Report: Tiger And Ernie To Captain 2019 Presidents Cup Teams
/Interesting news, reported by Alex Miceli at Morning Read.com.
He says an announcement is expected Tuesday at Bay Hill.
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
Golf's "Modernized" Rules Finalized: OB Local Rule Option Added, Drop Height Moved To Knee Height
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There appear to be two key changes in the rollout since public comments were requested. While those who voiced concern about taping of lines on putts were not heard, two other areas have been addressed. You can watch a more comprehensive listing of the rules changes with a video feature including David Rickman and Thomas Pagel.
Note the bifurcation established between the everyday amateur game and competitive golf on the lost ball and OB situations.
For Immediate Release:
Golf's Modernized Rules Released
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., USA, and ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (March 12, 2018) – The USGA and The R&A have unveiled the new Rules of Golf, to be implemented January 1, 2019.
The USGA and The R&A finalized golf’s new Rules this month after an extensive review that included a request for feedback from the global golf community on the proposed changes. Golfers can now access the official 2019 Rules of Golf by visiting RandA.org or usga.org/rules.
The process to modernize the Rules began in 2012 and was initiated to ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to make the game more attractive and accessible for newcomers.
While the majority of proposed Rules remain intact in the final version, several important changes to the initial proposals and further clarification of many Rules were incorporated. The most significant adjustments made following review of the feedback received from golfers around the world include:
Dropping procedure: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).
Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in his/her bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, providing a consistent process for golfers to establish his/her relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).
Removing the penalty for a double hit: The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 retained the existing one-stroke penalty).
Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change: this is a new addition to support pace of play)
“We’re thankful for the golfers, administrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said Thomas Pagel, USGA Senior Director of Rules & Amateur Status. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the new Rules ahead of the education process and their implementation.”
David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said, “We are pleased to be introducing the new Rules of Golf after a collaborative and wide-ranging review process which has embraced the views of golfers, Rules experts and administrators worldwide. We believe that the new Rules are more in tune with what golfers would like and are easier to understand and apply for everyone who enjoys playing this great game.”
Major proposals introduced in 2017 that have been incorporated into the modernized Rules include:
Elimination or reduction of “ball moved” penalties: There will be no penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player will not be responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that he or she did so.
Relaxed putting green rules: There will be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flagstick in the hole; players may putt without having the flagstick attended or removed. Players may repair spike marks and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green and there is no penalty for merely touching the line of putt.
Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (currently called “water hazards”): Red- and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.
Relaxed bunker rules: There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a bunker or for generally touching the sand with a hand or club. A limited set of restrictions (such as not grounding the club right next to the ball) is kept to preserve the challenge of playing from the sand; however, an extra relief option is added for an unplayable ball in a bunker, allowing the ball to be played from outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty.
Relying on player integrity: A player’s “reasonable judgment” when estimating or measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance will be upheld, even if video evidence later shows it to be wrong; and elimination of announcement procedures when lifting a ball to identify it or to see if it is damaged.
Pace-of-play support: Reduced time for searching for a lost ball (from five minutes to three); affirmative encouragement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and other changes intended to help with pace of play.
Hensby: "I believe there are guys who are higher-profile players that have probably tested positive and it’s gone by the wayside."
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Suspended for a year after not taking a post-round drug test, PGA Tour player Mark Hensby says he's remorseful and also disturbed by the length of his suspension given that he did not actually test positive for a performance enhancing drug.
Eamon Lynch reports for Golfweek on Hensby's spirits after his year-long suspension started and after joining some other little-known players who have received very stiff sentences for their mistakes.
Hensby insists a brighter star would have been treated differently.
“Maybe they did make an example of me. PGA Tour players talk. We all know what goes on. I believe there are guys who are higher-profile players that have probably tested positive and it’s gone by the wayside. Unless you have proof of that …” His voice trails off and he shrugs his shoulders. “The Tour’s always going to say that’s not true.”
