Tuesday Trifles

In which we continue the process of catching up, both ob sleep and blogging.  You'll be on your own tomorrow, as Bobby D. and I will be resuming The Rivalry....  I expect to have new arrows in the quiver, so you'll want to check Sports Center for the results.

Reading Is Fundamental - Here's an item that broke while I was over-served Burgundian Wines:

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — The U.S. Golf Association and R&A plan to severely restrict the information allowed in green-reading books. 

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the move will effectively render the books impractical to players who have increasingly leaned on them for reading putts. 

Three golf industry rules experts confirmed the plan to Golfweek. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the move. 

“We announced last year that we were reviewing green-reading materials and expect to be able to give a further update in the coming weeks,” an R&A spokesman said. “We believe that the ability to read greens is an integral part of the skill of putting and remain concerned about the rapid development of increasingly detailed materials that players are using to help with reading greens during a round.”

It's an interesting development, though I've no idea where the line will be drawn.  Presumably it will be limited to the elite game, another example of creeping bifurcation.

Though this last bit seems overly optimistic:

The action regarding the books also gives the USGA and R&A an opportunity to make a joint effort at protecting skill without impacting everyday amateur golf while they also examine the role of technology in driving distance increases.

They're getting a ton of experience at the analyzing thing, not so much on the taking action front though.  No doubt it's a daunting prospect, but it'll be that much harder next week or year.

Bear with me for a slight digression into Alan Shipnucks mailbag:

Are the Web.com courses too easy for these players? -25 wins, -6 is the cut. Tour players acknowledging how absurdly low you have to go. These guys are very good. Maybe it’s time to play some tougher courses? -@MattThis59 

This is the truest expression of how much distance gains have changed professional golf, and that modern athletes with modern equipment are simply too long and too good for the existing playing fields. PGA Tour agronomists can push a setup so it has fast, firmish greens and some decent rough, and that helps control scoring a little bit on the big Tour. The Web venues don’t get that treatment – they’re just regular courses presented with everyday setups, and as a result they get destroyed. Unless the Web starts playing a Firestone and places like that – which it won’t – scoring will continue to get lower.

You see the issue I'm sure....  It rears it's head in places we don't expect it, such as the '05 Open at The Old Course, where play could not continue with high winds.  Just think about that for a moment, a links course that becomes unplayable in wind....  Another fine mess you've gotten us into, Ollie.

This Week in Golf - I actually caught some of the Ladies Scottish Open after our arrival on Sunday, and, well, you know how I feel about those links.  This week the girls go to Lytham for their Open Championship, and Shack has posted this newsreel of Bobby Jones winning the Open there in 1926:

Shack had these astute comments in his post:

There is no sound and the Claret Jug ceremony is set in the middle of the footage, but it's still fun to look at the swings, the clothes, the caddies and especially Royal Lytham & St Annes, host of this week's Women's British Open. (Here are the coverage times.) 

Note the bunkering at Lytham then--more sand faced--than the sod wall, typical links style you'll see this week.

 It's a very different look, but this was still the hickory era.  If my memory serves, this Open also featured the following:

1. Bobby Jones forgot his participant badge one day, and was forced to pay admission to make his tee time, and;
2. Needing to hole his second shot on the final hole, Walter Hagen dramatically sent his caddie ahead to tend the pin.  So no, Phil and Bones were not the first.

Closer to home, the Forecaddie tells it like it is in his swan song to Firestone:

While many may get a bit teary-eyed this week as Firestone Country Club’s South

Course hosts its final WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, The Forecaddie will likely not be one of them.

Now, that’s nothing against Akron, Ohio, which has proven itself a wonderful golf city dating to the Rubber City Open, or the tournament, which has produced some great champions, including Tiger Woods eight times. It’s just that Firestone’s South Course isn’t one of The Man Out Front’s favorites on the Tour schedule. 

To support the claim, TMOF likes to reference this quote from Jack Nicklaus: “This is a great golf course, but it’s a boring golf course because, although each hole is outstanding on its own, when you put them all together it seems like you’re playing the same one over and over, and so you have to be careful not to fall asleep.”

I'm sorry, but in what sense is this a great course?  Although, to be fair, the PGA Tour has accomplished  the impossible.... The only thing that could possibly have us waxing nostalgic for Firestone is Memphis in August.  So, we've got that going for us...

I'll not shed a tear for this venue....

DeChambeau Deconstructed - The meltdown was certainly noteworthy, given his bubble-boy status on the Ryder Cup points list.  But I agree that the reaction to the lack of eye contact during the handshake is a bit overblown.  Video is here, along with Shack's take:

Of course his brusque handshake was rude. But any sports fan who watches tennis or college basketball knows there have been thousands of equally as quick and chilly handshakes in the heat of battle. The difference in Bryson DeChambeau's brisk congratulatory post-round greeting: freshly-minted winner McEvoy did nothing to warrant rudeness other than make a putt at the 18th green and finally win when a young, passionate player made a major mess of the last hole.

