Homework Assignment: Brush Up On 2002's Joint Statement Of Principles In Preparation For Tuesday's Distance Report

This blog started shortly after the USGA and R&A issued their Joint Statement of Principles. That was in 2002 and while I know most of you have memorized the key lines, I’m suggesting there could be a pop quiz on it Tuesday when the governing bodies release their Distance Insights findings.

For the fun of it, I’d suggest giving it a read and ponder what’s happened since the issuing in 2002.

Of course there are those pesky key paragraphs. Will they somehow ignore them again?

The R&A and the USGA believe, however, that any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable. Whether these increases in distance emanate from advancing equipment technology, greater athleticism of players, improved player coaching, golf course conditioning or a combination of these or other factors, they will have the impact of seriously reducing the challenge of the game. The consequential lengthening or toughening of courses would be costly or impossible and would have a negative effect on increasingly important environmental and ecological issues. Pace of play would be slowed and playing costs would increase.

The R&A and the USGA will consider all of these factors contributing to distance on a regular basis. Should such a situation of meaningful increases in distances arise, the R&A and the USGA would feel it immediately necessary to seek ways of protecting the game.

Old Course Is The Centerpiece Of Climate Change Study

This unbylined Sky Sports story looks at St Andrews university Professor Bill Austin's planned three-year study of coastal erosion and the impact on golf. An R&A grand as part of its Golf Course 2030 initiative.

"This research will allow us to consider all climate-related factors that will have an ever-lasting effect on the home of golf."

The Coastal Change Action Plan is a key component of the R&A's Golf Course 2030.
It was established in 2018 as an industry initiative to consider the impact of the changing climate, resource constraints and regulation on golf course condition and playability.

Researchers estimate almost £400m worth of property and infrastructure around Scotland's coastline is at risk due to erosion.

Alistair Johnston Gifts Golf's Greatest Private Library To The R&A

Amazing news out of London and St. Andrews: longtime agent Alistair Johnston is gifting his incredible 30,000 golf book collection, easily the most complete and remarkable private collection today.

From a Reuters story:

“We are very grateful to Alastair for this generous gift,” Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said.

“We are excited to continue his vision and support his desire to display this collection in its entirety in Scotland. I can think of no more appropriate place than St Andrews to create the world’s most comprehensive library of golf books.”

The goal is to have the library in place by the Open’s return to St. Andrews in 2021.

Having seen some of the great private collections broken up by auctions or failures to protect them in one locale, this is a great day for the R&A and a remarkable contribution from Johnston. Giving future generations access to essentially the entire story of the game and in St. Andrews, is a very special thing for golf and golf history.

Global Golf Post’s John Steinbreder profile of the collection is available here for Global Golf Post subscribers.

The above Gigapan was captured by Darren Carroll.

USGA, R&A Considering Letting Juniors Become Logo-Clads, For Expense Money

While junior golfers are now regularly clad in corporate logos, have their own tour reps and even endorse brands on their social media bios, the governing bodies are contemplating letting them take those endorsements to another level.

In Ryan Herrington’s Golf World look at where loosened and reimagined amateur status rules may go, he notes this late in the piece.

Where USGA officials see the most opportunity for potential changes to the amateur rules to have a meaningful impact is if restrictions on accepting money for expenses were to go away. Particularly in the case for junior golfers whose families don’t necessarily have the financial resources to compete beyond a very local basis.

“We just feel like would be a game-changer,” Winter says. “Yeah there would be logos in junior golf, but it would give so many more kids access. And it would in some ways democratize what is a pretty expensive sport by giving young players the ability to not only compete in golf but just experience golf in a more robust way, to really level the playing field.”

While I have little doubt there are cases where this will be true and might do wonders for de-emphasizing privileged upbringings, I would hope some in the sport might question the need to corporatize our youth at increasingly younger ages.

USGA, R&A Punt On Amateur Status: Two Years Planned For Modernization Process

While the issues are complex, that no definitive answers are coming for nearly two years on amateur status seems both odd and not surprising.

However, given California legislation that will expedite pay for college athletes and the crumbling notion of what it means to be an amateur golfer, mean waiting two years is too long.

For Immediate Release:

USGA AND THE R&A TO MODERNIZE RULES OF AMATEUR STATUS

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (December 9, 2019) – The USGA and The R&A are conducting a review of the Rules of Amateur Status to make them easier to understand and apply.

The comprehensive evaluation is part of the continued joint effort to modernize the Rules by reducing complexity and ensuring the Rules effectively guide how the game is played today.

