Ed Travis

Tiger endorsements scorecard

Posted on 01/07/10 10:25 AM

With all the news coverage about companies deciding to pull the plug on Tiger Woods as a corporate spokesman it might be enlightening to see which ones have not. The list of continuing sponsors (at le   —   read more »

New Product: Tour Edge Exotics XCG-3 irons

Posted on 12/23/09 10:18 AM

The big news about the new Tour Edge Exotics XCG-3 irons is not the technology but that the company again is providing golfers with clubs of the best quality and latest technology at the price of less   —   read more »

Tiger has nothing on Mcilroy

Posted on 12/21/09 07:47 PM

Tiger Woods for now is the number one ranked golfer in the world ahead of Phil Mickelson but both of them can’t match what Rory Mcilroy has done. The Northern Ireland native has moved into the n   —   read more »

My Articles featured on myNEGM.com

A novel idea for a balanced swing

 A often overlooked principle for making a good golf swing is good balance. Proper balance promotes transfer of weight during the swing and leads to more distance and consistency. Now lady linksters can buy the first wegde soled golf shoe designed to promote good balance. The TipTeeToe not   read more »

US Pro Hickory Championship

The second annual United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship is scheduled for Feb. 20 with each player using authentic or replica pre-1930 equipment provided by Dr. Jay Harris ofPinehurst,N.C.and balls by McIntyre Golf inSan Diego,Calif.   read more »

Solheim’s three ball proposal is a bad idea

Just before Christmas PING’s CEO John Solheim made his proposal public calling for the USGA to adopt rules mandating three classes of golf balls – one that would go the same distance as today’s, one 30 yards less and one 30 yards more.   read more »

8-irons and wedges into par fours like the pros…not fairway woods

Last year Barney Adams pushed the idea golfers play from tees that are too long for their ability and should move up a set, at least. According toAdams, founder of Adams Golf and golf industry iconoclast, that would mean they could, “…be hitting eight-irons and wedges into par fours lik   read more »

PING at 50

Time changes many things but not everything. More than fifty years of love with devotion, from a manufacturer, shows that time does not change the quest for a better idea or a product; in fact, some things just last.  PINGcalls 1959 an official birthday but those who know understand the birth o   read more »

For 2012 from Tour Edge, Wilson & Nike

XCG5 from Tour Edge Tour Edge has been on a run in recent years producing some very good fairways and the latest to be included on that short list is the newest fairway in their line up, the XCG5.  This newest refinement is the only fairway wood to have a titanium cupped face and tungsten sole   read more »

Golf for high rollers – it happens in Vegas

There are a lot of adult activities available in that desert playground called Las Vegas and for the golfer these activities include a wide variety of courses at prices ranging from reasonable to expensive.    read more »

Cleveland CG Black

Cleveland Golf, a division of Srixon, though best known for its wedges also has a popular full line of clubs including the highly ranked Launcher series of drivers featuring the 270-gram Launcher XL270. The premise behind the XL270 and Cleveland’s other light weight clubs is simple, if the clu   read more »

Training aids that can be used INDOORS

Generally golfers, to put it mildly, dislike northern winters. It’s usually cold and snowy which precludes playing the game they love plus those months of inactivity mean those first swings of spring are... well, you know.The solution of course is to winter in a warmer climate but re   read more »

Titleist 712 MB & CB series irons

Following up on the recent announcement of the new 712 series AP1 and AP2 irons for recreational players Titleist is coming out with new irons for better players the 712 series MB (forged muscle back) and CB (forged cavity back). They have been out on thePGATour for several months starting at the AT   read more »

Izzo Golf’s Swami 3000

Izzo Golf’s Swami 3000 is really worth consideration when compared to the crowded field of more expensive golf GPS units.   It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a $300 unit advertised by one or more of golf’s beautiful people. It is though, a good basic way to know th   read more »

Bob Vokey – Wedge maker extraordinaire

Fifteen years ago Titleist wanted to get in to the high performance wedge business and asked Bob Vokey to head up the effort. Vokey produced a series of classically designed wedges that developed a devoted following…from PGA Tour players to avid amateurs.   read more »

Titleist updates AP irons

Titleist makes the Pro V1 but every good golfer at least knows about their line of irons. They are very well regarded and played by many better players.  New APs this fall according to the company are improvements of the previous version. In the new 712 AP1 and AP2 there’s been a reworkin   read more »

Mizuno MP-59 irons

Mizuno Golf is the latest to bring out new irons for the winter golf shop purchasing cycle and the new MP-59 forged irons look like a real winner.    There main selling point is a titanium insert forged into the center of the muscle back which is said to provide forgiveness on off center l   read more »

Bridgestone-4 new models for fall

Corey Consuegra, Golf Club Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf, Inc. is a man on a mission. He wants to make his company’s golf clubs as well known and well regarded as their line of golf balls which have made immense market share gains in the past three years.   read more »

New Miura Hybrids

Miura Golf has for years produced irons considered to be among the best in the world. The company continues its quest to become better known to American golfers and with introduction of MG Hybrids players will have a new reason to consider Miura.   read more »

