Scatter Chart Horror: Riviera's 10th Hole, Round One Genesis

The silliness above is on the governing bodies for not doing anything. Riviera for allowing the green to evolve as it has, and on someone else for not at least getting a tee extension ordered up.

Players now regularly say they aim for the trees left and hope. Is this how golf treats its elders? Oh right, yes it is.

Jordan Spieth’s description is just more forthright than most. But to think a whole ingeniously masterminded no longer gets to present the best players the intended options on a grand stage like the Genesis Invitational, is a stain on the game.

Yeah, so the idea was to hit a 3-wood over the left bunker into those trees. I mean, for real. You can get stymied and not have a shot and if that's the case you just have to kind of punch it forward. And then--but that angle's the best angle to be chipping into the green from. It was blowing pretty hard so I knew I needed to kind of hook it in order to get it over that bunker. So I went a little left of where I wanted, ended up in one of those spots that was not ideal because the palm tree happened to be right in the line I wanted to go. Ended up choosing to go to the left side of it and actually kind of almost cut it out of the rough from about 60yards. That shot was the shot of the day for me. That could have easily been a 5 and it turned out to be a 3.

The Real Numbers: "JT and Rory vs. the USGA"

Justin Thomas mentioned the (billions!) R&D outlay by manufacturers as reason enough to not do anything. He walked that back to millions but ultimately landed at the same spot mentioning “hard work” of manufacturers as cause for rulemakers to stand down.

So, profit over the good of the game. He’s hardly the first and as Titleist’s top player naturally taking the company line.

Rory McIlroy was widely lauded for his comments blasting the USGA’s waste of money studying the distance issue. This, even as he reiterated his support for some kind of skill-protecting bifurcation. His latter point did not jibe with Taylormade’s position on the possibility of tighter regulation.

The Fried Egg’s Will Knights has looked at the claims and it turns out the USGA has spent about $1 million on their portion of the distance study while the manufacturers have spent far more in annual R&D with positive tax implications for doing so. As always I urge you to read the full piece as it’s loaded with fascinating information.

As for Thomas’s claim of R&D spending, Knight found it may be a smaller number than expected and a nice tax credit awaits if desired.

From 2017 to 2019, Acushnet, Titleist’s holding company, spent between $47 and $52 million on R&D. That amounted to about 3% of the company’s net sales. Over the same period, Callaway spent between $36 and $51 million, between 3 and 4% of its net sales. These expenses cannot be attributed solely to golf ball and club development, as both companies manufacture clothing, shoes, and other kinds of products. However, for both Acushnet and Callaway, golf equipment is a major priority, so it’s safe to assume that their R&D spends would be largely allocated to balls and clubs. (Callaway does note that a significant portion of its R&D increase between 2018 and 2019 was due to its acquisition of Jack Wolfskin, an outdoor apparel company.)

The key is this: U.S. companies can take a tax credit for a portion of their R&D spending from their taxable income. This is a complex calculation and we do not have full details on how golf OEMs perform it, but the documents reveal that Callaway has carried forward $18.8 million in federal R&D tax credits, which will expire in the 2030s. These tax credits account for about 3.5% of Callaway’s 2019 taxable income and 4.4% of its 2018 taxable income.

Then there is McIlroy’s claim of wasteful spending. The USGA’s Janeen Driscoll responded to that notion when queried by Knights.

“The USGA invested $1 million total in Distance Insights from 2017 to 2020—the majority of which was dedicated to third-party research,” Driscoll told The Fried Egg in an email. “A lot of this research was dedicated to better understanding and quantifying the recreational game, as we had more than enough data from professional tours and golf at the elite competitive level.”

Driscoll went on to compare that multi-year $1 million investment to the USGA’s spending on other initiatives. In 2020 alone, the organization dedicated $1.3 million to junior programs, $1.9 million to turfgrass research grants, more than $1 million to the PJ Boatwright Internship program, and another $3 million to golf history research and preservation. The USGA also typically sets aside about $10 million per year to conduct amateur championships around the country.

There is more, including the USGA’s Green Section work and other programs that give back to the game.

