Where Does Tiger Go from Here?

Tiger will not say he is retiring, but his recent interviews suggest that his dominant years are now in the past. I give my suggestions on how he should become a new improved retired Tiger.

Thrash TalkThe model for a retired golfing superstar has been set. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have written what I would call the perfect book on how to do better in your retirement than in your actual career. Now it is Tiger’s turn.

I am not certain that we can agree that Tiger’s career is completely over, but his days of being a dominant force in the game are over. He is now giving interviews in which he says everything right up to “I am retiring.” I can understand the urge to spend time with his kids. Right now with his injuries and how he has played lately they probably bring him ten times the joy of anything golf-related. Add to this, his relationship with his father was so strong, he likely wants to mimic that relationship with his kids. His father was a teacher and now Tiger likely feels the urge to teach his kids as he was taught. Good for him.

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Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver Review

Callaway wants you to leave no yard behind. To do this they designed Great Big Bertha Driver to get the most distance for ALL golfers. I review the driver and let you know if I left any yards behind.

GBBThe golf industry like any marketplace is constantly changing. In the late 1990s Callaway was as hot as any golf company could be. They were the first to really embrace titanium driver heads in a big way. Over the years that stranglehold on the top spot was lost. Callaway seemed to lose their way.

That is until the last few years where Callaway has gone back to utilizing the brand name that was so popular for them, Big Bertha. The last few drivers released by Callaway have been outstanding, and the latest release – the Great Big Bertha for 2015 – is the crème de la crème. The marketing campaign for this driver, “Leave no yard behind,” is really a great theme. Because we are constantly blasted with marketing nowadays it might not get as much attention as it deserves, but if I were to sum up the performance of this club and someone mentioned that tag line to me, I would wholeheartedly agree.

Callaway has packaged almost all of the really good technology that they have developed in the past few years and threw it all together into one awesome driver. For the review I was given a 9° driver with a stiff shaft. With that introduction, let’s get started with the review.

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Volume Four Hundred Fifty-Eight

McIlroy wins in Dubai, Ko and Kerr in Florida.

Hittin' the LinksThat’s basically a wrap on professional golf for 2015. The LPGA and European Tours held their championships this weekend and the PGA Tour’s last FedEx Cup points until January were handed out in Georgia. Over the next month, we only have Tiger’s event and a few silly season-type events to get our golf-viewing jones on, until it all starts again in Hawaii.

So enjoy some turkey and the holidays of your choice. Let’s hit the links.

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Volume Four Hundred Fifty-Seven

Another first-time winner, a fifth-time winner and a Monday finish

Hittin' the LinksDon’t look now, but 2015 is drawing to a close, particularly in golf.

The PGA TOUR is already on its 2015-16 season, and there’s only one more week of FedEx Cup points available until January. The Champions Tour is already on hiatus. Both the European and the LPGA Tours will conclude next week with their season ending championships. The Race to Dubai will crown a winner at the DP World Tour Championship in the United Arab Emirates. The women will gather a Tiburon in Florida for the CME Group Tour Championship, where a Lydia Ko and Inbee Park showdown is expected.

While we still can, let’s hit the links.

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TaylorMade M1 Driver Review

TaylorMade introduces their new multi-material M1 driver with carbon composite crown and new T-Track adjustable weight system.

taylormade_m1_driverTaylorMade introduces its first multi-material driver, the M1 Driver, with a carbon fiber crown and new T-Track adjustable weight system. The carbon fiber crown allows TaylorMade to shift even more weight lower in the head for a lower center of gravity. The T-track’s tungsten weights provide independent positioning to change both spin and flight. Let’s take a look at the new driver and how it performs.

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Volume Four Hundred Fifty-Six

We now interrupt your football viewing for a WGC event…

Hittin' the LinksDon’t look now, but many big names teed it up this week in the WGC event in Shanghai.

We’re already a month into the 2015-16 PGA TOUR season, the Champions Tour concluded this month, the European Tour and the LPGA are moving toward their finales. It’s true, golf’s Silly Season matters now.

Let’s hit the links.

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Who Really Won and Lost the Presidents Cup

The 2015 Presidents Cup was an outstanding event. I review who where the real winners and losers of the event.

Thrash TalkCalling the Presidents Cup a second fiddle in the team match play events might actually be a compliment. The U.S. players versus the rest of the world except Europe was, by all accounts, a complete bore. The Americans have dominated the event since its inception.

So the 2015 playing of the event was vital to the future of the event. Another U.S. blowout and the event was all but finished. What we got was not only an outstandingly competitive event but also excitement from the participants and even a broader discussion about the involvement of two giants who are just now thinking about graceful retirements.

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Volume Four Hundred Fifty-Five

Ko back to #1, Rose and rookie win.

Hittin' the LinksRookies are doing very well on the nascent 2015-2016 PGA TOUR season. Meanwhile the LPGA, European Tour, and Champions Tours are approaching their finales for 2015.

Let’s hit the links.

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Callaway Bertha Mini 1.5 Review

Phil may have created the Phrankenwood back in 2013, but this is Callaway’s first mini driver to hit the market. Will it help you to win your own majors?

Callaway Bertha Mini Alt HeroI have a love-hate relationship with my driver. Some days we’re perfect for each other. Other days I wish I left it at home so I can enjoy a round of golf. It’s such a fickle beast that I’ll even have problems with it from hole to hole, never quite knowing if it’s going to cooperate or not until I hit the ball.

I’d have to be in utter denial to think that the problem lies with my driver and not my swing. Still, I can’t change my swing overnight and I certainly can’t change it mid-round, so I need a viable option off the tee that’s going to keep my ball in play. My backup option is usually my 3W, but it’s significantly shallower than my driver which can cause issues sometimes if I start to miss the ball high or low. With this in mind, I started to look into Callaway’s Bertha Mini 1.5.

One can point to Phil Mickelson’s Phrankenwood and say that club started the mini driver craze, but that’s not really the whole story. Club designers have been increasing the head sizes or offering deeper versions of their 3W as a better option off the tee for a while. Designed to be even more forgiving and longer than a 3W, the Bertha Mini 1.5 is Callaway’s first official mini driver. Is it the club I’ve been looking for? Read on to find out more.

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