Over the Green

The second annual United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship is scheduled for Feb. 20 with each player using authentic or replica pre-1930 equipment provided by Dr. Jay Harris of Pinehurst, N.C. and balls by McIntyre Golf in San Diego, Calif.

The tournament is dedicated to preserving and honoring the history of golf in America and to the memory of John Shippen with the winner’s name engraved on the John Shippen Cup.

The Championship will be played over the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club course site of the 1925 Florida Open that had a field of the best golfers of the time including Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen. The 1922 Tom Bendelow design will play to 6,400 yards, to the same as in 1925.

In 2011, the first U.S. Pro Hickory Championship was won by Leroux Ferreira of Kingwood, Tex. with a score of 79 beating Champions Tour veteran David Frost by two strokes. For his victory Ferreira earned $1,500, the same first place money as Leo Diegel for his 1925 win. The 2011 field of 26 included one female professional, Jennifer Cully of Apollo Beach, Fla.

John Shippen (1879-1968), the man who is honored by the John Shippen Cup, was a groundbreaking golf professional with an enduring love of the game. As the son of a black minister of the Presbyterian Church and a Shinnecock Indian mother he persevered the prejudice of the time and became a top player. He began as a caddy while his father was serving on the Shinnecock Reservation located on the eastern tip of Long Island. Young Shippen drew the attention of the club’s professional Willie Dunn, a fine player and one the many expatriate Scottish professionals who migrated to America, who taught him to play. Shippen played in five U.S. Opens and spent more than fifty years as a club professional.

The American Lakes Wounded Veterans Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash. will receive a donation from the proceeds from this years Championship. The United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship is the creation of Mike Stevens, teaching professional at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. and the 2010 National Hickory Open Champion.

Just before Christmas PING’s CEO John Solheim made his proposal public calling for the USGA to adopt rules mandating three classes of golf balls – one that would go the same distance as today’s, one 30 yards less and one 30 yards more.

Recreational players presumably would have their choice (does anyone think they will pick the 30 yards less ball?) and tournament organizers could specify which was to be played as a “condition of competition.” In particular the PGA Tour with all those long hitting superstars would use the 30-yards-less-ball in an effort to contain their mighty blows. MORE…

Year two of TEE IT FORWARD

Last year Barney Adams pushed the idea golfers play from tees that are too long for their ability and should move up a set, at least. According to Adams, founder of Adams Golf and golf industry iconoclast, that would mean they could, “…be hitting eight-irons and wedges into par fours like the pros…not fairway woods.”

In other words the 99.99 percent of golfers who do not make their living on the links are playing for recreation and recreation is supposed to be fun. It’s undeniably more fun to play holes of a length you have a chance of reaching with a couple of good shots rather than par-4s that require a driver, then a 3-wood, then a 9-iron and maybe another iron since the 9-iron missed the green.
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It’s getting to the time where procrastination may really cost you. But if one of the finalist on your gift list is a golfer here are a couple of ideas that might solve your problem.

Abacus Bounce
Swedish apparel maker, Abacus, markets and sells leisure clothing with golf at the heart of its inspiration. The company’s collections combine functionality, design, and quality in a way that has given Abacus a very strong international presence in just a few years.

The Bounce Wind Stop Sweater is a great example. This cable knitted wind stop in wool blend has a poly-micro lining, high collar, and half zip. It is windproof and breathable and protects against the wind and cool air and keeps the inner environment at a comfortable temperature. With features like stretch fabric in the back, it is perfect for golf and performance activities. Material: 80% cotton / 20% wool with poly micro lining / stretch in back panel / windproof / breathable Sizes: S-XXL Colors: black, red, grey mélange, ecru mélange Suggested retail; $170.

Bag Boy T-2000 Travel Cover
Bag Boy has taken the technology from its Revolver series of golf bags and developed the T-2000 travel cover with a handle that rotates 360 degrees in order to reduce arm and wrist strain while transporting clubs.

“Our R&D team has done an outstanding job in taking advanced technology from our golf bag line and applying it to the T-2000 travel cover,” said Craig Ramsbottom, President, Dynamic Brands Golf Division. “Our testing shows that the Pivot Grip ™ significantly reduces strain on the arm and wrist as compared to travel covers with traditional handles. Golfers will see and feel the difference immediately when they travel with the T-2000.”

The ergonomic pivot grip is built into the top of the T-2000. The handle rotates 360 degrees to make changing directions simple, never having to let go of the travel bag. The T-2000 is made of durable 1680D nylon and features an ultra-thick wrap-around padded top, sturdy PVC back with an extended ABS base for maximum club protection, two oversized garment pockets and a shoe pocket. The deluxe in-line skate wheels provide the traveler smooth and quiet rolling action. The travel cover fits a 48-inch driver and up to a 10-inch cart bag.

The T-2000 comes in a choice of three colors and has a suggested retail of $189.95

Time changes many things but not everything. More than fifty years of love with devotion, from a manufacturer, shows that time does not change the quest for a better idea or a product; in fact, some things just last.

PING calls 1959 an official birthday but those who know understand the birth of great ideas begins long before a venture happens and stay long after its inception.

In 2009, PING celebrated the big five-0. Recalling fifty is easy on one hand and not so easy on the other. A recent warm spring day in PING Chairman and CEO John Solheim’s Phoenix office, surrounded by his support team of Pete Samuels and Dave Engelking, found the conversation stirring and reflective, yet enriching. Looking at fifty through the years, examines PING’s journey, which is quite a ride. MORE…

XCG5 from Tour Edge
Tour Edge has been on a run in recent years producing some very good fairways and the latest to be included on that short list is the newest fairway in their line up, the XCG5.

This newest refinement is the only fairway wood to have a titanium cupped face and tungsten sole which are perhaps the “secret” of the exceptional length all the previous XCG fairways have provided. Also unique is the use a combo-brazing process to put the club head together which eliminates the typical welds other makers use and gives company engineers more discretionary weight to move around for just the right placement.

However, combo-brazing is expense. For example it is done in a vacuum chamber to ensure Tour Edge’s very tight manufacturing standards are met but it does provide a very high quality joint between the tungsten and titanium pieces of the head.

As with previous models Tour Edge guarantees the Exotics XCG5 fairway wood is longer than your current fairway wood and if not return it under their 30-day “Play Guarantee” for a store credit or refund. The XCG5 is available in a Graphite Design Tour AD 40, Exotics Fujikura Blur 65, or Aldila RIP 70 Sigma graphite shaft for an SRP of $299.

Wilson adds new models for 2012
On the road to again achieving the greatness of the past, Wilson Golf has announced four additions to their model lineup.

FG Tour V2 irons – Tour staff members Padraig Harrington, Ricky Barnes and Kevin Streelman helped with the design of this new players iron with a thinner top line and minimal offset.
Ci11 irons – In its fourth generation, the black Ci11 irons are aimed at the game improvement category with a design featuring a thinner, harder face.
FG Tour X Golf Ball – Wilson’s new ball for better players is a multilayer urethane cover construction ball with a 93 compression core.
Duo Golf Ball – Duo is Wilson’s entry in the soft but long ball category and they say 8 out of 10 golfers who try Duo, switch.

Nike VR Pro Limited Edition Fairways

The VR Pro Limited Edition fairway woods being played by Stephen Ames, Stewart Cink, Simon Dyson, Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods are now available to the rest of us. The slightly pear-shaped head with a mid-to-low face height is made from 455 stainless steel. Nike’s Compression Channel technology is part of the head design to increase speed at more spots on the club face. A MRC Diamana ‘Ahina shaft is stock. MSRP is $275.99 with a street price if $225.00.

The golf media is filled with similar headlines; some variant of, “Tiger Woods Clinches President’s Cup.”
Phooey.

In fact and just as accurately it could be said by only winning one match of the five in which he participated, he contributed to the Internationals point total.

Let’s face it, Woods played poorly and was fortunate to be on a team that played very well, but then isn’t that the idea of a TEAM format?

Give kudos to Mickelson, Furyk, Mahan and Toms plus even maybe Watney for beating the opposition. Additionally the Internationals really never got it together, as they never seem to do in these matches and contrary to some of the media voices leading up to the contest.

Bottom line – great play by four or five Americans and lousy play by just about all the Internationals was the reason we won…not because Woods made his one single point on the final day.

An interesting item appeared in Jim Achenbach’s column in Golfweek, that one of the truly innovative putter companies of the past few years, Rife Putter of Sanford, Fla. has been sold to Innovex Golf.

To fans of Rife flat sticks this is welcome news and may be just the thing to push Innovex up to the new level of recognition. Here’s the link if you want to read the full story. “Rife Putters agrees to be sold to Innovex”

The biggest buzz at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando last January was not that TaylorMade Golf returned to the Show after an absence of several years but the immense display area they used. It was big enough to allow TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth (all owned by adidas) to introduce and showcase their new products for 2011.

The white headed R11 line of drivers and fairways of course caused a stir amongst the Show attendees and in hindsight it was the start of the domination of that category by TMaG this season. The clubs were pooh-poohed by some (mostly competitors) but have taken about half of the wood-segment pushing Callaway and the others into the status of pretender. Being fair though, Titleist has also been able to carve out more business and they seem to have a firm grip on number two with their 910D2/D3 line.

Not to belabor the point but it is worth noting TMaG will sell more than 2 million white headed clubs this year including the Burner Superfast 2.0. As I said, domination.

Back to the Show, how big was the display space used by TaylorMade? Well, it took up the entire north end of the Orange County Convention Center and had its own restaurant and its own indoor driving range.

So the word is now out that the company will again exhibit at the Show in January 2012 and from every indication will again make use of the same large space as a “clubhouse” for its customers.

Getting a gift for golfer is simple, right? Just swing by the local big box retailer and pick up some golf balls and you’re done. Not true.
Also most people know those naked lady tees and “R” rated insulated cups really lack class. Plus how do you know which golf ball matches the golfer’s game and don’t even think about a driver that requires a fitting or something reflecting strong personal preference like a golf bag.

So the question remains what to give a boss or in-law or even a spouse who is an avid linkster without totally breaking the bank or the Christmas budget.

Here a few suggestions covering range of prices.MORE…