The Gentlemen's Game

J.P. Hayes turned himself in for using an incorrect golf ball during Q-school. He played a non-conforming, "prototype" golf ball on one hole and disqualified HIMSELF for the infraction. He could have been mum and nobody ever would have known. The fact that he did this, to himself, again shows the nature of this game.

Policing ones self is the order of the day in this game. There have been moments where I have taken liberties, above the rules, and those moments are permanently burned to my memory as some of my weaker decisions. I wasn't playing for my livelihood, though. This guy was playing to get back on tour full-time and was man enough to do what he did.

The understanding of what he did is a little tough for most of us "weekend warriors" though. He violated what is called the "one ball rule." The PGA Tour, as well as USGA events and most collegiate events, institute a rule that holds the player to one golf ball through play. This means that if you tee off on the first hole with a Nike One Platinum golf ball, you finish the last round of the tournament with that same golf ball.

This doesn't mean that you can't lose a ball. It just means that if you take a ball out of play, or lose a ball, the replacement ball that you put in play must be the same make and model of golf ball. The number on the ball can be different, but the ball itself must be the same. This prevents players from teeing off with a distance style golf ball on longer holes and switching to a soft ball for par 3 holes.

The violation was very unintentional. It turns out that his caddy flipped him the ball and he teed it not even realizing that it was different. His knowledge of the rules and his conscience, as a man, would not let him play it off without penalty. Hopefully he is rewarded with sponsor's exemptions this year.

Witnessing GOLF History

It comes along once or twice in a lifetime. We are in such a moment, this weekend, for the last time. We get to see Annika Sorenstam finish her last professional tournament round on the LPGA tour. This is history. To have been lucky enough to see the best women's golfer ever and the, soon to be, best male golfer ever, at the same time, has been a real treat.

I will spare you the list of achievements, if you want to see them you can find them. Rest assured, she has set the bar at a very high level. Not just for women, but for golfers. From her major championships to shooting 59 in a tournament round, she has been the benchmark for her sport for as long as I can remember.

Now she holes out for the last time. She gets her last moment in the sun before she passes the torch to the Paula's, Morgan's, Michelle's, Britnay's and In-Bee's of the world. Perhaps they can carry on and challenge the legacy that she has forged. Perhaps we have just seen the only one that could carry that torch. Maybe WE were the lucky ones for this time to get to see this.

This weekend, flip the channel over and watch the greatest golfer of her era play that final round. Watch the emotion on the faces of the crowd and the competitors. If you play this game and love it like I do, you will know how important this weekend is. You have been witness to the greatest to ever play the game. You will watch as Tiger breaks every record in the book soon. But you can watch one last time as Annika finishes a career that may never be matched.

We have been lucky.

Breaking news in the golf world

If you haven't heard, Titleist has been embroiled in a controversy that pretty much shook the golf ball world. Titleist is known for shaking up the golf ball world, but this is the first time it has nothing to do with a new golf ball launch.

In years past, golfers have waited, somewhat impatiently, for the newest arrival from the golf ball giant. I can remember when the Titleist Professional was launched. It was the first time that a solid core ball was going to have a soft, balata-like cover. I was so anxious and when it came out, it was everything I hoped it would be.

How many of us can remember the Pro V1 being released? I got an "advance proto" sleeve of the ball in a white, unmarked sleeve. It felt like I was being handed the key to a fantasy city somewhere...or a sleeve full of crack. It turned out to be neither, but that ball has gone on to be the top seller for years now.

And now we hear that, arguably, the two largest golf manufacturers have been going at it...in court.

Callaway golf, makers of the Tour iX golf ball, have been battling Titleist over patent infringement as it relates to the Pro V1 golf ball. Patent infringement conjures up thoughts of legal litigation, mud-slinging, and possible injunctions, stopping products from reaching us, the end consumer.

In a statement released by Titliest, they dispel these rumors;

Fairhaven, MA (November 10, 2008) -- Acushnet Company, the golf business of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), announced that it will file an appeal of today’s ruling in a U.S. District Court in Delaware granting Callaway Golf’s request for an injunction in the long-running dispute with respect to four Callaway patents and Acushnet’s Titleist Pro V1 golf balls. The company also announced that it does not expect the ruling to have a material adverse impact on its results.

“We strongly disagree with the judge’s ruling and will file an appeal and seek relief from the injunction,” said Joe Nauman, executive vice president, corporate and legal of Acushnet. “However, it’s important to recognize that this ruling will not have any impact on our ability to supply our customers with Pro V1 golf balls because of the following actions which we have undertaken. In September 2008, we converted production of the existing Pro V1 models so that they are outside of the patents in question; and we have also developed and will be introducing new and improved Titleist Pro V1 products in the first quarter of 2009 that are also outside the scope of the patents in question.

