The Gold Man Strikes a Pose
+ Nine things that will make you go 'hmm.'
EDITOR’S NOTE: Good morning. Feels kinda like a major this week at the Players Championship, right?
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— Stuart Hall
Senior Editor | The First Call
ON THE TEE
⛳️ David Stivers, CEO of the Pebble Beach Co., said “…anyone can play Pebble Beach.” He’s wrong. Beginning April 1, the tariff will be $595. He should have said, “Anyone who can comfortably afford it can play Pebble Beach.”
⛳️ PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan went on at the Players Championship about the Tour’s level of transparency but wouldn’t say whether Phil Mickelson has been suspended. Does that mean the Tour is translucent?
⛳️ Early informal, unofficial poll result (actually a poll of one) finds that Sam Woods won the World Golf Hall of Fame speech contest by 5 and 4 over her dad.
⛳️ Is it time that, “Better than most,” be retired?
⛳️ Could Ping’s Putter Lab Design (PLD) exclusive custom putter program be a shot across the bow at Scotty Cameron for copying the Ping Anser all these years?
⛳️ Mike McCoy has been named U.S. Walker Cup captain for 2023 and Nathan Smith for 2025. McCoy, 59, regained his amateur status after two failed attempts at Q-School right out of college and Smith, 43, is a lifelong amateur. That’s much better.
⛳️ If you want to increase your knowledge as a golfer, go read — or watch — about Marion Hollins and Renee Powell.
⛳️ Daylight Savings Time, which begins Sunday at 2 a.m., should be renamed NHAW (Nine Holes After Work).
⛳️ Once and for all, repair your ball mark on the green — and fix two more. Come on, it’s not that tough.
:: Mike Purkey
The Players' Gold Man strikes a pose, but is it enough?
PGA Tour’s flagship event features a gold-tinted golfer silhouette logo that is sleek and classy, but in terms of prestige it’s not quite iconic — yet
Writer’s Take: I am a recovering golf logo-holic but I still like to look. I was a little disappointed at the bland sameness of The Players logo on the polos and pullovers when I toured the Fan Shop but there's a fine line between colorful, different and tacky kitsch. The Players doesn't cross that line in its premium shirts, no small feat, but I think the 17th hole is the iconic logo that would up the event's Q Factor. Dave Piccolo has a fun job, I liked talking logos with him — probably because he listened to my ideas and didn't say, "Well that's stupid."
:: Gary Van Sickle
Player 2 focuses on golf, then lifestyle with new apparel brand
A scaled-back PGA Show in January provided ideal setting for upstart apparel company to maximize its time in spotlight — debuting new product, making connections
Writer’s Take: What struck me about Player 2’s story is the founders’ business acumen. They knew it was best to set modest goals for the first couple of years, even when they were taking on significant expenses to exhibit at the PGA Show. They also recognized an opportunity to maximize their exposure at the show as other exhibitors were backing out. Most significantly, they understood that they needed to dial in the brand’s identity. Rather than launch a diverse lineup of clothing in an attempt to offer something for every consumer, Player 2’s founders saw a hole in the marketplace to be a dedicated golf apparel brand and they’re staying true to that mission statement.
:: Shaun Tolson
Q&A: Caroline Basarab | director of retail, Reynolds Lake Oconee
Named the PGA of America's 2021 Merchandiser of the Year in the resort category, Basarab discusses her career, the ability to adapt and the importance of knowing a shop's clientele
Acushnet releases positive year-end report amid market volatility
Titleist golf balls, FootJoy footwear were key drivers for a strong finish to 2021
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always …
📖 The woman who invented Augusta National
[David Owen | The New Yorker]
📖 Project Icarus is creating a living map of Earth’s animals
[Charlotte Hu | Popular Science]
📖 The last party on Lombard Street
[Andrew Chamings | SFGate]
📖 Last one in is a winner
[Dan Jenkins | Sports Illustrated Vault]
DESIGN NOTES
The latest news and notes in golf course architecture.
