Instant Poll: Should The 2020 U.S. Open Go Forward As An Invitational?

As GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rapaport notes, no one is happy about the U.S. Open having to be an invitational this year, on the slim chance it’s even played at Winged Foot this September 17-20.

The charm of an open national championship has become so profound, the USGA found a few extra pennies to come up with golf’s second worst slogan that is now in a sprint with Live Under Par to the trash heap of ad agency asininity.

So, put me down for conflicted, wanting to see a U.S. Open at Winged Foot but wondering how it can be called a U.S. Open when it’s no longer open. Which is my cowardly way of asking for a deciding vote on whether this is a good idea.

By the way before you vote, can you imagine what His Ownself is saying right now that the U.S. Open has been announced as an invitational while the USGA won’t credit Hogan with a fifth (Hale America) U.S. Open?

Should the U.S. Open be played as an invitational-only event or cancelled?

Yes, cancel it's just not an Open

No, any U.S. Open is a U.S. Open

 

pollcode.com free polls

World's Seventh Oldest Club Offering Membership Specials

The incredible Fraserburgh is offering options for membership to help raise funds for both domestic and international players. I wrote about the course here for GolfDigest.com and Ran Morrissett published this profile many years back.

You can check out the primary offerings here and the more extensive options here.

TaylorMade Driving Relief Roundup: Good Reviews But Then, What's There To Quibble About

Well, there were problems. A few doozies though all well-intentioned unless you’re tired of decisions based on chasing a broader audience, made by folks not comfortable enough to just trust the product: super golfers, great course and enough modern television tricks to put on a good show.

Anyway! Overall, in between too many bad production choices was an impressive telecast visually given only six cameras and a plane view—funds were raised for good causes, as Doug Ferguson notes in his AP story.

PGA Tour Charities allowed for online donations during the telecast, raising more than $1 million. The donations will continue until Tuesday. When the exhibition ended, more than $5.5 million had been pledged, starting with the $3 million guarantee from UnitedHeath Group.

Players carried their own bags.

The bag carrying was a great look and arguably the highlight for most golfers. Those caddies should not lose any sleep, as Alan Shipnuck and Dylan Dethier noted in the Golf.com roundtable, there appeared a few moments the players needed a caddy to lean on.

Shipnuck: I think it had more to do with rust, and some wind, but a lot of times they looked off by half-a-club. Makes me wonder if caddies could have had them more dialed in. And nobody made any putts besides Fowler. Again, Seminole’s greens are tough, but I think these guys missed the ritual of confirming their reads.

Dethier: I think a good caddie helps his player commit to shots. A couple of these guys looked like they could have used some help in that department.

Bob Harig at ESPN said there was plenty to wonder about, but mostly appreciated seeing live golf again.

But more than anything, golfers competing and getting a chance to watch them was the star attraction.

"It's a lot of fun to get out here, do something fun and do something for charity,'' Johnson said during the NBC broadcast. "Feels good to get to the golf course and have a little competition. I know we're all looking forward to playing some golf.''

Johnson rather sheepishly admitted earlier in the week that he had not played a round of golf since the Players Championship until May 10. And at times, his game looked a bit ragged, as did parts of the proceedings.

In a perfect world, perhaps there would be some nit-picking, but in the one we are a part of now, this event should be celebrated more than analyzed.

Sam Weinman makes the astute point that from a sports perspective, only one thing mattered: safety, and the relief fund effort passed that taste despite some dreadful physical distancing several times (Ford walking the players in from the parking lot, first Sands interview) and jokes that probably didn’t fit the times (McIlroy on FedExCup money won and Wolff making a testing crack before quickly realizing it wasn’t great).

Two handed out largely positive grades, with me wishing I had David Dusek at Golfweek as my professor, and Dylan Dethier at Golf.com handing out a few D’s and F’s underneath mostly good grades.

Trump On Driving Relief Telecast: Normal Return Means Big Crowds, No Masks At Golf Tournaments

Doug Ferguson reports on President Donald Trump’s 10-minute phone appearance during the COVID-19 relief event at Seminole that started with his views on China and some other odd moments.

