I have given my first Hittin’ the Links entry much thought and consideration and have decided to dedicate it to those who are responsible for the courses we see on television and read about it books of golfing lore. These men have set the standards, raised the bar, and exceeded people’s expectations with every course they’ve designed.
Volume Forty-Nine
This week, in my first stab at Hittin’ the Links, I share with you some links to some of the guys that have literally built our game: course architects.
This tournament was shaping up to be an excellent one from the get-go. Tiger Woods led the way after Thursday’s opening round in which he fired a 64 the 65s of Camilo Villegas, Phil Mickelson, David Toms, Rich Beem, Zach Johnson, Scott Verplank, and Mark Wilson. Friday, Woods and Mickelson drew into a tie at -13, and both played together Saturday, with Tiger Woods once again eclipsing Phil by three as he did last year.
Geoff Ogilvy wins in a yawner at the World Golf Championships/Accenture Match Play, yet we want more match play events each year? Sure! A new showdown at Doral, Michelle Wie moves into the #2 spot after a third-place finish at the Fields, and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are upset with the changes at Augusta National. Also this week, guest Bruce Hardie from Australia joins us to talk about the state of golf down under. This and a whole lot more in this week’s Golf Talk Podcast.
Tiger Woods sparked a lot of trends when he joined the PGA Tour ten years ago, but one of the most resounding of those was golf fitness. The old jokes about how anyone could win at golf – and with folks named “Lumpy” winning tournaments, they were true – faded away in the face of Tiger’s workout regimen. Professional golfers became athletes – fine-tuned machines built for flexibility, strength, and speed capable of delivering a clubhead to a ball faster and with more strength than ever before.
Scott Verplank is another player we amateurs would do well to emulate. Hitting more than his share of fairways, putting like a man possessed, and doing it a most nonchalant fashion is what makes Verplank a dark horse in any tournament. Recipient of the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, Verplank has proven that he’s a fighter. Given by the Golf Writer Association of America, the Ben Hogan Award recognizes athletes who have remained active golfers despite a physical handicap or illness.
Following retirement from the world of competitive golf after winning The Grand Slam, Bobby Jones entertained the idea of starting a private golf club. We all know that Bobby eventually decided to build the course that would become Augusta National Golf Club. Bobby worked intimately with legendary course architect Alister Mackenzie to create his “ideal” golf course.
Eight tournaments up and eight tournaments down. We’ve had a long hitter (JB Holmes) win at the FBR and a few not-so-long hitters (David Toms, Arron Obelholser) win at Waialae and Pebble Beach. Another thing we’ve also had is a lot of talk, discussion and consternation 
Last week, Titleist posted 
Wow, how time flies! Last year’s