GolfPundit

Rory McIlroy PGA Championship Winner by Eight Strokes as United Kingdom Golfers Take 4 of 6 Top Spots

2012-08-13T13:19:00.001+02:00

Golfers from the United Kingdom took 4 of the top 6 spots at the 2012 PGA Championship as Rory McIlroy blew away the field in winning the 2012 PGA Championship by eight shots. Could the Olympic flame in London 2012 at the 30th Olympiad cast such a distant shadow? Apparently.

Golf's Gary Player by Adam Schupak at the New York Times

2012-08-13T12:53:00.003+02:00

A wonderful story about the truly remarkable life of golf's Gary Player, written by Adam Schupak at the New York Times in the wake of Ernie Els win at the (British) Open Championship 2012.

See Globetrotting Gary Player Helped Golf Discover the World.

Hat tip to CaryGEE.

Tiger Woods 74th PGA Tour Win Passes Jack Nicklaus in All-Time PGA Wins with Sam Snead's Leading 82 PGA Tour Wins Still to be Topped

2012-07-02T15:48:00.000+02:00

Tiger Woods won again, for the 3rd time in seven starts this year, and 74th time on the PGA tour, passing Jack Nicklaus in the all-time PGA tour win list, as Farrell Evans reports for ESPN at

Tiger Woods triumphs again at AT&T National for 74th PGA Tour win.

With the win, Tiger passed Jack Nicklaus in the all-time PGA wins list.

Hey, Tiger is getting "better" again.
You can tell by the visibly much softer touch on putting and chipping,
which are what makes championships -- the short game has to be there.

More importantly for his long term health and golf, he appears to have regained his easy-going competitive "edge" while also recovering his "youthful" friendliness, cheery attitude and good spirits, a development which forecasts problems for his competitors in coming tournaments. Either you battle the golf course or the world, not both.

The younger generation of golfers is good and getting better all the time, but Woods is still in a class by himself -- when he has his act together, which has not been the case in recent years -- but that is a part of life.

None of us are demigods and we all have to go through various development periods as humans, and make mistakes. No one gets through without them.

His 3rd win this year is more than any other golf professional in 2012.

Woods still trails Sam Snead's 82 leading PGA tour wins, but that record may fall before Woods hits age 40. He will turn 37 on December 30, 2012.

If someone like the present writer can win a club golf championship at age 61 3/4, then Tiger still has a lot of wins left in his now 36-year old physique. In fact, if, as it appears, Tiger has matured emotionally through his personal problems, he will be more formidable than ever on the golf course.

So what do we know about golf to justify writing these things?
Check out SportPundit.

Or take a look at this candid driving range drive
of the present writer on Vimeo.

Sorry for the non-golf attire, shirt and suspenders, but it was very windy,
so I left my golf shirt in the clubhouse. No need to change for 20 balls. I will try to get a better video soon, when my game is in shape.

In any case, that was only my 3rd or 4th time out on the range at all this year, and I have not played a round of golf since last September.

So it looks like time to start again.
Hey, I'll be 66 in December
and still knock some drives beyond 300 yards.

2012 looks like a good golf year,
not just for Tiger.

Golfers as Dependable Republican Voters ? The Golf Channel and Political Nanotargeting

2012-04-16T20:31:00.000+02:00

Perhaps one of the most interesting articles we have read this year is found at the New York Times in Let the Nanotargeting Begin, by Thomas B. Edsall.

You really have to read the article to get the whole picture here, and be sure you click on and enlarge the fantastic graphs, which confirm the disappointing truth that people primarily read what they agree with, which is hardly the way to learn anything new, now is it?

I did learn, as a life-long golfer, that the Golf Channel is right up there with Fox as a Republican voters' bastion, indeed, that viewers of the Golf Channel are just about your most dependable Republican voters -- i.e. not only are they Republican supporters, but they do get out and vote.

Gee, I had always thought that golf had turned into a broad people's sport, which apparently is not so.

Perhaps the solution to the achievement of Republican majorities is the opening of the game of golf to a larger public?

There might be a lesson there.

Golf at its Best: Bubba Watson New Masters Champ in Playoff Win Over "Albatross" Oosthuizen

2012-04-09T12:04:00.001+02:00

Golf can be the mosts exciting of sports and the Masters had a fantastic finishing day with two holes in one and the rarest of golf shots, a double eagle "albatross". But the tournament was won by a wedged curve ball out of the woods.

See Watson wins Masters over Oosthuizen on second hole of playoff

Cameron Morfit, Golf.com, With a shot only he could hit, Bubba Watson wins Masters in playoff

Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN, Watson moving up after Masters win

Golf Digest

Albatross (Double Eagle) at The Masters (4-8-2012) by Louis Oosthuizen -- YouTube Video

2012-04-09T11:09:00.001+02:00

YouTube video of

Louis Oosthuizen With Albatross (Double Eagle) at The Masters (4-8-2012)

Tiger Woods Back With Win at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard

2012-03-26T00:39:00.002+02:00

Tiger Woods is back on the winning track in the golf game for his first win since September 2009 as he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard by 5 strokes at 13-under par.

