What If There Really Was A PGA Championship?

One of the greatest periods of time for a sports fan is just around the corner...March Madness. Pretty much everything about the tournament is exactly what sports fans are looking for. All the top teams, the upsets, the "Cinderellas" and, of course, the brackets. The NCAA Tournament is one of the greatest ways to decide a champion of a particular sport. 68 teams get one game against a particular team. One shot to move onto the next round. Win six (or seven) in a row, and you're the champ. Anyone can play anyone. Perennial powers play the small schools...upsets happen. It's great! Now what if this particular format was brought into the PGA Tour? What if a tournament billed as a "championship" actually was? What if there was a way to...

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What If You Could Never Golf Again?

There are a lot of things I take and have taken for granted. There are simple things in life that I overlooked and never really was thankful for. My health (for starters) is something that never really posed any problems. Generally speaking, it's been pretty normal and participating in all types of activities was never an issue.Recently, a visit to the doctor's office (for a sinus infection mind you) uncovered another potentially dangerous problem and put a lot of stuff into perspective...quickly. The doc told me to lay off anything physically exerting for a while. Now, now...don't worry I'll be fine and back to normal in no time. What got me thinking was; What if I never went for that doctor's visit?I'm not getting any younger (or handsome-er)...

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POLL: Ever Broken A Golf Club in Anger?

Perhaps one of the greatest feelings I ever got when using my putter was when I broke it in half. Is that bad?Some years ago, I was hacking my way through the back 9 of a local course. I had been struggling with my putter throughout most of the round and by the time I teed-off on the 16th, the rest of my game decided to head on over to the 19th-hole for a few beers without me. Anyway, after planes, trains and automobiles to get to the green, I promptly 5-putted (I swear the freakin' hole was wearing a chastity belt). I ended up taking a 12.Without even thinking, I immediately snapped my putter in half across my knee. A few seconds later I was rife with regret. But for that fleeting moment while I was actually in the act of breaking the club,...

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Maybe What We Need Is Beer-League Golf...

Have you ever met the guy who has no friggin' idea what his handicap is? You're having a conversation and golf comes up. You say "So you play, huh? What's your handicap?" And you get this..."No idea. I usually shoot in the upper-90's or low 100's." And you give him that look like you're thinking "How the hell does this guy not know what his handicap is?" Don't you just hate that guy? Well guess what...that guy is me.The only reason I have some sort of general idea about my handicap is due to Stinky Golfer Greg. He figures it out for me. Otherwise, and for the most part anyway, I'm the guy who makes the above statement.What I can't figure out for the life of me is, why people look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I don't...

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Counterfeiting Golf Clubs (Follow-Up)

A little over a year ago, I posted about the growing problem of counterfeit golf clubs. But recently, Callaway has come forth with a new innovation to help combat this problem. According to a company press release, its new labeling system (which has been rolled-out only in Australia and New Zealand thus far) will require a polarized film to view the authentic label (see picture at left). Callaway says this safeguard will provide consumers a guarantee of authenticity (I hear you, it would suck to buy a set of clubs for $500-plus and find out they are fugazi's).Apparently, club counterfeiting at this level is something that has been going on for a few years now. Back in 2007, the folks at globalgolf.com, along with WRAL, did a story on phony...

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Hypnotize Your Way to a Scratch Handicap!

When you read the title of this post, do you envision golfers walking up the fairway in zombie-like trances; their clubs loosely held in one hand as they twitch and drag their way to the 2-foot putt they have left for birdie?I do.Perhaps it's because I don't know much about hypnotism. What I do know comes from movies or television; where a person under hypnosis typically has this deer-in-the-headlights look about them and is completely submissive to whatever the hypnotizer is telling them to do. Normally, the person has "gone under" to remember something from their dreams; or to re-live a close encounter of the fourth kind. But I guess in reality, many people undergo hypnosis to adjust certain undesirable behaviors. And when I think about...

