Category: Thrash Talk

Golf Rant: Assorted Mythology and Nonsense

Another sampling of stuff that gets my UnderArmour in a wad.

Thrash TalkBefore I can settle into hibernation mode, it’s necessary to blow off a bit more steam. Join me this week as I rant a little.

Equipment Companies
Don’t get me wrong, I love golf equipment. I love fondling it in the stores, ogling over it in catalogs, and wasting my kids’ college money buying it for no reason other than it’s obviously better than the crap already in my bag, even if that crap is last year’s signature model. I am also a technophile, and believe today’s golf equipment is the best in history and contributes significantly to my enjoyment of the game. Rock on, men. There are, however, a few minor things for which I’d like to, oh, maybe gore the equipment manufacturers in the eye. To wit:

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Are We Headed for Extinction?

Big challenges face golf today, and the solutions may not be what everyone wants to hear.

Thrash TalkPeople like to make fun of weathermen, but when you think about it, it’s pretty difficult to predict the future of just about anything. Financial and real estate markets, baseball playoffs, college football games, elections, inflation, you name it – some expert is always astounding us with his or her stupidity when they try to predict the future. I suppose it’s for this very reason that I’m not too worried about the future of golf. Or maybe I am.

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A Ball Buster’s View from the Desert

Insights from a golf side show.

Thrash TalkIf you didn’t already know, an easy way to get me to rear up on my hind legs is to suggest that the golf ball goes too far and should be rolled back. I walk around in a perpetual state of hypo-mania when it comes to this issue, and am constantly on the lookout to denounce and discredit those preaching heresy on the matter. This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to happen upon an unexpected source of support for what often appears to be my minority opinion. Well, at least I can say I learned some things that make me even more certain that the Pro V1 does not have us on the brink of self-annihilation.

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Golf Rants, Vol. 2: The Boob Tube

And I’m not talking about the LPGA Tour here, either!

Thrash TalkLast week I told you how I dread the coming winter. One reason I neglected to mention was that it means I’ll be forced to quell my golf jones more frequently with TV. Well, the matter was so important I figured it needed its own column.

I suppose you could say we’re lucky to have so much golf on TV today. When I started playing golf seriously in the late 1980s, there was quite a bit of golf on TV, but nowhere near what we have today. Golf Channel gives us something golf-related 24/7, and between all the pro tours and specialty events, there is some kind of event on just about every weekend of the year.

I think it was better when there was less.

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The Winter of Our (Golf) Discontent

The leaves haven’t even reached their peak fall colors, but this bureau is already dreading the long, dark winter.

Thrash TalkHaving lived most of my adult life below the Mason-Dixon line, settling in the northeast has thrown a wrench into my golf game. As I prepare for my second climate-imposed golf hiatus, I must admit I’m a bit nervous.

How will I get through the winter (with apologies to Elizabeth Kübler-Ross)?

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Random Musings from the Thrash Pit

Set up the pins, because I’m knockin’ ’em down this week.

Thrash TalkI’m filling in this week, and I’ve got a laundry list of topics to discuss in “Quick Hit” fashion. I’ll discuss things like the Ryder and Presidents Cup captaincy, drug testing on the PGA Tour, the (possible) “tweaks” to the FedExCup, and a few other stories.

Grab your hard hats and strap yourselves in – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

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2007 Presidents Cup Staff Predictions

The Sand Trap Caucuses are complete, all votes are in, and no hanging chads! Read on to see if we are indeed bellweather journalists.

Thrash TalkThe seventh edition of the Presidents Cup match play event begins today at Royal Montreal. Unlike their performance in recent years’ Ryder Cup matches, the U.S. has had a pretty successful run in these international matches since the inaugural event in 1994. Will it continue? Read on to hear our soothsayings.

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Social Animals

Golf provides yet another window into the human condition.

Thrash TalkHumans are social animals. We live in groups, travel in packs to hunt down our mates, celebrate life events with large, communal feasts.

Golf, too, is social, but not entirely. For many, it’s a solitary pleasure. Does that make it inhuman? Hardly.

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Why I (Sort of) Like the FedExCup

The promise of the FedExCup may not exactly be delivered overnight, but that’s no reason to throw in the towel on a good idea.

Thrash TalkI’ll bet you that when it comes to the subject of the FedExCup, there have probably been at least 25 negative commentaries in print, on the Web, and on TV for every one positive one. And that might be understating it.

Whenever I see something like this happening, my contrarian gland starts pumping skeptic hormone through my bloodstream, usually resulting in a string of maniacal rants against popular opinion. So far this season, however, I’ve been pretty measured in my comments to friends, on blogs, etc., on this matter, afraid of being branded an idiot for supporting what has been, until two weeks ago, little more than a cheesy marketing blitz.

And while I have my reservations on the matter, I’m ready to come out of the closet. The FedExCup is a good thing, with the potential to be much more.

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