For the story see The Official Site of the PGA TOUR - PGATOUR.com

First, They Came For The Golf Courses - Krugman at NYTimes.com Comments on Politicians and Similar Gone Awry (i.e. "off course")

2012-03-22T23:58:00.000+01:00

The world is full of people with all kinds of ridiculous ideas and Krugman comments on one such inane idea at First, They Came For The Golf Courses.

Do Golfing Execs Earn More in Business? Yes, They Do

2012-02-03T23:53:00.002+01:00

Yes, it pays to read The Economist,
which has a brilliant article
by their business editor and golf blogger at
Golf and business: Why golfers get ahead.

That editor and golfer notes, e.g.,
that
"a recent study found that bosses who don’t play golf
are paid 17% less on average than those who do,"
-- incredible --
although no verifiable reason was found for that discrepancy.

Gee. The answer is easy.
My own experience is that people who do not play golf are not as trustworthy as golfers are.
Would YOU hire a non-golfer as a CEO?
Caveat emptor.
Really.
Show me a man on a golf course and you have a Rorschach test in place.
How can a man NOT play golf if he has the opportunity and means to do so?
What is he hiding?

Just to prove the honesty of golfers,
let me ask the rhetorical question as to whether I wrote this posting
so that the business editor at The Economist
might be motivated to invite me for a round of golf at Wentworth?

I did, definitely. You see, that is golfing honesty. CEO worthy.

Make sure you read the invigorating article at The Economist here.

Query About Experience with the Mobitee Mobile GPS Golf Assistant

2012-01-30T11:41:00.000+01:00

We ran across a golf GPS app at Mobitee
which describes Mobitee as a "Mobile Golf Assistant"
and "Your GPS golf" in a mobile phone.

Anybody out there have any experience with this app?

RocketBallz? One of the New Forces of Golf Innovation? That's What is Claimed by TaylorMade. Really.

2012-01-04T22:57:00.000+01:00

Many commentators think it is a joke of a name, but look at

TaylorMade Introduces RocketBallz Driver, Fairway Woods and Rescues

Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica Endangered by Wayward Environmentalists

2011-12-18T01:01:00.001+01:00

Few of man's achievements honor nature as much as golf courses do, and it is always remarkable to see wayward environmentalists trying to replace golf courses with what is called "managed wilderness", i.e. pet projects of alleged nature do-gooders which serve virtually no useful purpose other than to inflate the self-serving moralistic egos of those same wayward environmentalists.

Those same people should be attacking the big multi-national corporations who are devastating the planet by things like fracking. But that might be a bit tough for these environmentalists to handle.

It is much easier to go after golfers and golf courses, who are bothering no one, and causing no harm to nature. Quite the contrary, many a golf course has "reclaimed" land otherwise not particularly well used as a matter of nature.

See the battle under way for the Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica in an article by John Upton at Golfers Promise a Fight on Sharp Park - The Bay Citizen.

U.S. Presidents as Golfers

2011-12-18T00:52:00.001+01:00

William Browning has done the honors at Yahoo! Sports
in authoring a short piece on
Golfer-in-Chief: Fan Look at Golf and Presidents of the United States.

Gifts For The Golfer

2011-11-30T17:07:00.000+01:00

Larry Olmsted has s piece at Forbes on 10 Great Gifts For The Golfer On Your List.

Golf is Like Politics

2011-11-30T16:17:00.001+01:00

You know, golf is like politics.

I am looking for a perfect putter.

Voters are looking for perfect candidates.

Neither exists.

The putter is only as good as "the putter", i.e. he or she who is putting.

Political candidates reflect the voters who elect them.

If, for example, everyone in America had a law school degree, the candidates would look much different than they do now.

You get as your government the government you deserve.

If you elect wrestlers, veterinarians, doctors, actors, etc. as LAWMAKERS, whose job is to formulate laws rather than to wrestle, birth heifers or infants, or act in Hollywood movies, rather than people who studied the law, what do you expect??

Tiger Woods leads Australian Open

2011-11-12T00:56:00.000+01:00

Tiger Woods leads Australian Open

If Woods is back, he will win. If not, he will lose.

It Takes Balls to Golf: "Tin Cup" John Daly Knocks All His Golf Balls Into Water and Walks Off the Course in Australia

2011-11-12T00:51:00.001+01:00

Jonathan Wall at Devil Ball Golf writes at Yahoo! Sports that John Daly runs out of balls during tournament, walks off course after Tin Cup-esque hole.

That story reminded me of a photo I took in June of this year in downtown Skaneateles, Finger Lakes, New York, of the storefront window of The White Sleigh...Etc, a gift and novelty shop that was selling special golf ball pouches for golfers (my photograph of the window display):

John Daly proved it.

