I’m very glad that Tiger Woods has taken the step that we all knew would come eventually, but he is entering his new endeavour with the wrong role models. Woods apparently consulted Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio about the business of course design, and after making the announcement about his new plans, Woods said, “I hope I can bring as much to this industry as they have over the years.” Obviously Woods has the imagination, creativity, and understanding of the game required to design outstanding courses; I think his resume speaks for itself. But what concerns me is Tiger’s idea ...

While Charleston has always been a top tourist destination due to its history, beauty, and charm, it should also be seen as one of the top golf destinations, particularly in the fall and early winter, in the country. Over the last two weeks, the high temperatures have ranged from a pleasant 63 degrees to a balmy 76 and there is a wealth of courses in the area that could be added to any golfer’s “must-play” list. Travel south of the city and find Stono Ferry (named Charleston-area “Course of the Year in 2004), Seabrook Island, which features Crooked Oakes and ...

Sliding down the razorblade of the final PGA Tour events is reminiscent of the bowl season that now exists in college football- full of events, very few of which mean anything unless you are related to a player on Tour or a player on the team that became “bowl-eligible". The PGA Tour’s schedule of events for the more than two months between August 17th and November 2nd includes the following tournaments with their respective winners: the Reno-Tahoe Open (Will Mackenzie); the 84 Lumber Classic (Ben Curtis); the Valero Texas Open (Eric Axley); the Southern Farm Bureau Classic (D.J. Trahan); the ...

The Nationwide Tour is visiting Charleston this week, with the first annual Palmetto Pride Classic at the Daniel Island Club’s new Ralston Creek Course. I went to the event on Thursday because I wanted to get a feel for the Nationwide Tour (the limited coverage on The Golf Channel really doesn’t reveal much of anything), take advantage of the beautiful weather, and get a good look at the course I’d heard so much about. I would highly recommend a trip to a Nationwide event for anyone who enjoys golf. The tickets at the Palmetto Pride Classic are only $10, many ...

It is impossible not to notice that over the past few years more long irons have been ending up in second-hand stores while more golf bags have been filling up with hybrids. In almost every issue of the major golf publications there is a story about how amateur players can’t live without a hybrid, and that most golfers should carry at least two. The clubs are also making more appearances in PGA events, most notably in helping Todd Hamilton win the 2004 British Open. Ironically, Hamilton used his hybrid to take the place of a pitch shot rather than a ...

A school district in Michigan has ended the Oscoda Area High School football team’s season after an 0-4 start, citing the fact that the players are actually in danger when competing against stronger teams. Oscoda has failed to score a point, let alone win a game, so the board decided to take matters into their own hands. From just about every angle this story illustrates some of the problems with our public school system. First of all, the parents and players pleaded with the board to reverse their decision. If the students want to continue competing and their parents are ...

A few weeks ago during a weekend of great golf, I seem to have misplaced a few of my sticks. A Titleist 56 degree wedge and a Cleveland 60 degree wedge made it through all 36 holes at Harbour Town and the Ocean Course, but somehow got left by the green on the 18th at by the famous lighthouse. Perhaps it was the wonderful views that distracted me, perhaps I was a bit preoccupied with the double bogey I had just made, or perhaps we had been having a little too much fun during the round; regardless, I am ...

Sad Stories are generally told very well in a ballad, so I dedicate this to the American teams, both present and future Heading over to Ireland for some Guinness and fishin’, The Americans seemed prepared for their difficult mission. Tiger changed his schedule and took a more involved stance, Lehman thought that without Woods the team stood little chance. As the days approached quickly the determination never wavered, Though they knew for the first time they were no longer favored. It was a strong team from Europe that stood prepared to defend, Europe felt all the while that fate was with them in the end. A lot will ...

Mitsuhiro Tateyama, a 38 year-old Japanese professional, became my favorite player on Thursday. Tateyama turned in one of the most impressive rounds in golf history,after recording a 19 on the par 3 8th hole at Ishioka Golf Club. Amazingly, Tateyama finished only 13-over-par for his round. Every person who plays golf, whether professionally or recreationally, is accustom to qualifying his or her round not necessarily by the score, but rather by what could have been; statements such as “I had 88, but I hit the ball well enough for it to have been an 78 if I would have made ...