These two stars are very good at golf and that’s their expertise. Most golf publications will never do anything but praise the players no matter how silly their claims, all in hopes of scratching up a few ad dollars from the manufacturers. But this is a reminder that the topic is multi-layered and such remarks deserve more investigation as the debate progresses.

"No Rollback On Talent"

LET player Meghan Maclaren added some much needed perspective with her latest blog post by addressing what USGA/R&A equipment standards changes might mean for elite players.

Add her perspective with Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy (both pro-skill) and note how little pushback there has been since last week’s announcement (other than from the Titleist toadies and Dustin Johnson) perhaps most good players get it: the rules need to protect skill and highlight the immense talent pool in the game.

Maclaren points out that this might even make the pro game more interesting. Please check out the full piece but is her summation:

And there’s currently 291 players ranked ahead of me in the women’s professional rankings. Not to mention your pick of every player shown on tv every week. Professional golfers will always be able to enthrall, because that is their job. They work every day to be able to do things you cannot. And you can still make the game as hard or as easy as you want, depending on the course you choose to play, the tees you choose to play from, the time you put into practice. None of that will change, even if Bryson or Anne van Dam max out at 25 yards less than they currently do. It might even make the game better.

R&A Proposing "Community Golf Facility" In Glasgow

Here’s a look at The R&A’s plans for a new community golf facility we are hoping to open in Glasgow in Summer 2022 ⛳️

Read more about the project here 👉 https://t.co/v0SLymZ60W pic.twitter.com/dO9SEAV7nU

— The R&A (@RandA) February 11, 2021

For years the idea of a family-focused and smaller facility to give people with busy schedules a place to stay in touch with the game seemed like a swell idea. Some with grander ideas have considered weaving in non-golf amenities with the idea of creating something on smaller acreage in locations where scarcity or the need to re-imagine a golf footprint was called for.

No one has done it.

So this makes for a fascinating move by the R&A to take matters into their hands by creating a model facility. (I still think priority one should be to rescue historic Musselburgh and incorporate some of these elements given its location and importance to the game…but we’ll save that for another day.)

For Immediate Release:

THE R&A TO SUBMIT PLANNING APPLICATION FOR NEW GOLF FACILITY IN GLASGOW

11 February, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A is submitting a planning application to Glasgow City Council for the construction of a new community golf facility that it is hoped will open in the summer of 2022.

The project aims to redevelop the existing public course at Lethamhill to create a family-focussed venue that provides access to a nine-hole course, Par 3 course, putting greens, short-game area, adventure golf and a 25-bay floodlit driving range for visitors to enjoy a wide range of golf activities, including shorter forms of the sport.

Additional features including a café, fitness studio, indoor simulator and movie theatre, education room and retail area are also being planned as part of a central hub that would offer views north over nearby Hogganfield Loch to the Campsie Fells and south to the City of Glasgow.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We want to make golf more welcoming and inclusive for people of all ages and backgrounds and so we need to appeal to them by offering a variety of fun and affordable activities that entice more families and young people into the sport.

“We are excited by the prospect of establishing a facility in the very heart of the local community in north-east Glasgow that provides an accessible pathway into golf and inspires people to get out, have fun and experience the many health benefits that playing golf with family and friends can provide.”

In collaboration with Glasgow Life, the views of local stakeholders including current golfers, community groups and elected representatives are being considered to assist in shaping the development of the facility to create a destination that truly appeals to local people.

Work is also being carried out with the Golf Foundation and Scottish Golf to devise future participation and education programmes that use Glasgow Life’s existing Active Schools network to connect local schools with the new facility and inspire young people to experience playing golf in a fun and relaxed environment.

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council, said, “This project is a great example of innovative thinking which protects and enhances resources relied on by the local communities and the whole city. It delivers an incredible facility for golfers while at the same time offering families more opportunities to discover the joy and health benefits of taking part in sport.

“The prospect of creating such a fantastic venue in what is already a well-used hub is something everyone can be very enthusiastic about, and we’re looking forward to working with The R&A and engaging with groups and clubs in the local area to develop a facility which is the first of its kind in Glasgow.”

