Grouchy Golf Blog

Holly Sonders: Hottest Golf Chick?

2012-04-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

Ask any random dude on the street, "Who is the hottest woman in golf?" and I bet 99.9% of those that can actually come up with an answer will name Natalie Gulbis. Ask me that same question, and I'll name someone that I bet 99.9% of all guys have never heard: Holly Sonders.

After watching the Golf Channel over the last year, I have finally concluded that she is indeed the hottest girl in golf. Originally slated for the eye candy role on the daily live golf talk show "Morning Drive", she has been making appearances on other Golf Channel shows such as "Golf Channel Academy" and "School of Golf". Like a master chef using just a bit of saffron to complete a gourmet dish, the programming big wigs at the Golf Channel use Ms. Sonders to spice up otherwise bland shows.

At first I thought that she was just another pretty face with a smile that rivals the Cheshire Cat, but she's actually an excellent on-air personality. She is smart and articulate and speaks with a sweet and pleasant voice. She's a natural in front of the camera and can handle the unpredictability and pressure of a live show. And to top it off, she's a legit golfer. Just check out this picture of her golf swing at the pro-am for the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Wow!

Along with Win McMurray and Lauren Thompson, the Golf Channel has assembled quite a bevy of golf babes for us to feast our eyes upon. After watching the NFL Network, it's obvious that they could learn a thing or two from their dimpled, white balled competitor. But of course football is interesting enough that eye candy would just be a distraction!

A Tiger Becomes a Phoenix?

2012-03-26T16:04:00.004-07:00

The phoenix is a mythical and sacred firebird. According to mythology, the phoenix builds a nest near the end of its life that eventually ignites and engulfs the phoenix in flames. A new phoenix is reborn from the ashes and the life-cycle continues.

Like a phoenix, Tiger Woods arose from the ashes of his recent past at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge with an emphatic win. We are all too familiar with Tiger's fall from grace starting with that fateful Thanksgiving Day car crash in 2009. It is arguably the biggest downfall in the history of professional sports.

Over that time, Tiger has had to deal with a number of obstacles both on and off the course. Chief among them was the self-inflicted pain and consequences of a sex scandal in the public eye. It ultimately led to an emotionally and financially costly divorce. Physically, Tiger continued to have trouble overcoming nagging knee and Achilles injuries. Hank Haney dropped him as his swing coach and he hired Sean Foley to overhaul his swing. Tiger released his longtime caddy, the fiery Steve Williams, in favor of Fred Couple's former looper, Joe LaCava.

But Tiger finally overcame all of those obstacles with his 72nd win on the PGA Tour. It took 923 days and 27 tour events, a long time to the casual observer. However, it's quite understandable if you consider everything that Tiger has had to overcome. Regardless, Tiger 2.0 is finally here and it will be interesting to see how far he soars.

Who Won? Huh?

2012-02-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Lin is all the rage in the NBA these days. About to be cut, he came off the bench to play some of the best ball at his position and help elevate the bottom-of-the-barrel New York Knicks to a legitimate playoff team. Adding to his unbelievable ascent and growing legend is that he is an American of Asian descent. That's a first in the NBA.

Well the PGA has it's own version of Jeremy Lin. His name is John Huh and he is tearing up the PGA out of nowhere in Lin-like fashion. Huh started his rookie year making the cut at his very first start, finishing top 15 in his next two starts, and winning in his fifth start last weekend at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Like Lin, Huh was born in America to Asian parents. Huh played at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, California where he wasn't even the best player on his team. He was a virtual unknown on the junior golf circuit because of limited financial resources. After high school, Huh attended California State University, Northridge but left after two weeks due to scholarship ineligibility after the NCAA changed a rule. Huh turned pro in 2008 and played on the Korean Tour before qualifying for the 2012 PGA Tour by finishing T27 at Q-school. Huh has the hottest rookie start on the PGA Tour since Tiger and he's well on his way to the 2012 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors. So it appears that there are a lot of similarities between Lin and Huh. However, unlike Lin, we probably won't have to endure all those annoying puns!

Kyle Stanley: His future is so bright, he's gotta wear shades!

2012-01-31T20:42:00.000-08:00

Sunglasses do more than protect your vision. In poker, they prevent your opponents from seeing where you eyes are looking and can hide certain "tells". In golf, they can hide your feelings and emotions and elevate the intimidation factor. Probably no one used this more effectively than David Duval and his Oakleys.

But I realized something else about sunglasses when I was viewing coverage of Kyle Stanley's meltdown during last week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines: sunglasses can change a person's appearance completely. When I viewed Kyle's official page on the PGA Tour website, I just about did a double take. Just compare the picture above to the one below from the PGA Tour website.
I swear that it's the same dude. He's like golf's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Let's hope that he can overcome his latest heartbreaking loss with a win soon. He deserves a win with his game.

2012: Year of the Tiger Dragon?

2011-12-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

According to the Chinese calendar, 2012 is the year of the Dragon and begins on January 23. In the Chinese Zodiac, the Dragon is the strongest sign. According to chinesezodiac.com, "Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition. Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion."

Does that sound like a certain feline golfer we all know? But Tiger's birthday is today and just missed being born in a dragon year by a month. Born on December 30, 1975, Tiger is technically a Wood Rabbit, a sign sandwiched between the Tiger and the Dragon.

Clearly, the Chinese calendar is slightly off. 2012 will be the Year of the Tiger for a number of reasons. First, Tiger will be well over 2 years removed from that fateful Thanksgiving car crash that sent his life spiraling out of control. Not having TMZ camped in front of your house will do wonders for your golf game, or so I'm told. Second, Tiger will start the year with a new looper on his bag, Joe LaCava. Dropped in mid-2011, the acerbic Stevie Williams has since proven to be a petty, bitter old man with the maturity of someone one-tenth of his age. This is hardly the kind of person who could be a positive influence for Tiger (good luck Adam!). Third, Tiger starts the year fully healthy. Extensive injuries to his knee and Achilles' tendon over the last several years made it virtually impossible for him to play anywhere close to his full potential.

But most importantly, Tiger's full swing is due to return to greatness. Historically, it takes Tiger around two years to fully incorporate a major swing change. Butch Harmon oversaw Tiger's first swing overhaul during the 1997 season that intended to sacrifice distance for accuracy. It took almost two years for Tiger to get comfortable with the changes that resulted in perhaps the greatest season in golf's history in the year 2000. Tiger started another major swing change in early 2004 under Hank Haney's tutelage. The intent of this change was to lessen the stress on Tiger's left knee. Again, it took almost two years for Tiger to adopt this change following a one-win 2004 with two major wins in 2005. However, Tiger never looked completely comfortable with Haney's single-plane concepts and began working with Sean Foley in the summer of 2010 on yet another swing revamp. If history repeats itself, Tiger's new swing transition will be complete by mid-2012.

In fact, Tiger's swing development may even be a little ahead of schedule. His swing over the tail-end of 2011 looked fantastic. More Butchie and less Haney, Tiger's swing is producing more power and more accuracy. As a result, Tiger was in contention more often and culminated with a win at the Chevron World Challenge.

So there looks to be a lot of positives in store for Tiger Woods next year. Go ahead and toss that inaccurate Chinese calendar in the trash. According to the Grouchy Golf calendar, 2012 is the Year of the Tiger. Happy birthday Tiger but you'll have to wait until next year to open your gifts. But the wait will be worth it because I think one of them might be an ugly green jacket!

Golf Tips - Hands Ahead of the Ball

2011-11-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, my golf swing went through a little rough patch where I was making poor ball contact with my longer irons. Having played this godforsaken sport for so long, I knew that it most likely had to do with something basic. Well it did. After double-checking all the basics, I discovered that my hand position had drifted from the ideal position. From a first-person perspective looking down at my club, my hands were just a little too far to the right (for a right-handed golfer). As a result, I was losing the critical hands ahead of the ball impact position to achieve proper ball contact.

Once I got my hands back to the proper setup position, good ball striking returned. Here's a good photo (except for the barrel distortion caused by the wide-angle lense) of the ideal positions for a 4-iron courtesy of Mr. Woods:

There are two positions from this photo that I try to replicate when I look down at my setup position:

1) Left hand covering the left knee - When I look down, I like to see my golf glove covering my left knee. This ensures that the hands are positioned slightly in front of the golf ball and not too far away from the body. The left foot and the golf grip should form a "V".

2) The golf shaft is angled back to the ball and the clubface is square to the target - This creates a bit of an angle between the shaft and clubface. Visually, think of a hockey stick. It is important to return to this position at impact. I like to imagine pulling the club into the ball as a simple swing thought to reinforce this crucial hands ahead of the ball impact position.

If ball-striking with your irons is poor, try this tip and see if it improves. Let me know if it does!

Sanding Your Grips to Improve Your Game

2011-10-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

The golf grip is one of the most important parts of your golf club. It is the only direct contact that you have with your golf club. I completely agree with Golf Pride's explanation: "The traction that a fresh grip provides lets you hold the club lightly without the subconscious fear of losing the club during your swing. This relaxed state promotes proper swing mechanics and wrist action. While a worn grip causes you to grasp the club tighter, causing arm and wrist tension that inhibits proper swing mechanics."

In addition, Golf Pride recommends: "As a rule of thumb, you should regrip once every year. Regardless of whether you play golf every day or twice a year, ozone, heat, dirt, and oils are constantly at work breaking down the materials that make up your grips."

However, I've been able to extend the life of my golf grips by simply sanding them down when they start to get slick with medium grit sandpaper to reveal a fresh layer of rubber. As a reference, Fred Couples uses 220-grit sandpaper. To get them extra clean, follow the sanding with a wash using dish soap and rinse with water. Try it and discover how a little sandpaper can prolong the usefulness of your grips and save you some major coin!

Bubba Watson & Co. Rules!

2011-09-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

First there was New Kids on the Block in the 80s. Their inexplicable success spawned a flood of "boy bands" including the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, O-Town, and 98 Degrees. But musical tastes changed and the boy band phenomenon faded.

That is, until Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, & Hunter Mahan formed the "Golf Boys". Check out their newly released video for their soon-to-be-#1 song, "Oh Oh Oh":

How awesome is that? These guys must be truly cool cats to appear in such a hilarious video. Bubba might have choked away the Deutsche Bank Championship last week, but he is still a winner in my book!

Adam Scott Copies Tiger Woods Again!

2011-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Charles Caleb Colton once wrote, "Imitation is the sincerest (form) of flattery." If that's true, Tiger Woods must feel like Adam Scott is absolutely in love with him. It is well known that Adam Scott was completely captivated by Tiger's golf swing and set out to copy it as best he could. He did a pretty darn good job and his swing looked like a carbon copy of Tiger's until Tiger started toying with it about a decade ago. But if you look at Adam's swing now, it's still the same old swing. He's like a human time capsule preserving Tiger's vintage swing circa 2000.

But the swing isn't the only thing that Adam copied from Tiger. Adam hired Tiger's former swing coach, Butch Harmon, to perfect and maintain the swing clone. Proof of Butch's influence can be found if you watch Adam's pre-shot routine where you can see him use Butch's golf grip method. On the equipment front, Adam signed an endorsement deal with Titleist, Tiger's former weapons dealer. Then, after Tiger dumped his caddy, the grouchy Steve Williams, who do you think was there to yank him off the unemployment line? Adam, of course. Most recently, Adam copied Tiger by winning the 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club last weekend, a course that Tiger has won seven times before!

Now is there anything left for Adam to copy? An easy one would be to wear red on Sundays. A much harder one would be to win a major. But I'm most interested if Adam will try to date one of the Nordegren twins. If he ends up marrying one, he could start having affairs on her to be a true Tiger copycat!

Joey Chestnut is the Tiger Woods of Eating!

2011-07-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. One of the great recent traditions of the celebration of America's independence is Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. The excitement this year surrounded Joey "Jaws" Chestnut's title defense. He is ranked #1 in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Joey plowed through 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win by a Tigeresque margin of victory of nine over his closest competitor, Patrick Bertoletti. Check out the event below:

It was Chestnut's fifth-consecutive championship earning him $10,000 and the coveted mustard yellow championship belt. Hmmm...I guess the real lesson here is that if you're going to dominate an individual sport, do it in golf rather than eating. Also, I'm pretty sure that the groupies aren't as hot on the hot dog eating circuit as it is in golf.

Jerry Kelly is No Welcher!

2011-05-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

The average golf fan doesn't know much about Jerry Kelly. He's a low-key kind of guy with a likeable demeanor. But after finding out he made good on a Rose Bowl bet with J.J. Henry, his cool guy status was firmly cemented in my mind. He actually teed off during the Crowne Plaza Invitational pro-am at Colonial Country Club in a full SuperFrog Horned Frog mascot costume! Check out the video for proof.

How To Shoot a Double Snowman!

2011-04-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

All golfers have had their fair share of blowup holes. You know, the kind of holes where absolutely nothing goes right and you just want to chuck your clubs into the nearest dumpster and take up a rational sport. Once we've regained our composure, we find that the stroke tallies on such holes are simply abominable. If it happens to be an eight, it is affectionately called a "Snowman" because the number "8" resembles that ubiquitous man-made winter creation. It truly gives new meaning to the creature known as "The Abominable Snowman"!

But even more frightful is the dreaded "Double Snowman". That is the term for a 16 because it is composed of two snowmen added together (8+8). It is so rare that it has never been captured on camera. That is, until now. Luckily the Golf Channel was there when it was spotted on the the ninth hole at the TPC San Antonio during last week's Valero Texas Open. Kevin Na was the unfortunate sap to shoot this terror of the links. Watch it below whenever you feel down about your next inevitable blowup hole. In some ways, it can be considered a feel-good horror movie!

Rory McIlroy Chokes Away the Masters Green Jacket

2011-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

After watching Rory McIlroy completely dominate the field after 3 rounds of the 2011 Masters, I logged into my favorite online betting site to consider placing a wager. According to the odds makers, to bet on Rory to win the whole kit and kaboodle you had to lay down $160 to win $100. With a four shot lead and demonstrating a complete mastery of Augusta National, I figured that betting on Rory was a sure thing. I didn't hesitate to lay down my hard-earned greenbacks on the Irish kid with the Ronald McDonald's fro.

But just when I thought that the recent meltdowns were over and confined to Japan, a complete meltdown was about to happen during the final round at Augusta. The overwhelming pressure cooker of the Masters finally got to the once unflappable McIlroy. I don't want to recount the blow by blow destruction but it was ugly. His sizeable lead evaporated in quick order and left the door wide open for the field to march right in. There was probably a dozen players in contention all day and it actually made for one of the most entertaining Masters final round ever. Tiger Woods was one of those contenders, but his putting still isn't back to form and he fell short. However, his new swing has made great strides and he's far ahead of schedule, IMHO. It will be interesting to see what happens to Rory now. Will he bounce back or will his massive choke job haunt him in the future? He's got a great swing and he's young so my bet would be on the former. Unfortunately, that doesn't say much based on my betting results as of late! Regardless, the first Major of the year was phenomenal and hopefully it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Congrats to Charl Schwartzel!

Golf Tips - Supination Through Impact

2011-03-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Supination of your lead wrist is a key movement in the golf swing.

A good drill that I've come across to teach this action is the wrist watch drill advocated by David Leadbetter. It relies on the simple image of a wrist watch on your left wrist. Concentrate on maintaining the watch face facing toward the ground at impact. Leadbetter says, "To get the feel of this, practice making smooth half-swings holding the club with your left hand alone and swinging waist-high to waist-high. Focus on the face of your watch, trying to feel it going from looking at the sky from the top of your swing to looking toward the ground through impact."

Another simple drill that I like is to ungrip the right thumb and index finger (for a right-handed golfer) right before impact with the ball. This drill quiets the right hand and wrist so that they don't overpower that of the left. I have found it to be very effective in preventing the dreaded wrist "flip" or "scoop." Remember, scooping is for ice cream, not golf.

VideoCaddy: The Worst Golf Gadget Ever?

2011-02-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

I love to play golf. I love to ride motorized golf carts. I love to record video with my video camera. Now there's a device called the VideoCaddy that let's me combine my 3 loves together. But why on Earth would I want to do that?

Well, someone thought that it would be a great idea. Unfortunately, it appears that the entrepreneurs behind the VideoCaddy didn't quite understand the concept of addressable market (the total potential market for a product). Did these guys do any market research whatsoever? Do they even know what that means?

Think for a moment about who would need such a device. Anyone who wants to videotape their swing would want to do it in a controlled environment such as the driving range. In that case, you'd want a dedicated tripod to ensure stability and flexibility. At a cost of $70 vs. a decent $10 tripod, the VideoCaddy is clearly a poor solution. But the makers of the VideoCaddy tout it's ability to record your swing on the course. But I ask, "Why?!" The pace of play is slow enough on the average golf course. Can you imagine playing behind some clown who's trying to record their swing? It takes extra time to position the cart, aim the camera, and work the camera. These kinds of ridiculous delays is a capital offense at my home course.

The only thing I see the VideoCaddy being useful is to tee up my video camera for all the golfers behind me that want to tee off on it for holding up play! If someone sent this to me for free, I'd toss it right into the garbage in knee-jerk reaction. However, the VideoCaddy might be interesting for collectors of rarities because I doubt they'll ever sell more than a handful.

Golf Bag Eating Squirrels!

2011-01-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day. In dishonor of this ridiculous day, I have a story to tell:

Imagine, for a moment, that you are a sweet, innocent, harmless, bushy-tailed little squirrel. You're prancing along, you get hungry, you spot some food. You put your little squirrel lips around a big, juicy chestnut...and BAM! A frickin' 460cc Titanium driver head cold clocks you silly.

Well that's almost exactly what I witnessed by the tee box of the 2nd hole at my home track, Rancho Park Golf Course, several years ago. As usual, there was a two group backup at the 2nd hole. A squirrel came begging for food to a guy in my foursome who I had met for the 1st time a hole earlier. Without hesitation, he swung his driver at the squirrel like it was a teed up Titleist Pro V1x. The driver hit the squirrel squarely on it's side and it went down like a sack of potatoes. It was convulsing uncontrollably and I was certain that it was a goner. I glanced at the assailant in shocked disbelief. He just smiled and exclaimed, "Ha, gotcha ya stupid squirrel!" After about a minute the squirrel miraculously got back on it's feet and limped away.

What kind of person would commit such a callous and senseless act on one of nature's cutest creatures? I say a smart and rational person! This wasn't my opinion at the time, but over the years I've come to understand why such violence is perfectly acceptable. You see, the squirrels at this particular course are not the typical and harmless variety. They have devolved into ravenous golf bag destroying monsters! They have learned that golf bags often contain tasty snacks and it's now coded into their DNA. Any golf bag left unattended will attract a squirrel looking for food. If it sniffs something yummy, it will do whatever it takes to get to it. These squirrels are adept at opening velcro and unzipping zippers. If it still can't get to the food, it will chew it's way through. Over the several years that I've played on this course, squirrels have destroyed two of my golf bags. Here's a picture of the latest victim:

So if you ever see someone play whack a mole with the squirrels at a golf course, understand that he's just saving your golf bag from destruction!

A 6-Iron Giveaway!

2011-01-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

Alert!: Taylor Made is giving away 20,000 new Burner 2.0 6-irons. Sign-up at their website for a chance to win! I couldn't determine an expiration date for this offer so it's best to enter early. Good luck!

Will Tiger Ever Win Another Major?