From a golf perspective, Trump addressed what he sees as a return as part of his push to reopen the American economy.

“After that, hopefully, it will be back,” Trump said in his interview with NBC host Mike Tirico. “We really want to see it back to normal so when we have all these thousands, tens of thousands of people going to your majors and going to golf tournaments, we want them to be having that same experience. We don’t want them having to wear masks and be doing what we’ve been doing for the last number of months. Because that’s not getting back to normal.”

Will Gray also noted the President’s comments about slightly reduced numbers of fans at the Masters.

The appearance appeared to lose a lot of viewers based on the post-Trump slowdown in social activity.

As Jay Rigdon notes for Awful Announcing, with the appearance on top of a predictably painful Bill Murray segment on top of Trump’s chat, the combination stunted any momentum for the broadcast.

There was also some over-interpretation of Mike Tirico’s “kick-in” putt comment—I’m sensed some had not heard that phrase, a “tap in” alternative—rounded up here by Yahoo’s Jason Owens.

A Seminole Primer And Preview Plus A Distance Debate Note

Michael Bamberger predicts that Seminole will be the real star of Sunday, May 17th’s TaylorMade Driving Relief Skins Game.

The club’s history with elite players dates to Ben Hogan’s era and his affinity for the place, as Jim McCabe writes for PGATour.com.

Making its national TV debut Sunday on NBC and Golf Channel (2 pm ET), the Donald Ross design could come off a bit underwhelming with limited production values due to safety concerns. But Andy Johnson’s article about the Ross approach to a tough site is worth a read as well as for Jeffrey Bertch’s photos.

David Normoyle also looks at Seminole and captures some of what makes it special.

Seminole is admirable and worthy of study because Donald Ross, helped by several other architects since 1929, offers for us today a course in the swamps of Florida very much like St. Andrews and the National in that: 1) it is remarkably easy for a group of average golfers to get around quickly, while 2) being remarkably difficult for an expert in that same group to get the ball into the hole quickly.

That is the holy grail in golf design, and Seminole achieves it. Few others do, though many more should.

Finally, there is the foursome taking on the course and what Mssrs. McIlroy, Fowler, Johnson and Wolff might do to make Seminole look like a museum piece.

Bamberger has a theory that this could be one final eye-opener to kick start distance regulation conversations currently on hold.

Henry Kissinger likes to say that great historical events begin with great personalities. The resurrection of the 560-yard par-5 may not qualify as a great historical event, but it would make for better golf.

Rees Jones, a Seminole member and the course-architect sometimes called The Open Doctor, believes that. Mike Davis, the USGA’s CEO, is a Seminole member and a driving force behind the USGA’s recent Distance Report, believes that. Nick Price, a Seminole member and USGA executive committee member, believes that.

Seminole will be the site of next year’s Walker Cup match. That will give Jimmy Dunne, the Seminole president, and Mike Davis plenty of opportunity to compare notes and their wish lists. McIlroy, as the son of a Seminole member, as a U.S. Open winner, as a former GB&I Walker Cupper, can offer his insights. He can help chart a course. He can persuade the lodge brothers — his fellow touring pros — that the time has come.

Tipping points are movements. Movements start with people. They start with a message. Enter Rory, a microphone under his chin.

Rory On McKellar Podcast: Appreciating Architecture, Ohoopee, Seminole, Carrying His Clubs On Sunday, Swing Ownership, Golf With Trump (Probably Not Again)

Rory McIlroy joins the latest McKellar podcast to discuss this Sunday’s charitable match at Seminole and anything else Lawrence Donegan and John Huggan asked. Thankfully, the hosts did their best Columbo impression and drew all sorts of fun things out of the world no. 1 past the allotted time.

Highlights:

—McIlroy discussed his appreciation for golf course design as he’s gotten older, wiser and played enough less interesting courses.

—Seminole and his fascination with the design.

—He confirmed players will be carrying their bags at this Sunday’s charity relief fundraiser, saying the look of golfers in carts would have been a poor one (perhaps the Woods-Mickelson-Brady-Manning event a week later in carts will rethink that dreadful look).

