Appreciation for architect Mike Strantz's artistry
+ How a Wisconsin course is revived; Why it's a big week for Tiger Woods; Need some help with your holiday shopping?
ON THE TEE
🏌️Tiger Woods returned to competitive golf at his Hero World Challenge, saying he could envision playing one tournament a month. Does feeling sore after a first-round 75 on a flat course change his thinking?
🏌️Jon Rahm rumors are coming in hot about the Spanish superstar imminently joining LIV. Would he be a game-changer?
🏌️Major winner Jason Dufner, Kevin Chappell and Victor Dubuisson are among 73 players in LIV’s Promotions event in Abu Dhabi. The top 3 will get full-time LIV spots in 2024. And the winner gets $250,000 — all for a $25 entry fee. Is that 2023’s best investment?
🏌️The PGA Tour will upgrade player perks by providing more on-course restrooms, cold plunge tubs, better food and dry cleaning among other perks. Who’s paying for all that?
🏌️Mark Hubbard set a PGA Tour record by playing 39 events in the 2022-23 season, earning just north of $2.9 million. Rory McIlroy made $15 million in the Player Impact Program. Isn’t this why golf’s have-nots are making noise?
🏌️Luke Donald is back as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black. Is it safe to assume that Zach Johnson isn’t getting a second chance for the U.S.?
🏌️Martin Slumbers of the R&A says of reducing distance, “doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.” Does that mean whatever action is taken will affect all of us, not just the pros? Why is bifurcation such a bad word?
🏌️Paul McGinley stepped in as Paul Azinger’s replacement for NBC/Golf Channel at the Hero World Challenge. Is it OK that McGinley is unabashedly biased toward the Europeans?
🏌️Australia’s John Senden reveals that at age 52, he has Parkinson’s Disease. And he plans to keep playing, despite his shaking arm. “It’s not going to go away, but I’m still able to play and still enjoying golf.” Is there enough money or cold plunge tubs to buy that?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Rediscovering Mike Strantz's design brilliance
New Tot Hill Farm Golf Club ownership team is attempting to restore architect’s unique canvas in North Carolina’s rolling hills
:: David Droschak | Read
How a simulator helped revive an infamous Wisconsin
Rainbow Springs Golf Course outside of Milwaukee closed in 2014. It was not considered a classic venue, but thanks to technology the course — and others — are being reconstructed, if only digitally
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
Curiosity about the state of Tiger Woods is high
TFC's Gary Van Sickle looks at why this week's Hero World Challenge is so important, plus how greed is rampant — for a few — on the PGA Tour
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
The only holiday gift guide you need this season
Updated throughout the shopping season for the latest trending products
:: The First Call staff | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Sphere and Loathing in Las Vegas
My night in front of the world’s largest LED screen
:: Charlie Warzel | The Atlantic | 11.14.2023
📖 The 250 greatest guitarists of all time
Celebrating six-string glory in blues, rock, metal, punk, folk, country, reggae, jazz, flamenco, bossa nova, and much more
:: Rolling Stone | 10.13.2023
📖 The 65 best Christmas movies of all time
‘Tis the season for staying in and watching your favorite Christmas flick, so pick a platform and let the holiday cheer begin
:: Savannah Walsh / Tara Ariano | 12.01.2023
BUSINESS
SCORECARD
1️⃣8️⃣ The golf industry’s week in review — the names, news and notables that are making the headlines. :: Read
PERFECT PUTT
LPGA Tour sees a 76% increase in prize money over 2018
From 2000 to 2022, four golfers made over $3 million, and three made over $3 million in 2023. The LPGA Tour has seen significant purse increases since 2018 in both non-major and major events. Here is a look at the Tour’s purse growth
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Each Monday, Jared Doerfler breaks down the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt here.
ICYMI
This week’s editions of The First Call:
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
‘Tis the season of giving for most of us, but at Golf4Her, it’s a 12-month commitment.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
19TH HOLE
Each episode of the “Course of Life” podcast closes with the guest sharing a favorite 19th hole experience.
