Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Tiger the Only African-American on Tour

Charlie Sifford was one of ten African-Americans on the PGA Tour in the 1970s. Today there is only one: Tiger Woods.

Tiger WoodsCharlie Sifford, the first African-American to play regularly on the PGA Tour, is now the only African-American in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Things are looking up for black and African-American players, right? Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods – the top two golfers in the world are black. Right?

Yes and no, according to Ron Sirak at ESPN. Singh and Woods are the only two black players on the PGA Tour, and Woods is the only African-American (Vijay is full Fijian, and even Woods is half Thai).

Sirak wonders why, when during Sifford’s days upwards of ten African-Americans played the tour and today only one does, but concludes quickly:

The dilemma is not one of race as much as it is one of class. Despite all efforts, and until recently those efforts have been dubious at best, golf has become more expensive, more time consuming and less welcoming of new players. It is a closed fraternity and the secret handshake has been denied to most.

Sirak then goes on to point out that The First Tee, founded in 1997, has already reached 395,000 children and created 178 facilities nationwide. Golf outreach programs are involving hundreds of thousands of children. Greens fees have risen, but municipal course rates have actually trailed the inflation rate. Tiger Woods alone has involved more youth in the sport than we saw any group of people doing 30 years ago, including caddie programs – which ESPN cites as the primary reason for the lack of African-Americans on tour today.

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Epoch Tees

Can tees really improve your golf game? Perhaps sometimes it’s just the confidence.

Epoch Pure LaunchWe’ve previously written about the epoch-3 tees from Evolve Golf here at The Sand Trap .com in an article titled “Tees Me.” We’ve even reviewed another kind of tee, the Brush-T. What is up with all of these tee reviews? Tees are just a peg? You put your ball on them, then you hit the ball hard. Simple, right?

Not so, says Evolve Golf (and the Brush-T folks). When a ball is struck from a standard wooden tee, friction between the tee and the ball at the moment of impact can have a dramatic effect on both the distance and accuracy of your drives. This is true of deflection as well: the relatively hard lip of a standard wooden tee can redirect your ball slightly, imparting spin and sending it in the wrong direction. The Brush-T, for example, can grant you up to an extra four yards and 3% better accuracy! The epoch-3 was independently tested to deliver an extra 1.81 yards in distance and 2.34 yards more accuracy.

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Breezy Easy

When it’s breezy, swing easy

“When it’s breezy, swing easy.” You’ve heard this before, but what has made this one hold up for so long? Two reasons, really:

  1. Smooth swings increase the likelihood that solid contact will be made, creating a penetrating ball flight.
  2. If you make solid contact swinging hard, more backspin is created and the ball is likely to balloon up. Less spin = more penetrating ball flight.

Discipline yourself to take an extra club or two and to swing easy and you’ll have a lot more putts for birdie than your playing partners.

Golf-Ball Finding Glasses

Beware the slick marketing message. Beware the not-so-slick message, too.

Golf Ball Finding GlassesDo you have $40 to blow? You may want to check out these golf-ball finding glasses!

These golf-ball finding lenses, which block out 90% of long wavelength light (dark colors such as greens and browns) let shorter wavelength light (such as whites and yellows) pass through unimpeded, so that golf balls are easy to locate…

And here we thought white light was a mixture of all of the other colors of the spectrum. Silly us!

Send your $40 to The Sand Trap .com. At least it won’t be a complete waste.

Greg Norman to Play MacGregor

Greg Norman will play a full complement of MacGregor products, and will focus on endorsing the MacTec NVG driver.

Greg NormanMacGregor Golf has landed a doozy: a great white shark! Greg Norman, two-time British Open Champion (and 47-time Masters runner-up), will play a “full complement” of MacGregor clubs including the MacTec NVG driver and V-Foil M675 forged muscleback irons. Both of these product lines will be launched in January, 2005.

MacGregor plans to use Greg as their primary spokesperson for the MacTec driver, and adds Norman to a cast and crew consisting of two-time Masters winner José Maria Olazabal, two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, and two-time fashion template Aaron Baddeley. Baddeley was featured in this year’s advertising because, well, when was the last time Olazabal or Janzen won a tournament?

