Pebble Beach Flyovers: Eleventh And Twelfth Holes

Back in 1929 this well-bunkered green was created think of 3 iron approaches, now of course it’s little more than a flip wedge for the players who hit driver. Probably the smallest and least-functional green on the property due to hears of flying sand shots and faster green speeds, the 11th is down to about 100 square foot area to place holes at the traditional U.S. Open pace.

The overall architectural deterioration here gives critics of the inland holes very reasonable ammunition in making their case against Pebble Beach. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The fairway contour has been significantly reduced since this flyover and hugs the right this time around:

The par-3 12th is another odd one when the U.S. Open comes and firms things up. The bunker face is at its highest and most penal on the right portion where most daily-fee golfers have hit the ball over the years. It’s a pretty common sign of age and should have been addressed long ago since it discourages a direct shot at the center hole locations, while the more left the pin goes, the more accessible it becomes all due to the bunker face build up.

There can be a bit of a Redan component here but the opening is so slight that modern players seem to just take their chances getting up and down from the front bunker or from the rear rough. The green has also lost many great wing hole locations due to a square footage deterioration.

Revised: U.S. Women's Open Final Round Draws Just A .5

Paulsen at Sports Media Watch waits for the final rating (not the overnight) and it’s an all-time low for the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open.

The fall of this event in terms of viewership from the Sorenstam days is shocking:

As recently as three years ago, final round coverage had a comparably healthy 0.9 and 1.31 million. Five years ago, when Michelle Wie won, the final round had a 1.4 and 2.04 million on NBC. Thirteen years ago, when Annika Sörenstam last won, ratings and viewership reached as high as 3.1 and 4.28 million.

Keep in mind that coverage aired directly opposite the final round of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament, which featured Tiger Woods (2.1, 2.96M). While last year’s coverage also faced the Memorial, the PGA Tour event aired primarily on tape delay due to rain.

The final round was no match for the corresponding days of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur (0.9, 1.36M) or last year’s Women’s British Open (0.7, 964K).

Remembering Samuel Morse And His Insistence On Golf Along The Cliffs

Many names will bandied about next week during the U.S. Open, but only one is genuinely and only the reason we will be enjoying another national championship at Pebble Beach.

Founder Samuel Morse is profiled by Jim Nantz in this excellent Golf Digest piece on the great man’s vision, life and a fun cocktail hour chat with his late daughter.

Oh, and we should remember his lender too, particularly with the Wodehouse name and bank.

In his grandson Charles Osborne’s fabulous 2018 biography, Boss: The Story of S.F.B Morse, the Founder of Pebble Beach, he talks of how Morse in 1918 was riding his horse, Moonlight, around Pebble Beach, imagining what it could become, when he was called to a meeting with Crocker, in which he revealed his desire to have Crocker help with financing so Morse could make the purchase himself. Crocker demurred because he didn’t want to essentially be both seller and buyer. Morse struck out on his own and a short time later obtained the $1.3 million financing through a bond offering arranged by Herbert Fleishhacker of the Anglo California National Bank in San Francisco.

One other important note about Morse: legend says that Jack Neville’s first routing for Pebble Beach featured homes on the clifftops, golf holes inland. He was doing what any sensible real estate man would do, but Morse declared the golf took priority, otherwise the entire development would not succeed. Lewis Lapham explained this for GolfDigest.com back in 2010.

Regarding Morse, you can seem some memorabilia related to his life at Golf Links to the Past (where Nantz details having bought some of Morse’s original paintings).

There is also a new biography of Morse available in the shop and listed at Amazon. I believe author Charles Osborne will be signing at some point during U.S. Open week.

New PGA Tour Event In Bermuda Should Help Highlight Close Of Hurricane Season

Oh bless those playing opportunities and so what if once every five years or so the tournament is impacted by hurricanes. Golf needed an opposite field event HSBC Champions week in the fall.

And now it has one.

But What About Those Wyndham Rewards Points, Brooks? Koepka Says Canadian Result Doesn't Matter

Well, doesn’t REALLY matter, if that makes the folks ponying up millions for the FedExCup and Wyndham Rewards chases. (I’d tell you the leaders, but I know you’ve been studying the races and it would be redundant).

Either, the point is, majors are really that all that matter to the stars. Good for the majors, good for the game, not so great for points chases. From Ryan Lavner’s GolfChannel.com story from the RBC Canadian where Brooks Koepka is tuning up for Pebble Beach’s U.S. Open.

