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
Q&A With Russ Myers
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The 18th and 9th greens at Southern Hills (PGA of America)
Satellite Images Of Trump Aberdeen Show Dramatic Changes To Dunes System
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Business Insider’s Thomas Colson looks at Maxar aerials from 2010 and 2021 to spot changes in the dunes system. At the time Donald Trump vowed stabilize the dunes system but scientists now say they’ve been damaged by the introduction of golf:
Despite warnings in 2008 that the construction of an 18-hole course would destroy the sand dunes around it, Trump had pressed ahead, saying: "We will stabilize the dunes. They will be there forever. This will be environmentally better after it [the course] is built than it is before."
But as conservationists predicted, the part of the highly sensitive ecosystem on which Trump International Golf Links was built was largely ruined. Officials announced in December 2020 that the coastal sand dunes Trump's the resort would lose their status as a protected environmental site because they had been partially destroyed.
"Up to 1 million gallons of water...a night? That’s par for some desert golf courses"
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Influential LA Times columnist Steve Lopez has set his sights on water usage by Coachella Valley courses and shares the concerns of residents Doug Thompson and wife Robin Kobaly. It’s not the usual golf-is-bad piece since all involved acknowledge golf’s role in the region stretching from Palm Springs to Indio. And Lopez gets some great info into the piece from Craig Kessler of the SCGA.
He notes one course as being pleased to have gotten their usage down to numbers like 1 million gallons a night of water, and while drought issues are of concern, there is also a view that residents are paying more than they should have to.
“Absolutely, there is an inequity,” said Johnson, and that, in effect, residential users “subsidize the infrastructure used to get water to golf courses.” Johnson, a golfer, said he used to play at a La Quinta course where “they were irrigating areas that weren’t even in play,” and watering sand traps, as well.
So why not institute tiered pricing for golf and ag, same as for residential users?
I’ll be watching to see how that goes, but it’s worth noting that three of the five members of the agency’s board of directors are in the agriculture industry. Water and oil don’t mix, but in California, water and politics always do.
But the real kicker—spoiler alert—is how Lopez ends the piece.
Thompson and Kobaly, who aren’t golfers, have a suggestion. They’ve been looking into links-style golf courses, which are common in other countries and use far less water. You tee off on a patch of green and you putt on a patch of green, but most of the area in between is natural and not irrigated.
“I’ve got nothing against golf,” Thompson said. “But they’ve got to find a different way of doing it.”
Hey, links style. They may be onto something there!
Shame they didn’t dare suggest that golf reduce its footprint and consider dialing back back distance. Maybe after more research?
"Why golf’s toughest job is growing harder"
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While the golf industry is enjoying a renaissance, Bradley Klein asks “at what cost to superintendents?”
Besides the strains of the pandemic and other issues with the labor market, he points out several factors of concern for all in maintenance and at golf courses. Including this:
Retention of labor at a golf course has always been an issue. It is perennially difficult to find folks who are willing and able to show up at 5:30 a.m. on weekends. Most crews are now on flexed schedules allowing alternate weekends or weekend days off, for example. But the telltale signs of inexperience are there. I recall, for example, one example of a superintendent who has to scout the greens each morning and repair damaged cups from sloppy cup cutting.
Courses have all had to increase their wage rates to retain labor in the face of stringent challenges from ancillary job sectors like landscape, building construction and home repair. And at the skilled level, the shortage is evident in the difficulty superintendents have had in recruiting qualified technicians and assistants. The ranks of the country’s university level golf agronomy programs are depleted. Golf is a great game but, increasingly, it is not being perceived as a great career.
Getting Torrey Pines To Have Predominantly Kikuyu Rough
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Having grown up playing over the noxious weed I’ll be curious what role kikuyu plays if it’s as prominent as billed.
Mark Zeigler in the San Diego Union-Tribune took a deep dive into the decision to make kikuyu more prominent in the U.S. Open rough compared to 2008.
“The rough, I think, will be the big differentiator,” says John Bodenhamer, the U.S. Golf Association’s senior managing director of championships. “The biggest difference between January and June will be the kikuyu.”
