Apologies for the unexplained absence yesterday, caused by being under the weather while traveling back to the Unplayable Lies Wasatch regional Office. Alas, five hours in a metal tube was the last thing I need, but I play hurt.
Also, you can ignore the prior post as the storm petered out as they've so often done, and left the existence of of a benevolent deity unresolved.
Dottie Dishes - I consider Dottie Pepper an informative and strong on-course commentator, and I think CBS did well to grab her (not that letting feherty walk made any sense to me). Our Dottie does have the capacity for unforced errors, and she might have limited her Christmas card haul with this take on the recent USGA rule changes. Here's her pointed take on the USGA's head-in-the-sand strategy:
For decades, golf's ruling bodies approved of the anchored method with many of thethoughts being:
1. It will be pretty much confined to senior golf (quickly proven untrue on all professional tours and top-level amateur golf around the world).
2. No one will win a major championship with a long or anchored putter (see Adam Scott, Keegan Bradley, Ernie Els and others).
3. No one will ever teach the anchored method to youngsters. (USGA President Tom O'Toole Jr.'s young son was encouraged to learn this method by his professional, thus sending Mr. O'Toole, by his own admission, to his breaking point to take the side of the anchoring ban.
Pretty much, though that last story is new to me. But I'm pretty sure it's that second item that caused them to finally act, and we can all agree that said action came far too late. Interestingly, Dottie never shares whether she believes anchoring is an advantage, but this 'graph seems to capture her gripes:
The information about implementation of the rule on the USGA's website is seven -- yes, seven -- long pages when printed. The rule itself reads like the tax code and includes exceptions that undercut the strength of the rule, like Matt Kuchar's method of putting where he braces the putter grip against his forearm. I have yet to hear an explanation of this particular method that dissuades me from thinking it is an anchored stroke.
I can readily see where anchoring to your forearm is different than jamming the putter into one's chest, but that of course doesn't address whether it provides a similar advantage. I guess we'll only find out when Kooch bags a major...
Dottie's got some other interesting thoughts making the item worth your time, most notably to this observer when she takes on caddies lining up their players.
Venue Views - Readers are no doubt aware of the rigorous selection criteria utilized by the Euro Tour for Ryder Cup, ensuring that this unique and riveting spectacle is contested on a suitably dramatic stage. Yeah, as if...
So imagine the sense of dread when the Secret Tour Pro started tweeting photos of a new Ryder Cup venue for 2022:
This mornings game! Guess the future Ryder Cup venue! #HappyGuessing #SecretTourPro
That turf is eerily reminiscent of Dan Jenkins' Goat Hill.... It's Marco Simone Golf Club located just outside of Rome. The course is to be completely renovated before the event, but still... I can't wait to find out the size of the check that will be rendered, but can only hope there remains sufficient funds to tear the place up (not to mention, which of course Shack does, removing those unsightly power lines).
Our Feel-Good Story of the Day - Like your humble correspondent, I'm sure you couldn't bear the thought of professional golf in Hawaii without Mark Rolfing's dulcet, chamber of commerce voice as the mood music. Good news on that front:
Veteran Golf Channel and NBC Sports golf analyst Mark Rolfing will return to thebroadcast team at next month's Hyundai Tournament of Champions after undergoing surgery to treat a rare form of salivary gland cancer.
Rolfing, who lives in Maui, will serve as a tower analyst for both the season-opening event at Kapalua, held Jan. 7-10, as well as the Sony Open in Hawaii the following week. He will also remain in Hawaii to work the first Champions Tour event of the new year, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Oh I'll occasionally have a little fun with his soporific delivery, but he seems like a decent sort and we sincerely hope that he's beaten it.
Torrey, Torrey, Torrey - Tom Weiskopf spoke of his plans for the recently-awarded renovation of the Torrey Pines North Course, and had some sensible thoughts:
“My challenge,” Weiskopf said, “is to not get caught up in what the best players in the game are going to do here in one round a year. The important thing for me is to make it challenging but fair … memorable, and a fun experience that is a totally different look for its future.”
