On other news from the golf world, my buddies at Stroke Solutions with the “fat ugly grip” used with such success by KJ Choi. That said, they have signed an endorsement deal for the ‘08 season, so we will see how many other players follow suit and give this thing a try. What I can report is that a new “pro” version is in the pipeline with some spruced up colors and softer texture surface being provide by Golf Pride. It is always a good feeling for me to “discover” a company at the PGA Show and pick a winner. Of course, the history of this company can be measured BKJ, and AKJ, as in before a win on Tour and after. They signed over 400 dealers since the win. Look to see them in better golf magazines in ‘08.

On the game improvement front, the guys at F2 who brought us the F2 wedge as seen on the Golf Channel with Bruce Devlin, they introduced the face forward technology in irons this year, and I can say, they are pretty remarkable clubs. No shanks and great play out of any lie. And it seems to me that you can work the ball a little easier with them than a conventional setup.

And to check out what might be the “best” golf ball for your actual preferences go to: Golf Ball Selector and you can go through a series of questions which will deliver the best balls for you. Mitch Voges of Max Out Golf teamed up with Gary Mayes of Equip2Golf.

As for the weekend, I think I will get some eggnog and try to determine if Tiger Woods was right in moving on from Harmon! Have a Great Holiday and Merry Christmas.

The FEDEX Cup “race” turned out to be a coronation and as one writer put it, Tiger didn’t even need to complete in the final Tour Championship to take the Cup. Now that says it all. The point system will take some serious tweaking.

KJ Choi had a nice run since picking up the Super Stroke Grip, the “big ugly” grip as he called it at his first win with it at the AT&T National. He has moved to 5th in the world, and has earned over $2.145 million dollars using this product and the Company has sold well over 10,000 units in just a few short weeks, since it became the talk of the TV guys and KJ’s excellent putting.

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Just as soon as we almost had our first real social crisis in golf with Bill Murray getting popped for driving drunk in a golf cart in downtown Stockholm, Sweden, I thought maybe golf would now have our own Michael Vick. But Bill didn’t disappoint as he refused to take the breath test referring to American law. Brilliant move Bill. I guess he figured that driving a golf cart ain’t really “driving.” But, I digress…

So, to keep up this weekend, I went to the PGA Tour DOT com website to find it’s new revamped look. Pretty nice graphics and all. But wait, the media player then loaded, and I was treated to an babe named Tyler Johnson, reading the teleprompter. I can’t imagine where they found this girl, but either my media player distorts body sizes, or this girl should be touting Slimfast. Let’s put it this way, she is no Summer Sanders. However, to her credit she did manage to say, “Fedex Cup Playoffs” five times in less than 60 seconds.

Steve Stricker finally pulls off a victory after stumbling in the US Open and the British, this time he puts it away with strong shot making and clutch putts to win his first tournament in over 6 years. A great story. I like the way the commentators kept calling him, “one of the good guys” on Tour. I wonder who the “bad guys” are when they say that? In any event, the guy hadn’t even caught his breath when they stick a microphone in his face, and ask him, “what does this mean?”

Couldn’t the network have let the guy go sign his card, and gather himself first? With tears streaming down his face, he could barely muster an answer. I mean, we love to see grown men cry while taking home a million bucks, but geez louise, give me a break.

The US Amateur coverage was even worse. Not the match play battle, but on the final green. Colt Knost (what a great name) who looks like he could be Jason Gore’s younger brother, wins when his opponent, Mike Thompson concedes his putt after missing his bogey putt for a double bogey on the 17th green. He graciously gives the three foot putt par to Knost. Colt was so taken aback, that he barely had come to recognize he had won. In less than 30 seconds, again, no break to commercial, no recap of the win to let him gather himself, the USGA chief and the ABC commentator bum rush with a microphone and the trophy. They barely gave him time to hug his mother and sister. Here is your trophy kid, what do ya think? Okay, thanks “gotta go.” It was pathetic. The poor guy was so overwhelmed that he knocked the lid off of the trophy.

I can only hope they gave a more dignified presentation to the “live” visitors at Olympic Club. Michael Thompson, I might add was gracious in defeat, and put up a great fight, and conceded like a true gentleman, and took his runner up title with dignity. Too bad the TV boyz couldn’t say the same.

