Thrifty Style

Learn how to save money on your wardrobe so you can spend more on your equipment.

thrift_store.jpgI’ve always had the philosophy that even if you play badly on the course, you still need to look good. Many famous golfers can be identified by the way they “dress the part.” There was Payne Stewart and his knickers, Gary Player’s black shirts, Jasper Parnevik’s hat and, of course, Tiger Woods and his Sunday red shirt. The cost of dressing the part can be expensive. Seeing as I’m not a wealthy man (yet! I’m banking on The Sand Trap becoming an international success!), I began to look for ways to stretch my money further. I headed to thrift stores to see what I could find.

A Putting Drill for Increased Pressure

The around the world drill is great for improving your putting under pressure, but increasing the distance after each putt will build pressure faster.

putting_drill_2.jpgIt’s often suggested that a great drill to improve one’s putting is to roll in as many consecutive putts from several “stations” in a circle around a hole as possible. There are variations, but the theme is the same, miss one and you start over from the beginning. Not only are you improving your stroke (hopefully) but you are also simulating pressure as you get closer and closer to the end of the drill. It’s a good drill, but I’d like to suggest a slightly different one.

Find a level stretch of putting surface extending fifteen to twenty feet from the hole (with permission from the pro shop, you can take chalk string from a hardware store and mark the straight line). Next, place a ball three feet from the cup on the level line that you found and knock the putt in. Now, place the ball five feet from the cup and knock that putt in. Then seven feet, etc., continuing in this manner, getting further and further away from the hole until you miss, at which point you start over again from three feet. The object of the drill is to see how far away you can get from the cup, always attempting to beat your personal best.

Men and Women in Modern Times

St Andrews is considering allowing women to play in the 2006 Open. Could this be the beginning of a new era in golf?

Annika and TigerRewriting history is a big step. It appears that golf is trying to adjust to modern times, although still steeped in its old traditions. Gone are the days of plaid pants, wooden drivers and hushed galleries. Today, cheering fans, fist pumps and the interest for women to compete in men’s tournaments have thrown golf into turmoil.

Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews is considering rewriting the entry form for the Open Championship starting with the 2006 championship (the 2005 forms have already been printed) to grant women golfers entry to the oldest running golf tournament in the world.

Titleist 503.H Hybrid Iron

Hybrids are making a splash at every level. The versatile Titleist 503.H allowed me to remove my 2-iron.

503.HJust over a decade ago, desperate to watch anything golf-related, I watched a show about Chi Chi Rodriguez. I remember that he talked about his favorite club: a 7-wood. A 7-wood! He used it on par 3s. He used it from the fairway to reach par 5s. He used it to chip!

I thought “who am I to argue with the best putter swordsman in the history of golf?” and promptly bought a 7-wood. I hit it on par 3s. I hit it from the fairway on par 5s. I even used it to chip. The ball flight ballooned like nobody’s business in even the slightest of breezes, but it worked well on calm days. I stuck up for my 7-wood, and beat more than a few folks out of more than a few bucks with it.

Luck of the Irish: Padraig Drives Away with the Honda

The luck of the Irish prevail as Padraig Harrington wins his first PGA Tour event in a playoff over Vijay Singh and Joe Ogilvie.

Padraig HarringtonVijay Singh lipped out no more than a three foot putt on the second playoff hole and the Irishman Padraig Harrington has captures his first victory on the PGA Tour four days shy of St. Patrick’s Day. Harrington, who started the day 8 back of the leaders and finished more than 90 minutes before the third-round leaders, fired a course-record 63 to Singh’s 64 to get into the playoff. Joe Ogilvie – not third-round leader Geoff Ogilvy – fired a 68 to get into the playoff, but was eliminated on the first hole with a bogey.

Els Grabs Qatar Masters from Behind

Ernie Els storms back from five down in the final round to capture his second straight European Tour title at the Qatar Masters.

Ernie ElsErnie Els, down by five strokes going into the final round of the Qatar Masters, cranked out a brilliant 7-under 65 to storm to a one-shot victory. Els, who opened the tournament with a 73 and was in danger of missing the cut, finished at -12 (276) to capture his second tournament since winning the Dubai Desert Classic a week ago.

“I wanted to give myself a low score and as it turned out, I shot low which you don’t normally do. I got lucky and got a win,” said Els. “Things began to turn in my favour in the middle of the front nine when I made three birdies on the bounce. The wind was really playing it up at that time.”

Third-round leader Henrick Stenson started with two birdies in the opening three holes, but bogeyed two and then double-bogeyed the 14th. He later rallied with three birdies to finish second at -11, but needed an eagle at the last to match Els’ two-putt birdie to force a playoff. Richard Green and Pierre Fulke of Australia and Sweden tied for third at nine under.

Ogilvy and Wetterich Share Honda Lead

Geoff Ogilvy and Brett Wetterich share third round lead at the Honda Classic, while 20 players are within six strokes.

brett_wetterich.jpgThe windy conditions made it difficult for players to go low in the third round of the Honda Classic. However, Geoff Ogilvy overcame an eight-stroke deficit to join Brent Wetterich at –12 to sit atop a crowded leaderboard. Lee Janzen, who bogeyed the last hole to shoot 72, is in a tie for third with Pat Perez at -11. Ogilvy fired a third round 64, while Wetterich followed his opening 66s with a 72. Ogilvy is looking to win his second tournament of the year, after winning in Tuscon last month, while Wetterich is looking for his first PGA win.

Earnings per Start

MJ has come up with an “Earnings per Start” statistic, and we’re happy to post the information here on our site. Now you can too.

“MJ” of “MJonGolf” (mjongolf.com) has been tracking an interesting statistic: PGA Tour Earnings/Start. Such a statistic accounts for the fact that Vijay Singh, for example, enters ten or so more tournaments per year than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, giving him a great advantage on the money list.

MJ has made the data available for others, and we have been helping to test the methodology for the past few days. You can find the information below our search box on the right side of every page here at The Sand Trap, or include it in your own blog if you wish. Just follow MJ’s simple instructions.

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Wetterich Leads Janzen at Windy Mirasol

Lee Janzen, who hasn’t won on tour since his US Open victory in 1998, trails Brett Wetterich by one after two rounds at the Mirasol Country Club. First-round leader Chad Campbell is one further back.

Lee JanzenHalf of the field got a break and the other half was dealt some serious pain. Players who teed off Thursday morning in cold, wet conditions at the Honda Classic played the afternoon on Friday… just as the winds started gusting to 30 MPH. Nine of the top twelve players after two rounds had the easier go: Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Brett Wetterich (-12) holds a one-stroke lead over a surging Lee Janzen, and first-round leader Chad Campbell sits two back at -10. Wetterich played the first 36 holes without a bogey and fired consecutive 66s. Janzen, who has not won since his US Open victory in 1998, made five putts between 15 and 35 feet to get to -11. Campbell was tied for the lead, but bogeyed two of the final four holes to shoot 71, now tied with Robert Damron, who pulled out a nifty 65. Vijay Singh, who will not be able to regain the #1 spot in the world rankings even with a win this week, shot 69 on Friday afternoon and was at -8