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
R.I.P. Tim Rosaforte
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Tim Rosaforte hard at work during the Association of Golf Writers dinner, St Andrews 2015 (Geoff Shackelford)
The longtime reporter has passed after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 66. Far too young but his needless suffering is over.
I wrote about Rosie here upon his retirement and stand by all of it and then some. We got off to a rough start but became friends and he was a super mentor to younger golf writers. And then, as a Golf Channel contributor where he was always humbly asking how he did or what he could do to get better. That humility on top of his work ethic made him one of a kind in our business.
Craig Dolch, his good friend and long time colleague, filed this wonderful remembrance of Rosie.
A few photos from my collection that I love. Especially the top one from the 2015 Association of Golf Writers dinner where Rosie was working late! (A wider version is below.)
Jaime Diaz remembers his longtime Golf World and Golf Channel colleague in this piece. I’ll post more as they come.
When I last saw Tim, in September in Florida, his short-term memory had faded, but he needed only a little prompting to remember people and places and moments from the past. Still easy company. He even chuckled a few times at a name or an old punch line. “We had a good time,” he said. “I hope I have more.” When he saw I was having trouble answering, the old empathetic interviewer returned, and he didn’t’ press. “You know,” he said, “it’s OK.”
Some images I found in my collection featuring Tim through the years:
Watson To Join Nicklaus And Player As An Honorary Starter
/The next logical starter based on his history with the Masters has been invited by Chairman Fred Ridley to participate starting in 2022. The full statement from Augusta National Golf Club:
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced today that two-time Masters champion Tom Watson will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an Honorary Starter beginning Thursday, April 7, 2022, at the 86th Masters Tournament.
“I am honored that Tom has accepted our invitation,” said Ridley. “I look forward to commemorating his love for the game and impact on the Masters with his millions of fans across the globe as he hits a tee shot alongside two of the Tournament’s other all-time greats, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.”
Watson won the 1977 and 1981 Masters Tournaments and finished runner-up three times in his 15 top-10 showings at Augusta National. He is one of 17 players to win multiple Masters Tournaments, and his 72.74 scoring average ranks fifth in Tournament history.
After competing in the Masters as an amateur in 1970, Watson made 42 consecutive starts from 1975-2016, the fifth-longest streak in Tournament history. His 58 subpar rounds are second all-time behind Nicklaus (71), and he holds the record for most consecutive years with at least one subpar round (21, 1975-1995).
“Augusta National in April is one of my favorite places to be,” Watson said. “With the many fond memories of both watching the Masters as a youngster and then competing in the Tournament for so many years, I am greatly honored to join my friends and fellow competitors, Jack and Gary, as an Honorary Starter in this upcoming Masters. In both of my victories, Jack was on my heels. And when Gary won his third Tournament in 1978, I was there to help him put on the Green Jacket. Moments like those stand out in my career, and the opportunity to share the Honorary Starter tradition with Jack, Gary and the Masters patrons will be very special.”
The tradition of Honorary Starters at the Masters began in 1963 with Jock Hutchison (1963-1973) and Fred McLeod (1963-1976) performing the duties. Other Honorary Starters include Byron Nelson (1981-2001, non-consecutive), Gene Sarazen (1981-1999), Ken Venturi (1983), Sam Snead (1984-2002), Arnold Palmer (2007-2016), Nicklaus (2010-present), Player (2012-present) and Lee Elder (2021). The introduction of the Honorary Starters and ceremonial tee shots historically precede the first tee time of the Tournament’s first competitive round, signaling the official beginning of Masters competition. The 86th Masters Tournament is scheduled for April 4-10, 2022.
Californians: Help Oppose AB 672
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A bizarre California assembly bill that briefly appeared and never went away apparently needs to public input immediately.