➡️ Eleven years after teaming up on the design and after numerous routings, Harrison Minchew and Fred Funk are at long last ready to unveil RainDance National Resort and Golf in Windsor, Colorado. Situated 55 miles north of Denver and 20 miles southeast of Fort Collins, RainDance is a semi-private layout set in the high desert at nearly 5,000 feet elevation. The thin air partially explains the back tee scorecard length of 7,845 yards, though it can actually be stretched to 8,485 yards. The terrain features 20- to 30-foot deep arroyos that flow down to the Cache la Poudre River.
“I’ve never had such a beautiful golf-only site with ideal terrain like RainDance,” says Minchew, a 37-year member of the ASGCA who spent 26 years with Arnold Palmer Design. Developed by The Water Valley Company, RainDance will also feature the 65,000-square-foot G.O.A.T. Ranch putting green and short game area. Seeding on the championship course was completed last fall and the course is expected to open in mid-July.
➡️ Carver, Minnesota-based architect Kevin Norby practically has a home game in renovating Golden Valley Country Club in Minneapolis. Designed by Tom Bendelow in 1916 and completely redesigned by A.W. Tillinghast in 1926, Golden Valley has enlisted Norby to reconstruct the bunkers and also to re-grass and expand the putting surfaces to increase pinnable area and recapture lost green square footage. Tillinghast historian Philip Young and architecture scholar Bradley Klein will assist Norby in ensuring that Tillinghast’s original vision is fully realized. Duininck Golf will start bunker construction on Sept. 8. The Phase 2 greens project is expected to begin in 2023 or possibly 2024.
➡️ In late January, Brooksville, Florida’s World Woods was transformed into Cabot Citrus Farms. Included would be a reimagining of its two Tom Fazio courses — Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks — plus other changes at the facility. On Feb. 21, Cabot Citrus Farms announced the architects who would assist in the transformation. Kyle Franz, best known for his restoration of North Carolina’s Mid Pines, a Donald Ross classic, will remodel Pine Barrens. Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, longtime Coore-Crenshaw associates and prized for their re-do of Orlando’s Winter Park, will handle the redesign of Rolling Oaks. Architect Mike Nuzzo, of Texas’ Wolf Point renown, will rework the expansive practice area and also will construct two new nine-hole courses. Work is expected to start in June, with a likely completion date of early 2023.
➡️ Astor Creek Country Club has started construction on its new Chris Wilczynski-designed, 18-hole, private residential course in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Wilczynski, who spent two decades with Arthur Hills before hanging his own shingle in 2010, began design work in April 2021. “We’re essentially striving to create a golfer’s utopia from a dead-flat piece of property that was once a citrus farm,” says Wilczynski. Expected opening date is sometime in 2023.
:: Joe Passov
NAMES | NEWS | NUMBERS
BUSINESS
▪️KemperSports agrees to manage Iron Horse Golf Club in North Richland Hills, Texas. … Fast Company ranks Golftec No. 3 in the publication's Most Innovative Companies list for the Sports category. Golftec also opens a 2,700-square-foot instruction and clubfitting center in Paramus, New Jersey. … Golf Datatech and Atenga Insights renew partnership that will expand survey metrics for net promoter score. … Golf GameBook closes $3 million euros funding round that onboards a wide range of strategic investors to company that recently broke 1 million registered users.
Optum, which is part of the UnitedHealth Group, extends its partnership of the Players Championship through 2028. Optum and health ambassador Rory McIlroy will continue to work to improve health equity in the Jacksonville, Florida, community. … Flex Seal partners with PGA Tour players Brandon Hagy and Matt Jones, who will participate in digital collaborations and onsite brand activations. … Velocity Global is collaborating with the LPGA and LET to sponsor the Velocity Global Impact Award that honors players who help grow the sport of golf and inspire the next generation of athletes to have a positive impact. The winner will be announced annually on International Women’s Day, March 8.
