Hold the Lime, Please
+ The Drop: Miura, TaylorMade and PXG
Editor’s Note: We would like to wish all of you the happiest of Thanksgivings on Thursday. We will break for the holiday and not publish The First Call | Weekend Edition on Saturday, Nov. 26. We will be back for the holiday stretch, though, on Saturday, Dec. 3. Travel safe and enjoy.
— Stuart Hall, senior editor
ON THE TEE
🏌️ Tony Finau won only once in his first 188 starts on the PGA Tour. With his victory at the Cadence Bank Houston Open, he has won three times in his last seven starts. But whom did he beat?
🏌️ Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch have been relieved of their duties at NBC Sports as network execs look for a “refresh” for their golf coverage. Maltbie, 71, had been at NBC since 1992 and Koch, 69, since 1999. But with whom do you replace them?
🏌️ Rory McIlroy is trying for a rare double: FedEx Cup champion and Race To Dubai winner on the DP World Tour. Isn’t the only reason McIlroy is in this position is that all four majors, the WGC Match Play are part of that tour’s schedule? And that tour membership requires only four tournaments other than majors or WGCs?
🏌️ Unlike McIlroy, Ryan Fox actually played a full schedule on the DP World Tour. Isn’t Fox really that tour’s top player?
🏌️ Jon Rahm describes the Official World Golf Ranking as “laughable” because the RSM Classic is worth more points than the DP World Tour Championship, which has seven of the world’s top 20. Is he right?
🏌️ McIlroy says Greg Norman needs to step aside as commissioner and CEO of LIV Golf as a precursor to peace talks. Is he right?
🏌️ Nelly Korda returns to No. 1 on the Rolex Ranking after a victory at the Pelican Women’s Championship. She’s not in the running for LPGA Tour player of the year but she came back after a serious blood clot earlier in the season. Isn’t that more impressive?
🏌️ Padraig Harrington went to the hip for $100 to buy some fans a beer after asking them to move their shadows so he could hit a shot at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Is he one of the only Tour players who actually “get it”?
🏌️ The Asian Tour has imposed a fine of $300 for not raking or improperly raking a bunker. Don’t you wish you could do that at your course?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
A Beam who makes gin — well, bourbon, too
Steve Beam, 63, a seventh-generation descendant of the Jim Beam founder, is finding his niche in the spirits industry with Limestone Branch Distillery in Kentucky
:: Tom Bedell | Read
Miura’s anticipated MC-502 irons finally arrive
The Drop looks at the irons, along with TaylorMade’s NBA-inspired driver, putter covers and the collaboration between PXG and pop icon Nick Jonas
:: Stuart Hall | Read
HOME FRONT
Daniel Island Club | Charleston, South Carolina
Listing: 59 Iron Bottom Lane
Stats: 8,191 square feet | 6 bedrooms | 6 baths / 2 half baths.
Price: $5,300,000.
About: This sophisticated property offers rare front and back unobstructed golf course views on a quiet street, within an easy walk to Daniel Island Club's sports and fitness center, resort pools, tennis and pickleball courts and Cabana restaurant. This home offers chic Southern sophistication and features two grand entrances, a show-stopping custom floating curved staircase in the dramatic foyer, incredible views of both the Ralston and Beresford golf courses, a suave den/library, formal dining room, two family rooms and new pool. The Daniel Island Club features the country's only private pairing of golf courses designed by Tom Fazio and Rees Jones, and play out of the same clubhouse. Both nationally ranked courses are perfectly integrated into the breathtaking Lowcountry landscape and the country club neighborhood of Daniel Island Park.
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Glory days of The Boston Globe: the greatest sports staff ever
:: Kevin Armstrong | Sports Illustrated | 06.03.2009
📖 History of Twitter: Jack Dorsey and the social media giant
Twitter is one of the most recognizable and influential social media platforms on the planet. How did it get there?
:: Jack Meyer | The Street | 06.18.2019
📖 Braydon Bringhurst versus the beast
This former pole vaulter is the rare athlete who can blend explosive power with precision and control. but he’d need a lot more than that to ride his bike up this insanely technical downhill trail.
:: Kim Cross | Bicycling.com | 11.03.2022
OFF THE PLAYLIST
One golfer’s song of choice for the course. Hey, and if you don’t like it? Share your choice. Seriously. .
🎶 Wake Me Up | Avicii [Spotify | iTunes]
DESIGN NOTES
A Mackenzie returns to New South Wales
⛳️ In 1926, Alister MacKenzie traveled from England to Australia to lay out the New South Wales Golf Club in Australia. Ninety-six years later, another Mackenzie from England will look to follow in those same footsteps.
