What's Up, Golf Homie?
+ Why the Friars Golf Club is not your typical club.
ON THE TEE
⛳️ Tiger Woods landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thursday for a scouting mission at Southern Hills CC, site of the upcoming PGA Championship. Was this more a test of his right leg or the state of his golf game?
⛳️ Phil Mickelson stated his intention to defend his the PGA Championship title but The (UK ) Telegraph indicated that the PGA of America is sufficiently miffed at Mickelson that he might stay home. Is the PGA Championship better off without Mickelson?
⛳️ Grayson Murray and Kevin Na went toe-to-toe in a swearing contest in the practice area at the Mexico Open after Murray dragged Na in social media for his notoriously slow pace of play. Who do you like? Murray has the weight advantage but Na looks like he’d be an all-day fight.
⛳️ Greg Norman went ready-fire-aim when he said he was certain he could get an exemption into the British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews in July. The R&A immediately fired off an unequivocal “no.” Norman is 67 and former champions aren’t allowed to play past age 60. Was the R&A sending the Shark a bigger message?
⛳️ A Boston-area family was awarded a total of $4.9 million from Indian Pond CC in Kingston, Massachusetts, for being bombarded with golf balls from the club’s 15th tee. Whose side are you taking: the family or the club?
⛳️ Scottie Scheffler threw out the first pitch Wednesday at a Texas Rangers game. Which was more impressive: High heat? Or throwing the pitch wearing his green jacket and a Masters necktie?
⛳️ Have you seen the ESPN “30 For 30” on Norman? Did it change your mind about him?
⛳️ Is 4 hours, 45 minutes the new 4 hours?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Lie + Loft connects 'golf homies' through art, events
Founder Luke Davis left the country club culture to create a company that seeks to make the game more accessible and inclusive in an organic fashion
Q&A: Don Bostic | Friars Golf Club executive director
Bostic's 'dream job' is to oversee and grow a society of golf enthusiasts who enjoy playing together on the world's top courses. Seriously, what's not to like about that?
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always …
📖 A murder solved in DMs
[Jennifer Swann | The Cut | 04.18.2022]
📖 The revival of a forgotten American fruit
[Jonathan Shipley | BBC | 04.26.2022]
📖 Why this nearly century-old women’s golf club is enjoying a revival
[Josh Sens | Golf.com | 04.25.2022]
📖 George Matson lured to America by the wartime tales of U.S. soldiers, he has been a Southern Hills fixture for 50 years
[Scott Gummer | Sports Illustrated | 06.25.2001]
DESIGN NOTES
The latest news and notes in golf course architecture.
➡️ Mackenzie and Ebert’s Martin Ebert, architectural adviser to seven British Open venues, has given the members at Royal Troon a second chance to lick the Postage Stamp. His redesign of the club’s nine-hole, par-27 Craigend course features a par 3 called Wee Postage Stamp that replicates every feature of the club’s legendary Postage Stamp 8th hole on the Old Course.
Measuring exactly 123 yards, with identical bunkering and green surrounds, the new hole sprung from the mind of past club captain Alasdair Cameron. He posited that such a replica hole would be ideal for older or younger members who couldn’t handle the rigors of the rugged Open venue, but still craved the Postage Stamp experience.
In 2021, Ebert transformed the former par-29 Craigend layout into a par 27, with holes ranging from 61 yards to 187, and also installed a state-of-the-art practice range, a welcome development for players who will arrive for the 2024 British Open. The cherry on top is the addition of the extra Postage Stamp, achieved through a combination of a precise topographical survey and the talents of shaper Jamie O’Reilly. Though the direction of the hole is slightly different and there is less elevation, it will play identically in all other respects when it opens in late May.
➡️ Mackenzie and Ebert may soon have more work to do in Scotland, likely infinitely more complicated than its work at Royal Troon. A proposal from Fairmont St. Andrews owner St. Andrews Bay Development is currently in front of Fife Council to entertain the idea of scrapping the resort’s existing courses — the Torrance and the Kittocks — and creating an entirely new 18-hole venue on the old site.
Mackenzie and Ebert has been retained to advise on the new layout. While some existing hole corridors and features would be utilized, the proposed work would remodel the fairways, reposition the greens and improve the use of the landscape to significantly enhance the playing experience.
➡️ Houston’s venerable, 91-year-old BraeBurn Country Club re-opened this past weekend, following an extensive renovation from Norman, Oklahoma-based Tripp Davis and Associates. While keeping the same basic routing of the original course, Davis and his team rebuilt and reshaped all of the greens, rebuilt and shifted tee locations, and rebuilt bunkers that embrace a more classical style. NorthBridge Bermudagrass was installed along with a new irrigation system and upgraded drainage.
