Opinion & Analysis
Golf course rangers talk about rangering
They call him a ranger, a players’ host or a course ambassador, but usually, the marshal is just an older guy who spends a couple of days a week riding around in a cart trying not to do any harm so that he can play golf for free later in the week.
When they’re first engaged (hired seems like too strong a word for a job that generally offers no wage) new marshals are told their job is to facilitate the normal pace of play at a course while assisting golfers as needed.
There are days when the pace of play can be glacial, and that’s when the course ambassador needs to have all of his diplomatic abilities available. Rodney, a marshal at a high-end daily-fee course in the Coachella Valley, says the crew there is well-trained in social skills.
“We want our guests to have a pleasant experience,” he said, and I wanted to ask him why then was the pin placement on hole No. 3 located on the side-hill of the green, approachable from only one direction. “Golfers pay good money and we’re not going to antagonize anyone. Our job is to help them enjoy their day at the course.”
Sometimes that means helping a foursome look for golf balls hit into the trees, rough or bushes.
“My trick,” said Michael, who didn’t want to be identified so we’re saying the marshals at Pokenhope Park, “is to look about 20 or 30 yards behind where everyone else is looking. You’d be surprised how often people think they hit the ball farther than they really do. If I find it, I tell him it must have hit a tree and bounced back.”
It’s the backups that cause the most angst for both players and marshals.
[quote_box_center]“During the season, when we’re crowded and there are more ‘infrequent players’ on the course, it can be slower than we like,” said Rodney, a master of understatement.[/quote_box_center]
At a public course in LA County, Ranger Dave – that’s how he introduced himself – said weekend mornings are always a test for the marshals.
[quote_box_center]“The worst is men’s club tournament days. Even when they tee off at dawn, we’ll have five-hour rounds because they all have to plumb-bob their two-footers for double.”[/quote_box_center]
“The marshals need to manage the flow,” said Murray, a Canadian playing in the crowded spring sunshine of Palm Desert. “There’s no reason a round of golf should ever take more than four hours.” He said that right before suggesting that I abandon the two-minute search for my errant Callaway, “and just drop one over there, somewhere.”
“At one course I used to work at, the marshals had to enforce a ‘keep your shirt tucked in’ rule,” Paul, a retired fire captain, told me in La Quinta. “Then a few years ago they noticed that nobody under 30 was playing the course anymore so they relaxed that rule.”
That makes you realize how far we’ve come since the day when golfers routinely wore their ties tucked into their dress shirts.
“I had to require a gentleman to play barefoot on the front nine one time,” Gary told me when I rode the circuit backwards with him at a course in the Inland Empire. “If you can believe it, he was wearing baseball spikes! He said he’d forgotten his golf shoes. He borrowed somebody’s tennis shoes for the back nine, but when I saw him on No. 15, he was barefoot again because he said he liked the feel.”
When I played one high-end course a few years ago, a marshal warned our group on the first tee where the restrooms were located that if a patron were seen urinating in public on the course he’d be asked to leave with no refund. For the next four holes my bladder strained with every swing. I never did see a marshal, but I felt like there was one watching me from behind every tree.
I called the course a few days ago to ask if this rule was still in effect. The assistant pro said that was never the official policy as far as he knew, and that it must have just been something the “first-tee host” added on his own. Now they tell me.
Most of the time, marshals work two or three days a week and then can play for free the other days, though sometimes not on Saturday or Sunday morning primetime.
[quote_box_center]“When we’re not working,” Gary said, “we’re still making sure that no one is tearing the course up — driving too close to the greens in their carts, for instance.”[/quote_box_center]
“I’m always fixing people’s ball marks on the greens,” Bob told me at an LA County public course. “I’ll rake a trap if I see someone didn’t and pour sand in divots in the fairway. You have to care about the course if you’re going to be a good marshal.”
None of the marshals and none of the players I talked with had a real horror story about the “ranger from hell.”
Murray, the Canadian, said that’s probably because “marshals really don’t have any authority.”
Don’t suggest that to Stan, a white-haired players’ assistant at a public course run by a national golf course management company.
[quote_box_center]“You don’t want somebody on a power trip throwing golfers off the course,” he said. “But I’ve heard of foursomes being told to skip a hole to relieve a backlog. Then, after they finish 18 and the course isn’t so crowded anymore, they can go back and play the hole they skipped.”[/quote_box_center]
The best marshals, according to Michael, are the ones who see where a problem has developed and then try to help out.
[quote_box_center]“I’ll fore-caddy for them a bit, help them find their shots for a hole or two until they catch up.”[/quote_box_center]
Just the marshal being around for a few holes usually speeds players up, he said.
[quote_box_center]“Or I’ll suggest to cart riders that they each go to their balls to prepare to hit rather than watching each other go through their pre-shot routines until they’ve caught back up.”[/quote_box_center]
Personally, I think I usually play a little worse when I know a marshal is monitoring our group. It’s as good an excuse as any for some of the shots I hit.
And if sometime your group catches the watchful eye of a course ambassador, don’t give him a hard time. Ask him which way the greens break, or tell him a joke. He’ll probably tell you a funnier one in return. You never know; that might be you someday when you’re 68 years old and your only cares in the world are getting out of the house for a few hours and playing golf for free.
Do you have any marshal stories, good or bad? Tell us about them in the comments section below.
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Opinion & Analysis
Myrtle Beach, Explored: February in South Carolina
As I gain in experience and age, and familiarity breeds neither contempt nor disdain, I understand why people return to a place. A destination like Myrtle Beach offers a sizable supply and diversity of restaurants, entertainment venues, and shops that are predicated on the tenets of the service industry. Greet your customers with a smile and a kind word, and they will find comfort and assurance. Provide them with a memorable experience and they will suggest your place of business to others.
