Sandbaggers Suck!

Played in the opening event this weekend at my home course, Sterling Farms. The event was a 2-man scramble, and the net winners were 19 under for a 53! The sandbaggers were a 36 and 24 handicap, meaning an average of a 30 handicap was used. They shot a friggin gross 83 on a day where it was windy, greens were slick and the weather in general wasn't great. How is this possible? Was this the round of their life? These goons even showed up to the reception afterwards to claim their prizes, and got some boos aimed in their direction upon receipt of the $150 gift certificates to the pro shop. I thought handicaps were supposed to make the playing field level? I really don't think two scratch golfers could go 19 under in a 2-man scramble, even on a great day, and that's what it would have taken to beat them. Post any other ridiculous sandbagger stories in the comments section.

TCG

'My Game' At GHIN.com

For anyone with a GHIN (Golf Handicap and Information Network) number, I have to recommend logging on to their website and checking out the new 'My Game' feature. It's offered for free with any registered number from your home club. Basically, you can enter all of your scores as normal, but it also allows you to enter hole-by-hole scores and stats, like fairways hit, greens hit in regulation, putts and sand saves. It then has the capability to pump out metrics that are sure to help point out the weak points in your game. For me, not hitting fairways and having 30+ putts per round is killing me right now. It's a simple affirmation of what you probably already know, hit more fairways, you'll hit more greens and make better scores, etc. It's basically a low budget shotlink (well, not really, unless you measure the distance of every shot yourself) , but if it's useful to the touring pros, then why not try and take advantage of similar technology for your game? It also allows you to make a complete ass of yourself on the course with comments like "man, I never 3-putt greens, well, 2.4 times per round actually," or "I always birdie the par 5's, actually, I haven't even made par on one in the last 5 rounds." etc. For me, this system really just hit home because I used to keep my own stats back in high school on the golf team. Loser. I know.

TCG

Tiger Woods Sidelined For A Month After Surgery

Best line from the article on ESPN.com: "He also stumbled behind the eighth green at Southern Hills during the final round of the PGA Championship, right after he chipped in for birdie and was backing up to throw a fist pump."

Belated Random Thoughts From The Masters

• If you had to set a Vegas line on Trevor Immelman having an attractive blond wife, what would it have been? Pretty much a layup.
• Did anyone else hear Tiger Woods call himself a 'dumbass' after pulling a drive on the back nine on Saturday? It was clearly audible, but the funny thing is, the drive ended up fine in the fairway on the left side. Guess it was a bad approach angle.
• While I respect the Masters limited commercial interruption, you have to pay for it 4 minutes out of every hour with THE SAME 3 COMMERCIALS. The Exxon commercials were especially brutal with the obligatory 'my wife Amy and I...' every 5 seconds from Phil Mickelson.
• Does anybody believe Immelman that he didn't know the leader board until after he hit his approach on 18? This can't be true. It totally affects the way you play, like maybe the fact that he shouldn't have even tried to fire at the pin on 16. I guess it doesn't do any good to criticize, because even he said when he found out he was up by 3 on the 18th green he was trying to figure out a way not to 4 putt!
  
• Brandt Snedeker definitely went up a few notches in my book, and undoubtedly golf fans and the media in general. I always find it unbelievable how these guys can keep their composure after hitting bad shot after bad shot Sunday at the Masters. I would be fuming, and this guy just laughs it off and shakes his head. Definitely a promising future for this guy even without the killer instinct.
• It's come to be completely obvious how much control Augusta National has over the CBS broadcast (and now ESPN, as evidenced by the first two rounds and the par-3 contest) from pretty much every aspect. I understand the tradition and integrity etc., but how often do we need to be reminded of it? It's almost like watching the YES network and hearing the horns every 5 seconds, 'Yankee Stadium this, 26 world championships that, most storied franchise in sports.' We get it.

Masters Par 3 Tournament Kids - Enough

Anyone else less than impressed by the Masters Par 3 Tournament coverage on ESPN? I think the next kid that I see strike a putt 10 feet long and wide of the hole I'm going to throw in Rae's Creek. Seriously. We get it. You have cute kids that are in caddie uniforms with bows in their hair. Adorable. But let's get something straight, Tiger will not be caught dead doing this. If Sam was his caddie in the Par 3 Tournament and mis-clubbed him, she's fired, off the bag. I have to say that I admire Rory Sabatini for sticking it to the Par 3 curse and firing a nice 5 under without dunking it in the water on the final hole to avoid the inevitable bad luck. Someone has to do it at some point, right (win the Par 3 and the Green Jacket in the same year)?