The R&A has been working closely with the Seven Lochs Partnership and leading sustainability professionals to establish clear commitments to delivering positive environmental, health and social benefits to the local community and ensure best practice in sustainability is used throughout the facility.

A new network of public nature trails that link into existing walking routes of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is being planned for use by visitors to the urban heritage and nature park, which seeks to promote health and well-being and enhance biodiversity.

Councillor Maureen Burke, Chair of the Seven Lochs Partnership, said, “The R&A’s plans for Lethamhill will be a fantastic addition to the Seven Lochs Wetland Park and will help to make the park a great place to discover and explore nature on your doorstep.

“This is a great opportunity to show how golf can promote wider well-being and environmental benefits and we look forward to working closely with The R&A to create new habitats for wildlife, design nature trails around the golf course and develop outdoor learning activities for local schools.”

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:

Quadrilateral: What Drove The PGA To Allow Rangefinders?

My Quadrilateral take on today’s random news from the PGA of America.

The announcement on rangefinders is here.

This latest newsletter is for my trusty paid subscribers. Thanks again for the support! For more on the Quadrilateral check out the standalone site here.

USGA: Courses Built In Last Three Decades Around 64 Acres Larger Than Yesteryear's Footprint

USGA

Adam Moeller and George Waters of the USGA Green Section set out to determine how much golf courses footprints have changed as the sport has chased distance.

They developed an 80-course random sample with an even distribution of public and private from different regions and built in different eras. As always I urge you to read the whole thing. But the key takeaway part is a landmark finding and explains precisely why the USGA invested in studying distance. Well done.

A carefully selected case study of courses that had recently hosted men’s professional golf events was also included in the research because we recognized that these facilities face unique pressures with regard to hitting distance, and because these facilities typically have resources above and beyond what is available to most golf courses, so their patterns of change were likely to be different. The championship courses selected had a variety of opening dates and architects, and came from different regions.

For the purposes of this study, footprint is defined as all playing areas of the golf course, all practice facilities, all native areas that are likely to require some maintenance, ponds and lakes, roads and paths, the maintenance facility, the clubhouse, and any dumping or staging areas that can clearly be attributed to the golf facility. Where a course had woodland borders, an approximation within the perimeter of the tree line was made to account for maintenance that likely occurs along and within the woodland margins.

In the 80-course sample, courses built during the three most recent decades had an average total footprint of 216.3 acres. Courses from the earliest three decades – the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s – had an average footprint of 152.3 acres, a difference of 64 acres. This pattern was also observed in the championship course case study, where the five most-recently opened courses had an average footprint 47 acres larger than the five oldest courses (260 acres versus 213 acres, respectively).

There could be folks out there who love a bigger, longer walk in the park that wastes more resources and spreads out those strolls between holes. I just haven’t met them yet.

Another key finding: the average total area of greens and bunkers decreased over time. Meaning the expansion also came at the expense of design features in favor of dead space or roughs.

In the 80-course sample, the average total putting green area was 109,077 square feet for the earliest map year and 101,197 square feet for the last map year. The average total putting green area for the championship courses decreased from 125,642 square feet in the earliest map year to 115,755 square feet in the last map year. The average area of bunkers in the 80-course sample decreased from 82,573 square feet to 76,823 square feet. In the championship course case study, the decrease was even more pronounced, with a drop from an average of 243,971 square feet of bunker area in the earliest map year to 156,033 square feet in the most recent map year.

Course alterations for distance have been more recent:

In both the 80-course sample and the championship course case study, alterations to golf courses with a clear distance component have increased from 1990 onward. In the 80-course sample, 79% of the total distance added through new tees or moved greens occurred from 1990 to the present. In the championship course case study, a more pronounced version of this pattern arises, with 92.9% of all distance added since 1990. This suggests that courses have faced more pressure in recent years to accommodate increased hitting distance than in decades past.

MLB Slightly Deadening Ball Due To HR Surge

The Athletic’s Eno Sarris and Ken Rosenthal broke the news along with the incredible details of Major League Baseball’s plan to tweak the ball. The focus seems to be on not overemphasizing the home run but safety has to be part of the equation. Either way, chicks digging the long ball appears to be taking a back seat to the game getting played at a faster clip with less emphasis on the home run.

