Greetings From The Home Of Golf And Little Internet Access!

/

Now, before you Scots start writing to complain that I'm picking on your technological, uh, issues, I can say that the Internet access in the newest, most beautiful and most important terminal at Heathrow is working just as well. Which is to say, not at all.

But no worries, they've still got 16 days until London 2012 to get it up and running or to figure out how to have more than one non-EU customs agent so that the athletes can make it to their competition in time.

I still hope to upload some photos and videos along the way leading up to the Open, but right now it's looking bleak when the online access is so tough.

Sheesh, Downton Abbey had faster download speeds.

State Of The Game Podcast 10: "The Open won't be going to Portrush..."

/

That's the sunny take of John Huggan, who also wrote in Golf World about the dynamics of trying to return the Open Championship to Royal Portrush.

That sticky subject is one of many topics we cover, including the U.S. Open at Olympic Club, this week's Scottish Open and the Open Championship at Lytham.

You can access the show, hosted by Rod Morri and including Huggan and myself this week, via a direct link, via iTunes, via iTunes subscription, or the player below:

The Open Is Coming! Which Means This Site Will Fly Into Full Open Championship Mode

/

I'm off to work on some stories for next year's Open Championship, to review Trump International Scotland for Golf World, and to take in the Scottish Open this weekend. This will be followed by next week's coverage of the Open Championship from Royal Lytham for Golf World and GolfDigest.com.

After the Open, I have a dream round of golf in the greater Edinburgh area on tap (details, photos and video likely at some point). This will be followed by a few days of vacation.

So bear with me the next three weeks as posting frequency, times and content will vary depending on WiFi access, the news, media regulations, moods, the weather or the need to withhold certain observations for magazine stories.

But as always, your submissions for blog worthy stories will be greatly appreciated. And a special thanks to the art department for the "stamp" mastheads.

The Memorial and Social Media

/

If you haven't guessed by the art department's latest creation by now, I'll be on-site at The Memorial Tweeting, hosting chats and offering up some on-site media reports as part of the tournament and new sponsor Nationwide's push to take social media coverage to another level.

If you are on-site, stop by the digital media house near the driving range. We've already had some great guests (video highlights forthcoming), interactive stuff and of course, if nothing else, it's a great place to check your email, send a tweet, charge your phone or take cover for the, uh, rain on the off, off, off, off chance this event gets hit with a freak spring shower.

As for Muirfield Village, I've only had a little time to walk around and Paul B. Latshaw's world-renowned conditioning is as stunning as you expect.

I'll be curious to see how the sophomore year for the par-3 16th--which debuted to player complaints in 2011--goes now that the green is more mature. From the limited number of shots I watched when it was playing downwind in practice, the griping will continue and is justifiable. The green looks like it would be great fun to play to from about 40 yards right of the current tee and from about a yardage 40 yards shorter than the 201 yards it plays as. Other than that, I loved it.

Anyway, tournament updates will be steady all day through Twitter with the usual golf coverage here at the blog.

State Of The Game Podcast, Episode 8: Masters Wrap, Clayton In America

/

The original cast of State of the Game gets together to talk the Masters, Bubba and mudballs, followed by a review of Mike Clayton's American golf trip that included stops at some of the finest designs in the land.

As always you can listen below, or even better, listen/subscribe through iTunes or access the episode directly there.

Masters 2012 Coverage Plan

/

Here's the coverage plan for this year. I will be in Augusta, so early in the week I hope to bring you a little of the flavor from the on site scene, media regulations permitting. Twitter will still be the primary means of communication, even though smart phones are restricted to the media center.

Postings will be a bit more sporadic based on expected WiFi access issues and my evening social schedule.

Readers who may recall my daily clippings collection will, sadly, have to do without this year. There just will not be 3 extra hours in the day to read all of the fine dispatches and summarize them, but I'll do my best to highlight the must-reads. Naturally, all reader support in the form of emailed links is, as always, greatly appreciated. (GeoffShac@me.com works best).

Starting Thursday, GolfDigest.com will be hosting a daily Cover It Live package, starting each day with a 2 p.m chat featuring a different writer each day (Johnson, Rosaforte, Diaz and Jenkins). Then at 3 pm, the Live Chats begin with the telecasts.  

Those chats will be embedded here as well as at GolfDigest.com. I will be hosting from 3-4:30, Thursday and Friday, 3:30-4:30, Saturday, and Sunday from 3-4. John Huggan and Matt Ginella will follow me each day, and I expect to stay around as much as I can resist visits to the course.

Vets of past Cover-It-Live events here can attest that these live blogs are great fun, especially now that Cover It Live allows for Twitter feeds to be embedded in the chats, making it your perfect laptop or iPad-friendly sidekick for insights and tournament updates during the telecasts.

And Monday I'll be hosting a follow-up chat at 2 p.m. from the majestic Atlanta airport. All times are Eastern.

Looking forward to what should be a great week!

State Of The Game Podcast, Episode 7: Masters Preview

/

No guests this time, just Rod Morri, John Huggan and I talking about the Masters for about forty minutes or so. Note: this was recorded before Hunter Mahan's win Sunday in Houston, so when we discuss favorites, my "Hunter Mahan flying under the radar" may sound a bit silly. Oh, and yes my predictions were based on last week's weather forecast, which was much more upbeat than the current one.

As usual, there are a few options for listening if you don't want to keep this webpage open. There is the State of the Game page, a direct play option, and the iTunes option where you can also subscribe.

Sources: Donald Trump Now An Augusta National Member

/

Donald Trump, the New York real estate developer, reality television star, litigation hobbyist and occasional political pundit, was extended a membership to Augusta National Golf Club this fall, sources exclusively tell GeoffShackelford.com.

Trump first started telling confidants about his new membership not long after the exclusive home to the Masters opened for play in October, 2011. Anecdotal evidence of his membership surfaced soon thereafter. Golfers who encountered Trump at Doral Resort last month while playing his latest $150 million purchase reported that he discussed ways he could influence how the home of the Masters might be better now that he was a member.

“He told us he’d put fountains in the lakes on 15 and 16 for ambiance, claiming there’s too much silence when a guy is standing over a putt during the final round,” said Dave Pidgeon, 36, of Coral Springs, Florida. “Trump also said the club was missing out on a great chance for better aesthetics at the 13th green by raising the creek level. He compared the water movement in the brook to a sewer line he saw feeding into the Hudson.”

Another Doral guest was visiting from Munich, Germany, and eavesdropped as Trump, accompanied by a film crew, walked through the hotel lobby with an accompanying entourage. Detlef Hindenburg and wife Angela were heading for lunch when they listened to a discussion about decor, which Hindenburg later posted about on GolfClubAtlas.com. Though the Trump entourage's focus was on redecorating Doral’s lobby, Trump could not help but mention a recent trip to Augusta.

“These drapes are awful,” Hindenburg recalls Trump announcing, pointing to a pink-flamingo patterned set. “But this is nothing compared to Augusta’s clubhouse which, in all honesty, and I say this in the nicest way possible because I'm a member now, is just a tired dump. It’s termite infested. All those old clubs and photos and the paintings of dead guys on the walls makes you want to take a nap. I told Billy Payne, 'you’re fired' if you don’t do something to liven this place up.”

Hindenburg said he is sure the word “dump” was used because he recalls looking to his wife immediately following the comment and she mouthed the “D” word to him.

Blurry cell phone image captured by a reader of Donald Trump heading for the Bush Field terminal after landing in his jet (click to enlarge)The final piece of evidence confirming Trump’s membership surfaced after he was photographed by reader Green Blazer's cell phone camera when he spotted the mogul arriving at the Augusta’s Bush Field, where he is seen leaving his jet and wearing a green jacket (right).

Contacted to confirm whether the story of his membership or critical comments about the club were true, Trump declined comment.

Then he called back five minutes later.

“Hypothetically, if I were to say I was a member, wouldn’t that be a compliment to the club? I mean, it’s not like I’m a bad guy or a poor guy. Or God forbid, a woman.”

As for criticizing Bobby Jones’s dream course, Trump had a few nice things to say.

“I love all the azaleas and the flowering trees. Jones was a genius to bring that stuff in. I don’t think I’ve encountered a genius for the visual possibilities of flora and fauna like that, except maybe Steve Wynn. That’s a compliment to Jones, I assure you.”

Steve Ethun, press officer for Augusta National and The Masters, declined comment.

“We do not discuss membership-related matters, particularly on a Sunday and most definitely not on April 1st.”

Grounds For Golf Now In E-Book Format, $6.99

/

I'm pleased to say that not only has my primer on course design been reborn in an e-pub format available on Amazon or in the iTunes store, but Gil Hanse's renderings and the other illustrations/images have survived in the e-edition.

And all for $6.99, about $232 less than the used copies have been going for since the book went out of print last year.

Latest Golf Digest Podcast: West Coast, Tiger, Phil

/

Sam Weinman talks to me about a Golf World column this week on the dangers of the tour's proposed "fiscal year" calendar, the state of the West Coast Swing, Tiger and Phil, all set to the background noise of the Northern Trust Open media center. Give it a listen below, or subscribe to Golf Digest's podcasts on iTunes.

Listen to the podcast