Late Week Laments

We'll throw you a curveball (I might have watched that other sport yesterday), and lede with something other than The Masters.

Don't Know Much About History - Geoff had a quick post about that certain signage on Links Road, but now he's back with a full-length screed about it, and attention must be paid:

For those who have grown up when the professional golf shop was a vital gathering place, the resurrection of Old Tom Morris’s hub at 15 Links was yet another reminder

that virtually all important golf development started in St. Andrews. Bear with me here, but seeing the Tom Morris name plastered over with the sterile "The Open" branding warrants a deeper dive into this retail space's past. 

When the Links Trust restored this sacred spot in 2011, it was seen by the golf world as a nice tribute to the “Grand Old Man of Golf.” But the shop’s lineage, when imagined through the writings of early golf pioneers, becomes more clear. Or even profound.

Old Tom got his start in St. Andrews making featheries for Alan Robertson, the greatest golfer of the pre-Open era.  As Geoff continues, my reaction is one of alarm that those making such decisions don't recognize Old Tom as the indispensable man:

Layers of carpet and dry wall covered the bones of Old Tom’s longtime hub of storytelling, golf ball sales and clubmaking. When the layers were peeled back to reveal the origins of the shop, the significance of this location became more clear to anyone with a little imagination.

There are the deep etchings in the floor from the days when a team of artisans were crafting clubs. Also revealed was that one-of-a-kind grey stonework that supported Old Tom’s footsteps, the fireplace where gutta was shaped, and most breathtaking of all, the wood counter where he or his team of craftsman could work while looking out at the Home green shaped by Morris.

And, as we've covered a time or two, Old Tom influenced a certain American who brought that which he learned home:

When a young Charles Blair Macdonald--widely considered the father of American golf

Sheila Walker, Old Tom's great-granddaughter, watches the '15 Open.

after importing the best of Scottish golf principles to the States-- arrived in St Andrews, he was too young to be allowed in the Royal and Ancient clubhouse.

“The day after I arrived in St. Andrews my grandfather took me to genial and much beloved old Tom Morris and bought me three or four clubs,” he wrote in Scotland’s Gift—Golf. “He also secured a locker in Tom’s shop, for juniors were not permitted in the Royal and Ancient Club, to which both my grandfather and my uncle, Colonel William Macdonald, belonged.”

The man responsible for bringing the most important golfing principles to an America, at a time when the early game was a warped version of the sport thriving in Scotland, began his education in Old Tom’s shop. 

“Old Tom was the Grand Old Man of golf,” Macdonald wrote, “The philosopher and friend of all youthful, aspiring golfers.” 

We’ll never know what lessons were imparted to Macdonald by Old Tom during many visits there, but it is easy to imagine him learning about golf architecture, course maintenance, clubmaking or the impact an influential elder can have on an impressionable lad.

Tillinghast also met Old Tom on a pilgrimage to St. Andrews in 1896, and Geoff references (but does not post) a picture of the tow in the open shop door.  Nor was I able to find it through a Google image search. 

I'll of course repeat my recommendation of Tommy's Honor, the book before the film, which covers the long arc of Old Tom's life.  And that amazing life is the way to tell our history, as opposed to sweeping it into the dustbin of history.

Masters Detritus -  It will soon be upon us.... We'll start with Travelin' Joe, who is challenging the Gods by ranking the holes at ANGC.  This is madness, because we know there are no weak holes at the club, right?

I know how your minds work, so we'll dive right in with the worst hole:

18. 17th hole, par 4, 440 yards: 141 points

Highest Rank: 5

Lowest Rank: 18

Comments: "A deceptively good hole, because the tee shot is kind of exacting"; "Green is subtle, yet powerful, especially on the mind of a player on Sunday who's chasing a leader or trying to protect a lead"; "Just not very inspiring and tough. The hole I would least love to play"; "Losing the Eisenhower Tree was huge. Now it's the worst hole — or least best — at ANGC."

Fair enough, as it's not much of a tee shot after losing the Ike Tree.  And, of course, it gets further penalized for being late in the round.

At the risk of going longer than your attention span, let me deal with the next two together:

17. 7th hole, par 4, 450 yards: 219 points

Highest Rank: 6

Lowest Rank: 18

Comments: "With the narrowing of the fairway, they've made the hole more interesting. Now you're really challenged to hit driver, because you don't want to be approaching this green with a 5- or 6-iron"; "Approach shots can be funneled to tucked pins — always fun — but I liked it better when it was shorter."; "This hole was ruined. You can't keep a green that size that was designed for a wedge and now it's a 7-iron."

16. 5th hole, par 4, 455 yards: 225 points

Highest Rank: 4

Lowest Rank: 18 

Comments: "The green is unique and truly outstanding. I hope they lengthen the hole to require the long-iron run-in approach that was originally intended"; “Tough tee shot, interesting green"; “Outside of the elephant buried in the green, not much happening here."

I'm going to channel my inner Phil here, but this is where the club is erring.  No. 7 is supposed to be a birdie opportunity, and pinching the fairway renders the hole uninteresting. Whereas lengthening No. 5 will make it far more interesting, though that challenge will manifest itself through bogie avoidance.

I quite agree with the low ranking of the 15th hole, history be damned.  It's no doubt dramatic for Masters play, but can't be a whole lot of fun for the members.  I'll also spare you my dissertation on the 16th green, and let's just see what might possibly be Joe's favorite hole at the joint:

1. 13th hole, par 5, 510 yards: 627 points

Highest Rank: 1

Lowest Rank: 4 

Comments: "Best short par-5 in the world"; "The most fun hole where anything could happen"; "The ultimate daring hole. Despite equipment advances, the hole still gets into a good player's head"; "The most beautiful, strategic hole in golf."

You know what's wrong with this hole?  Absolutely friggin' nothing....  And that's why talk of it being lengthened is so discouraging.  I encourage folks to recognize Par for the artificial construct it is, and to simply watch the best players in the game deal with the challenges this hole presents. 

I would also recommend to the Golf Committee at the club to change the Par for The Masters, before adding a yard in length to the hole.

Now, keep your eyes on my hands as I tie those first two items together, in conjunction with the distance debate:

Major champion and winning Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger said other iconic golf courses could be in trouble but not Augusta National. 

“The Old Course at St Andrews, the home of golf, is different, because the course isn’t as long and the greens are pretty easy to putt and don’t have nearly as much slope,” Azinger said. “Augusta’s greens are frightfully fast, and they can stick the pins two paces from the edge. 

“Augusta can always be defended. St Andrews is in trouble.”

I'd argue that The Rubicon has already been crossed, as they've moved at least one tee onto an adjoining course and sped the greens up to the point where golf balls won't stay put in the wind.

This guy is making the logical connection between distance and scoring:

Since the Masters began in 1934, there’s something that has never happened during the tournament. Something that many people likely will find difficult to believe, but it’s true. Since the first time it was played in 1934, 6,467 golfers have teed it up and 4,159 of them have played all four rounds of the tournament.

Not one of them, however, has shot four rounds in the 60s in one Masters. 

The course that made going low in major-championship golf fashionable has also been remarkably stingy in doing so for four straight tournament rounds. How miserly is Augusta? Consider that it has happened on 40 occasions in the other three majors: 27 times at the PGA Championship, 10 times at the Open Championship and even three times in the U.S. Open, generally considered the stingiest major in terms of rounds in relation to par.

OK, but two guys have shot -18, so it's not like there aren't low scores to be had.  But the more important is whether we like what has to be done to the golf course to keep scoring under control.  For instance, those trees pinching the 7th fairway above?

I'm already running late, so I'll not excerpt Shack's feature on the Masters app....As noted yesterday, they embrace the technology in some instances, but we had to wait until 2018 for shot-tracing on the CBS broadcast.

And one lat bit.... this gloating over Shot-tracing technology includes this photo:

If only.  First of all, as I constantly remind folks, when Bubba hit this shot, we had no idea where he was, because the club doesn't allow on-course reporters.  So, even if they had tracer available for approach shots, we'd not have know what the ball flight meant.  Here's what they're telling us about its use:

The Masters' live streaming channels have included shot tracer in previous years, but this is the first time that the television coverage will include it. Shot tracer will appear on a select number of holes during the tournament: No. 9, 10, 13, 15, and 18.

I had assumed it would only be used on tee shots, but we'll see.  A couple of those holes are so straight that I don't particularly see the need, but the tee shot on No. 13 makes it all worth it.  At least until they push it back fifty yards.

Golf In The Middle Kingdom - Brian Costa has a curious item in the Wall Street Journal that fails to deliver the goods:

The Next Chinese Trade Advantage: Professional Golfers

Feng Shanshan is the No. 1 women’s golfer in the world, while Li Haotong makes his Masters debut next week

OK, and your evidence for this is?

Li Haotong has been playing golf in the U.S. for about three years, long enough to notice just how much this country imports from his home country. 

“You guys are going to die without China,” he joked. “Toothbrush, everything. Everything you can think of: made in China.”

Except, until recently, elite professional golfers. That is changing quickly. 

On Thursday, Feng Shanshan will begin the first women’s golf major of the year, the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif., as the top-ranked player in the world. She became the first Chinese golfer to earn that coveted status last fall. 

One week later, Li will tee off at the Masters as the highest-ranked Chinese male golfer ever, at No. 41 in the world. Last summer, at age 21, he finished third at the British Open. Earlier this year, he edged Rory McIlroy to win the Dubai Desert Classic.

Can anyone name the second best Chinese golfer of either gender?  Please forgive my insensitivity, but I'm old enough to remember when there were only two genders...

Perhaps this is the source of Costa's confusion:

For all its wealth, and a population of 1.4 billion, China has never particularly taken to golf. Mao Zedong banned the sport while leading China’s socialist transformation starting in 1949, viewing golf as too elitist. There was a course construction boom in the early 2000s, though that stalled in recent years amid government crackdowns on corruption, which made golf-playing by officials a taboo and on the overbuilding of golf courses, which was seen as wasteful.

China, despite its great gains, remains an extremely poor country.... Which is why the concept that it will be the future of golf is such silliness, the the Party's bizarre relationship with the game is quite the riddle.

Cheap Shots - Just a couple of quickies before we all get on with our day:

Isn't This Why We Have Tinder and Grinder? - Pro makes public plea to fellow Tour players to be his teammate at the Zurich Classic (or else he can't play)

Perhaps a look at Rule 14-1b will lend clarity to this question? - Whatever happened to Adam Scott?