Golfing News & Blog Articles

 

June 17, 2020

USGA Announces Exemption Categories for 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Amateur Championships

The USGA today announced the exemption categories for the 120th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, set to take place Aug. 3-9 at Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md., and the 120th U.S. Amateur, which will be held Aug. 10-16 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Bandon, Ore. As previously announced, the fields for both championships will be comprised entirely of exempt players due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Making the decision to forgo qualifying for our championships this year was extremely difficult, but we’re glad to be able to continue the legacy of these competitions and provide the best amateur players in the world the opportunity to compete for a USGA title,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Championships. “We aimed to create fields that most closely resemble those for a typical Amateur and Women’s Amateur, and are confident we will crown two worthy champions in August.”

Exemption categories for both championships are highlighted by expanded use of the World Amateur Golf Ranking® and Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking®, as well as finishes in recent USGA championships. A full list of U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur exemption categories can be found on usga.org. All exempt players must file an entry. Entries open Friday, June 26 and close Wednesday, July 8 at 5 p.m. EDT.

We are going to take a look at two new Sacks Parente putters: the Series 66 and the Series 18.

Last July, we learned about Sacks Parente and explored their Bullseye-esq initial putter offering, the Series 39.

Sacks Parente is using the same playbook a year later, producing modern interpretations of classic Anser and 8802 heads – a tall order. As our sometimes vitriolic comment section demonstrates, gaining public acceptance of such interpretative ambitions is not easy.

In some ways, innovating in the putter field is like writing a haiku. Unlike other poems where you can wax pentameter, the haiku has a very narrow syllabic window to work within. Historically, putter producers who too closely follow the established shape guidelines evoke cries of mimicry. Putter makers must walk the balance of being creative with their spins while still following the 5/7/5 constraints of the Anser poetry. Consumers want putters that look familiar. But not too familiar.

So,  yes, the Sacks Parente Series 66 and Series 18 putters are modern versions of classic putters. That is obvious as soon as you look at them.

Kyle Rowland from the Toledo Blade reports the exciting news for golf fans, historians and architecture buffs who will get to see the revamped Inverness a year early.

One of America’s most storied tournament courses before today’s mega-jocks moved to plant based diets and became able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, the Donald Ross classic will still host the 2021 Solheim Cup. But now, thanks to some creative maneuvering, Inverness will be on Golf Channel screens July 31-Aug. 2.

 “Thanks in part to the generosity of our partners who could not reschedule their events in 2020, we are adding a valuable additional playing opportunity for our LPGA Tour members,” Whan said in a press release.

The full release can be read here.

And Golf Course Architecture’s Richard Humphreys profiled Andrew Green’s restoration here.

With news of New York approving a U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, this now joins a rescheduled U.S. Open at Winged Foot in the same state. One is tennis, one is golf and some contrasts are emerging.

Christopher Clarey’s New York Times exclusive item confirms the U.S. Open (tennis) will remain on schedule for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 without fans.

The USGA’s rescheduled U.S. Open (golf) has not ruled out on-site spectators, though with a stated limit of 2000, it’s hard to see more than a handful of non-essential folks on site.

Back to tennis. As Clarey notes in his item, a lot still has to be figured out regarding travel restrictions for the mostly non-American field to get to New York. Top male player sound unenthusiastic for a number of reasons.

One of the elite women, world No. 7 Gaby Dobrowski, wrote of her concerns on social media today. Note the final portion and a belief that a U.S. Open is not a proper tournament without qualifying and other divisions beyond singles.

AP’s Doug Ferguson lays out the issues facing those charged with determining the 2020 Ryder Cup’s fate. It seems saving the 2021 Presidents Cup—yes the Presidents Cup—because it has been pre-sold, would be a blow to the PGA Tour coffers. So they surveyed top players last week about what to do.

One small problem?

A possible survey winner, Ferguson reports, was not included as an option for a decision that is not even the PGA Tour’s to make.

That’s why the tour went to some of the top players last week at Colonial for a survey. Players were asked to prioritize the following scenarios: a Ryder Cup this year with no fans, a Ryder Cup with half the fans or a Ryder Cup in 2022.

I’m sure it was just an administrative oversight to leave out the other option some might select: postpone the Ryder Cup to 2021.

The pitch: “9 star golfers. 1 meeting. What could possibly go wrong…?! See what happened when Martin Kaymer hosted a weekly video conference call meeting with fellow golf stars Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Gary Player, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood.”

The European Tour social team is back and better than ever:

If you ever measure your driver loft, you may discover it doesn’t match what’s on the label. We answer why and much more on episode 41 of No Putts Given. Let’s get it!

1:22  – Is your loft a lie? And does your ego get in the way of your game?36:54  – Years ago a mysterious “TC” mailed a bag of phallic gummy treats. Surely it wasn’t our Tony Covey…was it?.42:58  – The ongoing impact of the pandemic on golf manufacturing1:03:35  – The Top 5 Spiked Golf Shoes of 20201:04:59  – #MyTubSpy talks graphite shafts in your irons

Watch Now

Also available on:

iTunesSoundcloud

and all major podcast apps.

 

The post INSIDE: The “Tiny” Golf Industry Secret | #NoPuttsGiven 41 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Every once in a while, you see something that makes your head snap to one side and say, “What the hell…?” SQAIRZ golf shoes are one such something.

We first saw SQAIRZ golf shoes in January at the PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day. At first glance, my occipital lobe was whispering “cross-country ski boot.” Chris Nickel, however, blurted out what my frontal, parietal and temporal lobes were all thinking.

“What the f**k are those?”

Those happen to be what may be the most unique – and quite possibly most innovative – golf shoe of 2020. SQAIRZ (pronounced squares) is the brainchild of founder and CEO Bob Winskowicz, and they are most definitely different looking. They’re also attention-getting, as today SQAIRZ is announcing a long term partnership with Hall-of-Famer Sir Nick Faldo, who is investing in the company.

“Everything can be looked at and improved, and that’s what SQAIRZ has done,” Faldo told MyGolfSpy in an exclusive interview. “They’ve invented a shoe that’s going to take shoe design and performance up a notch. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Better balance has increased club head speed and improved dispersion.”

Bryson DeChambeau’s physical transformation and continued ability to play at a high level is a sight to behold. And something totally unimaginable. Except to the distanistas (guilty!) who have long feared that a day would come where distance was so clearly the primary tool, that we’d see players transforming their bodies to take advantage of the remarkable technological advances.

So we will keep seeing the progression to this modified World Long Drive with the potential for an array of health issues, no sign it’s adding fans to the pro game and worst of all, telling aspiring young golfers trying to find speed to play high level golf (and possibly before their bodies are ready).

Then there are all of the absurd side effects on courses, cost, length of round, and the general cancer such an evolution would be on the game. The governing bodies have never taken these notions seriously in relentlessly passing the buck over the years.

Longtime PGA Tour caddie John Wood noted this other overlooked wrinkle by the governing bodies following the Bryson show at Colonial (below). From this week’s Golf.com roundtable:

3. Bryson DeChambeau’s bulked-up physique and booming tee shots (he hit 11 drives 340 yards or longer) were the talk of the tournament. If DeChambeau’s fine play continues, are we destined to see a wave of beefy bombers descending on PGA Tour tee boxes?

Wood: Yes. I think there is quite a bit of shock at how much his size, his clubhead speed and his ball speed have increased in such a short amount of time, all the while seeming to maintain his flexibility, his feel and accuracy. On Thursday and Friday, we played behind a group that included Brooks, Rory and Rahm. There was a long wait on the 15th hole, and we were there when Brooks got ready to play his tee shot. We were standing behind him, and I remarked to Matt: “You know, looking at him, if this was 10 years ago, you would have thought you were watching a long drive contest.” It just wasn’t believable that a body that big and strong would be conducive to playing great golf. We were wrong. And now, watching what Bryson has done, I can only imagine the impact it will have on the young players we know, and the younger players we don’t know yet. You better get your head out of the sand fast and come up with a long-term plan, USGA and R&A – the ball is going to get longer and longer and longer and longer.

The numbers are just astounding, particularly on a fairly confined course with few so driver holes":

Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk reports the comments of former Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, who is part of the Sky Sports team and is also an influential member of the European Tour board.

Discussing the 2020 Ryder Cup sticking with its current date this year despite player demands to cancel a fan-free event, McGinley begged for harmony.

"Personally, I hope it's going to be played and there's some kind of understanding where we all get united rather than the players having on view and Ryder Cup committees having another view," McGinley said during Sky Sports' coverage of the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday. 

"It's important that we are united. We have always been united in Europe, and it's important we don't have disharmony.”

I think it’s a little late for that!

Matthew Marsh is superintendent at Mesa Verde Country Club where it appears the cart chargers are working overtime to keep the club fleet going. Walkers be damned! Here’s what GPS tracking data shows us 121 carts in one day on one course looks like. And make sure to read the comments!

This is yesterday and the traffic from 121 golf carts. Pretty unreal to see. 😳 pic.twitter.com/NSi1TYc5q6

— Matthew Marsh (@MesaVerdeSuper) June 13, 2020

CBS did not make any ratings predictions for the “Return to Golf”, but the Charles Schwab Challenge tournament director predicted a final round rating of a 6, which would have been equal to a lot of majors.

The rating is dismal when you consider:

—This was the first live, official PGA Tour event since mid-March.

—Network competition was non-existent. Fox’s presentation of NASCAR was delayed by rain (eventually airing in prime time). NBC was airing the Beverly Hills Dog Show (again). And ABC wheeled out Last Dance (still!).

—Heading into the final round, the leaderboard featured star players and the promise of a close finish (and it was, with Daniel Berger beating Collin Morikawa in a sudden death playoff).

Ron Kroichick with the exclusive details for the San Francisco Chronicle.

The tournament will be played at TPC Harding Park August 6-9.

The tournament website has yet to be updated to reflect the change.

AP’s Howard Fendrich looks at how various sports will fare without fans and it’s worth reading to consider where golf’s issues in the COVID-19 era fit with other spectator-friendly sports.

The golf portion from the PGA Tour’s perspective (but not the major championships).

Eliminating spectators means eliminating significant chunks of a tournament’s revenue. That starts with big-earning hospitality tents and pro-ams that can bring in upward of $1 million, and includes other revenue sources like merchandise and ticket sales. Tournaments rely heavily on title sponsors — “We wouldn’t be able to return” without them, Commissioner Jay Monahan said. But it’s the local sponsorship that sustains each tournament. And if discretionary spending by corporations dries up, the effects could be greater in 2021.