If you’re a Californian, the SCGA makes it quite easy to write to your state assembly member in advance of a January 12th hearing. Here is the synopsis from the SCGA and where you can easily contact your representatives:
AB 672 (Public Golf Endangerment Act) would require California’s Department of Housing & Community Development “to administer a program to provide incentives in the form of grants to local agencies that enter into a development agreement to convert a golf course owned by the local agency into housing and publicly accessible open space; space used as a golf course shall not be considered open space." That’s 22% of the state’s golf stock that hosts upwards of 45% of the state’s golf play and roughly 90% of the game’s growth and diversity programs. It singles golf and only golf out for dismemberment; no other park, open space or land preservation use is similarly jeopardized, guaranteeing that golf and only golf will be sacrificed up for redevelopment. Your opinion is the one that counts most with the legislators who will determine whether golf will be sacrificed up or treated the same as every other park and recreation activity in California. Let them know what you think; act today!
Here is the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance’s take:
A radical anti-golf attack in the guise of an “affordable housing” bill, California Assembly Bill 672, will be considered in January 2022 by two committees of the State Assembly – the Housing & Community Development and Local Government committees. The proposed law would appropriate $50 Million from the State General Fund as a bounty to entice cities to replace existing municipal golf courses in “densely populated areas” with high-density “affordable housing” developments. This appears intended as just the first step towards dismemberment of the State’s great network of municipal golf courses.
Five Clubs Pod With Jack Nicklaus Discussing Governing Bodies On Distance: “I don’t really know what they’re doing”
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Gary Williams discusses the past, present, and future of the game with 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus as his 82nd birthday nears.
As most know, Nicklaus has been on top of this topic for around fifty years and some of his comments in the podcast suggest he’s exasperated at the state of affair, especially with the upcoming 20th anniversary of the “joint statement of principles” on distance. He also discusses the water issue and the disparity now between the professional and amateur thanks to equipment best suited for high swing speeds.
Nicklaus tells Williams the USGA said they were going to get the issue addressed two years ago, then COVID paused the process and again more recently, “nothing happened.” He concluded, “I don’t really know what they’re doing” and ultimately asked, “How long is going to take them to 'research’ the issue?”
We do know the current comment period ends this May, with a likely hint of some plans to do something. So in that sense there is some optimism a stand will be taken, though far too late.
The distance talk starts around the 15:00 mark:
R.I.P. Bob Shearer
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Tony Webeck with a remembrance of the former Australian Open champion Bob Shearer, who passed away at age 73 Saturday.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Shearer shot to prominence by winning the 1969 Australian Amateur and then joined the professional ranks the following year.
In his playing career that stretched across four decades, Shearer amassed 27 professional wins including the 1983 Australian PGA Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club and the 1982 Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, defeating Americans Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart by four strokes.
Shearer won twice on the European Tour in the 1975 season (Madrid Open and Piccadilly Medal) and in 1982 won the Tallahassee Open on the PGA Tour and lost in a playoff to Ed Sneed at the Houston Open that same year.
And his friend Mike Clayton filed a wonderful collection of memories about Bob’s life. A teaser:
Bob won his PGA around the East Course at Royal Melbourne, but it was a brilliant seven-shot win in the 1974 Chrysler Classic over the Composite Course which marked him as a man who played Royal Melbourne as well as anyone. Royal Melbourne greenkeeper Claude Crockford had the greens so difficult the third-place man, Lee Trevino, famously told the locals they had better get a picture of him going out the gate, “because you won’t ever see me coming back in”.
If you have twenty minutes this YouTube posting of Shearer’s Australian PGA win starts with the club’s pre-tournament fire before hosting Shearer’s upset win over Nicklaus.
Sentry TOC: Three Players Break 19-Year Old Scoring Record In One Week
/Even though the course was lengthened not long ago and it’s the first event of the calendar year, a pretty significant was broken at Kapalua. But three players. In one week. After 19 years.
Just filing it for the next time we have to hear how scoring isn’t changed so don’t you dare take away my right to buy a longer, straighter $600 driver made of carbonwood!
