The Golf Watch

"The dawn of a new era"

More posts will be coming tonight, but in the meantime, it looks like Golfweek will be introducing a new design beginning January 17.  They recently added a top banner ad on their site that indicates the "dawn of a new era." 

 

"And with that, let us remember to play it as it lies"

Jim McCabe files his last column for the Boston Globe--and he goes out on top...

Blessed with the privilege of writing about a game that is my passion, my Globe duties have allowed for unforgettable sweeping views, from the aura of St. Andrews and the breathlessness of Pebble Beach, to the timelessness of Augusta National and the majestic dunes of Royal Troon. Historic ports of call, each and every one, and never has a walk there been spoiled, nor taken lightly. But also, never have those visits made me forget where golf is the most special.

Right here in my own backyard.

Hoggard spruced up for Golf Central

It looks like Rex Hoggard will have to get used to a different dress code with The Golf Channel.  Note the changes from three months ago at the Ryder Cup to today on Golf Central.

McCabe takes buyout, leaves Globe for GolfWeek

After learning about the departure of Thomas Bonk from the LA Times, I figured that with only a handful of golf beat writers left in the country, it would be quite some time before another one took a buyout.  Well, I was wrong.

Sal Johnson of GolfObserver reports that Jim McCabe has taken a buyout from the Boston Globe, leaving Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press, Larry Dorman of the New York Times, Leonard Shapiro of The Washington Post and Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union-Tribune as the only newspaper golf beat writers (by my count) left in the country.

Johnson takes a closer look at this trend and I recommend reading the story here.

I guess the one positive that can be drawn from all of this is that we will still be able to read McCabe's fine writing as Johnson indicates that he will start working for Golfweek in 2009--filling the void for the recent departure of Rex Hoggard to GolfChannel.com.

Hoggard hired as senior writer for Golfchannel.com

GolfChannel.com reported Monday that Rex Hoggard has joined their ranks as a senior writer, leaving Golfweek, where he held several positions for more than eight years, most notably as a columnist.

The move comes as a surprise, considering this clipping from the August 30 edition of Golfweek...

 

Hoggard's name has been removed from the Golfweek contact list and the new editor of digital media is Eric Soderstrom, who served previously as the Managing Editior of Golfweek.com. 

This is the second key player to leave Golfweek for GolfChannel.com in the last year.  Jay Coffin, the former Digital Media Editor at Golfweek, now serves as the editorial director of GolfChannel.com.

Hoggard didn't waste much time between the two jobs.  He covered the Nationwide Tour Championship for Golfweek last month, and has already contributed one item to GolfChannel.com.

Take a breather from Valhalla

Need a break from the Ryder Cup?  Check out Eric Soderstrom's video of the Louisville Slugger Museum (courtesy of Golfweek). 

The production value is stellar and all of the quick cuts and tight shots make it an easy watch for a four minute package.  Plus, who wouldn't want to run around the bases at Camden Yards?

LPGA to require members to speak English

Beth Ann Baldry of Golfweek came out with an exclusive report yesterday saying that learning English on the LPGA Tour is no longer a suggestion, it's a requirement.  She writes:

At a mandatory South Korean player meeting Aug. 20 at the Safeway Classic, the tour informed its largest international contingent that beginning in 2009, all players who have been on tour for two years must pass an oral evaluation of their English skills. Failure would result in a suspended membership.

One of the biggest factors, the pro-ams...

Hilary Lunke, president of the Player Executive Committee, said much of this initiative stems from the importance of being able to entertain pro-am partners. Players already are fined if the LPGA receives complaints from their pro-am partners. Now the tour is taking it one step further.

“The bottom line is, we don’t have a job if we don’t entertain,” Lunke said. “In my mind, that’s as big a part of the job as shooting under par.”

Golfweek and Golf World choose same cover picture

Did anyone else notice the covers of this week's Golf World and Golfweek magazines?  Apparently, the two rival weekly publications wanted to use the same Getty Image photograph from Stuart Franklin... 

   

Golf Channel’s Nationwide telecast far superior

Kudos to Martin Kaufmann for his piece in Golfweek's August 2 edition.  As I have been saying all along here, The Golf Channel's Nationwide Tour crew of Jerry Foltz and Curt Byrum (pictured right) is far superior to the PGA Tour squad.  But Kaufmann elaborates on the topic and hits the nail on the head when it comes to production value...

GC's PGA Tour broadcasts have adopted the tedious style of the networks, with cameras lingering on players as they loiter on the tees, greens and fairways.  On Friday at the Canadian Open, for example, cameras focused on Mark Calcavecchia on the 15th tee for 57 seconds before he even stuck his peg into the ground and another 46 seconds before he struck his shot.  That's an aternity on TV, and it happens too often on PGA Tour broadcasts.

Nationwide viewers, in contrast, see action.  And Nationwide anchor Jerry Foltz and analyst Curt Byrum have a comfortable, conversational rapport that's absent on the PGA Tour telecasts.

"My one's on whoever shows up in a body cast"

If you're just starting to plan out your picks for the upcoming PGA, Jeff Rude offers some great commentary in the August 2 edition of Golfweek (sorry there's no external link).  He examines the last three majors championship winners and points out that all three of them were dealing with health problems.  He writes:

You don't hoist a major trophy these days without having your doctor on speed dial.  Just this summer, Tiger Woods won the National Open on a broke leg and Padraig Harrington claimed the British version with a wounded wrist.

And, of course, Trevor Immelman battled all sorts of health issues the months leading to his surprising Masters victory.

Does this mean Sean O'Hair will be our next PGA champion?