Trying to pat ourselves on the back (without dislocating our shoulder)

We here in the WorldGolf.com universe pride ourselves at being ahead of the curve. We visit the newest courses, and test the latest golf equipment from manufacturers that don’t get ink from mainstream paper publications. Our shorter editorial lag and more decentralized management style allow immense flexibility compared to traditional magazines. Yet some hard-copy rags still like to make believe we don’t exist (even when we’re seated next to them in the press rooms at majors - but that’s another story…).

So please forgive us as we chuckle a bit when the mainstream golf media finally catch up to us.

For example, I just ran across an excellent “Bomb & Gouge” column in the September, 2008 issue of Golf Digest, in which Bomb (aka E. Michael Johnson) and Gouge (aka Mike Stachura) both agreed with some advice I offered way back in January, 2006: Namely, ditch your 3-wood.

Stachura offers some nuanced suggestions (e.g., finding a big-headed 3-wood to use instead of a driver off most tees), but essentially they agree that the 3-wood is practically worthless off the turf for most average golfers.

I guess that’s the beauty of golf: It is the most widely variable sport on the planet, offering an infinite combinatorial variety of playing conditions, locations, equipment, swings, and golfers themselves.

And that’s the beauty of the WorldGolf.com Network: We are able to offer the most varied coverage of this varied sport.