Five Reasons to Get Excited About Golf!

Spring is close and it’s time to get geared up for the season!

Trap Five LogoYou’ve been stuck inside for the majority of the past three months, except for the occasional trip to the indoor or heated range (if you are lucky enough to have one nearby). You’ve been bored all winter.

I don’t get to play seeing as I live in Massachusetts, which can sometimes be mildly depressing. Those of you who live through a snowy winter every year can empathize with this dilemma. So, as the spring comes closer I always try to remember why I spend so much time practicing in the winter. Here are my five reasons to be exited about golf all year. What are yours?

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Mickelson Gets Into the Groove

Digging 20-year-old wedges out of the garage isn’t cheating. It’s just Phil being Phil.

Thrash TalkRegardless of the sport, there are always going to be rules. And there are always going to be people who find a way to bend them, or use them to their advantage. Golf is no different.

But as Phil Mickelson prepares to put a “grandfathered” Ping wedge into his bag, he’s neither bending nor breaking the rules. In fact, he’s not even violating the spirit of the rule. There are plenty of reasons why.

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Ball Flight Laws

For decades golfers have employed an incorrect understanding of why the ball flies the way it does. Science has set things straight, but many golfers remain unaware.

For decades, golf instructors have been teaching the ball flight laws incorrectly. Many blame the PGA Teaching Manual, and have said that it has contained some incorrect or incomplete information pertaining to a golf ball’s flight. These pros – from Butch Harmon to Nick Faldo – often state the ball flight laws as follows: “The golf ball starts on the direction of the swing path and curves back to where the clubface was aimed at impact.”

Put another way, many instructors and famous golfers have stated that the swing path is the primary determinant of the golf ball’s starting direction. This information is wrong, and it’s slowly coming to be understood as such in recent years. Unfortunately, many golfers – famous or otherwise – and instructors – famous or otherwise – still believe these outdated and incorrect ball flight laws.

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TaylorMade R9 SuperTri and Burner SuperFast Drivers and Fairways

TaylorMade concentrates on making the new Burner SuperFast and R9 SuperTri super light-weight. If that weren’t enough, they were nice enough to combine FCT and MWT in a 460cc head! Betcha couldn’t have guessed that was coming, could you?

Bag DropI could take the easy route here, and make a joke about TaylorMade’s frequent driver releases; to be quite honest, it was the first thing that came to mind. The problem is that too often, we overlook the qualities of great clubs and improvements in technology at the expense of getting in a quick jab.

Nevertheless, TaylorMade’s constant technology and innovation push has it’s share of supporters. And why shouldn’t it? The r7 line was one of the most successful in history. Even last year, a number of people spotted Retief Goosen playing the r7 SuperQuad, even in the midst of TaylorMade’s massive R9 marketing push. The Burner line has also historically been extremely successful, thanks in part to incorporating a healthy amount of forgiveness at an affordable price. So how does TaylorMade continue to build on such a solid pair of drivers? Read on to find out!

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Volume Two Hundred Twenty

A Monday finish at the Hope, Jim Thorpe’s going to jail, and is Elin in Mississippi?

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf fans and welcome to Hittin’ the Links. It’s a Monday finish for the boys on the PGA Tour. We will see how Mr. Bubba Watson holds up under the pressure.

In this volume of HTL we start off by examining the lack of star power at the Bob Hope Classic, check out yet another reason why golf is great, and find out why Jim Thorpe is headed to the big house. Also, we see how the Tiger-less Tour is struggling, investigate the latest Tiger-Elin gossip, and do a wrap-up of events from around the world. Check it out!

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TaylorMade Penta TP Ball Review

The Penta TP the world’s first five-piece golf ball. And you thought Gillette would never have anything in common with Taylormade…

Penta TP OutsideTaylorMade can’t be accused of shying away from technology. If anything, the company behind “MWT” and “FCT” and countless other technology acronyms is one of the most technologically adventurous around.

With the Penta TP, TaylorMade has moved the golf ball into new territory: the Gillette razor blade land of “more is better.” In shaving equipment, it’s the number of blades. In golf equipment, it’s the number of layers.

Joking aside, the buzz around the Penta TP has been tremendous since the ball was given to pros late in 2009. Can one ball – albeit one with five layers – really fit everyone? From the guy who is happy to reach the occasional par four in two to the guys who routinely reach par fives in two on our televisions each weekend?

Let’s find out.

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Five Greatest Swings

With golfers today, everything seems so mechanical. These guys have found a way to blend power and fluidity.

Trap Five LogoWith golfers today, everything seems so mechanical. Although a certain amount of repetition is necessary for one to develop the correct fundamentals and be able to repeat them, the golf swing is like a fingerprint: everyone has one and they are all different.

I took a look at a ton of different swings for this week’s Trap Five and tried to find one’s that were not only fundamentally sound, but had an originality about them that can’t be replicated. Here are my picks.

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Singin’ the January Blues

You’re stuck inside, you can’t afford a trip somewhere warm and there’s only so much carpet putting you can do.

Thrash TalkJanuary is a time of mixed emotions for golfers. There are New Year’s resolutions, which offer hope, then dash it. There’s the return of the PGA Tour, until you realize just how lackluster the fields are. And don’t forget all the fun new gear coming out, if only you weren’t still paying off your Christmas credit card bills.

So if you’re pacing your living room, taking divots in the carpet and trying to convince your wife your short game practice area really DOES belong where the sofa used to go, you’re not alone. You’ve got the January Golf Blues, just like me…

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Are You Ready for the New Season?

Looking to add new equipment to your bag? Before you spend hundreds of dollars on new clubs, here are a few things you might want to consider adding first.

Bag Drop2010 is here, and we at The Sand Trap are geared up for an exciting new year. I’m sure we’ve all got our own set of goals for improvement in 2010, but if you haven’t taken note of them by now, you probably should think about recording them somewhere so you can do some self-evaluation as the year goes on.

As far as equipment goes, January and February always brings a bit of excitement, as most manufacturers release their new stuff. It’s also when Golf Digest releases their annual Hot List, and when the larger of the two PGA Merchandise Shows takes place. What does this mean for you, the golfer? What should you have in the bag that you already don’t? Read on to find out!

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