JIMMY, WHAT'S YOUR QUESTION TONIGHT FOR JAN?
JIM FROM FLORIDA
HI UM, THAT'S FOR TAKING THE CALL AGAIN.
PETER KESSLER
YOU'RE WELCOME.
JIM FROM FLORIDA
I'VE BEEN ENJOYING TRAVELING AND PLAYING DIFFERENT COURSES BY DIFFERENT DESIGNERS SUCH AS DYE, FAZIO AND NICKLAUS OVER THE YEARS. AND MY QUESTION TO YOU IS:
WHAT SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS UM, HAVE YOU HAD IN MIND NOW AS A DESIGNER? AND WHAT WILL WE EXPECT FROM SOME OF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE PLANNING ON DOING IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
JAN STEPHENSON
WELL, MY PARTNER IS PERRY DYE, WHO IS PETE DYE'S SON. AND UH, HE'S TAUGHT ME A LOT. I'VE DONE QUITE A FEW COURSES WITH - WITH THE DYES. AND UM,
I'VE ACTUALLY WATCHED PETE DYE DO GOLF COURSES FROM THE TIME I WAS A ROOKIE IN 1974. AND FROM HIM AND ALICE, UH ALICE IS BRILLIANT TOO. SO I'VE LEARNED A LOT. I HAVE A LOT OF THEIR PHILOSOPHIES ALSO.
BUT I THINK THE MAIN ONE IS THAT I'M REALLY TRYING TO GET BACK TO NATURE. I MEAN, I DON'T WANT THE GOLF COURSE TO LOOK LIKE IT'S MANMADE. I - I REALLY WANT TO TRY TO NOT PUT PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES ON THE GOLF COURSE
BECAUSE OF THE ECOLOGY ANYMORE. THE - THAT THOUGHT, I'M REALLY, REALLY TRYING TO GET BACK TO UH - TO NATURE. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, IF WE DON'T HAVE A GOLF COURSE PERFECT WHEN WE GO PLAY A TOURNAMENT,
I MEAN, IT'S BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE US, THAT WE'RE RUINING GOLF BECAUSE IT JUST COSTS SO MUCH FOR MAINTENANCE. AND NOW THAT I'M IN CHARGE OF A BUDGET, IT'S LIKE, ' WHY DO WE HAVE TO TRIPLE CUT THE GREENS?'
20:49:56
IT'S LIKE 'WHOOPS.' SO I'VE REALLY, REALLY TRIED NOW TO HAVE LOTS OF OPTIONS. I MEAN, MY TEES PROBABLY AVERAGE A HUNDRED YARDS. I MEAN, I HAVE 2 TEES FOR WOMEN
OR FOR JUNIORS BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF KIDS. AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF WOMEN PLAY. AND I WANT TO HAVE THEM TO HAVE 2 CHOICES. AND YET, I WANT THEM ALWAYS TO HAVE GOOD CONDITIONS
BECAUSE WOMEN SOMETIMES ARE LEFT ALONE. AND - AND THE CONDITIONS OF THE TEES, BECAUSE THEY'RE SO SMALL, ARE NOT GOOD. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE TEES ARE IN GREAT SHAPE.
AND THE GREENS ARE PLENTY BIG ENOUGH FOR LOTS OF PINS. BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU GET ALL THESE REALLY MODERN, PRETTY POTATO CHIP LOOKING GREENS, BUT THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 2 OR 3 GOOD PIN PLACEMENTS.
AND I'VE NOTICED ON - ON SOME - WHEN WE PLAY SOME BAD GOLF COURSES IN THE TOURNAMENTS THAT SOMETIMES THE PINS WILL BE RIGHT BACK WHERE THEY WERE ON THURSDAY.
AND I YELL AND SCREAM AT OUR OFFICIALS AND THEY GO, 'WELL, WHERE ELSE CAN WE PUT IT?' AND IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW THAT'S INCREDIBLE TO HAVE A 5,000 SQUARE FOOT GREEN AND NOWHERE TO PUT THE PIN.
SO I'M TRYING GIVE MYSELF ABOUT 14 OPTIONS ON PINS SO THAT THEY'RE ALWAYS IN GOOD SHAPE WITHOUT HAVING TO WORK REALLY HARD AT KEEPING THEM THAT WAY.
PETER KESSLER
HAVE THEY STRETCHED OUT ON TOUR THE LENGTH OF THE COURSES? AND HAVE THEY CHANGED THE PINS FROM SORT OF CENTER POSITIONS TO HIDE THEM OVER THE YEARS THAT YOU'VE PLAYED ON TOUR?
JAN STEPHENSON
WELL, THEY HAVE TO, YES. I MEAN, THEY DEFINITELY HAVE TO TOUGHEN UP THE PINS BECAUSE OF THE EQUIPMENT. I MEAN, THE EQUIPMENT'S SO MUCH BETTER. UM, YOU CAN JUST DO SO MUCH MORE WITH THE GOLF BALL.
AND - AND POWER IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PART OF GOLF. I MEAN, IT'S GETTING MORE AND MORE SO. AND EVEN THOUGH SHORT GAME IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S - IT'S DEFINITELY A POWER GAME.
SO YEAH, THEY'VE - THEY'VE DEFINITELY LENGTHENED THE COURSES.
PETER KESSLER
ARE THEY FAIR SETUPS NOW? I MEAN, NOW LAURA DAVIES WILL COMPLAIN THAT SHE HITS WEDGE INTO EVERY GREEN AND THAT THAT'S NO FUN TO HAVE ALL OF THE HOLES BE 380 YARDS.
IS IT A FAIR MIX OF TOUGH VERSUS NOT SO TOUGH VERSUS INTERESTING? ARE THEY DOING THAT?
JAN STEPHENSON
I THINK THE LPGA HAS REALLY CHANGED THEIR PHILOSOPHIES TO BE MORE LIKE THE PGA AND THE SENIORS. I MEAN, AT FIRST, WE WERE JUST TRYING TO HAVE EVERYTHING LONG. AND SOMEBODY, WELL, LIKE LAURA, WOULD SAY THE COURSES ARE TOO SHORT.
BUT YOU NEVER HEAR TIGER SAY THE COURSES ARE TOO SHORT EVEN IF HE DOESN'T EVEN HIT DRIVER OFF THE TEE. SO IT'S JUST, AGAIN, IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.
IT'S LIKE THE AVERAGE WOMAN. THEY DON'T UNDER - PEOPLE KEEP SAYING TO ME, 'WOMEN PLAY SO SLOW. WHAT AM I GONNA DO WHEN YOU HAVE WOMEN ON THE GOLF COURSES?'
IT'S LIKE, THEY DON'T PLAY SLOW AT ALL. I PLAY WITH THEM ALL THE TIME. IT'S BECAUSE THEY CAN'T REACH THE GREENS IN REGULATION. I MEAN, I'VE NEVER PLAYED - ANY OF MY LADY MEMBERS OR MY FRIENDS I PLAY WITH,
THEY CAN NEVER REACH ANY OF THE PAR-3'S OR THE 4'S IN REGULATION. AND SO WHEN I MOVE THESE TEES UP WHERE THERE THEY CAN, THEY'RE GONNA PROBABLY THINK THE COURSE IS TOO SHORT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT USED TO IT.
AND IT'S AGAIN, IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.
PETER KESSLER
WHAT'S THE FEELING ON TOUR AMONG THE WOMEN ABOUT THE GOLF COURSES? ARE THEY LIKE THE REST OF US AND COMPLAIN - LIKE YOU CAN FIND THE THINGS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT -
OR DO THEY THINK 'YEAH, THIS IS A FAIR SETUP. AND IT LETS A SHORT HITTER WITH A GREAT SHORT GAME WIN. BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS A LAURA DAVIES TO WIN ON THE SAME GOLF COURSE'?
IS THERE A SENSE THAT THAT'S BEING DONE FAIRLY?
JAN STEPHENSON
OH NO, THERE'S ALWAYS COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE - WE HAVE 30 DIFFERENT GOLF COURSES EVERY WEEK.
SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME THAT - THAT FAVOR THE LONG HITTERS AND SOME THAT FAVOR THE SHORT. THEN WE CAN CHOSE WHERE WE WANT TO PLAY.
PETER KESSLER
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS BUSINESS OF IT BEING OKAY IN THE RULES OF GOLF TO BE LINED UP BY YOUR CADDIE UNTIL YOU PULL THE TRIGGER?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS GAME BEING PLAYED ON YOUR OWN? AND ALIGNMENT'S ONE OF THE TOUGHEST THINGS FOR A - A GREAT NUMBER OF PLAYERS.
JAN STEPHENSON
IT IS. I - I DON'T EVER HAVE ANYBODY LINE ME UP BECAUSE I - I'M KIND OF FROM THE OLD SCHOOL. BUT WHEN YOU THINK OF HOW IMPORTANT ONE SHOT CAN BE, I MEAN, NOW IT'S - IT -- EVERYTHING IS SO TECHNICAL.
I MEAN, FROM SPORTS PSYCHOLOGISTS TO . EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING IS IMPORTANT. I MEAN, OUR YARDAGE BOOKS . I MEAN, I CAN REMEMBER WATCHING BEN HOGAN PLAY AND HE DIDN'T HAVE A YARDAGE BOOK. AND I CAN'T PLAY WITHOUT ONE.
SO IT'S PRETTY AMAZING HOW MUCH WITH - THAT THIS GAME HAS BECOME SO TECHNICAL AND SO IMPORTANT, EVERY LITTLE SHOT COUNTS. BUT I STILL DON'T LIKE THE LINING UP PART.
PETER KESSLER
HOW GOOD IS THE - A JOB IS THE LPGA DOING IN STARTING TO RECOGNIZE OR AT LEAST THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE PLAYERS WHO FORMED THE TOUR WHO DON'T REALLY HAVE A DIME?
I MEAN, THERE ARE A LOT OF MEN WHO PLAYED IN THE 40'S, IN THE 50'S AND 60'S BEFORE THE PURSES GOT VERY INTERESTING WHO DON'T HAVE A SUFFICIENT INCOME.
WHAT'S BEING DONE? AND IF NOTHING, WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
JAN STEPHENSON
WELL, THERE'S DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH DONE. I MEAN, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A CATASTROPHIC FUND. AND I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THAT FUND SHOULD GO TO THESE GIRLS THAT HAVE - THAT PUT THE TOUR AND FORMED THE TOUR AND FOUND THE TOUR.
I MEAN, WE PLAY EVERY WEEK FOR - IN A PRO - FOR A PRO-AM PURSE, BUT WE DON'T TAKE IT. WE GIVE IT TO CHARITY END OF THE - OF THE YEAR. AND I TRULY BELIEVE CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.
THAT SHOULD GO TO THOSE GIRLS THAT FORMED THE TOUR BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH HISTORY IN THIS GAME. AND IT - YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST IN GOLF IN A WAY. I MEAN, PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT GOLF DOES HAVE HISTORY.
BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT . I MEAN, I'VE ACTUALLY HEARD THAT CHARLES BARCLAY AND MICHAEL JORDAN, SEE THESE YOUNG BASKETBALL PLAYERS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HISTORY EITHER BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY SHOULD COME OUT AND EARN AS MUCH.
SO IT'S NOT JUST IN GOLF. BUT I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE - ONE OF THE REASONS THAT KARRIE DIDN'T KNOW THAT I'D WON IS BECAUSE WE REALLY DON'T SUPPORT WHAT HAPPENED FOR US TO BE HERE PLAYING FOR ALL THIS MONEY.
PETER KESSLER
EARLIER IN THE SHOW, YOU TOLD ME WHAT HARD WORK IT WAS FOR YOU TO DO THE MARILYN MONROE POSE. AND SO WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT A SHOT FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FROM THAT TIME
SHOWING HOW DIFFICULT THAT PARTICULAR DAY WAS AS YOU WERE POSING. A ROUGH SCHEDULE . THAT'S PART OF THAT - THAT WAS PART OF HER 6 MONTHS OFF IS THIS PARTICULAR SHOT.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK AND SPEND A FEW MORE MINUTES WITH JAN.
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