What Will The Texas Rangers Get Out Of Golf Course Deal?

I don't ask that in a hostile way, it's just curious that the Texas Rangers are lending their name and merchandise might to a city of Arlington golf course in what could be a fascinating deal.

But after reading Mark Kazlowski's Dallas News story, I'll be intrigued to hear what's in it for them given this:

When it reopens this summer after a major makeover, Chester W. Ditto Golf Course will be called Texas Rangers Golf Club.

Mayor Jeff Williams said this will be the first golf course with a Major League Baseball team's name attached.

Under the 36-year promotional and licensing agreement unanimously approved by the city council Tuesday, the Rangers give the city the right to use its brand on the golf course, which is about three miles from Globe Life Park and the entertainment district.

The Rangers are not paying to put their name on the course. The city will retain all revenue from golf course merchandise sold with Rangers logos, and the Rangers will market the golf course at the stadium during games.

Maybe it's just good community karma, but it'll be interesting to see if this becomes a model in other cities for major league teams. I could certainly see some benefits for a struggling course to become the official home of the local team, complete with theme events and other touches (oh yes, you know the team-logoed bunker is happening).

NLU's Sony Open Briefing: Sponsor Invite Questions

No Laying Up's Tron Carter frequently struggles to keep food down at the site of certain sponsor exemptions.

In his Sony Open briefing that includes a fun note on frequent foil Patrick Reed, the host sponsor of this week's event is taken to task for some curious choices.

I tend to side with sponsor's given their financial outlay, but this point about Web.com Tour grads could be viewed as noteworthy except that this is not the first event of the year, but instead the eighth week of 2017-18 PGA Tour golf thanks to the joys and wonderment of the wraparound tour schedule.

11) I’m not done ranting about the Sony field. Once again, the event only cleared about 40 of the 50 guys from the 2017 Web Tour graduate list. Ridiculous. If you have your card, you should have your card, period. I get the priority list, but this is the first event of the year and everybody should be ready to roll. Cut the 125 list on tour to 100, have less guys graduate from the web tour, whatever, but if you have your card you should be able to play a majority of the events in the fall and in January/February before the first reshuffle.

Best Golf Instagram Posts I Saw, 1-10-18

Model Kelly Rohrbach played the Sony Open pro-am with Jordan Spieth and showed she has an awesome golf swing.

@kellyrohrbach has a sweet golf swing. 🏌️‍♀️

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Jan 10, 2018 at 4:56pm PST

Henrik Stenson and the European Tour put this fun shot out today (it's a wide angle, two parter so click on the righthand arrow):

Through the eyes of the Iceman 😎 #TeamEurope #EurAsiaCup

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Jan 10, 2018 at 1:07am PST

Peter Finch played at Formby today and posted some marvelous photos of that gem.

This course is superb, Formby Ladies Golf Club 😍😍😍 #golf #photography #lovegolf #youtube

A post shared by Peter Finch (@peterfinchgolf) on Jan 10, 2018 at 3:59am PST

Nice flip/trick shot from Zac Radford, small point deduction for the excess hooping and hollering. Own it boys!

Nice shot...better celebration 😜 @davidprice14 (High five), @curtcasali19 (Handshake) & @rrneyland (The guy who walked off 😂)

A post shared by Zac Radford (@realzacradford) on Jan 10, 2018 at 4:27pm PST

Will Tax Bill's Elimination Of Golf Business Expenses Have Impact?

Josh Sens of Golf.com does a nice job reporting on the potential impact of changes to deductions ushered in with the new tax laws. In a nutshell, the golf industry may take a hit.

Noting the irony of President Donald Trump trumping the on-course relationship-building he has done against Congress' view that deducting business entertainment was a loophole, Sens explains:

To many in the golf world, the new rule is disappointing, but not surprising. Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association, was among those who saw it coming. In late November, as the tax bill was taking shape, Karen and representatives from three other golf industry groups penned a letter to Congress, pleading with lawmakers to preserve the 50 percent business-entertainment deduction. Doing away with it, they wrote, would hurt "small business owners of golf courses across the country" while dampening the myriad business dealings that take place "every day of the week across thousands of courses."

Should We Be Reconsidering Carl Pettersson's 2006 Mercedes Championship Drive On The List Of Greatest Shots Ever?

I hate revising history, but with Brandel Chamblee placing Dustin Johnson's Sentry Tournament of Champions tee shot atop the list of greatest shots in golf history got me thinking.

