Is Bandon Dunes the mecca of U.S. golf?
+ Should LIV Golf and the PGA Tour merge? The Grand Strand about to host first PGA Tour event; and what streak is unreachable?
THE STARTER
🏌️ Tiger Woods was given a special exemption into the U.S. Open in June at Pinehurst No. 2. Are you OK with this or should Woods have to qualify like everyone else?
🏌️ Woods confirmed that he will attempt to play the PGA Championship in two weeks at Valhalla and the British Open in July at Royal Troon, although he said he was “extremely sore” each day he played in the Masters. Is it important to anyone other than Woods that he play in the majors?
🏌️ Troon will have the longest hole in British Open history — the 623-yard, par-5 sixth — and the shortest — the 99-yard, par-3 eighth. Care to guess which hole will be more difficult?
🏌️ Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf and a two-time British Open winner, will apparently need to repeat his Masters experience and buy a ticket if he expects to attend the Open at Troon. Doesn’t Norman deserve the R&A to send him a past champion credential?
🏌️ Defending Open champion Brian Harman is pulling for Anthony Kim’s comeback in the LIV Golf League. They were partners in the 2005 Walker Cup, winning 1.5 points for the U.S. “He sure was tough to beat when he was playing good,” Harman said. “I hope he finds a little bit of that form.” Who says Tour players don’t pay attention to anyone but themselves?
🏌️ Despite having a mostly anonymous field — except for winners Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry — TV viewers for the Zurich Classic were up 26% over 2023. Does this prove that stars — even though there were only two — move the TV needle?
🏌️ Will Zalatoris withdrew from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a back flare-up. He had back surgery last April. To be expected or a bad omen?
🏌️ Jordan Spieth says he has hit the “reset button” in an effort to revitalize his erratic career. Hasn’t that button become a little worn out?
🏌️ LIV Golf League Adelaide drew 90,000 enthusiastic fans last week and had a historic team playoff on Sunday afternoon. What will it take to duplicate that success — at least partially — at other venues?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Revolutionary Bandon Dunes turns 25
In 1999, Chicago businessman Mike Keiser created a remote golf destination along Oregon's southwest coast and forever altered the golfing experience in the process.
:: Bradley S. Klein | Read
A LIV Golf, PGA Tour reunification? Pass
TFC contributor Gary Van Sickle is of the belief that the PGA Tour doesn't need LIV Golf and vice versa, so he suggests letting them go their own way.
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
Myrtle Beach adds the missing golf piece
South Carolina's Grand Strand finally adds a PGA Tour event, the Myrtle Beach Classic, to its extensive golf resume.
:: David Droschak | Read
How an affinity for Bandon turned into an annual affair
Since the Oregon golf resort opened in 1999, Brian Kruhlak has shepherded a growing contingent of golfers on a yearly trip that are short for time, but long on memories.
:: Tony Dear | Read
How AI may impact golf in the near future
Artificial Intelligence is seeping into nearly all areas of the game, but how far will it go?
:: Mark Lamport-Stokes | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Director’s Cut: ‘The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,’ by Hunter S. Thompson
Revisiting one of the Good Doctor's greatest hits.
:: Michael MacCambridge | Grantland | 05.03.2013
📖 Tom Weiskopf’s desperate hours trapped in a bog
From the archive (October 1995): For years he wouldn’t talk about the experience at Loch Lomond that put his career in perspective.
:: Guy Yocum | Golf Digest | 05.04.2024
📖 How Fleetwood Mac got cool again
Why do young people keep rediscovering Rumours? It’s in part because of a song that’s not even on the album.
:: Sam Adams | Slate | 04.26.2024
SUBSTACKED
For the author and his daughter, the Father & Daughter Invitational in Ireland was life-changing.
:: Matt Ginella | The Fire Pit Collective | 04.29.2024
BUSINESS
WEEK IN REVIEW
1️⃣8️⃣ The industry’s names, news and notables that are making the headlines. | Read
PERFECT PUTT
The Myrtle Beach Classic YouTube Strategy
How and why the Myrtle Beach Classic is leveraging YouTube to drive awareness to its inaugural PGA Tour event next week.
:: 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
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LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
Boxto bringing the “Ommm” to golf shoes.
:: 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.
Josh Dill, director of sports and events for Visit Frisco (Texas): “I love a good burger after a round and my go-to drink at a golf course is a Chilton — vodka, lemon juice, soda and a salted rim.”
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Streamsong opens Coore & Crenshaw’s The Chain
Streamsong Golf Resort in Streamsong, Florida, has opened its fourth golf course, The Chain. The 3,000-yard, 19-hole, par-3 course debuted with 13 holes in November 2023. By early April 2024, all 19 holes were in play.
The Chain brought the top design duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw back to Streamsong for their second act after designing the award-winning Streamsong Red in 2012. The Chain moniker originates from decades-old dragline chains found on site during the course routing process that were used to mine the land where Streamsong now sits.
The short course brings a new concept to the golf offerings at Streamsong with options for six- and 13-hole loops or a 19-hole round. Holes vary in length from 50 to over 300 yards and incorporate a mix of centuries-old oaks, mining cuts and views of Little Payne Creek to create an exhilarating experience. Match play is the preferred format as there is no suggested par on the scorecard and each hole will be devoid of tee markers. Players will instead be encouraged to tee off from a location of their choosing designated by dragline chains marking the beginning and end of each teeing area.
"We’re quite fond of these shorter courses," Coore said. "When you take strength and length out of the equation, golf becomes much more fun for a vastly expanded group of players. And from an architectural perspective we can do more quirky and interesting things with short holes because we’ve removed the strength and length equation from play. We can do more interesting things on the greens and around the greens and build some greens you might not feel comfortable building on long regulation-length holes."
Coore’s design partner was equally effusive.
"We’re very happy to present it to everyone," Crenshaw said. "Length is on everyone’s mind and a lot of people have a misnomer in assessing a golf course in terms of hardship to par. These holes, you have to be skillful and there are all sorts of holes of shorter length. This is not like a pitch and putt; there’s some real golf over there and we think it’s going to be a great amenity here."
"Our goal with The Chain was to do something new at Streamsong and we think Ben and Bill have done just that,” said KemperSports CEO Steve Skinner. "We have three highly ranked courses that stretch well over 7,000 yards each so we thought a short course would be a perfect complement. So far, people have loved The Chain. It’s all about playing fast and having fun."
In addition to The Chain’s 19-hole layout, a 2.6-acre putting course, deemed, "The Bucket," is centrally located to further dial up the fun factor. The Bucket incorporates two 18-hole routings around a 22,000-pound dragline bucket serving as a reminder of the mining history that preceded Streamsong at this site.
READ: This week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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