The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup
by John Feinstein
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
by Kevin Cook
Playing Through: Modern Golf's Most Iconic Players and Moments
by Jim Moriarty
His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir (Anchor Sports)
by Dan Jenkins
The Captain Myth: The Ryder Cup and Sport's Great Leadership Delusion
by Richard Gillis
The Ryder Cup: Golf's Grandest Event – A Complete History
by Martin Davis
Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf
by Kevin Robbins
Grounds for Golf: The History and Fundamentals of Golf Course Design
by Geoff Shackelford
The Art of Golf Design
by Michael Miller, Geoff Shackelford
The Future of Golf: How Golf Lost Its Way and How to Get It Back
by Geoff Shackelford
Lines of Charm: Brilliant and Irreverent Quotes, Notes, and Anecdotes from Golf's Golden Age Architects
Sports Media Group
Alister MacKenzie's Cypress Point Club
by Geoff Shackelford
The Golden Age of Golf Design
by Geoff Shackelford
Masters of the Links: Essays on the Art of Golf and Course Design
Sleeping Bear Press
The Good Doctor Returns: A Novel
by Geoff Shackelford
The Captain: George C. Thomas Jr. and His Golf Architecture
by Geoff Shackelford
The fate of golf would seem to lie in the hands of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the United States Golf Association. Can we expect that they will protect and reverence the spirit of golf? MAX BEHR
House and I convene on Sunday night to discuss Bubba Watson's win, the Genesis Open week for Tiger and what to look for in his game at this week's Honda Classic.
As always the show is brought to you by Callaway and the new family of Rogue's, in stores now, as is the newest Chrome Soft that landed on shelves late last week.
For those who haven't read my 2005 thriller The Future of Golf, or perhaps who have friends needing to understand why the governing bodies are warming up on the distance issue, Golfweek's Alistair Taitsets up the reason for the shift in position as we anticipate a report in the coming days.
Tait gets to the key question many were asking here at Riviera: What’s happened in the last year to change Slumbers’ mind?
“There has been a significant move up across all tours,” he said. “We’re looking at the longest on-record average driving distance. It’s caused us as well as our colleagues at the USGA serious concern. We had talked for a number of years about slow creep. This is a little bit more than slow creep. It’s actually quite a big jump.”
“Our 2002 joint statement of principles put a line in the sand, or purported to put a line in the sand. Our view is when you start to look at this data now, that we have probably crossed that line in the sand and that a serious discussion is now needed.”
Now what?
The Allan Robertson testing facility seems ideally suited to get on top of hitting distance. A tour of this facility is like entering a new, high-tech world. Clubs and balls can be tested to the limit under the watchful eye of professor Steve Otto, the R&A’s director of equipment standards and chief technology officer. There doesn’t seem to be anything about golf equipment the former NASA employee doesn’t know.
The problem is trying to please all facets of the game. No avid amateur golfer wants to hit the ball shorter. The manufacturers have worked within the governing bodies’ guidelines and will feel miffed if the two bodies take drastic action. Many tour pros obviously won’t welcome a rollback.
It’s a big job, but long overdue. It’ll be interesting to see what the two bodies propose next.
Harrington says: "We would like to spend more time with Rory in the evenings. But we have a very different way of preparing for tournaments. He likes to play early, I like to play late. I’m not prepared to do his thing, he’s not prepared to do mine. And that’s fine because when I was his age I would do nothing for nobody in terms of (making compromises). Everything was: ‘What was the best thing for me?’. . . I’m prepared to compromise now.”
And Harrington says that he prefers the version of McIlroy that he occasionally comes across in private to the public face.
"I wonder sometimes about how you present yourself to the world,” he says. “It always seems much colder than who you really are. I don’t think I’ve ever been in your company where I haven’t walked away thinking you’re a nicer guy than I thought beforehand. And yet, media-wise, you can sound quite cold and clinical at times and I think: ‘He’s trying to be Tiger Woods.’ Because you present this . . . wall."
Love him or wonder about him, Bubba Watson is now a three-time winner at Riviera, joining elite company and solidifying his place as a genuine LA golf legend. He's now the PGA Tour's second-winningest lefty, still 32 wins behind Phil Mickelson. He also reached the win that would set retirement in motion, but quickly shot that down following play. Doug Ferguson's APgame story with all of the details.
A few of the fun wrap-up stories capture what turned out to be a more bunched Riviera leaderboard than normal and a very typical ending where the leader emerges convincingly. Eamon Lynchfor Golfweek on that topic and Adam Schupakat Golf.com on Bubba's wacky week.
Other than a few hiccups at the third, sixth and ninth holes, Watson plotted his way around Riviera in the appropriately caution fashion. The hole-out at the 14th all but sealed the tournament just moments after the leaderboard suggested a four man playoff was looming.
And because it's Bubba, there is a story behind the madness. G.C. Digital with the story.
Martin Kaufmann takes issue with some ofIan Baker-Finch's Sunday commentary related to Patrick Cantlay and celebrates the latest technology tool rolled out by CBS.