Gabi Ruffels, who returns to the LPGA Tour in 2024: “If I can choose anything, I think I would go with pizza after the round. I'm not a big drinker after golf, so a lemonade to drink is the best."
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
HOME FRONT
Four Seasons Private Residences Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada
Listing: Junior Penthouse A.
Stats: 4,694 interior square feet / 1,745 exterior square feet | 3 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms.
Price: $10,975,000.
About: Situated within the prestigious MacDonald Highlands community, a private 12-acre oasis in Henderson, Nevada, Junior Penthouse A is one of 171 high-rise residences. It’s the first of its kind in Henderson and is associated with the forthcoming Four Seasons Private Residences Las Vegas. The penthouse offers four spacious bedrooms — including an expansive, private owner’s suite with Las Vegas strip views — and five bathrooms, offering 6,439 square feet of total living space. The residence, designed with seamless indoor/outdoor living in mind, features thoughtful turnkey touchpoints throughout, including a beautifully appointed kitchen, living room with a fireplace and wet bar, media room, and outdoor patio equipped with a plunge pool, kitchen and gathering space. Residents will have access to premier amenities such as signature dining experiences, private chef services, in-residence wine cellars, multi-level resort-style pools, library, screening room and expansive wellness and fitness facilities. The MacDonald Highlands community provides access to surrounding scenic walking and biking trails, two pickleball courts, a virtual golf simulator, as well the exclusive opportunity to join the community’s members-only country club, DragonRidge. The championship 18-hole, par-72 layout course, designed by architects Jay Morrish and David Druzisky, stretches to 6,975 yards. The course utilizes the natural hillsides and canyons to provide wide fairways, large greens and over 60,000 square feet of practice facilities, including an all-grass driving range, short game area with two practice sand bunkers, and two bentgrass putting greens.
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Eckenrode, Origins Golf Design elevate Sharon Heights
⛳️ In 2019, Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, California selected Todd Eckenrode and his Origins Golf Design team to create a master plan for the golf course from which a significant renovation would emerge.
Eckenrode collaborated with the private club's committees to develop a comprehensive plan, the blueprint for a successful $20 million renovation. The San Francisco Bay Area club commenced construction on a detailed renovation in April 2023 and progress is ongoing.
According to Eckenrode, the renovation is multi-dimensional, ensuring enhanced playability and heightened interest in the golf play, improved aesthetics throughout, extensive improvements in the golf grounds from tee to green, and with a commitment to sustainability supporting the club's Green Initiative.
Among the key elements of the project are:
Reforestation and Tree Management: Removal of select trees that had been planted without alignment to natural settings over the years, returning the course to one more in keeping with the original design. Adding more native tree species—California oaks and sycamores—will help ensure a reduction in water usage. The reforestation efforts will also help showcase existing mature native oak trees throughout, which are a signature of the course.
Water-Wise Sustainability: Coupled with the use of recycled water, a new irrigation system will replace an outdated 30-year-old system, reducing water consumption and adding greater efficiencies overall. Also, there will be expanded recycled water storage capacity by renovating, deepening, and lining the irrigation storage lake.
Renovated Tees, Cart Paths, Greens and Bunkers: All tees are slated to be rebuilt, increasing overall size, and creating a more natural shape and style, and with select new tee locations added. Significant reduction of non-permeable cart paths to only tee and green areas will improve playability and aesthetics. Fairways will be expanded for added playability and strategic interest while greens will be re-designed to offer an increase in hole locations and enhanced variety. All bunkers will be renovated, including new bunker locations to improve strategy, interest in play, and aesthetics.
Improved Turf and Drainage: All tees, greens, chipping areas, and fairways will be seeded to modern, improved bent grass varieties for highest quality, firm and fast playing surfaces. All turf areas will be sand-capped, with sub-surface drainage added throughout to enhance growth and facilitate better drainage.
READ: This week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
SUBSCRIBE | FOLLOW
The First Call [Monday-Friday edition]: Subscribe
Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | Twitter