Justin Rose And Honma Can't Thank Each Other Enough After Quick End To High Profile Partnership

The signs were increasingly there last fall and this winter that Justin Rose was breaking away from Honma a year after then-world No. 1 was signing with the company for big money.

Rose had been with TaylorMade for two decades but was lured away by former CEO Mark King, who has since been lured away from Honma to Taco Bell.

But in issuing dueling Friday afternoon statements, the hard sell was all a bit excessive.

From Golf.com’s Andrew Tursky on the breakup and what Honma had to plug…err…say.

“Honma Golf Limited (“Honma”) announces that, following a successful partnership with the former No. 1 player in the world, Honma and Justin Rose have agreed that Justin will no longer be one of Honma’s brand ambassadors. We are proud to have been a key part of Justin’s journey to regain his position as World Number 1 in early 2019, including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open in his second event with Honma equipment in play.

And now the journey has its left turn blinker on but is probably making a U-turn.

“For over a year, Justin worked closely with our team to help develop innovative and top­ performing lines of Honma woods and irons. His pursuit of perfection, approach to product testing and feedback has produced great value to Honma. Justin’s expert input and desire for maximum ball speed inspired our team to make the Honma TR20 460 and 440 drivers among the fastest drivers in the game. Consistently, and excitingly, our nationwide team of fitters are seeing the new TR20 460 and TR20 440 drivers produce some of the fastest speeds on the market. We wish him the very best in his pursuit of more majors and career success,” said John Kawaja, president of Honma Golf North America.”

He just couldn’t play it to his standards. But it’ll look great in your hands!

Rose, meanwhile, hopes he left behind good ideas as he chucks his Honmas and, undoubtedly, a lot of guaranteed money.

“I have enjoyed working with the Honma team and collaborating closely with them to design and develop excellent golf equipment. I was able to see firsthand the innovations that the craftsmen at Honma bring to their clubs. I am hopeful that during our time of partnership, we have laid the groundwork for Honma to continue to expand their brand. We both feel it is the right time to pursue our own paths.”

A tighter statement next time? “It happens.” More than it should.

The Shack Show Episode 12: The Great Par-3 Course Renaissance

Children’s Course at North Berwick

How time flies!

To celebrate the first ten Shack Shows (eleven now after a chat with Hank Haney about his change of heart on rules bifurcation), I’m offering up something a bit different: a look at the par-3 course renaissance.

I love a good par-3. Always have. And from the earliest days playing golf I could never grasp why there were so few. Maybe it was my exposure to a couple here in southern California that shaped this view, but either way, the resurgence of appreciation for wee courses that appeal to all golfers and schedules is a beautiful thing.

Because of their scale, par-3 courses are the perfect place for children to begin the game. They’re also ideal spots for those without the time or ability to play a full-length course. And, no offense good players, your game inside 120 yards or so would be a lot better if you played one instead of banging range balls.

As for Shack Show 12, I asked some of the previous guests about their thoughts, memories and emotions when considering a par-3 course. So after my introduction sketching out the history and beauty of the par-3, you’ll hear from, among others, Nick Faldo and Ben Crenshaw talking par-3 courses.

As always you can subscribe and listen via Apple podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. And the iHeart embed below. Thanks as always to producer Tim Parotchka for the editing, guidance and polished turnaround.

Show Notes:

If you are looking for a reference piece or just some assurance that my assertions in this podcast are not all a figment of my imagination, check out Adam Schupak’s definitive Links story on the par-3 comeback.

The proposed MacKenzie approach and putt course at Augusta National, found by Josh Petit and posted by him here.

The Horse Course designed by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford credited by Mike Keiser as inspiring his interest in par-3’s at his developments.

And the epic ace referenced in the show:

NGF: 95% Of U.S. Courses Open, Golfers Finding Normalcy On Course Than Elsewhere

The week-of-May 17th National Golf Foundation COVID-19 pandemic report shows a lot of positive signs in the way of course re-openings, consumer sentiment and maybe most fascinating of all: golfers finding more “normalcy” at the golf course than other places in their lives.

The graph here grabbed for posterity:

The NGF’s CEO, Joe Beditz, was on The Shack Show to shed light on this important work to keep the golf industry informed in these bizarre and awful times. As I noted then, these kinds of stats compiled by the NGF are going to have an incredible calming and informative effect that will hopefully guide the U.S. game through this difficult time.

Lawrenson On Fan-Free Ryder Cup Showdown, European Tour Likely Returning With 1990s Purses:

Derek Lawrenson in his Daily Mail column considers the state of the players v. administrators face off over a fan-free Ryder Cup (he has the players winning right now).

