, which is led by Charl Schwartzel (65), followed by Scott Piercy (66).

Homa Grabs NCAA Title But Not Before Another Depo!

Capping off a dream season that included an amazing 61 at LA North en route to the Pac 12 title, Cal's Max Homa captured the NCAA individual title at Capital City Club.

Ryan Herrington reports on the win, which came after Homa's second detention session before the committee.

"Personally coming in as a freshman I couldn't imagine being in a nationalchampionship let alone contending," Homa said. "To come out and beat [the best players in the country] when you need to, it just makes you feel so much better about your own game."

Lance Ringler reports on a slow play penalty costing Texas A&M a chance to advance to the match play.

Update on 2013-05-31 02:24 by Geoff

**Nick Masuda breaks down the eight teams and their opening day matches which kick off the NCAA's team match play.

Rory: "The game just isn't all there at the minute."

Rory McIlroy opens with 78 at Muirfield Village, two weeks from the opening round of the U.S. Open.

Bob Harig with McIlroy's post round thoughts.

Update on 2013-05-31 02:00 by Geoff

**Jeff Rude doesn't feel like we're going to get a Rory v. Tiger duel anytime soon, mostly because McIlroy is probably distracted.

McIlroy is in the midst of splitting from his management team and forming his own agency. One can surmise that has been weighing on him, has clogged his mind some. But he says no.

“Once I’m here I’m focused on what I need to do,” McIlroy said. “Right at the moment it’s not happening for me.”

Up 19%: "Golf Channel Posts Most-Watched May Ever"

Plenty of interesting numbers in this press release on Golf Channel's big May, 2013.

I've included the Big Break numbers since I know that's all the kids really care about:

GOLF CHANNEL POSTS MOST-WATCHED MAY EVER, 19% INCREASE IN VIEWERSHIP YEAR OVER YEAR
 
As 2013’s Fifth Consecutive Most-Watched Month, May Garners Nearly 17 Million Unique Viewers for Golf Channel
 
PGA TOUR’S THE PLAYERS Championship Posts Most-Viewed Week and Most-Watched Week Records for Event on Golf Channel
 
GolfChannel.com On Pace to Set Best Ever Marks for Key Metrics
 
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 30, 2013) – Golf Channel’s tremendous momentum continues through the month of May, which was the network’s most-watched May ever.  Golf Channel has now opened 2013 with five consecutive record-setting months, an unprecedented accomplishment since Golf Channel became the cable home of the PGA TOUR in 2007.
 
Golf Channel drew 16.9 million unique viewers in May with a wide-spectrum of programming driving these record numbers, which have been built upon Golf Channel’s success in 2011 and 2012 as the fastest-growing television network among those serving 80 million-plus homes – a two-year span of unprecedented viewership growth since the network became part of the NBC Sports Group.  For 24-hour Total Day (6AM-6AM), 133,000 average viewers per minute were tuned into Golf Channel in May, representing a 19% year-over-year increase compared to May 2012 (112,000), 58% vs. May 2011 (84,000) and 49% vs. May 2010 (89,000), according to data released today by the Nielsen Company.
 
Viewership highlights from May include:
 
TOURNAMENTS:

·         Most-viewed and most-watched PLAYERS Championship week for Golf Channel in the event’s history with 11.5 million unique viewers (+23% YOY) and 212,000 average viewers per minute for 24-hour Total Day (+25% YOY), respectively.

·         Golf Channel’s early round coverage of THE PLAYERS on Thursday (1.73 million viewers) and Friday (1.7 million viewers) becoming the network’s 18th and 19th rounds or programs in 2013 with more than 1 million viewers.
 
NEWS:

·         LIVE FROM THE PLAYERS audience peaking on Sunday, May 12 with 1.4 million average viewers leading into and out of “Golf Channel on NBC” coverage (1:15-1:30 p.m. and 7:15-7:30 p.m.)  
·         MORNING DRIVE up 19% with 51,000 average viewers per minute vs. May of last year (43,000), including its highest hour of the year outside of Masters Week with 155,000 average viewers on Saturday, May 11, from 8-9 a.m.
 
ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING:

·         BIG BREAK MEXICO season premiere becoming the second most-watched debut for BIG BREAK with 279,000 average viewers.
·         FEHERTY episode featuring Rocco Mediate on Monday, May 13, matched this season’s premiere with Jack Nicklaus as the most-watched FEHERTY in 2013 with 193,000 average viewers.

Video: Pre-Memorial Tournament Q&A With Bill Haas

To kick off the Memorial this week I interviewed Bill Haas in the Nationwide Digital House about the course and what he's doing to improve his record here.

