When one comes to the quality of the bunkers and other hazards we pass into realm of much dispute and argument. Primarily bunkers should be sand bunkers purely, not composed of gravel, stones or dirt. Whether this or that bunker is well placed, has caused more intensely heated arguments outside of the realms of religion, than has ever been my lot to listen to. C.B. MACDONALD
Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People
Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)
Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.
Reviews:
"Golf Architecture for Normal People . . . should be required reading for those who are not ashamed to admit they know little about the subject, and for those who think they do . . . . Golf course architecture geeks have trouble slimming their thoughts down to bite-sized chunks, but Shackelford has achieved a remarkable success here." —Independent (Ireland)
"From the relative newcomer who’s slowly getting hooked to those that have played the game for most of their lives and think they know a thing or two, Golf Architecture for Normal People provides a solid and sober perspective that will help everyone recognize why some golf courses are worth playing more than once while a single trip around others is all you’re ever likely to want or need." —Links Magazine.
“It’s a wonderful book. An easy read that arrives just in time for your summer reading list. If you’ve never thought about how an appreciation for course design could heighten your enjoyment of the game, you must check this out.”—The Peterborough Examiner
"As in his prior publications, in his newest book Shackelford shows a deep appreciation for what can be done to create a golf course that appeals to the broadest possible golfing audience…Shackelford’s prose is succinct, often witty, and accessible."—Cape Gazette
"Author, blogger and golf architecture expert Geoff Shackelford, who helped Gil Hanse design Rustic Canyon and restore 2023 U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, taps into his passion by creating a guide that helps every golfer understand the nuances of course design. Published by Tatra Press, the 164-page hardcover book is a must-read for every golfer to better understand the game they love." —Golf Pass
"Shackelford provides an informative picture [and]...sprinkles in history lessons about those who planted the game's architectural roots, defines common terms and helps you hone your eyes when it comes to identifying some of the tricks of the trade."—FORE Magazine
"This new book does a great job demystifying golf course design ideas for average players, but can also be a beneficial read fro PGA Professionals and other golf course employees to get a better understanding of their home courses." —PGA Magazine
This week’s major notes cover the gamut with a little Ryder Cup news thrown in.
The media items alone are fun to consider—unless your job depends on it—and suggest we’re in for a lively period of change in how and where we consume the big events.
The weekly notes are free for all subscribers so sign up. And here is more on how The Quadrilateral works, now one month and 17 editions in. Thanks to all who’ve signed up.
Now that football has moved on and spring training’s start is up in the air, the Masters and condensed major season begins in earnest.
So what better time than now to rank the majors? I have done so in the latest Quadrilateral, this one for paid subscribers who already have it in their inbox.
For more on The Quadrilateral here is the standalone site explaining what it’s all about with big pretty pictures. And here is the Substack landing page with more words, few photos and info on how to sign up.
Tom Corwin of the Augusta Chronicle reports on Augusta National Golf Club jointly announcing a $1 million effort matched by a community foundation to help the COVID-19 vaccine effort. AU Health System is the partner and besides opening the doors to a recently acquired property on Washington, the club is also sending a bigger statement in becoming the first golf organization to endorse the vaccine effort.
“Helping expand access to COVID-19 vaccinations is another meaningful way to do more for our neighbors in the Augusta community that has supported the Masters Tournament for more than 80 years,” Ridley said. “The dedication of (AU Health), Georgia Department of Public Health and all health care providers working courageously during this pandemic is inspiring, and they deserve our enduring gratitude and support. We hope these resources will have an immediate impact on their efforts to protect those most vulnerable and our community at large through more vaccinations."
My latest in The Quadrilateral takes a look at the surprising aggressiveness of the governing bodies proposing equipment rule changes and how the men’s majors will get caught in the middle.
One follow-up note since this paid subscriber-only piece was posted: the PGA of America offered a statement in response to my request for comment.
"We look forward to providing feedback once we have the opportunity to review the areas of interest."
Augusta National Golf Club has not responded to a request regarding Tuesday’s rollout and what it might mean for The Masters.
Just a quick glance at today’s news and the sports world is still struggling with various pandemic related issues. The NBA is teetering on the brink of disaster with its non-bubble season. I’ll pause here to let you feign surprise.
And Major League Baseball is squabbling with the players union opposed to vaccination, so they’re going to play a full season and hope to welcome back fans asap. I’d expect more but then the Astros still have their 2017 banner hanging in their glorified Costco so…
Maybe that’s why I’m hoping the Lords of Augusta will have something more…anything.
My latest Quadrilateral letter to subscribers and still free as I ween you on this fun new writing format.
Thanks to all who have shown amazing faith in just four days since launching, I’m honored by your trust in my work and in Substack’s delivery.
Also, apologies to subscribers that I referred to the press release today as arriving on Monday. Yes, it was Tuesday, my apologies and the web version reflects that.
Every day feels like a Monday right now.
Without those sulfourous green reading books sidelined this week and with a tightly bunched leaderboard where the slightest mistake could lose a green jacket, caddies take on extra meaning at The Masters.
