My final year at Kent State University, home of professional tour pros like the 2003 British Open Winner Ben Curtis, PGA Tour rookie John Mills, Nationwide Tour veteran David Moreland IV, and second-place finisher at this past weekend’s Movistar Panama Championship Kevin Gessino-Kraft, I had the opportunity to student teach at a middle school for an entire semester in order to receive that all empowering piece of paper, a diploma. I found the experience quite rewarding, teaching you see is my profession, but I digress.
It was while I was under the tutelage of a highly esteemed educator during my student teaching program when he had told me he collected PING putters. I knew about hickory shafted clubs, mashies, spoons, and the like – those are antiques and highly praised amongst collectors. However, I was not aware of the collect-ability of PING putters.
Continue reading “From Player to Hacker, is There a Real Collector?”
A little Bag Drop bonus coverage for you this week. Most of the new product announcements at the recently concluded PGA Merchandise Show were telegraphed ahead of time. But there were a few surprises in the aisles in Orlando. Here are three of them you’ll want to know about.
So, the PGA Merchandise Show has come to an end. Anyone have the biggest winners or losers of the show? I would be like a kid in a candy store if I was able to attend this. All the gear!? Can you imagine?!
Despite Super Bowl distractions we manage to tackle the following topics this week: a slightly above-average price tag on a putter, Duval making two of two cuts, the great distance debate, equipment expenses, the “not so popular with peers” Phil Mickelson, the Daly Planet, viability of range balls, and the not-so-growing need for PGA Tour trading cards.
Cristie Kerr has undergone a transformation since joining the LPGA Tour in 1997. She has become one of the most recognized and loved talents in recent years. She could credit adversity, a major weight loss and health program, and the chipping off of some rough edges for her present popularity.
Now that Morgan Pressel has been granted her request to become a full-fledged member of the LPGA it’s time to give her a nickname. 
There’s been a change in the way players play and prepare for a round of golf. It used to be that players would eat a couple hot dogs and wash those down with a few cans of beer. There was no real thought to how nutrition might affect the player’s score. As many of us are aware, proper hydration can help a player offset fatigue and finish a round strong.
The 2006 PGA Merchandise Show is underway in Orlando. That means the action has shifted inside the Orange County Convention Center instead of yesterday’s massive Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Club.