Major(s) Notes, March 11, 2011
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This week we learned Augusta National’s tax bill, major concerns for two major favorites, horrifying Masters radio news and a progressive maintenance plan for the U.S. Women's Open.
When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
2022 Drive, Chip And Putt Registration Opens, Stellar Set Of Regional Sites Await
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Parents and kids you probably know the drill by now: create an account and sign up for the next Drive, Chip and Putt in 2022.
And because it’s the world we live in, they’ve added Health and Safety Guidelines to read up on. But it’s all worth the opportunity to get to Augusta National or even the regional finals.
Now about the competition: Subregional, Regional and National Finals are again part of the equation.
Once again the USGA, PGA of America and Augusta National Golf Club have secured some amazing venues for the Regional Finals. So even if a trip to Augusta doesn’t happen, just making the Regional final will expose the youngsters to a very special place in the game. And Quail Hollow too.
From the DCP press release:
These regional venues, featuring several USGA and PGA Championship sites, include: Medinah Country Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Colorado Golf Club, Quail Hollow Club, TPC River Highlands, Pebble Beach Golf Links, TPC Scottsdale, Alotian Club, The Bear’s Club and Oakland Hills Country Club.
Saturday, September 11 | Medinah Country Club (Site of four USGA championships, including three U.S. Opens; and host of two PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup)
Sunday, September 19 | Oak Hill Country Club (Site of six USGA championships, including three U.S. Opens; and host of three PGA Championships, the 1995 Ryder Cup and two KitchenAid Senior PGA Championships. Oak Hill will also host the 2023 PGA Championship)
Sunday, September 19 | Colorado Golf Club (Site of the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and 2010 Senior PGA Championship)
Saturday, September 25 | Quail Hollow Club (Site of the 2017 PGA Championship and the host of the 2025 PGA Championship)
Poor Presidents Cup.
Sunday, September 26 | TPC River Highlands (Site of the Travelers Championship)
Sunday, September 26 | Pebble Beach Golf Links (Site of 13 USGA championships, including six U.S. Opens, and the future site of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and 2027 U.S. Open; and host of the 1977 PGA Championship)
Sunday, September 26 | TPC Scottsdale (Site of the Waste Management Phoenix Open)
Saturday, October 2 | Alotian Club (Site of the 2013 Western Amateur Championship and 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup)
Sunday, October 3 | The Bear’s Club (Founded December 31, 1999 by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus)
Saturday, October 16 | Oakland Hills Country Club (Site of 11 USGA championships, including six U.S. Opens; and host of three PGA Championships and the 2004 Ryder Cup)
News And Notes: Major Media Move Speculation, Landmark (Watch) Deals
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This week’s major notes cover the gamut with a little Ryder Cup news thrown in.
The media items alone are fun to consider—unless your job depends on it—and suggest we’re in for a lively period of change in how and where we consume the big events.
The weekly notes are free for all subscribers so sign up. And here is more on how The Quadrilateral works, now one month and 17 editions in. Thanks to all who’ve signed up.
The (Current) Major Pecking Order, Part I
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Now that football has moved on and spring training’s start is up in the air, the Masters and condensed major season begins in earnest.
So what better time than now to rank the majors? I have done so in the latest Quadrilateral, this one for paid subscribers who already have it in their inbox.
For more on The Quadrilateral here is the standalone site explaining what it’s all about with big pretty pictures. And here is the Substack landing page with more words, few photos and info on how to sign up.
Augusta National Lends Support To Local Vaccination Effort
/Tom Corwin of the Augusta Chronicle reports on Augusta National Golf Club jointly announcing a $1 million effort matched by a community foundation to help the COVID-19 vaccine effort. AU Health System is the partner and besides opening the doors to a recently acquired property on Washington, the club is also sending a bigger statement in becoming the first golf organization to endorse the vaccine effort.
“Helping expand access to COVID-19 vaccinations is another meaningful way to do more for our neighbors in the Augusta community that has supported the Masters Tournament for more than 80 years,” Ridley said. “The dedication of (AU Health), Georgia Department of Public Health and all health care providers working courageously during this pandemic is inspiring, and they deserve our enduring gratitude and support. We hope these resources will have an immediate impact on their efforts to protect those most vulnerable and our community at large through more vaccinations."
Shocking Equipment Proposal Sets Up Major(s) Skirmish
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My latest in The Quadrilateral takes a look at the surprising aggressiveness of the governing bodies proposing equipment rule changes and how the men’s majors will get caught in the middle.
One follow-up note since this paid subscriber-only piece was posted: the PGA of America offered a statement in response to my request for comment.
"We look forward to providing feedback once we have the opportunity to review the areas of interest."
Augusta National Golf Club has not responded to a request regarding Tuesday’s rollout and what it might mean for The Masters.
Sports Will Be Watching: Augusta To Welcome Back A Limited Number Of Patrons
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Just a quick glance at today’s news and the sports world is still struggling with various pandemic related issues. The NBA is teetering on the brink of disaster with its non-bubble season. I’ll pause here to let you feign surprise.