Ward Clayton filed a definitive piece for Masters.com this week on the art of charting Augusta National compared to normal weeks where more of the charting is already done for players and caddies. How we got here is pretty incredible and there remains so much local knowledge to Augusta National.
Just a sampling from the piece related to the shining star that is 2020:
Yardages are important, especially this week when a landmark such as grandstands are absent and another marker must be documented. But at Augusta National, it’s the greens that are the final exam. Putts that look to break one way do the exact opposite or roll out much more than expected, resulting in head scratching and insecurity.
Willie Lee “Pappy” Stokes, the godfather of Augusta National caddies and a five-time winner as a caddie, quickly figured out a secret that Augusta National caddies carried for decades. In the caddie facilities adjacent to the Tournament Practice Facility, simple framed maps of green complexes hang on the walls. On every drawing, there is a distinct red dot, showing the direction of Rae’s Creek from that green – and the tendency for putts to break to the lowest point on the property when it’s not evident to the naked eye. Many caddies over the years have denoted that red dot in their personal Augusta National yardage books.
“Most people think 12 green is the lowest point,” two-time champion Ben Crenshaw said in 2019. “That’s not quite right. It goes to the left of 11 green. That’s the place that’s called ‘The Pull.’ On every green, Carl would point through the trees to that point. Many of the young golfers don’t really understand that. It’s just fascinating.”
2020 Masters: Jon Rahm in the 11th hole rough
Given the time of year, Augusta National was never going to be agronomically perfect for the rescheduled Masters. So we’ll gladly look past the thin rye grass and the weak tee turf given the tricky window for laying down rye seed and uncertainty this event would be played.
But in the grand scheme, the clunky rough (a.k.a. second cut) grown is obviously higher this year and no matter the height, contradicts the well-stated philosophy of Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, the tall stuff looks so shallow and unnecessary on a masterfully-designed course highlighted by width and certainly never embellished by artificial tall grass.
The rough looks curb-like while giving off a grow-in look that is unbecoming of a masterpiece.
The tall stuff is also functionally problematic. From Michael Bamberger’s Golf.com account:
(File this under weird-but-true: Augusta National had long, wet rough. Stu Francis, the USGA president, was walking through the long, wet rough on Thursday as he followed the Woods group. If you call the rough here the “first cut” you must be the proud owner of a club dictionary. Woods calls it the rough. He calls his green jacket a coat. He calls the pitcher’s mound at Dodger stadium “the bump.” If you follow his lead on these matters, it will serve you well. Really, if Augusta National is going to go down this we-actually-have-rough road, they should probably give the players a “courtesy cut,” a pretentious term of the biz to describe the narrow path of short grass that takes a player through the rough from tee to fairway.)
Bill Fields wraps up the annual State of the Masters press conference featuring Chairman Fred Ridley, including details on some nice community outreach efforts prompted by this summer’s civil unrest.
Of course, there was the annual distance talk and Adam Schupak thankfully asked.
From Schupak’s look at Ridley’s comments on distance in response to Schupak’s question.
“I’ve been reluctant thus far to make any major changes regarding adding distance to the golf course,” Ridley said, forgetting, of course, that the club stretched the par-4 fifth hole, Magnolia, under his watch, to 495 yards in 2019. “I think sometimes when you do that, I mean, I think there are unintended consequences that come out of that. The scale and the scope of the hole, it changes when you add distance. It changes more than just adding distance. The look of the hole changes. And the design philosophy of the hole changes. And that’s something that we have always and I have always been very focused on is maintaining the design philosophy of MacKenzie and Jones.”
It’s a tad late on that front due to changes by previous administrations, but nice to see the Chairman gets that no walking back to tees to help tip toe around manufacturer bottom lines is, well, unbecoming.
“Having said that, I think we are at a crossroads as it relates to this issue. We have always been very supportive of the governing bodies; we will continue to be supportive. We think that it’s good that the game of golf is governed by the USGA and the R&A. We think they are great stewards of the game.
ish.
But I’m hopeful that with the work and the studies that have been ongoing for some time, and I understand that in April there’s to be some sort of publication of their conclusions, I do think that we’re coming closer to a call to action. And all I can say is that, as it relates to our golf course, we have options, and we will take the necessary action to make sure we stay relevant.”
Eh, why do I feel like that’s something on top of growing the fairways toward the tees, a practice unbecoming of the best major?
This was a nice acknowledgement of the issue for everyday courses. If on the governing bodies could say something like this AND act on it:
“We have options, as I said, we can make changes, but not every golf course can. Having said that, it’s a balance because the next question is, obviously, or should be, well, you don’t want to make the game harder,” Ridley said. “On one hand, we want to say we want to grow the game, and on the other hand, we’re saying we’re worried about distance.
Eh em…good time to mention the game has seen a huge uptick in play for reasons having nothing to do with longer, shorter, easier or harder? Anyway, sorry to interrupt Mr. Chairman.
“I think everybody just has got to get their head together and figure it out.”
