Artan of the Week (May 18, 2007) - IRISH OPEN edition

Wow - things have been REALLY hectic at my "day job", and between juggling the pipe band, fulfilling orders for TartanGolfGrips.com, doing a little rehearsal preparation for the Kingsmen Alumni Corps, and a MAJOR overhaul of the TartanGolfGrips.com secure shopping cart and website links - I just realized that I'm a full TWO DAYS late for the Artan of the Week...gaack...

There's also ANOTHER special project that will take place in conjunction with the 18th Annual American Century Golf Championship that has sucked up whatever precious free time I didn't have before, but I'm REALLY excited about this opportunity....I'll let the cat out of the bag more later, but we will be heading to beautiful Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in mid-July to participate in the American Century Golf Championship.

I've signed on as a walking scorer, and I'm really excited about this opportunity...I've watched the event on NBC for several years now, but this is the first time that I've ever been to Lake Tahoe in the summertime, PLUS seeing all of these athlete/celebrities play golf at the same time will be REALLY, REALLY fun...it would be a dream come true if I got to keep score for John Elway's group...

But I digress - the REAL reason for today's posting is to highlight the Artan of the week for May 18, 2007. This week's design highlights the OVERSIZED paddle grip that is an option at TartanGolfGrips.com. I personally use this grip myself, because I like the feel of a larger grip - you can see the extra grip material at the top of the grip. (You can ALSO see the damage that was done to the Artan design when the owner attempted to install the grip, and used a SCREWDRIVER to try and force the grip onto the shaft...I had to bail him out...the screwdriver shaft STILL embedded inside the grip, the HANDLE long gone as it had pulled off the end of the shaft...THAT was fun....you can see HIS customization to the artwork on and to the left of the "I" in HARRINGTON...oh well, I told him it's REALLY PERSONALIZED now...)

My personal full-swing grips are Eaton Golf Pride Dual Durometer "Yellows" which are the midsize offering in the Dual Durometer line. It's interesting to note that both Cheri and Lorena Ochoa both use the "Reds" in the GolfPride Dual Durometer line....
This grip was done for my neighbor across the street, Steve Harrington, and coincidentally, one of my favorite professional golfers, PADRAIG HARRINGTON is leading the Irish Open through the third round.

It would be SO COOL if Padraig could win his home country's Open tournament - it would be the first time in 25 years, as the last Irishman to win the Irish Open was John O'Leary back in 1982. How Irish a name is THAT??? Half the COUNTRY can probably lay claim to being the '82 Irish Open winner!

I think it's fate....it's been 25 years, and Padraig's gonna win this event. It's also nice to mention that the NEW IRELAND flag grip has been selling REALLY nicely since we debuted it back in what, March? I sold a couple of those this last week alone...as the word gets out, I think more and more people are going to want one of these....(at right).

Oh, during this past week, I found it interesting to learn that Nike is ALSO getting aboard the black club phenomenon that I chronicled earlier, when they announced the launch of their SV Tour Black Satin Wedge. (Shown below)

We're looking at another BUSY, BUSY weekend - today's haircut day, I'm gonna stop by Kemp Ford and check out a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, I've got Pipe Band rehearsal this afternoon at Johnny Carson Park in Burbank from 2-5, the website needs some more link updating, the lawn needs to be cut, edged and the plum tree needs to be pruned, and HOPEFULLY, we'll head over to the driving range to at least keep the swing in plane before heading out to play some tennis with our friends Mike and Michelle.

Sleep??? Who needs it???

Clean sweep for Pepperdine golf teams

Congratulations to both of the Pepperdine golf teams!

Both the women's AND the men's golf teams won the WCC regional golf tournaments today up at La Purisima golf course in Lompoc!

The men's team beat Univ. San Diego by 5 strokes, and the #4 NATIONALLY ranked women's team DESTROYED the University of San Francisco by a whopping 21 strokes.

The women's team will next compete at the NCAA regionals on May 10, and the men's team returns to action a week later on May 17.

Go get 'em WAVES!!!

Jason Gore without an equipment sponsorship deal?

I've got to admit, I am still surprised that Jason Gore, one of THE most engaging and popular personalities on the PGA Tour is STILL without an equipment sponsor?

I had the good fortune of happening to be on the same flight from Phoenix into Burbank a couple of years ago when Jason had won his third Nationwide Tour event, earning his "battlefield exemption" onto the PGA Tour...

I recognized the same red wristband that he had been wearing that season from his adventure at the 2005 U.S. Open, and the big grin on his face as he weaved his way down the aisle of the America West flight confirmed that it was indeed him...even though he finished the final round of the Open with an 84, the way that he captivated all of us golf fans continued to resonate with me far beyond the finish of that tournament, and I was THRILLED at the prospect of actually getting to meet him and talk to him.

I scurried down to the baggage claim carousels, and again encountered Jason as we both went to reclaim our golf clubs, swallowed hard and walked up to him, extending my hand as I congratulated him on his achievement.

He was genuinely nice, genuinely appreciative of being recognized, funny, pleasant - and I sesnsed a genuine warmth emanating from him that led me to conclude that this is a good man...a solid man, with his feet planted firmly on the ground. (A man that can drive a golf ball well over 300 yards, his feet are so firmly planted on the ground...)

A couple of months later, he won his first PGA Tournament at the 84 Lumber Classic, and I figured that his star was on the ascent. (The irony of his "blowup" 84 at the US Open, followed by his first PGA Tour win at the 84 Lumber Classic was NOT lost on me...)