As part of a review process that began earlier this year, the governing bodies will seek the perspectives of golf’s stakeholders as an integral component of the review process, including elite amateur golfers, golf event organizers, national golf associations, professional golf associations and other industry partners. 

All the same boilerplate stuff from the distance study releases. But go on…

The aim is to provide the golf community with a modernized set of the Amateur Status Rules in late 2021, with the goal of an effective date of January 1, 2022. 

Thomas Pagel, senior managing director of Governance at the USGA, said, “One of golf’s greatest benefits is that it can be played by all ages and played for a lifetime. It is our goal to ensure that the fundamental concept of what it means to be an amateur golfer is clear and retained to promote fair competition and enjoyment for everyone, while still addressing many issues that seek to protect the game. This is a forward-thinking approach and engaging golfers is a key component of doing what’s best for golf.”

Grant Moir, director – Rules at The R&A, said, “We will be looking at the Rules of Amateur Status carefully and considering ways in which we can modernize them and bring them more into line with the way the modern sport is played. The code remains a fundamental framework for amateur golf and we will be listening to the views of players, officials and associations to give us a fully rounded view of how we can improve them.”

More listening to the players to shape rules related to the players. What could go wrong?

Meanwhile, what’s an amateur status press release without a mention of the dreaded hole-in-one prize issue?

In a separate move, effective January 1, 2020, the USGA and The R&A will introduce one change to Rule 3-2b of the Rules of Amateur Status, which regulates hole-in-one prizes. The Rules will no longer limit the prize an amateur golfer may win when making a hole-in-one outside a round of golf, including “stand-alone” and “multiple-entry” hole-in-one events. It is hoped the change will help to promote the game and cater to new audiences as well, and eliminate unnecessary restrictions for event organizers. 

New Rule 3-2b will read as follows:

Rule 3-2b. Hole-in-One Prizes 

An amateur golfer may accept a prize in excess of the limit in Rule 3-2a, including a cash prize, for making a hole-in-one during a round of golf on a golf course.

Now, about the takedown notices and amateur status threats aimed at teenagers who post a video on YouTube…

Prince Andrew's Royal Duty Retirement May Get Extended To Several Famous Golf Clubs

With news refusing to go away involving Prince Andrew’s ties to the lowly Jeffrey Epstein, The Telegraph’s Ben Rumsby reports that officials at Royal Portrush and Royal Liverpool are reconsidering their ties to the golf-adoring prince.

Portrush will be reviewing his ties to the site of this year’s Open after the Prince visited there in September before announcing this week that he is retiring from public duties:

“The allegations surrounding Prince Andrew, and especially the trauma and distress suffered by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein is a matter of deep regret,” the club said in a statement.

“Royal Portrush will continue to monitor the ongoing investigative process. There are no scheduled plans for him to return to the club.

“The council of Royal Portrush is acutely aware of the widespread public concern about these allegations, and Prince Andrew’s decision to step away from public duties will be discussed at our next meeting.”

Royal Liverpool Golf Club is on the record saying it would “not call upon” its patron’s services during his exile.

Not addressed? The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. While the list of associations ended with Andrew, the R&A has said nothing about his future role as honorary this and captain of that…

The Duke is also a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which will stage the 150th Open in 2021. He is the only royal to have served on a committee there and was captain for the year of its 250th anniversary.

The R&A would confirm only that he was a member, while Women’s Open venue Sunningdale Ladies’ Golf Club declined to comment on the status of the Duke’s patronage there.

Should he disappear from circles over his ties to Epstein, the equipment manufacturers will lose one of their leading advocates for unregulated distance.

What Is Delaying The Distance Insights Project?

Originally slotted in for this fall, then pushed to year’s end and now scheduled for release February 4, 2020, the USGA and R&A’s position paper on what distance has meant to the game needed another three months.

Why another delay?

After all, it’s not expected that the report will provide a prescription to restore certain skills or to slow down distance. Instead, the report is expected to piece together data and insights from all sectors of the game while considering the role of a technological expansion and skill.

The delay is unfortunate given the growing groundswell demanding we have a discussion about how the elite game is played. Plenty more want to know if the governing bodies feel a need to cap or contract the scale of the sport in some way. While the percentages are still small, I’ve never sensed the sport was more open to the discussion. Particularly as an increasing number sees a bloated game due to the needed to maintain 18 holes.

