What Hadwin needs to do

I've had a flurry of emails and Tweets asking about the status of Adam Hadwin in regard to next year and what he needs to do to lock up a PGA Tour card. So I went to the PGA Tour and got the official answer.

Hadwin has made $432,752. He needs $563,729 to become a Special Temporary Member -- a difference of $130,977.

If he becomes a Special Temporary Member and has 2011 money that falls between 126-150, he will be exempt into Finals of the Qualifying Tournament.

If he does not become a STM and finishes 126-150 he would be placed in the 151-200 category on the Nationwide Tour -- he would not have status on the PGA TOUR.

If he finishes 125 and above he would be exempt on the PGA TOUR for 2012 in the Top 125 Nonmember category.

Coincidentally, the $130,977 he needs is almost what he won last week -- $130,312. Of course, knowing Hadwin, his goal this week is not that amount of money, but a first-place cheque. That would take care of everything.

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Callaway's new gear

I spent the last couple of days down in Carlsbad, Calif., home to many of the game’s top equipment companies. This time it was a chance to visit with Callaway and see much of the new gear it will be launching – and in a couple of cases already launched – for 2012.

Callaway has gone through some internal changes over the past few months with George Fellows resigning and for the short term anyway, Tony Thornley, a board member, taking over. Thornley spent a few minutes with our Canadian group on Wednesday and I learned that he lived in Montreal for seven years while working with Nortel back in that company’s glory days. He said he enjoys the climate in Carlsbad a little better. 

He’s overseeing a leaner company these days that hopes its new line will appeal to golfers. 

We had a chance to see if these new clubs and balls will entice golfers. I played with the Razr XF irons and hybrids, a Razr X Black driver, Pro Type putter and the Black Hex ball. Because of embargoes, I can only tell you about the irons and hybrids from a technical standpoint; you’ll get to look under the lid at the other stuff in the new year. 

The irons fall into the super game improvement category. When I think of that, my immediate image is of a club with a big wide sole that has a massive face and think top line and is hard to miss. It’s not typically the style of club that I’d play with. 

But the XF was quite different. First up, the set is sold with hybrids (don’t call them Rescues) as part of the make up. There is no three or four iron (or five if you want). Instead the three and four hybrid replace those. 

Second, they don’t look like you’d think. They don’t have this massive can’t-miss look, but rather, at address, look very sleek. The top line is of medium thickness and the blade doesn’t look chunky as I find many clubs in this category do. 

And when I hit them, I was really impressed. The club had a very solid feel, got the ball up in the air quickly and cut through any rough well. Mis-hits seemed to go a long way. 

The hybrids had a bit of offset, which normally doesn’t appeal to me but in this category make sense. I only got to use them a couple of times and when I hit them well, the ball sailed high and true. Our group of testers, which included everyone from low single-digit players to high hackers all seemed to enjoy them. 

As for the driver, can only tell you that I really enjoyed it. The ball was also good and much of the cover shearing that used to occur with Callaway balls when you hit them with wedges is no longer a problem. 

Callaway seems to be trying to get back to being that company that Ely Callaway wanted, one that created products that made the game easier and more enjoyable to play. I’d say it’s headed in the right track. 

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Baryla still upbeat despite struggles

Tomorrow morning, the final PGA Tour event of the year gets underway in Orlando, Fla., and all those hoping to stay within the top 125 and top 150 will give it one last try.

Among those will be Chris Baryla, the Vernon, B.C., product who has, to put it mildly, struggled in 2011. In 19 starts, he's made just one cut and earned $66,000.

"A whole pile of crap," is how Baryla bluntly described his year, punctuating the comment with a chuckle. "I haven't hit the clubface in 10 months."

After graduating from the Nationwide Tour in 2009 with a 19th-place finish, Baryla played seven events in 2010 before shutting it down due to a torn labrum in his hip. He had surgery and took the rest of the year off until Q-School where he tied for 11th.

That led to this year where it's been one tough week after another. His scoring average is a lofty 73.31, which isn't even in the top 187 of players listed on the Tour's ranking. Now it should be pointed out that Baryla suffered a broken foot and spent seven weeks in a air cast. But he refused to use that as any kind of excuse.

As for this week, is he hoping for a last-chance miracle, a win that would pull him out of the depths?

"I don't expect much," he said matter-of-factly. "It's not there yet. I don't want to build expectations."

Baryla works with Sean Foley and has been re-tooling his swing to make it more efficient. But there is still a ways to go before they get it into proper shape, one that will allow him to compete on the PGA Tour. His eye is on the long game right now.

