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).
The Amazon purchase page for the book arriving June 15, 2026.
The enthusiasm in his voice is pretty telling. Someone misses Muirfield!
Bob Harig reports:
"The greens are spotty, and it'll be interesting to see what they do because they were running just under 9 on the Stimp [Stimpmeter]," Woods said. "They don't have much thatch to them, so it'll be interesting to see what they do for the tournament and how much they're able to speed them up with kind of a lack of grass."
Look at those mounds! And that width! 
The description from the press release announcing the 2015 Presidents Cup venue selected by the PGA Tour:
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea features a par-72, 7,413-yard Signature Golf Course designed by the Golden Bear, and offers world-class amenities, including an award-winning, 60,000-square-foot clubhouse. For The Presidents Cup 2015, the course has undergone some minor renovations and the holes rerouted to accommodate hospitality and the match-play format. Songdo IBD is a joint undertaking by Gale International, POSCO E&C, and Incheon City and a model of international collaboration. Songdo IBD is globally recognized as the world’s foremost smart, sustainable city-scale development. In 2012, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) selected a site in Songdo as the home for the GCF Secretariat. It is believed that many of the sustainable infrastructure and technological innovations being pioneered in Songdo will be applied to GCF-funded projects in developing nations.
Nick Price was probably a little more blunt about his attempts get the Presidents Cup format changed, all but saying the event will struggle if something isn't done.
An unbylined SkySports report was one of the few to report Price's comments that might have had Commissioner Finchem longing for a Greg Norman captaincy.
"When you've only got four pairings and you've got 12 guys to choose from, that's a lot easier because you take your best players.
"The Europeans put out the eight best players they can. It would be really interesting to see if the Ryder Cup was played under the Presidents Cup points system what the outcome would be."
Price and Ernie Els put the idea of a change of format to PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who has opted to retain the 34-match schedule for this year's contest.
"Initially Tim was receptive and then he phoned me back three weeks later and said he wasn't prepared to change," added Price. "He didn't think it needed a change. Ernie and I were really disappointed with the outcome.
...which rules out the 2015 Scottish Open going to Turnberry as many had suspected was the hope for a Scottish Open rota (of sorts). The news should bode well for Renaissance Club's hopes of hosting in 2015.
This will be the second time Turnberry hosts the Ricoh Women's British Open.
Barry Svrluga looks at The Donald (Trump)'s purchase of Lowes Island Club's two courses, the redesign since and the possibility of luring a PGA Championship to the facility.Maybe the only intriguing storyline at the WGC Bridgestone is Rory McIlroy's attempt to kickstart his season as he did last year. 
Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail wonders if it's simply a matter of losing focus while noting an alarming number for the European Tour: McIlroy is 84th in the Race to Dubai where only 60 qualify. McIlroy has four starts to get into the top 60.
Kevin Garside in The Independent makes a case that "McIlroy’s problem is every player’s problem. It’s called form. And no game demands more of body and mind than golf."
I'm just still worried about his dental pain.
**Jeff Rude on Rory's search for answers taking him to Northern Ireland. No mention of a dentist visit.
After missing the Open Championship cut at Muirfield, he worked on his swing with coach Michael Bannon and played a few rounds with buddies back home in Northern Ireland. Bannon’s TrackMan, a golf radar device that measures aspects such as club delivery and launch angle, gave McIlroy instant feedback about his motion. Golf with his pals, though, might have been more beneficial.
“We play so much golf on Tour, you sort of forget why you play the game,” McIlroy said. “You play the game because you love it. (Playing with them was) something I really enjoyed. I have an attitude change.”
What’s more, McIlroy worked on his putting Tuesday and Wednesday in Akron with putting coach Dave Stockton, the winner of two PGA Championships. McIlroy left those sessions saying he felt in a “better place” with his stroke.
“I feel I have everything I need to go forward,” he said.
Brentley Romine reports that the PGA of America apparently places more weight on the Madeira Islands Open and European Challenge Tour than we previously thought, adding Brooks Koepka and Peter Uihlein to their PGA Championship field.
The Big Lead says this baseball-bat hole-in-one is probably a fake. All I know is Sanctuary Lakes, where this was shot, looks like a neat course. It's listed as a Greg Norman, which means if it's in Australia it's mostly a Bob Harrison design.
