Over the Green

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.

A U.S. District Court in a jury trial said early versions of the best selling Pro V1 ball did not infringe on Spalding Golf patents which be came property of Callaway when they purchased the former number two ball manufacturer. The four patents in question were invalid according to the decision, which had been Acushnet’s position since this fight started. MORE…

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.

However these unstylish and unflattering problems can be fixed and joining the “look great – play great” movement is only a matter of paying attention to what’s current. To make that conversion from mundane to modern easier a company popular in Europe has introduced to America their line of stylish and what some might say cutting edge apparel. MORE…

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. Tom Rinaldi of ESPN and Kelly Tilghman from the Golf Channel are both pros at their business and both were operating in a time frame that scared rival network CBS off the assignment.

The point is, Woods wants/needs to control every aspect of his life and that is not going to change. He, or at least Team Tiger, demonstrated it hasn’t changed and the reaction from many to the performance Sunday was while undoubtedly sincerely motivated, it was yet another example of the arrogance in dealing with the media and by extension the public for which Woods’ has been rightly criticized.

It is curious PR maven Ari Fleischer exited as a Team Tiger member saying the story was not about him but Woods or maybe there was another motivation after he found out the control-at-all-costs atmosphere easily seen as arrogance in the eyes of outsiders. Fleischer has experience in national politics where that approach is as common as rep stripe ties.

Woods took the wrap for his numerous long term dalliances saying no one in Team Tiger was to blame or helped him, a forthright honorable statement at least in part shielding his employees. However that’s not the same things as saying there were not employees or the ever present security people who made assignation arrangements with hotels, airplanes or the women themselves. In other words “enablers” that must have had some inklings of the goings on and still said or did nothing.

The truth will probably never be known but those enabling Woods were misguided and probably outright wrong.

One part of this ongoing story which will receive more investigation is why Woods underwent treatment for his knee with a doctor from Canada, Anthony Galea who is being investigated for giving out performance enhancing drugs. Does getting treated by someone who could be an international criminal mean Woods’ couldn’t find a suitable knee physician in his hometown Orlando or indeed in the entire U.S.? At minimum it certainly brings up the old ‘smoke and fire’ thing.

But back to hard facts…what the public has to assuage its shock and hurt plus mitigate the revulsion voiced by many are two unsatisfying five minute interviews. However, let’s assume this is only the first step the world’s number one golfer and athletic celebrity will take while crawling out of the black pit he dug for himself.

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.

Last week Whan took a stint as a looper on the Duramed Futures Tour, a developmental tour owned by the LPGA. They began the 2010 campaign in Winter Haven, Fla. with the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic with Whan looping.

Yes, looping and for those of you who don’t know what that word from golf’s bygone days is, it means caddying…carrying a players clubs around the loop as golf courses were sometimes known.

Whan carried for third year pro Lili Alvarez in the first round last Friday to get an idea of exactly what the Futures Tour is and an insider’s view of the players, courses, etc. Amazing, it’s like Tim Finchem showing up in Broussard, La. at next week’s Nationwide Chitimacha Open to tote 18 for Tag Ridings.

It does say a lot about Whan’s attitude, commitment and desire. There is no way of knowing if he will be successful as commissioner and able to resurrect the LPGA from a series of mind numbing mistakes complicated by tough economic times however he’s showing he is not afraid of the job or any part of it.

So the world’s number one golfer is returning to the Masters, to the competitive world after his hiatus and some are celebrating. CBS Sports is at the top of the list. Their longstanding contract to televise the year’s first major tournament will produce enormous ratings. Good for them.

Without considering the charities that stand to see bigger checks from the PGA Tour stops in which he plays there are some other entities breathing a sigh of relief as well.

First of all has to be the PGA Tour. For some time now it has been the “Tiger Tour” and looking at attendance and TV viewership since the self-imposed exile began Commissioner Finchem must be feeling happy. That is of course assuming Woods plays something approaching a full schedule for the rest of the year. By the way he is eligible at the end of 2010 for life time Tour membership having passed the 20 wins criteria a long time ago (his total is now 71) and this year will meet the longevity mark.

Next have to be companies that didn’t fire him when his scandal broke but maintained a relationship, keeping him as an endorser of their products. Nike comes to mind, Woods is the main reason they have gone from nowhere in the golf equipment business ten years ago to being one of the big four along with Acushnet, Callaway and TaylorMade. From Nike’s standpoint not only does he sell clubs and balls for them but probably more importantly soft goods and shoes which is their core business.

Then there is video game maker EA Sports who have been hard at work on their latest update of Tiger Woods Golf entitled Tiger Woods PGA Tour due out this summer.

These companies and a couple of other smaller corporations stayed with Woods through his trying times and could stand to reap the rewards from a comeback if the public does indeed forgive and forget. These companies made a bet on his return and it looks like they may get the payoff they hoped for.

