The plan is to blog for you today and Thursday, with the blog likely to remain dark tomorrow and Friday. For those that need to get out more, mostly everyone these days, you might remember earlier in the summer when Employee No. 2's Sleepy Hollow outing was canceled at the very last moment due to positive 'rona tests at the club. They promised to reschedule, and have done so for tomorrow, and Madam is suitably excited.
Into The Darkness - Some follow-ups to Sergio's win over the weekend, including this from Dave Shedloski:
Sergio Garcia found a way to win again, even if he had to close his eyes to see it
He goes all existential on us:
While Bryson DeChambeau is in the midst of perhaps changing the metrics of golf through evermore distance, Sergio Garcia is making a case for the mystical properties of darkness. Garcia, apparently, has seen the light by playing tournament golf with his eyes wide shut and lendingcredence to the philosophy of that sage golfer of yesteryear, Ty Webb.“There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen,” the master, while blindfolded, said in his instructional video released 40 years ago, “and all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking. Let things happen. And be the ball.”Garcia didn’t compete in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Miss., blindfolded, though many times in his career he has looked like a man who was enjoying the game about as much as a guy who’s been offered a blindfold and cigarette. But on Sunday at the Country Club of Jackson, the mercurial Spaniard smoked a few shots at just the right time and putted throughout with his eyes closed and captured his first victory in America since the 2017 Masters.
Be the ball? OK, but at least I preferred that bit with the cameraman above to Bryson's version a few months back...
On the other hand, if you set the mysticism and spirituality aside, it's actually pretty damn simple:
About that natural ability. Garcia is one of the game’s elite ball strikers, and while he putted quite well—he ranked 28th for the week in strokes gained/putting—it was still his full-swing prowess that made the difference. The winning stroke was set up by crushing his tee ball with an exquisite draw 314 yards into the left fairway followed by a near-perfect 8-iron.And that opportunity at ending the affair in regulation was the product of your basic, ahem, seeing-eye fairway metal from 260 yards out at the par-5 14th. The ball settled 3½ feet from the cup, and Garcia proceeded to guide it in to tie Malnati, the 2015 winner of this event who closed with a career-low 63.“The great thing for me is that when I’m feeling it, I don’t feel like I even have to putt too well to have a chance at winning, or to win,” said Garcia, who, perhaps not surprisingly, led the field in strokes gained-tee to green. “With an average or just above average kind of putting week, if I’m playing the way I played this week, I can give myself a chance of winning almost every week.
It reminds me of a discussion I had back at the time of the anchoring ban. A certain assistant professional went on TV and argued that anchoring couldn't be helpful because those anchoring didn't populate the upper reaches of putting statistics. Of course the reality is that those employing that methodology started at the other end of the distribution curve, and if a Sergio or an Adam Scott can be an average putter, they can be competitive as a result of being elite ball-strikers. Sergio knows he doesn't have to win it on the greens, he just needs to avoid losing it there.
A fellow writer at Golf Digest had this assessment of the Spaniard's week:
Sergio Garcia checked off a handful of incredible stat boxes with his win at the Sanderson Farms
Incredible, you say? Well, I'm all ears:
Then, with his eyes closed, the 40-year-old Spanaird reminded us just how good he still is, claiming his 11th PGA Tour victory in Mississipi in stunning fashion. In the process, he checked off a few incredible stats boxes, all of them courtesy of the great Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf).First, Ray pointed out that Garcia is the only player with a win in each year between 2011 and 2020. He was quick to clarify that Dustin Johnson has had a win in each of the last 10 PGA Tour "seasons," but one of those DJ wins came in the fall portion of the 2013-'14 season, meaning it occurred in 2013. Johnson did not get a an official OWGR win in the year 2014:
Even in these tribal times, I think we can all agree that Yuta Ikeda is the gold standard in...well, what is the point here? Can we not abandon the search for deeper meaning in the week-to-week results on Tour? Sergio has always been and remains an elite ball-striker, the fun is seeing if he can find a way to putt well enough to compete and the quality shots he hit down the stretch. The one on No. 14 was perhaps more lucky than good, but the 8-iron on No. 18 was a laser.
