McGinley Gently Pushes Back: Have An Open Mind About Different Ryder Cup

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The last time Paul McGinley put his thoughts down on paper to expect a need to expect a different European Tour post COVID-19, the news broke soon after that several cancelled events would not be rescheduled and to expect minimalist build-outs.

McGinley has turned up again at Sky Sports to gently suggest a rush to write off a fan-free Ryder Cup needs further consideration for reasons beyond the fan component. Its not hard to sense his view that the financial strain could be problematic if the Ryder Cup is not kept on schedule.

This is a moment for all stakeholders in golf to continue to collaborate, communicate and support each other. We have no similar experience in modern times to look back on and to learn from. Having open minds could well protect the sport and some of its historic events from spiralling into crisis.

There needs to be collaborative sharing of thinking and a sense of camaraderie. We all want our sports to be back to what they were and, in time, they will be. But in the meantime let us embrace the "new norm" for what it is - an unwanted and unwelcome intruder that we will face together and ultimately control.

In the meantime, let us make the most of whatever degree of playing participation and spectatorship we are able to achieve.

For likely very, very different reasons, I support the idea as I noted in this Shack Show quick take.

"Guerrilla Golfers Sneak Onto Greens Closed by Pandemic"

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I’m not sure how to characterize David Segal’s NY Times story on golfers getting their links fix in Florida counties where the sport is considered non-essential.

Segal may not be sure either, but instead he’s mostly documenting these strange times and in particular the confusing notion of Florida having different golf rules for different counties. (Thanks to reader John for sending this in.)

This from the NGF’s Jay Karens was a tad excessive in a time of pandemic…

The public perception of the industry is reflected in its inclusion on what is informally known as the Internal Revenue Service “sin list,” a group of enterprises that are blocked from all sorts of government initiatives, including disaster relief. Others on the list include massage parlors, racetracks and hot tub facilities.

So far, there’s been no reference to the sin list in any of the coronavirus programs passed in Washington. But Jay Karen, the chief executive of the National Golf Course Owners Association, says he and his colleagues are on alert.

“There’s a bias against the game and the business of golf, and it’s patently unfair,” said Mr. Karen. “The feeling is that golf courses are owned by a bunch of rich guys, which is a very old narrative that no longer holds true.”

Podcast: The Shack Show Episode 6 With Guest Nick Faldo

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We covered a nice gamut in this chat, including the times, the world of travel, the recent Masters replay, radical game transformations, the driver head, Pringle sweaters, par-3 courses and dogs in a time of pandemics. Among other topics.

As always thanks to all who made this possible, starting with Sir Nick, show producer Tim Parotchka, everyone on the iHeart Golf team.

The iHeart show page. The Apple podcast page for episode six. And to subscribe or review the show.

Show notes:

A preview of Faldo’s new CBS Sports Network’s shows debuting Monday at 7:30 pm ET.

Sir Nick and Saxon on Medterra:

Podcasts this week considering Faldo’s career and 1990 Masters win, starting with The Shotgun Start’s two deep effort featuring guest Sean Martin. (Really great discussions for those who’ve forgotte how incredible Faldo’s post-game remake run turned out to be.)

A Pod Unlike Any Other’s look back at the 1989 Masters.

"A fully-operational Shotlink system, according to multiple officials, ranks only behind the players in tournament priority.”

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GolfDigest.com’s Joel Beall and friends took a comprehensive look—with help from tournament officials sharing many financials—at everything required to get a scaled back PGA Tour event to be played in a time of pandemic.

Combined with the Commissioner saying testing is paramount with the continued testing shortfall and the likely need for some from certain locales to 14-day quarantine before turning up in certain regions, and the chances seem remote of a June restart.

As a fan of ShotLink, this part struck me as an odd priority given the tight working space for a ShotLink truck crew and the need for some volunteers to run the system.

“However, there are areas the Tour has identified as essential, chief among them Shotlink. The Tour’s proprietary data content is key for scoring, stats and its gambling relationships, such as with daily fantasy site DraftKings. A fully-operational Shotlink system, according to multiple officials, ranks only behind the players in tournament priority.”

Outside of scoring, I’m not sure how eager fans and players are to have that information versus a simple return to play when it’s safe to do so. Especially if setting up Shotlink impacts COVID-19 testing for those more in need.

Just as expanding fields are being expanded at a time the size of gatherings is under scrutiny, this is a headscratcher. Hundreds and hundreds of golf tournament are played annually without ShotLink but with some form of live scoring. If a “fully operational” ShotLink system is the only way to monitor scoring, a reassessment of priorities is certainly in order.

