'Dis and 'Dat

A little of everything for you folks today...  ordinary course of business stuff around here.

PGA History in Slideshows - A couple of Golf.com slideshows on PGA's that might be worth your time.  This first one is of oddball incidents at PGA's, and is the better of the two since the incidents will be mostly

Johnny Farrell

unknown to the reader, but include stymies, non-conforming equipment and the demise of the match play format.

The second is allegedly the eleven greatest PGA Championships.  They had to exceed ten just to included David Toms' win in 2001 at Atlanta Athletic Club, for reasons that escape me.  No issue with Tiger-Bob May winning the gold, but John Daly at No. 2?  Geez, and we wonder why it's the fourth of four...

And deviating from the header, this E. Michael Johnson piece on PGA pratfalls, including Walter Hagen losing the Wannamaker Trophy, is more my cup of tea.

What Would I Shoot if Kent Drove For Me - I saw this piece at The Loop shortly before teeing it up last evening, then had a chance to reenact it:

Whatever your individual philosophies about golf, let's agree the game would be much easier if you could drive the ball 330 yards down the center of the fairway. That's true at the game's highest level, as was made apparent by Rory McIlroy's win in the Bridgestone Invitational with a 334-yard driving average. And it would be true at your course, wherever that is.

Golf Digest set out to answer these questions more than two decades ago, when writer Peter Andrews and tour veteran Mark O'Meara played together at Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Fla., for a story in the May 1991 issue. Andrews was an 18-handicapper who was convinced he could be shooting in the 70s "with only a few measly extra yards off the tee, assuming 50 yards qualifies as measly." O'Meara was by then a PGA Tour star -- not yet a winner of two major titles, but already with six tour wins to his name. The concept was quite simple: playing from 6,279 yards, Andrews played O'Meara's tee ball in on every hole, and O'Meara played Andrews'.

You'll have to click through to see how that experiment turned out.  But on a second play of our tenth hole, I had a chance to try it for myself.  No. 10 at The Ridge is one of the few holes requiring an actual decision, to wit, how aggressive to play the second shot with water all the way up the left.  From the left rough I tried the aggressive route and hooked two balls into the water.  I then dropped a ball at Kent's drive, some 155 yards out on the 500-yard Par 5, and made a rather easy par.  Of course I should make a four from there, but all the same...

Has me wondering what I'd shoot off of Kent's tee shots?  Kent, you up for it?  Two issues you'd have to be comfortable with.  First, you'd have to play my tee ball and, second, you'd actually have to set foot on our front nine.

While this post was gestating, Kent signed on for the mad science project.  So, Dear Readers, where would you put the over/under for both Kent and your humble blogger?  Have at it in the comments.

Before There Was Kate Upton - Golf's first sex symbol was probably Jan Stephenson, who burst on the scene as a long-haired and even longer-legged Australian in 1973.  ESPN has made an 11 1/2 minute documentary about her truly bizarre career, which you can watch here.  Give it a look, and if you need any further incentive, here's the Sport Magazine cover that's discussed:

She actually asked them not to use this photo, but the powers that be felt otherwise, I'm guessing for two very specific reasons.

Rules Disputes, Corporal Edition - Who says golfers aren't athletes?  But if you're going to resolve rules disputes in this manner, please do waive through the group behind you:

State police say they're investigating a fight between two golfers who wound up in the emergency room after an argument over the rules on a southwestern Pennsylvania golf course.
Troopers from the Uniontown barracks aren't identifying the suspects, beyond saying that one is 42 years old and the other 63. 

According to a news release, the suspects were playing together at the Springdale Golf Course in South Union Township Sunday afternoon when "they became embroiled in a heated debate over the rules of golf, specifically regarding water, on the 5th hole." 

The golfers managed to finish that hole and another before the argument "reignited" on the 7th hole "similarly involving rules, or lack of understanding of said rules."

