USGA Blog

U.S. Open Media Days To Remember

No doubt you saw clips from the media day they had at the Super Bowl. It’s a promotional day in advance of the event. It’s a chance for the media to collect information and sound bytes.

Well, our media day in advance of a U.S. Open looks more like a corporate meeting compared to that circus atmosphere in Miami. But, our media get to play golf after listening to some presentations. So, it’s a pretty good day’s work.

To tell you the truth, I can’t even remember what has been said over the years. But, let me share with you a couple of the memories I have from 18 years worth of U.S. Open media days.

Times were simpler before Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997. A defending champion was likely to find time to attend and address the local media in the city where the Open would be held. Now, the top players are often just too busy to attend in person. And I fully understand.

But back in 1995, I met Ernie Els and his wife, Liezl, at the Newark airport and we headed into New York for a media day luncheon at the famous Tavern on the Green restaurant. He had survived a playoff to win the 1994 Open, his first win in the U.S., at age 24.

My 15-year-old godson tagged along with me and helped me with the set-up. Then, instead of sitting bored during the press conference, Liezl took my godson for an hour-long carriage ride through Central Park. What a treat!

By the time Ernie won in 1997, times had changed. He had his own jet and I couldn’t afford the freight to get him to San Francisco for the next year’s media day. Instead, we arranged a satellite interview from New York, where he was for some business meetings.

What was neat was that Ernie insisted that as soon as media day was concluded on the West Coast, I sneak out and hop a plane to meet him for dinner that night in NYC. I got back just in time to join him and his company of friends for a wonderful night. We had plenty of wine and talked about everything but golf!

I was tired, but back in the office the next morning, holding down my normal office job.

I guess I hope Ernie wins another Open real soon. It’s been a while since I’ve had a media day as memorable as these were.

USGA Championship Nuggets

A few months ago during a Communications Group meeting, Rand Jerris, who overseas the Museum and Archives, talked about a project that needed to be completed. A company in Boston had been hired to develop a data base for the USGA championships, but small summaries – around 300 to 400 words – needed to be written up on each individual competition. As the words were emanating from Jerris’ mouth, Marty Parkes, our senior director of communications turned his head immediately at me. It was one of those Life cereal “Mikey” moments. “Let’s get David, he’ll do anything.”

All joking aside, I was more than happy to take on the project. In fact, Rhonda Glenn and I accepted the task, with Rhonda, a women’s golf expert, taking the women’s events and yours truly taking the others: i.e. U.S. Open, Amateur, Junior, Amateur Public Links, etc.

Because the months of January and February are generally slower than others – the previous championship season is behind us and we are just getting ready for 2007 – I generally have plenty of time to take on new projects. So I began to peruse through the USGA Record Books, Media Guides, old Golf Journals and other newspaper articles to find the necessary information. Sal Johnson’s U.S. Open Almanac was also a huge help for that particular championship.

And while the work was a bit mundane – lots of typing – I did find it quite fascinating. I learned a lot about past champions and certain championships that I didn’t know before. This just gives me a few more bullets to add to my encyclopedia holster. Around the inner-circles of Media Relations, I have a reputation for being Mr. Encyclopedia because of my ability to retain trivial pieces of information.

Anyway, I uncovered some interesting stuff as I began to compile the write-ups for each event. Now I could attach little anecdotes to the year-by-year champions listed in the USGA Media Guide.

Did you know, for example, that Smiley Quick almost won the U.S. Amateur in 1946 after winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links earlier that summer? This was nearly 50 years before Ryan Moore completed the rare double in 2004. In fact, competitors in the APL were forbidden from even playing in the Amateur at the time, but the USGA offered special invitations to the semifinalists. Back then, you couldn’t compete in the Amateur if you were not a member of a USGA Member Club, which included virtually all public courses. That may sound wacky now, but it was the way things were done.

