Not much in the way of actual news, so we're lucky Shack was in a helpful mood. Shall we dive in, beginning with the only event between now and Kapalua that matters.
All Things Augusta - H/T Shack for the link to Craig Dolch, who advise that Vitamin-D supplements might be added to staff bags that week. And I'm sure that Daniel Berger is willing to take one for the team:
Sunlight will be a precious commodity at Augusta National for this year's Masters
Daniel Berger shouldn’t take it personally he’s not playing in next month’s Masters.
The powers-that-be at Augusta National would prefer to have the world’s 13th-ranked player in the field (along with No. 29 Viktor Hovland and No. 37 Harris English, a Georgia resident).
COVID-19 and the rotation of the sun won’t allow it.
And this situation will make this Masters even stranger to watch.
Well, that's quite the hot take, isn't it? Simply not enough time for Danny... Can I just ask you to hold that thought? Here's what passes for an argument:
If Masters officials added the threesome of Berger, Hovlak and English – and anyone else who qualified for the Masters after the field was frozen – they likely would have needed night-vision goggles to finish the round.
Here’s why: There was an average of 12 hours, 53 minutes of sunlight during April 9-12 in Augusta, Georgia, when the Masters was originally to have been held. But, with spring turning to fall and Daylight Savings Time ending on Nov. 1, that number shrinks to a daily average of 10 hours, 27½ minutes from Nov. 12-15.
OK, I'm not enough of a science denier to ignore that there's less daylight in November, although the author himself seems a little clueless at times:
But, with spring turning to fall and Daylight Savings Time ending on Nov. 1, that number shrinks to a daily average of 10 hours, 27½ minutes from Nov. 12-15.
Ummmm, sir, the end of Daylight Savings Time doesn't reduce the available daylight, it just shifts the clock. I know, it's a subtle concept...
There will be accommodations made as follows:
That will be the only day of a traditional first-hole start of twosomes. CBS will be off the air by 6 to prepare for its Alabama-Auburn telecast.
Sunday’s final round becomes even more problematic because of the possibility of a sudden-death playoff and CBS is committed to televising an NFL game at 4:05 p.m. The Masters would likely shoot for a 3 p.m. regulation finish, but there’s not enough daylight in the morning to move the tee times as earlier as needed.
The Masters thus would have to go back to a double-tee start of threesomes for the final round, a single wave, with the first group likely at 8:40 a.m. and the last group at 10:20 a.m.
First off, just a reminder that we never know how these things might affect the outcome. What do I mean by that? Last year they went early and in threesomes due to an impending storm, otherwise Tiger would not have been in the final group. Would Frankie Molinari have dumped two balls into the water if not under the GOAT's intense gaze? We can only guess, but the whole would have had a different vibe.
Secondly, this has the feel of the Bizarro World, because one of those Traditions Unlike Any Other™ is the weakest field in golf. This is typically justified based upon the their course maintenance and presentation requirements, and we can all agree that those divots don't paint themselves green. This year I get that the field can't blow past the century mark, but can we revisit that for succeeding years? Fat chance!
This year obviously provided unique challenges challenges, but the club had other options. Here's a partial listing of players in the field, in lieu of Berger, Hovlak (sic) and English (FWIW, my spell-check offer Holland, HOV land and Haviland as alternative spellings of Hovland, but nary a Hovlak to be found):
Angel Cabrera
Fred Couples
Bernhard Langer
Sandy Lyle
Larry Mize
Jose Maria Olazabal
Vijay Singh
Mike Weir
Those are just the former champs, at least those that have no chance. I know, Freddy and Bernhard regularly play better than we expect, but have no chance to win.
There's also the usual component of amateurs and tour pros such as Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood, about whom I'm shocked that they ever qualified.
But excluding Daniel Berger for Ollie, who doesn't even pretend to play competitively these days, just seems an awkward decision. Would it be so bad to go to the Spaniard and the others and ask them to give this year's event a miss, so that they might have a couple of groups worth of flexibility to invite those that played well between April and November? And, yes, it's not completely fair, but I would prioritize the integrity of the competition over the traditions in this outlier case.
Of course, the Lords of Augusta bitterly cling to their traditions, except when they don't:
One more question: Will there be a Par-3 Tournament on that Wednesday? No final word yet from the powers-that-be, but it is not listed on the Masters’ website under the weekly schedule.
At least no player will have to worry about the dreaded par-3 jinx – no player has won the par-3 and the Masters the same week.
It's become unwatchable, so maybe this is their opportunity to kill it? I guess it's hard to maintain social distancing after Jack's grandson holes out...
Dylan Dethier corrals three bold-face names about their Masters prep, with mixed results:
Will you go to Augusta in advance of the tournament?
Mickelson: Maybe. I mean, I might go before the tournament. I’m not sure yet; I really haven’t decided on my plans.
Woods didn’t answer this question directly, but ESPN’s Bob Harig reported that it was possible Woods would make a scouting trip this week — and that if he did, it would be his first visit since winning in April 2019.
McIlroy: Yeah, I will, a couple of times. I might go up once and spend a night and play a couple of days or maybe go up a couple separate times.
Given that this might be Rory's best chance to check off that box, it's good to see him preparing thoroughly. Though, as a follow-up, I'd have asked if he plans to spend any time with the Marker to the Stars, Jeff Knox.
Any particular shots that you prep for Augusta?
Mickelson: I’m still trying to get my speed up. I’m not going to be in the levels of those guys, but I can get the ball speeds in the 180s, I can get my wedge game sharp. And I’ve been putting well. My putter’s been really good the last couple of months. I putted poorly starting the year and it’s really come around. I’m excited to get to that golf course putting the way I am; I think I can get in contention just based solely on how well I’ve been putting.
Woods: Each and every year, it’s the same thing: Hitting high draws, making sure I can hit a high draw anytime I want. There are a few holes, like 10 and 13, a little bit on 14, depends on the conditions, but it’s so advantageous to hit a high draw. You know, that’s always been my game plan ever since I was an amateur, since I played it for the first time in ’95 that I can get that ball up and turning from right to left. It’s easier to hit other shots from there, but be able to make sure that I can do that and then I can drop down and hit any shot from there.
McIlroy: [Cheekily] High bombs, as Phil would say. No, not particularly. I don’t think — I think nowadays everyone talks about trying to hit a draw around Augusta. But Jack Nicklaus won the thing six times and wasn’t particularly known for moving the ball right to left, so you need to just execute. You need all aspects of your game in good shape, especially your short game.
This to me is the key bit:
What do you expect from the conditions in November at Augusta National and how will it be different?
Mickelson: When I play it, usually the fairways are a lot longer because they just overseeded and they’re letting the grass grow in, getting ready for April. I think that the weather and the temperature could make a difference. I think the golf course will probably be a little bit more damp and play a little bit longer and require more carry.
I think that the guys like what Bryson is doing, McIlroy, Dustin, the guys that can get it up there, they will have a big advantage with that kind of distance, but if you get wind and you get a lot of cold, we could also have a Masters like 2007 where Zach Johnson won in some rough weather. I just think the weather’s a little bit more unpredictable at that time.
It certainly plays a little bit wetter, a little bit longer, but I don’t know if that will be the case this week. I don’t know what the weather’s like. It looks like it’s going to be nice leading into it, and they have a unique ability to do things to that course as far as SubAir and drainage and all the things that they have set up to make the course play how they want regardless of weather.
So, over the course of 30 Masters or however many I’ve played, I’ve had a chance to play it in all different winds and you just kind of adjust, y’know? It’s an interesting golf course because of the way the winds swirl down there and trying to be strategic on the best ways to play the holes. Like it’s a really challenging, fun test and playing it at a different time now provides another unique experience. I don’t know what to expect, but it will be fun.
Sounds like Mike Weir should have a fun week... Hope he doesn't lose any headcovers, because they'll be coming off in every fairway.
From that Bob Harig piece linked above, more on Rory's take:
And in a different kind of year, McIlroy sort of likes the way this is shaking out. Figure out a way to minimize the mistakes. And turn a negative -- the lack of buzz -- into a positive.
"I like this more,'' McIlroy said. "There's not as much hype. Not as much ... just not as much noise. I sort of like this better.''
It definitely is going to a different kind of Masters.
I thought you might, kid. Of course, the dissenters would rightfully note that Rory has played dreadfully since the reboot, nor has he done much at Augusta in recent years. When he drop-kicked that 2011 Masters it seemed inconceivable that he wouldn't grab one at some point, but it looks very different nine years later. If he can't get it done under these circumstances, I don't especially like his chances of ever filling that hole on his resume.
John Huggan is a curmudgeonly Scot (but I repeat myself) with an idiosyncratic rooting interest this week:
If only, John.
All Things Televised Golf - Geoff has a long post up on broadcast golf, leading with this diagnosis:
The Sound Of Silence: Ways To Spice Up Quiet Golf Broadcasts In A Time Of Pandemic
I had some trepidation as to his guidance, but I'm quite relieved that CTR-F: Faldo yields zero responses.
The Return To Golf needs to start thinking about a Return to Sound.
After taking in this week’s ZOZO Championship at Sherwood Country Club and watching how other sports have adapted to the times, it’s clear professional golf needs to keep adapting to the bizarre times. Quickly.
The PGA Tour has kept their business going but it’s begun to feel like just that: doing enough to keep the doors open and cash flowing. And I realize this will be a big ask while the main focus is on keeping things safe. But as an entertainment “product” (gulp), it’s losing ground. Broadcast enhancements are needed. Immediately.With the ongoing pandemic likely meaning 2021 golf will be played, at best, with very limited galleries, the natural melatonin that is a golf broadcast requires immediate rethinking to retain fans and sponsor interest.
To review: pro golf was the first major sport back and without fans, managed to make a broadcast work. That was thanks primarily to CBS going all in on extras, particularly in the sound department. Credit also goes to the players who were willing to wear a microphone. Since only the last nine holes felt like golf in the time of a contagious virus without crowds, the “Return to Golf” worked.
But those return events were in July and August before the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball came along and used recorded sound effects and other visual tricks to simulate a full house vibe. Golf tournaments have fallen behind.
From a television viewing perspective, the ambient noise piped in to offset the dystopian sight of empty seats and fan cut-outs has made sports watchable. Piped-in roars and even the boos take games back to a level of viewing normalcy that only feel strange when the camera pulls back to reveal and empty stadium.
Set against these modifications, golf telecasts now feel as uncomfortably quiet as they do in person. At best, I’d call the in-person experience at the two events I’ve been to as feeling akin to a college tournament. At worst, the vibe is funereal. (Note: both events I’ve attended as a media member were played in California with limits on volunteers, “hosted experiences” and family members, which undoubtedly added to the somber sensibility.)
Sorry for the long excerpt, but we tend to allow Geoff to ramble on. So, let's see what we think of his recommendations:
--Putting mic’s on players, their bags, tees and in cups (as Fox did), should continue to be a top priority. Hearing player conversations makes up for so much of the lost ambiance and almost makes us wish the crowds stayed away.
No argument here. I'm especially fond of the clattering of irons in a golf bag, which is to me the sound of golf.
--Encourage more announcer conversations and debates centered around issues in the game to break up the rather monotonous role they play now as traffic cops and cheerleaders. The NBC team broke off into a few chats about the way Bryson DeChambeau was approaching Winged Foot and the discussions were fascinating.
So, if I understand your point, you're suggesting that the golf commentators talk about interesting things. Sir Nick hardest hit...
--Use on-course reporters to do a “forensic” on an incredible recovery shot we’ve seen. Encourage them to say why the would have played a certain shot differently if warranted. Again, anything to break up the quiet moving from shot to shot or showing what seems like a neverending stream of three-footers for par.
I've got a wild suggestion... How about we employ on-course reporters at...wait for it, The Masters? I know, an idea so crazy it just might work.
--Go to a third party source to discuss betting odds. Former players and traditional broadcasters are not well positioned to say much of interest on the topic of odds or prop bets. Even if a viewer is not a bettor or interested in the topic, betting debates can inject energy into the broadcast if they are willing to take a stance on a proposed bet. Factors like course design and setup, or a player’s tendencies based on ShotLink data, liven up the “product” regardless of bets placed.
Isn't this interesting, because those odds disappeared after a one-week trial in Vegas. Geoff is all-in on this betting thing, though your humble blogger is more skeptical. To me they're a rally-killer and not nearly as interesting as Geoff seems to think, but time will tell.
--Bring in third party voices to offer instruction tips. This is hardly a new suggestion, but given the spike in rounds played during COVID-19 and the sad end of most Golf Channel original programming, what better time than now to use telecasts to be more interactive for regular golfers? How about interviewing instructors who are out following their players about what they are seeing? Or asking them to give an impromptu tip?
If you poll golf fans, they'll universally decry the broadcasts for showing too little live golf action. I do think some of the analysis of the tour pros' swings can work, and I do recall Peter Kostis doing some interesting things (an example being the comparison of Bubba's swing to Nicklaus'). But a tournament broadcast is not the place for instruction, which belongs on Golf Channel on Monday evenings. By the way, if their studio content is being cut back dramatically, what exactly will be broadcast Monday-Wednesday?
--Birds are great and I’m sure they’ll be chirping at Augusta in two weeks. With surround sound, work those nature sounds, just make sure the mic’s are placed on property and not in the wrong region. (Years ago CBS was believed to be piping in bird sounds at Augusta and at Valhalla and it’s been a running joke ever since. Another reminder that little gets by viewers.)
Nature can be good fun, but we're talking 30-second bits in hours-long broadcasts...
—Put announcers in different places. Have them work as a range attendant, on a tee of a key hole as a marshal, as a ShotLink volunteer or as a group’s scorer. Put a microphone on them and instead of having them toss it to 16 from an on-site studio (not that towers are too expensive too), let’s hear what they are seeing and highlight the volunteer jobs that make a tournament tick. If Mike Whan can step in and work as an on-course reporter, golf broadcasters can try some different things too.
This is fine, but hardly moves the needle. Anything that mixes things up can be good, but I'm left with the sense that all of Geoff's suggestions combined are a big bag of nothing. The most obvious suggestion, more player-caddie discussions, must have gotten left on the cutting room floor. And if the enhanced audio damages Bryson's brand, we'll consider that win-win.
As a dissenting voice, I actually don't find the pandemic-era broadcasts any more painful than those pre-Covid. At least since CBS went on hiatus...
All Things Resort - It's become the gold standard, but it was far from a sure thing:
Here’s how Bandon Dunes started a golf revolution — by accident
This is Golf.com's Drop Zone podcast featuring David McClay Kidd, architect of the original course at the resort. There's much of interest, including this bit:
David McLay-Kidd: So back in 1994, I was 26 years old and working for the Gleneagles detail in Scotland. My father was a golf course manager and I was working for the development division of that that detail. And I was playing all the golf parks; I was a wannabe golf course architect. I’d done a couple of little things, but nothing really of any note. And Mike Keiser was friends with Rick Summers, who’s the current owner of PGA Golf Magazine.
And Mike said to Rick Summers, ‘I’ve got this piece of land on the Oregon coast. I want to build an authentic Scottish Irish links experience. Who do you think I should hire? I’m thinking to hire, y’know, Tom Fazio or Jack Nicklaus or Pete Dye.’
And Rick said, ‘Well, you should hire a Scottish golf course architect if you want something authentic.’
And Mike chuckled and said, ‘I would! But they all died 100 years ago at this point.’
Wow, I actually can't believe that Keiser would have hired any of those guys...Especially Jack and Fazio. Pete Dye might have been an interesting choice...
Bandon Dunes is the happiest of accidents, combining a man with little more than a gut feel for his objectives with a magical piece of land. It worked because Keiser trusted those instincts, and also because he could bankroll it with his greeting card fortune.
It's an extremely interesting story, but those interested in it should absolutely read Dream Golf. Spoiler alert, it turned out well:
This is only tangentially connected, but interesting in its own right:
How (and why) golf course architects use visual deception to fool you
Here's a sense of the tools available from Jim Urbina, the man in part responsible for Pacific Dunes and Old Macdonald, though his reference points are from the Golden Age:
Jim Urbina has restored several MacKenzie courses and has developed a great appreciation for his skills.
“[MacKenzie] was like the master of deception,” Urbina said. “What he did is used the bunkers in the foreground that would affect the distant bunkers and how you related the distance between them. He would put a bunker in the foreground, just off the horizon in front of you to lead you to believe that the bunker was right next to the green. And he did that jigsaw layering over and over and over on different golf courses.”
MacKenzie would adjust the top lip of the bunker, the size of the bunker in the foreground and the distance from that to the green behind it, amongst other variables to achieve this visual deceptiveness.
These strategies were not used just by MacKenzie and Colt, though architects tend to have their own unique style.
“MacKenzie did it with bunkers,” Urbina said. “Some architects did it with trees. Sometimes they use greens with what they call an infinity green so you couldn’t judge distances because you couldn’t see the back of it. [A.W.] Tillinghast did that. Donald Ross did that. They all did that. And modern designers are just re-using that theme.
And just last week I was describing this phenomenon to you in connection with Donald Ross' Mountain Ridge. But I'm not completely in agreement with this:
Architect Brian Curley said elements like deception are easier to get away with at a resort or daily fee course as opposed to a private club. He explained that often times, especially at equity clubs, members want to manipulate their course to their liking over time. In the U.S., that often means making things more straightforward with less funk.
“I’ve always said that, as good as the courses are at Bandon, if they ever made those courses private and they had an active private membership, you’d be amazed, you probably wouldn’t recognize half the holes,” Curley said.
OK, he's not wrong that many classic courses have been desecrated by Greens Committees run amok. But the pendulum seems to be swinging back towards fealty to the original design parameters of the Goldner Age masters. Not only did I experience that faithful restoration at Mountain Rudge, but we've seen Gil Hanse involved in doing the same at both courses at Winged Foot and Baltusrol.
I'll release you to get on with your day. I'll probably give myself a day away from the keyboard tomorrow, though nothing is cast in stone. Check back early and often.
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