There's a time problem and clock is ticking
+ Yippee, it's the holiday season; Ryder Cup, LIV and LPGA — good times; "Are you not entertained?".
THE STARTER
🏌️ After yet another back procedure, Tiger Woods says he’s far away from playing competitively and doesn’t know when he will be. Anyone surprised?
🏌️ U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley says the notion of American players being paid is “all speculation.” Then why are so many players talking like it’s already a done deal?
🏌️ Scottie Scheffler says he will give his Ryder Cup money to charity. Besides, he says being paid to play golf is just a bonus. Is that too easy to say for a guy who won $50 million in prize money this year?
🏌️ Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee says Ryder Cuppers who take money aren’t giving back to the game. What exactly does that mean?
🏌️ Apparently, Greg Norman will be replaced as CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf. Will his successor be able to help move along the negotiations?
🏌️ Tony Finau, who withdrew from the Hero Challenge, shot down rumors that said he was joining LIV. Isn’t that what players say just before they join LIV?
🏌️ Kevin Kisner has been named lead analyst for NBC golf for 2025. Not that it’s a bad choice but shouldn’t NBC have just paid Paul Azinger?
🏌️ LPGA Tour commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan announced that she is stepping down after three years on the job. Where’s the next Mike Whan?
🏌️ According to Golfweek, the LPGA Tour is set to lose $2 million in 2024. Does that have anything to do with the commissioner’s job now open?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
It’s about time … seriously
Slow play continues to be a topic of conversation on golf's professional tours, so what will be done? Here’s a novel idea: A shot clock. Like the one used for the Shot Clock Masters. Remember it?
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
TFC Holiday Market Lists
Curated collections of items that are sure to spice up any gift-giving list.
:: No. 1: Lifestyle | Read
:: No. 2: Gear | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads — and listens — that are sometimes about golf, but not always.
📖 The 25 most influential cookbooks from the last 100 years
Chefs, writers, editors and a bookseller gathered to debate — and decide — which titles have most changed the way we cook and eat.
:: New York Times staff writers | New York Times | 11.20.2024 | Read
📖 Is the $11 billion online sportsbook bubble about to burst
From Vegas to the black market to the apps in your pocket, inside the sports betting boom that’s taken over America.
:: David Hill | Rolling Stone | 11.17.2024 | Read
📖 The book of Denzel
He has lived a big life. Tough streets, close calls, a wife of forty-one years, four kids, fifty movies, two Oscars, three Equalizers. For the first time—on the occasion of “Gladiator II,” and his approaching seventieth birthday—the man himself breaks it all down, in his own words, to the moments that mattered and the experiences that made him.
:: Ryan D'Agostino | Esquire | 11.19.2024 | Read
📖 ‘At my signal, unleash hell!’ What the Gladiator films tell us about 21st-century men
Paul Mescal’s thoughtful Lucius is worlds away from Russell Crowe’s stony Maximus, 24 years ago. Why have our masculine ideals changed so much?
:: Zoe Williams | The Guardian | 11.19.2024 | Read
THE LIBRARY
Recent drops to The First Call’s video and podcast section.
🎧 An overlooked gem in North Carolina's mountains
Balsam Mountain Preserve head golf pro Travis Wilson joins host Ann Liguori to discuss the acclaimed Arnold Palmer design.
:: Golf Innerview with Ann Liguori | 12.02.2024 / Listen
▶️ How to up your leadership game
Dr. Eric Boyd joins host Colin Weston to discuss how leadership skills can be improved in both the work and personal space.
:: The ModGolf Podcast | 11.12.2024 / Watch
TFC Libraries: 🎧 Podcasts | ▶️ Videos
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
Industry press releases | Read
Industry press release videos | Watch
TFC / PR Newswire feed | Read
PERFECT PUTT
LPGA Tour: Median earnings rapid rise
Median earnings have increased 50% since 2021.
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Publisher Jared Doerfler analyzes the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt.
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
A nice reminder that it’s not only the gifting time of year, but the giving time, as well.
:: 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.
Golf entrepreneur Guy de Havillande, creator of the Million Dollar Round: “I'm English, so it's got to be a gin and tonic. For the meal, I would go with a steak and French fries, which goes well with the drinks.”
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
TFC EVENTS
PerryGolf: Scottish Links and Islands
June 19 – July 1, 2025 | Southampton, England to Dublin, Ireland
:: Event and registration information
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Nicklaus Design debuts Florida’s Webbs Reserve
Webbs Reserve Golf Club, a new 18-hole course from Nicklaus Design, has opened to public play in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Located 50 miles south of Sarasota on Florida’s southwest coast, Webbs Reserve Golf Club is the centerpiece of the new Webbs Reserve at Babcock Ranch community, currently under development by Lennar. The semi-private club has a limited number of memberships available with the purchase of a home.
Webbs Reserve’s par-72, 7,034-yard layout meanders across the coastal plains and wetlands of the south Florida community. Twenty lakes add to the challenge and beauty of Webbs Reserve and come into play on all 18 holes. The Nicklaus Design team, led by designer Chris Cochran, crafted the course to be playable for golfers of all skill levels. The new course features Bimini fairways, tees and rough and Tifeagle greens.
"Webbs Reserve is a fantastic layout that truly has something for everyone," said Andrew McGrath, head golf professional. "The course offers a great mix of challenging holes that test your skills and more forgiving ones that let you relax and enjoy the game. Every hole is thoughtfully designed, with opportunities to play strategically or take some bold shots, depending on your style. The stunning natural scenery of the area adds so much to the experience — it’s not just a round of golf; it’s a chance to immerse yourself in the beauty of south Florida."
RELATED: This week’s Design Notes in full
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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Let the LIV guys play! I see where some of the LIV guys want to come back, some think they should be allowed to play where and when they want to. I think the PGA and LIV should agree to open their tournaments to open play. Initiate an open catagory to Monday qualify at every event for a few spots. Fee to play in the qualifier, $250,000.00. See how many LIV guys really want to play the PGA again. If they enter, pay and win they are full members again. Same thing to go to play in LIV events for PGA members. Not many PGA guys would go if it was free. LIV has nothing to offer the traditional golf fan.