There is more to the Tour than Tiger and Phil...right Golf Channel?

For many (the "in the hole" yellers who consider a Budweiser the drink of champions) the PGA tour is entertainment.. The USGA and the R&A are the guardians of the game and have grappled with how to teach the finer aspects of the game to the ever growing "I'll wear jeans if I want to crowd "(and if you don't think this is a topic for debate, check out any golf forum. These particular discussions go on for pages and pages). Last week, as we watched, my friend Ali commented that the announcers were more mellow.. more like the Euro Tour announcers. More like gentlemen. Less like entertainment and the Kelly Tillman over the top type fake adoration that has a way of creeping into even the best at the game of broadcasting. The PGA tour is the envy of all major sports (except maybe NASCAR). Until Tiger got caught running around, relatively scandal free unless you include not paying one's taxes or an occasional DUI.. Millions to charity and a clean cut image rarely tarnishing until Tiger.. you get the point.. So Quail Hollow is up this week.. a great course.. a sponsorship problem with Wells Fargo thinking over how to "use" the venue to their advantage... meanwhile TGC channel in it's usual classless approach to things, is marketing the event as a showdown between Tiger and Phil... It's not Shell's Wonderful World of Golf.. It is one of the great stops on tour.. super course and usually a great field.. the fans deserve better.. The Golf Channel needs to stop being so downright goofy. Start by hiring Peter Alliss.. he who is not afraid to stand up for the gentlemanly aspects of the game... we could learn a thing or two from Peter...BTW: Does Tiger have a new caddie yet?

Year of The Wedge --

Short Game! So I'm stocking up (a little)... it is critical to have the right tools that you are used to (or do they become used to you?) when it comes to wedges. And it seems somewhat crazy to abandon a system that works. Have always tried to play a gap wedge that matches my irons (which I do now) and I play a 54 and a 58, 59 or 60 depending on the bounce configuration required for the course(s) I'm playing a lot. Currently I play most of my golf on a course that has fluffy bunkers. So a lob wedge with extra bounce is helpful. I rarely use any club other than my lob wedge for bunker shots. I match my iron shafts to my wedge shafts (currently nippon 950GH) .. this year I'm playing Mizuno MX-300's and am very pleased with them. 5 iron through Gap Wedge. My 54 degree wedges is a Mizuno MP T-10 and my lob wedge is a Callaway x-forged 58 bent to 59 for a little added bounce to help me get out of those fluffy bunkers I mentioned.. but I've been trading some notes with a friend who has proclaimed the Cleveland CG15 the game changer and Cleveland Golf  has certainly caught the attention of the "raters" winning the Hot List wedge category at Golf Digest. So I'll be constructing some CG15's with nippon shafts and look forward to reporting back.. I have played the callaway lob wedge for nearly 6 years.. not the same wedge mind you but the exact same model.. This year I will improve my bunker play which is currently a "concede a shot" strategy. Hard to shoot par when you give up a stroke every time you drop it into a bunker...My home course has tiny greens that are well protected. This is the year I get as good from the bunkers as I am chipping around the greens.

The following is a current ad featuring Cleveland's CEO Greg Hopkins:

Some recommended reading on short game improvement:

Tiger - It's great to have him back...

Nearly halfway in his round today, Tiger hit one of those shots.. The kind only he hits.. On the 460 yard 9th hole  he has 207 to the hole  for his second shot and he hits a 5i that draws 30 yards around a tree and lands 2/3 of the way onto the green,  holds and rolls easily to the back of the green. He then makes a 15 foot putt for birdie.. he missed 3 or 4 other putts by less than an inch.. his speed was good.. and he seemed to be having a good time as he interacted with others and even putting his hand on his playing partner's shoulder and sharing a smile as they made their way to 16. Nice. Hope this all works out for him..again...Oh and  By The Way: Couples has a one shot lead at -6 with Watson right behind him. It's the Masters.

Tiger at Augusta

I have to write this for my own sanity. Too many emails and so forth.. I understand recovery. I started the journey almost 30 years ago.. seen 'em come and go and I have no idea what Tiger should or should not do..BUT I do know this. When I was free of the things that brought me to my knees I was not free of the things that troubled me and I had to find peace. The easiest way to do that was to be decent in all my affairs. 