“BraeBurn has been an exciting project for us in taking a piece of ground with so much potential, and then realizing that potential,” Davis said. “We rebuilt almost every part of the course to try to give it a feel of being from that early American era — the Golden Age of architecture. Working with the entire club, superintendents Terry Gill and Aaron Englehard, golf course builder Greenscape Methods, and irrigation contractor Heritage Links has been a great experience.”
BraeBurn's course was originally designed by John Bredemus in 1931 and was extensively reworked in 1991 to address flooding issues. It was the 1991 project that saw the addition of significant elevation changes, an unusual feature in the Houston area.
RELATED: Design Notes archive
➡️ Mountain Ridge Country Club [West Caldwell, New Jersey] has hired Andrew Green of A.H. Green Design/Green Golf and Turf Inc. as its new restoration architect. Green will evaluate current golf course plans and also identify potential areas of improvement. Designed by Donald Ross in 1930, Mountain Ridge is ranked among the nation’s Top 100 courses by several publications. It was the site of the 2012 U.S. Senior Amateur and also the LPGA Tour’s 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup. Green has earned multiple accolades for his recent renovations of other Ross classics, including Oak Hill Country Club’s East course, site of the 2023 PGA Championship, Inverness Club, host site for the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open, Scioto Country Club and Wannamoisett Country Club.
“It’s hard to deny the quality of golf and of Ross’s routing at Mountain Ridge,” said Green. “And the commitment of the members to the game and their course is second to none. It’s infectious to be around.” While Green’s plate is awfully full at the moment, he was drawn to Mountain Ridge in part due to the quality of the greens, which he said were “the best Ross putting surfaces I’ve ever encountered. I’d love to have a conversation with Ross about his mindset about them. They have spectacular contours, are aggressive and bold but at the same time subtle and unique, with a lot of usable space. They’re inspired, for sure!”
Until retiring last year, course architect Ron Prichard had a 25-year-long relationship with Mountain Ridge, overseeing extensive tree clearing as well as many other projects. “I look forward to picking up the baton from Ron and all his great work over the years,” said Green. “I want to carry on the wonderful Ross tradition and make the club the best it can be.”
NAMES | NEWS | NUMBERS
BUSINESS
▪️Golf Datatech reports that an inclement March across the northern markets had an affect on equipment sales, which were down 8.4% vs. same month 2021. Golf Datatech also reports that golf apparel sales for the month were up 5.3%. … OnCore Golf to sponsor two West Coast celebrity events — The Greens' inaugural Las Vegas Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament and the George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic. … Golftec opens a 3,000-square-foot facility in Houston. Also, Golftec relocates its Indio, California, instruction, clubfitting center into a new 2,500-square-foot facility. … Big Max touts a study conducted by researchers at the University of Leicester that found that " … as little as 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is associated with longer life expectancy." … Sqairz and Mark Calcavecchia partner to have the British Open champion wear its shoes. … BlueGolf to provide live scoring at Faldo Series championships, a total of 30-plus junior tour championships across Europe and Asia. … TurfHound installs 85 hitting stations with the company's exclusive dual-density foam technology at The Club at Ibis [West Palm Beach, Florida]. … Troon to manage Oldfield Club [Okatie, South Carolina] golf operations and agronomy, food and beverage, and membership marketing, as well as Oldfield’s community association. … Omni Hotels and Resorts names Buffalo Agency as the golf public relations agency for its nationwide collection of 25 golf courses spread across 11 resorts. … Acushnet Holdings Corp. will publish its first quarter 2022 financial results on May 5. … World Financial Group Insurance Agency continues sponsorship of Stewart Cink and support of his namesake charity pro-am at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on May 2. … True Spec to open an outdoor facility at Metedeconk National GC [Jackson Township, New Jersey] on May 24. … Majors Challenge is offering $250,000 to any participant in the Majors Challenge Perfect Team Contest who selects the 12-player lineup with the lowest possible score in any PGA Tour event. … Malcolm DeMille creates the Insperity Invitational pro-am trophies that are replicas of the iconic champions’ trophy. … The PGA Tour names Dream Finders Homes as its home builder of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions through 2026.
