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
We just had a violent mob assault the Capitol in an attempt to prevent those from carrying out our Constitutional duty. There is no question that the President formed the mob, the President incited the mob, the President addressed the mob. He lit the flame. pic.twitter.com/nc9WLmtfuv
— Rep. Liz Cheney (@RepLizCheney) January 7, 2021
Trump Bedminster is the host of the 2022 PGA Championship and Donald Trump is the founder and proprietor of the club.
Given the events of January 6th, 2021, there is no way the championship can continue at the venue.
Mike Whan has undoubtedly enjoyed offers in recent years after having righted the LPGA Tour following the debacle that was the Carolyn Bivens era. So his decision to step down—transition—after 11(!) years is welcome approach to helping the LPGA Tour find a suitable replacement.
One job of note that Whan could be a candidate for: the USGA CEO job. However, he’s not shown great enthusiasm for some of the issues the USGA will look to their leader to champion (distance), which might make it a less than perfect fit.
Anyhow, For Immediate Release with Whan’s lovely sentiments as he leaves with grace and noteworthy optimism:
LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to Step Down in 2021
“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 6, 2021 – After completing his 11th year as LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan has notified the LPGA Board of Directors that he has made the difficult decision to transition out of the LPGA in 2021. While no firm date has been set for his departure, this announcement begins the start of a thorough and thoughtful Commissioner succession process.
Whan shared his decision today with LPGA staff, Members and sponsors in the attached letter, including the following messages:
“When I first joined the LPGA, I told the Board it would be a four-year term, giving me time to help the organization achieve its immediate goals. Now, as the longest-serving LPGA Commissioner, I look back on these 11 years with enormous pride and satisfaction at what we’ve accomplished together to provide opportunities for women to achieve their dreams in golf.
“You may be wondering why I’ve made the decision to step down – and why now? In many ways, this past year – with all the pandemic challenges – was also the LPGA’s most triumphant. We are entering 2021 on a wave of momentum – a strong schedule with record purses, new events/sponsors, double-digit viewership growth, and a talented team that demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and capability to lead through challenging times.
“I simply wouldn’t leave the LPGA if I thought the future was uncertain or not trending straight up. In fact, even after the challenges we faced in 2020, the LPGA has NEVER been more financially secure, deeper in leadership talent, or more anchored by passionate, diverse sponsors from all around the world. The LPGA is poised for even greater heights; and as such, I’m excited to hand the baton to the next leader and become their biggest supporter.
“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught me anything, it was that the LPGA executive staff has full control of our business and is capable of incredible things. We have leaders who are visionary, compassionate, collaborative and humble. You may not agree with every decision they make, but they have led our Tours to new heights virtually every year.”
LPGA Board Chair Diane Gulyas said, “Mike Whan has been a transformational leader of the LPGA and we’ve been fortunate to retain him for 11 years. When he told of me of his intention to step down this year, I had two reactions: First, can we persuade him to stay? And, when that wasn’t possible, to fully respect his decision and begin a seamless transition.
“Mike’s leadership legacy will be felt for years: in the LPGA’s financial strength and value proposition; in its global reach; in the breadth of programs and services it now offers for women and girls in golf; and in the diversity and quality of companies wanting to partner with the LPGA. He has effectively guided the LPGA through a range of economic cycles and challenges, including the COVID 19 pandemic. And, he has been the voice of our Association and its commitment to opportunities for women in golf.”
“Mike has absolutely been the right leader at the right time,” said Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA Tour’s Player President. “He rebuilt the Tour – and then reimagined its future – by bringing new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA. He has that rare ability to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited and on board with his vision. We’re grateful for his leadership over these 11 years and know he’ll remain an advocate for the LPGA long after he departs.”
Marvol Barnard, President of the LPGA’s 1,800 teaching Professionals, said, “When Mike joined the LPGA in 2010, we were essentially a Tour and a Teaching division. Today, we are a bigger, broader, integrated organization dedicated to women in golf of all ages and abilities. Mike will always be an incredibly important person in the history of the LPGA Professionals, and we will always be grateful for his leadership, vision and guidance.”
