COMPETITION: Practice your chipping at home – Safely!

Have you ever tried practicing chipping at home? I have and it is not the same. The fear of smashing the telly is a bit too much for me. So I was delighted when I came across Soft Shot, a safe indoor golf ball which gives you a similar feedback to a real golf ball without the risk of damaging the wife’s precious ornaments.

I was pleasantly surprised with how good these balls are for practicing chipping. OK, they are not a Pro V1 but certainly the best indoor ball I have seen. What’s more, they are a lot of fun in the garden. I know they are designed for indoor use but I took them into my little garden and you can hit full shots and keep the greenhouse intact. 

All in all these balls are great but with only one problem for me… In order to continue using them I need to get the ladder out to retrieve them from the roof of my conservatory.

Soft Shots are available in packs of 3 for £9.95 from www.cozmosports.co.uk but we have 3 packs up for grabs if you are based in the UK. In order to qualify, e-mail us with ”Soft Shot Competition” in the subject field and your contact details. We will let you know after the closing date on 15th June 2009.

New shaft gains distance for Leonard

The Players Championship saw Justin Leonard switch to a 66 gram UST Mamiya ATTAS shaft in his Nike Str8-Fit SQ Dymo driver with impressive results.

During the week he gained 10 yards on his season’s average by averaging 289.9 yards and hitting 67.9% of fairways.

Furyk puts R9 into play and changes to a Kai’li shaft

Jim Furyk has been one of the most consistent players off the tee for years. In 2007 he hit 74.37% of fairways, a statistic which was only bettered by two other players. So far this season he is 23rd, having hit 69.72%, which is maybe why he changed his driver last week at Quail.

Since Loch Lomond last year he has been playing the Titleist 909 D2. In March he changed the configuration to try the Oban Devotion 75 which he has played since the WGC in Miami. 

Now Furyk is playing the Taylormade R9 and is the first PGA Tour player to put the Mitsubishi Diamana Kai’li into play.

Furyk’s shaft is the X-stiff 60g version and like all Diamanas’ the Kai’li has a stiff tip section but has slightly less torque than the Diamana Blue Board. It should produce a lower ball flight with less spin when compared to the Blue Board. 

And for those super geeks out there Kai’li is Hawaiian and means “Blue Diamond”.

It will be interesting to see what happens to his driving stats.

Tiger Experiments With New Shafts

As club golfers we often think, maybe it’s not me, maybe it’s the club. So we pick up an alternative, something that has all the latest marketing slogans and wizardry. Problem solved? Perhaps. Maybe for a short time, but usually we go back to what we were originally playing… The old faithful.

Tiger is not playing well off the tee at the moment. In fact, he has been quite erratic. His chipping and putting as good as ever. But surely that is because that was all he could practice during his break from golf. But his driving has missed the mark. Time to try something new? 

Tiger has been almost religious about the Mitsubishi Diamana White Board over the years. It’s almost as if the shaft were made for him! However, at The Quail Hollow Championship this week we saw him trying out some alternatives.

On Wednesday, during his practice round, Tiger was trying an 89 gram Aldila Voodoo XPP8 Prototype. This shocked thousands of industry experts across the world. Tiger without a White Board? Never!

Well that wasn’t the end of it. On Thursday, he was seen with an Oban Mach 4 85 Gram Prototype. What’s going on?

Rick Nichols, Nike Tour Field Manager, explained that Woods recently tested eight new shafts at his home in Windermere, Fla., as part of his annual equipment review.

“Tiger has been off for nine months,” Nichols explains. “So there were several shafts out there that he had not had an opportunity to test. We said to him, ‘Let’s test them and confirm that what you’re playing is right, or if there is something better for you, let’s look and see.’”

So what we saw at Quail was merely the shortlist of a long test program which Tiger has been through. And apparently his specs have remained consistent throughout testing. He has continued with a driver of 8.5 degrees loft and a face angle of 1.5 degrees open.

Maybe Tiger is searching for more consistency to get him round the long tight Bethpage Black next month.

Believe me, all this inconsistency in Tiger’s shaft really got people in the industry talking. But it wasn’t for long. By the end of the tournament Tiger was back with his trusty White Board. Just goes to show that maybe it wasn’t the club after all Tiger.

Will Turnberry be ready for this years Open?

Maybe this is one of those occasions where the media jump on a story and blow it all out of proportion. I hope so!

Turnberry is my favourite course on The Open roster and there are rumours of this year’s tournament being relocated if the current redevelopment of the hotel is not completed on time. Apparently nearby Troon is on standby if all does not go to plan.

