Category: Hot Topics

Strength of Field: Tiger vs. Phil, Part One

The debate over whether Tiger Woods plays stronger field events than Phil Mickelson is about to come to an end. Well, maybe not, but perhaps this will provide some food for thought and show who plays better in stronger field.

The Numbers GameIt’s been said that Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods differ in schedule in one critical way: Tiger plays (and excels) at events with stronger fields while Phil Mickelson excels at weaker-field events.

I’ve compiled a list of statistics from last season which speak to this statistic. Bear in mind that one season is far from representative (particularly given Tiger’s eight wins, two majors, and father’s death which forced an extended break). To illuminate true patterns, an entire career (or at least, say, the most recent five years) would have to be examined. The manner in which I’ve compiled these numbers is assuredly a less than scientific way of determining which player is playing in the toughest events.

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Scotty Cameron Unveils Latest Prototype Putters

The Cameron Detour putters created quite a stir with their revolutionary arced sightline. Now Scotty is applying the concept to traditionally shaped heads.

Bag DropWhether you’re a fan of Scotty Cameron or not, you have to acknowledge that his putters are something special. Not only has he succeeded in refining and improving classic designs, he’s been a true innovator with putters like his Futura and Futura Phantom models.

Last year’s introduction of the Detour putters took his innovations a step further. A subtly curved sightline mimics the path the putter head takes on an arced inside-square-inside stroke… the technique espoused by Cameron and Stan Utley, among others.

While the Detour won a lot of converts, it was a radical-looking head shape. Now it appears Cameron is marrying the curved sight line to a more traditional head. Here’s a first peek…

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Cleveland Introduces Two New HiBore XL Drivers

No other club category is as competitive as drivers with new head shapes all the rage. Cleveland’s newest entries refine its unusual and original HiBore model.

Bag DropWhen it comes to drivers, it’s a jungle out there. All the major equipment makers are clawing for market share as they pop out a steady stream of innovative new models in an effort to win your annual $400 contribution to the industry.

By most accounts, Cleveland’s introduction of the original HiBore last year was something less than the blockbuster they’d hoped for. In fact, here in the U.S. they’re giving them away free now through the end of January with the purchase of a set of CG4 or CG4 Tour irons.

The concave crown and overall performance characteristics seemed to produce a ball flight higher than many better players wanted to see. Plus, word was that you had to tee the ball lower to really catch the sweet spot. It looks to me like the two new HiBore XL models are meant to fix all that.

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Top Storylines for 2007: Part Two

Part two of the top storylines for 2007 discusses The Golf Channel, Lefty, and more.

Thrash TalkWith the 2007 golf season right around the corner, I’m previewing some of the top storylines that will garner attention in the coming weeks. Last week, I published part one of the top storylines for 2007, so check that out if you haven’t already. It’s time to talk about five more golf questions that are on my mind heading into the new year.

The Golf Channel is going to be the new home for PGA Tour opening-round action starting in 2007 and will be for at least 14 years beyond that. Will the two make a great team, or will it be a struggle from the beginning? Also, it has been over two years since Ernie Els won a PGA Tour event, and it’s been over a year for Retief Goosen. Finally, Phil Mickelson hasn’t been the same since his collapse at Winged Foot this past June. Can Els, Goosen, and Lefty bounce back in 2007? You will read about all this and more in this week’s article.

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Best of the Numbers Game

Over the past year or so, I’ve covered a lot in The Numbers Game. Driving distance, the 40-30-20-10 rule, all were fun to research and write about. Next year, someone else will take the reins and still have plenty of numbers to look at.

The Numbers GameThis will be my last Numbers Game for a while. I’ve got a few things taking up my time and will be stepping back. I’ll be doing a review or two and hanging around, but The Numbers Game will be in the hands of another person come January.

That being said, I thought it would be good to hit some of the highlights over the past year and a half. This week it’s the best of The Numbers Game.

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Top Storylines for 2007: Part One

It’s never too early to talk about 2007, so that’s what I’m going to do for the next couple weeks.

Thrash TalkThe start of the 2007 PGA Tour season is only a month away, and the LPGA Tour season will start shortly thereafter. It’s good to have a break every once in awhile, but I’m already getting excited about 2007. The silly season has been okay, but it just isn’t the same as the real deal. The Mercedes Championship can’t come soon enough.

With the new season right around the corner, many questions instantly come to mind. Some are pretty self-explanatory, and some seem to be neverending. How many majors will Tiger win next season, and can he possibly improve on his spectacular 2006 season? Also, will Michelle Wie finally win something of importance, or will her résumé remain winless?

I’ll dive into these questions and more in this first of two installments of the top storylines for 2007. Let’s get this party started!

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Move Over Annika

Annika Sorenstam wasn’t necessarily ready to pass the torch, but Lorena Ochoa took it anyway.

Thrash TalkAnnika Sorenstam decided to play golf with the men this past weekend. The world’s number one female golfer teamed with Fred Couples at the Merril Lynch Shootout and finished in last place. While Sorenstam was playing a silly season event, Lorena Ochoa was winning her sixth LPGA Tour event of the season in dominant fashion (by ten shots to be exact).

The win was Ochoa’s third in a row, and she clinched the LPGA Tour Player of the Year title in the process. Annika and Karrie Webb have combined to win every player of the year award since 1996 which definitely blew my mind. I figured at least one golfer would have snuck in there and stolen the award in that ten-year time period. That makes Ochoa’s 2006 season even more impressive.

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Nike SQ SUMO2 and Callaway FT-i Drivers Nearing Launch

Pictures and details have emerged on new drivers that beg the question “is it hip to be square?” But one maker is hedging its bet with a more conventional looking club as well.

Bag DropIt’s really great fun to sit back and watch today’s club designers labor to come up with something new and different year after year. Given the rules now constraining volume (the 460 cc limit), COR (coefficient of restitution, or spring-like effect), and MOI (moment of inertia), clubhead shape and material composition seems to be the most widely explored options open to them.

Thus, it’s probably not a great surprise that two companies have essentially come up with the same idea: a square-headed driver. And rumors are floating around that Cleveland may join them.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. How else to move a lot of weight out to the perimeter of the clubhead for yet more forgiveness? Of course, it’s a more radical look than even last year’s Nike SasQuatch or Cleveland’s HiBore. But maybe that’s not a bad thing. Read on to see what’s coming with and without corners…

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One Ball to Rule them All?

The OGA’s uniform ball experiment was not even a success in the eyes of the anti-ball crowd.

OGA Uniform BallA few months back, the rebel Ohio Golf Association (which once legalized the tamping down of spike marks) bucked the rules once again and played their “Champions” event with a uniform ball. The results? OGA officials came to realize that golf ball technology is a complex science.

What’s more, they came to realize that a uniform ball is decidedly not the way to solve the distance dilemma some believe exists in modern golf.

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