Just about a week ago the LPGA hierarchy put out the edict that all players will be required to have some proficiency in English. For those of you not familiar, that is the preferred language of the country from which the LPGA sprang forth.
Now, you can think what you want about the policy (and if you have a really big bullhorn (or mouth) it might be heard a little better), however, in this time of economic upheaval there is an unparalleled investment opportunity – Rosetta Stone, the language learning software.
I would suspect that the LPGA is working on a major sponsorship deal with the folks at Rosetta Stone, probably one with will fill the void of the sponsor-free tournament that is held in Phoenix every spring. And that is why it is imperative to buy now before the sponsorship deal is announced.
Don’t say Eye On Golf didn’t give you a heads up.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
PGA Championship Thoughts
Halfway through the PGA Championship the “CUT Leaderboard” has more “superstars” at the top than the actual tournament. Just take a gander.
Atop the leaderboard is J.B. Holmes; atop the “CUT Leaderboard” is Rich Beem, Fred Couples and John Daly. ‘Nuf said.
I really hope something great happens today. I sure don’t want to be relegated to watching tape-delayed coverage of the Olympics.
No PGA club professionals made the cut, so now the name of the tournament must be changed for the weekend to the PGA Tour Championship. Or is that being used somewhere else?
Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger made the cut. It might be safe to assume that if you are a Ryder Cup hopeful and are not joining Azinger to play on the weekend…well, your fate is pretty much sealed.
Atop the leaderboard is J.B. Holmes; atop the “CUT Leaderboard” is Rich Beem, Fred Couples and John Daly. ‘Nuf said.
I really hope something great happens today. I sure don’t want to be relegated to watching tape-delayed coverage of the Olympics.
No PGA club professionals made the cut, so now the name of the tournament must be changed for the weekend to the PGA Tour Championship. Or is that being used somewhere else?
Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger made the cut. It might be safe to assume that if you are a Ryder Cup hopeful and are not joining Azinger to play on the weekend…well, your fate is pretty much sealed.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Golf Getting Dismal
I really did try to watch some golf this past weekend except the Reno-Tahoe (Michelle Wie) Open. Despite the high level of importance of the events – two “majors” and a WGC – either the golf was less than stellar or the coverage was boring and less than dramatic. Here’s the recap.
At Firestone, a boring back and forth golf course, Phil bogies three of the last four holes when he hits drives that nearly leave the state. He looses by a couple and then Appleby and Westwood fail to make 15-footers on the final hole to tie Singh who appeared to be the last man to play with the same ball for the entire round.
At the U.S. Senior Open the last four players made it look like the Sunday morning men’s club at the Colorado Springs Municipal Golf Course. They combined for a glorious 20 over par in the final two twosomes. Thank goodness play was slow so our friends at NBC could pump us with Olympic preparatory crap.
And finally our friends at ABC covering their third British Open for something or other tournament in succession went through the motions. The Women’s British Open (and don’t forget “presented by Ricoh”) was so important that ESPN/ABC flew Andy North across the Atlantic on Friday night to help with the color commentary over the weekend. The announce team made some pretty good golf really uninteresting. With Asians finishing in the top five spots in this tournament, I can’t wait to see the ratings. Let’s face it the LPGA is having an identity crisis. But that’s for another time.
At Firestone, a boring back and forth golf course, Phil bogies three of the last four holes when he hits drives that nearly leave the state. He looses by a couple and then Appleby and Westwood fail to make 15-footers on the final hole to tie Singh who appeared to be the last man to play with the same ball for the entire round.
At the U.S. Senior Open the last four players made it look like the Sunday morning men’s club at the Colorado Springs Municipal Golf Course. They combined for a glorious 20 over par in the final two twosomes. Thank goodness play was slow so our friends at NBC could pump us with Olympic preparatory crap.
And finally our friends at ABC covering their third British Open for something or other tournament in succession went through the motions. The Women’s British Open (and don’t forget “presented by Ricoh”) was so important that ESPN/ABC flew Andy North across the Atlantic on Friday night to help with the color commentary over the weekend. The announce team made some pretty good golf really uninteresting. With Asians finishing in the top five spots in this tournament, I can’t wait to see the ratings. Let’s face it the LPGA is having an identity crisis. But that’s for another time.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Golf Adds Five Years to Life
Just a couple of days ago The Arizona Republic, the daily newspaper of Phoenix, published an article on the findings of a study by the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. The conclusion: playing golf can add five years to a person’s life.
There are several important points to note here. First of all, it is nice to see that other countries shank away tax dollars with less than critical social-physical-economic studies. The investigation involved 300,000 golfers. Now the only way to study that many golfers is to go to the golf course. The implications here are obvious. I have already forwarded by credentials to volunteer as a staff member for the next golf-related study in Scandinavia.
Secondly, the study concluded that the lower than handicap the greater the benefits in playing the game. The reason is self-evident. In order to maintain a low handicap, you must play and practice more. Ergo, more golf equals better health. I have without hesitation informed my loving and supportive spouse that in the interest of my good health and longevity upon this planet, it is mandatory that I spend more time working at my game. Reaction and results here are yet to be determined.
And, finally, I can now plot out my time on earth with these five years taken into account. I feel I can safely get to somewhere around 80. I can add these five years for golf to the 2x7 that I am already calculating based on the fact that we have two canines. A television commercial, which I am sure in no way intends to mislead, has informed me that having a dog can add seven years to your life. The math is simple: two dogs equal fourteen years.
I now think the next study by the SJMSS should bring this present study to a logical conclusion – an investigation to determine how many years can be added to your life if you bring your dog to the golf course. I volunteer to be a participant.
There are several important points to note here. First of all, it is nice to see that other countries shank away tax dollars with less than critical social-physical-economic studies. The investigation involved 300,000 golfers. Now the only way to study that many golfers is to go to the golf course. The implications here are obvious. I have already forwarded by credentials to volunteer as a staff member for the next golf-related study in Scandinavia.
Secondly, the study concluded that the lower than handicap the greater the benefits in playing the game. The reason is self-evident. In order to maintain a low handicap, you must play and practice more. Ergo, more golf equals better health. I have without hesitation informed my loving and supportive spouse that in the interest of my good health and longevity upon this planet, it is mandatory that I spend more time working at my game. Reaction and results here are yet to be determined.
And, finally, I can now plot out my time on earth with these five years taken into account. I feel I can safely get to somewhere around 80. I can add these five years for golf to the 2x7 that I am already calculating based on the fact that we have two canines. A television commercial, which I am sure in no way intends to mislead, has informed me that having a dog can add seven years to your life. The math is simple: two dogs equal fourteen years.
I now think the next study by the SJMSS should bring this present study to a logical conclusion – an investigation to determine how many years can be added to your life if you bring your dog to the golf course. I volunteer to be a participant.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A Short Summer Reading List.
Summertime, for golfers, should evoke thoughts of rounds of golf and reading on golf. There is, as you undoubtedly know, a seemingly endless parade of golf literature which presents us with the formidable task of sorting out the good from the bad and ugly. So here’s a little help: three volumes that have recently come across my desk that should stimulate your golfing summer.
Just Hit It – Our Equipment and Game by Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas was the Technical Director of the USGA for over a quarter of a century and is today considered to be one of the leading experts on golf equipment. Thomas parted with the USGA in 2000 but hit the road with a briefcase full of knowledge and ideas. With that in tow he produced this book for those of us with limited technical understanding of the game we love.
Thomas’s new book could easily have been entitled Everything You Wanted to Know about Golf Equipment: A Concise Education on the Tools of Our Trade. Obviously a bit cumbersome, but it does describe the book perfectly. Thomas delivers to us the science of the equipment world, but lays it down so that even technical mortals can get the gist. It’s a marvelous and comprehensive journey through the equipment world.
You need this book if you have the slightest curiosity about your equipment.
Golf: The Mental Game – Thinking Your Way around the Course by Tom Dorsel, PhD
Once you have fifty percent of the physical fundamentals of the game mastered, the other ninety percent is mental (or something like that). No doubt everyone needs assistance with the mental side of golf. And surprisingly it’s just been in recent years that we have learned that we needed that help. (One wonders how much more successful Harry Vardon would have been had he had the benefit of proper mental coaching?)
Fortunately, Dr. Dorsel is here to help us with a practical, yet non-clinical approach to our mental game on the course. I am a bit skeptical of written attempts to help me think clearly on the golf course. But Dorsel’s approach is heavily tilted to the practical side. He has divided the book into fifty lessons, instead of chapters, covering every aspect of the game. He even coaches you on what to watch for when you attend a professional event. Each lesson is clear and concise with barely a hint of psychobabble. While I have not tried this, I‘ll bet you could read a lesson, jot down the key points on an index card, and take it to the course.
If you’re hoping to improve your game both physically and mentally this summer, let Dr. Dorsel work on your mind.
Around the World in 80 Rounds by David Wood
A couple of years ago my latest volume Off the Beaten Cart Path was published. While that was becoming a highly successful volume in the realm of golf literature (well, almost), David Wood was trekking around the planet in search of the highest, lowest, most northern, most southern (and so on) courses that are actually affected by gravity.
Let’s face it, almost every golfer worth his Titleist has fantasized about roaming the earth to play the great and famous golf courses. And a few of us have envisioned having a game at a few of the more bizarre layouts that we might encounter along the way. The latter was Wood’s dream. To make this financially feasible, he sold virtually everything he had and hit the road with ten clubs and a small suitcase.
It’s a fascinating story of a love for golf and the characters involved in the game around the world. The great appeal of this volume is that Wood resists the urge to give us a play-by-play of every stroke of every round. Rather he tells the tale by introducing us to characters and courses he encountered along the way. It’s a great read for the hammock in the back yard after a morning round of golf. I’m sure Wood would like it that way.
Just Hit It – Our Equipment and Game by Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas was the Technical Director of the USGA for over a quarter of a century and is today considered to be one of the leading experts on golf equipment. Thomas parted with the USGA in 2000 but hit the road with a briefcase full of knowledge and ideas. With that in tow he produced this book for those of us with limited technical understanding of the game we love.
Thomas’s new book could easily have been entitled Everything You Wanted to Know about Golf Equipment: A Concise Education on the Tools of Our Trade. Obviously a bit cumbersome, but it does describe the book perfectly. Thomas delivers to us the science of the equipment world, but lays it down so that even technical mortals can get the gist. It’s a marvelous and comprehensive journey through the equipment world.
You need this book if you have the slightest curiosity about your equipment.
Golf: The Mental Game – Thinking Your Way around the Course by Tom Dorsel, PhD
Once you have fifty percent of the physical fundamentals of the game mastered, the other ninety percent is mental (or something like that). No doubt everyone needs assistance with the mental side of golf. And surprisingly it’s just been in recent years that we have learned that we needed that help. (One wonders how much more successful Harry Vardon would have been had he had the benefit of proper mental coaching?)
Fortunately, Dr. Dorsel is here to help us with a practical, yet non-clinical approach to our mental game on the course. I am a bit skeptical of written attempts to help me think clearly on the golf course. But Dorsel’s approach is heavily tilted to the practical side. He has divided the book into fifty lessons, instead of chapters, covering every aspect of the game. He even coaches you on what to watch for when you attend a professional event. Each lesson is clear and concise with barely a hint of psychobabble. While I have not tried this, I‘ll bet you could read a lesson, jot down the key points on an index card, and take it to the course.
If you’re hoping to improve your game both physically and mentally this summer, let Dr. Dorsel work on your mind.
Around the World in 80 Rounds by David Wood
A couple of years ago my latest volume Off the Beaten Cart Path was published. While that was becoming a highly successful volume in the realm of golf literature (well, almost), David Wood was trekking around the planet in search of the highest, lowest, most northern, most southern (and so on) courses that are actually affected by gravity.
Let’s face it, almost every golfer worth his Titleist has fantasized about roaming the earth to play the great and famous golf courses. And a few of us have envisioned having a game at a few of the more bizarre layouts that we might encounter along the way. The latter was Wood’s dream. To make this financially feasible, he sold virtually everything he had and hit the road with ten clubs and a small suitcase.
It’s a fascinating story of a love for golf and the characters involved in the game around the world. The great appeal of this volume is that Wood resists the urge to give us a play-by-play of every stroke of every round. Rather he tells the tale by introducing us to characters and courses he encountered along the way. It’s a great read for the hammock in the back yard after a morning round of golf. I’m sure Wood would like it that way.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Book Review: The Poetics of Golf
A golf book that is similar to a round of golf at least concerning its interest-provoking quality. That’s the conclusion I reached after reading and then rereading several sections of Andy Brumer’s most recent volume The Poetics of Golf. The journey through the book was like a round of golf, ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and a few surprises along the way. But in reflection I can say that regardless of how I felt through one chapter, I was always ready to go to the next.
Brumer has a most credible background in golf journalism - a former editor of Golf Tips magazine and most recently a coauthor with Bobby Clampett on The Impact Zone: Mastering Golf’s Moment of Truth. He also has a history in art literature which probably lends a hint to his liking and occasional reference to Michael Murphy’s symbolistic volume Golf in the Kingdom.
The book is actually a collection of essays and thoughts divided into five sections each one focusing on a central theme. Part One, Golf as Memoir, is largely autobiographical and offers some interesting insight into Brumer’s lifelong journey with golf. If you want to know what makes him tick, read this part. Part Three, The Golf Swing as the Axis of the World, became my favorite and really saved the book for me. This section makes an effort to explain the mystical quality of the golf swing as well as examining the technical. If you play golf and are remotely interested in your golf swing, you will thoroughly enjoy this insight. You’ll be introduced to Moe Norman and Homer Kelly, two men who were unique instructors in the world of golf. Golf and the Soul, the final section, will be most appealing to those golfers among us who are zen-like, constantly looking for a reason why golf affects us like it does. The chapter on Golf and Spirituality will best be enjoyed once you have stepped outside yourself and let your mind be influenced by elements other than reality.
