In an attempt to make the game a harder for tour players and MUCH hard for the rest of us, the USGA is entertaining the idea of banning “U” grooves in favor of “V” grooves for use in wedges.
Not only do pros have the distinct advantage of being able to practice more, they also have better swing mechanics which impart more spin on the ball than the average weekend player. Punishing the masses because of how good the pros are doesn’t seem very fair and will only make a difficult game that much more difficult.
Thanks to Golf Digest for the image below showing the difference between U & V shaped grooves. Mike Stachura, of Golf Digest, wrote a great article that goes into a bit more depth and apparently this is nothing new.
Maybe Tiger woods and other tour players can spin the ball too much out of the rough but that doesn’t mean that your average golfer is doing the same. One advantage that U grooves do provide for the average golfer is the ability to buy less-expensive 3-piece balls and still get moderate spin. You don’t have to have a ProV1 in play to get some spin.
I guess I’ll be buying some U groove wedges and keeping them in my closet so they can be grandfathered in and maybe I’ll be lucky to actually get the ball out of the rough next time.
Regards,
Tyler
While watching the Accenture match play on TV Saturday afternoon I had noticed that Chad Campbell would just push his left arm back during his takeaway. His right elbow seemed to stay very soft and would just fold up as he took the club back. This seemed to get his club up & down plane very well.
Well I went outside and grabbed my pitching wedge, a birdie ball, and my trusty lab.
I thought about just pushing my left arm back and fold my right elbow and I was hitting some great shots. The birdie ball went high and straight over and over again. The swing did feel very upright, but I think that’s because my back swing has always been so flat. One thing I did notice about “pushing” the left arm back is that it forces you to make a good shoulder turn and seemed to keep me in sync.
Fast forward to today during lunch…reality set in. Hitting off a mat is completely different than the real thing.
Things started off pretty well. I was about 20 yards from the green and the chip shots were reasonable. I felt pretty good and went on to the next area. I moved to about 50 yards out and things got ugly. I did hit some descent shots, about ½, but the other shots were either too short or I hit them VERY fat! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!
Well, it’s still a new swing thought and I’ll have to give it some and see what happens.
Regards,
Tyler
I’d love to be a golf course designer/architect. Unfortunately I’d probably make the course too easy and no one would enjoy it and I’d be out of work. Or I’d make the course too hard and have the same problem.
Well, over at Golf Digest they have a design contest where you can and are encouraged to use your wildest imagination. This photo is from the design contest page and gives you a good idea of what they want.
Here is quick summary of the main “rules” and you can find the entry form here.
1. The judges awards shall be final and subject to no appeal.
2. The definition of a two-shot hole for the purposes of the competition shall be a hole that is not less than 360 yards nor more than 460 yards in length, as measured from the back of the teeing ground to the center of the green.
3. No competitor may submit more than one drawing.
4. The entry must be drawn by hand, including any that may be computer assisted. They may be in black and white or in color. They must show the putting green, teeing ground, fairway, rough, bunkers, hazards, sand hills, mounds, water, roads, and any other features
5. All drawings must be submitted by May 15, 2007. The potential winner will be announced by June 15, 2007
Get your pencil sharpeners out and play Mario Golf to get some wild ideas! You never know – you may win $3,000!
Regards,
Tyler
I was talking with a good friend of mine today and he said “How do the announcers know what club the players are using?” Good question.
How DO they know? Do the caddies make a gesture to the broadcast crew informing them on club selection? Or is there a camera person with a very keen eye looking at the club making a guess. Is that a 6 or an 8? Anyone know the answer?
And while we’re on the subject…why do we need to know? I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I hear them say “Well…he’s chosen a pitching wedge from 150 yards out”. Is that supposed to make me feel better? I can hit my PW maybe about 120…if I hit it well.
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: PGA, blog, fedex cup, golf, news, nissan open, sports, tour, usga
Damon Hack over at the NY Times wrote a very cool article about pin placements after he interviewed the ground crew at Rivera Country Club, site of this weeks Nissan Open. It’s a behind the scenes look into what goes on even before players take the first swing. How they determine where to put the pins and the importance behind the decision is not to be taken lightly…especially when your dealing with the best golfers in the world.
“For wedges, you’d put it three or four paces from the edge of the green,” said Mickey Bradley, a PGA Tour rules official. “For a 4-iron, you’d put it five, six or seven paces from the edge.”
The article has an interesting graphic with some educational information. I never realized that there is a white dot on the green showing players and caddies where the pin placement will be the next day. I also didn’t realize that on nine greens, 4 placements will be on the left, 4 will be in the right and 1 will be in the middle.
Luckily for me, my local muni course put the pins in the middle of the green…but I still can’t hit the ball close enough!
Regards,
Tyler
The wife and I put our house on the market today. Our lovely house has just gotten a bit too small and we’re looking to buy a new house here in the city. We moved in almost 4 years ago and it was an experience! Now that we are trying to sell and buy a house – with a toddler – there is much more anxiety involved.
The realtor came by last night and we filled out and signed all this paperwork just to get the house on the market. Now we’re playing catch up trying to get the house ready for all the potential buyers.
I’ll let you know how things progress. Hopefully things will go smoothly and we’ll be in a new house this fall!
Regards,
Tyler
Filed under: PGA, blog, fedex cup, golf, handicap, sports, tiger woods, tour, usga
The Sand Trap posted a very interesting article about calculating the handicap of PGA players. A handicap is a system in golf that levels the playing field in certain stroke events. My handicap is just over 20 strokes per 18 holes. Anyone with a “+” handicap…well, really doesn’t have a handicap because they routinely shot under par.
The article is very informative but may be a bit overwhelming…all I know is that if I played Tiger Woods, he’d have to give me about 33-35 strokes per round. Isn’t golf great and if you think you can compete on the PGA tour…think again.
Regards,
Tyler
Here I am stuck in a 8′ * 8′ cube and it’s a balmy 30* outside…and rainy…and you guys post live coverage from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The coverage hasn’t started yet, but I’m already wishing that I was playing golf @ Pebble Beach. Actually, I’d like to be playing golf anywhere really. Although the weather looks to be pretty bad, a day on the golf course is better than a day at the office.
More FedEx Cup points are on the line this week and many of the leading players are in the field this week. Vijay Singh, last weeks winner @ the FBR Open, Aaron Baddeley, and Charlie Hoffman will play against a strong field on a beautiful course.
Regards,
Tyler
Well, I didn’t go to the range today, but I did spend some time in the short game area. The Links @ Whitehaven here in Memphis has a great short game area and I can go during my lunch break.
I started off chipping to the green from about 20 yards with my 60* wedge…it didn’t go so well. Actually, most of my session didn’t go well until the very end. After many fat shots (yes…fat shots on a 1/4-1/2 swing with my wedge) I knew I needed to do something different. Towards the end I really tried to keep my club face square and on plane. It seemed to work because I was hitting the ball much higher and much straighter. I also focused on keeping my spine still…trying not to sway off the ball.
Another thing that seemed to help me was a light grip pressure. I find myself squeezing the club so tight that I am forced to compensate by moving my body or throwing my hands. This is nothing new to seasoned players, but my brain likes to take over and say “Hold on tighter and it’ll work!“. Mental blocks are hard to break.
Check out all my range notes here.
Regards,
Tyler