On the Lip August 26, 2011

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) and Arnold Palmer Golf Management have signed a 20-year agreement to have the King’s company mange and promote Walt Disney World’s five golf courses located at the suburban Orlando, Fla. resort. Disney’s deal with Palmer takes the Mouse completely out   read more »

TMaG R11 Irons

Since January the success of the R11 Driver has allowed TaylorMade Golf Company to gain additional market share and dominate that segment of the club business. Therefore it of little surprise when their latest game-improvement category irons were announced they would carry the R11 name.   read more »

Smart Golf: The Best Apps in Golf

There are lots of smartphone apps to make your round of golf more enjoyable.   read more »

Sale of Acushnet done

Fortune Brands (NYSE:FO) completed sale of Acushnet Company (Titleist and FootJoy brands) to a Korean group. For the record below is the text of the press release. Regardless of the pro forma comments nothing will change that is not the usual practice when buyouts go down. It will be interesting to   read more »

THE SWINGER

The saga of Tiger Woods’ fall from grace has all the trappings of tabloid fiction. But a two-author team was able to overcome the challenge inherent in writing a fictionalized account of Woods’ image suicide without resorting to sensationalism.  Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck a   read more »

The Glove, The Tee & The Shaft Play a Major Role

To hit the ball further off the tee – to really “Grip it and rip it” - three pieces of equipment are sometimes overlooked; the glove, the tee and the shaft.   read more »

Callaway’s problems run deep

Callaway Golf (NYSE:ELY) has a new President and Chief Executive Officer. Anthony Thornley took over after George Fellows resigned “for personal reasons” but there is little doubt he was asked to depart.   read more »

From Adams to Titleist - New Stuff!

 Here are some of the more significant recent product introductions to the world of golf equipment.   read more »

USGA's Groove rule after 18 months

If the true test of a man’s intelligence is how much he agrees with you Michael Johnson, equipment writer for Golf Digest, is a genius.   read more »

Big names in PowerPlay Golf’s first big event

 On Memorial Day, before the beer, hotdogs and fireworks, the Golf Channel broadcast the first big time golf event played under the rules of PowerPlay Golf - a relatively new and potentially significant tournament format.  Unfortunately an unknown (at least to American viewers and for the   read more »

Tee It Forward: Tee Shots

Former technical director of the USGA, Frank Thomas, told me several years ago the average golfer is deluding himself about how far he hits his tee shots. When asked, most will answer a typical blast travels in the 225-yard (or better!) range.   read more »

Player's Perspective: Long Putters, Curse or Cure?

There’s a lively controversy concerning top players using putters with shafts longer than usual and it reached crescendo at this year’s Masters when Australian Adam Scott came close to winning while using a 49 inch Scotty Cameron Kombi. There are heated words from opponent   read more »

You'll use every club in the bag

“You’ll use every club in the bag,” is a compliment pertaining to a golf course’s design and playing characteristics and taken to mean that in order to score well you will need a variety of shots not just, “Hit it hard. Go find it and hit it hard again.”  Or,   read more »

Golf industry stats dismal

Let’s see…golf participation is down, the number of rounds played is down, golf clubs are closing every week and of course equipment sales are “challenging.”  Not a pretty picture but let’s look at some hard numbers that were covered only in passing by the golf me   read more »

From Sticks and Stones

Frank Thomas is not afraid to tell it like it is. His approach has from time to time ruffled golf establishment feathers and though Thomas could not be characterized as vituperative in the least, there is still a strong tendency among those whose feathers are out of place to “shoot the messeng   read more »

TMaG took a huge risk and is reaping an immense reward

Most columnists make predictions from time to time, i.e., a supposedly educated guess as to future outcomes. Sometimes this is rather hard to do but in the case of TaylorMade Golf’s success with their white-headed R11 and Burner Superfast 2.0 drivers, it was easy.   read more »

So you hit it 250, Huh?

 Former technical director of the USGA, Frank Thomas, told me several years ago the average golfer is deluding himself about how far he hits his tee shots. When asked, most will answer a typical blast travels in the 225-yard (or better!) range.  Thomas however had done a study which showed   read more »

Golf in a strange town

Every golfer has been in the situation of being in a strange town, wanting to play but not knowing what courses are nearby or anything about them, much less basic information such as how to contact a good course. Golf Minnesota magazine has neatly solved this pesky problem with a smartphone app (ei   read more »

Tweaking your driver: Drivers to fit your swing

Major club manufacturers have embraced the idea of making clubs, particularly drivers, user-adjustable. However, with today’s prices the purchase of a new one-wood isn’t an impulse buy, more in the category of an investment, so it’s prudent to have some knowledg   read more »

Some new equipment

Here’s a few of the more interesting announcements from club makers that recently hit my in-box:  YES! Good news Adams Golf bought the assets of YES! Golf in January in bankruptcy court and at the time I said this was a very good move for Adams. They have now “re-launched” the   read more »

Acushnet aces Callaway

With the golf business continuing to see few gains, it makes sense for major equipment companies to spend their resources finding new and better products. However, while all the big guys (and the small ones too) have been battling it out for the hearts and wallets of recreational players with impres   read more »

On the lip April 15, 2011

For the fourth year National Golf Day was held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday past.   read more »

Golf tees

The humble golf tee is not a subject to which most devote more than a passing interest, after all it’s just a peg of wood.    read more »

Secret weapon?