My first tour of Myrtle Beach took place in the mid-1980s, and consisted of one course: Gator Hole. I don’t remember much from that day, and since Gator Hole closed a decade later, I cannot revisit it to recollect what I’d lost. Since then, I’ve come to the Grand Strand a few times, and been fortunate to never place a course more than once. I’ve seen the Strantz courses to the south and dipped my toe in the North Carolina courses of Calabash. I’ve been to many in the middle, including Dunes, Pine Lakes, Grande Dunes among them.
2024 brought a quartet of new courses, including two at the Barefoot Resort. I’d heard about the North Myrtle Beach four-pack of courses that highlight the Barefoot property, including layouts from Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, and Greg Norman. I had the opportunity to play and shoot the Dye and Fazio tracks, which means that I’ll have to return to see the other two. Sandwiched between them were the TPC-Myrtle Beach course, also from Tom Fazio, and the Pawley’s Plantation trace, by the hand of Jack Nicklaus. I anticipated a bit of the heroic, and bit of the strategic, and plenty of eye candy. None of those architects would ever be considered a minimalist, so there would be plenty of in-play and out-of-play bunkers and mounds to tantalize the senses.
My nephew arrived a few days early, to screen a few more courses. As a result, you the reader will have an extra quarter of mini-reviews, bringing the total of courses in this piece to eight. It was inconceivable that CJR would play four courses that I had never played nor photographed, but that was the case. His words appear at the end of this piece. We hope that you enjoy the tour.
Main Feature: Two Barefoots, a TPC, and Pawley’s Plantation
What Paul “Pete” Dye brought back from his trips to the United Kingdom, hearkened back to what C.B. MacDonal did, some 65 years prior. There is a way of finding bunkers and fairways, and even green sites, that does not require major industrial work. The Dye course at Barefoot Resorts takes you on a journey over the rumpled terrain of distant places. If there’s one element missing, it’s the creased and turbulent fairways, so often found in England and Ireland. The one tenet of playing a Dye course, is to always aim away from temptation, from where your eyes draw you. Find the safe side of the target, and you’ll probably find your ball. It then stands that you will have a shot for your next attempt. Cut the corner, and you might have need to reload. The Barefoot course begins gently, in terms of distance, but challenges with visual deception. After two brief 4s and a 3, the real work begins. The course is exposed enough, to allow the coastal winds to dance along the fairways. Be ready to keep the ball low and take an extra club or two.
If memory serves, TPCMB is my first trek around a TPC-branded course. It had all the trappings of a tour course, from the welcome, through the clubhouse, to the practice facilities and, of course, the course. TPC-Myrtle Beach is a Tom Fazio design, and if you never visit Augusta National, you’ll now have an idea of what it is like. You play Augusta’s 16th hole twice at TPCMB, and you enjoy it both times. Fazio really likes the pond-left, green-angle-around par three hole, and his two iterations of it are memorable.
You’ll also see those Augusta bunkers, the ones with the manicured edges that drop into a modestly-circular form. What distinguishes these sand pits is the manner in which they rise from the surrounding ground. They are unique in that they don’t resemble the geometric bunkering of a Seth Raynor, nor the organic pits found in origin courses. They are built, make no mistake, and recovery from them is manageable for all levels of bunker wizardry.
If you have the opportunity to play the two Tom Fazio courses back to back, you’ll notice a marked difference in styling. Let me digress for a moment, then circle back with an explanation. It was written that the NLE World Woods course designed by Fazio, Pine Barrens, was an homage to Pine Valley, the legendary, New Jersey club where Fazio is both a member and the architect on retainer. The Pine Barrens course was plowed under in 2022, so the homage no longer exists. At least, I didn’t think that it existed, until I played his Barefoot Resort course in North Myrtle Beach.
Pine Valley might be described as an aesthetic of scrub and sand. There are mighty, forced carries to travers, along with sempiternal, sandy lairs to avoid. Barefoot Fazio is quite similar. If you’re not faced with a forced carry, you’ll certainly contend with a fairway border or greenside necklace of sand. When you reach the 13th tee, you’ll face a drive into a fairway, and you might see a distant green, with a notable absence: flagstick. The 13th is the icing on the homage cake, a callout of the 8th hole at Pine Valley. Numero Ocho at the OG has two greens, side by side, and they change the manner in which the hole plays (so they say.) At Barefoot Fazio, the right-side green is a traditional approach, with an unimpeded run of fairway to putting surface. The left-side green (the one that I was fortunate to play) demands a pitch shot over a wasteland. It’s a fitting tribute for the rest of us to play.
Be certain to parrot the starter, Leon’s, advice, and play up a deck of tees. Barefoot Fazio offers five par-three holes, so the fours and fives play that much longer. Remember, too, that you are on vacation. Why not treat yourself to some birdie looks?
The Jack Nicklaus course at Pawley’s Plantation emerged from a period of hibernation in 2024. The greens were torn up and their original contours were restored. Work was overseen by Troy Vincent, a member of the Nicklaus Architecture team. In addition, the putting corridors were reseeded with a hardier, dwarf bermuda that has experienced great success, all along the Grand Strand that is Myrtle Beach.
My visit allowed me to see the inward half first, and I understand why the resort wishes to conclude your day on those holes. The front nine of Pawley’s Plantation works its way through familiar, low country trees and wetlands. The back nine begins in similar fashion, then makes its way east, toward the marsh that separates mainland from Pawley’s Island. Recalling the powerful sun of that Wednesday morning, any round beginning on the second nine would face collateral damage from the warming star. Much better to hit holes 11 to close when the sun is higher in the sky.
The marshland holes (12 through 17) are spectacular in their raw, unprotected nature. The winds off the Atlantic are unrelenting and unforgiving, and the twin, par-three holes will remain in your memory banks for time’s march. In typical Golden Bear fashion, a majority of his putting targets are smallish in nature, reflecting his appreciation for accurate approach shots. Be sure to find the forgiving side of each green, and err to that portion. You’ll be grateful.
