In this edition of Forward Press, Golfweek’s David Dusek chats with Steve DiMeglio about the unofficial start of the 2021 PGA Tour season, how COVID-19 will continue to shape the world of golf, who (if anyone) can take the World No. 1 spot away from DJ and more.
In this edition of Forward Press, Golfweek’s David Dusek chats with Golfweek’s travel editor and creative director, Jason Lusk, about how the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the golf resort and travel industry, the best golf courses that opened in 2020, and when/where you should plan your next golf trip.
An Amazon delivery truck got stuck in a golf cart tunnel Nov. 7 at Boulder Pointe Golf Club in Oxford, Michigan.
An Amazon driver found he was a few strokes high at a Michigan golf course over the weekend.
Bill Offer spotted something unusual blocking his way through a cart tunnel about 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Boulder Pointe Golf Club in Oxford, Michigan, where he works as outside services supervisor.
It was an Amazon delivery truck, wedged about six feet into the tunnel between the Dunes course ninth green and the clubhouse, he said.
He went over to the driver, who told him his GPS had led him there, Offer said.
“I said, ‘You couldn’t have been, you’re on a cart path,’” Offer said.
The driver was apologetic and seemingly rather embarrassed, however, Offer said.
Apparently, the driver took a wrong turn and didn’t realize his truck wouldn’t fit in the tunnel, which runs under a road, Offer said. To the driver’s credit, it was a two-way cart path that looks like the width of a road.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and a tow truck was called, along with another Amazon truck, which took on the packages from the crashed vehicle, Offer said.
“I was a little upset and right away I realized this guy felt like there was no rock to crawl under,” Offer said.
Golf carts were rerouted around the crash, but golfers still stopped to take their phones out to snap a photo, Offer said.
Luckily, a nearby wedding paid no notice to the commotion.
Jokes certainly caught air at the club and online, after he posted his own photo, with one such jest about a missing delivery of golf clubs, Offer said.
It was a strange day in a few ways, with summer temperatures in November, Offer said. Still, the crash stands out among anything he’s handled at the club.
“You don’t expect somebody to mistake a golf cart path … and get a delivery truck stuck in it,” he said.
A new study by TheLeftRough has discovered that, since 1999, Californians have made more holes-in-one than golfers from any other state.
The hole-in-one, golf’s Holy Grail. One club, one stroke, one ball in the cup. Even the best in the world struggle to pull it off.
Tiger Woods himself has made only 20 holes-in-one over a professional career that spans 23 years, with 82 PGA Tour wins and counting. Interestingly, 19 of Woods’ 20 aces came before his 26th birthday.
By that particular metric, Norman Manley has Tiger Woods beat.
Wait, who? Manley was an electric designer from Culver City, California, who made his first hole-in-one in 1963 at 40 years of age. A once-per-lifetime achievement, right? Except Manley, who never got within shouting distance of professional golf, racked up a total of 59 aces over the course of his life. 59. It’s a world record that still stands.
Another Californian, Elsie McLean, holds the record for oldest golfer to ever make a hole-in-one. In 2007, she aced the 100-yard fourth at Bidwell Park Golf Course in Chico at 102 years old.
Meanwhile, we find Jake Paine at the other end of the spectrum. In 2001, at three years old, he made an ace from 66 yards on the Lake Forest Golf and Practice Course. Where is this course located? You guessed it: California.
While it appears Californians have a knack for making holes-in-one, a new study corroborates that claim. This research, collected by TheLeftRough, analyzed nearly 30,000 aces scored since 1999 to discover which Americans are most likely to make one and what states they are from.
The top five states where the most talented (or most fortunate) golfers reside, and the number of holes-in-one each state has recorded, are as follows:
But the plot thickens when you factor in the number of golf courses located in each state. Based on research from Travel Magazine, here are America’s top five states based on course count:
Florida – 1,250
California – 921
Texas – 907
New York – 832
Michigan – 650
The same five suspects present themselves, but in a curiously different order. Californians have made 316 more aces than Floridians despite having about 329 fewer golf courses in their home state.
The study also revealed that the eighth hole was the most common ace location, with 2,701 holes-in-one taking place there. Holes No. 3 (2,422) and No. 7 (2,180) came in second and third, respectively.
Moreover, players using a 7 iron found the most success with 2,938. An 8 iron and a 6 iron round out the top three, with 2,819 and 2,350 aces respectively.
“It’s interesting to see Californians hitting so many holes-in-one — especially when it’s nearly 500 more than any other state — you have to wonder what training they’re doing out there on the west coast,” said Charlie Parsons, founder of TheLeftRough.
“We’re planning to make this research a recurring thing, so that we can track how holes-in-one in the U.S. are changing — who knows, maybe Florida will surpass California this time next year.”
