Category: Hot Topics

Will Tiger Tame Augusta for the Fifth Time?

The 2007 Masters is a week away, and it’s time to list some contenders, pretenders, etc.

Thrash TalkTiger Woods played in The Tavistock Cup this past Monday and Tuesday and won his third consecutive Payne Stewart Award in the process. The award goes to the golfer with the lowest 18-hole score on the final day. Woods’ team lost, but that’s not the point. The world’s best birdied seven holes in a row for crying loud and let the world know he wants a fifth green jacket next week.

Not only will Tiger try to win a fifth green jacket next week, he will also try to continue towards another Tiger Slam. Woods won the 2006 British Open Championship and 2006 PGA Championship, so he needs to win this year’s Masters and U.S. Open to close the deal. It’s definitely tough to bet against the guy, but I usually do anyway.

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Putter Loft: Why it’s Important

Length, lie and head weight are the putter specifications most think of when it comes time to choose a putter. But loft is more critical than you might imagine.

Bag DropWhile in golf vernacular a putter is known as the “flat stick,” it’s anything but that. Every putter made has some degree of loft built into the face.

That’s because even on the fastest of greens the ball is sitting slightly down in the grass. Loft is necessary to lift the ball out that depression and get it rolling as quickly as possible. And it’s loft, not necessarily grooves, that contributes to the quality of that roll.

A putter’s length and lie can be fitted to you fairly easily. But getting fit for putter loft is a lot trickier. Here are some things to consider when you’re ready to fine-tune your putter to your putting style…

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Aerial Shots of Abominable Augusta

Augusta National has become an abomination. Here’s to hoping Billy Payne can begin to right Hootie’s wrongs.

Golf Digest has a number of aerial photos of Augusta National, including this one:

Augusta 15, 16, 17

I’m fairly certain this is not what Bobby Jones and Alistair MacKenzie had in mind.

Photo Credit: © Golf Digest.

Titleist Introduces Blog

The “serious equipment for serious players” company gets serious about blogging. Welcome to the block, Titleist.

TitleistAfter testing the waters a year and half ago with a revamped Titleist News section complete with an RSS feed, the equipment company “for serious players” has gotten serious about blogging, introducing today a new blog at the aptly named titleistblog.com.

Currently called the “Tour Blog” (and with only a “Tour” category), the site already has articles about player equipment on the PGA Tour, including posts from Bob Vokey on building a spin-milled wedge for Arron Oberholser, Adam Scott’s UNLV March Madness, and more.

Of course, you can’t expect any secrets to be revealed, but if you’re a fan of golf, then every little peek behind the curtain of life on the PGA Tour is fascinating. This blog promises to give you many such peeks.

Unlike many corporate blogs, Titleist’s Tour Blog allows commenting. Use your power of speech wisely, grasshoppers.

Nike Golf Issues Recall of Sumo2 Drivers

Nonconforming spring-like faces are the result of an “unauthorized manufacturing variance.” Nike will replace any driver sold to date.

Nike Sumo2-DriverPushing the edge as manufacturers are doing these days, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

Although the Sumo² (the square one) had been approved by the USGA, apparently an unnamed equipment competitor went to the USGA in late February and made a complaint. Upon subsequent testing, the USGA notified Nike that a number of clubheads were found to be non-conforming.

Conforming models will be shipped within a month. They’ll come marked with a circular notch on the soleplate indicating they conform to USGA rules. Nike has a plan where consumers can trade in their drivers beginning March 26 either through their website or by calling 800-632-6453. The recall period will run until April 30. You can watch a video of Nike Golf President Bob Wood’s mea culpa here.

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Most Likely First-Time Major Winners in 2007

With help from several Sand Trap Forum members I’ve compiled my picks for most likely first-time major winners in 2007. See if you agree with my picks.

Trap Five LogoWe’re predictions fanatics at The Sand Trap, and this week’s installment of the Trap Five underscores this compulsion. It has been an exciting start to the season for young talent. Charley Hoffman, Aaron Baddeley, Charles Howell III, and Henrik Stenson have all, as relatively young players, won on the PGA Tour. While the number of Americans (outside of Woods, Mickelson, and Furyk) is lacking, there are plenty of current European and Australian players making history on the PGA Tour.

Besides the usual suspects vying for another slice of history there are some viable candidates for first-time major championship winners in 2007. The year has already showcased a few talented young players and odds are good that this trend will continue. Perhaps there is a Tiger-slayer in training we aren’t aware of. Perhaps one of the candidates for first time major winner below will be the one to take a title from him. Let’s take a look…

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Titleist Launches New 907 Drivers

With many new drivers coming out now, Titleist adds to the mix with their 907D1 and 907D2 models. These are seriously good clubs for seriously good players.

Bag DropI guess it’s official now. After writing about all the new drivers introduced in the past few weeks, it’s clear that a two-model strategy is now the industry norm. And that’s a very good thing.

While so many choices in head shape, lofts, and shafts can be confusing, in the end all those options mean you can find a driver that really is the best for you, your swing, and the courses you play.

The options Titleist now offers include their new high MOI (moment of inertia) 907D1 with its stretched out “triangle” clubhead and the more traditionally shaped 907D2. Both are 460cc and are “multi-material” designs using different metals, mostly titanium. Here’s the story…

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USGA Becoming Golf’s Repo Man?

Is the USGA’s new proposal really about grooves? I think that’s only part of the story.

Swing ThoughtsGreetings from semi-retirement, Sand Trappers. I couldn’t help but chime in with a quick thought or two about the USGA’s announcement (and concurrent R&A announcement) proposing a change in the rules regarding grooves on irons and wedges.

When I first read the proposed change last week, it seemed fairly reasonable. It would only affect the best players using urethane balls, which might increase the importance of driving accuracy without taking the air out of the ball or changing driver designs. But then I wondered if this proposal has a deeper meaning that isn’t so benign.

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Dear USGA: Try My Equipment Rules Suggestions

In the spirit of the proposed equipment rule changes to grooves and adjustability, I offer up my own proposals for change. Hey, some may even make more sense.

Bag DropAs you may have gleaned from last week’s Bag Drop, I’m not particularly fond of the USGA’s recently proposed rules change on grooves. Still, as many have suggested, maybe it isn’t that big a deal.

So in an effort to calm down a little, I tried to follow the reasoning of the USGA as they researched, discussed, and promulgated these pithy proposals. I must report it was a prolonged contemplative exercise employing some Zen meditation, navel lint picking and omphaloskepsis, and a fair amount of gin.

Eventually it came to me that the grooves rule comes down to this: really good players are getting an unfair advantage from their equipment the rest of us aren’t. Following that premise, then, what else might we do to equipment to save the game from its very best players? Here are some ideas…

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