And all of you who hate the notion of sponsor or special exemptions, you’ll be interested to know that in the past, only the defending champion was exempt from qualifying for the next year’s championship. In 1981, Billy Tuten was the APL runner-up to Jodie Mudd, but had to go through sectional qualifying the next year. Tuten didn’t make it, but got into the field as an alternate when Christopher Young had to withdraw. Tuten then went on to win the title, and then repeated the next year. This was a brilliant run for Tuten in USGA events. He played in three consecutive APL finals (1981-83) after losing the U.S. Junior championship match in 1979.

How about this little nugget: Yorba Linda (Calif.) Country Club boasted back-to-back U.S. Junior champions. Scott Erickson won in 1981 and his friend and fellow member Rick Marik captured the title the following year.

In the 1964 APL final, 20-year-old William McDonald was suffering so bad from blisters on his feet that he went to the hospital during the lunch break and was treated before coming back in the afternoon, where he won the match.

Or how about this: At the 1951 U.S. Amateur Montebello residents and friends Dave Stanley (current APL champion) and Tommy Jacobs (reigning U.S. Junior champion) met in the third round with the 16-year-old Jacobs advancing. Jacobs, who later played on the PGA Tour, advanced to the semifinals that year, nearly becoming the youngest Amateur champion in history.

Finally, teammates from the same high school golf squad (Bellarmine Prep in San Jose, Calif.) squared off in the 1962 Junior finals, with Jim Weichers beating Jim Sullivan, 4 and 3.

But there are plenty more interesting nuggets of information. It’s always fun to delve beyond the name and final score. And when the renovated Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History opens in 2008, you’ll get a chance to discover these individuals as well.

U.S. Women's Open Playoff Change

You'll notice that one recent change the Association has adopted pertains to the playoff at the Women's Open. We no longer will play 18 holes on Monday in the event of a tie on Sunday. Instead, we'll have a three-hole aggregate playoff on Sunday night after the completion of 72 holes if there is a tie.

Few folks have disagreed with this decision. The players in last year's final 18-hole playoff strongly stated that they would prefer to end things on Sunday. And since all other events in women's golf are determined by sudden death, this change still allows the Women's Open to remain unique.

We've been asked change for the Women's Open foreshadows a similar change for the Men's Open. The simple answer is no. The two events have, for the most part, different venues. They have different fields of players. They have different sizes of galleries. They have different television times and audiences. And the British Open features a multi-hole playoff in the event of a tie. Others are determined by sudden death. Thus, the U.S. Open stands alone as the only 18-hole playoff in the game.

The USGA is quite comfortable in maintaining this playoff system for the Men's Open. We intend for the U.S. Open to be the sternest test of a golf in a year. I think there would be little argument that an 18-hole playoff is a more stern test than sudden death or three holes. So, if we're tied at the end of Sunday at Oakmont this summer, we'll see you on the following Monday.

Louise Suggs Speech at USGA Annual Meeting

One of the fun parts of my time in San Francisco was listening to Louise Suggs give her speech accepted the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award. She’s a three-time USGA champion (’47 W. Amateur and ’49 and ’52 W. Open). She also became a respected instructor as well. She was smart enough to give many of her lessons at Sea Island, a beautiful area along the coast.

She said a lot of interesting things the other night. But the one that struck me the most was when she noted she won 58 tournaments in her career. Her total earnings for all those victories: less than $200,000. “If that won’t make you throw up, nothing will…” she said with a measure of disgust

Now that I’m back at Golf House, I thought about her remarks some more. I did a bit of research and found out that at last year’s Women’s Open at Newport, the total purse stood at $3.1 million. Champion Annika Sorenstam’s share was $560,000 for a week’s work. Louise made only about one-third as much for a career’s work. It makes you hope that the young players today appreciate those who came before and cleared the way for them. If not, they definitely should do so as the gap between these numbers indicate

Take a few moments to watch Louise’s speech. This segment lasts less than three minutes and it’s worth every second.

I’ll be back on Friday…

Further Thoughts about the USGA Annual Meeting

I'm pleased to say that I made it home to New Jersey from San Francisco in time for the Super Bowl kickoff. However, I will admit that I am tired today so I'll be brief.

