Well the first major is in the books. Phil Mickelson won his second green jacket in 3 years. His only bogey came on 18 when he was 3 shots ahead.

Tiger finished tied for 3rd with Couples, Campbell and Olazabal.

This win was a follow up to Phil's record tying -28 last week at the Bellsouth Classic (which I attended).

It should be a great year.

So who else watches or plays?

Finally a golf thread! I'm a pretty regular golfer each season, and try to watch the tournaments when I can.
Yeah, I watched the last 2 rounds of the Masters this weekend. Mickelson played incredibly well once again. If Tiger couldn't win it, I'm glad Mickelson did. Tiger just couldn't sink any clutch putts in the final round, but at least he was up there on the leaderboard.

Damn, Suit. You picked a good time to go to a tournament to witness Lefty's -28. The guy's playing fuckin' good this year. Were you there on Sunday?

Yeah, I was only there on Sunday, we were parked on 18 where most of the players laid up. Jonathon Kaye hit an errant shot about 2 feet behind us. It was the first tourney I had been too.

It was nice because my buddy had VIP passes...free beer

And here I was wondering if TJNR was good with the golf chatter... Excellent thread, Suit.

Masters was great this year, although the way it was looking as the lead groups were making the turn on Sunday - I was surprised/slightly-disappointed that Phil ended up coasting in. I guess I was hoping for a little more drama.

What do you guys think about the opinion du jour that Phil is now "the real #1" after putting up that rediculous -28 and then coasting in for the Green Jacket?

Self-Promotion: I'm quite interested to watch the Heritage this weekend since I'll be playing Harbour Town the 1st week of May Of course, since the course will probably still be in Tournament condition, I fully expect to put up a score that looks like the polar opposite of Phil's -28

I can't watch golf, because all it does it make me want to go outside and play.

Playing golf is fun, especially when the beer cart comes around and you are playing with some rich guys. They will ply you with beer like ya wouldn't beleive.

I play regularly. My handicap is 10 at the moment, I've been as low as 8, but that was before I did my back. I've completely remodelled my swing in the last 2 years to compensate for the lack of flexibility.

My dad taught me to play when I was 7 or 8 years old. He took me out on a rugby field with a pitching wedge, and had me chipping the ball through the posts. To this day, the pitching wedge is my favourite club in the bag. I can do magic with it it - curve it both ways, backspin, topspin, stop it dead.

I'm playing saturday morning, bright and early as usual. If you tee off before 8:30am, you can avoid the hackers.

I get to play Sherwood and North Ranch a couple times a year...sadly, my game is barely deserving of the public course I play the rest of the time.

My dad's office is almost a trophy room of all the pro-am and charity tournaments he's won. He won a Chrysler 300 at one two years ago. The shame he must feel over his failure to do better with me has to be intense.

Out of curiousity...who here's got the longest drive?

I hit a 305 yard laser once.

Once.



Of course, now if I make it 250, downhill, with the wind at my back... I'm psyched.

I'd be embarrassed to hit a drive next to Michelle or Annika.

The only golf I ever played was pitch n putt. Yup, I'm a stupid fucking newb. I would play more, but its still raining too much.

I once hit a drive on a downhill par 4, in beautiful conditions, with slight wind behind, and a huge kick on a dry fairway, about 315. Before I hurt my back, I averaged about 270. Now, about 255.

I am terrible. I only picked the game up in 2003. I have gotten 3 pars and those have all come within the last year. I have no consistency at all. My proudest momement was on a par 5 I hit a 3 wood that looked like it was going into the lake, it instead skipped off into the fairway. I ended up making par on that hole.

I've been twice since the weather turned warm and sunny. The first time I had a great time, we got paired with 2 guys, one who showed me how to actually hit my driver, it was nice actually keeping up with the other guys off of the tee. There's a short par 4 that is downhill and I drove to about 10 yards of the green, putted to the green (I cannot chip to save my life) and had about a 10 foot birdie putt. I missed, but did make another par.

The next weekend I went out again and couldn't hit anything to save my life. I got so mad I quit and just rode around in the cart.

I would just like to say that on saturday morning, I holed a 35-foot downhill putt on a two-tiered green, which broke quite strongly from left to right, for a birdie. That is all.

Sa-weet.

I played this weekend too, but the course was really muddy and wet. The greens were impossible to judge. I'd hit a perfect drive and the ball would just plug in the fairway, most of the time not to be found. Needless to say I didn't score very well, but hit some decent approach shots.

