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
Cookie Jar wraps up the Old Tom Trails series with a 15 minute extravaganza looking at The Old Course.
Sit back, put off those bills you have to pay, and enjoy a fresh approach to the courses where golf began.
Oakmont’s 10th and 11th holes (Google Earth)
This one is for The Quad’s fine paying folks but I’ll be back Thursday for all subscribers with notes and a Carnoustie preview.
The PGA Tour won’t be quite the same without former Mickey’s theme park employee-turned-golf-pro-turned longtime rules official, Mark Russell.
Hopefully he’ll still get called Slugger in an airport (hopefully) and get in plenty of golf as he turns to sitcom writing and more late evening rounds. He also touches on this idea of 156 player fields, slow play and suggests it’s time to trim things down.
From his “exit interview” with Golfweek’s Adam Schupak.
Q: Don’t you want to give out one last slow play penalty (during the final round of the Wyndham Championship) for old time’s sake?
MR: (Chuckles) Not really. Again, we’ve got 156 players, we should never do that in 2021. This Tour should be 120 players maximum. You know, when they came up with (fields of 156), there was no place to play. Now we’ve got the Korn Ferry Tour. We’ve got PGA Tour Champions, tours in Canada and Latin America, too. You know, if you’re good enough, you’re going to be right back here. But I mean, 156 guys, there’s groups waiting 10, 12 minutes at the turn to play. That all goes away if you did that, like at Bay Hill, 120 players and we give them 12-minute intervals and they can’t catch each other. I mean, the slow players have no place to hide.
Most of the slow players play so much better if they go ahead and play. You know, I said, we oughta make them play like that on the range. You can only hit one ball a minute, and then they’d realize. But for the most part, like I say on Thursday and Friday, we breed slow play. There’s no place to go.
While I’ve had my share of spirited chats with Russ about field size (me fighting for a 144-player “Open” field here in LA), he’s right. I concede. It’s looking like the combination of all reachable par-5’s and drivable 4’s, while a huge issue, matters less when fields are getting huge enough to welcome back winners from the late 90s!
Here’s the putter that James Piot won the #USAmateur with. Nicknamed “The Garbage Putter,” a decade-old putter that originally belonged to his dad. He drew a line on it and even uses a mallet head cover. pic.twitter.com/ZrZ9gLQpxn
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) August 15, 2021
Blade connoisseurs wondering what that was James Piot used to win the U.S. Amateur will get all of their questions answered in this game story from GolfChannel.com’s Brentley Romine. It’s quite a story!
“I was too cheap to go buy a putter, so I looked in the basement and, Oh, this thing is here, and then I went back to it probably middle of summer,” Piot said. “I putted lights out in the qualifier, so I'm like, This thing is going to stick.”
I really wanted to dive into the 2021 U.S. Amateur and still will, but Sunday’s musical channels comes on top of other madness in the name of synergy. Golf is getting hosed.
Based on the recent USGA trajectory and just how these things go in the corporate—I mean, non-profit—world, it’s not a huge shock to see new CEO Mike Whan hiring his longtime LPGA Tour lieutenant a broad spectrum of duties.
For Immediate Release:
JON PODANY NAMED USGA CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
Seasoned executive brings extensive experience in business development, television and brand management, as well as a proven track record of success with USGA CEO Mike Whan
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (August 12, 2021) – The USGA announced today that Jon Podany will join the Association as its new Chief Commercial Officer, starting September 1.
Podany brings to the USGA an extensive background in sports spanning marquee companies such as the PGA Tour, LPGA, Arnold Palmer Enterprises and Procter & Gamble. Podany’s roles as CEO, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer have touched virtually every aspect of the sports industry.
“Jon is a well-known, well respected difference maker with a track record of making organizations and people better,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “His vast experience in the game will be critical as we look to more deeply connect industry stakeholders to an even better future for our game. Jon and I have partnered before, and I love his passion for golf and his unwavering respect for the people in the industry – I am absolutely thrilled to call him my teammate!”
In his new role at the USGA, Podany will oversee corporate partnerships, hospitality, broadcast and digital media, communications, marketing, ticketing and merchandising.
“I am very excited to be returning to the golf industry and reuniting with Mike Whan to build on the success we’ve had together,” said Podany. “I have had a lifelong passion for the game and have been fortunate to have a 25-year career in the industry, which I hope will position me well to champion and advance the game, our people and our partners.”
Most recently, Podany was a partner in two companies within the college sports industry, The Brandr Group (TBG) and CampusLore, focused on maximizing the value of athletes’ names, images and likenesses (NIL), primarily through group rights programs. TBG has the group rights for college with the NFL, NBA and MLB players associations, and recently created a group rights program for current student-athletes and/or alumni at schools including The Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Miami.
