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Eureka Earth’s overhead from a few weeks ago shows a new grove of trees left of the 18th hole fairway bunkers (left side of image)
I felt like we were making such progress with Augusta National, down to public comments by Chairman Fred Ridley to uphold the original architectural vision of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.
So to read of Hootie Johnson-era manipulations to the course via rough and trees is, well, a setback given the well-stated views of the architects.
From ESPN.com’s Bob Harig Monday course assessment:
The rough appears longer. It's possible it will be cut prior to the first round, but on Monday it was thicker than what the "first cut'' would normally play and look.
Every shot. From every player. On every hole. That’s the pledge of “My Group”, the newest feature in the Masters app and website (with a Jimmy Roberts voiced tutorial here).
Developed by IBM, the 2020 Masters rolls out the next innovation in viewing after last year’s mostly excellent debut of every shot, every player (with just a few exceptions).
The latest twist: you can build a playlist of players and artificial intelligence will put together shots and highlights for you. They are also saying you can view (almost) live coverage of only the players you want to see.
I will be most interested to see how this “sounds” given the lack of fans on site or announcers adding big picture context to what you’re seeing. That’s also a nice way of saying you might want to have your Masters music playlist on a loop.
Here is a setup video hosted by Scott Van Pelt featuring a distinctly pharmaceutical ad vibe with actors pretending to look at screens in places no normal person would watch golf. I’m not sure they should be encouraging viewing while behind the wheel unless, of course, AI is also driving your Tesla. Then it’s okay:
The Augusta National veteran initially didn't want to carry for the up-and-comer in 1995, but together they made history. The caddie reflects on the fates that brought them together that week, and what he sees now as Woods readies his title defense.
Callaway Q3 Financial Report – Key Takeaways
Callaway reports a record third quarter, with $476 million in sales worldwide.Golf equipment fueled the quarter with a 27-percent increase over Q3 of last year.Growth is almost entirely homegrown, with U.S. sales outpacing the rest of the globe.TopGolf merger positions Callaway to top $3 billion in sales by 2022.The golf industry’s giddiness continues. The Callaway Q3 financial report shows a record quarter for the company with sales totaling $476 million. That represents a 12-percent ($50-million) increase over Q3 of 2019.
What’s more, the report shows a quarterly $52-million net profit, a whopping 69-percent increase over Q3 of last year.
While the numbers aren’t quite in line with Acushnet’s Q3 performance, there’s still a lot of information to unpack, so let’s get to it.
Callaway Q3 Financial Report – Riding the Industry Wave
The entire golf equipment industry set a sales record in Q3 according to Golf Datatech, with sales up 42 percent compared to last year’s third quarter. In addition, the National Golf Foundation is reporting a 25-percent increase in rounds played in September. On top of that, rounds played for the year are up compared to last year, even with two months’ worth of shutdown.
Yup, people want to play golf, and they need the tools of the trade to do so.
Who really has a shot to win this unique Masters? We got through every tier -- and you might be surprised where you'll find Tiger Woods.
Beginning with the 2020 Masters Tournament, the low 50 players and ties will qualify for the final 36 holes. This is the first change to the cut since 2013.
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 9, 2020Certainly with daylight at a premium and a bleak weather forecast, you can understand the Fall Masters going to a 50-and-ties cut format.
But as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes, the vaunted ten shot rule helped nine others make the cut in 2019 and on a course where a huge comeback is not out of the question. Yet today’s Tweet suggests the change is permanent.
Feeling symptoms on his Saturday night drive back to Austin following the Houston Open, Sergio Garcia got tested in advance of the Masters and “informed” the club of his plant to withdraw. It’s obviously concerning any time someone experiences coronavirus and was participating in a PGA Tour event while positive, but hopefully it’s a minor event for the 2017 Masters winner and those closest to him.
He becomes the second player to WD due to a positive test. Garcia’s incredible run of 21 years and 84-straight majors ends, as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes here.
Adam Scott, who recently covered from a short bout with the virus, commented on the bad break for Garcia. Jim McCabe reports for Masters.com:
But with the aura of the Masters here and both Garcia and Niemann back at home in Texas and Florida, respectively, Scott shakes his head. “Terrible timing. I feel for Joaquin and certainly for Sergio, a past champion,” he said. “It’s got to be tough to miss out. I hope they are both just feeling OK, nothing serious.”
Long overdue and a small token of compensation for any number of pitiful actions, Augusta National announced that Lee Elder’s pursuit of a Masters invitation and overall career arc will be acknowledged several ways.