Gulyas said the Board will establish a Commissioner Selection and Transition Committee and consider candidates from the LPGA’s talented executive staff as well from outside the organization. “It’s clear the LPGA today is a very different Association than the one Mike joined in 2010,” said Gulyas. “Our commitment to the LPGA – and all of our stakeholders – is to find the right leader to guide the Association through this next chapter in its storied history.
“We are so grateful for Mike’s passion and leadership of the LPGA over more than a decade of service as our Commissioner. He will leave the LPGA well positioned for continued success, with an outstanding team of leaders and a strong and sustained culture – Act Like A Founder - that will endure for years to come.”
The ratings! The buzz! The kids!
I haven’t a clue what seeing a player cross 200 mph in swing speed and 210 mph ball speed does for folks, but it’ll be entertaining to watch in sort of a freak show way.
From Brentley Romine’s story on Bryson DeChambeau hoping to
“I haven’t given up the pursuit of trying to get faster,” DeChambeau told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Tuesday at Kapalua, where after a year hiatus he will open his season at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
How fast? DeChambeau said that once he reaches between 207 and 210 mph average ball speed with his driver (he currently leads the PGA Tour at 192.80 mph and has yet to break the 200-mph mark in competition), he will finally be satisfied with his distance quest.
“At that point, I’ll probably be like, ‘OK, that’s good enough,’” DeChambeau said.
Noted!
Prepare for goose bumps…or an eye roll depending on how you feel about the whole Long Drive move:
On Monday, DeChambeau said that after hitting 211 mph ball speed on the range, he reached 201 mph on the final hole of his practice round. He also said he hit an 8-iron 205 yards.
By the way, this is my friendly New Year’s reminder that the World Long Drive remains available for sale. Contact operators in Stamford, CT.
Following Sunday’s Peter Swindon report of military preparations at Prestwick airport consistent with a presidential visit, Scotland’s First Minister has warned such a visit is forbidden under current lockdown rules.
According to the Independent’s Chiara Giordano, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a Trump trip to his resort during Scotland’s latest month-long lockdown would not be kosher.
But Scotland's first minister stressed it is illegal to travel in or out of the country without a valid reason and said: "Coming to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose."
Of course, the idea of golf at Turnberry in January isn’t exactly appealing unless you like temperatures in the low 40s with a strong chance of rain.
Video of the First Minister’s remarks.
Adam Schupak of Golfweek has the details on Troon’s purchase of Indigo Golf Partners, formerly Billy Casper Golf. The number of courses under the Troon banner is pretty staggering. Also noteworthy is the expansion for Troon into muni’s and lower-green fee golf:
Troon substantially increases its portfolio of facilities with the acquisition of Indigo Golf Partners – the company now provides managed services at 585-plus locations around the globe, including managing 630-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In particular, the deal diversifies Troon’s portfolio of client properties that had been heavily weighted to the high-end daily-fee category. Indigo Golf Partners, which focused primarily on providing services to the municipal golf space and facilities with lower price points, brings more accessible golf under the Troon umbrella.
Indigo Golf Partners is one of the largest golf-course management companies in the United States, owning and operating more than 160 golf courses, country clubs and resorts in 29 states. Members and guests of Indigo-managed facilities will continue to experience the same level of service, course conditions and food and beverage options, the company said in a release.
Adam Woodward and Julie Williams at Golfweek break down Lisa Cornwell’s appearance on the No Laying Up podcast. Most concerning to viewers is the incident detailed related to this fall’s ANA Inspiration when Cornwell shared on air that LPGA player and early contender Xi Yu Lin had been unable to get new Mizuno clubs after a fitting two weeks before the ANA Inspiration. She ended up buying the sticks in the latest oddball tale of a manufacturer not giving an LPGA equipment, even as USGA rules allow for freebies that manufacturers now regularly shower on young (mostly male) amateur players.
It certainly was legitimate news but Cornwell received pushback from headquarters and was pulled from her assignment for not checking with Mizuno. Certainly a reporting mistake but one compounded by a Golf Channel correction that was not correct.
After that round, Cornwell described a heated phone call from Russell over the way it was handled, namely that Cornwell did not call Mizuno to confirm the story before mentioning it on air. Cornwell said she was aware of many other LPGA players who had a similar experience with other equipment companies as Lin.
