How's your hunkering going? Yesterday was especially tough, without that 11:00 a.m. mail delivery around which to organize our day....
The first thing you'll notice is that there seems no rhyme or reason as to whether golf courses are open. Shack had these notes on the national scene:
Bandon Dunes is getting cancellations but also remaining open.Brian Napier on Missouri courses largely remaining open.The City of San Diego has closed Torrey Pines, Balboa Park and Mission Bay until further notice, Tom Krasovic reports. He reports on other greater San Diego area courses remaining open.Santa Barbara area courses, also closed reports Barry Punzal.Trump National Los Angeles, like all privately operated courses in the region, is closed.The City of LA courses were open and thriving reports Dakota Smith.
Closer to home, clubs and courses in Westchester County remain open (or are allowed to be open), most notably the six county public courses. By contrast, we were informed Saturday that Fairview is required to close by virtue of the Connecticut governor's lockdown order.
Frustrating, of course, but also expected. The mayhem, I mean, as of course golf is way down their priority lists, if there at all. But there's much about this that seems to be overkill, and I do hope a little recalibration is in order as the days go by.
Folks continue to ruminate on whether golf is safe or not:
Is it safe to play because golf is an outdoor sport where you can keep your distance from others?
WEATHERHEAD: “That is a very good question because we really are pushing for social distancing. It’s the most effective mechanism for slowing down transmission of the infection and hopefully eventually getting the infection under control. However we still want to encourage exercise and taking care of your physical health as well. We’ve been recommending individual exercising outdoors like walking or running or biking where you can still be outdoors but be alone and be practicing social distancing.
Golf is very unique in that aspect in which of course you can be in a bit more wide-open space, you’re using theoretically your own equipment. And in those circumstances it’s probably going to be safe, although because we don’t know much about this virus, our understanding is constantly evolving. And as a result of that, our recommendations continue to change each day.
“But there are aspects of golf that need to be put into consideration. That’s things like sharing equipment, being on golf carts together, using caddies. Any time there’s any interaction with somebody else, that would need to be avoided in those circumstances.”
Ms. Wethered is an assistant professor of infectious disease at Baylor University, though you'd think they could grab a full professor in these times....But the problems she lays out have all been addressed by clubs and course operators, and seem relatively manageable. Of course, the key word there is relatively...
Here's a similar take:
“I think the challenge is golf in of itself is a game that does allow for social distancing in some ways, but there’s certainly times during the golf game such as transitioning to the clubhouse, using the bathrooms, teeing off where you are within that 6-feet (boundary). The big thing is figure out what you can do that allows you to distance socially that may augment your game later, whether that may be strength conditioning alone in your house, stretching, running, walking.”
Rest rooms? Anyone having second thoughts about all those tree removal programs? Here we've finally hit an upon a subject in which women truly are hardest hit, though it seems a reasonable tradeoff.
But the real point I want to make is that exercising at home is that humans have needs above and beyond exercise. We have needs for fresh air and Vitamin D, and we also have needs for contract with our fellow human beings. It's hard to discuss any of this without a better sense of duration... We can all not leave our homes for a day or a week, but beyond that it gets tougher and tougher to contemplate.
This is a place where I think our leaders need to do better, even to the extent that they might err. Because added to that list of things people need is hope, and that's scarcer than toilet paper right now. And, as you're shutting the world down and denying folks their livelihoods, you might owe them a little more than "Stay tuned".
But I'd also like to suggest that we need to think through how we go from absolute zero social networks to small, controlled networks. Of course I'm thinking foursomes there, but also just some minor relief to those that live alone. I've got Employee No. 2 to talk me in from the ledge, but there's millions of folks that are alone, and that's not much of a life. Cell phones and Zoom are good workarounds, but I keep coming back to the question of how long?
Golf.com stood up a Tour Confidential panel for our amusement. Care for a taste?
1. No one can predict what the future holds, but if pro golf has the opportunity to resume in 2020 but without fans, would you want the majors and Ryder Cup conducted in such fashion? Or would you prefer to see this year’s majors scrapped entirely and start looking ahead to 2021?
Sean Zak: I want pro golf as quickly as possible. (February Sean is shuddering at that admission.) Living here in New York, things have officially gotten very weird and I know people in similar scenarios could use something real to look forward to. It would be different to see those events played without fans but it would be nice to have something instead of nothing.
No fans would be weird, but the decision between no golf and golf without galleries seems rather clear cut, no?
This one could provoke a spit take, so please be careful out there:
Josh Sens: What? No jugheads yelling baba-booey? Where’s the joy in that? I’d be up for a fan-free version of three of the five: the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open. I’d rather wait on the Masters and the Ryder Cup, as they could be replicated in 2021. That’s unlikely for the others. I was speaking yesterday with someone involved with the PGA Championship. He said that if the event doesn’t get played at TPC Harding Park this year, that ship has sailed — San Francisco’s muni misses its chance. I’m not sure if the same would apply to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, but I assume so. As for the British Open? The 150th anniversary of that event is set for St. Andrews next year. No way they bump the calendar back to give Royal St. George’s its turn. Obviously, that’s not the case with Augusta, and I’d rather wait til spring and watch the real thing, not some off-brand autumn version. And the Ryder Cup without fans wouldn’t be the Ryder Cup.
