Volume One Hundred Six

For some strange reason, I really want a couple of those John Deere Classic tractor tee markers.

Hitting the LinksJonathan Byrd fired a final-round 66 while Tim Clark threw away a three-shot lead on Sunday. Byrd’s win makes him the winningest American under 30 and earned him a trip to Carnoustie for The Open Championship.

Earlier in the day, Phil Mickelson was up to his old tricks again by blocking his driver left on the 72nd hole as well as the first playoff hole at the Scottish Open in what cannot be a good tune-up leading up to this week’s festivities.

This week we have a recap of the John Deere Classic, Woody Austin staying home, and Carnoustie might end up being a pushover (I’m not buying it).

Adams Idea Pro Forged Irons Review

Adams Golf has built a solid reputation in game-improvement clubs. Now they’ve introduced a player’s forged iron to match up with their superb Idea Pro hybrids.

Adams Idea Pro Forged Irons HeroAdams Golf has become known primarily for their presence on the Champions Tour and for making some of the most forgiving irons and hybrids in the game.

More recently they’ve leveraged their success in hybrids to pioneer integrated hybrid/iron sets as we wrote about here. That they’re the leading hybrid brand on the combined PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tours is extraordinary given their limited professional endorsements.

Given this background, I was somewhat surprised last fall when at a press gathering I was introduced to and hit their new forged iron, a true player’s cavity back blade. I was impressed. That’s why when the chance came to do a full review of these clubs I jumped at it. Here’s what I found out…

Whispering Woods Golf Club (Erie, PA) Review

Whispering Woods is clearly Erie’s best public course, and it will only get better as the course matures.

Whispering Woods LogoThe Erie area first heard about the golf course that would become Whispering Woods Golf Club in early 2002. In late 2005, a golf course began taking shape among the houses of the Whispering Woods residential development. Seeded in two phases during 2006, the semi-private course opened May 25, 2007 with less than the desired 100 members. A rate drop for both membership and public play only 11 days later lured the remaining members, necessitated a waiting list 70+ names long, and increased public play on the course dramatically.

The course, like so many others, lays claim to the title of “best in the area.” I tested the assertion – is the course the best public course in the Erie area? Read on to find out…

Ian MacCallister Launches NXTube.com

Ian MacCallister had a chance to break a course record before. What will he do with the new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme?

Ian MacCallister, Titleist NXT-hater extraordinaire, recently registered the domain name “nxtube.com” and has launched an anti-NXT blog. Ian, the chairman and founder of Golf Designers Against Distance (GDAD), tells us that the site will feature a blog, persuasive video anti-technology rants from his mother’s basement, and will spread the word about how easy the distance and feel of the new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme make the game of golf.

MacCallister has put a lot of energy into educating consumers about the dangerous golf balls from Titleist, but is apparently ramping up efforts in light of Titleist’s new releases. The updated versions of Titleist’s NXT duo will launch worldwide Monday, July 15.

The Daly Show (Again)

Modern golf’s first REALLY big hitter makes another media splash.

Thrash TalkIt looks like we’re in for another round of John Daly stories. In the aftermath of his most recent domestic troubles, the Golf Channel has aired yet another “up close and personal” style profile of Daly in the form of a “hard-hitting” interview from Rich Lerner. But while most of us probably want to either yawn or vomit at the prospect of more exposure of big John, something is rapidly fading from the landscape surrounding the controversial razorback: his place in golf history.

Golf Talk [Episode 064]

One wonders if Phil’s two-paddle approach to ping pong mirrors his childhood upbringing. We jest!

Golf Talk PodcastTiger fails to win his own tournament, and everyone else in the field falls apart. K.J. Choi is the lucky winner, taking both Nicklaus’ and Woods’ tournaments this year. Also, Watson crumbles in the U.S. Senior Open and we talk about playing through, Elin’s hospitalization, and and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 064 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.

Network TV Golf Coverage

Missing from this week’s analysis: the number of times the announcers make stupid comments. Gary McCord talks too fast for me to keep an accurate count.

The Numbers Game“They always show Tiger even when he’s not in contention.”

“I want to see more golf. Less jibber-jabbering and network promos, more actual golf shots.”

“Why do they always show people walking around when other players are hitting golf shots?”

No doubt you’ve heard golf fans complaining about network coverage of PGA Tour events. This weekend, I put CBS on the clock and took notes on their network coverage of the inaugural AT&T National. The results… well they may not surprise you, but they do shed some light on the subject.

Golf Club Specs: Little Things that Count, Part One

Sometimes the devil is in the details. Here are some often-overlooked equipment specifications that can make a big difference in how a club feels and performs.

Bag DropMost golfers are aware of basic club specs when they venture out to buy new sticks or, better still, be fit for them. Shaft flex, lie angle, and perhaps driver loft are all well-known ways of matching clubs to your swing. We wrote about some of these in earlier Bag Drops you can find here and here.

But there are a number of other factors that go into the way a club works for you. Some are so subtle that only someone playing as much as a touring professional can feel or see the difference. Even so, sometimes tweaking a little something here or there can make a positive change in your game.

So here are some things to check out next time you’re buying, or when you think you might want to play around with your current clubs…

Volume One Hundred Five

I need earplugs when K.J. Choi tees off with his driver. Even from the confines of my living room.

Hitting the LinksK.J. Choi wins for the second time in just over a month as he captures the inaugural AT&T National by playing some steady golf on Sunday afternoon, which was the complete opposite of the gag job third-round leader Stuart Appleby (and a host of others) threw up.

This week we have a recap of the AT&T National, the return of Tiger’s intimidation (maybe), and the love/hate relationship Tour players have with their putters.