—Playing with less than 14 clubs and the importance for young players to learn shots by playing and perhaps doing so with fewer clubs in the bag.

—He’s a big fan of Kingston Heath and considered playing the Australian Open there this year just to rekindle his affinity for the course.

—Shared that he is a founding member of Hanse Design’s Ohoopee Match Club and why he loves the course.

—Instruction and the importance of players taking ownership of their swing.

—He discussed his golf with President Donald Trump, was critical of his leadership during the COVID-19 crisis and seems unlikely to accept a future invitation to tee it up.

—McIlroy continues to believe the Ryder Cup should not be played without fans and should be postponed a year if galleries are not permitted at Whistling Straits

Head to the iTunes link to listen or below or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to support McKellar Magazine!

Golf Take Note: NASCAR's 90-Minute iRacing Series Yields Ideas For Major Change

The LA Times’ venerable sports business writer David Wharton considers NASCAR’s return Sunday—an hour after live golf begins at Seminole—and the recent iRacing invitational series’ impact. (For those from a more experienced demographic, that’s the video game deal.)

While golf was not able to muster up anything like the iRacing series due to various issues and a concern about perception, Wharton notes that NASCAR’s continued concerns about fandom remains a major focus. As noted here, they’ve already instituted efforts to make the racing more strategic again by slowing down cars and ratings have improved.

But post iRacing, they reported attracting new fans who had not watched a real race. The length of races and an open mind to more variety of track settings in a fan-free world, was also noticed.

The success of the 90-minute iRacing broadcasts has reinforced an already existing push for shorter Cup Series events.

“I don’t think we need all those four-hour races,” said Myers, a long-time motorsports fan. “It’s hard to ask a family guy to carve out that much time on a Sunday.”

Shifting away from traditional, oval tracks — at least some of the time — could counteract NASCAR’s reputation as a “left-turn league.”

More road courses, popular in the past, could help. So could the occasional dirt track and street circuits akin to the Long Beach Grand Prix. NASCAR has planned a first-ever doubleheader with IndyCar later in the year.

“It really is about the fans,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said recently. “We need to make sure we are putting on compelling racing and having full grandstands when we do that.”

Another thing about the iRacing series — it helped personalize a sport born of moonshine runners and larger-than-life personas. Fans saw drivers’ faces normally obscured by helmets and window nets. They listened to favorites talk strategy and crack jokes.

Wharton goes on to note other elements, but should NASCAR put into practice shorter races and more variety of approaches, the lessons for golf could be both tangible and backed up with real data.

Just off the top of my head, the upcoming exhibitions at Seminole and Medalist probably should have been nine holes, and without large gatherings of fans, might the professional game reemerge looking at more “boutique” or remote venues for tournaments?

Top Europeans Not Likely To Travel To U.S. For PGA Tour Restart

From Ewan Murray’s Guardian story on PGA Tour testing and the issues facing European players who will face a 14 day quarantine to play, with another 14 days awaiting in the United Kingdom upon returning.

Mostly notably, Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari do not expect to be among those supporting the planned restart.

Speaking at the start of this week, Fleetwood suggested he regards the restrictions as too prohibitive. “I’m not going to travel to America and stay away for four months, that is simply not a consideration,” the world No 10 said. It is understood Molinari, who lives in London, will not travel for the June events either.

PGA Tour Rolls Out Testing Plans: Quick Results From Local Labs And No Disclosure Who Tests Positive

The PGA Tour officials charged with getting operations going are in a no-win situation as COVID-19 offers new surprises and different understandings each day. That said, the testing and protocol rollout for select media highlighted potential flaws, starting with the oddity of a player receiving a positive virus test while in contention.

From Luke Kerr-Dineen’s Golf.com on what happens with a positive:

If the test comes back positive, that player is immediately escorted off site, withdrawn from the event and given a last-place payout.