Tour Edge rolled out the Exotics brand a few years ago and one the first Exotics clubs to get noticed, especially by good golfers, was in 2007 with the CB2 fairway.   read more »

Player's Perspective: 2011 Putter Review

Putters are a topic of conversation whenever equipment-knowledgeable players get together and each year the established putter makers are joined by a virtual host of new company flat sticks, each vying for a piece of the market.   read more »

TaylorMade TP irons

TaylorMade Golf has done a lot of work to engineer forged irons for a wide spectrum of golfers and succeeded in spades with the Tour Preferred family.   read more »

Miura PP-9003 irons

Miura Golf, makers of what may be the highest quality irons available, says it has no fixed schedule for bringing out new model clubs relying rather on when technological advances warrant.   read more »

25 Years later – the 1986 Masters

The 1986 Masters has been written about so often it’s hard to imagine there’s anything left to be revealed however John Boyette, sports editor of the Augusta Chronicle, has accomplished that feat. “The 1986 Masters: How Jack Nicklaus Roared Back to Win” is out just in time fo   read more »

The ball business ten years after ProV1

A lot has happened in the golf ball business in the past ten years.   read more »

TR3 Speed Sleeve

The TaylorMade TR3 Speed Sleeve isn’t going to make you rich or better-looking or divine the Powerball winning numbers; it is however one of those clever ideas that will help your golf game. Its 14 inches long, fits around the shaft of a golf club, any golf club and gives the benefits of a wei   read more »

Another round Acushnet v. Callaway

The battle over patents between Acushnet Co. and Callaway Golf continues as Callaway continues to challenge Acushnet for ball business market share with another court ruling Acushnet had not infringed on Callaway golf ball patents as Callaway contend.   read more »

Wedges, The USGA & a neat solution

Cynics have said more than a little sarcastically, though some club company executives sobbed and pulled their hair over the injustice of the USGA shrinking the allowable size of grooves they in fact weren’t all that upset. It was pointed out there were going to be a lot of new clubs purchased   read more »

Powerbilt Air Force One

Over the years Powerbilt has been one of the legendary names in the golf club business...   read more »

Irons for better players

Unveiled at the PGA Merchandise Show in 2010, the Bridgestone J-38 forged irons gained rapid acceptance during the past year from better players. J-38’s come in two versions - the Cavity Back and the Dual Pocket Cavity - both with midsize heads forged from 1020 carbon steel.   read more »

Ferreira Pro Hickory Champion

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - Battling wind and length yesterday Feb. 21, Leroux Ferreira from Kingwood, Texas outlasted the field over the challenging 6,400 yard Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. Playing with clubs dating back to 1910 or earlier, Ferreira was the only golfer able to break 80. David   read more »

TaylorMade TMX Stand Bag

Sometimes little things mean a lot and that’s the case with the TaylorMade TMX Stand Bag. This is a very impressive carry bag with touches that make it outstanding compared to its rivals. The TMX, made from ballistic nylon, has an 6-way divider top with full length dividers plus the usual wate   read more »

On the lip February 16

Discounts drive online tee time services It’s hard to imagine this was a surprise to anyone but almost two-thirds of the golfers who use third party tee time online tee time services do so because they think they can get a discount. A National Golf Foundation of 500 core golfers in December fo   read more »

Women come up short in golf's ‘Fairness Test’

According to the “fairness test” devised by Arthur D. Little and Jann E. Leeming, women golfers are being asked to play courses that are generally more than 1,000 yards too long for them to reach greens in regulation. In a recent posting on their blog, Golf With Women, Little asks the fo   read more »

Bushnell Hybrid range finder

 Bushnell enjoys the reputation of being the gold standard of laser range finders. In fact, a large majority of touring professionals and their caddies use Bushnell devices to measure distances during practice rounds to ensure accurate club selection during competition. The new Bushnell Hybrid   read more »

Swingpact Golf Swing Trainer

After having been around golf for a while and particularly having spent years writing about the game and equipment it’s easy to become a bit jaded.   read more »

Notes from the 2011 PGA Show #2

Here are more notes about products attracting our attention at the recently completed PGA Merchandise Show.   read more »

Notes from the 2011 PGA Show

With almost 1,000 vendors displaying their wares at the 58th PGA Merchandise Show attempting to understand, much less write about all of the items is a virtual impossibility. There were however some products that caught the eye or were outstanding examples of innovation and deserve to be have attent   read more »

On the lip February 2

Titleist sale According to a story on CNBC’s web site Fortune Brands has retained Morgan Stanley to begin the process of spinning off company units including their golf brands under the Acushnet Golf and Footjoy names. The story repeats speculation that Nike (Nike Golf) and adidas (TaylorMade   read more »

2011 PGA Merchandise Show on the books

 The most recent iteration of the PGA Merchandise Show is in the books and this one, the 58 th, was a smashing success perhaps even signaling a renewed positive view of the golf business. After last year’s gloomy mood during the Show this year’s mood could be characterized as cautio   read more »

Don’t show up tomorrow Euro Tour says to Paddy

Let’s be clear, Padraig Herrington’s two infractions of the Rules of Golf resulted in two penalties: two strokes and don’t bother to show up tomorrow.   read more »

On the Lip January 20, 2011

Powerbilt Green Grass Powerbilt Golf has an interesting angle on golf club marketing. In this case they are taking a venerable brand name, Citation, and making it exclusively available in golf pro shops. Also starting is a program so each club will be individually fitted by a professional to each pu   read more »

On the Lip for January 17, 2011

 The PGA Merchandise Show starts in Orlando, Fla. two weeks from now but many equipment makers think they get an advantage by announcing new products early. Here’s a few of the avalanche coming across my desk plus a couple of notes of interest.   read more »

“You play those clubs? Sure hope you can putt lights out.”

Most golfers know playing with properly fitted clubs is a good idea. Whether there’s a need for a minor lie adjustment or the possibility of gaining 20 yards off the tee…it’s a good idea.   read more »

On the Lip for January 13, 2011

Rush to judgment The latest of the recreational golfers to expose themselves on the Golf Channel’s swing makeover show featuring Hank Haney is radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh, who is given to ego massaging even bombastic words not to mention behavior, makes a stark contrast with t   read more »

It's Time To Do Something For The Game Of Golf

Editors Note: Barney Adams is an icon in our game. He started Adams Golf and built it into one of the best equipment companies on the basis of his ideas of what golf clubs should do for players. His Tight Lies fairway club made the game more enjoyable for hundreds of thousands of recreational player   read more »

2010 Stories carryover to 2011

As 2011 approaches three golf stories from 2010 will have an impact in the New Year and beyond. First is the comeback of Tiger Woods. Fans, other Tour players and certainly golf businesses want the former world’s number one player, in words of the Golf Channel, “on the first page of the   read more »

58th PGA Merchandise Show

It’s still six weeks to the opening of the golf industry’s “rite of spring,” the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. scheduled for Jan. 27-29, 2011.   read more »

Nancy Lopez: Pride, Passion & Personality

The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in St. Augustine will celebrate one of the golf’s true legends with its latest special exhibition, “Nancy Lopez: Pride, Passion & Personality.” The exhibition will open this Friday and on display through 2011.   read more »

Acushnet on the block

Wally Uihlein, CEO of Acushnet Company, announced parent Fortune Brands (NYSE: FO) has decided to sell Acushnet or make it a tax-free spin off to present shareholders of Fortune Brands in response to pressure from its largest shareholder to increase shareholder value.   read more »

Lies, damn lies and statistics

Mark Twain, who didn’t have a very high opinion of golf wrote, "Figures often beguile me particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and stati   read more »

The 246 True Links

It could be expected if one put George Peper, for 25 years the editor-in-chief of GOLF Magazine, and Malcolm Campbell, previously editor of Golf Monthly, together to write a book about golf courses the result would be outstanding.   read more »

On the Lip for November 26

Woods anniversary A year and a few days after the infamous car wreck at the end of his home’s driveway in Orlando’s Isleworth CC development just about everything that possibly could be said or written about Tiger Woods has been written or said. The situation now has to be improved by hi   read more »

Golf and Happy Meals

Following on the heels of the news the great city of San Francisco has outlawed McDonalds’ Happy Meals the next item in my in-basket was information from the World Golf Foundation (WGF). It seemed to be an interesting juxtaposition of topics; dealing with overweight youngsters living by the Ba   read more »

Tour Edge competes very nicely, thank you

The golf equipment business is dominated by a few large companies so maybe a smaller firm such as Tour Edge Golf of Batavia, Illinois might be at a disadvantage. But, while Tour Edge is several times smaller than any of the “big four” it has a record of success and a well-earned reputati   read more »

On the lip - Nov.15

Acushnet Co., makers of the top rated and best selling Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and FootJoy shoes, could be part of a corporate shedding by parent Fortune Brands (NYSE:FO). Rumors have both Callaway Golf (NYSE:ELY) and Nike (NYSE:NKE) as potential purchasers of Acushnet, the world’s largest   read more »

On the Lip for Nov. 12

 Golf Digest Best New Courses in Abeyance The announcement Golf Digest decided to put off at least until next year the previously annual beauty contest naming the Best New Courses came as no surprise but it certainly is a commentary on the state of the golf. The stats are not pretty with just 4   read more »

FLASH: Tiger looses top spot

Well, it’s official. Tiger Woods is no longer leader in points, no longer ranked as the world’s number one golfer.   read more »