They are cutting it fine though. If all goes according to plan then the hotel will open its doors during the week of the tournament.

Last week the R&A rubbished the suggestion of a change of venue. “It is going to be fine,”  insisted Peter Dawson, who is Chief Executive for the oldest institution in the game.

“Leisurecorp are bashing on with the hotel re-development, which is going to transform Turnberry. It’s on schedule and we are looking forward to having that for The Open.”

“The golf course is in great shape, too, so any rumours that The Open is going anywhere else are totally without foundation and, frankly, always have been.”

Let’s hope Dawson is right. This will be the fourth time Turnberry has hosted my favourite tournament and it has always proved a special one.

In 1977, spectators witnessed the famous “Duel in the Sun” between Nicklaus and Watson which saw Watson lift the Claret Jug after he beat Nickalus by one shot. The US dominated top ten leader board also included other names such as Trevino, Crenshaw, Palmer, Floyd and Miller.

Greg Norman was victorious on the second visit to Turnberry. He was battling it out amongst Woosie, Langer, Faldo and Seve for top spot and he notoriously clinched it with a 5 shot margin, mostly due to an awesome round of 63 on the second day. That was clearly before he found the ability to lose big leads on the final day!

1994 was the last time we saw Turnberry host The Open. Nick Price’s victory was part of a final day where the lead changed constantly. He drained an unbelievable 50 foot putt for Eagle on the 17th to put him right in the mix. However, at this stage Parnevik was the bookies choice needing only a par at 18 which would have, at worst put him in a playoff. But the Swede did not check the leader board and assumed he needed a birdie. He attacked the hole and finished with a bogey which saw Price victorious that year.

Since we last went to Turnberry there have been other changes apart from the hotel. There are 20 new bunkers and the course has been lengthened by 247 yards making it 7,204 yards.

I am looking forward to seeing tee shots from the 10th, where the tee has been pushed back towards the famous lighthouse creating a hole which requires 200 yards carry to clear the bay.

The closing holes will be a lot tougher too. The 16th, which used to be an easy 410 hole, is now a testing 455 yard dogleg. Also, the 17th has been lengthened by a whopping 61 yards with the inclusion of three more bunkers.

Wow! This year’s Open should be good. Let’s hope that the wind is blowing and we see some great golf. Oh, and let’s hope that Dawson is right and all will be ready.

What’s in the bag? – Masters 09

Shingo Plays Daiwa

Well I was as shocked as anyone when I was watching The Masters this week when I saw Ken Brown being nosey around the players’ bags. It was one of those TV moments that make you throw you head into your hands in absolute horror! As you brave to open your eyes you realise that yes, Ken has actually thrown Ben Crenshaw’s priceless putter into the bag - surely leaving a serious mark or two.

Can you imagine the horror on the poor caddy’s face as he pulls it out on the putting green as Crenshaw goes to warm up. How did that mark get there? I don’t remember doing that! Ben’s going to kill me!

As usual The Masters is a stage for manufacturers showing off their latest new toys along with suitable slogans aimed to target us mere club golfers as we come out of hibernation. But every now and again something slips through the net which raises a few eyebrows.

This year Shingo Katayama made his mark on the tournament with an outstanding 4th place finish, which is the highest ranking for a Japanese player at The Masters.

Shingo Katayama is playing a brand which very few people outside of Japan will recognise; they may however recognise its former glory. Remember what Ian Baker Finch played when he won The Open in ’91 before he switched to Callaway?

During the early 90s, Daiwa were renowned for their ability to produce equipment that had a certain something. Made in Japan, its products were regarded as some of the best. There was something about their golf clubs. In fact, rumour has it that they were the iron of choice for a little know junior called Tiger Woods.

Daiwa is still making awesome golf equipment. This year Shingo was seen playing their ONOFF brand which is produced Japan. He was also sporting a Daiwa shaft, Roddio, a product which is new to the European shaft market but has some of the most positive feedback I have seen in a shaft.

Daiwa is one of the only “traditional” manufacturers left in the golf industry. Japan is a sanctuary for exotic high quality golf equipment and it was really great to see them have such success at The Masters with Shingo.

 

You’re Never Too Old

This year’s Masters was full of chat prior to the event about the up and coming stars. We saw young Rory McIlroy as the latest player to be labelled “the next Tiger”. It was all about the debutantes who might shine and not the old guard. But this year saw a welcome change inspiring club golfers around the world.