John Boyette with the exclusive Augusta Chronicle details on plans filed by Augusta National to realign the Old Berckmans Road to extend the 5th hole by a significant yardage. The plan submitted does not appear to significant change the angle of the tee shot, though the original bunkering has been pushed down the fairway.
From Boyette's story:
According to the preliminary plans, filed by Augusta firm Cranston Engineering Group P.C., a total of 23.1 acres would be affected. The approximate start date would be May 1, which comes after this year’s Masters, and the approximate end date is Nov. 1. Masters Week begins April 2 this year, with tournament play April 5-8.
Work is also scheduled to begin this spring at neighboring Augusta Country Club with changes to its eighth and ninth holes, the two holes affected when Augusta National purchased land from the country club last year.
Work at the Augusta Country Club, according to plans filed Feb. 9, is expected to begin in May and end by November
From the purely Jones-MacKenzie point of view, it will be interesting to see if the fairway bunkers and slopes require recontouring to retain the original dynamics intended to reflect some Old Course strategies.
Multiple sources are confirming on deep background that the Genesis Open will carry on with the likes of Spieth, McIlroy, Johnson and Thomas making the weekend and still very much able to make a run at leaders Cantlay, McDowell and Saunders.
For all the cute kids and their parents who came out to see a legend, there were more yahoos than normal on Friday and it gave Rory McIlroya headache, notes The Forecaddie.
While some major star power is lurking dangerously, co-leader Graeme McDowell is one of the more exciting stories of the weekend. Eamon Lynch's Golfweek game story sets up what should be a fun weekend.
With apologies toBernie Taupin for modifying your lyrics and the millenials who don't have the album...
So goodbye yellow brick of flowers Causing the dogs of Carmel to howl You can't plant me in your penthouse I'm going back to my plough
Back to the cool season grasses overlooking the bay Hunting the horny back toad Oh I've finally decided my future lies Beyond a yellow brick of flowers Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh...ahhhhh, ah, ahhhh
And thanks reader George for spotting this modification to the modification at Pebble Beach.
The confluence of mega-stars and the strongest field of 2018 brought out the people, but if you watched any of round one you know Tiger-Justin-Rory got most of the eyeballs.
The three certainly didn't disappoint from the perspective of providing memorable shots--Tiger with two all-time recovery shots on the 5th and 9th holes--but each had their issues too.
As for the crowds, attendance figures are no longer attempted by touranment director Mike Antolini shared this when queried:
We've nearly doubled ticket sales from last year and demand continues to build in large part due to our terrific field, including Tiger. Today's crowds were strong and we expect them to grow even larger as we enter the weekend. It's great to see the fans come out to Riviera to experience the Genesis Open.
With Howard Milstein purchasing Golf Magazine and Golf.com, we're finally getting a sense of why the banker and financial partner to Jack Nicklaus is purchasing the operation.
Part of it, of course, is writing a competitive check. (Terms were not disclosed.) But part of it, too, was Emigrant's vision for us. Expand, in this age of media contraction. Our new owners believe more is more and better is better. In time you'll see enhancements to the magazine, and the website will have a cleaner look. You'll find more original content in our channels, in our game stories, profiles, interviews, travel stories, videos and rubrics not yet invented. We also intend to offer you even more help in improving your game, and finding the best places to play, the best places to buy clubs, the best ways to get fitted for clubs, the best methods to get those clubs to perform under the scrutiny of your friends and frenemies.
On Wednesday afternoon, Howard talked to the staff for the first time as the new boss. He was asked what our message to the golfing public should be. He said he wants GOLF magazine and GOLF.com to be the go-to source for all your golfing needs. Full stop.
An intentionally lively pro-am atmosphere had the Genesis Open beginning to feel like the old L.A. Open days, with some star power adding a needed jolt following the event’s comatose Northern Trust/Championship Management years.
Tiger wowed the little guys who came out to watch, including Jaden Soong, a fellow Dodger fan and sweet swinger of the club.
Wesley Bryan teed it up with Sugar Ray Leonard.
Sifford Exemptee Cameron Champ took delivery of a Trackman, hopefully one with extra CPU for his swing speed. Check out slide two for some big numbers, if that’s your thing.
I never talked to more players who put the 10th hole down as goofy instead of architecturally interesting. The old photo/new photo comparison I posted on Instagram offers clues to some of the issues, but not all.
And with thoughts of 1992 always on minds when Tiger plays Riviera, how about this cool Sportscenter with Mike Tirico setting up the piece as he’s hosting the Winter Olympics for NBC this week?
We took the putter out to explain for Golf Centralwhy a bunker in the middle ofRiviera's 6th works--hint, the short grass around the green really helps!
House and I convene on Sunday night to discuss Bubba Watson's win, the Genesis Open week for Tiger and what to look for in his game at this week's Honda Classic. 
Monday, February 19, 2018 at 05:54 AM
