Tiger: "We need to do something about the golf ball."

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As we had heard previewed a few weeks ago, Tiger Woods appears on Coach Geno Auriemma’s second “Holding Court” podcast and he gets much more insight than the traditional Tiger television interview.

Woods opens up about everything from technology to fly fishing to how he pays his caddie. Huge props to Coach Auriemma for asking great questions (and knowing the game and Tiger), but also to Tiger for doing a podcast where the conversational atmosphere leads to better insights. More than any interview I can recall, you hear him go into the kind of depth that shows how smart he is and how much thought he gives to all subjects.

I most enjoyed his thoughts on technology and the ball. Transcribed here for proper documentation as I'm sure his support of any effort to create a tournament ball will be very important.

After talking about persimmon and the differences in spin and accuracy of contact for his generation and today's stars, Coach asks "if they had to play with persimmon and the old balata balls, would they still be able to do it?"

No. Because we were taught to knock off spin and the new balls don’t spin a whole hell of a lot. They go a lot further and a lot straighter but they don’t spin. Well, now these guys, let’s say Bubba Watson, who curves the ball a ton with these harder balls. If he played a balata it might be coming back at him. Like a complete boomerang.

Auriemma then asks if Tiger would be in favor of any equipment changes in the game right now?

The only thing I would say is that we need to do something about the golf ball. I just think it’s going too far because we’re having to build golf courses…if you want to have a championship venue, they’ve got to be 73, 7400 yards long and if the game keeps progressing the way it is with technology, I think that the 8,000 yard golf course is not too far away. And that’s pretty scary. We don’t have enough property to be designing these types of golf courses. And it just makes it so much more complicated.

Oh to have been there when one of Tiger's really cool routings was spoiled by having to get more yardage. Welcome to the architectural migraine maker!

Coach asks if there is "any consensus on tour of how, is there some feeling on tour among the guys?"

Some of the guys say yes. The USGA is already looking at it. They’re doing some research on what the world would look like if you rolled it back 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent…the game of golf is on the kind of, there’s a down cycle as far as participation. We don’t have a whole lot of new golfers coming into the game. We don’t have any sustainability in the game as well. So, with that being said, you don’t want to give up the amateurs from hitting the ball further and straighter. But with the tour pros you might want to roll the ball back. The talks we’ve had on tour with the Commissioner and our board is where is the line of demarcation. Do we have it at PGA Tour levels, do we have it at the Web.com Tour level, do we have it at the mini-tour level, so there is that debate as well. I don’t see it happening in the near future but at least there’s talks about it now.

Keep talking Tiger, you are helping to make it happen.

Auriemma then talks about the modifications made in auto racing to keep tracks safe and relevant. Tiger offers this Wimbledon analogy:

I think a good analogy, or good comparison would be tennis. Back in 2001, 2000, somewhere in there, Goran Ivanisevic served over 200 aces for the fortnight, since then they’ve rolled the ball back, more fuzzy, a little heavier so the ball doesn’t travel as fast. They did the same thing at the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. So they’ve made alterations to the ball to accommodate the strength and the power of the equipment and the strings and the racket as well as the pure athleticism of the bigger servers. Well that’s the ball analogy with another sport so why can’t we do the same thing with another ball sport, golf, and slow it down just a little bit.

 

 

Someone Posts A 68 To President Trump's GHIN Account

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Given the circumstances--a Tuesday, a course rating of 66.1 and the unlikelihood our President posting a score these days even as he tees it up regularly--I'm guessing we'll find out this was a breach of Donald Trump's handicap. Shocking, I know!

Nonetheless, Golf.com's Dylan Dethier has tried to piece together the oddities of the posting, including this:

The round of 68 is listed as an "away" round, suggesting it wasn't played at one of the president's home courses. The course rating is also oddly low: 66.1, a far cry from the ratings and tee boxes Trump normally favors, which range from the low- to mid-70s.

As is often the case with President Trump, the story raises far more questions than answers. Where and when was this round of 68 played? Why did he choose to post this score, and no others since June of 2016?

Shirtless Shark's Plan To Shatter The Governing Body "Cast Iron" Comes In The Form Of A Fancier Golf Cart

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Greg Norman signed with Verizon through 2024 and has teased us repeatedly with suggestions of forthcoming plan to revolutionize the game. The development price tag has been put at $11 million.