However, golf is a fickle mistress, and she has turned her back on Jason for awhile, but this weekend, recently freed from his association with Nike (see below) , and pumped up from a meeting with HIS idol (Roger Clemens - more below) the magic is back, and he's in the hunt at the Shell Houston Open...wearing a Houston Astros baseball cap, and a blank golf bag...again, an "everyman" who we weekend warriors can admire and empathize with.

SO: Today''s question - what golf club equipment manufacturer can you see Jason Gore affiliating with???

Call me strange, but I sort of associate golf club manufacturers with certain personality types... Here's how I perceive certain manufacturers:

Titleist: Accomplished, aloof, somewhat arrogant, country clubbers..."David Simms", the cocky, self-assured pro who played against "Roy McAvoy" in "Tin Cup" probably played Titleist...
Callaway: Technical, friendly, approachable, fun-loving...Callaway is the Labrador Retriever of golf club manufacturers...
PING: Easy-going, casual, nice, friendly, approachable...PING is the GOLDEN Retriever of golf club manufacturers...
Mizuno: Quirky, exotic, aloof, moody...Catherine Trammell, played by Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct" would have played Mizuno...
Nike: Garrulous, frat-boy, gets by on reputation and who they hang around with...relies upon their reputation, not by their performance...in the corporate world, AKA "empty suit", in Texas, "all hat, no cattle"...sorry, I LOVE your shoes, your clothes, but your golf equipment just strikes me as somehow inferior, and not as well done as your OTHER product lines...
Cleveland: Who? Oh yeah, the golf club company that's owned by a surf-clothing company (ZQK) ...the lead designer and namesake now designs for CALLAWAY!!!
Srixon: WHO???
TaylorMade: Technical, brainy, a bit aloof...TaylorMade is the German Shepherd of golf club manufacturers...
Adams Golf: See PING
Cobra Golf: The class clown, can deliver when they need to, but jokes their way around...Cobra is the Jack Russell Terrier of golf club manufacturers...
MacGregor: Was good once upon a time...trying to get the magic back...
Wilson: See above

From that frame of reference, I can see the following companies affiliating with Jason, especially if he places well this weekend:
1) Adams - They've been making a push into the long-hitters, signing Brittany Lincicome - I could see them making a pitch for Jason if they have the budget.
2) TaylorMade - They seem to have EVERYONE under contract...
3) Cobra - Jason's a funny guy - I could see Cobra doing commercials with David Feherty and Jason VERY, VERY easily - Cobra's also playing up their bomber image, and Jason can bring it...
4) Callaway - My sentimental favorite, but they seem to have a thoroughbred mentality, where they only sign the top five players on any given Tour.
5) PING - The personalities are well-aligned, but PING doesn't do much sponsorship activity...the fit would be natural though...

Since newspapers often remove content after a brief period, I found these two articles to be really good representations of Jason, and where he's at right now.

The first one is by Richard Justice, courtesy of the Houston Chronicle:

March 31, 2007, 12:57AM
Any group of duffers would welcome Gore

By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Jason Gore represents just about everything we love about sports, and that may be why fans still cheer for him and care about him and let him know he's special.

"Maybe they feel sorry for me," he said.

It's impossible to feel sorry for someone who makes you feel so good, who represents so many of your hopes and dreams.

No matter what he accomplishes in his golf life, Gore always will be remembered for one improbable weekend at the 2005 U.S. Open.

That's the weekend he almost did the impossible. He was the everyman hacker who went head-to-head with the best golfers and one of the toughest courses and never flinched.

Well, almost. By Sunday afternoon, he was in a place he never expected to be. That he fell apart and shot 84 on that final day makes the story even sweeter on some level.

When the world finally began paying attention, when they hoped against hope that this guy would do what no one thought he could do, he blinked.

Don't feel sorry for Gore because his story didn't end there. He took that one amazing weekend and shaped a career from it. He won his first and only PGA Tour event a few weeks later. He won three times on the Nationwide Tour that summer.

Let's be clear about what Gore is and isn't. He's not a star. Probably won't ever be.

He has finished in the top 25 just 10 times. His $2 million career earnings is haircut money for some. He entered this week's Shell Houston Open ranked 201st in the world, having missed the cut in six of his seven tournaments this year.

He has changed clubs and coaches, changed his golf ball, too. And for a couple of days this week, it has again worked the way it's supposed to. He shot 68 on Friday for a two-day total of 138, good enough to get him in a six-way tie for first.

He saved his round on No. 11 by hitting a bunker shot into the hole. He sank long birdie putts on the next two holes and was off and running.

He finished the day with a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 18. Afterward, he was asked the usual questions about why he'd finally hit on something that had been working.

"Besides the fact I changed 14 clubs and a golf ball?" Gore said. "I finally just had a couple of weeks off to go home and play a lot of golf and get comfortable with my equipment again."

When someone asked about his putting stats, he smiled.

"It's sad, isn't it?" he said. "I know I'm a streaky putter, but when you're having 50-, 60-footers all day, it's tough to gauge yourself. I just haven't hit my irons close all year."

Another thing that might make him appealing to fans is the simplicity with which he approaches the game. He jokes that if he writes an instructional book, it'll be simple enough for anyone to understand.

"It's going to be a bestseller," he said.

For instance, how do you hit a hook?

"I don't know. Aim right."

