Tuesday Tastings

Not much happening out there, so we should be able to dispense with some of these long-open browser tabs...

Caddies, The Hits Keep On Coming - Just a no-good, awful week for the world's loopers, as they ain't getting no respect.  First we had those two wins from the old guys, the most surprising of which had his main squeeze toting the baggage.  Now comes word that his split with Billy Foster is permanent:

However, Westwood and Foster parted ways at the Turkish Airlines Open the previous week after the golfer had said he wished to the change the way the popular duo operated

on course. 

“Lee wanted to work differently to everything we had ever done, which basically meant me just carrying the bag,” Foster said. “I struggled to adapt to that situation as a caddie, and it created a bit of an uncomfortable atmosphere on the course. 

“Ultimately it was no good for Lee and not fair on me either. So unfortunately the partnership had run its course and we both knew that. Times change. It has been a great 10 years of my life with Lee and we had many special times and successes together.

Translated roughly into English, "It's not you, it's me."  Plus, you know, the skirt will work for free....

Foster is a steady hand, and should likely have no shortage of offers.  But this from Curmudgeonly James Corrigan is a most intriguing thought:

Foster - who has also caddied for Seve Ballesteros, Darren Clarke Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn and, very briefly, for Tiger Woods - will not be short of offers and inevitably there will be speculation that Rory McIlroy could be on the phone. Yet another option could be as an on-course analyst for Sky Sports, aping the employment of Jim “Bones” Mackay, Phil Mickelson’s former caddie, for the Golf Channel.

The Rory bit, that is.  I can't think of a player that could use his talents more, which only means that the dime will never be dropped.

So, who's next in this game of Looper Musical Chairs?  Well, it's time for some of those wacky distaff doings:

Lexi Thompson has split with caddie Kevin McAlpine in the lead-up to the LPGA finale, 

according to a report from Golfweek. 

McAlpine confirmed to Golfweek that he will not be caddying at this week’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., for either Thompson or anyone else. Thompson, 23, declined to comment through her agent, Bobby Kreusler. 

It has been an up-and-down couple years for Thompson on the course. She has alternated top finishes with mini-controversies, most famously a four-stroke penalty handed down at last year’s ANA Inspiration in the midst of the final round. She remains the only American ranked in the world top 10, despite going more than a year without a victory.

It figures to be a category of underachievers, and there's hardly a player that gets less out of her talent....  But there's a twist to this story that's a bit amusing:

McAlpine is in a relationship with another LPGA star, Anna Nordqvist, which created a particularly interesting battle when Thompson and Nordqvist faced off in an all-time match at last year’s Solheim Cup. When the match ended in a tie, McAlpine admitted some relief. “I kept my job and kept my girlfriend!” he said.

And I'm guessing that he'll now lose the girlfriend, because who wants to date an unemployed guy...

The only one missing from this cavalcade is Lydia....  By my count, it's been weeks since she's fired anybody.

Hip To Be Square -  The kids at Golf Magazine are trying so awfully hard to appeal to the millennials, an effort that seems painfully forced.  This appears to be the first of a regular feature:

The Social 7: Impersonation goals, Paige’s splash and 5 other things we’re buzzing about

OK, on the one hand, there are some fun things happening on twitter and Instagram, though one needs to wade through much dreck.   But, OTOH, you know they're using this to hype the hiring of Paige Spirinac, and that's already reached its sell-by date.  Although, should you click through, she does show some admirable cleavage, and that's always in season.

On the plus side, they've got a new golf impressionist (an uncanny version of DJ's swing) and Arnie in his Coast Guard uni to celebrate Veterans' Day.  But this one is my fave:

6. Everyone loves a golf ball rollback debate, right?! This caught the ire of Brandel Chamblee on Twitter. He not only weighed in on the debate, he went all the way in. 

The only thing I wish I could rollback is the time I wasted reading all of Brandel’s mentions from his series of tweets.

I remain unclear as to where Brandel comes down on this threshold issue of the day, but it's still a helpful point to make.  

Amusingly, that 1860 Open Championship was held on the 12-hole Prestwick course laid out by Old Tom, with the opening hole a mere 575 yards.  His point stands, though I highly doubt that anyone thought the first hole there played too short.

The Mask Drops - Did you notice my lack of excitement over Suzy Whaley taking the reins of the PGA of America in yesterday's post?  Yeah, well, they were pretty full of themselves, and those reins are, in fact, in the hands of Seth Waugh....

But after enjoying all of the cliches appropriate to the day, Shack has news of her first initiative to save our game.  Though SJWs might want to give this item a hard pass:

New PGA of America president Suzy Whaley has already been lauded for breaking barriers everywhere you read pure golf fluff. She’s growing the game, revealing a desire to make golf more accessible to more people and some other stuff about a funnel.

