Nicholas Von Hofen stood on the 12th tee of the new Ritz-Carlton Members Club – elevation 65 feet above sea level – and smiled.
“You wouldn’t think you’re in Florida,” Von Hofen said as he surveyed the immaculately landscaped Tom Fazio-designed golf course.
Indeed. With its pastoral setting and rolling terrain, the Ritz-Carlton Members Club looks like it could have been lifted in from Von Hofen’s native Ohio. But this is southwest Florida, where golf courses are often shaped and molded out of a tough land. Fazio molded this 7,033-yard, par 72 masterpiece from pasture land that was once used to grow fruits and vegetables.
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It had to happen sooner or later. Golf design has advanced so far it has entered into the realm of science fiction. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda have apparently conspired with 
When is Hittin’ the Links not random? Well this week’s edition is no exception and features everything from an Earl Woods / BJ Wie comparison to a Tiger / LeBron James comparison to the correlation between learning golf and chronic pain. 
I play golf with Steve Brummer a few times per week, and I can safely say that the most consistent thing about his game is his inconsistency. Steve will play well for five holes, have a stretch where he doesn’t hit the ball well, and then finish out the round strong once again. While I joking refer to Steve as the “anti-Rotella” for his mental outlook (“even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then” he’ll say after a good shot), his mental game is probably responsible for three to four dropped shots per round.
Half of the season on the PGA Tour is in the books, and we’ve got some first-half awards to hand out. Plus, Michelle Wie makes it through local qualifying for the U.S. Open, Greg Norman to divorce, a man shoots 57 (!!!), and Tiger is skipping The Memorial. This and a whole lot more in the 23rd episode of the Golf Talk Podcast.
Titleist has ruled the “premium ball” roost since, well, since there was a roost to be ruled. In the pre-Tiger era, I remember seeing advertisements that said “The last 47 U.S. Opens have been won with a Titleist ball” (or something like that). Eventually, Tiger and his Nike R&D chums managed to put a stop to that streak, but Titleist still owns darn near 85% of the premium ball market, leaving Callaway, Nike, Bridgestone, and others to pick up the scraps.
Cleveland’s HALO Hybrid is one of the more unique hybrids to hit the market. Featuring a “scooped back” design, the HALO succeeded at getting the ball in the air with a good amount of spin. Consumers voted with their wallets, and the HALO is the third-best selling hybrid at retail.
Keeping dry on the golf course is important in many parts of the country all the time and in all parts of the country some of the time. Sure, you may have been blessed to live somewhere with very little precipitation, but the Pacific Northwest in not such a place.