By Phil Kosin in Chicagoland Golf Radio Show on July 23 2008
July 26
Bob Verdi, senior writer, Golf World & Golf Digest
Barney Adams, Founder and Main Man, Adams Golf
Mike Miller, Illinois PGA executive director in advance of next week’s Illinois Open
Call-in number: 312-644-6767
The Chicagoland Golf Radio Show is heard in 38 states and four Canadian provinces on CBS Radio 50,000-watt clear channel WSCR TheScore 670 AM. You can listen live at www.670thescore.com or listen to a podcast here.
By Phil Kosin in Golf business, Great thoughts on July 20 2008
 Ya gotta figure Padraig Harrington’s successful title defense at Royal Birkdale will give a boost to Chicago-based Wilson Golf. Harrington has been using its equipment and wearing its logos since 1998, one of the few tour players on Wilson’s pad – and certainly the most prominent.
One of the marquee-name players sponsored by Wilson was John Daly, and that association ended early thanks to Daly’s antics. But that was a long time ago, in the days when Wilson was using golf’s bad-boy to push its ill-fated Whale Driver and Ultra [rock-hard] golf balls in the early-to-mid-1990s. Unloading Daly’s contract was one of the first orders of business when Jim Baugh, the genius behind Wilson’s tennis success, was moved over to resuscitate the dying golf division. Baugh next changed the philosophy of the company to creating game-improvement equipment for the average player, but not at the expense of Wilson’s successful line of equipment [i.e., Staff forged blades] for highly-skilled players.
Wilson then signed Vijay Singh, but that association wasn’t as productive as Wilson had hoped, and here’s why:
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By Phil Kosin in Great thoughts, Open Championship, Royal & Ancient, Tiger Woods on July 20 2008
 Even without the world’s number one player in the field, the Open Championship turned out to be, as proper Englishmen like to say, a “jolly good show”.
But it took a matrimonially-rejuvenated 53-year-old warhorse on unsteady legs and a tough-as-nails Irishman who played with a wrist that could hit only two shots during Wednesday’s half-hole practice round to make it happen.
Doesn’t say much for the rest of the international field, does it?
Maybe the key to the stellar performances turned in by both Padraig Harrington and Greg Norman was the near absence of pressure. Neither one of them walked to the first tee Thursday morning figuring to be around for the weekend, let alone playing together in the final group on Sunday. Norman was at complete mental ease in the middle of his honeymoon after recently marrying America’s tennis sweetheart, Chris Evert.
Harrington’s wrist was so bad Wednesday night he flirted with the idea of withdrawing — he said the only reason he did not pull the hook was because he wanted to defend his title. Read More…
By Phil Kosin in Chicagoland Golf Radio Show on July 18 2008
July 19
Jim Litke, national columnist for The Associated Press, live from Open Championship at Royal Birkdale
Brent Wadsworth, Wadsworth Co, Golf Course Construction King who built over 500 courses
July 26
Barney Adams, Founder and Main Man, Adams Golf
Call-in number: 312-644-6767
The Chicagoland Golf Radio Show is heard in 38 states and four Canadian provinces on CBS Radio 50,000-watt clear channel WSCR TheScore 670 AM. You can listen live at www.670thescore.com or listen to a podcast here.
By Phil Kosin in Golf industry, Great thoughts, PGA Tour, TV golf, Tiger Woods on July 18 2008
We’ve already discussed here the negative ramifications of Tiger Woods’ extended absence from the PGA Tour while he rehabilitates his surgical left knee.
Affected most are PGA Tour sponsors, ticket sales at events he normally competed in, and the TV networks.
I also sense there is a great fear incubating — not yet being expressed publicly, if it ever would be — over how well the FedEx cup playoffs can fare this fall going up against college football telecasts on Saturdays and the NFL on Sundays without the magnetism the presence of Tiger Woods brings to those events. Read More…
By Phil Kosin in Golf industry, Great thoughts on July 18 2008
 Maybe it’s me, but I’m getting mixed messages on the economy. On one hand the evening news and daily papers are full of tales of woe, yet I haven’t noticed reduced traffic on our roads, there is a fanny in every expensive seat in Wrigley Field ($6 beers are still selling fast), people are filling movie theaters at $9 per seat (even for Hollywood’s duds), packing sports bars, paying outrageous prices for small portions of food at Taste of Chicago, and some restaurants are even reporting an increase in business. Reports say most Northern Midwest golf resorts are “holding their own”.
Tells me no matter what, most people aren’t willing to give up a few of their personal pleasures. We all will continue to reward ourselves for our efforts in some fashion – that’s the American way, work hard, play hard. Because golf is such an addictive sport, golfers will still find a way to get in their rounds, and the golf course industry should get through these lean times relatively unscathed.
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By Phil Kosin in Chicago events, Nationwide Tour on July 16 2008
 I am not sure how to interpret the announcement that Bank of America, which inherited Chicago’s Nationwide Tour event when it purchased LaSalle Bank last year, has eliminated the job of tournament director Scott Cassin.
BofA also inherited the last two years of three-year contracts with the PGA Tour and the Glen Club, with 2008 being the middle year of those deals.
To me when you eliminate a person’s job — as opposed to eliminating the person — it says you no longer need the service provided by that job. So it isn’t much of a stretch to figure Bank of America may be planning to opt out of the third year of each contract and not do the Nationwide Tour event here next year.
We enjoyed working with Cassin over the last seven years of the event and wish him well.