The final round highlights of Cameron Smith’s impressive 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions victory where the 28-year-old earned his fourth Tour win in 157 starts and moves to 10th in the world.
ESPN+'s PGA Tour Live Appears To Deliver A Streaming Breakthrough For Golf
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This stubborn cable subscriber has been looking for streaming to show it can be better and mostly it’s been a clunkier version of the same picture quality. But the debut of ESPN+ coverage last week offered stunning pictures, fun multicasting and a clear path for golf's streaming future. I explain here.
Plus, a word on Kapalua's record scoring and how players clearly are not missing their green reading books or 46-inch-plus driver shafts.
The item is here for all to read because I was just so happy after watching the Rams and Chargers lose in devastating fashion. You can read more here on The Quad in 2022.
Whoa Nelly! USGA Lifts U.S. Women's Open In Big, Bold Ways
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The USGA billed it as a major championship announcement and the hyperbole matched the depth of the news announced Friday.
The U.S. Women’s Open purse goes to $10 million, world class venues like Riviera and Interlachen were added, Pinehurst will host another back-to-back men’s/women’s Open, and a presenting sponsor (ProMedica) is announced.
I cover it all and analyze at The Quadrilateral. Everyone can read a preview here. (More here on The Quad and plans for 2002, including increased women’s major coverage.)
Here is the official press release:
USGA Significantly Elevates U.S. Women’s Open with Addition of its First-Ever Presenting Partner – ProMedica
Purse raised to $10M with plans to grow to $12M; future venues to include “cathedrals of the game”
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Jan. 7, 2022) – The USGA and ProMedica today announced a long-term partnership that includes presenting partner rights for the U.S. Women’s Open, notably elevating the championship through a $10 million purse, additional host sites that include some of the most esteemed courses in the U.S., and increased charitable support, to ensure that its life-changing impact continues to set the standard in the women’s game.
ProMedica, a mission-based, not-for-profit integrated health and well-being organization that serves communities in 28 states, becomes the newest partner in the USGA’s global program, which is designed to extend the reach of the Association’s mission to champion and advance the game of golf. In addition to the U.S. Women’s Open presenting sponsorship, as part of the long-term relationship, ProMedica becomes the official health and well-being partner of the USGA.
The U.S. Women’s Open has led the way for more than 75 years and is already considered the world’s premier women’s golf championship. To retain and enhance its standing, most immediately and beginning with the 2022 championship that will be conducted June 2-5 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., the purse will nearly double, increasing from $5.5 million to $10 million, the highest in women’s golf and among the leaders in all of women’s sports. The USGA also announced a commitment to raise the Women’s Open purse to $11 million and then $12 million over the next five years.
“The USGA prides itself on conducting championships that not only provide an incredible stage for the athletes, but also give younger players something to dream about,” said Mike Whan, USGA CEO. “For more than 75 years, the U.S. Women’s Open has been the one that every little girl, in every country around the world, has dreamed of winning. This partnership with ProMedica allows us to substantially grow the championship in every way, from its purpose, to its purse, to the places that host the event. While I’m incredibly proud of what we are announcing today, I know this is just the beginning, as together with ProMedica, we’ll push to change the game and what it means to young women worldwide in order to reach new heights every year.”
Key to the partnership is a joint commitment by the organizations to highlight the importance of addressing health inequities across the United States, which will include sharing the personal stories of golfers and USGA competitors nationwide who have used golf as a means to a healthier lifestyle.
ProMedica will also utilize the global stage the U.S. Women’s Open provides to generate charitable dollars for its ProMedica Impact Fund, which will become the official charity of the U.S. Women’s Open. The ProMedica Impact Fund is committed to raising more than $1 billion over eight years to strategically invest in grants, impact investments, and research and learning activities, all designed to improve individual and community health. The partners will conduct fundraising to support social determinants of health (SDOH) initiatives and other programs in championship communities.
