Volume Four Hundred Fifty-Nine

Is the Tiger Era over? And why solo players really have no status on the course.

Hittin' the LinksIs he or isn’t he? Have we seen the last competitive golf from Tiger Woods who, love him or hate him, is right at the top of the greatest of all time list?

This week was also Tiger’s Hero World Challenge, where Jordan Spieth had a hole in one on his second hole. The Euros’ South African swing is on hiatus until January. There are 17 shopping days until Christmas. Let’s hit the links.

Where Does Tiger Go from Here?

Tiger will not say he is retiring, but his recent interviews suggest that his dominant years are now in the past. I give my suggestions on how he should become a new improved retired Tiger.

Thrash TalkThe model for a retired golfing superstar has been set. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have written what I would call the perfect book on how to do better in your retirement than in your actual career. Now it is Tiger’s turn.

I am not certain that we can agree that Tiger’s career is completely over, but his days of being a dominant force in the game are over. He is now giving interviews in which he says everything right up to “I am retiring.” I can understand the urge to spend time with his kids. Right now with his injuries and how he has played lately they probably bring him ten times the joy of anything golf-related. Add to this, his relationship with his father was so strong, he likely wants to mimic that relationship with his kids. His father was a teacher and now Tiger likely feels the urge to teach his kids as he was taught. Good for him.

Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver Review

Callaway wants you to leave no yard behind. To do this they designed Great Big Bertha Driver to get the most distance for ALL golfers. I review the driver and let you know if I left any yards behind.

GBBThe golf industry like any marketplace is constantly changing. In the late 1990s Callaway was as hot as any golf company could be. They were the first to really embrace titanium driver heads in a big way. Over the years that stranglehold on the top spot was lost. Callaway seemed to lose their way.

That is until the last few years where Callaway has gone back to utilizing the brand name that was so popular for them, Big Bertha. The last few drivers released by Callaway have been outstanding, and the latest release – the Great Big Bertha for 2015 – is the crème de la crème. The marketing campaign for this driver, “Leave no yard behind,” is really a great theme. Because we are constantly blasted with marketing nowadays it might not get as much attention as it deserves, but if I were to sum up the performance of this club and someone mentioned that tag line to me, I would wholeheartedly agree.

Callaway has packaged almost all of the really good technology that they have developed in the past few years and threw it all together into one awesome driver. For the review I was given a 9° driver with a stiff shaft. With that introduction, let’s get started with the review.