Either way, any changes will not be implemented quickly, so the longer they drag this out, the harder it is to understand what the end game might be. We’ll have to wait another three months to see if there is an actual end game, or just new forms of procrastination.

NCAA Caves On Athlete Endorsements: What Now For (Golf) Amateur Status?

Steve Berkowitz and Dan Wolken report on the NCAA caving in rather spectacular fashion to California’s fair pay act, voting “unanimously to permit students participating in athletics the opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness in a manner consistent with the collegiate model.”

But this was eye-opening given that California’s bill zeroed in on 2023 as the likely start date for such a move.

The statement about the board action did not provide specifics, but said changes to NCAA rules in each of the three divisions could occur immediately, as long as they occur within principles and guidelines that include:

• Assuring student-athletes are treated similarly to non-athlete students unless a compelling reason exists to differentiate.

• Maintaining the priorities of education and the collegiate experience to provide opportunities for student-athlete success.

• Ensuring rules are transparent, focused and enforceable and facilitate fair and balanced competition.

• Making clear the distinction between collegiate and professional opportunities.

• Making clear that compensation for athletics performance or participation is impermissible.

• Reaffirming that student-athletes are students first and not employees of the university.

This would naturally open the door to golf manufacturers to sign players to deals that they already have informal arrangements with to provide equipment. Which, in theory, would be the end of the elite amateur game including top college golfers.

The USGA is monitoring the situation. A statement from Thomas Pagel, Sr. Managing Director, Governance:

“We have been reviewing these same issues for some time, It’s clear that this topic has the potential to impact many amateur sports, including golf. It will continue to be a primary area of discussion as we review the Rules to reflect the modern game, while still staying true to the spirit behind what it means to be an amateur golfer.”

Given the erosion there of amateurism since players could start receiving free equipment and dress like corporate billboards, there may be sympathy for those receiving endorsement income. Ruling them ineligible for prominent amateur events may get chippy!

However, given that golfers like Tony Romo and Lucy Li retained their status even after clearly endorsing products on the back of their golf ability, perhaps some clever lawyer will find a way to maintain the distinction between pro and amateur golfers. But right now, I’m struggling to see how that will work.

R&A Women Members Might Be Getting Their Own Locker Room Eventually, Probably

Given the R&A’s progressive push under Martin Slumbers, this story from Ewan Murray of The Guardian reveals plans are (finally) in motion to add a women’s locker room to the Royal and Ancient clubhouse are finally in motion.

He provides the backstory, hiccups and an update on the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews’ very slow efforts to add a place for the many new female members to gather, change and…act like members. Not that anything related to the plight of Princess Anne and the other lucky few compares to real world problems, but this is worth noting…

“We are in the early stages of planning upgrades to the clubhouse, including the installation of women’s changing rooms,” a spokesman for the R&A said. “We are consulting with members before we finalise our plans. There is no firm timetable but it will be a phased programme which will take us beyond 2021.”

The number of women among the R&A’s global membership of around 2,000 is unknown. Princess Anne, Laura Davies and Annika Sorenstam were among the first to gain admission. Perhaps it is unfair to castigate the R&A for doing the right thing. The clubhouse, as opened in 1854, will not be a particularly easy building to modify. The enhancements will be costly.

Nonetheless, it is bizarre that having admitted women to such fanfare, the delivering of equal facilities was not an immediate goal.

R&A: Televising Walker Cup "Complex And Increasingly Costly"

As most have figured out by now, the 2019 Walker Cup can only be seen on social media or via late night highlight shows after getting extensive Fox Sports coverage in 2017.

Ryan Herrington reached out to the R&A to find out how their deal with Sky and Golf Channel eluded the Walker Cup and also provides background on prior event coverage. He got this statement regarding the creation of a world feed ala other R&A championships:

“Delivering high quality, live coverage from an event such as the Walker Cup is a complex and increasingly costly exercise. We decided for this year’s match to concentrate our resources on producing compelling highlights packages for our broadcast partners and high-quality content, including highlights, player interviews and behind the scenes footage, from our social and digital media channels. We have a responsibility to spread our investment across nearly 20 amateur events throughout the year and we believe we have achieved the right balance for this match.”

While I’m sure this would be a financial loser and a strong case could be made that the money could be better spent in other parts of the game, the Walker Cup only comes to the UK every four years and is more than just one of many championships. And in today’s world, much of an event’s stature is derived from being seen on television.

Did Phil Inadvertently Make The Case For The De-Skilling Role Of Green Reading Books?

