ipark1303

Nice post! I used to live in San Francisco, California and my home course was Harding Municipal course. Well, from what I heard this course used to be a very popular course for the Tour pros in the 60's, but then it was a little bit abandoned. Few years ago, Sandy Tatum, the former USGA president, took initiative and was able to find a way to restore it (the course is very beautiful, imagine after the restoration!!) In 2005, they were able to organize the Accenture World Golf Championship, sponsored by American Express and Tiger Woods beat John Daly in the third playoff hole. Well, I used to play the course very often and I know exactly how long is every hole and when I saw the Tour players hitting their drivers and irons, I was more than amazed! I will give just one simple example... the 18th hole. It's a par 4, 440 yards, but if played back, it can go at 470-480 yards. You have to driver over a big creek, so besides length, you need to choose the right aim/line. When I used to play it, I hit drive and have 200 yards left. Tiger and JD hit driver and had 80-100 yards left for a easy sand wedge!!!!!! Still can't believe it!!!! find attached the website: http://www.harding-park.com/view.asp?id=129&page;=1726

They found a very famous Nascar racing team cheating (Michael Waltrip!) - Dale Thomas (Wendys founder) would be furious from his grave! (they used to sponsor each other) Today, also Jeff Gordon's car did not pass inspection.... what's going on? It seems that cheaters are everywhere.... hope not on the PGA Tour...

Welcome aboard, Desmond! Hope you will enjoy the forum like I have been doing in the last months!

I believe you... your handicap index speaks by itself.... congratulations! I actually played with other guys in California who constantly hit their 5 irons around 200-210 (they were getting in two on all the par 5 - 520-550 yards!!!)

Yes, sorry to deviate the discussion a bit... but what happens when you have tournaments where they calculate the scores through the "callaway" system? Do you think that the callaway system is correct? Does it reflect your handicap precisely? IMO, handicaps have their flaws. I admitted that when I was younger and in Europe (the system differs a lot), I had a higher official handicap and I took advantage in 2 tournaments... but right after the second tournament, I felt that I was just cheating myself... so I stopped playing tournaments. Now, I have a 7.0 handicap and 2 years ago, I participated at a Korean tournament (my first and last!). Well.... you never want to play those ones, because everyone cheats. There were people who said that their handicap was 28 and they play 79-80. There were others who said that their handicap was 2-3 and they play 90 and over. The guys in my foursome were playing winter rules from everywhere (too bad it was middle of August!!!) and were placing the ball The guy who won had a declared handicap of 12 and he scored 71 (-1)!!!!!!! By now, you should know what I think about handicap...

Me.... around 180 yards on average and no roll. Roll.... I thought we were talking about irons.... don't we usually calculate the carry when dealing with irons? I can also hit it to 200 yards, but the next day I have problems in rising from bed! Sometimes, I hit it 205 yards (if we introduce the concept of roll...), yeah, whenever I hit it thin, you should really see how much it rolls... if my ball was able to talk, it will scream: "aargh" for the pain!!!!! The problem is that unfortunately when I hit those distances, most of the times, the ball goes in a very slightly (just a bit!) different direction from where I actually aimed!!!

Damned... this Danny Gans must be a "real gentleman"... I could not resist and I look for his bio on the web.... it says... let me actually attached his bio... Danny Gans He's the "Entertainer of the year" in Las Vegas, and his award winning "Show of the Year" is the hottest ticket in town. He's being called the best singer-comedian-impressionist-actor in the business today, by entertainment critics and his peers. Audiences go wild over him. Who is he? He's Danny Gans. Gans hadn't planned to be an entertainer. His boyhood dream was to play third base for the Dodgers, and he was, in fact, drafted by the Kansas City Royals, while he was still attending high school in California. Sadly, an injury forced him to decline the flattering offer, but sometimes opportunity knocks more than once. When he was in college, Gans had to turn down another draft offer, this one was from the Chicago White Sox. Then, two years later, Gans' life long dream came true: he signed with the Dodgers organization. However, not long after the elation, it all came to a crashing halt during his first season. A career-ending injury turned his life upside-down. With the love and encouragement of his friends and family, Gans shifted his focus from baseball to entertainment. He had been blessed with a marvelous singing voice, the ability to make people laugh and a rare presence that would manifest itself in his new career. Any comments???