TCG

New Titleist AP2 Irons, Weekend Thoughts

Saturday was big day for TCG, finally sacking up and getting custom fitted for a new set of irons after using the same set for the last 8 years (Titleist DCI 990s). Sure, I fell for the buzz going on about the new Titleist AP2s and the fact that pros by the likes of Adam Scott and Steve Stricker are switching to them, but there is more to it than that. These clubs are a new direction for Titleist, and a perfect transition club for a single digit handicapper who is trying to take their game to the next level, which is where I'm at right now. I probably won't say anything revolutionary about the clubs here that haven't been said somewhere else, but I do have some stuff to say about custom fitting: DO IT. My new friends at Downtown Golf in Stamford, CT hooked up a sweet deal and a top notch custom fitting that included loft, lie, shaft, launch monitors and video analysis. Basically, the AP2 was perfect for my launch angle and ball speed, trying to minimize ballooning iron shots and the right combination of feel, look and workability. Basically, these are supposed to be the best feeling irons Titleist has ever produced.

Played with one of the most annoying golf characters there is this weekend, but he is kind of hard to explain, but you'll probably know who I'm talking about. He's "Nice Shot Guy" but he only says this as your ball is sailing in to the woods, OB, lateral hazard or bunker. Hit a shot down the middle...crickets. Hit a solid pull directly in to the woods..."nice shot," never fails. It's almost as if he knows how much this pisses you off, but he can't help himself. There is always some futile correction that he tries to make like "oh the wind really took that one" or "I thought that was going to come back a little more" etc. Don't drink while on the course with "nice shot guy" because you will end up knocking him out after he pulls the same stunt on a 3 foot put that sails by the hole for birdie on 18.

TCG

Tony Romo Is The Man

Ho-hum, just another day in the life of the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, carding a 3rd round 69 at one of the top men's amateur events in the country. His life definitely doesn't suck, especially when you add in the whole Jessica Simpson variable. Must be nice to be able to take 6 months off from golf and come out and shoot a number like that on a tournament tested track. Forget about the 80 and 81 he threw up on days 2 and 4, it takes a lot of talent to go low.

In other news, Colt Knost, who I more or less predicted would not have a great start on tour, is tired of fielding questions about whether or not he regrets his decision to turn down his Masters invitation to turn pro. Of course he is going to say he has no regrets, but let's remember, in order to get to the Masters you have to be in the top 50 or win an event. Could be a while before Colt reaches that status on the PGA Tour.

TCG

Swing Reminders

Scott from www.swingreminders.com was nice enough to send me along a free sample of a product he is hawking called, you guessed it, Swing Reminders. Check out the website. These are essentially glorified POGS but with everyday reminders for the golfer who is probably stuck with 400 Golf Digest swing thoughts in their head. The company motto "it's only a game" rings true with the casual nature of the product. Nobody is going to break any course records with these tips, but they are solid fundamentals that you should probably be thinking about anyways. One that I found particularly useful was "forward press." I forgot how much this helps me control distance on long putts, as well as keep alignment on short putts. Bottom line is, however, is that you don't want to carry all 25 tokens (boxes come with 25 tokens, double-sided, 50 reminders in all) in your pocket each round, so you have to sort of review all the ones you think are useful and then keep them mentally locked for the round. My guess is that the tokens are supposed to be used as ball markers primarily, but judging by some of the reminders, you would have to pull them out on the tee or fairway to reap any rewards from the tip. I can't imagine "tuck you're right elbow" being too helpful unless you get this token while marking your ball in the fairway (illegal). I am probably nitpicking a little bit, but hey, the idea is solid, especially for higher handicap golfers who are constantly looking for an edge (the majority of players). Congrats to Scott, who is Head Golf Professional at Turquoise Valley Golf Course in Naco, Arizona, on following through with a product he believed in and bringing it to the masses (which in this case is about 40 cubicle losers reading this blog).

TCG

D-bag Yells During Vijay's Backswing

If you missed this on the final hole of the Palmer tournament then you definitely need to get your ears checked. Some loser screamed during Vijay's back swing on his approach shot in to 18, and it was so loud, even Johnny Miller commented on it. The other announcer guy also called it "weak" which I thought was classic. Do you think this drunk had the same feeling around his buddies as token guy who is about to run on the field at a baseball game does? "I'm gonna do it man, it's gonna be great!" Immediately after must just be the worst ever, as nobody is laughing and Arnold Palmer just looks at you and shakes his head in disappointment. Anyone who makes the argument that its dumb how you have to be quiet during golf either does not understand the game or is really terrible at it. What these pros deal with week in and week out with crowd noise, camera clicks, fans standing 2 feet away from almost every shot, blimps, etc. makes the guy in your foursomes cellphone ringing look like a joke.

TCG

The Art of the MANcation

Just got back from a solid 4 day trip to Southwest Florida where a couple of my buddies and I played some quality golf courses and had a great time. May do some half-assed course reviews later this week. Wanted to get a few quick tips out there for anyone else who might be planning a MANcation anytime soon. If you're wondering what a mancation is, it's pretty much anytime you go somewhere with dudes only and there is golf, gambling, drinking, cigars, dog track's, etc. involved. The mancation may also include quality BROmancing, where it's okay for bros to let each other know how great a time they are having without feeling weird about it.

1. Find yourself a good friend to mooch off of. Thanks for the luxury condo in a gated community, Doug! Free lodging means better courses and generally more fun with additional dollars in your pocket.