During Podany’s nearly nine years at the LPGA, where he served as Chief Marketing Officer and then Chief Commercial Officer working with Commissioner Whan, he helped deliver a period of historic growth for the organization with revenues increasing 88 percent during his tenure. Additionally, the number of tournaments grew from 23 to 34 and prize money increased from $40 million to more than $70 million.
For most of Podany’s time at the PGA Tour, he developed new business and sponsorship relationships, including his final five years (2005-2010) where he led the department as Senior Vice President of Business Development and was instrumental in securing partnerships such as the FedEx Cup, title sponsors of tournaments, official marketing partners and media partners. In addition, Podany led the development and launch of various award-winning brand campaigns and marketing platforms, including “These Guys are Good” and “Giving Back: The Heart of the PGA Tour.” As Senior Vice President of Brand Development and Marketing Services from 2003-2005, Podany was twice named by the Sports Business Journal as one of the most prominent young executives in sports, earning their “Forty Under 40 Award.”
Podany, who graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in finance, began his career at Procter & Gamble where he worked on several iconic brands, including Ivory, Oil of Olay, Safeguard and Pert Plus. He is married and has three daughters.
Podany takes two jobs that amounted to around $1 million in salary and were performed without competence or class. The previous departure of Navin Singh came on Whan’s first official day and now quietly exiting stage left is USGA “Chief Brand Officer” Craig Annis.
The Annis departure was revealed in a brief mention by Todd Kelly of Golfweek, reporting here on Podany’s hiring.
That’s appropriate in the sense we follow the USGA and their championships for the golf, not the brand. That said, this sad few years in USGA relations should be noted.
Growing up around college and pro sports I was lucky enough to tag along with my dad as he broadcast college and pro sports. Between that time and my years as a golf writer, I’ve met or dealt with hundreds public relations representatives, sports information directors and now, when they make over $400k a year, chief brand officers. Dating to those wild and crazy 1980s, I can name four that were either openly hostile to media or just not very nice people. The rest tend to be some of the nicer and more accommodating folks you’ll ever meet.
Of the four, three were in golf, one in baseball (and who has since become a friend and dabbles in golf media work). Of those three in golf, two worked for the USGA. Both were the two most recent heads of communication and are now former USGA employees: Craig Annis and Joe Goode.
In attempting to make the USGA more likable, Annis worked hard to stifle honest coverage, ran off golf people in favor of younger, brand-friendly, sycophantic types. The overall tone—as it is with so many PGA Tour efforts—is that golf is lame and needs coolness to make it marketable to advertisers.
While this mindset is hardly unusual in today’s world, Annis brought a special kind of edge, attempting to use business relationships with various media outlets to control messages and scare people out of traditional coverage. This only made the non-profit USGA even more inauthentic to even the dullest observer and suggested an overall vibe that the organization with something to hide.
There was also the effort to preach inclusiveness while saddling up next to outlets generally associated with a toxic boys club edge. While that clubby stuff may resonate with the sons of some Executive Committee members or their aggrieved dads longing for a better day when you can proudly look down on the less fortunate, this “brand” exuded a level of almost incomprehensible hypocrisy. Unless you came from a background of spinning candy bars as part of a healthy diet.
The result for the USGA, like NBC’s recent “televisual-vomit” approach to the Olympics, was a strange form of branding vomit. In attempting to please multiple factions by spraying slogans and spending all over the place, the only “brand message” you can take away from the Annis years was little faith in the organization’s core values.
This sentence from Annis’s USGA page should have been a harbinger of things to come":
"With an impactful leadership style, Craig successfully develops and grows capabilities and motivate others to get behind company directive and direction to create a positive effect on engagement and business growth."
Brand vomit.
Hopefully Podany will restore order by not treating the “product” as something to be ashamed of. People over the age of 20 matter, too. Sure, the USGA should welcome new audiences, educate about the USGA’s initiatives and act as a more inclusive organization. Those are worthy goals but should not overtake the mission of protecting the sport. Thankfully, few were buying what Annis had the USGA selling, whatever it was. But the cost in lost integrity, financial and human capital may take a long time to mend. Good luck Mr. Podany!
The New York Times’ Stephen Castle explains the latest twist in Scotland’s troubled relationship with the Trump Organization after a judge ruled in favor of online campaign group Avaaz.
But on Wednesday a judge ruled that Avaaz, an online campaign group, should be given the right to challenge the government’s rejection of calls for such a move.
