The Spider has gone public. Now I can write this blog. Yay for me. Sean Cochran’s book and I have been like Thelma and Louise this last week. Of all the exercises that Phil Mickelson’s conditioning coach introduced to me, the Spider is the most demanding and the one I cannot, simply cannot, envision Phil doing. I am a lean guy, 5′9″ and 170 pounds, and I cannot do more than ten spiders before collapsing in agony (or as Sean likes to put it, “own level of tolerance.") I feel as though I’ve had ... full post »

In 1974, a Belgian feminist named Luce Irigaray published a volume called Speculum Of The Other Woman. The tome provoked the wrath of followers of Jacques Lacan, from whose camp Irigaray departed with this work. What she detailed was the exclusion of women from traditional psychological and philosophical treatises, perspectives, and forms. This is interesting why? Because the Big Break V is about to start on TGC, and its presentation seems to both contradict and support Irigaray’s assertions. On the one hand, the Bachelor has had only one Bachelorette series, with America clearly preferring women chasing men. ... full post »

You’ve noticed by now that I like to look at high and low scores. Like a blockbuster movie, I love the holes that cause train wrecks and rescues, the ones that move you WAY up or WAY down. Here’s what we have in this hemisphere for this week: High Ringer Scores PGA Tour Rd 1 – Joey Snyder III – 85 1 quint, 1 trip, 2 doubs, 3 boges, 2 birds Rd 2 – BJ Staten ... full post »

Can you hear the sounds of our youth blasting across a golf course? Hip-Hop, R&B, Rap, Metal, and good old Rock and Roll take turns setting a hypnotic pulse to which the game’s alternate rhythm beats. Can you see the colors of the game, greens and browns and sky blues, complemented by pastels, neons, and other, less-muted tones? Dress, equipment, hair, even the playing grounds take on a distinctive hue as a box of crayons spills into the dye of the ancient sport. Can you envision the outcome of a round of golf changing? Numbers, hole counts, ... full post »

Like my new picture? I went for the David Feherty look, but I can only look so sinister. Oh well, it’s certainly an improvement over old pasty guy. Maybe my writing will improve (although old Arnie and Under Par might wonder if that could ever happen.) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sean Cochran’s book on golf-specific training arrived yesterday. My curiosity about spiders and other stretches/exercises was sated, and I went through my first workout today. It made me walk differently than I believe I ever have; I felt like a child taking his first steps. This is a good thing. ... full post »

Here are some reasons why I support slow play in golf. Feel free to roast my arse on a spit over hot coals. 1. They charge us enough, so we should enjoy the darned course. 2. I paid enough for these clubs, so I might as well enjoy hitting them often. 3. Kids need to pay for things by finding my lost golf balls and selling them back to me. 4. If my boss is climbing up my behind all week long, I deserve a chance to be master or mistress of my domain for a few hours in ... full post »

I was driving along when it hit me: Superman always wilted in the presence of kryptonite on Earth, right? So how come we see all those Kryptonians cruising around their planet, before it blew up, as if nothing was the matter? The whole planet was made of the stuff, so why weren’t they doubled over in pain, just like Kal-El is on Earth, everytime he comes in contact with the deadly rock? I guess it wouldn’t be all that dramatic if he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “crap, there go my powers. Someone want ... full post »

Punctuating his four days in Palm Springs with a six-bogey, one-double, one-triple, three-birdie Saturday, Steven Bowditch’s over-par performance necessitated a trip to the drug store. Kaopectate, Immodium, gas-x, anything to relieve the spate of flatulent bogitis that runied his time in the desert. That’s seven pars and lots of entertainment on the day. If he could have turned some of those big numbers down, and few more pars into birdies, his 12 birds and 3 eagles would have granted a top-twenty finish. **** Campbell had 27 birdies, four eagles, a double and four singles, in addition to a nest of pars ... full post »

If your tire picks up a puncture today, and the culprit is a loose screw, please do Jennifer Mario the favor of returning it. Our beloved redhead has gone over the edge, with a blog on the odds of Wie winning a men’s major, established by a British bookmaking service at 2-1. The way it is, Michelle Wie will never qualify for a men’s major. The Hawaiian Open is her major. 2-1 is set to sucker people in who might not otherwise bet. Who can resist such odds? What’s that? Low odds make people thinkg ... full post »

You know that a story is developing when a guy plays the same course as Mr. 60 (aka Pat Perez) on the same day, in 19 more strokes. I took a quick look at Steven Bowditch’s numbers on Wednesday at the Palmer Course, and realized that he made two doubles and four bogies on his way to that seven-over score. On Thursday he made four more bogies, yet still managed to shoot -3. Today, the guys made two more doubles and four more bogies, yet shot even par! Shades of Wie, this guy is volcanic! Steven Bowditch ... full post »

Long before the O.C. became the fashionable and troubled county it is today, Broome County, New York gave birth to the creator of one of the most endearing cartoon strips of the 20th century. Johnny Hart created Thor, Grog, Clumsy Carp, Wiley, Fat Broad, Peter, Curls, and of course, B.C. himself. The strip was so successful that the town of Endicott named its PGA tournament after the strip, and the B.C. Open was born. Endicott is a down-state, not-quite-in-the-catskills city that saw its share of glory years. Endicott-Johnson, the shoe company, joined its first last in the city. ... full post »

