A Brief Look at the PGA Tour Exemption System

There are a variety of ways to acquire an exemption on Tour, but the bottom line is that you have to play well to get it at some point in your life. That time is now for many.

Thrash TalkAccording to the PGA Tour’s website, there are 33 ways in which a player may qualify for an exempt status. Now that the FedExCup has been decided, and the Fall Series is drawing to a close, the chief drama on Tour revolves around who will secure a spot among the exempt next year, mainly by virtue of appearing in the top 125 of the season money list.

Last week, at the Ginn sur Mer Classic in the developing region of Palm Coast, Florida, Ryan Palmer, who was previously on the “bubble,” (he was ranked 143 entering the week), secured himself a spot in the aforementioned 125 with a victory (and a two-year exemption, of course, for winning). Exempt status often seems to be a vague, mysterious, and perhaps sinister thing, even though the qualifications for such a status are laid out on the Tour’s website and the information is readily available to any seeker.

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Callaway Golf Releases X-22 Irons and FT-iQ Drivers

What’s your iQ?

Bag DropYou would think it’s the holiday season as golf equipment manufacturers are busy getting their latest and greatest out a bit early in an attempt to entice you spend some of your hard-earned money (and provide a boost to their revenue) on the promise of straighter and of course, longer shots from the tee box, fairways and well, for me anyway, the rough.

The folks at Callaway Golf think they have a few products that might tickle your fancy, including some new game-improvement irons and an updated version of their squarish driver which looks like it could put a serious hurt on a golf ball (besides looking quite sinister as well).

The only question for you is will one or the other (or perhaps both) end up in your golf bag this fall? Join me as we take a look at the X-22 irons and the FT-iQ driver.

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Volume One Hundred Sixty Seven

Callaway’s bringin’ sexy back, Daly’s spending time in the slammer, and Anthony’s going to be spending more time overseas.

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf nuts, and welcome to another fact filled edition of Hittin’the Links. The end of the golf season draws closer by the day, but there’s still lots of excitement out there in the golf world. So sit back, turn your monitors so the boss cannot see what your doing, and follow along as we take a tour of the goings on around golf.

In this most recent edition of HTL, we first check in on the players who have recently signed on in Europe, investigate John Daly’s latest brush with stupidity, and see what some Tour caddies will doing this silly season. Also, we find out how Ely is bringin’ sexy back, see who won the Order of Merit, and do a full wrapup of this weeks tour winners. Read on!

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What’s to Like about Cold Weather Golf?

Swinging into winter.

Trap Five LogoWell, once again, November is breathing its chilly breath on all golfers in the northern latitudes. I’m not happy about it, but what can you do?

Now, those of you with true four-season golf weather will have trouble relating to this one. But for all my fellow northern golfers who have either already put up the clubs for the season or are contemplating doing so in the near future. To them, I say, don’t do it.

Yes, the best golf of 2008 is probably behind us, but we can still get out there and win a few bucks from our friends, or, at the very least, chase a few Canada Geese around the fairway. I say, if you can get out there without icing up, why not tee it up. Throw on a few, or several, layers. Start with a warm, thin mockneck and build from there.

Not convinced that cold weather golf can be fun? Here are five reasons to play golf all year long.

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The Significance of Seve

Seve Ballesteros is in the self-described “fight of his life” against a malignant brain tumor.

Thrash TalkAs anyone remotely attuned to the goings on of the world of golf is surely aware, Seve Ballesteros is in the self-described “fight of his life” against a malignant brain tumor. The Spaniard has had multiple surgeries within the past few weeks. The most recent, a six and a half hour procedure, occurred Friday. As we collectively wait for relevant updates from the medical staff at La Paz hospital, where the golfer is presently in “stable but serious” condition, it seems fitting to both express the obvious — we hope and pray for Mr. Ballesteros’ speedy recovery — and to discuss the significance of the man from Pedrena, Spain who was such a dynamic figure in the world of golf from the late 1970s until the early 90s.

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Golf Talk: 909 Driver Episode

We talk with Steve Pelisek and Stephanie Bezilla about Titleist’s new 909 Drivers: the DComp, D2, and D3.

Golf Talk PodcastThis week, a special edition of the Golf Talk Podcast as we talk with Steve Pelisek, General Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs and Stephanie Bezilla, Titleist Metalwoods Development Manager about the new 909 Drivers – the DComp, D2, and D3 – about to hit store shelves. Check out this exciting episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download the 909 Driver Episode 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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Notes From the Business Section

Bye, bye ADT Championship.

Bag DropThis was a quiet week for the equipment industry, but Bag Drop has a few equipment/business related headlines that I think are interesting to say the least.

So join me as we check out the purchase of Ashworth, the end of yet another LPGA sponsorship deal, and some free stuff you can get.

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Volume One Hundred Sixty Six

Beckman escapes q-school, there’s a slam-dunk finish on the Nationwide Tour, and Seve’s surgery goes better than expected!

Hittin' the LinksHello again and welcome to Hittin’ the Links. I am coming to you a few hours late this week but still packed with golf goodies from around the world. Its been a busy week for golf, so let’s get ready to get caught up on that important golf news.

In this edition of HTL, we first check in on Erik Compton’s bid for a PGA Tour card, then head to Spain to see how Seve Ballesteros is doing after his recent surgery. After that, we catch up on our goofy news like Danny Lee’s near incarceration, and the Korean gentleman who injured his caddy, and finally make a full accounting of who won what tournament around the world. Read on!

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The Five Best Words in Golf

Surprisingly, we can print them all.

Trap Five LogoFew sports, with the possible exception of cricket (“That was a wicked googly.”), have as colorful or specialized language as golf.

We have words that describe certain kinds of holes, like “redan,” which has become a general term to indicate a hole, usually a par three, with a right-to-left diagonal green that slopes away from the line of play and from right to left. The name comes from the original Redan at North Berwick Golf Links in Scotland, which in turn was dubbed with the French term for a V-shaped fortification that faces the expected angle of attack.

We have “pars,” “birdies,” “eagles,” and “albatrosses,” which are all good things. We have “chili-dips,” “chunks,” and “claggy” lies, which are all bad things. A claggy, by the way, is a wet, muddy lie that borders on casual water.

We have words that we hardly ever use any more. When you commit a “baff” you hit behind the ball and merely graze the ball, which hardly ever happens on today’s softer, more manicured courses. “Niblick” is an obsolete term for a nine-iron. “Pawky” is an old Scottish term used to describe cunning or tricky play.

And then there are all those four-letter terms that turn up so much during a round of golf. Frankly, they are a bit too common to be considered as the best words in golf, though they certainly have a place from time to time when the game gets extra frustrating.

My criteria for the best golf word is the aptness of its sound to its meaning, its originality to golf, and my own totally subjective bonus point system.

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