When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
I'm guessing the collar up was a prank/stunt based on the smiles bordering on giggling.
But what is that club resting against the AP Male Sports Athlete of 2015?
Flashback: Steph Curry on his high school golf team pic.twitter.com/QswJts6RVO
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 28, 2015There's something increasingly absurd about the year-end World Top 50 Club. Not that it's the fault of the Official World Golf Ranking. Or even the precious algorithm guiding year-end standings that carry entirely too much meaning by qualifying people into majors and other events.
It's always seemed strange to be handing out passes for major championship field spots for the previous year's top 50. They also secure $300,000-or-so in guaranteed appearance money for the coming year, all because the calendar switched to a new year January 1st.
Yes, people need to plan schedules and make travel plans at some point, but I don't get why this New Year's Eve mythical milestone of world top 50 status is still used by events such as the Masters. The idea of rewarding folks in such a substantial way while restricting others, all for finishing the year one one side of the top 50 line, just seems like an outdated notion.
Nick Menta reports on those who slipped in and those no longer with access to the club. And then there's Tiger down at 416th.
Stephen Singer reports for the Hartford Courant on efforts by the failed television network Back9 to continue on as a website, app and email property, according to bankruptcy filings and confirned by CEO Charles Cox.
Cox and co-founder Reid Gorman tapped $2 million from a group of investors, including Karl Krapek, former president and chief operating officer of United Technologies Corp., and Denis Nayden, managing partner of Oak Hill Capital Partners and former chairman and chief executive officer of GE Capital, the one-time financing unit of General Electric Co. They did not return calls seeking information on their roles in the return of Back9Network.
Back9Network executives acknowledged in the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Hartford their failure to launch a profitable television network. They're now forming a "compelling online platform" of websites, a golf app and an email newsletter with 1.7 million subscribers, they said.
Anyone use the app cited by the network as key to its growth?
To recap, so far we've had deals on between Seamus, Johnnie-O, St Andrews, Lululemon pants, Wybranski major art, Photobucket printing to canvas for your golf pics, Mack Daddy wedges and Sun Mountain's travel cover glider.
Our year-end nine hole round concludes with no specific gift you can buy yourself, but instead, an introduction to one of the few trusted golf booksellers left: Peter Yagi Golf Books. His catalog must be requested by email (pete@moneytolend.com) or via his mailing list for those who enjoy receiving Peter's twice-a-year printed catalog by mail.
As a courtesy to GeoffShackelford.com readers, Peter is extending his After-Christmas 20% off sale a little early, so email him now for the catalog and buy yourself a classy addition to the shelves in the form of a great golf book. Oh sure you're relatives might have spotted one of these...but I doubt it.
Just a few that caught my eye on Peter's current list, which includes a strong collection of Darwins. Merry Christmas!
13)AITCHISON, THOMAS S., LORIMER, GEORGE. Reminiscences of the Old Bruntsfield Links Golf Club. 1866-1874. 1902, printed for private circulation. Contains some of their Lays (poems) and early golf history. $995
61)BAHTO, GEORGE. The Evangelist of Golf. The Story of Charles Blair MacDonald. 2002. Fine, DJ. Bahto inscribed. MacDonald article laid in. A spectacular book, quickly has become extremely collectible and scarce. $495
167)BOLT, TOMMY. How to Keep Your Temper on the Golf Course. 1969. VG, DJ. By ‘Tempestuous Tommy’. $20
335)COREN, ALAN. Golfing for Cats. 1975. VG, DJ. Has the notorious swastika jacket. $45
414)DARWIN, BERNARD. Every Idle Dream. 1948. VG, owner plate. $15 And 1948. VG, DJ edge wear. $25
490)DOBEREINER, PETER. Dobereiner on Golf…and more. Foreword Seve Ballesteros. 1998. Fine, DJ. Posthumous print. $20
528)DYE, PETE. Bury Me in a Pot Bunker. Foreword Greg Norman. 1995. Fine, DJ. Inscribed by Dye. $45