During the USGA Annual Meeting, various Association officers provide reports about particular activities. Many folks listen most closely to the one about equipment testing. USGA VP Jim Vernon, who lives in Los Angeles, oversees the USGA's Equipment Standards Committee and gave this year's report. I'd like to share with you the final paragraphs of his report because I thought it gave an excellent summary about our goals concerning regulation of golf equipment:

"For the past several years, all measurements of Tour Player performance indicate stability. We expect this period of stability to continue into the future. While we recognize that some believe that this stability is at the wrong level, we see it as an opportunity to spend the time and resources required to fully understand the technical issues.

Some voices call for a quick fix, but we believe that this course of action could be merely a treatment of symptoms. Instead we prefer to conduct the careful research needed to fully understand both the how’s and why’s of technology’s impact on the game – in other words the causes rather than just the symptoms.

Our exhaustive research work on grooves is an example of this. We now clearly understand both how grooves function and why they have had an effect on how the game is played. Our work doesn’t end with grooves. We need to understand how all modern golf equipment technology affects the game. Once we have this type of full understanding of causes and effects, sound decisions can be made to change - or not change - equipment rules."

There you have it... a short, simple, and accurate synopsis about our equipment testing... I'll hopefully find some other worthwhile information to share when I return again on Wednesday...

Final Thoughts From San Francisco

I’m back…

The recipient of our Bob Jones Award this year was Louise Suggs. She is one of the pioneers (think Annie Oakley) of the LPGA Tour, a renowned instructor, and someone who helped to put women’s golf on the map. You can click here to see our press release that talks more about her accomplishments. She’s known to be a bit feisty as well… as evidence, she has a dog called “Damit” that lives with her at her home located right near the World Golf Village in Florida.

The other award we present is the Joe Dey Award. It’s named after the USGA’s long-time executive director (1934-1969) and it honors a USGA volunteer. It’s given annually. In some ways, I think this is our greatest award. That’s because it’s normally given to someone who is unknown to the general public but has been dedicated in service to golf as a volunteer – which means they work for free and without much recognition or appreciation. It’s akin to being a parent, in other words… This year the award goes to Harry McCracken of Massachusetts. You can read the release we put out about him by clicking here.

I don’t know McCracken personally but I know that he’s worked about a zillion USGA and other state/regional competitions during many decades. There are few who have contributed more to New England golf than he has. And since I was born in Rhode Island, lived in Massachusetts for my first two years of existence before moving to Connecticut where I remained until I reached my early 30s, I can appreciate the value of what he’s done.

The USGA was lucky to have a good year in 2006. Our championships came off with few problems, unless you were Phil Mickelson on the last hole at Winged Foot. Most of our governing roles like Rules, Handicapping, Amateur Status, etc. passed without incident. That’s usually the best indicator that we’ve done a decent job in a given year… when folks notice us, it usually means something has gone wrong. If they haven’t, we’ve done okay… Come to think of it, it’s much like being a kid in that respect…

Walter Driver of Atlanta was reelected as USGA president for another year. It will be his last year… nearly all USGA president serve two consecutive one-year terms… Walter offered some interesting remarks, outlining our successes during 2006. He emphasized how important it is for us to do a good job running all our national championships, which is really our main reason to exist. I found the most noteworthy part to be near the end. He said it was crucial for non-profits like the USGA not to become “clock builders” and become too cozy and comfortable and “tell time” without accomplishing much. Instead, the trick is for an established organization like the USGA to “preserve the core but change the process.” To put this concept simply, we need to remain absolutely dedicated to serving the needs of our game (the core) but be willing and able to change the way we operate (the process). That means adapting to things like new equipment technology for clubs and balls and using the Internet well...

All in all, our stay in San Francisco went off according to plan and with few glitches. Next year we’ll meet on Feb. 9 at The Hilton Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas. Now I need to grab a few hours sleep before I head to the airport on Sunday morning for my flight home across the country. If all goes well, I should cross the threshold of my home just before Super Bowl kickoff.

On Monday, from Golf House, I’ll be back with you. I’m sure I’ll think of a few other things that happened in San Francisco that I should share with you… And feel free to email me at mparkes@usga.org if you have any questions… Until Monday…

Marty Parkes serves as USGA Senior Director of Communications and can be reached at mparkes@usga.org.