Later on we have videos coming from the course, including the 16th hole spot where Tiger chipped-in from in 2012, a talk with Paul Vermuelen of the PGA Tour about a wild-looking green firmness reader and a visit to the incredible Nicklaus Museum.

Live first round Memorial coverage begins on Golf Channel runs from 2:30-6:30 p.m. with a replay from 7-11 p.m.

Former US Am Winner Knost Donating Belly Putter To USGA

At least, that's what Colt Knost quipped on Twitter Thursday. Former PGA Champ and fellow anchorer Keegan Bradley joined the discussion.

USGA asking me to send something from my AM and publinks wins for the museum todsy. Definitely sending them my belly putter I used to win

— Colt Knost (@ColtKnost) May 29, 2013

"Imagine if Woods and Phil Mickelson did something like that today."

Great job by Doug Ferguson to remind the gentleman's game types bemoaning all of the controversy of late as an aberration that is not good for the sport.

This isn't the first time golf has gone way beyond birdies and bogeys.

There was the lawsuit involving Ping and the square grooves in the 1980s. There was Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, leading the breakaway from the PGA of America to start what is now the PGA Tour at the end of the 1960s. Imagine if Woods and Phil Mickelson did something like that today.

''It's not a perfect game,'' Curtis Strange said. ''Some people believe there's no such thing as bad press, but it seems like we're still having growing issues. We're learning how to handle doping issues, although nobody has learned to do that yet. I'm been reading about Lance Armstrong all day.''

And Ferguson also notes...

And it's not anything Finchem can make go away with a wave of his hand. Considering that golf is a niche sport, maybe that's not the worst thing.

Speaking of the racial dust-up from last week, Tiger was asked about it Wednesday and he continues to handle a tricky situation quite well.

Bob Harig with the lowdown on Woods' press conference that touched on the Sergio row, Merion and other topics.

"Well, I live it," he said. "It's happened my entire life, and it's happened my entire career. So that doesn't surprise me. It exists all around the world, not just in the sport of golf. It exists everywhere. I know that a lot of people are trying to make a difference and trying to make it more fair for all of us."

When asked about the abundance of outside-the-ropes news in golf this year -- the anchoring ban, Vijay Singh's lawsuit against the PGA Tour, the Garcia flap -- Woods simply said, "Well, I've won four times (on the PGA Tour)."

News Of The Insane: NCAA Cracks Down On Car Washing Golfer

Jeff Eisenberg on a female WCC golfer cited by the NCAA after a school self-reported violation because she washed her car on campus.

No, really. Thanks to readers Owen and Jeff for one I had to read twice to believe.

Portland basketball coach Eric Reveno tweeted about the violation Wednesday after he learned of it during conference meetings, punctuating his message with the hashtag #stopinsanity. A spokesman for the WCC did not know any further details, but a source familiar with the circumstances revealed what happened.

A WCC school self-reported an extra benefits violation to the NCAA when university officials caught one of their women's golfers washing her car on campus, according to the source. The NCAA ruled a secondary violation had occurred because the water and hose were not available to regular students and requested the golfer pay back $20, which was deemed to be the value of the water and use of the hose.

Video: The Mood For Merion, 8th Hole Flyover

With no room to lengthen, the 359-yard yard 8th remains a drive and pitch holes as it's been since the day of Jones. In fact an aerial depicting Bobby Jones' tee shots from the 1930 U.S. Amateur show him driving to fairway just in front of the green, a swale that is now rough based on this aerial posted by the USGA and presumably shot last year.

The video also notes that this hole is a candidate to be shortened to tempt the players into driving the green. It's hard to tell from the aerial how wide the throat is that Jones drove to, but with the hay-like native grass visible on both sides and a front bunker it's hard to see how someone would be tempted.

Jack's Plan To SNAG The Game

Jack Nicklaus launched his team learning leagues "powered by SNAG" at today's Memorial Tournament, with a roll-out planned in parks in Columbus, New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. 

For Immediate Release:

Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues, powered by SNAG® Kick-off in Five Major Cities
 
Golf Icon Takes Bold Step to Energize Youth Participation in Golf
 
North Palm Beach, FL (May 29, 2013) —  To coincide with the 2013 Memorial Tournament, the new Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues, powered by SNAG, will be introduced at select local park and recreation facilities in the Golden Bear’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio, as well as in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.  The Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues (JNLL) marks the first time that golf will be made available to youngsters as a team sport through local parks and recreation facilities.  The innovative concept, combined with SNAG’s well-established, first-touch development program, will provide a golf learning experience for children, ages 5 through 12, in a safe, affordable and accessible environment.
 