It’s too bad though by not firing Woods, say even after the sixth or eighth bimbo surfaced, they appear to condone or at least accept his behavior which can be tough on their image with that portion of the public who were truly hurt by Woods behavior and can’t forgive or forget.

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.

The announcement John Solheim of Ping Golf will allow the PGA Tour to ban the use of Ping Eye2 wedges manufactured prior to a law suit against the PGA Tour and USGA 20 years ago is not “a magnanimous act” as some commentators are portraying the decision.

It’s a good business decision on the part of Solheim to stop the use of the clubs with very aggressive, i.e. square, grooves which violate the latest regulations from the USGA, even though use of the clubs was grandfathered as part of the original grooves suit settlement in 1990.

Ping and Solheim look like good guys interested in advancing the game and making a level playing field for all players on the Tour. This waiver from Ping applies to the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour and significantly the U.S. Open but not other USGA events so as of now nonconforming Eye2 wedge could be seen at, for example, the U.S. Amateur.

Just as the Tiger Woods debacle, this thing isn’t dead, not by a long shot.

Solheim’s action again points out how misguided the USGA is and how they have mishandled the situation for the past ten years or more.

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 living color but in three dimensions.

CBS which broadcasts the event, the first of golf’s annual four majors, on Saturday and Sunday with partner ESPN doing the job on Thursday and Friday are capitalizing on the buzz surrounding “Avatar” and using Comcast to help move the signal to televisions capable of receiving 3-D. Two hours of the telecast each of the four days is anticipated to be in 3-D.

How better to exploit the return of Woods from self-imposed exile than with a technology which only about 3% of the households can take advantage of, those being the ones with 3-D televisions?

Certainly this isn’t a big deal, more in the category of interesting coincidence.

Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, said, there were “lies, damned lies and statistics.” Perhaps Clemens knew he did not have a mind for figures but he certainly was referring to the fact any argument could be supported with numbers depending on which side of the debate was quoting them.

This is germane because for years I have been suspicious if not outright disbelieving of golf statistics. Everything from “our driver/ball is the longest” to “greens in regulation” can be and has been called into question. After all just applying simple logic, if every driver or ball is the longest then none are or GIR saying a ball an inch from the putting surface is a missed green, calls into doubt every comparison or conclusion drawn from such data.

As far as the PGA Tour statistics are concerned the average number of putts per hole is really suspect. According to John Paul Newport in the Wall Street Journal last Friday this stat category can be won by someone who hits a lot of greens fairly close to the pin just as Steve Stricker did in 2009 and therefore is also measuring his iron accuracy. What is usually not mentioned is the putts per round average is calculated on holes a player reaches in regulation with regulation being defined as on the green in two stokes or less of the hole’s par.

Though unlike baseball, professional golf is not blanketed by a blizzard of numbers, television commentators do have to have something to fill in the silence (I swear Jim Nance said, “He’s the first player of Croatian-American descent to lead a rain-delayed Tour event in California without having a win in the last 13 majors,’ but it’s probably something I imagined). Thanks to ShotLink and the desire to further quantify performance more numbers and stats are coming.

Newport’s article reported on the latest putting statistic being studied, one which actually could prove to be both interesting and valid. This new metric (presumably meaning measurement, standard or both) is “putts gained per round” comparing where a putt finishes with a standard derived by an analysis of putts of the same length under similar conditions.

Quoting Newport’s story, “If a player holes a 15-footer whose value is 1.82, he gains .82 strokes on the field. If he needs two putts, he loses .18 strokes on the field. At the end of the round, the model adds up all the pluses and minuses to produce the net putts-gained statistic.”

Applying putts gained to last year when Sticker was number one in putting average, shows Luke Donald to having gained the most with an average of 0.905 strokes per round. Throwing in a bit of reality though, Stricker finished second on the money list with three times the winnings of Donald in at number 30.

So much for statistics.

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. The endorsement contracts were included in the sale which is expected to be completed this spring. Price of the deal was not disclosed.

“With the sale of Cobra, we have the opportunity to devote all of our resources to the global growth of our industry-leading Titleist and FootJoy brands,” said Wally Uihlein, Chairman and CEO of Acushnet Company. “At the same time, Cobra is a strong brand with a heritage of innovation, and we wish the quality associates guiding the brand future success. Golfers and our valued partners will remain the key focus throughout the impending sale and we are confident that our customers will continue to be serviced to our high standards.”

Puma, which bills itself as a sportlifestyle company is based in Herzogenaurach, Germany and has an apparel endorsement contract with the PGA Tour’s hottest rookie, Rickie Fowler. This will give them a kick-start into the golf equipment business since Cobra has a well thought of line of drivers, fairways and irons.

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 wide margin.

The Pro 1600 had two outstanding features revealed in the comparison. First was the comfortable way it fits the hand combined with the 7X magnification made it very quick and easy to use, not always the case with some laser range finders. MORE…