Author: George Promenschenkel

The Stories of 2009

Lie angles, Tiger, the Race to Dubai… Oh my!

Trap Five LogoThe 2009 golf season is underway, despite what the foot of snow and ice outside my door would indicate. Out in Arizona, the Loudest Golf Tournament in the World is underway. Down in Florida, the PGA Merchandise Show is providing first looks at lots of new toys.

It should be an interesting year of golf. Will the younger players continue to win tournaments? Is Sergio about to make good on the promise he’s shown for years? Will Vijay’s success in the FedExCup carry over in 200? Can Kenny Perry continue to win on the PGA Tour as he nears 50? And just how badly will the economy hit the game we love?

These and other questions remain to be answered in 2009. Here are five of what, if not the absolutely biggest, will certainly be among the most interesting stories to watch.

Continue reading “The Stories of 2009”

Nine Holes with Boo Weekley

What’s not to like about a guy who wears camo and fights apes?

ProfilesThe odds-on favorite to win this year’s Verizon Heritage is Boo Weekley. He’s won the last two, so why not add one more?

What’s a little more of a mystery is why he hasn’t won anywhere else. In two full seasons on the PGA Tour, he’s had ten top-ten finishes, but has only managed to finish at the top of the leaderboard at Hilton Head. Obviously, the course suits him. It’s a ball-striker’s layout, it’s in the South (where Boo grew up), and with its small greens, putting is less likely to be the determining factor in a tournament.

Continue reading “Nine Holes with Boo Weekley”

Five Not-so-Fearless Predictions for 2009

A few sure things to look for in 2009.

Trap Five LogoMy crystal ball seems to have developed an astigmatism of late. My fantasy football team, the Big Darby Beer Mussels, finished 3-13. I was so far down in the office bowl picks that I nearly won my entry money back for coming in last.

So it was with some trepidation that I revisited the Fearless Predictions that I made for 2008 in golf. Here’s how I fared:

I predicted Tiger would win majors (plural). A balky putter at the Masters and a destroyed knee that made him miss the final two majors kept that from happening. But that U.S. Open win was really something! And it went extra holes… twice! Surely that counts for two, right? No, not buying it? Okay, 0-1.

Continue reading “Five Not-so-Fearless Predictions for 2009”

Mizuno MP-52 Irons Review

Mizuno’s “player” line just got a little more inclusive.

Playability in an MPWhen the MP-52 debuted this fall with its sibling the MP-62, there were two surprises. First, the company’s “Cut Muscle” design of the last several years is missing, replaced with a very different “Dual Muscle” technology. Second, with the MP-52, Mizuno set out to make a more forgiving MP iron. The MP line has always been the domain of low and lower-mid handicappers. They have a reputation as being workable while providing a lot of feedback. Keeping up to those standards with a forgiving club is a bit of a tall order.

Consider that mid- and low-handicappers can be pretty finicky about their clubs. Many won’t play muscle backs because they think (probably accurately) that they need more forgiveness. Others won’t consider anything that isn’t basically blade-like, because they refuse to sacrifice feel and workability (nothing wrong with that stance either). Forgiveness and workability are to a large extent at opposite ends of the same spectrum. Creating playable irons that meet the needs and preferences of better golfers is a gutsy undertaking for a company with a solid reputation among lower handicappers.

Continue reading “Mizuno MP-52 Irons Review”

Five Things You Might Not Know about Q-School

There’s a lot of Pepto-Bismol being sold in La Quinta and Daytona Beach this week.

Trap Five LogoThere’s a lot of Pepto-Bismol being sold in La Quinta this week. At PGA West, 161 of the best golfers not to have their PGA Tour card for 2009 are playing for their futures. The field is an odd mix of the familiar and unfamiliar.

