Late last month, a wildfire in the Nebraska Sandhills nearly destroyed the David McLay Kidd-designed course at the GrayBull Club even before it officially opened. But according to a release from the Dormie Network, which is developing that property outside the small town of Maxwell, fast action by local firefighters as well as GrayBull director of agronomy Michael Sheely and his team saved the day.
In addition to mobilizing the club’s water trucks, they utilized an underground, decoder-based irrigation system that had been installed during construction to control the fire, which burned around the course and all the way up to the edge of the fairways.
“Their swift actions protected GrayBull and prevented any injuries as a result,” Dormie Network president Zach Peed said.
Once GrayBull, which is still slated to open for play this fall and was previewed late last year by Global Golf Post’s John Steinbreder, was safely secured, Sheely’s crew supported those still fighting the fire by filling their trucks with water from a line close to the GrayBull entrance.
More than 71,000 acres burned, but there were no reported injuries, according to Nebraska media reports.
In response to that blaze, the Dormie Network established a fundraiser, with all monies raised up to $100,000 being matched by the Dormie Network Foundation. The plan is to use those donations to “purchase another fire engine for and to expand the current facilities of the Maxwell Volunteer Fire Department.”
Some pairings between endorsers and the brands they tout seem like such naturals. Adam Scott and Rolex, to name one. John Daly and Hooters, too. Now we have noted math geek Edoardo Molinari, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, teaming with Arccos Golf, the Stamford, Connecticut-based concern that helps golfers track and analyze their shots. His job: to serve as the company’s new chief data strategist and lead tour ambassador.
A native of Italy and winner of the 2005 U.S. Amateur, Molinari is the analytics adviser to some 35 professional golfers, among them Viktor Hovland, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Nelly Korda. He also provided the same sort of help to players on last year’s European Ryder Cup team, Hovland and Fitzpatrick among them, in his capacity as a vice captain. And quite successfully, it appears, given their rousing win over the American squad.
“I am very excited to join Team Arccos and help them develop the same analytics we use on tour for the weekend golfer,” Molinari said in a video posted by Arccos in announcing the news.
Can’t make it to Augusta for the Masters? Augusta National Golf Club has a solution to re-create the patron experience.
The “Taste of the Masters,” a party-starter kit for Masters fans, is available for shipping, and like the famous club itself, has expanded since its 2020 debut.
The Classics Kit, which serves 4-6 would-be patrons, sells for $99.95 (including shipping) and includes favorites such as pimento cheese and Moon Pies. Expecting a bigger gallery? The Large Hosting Kit serves 12 to 14 and features an expanded menu that includes egg salad, pimento cheese and pork barbecue. Both kits include Masters-branded souvenir cups so that your patrons will have a memento of the occasion. READ MORE
Augusta National Golf Club continued its property-buying spree near the home of the Masters with the recent acquisition of West Vineland Park, according to WJBF-Channel 6 in Augusta, Georgia. The city of Augusta sold the 1.05-acre site, which abuts a small driveway that has been used by the club, for $350,000. In recent years, Augusta National has purchased more than 100 nearby properties, including residential lots, a shopping center, and, more recently, a chunk of neighboring Augusta Country Club so that ANGC could extend the tee at the famous par-5 13th hole. READ MORE
Augusta National will introduce a Map and Flag premium hospitality program for next month’s Masters that will feature access to a venue across the street on Washington Road and include a tournament badge for $17,000, the Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter reported, citing sources. READ MORE
TAP-INS
The Golf Writers Association of America completed its list of award winners in advance of the annual ceremony during Masters week: Gary Woodland (Ben Hogan Award), developer Mike Keiser (William D. Richardson Award) and Luke Donald (Jim Murray Award). They will be among the honorees April 10 on the eve of the Masters at the ISPS Handa GWAA Awards Dinner at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center in Evans, Georgia.
St. Andrews’ Old Course is ditching the queue and offering a 21st-century pathway to the tee sheet, the St. Andrews Links Trust announced. Beginning March 12, a singles daily draw will be held for players to fill out an existing twosome or threesome for play on the next day. The digital system will replace the current daily line for next-day openings. READ MORE
David McCarthy, a recently retired attorney from Toronto, was elected to a second term as president of Golf Canada. READ MORE
Compiled by John Steinbreder and Steve Harmon