Your Friday Frisson

Weird times in the Wasatch... Some fresh snow, but high winds kept me indoors yesterday.  Hoping for better today, but not especially optimistic.

Just When You Think You're Out... - Shack amusingly reprises his Five Families bit to take a preliminary straw poll on the distance report.  The reader is encouraged to insert his or her own Iowa reference here;

A case could be made for the LPGA Tour and European Tour bringing golf’s power family total to seven, but let’s be realistic: there are still only five families with a prime seat at the table.

The USGA, R&A, Augusta National, PGA Tour and PGA of America all have the power to sway votes and alter the course of history.

Only one of those aforementioned families carries a vote capable of doubling or tripling in times of regulatory crisis, and that’s Augusta National.

So as we assess reactions to the Distance Insights Study and consider the language suggesting action is needed to end expanding distance cycles, maybe we should start caucusing the families.

The USGA and R&A can safely be registered as votes after statements made in the “Conclusions” document. 

The PGA Tour and PGA of America have indicated they are opposed to change in recent years, but at least took a slightly less hostile approach in the report’s wake.

And Augusta National, home of the Masters?

Ironic, since I'm old enough to remember when a "Masters Ball" was going to save us from this mess.

He exhumes this Fred Ridley statement from 2019:

“Although we now have options to increase the length of this hole, we intend to wait to see how distance may be addressed by the governing bodies before we take any action. In doing so, we fully recognize that the issue of distance presents difficult questions with no easy answers. But please know this: The USGA and The R&A do have the best interests of the game at heart. They recognize the importance of their future actions. You can be assured that we will continue to advocate for industry‑wide collaboration in support of the governing bodies as they resolve this very important topic.”

Am I the only one amused by the need of folks to confirm that the USGA (and R&A) have the best interests of the game at heart.  I'd have thought it assumed by all, but people sure feel like it needs reminding... strange, that.

Of course, Geoff's conclusion is quite a stretch:

Therefore, Augusta National would appear to support the notion of breaking “the cycle” of increasingly longer hitting distance and of efforts to restore “a broad and balanced set of playing skills” as the primary determinant of success. 

I believe that puts things at 3-2, with those three votes representing the three most prestigious championship titles in golf. And while playing those under a different set of equipment rules would not be ideal, a splintered scenario has happened before and could be the outcome should the Tour’s and PGA of America decide to hold their ground.

Geoff is just having some silly fun, so it's of course inappropriate to take this too seriously.  That said, a sense of the fault lines is helpful, though highly simplistic.  The more so as we're taking votes without an actual proposal from the governing bodies...  

But Augusta National is an interesting player in this, no?  I always found the arguments for the Masters Ball wanting, as it's a ridiculously big ask of a single club.  I know they're not just any club, but still...  In a world in which the legitimate governing bodies and major tours are unwilling to constrain distance, that one club would implement a rolled-back ball for their one event?  

But again, what exactly are we talking about here?  I think there's three general areas of thought:

1. General rollback
2. Some kind of control on future distance gains, and;
3. Bifurcation

The actual USGA/R&A report seemed to focus most on the game at the elite level, though there was some discussion of the effects of distance on the amateur game.  That has long seemed the path of least resistance to this observer, at least at this late stage.

Going back to Geoff's five families I see one potential vulnerable family, to wit, the PGA of America.  It's hard to see why they would fight bifurcation with too much vigor, since it shouldn't effect their 29,000 members.  And we know the organization is focused like a laser on those 29,000 PGA Professionals....  OK, kidding with that last bit, but still.

In addition, we've got some player reactions, first this economic illiterate:

Paul Casey: “There’s an argument for this. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. But the golf courses became longer because the golf developers said if we can make the golf courses longer, we can get four more houses on that hole and two more on that hole, etc. That’s more money. And that’s when the manufactures and the players – including the amateurs – rose to the challenge. They had to start hitting the ball longer. I don’t like us players and the manufactures[SP] getting the blame. We’re not the only ones to blame.”

Golf courses got longer because of evil real estate developers?  That's so wrong, Paul, don't you know it was actually the Russians.

Of course I should more careful with my humor, which was overtaken by reality:

Democrat Congresswoman Blames Iowa Caucus Disaster On Russia

On the bright side, she at least seems aware that there's no risk of Guam tipping over. 

There's little doubt that developers felt a need to build so-called "Championship Courses", but they're of course reacting to developments in the game.  Duh!

Some more reasonable comments here:

“When it starts to affect the integrity of some of the greatest courses in the game, where

you don’t have a lot of real estate left to make changes, there’s a problem,” McDowell told GolfChannel.com. “To me, when they moved the 17th tee at the Old Course, I was like, 'Is that necessary?' It’s one of the most iconic tee shots in the world.” 

