Kostis: "If (Finchem's) holding grudges from the past, then that's a sad state of affairs"
/Nice catch by John Strege
Read MoreThe only course that will remain difficult under all conditions will be one that is designed and kept for golf of a stereotyped, monotonous character, and this makes a most uninteresting proposition. BOBBY JONES
Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People
Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)
Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.
Reviews:
"Golf Architecture for Normal People . . . should be required reading for those who are not ashamed to admit they know little about the subject, and for those who think they do . . . . Golf course architecture geeks have trouble slimming their thoughts down to bite-sized chunks, but Shackelford has achieved a remarkable success here." —Independent (Ireland)
"From the relative newcomer who’s slowly getting hooked to those that have played the game for most of their lives and think they know a thing or two, Golf Architecture for Normal People provides a solid and sober perspective that will help everyone recognize why some golf courses are worth playing more than once while a single trip around others is all you’re ever likely to want or need." —Links Magazine.
“It’s a wonderful book. An easy read that arrives just in time for your summer reading list. If you’ve never thought about how an appreciation for course design could heighten your enjoyment of the game, you must check this out.”—The Peterborough Examiner
"As in his prior publications, in his newest book Shackelford shows a deep appreciation for what can be done to create a golf course that appeals to the broadest possible golfing audience…Shackelford’s prose is succinct, often witty, and accessible."—Cape Gazette
"Author, blogger and golf architecture expert Geoff Shackelford, who helped Gil Hanse design Rustic Canyon and restore 2023 U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, taps into his passion by creating a guide that helps every golfer understand the nuances of course design. Published by Tatra Press, the 164-page hardcover book is a must-read for every golfer to better understand the game they love." —Golf Pass
"Shackelford provides an informative picture [and]...sprinkles in history lessons about those who planted the game's architectural roots, defines common terms and helps you hone your eyes when it comes to identifying some of the tricks of the trade."—FORE Magazine
"This new book does a great job demystifying golf course design ideas for average players, but can also be a beneficial read fro PGA Professionals and other golf course employees to get a better understanding of their home courses." —PGA Magazine
Salem CC Gets 2017 U.S. Senior Open
/Jimmy Golen reports
Read MoreWords We Never Thought We'd See: Monty Wins Major!
/...unfortunately his Senior PGA win happened on the same day as two thrilling flatbelly
Read MoreMonty Leads By One, But He Has To Play With Langer Again...
/Colin Montgomerie has never registered an official win of any kind in the United States,
Read MoreKen Green's At Senior PGA, Still Fighting For A Shot
/Ken Green, who five years ago lost everyone close to him in an unimaginably awful accident and who hit such a low a year ago that he admits to having contemplated suicide, opened with an 80 at the Senior PGA Championship, writes Bill Fields.
Even better, despite struggling to get any sponsor's invites in his efforts to come back, Green hasn't lost his sense of humor.
Fields writes:
Disappointingly for Green, he hasn't had much success gaining sponsor's exemptions into Champions Tour events in an attempt to "tell his story" and inspire others with disabilities. He said he's 0-for-12 in his latest attempts, but got a spot at Harbor Shores as a former United States Ryder Cup team member. The undulating Jack Nicklaus design was a tough challenge for Green, who opened with a nine-over 80.
"I heard the greens were off the charts. I didn't know Jack also did the fairways a litle bumpy," Green said. "For your average two-legged person, maybe they're not [that difficult], but for the one-legged yo-yo that I am, these fairways are nasty. It's discouraging. The one thing I didn't want to do is embarrass me or golf. I know it's not, but in my brain I feel like it is."
Cooked: Double Hit Determined By A Cell Phone Video!?
/Last week at The Players the use of "sophisticated technology"
Read MoreVideo: Tom Watson's One-Handed Backwards Chip
/I smell an upcoming Golf Digest tip from the 2014 Ryder Cup Captain!
Read MoreLegends Of Golf Is Back, With A Par-3 Course Component!
/Adam Schupak had the news first: a little Duck Dynasty
Read MoreVideo: Newport Beach Country Club 17th Hole Renovations
/While it's not one of the classics of architecture, Newport Beach Country Club ably hosts the wildly successful annual Toshiba Classic on the Champions Tour
Read MoreRejoice! Champions Tour Class Of '14 Includes Ames, Durant!