I met an old man.. Near 80 at the time who had been sober for nearly 40 years. He was willing to spend time with me. A lot of time with me.. and he showed me by his actions how to find the comfortable way of living that seems to elude so many who come in for a break in the action.. So if Tiger asked for my help, I'd know what to do with him... the same thing that kind old man (well there were times he was not so kind) did with me.. and as he used to say, "if you stop doing what you were doing, 85-90% of your troubles will go away in time. The steps will fix another 5% of your troubles and the rest you are going to have to learn to live with and be a man about it.".

But there's another Problem. Brad Faxon wrote on Golf.com that he was "much more concerned about Tiger's being treated by the Toronto doctor, Anthony Galea, who was arrested in Canada last October on drug charges, a doctor who admits to using human growth hormone.". Tiger needs to square up and be a man about everything.. He needs to fire Stevie and his management team and hire decent human beings with good manners. As we say, "if you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it, you only need to change one thing.. and that's everything." Good for Tom Watson  and Arnold Palmer for explaining their thinking about Tiger.. He's needs to take the questions and start to humbly act like a gentleman.. no more F-bombs on the course.. We've heard enough.. what a talent he is.. time to grow up.

Good Guy Els Wins Bay Hill ..on Monday. And a Good Cause.

The Following is an except from GlobalGolfPost: 

"It's hard to argue that no one on the PGA Tour is on any more of a roll going into The Masters than Ernie Els. The South African star won his second consecutive start, taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in a four-hole Monday finish.

Els finished 72 holes at 11-under-par 277, including a 1-under 71 in the final round. It is Els’ 18th victory on the PGA Tour, which includes three majors and the 1998 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Victory No. 17 came two weeks ago at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. This year, he has vaulted off to a hot start, finishing tied for 12th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied for fifth at the Farmers Trust Open at Torrey Pines and tied for 10th at the Northern Trust Championship at Riviera. To boot, he is the leading money winner on the PGA Tour and is also third in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour."

You can Sign up for GlobalGolfPost Here. It is a great get it on Monday E-zine.

So whats the big deal? I'll tell ya (of Course). Lot's of us thought Tiger thinking things over would give Phil the opportunity to rise up and get the number one ranking but instead we have gotten Ernie and let's all breathe a sigh of relief and say thanks.. Ernie is a guy everyone likes (well most everyone) and he kicked Na back into the lake. Na was last seen screaming at his old caddie at Spyglass as he explained he was playing for a million f-ing dollars and needed better advise than he was getting... so Hooray for the good guys... there sure is enough trouble in the world and we could use a decent role model.. Help Ernie fight Autism and let's root for the good guys...

Daphne's Headcovers, the original headcover company, has joined Ernie Els in support of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation by donating a portion of proceeds from the sales of their Lion headcover which has been a fixture in Els' bag for many years. 

My Favorite time of the year...It's Spring right?

Lots on things happen this time of year in Central California near (dare I say) Cypress Point and Spyglass.. It's the  time of year when a week ago there was still standing water on every course and  by yesterday it had dried out enough that greens keepers were hand watering some tee boxes and all the greens... At our club, the drainage creek that runs through the back nine has some water in it but no longer flows easily to sea (eventually) and the work on the clubhouse to fix a leak (or three) is almost finished. Two of the pics below try to tell the story of what it was like two weeks ago. We have had a lot of rain this winter.. but I'm not really close to the subject... I get the bug this time of year, just like Huck Finn. It takes three days when it really is necessary to wear shorts on the course  and I've got it bad.. I broke a sweat twice and have pulled my trusty blue mizuno visor from the side pocket of my bag and put it around the driver (this year a Cobra ZL with 63 blueboard, stiff at 45"). And I'm making some minor adjustments where I always do.. 3 or 4 wood is up for grabs.. Have a f-60 4 wood head on the way and am thinking g-15, TEE or Diablo 4 wood... maybe check out the G-15 driver and the Diablo Tour Driver (I'm cured of using any Taylormade equipment after having them occupy as many as the full compliment of weaponry in my bag for three years...really should have done what you said girls...why make the promises to begin with?).. a few last little tweaks. No longer swapping stuff every few weeks.. it really is the swing that can be the problem and the space between the ears.  I'm committed to making sand shots a weapon and not a defensive "just get it out" maneuver this year as one of the keys to breaking below a 3 index...but I'm not there...need to work a bit... but the motivation to get going is there.. I wanna play again!

