The only course that will remain difficult under all conditions will be one that is designed and kept for golf of a stereotyped, monotonous character, and this makes a most uninteresting proposition. BOBBY JONES
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
SOG 122: Enough LIV, Time To Talk the Old Course
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Rainbow at the 2015 Open (Geoff Shackelford)
It won't go away but LIV Golf and all its implications can take a back seat for the next two weeks as golf hopefully celebrates everything good about the game with an Open Championship at the Old Course.
Come along as Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly talk all things St Andrews.
Here is the Apple podcast option.
The State of the Game page where you can get links to your favorite podcast players.
State Of The Game 121: Joe Ogilvie Talks LIV Golf
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After a hiatus we are back to talk the state of pro golf with longtime PGA Tour professional Joe Ogilvie, now in the wealth management world but still very much engaged in the current proceedings.
I think you’ll enjoy this chat with Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and myself. As always, you can listen here, subscribe with your favorite pod provider at that link, or hit play below.
Latest Governing Body Notice To Manufacturers Outlines Significant Rollback Possibilities (For Elites)
/While we already knew of these were the focus, the June 8th specifics suggest as much as a thirty percent reduction for the longest of long hitters. Stachura writes:
The original proposed change was to raise the test swing speed for the Overall Distance Standard from the current 120 miles per hour to 125. The June 8 announcement now proposes studying a test speed “between 125 and 127 mph and will include studies of the effects of these test speeds on the launch conditions and aerodynamics of the golf ball.” At the maximum, that speed would be more than 12 mph faster than the current average clubhead speed on the PGA Tour but only a little more than two mph faster than the two current fastest swings on tour, Cameron Champ (124.76) and Branden Hagy (124.41).
As the USGA’s John Spitzer previously indicated when the speed being considered was 125 mph, nearly all of the balls played on tour would be non-conforming under the new standard, and of course many of those balls are also among the most purchased balls on the market.
The bigger set of changes proposed in the June 8 notice, however, would not affect average golfers, but could dramatically alter the performance of drivers at the elite level. The new proposal suggests tournaments or tours could institute a “model local rule” for equipment that would severely roll back how springy faces are and how forgiving drivers are on off-center hits.
As Stachura notes, these are just proposals and may have been crafted to begin a discussion, listen to the inevitable whining, and negotiate to a place that would keep courses relevant and anticipate the next generation of decathletes reared on modern stuff.
The notice also appears to have taken a few things off the table: grooves, changing the size of the ball or minimum ball spin.
Interested parties have until September 2nd to get their comments submitted. To date the manufacturers have been largely silent on the proposals.
"12-year-old golf phenom Xavier Perez signs name, image, likeness deal"
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ESPN.com’s Tom VanHaaren reports on the first grand scale NIL deal signed for a junior golfer.
Cobra Puma has inked 12-year old Xeve Perez to a deal, joining his proud partners at Easypost, JumboMax and OnCore.
One of the agents working with Perez is Brett Falkoff, who also represents PGA Tour players, including Bryson DeChambeau.
"He hits the ball further than any 12-year old I have ever seen, and when it comes to his short game, he already has hands like a professional," Falkoff said in a statement. "His larger-than-life personality and well-mannered demeanor will set him apart, and we feel that combined with his work ethic and passion for the game, it's only a matter of time before he takes the golf world by storm."
I haven’t a clue how this ends well except for the adults cashing in on a kid. But maybe he’ll surprise us hitting it “further” than any 12-year-old in the game’s history.
California Bill Aimed At Golf Course Conversion To Housing Dies Again
/The second effort of California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia to usher in the development of golf courses into affordable housing has failed.
The bill would have required a developer to allocate just 25% of the housing developed on green spaces into affordable units.
Defeating AB-1910, formally entitled “Publicly Owned Golf Courses, Conversion to Affordable Housing,” has been a significant priority of the California golf community since introduction in February 2021 of its precursor bill AB-672. Since December 2021, defeat of AB-672 and AB-1910 has involved 1000’s of letters/e-mails to California Legislators and individuals and golf clubs and organization writing over 250 policy letters to State Assembly Housing, Local Government, and Appropriations committees. Both AB-672 and the virtually identically worded AB-1910 died in the State Assembly’s financial watchdog Appropriations Committee, in January and May, respectively.
Five Families Would Be Wise To Steer Clear Of The Tours v. Greg & The Sportwashing Saudi's
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There are no sound reasons I could come up with for the Masters, USGA, R&A and PGA of America to uphold possible player suspensions and risk legal exposure should Jay Monahan suspend players over U.S. appearances for LIV Golf’s series.
Lawrenson: LIV Event At St Albans Will Test European Tour's Ryder Cup Captaincy Threat
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And in doing so Lawrenson notes two key points worth keeping an eye on:
The interesting thing will be if the DP World Tour follow through with their threat to prevent anyone who signs up for a Saudi event from becoming a Ryder Cup captain in the future.
It looks as if Westwood, Poulter and Garcia — three shoo-ins for the job under normal circumstances — are ready to call their bluff and see who blinks first. It would certainly damage the credibility of the Ryder Cup if all three were overlooked for the post.