Gore's career has had so many highs and lows and so few stretches of consistency that he said: "I think Magic Mountain is going to name a roller coaster after me."

He said that weekend at Pinehurst in 2005 changed more than the way people look at him. It changed the way he looked at himself.

He vaulted into contention with a third-round 67 and was paired with Retief Goosen for the final round. And then it all got away from him.

"This is the first time in my life I actually realized that I can play at this level," Gore said of that weekend. "You always have these doubts and stuff like that because I hadn't done anything. You never kind of get over that slope, and that's really what it was. I competed against the best players in the world on a great golf course and was beating them."

He says it seems surreal all these years later, but he remembers the feeling of people cheering his name and wishing him well as he went around the course.

What he never has lost is his love for the game. He was one of the few golfers wearing a shirt without a single logo. He won't be at the Masters next weekend.

That underdog status, that everyman quality, surely is part of his appeal.

"Maybe it's just because I actually do enjoy playing golf," Gore said, "and I struggle just like everybody else. Nothing was ever handed to me. I just love what I do. This is everything I dreamed of."

richard.justice@chron.com

And this article from Mealnie Hauser at PGATOUR.com also captured Jason well:

Gore heeding Rocket's advice to be TAD

Mar. 30, 2007

By Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Contributor

HUMBLE, Texas -- He's so not technical.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

JASON GORE THRU 36 HOLES

Stat Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Total Rank Eagles 0 0 0 N/A Birdies 2 5 7 T28 Pars 16 12 28 T9 Bogeys 0 1 1 T75 Double Bogeys 0 0 0 N/A Other 0 0 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 64% 43% 53.6% T56 Driving Distance 319.0 yds. 320.5 yds. 319.8 yds. 3 Greens in Regulation 83% 83% 83.3% T5 Putts per Round 31 28 29.5 T33 Putts per GIR 1.867 1.667 1.767 27 Sand Saves 100% 67% 80.0% T8

Couldn't tell you how to hit a hook to save his life. Just aim right.

Knows what loft and lie are, but that's about it. Want specifics? See the guys in the equipment trucks. Thank goodness for them. They're lifesavers.

Want to know if he's playing the right club and ball? Just watch. Does it go straight?

And once you hit a shot? He's just a spectator like everyone else. Might as well have bought a ticket. Crazy crap -- his words -- happens.

Jason Gore doesn't reach. For answers. For great sound bites. Or for perfection.

He's comfy, thank you so much, in his own skin. And he's come to terms with the fact that, along with this so-not-technical thing, he's never going to be a perfect 10 like his old junior and college golf buddy Tiger either.

And that has nothing to do with his 52-inch chest or short arms.

More like his amazing highs and so-so lows, his streaky putting and his slow starts on the west coast. They're just part of his life.

His pro career started on a low note when, on the day he was to play in his first tournament, he woke up to his mother's screams. His dad had died of a heart attack. Fast forward to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst where he burst onto the scene, made it into Sunday's final pairing and closed with 84. Three months later, he won his lone PGA TOUR tournament -- the 84 Lumber Classic. Symmetry anyone?

And then there's this year, which went from a T65 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic to five missed cuts and a W/D. And now?

A second-round 68 has him in contention at the Shell Houston Open where he was tied for the lead midway through Friday's round.

"Want to put these shoes on?'' he laughed when someone asked about his EKG strip of a career. "I think Magic Mountain is going to name a roller coaster after me.'' (Magic Mountain is a popular amusement park in Jason's hometown of Valencia, CA)

And as for those slow starts? "I'm the only guy who lives in Southern California who can't read poa anna greens,'' he chuckled. "... And, you know a man of my stature is what I'll say, shouldn't like the heat and humidity. For some reason I play better in it.''

Right now, he's playing just fine in the wind and humidity here in the Bayou City area. He's also doing just fine with his "clubs du jour" -- a mixed bag he's assembled since splitting with Nike a month ago. He's gone back to an old Titleist Pro V1-X, tossed in a Cobra driver, Cobra irons and a 3-wood and rescue club from TaylorMade.

How did he come up with that combination?
I threw every set to the bottom of the lake. Whichever one floated. '' he smiled. "...You know, being out here you have the opportunity to hit a lot of stuff and a lot of stuff is thrown in your face. I just picked a set that just visually looked good to me. And they happened to work pretty well.''

He paused. "I mean so far. It's been two days.''

Two days, we might add of birdies. And not 60 foot bombs. The close kind. Like his 7-iron to eight inches at the fifth hole. "I'm 6-for-10 from that range,'' he said.

The old/new golf ball is helping. When he was with Nike, he was playing the same ball Tiger does, but it wasn't for him. "The ball didn't fit me,'' he said. "I'm not saying it's a bad product or anything like that. It's a great product. The best player in the world uses it. It just didn't work for me.''

So is a change back to his old swing coach Mike Miller. "I wanted him to slap me pretty hard. It was just one of those things. I was trying to do something that I'm not physically able to do,'' he said. "This is the way I swing. This is it. Just get some of the bugs out of it... I think I'm a pretty good ball striker. When I try to be something I'm not, it just starts to throw another problem in the hole.''

This week, Gore is taking things as they come. His hero-turned-friend Roger Clemens dropped by and tucked an Astros cap and some shirts in his locker. He's sporting the cap this week and Clemens' motto -- Tough All Day or TAD. That's what Gore has written on his golf ball this week.