COURSES
▪️Madinaty Golf Club, located in Cairo, Egypt, hosts inaugural Amateur Open. … Lyman Orchards Golf Club, located in Middlefield, Connecticut, seeks to continue growing the game in 2022 with Marissa Kulig Crow and John Dipollina headlining the teaching facility. … Dumbarnie Links, a daily-fee links course in Fife, Scotland, receives Scotland’s Best Golf Experience and Best Golf Course (£151 and over) honors at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards.
GEAR
▪️Devant Sport Towels launches its towel line, the Lucky Collection, which consists of three shamrock-inspired green towels. … PrideSports reports that the respective winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and HSBC Women’s World Championship wore the company's replaceable spikes. … Ping introduces its Putting Lab Design program that offers tour-inspired designs, custom experiences and collectibles. … Lohla Sport unveils the ‘Streets of Los Angeles’ women's collection. … Tour Edge ranks No. 3 in fairways and hybrids in play at the PGA Tour Champions’ Hoag Classic, where brand also sets new company mark with 21 players using its equipment. … Ecco Golf’s men’s Biom C4 golf shoe highlights the brand’s spring / summer 2022 collection.
INITIATIVES
▪️Women’s Golf Day launches an online auction to support efforts of the Ukrainian Golf Federation.
MEDIA
▪️GolfPass' instructional series, ‘The Golf Fix,’ returns with 20 new episodes. Host Devan Bonebrake helps viewers identify swing faults and guides them through fixes to save strokes. … eSouthernGolf posts record numbers for 2021, reporting the digital platform broke a record for unique users and website impressions with more than 6 million.
PEOPLE
▪️Scottie Scheffler, who is ranked No. 5 in the world and has won two of his last three starts, signs a multiyear endorsement agreement with TaylorMade. Scheffler plays TaylorMade's Stealth Plus 8.0° Carbonwood driver and P·7TW irons, and will add Stealth fairway woods to his staff bag. … Jackie Medford, director of human resources at director of human resources at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a 2022 Excellence in Human Resources honoree by South Florida Business and Wealth in the Sports and Entertainment category. … The USGA names Mike McCoy and Nathan Smith as the USA Walker Cup Team captains for 2023 and 2025, respectively. McCoy, 59, of Des Moines, Iowa, will captain the USA Team for the 2023 Walker Cup Match on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland and Nathan Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will captain the USA Team for the 2025 Walker Cup Match at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, California.
TOURNAMENTS
▪️JTBC LA Open receives commitment from world No. 2 Nelly Korda, along with defending champion Brooke Henderson, major champions Danielle Kang, Sei Young Kim and Inbee Park, and 2019 champion Minjee Lee. … Rio Verde Country Club hosts the 19th Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational. Kennesaw State University and sophomore Kaitlyn Campbell won team and individual honors, respectively. … ShopRite LPGA Classic returns to its traditional June spot on the calendar. This year’s tournament will be held June 6-12 at the Bay Course at Seaview in Galloway, New Jersey. The final round will be broadcast on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+.
THE STYLE LINKS
What started as a modest goal has blossomed into something much bigger. LinkSoul started with an image of a sunflower, which was symbolic of Ukraine’s desire to remove nuclear weapons in the 1990s and today represents the country’s fight against Russia. It then added the “Make Par, Not War” mantra in the Ukrainian colors of blue and yellow and quickly had a t-shirt to benefit Sunflower of Peace, which supports the organization’s mission to provide medical and humanitarian aide to those affected in Ukraine. The initial goal was $10,000, but sales were so brisk that the bar is now set at $100,000. The t-shirts can be purchased at Linksoul.com and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Sunflower of Peace.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
THE GOOD LIFE
TUNING IN
PGA Tour: The Players Championship
Television: Today-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (NBC).
LPGA Tour: Honda LPGA Thailand
Television: Today, 1:30-3:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 1:30-4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
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