When you read about the big announcement he finally made, remember this prediction from December last year:

“In the middle second quarter of next year, I’ll invite you guys down to my office,” he said. “We will tell you exactly how we’re going to break this cast iron that’s been wrapped around golf for so long. We’re going to shatter it. The institutions (USGA, R&A, PGA of America, PGA Tour) will eventually buy into it because they will have to buy into it. They won’t have a choice.”

Ok, so it was the four quarter.

And there was a press day attended as seen in this Golf.com video showing the huge, huge launch of this game-changing announcement fancy golf cart that will play "your" walk up music, give you game highlights and tips from the guy who would not play golf with the media.

Max Adler at GolfDigest.com got that special call down to the office and was one of four publications to actually acknowledge the much ballyhood announcement.

As fortunes go, I had the unique opportunity of previewing Shark Experience with Greg Norman driving. Last week at the Breakers Hotel Ocean Course in Palm Beach—a fun little 6,200-yard gem built in 1896, though where not long ago Brooks Koepka worked folding sweaters—Norman took turns playing holes with various members of the media. Actually, Greg didn’t hit any shots—he’s played just five rounds since March, and the PNC Father/Son Challenge in December will be his first competitive event in years—but rode with me as I played.

Maybe he just loves the cart so much he can't take his eyes off of it?

Seriously though, the Shark's onto something: the future of golf is not playing, just driving around golf courses listening to music, watching highlights and getting tips if we ever wanted to play!

In this pitch to Golf.com, Norman says it's TopGolf, only in your cart. I certainly can see how the music and opportunity to have a live sporting event on are great additions for those grown folks who like to take carts. Such amenities, depending on the cost, might even get people to play when they otherwise would have stayed home. But given the murky details on cost to golfers or courses, the entire thing feels like a half-baked rollout.

Looking at Google News, the big launch got a total of three listings. There were two additional items not picked up by Google on Golf Advisor and Golf.com:

Clicking on "View all" gets you this...


That said, there is more promotion to come and maybe the entire thing will lead to the PGA of America, USGA, PGA Tour, R&A and others closing up shop and turning the keys over to the Shirtless one.

Speaking of his propensity to disrobe, the Shark appeared in Golf.com's offices to film what appears to be a Sportscenter-like promo. His Shirtlessness earned him a long Daily Mail roundup of his most bizarre Instagram posts as a result of today's posting from Time, Inc:

Had a little fun filming something at the @golf_com offices today...

A post shared by Greg Norman (@shark_gregnorman) on Nov 2, 2017 at 12:29pm PDT

 

Some of my favorite comments on the post:

mattw12  Was it a porno? Where’s your shirt!

dazblenk  For a bloke who has a whole clothing line, you seem a little light on in the shirt department lately

rad_build  Dude, seriously, we get it. We. Get. It.

tv.griffiths  Even Adam Scott in the background is turning around and thinking WTF?! 😂😉

fineartbylorikostur   Looks like a dad fart

Olympic Club And PGA Of America To Wed Next Wednesday: '28 PGA And '32 Ryder Cup

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Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the PGA of America has agreed with Olympic Club to host the 2028 PGA Championship and 2032 Ryder Cup. I have also confirmed the news with a source and will discuss on Friday's Morning Drive around 10 am ET.

Kroichick notes this:

That’s big news in golf circles, because the club’s Lake Course has hosted the Open five times, from Jack Fleck stunning Ben Hogan in 1955 to Webb Simpson winning in 2012. The United States Golf Association, the organization that runs America’s national championship, offered the 2027 U.S. Open to the Olympic Club, but contract talks stalled over the past several months.

Then the USGA — sensing Olympic might accept the Ryder Cup/PGA offer instead, according to one source — announced Oct. 24 that Pebble Beach would host the ’27 Open.

Here is an analysis of the Pebble Beach announcement that was part of this equation.

Sports Industry Execs: NBA The Hottest Property For Sponsors, PGA Tour Not So Much

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Given that they have one vote, no one would expect a post-Tiger PGA Tour to get many votes. But to get fewer than NASCAR? 