Nicknamed “McMafia orders,” unexplained wealth orders were introduced in 2018 to strengthen the government’s armory against organized crime. Those subject to them can ultimately be forced to forfeit their assets if they are unable to explain satisfactorily how they were purchased.
Though it remains far from clear that such an investigation will ever arise in this case, Wednesday’s court decision is nonetheless a setback for Mr. Trump, whose financial and tax dealings are under investigation in the United States.
Severin Carroll has followed the story for some time and noted this in his Guardian piece:
Recent accounts show the Turnberry business owes Trump £114m, and the Aberdeenshire estate £44m.
Sandison allowed the Avaaz application to proceed even though it was technically time-barred, and also decided a future judicial review could investigate Trump’s finances, not just the dry technical question of whether ministers can order a UWO inquiry.
After rejecting the government’s protests that the petition was filed too late, the judge ruled there were clear matters of public importance raised by the Avaaz case.
“The question comes to be whether the petition raises matters of such live and substantive public importance as to render it in the interests of justice to allow it to proceed out of time,” Sandison said.
On the latest State of the Game, Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and I discussed the European Tour’s future on word of the latest “Strategic Alliance” news.
Check it out here or wherever you get your pods.
Guest Richard Gillis’ Unofficial Partner newsletter was a big part of the discussion. It’s a great subscribe for those interested in sports business. As always, we thank him for coming on the show!
Rickie Fowler you’re too young to drive!
Getting in the banana delivery business is beneath you. There is still great golf in you. I know it!
“With the position I’m in, age-wise, and yeah, I’d have to play my (rear) off the next few weeks to have a chance there, which like you said, it’s not out of the question. But yeah, if the team – if the guys wanted me there, I’d be there in a heartbeat,” he said. “They’re such fun weeks to be a part of whether you’re playing or not. Some of my favorite times have been when I’ve sat out and basically got to be there as, you know, a makeshift assistant captain in a way. You’re out there supporting the crew and being around.”
Resist!
Stacy Lewis was talking about the LPGA Tour but she certainly could have been referring to the men’s game as well.
Returning to Scotland for the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, one of the fastest players in the game discussed the issue in this piece by Beth Ann Nichols.
The key quote:
“I just think it needs to be a courtesy thing,” said Lewis, “because we need to realize as a tour, we’re going to lose people watching us and we’re going to lose fans because we are taking so long to play and I think that’s what really needs to be hammered home to people is we need to do it more from that side than anything.”
As part of our commitment to stage golf’s greatest championships at the most iconic venues, we have awarded 5 #USOpen and 4 #USWomensOpen Championships to two of the country’s most storied courses, Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club!
— USGA (@USGA) August 11, 2021
Learn more: https://t.co/w0vg3b6jou pic.twitter.com/bIscec0d95
For Immediate Release even though most of these are not immediate! My analysis for The Quadrilateral is here and due to this breaking news, open to all.
USGA ANNOUNCES LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB AND MERION GOLF CLUB
Venerable Pennsylvania courses to welcome 10 more U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships; Oakmont named second U.S. Open anchor site
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Aug. 11, 2021) – As part of its commitment to stage golf’s greatest championships at the nation’s most iconic venues, the USGA has awarded five more U.S. Open Championships and four U.S. Women’s Open Championships to two of the country’s most storied golf courses, Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
As part of the announcement, the USGA has also committed to bring its national championships to the Keystone State with greater frequency, beyond the now 18 championships scheduled to be played in the commonwealth between now and 2050.
This week’s U.S. Amateur at Oakmont marks the 88th USGA championship conducted in Pennsylvania, the most of any state and the latest in a relationship between the state and the USGA that began with the 1899 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Philadelphia Country Club and continued with the 1904 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Merion and the 1919 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont.
“Oakmont and Merion are iconic in every sense of the word – they’re in rare company in golf and continue to test the best in the game,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “We’re making history and kicking off a new era for our national championships in Pennsylvania, and we couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.”
Oakmont Country Club, which was previously announced as the host site for the 2025 U.S. Open, will host the 2028 and 2038 U.S. Women’s Opens, the 2034, 2042 and 2049 U.S. Opens, the 2033 Walker Cup Match and the 2046 U.S. Women’s Amateur. It will become the second U.S. Open anchor site named by the USGA, in an effort to return to iconic venues with deep and meaningful USGA championship history every five to six years. Pinehurst Resort & Country Club was designated an anchor site last year.
