Golf makes it to The Show
+ News and notes from the 71st PGA Show; The New York Times is playing games; A Shark sighting at Shell Bay
ON THE TEE
🏌️Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap won The American Express to become the first amateur since Phil Mickelson to win a PGA Tour event. Did it say more about Dunlap or less about Sam Burns and Justin Thomas, who failed to win while playing in the final group?
🏌️The 20-year-old Dunlap skipped the Farmers Insurance Open to decide to turn pro. Did he seriously consider staying in school and remaining an amateur?
🏌️Brandel Chamblee came out of the studio to sit in the booth for Golf Channel/NBC at The American Express. Should he be the permanent replacement for Paul Azinger? But why did he not criticize Burns for kicking the tournament away on the last three holes?
🏌️A bettor from Iowa placed $300 with FanDuel on Dunlap to win. The payout was $150,300. What was he thinking?
🏌️Christiaan Bezuidenhout did even better than the guy from Iowa, cashing in a runner-up ticket at The American Express that paid first-place money of $1.512 million. He did not, however, get first-place FedEx Cup points. Think that matters to him right now?
🏌️Adrian Meronk, who was the DP World Tour Player of the Year for 2023, signed with LIV Golf. He’s No. 39 in the world ranking and an emerging star. Is that good enough?
🏌️Anthony Kim, who at 38 hasn’t played professional golf in 10 years, is talking to the PGA Tour and LIV Golf about returning to competition. Is it too late?
🏌️The USGA awarded the 2040 U.S. Open to Merion Golf Club, which is one of the courses thought to be obsolete because players hit it too far. Justin Rose won the Open at Merion in 2013 at 1-over par. Is that not good enough?
🏌️The latest iteration of “The Match” will feature Rory McIlroy and Rose Zhang vs. Max Homa and Lexi Thompson. Is that enough to make you want to watch?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Who said golf is a cottage industry?
National Golf Foundation stats show golf’s continued rising trajectory heading into 2024
:: David Droschak | Read
Pickleball makes presence known at PGA Show
The sport is exploding at clubs and in communities across the country for good reasons — its fun and easy to play
:: David Droschak | Read
Under Armour OK with being alone at PGA Show Demo Day
Sportswear brand unveils its new Drive Pro golf shoes
:: David Droschak | Read
PGA Show Notebook: Some shots are worth a celebration
Wasted Wedge debuts the ideal toasting club in the New Product Zone; Unique Rabbit Studios takes big to new level
:: David Droschak | Read
PGA Show Notebook: Ireland's ancient east poised for growth
Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design takes on new design; Prototype bag could be game changer; Passage Golf takes mess out of golf food equation
:: David Droschak | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Lost highway
The trials of trucking school
:: Emily Gogolak | Harper’s Magazine | 02.2024
📖 Jay Monahan can't win
A partnership with an alleged kidnapper. Reigniting golf's civil war. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is in a no-win situation
:: Joel Beall | Golf Digest | 01.22.2024
📖 Inside The New York Times’ Big Bet on Games
Wordle. Connections. Spelling Bee. Ye olde crossword. The Times is home to beloved brainteasers that are helping boost the paper’s bottom line. As one staffer jokes, the “Times is now a gaming company that also happens to offer news”
:: Charlotte Klein | Vanity Fair | 02.2024
BUSINESS
WEEK IN REVIEW
1️⃣8️⃣ The golf industry’s names, news and notables that are making the headlines. :: Read
PERFECT PUTT
Destination golf creates micro economies
Publisher Jared Doerfler looks at how destination golf course resorts like Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst and Sand Valley have created micro economies that benefit their respective communities
:: 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
TRAVEL
The First Call has partnered with SportGo Travel, an online booking service, to give you up to 50% off or more on hotel accommodations worldwide.
Whether you’re planning your next trip to a tournament, a buddies or girls golf getaway, or a family vacation, book your stay through SportGo Travel and save. Simply create your account and start planning.
LIFESTYLE
19TH HOLE
Each episode of the “Course of Life” podcast closes with the guest sharing a favorite 19th hole experience.
Gurleen Kaur, LPGA Tour rookie: “Either a chicken quesadilla or a grilled chicken sandwich. Also, if a clubhouse has really good fries you know the rest of the food will be good!"
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Greg Norman opens Florida’s Shell Bay
The wait is over.
After nearly two decades since the last private golf club opened in the Miami, Florida, area, real estate development firms Witkoff Group and PPG Development unveiled The Shell Bay Club in October. Anchoring the club is a 7,254-yard private championship course designed by World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman.
The golf offerings also include a 12-acre practice facility and a nine-hole par-3 course. This 150-acre enclave is a last-of-its-kind opportunity in the Miami region for water-accessible, new development of this scale. There is also a partnership with hospitality brand Auberge Resorts Collection to bring a boutique resort and bespoke residences to the destination.
“The course at Shell Bay is one of the most unique, pure golf experiences I have ever designed,” Norman said. “Completely isolated from its surroundings, the walkable layout will capture the true essence of the game with immaculately conditioned fairways, sweeping sandbelt-style bunkers and contoured greens that test every club in your bag. It will be a place where you can totally immerse yourself in the game.”
The course features a purposefully sustainable design set within an isolated environment between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Golfers will be tested with a variety of risk-reward shot-making options alongside water challenges most prevalent from the championship tees.
At 7,254 yards, it offers one of the longest courses in South Florida with a slope rating of 148 and a course rating of 76.1. Complementing the championship course is a Par 3 course where players experience tactically entertaining concepts including punchbowl, Redan and double plateau greens.
The Bays is a state-of-the-art practice facility and beyond the training facilities, The Bays also offers a tranquil al fresco dining experience for members at the chef’s open kitchen, featuring a menu of comfort food favorites and signature dishes rotating weekly. The chef’s kitchen marks the first concept in Shell Bay’s culinary program, with a larger dining venue to follow once clubhouse construction is complete.
“Golf is the most undersupplied asset in the Miami market, and consequently, Shell Bay is a generational opportunity to create the first new private course in the area in 25 years,” said Alex Witkoff, co-CEO of Witkoff Group. “A project like this can’t be replicated.”
READ: This week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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