Will Tiger Tame Augusta for the Fifth Time?

The 2007 Masters is a week away, and it’s time to list some contenders, pretenders, etc.

Thrash TalkTiger Woods played in The Tavistock Cup this past Monday and Tuesday and won his third consecutive Payne Stewart Award in the process. The award goes to the golfer with the lowest 18-hole score on the final day. Woods’ team lost, but that’s not the point. The world’s best birdied seven holes in a row for crying loud and let the world know he wants a fifth green jacket next week.

Not only will Tiger try to win a fifth green jacket next week, he will also try to continue towards another Tiger Slam. Woods won the 2006 British Open Championship and 2006 PGA Championship, so he needs to win this year’s Masters and U.S. Open to close the deal. It’s definitely tough to bet against the guy, but I usually do anyway.

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Golf Talk [Episode 051]

Jeff: “Ooooh, Phil, I wuv you soooo much!” Phil: “Cue the kids running onto the green!”

PodcastTiger shoots a back-nine 43 and then wins convincingly the next week. Vijay Singh notches career victory #31, Sergio Garcia spits in the cup, the LPGA releases a list of banned substances, and Jeff – despite not being on the show this week – falls in love with Phil Mickelson. All this and more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 051 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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Putter Loft: Why it’s Important

Length, lie and head weight are the putter specifications most think of when it comes time to choose a putter. But loft is more critical than you might imagine.

Bag DropWhile in golf vernacular a putter is known as the “flat stick,” it’s anything but that. Every putter made has some degree of loft built into the face.

That’s because even on the fastest of greens the ball is sitting slightly down in the grass. Loft is necessary to lift the ball out that depression and get it rolling as quickly as possible. And it’s loft, not necessarily grooves, that contributes to the quality of that roll.

A putter’s length and lie can be fitted to you fairly easily. But getting fit for putter loft is a lot trickier. Here are some things to consider when you’re ready to fine-tune your putter to your putting style…

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Volume Ninety-One

Tiger wins, Sergio spits and the LPGA bans testosterone.

Hittin' the LinksIf Sergio was as accurate with his putter as he is with his spit, he probably would have a few more victories by now.

This week we have a recap of the WGC CA Championship, the LPGA’s banned substances list, and Gary McCord dishes on life after the Masters.

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Aerial Shots of Abominable Augusta

Augusta National has become an abomination. Here’s to hoping Billy Payne can begin to right Hootie’s wrongs.

Golf Digest has a number of aerial photos of Augusta National, including this one:

Augusta 15, 16, 17

I’m fairly certain this is not what Bobby Jones and Alistair MacKenzie had in mind.

Photo Credit: © Golf Digest.

Cleveland HiBORE XL and XL Tour Driver Review

The Cleveland HiBore has helped Jerry Kelly and Vijay Singh (among others) to compete on the PGA Tour, but how does it help us amateurs?

Cleveland Hibore Xl Driver HeroOne of the first geometry-based drivers on the market, the Cleveland HiBORE has changed the shape of the tee game and set the tone for what has become a new era in driver head shape. Now in its second version, the HiBORE XL and XL TOUR attempt to prove once again that Cleveland is “Taking Distance Driven Geometry to a New Level.”

The HiBORE XL gets a lot of attention. After all, a former #1 ranked golfer and two-time winner in 2007 plays it: Vijay Singh. As most of you know, Vijay ditched the original HiBORE last year in favor of the 460 Comp only to come back and win with the XL this year at the Mercedes Championships and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Whether or not the original HiBORE was to blame for Vijay’s down year in 2006 we may never know, but the driving show Vijay put on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer is proof that the HiBORE XL can earn its keep.

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Nine Holes With Gary Player

Come along for a quick nine with Gary Player. One of golf’s best known characters, Gary Player stalked fairways and won tournaments for many years.

ProFilesThere is no question in my mind that Gary Player is one of the greatest golfers in the history of the game. The South African native turned pro in 1953 and out of relative obscurity started winning. And for many, many years he never stopped.

With virtually an unassailable international victory total Player is a remarkable competitor, international figure, and ambassador of the greatest game.

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Blue Monster Unworthy of the WGC?

The season’s second WGC event starts today, but is Doral the right course for it?

Thrash TalkIt’s pretty weird not having The Players Championship in late March, but at least we get a World Golf Championship (WGC) event in its place. The fields for WGC events are always just as strong as they are for major championships, so it’s definitely an added bonus. On top of that, we still get The Players Championship and Sawgrass in May.

Like I mentioned above, the fields are very strong for WGC events. The golf courses are usually equal to the task, but this week may be a little different. I was watching “The Approach” on The Golf Channel last night, and one of the topics really piqued my interest. The topic centered around whether or not The Blue Monster at Doral is worthy of having a World Golf Championship event.

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Titleist Introduces Blog

The “serious equipment for serious players” company gets serious about blogging. Welcome to the block, Titleist.

TitleistAfter testing the waters a year and half ago with a revamped Titleist News section complete with an RSS feed, the equipment company “for serious players” has gotten serious about blogging, introducing today a new blog at the aptly named titleistblog.com.

Currently called the “Tour Blog” (and with only a “Tour” category), the site already has articles about player equipment on the PGA Tour, including posts from Bob Vokey on building a spin-milled wedge for Arron Oberholser, Adam Scott’s UNLV March Madness, and more.

Of course, you can’t expect any secrets to be revealed, but if you’re a fan of golf, then every little peek behind the curtain of life on the PGA Tour is fascinating. This blog promises to give you many such peeks.

Unlike many corporate blogs, Titleist’s Tour Blog allows commenting. Use your power of speech wisely, grasshoppers.