Monday Jan 03, 2022
FIRST THOUGHT

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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READ, WATCH, LISTEN

> PGA Tour's West Coast Swing events are seeing a boom in interest despite Omicron surge
[Tod Leonard | Golf Digest | Read]

> PGA, Trump reach settlement over relocated 2022 PGA Championship
[Morning Read | Read]

> 2021 highlighted shortcomings in the global supply chain. Will 2022 be any better?
[Shoshy Ciment | Footwear News | Read]

> The 15 Best Golf Resorts in the United States
[J. George Gorant / Shaun Tolson | Robb Report | Read]

> Remembering those we lost from the world of golf in 2021
[Golfweek | Read]

Q&A: Tripp Davis
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.
FACT OF THE DAY
DID YOU KNOW?
As weather is becoming more unpredictable, Longitudes Group set out to relate course elevation and coastal proximity to golf courses that may have to be agile in a changing climate. A 1-meter vertical resolution Digital Elevation Model was used to append elevations to LG's Green Grass Database. There are 232 golf courses in the United States within 3 miles of the coast and sit at or below 1-meter elevation.

Source: Longitudes Green Grass Database, National Elevation Dataset
THE INDUSTRY
Veteran hotel executive to lead Southern California resort, which will begin preparing for renovation to Champions Course that will host NCAA Championships starting in 2024
Read More
Certified golf course superintendent will be recognized at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show
Read More
GCSAA’s GCM Editorial Board Task Group select the winner; Heaton’s story in the January issue of GCM offers real-world tips on supervising employees from different generations
Read More
Watson Fellowship, administered by the GCSAA, awards provide financial assistance for future educators and researchers of the turfgrass industry
Read More
Portion of Josh Allen Mafia golf ball sales help raise total donations to $25,000; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is company shareholder
Read More
Club is the first in Los Cabos, Mexico, to be certified for environmental excellence
Read More
Creator of an overspeed training aid spends 2 years in development of the updated protocols
Read More
To celebrate, PGTAA is offering a $100 discount on its certification fee through January
Read More
Tiger Woods, Pro Bass Shops' Johnny Morris collaborated to create nature golf in Ozark Mountains
Read More

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.

#QOTD
"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."
— Vince Lombardi
ICYMI
One last look at 2021
The calendar has flipped to 2022, but here are the 10 The First Call stories that caught readers' attention in 2021.
CALENDAR

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.

LAST CALL