utztech

It has been a surprise to me how much the analysts criticize what Tiger is doing, rather than analyze why he might be doing it. They start from the position that what Tiger is doing is wrong, rather than ask themselves why the greatest or 2nd greatest player of all time is doing these things. For example, here is my analysis: The only way he keeps his motivation and competitive drive is by having something big to work on, hence the continual swing changes. As for Chamblee, I can't stand him. He is paid to have an opinion, but when it comes to Tiger it always sound personal to me. He has a lot of venom in his voice when he talks about Tiger.

Thanks for taking the time to summarize. I have wondered the same thing, how would 2012 Tiger play against 2000 Tiger. Has he really fallen that far, or is it more a matter of better competition? I think Tiger change the game in 2000. Once someone shows you what it is possible, it becomes easier for others to do it. In the months after the first mile was run in under 4 minutes, plenty of other people did it too.

Here are videos for the commercials I was talking about. I didn't think to embed them before.

That is really funny, I never saw that one before.

I know there has been threads like this before, but the commercials change all the time, so it might be time for another. One commercial that always makes me laugh is Bubba and Hunter Mahan in the locker room talking about their Ping irons. Bubba's little smirking laugh at the end is perfect. My vote for worst golf commercial on right now is Kim Furyk in 5 hour energy. "I have been taking the product for about a year and I have more energy, I am more energetic, and I am not as tired." Really solid endorsement there.

I thought Els was not anchoring it, not sure. Anyway, I have said before I don't like Keegan Bradley's putter either, and go ahead a put Web Simpson in there too. If Els was anchoring, then I wish he would have lost too. The thing is, I actually think all the guys are total class acts, I just think they are using a crutch on the greens. I don't care if it is legal, my opinion is that it should not be, and I think it is a crutch.

As far as playing the ProV1/Prov1x or a cheaper ball when you are just learning: I say go with the ProV1/x. It is true that you won't see much difference unless you make good contact, but I think you will learn to make good contact around the greens faster when you have the feedback from a good ball. I started playing the ProV1x before I really could use it fully, but the first time I hit a 30 yard pitch and the ball took one hop and stopped on a dime, it was a revelation. I always thought you had to hit the ball hard to generate that much spin and the pros were somehow magicians. But all it takes is a good lie and good contact. You can buy ProV1/x used online for like $12 a dozen depending on condition.

The longest I can remember that I verified with my laser was 320, slight tailwind, down hill. I just got the Razr Fit and my driving has improved with it. I have lasered several drives with it at 280-300, but that is maybe once a round. That 320 drive I felt like I crushed on the sweet spot, was down hill, little bit of helping wind, firm fairways, and 2000 ft elevation. It makes me in total awe of what the pros can do.

I am glad Adam Scott lost. I can't take that putter or his super wide putting stance. Is it just me or does he look like he is ready for a full-cavity search when he is putting.

I saw that too and thought it was gross as well. They need to raise the purses on tour so Adam Scott can afford his own bottle of water.

I am hoping for Selanee too. She is playing ridiculously good right now. It is nice to finally see some quality golf. And she has a killer instinct. I think this final could be awesome. Marcela has been the most consistent golfer throughout the season, and is probably the best golfer on the show. But Selanee is on such a hot streak right now I don't think she can be beat.

I think golf tournaments are better than other professional sporting events. I took my boys to the 2010 US Open on Saturday and they got in free. Try that with any other pro sport. But I agree that you should be able to bring in water, that's just lame. My bigger complaint is they wont let you bring in a backpack. They give you some stupid bag you have to carry all day. I'm sorry, you are going to be travelling probably miles, out all day and you have nowhere to put your jacket, water/drinks, binoculars, etc. I'll still go to many more tournaments despite this gripe.

1. There is something wrong with your swing. Fix that and you'll hit your irons better. 2. Craigslist 3. Hit putts in your bedroom 4. Interlocking

I thought the same thing. I started out defending the level of play in the first couple of weeks saying it would get better when the weaker players left, but this is just stupid. At this point in the show the players left should at least be able to HIT THE GREEN from a greenside bunker. How many complete misses of the green from inside 50 yards were there this week? A bunch.

Agreed. Number 9 at We-KO-PA Saguaro is a 120 yd hole that is tough and fun. All my favorite courses have at least one short par three. The really short ones on tour require the player to not just hit it a certain distance, but to control the spin and trajectory, which is not as easy and makes for some entertaining golf.

Amen to 4. That was just sad, and I think Selanee is one of the best on the show. Could Aubrey chunk any more chip shots? That was even sadder, I am glad I don't have to watch that anymore. Has there ever been any asian girls on the show? It seems strange there has not been considering how many there are on the LPGA. I have a hard time believing that they don't get any applications. I realize they would need to be able to speak English for the interviews and such. I do wish that the balance between good looks and golf skill was pushed more toward golf skill.

