Actual Grow The Game Files: Notah Begay Junior Golf National Championship On Golf Channel

/

While a lot of Tour pros think they are growing the game by their mere presence in exotic dictatorships where public beheadings are a thing, others are actually trying to grow the game.

On Wednesday December 8th from 7-9 p.m. ET, Golf Channel airs the Notah Begay Junior Golf National Championship. It’s the culmination of a two-stage, 30 regional effort to reach the finals. Named after and started by the former Tour player and NBC analyst along with former Golf Channel colleague Ryan Burr, who will be part of ESPN+’s PGA Tour Live Coverage team in 2022.

Burr’s son is an accomplished junior golfer and like many exposed to that world, wondered if there was a better way to help kids get tournament experience and seen by coaches without some of the AJGA’s excess. He pitched the concept to Begay who has long given back to various causes, including junior golf.

This will be the second time the event airs on television and gives some older juniors a chance to shine. Last year Lance Christensen got some attention with a 357 yard drive and ended up getting a golf scholarship to New Mexico State.

The National Championship played 54-holes with four divisions: Boys 14-18, Boys 13 & Under, Girls 14-18 and Girls 13 & Under. 

More impressive is the encouragement of participation by kids and the promise to pick up entry fees if they can’t afford it. They are also offering a giveaway of free entry fees for the entire Begay Junior Golf Tour schedule for the lucky kid who answers a trivia question. Nice work guys.

Ratings: The Match Up A Bit When Factoring In Channels You've Never Heard Of; World Challenge Down

/

All the numbers are in from the various places The Match V aired—including NHLN and the dreaded TruTV we only use in March—and Brooks Koepka against Bryson DeChambeau did more than fine.

According to Paulsen at Sports Media Watch, the final tally across all platforms gave them an increase in viewership...

— averaged 1.2 million viewers across TBS, TNT, TruTV and NHLN, up 13% from last year’s Black Friday edition (1.0M). Compared to the previous edition of “The Match” in July, viewership fell 29% from 1.7 million.

The July Match is a different beast due to the pandemic, but the increase over Phil Mickelson with Curry, Manning and Barkley is a win for Turner.

Meanwhile the 2021 Hero World Challenge included Tiger Woods booth visits and less-than-subtle range sessions, but no on course play as was the case in 2019. This translated to declines, especially with the coveted-demo. I blame the lack of Live Under Par messaging.

From Showbuzzdaily, the 2021 Hero’s .59/955k/183k vs. its last playing in 2019 drawing .91/1.3 million/254k:

Significant Augusta National Design Artifact Up For Auction

/

The Golf Auction is offering this rendering with MacKenzie commentary.

An early Amen Corner rendering features Alister MacKenzie's handwritten notes and is up for auction.

Here is the listing at The Golf Auction.

Readers who have committed my Golden Age of Golf Design to memory will recognize the plan from page 163. For reasons I don’t recall and apologize in advance for, we did not include a similar rendering of the fifth hole that appeared with the auction item.

In this Quadrilateral post, I explore its authenticity given efforts in recent years to fraudulently pass of MacKenzie and Tillinghast drawings, plus consider its importance in the small world of great architectural renderings.

More Details About PGA Tour Live On ESPN+: 4300 Hours, 15-Person Announce Team And Continued Coverage During Network Windows

/

As the new year and new TV deal are close, the PGA Tour and ESPN+ are rolling out more details of their ambitious coverage plans.

Standout elements of this figure to be Featured Hole coverage (assuming the right holes are selected), the early “Main Feed” essentially providing a traditional broadcast prior to Golf Channel’s coverage, the Marquee Group and the continuation of Featured Groups (depending on the groups) when the Golf Channel, NBC and CBS take over.

Whether ESPN influences any of this or some experimental efforts ala Peyton and Eli, remains to be seen. But at $6.99 a month, plus access to ESPN+’s Masters and PGA Championship feeds, along with +’s other offerings, it’s a steal for fans.

TOUR, ESPN+ Announce Details of Expanded and Extended Coverage Beginning in January 

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ set to launch January 2022

Four new streaming feeds more than triples live coverage 

to more than 4,300 exclusive hours

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – ESPN+ and PGA TOUR announced details for the inaugural season of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, with extended and expanded coverage that more than triples the total coverage – adding more than 3,200 new hours of live streaming available for a total of more than 4,300 exclusive hours. All PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ coverage will be available to ESPN+’s more than 17.1 million subscribers.