Inside The Annual Meeting

Okay, who attends the USGA’s Annual Meeting? Who is invited? Why is it held? What happens during the meeting itself?

The USGA is organized like a lot of non-profit organizations. That is, it is an association of a bunch of people and/or facilities involved in a particular industry or business. In our case, the USGA is legally an organization of member golf courses. They come in all shapes and sizes: some are wealthy and private, others are public and poor.

We have nearly 10,000 such member facilities that legally comprise the Association. Each one of them – regardless of whether they are public or private; nine or 18 or 36 or 54 holes; or a driving range or “short course” where you can take lessons and hit balls -- receives a ballot each year that they can cast toward the election of USGA officers for the next calendar year. Many courses receive this ballot, fill it out, and mail it back. Representatives from each facility can also attend the Annual Meeting, if they so choose. Our courses also receive a copy of the Association’s Annual Report at the meeting or in the mail afterwards.

This situation isn’t much different than what you see in the private or corporate world. Most companies have stockholders. These shareholders receive an annual report each year along with a ballot to cast concerning the election of members of the board of directors as well as other governance issues that may be out there (such as whether to merge with another company). Shareholders can choose whether or not to attend the meeting, who to vote for, and express their opinions about the general state of things.

Most of the folks who attend our Annual Meeting come from member facilities located near the site of the meeting (San Francisco in this case). Certain USGA staffers like me attend, as do many USGA committee volunteers. We invite certain members of the media (especially local ones) to come. Officials from many state and regional golf associations (again mostly local ones) come as well. And, by the way, the folks who attend are one and the same with our invited list of guests. We have few, if any, gatecrashers…

The Annual Meeting is held on a Saturday each year. Its main purpose is for election of incoming members of our Executive Committee (better known as XC around Golf House). This XC has the final say on all USGA matters, great and small. During the meeting, we also recognize those who are retiring from the Committee and thank them for all their hard work and sacrifice of time and money. This year, for example, we have three people retiring from the XC and three new folks joining.

Association officers drawn from within this Executive Committee are also appointed for the next year. Officers are given an opportunity during the meeting, which normally lasts about 90 minutes, to give reports about topics like championships, Rules, handicapping, etc. The USGA President customarily gives about a 15-minute speech that recaps the previous year and looks ahead to the new one. After the formal meeting, cocktails are served before we head into a large dinner where our highest Association honor, the Bob Jones Award, is presented to that year’s recipient. After all, it wouldn’t be a golf meeting without food and drink…

In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that most staffers and several volunteers arrive a few days before Saturday. We are sequestered in various committee meetings during those days, conducting discussions and deciding upon policy for the future.

Several years ago, my boss and our executive director, David Fay, asked me to take the minutes of our XC meetings. That is, to be blunt, hardly a coveted post at the USGA. To my utter amazement, I retain this duty to this day. I’m not sure whether it’s because I’ve done a good job or David just can’t find anyone else that he feels deserving of being saddled with this task. He once told me, in fact, that even if I leave the Association, I will still be required to return to take XC minutes. I must admit that while it’s a relatively thankless chore, it keeps me apprised of all doings in our Association. And I guess that’s a good thing for the person in charge of all Association communications to possess… although I wouldn’t be broken hearted to see it pass from my “to-do” list someday.

Since the curtain is about to rise on our Annual Meeting tomorrow, I will wrap it up for today. I will drop back for a few minutes late tomorrow night after our meeting held in the City by the Bay…

Marty Parkes serves as USGA Senior Director of Communications and can be reached at mparkes@usga.org.

Greetings From The USGA's Annual Meeting

What is this stuff? The simple answer is that the USGA has entered the blogosphere. This is the first installment of our official USGA blog. For the past few months, we’ve thought about establishing such a USGA blog where certain members of the Association could share news, add perspectives beyond those items contained in our normal communications channels, and just plain chat with those who care about our Association.