Meanwhile, on the European Tour, there has been only silence in recent weeks as they try to put together a revised schedule. Expect an announcement before the end of the month, with a behind-closed-doors British Masters kicking things off a week earlier than currently scheduled in July.

All told, the revised schedule should run for five months featuring around 21 events, including a run in the British Isles in August and a strong cluster of tournaments in October. But it's a sobering reminder of the effects of the pandemic that half of those tournaments are likely to feature total prize money in the region of the $1.1 million that McIlroy won for his charity on Sunday night simply for a shot that finished closest to the pin.

Well when you put it that way…

More On Why The U.S.G.A. Is Dropping Qualifiers For Its Four Remaining Scheduled Events

Steve Eubanks considers the complicated call by the USGA to cancel qualifiers for its four remaining Open and Amateur championships. While the jokes are flying in texts and emails about open events becoming invitationals, the poll results from you, the readers, show a strong 63% majority wanting a U.S. Open even if means no qualifyings (and presumably the same view for the U.S. Women’s Open and the two Amateurs).

Eubanks adds this from the USGA’s John Bodenhamer and ultimately, I admire the call to scrap all qualifiers in the name of safety and sheer difficulty of rescheduling, even if it seems like the U.S. Open’s could have at least retained a sectional stage, thereby protecting the integrity of the internationally adored From Anyone campaign.

“There were a number of factors,” Bodenhamer said, “and one of them is that with any (competition) that we conduct, there is a need to test and to implement robust health and safety protocols. The inability to do (uniform testing) at 660 qualifying sites, several hundred of those that would have been rescheduled into a timeframe that was already getting jampacked with other things, presented (insurmountable challenges). Those venues and our allied golf associations have lost revenue; they’re struggling; they’ve canceled events; they need to run events; they need to generate revenue, just as the host venues for those qualifiers need to do their own things.”

Revenue at the USGA was never mentioned but those on the outside believe it played a role. It is widely believed that the USGA has a big financial incentive to conduct the U.S. Open in some fashion this year. Fox television network pays a healthy sum for the delivery of the event. No tournament means no revenue, which likely would put a healthy dent in future operating budgets.

Adam Scott Taking Wait-And-See Approach To PGA Tour Return

Evin Priest talks to this year’s Genesis Invitational winner and world no. 6 Adam Scott about the PGA Tour’s planned return at Colonial June 8-11.

The verdict? Scott does not think the Tour’s protocols are tight enough and he’s passing for the first seven weeks of play.

"What concerns me is dialogue that (the tour) is hopeful of returning one or two-hour test (results). You'd want that in place before competing.

"The other (concern) is it seems an asymptomatic person could operate within a tournament.
"If they're not showing symptoms and I somehow picked it up inside the course and I'm disqualified I'm now self-isolating (in that city) for two weeks. I'd be annoyed if that happened.

"I thought you'd start quite tight and loosen those protocols to normal if appropriate."

As for his comment on testing and protocols, the two loosest areas that may be a stumbling block for players are with the PGA Tour’s use of nasal swab tests that “at best” will return a result in 24-48 hours. And the “bubble” for travel and lodging is still just a recommendation according to the Tour’s 37-page document, meaning players can use other means of lodging and flight (or car).

Here is the testing element Scott appears to be referring to as not returning results fast enough:

The travel element seems to leave a few holes in the “bubble” but I’m also not sure how else it can be done, which again reminds that expanding fields for this return could turn out to be a huge headache.

On lodging, the bubble hotel is a strong recommendation, but not required:

And this also may be part of Scott’s trepidation given the number of people able to come, go and be exposed elsewhere:

Charles Barkley Discusses The Match (2), NCAA's Push To Return

Part of this Sunday’s Champions For Charity TNT broadcast team, Charles Barkley appeared on Anderson Cooper Live to plug the matches, his involvement trying to play one hole to help raise funds (yay!) and he was asked about breaking NCAA news. Worth a listen.

Charles Barkley says it's not safe for the NCAA to go through with plans to permit Division I football & basketball to resume voluntary athletics activities. “I would not want my kid [to play] until we know more about what can happen…but listen, money is going to run this thing” pic.twitter.com/kZHxL9Vo87

— CNN (@CNN) May 21, 2020

Variety: "TV Networks Bet on Golf to Lure Sports Audiences Back to the Screen"

Variety’s Brian Steinberg talks to various network types to report on how live golf is garnering interest in the ad world at a time when buys are on a severe decline. Whether it’s a scarcity matter or renewed faith in pro golf as a promotional tool, remains to be scene, according to Steinberg:

Others are placing emphasis on golf, too. WarnerMedia has sold all its commercial inventory for its May 24 broadcast of a celebrity golf match between Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning. And CBS is seeing high interest for PGA Tour events it plans to air in June, with appropriate social-distancing requirements. “For us, the PGA starts on June 11 in Texas. We’re seeing very strong demand for that,” said ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish during a recent call with investors.