Quigley played in 278 consecutive events he was eligible for on the PGA Tour Champions, one of the safest records in sports.
Few people on this planet have played as much golf as Dana Quigley has the last half-century.
From 1997 to 2005, the Juno Beach, Florida, resident played in 278 consecutive events he was eligible for on the PGA Tour Champions, one of the safest records in sports. To repeat: Quigley didn’t skip an event for almost a decade — when he was in his 50s.
And when the ironman wasn’t playing for money, Quigley would tee it up every day at Bear Lakes Country Club, where he had a longtime home off the 15th fairway. Usually, it was 36 holes a day.
“I would say Dana has played a round of golf almost every day of his life since he was 20,” said Brett Quigley, Dana’s nephew, who also is a professional golfer.
But nobody can play golf in Palm Beach County – at least not legally – since Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner announced courses would close March 26 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dana Quigley.
For Dana Quigley, no golf is akin to no food or water. The 72-year-old needed the sport to overcome alcoholism and he relied on the game again when his son, Devon, almost died from a car accident in 2011.
It’s almost a good thing, then, that Quigley underwent heart surgery on March 9, forcing him to take time off from the game. He had an operation after his doctor noticed a heart murmur during a routine physical.
He couldn’t play golf now if he wanted to.
“That would have killed me,” Quigley said of not being able to play golf if he was healthy. “I don’t know how I would have done that. I still love the game and still have a passion for the game. I hope to start playing golf again in May – if we are allowed to.”
“I wouldn’t be playing golf now for the same reason I stopped drinking – I didn’t want to hurt some innocent family (by driving drunk). You have to have compassion for others.”
— Dana Quigley
While some of his friends continue to play by traveling to private courses in Martin County or courses in St. Lucie County, where golf is still allowed if the players practice social distancing, Quigley makes it clear he would not be playing golf these days.
The risk is not worth the reward, to use a golf term.
“I respect the pandemic a lot more than I do not playing golf,” Quigley said. “This is really a serious deal. We should all be doing our part not to infect anyone else. I worry about my family and I worry about people my age who are more vulnerable.
“I wouldn’t be playing golf now for the same reason I stopped drinking – I didn’t want to hurt some innocent family (by driving drunk). You have to have compassion for others.”
Brett Quigley, who won his second start on the PGA Tour Champions in February after battling injuries for seven years, said he’s happy his uncle doesn’t have the temptation to play golf.
“The virus shut down the world, and he doesn’t even have an option,” Brett said. “That’s the greatest blessing of all. I know he would push it. It has to be absolutely eating him up inside that he can’t be playing.”
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For Dana Quigley, the only thing as bad as not playing golf is not being able to watch live golf on TV, especially with this being Masters week (though the Masters has been postponed until November).
He can’t watch the Masters. He can’t watch his buddies (and Brett) playing on the PGA Tour Champions. He can’t watch European golf in the mornings.
He can’t watch any golf where the winner can’t be googled.
Quigley said he had no interest in watching, say, ESPN’s replay of Jack Nicklaus’ memorable victory at the 1986 Masters or any other taped events from Augusta National this week.
“Not being able to watch live golf on TV really hurts,” Quigley said. “I know the outcome and I try not to live in the past. It was great entertainment at the time, but it doesn’t do much for me now.”
Quigley’s story is one of the more unique ones in golf. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to play on the PGA Tour, instead working as a PGA Professional in New England.
Turning 50 opened a new world for him on the PGA Tour Champions, where he won 11 tournaments and earned more than $16 million. In 2005, he won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the Player of the Year on the 50-and-older circuit. At 58, he was the oldest winner until Boca Raton resident Bernhard Langer broke that mark.
Dana remains in close contact with his son, Devon, who lives in Rhode Island with his mom and sister. Dana writes a spiritual update on his son every day on a Caring Bridge page.
Dana is taking 4-mile daily walks with his wife, Angie, as he recovers from his recent surgery. Does he think about golf?
“Every single day,” Dana said. “At least I’m not dreaming about it anymore.”
He has targeted May as a return to golf – if the golf courses have re-opened.
“I can’t stand the thought that I’m going to come back as an old man and I’m going to have to figure out how to score popping it 200 yards down the middle,” he said.
LPGA International is a popular diversion for drivers and race fans during Speedweeks in the run-up to the Daytona 500.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As if negotiating the 2.5-mile trioval track and its 31-degree banked turns at Daytona International Speedway isn’t enough to keep NASCAR drivers busy, there’s a completely different set of challenges waiting seven miles away by car. Hopefully, that is, in much slower cars than will be driven Feb. 16 during the Daytona 500.