We don’t have a set schedule … instead, we’ll probably end up posting to the blog a few times a week as we have information or opinions we want to share. We hope it will give you a reason regularly to check out our website. As the head of communications for the USGA, I’ve drawn the short straw and was designated to bat leadoff…

We thought that starting this blog at the beginning of the month of February would make sense. After all, multiple great Americans like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and I were born during the year’s shortest month. Actually, the real reason we chose this time to launch our blog is that it coincides with the USGA’s Annual Meeting.

Our Annual Meeting is really the New Year’s Day of our Association. It’s the time when our Association officially kicks off its next year of existence, elects new officers, sets priorities for the weeks and months ahead, and adopts resolutions to try and do better. Like most of us, our record of success in satisfying such resolutions is mixed. Sometimes we’ve done quite well. Other times, we’d be better off getting amnesia. But whether good or bad, it’s the starting point for our next USGA year.

The meeting this year will be held in San Francisco. It moves around the country to different locations each year. For those of us unfortunate enough to live in New Jersey during the winter, it’s often a welcome chance to scamper to a climate where chapped lips, heavy overcoats, and sloppy sidewalks are, mercifully, in short supply. This year’s session will be held at the elegant Fairmount Hotel that, like a lot of San Francisco, sits high atop a downtown hill, in this case Nob Hill. We had an annual meeting there a few years back – I’ve been here nearly 16 years now so these past meetings run together in my hazy memory – and I must admit that no one had to hold a gun to my head to threaten me to go back there.

Tomorrow and Saturday I intend to return with some explanations about the Annual Meeting itself. I will also share some thoughts about the meeting next week from Golf House as well. Meanwhile, our web editor returns from a week in the sun in Cancun, Mexico to evaluate what I’ve done in his absence. I pray that he will then decide to introduce other USGA hitters into our batting order each week. In any case, I’m sure that, at a minimum, various USGA types will share some thoughts with you at least a handful of times each week on an ongoing basis … we also intend to blog on our USGA national championship web sites starting in June…

Until tomorrow then…

Marty Parkes serves as USGA Senior Director of Communications and can be reached at mparkes@usga.org

Offseason At USGA

I am often asked what goes on at the USGA during the non-championship season. It's a valid question since so much does occur during the summer months with our 13 national championships.

A few weeks ago, we actually started planning for 2007 by inviting representatives from the 10 amateur championships -- and State Team -- to come to Golf House for a weekend. It's our chance to give these individuals insight into what they can expect at their particular championship next summer. We go over things like course set-up, signage, producing a program, setting up a media room, promotion, internet and all of the other intangibles required to conduct a successful national championship.

So no matter if it is the U.S. Open (our most visible championship) or the Senior Women's Amateur, we want the competitors to feel like it is the Super Bowl. While the Senior Women's Amateur might not attract the same media or fan attention as the U.S. Open, we want everything to be perfect, from hospitality to the condition of the golf course. For some competitors, this might be their one and only national championship they ever play in and you want them leaving that championship, whether they missed the match-play cut or not, to walk away saying it was the best championship golf experience of their life.

The offseason also allows the media relations staff to talk about how things went at championships this past year and if there are ways to improve for the following year.

We also must edit and proof the 2007 USGA Media Guide. This is no small production. There are hundreds of pages that must be edited and reviewed. Championship records must be updated. It's a Herculean task. The Media Guide generally is printed in April so we can have it on hand for media days for the three Opens that take place in the spring.

Other projects, which we can't get to during the busy championship season, are also completed. This winter construction will begin on the new Arnold Palmer Center for History so we will be documenting photos and producing stories to update the progress of this major project.

The Annual Meeting is in February and if key news comes from this get-together, we must be prepared to get that out. We also produce stories from our USGA Foundation on successful grants stories. The Green Section also has news and information that they would like to share on the USGA Web site.

Once we get into March, we begin to make site visits to the amateur championships, making sure everything is being set in place for that event. We often meet with key local media representatives to generate promotional and story ideas.

And once April and May hit, the preparations for the U.S. Open are in full gear. Local and sectional qualifying commences and pretty soon we hit U.S. Open week and the championship season is here once again.