A Pebble Beach frame of mind
+ The oceanside course's allure is undeniable; Just who was James Braid?; The act of putting words to a picture; A Canadian classic gets a Thad Layton renovation.
THE STARTER
🏌️ Scottie Scheffler returned to the PGA Tour after suffering a serious cut to his hand in a Christmas dinner accident. He shot 67 at Spyglass Hill in the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Does it look like anything will slow him down?
🏌️ TGL had its best match so far, with Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links defeating Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common in overtime. Wonder how many viewers hung on until the end of the match?
🏌️ Woods received a slow play penalty in the TGL match while setting up for a putt. He said he was dropping his heart rate and it took too long. Wait, what?
🏌️ CBS’ Dottie Pepper did a burn about slow play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. “I think we're starting to need a new word to talk about this pace of play issue, and it's respect,” Pepper said. “For your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it.” Do the slow players even care about any of that?
🏌️ Can we just stop complaining about slow play on the tours? Isn’t it clear that nothing significant — or effective — is ever going to happen?
🏌️ The LPGA Tour canceled the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, scheduled for March 20-23, because of “financial neglect” from a tournament underwriter. Don’t the LPGA players, especially Hall of Famer Pak, deserve better?
🏌️ Pat Perez, formerly of the 4Aces, has joined the LIV Golf broadcast team as an on-course analyst. LIV doesn’t usually bleep on-air swear words but now that Perez has a mic, should it start?
🏌️ Shane Lowry made a hole-in-one at the iconic par-3 7th hole at Pebble Beach in the first round of the Pro-Am. Does anyone celebrate an ace better than Lowry?
🏌️ A live betting feed will be featured on ESPN+ for six PGA Tour events in 2025. If it’s good for gambling, does that make it necessarily good for golf?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Stepping up at Baseball’s World Series of Golf
A first-timer fuses a passion for golf and baseball at Pebble Beach's revered courses and in a tournament setting.
:: Jack Burris | Read
Q&A: Jennipher Satterly | American representational painter
From The First Call’s archive is a 2023 interview with the artist who specializes in golf landscapes — including Pebble Beach Golf Links. Satterly discusses how the merging of her passions for golf and art took a while, but once they did her career pivoted in a fulfilling direction.
:: Stuart Hall | Read
What will the Fox say about LIV Golf?
The tour's fourth season will be televised on Fox Sports and the network's various platforms. Will the deal bring LIV legitimacy? Readers of The First Call offer their opinions.
:: TFC Inbox | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads — and listens — that are sometimes about golf, but not always.
📖 How we got here: Progress in this game has taken weird turns, and Golf Digest has covered them all
The publication is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025.
:: Shane Ryan | Golf Digest | 01.28.25 | Read
📖 Beyond doomscrolling
The internet we have, and the one we want.
:: Charlie Warzel | The Atlantic | 01.16.25 | Read
📖 Why JFK staged his own murder in a James Bond–inspired spy film — 2 months before his assassination
The untold tale — and never-before-seen photos — of a 1963 home movie directed by Jacqueline Kennedy at Hammersmith Farm.
:: James Robenalt | Vanity Fair | 11.19.24 | Read
THE LIBRARY
Recent drops to The First Call’s video and podcast section.
🎧 Discovering James Braid: Part 1
Historical researcher Simon Barrington delves into the life and course designs of the five-time Open Championship winner.
:: Cookie Jar Golf | 01.31.25 | Listen
▶️ Creating an impactful foundation
Rob Ohno, Annika Foundation CEO and president, joins 'The Coach Mo Golf Show' to discuss how the foundation is inspiring, empower youth golfers.
:: The Coach Mo Golf Show | 01.30.25 | Watch
TFC Libraries: 🎧 Podcasts | ▶️ Videos
BUSINESS
THE FIRST CALL
Week in Review: The industry’s names, news and notables making headlines. | Read
This week’s editions: Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
Industry press releases | Industry press release videos | TFC / PR Newswire feed
Golf Industry Job / Internship Board
PERFECT PUTT
The business case for a shot clock in golf
Media rights are 40% of the PGA Tour’s revenue.
:: Jared Doerfler | Perfect Putt | 01.28.25 | Read
LIFESTYLE
19TH HOLE
“Course of Life” podcast co-host Alex Lauzon closes each episode with the guest sharing a favorite 19th hole food and beverage experience.
Amber Bogle, military veteran and PGA Hope ambassador from the Nebraska Section PGA: “I get made fun of for it, but I always have to have a beef jerky or a beef stick when I'm playing cause I need the protein. My drink would be a Bloody Mary with pickled vodka.”
A PICTURE TELLS …
Editor’s note: The First Call | Extra introduces this new section that fuses text with an image. Richard Pennell, who publishes Pitchmarks, and photographer Simon Pope will collaborate on scenes that reflect on the beauty of golf.
“In the simple act of knocking a ball around, in landscapes too wild and wonderful for words, I have learned to sometimes leave the past and future alone, and to find the exquisite, delicate beauty that resides in the present.”
:: Writer: Richard Pennell / Pitchmarks | Photographer: Simon Pope
Image: Durness Golf Club, Durness, Scotland
TFC EVENTS
PerryGolf: Dublin and the 153rd British Open
July 13-25, 2025 | Dublin, Ireland / Belfast, Northern Ireland
:: Event and registration information
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Whistler Golf Club to get Arnold Palmer-tinged update
Whistler Golf Club, in Whistler, British Columbia, will undergo a major renovation later this year. The transformative, $10 million project is part of a comprehensive master plan redevelopment.
Originally designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1983, the 6,722-yard, par-71 Whistler is now 42 years old. The extensive renovation, set to begin Sept. 2, 2025, aims to elevate the golf experience and enhance the course’s playability.
"This master plan has been years in the making, and we’re excited to see it finally come to fruition," said Alan Kristmanson, general manager of Whistler. "We began this journey over three years ago with a vision to elevate our course to new heights. We look forward to getting underway this fall."
Under the direction of Thad Layton, formerly the longtime senior design associate at Arnold Palmer Design Company, the project will feature significant enhancements, including:
> A complete rebuild of tee complexes to suit golfers of all skill levels.
> Repositioning, rebuilding or eliminating bunkers in select cases to improve playability.
> Reconstruction of multiple fairways and a reimagining of holes four, eight and 18.
> The greens on holes three and 12 will be shifted to improve sightlines and ensure optimal player safety.
> Updates to cart paths, including replacement, realignment and removal in select areas for enhanced flow.
RELATED: Architect Thad Layton decides it's time to go solo
The large-scale renovation will result in the temporary closure of Whistler Golf Club from September 2025 through early summer 2027, when the course will reopen to showcase its contemporary new design.
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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