I did not like the original Supreme Court decision then and I don't like it now. My way of thinking is this: To be an elite athlete in any sport you need to be born with specific genetic tools. Call it talent if you want, but at the elite level coaching and practice are not enough, you have to have been born with something extra. Both Casey Martin and myself were not born with the genetic makeup to be elite golfers apparently. Just because he is a lot closer to having the stuff than I am does not make it right to bend the rules of the game so he can compete. I also wasn't born 7 feet tall with great hand-eye coordination and a 40 inch vertical, I will never be a center in the NBA. There are a lot of things I will never be because my genes just don't have what it takes. Lets assume technology advances to the point where I can get some super stilts that give me the height, speed, and vertical leap to compete in the NBA. Should I be allowed to use them? I know my comments will come across as insensitive because Martin is disabled, not just some uncoordinated nerd on his computer, but on a logical level, I too do not have what it takes from a physical perspective to be a PGA tour pro.

My favorite part of the tournament so far is watching Levin plumb-bob with his 8 foot putter. I bet that extra length really helps the plumb-bob accuracy. Snark aside, it seems to be working for him this time.

Agreed, he looked sloppy at times yesterday, but chipped in twice and made a couple of other bombs which made his game look better than it was. If the conditions turn tough and it becomes a round of survival, then I like Tiger's chances, otherwise I would place my bet on Fowler.

I have seen this mentioned a couple of places too. But is there a source where Phil actually mentioned the phones? As far as I can tell, it was Bubba complaining about the phones and putting words in Phil's mouth. Bubba said Phil probably was put off his game because of all the phones. Then Bubba said its not fun to play anymore with this cell phone policy. Then Bubba said, "Wah I want a bottle to go along with my green jacket that I had no fun winning!" Anyway, it seems in the past Phil will speak up when he has a problem with something. He has not been the 'silent protest' type in the past. And just to voice my opinion on the phones, the fans need to silence those things and abide by the rules or get asked to leave. But a professional golfer should be able to back-off reset and not let some clicking take him out of his game and "ruin all the fun, waaaahhhh."

I seriously doubt that is true. If they take it and allow you to stay, then you will be allowed to retrieve it at the end of the day. If you do something really stupid they'll just kick you out with your phone. I was at Pebble in 2010 and saw quite a few people with their phones. I suspect they did what I have done at other tournaments, put the phone on silent, in their pocket, and walk in. I have done this in the past, and if you are really paranoid but want to check the phone, do it in the porta-john. At Pebble I saw people looking at their phones openly, but not near play or a Marshal. They did it near concessions or the toilets. If you only need it coming and going, then you can check it at the gate. If the PGA and USGA want anyone under 30 to attend golf tournaments they are going to have to allow phones. There will be a learning curve and adjustment for the fans and players. A lot more people will be willing to attend a golf tournament all day on a Thursday if they can check there email.

I didn't think Z looked good in those clothes, but otherwise I liked her. I don't get the bashing at all. I also think she was smart to buy her way out of the elimination challenge. This is a game, so every advantage should be used. The level of golf on this episode was pretty bad. There were like 2 or 3 missed greens from 23 yards out! I think Anya is good though. She was 2nd in 2 of the 3 immunity challenges. Maybe it is telling that the worst looking girl (IMHO) is probably the best golfer.

I scored 53 also, it seems to be a very common score. I think that is because the quiz was poorly designed. Half the questions were true/false and contained tip-off words like "always" and "never". The other half of the questions were really hard and only someone who had studied the specific material would be certain of the answer. I generally knew that slope affects break the most and grain affects break the least, but I could not put all 6 in the correct order. I knew pin placement was 3 or 4%, but chose 3%. I knew generally the ball will accelerate on slopes above 5% on quick greens, but chose 6% for my answer instead of 7%. You get the idea, these specific number questions are not something people would know the exact answer unless they happen to have studied the material before. And all the true/false questions were easy. I also read the uphill break question as "uphill putts never break". It did not occur to me than anyone would think a putt could break uphill. If you have that misconception, just quick the game now.

Summer months, afternoon, Arizona, we might be the only people on the course. As my brother and I are getting ready to tee off on 1, a single comes driving up. We invite him to play first since he is a single. He says "Hell no, I'm not playing by myself." I play alone a lot and I generally like meeting new people and being paired up, but in this case the course was basically empty and playing as a 3-some was just going to slow us down. But we observed etiquette and played with him. He seemed to be in love with himself and talked about himself the whole time. 25% of his vocabulary was f___. He smoked non-stop. When the cart girl came around he lamely and obviously flirted with her. He offered us tips even thought his own game was not that great. After 9 holes we lied and said we were done went and got a drink, went to the bathroom, then finished the back nine after he went on.