Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Golf Talk [Episode 068]

Stephen Ames and Sergio Garcia: two of our favorites. One’s full of himself and one seems to have an empty head. Can you guess which is which?

Golf Talk PodcastThe 89th PGA Championship has come to a conclusion with a familiar winner: Tiger Woods. Woody Austin and Ernie Els gave him a run, Sergio Garcia was DQed, Phil Mickelson was a non-factor, and Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera missed the cut. Full PGA discussion and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 068 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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2007 PGA Championship Final Round Live Blog

Will Tiger make it 8-for-8 with a second-round lead and 13-for-13 with a third-round lead? Or will someone finally overtake Tiger on the final day of a major?

2007 PGA Logo18:54 – That does it – a lucky 13th for Tiger Woods. Though many suspected he’d win, I doubt many would have predicted he’d have quite this much trouble. Congratulations, Tiger Woods.

18:47 – Tiger’s approach at the 18th finds the back center of the green. He has three putts to win the 89th PGA Championship. But first he has to wait for Stephen Ames, currently back to +6 for the day. His ball stops within two feet of Tiger’s.

18:44 – Nicklaus won his 13th at 35 years old. Tiger will win his 13th at 31 (and will turn 32 this December).

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Cleveland CG12 Zip Wedges Review

Cleveland’s CG12 with new “Zip Grooves” promise to put a new spin on your short shots. Do they?

Cleveland Zip Wedges HeroRoger Cleveland founded Cleveland Golf in the 1970s on the strength of his wedge designs. They’ve long been renowned as some of the best in the game, but Cleveland has been slipping in this category since Roger’s departure in the mid-1990s. Bob Vokey at Titleist, Roger’s new employer Callaway, and even TaylorMade have made great inroads in the wedge game and the top spot now belongs to Titleist’s Vokey line of wedges.

That has not stopped Cleveland, of course, and they’re looking to get back on top with their new CG12 wedges with “Zip Grooves™” – deeper U-grooves than found on previous models (like the CG11s we reviewed) that aim to add juice to your wedge shots much like TaylorMade’s “Y” grooves, Callaway’s “Mack Daddy” grooves, and Titleist’s Spin Milled grooves.

As a long-time Vokey fan, I put these wedges to the test: I took my Vokeys out of the bag and played with these for a month straight. Did they pass the test? Read on to find out…

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Golf Talk [Episode 067]

If you want Tiger to beat you, just insult him. That seems to do the trick. Stephen Ames and Rory Sabbatini now know better.

Golf Talk PodcastIt’s a week of firsts and manys. Lorena notched her first major while Natalie Gulbis won her first tournament. Tiger won his sixth event at Firestone and Tom Watson won his third Senior British Open. Plus, wins from Steve Flesch, Andres Romero, Jim Furyk. Rory Sabbatini mouths off and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 067 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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A Few Months Later: Stack and Tilt

Stack and Tilt: a fad or a little bit closer to a universal golf truth? We’d like your feedback.

Aaron BaddeleyThree simple words – Stack and Tilt – have done about as much to turn the world of golf instruction upside down as anything in recent memory.

It’s the move that led the U.S. Open through three rounds this year. It’s the move that’s led to the resurgence of the careers of a number of pros, including former Masters champ Mike Weir. It’s a move pros have been adopting in quantity, and a move amateurs have been adopting with sometimes remarkable success.

It’s also been a few months since the Golf Digest article first hit newsstands. I postulated that a lot of the early success amateurs were experiencing was simply a result of a temporary short-circuiting of their brain and that, eventually, the old swing flaws would return. Perhaps that was a bit short-sighted…

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Almost Everything I Know About Making Putts

I also know that 90% of putts left short don’t go in, but you probably already heard that one from Yogi Berra.

PuttingA member of our forum, after noticing that my putting stats are pretty good, asked me what tips I could offer to help others become a better putter. After thinking about it, I realized that being a “good putter” is more about the sum of the parts than any individual part. So, I wrote back to the forum member and said “I’ll write something up in the future and post it for all to see.”

This is the answer to that question. I can’t promise that this will help everyone become a great putter – though I believe great putters are made, not born – because this process is mine. Still, a piece or two can likely be adapted to fit anyone, and I encourage comments from others about the different things they do to make themselves good putters.

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Windy Knoll Golf Club (Springfield, OH) Review

After a slow start, Windy Knoll blows you over with a good challenge at a reasonable rate.

Windy Knoll LogoIf ever a course name evoked a certain image, well, I suppose “Windy Knoll” does a pretty good job. Set just a touch out of the way and west of Columbus, OH, Windy Knoll lives up to both halves of its name. With flat farmland to the west, the direction from which the prevailing wind blows, the subtly mounded “links-style” course will vex players when the wind is up and offers a stern test even in rare calm conditions.

I played Windy Knoll in early July on a breezy day. Read on to see whether it’s worth a visit the next time you’re looking for a new course to play.

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Golf Talk [Episode 066]

David Feherty: “If you don’t have a belly, you shouldn’t be allowed to use a belly putter.” Congratulations to Padraig Harrington on the first of potentially many majors.

Golf Talk PodcastWe discuss the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie, won by Padraig Harrington (and many will say lost by Sergio Garcia and even Andres Romero). Also, Gary Player’s comments on drug use on the pro golf tours and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 066 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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Fan No More

Sergio Garcia and Gary Player both used the media tent at the 2007 Open Championship to remove their names from my “players I root for” list.

Swing ThoughtsI used to consider myself a fan of Sergio Garcia and Gary Player. Sadly, their actions at the 2007 Open Championship put an end to that.

Before the tournament even began, Gary Player saw fit to tease us with his famous “neener neener, I know a secret” announcement that “someone” was taking drugs and that “at least ten, maybe a hell of a lot more” golfers on pro tours were using drugs. I agree with Gary’s basic point – he believes strongly in drug testing and the damage that could come to the sport if players are found to be using drugs to enhance their performance – but I’m disgusted that Gary, a legend of the game, chose the biggest stage he has to make the most damaging statement he’s ever made about the game of golf. His actions lack the class befitting a champion of the game.

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