Baltrus Roll House

Little Known Face:

Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, NJ, was named in honor of a murdered Dutch Farmer.  It is the only major championship venue to be named after someone who was murdered.  “Boltus Roll” at age 62 was attacked, tortured and killed by strangers on the night of February 22nd, 1831.  His gravestone is located four miles away from the golf course in Westfield, N.J.

WESTFIELD, N.J. — On a bright, smoldering afternoon late last week, the golf historians Bob Trebus and Rick Wolffe parked their sport utility vehicle alongside Mountain Avenue and walked through a rusted iron fence into a small cemetery behind a white-steepled church.

“Do you remember where it is?” Wolffe asked.
Trebus squinted. He scanned the field for a moment before pointing about a hundred yards out, beyond a stand of pine trees, toward a sunny plot of faded gray tombstones arrayed in a row.

Among them, sitting up straight and dignified, one red basalt headstone somehow appeared to be in better condition than the rest.

“In memory,” it read, “of Boltus Roll.”
When the 98th P.G.A. Championship begins Thursday at nearby Baltusrol Golf Club, fans might wonder about the club’s name. Some might know the ridge poking up from behind the fifth green as Baltusrol Mountain. Others might know the leafy street in Summit above Interstate 78 as Baltusrol Road.
What sometimes gets lost to history is that the road, the mountain, and the world-famous golf course are linked by the memory of a farmer and the macabre legend of his coldblooded murder on a wintry night in 1831.

Wolffe and Trebus are among a group of Baltusrol historians who have done their best to keep the membership aware of the farmer’s tragic connection to what became his eponymous club. About 25 years ago, one of their colleagues, Dick Brown, discovered a plaque on the side of a home atop the ridge near the Watchung Reservation, with views that gaze east across the hallowed 36-hole golf club and Union County.

The plaque said it was Baltus Roll’s house. That must have been the site, the historians surmised, where the old farmer was killed. (It is widely believed that, in the hasty arrangements after Roll’s death, the tombstone carver misheard the spelling and mistakenly put an “o” in his first name.
Almost two centuries later, this sad, gruesome slice of New Jersey’s early history still echoes in club lore and ghost tales. Not long ago, Wolffe uncovered writings by A. W. Tillinghast, the course’s renowned architect, which mentioned observances of strange, devilish creatures stalking the woods of the ridge at night.

Members occasionally bring up Roll’s legend in a different light.
“I’ve often heard people say that the rough is so thick, it’s Baltus Roll getting his revenge,” Trebus said.

In life, Baltus Roll resided with his wife, Susannah, and son on what was then a far less populated ridge, where they grew apples and raised livestock.

At around midnight on the rainy night of Feb. 22, 1831, Roll, then 62, and his wife were woken by a loud pounding on the door. A man called out that he was looking for directions to some indecipherable place. Then the voice quickly followed up by asking, “Are you not going to get up?”

When Roll answered no, the door burst open. Two men rushed in, grabbed Roll from his bed, beat him and dragged him outside into the cold.

According to his widow’s testimony in a Newark courtroom in June 1831, she saw the two men tying up her husband in the yard with a thick white rope.

Read more Zack Schonbrun at NewYorkTimes.com

WHAT: The 49th PGA Professional Championship,
Presented by: Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA

WHEN: June 26-29, 2016

WHERE: Turning Stone Resort – Verona, N.Y. Atunyote Golf Club & Kaluhyat Golf Club (Atunyote Golf Club – site of final two rounds)

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNER: Golf Channel

CONTRIBUTING PARTNER: PGA Tour

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Matt Dobyns, Glen Head, N.Y.

28-year-old Wyatt Worthing truly earned his way into the field for the upcoming PGA Championships at Bultrasol.  Just how did he do it?  Wyatt was at 7-over par to start the final round of the PGA Professional National Championship, and inside his head, he knew that his next few strokes would either make him, or break him, in achieving his goal.

That Wednesday at the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon course, his wish came true as the PGA Golf Instructor who works at the Golf Depot at Central Park in Gahanna, Ohio, came up one stroke shy of his goal; but scored just good enough to tie for low-round of  the week honors.

