{"id":298605,"date":"2025-11-22T00:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/298605\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T00:50:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:50:08","slug":"my-top-100-course-rejection-and-the-john-daly-invention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/298605\/","title":{"rendered":"My Top 100 course rejection, and the John Daly invention"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome! Where are you, you ask. I\u2019m calling this the Weekend 9. Think of it as a spot to warm you up for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We\u2019ll have thoughts. We\u2019ll have tips. We\u2019ll have tweets. But just nine in all, though sometimes maybe more and sometimes maybe less. As for who I am? The paragraphs below tell some of the story. I can be reached at nick.piastowski@golf.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We could buy whatever we wished from the clubhouse. I walked out with a bag tag and a tumbler.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We were even allowed to take a cart up to the 1st tee. The view alone was almost worth driving out west to Mullen, where the skyline never ends and cell service is lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As far as rejections go then, the one we got just over a decade ago at Sand Hills Golf Club went about as well as we could hope. We were let down easily. They didn\u2019t laugh. We didn\u2019t cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it was still a swift no.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I was thinking of all this as this site recently released its newest Top 100 Courses in the World<\/a> list \u2014 and Sand Hills checked at No. 10. The Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw gem in Nebraska has always held a lofty rankings spot, and that\u2019s made the thought of playing it ridiculously appealing to most anyone who lives in the Cornhusker State, which I did for about 15 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No matter that the course is ultra private.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sand Hills, unfortunately, isn\u2019t a place where you just drive up and ask to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Or was it?<\/p>\n

Maybe we could try that?<\/p>\n

So my wife and I did. We planned it out. We went later in the year, when conditions may dissuade out-of-state visitors. We went on a Nebraska football Saturday, when Big Red dominates in-state hearts and minds \u2014 and golf courses are left empty. On Friday, we stopped in Gothenburg and played Wild Horse, which is a must-play if you\u2019re even remotely nearby. On Sunday, we found a couple of pay-in-the-box courses \u2014 there\u2019s no clubhouse, no attendant, just a box \u2014 including one called Augusta Wind, a course name that, yes, covers both Masters enjoyers and pun lovers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Saturday afternoon, we drove up Crenshaw Drive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We parked. Three cars in the lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019d offer $300 to play. Our pitch would be we\u2019d promise not to tell a soul. We\u2019d be in and out. No social media. No pictures. How could they say no?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like this:<\/p>\n

Sorry, no.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But we could buy whatever we wished from the clubhouse. And we could take a cart up to the 1st tee.\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n \"Four <\/a><\/p>\n

Top 100 Courses in the World 2025-26: Our raters\u2019 votes, revealed!<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n GOLF\u2019s Top 100 Course Panelists <\/a><\/p>\n

We did. We gazed for about 15 minutes. Saw what appeared to be a fivesome, but no one else. It \u2018looked\u2019 like one of this site\u2019s best courses. Smelled like it, too. But we never got to touch it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Was the trip foolish? Hell no. I\u2019d do it again. And I\u2019ll probably do it again, at some other golf masterpiece. Maybe next time I\u2019ll get a yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Or maybe I\u2019ll again run into someone with the almost unreal discipline to turn down a boy, a girl and a few hundred bucks. That was actually impressive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see if we can find eight more items for the Weekend 9.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One takeaway for the weekend\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Was the announcement of the LPGA\u2019s new TV deal<\/a> \u2014 where all rounds of every tournament will be shown live \u2014 one of its biggest moments ever?<\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But how will they keep viewers?<\/p>\n

Is having a platform enough? Sort of. Notably, the PGA Tour is dealing with this. You\u2019d think the golf would be enough, but the message is folks want something more from what they see. So I\u2019ll argue that new LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler saying he\u2019s cognizant of all variations of \u2018something more\u2019 is just as important to the tour as the TV deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, ahead of this week\u2019s CME Group Tour Championship, Kessler talked with reporters, and I thought this back-and-forth was interesting (the reporter questions are in italics):<\/p>\n