Darren Rovell tweeted the poll results from a September Turnkey Sports Poll of 2000 sports industry executives:

Video: Tony Robbins And Fish-Friendly Golf Balls

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H/T to Christopher Powers at GolfDigest.com for catching this Business Insider video piece on Tony Robbins. Besides getting to see what kind of second homes motivational speaking and Mercedes voiceovers will pay for, it's a great chance to see Albus Golf's "fish balls" put into use.

We saw them a few years ago pre-Abu Dhabi championship for a contest between Fowler/McIlroy/Rose and Stenson, but this piece actually shows us how the balls react once in the water. Very, very cool!




"What 8 Golfers and Fans Wore to the Presidents Club"

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Fun slideshow posted on Halloween of all days showing what "8 Golfers and Fans Wore to the Presidents Club" by the New York Times' John Ortved.

Rickie reps the USA and Anirban the International team.

Of course, the description was funny:

With spectators gathered, top American players including Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson managed to retain their trophy against opponents including Canada’s Bob Weir and India’s Anirban Lahiri. Yes, it was a sea of polo shirts and khakis, but not all polo shirts are equal. Here’s a sampling of what golfers and their fans wore.

Mike Weir did drive good cart.

Best Of Halloween Golf Costumery: Putter Boy

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Just tremendous on many levels...

The best golf-related #Halloween costume EVER. #pinehurst #pinehurstresort

A post shared by Pinehurst Resort (@pinehurstresort) on

Arnold Palmer No. 2 Of Top-Earning Celebs Who Have Passed

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Zack O'Malley Greenburg summarizes the Forbes list of deceased celebrity earners and while Michael Jackson's catalog continues to sell, Arnold Palmer's brand continues to thrive a year since his passing.

Greenburg writes:

Golf legend Arnold Palmer claims the No. 2 spot with $40 million. Barely a year after his death, more than 400 stores still sell Palmer-branded apparel in Asia, and AriZona Beverages produces 400 million cans of its Arnold Palmer line annually. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz ranks third with income of $38 million—MetLife recently retired Snoopy and Charlie Brown from its ad campaigns, but the cartoonist’s contract does not expire until 2019.

Politico: "Trump finds golf isn't the way to Congress' heart"

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As President Donald Trump prepares to embark on an 11-day trip through Asia scheduled to include golf with Prime Minister Abe and Hideki Matsuyama, Darren Samuelson considers how the game is helping his relationship with Congress.

Schedules, it seems, are not leading to golf games that include talk of business, Samuelson writes.

Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican ranked by Golf Digest last year as the best golfer among members of Congress, said he had just discussed playing 18 holes with Trump when the president visited the Capitol for a GOP luncheon earlier this week.

“I’ve been invited for sure,” Perdue said. But Perdue said that finding a date in recent weeks has been challenging because of his commitments back in Georgia.

While Perdue said he expects to talk political shop when he does finally play golf with Trump, he also expects the round to be heavy on the social side.

“I’m not sure he’s using it as a tool,” Perdue said. “It’s a personal thing to do. This man has friends and uses it that way. He uses it to get relaxation. He uses it to think.

A Sunday game with with three legislators was rained out, which would have been his 79th day at one of his golf properties since becoming President.

Roundup: Tiger's Coming Back (Again)

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Steve DiMeglio with the USA Today take on Tiger announcing a December return to the Hero World Challenge, just as Hank Haney guaranteed.

I wrote about why I'm buying stock in Tiger this time around for the weekly Golfweek and now posted online. This was before we knew of the Hero entry today, but with all signs pointing to a comeback (again).

And some of the same points are noted by Will Gray at GolfChannel.com. In particular: Tiger's lighter and more open approach:

To his credit, Woods appears to have used his time away from the game to turn over a new, self-deprecating leaf. He grinned his way around Liberty National as an assistant captain and displayed a level of self-awareness with his “return of the stinger” tweet last week that would have seemed out of place a decade ago.

Even Monday’s announcement included a reference to the “committee of 1” which granted Woods, the tournament host, an exemption specifically reserved for the tournament host.

The thought of a largely healthy Woods returning to action is tantalizing enough, but for that same player to be willing to have a little fun while trying to keep up with players half his age? The internet has combusted over less.

Ryan Lavner summarizes the views of Notah Begay, who is pleasantly surprised but how quickly things are going all of a sudden after Tiger showed great patience in his latest rehab process.