And Major League Baseball is squabbling with the players union opposed to vaccination, so they’re going to play a full season and hope to welcome back fans asap. I’d expect more but then the Astros still have their 2017 banner hanging in their glorified Costco so…
Maybe that’s why I’m hoping the Lords of Augusta will have something more…anything.
My latest Quadrilateral letter to subscribers and still free as I ween you on this fun new writing format.
Thanks to all who have shown amazing faith in just four days since launching, I’m honored by your trust in my work and in Substack’s delivery.
Also, apologies to subscribers that I referred to the press release today as arriving on Monday. Yes, it was Tuesday, my apologies and the web version reflects that.
Every day feels like a Monday right now.
Masters: "Yardage Books Carry Caddies' Good Word"
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Without those sulfourous green reading books sidelined this week and with a tightly bunched leaderboard where the slightest mistake could lose a green jacket, caddies take on extra meaning at The Masters.
Ward Clayton filed a definitive piece for Masters.com this week on the art of charting Augusta National compared to normal weeks where more of the charting is already done for players and caddies. How we got here is pretty incredible and there remains so much local knowledge to Augusta National.
Just a sampling from the piece related to the shining star that is 2020:
Yardages are important, especially this week when a landmark such as grandstands are absent and another marker must be documented. But at Augusta National, it’s the greens that are the final exam. Putts that look to break one way do the exact opposite or roll out much more than expected, resulting in head scratching and insecurity.
Willie Lee “Pappy” Stokes, the godfather of Augusta National caddies and a five-time winner as a caddie, quickly figured out a secret that Augusta National caddies carried for decades. In the caddie facilities adjacent to the Tournament Practice Facility, simple framed maps of green complexes hang on the walls. On every drawing, there is a distinct red dot, showing the direction of Rae’s Creek from that green – and the tendency for putts to break to the lowest point on the property when it’s not evident to the naked eye. Many caddies over the years have denoted that red dot in their personal Augusta National yardage books.
“Most people think 12 green is the lowest point,” two-time champion Ben Crenshaw said in 2019. “That’s not quite right. It goes to the left of 11 green. That’s the place that’s called ‘The Pull.’ On every green, Carl would point through the trees to that point. Many of the young golfers don’t really understand that. It’s just fascinating.”
Augusta National Sports Higher Rough And It Doesn't Look Good
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2020 Masters: Jon Rahm in the 11th hole rough
Given the time of year, Augusta National was never going to be agronomically perfect for the rescheduled Masters. So we’ll gladly look past the thin rye grass and the weak tee turf given the tricky window for laying down rye seed and uncertainty this event would be played.
But in the grand scheme, the clunky rough (a.k.a. second cut) grown is obviously higher this year and no matter the height, contradicts the well-stated philosophy of Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, the tall stuff looks so shallow and unnecessary on a masterfully-designed course highlighted by width and certainly never embellished by artificial tall grass.
The rough looks curb-like while giving off a grow-in look that is unbecoming of a masterpiece.
The tall stuff is also functionally problematic. From Michael Bamberger’s Golf.com account:
(File this under weird-but-true: Augusta National had long, wet rough. Stu Francis, the USGA president, was walking through the long, wet rough on Thursday as he followed the Woods group. If you call the rough here the “first cut” you must be the proud owner of a club dictionary. Woods calls it the rough. He calls his green jacket a coat. He calls the pitcher’s mound at Dodger stadium “the bump.” If you follow his lead on these matters, it will serve you well. Really, if Augusta National is going to go down this we-actually-have-rough road, they should probably give the players a “courtesy cut,” a pretentious term of the biz to describe the narrow path of short grass that takes a player through the rough from tee to fairway.)
Ridley On Distance "Crossroads": Everybody Has "To get their head together and figure it out"
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Bill Fields wraps up the annual State of the Masters press conference featuring Chairman Fred Ridley, including details on some nice community outreach efforts prompted by this summer’s civil unrest.
Of course, there was the annual distance talk and Adam Schupak thankfully asked.
From Schupak’s look at Ridley’s comments on distance in response to Schupak’s question.
“I’ve been reluctant thus far to make any major changes regarding adding distance to the golf course,” Ridley said, forgetting, of course, that the club stretched the par-4 fifth hole, Magnolia, under his watch, to 495 yards in 2019. “I think sometimes when you do that, I mean, I think there are unintended consequences that come out of that. The scale and the scope of the hole, it changes when you add distance. It changes more than just adding distance. The look of the hole changes. And the design philosophy of the hole changes. And that’s something that we have always and I have always been very focused on is maintaining the design philosophy of MacKenzie and Jones.”
It’s a tad late on that front due to changes by previous administrations, but nice to see the Chairman gets that no walking back to tees to help tip toe around manufacturer bottom lines is, well, unbecoming.
“Having said that, I think we are at a crossroads as it relates to this issue. We have always been very supportive of the governing bodies; we will continue to be supportive. We think that it’s good that the game of golf is governed by the USGA and the R&A. We think they are great stewards of the game.
ish.