Bonus Coverage: Myrtlewood, Beechwood, Arrowhead, and King’s North
Arrowhead (Raymond Floyd and Tom Jackson)
A course built in the middle of a community, water threatens on most every hole. The Cypress 9 provides a few holes forcing a carried drive then challenge you with water surrounding the green. On Waterway, a drivable 2nd hole will tempt most, so make sure the group ahead has cleared the green.
Myrtlewood (Edmund Alt and Arthur Hills) and Beechwood (Gene Hamm)
A middle of the winter New Englander’s paradise. Wide open fairways, zero blind shots and light rough allow for shaking off the rust and plenty of forgiveness. A plethora of dog legs cause one to be cautious with every tee shot. Won’t break the bank nor the scorecard.
King’s North @ Myrtle Beach National (Arnold Palmer)
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 Players Championship betting preview: Pete Dye specialists ready to pass tough TPC Sawgrass test
The PGA Tour heads to TPC Sawgrass to play in one of the most prestigious and important events of the season: THE PLAYERS Championship. Often referred to as the fifth major, the importance of a PLAYERS victory to the legacy of a golfer can’t be overlooked.
TPC Sawgrass is a par-72 measuring 7,245 yards and featuring Bermudagrass greens. Golfers must be patient in attacking this Pete Dye course.
With trouble lurking at every turn, the strokes can add up quickly. With a par-5 16th that is a true risk-reward hole and the famous par-3 17th island green, the only safe bet at TPC Sawgrass is a bet on an exciting finish.
THE PLAYERS Championship field is often referred to as the strongest field of the year — and with good reason. There are 144 in the field, including 43 of the world’s top 50 players in the OWGR. Tiger Woods will not be playing in the event.
THE PLAYERS is an exceptionally volatile event that has never seen a back-to-back winner.
Past Winners at TPC Sawgrass
- 2023: Scottie Scheffler (-17)
- 2022: Cameron Smith (-13)
- 2021: Justin Thomas (-14)
- 2019: Rory McIlroy (-16)
- 2018: Webb Simpson (-18)
- 2017: Si-Woo Kim (-10)
- 2016: Jason Day (-15)
- 2015: Rickie Fowler (-12)In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).
5 Key Stats for TPC Sawgrass
Let’s take a look at five metrics key for TPC Sawgrass to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.
1. Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach has historically been far and away the most important and predictive stat at THE PLAYERS Championship. With water everywhere, golfers can’t afford to be wild with their iron shots. Not only is it essential to avoid the water, but it will also be as important to go after pins and make birdies because scores can get relatively low.
Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Tom Hoge (+1.37)
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.20)
- Tony Finau (+0.99)
- Jake Knapp (+0.83)
- Shane Lowry (+0.80)
2. Total Driving
This statistic is perfect for TPC Sawgrass. Historically, driving distance hasn’t been a major factor, but since the date switch to March, it’s a bit more significant. During this time of year, the ball won’t carry quite as far, and the runout is also shorter.
Driving accuracy is also crucial due to all of the trouble golfers can get into off of the tee. Therefore, players who are gaining on the field with Total Driving will put themselves in an ideal spot this week.
Total Driving Over Past 24 Rounds
- Rory McIlroy (22)
- Akshay Bhatia (25)
- Keith Mitchell (25)
- Adam Hadwin (34)
- Sam Burns (+39)
3. Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs
TPC Sawgrass may be Pete Dye’s most famous design, and for good reason. The course features Dye’s typical shaved runoff areas and tricky green complexes. Pete Dye specialists love TPC Sawgrass and should have a major advantage this week.
SG: Total (Pete Dye) per round over past 36 rounds:
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.02)
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.90)
- Min Woo Lee (+1.77)
- Sungjae Im (+1.72)
- Brian Harman (+1.62)
4. Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
Prototypical ball-strikers have dominated TPC Sawgrass. With past winners like Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, it’s evident that golfers must be striking it pure to contend at THE PLAYERS.
SG: Ball Striking Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.02)
- Tony Finau (+1.51)
- Tom Hoge (+1.48)
- Keith Mitchell (+1.38)
- Will Zalatoris (+1.18)
5. Par 5 Average
Par-5 average is extremely important at TPC Sawgrass. With all four of the Par-5s under 575 yards, and three of them under 540 yards, a good amount of the scoring needs to come from these holes collectively.
Par 5 Average Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Schefler (+4.31)
- Erik Van Rooyen (+4.35)
- Doug Ghim (+4.34)
- Wyndham Clark (+4.34)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (+4.31)
6. Strokes Gained: Florida
We’ve used this statistic over the past few weeks, and I’d like to incorporate some players who do well in Florida into this week’s model as well.
Strokes Gained: Florida over past 30 rounds:
- Scottie Schefler (+2.43)
- Erik Van Rooyen (+1.78)
- Doug Ghim (+1.78)
- Wyndham Clark (+1.73)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (+1.69)
7. Strokes Gained: Total on Courses with High Water Danger
With water everywhere at TPC Sawgrass, the blow-up potential is high. It can’t hurt to factor in some players who’ve avoided the “eject” button most often in the past.
Strokes Gained: Total on Courses with High Water Danger over past 30 rounds:
- Scottie Schefler (+2.08)
- Rory McIlroy (+1.82)
- Tony Finau (+1.62)
- Patrick Cantlay (+1.51)
- Will Zalatoris (+1.49)
THE PLAYERS Championship Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (25%), Total Driving (20%), SG: Total Pete Dye (14%), SG: Ball-striking (15%) SG: Par 5 (8%), SG: Florida (10%) and SG: High Water (8%).