2. Use a tee-time booking agency to get the golf courses and start times in order. I used www.teetimesusa.com and they were awesome. You pay list prices (they charge the course a commission) and they got every tee-time to within 5 minutes of what I requested.

3. Rent a good car. We hooked up a Toyota 4 Runner and it was big enough for all the golf bags and wasn't painful to take back and forth from the courses.

4. Buy beers beforehand and smuggle them on to the course. It seems like every cart comes standard with a cooler these days, and nothing beats saving 80 bucks a man when you are already shelling out in the hundreds for the round itself.

5. Book afternoon tee-times at the expensive courses. Lots of times you will see huge price reductions for playing in the afternoon. And seriously, waking up before 10 AM when you get home from the bar a 3 AM isn't a great time, but sometimes necessary.

6 Get VIP/bottle service at the club. Guaranteed it makes up for itself in individual drink prices plus tip.

7. Don't tip the bag room guys until you see they are making an effort to clean your clubs. Nothing pisses me off more than throwing a guy a 5 spot for putting my dirty clubs on the rack and leaving them caked in mud.

8. Play one of your rounds for a steak dinner at the nicest place around. 2 man teams standard match play is the way to go. This makes for a super competitive round with a great reward if you win. Loop in a Nassau with dots for the other rounds and the action is generally good as well.

9. Take Monday off. I made this rookie mistake coming back from Vegas late last year. Trust me on this one.

10. Take cabs everywhere. Enough said. Don't end up on the next episode of COPS at 3 in the morning with a Looney Toons t-shirt on.

TCG

New Clubs and Golfsmith!

Pulled the trigger this weekend on some sweet new Titleist clubs that I have been eyeing for a while. I picked up the Titleist 907 D1 driver and the Titleist 906 F4 3-wood. Now I know what you're probably thinking, that last month's Golf Digest Hot List crapped all over these clubs. Well, they pretty much did, and I don't care. The D1 is the Titleist answer to the growing geometric driver market, but it's designed for better players, not the typical 15-25 handicaps that read Golf Digest. A lot of so-called golf gurus are trashing Titleist for just recently starting to appeal to the mass market, but you know they are secretly upset that the secret of Titleist is finally being unleashed to the masses. These are players clubs, pure and simple, and now that they are slowly starting to infuse a little bit of game-improvement they really will be the preferred club for single digit handicappers and low-handicappers for some time to come, at least in my opinion. So back to the D1. Hits like a beast, sounds like a driver should sound, I don't care if you can't work the ball with it (even though I could get a 10 yard cut or draw on the range on Saturday pretty much at will) and the stock shaft is pretty solid. The real reason I picked this one up though is because some moron brought it back to Golfsmith after only hitting it a few times (not a single scratch or idiot mark on it) and Golfsmith threw it in the bargain-bin for $225. 65 gram stiff shaft, 9.5 degrees, like new, SOLD. The 906 F4 is a pretty cool club as well. Very wide face for a 3-wood coupled with a pretty shallow face makes for an almost hybrid / 3-wood look at address. I won't even try to tee this thing up as high as a normal 3 on the tee, because the face just isn't built like that. I can see myself getting out of some real trouble with this spoon, or even working the ball on short par 4's or hanging back on a long par 3 with a 3-quarter swing. One last note, the virtual driving range at Golfsmith is ridiculous. I don't care if the thing isn't dead on accurate with direction or distance, you can legit play 18 holes of golf on it and feel like it's the real thing (putting is a little weak though, so says the dude who was working at the time). Either way, I would love to have one of those in my basement someday, but for $30,000, not sure if it will ever happen.

TCG

Thoughts on Square Drivers

Last week during the all Nike final at the WGC, there was a decent amount of talk from The Golf Channel booth on how both Cink and Woods fared with their Nike drivers. What I'm most interested in is the square driver, or in this case, the Nike SQ2 5900. The 5900 stands for the maximum MOI (moment of inertia) allowed by the USGA. I am really intrigued by this driver, not by the gimmick of the square, but by the fact that people really attest to the fact that it helps hit the ball straighter than ever. Nick Faldo and Kelly Tilghman of The Golf Channel echoed this sentiment, specifically citing K.J. Choi who I believe has made the switch recently. The downside to these square drivers is that you apparently can't "work the ball" as well as traditional pear shaped clubs. This is actually the exact reason that Tiger gave in a recent interview on why he hasn't made the switch yet (also worth noting that Woods has been known to switch back to his old Titleist driver sometimes, and this is allowed in his Nike contract!). The problem with this reasoning is that 99% of the golfing public doesn't need to worry about working their drives. Any perennial duffer who tries to call a 30 yard slice working the ball is a moron because doing so on demand and not as a result of your terrible swing is the real way to shape shots. I am a mid-single digit handicapper and can honestly say I never think about shaping drives when it comes to the makeup of the hole. For this reason alone, I am definitely going to demo one this weekend and see if there is a place in my bag for one (and just like Tiger, I have the trusty Titleist to fall back on). Some complaints about last year's Sumo2 model was that it sounded like an aluminum baseball bat on contact, which was true. You could hear someone teeing off a mile away with one of those things. Apparently the sound has been dampened for this model, but that still doesn't change the fact that it looks like you are swinging a Sony Discman from 1996. Thoughts?

