Month: February 2009

Golf Talk: Titleist’s 2009 Pro V1 and Pro V1x

Between them, these guys have over 40 years of experience making and selling golf balls.

Golf Talk PodcastThis week we talk with George Sine, Vice President of Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning and Bill Morgan,
Senior Vice President, Golf Ball Research & Development of Titleist about the new 2009 Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Some myths are dispelled, some fitting advice is given, 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 106 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.

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Volume One Hundred Seventy Eight

The Masters is growing the game, Wie is denied, and has anyone see Mickelson’s golf game?

Hittin' the LinksHello and welcome to the President’s Day edition of Hittin’ the Links. With any luck this column finds at least a few people out there with a day off and weather good enough to get in 18 holes. To those in the cold places, – spring’s coming, so hang in there.

In this holiday edition we look at Mr. Honesty, see how the Masters is growing golf, and investigate what has happened to Mickelson. Also, we do a weekly Tiger update, see what went wrong for Michelle Wie, and do a recount of this week’s Tour events. Read on!!!

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Roenick Golf Rolls Out Crossbow Putter

I have a Crossbow in my golf bag and I know how to use it.

Bag DropI have to admit that I’m pretty cynical about some of the newer golf equipment that promises this or that and costs a small fortune to add to your bag.

The fine folks at Roenick Golf certainly have put a smile on my face as they’ve come up with something that is pretty ingenious and won’t force you to take a second mortgage (good luck getting one of those these days).

If you’ve read this column in the past, you might know that I’m a blade guy when it comes to putters (and it better have a plumbing neck to boot!) but I think I may have to scout out the Crossbow sometime soon. Might I have to rethink my ways? Who knows but read on to find out about this rather intriguing putter.

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Titleist 909F Fairway Metal Review

909F3: welcome to a slightly more forgiving fairway wood.

Titleist 909F3Without even looking at my Titleist 906F4 review, I almost began this review the same way: “Fairway woods rarely get the credit they deserve…” Of course, that’s as true then as it is today, and as my game evolves and improves, I find myself relying on my 3-wood more and more, particularly from the tees of holes on which I used to hit driver.

I carry only one fairway wood. It’s a 15° 3-wood sandwiched between a driver and a 17° hybrid that serves as my 5W/2I replacement. Except my putter, you could probably remove any club in my bag without affecting my final score by much, but remove my 3W and I might lose between half a shot and a full shot every time I would have needed it.

The 3W may not have the versatility of a hybrid, the sex appeal of a driver, or the scoring impact of any of my wedges, but when I need my 3W – when I pull it from the bag – it’s often for a situation that only a 3W can handle: from the tee on a tight par four, finding the putting surface on that incredibly long par three, or setting me up for an eagle on a par five.

I’m picky about my 3W, and you probably should be too.

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Golf in a Crummy Economy

Sure the 401K is shot, but the golf might be good.

Trap Five LogoNot to state the obvious, but the economy is in a dismal state. The news is full of dire reports of mass layoffs and foreclosures. We’ve all seen enough of that to make us sick.

Golf is certainly not immune to the effects of these frightening times. If you’ve lost your job, golf naturally drops down the priorities list pretty quickly. We’ve already discussed how tournament sponsorships are being affected. We’re also likely to lose even more courses this year than we have over the past few years. And unlike those years when most courses that go out of business get plowed under for condos and housing, this year the courses that fail may well sit there, becoming ungroomed grass and weed farms. The PGA Tour Network, the radio voice of the PGA Tour, is threatened by the Sirius XM freefall.

If you plan to buck what could very well be a widespread trend this year and make golf part of your personal economic stimulus plan, you may find that you can stretch your golfing dollars a little farther. In the spirit of making lemonade when the world gives you lemons, here are five ways that the current economy might just give golfers a bit of a break this year.

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Meticulousness: The Art of the Grind

Camilo Villegas: He’s not slow, he’s mastered the art of the grind.

Thrash TalkThe meticulous individual is one who displays “extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details.” In watching Camilo Villegas triumphantly not win the Buick Invitational over the weekend, this term was in the forefront of my dim-witted consciousness.

Villegas, himself, no doubt, is a meticulous player. This first became apparent to me a few years ago while I was watching a Nationwide Tour event on television.

Villegas had missed the green with his tee shot on a par three and found himself a few yards off the fringe. As I recall, the ball was in such a position that it looked like it would be relatively easy to fluff. Camilo took an inordinate amount of time assessing his options, picking out where he wanted to land the ball, settling on a trajectory and choosing the appropriate club to create that shot.

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Golf Talk [Episode 105]

For some reason I can’t get the theme song to Beverly Hills Cop out of my head…

Golf Talk PodcastTiger is practicing full bore AND had another kid, Nick Watney wins at Torrey Pines, the Tour considers cracking down on player appearance, and whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 105 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.

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Adams Launches Speedline Drivers, Hybrid-Fairway Woods

What does your current driver do to reduce airflow turbulence?

Bag DropAfter playing around with the squarish geometry craze of high-MOI drivers, the folks at Adams Golf have gone back to a more conventional looking club with the release of the Speedline Drivers and Hybrid-Fairway Woods.

The Speedline drivers, while conventional looking, offer up some pretty fancy technology as they were engineered from using wind tunnel technology to come up with a driver that has better aerodynamics to give you more swing speed which in turn, gives you more distance. And you thought wind tunnels were only for cars and planes.

Already tested on Tour, the Speedline drivers have racked up several wins on the Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour. Toss in a Gold Medal in the 2009 Golf Digest Hot list and this looks to be a “must try” for 2009.

So tag along as we look at the new drivers and fairway/hybrids from the gang in Plano, Texas.

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Volume One Hundred Seventy Seven

Tiger is going “full-bore”, Watney comes from behind, and watch out for those yardage markers!

Hittin' the LinksGood day fellow golf nuts, and welcome again to Hittin’ the Links. The golf world is starting to heat up. What a finish to the Buick Invitational! Even without Tiger, Torrey Pines puts on a great show.

In this edition of HTL, we look at the life of LPGA founding member Betty Jameson, review some Tiger news, and find out what the President of the USGA has to say. Also on tap, we explore the whereabouts of Philly Mick, see whats wrong with the AT&T Pro-Am, and investigate the effects of the economy on golf courses. Read on!

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