Bryson Hopes To Reach 210 MPH Ball Speed In Competition

The ratings! The buzz! The kids!

I haven’t a clue what seeing a player cross 200 mph in swing speed and 210 mph ball speed does for folks, but it’ll be entertaining to watch in sort of a freak show way.

From Brentley Romine’s story on Bryson DeChambeau hoping to

“I haven’t given up the pursuit of trying to get faster,” DeChambeau told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Tuesday at Kapalua, where after a year hiatus he will open his season at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

How fast? DeChambeau said that once he reaches between 207 and 210 mph average ball speed with his driver (he currently leads the PGA Tour at 192.80 mph and has yet to break the 200-mph mark in competition), he will finally be satisfied with his distance quest.

“At that point, I’ll probably be like, ‘OK, that’s good enough,’” DeChambeau said.

Noted!

Prepare for goose bumps…or an eye roll depending on how you feel about the whole Long Drive move:

On Monday, DeChambeau said that after hitting 211 mph ball speed on the range, he reached 201 mph on the final hole of his practice round. He also said he hit an 8-iron 205 yards.

By the way, this is my friendly New Year’s reminder that the World Long Drive remains available for sale. Contact operators in Stamford, CT.

Troon Golf Buys Indigo, Raising Portfolio Up To 630 18-Hole Courses

Adam Schupak of Golfweek has the details on Troon’s purchase of Indigo Golf Partners, formerly Billy Casper Golf. The number of courses under the Troon banner is pretty staggering. Also noteworthy is the expansion for Troon into muni’s and lower-green fee golf:

Troon substantially increases its portfolio of facilities with the acquisition of Indigo Golf Partners – the company now provides managed services at 585-plus locations around the globe, including managing 630-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In particular, the deal diversifies Troon’s portfolio of client properties that had been heavily weighted to the high-end daily-fee category. Indigo Golf Partners, which focused primarily on providing services to the municipal golf space and facilities with lower price points, brings more accessible golf under the Troon umbrella.

Indigo Golf Partners is one of the largest golf-course management companies in the United States, owning and operating more than 160 golf courses, country clubs and resorts in 29 states. Members and guests of Indigo-managed facilities will continue to experience the same level of service, course conditions and food and beverage options, the company said in a release.

"Win Equity" Stat A Fascinating Study And One We Probably Won't See Adapted By Tours

When I saw the euphemistic-sounding “Win Equity” stat cooked up by John Ezekowitz , a No Laying Up fan fed up with debates over Tony Finau’s one win status, I feared an excuse-maker for players who seem to have immense talent, contend a lot, but just don’t seem to win much.

But just based on my C+ math skills, this seemed like a pretty neat bit of research that looks how players perform on the weekend and how often they are genuinely unlucky to lose. We’ve had our share over the years and more recently, Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau have gotten the most attention.

Anyway, check out his Medium post here. This is Strokes Gained level stat-re-imagination but I wouldn’t count on adoption by the PGA Tour since it could put a player in a negative light (even though the stat also validates who have been recently clutch performers, something fans and the, eh-em, investors would like to know).

This can be illustrated through a stat I call Win Equity, which is defined as Expected Wins given Actual Play minus Expected Wins entering Round 4. Generating positive Win Equity means that a player outperformed his expectations, ignoring what others shot. This stat best removes luck from the equation of final round play.

Finau’s performance in Win Equity especially noteworthy: in the 36 final rounds where Finau has entered in the top 10, he has added win equity through his play in only 3 of them (2017 Valero Texas Open, 2019 HSBC Champions and 2018 Safeway Open). That is by far the lowest rate amongst these players.

Books! Proctor's Monarch Of The Green, Pettit's MacKenzie Reader, McStravick's Road War Papers

It’s that time of year when chances are pretty good you got a golf trinket you didn’t want and still await that amazing golf book you mumbled out loud about. Well, I don’t like your chances so might as well treat yourself.

I’ve only read one of the three but have good reason to believe the other two, while pricey, will be real keepers.

My favorite read of a summer we were deprived of links golf comes from American Stephen Proctor who meticulously researched Monarch of the Green: Young Tom Morris, Pioneer of the Game.