LPGA International with its two tracks, the Rees Jones and Arthur Hills signature courses, is a popular diversion for drivers and race fans looking for a game of their own during Speedweeks, for which the green flag drops Feb. 8 in the run-up to the Daytona 500.
And LPGA International is ready to show off. After being acquired by course operator Fore Golf Partners in the fall of 2019, the two courses and clubhouse have received more than $1.3 million in investment that has improved turf quality, repaired flood-prone bunkers, rehabbed range amenities and bolstered the overall playing experience.
The work, as well as the proximity to the track, has helped restore LPGA International’s position as a standout golf destination along Central Florida’s Atlantic coast. It’s a solid option for the 10 million tourists that the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates visit the area each year for events including the Daytona 500, Daytona Bike Week in March and the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August, as well as those who visit just to relax at the beach.
“This will be my first race week, but from what I understand, it gets a little crazy,” said LPGA International general manager Michael Johnson, who stepped into his role in October. “A bunch of the drivers, the crew members, some of the local entertainment, they set up their little outings and we’ll have quite a few groups out here that are involved with the Daytona 500.”
Since Johnson arrived, his staff has been on a race of its own to complete various projects and deferred maintenance. Among the largest of those efforts was repairing the drainage for many of the bunkers on the Jones course.
“When I came and toured the property in September, I would guess nearly 50 percent of those bunkers were completely filled in with water,” Johnson said. “We had some pretty good rain over the past few weeks, and it appears all the work we did with the bunkers and drainage seems to have worked. With a great deal of rain, there’s not any standing water anywhere. Much improved.”
Fore Golf Partners also brought in course superintendent Ken Doerfler, who purchased new equipment to better handle the overgrown rough that swallowed golf balls. On a recent 36-hole day on which this writer played both courses, the firm greens were rolling smoothly and the fairways were playing relatively fast for a Florida course in winter.
“The fairways have responded well,” Johnson said. “They were a little hungry when we got here. We fed them, and they’re looking pretty healthy now.”
The Arthur Hills Signature Course at LPGA International (Courtesy of LPGA International)
The two courses offer different experiences. The Jones is much more wide open, allowing players to swing away off the tee. The Hills is tighter and much more of a target course, playing through thick woodlands with more wetlands in play.
“On the Jones, you can grip it and rip it,” Johnson said. “It will challenge you, but the defense of the golf course is going to be the green complexes. There’s going to be some mounding, some subtle break and some bunkering that will protect the golf course. But if you can cover the distance, you can score.
“The Hills course can be a little more penal at times, with the mounding and the forced carries. It’s going to challenge the best golfers, and selecting the correct tee box on the Hills course is going to be one of the most important things to make sure you’re playing the right yardages to the wide parts of the fairways. If you play too far back, the fairways can feel pretty narrow. If you’re playing too far forward, the course gets even more narrow.”
All the work should help restore the former home of the final stage of LPGA qualifying school. Green fees during Daytona 500 week are $129 with a $40 replay rate for players who want to try all 36 in a day.
But LPGA International is not alone in providing a place to play near the racetrack. Here are several other options for race fans who pencil in a little time for golf around Daytona Beach:
Victoria Hills Golf Club in Deland, Fla. (Courtesy of Victoria Hills)
Victoria Hills Golf Club
About 20 miles southwest of the racetrack in Deland along the Interstate 4 corridor to Orlando, Victoria Hills ranks No. 15 in Florida on Golfweek’s public-access list of Best Courses You Can Play. The Ron Garl design features surprising terrain and frequently elevated tee boxes to give the course the feel of a North Carolina track much more than a typical Florida course.
Hammock Beach’s Ocean Course (Courtesy of Hammock Beach)
Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa
About 35 miles north of the speedway in Palm Coast, Hammock Beach operates two 18s that rank among the best on Golfweek’s list of public-access courses in Florida. The Ocean Course, a Jack Nicklaus design that has been regrassed and refurbished in recent years and that features six holes along the Atlantic, is No. 10 on the list. The inland Conservatory Course, built by Tom Watson, ranks No. 18 in the state. The courses are part of a huge Salamander beach resort with one of the best pool complexes in the state.
Daytona Beach Golf Club with portions of the South and North course showing. (Courtesy of Daytona Beach Golf Club)
Daytona Beach Golf Club’s South Course
This municipal track is scruffy in spots, but after a recent round there, this writer can vouch that it’s a locals’ favorite and does a booming business. The South Course boasts a Donald Ross pedigree, but nobody would confuse it with Pinehurst No. 2. All in all, it’s a breezy little community track that stretches 6,229 yards and provides a decent value golf experience. Located less than five miles from Daytona International Speedway, it’s a reasonable spot for a break from the Speedweeks crush of tourists without requiring too much time on the road. The facility is also home to the 6,338-yard North Course designed by Lloyd Clifton. The North features newly regrassed TifEagle greens that were expanded to offer more hole locations.