In 2022, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will include live coverage of 35 tournaments – from the TOUR’s Hawaii events in January all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs and into the fall – with at least 28 events having four full days of coverage and four simultaneous live feeds each day. 

“The start of the PGA TOUR in 2022 will tee off a new and exciting opportunity for fans to watch the best golfers in the world,” said Burke Magnus, President, Programming and Original Entertainment, ESPN. “The new and expanded PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ is an incredible offering for golf fans – with more than three times the coverage from last season, while also bringing them access to thousands of other sporting events and original programming, all for $6.99 per month.”

With the launch of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ comes new streaming feeds that will bring expanded coverage of events totaling more than 4,300 exclusive hours. Beginning with The American Express (January 20-23, 2022), PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will offer fans four live feeds for each tournament: 

  • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course;

  • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group;

  • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups;

  • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes.

When network television coverage begins, the four streams will pivot to two featured groups and two featured holes so fans can continue to engage with PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ in addition to the telecast.

Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer, PGA TOUR said, “The PGA TOUR couldn’t be more excited to launch a new era in content delivery with Disney and ESPN+, which will greatly expand and diversify our audience reach. There will be more content available to our fans than ever before with an exciting and diverse group of on-air talent delivering the action.

This expanded, unprecedented coverage, with over-the-top (OTT) streaming and emerging technologies moving to ESPN+, is part of the TOUR’s new nine-year domestic media rights portfolio announced in March 2020. 

The weekly production crew behind PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will increase from approximately 85 people to more than 210, with 16 cameras on the course, and a 15-person talent crew calling the action across the four channels. The expanded talent roster is still being finalized and will include current studio hosts John Swantek, Jonathan Coachman, Lisa Cornwell and Ned Michaels and on-course analysts Christina Kim, Karen Stupples, Mark Immelman, Chantel McCabe, Mark Wilson, Stuart Appleby and Michael Collins.

“We are excited about the growth of PGA TOUR LIVE and the opportunity to reach a larger audience on ESPN+,” said PGA TOUR Vice President and Executive Producer Greg Hopfe. “Four separately produced streams will showcase more action than ever before from top players and fan-favorite holes at each tournament. We look forward to being able to share nearly every shot from golf fans’ favorite players on ESPN+.”

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will cover both early January Hawaii events – Sentry Tournament of Champions and Sony Open in Hawaii – for the first time with Featured Groups coverage in the mornings, followed by Featured Holes in the afternoons. 

The complete four feed PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ offering will begin at The American Express. For more information, please visit frequently asked questions about PGA TOUR LIVE.    

PGA TOUR LIVE originally launched in 2015. ESPN+, launched in 2018, has grown to reach 17.1 million subscribers. The combined PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will provide significant growth opportunities for PGA TOUR content via ESPN+’s digital reach, innovative platform and young and diverse audiences.  

PGA TOUR LIVE will be part of any ESPN+ subscription, at no additional cost, alongside more than 15,000 other live sporting events, acclaimed studio programs, original series and documentaries and a library of other on demand programming.

Golf programming on ESPN+ also includes The Masters (115 hours of live coverage, plus 50 hours of The Masters Films from 1960-2020), The PGA Championship (200 hours of live coverage, plus 30 hours of library and classic programming), as well as the original series America’s Caddie with Michael Collins, which will return in 2022 with new episodes throughout the PGA TOUR season. 

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com for just $6.99/month or $69.99/year. It is also part of The Disney Bundle, a one-stop streaming subscription offer that gives customers access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $13.99/month. 

Silly Season: Two Stroke Penalties For Spieth, Stenson After Using Wrong Tee Box

/

You know it’s the end of the year when two players you’d consider among the more detail-oriented tee off from the wrong box. Playing first out and undoubtedly taking as little time as necessary, Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson teed off from the 17th tee on The Albany’s 9th.