There's a signed Clemens jersey from his Boston days on Gore's wall and, well, when the two met two years ago at the ADT Skills challenge... "I don't get star-struck, but that was Roger Clemens. I was freaked out,'' he smiled. "I'm a pretty big guy, but he's a monster.''

The two email back and forth and Clemens dropped by this week with the cap and TAD shirts.

And no, Gore doesn't know what decision he'll make about one more season. "I don't think his wife knows.''

Gore is nothing, if not genuine. He can laugh at losing 20 pounds in the off-season, working hard and coming out and stinking up the early season. He's honest when he says that final round at Pinehurst was a blur. He admits there was a time when doubts crept in.

But Pinehurst changed all that. The media, the competition and being in the final group with former Open champ Retief Goosen.

"It was one of those things as a professional golfer, that's our drug. That's our addiction to get into that mode and be so nervous that you can't see straight and hit something and feel that... I can't even describe.''

This may not be the U.S. Open, but it's Gore's next chance to get that feeling. To jump into the weekend mix. To give himself a chance -- for the first time since last fall's Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

He's got the swing going. Now, if the putter will behave.

"My putter has got a mind of its own sometimes, but it doesn't mean I'm a bad putter," he said. "I didn't make a lot of putts yesterday, but I hit a lot of good ones. It's golf. It's outside. It's on the grass. These things aren't suitable for scoring, you know... If we're on a pool table, I can make putts all day.''

Not the best answer, he said. But all he had.

And now, after putting in the hard work for the last five weeks, he'll see if this week might just belong to him.

"We always have that glimmer of hope that this could be our week. One person is going to walk away being the 2007 Shell Houston Open winner and you sit in your room and lie in bed and think, 'Why can't that be me?'"

Maybe this week, it will be.

Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved.

We're pulling for ya, big guy! I hope that you play your very best golf today, and that you can move up big time on that leaderboard...maybe WIN this thing!

And hopefully, the golf equipment manufacturers will hitch their wagon to YOUR star, and BOTH of you will prosper together....

Artan of the week - March 29, 2007

This week's Artan(TM) of the Week LITERALLY brought tears to my eyes...and it's a very special Artan...for two very special friends, who I haven't even met in person...but I'm honored to have met them in this grand adventure, and my life has been enriched as a result...

It commemorates the special bond that exists between one of my fellow golf bloggers, "The GolfChick" and her beloved companion, Kess.

My words cannot do the depth of this relationship justice, but Kristen has done an amazing job in a YouTube photo/video montage...(keep a kleenex handy, you've been warned...). I understand this bond, because I have a similar one with Rusti, a husky/collie mix that came into MY life in June 1995, and left it last September...

All I can say is, Kessy was lucky to have had YOU in her life, Kristen, and you in hers...she's a beautiful girl, and you can just SENSE the warmth and intelligence in her eyes...

It could NEVER be long enough...
In Kess' honor, I've decided that 12% of every MacKessock Artan(TM) sold at TartanGolfGrips.com will be donated to the UC Davis Companion Animal Veterinary Research fund, to help find cures to the ailments that affect our fur-people, and improve their quality and length of life...

I WANNA go.... (St. Andrews News Feb. 1 2007)

I was listening to Pure Golf with Peter Kessler on XM 146 - The PGA Tour Network on XM Satellite Radio on my way in to work this morning, and Peter was interviewing a gentleman associated with the design and development of the new "Castle Course", the seventh course at the St. Andrews Golf complex...

Peter's guest was going on about the FANTASTIC views afforded by the course's proximity to the Firth of Forth, and how it's only 20 minutes East of Edinburgh, and how the VIEWS of the ocean and the coastline from holes 10-15 (especially lucky #13) will rival Pebble Beach and several other famous coastline courses, and the more he described, the stronger the urge became to GO there and PLAY after the "Castle Course" opens on April 1, 2008...(What's up with THAT??? April Fool's Day??? Hmmmm....curious.....)


Well, hearing about THAT got me out to the St. Andrews Links and Trust website to see if there was a progress update on the course construction....WOW, was there EVER...

(All pictures courtesy of the St. Andrews Links and Trust)

This is a shot of the "headlands" where the ninth and eighteenth holes will meet, and the clubhouse will be located. (I'm not positive if the building in the center is the foundation of the new clubhouse, or an existing structure, but you can just SEE the layout of the holes...Peter Kessler's guest was describing the phenomenal views on the back nine, and you can get an idea what he was talking about...he was also mentioning that the WIND will come into play on that series of holes...

EVIDENTLY!!!

This is a shot of the topographical map of the course...I don't know why, but I've always DUG these things since I was a kid....they're like technical art, and the descriptive information that is presented graphically is just beautiful to me...this view gives you an idea of the clubhouse and coastline layout from another perspective, as well as the elevation changes and the layout of the golf course as well (in green)

These pictures are just drop dead gorgeous, and give you an idea of the "grow in" that's already taken place...OR, the small amount of dirt that's been moved, which is what Mr. Kessler's guest was indicating - Tom Doak's minimalist approach only took ten months to implement...WOW!