- Scottie Scheffler
- Shane Lowry
- Tony Finau
- Corey Conners
- Keith Mitchell
- Justin Thomas
- Will Zalatoris
- Xander Schauffele
- Cameron Young
- Doug Ghim
- Sam Burns
- Chris Kirk
- Collin Morikawa
- Si Woo Kim
- Wyndham Clark
2024 THE PLAYERS Championship Picks
(All odds at the time of writing)
Patrick Cantlay +2500 (DraftKings):
Patrick Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship but is undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour. Since the win at Wilmington Country Club, the 31-year-old has twelve top-10 finishes on Tour and is starting to round into form for the 2024 season.
Cantlay has done well in the most recent “signature” events this season, finishing 4th at Riviera for the Genesis Invitational and 12th at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The former Tour Championship winner resides in Jupiter, Florida and has played some good golf in the state, including finishing in a tie for 4th at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational. His history at TPC Sawgrass has been up and down, but his best career start at The PLAYERS came last year when he finished in a tie for 19th.
Cantlay absolutely loves Pete Dye designed courses and ranks 1st in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Dye tracks in his past 36 rounds. In recent years, he’s been excellent at both the RBC Heritage and the Travelers Championship. TPC Sawgrass is a place where players will have to be dialed in with their irons and distance off the tee won’t be quite as important. In his past 24, rounds, Cantlay ranks in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach.
Despite being winless in recent years, I still believe Cantlay is capable of winning big tournaments. As one of the only United States players to bring their best game to Marco Simone for the Ryder Cup, I have conviction that the former top amateur in the world can deliver when stakes are high.
Will Zalatoris +3000 (FanDuel):
In order to win at TPC Sawgrass, players will need to be in total control of their golf ball. At the moment, Will Zalatoris is hitting it as well as almost anyone and finally has the putter cooperating with his new switch to the broomstick style.
Zalatoris is coming off back-to-back starts where he absolutely striped the ball. He finished 2nd at the Genesis Invitational and 4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where his statistics were eye opening. For the week at Bay Hill, Zal gained 5.0 strokes on approach and 5.44 strokes off the tee.
Throughout the early part of his career, Zalatoris has established himself by playing his best golf in the strongest fields with the most difficult conditions. A tough test will allow him to separate himself this week and breakthrough for a PLAYERS Championship victory.
Shane Lowry +4000 (DraftKings):
History has shown us that players need to be in good form to win the PLAYERS Championship and it’s hard to find anyone not named Scottie Scheffler who’s in better form that Shane Lowry at the moment. He finished T4 at the Cognizant Classic followed by a solo third place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The fact that the Irishman contended at Bay Hill is a great sign considering he’s really struggled there throughout his career. He will now head to a different style of course in Florida where he’s had a good deal of success. He finished 8th at TPC Sawgrass in 2021 and 13th in 2022.
Lowry ranks 6th in the field in approach in his past 24 rounds, 7th in Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye designed courses in his last 30 rounds, 8th in par 5 scoring this season, and 4th in Strokes Gained: Total in Florida over his past 36 rounds.
Lowry is a player who’s capable of winning big events. He’s a major champion and won another premier event at Wentworth as well as a WGC at Firestone. He’s also a form player, when he wins it’s typically when he’s contended in recent starts. He’s been terrific thus far in Florida and he should get into contention once again this week.
Brian Harman +8000 (DraftKings):
(Note: Since writing this Harman’s odds have plummeted to 50-1. I would not advise betting the 50).
Brian Harman showed us last season that if the course isn’t extremely long, he has the accuracy both off the tee and with his irons to compete with anyone in the world. Last week at Bay Hill and was third in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.54 strokes on the field in the category.
In addition to the strong iron play, Harman also gained strokes off the tee in three of four rounds. He’s also had success at Pete Dye tracks recently. He finished 2nd at last year’s Travelers Championship and 7th at the RBC Heritage.
It would be a magnificent feat for Harman to win both the Open Championship and PLAYERS in a short time frame, but the reality is the PGA Tour isn’t quite as strong as it once was. Harman is a player who shows up for the biggest events and his odds seem way too long for his recent track record.
Tony Finau +6500 (FanDuel):
A few weeks ago, at the Genesis Invitational, I bet Hideki Matsuyama because I believed it to be a “bet the number” play at 80-1. I feel similarly about Finau this week. While he’s not having the season many people expected of him, he is playing better than these odds would indicate.
This season, Tony has a tied for 6th place finish at Torrey Pines, a tied for 19th at Riviera and tied for 13th at the Mexico Open. He’s also hitting the ball extremely well. In the field in his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking, 6th in Par 5 average and 15th in Total Driving.
Finau’s problem has been with the putter, which has been undeniably horrific. However, this week he will see a putting surface similar to the POA at TPC Scottsdale and PGA West, which he’s had a great deal of success on. It’s worth taking a stab at this price to see if he can have a mediocre week with the flat stick.
Sungjae Im +9000 (FanDuel):
It’s been a lackluster eighteen months for Sungjae, who once appeared to be a certain star. While his ceiling is absolutely still there, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Im play the type of golf expected of a player with his talent.
Despite the obvious concerns, the South Korean showed glimpses of a return to form last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He tied for 18th place and gained strokes off the tee, on approach, around the green and with the putter. When at his best, Im is a perfect course fit for TPC Sawgrass. He has remarkable precision off the tee, can get dialed in with his irons on shorter courses and can get up and down with the best players on Tour.
This number has gotten to the point where I feel comfortable taking a shot on it.
Billy Horschel +20000 (FanDuel):
Billy Horschel is a great fit on paper for TPC Sawgrass. He can get dialed in with his irons and his lack of distance off the tee won’t be a major detriment at the course. “Bermuda Billy” does his best work putting on Bermudagrass greens and he appears to be rounding into form just in time to compete at The PLAYERS.
