Ah…the dog-days of summer are nipping at our heels, and methinks a cool, adult beverage is in order. For everyone who is a fan of the quintessential summertime treat that is watermelon, I have concocted a refreshing libation that serves equally well as a swing-lubricant as it does a post-round refreshment: The Watermelon Fizz. First, break out your blender and fill it half-full with crushed ice. Next, pour in one-quarter to one-half a fifth of Bacardi Grand Melon rum, depending on the efficiency and fortitude of your liver. Add a healthy splash of triple sec, and double that amount of lime juice. Then fill ... full post »

ESPN, what happened to you? First you came up with the ESPYs, the self-aggrandizing award program that doled out hardware for Best Plays and Best Teams and Best On-Camera Nose-Picking. OK, fine. Award shows are irritating and all, but people like me can simply not watch them. But now you come up with this moronic Who’s Now? “tournament,” where people are supposed to partake in a frivolous popularity contest between athletes who have nothing at all in common beyond their membership in the species homo sapiens (and some of the contestants – let’s be honest – just barely qualify for that). Have we ... full post »

A mild-mannered psychologist and father of six named Jerry Yang won the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, grossing $8.25 million for his efforts. To his credit, Yang said that he will donate a tenth of this winnings to charity. Lost in the feel-good story is that Yang hails from Temecula, California, where golfers will find the Temecula Creek Inn. The resort offers 27 holes of fine golf and a gateway into the southernmost wine region in California. The resort is also just a few miles from Pechanga Resort and Casino, where Yang won his way into the World Series in a ... full post »

Equipment companies have begun peeking out from behind their monstrous 460cc driver heads, setting their sights on new iron technology. The next big design innovation might be something that sounds like it was prescribed by a podiatrist: Gel inserts. I recently took some test-swings with a cousin of the gel-insert technology, the Tour Edge Exotics EX-3 Irons. The back cavity of these irons is filled with a Thermal Plastic Elastomer insert, which lent a soft, buttery feel at contact. Now Cobra Golf has introduced the Transition-S irons ($699 graphite), which incorporate a softer silicone gel behind the clubface. Cleveland Golf has similarly introduced ... full post »

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to attend the Michelob Ultra Duramed Futures Tour Championship at Hickory Point in Decatur, Ill., and was impressed with the way the tournament makes professional golf so accessible to the local community, especially kids. I also wrote about the Team WLF.org Golf Classic event in Kankakee, Ill., and made the following comment by way of a prediction for that tournament: “A player with a ton of promise is Taylor Leon, a recent University of Georgia graduate whose father followed her shot-by-shot at the Players Championship. That event was her first of the year, and she ... full post »

We golf writers are always multi-tasking: Hit the ball, take some notes while steering the cart with your knees, hop out, click some photos, hit the ball again, take some more notes, hole out, interview other players on the next tee, etc., etc. But even hardcore multi-taskers among us might be taken aback by the newest golf-related accessory from Club Glove – the Shwine Bag. What, pray tell, is a “Shwine?” Archaic third-person feminine possessive pronoun? Pig with a stiffy? Well, it turns out the Shwine a combination shoe-bag and wine-tote. (MSRP is $69.) How does one come up with an idea ... full post »

Recently, I’ve grown increasingly excited about watching golf again. I’m thrilled that a new generation of golfers are adding a bit of youthful exuberance to the sport. On the PGA Tour there are you young men with names like Boo and Bubba and Camilo who impart a joie de vivre, a flair for the big shot, and a certain panache to the game that has been missing for a while – at least since guys with names like Arnold, Lee, and Chi-Chi faded away. On the LPGA Tour the situation is even better. Young women with names like Paula, Morgan, Brittany, ... full post »

After reviewing Nickent’s 3DX hybrid iron set a couple of years ago, I gave the set to my father-in-law. Since then, his game’s gotten much more consistent, but his memory still sucks. Whenever he refers to those clubs, he calls them “Knock-offs” or “Ninjas” or some other completely inaccurate term, despite my constant corrections and protests. Last time out, though, I told him how Angel Cabrera was carrying a Nickent 3DX DC Ironwood in his bag when he won the U.S. Open, using it numerous times to get off the tee and into the tight Oakmont fairways. His ears seemed to perk up. ... full post »