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Once is Enough for Langer

Victorious in 2004, European Ryder Cup Captain Bernhard Langer has withdrawn his name from captaincy in 2006.

Bernhard LangerEarly in November of 2004, the United States chose Tom Lehman as its captain for the 2006 Ryder Cup. The European team has taken a bit longer to choose its leader for the 2006 campaign. Ryder Cup super-star Colin Montgomerie decided he’s not done trouncing American opponents and withdrew his name from consideration. This left three possible choices: Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, and Bernhard Langer. Better make that two. Now it appears Langer has decided he’s going to step aside and allow someone else to fill the position. Although Langer removed himself from the captain’s seat, he still has ambitions of being in Ireland saying, “I have every intention of being a playing member of the 2006 European team.” This comes as bittersweet news to American golf fans considering Langer’s 10 Ryder Cup appearances and 21-15-6 cumulative record.

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How Good is too Good?

Is the new standard of well manicured golf courses in America killing American golf?

12th Hole Augusta NationalIt all began quite innocently in 1956 with the televising of The Masters tournament held at Augusta National. Just one look at the pristine fairways and perfectly manicured rough and Americans across the country demanded the same attention to detail from their local municipals. This day marked the end of American dominance in the sport of golf. Recent history proves how dead American golf is. Look at the World Golf Rankings, 13 of the top 25 come from countries other than the United States. The European teams have held The Ryder Cup six of the past nine years. College golf teams are recruiting players from all over the world because of their abilities. Why the shift in power? It’s not due to a lack of effort: go to any course and you’ll see tons of youngsters trying to emulate Tiger woods. If fingers should point, then blame should lie squarely on American golf courses.

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Help Wanted? Tiger’s Caddy Williams Injured in Car Crash

The relationship of Tiger Woods and his caddy, Steve Williams, could soon become strained.

stevie_williams_tiger_woods.jpgSteve Williams, caddie to Tiger Woods, recently made the news due to a crash while racing a saloon car (video of such races can be found on Williams’ personal website). Said Williams, “There was a massive amount of blood… I was looking down at my hand and saw bone… It’s a pretty damaged hand. I’m going to have to make some sort of adjustment. I might have to have a little assistance from Tiger.”

Obviously, we should be glad that Williams wasn’t injured more significantly, and we wish him a speedy recovery. However, one has to wonder how much longer Woods will employ Williams, given his tendency for making headlines. If you recall, Williams has had several well-publicized run-ins with on-course photographers. Additionally, Woods has shown little tolerance in the past for similar behavior, separating ties with former caddy Fluff Cowan and former swing coach Butch Harmon when their respective persona became too large for Tiger’s liking.

In June, at the height of the flap over Williams run-in with photographers, Woods stated that Williams, “probably went too far.” It will be interesting to see how long Woods is willing tolerate his caddy’s antics.

Photo Credit: © Lucy Nicholson/Reuters.

Firm Sand? Pitch Your Way Out

Your sand wedge may not always be the best club to get out of a greenside bunker.

You’ve pushed your approach shot and now you’re in a dreaded greenside bunker. To make matters worse, the sand is wet and firm. There are so many options: do you open the blade or close the blade, hit closer to the ball or further away?

Instead of automatically reaching for your 56° sand wedge, try your pitching wedge. The key to playing from wet or very firm sand is picking the ball as cleanly as possible. Think shallow swing and little divot.

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Congrats Arnie!

Arnold Palmer, 75, weds in Hawaii. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Palmer.

arnold_palmer.jpgFrom the Associated Press comes news that Arnold Palmer, age 75, was married yesterday in what is being described as “an intimate ceremony” in Hawaii. Vows were exchanged in a seaside cottage on a course Palmer designed at the Turtle Bay Resort.

While players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are very popular, perhaps no golfer – or athlete – has been as popular as Palmer has been over the last half-century since bursting onto the scene to win the 1958 Masters. The swashbuckling Palmer’s fame was further cemented when he charged to victory to win the 1960 U.S. Open, driving the first green, a 346-yard par 4, in the final round. Coming from behind by seven strokes heading into that final round gained Arnie’s Army a great number of recruits. Palmer would go on to win sixty-one times in the PGA Tour.

Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Palmer.

Photo Credit: © Hear-It.

Ban Belly Putters? For the Good of the Game?

Where do you stand on the belly putter debate? Are they an unfair advantage? Or are they just as likely to help you miss putts?

USGAIt all began quite suddenly a year ago. After Ernie Els lost to Trevor Immelman at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open, Els called for the USGA to ban belly putters. Since then the debate has raged on: should the USGA and R&A ban long putters? These putters have become all the rage with golfers who develop cases of the “yips” and can no longer keep short putters stable. Yet some golfers continued to cry out against belly putters. Even players like Colin Montgomerie who have resurrected their careers with these putters agree they’re an unfair advantage. Once again, the rumor mill is spinning and there are grumblings around golf that the USGA is about to make a ruling outlawing belly and long putters. New developments have only added fueled to this fiery debate: many new putter companies such as Yes! Golf haven’t introduced belly and long putter models. Furthermore, established ones like Titleist’s Scotty Cameron house haven’t added new belly putters to their existing lines. Where do you stand on the belly putter debate? Discuss it in our forum!

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Round 2

Jeff Ogilvie takes the lead in the second round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Joe OgilvieDuring the second day of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, the strong trend of low scoring continued across the professional ranks. Today it was Joe Ogilvie who took a three shot lead with a stellar nine-birdie, no-bogey round of 63. Ogilvie, who played at Bermuda Dunes, recognized that the most difficult rounds of golf were still to come, saying: “Mickelson shot a 64 today at La Quinta. I’d say technically he’s probably leading. Score-wise, I am, but technically I’d say he’s leading.” Indeed, Mickelson has played well early in this tournament, now at 14-under par after turning in rounds of 66 and 64. First round leader Robert Damron is also close behind 4-shots back with five other players.

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TaylorMade Rac Y-Cutter Wedge Review

TaylorMade’s y-grooves are all the rage on the PGA Tour, but are they worth it for amateur golfers?

TaylorMade LogoFor the past year and a half, two of my favorite clubs have been my 56° and 60° Titleist Vokey Oil Can wedges. These wedges performed superbly on approaches from the fairway, out of the rough, and were a sure bet out of the sand. However, many people have been raving about the incredible spin produced by TaylorMade’s y-groove wedges which are found only on their tour versions of the RAC wedge series. Recently I had the opportunity to purchase one of these wedges from Bomb Squad Golf and pounced on it just to see what all the hype is about. A few days ago, a 56° oil quenched RAC y-cutter with 12° of bounce was delivered to my door and I tested it at the course the next day.

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Less Is More

Next time you head to the range, get fewer range balls to hit, but spend more time on each one. You may be surprised to find out that less is more.

We’ve all heard the axiom “practice makes perfect,” and so in an effort to improve our swings, we head to the driving range, armed with a jumbo bucket (or two) of range balls. And often we get so engrossed in hitting ball after ball that we lose track of time. But not in the usual sense. Typically, losing track of time means you took too long, but in this case it means not taking enough time.

As yourself, have you ever emptied your bucket(s) of range balls and asked yourself “where did they all go?” If so, you are probably not taking enough time to focus on each shot. We all know that focusing is important during a round, but we often forget that taking enough time to properly visualize each shot on the range is just as important. Spending more time and effort on each ball will yield greater results, making the improvements in your swing more permanent.

Next time you head to the range, get fewer range balls to hit, but spend more time on each one. You may be surprised to find out that less is more.