Prestwick: "The whole place has the patina of legend about it."

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Before the focus turns away from the west coast of Scotland and the epic 145th Open, I hope we can also remember the importance of Prestwick Golf Club and all that it means to the game. Daydreaming a bit while walking around the clubhouse with club historian Andrew Lockhead, one an easily imagine what that first gathering of professionals was like, capped off by Tom Morris hitting the opening shot. But what strikes most is how, based on the documentation and formality of the proceedings, how those involved knew they were on to something historic.

The Guardian's Paul Weaver took the full tour as well, and captures the essence of this great clubs, which maintains an amazing reverece for its history without the attitude that could come with having such a vital place in golf.

The Archive Room, with pencilled-in scores from the 1860s, tells tales of terrible traumas outside. Darwin added: “Holes and bunkers that can bring down great men with so terrible a crash deserve great names and in these Prestwick is rich; the Slough of Despond, Purgatory, the Goose Dubs, Lion’s Den, the Pill Box, the Precentor’s Desk and Sandy Neuk.” It feels friendlier in the clubhouse.

“I am obviously biased,” says Goodwin, “but I think Prestwick is unquestionably the best golf club in the world. The whole ethos is to have fun, and lots of it.” 

Thanks to Lockhead and secretary Ken Goodwin, I was able to see the magnificent club archives where all of the key old scorecards from the Opens at Prestwick are lovingly bound into a permanent volume, while each important letter related to The Open is still in the club's possession. (We discussed on Morning Drive earlier in the week.)

Check out the actual scorecard from Young Tom Morris' 3 on the then 578-yard first hole:

Detailed look at the face of the belt, from an exact replica on display at The Open this week.

While the initial contest was for the Champion Belt and was essentially an invitational open to those with ties to ten or so clubs, it was the realization that the "world" needed to be part of "Open" competition that proves so mesmerizing to see put on paper. It makes the branding emphasis on open take on greater meaning.


As for Prestwick's architecture, the course retains its playing charm and design fascination, an astounding notion given how so many courses do not age well. The appreciation heard last week for its merits is heartening and offers more evidence that a greater awareness for design is in the game. Just like North Berwick's recent renaissance, Prestwick no longer is getting tagged with a negative "quirky" or "bizarre" labels. Instead, the overall walkability, memorability, variety and at times, audacity of the holes appeals to a broader golf audience than 20 years ago. The fun word is getting throw about too, and never in that demeaning way suggesting the course is too "easy."

The Himalayas remains such a thrill to play, and a great reminder that blind can be exhilarating. What I can't figure out: why the blindness is better received in 2016 than even 2006? Is it the awareness before arriving at Prestwick that has people prepared?  Or just the overall desire to have a sense of a natural adventure that has been re-introduced by more lay-of-the-land courses? Either way...



And the 17th/Alps remains as bizarrely nutty as ever. How did they play this with a baffing spoon!?


Prestwick's place in the game is as vital as the Old Course is today. It was the birthplace of professional golf and a testing ground for golf architecture both manmade and natural. Because of its place through golf history as a joyous locale for the game--continued on by today's club--Prestwick should always be one of your first stops for a Scotland golf pilgrimage.

Furthermore, many clubs with a trace of the history Prestwick enjoys could learn from the way this grand place in the game proudly shares itself with the world for all to come and see and play. Every professional golfer should pay a visit out of respect for those who gave birth to their pastime.

ShackHouse 14: The Open Championship & Scotland

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The Open! For the ages. We kick around all things Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, Royal Troon and a grand championship.

We are also joined later in the show by Ru Macdonald to give you an appetizer for planning a golf trip to Scotland. Here is Ru's website. 

Here is The Ringer's page for the show.

As always, you can subscribe on iTunes and or just refresh your device subscription page.

Same deal with Soundcloud for the show, and Episode 14 is here.

And the ShackHouse Stitcher page.

Here is Episode 12 that included Henrik Stenson, referenced in today's show.

As always, ShackHouse is brought to you by Callaway, makers of everything in Henrik and Phil's bag and also leader of the putter count at Troon with their Odyssey brand. Also, the Team Callaway Collection is a limited run of meticulously curated Callaway and Odyssey branded items that you can only find on CallawayGolf.com. And visit the Callaway Team Collection. Use promo code HOUSE in your shopping cart to get 20% off. Offer expires 7/31.

We also want to thank Athletes Collective, which makes a great longsleeve I used on my trip as a golf undershirt. They are making solid athletic wear out of some incredible fabrics. Use promo code House for 15% off your first order.

