Category: Trap Five

The U.S. Open has been called the most democratic tournament in golf, but you have to carry a 1.4 index or lower just to enter a local qualifying tournament. That eliminates all but one or (maybe) two percent of the golfers out there. No, for most of us, the lowly scramble is the “tournament” we are most likely to play. And that’s OK.

Continue reading “The Format for the Rest of Us”

Earlier this week, I took the first lesson I’ve had in years. As always, it was a slightly unsettling experience to have someone watching and critiquing my swing, but one that I hope will eventually result in more consistency and lower scores. Regardless, it’s definitely got me thinking about the golf swing.

I didn’t take lessons as a kid. I just started hitting balls around, had about ten minutes of instruction from a friend on the high school golf team the first time I played a course, and that was pretty much it for the first 20 years I played. I’ve just experimented on my own and found things that worked (or didn’t). I’ve read golf books and picked up tips from playing partners. Again, some worked, and some went horribly awry. Some of them worked for awhile, and then went horribly awry. It’s a fun game, isn’t it?

Continue reading “My (Nearly) Indisputable Truisms of Golf”

The FedExCup, aka the “Playoffs,” began this week. Did you notice? Has your office lost productivity this week because of all the trash talk and speculation surrounding your FedExCup pool? No? My office is the same way. Ask folks about the FedExCup and many will counter “Is that a tennis tournament?”

With all of the money the PGA Tour and FedEx have sunk into this event, you’d think there’d be more buzz. But even the guys who make a living on TV talking about golf seem more excited this week about the U.S. Amateur than the “Playoffs.”

Personally, I’ve always thought that the idea of a season-long competition to track the best players on the Tour would be a cool idea. Now that it’s here, the format leaves something to be desired. It’s complex, confusing, and not entirely logical. But we’re stuck with it (this year anyway). So, here are five more things you may or may not have heard about the FedExCup. The original five are here.

Continue reading “Five More Things You Might Not Know About the FedEx Cup”

“If you don’t know what to say, it’s easy to say something derogatory.” That’s a line from Stewart Cink regarding criticism of the FedExCup.

Although the final major of the year is taking place this week, there’s this other reportedly big golf story right around the corner. So I thought I’d take a few minutes to start sorting out this FedExCup deal we’ve been hearing so much about.

By the way, if the PGA Championship is “Glory’s Last Shot,” what does that make the FedExCup? “Glory’s Mulligans?”

When you mention the FedExCup, it seems like people have more questions than answers. How is it going to work? Why do 144 players make the Playoffs? How come Tiger is going to start the playoffs with more points than he’s earned?

Continue reading “Five Things You Might not Know About the FedExCup”

Starting yesterday, the women of the LPGA are playing the Ricoh Women’s British Open at The Old Course in St. Andrews for the very first time. The R&A is even going to let them in the clubhouse (gasp!). It’s going to be an interesting week.

The course will play to a par of 73. The seventeenth, the famous “Road Hole,” will play as a par five instead of its usual par four. Ben Crenshaw was once asked why the Road Hole is the toughest par four in the world. “Because it’s a par five,” he said. A 453-yard par five should be reachable, but it has one of the more unusual green complexes in the world.

But the course par and a quirky three-shotter are probably not going to be the only unusual things we’ll see this weekend. That started me thinking about some unusual headlines that we might see (but probably won’t). Read on for my top five list of “not” top stories from the Women’s British Open.

Continue reading “Not the Top Stories from the Women’s British Open”

The state of the game is good. 2007 has been an enjoyable year already. Zach Johnson’s Masters victory was a feel-good story for most folks, even if the tournament itself was brutal to watch. Angel Cabrera joined Johnson as players who survived the final day of a major with Tiger on the prowl.

Despite relative health, there are some big issues in golf this year. Some are reoccurring, others are recent developments, but all may have an impact on the game in coming years. I’ve distilled the biggest issues to five. See what you think…

Continue reading “Issues Facing Golf”

Michelle Wie is among the most promising young female athletes we’ve seen in a while. Nike knows this and that’s why they put their logo all over her new wardrobe. About a year ago we were talking about her potential and how she would fit into the new LPGA mix. Unfortunately things have changed a tad in the last year. She seems to have lost her way. And who can blame a 17-year-old kid for not knowing quite what to do.

Erik J. Barzeski recently explored the Wie fiasco in The Continuing Michelle Wie Saga. It sparked some thought. Here’s what I think Michelle Wie could do to right the ship…

Continue reading “Calming the Wie Storm”

The Memorial Tournament is in full swing again. Thirty-one years ago Jack Nicklaus played host for the first time to this great event. The Memorial was the long-time dream of Muirfield course designer Nicklaus. The course is one of the world’s best and has been a demanding venue since the Tournament’s inception in 1976.

Muirfield has become a venue that many of the greatest players of the world make an effort to play for the quality of the golf course, depth of field, and the accomplishments of host Jack Nicklaus.

Represented here are the Greatest Memorial Champions.

Continue reading “Greatest Memorial Champions”