So, if you’re a golfer and have an undeniable passion for golf literature, get your hands on Brumer’s The Poetics of Golf. It will whet your appetite for the mystical side of golf using the game itself as a looking glass.
Brumer has a most credible background in golf journalism - a former editor of Golf Tips magazine and most recently a coauthor with Bobby Clampett on The Impact Zone: Mastering Golf’s Moment of Truth. He also has a history in art literature which probably lends a hint to his liking and occasional reference to Michael Murphy’s symbolistic volume Golf in the Kingdom.
The book is actually a collection of essays and thoughts divided into five sections each one focusing on a central theme. Part One, Golf as Memoir, is largely autobiographical and offers some interesting insight into Brumer’s lifelong journey with golf. If you want to know what makes him tick, read this part. Part Three, The Golf Swing as the Axis of the World, became my favorite and really saved the book for me. This section makes an effort to explain the mystical quality of the golf swing as well as examining the technical. If you play golf and are remotely interested in your golf swing, you will thoroughly enjoy this insight. You’ll be introduced to Moe Norman and Homer Kelly, two men who were unique instructors in the world of golf. Golf and the Soul, the final section, will be most appealing to those golfers among us who are zen-like, constantly looking for a reason why golf affects us like it does. The chapter on Golf and Spirituality will best be enjoyed once you have stepped outside yourself and let your mind be influenced by elements other than reality.
So, if you’re a golfer and have an undeniable passion for golf literature, get your hands on Brumer’s The Poetics of Golf. It will whet your appetite for the mystical side of golf using the game itself as a looking glass.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Book Review: A Hacker's Humiliations
With Christmas 2008 just a short dogleg, par four away, you are undoubtedly looking for that perfect gift for the golfer in your life who has every gadget ever created for the game. Well stop searching in the dark, chip your ball back into the light, get to your favorite book provider and procure a copy of A Hacker’s Humiliations: A Glossary of Golf Grotesqueries. Joel Zuckerman’s latest volume is lighthearted, amply illustrated, and, in a humorous sort of way, truthful.
Zuckerman (and illustrator Tom Matthews) have cleverly put together a collection of virtually every golf-afflicted malady that every golfer has at sometime experienced on and perhaps off the golf course. From the tee box to the putting green Joel Z. has hit the game’s frustrations right on the tee. Whether it be the golfing disorder or the player that is terminally afflicted, Zuckerman has it pegged for our reading pleasure. On the tee box you’ll meet Dr. Double Cross and instantly recognize him as one of your most recent playing partners. In the fairway you’ll share the travails of Uneven Steven who never found an uneven lie which he could parley precisely. And around the greens the mortal terror of the bunker regurgitates a host of memories for all of us to share.
Moreover, just to prove that game is not selective in its torment to only the legions of dubs who flood the fairways everyday, Zuckerman has peppered the pages with a few “Hacker Hall of Fame Moments.” You’ll get a flashback to the Jean Van de Velde tragedy, a gut wrenching recount of the Calcavecchia Ryder Cup hosel rocket, and a couple other professional frailties that prove all golfers are subject to the disasters of the game.
Zuckerman’s style is animated and the composition of the book makes for a quick and enjoyable read. You could easily read it at one sitting or systematically digest it in a “devotional” style. For that “hard-to-shop-for” golfer on your list, A Hacker’s Humiliations is a seasonal solution.
Zuckerman (and illustrator Tom Matthews) have cleverly put together a collection of virtually every golf-afflicted malady that every golfer has at sometime experienced on and perhaps off the golf course. From the tee box to the putting green Joel Z. has hit the game’s frustrations right on the tee. Whether it be the golfing disorder or the player that is terminally afflicted, Zuckerman has it pegged for our reading pleasure. On the tee box you’ll meet Dr. Double Cross and instantly recognize him as one of your most recent playing partners. In the fairway you’ll share the travails of Uneven Steven who never found an uneven lie which he could parley precisely. And around the greens the mortal terror of the bunker regurgitates a host of memories for all of us to share.
Moreover, just to prove that game is not selective in its torment to only the legions of dubs who flood the fairways everyday, Zuckerman has peppered the pages with a few “Hacker Hall of Fame Moments.” You’ll get a flashback to the Jean Van de Velde tragedy, a gut wrenching recount of the Calcavecchia Ryder Cup hosel rocket, and a couple other professional frailties that prove all golfers are subject to the disasters of the game.
Zuckerman’s style is animated and the composition of the book makes for a quick and enjoyable read. You could easily read it at one sitting or systematically digest it in a “devotional” style. For that “hard-to-shop-for” golfer on your list, A Hacker’s Humiliations is a seasonal solution.
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