He reminds me of the loudmouth punks back in high school, who would try to trash talk their way into trying to mess with my mind playing sports. Good players don’t need to trash talk, or as they say today, talk smack. Good players just play and see what happens. IT would seem to me that RS was trying to talk himself into it, that he could somehow convince himself that, “yeah, Tiger is beatable now.” Or under his breath, “I hope he is beatable now.”

Hmmm…Stephen Ames…creamed 9-8 after some unsavory comments.
Sergio, creamed after some “sure, he can be beat” type comments.
Phil, don’t know if we will ever see him in the winners circle of a major again, with Tiger in the field.
Chris DiMarco…not up to the task.
Adam Scott…still looking for his heart.
Ernie, doesn’t even go there.

The only two guys I see on the PGA Tour that have the game and the guts to go after Tiger are Jim Furyk, and Padraig Harrington and maybe we can throw in Angel Cabrera.

Listen to Tiger describe his “self talk” and see how totally positive and calculated it is:

WOODS: Well, I thought … after the start … we all birdied 1, and then I got one there at 2 and then I birdied 4. When I birdied 4, as you said, it was a two-shot swing, but the way I looked at the way Rory was playing, he made two good saves at 2 and 3 just to be where he was at, and if I just … I felt if I could just keep putting the pressure on him, keep hitting fairways, keep hitting greens, keep giving myself a lot of looks at them, I could put a lot of pressure on him because he didn’t look all that comfortable with his swing today. He looked like he was making some putts just keeping himself in it. I wanted to put some pressure on him because I felt I was swinging the club well, and if I could give myself some looks I could put some pressure on him.”

Total awareness of both what he needed to do, and the state of mind of his opponent(s).

Compare that to the pathetic whining from Sergio as he gave away the Open Championship at Carnoustie just a few weeks ago. The scar tissue is growing in that young man’s mind, and I don’t see how he can undo the damage he is doing to himself.

Man, do I love to watch Tiger work. It is just plain inspiring. Thanks.

Which brings me back to the Open. Did Paddy take a flyer to junk that ball in Barry’s Burn, not once but twice and had a little money on Sergio? And what about Sergio? HE said in the post game interview, that he was “playing more than the field.” What did he mean? Did he have a Cleaner hanging around in the locker room? He sure got awful miffed at those rake guys on 18 during regulation. Perhaps they had a quid or two in their pocket to drive Sergio batty. And that Argentinian kid, Romero, what about him? He didn’t need to shank that shot out of bounds. Perhaps he had a wager down since he knew he wouldn’t win anyway and didn’t want to spoil the party?

No, none of that. In golf you have guys play their guts out with the whole world watching every move in slow motion. And the tears are real.

KJ Choi had seen the SuperStroke Grip on the Golf Channel and in fact ordered one. At the tournament, in one of the Tour Vans, he saw it again, had it installed, and the rest as they say is history. He wins in a walk with a stellar career defining win with vastly improved putting stats on greens that had Tiger talking to himself.

Stoke Solutions, the parent company introduced the oversized putting grip at the PGA Show in Orlando where I had a chance to meet them. Later in an interview with Andy North, two time US Open winner, who is company spokesperson, he described the reason it works so well. With a larger handle, the hands just naturally have less tension and less wrist breakdown, which is the most common reason for missed short putts.

The grip is easy to install by anyone. There is no grip tape or solution required. It simply slides over the shaft and can be positioned in anyway you wish. Flat forward, flat in back, flat toward the target, then simply set the penetrating set screws and glue the set screws in place for full USGA conforming status.

These guy are one of the good guys and for a product to be used first time out and get a win is huge. Congratulations KJ, and SUPERSTROKE!

Female athletes develop sooner than men, and if we compare her to the young boxer Cassius Clay (Ali) when he stepped into the ring with Sonny Liston, the most feared boxer of his time, and after beating Liston to the punch and surviving some toxin in his eyes, beat Liston so thoroughly that Liston simply sat on his stool at the beginning of the 7th round, a beaten man.

Today, it is Wie that has not stepped back into the fight all by herself. I just don’t see how an athlete can so completely show “no class” as Annika put it, or guts and find her way back to command of the most mental of all games.