But in her role as head officer of the PGA of America, Whaley—proud defender of DUI arrestee Paul Levy and proud scolder of “lil girl” mentioner Ted Bishop—will spend two years playing golf, nodding her head, leaping head first to any live camera and, based on the first business day of her term, cashing in. 

I get it. The job is ceremonial, exposes you to some of the game’s most wanton bores, and most people won’t mind if the PGA President gives a few paid talks. Or, jack up that rate for a lesson and maybe get a pay raise at the job, assuming you have one (Whaley’s predecessor, uh, gave up his early into his term, another first for the PGA).

Well, haters gonna hate, but wanna see what has him so worked up?

Casa de Campo Announces ‘Women’s Getaway with Suzy Whaley’ 

Renowned Master PGA Professional to Host Four-Day, Three-Night December Event 

(LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic) – Casa de Campo Resort & Villas – home to the Caribbean’s premier, luxury golf experiences, including the iconic Teeth of the Dog course – will host its “Women’s Getaway with Suzy Whaley,” Dec. 7 – 10. 

Whaley, recently elected as the first woman President of the PGA of America, is recognized as one of the country’s top instructors. She was an LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993. Most notably, she qualified for and took part in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA TOUR event. She is the PGA Director of Instruction at Suzy Whaley Golf in Cromwell, Conn. 

The four-day / three-night stay-and-play is all-inclusive and starts at $1,899 per person (double occupancy). The many highlights include unlimited green fees on all three of the resort’s classic Pete Dye-designed courses and personal instruction by Whaley for the attendees at the resort’s new state-of-the-art, PGA Tour-quality Golf Learning Center highlighted by Trackman and BODITRAK technology. 

Also featured are three nights’ Elite Room accommodations (with one cart golf per room); breakfast, lunch and dinner in all resort restaurants (SBG and Minitas Beach Club & Restaurant excluded); unlimited drinks in all hotel bars, restaurants and Oasis bar as well as beverage carts out on the courses; one massage at the Casa de Campo Spa; souvenirs; and complimentary transfers from La Romana, Santo Domingo or Punta Cana airports. 

Taxes and service charges are additionally included. For more information, call 809.523.8115 or email m.leonardo@ccampo.com.do. 

“When I turned 50 two years ago, my husband surprised me with a trip to Casa de Campo and had our two daughters and a number of my friends meet us down there for one of the great vacations of my life,” says Whaley. “The property is incredible, the golf is outstanding, the setting is breathtaking, and the service is impeccable.”

‘It’s a true honor for us to partner with Suzy,” says Jason Kycek, Casa de Campo’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “We invite women to join Suzy and us for this wonderful event and discover first-hand why we’re one of the premier golf resorts in the world.”

You can't make this stuff up....  Let word go forth, the PGA of America is very much open for business.

Whataboutism On Parade -  Derek Lawrenson takes on the issue of the new Euro Tour event in Saudi Arabia, and hilarity ensues.

The Race to Dubai draws to its end at the DP World Tour Championship this week, where the elephant in the clubhouse will undoubtedly be the controversial new event

scheduled to start on January 31 in Saudi Arabia as part of the Gulf Swing. 

Dustin Johnson and Masters champion Patrick Reed have already been confirmed as participants, while it is presumably only the current climate that has prevented the announcement of more star turns. 

In a recent interview with Sportsmail, European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley disclosed that other big names such as the two men taking turns to be world No 1 — Justin Rose and this week's incumbent, Brooks Koepka — have also been signed up, as well as plenty more.

This story continues to amuse, as it was apparently OK when the Saudis were simply stoning gays and covering women from head to toe.  But this Kashoggi thing is beyond the pale.  Don't get me wrong, it is, but it's hardly the first authoritarian regime we've befriended.  

But the obvious problem is that if you don't want to play Golf in the Kingdom, then you should want to play golf in the various Emirates, or hold the World Cup in Qatar...or even, dare I say, Russia?  It's just an impossible standard to apply consistently, and did I mention Turkey?

But here's the thing...  The U.S. government's relationship with Saudi Arabia is for a very simple reaon, to wit, that it's in our interests to maintain that relationship.  And, notwithstanding that this is a bipartisan issue, that underlying fact makes heads explode....

So here's the funny bit from Derek:

But are we in the Western world really in a position to take the high ground and dictate where sports events should be staged? 

Wouldn't the Saudis be entitled to look at the bewildering events taking place in America these days — most notably the number of mass shootings — and point an accusing finger of their own?