So after 20 weeks on the road, and only one cheque, I had to ask Baryla the obvious question: how are you doing financially? Simple math says that lots of expenses without much revenue is a bad model.

"You don't have to worry about me," he answered confidently.

As you read over all this bad news from a year gone wrong, you'd think that Baryla would be down and in despair, but nothing could be further from the truth. Over the course of our conversation, he seemed pragmatic about his place in the world at the moment, even upbeat. That's not a huge surprise to those who know him. He's a smart guy (like, really smart) who seems to understand the world far beyond the golf course. He's one of the more intriguing guys on tour to talk with and I've always enjoyed his view thoughts on golf and other topics.

"I don't really attach too much to my golf game," he said. "Maybe I should. It would probably be beneficial if I did but that's just not me.

"Life-wise, things are good and golf-wise, it's not a bad thing, really."

Now there's a guy with perspective.

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It's Q-School time again

It’s Q-School time again and already a slate of hopefuls has made its way through the first stage while another group is vying to advance as I type. 

There is nothing quite like Q-School – three stages, 14 rounds to try and land a job on one of the big tours. 

By our count, 52 Canadians (with a couple of Canadian residents) have taken to the PGA Tour’s challenge and another dozen are currently in the first stage of the Champions Tour shootout. 

Some are veterans of this process, others are there for the first time, with some of those really having no business being there except to gain experience. 

Already a few veterans have moved on to the second stage. Derek Gillespie, David Morland and Stuart Anderson received passing grades along with seven others. 

Highly touted young players Matt Hill and Nick Taylor are half-way through their first stages, and Izzy Beisiegel is once again trying her skills against the men but not having much luck so far. She’s in 74th spot after two rounds. 

You can track their progress here. 

On the Champions Tour, there are some familiar names trying out. Rick Gibson, the Victoria native who makes his home in the Philippines these days, has the first round lead at the qualifier in Nevada. He’s joined there by Ray Stewart, Phil Jonas and Norm Jarvis. 

A total of 12 Canadians (that I could find) started in the 50-and-over category.

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Hearn's finish secures 2012 status

For the first time in a long time, David Hearn has no plans for when his PGA Tour season ends in two weeks. And that's a great feeling for the Brantford, Ont., native who locked up playing privileges for the 2012 season with his T7 finish at the Frys.com Open on Sunday.

That performance gave him $130,312.50 and pushed his season's earnings to $808,860, and 102nd spot on the PGA Tour's money list.

"I don't see that there's any way this doesn't seal the deal," said Hearn from Sea Island, Ga., where he was getting settled for this week's McGladrey Classic. "It feels great. I've been working towards this for more than just this year and I'm pretty happy right now."

Hearn got back on to the PGA Tour this year by finishing in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour last year, something he accomplished in the last tournament of the year on that circuit. He'd played the PGA Tour once before, in 2005, but failed to retain his privileges.

"I don't think there was one thing that made the difference [this time]," said Hearn. "It was a lot of little things. I was also more comfortable out here. I was comfortable with being successful."

Through yesterday's event, Hearn played 24 tournaments and made the cut in 17. Including his T7 last week, he had a T5 a week earlier at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open and a T6 at the Shell Houston Open in April.

With two top 10s in two weeks, Hearn sees no reason to stop playing.

"There's always something to play for," he stated. "If you're 125, you want to get to 70. If you're 70, you want to get to 30."

Being fully exempt for 2012 will bring some advantages for Hearn, who will likely finish the season as the top-earning Canadian. For the first time, he'll be able to pick and choose a schedule, with the exception of the invitational tournaments such as Colonial or Memorial. He'll also get to play in the Players for the first time, an event he's looking forward to.

"It will allow me to focus on the next step, which is to get a win," said Hearn, of his new status.

As for the record-setting day on Sunday at the Frys, Hearn wasn't aware until he read on Twitter what he, Matt McQuillan and Adam Hadwin accomplished. All three tied for seventh, marking the first time three Canadians posted top-10 finishes in the same PGA Tour event.

"That was pretty cool," he stated. "It's probably three names you wouldn't have expected to do it either. It just goes to show you there's a lot of depth coming up in Canadian golf."

As for the off-season, Hearn hadn't thought much about that yet. He does know there's no Q-School in his plans and that's something he won't miss. He'll play the last two Fall Series tournaments and then, he said, he has no plans until the Sony event in January.

"I guess we'll have some time to relax," he chuckled. "But I don't want to get too comortable. Now that we're out here, the goal is to stay out here as long as possible."