/Jeff Rude was actually serious in expressing his excitement over the Champions Tour's class of 2014.
I do believe this was said without a trace of irony...
I mean, Davis Love III, Scott Verplank, Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen turn 50 next year, and I’m fairly certain I remember watching them before they could shave.
The new crop also includes Woody Austin, Jeff Maggert, Joe Durant, Stephen Ames, Paul Goydos, Kevin Sutherland and Skip Kendall.
Oh yeah, the Champions is set for the next decade!
The Legends Of Golf: R.I.P.?
/Judging by the sound of today's
Read MoreSenior Open Playoff Halted By Darkness...In The UK, In July!
/Granted, there was a three-hour delay but still, it's amazing they couldn't finish a golf tournament in England in July. Wait, I'm not bashing Southport. Really!
From Alasdair Reid's story (accompanied by arguably the least flattering photo of all time) on the Mark Wiebe-Bernhard Langer playoff that will continue live on ESPN2 at 3 am ET:
Wiebe shot a 4-under 66 to match Langer at 9-under 271. Langer had a 70. They each parred the par-4 18th twice in the playoff.
"Playing in the dark was a new one for me," Wiebe said. "Hopefully we'll figure it out tomorrow."
Langer, the 2010 winner at Carnoustie, blew a two-stroke lead with a double bogey on the final hole of regulation after hitting into a greenside bunker. Minutes earlier, Wiebe's birdie putt at No. 18 came up short.
"I gave it away," Langer said. "I could bogey the last hole and win. I thought I hit a decent shot in the bunker but it came out too low.
Update on 2013-07-29 16:32 by Geoff
Police Escort For Elkington After Twitter Jabs At Southport, Pakistanis, Tattooed People
/
Alistair Reid's first report on Steve Elkington's Twitter rant about Southport, host city of this week's Senior Open Championship, and this follow-up on the police escort he received Saturday at Royal Birkdale.
The European Senior Tour is investigating and Reid speculates that legal action could be taken. By who and on what grounds, is not explained.
The offending Tweets and resulting dialogue with followers have been removed.
Elkington has apologized for the Tweets.
Update on 2013-07-29 02:53 by Geoff
**Alistair Reid tried to ask Elkington about his week following a final round 69.
Steve Elkington, who had caused a storm of the metaphorical sort with a Twitter tirade against the town of Southport and some dubious and potentially racist comments, was rather less effusive as he took his leave of the place. Asked for a comment after his round of 69, Elkington offered a terse "you kidding me?" before heading for the car park.
Monty Likes Watson's Chances For A Turnberry Repeat
/The hill climbing at Omaha Country Club? Not so much. 
From Bill Fields' U.S. Senior Open report on Tom Watson's continued good putting:
To the 50-year-old who was not enjoying Omaha CC's hills either, despite bettering Watson's score by a shot, it was still pretty impressive. "Amazing," Mongomerie said. "Fantastic effort. Good home support for him. I think he's quite close [to home]. I think Kansas is the next state down. Flatter, I believe, in Kansas. So we should have played there. Good golf for Tom. Sixteen pars for nearly 64 years old."
Watson will go from Nebraska to Scotland, for another British Open at Muirfield. "He has every chance to do well again, as he did at Turnberry in 2009," Montgomerie said.
"He's just being nice," said Watson, who had more immediate concerns.
Getting In The Mood: Joe Daley Makes Players Debut At 52
/Super story from last week by Doug Ferguson on Players Championship rookie Joe Daley.
As winner of the Senior TPC, Daley earned a spot in this week's Players.
Daley only had two full years on the PGA Tour. He spent 10 full years in the minors, long enough to play under three umbrella sponsors - Nike Tour, Buy.com Tour and Nationwide Tour. When he turned 50, he had to Monday qualify for Champions Tour events. He finally got his big break with a 66-64 weekend in the Senior PGA Championship to tie for fourth, which make him eligible for the Senior Players.
And here he is.
"It's a lot of years of hard work, man," he said. "It's pretty cool."
To put some of that into perspective, the winner of The Players Championship gets $1.71 million. That's nearly as much as Daley's earnings ($1.96 million) in two decades playing the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour and what is now called the Web.com Tour.