“With this unprecedented partnership, both organizations are breaking new ground,” said Randy Oostra, ProMedica president and CEO. “ProMedica will benefit from taking its work in social determinants of health onto a national stage, while the USGA will benefit from the opportunity to embrace a not-for-profit organization whose mission and support will elevate its signature women’s event.
“You simply cannot talk about improving the health and well-being of all individuals without talking about the disproportionate impact of social determinants of health on women. The U.S. Women’s Open is a perfect platform for bringing this message to a much broader audience,” said Oostra.
As a piece of the partnership, ProMedica will provide on-site medical services at several USGA championships, as well as deliver health and well-being experiences for fans on-site and throughout host communities.
The USGA today also named five additional U.S. Women’s Open host sites: The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (2026); Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio (2027); Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Village of Pinehurst, N.C. (2029); Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. (2030); and Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (2031 and 2042). The championship is set to visit some of the game’s iconic venues over the coming years:
2022 Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club
2023 Pebble Beach Golf Links
2024 Lancaster Country Club
2025 Erin Hills
2026 The Riviera Country Club
2027 Inverness Club
2028, 2038 Oakmont Country Club
2029 Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
2030 Interlachen Country Club
2031, 2042 Oakland Hills Country Club
2034, 2046 Merion Golf Club
The Riviera Country Club, designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and William Bell and opened in 1926, will host its fourth USGA championship. Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Open Championships in 1948 at Riviera. The club, which was most recently redesigned in 1992 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, has also hosted the 1998 U.S. Senior Open and 2017 U.S. Amateur.
Inverness Club is located in Toledo, Ohio, home of ProMedica, and has previously hosted eight USGA championships, including four U.S. Opens. Inverness was founded in 1903 and its current course was designed by Donald Ross in 1916. Among its historic moments, Inverness is where four-time champion Bob Jones first competed in a U.S. Open, and it most recently hosted the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2021 Solheim Cup. The club will also host the 2029 U.S. Amateur. Andrew Green completed a restoration of the Ross design in 2018.
Pinehurst No. 2, site of the 2024 and 2029 U.S. Open Championships, will host its second “back-to-back” championships in 2029. This will be the second U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, with Michelle Wie West earning her first major championship there in 2014. Pinehurst, which was named the Association’s first anchor site in September 2020, has hosted 10 USGA championships, and is set to host five additional U.S. Opens over the next 25 years.
Interlachen will host its second U.S. Women’s Open and sixth USGA championship overall. The 2030 U.S. Women’s Open will be played on the 100th anniversary of Bob Jones’s U.S. Open victory at Interlachen, where his victory set the stage for Jones to secure the Grand Slam later in 1930 at Merion. The club has also hosted the 1935 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 1986 U.S. Senior Amateur, the 1993 Walker Cup and the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Inbee Park. Interlachen has retained Andrew Green to do restorative work to its Donald Ross design beginning in 2023.
Oakland Hills will host its 12th USGA championship and first U.S. Women’s Open. It will become the fifth club to have hosted a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur, with Pebble Beach set to do so in 2023. The South Course, which has hosted six U.S. Opens, was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1918. It was renovated by Robert Trent Jones (1950), Rees Jones (2006) and Gil Hanse (2021).
The U.S. Women’s Open is one of 15 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. The championship began in 1946 and its winners include Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Meg Mallon, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park and Michelle Wie West. Showcasing the world’s best players on the greatest stage in the game, the U.S. Women’s Open welcomes the global golf community to participate in and experience America’s national championship.
About the USGA
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.