In his most recent start, Billy finished in a tie for 9th at the Cognizant Classic and hit the ball extremely well. The former Florida Gator gained 3.32 strokes on approach and 2.04 strokes off the tee. If Horschel brings that type of ball striking to TPC Sawgrass, he has the type of putter who can win a golf tournament.
Horschel has been great on Pete Dye designed courses, with four of his seven career PGA Tour wins coming on Dye tracks.
In a season that has seen multiple long shots win big events, the 37-year-old is worth a stab considering his knack for playing in Florida and winning big events.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Hong Kong betting preview: Trio of major champs primed for big week
LIV Golf is set to begin its fourth event of the season at Hong Kong Golf Club in Hong Kong, China. This marks the first time that LIV Golf will travel to China for an event.
Hong Kong Golf Club is a par 70 measuring 6,710 yards. LIV will be using the “Fanling Course” for the event.
While speaking with Asian Tour player Travis Smyth, he gave me a rundown on what it takes to be successful at Hong Kong Golf Club.
“Hong Kong golf club, it’s pretty old school, like super short and tight. And I, I don’t think it falls into like a bomber’s hand. I think you’ll see a lot of guys hitting it to roughly the same spots on the majority of the holes. There’s a few holes where Bryson will be able to unleash a few but not many. When I played here, I hit Hybrid on Par 4’s off the tee maybe like seven times.”
Travis also said that the tight fairways and penal potential misses will keep the bombers at bay.
“It’s just that sort of course you’re hitting it like anywhere from 220 to 240 off the tee. And then from there you have a range of holes where it’s like kind of some sort of wedge or nine. It’s not very long.”
Around the green game will also be tremendously important at Hong Kong Golf Club.
“The greens are small as well and it’s usually quite hard to get up and down if you miss the greens. Someone like Cameron Smith I could see doing really well there. He played well in the international series. but just someone that’s, you know, pretty dolled in with their, their scoring clubs, he’s probably going to do well there.”
Players dialed in with their game from tee to green with control over the golf ball should fare extremely well.
“You can’t really scramble from the trees either. So, you really just have to. I’d, yeah, just whoever’s the best ball striker that week, you can’t really strap it around and fake it around there. You got to hit it straight. The tree lines are dead, there’s some hazards and stuff. It’s a short, tight quirky course, not what any of these guys are probably used to.”
Despite it being short, don’t be surprised if it gives players some real trouble.
“It should be fun viewing because there’ll be a lot of opportunities. They’ll feel like they can go low around there because it’s short but, you know, you make a few bogeys, and you get quite frustrated, and you start pushing off the tee and find some trouble and stuff. It can eat you up as well.”
Smyth finished 2nd at Hong Kong Golf Club to qualify for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Past Winners at Hong Kong Golf Club
- 2023: Ben Campbell (-19)
- 2022: Wade Ormsby (-17)
- 2018: Aaron Rai (-17)
- 2017: Wade Ormsby (-11)
- 2016: Sam Brazel (-13)
- 2015: Justin Rose (-19)
- 2014: Scott Hend (-13)
- 2013: Miguel Angel Jiminez (-12)
The top of the board once again will be a major threat this week. Jon Rahm is still in search of his first win on LIV and has been knocking at the door in each of his first three starts. Brooks Koepka hasn’t yet contended but is playing steady golf and has yet to shoot a round outside of the 60’s this season. Joaquin Niemann is the hottest player on the planet and has shown no signs of slowing down.
However, on a golf course that can neutralize the big hitters, this is an event that seems a bit more up for grabs than we’ve seen in the first three LIV events.
LIV Golf Stats YTD
2024 LIV Hong Kong Picks
Cameron Smith +2000 (Bet365, BetRivers)
It’s been a slow start for Cam Smith this season. In his three starts on LIV, he’s finished T8, T15, T41 and has yet to look like the Cam that is one of the best players in the world. Hong Kong Golf Club should be the perfect course fit to get the former Open Champion out of his slump.
Hong Kong Golf Club is tight off the tee, and many players won’t be able to hit driver. That will neutralize some of the best drivers of the golf ball in the field and propel players like Cam, who are almost unbeatable from fairway to green. Cam’s driver has been a weakness throughout his career, and it’s been especially pronounced this season. He’s tied for 51st in fairways hit thus far on the season. Taking driver out of his hand this week could be exactly what he needs to get on track.
Despite the poor tee balls, Smith still ranks 1st in putting and 5th in birdies made. He’s also a great scrambler, and with small greens at the course, having to get up and down is inevitable. If he can play from the fairway this week, he should have a major advantage in the other facets of the game.
Louis Oosthuizen +2000 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen should be an absolutely perfect fit for Hong Kong Golf Club. The South African has been remarkably consistent over the past few months dating back to the fall, where he won two consecutive DP World Tour events and also finished 2nd at the International Series Oman. In his three LIV starts this year, Louis has finished T8 at LIV Mayakoba, 50th at LIV Las Vegas and T2 at LIV Jeddah.
Louis is relatively short off the tee and that won’t hurt him this week. He is one of the best putters and scrambler on LIV, and his silky-smooth swing looks as dialed in as ever at the moment. He’s yet to win a LIV event, but a victory for Louis seems imminent.
Patrick Reed +5000 (FanDuel)
Patrick Reed is another play who’s yet to win a LIV event but has been a winner throughout his entire career. The former Masters champion should love Hong Kong Golf Club as it will play to his strengths on and around the greens.
Reed played on the Asian Tour this fall and finished T15 at the Hong Kong Open and T7 at the Indonesian Masters. The experience in Asia this season should be a benefit for Reed acclimating to the travel and conditions this week.
The 34-year-old should benefit from taking driver out of his hand and similar to Smith, can beat anyone in the world if the tournament become a short game competition.