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Long road for Montreal's Wilson

Great news last week that 20 Canadians made it through the first stage of the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School. There were 10 the first week and another 10 the second week along with one Aussie who has been living in Canada for the last few years. 

This story comes from Blake McMaster, the longtime superintendent and former SCOREGolf Award winner who recently retired from Royal Montreal. 

Lindsay Wilson and his twin brother came from Australia to Montreal to work on the grounds crew at Royal ahead of the Presidents Cup. After work most days he would play with the assistant professionals at the course and post a score in the 60s from the back tees. After some time out in B.C. working the ski hills, he returned to Royal Montreal in 2010 but this time worked in the pro shop for Bob Hogarth, the longtime professional there. He also played on the Quebec Tour and won a number of events.

Wilson entered Q-School and won the first stage in Beaumont, Calif., and will move on to the second stage. We can’t really claim him as one of our own yet, but it’s still a great story with a Canadian angle. 

****

Two Canadians made it through the first stage of the Champions Tour qualifying. Ian Doig of Seaforth, Ont., and Victoria’s Rick Gibson made the grade and will move on. It’s a brutal process with just a handful of cards available. 

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Hadwin gets pass to final stage

Adam Hadwin skipped a grade without even writing the test. 

The 23-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., confirmed Friday that the PGA Tour has given him an exemption into the final stage of Qualifying School thanks to his success in 2011.

Originally, Hadwin believed he was going to start his Q-School adventure at second stage, passing by the first level thanks to making the cut at the U.S. Open. But some hard work by his agent, George Sourlis of Landmark Sport, convinced tour officials he should get a pass to the third and final stage. 

The decision rested on his earnings for 2011. Hadwin collected $440,753 in five events which was enough for 145th spot on the money list. However PGA Tour regulations required him to earn at least as much as the 150th-place finisher from the previous year to gain special temporary member status. That was $563,729.

The appeal worked and now Hadwin will play in La Quinta, Calif., starting Nov. 30.

Getting to the final stage is a huge achivement for Hadwin as even the last-place finisher at that event will earn some status on the Nationwide Tour. The top 25 finishers at final stage will earn exempt status on the PGA Tour. 

Matt McQuillan will also be in the final stage while a wave of other Canadian professionals are currently working their way through first stage in hopes of joining them. 

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Lots on the line for Canucks

There's lots on the line for Canadians today in Sea Island, Ga., as the McGladrey Classic tees off.

The most obvious is the race for 2012 playing privileges and, in one case, a PGA Tour card (the difference is noted for Richard Zokol, who likes to remind they are not the same thing).

David Hearn has a card and 2012 privileges and is home and cooled out. No worries but he'd like to move up the money list and, possibly, get a win.

Matt McQuillan, who has a card, wants to retain his playing privileges by moving up from 132, his present spot, into the top 125. He'll have this week and next to accomplish that.

Adam Hadwin doesn't have a PGA Tour card, but would like to earn enough to get one or at least move into the top 150 so he can jump to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School. You can see what he needs to do here. He only has this week to do it unless he either finishes in the top 10 or gets another exemption next week.

Stephen Ames is playing because he can use the reps and because this is the time of year he usually shines. He is exempt on the PGA Tour for the next two years so he doesn't need to worry about his spot on the money list.

And then there's Richard Scott, the three-time Canadian Amateur champion and a member of the 2005 NCAA champions while at Georgia. He Monday qualified for the event and will be looking to get his feet wet in the big leagues. It's overdue for a guy with his talent and hopefully it leads to more.

It all gets started today.

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The big finale

So here we go, the last week of the official PGA Tour season. Somehow it's appropriate that it's all coming down to a week at Disney World.

A number of Canadians have a lot on the line as they tee it up in the land of Mickey and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.

David Hearn is not one of those. As has been reported, the Brantford, Ont., native is home and cooled out. He held on to his position on the money list at 102nd and will keep his fully exempt status for 2012, a great achievement.

Stephen Ames, a two-time winner of the tournament, fell two spots last week to 134th but is already fully exempt next year thanks to his wins at this tournament which are tacked on after his five-year Players Championship exemption ran out this year.

Adam Hadwin, as has been reported on this site, is done for the year as far as PGA Tour events. He finished last in the McGladrey Classic on the weekend, earning $8,000. That wasn't enough to get him Special Temporary Member status (for the year, he won $440,752 in five starts) and he didn't receive a sponsor exemption into the field this week nor is there any Monday qualifying. He'll take a week off then play the Canadian Tour stop in California before heading to second stage of Q-School.