New Smyrna Golf Club
Located about 18 miles from Daytona International Speedway, this course also boasts a Ross design tag and, like Daytona Beach Country Club, is part of the Florida Historic Golf Trail. The 6,567-yard course offers wide fairways and is an ideal setting for inexperienced players and social golf after a 2016 renovation focused on reducing bunker size to make the course more playable.
Streamsong Resort’s first two courses, the Blue and the Red, will have new grass installed on their greens over the next two years.
BOWLING GREEN, Fla. – Streamsong Resort’s first two courses, the Blue and the Red, will have new grass – a Bermudagrass named Mach One – installed on their greens over the next two years. The Blue will come first in 2020 and the Red will follow in 2021, with each course closed during the slower summer months for installation and other related touchups.
That will leave 36 of 54 holes open during each course’s installation at the resort, which is about 90 miles southwest of Orlando and 50 miles southeast of Tampa.
The greens on both courses appear to be in great shape currently, rolling smooth with a fair amount of speed during recent rounds, but slight mutations to the current grass surfaces have encouraged resort managers to undertake the re-grassing to maintain first-rate putting surfaces well into the future.
The resort operates three courses. The Blue was designed by Tom Doak, opened in 2012 and is No. 4 on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for Florida’s public-access courses. The Red was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and also opened in 2012, and it is No. 2 on that list of Florida courses. The newer Black course, designed by Gil Hanse and opened in 2017, is No. 3 on that list.
A group of Golfweek’s course raters at Streamsong for Golfweek’s Architecture Summit last week were treated not only to terrific golf but a series of expert seminars, and they got an early look at a Mach One putting surface. During an early-morning presentation at the Red and Blue courses’ practice putting and chipping green, Rusty Mercer, Streamsong’s director of Agronomy, announced that the Blue will be closed from May through September of 2020 to have its MiniVerde greens re-grassed with the turf underfoot.
Mach One is a state-of-the-art ultradwarf Bermuda strain developed and patented by Rod Lingle, the former superintendent at Memphis Country Club. Those who played the Blue the day before would be forgiven for being somewhat perplexed, as the greens rolled beautifully, but Mercer outlined the rationale.
“What you’ll see if you look at the greens are big, broad circles of ‘off-types,’” he said. “It’s the same grass, but it has developed multiple looks.”
No. 6 on Streamsong Red (Courtesy of Streamsong/Laurence Lambrecht)
Mercer said that a consulting scientist, Jim Brosnan of the University of Tennessee, had measured leaf widths ranging from 2 millimeters to 18 millimeters.
“That’s a huge difference,” Mercer said. “During cooler weather we can get them under control, but in the shoulder season, these greens are awful. That’s why we’re doing this. When we get into March and April, the off-types will get worse and worse, and the plant will eventually become vulnerable to soil-borne diseases.”
Mercer pointed out that like all living things, turfgrass has a lifespan.
“In this kind of [Central Florida] climate, we think it’s about eight to 10 years. I took a look farther north, around Pinehurst, and didn’t see the same rise of off-types—but they have half the number of growing days during the year.”
In making the change to Mach One, Mercer said it had less to do with the new grass’s unknowns as with what is already known about the longevity of current bermuda stalwarts such as Champion, MiniVerde and TifEagle.
Attendees were invited to chip and putt around on the oversized and boldly contoured surface. The Mach One practice green, which was planted in June after spending a year in a 12,000-square-foot nursery adjacent to the resort’s newer Black course, sported an oddly vivid hue: To this eye, it seemed almost turquoise in places but rolled very true for a new surface. Mercer said the goal was to keep the ball on top of the ultradwarf blades.
“Any time a ball rides up high, you’ll get a better roll than when it sinks down. Mach One is as good as anything I’ve seen – the ball seems to float across the green,” he said.
Given that Streamsong offers three full-length eighteens, closing the Blue for the low season of next summer shouldn’t impact the resort much. It’s in keeping with Streamsong’s goal to invest in cutting-edge technology in order to provide golfers with an experience more akin to that of an upscale private club than a typical resort.
“As a superintendent, you can do one of two things: You can either grow grass or produce playing conditions,” Mercer said.
Mercer and Red/Blue superintendent Kyle Harris have proved adept at the latter, as most who have experienced Streamsong’s bouncy fairways and firm yet receptive greens will attest. Mercer and his staff have a state goal of providing fast playing surfaces instead of trying to produce the greenest grass, and the move to the new putting surfaces should make that goal even more attainable.
