Wilson Di11 Irons

The Di family of Wilson irons is all about distance, and with the soon to be released Di11 irons, the manufacturer has gone to extra lengths to create its longest iron yet. The Di11 (available October 1) received a powerful upgrade over its predecessor, the Di9, thanks to more aggressive styling and a wider undercut cavity that expands the sweet spot over a greater area of the clubface. The vibration-dampening medallion on the Di9 was removed to allow more weight to be shifted to the perimeter and sole of the club, producing a lower, deeper CG (center of gravity) and higher MOI (moment of inertia). Wilson's proprietary Half-and-Half shaft, which fuses graphite with steel to deliver both speed and precision, is also available in the Di11 irons. Visually, the Di11 irons will appeal to a wide range of players because of their moderate offset, thin top line, sleek profile and wide sole. But the club's performance characteristics (longer shots and maximum forgiveness) should make it very popular with 10-plus handicappers with low- to medium-clubhead speeds.

$599, steel; $699, graphite; $799 Half-and-Half
wilson.com

Related
• Buy Wilson irons | Buy Wilson clubs
• The Shop blog: Wilson pros and clubs
• More on the Wilson Di11: Golf.com | wilson.com

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CONTEST – TaylorMade SuperFast Driver Giveaway! (Sponsored by: GolfCircuit.com)

MyGolfSpy has teamed up with GolfCircuit.com once again to bring you all a chance to win a Taylormade Superfast Driver.  If you are an avid MGS reader you might have heard of GolfCircuit but if you are a first time reader then we recommend you going to check out one of our favorite online golf shops.  As we have stated before…golf sites on the web come and go…ones that are popular today might be distant memories just a couple years later.  The men and women at GolfCircuit.com are a dying breed of businesses that actually answer the phone and remember that customer service is extremely valuable.  There aren’t many online golf shops that can say they have been around since 1995!

More info on Golf Circuit: Online golf pro-line golf retailer since 1995. Excellent, personalized customer service. Our customers know us, trust us and even send in pictures of themselves using their clubs on beautiful courses across the US! Find Golf Circuit on facebook and follow us on twitter. When we can’t make it out to the course, we like to play fountain golf.

To enter Golf Circuit’s Taylormade Superfast Driver Giveaway:

For Additional Entries:

(1 Bonus Entry) – Twitter the following: “Taylormade SuperFast Driver Giveaway from @golfcircuit & @mygolfspy #GolfCircuit http://www.golfcircuit.com/giveaway.asp“(1 Bonus Entry) – Come back to Mygolfspy.com on this article…and tell us what’s your favorite golf club in your bag.

Hurry though, the contest ends August 2nd…so go enter now. Best of luck to all you GolfSpies!

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SPY PICS – 2011 PING K15 DRIVER & PING K15 IRONS!

July 24th, 2010 at 1:55 pm

Matt, If you haven’t actually seen or held the clubs, there is a pretty big difference between the g15s and the i15s, but that is another story.

The K15 clubs are indeed super game improver, have a titanium face which allows other material to be placed lower and further back in the head.

They will come 5-LW and Hybrids are available as part of the set to replace irons 3-6 as required.

Hope this helps.

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2010 Women’s British Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 WOMEN�S BRITISH OPEN begins on Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

Purse: $2.5 million
Defending champion: Catriona Matthew

Tournament preview
Interviews
Final field
Pairings
Royal Birkdale course info
Tournament website
Tournament history

Women�s British Open Leaderboard

Golfweek Staff Picks

Beth Ann Baldry: Winner: Na Yeon Choi. After missing the cut in her first LPGA event at the Wegmans LPGA Championship last month, Choi has gone 1-2-2 in her last three events. Sleeper: Azahara Munoz. Spanish rookie has impressed thus far, finishing T-11 and T-19 in her two major starts.

Alistair Tait: Winner: Jeong Jang. She won around this course five years ago and hasn�t won since. She�s due. Sleeper: Melissa Reid. The 22-year-old English player is Britain�s next big hope.

TV SCHEDULE

Twelve hours of TV coverage are scheduled for the 2010 Women�s British Open.

Thurs, Jul 29
ESPN 9:00-11:59 AM ET

Fri, Jul 30
ESPN 9:00-11:59 AM ET

Sat, Jul 31
ESPN 10:00-1:00 PM ET

Sun, Aug 01
ESPN 10:00-1:00 PM ET

-The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Richard Carter/Flickr)

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A First Edition of ‘Only at the British Open …’

I WAS DOING OTHER things today and unable to pay much attention to the British Open. Now I�ve been reading up on what I missed and had this thought: The Open Championship is the most unpredictable golf tournament in the world, just downright nutty. Anything can happen, thanks mostly to the Jekyll and Hyde weather.

So how about a quick edition of �Only at the British Open ��? It�s the first and may not be the last. Ready? Here we go �

(Photo: Old Tom�s shop in St. Andrews / Son of Groucho, Flickr)

Only at the British Open would a 21-year-old phenom who shot a record 63 in the first round back it up with an 80.

Only at the British Open would John Daly take a swing at a potted plant after signing for a 76. (On second thought, that could happen anywhere.)

Only at the British Open would the wind go from 0 to 50 mph in nothing flat and completely switch directions in the middle of rounds.

Only at the British Open would a South African nicknamed �Shrek� set a 36-hole scoring record and lead by five.

Only at the British Open would old-guy champions Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Lehman sneak into contention, a la Tom Watson. �The old guys can hang with the young guys,� Calc said.

Only at the British Open do they talk ad nauseam about the �draw.�

Only at the British Open are greens slower than LA freeways one day and have balls blowing off them the next.

And finally, only at the British Open would Tigers Woods wave Tom Watson (who has been very critical of Woods) up on the 18th hole so the five-time Open champion could have his final moment in front of adoring fans before darkness fell. (Nicely done, Tiger.)

I�ll be watching on Saturday and Sunday because, well, anything can happen and I don�t want to miss it when it does.

-The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Exclusive Q&A: The Weather Talks Open Championship

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Doug Sanders and the Freight Train Shot

I WAS READING SHANE�S piece on Doug Sanders over at Dogs That Chase Cars and it got me thinking about the man who missed a 30-inch putt on the final green at the Old Course and went on to lose the 1971 British Open to Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff. I�ve seen Sanders on the Grand Champions circuit on several occasions over the last few years and let�s just say he�s as colorful as ever.

(Note: Sanders was ranked No. 4 in Golf.com�s Top 10 Best Dressed Golfers. The shoes always matched.)

The following anecdote from a Golf Digest feature on Sanders reminded me of Miguel Angel Jimenez�s now famous carom shot off the rock wall at the Road Hole.

In a money game at Cedartown one day, a guy named Dallas Weaver found his ball behind a tree. A lot of money was riding. We thought he was dead. There were train tracks running by our course, and just then a freight train came through. Dallas Weaver turned sideways, took some kind of low iron and banked a ball off the side of a freight car and almost onto the green. That was 50 years ago, and I�ve never seen anyone top that shot.

Sanders is a piece of work. Read more of the Golf Digest story on Sanders and stock up on a month�s worth of golf anecdotes.

-The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Scott Butner/Flickr)

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Anybody Seen a Missing Olympic Gold Medal for Golf?

GOLF WILL BECOME AN Olympic sport in 2016 for the first time in more than a century. In the meantime, folks are looking for the gold medal from the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, the AP reported.

A Canadian named George Lyon won the gold in that Olympics, the only time golf was contested in the international games. That was 106 years ago, so I�m thinking the trail might be a tad cold. The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame is making a documentary about Lyon�s victory, hoping the exposure might aid the search for the long-lost medal.

Museum director Karen Howison said the gold medal was �one of the most important golf artifacts in the world.� The documentary is scheduled to be complete by 2014, two years in advance of the Rio de Janeiro Games.

By the way, Lyon beat American Chandler Eagen in a 12-round competition over six days. Eagen was awarded the silver, and guess what? It�s lost, too.

Note to 2016 Olympic medal winners in golf: safety deposit box.

-The Armchair Golfer

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The 10 Simple Habits of Popular Golf Partners

Bob Eckstein

One of the joys of playing golf is that you will meet a lot of different people. One of the inconveniences of playing golf is that you will meet a lot of different people.

A day on the golf course becomes memorable and cherished with the right partner. A day on the golf course becomes an interminable nightmare with the wrong partner.

How do you make sure you are always the good partner and never the bad one? Ten tips for being the golf partner others remember for all the right reasons:

1. Be on time.

We�re all busy and it�s easy to be a little tardy, but don�t add to the apprehension that plagues every first tee by making your partners wonder if you�re going to be there on time. First impressions matter in golf as much as elsewhere in life, so be the considerate one who is ready to go.

Bob Eckstein

2. Be quiet, be quick.

Let�s talk about the tee box. When someone else is standing over the ball preparing to hit, that�s not the time to suddenly check your pockets for your car keys. Be still, and please don�t whisper to the person next to you, because you are heard.

As for being quick, it is not a requirement that everyone keep the exact same pace, but you can check yardages, select a club, read greens and plan your next shot as others are playing their shots. You should be as quick as is reasonably comfortable for you.