Chris Baryla, who has been playing for much of the last while with a broken bone in his foot, is playing this week and would likely need to win for any hope of retaining his fully exempt status for next year.

And then there's Matt McQuillan, perhaps the most interesting Canadian of them all this week. He picked up $29,000 at the McGladrey and merely held on to his spot at 132nd. Tough league! He will need to move up into the top 125 for fully exempt status for next year or, if he stays inside the top 150, he'll get some starts as well as Nationwide status. It will be a big week for the Kingston, Ont., native. He has been playing exceptionally well of late so perhaps he's set for a big finish.

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Friday Fringe: Post-turkey edition

Friday Fringe: Post-turkey edition

*** Is David Hearn becoming Mr. October? The Brantford, Ont., native has won roughly $280,000 in the last two weeks and, after a fine 65 on Thursday, heading towards another good payday this week at the McGladrey Classic. But that doesn't mean he has forgotten his roots. Here's the poignant story of Ed O'Leary, the ailing golf writer in Hearn's hometown, and how the golfer has stayed in touch. Nice work by Lorne Rubenstein.

*** One, two, three, four, I declare a blogger war. Ian Hutchinson and Robert Thompson go back and forth over the value of golf course rankings and whether Cabot Links will be a success in the comments section at the end of Hutch's blog here. Hutch wades in again with another blog on the topic here. Hope Thompson will respond. I need something to read at lunchtime.

*** I guess you can sort of understand why Golf Canada would punt leading golf instructor and coach Ralph Bauer after only one year. Derek Ingram was brought over from the women's team to coach the men's team and he wanted his own assistant. It's like a general manager in hockey wanting his own coach. However, I think the Team Canada will miss Bauer, who is probably about the best coach currently working in Canada. All he's done is help David Hearn become the most successful golfer of the year in Canada. In my mind, it's short-sighted. Rubenstein has the details.

*** The top college golfers from across Canada will tee off next week for bragging rights. Players from 18 Canadian institutions will compete in the championship, being held at Brudenell River Golf Course in Roseneath, P.E.I., starting Tuesday. PING is the gracious sponsor of the tournament.

*** It was a good week to be Wong. Eugene and Christine Wong, had a first and second respectively in collegiate play. Eugene, a highly touted senior at the University of Oregon, hopes his play has righted his ship after a year of mediocre play. Brad Zeimer reports on the West Coast duo.

*** Richard Zokol sent me a thoughtful email after yesterday's blog when I mentioned the difference between having a card, a term used loosely by the press, and having exempt status. Having a card means being a member of the PGA Tour. Zokol has a card, for example. But he does not have any status. Matt McQuillan and David Hearn are PGA Tour members and therefore have a card. Adam Hadwin is not a member and therefore doesn't have a card. Where I erred yesterday was in saying that McQuillan needed to move into the top 125 to have playing privileges. He will have that if he stays inside the top 150, but if he wants exempt status, he'll need to get inside the top 125. Everyone clear?

*** Reduce, recycle and reuse. . . that's the business plan for Golf Ball Planet which is making a name for itself in recycling golf balls. It claims to have brought back more than a million in the past two decades. I wonder how many of those were mine?

*** In a surprise to no one, the ratings for the Fall Series are waaaay up. Thank you Tiger Woods.

*** And just in case you missed it, here is my attempt to hit the 102-yard 14th hole at Cabot Links, the soon-to-be-completely opened golf course in Inverness, N.S., in 110 km/hr winds that hammered the East Coast last week. For the record, I ended up on the front edge of the green. And perhaps more importantly, two days later, folks were out playing the course in shorts as 19-degree weather rolled in. I have great timing.

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A future in golf?

ReplyBlaine Posted: Nov 10, 2011

About 15 years ago, I made that same decision. I was in my second year as a club pro and after working only 7.5 months out of the year for about $1500 a month PRE-TAX (yes, you read that right - an annual salary of $10,500), I realised that if I wanted to reach some financial goals (buy a house, save for retirement) and start a family, there was absolutely NO way it was going to be done in the golf business.

If you are young and still living at home, I think it could be workable, or if your spouse has a very good paying job, you can pursue that goal, but people need to realise that being a golf pro is not a glamourous profession. You work very long hours (12 hour days), and get few days off during the golf season. In my second year as a pro, I only had one instance where I had two consecutive days off that entire year! So much for being able to get away from the course to re-charge.

If you live in a city that has a long winter, you might only work 7-9 months of the year. Lastly, despite working in a facility where people are supposed to be recreating and having fun, you endure complaints all the time (slow play, rough is too long, greens are too slow, pin was too far back to the right, can't get a tee time etc.).

