L.A. Times Editorial Supporting California AB 1910 Highlights The Absurdity Of It All

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The L.A. Times editorial board weighted in on the latest attempt by assemblymember Cristina Garcia to help fast track conversion of some California golf courses into affordable housing and in doing so, inadvertently highlighted how bizarre the proposal is.

It’s a sign of how desperate our housing shortage is that lawmakers and some cities are even considering converting golf courses to housing. This should be a last resort given the paucity of open space in many communities. Empty shopping malls and other unused commercial space should be the first places to look.

Yes they should.

Then there is this:

There are 960 golf courses in California, according to the National Golf Foundation, a trade association for the golf industry, but only about 200 are owned by local cities and counties.

Some municipal courses are financially struggling and have to be subsidized by the local government. That could make them candidates for conversion — especially in a community that would rather have housing and open space than a golf course.

It’d be fascinating to hear who many courses right now are being subsidized—as opposed to doing the Parks and Rec subsidizing that so many golf departments do—and how many fall into the category of being in crowded communities eager to convert open space to “affordable housing”.

Conversion to parks maybe, but not more housing that brings more density and traffic. It feels like that would be a very short list.

And there’s this catch on the whole affordable case, too.

Under this bill, developers would be required to make at least 25% of the units affordable to low-income renters or buyers and set aside at least 15% of the land for publicly accessible open space.

So all of this for just 25% falling into the affordable category? And we know developers will not go higher than the minimum.

There’s no question that golf courses are ideal, even idyllic, swaths of real estate as large as 100 acres or more. Even with the requirements for open space, that kind of land could hold a lot of housing.

But there are a lot of issues to keep in mind. Public golf courses are already offering something affordable — golf. The average price nationally for an 18-hole round of golf at a course open to the public was $38 last year, according to the National Golf Foundation. That includes all courses — public and privately owned — that are publicly accessible. That’s a deal compared with private clubs with expensive membership fees.

Numerous golfers of diverse backgrounds — in terms of income, ethnicity, age and gender — learned on public courses and still play there. Golf long ago stopped being the exclusive purview of rich white people. That’s partly because people from varied backgrounds found an accessible public course and a youth program or golf league they could join there.

And while making the case for how asinine Garcia’s effort appears to be with so little upside, also note the image included with the editorial shows Canada geese—migrating birds—enjoying a stopover at a course. Taking these valuable habitats away will run afoul of laws and “understandings” designed to protect the beautiful and innocent creatures of the sky.

Although the bill is supported by housing advocacy groups and builders of affordable housing (such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation), it is opposed by dozens of golf clubs, the National Golf Foundation, and the nonprofit Southern California Golf Assn.

No city is going to sell off popular or fabled public golf courses. Rancho Park in Los Angeles, Torrey Pines in San Diego come to mind. Nor is the author of the bill, Assembly member Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), trying to kill off public golf courses — particularly the ones that communities want to keep.

“Let’s have a conversation,” Garcia said. “Is this the best use of this land? Do we want to use this property in a different way?”

Ultimately, someone here really doesn’t like golf and in a funny way, the editorial helps point out what a reach Garcia’s effort appears to be with such a small upside for affordable housing well, well down the road unless all environmental laws are kicked aside.

Discovery Head Of Streaming Says Move Into Golf Has Been A Failure

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In reporting on Warner Bros. Discovery’s sudden shuttering of CNN+, the New York Times’ Michael Grynbaum and John Koblin obtained a staff meeting audio recording where executives explained the decision.

JB Perrette, Discovery’s global head of streaming, explained the struggle his company has had with streaming launches. This includes GolfTV, which is paying $2 billion over 12 years for PGA Tour international streaming rights.

To the left of Mr. Licht sat Mr. Perrette of Discovery. He invoked tweets that called the service “CNN Minus,” because it did not include any programming from CNN’s cable network, “the global calling card of this new organization,” he said. (CNN+ carried only unique programming to avoid running afoul of CNN’s agreements with cable carriers.)

Mr. Perrette also referred to Discovery’s own “painful” history of starting niche streaming services — focused on cars, food and golf — and said they were costly to market and ended up with few subscribers.

“We have failed almost at every turn launching these products,” he said, according to the recording.

The “failed” launch started in 2019 after Discovery CEO David Zaslav said would be a "golf Netflix” and Tiger Woods declared would bring “new youngness” to the game.