Should we revisit past TOC's at Kapalua to see just how profoundly out of character DJ's drive was compared to year's past? Could there be others that should be displacing ho-hum shots on this list:

My 10 favorite shots ever hit on the PGA Tour
10)Phil 2nd/13’10 Masters
9)Jones’2 Iron/18’23 USO playoff
8)Jack 16 ‘86 Masters
7)Woods 15/‘OO AT&T
6)Jack17/72USO
5)Woods 18/‘00 Can. Open
4)Palmer at 1‘60 USO
3)Worsham 18‘53 World Champ
2)Sarazen15th/‘35 Masters
1)DJ 12th‘18 TOC

— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) January 8, 2018

Turns out, shocker of all shocker to those of us who have watched Kapalua for years: players have driven right down in front of, or on the front edge of the 12th green since ShotLink has been tracking shots (around 2006). I know, I know but never inches from the cup to win golf's 21st major.

Brandel described the difficulty of the shot in defending his case this way: "It was downwind/crosswind but not into a funnel, the green sits at the bottom of a hill, but the hill propelled balls into the right short bunker, to avoid the bunker you have to challenge the left side of the fairway, where a miss left could easily lead to a lost ball."

Scary! And...how it plays most years.

I randomly first pulled up the 2006 Mercedes Championship records, went to the pressure-packed round four, and what do you know but three players in one group drove within 54 feet of the hole.

But only Carl Pettersson converted that drive into an eagle the way DJ did. Granted, he probably had to chip in to do it, but I say, move over Sarazen double eagle! We have a new greatest shot for second place!

Okay, but you say the shot will not be shown 20 years from now "when he’s being inducted into the Hall" because, barring a late career surge of epic proportions, Pettersson won't be headed to the HOF.

Whatever!

As for Brandel's barometer that "nobody has ever hit a longer straighter shot that mattered more," I think "matter" is relative. Maybe to Carl that eagle mattered a whole bunch? For all we know, it could be the lifetime earnings difference between getting in PGA Tour Champions events or having to Monday qualify? Or maybe he paid for a first class upgrade home with the extra dough?

Chamblee said "DJs drive will likely be the signature shot of his career and the defining shot of this generation of great athletes coming to golf." But given that the Pettersson eagle was a decade ago, maybe we need to revisit his, Sergio Garcia and Wes Short Jr.'s amazing athleticism that helped them drive within mere feet of where DJ hit the greatest shot ever?

Anyway, this is all for your consideration, listmakers!

PS - DJ drove just in front of the green at the 2017 event despite soft and wind-unfriendly conditions. Cue that tape, too, for his HOF induction ceremony!

Video: Fritsch Discusses Anti-Doping Violation

Brad Fritsch commented to Chantel McCabe on Tuesday's Golf Central about his Facebook post and three-month suspension for violating the PGA Tour's anti-doping policy. The product in question is incredibly common on vitamin store shelves and so you feel for Fritsch in trying (successfully) to lose weight and turning himself in.

Great stuff here:

Isao & Vin, Valley Club, A Rogue Push Cart And More In Golf Instagram, 1-9-18

A fantastic PGA Tour mini-rebroadcast of Isao Aoki’s Sony Open hole out, with Vin Scully behind the microphone.

Hole-out for the win!!! We’ll never forget this from the 1983 @SonyOpenHawaii. #TOURVault

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Jan 9, 2018 at 11:52am PST

Our thoughts are with the people of Montecito after fires and now terrible mudflows took so many lives. The most recent shot I could find from November featuring The Valley Club of Montecito's beautiful 11th hole, and is believed to be damaged following the rains.

Happy Thanksgiving Golfers—Enjoy your day today. Despite some truly awful things happening in the world, I’ve personally experienced a year full of incredible moments and remarkably generous acts of kindness that I’ll remember for years to come. Cheers to good friendships old and new. And to the Valley Club. Because well...it’s just that awesome.

A post shared by Carl Spackler (@gunga_galunga_golf) on Nov 23, 2017 at 9:05am PST

Glad he wore a track suit for golf! There is no way you only watch this once:

Relaxing round of golf - Submit your funniest videos at the link in our bio

A post shared by Old People Doing Things (@oldppldoingthings) on Jan 8, 2018 at 6:53pm PST

The Uh, "Greatest Shot Ever Hit" Is Another Reminder Of The Looming War Over Silly Distances

Proclaimed the greatest shot ever hit(!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?) and subsequently defended with various rationales from the statement author, Brandel Chamblee, the fun social threads were in response to his highlighting of Dustin Johnson's spectacular 12th hole drive. But the 433-yarder awoke GolfChannel.com's Randall Mell to take a different view.

