Glory’s Last Shot (2008)

There are plenty of intriguing storylines to follow at next week’s PGA Championship.

Thrash TalkThe season’s final major starts one week from today. That’s hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday Greg Norman was on the verge of winning this year’s British Open, only to falter in the final round. In the end, Padraig Harrington won his second consecutive Claret Jug and will be a favorite next week at Oakland Hills. My most recent memories of Oakland Hills aren’t real positive. It was the sight of Europe’s blowout Ryder Cup victory in 2004. Nonetheless, it’s a great golf course and will do its part to make next week’s PGA Championship an exciting one.

As for storylines, there are plenty heading in. A certain contender for PGA Tour Player of the Year will be teeing it up in a major for the first time this season. It’s about damn time by the way. Also, with Ryder Cup picks coming in the next few weeks, there are heavy Ryder Cup implications at the year’s final major championship. I’ll talk about that and more as we gear up for glory’s last shot.

Volume One Hundred Fifty Four

Halle joins up with Callaway, Giuliani sues Duke, and Michelle Wie is back on the PGA Tour

Hittin' the LinksHello and welcome to another edition of Hittin the Links. Has anyone out there seen Michelle Wie’s best interests? Because I’m fairly sure her advisors have lost sight of them. Just when you think they have finally got her going in the right direction, she shows up at another PGA Tour event. Well, let’s at least hope she remembers to sign her scorecards this time. Both of them.

In this volume of HTL we take a look at what everyone is saying about Michelle Wie’s next PGA Tour attempt, investigate why Andrew Giuliani got kicked off the Duke University golf team, and find out what Callaway and Halle Berry have in common. Also, we take a peek at the destination of the week, see why Chris Wood is going pro, and take note of this week’s tour winners.

Troy Worden Swing Analysis

Swing Check: Small changes in setup can lead to big changes in the swing.

Swing CheckIn this Swing Check we look at the golf swings of Troy Worden. As is the case with most golfers, many of the positions we’ll see throughout the swing are a result of the address position. Troy can make huge strides in swing consistency, power, and accuracy by working on the address position.

Below is Troy’s swing sequenced at key positions:

Troy Worden iron: face-on.
Troy Worden driver: down the line.

Read on for a more complete analysis of Troy’s action.

GPS vs. Laser: What Makes Sense for You?

Which technology best delivers your distance?

Trap Five LogoIt’s an old question, even though the technology has been accessible to the golfing public for only a few years now. Which is better for finding yardages on a golf course: GPS or laser?

Each is a sophisticated technology. The Global Positioning System is an array of satelites that beam precise microwave signals that receivers on Earth can use to establish their location, speed, and direction, as well as the current time. These receivers include golf GPS devices that use those signals to calculate how far the device is from certain pre-programmed coordinates. Laser rangefinders use a beam of light reflected off a target to measure the distance from the device to the target. Pretty cool stuff!

Crazy Week in Review

This past week has given golf fans a lot to talk about.

Thrash TalkIt has taken a few days to recover from the crazy last week in the world of golf. Padraig Harrington won his second consecutive British Open, and congratulations are definitely in order for the Irishman. The Open Championship also provided a couple turn-back-the-clock moments as well. Were the names Duval and Norman really at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend?

In other happenings, Michelle Wie officially put her name right in the middle of the spotlight once again. Wie had an up-and-down week to say the least, and I’ll talk more about that later in the article. Continue reading to find out what I think about Harrington, Duval, Norman, and Wie.

Golf Talk [Episode 095]

We signed our podcast so at least we won’t get disqualified. And we’re not even 53!

Golf Talk PodcastPadraig Harrington defends his British Open title, but has to beat a 53-year-old Greg Norman in the process. Also this week, John Daly bad attitude, Michelle Wie’s DQ, and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 095 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

Frogger BrushPro Review

$14.99 for a golf brush? Sure, but it’s worth it. Find out why in this review.

I once heard that Tiger Woods, when he’s working on something, will clean his club between each of the thousand or so golf balls he might hit on the practice range that day. The rest of us, why, we’re often content to clean our clubs on the golf course between shots.

Unfortunately, most of the brushes I’ve ever seen are ill-suited for the task. They’ve got thin handles, weak bristles, and ineffective clips.

The Frogger BrushPro solves each of the problems with the traditional brush and includes a few extras as well. Read on to find out what makes the BrushPro the best brush on the market.

TaylorMade Launches 2008 Burner Fairway Woods and Rescue Hybrids

TaylorMade adds some fairway woods and hybrids to their Burner line.

Bag DropTaylormade has been busy the last month or so adding to the Burner line with the addition of fairway woods and hybrids to go along with the Tour Burner driver and irons.

The Burner fairway woods and hybrids boast most of same technology as the Tour Burner and Tour Burner TP drivers with an emphasis on making them lighter in order to help you generate more clubhead speed in the ever present pursuit of more distance.

Tag along as we check out the rest of what Burner lineup has to offer.

Bunker’s Dozen: July 2008

With Tiger on the shelf, who will take over the top spot in this month’s rankings?

Thrash TalkTiger Woods will be out of action until 2009, but the show must go on. The same can be said for Bunker’s Dozen. This month’s list was heavily influenced by majors including the British Open Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. Padraig Harrington won his second consecutive Open Championship, but not before Greg Norman turned back the clock several years. What effect will the event have on this month’s rankings?

On the women’s side of things, Inbee Park became the youngest golfer to win the U.S. Women’s Open, and you can bet her name will show up on the list. Which other golfers, male and female, made the cut this month? Keep on reading to find out. If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss it in the forum.