Worthington shot a 3-under 67 to soar up the leaderboard.

The 2016 PGA Professional Championship features a $550,000 purse. The 2016 Champion’s name will be inscribed on the Walter Hagen Cup, which is enshrined at the PGA Gallery at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The 2016 PGA Professional Champion receives exemptions for the following:

The 2016 PGA Championship

Six PGA Tour events over a 12-month period

The low 20 scorers in the Championship earn a berth in the 2016 PGA Championship, July 28-31, at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey.

The Walter Hagen Cup

Presented to the PGA Professional Champion, the Walter Hagen Cup is named after the legendary golfer, five-time PGA Champion and one of the 35 charter members of the PGA of America. Hagen elevated the role of the PGA Professional throughout his career. Hagen’s inspirational career is reflected by today’s PGA Professionals in the national championship – displaying playing skills under a national spotlight while also serving their respective clubs and golf communities as managers, merchandisers, and respected teachers of the game. The PGA Professional Champion receives a replica of the crystal Walter Hagen Cup, which is 14ó inches high, 12 inches wide, and weighs 17ó pounds.

Method of Play

Stroke play, four rounds, 18 holes daily on two courses. The entire field of 312 will compete on each course once in the first two rounds, with the final two rounds contested at Atunyote Golf Club. Following the first 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the low 90 scorers and ties. Following completion of the third round, the low 70 scorers and ties will play the final round. In the event of a tie for first place upon completion of play, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff starting on the 18th hole. If still tied, players will advance to hole No. 10 and continue through the 17th hole. That process will be repeated until a Champion is determined. The playoff for the top 20 to advance to the PGA Championship will be a hole-by-hole format beginning 15 minutes after the completion of play. The playoff will begin on Hole No. 12, and if still tied, continue on holes 13-18 then hole No. 10 and hole No. 11. If a tie continues, the process will be repeated until all 20 positions and alternates are determined.

Eligibility

The field of 312 will be limited to those PGA members who are eligibly employed as PGA Professionals and in certain pre-established membership classifications as of May 11, 2016. The PGA of America reserves the right to determine whether or not any applicant is so employed and to reject any applicant who does not meet the requirements.

No player will be eligible if he or she has played in more than ten 10 combined Adams Golf Pro Tours, Asian Tour, Australia/New Zealand Tour, Champions TOUR, European Challenge Tour, European Senior Tour, European Tour, JPGA Senior Tour, JPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour (LET), LPGA Futures Tour (Symetra Tour), LPGA Tour, Mackenzie Tour Canada, OnCore Gateway Tour (eGolf Gateway Tour), PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, PGA TOUR LatinoAmerica, SwingThought.com Tour (eGolf Tour), The Safari Tour, The Sunshine Tour and web.com TOUR tournaments between May 11, 2015 and May 10, 2016. The U. S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship are not included in the 10- tournament count.

The National Car Rental PGA Assistant Champion will be exempt into the national field, provided that he or she was a PGA member at the time he or she won the Championship, and is eligibly employed or in an eligible PGA classification at the time of entry into the PGA Professional National Championship.

Rules and Regulations

The Rules of Golf, which govern play, are determined by the United States Golf Association and applied by the PGA of America Rules Committee. The PGA Professional National Championship is subject to the overall supervision of the board and the PGA Rules Committee.

The PGA Professional Championship returns to Central New York – Atunyote & Kaluhyat Golf Clubs Challenge Nation’s Finest PGA Professionals

Two of the country’s premier public/resort courses form the backdrop for the 49th PGA Professional Championship, the showcase event for PGA Professionals. The national championship returns to Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York, which hosted the 2006 Championship. The 312-player field will be challenged by Atunyote Golf Club and Kaluhyat Golf Club, separated by six miles. Turning Stone Resort is the only New York site to host the PGA Professional Championship, which originated in 1968.