Now there’s an idea! Don’t you all do that four times a year, asking for a friend?
Sadly, Ridley said the next update from the governing bodies is not expected until next April.
Eureka Earth’s overhead from a few weeks ago shows a new grove of trees left of the 18th hole fairway bunkers (left side of image)
I felt like we were making such progress with Augusta National, down to public comments by Chairman Fred Ridley to uphold the original architectural vision of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.
So to read of Hootie Johnson-era manipulations to the course via rough and trees is, well, a setback given the well-stated views of the architects.
From ESPN.com’s Bob Harig Monday course assessment:
The rough appears longer. It's possible it will be cut prior to the first round, but on Monday it was thicker than what the "first cut'' would normally play and look.
In various spots, clusters of trees have been added. One interesting location is beyond the fairway bunkers on the 18th. At least five trees have been added, making the idea of blasting a tee shot over those bunkers less advantageous. Could this be in response to Bryson DeChambeau, who could easily bomb his tee shots that distance.
There is also another cluster of trees farther up the right side of the fairway at the par-5 13th. It may prevent those who think they can just blast the ball into the 14th fairway from the tee into thinking they can do so.
It’s been written about ad nauseum, but a wider Augusta National with fairways running like they did before the grain-cut toward tees would be more interesting and no less difficult. Given that there is an established record of comments by Jones and MacKenzie regarding artificial rough and use of trees, this is a disappointing sign that Augusta National anticipates no changes on the equipment regulation front.
Beginning with the 2020 Masters Tournament, the low 50 players and ties will qualify for the final 36 holes. This is the first change to the cut since 2013.
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 9, 2020
Certainly with daylight at a premium and a bleak weather forecast, you can understand the Fall Masters going to a 50-and-ties cut format.
But as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes, the vaunted ten shot rule helped nine others make the cut in 2019 and on a course where a huge comeback is not out of the question. Yet today’s Tweet suggests the change is permanent.
The service road is in, the trees are planted and room has been left for a new 13th tee at Augusta National. All that’s missing is that magical blue hue in Rae’s Creek!
As you can see from Eureka Earth’s latest shot, the land acquired from Augusta Country Club behind the current tee now includes a handsomely decorated service road with lights, landscaping and even a sound wall on the inside corner to shield a future 13th tee.
This is all my nice build-up to pointing out the obvious: it will be years before an extended 13th tee could look even remotely attractive.
Now, I know what you’re saying, extending the par-5 13th would be all about restoring the risk-reward nature. Who cares if the back drop is more Sage Valley than Augusta National. The answer? The Lords of Augusta care.
When players cross the Hogan Bridge and escape the huge crowds, the serenity and beauty of Amen Corner takes on a special atmosphere. Opening up the gap behind the current tee before the area has matured into a more forested surrounds would be aesthetically jarring, not to mention an obnoxiously long walk. And for what? Some manufacturer bottom lines? Protection of governing body nest eggs?
Normally the fall overseed is not national news, but with hurricane remnants hitting the course and a November Masters looming, the club reported no damage and an on-time conversion to green grass.
The latest photo posted by Eureka Earth shows green grass and bunker sand revealed. Though from this view, the 17th fairway (right center) continues to narrow with tree growth in excess fashion. Even single row irrigation might be overkill at some point soon.
The course is scheduled to reopen to members on October 12th.
Since last week’s post here, Eureka posted another September 24th photo showing the 12th green and 13th tee indicating some damage to the banks, presumably from Rae’s Creek running well above normal levels at some point.
Not a huge surprise given the times and the prediction from Augusta’s mayor last week.
Note the “hopefully” in 2021 line in Chairman Fred Ridley’s quote.
One of my goals for the Shack Show is to talk to interesting folks after news breaks. Clearly these are not days where the golf news warrants conversations based on news, but today’s word on Marion Hollins finally joining the World Golf Hall of Fame provided a fine excuse to chat with David Owen.
A New Yorker staff writer since 1991, Owen has written about a wide array of topics outside of golf. But it’s his work for Golf Digest and as a book author we value. His officially sanctioned The Making of The Masters remains an underrated work in the pantheon of important sports books, with Owen ably handling the warts-and-all information uncovered in club archives with the obvious desire to portray the club’s founders in a positive light.
In researching that book, Owen knew little about Marion Hollins but after much research, helped explain her small, but incredible role in shaping Augusta National.
We also discussed where golf will land after the COVID-19 pandemic, David’s buddies trip to Wales that’s been cancelled and the joys of discovering lesser-known links courses.
David’s site of blog posts and articles is MyUsualGame.com. You can find some incredible writing there on a wide array of topics, including the best of links golf.
Here is the GolfDigest.com story, Back Roads Scotland, that we discussed during the show. David has also posted photos and more insights about these gems on his site.
As for the Shack Show, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, but for some guidance, here is the Apple podcasts option and below, the iHeart embed.
Think of this posted by the Masters YouTube page as the springtime version of a yule log…and also a reminder that the 12the green is really, really small.
Who needs the Calm app when you have this?
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