As if this visual feast for the eyes wasn't ENOUGH for one day, when I got out to the St. Andrews' Links and Trust website, they're also holding a JOB fair over two days. Figuring that something like this doesn't come around every so often, I decided to copy the text, rather than link to it, to KEEP it in perpetuity, as they appear to be staffing up in anticipation of the new course opening, as well as for the 2010 "Open" Championship...check it out:

ST ANDREWS LINKS TRUST
Situations vacant at St Andrews Links Trust
Golf Manager:
St Andrews Links Trust manages and maintains the largest public golf complex in Europe including the world famous Old Course. More than 80,000 visitor rounds are played on the six Links courses each year and the practice facilities and services are used by thousands of golfers.
The Trust is seeking a senior manager to oversee its golf operations. This includes an extensive Golf Practice Centre and Golf Academy and our successful junior golf association. The Golf Manager will also supervise our caddie, starters and rangers departments and the staging of several major tournaments which take place on the Links. These include the Links Trophy, the St Rule Trophy and the Alfred Dunhill Links Trophy on an annual basis and the Women’s British Open in 2007, the Curtis Cup in 2008 and The Open Championship in 2010. {No pressure THERE, right???}
This challenging role requires a dynamic team player who is adept at running a diverse range of operations in a co-ordinated and efficient manner. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in a senior leadership role within the golf industry.{Ya THINK???}
An excellent package is on offer for this post which presents a wonderful opportunity to become involved at the heart of the Home of Golf.{Heck, I'd pay THEM for this job!!!}
Please apply in writing to:
Ann Stuart
HR Manager
St Andrews Links Trust
Pilmour House
St Andrews KY16 9SF
or email:mailto:a.stuart@standrews.org.uk
Tel: 01334 466672
The closing date for applications is 16 February 2007

AND, if you're not at the top of the Golf Manager heap, but want to get in on the action in a more, um, GRASS ROOTS level, grab your passport and get to the airport NOW, because this Saturday is Day #2 at the:

Links Recruitment Days 2007
St Andrews Links is the most famous golfing destination in the world, with a global reputation for quality. Permanent, full-time, part-time, and seasonal job opportunities in our retail, reception and clubhouse departments are now available at the Home of Golf.
St Andrews Links is hosting two recruitment days when you can find out more about the following:
● Golf Shop Sales Associates ● Warehouse Assistant● Receptionists● Food and Beverage Assistants ● Kitchen Porters● Golf Practice Centre Assistant ● Players’ Assistants ● Putting Attendants● Facilities Assistants ● Cleaners
Come along and meet us at:
The St Andrews Links Clubhouse
West Sands Road
Tuesday 30 January and Saturday 3 February 10.00am to 2.30pm
Ann Stuart
HR Manager
St Andrews Links Trust
Pilmour House
St Andrews KY16 9SF
or email:mailto:a.stuart@standrews.org.uk
Tel: 01334 466672
{Just think what you'd see, and experience as a "Players' Assistant" or "Putting Attendant" - course you'd probably STARVE (or at least be really slender from not EATING), but still...it's nice to dream at what it MIGHT be like...}

Day off, and....

We played 14 holes at Sunset Hills on Monday, and we had the place to ourselves.

Why you ask, especially on Martin Luther King's birthday, when so many people have the day off?

Because it was COLD, that's why!!! BITTERLY cold for Southern California...in fact, we've had rather bad frost damage to many of the plants in the back yard....Southern California has been in the grips of some record-setting cold weather for the past few days and nights, and the temperature in the Thousand Oaks area has dipped into the high 20's and low 30's for the last three nights, and the cold north winds were blowing 20-30mph throughout the day today...

I bundled up in three layers of a mock turtleneck, polo shirt and my Longs Drugs Challenge Anitigua golf jacket and headed out to do battle with the course and the elements, and you know what? Thanks to the world's best golf ball (IMO), the Callaway HX Tour coupled with my new Heavenwood 4H hybrid, I managed to post a 43 (8 over) for the front nine...

For some reason, I found the sand repeatedly, but managed to make some MIRACULOUS sand saves with that magic HX Tour ball, where it popped out of the sand, checked up like it was sticking to Velcro, and stopped right by the pin for a relatively easy putt...

HX Tour's cost a bit more, but based upon today's round, I might be trading up from the HX Hot to play the HX Tour for its better spin characteristics around the green...I've been practicing a more descending stroke at the range in an attempt to get the ball to check up more, and I think that the practice is beginning to pay dividends...but the ball didn't hurt the efforts either...

And, also had an unscheduled detour yesterday...the plan was to play in the Guys'N'Dolls tournament that teed off at noon at Sunset Hills CC, but I just HAPPENED to stumble across GolfChannel.com and checked out the new Golf Inventor reality show link, and Holy SHMOKES, they had open auditions for Los Angeles yesterday!!! I had submitted my application back around Halloween, and gotten an e-mail confirmation back, but somehow I fell through the cracks, and wasn't notified of yesterday's open auditions at the LAX Hilton Hotel.

Coincidentally, that LAX Hilton Hotel was my second-ever audit client when it first opened, and I knew where everything was...it was weird returning to a place that I spent SO many long days auditing way back when I was in an internship program at Cal State Northridge...

The auditions were from 8AM to 8PM, and they had opened the doors for registration at 7AM...seeing as I stumbled across the announcement at 9:30AM, and had to complete a rather lengthy application, get ready and travel to the LAX area, I checked in at 12:50PM and was assigned #96...and they were on #58 when I got my number. I had my 5 minute audition about 5:30PM, and I had taken in three putters with TartanGolfGrips.com grips on them as part of my audition. From what I could tell, most of the inventions were more technical or training oriented than my product, but the auditioner who greeted me instinctively blurted out "Those are COOL grips!" when he saw them, which was EXACTLY the reaction that I always hope for...