“I could care less what happens,” he said. “I just want to feel good going into next week. As long as I can leave feeling confident, striking the ball very well, starting it where I want to, finishing where I want to, hitting some good putts ... it doesn’t matter if they do go in or not. I just want to feel confident leaving.”

Koepka has played the week before all four of his major victories, and he pointed to the fact that he’s won back-to-back U.S. Opens despite finishing 30th or worse in each of his tune-up starts at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

“The result doesn’t really matter this week,” he said. “It’s just how I feel I’ve played. Am I hitting enough good shots and really finding a rhythm?”

But think of the points Brooks! For the children. And the VP’s whose bonuses depend on them.

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Ninth And Tenth Holes

Anyone who doesn’t stop and ponder their fortunate fate when on the 9th hole is missing out, as the view toward Carmel and beyond never gets tiresome.

That said, the 9th as a piece of architecture, has some issues.

Players in last summer’s U.S. Amateur were less than enthralled with the new 526-yard tee leaving an awkward decision. Many actually hit 3-wood and even a few irons late in the day, leaving their ball atop the hill instead of an undesirable hanging lie and stance. There is a definite advantage for bombers here to play the hole as it had been attacked before the latest tee was added to offset the amazing modern athleticism delivered by Trackman.

Originally the fairway spilled down to the right next to the ocean. It would appear the tees were positioned to hit into that fairway and a lovely spot exists to restore such a tee. But the hole would play very short in a world where players better manage their rest to hit the ball longer than the geeks of yesteryear.

Either way, the 1929 renovation of Pebble Beach by Chandler Egan appeared to present a far more interesting and complicated hole.

The USGA’s flyover:

The 10th is far less complicated but beautiful in the simple way it fits the landscape. It’s as demanding as they come but also sadly missing some great hole locations back left and front/middle right near the water’s edge.

Mark Broadie's New Scoring Volatility Measure And Tiger's 2000 Season In Perspective

Strokes Gained founder Mark Broadie has developed another stat called scoring volatility and introduces it at Golf.com.

Now, you may say this one tells us what we already knew: some people make a lot of pars and play steady, boring golf. Like Ryan Moore and Billy Horschel, two recent leaders in non-volatility. Others make plenty of birdies and plenty of bogies.

But as with Strokes Gained, Broadie’s managed to craft a statistic allowing us as fans to put the magnificence of a performance into perspective, while also highlighting what may or may not be holding someone back.

So Broadie went back to Tiger’s epic 2000 season and made some amazing calculations. Certainly read the piece for full context, but this is amazing in terms of putting the greatness of a season-long performance into perspective:

That season, Woods made bogey or worse on a mere eight percent of the holes he played. (The PGA Tour average was 19 percent that season.) Tiger also comes out on top on the birdie side of the ledger—again during the 2000 season—where he won nine events, including three majors.

That year, Woods scored birdie or better at an astounding 32 percent clip, 12 percentage points higher than the Tour average.

The Thinking Behind Pebble Beach's U.S. Open Has Nothing To Do With The Patriots Logo, Really

Even though Pebble Beach Company CEO Bill Perocchi calls himself the “biggest Patriot fan in California” and worked with the agency developing this year’s U.S. Open logo, I’m sure there was not Patriots influence whatsoever in the crafting process. None!

According to Golf.com’s Jessica Marksbury, the Hooray Agency’s Steve Seghers was looking to design a logo that “captured the legacy, the commitment to national pride, and the passion of golf and sport enthusiasts around the world".

Apparently the “wavy embellishment” under the lone Cypress “represents the crashing waves off Pebble’s 7th and 8th holes, as well as the wing of America’s national symbolic bird, the bald eagle,” and NOT the Patriots logo.

Furthermore, Marksbury writes, “each stripe on the wave embellishment represents a year that Pebble Beach has hosted the U.S. Open. There are six total: 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2019.”

And it’s just a coincidence that the Patriots have won….drum roll please, six Super Bowls since 2002.

R.I.P. Mark Parsinen

Here is an obituary for Golfweek I penned on a modern day visionary, Mark Parsinen, who may not have gotten the credit he deserved. Not only his impact on Scotland golf and the shift away from 90s excess, but one of the most important figures in sending the sport back to admiring and demanding classically-inspired golf courses.

Remembrances and tributes…

From Richard Humphreys at Golf Architecture.

Martin Dempster writing for The Scotsman.

Bradley Klein for GolfAdvisor.com.