On the Pro Tour we gather at the King's place in Orlando. this week Phil will play and guys are getting ready for the annual rite of passage at Augusta Georgia.  ....and that's the point..

...the Masters tournament remains the high point of the competitive year.. I'm a US Open fan and love the Open.. not sure what the PGA has to do to create a major tournament but I'm sure they are working on it. The Players should take the fall spot if possible but not really my point either. The Point? I, like so many serious players and fans, Love the Masters. The commitment of the Augusta National Golf Club is to be applauded. I was taught it was a gentleman's game...the members at Augusta are the proof.

I'm excited like a kid before Christmas.. It's that time of year.. get all the clubs in the bag working with a little bit of magic and put in some time to get the ball moving properly through the air.. also this year, as the result of swinging the heavy driver over the winter, it seems I've gained a full club over the winter in distance and shot one over on the back nine yesterday to prove I'm gonna be ready... maybe move back to the Blue tees. (see what happens?).. I'm almost 60 now and ready to go! It's close to spring and the Masters is right around the corner.

Two weeks ago:

Soon:

 Bring it on.. the season has started!

A New View of Tiger

Almost 30 years ago I started to make my way through life on a spiritual basis. I made a vow to help those who came after me and Tiger appears to have asked for help so my hand is out and my prayers are for him...Everyone's favorite dancin' fool, "You can't touch this" MC Hammer pointed me to an article I think is worth reading: Tiger Woods, The Atonement Process

Let's see if he can get through the maze...another good article from the New York Times: An Apology With Echoes of 12 Steps

So let's give him some room.. good luck my friend...learn to breath.. healing takes place in the calm.

Jack and Roger Federer...Role Models. Tiger?

Jack and Roger Federer have proven to me today that they are indeed champions and understand the relevance of what's truly important in life.. I had a boss once who  when he became my boss, introduced himself to me by explaining that he was a simple man. "I take care of my health, my family and I work", he said. He also Drank, Danced and Ducked but that's another story for a different Blog..;)

Watched RF win his second round match at the the Australian Open on Jack's 70th (or so) and was somewhat fascinated by a post match interview conducted by Jim Courier who asked him primarily personal questions about his new family. Roger's friendship with Tiger has been well documented and I couldn't help but think how decent this guy is and how hopeless Tiger is... I know a bit about addiction having helped hundreds of people change over the past 30 or so years... We have failed a lot more than we have succeeded.. the odds are terrible.. three "experts" put their best guesses on the success rate of our best practices as 3%, 7% or 12%... how they come up with those numbers I'll never know... I know this: The most important statistics in Jack life are 5 and 50. He and his wife Barbara will soon celebrate their 50th anniversary. and they have raised 5 decent children to become contributing members of society.. with 22(?) grandchildren..

At some point in every addict's life they come clean or they die. Their priority must be recovery with any reservations. They are not in denial. They are mental and spiritually defective. Very Sick....and without any concern for their place in society or history they need to spill the beans (with some guidance from someone who has been there and done it). This is not a management/spin issue.. this is about life and death. There are years of work for Tiger to do. He will need to unwind everything he has learned and perhaps never play Golf again... and it will take years of concerted effort and giving back to others ...not with a check, but with his time. The odds are terrible... few ever change. One of the most accomplished therapists in the business puts the odds at 100 to 3... and what made Tiger a great Golfer will work directly against him. Self knowledge and will-power do not work... nor does fear... Faith does however.. it will be a long road.. and his friends who are leading decent lives will never understand. Only those who have recovered will. Luck has very little to do with it.. and the longer he stays out of the Public Eye, the harder it will be for him to begin the process of coming clean. He has a chance. It seems he is getting more bad advise. Advise based on Money... not life. He has met his toughest opponent.. and it is him. Welcome to the club!

In the Groove Box...Much Ado about Nothing?

