Callaway Sues Titleist Over Pro V1 Patents

Callaway has sued Acushnet over four patents pertaining to the Pro V1 golf balls. How big is this?

CallawayIt’s been a little while since a major heavyweight legal battle has taken place in the golf biz. Well, time to lace up the gloves and ring the bell. Callaway Golf has sued Acushnet, parent company of Titleist. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Callaway filed suit on Thursday alleging that the Titleist Pro V1 ball uses technology covered by four patents that Callaway acquired when it purchased Top-Flite Golf out of bankruptcy in 2003.

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Episode 013

Tiger Woods, JB Holmes, John Daly, Michelle Wie, Jack Nicklaus, Morgan Pressel, and Annika Sorenstam. Wow, what a show!

PodcastTiger Woods is now two-for-two, both in playoffs. JB Holmes takes the FBR while John Daly walks off the course. Nicklaus back for another Masters? Maybe. Also, Michelle Wie vs. Morgan Pressel, Campbell’s petition, Annika Sorenstam, and a little more ribbing about Jeff’s poor Seahawks.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 013 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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Luke Donald

A better example for the average player than many of the bombers on Tour, Luke Donald has quietly and steadily improved in the short time he’s played golf in the States.

ProFilesSince joining the PGA Tour in 2002 Luke Donald has steadily improved. Entering his fifth year as a PGA Tour pro, his scoring average has gone from 70.64 to 69.33, a notable drop and he continues to be a consistent force week in and week out. Woods, Singh, and Furyk were the only ones ahead of him in that statistical category.

Intense focus, attention to detail, calm nerves, and lofty goals all describe what Donald brings to everything he does. The guy who makes a list of everything he needs to do on his off weeks and gets them all done is perfect for the kind of work he’s in. Course management and a cool head are very important for a guy who doesn’t play driver wedge into long par-fours.

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F2 Wedge Review

Can a club really help you you hit the ball to within 10 feet of the pin twice as often, from 100 yards in.

Face Forward TechnologyAccording to Face Forward Technology there has not been a major innovation in wedges in the past 50 years. Taking a look at all the wedges in golf shops today and you’ll surely agree that although there are subtle differences that none really stand out.

Enter the F2 Wedge and its radical design. In fact, the first time I had these out on the range a few passers-by even paused to take a look at this odd looking club. According to the company “both human testing and robotic testing proves that the F2 gets you into the Scoring Zone more often than any other wedge tested.” We’ll see about that…

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Tiger and Annika

Tiger and Annika are the most dominant players in the world. If you compare one against the other though, Annika dominantes a bit more but Tiger still leads in major victories.

The Numbers GameTiger and Annika. Annika and Tiger. Either way you look at it, they are the two most dominant golfers in the game today. Period.

My question is who is more dominant? While you can’t send them both out on the course against one another (sorry ladies), you can look at how they did against their peers. I’ve done that, and the results are interesting.

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Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview

Phil Mickelson has a chance to defend another title this week but must fight off many top player and rising rookies to do so.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AmIt’s time again for the stars to shine this week at the 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in beautiful Monterrey, California. The event dates back to 1937 with Bing Crosby hosting the “Crosby Clambake” and brings top pros from the PGA Tour and A-list celebrities together. Over the years the tournament has become wildly popular with fans as the tournament is a much of a show as it is a tournament with stars like George Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Romano, Bill Murray and even The Donald. The tournament also allows the long ball hitters to shine and history tells us so since six of the last eight winners have been big hitters. After J.B. Holmes earned his first win at the FBR Open last week, fellow big hitters Bubba Watson and Camilo Villegas are chomping at this bit for their big break.

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Shiperio Golf Card Game Review

Add Shiperio to the short list of good golf games you play off the course and at a table.

ShiperioGood table games based on golf are as hard to find as birdies on the Road Hole at St. Andrews. In fact, outside of the truly addictive GOLO dice golf game, I’ve never played one.

Until recently, that is, when I had a chance to play a couple “rounds” with a card game called Shiperio. Aside from the obscure name (after a few beers, it became more like “Shipiro” with my playing partners), this card game is fun whether you are an avid golfer or not.

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Nickent and Tour Edge Ready to Make the Jump?

What do Nickent and Tour Edge need to do to join the biggest players in the equipment business?

Bag DropESPN writer Bill Simmons has one of my favorite sports phrases. He likes to watch for young players who are ready to “make the jump,” meaning they’re ready to take their game to the next level.

That was the phrase I had in my head at the recent PGA Merchandise Show when talking about equipment companies Nickent Golf and Tour Edge. Both companies have similarities, and both look poised for potentially bigger things in 2006.

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Volume Forty-Five

Grab some coffee and a chair and tuck in to this week’s edition of Hittin’ the Links.

Hittin' the LinksI loved watching J.B. Holmes win this weekend. It’s great for the game to see some young guns play well on the Tour. He and Bubba Watson have created what seems to be the beginning of a change in the game and it couldn’t be better in timing. Just think about how Tiger is 2-for-2 and these guys are starting to gain confidence and experience. This could get interesting.

Now, on to the links.

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