Bob May once nearly took down Tiger Woods in the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla, but now he’s just hoping to regain his card at Q-School. Frank Lickliter II won the 2007 edition of Q-School, but he’s back, too. Notah Begay III, Carlos Franco, Glen Day, Robert Garrigus, and Harrison Frazar are teeing it up with Major Manning, Alex Aragon, Vance Veazey, and the Golf Channel “Big Break” alumni James Nitties and Tommy “Two-Gloves” Gainey, all vying for the coveted PGA Tour card that will give them a shot at very comfortable living for life.

Continue reading “Five Things You Might Not Know about Q-School”

Nine Holes with Sergio Garcia

The world’s new #2 is also the best golfer never to win a major… for now at least.

ProFilesSergio Garcia became the number two golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings this month with his win at the HSBC Champions tournament. Since Phil Mickelson won his first Masters, Garcia has been among a small group of poor souls that are tagged Best Never to Win a Major. Today, he is the nearly undisputed holder of that title.

All that may be about to change. Every time a major rolls around, one or more media pundit pick him to win. Eventually, one of these folks is going to be right about him. He’s got too much game from tee to green to keep coming up short. His putting has been his Waterloo, but he’s getting better. All he has to do is put together four good putting rounds at the right time. His ball striking is rarely an issue. He just needs to find a way to get the ball in the hole.

Continue reading “Nine Holes with Sergio Garcia”

Range Rats!

Some people can drive you to shoot chile peppers at Lee Janzen.

Trap Five LogoAh, the range! It’s the place where most of us work on our games. If you’re like me, you go through a jumbo bucket or so every week… sometimes two when the game necessitates it.

I’ve had some great experiences at ranges. Once, back when the LPGA used to come to town, I found myself hitting shots next to Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, whose best career finish is T2. Now, as a top-level professional, I’d have expected any LPGA player to be pretty consistent. But hitting balls there beside her, I quickly learned just how consistent these players are. She was hitting irons to a target green, and every shot was landing within a circle about ten feet in circumference. Not only that, but each consecutive shot seemed to follow the hole in the air punched by the shot before it. It was amazing… and humbling. But it also taught me just how consistent you have to be to play really good golf.

Continue reading “Range Rats!”

Adams Idea Pro Gold Irons and Hybrids

These are not your grandfather’s clubs (unless you happen to call Tom Watson “Gramps”).

Adams Idea Pro Forged Gold SetDon’t let the two hybrids fool you. The Adams Idea Pro Gold Irons are intended for better players of all ages. Adams has taken it upon themselves to do you a favor and remove the temptation of those 3- and 4-irons by replacing them with easy-to-hit hybrids. Chances are, after you play these clubs for a little while, you won’t even miss the long irons.

Adams Golf has been making some great equipment for years, though at times the general golfing public has seemed oblivious to their efforts. Adams is out to change that. While Champions Tour star and PGA Tour legend Tom Watson is probably the best known Adams staffer, the company is beginning to get some exposure with PGA Tour players.

Last year, Adams signed Aaron Baddeley and Rory Sabbatini to endorsement deals (not to mention Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey from Golf Channel’s Big Break). There are Adams staffers on the LPGA and Nationwide tours, as well as on the Long Drivers of America circuit. All of which should help convince more “Joe Golfers” to give Adams clubs a try, and they’d be well advised to at least take a look.

Continue reading “Adams Idea Pro Gold Irons and Hybrids”

What’s to Like about Cold Weather Golf?

Swinging into winter.

Trap Five LogoWell, once again, November is breathing its chilly breath on all golfers in the northern latitudes. I’m not happy about it, but what can you do?

Now, those of you with true four-season golf weather will have trouble relating to this one. But for all my fellow northern golfers who have either already put up the clubs for the season or are contemplating doing so in the near future. To them, I say, don’t do it.

Yes, the best golf of 2008 is probably behind us, but we can still get out there and win a few bucks from our friends, or, at the very least, chase a few Canada Geese around the fairway. I say, if you can get out there without icing up, why not tee it up. Throw on a few, or several, layers. Start with a warm, thin mockneck and build from there.

Not convinced that cold weather golf can be fun? Here are five reasons to play golf all year long.

Continue reading “What’s to Like about Cold Weather Golf?”