A former senior editor at the Baltimore Sun, the San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle, Proctor took on the difficult task of telling Young Tom Morris’ story and delivered a highly readable, immensely satisfying work of non-fiction despite the—spoiler here—dark ending. I note the non-fiction component given the previously published and also superb, Tommy’s Honour, Kevin Cook’s researched and fictionalized account of the Morris’. While the liberties were small, any created dialogue can be a killer for some (it was not for me, a credit to Cook’s respect for the subject matter).

While telling the story of Young Tom, Proctor also introduces to the origins of The Open, life in St Andrews and other areas without ever straying from telling the incredible life story. A must if you are going to Scotland or dreaming along those lines. Aren’t we all these days?

Another great Scot—when he wanted to be—is going to be chronicled in a much needed compilation of writings, photos, plans and other information. Josh Pettit’s MacKenzie Reader is at the printer and will provide an update to the prior MacKenzie coffee table book by Tom Doak. So much has been uncovered since that excellent work and I can’t wait to see what Pettit ultimately will surprise and delight us with (I’ve seen portions and also contributed a short piece on the Good Doctor’s less-than-rosy days spent in L.A.).

Ordering information is here.

Today, 30 August 2020, is Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s 150th birthday (b. 30 August 1870). In commemoration of the Good Doctor’s sesquicentennial the MacKenzie Institute is pleased to announce the new book "The MacKenzie Reader" is now available for pre-order https://t.co/MoxaNfqglH

— Dr. Alister MacKenzie (@DoctorMacKenzie) August 31, 2020

Reading about a nasty fight over a road does not exactly sound very golfy, but owning Roger McStravick’s other well-researched works and knowing his passion for St Andrews, I can’t wait to find out more about those early days that shaped the town and led to an absurd war.

Nick Rodger profiles McStravick and previews the book here in this Herald story.

It seems we’ll also learn more about how the Old Course came to be. My copy is on order and I can’t wait.

“Everybody had written that the first hole was created in the 1840s or so,” he said. “But I found the receipt from the 1830s which showed the carter was being paid to take the rubbish from St Andrews, dump it on what was the beach, level it off and that reclaimed land was how the first hole was created. The man who actually did this, John Carstairs, talks about the whole case. The first hole is effectively built on the rubbish.”

For McStravick, the Old Course and St Andrews as a whole is the gift that keeps on giving. “There are so many wonderful twists and turns in the history of St Andrews and that’s the beauty of the place,” he said.

You can order the book here.

Yahoo Feature On Elite Golf’s Entry Barriers; Youth On Course Fundraising Issues

As part of Yahoo’s Privilege of Play series, Jay Busbee tackles the always complicated matter of entry into golf with a focus on aspirational professionals.

One element of the extensive feature saddened me, another put a smile on my face.

This was disappointing:

The issue of race remains phenomenally touchy in the world of golf, so much so that many in the sport would rather simply avoid the question rather than address it. Multiple PGA Tour players either declined to speak or didn’t respond to a Yahoo Sports inquiry on diversity in the ranks of golf. The First Tee program also declined to speak, aside from providing statistics on the program’s reach. 

Greg McLaughlin is the CEO of the First Tee, former confidante of Tiger Woods and is paid well presumably (Form 990’s related to his new World Golf Foundation gig are not available). I believe pathetic is the word that most comes to mind.

This also comes as some of the other programs designed to help introduce this expensive game to those of less privilege are struggling to raise necessary funds, including the incredible Youth On Course.

Paul Sullivan filed this New York Times story (thanks reader JB):

But the pandemic has also increased fund-raising challenges for nonprofit groups that are trying to open up a sport traditionally associated with wealth to young men and women in need — even as their numbers have surged this year. Through the largess of these groups, young people who could not afford to pay the course fees or buy the equipment learn the values of the sport and gain life skills.

One of the nonprofit groups, Youth on Course, subsidizes rounds of golf so young men and women can play for just $5. It has already reported a 100 percent increase in rounds this year, to over 400,000 from 205,000 in 2019. Memberships in the program rose to 100,000 young men and women from 70,000 last year.

On a lighter note, Busbee did highlight some exceptions of players who have overcome having nothing to make it.

Cue…much needed reminder of the artist that is Chi Chi Rodriguez.

A child of a broken home, his father never made more than $18 a day as a dishwasher and farm worker. Rodriguez fell in love with golf by watching players at a nearby public course, and taught himself well enough that he was winning club championships in his teens. Always a prankster, he’s cast his hardscrabble life in mythic, comical terms.