Perennially ranked among the world’s top 50 courses, the New South Wales Golf Club outside of Sydney has retained the U.K.-based firm of Mackenzie & Ebert to produce a masterplan for course enhancements. Members anticipate the results will help maximize the potential of this remarkable and historic property.
"Mackenzie & Ebert have a well-established reputation for successfully and sympathetically upgrading courses of all types, particularly windy seaside courses like ours, and including the likes of Turnberry, Royal Portrush, Royal Dornoch and Royal St. George’s," club president Chris Coudounaris said.
On behalf of Martin Ebert, Tom Mackenzie expressed his enthusiasm for the project.
"Having traveled to Australia to meet with and present to the club’s board in August, we are enormously excited to be appointed to work with New South Wales Golf Club on the renovation of their course,” he said. “It is an incredible property and the course is already very highly regarded, but there is so much opportunity for improvement. Our shared priorities, in accordance with the brief, are to make the course even more interesting, fairer and playable for the members and, at the same time, more varied, strategic and challenging for the best players. This is an amazing opportunity for MacKenzie & Ebert to work in Australia for the first time, especially on another world-renowned golf course."
New South Wales occupies sacred ground for Australians, for it was at this spot — Botany Bay, where the fifth and sixth holes converge — in 1770 that Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy "discovered" Australia.
MacKenzie crafted the layout in 1926 and he routed it atop a wildly rolling property replete with ridges and valleys, yielding superb variety. While the good doctor did not create the most famous hole on the course, the par-3 sixth that plays over Cape Banks — that was added by Eric Apperly in 1937 — he carved out a fistful of memorable tests elsewhere, including the downhill but into the wind par-5 fifth, with the ocean looming attractively in the background and the short par-4 14th with its bite-off-as-much-as-you-can-chew tee shot over a scrub-filled ravine to a chaotically rumpled fairway.
Mackenzie and Ebert intend to make the diverse architectural elements more cohesive and to improve strategy, playability and aesthetics. They also intend to have all 18 green complexes renovated together, over one summer, to ensure consistency throughout. Renovation work is expected to begin in 2024.
⛳️ Add another reason to take the long flight to New Zealand.
Te Arai Links, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island has opened for play. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the South course at Te Arai Links was finished in the fall of 2021, but allowed to grow in and mature before opening formally.
Located several miles south of World Top 20 Tara Iti, a Tom Doak design, Te Arai will be much more accessible to outside play. The course features roomy fairways and expansive but challenging greens, along with ocean views throughout the round. Doak began work on Te Arai’s North course earlier this year.
⛳️ Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Texas has reopened its Fazio Canyons golf course following a seven-month, $5 million renovation.
Located in the Hill Country on the fringes of Austin, the course was designed by Tom Fazio in 1999. Fazio and his team had significant input in the project to ensure the integrity of the original design was first and foremost. Work included new tee boxes for added length, enhanced greens and bunkers and improved irrigation. The updated irrigation was especially significant.
“The renovation at Fazio Canyons will allow for additional flexibility of the golf course to stand up to today’s best players,” said Scott Abernathy, Omni corporate director of agronomy. “The new state-of-the-art irrigation system gives us more control and the ability to ensure optimal course conditions throughout the year.”
Long a member of various "Best" lists for top public-access and resort courses in the U.S., Fazio Canyons is poised to regain its lofty status.
NAMES | NEWS | NUMBERS
BUSINESS
▪️ 8AM Golf: Group of investors, including Justin Timberlake, invest in 3’s, an innovative Par-3 golf concept that features hospitality and entertainment amenities. … Newtimes Group: Will return the Ashworth Golf apparel brand to the U.S. marketplace in 2023. The relaunch of the Ashworth brand is led by Eddie Fadel, a 30-year veteran golf apparel executive, who serves as company president. … PGA Tour, United Airlines: Extend their multiyear marketing relationship that designates United as the "Official Airline of the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour" through 2025. … Malcolm DeMille: Handcrafts Pelican Women’s Championship trophy won by Nelly Korda, who returned to No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings with the victory. … OnCore Golf: Launches a new collegiate program by signing Kentucky State University and Johnson & Wales University. … RepSpark Systems: Announces a three-year extension with the PGA Show and will provide exhibitors and attendees with PGA Show Exclusive Community, a digital B2B selling platform, to help facilitate connections and transactions throughout the PGA Show. … FlightScope: Welcomes dismissal of an appeal case in German Federal Court of Justice ruling the company did not infringe on a Trackman patent in Germany.