For this, DeChambeau has apologized. 

But on a weekend when Sergio Garcia could have hurt someone (or himself) tomahawking his clubs, the reaction to DeChambeau's incredible final round meltdown is threatening to get out of hand.

Are folks just relishing the chance to pick on DeChambeau, who makes his share of detractors with extreme confidence? After all, he took of his hat and did shake hands with his playing partner, albeit in rapid fashion. 

When he's not running hot, DeChambeau can actually be one of golf's more respectful young players. He calls adults he doesn't know Mr. or Mrs., studies the history of the game, and wants to set a fine example. That he doesn't exhibit this side more often and to the frustration of many is for him to work out.

In a sport where we have seen so few genuine characters in recent years, it would be a shame to see DeChambeau's individuality and eccentricity muted by a Zapruder-like analysis of a split-second action.

In case you missed it, Sergio's detonation can be seen here.   His post-Masters renaissance hasn't exactly revived The Era of Good Feelings, has it?

As for Bryson, Mr. Shipnuck got a query about the lad:

If he doesn’t qualify on points, do you think Bryson’s meltdown impacts the chance of being a captain’s pick? -Josh (@J_Decker84) 

It’s a fascinating question. On one hand, he went overseas and took on the burden of leading for 68 straight holes, more or less. It’s gotta be encouraging to Cap. Furyk that DeChambeau’s game traveled like that. But the finish was such a spectacular self-immolation it has to be cause for concern. I’ve said it before, the U.S. Ryder Cup is trying to win a road game for the first time in a quarter-century against a very strong Euro squad so I expect the captain’s picks will be biased toward proven veterans. After Germany, DeChambeau better play his way into the top eight if he wants to be in Paris.

The Tour Confidential panel, with Shipnuck in abstentia, also had some thoughts:

2. Bryson DeChambeau led the European Open with four holes to play, but four shots into hazards later he had played that last stretch in five over par and fell into a tie for 13th (and some weren’t fond of how he accepted it). For a Ryder Cup bubble player like DeChambeau (he currently occupies the 9th spot, one out of auto qualifying), how much will/should late implosions like this damage his captain’s pick chances should he need one?

Zak: It’s definitely something to consider. Also worth considering will be the many people on that bubble who haven’t recently played their way into contention. Getting there, regardless of the outcome, has to be worth something to Jim Furyk. 

Dethier: Bryson, like Jordan Spieth, tends to get extremely, uh, verbal when things start going south. That made this implosion all the more compelling: we could hear his internal monologue. A bad finish is just a bad finish, unless it proves to be something more. How will DeChambeau respond? 

Ritter: It was captivating TV and I certainly felt bad for him. But this would only cost him a Ryder Cup spot if it happened the week before captain’s picks and it was clear a spot was on the line. Final-round bust-ups happen. He has a few more weeks to make a statement and in the process make the team. 

Bamberger: Bigly (if I am using that correctly). Significantly.

I didn't see it, but it sounds like a fairly epic collapse, not your run of the mill bad shot at a critical time.  But I think Shipnuck has it right, Bryson will have to play his way into the top eight to be in Paris.  Regardless of how Cap'n. Furyk feels about the lad, he's instinctively gravitate to the Koochs and Kisners of the world, as he likely should.  

What Legacy? -  The TC Panel searches in vain to define the Bevaqua Era:

4. Pete Bevacqua is stepping down as the PGA of America CEO to take on a new role as president of NBC Sports Group. Bevacqua has been the head man of the PGA since 2012. What was Bevacqua’s crowning achievement during his time with the PGA, and what’s one task you would love to see the new hire tackle?

Sens: I’ll always think of him as a savvy negotiator (witness the mega-TV contract he nailed down for the Ryder Cup with NBC). In terms of challenges, there’s the matter of boosting the PGA Championship to the status of something more than the afterthought major, and of finding the right venues for the newly rejiggered schedule. There’s also the ever-nagging question of how to grow the game. With so much money floating around the upper echelons of the pro game, I’ve heard grumblings about the PGA seeming increasingly out of touch for the everyday member, to say nothing of the everyday golfer. I think there’s some truth to that.

Zak: I guess the movement of the PGA Championship to May will be what we remember him for in the immediate future. As for the next person up, I’d hope to see that certain sites that have hosted the PGA in the past don’t get completely nixed because of that deal. I’m biased and really enjoy Whistling Straits.

Dethier: I’ll remember the new shorts-in-practice-rounds thing and the time everyone freaked out about Phil Mickelson’s calves. I’d love to see some unified identity in the PGA Championship’s course rotation going forward. With the U.S. Open headed back to a series of heavy-hitter classics, maybe the PGA could seize the chance to travel to the country’s best innovative newer tracks. Or just ship the fourth major to Australia, like they do in tennis.

Well, we'd certainly get better venues in Australia....  But this from Mike Bamberger, touched on by Josh Sens above, is the key bit to me:

His most significant work is the hardest to measure: Are there more and better opportunities for the 29,000 PGA of America members? That becomes especially difficult when the game is struggling in quarters. More than anything, I think Bevacqua added a certain gravitas to the position and to the organization.

