All posts in News

Miura Golf Unveils Wet Sand, K Grind Wedge

British Columbia-Japanese golf-club manufacturer Miura Golf has just announced the K Grind wedge which features characteristics making it ideal for hitting out of wet sand.

The sole of the new K Grind wedge is “fluted” making it look like it has finger-tip impressions on it.  These three channels reduce the resistance against the wedge in sand, thick rough, and even the fairway. The sole of the wedge moves with the grass instead of against it. The channels move around the sand instead of colliding with it. It allows the wedge to accelerate thru the ball with less effort in every condition to improve the odds of hitting a good shot.

Characteristics of the K Grind Wedge:

  • Better results out of wet sand.
  • Reduces the odds of “catching it heavy” on long bunker shots.
  • Better acceleration on ½ and ¼ swings around the green.
  • Digs it out of deep rough.
  • Works great in normal conditions.

No pricing information was released.  Miura Golf clubs are sold at high-end, custom-fitting shops in North America. More information on Miura products can be found at www.miuragolf.com.

Source:  Miura Golf

Related:  Miura Golf Introduces CB-501 Forged Cavity-Back Irons

###

Valero Texas Open – Behind the Scenes & Practice Makes Big Payday…

Rallying from four strokes back Adam Scott edged Frederik Jacobson by a stroke to win the Valero Texas Open on the new AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.  It took 36-holes on Sunday to pull of his first PGA Tour victory in two years.

The course was designed by Scott’s fellow countrymen (and hero) Greg Norman, who sent a congratulatory message after Scott’s first win since the Australian Open in December.  Norman’s note meant a lot to Scott. So did this victory.

“I questioned myself at times last year whether I was a great player or not,” Scott said. “I still feel I am.”


You can read about it here and watch the post-tournament interview with Adam Scott here.

Another interesting read is this post, where Scott Walker of The Golf Channel provides a glimpse of what wasn’t shown on television — like the beer shower Ernie Els gave Adam Scott.

In his write-up, Walker also pointed out that Jimmy Walker (no relation) who finished tied for third place, had played dozens of rounds at TPC San Antonio trying to figure out the course (Note:  He lives about 35 miles away).

“His advance scouting should make it a cinch for him to keep his card in 2010, making it time well spent. Plus, that $317,200 will come in handy with his first child due to a matter of days.”

Good stuff.  Exciting golf and back-stories!  Just goes to show that interesting stories can be found wherever the PGA Tour lands (even tournaments where Phil and Tiger aren’t entered).

###

First LPGA Caddy for a Cure Opportunity Announced

This week, the Caddy For A Cure organization announced an auction is being held to caddy for Natalie Gulbis at the LPGA’s second major of the season:  Webman’s LPGA Championship.

Caddy For A Cure offers a way for folks to have a PGA/LPGA experience “inside the ropes.”   Opportunities can be found through its website (www.caddyforacure.com) which links to auctions. 100% of auction proceeds are donated to charity.

For the LPGA Championship, funds will be directed to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, the Wounded Warrior Project, the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program, the United Way Graduation is the Goal Fund as directed by tournament sponsor, Wegmans, and Natalie’s charity, The Boys and Girls Club of Las Vegas.

In a written statement, Russ Holden, Caddy For A Cure founder said, “To be able to launch our program at the LPGA Championship is a perfect fit given the charitable history and heart of Wegmans. We think it’s an especially exciting opportunity to be inside the ropes at a venue like Locust Hill which is deep in LPGA tournament history. The winning caddie will not only be shoulder to shoulder with Natalie, but will also be among the world’s best women golfers competing in this Major tournament.”

On the PGA side, examples of some of the auctions are being held include: Boo Weekley (May 26), Zach Johnson (July 7), Paul Casey (July 21), Lee Westwood (August 4) and a host of others.  See site for details.

###

DQ’d for Goofing About Score – Golfer Learns Tough Lesson…

A senior at Notre Dame learned the hard way that verbalizing a score while playing a round is the same as writing it down.  It all started when Notre Dame senior, Annie Brophy, while playing in a NCAA Central Regional tournament, told people keeping track of scores every three holes to post on the leaderboard that she had five birdies, an eagle and a bogey through the first nine holes Saturday on the par-72 course.

She later claimed she was just “goofing around.”

Brophy needs to find a better way to stay loose and relaxed on the golf course if that was the case.  The NCAA disqualified her.

Brophy was “shocked” apparently because her actual scorecard was accurate (she hit 85 and 81 in the first two rounds) and she never intended to turn in a false score.

What she didn’t grasp was the ripple effect of her actions.

According to Nancy Cross, a senior associate athletic director at Purdue and chair of NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee, the problem was that because of the scores Brophy was verbalizing, three teams (Florida State, Oregon and Kent State) ended up waiting around to see if a playoff might be needed to determine which teams would advance to the finals. Only eight of the 24 teams advance.

Bad Brophy!

Lesson learned (hopefully).  Perhaps next time, if the urge to emote hits her, she’ll just Tweet something silly to get it out of her system.  A Golfweek.com story includes Brophy’s apology.

###

Note:  Original photo from Notre Dame via Golfweek.

Poll: Are Your Playable Hours Up This Year?