COMPETITION / COURSES
▪️ R&A: Tickets for the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, Aug. 9-13 at Walton Heath in Surrey, England, are currently on sale. … PGA Tour Latinoamerica: Announces the Roberto De Vicenzo Memorial 100 Years, a one-time tournament scheduled for March 20-26, 2023, at Ranelagh Golf Club in Buenos Aires, De Vicenzo’s home course. De Vicenzo died in 2017, at age 94. … Tiburon Golf Club: The Naples Ritz-Carlton resort in Florida begins a stretch of hosting three professional tournaments — this week’s CME Group Tour Championship and then the QBE Shootout, Dec. 7-11; and the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic, Feb. 13-19. … LIV Golf: Announces a multiyear commitment to play events in Australia. The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, South Australia’s capital city, will host the country’s debut LIV Golf tournament April 21-23 as part of the 2023 LIV Golf League schedule. … USGA: Selects Trinity Forest Golf Club, in Dallas, Texas, as the host site for the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the 2031 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. … The Club at Olde Cypress: Private Naples, Florida, club's reimagined golf shop ranks No. 39 on Club + Resort Business' Top Ranked Private Club and Resort Pro Shops Across the U.S. list.
DEALS
▪️ Rain or Shine Golf: Announces Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, which include a variety of products at different price points. … Golftec: Announces its Joy to the Golfer sale, which features holiday packages with plenty of options to help golfers improve, available until Dec. 31. … SkyTrak: For a limited time, the company is offering $200 off a SkyTrak or SkyTrak package. … Stewart Golf: Partners with golf bag manufacturer Orca Golf, and kicks off the relationship via a giveaway of a prize package worth over $3,000. … GolfTrainingAids.com: Announces offers for the holidays with up to 50% off popular training aids and a discount on the new Home Putting Suite. … GolfForever: Launches a Black Friday/Cyber Monday offer of $174.99 for the Swing Trainer and free 30-day usage of its golf training app when purchased Nov. 23-28.
GEAR / TECH
▪️ Miura Golf: Launches next generation MC-502 irons, which feature a muscle cavity back. … Wilson: Celebrates advisory staff member Padraig Harrington’s record-setting victory at the PGA Tour Champions' Charles Schwab Cup Championship. … Arccos: Integrates its app with the United States Golf Association, allowing Arccos members to confirm and post scores and view their current Handicap Index from within the Arccos Caddie app. … PXG: Introduces its PXG x Nick Jonas apparel and accessories collection that is available purchase online and at PXG retail locations. … TaylorMade Golf: Releases its jersey-inspired NBA driver and putter headcover line. The line is available exclusively at TaylorMadeGolf.com for $99.99 (driver) and $89.99 (putter). … L.A.B. Golf: Launches Link.1 First Run putters, a release of 500 individually serialized putters. … Golf+: Updates its platform to include the ability to play recreations of Pebble Beach Golf Links and Pinehurst No. 2, and new equipment from Callaway Golf and TaylorMade. … Shot Scope: Introduces a branding and customization program for its laser rangefinders. The program allows golf and country clubs to customize rangefinders with its logos.
PEOPLE
▪️ GCSAA: Bass Pro Shop founder Johnny Morris, who turned Missouri’s Ozarks into a premier golf destination, will be honored with the 40th Old Tom Morris Award on Feb. 9. … PGA Tour: Jimmy Dunne, vice chairman and senior managing principal of Piper Sandler, has accepted an invitation to join its board of directors as an independent director. … LPGA Tour: Minjee Lee wins the 2022 Aon Risk Reward Challenge and a $1 million prize. The Challenge is a season-long competition that tabulates the two best scores from every participating event a player competes in. … USGA: International Team Selection Committee invites 16 players to attend a practice session Dec. 15-18 in Jupiter, Florida, for the 2023 Walker Cup Match. The 16 players are Evan Beck, 32; Michael Brennan, 20; David Ford, 20; Nicholas Gabrelcik, 20; Stewart Hagestad, 31; Derek Hitchner, 23; Palmer Jackson, 21; Benjamin James, 17; Bryce Lewis, 22; Dylan Menante, 21; Maxwell Moldovan, 20; Gordon Sargent, 19; Cole Sherwood, 20; Ross Steelman, 21; Caleb Surratt, 18; and Michael Thorbjornsen, 21. … Duca del Cosma: Adds Clive Grant to sales team and will be responsible for the Alberta, Canada territory.
PHILANTHROPY
▪️ GCSAA: FMC Corporation donates $25,000 to the GCSAA Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund.
THE STYLE LINKS
The Clubhouse launch in NYC is cool, and I know PXG apparel is consistently a black/white/grey theme, but was really hoping for a few more pops of color with the Nick Jonas collab. Guess I’ll settle for the yellow-highlighted zipper.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
SUBSCRIBE | FOLLOW
The First Call [Monday-Friday edition]: Subscribe
Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | Twitter