*Featured Image and Stats Image courtesy of LIV Golf*
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me
Apr 9, 2015 at 9:12 am
I feel like a lot of times the rangers are just unable to identify where the real problems are on a course. I’ve had a few times we were politely told to move it along on a course, when we were actually playing at a good pace. Was playing a nice semi-private course one day and we were a 4some playing in front of a 3some of members. They were up our a$$es the first 5 holes, and we were keeping a good pace. I wanted to let them play through but the course has a “no play through” policy (I guess their view is letting groups play through will just create more backlog behind you, which is true to a certain extent actually). So the ranger approached us as we were approaching the 9th tee box and told us to speed it up. At this point we were at 1:45 in. When I reminded him of that, he just looked dumbfounded. And he just said, “oh….ok….I guess you’re doing alright. I’ll let the members behind you know.” So apparently the members complained and he made a false accusation to us without the facts.
While I agree that no one ever wants to play a 5+ hour round of golf, the main reason we are out there is to relax and have a good time. So if it takes 4:45 to play a round, then so be it. If you are that strained for time, only play 9. And let the rest of us enjoy our round.
jonno
Apr 8, 2015 at 10:16 pm
(i’m not american and don’t live in america – where i live golf participation is up by 8% for men and 6% for women)
last trip i had to the US i played several high-end public golf courses and the over-bearing marshals were awful, pace of play is more important than having a good day out it seems.
The carts which were incredibly slow (health and safety) wouldn’t allow you within 100yards of the green – or made sure you stuck to the cart paths.
So you’ve got an oxymoron right there, you want faster play – give people slow carts and make them walk 100 yards to their ball. Most of my rounds were played with my father who’s 70 years old and has had multiple operations on his knees / ankles, plays off 9 and still drives the ball 250-260yards – it however took a LONG time for him to play rounds of golf having to walk 100 yards to his ball after driving his cart which was only marginally faster than I was walking beside him.
It is hilariously ridiculous if i’m honest.
Then you get these clocks everywhere and marshals pestering you all day, mixed with health and safety slow carts and silly cart parking rules – THIS IS WHY GOLF IN THE US IS DECLINING.
The difference between a 4 hour round and a 4 and a half hour round is NOT the problem. Kids these days can’t spend 4 hours doing anything an extra half an hour is not the thing that stops them playing golf.
JOE
Apr 8, 2015 at 8:58 pm
How do courses determine pace of play? If they use four single-digit handicaps playing, a four hour or less pace of play is very doable. If you have four twenty plus handicaps playing, there is no way they will meet the four hour round for eighteen holes. In my opinion, there are more twenty plus golfers playing than single digit handicappers so the place of play should reflect the longer time to finish eighteen holes…
Geoffrey Holland
Apr 8, 2015 at 6:30 pm
I was a marshal for 5 seasons at one public course. Lots of fun.
Some keys to being a good marshal that I learned the hard way.
Always talk to the entire group at once, or make sure to talk to each member individually. Telling one guy that the group is slow never works.
Never hang around and piss a group off by following them. Talk to them, let them know the situation, be friendly, and then get out of there. Check back on them from a distance, or even forecaddie for a hole or so as suggested. No one likes being watched by the marshal.
The looking for balls 20 yards behind where the group is looking is gold. I just told them that it got caught up in the rough so it didn’t go as far as usual. Lol, as if.
Getting the men’s club and ladies club on your side is huge. Being a public course, they were at risk of losing their times if they were slow, so I had a great relationship with the men and they worked really hard to keep things going. The ladies made their own problems. They’d tee off at 5 minute intervals because they’re all such short hitters, so at the first par 3 there would be 5 groups backed up. Once the starter understood that no, he didn’t have 3 extra tee time after the ladies, things worked out alright.
I found that wearing a stopwatch on a lanyard was useful. People knew I was serious anyways. Knowing the times it should be taking a group to get around was useful as well.
I’ve always felt that early tee times should be reserved for fast players. Getting a slow group out early would be death for the entire round, unless some groups no-showed.
Worst story? One day I worked the afternoon shift, and the front 9 was packed. Waits everywhere. I scooted over to 18, then 17, then 16…nothing. Found a group on 15 green, everything backed up behind them. They were 4 hours in. I told them to hurry up and “miss them quick” and get finished. They weren’t happy. Tough luck. 4:40 with an open course was brutal.
One ladies day it was stormy and nasty out. No one teed off, then finally there was a break so a bunch of them went out. Naturally it started up again, thunder, lightning, the whole works. I drove out to check on them, and they were all huddled under the only tree within 40 yards. “LADIES! Hiding under a tree is not what you do during LIGHTNING!!.” Fortunately none of them got hit.
JD
Apr 8, 2015 at 11:00 am
I start, ranger, pick the range, pull carts up, put ’em up. ALL that good stuff. LOL The best thing to understand, Clint, help me out. A man must know his limitations.. Play the tees that accommodate your skills. Most golfers do this and then there’s the ones who watch way too much TV. TV has ruined golf.. 98% that plumb bob have no idea what the heck they’re doing.. Seen it on TV no doubt. Yes, a good pre shot routine is valuable.. But, Do it and get it done.. There’s no green jacket waiting on you.. Maybe a straight jacket for the groups behind you.. I’ve noticed that cart path only is faster than 90* rule. The golfers will take a club or 2 and hit the ball, then the 90* rule, They’ll look at the distance , then put a club in hand, then a bird may fart and they change clubs, then the wind stops and then change clubs again.. WHY??? oh, WHY?????. Rangers have a job,, move pace along.. Some get it, some don’t. I’ve been cussed, I’ve been ridiculed and I’ve been appreciated. Its all good and sometimes its not worth it.. The players have the best opportunity to help golf and make it enjoyable for all..
