While I Was Sleeping

Or watching mogul skiing, but we'll catch up on it all now.....

Rules Ch-Ch-Changes - It's a little strange how this all played out, but the USGA and R&A have finalized the rules changes that will take effect on January 1, 2018.  Golf.com has obviously learned a new word, referring to these as crowdsourced...

Here are the four changes from the draft released last year:

Dropping procedure: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).

OK, I'll stipulate that the prior proposal was pretty stupid, but does anyone think that this is a good look?

OK, perhaps if it's Paige Spirinac and she holds the ball further from her body....

It doesn't get all that much better....

Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in his/her bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, providing a consistent process for golfers to establish his/her relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).

Back where we started, though with the exclusion of putters.  I was kind of looking forward to the adjudication of the 20" rule at my Jewish club....  well, some of you will understand the humor in that.

Removing the penalty for a double hit: The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 retained the existing one-stroke penalty).

Huh?  What's the point of a public comment period (excuse me, crowdsourcing), if you sneak in something that wasn't even on the table.   I don't even know why they felt this needed to be changed, as it doesn't come up all that often.  And, as a bonus, it's ;ed to some of the more vicious arguments I've seen on a golf course....

But my favorite part of this is the contrary explanation at that golf.com piece linked above:

What they settled on: Eliminating the one-stroke penalty for a double-hit. Instead, golfers will simply count the extra stroke they took while swinging at the ball.

Extra stroke?  What the heck does that mean?  Is it one stroke or two?

And, further confusion is to be found here:

Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change: this is a new addition to support pace of play)

So, the USGA is now suggesting local rules, which have always been the purview of, well, the local course and or its committee.  Two strokes isn't what some folks were after, but this is to be found elsewhere in the new rules:

Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (currently called “water hazards”): Red- and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.

So, Mr. Golf Committee Chairman, it's never too early to paint those white stakes red.....

Most of what's important in these changes, the balls moving on greens and the reliance of the player's judgment for drops, has been expedited due to events on the ground.  I'm talking to you, DJ and Brittany Bethany.... 

I Saw It On TV - A few unrelated items to capture here, first this from the fastest growing golf initiative in the country:

SHOTMAKERS – NEW GOLF COMPETITION AT TOPGOLF IS SET TO PREMIERE MONDAY, APRIL 9 ON GOLF CHANNEL 

Inspired by the Topgolf Experience, Nine Co-Ed Teams Battle in Innovative Golf Channel Shotmaking Competition 

Shotmakers Sizzle: www.Shotmakers.com 

ORLANDO, Fla., (March 12, 2018) – Shotmakers, an innovative new golf competition where precision shotmaking meets intense strategy in a fast-paced format, was announced today. Premiering Monday, April 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, Shotmakers will feature the fun, social experience for which Topgolf is known, blending entertainment, golf and technology throughout the competition. The announcement was made today by Phil Piazza, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming and Topgolf Media President YuChiang Cheng. 

Surrounded by the Topgolf experience in Las Vegas, nine co-ed teams of two will pair up in head-to-head competitions that test precision, distance and control, all while facing intense pressure and strategic decision-making. The 18 competitors include a former PGA TOUR professional, mini-tour professional golfers, an Olympian, former collegiate athletes, a former World No. 1 World Long Drive competitor, a trick-shot artist, decorated military veterans, and champions from the Topgolf Tour. 

“Shotmakers is a great opportunity to introduce a progressive approach to golf competition, featuring dynamic personalities from across the sports landscape,” said Phil Piazza, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming. “Shotmakers also will showcase what Topgolf has been doing for 17 years – evolving the narrative around golf and redefining golf participation.”

I'm still of mixed mind over the linkage between TopGolf and our game, but there's no downside.  It's at least putting a golf club in people's hands, immediately separating it from frisbee and foot golf.

As for providing Monday-night programming for Golf Channel, that means we'll be spared Martin Hall's grating lectures.  Win-win, Baby!

Next, this will surprise exactly no one:

5.1: Valspar Final Round Highest Rated Golf Telecast Since 2015 PGA

 Hmmmm..., I wonder why?

