Cut to this coming June 4th, and golfers from across the country will gather at Stonewall Golf Club on the idyllic shores of Lake Manassas, Virginia for the St. Jude Open, a tournament raising money for children’s medical research. From its humble beginnings decades ago, the tournament has raised over $2.3 million and helped countless children and their families as they battle bravely against a variety of illnesses.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. St. Jude is the first institution established for the sole purpose of conducting basic and clinical research into catastrophic childhood diseases, mainly cancer. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and around the world. On average, 7,800 active patients visit the hospital each year. The hospital freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude treats children without regard to race, religion, creed or ability to pay. No family ever pays St. Jude for anything.

When the hospital opened in 1962, children diagnosed with cancer faced a virtual death sentence. Only two out of every 10 children diagnosed would survive the disease. Yet today, St. Jude has helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancers to 80 percent.

Think about that for a moment. Is there any greater sadness than a parent burying their child? Because of people like you, who give generously to this noble cause, four times as many families have been spared that agony. Whether it’s pediatric cancer, sickle cell or other childhood illnesses, St. Jude leads the way in researching and discovering effective treatments that save young lives and keep families together. Your contribution will give some child a chance, and help prevent unfathomable heartache and loss.

There are many levels of contribution and sponsorship for the tournament, from USD 1,000 to USD 25,000, and even thought we are we are less than three weeks from the event, there is still room in the tournament to play or sponsor at many levels. Sponsorship packets are available on the St. Jude Open website or just email me and I’ll send one to you, along with contact info for the tournament coordinators.

St. Jude: they know that it’s not what you do that makes you great, but what you do for others.

For more information, contact Brenna O’Malley, 4600 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 102, Arlington, VA, 22203, brenna.omalley@stjude.org, (703) 351-5171, or by fax at (703) 469-1976, or call 2012 tournament director David Black at (703) 754-0100.

PAU GASOL WOULD NOT BE DENIED

[Editor's Note: AWITP is proud to introduce a new special correspondent to the site - Mike Z., who will be reporting on basketball and baseball. Mike Z. brings his inimitable flair and observant eye to two new sports on our site. Look for interviews with players, media, and sports business executives as well as game recaps and analysis. Mike Z. joins Rodney Zilla, Jon Kulok, and Franklin S. Tower as special correspondents. In his first piece, Mike looks back at the Lakers win in Game 7 against the Nuggets...and yes, we know the Lakers got blown out last night by the Thunder. We've been a little busy here getting ready for live golf coverage. Next time, Mike will look at the Spurs-Clippers series. Break a leg, Mike - Jay]

Lakers Rebound From Blowout, Finish Nuggets in Game Seven

By Mike Z. – Special Basketball Correspondent to AWITP

Pau Gasol redeemed himself, Andrew Bynum owned the boards, and the Los Angeles Lakers dug deep to finish the pesky Denver Nuggets 96-87 in a tense, physical Game Seven at the Staples Center. Gasol scored 23 points, had 17 rebounds, and four blocked shots, while Bynum had a career playoff high 18 rebounds. Ty Lawson and Al Harrington scored 24 each for the scrappy Nuggets, who pushed the Lakers to the limit, battling back from a 16 point second half deficit before bowing late. It was the fifth consecutive time the Lakers have defeated the Nuggets in the NBA playoffs, the most recent being 2009 in the Western Conference finals.

While Kobe Bryant praised Laker forward Metta World Peace in pre-game interviews, anticipating World Peace’s defensive contributions, it was Gasol instead who carried the Lakers after turning in a dismal Game Six performance, where he posted a mere three points and three rebounds in a 113-96 loss.

“We were aggressive, we attacked the paint better, we pounded the boards as hard as we could, every single time…our backs against the wall also had something to do with it,” explained Gasol. “I’m not a player who can put up three points and three rebounds in one game.”

Seemingly humiliated by the way the Nuggets took him out of Game Six, the fired-up Gasol insisted on being pummeled with football pads by assistant coaches during practice, imploring the staff, “Hit me harder.”

It worked, as the Nuggets had no answer for Gasol in Game Seven. He took control early and played a complete game at both ands of the floor. The defining moment of the game came when Gasol, exhibiting ferocious determination, seized five consecutive offensive rebounds in one possession alone late in the fourth quarter.

“He was monstrous for us,” stated a relieved Laker head coach Mike Brown, “he was absolutely freaking amazing.”

Brown was right: Gasol’s singular effort exemplified will to win that championship teams display in the clutch. That’s why the Lakers have won 17 NBA world titles, and that’s why the Lakers are 15-1 in Game Sevens at home, including their last 11 straight.

The Lakers also got an outstanding defensive performance from World Peace, who made his return from a seven game suspension for viciously elbowing Oklahoma City’s Jeff Harden in April. On the defensive end of the floor, he held Denver’s Danilo Gallinari and Andre Miller to 1 of 9 and 1 of 10 shooting respectively.

That’s Michael Cooper-esque.

“He made plays tonight that won’t show up on the stat sheet,” admitted Brown.

“I guess I can provide a spark,” added the former Ron Artest.

Now the Lakers, the third seed in the Western Conference square off against NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and the second seeded Oklahoma City Thunder…which means World Peace and Harden will meet again, with a trip to the conference finals in the balance.

“I don’t shake hands with substitutes,” said World Peace, referring to Harden, who won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. It will be Kevin Durant, however, matched up against World Peace, when the teams take the floor in Game One tomorrow night.

The series wild card looks to be the Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. While Durant provides most of Oklahoma City’s offensive spark, the plays run through Westbrook, who will prove a tough match-up for the Lakers slower guards.

Still, the Lakers have Kobe Bryant, whose unparalleled ability for taking over not only a game, but a series is legendary.

“Kobe is the X-factor, and he can still put that team on his back,” added AWITP correspondent Franklin S. Tower. “Few players can exhibit the will to win that Kobe does. He’s still the heart and soul of the Lakers.”

“You don’t have to double team me that much,” Kobe told Nuggets head coach George Karl during the series finale,” “I’m too old.”

But everyone knows even Kobe doesn’t believe that.

FAIR GARDEN CITY BEAMING BRIGHT!

To celebrate the opening of Travis week, it’s my paean to Garden City and the Travis Invitational. Christmas in May starts Friday! Welcome to the most heartwarming week in amateur golf.

Our Green and Gothic Home

The joyous daybreak’s shimmering light
Reveals a blessed, stirring sight,
Fair Garden City, beaming bright!
Our green and gothic home.

The world may clamor all around,
But tranquil solace have we found.
Where Emmet first broke fertile ground,
And Travis’s name is renowned,
Now countless champions are crowned.
Our green and gothic home.

So out and back the players go
Through banshee winds that howl and blow,
Just like a century ago,
Our greatest amateurs convene
Where golden fescue waves serene
On either side of fairways green
‘Neath blue skies sparkling crystalline.
Our green and gothic home.

Across the windswept Hempstead Plain
The valorous will strive to reign
O’er Walter Travis’s domain,
And by their struggles hope to gain
A crystal Waterford trophy,
And putter from Schenectedy
As laurel wreaths of victory,
And write their names in history,
Our green and gothic home.

And at eighteen the story’s told
That Travis dug too deep a hole
And lost an Amateur of old
But if you need a closing par,
And hit your final shot too far
Chef Tony’s voice yells from the bar:
“Your ball went in my vichyssoise!”
Our green and gothic home.

From Auchterlonie’s Haskell Ball
To Billy Edwards, you’ll recall,
The last member to win it all,
There’s Travis with his long cigar
And Eger, Burns, and Zehringer,
Rejoice the glory of their name,
And toast the virtue of the game,

100 years of rousing cheers,
Of frothy beers and smiling peers,
Of hearts sincere and friendships dear,
Our green and gothic home.

Tonight the troops of angels bright,
An inextinguishable light
Of halos, wings, and Holy Might,
Shall play beneath the starry night,
Our green and gothic home.

The Grand Old Club, The Grand Old Man,
The Grand Old Amateur still stands.
So raise your voice and clap your hands!
It’s what her legacy commands.
Our green and gothic home.

And so, “so long,” but not “farewell,”
For soon again the cheers shall swell
Through every dale, dune, and dell,
As evening’s embers’ last faint glow
Fills full our hearts and fires our souls,
We’ll reminisce the story told
From holy whispers long ago:

“Within the city’s bustle lies
A gleaming jewel in glad sunrise,
An emerald ‘neath the blissful skies,
Our green and gothic home!
Our green and gothic home!
Our green and gothic home!”

This year’s recipients also include Frankie Valli and Brooke Shields, among others.

Established in 1986 by NECO, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor was designed to pay homage to the immigrant experience, as well as for individual achievement. Medals are awarded to U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds whose professional and personal contributions have created a better world. Both the United States House of Representatives and Senate have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and each year’s recipients are read into the Congressional Record.

“I’m deeply honored and moved. I’m also overjoyed because I get to celebrate this honor with my loving wife Claiborne on both mother’s day and her birthday,” said Jones.

We’ll have more coverage of the event over the weekend. Last year’s winners included former Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula and New York Daily News cartoonist and columnist Bill Gallo.

DEFENDING CHAMPION NICK "007" GILLIAM BEGINS HIS TITLE DEFENSE NEXT WEEKEND AT THE TRAVIS INVITATIONAL

TRAVIS TRIVIA!

Q. This winner of the 1998 Travis Invitational played out of Sunningdale in Westchester, defeated popular amateur competitor Ed “Scissorhands” Gibstein in the final, and was the only golfer in a five year period to supplant David Egar as champion. (The answer is at the bottom of this article.)

—The Grand Old Club, the Grand Old Man
The Grand Old Amateur still stands
So raise your voice and clap your hands
It’s what her legacy commands
Our Green and Gothic Home–

GARDEN CITY, NY – There is something sacred, something sublime, something unparalleled about the Walter J. Travis Invitational at Garden City. PGA Tour Players have the Masters; amateur golfers have the Travis. At 102 years young “The Grand Old Amateur” is still a Gold Standard example of how to run an amateur golf competition in America.

Founded in 1899 the Devereux Emmet design at Garden City Golf Club underwent a mild renovation in the mid-1900′s by fabled member, 1904 British Amateur champion, and later quintessential Golden Age golf course architect Walter J. Travis, whose work there mostly consisted of adding slight internal contours to the greens, (already wickedly tilted to one side or the other), and deepening the bunkers.

Travis may have done too good a job – the left front bunker on the par-3 18th hole cost him the 1908 U.S. Amateur title. He hit into it, but couldn’t get out, bowing to J.D. Travers in the national semi-final. It’s now called “Travis’s Coffin” as it’s said he “dug his own grave,” for that tournament at least.

However, the Grand Old Man did win eight “Spring Invitationals” as the Travis Invitational was called from 1902 – 1939. They changed the title to the Travis Memorial in 1940 and then again later to the present title. And for all that time, the Grand Old Amateur has remained remarkably constant: stately, charming, and dignified, the Travis is to amateurs what the Masters is to pros – a revival and a reunion. Each year, the members open not only their club, but their hearts and what results is a celebration not only of golf history and competition, but the game’s core values of altruism and camaraderie as well.

“You just can’t say enough about the members and how the minute you arrive, they make you feel a part of the club,” noted Kevin Hammer, one of the country’s greatest Mid-Amateur champions and a perennial threat to win the Travis. He was a semi-finalist in 2008, bowing to tiny, but plucky Mike Kelley, the eventual champion. “It’s so wonderful to hear how much they appreciate you coming to compete and bask in all the celebrations of the great history. ‘Camaraderie’ is the right word. ‘Throwback’ is another – it’s like stepping back in time through the decades. It’s changed so little, and that’s the beauty and rarity of it,” he concluded eagerly.

“Camaradarie is right. Ever since my sponsor, Noel Volpe, brought me here, I’ve been inspired by the devotion the members have toward their wonderful history,” confided a smiling Hans Albertsson. “The course is fantastic, but the wonderful good cheer of the members and the way they preserve and promote their one-of-a-kind history is even more refreshing. I look forward to seeing them each year as much as I do playing in the tournament. It’s a blessing.”

“I love that they haven’t touched anything there. I felt like I walked through time into the 1800s,” agreed defending champion Nick “007″ Gilliam, so named for all his hair-raising, James Bond-esque, late round escapes he produced in marching to the 2011 title in his rookie appearance in the Travis.

“You know what I love? My husband’s new nickname!” beamed his blithe, bubbly wife Jamie. “That makes me a Bond girl!”

Well if Gilliam hopes to repeat, he’s going to need more than a bunch of gadgets from Q and a beautiful Bond girl. Only 16 players out of over 120 make the championship match play bracket, so a golfer needs to keep super-spy cool in the crucible of Travis competition; the tournament is a rugged test of a contestant’s skill at both match and medal play over the three days of play.

“Friday is a single qualifying day where the top 72 players out of the field of over 120 will advance to the match play rounds conducted over the weekend,” explains tournament chairman Pat Fogarty, who is also a contestant. “The match play portion has five competition flights: a championship flight of the top sixteen players after Friday’s medal play, a second flight of the next sixteen players, and then three more flights of eight players each. Additionally, sixteen more players will qualify for the “senior legends flight.”

“One of the nice things about the tournament is that, with 72 qualifiers, a player has a good chance to advance to weekend play,” added Albertsson. Indeed, they need that many flights, as the quality of player the tournament attracts is staggering; well-decorated state amateur champions can lock horns with former U.S.G.A. championship winners in any bracket, one through five. One year Jeff Thomas, a seven time New Jersey state amateur champion, met Jerry Corville, a U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, in the fifth flight.

“Another year I remember Hunter Semels defeating Joe Sommers in a match where Hunter was 5-under and Joe was 4-under,” Albertsson recalled. “The level of talent the tournament attracts is staggering. Great champions can meet each other in any flight.”

“The field is so strong that the difference in ability between a top seed and a bottom seed in any flight can be negligible,” Garden City golf pro emeritus Gil McNally explained. “Moreover, the stroke play portion of the competition is only one round, where anything can and will happen.”

But while the field can be jumbled by the casual slings and arrows of the capricious bounces of a single round, the match play portion is an equalizer, giving the more skilled player a chance to overcome a high seeding and work through the brackets.

“In a tournament like this, being the top seed is not anywhere near as much of an advantage as it is in other sports like basketball,” McNally stated with a knowing smile. 2009 alone saw a startling bloodletting at the top of almost every bracket as five number one seeds out of the six flights were eliminated in the first round of match play. Then in 2010, medalist Dave Reneker of Bel-air Country Club tied the competitive course record with a sterling 67, only to bow out in the first round of match play.

COMING HOME - WHAT TOM DOAK CALLED "THE BEST EDEN HOLE IN AMERICA"

What makes Garden City such a great match play course is the large number of “half-par holes,” – easier holes that tempt you into going for birdie or even eagle, but also harder holes make you feel like your par picked up a shot on the field. Generally, players try to score on the four par-5s (4, 7, 13, and 17), and the shorter par-4s, then hang on for dear life the rest of the way around.

“You know that on some holes, it’s going to be a challenge to make a par, and no matter where you are on the golf course, if you miss an approach, you’ll be scrambling big time,” stated Allbertsson. “If you don’t capitalize early, you feel you’re under pressure because you have the hardest holes in front of you. Six, eight, and 10-12 are tough and, of course, 15,” he explains, describing the famous “Wall Hole,” a behemoth of a 487-yard, uphill par-4, bisected by a stone wall, its green so severely pitched from left to right, a mis-hit might end up on the adjacent 13th green. “You have get off to a good start, and avoid any big mistakes,” he concluded.

Albertsson additionally noted that the greens are also a cunning defense to the golf course, with both macro and micro-movement. “They might appear to be flat, but they have everything from subtle rolls to severe contours. They are challenging to read and are equally tough on approaches and greenside recovery shots. You must be patient and your short game must be sharp.”

“Every time I play it, I have a different favorite hole, and I learn something new about it every day,” agreed Gilliam. “I love the open links feel of the golf course. It’s as though it hasn’t been touched by time in 112 years.”

Additionally, Garden City is also known for its Muirfield-like rough – tall and thick – and its deep pot bunkers, sometimes not even big enough for one angry golfer and his wedge. One example is the short, but dangerous par-4 14th. Almost ringed with tiny, penal pot bunkers from tee to green, the hole resembles the great links holes of both Muirfield and Royal Lytham.

As a result, any hole can trigger a monumental swing in the momentum of the match. One minute you can be in the catbird seat, in the middle of the fairway with a perfect angle to the flag and your opponent in trouble, and then one shot later, you can short-side yourself greenside and be more toasted than your morning English muffin. The reversals Garden City doles out not only from hole to hole, but shot to shot make it one of the greatest match play courses in the World…anywhere, and that means no lead is safe.

Although the tournament is a Mid-amateur event, young guns have dominated of late. Last year, Gilliam was touted pre-tournament as a prize rookie by both Fogarty and Hammer and then won the tournament in his first appearance. Big Ben Hayes did the same thing in 2010, winning the Travis in his first try. Hayes was only a few short years out of college when he out-dueled his USC roommate and co-competitor on the golf team Brad Shaw in the semi-finals on his way to the title. Both he and Gilliam are favorites to make the championship bracket.

Other pre-tournament favorites include Hammer, Albertsson, Reneker, and a pair of Irish ex-pats known casually as “Owen 1″ and “Owen 2″ – that is Eoin O’Connor and Eoghan O’Connell. “Owen 2″ (O’Connell) is the larger one physically, hence “Owen 2.”

“Larger which way?” quipped Kevin Hammer, never passing up an opportunity to skewer his dear friend and partner in this year’s Anderson tournament, another major amateur championship conducted at Winged Foot. And you can bet, the longer they stay in the tournament, the more barbs they will toss at each other about their physiognomy and golf games. O’Connell won the Travis in 2006. He also owns and operates the Fox Club in South Florida – a club so Irish, it’s been dubbed “Dublin in the Palms.”

EOIN O'CONNOR (OWEN 1) PLAYS TO THE 1ST GREEN DURING A PLAYOFF HOLE LAST YEAR. HE WON.

Similarly, “Owen 1″, (Eoin O’Connor), has had two high finishes in the match play bracket. He’s an unflappable match play competitor – as relentless as he is precise and even-keeled. Watch out also for Roger Hoit, a former semi-finalist, Steve White, John Marisco, and Alan Fadel, who all had strong showings at the Coleman Invitational at Seminole two weeks ago and are rounding into form just in time.

But the Travis is much more than just the best amateurs in the country. It’s great local favorites like the always dangerous Joe Saladino, the 2008 runner-up to Mike Kelley and a periennial winner at Met Golf events, or attorney Joel Lulla who was runner-up in 2009 to Chris Lange, or Jed Raynor, the Garden City member who thrilled not just the members, but all the amateur golf world during his Cinderella run to the semi-finals of the 100th Travis in 2010. His remarkable performance proved that sometimes at the Travis, the race goes not to the strong, but the sturdy.

“The year I won we played five rounds in three days against the best competition in the country, and I remember Joel and I were absolutely exhausted by the final,” recalled Lange. “This golf course and this tournament test you on every shot. No one is going to run away and hide.”

But most importantly, the Travis is defined by the generosity and selflessness of the members. It’s the irrepressible Noel Volpe spreading good cheer as he roots for each player coming down the fairways. It’s the unquenchable Merrick McQuilling bringing the Sun with him wherever he goes, peals of sincere laughter at his raconteur wit ringing across the veranda. And it’s the unsinkable Billy Kreitsek sharing his infectious love of the game with new friends and old, as well as each and every member of Garden City who put ego aside the day they don their Garden City-green member’s jacket.

“It’s Christmas in May,” explained member Pat Mucci, laconically summing up the feeling everyone can’t help but embrace upon arriving at Garden City. He’s right – for one week, the golf world can see the true virtue – the sincere value – of the game in all its purity and graciousness. It’s refreshing to see things are still done with homespun charm and Olde World courtesy. The Grand Old Club, the Grand Old Man, the Grand Old Amateur still stands, in all its stoic, dignified, and venerable history. That’s part of what makes Garden City Golf Club an Ancient Splendor of Golf World – every word capitalized because it is the definitive article, as it were. And with the right kind of eyes, you too can see what golfers have seen there for over a century.

TRAVIS TRIVIA ANSWER: Ken Bakst. David Egar won in 1997 and then again from 1999-2001.

No one has ever repeated as Players champion since the tournament moved to Sawgrass.

Now the question is…why? And what does the architecture have to with it?

We’ll also have reports and reviews from no less than six excellent designs nationwide, featuring the work of Emmet, Mackenzie, Hanse, Brauer, Phillips, Urbina and more, so stay tuned.

Finally, as the hockey and basketball playoffs continue, we’ll have analysis from all our correspondents, including a new writer: Rex Goliath! (No…not the 47 pound rooster of wine fame.) Rex will join Bruce, Franklin, and Rodney. Look for him as the playoffs progress.

And get ready for a great Travis…

We caught up with Bill Love, the architect responsible for getting Olympic Club ready for this year’s U.S. Open.

Jay Flemma: We’ve heard that the opening stretch of holes at Olympic Club will be the toughest start to a U.S. Open in recent memory, but that there might be some birdies coming home. What look to be the toughest holes at Olympic Club and what look to be the birdie ops?

Bill Love: There are some holes that you’d think would be very difficult, like three. If they play the back tee at 247 yards to a small green for that length, that will be a difficult shot with wind and elevation change. On number two, the fairway has been aligned closer to the left side, and so now the hillside with a really steep slope-off is in play. Miss that by fairway too much and you’ll have a real issue even trying to find your ball, let alone trying to play it. Four is tough. It plays to a green plateaued on three sides. We lengthened six also and moved the fairway bunker to catch drives. 12 is a strong par-4, and so is 14. And 13 and 15, (the par-3s), have tough greens, so they’re no pushover.

Birdies opportunities? That depends on the player. Take a hole like 17, which was a brutal par-4, but is now a par-5. Also the short par-4 7th may be a scoring opportunity, but there aren’t too many easy holes out there.

JF: Winning score? Over or under 280?

BL: I can’t answer that, I don’t have any idea. We think this will be a strong test of golf, though. These targets are elevated and the addition of the mowed chipping areas around the greens will make it tougher still. Balls will roll quite a ways away from the target, so there’s a premium on approach shots. It’ll be interesting!

JF: Since the advent of Mike Davis’s graded rough, driving accuracy among U.S. Open winners has dropped in importance. From 2000-2005, winners averaged T-9 in driving accuracy. However from 2006-2011, winners averaged T-33 in driving accuracy. With all the trees at Olympic Club and with the reverse camber of the fairways, will we see driving accuracy play a more important role this year?

BL: What Mike Davis’s graded rough does is make the penalty incurred equate to how poor the golf shot was. Believe me, there will be some heavy rough to gouge it out of too. But we want to test all types of different recovery shots and let a player use all the shots in his arsenal.

The topography of the golf course is still relevant and important and how well you place the ball off the tee sets up the whole golf course. Now the topography at Olympic Club requires that you consider what will happen to the ball after it hits the fairway and runs along the ground. You must place the tee shots well, or they may run through the fairway or behind a tree, and you won’t have an opportunity for birdie.

Mike Davis does a great job with a lot of his ideas – like tee rotation at various holes. At the par-5 16th, they can make it really long if we stretch it to the tips, or over 70 yards shorter if they want. There are also new angles of tee boxes, right and left, so you’ll attack the golf course differently on a daily basis.

JF: Will the reverse camber have a limiting effect – a restrictor plate of sorts – on scoring?

BL: Because of the topography, people will be forced to move the ball both ways, which is a good way to not only defend scoring, but emphasize skill in a player. As such, Olympic Club is a unique golf course – one of a kind, and very special. It’s a unique piece of land and it hasn’t been manipulated. There are remarkably diverse holes, and it will be interesting to see the pros play it with so many trees gone. We don’t have tree limbs hanging all over the place like before, so it won’t have the claustrophobic feel to it that it had in past Opens.

JF: One player once said you could walk down the fairway sideways and feel the tree branches on your chest!

BL: Well, we cut down over 600 trees, so some holes won’t feel like you’re hitting out of a tunnel. In the past, there were so many trees you got a really narrow view off the tees, and that sort of became part of Olympic’s character. We got rid of the dead and diseased trees, again, over 600, and pruned out a few more just to give the healthy pines and cypresses room to grow. Now you don’t drive out of chutes so much.

That sometimes limited people’s perception of the golf course, and it was a bit unfair because it’s such a beautiful, rolling piece of property with lots of fairway undulations. This tournament you’ll see a broader panorama of the beautiful fairway surrounds and I also hope people will see not only the beauty, but the new strategies and angles we’ve put back in now that there are slightly wider fairways. We opened it up so they have longer views across the property, as well as also seeing more elevation change in the property. You’re going to see a completely different Olympic Club than in years past. And we did it all without modifying anything from tee to green on the course, (with the one exception of lowering the fourth tee to open up visibility a little bit, but it has no impact on play, and adding one fairway bunker on 17. We also lengthened the course by about 350 yards to provide a better test for today’s equipment).

JF: Some players and pundits believe the toughest U.S. Open tests are Winged Foot (West), Oakmont, and Oakland Hills (South). Last year, we saw one of the easier venues at Congressional. Where does Olympic Club fall on the list of difficulty?

BL: You’d have to ask the players, but I know the Lake course is rated consistently as a very tough test of golf. I think it could be the equal of Oakmont, Oakland Hills or Winged Foot. I’ll be very surprised if the players don’t find it a very strong test of golf. And Olympic could prove to have the strongest opening set of holes that the players have faced in a long time.

JF: How long, do you think?

BL: I don’t know exactly, but we know that – having worked on it and watched it come together, the first six holes are very strong. If they get around that stretch at close to par they will be doing really well, I think.

[Author's Note: USGA Executive Director predicted "2-over" for those six holes would be a good score.]

JF: We saw rather rudimentary golf design principles at Atlanta Athletic Club which featured ridiculous length and ubiquitous water. Does the reverse camber at Olympic Club show us that there is a better way of defending a course and toughening it up besides just water and length?

BL: The fairway undulations at Olympic Club are one way. The tops of the fairways have a lot of slope, so you must place your shot into the smaller plateau in the fairway and then, again, find the right section of these old-style greens. You’ll need iron accuracy and tee shot accuracy. So as you said before, Greens in Regulation will be a big factor. The defenses at Olympic do put a premium on precision.

JF: Oly lets everyone come to the party. Some strange rangers tend to swing by the winner’s circle at Olympic Club to pick up their check and trophy. Why?

BL: I never really thought about it that way, but I guess it could be true. The topography makes it so there’s no advantage to hitting it 350. You must have accuracy on your length…

JF: You mean distance control?

BL: Yes, so you don’t go into the back of a hill or through the knee of a dog leg or into some swale where you get an uneven lie. There are great slopes in these landing areas.

JF: Does a plodder have an advantage?

BL: You need a good tee ball and you need good course management, as well as execution. The new length – we added 300 yards – will make a difference, but it’ll be mostly placement in the fairways. I guess it makes sense – get it on the green and put it in the hole is what it’s all about.

JF: How did you get into golf architecture?

BL: I went to undergrad school for architecture at Catholic University and then grad school at U. Maryland. After I graduated I went out and worked in a building architect’s office for a while and they had a lot of work they did where they contracted with landscape architects.

I remembered that Frank Lloyd Wright said that building and site are so interconnected that everything is all one big design, so I went back and got a degree in landscape architecture at the University of Virginia. Back then my goal was to design football stadiums and other recreational facilities. But in school we did independent studies and theses. I was always interested in golf design, so I did one and they approved it, and I went out and interviewed architects. It was so fascinating and it combined everything I loved: nature, golf, the outdoors.

JF: So then what happened?

BL: I learned, “this is the ultimate recreational facility to design. This is as cool as it gets!!”

(Laughter)

JF: Who did you interview?

BL: It’s been a long time. Ed Ault, and Buddy Loving were two. Then once I got m grad work done, I went and got a job with Ed Ault for a while, and then I went out on my own. It was great working for Ed, I learned so much from him. He was from the old school of Geoffrey Cornish and George Cobb and Trent Jones, Sr. That’s where I learned the philosophies of that period. Then I studied the older architects to see how the craft evolved to get where it was.

JF: Who are you older favorite designers?

BL: I’m pretty partial to Mackenzie – I like his philosophy on working with terrain. Plus he got great sites and made the most of them. His greens and his bunkering were something else – not only to look at, but to play!

Isn’t it fascinating to look back on these architects and the sites they got, and you see how the mark of the great architects is in how they could make the most out of the land they got and make a truly great course out of it. I’m envious when I see how they could discover such interesting features in each course, bring it to fruition, and make it seem unique and special. They’d walk the landscape endlessly and connect with the property to understand the spirit of the place and the inherent nature and character of the land. Every property is unique and you have to bring out the best character of every site and enhance it through the design of the golf course. That’s the greatest thing about golf – you can go all around the world and play the greatest courses in the world, and they all have that “statement of place.”

I also like Tillinghast, Seth Raynor, and Donald Ross for the same reason. Take Bellport Country Club in the village of Bellport, Long Island for example. It’s an old Seth Raynor course on the south shore. The club dates from 1899 and I think the course was built maybe around 1921? It runs right out to the water, but they had to redo three holes to bring them up out of a marsh and do some shoreline stabilization. So Trent Jones, Sr. built three holes right on the ocean, but they weren’t in the flavor of Raynor, they were in Jones’s style and they were good holes, but they didn’t fit with the rest of the course and everyone knew it. So when I did a master plan in 2002 and suggested they redo those holes in the flavor of Raynor so they match the rest of the course, they agreed.

The Jones greens were fine, but we wanted to add Raynor features and strategies, so we redid all the bunkering, not the greens. We loved trying to emulate the bunkering work of Raynor and blending everything the best we could. We added long narrow bunkers with berming on one side, and some geometric bunkers and some rectilinear tees too. The tee boxes needed enlarging.

I remember one great hole, 17, where I’m going around with the super and we get to that green and it’s a bowl with a berm in front had chocolate drop mounds in front hiding it, making it blind.

JF: So it’s an Alps Hole?

BL: Yeah! So we were duplicating really interesting and bold things like that, or square bunkers, or anything Raynor would have done. We even did some chocolate drops.

But my favorite memory was turning to the super and telling him, “if I ever built this on an original design or suggested it to the membership of some private club that knew nothing about Raynor, they’d fire me!”

Bob Furchert was his name, and he laughed so hard after I said it, because he knew it was true. But it wasn’t unusual to him, he’s been there a long time. We are so pre-conditioned about maintenance – for the most part, not always, but often – I marvel at and admire his ability to have the members so in tune to what he was doing.

When you get the opportunity to build over the work of a great Golden Age architect: that’s one of the most gratifying moments of an architect’s life. So you take care to really be true to that architect and make your work look like it’s been there since the beginning of the golf course.

I got a wonderful compliment that really made me grateful and happy recently. We added a fairway bunker on 17th hole, where there had never been a bunker there before. Someone that played it said it looked like it had been there for the roughly 100 years of the golf course. Simulating Sam Whiting – that’s exactly what I was trying to do, and it sure was fun.

JF: What’s next for you?

BL: We’re opening a new course in North Carolina called Carolina Colors. It’s private, but it’s open for public play right now.

JF: Anything public?

BL: Laurel Hill in Lorton, Virginia. It used to be a federal prison 12 miles from D.C. down I-95 corridor in Fairfax County. It will host the 2013 U.S. Publinx.

From the article:

JF: Who are you older favorite designers?

BL: I’m pretty partial to Mackenzie – I like his philosophy on working with terrain. Plus he got great sites and made the most of them. His greens and his bunkering were something else – not only to look at but to play!

Isn’t it fascinating to look back on these architects and the sites they got, and you see how the mark of the great architects is in how they could make the most out of the land they got and make a truly great course out of it. I’m envious when I see how they could discover such interesting features in each course, bring it to fruition and make it seem unique and special. They’d walk the landscape endlessly and connect with the property to understand the spirit of the place and the inherent nature and character of the land. Every property is unique and you have to bring out the best character of every site and enhance it through the design of the golf course. That’s the greatest thing about golf – you can go all around the world and play the greatest courses in the world and they all have that “statement of place.”

“I also like Tillinghast, Seth Raynor and Donald Ross for the same reason. Take Bellport Country Club in the village of Bellport, Long Island, for example. It’s an old Seth Raynor course on the south shore. The club dates from 1899 and I think the course was built maybe around 1921. It runs right out to the water, but they had to redo three holes to bring them up out of a marsh and do some shoreline stabilization. So Trent Jones, Sr. built three holes right on the ocean, but they weren’t in the flavor of Raynor, they were in Jones’s style and they were good holes but they didn’t fit with the rest of the course and everyone knew it. So when I did a master plan in 2002 and suggested they redo those holes in the flavor of Raynor so they match the rest of the course, they agreed.

The Jones greens were fine, but we wanted to add Raynor features and strategies, so we redid all the bunkering, not the greens. We loved trying to emulate the bunkering work of Raynor and blending everything the best we could. We added long narrow bunkers with berming on one side, and some geometric bunkers and some rectilinear tees too. The tee boxes needed enlarging.

I remember one great hole, 17, where I’m going around with the super and we get to that green and it’s a bowl with a berm in front had chocolate drop mounds in front hiding it, making it blind.

JF: So it’s an Alps Hole?

BL: Yeah! So we were duplicating really interesting and bold things like that, or square bunkers, or anything Raynor would have done. We even did some chocolate drops.

But my favorite memory was turning to the super and telling him, “If I ever built this on an original design or suggested it to the membership of some private club that knew nothing about Raynor, they’d fire me!”

Bob Furchert was his name, and he laughed so hard after I said it, because he knew it was true. But it wasn’t unusual to him, he’s been there a long time. We are so pre-conditioned about maintenance – for the most part, not always, but often – I marvel at and admire his ability to have the members so in tune to what he was doing.

When you get the opportunity to build over the work of a great Golden Age architect: that’s one of the most gratifying moments of an architect’s life. So you take care to really be true to that architect and make your work look like it’s been there since the beginning of the golf course.

I got a wonderful compliment that really made me grateful and happy recently. We added a fairway bunker on 17th hole, where there had never been a bunker there before. Someone that played it said it looked like it had been there for the roughly 100 years of the golf course. Simulating Sam Whiting – that’s exactly what I was trying to do, and it sure was fun.”

Way to go Todd, way to go Forsgate! For the rest of the article, check in on-line or in news stands. And Todd, welcome to the Honor Roll.

NBA action – It’s Fantastic!

Rick Shefchik has written “The Book” on classic golf courses in Minnesota – the definitive article as it were. “From Fields to Fairways” is a highly-detailed, thoroughly researched, encyclopaedia of classic Minnesota private country clubs and their architectural histories.

“Minnesota has more golfers per capita than any other state in the union,” gushed no less a personage than venerable golf course architect Pete Dye. “They really love their golf up there,” and he’s right. It shows every time 50,000 fans come out to see their Sunday heroes. The PGA Championships in 2002 and 2009 saw well over a quarter of a million fans for the week and the Ryder Cup to be held there in four years should be just as smashing a success.

Now Gopher State golf fans can find all the information they need on their favorite courses in one volume. The coffee-table sized tome includes histories, maps, and photos of such historic courses as Minikahda, Interlachen, White Bear Yacht Club, Somerset, Rochester, Somerset, Edina, Hazeltine National, and more.

As always, Shefchik tells a good story, and the photos take you right into a world close on a century ago. From the old ticket to the 1929 U.S. Open won by Bobby Jones, to the pictures of men playing golf in Susquahanna hats surrounded by women in bonnets and long skirts, it’s a terrific recap of golf history through the Golden Age straight through to the dawn of the modern era. Moreover, Shefchik provides excellent theories to golf design mysteries such as the participation of Donald Ross at White Bear Yacht Club (more than what Willie Watson fans will concede, but slightly lees than Ross disciples would argue).

Golf architecture junkies will love it just for all the old aerial photographs of courses – I’ll bet there’ll be a post on GolfClubAtlas.com of the overhead of Seth Raynor’s Somerset Country Club to see how many template holes they can identify.

If there are any drawbacks, one would be the quick and cursory treatment both public and modern golf get, (but perhaps that’s a second book) and also the sheer size of the volume makes it cumbersome to carry around. A paperback would be most welcome – for the beach or for golf trips. I can’t throw the one-foot square, eight pound, 359 page hardcover in my carry-on!

Still, Shefchik is a pro’s pro. He writes novels, was an ace sports reporter, and now has golf history and architecture as an added area of expertise. This book will be a useful addition to any golf library as it’s the go-to book on Minnesota – the leader in the clubhouse as it were. Now if he can just get Sam Skarda on the case to solve who really designed Merion, we might get somewhere in time for the 2013 U.S. Open:):) ***KIDDING! KIDDING!***

From Fields to Fairways
by Rick Shefchik
Forty Dollars U.S.
359 pages
U. Minnesota Press
ISBN No. 978-0-8155-7732-0

Tony Muldoon put up this photo, but basically all the guys over there have done a Masterful job – pun intended – of sleuthing out Bubba Watson’s ball flight, especially after the photo that made the rounds last weekend. Basically, a whole bunch of guys over there broke down the location of Bubba, the ball flight, his swing path with the gap wedge, and where he was aiming. They even position him with regard to trees and the Mackenzie fairway bunker. The pic above is the result. Again, Tony Muldoon found this, but all the guys over there have been invaluable in puzzling out the golf shot of the year…and one of the best and wildest in major
championship history.

Impressive. Most impressive.

TALLGRASS G.C. - A PEACEFUL PLACE OR SO IT LOOKS FROM SPACE

TALLGRASS GOLF COURSE
24 Cooper Street
Shoreham, NY 11786
631.209.9359
www.golfattallgrass.com

Architect: Gil Hanse
Par: 36-35=71
Highest cost – $79 (weekends, a.m.)
Lowest cost – $30 (weekdays after 2 p.m.)

Tees Yards Rating Slope

Black 6550 72.2 125
White 6148 70.1 123
Gold 5613 67.5 115
Red 5044 68.6 110

Tallgrass is a most welcome addition to the Greater-NYC golf landscape. Like Bethpage Black and The Knoll Club (West Course), it gives New York public golfers a great course, close to home, at a terrific price. Just under an hour out on Long Island, it’s easy to get to, easy to get a tee time, inexpensive, and has excellent strategic golf course architecture.

In that respect, architect Gil Hanse built a silk purse out of a sow’s ear because the property used to be a small, square-shaped sod farm with one foot of elevation change. But by using such ingenious ideas as terracing the fairways, (so that they play well above or below one another), routing several holes around a visually arresting centrally-located sand quarry, encouraging the ground game through open routes to many greens, using grassy chipping swales as greenside hazards as well as deep bunkers, and incorporating design features from great courses such as National Golf Links of America, Pine Valley, and Garden City Golf Club Hanse designed a character-rich golf course that shows you something interesting at each hole.

“Given that the site had very little in the way of topography or interesting natural features, we had free rein to route the golf course wherever it made the most sense,” explained Hanse. “Once we settled on the concept of the “quarry” we knew that we would have holes play along the upper shelf to start and that we would want to wind down into and back out of the quarry before finishing back at the clubhouse. The use of the quarry in the routing allowed us to create some particularly dramatic holes.”

Terracing is a creative, clever, and cost-effective solution to fitting a golf course on a small or irregularly-shaped piece of property. Moreover, as Hanse observed, it also provides a natural and dramatic hazard for the golf course. It’s an important arrow in the designer’s quiver, especially in tough economic times such as these where costs need to be streamlined, and where one must make the best possible use out of every square foot of the property. Bayonne Country Club outside New York City also uses terracing to great architectural effect.

THE 11TH PLAYS WELL BELOW THE LEVEL OF OTHER HOLES

ON THE COURSE

The front nine at Tallgrass runs around the perimeter of the square-shaped parcel of property, (with a quick turn in to the interior at seven, then returning along the quarry edge back to the perimeter at eight). The back nine meanders through the interior, with several holes playing along the lower level of the quarry.

“In particular, eight, 11, and 15 jumped right out at us because they had some dramatic drops into and along the quarry,” said Hanse. “The par-3 8th hole is a Redan hole, and the short [par-3] 14th drew its inspiration from the “Short” holes that were built by Macdonald and Raynor.”

In fact, Hanse drew many general themes from courses such as National Golf Links of America, Garden City Golf Club, Pine Valley, and other great U.K. links when designing Tallgrass.

“For National, we were thinking about the large scale hazards on [its] 7th and 17th holes, and at Garden City the large sand area [at its] first [and second] hole,” he observed. “At Tallgrass some good examples of our attempts to “borrow” from these examples are the large scale bunkers to the right of the 15th hole, (second shot territory), the large sand area between the 11th and 16th holes, and the large bunker to the left side of the short par-4 sixth hole.”

Interestingly, it is the short holes that Hanse recalled most fondly most when discussing Tallgrass.

“Being that the course is considered short by modern standards we took a lot of interest in making sure that the short par-4s and the par-5 holes were considered interesting or sporty in nature. As we built the golf course, the short par-4 holes became the most exciting to build, like six and 10 because we were able to mold these into fun and interesting holes.”

Fun and interesting? You can argue that Hanse did that at every hole. Right out of the gate, Hanse gives you a center-line, illusion bunker guarding the green at the short, par-5 first, which curves like a scimitar from right to left along one edge of the property.

“You know you’re in for a treat right out of the gate. The first green has the appearance of a Lion’s Mouth bunker complex, with gull wings around the bunker, but the hazard is actually 15 or 20 yards short of the green even though it looks greenside,” explained one local golfer. “It’s architectural tricks like those that make us all glad we have a Hanse design so close to the City. He makes us think on every shot.”

THE BUNKER LOOKS LIKE A LION'S MOUTH, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY NOT GREENSIDE

At the second hole, Hanse presents the first of several excellent short par-4s and introduces one of his trademark design quirks, a particularly narrow green guarded by a steep fall off to one side. He also uses this concept at the 10th hole as well. This puts a premium on accuracy; even though the golfer will have no more than a mid-iron in his hand, the margin for error is slim. Miss the green and recovery is testy. The grassy chipping swales bring onto play all manner of recovery shots options: bump and run, pitch and check, lob, or putt, but it’s the indecision of which shot to play that can lead to a poor swing and a ball returning to the players feet or rolling away into three-putt territory.

“But those chipping areas can also help keep everybody in the game,” observed golf design expert Bruce Moulton. “It’s certainly a lot more fun – and easier – than gouging lob wedges out of six inch rough or dropping a ball and taking a penalty stroke. I’m glad that style of design has come back into vogue.”

Other interesting holes on the front include five, six, and eight. The long, rumbling, par-4 fifth is perhaps the sternest test on the front. A deep arroyo diagonally bisects the fairway, so most players are required to lay back with a fairway metal leaving a mid or long iron/hybrid into the undulating green. Fade off the tee, draw into the green are the optimum shot shapes. Three bunkers and two large hummocks guard the green.

The short par-4 6th may be the most interesting hole on the front. Though a mere 280 yards, (295 from the tips), it is no pushover as the entire left side is guarded by a deep, scruffy, sandy, waste area. Short, but sexy, the hole can give out any score from eagle to triple bogey, depending on how well you plan and execute your tee shot.

DON'T GET IN THE BUNKER ON SIX

The par-3 eighth is actually a Reverse Redan, (called by some a “Nader”), where the kickplate is on the left side of the green and the hole falls away to the right side. The front closes with another short par-5 with a cluster of bunkers guarding the knee of this right to left dog-leg.

As mentioned earlier, the short par-4 10th is another hole that defends par admirably on the second shot with a narrow sliver of a green guarded by a deep swale of close shaved grass. Player must challenge the right side bunker for the best angle into the green. The further left you play to avoid the fairway bunker off the tee, the more you bring a dangerous left greenside bunker into play. This is another example of how many modern designers could toughen a golf course without merely relying on ridiculous length. A hole like says more in its mere 330 yards than a penal architecture hole with bracketing bunkers can say in 470 yards.

The mighty par-4 11th is one of two centerpieces of the golf course. The hole plays a full terraced level below the holes on its right, and along the quarry floor on its left. The green features two large humps on the back right recalling the old “Maiden” feature – i.e. breasts in the green – that would be found on many classic Golden Age courses.

INDIFFERENT PLAYER, BUT BEST LEGS IN GOLF SINCE PAULA CREAMER ***KIDDING! KIDDING!***

Indeed the greens get more contoured as the round progresses and after climbing out of the quarry at the short-long par-4 combination of 12 and 13, the par-3 14th is an excellent example of the “Short” holes made famous in America by C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor, and Charles “Steamshovel” Banks. The green is almost completely encircled by five bunkers, while a depression loosely in the shape of a thumbprint appears at the front right quadrant. Though a mere 143 yards from the tip, it’s uphill and all carry, and even then there’s no guarantee of a two-putt.

The straightaway par-5 15th is the other showstopper on the homeward nine. Water, then sand guard the entire right side, while the quarry floor extends along the left.

The routing turns one last time into the quarry floor at the long par-4 16th, not only the longest par-4 on the course, but perhaps the toughest hole as well. A 472-yard behemoth of a dog-leg right with the knee of the dog-leg guarded by a deep bunker with a shaggy hump in its middle, the players must also carry a diagonal bunker complex on their approaches or face a long pitch to a green with three humps around its edges.

“The humps around the edges make the green actually much smaller than it is,” explains Moulton. “It’s really one little green in the middle of those humps. If your short game is off that day, that hole will murder you.”

Hanse’s puckish side emerges at the long par-3 17th – the hole is almost completely blind. Perhaps only Tom Doak, Coore and Crenshaw, and Gil Hanse could get away with designing a blind par-3. If Jim Engh or Robert Trent Jones, Jr. did it, there’d be more cacophonous howling then at a Radiohead concert. But when one of the minimalists tries it, they get a free pass. Even so, the hole is a great deal of fun to play. The green is hidden behind a huge hill with a deep bunker at its base. Moreover, shots tend to bounce forward as they carom off the back of the hill, so you can play one less club than the distance indicates. It’s no “Dell hole” from Lahinch, but it’s still a creative idea and one you don’t see almost anywhere else. (For those of you scoring at home, Jim Engh had exactly the same idea at the 17th hole at Blackstone Country Club, one of his private designs outside Scottsdale, Arizona. His versionis only semi-blind, the right half of the green is visible.)

At the home hole, a semi-blind approach plays to a green canted sharply from left to right.

THE MIGHTY PAR-5 15TH

CHIP SHOTS AND TAP-INS

Some people refer to Tallgrass as an east coast version of Hanse’s California course Rustic Canyon, an excellent example of minimalist architecture and another quintessential public golf bargain in America. However, idealistically the two courses differ in one important way:

“Tallgrass is completely created and on a small site while Rustic is completely natural on an expansive site,” Hanse explained. Indeed, it might be more accurate to call it a proper rejoinder to Tom Doak’s Rawls Course in Texas: completely manufactured, looking eminently natural. Indeed, Tallgrass has a rustic, homespun feel almost scruffy feel to it that you would find at the great seaside links of Ireland.

Though only 6,587 yards from the tips, Tallgrass is an excellent example of how intelligent strategic architecture can provide a more stern and interesting challenge than many courses even as much as 1,000 yards longer. Smaller, well guarded greens with interior contour defend par much more admirably than machismo-tauting length, ubiquitous water hazards, and cookie cutter bracket bunkering could ever do. Tallgrass only has 73 bunkers, but as Hanse’s former mentor and employer Tom Doak wrote, “fewer bunkers more interestingly placed,” is a better architectural design principle.

“We hope that the demands presented by these holes will outweigh the notion that the course is not up to standards since it is short. The truth is that the course is plenty long for most golfers and the focus should be on the character and creativity of the course, which are its strongest assets. Primarily the length of 16 and 17 and the difficulty of those holes, (16 with the long area of sand and length, and 17 with the semi-blind nature), while we are at it you could probably throw in 15 for most golfers with the water on the right being the big challenge,” explained Hanse.

“Given that the length was constrained because of the size of the property we knew that we needed to create something fun and interesting for players to keep them coming back,” Hanse continued. “We also focused on a strong finish, which would leave the golfers feeling as if the course was longer or “stronger” then the scorecard might indicate.”

“And let me tell you something,” energetically adds PGA Head Professional Phil Tita (pronounced TEE-tuh), “when that southwesterly wind starts kicking up at 35 miles an hour, you’ll wish the course was 1,000 yards shorter!”

Well he can rest easily – few people think Tallgrass is a pushover, but a great many find it interesting and exciting. Everyone seems to agree – once a public golfer plays Tallgrass, it stays in their rotation.

“Bethpage Black, The Knoll Club (West), and Tallgrass – everything else is at least a step below,” explained our above mentioned local golfer, whose name we never caught. “If we could play all our rounds at those three, we would. We can play Tallgrass every weekend and never get bored. Plus we can afford to come here every weekend, and we can get a tee time without too much fuss. We love it, and so do all our friends. The guys that rotate in and out of our regular group frequently ask me, ‘Hey! Let’s go play that Tallgrass place again. That was cool, and the wife won’t get mad when she asks how much money I spent!’”

As we go to press, Gil Hanse is perhaps the hottest golf architect in the World right now, having won the jobs for Ridgewood, Doral, Winged Foot, and the Rio 2016 Olympics Course all in a period of a few months. He is riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave of golf course architecture revival and renaissance, indeed he is one of the leaders of its vanguard. Moreover, it’s a smash hit for the DeLalio family and the RDC Group. With folks like Hanse, the DeLalios and the Chris Schiavone, who put golf’s best interests first and foremost, the real winners are NYC-area golfers.

Apparently what’s really going on is that this was a bad guess by the caddie…a good try, but a bad guess. While the shot was incredible – most people are pretty sure the ball didn’t curve hard right for 40 yards, then fly straight for 55 more. That would defy physics. Moreover, Bubba started the shot from the other end of the Mackenzie fairway bunker, (back towards the tee), not the forward end as depicted here.

Nevertheless, a screaming hook with a gap wedge. He HAD to have turned the club in his hands for openers, then closed his stance and swung flat, but still…to visualize, then execute that shot out of the woods with a gap wedge with the Green Jacket in the balance? Crazier things have been reported, but not by reliable sources.

Also nevertheless, Chappell raises an interesting point that merits inquiry: he is disappointed with the TV coverage of that shot because the camera angles couldn’t show the curve of the ball flight. Some people, in response wonder 1) well how can CBS have a camera everywhere – Bubba played that ball from downtown Athens! and 2) wouldn’t the curve of that ball (90 degrees) not be able to be seen well on TV and especially not by one camera angle.

I don’t know the answers to those questions. I haven’t met too many people that complained about the camera angle and all I know is I had a pretty good view of that golf ball when it curved, bounced once, veered further left than a Nancy Pelosi immigration bill, then grabbed a chair faster than a golf writer at a Dan Jenkins book release party!

Discuss – Were you disappointed by the TV coverage of that shot?