Back to Back events at Jack’s Best (in America)!
Years ago, when I was the Head PGA Professional at the Nicklaus Signature, Hills of Lakeway, I led a team of male members to the Nicklaus Cup Matches each year. We traveled to Desert Mountain in Arizona, Country Club of the Rockies near VALE, English Turn in New Orleans and my overall favourite, Muirfield Village in Ohio. I played the course multiple times and aside from the shot-making and memorability, it was the best conditioned course I had ever seen. The magazine covers we feature on the wall in Jack’s Bar can be seen in their entirely at the Clubhouse there. The Memorial Tournament, as it is known, also features the annual honoring of former golfing greats who are immortalized in a special garden onsite. This year is none other than Nick Price!
If you can’t stay awake for great golf, record it and skip the commercials when you watch in the morning. However, if you did that on Sunday night, your telecast probably ended before the conclusion of the tournament, as it took three extra holes to determine the winner. The event called the Workday Charity Open came together in less than a month and the Great Man, Jack Nicklaus, agreed to host it at Muirfield Village (my Augusta of the North) the week before his acclaimed Memorial Tournament this week. I read a story that shows how one course can offer two events that will not play the same –
It was August of 1957. It was also the last time two different PGA TOUR events were contested at the same course in consecutive weeks. World Golf Hall of Famer Roberto De Vicenzo won the All-America Open at the Tam O’Shanter Golf Club in Niles, Illinois. A week later, Dick Mayer captured the World Championship of Golf on the same course.
Now, 63 years later, one course will again host TOUR events in consecutive weeks, this time at Nicklaus’ famed Muirfield Village Golf Club. The brand-new Workday Charity Open is making a one-time appearance this week, while Nicklaus’ annual Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide takes center stage next week as soon as the final putt drops this Sunday.
One of the goals, of course, is to provide the players in both fields distinctive challenges each week. Steve Rintoul is among the TOUR rules officials charged with setting up Muirfield Village so that the playing experience at the Workday Charity Open isn’t exactly the same as at the Memorial. Slower green speeds and shorter rough will help differentiate the course from the one that morphs into one of the TOUR’s most demanding layouts next week.
The greens this week will run between 11-1/2 and 12 in the Stimpmeter as compared to 13 or 14 during the Memorial. Slower speeds on Muirfield Village’s slopey greens produce more potential pin placements – and with the possible exception of holes Nos. 4, 9 and 11.
The variety might surprise the fans.
“When we maintain the greens around at 11-1/2, it now allows us to go to some areas that we don’t traditionally go to for the Memorial,” Young said. “The Memorial, when the greens get 13-plus, we have to be very careful about where we put the hole location and we are somewhat limited in the amount of hole locations we have when the greens get that fast.
Well, if you watched the play of Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, they produced shots that will be hard to better this week. If you are going to compare green speeds, they could roll much better than what we watched over the weekend. Check out the putts on the 18th, a wicked finishing hole, as they are as good as it gets under pressure.
Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff are the talk of the Tour as the new young guns. Watch this space as they continue to shine. Viktor is the greatest thing from Norway since their salmon!
Winter SALE!
Our friends from Global Golf, suppliers of Cutter&Buck, AHEAD, Ernie Els, Rhode Island and others have sent their latest winters garments and we are prepared to offer specials from the start. In addition, the popular puffer jackets and vests have been reduced to go! Perfect for our cool morning and fresh winter days, take advantage of what’s on offer. Hey, shoes and eyewear are on sale, too!
Farewells and Milestones
Saying farewell to a passing member is so sad. This week we lost Jan Meulmeester, husband of golfing regular, Dita. They recently moved to St Francis Links permanently to a beautiful new home on the Estate. Please accept our condolences.
The restart of something good…
Two fourballs headed out Sunday morning to mark the return of the “mixed”, an event that will certainly find new footing and return to the golfing calendar. This match which included a hole where all four scores counted (and had to be nominated on completion of the hole) saw both teams tie on 86 points. Claiming 15 points on the 13th with 3, 4-pointers and a 3-pointer, must have made up considerable ground in the others. Let’s get more of you out on Sunday mornings – use the APP and book your times.