TR1PTIK
Apr 8, 2015 at 12:15 pm
I know what you mean about people watching too much golf on TV and pre-shot routines. My pre-shot routine is pretty simple. For most shots, I grip the club from behind the ball, find my target, approach the ball and get into posture, then swing. I might take one more look at my target or fidget a little bit with my setup to make sure I’m comfortable, but two things I NEVER do are waggle or take practice swings. They waste time and do little good for most amateurs. My putting routine is the exact same.
JD
Apr 8, 2015 at 12:36 pm
I’ve actually seen someone line up their ball on the tee as if they’re fixing to putt.. WHAT????
me
Apr 9, 2015 at 9:01 am
Certainly agree on the practice swings….Personally, I stand behind the ball and take one, approach the ball, make sure my feet are square, and hit away. My routine doesn’t take long. What kills me is seeing the guys that will take 3, 4, or even more practice swings, then shank it in the woods. No one should ever take more than 1 practice swing.
Roosterredneck
Apr 8, 2015 at 9:08 am
It’s not easy when people who know better but won’t follow the pace of play rule. I Ranger at a state park course and I have very few problems with few exceptions. I have had a few who think they own the course and just ignore some of the rules like stay on the path while at the green and drive up to the green rather than park 15 feet away on the path . Then there are those who come to drink beer first and play golf second. When their round is over they sit on the cart and drink rather than turn the carts in and finish their beer at the lounging area . Most always players will and do follow the course rules and I thank them . I have a problem with those who come late and stay till dark thirty and believe this is ok. We have to go out and ask them to come in when they know you can’t hit what you can’t see.. All said I still enjoy golf and Rangering .
Jay
Apr 8, 2015 at 5:47 am
When I retired a few years ago I joined a golf course that has memberships and is also open to the public (non-members). The course offers a special price for green fee and cart on Mondays. When I first became a member I did not know that Mondays was nick-named by the members as, Circus Day. I tried to play a few times on Monday’s and soon learned that acupuncture would be fun compared to going through that. Just about everything posted here takes place on the Mondays. Most of the golfers are just wanting to have fun. But there are so many people that it’s impossible to play very fast. If this is what I had to go through all the time to play golf, I know that I’d have to take up another hobby. Oh, one more thing. Texting and talking on Cell phones is very popular on the golf course.
Kelly
Apr 8, 2015 at 3:49 am
Once a year some buddies would come to my house and we would drive about 30-40 mins to a 36 hole facility to play 36. We would make an early tee time in order to finish at a decent time. The starter sent us to the back and we took off without anyone in front. We’re flying through the round when on our 12th or 13th hole the Marshall comes up to me talking about our pace of play and how we need to speed up. At first I thought he was joking but then realized he was serious. I just said that I thought we were moving pretty good and he disagreed. We finished our first 18 in about 3 hours and were back at the clubhouse we see the Marshall and he tells me that he sees we speeded up. I said not really and that we played in about 3 hours and he said nah, you didn’t. To this day I don’t know if he was clueless or had a problem with me.
Ken
Apr 7, 2015 at 11:59 pm
While not an actual, certified, bona fide ranger, I did volunteer as a starter at my local course. It was a 3 month gig, but the free golf didn’t offset my desire to play when I wanted … so I joined. It was an education. Twenty handicappers playing the tips, more beer than clubs, 1st tee shanks. I loved the guys who would ask about the pond at the end of the dogleg on the opening par 5. “Hey, how far is it to the water … can I reach it?” “Eventually, sir…it’s 280-ish.” “Yeah, I should use my three wood.” They generally fell short by 120 yards.
Macca
Apr 7, 2015 at 5:44 pm
I have a marshaled myself just a few times, but here is my take on what I have seen and what I have done.
For the most part, I have seen very few marshals who do much of anything other than ride around in a cart and look completely bored. The BEST marshals I have seen and what I learned from them the few times I marshaled at my local course:
– First and foremost, be courteous and an ambassador for the course. You have no idea, generally, who I am and if this is my first time to this course or even my first time in your city, so make sure I feel WELCOMED.
– HELP ME. If you are watching us drive off the tee box, watch the shots and point out if one of us went offline, where it ended up. Offer to get out and take a quick look if you see us looking for the ball (help the speed of play)
– Ask us how it’s going. Hows the pace of play in front of us or are we being pushed from behind? Lot’s of times guys don’t want to just simply rat out someone, but if you ask like you are willing to help, we will tell you.
– When I was a Marshal and I ran into a slower paced group, I would approach them and watch them tee off and then ask how their day was going as we went down the fairway and then if they were falling behind, I might ask, “Hey, guys can you help me out. I have a full tee sheet today and it’s already backing up a little. You guys are doing pretty good, but if we could make up a little time on this hole, I can get the other groups to move as well. This would really help the flow.” Then if they did agree and they helped out, I would come back and THANK THEM for doing so.
At the end of the day it’s amazing how easy it is to get people to help you if you help them and you are considerate. Everyone wants to have a good round for the money spent, but spending money does not give them the right to make the experience crappy for everyone else.
I play a high end course and I rarely see the marshals out and if they are much less doing anything other than riding around. What’s the point of having a marshal?
other paul
Apr 7, 2015 at 12:22 pm
marshalls usually seem like pretty nice guys go me. I just stopped going to the courses that take 6 hours to play.
Brian
Apr 7, 2015 at 12:16 pm
why do people keep “shanking” the votes on stories like this and the Rory/Nike commercial? How cynical you must be… Hope I’m not in your foursome ever.
Double Mocha Man
Apr 7, 2015 at 12:08 pm
In 2000 I treated an old friend to a round of golf at Pebble Beach. Lodging, caddies, spa, drinks, food… the whole thing. My friend is one of the slowest golfers in the world… so I don’t play with him often. I’m one of the fastest golfers in the world but the default is the speed of the slowest player. On the 9th hole the assistant pro drove a golf cart out to speed us up. My friend just grumbled. On the 10th hole (easily a mile from the clubhouse) the head pro came out to get us to catch up. My friend snarled at the pro, “Hey, I’m paying for this round, I can play at any speed I want.”