After BSing the press and all of us, that the dreaded 88 wasn’t on her mind when she withdrew last week, it was clear to all observers that indeed, the LPGA and her agent all conspired to get her out of there, or the cash cow would not be around for future ‘07 events. And at this stage there is no retreat, to find someone she can beat. At this point, she couldn’t beat most club champions around the country. And her credibility as a player and a person are in serious question.

But, the BIG question in my view is not her talent, it is her heart. Muhammad Ali, was banned from his sport during his prime, only to come back and beat George Foreman in Africa, and later, go on to some of his greatest victories. At that stage in his career, it was not his skills, but his head/heart that led to those victories.

As we review the careers of all great champions, from Bobby Jones, to Byron Nelson, to Ben Hogan, Nicklaus, Palmer and Tiger, what is clear in all cases, is not just their talent, but their desire, the courage, their heart, and yes, more than a touch of “class.”

My mother always used to tell me, “you can’t buy class,” and she is right. Wie has the money, but to date, she has shown “no class” and no respect for the sport that has made her rich and famous. The uphill climb to “earn it” is going to be a tall one and this last week, may become the defining moment in her short career. I hope it isn’t, but boy, if you are NIKE, you can’t want to be associated with a loser with no class. OUCH!

Tad Moore, a club designer for over thirty years is doing his part to maintain and support the great heritage of the game and has introduced a line of hickory shafted clubs that are built to last a lifetime of golf.
Appropriately called the Tom Morris Clubs this line features hand crafted original hickory shafts in full iron sets, or individual clubs. Tad tells me that the playability and distance for most players is the same as the modern shafts, but with much greater feel. The hickory shafts are a bit heavier than either graphite or steel, but the swing weight remains about the same. The fact is more mass is a good thing for those of us with slower swing speeds, since a slower swing will have more power behind it. Tad says that using this heavier club can improve your swing and tempo.

I use a few persimmon clubs in my set as it is and can tell you for a fact that persimmon has more feel, accuracy and better spin than any metal wood out there, period. And the feel and sound of a well struck shot off a persimmon head is unmatched by any modern club. It is simply more gratifying.

And I just wonder if the same wouldn’t be true for Tad’s/Tom’s ol’ hickory sticks. There is a growing legion of traditionally minded players using hickory and I am told there are tournaments that feature exclusively hickory clubs in play. That has to be a lot of fun, I would imagine. Yes, we all love the modern ball for its amazing flight and distance, but for those of you who love the game for the sensations as much as the competition, you might check out what Tad is up to, and do your part to maintain the great tradition of the game…and that is the feel of it.

In a recent review by the City revealed that the six municipal facilities in SF are seriously losing money. They ask, perhaps rightly that does the City really “need six underutilized golf courses?” Their answer is a definite NO.

Thankfully, the venerable ol’ course The Presidio is making a profit, but others like the wonderful track Lincoln Park is not. Harding Park of course with their recent renovation continues to drive traffic, but the others, like Sharp Park and others are barely at 40% full. My guess is that it is even lower than that.

Here is the logic of their attack. Diversity! Yep, that’s the ticket. Since only 15% of golfers are minorities, and only 23% are women, and these numbers don’t reflect the “diversity” of SF, then these courses should be used in another manner. They site that Sharp Park is a site to both threatened and endangered species! OH MY, stop the greenskeeper! And since there are 378 soccer teams and only 24 soccer fields, well they can’t practice! Now, let me say for the record, I don’t consider soccer a sport, but rather an exercise, since there is no specialized talent involved that I can see, but that is another argument for another day.

These gals suggest that Lincoln Park should be converted into a nine hole facility and turn the rest into soccer fields, dog runs and hiking trails…ouch! And take away the back nine and it’s fabulous views, yes for the dogs…makes sense to ME!

So, if you don’t believe that our dear sport is under attack, just go about your business, but if you are like me, I am always concerned when people like this head up organizations with names like these:
Sally heads up the Coalition for Equitable Use of Open Space.
Isabel heads up the Neighborhood Parks Council, and Jill is the GM of the San Francisco Nighthawks, a SF soccer league, oh, pardon me, the PREMIER soccer league.

My best answer to growing the game, is every avid golfer should take it upon themselves to teach at least two youngsters the game, be it their own kids or grandkids, or find some from the neighborhood, or you just might find your favorite local course teaming with dawgs.