Also, for a limited time, ShackHouse listeners get fifty dollars off the Ring of Security Kit. Go to RING.COM/SHACKHOUSE now.

And of course, drink that Avión responsibly!

The State Of The Rota And Where Turnberry Fits

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These are issues I delved into in this week's Golf World after Troon successful hosts another Open.

With Muirfield's current suspended status leaving the R&A with nine choices, I point out that avoiding Turnberry because of Donald Trump (and after recent improvements) would be a mistake for the rota.

Troon? Very fine venue and every dozen years, is just right for The Open. Shoot, 12 years from now the R&A media hotel suggestion, the Adams Family House, may even have internet and fire extinguishers attached to the walls!

More disconcerting is a likely return to Royal St. George's in 2020 without some restoration and softening of bad modern era tweaks (when the superior Deal/Royal Cinque Ports is available). Throw in possible pouting over The Donald's comments, eliminating Turnberry from the rota, and the R&A will suddenly have a much weaker rota if they avoid Turnberry (and have Muirfield on the outside looking in).

Here is the column.

A more extensive Turnberry review is in the works.

Reminder: Feherty Lands A New Trump Interview

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As Donald Trump heads to the Republican national convention to accept the nomination, David Feherty sits down on June 22 with the nominee (again).

    •     Why he doesn’t consider himself a politician
    •     U.S. Presidents playing golf
    •     Whether or not he will use a teleprompter at the Republican National Convention
    •     Reaction to the PGA TOUR’s decision to move its World Golf Championship (WGC) event from Trump’s Doral property in Miami to Mexico
    •     Distrust for the media: Trump – “The media to me is one of the most dishonest groups of people I’ve ever dealt with.”
    •     Golf’s return to the Olympic Games: Trump – “I think it’s a great thing for golf, having it in the Olympics”
    •     An admiration for professional golfers, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and today’s current wave of young stars
    •     His recent trip to Scotland for the reopening of Turnberry
    •     What’s next if he doesn’t win the presidential nomination
    •     Highlights from Feherty’s initial interview with Trump in May 2012

The first airing is Monday at 6 pm ET:

Lions Muni Added To National Register Of Historic Places

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Ralph K.M. Haurwitz of the Austin American-Statesman reports that Lions Municipal has been added to the National Register of Historic Places due to its place in the civil rights movement.

The University of Texas has wanted to convert course into mixed-use development. The centrally located course was home to Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite.

You can read up on some Save Muni posts here and here.

NBC's First Open Off To Solid Ratings Start

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Sports Media Watch breaks down some of the numbers and the real eye opener may be Saturday's third round out-rating the U.S. Open's, which was in the evening presumably when there would be more eyeballs. But who knows! Maybe golfers like their televised play early and June summer evening golf.

From SMW's report:

The 2.75 is the highest for third round coverage of the British Open since 2013 (3.1). The last time third round coverage aired on a broadcast network — ABC in 2009 — it earned a 2.4 overnight.

Of note, Saturday’s telecast scored a higher overnight than the third round of the U.S. Open on FOX (2.5). Keep in mind the U.S. Open aired in a later timeslot (11 AM-8 PM, versus 9 AM-2:30 PM).

Phil On The Difference Between A USGA And R&A Setup

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While we gradually wrap our heads around a historic Open Championship and I slowly collect some good reads, I didn't want to let Phil Mickelson's comments about the Royal Troon setup pass by without a little copy and pasting for future reference.

This was at the tale end of his post-65 final round press conference at Troon.

Q. For those who don't follow golf as closely as others might, can you explain the difference between how the USGA sets up a course for the U.S. Open and how the R&A sets up a course for the British Open? And do you prefer one over the other?

PHIL MICKELSON: I think that R&A sets the golf course up to be as fair as possible and to try to kind of identify who the best player is regardless of what the score is given the conditions and so forth. Sometimes it's 20-under. Sometimes people don't want that many under par. But the fact is if somebody plays some incredible golf, that's what it should do. You shouldn't have to mess with the course too much to try to control the score.

The USGA has it in their mind that the score needs to be par, so no matter what lines they have to cross to get there, that's got to be the standard, and it kind of disregards and doesn't take into account the difference in talent level and abilities that the players of today now have.

Q. Prefer one over the other?

PHIL MICKELSON: I prefer this one, yeah. I think that it's much more fair. I think we all enjoy it. But I'm also biased because I've won this one and I haven't won the other one, so I've got that working against me.

I wrote about Troon and the R&A's performance for the week in Golf World.

Shirtless Henrik Stenson To Us: "I'm a little hot"

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Arguably the most surreal element to Henrik Stenson's 20-under-par Open Championship win was his calm, cool demeanor and unusual (for him) fluid pace of play.