Golf Channel brought Cornwell home from the event after that round and she did not conduct another post-round LPGA interview on air through the end of the year. Golf Channel also sent a correction concerning Cornwell’s reporting of the Mizuno incident via Twitter. Lin and the club fitter both responded that the correction was not actually correct, and Cornwell said a Golf Channel HR manager admitted the same to her. The tweet remained on Golf Central Twitter anyway.
Cornwell said the events were prominent in her next correspondence with the EEOC.
“A man, in his 60s, who was my boss, screaming and cussing me out and sending me home over a gender-related issue from a women’s golf tournament during the middle of a retaliation, gender-discrimination, EEOC case,” she said on the podcast. “I don’t know what organization allows that to happen but Golf Channel didn’t do anything about it.”
The full podcast is here or wherever you subscribe:
-@LisaCornwellGC’s seven year tenure at the Golf Channel recently came to an end. She has spoken out on social media about how she was treated there, and now joins the podcast to tell her story.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) January 4, 2021
Apple: https://t.co/I0mWYhWd1O pic.twitter.com/pbaeZsjpsJ
**Hall of Famer Karrie Webb has voiced support for Cornwell:
Truly respect @LisaCornwellGC for taking this stance. There’s no place for this kind of treatment of women anywhere! The golf industry and the @GolfChannel is no exception either. Well done Lisa! 👏👏 https://t.co/pgQMMCCfS4
— Karrie Webb AO (@Karrie_Webb) January 5, 2021
The new year occasionally brings a top player coming off a huge year making a lucrative move from one manufacturer to another.
David Dusek on world No. 2 Jon Rahm going from Taylor Made to Callaway and assorted brands under their umbrella for an undisclosed, but likely lucrative sum given how a few top players recently prioritizing play with what they like most, even at a cost to their pocketbook:
According to Callaway, Rahm plans to use prototype woods and irons, Callaway JAWS Forged wedges and a Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball. While he is not expected to start 2021 using an Odyssey putter, he has been testing different models and is expected to add one to his bag in the coming weeks.
“The equipment is already performing well for me,” said Rahm, who added that when he played his first round with his new gear at Silverleaf Golf Club in Scottsdale, he scored a course-record 59.
Rahm is in this week’s field for the Sentry Tournament Of Champions and Point Earners.
I’ve thought long and hard about my 2020 year in review and while I’d love to dwell on the Dodgers finally winning it all or yours truly joining the list of Kentucky Derby winning owners, it was by any metric, a positively awful year.
With that, I would like to thank the over 1 million unique visitors to this blog in 2020 with a heartfelt but succinct recap of the worst year ever:
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Moving along to 2021, I anticipate one of the zaniest years in golf history lies ahead. The recreational sport will keep thriving due to altered social engagement patterns (more time!), changing ways of life (fewer commutes), and a continued appreciation for fresh air.
The professional game will see an acceleration of trends. Some positive, most not and probably deservedly shedding some tournaments from schedules. This will provide more fodder than I’d like as one can only spend so much time reading about playing opportunities, premature moves to welcome fans back before they’ve been vaccinated, or marketing-fueled hyping of an increasingly boring game to watch. And let’s not forget the forthcoming excuses by the governing bodies to avoid touching distance gains.
I could go on and on about what will make the off-course moves fascinating quite often and needlessly repetitive at other times. For now, I must end this abbreviated 2021 preview with a tease: coverage here at GeoffShackelford.com will continue free of charge and the snark will still shine through to help us weather these tough times. As a team.
However, very shortly I’ll be announcing a pivot in my coverage that I’m very excited about. It will allow me to focus on the events, courses and trends that I love. I hope you’ll agree and join me for the ride. Stay tuned. But for now, Happy New Year and thank you for your continued readership.
When I saw the euphemistic-sounding “Win Equity” stat cooked up by John Ezekowitz , a No Laying Up fan fed up with debates over Tony Finau’s one win status, I feared an excuse-maker for players who seem to have immense talent, contend a lot, but just don’t seem to win much.
But just based on my C+ math skills, this seemed like a pretty neat bit of research that looks how players perform on the weekend and how often they are genuinely unlucky to lose. We’ve had our share over the years and more recently, Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau have gotten the most attention.
