Author: Cody Thrasher

Cleveland HiBORE XLS Fairway Wood Review

Is Cleveland’s latest HiBORE fairway wood solid enough to warrant a purchase?

Cleveland HiBORE XLS Fairway Wood ReviewI’ve been playing golf more than a decade now, and I’ve always been a huge fan of the fairway wood. Unfortunately, that’s because I’ve never been real consistent with my driver, so the fairway wood has been my go-to club off the tee on many occasions. Even though I recently started to hit my driver better, I’ll still pull my fairway wood multiple times per round.

A few years ago, I started hitting the Titleist 904F fairway wood. My game off the tee changed for the better because of it, and I’ve had a love affair with the club ever since. I knew it would take a solid fairway wood to replace my Titleist, and that’s where Cleveland comes into play.

I’ve had the original Cleveland HiBORE Driver in my bag for a year or so, and unlike most critics, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve hit it very well, and that has given me confidence in the Cleveland brand. With that in mind, I figured I’d give the new HiBORE XLS fairway wood a shot. Has it been solid enough to replace my Titleist 904F? Keep reading to find out.

For the record, the model I am reviewing is the 15° fairway wood.

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2008 PGA Championship Predictions

The staff gives their predictions on the season’s final major championship.

Thrash TalkThe season’s final major begins today, and it’s time for more predictions from The Sand Trap staff. After an exciting WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last weekend, names like Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and Lee Westwood have popped up as favorites this week. Mickelson and Singh have three major victories apiece, while Westwood is still looking for his first.

The golfers are only half the equation, however. The venue for this year’s PGA Championship is Oakland Hills, and it will be a tough test to say the least. It will play nearly 7,400 yards, and with par being 70, it will be a beast.

Who is going to win this year’s final major, and who else might be a serious threat? Also, who are some possible dark horses and disappointments? As always, we will give it our best shot. If you have any predictions to add, please comment below or discuss them in the forum.

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Glory’s Last Shot (2008)

There are plenty of intriguing storylines to follow at next week’s PGA Championship.

Thrash TalkThe season’s final major starts one week from today. That’s hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday Greg Norman was on the verge of winning this year’s British Open, only to falter in the final round. In the end, Padraig Harrington won his second consecutive Claret Jug and will be a favorite next week at Oakland Hills. My most recent memories of Oakland Hills aren’t real positive. It was the sight of Europe’s blowout Ryder Cup victory in 2004. Nonetheless, it’s a great golf course and will do its part to make next week’s PGA Championship an exciting one.

As for storylines, there are plenty heading in. A certain contender for PGA Tour Player of the Year will be teeing it up in a major for the first time this season. It’s about damn time by the way. Also, with Ryder Cup picks coming in the next few weeks, there are heavy Ryder Cup implications at the year’s final major championship. I’ll talk about that and more as we gear up for glory’s last shot.

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Crazy Week in Review

This past week has given golf fans a lot to talk about.

Thrash TalkIt has taken a few days to recover from the crazy last week in the world of golf. Padraig Harrington won his second consecutive British Open, and congratulations are definitely in order for the Irishman. The Open Championship also provided a couple turn-back-the-clock moments as well. Were the names Duval and Norman really at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend?

In other happenings, Michelle Wie officially put her name right in the middle of the spotlight once again. Wie had an up-and-down week to say the least, and I’ll talk more about that later in the article. Continue reading to find out what I think about Harrington, Duval, Norman, and Wie.

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Bunker’s Dozen: July 2008

With Tiger on the shelf, who will take over the top spot in this month’s rankings?

Thrash TalkTiger Woods will be out of action until 2009, but the show must go on. The same can be said for Bunker’s Dozen. This month’s list was heavily influenced by majors including the British Open Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. Padraig Harrington won his second consecutive Open Championship, but not before Greg Norman turned back the clock several years. What effect will the event have on this month’s rankings?

On the women’s side of things, Inbee Park became the youngest golfer to win the U.S. Women’s Open, and you can bet her name will show up on the list. Which other golfers, male and female, made the cut this month? Keep on reading to find out. If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss it in the forum.

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2008 British Open Predictions

The season’s third major championship has arrived, and the staff gives their predictions.

Thrash TalkThe 2008 British Open starts today, and that means it’s prediction time for The Sand Trap staff. Tiger Woods will be missing his first major championship as a professional, so the rest of the field will need to step it up and take advantage. The list of favorites include Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and Ernie Els.

The course for this year’s British Open Championship is Royal Birkdale, and it seems to be in great shape. Mark O’Meara won a playoff the last time the Open Championship was played at Birkdale, and things should be exciting this time around as well.

Who is going to win this year’s British Open, and who is going to be a disappointment? Also, who are some possible dark-horse winners? We will do our best to predict the outcome, and if you have some predictions of your own, please list them below or discuss it in the forum.

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European Domination at Royal Birkdale

The leaderboard at next week’s British Open will have a lot of European flavor.

Thrash TalkThe 137th British Open Championship begins one week from today, and the golf course for this year’s event is Royal Birkdale. Tiger Woods is on the shelf after knee surgery and will be missing his first major championship as a professional. To say things are wide open is a huge understatement. This is one of the most intriguing majors in awhile.

It’s no secret the Europeans have struggled in majors over the past decade or so. In fact, they have only won three since 1997. Two of those came at the British Open, and both were played at Carnoustie (Paul Lawrie in 1999 and Padraig Harrington in 2007).

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2008 U.S. Women’s Open Failure

A promising week for the LPGA Tour didn’t pan out when all was said and done.

Thrash TalkThe 2008 U.S. Women’s Open is now in the books, and South Korea’s Inbee Park is a major champion. Park shot a final-round 71 and cruised to a four-shot victory over Helen Alfredsson. The competition was close heading into the back nine, but the rest of field collapsed and cleared the path for the 19-year-old youngster. With the victory, Park became the youngest ever to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

Inbee Park deserves all the credit for her solid performance, but the week didn’t pan out like most fans wanted. It was more of a “what might have been” event than a memorable one. The LPGA Tour has a lot of good things going for it, but this past week was one to forget. Here are a few reasons why.

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The Tiger Effect

Tiger’s absence opens a lot of doors for many of the world’s best golfers.

Thrash TalkThe golf world has had a week or so to recover from Tiger’s amazing performance at the U.S. Open as well as the announcement he will miss the rest of the 2008 season due to injury. Injuries to top athletes happen multiple times throughout the year, but in golf, an injury to Tiger Woods is huge news. No athlete dominates their respective sport like Mr. Woods (and I’m not forgetting Roger Federer either).

The news was devastating at first, and it still stings a little weeks later. The golf world will pick things up and move along for the remainder of the 2008 season, however, and Tiger’s loss will be other players’ gain. He will miss a lot of key events this year, and that leaves the door wide open for others. The finish to the season should be exciting after all.

The Tiger Effect is in full swing when Woods is playing, but it’s also in place when he is out of action. Take a look at some of the events affected most by Tiger’s absence, and let’s see who has a good shot to step up and gain some recognition.

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