Early 2008 Ryder Cup Talk: United States

This week’s article breaks down the current status of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Thrash TalkThe 2008 Ryder Cup is still five months away, but it’s definitely sneaking up on golf fans. The United States hasn’t won The Ryder Cup since 1999, but the Americans will be looking to change that this year on home soil. They were embarassed four years ago on home soil, but there will probably be a lot of different golfers teeing it up this time around.

In a couple weeks, I’ll break down the current status of the European Ryder Cup team. This week, however, it’s the underdog United States side that gets the spotlight. I’ll start with the usual suspects that have almost guaranteed their spot on the team already, and then I’ll talk about some middle-of-the-pack guys, possible first-timers, and more. It’s still early, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start thinking about the greatest event in golf.

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Golf Talk [Episode 085]

Kids, do not chew tobacco. Could there be a more disgusting habit? Really?

Golf Talk PodcastTiger Woods and John Daly have surgeries: one on his knee, the other on his stomach. Can you guess which is which? Plus, Lorena Ochoa and Boo Weekley win, both in different “again” situations, and more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 085 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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Knowing Your Distance – Part One

Knowing the distance to the flag is vitally important to help you score better in golf. In my case, so is knowing the distance to the nearest out-of-bounds.

Bag DropThe next two weeks here at the Bag Drop, I’m going to focus on devices that can help you determine distances on a golf course. While the vast majority of us aren’t good enough to know the difference between a 158 yard vs. 162 yard shot, it still is important knowing distances to hazards, greens, and pins.

This week I’m going to take a look at some laser rangefinders (next week we’ll focus on GPS units) that I checked into while attempting to determine what would work out the best for me. The nice thing is that there are more options coming out so hopefully you can find a rangefinder that will work out for you and your budget.

Let’s take a look at a few.

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Volume One Hundred Forty One

Now that Tigers not playing maybe someone else can win.

Hittin' the LinksGood Day and welcome to Hittin’ the Links. We are again chock full of the best golf stories from around the web. So have a seat, get your clicking finger ready, and and join us for a tour whats out there for the discerning golf enthusiast.

In this edition of HTL we explore what’s wrong with Tiger’s knee, see why or why not golf should be in the Olympics, check in on the new Masters champion’s hectic schedule, and learn what’s the matter with Justin Rose. Also, we take a peek at what Portugal has to offer the traveling golfer, find out more about Autism Month, check on the week’s tour winners, and see what about Keith Nolan makes him a crowd favorite.

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Z Factor Perfect Putting Machine Review

As seen on Fore Inventors Only, we take a look at the product that perhaps should have won.

Z FactorYou’ve probably seen Dean Thompson on The Golf Channel’s Fore Inventors Only. Or maybe you didn’t hear about him until we conducted an interview with him after the show was over. In the eyes of many, Dean’s Z Factor Perfect Putting Machine (hereafter called simply the “Z Factor”) should have won the competition, or at least finished higher than fifth place! After all, golfers from the PGA Tour to the local muni spend about 40% of their strokes on the putting greens, so a reasonably priced putting aid should be of interest to golfers of all levels.

Dean has spent years traveling the world, sharing the Z Factor with PGA, Nationwide, LPGA, and European Tour stars. Fore Inventors Only served as a coming out party of sorts. Now available for sale at perfectputtingmachine.com for $299, I’ve taken an in-depth look at the Z Factor. Has it improved my putting? Is it worth three big ones? Read on to find out…

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Lessons Learned from the 2008 Masters

Do you miss the Masters?

Trap Five LogoYou remember the Masters don’t you? Not the quiet recent incarnations, but the raucaus roar-followed-by-roar Sunday back nine versions?

The Masters used to be a lot more fun. A Sunday “charge” was not defined by a player managing even par. Players actually made eagles and birdies to gain ground on guys choking on their leads. It was great!

Today, there are really two majors: the Open Championship and the U.S. Open. The latter just happens to be held three times each year with the first and last being called, respectively, the Masters and the PGA Championship.

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Golf Talk [Episode 084]

Zzzzzzzzzzzz… oh, sorry, we’ve got a show to do? About what? Oh right, the Masters. I must have dozed off…

Golf Talk PodcastTrevor Immelman is your 2008 Masters Champion. Unfortunately, some of us had to wake up to find out! Plus Lorena the Hall-of-Famer, Par Three contests, and more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 084 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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Turning Up My Collar to Honor a Great Champion

Sometimes the hardest thing to see is what’s before your eyes. He’s no Tiger, but golf has seen few players in history as good as Phil Mickelson.

Thrash TalkAs I read my last Thrash Talk it occured to me that maybe it would be interesting to focus on the historical standing of a player other than Tiger Woods… or Jack Nicklaus, or Arnold Palmer, or Ben Hogan. It is a common theme in all sports to view the retired generations of stars as the gold standard of excellence, their career achievements standing like monuments on the top of a hill. Monuments which remind us of the great moments, ignoring the failures along the way.

Active players, in contrast, have incomplete careers, and generally no monuments. We are far better acquainted with both their successes and their failures, often causing us to rank them below the illusory image of the flawless champ of yesteryear. Certainly this is not true of all players; anyone watching Tiger Woods, or Roger Federer, or Michael Phelps, cannot escape the historical significance of their achievements, even in young, incomplete careers. But what about Tiger’s top competition? Could Tiger’s domination lead us to perhaps miss something truly great, right under our noses?

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Clicgear Rolls Out Cart Model 2.0

Clicgear USA comes out with version 2.0 of an already impressive push cart.

Bag DropUnless I’m required to or play a course in a housing development with tee boxes about a mile from each other, I try to stay away from motorized golf carts as much as possible.

While I enjoy the exercise I get from walking, I’ve long given up carrying my golf bag. It’s not that I physically unable to carry, I just prefer to dump my bag on a cart and push my clubs around during those hot summer days. Golf can put enough stress on your back, why add more carrying your clubs and bag?

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