u/Ok_Bear_1834

As a Canadian, I feel uncertainty about the future of the Canadian Open. Slotting it in either tier removes the spirit of what a national "open" championship should be: An opportunity for pro's (regardless of tour) and amateurs alike to qualify and compete for a national title. I'm sure folks in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere with big national events feel the same way (The Canadian Open without Nick Taylor or the Irish Open without Rory or Shane would suck). Taking it out of either series compromises the caliber of players eligible for it. This would be the disaster scenario for the opens and their prospects of remaining relevant. And given geography constraints, these tournaments can pretty much only take place in the Summer, and conflicting with the two tiered schedule would basically relegate them to Korn Ferry events.

From what I can tell the biggest barrier is the calendar. The PGA tour does everything it can to avoid running up against the NFL schedule. So they need to pack every key event in the 25(ish) weeks between the Superbowl and week 1. So not a ton of room to squeeze in four majors and about 16-18 other proposed stops. But a window does exist for a win win scenario where the two tiered series and the national opens can all thrive...

**My proposal**: Pause the Championship and Challenger series' for a month in the Summer (mid-June/July). Create a third series of events for national opens that start with the U.S. Open, then stops in Canada, Ireland, and Scotland (maybe one more if it fits). In 2028 they would probably need to fit the Olympics in this as well. But the series would culminate in the Open Championship. You could even retain or expand the qualifying element to each of the national opens (e.g., a top 10 finish grants a spot in the Open). They can brand the whole thing "The Open Series" or "Open July" or whatever. It wouldn't be drastically dissimilar from the current schedule. Right now the Canadian and Scottish Opens both lead into the two majors so they wouldn't need to move far in the calendar. Also, as with the national opens now they wouldn't be mandatory stops for the players, who may want a break from the grind for an event or two in the middle of the summer.

What do you guys think? It would obviously require a lot of cooperation between the PGA and the various national associations. I'm trying to think of drawbacks but can't come up with any. But let me know what you guys think? What am I missing here? It seems like a win-win solution for everybody.

EDIT: It would make a cool photo-op following the Open Championship to have one with all the winners of the different national opens.

I've had it up to my god damn belt buckle with tshirt sizes. None of them f***ing fit right! I'm only 6 foot and 2 damn inches and weigh a buck-90. Why doesn't anything fit right??? Medium. Medium Tall. Large. Large Tall. XL. WTF! It's all either too good damn wide, too good damn short or both. Or it fits perfectly in the store but then shrinks after the first god damn wash. And NO, I will not NOT use my dryer! Hang dry this (grabs d***)!!! I'm so fed up with all of it. The ONLY thing that fits are my stupid ass douchy dri fit golf polos! But you can't wear those with jeans cause the god damn fashion police will break my knees!

Three questions: Who can I blame? Where do I buy proper fitting clothes (AND DON'T YOU GOD DAMN SAY BANANA REPUBLIC OR J F***ING CREW!!!)?? And can I burn my whole wardrobe into god damn ash???

As a Canadian, I feel uncertainty about the future of the Canadian Open. Slotting it in either tier removes the spirit of what a national "open" championship should be: An opportunity for pro's (regardless of tour) and amateurs alike to qualify and compete for a national title. I'm sure folks in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere with big national events feel the same way (The Canadian Open without Nick Taylor or the Irish Open without Rory or Shane would suck). Taking it out of either series compromises the caliber of players eligible for it. This would be the disaster scenario for the opens and their prospects of remaining relevant. And given geography constraints, these tournaments can pretty much only take place in the Summer, and conflicting with the two tiered schedule would basically relegate them to Korn Ferry events.

From what I can tell the biggest barrier is the calendar. The PGA tour does everything it can to avoid running up against the NFL schedule. So they need to pack every key event in the 25(ish) weeks between the Superbowl and week 1. So not a ton of room to squeeze in four majors and about 16-18 other proposed stops. But a window does exist for a win win scenario where the two tiered series and the national opens can all thrive...

My proposal: Pause the Championship and Challenger series' for a month in the Summer (mid-June/July). Create a third series of events for national opens that start with the U.S. Open, then stops in Canada, Ireland, and Scotland (maybe one more if it fits). In 2028 they would probably need to fit the Olympics in this as well. But the series would culminate in the Open Championship. You could even retain or expand the qualifying element to each of the national opens (e.g., a top 10 finish grants a spot in the Open). They can brand the whole thing "The Open Series" or "Open July" or whatever. It wouldn't be drastically dissimilar from the current schedule. Right now the Canadian and Scottish Opens both lead into the two majors so they wouldn't need to move far in the calendar. Also, as with the national opens now they wouldn't be mandatory stops for the players, who may want a break from the grind for an event or two in the middle of the summer.

What do you guys think? It would obviously require a lot of cooperation between the PGA and the various national associations. I'm trying to think of drawbacks but can't come up with any. But let me know what you guys think? What am I missing here? It seems like a win-win solution for everybody.

EDIT: It would make a cool photo-op following the Open Championship to have one with all the winners of the different national opens.

Peter and Ben's eagle on the last hole took them from -14 to -16. Brad then missed the birdie put. But when Shawn tapped it in the par put, the score bug went down to -17. There was another reference to them making birdie and eagle a few minutes later. But it was obviously wrong. It didn't matter in the end, but I'm just a little OCD about those kind of details.

I am absolutely loving everything else about YGT though. Maybe they just need one last editor to review before posting. 99/100

My kid (10U) has swung a 28 -10 for the last two years. We do a bunch of backyard soft toss BP with a 30 -8 wood bat and heavy balls that he enjoys trying to hit over the fence. He's about 4'10 and only about 70(ish) lbs but he shows pretty good control with it. So was thinking about buying a 29 drop 8 for the remainder of this year and next. He doesn't play at the highest level so some of the pitchers throw meatballs that don't require the quickest swing speed to catch up to.

When did you know your kid was ready to go to drop 8 or 5? Is there an age/size that is generally standard?

I'm interested in starting a rep team for my son that prioritizes individual development over team success.

He's 10U right now and the teams he's been on so far have either focused too much on winning (yelling coaches, intense practices, too many tournaments, best players anchored to positions) or are not serious enough (too many players, unserious practices, limited off-season training, kids who prioritize other sports).

My general idea is to have a year-round program that builds up skills and strengths throughout the year leading up to the season. I wouldn't look for the best kids but rather the most committed. Some of the key gaps that I think current team programs lack are:

- Prioritizing. My sons team right now is filled with kids who prioritize other sports. Don't get me wrong. All kids should play multiple sports. My son also plays hockey, but baseball is his #1. I'd like him to be on a team where all the other kids have the same priority.

- Technique. Whether it's throwing, hitting, fielding, flipping the ball to second base or sliding, kids need to build good habits. Which could mean rebuilding a kids swing or throwing motion from scratch. The more competitive programs I found do this well. The lesser ones not so much.

- reps reps reps! This needs to build on technique. You can't have one without the other. And to me this is might be the biggest gap. In winter training programs, time is not utilized well. A one or two-hour program once a week that packs in hitting, pitching, catching, fielding, etc. doesn't meaningfully progress skills, but instead only mitigates regression. And then during the season, the amount of pitches a kid might actually see between games and practices is shockingly low. Teams need to be more creative in how they allot field space and reps. A game simulated practice session rotating one pitcher and one hitter at a time and everyone else is playing in the field is not a good use of time. Too many kids standing around too often. Small groups working on specific skills is the way to go.

- Strength/fitness. In my observations this is what separates the top kids from the rest. The best kids I've seen are usually the strongest and most athletic. And I have yet to see a program for kids that does any strength or speed training. Most kids still can't do a proper push up! If you have a two hour training session, I think at least 15-20 minutes of that should be dedicated to actually building the kids bodies.

- Fun. This is the hard part. Getting kids to work hard week in and week out and still love the game is essential. Getting the right kids is part of it. But mixing in games, challenges, contests and prizes is important to keeping them engaged. I've seen a lot of kids lose interest because they've just aimlessly hit 50 balls off a tee.

Interested in hearing your experiences, lessons learned, pitfalls and successes with your kids their team programs? What do they do well? What do they lack?