TCG

Weekend Wrap Up

Tiger: Not much I can say here that hasn't been said somewhere else on ESPN or the Tiger Woods Channel (aka The Golf Channel). Any fan who isn't rooting for Tiger to break Byron Nelson's record doesn't appreciate what is going on right now. Everything from the "4 majors is in the realm of possibility" to the 90 feet of consecutive putts he made against J.B Holmes point towards this being one of the most dominating seasons of all time.

WGC Brackets: I somehow knew that making the stupid 18 hole consolation match worth as many points as a correct elite 8 pick in my pool would come back to kill me. It did. Stenson winning cost me $60. I'll let it slide Justin Leonard, but only because you made the putt on Clyde Street as I was standing 15 feet away. Anyone else have any bad beat stories?

Paula Creamer: Wins with a pink ball and pretty much head to toe pink outfit, including a pink putter grip. It's pretty safe to say that breast cancer was probably cured single-handedly from this outfit, equipment and accompanying victory. Also, is she hot? I can't get a good read on it.

Boo Weekley: Didn't know you were allowed to concede putts in match play, and this guy plays on the PGA Tour. There are way too many lay-up jokes to make here, so I'll just leave it at this: If this guy didn't dip a tin of Copenhagen every round on tour he would probably be my least favorite player on tour. He belongs at the Bass Masters Classic, not a WGC event.

Freddie: Will definitely be a great captain. Almost the anti-Ben Crenshaw though. I never got the impression that he was all about the history of the game and traditions. He kind of helped revolutionize the more likable and semi-underdog type of player. Will undoubtedly be like by the players, but I have a feeling most of the decisions will be made by the group, not just him alone.

Brian Kontak: Random, but the dude who won the most recent Big Break on the Golf Channel missed the cut at the Mayakoba this weekend. Back to the Gateway Tour!

TCG

February Madness!?!

In terms of days spent in a cubicle, today had to be one of the most enjoyable in a long time. Printing out brackets for the WGC Accenture Match Play and handing them out to guys in the office who I knew played golf turned out to be an awesome idea. How come I haven't been doing this for the past couple of years, the tournament has been going on since friggin' 1999? Did anyone else know that golf bracketology was so much fun? Sure, the brackets are nowhere near the reality of the NCAA brackets we are used to. No way Marist is taking down UNC like Ernie Els (1) got taken down by Jonathan Byrd (16) today. This tournament just simply gets weird, but makes for some really fun gambling opportunities. If you haven't started a pool yet, I highly suggest you get one going tomorrow for the round of 32. Not to mention, if you have IM capability at work, instant bets with coworkers are only a click away. I learned first hand today when I took a bet that Tiger wouldn't come back from 2 down to win with only 4 left. Dumb. I literally have not seen a single shot from this tourney on television yet, but from watching the electronic scorecard on the WGC website I still feel like I was following every match intently. What Woods did today was just silly. I think his card would have had him shooting 66 or something, and this course is measuring almost 7,500 yards! Anyways, this tournament should provide another 4 days of obnoxious upsets and riveting match play among the 64 best players in the world.

TCG

Natalie Gulbis LPGA.com Picture

Is it just me, or does Natalie's bio picture on the LPGA.com website look like it's straight out of 8th grade? The only things missing are the lasers in the background circa 1994. Good to see she took the time to bedazzle that shirt before the shoot as well. Taking cues from Jessie Spano on the haricut I might add. LPGA needs to realize who is carrying their franchise and update this pic! Note, I may or may not have been creeping on the LPGA.com website when I discovered this.

TCG

Back in Action: President's Day

Well, after a long hiatus (that I can blam mostly on the winter season here in NE) TCG will hopefully be back posting periodically.

I busted out the sticks for the first time this season at the local driving range. Temperature was a nice 60 degrees, and the range was reasonably crowded with the usual hackers trying to get a jumpstart on another season of crappy golf. One familiar figure that I almost forgot about since last season was cranky old driving range guy. He hasn't skipped a beat since last season. Still aimlessly walking around almost getting dinged in the head by drivers as he picks up your bucket in your backswing. When will he/the driving range learn? You need to buy some more friggin buckets so this clown doesn't have to constantly be calling for everyone's attention to empty their baskets. You'd think they were some sort of commodity. Anyone who uses the Sterling Farms driving range should know exactly what I am talking about.

Anyways, I am not realy considering the PGA Tour season official until Tiger has back-to-back starts. Impressive wins so far, but with Phil coming fresh off a victory and Tiger taking yet another week off, we'll see what happens at the WGC Match Play. Which, I might add, is a very underrated opportunity for a nice office bracket pool. I am definitely going to print up some sheets tomorrow and try to get some action going.

TCG

New Scotty Cameron Putter

For a lot of people, a $300 putter doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially if you are just a novice and your whole set of clubs didn't even cost that much. For the seasoned player, however, finding the right putter (design, feel, playability, gimmicks's, etc.) can sometimes be worth the time it takes to find one and spending the money. After all, you use your putter on every hole, whereas that $500 driver only gets to come out of the bag every couple of holes or so. For me, Scotty Cameron makes some of the best putters around, and this is evidenced by his following on tour as well as in the college, amateur and junior ranks. I had a Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport 2 Mid-Slant when I was back in high school. I traded an entire set of almost brand new cobra irons to get the pro shop credit to buy it. Eventually, after my passion for the game fizzled out in college and the first few years of cubicle dwelling, I sold it on ebay. Well, recently, as you know, I have been taking up golf semi-seriously again and thought it was time to rekindle my relationship with Scotty (no homo). I asked for the Studio Style Newport 2 for Christmas, and girlfriend CG was happy to oblige. Given that a few days ago the first day of Winter passed us by, it's a lock that I won't be using this thing for a while (unless my buddy comes through with sniping the keys to his parents Florida house in February) so I decided to do some research on what is going on in the world of Cameron putters these days. I was shocked to find out that this guy is regarded as a demi-god to a loyal following of "Cameron Collectors" who hang on his every word and spend a significant amount of cash on items sold from his workshop in California. This guy is hawking all kinds of stuff (and who wouldn't?) from divot tools to headcovers. The thing is, due to his loyal following, lots of items are made on a limited basis just for the collector's market, and these things are selling for the prices of used cars on ebay! I'm not going to attempt to get in to the whole phenomenon, but if you're interested, check out www.scottycameron.com and www.cameroncollector.com for some more info.

TCG

James Island (British Columbia)?!?!?

I am absolutely fuming right now after randomly seeing a piece on The Travel Channel (no-homo) about this private island off the coast of Canada that is currently for sale for $49 milion bucks. This completely undeveloped island is home to 6 cottages made of converted trailers (brought over on barges), an air strip with sea plane capabilities, and A JACK NICKLAUS SIGNATURE DESIGN 18 HOLE GOLF COURSE. Are you sh!tting me? Has anyone ever heard of this? What a waste. The show said that Nicklaus designed it for 1$ Million...per hole! I know Jack has a business to run, but this is utterly insane he would accept a project like this. It's not like he needs the money or notoriety, how about building courses where more than 6 people can play? My new goal in life is to buy this island and bulldoze the course...maybe after playing it a few dozen times.

TCG

Q-School Random Thoughts

Here's the final breakdown to on the winners and losers from this year's Q-School. Quick shout outBrad Adamonis making the grade and earning himself 25K in the process. His brother, Dave Adamonis, runs a great junior golf tour called The United States Challenge Cup. I played in a ton of these events when I was a kid, never carding anything spectacular, but really getting a taste of tournament golf in the process, even if that meant missing many consecutive cuts. Other than a few names in the top 25 and ties (Duffy Waldorf, Frank Lickliter, Carlos Franco) I don't recognize a single one of these guys. One cool story to develop was The Golf Channel's "The Big Break" Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey getting his card. Everything points to me ripping this guy for wearing two black golf gloves while playing (even putting), but since the season ended here in New England, my cynical attitude and general disdain for most players better than myself has wavered slightly. Congrats Tommy. Guess this means The Big Break can only become a better show from now on if they prove they can showcase top quality talent. From the 2008 Exempt Nationwide "winners" we have Bob May missing his card by one shot. That has to be brutal, especially because it seems like just a year or two ago he was watching Tiger finish him off on the big boys tour. He'll probably pop up with some conditional status in a few events this year nonetheless. Lastly, missing out on Nationwide Exempt status by one shot was the familiar Casey Wittenberg, who introduced his douchy self to America in the finals of the 2003 U.S. Amateur and as the low amateur (tied for 13th) in the 2004 Masters. I for one was not happy to see this kid in the cabin with Phil Mickelson. Can't really put a finger on what it was, but I guess it was just the presumptuous nature that comes with being ranked the #1 amateur for so long like he was. Career never really did pan out for him I guess, even though he is still only 24 years old. Either way, I will continue to hate on him for the forseeable future (me in a cubicle, him playing golf professionally).

Freddie is Back for Thanksgiving

Gotta love Freddie. He'll be returning to competition this weekend at The Skins Game with a foursome that admittedly lacks star power (Brett Wetterich, Stephen Ames and Zach Johnson). Fred has been laid up from competition for over 8 months, but what a perfect event to come back for. How do these guys get chosen for The Skins Game anyways? Sure, you have to miss Thanksgiving with your family, but you get to play Golf on a beautiful course for boatloads of cash. Personally, I'd wave bye bye to Mom and Dad for the chance to drain puts worth most people's years salary.

In other news, it's unseasonably warm in Mass today, hopefully it persists to tomorrow so we can tee it up.

