Tomorrow is a travel day, assuming of course that travel is possible given the snow storm heading for the East coast. And yes, I do appreciate the irony of your humble correspondent being delayed by snow... Though appreciate isn't quite the word for whick I'm grasping...
Pebble, The Premortem - In The Morning Read, Gary Van Sickle boldly goes where few dare to tread:
The first year that I covered the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was 1990, the last year that legendary Cypress Point was part of the three-course rotation.
Of course, no one knew then that it would be the last call at Cypress. I went to the tournament for the express purpose of walking those hallowed holes for the first time. That’s how I happened to be at the 14th tee, the course’s outer edge along 17-Mile Drive and the Pacific, in one of the early rounds, when I saw two familiar faces teeing off: Burt Lancaster and Robert Wagner.
Really? Cypress used to be in the rota? I hope they got more than a cow pasture to be named later in swapping it ut for Poppy Hills....
But here's the gist of Gary's item:
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which made its debut 80 years ago and returns to the Monterey Peninsula this week, isn’t what it used to be. Celebrity golf isn’t what it used to be, maybe because celebrities aren’t what they used to be.When it was the Bing Crosby Clambake, stars teed it up. Big, big stars. By 1990, we were almost out of big, big stars. Lancaster certainly was. (Although I always wished he’d been paired with pro golfer Jim Thorpe because one of Lancaster’s memorable roles was “Jim Thorpe All-American,” about the American Indian super-athlete. Wagner was a star, too, and was huge in several TV series.
It Takes a Thief was one of the seminal TV series of my youth, though that's not important now... Here's Gary's rousing coda:
The corporate executives far outnumber the celebrities in the pro-am these days. I don’t blame CBS for shamelessly hyping these execs; they know where their bread (pun intended) is buttered. But I don’t have the patience to watch rich guys in whom I have no vested interest chopping it up and seeing Phil Mickelson hit one shot every 12 minutes, then waiting for Peter Kostis to analyze some schlub like Huey Lewis and his god-awful swing on the Konica-Minolta Biz-Hub Slo-Motion Marlboro IBM Messerschmidt Action Cam.
I’m not saying bring back the good old days. I’m saying, it’s time to get rid of the celebrities on account of … we’re all out of Burt Lancasters.
Gary, there's a little spittle on the corner of your mouth... No, the other side. Got it.
But this is over Burt Friggin' Lancaster....imagine if he were old enough to remember The Rat Pack and The Match. Here's a bit of Geoff's reaction to Gary:
We all want to see more Pebble Beach, but the format is well known and won't bechanging. Reconcile yourself to this tradition unlike any other. Many casual fans seeing celebrities play golf--at least they ones they've heard of. For every Gary Mule Deer there is a Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers who put their games on display in what is, for them, a difficult stage compared to their day jobs. (Full celebrity list here.)
The bigger issue plaguing the AT&T National Pro-Am arrives with the coverage. Namely, who CBS chooses to cover, how little their golf broadcast model has evolved and a sense that change is bad. As the tournament has added younger celebrities and more athletes, the broadcast feels almost the same as it did 20 years ago (except for some new voices, HD, some Trackman and snippets of jaw-dropping drone shots). In an event where it is impossible to please all, CBS pays a price for excessive coverage of certain CEO's and other friends of the network.
Would a fresher take on the coverage help? Of course. One of the most visually stunning venues on the planet deserves to be shown off more with those mysteriously seldom-used drone shots, while more sound from group conversations would bring viewers closer to the action.
Kudos to Gary for at least acknowledging that there's a problem, because few in the PGA/Golf Channel Media Complex will go there... It is The Most Painful Day in Golf Broadcasting, and my attorneys have bene instructed to trademark that title.
Back to Van Cynical for a second, who crystallizes where it all went wrong:
Comedy actor Bill Murray took the tournament’s mantel from Lemmon and carried it brilliantly. Even CBS Golf made it a point to show as little of him as possible for years while trying to shove Ray Romano and the unfunny Kevin James, both starring in CBS sitcoms then, down our throats. I once followed Murray for 54 holes to do a story, and he put on a daily six-hour improv show for the fans. Amazing.