Golfing Good Against Dementia and Alzheimer

2011-10-08T17:50:00.001+02:00

Depending on your age, here is one reason to get yourself or your older golfing relatives out to the golf links:

Lisa M. Krieger reports that playing golf or even hitting balls at the driving range is good against dementia and Alzheimer at Golfing reawakens some of dementia's muscle memories

Tiger Woods Makes Cut at CordeValle Frys.com Open and Shows Improvement

2011-10-08T16:39:00.003+02:00

Jeff Rude writes at GolfWeek.com that Tiger shows glimpses of his old self, via The Huffington Post at Tiger Woods At Frys.com Open: Round 2 Improvements Help Woods Make Cut

He broke the course record in training at CordeValle by shooting a 62, so there is no doubt that Woods has his golf game back, but it is the mental part -- playing in competition again and getting his old golf self back in front of the galleries, not all of whom are as partial to him as they once were -- that still needs improvement, and that will take a while.

Essentially, Tiger needs a win to get back on track, but he won't win until he gets back on track mentally. That is always the double-edged sword. When Tiger starts having fun out on the golf course again in spite of occasional boos and signs of ill will, then he will win. After all, golfing is not about galleries, it is about golf.

CordeValle: Luxury Golf Getaway and Spa in Calilfornia

2011-10-06T20:47:00.001+02:00

We looked at this golf spa in California as the upcoming site of the Frys.com Open, at which Tiger Woods plans to play.

We definitely like this place.

See:

CordeValle, A Rosewood Resort | Wine Country Hotels where they write:

"SAN MARTIN, CALIFORNIA - Located in the foothills of Northern California's Santa Cruz Mountains, CordeValle is a secluded luxury resort in an extraordinary setting south of San Jose and north of the Monterey Peninsula. Infused with country club charm and superb amenities including tennis, a luxury spa, Clos La Chance winery and vineyard, and a 7,169-yard championship golf course by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the 45-room resort is a sanctuary in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings."

Take a look at their website.

Tiger Woods at Frys.com Open October 6-9 2011 at CordeValle, California

2011-10-06T17:13:00.001+02:00

Ryan Ballengee reports at NBC Sports ProGolfTalk that Tiger Woods to play in Frys.com Open at CordeValle in California October 6-9, 2011.

Nicklaus on Golf Tiger Woods 2016 Olympics Golfing and the State of the Economy

2011-09-16T22:24:00.003+02:00

Kelly Olsen of the Associated Press has a superb golfing article titled Nicklaus: Tiger can still win 18 or more majors which covers not only the future of Tiger Woods -- Jack has remained a fan -- but also discusses the building of a course for the 2016 Olympics (we suggest each hole be designed by a different golfer or golfing duo -- that would give the golf course added flair!) and the deleterious effect of the bad economy on golf and golfers.

Hip Rotation Initiates Downswing: Pro Golfers Swing Differently than Amateurs: Stanford School of Medicine Study Shows Biomechanical Differences

2011-08-15T22:36:00.000+02:00

Jessica Rose, PhD, and a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have obtained valuable new insights on the golf swing. As John Sanford writes:

"For the first time, several key rotational-biomechanic elements of the golf stroke in its entirety, from backswing to follow-through, were analyzed, and then the data were used to generate benchmark curves, said Jessica Rose, PhD, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and senior author of the study."

The medical object of the study was of course to study golf-induced injuries by studying swing fundamentals. It was found that pros do in fact swing differently than amateurs:

"Researchers analyzed several biomechanical elements of subjects’ golf swings, including S-factor (tilt of the shoulders), O-factor (tilt of the hips) and X-factor — the relative rotation of the hips to the shoulders, measured in degrees — which is considered key to power generation. Previous research has shown that pro golfers who hit the ball far generally have a larger peak X-factor than their peers, but this study is more extensive in that it considers X-factor in relation to other rotational biomechanics of the golf swing over the full duration of the motion."

Of immense use to all golfers, pro or amateur, and immensely valuable to teaching professionals, the study found for the first time scientifically that it is hip rotation that initiates the downswing:

"Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf at Stanford University and a co-author of the study, said the findings give scientific backing to the elements of golf-swing form that professionals have long understood are vital for generating power. The study also helps to clarify some unresolved questions about golf-swing biomechanics, Ray said. “One question that always comes from students is, ‘What starts the downswing?’” he said. “People have had different answers. Some would say the hands, or others would say the shoulders or the lower body. But the study confirms that rotation of the hips initiates the downswing. So that, to me, is an interesting finding.”"

Caddy Steve Williams Leaves Tiger Woods and Caddies Adam Scott to U.S. Open Title

2011-08-13T15:38:00.000+02:00

It's the Caddy, Daddy! Forget all that expensive golf equipment and all those expensive golf lessons. Invest your money in the right caddy.

Caddy Williams leaves Tiger Woods and caddies Adam Scott to U.S. Open Title

Gareth Maybin Trick Golf Shots on YouTube from Sportsrisq.com

2011-08-13T15:21:00.001+02:00

Sportsrisq.com has some great trick shots by Gareth Maybin, but for God's sake, don't try this at home or show it to your kids, or if you do, tell them some of these shots are extremely dangerous and not to be repeated! I am guessing some of those shots were either computer-assisted or they had to do umpteen retakes to get one to work. NOT TO BE REPEATED, FOLKS. Just watch and enjoy, but play golf normally. ONLY for professional trick shot artists -- also not for normal adults either.

Please note that we are not liable for anyone trying this stuff. DO NOT!

Hat tip to Rob Ahlschwede.