ShackHouse 56: Tiger At The Valspar, Mike Tirico Of NBC Sports
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We wrap up Tiger Woods' second place finish at the Valspar, Patrick Reed's 18th hole misery, preview the Arnold Palmer Invitational and welcome back Mike Tirico of NBC Sports (24:22).
The Art19 listening link is here.
The iTunes page is here. Episode 56 is here.
As always, ShackHouse is brought to you by Callaway, sponsors of the Callaway FanBeat Challenge Presented by Golf Channel runs for two more weeks, so brush up on your Arnold Palmer trivia and sharpen those predictive skills!
Here's the link if you haven't tried.
Now, about the Knock Off The Rust contest discussed at the end of this week's show, just go post your totals as outlined at the show end, and the winners of each category are in for a Rogue Driver and Ogio bag courtesy of House!
Registration is simple, and a Squarespace "account" will not subject you to emails or lists. Or there is the option to use your social accounts. This is the message you will receive on mobile:
This week's show can be listened to here, or via your subscription wherever podcasts are streamed.
Roundup: Casey Pulls Off Valspar Win, Tiger Finishes Second
/Steve DiMeglio leads with Tiger in his USA Today game story, but quickly turns to Paul Casey's rewrite of the fairytale script.
Doug Ferguson in his AP gamer says a long victory drought was broken...Paul Casey's. But you have to love Casey, one of golf's best interviews, openly acknowledging the joy brought by merely sharing leaderboard space with Woods.
Bob Harig recounts the final day at Innisbrook Tiger's quotes about not playing the par-5s better stands out and the likely difference between second and a win.
Jason Sobel has no doubt Tiger will win again.
Golfweek's Dan Kilbridge focuses on Casey's remarks about the joys of winning as an old guy in a young man's game.
Alex Kirshner of SB Nation has the roundup on Patrick Reed's last hole, uh, what's the word I'm going for here...uh...miscalculation. Sadly his first shot is not posted anywhere officially but you can see it in the Twitter replies. For now.
As Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com, even Casey was rooting for Tiger.
“I actually thought he was going to win today before the round started. I thought it was just teed up beautifully for him,” said Casey, who birdied three consecutive holes starting at the 11th and scrambled for pars at the three closing holes on his way to a 6-under 65 and a 10-under total.
Karen Crouse of the New York Times on caddie Joe LaCava finally getting to see signs of the old Tiger, and his bosses praise for his work.
Casey explained what all of the 17th tee discussion was about and Hoggard reported on a mistaken yardage rectified in time.
Some of the more important Tweets, starting with Tiger's.
The tour did a roundup of celebrity Tweets and other excitement over Tiger's return to contention.
Highlights, both of the round four variety and Tiger's putt on 17.
Saturday Instagram: Tiger's Clubhead Speed, Mullinex's Hospitality Recovery, Pressel's Ace & The Ryder Cup First Tee Is A Cart Driver's Dream
/With this tee shot, Tiger Woods recorded the fastest recorded clubhead speed on the PGA Tour this 2018 season.
Standing room only at the Valspar thanks to Tiger.
Trey Mullinax hit a recovery shot from the hospitality tent Saturday at the Valspar.
Morgan Pressel made her 14th hole-in-one Saturday.
The Europeans are very excited about their Ryder Cup first tee grandstand. This digital rendering suggests it will fantastic views of the cart paths where assistant captains and their drivers should have plenty of parking!
Golf.com Emergency Confidential: The Distance Debate
/The Golf gang has plenty to say about the distance debate and while it is filled with plenty of smart stuff, the divide in what to do mirrors many of the reactions we heard this week.
As always, please hit the link and enjoy the opinions, but this portion of the exchange resonated most with me:
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, GOLF: It’s not the spike. It’s the overall pattern since 1980. All sports evolve. Golf has changed too much.
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, GOLF (@AlanShipnuck): More monitoring? Oh joy. Haven’t they already been studying this issue for years/decades? I’m exhausted.