Golfers will enjoy hearing about COR…

“In an effort to center the ball with the specification range for COR and CCOR, Rawlings produced a number of baseballs from late 2019 through early 2020 that loosened the tension of the first wool winding,” the memo from the office of the commissioner reads, explaining that this change had two effects — reducing the weight of the ball by less than one-tenth of an ounce, and also a slight decrease in the bounciness of the ball as measured by the COR and CCOR. 

COR is the coefficient of restitution, or the relationship of the incoming speed to the outgoing speed. So, in other words, this new ball will be less bouncy. How much less is a matter of science, but also opinion.

Research conducted by Rawlings says the balls will be centered more in the midpoint of the established COR range, which is from .530 to .570 with a midpoint around .550, as the (now missing) first report on the home run rate surge stated. So the COR likely changed around .01 to .02 at most, and the ball size was likely reduced by less than 2.8 grams.

AP’s Jake Seiner added this:

MLB anticipates the changes will be subtle, and a memo to teams last week cited an independent lab that found the new balls will fly 1 to 2 feet shorter when hit over 375 feet. Five teams also plan to add humidors to their stadiums, raising the total to 10 of 30 MLB stadiums equipped with humidity-controlled storage spaces.

Trying To Grasp McIlroy's Take On Distance Research, Endorsement Of Bifurcation

Quite a few folks have reached out to ask for clarification of Rory McIlroy’s contradictory remarks last week. As I noted at the time, say what you want about his criticism of the governing bodies, he endorsed their likely solution as well. They will take the latter and ignore the former.

But the Golf.com roundtable gang did a nice job summing up the matter for those trying to figure out McIlroy’s point.

Berhow: The study and research and time that went into this is important. Facts matter. And it’s good to see how the game evolves. Hardly a waste of money or time. I do agree with him that the game has other issues to address as well, but that doesn’t mean the USGA and R&A should give distance or any other relevant topics the cold shoulder. That would be irresponsible. 

Zak: I was seriously disappointed in Rory’s knee-jerk perspective. It surprised me. The USGA is not ruining the game for amateurs with this study. The R&A is not focused solely on professionals. They are simply trying to make sure that some of the pillars this game sits on — centuries-old courses and using all the clubs in the bag — are not bastardized and made extinct by extreme advancements in technology. If slight bifurcation is the answer that keeps Bryson occasionally using a 4-iron at St. Andrews, it would be a great success.

Sens: I think he’s right about bifurcation. It makes good sense. 

Bamberger: Oh, I got ahead of things here — yes, he makes good sense, to a point. All recreational golf, as well as club golf and after-work leagues and all the rest need rules and regulations. But we should play lost ball. drop one where you think you lost it, add a shot. The Tour can do it some other way. 

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.

How Have Fan-Free Events Impacted Performance And Results?

Fans or no fans? Impact on play or not? And what about the kids?

The obvious question after Collin Morikawa held off players like Matthew Wolff and Scottie Scheffler at the 2020 PGA: has it been easier adjustment in the pandemic era without loud, biased-to-veterans crowds or the inevitable adjustment to playing before large crowds?

And how to prove or disprove it?

Thankfully, that’s what someone like Justin Ray likes to answer. I finally got around to this and as always, enjoyed his approach and use of the data to answer an interesting question.

While plenty of younger players have found the winner’s circle since the season resumed after the pandemic hiatus, there hasn’t been a rush of new faces lifting trophies. The average age for PGA TOUR winners since last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge is 32.1 – right around average for recent seasons. It’s actually a slightly older median than the 2018-19 season (31.8), as well as every season from 2013-14 through 2016-17.

How about making the cut? From the beginning of the 2017-18 season through the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational, players age 24 or younger made the cut 53.6% of the time. In the mostly ‘fan-less’ tournaments since, that number has actually decreased, to 50.9%. That may be partly an effect of the Herculean fields that populated the TOUR shortly after the pandemic hiatus ended – an abbreviated season meant condensed schedules for the world’s best players.