All Hope Abandon, Ye Who Enter Here Worldgolf.com has always been interested in recognizing important holidays, and today is no exception. Another Internationational Talk Like a Pirate Day has come and gone, leaving many land-lovers around the world pondering its true purpose. But all of those who scoff at this cherished holiday are missing a perfect opportunity to expand their vocabulary, wear puffy shirts, drink rum out of commandeered goblets, and increase their chances with the ladies by incorporating pirate-pickup lines such as, “Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?” and “Prepare to be boarded!” ...

I’ll be busy this weekend, so I figured I’d go ahead and take care of this little post right now. Michelle Wie has once again missed a cut on the PGA tour, finishing at least 20 shots off the lead for the second week in a row. When asked to comment, her response was, “I just really feel like I got a bad break with it having rained and this being such a long course.”

Typically after a weekend of playing great golf courses I am left thinking about what might have been with my rounds. Careless decisions, poor putting, and my temper inevitably cause my scores to end up higher than I originally hoped. But today is different. I got home from Hilton Head last night and immediately my thoughts shifted from my most recent blown opportunities on the course to blown opportunities in our national security in the years leading up to 2001; watching ABC’s Path to 9/11 left me speechless for almost three hours as it brought back horrible memories from my past. ...

Today is a great day. It doesn’t involve playing any golf, but it is almost as good. It is the day before I am to begin a weekend of great golf that will include a round at Kiawah’s Ocean Course (followed by an employee golf day event that will feature beer, burgers, and a little golf), Harbour Town Golf Links,and a course to be decided later in Hilton Head (depending on how badly the first two I mentioned push us around). These are the days that make me love golf: I’m full of hope that I’ll have a memorable round, ...

It is now official- Darren Clarke will play in the Ryder Cup later this month at the K Club. I have always been a fan of Clarke’s, and I forsee him being a tough point in the matches. If I were a gambling man , it would be hard for me to bet against Clarke on Sunday this year considering the current circumstances and the fact that the Ryder Cup is in Ireland. In fact, I will have a tough time pulling against Clarke. While I still love the memory of Justin Leonard’s bomb in 1999 and I still consider ...

Tiger Woods is currently -6 on the day at the Deutsche Bank, and has left Vijay Singh in his wake with a front nine 30. Singh, the only player not named Tiger to be ranked number one in the world in God knows how long, has got to be hating life right now. Like all of the other not-so-big-five, Vijay has been struggling (at least by his standards), and after shooting a record 61 yesterday, looked like he was in complete control of the tournament. But once again we have another example of a player saving his most mediocre ...

Today, September 2nd, is the first official day of what always turns out to be a very difficult stretch in my year. Just as the weather in the South is becoming perfect for golf, college football begins, leaving me with roughly fifteen Saturdays on which I will be forced to make an almost impossible decision. What formula will I use to determine the better option between playing golf and watching College Gameday on ESPN? What game is valuable enough to pull me away from a great round, and more importantly, what course is worthy enough to pull me away from ...

In the September Issue of Travel and Leisure Golf, Kiawah Island Golf Resort was named the top U.S. Golf Resort, coming in ahead of Pebble Beach and Pinehurst. Kiawah also dominated the Southeast rankings, claiming first place in each of the following categories: “Best Southeast resort"; “Best Resort for Families"; “Most Underrated Resort"; “Best Restaurants"; “Best Resort Course"(Ocean Course); and “Best for Buddy Trips". Furthermore, with what I believe to be the most impressive showing, Kiawah’s Turtle Point, Osprey Point, and Cougar Point ranked first, second, and third, respectively, in the “Most Underrated Course” category (though I would personally switch ...

I had a chance to hit some balls this morning before work, and I witnessed something very disturbing at the range. From the parking lot, I saw a young father teaching his son- who couldn’t have been more than 5- how to swing a golf club. From a distance it was a great sight: the kid looked happy when he made contact, the dad seemed to be having a great time showing off how far he could hit it, and the kid’s youthful innocence precluded him from realizing that his old man has a terrible golf swing. But as I ...

