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Tom Doak's Reversible Golf Course (it's amazing) + Use a Coat Hanger to Spin It Like the Pros

Plus, a Look at Up & Down % on Chips and Sand Shots <50 yards

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Wild Golf
November 01, 2024

Happy Friday all- the PGA Tour Players Advisory Council proposed a set of big changes this week to decrease many tournament field sizes, lower the number exempt players, reduce the number of Tour cards issued to Korn Ferry Tour grads, and more. The underlying theme is that tournaments have gotten a bit out of hand- the pace of play and number of rounds completed on schedule has really declined, which is an enormous pain in the you know what for players.

In the report, the PAC noted that 28% of tournaments had at least one round suspended due to darkness, meaning the players had to come back bright and early the next day ahead of the subsequent round. It might seem like a glamorous job, but imagine if you couldn’t finish your accounting or legal review 28% of the time because the power and internet went out regularly at your office, and your boss required you to come in early the next day as a result.

In today’s newsletter…

✅ TIPS & DRILLS: Become a spin doctor around the green with a simple household tool. Grab a coat hanger and listen up.

✅ COURSES: Did you know that St. Andrew’s was once a reversible course? The Loop at Forest Dunes brought the idea back, and it’s incredible.

✅ STATISTICS: We dive into chip and sand shots < 50 yards, comparing Up & Down conversion percentages between Tour Pros, 0 HCPs & 15 HCPs.

✅ TRIVIA: John Daly had an epic night in Vegas in 2005 after the WGC, losing $1.65M at the casino. What game was he playing? Answer for a chance to win a Set of 3 Mizuno T24 Denim Copper Wedges!

Happy November!

TIPS & DRILLS
Use a Coat Hanger to Become a Spin Doctor Around the Greens
Learn to hit pitch shots that stop on a dime
To Recap…

If you’ve ever wondered how to hit those soft-landing spinners around the green that bounce a few times and check up, a simple household item may be the tool you need to ingrain the appropriate motion the pros know so well. Grab a standard coat hanger and follow these steps, as demonstrated by Jonathan Staton:

-STEP 1: Take a coat hanger and pinch it between your thumb and index finger. Start with the hanger aligned with your lead forearm.
-STEP 2: Imagine you’re taking a club back, and as you move your hands backward, pronate your arm such that the hook of the hanger presses against your rear arm. This motion opens the face and adds loft to the club.
-STEP 3: After you reach the top of your pretend backswing, keep the hook on your rear arm as you rotate through impact. This will imitate the feeling of keeping the club face open (and pointed to the sky), giving you the soft-landing, higher-spin shots you crave.

Pro Tip: If you’ve never tried this, be sure to aim a tad left (if you’re a righty). The ball will undoubtedly have some side spin and will slide to the right if played correctly.

COURSES
Play It Clockwise, Then Play It In Reverse
Tom Doak pulled off the unthinkable at this Michigan course
The Loop at Forest Dunes
Roscommon, MI

We’ll “fall back” with daylight savings this weekend (boo!), and we thought The Loop at Forest Dunes was the perfect course to highlight as we set the clocks back an hour. Legendary designer and Michigan-native Tom Doak mulled the concept of a truly reversible course for 30 years before it finally became a reality with The Loop. Yes, you read that correctly. The course can be played both forwards and backwards. On even days, you play The Loop “Red” and on odd days, it plays in reverse as The Loop “Black.” And the crazy part is that both courses are individually ranked on Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play list (currently #69 and #58, respectively).

Amazingly, this wasn’t the first time someone architected a reversible golf course. The Old Course at St. Andrew’s was originally played both forwards and backwards on alternating weeks from 1872-1904, until patrons requested to leave it in the “right-handed” direction we know today. And Joel Goldstrand crafted a number of 9-hole tracks for small clubs throughout Minnesota, Iowa & North Dakota in the 1980s. But Tom Doak took the idea and made something that was more than just a gimmick. Both courses are worthy of acclaim and top-dollar greens fees, even in the golf-rich state of Michigan. The rolling fairways follow the natural terrain with strategic bunkering that’s reminiscent of Scottish links courses, and the green entrances are so intriguing that you can get lost in the fact that each serves two purposes. As one GolfPass reviewer noted, "The Loop is unlike any other golf course I've ever played. The concept of playing the same greens from completely different angles on consecutive days is mind-blowing and incredibly fun.”

And that’s not all you’ll find at Forest Dunes- it’s home to another fantastic 18-hole course, the namesake Forest Dunes course (#32 on Golf Digest’s Best Public list), as well as the “Hilltop” 18-hole putting course and the 10-hole “Bootlegger” short course. With a lodge as well as villas and cottages on-site plus several restaurant options, the experience makes for an incredible weekend buddy trip option. You truly can’t leave without playing the Loop in both directions, making it both a genius psychological sales tactic as well as an experience you won’t forget.

Rates: Peak season rates between $140 - $195

Check out this overview from @coursesyouneedtoplay

STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Up & Down % - Chip & Sand: Comparing Tour Pro vs. O HCP vs. 15 HCP
presented by…

The Stat: A 0 HCP is at least 1.96x more likely to get up & down than a 15 HCP from <50 yards (and Tour Pros are at least 2.37x more likely than a 15 HCP).

The Takeaway: Another ho-hum set of data that proves just how great Tour Pros are around the greens. Statistically, < 1% of golfers ever achieve Scratch status, and the graphic above proves they live in an entirely different tier than a roughly average ~15 Handicap. And yet, Tour Pros raise the bar that much higher above the typical Scratch golfer. So get out there and practice, practice, practice.

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a Set of 3 Mizuno T24 Denim Copper Wedges
(1 winner chosen on 11/30/24 across all November trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

Hours after winning $750K at the 2005 World Golf Championship in San Francisco, John Daly drove to Las Vegas and lost $1.65 million. What was his gambling game of choice?

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