After Bryson DeChambeau cited his green reading book’s confusing data as part of the reason he took forever to hit a six-footer, the episode reminded plenty just how silly it is that an already slow game where key skills are less necessary would get slower and easier.

That DeChambeau suggested it was his right to set up shop due to the book read being so very, very wrong, reminded me what a stain on the game these are and that they simply need to go.

Today on Twitter, as Bill Speros notes for Golfweek, Rickie Fowler’s green-reading assistant and bagman Joe Skovron made clear he didn’t have a stake in the green book debate, but suggested they do help speed up play.

Phil Mickelson, in a rare reply, probably wrote too much:

Mickelson is at all time career lows ranking 126th in strokes gained approach, 71st strokes gained around the greens and 147th in strokes gained putting.

Yet he offered this:

Mercifully for the green reading book world, Mickelson’s terrible stats this year strongly contradict his statement.

Skill was a key element in the governing bodies questioning the role of these books and rules were changed in an attempt to reduce their efficacy. Thomas Pagel of the USGA when the books were kept legal, with restrictions:

“We have looked carefully at the use of these green-reading materials and the extremely detailed information they provide and our view is that they tip the balance too far away from the essential skill and judgment required to read subtle slopes on the greens. It is important to be clear, however, that we still regard the use of yardage books and handwritten notes to be an entirely appropriate part of the game.”

They probably will not use Mickelson’s remarks to consider a ban given his season stats in the areas where he claims they gain him time and strokes. But Mickelson seems to admit that the books allow him to spend less time studying a course to learn how to read the greens or tackle the design.

There was also this from Luke Donald, one of the best putters of his or any generation:

Links! Porthcawl Joins Troon As Next Two Women's British Open Venues

The early voting says you want links courses only to secure the Women’s British Open’s identity going forward and while I’d like to say the R&A heard you, this one obviously had been in the works for some time: Royal Porthcawl will host the 2021 edition. And Golfweek’s Alistair Tait says this should be a precursor to finally bringing The Open to Wales.

For Immediate Release:

ROYAL PORTHCAWL CONFIRMED AS VENUE 

FOR 2021 AIG WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN

31 July 2019, Woburn Golf Club, England: Royal Porthcawl was announced today as the venue for the 2021 AIG Women’s British Open, following on from Royal Troon, which makes its debut on the Championship roster in 2020. 

Royal Porthcawl is renowned to be as challenging a course and as hospitable a club as you will find and has held many amateur and professional tournaments on its famous links. In 2014 the Club hosted the first ever Major in Wales, The Senior Open, which returned again for the 2017 edition won by Bernhard Langer. 

Among others, the Club has hosted The Amateur Championship, The Walker Cup, The Curtis Cup, The European Team Championship, The Men’s Home Internationals, The Vagliano Trophy, The Women’s Amateur Championship, The Dunlop Masters, The Penfold, The Ladies European Tour and The Coral Classic.

As South Wales’s first 18 hole golf course, Royal Porthcawl was awarded the privilege of the prefix ‘Royal’ in 1909, only the second course in Wales and one of only 66 clubs around the world to have that distinction.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said: “We are very much looking forward to taking the AIG Women’s British Open to Royal Porthcawl for the first time in 2021.  We have a very exciting couple of years ahead with the Championship also making its debut at Royal Troon in 2020. Both courses will present outstanding tests for the world’s best women’s golfers.”

Speaking on behalf of the Welsh Government, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said: “We are delighted with today’s news and look forward to the honour of welcoming the AIG Women’s British Open Golf to Wales in 2021. Wales has built its reputation as an outstanding destination for major international events and the AIG Women’s British Open event will help to maintain this momentum and highlights our commitment to bringing world class women’s sport to Wales. We are committing funding to work with the R&A, Wales Golf and clubs and schools across Wales to use the event and the Curtis Cup in Conwy in June next year to inspire more women and girls to take part in golf.  Having these two great events in successive years at two fantastic venues like Conwy and Royal Porthcawl is a great boost for golf in Wales in general and women’s golf in particular.” 

Royal Porthcawl Club Captain, Rhys James, added: “We are thrilled that the AIG Women’s British Open will be coming to Royal Porthcawl in 2021. Hosting our first women’s Major is a tremendous honour for the Club and we cannot wait to welcome the world’s best golfers to Wales. Being here at Woburn this week and seeing the impressive scale and quality of the Championship makes us look forward to it all the more and to seeing how these fantastic players handle all the challenges our course in two years’ time.”