I’m not sure why the honorary starter role isn’t starting this year, but he will be invited to kick off the 2021 Masters according to the club’s press release. Here it is:
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced today that Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete in the Masters Tournament 45 years ago, will be honored by establishing scholarships in his name and inviting him to be an Honorary Starter for the 2021 Masters.
At a press conference at Augusta National, Ridley revealed the creation of the Lee Elder Scholarships at Paine College, a Historically Black College and University located in Augusta. Two scholarships will be awarded annually, one each to a student athlete who competes on the men’s and women’s golf team.
As part of this effort, Augusta National also will fund the creation of a women’s golf program at Paine College. Soon, the Lee Elder Scholarships will help foster opportunities for Black men and women alike as they pursue their dreams on and off the course.
Bryson DeChambeau was hitting his tee shots far past his peers Monday, but still thinks he can add more distance is he lowers his spin rate.
Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters, will be an honorary starter for the 2021 tournament. Additionally, Augusta National will fund the start-up of a women's golf program at nearby Paine College, an HBCU.
From pristine tees to painted greens, The Masters tournament is known for its posh. But, is it overkill?
0:29 – Checking in after mental health week3:16 – The Masters is moved to November. What will be different?10:20 – Is The Masters too exclusive?20:57 – Love it or Leave it21:08 – Callaway acquires TopGolf25:22 – You can buy Adams again28:39 – Late Masters this year29:50 – HOT SEAT: Who will win the Masters?Watch Now
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Augusta National featured some changes ahead of the first edition of the Masters in November.
With a 4-foot birdie putt on the ninth playoff hole, Kevin Sutherland beat Paul Broadhurst on Monday to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Distribution of Driver Distance – Key Takeaways
Driving distance drops by 47 yards when comparing the youngest golfer to the oldestFrom 2018 – 2019 driving average hasn’t changedIs driving distance really an issue?Improved Performance Through Data
Big data is a powerful tool. Not only does it allow golfers to assess individual parts of the game but it provides an opportunity to examine performance from a variety of perspectives.
Golf stat tracking and performance management companies like Shot Scope help golfers better understand their on-course performance. However, by aggregating data from golfers around the world, we get a more complete picture of the realities of amateur performance.
So, as we dive into a relatively straightforward topic, think about how far you hit the ball. Has your distance improved with age? Do you think handicap affects distance?
Distribution Of Driving Distances
Observations
The majority of golfers average between 200 and 224 yards off the tee.Only 4% of golfers drive the ball over 300 yards.The second highest percentage of golfers drive the ball between 225 and 249 on average.The majority of golfers drive the ball 200 – 224 yards on average with only 4% of golfers hitting it over 300 yards. It begs the question that rolling the ball back should only be targeted to the PGA Tour and not the amateur game?
Driver Performance Average By Handicap
Observations
Across all handicaps, the driving distance has remained stagnant on average.Golfers with handicaps from 10 – 17 have gained 1.2 yards on average from 2018 – 2019The 18 – 28 handicaps lost 0.8 yards off the tee from 2018 – 2019Golfers only lost 0.1 of a yard from 2018 – 2019 and, let’s face it, that’s no change at all. You have to remember that we don’t know what driver these golfers are using, what model, loft and so on. These variables are something to consider as you wont see that much of a difference in distance in drivers that are 1-5 years old. However, if the golfer plays a wooden driver or a driver thats 10-15 years old you will see an increase in distance with a newer model driver.
Are you tired of putting everything you have into your game, only to see the ball literally limp off the club face after each swing? There’s just no return on the energy you’re putting in. Today I’m going to show you how to get the sizzle back into your ball striking. Watch this video first…
I often ask my students which club imparts the most energy into the ball relative to club speed. The answer? Putter. Why? It has the least loft at impact and delivers the least oblique strike to the ball. Learn to reduce the loft coming into impact in order to start compressing the ball off the club face.
Get the club face in place early in the downswing. This is done by bowing/flexing the lead wrist which in turn will de-loft and strengthen the club face by the time impact occurs.
Try the Preset Club Face Drill. Using a 7 iron, take the club back so that the shaft is parallel to the ground making sure the lead wrist and leading edge are tilted down towards the ground slightly. Wind the arms back 1 foot and rotate through, working to maintain the face and wrist angles. The ball flight should be low and penetrating with a slight draw.
Make sure that the low point of the swing arc is forward of where impact occurs. This can be rehearsed by making two practice swings between each shot you hit on the range where the sole of the club bottoms out well in front of where it was resting on the ground. The handle and weight must be forward at impact in order for this to occur.
Everyone knows Bryson DeChambeau bulked up and now hits far - very far. What we don't know is how this will translate at Augusta National. Is Bryson DeChambeau about to tear the Masters apart?