Knowing how much the USGA loathed the idea of playing a championship with kikuyu approaches and rough—possibly hurting Riviera’s chances at times—I dare say this is the first time a U.S. Open is played with it. (Two PGA’s at Riviera featured prominent kikuyu not seen in the winter months when it’s less active and the U.S. Senior Open).
Superintendent Rich McIntosh, who has dialed in Torrey, explained the approach to get it there this week:
So McIntosh and his crew shaved the rough down to an inch in some places, along with reducing overseed rates of the ryegrass and increasing chemical eradication “to get the kikuyu moving.” That seemed to help, although the gloomy, cloudy spring didn’t cooperate until this past week. The kikuyu is higher than in 2008, up to 6 inches or more in some area, although not uniform height and density across the course.
If it were uniform and that dense throughout we’d be almost assured of an injury or two. Either way, it’s old fashioned U.S. Open hackout stuff and with fewer crowds and marshals than normal to help find balls or mash it down, a potential difference maker.
Rounds4Research Auction: Great Mix Of Rounds Offered For A Good Cause
/Rounds 4 Research is the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and is administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf. Thanks to Toro and several hundred courses nationwide who donated rounds, their auction is raising funds for the GCSAA’s research arm.
Since golf course maintenance has never been better that should guilt you into looking, but in so many ways the sport needs more turfgrass and other industry research with an eye to the future, so check out the fundraising auction here. There are some incredible places that have opened their doors and some maybe not destined for a top 100 list, but it could be a where you want to play or just want to support the cause revisiting an old favorite.
A special tip of the cap to a few states for the sheer number of courses offered: Georgia (105), South Carolina (126), Tennessee (109) and South Dakota (44). Yes, there are at least 44 courses in South Dakota! Also special honors go to the TPC Network for offering all of its courses at varying starting bid asks.
The headliners? Based on exclusivity and intrigue alone, Ohoopee Match Club and Nanea take top prize.
Others of note: Harbour Town, Sand Valley, Kiawah Ocean, Sutton Bay and Wild Horse.
Deacon: "Golf course management tool created to help operators improve the golfer experience"
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Fun IOS and Android-friendly concept rolled out from the USGA for golf course “managers” to monitor a variety of things associated with operations and in particular, maintenance related elements.
This sounds like, if nothing else, a great way to monitor what green speeds do for pace of play. For Immediate Release, followed by a video explaining the app.
USGA Launches ‘Deacon,’ An Innovative Green Section Solution to Help Courses Deliver a Better Golfer Experience
Tool named in collaboration with the Palmer family as a tribute to Deacon Palmer, father of Arnold Palmer and longtime caretaker of Latrobe (Pa.) Country Club
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 25, 2021) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has reached a key milestone in its efforts to support the long-term health of golf courses with the launch of Deacon, an innovative golf course management tool created to help operators improve the golfer experience by delivering better playing conditions while optimizing and prioritizing critical resource consumption.
Developed by the USGA’s Green Section and backed by its 100 years of hands-on industry experience, Deacon was designed to address two universal problems faced by golf courses: a gradual decline in participation due to a lack of satisfaction and rising maintenance costs. The digital tool is accessible online and available in both iOS and Android app stores.
The name is a tribute to Deacon Palmer, whose 50-year stewardship of Latrobe (Pa.) Country Club starting in 1926 – as superintendent and later golf professional – shaped a course that generations of golfers have enjoyed to this day. Latrobe is where Deacon taught his son Arnold to play the game on his way to becoming one of the most beloved figures in sports history, inspiring millions with his passion, character and values.
“In caring for Latrobe Country Club and influencing the life of one of the iconic figures in golf history, Deacon Palmer served the game in a way that matches our mission,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “We are humbled that the Palmer family has entrusted the USGA with honoring his legacy.”
The tool contains 10 key features that will enhance a golf course manager’s ability to deliver accessible, enjoyable rounds to its golfers, including pace of play reports, GPS heat mapping, golf course condition management and hole locations. According to USGA research, golfer experience plays a vital role in the financial viability of facilities and the game’s long-term health and sustainability.