“If this continues, continues, continues, and we fast forward into the future, it could become silly,” he said. “I guess I generally agree with [the project’s conclusion]. I don’t think we want to continue the way we are going. It really needs to stop somewhere.”

Many of us have circled that 2021 Open Championship at The Old Course on our calendars, as they're running out of options to defend the old girl.  If it were to come up soft and windless, it's hard to think how low they might go.   

And from Padraig Harrington:

“I’ve told him I 100-percent support a rollback for the golf courses. It’s purely because of the cost to the golf course – the size, the maintenance, the water, all the costs. There are great golf courses that can’t be used. Roll it back and start again,” he said. “My personal opinion is I would set new specifications and the let the manufacturers have another race to the top. If the ball was rolled back 10 percent, we’d all start again and off we’d go. 

“I’m with Titleist, which I think has the best ball now, and they’re a big enough company that if they had to start from scratch, they’d be the best ball again.

“It would be a shock to the system, to the manufacturers, sure. There’s a risk when you have a company like Titleist that has the largest market share. They would like the status quo but I think they are in the best place to produce the next best ball under the new parameters. Let them compete again. I think Titleist would actually gain from it.”

Now there's a man who knows whose checks he's cashing...   

Having nothing to do with this important debate, I have wonderful news to report.  Alan Shipnuck's mailbag was released in time for Friday blogging, meaning that your humble blogger can mail it in on Fridays (if that schedule holds).  Hey, no whining, this blog remains well worth what you pay to access the content....

You'll have noted that those two "reasonable" voices above just happen to come from the same corner of the world (sort of).  And Alan just happens to lead with this amusing bit:

I would put G-Mac number 1 on my list of “humble pros who would be awesome to have a beer with”…who would be in your top 3 Alan? -@DuneHigh

1. Rory

2. G-Mac

3. Padraig (though he doesn’t drink) 

Funny that they’re all from the same island.

Equally funny that your humble blogger happens to have married an Irish girl...

 Scenes From Pebble - No need to tarry on this, but Jessica Marksbury has a quick summary:

Nick Taylor leads

Canadian pro Nick Taylor leads by two shots through one round, after turning in a

perfect scorecard that included six birdies and an eagle for an opening round of eight-under-par 63 at MPCC. 

Taylor has one career Tour victory on his resume, the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship. 

Who else is in contention? 

Patrick Cantlay and Chase Seiffert are T2 at six under par, and eight players are T4 at four under par, including Max Homa, Charley Hoffman and Harold Varner III.

I see a ratings bonanza over the weekend....  Though I'm always happy to see Max Homa on a leaderboard.  But here's where it gets amusing:

How did the big names play? 

Cantlay led the charge for the recognizable-name set, with his opening round of six-under-par 66 at Spyglass. Defending champ Phil Mickelson was next, with a round of four-under-par 68, also at Spyglass. 

Jason Day also shot four under par (67) at MPCC, and Dustin Johnson is three under par after an opening 69 at Spyglass. 

Other performances of note include Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar and Jordan Spieth (-2), Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker (+2) and David Duval (+12).

David Duval?  Jessica, you're aware that he's no longer a professional golfer, no?

Alan, a Pebble homer, took some Pebble-specific questions:

If you were going to put a stadium hole à la #16 at Phoenix at Pebble Beach for the Pro-Am, which hole would you pick? -@WillotheGlen 

I think it has to be the par-3 12th. There’s a ton of room down the left side and behind the green and just enough space on the right side for a slender bleacher to enclose the hole. It’s a tough shot but not really an exciting one and this would definitely add some juice. It also gets fans to the that edge of the course, where many never go. All that’s missing are energetic young people and a party atmosphere. Is there such a thing as a staid stadium hole?

Sigh!  Alan, you don't want to encourage this nonsense, so answering it seriously is questionable.

The whole point about the 16th at TPC is that it only works as a one-off, and I'd have made that point to the questioner.  

But perhaps peak drollness could have been reached by suggesting the iconic 7th hole.  The concept of blocking those ocean views with grandstands is schadenfreudalicious.

But what the hell is he talking about here:

How legit are the handicaps used in this week’s Pro-Am? Are they taken directly from each player’s USGA index or is a fudge factor involved? -@mdstoner 

They’re pretty legit. Each amateur must submit lots of data about their index, but it can go deeper than that; it’s a golfy crowd, and the committee that oversees the tournament handicaps is extremely well-connected, so sometimes calls get made to head pros, friends of friends and others for additional intel. 

