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
That's Sam Weinman's clever headline to my GolfDigest.com item on low scoring at Bethpage and the USGA's reaction to the sea of red.
My first GolfDigest.com item on the Bethpage golf course setup is now posted. Let me know what you think.
...is a lot like Bethpage Black. Big, grand, awe-inspiring but lacking some of the quirk and character you'd like to see in a ballpark. Some of the detail work and architecture is stunning, many other parts seem unfinished. It's just a wee bit soulless for my taste--like the Black.
The old park...
And today's new park...
I'm a novice Long Island Railroad passenger. How else to explain my expectation that a printed schedule of the U.S. Open trains would not actually be accurate? I see 6:48 train. I figure there will be one.
Thankfully the 7:03 on the schedule arrived and when the logo clad gallery saw the track number flash on the screen, a mad dash ensued. You'd think a free Adams putter was offered the way the loudly-dressed mass of Bethpage spectators, club reps, volunteers and in my case, lowly blogger, ran to get on a train with plenty of seats.
Conversation was muted as one would hope in the morning hours. Or at least, I hoped after yesterday listening to the stereotypical debate over Pacino's best film in full Saturday Night Fever accents. The only thing missing were leisure suits and jabs at Gerald Ford.
Tried to pass off my New York Post to the gentleman seated next to me. Judging by the look on his face, you'd think I was handing him a pipe bomb.
In the Post I read Mark Canizzaro's depressing account about just how soggy the course is, with warnings of low scores possible. Brace yourselves people. 10-under could win.
The LIRR is catering to the U.S. Open fans with special announcements and reminders about catching the buses. And there was this call for etiquette from the conductor: "Keep your cell phone conversations brief, keep your feet off the seats."
I jump on the Q&A with Mike Davis bandwagon on the eve of the U.S. Open. In this session for Golfdom Magazine, I ask Mike how he sees his ideas impacting everyday course setup and maintenance. We also get into the groove issue, Bethpage's architecture, his post Oakmont memo to supers about excessive rough primping and the USGA's TruFirm device.
And in advance of Bethpage, editor Larry Aylward asks me a few questions for a special Golfdom podcast.
...For the Porsche ad. That was not one I agreed to and I'm working to have it removed.
What with the exclusive board meeting video and all of this talk about clubs, I suggested in Golfdom that clubs need to start locker room or bulletin board postings to fund the buyouts of less desireables. What do you think?
Thanks to all of those who noticed and emailed that yes, in fact, a paradigm shift is occurring: paid advertising has come to the site.
If you want to write and call me names, you know where the contact button is.
If you want to advertise (Wally, I know you've been counting the days!), either contact me or talk to the contact man at Golf Audience, the network of golf blogs formed by Chris Barford.
Christopher Barford
VP Business Development
215-622-8563
barford@golfad.net
Here's a Marketwatch item on the Golf Audience launch.
My Golfdom column for February is up and while it may seem like a plug for The Prairie Club's Horse Course, it's actually a plea for more H-O-R-S-E type match play. Let me know what you think.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who phoned and wrote to check on my well-being after attending my first USGA Annual Meeting Saturday at the price-gouging Fairmont, Newport Beach (really Fairmont, $18 to move my car 150 feet so it could rained on for 6 hours?). The greetings I received were all incredibly warm, or at least, brilliant impersonations of warm greetings while the bluecoat in question was thinking, has anyone seen me talking to this lowly subversive?
Of course there was that one past president who, when I went to introduce myself to him after having phone-interviewed him a few times, greeted me as a Tate family member would Charles Manson. Maybe it's those Midwest winters.
The very first bluecoat I encountered was none other than the world's most famous Blackberry expert before Barack Obama's election, Walter Driver, who was exiting the men's room after giving president Jim Vernon one final pep talk that perhaps included a suggestion to step down from the podium in order to communicate with the little people gathered to celebrate all things USGA. Needless to say, Jim was probably relieved that he didn't have to introduce Walter and I just moments before his big night!
It was a great honor to finally meet Sandy Tatum in person as well as several other current and former Executive Committee members. Things got a bit dicey when former president tournament committee chair Will Nicholson told Jerry Tarde that he would like to talk to me. When Jerry brought Mr. Nicholson over, the former Augusta National tournament committee chair revealed that he "had a bone to pick with me." As the word "pick" left Mr. Nicholson's mouth, Jerry and Golf World co-hort Ryan Herrington were speedwalking to the nearest wet bar. Thanks guys.