Golf’s good news

It’s the nature of the beast but golf journalists tend to focus on the negative things going on in our game and not the positive.   read more »

More new clubs for next year

The old adage, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,” certainly applies to the golf club business   read more »

Private golf courses in trouble

The closing of golf courses in the U.S. is almost a daily occurrence and private courses it’s no secret are having financial troubles as members drop out and prospective members are few and far between   read more »

Going to the Dawgs

Those in the category of golf traditionalists are apt to at least frown when some of the modern styles appear on the course. Caps worn backwards, cargo shorts and flip flops don’t cut it unless worn by a six-year old.   read more »

New Golf Products

I know it seems early but in the world of golf retail the buying cycle leads the golf season by several months. As a measure of how it has changed over the years, new club announcements used to be reserved for the PGA Merchandise Show held annually in January.   read more »

2010 – Good bye, good riddance

At last…the end of the 2010 season. Well not really the end, but close enough. The golf world is ready to get on with the new year – new season.   read more »

New Tour B330 ball from Bridgestone

Matt Kuchar had a great year on the PGA Tour and this week is in Wales as a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team.   read more »

Happy birthday Pro V1

In October 2000 the introduction of Acushnet Golf’s Titleist Pro V1 changed the golf ball business and immensely strengthened Acushnet’s dominant position in the marketplace.   read more »

Box-groove wedges set sales records

There’s a story making the rounds the sales of wedges with “square or box” grooves have been strong in anticipation of the imposition of the new rule from the United States Golf Association. In essence the rule, which is already being adhered to by all the professional tours, says   read more »

Ball testing, good or not so good

The USGA program has far reaching implications   read more »

The best course designer you’ve never heard of

If one thinks about the greatest golf course architects of the modern era the list would probably contain names such as Doak, Dye, Fazio, Hills, Jones and Jones II and plus perhaps players turned architect like Palmer, Nicklaus and Norman.   read more »

Retailing may be down but now is the time to gain market share

In a splash not usual for the golf equipment business, TaylorMade adidas Golf president Mark King was featured in a live web cast Thursday afternoon to announce the new Burner 2.0 irons.   read more »

Palmer at 9 over

He has arthritis, survived cancer, lost his wife of more than four decades to cancer but still is known as The King.   read more »

TMaG Burner SuperLaunch for seniors & ladies

In the “game improvement” club arena the mantra seems to be “easier to hit, more forgiving, easier to hit…”   read more »

End of one tragedy, start of another

Elin Woods and Tiger Woods are finally divorced roughly nine months after Tiger’s extramarital escapades with prostitutes and other women came to light. It’s the end of a life changing tragedy for the Woods family.   read more »

Golf’s biggest problem

The overwhelming problem facing the golf industry is finding new players while retaining those who already play and it’s no secret a solution has not been found.   read more »

Titleist ads with Villegas still on TV

Acushnet along with its former subsidiary Cobra Golf (sold in May to Puma AG) are seeking an injunction and monetary damages against both TaylorMade Golf and PGA Tour star Camillo Villegas for the August 3rd announcement by TMaG that Villegas had signed an endorsement contract for 2011.   read more »

Adding insult to injury

Camillo Villegas and his new equipment company sponsor TaylorMade Golf have been sued by Cobra Golf Inc., part of Puma AG. Cobra is the second company to seek an injunction and monetary compensation for the announcement last week by TMaG that in 2011 Villegas would be joining the list of PGA Tour pl   read more »

Unusual world of golf

Has anyone noticed? The past couple of weeks in the world of golf have been very unusual if not down right weird.   read more »

Dateline: Claremore, Okla. Headline: Callison shoots 56 - amazing

Stuart Appleby and Paul Goydos managed 59s at PGA Tour events and there was a 58 by Ryo Ishikawa on the Japanese Tour plus amateur Bobby Wyatt’s 57 in the Alabama State Boys Junior Championship; all in the past few weeks.   read more »

New from Ping, Adams and Golfsmith

Hit it longer Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: GOLF) is an aggressive marketer with 75 stores and an extensive Internet business has expanded their drive towards getting more players to be custom fit with the “15 More Yards Guarantee.” Basically, if you get fitted for a n   read more »

Curiouser and curiouser

The debate about the distance the best players in the world are hitting the golf ball seems for now to be on hold. In the entire world the number of professionals and elite amateurs who pound the ball past 300-yards is certainly less than 1,000 and but even that small a number have caused the USGA t   read more »

American Golf Census

Seems like a simple idea and in the Internet age and it’s surprising no one has done it before but now the National Golf Foundation is counting the number of golfers in the United States   read more »

Ryder Cup speculation can begin

Since the U.S. Open speculation has ramped up concerning Ryder Cup team rosters and of course the outcome of the matches at Celtic Manor in Wales beginning Oct. 1.   read more »

The fallout continues

A story on the web site “The Street” noted research concerning sales of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 video game as falling far short of last years sales one month after its introduction.   read more »