3. Know when to speak up and what to say.

This is a little trickier.

�The emotions of every golf outing ebb and flow throughout the day,� said Laird Small, the director of instruction at the Pebble Beach Golf Academy. �I tell my students that it�s in their best interests to keep their partners in a positive frame of mind. So be optimistic. When somebody hits something a little crooked, say something nice like, �You really struck that well � just missed it a little.�

�Or say, �You can get up and down from there.� Try to get them thinking about the next shot.�

The point is to put yourself in the other golfer�s shoes. And try to keep things light.

I was playing a short par 3 over water with Lee Trevino years ago at a charity outing and proceeded to hit a screaming line drive that never got more than 2 feet off the ground � until it disappeared in the very front of the pond.

Trevino said, �Wow, Bill, that�s the straightest shot you�ve hit all day.�

There was nothing to do but laugh.

Bob Eckstein

4. Mind the flagstick.

This is not a little thing, though it may seem so. If your ball is the closest to the hole when you reach the green, pull the flag for the group because you are going to be the last to putt, anyway. Or if you get to the green first, grab the flag.

You have the same responsibility if you have putted out; look for the flag so others don�t have to. It gets on people�s nerves if you treat the flag as always somebody else�s problem.

Just checking in for the first time? Busy weekend? Make sure to catch up on all the great articles on the blog.

5. Watch the flight of everyone�s shots.

Sometimes, this isn�t possible. But we all hit wayward shots, and a good golf partner helps us track where those errant balls end up. Which leads to:

6. Help others look for lost balls.

The golf tribe is not exactly a collection of Sacagaweas. We get lost all the time. Lend a fellow duffer a hand. On the other hand:

7. Don�t make everyone look for your ball for 10 minutes.

The rule book says you have five minutes to find a lost ball. But if you hit your ball so far into the woods you would need a miner�s cap to find it, don�t waste everybody�s time. And hit a provisional ball before you go look. That way, no one waits as you go back to the tee to reload.

8. Maintain a good attitude regardless of how you�re playing.

If things are going badly, there�s no sense spreading the tension of your lousy round throughout the group. And if you go mute or start stamping around, you will put everyone on edge. So yes, you�re embarrassed and upset; the best thing to do is change the subject.

Ask your partners about their jobs or their families. Ask why they play that particular brand of ball. Think of something, anything � how �bout them Cowboys? Why can�t Tiger putt anymore? Why can�t Pelfrey pitch anymore?

Bob Eckstein

9. Avoid giving unsolicited advice.

Nobody likes a know-it-all. Besides, even if you�ve got a good tip to share, your partner is going to be really steamed at you if it doesn�t work out.

�The golf course in the middle of a round is no place to start working on a new swing,� Butch Harmon, a coach to many of the best players in the last 25 years, once told me. �Play with what you got that day. Seek help later.�

10. Be generous, be honest, be nice.

Be generous with praise, because it�s a hard game and we all need a boost. Be generous at the beverage cart � don�t just buy drinks and snacks for yourself.

Be honest about your score. Swallow hard and admit you made a 9. Be honest about your handicap. Don�t say, �I�m about a 16.� Give an accurate number.

Be nice; compliment people on their wardrobe or their golf bag. Smile a lot, like someone who is enjoying himself. It will be infectious.

Golf is no different from any other social interaction, so it sometimes involves different people. But there is something to be learned from every golf round, and that includes a lesson in selflessness.

You also may want to think of your golfing day as an investment. Become a good partner, and others will want to play with you again. The ultimate payout?

There is no doubt that good karma leads to good golf.

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20 Years After His Only Open, Dartmouth Coach Is Teeing It Up Again

On the tee sheets for the United States Senior Open, he is listed as Richard Parker Jr., Lebanon, N.H., but around Dartmouth College, he is just �Coach� or �Rich.� That is also how he is mostly known by the listeners of his Saturday morning radio show on WTSL-AM (1400), and by the folks who see him behind the counter at the nine-hole Carter Golf Club in Lebanon, where he is both the golf director and general manager.

When play gets under way Thursday in the first round of the Senior Open � the first United States Golf Association championship to be conducted at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash. � Parker will be just plain Rich to his playing partners. He said he would be content being anonymous compared with the threesome of Jay Haas, Nick Price and Hale Irwin, which tees off at 12:50 p.m., two groups after his 12:30 tee time.

After all, it has been 20 years since Parker teed up in the 1990 United States Open, the first and only U.S.G.A. championship he had played until this week.

�I don�t feel like I�m out here playing in the U.S. Open like I did last time,� he said. �I feel like I�m just out here playing in a golf tournament. I couldn�t care less who�s out here. I�m playing with guys I don�t know. They�re like kind of nobodies like I am, so it�ll be fun, you know.�

That Parker was able to shoot a round of 65 in qualifying to earn a spot in the field is one of the many charms of an Open championship. It is a window into how small the golf world is and how minute the differences are between players at the highest levels of a game, with few degrees of separation between a 50-year-old college golf coach and Irwin, a three-time United States Open champion.

Even so, Parker is plotting no competitive comeback, and he labors under no misapprehensions about his game. �When I�m out here, I feel like I belong here,� he �said in a phone interview. �When I�m at home, I feel like I belong at home. The difference is, when I�m at home, I have three kids and a wife, so I know I belong at home.�

Back when he was trying to play golf for a living, Parker�s United States Open experience was at Medinah Country Club, where Irwin won the last of his three Opens. At the time, he was playing on the Hogan Tour (now the Nationwide Tour), teeing it up each week against eventual PGA Tour winners like Tom Lehman and Olin Browne, with whom he played a practice round this week.

After missing the cut at the 1990 Open, and after one final run at the touring pro life in 1994, Parker settled down in Lebanon. He kept his game sharp, winning PGA player of the year honors in Vermont (1997) and New Hampshire (1999) and building the program at Dartmouth into a winner since taking it over in 2006.

But like all athletes who once competed against the best, Parker never lost the desire to test his game again. This time, though, he prepared differently. He was often accompanied at evening practice sessions by his daughters � Virginia, 15, a member of the Lebanon High School golf team, and Anna, 12 � and his son Trey, 9, a Little League player who shagged practice shots with a baseball glove.

And now that he will be breaking out his game on the big stage, he wants to enjoy the experience more than he did in 1990, when he wore himself out before the event began. His attitude is relaxed. Browne said in a text message that his old friend was still �Jack Benny in a crew cut.�

�I know there�s a ton of people in New England who are following this, and this whole thing is awesome,� Parker said. �If I play good, awesome. If I don�t, hey, I�m not trying to go to the moon or something. This is golf. It won�t be the last time I play.�

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A Little Scientific Research for All Those 19th-Hole Debates

Neil Wolkodoff Neil Wolkodoff bought $27,000 worth of equipment, which took about two hours to put on and take off, to conduct tests on amateur golfers.

Ever wonder if you play better golf riding in a cart or walking? Ever wonder how many calories you burn in a typical round? Or if you would play better if you were in better shape? Ever wonder if golf is truly a sport?

Neil Wolkodoff wondered all those things, too. And as the director of the Center for Health and Sport Science at the Rose Medical Center in Denver, he knew how to find the answers. Two years ago, he bought $27,000 worth of equipment to conduct a painstaking set of tests on amateur golfers. When he was done, he had some findings that could settle a lot of barroom arguments.

For example, in Wolkodoff�s study, golfers scored lower while walking with a caddie or with their clubs on a push cart than they did when using a motorized cart. And golfers carrying a golf bag posted the highest average score.

As one might expect, the most energy was expended while walking with a bag (721 calories burned for nine holes). But walking with a push cart was not far behind (718). Walking with a caddie burned 621 calories for nine holes, and riding in a cart still burned 411 calories on average.

�One of the surprise realizations was that just swinging a golf club about 100 times uses up a significant amount of energy,� Wolkodoff said.

Each of the golfers went through rigorous testing before the study to establish their aerobic endurance and anaerobic threshold levels � the point when lactic acid buildup generally begins to impair coordination and concentration. This became important because Wolkodoff could watch readouts from six pounds of sensors strapped to the golfers and identify when they had gone beyond their fitness level.

Neil Wolkodoff The study showed that being in shape physically can help a golfer�s game.

What Wolkodoff discovered was that exceeding one�s anaerobic threshold usually went hand in hand with ineffective golf. Think, for example, of someone walking up a steep hill and then having to execute a delicate chip without the two-minute recovery period needed to restore heart and respiratory rates to normal.

So being fit cuts strokes.

�If you�re out of shape, exceeding your threshold could happen a few times every round, even while riding in a cart, because tee boxes and green complexes are often elevated,� Wolkodoff said. �Your golf game will suffer. Somebody with the yips might just be a little winded after walking up to the green. At the same time, being in better physical condition would make you better mechanically and mentally.�

Finally, is golf a sport rather than a game?

�There are a lot of ways to define a sport,� Wolkodoff said. �But we know that the golf swing uses almost every muscle group in the body. We know it uses a pretty significant amount of energy � not as much as running a 10K but more than people think. And one significant measure of a sport is whether physical training improves your ability to perform, and I think that�s been proven in golf.