Math remains hard.... well, somewhere on the spectrum between hard and racist....
Do we have a volunteer to explain to Josh that if they don't play at Royal St. Georges this year but do play at The Old Course next year, that event will not be the 150th Open Championship?
Of course there will be no Ryder Cup, but the concept of a Ryder Cup without fans is delightfully bizarre.... Perhaps the only manner in which it would be stranger would be if it were the Bethpage iteration of the event, where the disconnect would be schadnefreudalicious.
Luke agrees with me:
Luke Kerr-Dineen: I’m not a medical expert and of course defer to those who are, but it seems a touch too early to make a call about the Ryder Cup. That said, a Ryder Cup without fans wouldn’t be a Ryder Cup worth having. I’m already on record saying they should push back all the majors to 2021, and if the choices are a 2020 Ryder Cup with no fans or a 2021 one with them, the Ryder Cup should join them. It wouldn’t even be that unprecedented. The 2001 Ryder Cup was played in 2002, lest not forget, out of respect for 9/11.
Respect, necessity? Whatever.... I'm old enough to remember when diversity and inclusion were our strengths, but it's amusing to me the focus on this event. It's only 24 players, and only Yanks and Euros, so while that makes it logistically easier, it should also be the lowest priority. Plus the absence of a qualification season would make it weirder still.
Alan Shipnuck: I’m on board for anything we can squeeze in this year. Not having fanswould change the feeling but we all need something to watch, to write about and, most importantly, something to cheer for, so bring it on.
Michael Bamberger: I’m with Alan. Something is better than nothing. We are adaptable creatures.
Dylan Dethier: I’ll take any of these tournaments with or without fans, and as soon as we can (responsibly!) get them. The Masters should have fans, though. I’d wait extra for that.
Bit of a strange reaction from Dylan, methinks. First and most obviously, I'm thinking that by October we'll be desperate for anything to watch... But the choice would seem to be an October Masters or not, the assumption being that there will be a Masters in April 2021 in any event. Would Dylan really deny himself the pleasure of patron less Masters in October? I'm guessing that will be a lonely position to have staked out.
Of course, as you'll see in this deeper dive on October in Augusta, Dylan isn't fully committed:
2. The golf world is buzzing about the possibility of an October Masters. What would be the pros and cons of holding golf’s annual rite of spring in the fall?
Zak: Right now, the only pro I care about is the one I mentioned above: some golf is better than no golf. It goes without saying that we’re following the assumption of proper health standards here, and if that’s the case it’d be a great treat to see that course played during a different season.
Sens: Pros: It would be the Masters. Cons: Except not really.
Kerr-Dineen: I’m sure there are larger business interests behind the scenes dictating this October Masters movement, but I’m not really into it. I mean look, I’m with Sean. I miss pro golf. I miss normalcy. I will take whatever I can get with a royal smile on my face. But I’d rather Augusta National host some kind of joint event (which there is precedent for, considering the course once wanted to host the Olympics), rather than an official “Masters” in October, which is so synonymous with springtime.
Shipnuck: It would be awesome to see Augusta National with the fall foliage. Some amateur agronomists out there say in the fall the course wouldn’t be quite as firm and fast as we all like but that’s the case at many Masters after it rains.
Bamberger: We’re about due for some good luck. Yes to the fall Masters, and if the course is firm and fast that would be a nice bonus.
Dethier: Now that I’ve been home in Massachusetts for a week, I feel comfortable saying that a fall Masters would be wicked fun! It’s not like we’re giving up next year’s Masters in the process — there are really no cons whatsoever. If the choice is between no Masters and a fall Masters, I know where I’m going.
Of course it's not clear that you're literally going there, but still... But Luke is whistling Dixie on a joint event, as any event held that ANGC will be a Masters. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
But the obvious reason to focus on a Masters is that it's the one that can actually happen. Each of the others has obvious venue issues, which only get more difficult as the weeks pass. But the poobahs at ANGC can do whatever they want, and can actually pull this off. So let's put this on the calendar... yeah, it's a bit out there on the horizon, but's that hope bit I noted above.
I can only hope I live long enough to understand this fetish over Olympic Golf:
3. The Official World Golf Ranking and the Rolex Rankings have halted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The OWGR, which shapes the Olympic rankings and, eventually, the roster, runs on a two-year cycle with older results diminishing in value as the calendar moves along. This news means golf’s lineups for the 2020 Tokyo Games, if they still happen, is getting closer to being finalized (qualifying ends in June). Which players are the winners and losers due to the rankings pause?
Zak: Well, the qualifying is tightest between Americans Nos. 3, 4 and 5. That’s Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay and Webb Simpson. I don’t really pity any of them in their Olympic hopes. Rather I pity the next rung of guys, maybe Nos. 20-30 in the OWGR, whose opportunities were just cut in half. Of course, the IOC might just make this all moot with a postponement of the Games.