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Fans Love A Good Rivalry

Ah...the rivalry games. You don't have to be a baseball fan to understand the significance of Red Sox-Yankees. Just the same for Lakers-Celtics, Packers-Bears, North Carolina-Duke, etc... That list can go on and on. There are the all-time great rivalries like those mentioned above. There are the rivalries that last for a few years while two teams are both hot. There are local or in-state rivalries that may not have a huge national impact, but mean the world to the fans of the two teams. The bottom line is...fans love rivalries.But I just recently came across an old article (roughly two years old, the article is not dated) touting golf's ten greatest rivalries. When I first came across this article, I felt I stumbled onto something...

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Super Bowl Hype For Golf?

So, much like 100+ million other people, I watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday. Another good game for America's favorite sport as, once again, the big game lived up to it's hype.It kind of makes you wonder why the Super Bowl is as revered as it is. What does the Super Bowl have that the World Series doesn't? Why are we all excited to tune into the Super Bowl, but not as much the NBA Finals, or the Stanley Cup Finals? And where does golf rank in this question?Well, to get it out of the way quickly, my short answer to why the Super Bowl is so much more popular than the championships of other sports is...there's only one championship game. The whole season and everything a team has played for, comes down to one game. That right there is part...

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Kids Say The Darndest Things

A few days ago I was at a local golf shop checking out new clubs I probably won't buy and can't afford. As I was waiting to demo the club in their little area in the back, I see a 8 year old kid knocking the snot out of some drives. "Holy crap, this friggin' kid is killing the ball!" I thought to myself.After a few more drives the kid finishes and leaves the demo area. As he walks towards his father the in-store pro asks "Do you want to be a professional golfer when you get bigger?" The kid replies "Nahhh...that'll mean I have to practice all the time. I just want to play!" Everybody there laughed at the cute comment but after a few minutes I thought about it. Why did this kid say that?Are kids today exposed to too much emphasis on working...

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POLL: How Often Do You Visit the 19th Hole?

A golf course just isn't complete without a 19th-Hole. Whether you take advantage of it or not, you can rest assured that it's there somewhere if you need it...either connected to the pro shop, or in a separate building on the course, or at least somewhere on the premises.When I was on my quest to play every public 18-hole golf course in my state, part of my experience would be to grab a bite and a beer in the 19th-hole after my round. But there we're some exceptions: Like when the course had no 19th-hole. Yep, a full-sized, 18-hole course with no restaurant or bar - that always threw me for a loop.Or sometimes I'd have dinner plans with the wife afterwards - which would quash any chance of me shoving some good tavern fare down my gullet. And...

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Golf Super Series World Cup Bowl Finals?

Hey pro golf, can you feel that excitement in the air? It's electric...and it's called the Super Bowl. Take heed to the NFL's example on how to get people wanting to watch a sports championship. Considering it is right around the corner, I thought it would be a great sample to use. If you're not a football fan then baseball has the World Series, basketball has the NBA Finals, hockey has the Stanley Cup and soccer has the World Cup. Pick one.As a golf lover and fan, I just don't get that "Oh man! I can't wait for the FedEx Cup" feeling. Seriously, where is the excitement? The pro's don't even exude any! I'm sure they are happy with the pay-out but I don't see any after-tourney shenanigans (a fist pump does not count as a celebration).Here's...

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The Genius Continues: Golf Genie Practice Drills

When I was playing golf wretchedly competitively on my high school team, we used to practice every day of the week. Drills, drills and more drills. And then walk 9 holes. I have two points to make on that:First, I always needed a reminder on how do the drills. I mean, I remembered two or three of them, but I would always forget the rest (and there were a bunch). Second, for some reason (perhaps it was the omnipotent teenager in me), I never thought to stretch. On that later point:The summer after my senior year (golf season had just ended) my sciatic nerve decided to incapacitate me for two weeks straight. I couldn't drive (mainly because I couldn't get in the car), or even walk really. And I certainly couldn't golf...for like two months! I...

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