Anyway, check out his Medium post here. This is Strokes Gained level stat-re-imagination but I wouldn’t count on adoption by the PGA Tour since it could put a player in a negative light (even though the stat also validates who have been recently clutch performers, something fans and the, eh-em, investors would like to know).
This can be illustrated through a stat I call Win Equity, which is defined as Expected Wins given Actual Play minus Expected Wins entering Round 4. Generating positive Win Equity means that a player outperformed his expectations, ignoring what others shot. This stat best removes luck from the equation of final round play.
Finau’s performance in Win Equity especially noteworthy: in the 36 final rounds where Finau has entered in the top 10, he has added win equity through his play in only 3 of them (2017 Valero Texas Open, 2019 HSBC Champions and 2018 Safeway Open). That is by far the lowest rate amongst these players.
On top of the Scotsman’s reporting about Trump Golf’s year-end Scottish property declarations, Forbes’ Dan Alexander couples Doonbeg’s losses into the tally.
Since the president opened his Aberdeen course in 2012, he has lost $15.5 million. Business has been even worse at Turnberry, which Trump bought in 2014 for $65 million. Despite investing an additional $75 million or so to fix up the property from 2014 to 2018, the place piled up losses of $58 million, according to an analysis of financial reports. The 2019 figures, first reported by the Scotsman, bring Turnberry’s total losses to $61 million since 2014.
The Turnberry and Aberdeen properties make up half of Trump’s troubled portfolio of golf resorts. In Doonbeg, Ireland, he spent nearly $20 million on a third property, the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, in 2014. The president poured in another $12 million from 2015 to 2018, but he failed to see much of a return, racking up about $9 million in losses. Irish documents released in December show an additional $1.5 million of losses in 2019.
The Turnberry losses seem the least alarming given the amount of money put into the resort, but the lack of turnaround at Trump International Aberdeen and Doonbeg can’t bode well for the future given the relatively low development or purchase costs.
In other golf-related news, the (reluctantly) outgoing President cut short a busy slate of Florida golf to return to Washington so he could work the phones. His holiday golf included rounds with a group that included Rickie Fowler and another with Bernhard Langer, who vouched for the pardon of developer James Batmasian, reports the Daily Mail’s Harriet Alexander.
On December 23, Trump announced that he was pardoning South Florida real estate developer James Batmasian. The pardon was backed by Langer, GOP Congressman Brian Mast and 'many others from the South Flroida community', according to a White House statement.
Only the Queen knows what services made retired Chief Inspector Peter Dawson worth of a “Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”. Perhaps his old pal the Duke of York weighed in from exile with a good word?
Anyhow… congrats to the former R&A chief and Dubai golf-grower for the honor despite overseeing the bastardization of the Old Course and years of resisting an Open at Royal Portrush.
His successor Martin Slumbers chimed in with a congratulatory message.
Martin Slumbers, who succeeded Mr Dawson as Chief Executive of The R&A and Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, said, “On behalf of all of us at The R&A and the Club I would like to congratulate Peter on being made a CBE. It is thoroughly deserved recognition for the sterling work he has done over many years in supporting and growing the game not only here at the home of golf in St Andrews but throughout the world.”
Oh it grew…with tees on the Eden, the New, the Jubilee and the Himalayas. Splendid.
The Scotsman’s Martyn McLaughlin reports that 2019 was another year of reported losses for Trump Golf’s two Scottish golf properties, with increased revenues at Turnberry but £4.86m in depreciation and amortization write offs, marking the sixth year in a row in the red.
The new filings, posted at Companies House, cover the 12 months to 31 December 2019, and do not reflect the widespread disruption to Turnberry’s business brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
But they show that since the outgoing US president took over the historic property in 2014, its losses now total nearly £45m.
It comes just days after accounts for Mr Trump’s inaugural Scottish resort in Aberdeenshire posted losses of £1.1m, the eighth consecutive year it has been in the red.
Good for Greg Norman in highlighting how, in spite of his remarkable fitness at age 65, he experienced the brutality of COVID-19.