TCG

Justin Timberlake to Host PGA Tour Event in 2008

As much as I want to hate on JT, I just can't bring myself to do it. He's got everything going for him. Number 1 records, good looks and any babe he wants (no homo) and tons of cash to blow. This article on ESPN.com talks about the tournament he will be hosting next year in Las Vegas. What really got my attention, though, was Justin's assertion of a 6-handicap and his desire to someday play in a PGA Tour event. What I gathered from the quote was that he wasn't talking about a celebrity pro-am, rather a real deal PGA Tour event. Let the hating begin. Are you serious JT? Let me guess, Timbaland is your caddie too, right? Let's start with the 6 handicap. Does anyone think that's legit? You have to think with the loot he is rocking that he's not playing rinky dink courses (i.e. slope and rating are probably decent) and the time he has on hand must promote some sort of regular practice schedule. But a 6? Not sure if I buy it, especially since there's no decimal on that bad boy. I also know that a handicap is supposed to project potential, but I honestly can't picture this guy shooting in the high 70's, unless he was getting Michael Douglas length gimmies on a regular basis. On to the playing in the real event thing. This is not even worth blogging about. Does he know how many scratch golfers could not even come close to making a cut on Tour? Oh, that's right, he doesn't, too much time teaching Scarlett Johansson that it's "all in the hips." There is probably a ton of "yes" men that he surrounds himself with that tell him how great he is at golf and that he could play on the Tour someday. Ignorance is bliss I guess. Well...and being a super famous world megastar helps too. Either way, gotta respect what he is doing for the Shriners Childrens Hospital. Who knows, maybe TCG will have to schedule another Vegas trip to check out JT's swing in person, and maybe catch a round at the Wynn.

TCG

"The Truck"

Ever wonder what the players in golf's minor league, The Nationwide Tour, do in between rounds during every event of the season? Gather around an enormous semi-trailer with a bottomless beer cooler, of course. "The Truck" as it's known, is detailed nicely by Jason Sobel from ESPN.com. I wasn't at all surprised when I read the article though, considering that most of the guys on the Nationwide Tour are just a few fairways, greens and putts better than you and me. In other words, most of them are just average guys. Alright, maybe a TON of fairways, greens, putts and NCAA tournament victories, but as far as yearly salary goes, most of you probably have them beat. The operations dudes that hang out with them must have a pretty good time. It's like every day is the final round of your club championship back at the 19th hole. Grill up some burgers and dogs, drop out a few plasma screens and recliners and this thing is like a rolling sports bar. Guys on the Nationwide Tour must booze face though, and I was not at all surprised that Jason "The Human Keg" Gore was the first one to sign The Truck's famous cooler "Great White." This has now become a tradition every time someone wins an event on tour, but the article doesn't mention how many beers that guy probably has to buy that night for all the guy's on the Nationwide Tour living out of their trunks. My guess is as many that can fit in the Great White.

TCG

Club Review: The Go-To Throwing Club

There isn't one manufacturer who has laid claim to one of the most important clubs in any amateur golfers bag. The club bears no specific designation, 7-iron, putter, 3-wood and so forth. This club is used for one reason: throwing as far as humanly possible after a bad shot (or some variation of this). For me growing up, it was a Cleveland 1-iron that I tricked myself in to thinking I could hit. Most likely the same way I convinced myself I was almost a scratch golfer when I could only shoot in the low 80's and high 70's. It came to a point, and I am sure some of you can relate, that I actually hit bad shots, went back to my bag and replaced the faulty club, and unsheathed the throw club to quench my aggression. Of course it is fitting that mine was a 1-iron, because who can hit those anyways. I had just gotten a new set of 990's, so there was no way I was going to throw one of those guys. It is a prerequisite for this club to have been stuck in a pine tree on multiple occasions, only to be salvaged by a football one of your buddies had in his trunk. It is also quite possible that you may have almost killed someone in your foursome with an errant throw, or did damage to your wrists on an overly aggressive smash in to the turf. Sprinkler heads and bunker rakes are frequent recipients of this clubs wrath, along with golf carts (from afar, you know, the helicopter toss from the fairway) and tee markers. If you have ever owned a stand bag, undoubtedly there are many battle scars on its appendages, along with the possibility of a cracked cellphone if you were dumb enough to swing at one of the pockets. The only way to retire a throw club is to physically snap it over your knee, possibly after leaving three shots in the bunker on the ninth hole when you need to go up and down to tie your high school scoring record (ah, memories).

TCG

Belated Oxford Greens Course Review

There is not a ton going on in the golf world right now, so I figured I would make good on the Oxford Greens course review from a few weeks back. If you don't remember, my buddies and I played Great River on Saturday ($130) and Oxford Greens on Sunday ($89). Oxford is the CLEAR winner in this match up, both in cost and general enjoyment of the round and course experience. To start off though, Oxford is a PAIN to get to. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere in CT, about an hour from the New York border on 95, but it seems like it takes 2 hours considering it is all back roads for about 10 miles. No big deal though, this is why the course costs what it does. When you first arrive at the course, it is nothing spectacular, and is actually located in a senior citizen development neighborhood! Don't worry, the rounds aren't slow, and there aren't adult diapers in the trash bins at each tee. Something that does stand out, in a bad way, is how long the friggin' check in process takes. We were already late due to some "traffic" (see hangover) and this drawn out check in almost drove me to strangle the pro shop guy. They ask you for every piece of info imaginable, short of your social security number, so they can print out some beat rewards card that nobody will ever use. Skip this process if you can. The typical cart barn retiree's were pretty cool, giving us some sh!t about calling in and saying there was traffic on the Merritt on a Sunday. They also managed to give a pretty good pep talk before we were directed to the putting green by the first tee. The theme of the talk: "Everything goes left." More on that later. The putting green is your first indication that these greens are not normal, they are turbo fast. They pretty much blew away Great River by a huge margin, straight marble floors we were dealing with. The front nine starts off with a simple par 4, followed by the signature par 3, a decently long downhill approach with water left and long, trouble right and short, and a pin position that was illegal in 48 states. After this you begin to realize what the grouchy cart guys were talking about when they mentioned that everything goes left. Apparently, these guys (course architects) are known for this type of sloping fairway. I have played a few of their courses on the Cape and can attest to this. If you are not hitting a fade off the tee, your ball is going straight in to the rough on the roll, maybe even a lateral hazard. Don't mistake this for being unfair though. The greens are all good sized, and there is ample opportunity to rip driver off the tee and have a short iron to the green. To be clear though, driver accuracy is at a premium, but the reward is great if you are willing to risk it. Fast forward a few holes to the 9th tee, where we were greeted by an astonishingly aloof, possibly semi-retarded, beer cart girl. She simply did not understand the concept of any one of us giving her our debit cards and running it in the clubhouse to pay for the beers. It was like we were speaking different languages. Fire this woman immediately. The back nine combines tricky holes with good scoring opportunities. We played the tees right before the tips, which were far enough back to pretty much rip driver or 3 wood on every par 4 and 5, can't ask for much more. After we finished up, there was immediately 2 dudes ready to shine the crap out of my clubs. Taking notes Great River? The bar was pretty sweet, couple of plasmas, decent food for a good price, and a nice view of the 18th green. Once again, taking notes Great River (closed bar, no seats, no windows, no fun)? All in all, this course is a must play for $89. The quality of the course easily outweighs the "country club for a day" experience that is touted by other clubs, when in reality, Oxford delivers on that as well.

TCG

Response to Brian's Post In The Article Below

Hey Brian, what's up? Thanks for posting on the site. Guess you are a first time reader, because you clearly don't understand what TCG is all about. YES, I am bitter! I work in a friggin' cube all day crunching numbers in the middle of CT while clowns like Colt Knost get to play a leisurely game and get paid millions for it. Stop being a liar and thinking that you are not the least bit jealous. I would be on the PGA tour too if I grew up in whatever sun drenched town this kid did. Instead I was playing ice hockey and beating up kids like you after school in the freezing cold in MA (minus the beating up kids part). Knost is going to do way more than just earn a living, he is going to CONTEND week in and week out next season if he can continue to play like he did as an amateur. I am not denying that. Did you watch the FRYS.com open this weekend? Colt was 4 off the lead on Saturday after 3 jacking on 18. Dude has game. So yes, my posts are going to be cynical and a tad grouchy, but they are all rooted in the unfortunate truth that I want to play golf for a living and can't. The reason I started this website was basically to try and get free golf crap. So far, no dice. But with quality posts like yours, I am well on my way. Thanks, pal.

TCG

Colt knost Turns Down Masters to Turn Pro

This comes as no shocker to TCG. You HAVE to turn pro after the season that Knost had. He went out on top as the number one ranked amateur golfer in the world, pocketing a U.S. Amateur title, Publinks Title and a Walker Cup Trophy to top it off. This interview with Jason Sobel is pretty good, but he misfires a few times. He said he had nothing left to prove as an amateur. Really? I know it's an exception, but Tiger won the U.S Junior three times in a row and then won the U.S. Amateur three times in a row. Not too shabby. Pretty much dumps on your one U.S. Am and sh!itty Publinks victory. Even TCG finished top 50 in the Publinks (alright, it was the Massachusetts State Publinks, but still a big W). One thing that pisses me off about Knost is that we now have another overweight stumpy figure on the PGA tour for idiot sportscasters to use to discredit golf as an nonathletic sport. Hit the treadmill or something Colt, it's gonna be tough going 36 holes a day when you have to make it through ALL THREE rounds of Q-school. Too bad the phenom already has a couple sponsor's exemptions locked up for next season. Pro golfer. Must be nice.

TCG

TCG Goes to Vegas

Just got back from Vegas, hence the lack of blogging recently. Will be back tomorrow with some new stuff.