He’s the most visible example of a player working his way up from virtually nothing, and 50 years later, he remains a rarity.

And a beautiful coincidence, the PGA Tour Champions posted this collection of masterful Chi Chi moments today out of the blue. Imagine doing this with the flatbellies today. The horror!

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A post shared by PGA TOUR Champions (@pgatourchampions)

Bob Charles: “Shorten the tees, shorten the golf courses and shorten the performance of the ball’’

What a fabulous rant this is by Bob Charles on the absurd situation that is regulators having ignored doing their job.

Stuff’s Tony Smith talked to Charles about his biography and pointed thoughts in it on what a mess things have become.

As always I suggest hitting the link to enjoy it all, including his views on the new approach to U.S. Open golf. However, the 70-time winner and former Open champion’s view on the time rounds take and the women’s game was especially good:

The answer, Charles believes, would be to limit the power of the golf ball. He noted tennis and cricket balls had not “changed over the years’’, although cricket bat improvements had allowed the ball to be hit further.

“It’s a combination, in golf, of technology in clubs and balls, which are not doing anything for the good of the game.

“What people must know is that technology helps the fitter, stronger golfer much more so than it helps someone with a slow swing speed, the club golfer who only hits it 200 yards or less.’’

Charles, who still enjoys watching golf’s Majors on television “and events on courses I know and enjoy’’, is concerned that longer courses are leading to longer rounds, which could, potentially, put people off golf.

“When I first went to St Andrews, the course measured 6500 yards. Every tee was beside the green. The playing time for the members was between three to three-and-a-half hours. That was how I grew up – a round of golf took three to three-and-a-half hours.

“Now it’s taking four to four and a half hours. Watching those ladies play [in a LPGA event], they take five and a half hours. Now, what’s that doing for the game?”

I know! Nothing.

Golf Datatech: November 2020 Rounds Up 57%

Perhaps some of golf’s dismal TV ratings of late could be attributed to one simple factor: folks are still playing a lot of golf.

From Golf Datatech’s press release on their latest rounds report (viewable here) showing November up 57% and the year up 13% despite lockdowns and closures earlier in the year.

November’s rounds data indicated that only three states, Hawaii, Florida and New Mexico showed negative results for the month.  This is due to a season long decline in golfer travel to Hawaii, while Florida, especially southern Florida, was hit hard by rain caused by tropical storm Eta that hit in the early part of the month and caused flooding in some areas.  Additionally, New Mexico was under a statewide order to close non-essential businesses including golf courses November 16 – 30.

“Based on our analysis, since the start of the pandemic and related lockdowns, international and long-distance travel remains a challenge for many (but not all) resort facilities, particularly in markets like Hawaii where rounds are down over 35% YTD,” said Krzynowek. “Public facilities have been consistently packed with players post lockdowns, and private club membership has skyrocketed. In fact, public course rounds played are up nearly 12% year-to-date, while rounds at private courses are up nearly 19% year-to-date. We expect this trend to continue at least into the first half of 2021, as the pandemic keeps people confined to their local communities looking for socially distant activities that they can enjoy outdoors.” 

"The worst year in memory was still a boom year for golf"

Sam Weinman at GolfDigest.com files what will be the first of many year-end pieces grappling with the horror that is 2020 and the golf businesses unfathomable turnaround. It’ll take years to full wrap heads around what happened but as he writes…

A pandemic strategy, one that disrupted virtually every element of life but somehow preserved and even fortified golf’s most important elements, was surely never part of the plan.

And yet at the end of 2020, golf can boast the type of surge in participation no bar graph projection would have dared make. According to the National Golf Foundation and Golf Datatech, there will end up being some 50 million more rounds played in 2020 than in 2019, a figure even more staggering considering how the season began. In April, May and June, golf rounds were actually down sharply because of shutdowns and general apprehension in the early days of the pandemic. But once golfers started showing up at courses, a confluence of time, favorable weather and a dearth of other options led to full tee sheets around the country straight through the fall.

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” said John Krzynowek, a partner at Golf Datatech.

He features some stunning numbers on junior golf participation and overall increases despite three months where play was reduced in many states to restrictions. The sport also lost more golfers in 2020 for reasons yet to be sorted out. Long term I’m more bullish on the uptick continuing as it’s hard to see this scene returning to the world in just six months, or possibly, anytime soon.