Installed as a 5-1 favorite from our good friends at Ladbrokes according to Randall Mell, Inbee Park has karma on her side based on her distant namesake relatives, the Parks of Musselburgh!
Mell writes:
Yes, she’s South Korean, but the name Park is revered in Scottish golf. Willie Park Sr. won the very first British Open ever played back at Prestwick Golf Club in 1860, beating the favored Old Tom Morris by two shots. Park won four British Opens overall. His brother, Mungo, won the Open in 1874. Willie’s son, Willie Park Jr., won two Open titles.
As for the whole Grand Slam debate, David Fay ended the debate on Morning Drive today, reminding us during his hit in between a visit from the latest Big Break winner that Grand Slam was taken from baseball's four-bag home run. Four.
And in our poll here, it's clear you all (69%) agree that she's going for a Grand Slam this week.
As for her game, Ron Sirak says the beauty of her performance to date has been in her "lack of distinctive quality."
Here is how Inbee gets it done: She keeps her ball out of trouble; she never loses her composure, at least not outwardly; and she can putt. All of those are skills that anyone can master with discipline and focus.
In the 216 holes Park as played in winning three consecutive majors she has only had one hole higher than bogey, a double on No. 18 in the first round of the LPGA Championship.
She has done that in large part because she hit 126 of 168 fairways -- 75 percent -- including a remarkable 51 of 56 in the U.S. Women's Open at Sebonack on Long Island.
Inbee has also averaged 28.08 putts for the 12 rounds of her triple.
**Park draws a 7:03 am tee time Thursday alongside Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Beatriz Recari. That's 2:03 ET.
Really, I know you don't care because we know the PGA Championship doesn't exclude anyone good, but I'll just do pretty much anything to not have to pay attention to the worst PGA Tour tournament of the year, the no-cut, money grab at dreary Firestone.
So here's the 2013 PGA Championship field.
The preview clip--with an unfortunate ad fronting the ad--for the latest episode of In Play With Jimmy Roberts focuses on pro golfers going to Israel and another talking about their "signature" wines, but the segment of real interest appears to be on water usage. Stone Phillips gets the call to handle one of the most pressing issues in the game.
In Play airs Tuesday, July 30 at 10:30 ET, 7:30 PT. The preview:
• Golf Course Water Usage and Conservation Concerns – One of the bigger concerns in the golf course industry today is water usage. Whether driven by higher costs, the lower availability of municipal water, or environmental conservation, golf course superintendents and architects around the country are stepping up their efforts to manage water. Former NBC journalist Stone Phillips examines the ways golf course architects are building courses with water usage and conservation heading into the future.
Interesting that the men get the private club treatment while the women go to resorts, but otherwise an impressive start to the new four-ball championships that replace the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships in 2015.
USGA ANNOUNCES HOST SITES FOR INAUGURAL
U.S. AMATEUR FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Olympic Club and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to Host in 2015; Winged Foot Golf Club and Streamsong Resort Selected as 2016 Venues
San Francisco, Calif. (July 29, 2013) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship sites for the 2015 and 2016 competitive calendars. In 2015, The Olympic Club, in San Francisco, and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Bandon, Ore., will host the men’s and women’s competitions, respectively. Winged Foot Golf Club, in Mamaroneck, N.Y., will serve as the 2016 host site for the men, while Streamsong Resort, southeast of Tampa, Fla., will host the women in 2016.
The introduction of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championships to the USGA’s competition roster was announced earlier this year. The new championships, which will be held annually between mid-March and late May, are the first to be added to the USGA championship schedule since 1995, when the USGA Men’s and Women’s State Team Championships were created to mark the Association’s centennial.
The announcement of the first two host sites for each championship was made during an event at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
“We’re thrilled to bring the first two years of Amateur Four-Ball Championships to historic clubs that have hosted a number of USGA championships, as well as to celebrated newer venues,” said Thomas J. O’Toole Jr., USGA vice president and chairman of Championship Committee. “As part of our ongoing commitment to support and advance amateur competition, the four-ball format, which is widely popular at the state and regional levels and at golf clubs around the U.S., is sure to produce a spirited team dynamic and provide enjoyment for both the players and spectators at some of the finest courses in the game.”
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
