Golfing News & Blog Articles

August 3, 2020

PGA Championship: Architects Talk TPC Harding Park

In a recent article in the UK’s Golf Today, writer M. James Ward caught up with some Northern California golf architects Gary Roger Baird and Poppy Hills Golf Course co-designer Bruce Charlton to talk about TPC Harding Park, host of this week’s PGA Championship.

The following is part of the article’s Q & A session:

How significant is having public courses host the PGA Championship in back-to-back years with Bethpage Black in 2019 and this year at Harding Park and with The Ocean Course at Kiawah to follow in 2021?

Gary Roger Baird: I feel it brings all golfers closer to the game they play. It is tremendous for promoting golf and is significant for a means to increase visibility, which can result in a positive income for ongoing maintenance and golf course demands.

Cary Bickler: Very significant. It’s the right time in the history of prestigious golf tournaments for venues to be held on public courses 3 years in a row. These back-to-back PGA Championships on public golf courses creates another level of interest for a wider audience. Knowing these courses are accessible and open to the public brings an exciting and welcoming option for golf enthusiasts.

I recently gave an old friend a lesson. Having not taught him for a few years I had an inkling as to what to expect, but things came together so well I thought the information might be beneficial to more than just one student.

This is why looking at still frames of an athletic motion can be deceiving. There are six different images/videos here that we will go through in a specific order. To get the most out of this post please make sure you go through this it slowly. Be sure you comprehend each image before moving to the next…

(The original/before is always on the right in all of the images/videos)

Image 1:

Notice how these two images appear to be somewhat similar. I think many of us would give them both a thumbs up! They might be somewhat similar, but the outcomes are very different due to the unseen forces being applied to the club. Do not be deceived!

August 3, 2020

Rule of the Month: Fairways and Rough

Most of your shots during a round will be made from the fairway or rough, which are part of an area of the golf course called the “general area.” This area includes everywhere on the course except bunkers, penalty areas, and the teeing area and putting green of the hole you are playing. In the general area, you will normally play your ball as it lies, but you get free relief for an embedded ball or interference by an abnormal course condition (including artificial structures, temporary water, and ground under repair). Click here to learn how to take free relief from abnormal course conditions.

If you can’t play your ball as it lies in the general area, you can always take unplayable ball relief. Under this Rule, you can choose between three different relief options that allow you to drop your original ball or another ball out of your original lie for one penalty stroke. The three options are: stroke and distance, back-on-the-line between your ball and the hole, or lateral relief within two club-lengths of your ball. Click here for a short video that will show you how these three relief options work.

You have three minutes to find your ball. If it is not found, it is lost and you must go back to play under stroke and distance.

Remember, if you have any Rules questions or feel stumped, you can Ask the NCGA Expert 

Greetings From San Francisco!

I covered a lot of ground in this contribution for The Athletic, where I’ll be filing pieces all week from San Francisco (40% off subscriptions, currently, btw and well worth it especially now that the NBA and MLB are in action).

What I did leave out of the list: there is something magical about coastal San Francisco golf and major conditions. It’s some sort of enchanting mix of the fog, crisp blue skies, those incredible Monterey Cypress and the zany city nearby fueling the magic.

So yes, the fans won’t be here, but something tells me we are in for a wild week. Check out the five best reasons to get excited here.

One other note: Ron Sirak reminds us that it’s been over a year since a men’s major. That alone should get you excited!

Are you only scratching the surface of your golf potential? Perhaps course management is holding you back. It might be time to consider a golf GPS device that provides visuals of the course; another tool to gather information before every shot.

Garmin has three variations of golf GPS watches in our top five but they certainly aren’t the only option. SkyCaddie and ShotScope are worth considering. Price can range from thousands of dollars to just under $200.

Finding the right GPS can be overwhelming. That’s where we come in. We tested the top GPS devices to ensure you have the best information when it comes time to buy.

Whether you’re looking to buy a GPS today, advice to get started on your search or just want a closer look at what’s on the market, this guide will help you find the right device to fit your needs.

A host of players have a chance to win the Wanamaker Trophy. There are some who need everything to go right. And there are some who, well, might just be happy to be on the property.

All you need to know about the 2020 PGA Championship, including day-by-day results and analysis from TPC Harding Park.

Richy Werenski holed a flop shot from the 16th fairway for a five-point eagle and birdied the last for a one-point victory Sunday.

John Daly and Vijay Singh are the latest players to withdraw from the PGA Championship, making 12 players either exempt or offered invitations who have chosen not to play. Daly cited health concerns, and Singh cited an injury.

Jim Furyk became the first player since Miguel Angel Jimenez in 2014 to win in his first start on the 50-and-older circuit.

The drivable(?) 16th hole at TPC Harding Park

Glory’s only shot! This (really) is major. The 2020 PGA Championship is here!

While there isn’t much to study here architecturally unless insipid bunkers on the outside of doglegs are your thing. But you can’t help but be enraptured by the birds-eye view of the majestic Monterey Cypress. And the cart paths. Roomy!

If the sun comes out, expect CBS’s new live drone, the Goodyear Blimp and other elements to provide great visuals. It stinks not having crowds this week more than any event on the calendar, but we’ll march on.

From the PGA of America’s YouTube page:

Justin Thomas wants to make his second stint as No. 1 in the world last longer than the first time around after regaining the top spot by winning the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational on Sunday. Thomas first held the No. 1 ranking in 2018.

Tiger Woods showed up Sunday at Harding Park to hit balls just before 1 p.m. local time, set out for the back nine and then continued to the front side where he played those holes with former PGA champion Jason Dufner.

The circumstances were anything but normal Sunday as Justin Thomas rallied to win the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational with fill-in caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay on his bag. Mackay was Mickelson's caddie for 25 years.

Danielle Kang played the brand of steady golf that wins on tough golf courses, closing with a 2-under 70 on Sunday at Inverness Club and winning the LPGA Drive On Championship in the first LPGA Tour event in more than five months.

After a 13-month wait, it's finally time for a golf major. From Tiger's rust to Brooks Koepka's quest for a three-peat to a PGA Championship without fans, a look at everything that's important for 2020's major debut.

Sam Horsfield sealed his maiden European Tour crown on home soil, winning the English Open in Birmingham after a final round of 68 finishing ahead of Belgian Thomas Detry.

ESPN and ESPN+ will offer extensive coverage of the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park. Here are all the ways to watch.

Martin Dempster catches up with Alfred Dunill Links chief Johan Rupert about cancelling the annual fall European Tour event in St Andrews that includes a pro-am. Safety was at the forefront of his decision.

“People could be acting in good faith and just accidentally cause reinfection. If you look at that time of the year in September and October, it’s cool, so people are indoors, they are going to be in pubs. Imagine everything going well and a couple of asymptomatic people come and they restart it. It is not responsible.

“Sorry, I love St Andrews too much and I love the Old Course too much. It is the culture, the space and the people that we love and we are not going to do anything to endanger that.

“My only sadness about the event being called off this year is for the community of St Andrews and also the community of Carnoustie because I know how much this event means to them. Also the caddies. I’ve had the same caddie for 17 years. It is devastating in that respect.”

The event would have been played in early October immediately following the Ryder Cup, which has also been postponed until 2021.

Dakota jumps in on the broadcast and doesn't miss a beat as he calls the great approach by Rickie Fowler.

📺 | CBS pic.twitter.com/vdTA1BrjLw

— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) August 1, 2020

What would have been a dreary gray Saturday in Memphis perked up with CBS asking some patients of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to highlight the amazing work of Danny Thomas’s vision and the children currently under the hospital’s care who also love golf.

Not only did it provide a welcome break from the usual golf on TV and relentless cheerleading, but one in particular is already a budding announcer. Brentley Romine at GolfChannel.com with Dakota Cunningham’s story.

“Would you take this at the flag, Dakota?” Ian Baker-Finch asked Cunningham as Fowler prepared to hit his second shot into the ninth green, which is guarded by water.

“I sure would, right at it,” Cunningham responded, without hesitation.

Cunningham’s announcing captured the hearts of many on social media, with some people demanding CBS hire the kid on the spot. Nantz also invited him back next year before letting Cunningham send the telecast to commercial by reading the leaderboard.

CBS posted this on their account and I’m pretty sure it won’t get a take down notice, either. Great stuff Dakota and all of the kids who are bravely fighting.