Tuesday Trifles

We didn't get anywhere near the amount of snow forecast, though still more than Utah has seen this month.  But, like you no doubt, I'm just killing time until the Allenby presser...

Ladies Day - There's not much available oxygen to be had, but were you aware that the LPGA is kicking off their 2015 schedule this weekend?  I know, it's about the twelfth most important sports story out there, perhaps even behind the woeful Knicks.

It seems a curious weekend for the inaugural event, though obviously they couldn't have known that Tiger would show in Scottsdale or that Robert Allenby would go walkabout.  They at least had the good sense to begin on Wednesday and finish on Saturday, a strategy that I've long argued has merit any time they're competing with the two men's tours.

The event is being held at The Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, famous for its painfully sill knock-off tribute holes.  Randall Mell catches up with Karrie Webb, who's excited to see how close the replicas are...Oh, c'mon, what was the poor girl going to say:

When Karrie Webb won her first tournament as a pro at Golden Ocala 20 years ago, she

was intrigued by the eight replica holes, or as they call them here, the “tribute holes.” 

Webb makes her return to Golden Ocala this week as part of a star-studded cast playing the new Coates Golf Championship, the LPGA’s season opener. With the Super Bowl on Sunday, the 72-hole event is scheduled to begin Wednesday and end Saturday. A field of 120 players will complete for a $1.5 million purse. 

“It’s pretty cool now to think the only course I haven’t played is Royal Troon,” Webb said of the replica holes. “It’s good to come back, and now having played those courses to play the replica holes again and see how close they are to the real deal.”

Awkward, that last bit is...because, yanno, they don't allow women members.  Meanwhile, Shack has fun with this photo from the gala event associated with the tourney:

A gala was held Sunday night in advance of the LPGA season-opener and actor John Travolta along with wife Kelly Preston served as an honorary co-chairs for the invitation-only event. A $50,000 donation was presented to Travolta and Morgan Pressel's foundations, but as Crook notes, the real significance came in Travolta's decision to roll out one of his first-team rugs for the gala. 

Granted, some may say it looks like a Pulp Fiction back-up toup that he found in the couch seams, but I'd say that's one of Travolta's finest toupees and a real compliment to the LPGA.

Toup?  Is that a typo or is that what we're now calling rugs?  I have so much trouble keeping up...

In other ladies' golf news, the USGA is about to announce a new championship:

Will Nancy Lopez have one more legitimate shot at winning her first USGA title since

the 1974 U.S. Girls’ Junior? Golfweek has learned that the U.S. Golf Association soon will announce a new national championship, the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. 

Multiple sources, who requested anonymity because they are not permitted to speak on behalf of the association, said that only some of the details need to be ironed out and it is believed that USGA president Tom O’Toole will speak to the subject during his address at the association’s annual meeting Feb. 6-7 in New York.

No word on whether Greg Norman and Joe Buck engaged in a celebratory fist bump.

Rio On my Mind -  Thanks to Shack for the link to this Bloomberg piece on the Olympic golf course, of which the mayor turns out to not be such a fan:

Rio de Janeiro will look for a private company to run its recently-completed Olympic golf course to avoid using taxpayer money for the venue, which has become the target of protests, Mayor Eduardo Paes said. 

“I’m not going to spend city money cutting that grass,” Paes said Jan. 23. “If it depends on me, that grass is going to grow high after the Olympics. I would never spend city money taking care of a golf course.”

 He's not wrong, though of course it's a straw man argument because there's never such a choice to be made.  And even if there were, corruption would siphon off the bulk of the available funds before anything meaningful was accomplished.  The golf is just another venue that will go to seed after the games, and it's quite tragic.  

But as long as we're focusing on the course, one of Shack's readers posted some amazing, wide-angle photos in the comments to an older post.  I'll post one but you can go here and scroll down to the comment by RJ with the links:

I like this one because it shows where the course sits in the city.

Back9 on the Back Nine - Have you been glued to the Back9 network, golf's new lifestyle network?  Funny story... the network is only carried on DirectTV, which happens to be my provider in Utah.  I watched a few minutes of Ahmad Rashad's show as well as their Clubhouse gabfest, and while it sucked it didn't suck any worse than some of what Golf Channel throws up.

But that said, how's it going up there in Hartford?  See what you think about this:

The Back9Network, the new golf lifestyle channel that made its debut Aug. 29 on

DirecTV, is eliminating 35 full-time positions, the Hartford Business Journal reported.

CEO Charles Cox called it "a thoughtful strategy that will allow the network to remain competitive and produce engaging content while growing the golf lifestyle," in a statement provided the Hartford Business Journal.

Well, as long as it was done thoughtfully... this seems to be the business plan going forward:

Meanwhile, the network is suing its former CEO Jamie Bosworth, according to the Hartford Courant, which reported that he "expressed doubts about the company's ability to succeed to investors and potential investors while he was leading the company -- and continued doing so after he left, the company says in a Superior Court lawsuit against him."

Do I have any bidders for Channel 262 on DirectTV?

Musical Chairs, Broadcast Version -  Shack had the news a few days ago that longtime CBS golf announcer Peter Oosterhuis is retiring.  Geoff had this to say:

A twenty-year presence on CBS and Golf Channel, Peter Oosterhuis will be best remembered for providing a steady presence during his Masters coverage of hole 17. Considering the number of pivotal moments taking place there, his retirement leaves a huge hole in CBS's coverage. 

Oosterhuis has been a major presence in golf telecasting over the last two decades who knew when to lend drama to a situation. He never oversold the magnitude of a moment and provided a former player's perspective that will be missed. Best of luck, Peter!

I agree with that...Oosty knew (mostly) when to let the picture talk, and had a pleasant voice and persona.  So, does that mean a bigger role for, God Help us, McCord?  Probably not as CBS moved quickly:

Frank Nobilo, veteran broadcaster and winner of 14 tournaments worldwide, joins CBS Sports as an

analyst for the Network’s golf coverage beginning in 2015. He will work select tournaments, including the Masters® and PGA Championship. The announcement was made today by Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports.

“Frank Nobilo is one of the most intelligent and engaging analysts in golf,” said McManus. “His knowledge of the game and insight as a worldwide champion make him a perfect fit for CBS Sports’ golf coverage. We are proud to showcase the strongest ensemble of voices in golf.”

Frank is going to retain his role on Golf Channel, so we'll be seeing and hearing lots of him. 

Buyer Beware - Writing in the Wall Street Journal, David Englander touts Callaway's stock (NYSE:ELY), though for a surprising reason:

Since CEO Chip Brewer joined in 2012, the Carlsbad, Calif., maker of golf clubs and balls has been turning its fortunes around. 

When Callaway (ELY) reports its 2014 earnings in a few weeks, the company is expected to post its first annual profit since 2008, of $14 million, or 17 cents a share. This year, earnings could nearly double to 30 cents a share, with more gains expected in 2016.

Now selling for less than $8, Callaway’s shares were down about 10% in 2014, as industry weakness masked company improvements. Those issues look temporary, while the turnaround appears to have legs. In the next two years, the stock could rise 50% or more.

That sounds promising, especially since golf-wise the sky is falling.  But that $8 stock is trading at 47X trailing earnings, a little rich for my blood.  But wait, there's more:

Callaway owns valuable assets, including a nearly 20% stake in TopGolf, a golf-themed entertainment venue in Dallas, Texas, started in 2000. According to Boyar Research, Callaway’s stake could be worth about $2 a share. 

Not including TopGolf, Boyar puts Callaway’s intrinsic value at $12 a share.

That is interesting... Might be a way to participate in the Top Golf phenomenon, which the kids seem to love.