According to Pellucid’s weather impact report, the numbers for April were quite encouraging, with April’s Golf Playable Hours (GPH) up 20% for the Total US vs. April 2009. That completely erased the weather deficit caused by unfavorable January and February months with the Year-to-Date (YtD) GPH figure now reading + 6% through April.

The announcement included a quote from Pellucid President Jim Koppenhaver, “The great news is that many of the northern climes are off to a fantastic start with solid April weather that appears, at least among our client courses, to have driven rounds which were well over their April plans (again proving Stuart Lindsay’s “Golfers are more like bears than squirrels” theory)

Are your available playable hours up this year?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Win McMurry Describes Tiger’s Bulging WHAT?

Win McMurryOh Winnie… Winnie, Winnie, Winnie. Win McMurry, (one of my favorites at The Golf Channel) had a little slip up over the weekend. I do truly feel for her, but I hope and pray she can see the humor in it… and I trust the good folks at The Golf Channel do to. These things happen… No ill intentions were had, this was just a mistake.

That said, check out the video clip from coverage of Sunday’s final round at the TPC Sawgrass. Reporting on the situation with Tiger, she was heard to remark:

‘he says he’s been playing with a bad back for about a month, and thinks it could be a bulging dick’.

Oh Win. Chin up, have a laugh.

[Via: WaggleRoom]

It’s Official: Introducing Cobra-Puma Golf

Cobra-Puma Golf

Cobra-Puma Golf

We’ve known of the deal for some time now, but it appears as though all of the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted. Today, I received note from my favorite contact at Cobra, informing me of the official announcement of the merger. Welcome to the golf scene, Cobra-Puma Golf!

The purchase of Cobra Golf by PUMA AG means that two very powerful brands will be working together to produce not only killer equipment, but stylish and effective apparel as well. Both brands will continue to be developed separately… But folks from either side will collaborate when necessary to no doubt share in the knowledge and wealth found within each brand.

Honestly, I’m quite excited about this merger, and for all of the people at Cobra and Puma. I’ve been a long-time fan of both brands, and joining them together while retaining both brand identities is going to mean great things… I can just feel it.

Keep reading after the jump for the official press release.

Continue reading →

Atlanta Braves Rookie First to Win Callaway Golf Clubs

By swatting a 476-foot home run on opening day, Atlanta Braves rookie, Jason Heyward has won himself a a full set of Callaway Golf’s new Diablo Edge golf clubs, the longest of their kind that Callaway has ever developed

At the beginning of the 2010 MLB season, Callaway Golf made an announcement about the promotion: Callaway will provide the  full set clubs to any big league player who hits a home run that travels a distance of at least 470 feet.

The write-up about this in the Wall Street Journal mentioned that according to hittrackeronline.com, which collects data on every long ball, there were 10 such home runs in 2009. An additional 27 home runs traveled between 460 and 469 feet.

It’ll be interesting to see who else will win this year.  And the real question is, will Heyward be asked to join the famous golfers affiliated withe the Atlanta Braves (John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine).

To read more about golf and baseball, check out this story from Golf.com.

###

Mojo 6 featuring top LPGA Tour Players to Air on CBS this Weekend

Want to see what Raceway Golf™ is all about?

Then head on over to CBS at 2PM EDT this weekend and check out the Mojo 6 broadcast (www.themojo6.com).

The hotly debated new format, which tests the limits of the world’s best athletes through a faster, shorter, more cutthroat type of competition, proved to be everything it set out to be, and more, as 16 elite players battled for their share of the $1 million purse.

Taped in April and airing as two one-hour programs on Saturday and Sunday (May 1 and 2), the new format pitted 16 of the top LPGA players against each other in a series of six-hole matches.   The head-to-head match-ups proved successful as friendships were laid to rest and the intense competitors took the gloves off to call out their opponents, an unusual spin, that added extra heat to the tournament.

“I love this format, it’s really challenging, fun and you just never know what’s coming,” said Christina Kim, who made it to the second day.  “I think this is the best entertainment women’s golf has seen in a while.  The format changes everything, the buzz among players and fans alike is high, and the head-to-head competition is even higher. ”

“The Mojo 6 was suspenseful, intense and really captivating for the fans,” noted LPGA star and Mojo 6 and CBS commentator, Paula Creamer.  “The action was non-stop.  If player and fan endorsements are any indicator, Raceway Golf is here to stay.  I am already looking forward to the next one.”

Day One of the two-day tournament was highlighted by LPGA-ranked veterans trying to prey on rookies and amateurs in the hopes of racking up points to secure their spot in the final group of eight that advanced to round two.

You can learn more in this promotional video.

###

Golf Course Flyovers Available on Quail Hollow Website

Anyone who has played Tiger Woods Golf knows how cool flyovers are.  You get a bird’s eye view from tee to green, which is helpful for knowing what to expect and to decide which club to use.

When watching a tournament, flyovers provide more depth to the coverage as you get a better feel for what the Pros are up against. This week, Best Approach has created hole-by-hole course flyovers for the Quail Hollow Championship which you can find on the Quail Hollow website.  This is the first PGA TOUR event this year to feature CourseFlight™ 3D flyovers.

The feature is very cool.  For example, you may have read that Tiger Woods struggled on the par-3, 17th where he ended up double-bogeying.  He hit his tee shot into the water.

Using the Best Approach 3D flyover, you can really gain perspective.  To see for yourself, click here and then scroll down.

###