Sens: With the Olympics in jeopardy, my sympathy goes out more to players from other countries who aren’t earning a living on any major tours and might become one of those Cinderella stories that make the Games so great.
Kerr-Dineen: World No. 21 Tyrrell Hatton is a perfect example of this. Hatton was putting together a career year before the season paused. He could make a serious case that he was trending to overtake World No. 14 Justin Rose to represent Great Britain at the Olympics. But now, because of circumstances so unusual and outside of everybody’s control, he almost certainly won’t. If the Olympics still goes ahead, the selection process will end up being unfair on some. There’s no way around it, and it’s terribly unfortunate. But we’re just all going to have to be OK with it.
Shipnuck: It’s hard to imagine the Games won’t be postponed. The most important development there is it gives Tiger time to get his body and game right so he can make a big push to Tokyo. His presence can be a game-changer for Olympic golf and I’m rooting hard for him to make it.
Bamberger: I agree with Alan. I know the logistics are incredibly complex, but I can see the Summer Games in the summer of 2021, but not 2020.
Dethier: If, say, our next event is the Olympics, there’s no question Hatton would be the biggest loser. One spot outside the top 20, which would guarantee him passage?! Brutal. Biggest winner would be Cantlay, who is clinging to a .02 (read: small) lead over Webb Simpson for the final American spot. The least affected player would be Dustin Johnson.
Le Sigh! As an aside, I found this funny:
Folks arguing over a competition that excludes the 21st ranking player in the world? Doesn't that, you know, make the competition not worth arguing over?
Of course, Shipnuck gets a lifetime achievement award in this category. In the current instance he's over the moon that the delay will give Tiger time to recover, though of course this iconic competition doesn't have room for Tiger....
And this on a subject on which I've previously opined:
6. If you are looking for some of the best golf movies you can stream at home, our recent list has you covered. In your mind, what’s the best golf movie ever made? And what’s the most overrated?
Zak: Tin Cup is the best because it’s the most realistic. It really seems to understand the game in a serious way, while most of the others that are beloved are most strictly comedies. As for overrated, I guess Happy Gilmore is probably atop that list. I love the movie for its frivolity, but it’s so damn unrealistic that it’s probably a bit overrated as a golf product.
Sens: Sorry, but golf movies stink. [Ducks and braces for social media blowback.] At least, I’ve never seen a very good one. Tin Cup is bearable, if you’re stuck on an airplane or in virus quarantine. Happy Gilmore has about one Saturday Night Live skit’s worth of humor. There are some glacially paced golf movies set in gauzy Robert Redford-esque lighting that will put you to sleep in about 10 minutes, or make you queasy from the schmaltz (see: The Legend of Bagger Vance). And a few old-timey ones, like Pat and Mike, that are watchable if you’re into Hollywood nostalgia. Caddyshack is the best of the bunch, but it’s not really a golf movie. It’s a movie about social class (and getting stoned and struck by lightning). As grandma used to say, “Do yourself a favor and read a book.”
Obviously I'm more aligned with Mr. Sens than Mr. Zak, though the concept of Tin Cup being realistic is quite amusing... Peter Jacobson winning a U.S. Open? C'mon, even in Hollywood that's quite the stretch....
Tin Cup is quite fine as far as things go, but it always felt like a poor man's Bull Durham for obvious reasons... But we've all seen it a thousand times thanks to Golf Channel, so it's not an especially helpful suggestion in the current moment. As the man said, read a book.
Need something to read? This is a sad (but obviously a different kind of sad) story:
Brad Faxon saved his childhood club. Members are now suing him for fraud. The curious case of Metacomet Golf Club
Of course our clubs will be under tremendous stress in the coming months.... at a time when the members themselves are on a knife's edge as well....
Glad to see this:
There's golf still to be played at St. Andrews, but a pint in the pub is out of the question
Not even a lady's pint? Not sure I want to live in a world with The Dunvegan and Jigger closed....
This one for sure caught my eye:
In Florida, Sawgrass Country Club member tests positive for coronavirus
They're obviously tracing folks who might have been at the club when he was.... Left unsaid was whether he attended Thursday at The Players..... Also, with a nod to Shipnuck, please tell me he skipped that infamous Chainsmokers concert.
Fun with lists... LKD posts a list of his ten favorite golf courses on the planet, and it's amusingly quirky:
10. Spyglass Hill9. Bethpage Black8. Colleton River — Dye7. Oakmont6. Winged Foot — West5. Kiawah Island — Ocean4. Olympic Club3. Royal Porthcawl2. Riviera Country Club1. Cypress Point
I assume that Luke is a very good player, but if you were asked to name the ten hardest golf courses in the world you'd end up with much overlap. What we call playability seems in short supply.
Also odd to have only one links on the list, and an off-the-beaten-track one at that.... It's more typical, I think, to either have many or none....
Porthcawl, the best known of the fine collection of links in Wales, is a wonderful track, and a place the bride and I had some fun back in 2017. For those who weren't on the journey then or just need something amusing to read, this is my account of that delightful day. Don't miss the video at the end, something the bride and I still chortle over....
I'll leave you good folks there for now, and we'll catch up soon.
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