View this post on Instagram

We lost a great one today. Mark Parsinen, our partner in the design of Castle Stuart passed away after suffering a stroke at age 70. I am a much better golf course architect for having worked with Mark, and a much better person for knowing him! Articulate, passionate, and a true thinker about golf course design, more people need to understand how brilliant he was. He gave us a canvas to work with him on that launched our career, and he was always there rooting us on! Keeping the golfer “hopeful and engaged” was his mantra when it came to design, and those are words I think of every time I am on site. On this sad day it is tough to be hopeful, but we must remain engaged in espousing the things he taught us! 😢💔

A post shared by Gil Hanse (@gil_hanse) on Jun 4, 2019 at 9:29am PDT

Loopers! Outstanding Documentary In Theaters Friday, Narrated By Bill Murray

It’s in the hole!

Loopers hits a hole in one!

Carl Spackler is back as a grizzled narrator!

Cannes, you missed out not showing Loopers.

Sorry, doing my worst KFRQ-TV movie ad blurb tryout.

We don’t get many great golf films so run out and see this wonderful look at all things caddie. Here’s the list of theaters and just some of the cameos include: Ben Crenshaw, Michael Greller, Carl Jackson, Rick Reilly, Nick Faldo, Greg Puga, Curtis Strange, Fanny Sunesson, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Steve Williams and Fuzzy Zoeller, plus rare footage from Augusta National!

Josh Sens with a rave review at Golf.com,

The full trailer:

For Immediate Release:

“Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk,” Narrated By Bill Murray, Debuts in U.S. Theaters Friday, June 7

CLEVELAND, OH, USA (June 4, 2019) – “Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk” (www.loopersmovie.com, @loopersthemovie), the most thorough feature-length film documentary ever developed on golf’s historic caddie profession, will make its nationwide theatrical debut on Friday, June 7, with approximately 100 locations in 30 states across the United States.

The film, narrated by famed actor and former caddie Bill Murray, has drawn critical acclaim in early 2019 with positive reviews and best documentary awards from the Cleveland International Film Festival in early April and the Newport Beach (CA) Film Festival in early May. The film concluded the film festival circuit last Sunday with the Greenwich, CT, International Film Festival.

The “Loopers” U.S. theatrical release begins on Friday, June 7 – the week before the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. A listing of locations, to be continually updated throughout June, is included at https://www.loopersmovie.com/see-the-movie.

Reviews of the film have touted the film’s accuracy and interest beyond just golf: 

• “… wishing ‘Loopers’ could be a series with each vignette an episode. Better yet, with striking panoramics of St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Bandon, Carnoustie and other world-renowned courses, “Loopers” is reminiscent of the BBC’s “Planet Earth” series, educating while aesthetically captivating.” – Golf Digest (March 2019)

• “(Bill Murray) does not have a demanding part – he narrates the 80-minute long documentary and makes a short on-camera appearance – but it is sure to be regarded as one of his finest films.” – Chicago Tribune (June 3, 2019)

• “I’ve only played a handful of rounds of golf in my life, and I don’t particularly care about the sport. Still, I found ‘Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk’ compelling. Any time you get somebody talking about their life’s work you’re probably going to get some good stories.” – Filmthreat.com (February 15, 2019).

• “Loopers charts the history of golf from its origins in Scotland to modern times. Traditionally, the caddie’s mantra was to ‘show up, keep up and shut up.’ They were banned from the clubhouse and treated poorly. However, they became an important part of the sport, acting as the player’s technical adviser, psychologist and confidant.” – Sunday Times, Ireland (February 2, 2019).

Also, private viewings for clubs or organizations can be made by going to www.loopersmovie.com/request-a-screening. An international debut in Europe is scheduled for June 21 at the Edinburgh (Scotland) International Film Festival – www.edfilmfest.org.uk/edinburgh-international-film-festival.

Dates/Times: June 7 throughout the summer.

Locations/Tickets: https://www.loopersmovie.com/see-the-movie

Trailer: Go to www.loopersmovie.com

Directed by Jason Baffa (@jasonbaffafilms)

Produced by David Brookwell, Jim Packer, GEM Pictures, Clark Cunningham, Ward Clayton

Written by Carl Cramer (worked with Baffa as film editor on his previous films)

Narrated by Bill Murray

80 minutes 

Five Families Slow Play Talks To Resume At The Open, Center On Ways To Make Slow Golfers Go Faster

If there is one thing to like about the youth obsessed Five Families of golf, it’s that they recognize the kids do not dig watching people stand around. At least, let’s hope that’s what the children of executives are saying since that amounts to their focus group testing.