I have mixed feelings about Murray, but Gary states the obvious, that he's an actual entertaining. CBS somehow forgot that their broadcast needs to either show competition or entertainment... One or the other, guys. If I'm in the mood for a 3-hour infomercial, I'll tune in to Golf Channel at 3:00 a.m., thank yu very much...
The other issue is that CBS has become alarmingly treacly when broadcasting any Tour event... Combined with B-list celebs and suits, it's become unwatchable. The only solution that I can see is to give the event to NBC just to shake things up.... Turn Johnny and Feherty loose on the amateurs and maybe something entertaining will ensue. I can't promise a full cure, but I'm pretty confident it won't get any worse.
USGA R&A A-Go-Go - Am I the only one that thinks this statement from Mike Davis a tad hyperbolic?
“Most widespread, significant set of rule changes that’s ever been made. If you go back over 100 years and look at the changes that have been made, these are significant.
Ever? I'm not sure exactly what he's smoking, bt I do hope he brought enough to share... A reminder, this is what's under consideration:
- Reducing search time for lost balls from five minutes to three
- Allowing players to repair spike marks on greens
- Emphasizing the use of red stakes for water hazard
- Eliminating the use of club lengths when taking relief and allowing players to drop from any height rather than shoulder-length
Sorry for the formatting issues above, as that last bullet should be two separate items. Does anyone really think that changing the allowable search time from 5 to 3 minutes is going to discernibly change pace of play? Especially when it precedes an illegal drop, because no one without his or her name on their bag actually akes the walk of shame back to the tee.
What's missing from these discussions are real-world examples of the effect of changing yellow stakes to red, for instance. Also, if you're focused on fairmess and pace of play, aren't white stakes more of an issue than yellow or red?
And as we've previously discussed, I have deep reservations about eliminating the club length measure for relief. It seems to this observer that the places from which we take relief, water and cart paths, feature severe conditions in their surrounds. I just don't see how you don't allow the player limited flexibility in where to drop... Perhaps we should leave it there until we see the actal proposed rules changes? Earlier, Davis had this as well:
In aiming to make the Rules more easily understandable, the modernization project has focused on using visuals to help articulate the Rules in a more impactful way than mere words. Bodenhamer said that the use photos, images and even video to provide greater explanation has been explored and is likely to be implemented.
Davis, too, stressed a need for technology to help update and deliver the Rules in the 21st century.
“How come we can’t have an instance where someone can [take their phone and] say ‘Siri, I hit my ball into a water hazard. What are my options?’ ” Davis said.
But isn't that a slippery slope? What's to stop a player from instead asking, "Siri, why am I hooking the ball today?" If a player has arange finder with slope adjustment in his bag, he's deemed to have used it in violation of the rules...
Although Geoff has a more personal reaction:
It pains this Apple fanboy to say it, but Alexa would probably do better on the Rules of Golf test.
Hey, we all have personal issues, but there's no need to burden others with them....
Pebble, After The Deluge - I have other weather worries, but they had true clambake weather yesterday:
Remember 2009 when weather dominated the scene at that AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am? Well, Mother Nature came back for Round 2 today in northern California.
High winds and heavy rain tortured the gorgeous course throughout the day. Thankfully, the tournament was prepared, and warned spectators about the dangerous conditions. Considering 2009’s natural nonsense, they have a good amount of experience. From pros to celebrities to common folk, the treacherous conditions are detailed for you below. You made the right move staying indoors.
And this obligatory shot:
Wow, I'm just relieved that this didn't happen in Phoenix, otherwise two or more folks might have been injured.
There's more great photos at that link and also here, where Tony Finau and J.B. Holmes post great video from the famed 7th hole. Spoiler alert, J.B. hit 6-iron, but Tony wnet with a hold-off 5-iron....
Can't Miss Update - Via Shack, a very nice feature on former can't miss Patrick Cantley, who while dealing with a devastating back injury was given an even more devastating lesson on perspective:
It was around 1 a.m. on a February night a year ago when the two friends decided they would walk to Woody’s Wharf in Newport Beach. Cantlay was still dealing with thelatest diagnosis from his doctor.
