Golf Gods Strike Mickelson?

During the final round of the 2010 Masters, a strange thing happened to FIGJAM Phil. On the par-5 second hole, Mickelson rolled a birdie putt on the perfect line to the hole. But just as he putt, a piece of debris landed directly on the line and threw the ball off course.

Coincidence? I think not. The announcers claim it came from a pine tree, but there wasn't a tree within 100 yards of the hole and the wind was calm. I think that the Golf Gods were watching from above and dropped a morsel from their party mix onto the green. Whether it was by accident or intentional, it certainly came from those heavenly arbiters of the game! Regardless, it's just further evidence of their existence.

See it for yourself:



But in the end, the Golf Gods struck down Tiger for his Philandering ways by letting his arch-nemesis win his favorite major.

You Want To Give Me Golf Advice? Wait ‘Til The 19th Hole!

My golf blogging friend Pat "GolfGurl" Mullaly was kind enough to write the following grouchy golf observation for us:

It’s a fascinating phenomenon: golfers always want to give fellow players advice — especially guys giving advice to women. What makes a guy think I need advice right in the middle of my round?

I’ve been playing the game of golf for years, and though I am not a great golfer, I enjoy the game as much as anyone. I love being outside, enjoying the good weather, enjoying the good company, enjoying all the little things that make a round of golf so much fun. I especially enjoy the little sounds that are part of the game: the pure, clean “thwack” sound of a great drive that goes right down the middle of the fairway; or that sweet sound of the ball as it hits the back of the cup. The sounds I can’t abide are the mumbles and side remarks of my male golfing partners giving me advice — often, bad advice, as I play my next stroke.

I play twice a week, one day with three guys, the second day with three women. Advice is always forthcoming from the guys, seldom from the women. It must be some sort of protective instinct that males have built in, — trying to give me advice that will help me “survive” my round with a decent score. The women I play with don’t care about my game unless I am playing as a team member in a tournament. Then, I hear strategy, suggestions, and advice—but it’s directed at the group and at how we are going to manage the hole. It’s not about one player’s style of play. With guys, it’s different. Even the clunky players think they know best.

Unsolicited advice drives me nuts. If you want to give me advice on the way I play golf, first ask if I even want to hear it. I may, or may not. If I agree to receive your wise words, then wait ‘til the end of the round, meet me at the clubhouse, buy me a drink and I will hear you out. Just don’t do it while I’m playing. It’ll probably ruin my round, and you wouldn’t want to see that happen, would you?

Submitted by Pat Mullaly
Editor, GolfGurls.com
http://www.golfgurls.com
The Resource Site for Today’s Woman Golfer

Tiger Woods Got Famous...

The Tiger Woods scandal has long overrun its course, IMHO. To me, it's just another story about a somewhat normal person who became corrupted by the trappings of fame and fortune. Irene Folstrom, his ex-college girlfriend describes the pre-famous Tiger as a normal college kid who was "so human and cared so much about other people and the world around him." Considering he attended Stanford, he was most certainly on the nerdy side of things as well.

But when your hommies go from Screech and Urkel to Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, it's safe to say that your world is turned inside-out. Add in to that mix the universal praise and adoration for being the "best of all-time" and it's understandable how Tiger felt invincible. Yeah, Tiger messed up. But the failings of such self-righteous public figures as John Edwards, David Vitter and Eliot Spitzer are far worse. These guys were supposed to be our moral leaders and instead became the faces of hypocrisy.

Tiger has made his public apology, so it's time everyone moves on. No offense to the rest of the PGA Tour but it's been a real snoozefest without him.

Is Phil Mickelson a Cheater?

Phil Mickelson has long been rumored to be one of the least popular players amongst his peers on the PGA Tour. But now his popularity is dipping to new lows over his use of 20-year-old Ping Eye2 square-groove wedges that sidestep the new groove rule. "I don't like it at all, not one bit," Rocco Mediate said. "It's against the spirit of the rule...We have to get rid of those clubs, because they're square grooves - what else can you say?" According to Scott McCarron, "It's cheating, and I'm appalled Phil has put it in play."

Readers of this blog know that I'm no fan of Phil, but in this case I believe that he's getting unfairly crucified. In my opinion, it's perfectly fine to play golf with anything that the USGA deems to be legal. Heck, if the Iron Byron was legal, I'd be the first to use one. Since all square-groove Ping Eye 2 irons manufactured before April 1, 1990 are legal, Phil didn't do anything wrong by putting them in the bag. The USGA agrees. "The clubs are usable where USGA rules apply," said Dick Rugge, the USGA's senior technical director. "The rules speak for themselves and show it's not cheating to use them."

So the critics of Phil need to back down. He's certainly not cheating. If people have any beef, they should redirect their rage at golf's governing bodies. But more interestingly, I think that this controversy sheds light on other issues. For instance, what does all this say about golf club technology? The message I get is that 20-year-old technology is better than that of today. I've long believed that iron performance improvement through technology is limited and this is further validation. My conviction was so strong that I put a set of Mizuno MP-14s in my bag about a year ago. These irons are about 18-years-old and play just as well as my much newer Nike Blades. I'd hate to work in the marketing department at any golf club company when consumers watch that the pros are opting for clubs made two decades ago!