Discovery also purchased Golf Digest in May, 2019.

ClubCorp Rebranding As "Invited" With IPO Plans

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Adam Schupak reports on the rebranding of the longtime club operator as “Invited”, and while you might think this sounds like something a cruise line would do after a series of awful virus outbreaks, the company formerly known as ClubCorp says it’s just who they are. With a name that cheesy they could be right.

“Invited is not just a name. It’s everything we are,” Invited CEO David Pillsbury said in a press release. “We are Invited because, from the golf courses to the tennis courts, from fine dining to family hang time, we connect and create communities attracting members from diverse backgrounds that share similar passions and pursuits. We create clubs and experiences that combine exceptional amenities and unmatched service with a friendly and welcoming spirit. We want our members, guests and team members to know that Invited is where they belong.”

The Dallas Morning News says ClubCorp owner Apollo Global Management is looking to take the company public (again) after spending $1.1 billion for the company in 2017.

And they are dreaming of a big valuation. Perfect Putt’s Jared Doerfler notes this:

Mike Keiser: "I became convinced that the heavily engineered courses in the United States weren’t designed for golfers like me and my friends."

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Mike Keiser has teamed with Stephen Goodwin to pen a golf memoir now due in June (previous listings said May but the book business is dealing with supply chain issues, too).

Golf Digest has posted a lengthy excerpt worth checking out here.

This is great:

As I tried to educate myself about the game’s design and history, the questions kept multiplying. As is often the case, the conventional wisdom was misleading at best, a convenient justification for doing things the same old way. I became convinced that the heavily engineered courses in the United States weren’t designed for golfers like me and my friends. To play them successfully, you had to be able to hit shots that were beyond our abilities—long, straight drives and high, precise approaches. You had to be able to recover from deep bunkers and putt on surfaces as slick as the hood of a car. And yes, you had to stay out of the accursed water hazards. The only people who could manage these feats were pros and a tiny fraction of top amateurs. Why design courses for them? Why inflict misery on everyone else? Who had decreed that a round of golf should be an examination, and the architect should be an examiner intent on exposing the student’s every flaw?

Curry Launches "Underrated" Golf Tour For Boys And Girls

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Steph Curry is expanding his “Underrated” outreach program to golf where a lucky 24 boys and girls play in regional events. They’ll ultimately compete for the Curry Cup as part of our season-ending UNDERRATED Tour Championship.

From the release:

Golf is one of the most inaccessible sports for underrepresented individuals across the globe, which is why Stephen and his team are expanding the brand beyond basketball. UNDERRATED Golf is a purpose-driven business endeavor with the overarching commitment to provide equity, access and opportunity to student-athletes from every community by balancing participation in the sport to truly reflect our society. With a mission to increase the participation numbers amongst competitive golfers from diverse communities, UNDERRATED Golf will have players compete hand-in-hand with their peers who currently represent the vast majority of today's golfers.

"I created UNDERRATED back in 2019 with the goal of celebrating the underdog," said Stephen Curry. "UNDERRATED is a mindset, a motivation, a calling, a compliment. With this inspiration, I am excited to expand the brand into UNDERRATED Golf, which happens to be one of the most inaccessible sports for underrepresented individuals across the globe. UNDERRATED Golf will provide equity, access and opportunity, recognizing the instrumental role the sport plays as one of the greatest vehicles and connectors for life successes."

UNDERRATED Golf's vision of the sport better reflects and balances the diversity of our society and most of all provides access to the countless opportunities that the game brings both on and off the course. This new venture will also allow young golfers to play on courses that they would never have access to, all the while addressing the gender inequity within the sport of golf and beyond, ensuring young female players are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Furthermore, UNDERRATED Golf will prioritize workforce development, bringing greater awareness, training opportunities and programming to individuals, while fostering an understanding of the many career paths made possible by way of the sport.

Through an ongoing series of special speakers, networking events and learning tools with brands and corporations, players will understand what it means to build a successful career. UNDERRATED Golf will also be used as a recruitment tool for their brands and corporations to hire the future leaders who will help enact change locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

Registration is here.

Pebble Beach Adds U.S. Opens, U.S. Women's Opens And Sticks The Seniors At Spyglass

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They just keep on locking up venues without still confirming 2028 at Winged Foot or 2031 that’ll be coming to a bit of a surprise course already pretty booked up with big time events in the next six years. No one ever said the USGA was original.

