Still very much in browser tab hell, so let's not waste time on pleasantries...
Optimal Launch Conditions - It's quite nice of Phil to spend some time with the older folks, and it seemed to go OK:
RIDGEDALE, Mo. (AP) -- Just about the only poor shot Phil Mickelson hit in his PGA Tour Champions debut was a wayward iron off the tee.
He still turned it into a birdie.
It was one of five straight on the back nine Monday for the five-time major champion, who decided to make his over-50 debut this week after missing the cut at The Northern Trust and getting eliminated from the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.
Mickelson finished with 11 birdies and shot a 10-under 61 to take a one-shot lead over David McKenzie.
"It's a lot of fun. It's a fun environment. And it's fun to see a lot of the guys I grew up watching, and played with them for a number of years, and played a bunch of Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups with a lot of of guys out here," Mickelson said. "I was a little nervous, too, because I wanted to come out and play well. I was playing really well."
And they'll love hearing how you used to watch them on TV when you were just a wee lad...
So, how great is Monday evening golf? Long-time readers will recall that I've been advocating for non-Sunday conclusions to events for many a year, though admittedly that thought is usually directed at the LPGA. Of course weekdays are tough for fans and volunteers, but those are problems that 2020 has rendered moot.
Admittedly his continued claims to be playing well seem more credible after that 61, still it's an interesting glide path into an Open:
“I went into Boston last week, I shot 61, 63, 4 back home and I was like ready to play,” Mickelson said. “Then I get there and I shoot 3 over and it just threw me off. So I wanted to keep playing because I felt like I was playing well. So to have the opportunity to play in these events and this one in particular was really special and I’m very appreciative of that.”
Mickelson’s playing with the over-50 crowd. But he’s playing under par. In two weeks, he’ll rejoin the PGA Tour for the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif. The week after, it’s the U.S. Open, the one major that has eluded him, at Winged Foot Golf Club, site of one of his greatest near-misses. If he can be a champion on the Champions, maybe he can finally win a U.S. Open championship.
Napa actually makes some sense as a tune-up, as it's got that tight, tree-lined fairway feel to it. I get that he wanted more reps, but any track you can torch to the tune of 61 probably won't feel like Open prep.
Of course, for Phil it's all about the bombs coffee:
I’m not saying you’re going to also shoot 61 after starting your day with COFFEE FOR WELLNESS. What I’m saying is you just might want to try it in a couple weeks when it comes out. 😏— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 25, 2020
Yeah, I'll get right on that, Phil. You, on the other hand, might want to mix in a little decaf...
Since we're on Phil, Brian Wacker has noticed an eerie convergence with this very recent winner, at least through the first thirteen years of their careers:
I would think DJ to be pleased by this, as Phil has notably bagged four more of the big game, and would have us believe he's not quite finished yet.
It is interesting how careers evolve, and I remember well the thought that Phil might never win a major. DJ sure has the look of a guy that should win more, though that could well just be the recency bias speaking... Of course a guy looks like he'll never lose when he's lapping the field by eleven strokes.
Home Game - The dominoes are starting to fall, as the PGA Tour's Fall Asian swing is a non-starter in a year with a November Masters. Of course, they found the perfect venue, one that can match Nine Bridges for artificiality:
With the PGA Tour’s fall Asia swing not happening, reports of a revamped swing in the western United States is starting to come to fruition. One leg is now official: the CJ Cup moving from Nine Bridges in Korea to Las Vegas’ exclusive Shadow Creek.The October 15-18 date will follow the already-scheduled Shriner’s in Las Vegas, giving the Tour a nice one-two desert swing minimizing travel. Now, there are casinos so…it might a COVID exposure wash.
Shadow Creek certainly failed to impress during The Match, though that might not have been the fairest test. You guys know that I'm triggered by the Fazio name, but at least there was a logic in book-ending this with the Shriners. We'll just hope those other two events land in more interesting locales...
On Scoring - There's been an interesting pattern since the reboot, and I'm a bit unclear what to make of it all. First, though, just a quick review of the bidding on the subject of distance, whereby those opposed to regulation of equipment use the absence of scoring improvement as support for the premise that it's all good.
Those of us in the other camp cite the offsetting changes to course set-up needed to maintain the scoring levels. The most obvious being the lengthening of golf courses, with many analysts envisioning 8,000 yards and longer being necessary in the near future. Equally important is what's happened to green speeds, which have resulted in incidents such as DJ's penalty at Oakmont and the stoppage of play on the Old Course due to high winds in 2015. I'm old enough to remember when a links could actually be played in high winds....
But hasn't scoring been obscenely low since the restart? From that DJ/Phil item above, this about the week in Boston:
Dustin Johnson’s victory Sunday at The Northern Trust, where he won by 11 strokes (!), finished at 30 under par (!!) and by his own admission played the best golf of his life on his way to a second-round 60—in which he was 11 under through 11 holes (!!!)—was no doubt impressive. But as my colleague John Feinstein pointed out on Twitter, there were 38 players who finished the week double-digits under par at TPC Boston.
And that second round featured Scottie Scheffler's 59 in addition to the above-cited 60 from DJ. This is some serious fire power, the only question being perhaps one of sample size.
Justin Thomas thinks along similar lines:
“I said it a couple years ago – I still think someone is going to shoot a 56 or 57 or 58 on Tour, whether it’s next couple years or 10 or 15 years,” said Thomas, who shot a 67 on Friday, eight strokes behind Scheffler. “We’re all getting so much better, and especially if you get a place like this with really good greens, and if it’s soft, we’re pretty good with our distance control and pretty good at golf to where we get it rolling, who knows what can happen.”
It almost happened a few hours after Scheffler signed for his 59.
Johnson shot a 9-under 27 on his front nine, the lowest nine-hole score in relation to par in PGA Tour history, with birdies on 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8 and eagles on 2 and 4. He was 11-under through 11 holes. Johnson parred his final seven holes, but had birdie putts on all seven.
56? Le Sigh!
In a post written after those Friday pyrotechnics, Shack found it strange that the guys and those opining on events credited everything except the most obvious factor:
I’m not a huge fan of using low scoring to make the case to tighten up the equipment rules in thename of protecting skill. When scores aren’t low, the we technophobes hear stuff such as, “see, nothing to see here!” The same folks can’t be found when records are broken. Or they just chalk it up to modern athletes, arguably the last thing explaining an efficient scoring week.
So when players post a 59 and a 60 on the same day—under the relentless strain of PGA Tour Playoff pressure—it would be easy to highlight how overmatched TPC Boston looks. (Particularly when Dustin Johnson went out in 27, birdied the 10th and 11th, and seemed destined to shoot 57. )
But we know Tom Brodeur’s crew presents typically outstanding conditions. Players are usually peaking in August. And the updated modern design already appears overmatched by modern distances. Still, it’s notable how various intrusions of technological advances—clubs, balls, launch monitors, green reading books—are rarely cited in the scoring conversation.
Take Saturday’s CBS discussion citing consistency of agronomy (Dottie Pepper) and “quality of play” or “quality of setup” (Nick Faldo). No one mentioned clubs and balls which, if taken away from the players and replaced with something from 5, 10 or 15 years ago, seems more likely to impact the scoring.
After quoting from that Thomas bit, he adds this bit of delicious irony:
Players deserve credit for their role in performing so well, but why is it so seemingly off-limits to admit that technological advances in equipment, agronomy, club fitting, are the greatest influence of all? Or worse, an apparent insult to a modern golfer to suggest they are producing incredible scores thanks to improved implements.
PS - you’re paid to say the clubs and balls are the greatest ever made, so do it!
Strange that.
Did you catch that bit about agronomy? This has become something of an all-purpose excuse, and an odd one at that. Odd because in one notable case, Augusta National, we've seen agronomy used specifically to minimize distance. There the grass is mowed in the opposite direction of play, though of course we haven't been informed as to the effect this has. But Shack is back with actual data that challenges this myth. To wit, it ain't the roll-out:
The average PGA Tour drive rolls 16.9 yards in that 13-year span on a 289.9 yard average, meaning roll accounts for barely more than 5% of the average tee shot.From 2007 to 2012 the average tee shot produced 19.1 yards of roll.
From 2014 to 2019 the average produced 15.1 yards of roll.
The amount of time the ball hits the ground and starts running is on the decline. Agronomy is playing less of a factor while the carry average has outpaced driving distance average.
I would assume, though Geoff doesn't touch on this, that roll is decreasing partially due to players hitting the ball higher, part of the launch monitor effect. They're just hitting it a mile, however one chooses to parse the data...
On a related note, I've had this Gary Van Sickle item open for a while, and it's long past time to use it or lose it. Gary's basic premise is that the 350-yard drive is here to stay, because...
The forces in golf aren’t universally in agreement that anything should be done. And if something is to be done, they definitely disagree on what that should be.
Ya think? So, how did we get here, Gary?
Golfers have gained distance because athletes are bigger and stronger; driver heads are bigger and better; shafts are better than ever and frequency matched for optimum performance; instruction is better thanks to super slo-mo video and other technologies; and the game now draws from a global pool of players.
I certainly agree that there are many contributing factors, but a list that excludes the golf ball seems...well, incomplete. But he does get to the ball, and introduces an option not on many lists:
Any plan almost certainly would have to include bifurcation, that is, different sets of rules for amateurs and pros. Recreational golf, despite the recent surge of play during COVID-19, struggles to find new players to replace the baby-boomer generation, the last of the golf addicts.Making amateur hacks give up distance with reduced-flight balls or drivers isn’t just a tough sell; it’s a non-starter.
The golf ball isn’t the only culprit in today’s power game, but it is a leading one. Fixing that isn’t so easy.
One option is to make the ball slightly larger. The laws of friction will reduce its flight. That’s been done before. The British “small ball” was used in the United Kingdom until late in the 20th century, and it went farther than the slightly larger American model. Another bump on ball size could do the trick, although amateurs would protest vehemently.
Another option would be to limit ball dimples and their shapes, in hopes of taking another percentage point or two off ball flight and by giving golf balls more curve than today’s forgiving models. We’re in a golden age of golf-ball technology. The old balls, when mis-hit, curved way off-line. Not anymore. More spin would bring more skill back.
A third option would be to turn back the clock and make wound balata golf balls again. Golf.com recently used a swing robot to test-hit 1990-era liquid-center balata balls, and results showed an approximate 22-32-yard decrease in driving distance. Not bad.
I'm not sure Gary sold his first two premises, which are that action needs to be taken and that bifurcation is the most logical path forward. I believe those to be true, though mostly for reasons of practicality. Similarly, the ball is quite obviously not the only source of distance gains, but it provides the most readily available option, especially in light of the fact that golf is alone in allowing its participants to bring their own balls.
But I would like everyone to read his description of those options as relates to the ball, as our myopic focus on distance is somewhat misleading. The reduction of spin in the modern solid-core ball might be as important a factor, and is far less understood.
Give him a read, as he also analyzes the logical interests of all affected parties, and concludes that the chances of the governing bodies prevailing are extremely remote. I can't argue with his assessment of the arrayed forces on the field of battle, but that just compels us to continue making the arguments in the hope of winning more converts.
Restoration News - A bit of a boomlet in Detroit area golf recently, as the Tour is making annual stops at Detroit Golf Club and the round-bellies have rediscovered Warwick Hills. But does anyone remember Oakland Hills?
Oakland Hills has hosted six U.S. Opens, but not since 1996. Since then, it has hosted the RyderCup in 2004 and the 2016 U.S. Amateur. It has also hosted three PGA Championships (1972, 1979, 2008).
"It's not like this golf course was broken," said Hanse, who has some Michigan ties from his early days in golf-course design, notably working in the Traverse City area (he lived right behind a Kentucky Fried Chicken, he still recalls), and also spending time in Gaylord.
The goal here, Hanse said, was to make the course tougher for the best players in the world, while making it more playable for the members. The project was all about finding that "sweet spot," he said.
So, what went wrong? Oh, those guys:
The club's goal was to get the course back to looking more like its original design, by legendary Donald Ross, the architect of the first 18, which opened in 1918. Robert Trent Jones and Rees Jones were involved in updates over the years.
Folks know of Rees as The Open Doctor, though his Dad was the previous holder of that honorific. His renovation famously turned Oakland Hills into a "monster" slayed by Hogan in that 1951 Open.
Perhaps of greatest interest is the club's objective:
The USGA, which is said to already be planning a visit to the club, perhaps as early as this summer, has its venues booked for the U.S. Open through 2027, and the PGA Championship isaccounted for through 2031. Oakland Hills clearly hopes it gets one or both, possibly even a U.S. Open before the end of the decade. A regular PGA Tour event isn't the goal, and never has been — and especially with the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the PGA Tour's schedule just down the road.
The Presidents Cup, which pits the U.S. against the world (except for Europe), is available starting in 2030.
"We're here to host a major championship," said Steve Brady, the head pro, adding that even if Oakland Hills doesn't get another major, the membership will find the renovation well worth the commitment.
"We're not just about making Tour players rich."
Who doesn't like a well-aimed dis at the Tour? But this bit about making it harder for the elite player and easier for your members? How dose that work exactly? Obviously our majors need to be held somewhere, but a redesign costing $12 million to lure a major once every ten years? Color me skeptical...
More to my liking is this redesign of a public course in Alameda, CA:
The turnaround began in 2012, when Greenway Golf, a Bay Area-based golf managementcompany, assumed the lease at Corica Park and, a few years later, embarked on an ambitious renovation project. The goal was to create an Australian Sandbelt-style golf experience, inspired by such celebrated courses as Royal Melbourne, Metropolitan and Kingston Heath.
Why try to emulate golf Down Under?
A few reasons.
One of Greenway Golf’s founders was George Kelley, a California native and former Tour pro who’d competed in Australia in the early 1970s and had fallen hard for the courses there. He loved the tight lies and the bouncy ground and the creative shots that they encouraged. He knew that Sandbelt-style golf was wildly entertaining.
Other good reasons, as well. It looks great and must be a hoot to play, so what's not to like?
I shall leave you here, and be back with more on Thursday.
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