�So in my estimation, it�s absolutely a sport.�

Neil Wolkodoff

Wolkodoff�s study, which may be the first of its kind, had its limits. Because the equipment was cumbersome, expensive and took about two hours to put on and take off, his test group was just eight golfers. They were men ranging in age from 26 to 62 and had handicaps from 2 to 17. Each played the front nine at a championship-quality Denver-area course four times on different days � walking with a push cart, walking with a caddie, walking and carrying their golf bag, and riding in a golf cart.

Weather conditions were similar each day. The golfers were required, as much as was possible, to approach the nine holes the same way each time. In other words, if they had hit driver off the first tee in their first round, they had to hit driver again on the first hole of their final three rounds. The sequencing of how they played the rounds was varied; not everyone played with a golf cart first, then with a caddie and so on.

The golfers� results during the four rounds tracked similarly with consistent statistical trends. For example, seven of the eight golfers reported the same scoring pattern: lowest while playing with a pushcart (group average was a five-over-par 40 for nine holes), followed by playing with a caddie (42), playing in a motor cart (43) and playing while carrying their bag (45). Wolkodoff received no commercial sponsorship or financing for the study other than from the Rose Medical Center. He donated his time, which amounted to about 500 hours.

Just checking in for the first time? Busy weekend? Make sure to catch up on all the great articles on the blog.

�It�s not a perfect study, but I think we discovered some things,� Wolkodoff said. �You throw the findings out there and let people take their potshots at them, which is fine. I would like to see someone do a follow-up study. But if it hasn�t been done before, it�s because of all the time, equipment and data involved.�

In fact, representatives at the P.G.A. of America, the United States Golf Association and the National Golf Foundation said they were not aware of studies exactly like Wolkodoff�s. A recent University of Pittsburgh study measured one golfer�s caloric expenditure as he walked with a bag, walked with a caddie and rode in a cart. That study put the number of calories burned at higher rates than Wolkodoff�s study � about 1,000 calories for nine holes of walking and carrying, 750 for walking with a caddie and 650 for riding in a cart. A Swedish study two years ago concluded that golfers there lived five years longer than nongolfers. But nearly all golfers in Sweden walk while playing.

�The health benefits of walking was the best news of our study,� said Wolkodoff, adding that the complete results could be found on his center�s Web site, rosechss.com. �Playing 18 holes of golf while pushing a cart twice a week shouldn�t replace an overall fitness regimen, but it could be a very worthy supplement.�

But on many golf courses, it isn�t possible to walk because golf courses promote the use of carts to raise their revenue.

�There are positives to golf being helpful to people�s health and wellness,� Greg Nation, the senior vice president for membership at the National Golf Foundation, said when discussing Wolkodoff�s study. �But there can be an opposite effect. The renting of golf carts is important to the health and welfare of the golf industry.�

Add to that the perception that cart use speeds play, a myth that has been debunked by several studies but a myth that persists nonetheless. Some golf courses are also designed with long distances between some tees. And, of course, some people cannot walk the golf course for various physical reasons. Still, spreading the word that walking while playing will yield significant health benefits could help the game grow.

�I don�t just play golf to lose money to my sandbagging friends,� you could tell your spouse. �I do it for both of us because I want to stay in shape.�

It would be true, and it would apparently help your score and perhaps your wallet.

In the end, I think Wolkodoff and his many microchips have just scratched the surface. I�ve got plenty of other 19th-hole arguments he could settle: Do golfers usually play better alone or in a group? Do they usually play better in the morning or the evening? Better on the front nine or the back nine?

It�s not my research money, but I think we�re just getting started.

In a video from the On Par archives, Bill Pennington learns how to conquer first-tee jitters.

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Oosthuizen Joins Venerable South African Open Champions

IT MUST BE SINKING in for Louis Oosthuizen. Not only is his name engraved on the Claret Jug along with golf�s greatest players, Louis has added himself to the esteemed list of Open champions from the Republic of South Africa.

They include Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Ernie Els and now the low-key, machine-like Oosthuizen.

(Photo: The great Bobby Locke.)

Between 1949 and 1957, Locke won four Open titles. Some of the old-time pros have told me that Locke was the greatest putter they ever saw. After playing exhibition matches with Locke, Sam Snead told the South African he ought to come to America. Sam said his peers ended up mad at him because Locke took Sam�s advice and not long after took home a lot of money from the States.

A nine-time major winner, Player won three Open Championships over a 15-year span. Gary could keep the ball low and was a short-game magician, including one of the greatest bunker players of all time.

Els won his Claret Jug in 2002 at Muirfield and couldn�t be prouder of Oosthuizen. Louis got a jump start in golf through Els� foundation. Today Ernie wrote about the newest South African champion in his weekly diary:

I take great pleasure in congratulating Louis Oosthuizen on his fantastic victory. Honestly, it could not have happened to a better person. I played a practice round with him last Sunday and, typically for him, he didn�t give himself a chance. He is a quiet and unassuming guy, but he has shown everyone what a great champion he is.

In closing, Ernie added:

I�m so pleased for Louis and, as I said before, it couldn�t have happened to a better person. As Open Champion his life will change, but he won�t. He�s simply a wonderful kid and what he�s done will inspire so many young kids back home in South Africa.

As Mike of Ruthless Golf has been saying since springtime, here come the South Africans.

-The Armchair Golfer

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Fitness Ruined Carl Pettersson’s Golf Game

CARL PETTERSSON CHASED DOWN Dean Wilson on the back nine Sunday to win the RBC Canadian Open, his fourth PGA Tour title and a nice comeback for a good player who struggled in 2009. Pettersson made the cut on the number and then posted a 60 in the third round. Not much was happening on Sunday until the North Carolina resident got to the 8th and then bang, a birdie, followed by five more birdies on the next six holes.

Pettersson said he was a consistent top-30 money winner on the PGA Tour until he decided to try to take things up a notch. He looked in the mirror and saw Mr. Pudgy. Maybe getting in better shape would help him improve his game, he reasoned.

�I thought, well, I�ll get fit,� Carl said. �So I actually lost 30 pounds, and my game completely left me.�

Don�t head off to the fridge just yet. There�s more.

�I guess the timing of the swing and everything was thrown out,� he added, �and I really struggled in �09.�

That makes sense to me. It�s happened to other players. David Duval comes to mind.

Whether the swing, equipment, putting, mental game, or, in Pettersson�s case, fitness, there�s not a one-size-fits-all answer for this crazy game. Look for Carl in the buffet line rather than the fitness trailer.

�I�m not your typical Swede, as you know. I don�t have a 28-inch waist, and I don�t eat bananas at the turn, stuff like that.�

The workouts didn�t work out. But that�s OK, because now his game is coming back and he�s the Canadian Open champion.

�You know, I�d love to be fitter,� Carl said, �but I�m not going to go down that road again.�

-The Armchair Golfer

(Quotes via ASAP Sports at RBC Canadian Open)

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LPGA Getaway on the Greens Sweepstakes

I DON'T KNOW WHERE you live, but California is much nicer in March than a lot of places so I thought I should alert you to a sweepstakes opportunity that landed in my email inbox. The LPGA Getaway on the Greens Sweepstakes is made possible by Mirassou Winery, the LPGA and Callaway. Following are a few details about the prizes.

One (1) Grand Prize Winner and a guest will receive roundtrip airfare to California and Clubhouse passes to the KIA Classic Presented by J Golf in March, 2011. The Grand Prize winner and a guest will also enjoy:

� VIP accommodations and spa treatments
� VIP LPGA experiences at the tournament, including event access and meeting LPGA Tour members
� A Calloway VIP Custom Fitting Experience, with both winner and guest to receive a set of custom fitted clubs
� Dinner with 6th Generation of America�s Oldest Winemaking Family, David Mirassou

There will also be Three (3) First Prize Winners who will be flown to the event and Ten (10) Second Prize Winners who will receive autographed LPGA merchandise.

More info and how to enter

-The Armchair Golfer

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Name the Player Practicing in the Bunker

BECAUSE MANY OF YOU have aced �Name the Player� time and time again, there was only one thing to do: try to make it harder. It hasn�t worked so far. Take a look at the above tour pro thumping shots out of the bunker. Does he look familiar?

Maybe this one is slightly more difficult. No hints. You�re on your own. Who do you think it is?

-The Armchair Golfer

Other �Name the Players�:
Name the Player Along on the Range
Name the Player at the LPGA Championship
Name the Player Signing the Deal in 1971
Name the Player at TPC Sawgrass
Name the Player Based on the Shoes and Footwork

(Image: Jeff Wallen/Flickr)

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Sam Snead: ‘No Man Scared Me on the Golf Course’

IT SEEMS ONLY RIGHT to mention Samuel Jackson Snead during the inaugural Greenbrier Classic because The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, was Snead�s golfing playground. I half expected Sam to return to Earth to fill out the 156-man field after Steve Marino�s last-minute withdrawal on Thursday with back spasms.