If you Click Here … nah, better wait to tell you where you’ll go. About ten years ago, one of our daughters went overnight to a local hospital, for some unrecognizeable ailment. I was there, awake, without the aid of coffee, for the whole ordeal. When my wife joined me the next day, her only request was that I go to the Greek restaurant on the corner to get a bite to eat (for her … aversion to hospital food and all.) In the doorway was a flyer for the inaugural Ride For Roswell, a cycling day to ... full post »

The last time I was so jacked about a guy moving from 82nd to 31st was … never. Yet here is Double D, complimenting eleven pars with seven birdies, firing the third-lowest score of the tournament, and getting the supportive juices flowing. Who doesn’t miss Double D? He was like the Marshal, all quiet and mysterious, taking the club back, playing the fade, strolling with a hint of saunter toward the green. If he does indeed make it back all the way in 2006, kudos go to a little-known columnist who predicted it first. And ... full post »

With all the news about that Hawaiian teenager the first three or four days, the pairing of Toms and Campbell (was there a third?) was everything the PGA Tour needed to reaffirm that “These Guys Are Good.” Playing better-ball, Toms and Campbell birdied holes 3, 4, 6 through 14, 16 and 18. When asked what happened on 1, 2, 5, 15 and 17, Toms replied “I missed.” Campbell countered with “He missed.” Although the tournament is an individual medal event, the seven-stroke gap between T & C and the rest of the field inspired commissioner Tim ... full post »

The furor has abated for another time, it seems. Michelle Wie has missed yet another PGA Tour cut, this time in Normanesque fashion. Remember those days when Greg would post a high round on Thursday, the battle back on Sunday, to fall a stroke or two short? That’s the only negative I can find in her play. She seems to start slowly, demanding the big finish in order to survive. That, however, may be attributed to youth intersecting with maturity. Seven birdies are hard to ignore. Obviously, five bogies are pretty obvious, too. ... full post »

Here is Baldwin’s re-quote from Leadbetter: “Wie is the only LPGA player he’s worked with that could handle wind.” Here is Daniel’s response (see sidebar in article): “You couldn’t tell me that Mickey Wright couldn’t hit it right and left and high and low, and Karrie Webb couldn’t do that. All of us who have played on our tour are capable of hitting those golf shots. “For him to make a comment like that and people are reading that and thinking, ‘Wow, she’s the only woman who can do that.’ That’s the perception that’s given up.” Which of the two, Baldwin or Daniel, ... full post »

Three topics of late have generated more responses than anyone but Baldwin ever gets, so it’s high time that we at TG.Com recognize the power of the people. Regular viewers like UnderPar, Norman, triple R, jim COULTHARD deserve our thanks for contributing their opinions on a repeat basis. They certainly find the weak spots in our blog arguments, and support our frequent acertations. Here’s a chronology of the most recent discussions, to bring you up to speed. It all started with What Michelle Wie does Well, and what we need to know, with 84 posts to date. ... full post »

To begin this week’s homage to the ni~na mimada hawaiana, the mon of ron did a little web digging and came up with a few sites worth your perusal. To begin, we visit MissMichelleWie.Com, an eponymous entry into the world of teen fandom. This is a darned (can I write damned?) professional site, with a great layout and efficient linking system. Speaking of links, the links page on this site takes you to some sites that nearly prove Balls-Out Blog to be a soothsayer. The thing is, short of photoshopping her head onto some unclad ... full post »

“The thing she has over all the other girls is great shotmaking,” Leadbetter said. “She can draw it, fade it, and around the green she has a tremendous variety of shots. Those girls are one dimensional. Obviously, that’s why Annika enjoys playing with Tiger, because he helps her with the short game.” Great quote from the king of “if they aren’t there already, I can’t help them.” Funny that someone would select Leadbetter over the other great teachers out there. He is capable of getting players close, but not close enough. Faldo was great, and would have been ... full post »

It’s Sunday morning, Buffalo standard time, and I count exactly one score out of eighty-four posted in the 60s. Is this June and Pinehurst? I mean, Olin Browne DID shoot the 69, something I think I sorta remember him doing in 2005 … time warp? So, is it rust? Does rust explain wonderboy not breaking 80 in three tries? Someone should steal his crap out of his van again … get him motivated. Did Sean O’Hair dump the father-in-law on his bag for someone less inspirational? He was barely under 80 for the ... full post »

I’m looking at Golf Hemisphere, a nicely-done, weekly digest from the folks at Golf Ingest. Specifically I see an ad on the back cover for the new hybrid club from Ping, the G5. It looks tasty, like a stew onion or something of that ilk. And it gets me thinking, when is market saturation reached? Sometime after Todd Hamilton putt-chipped his way to victory in that 2004 British Open, the dawn of the hybrid era gave way to the true empire. Every company in the industry released an iron-hybrid or a metal wood-hybrid. And ... full post »