Blessedly, Mr. Nicholson only had a minor issue with the phrasing of Prairie Dunes' construction from my recent Golf World story, and was not pulling out my various rantings about rough at Augusta (which he said we'd discuss another time because he had them all memorized by date and a vitriolic linguistic scale score invented by Glenn Greenspan before he moved on to less stressful jobs).
As for the actual meeting festivities, I had been warned yet was not truly prepared for the sheer volume of navy blue fabric assembled under one hotel meeting room ceiling. (If you don't believe me, check out the John Mummert image from USGA.org, left).
Nor did I realize that the meeting attracted so many powerbrokers, friends of the game and devoted volunteers along with a disturbing number of folks I recognized to be golf architects, rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull...err I better stop there before Mel Brooks sues me. Anyway, there were just many grown men there who would never need Cialis again if George Will would just start writing about golf instead of baseball.
After having to give an ovation to every outgoing and incoming Women's Committee member, and we cleared up the ballot error that left off a new XC member, elected the new officers and XC, then heard from Joe Dey Award winner Dick Rundle (pictured right, courtesy of USGA.org), who delivered a wonderfully heartfelt speech. Vernon delivered his excellent address which, other than mentioning the 14 points of course setup light three times too many to keep 14-point visionairy Walter Driver from having a total tantrum, went over well.
Dinner, for the staffers living vicariously through me at this point (how sad for you!), consisted of a nice ravioli starter, salad, chicken and chocolate cake to prepare us for O. Gordon Brewer's speech to accept the Bob Jones Award. Oddly, I was seated with, among others, Pete Bevacqua and XC member Irv Fish. There were also four others dressed as empty seats. I wonder why! Surely it couldn't been little ole me that sent another table 14 assignee and editor of a very popular golf magazine to a table far from what I thought was the prime podium view.
I was quite excited to hear Mr. Brewer actually utter words since the lone conversation I had with him at Riviera during the 1998 U.S. Senior Open consisted mostly of grunts and other mumbled phrases (lesson learned: never ask someone what they think of a course the day after they miss the cut and are stuck hanging around wearing a USGA logo on their shirt). He delivered an eloquent speech off the top of his head, with one room-squirming mention of a "downside" to the recent distance explosion. That was followed by a couple of great caddy stories, prompting Brewer to declare, "let's work together to keep the caddy as part of the game."
There were too many other fascinating conversations to mention (well, and to protect the innocent). My deepest gratitude goes out to the USGA for allowing me the privilege of attending the event, and in advance, my sympathies to those who suffer repercussions for any intentional (or otherwise) encounters with yours truly.
As part of a sports on the Internet package, SBJ's Jon Show analyzes why there are so few golf blogs. Warning, I'm quoted.
One of the points raised in my Obama-WPA piece for Golf World revolved the idea of taking turf out of play and in general, irrigating less (perhaps with government incentives, as pointed out in this example). I close the piece wondering if golfers can actually accept less green in the name of Green.
I asked Tom Naccarato, who does digital photo work for architects and clubs looking to simulate what something will look like, to work on a couple of Torrey Pines photos I took last year. Because I can't think of a course with more acreage that needs to be converted to non-irrigated native. (There was one choice spot right of the 7th fairway where irrigation has been turned off and Tom used that for the rough look you'll see in the photo below).
While I was walking around Torrey prior to the Open I met consultant Andy Slack, the irrigation guru brought in to try and right the troubled irrigation system at Torrey. When asked how many acres on the property could be converted to non-irrigated without impacting play, Slack said he felt that 50 acres was an easy target. I would agree. And the ensuing cost savings in irrigation, energy and man power of reducing 50 acres would be incredible.
Furthermore, does this really look so bad? I know the PGA Tour would have a coronary because there isn't full turf coverage and many golfers would wonder what's wrong, but this would seem to me where golf is going to have to if it wants to survive and reclaim some of its "native golf" roots. Click to enlarge Tom Naccarato's digital enhancement of No. 14 at Torrey Pines:
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