608)FINEGAN, JAMES W. Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens. Pilgrimage Courses of Scotland. 1996. VG, DJ. JF signed. $30
834)HARRIS, ROBERT. Sixty Years of Golf. 1953. VG, DJ. Top Scottish amateur reflections. Ross Goodner signed. $65
957)HUTCHINSON, HORACE G. Fifty Years of Golf. Intro Peter Ryde. 1919, 1985, USGA. Fine, slipcase. $45
1007)JOHNSTON, ALASTAIR J, JOHNSTON, JAMES F. The Chronicles of Golf: 1457 to 1857. 1993. Fine, DJ, pictorial label slipcase. Numbered limited edition of 900, signed by authors. An instant classic, important reference of the early history. $795
1208)LOW, JOHN L. F.G. Tait a Record. Being his Life, Letters, and Golfing Diary. 1901. VG, gilt dec cover, stunning! $245
1232)MACKENZIE, ALISTER J. The Spirit of St. Andrews. The Lost Manuscript. Foreword Bobby Jones. 1995. VG, DJ. $20 And 1995. Fine, leather, padded clamshell case. Numbered limited edition of 1500. Has additional photos, text, gorgeous. $295
1400)MURDOCH, JOSEPH S.F. The Library of Golf. 1743-1966 revised, 1967-1977 added. 1978. VG, PB, lots of pen and brio marks as owner noted books he owned, still very scarce. Numbered limited edition 13 of only 150. With clean photocopy. $95
1634)PRICE, CHARLES. The World of Golf. A Panorama of Six Centuries of the Game’s History. Foreword by Bobby Jones. One of the game’s premier reading histories. 1962. VG, DJ. $25
1965)STOWERS, CARLTON. The Unsinkable Titanic Thompson. A Gold Ole Boy Who Became a World Super Star Gambler and Hustler. 1982. Fine, DJ. $145
2011)THOMAS, GEORGE C. Golf Architecture in America. Its Strategy and Construction. 1927. VG, dec cover. $495 And 1927, 1997. Fine, DJ. Faithful reprint, excellent! $145
2061)TUFTS, RICHARD S. The Principles Behind the Rules of Golf. 1960, 2000. Fine. $25 And1960. VG, DJ. $245 Also 1960, 1989 USGA. Intro by P.J. Boatwright, Jr. Fine, slipcase, owner label. Limited edition of 1500. $125
2194)WETHERED, H.N. SIMPSON, T. Design for Golf. Preface J.C. Squire. 1929, 1952. VG. ‘Architectural Side’ reprint. $65
2235)WIND, HERBERT WARREN. An Introduction to the Literature of Golf. 1996. Fine. 37 forewords to CG. $25
2260)WODEHOUSE, P.G. The Heart of a Goof. 1926, 4th. VG, dec cover, some fade, facsimile DJ. $45
While the sports fan in us hates to hear an athlete waxing nostalgic, signaling the end most likely, it's fun to hear what things Tiger Woods notices about changes in the game. While he's too tactful to ever say what he's really thinking, his recent comments about the cut-missing propensity of the millennials was pretty revealing. 
So was this, penned by his ownself in a year-end PGATour.com exclusive:
Also the technology. When I beat Davis Love III in a playoff at the Las Vegas Invitational in 1996, he had a 43-inch persimmon head driver. The transition to metal to where we are now with 460 cc drivers and 45-inch shafts being the norm, and the ball going from wound to solid construction … the technology has changed dramatically.
I had a conversation the other day with some of my friends who play golf. They're a little bit younger than me, but are amazed how much technology has changed. I said go back to when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player and that generation of guys played. When they were in their prime and the end of their careers, technology never really changed except for the golf ball. It was always persimmon and steel. That was the reality. Now, some companies are asking guys to change equipment twice a year.
Oh to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation!
It is a profound point he makes though: Tiger excelled during a time of incredible change and adapted quite ably to the times. As much as golfers love to tinker and try the latest, greatest thing, his point is a sound one in that he adapted to some big changes as he was cranking out 14 major wins.
The San Diego Union-Tribune's Tod Leonard endorses Tom Weiskopf's vision for the Torrey Pines North Course, though I'm not clear how much of it is based on getting to see actual plans/conceptual drawings, and how much is based on just how much less-awful Weiskopf's plan was compared to the alternatives. Furthermore, after seeing this year what Weiskopf did in giving TPC Scottsdale sand-flashed bunker faces that looked dreadful compared to the previous version of the course's time-tested moonscape-vibe, it's hard to gauge how sensitive he is to what has proven to work over time. 