Whether this increased use of familiar places on a more regular basis takes some bite out of U.S. Open excitement, remains to be seen.

Of course, locking in these venues years from now mostly seems to remind us of our mortality instead of serving as causes for celebration.

For Immediate Release:

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (April 20, 2022) – Building upon a nearly century-long relationship, the United States Golf Association and Pebble Beach have forged a landmark partnership that seeks to benefit the game of golf for generations to come.

As part of today’s announcement, Pebble Beach will now host four future U.S. Opens (2027, 2032, 2037 and 2044) as well as four future U.S. Women’s Opens Presented by ProMedica, including its first one next year (2023, 2035, 2040 and 2048). These additional championships fulfill a common goal to ensure that both men and women have the opportunity to compete at the highest level on this iconic course. In addition, for the first time ever, the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be staged back-to-back at the same location in 2030, with the resort’s Spyglass Hill Golf Course serving as the host site.

“This relationship with Pebble Beach, long considered a national treasure, is a historic step forward for golf,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “In addition to elevating our Open championships, the USGA and Pebble Beach are committed to working together to ensure a more diverse, welcoming and accessible game. We couldn’t be more thankful for their collaboration and like-minded vision.”

 “We are honored to deepen our long-standing partnership with the USGA, which will benefit the game of golf for years to come,” said Pebble Beach Company CEO David Stivers. “We are proud that Pebble Beach Golf Links was the first public golf course to host a U.S. Open in 1972, and that golfers around the world have the opportunity to play Pebble Beach and walk in the footsteps of champions. This partnership ensures that the legacy of championship golf on this historic course will continue long into the future and leave a lasting impact on the game.”

The long-term nature of the championship agreement allows the USGA and Pebble Beach Resorts to invest and collaborate in new and innovative ways to enhance the player, fan, partner and media experience.  

The relationship between the USGA and Pebble Beach began in 1929 with the 33rd U.S. Amateur Championship, and the resort has played host to 13 USGA championships during its first 100 years of existence, including six U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Women’s Amateurs, with another 10 championships to come over the next 25 years.

U.S. Opens through the years at Pebble Beach have matched the dramatic setting. In 1972, Jack Nicklaus hit the flagstick with a 1-iron shot on No. 17 to ensure victory; in 1982, Tom Watson denied Jack a record-breaking fifth title with his pitch-in birdie on the same hole; in 1992, veteran Tom Kite rode a pitch-in birdie on No. 7 to a wind-buffeted win; in 2000, Tiger Woods authored the most dominant victory in major-championship history in the 100th U.S. Open; in 2010, Graeme McDowell outlasted a trio of major champions, including Woods; and in 2019, Gary Woodland’s heroic 3-wood second shot on No. 14 helped him hold off Brooks Koepka’s bid for a third consecutive U.S. Open title. The 2019 championship marked Pebble Beach’s 100th anniversary.  

Beyond the future championships, the USGA and Pebble Beach are developing community-based programs to create internships and other career opportunities for the next generation of industry leaders. The expanded relationship also includes a joint initiative with the USGA’s Green Section to invest in turfgrass and water conservation research, contributing to the entities’ shared goal of creating enjoyable golf experiences that are environmentally and economically sustainable. 

“Through this relationship, we aim to foster opportunities for future greats of the game, to nurture golf’s next generation of leaders and to develop new technologies for a sustainable future, all while crowning champions who will follow the legends who walked these hallowed grounds before them,” said Whan. 

“Supporting youth education is a pillar of our community outreach and this partnership will greatly expand opportunities for young people to pursue a career in this industry,” said Stivers. “For over 30 years, Pebble Beach and its neighboring golf courses have operated the most successful water reclamation project on California’s Central Coast. The USGA Green Section will provide powerful new technology and research to help pioneer new innovations in water conservation.”

In an effort to return to venues with deep and meaningful USGA championship history every five to six years, Pebble Beach Resorts joins Pinehurst Resort & Country Club and Oakmont Country Club as a U.S. Open anchor site. Here is the complete list of future USGA championships at Pebble Beach:

Wilshire And The LA Open Are Back!

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Wilshire’s 18th hole for the DIO Implant LA Open

They’ve traded in one kind of implant company for another but the LPGA’s LA Open remains a premier event on the schedule thanks to another return to charming Wilshire CC.