With that in mind, Alistair Tait looks at the European Tour’s efforts and potential for more as they recognize the urgency more than any other golf organization. Slow play hater Edoardo Molinari was called into the headmaster’s office and says we may see action soon from Chief Executive Keith Pelley.

“I obviously can’t tell what was said in that meeting, but something will be put in place,” Molinari added. “There will be something coming through in the next month.”

Pelley told Golfweek that steps are being taken.

“What has to happen is we collectively as administrators have to get on the same page on slow play because it isn’t just a European Tour issue,” Pelley said. He added that administrators from the European Tour, USGA, R&A and PGA Tour met in April in Augusta, Ga., to discuss the issue. Talks will resume at the British Open at Royal Portrush.

“There is a will to tackle this issue across the game,” Pelley said.

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Seventh And Eighth Holes

I won’t bother with the 1929 look as we focus on the present, but I had to grab the 1972 version (above) so you can see how much of the green had been lost by then. And yet, there was a nicer shape on the right side defining the back right peninsula.

Either way, with shape and character or more circular, the 7th is arguably golf’s most dramatic location and dramatic shot, and one fine place to hang out during next week’s U.S. Open.

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Regarding the 8th, modified by Alister MacKenzie in 1926 and again by Chandler Egan and friends for the 1929 US Amateur, the fairway has been narrowed substantially since this flyover, rendering the aiming rock into a left side rock. The scenery is spectacular, so I’ll save the architectural quibbling until after the flyover…

As for the state of the 8th, the green is down to a small area for hole locations and severely limits the USGA’s options at US Open green speeds.

There was some spectacular work down here in 1929, including that bunker down the cliff! From the USGA’s 1929 Amateur gallery:

And today…note how much of the left portion of the green is gone.

The Polls Close On Golf's Longest Day: 2019 US Open Sectional Results In

So many great stories and all in one day! The USGA Sectional page for those who want to do their own navigating.

JuliaKate Culpepper at Golfweek has a one-stop page of just qualifying results for those needing to just know names.

Here is my story on the Newport Beach qualifier where as diverse group with a couple of crazy longshot stories took the five spots in a very efficiently run SCGA affair, with brisk pace, no penalties and only a couple of WD’s.

Before filing on the final four, I contributed this item on Stewart Hagestad qualifying to Golfweek’s Sectional blog. He did so on his home course for the third straight year. He becomes the first amateur in 34 years to qualify for three straight years. (Nice catch on that by AmateurGolf.com’s Chris Brauner).

Hey only 20 WD’s this year at the Walton Heath qualifier. I had the over 23…

Web.com Tour players dominated, patiently, at Woodmont’s longest day, Roxanna Scott reports.

Todd Kelley reports on the top college players who made it, including Duke’s Chandler Eaton. Uh, 90 years ago, Chandler Egan unveiled a redo of Pebble Beach and reached the 1929 U.S. Amateur semifinals on the course he designed. Just saying…

Callum Terren posted a Streamsong Black course record 64 en route to qualifying from Florida, reports Beth Ann Nichols for Golfweek.

The USGA has posted 41 images from all qualifiers here, capturing the essence of a day when more than half of a major field is filled out.

Ratings: 2019 Memorial Scores 1.7 Final Round, U.S. Women's Open's .6 Pushing All Time Low

Tiger Woods in contention helped bump up the Memorial ratings 33% over last year, with a 1.7 overnight according to Sports Business Daily.

Even 90 minutes of Tiger Woods can be a boon for golf ratings. Woods was done just before 4pm ET yesterday en route to a tie for ninth at the @MemorialGolf, but that helped CBS (2:30-615pm) draw the best final round overnight rating for the event since 2016. Up 33% from 2018

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) June 3, 2019

The U.S. Women’s Open’s overnight from CC of Charleston was a .6, up just a tiny bit over a similar .6 last year and continuing a trend of hovering around record lows since the move to Fox. This, despite being commercial free broadcasts.

Getting In The U.S. Open Mood: 1972, Jack And Pebble

This is spectacular in so many ways, including out of the chute with stock 70s music and graphics. But gosh is there some fun viewing in here for those looking to get even more excited about the U.S. Open’s return to Pebble Beach.

And just to further the mood-setting, check out my Q&A with the late great Frank Hannigan from 2010 on some memories of early U.S. Open’s at Pebble: Bing Crosby asking for a cart, Vietnam war protesters on 18, etc…as only Frank can recall.