Either way, this is mildly encouraging in light of what Leonard saw in Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s plan:
In fact, it’s disturbing to me that Jones, given some of his ideas (we’ll get to those), was the top choice by the city golf committee, but we were saved when the Jones group was disqualified for going about $2 million over the best-value budget. (I’ll always scratch my head about that one, given that the parameters of the bids were very clear when the process started.)
Weiskopf’s plan on paper is detailed and direct. It removes the least amount of grass (5 acres), and so there is little fear that the essence of the North Course will be lost. There isn’t any danger of this spinning out of control with waste areas and becoming a desert course on the cliffs.
The current par will not be changed on any holes. There is no significant re-routing. (Gulbis' plans were outlandish. She wanted to flip the North nines and reverse the direction of the current first through third holes, with the 18th green placed where the No. 1 tee is now.)
There are some creative additions by Weiskopf (such as making 16 a driveable par-4), but nothing outlandish. Who doesn’t vote for shorter holes?
There will be fewer bunkers on the North Course than there are now, so that should allay concerns that this is going to become another South Course.
As for the greens, let’s face it, for their age they are maintained at a fabulous condition by the greenskeepers, but they have their issues, especially when they are cut low and speeds are fast. As the course readies for the Farmers Insurance Open, downhill putts on the North that are merely tapped race 8 to 10 feet past the hole.
First World Problem Alert!!!
So far my suggested holiday gift items that you'll never receive from relatives have been kept at a fairly sane price tag, unless you consider $150 books, $98 pants (but before 25% FARANDSURE discount!) and $128 polyester-ish pants expensive (they are, but both are worth it).
For the second-to-last product that I enjoyed this year, we go up the price ladder a bit with Sun Mountain's Club Glider Travel Bag. Granted, as more folks use Luggage Forward and Ship Sticks, a travel cover doesn't seem like a priority any longer. But knowing how fragile clubs can be, you can never be too safe.
That said, after years of my R2D2-inspired Sun Mountain droid of a travel bag--which thankfully protected my clubs every time they traveled--it was time for an updated travel cover after a wheel finally came off during what was undoubtedly an unusually rough journey. After just one trip using the Sun Mountain "glider" I'm all in (I also bought their suitcase with the same glider wheels and loved it).
The glider is a simple metal bar you push down and pull out, propping your bag up to that you eliminate bending over to pick up the bag and even better, for the times you have a couple of bags and are dragging the clubs along. With the stand down, you simply glide now instead of strain pulling the clubs. First world issues extraordinaire, I grant you, but the difference when you go through the misery of baggage claim, car rental, etc... is significant. Oh and the bag is well-constructed with thick canvas, plenty of padding around clubheads, shoe pockets and Sun Mountain's solid warranty.
One last thing: keep the box if you buy one. The bag folds up very nicely into a small, easily storeable package.
Edwin Watts has a few left of the popular seller here. They also have some nice deals on shipping.
Merry Christmas!
Since the distance debate was the basis for this blog as it enters its tenth year as a full-fledged blog on Squarespace and thirteenth in some form as a monitor of golf issues, where do we stand?
--Those of us pointing out the issue are no longer treated like lepers for suggesting the ball goes too far. Enough courses across the land have had to deal with safety or function issues. This has meant a much larger audience does not need the issue explained to them. Even better, many more look down on the governing bodies for continuing to work tirelessly not to act.
--A surprising-but-still too-low number of golf fans recognize that distance is relative. This continues to quietly render the real bombers and their occasional 382-yarders less awe-inspiring than they should be. There is also the overall relatability factor, where too many just find pro golf a little less fun to watch because so few can relate to 210-yard 7-irons.
--The PGA Tour driving distance average only went up a yard in 2015. Despite so many obvious signs that players continue to get longer either through equipment, fitting technology or fitness, what gives? Because this last point allows the governing bodies to go back to counting their millions instead of acting. So how is it that the PGA Tour number is not seeing a huge spike even as we see players regularly CARRY the ball 300 yards?
David Dusek explored this at Golfweek.com and while he had no real answer why that one number has not budged much in recent years, he does note the shocking change at bottom end of the spectrum.
