Over the Green

Well, Tiger must have been worried what I was going to say in my contemplated column.

In fact my whole point would have been that to play at the top on one’s game, one has to play the game…and Tiger was taking too much time off as proven in his performance at the three majors this year. But now it’s all academic with his teeing it up in the Buick this week and presumably playing in the Bridgestone next week followed by the year’s last major, the PGA.

My experience and that of lots of other competitors is there is no substitute for being in the heat of battle to make you elevate your game. Tiger may be the best, even the best of all time, but he can’t perform at the top of his game if he isn’t playing. We all know he plays to win not just have a good finish.

As an aside I remember years ago, Lanny Wadkins commented about a pro with a series of great play over several weeks. I don’t recall the results exactly but let’s say a win and four or so top tens in a row. The word came out this pro was going to go home and relax. Wadkins opined that taking time off was stupid. Runs like this fellow was on occur infrequently so he should stay in there and take advantage of the situation.

Watson and the Ryder Cup

Here’s an interesting thought.

Tom Watson playing on the 2010 Ryder Cup team.

His second at the British Open puts him number four in the points standings, ahead of Kenny Perry , Chad Campbell, Ricky Barnes, David Duval, Hunter Mahan and oh yes, Tiger Woods.

Never happen, right? And there’s a long way to go until September 2010 but Watson does have an outstanding Ryder Cup record and if he finishes well in a couple more regular Tour events plus the next Master’s (which most likely he will play) and maybe the British Open, it could happen.

And he won’t be a captain’s pick. Next comes the speculation on David Duval’s chances.

Easy to Say – Hard to Do

The mantra of many looking to solve golf’s ills is, “Grow the Game.”

A wonderful sentiment no doubt but like a lot of things in life, easy to say – hard to do.

As anyone in the business can tell you, the whole idea is fraught with problems at the day-to-day level. No organization however is doing more day-to-day than the PGA of America, the association of golf’s club and teaching professionals, as well they should since their livelihood is intertwined with the overall success of golf attracting new golfers.

The PGA uses as the centerpiece of their “Grow the Game” effort, Play Golf America (note the cleverly mimicking initials) which includes several innovative programs – “Take Your Daughter to the Course Week,” “Family Golf Month” and the far and away most popular, “PGA Free Lesson Month” to name a few.

Of course junior golfers are a big part of the Play Golf America idea and to help them and their families find local area facilities offering discounted rates the PGA recently launched a special search engine on the PlayGolfAmerica.com web site.

Give it a try…more courses are signing on all of the time. It’s nice to see another constructive idea being made into a reality.

Another Major Down the Drain

To place a little perspective on the wailing and gnashing of teeth heard all the way on this side of the Atlantic after today’s Open results, those sounds were coming from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews plus the networks (BBC over there and ABC here) that paid big bucks for the privilege of charging sponsors even bigger bucks and now he’s gone and done it. Missed the cut.

“He” is Tiger Woods of course and one of a very short list (Lefty is the only other in my book) who genuinely “move the needle.” Just look at the ratings of any event in which Tiger is entered versus any event in which he is not.

Aside from the fact I think his problem is not playing enough (which will be the topic of another column), golf will survive but I wouldn’t bet against my Florida neighbor at the PGA Championship in August. I imagine he’s some mad and feels he has something to prove after being beaten rather handily by Angel Cabrera at the Master’s and Lucas Glover at the U.S. Open.

Forgot his other wins since coming back last spring, just as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger does not measure himself by his performance in regular Tour events but by the majors. Having been in rehab for two of the last four and not winning the other two, missing the cut at the fifth must really rankle him.

Incidentally, not that anyone asked, Woods has missed only five cuts since becoming a professional, the most recent also being in a major, the 2006 U.S. Open.

Lost in all the reporting of the “Daytona Beach palace coup” pulled off during the past few days culminating with the ouster of Carolyn Bivens as LPGA Commissioner, is the some very good news.

