VOLUME 1, NUMBER 138

Web Street Golf Daily Pulse

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 138

Friday July 16, 2010

ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS? “Golf balls were starting to move on a number of greens at the far end of the golf course and we had no option but to suspend play.  The wind has dropped to a level where we are comfortable in restarting play and we will continue to monitor wind speeds and their effect on play.”

ST. ANDREWS FACT: In 1974, St Andrews Links Trust was created by an Act of Parliament to continue running the Links as public golf courses open to everyone. In 1985, the Alfred Dunhill Cup was held at St Andrews for the first time. In 1989, the inaugural St Andrews Links Trophy was played over the Old and New courses. In 1993, a new 18-hole course, the Strathtyrum, was opened along with the completely redesigned nine-hole course, the Balgove, and a Golf Practice Centre. With a total of five 18-hole courses and one nine-hole course, St Andrews Links became the Europe’s largest public golf complex.

In 2004, facing increasing demand, planning permission is given for a seventh course to be added to the Trust’s portfolio to be designed by David McLay Kidd. The R&A also celebrated 250 years of existence and the Amateur Championship was played on the Jubilee and Old Courses.

In 2005, work begins on the seventh course and Tiger Woods won the 27th Open at St Andrews. Fellow two-time St Andrews champion Jack Nicklaus bids farewell to competitive golf at the Old Course at the same time.

In 2007, the Castle Course was named, after Kinkell Castle, which stood on the headland known as Kinkell Ness in the middle ages, close to where the clubhouse sits now. Lorena Ochoa won the Ricoh Women’s British Open over the Old Course, the first professional ladies’ tournament to be played at St Andrews.

WHAT THEY’VE SAID: “I’ve always loved St Andrews. I still think the Old Course is the most fascinating place to play there are just a million ways to get round. In that respect, there is nowhere else like it.” Ben Crenshaw

SHARE THE WEALTH: There is no doubt that the Open Championship has plenty of money for the taking. However, it simply isn’t restricted to those fortunately enough to have a weekend tee time on the Old Course. The Open at St Andrews is on track to deliver an £80 million benefit for the Scottish economy, according to experts at the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. The research, which was commissioned by the R&A and EventScotland, suggests The Open is expected to generate £35 million for Scotland in visitor spending and £45 million in place marketing effect through over 3,000 hours of global television coverage, a 35 percent increase on last year's event. READ MORE>>>

THE APPLE DOESN’T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE: The R&A has launched an official Rule App for the Apple iPhone, iPad and iTouch. It is available to download now for free from the iTunes App Store. “The Rules App is a fantastic reference tool that allows you to find any Rules information you might require, on the move,” said David Rickman, The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards. “It is useful for any golfer or official from those who are just starting to play, to those officiating at higher levels of golf.”

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS: Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ., is offering a twilight golf rate of $49 on its Faldo and Palmer courses starting at 10:30 a.m. daily through Sept. 16. Before 10:30 a.m., the rate is $69 to play through Sept. 16. Make your own assumptions why the twilight rate is being applied at mid morning, even if it’s a dry heat at this time of year for the Valley of the Sun residents and guests...

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS: Greg Norman has been on top of the mountain in golf, both professionally and personally with his varied business interests. He has built an empire out of it. The Great White Shark isn’t afraid to share his opinion based on his vantage point. "I've got a lot of money out there that is not being paid," Norman told the Wall Street Journal. "I had a conference call this morning with an investment group telling me the money is there and that it would be there in two or three weeks. They've been saying that for two years, and we have to pay our bills too.” When icons in the golf business are feeling it, it makes you wonder how bad it must be for those down below. READ MORE>>>

ITS ONLY A GAME: Sales of Tiger Woods PGA Tour video games came in at a fraction of what it was a year ago. Only 32 percent of the total that sold in its inaugural month last year suggests that reputation matters in all sorts of businesses, including video games. READ MORE>>>

FREE RIDE: In the history of sports, there has never been an athlete that has been sponsored by more companies and yet, for John Daly, it has been either feast or famine. While he has a flashy clothing deal with Loudmouth Golf, the 44-year-old elected to wear a sweater with an adidas logo on it for his first and second rounds at St. Andrews. Wishful thinking of reuniting (he no longer has a deal with the TaylorMade) or perhaps he simply dressed in the dark... READ MORE>>>

OPEN AND SHUT: There are still plenty of questions still to be answered before the Champion Golfer of the Year is determined in St. Andrews. However, one matter wasn’t in any doubt. In the 156-player Open Championship field, 90 choose to a Titleist golf ball to battle the elements. It was a case of more of the same, in a sense, as 85 players at the U.S. Open (nearest competitor was 12) at Pebble Beach and 53 (nearest competitor was 12) at the Masters also relied on a Titleist golf ball. As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same...

WEB GEMS:

LUCK OF THE DRAW: Former champion Paul Lawrie admitted the luck of the draw can have a crucial impact on the Open Championship. READ MORE>>>

IT’S A GAME OF NUMBERS: What a difference a day makes, especially when it’s at the Open Championship. LIVE SCORES

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BEFORE WE GO: If you feel like you may have missed something from a back issue feel free to check out the archive section of the Daily Pulse, which includes an easy to use word search!

ANSWER: David Rickman, The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards explaining why play was suspended after an increase in the frequency and severity of gusts of wind. Gusts reached in excess of 40 mph causing balls to move on the green.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IS BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, BUT IT IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE OPINION EXPRESSED IS THAT OF TERRY MCANDREW AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL SECURITIES IN ANY OF THE COMPANIES DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER. CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER MAY NOT BE REPRINTED OR REBROADCAST WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT OF TMAC GOLF