Including this week’s U.S. Amateur, Oakmont has hosted 17 USGA championships, identifying winners such as Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open, 2016), Paula Creamer (U.S. Women’s Open, 2010), Ernie Els (U.S. Open, 1994), Patty Sheehan (U.S. Women’s Open, 1992), Johnny Miller (U.S. Open, 1973), Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open, 1962), Ben Hogan (U.S. Open, 1953), and Bob Jones (U.S. Amateur, 1925).
“Our members and all of Pittsburgh are so excited to host the USGA and the best players in the game at Oakmont, which we believe is one of the most exacting tests of golf anywhere in the world,” said Ed Stack, president of Oakmont Country Club. “It is the perfect venue to identify the best golfers around the globe, in concert with the USGA’s mission for championship golf. The new champions who will be crowned over the next 30 years will join a distinguished list of past champions and etch their names in golf history. We are proud and humbled to showcase Oakmont Country Club, Pittsburgh, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a number of USGA championships through 2049.”
Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, which was previously named the host site for the 2022 Curtis Cup Match and the 2026 U.S. Amateur, will host four additional Opens – the 2030 U.S. Open, 2034 U.S. Women’s Open, 2046 U.S. Women’s Open and 2050 U.S. Open, with additional championships to be named in the future.
Merion, a key long-term strategic partner of the USGA, has hosted 18 USGA championships – the most of any site – and is synonymous with legendary championship moments. Bob Jones won two of his five U.S. Amateur titles at Merion (1924, 1930), while Hall of Famers Ben Hogan (1950) and Lee Trevino (1971) are among the five U.S. Open champions to have hoisted a trophy there, joining Olin Dutra (1934), David Graham (1981) and Justin Rose (2013). In total, Merion has hosted six different USGA championships, including the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur, Curtis Cup Match and Walker Cup Match.
"Starting with its formation, the desire to host significant championships has been at Merion’s core. It is no wonder Merion has hosted more USGA championships than any other club in America,” said Buddy Marucci, championship chair for Merion Golf Club. “Our friendship with the USGA dates to its first decade and has produced some of the most incredible moments in golf history. We are thrilled to celebrate those moments by announcing four more Open championships, and we look forward to bringing the best players in the world to compete on Hugh Wilson’s timeless masterpiece.”
The announcement was made on Wednesday at Oakmont, supported by representatives from both clubs, as well as several legislators, including Pennsylvania Senate Pro Tempore Jake Corman, Pennsylvania State Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Pennsylvania State Representative Carrie Lewis DelRosso.
“Golf – an $84 billion industry – is one of America’s favorite pastimes, and Pennsylvania is proud to enter into this new partnership with the United States Golf Association,” said Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin. “When visitors come to our state to watch or play golf, they’re staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, and shopping at our small businesses. We look forward to hosting new visitors at our world-class golf courses, generating tourism revenue and creating new opportunities for golf fans for years to come.”
The U.S. Open Championship alone drives $500 million in economic impact annually to communities across America and delivers $70 million to golf programs and events that grow and advance the game worldwide each year. Programs funded through the U.S. Open and USGA include The First Tee and LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, as well as an annual investment of $10 million in the economic and environmental sustainability of golf courses.
The announcement affirms Pennsylvania as one of golf’s most active regions. The commonwealth boasts 671 golf courses and a thriving $2.3 billion golf economy that employs more than 50,000 statewide, as reported by the National Golf Foundation. The vast majority – 480 in total – are open to the public or are municipally owned. Charitable giving through golf events raises more than $131 million annually, supporting countless local causes for veterans, homeless shelters, healthcare research, children’s programs, scholarships and more. Annual golf tourism spending accounts for more than $700 million.
Pennsylvania golf is supported by the Golf Association of Philadelphia and the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association. They are both USGA-designated Allied Golf Associations that welcome hundreds of thousands of golfers to play and enjoy the game in cities and towns across the commonwealth, the majority of whom are recreational amateur golfers who play for the love of the game. They also conduct qualifiers for all 14 USGA championships each year, giving competitive male and female golfers of all ages the chance to compete for a national title.
Many of golf’s greatest champions have called Pennsylvania home, including Arnold Palmer (Latrobe), Carol Semple Thompson (Sewickley), Johnny McDermott (Philadelphia), Buddy Marucci (Villanova), Jay Sigel (Bryn Mawr), Jim Furyk (West Chester), Nathan Smith (Brookville) and Betsy King (Reading).
A complete list of current/future USGA championships in Pennsylvania follows*:
Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, Pa.)
2021 U.S. Amateur
2025 U.S. Open
2028 U.S. Women’s Open
2033 Walker Cup Match
2034 U.S. Open
2038 U.S. Women’s Open
2042 U.S. Open
2046 U.S. Women’s Amateur
2049 U.S. Open
Merion Golf Club (Ardmore, Pa.)