What do you consider the LPGA\u2019s competition? And I think frankly what I\u2019m getting at is how do you get the attention that women\u2019s soccer and the WNBA is getting that golf frankly has felt like it\u2019s lagged behind?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou used the most important word,\u201d Kessler said. \u201cWe compete in the attention economy. It\u2019s not just against other sports. It\u2019s should I put on Netflix, should I go out to dinner, should I hang out with friends, should I play in the backyard, should I go play a round of golf. Anything that has the potential to capture a fan\u2019s attention, we are competing against that, so it\u2019s our job to be differentiated, to be interesting, and capture fans\u2019 minds in every way we possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the player side, what kind of message have you given to them that you got to get your oars in the water?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had two player meetings,\u201d Kessler said. \u201cThe first player meeting \u2014 and I\u2019m so grateful that they did this. The players asked: \u2018What can we do to help?\u2019 And the answer was: \u2018Nothing yet. Let us do our work, and when we have concrete answers, we\u2019ll come back and we\u2019ll ask at the right time for you to do your part.\u2019<\/p>\n


\n \"LPGA <\/a><\/p>\n

In LPGA chief\u2019s plan to transform tour, 1 goal stands above the rest<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis past week at the Pelican \u2026 they asked again: \u2018What can we do?\u2019 And we said: \u2018Here\u2019s what we need you to do. If we ask you to be a global superstar, lean in. Show up in culture everywhere you can. If we ask you to do walk-and-talks, not just you but your caddies, try it.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Let\u2019s \u2014 we need you to do your part.\u2019 And at the end I asked: \u2018Who is in?\u2019 And virtually every hand in the room went up. Now it\u2019s on us to actually bring that to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another takeaway for the weekend\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. The PGA Tour, meanwhile, may be downsizing. Ahead of this week\u2019s RSM Classic, Harris English said<\/a> the Tour could start its schedule after the Super Bowl and \u201cthey\u2019ll more go where 20 events are all the same, all the points, all the money, everything the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what do the moves mean, should they happen?<\/p>\n

I guess it depends what you like. You\u2019ll get less pro golf. But you\u2019ll maybe get more heightened pro golf. But isn\u2019t every week important? Or should there be a proper break?<\/p>\n

Again, LIV Golf\u2019s influence can\u2019t be overstated. How many of these changes would have happened without the league?<\/p>\n

4. Speaking of LIV, the New York Times published a story this week with a headline that read: \u201cSaudi Arabia\u2019s Prince Has Big Plans, but His Giant Fund Is Low on Cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can read the entire story, written by Rob Copeland and Vivian Nereim, here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An instruction tip for your weekend\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. Lindy Duncan was awarded the LPGA\u2019s Heather Farr Perseverance Award this week, and the transcript of her acceptance speech is well worth a read. You can do so by scrolling below<\/a>. (Click on the white arrow in the middle of the post to see each slide.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