Gubment Cheez
Apr 7, 2015 at 1:50 pm
How fast does it take you to play 18…on average??
JD
Apr 8, 2015 at 12:38 pm
IF the course is straightforward. a 4some could play it in 4 hours.. A harder course with hazards, fast, undulated greens, could go to 4 1/2. My opinion,, NO ROUND SHOULD LAST 5 HOURS. PERIOD…
RG
Apr 8, 2015 at 12:04 am
Guys like that are the problem with pace of play. Yeah you paid for it, and so did everyone else that’s behind you. Everyone on the course can only play at the pace of the slowest player/group. Selfish and inconsiderate attitudes cause 5+ hr. rounds.
As a single a can play a round of golf in 1 hr 45 min. hitting every shot, putting every putt. (Okay I don’t pull every flag)
If a round takes more than 3 1/2 hrs. to play it is because there is a selfish hack somewhere in front of you.
If your buddy had done that at my course I would have told him it was time to leave, refunded his money, and on his way out reminded him to never return. Guys like that should be band.
Geoffrey Holland
Apr 8, 2015 at 6:33 pm
The joke was that the OP paid for the whole thing. Buddy Slowplay didn’t pay a cent.
TR1PTIK
Apr 7, 2015 at 11:59 am
My biggest frustration with some of the marshals in my area is when they tell my group to speed up even though we’ve had to wait on the group in front for the past 2 or 3 holes.
Best experience with a marshal was at a local muni. I was playing by myself and walking, but was steadily gaining on a foursome in carts. Before it even became an issue, the marshal requested the group ahead wait at the next tee box and let me play through. I never held them up and their slower pace never messed with my game. Win-Win. Wish more marshals would pay attention like that.
JD
Apr 8, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Thats good, It shouldve been up to the group you were following though.. Thats disrespectful on their part.
Geoffrey Holland
Apr 8, 2015 at 6:14 pm
No, that’s a good marshal doing his job to make sure that there was no problem.
Nate
Apr 7, 2015 at 11:58 am
I decided to play a mid-morning round with my buddy at a local Arnold Palmer course. We had a 9:15am tee time and were going off as a twosome. The course had a number of golfers out on the course but they were by no means busy for a Saturday. The starter warned us ahead of time that the 9:08am tee time directly ahead of us was a fivesome, which were only allowed with special permission. He warned us ahead of time that pace of play would be slower than normal. The starter encouraged us to get to the tee box early because it was open so that we could avoid any pace of play issues. We rolled up to the first tee at about 9:05 and the fivesome was not in sight, so we prepared to tee off. While we were on the back teebox with clubs in hand, the fivesome arrived. They told us that they had the 9:08 tee time and that they had places to go after the round, so they couldn’t wait and let us to tee off. We tried to reason with them but they were persistent. We were shocked at their unreasonableness but let them tee off because we did not want to offend them. They proceeded to stretch, take numerous practice swings, and all hit two off of the first tee (they played from the tips and most of their shots did not clear the women’s tees. They should have been playing from the white or red tees). They did not clear the fairway until almost 9:30am. The 9:23am and 9:30am tee times were already at the teebox with us waiting for the fivesome to clear the fairway. The marshal showed up because he saw the backup and then asked us why we hadn’t teed off yet. We explained to him about the fivesome and his only response was “Well, you were notified by the starter that pace of play would be slow today and they did indeed have the 9:08am tee time. You should have hurried and got to the first tee sooner than you did.” We were incredibly mad at the marshal for not sticking up for us. It took us about 45 mins to play the first two holes. We caught them on the 3rd tee and were again rebuffed and told that they didn’t want us to play through, so we skipped them. The fivesome then complained to the marshal that we passed them. The marshal then caught us on number 5 and told us that we should respect other golfers on the course. We were annoyed, but apologized. We finished 18 in about 4:15 minutes and didn’t run into anyone else on the course. We grabbed lunch after our round and ran into one of the groups that had a tee time right behind us. They too got stuck behind the fivesome and quit after 9 holes because they couldn’t take it any longer. They invited us to join them at the bar for a post round beer, where we proceeded to rip the marshal and the course for not protecting pace of play. I haven’t played at that course since that day and have no desire to go back.
PK
Apr 7, 2015 at 11:34 am
A few years back at Trump National in LA, I got a sudden case of the “shanks” just as the Marshall was passing our group by. I was playing decently, but it just came upon me all of a sudden for a hole and the Marshall drove up to my buddies and suggested that I play a scramble. They never laughed so hard. When they told me what he said, I was so pissed, it ruined me for the rest of the day, and I still get grief about it now and again. It’s funny now that I think about it.
Brian
Apr 7, 2015 at 10:33 am
My brother and I decided to go out and get a quick 18 in on a Wednesday afternoon. We got a cart, and with the front 9 completely empty, we finished our first 9 in about an hour and a half. When we got to the 11th tee box, we were surprised to see a 5some of guys in their 60s still on the tee box. We figured we would be able to play through them pretty quickly, but after watching them drive off the tee box for the next 2 holes, we decided to just skip the par 3 13th. As we were teeing off on the 14th hole, they started yelling at us from the 13th green. We assured them we would be out of their way before they even got to the tee box. As we got to our drives in the 14th fairway, a marshal shows up and starts talking to us. He was very understanding of our frustrations, and said that they have had problems with that group of older guys before. As he was talking to us, a ball came flying through the back of his cart, and hit the front windshield. His face got red, he told us to have a good round, and drove straight back to the tee. We could still hear him yelling at the group behind us as we were leaving the green.