Norman played in eight events this year, including Silly Season Event #1: his own Franklin Templeton “Shark’s” Shootout. Greg turns 50 on February 10 and will most likely split a schedule between the PGA and Champions Tours.

How’s Your Aim?

“Are you even aiming at the hole?” Well, are you?

Putting is difficult. It’s even more difficult when you have a problem aiming. Find out if you have a problem aiming by doing this simple drill.

Lay a metal tape measure on the ground. Tape a dime at one end, and then 20 feet away, a piece of masking tape exactly perpendicular to the tape measure (you may wish to use a t-square). You’ve created a perfectly straight putt with an alignment aid.

Remove the tape measure and set your putter on the perpendicular piece of masking tape. Cover the dime with a towel. Have a friend place golf balls on what you imagine is the line from your putter to the dime 6 feet, 12 feet, and 18 feet from you. Remain in your putting stance the whole time, instructing your friend to move balls left or right. Remove the towel and check your aim: are you left? Right? Dead on the line with each of the balls?

Aim, according to Dave Pelz, is the first fundamental of putting. Find out more about Dave Pelz at pelzgolf.com. If you’re really serious about your aiming, check out the LazrAimer. Only $459! (C’mon, you’re not that serious, are you?)

Tiger Moving to Palm Beach County?

Tiger and his hot hot wife may be moving out of Orlando and into Palm Beach county.

YachtIs Tiger looking to move to Palm Beach county? Tiger’s yacht, “Privacy” (at right), has been docked in the area for a few days and Tiger has been seen checking out real estate. A fairly new Nicklaus club, Bear’s Club, would be the most likely residence.

Jack Nicklaus describes Bear’s Club:

It has been my desire and vision for 20 years to build a golf club that not only has my name on it, but one that also reflects my love and passion for the game. As the name implies, The Bear’s Club is just that. Unlike Muirfield Village, The Bear’s Club is not intended to be a tournament golf course, but is instead a premier private club. And perhaps Jack’s legacy.

To think: I just moved out of the area! Elin Nordegren has a twin sister who happens to be single. Some foursome that’d be: Me, Tiger, and two hot Swedish blondes. Harumph! Tiger currently lives with Mark O’Meara (wonder how Elin feels about that!) outside of Orlando in a development called Isleworth.

Okay, so he doesn’t live in the same house as O’Meara, but you knew what I meant.

Head Down the Line

David Duval doesn’t do it. Annika Sorenstam doesn’t do it. Both have been or are the #1 golfers in the world.

David Duval doesn’t do it. Annika Sorenstam doesn’t do it. Both have been or are the #1 golfers in the world. What don’t they do? “Keep their head down.” Both Annika and David have a very pronounced head turn at impact, following the ball down the target line.

What began as a training tool for Annika was incorporated into her swing. She found that it eliminated her tendency to “hang back” and finish in the reverse C position. If you have trouble shifting your weight forward through the ball, try to swing like Annika: let your shoulders pull your head around as if you’re following the ball as it leaves your clubface. Finish with your weight forward and standing tall, watching the ball head straight.

Diaz Up by Two

Laura Diaz sits at 11-under after Friday’s round at the LPGA Tournament of Champions.

Laura DiazLaura Diaz finished her round with three birdies for a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions. Heather Daly-Donofrio was alone in second after a second-round 66 at the Magnolia Grove’s Crossings Course, and Lorena Ochoa fired a second 68 to tie with Christina Kim (70) three strokes back.

“It was a good day today,” Diaz said. “The course was soggy with all of the rain, but the greens crew did a good job of getting the course ready for us. With the greens soft, you just have to go out and be aggressive and keep shooting at the pins.”

Diaz, 36th on the money list, needs a good showing to leap to the top 30 and qualify for next week’s season-ending ADT Championships. Stacy Prammanasudh, who is not playing this week, is in 30th and $33,923 ahead of Diaz. Sister to sometimes-PGA-Tour player Ron Philo, Jr., Diaz needs to finish fifth or better for a shot to compete in the ADT.

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