WTF! It's spring. It's golf time. STOP FUCKING RAINING!

Played twice this weekend. Wish I could have put the back nine from the first round with the front nine from the second. Went 53, 42(on a 118 slope) and then 47, 53(on a 130 slope) I guess that's what being a high handicapper is all about.

Loved the feeling of carding the 42 though. That was sweet.

T-minus 16 days til Hilton Head.

Finally broke 90 today! Shot an 89 at New England Country Club

For those that are more experienced than I, what's a good way to buy clubs?

How do you know what's good for what price? I may be looking into a new putter and a pitching wedge as well, I had a nice Taylor made my Dad won from his job and gave me but I left it at a hole and came back and it was gone

Go to your nearest golf shop and try out whatever you think you might want. Believe me...they'll be really helpful with answering any questions you have, and encourage you to hit as many different models as you feel like, mainly because they work on commissions and want you to buy shit from them.
Now, what you do next is key. Leave the golf shop immediately with your new knowledge of the best models out there for you, having not spent a penny and log into eBay. Search for the clubs you tried out in the golf shop that you want and have fun paying way, WAY less for them. Take the extra money you have left over and go buy some booze and porn!

I've bought almost every club in my bag brand new off of eBay. Sometimes by getting a club that's maybe a 2004 model, but still brand new, can save you hundreds.
As far as a putter, I use a Ping Sedona. Putters are definately something you should try before you buy. Everyone has their own personal preference.

I definitely agree with what playdrums said. You need to head down to a good pro shop, and try stuff out. That's exactly what I did - I tried almost everything in the store before I handed over any cash. You need to find out what feels comfortable for you, in terms of:

- Type of shaft: are you 6' plus? Do you have a 'tall' stance to the ball? If so, then graphite shafts might not be for you - you may find them difficult to control. Graphite shafts are better for players with a shorter stature and swing.

- Type of clubhead: do you struggle hitting your 3, 4 and 5 irons? Then hybrid heads might be just the thing for you. They improved my game beyond belief - I went from hitting around 90, to more like 80. I now know that I can go to my long irons with confidence.

- Type of putter: I'm very particular about my putter, it has to have a very heavy head, and the shaft must meet the head in the centre, rather than offset. Find out what works for you by trying every putter in the place.

And like playdrums said, eBay can be a great place to buy clubs, so if you feel you're not getting a good deal (don't ever pay the sticker price), then look there.

Sweet, thanks guys

So, I'm back from Hilton Head. I've gotta say, any semi-serious golfer should plan a trip down there. We stayed at the Sea Pines resort on the west end of the island. 60,000 acres of golf courses, condos, villas and multi-million dollar vacation homes Played 86 holes of golf - 18 at Sea Marsh; 36 at Ocean Course and 32 at Harbour Town (ran out of sunlight)

One of the highlights of the weekend was after hitting our drives on 18 at Harbour Town - the hole you see on TV during the Heritage with the candy-cane lighthouse behind the green - we turned to face west and hit a few balls into the ocean about 260 yards away over the marsh while the sun was setting in the distance. then we shotgunned beers. Talk about an awesome experience. (Hopefully some pictures to follow)

Harbour Town was immaculate. Greens were still in tournament condition and the fairways were rediculously tight. Service was amazing and the practice facility unparalelled. Even the beer was cheap - we hammered down $4 pitchers at the 19th hole

Best round for me was a handicap-lowering 94 stroke/31 putt performance from the Championship tees at Ocean Course (135 slope). Only problem was we were playing Vegas/Sixes and although I had the low round, I still lost moolah due to my partners shitting the bed at the wrong times.

Speaking of - bigrich - what are your favorite betting formats?

Okay class... So we had some anti-climatic* work by the Great Wie on Monday, which will be followed up by two solid weekends of Major golf. Let's have a little discussion shall we?

Tomorrow begins the LPGA's 2nd Major of the Year - The McDonald's LPGA Championship - and it will feature all of your favorite young hotties (see: Creamer, Gulbis, Wie, etc.) and, of course, that bull-dyke Mannika Sorenstam gunning for her fourth straight win in this event. Yeah, so what if it's the LPGA? It IS still a major, so pay attention, ya hear!