As well as this from the Tour and MasterCard:

PGA TOUR introduces live augmented reality app 

“PGA TOUR AR” app debuts today ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – Today the PGA TOUR introduced PGA TOUR AR, a brand new augmented reality (AR) app bringing live AR tournament coverage to

life for fans around the world on their iPhone and iPad. Live AR coverage on PGA TOUR AR will begin in conjunction with the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard on Thursday, March 15. The PGA TOUR AR app is available for free exclusively in the App Store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pga-tour-ar/id1349934082?ls=1&mt=8. 

Mastercard is the Official Launch Partner of the PGA TOUR AR app that will feature exclusive branding within the AR app and will showcase the app in fan areas at Bay Hill Club. 

“Exploring unparalleled technologies like AR helps the PGA TOUR reach new audiences around the world,” said Rick Anderson, PGA TOUR Chief Media Officer. “Tapping into ARKit in iOS 11 allows us to showcase real-time data provided by ShotLink and CDW in a rich, visual way for fans. The PGA TOUR takes pride in bringing new technology to the sports world as a way of communicating to a large, diverse audience.”

 Thanks, anyway, but I think I'll just continue to augment reality on my own....

Tell Us What You Really Think, Geoff - Shack goes all medieval on yesterday's Prez Cup announcement:

Nothing says remembering The King like...a Presidents Cup press conference. 

As the Arnold Palmer Invitational kicks off, news of a Tiger Woods-Ernie Els Presidents Cup announcement Tuesdayprompts questions, and I, have answers for why this news is getting released this week instead of a time when the resurgence of legends and a return to Arnold Palmer's event is a national focus. 

Turns out there are five reasons for this ill-timed announcement:

1. Establish supreme PGA Tour tone-deafness when it comes to having a finger on the pulse of the sporting public as Tiger's resurgence heading into The Masters gets sidetracked by a Presidents Cup press conference.

I don't really understand why he cares, since no one will pay it much mind.  But why wasn't he similarly upset with the more substantive rules announcement from the USGA and R&A?

As I well understand, sometimes a fellow just needs to vent.

Regrets, I've Had a Few - Remember Mark Hensby and his drug suspension?  We were all over it, but you'll be excused for forgetting it:

Hensby is telling his story over breakfast at TPC Scottsdale, where he spends his days practicing while waiting out a suspension from the PGA Tour. On Dec. 11, the Tour

announced Hensby had violated its anti-doping policy by failing to provide a urine sample after the first round at October’s Sanderson Farms Championship. His was the first case after the Tour decided to make drug-test violations public. He was banned for a year. 

Sanderson Farms was Hensby’s first PGA Tour start of the year. He had been consigned to the Web.com Tour, logging just one top-20 finish in 14 events. Long gone were the days when he reached No. 27 in the world, won the John Deere Classic and finished top-five at the Masters and U.S. Open. He was 46 and had struggled for more than a decade. He opened with a dismal 78, and on the 18th hole told his caddie that his playing career was about done. That frustration boiled over when he was summoned for a drug test after signing his card. 

Hensby says he had urinated on his 17th hole and knew he faced a long wait to produce a sample. When a Tour official admitted he had no authority to keep him at the course, Hensby left. That evening he ignored a call and a text from the Tour’s senior vice president Andy Levinson telling him he needed to return.

The good news for Mark is that in a few years he won't have to wait more than five minutes to produce a sample....  Let's further stipulate that Hensby erred in his actions, as a system of random testing has to require that players produce samples on demand.

But I'm of course not ceding the high ground to the Tour, which for years has run a drug testing system specifically designed to create the illusion of compliance, see for example, Johnson, Dustin.

In the case of Hensby, the punishment seems a bit excessive for the violation.  But one has to think he's not helping himself here:

Hensby insists a brighter star would have been treated differently. 

“Maybe they did make an example of me. PGA Tour players talk. We all know what goes on. I believe there are guys who are higher-profile players that have probably tested positive and it’s gone by the wayside. Unless you have proof of that …” His voice trails off and he shrugs his shoulders. “The Tour’s always going to say that’s not true.”

I don't much care what the Tour says, but is it true?  The Tour has run a drug testing system for years and has only caught expendable rabbits therein, which seems highly unlikely.  We also know that it allowed DJ to avoid public disclosure of embarrassing, though certainly not performance enhancing, violations.  

It's all a big, hot mess, and the reason that I've been rooting for Vijay's deer antler spray lawsuit to impose some disinfectant on this sordid mess.  There's reason to be optimistic that Jay Monahan gets it, but in the interim Hensby seems worthy of a little compassion.