The Scottish - I'm still pissed at Cablevision for not taping the final round, especially as I keep hearing about that which I missed:
4 things you can learn from Ian Poulter’s fairway-bunker disaster
Up until that item appeared on Golf Magazine's website, I didn't even know Ian Poulter had a fairway bunker disaster... Apparently, it looked like this:
Of course, your humble blogger is smirking as he types, remembering the previous version of this genre. You remember, the instructional opportunities presented by Danny Lee's six-putt at Winged Foot. Lots of advice on alignment, though it failed to impart the most important lesson of not dogging it at the U.S. Open.
On a far more disturbing note, the gearheads at Golf.com have just shared this alarming fact about the winner in North Berwick, though buried under this innocuous header:
Wall-to-Wall Equipment: Pro wins on Euro Tour with rarely-seen club accessory
Hmmm..a rarely used club accessory? Whatever could they mean by that... Can we susss it our from this pic?
And we have a new term of art:
The accessory is a set of worn iron covers currently protecting his Tiger Woods-designed TaylorMade P7TW blades. If you’re unfamiliar with the covers, some golfers prefer to use them to keep their sticks from picking up unwanted dents and dings. Forged from a soft 1025 carbon steel, the P7TW is prone to picking up “bag chatter” when the heads bang against each other. Some don’t have a problem with the worn look. Others want to keep them pristine.
What’s interesting about Rai’s cover usage is this isn’t something that started with the special Tiger irons. When Rai won for the first time on the European Tour in 2018, his Tour Preferred MB irons were hidden by a set of red and black TaylorMade covers that had seen better days. Based on photos from the Scottish Open, Rai has since moved on to a black and white cover set.
Bag chatter? I actually have a longstanding friend that has always had iron headcovers, though I've never heard him refer to bag chatter. At a long ago Willow Ridge Member-Guest, we had to drive back to the group behind us to retrieve one of his prophylactics, an incident that has rendered your humble blogger psychologically scarred for decades...
Golf's Moment - The Palestinians were famously noted to have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity, and one can't help but assume the same about those that manage our game. There have bee a few thumbsuckers along this line, and we'll start with this National Golf Foundation roundtable via Shack, who excerpted this from Steve Skinner of Kemper Sports:
- We must commit to providing an exceptional golf experience – one that is welcoming and fun and makes guests want to come back. This has been a key differentiator for our business and our culture for more than 40 years. And, 2020 is no different. In fact, customer service ratings at our properties are higher than they have ever been. Great customer service plays a major role in creating repeat customers.
- We must welcome juniors, families and new golfers with open arms. This includes creative ideas like free, 15-minute introductory lessons, junior rates and family tee times. We should also continue to create and renovate alternative courses (short course, par-3s and putting courses) and consider alternative types of formats (scrambles and team play, such as PGA Jr. League).
- We must consider seniors, who still represent the game’s most loyal players but fall into a higher risk category. Be sensitive to their needs and consider their behavior in operational protocols.
- Create an efficient food and beverage system for delivery and grab & go options. Expand to-go selections and consider app-based delivery services to guests on the course. Creating more outdoor dining spaces is also key to supporting a limited F&B system during this time.
- Increase communication to all guests. Strategic communications have the power to engage guests and reinforce lasting relationships with customers. We need to truly connect with our customers.
Engagement? Why didn't I think of that? It's a lot of MBA-speak like this, the above excerpt is far more specific than most of the others. But see if this sounds as creepy to you as it did to me:
It is crucial that we capture our customer data, especially when they are a new or first time golfer. Then we need to engage with customers in various ways to ensure we communicate to them in the way they want to be communicated to, and make them feel comfortable and competent.
And if the customer doesn't want to be captured? But the premise that you're capturing data to communicate in the manner preferred by the customer seems especially, well, I guess I already used "creepy".
This from the CEO of Golf Magazine is oddly defensive, at least given the man's career choices:
For me, the best way to accomplish this is to continue to break down the barriers to entry and the stigma that exists around the game. Much of what we see from today’s professionals I think helps that. Even simple things like watching PGA TOUR players play in shorts or untucked shirts or some of the access we now have via social media helps generate a more fun, carefree stigma around the game.
Gee, tell me more about this stigma? How charming that the CEO of a major golf publication talks of the game in this manner. But that last bit puzzles, so I went to the Google machine, and this is the primary definition of that term:
a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
I think that's advice from which we can all benefit. If you're in the market for a stigma, by all means opt for the fun, carefree ones...