TCG

Half Assed Course Review: Great River Golf Club

By now you are probably sick of hearing about the $130 Great River Golf Club in Milford, CT that I played this weekend in the inaugural Presidents Cup of CT weekend (assuming I live here that much longer). It's tough to start out reviewing a course when you're used to paying $25 for 18 at the local muni. For $130 you really need to be wowed by pretty much every aspect of the course and the overall experience, and it doesn't hurt to play well either. Arriving at Great River you are immediately aware of how this course literally sits on the bank of the Housatonic River. The course almost seems to slope slightly in the direction of the water on some holes, and the presence of the river is undeniable, even if it is annoying motorboat drones and the smell of low tide. What is not evident is service at a club that should be priding itself on the "country club for a day" selling point. Jumping around chronologically a bit, not one stinking bag boy came to clean my sticks after the round. Unacceptable. I used to shine the sh!t out of peoples clubs at the courses I worked at, and now I want my moment in the sun. Back to the course. It starts off with a par 3. I already griped about that last post so I'll save my breath. The front nine is generally unimpressive minus one of the signature holes, a downhill par 3 overlooking the water, with trouble short, left and long. Still not a particularly hard hole for a good high iron player. The back is where things really start to get interesting. Water comes in to play on EVERY hole. You mind as well start burning 5 dollar bills, because this is where the box of pro-v's you bought before the round are going to get sacrificed. Luckily the 16 oz BL's you picked up at the turn are easing the pain at this point. Even still, some of the par 4s on the back have such demanding tee shots that it becomes frustrating for an average golfer, especially if you plan on playing the 6900 yard tees like we did. The approaches are no joke either, sometimes with complete water and bunker coverage coming in to play. One relief is that the greens don't play nearly as quick as they should on a course of this caliber. They were probably rolling at a slow 11, and were pretty receptive as well. Bottom line here is that I would pay around a hundo to play the back nine twice in a row if I could. It's that good. The truth of the matter is that the extra 30 goes right to Tom Fazio's fat wallet and not to the overall quality of the course. One final thought, the bar area was miserable, and my buddies and I actually jumped ship to somewhere nearby instead of dealing with the terribly designed bar and TV viewing area (Presidents Cup was on). Next up: The Golf Club at Oxford Greens, Oxford, CT.

TCG

Question On Handicaps

So my buddies are coming down this weekend for the first annual Connecticut Presidents Cup. 2 days, 36 holes, awesome courses, some beers and gambling. One of the dudes, Tom, has been haggling me all week to give him one stroke per each 18 this weekend. Not a big deal right? Wrong. Tom and I played high school and college golf together and are pretty much the exact same type of golfer: capability to go low on most muni course, like a few over, but bring us to resort style courses with carts and beers and it's almost a guaranteed mid-80's round. Question is, if at any time in your golfing lifetime you were even with a guy, do you ever give him a stroke for the rest of your life? The answer in my books is ABSOLUTELY NOT! I don't care if I eventually make the tour one day and Tom is a paraplegic. He's not getting any strokes! Once even, always even. So tomorrow is Great River in Milford, CT. This place is legit. Only beef I have with this place (played it once before) is that the first hole is a par 3. What's up with that? You always want to bomb the driver on the first hole to see how the round is going to go, and trying to finesse a 6 or a 7 iron to a par 3 to start off is never a comfortable experience. Tom Fazio needs to step his game up on that course design decision. Detailed half assed course review to follow this weekend.

TCG

Straight Domination at Presidents Cup

So you have probably read by now that the US is dominating at the Presidents Cup. The boys in red were a half point away from a sweep in the Day 1 alternate shot matches, which obviously puts them in a great place going in to Friday and the weekend. The interesting story regarding that half point though, is that Jack Nicklaus, the US captain, instructed Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin to concede a four foot putt on the 18th hole to Mike Weir and Vijay Singh for the tie. Most casual golf fans were wondering what kind of move that was, but it's a no brainer for Nicklaus, who did the same in 1969 at the Ryder Cup for those matches to end in a draw. Regardless, it still makes me wonder where that type of sportsmanship comes from. You better believe that not only am I not conceding a one foot putt to my buddies this weekend in our own Presidents Cup of sorts, I'm setting my cell phone to ring in their back swing if pitchers at the 19th hole are on the line. So much can go wrong in three feet, especially for Weir, who may have been feeling the pressure in front of his hometown crowd at Royal Montreal. I don't know how they do things in Canada, but with that logic, I might be a +3 north of the border. For anyone who is interested in following the tournament during the workday tomorrow, check out the live audio feed (free) at PGATour.com. Just click on the XM logo. I never thought listening to golf would be so awesome. They have this one announcer, Michael Collins, who can talk you through a 35 foot birdie putt in so much detail you can literally picture the break, speed and slope of the putt. He announces every shot like it's friggin fourth down in the final seconds of the Superbowl. I actually found myself fist pumping in my cubicle and starting U-S-A chants after Steve Stricker rolled one in, but then playing it off like I figured out how to do a vlookup in Excel. And if you're not supposed to listen to the radio at work, tell your boss he's a communist, because Tiger and company are running sh!t all over Royal Monty this year.

TCG