LaCosta

[Matthew Mollica]

I'm not sure it would be worth doing anything with LaCosta...

You could put trout in it, and sell tickets to go fishing.
Judging by Allenby's comments, that's about all it's good for.

What's the forecast for today?

MM

[tonyt]

Keep the "World" in World Golf Championships. Leave the NEC in the US, and have either the Matchplay or Amex event played in the US every second year, with the other event never played in the US. Uncle Sam still holds the greatest number of events, but the global concept lives.

Parry's comments were more greatly expanded on in another paper. He said that he chose to stay and play here throughout January-February rather than start early in the US because it didn't rate when comparing cold, wet courses with soft bumpy greens to the ideal conditions here.

The Australian experiment blew, because you can't force players on a $5m per week tour to cross the planet for a non-major in the first week in January. But here's the scoop: There are many other countries a lot closer than Australia. Close enough (and with this better date than early January) to get a better strike rate amongst the top players. Given that this event often rides the border already between the West Coast Swing and the Florida month, players won't be averse to at least a little travel.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Matt,
Thanks for adding some stability to the discussion. I didn't even know San Diego had a river! I would assume its the one that goes through the Mission Gorge? (Or whatever they call Motel Circle)

[Pete Lavallee]

Tommy,

You'll be happy to know that Ted Robinson's redo on the site of the Old Stardust CC, Riverwalk, is now completely submerged by the San Diego River.

Matt's points about LaCosta are quite valid; scheduling golf tournaments there during our rainy season (already the 3rd highest rainfall SD has had since 1880; with our rainiest month, March still to come) is sure to bring the whines from our pampered Tour Pros. Although the bunkers look like so many jigsaw puzzle pieces from above, check them out from the ground level shots. They are beatifully sculpted and wonderfully 3 dimensional. Although a few are superfluous, many are directly between the player and his objective.

[PThomas]

this discussion brings to mind what I think Ron WHitten wrote about the potato field -- I mean Belfry-- as a Ryder Cup venue:  the course won't overshadow the play...

faint praise indeed

[A_Clay_Man]

Obviously, this is one of the extremes on playability.

 What's interesting is how objectionable, the other end of the spectrum, was last June, in the Hamptons.

[tonyt]

Adam,

The choice of venue, quality of venue and time of year did not contribute to the playability issue in the Hamptons. I believe that those who would most deeply criticise that playability would cite errors and/or lack of cautionary playing it safe/pushing the envelope a little too much.

I'm not specifically defending what happened there or comparing resulting circumstances favourably, but there is an enormous difference between risky scheduling on a low grade course and good scheduling on a great course where a person or persons mucks things up. If the poorest decisions are made in tournament week, any event anywhere can hit trouble.

The playability issue this week is largely beyond control, once the decision to play here and now was made. Great to see the muddy par 3 tee on #9, and this WGC event continuing its tradition of that great golfing format of lift clean and place.

[Chris Kane]

Tony, it will never happen, but I don't see why any of the WGC tournaments should be in America!  Three of the four majors are there, plus the Players Championship.  Thats 4 of the top 5 events.  WGC should be an opportunity to take golf to the world.  Instead, its just another demonstration of the arrogance of the PGA Tour.

[Mark_Guiniven]

Chris is right. Plus the players have no right to bitch about the golf course. They did hold this tournament somewhere decent once — Metropolitan — and nobody showed.

I liked John Huggan's piece on the majors this week. Make the 4th major a two-week, 128 player, last man standing affair at Royal Melbourne.

[Jim Johnson]

Allenby's comments is perfect...

La Costa is a muddy slow wet course with not even an once of strategy...

Get the hell out of there

Hey, I resent that anti-American remark!

How about the other 11 months of the year when it isn't wet and the coniditions are 100% for golf then say Monnnttreeeeeallllll' this time of year?

Did you ever think for a second that it might be because the players and the executives like it because of the spa? I'm not talking here about some hot spring in the middle of Hudson Bay, I'm talking about the kind of place you can get your wife's tush polished for a pretty expensive fee........Every CEO's God-given right!

Bomb Canada I say. Bomb Canada.

Tommy,
Careful with those bombs. Our population's spread out so thin up here, you'll miss the buildings and the people and nail a few cows.
Just what we need, another damn cow situation.
JJ

[Brian_Ewen]

Chris
Its not the holding of this 'World' event in America that annoys me as much as how it cant be seen to be breaking up the U.S. Tours 'West Coast Swing' .

Brian

[Tommy_Naccarato]

JJ,
Or worse, I could hit a water buffalo, and good lord what a mess that would make!

[Anthony_Nysse]

What a difference a year can make....

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Eric_Dorsey]

Tony, it will never happen, but I don't see why any of the WGC tournaments should be in America!  Three of the four majors are there, plus the Players Championship.  Thats 4 of the top 5 events.  WGC should be an opportunity to take golf to the world.  Instead, its just another demonstration of the arrogance of the PGA Tour.

Chris has a great point, move this event outside the US somewhere.  Australia would be awesome, but it's so far, most players would skip it.  Hopefully I'm wrong here, especially if they brought it to a great course like Kingston Heath - my favorite Aussie course.

the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland) is too cold in February, so that leaves Mexico, South America, and South Africa - where there are precious few great courses am I wrong here?  The Asian countries just don't excite me at all with they're courses.

I say bring this tourney to Australia every year and leave it, the US pros will start to come, especially if the the all-might-doller $$$ is there.  


next year the event is in Tucson @ the Gallery Club.

http://www.gallerygolf.com/worksite/coursetours.html