TaylorMade Introduces the SLDR Driver

TaylorMade seems to have abandoned the “science of white” with their newest driver, the SLDR.

Bag DropFor a while now, TaylorMade has been one of the top drivers on tour, and this month, the company is back at it again with their fourth driver release of 2013. Earlier this year we saw the much anticipated R1, the follow up to the R11s, and at the same time the RocketBallz (RBZ) Stage 2. Both of the drivers proved to be fairly popular choices among golfers and found their way into many bags. Those two clubs followed the trend that the company had started a few years ago by featuring white crowns, albeit with more agressive graphics than previous models. A few months ago, however, TaylorMade seemed to stray from the “science of white” and released a black version of the R1, giving the club a more traditional look.

Continue reading “TaylorMade Introduces the SLDR Driver”

2013 Majors Recap

The crop of major championship winners in 2013 shows us that sometimes you need to lose a major before you can learn to win one.

Thrash TalkIn 1997, Tiger Woods first hit the scene he declared that he was planning to eclipse the eighteen majors won by Jack Nicklaus. This sent a message to everyone that the majors were now the most important tournaments and would get extra focus.

Of course, the concept of majors was decided long before Tiger hit the scene but it was Tiger to put the focus of every golfer on winning them and how important they would become. In 2013, we got three first-time winners of majors in Adam Scott, Justin Rose, and Jason Dufner. Each of them had to endure quite a road to reaching this tall mountain. The fourth winner, Phil Mickelson, won a major, certainly not his first, but one that most of us thought he would never win – the British Open.

Continue reading “2013 Majors Recap”

Is Rory McIlroy More like Tiger or Phil?

Rory McIlroy is proven as golf’s next hot young gun, but of what variety?

Thrash TalkIn a recent article of Golf Magazine Padraig Harrington made a comment that he felt Rory was more like Phil Mickelson than Tiger Woods. I find this a very interesting comment because Rory is so often compared to Tiger. For a while now many in the golf industry have coroneted him “the next Tiger.”

When Tiger first started having success many in the media were quick to dub Tiger the next Jack Nicklaus. Tiger invited this comparison especially when telling everyone that Jack’s major record of eighteen majors was his personal golfing goal. Sadly for Tiger this now means unless he hits the number of nineteen his career while wildly successful did not meet his own expectations. Tiger is of course very talented but has a work ethic and a mental toughness that may never be matched again. I can say that within my generation is many different sports Tiger has one of the toughest mental dexterities of any athlete in any sport. He made putts, but not just any putts, the toughest putts to make, all the time. He was incredible.

Continue reading “Is Rory McIlroy More like Tiger or Phil?”

2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Final Round Live Chat

Can Furyk last longer than five hours? Will Adam Scott or Dufner come back from a disappointing third round? Join us live to chat about the 2013 PGA Championship.

2013 PGA Championship Staff Predictions

The 2013 PGA Championship will be hosted at Oak Hill Golf Club in Rochester New York lets see what the staff expects for the event.

Thrash TalkThe 2013 PGA Championship returns to Rochester New York for “Glory’s Last Shot” the PGA Championship. This years event is now set up to be one of most exciting PGA Championships in recent history. Tiger coming off a seven stroke victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Championship will make him a huge favorite especially with The SandTrap staff. Phil coming off winning the Open Championship just a few weeks earlier means most of the big names will be on their game. There are a bunch of story lines, lets see what the staff expects for the event.

Continue reading “2013 PGA Championship Staff Predictions”

Volume Three Hundred Fifty Five

Tiger laps the field, Bubba likes burritos, and Michelle makes the team.

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome to yet another Hittin’ the Links. Its time for the final Major Championship of the year. Will Tiger continue his great play from Firestone? Will Phil the thrill make another surprise run? Or will there be another storyline unfolding at Oak Hill? I love to watch Major Championship golf, it will be exciting no matter who is in the lead come Sunday.

In this edition of HtL we begin with a look at Rory’s emotions, then check out Tiger being a dad, and investigate what Tiger did to Mark O’Meara. Also, we peruse the captain’s picks for the Solheim Cup, find out who really loves burritos, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on.

Continue reading “Volume Three Hundred Fifty Five”

Dear Phil, Sorry I Wrote You Off Too Soon

Earlier I declared the end of the Phil Mickelson era in major championships, so what did he do? Go out and shoot the best round of his life, now it is time for me to apologize.

Thrash TalkIt is never easy to admit when you were wrong. When making predictions, especially about sports, one is bound to be wrong from time to time. A few months ago I declared that Phil Mickelson’s career in the majors was over.

Boy was I wrong. If Phil hits better wedges on the 13th and 15th hole at Merion, he may have won two majors and I would have looked really stupid. The 66 Phil fired at Muirfield was not vintage Phil Mickelson. It was what we have come to expect from Tiger. Exacting, skillful, and beyond all, clutch.

Continue reading “Dear Phil, Sorry I Wrote You Off Too Soon”

Five Tour Roundup: July 2013

Recapping the first half of the season on the five major tours.

Trap Five LogoHere in the U.S., there are five golf tours aired on television: the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, the European Tour, the Web.com Tour, and the Champions Tour. Since we’re about halfway through the season, it seems like now would be a good time to recap the action throughout the world of golf.

The PGA Tour has seen occasional dominance of four-time winner Tiger Woods, though he’s shrunken during crunch time at the majors. The opposite could be said for Inbee Park, six-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year, and current grand slam candidate with three major wins thus far. The Web.com and Champions Tours each have a single multiple-time winner, while the Euro Tour has just two.

Let’s get to it.

Continue reading “Five Tour Roundup: July 2013”

BombTech Grenade Driver Review

We take a look at one of the most, well, explosive new drivers in golf.

BombTech Grenade Driver SoleWhen I heard that we had a chance to review the BombTech Golf Grenade driver, I jumped after the opportunity after a bit of research. BombTech Golf is a new company, based out of Vermont, that makes clubs by hand in the United States. Their first club, the Grenade driver, was co-engineered with the University of Vermont engineering department as a part of their senior design project.

Why did I jump at the opportunity? Because I’m an engineer myself.

The BombTech Golf website reads more technically than most. It includes SolidWorks CAD models and computational fluid dynamics simulations, as well as a drag force calculation, not exactly the types of information that companies like TaylorMade or Nike would be willing to give out.

They might not market like the big boys of the golf industry, but could their drivers perform like the OEMs’? Let’s find out.

Continue reading “BombTech Grenade Driver Review”