The mid-city Norman MacBeth design is easily the LPGA Tour’s best non-major venue and a chance for 17 of the world top 25 to shine in ET prime time. Plus, the biggest payday and even in women’s golf is just 43 days away, so he LA Open commences the run-up to Pine Needles.

Brooke Henderson defends.

TV TIMES (all times Eastern on Golf Channel)
Thursday, April 21 – 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Friday, April 22 – 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 23 – 7-9:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 24 – 7-9:30 p.m.

For a good teaser, here is The Fried Egg’s drone view appraisal of the course:

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, April 21, 2022

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Rebound! Mission Hills' Dinah Shore Course Is (Already) Back With A 2023 Tournament

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The LPGA and Chevron are reportedly eyeing something called The Clubs at Houston Oaks for the Dinah Shore/Chevron (From Beth Ann Nichols in Golfweek). But Mission Hills is already on the rebound with plans to host a Champions Tour event in 2023.

From Doug Ferguson of the AP:

The PGA Tour Champions announced a partnership with healthcare company Grail to sponsor The Galleri Classic, named after Grail’s multi-cancer early detection test. The tournament will be March 24-26 on the Dinah Shore Tournament course at Mission Hills, which had hosted the LPGA Tour for 51 years. That PGA Tour Champions was last in the Coachella Valley in 1993, when Raymond Floyd won the final edition of the Gulfstream Aerospace Invitational at Indian Wells.

Wahlberg's Home Listed For $87.5 Million With "Five-Hole Golf Course"

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It’s more like an elaborate practice area made of artificial turf, but it’s nonetheless worth a look if you’re in th market.

Jack Fleming of the L.A. Times with the details.

Wahlberg, who’s starring in the biographical drama “Father Stu,” bought the property for $8.25 million in 2009 and commissioned mega-mansion architect Richard Landry to build the home. Landry finished it five years later, fitting 12 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms and a myriad of lavish living spaces into the two-story floor plan.

Terraces line the second story, overlooking a park-like backyard with gardens, lawns, a grotto-style swimming pool, skate park and five-hole golf course with sand traps. Wahlberg, a Massachusetts native, also added a basketball court emblazoned with the Boston Celtics logo.

I’d say it’s a far cry from the great backyard golf courses of Hollywood elites, with Harold Lloyd, Jack Warner and maybe Bob Hope all able to make the case for the best.

Quadrilateral: Q&A With Bob Harig, Author Of Tiger & Phil

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In this Tuesday Quadrilateral for all to enjoy, I review and chat with Bob Harig, author of Tiger & Phil.

Also, there is a preview of the Greg Norman 30 For 30 debuting Tuesday night on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.

You can purchase Harig’s book here at Amazon or here at Bookshop.org to benefit independent sellers.

The Match Is Back Minus Its Founders

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The sixth version of The Match is back featuring four of the NFL’s very best but minus Phil Mickelson or Fivesport as tournament partners.

Mickelson played the first four editions then served as a broadcaster in 2021. Fivesport was a co-partner in the event with Excel.

Mickelson famously complained about the PGA Tour’s obnoxious greed and insinuated that he personally paid $1 million each time he played in The Match.

For Immediate Release:

Turner Sports Assembles Iconic NFL Foursome for Capital One’s The Match – Tom Brady & Aaron Rodgers vs. Patrick Mahomes & Josh Allen – Held at Wynn Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 1

TNT to Televise Premier Live Golf Event Featuring Four of Past Five NFL MVPs with Coverage Beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET

Top-Ranked Wynn Las Vegas to Serve as Host of the 12-Hole Challenge for Second Time


Turner Sports’ next installment of Capital One’s The Match, the Sports Emmy-nominated premier live golf event series, will feature a foursome of legendary NFL quarterbacks – Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers teaming up to face Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen – with four of the past five NFL MVPs taking the course together for the first time. TNT will exclusively televise the epic 12-hole event, to be held Wednesday, June 1, with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, from Wynn Las Vegas, the only golf course on the Las Vegas strip.

The competition will feature both previous Capital One’s The Match participants paired together – seven-time Super Bowl Champion and three-time NFL MVP Brady teamed with four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP Rodgers. Rodgers is coming off a win last summer alongside Bryson DeChambeau, while Brady seeks to get redemption in his third appearance in Capital One’s The Match.