Mysteriously, a reader who called himself Andrew Durfresne posted an obscure request in my last post. “Mr. Hux,” this reader pleads, “I noticed that you have not posted PGA Championship predictions from that Beardzilla chap. I found his foresight at the Masters to be nothing short of amazing. Did this guy play on tour, or was he a professional Vegas bookkeeper? I enjoy your blogs, but give me my Beardzilla, baby!” Fortunately for Andy, the one and only Beardzilla got me his thoughts on the PGA by the deadline- 8am on Thursday morning (Because his Masters guarantee came on Saturday morning ...

As expected, Tiger and Phil playing together in the first two rounds of the PGA is getting a great deal of attention. We are all familiar with the idea that Phil is unfortunate to be playing during the same time as Tiger Woods; I’ve heard this statement for years and agreed, never really giving it too much thought. But after reading an ESPN article about this weekend’s championship, something Phil said makes me think about the situation a little differently. “It’s been a fun challenge for me and the other guys to play against him, and he’s also pushed me to ...

A few years back I was playing golf at Cherokee Run, a Palmer design about twenty miles outside of Atlanta, and I got paired up with some Australian’s who were in the area for the Masters. There were seven of them, and as I was at the course alone (I was every day during that spring break of my first year teaching), the starter threw me in the mix with them. As it turned out, I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. Usually when I get paired up it is with somebody who can’t stop talking and is constantly “quick-calling” ...

According to a report on ESPN.com, Michelle Wie has fired her caddie Greg Johnston, who has been on her bag since her first day as a professional. Not that anyone will be beating down my door to try to offer me this position, but you couldn’t pay me enough to be on the bag for her. She (or someone in her corner) won’t let anyone help her read putts, she is under constant scrutiny, she is not familiar enough with the rules to be playing as a professional, she never takes blame for what happens on the course, and her ...

It’s a good thing the Guinness Book of World Records is updated frequently, otherwise readers would be mislead by gross inaccuracies when they came to the “Longest Golf Course in Major Championship History” section. Medinah, host of this year’s PGA Championship, will play to a distance 7,561, taking the place of the former record-holder(Whistling Straits)as the longest course in major championship history. And who knows- with the recent change in command at Augusta National, Medinah might even hold its position for a year or two. That is, of course, until the tournament returns to the Straits course in 2010 and ...

Enough is enough. I’ve been somewhat of a fence sitter on the distance issue in golf, maybe leaning slightly in favor of controlling the distance of the ball rather than shredding great golf courses. But now, my mind is made up. We’ve got to do something about the tour guys and the unbelievable length they are driving the ball. Corey Pavin, notoriously the shortest hitter on tour, has clearly realized it is no longer 1989 (his first step was losing the mustache), and decided to play the same game as everyone else. In route to shooting his record-setting 26 (I ...

If you’re interested in reading one of the worst pieces of garbage written about the British Open, look no further. I’m not sure if I sense a bit of bitterness in ESPN’s “resident Brit’s” tone, but whatever it is, he needs to come up with a few better reasons not to like the final round of the Open. The only point he makes that is even close to worth the time it took to write is the fact that there was never a real lead change; other than that, he couldn’t be more wrong, and he makes it way too clear ...

With the British Open at Royal Liverpool, it is difficult to ignore the fact that The Beatles began their legendary careers in the same area. In fact, the last time the championship was held at Hoylake, the Beatles were at the peak of their popularity. And when one looks more closely at some of their songs, both the well-know and the obscure, it becomes eerily obvious that the fab-four not only knew their way around the guitar strings, but also were able to predict many of the events that would transpire at the next Open to be contested near their ...

Golf, in the immortal words of Mrs. Gump, “is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” Once again, I picked up an interesting and helpful fact about my game in the strangest of places- the Charleston City Municipal Golf Course during the weekly skins game that occurs on Fridays. It’s a modest $12 to walk the course as a city resident, and a $15 entry to play the skins. Yesterday there was a field of twenty-nine, meaning that the skins, though potentially large, would be difficult to come by, as the Charleston City course is ...

Golf instruction, especially that offered by celebrity instructors such as David Leadbetter, is very different than it used to be, and the average weekend hack is suffering as a result. Sadly, he doesn’t even know it. Every time I open Golf Digest or watch The Golf Channel in the afternoon, I see the newest and latest training aid developed by David Leadbetter. And every time he creates something new, whether it’s the Laser Guide, the Leadbetter Swing Setter, or his new interactive DVD, he is promoting the same fundamentals, and guaranteeing that his new training aid will get everyone who picks ...