As businesses discover those workers staying at home are as productive as before and folks are finding peace of mind in a less frenetic pace, those late nines cited as one of the biggest growth areas for golf will continue. More than any $600 driver purchase—I know, blasphemy—the time avoiding a commute and instead playing golf is not something the luckier folks will be giving up any time soon.

The Economist On Launch Angle Golf

Thanks to reader T for The Economist’s look at launch angle golf as carried out by Bryson DeChambeau to impressive effect.

There is this explanation of how he’s defying trends by launching.

The model’s lessons are intuitive. To thump the ball as far as possible, maximise clubhead speed and launch angle while minimising spin (which causes the ball to soar higher, rather than racing forward). However, most players face a trade-off between these goals, explains Paul Wood of Ping, a club manufacturer. Harder impacts usually mean flatter trajectories. Although the average male player swings faster and produces less spin than in 2007, launch angles have declined since then.

One golfer, however, has escaped this constraint. Bryson DeChambeau, a physics graduate with oddly designed clubs and a voracious appetite for data, is nicknamed the “Mad Scientist”. While the PGA Tour was suspended because of covid-19, he added 18kg (40lbs) of bulk. This has allowed him to swing faster than anyone else. But he has also managed to smash the ball with a high launch angle, rather than a low one—an unprecedented combination that might owe something to his unusually stiff wrists and robotic technique.

Putting Shotlink data to good use, The Economist put together a stunning chart showing DeChambeau’s outlier (for now) status in the launch/speed world:

Also, The Economist’s Editor’s Pick podcast discussed their research at the 14:56 mark.

Video: "Brora Golf Club; Story of a Golf Club"

Cookie Jar Golf did a fine job highlighting the charm of endangered Cleeve Hill and they’ve posted another important short film on Brora Golf Club. Earlier in this grand year you may recall there were concerns about Brora’s future and the positive response to helping one of the world’s oldest and most important courses survive.

It’s all covered in this enjoyable four minutes:

We kick start out 2020 Scotland tour, with Brora Golf Club; Story of a Golf Club! This James Braid classic, that sits largely untouched since 1923 has gained...

Ratings: Basically, No One Watched The 2020 RSM Classic

Despite a very solid field and compelling finish, Golf Channel’s four-round broadcast of the 2020 RSM Classic failed to garner more than a few cataract-free eyeballs.

ShowBuzzDaily with the gruesome ratings showing an average of 346,000 watched the final round, with only 31,000 of those not Villages-eligible.

The post-fall Masters slot and wealth of viewing options made this a no-win situation even with all of the long-bombing athletes today.

"Who could have imagined just five years ago that Jordan Spieth and Fowler...would both be ranked outside the top 50 and all but forgotten heading into 2021?"

A variation of that question gets asked pretty frequently of most anyone who calls themselves a golf writer and there are no easy answers. Derek Lawrenson highlights the recent struggles of Rickie Fowler’s efforts to retool his swing in his weekly Daily Mail column and writes:

The Californian has played in 18 consecutive tournaments without so much as a top-10 finish and is now on the brink of falling outside the world’s top 50 for the first time in a decade.

That’s quite some fall for a man who won six times between 2015 and 2017 after finishing in the top five in all four majors in 2014.

It’s another illustration that while golf might be the slowest of games, it has a fast-changing landscape. Who could have imagined just five years ago that Jordan Spieth and Fowler, back then the two golden boys of American golf, would both be ranked outside the top 50 and all but forgotten heading into 2021?

At 27 and 31 respectively, it’s too glib and easy to say they will be back. It’s certainly the hope given they’re two of the game’s nice guys.

The bald truth, however, in a mentally shattering game, is it’s far from a given.

Another factor that can’t be discounted: both Fowler and Spieth have had incredibly lucrative off-course endorsement careers. No matter how much drive both may have, the financial windfalls inevitably have to chip away at their competitive edge. Oh and the balls goes to far and the future will be all about bashing, so I’m not sure the motivation will be there for players who, at their best, thrive on a variety of skills instead of just driving and putting. That should annoy them or the governing bodies, but so far, not yet.

