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Morning 9: Is Pebble beach really a “public” course?

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5 years ago

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1. Is Pebble beach really a “public” course?
Will Bardwell for his Lying Four blog on the “public” element of the famed plausibly public track…“More importantly, though, is the indisputable fact that Pebble Beach is “public” on technicality alone. In 1982, when Pebble Beach hosted its second U.S. Open, the greens fee was $70 (about $188 in 2020 dollars, when adjusted for inflation). Today, Pebble’s greens fee has soared to a gargantuan $575 – and that doesn’t include the $45 cart fee, or the $95 caddie fee, or the caddie’s gratuity. And unless the player stays overnight at the resort (a two-night stay and play package starts at nearly $2,800), tee times cannot be made more than 24 hours in advance. Pebble Beach is a bucket-list destination – but that’s because few golfers are able to afford the experience more than once, if that.”
  • “…it is public in name only, and nevertheless is rewarded year after year as the model toward which every public course should strive. If there’s no disincentive for Pebble to make itself more accessible, then why should Sawgrass or any other high-end destination?”
  • “And ultimately, it’s Pebble’s failure to embody the best – indeed, the most important – qualities of public golf that cries out for its demotion. Any course that deserves to be called the best of American public golf should offer public golfers the best the game has to offer: an inviting environment, creative architecture, and realistic greens fees. On that, Pebble fails…”
2. NGF: Golf participation is booming as coronavirus lingers
Golfweek’s Jason Lusk…“The National Golf Foundation and Golf Datatech released a report last week that said rounds played in August in the U.S. were up 20.6 percent over 2019. That was roughly 10 million more rounds played in August 2020 than in August 2019. The report said that was the largest year-over-year monthly increase since Golf Datatech began tracking rounds two decades ago.”
  • “All that comes on the heels of year-over-year increases of 19.7 percent in July, 13.9 percent in June and 6.2 percent in May. That was after more than half the courses in the U.S. were shut down in parts of March and April because of the pandemic or seasonality – rounds played in April 2020 were down 42.2 percent versus April 2019.”
3. Renee Powell to lead US side at Junior Solheim 
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“Renee Powell set to lead Team USA at Junior Solheim Cup; Annika Sorenstam will captain EuropePowell forged her own trail as well, captaining both the Ohio and Ohio State University golf teams. She fought through racial prejudice, even death threats, as the second Black player to compete on the LPGA.  After retiring from the tour, Powell continued to grow the game as an ambassador, traveling to Africa more than two dozen times.”
4. Johnny’s love/hate
I LOVE that golf equipment is getting better and better as each year passes by. As I get older and the muscles get tighter, it’s nice to know that with a quick tweak or a new setup I can leap back 15-20 years and still play like I used to. Technology as a whole has been so good to this game. It started with the Pro V1, and we stand here today with kids coming up at 200 mph ball speed, what a world.
I HATE how obsessed we are with distance over lower scores. The blame is on all of us, but I’m dying for an OEM marketing campaign centered around Golf IQ, and not all ball speeds and launch. The whole point to any of this is getting the ball in the whole faster and more consistently. How we hit it should be secondary to how we play. Simple as that.
5. Southern courses distancing from Confederate associations
Tom Cunneff for Golf Digest…“The tragic killing of George Floyd caused a lot of people in our country to rethink things, and certainly our situation was no different,” says Mike Gonzalez [Secession Golf Club], the club’s president who, unlike the majority of members, lives in South Carolina. “So, I invited our members to weigh in, and it was clear we needed to do something [to separate themselves], particularly anything that could be deemed to be connected in any way to the Confederate cause, which is certainly nothing we could support. I didn’t want to take any chance that we could be perceived to be something we’re not, because Secession is a very welcoming and inclusive club.”
“Changing the name was also considered, but after speaking with many of the 900 members, including all African-Americans members (the club wouldn’t divulge how many there are), Gonzalez concluded that that step wasn’t necessary because the name is meant to acknowledge the broader history of the area, not the act itself. He cites the fact that the Reconstruction Era that enfranchised African Americans, at least for a while, began in Beaufort in 1861 after the Union Army overtook the Lowcountry following its decisive amphibious assault at the Battle of Port Royal. The white plantation owners fled while more than 10,000 enslaved people, about one-third of the enslaved population at the time, stayed and became free.”
“Also being questioned this year are the handful of clubs named after Confederate generals…”
6. Rory works out? Who knew?
Golf.com’s Luke Kerr-Dineen…“Rory’s issue early in his career is that he was very flexible but didn’t have much strength. And while we often regard lots of flexibility as a good thing, it’s a double-edged sword. You don’t have enough strength to manage that flexibility, your golf swing can veer out of control and create stress in different parts of your body.”
  • “I wanted to get stronger and build up a little bit of robustness in my body,” he said. “Honestly, make myself a little less flexible, a little stiffer, that was one of the reasons. I had so much movement in my hips and in the lower part of my spine that there was not enough stability to protect the joints and the discs and the vertebrae.”
7. Inside the Ryder Cup postponement
CNN’s Sandy Thin… “At that stage we started making all sorts of alternative options, what we’d do with picking the team, how we get in the right amount of play, and just making all different scenarios for selection, qualification, picks, timings, all that.” But as the pandemic spread and the early optimism over fans returning to the grandstands faded, hope quickly diminished and in July, the decision was announced that Whistling Straits — the Wisconsin course hosting the event — would have to wait another year, as the Ryder Cup was postponed until September 2021.”
8. Best Driver 2020 2.0
If you haven’t checked out our update to Best Driver of 2020 and/or need additional clarity for your driving buying decision-or merely want to see what some of the best fitters in golf have to say about the best big stick based on your swing speed, check out the fall edition of the Best Driver.
9. “I could watch golf until the cows come home’: Ballymena farmer becomes an online hit with the hottest seat at the Irish Open
If you haven’t seen the photos from last week’s Irish Open, moo-ve down the page to have a look.

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Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Billable Hour

    Sep 30, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Since when does public mean affordable?

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

Published

3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear

OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.

LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break

Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.

Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.

On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.

On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.

On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home

Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.

On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?

Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.

Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?

PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.

Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.

Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

4 weeks ago

on

Jul 29, 2025

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GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.

Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.

Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

 

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News

BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

Published

4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.

Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)

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WITB

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