Atunyote Golf Club, located southeast of Turning Stone’s headquarters in Vernon, New York, first attracted PGA Professionals in 2004 for the 2004 Eastern PGA Professional Championship before the Regional Championship format was discontinued in order that more emphasis may be placed on enhancing the 41 PGA Section Championships. The Section Championships have determined the PGA Professional Championship field through today.

Atunyote, a Tom Fazio design, opened for play in July 2004. The course was listed by Travel & Leisure Golf as one of the “10 Best New Public/Resort Courses” and in 2015 was among Golf Digest’s “100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.” From 2007-10, Atunyote was the site of the Turning Stone Resort Championship on the PGA TOUR.

Atunyote, (pronounced “uh-DUNE-yote ”), is the Oneida nation word for “eagle.” The course features traditional parkland setting with gently rolling hills, rock formations, a preserved deadwood marsh, a stream and waterfalls and several lakes and ponds. Large undulating greens and steep-faced bunkers are hallmarks of a Fazio design. The largest body of water, measuring 13 acres, runs along three fairways including the 18th hole. During the Championship, the par-72 Atunyote layout will play to 7,327 yards from the men’s tees and 6,218 yards for women.

Kaluhyat (pronounced “ga-LU-yut ”) is the Oneida nation phrase for “the other side of the sky.” Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and opened for play in August 2003, Kaluhyat has been among Golf Digest’s 2015 lists of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” and “Best Courses You Can Play State-by- State.” Kaluhyat is a classic shotmaker’s course, rewarding accuracy as much as length. It is marked by dramatic changes in elevation, as well as mature forested areas, ancient wetlands and native plant life. Plateau settings offer spectacular views, while five lakes add to the ambience and a golfer’s course management skills. During the PGA Professional Championship, the par-72 Kaluhyat layout will play to 6,950 yards from the men’s tees and 5,870 yards for women.

PAR AND YARDAGES: The Atunyote Golf Club and Kaluhyat Golf Club will be used during the Championship’s first two rounds. Atunyote will host the final two rounds, and play to 7,327 yards for men and 6,218 yards for women, and to a par of 36-36-72. Kaluhyat will play to 6,950 yards for men; 5,870 yards for women, and to a par of 36-36-72.

ATUNYOTE GOLF CLUB – HOLE-BY-HOLE (Par-72, 7,327 yards- Men; 6,218 yards – Women)

KALUHYAT GOLF CLUB – HOLE-BY-HOLE (Par-72, 6,950 yards – Men; 5,870 yards – Women)

PGA Professional Championship – The PGA Professional’s Showcase

The PGA Professional Championship began in 1968, to provide additional playing opportunities for PGA Professionals. In more than three decades, it has become a showcase event for PGA Professionals, featuring some of the finest players in the Association. Formerly a 360-player field, the format of the PGA Professional Championship was converted from 1997-2005 to a larger nationwide event featuring the finest 156 players at the peak of their games.

Previously, the Championship was contested after the golf season had ended across much of the United States. In 1997, local Sectional PGA Professional Championships were created, along with four new Regional PGA Professional Championships. The Championship then moved its dates to one month prior to the PGA Championship. Following the 2004 fall season, the Regional PGA Professional Championships were discontinued, focusing more on the Section Championships and PGA Professional Championship.

The Championship has been conducted in 16 states in the previous 48 years: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

The list of Champions over the past 48 years includes: Sam Snead, Bob Rosburg, Ed Dougherty, Bruce Fleisher; Larry Gilbert; Rex Baxter Jr., Don Massengale, Laurie Hammer, Larry Webb, Bob Boyd, Brett Upper, Bruce Zabriski, Mike Small and Matt Dobyns.

In 1997, the 30th PGA Professional Championship was the first to be televised live by Golf Channel to millions of viewers across the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Malaysia, the Middle East, Scandinavia and Singapore. This year’s PGA Professional Championship has a potential audience of 110 million.

The 49th PGA Professional Championship features a field of 312 players who have advanced from the 41 PGA Section Championships, along with eligible past Champions. The final 36 holes, conducted on one course, features the low 90 scorers and ties after 36 holes; followed by a 54-hole cut to the 70 scorers and ties prior to the final round. The Championship will distribute a total purse of more than $1.65 million, which will be awarded in both the Section and PGA Professional Championships.

