I’m told that forgetting to buy one’s wife a Christmas gift is well-nigh inexcusable. Nevertheless, let me offer an excuse: I’ve been REALLY busy. Mainly, I was busy securing golf gifts for my various golfing in-laws and out-laws, buddies and nemises. My wife’s not a big golfer, and thus, she slipped my mind. So sue me. (She most likely will.) Fortunately for me, keri golf designs golf bags and other accessories for both golfers and non-golfers of the haute cotoure persuasion. The company’s new “matty collection” is influenced by modern American style. It combines a chic palette of red, black and white ... full post »

What to give the golfer who is, like me, barricaded inside his home while yet another winter storm (ice, this time) rages outside? Something that she or he can use inside without potentially breaking a light fixture on the backswing, or making him or her pine for the verdant fairways too badly. Yes, that would be perfect. Hey, hold on… Yes! would be perfect. Specifically, the Path Finder System by Henri Reis, which is on sale from now through the end of the year for $66 (normally $99). The Path Finder is a putting training aid consisting of a small black plate ... full post »

Need a stocking stuffer for that golfer who always seems to pad his scorecard with scores that somehow add up to less than you can possibly imagine? For that golfer who “rolls ‘em over” even on good lies, and even in the rough? Who backhands missed short putts into (or sometimes just toward) the cup as they’re still speeding past? Give the gift that keeps on reminding him or her that rules actually exist in golf, and that playing without them is like playing tennis without a net. Golf Rules Made Easy is the perfect gift for even the most virtuous golfers. ... full post »

Crunch time is here for Christmas shopping, and over the next few days, I’m going to do my best to help readers who, like me, have waited until now to do their shopping. Exhibit #1, Sun Mountain, purveyors of golf bags and fashionable outerwear for men and women. Their latest collection includes nice jackets and fleeces that can be worn on or off the course. And given that my golf wear constitutes my most dressy clothes these days, Sun Mountain’s duds would work perfectly for me. Specifically, the Weather Shield Jacket seen below ($150). Oops, right. I’m buying for someone else. Well, ... full post »

Many years ago, I reviewed Bob Thomas’s first book, Ben Hogan’s Secret. Despite that book spending over two years on the golf bestseller list, his publisher at the time, according to Thomas, was less than forthright with respect to the royalties. Thomas later found publishers in general to be an unsavory lot, and he developed a novel distribution model (no pun intended) to get his books into the hands of golfers. This Christmas, Thomas is offering a unique opportunity to purchase collectible Author’s Editions of his books at steep discounts from his web site. Says Thomas about the offer: “For the ... full post »

NEW YORK (Dec. 11, 2008, 10:22 a.m.) - Brand-spankin’-new U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin understands the pressure of playing in the Ryder Cup Matches. A veteran of three Ryder Cups, and the 1995 U.S. Open Champion, Pavin descibed how his hands were shaking so badly on the first tee of his first Ryder Cup match in 1991, that when he was teeing up his ball, he had to drop it about an inch above the tee and “hope it stayed on the tee.” He then compared the Ryder Cup to the pressure of winning a U.S. Open: “Compared to the ... full post »

NEW YORK (Dec. 11, 2008) – At a 10 a.m. press conference at New York’s Tavern on the Green, the PGA of America announced the captian of the U.S. Ryder Cup Team for the 38th Ryder Cup competition between Europe and the United States. And the winner is…Corey Pavin. Well, he might be a winner. Captain … has some huge spikes to fill, given that the captain of the 37th U.S. team, Paul “Diss my captain’s picks, will you?” Azinger, orchestrated the most dominant U.S. victory in recent memory. “When I received the call last month…Lisa [Pavin’s wife] and I were ... full post »

Every year, I go on exactly one golf trip. It is a great bunch of guys (up to 28, I believe). There is always a great selection of courses in Kentucky and Tennessee. And there are the obligatory wagers and quirky scramble formats (the only scrambles I get to play in all year!). Most of all, there is an almost Herculean task of organizing the trip, planning the pairings, collecting and paying out money, and keeping track of everyone’s handicaps and scores. Fortunately for us, David, the dedicated leader of our group, is a detail freak without peer. We affectionately refer ... full post »

On the first day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me a Mulligan on the first tee. On the second day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me two Cleveland wedges and a Mulligan on the first tee. On the third day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me three playing partners, two Cleveland wedges and a Mulligan on the first tee. On the fourth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me four pair of golf shoes, three playing partners, two Cleveland wedges and a Mulligan on the first tee. On the fifth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to ... full post »

Everyone talks about how golf clubs have improved so dramatically over the past 30 years. And rightfully so. The 460cc titanium drivers and the branding-iron-esque putters of today hardly look like they belong to the same solar system as the 160cc persimmon 1-woods and Bullseye flatsticks of yesterday, much less the same sport. But for some of us, new-fangled clubs are sort of old news. We almost take all the whiz-bang technology for granted. One major technological advance I don’t take for granted, though, is the modern-day golf shoe. It was just 16 years ago I finally caved in and bought my ... full post »