This will be it for the blogging of the annus horribilis that is 2020. I can't remember, did anything of interest happen this year? Most of us will be happy to turn that calendar page, though my lede item will throw shade on the year ahead...
Rut-Roh - Of course it makes sense to defer any decision, but I was reliably informed that November was to be a one-off:
The Masters Tournament has delayed its ticketing process for the 2021 championship as it seeks a way to allow some spectators to return for the first major of the year.
With just 100 days until the first round of the 2021 Masters scheduled for April 8, the club has to make decisions quickly.
"As planning continues on how to stage the 2021 Masters Tournament safely and responsibly, we would like to inform you that Augusta National is delaying the ticket process for Patron Series Badges, which traditionally begins Jan. 1,'' the club said in an email to ticket holders.
"Our intention is to communicate our decisions for the 2021 Masters to all patrons of record by the end of January. No further action is needed with your account at this time.''
The screenshot above is from Geoff's post on the story. I love the badge on the lower right, which promises "Premium Quality Golf"... That "Since 1934" is also a nice touch.
Geoff's conclusion seems all too logical:
As Harig notes, all 2020 practice round tickets sold will be honored in 2021, adding to the decision-making challenge. Given the already lagging vaccine rollout and continued difficulty in getting rapid test results, the prospect of normal-sized galleries this April seems unlikely.
I think the reasonably optimistic standard would be for them to have some galleries, but it's hard to see things back to normal quite that quickly.
The Year That Was - In the absence of actual news, thumbs will continue to be sucked. Eamon Lynch does his best stay in glass-half-full mode:
Lynch: As a bleak year draws to a close, remember what was salvaged even as many boxes remain unchecked
The beatings will continue until morale improves... Eamon actually salvages the undertaking with a brief review of the nes cycles before the Wuhan flu hit:
The news-making events that preceded the shutdown now seem so distant as to require many more page flips on the calendar. Patrick Reed siccing his lawyer on Brandel Chamblee for his blistering criticism of Reed’s bunker excavations in the Bahamas. The USGA and R&A releasing their joint Distance Insights Report, which will eventually be seen as the first shot in a war for the future of the game. Dustin Johnson confirming that he would skip the Tokyo Olympics to focus on the FedEx Cup, potentially setting himself up for the rare feat of passing on the same Games two years in a row. That Johnson went on to win the FedEx Cup was considerably less impressive than the fact that a FedEx Cup was completed at all, or that we have embarked on a new season, even if it looks and feels wretchedly familiar.
It all seemed important at the time... Oh not Olympic Golf, but when even DJ recognizes that...
All sorts of ways to capture the year, which James Colgan attempts through a memeology. Tis is a good one, though mostly because of the priceless photo:
8. Morikawa drops the Wanamaker
Collin Morikawa closed out his first-career major with one of the clutch shots of the year at the PGA Championship. For most of the week, he wore the demeanor of a golfer twice his age. But when it came time to celebrate with the Wanamaker Trophy, he had his first rookie moment.
Morikawa picked up the trophy and watched in horror as the lid flipped off and fell at his feet. As our Sean Zak pointed out, that’s not the first time the trophy has fallen.
To me, the size of that trophy screams "compensation", in the psychological meaning of the term.
14. The Great Wall of DinahThe ANA Inspiration featured some of the best golf we’ve seen all year. It also featured unequivocally the most hilarious sponsor-created contraption we’ve seen all year. “The great wall of Dinah” (as it came to be known) became part-backboard, part-social media punching bag throughout the week at Dinah Shore. Still, we’re forever grateful for the jokes that followed.
2019 vs 2020
As you can see, the Great Wall of Dinah is longer and closer to the green than the usual grandstand.
Would’ve been great to see it as the members do. pic.twitter.com/c3YB17CRo1
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) September 10, 2020
I derive ongoing amusement from the fact that a wall built solely for the sponsor's purposes includes a font so undersized as to make the advertising content unreadable. #youhadonejob!
Adam Woodard, a previously unknown-to-me Golfweek writer, has the quotes of the year, including this that might be considered TMI:
Tyrrell Hatton 'cuddling the toilet' at 5 a.m.
Not enough people give Tyrrell Hatton the credit he deserves.
From (perfectly?) tossing clubs in complete disgust in October to shooting at and flipping off a pond at Bay Hill in March, the 29-year-old Englishman entertained us all year long. In fact, he went on to win at Bay Hill, leading to a victory celebration that quickly went down the toilet.
What would a quote summary column be without Brandel Chamblee expressing his appreciation for those long-suffering foot soldiers of the game?
Remember when Brandel Chamblee said 'bitch-slapped into reality'?
There’s no real need to tease or explain this one. In a Q&A with Golfweek in March, Brandel Chamblee said golf instruction has been “bitch-slapped into reality.” Then he tried to walk it back, but the damage had been done.
Brandel might have a point... https://t.co/VA9lZJvjOW
— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) December 27, 2020
You'd think a guy who goes out of his way to provoke would have necessarily developed a tougher skin, but not our Brandell:
Brandel Chamblee says he’s blocked over 20,000 people on Twitter
That piece is actually from 2017, so we might be in six figures by now...
We seem to be featuring Eamon this morning, so let's grab one more:
When our columnist used 'gobshite' in his ledeEamon Lynch – I’d say my colleague but I’d hate to offend him – has a certain way with words that few can rival. This opening line from a July column on Bryson DeChambeau deserves a shoutout.It’s one of life’s more reliable axioms that if a man has to tell you he’s a good dude, there’s a fair chance he is actually an insufferable gobshite.
Are you allowed to use "gobshite" in a family paper? Apparently so, though just barely:
Noun[edit]
gobshite (plural gobshites)
- (Ireland, slang, moderately offensive) One who engages in nonsensical chatter or unwanted conversation.
- What's that gobshite talking about now?
- (Ireland, slang, moderately offensive) A person of very poor judgment and unpleasant character.
Usage notes[edit]
- The collective expression shower of gobshites ("group of idiots") is quite common in Ireland.
We usually aim higher than merely moderately offensive, but we've expanded your vocabulary, and that "shower of gobshites" has been safely stored for future reference.
It so happens we have a pop quiz for you as well:
Quiz: How well do you remember what happened in golf in 2020?
I was expecting the worst, though I actually remembered most of them... For the record, definitely not this one:
1. Harold Varner III broke an impressive, and slightly odd, PGA Tour record at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. What did Varner do?
A. Made the most consecutive pars to start a tournament
B. Became the first player to shoot in the 60s with three triples on card
C. Made the most sand saves in one round
D. Led the field in birdies and bogeys
More than slightly, methinks:
1: A. Varner opened the WMPO with a par ... and over the next two days, followed with 31 straight similar scores. For those of you scoring at home, that would be an amazing 32 straight pars, which set a PGA Tour record for most consecutive to start a tournament in the ShotLink era. K.J. Choi was the previous title holder with 27 pars at the 2006 Colonial.
Let me just say that, if you're going to pose this question, shouldn't the names be required?
For the historical record, I got the answer correctly and two of the players.10. How many players did Jim Mackay caddie for in 2020?
A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
10: D. Bones came out of retirement for fill-in loops for Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker and Matt Fitzpatrick this year, highlighted by a victory with Thomas at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
I forgot Jimmy Walker but, then again, just happy to confirm that he's still out there....
On a sadder note, another previously-unknown to me writer, Greg Guttfield at Golf Digest, pays tribute to those we lost in the game in 2020. The giants are here, Pete Dye, Peter Aliss and Mickey Wright, most notably, but also quite a number of those with whom you won't (and I wasn't familiar). For instance, I missed this quite horrible story"
Justin Riegel, 38, June 3
Philadelphia-area golf pro and director of golf at Philmont Country Club killed when a tree crashed into the club’s pro shop and cart barn during a storm.
Lest you think you had a bad 2020.... Pure stream of consciousness here but, if that one wasn't bad enough for you, I caught this story at Golfweek:
A Houston-area golf course groundskeeper who was using an ATV to set up tee markers died on Monday when he accidentally drove into a pond and drowned.
According to KTRK-TV in Houston, dive teams pulled the body of 59-year-old Agustin Rojas Canchola out of a pond at The Clubs at Houston Oaks — a renowned private club in the city’s northwest suburbs.
The station reported that sometime around 7 a.m. on Monday, Canchola apparently lost control of his vehicle and it veered off the cart path and down an embankment into a pond on the golf course, fully submerging both operator and vehicle.
2020, Man!
Brian Wacker has this interesting recap:
The costliest shots on the PGA Tour in 2020
It may be cruel to bring up this one, though I think his reaction tells you all you need to know about the man:
A short drive on Riviera’s short 10th holeRiviera Country Club was playing particularly tricky on Sunday at February’s Genesis Invitational, but that doesn’t necessarily explain what happened to Harold Varner III on the famed drivable par-4 10th. In contention to win his first PGA Tour event, Varner chunked (topped?) his 3-wood off the tee, the ball traveling a meager 129 yards. “I missed the ball,” Varner acknowledged after the round. “I couldn’t tell you what exactly happened. I just know that I hit the dirt before the ball.” Varner doubled the hole and never recovered, making three more bogeys down the stretch to tumble to T-13.
What might be slightly more interesting about this was Golf Channel's attempt to bury it, similar to the later treatment of Danny Lee's six-putt.
And this one, of course:
Bad timing for Rickie FowlerAll the strokes count the same no matter when they happen, of course. But Rickie Fowler missing—and nearly whiffing—a six-inch tap-in to miss the cut at the PGA Championship was apropos of 2020.
Orange man bad, right?
If you're looking for someone that had a worse year than Rickie, this might just be your guy. The tell is that his most memorable shot of the year didn't, yanno, take place in an actual tournament:
An ace or a double bogey?Even when there wasn’t any professional golf being played because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some guys just couldn’t catch a break. Jordan Spieth, pegging it up in a charity event in Carrollton, Texas, nearly aced the 17th hole at his home course, Maridoe Golf Club, only to see the ball hit the foam spacer inside the cup and bounce into a water hazard.Good riddance to you, too, 2020.
I'm pretty sure that Jordan not wanting to play with Patrick will not be an issue at next year's Ryder Cup, or even any thereafter.
The Year Ahead - Yeah, not sure I want to dwell on this too much, but a couple of bits to note. on Monday we had most of the Q&As from the weekly Tour Confidential roundtable, but there was this one forward looking bit I missed:
The surge in golf’s popularity in 2020 was undoubtedly a bright spot in an otherwise tough year; tee sheets were jammed and equipment flew off the shelves. What steps can the game take in 2021 to build on this momentum?
Zak: Make sure those jammed tee sheets don’t lead to six-hour rounds. 10-minute intervals! I know this is a niche detail, but many courses will respond to great demand by scrunching their tee times to 8-minute intervals and worsen the experience. Many of us would gladly grind to get up at dawn for a 3-hour round than enjoy our sleep and play 18 in 5.5 hours.
Dethier: This is an awesome suggestion. Just because you technically can get more golfers onto the course doesn’t mean you should! Nine minutes at the bare minimum.
Sens: Keep encouraging short courses, nine hole outings, alternative loops — anything that makes it easier to squeeze in some golf, any golf. For a lot of would-be golfers, the biggest impediment is time.
Dethier: Stay welcoming! Despite major strides in the right direction, golf still has a super-high barrier to entry. Every course should have a checklist to review to make sure it’s beginner-friendly: Do you have a clear, simple website? Do you have beginner-specific clinics or lessons available? When someone gets to the golf course, is it clear where to go from there? Is your staff receptive to answering questions and making everyone feel at home? Are there affordable options for rental clubs? All this little stuff goes a long way.
Bamberger: Even 10-minute intervals results in overcrowding and slow play. Shorter rough, shorter courses, play OB where it went out, play lost ball where you think you lost it and for god’s sake walk to your golf ball as best you can without interfering with others. Get your yardage and get your club in hand while somebody else is playing. Golf is a game of forward momentum.
Interestingly, at Fairview we were at 8 minutes in previous years, and settled back to ten minute for the bulk of the season. I'm just not sure there was any discernable difference in pace-of-play.
This guy might not want to get ahead of facts on the ground:
20 for 20: 20 reasons why golf could be even greater in 2021
For instance, these events are far from guaranteed:
Ryder Cup is back
In 2012, before his tee shot on 1 during his Sunday singles match at the Ryder Cup at Medinah,Bubba Watson asked for noise from the crowd, the crowd answered, and he swung away. The event is as much about the fans as it is the golf. It made sense, then, to move it from ’20 to ’21. When the American fans can cheer DJ and JT and boo Rory, and the European fans can cheer for Tommy-Tommy-Fleet-wood, and boo Captain America.
The Open Championship is back
Three men’s major championships were played in 2020. One was not. The oldest one. The Open Championship was canceled last April, but it will resume in July. Fans on one side of the pond will celebrate a champion over dinner, and fans on the other side will celebrate over breakfast.
We'll see, but it'd have been better to not tempt the golf gods by saying it out loud.
As for this, remember how they scared us about touching anything?
Those lost balls? Hopefully yours again
Should you and I, when it’s safe again, find a golf ball in the woods, or under a leaf, or, shoot, on the green, it’s yours again, (somewhat) worry-free.
Speaking of, this brings up one of my funnier stories of the year.
Back in March, I wrote, “Golf and the coronavirus: How to play with confidence, according to an expert.” The second rule — “How you should handle your golf balls” — led to this quote from my infectious disease source: “If you’re picking up random golf balls, don’t touch your mouth. Maybe leave it behind.” Except the original quote didn’t have the word “golf” in it — which led to a text asking if I could add that in, as the source’s co-workers had printed the story out and put it on a bulletin board.
Remind me again, did the so-called experts get anything right?
Looking to our game's future, Jay Busbee pens one of those columns, yanno, the kind where the author's contempt for our little game is evident throughout. this is pretty much as good an argument as he makes:
Golf is one of the world’s best-known sports, played on almost every continent. Its stars — well, one of them, at least — rank among the best-known celebrities on the planet. And yet the financial, systemic, cultural and environmental barriers to entry shunt untold thousands of potential players into other, more accessible sports.The issue of race remains phenomenally touchy in the world of golf, so much so that many in the sport would rather simply avoid the question rather than address it. Multiple PGA Tour players either declined to speak or didn’t respond to a Yahoo Sports inquiry on diversity in the ranks of golf. The First Tee program also declined to speak, aside from providing statistics on the program’s reach.
Gee, it's hard to see where those guys didn't want to go on record with you, because it's not like you have an agenda or anything... Amusingly, after that castigation for not worshipping at the shrine of diversity, he makes this admission against interest:
To bridge the gap between desire and opportunity — or, in some cases, to introduce younger children to the game in the first place — organizations around the country have sprung up in recent years, most notably the PGA Tour’s First Tee program. Founded in 1997, First Tee is now nationwide, using golf skills and competitions to teach kids in schools and community groups.“We see golf as a metaphor for life – a game with unexpected challenges and ups and downs that help build strengths beyond the technical skills to play the game,” the group’s mission statement reads. (First Tee officials declined to talk to Yahoo Sports for this story.) “Through introspective questions, interactive games, and immersive golf exercises, we design each lesson to help kids build a better understanding of themselves and empower them to strengthen the parts of them that they take to everything they do.”
At a more localized level, there are organizations like Detroit’s Midnight Golf, where high school students absorb life skills as they improve — or, in some cases, learn — the game of golf. Inspired by Midnight Basketball, where communities opened up gyms to allow at-risk youth to play basketball rather than roam the streets, Midnight Golf isn’t actually played at midnight. But since 2001 it has given the same sorts of opportunities for teens to learn about worlds they never would have known otherwise.“That first year, they knocked door-to-door at public housing, offering golf lessons and free food,” says Clover McFadden, Midnight Golf’s communications director. “They thought golf was going to be a tough sell. So they were surprised to see everybody coming back every week.”
How it must have paned to acknowledge the steps taken by this poster child for racism:
It’s no small irony that some of the more visible steps to move the game forward in recent years have come from the same place that embodied exclusion: Augusta National Golf Club. The home of the Masters has, in recent years, supported a range of initiatives to grow the game of golf, including amateur championships in Asia and Latin America. Two years ago, the club debuted the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, a significant turnabout for a club that admitted its first female members only within the last decade.Several weeks ago, the club took steps to right the wrongs suffered by Elder upon his first visit to Augusta, naming him an official starter for the 2021 Masters, and endowing golf scholarships and creating a women’s golf team in his name at Paine College.
But bean-counters will count beans:
Tiger Woods is wrapping up his landmark career as one of only four full-time Black PGA Tour players. The LPGA, meanwhile, is 55% white across both its top-level and developmental tours, with another 31% of its constituency of Asian descent and 9% of Latina origin. Times are changing in golf, at every level, and the broad spectrum of players now making their way to the professional ranks is a testament to that.
Le Sigh! It really pisses them off that the professional game remains a stubborn meritocracy, resistant to their cries for social justice. They'll ruin golf just like they've ruined academia and every other sphere of life with this nonsense, at least if we let them.
Read of the Day - Friend of the blog Mark W. writes to share this great story:
It’s March 2, 2018, and Mike Manthey is sitting at his desk. Manthey is the superintendent of Midland Hills Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., and his office is a part of the addition that wasbuilt on to the maintenance facility in 1991. He has posters and pictures on the walls, dozens of books behind him and a couch in front of him. In the closet to his left, which is filled with boots, tools, hats, maps and filing cabinets, one of the ceiling tiles is slightly dislodged, revealing a gap of an inch or so, enough to be noticed but never a nuisance. It’s been like this for years. For whatever reason, Manthey decides today is the day he’ll finally repair it.
He pulls up a chair, steps on to it and pushes the tile aside. Peering through the opening, he spots what appears to be a rolled-up map against the wall. He retrieves it, brings it back to his desk and knows immediately that it has been up there for many years — canvas maps of this type haven’t been made for decades. Manthey places the drawing on the floor of his office and peels open a corner.
You got to be kidding me, he thinks. Is this really what I think it is?
We even have a George Bahto cameo, the worlds foremost dry-cleaner-turned-golf-architect:
But somehow, two items had always eluded him, believed to be lost over time: the founding club’s history from the 1920s, and architect Seth Raynor’s original course map.
The map, Hamburger says, was mentioned in club documents, but he never had any luck finding it, despite exhaustive searches. Chances he ever would unearth it took an ominous turn in 2003, when George Bahto visited. Bahto was an expert on the lives and design careers of giants C.B. Macdonald and Raynor; he wrote the design biography The Evangelist of Golf: The Story of Charles Blair Macdonald and, up until his 2014 death, was working on a design biography of Raynor. Interested in learning more about its past, Midland Hills hired Bahto to review the property, which led to his visit. During his tour, Bahto said Raynor never kept much from his projects, so he doubted he would have held on to the routing. It was more than likely gone.
It's just a great story, that you'll want to read in its entirety. I'll just leave you with this image of that Raynor routing:
At this time featuring wistful recollections, I'll just add that Mark is as responsible as anyone for the existence of this blog. Absent his support for my early golf writings, I can't see where I'd have thought to share these random musings....
Not sure when I'll return to the keyboard, as the plan right now is to be on an airplane Monday morning. Of course, nothing is taken for granted, so best to check back early and often. A healthy and happy 2021 to all my valued readers.
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