I'm less surprised by his going the whataboutism route, than by the lameness of his argument.  Unless he's alleging that Trump hired the shooters, that is.  Are we now caring what the Saudi's think, because I didn't get that memo.

But also note that Derek, a Brit, dumps on the Americans.  Wassup with that?  Derek, how about you waste some ink on, say, Rotherham?  Or this bit from yesterday's headlines?  Please spare me the virtue signalling, especially from sportswriters.

Devaluing Genius - I'm thinking that Josh Sens will be hard-pressed to deliver on this header:

The smart play: 18 genius moves made in 2018

I know many people in our game that think they're geniuses, and this might be a good time for Phil to call his office.  But leaving it at smart would have been the better call, especially given this muddled item:

The Rest Was History

After injuring his wrist in May at the Players, Brooks Koepka could have been shortsighted and rushed back into action at the Masters. Instead, he took the long view, skipping Augusta to give himself time to mend. Two major titles later, we’d say he healed up nicely.

Say what?  As I understand Josh's logic, he hurt his wrist in May and astutely skipped an event that took place the prior month?  That's great foresight for sure....

 As for this, his verdict is, at best, premature:

Overnight SENSATION 

Admit it: You never understood the old FedEx Cup scoring system anyway. No one did. As of ’19, things will be simpler, with the points leader spotted a head start at the season-ending Tour Championship and the rest of the field positioned according to their place in the standings. The guy who wins at East Lake wins the FedEx Cup. No more byzantine mathematics. And, in the spirit of rapid service, it’ll be delivered to you quicker. To avoid a concussion with the NFL, golf’s playoffs will be reduced to three events and conclude a full month earlier in 2019.

When the new format was announced, was genius the first thought that popped into your mind?   I think thing you can say about this change is that it might be an improvement, though that sets the bar awfully low.

His Shot - The last of my open tabs, this Gil Hanse interview with Guy Yocum has much of interest, including an appropriate message in this summer of our discontent:

THE NEXT TIME YOU DESIGN A FEW HOLES IN YOUR HEAD, or imagine how a couple at your course might be redesigned, start with the notion that water flows

downhill. Drainage is always first and foremost. Think of the water principle, and your design will get much better because you'll be doing it in the context of solving a problem. And it will provide clues as to why that crazy architect did what he did, and you might decide he wasn't so crazy after all.

ARCHITECTS CAN IMPOSE THEIR WILL ON LANDFORMS. They can construct ponds, fill in swamps, create islands and build bunkers. But they can't dominate the weather. Courses built on flood plains are going to get flooded. A sand dune built near a wash, sooner or later is going to wind up in a dump truck. If you take on Mother Nature, you're eventually going to lose that fight.

Good advice at any time, but it cuts a little close to the bone right now.

 Here's more common sense advice:

GOLFERS LOVE PAR 3S, and architects know it, so we tend to hoard them for later in the front and back nines. We try to put them later, too, because they take the longest to play, and you don't want a backup on a par-3 second hole. I'd go so far as to say we'd never design a course with a par 3 early, except that the second I say it, a piece of land will dictate otherwise.

ONE OF OUR RULES IS TO USE EVERY EXISTING PIECE OF NATURAL LANDSCAPE possible before you start moving dirt around. It's so easy to shape things with the heavy equipment. But get bulldozer-happy, and the site you loved for its natural beauty can quickly turn into bad cosmetic surgery.

 He's got some dirt on those Golden Age guys:

IT'S WIDELY KNOWN THAT A.W. TILLINGHAST, who designed Winged Foot, Baltusrol, San Francisco Golf Club and many others, had a serious drinking problem. Visiting his courses, you're able to guess, by the severity of the undulations and downright difficulty, if they were built during a drinking spell or a dry one. The drunk-to-sober ratio is about 80-20, drunk. This isn't to say the drinking courses are bad. Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., is one of my favorite courses, and it clearly was done during an off-the-wagon period. The intense green slopes, deep bunkers and eccentric features are amazing to behold. Winged Foot West is so straightforward for him, he might have been just sipping.

Actually, the conventional wisdom is that Tillie did his best work when he was drinking, though I do think hallucinogens proved the only logical explanation for the fifteenth at Fenway.

THOSE OLD ARCHITECTS LED SOME TUMULTUOUS LIVES. Donald Ross, who designed Inverness, Pinehurst No. 2, Oakland Hills and many other masterpieces, is purported to have been involved with several mistresses in the Rochester, N.Y., area. Maybe it's just coincidence that he designed more than half a dozen courses in the immediate area, including Irondequoit, Monroe, Oak Hill and the Country Club of Rochester. But we architect junkies have always wondered.

Several?  Boys will be boys....

See you tomorrow?