David Cornwell made a great blog commment about Pinehurst No. 2 to me that I wanted to highlight. He says…. “I would not call #2’s greens inhospitable, merely very difficult. Remember the desire to test severely the best players in the world. The greens will hold a properly executed shot hit to the center. The greens fees charged are not necessarily (though one would so hope) reflective of the quality as much as the demand. Access to a classic old US Open course is a commodity, blame the business decisions behind it if anything. Do we want to go to an Open ... full post »

I know to those of you tried and true purists; questioning the Mecca of US golf is indeed blasphemous. Then again, you purists are as exciting as a watching a car rust. Most purists probably watch the erectile dysfunction ads with great interest. Vijay Singh has been complaining again and again about the difficulty of the Pinehurst No. 2 greens. Said Singh in a press conference: “I just want to know if they (Tom Meeks, the United States Golf Association senior director of rules and competition and other USGA officials) ever go out and play the golf course on Sunday to find ... full post »

Marketing and PR flacks are truly a unique and special breed. They can take the ordinary and have you convinced it is extraordinary. Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina, is a very average golf course with few memorable holes. It is indeed a splendid golf course worthy of many accolades, but not worth of its $300-plus price tag. Pinehurst No. 2, my friends, is more bun than burger. Chris Wallace of GolfCarolina.com hits the nail on the head when he wrote, “Pinehust Number 2 doesn’t warrant the hype”. Pinehurst Resort Management has accomplished a marketing ploy that is amazing: These days even criticizing Pinehurst ... full post »

Fact of the day: Golfers wouldn’t have erectile dysfunction of we just had Paris Hilton ads. I think we need to get the marketing geniuses of Desperate Houswives and Carl’s Junior to help out with golf broadcasts. Rebel full post »

Dear Mr. Baldwin, I know you think you are the golf version of Woodward and Bernstein now that you have totally disrobed Las Vegas’ Billy Walters. And, I am sure you think you are all high and mighty now that you have exposed more than your fair share of con men in the golf business. Hell, I will give it to you…dodging those henchmen in Las Vegas, writing your shit. But as Bill Clinton would say, “you listen real good": you don’t know jack diddly about The Rebel and you are still not in my class. Travel writers from the foofy lifestyle ... full post »

The Society of Travel Writers has been criticized by this blogger as well as Tim McDonald many times. Read McDonald’s Calling on the SATW to clean up the sorry state of travel writing. The SATW needs to provide better clarification about its role as a media organization. Does the SATW care if travel writers write objective articles that provide both sides of a destination or does the SATW only want the prim and proper public relations side? According to the SATW’s “General Guidelines for Active Membership”, A travel article shall be construed broadly to mean an article that encourages travel.” So, going by this ... full post »