Mike at TravellingGolfer writes that our pals at the The Golf Channel will debut a new show Jan. 22 from fitness expert Katherine Roberts called “The Turn.” Meanwhile, you can hear from the lovely and talented Katherine Roberts on the TravelGolf.com This Week podcast. PS: Got a golf blog I should be reading? Let me know. full post »

SirShanksAlot is rating the best golf clubs of 2006 this week. Today he gave the nod for the “SirShanksAlot.com Golf Club Of The Year 2006″ to the Nike Sasquatch 460. “I think what the SQ did was introduce the average golfer to the ‘whatever works’ train of thought,” he writes. “2007 promises less ‘traditional’ drivers and more clubs designed with MOI in mind. Sure it looks odd … but your playing partners won’t be laughing when you start hitting more fairways then them!” GCOY honorable mention goes to Callaway’s Fusion Wide Sole and the Ping G5 Driver. The Titleist 695CB gets his “Iron ... full post »

Golf course architect Ian Andrew writes in his Caddy Shack blog that “The 17th at the TPC at Sawgrass is one of the greatest holes ever developed in golf. It is also one of the worst concepts ever to be copied by architects.” “The concept has no recovery unless the island is expanded beyond the green perimeter – although even that is semantics to me. Every shot is either hit or miss the island – not long on options is it?” Ian continues. “… My personal belief is that recovery is a key component of the game. There is a fine ... full post »

As WorldGolf.com’s Stacy and Barry Solomon wrote, Sports Illustrated recently tabbed 17-year-old Michelle Wie one of the “Best-Looking Athletes” of 2006 (a list that included the decidedly adult Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova and Gabrielle Reece among others). Reader Baby Blue Eyes then commented: “Wie a hottie at the age of 17? Boy, this is going to open up a can of worms in the already heated battlefield…I can see this becoming extremely personal and racially charged…” To which Stacy responded: “She’s 17 and just a kid so how can these models think of her as a hottie? I know that men are attracted to ... full post »

The Media Guru from HookedonGolfBlog.com and thegolfspace.com is hosting a free fantasy golf league with weekly, half season and full season prizes awarded. I’d play, but I have too much on my mind. PS: Got a golf blog I should be reading? Let me know. full post »

SirShanksAlot is rating the best golf clubs of 2006 this week. He calls Cobra 3100 I/H the best bang for the buck irons, and gives an honorable mention to the Cleveland Launcher LP and Nickent 3DX. The TaylorMade R5 Dual is his bang/buck driver, with honorable mention for the Titleist 905T and Cleveland Launcher Ti. TaylorMade R7 Steel is his fairway wood of the year (H.M. to Titleist’s PT 906F2 and Sonartec’s SS). The Titleist 585.H is SirShanksAlot’s hybrid of the year (honorable mention goes to the Adams Idea Pro and Ping G5). Stay tuned to SirShanksAlot for more awards as the week continues. full post »

Travelling Golfer looks at The Golf Channel’s 2007 broadcast team and pronounces Nick Faldo, Kelly Tilghman, Peter Oosterhuis and Dottie Pepper as Good. Mark Rolfing and Rocco Mediate, get an Okay rating, while Frank Nobilo, Jerry Foltz and Steve Sands get tagged with Travelling Golfer’s Bad rating. I have no idea what this means, but Travelling Golfer graded out Rich Lerner as “Whoop-de-doo.” BTW, The SandTrap.com declares this one of the Top Storylines for 2007. Oh, and some time back, Joe Logan at Golf, Inq reported on TGC’s 2007 lineup too, but all he did was post their press release, which I frown on, ... full post »

President Gerald R. Ford, an avid golfer over the years, has died. Several times when golfing in high-profile events, Ford drove his ball into the gallery, once hitting a woman on the head. He had a great sense of humor about his golf game, though, once saying: “I would like to deny all allegations by Bob Hope that during my last game of golf, I hit an eagle, a birdie, an elk and a moose.” Tony, at the Hooked on Golf blog, posts a photo of he and Ford (and a few other people). full post »

David Duval will be using a one-time exemption from career earnings to keep his PGA Tour card in 2007. I can’t wait for Chris Baldwin’s take on this latest development in the saga of David Duval. Should be interesting. full post »