About ProMedica
ProMedica is a mission-based, not-for-profit health and well-being organization headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. It serves communities in 28 states. The organization offers acute and ambulatory care, an insurance company with a dental plan, and post-acute and academic business lines. The organization has more than 49,000 employees, 12 hospitals, 2,500+ physicians and advanced practice providers with privileges, 1,000+ healthcare providers employed by ProMedica Physicians, a health plan, and 335+ assisted living facilities, skilled nursing centers, memory care communities, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and hospice, palliative and home health care agencies. Driven by its mission to improve your health and well-being, ProMedica has been nationally recognized for its advocacy programs and efforts to address social determinants of health. For more information about ProMedica, please visit
Report: Inverness To Host 2027 U.S. Women's Open
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INverness (The Fried Egg)
Congrats to all involved at the continued (re)ascension of an American classic, Inverness in Toledo.
Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade with the news to be confirmed Friday in a USGA press conference.
Whether this leads to a men’s U.S. Open down the road remains to be seen but the combined success of Andrew Green’s restoration of Donald Ross, the elimination of the ghastly Fazio holes and the overall appreciation for this important place in American golf history is a fun thing to witness.
The Fried Egg’s overview of the work before this year’s Solheim Cup:
"Take note of the PGA golfers who play in Saudi Arabia. They’re accepting blood money."
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The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga takes pro golfers to task for taking Saudi Arabia’s money at the PIFSIFSIA/Bonesaw/Saudi Golf League group get together next month. Full disclosure: Svrluga’s former colleague at the Post, Jamal Khashoggi, was lured to his death and reportedly sliced into pieces and disposed of by a squad working for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At least in the CIA’s assessment.
Thanks to all who shared this and who wondered if the players will see it—or care—but this about LIV Golf Investments’ Greg Norman and the Public Investment Fund will put Svrluga on the Shark’s bad list:
Here’s Norman, in a November interview with Golf Digest within days of his announcement, immediately trying to distance the PIF from the brutalities inflicted by bin Salman.
“[The PIF is] obviously a commercial operation,” Norman said. “They’re very autonomous. They make investment decisions all around the world. They’ve invested in major U.S. corporations because of commercial reasons. They invested in LIV Golf Investments for a commercial opportunity. They’re passionate about the game of golf.”
He’s a self-serving snake-oil salesman but worse. Don’t trust him.
No TJ Maxx-bound Shark shirts for Barry!
Regarding Khashoggi, Svrluga writes:
Khashoggi was a thoughtful and relentless critic of bin Salman and the Saudi government. In October 2018, Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his impending marriage. He was murdered and most likely dismembered. His body has never been returned to his family. The CIA concluded that bin Salman ordered the killing.
That murder should hang over the field at the Saudi International. As should the senseless war in Yemen, which the United Nations estimated had caused 377,000 deaths by the end of 2021. As should the hit squad bin Salman allegedly sent to Canada for the attempted murder of a former Saudi intelligence official. As should the fact that, according to Human Rights Watch, prominent women’s rights advocates have remained in Saudi jails since 2018 merely for their advocacy.
The Saudi International is just a bit piece in bin Salman’s attempt to use international sport to help distract from his abhorrent record.
Here’s the bad news for golf: Svrluga’s entirely correct and all of the big players in this know what they’re getting into. But outside of Rory McIlroy, how many can bring themselves to draw a line? And how come the the PGA Tour and European Tour Chief’s can’t condemn Saudi Arabia knowing what we know now?
Today In Disruptor Tour Files: Tour Formerly Known As European Rolling Over On Releases, Players Thankful For The Leverage
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Just as their strategic partners have done, the Tour Formerly Known As European will be granting releases to the Asian Tour’s PIFSIPSIA next month, reports The Guardian’s Ewan Murray.
Filling the field of the Saudi-backed event, formerly a European Tour event that was the brainchild of Chief Keith Pelley and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, appears to be quite easy. Especially when tours are rolling over so easily. There was a Telegraph report of possible repercussions after players tee it up.
Murray writes:
By the Monday deadline, between 30 and 40 members of the tour had requested releases to play in the Asian Tour-run event near Jeddah, from 3 February. It is sponsored by the Saudi public investment fund and carries huge appearance fees.