Then next week we have the Men's US Open from Winged Foot. Supposed to be one of the most difficult tracks in golf this year, following with US Open tradition. Rumor has it the rough is cut in a stepped pattern that ends up being upwards to a foot deep in length. Don't expect any high scores, folks. Also keep in mind that this is the same course that produced a US Open Championship win with a whopping 7-over par.

Anyway, I love teh golf chatter and this thread has been dead. Here's some topics:

Wie came within 6 holes of qualifying for the Men's Open? Is she being pushed too fast? Is she worthy? Her critics - did she prove them wrong or help their argument?

Difficulty at Winged Foot - Would you rather see golfers rain in ten-birdie rounds? OR watch them struggle like you and I do? Will Tiger bounce back from his dad's passing? Will Phil continue his dominance?

Natalie Gulbis: Hot piece of ass? Or Major Butta-face?

Discuss.




* Ever notice those people who pronounce it Anti-clim-ACK-tic? Drives me bananas...

I was amazed by some of the press on her after missing the cut. She's what, 15, 16? Competing with people twice her age and 10 times her experience, and she was still that close?

She's going to make the cut one of these times, it's just patience and maturity that she lacks. She was doing great until she crumbled at the end of her last round, and experience will most likely correct that.

Course, to be honest, I don't make a huge deal about a woman making the men's tour. Kinda like Danica's success in racing, I think Golf is a sport where there are many women who will be able to challenge the men on their own terms.

I dunno, I'm torn on the Wie thing. Its cool how she is trying, but it would be cool to see her play (and win) some before she takes on the men. I know she is much better than most guys, but she needs to learn the nerves and WIN. Tiger won at juniors and in college.

I root for Creamer on the women's side. She talks shit and backs it up.

I would absolutely love for Tiger to win the open, especially since it ends on Father's day, it would be like Jordan winning a title on Father's Day (which happened).

Honestly, I'd rather see low scores, if I want to see high scores, I'll play

Why can't I find a LPGA McDonalds Championship on TV anywhere this weekend? It is a Major, correct? I've been flipping between World Cup and college baseball SuperRegionals, they are all over the place, but why isn't a Golf Major on somewhere?

Wait a minute... Just found out it's on the Golf Channel, and I don't have that channel. But still, some regular cable station or network should be carrying this... ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC would if not for the World Cup and SuperRegionals. That leaves me to wonder why CBS, NBC, or even USA isn't carrying it.

You would think a Major would be televised somewhere other than the Golf Channel, at least I would.

I agree that its odd to find it only on the Golf Channel, but then again, why were the Stanley Cup Playoffs on OLN? Because te network is paying a boatload for the rights.

As for the tournament itself - I'm psyched for today's final round. The bunching at the top of the leader board and seeming loss of confidence that Patty Hurst was going through on the back nine yesterday should make for one hell of a finish.

And did anyone esle notice the perky lil' rack on the asian chick in the light blue shirt yesterday? Shi Hyun Ahn? DAAAMN!

Wie Chokes Again!

Since I didn't get to see it on TV, I just checked her scorecard online. She was -8 through 15, and bogeyed 2 of the last 3 holes. It's becoming a pattern. Everytime she is close to a major accomplishment, she chokes. She led a major going into Sunday last year and shot an 80 (or close to it) on Sunday. She was close at the Nabisco this year and fell apart the last couple holes. Just last week she was 1 stroke away from qualifying for the Men's US Open with 6 holes left, she bogeyed three in a row.

I know she is just 16 and has all the physical skills of a great golfer, but it might be a few more years before she is mentally ready. I think she needs to start playing on the LPGA more often and leave the men alone until she can win any tournament. Right now, she is only playing Majors, or with men. Playing a regular LPGA every now and then will probably help her learn how to win, and not just come close to it.

I don't think she'll do that until after she graduates High School next year, if then. She has two more chances for a women's Major this year, I'm hoping she'll win one, but I doubt it.

I agree with most of your sentiment but just so we're clear on a couple of things:

1) The bogey on the last yesterday was because she had to go at it aggressively with the putt since she was one off the clubhouse lead.

2) At the Cheese 'n' Crackers Major she played herself back into contention in the last few holes before Webb holed out her shot at 18, which in turn forced Wie's hand to try and make a birdie at the 72nd. (At which point she made a 'rookie mistake' by trying to win it in one shot(chip it) rather than playing for the tie/playoff(putt it).

Both warrant mentioning.

I agree that she needs to win a few brick and mortar tournaments against the women before going at these lofty prizes. She also needs to finish school so she can dedicate herself 100% to the game. I think that's a lot of what we're seeing with her shaky putter and wedges.

Look at it this way: If you count up all those < 5' putts she missed throughout the weekend(How many? 10? 12?) and figured her to make even just half of them (like she should have) her little f-ups down the stretch would never have come into play. And she would have absolutely destroyed that field.

Now - How 'bout that shot Se Ri Pak hit on the playoff hole? 199 yards with a hybrid to three inches?!? Wow.

The US open starts tomorrow. Tiger is back from his 9 week hiatus and first tourney since his father passed away. Phil has won the last 2 majors and is the co favorite. Singh won last week and is looking good again.

The question is....who ya got?

I would love to see Tiger win on Father's Day, but who knows how he is going to play. The reports were that he played well in practice

Between the length of the course (7260 yards) the length of the rough (tiered from 1.5" -> 3.5" -> 6-8") and diffuculty of the greens (11 on the Stimpmeter and rediculous slopes) The statistics (and top five golfers in each) to keep an eye on are these:

Total Driving:
Charles Warren
Robert Allenby
Brett Wetterich
Padraig Harrington
Adam Scott

Ball Striking:
Charles Warren
Adam Scott
John Senden
Joe Durant
Phil Mickelson

and Average Putts per GIR:
Phil Mickelson
David Howell
Brian Gay
Tommy Armour III
Rod Pampling

Basically you need to keep it in the short stuff and stay away from three-putts.


I like Adam Scott(top 4 in each of his last three events) and Phil Mickelson (two straight majors and two wins this season). Both have been playing unbelievable golf lately. Phil is great on the greens but can be wild off the tee. Scott is awesome tee to green but can be shaky on the greens.

Of course, I'm not wagering a cent against Tiger considering his flare for the dramatic (Father's day) It will be interesting to see how he rebounds.

Also, I just laid down 50 each on six different golfers to win the Open.

A. Scott (to win 900)
Goosen (to win 800)
Donald (to win 800)
D Toms (to win 1250)
Woods (to win 213)
Mickelson (to win 300)

C'monnnnn David Toms!!!

Jim Furyk, I don't know why. I just feel like this is his tourney.

The real question is, what will the winning final score be?
I think someone won with +7 at this course before. I think -5 for the tourney will win it.

Yeah. David Toms... +5, thru 3 holes! Dead last!! WTF?!? I cursed the motherfucker. He went Double-Double-Bogey to start.

He's probably standing on the fourth tee wondering "Who the hell is 'Mark Turkall' and why did he pound me in the ass so hard?"

Jim is the early clubhouse leader at even

Vijay and Kenny Perry +1

Tiger tees off in less than an hour

Almost everyone started falling back today, though Mickelson had a good back nine to tie for the lead with Ferrie. Ogilvy is 1 shot back, with Monty, Vjay, Stricker, and some guy name Poulter back 3.

Go Monty Go!!!

What...no outrage at Tigger not making the cut?

He's probably still grieving.

Its true

After watching what Mickelson did, Monty is probably fondling a gun saying, "Why the fuck did I change clubs at the last second on that fairway shot on 18!!!"

He would have won, all he needed was a par.

Congrats to Geoff Ogilvy though, for being the only guy not to crumble on the last couple holes. Especially having hit a perfect drive on 18 to find it in that divot. I thought he had no chance after that unlucky lie.

Furyk's par attempt at 18 will be on his mind for a while too.

Damn I missed the end, I was driving home.

I was rooting for Furyk

Mickelson is officially now my most hated athlete. Effectively pushing A-Rod, T.O. and Peyton Manning down to 2nd-4th

Thanks for costing me three benjamins, you dumpy bag o' douche.

I'm kind of pissed that Ogilvy made that chip on 17 and parred 18.. I would have loved to seen a 4 player 18 hole playoff on Monday.

Probably seem odd that I’m dredging up a ‘Golf’ thread in Jan. but it’s one of my passions and with the lack of snow I can’t very well talk about snowmobiling so.

There were actually courses booking tee times here just over a week ago, I would imagine the course was playing like crap but who cares; teeing up at this time of year would have been worth it. This got a few us talking and wanting to play so we’re organizing a two weekend ‘on screen’ tourney at Carruthers Creek (a small course near to me) they have four screens and I’m hoping to get enough people interested to need all of them. If you haven’t tried these you suggest you do, they’re great for maintaining your swing, or lack there of, over the winter break.

Noticed thesuit was asking about new clubs hope you found a set you like. I’ve been looking at getting new irons for the ’07 season. I went to graphite shaft irons a couple of years ago and want to get back to steel. Using the graphite improved my swing incredibly though, I have/had a really fast swing and the graphite forced me to slow it down because of the flex so I’m hoping I can mimic the new swing going back to steel but be able to add just a little more to it.

That’s all I got for now, I’ll post how I did in the tourney later.

There is an outdoor range near me that has a winter "Spot" league. The driving area is heated by an overhead heater, its usually warm enough in there during the winter to just wear a t-shirt.

For the league, the staff goes out and sets up 30' rings at different distances. The longer the distance, the more points. If there is snow on the ground, they shovel out the rings so that you can tell if you stayed in the ring.

Each player gets 30 balls and the other people in the booth keep score for you. 1 is your partner, the other 2 are the team you are competing against that week.

I am not very good, but I do enjoy the opportunity to keep my swing in shape over the winter.

(So, this really happened last Friday... below is an excerpt from an email I sent to a friend. Thought some fellow hackers 'round here would enjoy it)


No lie. I was horrified.

The hole is a par-4 with a blind tee shot. The fairway is in view for about 200-220 and then drops out of the line of sight. So they put a flag in the middle of the fairway for the group in front to take down while they make thier approach shots, and then replace it when they move on.

There were four greenskeepers doing random shit... raking, watering, mowing, etc. When the group in front replaced the flag, three of the greensmen moved off to the right and the guy on the mower heads left. I lined up my shot and unleashed a bomb straight down the middle.

While the ball is in flight, the guy mowing makes a u-turn and heads back toward the center of the fairway, directly into the path of my laser-like, heat-seeking 5-wood which drills him square in the right pectoral, nearly cleaning him right off the mower. It was every bit as funny/scary/impressive/unbelievable as you could imagine. I was somewhere between a) feeling bad that I hit him b ) laughing because it was goddamned hilarious and c) pissed off that I lost a shitton of distance on what could have been a 280 yard 5-wood.

Yes, I'm about to pull a triple no-no...

Since the season's starting back up, I figured a lil thread revival(1) was in order... so I hope you folks don't mind the double post (2) and the fact that I am quoting myself (3)

My girl (from the 'who do you root for' thread):

is leading the SBS Open @ Turtle Bay (where I went for my honeymoon, no less)

Female golfers sure don't look like they used to:


thank god

Not sure where this should go, so I'll start here. Dean, feel free to move it as you wish.

Anybody shopping for new irons? I took a day off today to run some errands and shop for a new set. Went to Golfer's Warehouse and had what could be considered by most, a religious experience. Tried out 6 or 7 different sets, narrowed down to three before getting into the analyzer and fitting process. Wound up buying the Callaway X20 series, 4-PW (set was 4-GW, but as I already own a 52 degree wedge, it would have been a waste, so the sales rep took out the difference - $86 off) After all that, the set only ran me a cool $610.



Anybody bought new irons lately? What're your weapons of choice?

Last year I started looking at getting a new set of irons but decided to get through the season and look for a deal over the winter. I had pretty much committed to picking up a set of Callaway X-20 Tour but was not sure about getting away from an oversize club face, still set on getting Callaway's I headed to Golf Town Monday to see what they had. I spent about an hour swinging different clubs before deciding on Taylor Made r7 irons. I was a little hesitate because of the rescue clubs (3&4) as I rely a lot on my long irons and haven't played with rescues other than hitting a friends here and there, but hitting it on the screen they felt great.


P - 5

3, 4

Update: Hit the new clubs at the range this morning and think the rescues will work out just fine.

Overall I think I'm losing a few yards with them, the degree of loft is greater than my previous set of irons but them hit great. My 3 rescue is 19° where my old 5-wood is 20°. I'll wait until I have a couple rounds in this year but will most likely be looking to pick up a new fairway wood in and around 15° as well.

I'm not a golf watcher, but I tuned in late Sunday to catch the end of the Open only to find out that in the case of a tie, they play an entire additonal round ... bizarre (I guess I've only saw playoffs at the other big events).

Anywho, watched Monday and that was the most entertaining afternoon of golf I've ever watched. Would've been nice to see Rocco pull it off, but once they hit 18 with him up one, I saw the ending coming.