There will never be another year in golf like 1912. That was the year Snead was born. And Byron Nelson. And Ben Hogan. Three of the greatest ever came along in the span of six months and between them won 197 times on the PGA Tour. Snead was the most productive winner but won two fewer majors than Hogan. Sam�s greatest disappointment in golf was never winning the U.S. Open. He came in second on four occasions.

The following Snead comments are from his 2002 My Shot feature in Golf Digest:

People always said I had a natural swing. They thought I wasn�t a hard worker. But when I was young, I�d play and practice all day, then practice more at night by my car�s headlights.

Could I have whipped Tiger Woods? Hell, yes. In my prime I could do anything with a golf ball I wanted. No man scared me on the golf course.

I detest the fact that I endorsed cigarettes years ago; I didn�t even smoke. Lucky Strikes, Viceroys, Chesterfields, Granger Pipe tobacco�I endorsed them all. At The Greenbrier they had those ads on the walls as decoration. I made them take them all down.

I have a reputation for being tight with money, and I guess it�s accurate. But I can�t help it. The biggest Christmas I had as a kid was when I found 15 cents and a pair of socks under my breakfast plate. Poverty will make you respect money.

When Ben Hogan died, I said it felt like I�d lost a brother. Some people didn�t understand that, because Ben and I never socialized and rarely talked. But we were like brothers, because we both made the other guy better.

Snead�s longevity was legendary. Sam won his first of 82 PGA Tour events in 1937 and his last in 1965. He was also pretty efficient on his home turf, winning the West Virginia Open 17 times, his first in 1936 and 17th in 1973, a span of 37 years. Wow.

Sam Snead at The Greenbrier: A historical photo gallery

-The Armchair Golfer

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Golf’s Would-Be King

I WAS GLANCING AT SI�s Fortunate 50 List, the 50 highest-earning American athletes. As you surely know, Tiger Woods still holds down the top spot despite his troubles off the course. Tiger rakes in a little over $90 million in on- and off-course income. The runner-up, or No. 2 man, is Phil Mickelson at nearly $62 million.

Poor Phil. No. 2 in the world golf rankings. No. 2 in earnings. Always second best, it seems. The misfortune of playing in the Tiger Woods era. I remember once reading a quote from Nick Faldo that went something like, �Thank God my prime ended about the time Tiger came along.�

(Photo: Phil and Bones / Julie Campbell, Flickr)

For all the grief Phil has gotten for not winning more�some of it earned�his career has been very good and would have been head and shoulders above most everyone in some past eras. For example, when players like Fred Couples, Greg Norman and Nick Price were considered to be the cream of golf. (I have to put Faldo ahead of Phil based on majors, although Lefty still has time to win a couple of more.)

Phil is no Tiger. From things I�ve heard him say over the years, I think he has made peace with that. It�s the Tiger era, but if Phil would have come along a little earlier golf would have been his oyster.

Here�s how Phil�s $61,660,757 breaks down: $9,660,757 from salary/winnings and $52,000,000 from endorsements. Callaway Golf, KPMG, Barclays, Grayhawk Golf Club and Rolex are his major sponsors.

-The Armchair Golfer

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Marshall Faulk Scores Ace at American Century Championship

MARSHALL FAULK AND I have two things in common: We�re both San Diego State grads and we�ve both made a hole-in-one. (Although Marshall made his ace on TV. Showoff.)

If celebrity golf is your thing, the American Century Championship begins tomorrow in the Lake Tahoe area. Hank Haney students Charles Barkley and Ray Romano are playing, as are Tony Romo, Don Cheadle, Michael Jordan, Ray Allen and many others. More info

Play with the stars in 2011: Enter the 2011 Celeb-Am Golf Sweepstakes for a chance to win two player spots for the July 12, 2011 round, as well as a two-night stay in South Lake Tahoe and two player gift bags. There also will be other prizes awarded. To enter the sweepstakes, visit www.edgewoodtahoe.com.

American Century Championship TV Schedule:
Friday, July 16 - ESPN 2, 7-9 p.m. ET (tape delay)
Saturday, July 17 - NBC, 3-6 p.m. ET (live)
Sunday, July 18 - NBC, 3-6 p.m. ET (live)

-The Armchair Golfer

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Paul Goydos Video: The Approach Shot and Putt for 59

I MIGHT HAVE KNOCKED that putt into the pond. I love Paul�s reaction. He seems so nonchalant. Hey, Goydos. YOU SHOT 59!! Can you give us a fist pump like David Duval? Something?

It must be weird to know that no matter how well you play tomorrow you will shoot a higher score. Unless ... naaaah.

-The Armchair Golfer

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From Head Butts to Emergency Landings, Courses Have Seen It All

I have noticed that nearly every week, one or two strange things happen on golf courses around the world. I�m talking about things that have nothing to do with playing the game.

Last week, for example, there was an altercation on the 18th green at the Franconia Golf Course in Springfield, Mass. (Sadly, I frequently read about altercations, most connected to accusations of slow play.) In this case, a 46-year-old man said he was head-butted by a man in the foursome playing behind him as he finished his round. The man also told the Springfield police that another man in the foursome threw a golf ball at his girlfriend. The police last week were still searching for the attackers.

We all need to calm down out there.

One day later, near Panama City Beach, Fla., coolness under pressure avoided tragedy when a small rented plane lost power at about 4,000 feet. At the controls was a 28-year-old Air Force pilot who has been flying since he was 12. He considered landing on the beach below, but it was crowded with people. A nearby highway was crowded with cars. But the 17th fairway of the Shark�s Tooth Golf Club, an acclaimed Greg Norman design, seemed a good, open choice. The plane was landed without injury to the pilot or his three passengers. The plane was also undamaged and remained on the course for two days waiting for federal aviation officials to conduct an investigation.

Now that�s an unusual obstruction to play around.

But looking at pictures of the ditched plane, it appeared to have come to a stop inside a lateral water hazard.

So if you hit a shot at the plane, you could play it off the wing and (say)� a prayer.

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Light Relief, but Penalty Applies

During a four-ball stroke-play competition, the team of Al and Ben is paired with the team of Carl and Dave. On the green, Al marks the position of Ben�s ball and tosses it to Ben. Ben replaces the ball in front of Al�s marker and removes the marker. Because Al�s putt is on the same line as Ben�s, Ben decides to stand on the other side of the hole to watch Al�s putt. Al makes the putt, and Ben also makes his after seeing the break in Al�s putt.

Carl�s ball is on a sprinkler head in the rough by the green. He decides to take relief but goes to get a different club. To save time, Dave lifts Carl�s ball and drops it within a club length of the nearest point of relief. Carl chips his ball onto the green five feet directly behind Dave�s ball. Carl tells Dave to stand on the extension of his line of putt behind the ball to watch his putt. Carl makes his putt, and Dave, having seen the break, also makes his.

How many penalty strokes have been incurred by the players? (See correct answer at end.)

A. Al � 2, Ben � 2, Carl � 2, Dave � 2

B. Al � 3, Ben � 3, Carl � 3, Dave � 2

C. Al � 1, Ben � 1, Carl � 2, Dave � 2

D. Al � 0, Ben � 0, Carl � 3, Dave � 2

A ball to be lifted may be lifted by the player or his partner. A ball to be replaced may be replaced by the player or his partner. Therefore, Al was entitled to lift Ben�s ball, and Ben was permitted to replace it himself. A ball to be dropped under the Rules must be dropped by the player himself. When Dave dropped Carl�s ball, Carl incurred a one-stroke penalty.

A player may stand on the other side of the hole to watch his partner�s putt. However, if a player allows his partner to stand on an extension of the line of putt behind the ball while he putts, the player incurs a two-stroke penalty. If this action assists his partner in his play of the hole, the partner also incurs a two-stroke penalty. Al and Ben incur no penalties while Carl and Dave each incur a two-stroke penalty.

The correct answer is D.

Bernie Loehr is the director of the Rules of Golf, United States Golf Association.

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Name the Old-Time Players

OK, NAME-THE-PLAYER experts: How about some old-timers? Do any of the players in this grainy black-and-white photograph look familiar? Can you name one, two, or more?

No hints. You�re on your own. Who are any of these old-time players?

-The Armchair Golfer

Other �Name the Players�:
Name the Player Practicing in the Bunker
Name the Player Along on the Range
Name the Player at the LPGA Championship
Name the Player Signing the Deal in 1971
Name the Player at TPC Sawgrass
Name the Player Based on the Shoes and Footwork

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Name the Player Alone on the Range

BECAUSE MANY OF YOU have aced �Name the Player� time and time again, there was only one thing to do: try to make it harder. Now I wonder if I have. Take a look at the above tour pro. Does he look familiar? Do you recognize the finish?

Maybe, just maybe, this one is a bit more difficult. No hints. At least not yet. You�re on your own. Who do you think it is?

-The Armchair Golfer

Other �Name the Players�:
Name the Player at the LPGA Championship
Name the Player Signing the Deal in 1971
Name the Player at TPC Sawgrass
Name the Player Based on the Shoes and Footwork

(Image: ltbeyer/Flickr)

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Old Tom Morris Descendant Decries Modern Game

Editor�s note: Melvyn Morrow wants the game of golf back, and he wrote me a month ago to share a few of his views. �What right do I have to hold these views?� he wrote. �Just the same rights as all others, but also based upon over 250 years of my family playing golf at St. Andrews and the blood of Old Tom in my veins.�

By Melvyn Morrow
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE of a war for the heart and soul of the game of golf, yet very few are aware of, or for that matter care about, the game�s core values.