While it was a special shot that hit just the right speed slot, it might not have even been the greatest shot Johnson hit in winning at Kapalua, much less compare to anything hit in a major championship last year. It was, however, 433 yards mostly great fun to watch because of the way DJ's ball interacted with the ground (not the actual carry distance).

Nonetheless, as any rational human knows, trying to design a fun challenge for a game played at these distances is expensive and leads to longer rounds. Prompting this rant from Mell.

It was another irritating example of how much the game has been corrupted by high-tech witchery, of how scientifically hot-wired drivers and balls are making the game way too easy.

So was Johnson hitting 15 drives of 375 yards or more on the week.

Yes, the Plantation Course at Kapalua isn’t your ordinary venue, with all those hills and high winds boosting big hits, but today’s players are dramatically shrinking the dimensions of venues everywhere.

Johnson’s savage lash at the 12th couldn’t have been better timed, coming in the year’s opening event, because it sets up what finally may be the year golf’s governing bodies force a showdown with golf ball manufacturers.

FYI, the May 2002 Joint Statement of Principles is coming up on its 16th anniversary!

The question today is whether Dustin Johnson’s monster drive was good for the game or bad for the game, whether it was something to celebrate or something to disparage.

The war on the ball starts with the nature of that question.

It's both something to celebrate that a player of his ability can put all of the tools at his disposal together to hit such a drive. It's the inability to make the case that he can display his skill at 10-20% less distance, and maybe even reap more of a skill advantage, that is something to disparage.

Lawsuit Update: It's A Good Thing Vijay Has FedExCup Money

In visiting with reporters at Kapalua, Commissioner Jay Monahan did not give the impression of a man about to settle suits brought on by Vijay Singh (in 2013!) and the tour caddies.

Rex Hoggard writes for GolfChannel.com of Vijay's case, that includes another Tour appeal...

“This case has been going on for a long, long time,” Singh’s attorney Peter Ginsberg argued before the court late last year. “Is it possible for the court to give us a trial date? This war of attrition is just battering my client, who is still plagued by this.”

Battering! And the Commissioner's view of that battering?

“I'll just say that we're going through the process and once you get into a legal process, and you've been into it as long as we have been into it, I think it's fair to assume that we're going to run it until the end,” he said.

Filed in New York, it's a very good thing Vijay has that FedExCup money to burn on Manhattan lawyers!

Monday In Golf Instagram, 1-8-18

The U.S. Mid-Amateur champion is a firefighter from Broxton, Mass and Matt Parziale has been profiled in print a few times. But now the USGA tells his story in a video feature, viewable here at USGA.org. A preview from Instagram:

 The U.S. Mid-Amateur champion is a firefighter from Broxton, Mass and he has been profiled in print a few times. But now the USGA tells his story in a video feature, viewable here at USGA.org.

A firefighter in Brockton, Mass., reigning #USMidAm champ @mattparziale has added to his hometown’s proud history.

A post shared by United States Golf Association (@usga) on Jan 8, 2018 at 12:47pm PST

Nine years old and this swing. Not fair!

#drivershot #juniorgolf #girlsgolf #golfswing. . 드라이이버샷 #골프 #주니어골프 #어린이골프 #골프스타그램 #골프스윙 #슬로모션

A post shared by I'm all ready for the world😎 (@golfingodi) on Jan 8, 2018 at 2:04am PST

And the PGA.com accounted posted this today, but since the original was up just 3 days ago, let’s salute (and follow) the Isaac Riches account. Another amazing young player:

Full video of that shot.......with his new @callawaygolfaus MD4 56 degree wedge. Pin tucked behind a bunker, not much green to work with....at 5 years old he's too short to see it go in for a 🐦 🐦🦅 start ... How good is golf @golfaust @golf_gods @pgatour @golfchannel @golfrabble @theplayersview @sportbible @golfchannel @coloradogolfblog @thegolfingthing #juniorgolf #juniorprodigy #chipin #mygolf #juniorgolfallaccess #pgatour #pga365 #nbcgolf #golfchannel #golfstarz @golf_starz