Here he was explaining:

Jason Sobel at ESPN.com reminds us to not get carried away with some of the deja vu all over again aspects to this.

Woods made a similar return from injury at this same event last year, finishing in a share of last place among those who completed four rounds, but in a tie for the tournament lead in birdies with eventual champion Hideki Matsuyama.

A month later, Woods missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, which was followed by the withdrawal in Dubai a week later.

ESPN's Bob Harig explains how Tiger green-lit this comeback and says the Hero World Challenge is "a nice soft landing" spot.


Before the news, Damon Hack and I discussed the different signs this time around:

Not Everyone Is Ashamed Of Their Golf Ties: Actor Christopher McDonald DUI Edition

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Now I know it's been a rough patch for golf of late, what with OJ Simpson rushing to get a club in his hand within hours of leaving prison and an assortment of other shady characters attaching themselves to the royal and ancient game.

But look at the case of actor Christopher McDonald. With a mile-long oeuvre that includes roles in Thelma & Louise, Fatal Instinct, Unforgettable and even television roles on Boardwalk Empire and Law & Order, McDonald could have name-dropped none of those award-worthy artistic vehicles.

Instead, after crashing his Porsche in Lake Arrowhead, he touted his work in Happy Gilmore to the arresting officers. TMZ says the officers weren't impressed to be in the midst of Shooter McGavin.

I believe in this time of crisis and irresponsible living (this is DUI 2!) which should get him forbidden from ever driving a car again, we still need to support McDonald for not shying away from the game he clearly loves (and still earns nice residuals from).

Tiger Woods To Play In 2017 Hero World Challenge!

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Fantastic news!

For Immediate:

TIGER WOODS TO PLAY IN 2017 HERO WORLD CHALLENGE
 
Tournament Host Tiger Woods to make his return to competitive golf at Albany, Bahamas. Woods and Daniel Berger round out the 18-player field. Tickets available at HeroWorldChallenge.com
 
ALBANY, Bahamas – Following nine months away from competitive golf, tournament host Tiger Woods is set to make his return at the 2017 Hero World Challenge Nov. 30 - Dec. 3 at Albany, Bahamas.
 
“I am excited to return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge,” Woods said. “Albany is the perfect setting and it will be great to join this outstanding field. I want to thank Pawan Munjal and Hero MotoCorp for their continued support of this tournament and my foundation. I would also like to thank the fans for their unwavering support during my injury.”
 
Woods, whose TGR Live organization manages the Hero World Challenge, is a five-time winner of the event. Tiger Woods Foundation is the event’s charitable beneficiary along with the Tavistock Foundation and Bahamas Youth Foundation.
 
Joining Woods in the 2017 Hero World Challenge field is Daniel Berger. Woods and Berger round out the final two spots in the elite 18-player Hero World Challenge field. Berger is coming off one of his best years as a professional, earning his second career PGA TOUR win and representing the United States in the Presidents Cup.
 
2017 Hero World Challenge field:
Name (Official World Golf Ranking as of 9/25/17), Country
 
Dustin Johnson (1), USA
Jordan Spieth (2), USA
Hideki Matsuyama (3), Japan
Justin Thomas (4), USA
Jason Day (7), Australia
Rickie Fowler (8), USA
Brooks Koepka (11), USA
Matt Kuchar (12), USA
Justin Rose (13), England
Alex Noren (14), Sweden
Marc Leishman (16), Australia
Tommy Fleetwood (17), England
Francesco Molinari (18), Italy
Patrick Reed (20), USA
Charley Hoffman (23), USA
Kevin Kisner (24), USA
Tiger Woods (tournament host), USA
Daniel Berger (exemption), USA

He's Back! Paul Casey Will Be Eligible For 2018 Ryder Cup

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Besides being one of the world's most consistent players and a fantastic match play golfer with a stellar record in the format, sophisticated world traveler Paul Casey knows when there's a Ryder Cup to be eligible for.

Paris, Versailles, here he comes! From Alistair Tait's Golfweek.com report on Casey re-upping his European Tour membership:

“As hard as it was trying to make it work three years ago – struggling with my game, dropping out of the top 50 – I have missed it (the European Tour) too much,” Casey said. “I have missed my contribution to English golf, British golf, my contribution to Europe.”