Volume Three Hundred Forty

Kuchar can handle the cold.

Hittin' the LinksWho says it’s always warm in Arizona. It was more than a little chilly for the final rounds of the match play this weekend. It didn’t seem to slow down Matt Kuchar much, as he seemed to handle the cold and wind very well. Even if he did have to wear Titleist cold weather gloves.

In this edition of the HtL, we begin with a look at Rory McIlroy’s poor play, then investigate some more into the anchoring ban, and find out out what the Merry Mex thinks of Augusta. Also, we look at an unscrupulous ex-marine, check out a cool putting video, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

Volume Three Hundred Thirty Nine

The plot thickens as the Tour might oppose the belly ban.

Hittin' the Links Well golf fans it looks like the PGA Tour is finally going to break its silence concerning the proposed ban on anchored putters. With the clock running down on giving input to the USGA on the subject, the Tour is talking, and it doesn’t sound like the USGA and R&A are going to like what they have to say. This should be real interesting as it plays out over the next few years.

In this edition of HtL we start off investigating what the PGA Tour’s stance is on anchoring, then turn our attention to Obama and Tiger, and find out who doesn’t belong in the WGHOF. Also, we look at Spencer Levin’s year off, find out what Keegan sent out on Twitter, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

Performance Enhancing Drugs and the PGA Tour

Vijay Singh’s recent revelations about using PED’s puts the PGA Tour in a interesting position, I give my take on what they should do.

Thrash TalkA few weeks ago, Lance Armstrong did an interview with Oprah and essentially admitted that after lying to us for over ten years, he had in fact taken performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). To many this was not a surprise.

Recently Vijay Singh and Bob Charles announced that they too have taken PEDs. This was much more of a surprise because many, myself included, believe that PEDs aren’t likely to make you a much better golfer.

Volume Three Hundred Thirty Eight

Brandt Snedecker is kicking butt in 2013!

Hittin' the LinksHello there golf fans! So think about this statistic, Brandt Snedeker is a whopping 82 under par so far this season. Yes, 82 under! He has two runner-ups and a win in his five starts, and has made over $2 million. That’s a good season for most people and we haven’t even gotten to the first major. This could be the season to remember for Mr. Snedeker.

In this edition of HtL, we start with a look at Condoleezza Rice’s game, then see how Tiger helped out a “friend”, then investigate whats going on in the Vijay Singh probe. Also on tap, we watch lefty fall on his heinie, find out what Hunter wants done to slow players, and check out the results of this week’s tournaments. Read on!

Mizuno MP-64 Iron Review

With input from Luke Donald, Mizuno, long known for its buttery soft player’s line of clubs, have added the new MP-64s, but do they live up to the to the company’s reputation?

Mizuno MP-64 HeroIn the golf world these days, everything is about advertising. Every few months one company or another is debuting the latest and greatest in golf technology. It is promised that this new technology will add an insane amount of distance to your game as well as being even more forgiving than whatever is in your bag.

Mizuno Golf, for the most part, has not really followed this route. Of course they advertise, but more than most companies, they let their products speak for themselves.

While they may not be the biggest or most hyped name out there, their clubs, and more specifically their player’s irons have developed some what of a cult following for being among the best available. It is clubs in this category that really are the heart of the company, and this is because to many they have a feel that is superior to nearly everything else around. Sure they make some really good game improvement clubs, and their woods and wedges are also top notch, but when golfers think of Mizuno they think of small, compact irons with buttery soft feel.

TaylorMade R1 Driver Review

TaylorMade Golf made big news with the most adjustable driver they have ever made, the R1, lets take a look at how it performs

taylormade_r1_driver_address.jpgIn recent years nobody has done a better job creating buzz with the release of their new line of drivers than TaylorMade. TaylorMade has such a huge presence on the PGA Tour and they take pride in their stable of players using and promoting their latest equipment. The release of the R1 driver from TaylorMade is exciting because of how much customization the driver provides to both the golfer and the club fitter.

TaylorMade launched the R1 by telling golfers that this was their most adjustable driver they had ever made. A golfer can adjust the loft, the face angle, and the shot shape all with a single wrench.This means a golfer can go into their local pro shop and have a clubfitter tune the driver to their swing without having to switch drivers. Also if a golfer changes their swing they do not have to change drivers, they can simply adjust the R1 accordingly.

Cobra Releases New AMP CELL Line of Clubs

Building off of last year’s AMP woods and irons, Cobra has debuted the new AMP CELL line which features new technology and colors.

Bag DropLast year proved to be a pretty big year for Cobra Golf. In addition to signing Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson to endorsement deals and acquiring Puma, the company released the very successful AMP line of clubs. That line included everything from woods to irons and helped put Cobra back on the map. For 2013, Cobra is updating its popular line with the new AMP CELL line of clubs and they are packed full of new features and colors.

Five Reasons to Be Excited for 2013

Why I’m excited about where the sport is headed.

Trap Five LogoNow that the 2013 has started, it’s time to look a little bit back, and a little bit forward.

And sure, there are some reasons to be a bit turned off by golf. It’s as expensive as ever, it can be painfully slow, and gone are the days when use your gut as a third hand while putting (if you’re into that sort of thing), but there are even more reasons to be optimistic. We’ve got two players who tower over the rest of the field (plus a select group of more-than-competant runners-up), the majors are all entertaining, and the Playoffs won’t take a plead from the President to work (unlike the BCS).

It’s fun to follow sports on a week-by-week basis, but it’s also valuable to take a step back once in a while. Let’s dive in.

The Three Eras of Golf

The game of golf has dramatically evolved from a game played with hickory shafts and gutta perch golf balls to massive titanium metal composites and surlyn covered golf balls, has the evolution been a good thing?

Thrash TalkI believe that golf has gone through three distinct eras, with each of these eras defined by the equipment of their times. The three eras are: hickory, steel, and “metal.” The first two refer to shafts, while the third refers to the heads of drivers. There have been great golfers within each of these eras and a few like Tiger Woods pushed the era changeover to take place. I know that separating these eras as I have is a bit of an oversimplification, but nonetheless each is important in its own way.

I will be the first to admit that I do not know much about the hickory era. There will be some argument, but the greatest player from this era is likely Bobby Jones. Only if you are the truest of traditionalist will you play the game with the equipment from this era. I have used a replica of Calamity Jane, which is the putter used by Bobby Jones, and even that putter is pretty darn hard to hit. I can only imagine trying to hit a driver consistently along with the lousy golf balls from that era. Still, it is the considered by many as the start of the modern game as we know it.