COMPETITION
▪️The USGA accepts 3,001 entries for the U.S. Senior Open Championship, set for June 23-26 at Saucon Valley CC [Bethlehem, Pennsylvania]. This year’s total number of entries is the third-highest in championship history. … The R&A is accepting entries for the AIG Women’s Open pre-qualifying and final qualifying events. Pre-qualifying will take place on July 11, followed by final qualifying on Aug. 1. The Women's Open is Aug. 4-7 at Muirfield. … LIV Golf announces that ticket and hospitality packages are now available for the first seven events of the 2022 Invitational Series. Along with ground passes, there are four tiered hospitality packages. Also, LIV Golf’s season-ending Invitational Series Team Championship will be held at Trump National Doral Miami, Oct. 27-30. … The R&A announces that the 150th British Open at St. Andrews will be the largest in the championship’s history, with a record 290,000 fans expected to attend, July 10-17. … Intersport announces commitments to the John Shippen Shoot-Out, a May 9 event that invites the nation’s top black female professional and amateur golfers to compete at Mountain Ridge CC [West Caldwell, New Jersey].
COURSES | DESTINATIONS
▪️Conde Nast Traveler recognizes a trio of hotels in Mexico — Zadun, Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos and Montage Los Cabos. … The Landscapes Unlimited-built Dumbarnie Links [Fife, Scotland] is named Best Scottish Golf Experience and Best Golf Course in the £151 and higher category at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards. … Pueblo Bonito Resorts launches a new luxury brand that will introduce new properties throughout Mexico, including Pueblo Bonito Vantage San Miguel de Allende, which is set to open in 2023. … The USGA awards Atlanta Athletic Club [Johns Creek, Georgia] the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior, 2030 U.S. Amateur and 2035 U.S. Women’s Amateur championships.
GEAR
▪️Fujikura claims shaft-count titles at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the LPGA's DIO Implant Open where the winner played Ventus Red 5S and Ventus Blue 7HB shafts in her woods. … Cobra Golf adds black finish to its King 3D Printed and King Vintage Series models, along with two new mallet styles, the King Cuda and Cuda-40. … PrideSports confirms that a member of the winning Zurich Classic of New Orleans team relied on a combination of Softspikes' Cyclone and Champ's ProStinger in his FootJoy DryJoy shoes. … Sqairz is named to Golf Digest’s annual list of the best men's golf shoes for the third successive year. … Malcolm DeMille designs the Zurich Classic of New Orleans’ handcrafted wearable champion belts that were awarded to Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. The belts feature 6-inch rhodium-plated buckles with illustrations of music notes, fleurs-de-lis, gators and Mardi Gras masks. … Duvin Design, Puma Golf unveil 'Puma Goes on Vacation,' a capsule collection collaboration. … Underrated, a lifestyle brand created by two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, expands to include golf apparel. … Rain or Shine Golf unveils Mother’s Day gift ideas, which include a SwingTurf golf mat and SwingBay packages.
PEOPLE
▪️KemperSports names Mike Barrett as general manager at Holly Hills CC [Ijamsville, Maryland] … Dundonald Links [Ayrshire, Scotland] signs social media influencer and PGA professional Peter Finch as a brand ambassador to help expand the club's UK and North American audiences. Finch has more than 880,000 followers, including 470,000 YouTube subscribers. … Youth on Course names Lizette Salas as an ambassador who will advocate for the organization’s mission of providing youth affordable access to golf. … The Metropolitan Golf Writers Association to honor longtime radio and television host Ann Liguori with its Winnie Palmer Award at the 70th National Awards Dinner on June 21. … The Standard Club [Johns Creek, Georgia] names Scott Mahr as general manager. … Duca del Cosma signs Korn Ferry and PGA Canada Tour player Erik Flores as a brand ambassador who will wear styles from the SS22 collection. … Ace Indoor Golf/Gimme Simulators names Trevor Faust as president. … The R&A announces the eight players for the Great Britain and Ireland team that will play the United States in the 42nd Curtis Cup at Merion GC [Ardmore, Pennsylvania], June 10-12. The GB&I team includes Hannah Darling, Louise Duncan, Annabell Fuller, Charlotte Heath, Caley McGinty, Emily Price, Lauren Walsh and Amelia Williamson.
THE STYLE LINKS
Be careful not to misspell Tom Brady’s new apparel label ‘Brady Brand’ when you Google, otherwise you might end up at Brady Bunch. … Moderate prices for fairly straightforward looking train, golf and lifestyle wear. The Golf Kits option on the website that groups pants, polo, hat, vest, outerwear piece, for example, is a nice touch — think garanimals.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
THE GOOD LIFE
TUNING IN
PGA Tour: Mexico Open
Television: Today-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
LPGA Tour: Palos Verdes Championship
Television: Today-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
European Tour: Catalunya Championship
Television: Today-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).
PGA Tour Champions: Insperity Invitational
Television: Today-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
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