As an aside, DraftKings began public trading on NASDAQ Friday.

The Match 2: Floridians React About How You'd Expect To Governor's Tweet

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While the PGA Tour works on some of the logistical hurdles before signing off, The Match 2 with Woods, Mickelson, Brady and Manning is such a go that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis put in a social media plug.

As Garry Smits notes for the Times-Union, the news of a for-charity golf match went over about how you’d expect in a state where farmers are suffering and the unemployment process is failing. Well, unless you’re the governor.

As of 5:30 p.m., 45 of the first 53 replies to the DeSantis tweet were from people railing about the state’s inability to fix its unemployment web site, and criticizing DeSantis for trumpeting a golf match.

“I can’t afford cable and I’ll probably have to start selling all my stuff, like my TV ... because I’ve been pending on my unemployment since [March 22],” said one person.

“I can assure you, most people would rather know they’ll be getting paid than watch golf,” posted another.

“Ron, I’ll play you 18 holes for my unemployment benefits,” said another poster.

A date and golf course have not been announced.

Tiger Woods spoke from his padded panic room about the event to GolfTV, summarized here at GolfDigest.com by Daniel Rapaport.



"Gleneagles’ “Go Fund Me” Campaign Needs You!"

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The wokesters and non-top 100 collectors would be descending on San Francisco’s Gleneagles next month when the PGA Championship hits San Francisco. But with that event postponed and rescheduled for August, the “speakeasy of golf courses” needs help, as does another San Francisco brand, State Apparel.

The Save Sharp Park crowd has posted this unbylined story on the efforts to help Gleneagles and show support for the area’s golf brand.

This Spring, the 1-2 punch of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with high City water bills and maintenance costs that did not go away when the City ordered golfers to keep away, has the City’s lessee Tom Hsieh with his back against the wall. So he is conducting a fundraising campaign on “Go Fund Me”, where Tom explains his plight in a heartfealt letter – which we urge you to read in full. An excerpt:

"It appears that without financial assistance, I will not be able to continue operating Gleneagles nor will I be able to maintain it, even minimally in the coming weeks or months. So if you have a soft spot for public golf like no other,  and hope to one day play another round at a community based golf course,  please help. I know there are many more urgent causes out there and I urge you to support them first.  If you have any more capacity then please point it towards Gleneagles.”

Acushnet Brands Offering Incredible Experiences To Benefit COVID-19 Relief

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Nice to see on of golf’s biggest companies going big with its giving back, serving up an auction of experiences to benefit three organizations.

You can view them all here including the early clubhouse leader, a Pebble Beach day fronted by breakfast and a first tee announcement by Jim Nantz, and a 19th hole playing of his backyard 7th hole.

For Immediate Release:

TITLEIST AND FOOTJOY ‘CHIPPING IN’ WITH ONLINE GOLF AUCTION

Raising Funds for COVID-19 Relief with One-of-a-Kind Golf Experiences

Fairhaven, MA (April 23, 2020) – Golfers will have an opportunity to tee it up with a top-ranked tour player, schedule their next golf lesson with a world-renowned instructor, get fit like a professional, or even experience Pebble Beach with a local resident, while ‘Chipping In’ to make a difference with the COVID-19 Relief Charity Golf Auction. 

The week-long online auction, which begins today at 10:00 a.m. EDT and closes on April 30 at 9:00 p.m. EDT, is being presented by Titleist, FootJoy, Vokey, Scotty Cameron and Kjus.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from these one-of-a-kind experiences will benefit the relief efforts of three deserving organizations: CDP COVID-19 Response Fund; the United Way chapters of Greater New Bedford and San Diego County, supporting the local communities where the majority of the Titleist and FootJoy U.S. associates work and live; and, following the lead of the PGA of America and other golf organizations, the Golf Emergency Relief Fund.

Among the 12 unique golf experiences, are rounds of golf with Justin and Mike Thomas, Webb Simpson and Ian Poulter; personal instruction and golf with Butch Harmon, Peter Kostis, James Sieckmann, Cameron McCormick, Michael Breed and Brad Faxon; wedge and putter fittings with Titleist designers Bob Vokey and Scotty Cameron; and a once-in-a-lifetime Pebble Beach experience provided by the longtime voice of Titleist and auction host, Jim Nantz. 

This auction is a continuation of multiple initiatives Acushnet has implemented since the outbreak, including:

• Donating more than 100,000 masks and other PPE supplies to hospitals and those in need in the communities in which we operate around the world.

• Retrofitting processes in our Massachusetts manufacturing facilities to produce PPE items and components.

• Donating 15% of all purchases made on Titleist.com, FootJoy.com, ScottyCameron.com, Vokey.com and Kjus.com, from April 8-30, to the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund.

• Participating in Rain Suits for Responders, a program to collect new or gently used golf rain suits and deliver them directly to healthcare workers on the frontlines.

“Like so many others, the Acushnet team is committed to being a positive force in support of front line health care workers, the local communities in which we operate, golf professionals, and others in the industry who have been most affected by this pandemic,” said David Maher, President and CEO, Acushnet Company. “We are grateful to our many partners, brand ambassadors and associates for their contributions as we work together to endure these challenging times, and collectively look forward to the better days that lie ahead.”

Podcast: The Shack Show Episode 5 With Guest Cliff Drysdale

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If you’ve been watching tennis on ESPN for the last forty years you’ve listened to Cliff Drysdale.

The former grand slam doubles champion, a U.S. Open finalist and International Tennis Hall of Fame member has also served as the first ATP President and popularized the two-handed backhand. Oh and he loves golf.

Knowing how he sprinkles in golf comments, has worked the The Open and played a lot of golf and tennis with Jack Nicklaus, I’ve long wanted to hear from Drysdale on what similarities he sees between golf and tennis. Namely, what he thinks of the shifts to power emphasis, tennis’ effort to dial in a one-dimensional approach, and even the emergence (again) of a team concept as golf considers the Premier Golf League’s dreams of a team competition. We even talked a bit of golf TV vs. tennis TV coverage.

Oh, and I just figured we could all enjoy listening to the 78-year-old’s ageless, calming voice that has made him ESPN’s longest serving on-air presence.

Here’s the iHeart show page, the Apple podcast link and the embed below are good starting places. Or, check out The Shack Show wherever you get your podcasts.

The Ramifications Of A Delayed Ryder Cup

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The Guardian’s Ewan Murray points out the likelihood of a Ryder Cup delay, one he says would have already happened had European been hosting in 2020.

But the dreaded scheduling compaction looms next year with the Olympics back on schedules and a Presidents Cup slated for Quail Hollow. Regarding this year’s issue, he writes:

The players need not fret; there is little or no chance of the joust between the USA and Europe taking place in that form. In public, the competition organisers might have to at least give the impression that all avenues are being explored but there is acknowledgment within the PGA of America and European Tour that a Ryder Cup minus a 1st tee cauldron or jubilant players celebrating with fans isn’t at all valid. Crucially NBC, the host broadcaster in the US, is understood to have no interest in a closed-doors scene either. Sky Sports is similarly cool.

"Right now, every day is Sunday in the cradle of the game."

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Bunkered’s Michael McEwan files as uplifting a look as you can when visiting a locked down St. Andrews.

He covers all elements of the town, operation and details of the limited course maintenance allowed since the lockdown started March 23 to combat COVID-19.

Up and into the heart of the town, there’s only the faintest pulse of life. Auchterlonie’s Golf Shop, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, is shut, as are all of the town’s most famous 19th holes: The Dunvegan, The Keys, The Whey-Pat, The Westport, Greyfriars Inn, Ham’s Hame, The Criterion and more.

The cobbles of Market Street are empty. The six bells of St Salvator's Chapel Tower on the university campus don’t chime. The students have nearly all skipped town. The tourists who top up the population have yet to arrive.

Tiger, Phil Confirm The Match 2 Is On For May With Brady, Manning**

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I’d hate to call this announcement premature since Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both retweeted this report:

However, note in this story from The Action Network’s Darren Rovell (with additional reporting by Jason Sobel), that the PGA Tour has not officially signed off on the event. Even as independent contractors, players must get a release to play in any other competition not already sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

A PGA TOUR official told The Action Network’s Jason Sobel that Tiger and Phil would need to receive a “release form for them to play a televised or streamed event in the U.S.”

A TOUR official told Sobel, “We are still in discussions on a number of items, including ensuring the health and safety for all involved with the event.”

Obviously working through all safety protocols and considering precautions for such an event in the next month is a major process. As of April 1, the early details of this concept were out and the Tour was still mulling its position in these very fluid times.

That said, when the original “Match” was announced in 2018, all parties were aligned in sharing the news.

