Ending months of gearhead speculations, the USGA announced yesterday that the notorious U-shaped or square grooves found on most wedges and irons today are to be deemed non-conforming. It seems that compared to V-grooves, the U-grooves impart significantly more spin to surlyn covered balls hit out of the rough. The result, according to a USGA press release is: “The combination of a higher spin rate and steeper landing angle [of the ball on the green] results in better control and less difficulty for shots hit from the rough to putting greens. As this degree of difficulty for shots hit from the rough ... full post »

Are you one of those gadget-rich, time-poor golfers? One of those sad souls who desperately need golf lessons but who lack either the time or opportunity to see a decent teaching professional in person? If so, then MGolfOnline.com might be just what the swing-doctor ordered. At MGolfOnline.com, you’ll find detailed instructions about how to shoot and submit video, and how to interact with PGA Teaching Professional Jon Cote, the instruction guru of the site. According to Greg Bessoni of MGolfOnline.com, the web-based service offers an antidote to the common malady many of us who have taken lessons in person suffer: Forgetfulness. Fifteen minutes ... full post »

My eight-year-old daughter likes golf, except when she hits bad shot. Then she hates it. And if I offer advice? Then she hates me. If I offer encouragement? She still hates me. If I so much as breathe after her bad shot? Yep. Hates me. And golf. So some days it’s hard to lure her out to the course. The promise of ice cream after nine holes is usually effective bait, but not always. Her mom keeps our freezer pretty stocked with ice cream, and my daughter knows she can have some of that without golfing first. My little girl is, however, a bit of ... full post »

Hey all you New England golfers, I just caught sight of the first sign of spring. Martha Stewart killing, skinning and sautéing a groundhog, then sewing a tea cozy from its pelt? No… Senator Ted Kennedy’s nose pinking up to a nice shade of evening primrose? No… Tom Brady making like a horny Easter Bunny with yet another supermodel/actress? No… It’s the National Golf Expo in Boston, silly! This year’s extravaganza will be held from March 2-4 at the Bayside Expo in Baahston. I’ve covered this cabin-fever-relieving event in the past, and highly recommend it. Few regions in the U.S. can claim more die-hard golf fans than frigid New ... full post »

You know you’re getting old when the word “fantasy” triggers thoughts of fantasy golf. And I don’t mean fantasy golf as in “18 holes with Natalie Gulbis in a bikini.” What I’m talking about is Yahoo Fantasy Golf. You know, my dad always used to tell me to enjoy life’s little thrills, because the big thrills are too few and far between. And these days, Fantasy Golf is the biggest little thrill in my life. Each week you pick two A players, four B players, and two C players from the field, and you activate one, two, and one, respectively. Then ... full post »

Our other intrepid Golf Gear Guy, Bruce Stasch says he doesn’t care what golf bag the pros play. And I have to agree. But non-pro golfing celebs at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am? Now that’s something completely different. You see, these amateurs don’t wear or carry something because it makes them play better. For the most part, they stink no matter what. But many of these folks are celebs because they are flamboyant, eye-catching, talented people. They have style. Well, most of them do, anyway. We’ll ignore the corporate barons that get the coveted invite. Many of these guys are dot-com giants, and quite ... full post »

I knew this would happen. I was spoiled by a balmy round of golf on December 29, and now that the snow and cold have hit central Illinois, I’m completely bummed out. Utterly depressed. Fortunately, over the years I’ve developed a remarkable skill for self-medicating. When the snow flies, so do the ice cubes, olives, limes, and various mixers. And within minutes, I am feeling much, much better. A few days ago, I made a wonderful discovery at the local booze-mart, namely Pearl Pomegranate Vodka. Although hard to find and adorned with a homely label (too much text and an old-fashioned font), ... full post »

I had a feeling that Super Bowl XLI would be historic – one of those “first time in history” games. So I made a pilgrimage to a unique place in football history: Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1864, Gallaudet is the first university in America dedicated to educating deaf students. And as pretty much the only non-signer on campus, I was acutely aware of my own linguistic inadequacies, as well as how deaf people feel in all-hearing situations. But what does Gallaudet have to do with football? In a word: Huddle. You see, the Gallaudet Bison have a long history ... full post »

Man, oh, man. I just found out that Nike Golf has declared Saturday, February 3 to be “SUMO Saturday.” Oh, I know they say it’s supposed to be “a day designed by Nike Golf to give curious golfers around the U.S. the first opportunity to demo and purchase Nike Golf’s new SasQuatch SUMO² and SasQuatch SUMO Drivers.” The SUMO is the follow-up to the original and extremely successful SasQuatch driver. The SUMO2 is square-headed, while the SUMO is more traditional, and the national demo-day is aimed at getting some of these big sticks into golfer’s hands. But I’m not so psyched about the ... full post »