Nicklaus has been an important advocate for growing the game and he envisions that with SNAG’s modified equipment and support, and the active participation of local park and recreation agencies through the National Recreation and Park Association, golf can have a competitive footing with such team sports as soccer, basketball and football.  In an effort to supplement other growth-of-the-game initiatives, JNLL has sought the input and support of organizations such as the PGA of America and The First Tee.
 
“There are so many sports—team sports—played in the park system today,” Nicklaus said. “Kids start playing athletics when they are as young as 4 or 5 years old, and by the time they are just 7, 8 or 9 years old, many of them have picked the two or three sports that they might want to play in the different seasons.  If golf is not part of the sports introduced and available to them at their local park and recreation facilities, they will play other sports and not golf.  So we need to get golf in their local parks and have them play our sport, and I think the team concept is the way to do it.”
 
“The idea is to bring kids into the game, keep them in the game, have them learn, let them have fun, have fun with their friends, and then they can advance to the next level where they get on a golf course and develop.  I just hope these leagues create the same enthusiasm for golf that I discovered at their age.”
 
Some 100 Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues are planned for 2013 and an estimated 300 are projected to launch in 2014.
 
Terry Anton, founder and CEO of SNAG Golf, is enthusiastic about the leadership position of Jack Nicklaus in the establishment of the Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues.
 
“Jack Nicklaus’ vision to bring golf to the same venues where other organized sports thrive will make it easier to develop our future golfers,” Anton said. “These leagues will introduce millions of new players to the sport and will help nurture children developing their motor skills and do it in a fun way.  SNAG is honored to have been selected to participate with history’s greatest golfer and the NRPA in the Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues.  Our task is to make his vision a reality by implementing SNAG’s programming in the parks and directing this feeder system into all on-course golf programs.  This is an important stepping stone for the industry to capture interest in golf early so that youngsters will transition with confidence to play with actual golf equipment on a traditional course.  The more fun we make golf for children, the more chance they have to play the game for a lifetime.”
 
The use of parent-coaches and turning soccer and other playing fields into venues for this golf competition will be pivotal to the implementation of the Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues, through the auspices of the National Recreation and Park Association.
 
“Local parks and recreation are the go-to places where children can learn to play sports and develop a connection to healthy activities,” says Barbara Tulipane, president and CEO of the National Recreation and Park Association.  “We are so proud to be bringing the Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues and SNAG to park and recreation agencies across the country, because not only is it a great program but it means more children will have the chance to participate in the sport of golf in a fun and unique way and develop a connection to a healthy activity that will last them a lifetime.”
 
The NRPA will administer grants to park and recreation facilities across the U.S. to underwrite the costs associated with providing Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues equipment, coaching and programming.  A 501©3 entity, G.O.L.F. (the Global Outreach for Learning Foundation), is being established to raise the necessary funds.  G.O.L.F.’s mission is to help people develop golf skills and have fun through developmentally appropriate programs.  The goal is to ensure retention and provide a sustainable model for transition to other programs at golf facilities, in order to increase participation for current and future generations. (For information on G.O.L.F. visit www.thegolffoundation.org.)
 
The Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues are separated by age groups:  5-6 and 7-8-year-olds with the intention of expanding to 9-10 and 11-12 in the near future.  Each league will have a set number of children per team and incorporate a specialized, age-appropriate format and learning curriculum.

Nicklaus talked about the leagues in his annual state of Jack press conference at Muirfield Village.

Update on 2013-05-29 20:32 by Geoff

**A couple of key comments from Nicklaus today:

From my standpoint, it's 100 percent nonprofit from anything that I do, so everybody knows that.

Secondly, trying to figure out how this thing got started.  We're trying to figure out how do we get the kids?  And the kids today are all going to the parks.  Matter of fact, a lot of the parents are not playing golf anymore, that's part of the issue we talked a lot about earlier.  They're taking their kids to the park to play football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, whatever the sport might be.  I said guys, we've got to get to the parks in talking with the PGA of America, and they talked to Terry about it, because they're familiar with SNAG, and the success he's had with kids in the approach to starting the game of golf for kids.

And...

So we're trying to get where golf becomes one of those sports, whether it's getting kids started, learning the basics, getting a way they can have fun.  And this is a team sport.  You're going to go out and have ‑‑ coaches will draft the kids like they do with every other park sport.  And it's a very simple thing.  It's basically a plastic club with a tennis type ball and a Velcro‑type hole, which is not a hole, it sticks to the Velcro.  And it's actually kind of fun to play.  If I have fun playing it ‑‑ that's the only thing I can play anymore (laughter).  If I have fun playing it, I know the kids are going to have fun playing it.  We had some kids the other day playing it with Gary and me, and we had a good time.