Reprinted from The Spirit of St. Andrews: “During the championship at Hoylake, I was returning to Liverpool by train in a railway carriage with a number of golfers who were discussing Hoylake and other greens. None of them knew who I was, and one of them turned and said “We have some of those infernal MacKenzie greens on our course.” I remarked...
I’ll be continuing my write up of the media days at Black Mesa over the weekend. Tony Korologos at Hooked on Golf Blog has great video, photos and a breakdown to tide you over. Also, Scot Duke, Mr. Business Golf added Black Mesa to his must play list, so add him to your must read list. In the meantime, here’s the other must-reads of the day. I hate the...
Championships and Friendships: The First 100 Years of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association              Although I only have time to name a few, I love Jeff Shelley for a million reasons. First, he’s honest, hard working and loves golf to the marrow of his bones. Second, he’s the best kind of editor; he hardly touches anything I...
I was looking for this quote from my Golf Observer colleague, Lorne Rubenstein – it’s one of my favorites but moreover, this is something that every course developer should hear:
“The less adulterated a course is by gatehouses, greeters, cart paths, halfway houses, and global positioning satellite systems, the firmer the attachment is for me.”
When I first saw the title of this book I thought to myself, “What is this guy trying to sell me?” I had thoughts that it was another vapid self-improvement shuck designed to prey off people bereft of self-respect, dignity or common sense. I did my research on author Scot Duke and his websites and was pleasantly surprised with what I found. His website...
Let’s give a polite golf clap welcome to sportswriter Jeffrey Prest and his new website The Golf Course as Art. Being from the UK, Jeff has a solid grasp of golf course architecture principles. Being a sportswriter, he can quickly tell when someone is trying to sell him snake oil. Clever and resourceful, accurate and articulate, Jeff makes a splendid daily...
Quick news and notes today: 1. Good reads. First, the USGA’s Craig Smith penned a solid review of the U.S.A.’s Walker Cup victory at Royal County Down. The Walker Cup goes to Royal County Down, but the Ryder Cup goes to Valhalla and Adare Manor and that horrible, horrible Palmer mess (a.k.a. The K Club, a.k.a. “PGA National East?” Why? The...
No tricks today – or social commentary for that matter. Why bother? The FedEx Cup is too contrived to find popularity, but will die not because the concept is flawed, but because the players are lazy. No, scrap all the hue, cry, whoop and crash and curl up with a good read about Oakmont by one of the world’s best – Lorne Rubenstein of The Globe...
I’m writing something different today, but it’s more important than any sports essay I have ever penned. As a sportswriter, I get to see the National Anthem performed before events all the time. It never gets old for me. I remove my hat, I lovingly place my right hand over my heart and I sing those sweet, sweet words with as clear a second tenor and...
I love Mike Nuzzo – he rocks. Nice to have an epic architect and killer photographer in the blogdom.
Check out his blog here. Break a leg, buddy! [That’s a compliment for those of you scoring at home)
It’s with a sad sigh that I bid farewell to an old writer colleague as he cashes in his chips at the cage and rides his blog off ito the sunset. Sorry to see you go, Jeff Mingay, you’re one of the good ones. But good luck on the new gig and in your designs.
As I packed up my gear to leave Oakmont after the 2007 U.S. Open, Rand Jerris of the U.S.G.A. called me over. To my delight, he presented me with a copy of his book Golf’s Golden Age, a survey of the great players of Bobby Jones’ era. I’m still touched by his thinking of me. Besides it being a good example of the adage I live by – if good...
I revamped the first part of my piece called The Art of the Bethpage Overnight.
Please click here and enjoy!
No sports today. Instead, we’ll honor the passing of one of America’s greatest writers. Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday from complications from a head injury he received in a fall several weeks ago. He was 84. Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis but also owned homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons. He is best known for his semi-autobiographical science...
everyone keeps saying Pressel 1, Wie 0. I have to keep reminding everyone that in my opinion is Pressel 2, Michelle 0. Morgan won the U.S. Amateur as well a sa Women’s major. Michelle is sold to us as a Lady Tiger, but she never won the Women’s Amateur…or the Women’s Jr., let alone three of each. Czabe has come to the same conclusion:...