The game of golf is a walking, thinking game that requires the players to have �a good eye, lasting power as a walker, nicety of calculation, and, above all, good temper.� The quote was printed in The Scotsman under the heading of �The Spread of Golf� from 1890.

(Photo: The Road Hole at St. Andrews / courtesy of Melvyn Morrow)

Just how much has been sacrificed at the altar of laziness? Golfers talk openly of non-walking courses, using carts instead of walking, and using outside aids to replace brains and eye coordination, both of which in times past have contributed to the challenge and pleasure of playing the game of golf.

Riding when golfers can walk changes the game. No longer will their bodies and minds be tested under the pressure of exertion. There are also yardage books and electronic aids to help poor limited-minded golfers decide which club to use.

Why do golfers put themselves through these hoops every hole, every round, and every time they play their type of golf? Why bother at all, as clearly they are not in control when deciding which club to use? Their toys are doing it while they remain cool and shaded on their cart.

Ladies and gentlemen, that�s not golf.

Golf is a walking and thinking game. But once golfers step foot off the fairway they are no longer involved in the game, and when they let outside aids assist in club choice, just where is the pleasure of self-achievement? Because they did not do it by themselves.

The war is not yet lost. Look around and you will find many golfers walking, some regrettably using distance aids, but still willing to use their limbs. So perhaps in time they may realise they need to use the old grey cells before they too decide to fade for lack of use. The choice is, of course, down to each individual as our governing bodies are already crippled with indecision, perhaps the result of a total lack of use over the last 100 years or so.

In closing, those who are walking and thinking�not using any form of outside aid�are playing a game called golf.

Melvyn Morrow is the great, great grandson of four-time Open champion Old Tom Morris. Read more about him in The Scotsman.

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Take a Walk After a Poor Shot

One of the interesting findings of a recent study conducted on amateur golfers by Neil Wolkodoff, the director of the Center for Health and Sport Science at the Rose Medical Center in Denver, is that golfers generally score lower while walking with a pushcart or a caddie as opposed to riding in a golf cart. There could be a multitude of reasons for this, but one proposed by Wolkodoff centered on the idea that walking golfers have more time � and a built-in, physical, stress-reducing response to a poor shot.

�If you�ve just hit a really bad shot and it sends you into a tizzy,� Wolkodoff said, �from a psycho-physiological standpoint, I can�t think of a worse thing to do than hop into a cart that whisks you to your next shot in seconds.�

Wolkodoff suggested, if it is possible and without overdoing it, that you walk to your next shot.

�Even one minute walking down a fairway will probably do a lot to get rid of the adrenaline and stress hormones that get into your system when you�re upset,� he said. �The physical nature of walking flushes the system and has a calming effect. You can reclaim your rhythm. It�s a natural response as opposed to a rushed one.�

Makes sense, but I wonder, what happens if both players in a cart hit bad shots? One, I guess, drives slowly.

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The Unbridled Emotion of Seve Ballesteros

SEVE BALLESTEROS COULDN�T MAKE the trip to St. Andrews for the reunion with 20 some odd other British Open champions. His doctors wouldn�t allow it. His health is too fragile. Nonetheless, there have been many Seve tributes this week, some that could bring a statue to tears. Rightly so.

Anyone who saw Seve play in his prime would no doubt remember his charisma, fieriness, imagination and unbridled emotion. Whether or not he was among someone�s favorites, there was no denying that Seve was a singular player who left his mark on the sport.

The above short clip is Exhibit A. Seve holed out on the final green of the 1984 British Open at the Old Course. He was the year�s champion golfer, his second of three Open crowns, and his reaction was pure joy. It�s a good way to remember him.

-The Armchair Golfer

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2010 U.S. Women’s Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 U.S. Women�s Open is underway at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Brittany Lang is the first-round leader after shooting a 2-under 69.

Purse: $3.25 million
Defending champion: Eun-Hee Ji

Tournament preview
Final field
Pairings
Oakmont course info and map
Tournament website
Tournament history

2010 U.S. Women�s Open Leaderboard

GolfChannel.com senior writer Randell Mell
Mell says: �Cristie Kerr, coming off her 12-shot romp at the LPGA Championship, is the overwhelming favorite. She isn�t a true bomber, but she�s one of the longest straight hitters on tour. What sets her apart is a velvet putting touch, maybe the best on tour. If she can win this week, she solidifies her legitimacy as the No. 1 player in the women�s game and begins a run to succeed Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa as the LPGA�s next dominant player.�

TV SCHEDULE

Fourteen hours of TV coverage are scheduled for the 2010 U.S. Women�s Open.

Thurs, July 8
3:00-7:00 PM ET ESPN2

Fri, July 9
3:00-7:00 PM ET ESPN2

Sat, July 10
3:00-6:00 PM ET NBC

Sun, July 11
3:00-6:00 PM ET NBC

-The Armchair Golfer

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Rory’s New Wave Band

Editor�s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a regular contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following piece is excerpted from his blog, Irish Golf Desk.�

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

RORY MCILROY WILL LEAD a hungry new generation of European young guns to Wisconsin in search of US PGA glory next month. The Holywood star, 21, bounced back brilliantly from his nightmare 80 in The Open to share third place behind stablemate Louis Oosthuizen.

And McIlroy�s manager Chubby Chandler reckons his young superstar is at the vanguard of a new wave of European talent set to sweep all before them in the same way that Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam dominated golf in the 80s and early 90s.

Chandler said: �After major wins by Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen, there will be a whole bunch of European Tour players going to Whistling Straits for the US PGA believing they can win.

�The days when Europeans looked uncomfortable leading majors seem to have gone. And it�s not just four or five players any more like it was in the 80s and 90s�there are 25 of them now who are going to the US PGA to win.

�Rory did great to finish third in the Open with an 80 in the second round. It was a really great comeback and I don�t think what happened on Friday will make any difference to him. He knows exactly where he is going in the game and this is just a step along the way.�

McIlroy must believe he is heading for greatness and his rivals can only pray that he doesn�t address the weaknesses in his game. At St. Andrews, as the American writer Dan Jenkins pointed out over a cigarette on Saturday, McIlroy was too young to realise that a 75 was a good score on Friday afternoon.

�He learned something every day at St Andrews,� Chandler said as his ISM stable celebrated its first major win on Monday. �Day one�he led a major by two. Day two he takes 80 after getting knocked out of his rhythm by the weather delay. He won�t do that very often when he�s leading majors.

�He came back unbelievably well on the last two days to finish third so there are more positives than negatives for Rory. He now knows that you don�t go out and win a major first time, like Louis has done. Normally you have to earn it�just look at what Lee [Westwood] is going through.�?

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

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Creamer Rises to the Top

2010 U.S. Women�s Open Recap
Winner: Paula Creamer
Score: 3 under, 281 (72, 70, 70, 69)
Quote: �I believed I could do this.�
Fact: She didn�t watch leaderboards.
Thought: Mental toughness wins majors.

PAULA CREAMER IS A major champion. What so many have long expected since the talented California native turned professional five years ago finally came to pass today under blue skies at Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania. She is only 23, but doesn�t it seem that Paula has been grinding for that first major victory for quite a while?

Count me among those who were thoroughly impressed by Creamer�s performance. I know Oakmont was playing soft after the heavy rain on Friday. It�s still Oakmont, though. Playing through pain in the aftermath of surgery to her left thumb, Paula was the only player in red numbers for 72 holes, shooting 3-under par to win by four strokes over Na Yeon Choi and Suzanne Pettersen. She saved her best round for last, a 2-under 69.

Few players have a four-shot cushion when they play the final hole of a U.S. Open (a dream scenario and then you wake up), but apparently Creamer didn�t know it. Paula said afterwards that she didn�t look at a leaderboard until the 18th green.

�That was a goal of mine,� she said, �to just go and play the golf course, and if somebody played awesome, then somebody did. I didn�t want to change my game plan.�

How do you explain a first major after so much adversity and such a long layoff? Paula was obviously not at anywhere near her best physically�she could only hit 40 balls in warm up, winced in pain on the course, and told the press she was about 60 percent. She had only played four events coming into the national championship, missing the cut last week at the Jamie Farr Classic.

�It just shows,� Paula said, �how much the mental side of golf can really take over.�

There�s also the experience and maturity Creamer gained from disappointments at the last two U.S. Women�s Opens at Interlachen and Saucon Valley. And there�s the putting, which this time was superb on Oakmont�s crazy fast and undulating greens.

Because of Paula�s extreme popularity�and because an American has won the U.S. Women�s Open�this is bound to be a huge lift for women�s golf and the LPGA Tour. With Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa gone, the game needs star power, and Paula has it in mega-wattage. Now she also has her first of what may be many majors.

