A U.S. Ryder Cup with a bit of Swag-ger
+ Don't forget Father's Day; Historic Ohio course seeks a basic need; Taming the Wild West of golf content creation; and a Georgia community is expecting its eighth course.
THE STARTER
🏌️ Scottie Scheffler, Scottie Scheffler, Scottie Scheffler. Are those your three picks for next week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club?
🏌️ Brandel Chamblee was asked what he thought the winning score would be at the U.S. Open. He said, “Whatever Scottie Scheffler shoots.” Do you agree?
🏌️ Should the U.S. Open be the major championship played under the most difficult conditions? Or is the score relative to par that important anymore?
🏌️ Bryson DeChambeau has a new prototype set of irons for this week’s LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Are you surprised? Will you be more surprised if those irons make it to Oakmont next week?
🏌️ Rory McIlroy was mad because the media published his non-conforming driver result at the PGA Championship and not Scheffler’s. So, he didn’t speak to the media all week. Should players be required to be available to the media? Or do you even care?
🏌️ Phil Mickelson says there’s a "high likelihood" that next week’s U.S. Open will be his last. Which of his six runner-up finishes broke the most hearts?
🏌️ Nelly Korda has been No. 1 on the Rolex Rankings for 100 consecutive weeks, more than any American. But she didn’t win the U.S. Women’s Open. Does that matter?
🏌️ After wowing the PGA Tour as an amateur, Luke Clanton has turned pro with his first event being the RBC Canadian Open. Will he find out the difference between playing Tour events as an amateur and grinding at them as his job?
🏌️ Did you watch the Good Good Lonestar Shootout? Do you even know what that is?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Swag balances 'disruptor' identity with tradition
Having created special headcovers for the American players in 2021 and 2023, the Illinois-based company swung big to sway the PGA of America for 2025.
:: Mike Purkey | Read
The quest to preserve ‘America’s Course’
Historic Clearview Golf Club is in a fight for irrigation that will modernize the 79-year-old East Canton, Ohio, course.
:: Bob Denney | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads — and listens — that are sometimes about golf, but not always.
📖 The tangled past and unsettled future of greyhound racing in West Virginia
In the home of America’s last active tracks, tradition and uncertainty run neck and neck.
:: Michelle Orange | Oxford American | 05.23.25 | Read
📖 How to disappear
Inside the world of extreme-privacy consultants, who, for the right fee, will make you and your personal information very hard to find.
:: Benjamin Wallace | The Atlantic | 05.22.25 | Read
📖 Donald Trump, Mike Tyson, and the fight that defined an era
A 1988 mega-match in Atlantic City oozed with greed, backstabbing, and the worst kind of tabloid journalism. And the people loved it.
:: Mark Kriegel | Esquire | 05.30.25 | Read
THE LIBRARY
Recent drops to The First Call’s video and podcast section.
🎧 Noah Schwartz: How to thrive in the Wild West of golf content creation
Schwartz says managing golf content creators is similar to representing athletes or actors and that creators, to be successful, need to be in a constant state of evolution.
:: Content Clubhouse | 05.31.25 | Listen
🎧 Nicholas Callaway offers a new chapter on father Ely's life
The younger Callaway joins host Ann Liguori to talk about the compelling autobiography, "The Unconquerable Game: My Life in Golf and Business," that he co-published about his father.
:: Golf Interview with Ann Liguori | 06.03.25 | Listen
ARCHIVES: 🎧 Podcasts | ▶️ Videos
BUSINESS
THE FIRST CALL
Week in Review: The industry’s names, news and notables making headlines. | Read
This week’s editions: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
Industry press releases | Industry press release videos | TFC / PR Newswire feed
Golf Industry Job / Internship Board
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
An easy-peasy Father’s Day gift idea. The TravisMathew x Ridge wallet made with aerospace-grade aluminum and RFID-blocking tech is an ideal choice. It’s sleek, secure and seriously sharp looking.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
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.
Dr. Raymond Prior, mental performance consultant: “I would order an Albuquerque-style turkey sandwich garnished with green chile. And to go with it, just a really good lemonade."
