Editors' Blog

U.S. Open Contest

Golf Digest — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:43:20 -0700

We continue to get interesting comment on the U.S. Open Contest, which will conclude on June 6th when Tony Romo, Matt Lauer and Justin Timberlake join contest winner John Atkinson at Torrey Pines. Most of the comments focus on the playing level of the amateur finalists.

Here's TJ Keegan of Parrish, Florida:

I've been following your US Open experiment with some amusement. First, you ask for average golfers and then pick guys that are less than 10 handicappers. You need to get out into the real golf world. If this is your idea of an average golfer then you are writing for the wrong group of people. Plus, average golfers don't spend over $100 playing golf - our game isn't good enough.
An average golfer is more likely to be at least an 18 handicapper playing from no more than 6400 yards. He is not competing for the club championship if he even belongs to a club. He might carry 210 yards on his drive - on a good day. The only way he is going to break 120 on the US Open course is to hit a wedge to the ladies tee and then play safe from there; not very exciting golf but workable.

TJ, you're absolutely right about who is an average golfer. But we were trying to play off Tiger's comment that a 10-handicap could not break 100 on an Open course. That challenge is intriguing; and we, like you, concluded that any handicap much higher than 10 had no chance. Watching an 18 play Torrey Pines in Open condition would not only not be exciting; it would be downright painful.

Hank Haney, in his comments to our semi-finalists, made the point that even a 10 was going to have to play great golf to succeed and Haney was quite sure that, under the gun, he wouldn't. Gary Smith of Bethesda found Haney's "tough love", as recounted in Jerry Tarde's June Editor's Letter, to be just plain mean. But there are plenty of tour pros who think he's right on. Smith also wishes contest winner John Atkinson were playing by himself.

My gosh, Timberlake, Romo and Lauer are joining the foursome? I feel badly for the winner as these three guys -- who undoubtedly come equipped with super-large egos -- will be arm-wrestling for the spotlight. Couldn't the contest winner have had his day in the sun alone?

Gary, this may be a case of misery getting some company. Give these stars some credit for putting their games on display. The spotlight they receive in San Diego may not be the one their accustomed to; it could be harsh indeed.

--Bob Carney

Diaz on Slow Play

Golf Digest — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:04:14 -0700

Jaime Diaz's column on the Tour's slow play brought several letters, including that of Steven Roby of Glendale, Arizona:

I wanted to compliment Jaime Diaz on his fine back page piece in Golf World about slow-play! I realize his article was about the professionals, however, he failed to point out the single biggest problem for slow-play at the weekend municipals for us amateurs -- playing from the back tee markers when your absolutely shouldn't be.
When Joe 20-handicap-amateur steps up to the 225 yard par 3, he doesn't have a chance of hitting that green. It just bogs down everything while he struggles to make his double. The regular men's tee yardage of 178 yards is plenty challenging enough, don't you think?

Please people, if you are not a certifiable 10-handicapper or less, don't play from the "pro" tees. If we all moved up a set of markers, I'll promise you two things: 1) The pace of play will be much faster and 2) we will all enjoy our round so much better.

Luzviminda G. Veloso of Ridgewood, New York, had a similar reaction:

I want to thank Mr. Jaime Diaz for finally addressing "Slow Play" at the PGA. I believe I sent an e-mail to Mr. Hawkins about the same subject. He is dead on when he mentioned the LPGA. I watch their plays, too, and the ladies do not spend too much time practicing their strokes. They are more efficient in terms of positioning themselves and hitting their balls. Trevor Immelman made me fill like shouting during the Masters. I don't blame Rory Sabatini when he seemed to act rudely when he played with Ben Crane.

Ms. Veloso, I can't believe you said that.

We're right to push the pros--for the record, the Players final round took four hours, forty minutes in twosomes--but the pro game need not affect our own, and yet we let it. When Peter Kostis praises a player for looking at a putt from all angles, we wince, because we know we'll see a 20-handicap circling his 40-footer the next time we play on the weekend. It was refreshing to watch Brandt Snedeker, whose model is Tom Watson, play so crisply at the Masters. He's a guy we ought to emulate.

--Bob Carney

The Players: Rashomon Reaction

Golf Digest — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:16:44 -0700

Was it the movie Rashomon that reminded us that witnesses to an event each see it very differently? Perhaps The Players is the Tour's Rashomon. Consider this sampling of early letters on this weekend's "Fifth Major":

Reader Steve Wiel:

What a terrible way to decide the Players Championship , on a gimmick par 3. I think it is terrible to decide the so called fifth major championship on a golf hole that should be on a miniature golf course. Do you think that any other major championship would start a playoff on a wedge par three? This is one of the many reasons why most people don't include this tournament as a major championship. For Paul Goydos to lose this championship because of a gust of wind knocked his shot down is terrible. This is no way to be rewarded for a great week of golf.