The Women’s British Open was founded by the LGU in 1976 and has been staged in conjunction with IMG, the world’s largest sports marketing company, since 1984. The event has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994 and gained Major status in 2001. The Championship is now owned by The R&A.

Poll: Should The Women's British Open Be Contested Only On Links Courses?

That was the case I made today on Golf Central’s Alternate Shot while Matt Adams said there are plenty of great options in the UK to not limit the event going forward.

In 2020, the women’s major played this week will be run by the R&A entirely after merging with the Ladies’ Golf Union.

Here is our debate:

So…

Should they be open to some heathland and inland courses or only play links? Results will be here.

Should The Women's British Open only take place on a links?

Yes

No

pollcode.com free polls

Readers Questioning Clubs That Start Over The Speed Limit, But Within Testing Tolerance

Callaway CEO Chip Brewer issued a lengthy statement to explaining the Xander Schauffele non-conforming driver situation at the 2019 Open.

Brewer’s admission that the company handed their player a driver over the 239 CT limit but within the tolerance limit did not sit well with some observers.

Reader Chris writes:

Geoff, I am staggered at this statement:

“We know Xander’s driver was conforming when he received it. Probably in the range of 245 – 250 CT. At the Open we tested it at 255 CT, still conforming but close to the limit. The R&A tested it at 258, one over the limit.

The limit is 239, with a tolerance of 18 presumably for exactly the sort of circumstances Brewer describes in the statement. To hand a player a club they know to be beyond the limit is extraordinary negligence!

And Scott on Twitter also noted this issue with an analogy:

@CallawayGolf deserve everything they cop over this. The limit is 238 no? So why send one out at 245-250? Pelicans at best. Cheating maybe. Like complaining u were fined for speeding at 108 in a 100 zone with 10% tolerance. YOU WERE SPEEDING AND U GOT CAUGHT!

— Scott Hayes (@sthayes74) July 31, 2019

It’s hard not to wonder if both Schauffele in revealing his positive test and Brewer in admitting the company handed a driver to their player over the limit, brought all of the scrutiny on themselves. Particularly given the likelihood of “CT Creep” as outlined by Brewer in his statement.

The CEO’s statement could also backfire given the shots at the governing bodies about their testing suggesting some sort of possible tampering or illegitimacy (“Part of the issue is the testing location, a tent on the back of the range, where folks not directly involved in the specific testing can walk in-and-out too freely.”). That alone could invite more scrutiny, more required disclosure and more headaches for the manufacturers. This is trending toward ERC 2.0 by challenging the competence and very generous procedures of the enforcers.

As I noted just after The Open, all of these parties would have been wiser to admit their mistake and expressed gratitude at the lack of serious punishment. Because now it sure seems like they’ve kept this situation alive and festering, perhaps even warranting more scrutiny, more consideration and maybe tighter testing.

Given that the governing bodies have wrapped up their distance study and may take action this fall, this situation could help them make a case that the equipment rules need tightening and more public disclosure of those who fail tests. That would be an amazing turn of events.

Players Offering Thoughts On Testing For Juiced Drivers

As I noted for Golfweek, Xander Schauffele going public with his failed driver test at The Open, and then stirring up a debate about hot drivers, has kept the incident in the news and led to some interesting comments from top players.

Jason Munz reports on player thoughts as they tee it up in Memphis this week, and while some inexplicably display life in the bubble by praising Schauffele for taking on the R&A—even after being caught playing an illegal club that was used in competition since January—there are some who don’t take this quite so lightly.

Justin Thomas says it’s on the makers to not let this happen:

“I think that’s on the manufacturers to make sure that (the clubs) are tested and that they are conforming,” he said. “Because that’s not fair to the rest of the field if guys are using some and some aren’t. We don’t have those tests just sitting in our living room (where) we can do them when we get home.”

While that is ideal, ultimately random testing is a better way to prevent a rogue player or clubmaker from skirting the rules.

Meanwhile Bryson DeChambeau tells Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall that the winner or top 5 should be tested every week and if they fail, can keep the win but take a hit elsewhere:

“If you did play a driver that was illegal, you take some FedEx Cup points away,” said DeChambeau, who has five Tour wins. “So you make your money and win, that’s great, but you lose half the points you made. It’s not like you should have the trophy taken away. That’s one way to deal with it. You putted well, you chipped well. But I think there needs to be some repercussions from using something that’s not under the conformance rules. If they want to challenge the ruling, they can go do some tests to see if it was truly over.”