I'm theoretically two hours from heading to JFK for my flight to Salt Lake City. If you're in the New York area, you'll understand my use of the hypothetical, as it's beyond ugly out there. So let's knock off some items from my blogging To-Do list:
- I received an actual print edition of Sports Illustrated Golf + last week, their Equipment Issue. This Alan Shipnuck piece on how Carlsbad, CA became Ground Zero for golf equipment is worth a read. There's a piece from a few years ago that I'd like to pair with it, but can't find available online. It was about the different fitting programs available at the Big 3 (TaylorMade, Titleist and Callaway), with great photos of the facilities, some of which are way cool. I'll keep looking for it in my alleged free time, but all I can say is that this blogging thing is a massive time suck.
- I heartily recommend this Shackelford Morning Drive video discussing Pebble in anticipation of the coming
Clambake AT&T (the embedding of video from sources other than YouTube still eludes me). I undoubtedly link too often to his website, but he's really the only source out there discussing these kinds of dweebish architectural issues. I remember that before the 2010 Open he posted some amazing archival aerial photos of the 17th green, which helped me understand why the best players in the world couldn't hold the green when that pin was on the back half of the hourglass. I don't think I had ever heard of Chandler Egan before this video, but please do give it a look.
- Neil Sagebiel posts to a Global Golf Post item that speaks with Phil's back doctor. The relevant quote from Tom Boers, Phil's back doctor:
"Phil feels good right now," Boers said, "which means absolutely nothing. I'm
worried about how his back will feel two weeks from now. There are no tricks to
the healing trade. I restore function, and he needs to rest and let it heal.
That's a two-week process for Phil Mickelson and everybody else."
I've mentioned this previously, but Phil's reluctance to shut it down for a few weeks might be as reckless as his go-for-the-green second shot on No. 18 at Winged Foot. Backs are backs, 43-year-old backs are 43-year-old backs and 43-year-old backs with psoriatic arthritis are.... well, the reader can fill in the rest. There's only one event in 2014 that matters to Phil, and while it's four months in the future, why take the chance of a chain reaction disastrous year for the Phoenix Phollies?
- Great news on the Venue front, as Shack alerts us that the PGA of America is taking the 2015 PGA Professional National Championship to Tillinghast's Philadelphia Cricket Club. PCC was originally built by A.W. in 1922 and was recently restored by Keith Foster. Shack speculates that this could be a test run for a PGA Championship, so one can only hope he's not teasing us. Of course it would be criminal to bypass a visit to paragons of timeless design such as Atlanta Athletic Club, Valhalla or Hazeltine....NOT.
- He waited awfully long for this moment, but still:
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| Think the blue bloods at Augusta National are eagerly awaiting their newest invitee? That's Kevin Stadler on the right keeping it classy, though upon further review he might just be drowning his sorrows over his favorite football team. Bonus points for anyone who can identify his Mini-Me (though somehow mini seems the wrong term). |
- Some highlights (or lowlights) from golf.com's gallery of golfers' twitter photos:
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| You can tell it's a Ryder Cup year, as Ian Poulter morphs from Clark Kent into Superman. Love, just LOVE the sandals! |
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| Which of these things is not like the other? Yao Ming is 7'6", so that makes Luke Donald well over 4' tall. |
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| Did Freddie ever wear a Hogan visor? I'm outraged of course at the historical liberties. |
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| Get ready for a new Dufnering craze. |
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