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
HOME FRONT
The Cliffs at Keowee Springs | Six Mile, South Carolina
Listing: 108 Ivey Hollow Court.
Stats: 5,600 square feet | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms / 2 half bathrooms.
Price: $6,440,000.
About: Set in the heart of The Cliffs at Keowee Springs, this stunning and fully furnished lakefront residence effortlessly combines refined design with resort-style living. With an emphasis on craftsmanship and luxury, this home was built by Alair Homes Greenville and offers more than 5,600 square feet of heated living space, plus over 3,400 square feet of covered outdoor areas and conditioned garage space. Inside, natural light pours into the expansive open-concept main level. Vaulted ceilings with exposed beams and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace create a welcoming central living space, anchored by rich Villenna Verona hardwood floors. The gourmet kitchen is appointed with high-end appliances, including a Wolf gas cooktop, Sub-Zero refrigerator and Miele double and steam ovens. Quartz countertops and thoughtful design details make this a true chef’s kitchen, ideal for both quiet mornings and lively gatherings. Seamless transitions from indoor to out define this home’s layout. Pocket doors open from the dining area to a covered grilling deck equipped with a built-in Al Fresco grill and overlooking a sparkling pool and private putting green. Fire bowls add dramatic ambiance to the poolside space. A standout feature on the main level is the walk-around wine cellar and bar, adjacent to a spacious entertainment area with a pool table and flex/fitness room. The bar’s floor-to-ceiling windows frame captivating views of the pool, putting green, and Lake Keowee and beyond. The primary suite offers a true retreat, with a spa-style en-suite bathroom featuring heated floors, a walk-in closet and its own private outdoor sanctuary complete with a Thermospas Concord Platinum hot tub and fire stone seating area. The lower level includes three guest bedrooms, each with direct access to the outdoor spaces, as well as a pool bath, elevator and large conditioned garage. The new Keowee Springs clubhouse includes dining, a golf shop, event space and a wellness center that all overlooking the Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Across the street, The Beach Club offers lakeside fun with pools, casual dining and The Cliffs Watersports program. Ownership includes the opportunity to purchase a Club Membership that unlocks access to all seven Cliffs communities, each with nationally recognized golf courses, wellness centers, dining and over 2,000 annual events.
Home Front Archive | Read
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Reynolds Lake Oconee tabs Steve Smyers for 8th course
Reynolds Lake Oconee announced in late May that architect Steve Smyers is designing a new golf course for the oft-honored Greensboro, Georgia, community. Fenmoor Golf Club, the development’s eighth course, will be private, for members only, and is slated to open in fall 2026.
Situated in the northeast corner of the 12,000-acre community, the new course site features a variety of landscapes at the headwaters of Lake Oconee, characterized by marshy edges, native grasses, and rolling hillsides. The unique topography offers elevated tee boxes, undulating fairways, multiple water crossings and several holes positioned along the water’s edge.
“The land is absolutely ideal for golf,” Smyers said. “We’re very fortunate to have a piece of property this diverse, with the movement of the land — gentle rolls, swales, valleys, hummocks, mounds, and ravines — combined with the presence of water running through it. This site allows us to create a course with a distinct look and feel unlike any other at Reynolds Lake Oconee.”
As the name “Fenmoor” implies, water will be a defining feature of the course. In addition to Lake Oconee itself, the property is interwoven with rivulets and streams branching from Richland Creek, creating an ever-changing landscape of wooded wetlands, grassy fields, marsh and meadow. The lake will be visible from much of the course and directly influence play on numerous holes, including nine greens positioned along the water.
Smyers, known for integrating the natural landscape into his designs, plans to use native plant material throughout the property, blending the course seamlessly with its natural surroundings.
“The native plants will connect the course to the marsh, the lake, and the tree line,” Smyers said. “We want the golf course to feel as if it simply emerges from the landscape.”
In addition to the championship course, Fenmoor will feature a dedicated putting course, numerous short-game areas and expansive practice facilities designed for game improvement.
Design Notes Archive | Read