There are lots to like about working as a pro (developing relationships with members, having a certain status as a pro), but unless you are a head pro, it's an average job. You are not going to get rich being a pro, which is likely why so many young players nowadays are trying to play on the Canadian Tour rather than work in a pro shop. The money might be almost as good, an you'll probably have a lot more fun with a huge upside if you are a really good player. 

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Who is Canada's POY?

Finally, after a ridiculous delay, the ballots for the PGA Tour's player of the year voting are out. Graciously, it's put five names on the ballot: Luke Donald, Keegan Bradley, Bill Haas, Webb Simpson and Nick Watney.

It really should be no contest although I said the same last year for rookie of the year won by Rickie Fowler, not Rory McIlroy.

In any case, what if Canadian golf was to have a player of the year? It certainly wouldn't have five names on the ballot, but probably three.

Would you vote for Adam Hadwin, David Hearn or Rod Spittle? I think you can safely make a choice for any of them.

Who would you pick?

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MMO: Stricker, Woods will be tough

Monday Morning Observer:

*** With a fine performance at the Aussie Open, will Tiger Woods become a factor at the Presidents Cup this week? Quite possibly. Woods' game appears to be rounding into shape quite nicely if the Australian Open is any indication. And, with the format played in the team event, it will be easier for Tiger's mistakes to cost him. At least as long as he has a good partner. It appears his favourite playing companion, Steve Stricker, is saying he's healthy and ready to go which might mean a tough team for the Internationals to overcome.

*** Woods, by the way, jumps up to 50th in the Official World Golf Ranking this week after his third-place finish at the Australian Open. However he won't have a chance to earn any more points until next year, so that's where he'll finish the 2011 campaign.

*** This week, 25 Canadians and one Canadian resident, will tee it up in the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School. Chris Baryla and Jon Mills will join the battle here after disappointing seasons on the PGA and Nationwide tours respectively. You can follow the round-by-round progress of all the Canucks here.

*** Three Canadians will also be fighting against extremely long odds to try and make the Champions Tour through its Q-School. Ian Doig, Jim Rutledge and Rick Gibson will try to grab one of the five spots available to the field of 78. Seven more get conditional spots. Here's a good story on the two longtime Victoria pals, Rutledge and Gibson. By the way, why aren't Rut and Gibber in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame?

*** If you think John Daly has worn out his welcome, think again. While he's certainly at the end of his rope after his peformance Down Under (which he kind of defends here), I'd be surprised if he doesn't garner at least a handful of sponsor exemptions in North America and Europe this coming season. Why would a tournament want to have John in the field if there's a chance he might pull a stunt as he did in Australia? Because he is still a huge draw as evidenced by the crowds that followed him at the RBC Canadian Open. It's a bit like going to the stock car races and hoping for a bang up, but folks will still turn out to see the player who used to be great.

*** I've only heard of the "growing world of fitness pole dancing" in passing but according to a release, it's responsible for a new product being offered to golfers. Grip enhancer iTac2 is used by fitness pole dancers to maintain their grip on the pole. Yup, pole dancers. According to a release: "iTac2 really allows you to stick to the pole without feeling like you have a death grip on it," said Natasha Wang, current US Pole Dance Champion, who uses iTac2 to get a solid grip on the pole without sacrificing mobility." Now it's being offered up to golfers as a way to keep contact with the club in wet or humid or cold conditions. Apparently it doesn't leave any residue, won't harm your grips and washes right off. More details are here.

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Remembrance Day

Today is a day to remember.

This past summer, I played in the second annual Private Michael Freeman Memorial Golf Tournament, near Peterborough, Ont. The tournament, started and run by Michael's father, Mark, pays tribute to a young man who died while serving in Afghanistan.

If you go here, you can see my talk from last year's Remembrance Day, that has some footage of Michael golfing in Afghanistan - it's riveting, I assure you.

I was lucky enough to play with Sgt. Mike McColeman, who has made three tours of duty in Afghanistan as well as one in Bosnia. It was a tremendous honour to spend the day in his company and to hear his stories of working to make things better in that country, about the times he laughed with his pals and then cried as they were killed.

Meeting those members of our military is so humbling for me and to be able to thank them with a round of golf through a wonderful tournament is something I'll continue to do as long as I can.

I hope you feel the same. I urge you to do something to honour our men and women of the Armed Forces, past and present.

Watch a Remembrance Day service on television.

Better yet, take part of your day and go to a service in your area.