"The only clubs I have had to change are my wedges, they are a little more inconsistent from rough, from a tight lie no real change at all." -Ian James Poulter

So Bob Estes says that Mark Wilson and John Daly have not complied with the spirit of the rule change ( by using Eye2 wedges with "exempt" box grooves)  and the amateur message boards have been lit up for months about who will be impacted... I had a very fine national class Am wonder aloud what happens in a Pro_Am with a National Class Am (Groove rule applies) and a 10 'capper (Rule does not apply) ... think most of the Pros I talk with are somewhat amused that the only people who really seem to care are guys outside the ropes... Think Christina Kim has is down: "Got satin finish wedges in 52/54/56/58/60 degree with bounce varying from 8-12degrees. Gonna see what combo I need to make some magic!!"... seems much ado about not that much... less wedge spin seems to help some of the super high spin guys like DL III... as he holed out in the Hawaii... guess he thought... "No Problem..."

BTW--Gotta Get one of these:

The Christina Kim.. "Swinging From My Heels"

Alan Shipnuck facilitated and This has got to be the most anticipated golf read in a while...She's gonna have a good year too (you can feel it). Release date is April 27. Looking forward to this one...Love good Golf Books! Rocco's was good.

Christina has a new Blog up and growing as well....She is  the Real Deal!

The Ball Four of the LPGA —a funny, bold memoir of life on the women’s golf circuit, from one of its most unique and memorable players.

Christina Kim is the brashest, bawdiest, funniest player on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. Golf fans know her for her colorful wardrobe, even more colorful on-course antics, and an explosive game. But in this rollicking account of the 2009 season, Kim invites readers deep into her life, providing an intimate diary of a young woman’s struggles on and off the golf course, and revealing the glory and heartbreak of life on the tour.

Once known as a prodigy who shot a 62 in her first LPGA event some six years ago, Kim has newly rededicated herself to realizing her potential, and she takes readers between the ropes for all the action, including her nail-biting near misses at two major championships. She also goes inside the team room at the Solheim Cup, revealing the hijinks and late-night gab sessions that bonded the victorious U.S. team. Along the way we get intimate portraits of her close friends on tour, including tour leaders such as Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, and Natalie Gulbis.

In this courageous telling, no topic is out-of-bounds, as Kim dishes about the LPGA’s sexual mores, the culture clash of an American-based tour increasingly dominated by Koreans, the tumultuous economic forces squeezing the players, and her own battles with body image and her traditional upbringing. Winsome and good-natured, but never afraid of a laugh line or choice profanity, Christina Kim provides a must-read for anyone who loves golf or has wondered about the inner self of a professional athlete.

Alan Shipnuck has been covering professional golf for Sports Illustrated since 1994. He is the author of the national bestseller Bud, Sweat, & Tees: A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour. He lives in Northern California with his wife and children.

a Tiger-less Tour? No Problem?

Nothing too crazy here... I am a former CEO and ran a 450 million dollar company with a few thousand dedicated and valued employees taking care of 60,000 customers... so I get what Tiger has done for the purses and what the ratings do when he's not around...but if he never comes back, I would be alright with that. The game is bigger than he is despite his obviously monstrous ego .. (exemplified by the attitude of "I won't get caught").

I wrote earlier that he has brought a lot of football/basketball game influences to the game that this conservative (in many regards) guy could do without...and frankly would not miss... there are plenty of good players around that I stay away from because of all sorts of little things that amateurs do on the course that as a former professional caddie I just find inexcusable.. and I'm good with that... I have seen plenty of commentary lately about Tim Finchem's state of denial when asked about Tiger's absence. Of course sponsors and advertisers will not pay as much for a Tiger-less tour. Nor will the Networks... The Golf Channel btw deserves one more year to get their act together... as in pick the anchor who can really do the job... not one of Arnie's favorites. Dump the Goof-Balls too... no names necessary.. the on-line forums have done the list.. many times over. They also have neutered, to some degree, Johnny Miller. I enjoyed the tell it like you see it JM. After all he did shoot a final round 63 to win the US Open on a mean course... Hogan like if you ask me...love faldo but he's no Miller..and vise versa.