Dylan Dethier, associate editor, GOLF.com (@Dylan_Dethier): It concerns me because it pushes the golf world closer to fixing a problem for which there is no clean solution. Change is hard!
Jessica Marksbury, senior editor, GOLF.com (@Jess_Marksbury): Yes, Dylan! It’s obvious something needs to be done, but what? Golf is still hard, no matter how far you hit the ball.
Josh Sens, contributing writer, GOLF: I don’t want to torture an analogy or overstate the importance of the distance issue, but there are elements here that remind me of the climate change debate. Most people looking at facts have known for a long time that it’s a runaway problem. But the official response is mostly just talk. Big financial interests are at stake, of course, further complicating any plan of action. A gloom-and-doomer might take the view that we’re beyond the tipping point, too late to go back.
Tiger Giving Valspar Championship A Nice Ratings Bump
/The numbers over the first two days suggest a huge Tiger bump, especially considering day one was a Thursday telecast.
Friday's telecast did not feature live golf from Woods, but still drew well:
Roundup: Tiger One Back Headed Into Valspar Final Round, Seeks First Win Since 2013
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ESPN.com's Bob Harig lists some fairly staggering numbers reflecting Tiger's longevity, consistency and reinforcing the intrigue level as he seeks his 80th PGA Tour win Sunday.
Tiger downplayed the win possibilities given the many names in contention, writes GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard.
Tiger Tracker rounds up his thoughts from the day, including the 14 of 18 greens performance.
Your tee times and final round TV info from Golfweek.
Joe LaCava says Tiger's 67 in front of massive crowds felt like old times, and other insights from Woods' bagman as reported by Will Gray.
Tiger's extended highlights include a nice chip-in at No. 9, followed by the overall round 4 highlights from PGA Tour Entertainment.
Instagram Roundup: Retro Pavin, Durness Golf, Curling And Golf Mix, Very Fancy Footwork
/As the PGA Tour Champions arrives in Southern California for the Toshiba Classic, UCLA golf welcomed some of their greats back with old photos, including Corey Pavin with a sweet Jones bag!
Ru Macdonald played the most northerly golf course on the Scottish mainland, Durness, and posted images worth checking out. What a place.
The gold medal-winning U.S. men’s curling team stopped in Anthony Taranto’s work station for some custom wedges.
Some golf curling action…
Some amazing footwork!
Rory: "It's not the ball, it's not the equipment, it's the people that have got more athletic and have more speed."
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A Sky Sports roundup at the Valspar Championship talks to European players commenting on the distance debate includes Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.
All downplay any issues for different reasons, but McIlroy's comments were of note given his views on equipment influences.
"For me there's no concern. It's not the ball, it's not the equipment, it's the people that have got more athletic and have more speed.
"The guys train better, they know what they're doing more, they have Trackmans so they can figure out how to swing it fasters and be more efficient. It's not the golf balls, it's not the golf clubs, I think it's just fine the way it is."
So if the equipment is not a factor--a farcical statement but let's work with the theory--then what's the harm in tweaks to the rules for elite players to keep courses a sustainable distance?
I'm not sure I understand the line of rhetorical questions posed by Rose:
"Is the golf ball going further? Yes. Are we stronger? Yes. Is it a problem? Golf isn't getting any easier for the amateur and it isn't getting much easier for the pro.
"Are we getting make some courses obsolete by the distances we're hitting? Yes, but then again great designed golf courses don't need to be long."
So they're obsolete, but the courses do not need to respond to a changing game?
Obsolete would imply they are outmoded and in need of replacement.
Onward...
A Thermal Exhaust Port In The PGA Of America's Distance Poll?
/In his daily newsletter, The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson points out questions about the PGA of America's distance survey methodology.
You may recall that the organization took a stand against rolling back the distance of the golf ball, specifically citing the ball and taking a stance against a position that had not been officially suggested by the USGA and R&A's distance report issued on Monday.
