Midweek Musings

I'm not sure that I'll have time for this, as we have unexpected house guests.  

Quail Hollow Goes Full Medinah - I'm reliably informed that Medina No. 3 is a great golf course....  Yet I can't help but notice that every time it hosts an event it's unrecognizable....  If it's so great, why does it need changing?

Employee No. 2 and I were in England/Wales for last year's PGA, but it was clear that the course wasn't drawing raves....  I know, but I like to soften the blow of my insightful criticisms.  Imagine my surprise when I heard that Quail Hollow, the Tour course ready for its close-up, required yet more changes:

“The course has maybe gotten a little more criticism than maybe [Harris] is comfortable with,” said Johnson Wagner, who is a member at Quail Hollow. “He said to me that he feels like the course was set up pretty difficult for a major and guys weren’t used to that out here.” 

The most glaring changes prior to the ’17 PGA were to the first, fourth and fifth holes, and they all lived up to that billing ranking as the second-, 13th- and ninth-toughest holes last August. 

While most agree the changes to Quail Hollow made the course harder for the PGA Championship, opinions vary on whether the nip/tucks made the course better.

“No, I don’t think so,” said Scott Brown, who tied for 13th at last year’s PGA. “The golf course the way it was was pretty awesome. Just from hearing guys talk, the vast majority haven’t really agreed with a lot of the changes they made.”

It's a cruel world out there...  You make the guys play in North Carolina in August, and they're inevitably going to be a little cranky.  Shack had these cryptic notes on what to expect:

Preparing to host the Wells Fargo Championship, last year's PGA Championship host underwent yet more design modifications on top of modifications made to the previous modifications.

The good news: Quail Hollow's green speeds and rough are more subdued this week thanks to a ryegrass overseed and elimination of some teeing grounds from consideration.

Fair enough.  Now that they've gotten over their pretensions, they're not above having a little fun at their own expense:

“I had a number of my friends who were playing in the tournament tell me that tee was better suited as a lemonade stand,” Harris joked in the video of the new tee box on the fourth hole. “I doubt we’ll ever see that tee used again in competition.” 

True to his word, on Tuesday as players made their way around the course to prepare for this week’s event, there was an actual lemonade stand perched on the back of the fourth tee box.

All those hosting Tour events should be required to read a case study of Frank Jemsek, the owner of Chicago's Gog Hill.  He wanted so desperately to host a U.S. Open that he brought in Rees Jones, and let him ruin the joint.  Now he's got nothing and a course that the pros hate....

Hubris On Parade - Seems to be the theme of the day, no?  You'll enjoy this deep dive into the PGA of America's relocation strategy.  You know, it's all about the brand!  

The response to the PGA’s request for proposal was “an eye opener,” said one longtime PGA official. More than 100 municipalities responded when the RFP was disseminated in mid-2017. “It’s obvious,” said another, “that our brand is very valuable, based on the interest the RFP generated. And whatever decision is made is going to bring more value to the brand.”

And that value to the local PGA professional?  I'm sure they've thought this through fully and the connection will be made clear:

It’s hard not to see the PGA of America as appearing to be a more dynamic organization when, if it were to move its headquarters to Frisco, it would share a zip code with one of

the NFL’s top franchises, the Dallas Cowboys, along with the NHL’s Dallas Stars and the FC Dallas soccer team of the MLS. Liberty Mutual, FedEx Office and Toyota are non-sports companies who recently have moved to North Texas, in nearby Plano. Two other companies with golf connections—AT&T and Topgolf—are also deeply connected in the metro area. Having such impressive neighbors could afford the PGA of America more commercial and economic opportunities, which could be poured into member benefits and grow-the-game initiatives.

It all makes sense to me... The brand will obviously wither and die if doesn't share its zip code with an MLS franchise....or saloon keepers like Topgolf.

One suspects that at its core, this is the underlying insecurity:

Among them is that the PGA can further separate itself from the PGA Tour, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., both geographically, and in terms of its identity. It is 50 years ago this year that tour players broke away from the PGA of America to form their own organization. But the lay sports fan often still confuses the two entities.

No, we're that other PGA.  Yanno, the guys that fol sweaters and pick range balls...  We used to be big.  It'll be fun to watch their edifice complex give rise to a pleasure palace in Frisco, no doubt with PGA Championships and Ryder Cups to follow.

Short Is Cool Again - I want to belong to a club with a short course before my golf days are behind me... I know, I'm on the clock.  Shack has pics of two new short courses opening, and they couldn't be more different from each other:

First, from the middle of nowhere:

The Sandbox is the short course at Sand Hill, by Coore-Crenshaw.  Want more pictures?  Of course you do:

I adore the tee markers, though I of course am hating on Shane Bacon....One more:

Nothing to see here....

The second is altogether a different animal, though at 3,200 yards it may not be considered a short course:

Let me acknowledge that this is one of the omissions on my Golf CV, the Sandwich are of Kent that includes Royal St. Georges, Prince's and Royal Cinques Port, d/b/a Deal.  Although the bride has an Aunt that lives there.....

Lots going on at the club, as per this item....and how's this for history?

Sorry, But I Must - Unsurprisingly, I'm not especially a fan of the show:

While Scott Simpson and Webb Simpson have combined to win two majors, Homer Simpson is still working on his first. Meantime, though, he's reached another milestone: The animated sitcom that he stars in has just become the longest running scripted show in television history. 

In its 30-year run, The Simpsons has left few topics untouched. Our favorite game has not escaped its satire. In honor of Homer and Co.'s prolonged success, we give you the 7 greatest golf moments in Simpsons history.

Who is this Scott Simpson the speak of?  Surprisingly, both of those Simpson guys won at the very same venue, Olympic.   This one sounds somewhat amusing:

​5. The Lamest Game Ever Played

What Bart really wants is a violent video game called Bonestorm. What Marge gives him instead is Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge, a paint-dry boring sendup of the golf video genre. “Welcome to Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. I am Lee Carvallo.” Desperate for excitement, Bart tries to play a power game, ignoring Lee Carvallo's dead-voiced advice. “You have chosen a three-wood (beep). May I suggest a putter? (beep). Three-wood. Now enter the force of your swing. I suggest feather touch (beep, beep, beep). You have chosen power drive.” Bart uncorks a shot. “Ball is in . . .parking lot. Would you like to play again? (beep) You have selected, no.”

I'll let you get on with your day, and do so myself.