Does she have the game for winning multiple times on the LPGA???? I guess that's also another question that must be solved.... Especially, now that she started to have all these physical problems... (heat, wrist injury....)

Ok Guys! I think this was just a simple and incredible misunderstanding! Let's forget about it! I really appreciate to read and share opinions of every user in this forum as I believe everyone is contributing greatly. As I said before, this is a great forum (if you don't believe me, go to any web search engine and type golf forum and join one... you will come back right away!) You guys are great and this is because we all have one thing in common: love for golf. So, let's share only the good thoughts... I agree with NM Golf... who is Danny Gans?? (sorry I am from Italy... don't know much about US celebrities.....)

Yep, he didn't need 2 years... Well, it's good for us, no? This year is going to be a very interesting one.... all my favorite players have won 1 tournament by now.... let's see who is going to survive! Whose Golf is going to reign supreme! ( I got this phrase from the Iron Chef....) I apologize for the harsh comment on Phil... but I wanted to put some "spice" on this issue... it seems that the "low-fat yogurt" has worked for Phil ...

Find attached another example that support my theory. this quote was taken out from the golfchannel forum, where I posted this thread. I got this message in reply... a personal admission of a steroid user. From: elpasoj33 (17 of 39) 8/30/2006 11:40:31 AM To: coletrain In response to Post 11 anyone who doesn't think steroids can improve your golf game doesnt understand them. Steroids enhance everything,especially concentration,eyesight,and timing. I have posted this before and been attacked for it. I have been on a 10 week steroid injection program three times for a medical condition. This was back in mid 90s. I added 10-15% to all of my clubs. It did not have any adverse effect on my short game or putting. It added no noticeable muscle mass. But man, I have never hit the ball more solid before or since these roid rounds. The two groups I play with could not figure it out. At the time i was the short hitter in our group in the 250-265 range. All of sudden I was out there 280-290 and my seven iron was going 165 instead of 150. There has to be players on the PGA tour doing steroids or who have done steroids. You just do them for a couple of months and then stop. Distance does matter. Most par 72 courses are now really par 68 for the long hitters.

Comparing golf to Baseball or Football is apples and oranges. The reports I have heard emphasize that power is NOT the only advantage that steroids etc. bring. Steroids improve TRACKING. TACKING is the ability to follow a moving object. Steroids are therefore a perfcect drug to enhance hitting in baseball...POWER and TRACKING. Seems to me the same steroids that will help someone hit a baseball squarely will also help you hit a golf ball squarely. IMO it's obvious that steroids would help both your ball striking AND distance.

It's an issue about integrity... not winning I am not saying that drugs make you win. Obviously power is not the only factor. How would you consider Sammy Sosa using a corked bat or Barry Bonds using Balco products? They still make homeruns but their teams still do not win the World Series. However, they still cheat... cheat on themselves and the fans. Power has been a factor on the PGA tour. If you consider the top ten longest driver hitters list and look at their money ranking, you will see that they have earned way much more money than the top ten accurate driver hitters. Hitting a 330 yard driver and a Sand Wedge on a 450 yards-Par 4 makes a big difference from hitting a 250 yard driver and a second shot from 200 yards. I am not questioning the result.... I am doubtful on the context of how these results are pursued. Athletic ability goes beyond hand-eye coordination, otherwise how can you explain all these players going into long weightlifting training sessions. Tiger Woods is the best player in the world because of his natural talent combined to an outstanding physical condition (the ancient greek used to say "mens sana in corpore sana" - healthy mind in healthy body). For this reason, Tiger is almost unbeatable in sudden death... when other players have to face their fatigue, Tiger is fitter and can endure and stand fatigue longer and better. As far as drugs that makes you putt better, I am afraid to tell you that there are already anti-anxiety pills that makes you feel less nervous and makes you control better your yips when putting. Let's talk with facts and not through "if" or "let's say" assumptions, please. Drugs enhance muscular strength. Drugs give you better condition compared to other players/athletes. It's a hidden abuse that provides advantage. Whether you hit longer or not is not important. It's the fact that you are getting some external, unethical, and unauthorized help. It's an issue of cheating.

Find attached another article supporting my theory. It is time that people wake up and realize that the power corrupts... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...scorecard0904/

Good point... but do we have the 100% certainty (that top players are clean)? This is why we need testing.

check this out...sports illustrated... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...olf/index.html

As I said in other posts... it's incredible on how a player I criticize proves me wrong every time! (It's like the Superbowl... the team that I bet on, loses always!) It's good to see Phil back so soon and I hope he can be a challenger for the top seed this season. Good Luck Lefty!

I actually have not received the latest issue... thanks for mentioning it, I will check the article as soon as I receive it (my postmaster!!!! )

Ha ha ha, Thank you for your comment, brief but precise as always! I can agree with you on the LPGA, but I actually disagree for Mr. Finchem. (I know that it's always easy to criticize someone from our position!) I always like to challenge my ideas and prove myself wrong.... so I started this thread. IMO, there are several issues that the current Commissioner has not been able to give a definite plan of intervention (I will try to be brief otherwise, I am going to write an encyclopedia!): 1. Drug Testing Any word of when it is going to be implemented...as Tiger said, we are not proactive on this one. (As Erik said in one of the older podcast, let's do it and take out any doubts... we are clean, so let's prove it.) 2. Fedex Cup This is Golf, not Nascar...and who can states that this year is more exciting than last year season? Did anything change? More money for sure... more quality... uhm, dunno. 3. Tiger and other players control It is obvious that players do whatever they like... players control PGA and not the opposite. I know that Tiger is Tiger, but he is also a member of the PGA and he must abide to certain rules. If everyone starts to follow his example of skipping tournaments (I understand he cannot play all of them, but the Tour championship...c'mon!), the PGA is going to be anarchy 4. Commissioner Salary Commissioner was reported to make more than $4 millions last year... this position should be an honorary appointed position with no monetary remuneration... not even the President of USA makes that money!) 5. Equipment and Technological Advance This is actually ruled by the USGA and the R&A; St. Andrews, but PGA Tour must put some limits... players like Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Corey Pavin, Jeff Sluman, Nick Price, etc. has been disappearing. Is it fun to watch players blasting driver and wedge in most of the holes? 6. PGA Tour Image and Golf Introduction to Minorities Money, money, money (which is good...) but we need quality and we also should promote and introduce golf to more people. Golf has the advantage of having maybe the best player of history and the Tour can try to spread the game to more people and make it more accessible to everyone (especially minorities). Very little has been done and everyone looks more at his own pockets instead of contributing more to the benefit of the community. IMO, we really need to have a more charismatic figure. The perfect commissioner would be someone who had a past as a Tour Player. Few years ago, Greg Norman was very interested in the position. I would be very happy to see him on the job, as we need someone who understands players and has a lot of charisma and influence on them. Now, I am ready to be "bombarded" by any comments or opinions.....please, don't hit too hard!!!

Let's say that Tiger comes back in the match play and he wins...(so 8th win) And he wins other 3-4 tournaments in a row.... are we going to talk about the "Tiger Streak"?

I personally agree. Even though I am not Phil's greatest fan, I still would like to see him at his best so he can be another source of challenge for the best golfer in the world!

Positive thinking and positive reiforcement! Remember.... good things happen always when you feel good!!!

Wow! I was trying to put some "heat" on the forum.... I guess everyone wants to stay diplomatic.... I myself am from Europe and I like to see more European and International players on the Tour. It offers more competitiveness and rises the level of the game in general. However, I thought that a native American would have different thoughts and opinions from mine...

Damned, JD!!!! Your scorecard looks like Michelle Wie's....

yep, it seems that Phil is already back! how about that... I like when I criticize a player and he proves me wrong right away! (it happens pretty often!) maybe I should start criticizing Mike Weir, so he can start winning!?!! Good luck Lefty!!!