A pair of young superstars will be making their debut in the premier golf series: Super Bowl LIV MVP and 2018 NFL MVP Mahomes will be joined by fellow AFC signal caller and 2020 Pro Bowler Allen. Together the four elite gridiron stars have amassed an astounding 30 Pro Bowl, 86 NFL Playoff appearances and nine Super Bowl titles.

Live coverage of the match play event from the Wynn Las Vegas golf course will once again feature unprecedented access with players having open mics throughout the entire competition, including the capability to communicate directly with their competitors and the broadcast commentators. More information on the live production, including the commentator team, and additional details will be shared leading up to the event.

Capital One’s The Match at Wynn Las Vegas will be held at the Wynn Golf Club, which also hosted Brooks Koepka’s 5-and-3 win over DeChambeau in Capital One’s The Match last November. Wynn Golf Club is a 6,722-yard, par-70 championship length golf course and is considered one of the best courses in Las Vegas. Located on the site of the legendary Desert Inn Golf Club, the golf course, designed by Tom Fazio and recently updated by his son, Logan, offers elevation changes and uncharacteristic water hazards on 12 of the Las Vegas course’s 18 picturesque holes. The golf amenities at Wynn Las Vegas, a Forbes Travel Guide five-star luxury hotel, are regarded as second to none.

Turner Sports has televised five editions of Capital One’s The Match, with the series serving as a platform to support various philanthropical organizations. To date, Capital One’s The Match has raised nearly $33 million for various organizations and has donated nearly 17 million meals to Feeding America.

A partner since the event’s inception, Capital One will return as title sponsor of Capital One’s The Match. Further details about social, digital and broadcast brand integrations throughout the event will be shared in the coming weeks.

Partners also include Excel Sports Management as the tournament organizer, along with 199 Productions, Tom Brady’s global multi-platform content and production company.

Spieth Wins No. 13 At Harbour Town With Little Help From His Putting

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Set aside all of the Easter and fatherhood swooning—oh it was flowing—the real standout component of Jordan Spieth’s 13th PGA Tour win came on the greens. He was not good. All-time bad in the strokes gained era.

“I won this golf tournament without a putter,” he confirmed after beating Patrick Cantlay on the first hole of sudden death to win the 2022 RBC Heritage Classic.

That he could capture his 13th win over a strong field with a balky putter makes this one of his most impressive career wins. Consider:

Spieth ended Saturday’s round with a short miss estimated at 18 inches. He then overcame this bizarre lie after driving the 9th green, blasting his next into the hospitality tent area and almost salvaging par.

Rules: Two Wacky Situations At Harbour Town

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Neither of these instances are particularly relatable to the average golfer. Nonetheless they’re unusual ones and if you had money on these players.

Nick Piastowski documents the bizarre scene involving Harold Varner in the 2022 RBC Heritage Classic second round. Varner contends that his ball was moved by a resident who picked up his ball from the original position to identify it and placed it out of bounds. The person denied this and the official agreed with the off-course spectator, though announcers on PGA Tour Live thought the man’s movements were questionable at the time.

“Without a doubt,” Varner said. “The biggest thing for me that I could sleep on is that there was out of bounds right of the creek, and the TV said it’s in the creek. There’s a golf ball right there. I’m not going to be naive and be like my ball couldn’t go there. So I did the right thing, and I said, hey, can you see if that’s my ball? At the time, we couldn’t find a bridge to get across the creek.

“It’s great. I won’t stop talking about it until I talk to Coxy. At some point, the players should have — if I wouldn’t have been there and didn’t see the guy move the ball, I don’t — cool, I’ll go back to the tee. But I’m looking there, and I’m like that’s not right. The rules are there to protect the players, I thought.”

When reached for comment by GOLF.com, a PGA Tour spokesman said, “Stephen is not going to comment on it until he has a chance to talk to Harold about it.” 

If the fan had moved the ball from its original position, Varner would have been allowed to move it back to its original location, under under Rule 9.6, which states: “If it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence (including another player in stroke play or another ball) lifted or moved a player’s ball: There is no penalty, and the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated) (see Rule 14.2).”

Instead, Varner was hit with a penalty, and he double-bogeyed the hole.

Varner went on to miss a sudden death playoff by a stroke.

Dylan Frittelli was able to find his ball in Spanish moss and play it, but stood astride of his ball as an official appeared to be watching.

The PGA Tour announced a penalty on Twitter.

Frittelli took to Twitter after his round to declare “the rules of golf remain undefeated.”

Quadrilateral: Just A Little More Masters

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