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- Nice to see 16 guys come through
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- Identify the winners!
On Saturday past, the forecast was predicted to be diabolical – cold, windy and wet! Did that stop Francois Taljaard and his friends from coming through!
Other Notables–
Golf – Paul Spencer likes to smash the ball and he can. Teaming up with Norman, The Rock, they took top honours (44pts) on Wednesday past with Paul adding 3, 4-pointers on the day. Malcolm White had the best nett on the day with 69!
This week’s Birthdays – 13th Grant Comley, Louis Els and Sean Skelton; 14th Andy Haig, 15th John Boshoff, 16th Grant Bowen and Rachel Honeyball; 17th Linda Hall, Malcolm White and Petrea Donnelly; 18th Natilie Cowney and William Phillips; 19th Andrew Barton and Charlinda Byrd; 20th Don Spiers and Lesley Krause
Please let us know when you hear about something special that we can share!
WE ARE COOKING and your favourites are back
Curry Wednesdays just got easier!
This year, we will be seeing more weddings, fewer golfing National events (due to rotation) and more member functions as our member play is the fastest-growing category in golf. We look forward to more sponsored days with ITEC and Selective Lighting/The Fire Works and the addition of a new partnership between Pam Golding Properties and Village Square SuperSpa
4-5 Jan The Pam Golding Annual, SFBGC Champions, Series tied 7 all
7-8 Jan Men’s Member-Member Partnership, Roger Smith and Charlie Gilmore, Champions
8 Jan ITEC Open Wednesday, Dr Danie Cronjé and Mel Maubec, winners on 51pts
18 Jan Windhoek Pairs qualifying, Geoff Garratt and Ernest Müller, winners on 49pts
29 Jan Pam Golding/ Village Square SuperSpar Alliance, Gill, Hool, Garratt and Wilson-Jones on 87pts
12 Feb ITEC Open Wednesday, Karl-Johann and Nyana Persson on 45pts
14 Feb Valentine’s Day Dress-up Golf; Dinner with entertainment, The Gobby’s 45pts
26 Feb Pam Golding/ Village Square SuperSpar Alliance, Coesens, White, Gobby and Spangenberg 91 pts
12 Mar ITEC Open Wednesday, TK and Percy Owen 51pts
22 Jul ITEC Open Wednesday
17-19 Jul Men’s Invitational (postponed)
26-27 Jul PGA Regional Finals (SFBGC and SFL) Canceled
29 Jul Pam Golding/Village Square SuperSpar Alliance
1-2 Aug EP Amateur Championships (postponed)
7 Aug Selective Lighting / The Fireworks – 15h00 shotgun
8-9 Aug EP Amateur Championships – Matchplay finals
4 Sep Selective Lighting / The Fireworks – 15h00 shotgun
9 Sep ITEC Open Wednesday
25-27 Sep LINKS CUP South Africa
30 Sep Pam Golding/Village Square SuperSpar Alliance
2 Oct Selective Lighting / The Fireworks – 15h00 shotgun
3 Oct Stulting Golf Day
14 Oct ITEC Open Wednesday
28 Oct Pam Golding/Village Square SuperSpar Alliance
5 Nov Eastern Province SENIORS
6 Nov Selective Lighting / The Fireworks – 15h00 shotgun
11 Nov ITEC Open Wednesday
16 Nov Men’s Muirfield Day (3rd Annual)
22 Nov “The Trophy” – St Francis Links sponsored Amateur Champs
25 Nov Pam Golding/Village Square SuperSpar Alliance
25 Nov Members’ Oscars
5 Dec Ladies’ Member-Member
9 Dec ITEC Open Wednesday
12 Dec Ultimate Par-3 Championships
16 Dec The Kromme-Enviro Trust Amazing Race
5-6 Jan Men’s Member-Member Partnership
8-9 Jan The Pam Golding Annual