No, not the appointment of Rear Admiral (Retired) Marsha Evans into the slot as an interim, though you can be sure she is more than competent. There’s no way anyone gets to be an admiral without having the requisite skills to handle almost any situation. I’m referring to a paragraph buried at the end of most stories and no even mentioned in some…Annika Sorenstam has been appointed as an Advisor to the LPGA Board of Directors.

I can only imagine a Board meeting conversation, “What are we going to do about the fact our tournament sponsors hate us?”

“I dunno. We need to get somebody in here to talk to them …Smooze ‘em.”

“Um, let’s see. Natalie – nope, she’s too young. Nancy Lopez would be great but she’s been gone too many years.”

“How about Annika? She’s just retired at the end of last year and isn’t doing anything except running her business, designing courses and having a baby. Sponsors know her and love her, she’s perfect.”

The LPGA Board should be congratulated for bringing Annika back to close involvement with the tour. She should do a great job rebuilding management’s tattered image with sponsors.

Bivens Says Bye-Bye

As inevitable as death and taxes, the term of LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens came to a contentious end after a “no-confidence vote,” or at least what passed for one from some fifteen of the leading players. Aside from the obvious such as decisions by the former commissioner Bivens which seemed tailor-made to anger one or more constituent groups she did bring a hard, let’s get this done attitude to the tour administration.

But from the first I had opined she was doomed, not because of her gaffs (her first major one being the precipitous charging of tournament photo rights) but because it was clear when she started four years ago the future would be decided by star power…something over which Bivens had no control.

Everyone would acknowledge the LPGA needs its own Tiger Woods to, as the expression goes, “move the needle” but the only possibilities among players who might be able to fill that role in ‘06 were an immature Michelle Wie and the sexy Natalie Gulbis. Sorry, but I don’t make up the rules, that’s just the way it is.

Wie spent her time seemly trying to squander her potential, only this year finally consenting to get her tour card, and Gulbis, as pleasant she is to look at, has only won once thus limiting her marketability for the tour.

This was unfortunate for Bivens plans and management style which needed that star power to wield with television, sponsors and the media especially in light of the economy’s present problems.

Adams Golf checks in on an idea that’s been around for a few years with Idea a7 hybrids and hybrid irons designed to be a full set of clubs. Targeted at mid-handicap players included are two hybrids (#3 & #4) and six irons (#5-P). The 5-iron is considered a “transition iron” between the hybrids and other irons and features a patented hollow-back design and a 13 percent thinner face, according to Adams.

“By advancing the theories in club design through individual engineering and integration of each club into the next, we are proud to be offering what we believe to be the future of irons sets and a better alternative to anything currently on the market,” said Chip Brewer, President and CEO of Adams Golf.

Eight club sets will be available in August carrying MSRP of $699.99 for graphite and $599.99 for steel. Individual Idea a7 hybrids may be purchased at $199.99.

I’m the first to admit the “whiz-bang” of technology, especially as it applies to golf, fascinates me. Laser range finders, GPS yardage devices, club head CAD, 4-piece multi-layer balls, etc., each has an attraction and as long we’re on the topic, the new Bushnell Golf FXi is technology neatly applied. More…

As usual Frank Thomas, equipment guru and golf iconoclast, has done a super job of summarizing and analyzing and criticizing the PGA Tour Commissioner and more correctly the USGA.

Here’s Frank’s response which I recieved about an hour after I wrote the previous entry.
http://www.franklygolf.com/QA_weekly.html

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem by announcing yesterday the Tour would adopt next January the latest USGA specifications regarding the design of short iron grooves made two things very clear.

He seems to be OK with the Tour having a different set of rules than the rest of us golfers since we don’t have to obey the USGA for several years yet.

Secondly he evidentially thinks scoring at his tournaments is too low and less effective grooves will cause scores to rise or put another way, the game is too easy.

It is fantastic to me Finchem would fall in line with the USGA to take any technical/design club making advances out of the hands of golfers. In addition didn’t anyone listen to the club manufacturers chorus saying this wasn’t a good idea in the first place?

I must be out of step…the game is not getting too easy.