2021 wrapped year one of The Quad and 196 newsletters and Substack’s top-ranked golf publication, I could not be more thrilled. But I always welcome more free or paying subscribers, so please check out the full information page with links to the archives and sign-up options.

I’ve been at this golf media thing over 25 years now. First books, then magazine and internet writing for all of the golf publications. Since 2003 I’ve been the purveyor of GeoffShackelford.com. In between I’ve done golf architecture work, podcasting, Golf Channel contributing and Twittering.

This is a nice way of saying I’ve pivoted to new forms of media since the late 90s (usually reluctantly given how fleeting format so clearly seem…see Facebook video and Vine as media fads businesses retooled around).

I never expected to talk on television or host a podcast and if you’d asked me a year ago about newsletters I’d have said: I get too much email already. Shoot, three months before launching I wasn’t sold on the newsletters.

Then I started signing up for some, reading them daily and enjoying the original voices. Combined with the lack of clutter and cookie requests, the connection with writers I enjoy convinced me to give this a go. Substack, more than most hosts, has found a way to make reading pleasurable again.

My blog at GeoffShackelford.com will continue like it has since 2003. State of the game issues will remain paramount, as will the occasional need for comic relief. But original posts there have become tougher to put time into without knowing exactly who I’m writing for or why. Too often I’ve felt feeling forced to cover stories just to whet a daily appetite for “content” even though I make no money from the site. Which, honestly, is also a perk of Substack: I have incentive and freedom to delve deeper and do research knowing there is a curious like-minded reader at the other end.

Speaking of delving deeper: today’s golf coverage is driven by traffic and broader reads designed to spike traffic and (gulp) “virality”. You would not believe the data writers are expected to write with in mind and the topics they must avoid in the silly little world of golf. Even golf’s major championships have been neglected in this push for hits. The Quadrilateral gives me a chance to highlight a broad range of interesting and sometimes wonky-looks involving the Grand Slam tournaments because I know you, the subscriber, share my passion for tracking these four weeks and the year-round speculation surrounding them.

Therefore The Quadrilateral focuses on…

Stars and history. I’m from the Jenkins school of loving the timeless stories and the all-time greats. I cringe at rally-killers and game-story spoilers, but that’s life in the major championship world and part of their allure. The upcoming run of major venues means we have the chance to relive great moments from past events at the venues and translate what we might learned from those epic weeks of yesteryear.

Architecture and course setup. If you’ve seen my work dating to the mid-90s, you know I love golf architecture. Previewing venues is both educational for those intrigued by course design, but also important in determining who the course might favor. The chance to highlight the work of architects and superintendents preparing these special arenas is particularly exciting in the newsletter format because I know Grand Slam fans enjoy such coverage. 

The business of majors. Golf’s major publications have completely abandoned this side of coverage. In my experience, editors looking for hits or fearful of conflicts loathe such story stories and fear they will upset the coveted millennial audience. Core golf fans are generally successful in business but web traffic goals kill all but those obviously-sponsored stories. Not at The Quadrilateral.

The business of majors, II. The way we watch majors will change dramatically in the next few years, whether the technology and audience are ready or not. A pay-per-view major will happen this decade. Monitoring.

Television. So much of a major’s impression, gravitas and respectability depends on its television presentation. Free of any conflicts, I can cover the amazing work (and sometimes questionable decisions) by networks.

Travel. When some form of the old days returns, the world of travel to and around the majors will be a thing once again. I predict it may even be bigger component of the Grand Slam than before. So if I can’t help you figure out where to eat, stay and play golf, I’ll interview those who can. In 2021, I just hope to get to some of the majors with the limited media seats available, but in time the majors will become greater gathering places four times a year and The Quadrilateral will be all over this welcome return.

Merchandise. I will not be hawking it unless demanded, but I will cover the merch like I have through the years at various publications and at GeoffShackelford.com. It’s big business and a fun part of the majors.

You can read samples here in the archives.

It’s free to start, so join me won’t you?

You can read more here at The Quadrilateral’s website or at Substack, or just sign up below: