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
R&A Warns: Don't Take ScotRail To The 150th Open
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On the 150th Open’s eve, the R&A is asking fans who planned to attend by rail to find other means of getting to St Andrews. This is a result of its on-going dispute between ScotRail and train drivers.
Last month Willie Rennie warned of the need for a contingency plan in this scenario.
Here is what the R&A sent to ticketholders:
Dear Ticketholder,
We are contacting you to provide an important update and guidance regarding travel to and from The 150th Open at St Andrews on 10-17 July.
Based on information we received at the start of this week and in order to minimise disruption for fans, unfortunately we have to advise all ticket holders that they should not travel by rail using ScotRail services to and from Leuchars when attending The Open each day.
All ticket holders should travel by road or use alternative public transport.
This is due to circumstances not in our control in which ScotRail will continue to operate a reduced timetable on the dates of the Championship as a result of its on-going dispute with ASLEF members (train drivers).
We cannot guarantee that fans using rail services will be able to get to and from Leuchars without disruption. There is a risk that fans who travel by train may find there are no services to get them home.
If you have purchased GolfLink tickets, you should contact ScotRail for a refund.
We are increasing capacity at our Park and Ride facilities to cater for more vehicles using the road network. We strongly recommend that fans purchase Park and Ride tickets in advance to minimise waiting times and to take advantage of a £5 discount.
If you are travelling by road for The Open, you should expect longer journey times and delays due to increased traffic and plan ahead for these.
All drivers should follow the directional AA road signage in place on designated routes for accessing the Park and Ride facilities and not use satnav or equivalent devices. Designated routes are being prioritised by Police Scotland and other traffic management measures to ensure everyone has the smoothest journey possible.
Alternative public transport, including buses and taxis, is available for fans to use. Local bus services are complemented by an express network that connects St Andrews with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Cupar and Glenrothes. More information on bus services can be found via Stagecoach and Moffat and Williamson.
A designated taxi rank and private hire drop off/pick-up area will be in operation and is located at Petheram Bridge within walking distance of the course.
We appreciate that some fans will be disappointed with this update and that the resulting situation, not of our making, is less than ideal, but we wish to reassure you that we are doing all that we can to ensure your experience of attending The Open is a memorable one.
Please visit TheOpen.com for more information.
Kind Regards,
The R&A Ticket Office
Latest Governing Body Notice To Manufacturers Outlines Significant Rollback Possibilities (For Elites)
/While we already knew of these were the focus, the June 8th specifics suggest as much as a thirty percent reduction for the longest of long hitters. Stachura writes:
The original proposed change was to raise the test swing speed for the Overall Distance Standard from the current 120 miles per hour to 125. The June 8 announcement now proposes studying a test speed “between 125 and 127 mph and will include studies of the effects of these test speeds on the launch conditions and aerodynamics of the golf ball.” At the maximum, that speed would be more than 12 mph faster than the current average clubhead speed on the PGA Tour but only a little more than two mph faster than the two current fastest swings on tour, Cameron Champ (124.76) and Branden Hagy (124.41).
As the USGA’s John Spitzer previously indicated when the speed being considered was 125 mph, nearly all of the balls played on tour would be non-conforming under the new standard, and of course many of those balls are also among the most purchased balls on the market.
The bigger set of changes proposed in the June 8 notice, however, would not affect average golfers, but could dramatically alter the performance of drivers at the elite level. The new proposal suggests tournaments or tours could institute a “model local rule” for equipment that would severely roll back how springy faces are and how forgiving drivers are on off-center hits.
As Stachura notes, these are just proposals and may have been crafted to begin a discussion, listen to the inevitable whining, and negotiate to a place that would keep courses relevant and anticipate the next generation of decathletes reared on modern stuff.
The notice also appears to have taken a few things off the table: grooves, changing the size of the ball or minimum ball spin.
Interested parties have until September 2nd to get their comments submitted. To date the manufacturers have been largely silent on the proposals.
Looming Questions Halfway Through 2022's Major Season
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Deprived of another day wondering who might be turning up at the LIV’s first London event in a week, I sat typed out some looming questions for the second half of 2022. Holy cow there’s a lot to be resolved in the coming weeks and months.
Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes May 5, 2022
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I have a few theories as to why so few top players are working just two weeks from the PGA.
As always, a reminder that The Quad is free to subscribe for the weekly news & notes along with select editions.
You can read more about the newsletter here or go to the home page for past issues.
Five Families Would Be Wise To Steer Clear Of The Tours v. Greg & The Sportwashing Saudi's
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There are no sound reasons I could come up with for the Masters, USGA, R&A and PGA of America to uphold possible player suspensions and risk legal exposure should Jay Monahan suspend players over U.S. appearances for LIV Golf’s series.
Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, April 21, 2022
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Whew, busy week. Part catch-up after the Masters and plenty of other fresh stuff too.
The PGA Club Pro has sent 20 to Tulsa and I have their names!
R&A's Celebration Of Light Kicks Off Countdown To The 150th Open
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The Open/Twitter
The state-of-the-art production was narrated by actor and lifelong golf fan Gerard Butler. It charted the remarkable journey of golf since The Open began in 1860, celebrating renowned Champion Golfers and unforgettable performances from many of the sport’s greatest names.
Some Tweets and the full show on YouTube…
The Fried Egg Podcast: Is An Equipment Rollback On The Horizon?
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Andy Johnson and yours truly chatted about an array of topics, with a focus on the distance rollout and the repercussions for players and course design.
Hope you enjoy!
Walker Cup Gets Moved To Even Numbers Years Starting In 2026
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The move of the biennial team matches to even number years implies the schedule impact of golf in the Olympics and a chance to help the World Amateur Team Championships apparently motivated the decision.
The announcement sets up matches in 2025 at Cypress Point and in 2026 at a UK venue to be determined, with previous announced U.S. venues Bandon Dunes and Oakmont moving up a year.
For Immediate Release from the R&A:
THE R&A AND THE USGA MOVE THE WALKER CUP MATCH TO EVEN YEARS BEGINNING IN 2026
21 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A and the USGA today announced that the Walker Cup match will be contested in even years from 2026 onwards.
The shift moves the biennial men’s team match between Great Britain and Ireland and the USA away from the World Amateur Team Championships which will be played in odd years beginning in 2023.
Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “We have looked at this carefully with the USGA and believe that this change creates the best schedule for the players and for the Walker Cup match itself. The Walker Cup is at the forefront of men’s amateur golf and we want to ensure that its status is reflected in its position in the golfing calendar.”
“The re-emergence of golf in the Olympic Games has had a ripple effect on the overall golf calendar and this is just the next step in that as we make sure team competitions have a balanced schedule and in this case, encourage participation by the world’s best amateurs without unnecessary conflict,” said John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer, USGA.
The World Amateur Team Championships announced in 2020 that it would move to odd years to avoid a same-year conflict with the Summer Olympic Games.
The 49th Walker Cup match will be contested from 2-3 September 2023 at St Andrews. The home of golf has hosted eight previous Walker Cups, more than any other venue, most recently in 1975, when the USA defeated GB&I, 15½-8½.
And in the buried lede department, the announcement also moves the 2034 U.S. Open scheduled for Oakmont up a year to 2033.
It’s not clear if the two have much link or if the USGA just wanted to free up 2034 for Oakland Hills.
What A Change In Golf Ball Testing Might Do For Top Players
/GolfDigest.com’s Mike Stachura assesses the R&A/USGA joing announcement of specific “areas of interest” for future possible changes in testing. The item covers a lot, but a change from 120 to 125 m.p.h. change might mean exceeding the “Overall Distance Standard” and render many current golf balls non-conforming.
John Spitzer, the USGA’s managing director of equipment standards, said the 125-mile-per-hour number isn’t based on any biomechanical theory of human limitations with the golf swing. It’s based on the eye test.
“We don’t know if it’s enough, but we do have a little bit of a crystal ball in the long drive competition. So the question of whether [this kind of speed] is physically possible is answered based on what we’ve seen from those folks.”
As for the number of current balls that such a rule change might make nonconforming, Spitzer said it wouldn’t be all. “There’s a substantial number of balls that wouldn’t run afoul or would require only very minor tweaks,” he said. But when asked specifically whether it would be almost all of the balls played on tour, which based on current sales from Golf Datatech account for 35-40 percent of the market, he said, “Yes. It would be a much higher percentage but not all because there are certain players that fall in love with a ball that might be three generations back.”
R&A, USGA Release "Updated Areas Of Interest And Research Topics On Hitting Distance In Golf"
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Lots and lots to chew on here for the next six months, but as I write at The Quadrilateral with exclusive comments from the R&A’s Chief Technology Officer Steve Otto, we may be on the cusp of reigning in the madness while opening new innovation doors for average players.
For Immediate Release from the R&A (the USGA also sent out the same release):
THE R&A AND USGA RELEASE UPDATED AREAS OF INTEREST AND RESEARCH TOPICS ON HITTING DISTANCE IN GOLF
16 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA: The R&A and USGA today released updated areas of interest and research topics on hitting distance in golf.
In doing so, the governing bodies are continuing their work to address the long-term cycle of increased hitting distances and course lengthening that threatens golf’s long-term sustainability and undermines the core principle that a broad and balanced set of playing skills should remain the primary determinant of success in golf.
The update follows a consultation with the industry and focuses on the Notice and Comment and Areas of Interest from the 1 February 2021 release.
The official notice to manufacturers regarding these new Areas of Interest can be found via this link.
The R&A and the USGA will investigate the potential impacts on hitting distance from increasing the ball test speeds for golf balls to reflect the clubhead speeds achieved by today’s longest hitters.
The governing bodies will also narrow the focus of previously announced research topics for drivers, specifically within the context of potential Model Local Rules, to explore a reduction of spring-like effect to reduce hitting distance and changes to the Moment of Inertia (MOI) limit to enhance the reward of a central impact.
The R&A and USGA have also made industry stakeholders aware that they are considering whether these potential changes could be coupled with other changes to the Equipment Rules that could provide the potential for enhanced innovation for recreational golfers.
The governing bodies believe that the changes being considered could:
· Address hitting distances for the longest hitters, whose impact on the game and golf courses has been the most significant.
· Minimise the impact on shorter hitters with slower swing speeds at the recreational level.
· Allow for continued innovation of balls and clubs for players at all levels.
The updates released today are as follows:
Areas of Interest
1 Potential changes to the testing methods for golf balls
Evaluate the effect of increasing the clubhead speed used to determine conformance to the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) to at least 125 mph and to use optimised launch angle and spin parameters (that are specific to each ball tested). In conjunction with the potential new test conditions for the ODS, the Initial Velocity Test may be modified or eliminated to provide the opportunity for innovation for shorter hitters. These potential changes would apply to balls used at all levels of the game.
2 Model Local Rules – club performance
Investigate the impact of a reduction of the allowable spring-like effect and moment of inertia in drivers. The governing bodies are considering these topics within the context of Model Local Rules that could be utilised for competitions involving the highest level of elite golfers. There is also interest in considering whether the adoption of these potential Model Local Rules could also allow the elimination of the MOI limit for recreational golfers, which could facilitate greater innovation and provide modest distance increases at this level of the game.
Golf’s stakeholders can provide feedback and research on these topics by 2 September 2022.
Distance in Golf
The Distance Insights Report released in 2020 identified a long-term cycle of hitting distance increases and lengthening courses that the governing bodies concluded is detrimental to golf and the way it is played. More specifically, the report highlighted how this cycle is impacting, and is likely to continue to impact, the strategic challenge of the game and alter the variety of skills needed to be successful.
The report also found that the overall trend of golf courses becoming longer has adverse consequences that ultimately affect golfers at all levels of the sport, including by increasing the cost and time to play, limiting the advancement of sustainability efforts especially with respect to water usage and reducing the challenge of courses - in some cases creating a risk of them becoming obsolete.
The R&A and the USGA are working with the key stakeholders in golf to address these issues and to ensure that skill remains the primary determinant of success in golf.
The governing bodies have also researched how course-related factors such as set-up, conditioning and maintenance could be selectively used to impact the way a course plays. These factors have modest and varying degrees of impact on distance, costs and golfer experience and, therefore, should not be viewed as a means to sustainably reduce the long-term impact related to distance across the game. These potential practices will continue to be reviewed as part of the ongoing conversation with the industry on distance.
In line with Equipment Rulemaking procedures, the latest Areas of Interest confirm the key areas of focus of the governing bodies but do not represent a proposal or decision on any aspects at this stage.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We have been working through this process carefully and collaboratively with the golf industry and greatly appreciate the constructive feedback we have received. Our thinking on these areas continues to evolve and we believe we are moving in the right direction to maintain the balance between skill and technology in golf that we have said is important. We will continue to work quickly but carefully as we look to resolve this complex and challenging issue for the sport as a whole.”
“We’re moving forward on this important work because we want golf to remain just as strong 50 years from now as it is today,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “It energises all of us to do what is in the best interests in the game and keep it thriving long into the future.”
The 2021 Annual Driving Distance Report
The R&A and the USGA also today released the 2021 Annual Driving Distance Report. The full report can be found
here.
R&A Issues Statement On Russian Invasion
/The full statement can be read here. The sanctions levied, joining a long list of sports organizations attempting to isolate Russia.
The R&A fully supports the recommendations of the IOC and the International Golf Federation in excluding Russia and Belarus from international team championships.
The R&A is not currently expecting entries from Russian or Belarusian golfers in scheduled R&A-qualifying events, championships or international matches in the upcoming season, professional or amateur. In the event that we were to receive entries, we would decline.
We are reviewing the implications for matters such as international rankings and the World Handicap System.
The R&A will contribute to a humanitarian aid fund and we will offer direct support to the Ukrainian Golf Federation.
R&A Data Shows Impressive Gains In 9-Hole Rounds
/In announcing the 9-hole challenge set for the Friday before the 150th Open at St Andrews, the R&A also shared 9-hole round data worth noting.
It could be entirely pandemic related, with more employed golfers working from home and getting in an early or late nine. But there are plenty of reasons to believe the increase can also be tied to various worldwide campaigns designed to legitimize 9-hole rounds and encourage golfers to turn in non-18-hole scores for handicapping purposes.
The numbers of note from the R&A’s story to launch the 9-hole challenge:
• In Australia, nine-hole round data has experienced 20% growth with more than 517,000 rounds played in 2020-21.
• In England, nine-hole rounds played for handicap purposes increased from 175,000 in 2019 to 407,000 in 2021.
• In Ireland, nine-hole rounds played for handicap purposes increased from 70,697 in 2018 to 130,751 in 2021.
• In Scotland, nine-hole rounds played increased from 44,834 in 2018 to 113,592 in 2021.
• In Wales, 8% of rounds submitted (to the Wales Golf Clubhouse) were for nine-hole play in 2021.
• In New Zealand, nine-hole rounds played increased from 252,412 in 2018-19 to 341, 534 in 2020-21 as part of the Make Time Play 9 initiative.
This should also (theoretically) bode well for breaking golf free of 18-holes as the only legitimate “round” or option in developing future courses (or in re-imaging an existing facility under threat).
R&A Adds A Diversity Ambassador
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He’s a strong hoodie advocate and has a name out of central casting, so I wish him all the luck trying to diversify golf in the land of Brexit.
ZANE SCOTLAND BECOMES A DIVERSITY AMBASSADOR FOR THE R&A
01 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A has appointed Zane Scotland as a diversity ambassador to support the development of initiatives that encourage more people from ethnically diverse communities into golf.
As part of the new partnership, Scotland is assisting with the interpretation of research to understand the challenges that exist for ethnically diverse communities and identify actions that can be taken to break down barriers and make golf more welcoming and appealing.
He will also play an important role in engaging with active golf societies including British Black Golfers and the Muslim Golf Association to foster valuable relationships and generate involvement in future activity.
Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Our research is clearly showing that powerful role models like Zane are influential in encouraging more people from ethnically diverse backgrounds into golf and creating more positive perceptions of what the sport can really offer to participants.
“Zane’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable in informing education for the industry and developing initiatives that proactively position the sport as inclusive for everyone who wants to play it, not only on the course but also the many other alternative forms of golf off the course that are crucial to attracting new participants from all backgrounds. We look forward to working with him.”
A five-part video series for YouTube has been created to highlight the positive benefits of golf as a sport for everyone and will feature Zane and his father Bernie; the work of British Black Golfers and the Muslim Golf Association; Zane introducing his cycling group to golf; and the perspectives of elite amateur golfers making their way in golf.
Zane Scotland added, “I have said before that golf needs more diversity and challenged those running the game to step up and address the imbalance. I’m really encouraged to see The R&A taking the initiative and making positive steps forward in this area.
“I see our partnership as another means to build on the good work already being done by the likes of the Golf Foundation and within golf societies to open up the sport. I know that there is still a long way to go but I firmly believe that golf stands to benefit greatly if we can change perceptions and show that it is a fun and welcoming activity for everyone.”
As an amateur golfer, Scotland made a name for himself by becoming the youngest ever English golfer to qualify for The Open and earn a place in the Championship at Carnoustie in 1999. In the three years that followed he went on to win amateur championships and gain representative honours in the Great Britain and Ireland teams that won the St Andrews Trophy and Jacques Léglise Trophy.
In 2003, he turned professional but a car crash that resulted in an injury to his neck halted his progress. He recovered to earn a place on the European Tour and more recently has won ten times on the MENA Tour, the most by any player. He made his second appearance in The Open at St Andrews in 2010.
He set up the Zane Scotland Academy to assist in coaching aspiring amateur and elite professional golfers and covers golf as a commentator with Sky Sports and BBC.
The first of three videos referenced above and now on the R&A YouTube page:
