Spending More Time in the Sand Than David Hasselhoff

I got a club fitting at GolfTec last weekend and have tried to find some clubs to fit the fitting, as it were.

Found out my clubs are: too whippy, too long, too wrong. I hit best some Project X 5.5 Rifle shafted irons, which are cool looking shafts. I was originally thinking of some Mizuno MP 57’s but am leaning toward a set of Callaway X forged on Ebay for a substantial discount – I am cheap, after all.

My driver shaft was good for me, according to the pro, but the head was wrong. I found last year’s model Titleist D2 on ebay (again, I am cheap) and might have discovered a matching 3 wood from Titleist with the same shaft.

Now, what magic will happen next? Champions Tour, per chance?

Tags: Equipment by
No Comments »

I ran into Jay Busbee’s interview with David Feherty online today and I just had to share some of it.

For those who don’t know, Feherty is a former European tour player from Ireland who retired in 1997 and since, has been the best on-course announcer in golf history for my money. He has a way with words that, well, no one else has. For example, he has used the phrase “pulled up on the back of his underwear violently” in describing how a certain PGA player felt after flubbing a shot. Another favorite: “that ball ran across the green like a frozen sloat” – I think that means the green was slick.

But, as this interview shows, he isn’t just funny, but a man who may care about America more than most Americans.

Some excerpts:

His view on the war in Iraq: “What you think of the war — whether we should be there, whether we shouldn’t — isn’t truly relevant anymore. This is one of the greatest good deeds the world has ever seen. Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world, and we blew right through it. And now you’ve got Iran pushing in, looking to gain control. It’s truly terrifying — we think in four-year election cycles, and these people think in hundreds of years.”

On how great it is to live in the US: “I’ve lived so many other places, and it’s given me some perspective. The average American wouldn’t believe how extraordinary we have it here. Every day I wake up, I think, “Am I still in America? Yes? Thank f—!”"

And some of the funny stuff.

Speaking about a golf tour he did in Iraq for the American troops where a long drive champ hit a ball off a rubber tee in Feherty’s button fly, “When you’ve got a club coming 200mph right at your plums, that’ll wake you up.”

On how amazing Tiger was compared to the players Feherty was used to on the tour when he hit the scene: “And then every round, Tiger would hit a couple shots, and I’d say, “F—, I didn’t see that one coming.”"

Another reference to how unique the Striped One is: “You just can’t say enough about the guy. He’s winning majors by 10, 12, 15 shots. We haven’t seen that kind of stuff since the 1800s, when Old Tom Morris was playing with a badger’s testicle stuffed with seagull feathers.”

Badger’s testicle stuffed with seagull feathers? How does he even imagine this stuff?

And finally, how’s this for an attitude about life after nearly dying in a bicycle accident last year: “But still, man, I’m a lucky guy. Can’t wait to see what’s going to be next.”?

The world needs more Fehertys.

Tags: Blogging, College Golf, Equipment, European PGA Tour, History, Junior Golf, PGA, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup by
No Comments »

I had posted about JP Hayes before, a fellow cheesehead and golf professional. Briefly, he disqualified himself from Q school after realizing he had used a non-conforming golf ball (a Titleist test ball that he inadvertently put into play).  This was after originally calling a 2 stroke penalty on himself when he realized that his ball wasn’t the same type as the one he had started the round with. His take on it is very refreshing, in our modern day era of sport cheating and braggadocio. (From Golf Digest’s Local Knowledge Blog):

Oprah hasn’t called. Neither has Letterman or Leno. But J. P. Hayes says he has fielded at least 30 requests for interviews since he became national news, and that amazes him because golfers routinely turn themselves in after infractions of the rules.

“It probably happens every week on the PGA Tour,” said Hayes. “You just never hear about it. Why I’ve attracted so much attention, I don’t know. But it’s good for golf, I guess, because it confirms what we’re all about, although a couple of the responses I’ve read or heard are interesting. Some people aren’t buying it. They’re saying there has to be more to the story, or that I’m doing all this for publicity.”

I trust JP enough by reputation and homeland that I can assure you, he isn’t doing this for the publicity. (What are people thinking?)

There is some justice in the world, however. JP didn’t make it through Q school but at least the John Deere Classic has given him a sponsor’s exemption for next year. And he gets the chance to play on the Nationwide Tour while awaiting more chances at the big show.

Tags: Competition, Equipment, PGA, PGA Tour by
No Comments »

Further info on the aforementioned lawsuit regarding Pro V1 golf balls:

“At issue was a series of patents referred to as the “Sullivan patents,” a reference to Michael J. Sullivan. Sullivan is the former vice president of golf-ball research and development for Top-Flite who left that company in 1999 and went to work for Acushnet as vice president for intellectual property. The patents covered, among other things, solid-core golf-ball technology used in Titleist’s Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls.”

So, like all good corporate espionage stories, it comes down to stealing intellectual property and technology. It isn’t a whole lot different than Red Hat vs. Microsoft, just with a non-geeky aspect. Maybe it will become a movie thriller starring John Cleese, Kevin Costner, or some other well-known golf-related actor, like P. Mickelson.

Tags: Equipment, Golf Business by
No Comments »

Finally, driver technology has advanced to match cartoons.

Powerbilt announced its new “Air Force One” driver. The new techno feature – the clubhead is infused with nitrogen gas, pressurized up to 150 psi. That stabilizes the face and allows the face to be thinner (2.6 or 2.8mm vs. 3.0 for the standard high level driver). This also allows them to match clubface thickness to the player’s swing speed to enable face flex like a tour pro. It also improves the launch off of heel and toe hits.

Bottom line – jet fueled drives! Yes – I always knew Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd had the right idea about improving the game of golf.

Tags: Equipment by
No Comments »

Callaway has been successful in a ruling this week in US District Court in Delaware, of all places. They’ve had a longstanding dispute with Acushnet (the parent of Titleist, along with Footjoy and Cobra) regarding 4 Callaway patents that Callaway feels has been infringed by Titleist in making their Pro V1 brand.

Callaway originally filed suit in June of 2007, alleging that Acushnet infringed on their patents. The jury in December of 2007 found for Callaway on 4 of the 5 patents. It has been disputed back and forth over the last 11 months, but on Monday, the court granted an injunction to Callaway regarding production of Pro V1’s. Now, I’m no lawyer, but an injunction just sounds bad, doesn’t it?

The bottom line is probably this – Pro V1’s in their current form will not be produced any more and Titleist will make a new ball that clears the patent infringement problem but is essentially a Pro V1 in a mustache and sunglasses. They actually started this process in September (writing on the wall, I guess) and state that this will be the Pro V1 line, but they also claim that they have created new products in the Pro V1 line that will be available in first quarter 2009 as well.

What does this mean for Pro V users? For the Tour pros, they’ll still get the balls they want. With the new products, maybe they’ll be happier, maybe they won’t. Some might want to change if there is a significant performance change in the new Pro V’s.

For the hacks who like to use Pro V’s (and, in spite of their expense, they are a great ball for most amateurs), get them now. Maybe the existing stock will become collector’s items in the next few weeks. Or maybe, like most golf equipment, the shinier, newer product will become the hot ticket and the shabby old one will become cheaper.

I’m like most others in North Carolina – when the hurricane is comin’, I’m loading up on water and bread. In this case, I’m stocking up on the pellets right now!

Tags: Equipment, Golf Business by
2 Comments »