Such is the sad state of journalism today, that the AP can't be bothered to tell us whether the stakes were red or yellow?  But I'm inclined to believe the younger man, 'cause any 63 year-old that gives up 21 years in a fight isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

UPDATE:  Turns out the issue was casual water, as per this:

According to police, the two men, aged 63 and 42, got into an argument on the fifth hole on Sunday when they came across "casual water" on the green. It seems the younger man was unfamiliar with the rule, but asked his playing partners for help with a decision. 

On No. 6, the younger man apparently tried to use the rule himself for his ball in the fairway -- and the older man didn't like it.

"You didn't know the rule on 5, and suddenly you're an expert . . . when it benefits you," state trooper George Mrosko said, describing the conversation. "That was the gist of why it ignited and why it got heated up." 

Both men sustained minor injuries in the brawl that included the older man hitting the younger man with a golf club. Again, this is a true story.

Weaponizing a golf club, known to many as an "Elin", would certainly offset the age difference somewhat, unless the younger man also had clubs.  Alex Myers thoughtfully closes with this:

In case you want to brush up on Rule 25-1 -- which deals with "abnormal ground conditions" -- before your next round, click here. But don't worry, most people won't hit you with a golf club if you're not an expert on the subject.

True that, though if they don't like the ruling they may hit you with the shot.

 Another Copy of The Old Course - Tom Doak with a delightfully wacky idea, per Ron Whitten:

The buzz in course architecture this week has been about Tom Doak’s proposed reversible 18-

hole course for Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon, Michigan. It’s being hailed as revolutionary and unique. One writer predicts it could be a"trendsetter in sustainable, affordable golf that helps grow the game." 

Doak is a talented and imaginative golf course designer, but he’s the first to admit the idea is as old as The Old Course at St. Andrews, which to this day remains fully playable both in a counterclockwise routing and in a less conventional clockwise one.

In addition to being an homage to The Old Course, this has been done more often than you'd guess, but you'll have to click through for the skinny on that, which includes yet another Walter Travis mention.  But here's where it gets really interesting:

The most intriguing aspect of Doak’s proposal is that he plans to determine the strategy of one of the routings while having his associate Brian Schneider plot the strategy for the reverse play. Which means golfers could encounter a slightly different thought-process when playing the course a second time.

It'll be fun to see how this comes off, especially if the members like Schneider's routing better than the boss's.

So That's What He Meant by Professional Help - Worried about DJ's rehab regimen?  I'm happy to report that he's doing great, though you'll need to remind me which of the twelve steps covers this:

According to sources, the 30-year-old Johnson has been spending the past few weeks with fiancee Paulina Gretzky at the high-end Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club near Couer d'Alene, Idaho, where Paulina's father, hockey legend Wayne, had his first Gretzky Hockey School. The well-circulated photo of Johnson caddying for Paulina was during the club's Ladies Member-Guest. Johnson has been playing every day as well, shooting a 61 on the Tom Fazio-design that sources say was close to being a 59.

OK, to the best of my knowledge that's the first mention of either Gretzky in all the DJ coverage.  Glad to know that Paulina is standing by her man, though do we have any data on the success of this revolutionary treatment program?

I must admit that I was a tad skeptical that DJ would take his rehab seriously.  Glad to see that I can put those fears to bed.

Two Haigs in One - Mike Walker brings us his vote for the greatest golf photo of all time:

Here's another version that points out that which you can't see because I can't enlarge it sufficiently:

And here's the explanation from Mike:

Were there two Walter Hagens? That’s the question you might ask after looking at this photo from the 1924 PGA Championship at French Lick Springs Resort in French Lick, Ind. Fun-loving winner Walter Hagen took advantage of the rotating “cirkut” camera’s glacially show exposure time to run from one end of the shot to the other. Also in on the shenanigans, Jim Barnes, whom the Haig defeated in the match-play final.

 The funny part is that the Hagen on the left seems far taller than the one on the right.