This Gary Van Sickle item is a little better, first with this framing of the opportunity:
His understatement is appreciated. The NGF reported $331 million in equipment sales in August,up 32 percent from the same month last year and crushing the all-time August mark of $287 million in 2006. Golf Datatech began tracking retail sales in 1997. The hottest equipment category was, well, all of them. Iron sales were up 83 percent; woods, 74 percent; bags, 55 percent; balls, 27 percent.
Who buys all this stuff in August? People coming back after a period away from the game who notice their old equipment is obsolete, broken or missing, or new-ish golfers getting into the game.
Let’s not call this a golf boom. The NGF did that a few decades ago and was famously wrong, saying a new course needed to be built every day to satisfy the golf boom. It was the Titanic of forecasts.
This is a golf surge that can be reduced to simpler terms. In my 22 years in the Pittsburgh area, it’s never been so tough to secure a tee time, at public and private courses alike. The courses that were semi-empty in previous years were slammed during the summer. The odds are that it’s the same in your area.
I've put some thought into those numbers as well, though I suspect it's a little more complicated. It's comforting to know that golf can flourish in a world in which every other activity is proscribed, but the limitations thereof are equally obvious. Of course, the thing you want to do in such an environment is to harp on the stigmas attached to our game...
Ted Bishop has been growing on me since his defenestration by the PGA of America, and he has some interesting comments here, most notably that he's investing the windfall:
This year’s success might lay the groundwork for future success. Bishop said the positive revenue influx allowed the club to buy two new green mowers, two riding bunker-raking machines, two rough mowers, a fleet of new golf carts and begin redoing the parking lot. The latter will enhance the clubhouse’s look.
He added that the golf course is in terrific condition despite the extra play, perhaps better than it’s been in 15 or 20 years, because there is new money to spend on fertilizers and chemicals. “It’s all good,” he said.
The multimillion-dollar question is whether golf’s turnaround in 2020’s post-pandemic time will pay it forward.
Bishop had the luck or good fortune to situate his facility in a state with a rational governor, who encouraged outdoor activities when Heroes of the Revolution Cuomo, Whitmer and Newsome were keeping their citizens under house arrest. But his investing in his facility tells this observer far more than any babbling about "engagement" above.
Lastly, it's not exactly on point, but the Great Trolley Famine of 2020 may be behind us:
A red box with white text is the first thing that catches your eye when you visit Clicgear’s homepage. “Due to extremely high demand, many Clicgear and Rovic carts are out of stock,”reads the statement. “Please check the shopping page for each style to see if that cart is currently available.”
A quick scroll through the company’s current inventory backs up the statement: Nearly every push-cart has a “Sold Out” banner, including reconditioned offerings. Only a cart for junior golfers and the minimalist Rovic RV2L remain. It’s been slim pickings since March when Covid-19 shut down the country and briefly forced golf courses to close.
When courses began to re-open, many required golfers to walk instead of ride, for social distancing purposes. For those who didn’t have any interest in slinging their own sticks, a push-cart suddenly became a hot commodity.
The demand hasn’t cooled off.
The good news was that I scored a couple early in the process. The joke was on me, however, since the pushcart gave me the shin splints that remain to this day...
The good news is that supply may be catching up. The bad news? What model would you use to forecast 2021 demand?
The good news is the dearth of push-carts could be a thing of the past in the not-too-distant future as wholesalers continue to list more models and colors each week — a sign that supply and demand are leveling out. (According to Golfweek, Bag Boy provided this week’s PGA Tour event, the Sanderson Farms Championship, with 250 push-carts for its pro-am participants.)
“We see a light ahead,” Hansen said. “We’ll have some new colors in the next few weeks, and it should continue to increase next month. Golfers might not see it at first because we have an obligation to fill orders with our wholesale suppliers first, but it’s really coming soon.”
While Clicgear and Bag Boy have an idea of what supply could look like in the near-term, the forecast for 2021 remains a complete unknown.
“For us, 2021 could be the most challenging year to forecast needs,” Hansen said. “Is it a regular year or better than a regular year based on business we’ve seen recently? No one knows for sure. What we do know is there’s still some pent-up demand for the fourth quarter, and we’ll be in a better position to handle it.”
I understand that have models for this kind of thing... Yeah, 2020 hasn't been a good year for models.
Fun With Lists - A few lists of favorite golf courses have appeared, ones that are very much in your humble blogger's wheelhouse. First, this list of classic course of GB&I, featuring this tasty top ten:
1. Royal County Down (Championship) 8.96
Newcastle, Northern Ireland; George L. Baillie, Old Tom Morris, George Combe, Harry S. Colt, Donald Steel; 1889
2. Old Course at St. Andrews 8.80
St. Andrews, Scotland; Unknown; 1800
3. Muirfield 8.67
East Lothian, Scotland; Old Tom Morris; 1892
4. Royal Dornoch (Championship) 8.65
Dornoch, Scotland; Old Tom Morris, John Sutherland, George Duncan; 1877
5. Royal Portrush (Dunluce) 8.52
Portrush, Northern Ireland; Harry S. Colt, Martin Ebert; 1929
6. Sunningdale (Old) 8.35
Sunningdale, England; Willie Park Jr., Harry S. Colt; 1901
7. Ballybunion (Old) 8.33
Ballybunion, Ireland; Lionel Hewson, Tom Simpson; 1893
8. Trump Turnberry Resort (Ailsa) 8.27
Turnberry, Scotland; Mackenzie Ross, Martin Ebert, Tom MacKenzie; 1901
9. Royal St. George’s 8.17
Sandwich, England; Laidlaw Purves; 1887
10. North Berwick Golf Club (West Links) 8.02
North Berwick, Scotland; David Stratch; 1832
You know what's wrong with that list? Pretty much nothing...
Your humble blogger has played nine out of the ten, missing only Sandwich. Friend of the blog Mark W. was fully responsible for my playing two of those entries, so thanks remain in order there.
Lots of favorites as we descend the rankings, and we see names such as Cruden Bay, Machrihanish and St. Enodoc. These are largely unknown names to Americans, but are where I try to steer folks seeking advice for their trips. The Open rota courses are great, but the next tier tends to be more varied and therefore more interesting. Plus, they're always delighted to have you, and that doesn't hurt.
That was their classic list, and this is the top ten from the modern list:
1. Kingsbarns 7.93
St. Andrews, Scotland; Kyle Phillips; 2000
2. Trump International Scotland 7.90
Aberdeen, Scotland; Martin Hawtree; 2012
3. Loch Lomond 7.70
Dunbartonshire, Scotland; Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf; 1993
4. Old Head of Kinsale 7.67
Kinsale, Ireland; Eddie Hackett, Joe Carr, Ron Kirby, Paddy Merrigan, Liam Higgins; 1997
5. Castle Stuart 7.63
Inverness, Scotland; Gil Hanse, Mark Parsinen; 2009
6. Waterville 7.60
Waterville, Ireland; Eddie Hackett; 1973
7. Tralee 7.34
Tralee, Ireland; Arnold Palmer; 1984
8. Carnegie Links at Skibo Castle 7.31
Dornoch, Scotland; Donald Steel; 1991
T-9. Queenwood Golf Club 7.28
Ottershaw, England; David McLay Kidd; 2001
T-9. Renaissance Club at Archerfield 7.28
Dirleton, Scotland; Tom Doak; 2008
Wow, quite the wacky list. I've only played five of them, so bear that in mind, but it's an odd list for sure. The late Mark Parsinen is the big winner here, as Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart pretty much define the concept of modern, daily-fee links. The do it awfully well, but they also don't give it away...
Waterville is almost a surprise to be found on this list. Barely qualifying by virtue of date, you couldn't be criticized for expecting an Old Tom Morris design credit, such is its fidelity to classic links design.
As we scroll down this list, we encounter some familiar names:
17. Ballyliffin (Glashedy) 6.95
Ballyliffin, Ireland; Pat Ruddy, Tom Craddock; 1995
24. Crail (Craighead) 6.56
Crail, Scotland; Gil Hanse; 1998
Both places have swiped my credit card a time or two... Neither the Balcomie Links at Crail (Old Tom) nor the Old Links at Ballyliffin could crack the more competitive classic top-50, not a surprise given how many great places to visit beckon. Heck, that 41-50 list includes Portstewart, Gullane No. 1 and The Island, all wonderful and memorable links.
Lastly, a quickie Top Ten list from the great Tony Jacklin:
Enjoy your week and I'll see you Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment