Monday Jan 03, 2022 |
Welcome to the new year. And the PGA Tour is wasting no time in resuming its wrap-around season, kicking off 2022 with the Sentry Tournament of Champions. This week's 42-player field is the largest in tournament history. In addition to the 12 winners from the 2020-21 season, the field features 14 of the top 15 in the FedEx Cup standings and 29 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Question of the Week: What do you believe is the top issue facing golf in 2022? Send replies to shall@morningread.com and please include name, along with city and state of residence.
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> Remembering those we lost from the world of golf in 2021
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Tripp Davis, president of the Tripp Davis and Associates, discusses how he became interested in course design by making his own yardage books, the elements of a good course design and issues that the industry faces.
TFC: Knowing what you know today, what professional advice would you give a younger you? TD: When I got started my perspective was to work hard and not try to force the opportunities that would come my way — to let them come in due time, which frankly has worked out well. I may be one of the rare ones that may not change what I have been through. TFC: When did you decide this was the career for you, and please give us the Cliffnotes version of how you got to where you are today. TD: I always wanted to try and play professionally, and after being an All-American at the University of Oklahoma my senior year I gave it try, but realized I lacked some essential physical skills to play at that level. So I came back to my love of golf course design and went back to school to get my Masters in Landscape Architecture to pursue that childhood dream. TFC: In your opinion, what are the key elements of a good course design? TD: Must be interesting to play, must function well in the landscape — be capable of being maintained to the expected level of quality, and it must be a visually interesting experience. TFC: Is the role of a shaper underappreciated? TD: Very much so. I have employed my own shaper, Jason Gold, as an employee of our company for about 16 years now and he deserves a lot more credit than he gets. TFC: One piece of work equipment you would be lost without? TD: A digital level to get the surfaces of greens just right. TFC: You recently got the nod to renovate / reimagine the Atlanta Athletic Club’s Riverside Course. Being from Atlanta, how special is that going to be? TD: Hard to put in words. I still stop and think every so often that I am actually going to get to do this. I think it will hit me more when we are actually doing the work. |
Announced: By Drive Shack Inc., that it will open a Puttery at Fulton Market in Chicago. The 23,000-square-foot venue will span across two levels and feature two uniquely themed, nine-hole putting courses, two indoor bars, a rooftop/patio bar, and a chef-driven menu and craft cocktail offerings.
Appointed: By Arab Golf Federation, Yasir Al-Rumayyan as its president. Previously, Al-Rumayyan helped grow golf in Saudi Arabia as chairman of both Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation in 2018.
Selected: By the U.S. Golf Association, 12 players for a Curtis Cup practice session ahead of the 2022 Matches at Merion Golf Club. The 12 players are Jenny Bae, Jensen Castle, Megha Ganne, Rachel Heck, Julia Johnson, Gurleen Kaur, Rachel Kuehn, Emilia Migliaccio, Brooke Seay, Aneka Seumanutafa, Erica Shepherd and Rose Zhang, and they will practice Jan. 15-16 at Mountain Lake Golf Club in Lake Wales, Fla.
"Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."
The calendar has flipped to 2022, but here are the 10 The First Call stories that caught readers' attention in 2021.
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JANUARY
25-28: PGA Merchandise Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info
FEBRUARY
5-10: GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, San Diego, Calif. | Info
18-20: Toledo Golf Show, Toledo, Ohio | Info
19-23: CMAA World Conference and Club Business Expo, San Diego, Calif. | Info
25-27: Colorado Golf Expo, Denver, Colo. | Info
To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.