According to LPGA Commissioner Bivens, the recently-announced mandate that all players learn English within two years of joining the tour is intended to ensure that players can better interact with sponsors and media. As a former English as a foreign/second language teacher myself, and someone who for a couple of decades was fairly conversant in six or seven languages (use it or lose it), I know full well that learning a foreign language as an adult is difficult, especially when the bulk of one’s time is spent alone or with a fellow countryman(woman) on a golf course. I also know that American ... full post »

It’s always fun to watch for the inevitable onslaught of press releases that follow each and every tournament of the PGA Tour schedule. In fact, they follow most events on the PGA, European, LPGA, and Nationwide Tours, too. And though I may be atypical in this respect among golf writers, I actually look forward to them each week, and even read most of the ones that end up in my e-mail box. These press releases generally emanate from equipment companies who associate themselves with the winner, or runner-up, or, heck, even some guys in the top 10 (top 20 in a ... full post »

Despite being open to play for just over a month, The Castle Course at St. Andrews is already proving to be a big draw in its own right. St. Andrews Links Trust, overseers of the Links Courses at St. Andrews, including The Old Course, reports that in the first month of operation, more than 4,000 rounds were booked on the seventh, and newest, golf course in the Trust’s care. The popularity of the course is, in fact, exceeding expectations of the Trust. Despite being “The new kid on the block” - and actually not being on the block at all, but ... full post »

We here in the WorldGolf.com universe pride ourselves at being ahead of the curve. We visit the newest courses, and test the latest golf equipment from manufacturers that don’t get ink from mainstream paper publications. Our shorter editorial lag and more decentralized management style allow immense flexibility compared to traditional magazines. Yet some hard-copy rags still like to make believe we don’t exist (even when we’re seated next to them in the press rooms at majors - but that’s another story…). So please forgive us as we chuckle a bit when the mainstream golf media finally catch up to us. For example, ... full post »

Until today, I had endeavored mightily to avoid writing anything about an already over-hyped 2008 Summer Olympics”, but my dwindling patience have been finally ripped asunder. And I must beg, of all that is holy (and even the unholy programmers at NBC): Please, PLEASE – Enough with the beach volleyball already! How many freaking matches of this completely contrived abomination of an Olympic “sport” do we really need to see?!? Every night I come home (or morning when I take my daughter to the orthodontist, or afternoon writing articles at sports bars), hoping to see some true Olympic sport like Greco-Roman wrestling ... full post »

When I first received the press release announcing Dixon Golf’s new green golf balls, I thought to myself: “Geez, I’ve got enough trouble finding the white ones.” But then I realized I had been misled by the rampant polysemy in English, and that Dixon’s ‘Earth’ ball is “green” in the sense of “earth-friendly,” not in the sense of “blue mixed with yellow.” How does Dixon Golf make a green golf ball? According to the company, they are devoted to saving the environment one little, dimpled, white orb at a time : “Unlike other Golf Ball Brands [sic] who use harsh heavy-metal pollutants like ... full post »

One result of an equipment company signing an endorsement deal with a PGA Tour player or LPGA Tour player – heck, any tour player – is usually an increase in the price of the equipment. Ya gotta pay for that endorsement contract somehow. On the other hand, if the endorsements are chosen carefully, the deals can enrich not only the player, but also the company. Brand name recognition is huge in golf, and seeing a company’s name emblazoned on a bag or cap plants seeds of interest in the minds of TV viewers and on-course spectators. Tour Edge Golf, one of those ... full post »

Watching the commercials during this year’s British Open – or any televised golf tournament, actually – you’d think there are only two brands of golf balls: Titleist and Nike. There are all sorts of balls on the market, though, that conform to USGA and R&A rules. And some are pretty darn good – and pretty darn cheap, compared to the big names. My current favorite is Vision Golf Balls from Australia. These are available exclusively in the U.S. from SMT Golf. These balls come in three flavors: one for feel, one for distance, and one that actually soaks up UV rays and glows ... full post »

Wow. Just when we thought Michelle Wie had faded, finally, from the limelight, she found herself in the clubhouse Saturday alone in second place at the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Illinois. That position didn’t last long, though, as she was summarily informed that she was being DQ’ed for failing to sign her card in a timely manner the day before. Ouch. Don’t they teach kids anything at Stanford these days? Like, maybe, turning in your homework on time? Or signing your scorecard before you walk out of the roped off players’ area? Well, that’s apparently what Wie did. Or rather, failed ... full post »

The players may wish for bright, warm, windless conditions each year at the venerable and unpredictable British Open, and galleries may shiver in their soggy Wellingtons with the thought of another windy, wet day on the links. But apparel companies pray for wind and rain and cold. Are the sartorial sages of golf evil sadists? Not really (aside from maybe one or two of them). What they want, though, is a chance to preview their fall and winter lines for the television audience back in the U.S. See, they’ve had all spring and summer to show off their high-tech, sweat-wicking shirts, ... full post »

My kids are always after me to take them to Disney Word. I, of course, would rather spend money on a golf vacation. Although it’s true that there are plenty of great golf courses in Orlando, with the price of gas, who can afford to drive, fly, or even hitchhike there anymore? Far closer to my home in Illinois is the great golfing state of Michigan. Not only are there more public courses in Michigan than any other state in the nation (believe it or not), there are monuments to all things golf, including some of the best golf stores, golf academies, ... full post »

When you’re a foodie, you remember certain dinners with a fondness normally reserved for long-lost lovers or dead pets. Last month, while covering the U.S. Open, I had the pleasure of dining at George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, which had been recommended by the folks at Lexus as a restaurant that epitomized what they refer to as the “Lexus Lifestyle”. Now, I don’t normally inhabit whatever sort of ephemeral realm the “Lexus Lifestyle” implies, but the memory of that fine meal is still vividly with me: black olive cured albacore tuna, rack of lamb, and a cheese plate of ... full post »

Tour Edge, one of the highest-tech golf equipment companies you’ve maybe never heard of, is offering a premium shaft upgrade to golfers who purchase a new Exotics XCG or XLD driver. To find a VariableFit Interchangeable Fitting System location near you, click here. You must hurry, though, as the offer expires July 31. full post »

Natalie Gulbis, LPGA player and leggy calendar-girl, announced on June 24 an essay contest. The theme of the essay is, “Who’s Behind Your Success?” and entries of 200 words or less can be submitted at the link above. According to RSM McLadrey, the official accounting, tax, and business consulting firm of the PGA of America and the sponsor of the contest, the grand prize winner of the essay about the most influential person in their life will get to spend the day with Natalie, starting with a sweaty, steamy morning workout, followed by nine holes of bikini golf, and climaxing with ... full post »

Anyone who was at the U.S. Open and paying attention knew something was not right with Tiger’s knee. Now it’s official: He’s done for the season. According to Tiger’s own website, he needs surgery on a blown ACL and time to heal two stress fractures in his tibia. I guess when he said that the pain he was experiencing during th Open was different, he wasn’t kidding. He knew it was serious and played on anyway, for the fans, the USGA, and even Rocco Mediate (who wouldn’t have wanted to win on a Tiger WD). Let’s hope that his career is not threatened ... full post »