Despite speculation of potential bans for European players who compete in the Saudi International, dismissed by some as little more than a cash grab, it is understood they should be informed this week that releases will be granted with conditions relating to future commitments to DP World Tour tournaments. Should those conditions not be met there is scope for disciplinary action, but player power has seemingly won the day.
Do we even call them disruptors with so little resistance?
Meanwhile over in Hawaii, the winners assembled for the Sentry Tournament of Champions are thankful for the opportunity and leverage created by the Saudis. Only one player, Justin Thomas, expressed hopes of this cash grab having benefits for fans.
Tony Finau, who will be playing the PIFSIPSIA, thanked the PGA Tour but is clearly not ruling out a move if the Saudi’s form a real tour:
TONY FINAU: I mean, yeah, I've been approached just like I think most top guys, as you would expect. I don't have a stance on it yet. I think we're just like everyone, don't really know what's going on with that.
But I'm grateful to be on the PGA TOUR, it's been an honor for me to have an opportunity to play and display my talent in front of the world on a TOUR like the PGA TOUR, so much history there.
Again, I watch guys like Tiger, like Phil, all these guys play PGA TOUR evens and win PGA TOUR events. That's all I know since I was a kid, I didn't know any other tours and I didn't think any of the other tours had what the PGA TOUR had to offer and up to this point in my career very happy I'm on the PGA TOUR and having won a couple times I would like to win more this year.
Jodan Spieth was asked if the league concept backed by the regime would benefit golf and made clear he so far only sees benefits to the players.
JORDAN SPIETH: Well, I think certainly it's a threat to the PGA TOUR. I think as a player overall it will benefit in that I think that the changes that have come from the PGA TOUR have been modernized in a way to, that may or may not have come about if it weren't there.
So I think for us players on the PGA TOUR, I think that so far it's been something that has kind of helped the PGA TOUR sit and say, hey, where can we look to satisfy our membership and potentially make some changes going forward that, where there's some similarities potentially to a league like that, but while maintaining kind of the integrity, the 501(C)(6) category that the PGA TOUR has.
And I think that going forward, I mean, I guess we'll have to see. But for me to sit here and -- I mean, I can only say from my point of view I think that it's been beneficial to the players to have competition, and I think the TOUR would say that they probably feel that they're in a better position going forward by having to sit back and kind of take a look at things and make some changes.
And this from Justin Thomas was the best of the answers in appearing to think of the entertainment aspect over the financial benefits:
JUSTIN THOMAS: I think the idea is healthy for the, it's healthy, could be healthy for the TOUR. I think two competing tours is not healthy for golf, if that makes sense.
I think if the idea of other competition and other tours or whatever happening, I think is a good opportunity for the TOUR to kind of maybe sit back and us players sit back to realize what can we do better on our TOUR and then make our product better, versus having two competing tours to me is not good because you're diluting the product on both sides and it's just not, you're not going to get the best -- it's not possible to get the best players in the world on both tours. They're either going to be one or the other or a little bit of both.
It continues to confound how repulsed players were by the idea of taking the Saudi’s money and now, well, no one is mentioning discomfort at that element after having time to think about it.
Let The Model Local Rules Begin! Major(s) News & Notes For January 6th, 2022
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Bifurcation begins Thursday at Kapalua. While reducing driver shaft length will likely only annoy Phil or Bryson, the player-driven ban on various green reading materials could impact a lot of top players. The bifurcation so many have desired has arrived! It’s a party! With killer views and Kona winds.
As always you can read more about The Quadrilateral here or subscribe here.
OEM's Launch Latest AI-Infused Tungsten Cartridge Speed Frame Jailbreak Stealth Twistface Carbonwoods Guaranteed To Go Longer, Straighter
/As we inch closer to a decision based on the Distance Insights Study, just about any decision will lead to from Carlsbad even as they stare at record profits, give little back to the charitable side of the game and account for maybe 10% over the overall golf “business”.