By Phil Kosin in Chicagoland Golf Radio Show, Golf business, Local golf, Of Courses on July 12 2008
From listener Glen Herman of Chicago:
As I listened to Phil Kosin’s broadcast today (July 12, 2008), I had the desire but not the means to call in to defend Casper’s management of Cook County’s courses in comparison to Kemper’s mismanagement of Chicago Park District’s golf courses.
I golf at both facilities (CC: Billy Caldwell, Chick Evans, Indian Boundary, Edgebrook; CPD: Marovitz, Jackson Park, Black, and Columbus Park), but Chicago Park District is always my second choice after I’ve exhausted other Cook County options. Why? Three reasons: cost, staff, and maintenance. The Cook County courses always have Chicago Park District beat on these aspects. The greens and fairways are better maintained, the staff in the clubhouse and in the superintendents’ offices have a passion for their crafts, and I can save a few dollars per round at Cook County. When I golf at a CPD course, it’s hard to tell the rough from the fairway, the greens look like furry beaches, and the staff seems to care less if you’re there and you enjoy your experience.
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By Phil Kosin in Chicagoland Golf Radio Show on July 11 2008
July 12
Kevin Streelman, PGA Tour player from Wheaton
Steve Skinner, CEO KemperSports
July 26
Barney Adams, Founder and Main Man, Adams Golf
TBA
TBA
Call-in number: 312-644-6767
The Chicagoland Golf Radio Show is heard in 38 states and four Canadian provinces on CBS Radio 50,000-watt clear channel WSCR TheScore 670 AM. You can listen live at www.670thescore.com or listen to a podcast here.
By Phil Kosin in PGA Tour, Tiger Woods on July 8 2008
Regarding the PGA Tour sans Tiger, I understand what Paul Goydos is talking about, which is exactly what he should be saying. But sorry, Tiger and Phil are the only two players out there with the skills to do multiple magic things on a golf course with any degree of regularity. And the only two players right now whose being in the field sells extra tickets to an event, which is how the fans vote. Or via TV ratings.
That’s why Tiger and Phil have created an inferiority complex among many of their fellow touring pros.
“The media is trying to decide what’s a good field and what’s a bad field, and I don’t think they are very good at deciding that,” said Goydos. “We have these arbitrary rankings and those are very good at identifying the best couple of players, maybe the next 10. But are they good at identifying the next 90? In my opinion, no.
“I think we shouldn’t be marketing Phil and Tiger. We don’t need to do anything extra for Phil and Tiger to be the PGA Tour. They should be marketing other players. I don’t think they should be marketing me, but there are a lot of good young players that if we market better, five of the 5,000 following Tiger might drift over to watch a Brandt Snedeker or someone [like him], and they’re exciting to watch.”
By Phil Kosin in LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, TV golf, Tiger Woods on July 7 2008
The overnight national TV ratings for Sunday’s fourth round of the AT&T National on CBS were down 48 percent, from a 2.9 to a 1.5. The third-round overnight ratings were down 35 percent, from a 2.0 to a 1.3.
On the other side, the overnight ratings — also on CBS — for the weekend’s LPGA event, the P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas Championship, just plain stunk. Saturday’s rating was a 0.7 and Sunday’s rating was a 0.6.
If all the LPGA Tour players’ family and friends had tuned in, it would have pulled an 0.8.
Just kidding.
By Phil Kosin in Of Courses, USGA on July 7 2008
 One of our Worm Castings accomplices did a little digging while on a recent trip to Wisconsin, to the much-heralded Erin Hills Golf Club for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. Here’s the gossip:
Seems like Erin Hills owner Bob Lang (at right) is already planning to build another 18 holes on the pristine site northwest of Milwaukee. Sure, and he’s got plenty of land for it.
In addition, Lang plans to build a number of guest cottages alá Pine Valley and Augusta National. Right now, Erin Hills is more than a few miles from the luxurious type of lodging his high-roller guests are willing to pay for. Read More…
By Phil Kosin in Tiger Woods on July 7 2008
BETHESDA, Md. — Tiger Woods spoke with CBS Sports Sunday as he recuperates from knee surgery. Here is the transcript of the interview:
Q. Almost two weeks since the surgery, what is the degree of discomfort that you’re feeling now?
TIGER WOODS: I’m not liking it very much. Probably peaked about two days ago at its worst, but I think I’m on the good side now, and actually doing better.
Q. The surgery was on June 24, ACL surgery and there was a graft involved. Can you explain exactly what the doctor did when he performed this operation?
TIGER WOODS: Well, what they did they took a tendon out of my right leg and inserted it into my left ACL, repaired the cartilage damage that I also sustained during the time I played, and other than that, I’m good to go. Read More…
By Phil Kosin in DuPage land grabs, There Oughta be a Law on July 7 2008
This comes to us from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, thanks to a heads-up from reader Rick:
In the second such robbery in a week, four golfers and three caddies were robbed at gunpoint Friday at Tripoli Country Club [in Milwaukee].
The group was robbed about 8:45 a.m. on the third hole at the club, 7401 N. 43rd St., when the robber showed a handgun and ordered them to place their valuables on the green.
The robber took an unknown amount of cash, a cell phone and a Bushnell rangefinder used to judge distances, said Tripoli general manager Gavin Inglis.
Read More…
By Phil Kosin in Golf business, Local heroes, Tiger Woods, Western GA on July 6 2008
In case you didn’t notice, at the end of the CBS telecast of Tiger Woods’ AT&T National at Congressional Country Club, just before winner Anthony Kim posed with the championship trophy, viewers got a brief glimpse of two of the heavy-hitters who operate behind the scenes at this event.
Both have Chicago connections.
The first is Brian Fitzgerald, who now represents all golf interests for AT&T, which has multiple tournament interests with the PGA Tour.
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