Author: Ben Alberstadt

Why Do We Do This to Ourselves?

What does golf spell backwards?

Thrash TalkIf we can agree, at this point, that Phil Mickelson has completely lost his ability to play respectable golf, that he will never challenge Tiger Woods for the preeminent position in world golf, and that he may never contend again for a major, we can also agree that we don’t expect Mr. Mickelson to hang up his spikes (yes, he still wears metal, to “feel connected to the ground,” no doubt) anytime soon.

None of this may be true, this could be Phil’s best year ever, but even if the man who was once the leading hope for American golf (pre-Woods, 40 pounds lighter) were unable to break 76 regularly and Callaway laughed him out of his sponsorship deal, he would likely still continue playing golf… why is this?

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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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In Praise of Elk

Never mind the fact that he finished in a tie for 53rd place last week at the FBR Open in Scottsdale, the significance of Elkington is more symbolic than statistical

Thrash TalkWikipedia (the keeper of all knowledge) cites him as one of the best interviewee’s of all time on the Jim Rome show (something to do with his use of the phrase “rubber dongers”). Johnny Miller has routinely described him as the best dressed man on Tour. He’s had meningitis multiple times and he was invited to kiss Bubba Watson’s back side. He plays timeless (outdated) irons.

In spite of such peculiarities, or perhaps partially because of them, Steve Elkington has been seen by many as an embodiment of the golfing lifestyle; a nattily dressed shotmaker who has been known to speak his mind to any/all press outlets.

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A Crime of Passion

The following is my elaborate rationalization for spending $400 on a custom Slighter Tacoma.

Thrash TalkI, Benjamin Alberstadt, being of sound mind and body, confess that I did recently spend $399.95 on a putter. Is there any possible justification for such behavior? In this period of economic downturn, is there any excuse for acquiring such a liability? Perhaps not. After all, the unusurpable king of the retail putter market, Scotty Cameron, only charges about $300 for a production putter.

In the world of $500 drivers and $300 greens fees, the average golfer has to make a real effort to spend significant coin on a putter – Cameron Circle T’s, other tour issue, or limited availability models are the common bandits, in that regard. However, I accepted the challenge… and succeeded admirably.

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Getting Your Golf Fix In Two Feet of Snow: Stash the Clubs and Open a Book

Have a look at a few standouts I recently knocked off my reading list.

Thrash TalkSometime during the past week, immersed in the post-holiday languor, I revisited one of my favorite golf books from the past decade.

I am not a great fan of David Leadbetter. His accent and 17 Trion-Z accessories (they ought to come out with an “ionic” band for his inane hat) generally annoy me. However, it must be acknowledged that the man knows his stuff, both with respect to helping an individual improve and to poseessing an acute understanding of the historical development of the golf swing.

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All I Want for Christmas

Have a peek at my annual correspondence with Father Christmas.

Thrash TalkDear Santa,

As you know, I’ve been a reasonably good boy this year. We’ve been engaged in this same routine for 23 years now, so I think you are also aware what an avid fan of the game of golf I am. I want you to know, also, that I’m not holding it against you that I didn’t find that $2,300 replica of Tiger’s putter under my tree last year. The same goes for the trip to Sawgrass which has been a fixture on my list for the last several years. Surely these are difficult gifts to obtain, even for you, Mr. Claus.

I’m aware, as Burton Hillis said, “the best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family.” I’m really trying to be content with the simple pleasures and joys of the season (eggnog, cookies, tinsel, throwing wads of wrapping paper at the cat), but there are still a few outstanding items on my list I’m hoping to find beneath my tree in a few weeks.

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Three Questions for 2009

With Tiger and without him, 2008 was an excellent year in golf. We can only hope that 2009 is better.

Thrash TalkAdmittedly, the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii is still over a month away. Premier players are probably testing equipment for the upcoming year, honing their swings, and generally relaxing. The steady flow of information from the golf media has turned into a veritable trickle in these off months. Following the Thanksgiving fattening, the madness of Black Friday (perhaps somewhat subdued this year), and in the grips of the Christmas spirit, which becomes incarnate at this time each year, I’ll do my best to speculate regarding some possibilities for the 2009 season.

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Something’s Missing, For Better or For Worse

There’s a specter haunting both David Feherty and the PGA Tour – it’s Tiger Woods.

Thrash TalkRecently, in his monthly contribution to Golf Magazine, David Feherty made reference to an interesting dynamic which he has seen at work in the world of golf this year.

“In Tiger’s absence,” the iconic (and perhaps iconoclastic) Irishman writes, “I’ve noticed that more and more people have started referring to him as you-know-who, as if he is golf’s equivalent of Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter novels.” For those of you unfamiliar with the Dark Lord, Feherty’s description is more compelling than any I could hope to produce: “Voldemort is the all-powerful dark wizard whose black magic is so terrifying that saying his name out loud can induce involuntary brown magic in ones Fruit-of-the-Brooms.”

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A Brief Look at the PGA Tour Exemption System

There are a variety of ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is that you have to play well to get it at some point in your life. That time is now for many.

Thrash TalkAccording to the PGA Tour’s website, there are 33 ways in which a player may qualify for an exempt status. Now that the FedExCup has been decided, and the Fall Series is drawing to a close, the chief drama on Tour revolves around who will secure a spot among the exempt next year, mainly by virtue of appearing in the top 125 of the season money list.

Last week, at the Ginn sur Mer Classic in the developing region of Palm Coast, Florida, Ryan Palmer, who was previously on the “bubble,” (he was ranked 143 entering the week), secured himself a spot in the aforementioned 125 with a victory (and a two-year exemption, of course, for winning). Exempt status often seems to be a vague, mysterious, and perhaps sinister thing, even though the qualifications for such a status are laid out on the Tour’s website and the information is readily available to any seeker.

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