Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, July 1, 2021

I just figure we’ll have all of August and September to dive deep into the Ryder Cup, so if you really want to see if Patrick Reed will make the team on points, Google is your friend this week.

An Open at Sandwich looms and zany things happen there, as The Quadrilateral will be reviewing in coming editions for the great humanitarians who’ve signed up to pay. But the weekly news and notes are for all to enjoy, and for the July 1 edition I praise players for not barking more about the UK government’s mixed signals, John Deere's Open exemption getting restored, tips on traveling to Sandwich by rail, news on 2022 U.S. Open tickets and Oakland Hills wanting back in the major rota, but where?

More on The Quadrilateral here and subscription info here.

Torrey Preview: The Course, The Broadcast And More

I haven’t gotten around to a prognostication post but we still have time and early week reports to sift through.

In the meantime, just my contributions to the 121st U.S. Open preview coverage.

NBC returns to the scene of their greatest golf broadcasts.

Why the USGA cannot go the *&^%@ pairing route this week.

U.S. Open News and Notes, June 10th.

What to make of Torrey Pines with lots of pictures dissecting lazy, dated and costly renovation work.

Podcast-wise, I discussed my history with Torrey Pines and the thinking behind my McKellar Issue 5 essay on its design:

And the latest State of the Game covered an array of topics including the U.S. Open:

The 1-18 flyover compilation from the USGA. Unfortunately it appears to have been shot a while ago, so we don’t see the final rough lines and buildout:

Quadrilateral: Major(s) Rahmifications, U.S. Women's Open Final Round Primer And The Reids Of Nottingham

Two letters went out to paid subscribers covering Saturday’s Jon Rahm situation and prepping them for the U.S. Women’s Open final round.

And in case Mel Reid struggled Saturday—78—I emptied my Wilfred Reid file to consider the life of a really cool character that also designed the first golf course on what is Olympic Club ground today.

Subscription info here on sponsor content-free reading covering golf’s majors.

David Coggins Q&A And Other Sunday PGA Notes

The Quad will be going out daily to paid subscribers all week with followers getting a free live look-in Thursday, but today I wrap up the PGA preview coverage with more insights on Charleston courtesy of author David Coggins, plus a few notes.

The Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, May 13, 2021

The weekly news and notes focus mostly on the PGA and prepare you for next week in all sorts of ways, so check it out here.

A lot of The Quad goes back behind the paywall next week and I know you won’t want to miss my thrilling PGA missives. Info on the newsletter is here, and the subscribe button is here. A year is cheaper than a dozen “longer and straighter” golf balls.

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes: May 6th, 2021

As the PGA nears The Quadrilateral has you covered with news, notes and expensive resale market ticket links.

That plus some insights from McIlroy and Thomas along with an update this morning to include the R&A in stating their support for the PGA Tour and European Tour.

The weekly edition is for all followers of the newsletter. Here are past issues and the signup page.

Q&A With 1971 Masters Champion Charles Coody

Anniversaries are great excuses to go back in time and get our attention in advance of the Masters. This year will be 50 years since Charles Coody won and I got to spend a very compelling hour listening to his stories, including the incredible tale of his caddie for the week and how Coody played those final holes just two years removed from blowing a lead with three holes to go.

We also discussed Hogan, the Champions Dinner, his grandson making the Walker Cup team, and the odd treatment he got from fellow TCU Horned Frog Dan Jenkins. But that’s in part 2.

For now, here is Part 1 of my Quadrilateral chat with Charles Coody that I’ve opened up to all subscribers. I think you’ll enjoy it.

If you want to watch the 1971 final round before reading, here it is:

State Of The Game 110: Reacting To The Equipment Standards Changes Rollout

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly got together for some initial reactions to last week’s news opening the door to all sorts of rule changes.

As always State of the Game is available wherever you get your podcasts, or you can listen below:

The (Current) Major Pecking Order, Part I

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.

News And Notes From The Majors: The Open Will Happen, Torrey Pines Wrap

So much to cover in a busier-than normal week for major championship news. But The Quadrilateral is here for you and Thursday’s notes edition is free.

Be sure to sign up and thanks to so many of you who’ve taken the leap. I’m beyond thrilled at the support on February 4th already, confirming my suspicions that the majors mean a lot to plenty of golf fans.

Here is more on The Quadrilateral and one note: I do anticipate Q&A’s and podcasts coming soon. But just keeping up with and analyzing the major(s) news has been kind of incredible lately! Thanks for your patience.

NLU Podcast: Unpacking The USGA/R&A Announcement

A chat with No Laying Up’s Chris Solomon not long after the USGA and R&A announced serious efforts to address the distance issue.

-@GeoffShac joins the pod to help us unpack the latest press release from the USGA/R&A. Change is coming! Geoff explains what all of this means, and responds to common criticisms of any kind of rollback/bifurcation.

Apple: https://t.co/XEaKCCVBBL
Spotify: https://t.co/2v88BQtiOn pic.twitter.com/v1mvki7rnX

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) February 3, 2021

Will January Torrey Glory Foreshadow U.S. Open Summer Success?

My Thursday Quadrilateral News and Notes turned mostly into an all-things USGA and U.S. Open edition, with a look at the 2008 Buick-U.S. Open combo and what we can learn watching this week’s Farmers at the 2021 U.S. Open venue.

Other notes include some revealing thoughts from Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, two favorites at Torrey this year and the USGA’s return of U.S. Open qualifying.

Subscribing is easy here.

More on The Quadrilateral here.

The Quadrilateral: Majors Will Be This Decade's Superstars

After the calendar mercifully flipped I mentioned a pivot in coverage in addition to GeoffShackelford.com.

So I present to you, The Quadrilateral.

I started posting random internet items in 2003 on a clunky website before “blog” was a word. There weren’t many others in golf then and fast forward to 2021, even fewer golf newsletters today by one writer. (The Fried Egg started that way but they’ve grown and aren’t we grateful for that?)

As explained on the The Quadrilateral’s About page, I’ve come to love the format after growing attached to the missives from trusted scribes. I’ve been struck by how unencumbered they sounded thanks to a more direct, semi-private connection to readers. Also helping: the visual cleanliness, clickbait-free burden lift, a lack of cookie requests and conflict-free analysis.

I expect to bring the same with a focus on my favorite part of golf tournament coverage: the four men’s majors (and 2021 Ryder Cup).

The newsletter name is from a 1930 reference to Bobby Jones’ grand slam and to kick things off in the inaugural missive, explains why majors will be this decade’s superstars. It’s my explanation why the big four will only get more interesting as the week-to-week pro golf product falls flat.

Subscribing is free and easy thanks to Substack’s design. You’ll get a good sampling of the format and tone over the next month. But as we move closer to the majors expect fewer newsletters available unless you join.

The Quadrilateral is $5 monthly or $49 a year). I’ve also added a Founders option for $150 that will include a one-year subscription for you and a friend.

If you just want a simpler explanation of The Quadrilateral with pretty pictures, I’ve built this standalone website. There you’ll find my explanation for jumping to this format, a FAQ page and the original reference to the quadrilateral.

No questions and you’re ready to start enjoying the majors even more: just go here to subscribe and read the kick-off letter.

2020 In Review And Looking Ahead To 2021 Here At GeoffShackelford.com

I’ve thought long and hard about my 2020 year in review and while I’d love to dwell on the Dodgers finally winning it all or yours truly joining the list of Kentucky Derby winning owners, it was by any metric, a positively awful year.

With that, I would like to thank the over 1 million unique visitors to this blog in 2020 with a heartfelt but succinct recap of the worst year ever:

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Moving along to 2021, I anticipate one of the zaniest years in golf history lies ahead. The recreational sport will keep thriving due to altered social engagement patterns (more time!), changing ways of life (fewer commutes), and a continued appreciation for fresh air.

The professional game will see an acceleration of trends. Some positive, most not and probably deservedly shedding some tournaments from schedules. This will provide more fodder than I’d like as one can only spend so much time reading about playing opportunities, premature moves to welcome fans back before they’ve been vaccinated, or marketing-fueled hyping of an increasingly boring game to watch. And let’s not forget the forthcoming excuses by the governing bodies to avoid touching distance gains.

I could go on and on about what will make the off-course moves fascinating quite often and needlessly repetitive at other times. For now, I must end this abbreviated 2021 preview with a tease: coverage here at GeoffShackelford.com will continue free of charge and the snark will still shine through to help us weather these tough times. As a team.

However, very shortly I’ll be announcing a pivot in my coverage that I’m very excited about. It will allow me to focus on the events, courses and trends that I love. I hope you’ll agree and join me for the ride. Stay tuned. But for now, Happy New Year and thank you for your continued readership.

State Of The Game 106: Will Winged Foot Be The Turning Point In Distance Debate?

An eye-opening U.S. Open, talk of bomb-and-gouge and rollbacks, Winged Foot and so much more with Rod Morri and Mike Clayton. Below, wherever podcasts stream or the iTunes store.