It’s finally over. Actually, it was over so long ago, the Fat Lady is hoarse from singing about the woes of 2008. So here’s to ‘09, which I’m optimistically declaring the Year of Redemption only because I hope the last 365 days were as bad as things could ever get. Predictions, wishes and observations for a New Year, including one my colleague Brandon Tucker also forecasts: 1. Tiger Woods WILL NOT win a major. If you want action, I still want significant odds, but call it a gut or contrarian feeling as he comes back from knee surgery. His putting has failed ...

Freak snow storms. Crazy cold snaps. Wild winds. A wife, or girlfriend, who hates golf. Oh, and those obnoxious airline baggage fees … It’s enough to make you not want to play, much less haul your clubs to a favorite golf destination. So as I headed to Las Vegas for the holidays, I broke out Plan B from the Golf Traveler’s How to Pack Light and Still Tee It Up manual. Let’s face it. If you travel this time of year, you’re battling a lot of adversity to get in a round or two. Heck, there was still snow in two ...

Rivalry? What rivalry? In order for one to exist, opponents have to be evenly matched and beat each other’s brains out over a period of time. It helps if their records against each other are about the same. Phil Mickelson v. Tiger Woods does not qualify under that definition. Not on the course anyway. It’s much juicier outside the ropes, as witnessed by the latest sniping between the two camps. This time it was done by Woods’ caddie/proxie, Stevie Williams, who expressed his dislike for Mickelson and actually used an expletive to describe him. Tiger issued a terse, pseudo-apologetic statement. Phil issued a statement ...

It’s never too early to lobby the USGA when it comes to hosting a major championship. If you’re Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, it should be a matter of simply filling out the paperwork. Kelly Miller, president of Pine Needles and affiliated Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club located across the street in the Pinehurst, N.C. area, told me last week his golf course wants the U.S. Women’s Open at the next available date. “We’ve extended the invitation,” Miller says. “Ideally, we’re looking to have them back in 2016 or 2017.” That seems like a long time, but Pine Needles just hosted ...

I wasn’t feeling particularly lucky as I approached the starter’s house today at Pinehurst’s No. 4 course. The way I see it, you’ve got a better chance of hitting the lottery than being paired with someone fun, interesting and good at golf. That’s why I show up as a single about once every, oh, quarter-century or so. Not that I’m anti-social; I just never took that “it’s just you vs. the course” thing literally, and have heard too many horror stories of bad pairings. On the contrary, golf is a social game that in my book should include friendly banter (not to ...

Stop the presses! No, really. Stop the presses. Got a call from a friend at the Rocky Mountain News this weekend and heard the tale of another dying newspaper, only with a twist on that time-worn phrase shouted by a journalist breaking a huge story. Layoffs, buyouts, cutbacks, For Sale signs … not really news if you’ve been following the news in any industry. But talk in Denver is that the Rocky Mountain News, founded in 1859, might simply shut down. And Monday, the Tribune Co. (publisher of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune) filed for bankruptcy. Oh, this little tidbit hit the ...

In a perfect world, prizes in a golf charity auction should not be the reason you donate. Ditto for the menu, although a fine filet mignon and a crisply glazed crème brule certainly has a knack for getting the party started. So let’s face it: the better the goodies, the greater the goodwill. And the folks at the Lymphoma Association have a roster of items that appear guaranteed to open some pocketbooks for helping anyone affected by lymphatic cancer. Several holiday auctions are being held from through Dec. 12. It’s on eBay, so there’s no excuse not to “attend” and bid on ...

Forget titanium and graphite and cavity-back irons and square-headed drivers. Just when you thought golf technology had hit a speed bump comes word that future advancement lies in … dimples? As in dimple patterns on a golf ball, designs of which apparently are still in the stone age, according to stories this weekend in the New York Times and other publications. Heck, and I thought they couldn’t possibly improve on Titleist’s Pro-V1 or Callaway’s Tour ix. But researchers at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland tell us significant extra yardage might soon be on the way for even the shortest ...