Golf News for February 21, 2017

rory and trump
Garry Singer, President Trump, Rory McIlroy and Paul O’Neill

Great Donald Ross Golf Courses Everyone Can Play — The authors estimate that there are over 315 golf courses in existence in the U.S. that Ross had a hand in designing. There are nine courses in Maine, most are private: Lucerne Golf Course in Dedham; Portland Country Club in Falmouth; Lake Kezar Country Club in Lovell; Augusta Country Club, Manchester; Cape Neddick Country Club in York; Penobscot Valley Country Club; Poland Spring Golf CourseYork Golf & Tennis Country Club; and Biddeford Saco Country Club in Saco.

Banks With Interest — Have you ever found yourself asking why there is a strip of unkempt grass surrounding a pond? Or, why has the maintenance crew stopped trimming the creek banks? And, why do these areas always eat your golf ball? Next time you see tall plants bordering water features do not be too quick to condemn these areas and instead appreciate the environmental benefits they provide and the added interest they bring a golf course.

The Nine Most Eagerly Awaited New Golf Courses Of 2017 — We’re all gonna need a bigger Bucket List!

Golf tip: Side hill lie can cause frustration — First of all, a ball above your feet will move more right to left because of the lie. The ball will also tend to travel further. Using less club is advised.

Rory McIlroy rates Donald Trump’s golf game ‘decent’ after practice round — McIlroy has targeted the WGC-Mexico Championship on Mar. 2 for his comeback — an event which was moved from Trump National Doral to Mexico City and renamed from the WGC-Cadillac Championship last June.

Golf News for February 19, 2017

Indy Putter
The Indianapolis putter, which retails for about $400, can be purchased in April at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, the course inside and next to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

We Could See a Change at the Top of the World Today — Dustin Johnson could take the World No. 1 spot with a win at the Genesis Open.

PGA Pro Rodgers Ties Family’s Indy Legacy to Golf with Putter — When he reaches into his golf bag today, his new putter appropriately bears the name “Indianapolis” with an art deco 1920s race car logo on the bottom of the flange.

Rules Throwback: 1919- Rules of Golf Illustrated — The link provides a look at some pages from a book called “The Illustrated Rules of Golf and the Etiquette of the Game” that was published in the United States in 1919. It includes some humorous illustrations and highlights some fascinating differences between the Rules at that time and the Rules today.

BMP Planning Guide and Template offered by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America — The BMP Planning Guide and Template is a big step toward the initiative to have golf courses in all 50 states adopt science-based agronomic practices that support proactive environmental stewardship of the land. The template, covering key areas such as nutrient use, drought and water management, integrated pest management and others, is available at www.gcsaa.org/bmp.

 

Golf News for February 18, 2017

October Golf Gear
Semper Fore! Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment

October Golf Gear Bags Show Military-inspired Compartmentalization, Customization – A former Marine, October Golf Gear founder and CEO Romeo Filip says the idea is based on the military’s compartmentalized carrying system known as MOLLE, or Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment.

USGA and Royal & Ancient Say Distance in Golf is Not an Issue – The USGA and R&A recently released a study which showed that distance is totally not an issue in the sport of golf these days. (In other news, size also doesn’t matter…)

PGA Tour Taps Intel Technology to Drive Golf into Virtual Reality – The PGA Tour and Intel Sports Group’s Voke virtual reality unit tested the technology on the famous 10th hole at storied Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles ahead of the Genesis Open that teed off Thursday.

Saunders Opens 2-shot Lead at Riviera – This is how Sam Saunders prefers to be in a starring role — on a golf course making birdies, not as the composed grandson of Arnold Palmer giving a rock-solid eulogy for the King at his memorial service last October.

Cut Line: What’s next? It’s all up in the airWith the West Coast swing of the season nearing an end, Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard asks what’s next.

Golf Games That Don’t Require a Handicap? – Planning a round of golf around a wedding, or an outing with a large group of varying levels of skill? Here are some golf games that will fit the occasion. [Video]

Architects team with U.S. Kids Golf to make game more fun – After decades of making golf courses longer, designers have lined up to reverse the trend. The effort comes in the form of a working alliance between the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation.

Golf News for February 16, 2017

Wild Golf Reimagines the Ancient Game as a Contact Sport – See the video. This recalls our dream of golfing the length of the Appalachian Trail…

Is Golf Ready for the Innovative World Super 6 Perth format? – Sounds like Ranked Choice Voting to us… Golf ain’t broke, so let’s not try and fix it.

Confusion Over 2020 Golf Venue Dates Back to Bid: Report – Problems surrounding the venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics golf events, which does not allow full membership for women, stem from documents prepared for the original bid, a Japanese media report said on Wednesday.

This Week at Riviera Country Club Offers a Preview of the 117th U.S. Amateur Championship – The U.S. Amateur returns to Southern California for the first time in 41 years this August when Riviera Country Club hosts the 117th playing.

Golf Greats to Host 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard – Peter Jacobsen, Graeme McDowell, Annika Sörenstam and Curtis Strange will join former Secretary of Homeland Security and family friend Tom Ridge to host the 39th Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, taking place in Orlando March 16-19.

Golf Tip: Play Out Positive Scenarios for Better Results – In golf, as in life, it is essentially an evolutionary mechanism that allows us to imagine consequences before they actually happen.

Golf’s Governing Bodies Fooling Nobody About Distance – “Change the frigging golf ball,” Jack Nicklaus said at last year’s Masters. “The golf ball goes so far, Augusta National is about the only place, the only golf course in the world that financially can afford to make the changes that they have to make to keep up with the golf ball.”

Golf News for February 13, 2017

We Suggest a Bigger Club Selection
We Suggest a Bigger Club Selection

Here’s Why We Should Be Bullish About Golf In 2017 – Golf has a big problem. It’s the pervasive – and lazy — narrative that the sport is dying. It’s not just misguided, it’s wrong. What we’re seeing is not a precipitous drop in rounds-played, but a return to the level before golf’s popularity spike.

Golf News for February 12, 2017

Presidential Follow-through
Presidential Follow-through

Maine golf legend was held at gunpoint in Vassalboro by a burglar whom police later shot, killed – Maine golf legend Dickie Browne thought he was going to die Friday after a burglar put a gun to his head, tied him up in the basement and ransacked his Vassalboro home.

Best New Golf Balls for 2017 Season –The best new golf balls for the 2017 golf season include new technologies, better materials, and advanced performance to help you feel more confident and lower your scores! [Video] 

National Golf Expo in Boston March 3-5 – Golf season comes to Boston just a little earlier for those who attend the National Golf Expo at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston.

Tiger can still play majors, but he won’t be able to tee it up everywhere – Woods might also need a sponsor’s exemption to get into some invitational tournaments, but what sponsor wouldn’t jump at the chance to do that if Tiger wanted to tee it up at an event?

Swing coach Leadbetter runs rule over golfers Trump and Abe – As he ran the rule over Trump’s set-up, Leadbetter said: “He addresses the ball very nicely. His feet, his knees, his hips, his shoulders … all pretty square so it looks very good at address.

A Closer Look at Handicap Data Shows Just How Much Golfers Have Improved in Recent YearsGolfers are better than they were 25 years ago. It’s not just theory, it’s fact.

Golf News for February 11, 2017

The Girl... and The Polly
The Girl… and The Polly

Lawmakers Hold Hearing on LePage’s Budget – “I strenuously object to this as something rich tourists do here in Maine in the summertime. The vast majority of our rounds, 70 percent, are paid by Mainers,” says Peter Webber, executive director of the Maine Golf Association.

Golf Capsules via USA Today – Jordan Spieth knew the pin position on the ninth hole at Spyglass Hill as much by memory as by sight, which was a good thing considering the fog creeping across the Monterey Peninsula on Friday.

Expect President Trump to Use Golf as a Political ToolAs all those who play golf know, whether playing with friends, business partners, or political foes and allies, the golf course is a far better environment in which to hash out differences, uncover similarities, and make the world a better place, in general. Love him or hate him, we all should agree that Trump knows golf.

Studies Show Golf can Extend Your LifeIf we play all the time, will we live forever?

This Lost Art Will Save You Strokes – If you’re struggling with that, say any two-word phrase with the first word coming on the backswing and the second word on the follow-through. We use “The Girl… and The Polly…”, inspired by the above painting by Berthe Morisot.