“This place is a golf course, to come out, have some fun, bang it around. I am not here to be a cop, with the hurry up and keep up attitude. Come as you are, play some golf, have a beer, and know that we are glad to see you.” Tom is old school all the way. He greets every person in person and by name. He ribs them, encourages them, and if you need a tip, the putting green is just in front of his pro shop.

In visiting Mountain Springs earlier this week, I was struck by the HUGE sign in front of the pro shop, DRESS CODE STRICTLY ENFORCED, and thought back to Tom’s laid back style. The course was virtually empty, and I couldn’t help but think, “yeah, but at least that dress code is enforced.” This is one tough course, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It is a Robert Muir design, and I had more than a half dozen shots which I hit perfectly only to be punished by the mounds of the fairway, or the impossible baked greens which wouldn’t hold a shot. I don’t understand the idea of 190 yard carries from the whites to stay out of trouble. Some of us ol’ guys just might not have that much uphill carry.

Out in the marketing arena, the little companies are having a tough time. As I previously reported, the Golf Channel has raised their rates for infomercials and more than a few companies are opting out of that means to reach their audience.

And did you happen to notice (you probably haven’t yet, but you will) that NICKENT Golf has introduced a new square driver with a very much improved face (with real bulge and roll) which is retailing for $199.00. That should give the “big guns” something to think about.

Another cool product that has come out in a big way might finally stick in the putter grip category. The Super Stroke Grip is an over sized grip that anyone can install, since grip tape is not needed. You can install it with the flat surface in any direction you wish, and the rest of the grip is large, rounded and dimpled. When you find the fit you like, you tighten up the lock screws and bingo, it is USGA conforming.

Of course, the big news is Phil moving over to work with Butch Harmon. According to an insider, Butch only took Phil on, when he was convinced that “Phil would listen.” The way his driver swing looks this week at the Players, so far, so good.

Tiger Woods, my fav still looks out of sorts, almost disinterested. I just wonder if the pregnancy of his lovely wife isn’t wearing on him ways we don’t know about…like a difficult one or something. Or maybe the nursery isn’t ready yet, but he just is making poor swings, poor decisions that are so uncharacteristic, it makes me wonder. And boy, was he snippy about comment by Rory Sabatini! And what was Sabatini thinking even getting suckered by the press to make a comment!

Anyway, enjoy the FINAL AT THE PLAYERS!

Then they say that the test 55 “latest” models and hit 72000 golf balls, which to just under 33 swings per club. How does that take two weeks? 1815 swings per person breaks down to 130 shots a day. Or two large buckets per day. Nice work if you can get it.

Driver winner: TaylorMade r7 Draw.
Game Improvement Iron: Titleist 775.CB (I get no royalty for my name.)
Hybrid: Cobra Baller DWS. (Nickent hybrid was not tested?)
Max Game improvement iron: TaylorMade r7 Draw
Fairway Metal “wood": Callaway Big Bertha
Better Player Irons: Cobra Carbon CB
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled
Putter: Odyssey Black Series #1

Now, call me cynical, but if we look between the numbers there is only really 3 companies who “won.” Titlist (Cobra under their umbrella), Callaway, and TaylorMade.
Advertisers in this issue:
Nike, Nickent, Callaway, TaylorMade, Tour Edge, Warrior, Titleist.
Ping.

Hmmm. Wonder if there is a correlation? Not one emerging company. Not one specialty company. Not one second tier company. No SMT’s, no Mizuno’s, no KZG’s.

On the course, however the +3 seemed like he would wind up 5 back for Sunday, but then the other lesser planets began to crash. The last group was already having a nervous breakdown. Clark and Wetterick needed a sports psychologist instead of caddies. An 8 over and an 11 over. Ouch. Isn’t it amazing how watching professionals shoot over 80 looks so ugly and when we break 80 it feels/looks so great?

With each practice shot on the driving range, the force field of Tiger Woods exerted itself on the field. I know, the Golf Channel commentators kept saying it was how hard Augusta is, and the pressure of the Masters blah, blah, blah. I am not buying it. Sure, the is pressure, and the course is so hard as to be laughable, but my sense is that as each guy took the lead…whether it was Appleby, Rose, Taylor, the bar had been set and they couldn’t go past it.

Zach Johnson, on Friday, poised at two feet, walked to the par 3 after a brilliant shot with almost a tap in to take the lead, and he knew it. He walked that few hundred steps knowing he would have the lead, no doubt wanting it. Boom, three jacks later, he gives it to someone else as if to say “your it.”