By all accounts the Tour staff had made clear of this possibility and gigantic tee signs were on each box, meaning the caddies also had a chance to intervene. So this one was on the players, as the video explanation from Shane Bacon and Notah Begay covers it all, followed by Spieth and Stenson talking to the press after the round:

To get an idea how zoned out the two were…

Q. What was your reaction when the official told you?

JORDAN SPIETH: I actually didn't think we were going to get penalized because it's a charity event, but then I realized there's world ranking involved and all that. I think the frustrating part for us now is that every other group's going to be -- they're making sure to tell them, but for us they didn't. It obviously didn't matter for us, which is fortunate I think for those guys. 

HENRIK STENSON: My question was if we could just finish 19th and 20th and leave after 9, but that wasn't an option, either.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, he did. He asked them if we could just go to the airport and I said I'm down.

In normal times this would be quite humorous particularly given how meticulous these two and their bagmen usually are. But with all of the disruptive tension and importance of world ranking points, even the above antics get noticed when the field in a 20-player even has checked before the conclusion.

Tiger Sure Seems Like He's Prepping For The PNC

/

Mark Cannizzaro pieces together the comments and unavoidable sight of Tiger Woods practicing as the Hero World Challenge saw everyone limping home for a break. Except, of course, those playing in this week’s more-intriguing-than-most Shark Shootouts and the following week’s PNC parent-child event.

“Not a doubt in my mind that Tiger is playing the PNC,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said Friday during Golf Central Pregame.

One factor is Woods, who needed surgery to repair a shattered ankle and two leg fractures suffered in a horrific car crash in February, doesn’t have to walk the course like a typical tournament. Also, he would be able to play with his son Charlie.

“Tiger can ride a cart, he can drive up basically to the golf ball and almost onto the green, so the walking might not be as much of a stress on the leg,” fellow Gold Channel analyst Notah Begay III, a friend of Woods and his former teammate at Stanford, said this week. “But also, he can play Charlie’s drives. I covered them for the majority of that event last year, and Charlie was hitting most of the drives because of where his tees are at, and he’s such a good ball-striker that they were taking advantage of his drives because they were much farther than where Tiger’s balls were off the tee. Those are two critical things that I think might factor into him possibly showing up in a couple weeks with Charlie. I know the world would love to see it.”

What Notah says.

Latest "Grow The Game" Variant Threatens The Reputation Of Golf's Leading Pros

/

Comments this week from Justin Rose and Collin Morikawa offer a reminder that the terrible virus known as “grow the game” has failed to go away.

My Quadrilateral plea to be vigilant plus speculation on grow the game’s origins.

**After filing this latest newsletter, I saw Mark Cannizzaro’s lengthy NY Post story on the Bahamas buzz over the new league. Naturally, it included this:

One high-profile player, who has been approached by representatives for a potential “league,’’ told The Post this week that he’s “concerned for the game’’ if an all-out legal brawl ensues between the PGA Tour and what it would consider another organization infringing on its empire.

“This should all be about growing the game,’’ the player said.

Barf.

"USGA Unveils National Championship for Adaptive Golf Community"

/

Pinehurst No. 6 will host the first two U.S. Adaptive Open Championships

Great news from the USGA which hopefully motivates the International Golf Federation to reconsider a push to get golf in the Paralympics.

For Immediate Release:

USGA Unveils National Championship for Adaptive Golf Community 

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club to Host Inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open™ in July 2022

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Dec. 3, 2021) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, a new national championship that will showcase the world’s best golfers with disabilities. The inaugural competition will be conducted on Course No. 6 at historic Pinehurst Resort & Country Club on July 18-20, 2022. The 2nd U.S. Adaptive Open will also be held on Pinehurst No. 6, and will be conducted from July 17-19, 2023.

The U.S. Adaptive Open Championship will serve as the association’s 15th national championship, joining such iconic events as the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur. Champions of this new event will see their names recorded in the annals of golf history alongside many of the game’s storied figures.

The announcement of the championship follows through on a 2017 pledge by the USGA to establish this championship for the adaptive golf community. 

“Since 1895, our championships have provided the world’s best players with an opportunity to showcase their skills on a global stage, compete for a national championship and achieve their dreams,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “After years of planning and delays caused by the global pandemic, we are proud to bring that same opportunity to the adaptive golf community through this championship, and to do so at Pinehurst, our second home. We believe this effort will spur participation for golfers with disabilities and hope it inspires others in the industry to make the game and its competitions more welcoming to all.”

The championship will be contested over 54 holes of stroke play on Pinehurst No. 6. It is open to males and females, professionals and amateurs, with either physical impairment, sensory impairment (vision), or intellectual impairment, who have a WR4GD Pass as well as an authorized World Handicap System (WHS) Handicap Index®.

The field will consist of 96 players. Further eligibility requirements, field composition and other competitive format details of the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship will be announced at a later date. The application process is expected to open in February.

"Green-reading changes for 2022 a step back for the game?"

/

John Wood makes many terrific points in his case that green reading books have advanced the game. Namely, that of all the things, we have this?

Infinitesimal improvements and differences that cannot be exclusively correlated to greens books. An improved knowledge base, Aimpoint, better coaching with drills and devices, better agronomy (read: smoother greens) have all contributed. Plus, in the last three years, players have been allowed to tap down spike marks, something that’s never been OK in the game’s history. For a statistical comparison, in 1996, Tour average for driving distance was 265.9 yards. Last year? 296.2. Hmm. If players have the power to, in effect, bifurcate the rules, which is what is happening, can they enact other Local Rules? Can they as a Tour decide the ball is going too far and the driver heads are too forgiving? Doubtful, because there’s a lot of money coming from those equipment companies … not a lot coming from Mark Long, maker of the greens books.

No argument on distance or picking lower hanging fruit. But besides all of the reasons they look bad to spectators and add more nonsense all around, they have also introduced another cost to an aspiring “player”. On top of rangefinders and now some form of launch monitor access, not to mention other costs to play, the pressure to buy green reading books or fall behind is not progress. Especially when statistics say they are not even significantly helping golfers make more putts.

Greens books are an advancement in the game, like forgiving drivers and balls that go forever, don’t curve and spin around the greens; like launch monitors, like distance/slope measuring devices. Why is the line drawn here? Why go backwards here? Say it’s agreeable and everyone shares the same feeling about their elimination. Why not announce the ban and give it a year like they did with the anchored putter? Players had a year to work on a new method they felt confident with when the rule was enacted. There is an entire generation on Tour that has never played a tournament without a greens book. Why not give everyone a year to adapt instead of a couple months?

Because people have read greens without them for a few centuries, for starters.

Also, anything that adds time and cost is not an advancement. And because no one ever took up the game or plays it because of green reading books.

As a bonus, they’re also creating precedent for more bifurcation. Wins all the way around!

2023 Ryder Cup Cart Lead Driver Race Update And Henrik Stenson On Playing The Saudi International

/

The Guardian’s Ewan Murray says the 2023 Captaincy race is between Henrik Stenson and Luke Donald.

Like Lee Westwood, who backed out of consideration, Stenson tells Murray he still may have another Ryder Cup in him but remains interested in the job.

And like Westwood, he employed his signature dry wit to suggest why fining some players for teeing up in the Bonesaw would be absurd. In Stenson’s case, he committed to playing the event for three years and before the European Tour, now DP World Tour, would break off from the Saudi and schedule a competing event.

“It is one of those situations and I can only say that I had an arrangement to come back and play. It’s been a good tournament on the schedule and it fitted in once again on my schedule. I will fulfil my commitment to go and play there and what happens in terms of the tour, who knows? I believe there’s a European Tour event in Ras al Khaimah the same week. The other one was planned ahead of that one and you can’t be in two places at the same time, I found that out a long time ago.”

The 2022 WGHOF Ceremony Coming To The Global Home

/

Even though the World Golf Hall of Fame is just down 95, the 2022 induction ceremony will be in the house that Tiger built. That’s Terminal C for cult with a name ripped from the pages of L. Ron Hubbard.

For Immediate Speculation About What Becomes Of The current World Golf Hall of Fame:

World Golf Hall of Fame Announces that 2022 Induction Ceremony

(Wednesday, March 9) to Take Place at PGA TOUR’s ‘Global Home’

Live Ceremony to Feature Newest Inductee Class – Competitors Susie Maxwell

Berning & Tiger Woods Along with Contributors Tim Finchem & Marion Hollins

Hall of Fame to Unveil New 2022 Inductee Exhibit on Saturday (Dec. 4),

Showcasing Historic Artifacts from Woods, Maxwell Berning, Finchem and Hollins

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 2, 2021) – The World Golf Hall of Fame and the PGA TOUR today announced that the 2022 induction ceremony – honoring the newest class of Hall of Fame members – will be staged at the PGA TOUR’s ‘Global Home’ corporate headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Taking place during THE PLAYERS Championship, the induction ceremony will air live on Golf Channel on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET.

