Celebrity Deathmatch: Rory vs. Tiger

It’s the mouth of the South (Africa) versus the world’s most famous Cablinasian.

ProfilesIt’s been almost a year since the last installment of Celebrity Deathmatch, but since things are shaping up in the FedExCup for a possible third mano y mano matchup between Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Wood, it seemed like a perfect matchup for Deathmatch.

I know, Steve Stricker (104,950 points) and K.J. Choi (102,900) are leading the FedExCup standings for the moment, but Woods-Sabbatini have a history extending way back to May and the Wachovia Championship. No offense to Stricker and Choi – both of whom are playing great golf – but who better to revive the Deathmatch with than brash and trash-talking Rory against the world’s number one golfer? First let’s meet the contenders.

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Is the USGA Out of Bounds?

American golf’s ruling body appears poised to begin sailing off the edge of its universe.

Thrash TalkAs we chug into Labor Day weekend, the promise of “back to school” teases our frazzled nerves, the end of the golf season is just becoming visible on the distant horizon, and a crucial date has come and gone. August 1 marked the final day of the USGA’s invitation for commentary on the proposed changes in golf club grooves. This likely rule change, as well as the various USGA studies which allegedly justify the change, have got me thinking: who, exactly, is being served here?

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Golf Talk [Episode 070]

Tiger’s in fourth place. Is the sky falling on Finchie’s grand plan? No, probably not – Tiger should gain plenty of ground this week in Boston.

Golf Talk PodcastTiger wasn’t there, but Steve Stricker was and made the most of it, besting K.J. Choi. Ochoa wins again, Wie misses another cut, Michael Vick is a punk, and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 070 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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TaylorMade Burns On with TP Fairway, Draw Driver, and XD Irons

TaylorMade rolls out three new ways to “bomb away.”

Bag Drop LogoIt’s only been a few months since TaylorMade dusted off its Burner brand, now separated from the once popular Bubble shaft, and rolled out a of drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids under the Burner flag. Now the “number one driver company in golf” is introducing three additions to the Burner line: a fairway wood for better players, a new draw driver, and game improvement irons.

Like Ping’s G5 (and now G10) and Rapture line, TaylorMade’s club lines are separated more by technology and price rather than being strictly a “tour” line and a “regular Joe” line. TaylorMade’s r7 line is characterized by movable weights and playability (the ability to shape shots), while the Burner line tends toward forgiveness and, generally, lower list prices. While the r7 brand is more established and gets the majority of exposure, both lines get play on the PGA Tour.

Let’s take a look at the additions to the Burner line.

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Volume One Hundred Twelve

No Tiger? No problem as there was plenty of excitement to go around at the Barclays over the weekend.

Hitting the LinksThe FedExCup started out in dramatic fashion as Steve Stricker, K.J. Choi, and a host of others battled it out at the Barclays Classic with Stricker gaining his first victory in six years. Also, I’m beginning to sound like a broken record as Lorena Ochoa wins yet again on the LPGA Tour at the Safeway Classic.

This week, we have several links from a long overdue winner, an earlier version of the hottest swing theory, and a pretty distinguished golf clinic.

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Longaberger Golf Club (Nashport, OH) Review

Longaberger is one of the most expensive courses we’ve reviewed so far, but it’s worth it.

Longaberger LogoRegardless of your location in the country or perhaps even around the globe, you may have heard the name Longaberger. The Longaberger company has been turning out world-famous baskets for 70+ years. Their office is even shaped like a basket.

(Note: as of 2016, Longaberger was sold and is now known as The Virtues Golf Club. Much of the article remains the same, but some URLs were updated.)

In 1998, Longaberger commissioned a golf course from architect Arthur Hills. The Longaberger traverses up and down unusually hilly terrain and offers breathtaking vistas, huge elevation changes, and a challenge to golfers of all skill levels… though higher handicappers may want to stay away. From a few locations on the course, you can even see the building shaped like a giant basket!

Longaberger Golf Club is not about the baskets. The owners didn’t copy Merion’s wicker basket flags nor are the tee markers little baskets… though they should have been. The golf course may have been funded by money earned from making expensive woven baskets, but the golf course is all about golf.

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Titleist NXT Tour/Extreme Balls Review

If you think Ian MacCallister was miffed with the old Titleist NXT line, he’s really going to be stark raving mad with the new ones.

Titleist NXTUnless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen quite a bit of Ian MacCallister expound on the evil virtues of Titleist’s new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme golf balls. While the ads are quite humorous, Titleist seemed to be quite serious in giving the NXT line a facelift, which is pretty impressive since the older versions both were rated Gold on Golf Digest’s 2007 Hot List.

I’ve been using the first generation of the NXT Tour for the past several years. The original NXT Tour was a good all-around ball, and I didn’t have to worry quite so much about losing them as I would a $5 ball. They were, in short, a great blend of value and performance. They were also quite durable… and durability matters when you scrape your ball around the trees and off the cart paths. My only real complaint with the original NXT Tour was how soft it felt off the putter.

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Five More Things You Might Not Know About the FedEx Cup

It’s here! It’s here! Are you excited? Or just kind of amused like the rest of us.

Trap Five LogoThe FedExCup, aka the “Playoffs,” began this week. Did you notice? Has your office lost productivity this week because of all the trash talk and speculation surrounding your FedExCup pool? No? My office is the same way. Ask folks about the FedExCup and many will counter “Is that a tennis tournament?”

With all of the money the PGA Tour and FedEx have sunk into this event, you’d think there’d be more buzz. But even the guys who make a living on TV talking about golf seem more excited this week about the U.S. Amateur than the “Playoffs.”

Personally, I’ve always thought that the idea of a season-long competition to track the best players on the Tour would be a cool idea. Now that it’s here, the format leaves something to be desired. It’s complex, confusing, and not entirely logical. But we’re stuck with it (this year anyway). So, here are five more things you may or may not have heard about the FedExCup. The original five are here.

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The Lighter Side, Volume One: Golf Fashion

With apologies to Billy Crystal, one of the saving graces of being a recreational golfer is that, even if you didn’t play well, you can certainly look marvelous.

Thrash TalkIt is often said that one of the most alluring facets of recreational golf is the close connection we have to the professional game, something unique in comparison to other spectator sports. We can play the same courses, use the same equipment, and, thanks to the handicap system, even play against our idols if the opportunity ever arises.

But there is yet another way in which we can emulate our professional heroes: we can dress like them, too! Not sure you can? Well, I happen to have spent more than my fair share of time thinking about golf fashion (probably to the detriment of my swing), and so if you’re not Marty Hackel or one of the cast of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” you may learn a thing or two from what I have to say about golf’s sartorial side.

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