Tiger Woods has made his return to the PGA schedule this weekend, following an extended break during which he was learning to cope with the recent loss of his father. Over the past two months, Woods only played two U.S. Open practice rounds on Thursday, June 15th and Friday, June 16th before realizing he wasn’t ready to return, and taking the weekend off at Winged Foot. Tiger had a slow warm up round on Thursday at Cog Hill with a 1-over 72 before his return began with a 67 on Friday that included a stretch of holes in which he birdied ...

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is known for its golf, but in order to play Harbor Town, Palmetto Dunes, or even the lesser-known Sea Pines courses (Ocean and Sea Marsh), you had better be prepared to spend, as Kiel Christianson often relates, between $8 and $15 per hole. But with many of these courses you’ll walk away certain that they accidentally added a 1 in front of the actual cost (for instance, The “Ocean” course at Sea Pines allows one glimpse of the Atlantic from the 15th green). Harbor Town is a fantastic layout, but sports less-than-perfect course conditions ...

This morning on ESPN radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning, host Mike Greenberg remarked that this U.S. Open would be remembered more for Mickelson’s stumble than for Ogilvy’s win. Unfortunately, Greenberg is probably correct. Everyone will spend the next several weeks questioning Mickelson’s decision to hit driver on 18, and questioning “Bones’” decision to actually let him hit driver. In fact Johnny “I once shot 63 on Sunday” Miller called Mickelson’s performance the biggest collapse in U.S. Open history, although he must have meant since last year, when he said at Pinehurst that Retief Goosen was experiencing one of ...

We all know that golf is an addicting game, and we have all wasted numerous hours, usually to no avail, trying to improve. We watch the Golf Channel;we look at our club position in the mirror; and we read Golf Digest. Some of us even read golf blogs, hoping beyond hope that the one tip we need is out there just waiting to find us. And then we go back to the course, play horribly, and on the drive home start thinking all over again about how we can improve. In this respect, we are similar to alcoholics, ...

If you’re dying to know the details of Michelle Wie’s every shot, thegolfchannel.com is doing constant updates of the qualifying at Canoe Brook. Through the first seven holes, the updates have already included the descriptions “pipes drive down middle” and “driver center cut.” As far as I’m concerned, golf would be better off sans these two statements. The irony of these updates is in that thegolfchannel.com uses “catchy” and “interesting” descriptions of Wie’s tee shots, but mundane and colorless descriptions of the putts she has missed. The fact is that she can “pipe” as many drives as she wants, but right ...

In the past few years the all-time leader in major wins has become quite vocal about the changes in Augusta National, and called for the USGA to change the golf ball rather than ruining wonderful golf courses. So far, Nicklaus has basically been ignored. This week, the players in the field at the Memorial Tournament will be the victims of Jack’s newest discovery of how to put the integrity back in a golf course. On The Golf Channel’s Golf Central last night, they ran a small segment on the rakes that Nicklaus now has in all of the bunkers. They resemble ...

“When I really wanted someone to look at my swing, I always asked a blind guy.” -Shanks for Nothing, page 46 Rick Reilly, Sport Illustrated writer and recipient of the National Sportswriter of the year ten separate times recently released Shanks for Nothing, the sequel to his 1997 novel Missing Links. The connotations of the word sequel bring up thoughts of such disasters as Caddy Shack 2, Vegas Vacation, and Closing Time, Joseph Heller’s complete failure at attempting to duplicate the brilliance of his novel Catch-22. Shanks for Nothing could have very easily been the next victim in the long line of ...

On Monday at the Nissan Irish Open, Darren Clarke received credit for basically taking a penalty stroke when he didn’t really need to. Obviously Clarke deserves all of the praise being showered upon him for serving as a rules official and showing the integrity that all golfers wish they had, but don’t think for a minute that Clarke’s plan was without motive. Darren Clarke, a man who spent many a night pondering both life and golf over a pint of Guinness must have had many talks with the golf gods, and through these talks he learned two important lessons: never ...

