A few days ago I walked 9 holes, working up a rather impressive sweat in almost 60 degrees – on December 29th in Champaign, Illinois! Tomorrow I’ll go back to worrying about the imminent extinction of the polar bear. Today, December 31st, I might just walk another 9 holes. Amazing…and ominous… God knows I need all the practice I can get to suppress the miserable hook that has crept back into my game. I swear, the next person who complains to me about a slice is going to taste the fury of my vicious left hook. My first prediction for 2007, then, is ... full post »

A couple of years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with golf course architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan for an interview in the offices of Hurdzan/Fry Golf Course Design, in Columbus, Ohio. After the interview, it was my even greater pleasure to sip an 18-year-old single-malt Scotch with Dr. Hurdzan and his colleagues and tour the extensive collection of golf memorabilia and equipment housed in museum-like fashion in the offices. (Unfortunately, Dr. Hurdzan’s partner in design, Dana Fry was out of town at the time.) The information and hospitality shared with me at that time reinforced my view of Hurdzan/Fry ... full post »

So, you got another pair of wool socks again yesterday, didn’t you? No one in your family bothered to stick even one lousy sleeve of golf balls under the tree - again. Well, maybe it’s your own fault, the way you complain about your equipment and change putters every tenth round. They probably figure they won’t be able to please you. And you know what? They’re right. Now that Christmas is safely behind us again, we serious gear-heads can search for post-holiday bargains, and anxiously await the coming year’s newest equipment. Always on the lookout for the off-beat (it was I, after all, who ... full post »

If my lovely and talented wife were a golfer, things would be a hell of a lot easier for me this time of year. But no. Despite the bag and clubs and balls and tees and other gear I have lavished upon her over the last couple of years, she’s not a golfer. Not yet. And a guy can keep trying, right? Maybe what she’s lacking is some stylish, saucy golf attire. It’d be better than a blender, right? A month ago, I was sitting in an airport bar when I accidentally overhead a lovely young businesswoman complain on the phone about how ... full post »

Is Michelle Wie the greatest thing since wooden tees, or is she a poor exploited teen who will never reach her potential? No matter which you choose, even if you choose somewhere in the middle, you’ll get an argument from someone. There is no arguing, however, that her story is inspirational – and maybe even cautionary – for young girls who want to take up the grand old game. My niece finished her first year on the JV golf team in her high school last year, and hits the ball very well. But there’s still plenty she needs to learn about the ... full post »

In the mid-seventies, a print appeared on the wall of my grandfather’s TV room. It depicted a golf hole on the edge of the Grand Canyon, and it fascinated me. For quite a while, I was under the impression that such a hole actually existed. In fact, the print was the work of artist Loyal H. “Bud” Chapman, who dreamt up and committed to canvas an entire 18-hole course of “infamous” holes (with no help whatsoever from Pete Dye). As it turns out, Chapman isn’t only an artist, he’s a scratch golfer with several amateur titles under his belt. And now, his ... full post »

So…a tee is a tee, right? That’s what I always thought, anyway. Of course, I was forever scrounging around in my bag trying to find a new one on each hole, especially with the way that today’s toaster-sized drivers shatter wooden tees. Then I found Zero Friction Tees. When a bag of 50 of these tees found their way to my desk, I immediately placed them in the “gimmick” box. Sure, their three-pronged heads might cut down on friction between the ball and the tee, but come on, how much could that affect an average Joe like me? A week later, I grabbed three ... full post »

Caddyshack is arguably the favorite golf movie of all time. One could also argue, however, that Caddyshack is not really a golf movie, but rather an examination of existential angst and the power of self-determinism set against a rigidly stratified caste system, all wrapped up in a classic coming-of-age story and bound with the baling twine of satire. And the characters just happen to swing some clubs (badly). Still, as far as golf movies go, there is precious little to choose from. Tin Cup had its moments, but ultimately left me flat, wondering how, exactly, do fatal swing flaws and pig-headedness ... full post »