Analyzing Golf’s Analysts

Love them or hate them golf’s analysts are always a part of the telecast, I take a look at the current crop of analysts and give my thoughts.

Thrash TalkAsk most non-golfers and they’ll tell you watching golf on TV is boring. That’s likely because without knowing how difficult it is to hit a four iron to fifteen feet under the pressure of tournament golf, it’s hard to appreciate the achievement. Add to this the announcers doing most of the talking spits out so much golf jargon during the telecast that most non-golfers would either be interested to learn more or totally turned off. Most fall into the latter group.

Still, somebody has to talk during the telecast, and currently golf has some decent personalities doing the talking. Later I will do a story on the lead announcers like Jim Nantz, but for now I want to focus on the analysts. To qualify for a golf analyst you need to have had a moderately successful golf career and it doesn’t hurt if you are slightly controversial and willing to speak your mind.

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Recapping Tiger’s Last Five Wins

As he nears the top spot in the world rankings, we take a look at Tiger’s journey back.

Trap Five LogoSince the infamous Thanksgiving Night 2009 car crash, Tiger Woods, once a sure thing to pass Jack’s record of 19 major championships, has won just five times on the PGA Tour. All of those wins have come in a 13-month stretch, starting with the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational, and culminating in his won at Doral just recently. (And I’m not counting the Chevron because, c’mon, only host Tiger himself thinks that’s a real tournament.)

Woods now has 76 wins on the PGA Tour, behind only Sam Snead’s mark of 82 wins. His 14 majors trail just Nicklaus, and, if you’re inclined to go there, he’s also third all-time in European Tour wins (behind Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer) because they sanction the majors and WCG tournaments, which Tiger has dominated.

As Tiger marches back towards the world number one ranking, and readies for the first major of the season, let’s take a look at his journey back from 58th in the world rankings.

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Nine Holes With Brandt Snedeker

Exploring the backstory of the world’s hottest player.

ProfilesAfter about three years on the Nationwide Tour and six more of middling PGA Tour play, Brandt Snedeker broke through during last year’s FedExCup Playoffs, and won the $10 million top prize. Snedeker, who won earlier in the year at Torrey Pines, beat Justin Rose by three strokes down the stretch at the Tour Championships, vaulting him ahead of Jason Dufner, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy to win the Cup.

Snedeker has a few major championship close calls, and though he had yet to pull it, Sneds is a pretty solid bet to win one over the next few years. Let’s jump in.

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Volume Three Hundred Forty Three

Streelman breaks through, Sergio owes some money, and would someone let Stacy Lewis’ caddy borrow a rule book?

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf nuts and welcome to yet another edition of Hittin’ the Links. Even as the nation develops a case of March Madness the world of golf keeps trudging along. This week’s PGA Tour event was a little anti-climactic as many of the most popular players decided to stay home and fill out their brackets. Even so, there was still plenty going on to write about, let’s see what happened.

In this volume of HtL we begin with a look at Stacy Lewis’ penalty, then check out a Twitter war, and find out what’s going on between Sergio and the IRS. Also, we investigate a golfer who was swallowed by the course, take a peek at Bubba’s golf grips, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Dear Phil, Thanks for the Memories

Phil Mickelson has give us golf fans so many fantastic memories, but are his better years behind him?

Thrash TalkI know when I write this there are going to be many of you who disagree with me. Especially the Phil fans of whom I am one of. I believe the end of the Phil Mickelson era is upon us. He may win a few more regular tournament events, but he will no longer win majors and will shortly be a complete non-factor.

For starters, it pains me to say this, because during his prime and even today I am one of his biggest supporters. I would and still do root for Phil at every event in which he plays. His go-for-broke style allows for some of the highest highs and lowest lows. We may never see another golfer with his style and flair play the game again. He is certainly deserving of the hall of fame and without Tiger would have been one of the game’s true greats. Add to this, Phil is very generous with his time with the fans, signing autographs and giving out balls to the kids, he is easy to like.

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PING G25 Irons Review

With a brand new finish and some key performance changes PING recently released their upgrade to the G series irons with the G25 irons. I took them for a spin to see how they performed.

Ping G25When I think of PING my first thought is to the revolution that they brought to the market with cast cavity-back irons, the PING Eye2. Since that time PING has continued to make irons every type of player – from the average to the touring pro. It is my opinion that PING has one of the most loyal fan bases of any of the club makers, and anytime a new iron set is released there is bound to be excitement. With the announcement of the new G25 irons PING has once again created quite a stir.

The newest offering from PING, the G25s are a slight change from the G series of irons that PING has traditionally been offering. It seems they have taken feedback from golfers that the top line and sole width had been getting too large and decided to have the designers change it up a bit with the G25s. Even with all the cosmetic and performance changes PING wanted to make sure it was a high performing and forgiving iron that would appeal to golfers of all skill levels.

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Mizuno JPX 825 Pro Irons Review

These irons are as forgiving as any true “game-improvement” irons I’ve ever tested, yet provide feel and workability close or equal to most “player’s” irons.

As many golfers know, Mizuno Golf is best know for designing some of the best forged irons in the world. First building their reputation by manufacturing muscle back blades, Mizuno grew to expand their line into forged cavity backs and forged game improvement clubs. The new JPX line is geared for the average player, the player that needs more help with forgiveness and getting the ball in the air. The JPX 825 Pro is the best of both words, combining Mizuno’s pure forged sound with updated forgiveness. Let’s take a closer look.

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Volume Three Hundred Forty Two

Steve Stricker – Golf’s newest putting guru!

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans, welcome to yet another informative edition of Hittin’ the Links. So I hope everyone got to say goodbye to Doral as we know it. Donald Trump plans to “blow it up” starting immediately after this weekend’s event. What we will get when he’s done with the Blue Monster is anyone’s guess.

In this week’s volume of HtL we start out with a look at the Great White Shark in China, then investigate the Donald’s plans for Doral, and check out a battle over a Green Jacket. Also on tap we check out how college golf is going, find out about Steve Stricker’s new career, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Titleist Releases the 913 Fairway Woods and Hybrids

Titleist’s 913 product family has new members with the introduction of the company’s newest fairway woods and hybrids.

Bag DropBack in November, Titleist updated its product family with the addition of the 913D2 and 913D3 drivers. These clubs replaced the 910 drivers in Titleist’s lineup, however, at that point, that was it; no new woods or hybrids. Starting at the beginning of this month, that is no longer the case with the introduction of the 913F and 913F.d fairway woods and 913H and 913H.d hybrids.

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