Anything and everything interesting about the great game of golf
I played golf growing up but it was only after a twenty-year break that I became the golfing junkie I am today. I am part of a club with a strong junior program and maybe of the best players in the last few years have been teens. Naturally then, I do have a little bit… Read More »What is the US Kids Tour Golf?
After looking briefly at the what the science says about the putting yips, it is high time we started looking at how to get rid of the damn things! As I said at the start, this series is basically a study of one. I am looking at what works for me as I try to… Read More »Using Method to Cure the Putting Yips
I thought the best place to start of my journey into the putting yips was to see exactly what the science says. I am not a scientist and want to keep this as understandable as possible (especially for me!) I will link to to some of the resources that have helped me to get a… Read More »Putting Yips Part 1: The Science
So Augusta is over for another year and as usual, there were plenty of talking points. Here are the top five things I took home from this years event, in no particular order.
Every year around Masters time, a couple of posts will appear on the various internet forums. These vary slightly but boil down to what an ‘average’ golfer’ would score round Augusta in Sunday tournament conditions. Opinions will differ wildly, probably until someone compares someone else to Hitler, then the thread gets closed down, but I have yet to see the definitive answer because, well obviously enough, there isn’t one.
Playing blades is a controversial topic. Some say they are the only way to learn to play the game whereas others claim that it’s the last thing any golfer should do.
This can leave the average golfer pretty confused. Obviously when you look at something like the new Callaway muscle back and compare it to a super game improvement iron the difference is huge. All that technology must help right? And then you see the bags of the PGA tour players-they aren’t all playing blades are they? So what is the average golfer doing with the shiny muscle back in his bag?
The same thing is true in the forums- do a quick search on golfwrx and you’ll find hundreds of threads about blades versus cavity backs, beginners playing blades, low handicap players playing super game improvement irons and so on.
Unfortunately, a lot of this is simply based on opinions of people who don’t play blades ever. To me, there are two big questions. Firstly, why would you actually want to play blades? And secondly, what difference will blades actually make your score?
Me talking about blades might seem a bit strange. After all, I’ve written fairly extensively about the single length irons I use. As much as I do like single length, I change the clubs my bag about as often as I change my socks!
We all know golfers are cool under pressure, never show their emotions and are a million miles away from the club-throwing, 5 putting tantrums and mental flaws of the average hacker. I mean, you would never see a pga pro losing it, would you? Or a complete miss hit from those superlative ballstrikers? Actually, yes, you would.
If you have ever felt that those guys on the tv are simply machines calculating their way around the course, hopefully this article will set your mind at rest. Sure, it might not make you any better, but it goes to show that anyone can have a bad day at the office (or on the course!)
Before we get carried away, remember that these guys are truly, amazingly good. It is easy to see a pro 5 putt and think “Even I wouldn’t do that“, conveniently forgetting just how slick those greens are and how different it is getting the job done with millions on the line and thousands of people watching (plus millions more on tv.)
Actually, I am amazed that there are so few complete disasters on tour. I am a reasonable golfer and quite often hit one out of bounds as soon as a couple of people are watching me tee off in competition. I can also happily three putt for two feet when anything at all is on the line.
Read More »When Golf Goes Wrong-Five Epic Pro Golf Meltdowns
I should probably start this article by saying that I am not a golf fitter, nor have I played one on TV. I have been through various fittings (although never a full bag, top to bottom one done by a clubfitter who is completely independent of any brand.) However, I have just been watching a ‘fitting’ video done by a pro that made me absolutely cringe.
I won’t say who or where, but some of the things the ‘fitter’ was saying just made me shake my head. Now, this shouldn’t bother me, after all, it doesn’t change anything for me. However, the guy going through the fitting process clearly didn’t know anything at all (and as the customer, why should he? He pays for the fitter’s expertise after all.) but he is going to end up with a set of irons that are not going to be anyway near ideal for him.
I am a golfer. I also spend most of my time in front of a computer. This is a perfect recipe for not getting stuff done and spending time on youtube watching golf. Please tell me I am not the only one! There are some really good golf channels out there and I might go through some of my favourites in another post, but I wanted to share a few from a channel that I didn’t really start following until recently, Fried Eggs Golf.
The number of companies that thrive in the golf equipment industry could be counted on your fingers (even if you are missing a couple!) This space is basically dominated by a couple of big names like Ping, Callaway, Nike golf and Taylormade. These companies are the ones you find in big box stores as well as advertised through the various professional tours.
Of course, there are plenty of others out there, but they aren’t part of the big hitters in golf. Even someone like Wilson, one of the biggest companies in sports, doesn’t rely on golf to make a living.
The world of youtube golf is big and getting bigger all the time. There are some fantastic instruction videos, tips, news and reviews. However, when I tune in to the internet, my favourite viewing is without doubt a course vlog and James Pickard one of the people I enjoy watching the most.
There is a lot of good content to choose from, but anything on the Buzzagolf channel is always great and James is a channel regular.
From his opinions on this year’s Majors to Rory’s putting woes as well as everything from his thoughts on the rule book and losing to Mark Crossfield (!) , James was great value in this interview. He is one of the friendliest guys you could hope to chat with and was happy to tell me about his future projects online.