We'll see how the audition process goes, but there were at least 98 people who showed up in Los Angeles, and they're having auditions in Orlando, Dallas, Chicago and one or two other cities...and it appears that there's NO shortage of golf junkies who have designed "the next big thing" and want to introduce it to the world in the new reality series on the Golf Channel.

Congratulations, Chris DiMarco....

On your Florida Gators' decisive 41-14-win over heavily favored Ohio State in the 2007 BCS National Championship game...By the way, if you will please contact me, I have a TartanGolfGrips.com set of golf grips for you that I tried to get to you at the recent 2006 Target World Challenge.

I guess it was a good year for underdog football teams that wear Blue and Orange!!!

How cool is THIS???

Banfield, The Pet Hospital, the world's largest private veterinary practice, has joined forces with pet owner and PGA TOUR champion Rory Sabbatini to raise dollars for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which supports American soldiers and their families that have been affected by the current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More information is here and here....

We'll buy two when they come out February 1, 2007....way to go, Rory!!!

This just in from St. Andrews...

It must be to preserve the fairways from the inclement Scottish winter weather, but it just looks ODD to see that "fairway mats" are required at the home of golf...check it out (they do their dates Euro style (dd/mm/yy):

"3/01/07 - Fairway mats are required on the Strathtyrum and New Courses as well as the Old Course. In low season, St Andrews Links continues to be one of the best places to play golf."

Click here for some cool pictures...

Turns out that over 4,000 entries were received to name the new "Number 7" course...that'll make WINNING it even the sweeter...remember Seachdadhar Brae - you saw it here first...(Seachdadhar is Scots Gaelic (loosely interpreted) for "Seventh Heaven")

Click here for some good deals on fairway mats...

While you're at it,please check out The Niblick Journal for some interesting golf observations...they've taken some time off, but they must be ramping up in time for PGA Tour season - which starts TOMORROW!!! {Wahoo!!!}

Final thought for the day - check out the fun fantasy leagues that are being run at PGATOUR.COM

Tiger Wood floor is complete

Well, first it was the Tiger Woods golf tournament, then it was the cold from you-know-where, then it was Christmas and the Tiger Wood floor...


Let me explain - we spent most of our Christmas weekend ripping out our old carpeting and replacing it with Armstrong Tiger Maple laminate flooring. It's a beautiful design, and it makes the house look AMAZING - when we were shopping for it, I joked with my wife that I wanted that pattern because it was a Tiger Wood floor...she wanted it because it was more attractive than the "bleahhh" blue/grey carpeting that we installed about five years ago...you know you HATE your carpeting when you come home from work and the bare concrete slab looks better than the carpeting that was there that morning...


We wrapped up the finish work on December 30, which was a huge coincidence with Tiger's birthday, and announcement of his impending fatherhood. (Congratulations to Tiger and Elin - I saw her at the recent Target World Challenge, and she's TALLER than I thought she was....) We went to Kohl's on a whim on Friday night, and scored some HUGE deals on area rugs - the budget got a bit of a reprieve, and we got some BEAUTIFUL area rugs at 40-70% off...


Now, it's a waiting game for that black leather sofa to go on sale at Plummer's Home and Office Furniture, and we're in luck...

In space, everyone can hear you slice...

OK, it's a bad play on an old cliche, but it turns out that no gravity has no bearing on the human tendency to slice a golf ball...

Well, THAT'S a relief!!!

Turns out Russian cosmonaut (How come THEY'RE cosmonauts, and WE'RE astronauts? Can't we all just get along???) Mikhail Tyurin sliced his space-shot to the right, just like hundreds of millions of us earthbound golfers do.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=15100&select=21288 has the details...

If you check out the details, it turns out that Mikhail was getting a bit steamed (LITERALLY!) throughout his golf-in-space experience, caused by a balky space station hatch door and a spacesuit that was overheating. Turns out he was 77 minutes late for his tee-time, which will get MOST people steamed...same thing happens to me - I get ticked off, start swinging too hard, and I'm off in the weeds to the right...

Maybe this game IS 90% mental...

MY life in golf...

I just realized that I've published "What's in the bag", but I've never published why I got into golf, so here goes...

I first got into golf when "I Shot The Sheriff" (by Eric Clapton, not Warren G or 386DX) was topping the charts (a year that had some AMAZING songs, by the way), and Mom had to give me a ride to the Los Angeles Unified School District summer school program lessons at Taft High School in eastern Woodland Hills. I remember hitting whiffle balls for hours on end with my best friend, John Forrest. John's dad Jack was a hard-core golfer; always had his clubs in the trunk of his car - house was LITTERED with Golf Digest magazines - you know the type...I remember being curious about WHY Jack was SO into his golf game....he was a HUGE Jack Nicklaus fan...I was more into Arnold Palmer - I respected his elegance, class and way he played the game - I am STILL an Arnold fan to this day...

The reason I remember the year is because I distinctly remember going to practice with my Mom and Dad one hot summer night at the driving range that used to be on Topanga Canyon Blvd, just south of Victory Blvd.. (Behind the miniature golf course/arcade where we used to have our birthday parties. They used to have one of those three or four story fiberglass slides featuring three or four whoop-de-doos - you know, the ones that you'd slide down on burlap bags...)