Generally, each amateur will get a bump, so a 6.3 will play as a 7 for the Clambake, or perhaps an 8. (Conspiracy theorists note that the celebrities always get the maximum bump because the tournament folks want them to make the cut.) The bump is a nod to the difficulty of the host venues, the pressure of playing in front of crowds and pros, the lack of mulligans and gimmes, etc. 

But it’s not an exact science. For his first Clambake, in 1997, Andy Garcia was a 15.5 index who was bumped to an 18. In the month before the tournament Garcia played golf nearly every day and took lessons on the swing and short-game. “My game really accelerated,” he once told me. He wound up shooting some low scores, especially during the second round at Poppy Hills, during which Garcia made three natural birdies and contributed nine strokes to what would be a Pro-Am record score of 43 under par. The next year, and every year after that, he played as a 10.

What are these "bumps" of which he speaks?  I had been reliably informed that we have a handicap system that translates a player's index into a course handicap without any bumping or grinding being necessary....He can't be right can he, that there are arbitrary changes to handicaps?  Because that's something Jim Nantz should ask Clint about if true...

No One Likes Losing - Shocking news from the Big Easy:

Ernie Els will not be returning as captain of the International team for the 2021

Presidents Cup. 

Els' agent confirmed on Friday what sources associated with the International team had told Golf Digest, that Els, 50, will give way to another choice when the 14th Presidents Cup is contested at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 30-Oct. 3. 

Els is currently in South Africa and could not be reached for comment. In a story from Morning Read that also reported Els was not returning as captain in 2021, the South African said: “That’s as good as I can do. I gave it all. This is another change I wanted to make in our team. I get one opportunity, win or lose. You don’t get a second chance.”

It's hard to like their chances in an away game, but it's also possible that he simply feels about Tom Fazio the way I do....  So, who's got next?

“We would love to have Ernie back, but I think he made it clear to us he’s not coming back,” Leishman said, referring to the message the South African delivered to the team in the immediate aftermath of its 16-14 defeat. Asked about who might replace Els, Leishman said: “Probably one of the vice captains [would be next].” 

Els’ assistants in Australia were K.J. Choi, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Mike Weir. It is thought that Weir, a former Masters champion, will be named captain for 2023 given that Canada is considered to have the inside track for hosting the next international edition of the matches.

All good guys, surely you know my appreciation of Geoff Ogilvy especially.  But not a ton of gravitas, as they seem especially long on accidental major winners.  By the way, how is KJ's English these days?

Long Overdue - H/T Geoff for this wonderful, long overdue NY Times obituary of little-known black golf course architect Joseph Bartholomew:

Bartholomew was in his 30s, in the early 1920s, when local golfers, impressed with his interest in the game and his work as a groundskeeper, collaborated to send him to a golf architecture school in New York, where he studied with the golf course architect Seth Raynor. 

The subject is the second from the left.

“Whooo, but I was surprised,” Bartholomew told Fortune magazine in 1949. “They gave me a whole bunch of money and told me to go and find the best course in the world and bring it back.” 

He did even better, returning with the design for a course composed of holes modeled on famous ones at courses throughout the United States and Scotland. 

The golfers liked it, and hired him to build it. Opening in the ’20s, it was called Metairie Counrty Club, and he was named its first club professional. But while he was permitted to give lessons, he was not allowed to play a round of golf there. Indeed, he was hired to design and build several more golf courses in the area for white golfers but barred from playing them.

This is poignant and inspiring, and you'll want to read it all.  Most amazingly, Pravda plays it straight, without any of their typical sneering at our game and their white privilege trope.  In fact, this is really the only explanation:

Since 1851, many remarkable black men and women did not receive obituaries in The New York Times. This month, with Overlooked, we’re adding their stories to our archives.

And why was that?  A lesser man than I might call you guys irredeemable racists....  So much, that perhaps you might be a little more circumspect about using that allegation with others.

More Alan - As we glide into the weekend, a few more bits from his mailbag, including this rich vein:

You’ve played and covered tournaments on the world’s best courses, what is your favorite par-3, par-4 and par-5? Just one of each. -@SteveThomsonMN 

Par-3: 16th at Cypress Point. It’s not an original answer but the anticipation of playing it, the long walk to the tee culminating in the crescendo of the view, the do-or-die nature of the shot…nothing really compares to the thrill of this hole. Sorry, Steve, but I feel compelled to provide a few honorable mentions: No. 5 at Royal Melbourne West, the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon, the 11th at MPCC Shore, No. 3 at Pasatiempo, 15 at Cypress Point, 10 at Friars Head, 11 at Shinnecock, and 9 at Turnberry.

It's such a shame that Cypress is such a tough get, because it doesn't get better than those back-to-back Par-3's....

