ON THE TEE
🏌️ Phil Mickelson bet as much as $1 billion and had net losses of $100 million over the last 30 years, according to gambler Billy Walters’ book, “Gambler: Secrets From A Life At Risk.” Does that surprise anyone?
🏌️ Walters claimed that Mickelson wanted to place a $400,000 bet on the 2014 Ryder Cup, at which he was a U.S. team member. Walters says he invoked the name Pete Rose to talk Mickelson out of the bet. Mickelson denies the story. Who do you believe?
🏌️ In actual golf course news, Bryson DeChambeau shot a Sunday 58 at the Old White at the Greenbrier to win the LIV Golf League event there. Where does that stand among the game’s great rounds?
🏌️ Justin Thomas missed the FedEx Cup playoffs and says he has no business being on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Is he right?
🏌️ Who does belong on the U.S. Ryder Cup team … from LIV? Brooks Koepka for certain. But how about Talor Gooch, Dustin Johnson and even DeChambeau? Does captain Zach Johnson want the best team or the most politically appropriate?
🏌️ PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan revealed that his health crisis that kept him off the job for more than a month was related to anxiety issues. Is anyone shocked by that?
🏌️ The Worldwide Alliance of PGAs — which includes the PGA of America — joined the PGA Tour in opposing the USGA’s and R&A’s proposed rollback of the golf ball at the elite level. The Masters is on board, which makes the score: three majors in, one out? Will that matter to the USGA?
🏌️ Ron Cross, chief events officer at LIV Golf, and Andy Pazder, chief tournaments and competitions officer at the PGA Tour, are both out of their respective organizations, suddenly and immediately. Making room for whom? Or for what?
🏌️ Jon Rahm’s biggest request of the PGA Tour? Not more money or a better schedule. He wants a porta-potty on every hole. Sometimes a fade isn’t the only thing you can’t hold off, is it?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Baseball's World Series of Golf offers 'pinch-me' moments
Established in 1991, the annual event merges baseball, iconic Monterey Peninsula golf courses, friends and family, and fun into a memorable week
:: Dan O’Neill | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 America’s bee problem is an us problem
You may have heard America’s honeybees are dying. But what does that mean for the people on the front lines—and what could it mean for what ends up on your plate?
:: Lex Pryor | The Ringer | 08.03.23
📖 The secret life of the 500+ cables that run the internet
Laced across the cold depths of the world's oceans is a network of multimillion-dollar cables, which have become the vital connections of our online lives
:: Stephen Shankland | CNET | 08.06.23
📖 Phil Mickelson’s gambling habits detailed in new book
Gambler and former Mickelson associate Billy Walters, in this excerpt from his upcoming autobiography, claims Mickelson’s gambling losses totaled nearly $100 million
:: Billy Walters | Golf Digest | 08.10.23
PERFECT PUTT
Amateur golfers have left millions on the table
Amateur golfers have left $2.9 million on the table during major championships the last 10 years. Should the USGA do something about it?
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Each Monday, Jared Doerfler breaks down the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt here.
SCORECARD
1️⃣8️⃣ The golf industry’s week in review — the names, news and notables that are making the headlines. :: Read
LIFESTYLE
19TH HOLE
Each episode of the “Course of Life” podcast closes with the guest sharing a favorite 19th hole experience.
Hope Barnett, LPGA Tour content host: “We went to TPC Harding Park [in San Francisco] to preview the (LPGA Tour) International Crown in late 2022, and we got some amazing fish and chips. It definitely competes with fish and chips over in Europe.”
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
THE STYLE LINKS
Love Adidas Golf’s new MC80 spikeless shoe — and that it’s available in both men’s and women’s sizes.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
HOME FRONT
Juniper Preserve | Bend, Oregon
Listing: 22887 Ghost Tree Lane.
Stats: 3,658 square feet | 3 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms.
Price: $1.898 million.