I distinctly remember schlubbing Dad's old set of Spalding clubs through the arcade area to get to the driving range out back that hot summer evening, and Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff", Paper Lace's "The NIght Chicago Died" and Hues Corporation's "Rock the Boat" were all blaring over the PA system while we were hitting balls... (I'm having one of those "Field of Dreams" moments here - remember when James Earl Jones' character described "the memories so thick you could cut them with a knife"???

My Dad and I never played golf at the golf course, because golf just wasn't Dad's sport, but we spent a bunch of evenings smacking balls at the range, and then headed over to the drive-thru dairy that used to be where Green Jug Liquors now is on Platt Avenue to get a Drumstick ice-cream... 21st Century Insurance's second building is now built on the site of that former driving range...I'll bet they unearthed THOUSANDS of golf balls when they were digging the foundation for that 21st Building...
(Dad's sport was BOWLING by the way, and he taught me well...)

I gave up golf for basketball during the rest of Jr. High, and High School...gave up basketball for marching band when I and my friend Mitch got cut from the JV team two weeks into the fall semester of our 10th grade year...although getting cut from the basketball team (huge failure at the time) turned into one of the biggest blessings in my life as my experiences in marching band were probably the most continual FUN that I've EVER had in my life, and resulted in an opportunity to join and win the Drum Corps International Championships as a member of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps out of Concord, California.
(Tonight's shameless name drop: I went to Jr. High and High School with Brad Garrett back when he was Brad Gerstenfeld, and he was funnier than heck, even back then...it's nice to see a local boy done good...also got to play vibes with Mark Schulman in the HS jazz band - Mark's played drums with Foreigner, Richard Marx, Billy Idol, Cher and others - he's a great, funny guy whose story is inspiring in its own right...)

Total elapsed time in golf: Two years ('74-'75)
Player most admired at the time: Arnold Palmer

My golf game stayed dormant throughout my college years, and was resuscitated when I got my first job out of Cal State Northridge with a public accounting firm. We had significant audit activity going on down in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area during January and February, which was quite convenient. Never made it out to the Bob Hope or the Dinah Shore because we were too busy PLAYING golf on the weekends.

Because we were sent down to the desert for weeks on end, many of the guys took their clubs and stayed down there to play golf over the weekends, rather than hassling the drive back into LA.

Realizing that I would have been laughed off the course had I brought along my Dad's '50's era Spaldings, I bought my first set of clubs, a set of MacGregor Golden Bear woods and Wilson K-28 irons from some discount catalog outfit in Northridge, CA, and a Ping knock-off putter from the Walter Keller Golf Shop in West Los Angeles (near where I was working in Century City).

After struggling with the old persimmon woods, I was smitten with the new Spalding Cannon woods that I read about in the golf magazines, and bought a set during my SECOND year of auditing down in the desert. I still have those clubs, and a friend was using them to get started playing golf...

Total elapsed time in golf: Two years ('83-'84).
Player most admired at the time: Greg Norman (I still admire his business acumen, sense of cool/style, and his wine is AWESOME...)

I got out of that firm for another, and gave up golf for skiing and water-skiing for about ten years.

Didn't touch my golf clubs until about '93 when I started dating my wife. She had played volleyball in college, and excelled at softball and tennis, and expressed an interest in trying her hand at golf, so we packed up my Cannons and K-28's and headed out to the driving range at Westlake Village Golf Course. We played her first round at Westlake, and then both of us got busy finalizing our education; she completed her Finance/IT degree at Cal State Northridge, and I completed my MBA at Pepperdine University.

We got married in '98, and a couple that she had worked with asked us out to play golf with them in 2000...

That was the start of the madness that we currently find both of us experiencing...the "golf bug" bit both of us really hard, but probably me harder, as all those memories from the years gone by came flooding back, and the happy, peaceful feeling that I always got (and get) out on the course became intoxicating...

We took lessons together through the Pierce College Extension Program, and became good friends with our instructor, "Coach Pete" Argiriou. "Coach Pete's" weekend classes at Pierce College in Woodland Hills are a GREAT, COST EFFECTIVE way to get introduced to the fundamentals of the golf swing.

When some flaws crept into my swing in 2004, I took my first "professional" lessons from Ted Lehmann at the Westlake Village Golf Course. Ted is AWESOME!!! Ted's instruction corrected the flaws in my setup, grip and alignment, and we developed the ol' "inside/out" swing plane that enabled me to FINALLY hit a nice draw, instead of the slow, leaky, power-robbing fade that I had been hitting on my own...Ted's instruction features video training, and he shows your swing side-by-side with PGA Professional's swings (usually Tiger's) that helps you work out the kinks efficiently...it's also kinda fun to watch your swing develop over time, because Ted kept files to help me in line, and on-plane.

We are truly blessed because we have approximately 25 golf courses within a 25 mile radius, and the variety of courses is amazing.

We got a membership at Sunset Hills Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA in 2004, and have played courses from Kapalua in Maui, to Pebble Beach, to Sand Hills in Mullen, NE where my wife's cousin works. (It's an awesome course, by the way - another is Wild Horse Golf Club in Gothenburg, NE)

Total elapsed time in golf: Six years and counting...during which time my handicap has fallen from 24.5 to 18, reaching an all-time low of 17.4 during a time when I was "between jobs" and had LOTS of time to practice...low all-time score is 82 at Rustic Canyon Golf Course in Moorpark, CA.