Bryson Initiates Call With USGA Over Coming Changes And Sounds Convinced Rule Changes Will Protect "Human Element"

Too bad more players are not this grounded when it comes to the distance and skill discussion.

Of course this was said in Saudi Arabia where Bryson DeChambeau is headlining the European Tour’s stop there, but we’ll set that aside for now:

Q. I don't know if you had a chance to see the fact that the USGA and the R&A -- you have, good. You seem to be the only one that's literate coming into this thing. Anyways, what's your thoughts on it, and do you think that distance is an issue?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, look, I had a great conversation with John Bodenheimer and Jason Gore yesterday when it came out, pretty much right when it came out. That was my doing. I wanted to talk to them and get their piece on it. I totally understand what they are about. They are trying not to take the human element out of it, which I think is the most important factor in this whole conversation.

When it comes to the equipment aspect, they are trying to make it more of a -- I guess you could say same or fair playing field where you can't just put a 48-inch driver and it works for this person, you could gain six, seven miles an hour where somebody couldn't because the driver just doesn't work for them or whatever.

I think the most important factor in this whole discussion is that they are focused on keeping the integrity of the game and trying to make it more of a fair playing field while not taking out the human element.

I’m just stopping here to let you go back and read that last graph again. This is Bryson DeChambeau. Yeah he’s definitely cut back on the bacon.

From my perspective, I think it suits me really well because as of right now, I'm still playing the 45-and-a-half-inch driver, and it's suiting me perfectly well, and I'm not going to the 48. So if someone was trying to go to the 48 for them they could gain six, seven miles an hour pretty quickly and now it's not a possibility. And I think it's going to be more difficult for people to gain speed easily. They are going to have to work really hard, just like I have.

For me right now, I feel like it's a pretty good advantage from the way I look at it.

Q. Did you initiate the conversation?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I did.

Q. All that being said, would you not have a problem if they decided not to make adjustments into the rules?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No, I welcome it as long as they don't change the human element. Again, I'm going to play with whatever they gave me. I'm not worried about it. I'm going to do what that they say is legal and I'll just go from there and find the best way to play for me under The Rules of Golf.

There's no issues -- it's funny, I'm sure there's a lot of excitement about me having a potentially controversial thought on it but I don't. I think it's a really cool thought process. It's a little flattering in a sense, because I did talk about that 48-inch driver for so long, and it just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.

As it's played out, I think it's really cool to see that there's some change off of the conversations that I've had, and it's just pretty interesting to me.

Human element. I’m borrowing that. So should the USGA and R&A.

Headline Writers Seize on Rory Slamming USGA/R&A Report, Less Impressed With His Endorsement Of Local Rule

Rory McIlroy spoke at Wednesday’s Waste Management Open press center and made an inconsistent set of comments about the distance issue.

Headline writers loved his comments slamming the USGA and R&A distance report proposals for consideration, but the real takeaway should have been McIlroy’s endorsement (again) of bifurcation and the local rule concept floated as a result of the study. A position also inconsistent with the views of his partners at Taylormade.

Which is why you do such a study so that such companies see the decision was made on data and research, not opinions.

From Adam Schupak at Golfweek:

Asked if he would be in favor of a local rule or different rules for the pros, McIlroy said: “I would be all for that. If they want to try to make the game more difficult for us or more – try to incorporate more skill to the game, yeah, I would be all for that, because I think it only benefits the better play, which I feel like I am.

The waste of money remarks from Ryan Lavner at GolfChannel.com:

“So I think the authorities, the R&A and USGA, are looking at the game through such a tiny little lens, that what they're trying to do is change something that pertains to 0.1 percent of the golfing community, while 99.9 percent of the people play this game play for enjoyment, for entertainment,” McIlroy said. “

Of course, the manufacturers have the option to make anything they’d like to help people enjoy the game. Following the USGA/R&A rules are 100% optional.

For those keeping score at home, that’s a huge endorsement for a local rule picked up by the governing bodies.

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

Shocking Equipment Proposal Sets Up Major(s) Skirmish

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.