The move of its marquee event to May will no doubt affect Pete's legacy, though we remain in the dark as to whether his organization benefited from its accommodation of the Tour.  I don't find the love affair with hand-me-down U.S. Open venues interesting or helpful, and he certainly hasn't carved out an identity for the event.

The organization remains in never-never land it seems, the beneficiary of a huge revenue stream that's an historic accident, but lacking any direction on behalf of its membership.  Curious, and perhaps unsustainable....

And, as the world considers the implications of new leadership for this organization, this very worthy candidate has thrown his hat into the ring:

For Club Pro Guy is a living embodiment of the ideals and ethics the PGA of America promotes. A mini-tour legend, CPG eschewed the temptation of fame for teaching, his Learning Center becoming golf's Lyceum, a place where 65-and-older women's leagues can practice the proper punch-out technique in peace. His acumen is not confined to instruction. CPG is also a savvy businessman, owning an inherent perception of what the weekend warrior wants. How else can one explain his clubhouse devoid of $500 drivers and performance gear, instead stocking his shop with Snake Eyes and PowerBilt clubs and walls adorned with Tabasco polos? And his crusade to deflate the pretentious stigma that engulfs the sport cannot be overlooked, with his "No shirt, no shoes, no problem" Thursdays garnering universal acclaim. 

Like all geniuses, some consider his guidance divisive—like when Phil Mickelson used CPG's patented quick-rake method at this year's U.S. Open—and you'll never see him self-promoting his works on Golf Channel (mostly due to Damon Hack's restraining order). Nevertheless, if the PGA of America is searching for a enlightened mind that keeps the people's voice in his heart, CPG is the perfect candidate.

They can and probably will do worse.....  But he's got specific programs in mind:

GD: Speaking of which, there are whispers that you plan on reviving the PGA Championship’s match-play format, adding the caveat of net scoring. Any truth to those rumors? 

CPG: I think the success and raw emotion of the Tavistock Cup has proved once and for all that matchplay is a much more exciting format from a fan perspective. So making the change from stroke play to match play is a no-brainer and one that I would implement rather quickly. Now, converting the PGA Championship to a ‘net’ event is a bit more controversial, but it really shouldn’t be. The reality is that there are players on the PGA Tour who are more talented than others. We need to accept that fact and deal with it accordingly. The handicap system was created so that players of different abilities are able to compete on a level playing field. Why shouldn’t this apply to a major championship? If Alex Cjeka is battling Dustin Johnson down the stretch on Sunday, Alex is gonna need his pops. I don’t understand why this is so controversial. What could be more exciting than a 4 net 3 on the 72nd hole to win a major championship? There are some logistical issues to overcome (dotting scorecards, etc.) but overall I think the change is needed and something you will eventually see under my leadership.

Gonna take a lot of effort to get the dots right on scorecards.....  And don't miss this rousing call to arms to the membership:

In closing, what do you want to say to the 29,000 professionals across this country that will now look to you for leadership? 

CPG: I want to say hold tight, because help is on the way. I want them to know I’ve been where they're at. I’m just like they are. I’ve shot 94 with a group of members who mistakenly assumed I was good, I’ve been busted watching porn on the GHIN computer, I’ve gained 20 pounds in the last three years, I’ve made on-course rulings when I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, I’ve "mailed it in” during the last seven member/guests. There isn’t another person being considered for this position that can identify with the rank-and-file club pro like I can and I look forward to representing them.

He's got my vote....

Golf in the Kingdom -  This Pravda feature on the intersection of golf and railroads is appreciated, yet it could have been so much better:

The railroads are a big part of the history of golf in this region that is so rich in golf

history. The game, of course, predates the tracks: Golf was played in one form or another here for centuries before commercial train travel began in the 1800s. 

But the railroad accelerated its growth as courses and hotels were built on the coasts of Scotland and England to appeal to a newly mobile leisure class. 

The first hole at Prestwick, the site of the original British Open, in 1860, is so close to the railroad that trains have had to be equipped with reinforced windows to withstand the occasional impact of a golf ball.

“In the old days, the gentlemen would work in Glasgow and take the train to the golf and back,” said David Fleming, the club professional at Prestwick. “It was the only way of getting around.” 

Too small for a major sporting event these days, Prestwick has not hosted the Open since 1925. But the railroad connection lives on in places like the 11th hole at Royal Troon and the ninth hole at Carnoustie, a 474-yard par-4 named Railway for reasons that quickly become apparent.

And yet, the photo at the top of the article is of Chambers Bay.  ARGHHH!

 British Rail used the golf resorts a spart of an active marketing campaign, and I don't know how you write such an item without including the great posters from the era, such as the one I've included above.

But color me surprised, give the source I expected the item to conclude with a rousing call for light rail to transport golfers in an environmentally sensitive manner....  Miraculously, we were spared that.

See you Thursday.