Z TECH Two Sided Brush

What we have here is the classic golf club brush, with wire bristles on one side, and plastic on the other. While it works well enough for the cleaning of brushes, I’ve found a serious flaw in the design: I continually get poked by the wire bristles. And not just a little—those wires can produce a very deep wound.

So I propose that what the world needs is a better brush design—one with retractable bristles. Further, it would have a hollow handle for storing water. And finally, it’d have a sharp pointy thing for scraping out grooves. I can’t be the first one to think of such a thing, but I’ve never seen it in the wild.

Play Golf America was launched five years ago as an industry wide attempt to increase participation in the sport. Developed by The PGA of America along with the LPGA, National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), PGA Tour, USGA and other Golf 20/20 Conference participants, the program has had more than 3.4 million prople participate in such things as Play Golf America Days, special events and National Promotions such as PGA Free Fitting and Trade-Up Month, PGA Free Lesson Month, American Express® Women’s Golf Month and Family Golf Month.

According to the effort’s five year report, Play Golf America has been a success. They report:

- 3.4 million students participating in group instruction over the past five years
- 5.5 million golfers per year playing in leagues and outings
- 1.28 million people experiencing golf through National Promotions, Play Golf America Days and special events

Those aren’t bad numbers, but here’s the one that really jumped out at me:

During the last five years, new golfers participating in Play Golf America programs reported having a retention rate that was consistently greater than 75%. That is noticeably higher than the 50% rate the National Golf Foundation reported for players who entered the game on their own accord.

Retention has long been a big problem in the sport. People take golf up with enthusiasm, but more than half of new golfers typically give it up within a few years. For many, the sport turns out to be too hard, too expensive and too time consuming. In terms of skills, most golfers peak within three years of starting (and remember that the average score for 18 holes is 100).

If Play Golf America really can boast 75% retention rates, then it truly is a worthwhile program.

You can read the rest of the report here.

We got our first snow of the year yesterday. Here’s a photo of the blooms in Mrs. GolfBlogger’s rose garden at 6:00 this morning.

Sad.

Very sad.

The Ottawa Citizen has a very interesting article on Papwa Sewgolum, an illiterate native of Durban, who some say may have been the best golfer South Africa has ever seen.

High praise, considering the accomplishments of Gary Player.

During the prime of Mr. Player’s career there was another South African who was his equal on the links, who defeated him in 1965 at a sensational provincial open championship in Durban and who won several European championships. Papwa Sewgolum was the great-grandson of an indentured labourer from India, an impoverished illiterate who possessed prodigious amounts of raw talent. Had he been permitted by the apartheid regime to play the game at the same level, with similar advantages as Mr. Player and other white golfers, there is no telling what he might have accomplished.

Mr. Sewgolum could have left his home in Durban’s suburbs to play professional golf overseas, where racism was less overt. But he was a sweet, simple man who hated travelling. His life and career thus became portraits of the evil apartheid did. The regime crushed him bit by bit, in a myriad of ways. And it happened while Mr. Player golfed with prime minister Johannes Vorster, the symbol of everything apartheid represented.

The article reminds me in some ways of the speculation that surrounds the potential of various Negro League Players. How good would Josh Gibson or Buck O’Neil have been if given a chance to play in the bigs? We’ll never know.

Ultimately, Sewgolum’s story, and that of the Negro League players, is a sad one. I don’t think there’s anything as tragic as great potential wasted.

TPK Personalized Leather Scorecard Holder

A scorecard holder is a classy course accessory. I really like the one I’ve got because it keeps my card from being destroyed in my pocket. That’s especially important to me when I play a new, or high end course because I like to keep the card as a souvenir.

It’s also make a good holiday gift for the golfer in your life.