ESPN’s Jason Sobel asks the question: “Who Are Some Pro Athletes Turned Golfers?”

I’m sure he didn’t mean it, but isn’t the implication of that headline that golfers aren’t athletes.

I recently finished a couple of biographies of golf great Walter Hagen. Hagen is one of the pivotal figures in the history of golf, and is rightly credited with creating the concept of the “playing” (as opposed to the “club” or “teaching”) professional. He is probably the first professional athlete to have reached the $1 million mark in career earnings (approximately $12 million in 2007 dollars).

Hagen currently is credited with eleven major victories: the 1914 and 1919 US Open, the 1922, 1924, 1928 and 1929 British Open Championship and the 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927 PGA Championships.

Hagen played in just three Masters tournaments, and these were when he was well beyond his prime. In those, he finished T13, T15 and T11.

But after reading the biographies, I believe that Hagen has been short changed. For while the fourth modern major—the Masters—did not exist during most of his playing career, there was a tournament that could (and was in its time) rightly be considered a major: The Western Open.

The PineMeadow ZR1 Hybrids offer many of the features of the Ping G5 hybrids at a fraction of the price. With its long profile and wide sole, the ZR1 offers the accuracy of an iron and the playability of a wood. It’s designed—like all hybrids—to offer a higher and longer shot.

The only problem that I’ve found with hybrids is that they often can created a distance gap in clubs. My experience is that I hit my 4 iron replacement hybrid longer than I ever did the iron. It takes a bit of adjustment.

If you don’t already have one in your bag, the ZR1 offers a good chance to try a hybrid for yourself—especially since they start at just $39.

Once again the Golf Blogger dons his tinfoil cap and ascends the grassy knoll ...

A couple of weeks ago, the International, a generally well regarded tournament in Denver,  was forced to shut down for lack of sponsors. Jack Vickers, organizer of the tournament, said that the issue was that no one wanted to sponsor the tournament unless Tiger would commit to playing at least once every five or six years.

Unfortunately, the word from Tiger’s camp was that he would never, ever play in the International. Tiger’s people apparently had blamed the scheduling of the International, which was “too close to the PGA Championship.” (The Golf Blogger believes that it had to do with the Stableford Scoring).

Yesterday, however, the PGA Tour announced that the replacement for the International will be a new event in Washington, hosted by ... The Tiger Woods Foundation.

Now, holding a tournament in Washington, D.C. is a very good idea (as I’ve written before here and here). But THIS is just too convenient.

The Rocky Mountain News has an interesting take on the story ... and you can see the suspicion in their eyes:

Officials of the defunct International golf tournament at Castle Pines were tortured because Tiger Woods often bypassed their tournament.

The hurt likely became more painful Tuesday when the PGA Tour announced The International’s Fourth of July weekend date on this year’s schedule was given to an event in Washington - and that the Tiger Woods Foundation will run the tournament.

International officials were not available for comment Tuesday. But three weeks ago, in officially announcing the cancellation of the event, International founder Jack Vickers noted the significance of the absence of Woods, who played in the Castle Pines event twice (1998 and 1999).

“There is no question that (Woods) has a profound effect when he plays,” Vickers said then. “He would have had the same kind of effect here that he has everywhere he goes.

So El Tigre can’t get to the International, but he CAN make it to his own event. 

To be fair, it’s noted that Tiger might not actually play in this year’s event because of his wife’s pregnancy. But it’s a sure thing that he’ll be glad handing and pumping corporate sponsors. And you can bet your bottom dollar that he’ll be a regular in his namesake tournament.

Do you want an indication of just how important Tiger is to the PGA Tour? There are just three tournaments named after golfers: The Byron Nelson, the recently renamed Palmer tournament ... and now the Tiger Woods Foundation Tournament (I haven’t seen a name yet, but there is no doubt his will be on it).

There are a couple of explanations for this turn of events: 1) Mere coincidence; 2) the PGA, desperate for a tournament that weekend, begged Tiger to step up to the plate; or 3) Tiger (or his people) deliberately crippled the International with the intention of getting their own tournament in its place.

Which is it? You answer is as good as mine. I want to believe the best. But it looks awfully suspicious.

The tri speed is—as its name would imply—a three piece multilayer ball with 333 dimples. Cute, huh.

At tis core, the Trispeed has a large core with an “Energetic Gradient Growth” design, which starts firmer on the outside, and softens at it approaches the center. This is supposed to deliver optimal high launch, low spin launch conditions. The middle layer is constructed from Srixon’s Rabalona ionomer and is designed for enhanced ball speed. The Rabalona cover is supposed to offer better feel.

“As its name implies, the Srixon Trispeed has 3 incredible layers of technology, each of which is designed for speed and distance,” said Richard Stamper, Srixon’s President.  “The Trispeed’s core is larger than that of its competition giving it higher rubber content and greater speed.  The proprietary Rabalon blended ionomer mid-layer and cover are extremely fast materials which also mean greater speed directly translating to more distance. What is so unique about this product is the resilience and velocity of the Rabalon blended cover and mid-layer allow us to soften the core compression without the
corresponding loss in velocity.  Bottom line, what the technology experts at Srixon have developed here is a multilayer ball that goes a long way and feels great but doesn’t require tour-like swing speed and won’t break the bank,” added Stamper.

Your friendly neighborhood GolfBlogger has a cousin who is a doctor of Oriental Medicine in Hawaii. He’s been practicing accupuncture for many years now and apparently has quite a practice.

But in spite of that family connection, I’ve always been skeptical of such things. While I am sure that they work for some, I seem to get along just fine without them.

So when a copy of Tap In Golf arrived in the mail, I wasn’t at all sure what to make of it.

What Tap In Golf seems to offer is essentially an accupuncture program to help golfers reduce tension and bad thinking during their rounds. The difference is that instead of sticking needles in critical points, Tap In Golf asks you to tap them with two fingers.

Author Stephen Ladd says that Tap In Golf is “a combination of cutting edge quantum physics and centuries old wisdom ... whose most widely known therapy is acupuncture”

While this sounds like it belongs in the same league as pyramids and crystals, Ladd does his best to disabuse the notion that it’s a new age “airy fairy” (his words, not mine) thing.

There is definitely a serious method involved here. You identify the problem—say, tension on the first tee—rate its intensity, develop a reminder phrase and then tap a key area while reviewing the phrase. It’s all very systematic, and the book offers a plethora of examples.

Perhaps the most useful—or at least, the most grounded—thing in the book for me was the chapter on proper breathing techniques. I believe that I can speak somewhat authoritatively on breathing, as I play most of the brass instruments, and in high school was all-state choir (I sang bass). Music teachers preach that to get the proper wind, you need to breathe through your diaphragm. Most people, however, seem to breathe upward through the chest.

So does Tap In Golf work? I don’t know. I do not personally have tension or attitude problems with my golf game. The game is a joy for me and each shot—good or bad—is just an opportunity to make another. Sure, I’m not a great player, and I of course would like to get better, but I am always very positive on the course.

I also think that my natural resistance to such things would negate any positive effects that Tap In Golf could have.

But if you already find that this sort of thing works for you, then you should give this book a try.

I am a huge fan of Tilley hats and am the proud owner of two: a lightweight summer golf hat, and a wool winter one. They feel great, wear like iron and never fail to get a complement. They are so much more stylish than the run-of-the-mill baseball cap.

Callaway now offers a branded Tilley—a wide brimmed classic style, with the Callaway logo embroidered on it.

You WILL NOT be disappointed with your Tilley.