Fore! Who's playing golf, yo-

[DasBlunt]

Rory to Nike is the rumor on the internets.

I tried to rely a message that it is a trap. Tiger wants his rivals near, majors is the goal, not money Rory!!!

200-250 Mil for 10 years, wow, who would not take that money?

[guroo270]

Me. I hear that's the biggest mistake on tour - playing with clubs you like to get successful, then switching gear. I realize they customize them a lot for these guys, but still, I couldn't imagine Lee Westwood not hitting Pings. How many millions does one need? Hell, I have a difficult enough time looking down and not seeing Titleist on my ball, let alone my sticks.

[jfost]

Rory to Nike is the rumor on the internets.

I tried to rely a message that it is a trap. Tiger wants his rivals near, majors is the goal, not money Rory!!!

200-250 Mil for 10 years, wow, who would not take that money?

interesting take. Tiger's gonna have them supply Rors with *slightly* oblong balls that dont seem to drop in the hole?

[4matic]

Beautiful Bay Area weather. Greens are in perfect shape. Didn't play but had a good practice session yesterday working on the long iron cut.

ESPN writer thinks the risk for Rory is the ball; not clubs:

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/8...-deal-titleist

[jfost]

Beautiful Bay Area weather. Greens are in perfect shape. Didn't play but had a good practice session yesterday working on the long iron cut.

ESPN writer thinks the risk for Rory is the ball; not clubs:

...

yeah, like I said - oblong!

I know Jack cut the ball, but it is interesting how most people start with a slice, then work their asses off to learn a soft draw, then back to a power cut when they get good... natural progression or new theory?

[TahoeJ]

I couldn't imagine Lee Westwood not hitting Pings.

Yeah, I mean, otherwise he wouldn't have won all of those majors. ;-)

The whole switching clubs thing is overrated. These guys are such great ball strikers in general, it really just comes down to putting for the most part.

[TahoeJ]

I know Jack cut the ball, but it is interesting how most people start with a slice, then work their asses off to learn a soft draw, then back to a power cut when they get good... natural progression or new theory?

Natural progression, or it was for me at least. At a certain point you come to realize how much more control you have with a powder fade than a draw, especially after the ball hits the ground. Switching from a consistent draw to now hitting it dead straight or with a slight fade, on average I have more short birdie putts by far. I do still hit a draw with my driver much of the time, as the extra roll and distance isn't worth giving it up off the tee.

[DasBlunt]

Yeah, I mean, otherwise he wouldn't have won all of those majors. ;-)

The whole switching clubs thing is overrated. These guys are such great ball strikers in general, it really just comes down to putting for the most part.

You would be surprised about equipment for certain players. David Duval is a good example.

For many, I agree, they can hit anything.

I just think, new coaches, new ideas, new head case IMO. Tiger wins.....again.

[4matic]

With modern CAD design Nike can make irons that are exactly the same as the Titleist so I don't believe irons will be an issue. Driver and Fairway wood might be a small problem. Is he changing putter?

[DasBlunt]

With modern CAD design Nike can make irons that are exactly the same as the Titleist so I don't believe irons will be an issue. Driver and Fairway wood might be a small problem. Is he changing putter?

Rory is a head case. He plays a fairway wood from 5 product cycles ago......big definition of a head case.

Putter, well look what happened to Tiger when he finally succumbed to Nike's putter. I imagine the routine is the same, contract states Rory can keep certain clubs (putter, driver, three wood), if he wants, then he gets bonus' when he goes to a full bag.

The ball is my biggest worry. Tiger has them specially made for him (fact). Nike QC is lacking. Like, not round.

edit, I imagine I will eat my words when Rory wins the Masters this year.....lol!

[4matic]

yeah, like I said - oblong!

I know Jack cut the ball, but it is interesting how most people start with a slice, then work their asses off to learn a soft draw, then back to a power cut when they get good... natural progression or new theory?

That's a bit of my story. I hit both pretty well but I just cant hit a consistent draw with long irons and driver. Fairway and hybrids are no problem. I have a problem with loose at the top on my irons and will probably take a lesson or two this winter to get on the right track. My scoring is good and consistent (within 3-4 shots every round) no matter how I'm striking the ball so I'm only a small improvement from knocking a couple strokes off my average.

[jfost]

Natural progression, or it was for me at least. At a certain point you come to realize how much more control you have with a powder fade than a draw, especially after the ball hits the ground. Switching from a consistent draw to now hitting it dead straight or with a slight fade, on average I have more short birdie putts by far. I do still hit a draw with my driver much of the time, as the extra roll and distance isn't worth giving it up off the tee.

interesting... when I hit a draw into a green with 56 or 60*, it'll usually hit and then run straight left 10-15' sometimes more depending on slope of green. When I hit straight or a fade it'll usually drop & stop, maybe back up 1-3' or so if the green slopes back to front... if I can dial in my approaches (I'm frequently off side-to-side) I could for sure get it closer with a fade. I think that's what Tiger's trying to do but he's WAY off on his yardages of late.

[philth]

Played 18 in SoVt today. It was a high of 43 and my buds had to beg my hungover ass to play. Turned out to be a blast and had a great round. The cold really did not bother me at all. Suprised.

[4matic]

81 degrees in Oakland today; no wind. Course is in outstanding shape. I just practiced. Finally getting the driver figured out.

[Tye 1on]

Saturday was freakin gorgeous. Could not believe i was breaking a slight sweat walking in shorts/golf shirt on November 3 in Driggs. Links has one employee, the greenskeeper working in the shop..."Let's see, how much should we charge today, how's $15 sound?" Course was in great shape, better shape than my swing. Had a ton of fun though...

[cinnepa]

3 wood....or any fairwood is one club(s) the pro's seem to have the hardest time replacing - usually their contracts are structured that they could play another manufacturer; same with the putter. currently tiger still playing older nike sasquatch 3/5 woods; Els won the british open with a callaway x tour 3 wood, and that goes for many - so i wouldn't be suprised if rory will still use his titleist 906f 3/5 woods when he has the swoosh equipment in his bag.

[TahoeJ]

powder fade

Heh. That was definitely a Freudian slip. It needs to snow.

[milton]

Ruling to be announced today on anchoring putters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/20524228

[cinnepa]

banned, effective 2016. k.bradley will have a fukk of a time now with all his preshot twitching.

[hawkgt]

count me in for one who is in support of the ban.......

[spook]

asterisks by all majors won with belly putters!!

[TahoeJ]

No, they were legal at the time of course.

I completely agree with the ban - about time.

[4matic]

asterisks by all majors won with belly putters!!

And all the majors won with square grooves? Dumb..

[4matic]

There are far bigger issues with golf than the belly putter:

Michael Collins: Let me get this straight ... I hit the ball where you told me to (the fairway), but I can't declare the divot my ball stopped in as "ground under repair" even though you are going to fix it tonight when we're done playing? If it's not ground under repair, then you shouldn't be allowed to replace/refill divots once they're made.

Farrell Evans: Divots in the fairway should be treated as ground under repair. I can't think of worse luck on a golf course than to hit a perfect drive that finds a divot. Rule 13-1, which states that "the ball must be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules," should have a proviso for divots. The late Payne Stewart would be the first to applaud this ruling. A sand-filled divot in the 12th fairway at the Olympic Club during the final round of the 1998 U.S. Open helped sink his chances of winning his second Open.

Bob Harig: The stroke and distance penalty for hitting a shot out of bounds. Why is out of bounds not treated like a lateral hazard? Not only would it speed up play -- a player would not have to go back to his original spot to hit again -- but it simply seems more fair. There is less of a penalty (none) for swinging and missing than there is for hitting a shot 300 yards that trickles an inch out of bounds.

Kevin Maguire: First off, let's identify one of the biggest issues facing golf these days: slow play. And how do we speed up play at the local munis all over the country? Speed up play on the PGA Tour, because the weekend hackers (like myself) often emulate what they see on TV every week. The simplest way to do that is to allow range finders on the PGA Tour during tournament rounds. That one rule change would shorten rounds nearly immediately.

Michael Collins: The 600-pound pink gorilla in the room is the golf ball. Both sides -- the USGA/R&A and golf manufacturers -- are scared to touch that issue. So instead, they better focus on growing the game. Golf is still an exclusionary game for the most part, and there are many who'd like to keep it that way. But the healthiest sports are the most diverse.

Farrell Evans: The governing bodies are always watching the technology barons. It's always going to be very important to make sure the equipment companies have someone help them self-police in a hypercompetitive environment in which new innovations drive the demand for sales.

Bob Harig: The golf ball. For elite players, it simply travels too far. It has led to lengthening of courses and finding some obsolete for the best in the world. Changes to courses are expensive -- and don't necessarily help the average player. Wouldn't it simply be more effective to dial back how far the golf ball flies?

Kevin Maguire: Opponents of the anchoring ban with belly putters argue that if the USGA and the R&A really wanted to make a difference, they wouldn't worry about putters or even square grooves, which they tackled a few years ago. The real change to the sport needs to happen with rolling back the specs on drivers and golf balls. The technological changes in the past two decades dramatically altered the landscape of the game. In 2012, 21 PGA Tour pros averaged more than 300 yards. Just 10 years ago, only one person (John Daly) broke that barrier, and 20 years ago, no one eclipsed even 285 yards on average. Want to deal with a truly pressing issue? Try fixing the golf balls and drivers that are making the most classic courses become obsolete.

[cinnepa]

^^^i agree on the technology aspect for the distances these days - seems like they could of been more proactive on setting limitations years ago. size and COR effect in drivers, somehow put a limit on the ball also.