VOX

The USGA and R&A; plan to try to "significantly simplify" the Rules of Golf. They hope to release the simplified rules around 2018.

I went to Pelz school years ago and they used this formula. Every chip should be hit so that it lands three feet onto the green and then rolls to the hole. You determine the club to hit by subtracting the roll/carry ratio from 12. If you need it to roll 5 times as far as it flies, then 12-5=7 -- use a seven iron. Consider your pitching wedge to be a 10 iron. So if you need to carry it 10 feet and roll it another 20, use the PW.

I have always preferred Hartmann luggage and garment bags. the luggage is expensive but lasts forever.

I don't care if they put it on the food network as long as I never have to hear Chris Berman announce golf again.

GOLF and Golf Digest have both gone way down hill over the past 15 years. The only one I always enjoy is LINKS.

In forty years of watching the Masters, this was without a doubt the most boring one.

Phil Bubba Boo

When I went to a Pelz clinic years ago, they said to always leave it in if you can. They claim that Dave tested hundreds of putts (uphill, down hill,straight, breaking etc) and his data shows that the pin increases your chances off making the putt.

Here is what The Donald sent us members -- with his usual humility

Ryder Cup, Open, Masters and anything match play

I believe that you are penalized for carrying 15 clubs not for using the 15th. Which one is the 15th?

30,000 pound fine. 18 months on probation plus the original DQ. Pretty costly.

Heard a new one today. My buddy said "too bad you got an Obama" (aka bad lie). and my friend is from a famous democratic family.

"they say golf is just like life -- but it is much more complicated than that"

* Miscellaneous: In the playoff round, they pan across the 3-player scoreboard very quickly and at the end we see Quimet and Vardon tied at Even. Below their score is Ted Ray at +6. If you go back frame by frame and look at the scores on each hole, we see that Ray is really only at +3 up until this point in the match. This is even more unusual because Frank Chirkinian of CBS started the convention of showing scoreboards relative to par (+3 or -3) about fifty years later. I believe it began at the Masters.

and when did "buck naked" become "butt naked"?

The locals do frown on it if you place the ball on the very back edge of the mat when playing fairway woods or driver "off the deck". It makes it like playing off a tee.

The Old Course in St Andrews actually "requires" the ultimate in winter rules. You must carry and play off a small patch of astroturf from the fairways because the links grass is dormant and does not heal in the winter. Although, I doubt that this is officially sanctioned by the R&A.;

In my experience the slowest players tend to be those players with handicaps over 20 or under 10. 10 - 20 tend to be the fastest.

Kilkee and Spanish point are between Lahinch and Ballybunion and are very reasonable. Kilkee has fantastic views. Spanish Point is a fun little 9 holer and has as honor box where they ask that you put 10 Euros in a box when you start (no starter). Kilkee is a good town to stay in (check out the Stella Maris hotel).

What a great tournament on a fantastic course. It is nice to see a course that tests all of a golfers skills instead of the bomb and gouge fests that so many of our US PGA events have turned into.

But if you intentionally warm the balls with the hand warmer you are in breach of the rules.

I have played most of the Links courses in Ireland and my recommendations would be: Royal County Down (my favorite course in the world) Portrush Lahinch Ballybunion (good deal if you play both courses and they are both excellent) Doonbeg (expensive) Old Head (expensive and far from everything) Enniscrone Tralee Portmarnock Dooks Waterville (not in my top ten but many people love it)

I was also very surprised to see that he ranks 126th on Tour for proximity to the hole after his drive. I know he hits a lot of irons and fairway woods to try to find the fairway but he is giving up a lot of distance.

Every club I have ever belonged to (and I have belonged to a number of them) puts labels on automatically. The only complaint I ever heard was from my wife. She was offended that hers said Mrs. John Doe (as opposed to her given name).