In 2000 there were 166 players on the PGA Tour who averaged less than 280 yards per drive. In 2002, that number was down to 100 and in 2003 it was sliced to 47. By 2005, there were just 30 players who averaged less than 280 yards per drive and it dropped to 25 players.
The 25 under 280 number was the case for 2014 (the 2015 list won't come up at PGATour.com).
Things get confusing when you consider Shoshana Agus-Kleinman's GolfNews.net analysis of PGA Tour "carry," something tracked since 2007.
Since that year, the average and median carry number of PGA Tour drives has spiked by ten yards.
To recap: the driving distance average is up a yard in from 2007 to 2015, but carry average is up by ten yards in the same time frame.
We have been told time and time again that course conditioning leads to more roll, yet with a 10-yard increase in carry the distance average has remained almost flat. This means the "more roll" argument is bogus as most anyone who stands in a PGA Tour landing area can tell you. Yes, agronomics have never been better and grass heights never lower, but turf has also never been healthier or more nourished, offsetting any gains made by lower mowing heights.
(Side note: players have already caught up to Hootie's back tees as he predicted, despite literally no roll on those fairways thanks to a higher cut and grain effect created to slow down drives.)
Sadly, this leaves us in that odd place where the governing bodies refuse to acknowledge an issue because to do so would (A) remind us that they let the game down and (B) would see their sustainability campaigns severely undercut by what is an obvious need to keep expanding the scale of golf courses to manage modern distances.
At least a more sizeable audience sees the sad hypocrisy in their mixed-messaging.
Hard to say if this is about where we would have expected heading into golf's 2016 Olympic debut, but Doug Ferguson says in his AP notes column that 14 of 60 men are outside the top 200 as it stands now. That is unlikely to change because of the qualification guidelines and may even present a greater disparity on the women's side given that so many top players are from the United States and South Korea.
On the "Pro" side, this theoretically means that those who qualify for the Olympics will have a great shot at medaling. On the Con side? Limited fields with more than 20% clearly not as deserving means we could get either a runaway, random victor, or a massive upset. The latter (underdog element) being less of an issue in my book.
In a totally random example, for the first time in over a decade, no one is wondering if Tiger or Phil is going to show up at, say, the Northern Trust Open. But Rory McIlroy is and Jordan Spieth will likely play, so when you mention that to most fans, that's shifted to the answer people are hoping to hear.
But do they translate to better television ratings that ultimately pay most of the PGA Tour bills? That's been debatable, but in an interview with Larry Fine of Reuters, Golf Channel president Mike McCarley says the network hosting the Olympic coverage this year believes the numbers do not lie.
The 2015 first quarter ratings for Golf Channel were down 14 percent compared to the year before, but momentum shifted with Spieth's win at the Masters.
The second quarter showed a gain of 3 percent over the year before and grew to an increase of 8 percent in the next quarter before booming to a 13 percent year-ago gain in the last period.
McCarley noted a competitive parallel in the women's game with the rise of 18-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand as world number one and a natural rivalry with American Lexi Thompson, the 20-year-old world number four.
"Looking ahead, 2016 is shaping up as a transformational year for the game of golf," he said.
As President Barack Obama drains a walk off chip at Mid-Pac Country Club, the LA Times reports on a Morning Consult study saying that the folks who actually answer their phone for pollsters may actually be downplaying their support for Donald Trump when asked. We may have another golfing president just yet!
Wait, stop the presses! The Donald just pointed out to Iowa voters that the President played more than Tiger Woods in 2015, vowing he would not do the same. Golf.com Staff reports:
"It was reported today he played 250 rounds of golf and he's going to be in Hawaii, I think did they say for three weeks?" Trump said. "Two hundred and fifty rounds, that's more than a guy who plays in the PGA Tour plays. He played more golf last year than Tiger Woods. We don't have time for this. We have to work."
The Obama hole-out:
While longtime readers know how much discussing clubs gets my juices flowing (it's more like a slow leaky faucet drip), I do have a new addition to the bag that is great fun to play around with: Callaway's Mac Daddy PM Grind wedge. In particular, I'd point you to the 60 degree, but only if you have the stomach for a certain era of wedge design.
We're living in a Golden Age of wedge construction and engineering, you can't go wrong with Vokey's, Clevelands, Mizuno's etc... Walk into any store or golf shop and they all look pretty sensational.
