Volume One Hundred Seventy Nine

Phil Mickelson finds his game, Tiger is back, and argyle is cool again?

Hittin' the LinksTiger is back! Tiger is back! Hey Sand Trappers, in case you haven’t heard yet, Tiger Woods is again playing golf professionally. Jeez, next to the inauguration this news has to be the biggest story of the year. We do love our Tiger Woods, and here at Hittin’ the Links I am no different. I mean I am as happy as anyone to see Eldrick again, but there are other things going on in the golf world.

Speaking of other things, HTL is again on the job bringing you the best golf stories from around the world. In this volume, we first get Tiger’s return out of our systems, then we turn our attention to an amateur champion at the Johnnie Walker Classic, and check out some golf fashion. Also, we see how Mickelson did at Riviera, look into Freddy’s sad week, and do a recap of the rest of the events around golf. Read on!

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Dan Crotty Swing Analysis

Extra movement and power leaks hold Dan Crotty back from reaching his potential. A few small adjustments may lead to large improvements in his power and efficiency.

Swing CheckDan Crotty is an 18 handicapper who took up the game at the age of about 45. Now approaching 60, Dan – a lefty – fights either pulling the ball to the right or hitting large slices that don’t go very far with the driver.

Having spent a lifetime doing a fair amount of manual labor, Dan’s flexibility isn’t always quite what it could be – stiff knees, hips, and a back impair the timing of his swing.

Dan says he works on his ball position as well as not collapsing his lead (right) arm at impact.

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Most Impactful Innovations in Golf

Talking ’bout a revolution. Several really.

Trap Five LogoA recent forum post by a Carmelo Anthony fan got me thinking about the how the game of golf got to the point it is today. Respondents posted a number of very good candidates: the hybrid club, the 460cc driver, the sand wedge, and more.

A surprise in the thread on golf’s top inventions/innovations of the last 100 years was the number of people who included the backpack or two-strap carry bag in their lists of the top inventions/innovations in golf over the past 100 years. Not to dismiss the impact of the modern strap systems for carry bags, they have undoubtedly saved many backs and just generally made the game more enjoyable for others, but I don’t feel that it’s revolutionized the game. It has made it more comfortable to be sure.

The golf tee would have made my list, but the modern tee is between 110-120 years old and thus missed the cutoff. Before the tee was developed, players placed their golf balls on little piles of sand to begin play on a hole. Imagine trying to hit a 460cc driver off a pile of sand! No thanks.

The game of golf has changed tremendously in the past 100 years. Here are the innovations that I think most changed the game.

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Why Do We Do This to Ourselves?

What does golf spell backwards?

Thrash TalkIf we can agree, at this point, that Phil Mickelson has completely lost his ability to play respectable golf, that he will never challenge Tiger Woods for the preeminent position in world golf, and that he may never contend again for a major, we can also agree that we don’t expect Mr. Mickelson to hang up his spikes (yes, he still wears metal, to “feel connected to the ground,” no doubt) anytime soon.

None of this may be true, this could be Phil’s best year ever, but even if the man who was once the leading hope for American golf (pre-Woods, 40 pounds lighter) were unable to break 76 regularly and Callaway laughed him out of his sponsorship deal, he would likely still continue playing golf… why is this?

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Golf Talk: Titleist’s 2009 Pro V1 and Pro V1x

Between them, these guys have over 40 years of experience making and selling golf balls.

Golf Talk PodcastThis week we talk with George Sine, Vice President of Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning and Bill Morgan,
Senior Vice President, Golf Ball Research & Development of Titleist about the new 2009 Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Some myths are dispelled, some fitting advice is given, and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 106 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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Volume One Hundred Seventy Eight

The Masters is growing the game, Wie is denied, and has anyone see Mickelson’s golf game?

Hittin' the LinksHello and welcome to the President’s Day edition of Hittin’ the Links. With any luck this column finds at least a few people out there with a day off and weather good enough to get in 18 holes. To those in the cold places, – spring’s coming, so hang in there.

In this holiday edition we look at Mr. Honesty, see how the Masters is growing golf, and investigate what has happened to Mickelson. Also, we do a weekly Tiger update, see what went wrong for Michelle Wie, and do a recount of this week’s Tour events. Read on!!!

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Roenick Golf Rolls Out Crossbow Putter

I have a Crossbow in my golf bag and I know how to use it.

Bag DropI have to admit that I’m pretty cynical about some of the newer golf equipment that promises this or that and costs a small fortune to add to your bag.

The fine folks at Roenick Golf certainly have put a smile on my face as they’ve come up with something that is pretty ingenious and won’t force you to take a second mortgage (good luck getting one of those these days).

If you’ve read this column in the past, you might know that I’m a blade guy when it comes to putters (and it better have a plumbing neck to boot!) but I think I may have to scout out the Crossbow sometime soon. Might I have to rethink my ways? Who knows but read on to find out about this rather intriguing putter.

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Titleist 909F Fairway Metal Review

909F3: welcome to a slightly more forgiving fairway wood.

Titleist 909F3Without even looking at my Titleist 906F4 review, I almost began this review the same way: “Fairway woods rarely get the credit they deserve…” Of course, that’s as true then as it is today, and as my game evolves and improves, I find myself relying on my 3-wood more and more, particularly from the tees of holes on which I used to hit driver.

I carry only one fairway wood. It’s a 15° 3-wood sandwiched between a driver and a 17° hybrid that serves as my 5W/2I replacement. Except my putter, you could probably remove any club in my bag without affecting my final score by much, but remove my 3W and I might lose between half a shot and a full shot every time I would have needed it.

The 3W may not have the versatility of a hybrid, the sex appeal of a driver, or the scoring impact of any of my wedges, but when I need my 3W – when I pull it from the bag – it’s often for a situation that only a 3W can handle: from the tee on a tight par four, finding the putting surface on that incredibly long par three, or setting me up for an eagle on a par five.

I’m picky about my 3W, and you probably should be too.

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Golf in a Crummy Economy

Sure the 401K is shot, but the golf might be good.

Trap Five LogoNot to state the obvious, but the economy is in a dismal state. The news is full of dire reports of mass layoffs and foreclosures. We’ve all seen enough of that to make us sick.

Golf is certainly not immune to the effects of these frightening times. If you’ve lost your job, golf naturally drops down the priorities list pretty quickly. We’ve already discussed how tournament sponsorships are being affected. We’re also likely to lose even more courses this year than we have over the past few years. And unlike those years when most courses that go out of business get plowed under for condos and housing, this year the courses that fail may well sit there, becoming ungroomed grass and weed farms. The PGA Tour Network, the radio voice of the PGA Tour, is threatened by the Sirius XM freefall.

If you plan to buck what could very well be a widespread trend this year and make golf part of your personal economic stimulus plan, you may find that you can stretch your golfing dollars a little farther. In the spirit of making lemonade when the world gives you lemons, here are five ways that the current economy might just give golfers a bit of a break this year.

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