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)

Amazon Australia

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

“Shackelford will guide the reader to an enriching understanding of design. Consider it a primer on the fascinating subject of course architecture. If you don’t know what a template hole is, or a Biarritz, or a Redan, or a Punchbowl, you will be gently educated, and perhaps enjoy playing a course with any of these holes that much more. There’s a lot here, packed into 160 pages.” LORNE RUBENSTEIN, ScoreGolf

December 07, 2021

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

December 07, 2021/ Geoff Shackelford

Combined TNT/TBS rating for The Match w/ @BKoepka & @b_dechambeau drew a combined TNT/TBS .46 with a 916k avg and an impressive-by-golf-standards 373,000 average for the non-AARP demo. 2020’s edition w/@PhilMickelson @StephenCurry30, Manning, Barkley: .60/1.02 million/343k
— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) December 1, 2021

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:

Geoff Shackelford

Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse is the author of eleven books.

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Labor Day Sunday sunset shots, in reverse order. Today saw the highest recorded temperature in LA County. 🥵

Better than most sunset

Thanks to @collin_morikawa for capping off a great week in style with the lowest final 36 holes in major history, and to the @pga and @pgatour for putting on a safe, well orchestrated week in tough circumstances. Nice of @stephencurry30 to stop by fo

@rorymcilroy, 15th fairway, 2020 @pgachampionship @tpchardingpark. Hoganesque!

@tigerwoods practicing at Harding Park, 2020 @pgachampionship Monday. He looks focused and flexible. Watch the first shot, his tee ball on the 4th with such a full throttle swing he had a bit of a Greg Norman follow-through. With an unfriendly breeze

Unorthodox at the (almost) top, Classic at the finish. @matthew_wolff5 @thegenesisinv

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