So with that inevitable sobbing to come, perhaps as soon as May, the January 4th launches by Taylormade and Callaway—with their partners at the independent media operations hoping they’ll buy ads—will be good to file away for safe keeping.
Traditionally when any form of rulemaking is discussed to keep certain skills and courses relevant, the manufacturers claim they’ve maxed out the technology. When they want your $600, the technology is breakthrough, stealth, AI infused and almost guaranteed to add distance and lower spin.
The various golf publications peddled it all as usual. There was this from a Taylormade engineer to keep in mind as they phase out Titanium for the next great innovation, speaking to Golf Digest’s Mike Stachura.
THE DEEP DIVE: The titanium face driver, the golf industry’s staple since the mid-1990s, has run its course. So says TaylorMade’s team of engineers who in fits and starts over the past 20 years have been pursuing something they say is not merely entirely different from titanium, but of course, fundamentally better. As Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s senior director of product creation, puts it, referencing the famous “S Curve” for innovation, “We knew the S curve for Ti was ending and the S Curve for carbon-composite faces was beginning.”
Kind of like the bubble shaft! Until it wasn’t.
Look, these are good people who have to come up with something to differentiate their product. But the numbers also do not lie: the engineers are very good at what they do and know how to arm today’s elites with equipment they hit longer by just going on a launch monitor and testing.
So this spring when their bosses, only thinking of shareholder value, claim distance has peaked and how there’s nothing to see here, just remember January 4th’s claims and supporting coverage.
Even Tiger chimed in as part of launch day:
And Callaway has introduced a new Chrome Soft that you guessed it, goes longer even though the ball has hit its limit whenever the USGA and R&A are thought to be changing any equipment rules.
From Andrew Tursky at Golf.com, after explaining how Callaway studied its off-core Chrome Softs to make sure that doesn’t happen again. But there was this regarding the new Chrome Soft X:
So, Callaway listened. Without changing the spin profile at all, Callaway was able to increase driver ball speed by 0.7 mph due to the new core in the 2022 version.
And regarding the new and improved Chrome Soft X LS:
According to Callaway, the new Chrome Soft X LS increases driver speed by 0.8 mph, reduces driver spin by 130 rpm, and reduces iron spin by 120 rpm compared to the previous version.
Tom Watson: "Golf courses...have to adjust to the distance that guys hit it."
/It’s a short list of people who have both designed courses and suggested it’s ok to ask courses to adjust to modern distances. Golf architects Rees Jones, Tom Fazio and Steve Smyers have all been ok with that notion, but I never expected Tom Watson to join that list. Especially since just three years ago he was saying the ball goes too far.
From his Q&A with Golfweek’s Adam Schupak:
When I designed golf courses, I first started at 250 was my turning point. Then it became 267. Now it’s like 280 is the turning point, back tees on championship golf courses.
Again, golf courses I think have to adjust to the distance that guys hit it. I would think the wrong thing to do would be to make the golf ball go shorter. If they did, they ought to make it go shorter for everyone, you, me, Aunt Alice, everybody.
GW: You’re not a bifurcation guy?
TW: No.
Bad news Tom, we have two rules in place this week that spell b-i-f-u-r-c-a-t-i-o-n.
There was also this:
GW: Did you like the changes to the Rules of Golf?
TW: Yeah, very much. Yeah. Spike mark was the best one.
GW: How do you think your pal (former USGA President) Sandy Tatum would have thought of the changes?
TW: He would have thought it would be sensible.
For giggles I cracked open Mr. Tatum’s A Love Affair With The Game to double check that this is the same Sandy Tatum I’m pretty sure was a big “play it as it lies” guy.
Yep, same Sandy!
He called Winter Rules a pervasive intrusion on the “True Spirit” of the game and called the PGA Tour playing preferred lies “the most heinous departure from the true spirit of the playing of the game.”
Not feeling like he’d be a pro spike mark tapping guy in a game with few spikes and better conditioning than ever before.