Golf has long been important to various networks, which fill hours of their weekend schedules televising the Masters and sundry PGA Tour stops. That relationship was spotlighted in early March, when ESPN, CBS and NBC agreed to a new nine-year pact with PGA Tour that could come to at least $680 million.

Whether the current demand reflects a new desire for golf – or for Nascar, another sport that started up last weekend with a race that took place in South Carolina without fans – remains to be seen.

R.I.P. Golf World UK

After over forty years in operation, Golf World will not longer be serving United Kingdom readers. It’s a sad day even with some elements folded into Today’s Golfer, another of the great golf publications is no more. As one of the last magazines producing quality content with smart writers, it will be sorely missed.

Charlotte Tobitt reports from the Press Gazette on Bauer Media closing, merging and selling ten of its print titles, including this:

The measures will cover the print publication, digital properties and associated events of each brand.

Bauer’s UK publishing chief executive Chris Duncan, who was appointed last month after leaving his role as Times Newspapers managing director, said: “The pandemic and lockdown has further accelerated the trends already affecting the publishing industry.

“Bauer publishes nearly 100 magazines in the UK, and some titles that were already challenged, unfortunately, are not expected to be sustainable after the crisis.

“We must protect the long term health of our business and ability to invest in future growth by re-shaping our portfolio.”

Alistair Tait looked at what Golf World meant and what this all means for golf media. It’s not pretty.

The Shack Show Episode 11: Hank Haney Joins The Bifurcation Crowd

In these dark times it does not take much to make a bifurcationista happy, but hearing on The Hank Haney Show that Hank Haney is now pro-bifurcation after seeing 350-yard-plus drives on a soggy course, well, it’s enough to make a bifurcationista shed a tear of joy.

Not only did the legendary instructor and analyst come around on his post TaylorMade Driving Relief show, but on a follow up pod as well.

So naturally (and because my name was mentioned), I had to flesh out this charming and very respectable change of position on a matter of crucial consequence.

Oh, Hank’s new instruction book.

The Apple podcasts link.

Caddies Optional Whenever The LPGA Returns

Of course we love caddies and the player-bagman dynamic is an integral, irreplaceable part of the professional game.

But admittedly, a couple times a year, I think I speak for most saying it’d be fun to see players carrying their clubs, making decisions and having no one to blame.

Fans of the LPGA Tour might get a partial version of this when the tour resumes play this summer, Randall Mell reports for GolfChannel.com.

LPGA tour media director Christina Lance confirmed players were informed of the caddie option Wednesday during a players’ meeting in a video conference call.

"We expect an overwhelming number of players to use their full-time caddies," Lance said. "This is meant mainly to avoid the local caddie situation, where we don't know a caddie's background, and the player doen't know their background, and may feel health concerns working with someone they don't know."

Mell quotes a caddie who is understandably displeased. Overall though, if this helps some players and allows any concerned about safety to return, the policy seems wise.

Other changes are in store and Commissioner Mike Whan outlined those as well, reports Steve Eubanks.

The tour lost another event and also confirmed a fall shift for another tournament. The current plan calls for a late July re-start.

Westwood: "Not worth it" To Travel To America For PGA, Other Tournaments

As the PGA Tour gears up for a return, the likelihood of overseas players traveling to the United States appears increasingly unlikely. Tommy Fleetwood before and now Lee Westwood, talking to Todd Lewis on Golf Central, says it’s “not worth it” to travel to the U.S. with concerns about the pandemic, quarantining and other issues.

This increasingly looms as a huge issue for the three planned majors, which pride themselves on field strength and diversity of representation. Should the rest of the world not want to come here to play, will that factor into final decisions on whether to play the rescheduled PGA, U.S. Open and Masters.

The full interview:

UK Clubs, Green Fees And Replacing Lost Tourism Revenue

The UK Golf Guy has done some incredible research into guest green fee spikes at the UK’s famous courses.

Given the state of affairs, with some centuries old clubs facing potential calamity and many others seeing a huge revenue hit, he argues that lowering fees and welcoming some domestic tourism could be vital to survive the downturn.

