Listen to podcast Golf Gear News #44. Interview with the Guru: Clubmaxxgolfbags.com. The Newstand: Odds of Woods Winning the US Open, and Get a Tax Deduction for Playing Golf. Golf of the Weird: Black Ops Golf Psychology. Our new Golf Gear News Blog 2.0 is HERE!. Our show sponsor is Golfknockoff.com. Check out our new Media Kit.

It is amazing the spectacle of rabid celebrity worship. I just read a headline from Yahoo at the start of the second round of the Masters that said “Anyone’s Jacket” in big headlines. The subtext then said: “Tiger Woods is now six shots off the lead with second-round play under way at the Masters on Friday.” This makes it sound likes he’s dying out there. Let’s put this in context. For the last few weeks everyone was talking about Tiger as if he’d already won this year’s Master. It was a done deal. ...

Listen to podcast Golf Gear News #43. Interview with the Guru: San Diego Golf Academy. The Newstand: Odds of Woods Wining the Masters, How Did Amen Corner Get It’s Name, and Last Remaining Living Player from 1934 Masters. Look for our new Golf Gear News Blog 2.0 coming soon! Our show sponsor is Golfknockoff.com. Check out our new Media Kit.

Listen to podcast Golf Gear News #42. Interview with the Guru: Femco Steel Technology (FST). The Newstand: Wie Drops Out of Safeway Event, Adam Scott Hates Slow Play, and Feherty Gets Hit By Truck. Golf of the Weird: Stopclubabuse.org. Golf Around the World: Old Works Golf Course. Our show sponsor is Golfknockoff.com. Check out our new Media Kit.

Listen to podcast Golf Gear News #41. The Newstand: Ernie Els Supports Autism. Golf of the Weird: Golfer Kills Protected Hawk. State of the Game: Women Can Compete with Men. The Perfect Fit: Shaft Makers in the World of Adjustability. She Golfs Too: Golf’s Venus and Serena Williams. View the video. HERE. Component Corner: Scratch Golf Wedges is Growing. Component Corner: When Tiger Moves, Where Will His Home Course Be? Our show sponsor is Golfknockoff.com. Check out our new Media Kit.

I commend the big brands in finding new ways to pick the pockets of the average golfer. In 2007, the USGA, decided to establish a new rule on club adjustability It allows for woods and irons to be developed with interchangeable heads, variable shafts and even customizable lengths, lofts and weights. If you read the trade ads you’d think just by buying one of these fancy new adjustable clubs, your score will drop by 10 strokes. Nonsense. Yet that is basically what the TaylorMades, Nikes and Nickent Golfs are saying: buy this over-priced, over-hyped, adjustable golf club with a ...

Listen to podcast Golf Gear News #40. Interview with the Guru: Strategic Shaft Technologies. The Newstand: Tiger Woods Kicks Butt and Michelle Wie Sucks. She Golfs Too: Female Golfer Banned from Tournament. Component Corner: TaylorMade Sells Maxfli. State of the Game: Nine Hole Courses Could be the Answer. Our show sponsor is Golfknockoff.com. Check out our new Media Kit.

Listen to podcast Golf Gear News #39 Interview with the Guru: Sweetwood Golf Company. The Newstand: Siemens Embroiled in Norwegian Golf Bribe Controversy, and Mickelson Shoots an Eleven and Misses Cut. Golf of the Weird: Golfer’s Dog is Eaten. State of the Game: Marriot must allow accessible golf carts. Our show sponsor is Golfknockoff.com. Check out our new Media Kit.

The start of every PGA Tour season finds Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson missing from the ranks. Even V.J. Singh thinks they should have moved the tournament back at least a week to give the top dogs more time off. Some players like Jeff Ogilvie and Stephen Ames are complaining that the commissioner of the PGA, Tim Finchem is missing in action too. These players are complaining that it shows the lack of commitment to the Tour by the commissioner. Jeff & Stephen, nobody cares. I’d love to see the top players at every tournament. The sponsors like it, the crowds ...

When everyone is making money there isn’t time to try to take down the competition. With shrinking margins, stagnate revenues and tougher competition, if you can’t innovate your way to profitability, the only choice is to sue. Take the recent court cases brought by Callaway against Titleist, Bridgestone against Titleist and DogLeg Right against TaylorMade. All are suing each other because of supposed patent infringements. In the case of DogLeg Right, they accuse TaylorMade of violating two patents that “…cover technology that allows the user to adjust the center of gravity of the clubhead in up to three dimensions in order to ...

Without the great fanfare that came with the world’s number one golfer announcing his Tiger Woods Learning Center, the world’s number two golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy have partnered with ExxonMobil to support a teacher training program called the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy, which wrapped up the last of it’s 2007 sessions in July. Although modest in comparison to the Tiger Woods effort, the academy has grown to include three sessions this year – two regional academies in Texas and Louisiana, and the national academy in Fairfax, Va. – up from one in 2005, its first year. A total ...

I wouldn’t. Golf equipment isn’t a very good investment these days. Look at Callaway. It’s stock has dropped 20% since July ($15.71 vs. $19.49), Golfsmith has faired even worse crash-diving 47% ($5.77 vs $10.95). Two articles came to my attention on the golf equipment business recently: Cleveland Sale Appears Imminent and Huffy Corporation Sells Tommy Armour. Both appeared in GolfWeek Business. For leveraged buyout groups like the one that is selling Cleveland and the sporting goods conglomerate that is unloading Tommy Armour, golf isn’t fitting into their idea of making a profit. Quicksilver, the current owner of Cleveland because of its acquisition of ...

Oh boy! Annika just got hitched and you know what that means: limited schedule, retirement, clothing line, course building, babies. I mean, the girl is 36 and has been the best female golfer on the planet for the last ten years. What do you think it means for the LPGA? Oddly, nothing. Annika is no Tiger. She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but “Annika, Incorporated” ain’t “Tiger, Inc.” Annika is everything a good golfer should be: intelligent, understated, polite, well-spoken and a great golfer. But she is not a great interview nor does she look hot in a swimsuit. Tiger draws. And draws ...

I was driving to a client’s office this morning and I heard a radio ad for Viagra and its claim that an estimated 17 million men have ED. Yes, erectile dysfunction. I was shocked to hear that so many men can’t bring themselves to attention. I also didn’t know that we have an epidemic on our hands. According to Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary, an epidemic is defined as “The occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period.” How did our society reproduce ...

In the 100-degree heat of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the greatest golfer of my lifetime ceaselessly toiled to his 13th major victory. At 31, he showed no ill effects from the heat, no sign of being off his game nor of backing down. In the span of two weeks he wins the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by eight strokes, then he marches on to a convincing victory in the PGA Championship for his 59th tournament win. Saying that the greatest golfer in history was someone like Nicklaus, Hogan or Palmer will always be defended, but the strength of these arguments are rapidly weakening. It is impossible ...