A story that interests me\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. I thought the story below<\/a>, from Skratch\u2019s the \u201cVanity Index Podcast,\u201d was interesting. In it, co-host Chad Mumm describes a conversation with John Daly \u2014 about how the John Daly drink started.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo John Daly, we were prepping in the green room for this talk,\u201d Mumm said, \u201cand we were doing some talk for some restaurant people and I was like, \u2018Hey, how did the John Daly cocktail come about?\u2019 I was like, \u2018How great is that?\u2019 Like, did you lean into that and name it? Obviously, it\u2019s based on the Arnold Palmer. Did you lean into that? Did someone else come up with it and you just kind of grabbed onto it? Because he has John Dalys \u2014 this Good Boy vodka brand, they make their own John Dalys.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s like, \u2018No, I invented that when I was 9 years old. So he tells this story. He goes, \u2018Yeah, I was in Darnell, Arkansas, and we won our \u2014 I was 9 years old, our little league team, we were sponsored by Piggly Wiggly. We won the little league championship in our town. And so we went back to celebrate at our house. And my mom used to make sweet tea in the sun, you know, sun tea. \u2026 And then lemonade. And daddy loved his vodka. And so my parents were nowhere to be found. And all the kids are all celebrating. So, I thought we might ought to celebrate. So, I went and got her sweet tea and I pulled some lemonade and I mixed it all together in a big jug and I got daddy\u2019s vodka and I dumped the whole thing in there and we had a couple shot glasses. So, we lined them all up and each kid took a shot of this concoction. It tasted pretty good. So, then we did another one and then we did a third one and then we had a whole team of 9-year-olds who were wasted off their butts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018And I looked at my brother and I said, \u2018If one of us becomes famous, we\u2019re going to have to patent this drink. It\u2019s either going to be called the Jamie Daly or the John Daly.\u2019 And that\u2019s how it got invented.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

You can watch the clip with Mumm by scrolling immediately below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

“><\/p>\n

7. Speaking of Daly, a spot he used to visit annually during Masters week, the Hooters located about a mile from Augusta National, was demolished this week. Below<\/a> is a picture of some of the work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a tweet I don’t want to send. This one is sad. They’re bulldozing the Augusta Hooters today. A Screencaps reader stopped by the historic grounds & sent us these tragic photos. Guys, it’s gone. pic.twitter.com\/vskUyoRuhp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Kinsey (@JoeKinseyexp) November 17, 2025<\/a>
\nA question that interests me\u00a0<\/p>\n

8. I thought the video below<\/a> was interesting. In it, MLB players were asked: Is golf harder than baseball?<\/p>\n

A deal that interests me\u00a0<\/p>\n

9. I thought the deal described below<\/a> was interesting (and a hat tip to Forbes\u2019 Erik Matuszewski<\/a> for first pointing it out.) The Inn at Spanish Bay, located in Pebble Beach, Calif., is offering these items as part of a package for Super Bowl weekend:<\/p>\n

\u2013 A ticket to the Super Bowl, to be played at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 Entry into a pre-game party\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 Transportation to the game\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 Super Bowl gifts\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 A four-night stay at the Inn at Spanish Bay\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 An evening golf reception at the Hay\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 A tee time at either Pebble Beach or Spyglass Hill\u00a0<\/p>\n

The price? For a single-occupancy room, it\u2019s $18,460. For a double, it\u2019s $14,750.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What golf is on TV this weekend?<\/p>\n

10. Let\u2019s do 10 items! Here\u2019s a rundown of golf on TV this weekend:<\/p>\n

\u2013 Saturday\u00a0<\/p>\n

3:30 a.m.-8 a.m. ET: PIF Saudi International final round, Golf Channel\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 p.m.-4 p.m. ET: The RSM Classic third round, Golf Channel\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 p.m.-5 p.m. ET: CME Group Tour Championship third round, CNBC\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 Sunday\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 p.m.-4 p.m. ET: The RSM Classic final round, Golf Channel\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 p.m.-4 p.m. ET: CME Group Tour Championship final round, NBC\u00a0<\/p>\n

What you\u2019re emailing me\u00a0<\/p>\n

11. Let\u2019s do 11 items! Here\u2019s an email I got this week:<\/p>\n

In my opinion, the American team doesn\u2019t need a [Ryder Cup] captain. Get someone to plan all the events that the players must attend. As for clothing, I\u2019m sure Polo has people to design the outfits.<\/p>\n

As far as the golf, the guys know who they are comfortable playing with, who\u2019s playing good in the different formats, who\u2019s better in each format, what ball to use, and who needs to sit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lastly, in the singles, there might be a rivalry or bragging rights issue where a certain player would like to pick the player they want to play against. You can\u2019t tell me some of the Europeans wanted to take down Scottie.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

“><\/p>\n