PGA Player(s) most admired at the time: Padraig Harrington and Chris DiMarco with Jason Gore ascending and Michael Putnam waiting in the wings on the Nationwide Tour...Go Waves!
LPGA Players admired at the time: Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome (watch out for Brit - this girl's got game, and she is LOOOONG off the tee - super sweet, too - I was "Sign Boy" for her at Office Depot '05 at Trump National LA), Sherrie Steinhauer (met HER on the rental car shuttle bus this year at Sacramento, following the Longs Drugs Challenge - became a BIG fan after talking with her...), Katherine Hull (Go Waves!), Kris Tschetter (Grace and class on the golf course - plus she dresses impeccably)

Honorable mention: PGA:Fred Funk, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, David Toms, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, David Howell, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, John Daly (saw him SING with Hootie and The Blowfish in Memphis, TN - he's great!), Charles Howell III, Adam Scott, Mike Weir, Ben Curtis, Tom Lehman, Jesper Parnevik, Kenny Perry, John Cook, Jay Haas, Hank Kuehne
LPGA: Jenna Daniels, Julieta Granada, Morgan Pressel, Maggie Will

Total elapsed playing time in golf: 10 years...I'm really sorry that I didn't play during the ensuing years, and wish that golf had been "cooler" back in the day, rather than considered "an old man's sport plaid by beer-bellies in ugly polyester plaid pants". (Ahhh, the '70's and '80's - fashion's Dark Ages...)

The more I studied the history of golf, the more I LOVE golf...it's the one last sport that hasn't been completely ruined by inflated salaries and poor sportsmanship (although Tiger and Phil's withdrawals from The Players' Championship at the end of this year may cause me to re-think that hypothesis).

Because of golf:

• I've gotten to talk to Ray Romano while waiting for our clubs to come off the plane at LAX,
• I've met Jason Gore on the flight back from Phoenix to Burbank the weekend he won his "battlefield exemption" to the PGA Tour from the Nationwide Tour (Because I knew who he WAS),
• I've gotten to play "Ocean Trails" about a month after the eighteenth green gave way into the Pacific Ocean.
• I've volunteered for the last five years at the Target World Challenge as a marshal and standard bearer, and for the LPGA Tournaments at El Caballero in '04, Trump National LA in '05 and the Longs Drugs Challenge in '04 and '06...
• I've met three-time women's British Open champion Sherrie Steinhauer, and talked on a personal level...
• I've made a BOATLOAD of happy memories along the way...and they're not done!!!
  

I believe that golf truly IS the greatest game ever invented, and the rich history and traditions that are associated with the game make it a truly special experience.

I recently was fortunate enough to play a round at Riviera Country Club, and fulfilled a long-term dream to play the 18th hole well, lasering a 270 yard drive (where did THAT distance come from??? Thank you, Callaway Tour56's!!!) and a 170 yard approach into the back of the green/fringe, where I proceeded to chunk a wedge and finish with a bogey, but I didn't care - I'd already HAD MY fun...

My list of All-Star Golf Courses and Holes through the years:

• Pebble Beach #4, #7, #8, #9, #11, #14, #17, #18
• Kapalua (Bay Course) #5
• The Links at Spanish Bay: #5, #7, #9, #14, #16
• Rancho San Marcos #3, #6, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18
• Elkins Ranch #17, #18
• Sandpiper Golf Course #5, #6, $10, #11, #13, #14, #18
• Glen Annie Golf Course: #7, #12, #15, #18
• Torrey Pines (South) #3, #4, #10, #11, #12, #13, #18
• Sand Hills #1, #4, #9, #10, #12, #15, #18
• Wild Horse Golf Club: #1-9
• La Purisima Golf Course: #1, #3, #6, #8, #9, #10, #13, #15
  Rustic Canyon Golf Course: #13, #18
• Camarillo Springs: #6-11
• Tierra Rejada Golf Club: #4, #6, #8, #13, #14, #17, #18
• Lost Canyons Golf Course (Sky Course: #1, #2, #3, #6, #16-18
• Malibu Country Club: #1, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #11, #14, #17, #18
  

My future dreams in golf include taking my Mom back to Scotland to sightsee her childhood home and play golf at St. Andrews' Old Course (and hopefully at Course No. 7, which I hope to succesfully name Tayboir Mor or Seachdadhar Brae), playing Carnoustie and Ballybunnion, playing Bandon Dunes and Whistling Straits, and another round at Pebble Beach, this one with Mark ("Doc") Fletcher (now that I've reduced my tendency to slice, and won't be so nervous that I put three straight seven-wood tee-shots on the condominium roofs to the immediate right of the first tee).

Dream foursomes:

• (PGA): Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Padraig Harrington
  
• (PGA Runners-up): Fred Couples, Jason Gore, Stewart Cink
• LPGA Tour: Annika Sorenstam, Paula Creamer, Lorena Ochoa
• LPGA Tour (for all the wrong reasons): Natalie Gulbis, Katherine Hull, Kris Tschetter
  
• Nationwide Tour: Michael Putnam, Jason Allred, Kenny G (OK, so he's not REALLY a NT player, but we need SOMEONE to round out the foursome)
  
• Duramed Futures Tour (also for all the wrong reasons): Dana Lacey, Bridget Dwyer, Leigh Ann Hardin, Christina Monacelli, Blair O'Neal, Anna Rawson, Katie Ruhe, Linda Sorensen, Elizabeth Stuart, Perry Swenson, Kristina Tucker, Briana Vega, Heather Zielinski
  

That's the BEST part of golf - there's always something more to look forward to...golf gives you something to live for...