Tiger's Putter needs some Love #putterlove ?

If you watched Tiger's putting woes this week, you have to wonder what the heck is going on ....It's certainly nothing he can blame on Hank, or atribute to the "wipey" swing that he has been heard to complain about.  Tiger has vacillated between (at least) three putters over the past 12 months - his original Scotty, a heel shafted "semi mallet", and now the Nike version of his venerable Cameron Newport.
Despite the equipment changes, his putting continues to be lackluster. We can all understand, I suppose, the impact of his personal struggles and his injuries on his full shots - as that is a much more complex motion. However, it is difficult to comprehend that the guy who not so long ago had (arguably) the best putting stroke ever finds himself in such a pickle. No matter what Johnny Miller says about Tiger winning "40 more tournaments and 4 more majors", one thing is for certain - if Eldrick cannot figure out the flatstick, he has no chance to ever reach those numbers.

Here is a thought - maybe Tiger and Nike should follow the lead of TaylorMade and their recent "#driverlove" campaign...they could start a #putterlove campaign, and make Tiger some special hats...

A New Golf Season....

Next weekend, I will play my inaugural 2012 event on The Golf Channel's Amateur Tour at one of my favorite courses ever - Farmlinks. I'm really looking forward to getting back on the competitive bandwagon, after a short winter break.  Last year was one of mixed results - while I finished in the top 25 at the AmTour's National Championship in La Quinta, CA, my play throughout the season was inconsistent. 
For those of you who are new to BCC, or have not heard of The Golf Channel's Amateur Tour, its a really cool thing, and I recommend you check it out.   Regardless of your skill level, it's an awesome way to enjoy some competition and play some "real golf" - something that lots of golfers (including me, before I joined) seldom if ever played.  Playing completely by the Rules of Golf ("playing it down", no gimmes, no mulligans) is vastly different than how most people play...don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing  the game filled with "do overs" - just saying that playing where you count every stroke and must make every putt is a lot of fun, and will really improve your game.
Anyway - with this being my 5th season to play on the "AmTour", I decided to make some changes in my approach this year. The way the tour works is that every couple of weeks there is a one day event (with 8-20 people in your flight), every couple of months there is a "Regional Major" (a two day event with 50-100 people in your flight), and then the season ending National Championship (with 150 people in your flight).  Although I have done well in the local events (winning a few here and there), I have placed reasonably well in only one major, and have set a goal to finish in the top 10 at Nationals in 2012.  I have decided to lessen the focus on local events this year (planning to play in 6-8 of them), and play in several "Majors", in hopes that this prepares me better for Nationals.
I will be writing more this year about my experiences on the AmTour, so please check back often to see how my plan works out.  Of course, no new season here at Bushwood would be complete without an edition of "What's in the Bag"...so here are the highlights:

• The official ball of BCC is now the Titleist Pro v1x
• We have also put a new driver in the bag, a Titleist 910D2, at 9.5 degrees - with a "real deal" MItsubishi Blue Board shaft
• TaylorMade r9 3 Wood and two TM hybrids are in the mix (maybe replaced by RocketBallz , depending on the results of my upcoming testing)
• Titleist AP2 irons, with KBZ "C Taper" shafts ( a nice Christmas gift !)
• TP Mills "Hand Forged"  Trad 2 is now the putter of choice (strongly recommend checking out TP Mills gear - he was truly a visionary artist of the putting instrument, and his son David has continued his legacy..although David IS a bit of a flake).  
• I've been experimenting with belly putters (see next weeks post on that...), so the jury is out on that...
• Vokey wedges are back in the bag, after a year off...

Anyway, thanks for reading Bushwood Country Club, and please come back soon for more .... I'm hoping for a great golf season in 2012 for me and for all of BCC's readers...

Is less really more ? (part 1)

Adams Speedline Super XTD

RocketBallz by TaylorMade

Recently, two equipment manufacturers have launched product lines that have two interesting  things in common...
(1) the feature some form of "slot" in the clubhead, which is reported to provide flex in the clubface, and therefore more velocity and distance
(2) the featured club in each case is a 3 wood (not the driver, as we have come to expect)
By now, you have probably determined that the clubs I am referring to are TM's "Rocketballz" line, and Adams Golf latest in the Speedline series.  

While all of the reviews and reports suggest that this technology really works, our nature here at BCC is "seeing is believing" (just ask Lacey Underalls if you doubt us....).
Over the next two weeks, we will be testing these two newcomers against two old favorites: the  TM R9 and the TourEdge Exotics xcg5 (which is touted as being the longest 3 wood on the market).
Stay tuned for the "straight story"  from our testing, which will be supervised by our own Judge Smails...

Fixing Pitch Marks - Do You have Religion ?

A couple of weeks back, I played at a nice track with some sweet bentgrass greens. Because the course really cares about the golfer's experience, they REALLY work hard to keep the greens in great shape. They rolled great, and were super receptive to shots.
On my first hole, (a par 5), I hit my approach from 100 yards out, saw it hit the green, and walked up. When I got there, my pitch mark was very noticeable (ok, it was freaking HUGE). I pulled out my divot tool, fixed my mark, and started lining up my put. After I putted, I noticed that the green was LITTERED with unrepaired pitch marks. This got me to thinking....so many times, we play and complain about the condition of the greens...too hard, too slow, too fast - all things we cannot control. In spite of that, here was a problem that we COULD control, and obviously a lot of people were not even trying.
So here is the question - are you one of the folks who never fixes their pitch marks, leaving mini craters everywhere ? Are are you one who is religious about fixing them - you know they type, you fix yours and then look everywhere for more to fix ? If you are the latter, a tip of the hat to you....but if you are the former, its time to reform yourself, and "get some religion" on the greens. Here are some tips on how to fix pitch marks:
I'm just sayin......

LPGA - Why do I like it ???

I willingly confess - I really like the LPGA. That's right - I am a true blue , hard core, keep up with the scores, watch the Solheim Cup, LPGA fan. I've had many of my golf buddies and acquaintances ( and probably lots of others) make fun of me for this, but I cannot help it - I REALLY enjoy watching the game.
Why, you may ask....well, other than the OBVIOUS....
here are a few reasons:
(1) All the players are very fan friendly - autographs, photos, conversations, you name it - they are ALL happy to have fans there cheering for them.
(2) Admit it or not, guys, they play a game a WHOLE lot more like mine and yours that the "big boys" do. If you don't believe me, check out some of these stats:

• Average Driving Distance for the Top 40: 261 yards
• Average Distance for the Courses Played: 6,400 - 6,700 yards
• On the Par 5's , when they "go for it", club they usually hit: 3 wood, 5 wood, or Hybrid ( no 8 irons here)
• They miss a few greens, so they scramble to make par, usually hitting shots from the same places we do ( not 4" high rough, or from behind the clubhouse)
  
• They play on courses that you or I can generally play - see www.rtjgolf.com/courses/capitol_hill/

(3) They hit their clubs a very similar distance to many (most ????) of us - a 7 iron from 150 - 165, a 3 wood from 200 - 235, a PW from 115, etc.
(4) They are really GOOD players
I think all of these add up to one really logical conclusion - many (most) of us can really learn something from watching the ladies of the LPGA play...and that, is something worth paying attention to.
Now, before I get called out for being oblivious to the obvious, YES there is some serious eye candy out there too (Sandra,Paula, Natalie,Belen,Beatriz, etc - tip of the hat to ya'....)- and that is another great attribute of the tour - just one that I don't want to really focus on in this post.
Anyway, if you are an LPGA fan - let me hear about it - what do you like about the tour ? And if you are not - give it another shot after reading this - maybe you will have a different perspective.