Gene Martineau of Roseville, California:

The reason the Players will never achieve major status: Instead of a three- or four-hole playoff to decide the champion, they start the playoff on the 17th hole which is akin to conducting the playoff on a minature golf course. All that was missing was the windmill.

ES Young, St. Simons Island, Georgia:

It was wonderful to see Sergio finally win an important event, but knowing he would be featured on TV a lot wouldn't it have been nice if he had shaved? With these men earning so much and being examples for the younger golfers I think the PGA should have some rules about grooming.

Tony Ciulla, Fallbrook, California:

You probably will not publish this letter since it is not a very complimentary one, but here goes anyway...Nothing I have ever seen in a golf tournament in person or on television has made me ashamed to profess my love for the game and the professionals that play it, EXCEPT on that tournament day that Sergio Garcia, after putting out and picking his ball out of the cup, spit in the cup....If he never wins another tour event it will please me just fine. I'm sorry he won the Player's Championship, and like him, I will never change.

Eleanor Law, West Palm Beach, Florida:

Hooray for the opinion by Jaime Diaz in the May 9 issue about slow play. As a devoted golf watcher, I have almost given up and transferred my watching to NASCAR because of slow play by the PGA golfers. My feelings were reinforced this weekend at the Players, by Sergio's slowness in what he should do and Furyk's habit of always backing off. The LPGA has found a solution, now let's see the same effort from the PGA!

Tom Brickley:

I am a senior citizen and while watching the NBC broadcast of the TPC yesterday, it was difficult to read the plus and minus signs at the bottom of the screen as they were posting all player's scores. It woud be so nice if the networks could use the color red for those under par and black and white for those over or even par. In this period of super electronic advances, it shouldn't be too difficult to do. I am sending this to you because I would have no idea who to contact at NBC, CBS, ESPN or the Golf Channel. By the way, keep up the good work. I like your Golf World, as it does not have too many instructions on how to improve my game with so called gimmicks or instruction from pros or teachers. My game is as good as it is going to get......

For the record, this observer loves the 17th hole, likes the fact that Sergio won and that Paul Goydos gave him such a fight, hates slow play, objects to the scruffy look, thinks The Players is a major and can't read a darn thing on the TV leaderboards. For a more professional view, check out Jim Moriarty's tournament report and Bill Fields thoughts on Sawgrass. Thank you all for your comments.

--Bob Carney

(Poster: www.buffalo.edu)

Rory Sabbatini's Bag

Golf Digest — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:13:24 -0700

Speaking of best players not to win a major or a Players, Robert V. Ippolito of Atlanta sees a bit of intrigue in a recent "What's in My Bag?" with Rory Sabbatini, who finished T-27, plus-5 at the Players.

I just finished reading about what's in Rory Sabbatini's bag. Do you think that the change to Adams from Nike equipment in January of this year was coincidence? Or is it more likely that Tiger had some influence over the powers to be at Nike and had Rory fired after Rory's early withdrawal from Tiger's Target World Challenge? We all know of Rory's on-course antics (Ben Crane, Nick Faldo, wife Amy's tee shirts, etc.) but those of us who have had the "opportunity" to spend some off the course time with Rory know that he can be described as arrogant at best and deserved to lose his high paying equipment contract. It's time to grow up, Rory!

Golf World's Equipment Editor Mike Johnson replies:

Here’s the deal: Tiger had absolutely nothing to do with Sabbatini leaving Nike and going to Adams. For starters, Sabbatini was not “fired” from Nike. His contract was up at the end of 2007 and he was free to sign with whomever he wanted. Second, Sabbatini had started putting out feelers to other companies as early as mid year 2007, well prior to the spat with Tiger at the Target World Challenge. He had been talking with Adams for quite some time--it is a common occurrence for players whose contracts are expiring to talk with companies throughout the final year of their existing pacts--and they were able to agree on a deal when the Nike contract expired. In short, it was a typical PGA Tour player equipment endorsement deal.

The kind of deal that say, Paul Goydos, is considering today. Thanks, Mike. Thanks, Robert.