I’m always experimenting with new golf balls, primarily because I am so inconsistent that I convince myself that the ball actually has something to do with my play. So, I try a new brand and come to find out that the problem is more often with my swing than with my ammunition. And although I’ve found that I do not need the a Pro VI or HX Tour to play well, there are certain places I just won’t allow myself to go; Pinnacle, Wilson Staff, Top Flight, and Dunlop’s Loco (this one is more out of principle due to the ...

I have been a huge baseball fan ever since I can remember. I not only loved going to Braves’ games as a kid, I loved learning about the ghosts of baseball’s past. It intrigued me to hear stories about Babe Ruth calling his shot; I thought it was facinating that Mickey Mantle was so drunk when he played that he could never even remember what pitch he liked to hit, yet he still managed to produce the way he did. And while I am not as involved with the sport as I used to be, this is a big week ...

Today, Sunday, May the 7th is a day that the golfing gods meddled with human events to fulfill their own needs. As I’ve written before, the amateur game is far more significant than the PGA tour, and the amateur player is far more important in the scheme of things than the touring pro. Occasionally, the gods realize this, and realize that they are in peril. They realize that they might lose many of their amateur players if the game continues to be so tough, and they take action: today was one of those days. Thousands of players came home after ...

It’s been a while since the last five-pirate course was revealed, but the next course is worth the wait. Kiel Christianson of TravelGolf.com had it exactly right in his March article: One of the most unknown and under-appreciated golf destinations in America is Indianapolis, Indiana. With courses such as PrarieView, Bear Slide, The Fort, and Legends, a true golfer can travel to this midwestern town, which has a reputation for nothing in particular, and find some of the best golf value anywhere. But even amongst these courses, one stands out as the best choice in the area, and the best ...

This weekend’s upcoming NFL Draft has turned into an event that is almost as anticipated as the NFL season itself. From the beginning of the college football season in September, the discussion and debates begin over who should be the first pick once April finally arrives. Players are interviewed, scanned, examined, overrated, underrated, ridiculed, and praised. The draft projections change almost daily, as experts and casual NFL fans debate which player will have the best career until the teams finally decide on which player they will gamble with their future. When all is said and done on draft day, ...

The second course that has achieved a five-pirate ranking is located in Sanford, North Carolina, and is different than any other course that will make this list. Tobacco Road, a Mike Stranz design, has absolutely nothing that could be considered commonplace or traditional, and as a result players tend to have either a very deep appreciation for the genius of the design or a very passionate hatred for the “quirkiness” of the blind-shot infested track. Anything that can evoke such emotion is obvioulsy worth trying at least once; at the very least it can spark a great conversation. From the tips, ...

It seems that I was wrong in my recent prediction that Retief Goosen would win the Masters. I stuck by him all weekend, and even until the back 9 on Sunday. I stuck by him even though one of the most intelligent people I know, Mr. Casey Beard, chose Phil Mickelson. Mr. Beard, who goes by the self-given nicknames of “Beardzilla” and “Beardinator", warned me on Sunday morning that Phil would win. Although I gave him several logical explanations for Mickelson’s impending downfall, Beardzilla persisted. His logic was simple, but it turned out to be impeccable- Mickelson would win because ...

As Barry Bonds walked off of the field during the Giants’ opening game yesterday, a fan threw something that resembled a syringe in his direction. Everyone is aware of the allegations surrounding Bonds, so I don’t even need to describe the significance. The camera caught a close-up of Barry’s face, and something unbelievable happened- I actually felt sympathy for him for the first time ever. I have always been the first to criticize Bonds (more for his overall arrogance and the comments he’s made than for his steroid….excuse me.. alleged steriod use), but yesterday was the first time I’ve ever seen ...

To find this year’s Masters champion, look past Phil and both of his drivers, Tiger and his four green jackets, Vijay Singh and his practice routine, and Ernie Els and his 1000 runner-up finishes in majors. Retief Goosen will become the newest Masters champion on Sunday, and will remind people again why he is mentioned with the other big names. Even though people still refer to him as one of the “big five” it seems that everyone forgets how good he really is. Goosen will win this weekend for the following reasons. 1.With two drivers in the bag, Mickelson’s has now ...