2010-12-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

After many unTiger-like performances this year, the media has already written the guy off as a has-been. In fact, one writer has gone so far as to proclaim, "Tiger Woods will never win another major championship again." Any true followers of this maniacal game knows that this is ridiculously premature. Sure, Tiger has played badly this year. But isn't that entirely understandable? He's been the subject of one of the salacious scandals in sports history at a time when tabloid headlines rules the news. If that wasn't enough, he's had to go through a divorce proceeding that took away a major chunk of his massive change.

But to say that these major life-changing events somehow permanently erased Tiger's golf superpowers is just absurd. Tiger was still competitive in many of the tournaments that he played during the year. In my opinion, his swing looks great, maybe even better than before the infamous 2009 Thanksgiving Day crash. He just needs to get comfortable with new swing changes and return to form with the flat stick. It was obvious that this is the weak spot when Tiger switched putters for the first time in over a decade at the British Open. But Tiger has been one of the best putters in history and it's just a matter of time before his touch returns. Now that his divorce is finalized and the tabloids are moving on to the next flavor of the month, expect that time to come sooner than later. In fact, I confidently proclaim that Tiger Woods will win another major championship again!

Best Investment of 2010: Wedges?

2010-11-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

With the economy still in shambles, it's difficult to find a decent investment these days. All the usual suspects such as stocks, bonds, and commodities all look about as promising as Lindsay Lohan staying sober. So what is the savvy investor supposed to do?

I say buy wedges. Yeah, you heard me right. You can thank that meddling USGA. I've concluded that their sole guiding principle is to make golf more difficult and less enjoyable for the "bad" of the game. Their latest impediment to the much-needed growth of the game is a new ruling on club grooves. In effect, the beloved U-grooves/square-grooves that let us back up the ball on the green like a tour pro will soon go the way of the dodo bird. As of January 2011, "Manufacturers can no longer manufacture products with the pre-2010 grooves and can no longer ship products with the pre-2010 grooves. Retailers can continue to sell clubs shipped to them before this date as conforming clubs indefinitely." As the laws of supply and demand dictate, this sudden reduction in supply with a steady demand will result in a rise in price. Cleveland Golf has even launched a dedicated website, Year of the Wedge, to recognize (and capitalize on) this unique situation.

Keep in mind that wedge grooves become ineffective much faster than any other club. I've read recommendations to replace wedges every 15-20 rounds! So even if you don't plan on selling a pre-January 2011 wedge for a future profit, you should stock up on them to last you before they may become outlawed altogether by January 2024.

I've already made my investment. I bought a TaylorMade TP wedge with xFT. The cool feature of this model is the exchangeable faces. Once the grooves wear out you can simply replace the face with a fresh set of grooves. It is both economical and eco-friendly. I bought 3 replacement Z-groove faces for the cost of one wedge. I'm expecting a solid return on this investment in some form!

Rain Pours Through Sun Mountain

2010-10-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Sun Mountain golf products. They have repeatedly won me over as a customer with such novel golf innovations as the stand bag, Dual X-Strap and the Speed Cart. Unfortunately, Mother Nature literally rained on their parade at the 2010 Ryder Cup this past weekend.

If you didn't hear, Sun Mountain provided the rain suits for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Initially, the gear was panned for their gawd awful looks. Butch Harmon quipped, "They are the ugliest things I have ever seen." But really, hasn't ugly golf attire been somewhat the norm for Ryder Cup teams? Not a surprise to me since it appears that the only qualification for designing and selecting the team's wardrobe is to be married to the captain. But so what about fashion? When it comes to rain gear function over form is paramount. Anyone who has had to play golf in the rain knows the utter misery of playing in wet clothing. Not only is it uncomfortable but it can adversely affect your play.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Ryder Cup team experienced this firsthand since their Sun Mountain rain suits possessed neither form nor function. They were found to be about as waterproof as one of Lady Gaga's fishnet tops. Their leaky gear had to be ditched in favor of generic off-the-rack digs bought from a merchandise tent. What a debacle! It's quite simply an excusable failure by any measure and a huge blow to the manufacturer. This is certainly a low point for the company but it got even lower when, in classic "kick 'em when they're down" fashion, the manufacturer of GORE-TEX issued the following statement:

"It's unfortunate that the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup was not wearing uniforms with the GORE-TEX® brand, especially if the faulty gear ultimately interfered with performance," said Yvonne Erickson, marketing leader at W.L. Gore & Associates. "Gore has rigorous uncompromising standards in place to ensure that our products are of the highest quality, to back up our Guaranteed to Keep you Dry® promise to consumers. Gore and Sun Mountain Sports parted ways in 2006 and, therefore, GORE-TEX® brand technology was not used in the rain jackets and pants worn by the U.S. team this morning. We hope that the U.S. Ryder Cup Team will be wearing uniforms with GORE-TEX® product technology in the future."

Hopefully this epic disaster doesn't dampen Sun Mountain's hard-earned reputation as a producer of quality golf products. I've owned two stand bags and a Speed Cart and I've been 100% satisfied with their quality and performance. I'm still a fan and I'll continue to buy their products as long as I play golf.

The Sport With the Most Ridiculous Rules

2010-08-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

I have always thought that the creator of the Rules of Golf must have been some sort of mentally challenged sport sadomasochist. Isn't the feat of rolling a ball into a tiny hole from hundreds of yards away using only sticks hard enough by itself? I guess not because there are a plethora of rules to make this darn sport even more difficult.

All the golf rules ruckus right now is over Dustin Johnson's 2-stroke penalty for grounding a club in a hazard during the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. The controversy is that Dustin failed to recognize that his ball lay in a bunker because the crowd had been standing in it and trampled it down. Sure, it wasn't clear that his ball lay in a bunker, but it was a bunker none the less. Because he grounded his club prior to his shot, he violated USGA Rule 13-4: Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions of the Rules of Golf.

However, my problem isn't with the determination of a bunker or other hazard on a golf course. My beef is that there is a rule about grounding your club in the first place! Grounding your club is just a natural resting spot for your club before you swing. Why should it be any different in a hazard? Isn't it penal enough to have your ball lay in a hazard? But more to the point, is there really any advantage to grounding your club? It's not like you're allowed to tee the ball up. I have been playing this godforsaken game for over 15 years and not once did I feel that not grounding my club in a hazard materially affected my shot. I'm sure that Dustin would have had the same result with his 2nd shot on hole #18 if he had not grounded his club in the bunker. The rule prohibiting grounding of the club anywhere is just asinine to me and is just one of the many rules that should be stricken from the Rules of Golf.

In the end, this is just another instance of why golf is often the laughingstock amongst the sporting world.

Is There a Free Drop From the Propeller?

2010-07-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

To take advantage of the 4th of July weekend half day Friday, my friend and I scheduled an after-work tee time at our favorite local executive muni, Penmar in Venice, CA. It's a great little track that is always in great shape with lots of challenging holes. The only real downside to this course is that it is located within a stone throws away from Santa Monica Municipal Airport. Lots of small planes take off right over the golf course and can be a distraction. But after a while you get used to it and accept it as just background noise.

The night before our tee time we were shocked to discover that a small plane had crashed near the 8th hole. Apparently, the student pilot lost power on his ascent and the plane dropped like a rock. Unfortunately, he died but luckily no one else was hurt since golfers were still on the course. I guess it was bound to happen.

I assumed that the course would be closed the following day after such a tragic accident. However, we called the next morning about our tee time and the grumpy starter told us it was business as usual. They had already removed the wreckage! We played our round and indeed the only evidence of the crash was broken tree limbs and that police yellow tape surrounding the area. Air traffic was normal, if not even more busy than usual. It's just amazing how quickly things can return to normalcy.

Tiger Getting Mickelsonized?

