By Robert Thompson | July 1, 2005
- I was busy playing the new, and hyper exclusive, Oviinbyrd yesterday. It is a Tom McBroom design (Tom was playing in the group behind us) in Muskoka owned by a partnership that includes former tech CEO Peter Schwartz, a friend whom I have known for several years. Decidedly (and rightly) proud of his golf course, Schwartz invited me up to check out the final product, as I had seen the course before it was complete last fall. I’ll write a full review in coming days (when my daughter has allowed me more than 4 hours sleep!), but even eight months after I first saw it, I think Oviinbyrd’s interesting fairway contours and wonderful bunkering rank it right alongside Bigwin Island as the best course in Northern Ontario. The final two holes are not the strongest on the course, but the other 16 are pretty damned impressive.
- Apparently Travelgolf.com’s Tim McDonald has given up bashing Jay Flemma (and me!) and has simply shut down his blog. Jay’s regular blog is still up and running and he says there’s a new affiliation coming soon. It appears the Travelgolf folks have stopped writing about blogs and have gone back to discussing golf. Interestingly, Travelgolf says it has ended Flemma’s “blog career” at the site. Wow, that must have been a lucrative career. Who are these guys kidding?
- Rick Arnett argues in SI that the LPGA needs some sex appeal to sell. It has been argued before, but there might be something to this. If they can’t sell the tour with hot playing hot 20-somethings, the LPGA can never be sold. The tour has the best female player of all-time in Annika Sorenstam, and largely, the yawns can be heard far and wide. Something needs to change.
- Lorne Rubenstein has gone back to Dornoch, site of his Season in Dornoch book from a few years back. I think the latest piece is a bit indulgent, but Rubenstein’s love for Dornoch is obvious. And what’s not to love about the place and the course? It is one of the most amazing golf experiences anywhere.
A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in Golf Magazine, the Globe and Mail, T&L Golf and many other media outlets. Currently a columnist with Sympatico.ca and Ontario Golf, and a contributing writer to ScoreGolf, his blog, Going for the Green, was launched in 2004. 
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Annika should get back to playing on the PGA.. F the ladies tour, watching the women’s open last week was brutal, hell watching any female tournament is brutal. Face it, the lpga is a joke. Even the new lpga commissioner (carolyn bivens) in all her wired jubilancy about taking the lpga to new levels can’t fix that mess.
On the other hand, give Annika a few more chances on the PGA, along with Wie and they’ll do fine.
Or have the girls start playing tourneys without their panties, ie. here’s a shot of Cristie Kerr at the open,
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a27/van2p/kerr0141.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a27/van2p/kerr0011.jpg
You know it.
BTW, somebody buy Paula Creamer a new swing, please.
Actually Rob, I quit. I posted this letter to the site, which they took down and replaced with more attacks.
Early yesterday afternoon, I conversed with Tim McD and publisher Robert Lewis about the strong feelings I’ve been having that Travel Golf’s role in my career had run it’s course and that I’d like to part ways and move to my new golf writing team while it was still on a high note.
While it is obvious from posts from Tim and Robert (and that means Rebel and “Heather”) try to show differently, I am confident that we part ways with a feeling of mutual respect and pride in the work we achieved collectively and that they, in truth, will take pride in my work for them and in the future successes I will announce at http://jayflemma.blogspot.com and at the new company I will work for in the very near future. I am proud and honored to have done some of my best work for and with the TG team.
So yesterday was my last day at TG. I look forward to sharing new pieces with everyone at my new endeavors and at old well established print periodicals we all have enjoyed for decades which it is my honor to now serve.
thanks for sharing the photos of Annika Sorenstam. Sure wish we could see more of her. I think she is #1 in golf.
Thanks, Doc
actually i find the LPGA refreshing compaired to the PGA forcing us to watch eldrick wood”s every move as the camera”s give 100% attention to him
watching eldrick woods spit out big chunk”s breaking club”s…and his patented cussing are not my idea of golf