About: This Northwest-style home has expansive views of the Cascade Mountains and the 17th fairway of the Fazio Course at Pronghorn Golf Club. The home features a covered patio, a private courtyard, a custom putting green and its own casita with a private entrance leading to a full suite and kitchenette for guests. The luxury office space located on the main level features custom-built-in bookshelves and a secret door leading to a wine cellar. The residence is located within the Four Peaks neighborhood of Juniper Preserve, a premier wellness destination perfect for outdoor aficionados, hiking enthusiasts and avid golfers. Residents can enjoy the many trails in the 20,000 acres of juniper forest surrounding the property for walking, biking and horseback riding; two championship golf courses; a Juniper Spa and on-site lava cave; The Trailhead, which consists of newly renovated pools, fitness facilities and a family-style dining room; and The Village, anchored by the Clubhouse, a grand lodge offering upscale dining and communal gathering spaces.
DESIGN NOTES
Hazeltine turns to Davis Love III for renovation
⛳️ Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, has announced a long-term partnership with Love Golf Design for the purpose of developing a comprehensive master plan. The design team is led by PGA winner and Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and is based in Sea Island, Georgia.
The partnership follows the club’s year-long process of thoroughly exploring, conversing with and interviewing the country’s leading architects. The extensive portfolio of Love Golf Design work includes both new course designs such as the Dunes Course at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Georgia; and the Love Course at Barefoot Resort in South Carolina. Additionally, the firm has done major renovations at Atlantic Dunes at Sea Pines Resort in South Carolina and at Sea Island Golf Club's Retreat and Plantation courses in Georgia.
"My brother Mark, our architect Scot Sherman, and I are thrilled to be working with Hazeltine National Golf Club to reimagine the golf course and get ready for the 2029 Ryder Cup,” Love said. “I’ve played major championships here and while serving as the captain of the 2016 Ryder Cup, the support we got from Hazeltine for our Ryder Cup Team was incredible. We’re excited to help Hazeltine move into the next chapter of their major championship life.”
Love Golf Design has been tasked at Hazeltine with examining and master planning the golf course and the entirety of the surrounding property — everything from greens, bunkers, fairways, playing distances, irrigation, drainage, trees and routing plan. The master plan will also identify infrastructure improvements needed to deliver consistent championship playing conditions every day.
"For us to have success in our mission of hosting major championships and delivering exceptional experiences, we need a leading golf course architect to shepherd our master planning process. Selecting the right team was extremely important to the board and our architectural selection committee,” club president Dan Mulheran said. “Not only were we looking for a partner but also a team who has the right background to ensure our championship course continues to be one of the best in golf.”
Love Golf Design has over 25 completed projects in its portfolio and has garnered numerous design awards. Sherman has been involved in over 50 designs during his 35-year career, working on courses in the U.S. and Europe — most notably The Ocean Course at Kiawah Resort. Sherman began his career with the Dye family where the value of designing in the field became a guiding principle of his work.
"We appreciate the opportunity to work on such a grand scale here at Hazeltine," Sherman said. "Hazeltine is blessed to have plentiful land, which gives us the room to create some thought-provoking strategies, so we are excited to have the master planning process underway. Davis, Mark and I believe the variety of the site lends itself for timeless character and we’re pleased to be working with the storied property that’s situated along Lake Hazeltine."
Hazeltine, opened in 1962, is a vintage design of Robert Trent Jones. Over the next two decades he undertook a partial redesign of the golf course, most notably rerouting the 16th and 17th holes. The club subsequently benefitted from the design input of his son, Rees Jones, through various incarnations of work.
The club was founded on a commitment to championship golf and seeks to preserve and grow that legacy moving forward. The club has previously hosted the U.S. Open (1970, 1991), U.S. Women’s Open (1966, 1977), Ryder Cup (2016), PGA Championship (2002, 2009), U.S. Senior Open (1983), the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (2019), U.S. Amateur (2006) and the U.S. Mid-Amateur (1994), among other significant events. In the coming years, Hazeltine is set to host its second U.S. Amateur in 2024 and is the first U.S. venue selected to host the Ryder Cup Matches for a second time when it returns in 2029.
READ: This week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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