“We are excited to conduct the Hall of Fame’s 2022 induction ceremony in partnership with the PGA TOUR at their new Global Home,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO, World Golf Hall of Fame. “It will serve as an exciting venue for a historic evening among those in attendance, as well as those tuning in from around the world on the eve of THE PLAYERS Championship.”

The induction ceremony in March will center around the newest Hall of Fame class: competitors Susie Maxwell Berning and Tiger Woods, along with contributors Tim Finchem and the late Marion Hollins.

On Saturday (Dec. 4), the Hall of Fame will unveil a new exhibit dedicated to celebrating the 2022 class. On display will be personal items and artifacts from the new inductees, including trophies and memorabilia collected during their respective careers. The addition of these four individuals will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 164.

In addition to honoring the four newest Hall of Fame members, the induction ceremony in March also will recognize Dick Ferris and Peter Ueberroth, as recipients of a newly created lifetime achievement award for their contributions to the sport. Additionally, Renee Powell will be honored for her spirit in advancing diversity in golf, as the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company.

The ceremony will take place in Northeast Florida for the first time since 2013, with most recent ceremonies held in California (2019), New York (2017) and Scotland (2015).

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, December 2nd, 2021

/

Rory: "I think we're independent contractors and we should be able to play where we want to play."

/

In between questions about ripping off his shirt in Dubai after a rough final round—and getting quite cranky about those inquiries—Rory McIlroy made very clear that pro golfers are independent contractors who should be able to play where they want free of fines to pay for the Global Home’s moat cleaning.

Problem is, both the PGA Tour and European Tour are threatening major fines and other retaliatory tactics for players seeking releases to play in an event controlled by the Saudis, who’d like to poach those players for a golf league.

Another problem: McIlroy carries significant influence, as evidenced by news earlier in the day of green reading books effectively being banned by the USGA and R&A. A move likely instigated by his role in Player Advisory Council discussions and vote on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

So here goes Jay Monahan’s last non-grey hair:

RORY McILROY: I think we're independent contractors and we should be able to play where we want to play. So in my opinion I think the Tour should grant releases. It's an Asian Tour event, it's an event that has OWGR rankings, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't.

I do see reasons why they wouldn't grant releases, but I think if they're trying to do what's best for their members and their members are going to a place other than the PGA TOUR and being able to earn that money, I mean, we're independent contractors and I feel like we should be able to do that if that's what our personal choice is.

My personal choice is not to do that, but obviously a lot of players are doing that and I think it's fair to let them do that.

This didn’t really help his buddy Jay, either.

Q. Going down the road there could be legal battles and arguments.

RORY McILROY: I think the professional game needs to get to a point where we as professionals need to know where we stand. Are we actually independent contractors? Are we employed by a certain entity? That's stuff that's just -- there's a lot of gray area in that and that's what sort of needs to be sorted out, I think.

This was more helpful, I guess:

Q. With all the rumblings of the team concept and whatnot that's in the ether there, so to speak, do you feel like that can co-exist successfully with the Tour?

RORY McILROY: No, so for me, like the PGA TOUR is the best place in the world to play.

I'm not saying that the whole thing needs to be blown up and we do a different thing here. I think if people want golf to be more innovative and they want it to be more engaging and they want to see different concepts, there's no reason why the PGA TOUR can't do that themselves, you know? They have the know-how how to put golf tournaments on, they have all the staff, they have everything, they have the best structure in place to do it.

I'm certainly not saying that I want anything else to come of this, but there are certain elements to different concepts of professional golf that I do see merits in, but I don't see any reason why the Tour couldn't do it themselves.

Yeah, uh, about that. They’ve had years to react to disruptors, consider where sports might be heading, discuss updating how they do things and have dug in on a moldy old model. What was it Seth Waugh said back at the PGA? “I actually think it’s healthy. You either disrupt or you get disrupted. That’s what this is.”

USGA, R&A Introduce Model Local Rule To Further Limit Use Of Green-Reading Materials 

/

The USGA and R&A keep making bifurcation cool, this time officially piggybacking on the PGA Tour’s rule change to attempt a full ban on grown men studying tiny arrows to read a putt.

