A Real Hell Hole

Weequahic Park Golf Course, contender for worst golf course in the US.

For years, golf publications have inundated us with lists of the best courses that can be found in America as well as the rest of the world. These numeric lists are always accompanied by a few choice quotes and some carefully manufactured PR photos, usually taken at the break of dawn, to accentuate the landscape.

Rarely do we find out which courses are the worst of the worst. A possible contender for the title may be Weequahic Park Golf Course. This public muni located in Newark, New Jersey was listed as the #4 hell hole by Maxim. Not because of the ripped up tee boxes or the unkept greens but because of the three bodies found there over a six–month period between then end of 2002 and April 2003.

Nanotech Golf Balls

We’re not talking about microscopic golf balls, but golf balls based on nanotechnology.

NanodynamicsSo many golf inventions come from Buffalo, New York. There’s the, uhhh… and the, uhmmm… well, never mind. NanoDynamics, Inc. of – you guessed it – Buffalo, New York have reportedly come up with a golf ball that can correct its own flight path. It’s no miracle cure, but the ball supposedly corrects slight drifts and wobbles by better channeling the energy received from the clubhead.

Says CEO Keith Blakely, “It also behaves much more controllably on a putting surface, which is how we hope to get interest on the pro circuit. It has a reduced tendency to break. It doesn’t pop or jump or roll.” NanoDynamics has apparently not only conquered the slice, but gravity as well.

The ball is expected to sell for $7 to $8 apiece in the spring of 2005, though the ball has yet to be submitted for USGA approval. NanoDynamics has set up a site at ndmxgolf.com to show off their balls.

Shoulder Alignment

An open stance is one thing. An open pair of shoulders is another.

It’s true that tour pros often align their feet left of the target. An open stance makes it easier to clear the hips, generating tremendous lower-body drive and power. Many amateurs take an open stance as well, but they typically do so not to obtain power, but to try to make the ball go left. Most amateurs slice.

Pros don’t slice with an open stance because their shoulders remain square. Oftentimes an amateur feels “closed” with square shoulders (particularly if their stance is open). Shoulders can also open up when you take that “one last look” down the fairway in your preshot routine.

Check your shoulder alignment in the mirror. For righties, you shouldn’t see your right shoulder at all – it should be behind (and slightly lower than) your left shoulder.

Augusta National Denies… a White Man?

Augusta National denies rumors that a membership was part of a deal to lure Steve Spurrier to the University of South Carolina.

logo_masters.gifWell, it’s not so much that Augusta National has denied entrance to anyone, though I’m sure there’s been plenty of that. This time, they’ve denied rumors that a membership for former University of Florida and Washington Redskins football coach Steve Spurrier was any part of a deal to get Spurrier to coach the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

Rumors have been flying around the Internet that since Hootie Johnson, Chairman at Augusta National, is a USC graduate and former football player there, that a possible membership would be part of a deal to lure Spurrier to Charleston. Johnson says otherwise.

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Burton Golf Club-Lok Bag

The Club-Lok golf bag from Burton Golf will keep your clubs safe.

burton_clublok.jpgI’ve heard plenty of horror stories of people dropping their golf bag in the rack outside the pro shop, running into the bathroom or some such activity, coming out and finding clubs or even their whole bag missing. To try to curb this kind of theft, a new and interesting twist on golf bag design is here from Burton Golf called the Club-Lok golf bag, incorporating the Club-Lok Golf Club Theft Prevention System.

Utilizing a normal club organizer top with fourteen graphite shaft-friendly openings, the Club-Lok incorporates a hidden security system comprised of fourteen pairs of clamps which, when locked, prevent club removal. It appears from the animation on the product’s web site, that the locking feature basically prevents the club grip from sliding through the opening of the clamp. I suppose this is fundamentally secure since grips are kind of hard to get off by yanking on the club head.

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Titleist to Casey: You’re Stupid

Englishman Paul Casey, following his “Americans are stupid. I hate them.” comment has lost his Titleist sponsorship.

Titleist LogoEnglish Golfer Paul Casey may have attended Arizona State, may be coached by an American, and may be dating an American, but he’s no longer a favorite of Americans. Casey’s recent comments about Americans (specifically “Americans are stupid. I hate them.”) has cost him more than a warm welcome when he plays the PGA Tour next season; it’s cost him a sponsorship with Titleist.

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Chip Hip to Hip

A little flippy with the wrists when you chip? Try chipping from “hip to hip.”

Distance control is critical on chips. A sharp, descending blow that repeats itself chip after chip is preferable to a wristly “flippy chip” every time.

For crisp contact and good distance control, think of moving your arms from hip to hip. When you flip your wrists, your arms tend to remain near the center of your body. Keep your wrists quiet and move your entire arm – and the clubhead – through impact.

Annika Leads ADT

Annika Sorenstam posted a 6-under 66 Thursday for a one-shot lead after the first round of the season-ending ADT Championship.

AnnikaHo hum. “Annika Sorenstam leads the tournament.” It’s become almost cliché, hasn’t it? After firing a 6-under par 66, which included four birdies in the last five holes, Sorenstam holds a one shot lead after one round of play in the season-ending ADT Championship. Close behind her are Cristie Kerr (67) and Karrie Webb (68).

The ADT Championship has been played at the difficult Trump International the past four years, but Annika is confident, saying “Now I know where the ball is going, I can be more aggressive with these pins if they’re tucked in the corner or just behind the bunker. I’m not afraid of being a little more aggressive because I have a better feel.” She spent several days with her coach Henrie Reis before coming to West Palm Beach.

Other notables include Laura Diaz at -3, Grace Park at -1, and Meg Mallon, who triple-bogied 18, at +2. Lorena Ochoa shot 75, giving Grace Park a leg up on the race for the Vare Trophy. All told, only 11 players managed to break par.

Showtimes for the ADT Championship‘s second, third, and fourth rounds include coverage Friday and Saturday, from 4:30 to 7pm on The Golf Channel, and Sunday coverage on CBS from 1 to 3pm.

Top Ten Stories of 2004

These are the top ten golf stories of 2004. Would you have ranked them differently?

The Sand Trap wasn’t around for much of 2004, but we were still golf fans and viewers! About.com’s golf section lists the Top Ten Stories of 2004, and here they are:

10. U.S. Curtis Cup team heralds the future of women's golf
 9. John Daly gets first win in nine years
 8. Major championship venues inspire awe, anger
 7. David Duval returns to the PGA Tour
 6. Arnold Palmer plays his 50th and final Masters
 5. The slump of Tiger Woods
 4. Europe dominates the Ryder Cup
 3. 14-year-old Michelle Wie challenges the cut line at PGA Tour Sony Open
 2. Vijay Singh wins nine times on the PGA Tour
 1. Phil Mickelson wins The Masters

I sure as heck would not have ranked them that way. Tiger, the Ryder Cup, and Vijay’s dominance (and Annika’s dominance) beat the pants off Mickelson winning the Masters.

How would you have ranked them?