2006 Ryder Cup Predictions

The staff makes their predictions. Who will look like a fool and who a wise man at the end of the week?

Thrash TalkRyder Cup week has finally arrived! The major championships in golf are awesome, but something about The Ryder Cup makes it even more special. The event has gained a lot of steam over the past decade or so and has truly become one of the greatest sports spectacles in the world.

The United States team usually comes in as the favorite, but that’s no longer the case. The European side thumped the U.S. team two years ago at Oakland Hills. The margin of victory was one of the largest in the event’s long history. The two teams are once again set for battle, and there are a lot of storylines to keep us entertained for the next week.

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Gear for Playing in Rain

Playing in rain is one of golf’s inherent challenges. Unless there’s lightning around, braving the elements can be fun if you’ve got the right stuff.

Bag DropThe USGA runs a great series of TV spots during their championships. I think my favorite might be the one with the guy sitting at the starter’s hut waiting out a downpour saying things like, “it’s letting up, it’s just going to blow right over.” Been there, done that. I bet you have too.

Here in the northeast, it seems like it’s been raining for weeks at a time ever since the middle of August. If you’re an avid golfer – and I mean really avid – you don’t let anything like a heavy dew slow you down.

But whether drizzle or downpour, you need some special gear to cope with the conditions. Here’s some of my favorite equipment for playing in the rain…

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Volume Seventy-Six

I wish real life had TiVo so I could fast forward to Friday and get the Ryder Cup underway!

We’re only days away from the Ryder Cup and I swear every passing minute is that much longer than the last!

To tide you over until the Friday start, we have some great links that look back on the Ryder Cup past, a wide assortment of analysis and course diagrams for the upcoming matches, as well as another PGA Tour veteran getting his second win this season.

Enjoy the links!

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Titleist 585.H Hybrid Review

The Titleist PT 585.H is a holy grail of sorts: the perfect hybrid blend of long iron and fairway wood. Me likey.

Titleist 585.H HybridTitleist was admittedly a bit late to the hybrid market, and when they first arrived, it was only with the 503.H, which I reviewed in early 2005. The review was rather favorable if the club is viewed as a driving iron, but the 503.H lacks the true versatility found in most modern hybrids. Getting the ball airborne with a 503.H from poor lies, for example, was much more difficult than with most other hybrids.

After giving the 503.H half a season, I moved on to a TaylorMade Rescue Dual TP in mid-2005. My complaints in the Rescue Dual review: the ball got up in the air, but workability and trajectory control was lacking. Early 2006 brought a truer hybrid from Titleist, the PT 585.H. Read on to see whether it kicked the Rescue Dual out of my bag or whether I’m still searching for my 2-iron replacement…

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What’s in the Bag, Volume Three

I thought it was time I took another peak at what’s in the winner’s bags on the PGA Tour. Thanks to the number one player in the world, a certain company based in Oregon has taken the lead.

The Numbers GameIt’s time again for another installment of “What’s in the Bag?” at The Numbers Game. Earlier in the year, Nike had an early lead in drivers, irons, and wedges. It was also hanging close in the ball category as well. Has Nike kept their lead? Or has Titlest or TaylorMade closed the gap?

Read on to find out.

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Golf Talk [Episode 036]

Tiger will never lose again. At least it feels that way. The Ryder Cup is right around the corner and at least Tiger and Furyk are on fire. So the US team has that going for them.

PodcastTiger Woods wins his fifth tournament in a row and Furyk wins his second of the year. The European Ryder Cup team is set, Wie misses another cut, Kerr defeats Sorenstam, Sergio is dating shark offspring, and Trevino reports how evil golf ball has become. Tune in to this episode of Golf Talk for more.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 036 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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2006 84 Lumber Classic Preview

Michelle Wie has been making some pretty bold comments lately. Does she finally find a way to backup those remarks by making a PGA Tour cut?

84 Lumber Classic LogoJason Gore might be the defending champion this week at the 84 Lumber Classic, but he is about to take a backseat to a 16-year-old girl as Michelle Wie takes on one of the longest PGA Tour courses this season. With all the talk she’s had recently about playing in the Ryder Cup in the future, she might want to think about making a PGA cut first.

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It’s Time for a (Rules) Change

The rules of golf are sacred to most, but they shouldn’t be exempt from change.

Thrash TalkI’m happy Jim Furyk won the Canadian Open this past weekend, and I’m even happier he moved up to second in the Official World Golf Ranking. Other than that Tiger fellow, Furyk is the best on the planet right now. He held off a pretty tough field en route to his second win of the season.

While Furyk earned the biggest paycheck of the week, Jonathan Byrd took a pay cut in the final round.

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TaylorMade to Introduce New r7 Irons and TP Wedge

TaylorMade continues their aggressive succession of new product rollouts with the launch of a new line of cavity back irons and a new finish on a wedge.

Bag DropAs one of the major players in the equipment market, TaylorMade continues to develop and introduce new products at an astonishing rate.

In the next week or so, TaylorMade will introduce new r7 irons. These irons appear to be aimed at the low- to mid-handicapper who prefers an iron that’s easy to hit, gets the ball up effortlessly, has some forgiveness, and comes with moderate offset so it sets up like a better player’s club.

As has become their custom, the company appears to be introducing two versions of the irons, a regular r7 iron and an r7 TP (for “Tour Preferred”) version that specifically targets the stronger player with time-proven details and specifications. The Sand Trap will have a full review of these irons soon, but here’s an exclusive first look…

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