Apparently having been a good boy this year, Golf Nomad got a Sky Caddie SG3 for Christmas. He compares it to Bushnell’s Pinseeker 1500 laser rangefinder and declares the SG3 the winner. No word on whether Santa consulted TravelGolf.com columnist Jennifer Mario before bringing the Nomad a SkyCaddie. PS: Got a golf blog I should be reading? Let me know. full post »

Tony at the Hooked On Golf Blog is wondering if San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson wouldn’t have been a better choice than Tiger Woods for 2006 AP Male Athlete of the Year. “LaDainian Tomlinson is the most amazing back I’ve seen in the NFL since Barry Sanders. He’s clearly a man among boys in the NFL,” Tony writes. full post »

Thanks to Geoff Shackelford for relating this update on the teenage son of reporter Craig Dolch, a top-notch golf writer for the Palm Beach Post whom I’ve read over the years. Eric Dolch contracted encephalitis in June of 2005. He has been home since Aug. 31 but is still in very very serious condition. “We don’t know if he’ll be able to see, walk, talk, we still don’t know. He is saying words, showing emotions, doing things appropriately with his arms like scratching,” Craig told PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator Lauren Deason. Make a donation to the Eric Dolch Children’s Encephalitis Foundation. full post »

What’s with The Deep Rough copy/pasting Nike press releases as blog entries? Come on TDR, you gotta bring more than that! At least in his recent Nike rant, Tim McDonald gives his readers a somewhat disturbing (but dead-on accurate) picture of himself “scanning the danger zone for Al-Quaeda, from the Piggly-Wiggly down the street where I buy my Skoal, to the Red Dog Saloon where I occasionally stop in for a shot.” PS: Got a golf blog I should be reading? Let me know. full post »

GolfBlogger writes here about a recent golf column by John Huggan of The Scotsman. Huggan’s piece is supposed to be a Christmas wish list for golf but it contains some rather acidic jabs at golf in America such as calling for a World Tour minus the U.S. ("the European, Australasian, African, Japanese and Asian tours need to … join together and travel all over the planet offering the very best players an alternative to the stultifying boredom of life and play on what is currently the world’s most powerful and richest circuit"), and wishing for a drought in the States ("Instead ... full post »

Golf blogger Geoff Shackelford says Tiger Woods’ artful display in the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool made it a lot more exciting than the 2006 U.S. Open, in part due to “Winged Foot’s anti-birdie setup.” The U.S. Open was “train wreck golf,” Shack writes. This counters what CNNSi.com’s Gary Van Sickle wrote (though VS did give second-place props to the British Open). Meanwhile, you might remember, Shanks said the tourney of 2006 was played by women golfers: The Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club, won by Karrie Webb. Lastly, The Florida Masochist posts his top golf newsmakers of 2006. ... full post »

Ontario golfer Robert Thompson weighs in with his list of the best Canadian golf courses by non-resident designers. What do you think? full post »

Back in May, I blogged about a troubling study that revealed the “2005 National Collegiate Athletic Association survey of a sampling of golfers indicated … marijuana use by 25 percent, according to the NCAA.” That’s right, A QUARTER of U.S. college golfers tested smoke grass! Now we read that Michelle Wie has been accepted to Stanford. As a professional golfer and Nike pitchwoman, I know Michelle is not eligible for the Stanford golf team. But I’d be willing to bet she ends up spending a good bit of time with collegiate golfers there. Michelle, I have to assume you’re reading this (if not, ... full post »

In the January 2007 issue of Golf Digest, Cliff Schrock recommends a handful of books for golfers looking to cash in those ubiquitous holiday gift certificates. Among the books on the Golf Digest-recommended list are: Michelle Wie: The Making of a Champion by TravelGolf.com columnist Jennifer Mario (who also writes a fine golf blog) … Off The Beaten Cart Path by TravelGolf.com blogger Dave Marrandette … And Shanks for Nothing by some guy named Rick Reilly. Schrock also recommends Who’s Better, Who’s Best In Golf, by Elliott Kalb. Schrock must have been listening back in June when Elliott was on the “TravelGolf.com This Week” ... full post »