 

At the age of 39, Angel Cabrera is the second oldest first time winner of a green jacket. He is second to Mark O’Meara who won in ’98 at the age of 41.

 

Jack Nicklaus, of course, is the oldest winner of The Masters with is victory in ’86 (which was the 50^thevent held) over Tom Kite, Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros. However, if Kenny Perry had of clinched the title we would have a new all time oldest winner of any major let alone The Masters.  At the age of 48 he would have eclipsed Julius Boros who won the PGA also at the age of 48 in ’68.

 

Looking at the success of the Champions Tour it might be an idea to consider the oldies next time you bet on a Major. Could be a smart each way punt.

 

More importantly it gives heart to all of us who fear our best golfing days might be behind us, proving you are never too old to be at your best and fullfuil your golfing ambitions. 

The sound of a perfect swing

For a long time I have wondered how best to teach rhythm and tempo to players. It is amazing how well you can play after having spent a weekend watching the best players on the TV after a major. With the Masters coming up I will be telling everyone to tune in and soak up that tempo. But maybe there is a better way…?

Maybe it would be better if you had some kind of real time feedback on your rhythm, tempo and timing? But how could you achieve that?

The Sonic Golf System-1 is the invention of a physicist from Yale by the name of Dr Robert Grober. The science is cutting edge and the system is inserted into the golf shaft and transmits data on your swing to a wireless receiver. The signal is then converted into audio to give you feedback on your swing. Put simply; higher volume and pitch denotes where in the swing the club head is fastest. The goal is for that to happen at impact.

Coaches now have a way to show people their faults. For example, the system will be able to show golfers the effects of a casting flaw in their swing. But are there applications for Sonic other than coaching?

Of course there are lots of people out there that would be desperate for this sort of system to use on the practice ground, but has anyone considered using it for custom fitting?

I believe that the ideal shaft is something that is crucial to get right when fitting an individual. Colleagues of mine have some very advanced equipment for measuring where a shaft loads and unloads in a swing. This data is used to make a recommendation for the type of shaft bend profile which is suitable for that individual. Swing speed is not a factor when you fit like this. If we know that an individual casts (unloads the shaft on commencing the downswing) then we can prescribe a shaft that is suited to that swing style. Sonic is a simple system that could provide fitters with another tool for fitting shafts.

I am convinced that Dr Grober has done something really special here and I think it has huge potential. The clever bit will be the positioning of the product. Unfortunately the golf industry is a wash of gimmicky gadgets that don’t really work but Sonic is the real deal. Some key editorial in the relevant publications will certainly help but one idea is to work on an approach which allows people to experience the product.

As well as being bankers, are we all now owners of the most exclusive golf club?

I have long had an obsession with Loch Lomond.

Of course there were other courses I fantasised about…  Wentworth, Sunningdale, Royal Portrush were all courses where, if I wanted to, I could pay a green fee to play their course.  But Loch Lomond was far more elusive.

I would always be looking for ways to get through its impenetrable gates of exclusivity.  You would often hear me say things like: Why are they so elitist that I cannot go and play their golf course?  Who do they think they are?  Why can’t I get through those gates?

Well, two years ago I was very kindly invited to play there and I have to say that it is one of those very few clubs where its exclusivity just works.  I also think that it is a classy way to run a golf club.

Think about it; when was the last time you heard a club owner say “our members come first”?  Put another way, how many clubs do you know where the members are constantly whinging about being treated like second class citizens?  I have seen many examples of “exclusive” clubs which are jammed with corporate days and offers of a bacon roll and a round of golf for 70 quid.  How does this make the members feel – who pay flabbergasting rates for the privilege to play the hallowed turf.  So why shouldn’t Loch Lomond decide who they open their gates to?  I personally think that the attitude of creating a haven for its members is a price worth paying.

Operating in the world of imports means that I scan the business pages more than most and the idea of the situation of us bailing out banks has got me thinking.

Loch Lomond has now fallen into the hands of RBS after Lyle Anderson’s property business joined the ranks of failing firms in the property sector.

As tax payers we now own something in the region of 70% of RBS.  Which has got me thinking…?  Are we all now entitled to join the ranks of Prince Andrew and Sean Connery and grace the luscious fairways on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond?  I personally think that would be a real shame.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/3367441/Credit-crunch-forces-owner-to-put-Loch-Lomond-Golf-Club-up-for-sale.html

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Welcome to Groove’s blog. On here we will aim to provide some informative comments on whats going on in the golf world.