No moment was more bizarre than the 17th when Stenson arrived at the tee, fresh off a key birdie from the native rough left of the green to maintain his two stroke lead. As fast as he'd walked up to the tee, Stenson immediately walked back down the tight-mow walkway toward the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro and myself who were standing against the large scoreboard pondering the drama that had unfolded.

"Shield me," Stenson said to us as he had just finished taking off the shirt, revealing his abs to the crowd, and leaving him with just his under armor.

Stenson asked if he could moved behind us with the scoreboard as his backside shield, with only us and a day-glo clad policeman as his fronting shield, and then bared chest as he took off his undershirt while we awkwardly looked forward.

"I'm a little hot," he joked, a nice duel reference to the temperature and his ninth birdie of the day.

Indeed he was.

A few pictures and Tweets:


Me, pretending this was situation normal, while Cannizzarro is doing the more extensive reporting as Stenson takes off his shirt:

 

 

 

 

Stenson Wins The 2016 Open: Great Or Greatest Duel?

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Great duel or greatest duel?

Because of the names involved at Turnberry and the way things went back and forth, it will be hard for any duel to ever surpass Nicklaus and Watson in 1977. (BTW, epic moment on The Open radio when one of the commentators asked if there had ever been a duel like this...that was quickly explained away).

Woods and May at Valhalla was special in its own way, especially considering the David v. Goliath quality. And no doubt there are so many past duels that will be dug up and shared. (Another benefit of such a compelling finish.)

However, given the quality of the play by Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson, cases will be made that this was (A) in the conversation for all-time great major final rounds since Stenson was facing down his rival, and (B) the scoring separation was unprecedented.

A couple of Tweeted stats from Golf Channel's Justin Ray put the latter notion into perspective.

Being out on the course for the last portion it was almost a surreal exhibition of skill and class. Both players showed no signs of nerve and both played remarkably fast (but never rushed). It all happens so fast and both Mickelson and Stenson made the moment look so easy, putting what we saw into perspective can be tricky.

I'm going to write up a few things for my various publications but would love to hear your thoughts...

In Praise Of Slow Greens Files: Saturday At Royal Troon

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Dave Shedloski talked to a few players after Saturday's Open Championship third round when the R&A decided not to mow greens, leaving them at 9.5 on the Stimpmeter. Players were notified by text of the speed figure and plan to not mow.

First, we should commend the R&A for taking the cautious approach, learning from last year's St. Andrews no-play day fiasco. Woohoo!

The bigger question involves speed and the belief that faster surfaces are a greater test of skill. We know that speed is used to protect courses and certainly a reading of 14 will make players defensive. And slower to get around.

Saturday at Troon the scoring average was 73.370 and yet, twosomes got around in 3:30 generally because every 2 footer did not need to be marked.

Two players lead who are not known for their ability to make a lot of putts of late, yet they seem to be putting well. But you also don't sense there is an overemphasis on putting.

Yet this was an interesting take from the various comments Shedloski reports.

“If they were 10, you wouldn’t have to think about it [the pace]. You would be surprised,” he said.

“You would just be thinking about hitting a good putt. But once you get down to that sort of 9.5, even over an 8-footer you have to say to yourself, ‘Don’t forget to hit it.’ That’s not a good thought to have if you’re trying to hole a putt.”

Or, is it? After all, it's a putting stroke and act of skill to stroke it in a solid way that gets it to the hole, no?

Isn't that a more skillful act than merely starting it on a line?

Poll: Who Will Win The 2016 Open Championship?

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As John Huggan notes, Henrik Stenson is trying to shed a label as one of the best (arguably the best) player not to have won a major.

As I note at GolfDigest.com as well, Phil Mickelson was upbeat during a 1-under-par 70, with very specific swing work to button up with Andrew Getson for the finale at Royal Troon.

Mickelson said it is not a match play situation for him, but it is essentially a two-man race starting at 2:35 pm.

Before I enter the Internet and 21st century dead zone that is an R&A's handpicked media hotel, who do you like?

Who will win the 2016 Open Championship?
pollcode.com free polls

Spieth: I'd Be Getting Positive Questions If Not For 2015

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Jordan Spieth's logic seems perfectly reasonable: he gets negative questions about his 2016 game given that it's no where near his 2015 game. But given that he hasn't posted an under par score since the first round of the Masters and is skipping the Olympics for undisclosed health reasons, I'm not entirely sure the positive questions would be flowing, either.

The full clip after Spieth's 72 at Royal Troon leaving him at +5 for The Open.