2022 Curtis Cup Match
2026 U.S. Amateur
2030 U.S. Open
2034 U.S. Women’s Open
2046 U.S. Women’s Open
2050 U.S. Open
Additional USGA championships to be announced later
Additional Future USGA Championships in Pa.
2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club
2024 U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club
2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Philadelphia Cricket Club
*New USGA championship announcements in bold
After must moaning from the PGA Tour, the Official World Golf Ranking governing board has announced a planned update for August 2022. Details are vague but will not give points for all players making a cut to provide “greater differentiation of performances” and a “Field Rating” calculation.
Exciting stuff, I know. But more vital to carrying on with your day: the Players now gets 80 points to the winner, while the majors award 100.
For Immediate Release:
Official World Golf Ranking Governing Board announces updates to the Ranking System
Modified system for the 23 Eligible Golf Tours to go into effect Week Ending 14th August 2022.
London, United Kingdom – The Governing Board of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) today announces enhancements to the Official World Golf Ranking. The updated system will incorporate modern statistical techniques which will allow all eligible players and events to be more accurately evaluated relative to each other.
Over the last three years, OWGR has coordinated an independent analysis of the Ranking and its system to ensure it is meeting its key objectives of publishing a transparent, credible and accurate ranking based on the relative performances of participating players. The results of this analysis have led to the changes announced today, including distribution of Ranking Points to all players making the cut to provide greater differentiation of performances; and use of a Field Rating calculation based on a statistical evaluation of every player in the field, rather than just those in the field among the current Top-200 of the Ranking.
Major Championships will continue to award 100 First Place Points, while THE PLAYERS Championship will award 80. All other tournaments will award Ranking Points according to the strength and depth of their fields, with a maximum of 80 First Place Points.
“The Official World Golf Ranking owes a massive debt of gratitude to founders Mark H McCormack and Tony Greer, whose vision has done so much to shape the competitive landscape of men’s professional golf over the past 35 years”, said Official World Golf Ranking Chairman Peter Dawson. “Since 1986, the Tours eligible for inclusion have grown in number from 6 to 23 and the rankings have been continuously modified to accommodate this expansion and to improve accuracy. We are confident the further enhancements announced today will best position OWGR for the years ahead.”
Following a 12-month notice period, implementation is set for Week Ending 14th August 2022 at which point all future eligible tournaments will utilise the updated system. There will be no recalculation of past events, meaning the impact of the new methodology will be gradual.
It’s always fun to see Rustic Canyon ranked, but no list matters more than Golf’s Top 100 Value Courses with a green fee of $150 or less. So to place 4th and therefore best in California, is pretty neat.
Also fun to see recognition for some places I’ve been too or have heard great things about, like Wild Horse, Corica Park, Tanglewood, Aiken, Charleston Muni, Palatka and Presidio.
The Daily Mail’s Derek Lawrenson speaks to European Tour board member Paul McGinley about the state of European Tour affairs as it relates to the Saudi Golf takeover bid and dilemma for players.
Warning of 3-4 years of “disruption,” McGinley said the European Tour is prepared to lose Asian Tour-tied events and even other Middle East stops.
'We're resigned to that kind of thing happening and the lawyers being involved,' said McGinley. 'If the Saudi event becomes part of the Asian Tour, will Jay Monahan (CEO of the PGA Tour) give the defending champion Dustin Johnson a release to get his $2million £1.4m) appearance fee, or Keith Pelley (CEO of the European Tour) grant releases for the leading Europeans to play? That's the path we're on, sadly.
'We've spoken to the Saudis on a number of occasions. We would love them to continue to be part of our tour but they see it a different way. They think golf is stale and want to come in as disrupters and change the whole DNA of the game.'
'The Saudi lawyers reckon the PGA Tour can't stop the players from joining and still being members but Jay is adamant that he can,' said McGinley. 'Unfortunately, it's looking like we'll end up with a massive legal case.'
But who will do the suing?
McGinley also defended the health of the European Tour post-infusion of PGA Tour money and the prospects of more domestic Europe events.
'We're not going to be eaten up by the PGA Tour. They came in with a proposal to accelerate the path we wanted to go down and it's left us in an incredibly strong financial position.
'We can help out with prize funds and the Americans are happy because the best young players can then feed into the PGA Tour. Ultimately, we'll get to where everyone wants to be. But we are going to have to suck up some disruption.'
Check out the full story as he touches on other topics of interest to European Tour fans.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