"The tricky business of restarting the European Tour"

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GolfDigest.com’s John Huggan considers the state of the European Tour and Chief Executive Keith Pelley’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The quieter and less predictive approach from Europe is a product of style and relying on government experts to green light any tournament dates.

Later in the piece he gets into Sky Sports’ relationship with the Tour and possible business issues looming there as well as the ability of players to make a living if reduced purses come.

But this on Pelley’s handling from Lee Westwood highlights how some players see the PGA Tour’s push to return in June.

“I think Keith has actually made a lot of good decisions,” says European Tour veteran Lee Westwood. “In contrast, the PGA Tour’s plan to play in June is very ambitious. No one has ever seen anything like this. So we have to be so mindful of what is going on in the world. Forget about golf. Yes, we’d all like to have live sport on television, but is that really so important compared with what is going on in society worldwide?

Westwood believes that by holding out on announcing a formal plan, what the Pelley and the European Tour have done is give themselves a bigger window of time to assess the situation and give integrity to what would remain of the season. “There is an opportunity to schedule events at the end of the year,” Westwood says. “The longer you wait, the more chance you have of actually making things happen. And I look at the biggest events and think, if you have to hold them, do it 100 percent. Do them right, or not at all.”

Roundup: Home Practice And Play Is Now A Golf Industry Sector

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The National Golf Foundation’s COVID-19 infograph page has been updated for the week of April 2020 and shows older golfers less supportive of stay-at-home golf course closures, while younger types are increasingly in support. The NGF has the number of courses open for play at 49%, up 1% from last week.

They also expanded their surveying of golfers to ask about home practice, which, no one likes, is now a sector of the industry. There are all sort of interesting things going on with home practice, rich guy simulators, possible simulator tournaments and even an app I’ve started testing that aims to for home practice what Calm does for meditation, ish. (More when it’s released.)

I’m also pleased to see in-home netting is a bit more attractive and pragmatic than the clunky contraptions of yesteryear.

MyGolfSpy has their “Best Golf Nets of 2020” now live, in case you’re in the market.

Brittany Romano and Courtney Kyritz at GolfDigest.com reviewed putting mats. Not much appears to have changed in that world with an exception or two.

Romano also highlighted a few affordably priced nets.

It’s taken me a while to share this one from reader Glenn who sent this Michael Croley Bloomberg story on in-home simulators. Which, warning, will probably make you feel very bad about yourself, unless you have the means to match one of those featured.

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McIlroy, Furyk No Fans Of Fan-Free Ryder Cup

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1st Tee At Le Golf National, 2018 Ryder Cup

1st Tee At Le Golf National, 2018 Ryder Cup

Phil Casey of PA Media reports on Rory McIlroy’s live Instagram chat for Taylor Made and his response to consideration of a “virtual fan experience”.

McIlroy himself down as a definite no:

“I get the financial implications for everyone involved … there’s a lot that goes into putting on the Ryder Cup that people don’t probably know or appreciate – but having a Ryder Cup without fans is not a Ryder Cup.

“For me I would much rather they delay it until 2021 than play it at Whistling Straits without fans. And that’s from a European going to America, knowing that I’m going to get abuse!”

Jim Furyk, the USA captain in 2018, was also less than excited about such a prospect. From his appearance on the Connecticut Sports podcast with Jared Kotler:

Current captain Padraig Harrington has said he does not see the Ryder Cup being played without fans.

And add Tommy Fleetwood to the list, writes GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rappaport.

A postponement obviously pushes all cup events back a year. Or, I’ll be the first to say what most of us think: cancel the 2021 Presidents Cup and play the Ryder Cup in 2021 and 2022. It’s what we all want anyway.

"14-year-old living golf dream after beating leukemia"

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What a sensational story by WMC TV’s Cassie Carlson on 14-year-old leukemia survivor Dakota Cunningham and his refusal to let the disease get in the way of his golf. He just had his first hole-in-one after finishing his final round of treatment in January.

Dakota never let leukemia stand in the way of his golf dreams. The day of the Junior High Final Championship in October 2019 was just one example.

“The morning of the tournament, I hear him throwing up. I walk upstairs he’s on his hands and knees and he’s puking in front of himself on the floor,” Steve said.

But Dakota still wanted to play that day.. Turns out, that day he shot his first round under 70 and won it all by 9 strokes.

“It’s incredible to shoot 69 at this age, but like I said to do it on treatment, that takes it to a whole other level,” Steve added.

The video version of the piece is embedded in the story and well worth your time if looking for a little Tuesday inspiration.