That’s an understatement. It would be a stunner given how all three have seemed like locks to one day wear $1900 jumpers and drive the bright blue buggies of the DP World Team, I mean, Europe.
He also offers this reminder about all of the money talk surrounding the world of golf.
There's a war going on, people are struggling everywhere to pay their bills, and yet 48 golfers, half of whom will be journeymen at best, will play a glorified exhibition 54-hole tournament for a $4million first prize, with even last place getting $120,000.
Is it possible to conceive a worse optic for golf than that?
L.A. Times Editorial Supporting California AB 1910 Highlights The Absurdity Of It All
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The L.A. Times editorial board weighted in on the latest attempt by assemblymember Cristina Garcia to help fast track conversion of some California golf courses into affordable housing and in doing so, inadvertently highlighted how bizarre the proposal is.
It’s a sign of how desperate our housing shortage is that lawmakers and some cities are even considering converting golf courses to housing. This should be a last resort given the paucity of open space in many communities. Empty shopping malls and other unused commercial space should be the first places to look.
Yes they should.
Then there is this:
There are 960 golf courses in California, according to the National Golf Foundation, a trade association for the golf industry, but only about 200 are owned by local cities and counties.
Some municipal courses are financially struggling and have to be subsidized by the local government. That could make them candidates for conversion — especially in a community that would rather have housing and open space than a golf course.
It’d be fascinating to hear who many courses right now are being subsidized—as opposed to doing the Parks and Rec subsidizing that so many golf departments do—and how many fall into the category of being in crowded communities eager to convert open space to “affordable housing”.
Conversion to parks maybe, but not more housing that brings more density and traffic. It feels like that would be a very short list.
And there’s this catch on the whole affordable case, too.
Under this bill, developers would be required to make at least 25% of the units affordable to low-income renters or buyers and set aside at least 15% of the land for publicly accessible open space.
So all of this for just 25% falling into the affordable category? And we know developers will not go higher than the minimum.
There’s no question that golf courses are ideal, even idyllic, swaths of real estate as large as 100 acres or more. Even with the requirements for open space, that kind of land could hold a lot of housing.
But there are a lot of issues to keep in mind. Public golf courses are already offering something affordable — golf. The average price nationally for an 18-hole round of golf at a course open to the public was $38 last year, according to the National Golf Foundation. That includes all courses — public and privately owned — that are publicly accessible. That’s a deal compared with private clubs with expensive membership fees.
Numerous golfers of diverse backgrounds — in terms of income, ethnicity, age and gender — learned on public courses and still play there. Golf long ago stopped being the exclusive purview of rich white people. That’s partly because people from varied backgrounds found an accessible public course and a youth program or golf league they could join there.
And while making the case for how asinine Garcia’s effort appears to be with so little upside, also note the image included with the editorial shows Canada geese—migrating birds—enjoying a stopover at a course. Taking these valuable habitats away will run afoul of laws and “understandings” designed to protect the beautiful and innocent creatures of the sky.
Although the bill is supported by housing advocacy groups and builders of affordable housing (such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation), it is opposed by dozens of golf clubs, the National Golf Foundation, and the nonprofit Southern California Golf Assn.
No city is going to sell off popular or fabled public golf courses. Rancho Park in Los Angeles, Torrey Pines in San Diego come to mind. Nor is the author of the bill, Assembly member Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), trying to kill off public golf courses — particularly the ones that communities want to keep.
“Let’s have a conversation,” Garcia said. “Is this the best use of this land? Do we want to use this property in a different way?”
Ultimately, someone here really doesn’t like golf and in a funny way, the editorial helps point out what a reach Garcia’s effort appears to be with such a small upside for affordable housing well, well down the road unless all environmental laws are kicked aside.
ClubCorp Rebranding As "Invited" With IPO Plans
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Adam Schupak reports on the rebranding of the longtime club operator as “Invited”, and while you might think this sounds like something a cruise line would do after a series of awful virus outbreaks, the company formerly known as ClubCorp says it’s just who they are. With a name that cheesy they could be right.
“Invited is not just a name. It’s everything we are,” Invited CEO David Pillsbury said in a press release. “We are Invited because, from the golf courses to the tennis courts, from fine dining to family hang time, we connect and create communities attracting members from diverse backgrounds that share similar passions and pursuits. We create clubs and experiences that combine exceptional amenities and unmatched service with a friendly and welcoming spirit. We want our members, guests and team members to know that Invited is where they belong.”
The Dallas Morning News says ClubCorp owner Apollo Global Management is looking to take the company public (again) after spending $1.1 billion for the company in 2017.
And they are dreaming of a big valuation. Perfect Putt’s Jared Doerfler notes this:
Curry Launches "Underrated" Golf Tour For Boys And Girls
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Steph Curry is expanding his “Underrated” outreach program to golf where a lucky 24 boys and girls play in regional events. They’ll ultimately compete for the Curry Cup as part of our season-ending UNDERRATED Tour Championship.