Creamer wins Open

Paula Creamer was absolutely masterful in her conquest of Oakmont in the U.S. Women’s Open. Someone who has not played this brute can fully appreciate how difficult it is, not to mention under USGA championship conditions.   read more »

Edwin Watts in Sears stores open

Back in April we reported what could be a significant deal between the fourth largest retailer in the U.S. Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) and Edwin Watts Golf Shops, LLC , the 70+ store chain based in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., to put an Edwin Watts Golf Shop in selected Sears stores. The first two shop   read more »

Thumbs up

There’s an old golf adage that says a good swing starts with a good grip. Even the best player of all time, Jack Nicklaus, thought that was true.   read more »

Grooves took the hit

An interview on Golf.com with Dick Rugge, Senior Technical Director of the United State Golf Association, revealed a couple of interesting facts   read more »

The wages of sin

The well-chronicled fall from grace of the world’s number one player has had a far reaching impact on Tiger Woods, his family and golf in general.   read more »

Queen of the hill

There’s new queen of the hill and as unbelievable as it may seem, it’s an American. Cristie Kerr with a win of epic margin securing her second career major leaps from fifth to first in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings.   read more »

Groove Effect

It was the opinion of many, this writer included, the United States Golf Association’s changing of the allowable dimensions of grooves on club’s with more than 25 degrees of loft (essentially 5-iron and up) was a bad idea.  Golf’s ruling body provided for a staged implementati   read more »

TMaG Burner SuperFast TP

TaylorMade Golf has the habit of putting a club on the market and then shortly after, if it proves successful, introducing a tour version (designated by the initials TP).   read more »

Cobra Baffler Rail Fairways

If you have been following the news Cobra Golf is no more, sold by Acushnet to PUMA AG who have formed a new entity.   read more »

Uncovering No.2

Bobby Jones described Pinehurst as, “the St. Andrews of United States golf,” and the best known venue in this small North Carolina village is Pinehurst Resort, home to Donald Ross’ famous Course No. 2.   read more »

adiPURE-fect

Adidas Golf’s slogan has always been intriguing. “We make equipment you play” can be taken not only as a fact but a mission statement too, kind of a cocky, pugnacious approach applied not to golf clubs or balls but to shoes, shirts and jackets.   read more »

Lessons of a lifetime

There are hundreds of golf instruction books, tapes and videos; some of doubtful value and a few, a very few really worth the purchase price.   read more »

The Ryder Cup without Tiger

Jack Nicklaus, the best player ever, golf icon, etc. was quoted this week with the comment Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin needs a “brain scan” should Tiger Woods not be one of the top eight in the points qualifying list for the US team and Pavin does not make him a captain’s choice.   read more »

Tiger out of sight…again

Its amazing how little media attention has been devoted recently on Tiger Woods and his problems. Oh, there’s been speculation about a purported impending divorce and how soon everybody’s latest hero Phil Mickelson can overtake Woods as the world’s number one ranked golfer.   read more »

Father’s Day ideas

June 20th is Father’s Day and as it often does this annual celebration of male parenting falls on a significant day in the golf calendar…the final Sunday of the U.S. Open.   read more »

Tiger’s role threatened

Is there any doubt Tiger Woods, by his behavior, has placed his family life in jeopardy? Of course he has but also his dishonest philandering has put in question his position at the top of the heap in the world of tournaments and golf business.   read more »

New era in golf retailing?

Any journalist receives press releases. Emails, faxes, telephone calls from people with an agenda, usually to get you to write something nice about their newest, latest and greatest whatever. That’s OK though; they have a job to do but frankly most of these epistles, whatever form they take, g   read more »

MacGregor is back but as Golfsmith house brand

A lot of golfers felt a twinge of sadness when the venerable club manufacturer MacGregor bit the dust after spending its’ last years traveling down a tortured path of mismanagement and misfortune.   read more »

Lefty wins & Tiger Not Out of the Woods

The headline could be, “Masters victor overcomes personal problems & wins.”   read more »

Augusta Chairman Tees Off on Tiger

Billy Payne, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, in his annual pre-Masters press conference voiced strong disapproval of Tiger Woods and his scandal-generating behavior.   read more »

Tiger’s back

The press conference Tiger Woods held yesterday is now being analyzed for facts, implications and nuances but the most important thing coming from the half hour he spent in front of the media was his obvious determination to move on.   read more »

“Thorpey” goes to jail

Jim Thorpe turned himself in yesterday and began his one-year prison sentence. The three time winner on the PGA Tour was convicted of not paying income tax on $5.2 million he earned in prize money and endorsements from 2002 through 2004.   read more »

More Tiger

As the world awaits Tiger Woods return to competitive golf at next week’s Masters the media won’t seem to let him alone, publishing and broadcasting all manner of stories.   read more »

Titleist Aces Callaway

The announcement yesterday that latest chapter in the long running feud between Acushnet Company and Callaway Golf over the latter’s claim Acushnet’s Titleist Pro V1 violates Callaway patents appears to be a win for Acushnet.   read more »

Abacus apparel: look great – play great

Loiter a while near the first tee of any course in America and you quite probably will come to the conclusion a lot of American golfers have no sense of style, are apathetic about what they wear or both. Men and, truth be told even some ladies, tee it up in unstylish, unflattering even ugly attire.   read more »

Tiger – first step?