Besides taking a premature stand before polling its membership for views from the trenches, the poll itself struck many as odd. Including Johnson, who writes in his daily newsletter of CEO Pete Bevacqua's organizational stance and subsequent polling:
Perhaps in an effort to swiftly bolster his quick statement, the PGA solicited the opinion of its members via a "survey" sent via email to its 29,000 members. The "survey" looks like it was put together by a high school intern and shuns virtually any semblance of scientific poll-taking. The "survey" can be completed by anyone with the link, and (at least to outward appearances) responses can be submitted as many times as one likes. It is, by any definition, completely worthless.
Since the PGA of America has forfeited any pretense of fairness in this "survey," go ahead and vote yourself! You, non-PGA professional, can express your voice by voting here at the link.
I asked the PGA of America for an explanation and here is the response:
The questions were formulated with the help of the National Golf Foundation. Only PGA member votes are recorded and only their first time accessing the poll counts. There will be no multiple votes counted by any single PGA member and, in addition, no non-PGA member votes are recorded in any manner.
While that is comforting, it seems odd that there were no cookies telling me I had already voted or telling me I'm not a PGA of America member and therefore the vote will not count.
This vulnerability in the thermal exhaust port is all probably a moot point given that the PGA of America board has already decided where it stands.
"This is a simulation. (And it's still golf!)"
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Luke Kerr-Dineen challenges the golf industry to grow the game via simulators, arguing (correctly) that they are more space friendly and more visually interesting compared to a Topgolf.
While perhaps they lack the huge community vibe of a Topgolf, the intimacy of the experience, if presented properly, seems a more logical way to bring golf to people in places where they don't easily have access to it.
Kerr-Dineen writes for Golf World:
The golf industry often talks about the need for a cheaper, faster experience to grow the game. If the success of Topgolf and Golfzon prove anything, it's that people happily flood into golf when the prohibitive barriers to entry are lowered. But unlike Topgolf, golf simulators can be brought closer to people because they require less space to build. They also present a uniquely natural bridge to traditional golf: The courses people play exist, after all, the equipment people use is real, and the game you're playing isn't golf-inspired. It's a simulation of golf itself.
To truly thrive among today's generation, golf needs to go where the people are. It needs to embrace its cities, and use golf simulators as its vehicle to doing so. Only then will the game thrive for generations to come.
PGA Of America Denies Imminent Move To Frisco, Sort Of
/Brad Townsend of the Dallas News considers the news of a possible PGA of America move to Frisco, Texas where 36-holes would also be built and majors possibly contested.
Townsend weighs the PGA of America's denial that a decision has been made to leave West Palm Beach. The organization has been headquartered there since 1982.
"Last year we issued a request for proposal to a number of markets that are potentially well-suited and interested in developing a new headquarters campus for us. The due diligence phase is ongoing and no decisions have been made."
On Thursday morning the Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte reported that a late-January internal email alerted PGA of America employees to the fact that the association is considering a move to Frisco. The email, however, also stated that the PGA might remain in Palm Beach Gardens, where it has been headquartered since 1982.
Townsend speculates that the move may be a bargaining chip play and tied to the PGA's COO's desires.
North Texas, however, has a powerful connection in PGA of America Chief Operating Officer Darrell Crall, formerly the longtime executive director of the PGA's Dallas-based Northern Texas Section.
Crall's current formal job description: "Directs day-to-day operations at PGA Headquarters and is charged with oversight of the PGA's organizational growth, strategic plan, performance goals and priorities, and annual budget execution."
Here is Tim Rosaforte's Golf Central report on the possible move.
Debating The Best At Streamsong
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I think you'll enjoy the different takes on the Red (Coore and Crenshaw), Blue (Doak) and Black (Hanse) courses at Streamsong compiled by Jason Scott Deegan, who also participated.
He is joined by Matt Ginella, Brad Klein, Brandon Tucker and Mike Bailey in the showdown. (Viewers/readers were polled and the unscientific results had the Red Course as clear winner).
