What to make of the golf ball rollback
+ Questions surrounding Jon Rahm's bolt to LIV; The making of a hot sauce; How is Drive Shack doing these days?
ON THE TEE
🏌️Jon Rahm put an end to all the rumors when he announced on Thursday that he has joined the LIV Golf League. Is Rahm pushing for changes to the tournament format?
🏌️Rahm will certainly get his own team, which means LIV is recruiting at least three new players to join the league’s newest superstar. Does that mean chasing new rumors?
🏌️Now that Rahm is a LIV member, will the directors of the Official World Golf Ranking start changing their minds, too?
🏌️Will Rahm’s signing make it easier or more difficult for the PGA Tour and LIV to reach a definitive agreement?
🏌️In a reversal, Rory McIlroy now says Ryder Cup eligibility should change so that Rahm can remain on the European team. Isn’t changing your mind to protect your interests a little disingenuous?
🏌️And McIlroy is among a handful of players in favor of the USGA golf ball rollback. Does the fact that he is one of the top five in driving distance have anything to do with his stance?
🏌️Tiger Woods finished 72 holes on a flat course at the Hero World Challenge, which begs the next question: Will he be able to walk 72 (or 36) holes at Augusta National?
🏌️LIV players Dean Burmester and Joaquin Niemann won DP World Tour co-sanctioned events in the past three weeks — Burmester back-to-back victories in South Africa and Niemann the ISPS Handa Australian Open. Do you still believe that LIV doesn’t deserve world ranking points?
🏌️Yet the Hero World Challenge — a 20-player field — gets ranking points. Does that even make sense?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Opinion: The golf ball rollback is here, so deal with it
The decision by the USGA and R&A is likely to cost your game about 5 yards in distance, which, is less than what you've gained from technological advances through the years
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
A hot sauce created in golf's ultimate think tank
The storied Army-Navy football game will mark an anniversary of sorts for the founders of The General's Hot Sauce, but many of the decisions have been made on the course
:: David Droschak | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Everybody knows Flo from Progressive. who Is Stephanie Courtney?
A polo shirt, a white apron and a retro hairdo changed an actor’s life forever
:: Caity Weaver | New York Times Magazine | 11.25.2023
📖 Life really is better without the Internet?
What happened after my wife and I removed Wi-Fi from our home
:: Chris Moody | The Atlantic | 11.27.2023
📖 The life of Ben: Meet Kirk Herbstreit’s jet-setting golden retriever
:: Tess DeMeyer | The Athletic | 12.07.2023
BUSINESS
SCORECARD
1️⃣8️⃣ The golf industry’s week in review — the names, news and notables that are making the headlines. :: Read
PERFECT PUTT
Drive Shack delisted a year ago — here is how it is doing
Drive Shack was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange a year ago. Its stock price is up 26% year to date. The company operates three business units. One operates golf courses, and the other two are in the golf entertainment space. Traditional golf has performed well for Drive Shack, while golf entertainment is underperforming
:: 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
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
Limited edition 2024 U.S. Open Pinehurst gear makes for great holiday gifts. Available at FootJoy.com.
:: 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.
Elizabeth Diane Veith, golf travel content creator: “I had one of the best breakfast burritos of my life at Pasatiempo Golf Club. It was lunch, but they were still serving them ... and they made an amazing margarita to go with it.”
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Andrew Green transforms Texas’ Vaquero
⛳️ Dallas’ Vaquero Club, located on former ranch land west of the DFW airport in the Westlake, Texas, community, has reopened following a transformation by architect Andrew Green. The renovation has breathed new life into the course and according to Green has "uncovered the potential of the property and utilized the amazing topography." Tom Fazio crafted the original incarnation of Vaquero in 2001.
Vaquero’s redesign incorporates its unique landforms, including a majestic hill on the front nine that offers unparalleled vistas of the surrounding area, making it a distinct focal point of the course. The third and seventh greens, along with the fourth and eighth tees, showcase these views. The remainder of the layout features rolling terrain with dramatic edges and slopes, adding variety and a distinctive character to each hole.
Calling the result a "brand-new golf course," Green aimed to make it enjoyable for a wider range of players, challenging the many low handicappers who have made the course a local favorite, while welcoming beginners, higher handicap and experienced golfers.
The redesign has introduced more variety off the tees, added width, and rerouted some holes to provide increased flexibility. The acreage of the bunkers was reduced from 6.95 acres to 2.58 acres, but the total number of bunkers was increased from 61 to 92. These changes will encourage players to carefully consider shot placement and strategy for each hole.
The greens have been entirely redesigned, adding unique contours and shapes that give each putting surface a distinct personality. Most of the greens are now accessible along the ground, allowing players to bounce the ball on and recover by putting, chipping, and using a hybrid or other clubs.
Green said: "The goal was to encourage members to play the golf course more than they ever did previously, while making them better players." Members will constantly face different types of shots and will have to find new and different ways to navigate the golf course. Each day," the course should be a wonderland of variety, fun, and challenge, so even if their score doesn’t reflect it, they’ll have a ton of fun,” he added.
Among the notable hole changes are an entirely new first hole, playing in the opposite direction from its previous design. Golfers are welcomed by a wide fairway with a challenging line down the right side, which shortens the hole significantly. The left side offers more room but extends the approach.
The par-4 fourth hole, at around 330 yards from the back tees, is drivable for those who can carry the ball over a series of bunkers and use the rolling fairway to push it onto the putting surface.
On the par-5 seventh hole, approximately 70% of the existing sand has been removed. The remaining bunkers have been strategically relocated, providing a more visually appealing and challenging experience.
The all-new short par-3 16th hole — labeled "devilish" by Green — is 130 yards or less for most players. But it plays slightly uphill between two post oaks, with a green featuring different levels and contours, offering a challenge for those who aim at the flag.
The work at Vaquero represents a significant milestone for this prestigious golf course, promising a fresh experience for its active and engaged membership. The course’s transformation emphasizes diversity, fun, and challenge, ensuring that every visit is a memorable adventure.
Vaquero is currently ranked in the top 20 courses in Texas by Golf Digest. The club occupies 525 acres of whatwas once the Hunt brothers’ Circle T Ranch in Westlake, one of the most sought-after communities for residents, businesses, and visitors in Texas. A 42,000-square-foot clubhouse was renovated and expanded in 2018.
READ: This week’s complete Design Notes
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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Tiger's ability to play the Masters doesn't "beg" any question. It "raises" the question. The phrase "begs the question" is often mis-used. Correctly used, it refers to a conclusion based upon an assumption that is unproven.
We all can make mistakes.
Merry Christmas!