--Bob Carney

Nick Faldo

Golf Digest — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:40:00 -0700

Just when I was thinking how well Nick Faldo is handling the Players commentary comes this letter from Jack Bird of Laguna Hills, California. Jack has a different point of view:

How to Improve Nick Faldo's Commentating
Require him to:

1. Speak in intelligible sentences.

2. Demonstrate he has prepared for the broadcast.

3. Attend the Johnny Miller School of Broadcasting in order to acquire insight and
wisdom.

4. Complete a course in the art of developing a sense of humor.

Pay off his contract and admit a mistake was made.

Get rid of Kelly, so he has to deal with the real world.

Give the viewers a warning when he is about to speak, so they have the option of using their mute button.

Encourage him to play the European Senior Tour.

Send him to the Nick Faldo School of Golf so he can learn how to have fun.

Send him to England permanently.

Don't allow him to:

1. Talk about himself.

2. Tell the viewers what players are thinking or feeling.

3. Comment on swing mechanics.

4. Make predications.

--Bob Carney

Anthony and Jack on "Specializing"

Golf Digest — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:37:15 -0700

Anthony Kim's comments this week at the Players about playing other sports as a kid recalled Jack Nicklaus last November at the World Golf Hall of Fame:

Q. A lot of people throw the names of 20-something golfers with all this potential in the world out there left and right, but what do you think makes you different? What do you think might put you over the top?
ANTHONY KIM: I think playing other sports growing up. Winning was pretty big to me, and doing anything to win just when you're down 15 points in a basketball game or when things are going bad, I feel like I'm going to just keep fighting and fighting, and I know a lot of the guys, most of the guys are going to do that out there and not quit and I think if you don't quit, you're going to have a good opportunity to succeed out here.

Q. I was just curious, when you talk about your childhood and your background and being very well rounded and the different sports you played and whatnot, how has that served you through your career, and do you worry at all about what seems to be golfing landscape now where kids are doing golf and nothing but golf from an early age all the way through?

JACK NICKLAUS: You know, I can't do much with it. I think it's a different day. Everything is a different day. I hate to see kids specialize. Just like even the little school where my kids go to school, my grandkids are going to the same school that my kids did, and my kids got to have the opportunity to play all sports; they played football, basketball or baseball or golf or whatever they played, and they played that all through school. Now that silly school is now specializing in sports. I said, that's why you go to a small school, so you can be able to do all those things, have the opportunity to do it. Basically you have to do that. You have to almost specialize to be able to play.

You see kids specialize in golf. I think that is idiotic. It's crazy. I mean, you've got -- here you've got all these great things -- I don't know any of my grandkids play golf. They play, but they don't play golf. I can't imagine any of them if they really want to put a score on the board are going to break 90, but they're all quite capable of breaking 80, but they just don't play. And that's fine...

To play all the sports is great. I played everything. My dad played everything. When I finally ended up, golf to me was just another sport until I was about 19. When I won the National Amateur at 19, I finally said, hmm, I must be a little better than I think I am. It was just a game, still is a game. But it didn't make any difference to me. I mean, I was not -- I went right back -- I was in school at Ohio State, and I went right back and put my golf clubs away and played intramural football and basketball and volleyball and I didn't touch a golf club for three or four months, six months, whatever it was. It didn't make any difference. I knew I was going to play golf next year.

But I think kids today, they don't get their bodies well-rounded.... Eventually if you want to specialize in something, that's fine, but go out and enjoy and be happy to be able to play other things and do them. The opportunity to do that is there for you if you want to. That's what my dad did to me. He just gave me the opportunity. He introduced me to everything. I couldn't get enough of any one of them I played. I thought that was just great.

--Bob Carney

(Photo: Richard Heathcote, Getty Images)

Slow Play

Golf Digest — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:08:00 -0700

Ohioan Tom Howenstine has had it with five-hour rounds and he blames the pros. I'm sure he had a fit yesterday watching Phil Mickelson take two and a half minutes to pull the trigger on one of the Stadium's par 3s:

Slow play by the pros have done more to ruin the game than anything else. Of course it provides the networks with really cheap air time at no added expense. Think about it. Imagine yourself playing in a twosome with two caddies and galleries to find any errant ball, and it takes 5 hours to play a round. Put a time limit from when a player starts and when he can finish. Penalize him a stroke for every 10 minutes over his time limit. A time limit would also add another dimension to the sport that it needs. These measures would speed up play not only at the pro level but also for us amateurs. Everyone says people won’t play golf now because of the time involved. Now a round of golf on a weekend ruins the whole day due to slow play, where it should take no longer than half a day.

Thanks, Tom. Good item on slow play and player Matthew Goggin's comments about it on Geoff Shackelford's blog.