“Our Pro V1 golf balls are the product of technology developed and accumulated by the Acushnet Company over the past 20 years,” Nauman continued. “Acushnet is the industry leader in developing golf ball technology and has over 650 active golf ball patents – more than any other manufacturer. Over 65 of these patents are related to the Pro V1 family.

“We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously and we fully expect to prevail in having all claims of all four patents at issue determined to be invalid in the appeal process,” Nauman added. “Our confidence is underpinned by the fact that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued final office actions which have determined these patents to be invalid.”

I, for one, am excited to know that we will still be able to choose the golf ball that suits our game, no matter what company produces that ball. I also am excited to know that, if I choose the Pro V1, the performance is not going to differ from what I have been playing this year.

Hit em well out there and have fun!

Golf's offseason

I am a massive football fan. So much so, that if you look closely at the photo on the left, you will see a Seattle Seahawk head cover on my driver. That is my devotion to the team I follow, and a carefully crafted plan to make sure that my clubs stay in my bag.

*Side note*

Did you know that if you use the company head cover that you got with your golf club, you are not just advertising for that company, but are pretty much waving a sign over your driver or fairway wood exclaiming "STEAL ME!!!" If you are not into generic head covers yet, it is only a matter of time before you find your prized possession missing from your bag.

I digress. I hate the off season for football. It feels like forever between the Super Bowl and the first day of training camp. That length of time can drive me insane sometimes. But it is that length of time that might just make me a rabid fan. If there were 3 games a week and the off season was 2 months or shorter, would I still be as big of a fan? Would the "urgency" of every game still be palpable? I don't know.

Take this to the world of golf. I think the off season for golf is way too short. First off, it pretty much trivializes the first and last 5 or so tournaments of every year. If the PGA tour were to give these guys 4 months off, it would condense the season to the point that, I have to think, we would be so much more excited about these "low ratings" periods.

The other thing it would do is force the top tier players to play more often. With less tournaments on the schedule, we would see them play more often to achieve season-long goals like the money title or Ryder Cup points. I can't imagine how cool it would be to see Tiger, Phil, Jim, Vijay, Paddy, Sergio, and other big names tee it up against each other more and more.

An off season for golf? Is that such a bad idea?

Golf Shoes are important

My Dad never wears golf shoes. This guy will tighten up his ratty old tennis shoes and hit the links at any time. I know what you are saying, "You work in the golf business, cant you buy your dear 'ol Dad some golf shoes?" Trust me, he has been well taken care of in that department. Yet he still wears his tennis shoes. He plays fairly well too, which begs the question...do golf shoes really matter?

Truth is, I think so. I wear golf shoes. Just about every time I play I wear golf shoes. I even change my shoes to practice. I wear Adidas Tour 360 shoes most of the time because they are the most comfortable shoes I own but I also own a few other pairs. I make my decision on what to wear based on the conditions of the golf course as well as the outfit I choose to wear when I play.

Yeah, I am one of those guys, I match my shoes to my slacks or shorts. I wear white socks with black slacks though so I am not labeled as a "matcher." If I wear slacks that are black or if it is a sloppy day, I wear Nike Revive shoes. They look good with slacks and they are waterproof. Being black they do not show wear as much as a white pair of shoes. They are fairly comfortable and so they work just fine.

I also own a pair of white Nike Air Zoom Elite shoes that I like. They look great with shorts and, again, are fairly comfortable. I do not like to wear these shoes when the weather is bad because the white shows dirt so badly. I also wear these during most practice sessions. The reason I like these for practice is that I like to practice in shoes that are a bit tighter to wear them in. These are the tightest of the shoes I own so I break them in practicing.

But the question was not what I wear, it was "does it matter?"

Again, I say yes. Maybe it is the placebo effect and I just "think" it matters, but I don't fully believe that. I know that I do not slip as much in golf shoes during a swing as I do in my tennis shoes. I also know that the soft spikes provides better traction than my tennis shoes when I am walking the golf courses hills and valleys.

Golf shoe companies have told us that they have tested golf shoes and that they provide more "torsional stability" which is supposed to provide better stability through the golf swing. Golf shoes have been sold to us as a way to increase power over that which our natural ability can provide.

I'm not going to say that is accurate, and I am not going to dispute it. I am simply going to say that if it is true, I am taking advantage of that technology and my Dad is not. If he ever started, I would probably be in trouble ha ha. I prefer to say that I have not done enough research to support anything like that, but they sure look good with my slacks and shorts.

Shoes might just be a fashion statement as it relates to this sport, but every sport has their particular shoe...why shouldn't we?

Golfer's apology

This might be a tough one for me to write. I am going to be opening up a part of me that I am not real proud of and probably exposing a weakness that I am not too happy with. At the same time, I am probably going to open some wounds for a select few that have had the "pleasure" of witnessing some of the moments I am going to talk about here. Read on with a forgiving heart.

