Can a sock make you a better golfer? Hmm ...
+ Where next for Tiger Woods; a look back at Nick Saban; and a beauty being built in Austin, Texas
ON THE TEE
🏌️Now, Rory McIlroy says the best thing for professional golf is a “World Tour,” featuring all the top players and that they be under contract to give sponsors the best value. Is there more than one McIlroy and which one is this?
🏌️McIlroy skipped the PGA Tour’s first “signature event” — the Sentry in Hawaii — to jet to Dubai to play this week, “as a favor to a friend,” he said. Wonder how much he was paid for that favor?
🏌️Scottie Scheffler was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year by his fellow players after Jon Rahm joined LIV Golf. Rahm won the Masters and three other events last season, while Scheffler won twice. Rahm said, “hardware usually wins.” Not to mention a green jacket, right?
🏌️Phil Mickelson told Pat McAfee on ESPN that he would be “too divisive” to be Ryder Cup captain. Should we ask the players?
🏌️Tiger Woods and Nike ended their 27-year partnership. Which is your favorite Tiger/Nike commercial?
🏌️Kevin Kisner made his television debut in the 18th tower for NBC at The Sentry. Should he give up his “ain’t-no-hobby” day job?
🏌️Keith Pelley resigned as CEO of the DP World Tour to become president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in Toronto. Does this mean that the DP World Tour is soon to be called PGA Tour Europe?
🏌️Martin Slumbers announced he would step down at the chief executive of the R&A at the end of 2024. First Pelley, now Slumbers. Is PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan looking over his shoulder?
🏌️Gary Woodland feared for his life before brain surgery to partially remove a tumor in September. He had tears in his eyes after his first-round 71 at the Sony Open in Hawaii in his return to the PGA Tour. Big money and signature events don’t mean much in this context, do they?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Socks? Just socks? Yes, and Swiftwick is mastering the art
If the feet are the anchor point to a better swing, then the Franklin, Tennessee-based company believes its latest Flite XT golf sock is on solid footing as being a game changer
:: Ken Klavon | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Steve Ells is still trying to solve lunch
He built Chipotle and its burrito bowls. Now he’s obsessed with vegan burgers cooked by robots
:: Elizabeth G. Dunn | Grub Street | 01.04.2024
📖 How we turned the tide in the roach wars
Forty years ago, scientists did the impossible. Why doesn’t anyone remember?
:: Daniel Engber | The Atlantic | 11.30.2023
📖 Saban
Editor’s note: With the retirement of Alabama football coach Nick Saban earlier this week, writer Joe Posnanski dusted off a piece he wrote for NBC in 2013.
:: Joe Posnanski | JoeBlogs | 01.11.2024
WORTH A LISTEN
App cracks the code on optimizing tee-time availability
Noteefy founder Jake Gordon joins co-hosts Jon Last and David Klein to discuss the platform that fills last-minute cancellations with close-in demandOn a weekly basis, the PGA Professional takes his lesson plan to a St. Louis-area pediatric hospital so that children with serious medical conditions can experience the game and just have fun
:: Driver$: Inside the Golf Industry | Listen
BUSINESS
SCORECARD
1️⃣8️⃣ The golf industry’s week in review — the names, news and notables that are making the headlines. :: Read
PERFECT PUTT
Golf's venture investing club you've never heard of
Breaking down Old Tom Venture Club
:: 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
Malbon Golf checking off its New Year’s resolutions early with two significant adds to the pro brand ambassador roster — Charley Hull and Jason Day.
:: 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.
Sean Melia, editor of New England Golf Journal: “It's a cheeseburger ... with fries … and I'm drinking some sort of light beer or a good fountain soda."
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
HOME FRONT
Loraloma | Austin, TX
Listing: Cottage 1.
Stats: 3,790-square-feet interior | 3 bedrooms | 4.5 bathrooms.
Price: $2,890,000.
About: The closest homesite to the amenities at Limestone Gulch, the Bonnell is one of two Hilltop Cottage layouts from which to choose. The Bonnell will be the first group of homes to be built in Loraloma, giving residents a turnkey move-in, direct trail access and sunset views from their patios. Thoughtfully placed windows throughout this home brings nature indoors while dedicated spaces — like a cocktail pool with lounge seating — and spacious entertainment areas are available for ample outdoor living. Future residents will have access to David McLay Kidd’s first-ever golf course in the southern United States and three district clubs, each with unique amenities like multiple pools, a spa, elevated restaurants, private hunting and fishing tours, trail rides and water sports.
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
King-Collins draws up South Carolina’s 21 Golf Club
Now underway in the Carolina Sandhills is 21 Golf Club, a private enclave 15 miles from Aiken, South Carolina, which will feature 36 holes. The first 18-hole layout, called the Hammer Course, will be a match play-oriented spread designed by Tad King and Rob Collins, the team that authored Tennessee’s Sweetens Cove and Nebraska’s Landmand.
Collins envisions a special creation, based on the quality of the site itself.
"Opportunities of this stature in the world of golf course architecture are precious few,” Collins said. "The land which 21 Golf Club sits is a geologic anomaly in the southeastern United States. The combination of the boldness of the terrain with its deep, deep sandy soils and the seemingly endless and uninterrupted views offer a rare tapestry for our team. We plan to deliver one of the most exceptional and distinctive experiences in American golf.”
The Hammer Course's name refers to the popular game of Hammer, which many view as the ultimate expression of match-play golf. In keeping with the traditions of the game, the course will demand boldness, creativity and skillful execution. As King-Collins successfully accomplished at Sweetens Cove and Landmand, the Hammer Course will allow players to choose from several teeing areas to alter each hole’s routing on the fly. Angles, yardage and par can all be adjusted to whatever best suits the moment. Plans call for an additional three holes to be added to the design. These extra holes will serve to decide matches not settled after a traditional 18-hole round, creating a rich competitive environment.
Following completion of the Hammer Course, 21 Golf Club will begin planning work on its second course, inspired by Alister MacKenzie’s original plans for El Boqueron (the famed Lost MacKenzie) in Argentina.
In addition to its two golf courses, 21 Golf Club will include a state-of-the-art practice and performance center developed in cooperation with Black Cat Design, as well as a short course.
READ: This week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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Laughably proLiv anti PGA subtext in every “comment “ by Purkey