-The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

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Common Courses: Bethpage Red

They�re not Pebble, Bandon, Kiawah, or Pinehurst. Common courses are the modest 9- and 18-hole munis and semi-private clubs that most golfers play. Although this one, contributed by A.J. Voelpel, is arguably not all that common.

By A.J. Voelpel
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

WELCOME TO BETHPAGE STATE PARK, home to more doglegs than Cruella De Vil�s closet.

It is here, obviously, where you�ll find the famed Black course�a two-time host of our nation�s greatest championship. What you may not be aware of is that the Black, such a prominent collection of 18 holes, hangs storm clouds over a neighboring course that�s nearly as difficult. A par-70 track that annually hosts the Long Island Open. I�m talking cold blood and broken hearts � all things colored Bethpage Red.

It�s no coincidence that the intelligence over at Golf.com included the Red in their list of �America�s Most Underrated Golf Courses.� And there�s no denying the Red�s claim to fame; it dons arguably the most challenging starting hole from Queens to Montauk. The brutal opener even runs parallel to the 18th of the Black, like a pre-bout stare down. Little brother has never shied away from a fight.

The 471-yard par-4 demands a ruler-straight drive into the short grass, avoiding the gnarly fescue to the left and Jones Beach to the right. The second shot will be long, unless Bubba Watson snuck in a celebrity shot. From 100 yards out, the fairway begins to climb up a steep hill�which is generally reserved for sledding in the winter�and ends atop a vast green. Club-catching rough armors a surface that runs primarily back to front. Take a five and run, because the Red starts barking on the next tee.

Okay, deep breath: The par-4 2nd turns swiftly right to left, the 3rd and 5th (the only par-5 on the front) swiftly left to right, and then the 6th fairway nearly makes a u-turn, without signaling, to a newly tilted green. No. 9�the No. 1 handicapped hole�plays just under 466 from the tips, and also bends sharply to the left. The tendency on the tee is to go right. Do that and you�ll face another humbling approach.

Long Back Nine

Exhale. After going out in just under 3,400 yards, the (dare I say) �simple� part is over. Now quickly inhale once again! The back nine tends to make babies cry; five of the six par-4s extend over 462 yards from the back tees. The loner is the split-fairway, 400-yard par-4 13th. If the wind isn�t howling, it�s your best chance for a birdie.

Both No. 10 and 11 turn directly to the right. The 466-yard 14th cuts to the left and the 482-yard monster 15th rises uphill and turns to the right. The 560-yard par-5 16th turns 90 degrees to the right also. However, if you carry the corner (about 285 yards), you�ll chop the distance in half. The second shot is normally a layup, especially with the delicate, lumpy green.

Dizzy yet? Well the par-3 17th offers a break from length and angle and is only a buck 60ish, straightaway. Two large bunkers guard the front of a fairly accessible green. A two is absolutely within reason.

A few years back, the 18th tee box was extended some 50 yards, being mutated into a daunting finishing hole, much to the contrary of the its Black counterpart. A downhill tee shot must carry at least 260 to have a mid-iron approach in. The amphitheater setting around the giant green was mentioned as a potential replacement finisher to the Black for last year�s U.S. Open. The putting surface runs quickly back to front, left to right, so position is key for a two putt.

Tour Worthy

With the remarkable condition the park keeps the Red in, it�s only a matter of time before a PGA or LPGA tournament stops by for a visit. In the meantime, make a visit to Bethpage for yourself. Play the Black in the morning and follow it with a dance on the Red.

Then go to sleep and don�t wake up for the next six days.

A.J. Voelpel is an avid golfer and the editor of West Islip Patch. He lives in Westbury, New York.

More common courses:
Mangrove Bay Golf Course
Balboa Park Golf Course
Desert Aire Golf Course

(Image: Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr)

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From Tom Kidd to Tiger Woods: The Open at St. Andrews

The following is an excerpt from THE OPEN: Golf�s Oldest Major, a pictorial history of the championship that includes overview texts. To enter a free drawing for a copy of the hardcover book, email your name and address to armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

By Donald Steel
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

� 2009 R&A Championships Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

MOST GOLFERS� IDEA OF HEAVEN is an Open at St. Andrews. For the players, there is certainly nothing to compare with victory over the Old Course�Jack Nicklaus maintains that �if you want to be remembered, you have to win at St. Andrews.�

There have been suggestions that every Open Championship should be held there so it is no surprise that it has housed more than any other venue. It is no surprise either that, of the three original courses used for The Open, it is the sole survivor. Recently, it has played host ever fifth year.

No course is more public than the Old in the sense that so much is visible of the start and finish from adjacent streets and buildings. The 18th green gives the feeling of being part of the town and, at the climax of an Open, is overlooked by thousands who have paid and a good few hundred who haven�t. Necks are strained from many a window. In the playing sense, it is the course of double fairways, double greens, pot bunkers, and the Road Hole�the most infamous in the world, a combination that golf course architects regard as the blueprint of their art for all students to follow and revere. Not that everyone has stood in awe.

Harry Vardon claimed that the Old is �a good course, but its bunkers are badly placed,� which may explain why none of his six Open victories took place there. George Duncan, on the other hand, remarked, �What I like about the Old Course, is that you play a very good shot and find yourself in a very bad place.� Tiger Woods�s reaction in 2000 was to avoid the bunkers altogether in all four rounds, a forerunner to victory by eight strokes that equaled St. Andrews� biggest winning margin by J.H. Taylor exactly a hundred years earlier.

Taylor and Woods share with Jack Nicklaus, James Braid and Bob Martin the honour of winning two Opens over the Old Course but two other memories stand out. St. Andrews marked the first and last appearances of Arnold Palmer and the victory in 1964 of Tony Lema, with Palmer�s caddie on loan�one of the most remarkable of all.

Open Championships played at St. Andrews:
1873 / 1876 / 1879 / 1882 / 1885 / 1888 / 1891 / 1895 / 1900 / 1905 / 1910 / 1921 / 1927 / 1933 / 1939 / 1946 / 1955 / 1957 / 1960 / 1964 / 1970 / 1978 / 1984 / 1990 / 1995 / 2000 / 2005 / 2010

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Exclusive Q&A: The Weather Talks Open Championship

IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, the Weather spoke to ARMCHAIR GOLF about Open Championship week, including some hints on what to expect the next four days at the Old Course.

Q: Thanks for doing this.

WEATHER: Sure.

Q: Everybody was talking about you today.

WEATHER: I�m used to it (chuckling). It�s raining sideways. I�ve heard that one since Old Tom was knocking wine-bottle corks through the streets of St. Andrews. The American press is particularly amusing. All that rot about this is what summer is like in Scotland.

Q. Does the talk bother you?

WEATHER: Not at all. I actually look forward to it. Mid July is always highlighted on my calendar, a very special week for me.

Q: Can you tell us which players are most flustered by you?

WEATHER: No, I�d rather not. It�s not sporting. Sorry.

Q: But you know who they are.

WEATHER: Oh, sure. I can always tell. Watch closely and you�ll see. The body language, the crazy shots, the slammed clubs. I really get into some players� heads.

Q: This field is made up of 156 of the world�s top players. Wouldn�t you agree that most have played championship golf in all kinds of conditions?

WEATHER: Many of the players talk a great game. They talk about Open experience, their preparation, how they love links golf in a stiff breeze, playing the ball on the ground, the bounces, good and bad. It�s total rubbish. The truth is, I scare the FootJoys off them. They�re little boys who want their mums.

Q: I don�t know how to ask this.

WEATHER: Just go ahead.

Q: Do you have a strategy?

WEATHER: Not exactly. I show up and things develop from there. Some wind. Some rain. Nothing too complicated. I usually restrain myself somewhat. Most years, it could be a lot worse. At Carnoustie a few years back things got completely out of kilter. I admit it.

Q: Some like you, though. There are those who really thrive on you during Open week.

WEATHER: I do have my share of friends in the R&A. They are always glad to see me and tend to fret if I�m too calm. Most of the others who are fond of me don�t have to play.

Q: The forecast is calling for rain on Thursday, rain and wind on Friday, showers on Saturday, and showers on Sunday.

WEATHER: Weather forecasters. Now there�s a bunch.

Q: Are they wrong?

WEATHER: You�ll have to watch.

Q: Thanks for taking the time.

WEATHER: My pleasure. Enjoy the Open.

-The Armchair Golfer

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

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My Bag: Stewart Cink at 2010 British Open

The past year has been a wonderful experience as the Open champion. The best part has been feeling the satisfaction from that huge win. Returning to St. Andrews to defend will be awesome!

For the Old Course, I will probably go to a 54� wedge in place of the 52� and 56�, and add a 3-iron and four-iron in place of my current 3-iron [which plays between a typical 3- and 4-iron]. On a links course, spin and wedge control mean less than imagination and trajectory, so I'll give up the extra wedge in favor of the flexibility in the long irons.

And I always use a lower-spinning ball, Nike's One Tour D, which works well in the cold and wind of the Open links courses.

DRIVER: Nike Victory Red Tour (9.5�) with a UST Mamiya ATTAS 6 X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Nike SQ II (15�) with a UST Mamiya ATTAS 7 X shaft

IRONS: Nike Pro Combo (2), Victory Red Split Cavity (3) and Victory Red Blades (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts

WEDGES: Nike Victory Red (52�, 56�, 60�) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts

PUTTER: Nike Method 001

BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

Sandwich: My trainer Chris Noss makes a mean PB&J! Seriously, he makes one for every round, with the healthiest ingredients. I usually eat half per nine holes.

Range Finder: I feel naked if I leave it at home. I even carry a spare battery in case it goes dead. On Tour, my caddie Frank Williams and I use it to chart yardages, especially uphill and downhill adjustments.

Tees and markers: These tees create less friction at impact and they break less often than wooden ones. I don't have any lucky markers, but a fan I see occasionally has given me some awesome collectible coins, like this 1864 two-cent piece (lower left) and this 1931 dime (top right).

Drink Mix: I carry Amino Vital, which mixes with water to help hydration and focus, and Living Fuel bars, which are packed with healthy ingredients."

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Course of Style: FootJoy making every day playable

This week industry leader FootJoy introduces a new layered golf clothing system, including the company's first compression piece � that is, a tight-fitting undershirt to supply warmth and support � which the company has been testing on tour. The new ProDry compression shirt was designed to be somewhat roomier and less restrictive than other compression garments, according to Whitney Trimble, the director of marketing for FootJoy apparel. It was worn by Steve Stricker in the windy conditions at St. Andrews during the British Open.

"Our goal is to make every day playable,? Trimble said. ?The system makes it easier to play in all conditions with less."

The new FJ Layering System, like other foul-weather golf apparel, consists of three layers: 1) A compression base that provides moisture management and regulates temperature by moving perspiration away from the body ($55). 2) A Performance Half-Zip Pullover, with four-way stretch, for versatility and warmth during dry conditions ($85); and 3) A redesigned DryJoys Tour Collection jacket with the FJ Protect Waterproofing System ($240) or a Rain Shirt, short or long sleeve ($160-180).

The outer layering pieces, a signature component of FootJoy's apparel for years, also have four-way stretch fabric and include rain pants, rain shorts, softshell jackets and vests, and windshirts in color-block patterns. The complete redesigned FootJoy layering system will be available beginning in August.

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2010 British Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 BRITISH OPEN, the 150th edition of golf�s oldest major, gets underway on Thursday at the St. Andrews Links (Old Course) in Fife, Scotland. Stewart Cink defends in an international field of 156 players.

Purse: $7 million
Winner�s share: $1.22 million (approx)
Defending champion: Stewart Cink

Inside the field
Player interviews
Player bios
Old Course scorecard and hole-by-hole profile
Open Championship news
Open Championship on Twitter
Q&A: Steve Williams on the Open prospects of Tiger Woods
Past champions
Open Championship history

2010 British Open Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

There will be lots of live TV coverage during the 2010 British Open.

United States

Thu, July 15
ESPN 4 AM-3 PM ET

Fri, July 16
ESPN 4 AM-3 PM ET

Sat, July 17
ESPN 7 AM-2:30 PM ET

Sun, July 18
ESPN 6 AM-1:30 PM ET

United Kingdom

BBC Two/HD: Thu 15 July, 0900-2000 BST - live first round action
BBC Two/HD: Fri 16 July, 0900-2000 BST - live second round action
BBC One/HD: Sat 17 July, 1000-1200 BST - live third round action
BBC One/HD: Sat 17 July, 1210-1715 BST - live third round action
BBC Two/HD: Sat 17 July, 1715-1930 BST - live third round action
BBC Two/HD: Sun 18 July, 1100-1245 BST - live final round action
BBC Two/HD: Sun 18 July, 1245-2000 BST - live final round action

Red Button coverage:
Thu 15 July: 0900-1900 - live coverage, leaderboard and holes 9-11
Fri 16 July: 0900-1900 - live coverage, leaderboard and holes 9-11
Sat 17 July: 1000-1930 - live coverage, leaderboard and holes 9-11
Sun 18 July: 1100-2000 - live coverage, leaderboard and holes 9-11

Canada

Thu, July 15
TSN 4 AM-1 AM ET

Fri, July 16
TSN 4 AM-1 AM ET

Sat, July 17
TSN 7 AM- 4 AM ET

Sun, July 18
TSN 6 AM-3 AM ET

Australia

(Australian TV times via Aussie Golfer.)

Thu, July 15
Fox Sports 6 PM-5 AM

Fri, July 16
Fox Sports 6 PM-5 AM

Sat, July 17
Fox Sports 10 PM-4:30 AM

Sun, July 18
Fox Sports 7 PM-4:30 AM

-The Armchair Golfer

(Images: Keith Allison/Flickr)

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“Clash Of The Adjustable Drivers!” – MOST ACCURATE AWARDS

MyGolfSpy uses a proprietary chart we developed for our ULTIMATE Review system to assign a point value to accuracy (based on deviation from the center line). �The closer the average shot is to center, the more points it receives. �Like we did with distance, we convert accuracy numbers to a percentage �with the most accurate driver for each golfer receiving of 100 points. �We tally the sum of each club individually to arrive at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

We were absolutely blown away by the accuracy numbers the Nike VR driver produced. A full 2/3 of our testers found the Victory Red to be the most accurate of the 7 drivers tested. Furthermore, the VR finished in the top 3 for accuracy for all but one of the golfers for whom we collected detailed performance data. �Our data supports my own experience with the Victory Red. �It�s an absolute fairway hunter, which is exactly why it�s been in my bag for the last month and a half.

The Machspeed scored a relatively convincing (margins are tight across the board) runner up finish to the deadly precise Victory Red in our accuracy tests. For the 1/3 of testers for whom the Victory Red wasn�t the most accurate driver, the Machspeed was. It�s worth mentioning that when our golfers missed with the Machspeed, they missed left. For slicers, the high MOI square design offers hope, but the trade-off is that it sometimes accentuates (really accentuates) a hook. Perhaps the biggest surprise of our tests is this: For every golfer we tested, a Nike driver proved to be the most accurate. Believe me, I�m as shocked as anyone.

TaylorMade�s R9 SuperTri provided to be a consistently solid performer, accentuated by its 3rd place performance in our accuracy category. �Our testers were extremely anxious to test the SuperTri, but in the end, most found something they liked better; both on our surveys and in overall performance. �I�m a long time fan of TaylorMade drivers (even if I think there are way too many of them), and while it�s not my favorite of the bunch, there�s enough good about the SuperTri that I find myself intrigued by the the newer SuperDeep.

For accuracy, the FT-9�s 5th place finish was within fractions of �points of several drivers not made by Nike. �As with distance, for our accuracy tests, the gap between 3rd place and 6th place is minute. �We suspect that 1� open face of the FT-9 Tour may have hurt the accuracy numbers of some of our less accomplished golfers. Our hunch is that with a standard head (1� closed), our testers might have improved their accuracy � although if other clubs are any indication, not by any significant margin. �Overall, the FT-9 is a solid performer (and still one of my personal favorites), but our number suggest that the majority of golfers need to get custom fit for this one.

Our testing reveals that despite finishing 1st for neither (and out of the top 3 for accuracy) Cobra�s ZL strikes a near perfect balance between distance and accuracy. �Looking at the chart below you�ll see that a couple of our testers�struggled�to keep the ZL towards the middle of the fairway. �For whatever reason, Anthony and Dan distanced themselves from the pack (at least it terms of fairway futility). �Toss those results � which we can�t do, but if we did � the ZL is as straight as anything without a swoosh on the sole. �We�re thinking a face angle adjustment could make all the difference, but the fact is plenty of golfers (myself included) don�t like the look of a closed face, and won�t play one regardless of the benefits.

In our performance testing, Cobra�s S2 proved to be a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. You�ve already seen the distance numbers, but the flipside is that, the Cobra S2 finished 6th in our accuracy testing. �We�re hard-pressed to explain it ourselves, but our golfers definitely had trouble finding the meaty part of our virtual fairways. While a simple head adjustment might improve things for some of our testers we also wonder if the noticeably tip soft shaft could be part of the issue. None of our testers were willing to write of the S2, and several mentioned they�d love to test it again with a different shaft.

With respect to accuracy, you�ve already seen that both Nike clubs finished head and shoulders above the rest. Taking them out of the equation long enough to quantify the rest of the field, the the FT-iZ finished a very close 7th (mere points separated 3rd-6th place for accuracy). We�re still a bit surprised by how many of our testers wanted to take the FT-iZ home with them (one actualy did). �Just as with our distance tests, we think the right shaft, and for some a standard head (neutral), we think Callaway has what is probably the best�triangular�shaped driver ever made (for whatever that�s worth).

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Interview: USGA's Dick Rugge on grooves and gear

USGA Senior Technical Director Dick Rugge sat down for a talk with GOLF Magazine recently and explained why golf balls and drivers are safe, but grooves had to go.

