The VT380 is the latest in the line of fairway metal woods from Orlimar. This version falls short of recapturing the market previous models once held.
Orlimar at one point was one of the big players in the fairway metal wood market. At courses around the world you could find their clubs in the bags of players of all handicap- and skill levels. Just like everyone else, I hit a few different Orlimar clubs when they were hot.
Since the Tri-metal line was introduced in the late 90s, Orlimar has not enjoyed much success. The struggling company has introduced the VT830 to help recapture that success and hopefully get themselves back into the game.
The 2005 Newport Cup kicks off on October 15-16, and we’re excited!
On October 15 and 16, The Sand Trap .com is holding the initial Newport Cup matches in the sandhills of North Carolina. The competition will be similar to the Ryder Cup (albeit with smaller teams) and should be great fun.
The Name
The Newport Cup is named after the location of the first U.S. Open, the Newport Golf and Country Club in Rhode Island. Held in 1895, professional golfer Horace Rawlins of England was the first champion.
We’ve yet to choose team names for the two competing teams, so this year they’ll simply be the Red and Blue teams. The ball supplies the “white” in a patriotic theme. We’ll choose team names at the event. Perhaps we’ll be in an irreverent mood and play Team McAvoy versus Team Spackler, or perhaps we’ll keep things historic. We shall see…
The same rules apply to this amateur golfer that does the players on tour: Greens and Putting.
Comparing the professional golfer to the amateur golfer is not an easy thing. Not only do we (amateurs) for the most part play on shorter and easier courses, we do not have the stress of competing in front of thousands of people in person and millions more on TV. Also, amateurs do not have to make a living and survive by hitting that damn white ball into what seems to be a shrinking hole.
So what does this have to do with numbers? Well, I thought it would be interesting to see if my stats correlated in the same way the pros did. The results were interesting.
The Americans face-off against the rest of the world for the biennial rights to the Solheim Cup.
For a grueling three days in September twelve European golfers will doggedly defend their right to retain the venerable Solheim Cup for another two year stretch. Twelve equally determined LPGA golfers will attempt to unseat the Europeans as guardians of the Waterford Crystal trophy.
At the 2003 event held at Barseback Golf & Country Club in Sweden 100,000 cheering fans witnessed the European team (17.5 points) make mincemeat out of the Americans (10.5).
With an all-star American team led by Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam playing on the side of the LET, all I can say is … “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
Vijay Singh will be trying to defend his title this week at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
Vijay Singh will be teeing it up just one week after withdrawing from the Deutsche Bank Championship due to a back injury. Singh hurt his back while playing table tennis with his son. He was scheduled to defend his title last week, and the same can be said about the Canadian Open this week. Singh comes into the week ranked second in the world rankings behind Tiger Woods. He is also second on the PGA Tour money list behind Tiger. Singh has four victories on the PGA Tour in 2005 and will be the odds-on favorite this week as well.
Should the European team be forced to play European Tour events in order to make the team?
With the President’s Cup just two weeks away, the Ryder Cup is the event that has been getting the golf world’s attention the past couple weeks. 2006 European captain Ian Woosnam is worried his team won’t be as strong as it possibly could be for the 2006 matches at the K Club. As it currently stands, the European participants must play in 11 European Tour sanctioned events to qualify for the team. The 11 events, however, can include all four major championships and the World Golf Championship events.
Golf equipment manufacturers are already bringing next year’s new products out today. This is another prime example of the sea change that has taken place in the golf industry over the past decade.
Sure, the calendar still reads September 2005. But from a golf equipment perspective, let’s agree that the 2006 model year is off to a brisk and early start. How is it that some of next year’s hottest clubs are already in golf shops by Labor Day?
Back in the olden days (let’s say 1995 for a ballpark figure), new products predominantly were announced at the PGA Merchandise Show in at the end of January. Every major manufacturer would introduce its lineup for the year, making for a golf equipment lover’s dream week. Rumors would build up in the days before the Show, and the companies would spend millions outdoing each other with increasingly splashy parties and golf outings.
Even on a holiday weekend, we’re delivering the links to you. Enjoy.
Happy Labor Day, all. I don’t know where you’re at, but in Washington DC, the weather is beautiful. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get on the course this weekend, but hopefully family obligations and warm Bud Light haven’t prevented the rest of you from the ol’ hit-and-chase.
Let’s get right to the links.
Big names withdraw from $1.78 million World Match Play Championship making the tournament a snoozer.
It has been confirmed on the HSBC World Match Play Championship web site that the top three ranked players in the world – Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Phil Mickelson – will not be in the field. The tournament, which boasts a $1.78 million purse to the winner, will be played on September 15-18 at the West Course at Wentworth in England. The highest prize in golf was not even enough for Ernie Els to jump out of bed and forget about recovering from a recent knee surgery.
One would think that the tournament could not get any worse without Woods, Singh, Mickelson, and Els absent, but it does. With the exception of Chris DiMarco and Fred Couples, Sergio Garcia and Davis Love III have decided to stay home and watch Geraldo Rivera wade around New Orleans on FOX News. Vijay Singh will be defending his title against Mickelson, Couples and DiMarco at the 84 Lumber Classic in western Pennsylvania. There is not one American player in the field.
Continue reading “Woods and Others Withdraw from Rich World Match Play”