Some of the research on green fee changes is really impressive, so hit the link and give him a follow. But

I’ve looked at the increase in green fees for a selection of top courses since 2000. The average summer weekend green fee for these courses in 2000 was £88. Coming in to summer 2020, the average for that same group is over £240. Had the cost increased in line with UK inflation then the average would be only £145.

The highest percentage rises have come at three Open courses - Royal St George’s, Carnoustie and Muirfield. All have gone from sub-£80 a round to over £250. Others, like North Berwick and Cruden Bay, have seen improvements in their course rankings which will have been a catalyst for their increases.

The great Australian golfer, and professor/student of the game, Peter Thomson said that no golf course in the world should charge more than a round at the Old Course, but now a round at Turnberry is almost twice as much.

The increases have been eye-watering, but tee-time sheets have still been filled. There have always been enough visitors willing to pay the prices, while the local market has largely been priced out of playing some of the nation’s most revered courses.

Phil On Brady And Manning In Sunday's Match: "There is going to be a unique pressure"

USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio talks to Phil Mickelson about Sunday’s charity match fearing Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning vs. Mickelson/Tom Brady.

I’ve heard some apathy at the event despite what could be huge amounts of charitable dollars raised, but lost in some of that is just how difficult this will be for Brady and Manning. After all, we saw loose shots from four elite players in last Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief event, and Mickelson notes that the two legendary quarterbacks will undoubtedly be humiliated by the game on national TV.

This alternate-shot wrinkle puts a lot of pressure on Brady and Manning.

“I give them a lot of credit for putting themselves out there because there is going to be a unique pressure,” Mickelson said. “But that’s why it’s going to be so much fun, because we are going to have mishaps and we are going to have some bad shots and we are going to laugh at ourselves.”

Mickelson also said there will be plenty of ribbing, unlike the near silence during his and Woods’ first match in Las Vegas. Each of the four players will be mic’d up, with each riding in their own cart. There will be no caddies or spectators.

I wish they could revisit the carts part, as it was pretty refreshing watching Rory and friends carrying their clubs Sunday.

“We’re Out of Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer—and Golf Pushcarts?”

Pre-pandemic, push carts were already infinitely more accepted in the United States than at any point in my lifetime. Largely due to college golfers adopting them in the last seven years or so, pre-pandemic American golfers were increasingly overcoming the supposed embarrassment of using one over a motorized golf cart.

The rest of the world has always been perfectly fine with push carts, pull carts, trolleys, etc… and now, with physical distancing rules or some courses limiting cart usage, the day has arrived when we are witnessing not only an appreciation but a run on the simple devices. Some of the finest courses in the world where they were once forbidden are now okay with push carts. AND golfers changing their shoes in the parking lot.

(Visualize shocked Emoji here.)

Of course any form of walking, even with a push cart is better exercise, connects you with the course and your group (if all walking) and is just a quieter, calmer, more centered experience.

I’ve heard from golfers enjoying the push cart (Charlie Rymer discussed on Shack Show Ep. 2 about his golf in Myrtle Beach with his beloved electric push cart and how much more he’s enjoying non-cart golf). And frequently, I’ve heard from others asking if I know a guy who knows a guy who might have an extra for sale.

Jason Scott Deegan was the first to cover the topic for GolfAdvisor and covered many elements for those needing a reference piece.

But this on the manufacturing side is noteworthy.

"There's been a tremendous rush for push carts," said Craig Ramsbottom, the president of Dynamic Brands, which sells popular BagBoy models like the Nitron. "It caught us off-guard. The demand, it’s hard to describe. ... Over the last week, we got down to zero carts. It's amazing. Whether it was a slower moving model or color, anything and everything sold."

The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton has tackled the topic as well in a piece “We’re Out of Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer—and Golf Pushcarts?”

Suddenly, people eager to trade the misery of sheltering in place for the frustration of chasing around a tiny ball realize they need a pushcart.

Mr. Hansen is the national sales manager for ProActive Sports Group, which distributes Clicgear, a line hyped as the “Rolls-Royce of pushcarts.” His firm typically has a strong sense of how much inventory it needs for a season. It takes the estimates, adds a fudge factor and places orders long in advance.

None of its statistical models accounted for a pandemic. As soon as golf courses changed protocols, pushcarts began flying off shelves. Courses tried to order them in bulk. Retailers that sold out wanted more. Individuals went hunting online.

The U.S. has no strategic pushcart reserve. Distributors say it can take weeks or months to get new shipments, a process hardly made easier by coronavirus supply-chain disruptions.

Regular golf carts are never going away and a significant profit motive will always keep them safe. Besides, way too many courses are tough to play without one. But in this bizarre time, let the push cart join things like better tee time spacing, unraked bunkers and slower green speeds as having gained fans.