I can't remember when it first happened. I am sure someone can, but I don't even care when or how. It happened. I became competitive. Not competitive in the sense that I liked to compete, but in the sense that I demanded perfection from a game that does not offer it. At this point, hitting the fairway was no longer good enough. Hitting greens was no longer good enough. Holing putts, as silly as this will sound, was no longer good enough. They have to hit the fairway with the right shape and trajectory and they had to go in the center of the hole....anything else was just not good enough.

It was at this point that I discovered frustration and anger. I figured that if I tried harder, perfection was attainable. I figured that if I cared more than the next guy, perfection was attainable. I became a monster. All I cared about on the golf course was making the ball feel perfect off the club face and fly perfect in the air. The problem was, perfection IS unattainable. No amount of caring will overcome that. No amount of practice will nullify the fact that golf is a game that can never be mastered.

Tiger is great, that is without dispute. But Tiger hits "bad" shots. Tiger hits it out in the trees sometimes. Tiger will NEVER shoot an 18. That is perfection isn't it? We can fight and try and practice and cry all we want and 18 will always be the perfection that eludes us. I didn't have that figured out...yet.

So I melted down, often. I beat myself up for shots that I would kill for now. I destroyed my confidence for scores that were competitive and would play in many tournaments. More importantly, I discovered a temper that led to broken clubs, broken friendships, and an embarrassing side of me that has no defense.

So this apology goes to guys like Brad Faller. Brad watched me throw my Ram FX #2 iron down a roadway one day after a shot out of bounds. This goes to Steve Appleton who watched me destroy a cart path curb with a brand new Scotty Cameron TI3 putter. (that putter was resilient let me tell you) This goes out to guys like Corey Brown and Darren Black who tried to wake me up to my shortcomings only to be told "If you don't like it, BUY A HELMET." This goes out to all my teammates over the years. I am sure that a calmer demeanor would have led to lower scores and I know that I cost us some real opportunities. This goes out to the countless playing partners that have had the misfortune of watching this display of garbage.

Most of all, this goes out to my Dad.

Very few moments in my life resonate as much as the silence of my Father on a drive home from the golf course after one my tirades. I remember one more than others where I threw my putter on the 18th hole of a tournament we were playing together. I imagine him having to apologize for me and the feeling he must have felt having to "endorse" my crap behavior, by default.

I would like to say that one incident snapped me out of it and I corrected my ways immediately after...but I can't say that. What I can say is that I have learned, through experience and age, that not only does that kind of behavior hurt my golf game, it hurts the way people look at me. I am "that guy" that might not get a call when the 4-some is one short. I'm "that guy" that you are afraid to approach on hole #3 because a par on #2 somehow was not good enough.

I am what I have allowed myself to be. I am what I have created, needlessly. I am "that guy"

But I can say that I have corrected that. I am making strides to be a better ambassador of this game and a better representative of myself. So I can safely say, to all I have hurt as well as to this game...

I am sorry.

Golf clubs I'm checking out right now

The season has turned here in Seattle. I am bundling up to play, but I am soldiering on. I am eying some new stuff in the golf world for my own bag. I know what you are saying, "But you like your stuff you play right now. Don't you?" Well yeah, but I am a golfer...always on the prowl for the next great thing.

Here is what I am thinking;

I have my eye on the Cobra L5V driver. In fact, if my Mother and Father are reading this at present, Christmas is coming, AND SOON! This sucker is intense. It has a composite crown (which I have stayed away from due to the optical presentation of most composites) and a titanium face and sole. The back weight port is fitted with an adjustable weight screw for changing swing weight on demand. I will probably never actually change anything, but I'm easily distracted by bells, whistles, and shiny objects.

The coolest thing this driver offers is an adjustable face angle. You can take and screw the head off the shaft and flip the shaft. This will change the face angle from square to closed. This will afford me an option of going with a draw bias driver or a neutral setting in the same golf club. I think this is genius. Having seen it in person, the neutral setting gives the driver a square look at address that is gorgeous.

I am also digging on the new Titleist Vokey Wedges. I like that they are going to 3 different finishes for variety and are now offering the spin milling in more lofts. Last year they didn't do the 52* or lower lofts, but this year...48* through 64* (every even numbered loft) ALL spin milled. Someone at Titleist was listening.

On the subject of wedges, That new Nike Victory Red Forged wedge is so good looking. I have yet to hit one so I cant comment on how it plays, but if it plays half as well as it looks, that will be in my bag SOON! The classic lines are gorgeous and very traditional.

The new Adams Insight Tech A4 driver is right up my alley too. This is everything that a guy married to traditional looks could want from a driver. It is set up open to give it that classic look, jet black, pear shaped, a real gem. This is what I would envision my old Titliest 975 J looking like if you stuck a straw in the back of it and blew it up to 460 cc. GORGEOUS!

Looks like I have my Christmas list all set up. I'll make sure to drop hints all over to those that need them but I always reserve the right to want new stuff come next year ha ha.

Play well and have a great Christmas holiday.