CBS News On Renewed Interest In Golf And Late Nine-Hole Rounds

CBS Moneywatch’s Megan Cerullo doesn’t tell us much we haven’t already read about golf in the pandemic. Still, after years of stories about the decline of the sport’s participation numbers, it’s worth noting pieces like this one, if nothing else to highlight that a resurgence in the game had nothing to do with the opportunity to spend $600 for ten more yards off the tee.

In August, consumers spent a record $331 million on clubs, balls, gloves and other gear — that was up 32% over the year-ago period and topped the previous sales record for that month in 2006, according to Golf Datatech. 

For the first 10 months of 2020, golf equipment sales were up nearly 30% compared to the same period last year, Matt Powell, an analyst with market research firm NPD Group, told CBS MoneyWatch. Training tools, such as hitting screens, swing aids and putting matts are up 75% as enthusiasts practice their technique away from the golf course.

And this is a nice reminder that all that well-intentioned capital devoted to nine-hole ad campaigns could never be as effective as having more people work from home.

The millions of Americans now working from home because of the virus is also boosting golf, with more people sneaking away from their desks to play a quick nine holes. 

The number of so-called short loops as a percentage of complete rounds played is up more than 15% in 2020, according to the National Golf Foundation. 

"This challenges the assumption that golf is an 18-hole sport. People are starting to see the beauty of carving out two hours for nine holes instead of three or four," said Lorentz of the National Golf Foundation. "That could be a real positive for the industry coming out of the pandemic.

439 Yards: It's The Agronomy And The Altitude!

The European Tour kicked off three weeks in South Africa with a bang that got plenty of attention on social media: Wilco Nienaber’s 439-yard drive during the Joburg Open’s first round.

The huge number took on added interest Sunday when Nienaber contended, ultimately finishing second to Joachim Hansen.

But the 20-year-old and his prodigious length—a 337-yard European Tour average in limited starts—has been mentioned by South Africans who witnessed his victory in the 2019 South African Amateur.

Like America’s Cameron Champ, it’s the effortlessness of his swing that might be more shocking (aided by those fairway heights, as a few remaining desperadoes like to claim.)

That’s Tony Johnstone and Alison Whitacker on the call from Randpark, elevation 5000 feet:

Wilco Nienaber's 439 yard drive 🚀#JoburgOpen pic.twitter.com/AY6NNgPVUM

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 19, 2020

Final round highlights:

Joachim B. Hansen launched a late fight back to clinch a two-shot victory as local favourite and long-time leader Wilco Nienaber faltered over the closing st...

"Masters Final Round Rating Down 51 percent, Lowest Since 1957" And Yet...

Paulsen at SportsMediaWatch summarizes the 2020 Masters ratings and overall huge declines with 2020’s one-off November playing.

Dustin Johnson’s win sank 51% in ratings and 48% in viewership from Tiger Woods’ iconic win last year, which aired in an even earlier timeslot (9 AM rather than 10), but on the tournament’s usual April weekend (6.9, 10.81M). Compared to 2018, the last time the final round aired in its usual late afternoon window, ratings and viewership fell 57% from a 7.9 and 13.03 million.

The steep declines and record-lows are in keeping with the overall trend for sports on television since the wave of cancellations and postponements in March. The NBA Finals (7.49M) and World Series (9.79M) both set all-time record lows in viewership, declining 49 and 30 percent respectively from last year. Stanley Cup Final viewership plunged 61% to a 13-year low (2.15M). All three Triple Crown horse races hit lows, with each down at least 32%.

While it’s still too soon to say whether any of these playings of major events will turn out to be regretted, I sense that even with huge ratings declines 2020 has reinforced the timelessness of the above-mentioned events.

In a strange way, by playing through it feels like the strength of the time-honored spectacles and their normal place on the calendar has only been strengthened. Whether its the many Masters traditions, or the Derby on the first Saturday in May, or the World Series in front of fans, all of these big time events feel even more indelible after having been deprived of experiencing them in normal ways. No one will questions a return the traditional playings.

But for the events and sports without that backbone of tradition? It feels like the pandemic will accelerate any trends prior to this mess. In the case of golf, tournaments with powerful connections to the past or a traditional timing will be supported by sports fans. The placement and perpetuity of everything else in sports seems up for grabs.

So while the ratings were as low as you can go, the overall sense that the Masters-remains-the-Masters provides more reinforcement that those events with traditions unlike-any-other will thrive because they always known their limitations and strengths.