Why is it that big-name magazines such as Golf Digest and Golf Magazine endlessly review equipment by the big-name companies, while almost completely ignoring smaller companies? Here are a few potential reasons: 1) The magazines want to cover equipment that is broadly available to their readers. Big-name gear can be bought anywhere; small-company gear is tough to come by. 2) Readers want to read about the stuff they’ve heard of before; most people, sad to say, are drawn to the familiar and are wary of new stuff. 3) Big-name companies are HUGE advertisers in these magazines. Reviews that simply regurgitate the information in ... full post »

Maybe I’m just bitter, but The Big Break (I or II) is a Big Bust in my opinion. As I say, I may be bitter: Three years ago, I approached a television production studio with an idea for a golf reality show in which average Joe Golfers would compete in odd golf-skill events. I was told that (a) the reality show buzz was dying down, and (b) that it would all depend so much on getting the right sorts of personalities that it would be well-nigh impossible to do. Well, lo and behold, 6 months later, Rick Smith tells me about ... full post »

When winter rolls around in the north, where I live, I begin missing golf desperately. Or should I say, I used to. I’m not sure what has happened this year, but I just realized that I am not longing for greener fairways as I usually do this time of year. What’s happened to me? At the end of this last season, my game was finally getting back on track. The monster hook I had developed the previous season was under control, and I was putting well. Even my one-time legendary driver (at least in my own mind) was showing signs of ... full post »

So the National Hockey League players went on strike this season. Or maybe the owners locked them out. Frankly, I don’t know which. My question is: Does anyone care? How many people outside of Canada really miss the NHL? In all honsty, I’m grateful for the strike. It means more college baskteball clips on SportsCenter. It means far fewer spoiled atheletes fighting on national TV (although the NBA has picked up some slack in this regard). The whole thing brings to mind an old philosophical question, phrased in a new way: If a professional sports league folded in the overcrowded entertainment market, would ... full post »

The onset of winter always transports me into the strange netherworld of nostalgia, where the things that have happened merge with the things that didn’t, and run headlong into the things that could have, and perhaps should have. Golf is a great lifeline to pull oneself through these currents – golf transports the mind back into the here-and-now of each shot, and offers a whole other collection of shoulda-woulda-couldas to fret over. But seeing as it’s winter in Illinois, golf is pretty much out for a few months. Another way to stay afloat is poetry. Now don’t laugh. Golf and poetry have ... full post »