2006 Gets An Early Start

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.

Bag DropSure, 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.

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Volume Twenty-Five

Even on a holiday weekend, we’re delivering the links to you. Enjoy.

Hittin' the LinksHappy 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.

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Woods and Others Withdraw from Rich World Match Play

Big names withdraw from $1.78 million World Match Play Championship making the tournament a snoozer.

Tiger and PhilIt 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.

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Shaving Strokes

Shave strokes off of your game. This week’s Trap Five counts down the easiest way to take that 95 to an 89 or that 83 to a 79.

Trap Five LogoEveryone would love to shave strokes off their score. 18 handicappers want to be 15 handicappers, 15 handicappers want to get down to 12, and two handicappers want to be scratch. On the PGA Tour, saving one stroke per round can move a player from 100th on the money list to 21st.

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Chris DiMarco

Chris DiMarco has improved his game tremendously in the past five years but must now prove his worth when tournaments are on the line.

ProFilesChris DiMarco’s showdown with Tiger Woods in the third and fourth round of the Masters was one of the 2005 season’s defining moments. DiMarco earned the respect of golf fans the world over when he refused to knuckle under and hung with Woods till their playoff ended and Tiger edged him out. That final round pairing of DiMarco and Woods did a lot for DiMarco’s image and proved that he had the heart to win the biggest events.

While proving he could take heat in a Major without shooting a 76, DiMarco’s next few years will prove whether he gets a chapter or a footnote in golf history.

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Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball Blade Putter Review

If you’ve been holding out on getting a 2-Ball, hop on the bandwagon and give the White Steel models a try.

Odyssey LogoOdyssey Golf has been on a roll since April of 1996. Though that spring’s Masters is better remembered as the year Greg Norman lost a six-shot lead in the final round, equipment buffs remember it for the putter craze set off by winner Nick Faldo. Nick wielded a Dual Force Rossie 2 to great effect, and the “insert” putter niche was crafted.

Odyssey, a Callaway Golf brand, is almost always the first- or second-ranked putter each week in the Darrell Survey, and their tagline “#1 putter in Golf” is true for many – visit your local muni and you’re bound to find plenty of 2-Balls or 2-Ball knockoffs. The insert market is, for the most part, owned by Odyssey, despite attempts by nearly every other putter manufacturer to best company with the hurricane-like logo.

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USGA Proposes MOI Limit on Drivers

The USGA may be looking to cap the MOI in your driver. Hey, at least they’re not going after your balls!

USGA LogoE. Michael Johnson of Golf World has published an article which says that the USGA sent a memo yesterday to manufacturers announcing a proposal to limit the moment of inertia (MOI) in drivers. If adopted, the proposal will go into effect March 1, 2006.

Moment of Inertia has been a hot selling item lately… on putters, but its use in drivers has taken a back-seat to two other existing limitations – head size (460cc) and Coefficient of Restitution (or CoR, capped at 0.830). MOI is a measure of a clubhead’s ability to resist twisting on off-center hits. High MOI = more forgiving clubs. In March of this year, the USGA said that MOI had tripled in drivers since 1990 (yes, since the persimmon days). The March notice also mentioned three other areas would be looked at: spin generation, MOI, and the adjustability of woods and irons (see: TaylorMade r7 Quad).

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Logos and Artwork

The Sand Trap .com now has a new logo, in addition to Newport Cup logos and more. Get some JPEGs here.

Over the past few months, The Sand Trap has been working with Mike Rohde of Rohdesign to fashion a number of logos for The Sand Trap .com. No doubt you’ve seen the images that headline The Sand Trap’s regular columns, like The Numbers Game, Bag Drop, and Thrash Talk.

Today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve finished the logos. They’ll soon grace polo shirts, business cards, and more. If you’re looking to link to The Sand Trap, grab some of the JPEGs we’re offering below. If we’re working with you to provide a shirts, embroidery, or something similar, EPS images are included in a single .zip file. If you have requests for specific sizes, we can create them. Just let us know by emailing logo-request@thesandtrap.com.

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Deutsche Bank Championship Preview

Tiger Woods leads the field to the TPC of Boston this week.

Deutsche Bank LogoTiger Woods has had a great 2005 so far, and it could get even better this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Woods has an amazing six-point lead in the world rankings after regaining the top spot from Vijay Singh earlier this season. Tiger comes into Boston this week off the heels of a win at Firestone two weeks ago in the WGC-NEC Invitational. Add to that the fact Woods finished second in this event last year.

The man that beat Tiger and rest of the field last year at the Deutsche Bank Championship was Vijay Singh. Singh outplayed Woods en route to moving into the top spot in the world rankings for the first time in his career. Vijay was planning on defending this week in Boston, but that unfortunately isn’t going to be the case. Singh pulled out of the tournament on Tuesday because of back spasms. He hurt his back while playing table tennis with his son.

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