For Immediate Release:

USGA, R&A INTRODUCE MODEL LOCAL RULE TO FURTHER LIMIT USE OF GREEN-READING MATERIALS 

Option available January 1 and is intended for the highest levels of the game 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Dec. 1, 2021) – Golf’s governing bodies have made available a Model Local Rule (MLR) to further limit the use of Green-Reading Materials. 

MLR G-11 enables a committee to limit players to using only the yardage book that it has approved for use in the competition. 

This local rule is intended only for the highest levels of competitive golf and, even then, only for competitions where it is realistic for the committee to undertake an approval process for yardage books. It will be available starting January 1, 2022.

The local rule gives a committee the ability to establish an officially approved yardage book for a competition so that the diagrams of putting greens show only minimal detail (such as significant slopes, tiers or false edges that indicate sections of greens). In addition, the local rule limits the handwritten notes that players and caddies are allowed to add to the approved yardage book. 

The purpose behind the local rule is to ensure that players and caddies use only their eyes and feel to help them read the line of play on the putting green. 

The USGA and The R&A developed MLR G-11 in response to feedback from several professional tours.

The MLR, along with question-and-answer guidance, can be found here.

As the local rule should only be adopted at the highest levels of competitive golf, all other golfers will continue to be able to use green-reading tools so long as they meet the requirements established in 2019. For more information on the current rule, see usga.org/grm.

Blue Hill Country Club Retaliates Against Golf Writer And Member

/

Veteran New England golf writer and publisher Tom Gorman was banned from Massachusetts’ Blue Hill Country Club where he was a member. It appears a fairly innocuous story in August covering a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling against Blue Hill for violating the “Tips Act” was the problem.

What’s most troubling: Gorman wrote about the decision and considered potential ramifications for all courses in the region. The club lost but apparently took issue with this:

The SJC decision could have wide-ranging ramifications on other private clubs, hotels and spas in Massachusetts that have engaged in the practice of clipping their help of hard-earned income, as Blue Hill CC has done. Also, of note, Holtzman said all the defendants are personally liable even though most no longer work at the club.

“This Supreme Judicial Court decision is important confirmation that Massachusetts law provides clear protection against workers having their tips taken from them,” said Holtzman in a telephone interview August 24. “This is a reaffirmation of the fundamental principle that workers are entitled to the proceeds from all service charges on events they’ve worked, including the frontline workers who’ve been continuing to deliver service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“It’s gratifying that this victory means these workers will now receive not only their back wages and tips, but also the mandatory treble damages designed to deter future violations. It is also an important reminder of the broad scope of the Tips Act protecting workers at hotels, spas, hair and nail salons, restaurants, catering halls and country clubs – anyone in an occupation in which employees customarily receive tips.”

Even though the club was found guilty, Gorman’s story was apparently too much for Concert Golf Partners, the owners of Blue Hill. As Gorman writes in this account of his membership termination, “hostile opinion” in the above story was the rationale for ending his membership.

In a 20-minute call on Friday Nov. 19 Mr. Straub informed me that I am not welcome back to Blue Hill CC for the 2022 season and that my $10,000 initiation is non-refundable.

“We have received 37 complaints from members of Blue Hill that are not happy with the way you presented the club in recent published articles,” said Straub, from his Concert Golf corporate office in Lake Mary, Florida. “Concert Golf has many options in deciding what’s best for the club. Based on the feedback of members and other criteria we made a decision that you are not welcome there and that we will not renew your membership for next year.”

So, I asked, “Is this retaliation?”

“We believe that your published article in August on the Massachusetts SJC decision against Blue Hill contained some inaccurate content, and reflected more as a hostile opinion piece,” added Straub. “That type of journalism should not be coming from a member. You can use your media platform to do whatever you want and I’ve already been informed you plan to make this issue public. That is not the way Concert Golf does business. We handle these matters confidentially for the benefit of both parties.”

It’s hard not to wonder if poor reading comprehension skills were an issue for General Manager Jason Adams, whose letter to Gorman is a hot mess of mistakes:

The actions of the club should not go unnoticed here. To lose the case in the state’s highest court over skimming tip money is a stain on Concert Golf Partners.