But for those of us whose golf skills peaked during the Bush I years, PING made the wedges we adored putting back into our Jones bags. The Eye2 had a thick sole that made bunker shots (almost) a joy. Then they mysteriously abandoned that for a sole and soulless design which did have one positive feature: a huge face.
I'm guessing a combination of those two elements, along with other ideas inspired Roger Cleveland and Phil Mickelson to design this 2015-debuting wedge (you can hear them talk about the clubs here). While all of the Mac Daddy line wedges feel and look great, it's the 60-degree PM grind I'd highly recommend if you're one of those people who misses the old PING's.
Edwin Watts is having a 20% off sale on the SS line (here and here), though only some discounted shipping options right now for other purchases there.
You can view the full lineup here, but this is the one I love. Especially when my drop kick flop shots hit about 2.5 inches up the face and there are still some grooves.
The committee has decided--and boy is it a committee--what to do with the absolute dud of a back nine hole at TPC Sawgrass. You may recall that the 12th has always had some sort of mound to add visual distraction but Pete Dye's two iterations of the hole have failed to illicit much enthusiasm.
The concept of the new hole sounds ideal, injecting some much-needed risk-reward design. In concept, anyway.
No shortage of cooks have thrown in their pinches of salt, which is never a good thing.
Garry Smits reports on the design details, set to be carried out after the 2016 Players (thanks reader Steve):
The large bank on the left will be leveled, the green complex will be modified to allow for players to run shots onto the green and there will be a narrow water hazard that will run down the left side of the green.
“Wev’e studied all the great driveable par-4 holes, not just on the PGA Tour but in general, and we have the pieces of what we think go into making it a great short par-4,” said Andy Pazder, the Tour’s executive vice-president and chief of operations. “One common trait is the risk-reward factor, which we think the water hazard will create. The other is that it’s driveable for everyone in the field, and that will be the case.”
Pazder said the changes to the 12th hole have been in discussions for the last two years. Stadium Course architect Pete Dye, Tour in-house architect Steve Wenzloff, Tour players who live on the First Coast and past Players winners have been consulted.
Smits also details other renovation plans for the property.
There is much to quibble with in Alex Myers' annual listing of the Top 25 viral videos (the Turbulators at #2!?), Ian Poulter has made a late bid to join the best viral golf videos of 2015.
The missing audio will rank with the Nixon tapes on the all-time mute list. And to think it was muted on the keyboard!
Agents, bookmark this for your players next time they mention they plan to go skiing, only don't tell them Ian came out unscathed. At least physically...
Ok here is my wipeout... 😂 I've cut out the bad language. @GoPro pic.twitter.com/VjsgH6ZOsf
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) December 21, 2015With only four days until you do not get the gifts you wanted, hopefully you bought yourself something between Seamus, Johnnie-O, St Andrews, Lululemon pants or Wybranski major art.
My selection of a Wybranski for your office or mancave walls was directed at those who have been to a memorable golf tournament in recent years and just wanted to liven up their walls with a fond memory. And all for 20% off exclusively to readers of this site courtesy of Wybranski.
But if tournment golf isn't your thing, why not just have favorite golf photo of your own enlarged? After all, with apps like Snapseed, there is almost no excuse now to have a bad photo. Even better, most smart phones now take a photo that can be enlarged to sites like Photobucket. Which is why this excellent service comes in to the picture.
For years I've been waiting for someone to offer photos printed on canvas at an affordable price. The look is cool and the extra cost more palatable than framing photo. Canvas-printed photos should also age better.
Having uploaded a few golf course images to Photobucket for printing on canvas, I can wholeheartedly recommend them for quality, service and consistency with the original image. At 80% off their canvas prints right now (enter code: HOLIDAY80), there is no more affordable and classy way to enlarge your favorite golf course images. Photobucket's canvas prints allow for the option to wrap your image around the 1.25 inch thick canvas (or you can go with white and black borders). The canvas' come with UV coating and a surface easily cleaned with a dam cloth. Oh, and they offer every size imaginable starting at 6x6 up to 32x48. At 80% off you can take a chance on images you aren't sure have the resolution or gravitas to be printed on canvas.
Though judging by my early experiences with Photobucket (which has not paid for this post or even knows abvout it). even an average photo will look timeless printed on a canvas.
Merry Christmas!
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