Make a donation to one of the many wonderful charities that helps our troops. I support the Canadian Hero Fund's 11 for 11 campaign (11for11.ca), which raises money for educational scholarships for the kids of the fallen.

And if you see a veteran, young or old, thank them., buy them a drink or a sandwich or take them golfing.

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Friday Fringe: trick or treat edition

**** Lost in the announcement of changes to the Rules of Golf was an alteration that would prevent golf from getting another Disco Dick. That was the nickname given to Richard Zokol back in the day when he used a Walkman between shots to help him relax and focus (even though he swears he wasn’t listening to disco music!). Geoff Shackelford has the details on the new Rule 14-3/17.

**** Spent a long weekend in the Bahamas a few weeks back, the first time I’d been to that particular Caribbean nation and really fell in love with the Ocean Course, a Tom Weiskopf design. Oh and the resort we stayed at, the One and Only Ocean Club, was truly amazing. Here’s my video report:

**** Looks like the Canadian Tour may be headed to the Kingston area, Gananoque to be exact. Nothing official from the Tour office but  this story in the Whig says the groundwork has been set for a new event in the Ontario city. 

**** In case you missed it, here’s a story by Brad Zeimer from the Vancouver Sun on Brent Franklin turning down an opportunity to be feted for induction to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Not that he doesn’t love the honour, just that he’s no interested in the party that traditionally goes with these inductions. It’s hard to believe that Franklin hasn’t played competitive golf for about 15 years now. Lots of Canadians may not realize just how talented he was, but he was definitely something special. For the record, he went six straight years winning a Canadian championship and was the first Canadian golfer to win $1 million in a year, long before purses were Tiger-boosted. 

**** A nice crop of B.C. golfers was honoured Thursday night at the Golf Hall of Fame of B.C. induction ceremony this week. Jim Rutledge, Dawn Coe-Jones, Cec Ferguson, the late Bob Kidd and the late Walter McElroy. All are deserving and it brings to 25 the number of honoured members. You can read more about each of the individuals here. 

**** Speaking of halls of fame, Henry Brunton, teacher extrordinaire, got the nod into the North Grenville Hall of Fame (that’s kind of Ottawa Valley, Ontario, for folks not in the know). Bet you didn't know there was a North Grenville Hall of Fame. Wonder if he has a chance at the South Grenville Hall of Fame? The report. 

**** I had a chance to chat with Mike Weir this week. He’s already chipping and putting and this week, hit half shots with a sand wedge. No pain, progress is good but still no timetable for a return to competitive play. 

**** Don’t forget you can follow the progress of Canadians in the first stage of Q-School with our tracker here. 

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What should be the punishment?

So what should happen to Steve Williams?

That seems to be the question being asked all over golf this morning and the responses range from nothing to a suspension to banning him from the game entirely.

I think to have him go without any punishment says a lot - too much probably - about golf and its old boy club. Golf's history of racism (not to mention sexism or religious persecution) is well known and not entirely a thing of the past.

For that reason, the governing bodies, the people who work with Williams and stakeholders in the game needed to take a stronger stance to the insensitive remarks.

What do you think the response would be if the comments had come from a player rather than a caddie?

Whether he likes it or not, Williams is a public figure. And he's also too smart to know that despite the fact the caddie dinner where he made the remarks was supposed to be a closed-door affair, anything said was likely to leak out. That's society today. Anything said into a microphone is likely to end up in a public space, be it Youtube or Facebook or Twitter.

I don't believe Williams is a racist in the worst sense of the word but that doesn't matter. He said what he did and there needs to be some sort of response.

What Adam Scott wants to do is up to him. He's elected to keep Williams on and that's his prerogative. What an outfit such as the PGA Tour does, however, is important and by doing nothing but issuing a statement that essentially says don't do it again, it really shows the Tour has no stones.

Of course the wisest thing that could be done in this would be for Williams to quietly disappear back to New Zealand until the start of next season and hope that by that time, it would be less of an issue.

So today's question is: what do you think should be done?

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Cabot Links destined for greatness

Yesterday I had a chance to look at Cabot Links, the much-lauded course that is set to open all 18 holes next spring. It's the only true links course in Canada, sitting on a strip of scrub land in Inverness, Nova Scotia.

Perhaps more importantly, it's one of very few pure golf courses; nothing has been compromised at the expense of the course. There are no housing developments planned, no accompanying resorts slated. This is about a golf course, which is as it should be.

Our arrival was timed perfectly for one of the strongest wind storms of the year, with gusts up to 110 km/h strafing the course. Still, as only pure golfers would do, we ventured out to play just a few holes. I even hit a driver on the 102-yard sixth hole, although it was a little bit too much club. You can see the video here.