A post shared by Isaac Riches Aussie Golfer (@isaac_riches_golf) on Jan 4, 2018 at 11:18pm PST

They’ve only once seen sandpipers at the Rio Olympic Golf Course, until today when the rare-for-Brazil birds were spotted:

A espécie da ave maçarico-acanelado, Calidris subruficollis (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae), teve sua primeira ocorrência no Rio de Janeiro dia 17 de outubro de 2017, no Campo Olímpico de Golfe. Até então, não havia registro dessa espécie por aqui. Ela, assim como afirma o artigo em “Notas curtas”, por conta da caça comercial e da falta de seus ambientes, diminuiu muito. No Campo de Golfe, a ave estava forrageando e se alimentando no gramado. Ele e a área conservada do campo proporcionam totais condições para que a espécie utilize como área de invernada, o que é ótimo, já que o maçarico-acanelado é fiel a suas áreas de invernada e o campo fornece muitos recursos a ele. Um agradecimento foi feito ao Diretor Executivo da ECP, Carlos Favoreto, conforme transcrito abaixo: “Também somos especialmente gratos a Carlos Favoreto, responsável pela gestão ambiental do Campo de Golfe Olímpico, pelo apoio à pesquisa e conservação no local, pelo suporte logístico e por permitir que a área seja estudada”. (Fotos de Camila Scalzer de Abreu)

A post shared by Campo Olímpico de Golfe (@campoolimpicodegolfe) on Jan 8, 2018 at 8:51am PST

A rare look into Scottsdale National Golf Club’s mineshaft bunker.

@golf_gods Here is @billiepay having a little issue out of the mine shaft. #pxgtroops #gabegolfswingtrainer 👊

A post shared by Gabriel Hjertstedt GabeGolf (@gabegolf_) on Dec 28, 2017 at 7:02am PST

"Plenty of rancor over anchored putting among PGA Tour Champions crew"

We know the geezers tour regulars are not thrilled that the top two players seem to almost-anchor their putters, and as their season opener nears, Golfweek's Eamon Lynch examines just how much joy this is bothering the senior set.

Last year's public issues with Bernhard Langer and Scott McCarron came from Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee suggesting they were bending the rules. 

“Brandel and I have been friends for a long time,” he says. “I’ve worked in the TV business. I know you say things sometimes you aren’t really sure about. And he usually does his homework. He’s very diligent. This time he missed the boat.”

If Chamblee did “miss the boat” with his comments, he has plenty of company on the dock. Rancor over the anchoring rule, and the success McCarron and Langer have enjoyed with their method, has shaken the senior set.

“It’s a huge issue,” says Tom Pernice Jr., a five-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions. “A lot of players aren’t going to say anything about it to the press. It’s not fair. If you’re playing for a living, there’s a skill level in putting and that is being able to control the fulcrum point.”

Yikes, glad we got that all sorted out last year!

With Their Congressional Intervention, Jack And DLIII Solidify Places In Ponte Vedra Beach Hall Of Fame

Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love can drive as fast as they want in greater Jacksonville, can expect a ticker tape parade up PGA Tour Boulevard and permanent hugs from Commissioner Jay Monahan. That's because the Commish revealed to writers at Kapalua that the Jack and Davis were key players in squashing the Senate's recent tax bill efforts to rescind non-profit status for the PGA Tour.

After a funny bit about Monahan getting Nicklaus on his cell phone, there was this from Brian Wacker's Golf World account:

A week after having hip surgery in late November, Davis Love III went to Washington, D.C. as well, meeting with members of the Senate Finance Committee to lobby on the tour’s behalf.

“I said, ‘What can I do other than writing letters?’ I know so many senators and congressmen, I said I’d love to go up there and pitch our case,” said Love, who counts former senator Sam Nunn among his neighbors in Sea Island, Ga., and helps host the RSM Classic at Sea Island. “It was just helpful to get in some offices. [They] were extremely helpful and supportive and could see the impact that it has.”

Still not known, at least publicly, is the identity of the Republican Senator who initially inserted the language into the bill, and which legislator had the exemption salvaged. Something tells me that said lawmaker will get multiple invites to and lots of shoulder pats on April 25th's National Golf Day.

Either way, the tax structure was a part of the PGA Tour's charitable efforts in 2017, announced by Monahan during Sunday's Sentry TOC telecast.