Speaking to the Today Show’s Gabe Gutierrez, Norman reiterates the need to take this seriously and avoid getting the coronavirus at all costs. As silly as it sounds ten months into the pandemic, his message remains important for skeptics to hear (and maybe will quiet his criticism of leaders enacting rules to help stem the spread?.
Norman also says he started feeling symptoms Sunday of the PNC Championship just two days after attending this party and photo shoot with most of the field. The piece ends with Gutierrez saying the Today Show reached out to the “PGA” for comment and “have not heard back”.
The full feature and interview:
Golf icon Greg Norman is recovering after a harrowing struggle with COVID-19 that saw him hospitalized twice over the past week. @gabegutierrez reports. pic.twitter.com/4SIdIsWzoE
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 29, 2020
It’s that time of year when chances are pretty good you got a golf trinket you didn’t want and still await that amazing golf book you mumbled out loud about. Well, I don’t like your chances so might as well treat yourself.
I’ve only read one of the three but have good reason to believe the other two, while pricey, will be real keepers.
My favorite read of a summer we were deprived of links golf comes from American Stephen Proctor who meticulously researched Monarch of the Green: Young Tom Morris, Pioneer of the Game.
A former senior editor at the Baltimore Sun, the San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle, Proctor took on the difficult task of telling Young Tom Morris’ story and delivered a highly readable, immensely satisfying work of non-fiction despite the—spoiler here—dark ending. I note the non-fiction component given the previously published and also superb, Tommy’s Honour, Kevin Cook’s researched and fictionalized account of the Morris’. While the liberties were small, any created dialogue can be a killer for some (it was not for me, a credit to Cook’s respect for the subject matter).
While telling the story of Young Tom, Proctor also introduces to the origins of The Open, life in St Andrews and other areas without ever straying from telling the incredible life story. A must if you are going to Scotland or dreaming along those lines. Aren’t we all these days?
Another great Scot—when he wanted to be—is going to be chronicled in a much needed compilation of writings, photos, plans and other information. Josh Pettit’s MacKenzie Reader is at the printer and will provide an update to the prior MacKenzie coffee table book by Tom Doak. So much has been uncovered since that excellent work and I can’t wait to see what Pettit ultimately will surprise and delight us with (I’ve seen portions and also contributed a short piece on the Good Doctor’s less-than-rosy days spent in L.A.).
Today, 30 August 2020, is Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s 150th birthday (b. 30 August 1870). In commemoration of the Good Doctor’s sesquicentennial the MacKenzie Institute is pleased to announce the new book "The MacKenzie Reader" is now available for pre-order https://t.co/MoxaNfqglH
— Dr. Alister MacKenzie (@DoctorMacKenzie) August 31, 2020
Reading about a nasty fight over a road does not exactly sound very golfy, but owning Roger McStravick’s other well-researched works and knowing his passion for St Andrews, I can’t wait to find out more about those early days that shaped the town and led to an absurd war.
Nick Rodger profiles McStravick and previews the book here in this Herald story.
It seems we’ll also learn more about how the Old Course came to be. My copy is on order and I can’t wait.
“Everybody had written that the first hole was created in the 1840s or so,” he said. “But I found the receipt from the 1830s which showed the carter was being paid to take the rubbish from St Andrews, dump it on what was the beach, level it off and that reclaimed land was how the first hole was created. The man who actually did this, John Carstairs, talks about the whole case. The first hole is effectively built on the rubbish.”
For McStravick, the Old Course and St Andrews as a whole is the gift that keeps on giving. “There are so many wonderful twists and turns in the history of St Andrews and that’s the beauty of the place,” he said.
One hundred days from the first tee shot, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig reports that patron badge holders have been told the traditional January 1 “ticket process” has been delayed.
"As planning continues on how to stage the 2021 Masters Tournament safely and responsibly, we would like to inform you that Augusta National is delaying the ticket process for Patron Series Badges, which traditionally begins Jan. 1,'' the club said in an email to ticket holders.
"Our intention is to communicate our decisions for the 2021 Masters to all patrons of record by the end of January. No further action is needed with your account at this time.''
As Harig notes, all 2020 practice round tickets sold will be honored in 2021, adding to the decision-making challenge. Given the already lagging vaccine rollout and continued difficulty in getting rapid test results, the prospect of normal-sized galleries this April seems unlikely.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