Mike Davis, Executive Director
United States Golf Association
77 Liberty Corner Road
Far Hills, NJ 07931
Tel: (908) 234-2300

Dear USGA, USGA Executive Committee, USGA staff:

My name is Cedrick Smith, M.D.,

In 1991, during its inaugural internship program, I was selected as a Howard Creel fellow with the United State Golf Association. Leading into that same year, I was a two-time NMGCA All-America golfer at Hampton University and made the Golf Coaches Association of America All-America academic/golf team. I graduated Hampton University in 1992. I currently receive yearly credentials from the USGA for the United States Open Championship because of the aforementioned honor. My brother and I have our annual golf trip planned around the event and have been fortunate to attend the last ten. I have been a golfer for over three decades, a doctor for two and an athlete all my life. I will be boycotting subsequent US Open Championships as long as there is an affiliation with Trump.

Above (L-R): Cedrick Smith, M.D. with his brother Kev Smith, M.D.

I have practiced in a setting where my patient population has consistently been over 70 percent Latino and immigrant. These are hard-working individuals who make significant contributions to Houston, the state of Texas and the nation at large. Additionally, I work with Latino-American colleagues – some descendants of immigrants – who comprise a team that has been designated as ‘elite’ because of their work ethic and vigilance to patient care. They, too, take great exception to his comments. My entrenched relationship with patients, colleagues, family, and friends is what has led me to write this letter.

When racism rears its head, it has to be challenged and rebuked even when one is not a part of the group being marginalized. Trump is a throwback to when I was a kid and eager to succeed at this sport and, simply because of my melanin count, was kept from the private country club greens one block from my house in Dallas, Texas. He would have been the sneering rich man complaining about my presence on the greens as a player and NOT as a caddy. Mr. Trump’s comments were incendiary and racist and his championing the ‘birther’ movement against our President Obama was rooted in ‘veiled’ racism – period!

Above (L-R): Cedrick Smith, M.D., professional golfer Tim O’Neal,
Kevin Smith, M.D. at 2015 US Open Chambers Bay

How does the USGA make sense in aligning with Mr. Trump when you are now rooted in the movement of inclusion? I recently saw a Golf Channel interview with Peter Jacobsen where he espoused his reverence to the USGA by stating, “…it is the greatest organization in the world…” The tepid response to Mr. Trump’s egregious and denigrating comments speaks to where the organization stands and that is most disappointing and now makes me question the Jacobsen comment.

The game of golf has a long history of racism and I have felt its sting from my junior golf days through today – in 2014, I was turned away from a practice round I had set up for an amateur tournament when I showed up ‘black’; “…we are a very exclusive golf club…” is what I was told. As a longtime supporter of the USGA, I am writing to request that the USGA completely and permanently disassociate itself from Donald Trump because of his disparaging remarks about Latino Americans and immigrants.  He does not deserve the 2017 US Women’s Open.

When I saw Mr. David Fay, former Executive Director of the USGA, 10 years ago he recalled my honor and referred to me as “family” because of the fellowship. This hurts, but Donald Trump is not in alignment with the recently established inclusive intent and tenets of the USGA – his behavior and comments are not “for the good of the game” (nor good for our country). The USGA should move all championships to be played on his courses to other venues.

Respectfully,

Cedrick Smith, M.D.
USGA – Howard Creel Fellow 1991

http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/gcnew/article/1991aug11.pdf

Cedrick Smith, M.D. resides in Houston, Texas and specializes in Preventive Medicine. He grew up in Dallas, Texas and attended David W. Carter High School then went on to Hampton University on a golf scholarship. The money he would have spent on his annual US Open trip was donated to community groups, organizations and individuals dedicated to social justice. Additionally, he sent out tweets, email messages and Facebook posts about the “USGA Letter” to garner support. He believes that putting effective pressure on the USGA and its sponsors will ultimately lead to a change of venue for the 2017 Women’s US Open to be played at Trump National – Bedminster. Doctor Smith says that he will not be attending any US Open tournaments or any USGA sponsored events until all ties with Trump are severed. He thanks all for the support in this endeavor.

Editor’s note: Doctor Smith’s US Open letter was written two weeks after Trump’s remarks during the announcement of his candidacy in 2015.

READ USGA RESPONSE HERE

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Golf’s Golden Age is often pegged as the 1960s and ’70s when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and other Hall of Famers populated the leaderboards weekly. These five players won a collective 48 major titles during their careers. Yet, their dominance came before the money exploded in the sport, as they earned a combined $24 million in prize money during their careers (Watson, the youngest of the group, earned almost half the total with $11 million).

Golf appears to be entering a new Golden Age with a trio of young guns fighting over titles at golf’s biggest events and the No. 1 world ranking. The financial stakes have escalated dramatically thanks largely to Tiger Woods, who turned pro in 1996 and ushered in new interest and money in the game.

Jordan Spieth is one of the most recent beneficiaries. Spieth, 22, earned $20.8 million in prize money over the last 12 months and $52.8 million total, including endorsements and appearance fees. Fellow 20-somethings Rory McIlroy and Jason Day banked $42.6 million and $23.6 million over the past year. The three golfers have treated the No. 1 world ranking like a game of hot potato, swapping it nine times with each other since August. They are the three heavy favorites at the U.S. Open this week at Oakmont Country Club.

For all of the success Spieth, McIlroy and Day had over the past year, it is a 40-something who narrowly is the highest-paid golfer in the world for the second year in a row. Phil Mickelson, 46, earned $52.9 million by Forbes’ count with $2.9 million from prize money. Mickelson was the oldest member on Forbes’ annual look at the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes (Spieth was the youngest).

Mickelson enters the U.S. Open this week without a tournament victory since the 2013 British Open. The U.S. Open has been the sight of some of Mickelson’s most memorable moments with a record six runner-up finishes and nary a victory. It is the one big trophy that eludes the five-time major winner. His repeated heartbreak at the Open, includes blowing the lead on the final hole of the 2006 tournament with a double bogey when he famously uttered: “I’m such an idiot.”

Read more at Forbes.com

The maker of Titleist golf balls is teeing up an IPO. Acushnet, the company behind the best-selling balls and other golf gear, filed to go public Monday. The timing is good: Callaway Golf, its smaller rival and closest comp in the public market, is trading near an eight-year high. And because of your bad golf shots, Acushnet may well command a premium valuation to Callaway.

Acushnet owns Vokey Design wedges and Scotty Cameron putters, but is less exposed to sales of golf clubs, which are subject to changes in technology and thus purchased less frequently than low-ticket items like golf balls and gloves. (If this 2010 blog post from the New York Times is to be believed, some 300 million golf balls are lost each year in the U.S. alone).

“Consumable” products — driven by the number of rounds played — made up 43 percent of Acushnet’s $1.5 billion in net sales in 2015. That makes the company better able to weather any economic downturn that puts a damper on discretionary spending.

Bread and Putter
Acushnet’s sales are less vulnerable to hits and misses given its decreased dependence on clubs

Source: Company filings
*Acushnet split based on three months ended March 31, 2016; Callaway’s based on year ended Dec 31, 2015.
Although Callaway said in an April earnings call that its golf-ball business “continues to build momentum,” Acushnet is doing what it can to maintain its lead over rivals, which also include Bridgestone, Dunlop and Srixon. The company’s IPO filing reveals its has the largest patent portfolio in the industry, with almost 1,200 active patents specifically dedicated to balls (with an additional 584 across clubs, shoes and gloves).

Going Global
Both Callaway Golf and Acushnet have a geographically diverse sales mix.

Acushnet’s attention to emerging economies, including Southeast Asia, may help drive future growth. The same goes for its newly-launched online Footjoy retail presence, an online store for Titleist golf gear (slated for 2017) and the expansion of its Footjoy women’s apparel line. The latter is a smart move, considering that more women are getting into the game — they made up 24 percent of U.S. golfers in 2015, an increase from 20 percent in 2011.

Read more at Bloomberg.com