It’s really a shame some in the media have focused on the reporters or perceptions of their manner while questioning Tiger Woods this past Sunday rather than the subject and topic of the so-called interviews.   read more »

Whan - a different kind of commish

Michael Whan, recently installed as LPGA commissioner with the premise of getting the ladies tour back to relevancy in the golf world, is most definitely a different kind of commissioner than the Tour has had for the past few years.   read more »

In news other than Tiger: Solheim takes Tour off hook

With Tiger Woods making his announcement that he will be competing in the Masters the entire world, not just the golf world, is atwitter. However there is another golf topic deserving of our attention.   read more »

Tiger in 3-D?

Amid all the speculation when Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour, the Master’s (April 8-11) is a prime candidate for the honor of being the event he decides is worthy of his presence, an interesting bit of news surfaced yesterday. The Master’s will be coming to you not only in livin   read more »

Lies, damned lies and statistics

Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, said, there were “lies, damned lies and statistics.”   read more »

A Cobra becomes a Puma

Endorsement contracts employing commentator David Feherty and well-known touring pros Camilo Vellegas. J.B. Holmes, Ian Poulter, and Jason Gore are part of the deal for Puma to purchase Cobra Golf from Acushnet Company, parent of Titleist and Foot-Joy.   read more »

Bushnell Pro 1600

Bushnell Pro 1600  Bushnell Outdoor Products has the top reputation in the laser range finder business and upped the competitive ante with the introduction of the new Pro 1600 last year. We put the Pro 1600 Tournament Edition up against two other laser range finders and it finished on top by a   read more »

Tiger Woods and the nattering nabobs

In the seemingly never ending saga of Tiger Woods, the past week essentially hasn’t been any different from the previous weeks once the bimbos stopped coming out of the woodwork to be counted on the “me too” list.   read more »

New Product: Srixon Z-Star Yellow

Here’s a trivia question – who was the first player to win on the PGA Tour using a golf ball that was not white? Answer: Wayne Levi won the 1982 Hawaiian Open with an optic orange ball.   read more »

A Nice Follow Through…The Life of a Club Professional

Today there are programs for young men and women who wish careers in golf however in even the recent past the pathway to being a golf professional was not always as clear and certainly today’s career seekers have better resources available.   read more »

The new Tiger Woods

OK, it has been a few hours since Tiger Woods did his thing in front of some friends, employees, PGA Tour execs and his mother. Plenty of time for us media types to make profound judgments filled with pithy terminology.   read more »

Tiger breaking silence or is he?

The announcement this afternoon Tiger Woods will meet with “a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates” with no questions allowed and a few media people in the room is not…repeat not…the way to start building back the image, trust and relationship with the pu   read more »

Tiger, Lefty out of Match Play

The WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship begins tomorrow without Tiger Woods, a three-time winner, who is still on the self-imposed hiatus from tournament golf and according to his last public statement, repairing his marriage.   read more »

New Product: Titleist NXT Tour

Sometimes called the “poor man’s Pro V1” the Titleist NXT Tour has been updated for 2010 along with a new Titleist NXT, which replaces the old NXT Extreme that had been out for two years.   read more »

WE ARE GOLF – image fixing

To golfers Florida is a wonderful place to live or visit or watch their favorite professionals tee it up and with more than 1,200 golf facilities the state has the largest golf economy in the country. It is instructive to look at the numbers of this $7.5 billion Florida golf economy as much for what   read more »

iPhone GPS: it’s a slippery slope

When golf’s governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, decided to allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) there was wide spread applause led by the makers of laser range finders and GPS receivers.   read more »

Take it easy - Eazy Bag

Like so many new products the Eazy Bag was the result of an idea of people not in the golf business, Lisa and Tim Dylina are just avid players who came up with a solution that solves a number of problems associated with every golf bag.   read more »

Tiger Woods returning: maybe

In spite of reports the missing Tiger Woods will return to PGA Tour competition at the Accenture Match Play Championship in two weeks, don’t count on it. The original news story appeared in an Australian newspaper yesterday and was subsequently picked up by other news outlets.   read more »

Absent Tiger Woods puts grooves center stage

At last week’s PGA Merchandise Show two topics dominated many conversations with the first being the Tiger Woods debacle. His fall from grace and his return to the PGA Tour was discussed endlessly with a significant minority raising the question of “if he will return” rather than &   read more »

PGA Merchandise Show

The 57th PGA Merchandise Show closed Saturday and the Monday morning QB sessions can now begin.   read more »

Tiger Woods: No slack

In this morning’s Global Golf Post, editor Brian Hewitt makes comments regarding Tiger Woods, his self-centered behavior and how in part sports fans were “enablers” for Woods.   read more »

PGA Merchandise Show Report: Williams $50,000 set

Williams Formula One is a big name in that sport and now the company, Williams Sports has jumped into golf in what might be called a big way with a $50,000 set of clubs. Yes, that’s not a misprint and presumably they are not anticipating selling a bunch of sets at the local muni.   read more »

PGA Merchandise Show: golf event of the year?