But I’m hopeful that with the work and the studies that have been ongoing for some time, and I understand that in April there’s to be some sort of publication of their conclusions, I do think that we’re coming closer to a call to action. And all I can say is that, as it relates to our golf course, we have options, and we will take the necessary action to make sure we stay relevant.”
Eh, why do I feel like that’s something on top of growing the fairways toward the tees, a practice unbecoming of the best major?
This was a nice acknowledgement of the issue for everyday courses. If on the governing bodies could say something like this AND act on it:
“We have options, as I said, we can make changes, but not every golf course can. Having said that, it’s a balance because the next question is, obviously, or should be, well, you don’t want to make the game harder,” Ridley said. “On one hand, we want to say we want to grow the game, and on the other hand, we’re saying we’re worried about distance.
Eh em…good time to mention the game has seen a huge uptick in play for reasons having nothing to do with longer, shorter, easier or harder? Anyway, sorry to interrupt Mr. Chairman.
“I think everybody just has got to get their head together and figure it out.”
Now there’s an idea! Don’t you all do that four times a year, asking for a friend?
Sadly, Ridley said the next update from the governing bodies is not expected until next April.
Sigh: The "Second Cut" Is Up, New Trees Planted At Augusta National
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Eureka Earth’s overhead from a few weeks ago shows a new grove of trees left of the 18th hole fairway bunkers (left side of image)
I felt like we were making such progress with Augusta National, down to public comments by Chairman Fred Ridley to uphold the original architectural vision of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.
So to read of Hootie Johnson-era manipulations to the course via rough and trees is, well, a setback given the well-stated views of the architects.
From ESPN.com’s Bob Harig Monday course assessment:
The rough appears longer. It's possible it will be cut prior to the first round, but on Monday it was thicker than what the "first cut'' would normally play and look.
In various spots, clusters of trees have been added. One interesting location is beyond the fairway bunkers on the 18th. At least five trees have been added, making the idea of blasting a tee shot over those bunkers less advantageous. Could this be in response to Bryson DeChambeau, who could easily bomb his tee shots that distance.
There is also another cluster of trees farther up the right side of the fairway at the par-5 13th. It may prevent those who think they can just blast the ball into the 14th fairway from the tee into thinking they can do so.
It’s been written about ad nauseum, but a wider Augusta National with fairways running like they did before the grain-cut toward tees would be more interesting and no less difficult. Given that there is an established record of comments by Jones and MacKenzie regarding artificial rough and use of trees, this is a disappointing sign that Augusta National anticipates no changes on the equipment regulation front.
Masters Says Goodbye To The Ten Shot Cut Rule?
/Certainly with daylight at a premium and a bleak weather forecast, you can understand the Fall Masters going to a 50-and-ties cut format.
But as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes, the vaunted ten shot rule helped nine others make the cut in 2019 and on a course where a huge comeback is not out of the question. Yet today’s Tweet suggests the change is permanent.
Latest View Of Amen Corner Indicates Trees Are Placed, Grass Is Green And The Lords Really Don't Want To Lengthen 13 Any Time Soon
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The service road is in, the trees are planted and room has been left for a new 13th tee at Augusta National. All that’s missing is that magical blue hue in Rae’s Creek!
As you can see from Eureka Earth’s latest shot, the land acquired from Augusta Country Club behind the current tee now includes a handsomely decorated service road with lights, landscaping and even a sound wall on the inside corner to shield a future 13th tee.
This is all my nice build-up to pointing out the obvious: it will be years before an extended 13th tee could look even remotely attractive.
Now, I know what you’re saying, extending the par-5 13th would be all about restoring the risk-reward nature. Who cares if the back drop is more Sage Valley than Augusta National. The answer? The Lords of Augusta care.
When players cross the Hogan Bridge and escape the huge crowds, the serenity and beauty of Amen Corner takes on a special atmosphere. Opening up the gap behind the current tee before the area has matured into a more forested surrounds would be aesthetically jarring, not to mention an obnoxiously long walk. And for what? Some manufacturer bottom lines? Protection of governing body nest eggs?
It's Green! Augusta National Ryegrass Update
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Normally the fall overseed is not national news, but with hurricane remnants hitting the course and a November Masters looming, the club reported no damage and an on-time conversion to green grass.
The latest photo posted by Eureka Earth shows green grass and bunker sand revealed. Though from this view, the 17th fairway (right center) continues to narrow with tree growth in excess fashion. Even single row irrigation might be overkill at some point soon.
The course is scheduled to reopen to members on October 12th.
Since last week’s post here, Eureka posted another September 24th photo showing the 12th green and 13th tee indicating some damage to the banks, presumably from Rae’s Creek running well above normal levels at some point.
2020 Masters: No Patrons Or Guests On The Grounds
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Not a huge surprise given the times and the prediction from Augusta’s mayor last week.
Note the “hopefully” in 2021 line in Chairman Fred Ridley’s quote.
