“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 ...