Favorite moment? Is Augusta National at its best? Will inclusion in a video game cheapen golf’s most traditional event? How much would you pay to tee it up? All that and more.
Before each major, The Sand Trap staff offers up our (supposedly) expert predictions. But when it comes to Augusta National and the Masters, there’s so much more to the event than winners and losers.
Today we held a virtual roundtable, weighing in on the history, tradition, and even controversies that make the Masters one of the highlights of the golf season.
Continue reading “Staff Roundtable: All About the 2011 Masters”
I’ll be focusing on fitness and consistency this year, and hopefully they’ll go hand in hand.
As if winter in the Northeast would never end, I’d convinced myself weeks ago to quit thinking about anything but the driving range. But suddenly, March arrived in New Jersey, the temperatures spiked, cleared away the mountains of snow, and there was hope my home course would open as scheduled on March 12.
So what happened on March 10? Some of the heaviest rains we’d seen in years. It was a real shock then, that I called the pro shop to see how bad the course was hit by the storm when they told me it was full steam ahead for a regular opening. Caught off guard, and with no time to fixate on the first round of the year, I headed out for a casual, just-have-fun day on the course.
Now that it’s arrived, I realize that with a new season comes hope of better golf, as well as fears it will all go wrong. With most of the country out of the deep freeze and spring fever cranking up, I offer up my resolutions for the 2011 golf season.
Continue reading “New Season on Links Means Time for Fresh Resolutions”
As a long-time fan of their equipment, it’s reassuring to see just how solid FG Tour offering proves to be.
As a whole, we are a nation of consumers, and when it comes to fast food restaurants or golf equipment, so many of our decisions are influenced by name recognition, brand loyalty and the messages delivered through marketing of all sorts.
So when you add up reputation, commercials touting technological advances, and Tour player endorsements, where does actual quality enter the equation?
For Wilson Staff, that’s the million dollar question.
Continue reading “If Quality Counts, Wilson Staff’s Rep Should Be Strong As Any”
As he enters the spotlight more frequently, I realize Watson’s a guy I can really root for.
I never thought I’d say it, but after years of answering “Phil” or “Lefty” or “Mickelson” if I was feeling proper, I’m fairly certain my answer is now “Bubba.”
So if you want to know my favorite golfer, I have to admit, a new southpaw has taken over at the top of the heap.
Continue reading “Sorry Phil, Bubba Now Sits Atop My Favorites List”
Spitting saga shows Woods has opened door to critics as his character flaws are no longer overshadowed by his trophies.
Call it the loogie heard ’round the world if you’d like, but Tiger Woods’ spitting incident offers more than the fact he’s missing some proper manners and common decency. It points out his fall from grace has taken him off the pedestal that once shielded him from all manner of criticism. From fellow players to television commentators, having a go at His Tigerness is now fair game.
For those who aren’t European Tour junkies, and those who spend more time rooting on Bill Murray while thinking of funny Caddyshack clichés, the news may be passed you by at first. But in true Tiger fashion, a ripple in the sea can turn into a tsunami without much effort.
Continue reading “Maybe Tiger Really is Just a Terrible Human Being”
The things we do – OK, the things I do – to get that fix can range from the inane to the insane.
Sometimes I’ll think of the things I do for golf, and all I can do is laugh. It’s during the winter doldrums that the pull of this crazy sport seem to render me even less sane than normal. The past two weeks are a prime case study whenever my wife decides to have me committed.
Sleep deprivation, long drives at odd hours to check out new golf gear, practice sessions in the snow. They all add up to a weird mix of dedication, passion, desperation and without a doubt, obsession.
Unlike other sports, in golf we root for the player, not the team. It makes a fan’s emotional investment all the stronger.
Call me a golf nerd, but as the theme song piped up and the sweet, sweet voice of Jim Nantz came through the TV, my blood was pumping. The season technically began a few weeks ago, but consider those preseason games. For my money, the PGA Tour year starts when CBS joins the party, with Nantz leading the way.
Sitting on the couch Saturday afternoon, a day after the winter blues had struck with full force, I expected a typical day of golf. The leader board was strong, with big names and exciting stories destined for lots of camera time. But when that Yanni-composed masterpiece started pumping, the feeling was more like a Yankee World Series game, or Sunday of the Masters. I was caught off guard by how excited I was. Just a two weeks earlier I’d lamented whether my golf fever had finally broken. Thankfully I’m as afflicted as ever.
Continue reading “Dramatic Farmers Finish Proves TV Golf is Anything But a Snoozefest”
The European Tour stop makes the once-noteworthy Hope Classic an afterthought.
If you needed any more evidence of where the game of pro golf sits in 2011, look no further than this week’s two headlining tournaments.
The PGA Tour returns to the mainland after two ho-hum weeks in Hawaii for the once ballyhooed Bob Hope Classic. It should be a fan favorite, with movie stars, musicians and athletes playing alongside some of the best golfers in the world. A big chunk of the country is buried in snow and craving a golf fix, even if it’s staring at pretty green fairways during the commercials of the NFL playoffs.
So where are four of the top five players in the world teeing it up this week? In the desert of the United Arab Emerites, half a world away, at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell will be dueling for the $2 million purse, in a field that reads more like a major than a standard stop on the European Tour.
Continue reading “Desert Duel: Dubai Deals Blow to PGA’s Hope”
Will the International team win the Presidents Cup for the first time since 1998?
The Presidents Cup has and probably always will be overshadowed by the Ryder Cup, but despite the United States dominance in recent memory, the event has still become one to look forward to. It gives golf fans a great opportunity to see guys like Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Camilo Villegas, etc. play in a team competition every other year. Add in the extra day of competition compared to the Ryder Cup, and that’s a double bonus.
Other than the tie at the 2003 Presidents Cup, the United States has won every competition except 1998. That one was played at Royal Melbourne in Australia, and it just so happens the 2011 Presidents Cup will return to the land down under. International Captain Greg Norman will have the task of trying to end the losing streak against the Americans, and it’s fitting the competition will be in his homeland.
Continue reading “Ten Questions for 2011 #5: Will the U.S. Lose the Presidents Cup?”
