Author: Jamieson Weiss

Bridgestone Tour B330 Series Ball Review

We take a look at Bridgestone’s new like of Tour B330 golf balls, designed with everyone in mind.

Bridgestone 2011 B330 BallBridgestone golf might not have the notoriety or the reputation of a big company like Titleist or Nike, but they are quickly making significant inroads into the big business of golf balls.

Bridgestone’s dedication to innovation has put them at the forefront of technological advancements, and they are often the first to come out with new ideas in the golf ball industry. Although they aren’t always at the top of the “Buzz” column, they consistently put out quality golf balls that are poised to compete with new offerings from the likes of TaylorMade, Nike, and Titleist.

Bridgestone currently offers two main line of golf ball: the Tour B330 line, and the “e” line, in addition to their xFIXx golf ball. The Tour B330 line consists of four different golf balls, with each one fitting a different type of golfer. The Tour B330 line further breaks down into the regular B330 group, and the B330-RX group, which offer golfers of all swing speeds a tour-quality urethane-covered golf ball that promises unmatched performance. Bridgestone is the truly only manufacturer to cater to golfers of all levels.

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What Could Have Been From Royal St. George’s

We take a look at what almost happened at the Open Championship, while recounting what did.

Trap Five LogoAlthough the Open Championship was an exciting tournament, with a thrilling final round and a great background to the winner, a lot of the story is of what could have been. Throughout the week we saw players make runs, but inevitably all but Darren Clarke fell back.

Phil Mickelson earned just his second top-10 finish in the Open with a T2. Rickie Fowler, no one’s pre-tournament pick to be much of a bad-weather player, fired a third-round 68, putting up possibly the round of the tournament in a driving rain storm. Tom Watson shot four solid rounds near par, and recorded another strong Open finish. Thomas Bjorn, only several months removed from the loss of his father, managed a first-round 65 and was in contention until the end. Bearded Lucas Glover, a player who seems to rise only for the big occasions, was also in contention after a strong first day. Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, both former major-championship chokers, made strong runs on Sunday, but both fell just short. Finally, a long-haired Anthony Kim made a strong push on Sunday, hopefully giving him a kick in the rear substantial enough to get him to the driving range every once in a while.

In this edition of Trap Five, we take a look not only at what went down, but what could have happened. What might have been if the bounces had gone the other way, or if the sun had shone at a different time? We examine how the competitor’s lives could have changed had they pulled out the Open Championship.

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Lessons From Congressional

We reflect on a tournament for the ages.

Trap Five LogoWe’re halfway through the 2011 major championship golf season, and already it’s proving to be a good one. Even though Tiger Woods was at home on the couch, Rory McIlroy gave us one of the most thrilling weeks of golf in history. Bouncing back from what had been a painful pedigree in past majors, Rory steamrolled the field on Thursday and Friday, and kept up a steady pace over the weekend en route to a eight-stroke victory. This time around there were no meltdowns, no final-round charges, and no broomsticks (though Robert Garrigus did finish T3 with a putter half the size of Adam Scott’s), but what we did get was four great days of golf on a rain-soaked course that became vulnerable to low scores. In many respects, this year’s U.S. Open was about as different from the Masters as possible, but equally as impressive.

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Golf’s Gut-Wrenching Moments

What are your cringe-worthy moments?

Trap Five LogoThanks to John Feinstein, everyone knows Mark Twain’s famous quote. You know, the one where he famously called golf a “good walk spoiled.” Sometimes golf is beautiful game between you, nature, and your sandbagging buddies who constantly assure you that inside the leather is inside the leather, even if their belly-putter has a grip that puts Adam Scott’s broomstick to shame.

But sometimes golf really sucks. Everybody has those kind of days once in a while. You go to the range beforehand and you’re hitting frozen ropes straight out to center field, but the minute you step onto the tee it’s like the driver is a foreign object, and the fairway become a mythical place that should never be disturbed. More than maybe any other game, golf can bring any even the more experience players to their knees, at any time.

In this edition of Trap Five, we take a look into those moments on the course when it feels like the golf gods smack you right in the face.

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Nine Holes with Severiano Ballesteros

We take a look back at one of the true legends of golf.

ProfilesAs I’m sure everyone in the golfing community has heard, Severiano Ballesteros passed early on the morning of May 7th. Seve was a larger than life figure in the world of European golf and golf around the world, and he is one of the few superstar athletes to have gained universal acclaim. Seve is widely considered to be the best European golfer of all time, and his death before his time comes to great dismay for golf fans across the globe. Ballesteros will be remembered as being one of the most exciting and creative golfers of all time, and one of the legends of the sport.

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The Players: Fifth Best But Still Not a Major

For a multitude of reasons, the Players still falls short.

Trap Five LogoI’ll make no bones about it – I love the Players. There is something about it that makes me happier than Jim Nantz dreaming up his next final-second call.

But as we know, the Players is not a major. It’s not ahead of the PGA, it’s not the Fifth Major, and it’s not the PGA Tour’s answer to anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love nothing more than to see the Players hyped as much as the U.S. Open, but realistically it’s just not there.

Here are the top five reasons why.

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Volume Two Hundred Seventy Five

Lee Westwood wins his way back to number one.

Hittin the LinksHello fans of golf, and welcome to this week’s Hittin’ the Links. It was an exciting one in the world of golf, as one of the PGA Tour’s premier events came down to a playoff. Brandt Snedeker won his first PGA Tour even since 2007, edging out hopeful number one Luke Donald.

This week on HTL, we take a look at Poulter the scaredy cat, a Woods finally winning a golf event, and John Daly’s advice to an NFL rookie. We also take a look into Dustin Johnson’s world, check in on Phil, and reinforce the fact that Donald Trump never misses an opportunity for self-promotion.

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Lessons from Augusta

We take a look back at the season’s first major.

Trap Five LogoIt’s been a long winter since last we saw major championship golf but, finally, it’s back. No, this time around we didn’t have any crazy rules violations, but we did see a final-round collapse, a back-to-back-to-back-to-back birdie finish, a charge by a legend, and a crazy chip-in on the last hole. We saw guys that we expected to go low falter, and we saw a few Masters rookies nearly pull out a victory. We almost saw a broomstick win a major, and we saw KJ Choi contend with a putter grip that is so big you could land an airplane on it.

The back nine at Augusta once again proved that while it’s tough and long, it can be had, and when someone (or a bunch of someones) puts on a late round charge, it’s as exciting as anything in golf.

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Nine Holes With Bubba Watson

We profile the winner of the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open.

ProfilesBubba Watson just picked up the second win of his career, the second in as many years, and he seems to be one of the fastest improving players on Tour. Watson has always had loads of talent but only in the past few years has he begun to put it all together. Just like in baseball where a fire-balling thrower must eventually become a pitcher, Bubba Watson is a long-hitting bomber that is starting to become a golfer.

His appearance in the playoff that decided last year’s PGA Championship introduced him to the casual golf fans, and his prominent usage of Twitter has made him as popular as any golfer. His free swing, huge distance, and Arnold Palmer-like follow through make him easy to watch, and lately he has been prominently featured on golf coverage. While he probably will never be a top-ranked golfer, Bubba Watson has quickly forged himself a career.

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