2010-05-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Tiger finally returned to golf at the 2010 Masters. After a humiliating scandal, it was obvious Tiger had to change his ways in the public eye to win back certain golf fans. And that's what he did. Tiger walked without blinders on, acknowledged the crowd at every opportunity with that Cheshire Cat smile, accepted gifts from kids, and actually signed some autographs. In other words, he was acting like Phil Mickelson.

"Acting" is the key word. The whole world now knows that Tiger isn't such a great guy. But I never thought that he was to begin with. Now that he's suddenly become Mr. Nice Guy on the course, it strikes me as completely disingenuous. Are people really buying this crap?

But the vast majority of people are suckered into a public image. Phil Mickelson has made a career of it. I have a golf buddy who is a member of Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ. Mickelson happens to be a fellow member. According to my friend, the real Mickelson is 180 degrees from his carefully-crafted public persona. I've heard stories that will rock any Mickelson fanboy's world.

What I liked about the old Tiger was that his public persona was reflective of his true personality. The old Tiger was a cold, focused and ruthless competitor full of "I'm the best ever" confidence. In short, I prefer wolves without sheep's clothing. Phil is just covered in wool.

But how does this all translate into cold hard cash? Contrary to what many believe, Tiger raked in the mega sponsorship dollars because he won and won in unbelievable fashion, not because of some wholesome family-guy image. If that were the case, guys like Zach Johnson, Kenny Perry and Steve Stricker would be the faces of corporate America. The proof will be when Tiger goes back to his winning ways. I bet the sponsorship money will return en masse.

Golf Gods Strike Mickelson?

2010-04-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

During the final round of the 2010 Masters, a strange thing happened to FIGJAM Phil. On the par-5 second hole, Mickelson rolled a birdie putt on the perfect line to the hole. But just as he putt, a piece of debris landed directly on the line and threw the ball off course.

Coincidence? I think not. The announcers claim it came from a pine tree, but there wasn't a tree within 100 yards of the hole and the wind was calm. I think that the Golf Gods were watching from above and dropped a morsel from their party mix onto the green. Whether it was by accident or intentional, it certainly came from those heavenly arbiters of the game! Regardless, it's just further evidence of their existence.

See it for yourself:

But in the end, the Golf Gods struck down Tiger for his Philandering ways by letting his arch-nemesis win his favorite major.

You Want To Give Me Golf Advice? Wait ‘Til The 19th Hole!

2010-03-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

My golf blogging friend Pat "GolfGurl" Mullaly was kind enough to write the following grouchy golf observation for us:

It’s a fascinating phenomenon: golfers always want to give fellow players advice — especially guys giving advice to women. What makes a guy think I need advice right in the middle of my round?

I’ve been playing the game of golf for years, and though I am not a great golfer, I enjoy the game as much as anyone. I love being outside, enjoying the good weather, enjoying the good company, enjoying all the little things that make a round of golf so much fun. I especially enjoy the little sounds that are part of the game: the pure, clean “thwack” sound of a great drive that goes right down the middle of the fairway; or that sweet sound of the ball as it hits the back of the cup. The sounds I can’t abide are the mumbles and side remarks of my male golfing partners giving me advice — often, bad advice, as I play my next stroke.

I play twice a week, one day with three guys, the second day with three women. Advice is always forthcoming from the guys, seldom from the women. It must be some sort of protective instinct that males have built in, — trying to give me advice that will help me “survive” my round with a decent score. The women I play with don’t care about my game unless I am playing as a team member in a tournament. Then, I hear strategy, suggestions, and advice—but it’s directed at the group and at how we are going to manage the hole. It’s not about one player’s style of play. With guys, it’s different. Even the clunky players think they know best.

Unsolicited advice drives me nuts. If you want to give me advice on the way I play golf, first ask if I even want to hear it. I may, or may not. If I agree to receive your wise words, then wait ‘til the end of the round, meet me at the clubhouse, buy me a drink and I will hear you out. Just don’t do it while I’m playing. It’ll probably ruin my round, and you wouldn’t want to see that happen, would you?

Submitted by Pat Mullaly
Editor, GolfGurls.com
http://www.golfgurls.com
The Resource Site for Today’s Woman Golfer