Divot Mix

One natural hazard, however, which is more or less of nuisance is water. Water hazards absolutely prohibit the recovery shot, perhaps the best shot in the game. -- William Flynn, golf course architect

Links Magazine survey supports course maintenance

Links Magazine has published the results from its 2007 Travel Poll and it once again offers proof of the importance of the work of golf course superintendents and their staff.

In answering the question, "What is the biggest golf-related issue that will keep you from returning to a resort?" 41 percent of 2,500 responses to the Web poll named course conditioning.

The complete results were:
Poor course conditioning............................................................41 percent
High prices................................................................................29 percent
Poor service...............................................................................16 percent
Slow play....................................................................................9 percent
Carts on paths only......................................................................5 percent

For the whole survey, click here.

TheNext500Years.com launches

AboutGolf, manufacturer of indoor golf simulator technology and its CEO Bill Bales have launched a new blog about golf. TheNext500Years.com includes essays, stories and editorials that discuss golf's challenges and what the game's future holds.

"Some of these entries are very serious, some humorous, some cynical, some directly critical, always G rated, always with a point to make, and always from the heart" Bales said. "In some cases the presentations are made to allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, and in some cases opinions or conclusions are drawn for the reader. Some of the articles point out problems that we all need to ponder and some offer solutions.

"With a growing list of worthy contributors we hope here to provide random but meaningful commentary on the game of golf, its future, and maybe a few attempts at insights into the game of life."

Several members of the golf media and other golf-industry types have already submitted contributions. There are neither advertising nor revenue sources on the blog, and AboutGolf avoids promoting itself or its products.

The site, which Bales promises will evolve over time and grow in sophistication as it finds its balance, is predicated on the fact that the first 500+ years in golf's history have provided golfers with a lot from which they should be able to draw conclusions about how to improve and grow the game.

Four golfers to play Torrey Pines under Open conditions

Golf Digest and NBC Sports, through the support of the USGA, have teamed up to create a unique opportunity for four individuals to play the 2008 U.S. Open venue six days prior to the start of the championship.

On June 6 at Torrey Pines’ South Course in San Diego, Calif., three well-known celebrities and one at-large golfer will get a chance to see what kind of score they can post on a course set up for the greatest players in the world. The event will be packaged and edited into a one-hour broadcast on June 15 as a lead-in to NBC’s final-round telecast of the U.S. Open.

The idea for the show came from the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, where Tiger Woods mentioned in a post-second-round interview that a 10-handicapper could not break 100 the way the course was presently set up.

Torrey Pines will be set up exactly the way it would for an official U.S. Open round. A walking USGA Rules official will accompany the group to ensure the game is played fairly and equitably, and no mulligans will be permitted. Players will use the championship tees and will face the same challenging rough and greens speed.

The three celebrity participants will be selected sometime in early 2008 and the at-large golfer will be selected in a contest run by Golf Digest from now through Jan. 29, 2008.  Golf fans can go to http://www.gdopencontest.com to submit an essay of no more than 100 words on why they or someone they know should get the chance to play the U.S. Open course. Nominees will be narrowed down to five finalists and the winner will be chosen by the public through online voting ending April 30.

Rounds up in October

Golf rounds played in the U.S. were up 5.1 percent on a same-facility basis in October 2007 vs. October 2006, which brought year-to-date performance into positive territory (+0.3 percent). As usual, play days correlated with performance. Nearly two additional days open for business, on average, contributed to improved performance in the Midwest, for example.

Rounds Played, 2007 vs. 2006

Public facilities fall into one of three categories based on peak season weekend green fees with cart: Premium - Above $70; Standard - $40-$70; Value - Below $40. Region 10 includes Hawaii; Region 11 includes Alaska.