Everyone is still amazed by Tiger’s length, but on Sunday at the Buick Invitational he proved once again that his length is not why he is the best player in the world. After he struggled through a mediocre round (for him) on an exceptionally difficult course, he came to the 18th at Torrey Pines needing a birdie to get into a playoff. He had roughly 230 yards left to the hole, and he drew a bad lie in the fairway. Instead of attempting something miraculous, he hit a very conservative shot away from the flag hoping to leave himself a ...

Working part time as a caddie has given me hours and hours to think about golf. I might think about my ball flight and which golf ball will give me the best results. After about 10 minutes of internal conversation and argument (I have a serious problem- I’m able to entertain myself for hours just thinking about stupid things like this), I change the subject of my introspective rambling from golf balls to course management. I debate which of “the big three”- the driver, putter, or wedge- is more important, and almost always come to the same conclusion: it depends ...

Kiel Christianson gives a great perspective on this topic, and Ron Mon’s comments about Christianson’s blog are right on as well. This is something I wrote last summer when Golf Digest addressed “the secret of golf.” The word “secret” implies that there is one idea or method that will help every person who picks up a club, and that is just not true. It is safe to say that anyone who plays golf regularly has read pages upon pages of confusing swing thoughts and has most likely only played more disgusting golf as a result. Similarly, a high percentage ...

And the PGA Championship isn’t even held there for another six years. That’s six years for holes to be lengthened, layouts to be changed, greens to be altered, and the course to be made as difficult as the PGA wants to make it. Today, the gold tees stretch to 7,344 yards. The rating is 77.2, with a slope of 144. Factor in the wind that typically blows off of the Atlantic (which toys with a player’s psyche before his ball even gets in the air), and this course will challenge the world’s best players with no ...

The Hope can seem like one of those events on the PGA tour that isn’t worth the time of day, but I’m beginning to appreciate it for the first time. It’s five rounds, which has no downside, the weather is so nice that it puts me in a good mood just watching it on T.V., and the best part of all is that there is a plethora of guys who are still in the hunt. David Duval was 2 over for the tournament with only a few holes left in his round on Friday, and I caught myself thinking, “he’s done.” ...

I’m glad Vijay isn’t in the field this week at the Bob Hope. During almost every golf tournament in which Vijay Singh plays, the T.V. audience is forced to hear the same rambling about his stringent practice routine. “Well, David,” says the typical commentator, “nobody works harder than this guy.” I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t care what Vijay Singh does in his spare time. I don’t find it extraordinary that he spends that much time practicing, because that’s what I would love to be doing with my day (not to mention that I would be a little ...

Michelle Wie did not perform well in the Sony Open. Now, instead of being the big talk of the tour, it seems she has become the biggest disappointment in professional golf. Instead of seeing stories about her unbelievable physical skill and her uncanny distance, we will now hear that she is a failure who doesn’t perform well under pressure. In fact, lets skip the speculation. In light of last weekend, she may as well go ahead and accept the fact that the most she will achieve in her golfing life is becoming a long-drive hustler at some cheap driving ...

Lose the “Momentus,” put down the copy of “The Eight Step Swing” by Jim McLean, and take some time to read Joseph Parent’s “Zen Golf.” After years as a mediocre player with a hot temper, I was finally ready to give up the game altogether. I was coerced into taking a lesson, and low and behold I started posting some numbers. I realized that all I needed was a little confidence and my game would improve. The problem is that keeping that confidence is more difficult that gaining it, which is usually a result of something that is going on between ...

Is there anything worse than golf commentary or golf press conferences? For example, when reporters ask questions hoping for an enlightening response: “Vijay, what do you hope to do in tomorrow’s round that will give you an edge.” The player typically responds, probably not realizing how stupid he sounds, with something like, “Well, I just feel like I need to go out and hit some fairways, which will give me a chance to hit more greens. If I can do that and putt well, I think I’ll be in good shape.” Perhaps my understanding of golf isn’t quite as good as I ...

A beautiful characteristic about golf is how many varieties of the game one is able to find. Baseball is baseball, football is football-the two games themselves don’t change that much. But go to a prestigious country club on a Saturday morning and then head to the local municipal golf course on a Saturday afternoon. At the country club you will see people in Polo shirts practicing the eight-step swing or rehearsing the latest “secret” of golf; at the municipal course, you will see bearded men and women with beer bellies hanging out of their Tennesse Volunteers jerseys rehearsing the only ...