The anatomy of a golf course
+ The Keegan Bradley conundrum; reader thoughts on PGA Tour-LIV Golf; Mike Purkey's nine questions to ponder; good reads for Labor Day weekend.
THE STARTER
🏌️ By starting the first round of the Tour Championship at 10-under par before the first shot is hit, Scottie Scheffler is bound to win low net. Does he win low gross, too?
🏌️ Does the PGA Tour really expect us to take the Tour Championship format seriously?
🏌️ Should winning the PGA Championship and Open Championship this season give Xander Schauffele a serious chance of being player of the year?
🏌️ After winning the BMW Championship, Keegan Bradley has good odds that he could be on the U.S. Presidents Cup team. He’s already an assistant captain. Could he do both? Should he?
🏌️ Speaking of which, Bradley is the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain. If he doesn’t make the team on points, should he use a captain’s pick on himself?
🏌️ U.S. captain Stacy Lewis chose Lexi Thompson as a wildcard pick for the upcoming Solheim Cup matches. Are you at all surprised?
🏌️ Lydia Ko said earlier this year that she plans to retire from professional golf before she turns 30. Now that the 27-year-old Ko has guaranteed her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame by winning the Olympic gold medal and the AIG Women’s Open, do you think she will retire sooner? Or later?
🏌️ Jon Rahm told the New York Post there’s “no validity” in the Golf Digest claim that he regrets his decision to join LIV Golf and would gladly give back the money. Do you believe Rahm or Golf Digest?
🏌️ Many of the top social media golf content creators were assembled by the PGA Tour for the nine-hole tournament — the Creator Classic — at East Lake on Wednesday before the Tour Championship commenced. Does this give the Tour more credibility or less?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
The Lie as It Lies: The Loop
Unravel the why and how of the architectural design process at Forest Dunes' The Loop, a Tom Doak design.
:: Up River Film Company | Watch
Will a PGA Tour-LIV Golf deal ever get done?
Readers of The First Call offer their opinions as to whether the sides will ever reach an agreement, despite claims that progress is being made.
:: TFC Inbox | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 How these golf-TV castoffs are finding their unfiltered voices again
:: James Colgan | Golf.com | 08.29.2024
📖 Why toilet paper keeps getting smaller and smaller
There is no end to America’s most egregious case of shrinkflation.
:: Mark Dent | The Hustle | 08.16.2024
📖 120 years of New York’s subterranean literary muse
"I remember being probably in kindergarten and realising “I think I'm a surfer. I think that's my thing.”
:: Erica Ackerberg and Tina Jordan | New York Times | 08.30.2024
📖 The United States of Texas barbecue
After scouring the country for sixteen months, traveling to 37 states to try 149 Texas-style barbecue joints, I learned that Texas barbecue has become so influential that it is now the definitive barbecue style of America. These are the best places — outside of Texas — to get your fix.
:: Daniel Vaughn | Texas Monthly | 08.28.2024
BUSINESS
THE FIRST CALL
Week in Review: The industry’s names, news and notables making headlines. | Read
This week’s editions: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
Golf Industry Press Releases | Read
TFC / PR Newswire Feed | Read
PERFECT PUTT
A breakdown of golf's richest week
The FedEx Cup bonus pool is worth $100 million this year.
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Publisher Jared Doerfler analyzes the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt.
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
These Goldie golf balls sold out everywhere in days. Give Callaway a shout if you’d like to see a restock.
:: 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.
Alison Walshe, former LPGA Tour player who was a member of the victorious 2008 U.S. Curtis Cup Team: “If it’s a casual round and I play well, I’m definitely having a tequila soda and slammin’ a burger with chips or sweet potato fries.”
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
HOME FRONT
Costa Palmas | Baja California Sur, Mexico
Listing: Four Seasons Sunset Villa 18.
Stats: Square footage, 6,266, exterior; 4,153, interior | 5 bedrooms | 5.5 bath.
Price: $14,000,000.
About: Ownership of Sunset Villa 18 offers access to all the Costa Palmas and Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas amenities, including the private marina that stands as the most exclusive port of call for superyachts in Los Cabos’ and Four Seasons’ only private marina. Costa Palmas is also home to a Marina Village with Nancy Silverton’s Mozza Baja and Chiki, the East Cape’s first nightclub by MBDS, and adjacent from the marina sits the new Delphine Day Club by Michelin-star chef Ludo Lefebvre. Sunset Villa 18 features a winding entry path through desert landscapes to an entrance courtyard with textured plaster walls in earth tones. These walls, adorned with palo de arco canopies, are covered in lush plant life that casts enchanting shadows. Inside, curated furniture combines regional aesthetics with distinct styles. The kitchen and bathrooms feature colored tiles, warm woods and exotic marble for a balanced palette. Furnishings use Rosa Morada wood in ochre and deep brown tones, with deep teal accents. The design blends contemporary elements with Baja's natural and cultural influences, emphasizing comfort and subtle curves against clean lines.
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Osprey Meadows soars after RTJ II reimagination
Tamarack Resort in western Idaho has unveiled the Osprey Meadows 18-hole championship course, following a renovation by Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) and highlighted by a unique 19th Gambler’s Hole.
While the stunning vistas remain, the resort and the original course architects from RTJ II reimagined the layout to enhance the playability for members and resort golfers. The course’s picturesque terrain spans lake, streams, meadows, and wetlands, flanked by aspens and stately ponderosa pines.
The course was originally designed by RTJ II and opened in 2006 to high acclaim, capturing a Golf Digest Best New Affordable Course award. Sports Illustrated wrote, "The mountain meadows of Robert Trent Jones II’s eighteen-hole golf course almost makes you forget you just dumped your ball in the drink."
It closed nine years after opening, however, due to economic setbacks but was purchased by Tamarack Resort in 2021.
"The grand opening of Osprey Meadows is the highlight of our summer, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for players to experience all 19 holes of this beautiful course," said Scott Turlington, president, Tamarack Resort. "It’s extremely rare to get a second chance to make a first impression. In fact, it doesn’t happen very often, and we’ve got that opportunity now."
As part of the renovation, the number and length of forced carries has been reduced while fairways have been widened. Although the course has reopened, refinements will continue to be made.
The 19th Gambler’s Hole is ideal for players looking to settle friendly wagers. The watery par 3’s tee boxes are adjacent to the 18th green, affording a memorable double finish. Depending on the tee box used, the hole plays anywhere from 78 to 193 yards.
The length of the overall course now ranges from 3,197 yards (Bunny Rabbit tee box) to 7,447 yards (Double Black Diamond). The tee box names parallel the difficulty ratings of ski slopes, reminding players of the world-class downhill runs located in the mountains overlooking this scenic golf course and resort community.
Jones Jr. is the 2024 recipient of the American Society of Golf Course Architects’ Donald Ross Award, to be presented at the ASGCA’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 11 in San Francisco. The honor is given annually to a person who has made significant contributions to the game of golf and to the profession of golf course architecture. Jones joins the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as Ross Award recipients and is the third member of his family to earn the honor.
RELATED: Read this week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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