Midweek Musings, Thursday Edition

We played and the fiver was surrendered, but it was only because I was the least awful of the two...

I Blame the Russians - Horrible and scary news from the Far East:

There is no more historic clubhouse in America and certainly no club housing a more important collection of historic memorabilia than NGLA's.

So as we await word on the extent of damage--most reports seem to suggest firefighters kept the fire from spreading beyond a kitchen, an upstairs patio and the "birdcage" dining area added in 1916--we can only hope all of C.B. Macdonald's treasures and Jarvis Hunt's clubhouse design were not permanently damaged. 

A 27East story seems to be the most complete in terms of details and some images.

Shack has some good photos of the interior at the link.  Clubhouses can be repaired, but lets' hope the memorabilia survived.  Also, let's hope I get invited back soon.... Make that really soon.

DVR Alert - The girls are going Hollywood this week, playing historic Wilshire Country Club.  Shack has a Morning Drive appearance on that subject here, and has also posted some photos of the course, including this of the 7th green:

And this:

That's the 9th fairway, and I'm going to guess it's a right-to-left breaker, though I might need to plumb-bob it.

Far more interesting than anything happening in San Antonio this week.

Also More Interesting Than San Antonio - I know, we're setting the bar pretty damn low...The round bellies are playing their Bass Pro Shop event at Big Cedar Lodge.... This, you might recall, is the evnt in which the final round is played on that Par-3 course.

How's this for a driving range:

It's visually stunning and memorable, but must be a bitch to pick.

Ready For Its Close-Up - Shack's link goes only to the Amazon.com page for the book, so we're limited to his excerpt from Chris Nashawaty's forthcoming tell-all on the making of Caddyshack.  But admittedly this one 'graph has lots to amuse:

“We brought Rodney in to the studio,” says Jon Peters, Caddyshack’s executive producer. “He comes in wearing this aqua-blue leisure suit and takes out a plastic bag and does two lines of coke. He undoes his shirt and says, ‘Where's the p----?’ ” It was a hell of a first impression. Dangerfield would end up getting $35,000 for his role. And though he would always credit Caddyshack for launching his movie career, he would often do so while complaining that he actually lost $150,000 on the film, having given up a month of headlining in Vegas to shoot it.

Only two lines?  The reader should feel free to insert his or her own Access Hollywood joke at this juncture....

The Best Since.... -  The NCAA Golf Championships are right around the corner, highly recommended if you've never watched.  This kid is good, though I'd suggest that his coach be a bit more judicious with the comparisons:

Looking for the next college golfer to make noise on the pro level? 

Obviously they tech the fist pump at Stanford.

Oregon sophomore Norman Xiong is at the top of many lists, including that of Oregon head coach Casey Martin. 

Martin has coached and played with many talented golfers. He was a college teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford. Martin made 43 PGA Tour starts and won once on the Nike Tour (now the Web.com Tour) in 1998. And in 12 seasons leading the Ducks, he has coached an NCAA Championship-winning team (2016), NCAA individual champion (Aaron Wise, 2016) and Nicklaus Award winner (Eugene Wong, 2010). 

The 19-year-old Xiong, who has won five times this season, might be the best golfer Martin has seen not named Tiger.

When do we start calling him Stormin' Norman?

Another Tiger Comparison -  John Feinstein makes the case for Jon Rahm.... You know it, five worldwide wins at a precocious age, as well as his recent T4 in the masters.  But then out comes the yellow caution flag:

But … 

The temper.

 

It isn’t just that Rahm has flashes of frustration or drops an occasional profanity. He tends to go well beyond that. At the U.S. Open at Erin Hills last June, he had an epic meltdown on the 14th hole on Friday after butchering a chip that would lead to a bogey. There had already been glimpses of frustration, but it all peaked at that moment: a loud F-bomb, followed by a slammed wedge, a kicked wedge (tough day for that wedge) and, when he got to the 15th tee, a hurled golf ball, followed by a punch to the tee sign. He then birdied the 15th, but still ended up five over for 36 holes—four strokes outside the cut.

Some of the displays have been quite ugly, and the language has featured a high sodium content.  The man himself has this to say:

Rahm doesn’t defend his tantrums but has said in the past that losing his temper allows him to vent and free himself up when frustrated. After the Open debacle, he likened himself to a bottle of soda that’s been shaken up and needs to explode. (It’s also worth noting that Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest player of all time, is still—according to PGA Tour sources—one of the most fined players of all time for bad on-course behavior.

Tiger's skill was in venting and then letting it go.  By the time he got to his ball he was all business.  I haven't seen enough of Rahm to know, but the results don't indicate that the temper affects his game....  It's an issue for sure, given that there are inevitably kids in the galleries, but he's still just a kid himself.

 Yo Stuff - That gear guy has some interesting information for folks, on subjects such as wedge grinds:

8jorgehernandez on Instagram: Can you explain what the "grinds" in sand wedges are? And how much of a difference do they really make? 

The "grind" of a wedge is simply the geometry of the sole, which includes the leading

and trailing edges as well as the heel area of the clubhead. I can't explain all the grinds here because, like any recipe, there are many different ones used in the production of wedges that each wedge designer believes will work for specific types of players. What you do need to know about wedge sole grinds is that they can make a huge difference in how a wedge performs in different turf conditions for different types of swings. And, while there are many variations, the main focus of common sole grinds is to provide an option for players who are steep swingers or play in softer conditions (wider, more bounce), and one for shallower swingers or those who play in firmer conditions (narrower, less bounce). Another consideration is the type of short game shots typically played – those who like to open the face quite a bit will do better with a heel grind with relief (less material), while those who tend to hit square faced shots most of the time would do better with less heel relief. There are a ton of other grind types available, many of which combine aspects of the narrow/low bounce design and the wide/high bounce design, for players who play in variable conditions. To get the right one for your game and swing, a professional fitting is a great idea. And if you want to learn more, check out some of the manufacturers websites, as some give nicely detailed descriptions of various grinds and who they're aimed at (vokey.com is a good place to start).

I Found This....Curious -  I was flipping channels last night, looking for something to amuse me.  Of course I hit The Golf Channel, which caused me the involuntarily mumble WTF!

It's taking a long time for the weather to warm up enough to allow golfers to hit the links in the northern part of the United States this year, but on Wednesday night Golf Channel

will completely ice over. 

The NBC affiliate will air two NHL playoff games on Wednesday, April 18. The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the New Jersey Devils at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Lightning lead the series 2-1. 

Later on, the telecast will head west for the Anaheim Ducks-San Jose Sharks matchup, which begins at 10:30 ET. San Jose has the upper hand on this intra-state rivalry with a 3-0 advantage and could clinch the series win tonight. 

But why is this happening? Golf Channel is part of NBC, and several NBC networks have been enlisted to air playoff games, including CNBC, NBCSN, and NHL network, though fans of the teams can watch their local broadcasts instead. Less golf on a Wednesday night could prove to be exactly what some hockey fans desire right now.

I've had this trouble with baseball, where good luck finding which network has your team's games....  But what about those poor unfortunate souls that don't pay for Golf Channel?  As the Soup Nazi would say, "No Hockey for You"!