It doesn’t matter if that player is leading the event, is largely asymptomatic, is in last place or somewhere in between; you test positive, you’re out. It’s a smart but tough new rule, the kind required in the current landscape. A sign of the times would be a scenario where the leader of the event could be withdrawn from the contest for safety concerns, rewarded with a last-place check and a 10-day quarantine.

The Tour, for its part, said that it wouldn’t disclose the identity of any player who does test positive.

But as Pat Perez told Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, it’s hard to see that scenario playing out. He made the remarks in his overall statement suggesting the return is happening too soon.

“Let’s say I leave Scottsdale [his home] and I don’t have that virus and I get to Dallas and I’ve got it?’’ he said. “The Tour’s going to have a real problem with me if that happens. Let’s say a guy gets tested on Tuesday and he tests positive when he comes back on Thursday. Is he [disqualified]?

“And, are you telling me that if Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy or another big name that drives our tour is leading entering Sunday, you’re going to DQ him if he tests positive? I dare you. There’ll be a [bleeping] riot.’’

GolfDigest.com’s Joel Beall noted that “ambiguity remains” about many of the planned elements, including how many positive cases at an event would be cause for a stoppage.

What remains unclear is what number of positive tests constitute a critical mass for the Tour. A single test would not be enough to deter the tournament from continuing, said senior vice president of tournament administration Andy Levinson, and there’s not a specific number of positive tests the tour has in mind that would enact a cancellation.

Not ambiguous is the PGA Tour’s plan to use local labs in each city to check nasal swabs for the virus, highlighting how cumbersome it is right now to run a testing operation for 400 of the expected 1100 or so on site while moving from city to city.

The Tour’s Andy Levinson from the transcript of the press session:

Our testing group includes all of our players and caddies, and as I mentioned earlier, some other select personnel that have to be in close proximity with them. That number on average weekly will be around 400. As the mayor of Fort Worth was quoted earlier this week in saying they have facilitated conversations for us with UTSW, who have laboratories throughout the area, and we are confident that we'll be able to conduct our testing in a manner that is not taking away from the community. We will be providing our own supplies and sourcing all of that, as well.

For the results, we know we can get results back immediately on the questionnaire and thermal screenings. In most communities, PCR test results take anywhere from one to three days, but what we're really focusing on is identifying local laboratories who aren't overly burdened with community testing or may not currently be community testing at all at this time, and trying to decrease that turnaround time to a matter of hours instead of a matter of days, and as we've said, we wouldn't do this with local laboratories, if, again, we were taking resources away from the community.

I’m sure there are local labs not burdened somwhere in the United States, but given the third day in a row of over 1000 new cases in Texas driven mostly by outbreaks in jails, the first market may have some backlogs on the test-results front.

The week two tournament is in Hilton Head, where he closest lab is reportedly in Charlotte.

On the optics front, if PGA Tour players, caddies, officials and others get priority over locals, it could be disastrous. And even if labs are not strained, the visuals of players getting tested and moved to the front of the line is not great. Especially if it’s so they can play a practice round. That could easily make national or international news and backfire on the event sponsor.

The Shack Show Episode 10 With Guest Joe Beditz, National Golf Foundation CEO

The National Golf Foundation’s research is generally for private business and organizations, but since March 31 the organization has been putting out weekly figures on the state of golf. The data culled from extensive surveying by the NGF staff has been posted and summarized by CEO Joe Beditz.

Particularly impressive has been Beditz’s willingness to navigate the difficult task of encouraging the return to the safe confines of a golf course while reiterating the delicate balance for golf should the industry defy local ordinances. His guidance, combined with the data provided by the NGF to inform understanding of where things stand, will some day be looked back upon as having helped the golf industry remain centered and forward-looking through these uncertain times.

This is all my nice way of saying why it was high time to have another Shack Show with Beditz as this week’s guest. We chatted about the research effort among other topics.

Here is the book, Culture By Design, referenced later in the show by Beditz.

The Apple Podcast link to Episode 10.

And the iHeart embed below if you want to listen here:

Players (Mostly) Laud PGA Tour's Efforts To Return From Pandemic To "Help The World With Something To Watch"

Steve DiMeglio talks to several players who laud the PGA Tour’s efforts to return to action and the efforts to set an example for the United States to return to a form of normalcy.