Par-4: 14th at Cruden Bay. The blind approach to this incredible sunken green is enough to compel a man to cross an ocean. Honorable mention: No. 3 at Tara Iti, 8 at Pebble Beach, the 1st at Machrihanish, 2 at Pine Valley, 3 at North Berwick, 16 at Spyglass Hill, 17 at the Old Course, 16 at Pasatiempo, 5 at Bethpage, 18 at Cape Wickham, 7 at Ballyneal, 14 at Sand Hills, 17 at National Golf Links, 16 at Merion, 4 at Spyglass, and 15 at MPCC Shore.

Obviously I need to get to a few of these places...I do love 17 at The National, though I'd have a couple there rated higher.  I love Machrihanish, but I find that opening hole quite overrated....  It's a great tee box, but that's pretty much it.

Par-5: 18 at Pebble Beach. It begins with one of the most heart-pounding drives on the planet. The second shot asks a very difficult question: hug the left side, bringing sand and ocean into play but offering the best angle, or bail out and have to deal with the tree right of the green. Then a tough little shot to a green full of subtleties. Honorable mention: 7 at Pine Valley, 13 at Augusta National, 6 at Pebble Beach, 6 at MPCC Shore, 1 at Doonbeg, 14 at Friar’s Head, 18 at Kapalua, and 12 at Kingsbarns.

I always called the 18th at Pebble the most boring hole in tournament golf, though one of the few that's actually helped by the added distance.  The challenges Alan describes are irrelevant for elite players, and it was just a boring three-shotter, admittedly with better scenery than most.

And this on distance:

Isn’t the only real takeaway from the USGA distance report that the ruling bodies’ main focus is not losing another lawsuit like they did that one time 1990? Plus a teeny weeny bit of virtue signaling “not good for anybody” – well, weee’rre waiting. -@Tallboy199 

I understand the frustration and share it to some degree, but the key point is that this report is not the end of the process but merely the beginning. The USGA is finally spoiling for a fight but knows it has to take it slow, giving the various stakeholders a voice while consolidating public opinion. Unlike during the era of the disastrous legal jousting over the Ping Eye 2, the USGA now has a war chest thanks to the huge Fox TV contract. More importantly, most of the golf tastemakers, in real life and on Twitter, are on their side, at least in spirit. I think change is finally coming, but we are all going to have to be patient and let the process play out.

It seems to me that this misses the point.  Right now the governing bodies seem more focused on the two PGAs than the manufacturers....  It's hard to see them having the stomach for a fight alone, but I've laid in a strategic popcorn reserve.

Why can’t Tony close? -@theAleMarcoli 

The answer is quite simple: he’s one of the worst putters on Tour. Last season Finau ranked 125th in strokes gained putting. Over the last four seasons he’s cracked the top 100 in that stat only once. Making crucial putts while in contention on Sunday is a challenge for any player, but especially so for a guy who struggles to hole them on Thursdays. The rest of Finau’s game is so good he’s going to keep giving himself chances, but he has to find a way to get the ball in the hole a little quicker.

Exactly, which is why I've never been excited about his selection for the team events.

When will Tony Finau start to get the same scrutiny that Rickie Fowler gets for not being able to get a W? He has too much talent to only have one opposite field win. -@War_Eagle1991 

The big difference is the Rickie arrived on Tour riding a tsunami of hype, fueled by a blockbuster amateur career and huge endorsement deals. Finau is a late bloomer who’s been an underdog his whole life. So, fair or not, the expectations have always been wildly different for them.

Yeah, not at all the same thing...

Why is the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale not used as a playoff hole instead of 18? Seems like such an obvious move. -@atf8912 

Because the Tour doesn’t want the entire tournament decided by ill-timed bellowing of drunken frat boys.

Plus there are geographic issues of getting players back out there.  Plus, sudden death is bad enough as way to settle things, but at least make them hit two shots...

Given that the rightful outrage seemed to have died down quite a bit, and the names that are willing to line their pockets are becoming bigger: is the sportswashing by the Saudi regime a success? -@mashnl 

Clearly. There has been plenty of outrage over the last year plus, but at some point it gets repetitive and we all move on, which, of course, is exactly what the Saudis are counting on. Professional golfers, by definition, play for money. Saudi Arabia has taken it to the illogical extreme. But as I’ve noted before, without the filthy lucre from authoritarian regimes, the European Tour might go out of business. Do we want pro golfers to entertain us every week or to develop a conscience? For the modern Tour pro, these two things are increasingly mutually exclusive.

Yeah, the circus has left town for sure.  But, really, what are the benefits to the Saudis?  Seems to me they're mostly wasting their money, but perhaps I'm not so good at this 3D chess thing.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday.