Can anyone fill me in on whether weekends are still a thing? Because each day seems mostly indistinguishable from the one that preceded ...
We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Hunkering.... - For...wait for it, actual golf.
Way back in that more innocent era around March 20th, it appeared that we might benefit from our club's location just North of the NY-CT border. I had previously shared that CT was under Martial Law, but added some wishful thinking about a potential recalibration in the near future. So, if you're looking for proof of the existence of a merciful God?
The state of Connecticut is lifting its golf-course ban amid pleas from golfers and the industry that clubs should remain open during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Connecticut State Golf Association (CSGA) in a letter to members Wednesday said the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is allowing golf courses to re-open, but the decision comes with a few caveats.
According to CSGA, all clubhouses should remain closed, golf carts are being limited to one person and golfers are being urged to walk if possible. Restaurants are also closed or limited to take-out service only. Flagsticks and holes have also been raised to prevent players from touching cups.
That allowed your humble blogger to play thirteen holes of actual golf Saturday morning, which allowed for a test run of my new rig:
 |
| Our bags will have to learn proper social distancing etiquette. |
As we all struggle against the inevitable despondency of the moment, I am as hopeful as anyone about things like hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, but I'll be asking my own physician to prescribe 18 holes per day. Rinse and repeat as often as required....
The most notable facet of the day, contra that last bit in the excerpt above, is that we're no longer raising cups:
That is a normal golf cup turned upside down, and is a great improvement over that first hack of raising the cup an inch above the green surfaces. It sits an inch or so below the green surface. thus balls fall in like they normally do, but the player can pluck them out readily without contact with the pin.
It's also far superior for undermanned greens crews, because they can cut and roll the greens without removing the cups.
There's no way of knowing how long we'll have this available to us, so the plan is to play as much as possible between now and the next closure.
I have one other story to share, but it requires me to inform you that yesterday was your favorite blogger's 65th birthday. Celebrating birthdays hasn't been a high priority since the millennium, and the far more significant event occurred March 1st, when Medicare kicked in. It was a surreal birthday for sure, though your sympathies should be directed to those with funerals and weddings disrupted.
The bride and I have taken to spicing up our lives with a mid-afternoon nap.... I know, I can hardly stand the excitement myself.... Anyway, we're up in bed reading and the house phone rings, which Employee No. 2 throws my way with an assurance that it "Must be for me". I look at the handset and the caller ID is a long numerical string beginning with 44, which indicates the UK. Hmmm, curious methinks, because Elsie and John had kindly phoned that morning and Lowell and I had done a Whats App video chat, so who could this be?
Turns out it was Jim McArthur, Captain of the Crail Golfing Society, calling every member that has a birthday. As most of you will know, we joined last summer as Overseas Members, but of course don't really know anyone there.... yet. It was strange and just a little awkward, but awfully nice, no?
Slim Had Already Left Town - Mark Cannizaro of the NY Post is credited with breaking this "news":
The U.S. Open at Winged Foot has become the third golf major championship domino to fall as a result of the coronavirus crisis, The Post has learned.
Sources with knowledge of the United States Golf Association’s plans told The Post on Thursday night that Winged Foot has been informed the tournament will not take place in June as scheduled. The plan is for the tournament to remain at Winged Foot, but to be played later in the summer.
It's been many a week since I even considered the possibility that this event could happen as scheduled. But it's interesting for those that have some familiarity with the relationship between the USGA and its hosting clubs, which has been tempestuous even in the best of times. But if the club's members lose the early part of their summer golf, will they be willing to let the USGA "destroy" their member's course later in the summer? I say "member's" course, because hosting a bigtime event at a 36 hole facility inevitably destroys the course not being played, though Winged Foot's East Course is hardly your typical relief eighteen...
It's quite obviously too early to seriously consider when events can be played, though of course we all need something to look forward to. I'll let you peruse this, but you'll note that those speculating on Augusta Hotel Futures might be taking a hit on their contracts for October delivery:
The Masters in November? British Open in September? Ryder Cup in flux? Golf's 2020 plans under discussion, sources say
I'd love to see as many of these actually happen, but I'd like the Masters to get on the calendar soonest. That's the one that we all know can happen, the rest might just be folks trying to stay relevant.
Today we have an embarrassment of riches, both a Tour Confidential and an Ask Alan. From the latter we pluck this:
If you could pick a new month for every major, what and why? -@ScottMichaux
Despite being limited to 280 characters, the questioner obviously failed to define his assumptions, most notably whether he's talking 2020 or permanently.
Assuming we’re locked into this year’s venues, and that it takes until the end of the summer to beat the ‘rona (which is optimistic but let’s go with it):
October: The Masters would be glorious in the fall foliage, and it feels right for it to be the first major, as always.
Again, it's important that there BE a Masters, I'm ambivalent between October and November.
November: U.S. Open. The weather in New York in early November is often quite nice. And if not, Winged Foot will be a monster, which would make for a memorable national championship.
November isn't very fan friendly, but whatevah....
December: Open Championship. Dark, cold, nasty, miserable… sounds wonderful to me.
And that differs from July how? One actual way is much less daylight, but I'm assumg any of these that happen will have smaller fields.
January: PGA Championship. San Francisco has always enjoyed a glorious Indian summer, with some of its best weather in October-November. With climate change the early winter is often lovely. And if it’s cold and foggy… all the better.
Not for a certain Cablinasian golfer....
This riff is also silly, at least at this juncture, but I'm guessing you have time to fill:
3. According to the New York Post, the USGA has decided to postpone the U.S. Open until later this year, meaning the Open Championship is the only 2020 major that hasn’t yet been pushed. Assuming life returns to normal by early- or mid-summer and all four majors are squeezed into this calendar year, which players would the compressed schedule most benefit, and which players would it hurt?
Anyone playing well was hurt...Anyone off form might be helped, as well as those with injuries....can you say TW and BK?
But this back-and-forth shows the futility of guessing at this juncture:
Bamberger: Koepka comes to mind, because of his strength, because he gets on rolls more than most, because majors seems to be what he lives for. Tiger would be hurt because he needs such long breaks between events.
Dethier: Au contraire, Tiger might do just fine because he could play the majors and nothing else. The typical schedule has a full month between majors, which seems like too long to rest but too short to squeeze in another event. This could benefit Woods, if they’re spaced right. The whole thing disadvantages players who like to tee it up early and often and have a heater going. Sungjae Im comes to mind. Patrick Reed had been strong, too. Bryson was finding form. Time will tell if that holds true through the layoff.
Is this the year that men's golf copies the LPGA and schedules majors in back-to-back weeks?
Brandel Trolls - Have you followed L'affaire Chamblee? I didn't have much interest in it initially, though perhaps its been over-taken by events. We all understand that Golf Channel has many hours to fill with programming, and their talking heads will inevitably struggle to find anything of interest to babble on about. Here's a precis of Brandel's thoughts:
In the interview, Chamblee shared his unfiltered opinions on the golf instruction industry,TrackMan, and the unconventional swings of next-generation stars like Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland.
“The teachers are being exposed for their idiocy,” Chamblee said, arguing that the internet age has forced a philosophical shift for the industry. “They completely spread this flawed philosophy through all of teaching and all teachers stuck to that ideal and all teachers taught flawed philosophies and these philosophies finally got b****-slhttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-pga-america-jonathan-doctorapped by reality. YouTube, there it is, you’re wrong, they’re right.
OK, even Brandel had to admit that using a term that ends in "slapped" was inappropriate. But, given that the assistant professional at Bushwood Country Club is facing an apocalypse, is this really the time for this argument?
The PGA of America rushed to their members' defense with this:
PGA of America leadership issued a blistering condemnation of Brandel Chamblee Thursday, calling his explosive comments on golf instruction “offensive, sexist and disgraceful.”
“In good conscience we cannot allow Brandel Chamblee’s comment in a Golfweek interview on March 25 that golf instruction has been ‘b****-slapped by reality’ be allowed to stand without comment,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and President Suzy Whaley wrote in a letter to the editor at Golfweek. “It is offensive, sexist and disgraceful. Using such crude and hateful language is abhorrent in any context and in this case a direct contradiction to the countless programs and initiatives those in the industry provide to ensure everyone feels welcome in golf.”
Full circle, Suzy? It was this very Suzy Whaley that was so anxious to stick the shiv in Ted Bishop back in the day to, you know, free up her current position.
So, how is this organization treating those 29,000 members? Meet Jonathan Doctor, owner of JMJ Golf, who pens this open letter to the organization:
At a time when 28,000 men and women need their association the most, the PGA of America turns an easy birdie into bogey! If you needed proof of just how out of touch the PGA is with their 41 Sections, members, and associates read the email from Palm Beach Gardens regarding your dues. It is unbelievable that with golf facilities closed, professionals and associates laid off, commerce at a stand still, and lessons and clinics cancelled in the interest of social distancing that the largest sports organization on the planet cannot figure out a way to postpone or prorate yearly dues in such a way that does not make its members YET AGAIN question the need to even BE a PGA Member.
You had an opportunity to stand by us and you blew it! Your email and commitment to SOP shows a complete lack of understanding. Your "reminder" that dues will be billed May 31st, and what happens if you do not pay at least your Section dues by July 31st shows no understanding of what your rank and file are facing. To suggest we take a loan at 4.99% to pay our dues only further shows lack of concern for the real debts your members are accruing every day of this crisis. To offer a payment plan spread over 6 or 12 months interest free would show understanding. To defer dues until Q4 would show understanding. To encourage facilities an incentive to support professionals in paying their dues would show understanding. But I guarantee it is no surprise to any PGA Professional who has had the unfortunate need for the associations support in matters of employment, education, or benefit assistance programs in the past to be reminded that the PGA does NOT understand.
But Jonathan, the new course in Frisco will rock!
In the interest of full disclosure, there may be a legal issue involved here:
“During these extraordinarily challenging times for so many PGA Professionals, we have worked closely with our 41 sections to find the best path forward regarding 2020 dues payments,” said PGA President Suzy Whaley. “While we wish it was possible to waive dues for all members, as a 501(c) 6 not-for-profit organization, IRS regulations do not allow us to take such an action.
Pace Mr. Chamblee, Suzy is one PGA professional that quite obviously deserves to be b****-slapped. First and foremost, is this a time when Suzy thinks laws are being faithfully followed? Because New Yorkers are close to being under Martial law, and there ain't much in the way of constitutional authority for that...
More importantly, credit the members with paying their dues, and set it up as a loan fro now. You can figure it out later, but it seems an awkward time to make your members send you actual money. Then again, this is an organization that long hasn't seemed attuned to its members needs...
Alan In Full - We'll riff on more from Alan's mailbag:
Alan, what foursome would be the most fun to watch play 18 holes on a simulator on the same course in different home locations? You need the smack-talk flowing so based on that: Phil, Tiger, Rory, Rickie. -@forearmshivers
I agree that trash talk is key so I’m puzzled by your inclusion of Rickie, who is far too earnest and bland. And as we saw at The Match, Tiger and Phil have zero chemistry together. I’ll take Phil, Jordan, Brooks, and Pat Perez, please and thank you.
Alan, are you that sure that the chemistry issue resides with Tiger?
But this just in from Alan's employer:
Stop, we've suffered enough already.
You and your BFFs Brooks and DJ sneak onto Pasatiempo this weekend. They play left-handed. Will you beat them? -@BobbyTe66671078
Without question! Well, probably. It’s one thing to freewheel on a range with no target and no consequence — Brooks and Dustin have shown they’re both quite good at that because of their spectacular athleticism and hand-eye coordination. But to build a round you have to play so many touch shots, awkward stances, little 3/4 swings when you’re between yardages, big-breaking putts… I think all of these things would be a challenge standing on the wrong side of the ball. This makes Rickie’s 94 in his match against JT that much more impressive. If I play well at Pasa I’m going to shoot around 80. If I play poorly I’m gonna post 88-90. On that fiddly course I doubt either of those bruisers could beat those numbers playing left-handed. Of course, if we’re streaming it for social media I’ll likely choke my guts out and shoot 97, in which case it could be close.
Don't we think that if Alan throws up on his Foot-Joys that he'll hit triple digits?
I could well have used this above:
There’s a possibility of the Open and Ryder Cup being played behind closed doors. I understand the R&A’s rationale for the former – so the 150th playing can take place at St. Andrews – but the latter is an absurd notion, the galleries MAKE the Ryder Cup what it is! What say you, Alan? -@TheGolfDivoTee
The notion of playing pro tournaments with no fans lasted about 24 hours, and I don’t think it’s coming back. As I tweeted when Jay Monahan first tried to sell this idea at the Players, it still takes hundreds and maybe thousands of people to conduct and televise a pro tournament, and they’re flying in from all over the globe. If the virus threat is still too grave to allow fans on-site it becomes impossible to justify holding the tournaments at all. As for the Open, St. George’s is one of the least-loved courses in the rota so no one will really squawk if it gets passed over.
Thousands? I don't know what NBC's crew size is, but I'm certainly not ready to throw out this ides with the bath water. But I do agree the Ryder Cup needs to be postponed to 2021... It just makes no sense to focus on this event that includes all of 24 players. Better to worry about the majors first, and maybe Tour events if there's enough time once we're safe out there.
This on the same subject from the TC gang:
2. The 2020 Ryder Cup is still on the schedule for Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits, but Tommy Fleetwood told Sky Sports News it would be most equitable to bump the event to next year. “From a fairness perspective, I think the qualification process should run its full course,” he said. Is Fleetwood right? Regardless of when the pro game resumes, should the Ryder Cup be moved to 2021?
Bamberger: Likely a good idea, and since Fleetwood is saying it, a very good idea. If we can still get golf in this year — and here’s hoping we can! — it would be best to see the regular events be played and the majors if they can be. Nothing really will be lost by waiting until next year for the Ryder Cup. Just like the Olympics.
Dethier: Assuming the Tour (and affiliated constituents) would agree to move the Presidents Cup back a year, too, this seems like a good and fine call. It would be a bummer, big-time, to miss out on team golf this year. But if there’s a run of majors that could happen in the late summer into fall, we’d have plenty of good action to watch while ensuring fair qualification for the following year.
Sens: Agreed on all of the above. And if the Ryder Cup does wind up getting pushed back, it will survive just fine, as it did when it was postponed in 2001. All the more time for the excitement to build.
LKD: With a big, whopping caveat that I am obviously not being briefed by scientists about the latest on the coronavirus outbreak, it seems far too early to make a call on the Ryder Cup. The Tour could be back up-and-running by May, with four months of play with a few majors squeezed in. It won’t be an ordinary qualification process, and it’s never going to be. These are extraordinary circumstances; the best we can do is try to roll with it.
It just seems obvious that this event, as great as it is, can't be a priority right now. But Dylan's bit about the Tour agreeing is unintentionally hilarious.
You might concluded that this questioner is not dealing well with the quarantine:
The Masters is a limited field event on a tricked-up course with a bunch of amateurs and geezers hogging precious spots; why do you guys act like it’s a major or something? -@frankprocida
I agree with your thesis and have never tried to hide my disdain for the obsequious reverence of all things Augusta. And yet the Masters has a way of delivering transcendent moments that makes me forget about all of that and just enjoy and marvel at the drama. You should try that sometime.
There's more merit in that question than most folks might realize. The effective size of the field is a point I've long made as well, and really should be understood as being unworthy of a major. The hardest aspect of winning a Masters is often qualifying for it....
As for the golf course, "tricked up" is obviously over the top... And yet, there are indeed aspects of this golf course that puzzle and frustrate me. Of course it's the best event of the year, but Frank isn't all wrong...
This is a nice diversion from the issues at hand:
Since bunkers are usually easier than rough (for good players) & harder and more money to maintain, are any golf designers going the sandless bunker route? To that end, what are your favorite sandless bunkers? I’m having trouble thinking of them offhand. -@Frazerrice
Well, Sheep Ranch will elevate this conversation because it doesn’t have a single bunker. The site is so windy Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw reasoned it would be impossible to keep sand from blowing away, so they didn’t even try. But the greens are surrounded by all manner of humps and hollows to make the pitching and chipping more interesting. My favorite sandless bunkers are the “dry washes” at Bel-Air, which Tom Doak brought back to life with his recent renovation. They are basically little creek beds that are grassed over but left rather wild. They are visually intimidating, but if you get lucky with the lie you can play shots out of them. The dry washes make for a much more interesting feature than traditional bunkers.
More topically, many of us have a sense that bunkers have become far too manicured and, therefore, easy for us all.... I personally am wondering if perhaps some good might come from the absence of rakes. Discuss among yourselves...
This one touches on some memes from the Brandel discussion:
I formally request the Shipnuck Plan for us to get our Spieth back. Go bold, sir. Sans Greller? No more Cameron? What’s the plan? -@robert_curran3
I would support one or both of those moves, just in the name of changing things up. But maybe having four or six or eight months off due to the virus is all Spieth needs. He’s clearly tunneled deep into his own head, and the relentlessness of the Tour schedule has never allowed him to fully reset. This sabbatical will certainly shift Spieth’s focus and give him the time and space he needs to work on his game and rebuild his confidence without the constant pressure and scrutiny of tournament play. Now, if he struggles in 2021 (or whenever the Tour resumes) it’s clearly time to blow things up. I’ve always contended that Jordan is too smart and too tough and too resilient not to figure things out. This forced time off will put that to the ultimate test.
The Simpson Plan is to abandon ship.
What are your favorite YouTube tournament rewatches? Highlights or full coverage? -@Topfrolf
Definitely the whole enchilada. It’s so fun to immerse yourself in the telecast and all the little details. I gravitate toward the Opens, but you can pick almost any major championship broadcast from the 20th century and it will be loaded with treasure. I highly recommend Sean Zak’s “A Pod Unlike Any Other” as a companion piece for any Masters telecasts. I was recently part of the discussion of the 1989 tournament and it was a revelation to study the telecast so forensically. To cite but one example, on the 71st hole Scott Hoch pulls off one of the nastiest, naughtiest shots I’ve ever seen, from a horrendous spot behind the 17th green. If he had made the ensuing short par putt he probably wins the Masters and his spinny bump-and-run is one of the most celebrated shots in tournament history. But Hoch missed the putt and that shot has been lost to the dustbin of history. Every telecast has similar moments. The build-up is exquisite and mere highlights can never capture the tension.
Repeat after me, Hoch as in _____. If I were to watch the final round of any toruney, I think it would the '75 Masters.
What’s the course itinerary for your next dream golf trip? -@LinksProf
I still fantasize about posting up somewhere nice on Long Island and road-tripping to many of the best courses on the planet: National, Fishers, Shinny, Maidstone, Friar’s Head, Garden City, Bethpage, The Creek, St. Andrews, Piping Rock, Sebonack, Atlantic, Deepdale, Rockaway Golf and Hunting, Tallgrass… my gawd, I’m sweating just typing this.
Anyone want to break the bad news to Alan, that:
- St. Andrews is not, nor has it ever been, on Long Island;
- St. Andrews, in addition to not being on LI, is a truly dreadful golf course with no redeeming features.
Sorry to be harsh, but it's interest is only in its role in U.S. Golf's history, as one of the five founding clubs of the USGA.
And, lastly:
How are the greens rolling today at Pebble? -@JacksJoeSalinasPut it this way: there ain’t any footprints.
Le Sigh!
On Reading - Anyone remember Al Z.? A good friend hardest hit by the shuttering of NYC, Al helpfully served as proofreader to the stars for the first few weeks of Unplayable Lies. Trust me, I know how much we could use a proofreader here, as any time I have cause to exhume a prior post I am devastated by the typos and misspellings... It's mostly a motor skill issue, though I don't expect that you'll care much about that.
We've previously discussed suggested golf reading, but Al's most recent suggestion covered enough ground to perhaps be of value to others:
I just finished American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins. It's not quite as good as A Man Called Ove or A Gentleman in Moscow, but it's close.
I won't get to his latest for a bit, but those others are two of my favorites in the last couple of years. For those who are readers, check them out if you haven't already. Other suggestions are appreciated, as well...
As to why I won't get to American Dirt for a bit? That's because I'm only 200 pages into this, and I therefore have a trip to Russia still ahead of me. Word on the street is that it doesn't end well...
Stay safe, my friends, and I'll be back from time to time to check in on you.
No comments:
Post a Comment