I couldn't agree more, but the budget won't allow for a new look. But then he added this:
 |
| Strange that the photo used seems to be from the 13th tee on the South. |
Weiskopf’s goals are not dissimilar, other than proposing only five acres of turf removal, which should retain more of the current North feel. In his bid proposal, acquired by the Union-Tribune, Weiskopf offered no drawings, but included a detailed description of every hole.
Key takeaways from the proposal: the greens will, on average, be about 20 percent larger; there will be fewer bunkers and more chipping areas around the putting surfaces; greens will have distinct quadrants, divided by gentle spines.
Fear not, average hack. Weiskopf said the greens won’t be overly diabolical.
Weiskopf is an interesting guy and they could have done far worse (Rees, call your office), but the problem with the course is less the greens than the dreary routing. It's Firestone West, with a endless succession of North-South holes, except for the brief venture towards the Pacific on the front nine.
Legend Indeed - Time to once again bemoan my technical limitations as I'm only able to link you to Shack's post on Cob Carlson's new documentary, Donald Ross: Discovering The Legend. Here's Geoff's mini-review:
Carlson's film surprises at key moments both early and late in the documentary with itstelling of Ross's courageous journey to America, the tragic passing of his first wife and later, his fiance, followed by his late-in-life years of reflections. Aided by strong guest cameos (Nicklaus, Crenshaw) and the reading of letters from Ross's great grandson, Discovering The Legend manages to capture the magnitude of Ross's impact on American golf. More profound than his architectural career is his classic immigrant story and the powerful reminder that so many made courageous journeys to the United States with little more than the tools of their trade.
At the link you'll find the film's trailer, as well as Morning Drive video of Geoff's interview with Carlson and he and Matt Ginella casting the biopic of Ross. I was pleased to see friend Kevin Mendik in the trailer, he's the gent I met on the Baltusrol putting green using a Schenectady putter in the summer of '14.
I'll be ordering the DVD for sure. By the way, my favorite little bit is that the film is by Chunk and Run Productions, Inc.
News You Can Use - We've all had the experience of receiving a golf gift from a non-golfer, the feigned "How did you know"" followed by the maddening thought that a dozen ProV1's would have been easier and actually useful. See this Joel Beall gallery to get the gist of the problem... Sorry, Joel, but it's actually worse if the golf-themed glasses have an Old Course logo.
But Shack is there when we need him, with the first of nine promised cool golf gifts...yanno, ones that folks might actually use.
After all, most golfers don't get what they want and many of the items mentioned here are off the radar of friends and relatives. So how about a little self-indulgence to make up for gifts not received?
There is no better way to kick things off than with something from Seamus Golf, the Oregonian outfit producing classy and cool headcovers along with accessories hand-crafted at their studio. I'm sporting a Musselburgh Tartan headcover as well as a stylish padded pouch for storing your wallet and keys as you play. Compliments abound on both and so far the high quality of production values has meant little sign of wear and tear.
Well, according to Employee No. 2, I've raised self-indulgence to an art form... But wait, there's more! Seamus is offering a 20% discount at checkout for those using the apt code PLEASEPLAYTHROUGH.
The Jordan Watch - Channeling his inner John Peterson, Spieth delighted the crowd recently with this:
And they say Jordan Spieth can't hit the long ball.
Playing in a pro-am event in Vero Beach, Florida, on Sunday, Spieth started the round by showing off his Happy Gilmore impersonation. Judging by this video from playing partner/country star Jake Owen -- a solid golfer in his own right-- Spieth executed the swing flawlessly:
Made pretty good contact for sure, a not unimportant consideration with that crowd lining the fairway. It's all good fun and this was in a Pro-Am, so nerdish concerns about the integrity of the competition.
But this is my preferred Jordan story, confirming for the umpteenth time what a great game w eplay:
Jordan Spieth is the new prince of golf. Apropos, then, that he's sharing a locker at Augusta National with the King.
According to Golfweek, Spieth returned to the hallowed grounds for the first time since winning the Masters, playing rounds with his father last Thursday and Friday. When entering the Champions Locker Room, the Texan found a pleasant surprise.“I walked up to see who I was with, and I share a locker with Arnold Palmer," Spieth told Golfweek. "So it was a very special moment there.”
How great is that? Augusta has taken a deficiency in their physical plant and turned it into a great tradition, newly-minted champions sharing lockers with immortals. Only four months 'till golf matters again....
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