I had my mini TV with me, while playing with my Shag Bag radio show buddies (a terrible way to play golf and focus I admit) and asked my cart partner, “which would you prefer, to play the final Sunday, one up or three up?” as Appleby gave away his 3 shot lead to one over Tiger. And I think, subconsciously, Appleby although if you asked him he would love to have the 3 extra shots over Tiger the truth is he is more comfortable going to sleep Saturday night with one. Why? Because to lose to Tiger on Sunday with only a one shot lead is honorable but to lose with a three shot lead will remind us of Greg Norman’s loss with an even greater lead. And there isn’t an Australian golfer alive who hasn’t had the meltdown programmed into his head since they were born. And there is no way that Appleby hasn’t watched that terrible day, shot for shot more times than he cares to remember. But, remember it he will. It won’t surprise me to see if he doesn’t duplicate a couple of those shots if he finds himself at a similar spot on the golf course on Sunday.

As for Planet Tiger, what thoughts will be dancing in his head? The grind mentality he took to the 1997 Masters, when his father reminded him, that this might just be his toughest round with such a lead. The “finish the race” thoughts he kept whipping himself to finish it off, after he allowed himself the brief thought on 17 and 18, that we WAS already the winner. No, he chastised himself for entertaining such a notion BEFORE he signed his scorecard.

No, unless Tiger just comes unglued, there really is no one behind him, or in front of him who believes they can win. Planet Tiger’s gravitational field is almost impenetrable.

And, let me add that if someone does breakthrough today to beat him, that person will go from a piece of charcoal to a diamond overnight. Such is the pressure of Augusta and it’s master Tiger Woods.

Clearly, CBS is not giving enough per diem for this to occur.

In fact, I tried to rob my local 7/11 for just that reason. I couldn’t find a sponsor, so I thought, hey, rob a 7/11 and get to Augusta, but the guys behind the counter just laughed at me and gave me my six pack of Samuel Adams.

Maybe his attire messed him up. First he was wearing an Atlanta Braves visor. Clearly, he should have chosen the NY Yankees instead to be more intimidating, and remind the teller NOT to include the exploding dye in the bag of money. Secondly, he was wearing a white tee shirt and blue jeans. Had he been wearing a Snoop Dogg T-shirt, he would have been much better off, and then he could have changed into his CBS TECHNICIAN tee shirt. And he might have thought about upgrading from the stupid Holiday Inn, to the Marriott.

I just hope that his adviser in all of this wasn’t the shamed Dan Blather.

His room and car were both in the name of CBS.

Johnny Miller and his NBC partners tried to make us care, but with VJ on cruise control and the only other player being Sergio who can’t sink a meaningful putt to save his life, it left us with Roco Mediate to stir our golf hearts, but it wasn’t enough.

There was a brief interview segment earlier in the broadcast with Mr. Palmer, who when asked if he were the Ruler of Golf for a day, what would he change? He echoed his pal Nicklaus’ comments regarding the hyper golf balls and that he would scale it back to bring back the classic old courses, but then he really hit his stride. “I think the players really need to connect with the galleries more. I know there is a lot of money out there, but it really has gotten too business like.” You think?

Most of us in the industry already know, that the majority of the PGA Tour players are obsessive compulsive prima donna’s who don’t give galleries the time of day, let alone even any eye contact. And when you reflect back on Arnie’s Army we are reminded that he connected with the crowds like no one has before or since. He relied on them for his energy on Sunday’s and that connection earned him the title, The King.

Palmer is right on the money of course. They are playing a game, not performing brain surgery, and I just wonder to myself if perhaps they would allow themselves to interact a bit more or a lot more that maybe, just maybe some of these guys who can’t close might loosen up a bit and perform better on Sunday.

Vaughn Taylor continued to demonstrate that over par is just about par on Sunday, dropping out of the lead with a 73 after starting the day two strokes up. Sergio missed to putts inside 4 feet on two of the last three holes to drop from under par to one over costing him a tie for third and about $100K. I guess he can afford it.

I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Palmer. These guys need to quit obsessing about how cool it is to be on Tour, and remember the galleries, and enjoy themselves, instead of having their testicles tighten up to finish off a tournament.