Your comment on people leaving the game because of the time reminds me of something a friend who belongs to a nine-hole family club in Connecticut told me the other day. He said that having only nine holes used to be a disadvantage in recruiting new members. "Now it's an advantage," he says.

--Bob Carney

Hall of Famer Pete Dye

Golf Digest — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:01:00 -0700

Hooray for Pete Dye! And three cheers for the World Golf Hall of Fame for inducting him while he can enjoy it. Pete has done more for the ascendance of golf course architects than Bob Toski did for teachers or Tiger Woods still does for his fellow pros. If the truth be told, Dye's also responsible for adding cost, difficulty and probably time to our average golf round, but most of us welcomed and even wallowed in the abuse. What's more, he's trying to reverse some of that with his calls for a ball rollback, and his recent comments on ways to reduce the cost of the game.

To honor him, I suggest you play one Pete Dye course a month until his induction in November. My May course is the Dye track at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie. It's been refurbished, is in fabulous shape, and seems even better and stronger than it was when it was built ten years ago. I played on the occasion of our most recent Golf Digest panelist summit, and the experience reminded me of a point architect Brian Silva made beautifully at an early panelist conference: namely, that Dye is a master of lines and angles. He's built a reputation on being penal, but there can't be a better example of strategic design than his PGA course. Take the right line along the correct angle and you are rewarded with an approach shot that's both shorter and easily accessible to the flag. Take the conservative line off the tee and you'll have your hands full on that second, probably having to negotiate a hazard. Absolutely fair. Immensely enjoyable.

--Bob Carney

(Photo of sixth at Dye Course courtesy of PGA Golf Club)

Angry at the Angry Golfer

Golf Digest — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:37:21 -0700

John Hawkins' Angry Golfer column is creating, well, angry golfers.

Bill Gallagher of Raleigh finds inconsistency (a first?) in Hawkins' column on Geoff Ogilvy:

John Hawkins seems shocked that Geoff Ogilvy would accuse the media of saying that most players are not trying. Never happened, says Hawkins. But just a few paragraphs further, he implies that the majority of the field is so enamored with the huge payoffs that winning isn't all that big a deal. That sounds very much like he is saying that they aren't trying. John Hawkins wants it both ways. And no, Tiger does not have a monopoly on the ability to produce in the clutch. Young Immelman did just fine at Augusta, as did Zack Johnson in 2007.

And, via email, gkibler2 takes issue with Hawkins comments about the John Daly shirtless, shoeless video making news on television and YouTube (nearly 200,000 viewings; 4.5 star rating).

I like Hawkins little angry golfer act. He should however not be pontificating about John Daly on the Golf Channel. We love John because he is not a typical stepford golfer. We all know Tiger and Phil are your perfect little corporate boys. I live in Vegas and have asked every golfer I know what they thought of Daly's shirtless video. Everybody loves it. We love him because he dosn't kiss the corporate ass like you guys do.

G, were you by any chance at the Players this week? Golf World's John Antonini, in the Local Knowledge blog, reports that patrons here miss Daly more than Tiger. As far as the kissing goes, I'm betting that soon John will not be faced with the awful dilemma of whether to kiss the corporate tush or live free. His shirt, when he wears one, will lack any reference to a corporation.

--Bob Carney

Golf Digest's 50 Best 19th Holes

Golf Digest — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:16:57 -0700

Tennessean Bryan Tinsley takes issue with Golf Digest's 50 Best 19th Holes list.

First thought, the article is very interesting and romantic. It was very enjoyable to read the article and imagine having a bourbon at Pine Valley post a 12 penalty-stroke, 41-putt 105. However, the article should be about 19th holes that the average reader could potentially have a drink in. Even if I were a very rich man, I would never have a chance to see all the private clubhouses in America. Most of your readers, at best, will only have the chance to see one or two of the locations described. A follow-up article on great public 19th holes would be a terrific read. Just a thought...

Ron Kaspriske, who compiled the list, replies:

Bryan, Thanks for writing. In response to your letter, thought you should know that 20 of the 50 bars listed in our March issue are open to the public and we have since featured two of them in our April (Pinehurst) and June (Atlantic City C.C.) issues. Our July issue will feature another 19th hole open to the public.
But I understand your concerns. I'm a public golfer. I do not have a private club membership. I'm one of you.

I promise you, in 18 months when we revisit the list, we will have an even stronger commitment to public watering holes.Feel free to nominate one in your area!

Bottoms up,
Ron

--Bob Carney