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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Interview With Charlotte Campbell of Highway 18

Charlotte Campbell of Highway 18 fame dishes on time penalties, college golf, and just what the heck is a Blingo.

Throwing DartsToday’s interview is with Charlotte Campbell, who with her brother Rob, were the winning team on The Golf Channel’s inaugural Highway 18 reality show.

Charlotte graciously gave us a few minutes to share some insight on the experience of being on Highway 18, her collegiate playing career, and explaining just what a Blingo is. We hope you enjoy the interview.

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Cobra Releases L5V Driver and Transition-S Integrated Irons

David Feherty has a new driver to drool over.

Bag DropThe new equipment just keeps coming and this week’s focus is on the latest from Cobra Golf. Boasting a new blended wood/hybrid/iron set for those with “moderate swing speeds” as well as a hot, new multi-material driver with an interesting hosel design, the folks at Cobra Golf offer up a little something for everyone.

So join me as we take a look at the latest from Cobra Golf.

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Volume One Hundred Sixty Five

The Fall Finish trudges on, Bernhard has a senior moment, and Furyk wins the 2008 Grand Slam of Golf without actually winning a major.

Hittin' the LinksGood day and welcome again to The Sand Trap‘s Hittin’ the Links. The season is winding down with just three events remaining on the PGA Tour and two on the Nationwide Tour, and you cannot help but feel the urgency in the air as those on the bubble try to jockey into position for next year. These are the real play-offs if you ask me.

In this fall edition of HTL we first send our condolences the Camilo Villegas and his family, then switch gears in order to check on Seve Ballesteros after his surgery for brain cancer. After that, we see who won the PGA of America’s Player of the Year award then do a complete wrap-up of all the American tours. Read on!

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Nine Holes with the Forty-Somethings

It happens this year. I turn 45.

ProFilesAs if 40 wasn’t enough, now I’m turning 45. Frankly, I still feel prettty young. Heck, I still sometimes get a little nervous when I buy liquor, worried if they’re going to card me. I drive the ball farther than a lot of people. Maybe not quite as far, quite as often, as ten years ago, but respectably, nonetheless. This getting older thing isn’t all bad. Heck, if I was on the PGA Tour, I might be just coming into my prime.

Over the last several years, a number of 40-year-olds have been playing some pretty good golf on the PGA Tour. Not just once in a while, but consistently. Whether it’s improved fitness (probably), better equipment (maybe), or old-age-and-treachery (undoubtedly), older players are not only competing with guys 10 or even 20 years younger, they’re winning… a lot.

This year was no different, in fact with Tiger on the DL, a 40-something claimed golf’s richest prize (at least until next year). Here are some of the “old” guys who are hanging in there with the flat-bellies. Each played some good golf in 2008, and had at least one notable moment in the spotlight to show for it.

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Cleveland Golf Launches New Products for Fall 2K8

The folks at Cleveland golf have some new goodies for you to check out.

Bag DropI have to hand it to the folks at Cleveland Golf. They aren’t resting on their laurels this winter season. In fact, they’re coming out this week with a few new goodies you might be interested in checking out during your weekly pilgrimage to your local golf retailer.

Boasting something for everyone, this update includes a new driver, fairway woods, iron/hybrid-style set, a Niblick, and some putters that will leave you some extra cash for greens fees (who doesn’t like that?).

So join me as we check out the fall releases from Cleveland Golf.

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Volume One Hundred Sixty Four

The Fall Finish is in full swing, with a Masters champion leading the pack.

Hittin' the LinksHello again and welcome to another edition of Hittin’ the Links. Oh, there is definitely a chill in the air. I hate to admit it but autumn definitely has us firmly in its grasp. Time to get those winter golf clothes out of the closet once again.

In this newest edition of HTL we take an early look at the European Tour’s globetrotting 2009 schedule, see what Boo Weekly was doing at a recent NASCAR event, and send our best wishes to the great Seve Ballesteros after his recent diagnosis. Also, we investigate Presidential golf, see why Philly may get a Tour event, find out what the heck diaper bingo is, and catch up on this week’s Tour winners. Read on!

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Cleveland VP Mills Putter Review

Cleveland’s first introduction into the milled putter market is an impressive one. It may not look as pretty, but it performs just as well as a Cameron for half the price.

Cleveland VP Milled PutterWhen you think of Cleveland Golf, you think of a few things. Vijay Singh, the HiBore driver and some classic wedges. One of the last things you might think of is putters.

Well, maybe you think of the Never Compromise line that Vijay Singh and David Toms used for years, but Cleveland Golf has now made an introduction into the milled putter market with its line of VP Milled putters. In a space that is dominated by Scotty Cameron, Cleveland Golf has their work cut out for them.

The biggest question for Cleveland Golf is this: Can they do enough to entice players of all skills to put a VP Mills putter in their bag instead of a Cameron? Read on to find out.

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