Month: November 2004

Big Break II, Episode 6

Big Mike Foster is sent packing after he fails to learn from his mistake the first go-’round.

Big Break Mike EliminatedAfter last week’s incredibly lame “recap” show, The Big Break II resumed this week with six contestants remaining.

The fortunate six were split into two groups of three for a three-hole scramble. The winning team would be exempt, but the twist was that they’d be playing against a third team comprised of Garrett Garland, Randy Block and Jeff Brown from the original Big Break. “We heard some rumors that they were talking some smack about how Big Break 1 guys couldn’t play,” said Block. “It was nice to come back here and defend our honor against the Big Break 2 guys.”

The alumni team forced a playoff on the third hole, then went on to birdie the first playoff hole to send all six contestants to the mulligan and elimination rounds.

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Butch Harmon to Start Own Tour

The Butch Harmon Golf Tour will begin in June 2005 and run for 16 weeks at courses in and around Las Vegas.

Butch HarmonButch Harmon, Tiger Woods’ former instructor, is starting a souther Nevada developmental mini-tour. The “Butch Harmon Golf Tour” will begin in June 2005 and run for sixteen (16) weeks at courses in and around Las Vegas.

Harmon plans to offer $3.2 million in tour prize money: a $175,000 purse for each of the 15 weekly events and a $600,000 purse for the tour championship. Players are going to be asked to pay a $25,000 entry fee, and the top 40 money winners will qualify for the tour championship.

It sounds to us like Butch is short on sponsors and long on hope. Q-School costs $4,500. $25,000 is a lot of scratch. Personally, we think ol’ Butchie has been watching too much of The Big Break II.

Waggle for Tempo

Waggling is a very small swing. How fast you waggle helps to determine your tempo.

Waggling – the movements you make with your club during your pre-shot routine – is more critical than most people assume. It’s under-utilized and important, because it often acts as a miniature (very miniature) version of your full swing.

Watch players with a very fast tempo: odds are they waggle the club in a fast tempo too. Other players look like they’re rocking the clubhead to sleep with their waggles. They’re likely to have a slower tempo.

Use this to your advantage: try waggling more slowly to slow your tempo down a notch. It’s rare that you’ll ever want to speed up your tempo, but should you, simply waggle faster.

Caddy For Life

Caddy For Life, a review of the book written about Bruce Edwards.

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I passed the time on the flights by reading Caddy For Life, by John Feinstein which I bought on a whim at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Caddy For Life beautifully tells the triumphant life story of Bruce Edwards, perhaps the best known caddy on the PGA Tour. He was Tom Watson’s caddy for nearly thirty years, and is most famous for telling Watson to “get it close” on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach. Watson exclaimed, “I’m knocking it in!“. He did just that, pointed to Bruce and went on to win the 1982 US Open. In 2004, Bruce tragically died after a heroic battle with ALS.

This book was excellent. I laughed at many parts, mostly how Bruce would talk to Tom on the course, and came close to shedding a tear a few times when Bruce was nearing the end of his eventful life. This was a real page–turner, and I’d recommend it to any golf fan.

Site Updates

We really like Web standards!

The site may be going through a bit of upheaval as we try to make sure everything validates properly. Please bear with us.

Update: seems we’re all done. The home page validates and the individual pages validate as well. Good stuff!

Tiger Back to #2

Ernie Els slips to #3 while Retief Goosen moves to #4, bumping Phil Mickelson down to #5.

Tiger and VijayTiger Woods is once again the #2 ranked player in the world. Though he may have given up a 54-hole lead in the Tour Championship, his second-place finish was enough to vault him back to second in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Vijay Singh remains perched in first, but Tiger’s move drops Ernie Els back to third and Retief Goosen’s win vaults him to fourth, pushing the slumping Phil Mickelson down a notch to fifth. Mike Weir and Padraig Harrington climbed to sixth and seventh while Davis Love III, who withdrew from the Tour Championship with a shoulder injury, fell to eight. Sergio Garcia and Stewart Cink round out the top ten.

Golf Punk

Golf Punk is a new magazine for the more “alternative” golfer.

There’s a new golf magazine out there, if you’re into that sort of thing: Golf Punk labels itself as an “alternative” golf magazine, with hot chicks, tattoos, and a bunch of other “in your face” type of coverage. Your grandfather’s Golf Digest this is not.

Golf Punk Bunker Babes

We just like the hot babes (that’s two separate links, folks). We don’t like the cost (£21 for Europe to £42 for the rest of the world).

Virginia Legend Chandler Harper Passes at 90

Virginia golf legend and PGA Hall of Famer Chandler Harper died Monday in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Chandler Harper wins the 1955 ColonialChandler “Old Bones” Harper, PGA Championship winner in 1950 and PGA Hall of Fame inductee in 1968 – died Monday in Portsmouth, Virginia from complications due to pneumonia.

Known for his wiry, thin frame, Chandler competed in the first nationally televised golf tournament, the 1953 (“Tam O’Shanter”) World Championship of Golf. Chandler held a one-shot lead over Lew Worsham when Worsham holed a 115-yard wedge shot for eagle and a one-shot victory.

With eleven career PGA Tour victories, Harper retired after participating in the 1955 Ryder Cup matches. After retiring, Harper was instrumental in the design and construction of the Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in Portsmouth, Virginia, which hosted the Virginia State Open four times.

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When to Practice

When you practice is just as important as how you practice.

When are you more likely to hit the range: after a good round or after a bad one? Golfers are more likely to hit the range after a bad round than a good one, which begs the question: how do you ingrain a good swing if you only practice when you’re not swinging well?

Instead, reverse the two. Practice when you’re playing well. See a pro when you’re not.

If you’d like to find a PGA instructor, use the search engine at pga.com.