The Rod Whitman-designed course is simply exceptional. It hugs the coastline of this Cape Breton town, working back and forth at the start, before heading out to the ninth hole, which sits by the Inverness wharf, and then skirts back along the coast before returning to finish just a few metres in front of the clubhouse.

It's hard to put the true sense of what has been created here into a short blog but this is a course unlike any other in Canada. It is as close to Scottish or Irish golf as you'll see in this country, maybe this continent. All those other courses that call themselves links? A visit here will tell you what links golf is all about.

Speaking with people in the town provides another aspect to this story. As Rankin McDonald, the editor of the Inverness Oran, the local bugle, told me, this course is a saviour for the town and perhaps the most important thing to hit it since the coal mines shut down in the 1950s. More recently, the shuttering of the paper mill in Port Hawkesbury has devastated the local economy as close to 50 per cent of the citizens here had direct or indirect employment through that mill.

Ben Cowan-Dewar, the man behind the project, has been praised in almost all corners or the community. (There is a small group of folks who aren't happy about the course, primarily because it changed some beach access.) He is the man who finally turned this course from an idea to a reality. There have been many false starts in the past with architects such as Graham Cooke and Jack Nicklaus having built designs for the land. The locals can be forgiven for being skeptical.

Cowan-Dewar is a golf lover but perhaps more importantly, a golf course lover. He left Bay Street and moved his young family to Cape Breton to complete this project. The enthusiasm that flows from his every pore when it comes to golf is contagious and his love of Cabot Links is evident at every turn.

His vision for the course has remained steadfast - pure golf. No carts, but caddies are available. No massive clubhouse, a small but efficient building of unique design. (some says it was created to look like the opening to one of the now closed coal mines. Cowan-Dewar said it was the creation of the architect.)

Some accommodation was being constructed when we were there and it will be the perfect spot to crash at the end of a 36-hole day, perhaps with a glass of single malt nearby. It won't be the Four Seasons and that's all right.

This is going to be a destination for golf, a place where buddies will come, where fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters will play together on a special visit.

As great a course as Cabot Links will be - and trust me, it will be a great one - it will be an even better golf experience. Maybe the best.

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Friday Fringe: Fall back edition

Friday Fringe: Extra hour of sleep edition

*** Marty McSorley, 95. Ozzie Smith, 89. Mark Bellhorn, 87. Jermaine Dye, 86. Those are the first-round scores of contestants in the Canadian Tour’s Desert Dunes Classic. Lots of folks have a tough time with allowing these celebrities to play in an official event. I don’t. If you’re going to sell a developmental circuit based in the frozen North in California, I’m afraid the Canadian Tour players won’t do it for most folks. Watching old athletes shoot high scores will and so that’s why you bring them out. This is a business folks and as unfortunate as all that is, it’s necessary. By the way, Stuart Anderson leads at eight under. 

*** In any case, it appears the Canadian Tour may have bigger things to worry about than whether celebs are teeing it up in its tournaments. According to Robert Thompson, the Tour is in financial troubles and is talking to the PGA Tour as its saviour. 

*** Lost amid the news that former amateur stars Nick Taylor and Matt Hill failed to make it past first stage at the PGA Tour’s Q-School, is the fact that they are among six Canadians who made it through first stage at the European Tour’s Qualifying School. They join Andrew Parr, Matt Johnston, Mike Mezei and Lindsay Reynolds at second stage, which will be held Dec. 2-5 at four locations in Spain. It’s hard to remember the last time a Canadian played the Euro Tour full time but I’m thinking it was Jim Rutledge who last played there in 1992.

*** Sales of belly putters are way, way up say the manufacturers I’ve met with over the last month. They might not be so excited to see this, an invention that turns your regular putter into a belly putter. 

*** Got it wrong? Hmmmm. . . quite a sensational headline and deck on this story. I don’t think you can get anything like this right or wrong, just a different opinion. 

*** Apparently Brendan Steele isn't happy that the PGA Tour gave Adam Hadwin a pass to final stage of the Qualifying School. Here's a Tweet from earlier this week: 

"Interesting that the PGA tour changed the Q School exemption category for one player. I hope they are ready to deal with that in the future."*** Tiger Woods was in Singapore this week and announced that he’s healthy, swinging well and ready for the Presidents Cup. But my eyes caught this line of the story that described what he did while in Singapore. 

Woods visited nightspots and held a private clinic during his brief stopover, and stunned recreational players after turning up unannounced at a Singapore golf course.