After dominating as an amateur – Cantlay was the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings for a record 55 weeks – he finally seemed poised to start cashing in on the PGA Tour when the back injury struck. For three years he struggled to return to the sport full-time, but he had just received devastating news – the stress fracture in his lower back wasn’t healing and he couldn’t touch a club, not even a putter, for at least 10 months.
But that was just the beginning of the nightmare.
Sometimes life just really sucks, and there's no glossing over that. Patrick will be in the field this week as he tries to work his way back, one of ten events he can play on his major medical exemption. Maybe CBS will even deign to show us the young man unless, of course, Ray Romano is in the field....
Yeah, That's The Ticket - The International Olympic Committee isn't at all full of itself, so this will meander on along its predictable path:
The Kasumigaseki Country Club, which is set to host golf for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,failed to reach a decision about ending a ban on women as full members on Tuesday, with the head of its board of directors calling the situation "a nuisance."
The board meeting followed calls to shift the tournament from the private club in Saitama prefecture because of the rule, which allows women to play Monday through Saturday but bars them from becoming full members and from playing on Sundays.
A nuisance? That's just priceless.... he also called it perplexing, which might be even better....
Sir, let me explain things for you.... You will obey your betters or you will be banished from polite society.... Any questions?
This Week in Gear - A few quasi-interesting items, including Under Armour expanding its golf presence. From the press release:
Sun Mountain to Make Under Armour Golf BagsFebruary 7, 2017 -- Sun Mountain has entered a licensing agreement with Under Armour to create and market a new line of golf bags. The 2017 collection includes two stand bags (Speedround $239.99, Match Play $259.99) and one cart bag (Armada $259.99). These new golf bags are scheduled to be at on- and off-course golf specialty stores beginning in April. Interested retailers should contact their Under Armour sales representatives to place an order.
UA just had a bit of an earnings debacle, though of course this had to be in the works for some time.
There has long been speculation that the company might dive deeper into the golf business, but I think that unlikely. They have the benefit of already being positioned in the higher margin side of the business, and this smells like a low-risk strategy to enter one small additional category. If you ever hear that they have designs on becoming a full line equipment company run, don't walk, to the exit....
Are you ready for the next big thing?
John Daly, 50, is now playing a driver with vertical grooves. The Vertical Groove Driver looks pretty much like your typical titanium-headed design, except for one significantthing: The scoring lines go north and south. In the press release, Daly says, "I've been hitting the ball further and straighter off the tee since putting the Vertical Groove Driver in my bag." Well, who doesn't want that?
Well, I always assumed that something was misaligned in Daly....<rim shot> But drivers, you know, don't really have grooves:
Whether it works is a more delicate question. Most name-brand manufacturers have concluded that grooves on thin-faced titanium drivers do nothing except create stress points. That's why most drivers have just trace scoring lines, there mostly for aesthetics, or, at the sweet spot, no lines at all. The good people at Vertical Groove Golf, not surprisingly, will tell you that the problem is one of orientation.
But do go on:
"When people see the vertical grooves, they say, 'Why didn't I think of that?'" Rubin Hanan, one of the entrepreneurs behind the driver, told me. He and his partners secured the patent rights to the idea from the estate of Tony Antonius, a serial golf inventor credited with putting the Velcro strap on golf gloves.
Yeah, my reaction is a bit different, more like that if this were a good idea, we'd have seen it fifty years ago when the golf ball really spun.... Anyway, good luck to you all, because I'm thinking you'll need it.
But we move on.... are you ready for high-top golf shoes? I thought you were....
“The Air Jordan I was the first sneaker that really pushed the limits on what wasacceptable,” Michael Jordan said. “It’s like being a young kid, when his parents say he can’t do something but he wants to do it. I felt like I wanted to be different.”
The limited-edition Air Jordan I Retro High golf shoe is certainly that, defying the status quo much like its basketball predecessor. The shoe does have a few notable differences: extra padding to provide additional comfort and support around the ankle, Jumpman logo on the tongue, Nike Free-inspired outsole with soft spikes and a fully waterproof upper.
Can someone please inform me of what actual problem this new product solves? Because, the extra support of a high-top kinda makes sense when you're picking and rolling to the hoop.... Oh never mind, though I do have to ask, who's responsible for the shorts-and-compression-tights look?
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| Can we agree that this is not a good look? |
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