Complementing and expanding upon the USGA’s proven impact in turfgrass research, educational reach and on-site consultations, the tool will serve as an important supplement to the work done daily by golf course operators and empower them to make more efficient, data-driven decisions.
“Deacon represents the latest evolution in the USGA’s efforts to champion and advance the game,” said Davis. “The investment in this innovative technology will have a positive and long-lasting impact on the millions of golfers who visit green-grass facilities each year as well as thousands of golf course operators, the unsung backbone of our game.”
The USGA and the Palmer family share a long association dating to Arnold Palmer’s amateur career. Palmer cited his victory in the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship as the turning point in his decision to become a professional golfer. The first player to win the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open (1960) and U.S. Senior Open (1981), Palmer was honored in 1971 with the Bob Jones Award, the organization’s highest honor, and in 1975, he was named the honorary chairman of the USGA Members Program – a position he held until his passing in 2016. His relationship with the USGA and his role in American golf history were further cemented in 2008 with the opening of the Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, N.J.
“My father wanted to be remembered as a caretaker of golf because it was my grandfather, Deacon, who first taught him how to care for the game,” said Amy Palmer Saunders, chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. “Our family is proud to continue this longstanding association with the USGA through the Deacon tool because it supports the same common-sense people – superintendents and professionals – my father and grandfather identified with so closely in their own lives.”
More information about Deacon can be found at gsshop.usga.org.
"Who performs best on Poa annua?"
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7th at Pebble Beach (Geoff Shackelford)
Ex-Golf Channel stats maestro Justin Ray has been doing especially stellar work of late and files this beauty on poa annua greens like those found at Pebble Beach.
As always, hit the link and I’m not pasting here who the top poa putters are but this bit was fascinating given how much players believe afternoon putting is impossible (and often looks so based on the ball bouncing):
Players have made 68.3% of putts from 4-8 feet on all putting surfaces since 2015. When isolating those numbers to just poa annua greens, the make percentage drops to 66.5%. While that differential of less than 2% sounds small, it can add up. For instance, that’s the difference in ranking 20th on TOUR in make percentage from that range and ranking 42nd. Putts made outside of 10 feet feature a smaller differential, as the make percentage drops from 15.2% on all surfaces to 15.0% on Poa.
And the tee time information was positively strange:
When a player tees off between 6 a.m. and 10:59 a.m. local time on a course with poa annua greens, they average +0.095 Strokes Gained: Putting per round. When teeing off from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m., that number drops to -0.086, a differential of nearly two-tenths of a stroke per round.
Make percentage between 5-10 feet tell a slightly different story – that green speeds changing during a round itself may impact putts made percentage. The earliest tee times – those from 6-8 a.m. – have a make percentage from 5-10 feet of 55.4%. When teeing off from 9-11 a.m. hour, that number drops to 52.4%, before incrementally increasing in the later tee times to 53.3%.
Mudball Blues: Players Saying Augusta's Higher Rough Sometimes Beats The Fairways
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Besides being looking unbecoming of the elegance that is Augusta National and totally contradicting the philosophy of the course designers, 2020’s new higher cut has turned out to be a sanctuary. From mudballs.
Longtime Masters watchers know of the mudball’s recent rise after the club started mowing fairways longer and toward tees to offset modern distances. Bubba Watson popularized the term by making sure to let us know his ball was covered in mud clumps.
Alan Shipnuck quotes players following round two about the new tall stuff and both Rickie Fowler* and Adam Scott noted the preference of rough—”in some situations”—over the fairways (mudball!).
The second cut was introduced as a low-key penalty for errant drives; it makes it a little harder to impart spin, and that is significant when playing to precise spots on the ultimate second-shot golf course. But the rain taketh and the rain giveth. Adam Scott has been largely unbothered by the vagaries of the rough because the saturated greens are still so soft that even spinless shots from the second cut are stopping dead. “Normally, you’re just losing that little bit of control,” Scott says, “and on a firmer green, you’ve got some difficult decisions to make on how you’re going to manage to get it on the green or keep it on the green. It’s a little more straightforward out there at the moment.”
And because it’s 2020, there are times when hitting it into the rough can actually feel advantageous. Fowler estimates he’s getting half-a-dozen mudballs per round on the closely-cropped fairways. “Actually, I mentioned it to [playing partner Willett] yesterday when we were on 11. He had just missed the fairway right, into the first cut, and chipped a 6- or 7-iron down there to the middle of the green. I was in the middle of the fairway with a mud ball and had to aim over at 12 tee, and I still almost hit it in the water. So I feel like it’s almost harder to pick up mud balls in that first cut. In some situations, you’d almost rather that, or you wouldn’t mind it.”
If there is a shot to make the rounds for evidence that the rough is not doing any good, it’s Dylan Fritteli’s second at 13 Thursday. The ball is buried yet he sticks it on the 13th green to make eagle. Great shot but the rough could not mask the issue: rough does not protect against insane distances.
(*I’ll add the Fowler remarks when the transcripts are made available.)
All Carry And No Roll: Idea That Agronomy Fuels Distance Gains Is Not Backed By PGA Tour Data
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Agronomy—aka fast, hard running fairways—is the go-to faux argument for preserving distance standards should a Harry Higgs or Craig Stadler come along and blow the notion that “athletes fuel distance spikes”.
Certainly today’s generally more fit and better fit players generate increased clubhead speed, and, therefore more distance.
On the surface, agronomy as a distance booster should be a tougher sell since courses have never been greener. One very famous annual major stop, Augusta National, unapologetically presents fairways mown toward tees to slow down drives.
For now, don’t do a deep dive on 2020 yet because the numbers are not all in and the sample size differs from year’s past now that all PGA Tour tees have a Trackman. Look instead to the previous 13 years when the PGA Tour’s amazing ShotLink started measuring carry and distance on the two measuring holes per round.
Those fancy launch monitors peskily track carry while ShotLink documented the final distance of the drive.
Below is the Driving Distance Average vs. Carry Average and The Year’s Distance Leader’s stats.
2007
288.6 yard average on 265.7 yard carry average (Bubba Watson 315.2 yards on 300.3 yards of carry)
2008
287.3 yards on 268.8 yards of carry (Bubba Watson 315.1 yards on 294.0 carry)
2009
287.9 yards on 268.4 yards of carry (Robert Garrigus 312.0 yard avg on 297.8 yards of carry)
2010
287.3 yards on 267.9 yards of carry (Robert Garrigus 315.5 yard avg on 291.6 yards of carry)
2011
290.9 yards on 271.4 yards of carry (J.B. Holmes 318.4 yards on 314.8 yards of carry)
2012
289.1 yards on 274.6 yards of carry (Bubba Watson 315.5 yards on 307.7 yards of carry)
2013
287.2 yards on 273.1 yards of carry (Luke List on 306.3 yards on 296.9 yards of carry)
2014
288.8 yards on 272.6 yards of carry (Bubba Watson 314.3 yards on 305.0 yards of carry)
2015
289.7 yards on 275.8 yards of carry (Dustin Johnson 317.7 yards on 305.7 yards of carry)
2016
290.0 yards on 274.7 yards of carry (J.B. Holmes 314.5 yards on 303.7 yards of carry)
2017
292.5 yards on 278.4 yards of carry (Rory McIlroy 317.2 yards on 305.1 carry avg.)
2018
296.1 yards on 277.6 yards of carry (Rory McIlroy 319.7 yards on 305.6 carry avg.)
2019
293.9 yards on 279.1 yards of carry (Cameron Champ 317.9 on 311.0 carry avg.)
Recap: in 12 years the PGA Tour carry average jumped 13.4 yards (265.7 to 279.1), while the driving distance average jumped just 5.3 yards. (It sits at 296.0 this year with two events to go.)
Roll is going the other direction and not fueling distance gains. In the 13-year span above, here is the average amount of roll starting with 2007 and going to 2019:
22.9 yards
18.5
19.5
19.4
19.5
14.5
14.1
16.2
13.9
15.3
14.1
17.0
14.8
The average PGA Tour drive rolls 16.9 yards in that 13-year span on a 289.9 yard average, meaning roll accounts for barely more than 5% of the average tee shot.
From 2007 to 2012 the average tee shot produced 19.1 yards of roll.
From 2014 to 2019 the average produced 15.1 yards of roll.
The amount of time the ball hits the ground and starts running is on the decline. Agronomy is playing less of a factor while the carry average has outpaced driving distance average.
Final Thoughts On Harding Park's Successful Week, Now About Those Bunkers...
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The TPCesque marble tee signs are aging gracefully
After Torrey Pines next year and Bethpage’s Ryder Cup in 2025, the major event schedule mostly returns to country clubs or high end resorts (I’m not sure how we’ll characterize Frisco’s PGA Championship course under construction, but it will be open to the public).
As Garrett Morrison wrote in lamenting the winding down of muni major sites, San Francisco hasn’t quite gotten what it hoped for with the $23 million renovation PGA Tour Design Services 2003 effort and the grifting that could have funded refurbishments on all of the city courses.
Still, there is no price to put on the images that came out of San Francisco on east coast prime time and the perfect conclusion to Harding’s resurrection. The course will have just that much more cache when it becomes the regular site of a Steph Curry-hosted fall Tour event and while it’s not a major, the schedule is booked well down the road with no obvious opening until 2031 or so.
While the front nine can get redundant or downright goofy at the 8th, as I noted here with the ShotLink evidence on my side, the back nine presents a pretty stout set of holes and grand conclusion. While the 16th may not be a future template hole, the scatter charts demonstrate a huge variety of ways it was attacked over four days. Not many holes, including Riviera’s vaunted 10th, can make that claim in the era of protein shake six packs and packages of bacon for breakfast.
There is one issue that needs to be resolved for both functional and spiritual reasons: the bunker sand.
Leave the blinding stuff to Augusta National or places adjacent to white sand beaches. It works in those places.
At an old San Francisco muni with ancient Monterey Cypress, Harding just needs some old fashioned beige pits with steep faces and thick lips. Good news, they have the example they need on property in the form of The Fleming Course.
The par-3 course used to house TV, the range and the fifth tee, also has much better looking bunkers than “TPC” Harding Park. They also looked to have actual sand in them, unlike on the big course. No one enjoys having the flange of wedges hit pricey liners installed to keep the white stuff clean. Tiger Woods was 0 for 7 until getting up and down 2 of 4 times Sunday. Tiger Woods is no junior varsity bunker player.
So Harding Park, I know another pricey redo to give the bunkers worthy character is not in the budget, nor should it be. But lose the country club sand and we look forward to seeing you ever September starting next year.
A few photos:
TPC Harding Park’s 11th hole (left) and the Fleming Course’s more befitting bunkers next to it featuring beige sand, raised faces and thick lips
The Fleming Course
A Fleming Course hazard with character.
Yale AD: Course Remains Closed, "Course Landscape Experts" To Be Called In
/Well it’s a start, but the (ongoing) sad state of affairs at America’s top collegiate course and most affordable membership option in the area seem likely to be addressed.
Sadly, at Yale Golf Course during the pandemic—one of the few sad stories of neglect—will take time to fix. In such a short season, even the latest news below does not exactly make me optimistic for C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor’s masterful design. But at least the current Athletic Director seems concerned. This is progress.
Thanks to all who forwarded this.
As Feared, Yale Golf Course Has Fallen Into Disrepair
/With purported campus-wide restrictions on work hours and staff leaving several university courses closed, there certainly are greater problems facing America’s institutions of higher learning. That said, as feared last month when word surfaced that arguably the finest university course in the land was not open and losing key staff members, it seemed Yale’s tortured relationship with his C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor gem would not be helped by the pandemic.
Sure enough, things have deteriorated quickly based on these images posted by Daryl Brereton:
The university intends to host students and faculty this fall on campus. The ones who like golf will not have a functioning, maintained course to return to.
What 121 Golf Carts In A Day Looks To A Superintendent
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Matthew Marsh is superintendent at Mesa Verde Country Club where it appears the cart chargers are working overtime to keep the club fleet going. Walkers be damned! Here’s what GPS tracking data shows us 121 carts in one day on one course looks like. And make sure to read the comments!
