Advice to John Daly: Suing Kids Is No Way to Win Fans

Whether his $100 million injury lawsuit has merit or not, the public is fixating on who it is he’s naming as defendants.

Thrash TalkNo matter how far his golf game has fallen, one thing about John Daly that’s at an all-time high is his inability to recognize a PR nightmare before it happens.

The latest debacle involving Daly comes via reports in the Palm Beach Post that the two-time major champion has filed a lawsuit over a rib injury suffered during the 2007 Honda Classic. He’s seeking $100 million, which is enough to get some guffaws, but in and of itself wouldn’t create any uproar. Until you find out one of the parties named in the suit is the children’s charity that benefits from proceeds brought in by the Honda Classic.

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Volume Two Hundred Thirty Seven

Tiger hands out a bunch of souvenirs, Lefty hits it off the cart path, and Justin Rose takes home the hardware

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf fans and welcome to Hittin’ the Links. What is really up with Ricky Fowler’s wardrobe? Does he get paid extra to show up on the golf course looking like an orange construction barrel? Does Puma actually sell that ensemble in pro shops around the country? To each their own, but you would think they could at least find him a hat that fits, the one he wore all week looked like he had borrowed it from his older and obviously larger brother.

Anyway, in this newest edition of HTL we begin with a look at Tiger’s victims, find out what Tom Lehman learned from John Wooden, and investigate Lefty’s 15th hole on Sunday. Also, we check out the USGA’s change of heart, take a peek at a heck of a graduation trip, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

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On the PGA Tour, It’s Time To Spread the Wealth

Commissioner’s plan to make top players — aka Woods and Mickelson — mix up their schedules is a wise one.

Thrash TalkThere’s a new idea floating around the PGA Tour that would essentially require the game’s biggest stars to participate in some of the season’s lower-tier events. Detach the idea from the world of golf and I’d be standing here screaming about “free market” and “survival of the fittest.”

But when it comes to a collective entity like the PGA Tour, I’m going to say that guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson owe it to the Tour and to the sponsors to suck it up a week or two a year and spread the wealth.

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Five Interesting Facts about Popular Golf Apparel Makers

Nazi Germany, Jami Foxx’s intimate parts, sibling rivalries, and rewriting of history: golf apparel companies have it all and then some.

Trap Five LogoGolf does not require its players to wear uniforms: the extent of most courses’ dress code is “collared shirt, no denim.” With the relatively loose and inclusive standards of attire, it shouldn’t be a surprise that golf apparel is a broad and competitive market, whose players vary from high-end fashion houses to athletic shoe companies to discount-store private labels.

Very few of these companies started out making golf apparel; the origins of some well-known sportswear brands may surprise you. Here are five such clothing companies and the stories behind them.

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Volume Two Hundred Thirty Six

Calc’s retiring, investigating the Mile High Effect, and 12 reasons why golf is the greatest

Hittin' the LinksHappy Memorial Day Sand Trappers, and welcome again to Hittin’ the Links. We have to start this week’s column off with a big thank you to all our men and women in the Armed Forces, we really appreciate everything you do for our great country.

In this edition of HTL we begin by finding out what Jack thinks about Tiger’s major chances, then take a look at the mile high effect, and find out 12 reasons why golf is the greatest. Also, we see who is retiring at the Memorial, investigate two Kiwis playing a lot of golf, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Even Off the Course, a Golfer’s Got a Risk-Reward Decision To Make

The chance to buy a limited edition Phil Mickelson prototype putter should be cause for celebration. Until the price tag smacks you in the face.

Thrash TalkI’ve got a really tough call to make – do I play it safe, or do I pull out the 5 wood and try to carve one into a green surrounded on three sides by water? If I pull it off, I’ll have the equivalent of an eagle putt. If I don’t, I’m not just digging for another ball… I’m sleeping on the couch.

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Getting Fit, Part One

The problem with online fitting systems is that it really shouldn’t be this hard to get fit!

Bag DropRecently, Golf Digest released the ball portion of their annual Hot List, and as an added bonus, the guys at Bomb and Gouge go further into the ball fitting systems (or lack thereof) at each manufacturer’s website (by the way, if you go there now, you can see a little bit of info about Titleist’s newest driver, the 910). Upon visiting each of these myself, everything seemed eerily familiar. Then it hit me – most shaft manufacturers’ websites have the same sort of wizard driven types of fitting tools. Kind of like the Island in Lost – each answer leads you to another question. With each answer comes more confusion, and next thing you know, you’re at your keyboard, pressing “Execute” every 108 minutes in pure frustration!

While I don’t doubt that these online fitting systems may come close to answering the ultimate question for you (what should I be playing?), it just seems like something is missing here. Can we not get some sort of standard rating systems for each individual piece of golf equipment?

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Volume Two Hundred Thirty Five

A 16 year-old makes the Top 25, Tony Romo can play golf, and Elin wants $750 million!

Hittin' the LinksGood morning golf fans and welcome again to Hittin’ the Links. What happened to the Byron Nelson? Poor Byron, he is probably spinning in his grave. Once an event where golf’s best came to pay homage to Lord Byron, has now turned into the Tour stop of the no-names. Is Texas really that bad?

In this newest edition of HTL we begin with a look at a talented 16 year-old, find out what Freddy is up to now, and investigate some Els’ course architecture. Also, we look into Tony Romo’s bid for a spot in the U.S. Open, check out what Elin Woods wants in the divorce, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Five Successful Pro Golfers (And the People They Aren’t)

You may have heard of Adam Scott, Heath Slocum, Jim Thorpe, and others, but do you know about their dopplenamers?

Trap Five LogoDespite my sometimes obsessive attitude towards golf, I do manage to find the time for other interests. One of my favorite television shows on the air right now is the NBC sitcom Parks & Recreation. A recent story arc on that series is the introduction of auditors who have been sent to solve the budgetary woes of the Pawnee city government. One of those auditors is played by an actor named Adam Scott, who is of no apparent relation to the most recent winner on the PGA Tour.

As far as I know, there’s no specific term for the phenomenon of one person sharing the same name as another person. Seeing as I grew up wondering how my state’s senator also managed to sing with Art Garfunkel, though, there probably should be. Anyhow, here are five players who happen to have identical names (or at least strikingly similar ones) as other noteworthy people outside the golf world. Are the golfers on this list worthy of being considered “the” ones with their respective names over their non-golfing brethren?

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