Golf is one of the most inaccessible sports for underrepresented individuals across the globe, which is why Stephen and his team are expanding the brand beyond basketball. UNDERRATED Golf is a purpose-driven business endeavor with the overarching commitment to provide equity, access and opportunity to student-athletes from every community by balancing participation in the sport to truly reflect our society. With a mission to increase the participation numbers amongst competitive golfers from diverse communities, UNDERRATED Golf will have players compete hand-in-hand with their peers who currently represent the vast majority of today's golfers.
"I created UNDERRATED back in 2019 with the goal of celebrating the underdog," said Stephen Curry. "UNDERRATED is a mindset, a motivation, a calling, a compliment. With this inspiration, I am excited to expand the brand into UNDERRATED Golf, which happens to be one of the most inaccessible sports for underrepresented individuals across the globe. UNDERRATED Golf will provide equity, access and opportunity, recognizing the instrumental role the sport plays as one of the greatest vehicles and connectors for life successes."
UNDERRATED Golf's vision of the sport better reflects and balances the diversity of our society and most of all provides access to the countless opportunities that the game brings both on and off the course. This new venture will also allow young golfers to play on courses that they would never have access to, all the while addressing the gender inequity within the sport of golf and beyond, ensuring young female players are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Furthermore, UNDERRATED Golf will prioritize workforce development, bringing greater awareness, training opportunities and programming to individuals, while fostering an understanding of the many career paths made possible by way of the sport.
Through an ongoing series of special speakers, networking events and learning tools with brands and corporations, players will understand what it means to build a successful career. UNDERRATED Golf will also be used as a recruitment tool for their brands and corporations to hire the future leaders who will help enact change locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
Quadrilateral: Just A Little More Masters
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An Easter Sunday edition of the Quad touches on a few leftover topics.
Morning Consult Poll On Sports And Fandom
/Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Morning Consult wanted to see how soccer ranks against the other major American sports and found it’s still a sport of the future.
Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults identify as soccer fans. Golf managed to log nearly identical numbers, with 7% polled identifying as avid fans and 23% as casual fans (to soccer’s 25%).
The list:
Participation: U.S. Sees Beginner Boom, UK And Ireland Still See Strong Numbers
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Over the past two years, the number of beginning golfers in the U.S. is higher than it was back when Woods was at his most dominant. Almost 30% higher. In 2021, a record 3.2 million Americans played golf on a course for the first time. This after 3 million newcomers picked up golf in 2020 as the pandemic unfolded and people sought out safe, outdoor activities that could provide a sense of normalcy with friends and family.
Like the “Tiger Effect,” there’s no question the “Covid Effect” has been a force in its own right in terms of fostering golf engagement. But other factors have helped boost golf trials, too, among them the increased interest created by golf entertainment venues and other off-course forms of the game, and a more favorable public outlook on golf in general. It’s now been six straight years that the number of on-course beginners has exceeded the 2.4 million newcomers Tiger helped introduce to the game in both 1999 and 2000.
Meanwhile in the UK the R&A released these numbers:
Two new participation reports show that 5.3 million on-course adult golfers – the second-highest number since monitoring began over 30 years ago – enjoyed playing on full length courses (9 or 18 holes) in Great Britain and Ireland in 2021. This includes a marginal increase in Ireland and a slight reduction in Great Britain.
Golf enjoyed a significant boom during the pandemic due to its ability to be played safely and proven benefits in boosting mental and physical health. The latest data shows that participation in golf is still well above the rates in the years prior to Covid-19.
In Great Britain, the number of on-course adults began to gradually increase before Covid-19, rising from 2.5 million in 2017 to 3 million in 2019, before surging to a peak of 5.2 million in 2020. The latest figures show that 4.8 million golfers played in 2021.
With less restrictions on play in 2021, the new figures also reveal that avid golfers more than doubled, there was an increase in female golfers and the use of driving ranges and Par-3 courses remained high.
And the key highlights from the 2021 Great Britain Golf Participation Report:
At 4.8 million, total adult golfers on a full-length course (9 or 18 hole) remains considerably above the 3 million in 2019 pre-pandemic level, albeit down from 5.2 million in 2020
Female golfer full course users increased to 34% of golfers (1.4 million to 1.6 million)
Avid golfers (who played more than 52 times) more than doubled from 149,000 to 339,000
Over 3.5 million people used a driving range – the second highest figure of the last 20 years
Par-3 course users rose from 27,000 to 41,000, similar to the figures between 2012-2016
The average age of golfers was 41, the same as in 2020
15% of the population tried or started golf again in any on or off-course format because of the pandemic (in 2020 or 202
And the Ireland Golf Participation Report:
Total adult golfers on a full-length course (9 or 18 hole) marginally increased from 540,000 to 543,000
Female golfer full course users increased to 21% of golfers (70,000 to 111,000)
Core golfers (regular golfers who played 12-51 times and avid golfers who played more than 52 times) rose from 161,000 to 201,000
18% of the population tried or started golf again in any on or off-course format because of the pandemic (in 2020 or 2021), rising to 29% of those aged 15-24