GOLF Magazine: The new grooves rules represent the first equipment rollback in the last 75 years. Why now? What other instances might've merited rollbacks?
Rugge: The groove rules were modified because the game had changed in a very significant way due to equipment changes. Large, sharp-edged grooves had helped reduce the importance of driving accuracy, particularly for the most skilled golfers. By changing the groove specifications�by "softening" the shape of the grooves�we?ve addressed this situation in a way that has very little effect on most golfers. Strictly based on their potential to change the game, two other rollbacks could be considered�reducing golf ball distance and reducing clubhead size. However, in both cases, a rollback would impact virtually every golfer, not just the very best players, so we have no plans to roll back either.

GM: Under what scenario might we see future rollbacks?
Rugge: If it were determined that the game could be improved by implementing an equipment rollback. For example, if driving distance once again began to increase significantly, there may be a need to consider changes to the rules governing clubs or balls. It?s purely hypothetical, but there could also come a time when environmental issues place such significant burdens on building or maintaining golf courses that reducing distance could become a necessity.

GM: How does the USGA assess new technology?
Rugge: Fortunately, the USGA is well equipped to conduct in-depth scientific analyses of new technologies. Our ?crystal ball? is made up of PhD engineers who work in a world-class research lab and use sophisticated evaluation tools such as finite element analysis. We are able to consider a new technology in its initial implementation, as well as the ways in which it may evolve in the future. We can scientifically consider whether to prevent a precedent-setting technology from taking root, or to allow it with some reasonable controls in place from the beginning.

GM: How many clubs and/or balls, on average, are ruled nonconforming each year?
Rugge: With golf balls, a very low percentage are ruled nonconforming, typically less than 2 percent each year. However, about 20 percent of the clubs that are submitted to the USGA are ruled nonconforming.

Where appropriate, we provide guidance to the submitters of nonconforming equipment so that they can modify their designs to be approved. Our goal is the same as theirs�a conforming golf club.

GM: What?s the USGA's position on having two sets of rules, one for skilled players and another set for the average Joe? Do you think it would be good for the game?
Rugge: The USGA continues to believe that a single set of rules for all players, regardless of their ability, is one of golf?s greatest strengths. The USGA regards the prospect of having permanent separate rules for elite competition as undesirable and has no current plans to create separate equipment rules for highly skilled players. It should also be noted that most golfers of all skill levels prefer to have one set of rules for everyone. Being linked by the rules allows for fair comparisons and competitions between players of all skill levels. While circumstances may someday dictate otherwise, we have no vision of creating multiple sets of rules now or in the future.

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West Virginia Coal Baron Takes Greenbrier Back to the Future

After a week in St. Andrews, Scotland, followed by a week in Ontario, Canada, some touring pros at the Greenbrier�s Old White Course for this week�s Greenbrier Classic may feel they have been transported back to a more elegant time and place.

Jim Justice, the West Virginia-born coal baron, has overseen the completion of the architect Lester George�s four-year restoration of the classic C.B. MacDonald designed Old White course that will host the $6 million PGA Tour event for the first time starting Thursday. He has also breathed new life into the centuries old Grand Dame of American resorts � all in just 14 months.

There are players in the field with architectural accomplishments and interests, including Ernie Els and Brad Faxon, the veteran touring pro who called the work �absolutely fantastic, especially to anyone who understands classic design and what MacDonald was trying to achieve.�

Justice already has made his determination.

�The course is ready,� he said. �I just got through talking to Sergio Garcia, and he said he loved the course, that everything is in great shape. We just keep hearing that, so it�s good. It�s real good.�

Justice is 59, stands 6 feet 7 inches and has compiled a list of varied business achievements in agriculture, tractor dealerships and coal mining that are as imposing as his stature, building a fortune estimated at north of $800 million. One might think his biggest achievement � outside of coaching the local high school girls basketball team to a 766-152 record � might be turning a profit at the Greenbrier within one year of buying it out of bankruptcy from the powerful Marriott International hoteliers.

He actually is prouder of something for which he takes no credit.

�The PGA Tour already told us that the highest charitable giving of any event in its first year in the history of the tour was the Wachovia, which gave $1.6 million,� Justice said.
�We�re going to set a brand new bar on that, and I really believe that we�ll exceed $3 million. So we�ll almost double the all-time record, which is not in any way a tribute to me. There�s just been a lot of people step up and a lot of people throughout West Virginia have a great deal of interest in an event of this magnitude.�

Fourteen months ago this tournament was not even a rumor. But the wheels began to turn after Justice spoke to a fellow West Virginian, Slugger White, who is a PGA Tour official and tournament director, and suggested that he had just the event to replace the departing Buick Open on the schedule.

When Justice wants something to happen, it usually does not take long to materialize. He grew up poor, and learned how to work hard because of his father, who worked his way into an ownership position in mining.

�He would say, �Son, if you can�t get it done in 24 hours you�re gonna have to work nights,� � Justice remembered with a laugh. �And that�s what I do. We work and we work all the time.�

What is he working toward now? Simple. The man who has never taken a vacation because he has too much fun working, said he wanted to have the best tournament on the PGA Tour.

�I�m not going to stop until the PGA Tour comes to me and says, Unquestionably, this is the best event we have all year, with the exception maybe of the majors,� Justice said.

Faxon, who had dinner with Justice on Monday, said, �You know, I don�t doubt he can do it.�

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“Clash Of The Adjustable Drivers!” – LONGEST DRIVER AWARDS

Today is Day 3 of our 3-Day Series the �Clash Of The Adjustable Drivers!�. Today you will find out who was the LONGEST & STRAIGHTEST!

It will be broken down into two separate posts�the first will be the �Longest Adjustable Driver Award� and a little later today you will get to see who won the �Most Accurate Adjustable Driver� award.

Although we provide a great deal of the information calculated by the 3Trak equipped simulators at Tark�s Indoor Golf in Saratoga Springs, NY, our distance scores are based solely on the total distance numbers produced by each club on a per golfer basis.

To determine a score, we look at the distance numbers for each of the 7 drivers our testers hit. For each golfer, the driver with the highest average distance is given 100 points. Each subsequent driver is then given the percentage of points corresponding to the percentile difference between it and the longest driver.� We tally the results for each club, and the clubs with the point points respectively receive our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards for distance. It actually sounds more complex than it is.

With very few exceptions we�ve found that there is very little distance from club to club, and we believe this method accurately coveys the relatively small difference in distances between today�s modern drivers.

From a raw distance perspective, the S2 outperformed the competition, but as you�ll see from the numbers, with today�s drivers you�re unlikely to see a runaway winner. For 3 of our testers the S2 was the absolute longest of the bunch, and it finished in the top 3 for two others. Couple the distance with what our testers tell us is outstanding sound, and feel (not to mention good looks), and it�s no wonder why the S2 was perhaps the biggest talking point of our tests.

For those putting a premium on distance, it�s worth pointing out that the Victory Red was on average only 3 yards shorter than the 1st place finisher. �As we�ve said a couple of times already in this�series, distance-wise, most of the drivers we tested are within yards of each other. �If you love the VR, there�s no reason to be put off by these distance numbers.

What some may say the FT-iZ lacks for looks it more than makes up for with pure pop. Callaway�s unconventionally shaped offering. While it didn�t post as many first place results at Cobra�s ZL, based on averages it proved to be longer for more golfers than Cobra�s composite offering, the ZL. �With the right head and shaft combo (and assuming you can stomach the triangular looks), we think the FT-iZ will offer all the performance necessary to back up the love.

A damn close 4th, the ZL actually produced more average carry than our 2nd place finisher.� For 1/3 of our testers Cobra�s Zero Limit (ZL) driver proved to be the longest of the 7 we tested. �As you can imagine, I took a lot of swings with each and every one of these clubs, and for me the ZL was the longest. �I can only imagine what I might be able to do if I were custom fit.

For most of our golfers, the SuperTri was on average less than 5 yards shorter than their longest driver, which I suppose is on the leading edge of meaningful distance. For one tester, Blake, the R9 SuperTri proved to be significantly shorter than anything else he tested. To some degree his lower numbers may have skewed the SuperTri�s final distance results, even if the SuperTri was at best middle of the pack for our other testers. �Still, it�s hard to look past great sound, and great feel. �While we�re not blown away by the SuperTri, there�s enough here to make us really curious about the newer SuperDeep.

We came into this review fully expecting the Callaway FT-9 would prove to be the longest of the lot.� While not completely shocked, we are admittedly a bit surprised that the numbers simply don�t bare that out.� Never more than a few yards off the pace, the FT-9 quite simply wasn�t the longest driver for any of our testers (although you may remember from our previous post that many of our golfers absolutely love the FT-9).� For distance, it�s 6th place finish was within points of everything but the S2. In fact, under our scoring system, the difference gap between the driver that finished 3rd and the driver that finished 6th, is less than 3/10 �of one percent. �This is yet another case where custom fitting will likely make all the difference.

As we discussed in our last post, not all of our testers were fans of the SQ Machspeed�s square looks. Testers also commented that driver lacked feel, making it difficult to discern the mishits from the solidly struck balls. Our tests show that in general Machspeed produce the largest discrepancies between the longest and shortest drives we counted. � It also produced the highest spin rates, and the highest average launch angle. �Overall, the Machspeed was the shortest driver we tested; measurably and�meaningfully�so.

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