Last week I shared the factors that I now take into consideration when I evaluate a golf course; today I begin my list of courses that have achieved a five-pirate ranking. I am just sticking with public courses, as nobody really benefits from hearing good things about the private clubs I’ve been fortunate enough to play. To establish the order in which I am going to list these courses (six in all), I asked myself a pretty simple question: On a beautiful day in April, out of all the courses I’ve played in my life, where would I go to have ...

If you haven’t read Part 1 of this piece, the following might not make a lot of sense to you. The first criterion on which I will use to judge a golf course are the aesthetics. It’s pretty simple: if a course has mountains, marsh lands, oceans, or some other spectacle of nature, the pirates will be a plenty; trailer parks, landfills, or sites reminiscent of Tennesse’s Neylan stadium (the previous three are redundant, perhaps) are likely to give a course only one jolly buccaneer. The second thing I typically look for is shot quality. Overall, the course needs to ...

When I first began playing a lot of golf my freshman year of college I was always eager to play a new course, especially one that had received a high rating in one of the premier golf publications. I took every chance I had to play these “great courses", and I would always rave about the experience when I returned. The only problem was that I didn’t really have my own opinion of what I considered to be great qualities in a golf course, so I was usually basing my opinion on the fact that I didn’t believe a “four-star” ...

It is impossible to watch coverage of The Players Championship without being drowned by discussion of the infamous 17th hole: we see what every player does on the hole; we hear about the hole even when the cameras are elsewhere; and I’d bet one of my fingers that once the leaders make the turn on Sunday, a great deal of the coverage will be focused on the looming 17th. Sure, the hole is fun to watch, but enough is enough. In terms of design, that hole isn’t even one of the top ten holes at the Stadium Course. In fact, ...

I had a day of golf on Saturday that reminded me again why I love the game so much. We were in Norfolk, Virginia for a wedding, and the father of the bride set up a scramble on Saturday morning at Sewells Point Golf Club. The leading group went off at 7:00 am, and the temperature was better suited for skiing than for golf. The first ball in my group was in the air at about 7:10, roughly 3 minutes after the first beer had been opened. Out of the twenty-two men participating in the scramble, we had some good ...

The money spent on golf advertising today is at an all-time high, and it is not going down anytime in the foreseeable future. What I often wonder is how the executives at certain companies can decide that some of these advertising campaigns are actually a good idea. Who decided to market the Bridgestone golf balls, which are geared toward the low-handicap player at $36 per dozen, with the slogan “Boom-It” in front of a background that looks like one of those 1970’s barber shop polls? I saw another ad in Golf Digest this morning that made me think I should ...

I have recently come to the conclusion that course rankings are basically useless, because the factor that carries the most weight is without a doubt the architect’s last name. Give Golf Digest or Golf Magazine a new course designed by Dye, Fazio, or Nicklaus, and they foam at the mouth. The course is decorated with more stars than the American flag, and the greens fees shoot through the roof. However, many of these courses don’t live up to their reputation, and you feel that the guy behind the counter in the shop should have been wearing a stocking over his ...

Tigers, alligators, and bad ideas on the golf course Some people get really bad ideas when they’re on the golf course. Tapping an alligator on the nose with a putter (I actually saw someone do this), giving Tiger extra motivation before a match against him, and bringing a cell phone to the golf course usually don’t work out so well for anyone. I think that every time I have seen someone use a cell phone on a course, it has led to disaster for the player. Think about it. The conversations that take place on a golf course almost always involve ...

At the Accenture Match Play Championships, the numbers (as in world rankings) can be thrown out the window. In a stroke play event, we can usually count a lot of players out from the beginning: maybe the course doesn’t set up well for a player; maybe a guy hasn’t been putting well at all; and maybe he just isn’t good enough of to have a legitimate shot of winning a PGA Tour event. This weekend, things will be totally different. In order to win this event a player has to rely on luck a great deal more than he ...

Rory Sabbatini is leading the Nissan Open going into Sunday’s round; fortunately for us, we won’t even need Tiger in contention to see fireworks, because our current leader is more likely to explode than any other player on tour. Sabbatini, who was already famous for a short fuse, left no doubt about his temper or his character last year at the Booz Allen Classic when he played out of turn because Ben Crane was taking too long. The argument that Sabbatini did nothing wrong because Crane caused them to be timed is absolutely absurd; there are some things you ...