Many, if not most golfers, seldom think about the fact the game they play is also a business. With something in the neighborhood of 25 million people in the U.S. who play at least occasionally (nobody knows the actual number) and with some $25 to $30 billion spent on golf annually, it ranks among th   read more »

New Products: Nike VR drivers, fairways and hybrids

Nike Golf has enjoyed some success in the past year with the Victory Red (VR) irons so for the 2010 season they are extending the line to include two drivers, a fairway wood model and a hybrid club.   read more »

Jack’s 70

Jack Nicklaus, nicknamed “Ohio Fats” when he turned pro in 1960 and challenged the reigning king of golf Arnold Palmer, is 70 years old today. He won’t officially celebrate until tomorrow though as he’s on Christmas Island on a fishing trip and to save you looking it up, Chri   read more »

The player non-revolt

Shush! Quiet! Do you hear it? Aw, it’s gone…the predicted uproar from PGA Tour players now they no longer are allowed to play with square or box grooves.   read more »

New product: Callaway Diablo Edge & Diablo Forged irons

Callaway Golf likes to talk about their number one position in the iron’s segment of golf equipment business with pride and well they should. The company has had many more winners in its iron lines than non-winners and for 2010 is introducing the Diablo Edge game improvement model and the Diab   read more »

Swami 1500 Golf GPS

Golf and the technology of global positioning or GPS have had a beneficial marriage for awhile and as in most marriages the relationship changes over time. The service giving yardages to the green, hazards and even exact hole locations has become much less expensive and is therefore gaining in popul   read more »

Caddyshack in college

Sometimes things pop up which don’t require a lot of analysis and this release from Florida’s Lynn University is one of them. See the text below: Danny Noonan and the gang from Bushwood Country Club form the central theme of a new Lynn University course, “Caddyshack 101: Lessons fr   read more »

Sony Open: History of firsts

The Sony Open in Hawaii, this weeks’ stop on the PGA Tour, has a lot of history going all the way back to 1971 when it began as the Hawaiian Open, an unabashed advertisement of Hawaii’s charms to winter bound mainlanders. From 1990 through 1998 with a new sponsor and name it was played a   read more »

Prediction 2010: Tiger’s probably out of the woods

Even though it’s not exactly the new year there’s no rule predictions can’t still be made. Therefore when a flash of insight hit while reading Jack Nicklaus’ remarks regarding Tiger Woods’ advance on the Golden Bear’s all time record of 18 major championships it w   read more »

SeeMore mSeries DB4

SeeMore putters received a lot of press coverage back in 1999 when Payne Stewart used one on his way to winning the U.S. Open at Pinehurst where in the final round, head to head with Phil Mickelson, he seemed to make everything. In spite of that publicity the company could not make a go of it so in   read more »

Adams Golf Speedline FAST 10

Adams Golf is getting a small jump on the rest of the golf equipment makers by announcing their newest line of drivers and fairways prior to the PGA Merchandise Show which kicks off Jan. 28th in Orlando, Fla. Actually this isn’t a big deal since the next 30 days will see all the companies beat   read more »

Tiger Woods - Who Cares

Vanity Fair magazine has a photo of Tiger Woods on its’ February issue cover. Some have described it as showing an “edgier Tiger,” whatever that means. Others have put it in the same category as the Golf Digest cover last month “10 Tips Can Take From Tiger,&rdq   read more »

Tour Opens 2010 Without Mickelson or Woods

Since SBS International signed up last May to replace Mercedes-Benz as title sponsor of the season opener for the PGA Tour as lot has changed, not the least being the consequences of Tiger Woods scandal on the Tour and golf in general. But life and the Tour go on and the renamed SBS Championship sta   read more »

A Life Lesson for Tiger

The young man, just 19, had been without question a golf prodigy. For several years he had been competing against national caliber players even taking home championship trophies and everyone talked about how he would win more than one of golf’s majors. However until now that lofty goal had elu   read more »

Tiger Woods Birthday

So today is Tiger Woods 34th birthday and boy a lot has changed for him, his family, golf in general and the PGA Tour. No need to recite all of his admitted “transgressions” again, however in all the media blather and posturing little attention has been paid to the effect of Tiger&r   read more »

New Product: Tour Edge Exotics XCG-3 irons

The big news about the new Tour Edge Exotics XCG-3 irons is not the technology but that the company again is providing golfers with clubs of the best quality and latest technology at the price of lesser brands…i.e. well below the “name brand” irons.   read more »

A Hall of Memories

A few days before the Induction Ceremony for the 2009 class into the World Golf Hall of Fame Jack Peter, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive, took the time to sit down for an interview covering a wide range of topics.     read more »

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