 Not golfed and then visited nightspots, but visited nightspots, then golfed. Hmmm. . . 

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Nike's new gear

I spent a day last week in New York City getting a look at the what Nike Golf has coming down the pipeline for next year. Some of the new gear will be released early next month while there's another wave slated for early next year. I'm allowed to talk about the first stuff, not so much the second. Mum's the word.

We started looking at apparel and footwear, the strength of the Nike line for many shops. The new TW line is pretty sharp. Apparently with all his time off, Tiger was deeply involved in helping to design the clothes, and he was focused on getting lots of stretch to allow him to turn without any impingement.

The line has some very cool designs, matte black snaps, no-sew seams and very sharp designs. One that we saw had a thin black line going around the bottom edge of the collar which looked amazing. It's all very sharp and you'll start to see Tiger wear it very soon.

And the big feature of it is that it's lighter. In fact, overall in Tiger's wardrobe, there's been a 20 per cent reduction in weight. That may not sound like much but you can feel its significance.

I also really liked the Warm Motion Polo, a shirt that looks as if it is a layered with a compression layer on the arms with a polo over top.

But the really neat line, to me, was the Nike Golf Sport line, which is sort of a relaxed, throw-back look made from Dri-fit cotton. It features an oversized Swoosh on the left front and just drips of cool. Apparently during a photo shoot for the catalogue, Anthony Kim took home the samples he loved them so much.

In footwear, the big story is actually about what's next, although there are some very sharp-looking shoes in the mix. But there's lots of talk and focus on the Nike Free-inspired shoes that Tiger's been wearing lately.

If you're a runner, you might know there's a trend to minimalism in footwear, shoes that let your feet work

as they were made to, which allows them and the muscles in the lower leg to strengthen.

These golf shoes are along the same lines. They are in prototype stage right now and will likely appear sometime next summer and there are thoughts that it could be a game-changer in the footwear market.

On sale next, however, will be the TW12, which has the Lunarlon cushioning technology which makes it seem like you're walking on marshmallows.

The other neat line is the Nike Dunk, based on the famous old basketball shoe. It has a cool old-school look and while a little heavier than say the new TW12, it's certain to sell well.

Overall, Nike's apparel and footwear line is very appealing and very smart. The company has taken some chances no doubt, but then again, it wouldn't be Nike if it didn't.

Next time: Nike Clubs.

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Friday Fringe: last event edition

Friday Fringe

*** Spent a day in New York City this week getting a sneak preview of the new Nike clubs and apparel for 2012 (full blog coming next week). They have some big winners in their lineup but I love the Nike Dunk, golf version, which looks like a retro basketball shoe, except it has spikes and waterproof leather. Not surprising since it's based on a 26-year-old basketball shoe design. It's very cool, in my humble opinion.

*** Matt McQuillan's hope of getting into the top 125 comes down to today's round. He needs to make the cut to have a shot at moving up the money list. His hometown bugle, the Whig-Standard, spells it all out.

*** The new PGA Tour Latinoamerica looks promising, especially since it will reportedly award spots onto the Nationwide Tour. For Canadian Tour players, it also looks enticing as it will start just as the CanTour season ends. However it's primarily targeted at players from Latin America and we wonder how it will affect the co-sanctioned tournaments the CanTour presently runs with the Tour de las Americas, which will be folded into this new circuit once it finishes up the present season.

*** Lots of people in these parts take up golf to help improve their chances at business, seeing as how so many executives like to tee it up. But not so in Vietnam. Transport Minister Dinh La Than said "Over the last years, some leaders of agencies and companies have showed their inattentive attitude at work, which has affected the progress of public projects and developments," Thang's directive said.

"One of the reasons for their loose management is that they had spent too much time playing golf, even during weekends."

Even on weekends! Imagine!

Well not so fast says one of the bureaucrat's affected by the request.

*** I'm surprised no one thought of this before, but they've come out with an alcoholized version of the famous Arnold Palmer, that's half iced tea and half lemonade. I know guys at my club have been mixing it with booze for a long time. (and yes, the teenager in me snickered at the name).

*** Come one, admit it. We've all secretly wanted to do what Roger Deadman did to this "crapping maching."

*** In case you were wondering, here's how the top Canadians fare in the Official World Golf Ranking: Adam Hadwin, 222; David Hearn, 237; Stephen Ames, 261; Matt McQuillan, 330; Graham Delaet, 485; Jon Mills, 521; Roger Sloan, 530; Dustin Risdon, 580; Stuart Anderson, 629; Danny Sahl, 634; Mike Weir, 709.

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