So Tiger will come back to a media circus.. He may win and he may be distracted but the human spirit is resilient and everything will adjust to some level less than what we had a few short months ago when the elite on tour played for close to 2 million a week at times... and a Mill every week... or maybe the economics gets cut back a little if Tiger is taken down by all this. I'll wait and see. Either way the game will be fine. The Game is Grand and will remain. Bigger than even the Greatest Player to play the game. That name, for now, remains Jack Nicklaus.

a peek inside The Titleist Performance Institute and How the Pros Train...

The Key to Fixing Your Golf Swing Is Synching It With Your Physical Limitations.

 Found this article in the Wall Street Journal... really worth the reading...

...and Love the Conclusion: 

"Ideally you want a team approach—a physical guy to evaluate your body and a coach to work on your swing in coordination with the trainer," said Mr. Phillips. Even golfers who have no intention of going to the gym can benefit because the instructor can build a swing around his known limitations, he said. More typical clients, however, are avid 10-handicap types who want to get down to scratch and say they will do whatever it takes.

"When a guy tells me he's willing to work out for 90 minutes four times a week, I interpret that, from experience, as 15 minutes, three times a week," Mr. Gill said. "But I can give him a focused 15 minute workout that will make a big difference in his game."


That's sounds very familiar..;)...just what I need!

The Golf Ball 2K10 from a Pro's perspective...

Got the following email last week and thought it had a good perspective on competition, the new groove rules and it's impact on balls:

These sentiments by you are sounding like the Penta ball is TM's answer to a softer, balata clone that will deal with or be their option for those that will be forced to use non-aggressive groove wedges. Most of what you are describing in your blog about the Penta ball appears to be very similar to balata ball performance characteristics.

Just from one day of short game testing with the Bridgestone e7, it is obvious that this ball's drawback is the lack of spin around the green. Almost impossible to impart enough spin for delicate touch shots. Most people who are up in arms about the USGA conditions of competition groove rule, to me, are clueless to just what impact this rule will have on wedge play. Without enough spin, many shots from 100 yards and in are going to be impossible to hit well. Especially shots close to the hole where the ball is nestled down in longish grass. Those shots were extremely difficult with balata balls, let alone, with whatever the OEMs come up with today and in the future. No way could I hit shots with the e7 that I can hit with a Titleist Pro V1.

I'm looking forward to the Penta TP, I'm sure it will perform beautifully with those shots around the green, especially with my MD groove Cally tour wedges. But, dealing with my reality of less clubhead speed, I will have to lean towards insuring enough distance, especially off the tee, than having ultimate spin for delicate lobs and pitch shots. Fortunately I'm very adept at short game shots around the green. The RX sounds like a ball that may address both issues well for me, so I'm very anxious now to play with that ball.

I can see having to switch balls when playing with non-aggressive grooves, but, I don't think that will be a huge issue as long as I'm playing with other senior players. Against the kids, I need plenty of roll off the tee and a hot putter. This year will be an interesting one for me. I'm either going to be able to take all this technology and excel as a competitor or be sadly and rudely disappointed.

Nippons Shafts

This was originally written to one of the great PM's I get from members at BombSquadGolf.com (BSG) and Golf WRX: Recently I went from True Temper r300 DGsl to s 950 nippons... smoother, higher ballflight and very consistent feel...and the finest clubmaker I know has for years proclaimed them the finest shafts made... tightest manufacturing tolerances and so forth.. he started putting them (and steelfiber's which I turned him onto) into top Am, LPGA, Champs Tour and a couple of PGA guys' irons.. I'm not sure how these play out for a guy who needs x100 iron shafts (legit-not the posers on the forums) with 115+ss but for the rest of us mortals I really think they are the way to go... I played them when I used 690.cb's as Titleist was the only oem that had them available and I played good golf with them... DGsl's were the new thing for a couple of years and I got most of my buddies to play them....but going back to nippons now I'd have to agree with the fitter...and they are better now than when I played them last... less dispersion I think... (although I hit the ball a lot better than I did 10 years ago...just not quite as far..:).. One very fine Pro friend plays the 850 nippons and says they are more alive than the 950's... very few companies offer them as an option (if any) so I take what the OEMs offer and try not to tinker until I'm blue in the face any more... hope that helps! Chilly, rainy and cold today in paradise...