Tigerless Torrey Tidbits

Boring? The PGA Tour season has been anything but. Well, except for the actual tournaments…

And they said that the golf season would be boring without Tiger Woods. Why, just this week, at Tiger’s first tournament, we have controversy and quitting with two of the bigger names on Tour.

First Up, John Daly
John Daly retires in the parking lot after shooting 79-71 to miss the cut by a mile.

The Markers Club Redefines Luxury Golf Membership

Dreaming of playing the best courses in the world… as a member? Your dream is now a reality.

Mitch Brinton and Ron Wade had a dream and a passion for the game of golf. The high school pals wanted to live at and play on the best private courses in the country, and they wanted to let others do the same. With The Markers Club, they’ve done so.

The Markers Club is perhaps best described as an exclusive, virtual golf club. With membership and luxury homes at 11 of top golf destinations in the U.S., Mexico, and Scotland and an additional 13 planned, including spots at St. Andrews and in Ireland, The Markers Club has gotten quite a start on the dream.

Tiger is a Father

Sam Alexis Woods was born early on June 18, less than 24 hours after Tiger disappointingly finished T2 at the U.S. Open.

Elin and TigerTiger Woods announced today on tigerwoods.com that early on June 18, his wife Elin gave birth to the couple’s first child. They’ve named the girl Sam Alexis Woods and Elin and the baby are resting comfortably.

Tiger has said previously he may not play in the British Open as the due date was reportedly around July 10. If accurate, Sam arrived three weeks early. We hope all is well, and on a selfish note, we hope Tiger will play at Carnoustie in a month.

Heads Up to USGA: Steelers aren’t Cowboys

Are people on the USGA web team part of The Steeler Nation or do they just dislike the Cowboys?

U.S. Open Site CloseupEarly last week I logged on to usopen.com (which requires the “www.” to work) and saw something strange: a story on Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback who attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open.

That wasn’t so strange in and of itself. What was strange was the photo attached: accompanying the headline “Cowboys QB Romo Shoots 72, Misses Advancing To Sectionals By 4 Shots” is a picture of Tommy Maddox, former QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers and Cowboys are, well, less than amorous, and the USGA’s choice of lead photo must be a conscious decision due to the location of this year’s U.S. Open (Oakmont is just outside of Pittsburgh).

The story later mentions Maddox, who also attempted to qualify (and failed), but the main topic is Tony Romo. The USGA may be relatively new to the latest in technology, but it seems common sense to me that your lead image should match your headline, no? I can’t really complain much, though: I’m a Steelers fan.

A full image of the front page of www.usopen.com as of publication is available here.

Off-Season Series – Putting

Who says a putting practice mat has to be flat and boring?

The Off-Season Series is practically over as the temperatures have reached the 70s in my home state (it feels great to hit a bucket outside!). That doesn’t mean I can’t tempt you with some great indoor options to practice your putting on those rainy spring days.

One facet of my game that I have spent more time over this past winter than in years past is on my putting. I spent most of 2006 looking for a new putter and after testing many different models, I finally decided upon a Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 (although I am now tempted by the new Circa 62s with the charcoal mist that Jack described in a Bag Drop column).

2007 Masters First-Round Tee Times

When will the players head out? Well, Tiger Woods is at 1:52. First out this year? Ian Poulter and Billy Mayfair.

8:00 am – Billy Mayfair, Ian Poulter
8:11 am – Scott Verplank, Nick O’Hern, Joe Durant
8:22 am – Larry Mize, Tim Clark, Troy Matteson
8:33 am – Sandy Lyle, Dean Wilson, Bradley Dredge
8:44 am – Ben Crenshaw, a-John Kelly, Davis Love III
8:55 am – Chris DiMarco, Kenneth Ferrie, Steve Stricker
9:06 am – Gary Player, a-Julien Guerrier, Vaughn Taylor
9:17 am – Arron Oberholser, Niclas Fasth, Zach Johnson
9:28 am – Tom Watson, a-Casey Watabu, Fred Funk
9:39 am – Mark O’Meara, a-Dave Womack, Stuart Appleby
9:50 am – Bernhard Langer, Rich Beem, Colin Montgomerie
10:01 am – Chad Campbell, Angel Cabrera, J.J. Henry
10:23 am – Mike Weir, K.J. Choi, Henrik Stenson
10:34 am – Fred Couples, Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els
10:45 am- Sergio Garcia, Bart Bryant, Shingo Katayama
10:56 am – Phil Mickelson, a-Richie Ramsay, Adam Scott
11:07 am – Jose Maria Olazabal, Charles Howell III, Justin Rose
11:18 am – Stewart Cink, Todd Hamilton
11:29 am – Seve Ballesteros, Carl Pettersson, Paul Goydos
11:40 am – Ian Woosnam, Tim Herron, Robert Karlsson
11:51 am – Jim Furyk, Rod Pampling, Ben Curtis
12:02 pm – Raymond Floyd, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jeff Sluman
12:13 pm – Robert Allenby, Brett Wetterich, Lee Westwood
12:24 pm – Shaun Micheel, Jeev Milkha Singh, Ben Crane
12:46 pm – Craig Stadler, David Howell, Stephen Ames
12:57 pm – Retief Goosen, John Rollins, Yong-Eun Yang
1:08 pm – Michael Campbell, Lucas Glover, Rory Sabbatini
1:19 pm – Fuzzy Zoeller, Darren Clarke, John Edfors
1:30 pm – Mark Calcavecchia, Thomas Bjorn, Tom Pernice Jr.
1:41 pm – Padraig Harrington, Jerry Kelly, Luke Donald
1:52 pm – Tiger Woods, Paul Casey, Aaron Baddeley
2:03 pm – Vijay Singh, Brett Quigley, Hideto Tanihara
2:14 pm – Trevor Immelman, Camilo Villegas, David Toms

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.

Off-Season Fitness

Working out over the off-season doesn’t have to be bore. Make a plan and stick with it before your treadmill becomes a clothes rack.

As I continue through my off-season plan (which you can read here and here), one aspect that I have tried to work on is a more golf specific fitness plan. Not the “I made a resolution to workout, blah, blah, blah” plan, but to actually incorporate exercises that will help ingrain better muscle memory for my golf swing, increase flexibility, and prevent me from losing any time during my golf season due to injury.

I also have another motivating factor which is purely selfish as I want to be one of the first men not to gain any “sympathy weight” during my wife’s pregnancy.

Training Aids

You may be tempted to pick up the latest hot training aid to work on your golf game over the winter months however sometimes the best idea is sound advice and equipment you already have.

As I continue with building my off-season plan, I have been looking at various training aids that I can use during the winter months to help me build a more consistent, repeatable swing. I also figure I’ll be able to get off to a fast start once the snow melts.

As with the rest of the golf equipment industry, training aids have exploded over the last few years and it was a bit maddening to sift through all the various kinds and styles. It seems as if everyone has an idea that will help you correct your slice, find the “slot,” or help you gain twenty yards. After spending a few months looking over the multitude of options, I think I found a few that will help me accomplish my goals.