Midweek Musings

I've given myself a short break from the daily blogging grind, but there's a few things for us to kick around before my daa begins in earnest.

The Lion in Winter - The great Pete Dye celebrates his 90th birthday on December 30th, as in today, and there's still a little starch in the old guy yet, per Bradley Klein from last week:

Not that Dye himself needs more excitement. Next week marks his 90th birthday, and he

and his bride (and design partner) Alice Dye are set to attend a gala birthday party held in Pete’s honor at Gulfstream Golf Club in Delray Beach, Fla., where they winter. 

Pete walks at least nine holes there every day, usually in the company of his loyal dog Sixty. He plays there a lot, too. That is when he’s not out on the road working on his current projects. 

He’s completing a big project at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex – Ackerman Hills, on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where he’s adding four new holes and re-doing the other 14.

But of course this was the bit that interested me most:

Right after the 2016 Players Championship at the Dye-designed Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., PGA Tour officials will oversee a major renovation, including a regrassing of the greens and an expansion of the range. But the biggest news is theconversion of the 358-yard, par-4 12th hole into a shorter, more risk/reward drivable par 4. 

Previously, Dye has looked askance at such holes, deriding efforts at other championship courses as a way of cheapening the shot value of par 4s. “They have a name for drivable par 4s,” he has said. “Par 3s.”

Yup, he's never liked them one bit ad I can't recall him designing one of his own volition.  One assumes that Commissioner Ratched pointed a Colt at his temple and said, "Either you do it or we'll have it done."

But Dye is one of the all-time nice guys in the biz, and his relationship with Alice, a very fine player in the day, is one of the great romances of our time.  Happy Birthday, Pete.

A Coke Bender? -  Well, what's your first reaction to this header?

TURNS OUT, DUSTIN JOHNSON GOT OVER HIS U.S. OPEN LOSS IN THE MOST DUSTIN JOHNSON WAY POSSIBLE

I almost wouldn't blame the guy, but it just so happens that there's a more innocuous answer:

Wayne Gretzky was standing on a hill looking over the 18th green at Chambers Bay as he watched his future son-in-law, Dustin Johnson, go from a chance to win the U.S. Open to the most crushing loss of his career in a matter of three putts. 

Johnson headed to Idaho with the Gretzky clan for a getaway. The next morning, Gretzky said he took a group out to play golf. On the second green, they looked behind to see a cart fast approaching. It was Johnson, who wanted to know why no one asked him to join the game. 

Gretzky told this story in August, and it amazed him how much Johnson was able to move on from setbacks. 

"I know this much," Gretzky said. "If I ever lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I wouldn't want to skate with a bunch of amateurs the next day."

I'm not a psychologist nor do I play one on TV, but perhaps such a quick "recovery" is indicative of not caring all that much?  Just askin'....

Yes, Next Question Please - Beth Ann Nichols on Inbee's HOF status:

Congratulations, Inbee Park! Winning the 2015 Vare Trophy gets you into one of the

toughest halls of fame in all of sports, with 27 career points. Except for one detail: You haven’t competed long enough on the LPGA 
to be eligible. 

The LPGA Hall of Fame requires a 10-year commitment, and though you’ve managed to collect majors like stamps, you owe the LPGA one more season of hard work to meet the final requirement. 

Hope you don’t get injured! 
Or choose to start a family with that devoted husband beforehand. Otherwise you’ll be in HOF purgatory with Lorena Ochoa, who amassed 37 points in seven glorious years on the LPGA before dedicating herself to motherhood. 

Shouldn’t the LPGA Hall of Fame be a benchmark 
of greatness and not time served?

Exactly.  In fact, the shorter the elapsed time in which the qualifying points are earned, the more impressive and Hall-worthy the accomplishment.  But let's not let logic intrude...

Notes From the Spin Room -  Darren Clarke does what Ryder Cup captains do with this tweet::

Darren Clarke @DarrenClarke60

Current standings of @RyderCupUSA are very strong with @Love3d leading them. We will be underdogs but away matches are always hard! #fight

Trust me, Darren, after losing six of the previous events, our guys are the 'dogs in every sense of the term.

Alt. History - Curmudgeonly James Corrigan turns his eye to Jordan Spieth's 2015 season and takes a shot at rewriting history in reaction to Jordan's own comments about that four-jack on No. 8:

The point is that if Spieth had enjoyed even one of his average putting weeks, he would, by his own reckoning, have become just the second golfer to win the Masters, US Open and Open in the same year and become the first to have the chance to win all four at the USPGA. In the event, he finished second at Whistling Straits behind world No 2 Jason Day, but who knows much how the Claret Jug could have inspired him in that August week?

We could easily have been talking about the greatest season in golf instead of just “one” of the greatest and with the strength in depth in the game we can only wonder when we might witness a player coming so close again; especially a player of his tender years.

I don't recall whether James was among those that called on Jordan to head to Scotland early to familiarize himself with local conditions.  But he has it right that Jordan's putting, notably his speed, was off all week.  Would an additional week of practice have helped?  We can't be certain, but with the fate of the free world Grand Slam in the balance, which way should he have gone?

I did, however, get a laugh out of this item:

Jordan Spieth posted a video to his Instagram account on Sunday night showing his prep

for the PGA Tour's first event in 2016 included working with his 3 iron from the comforts of his home. This isn't the first time the No. 1 player in the world has used his home simulator to prepare for an event. 

Earlier in the year, Spieth prepared for the British Open in a similar fashion and finished one shot out of a playoff. No matter where Spieth's practice takes place, it looks like he's ready for 2016.

I'm not being fair here, as he was forced indoors by nasty weather in Dallas.  But I do still remember that he was preparing for The Old Course on a simulator, and I'd like to talk to him about that decision in about twenty years.

That's the First Thing I Noticed -  See if you react as I did to this header:

Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo shows off impressive balance on the driving range

You'll have to go here to view the videos, but I think you'll agree that her balance is her most notable attribute.  As for those pouty lips.....errr...what great balance.

Gotta run....enjoy the rest of your day.