From Kevin Kisner:

“So, we’re going to go about with the safest, healthiest way to get back to work and have a quality product for our fans, have a presentable product for TV and help the world with something to watch.”

Zach Johnson feels the COVID-19 virus isn’t going away, so move forward.

“This thing is not going away. You can’t mitigate the entire risk. At some point you have to open up this country. You have to start thinking about some semblance of normalcy. We are just golf. But the beauty of golf is we are outside, we can take social distancing to the extremes, and within our bubble we can create as much safety as we can. I don’t think it’s too soon.”

Add Harold Varner to the list saying we can’t live in fear.

“I have to live,” Varner said. “I have to get my life back to normal as much as possible. I’ll do whatever they say, I’ll follow all the rules. We can’t live in fear.

“We have to start to get back up from off the floor.”

Brian Harman also took the view the PGA Tour will help get the country moving again.

“It’s important that we make the effort to get started again,” Brian Harman said. “It’s important for the country that we all start easing back into work because at some point or another, we have to get over this thing, as awful as it’s been and is. In some way, shape or form, we have to get things moving again.”

And then there is Nate Lashley, playing in the Scottsdale Open, with this reported by Alan Shipnuck:

Lashley was similarly relaxed about the virus, saying, “It’s not something I’m overly worried about right now. If you get it, you get it; you get through it and move on with your life. At this point, here in Arizona I don’t personally know anybody who has been affected by it, so for us to come out and be extremely precautious feels like it’s a little overblown.”

Those final remarks by Lashley, if heard on a national scale when the limelight is on the PGA Tour, could be devastating in the optics department.

One player who is planning to play at Colonial also thinks “it’s not time to go yet.” That’s Pat Perez, quoted by Mark Cannizzaro in this New York Post story today:

“It’ll be ready when its ready. You can’t rush this kind of thing. You can’t rush getting people back together in this sort of deal.’’

The PGA Tour’s new safety regulations include COVID-19 testing for all players and caddies before they arrive at the tournament and when they get there, along with thermal testing every day before entry to the golf course, social distancing and a number of other stringent guidelines that will make the tournaments feel very different than usual.

“If I can’t go back to work normal, then there’s no reason to do it,’’ Perez said. “Get it right, get everybody safe. People act like it’s been five years without sports. It’s only been about five or six weeks [actually nine].’’

NGF: 91% Of U.S. Open Courses Open, Golfers Still Want Their Distancing In And Outdoors

The latest edition of the National Golf Foundation’s weekly survey and research once again provides interesting data for those on the business side.

CEO Joe Beditz continues to take a refreshingly honest and cautionary tone in reminding readers that the spot has a “yellow light” to reopen that could turn red very quickly with the perception of lax behavior and rules. Country clubs, in particular, are on their radar as struggling to discipline members.

Golf has been given the go-ahead because it’s considered a relatively safe activity when social distancing is maintained and other precautions are followed. But make no mistake, what has been given can be taken away. It’s now up to both golf course operators and golfers to keep golf open. Bad behavior will get noticed, and possibly recorded on a smart phone. One course in Florida was recently shut down by the local sheriff’s department for flagrant safety violations.
 
This isn’t just the beer cooler crowd we’re talking about. Many private club boards are struggling with disciplinary decisions concerning members who refuse to follow the rules.
 
This is why NGF is sending a message this week to golf courses around the country, encouraging operators to follow the excellent guidance that’s been provided by leading golf associations, and reminding golfers that it’s up to them whether golf courses continue to remain open for play.

Of note in this week’s findings, goflers were asked about comfort levels with shopping indoors (wisely and understandably not great) meaning more troubles for in-person golf retailers. And this was a good sign that most golfers are appreciating the perks of being outside while recognizing physical distancing:

Olive, Mabel And Andrew Cotter Are Back, Zoom Style

More brilliance from BBC commentator and golf podcaster Andrew Cotter. Previous versions here and here, in case you’ve been in a coma.

Still having the company meetings online. pic.twitter.com/aR3LfuSdKl

— Andrew Cotter (@MrAndrewCotter) May 11, 2020

Golf Values Reset: Rekindling The Early Days Of "Play It As It Lies"

With new rules and regulations during the COVID-19, golfers are flocking to courses and based on social media, enjoying their golf more than ever. Even with all sorts of safety precautions stripping away elements thought essential to enjoyment of the game, it turns out the mere privilege of being outside, getting exercise and hitting the ball has brought priorities into focus.

Play it as it lies has been under fire some time. Golfers get to touch their ball too much, particularly on the greens. (Though magically, for a short, dark period in the early 2000s would mysteriously leave it down to provide a backstop for competitors even when playing for millions of dollars. Go figure.)

There are also drops, excuses to touch the ball to gauge how it lies or if it’s scuffed too much. And then there is all of that dabbing, touching, extricating and other surgery allowed in the immediate surrounds of the ball. The effect puts a few dents in play it as it lies.

Worse, massive amounts of capital and man hours are expended annually to prevent golfers from having to find a lie that might set in motion a series of ” tragic” events like sixes and sevens. Land has been rearranged to flatten stances, bunker floors have been remodeled to allow for an ideal stance. Even in hazards, where technically no one should not be entitled to any coddling, golfers demand perfection and today’s talented superintendents deliver.

But with the COVID-19 precautions such as unraked bunkers and flagsticks in holes, golfers are reporting normal eastern sunrises and western sunsets despite these pandemic-related “concessions”. Many are enjoying the stripped-down game even more.

So while we’re hiding rakes and treating flagsticks like they are radioactive, why not pretend golf balls are potential virus carriers and return to the days of leaving them down unless absolutely necessary. The backstoppers should be thrilled. The realization that a bad lie now and then is a small price to pay for the privilege of playing in these times of quarantining. We might even be able to shed a few ounces of bloated entitlement bred by exposure to mostly pristine playing opportunities?

While doing some research I popped open Scotland’s Gift-Golf and C.B. Macdonald explained in Chapter I (Introduction to St Andrews) how the early golf he played there as a young visitor was centered around a “code of honor” where “the player must play the ball as it lay.” He ended the first chapter with this longing for American golf to capture the essence of the primal game that hooked him:

So strong was the influence of my associations with St. Andrews that for many years touching the ball in play without penalty was anathema to me, a kind of sacrilegious profanity. The impression of the true old game of golf is indescribable. It was like the dawn or the twilight of a brilliant day. It can only be felt. The charm, the fascination of it all, cannot be conveyed in words.

Would that I could hand on unimpaired the great game as it was my good fortune to know it. The iconoclast and the Bolshevik, knowing nothing of golfing law or golfing sin, may mar its spirit, but I have faith in its supremacy.

Based on the early reactions I’ve heard about unraked bunkers and slower, less refined maintenance, the spirit, the “charm” and “the fascination of it all” is being “felt” again. Maybe with less touching of the ball, more acceptance of playing it as you found it, and scorecards taking on a little less importance, perhaps we can see a return of the primal St Andrews sensations that so enamored Macdonald.

England Can Resume Golf With Household Members, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland Cannot

Elliott Heath reports on the UK Prime Minister’s lifting of some restrictions on recreation, with only England allowing golfers to return as long as they are playing with a household member. The plan begins Wednesday and apparently caught many by surprise.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s quote in Heath’s Golf Monthly report is going to confuse golfers.

“From this Wednesday, we want to encourage people to take more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

“You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your own household.”

Governments continue to try ease restrictions and golf seems to be caught in the middle, as Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will not be part of this “unlimited exercise” restriction lift due to continued lockdown orders.

The R&A’s statement and guidelines page, included this:

As a sport we must work together to resume play responsibly as and when the relevant Government determines it is safe to do so. We must ensure that the safety and well being of everyone involved from golfers, to club staff and greenkeepers is maintained at all times. Golf clubs and golfers have observed the lockdown very well and must keep it up and act responsibly as play resumes.