Get Your Putting Style Analyzed on "The Golf Fix"
Two weeks from tonight (02/08/10), Michael Breed says he will be doing his show "The Golf Fix" dedicated to putting with a "famous teacher" in tow - so they are looking for a bunch of video to analyze. He usually asks for straight on, down the line, and grip images.
Might be fun to have some Waggle Roomers on the show.
Directions and addresses to send video are at - http://www.thegolfchannel.com/the-golf-fix/
about 6 hours ago
courtgolf
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Hana Bank Returns as Sponsor on 2010 LPGA Schedule
by Bill Jempty on Feb 8, 2010 1:35 PM EST
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They have signed a three-year deal with the tour.
The LPGA today announces that Hana Financial Group will title sponsor an LPGA tournament for the next three years, starting this October. The LPGA Hana Bank Championship, a 54-hole official money event, will be held October 29-31, 2010 in the greater Seoul, South Korea area and feature a purse of $1.8 million.
Another tournament, limited field or not, is good news for the LPGA.
Jon Show of Sports Business Journal writes:
The confirmed event in South Korea gives the LPGA three consecutive weeks in Asia, assuming a title sponsor can be found for the IMG-run event in China scheduled for Oct. 22-24. The Mizuno Classic in Japan is scheduled for the week following the Hana Bank event.
The way I read the above is that the China stop is still up in the air. Just like it was in 2009, and it ended up being canceled. The good news now as opposed to then is that Michael Whan is commissioner, not Carolyn Bivens.
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Golf Styles I'm Still Undecided On
by Jeff.Palopoli on Feb 8, 2010 11:45 AM EST
2 comments
Let's face it: the look of golf is changing (or maybe returning to a little of what it used to be). That can easily be seen by the neon orange pants that Rickie Fowler has been sporting, or the Vans-looking golf shoes that Ryan Moore wears to stroll the fairways. The oversized baggy polos that Steve Stricker seems to be so fond of will soon be a thing of the past. (Is there another golfer on Tour that is a more boring dresser? I mean Woody Austin wears some wacky stuff, but at least he has his own style.)
There are a number of fashion statements that are hitting the links that I have yet to decide on if they are for me or not.
The white belt: This has been back in vogue for a little while now. Obviously nothing new to golf, as it was big in the 70s with Johnny Miller leading the white belt brigade. I have to admit, I haven't bought in to them yet. Maybe it's because the first few times I saw recreational golfers on the course wearing them I thought they were trying too hard. My buddies and I dubbed them "Euro Golfers." But for some reason they are starting to wear on me, and I feel like I need to get on the bandwagon.
Painter/Military/Ranger Hats: Ryan Moore, Camilo Villegas, and Rickie Fowler - to just name a few - frequent these types of hats. After Moore won the Wyndham Championship this past summer, I ran out and bought one. (How's that for marketing?) The next week I wore it on the course and received the comment from a fellow golfer, "Nice hat, where's the rest of the visor?". I've worn it a few times since, but feel that I should probably retire it. As the golf fashion guru, The Khaki Crusader said in regards to these hats, "If you're under 30 or Swedish, play ball." I am neither of those two things, so in to the closet the hat goes.- Plaid Pants: Ian Poulter can do it. I can not, nor will I ever. Ian you look great, keep doing what you're doing. I'd be laughed off the course if I ever show up in a pair of those.
Big and Loud Belt Buckles: Between Anthony Kim's "AK" and Rory Sabbatini's skull and crossbones, we're starting to see these pop up all over the place. I like them a lot. They show some personality and flair. If I could afford a bigass diamond-encrusted belt buckle with "JP" on it, I would do it in a heartbeat.- Loudmouth gear: Nobody should be wearing this stuff. There's really not much else I can say on this. It's bad enough seeing John Daly wear zebra striped pants (sorry JD, you know I love you though), but when you then have to see 62 year old Alice Cooper wearing them as well, that's where I draw the line.
Who knows though, maybe in a couple months when the snow melts, the fairways thaw, and I can finally hit the links again, I'll be wearing zebra striped and plaid pants (not sure how that would work), a white belt, a painter hat, and a big ass diamond encrusted "JP" belt buckle to tie it all together and complete the ensemble.
Read more posts at: http://goodwalkspoiled.wordpress.com
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Steve Stricker Reminds Me a Lot of Dick Vermeil
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 8, 2010 11:10 AM EST
in Pro Golf
29 comments
All weekend long, I was rooting for Steve Stricker to take the title at Riviera. I had him in fantasy golf, he almost won this event last year, and I know that this guy really has worked hard to get his game to where it is. Opening up a six shot lead after 54 holes, it seemed almost inevitable that Strick would win.
As the contenders fell by the wayside, Stricker only had to face Luke Donald and JB Holmes in order to secure the win. In the end, he did just that and won the Northern Trust Open by a deuce.
In the interview right after, Stricker got emotional with Roger Maltbie about the win.
I know that Stricker has battled for a long time to get his game to this position, so I can really appreciate the emotion he has for each achievement. Sometimes, it's probably a bit too much, but it is genuine. No one can accuse Stricker of being fake, disingenuous, or less than thoughtful. He appears to approach every action as though he is soaking it all up and enjoying it.
In that regard, he reminds me a lot of Dick Vermeil in his second stint at coaching. Vermeil had a very successful tenure with the St. Louis Rams, including a Super Bowl win, and a decent run with the Kansas City Chiefs. When great stuff happened, Vermail shed a few tears. When poor things happened, Vermeil probably shed a few more tears.
It's easy to poke fun at him for crying so often - Vermeil would make fun of himself - but at least the guy was genuine. He was so appreciative of the second chance he had as an NFL head coach, after his run with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vermeil appeared to behave almost exactly the same behavior pattern as Stricker exhibits now.
Yeah, it's easy to make fun of, but it's also unique in a sport where so many of the personalities in the game are robotic in their on-course behavior and press room answers.
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Video Chat With Christina Kim & John Raser After The CKJR Showdown
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 8, 2010 10:43 AM EST
in Pro Golf
3 comments
Early this morning - like 1:15am early - Christina Kim, John Raser, and I were desperately trying to figure out how to have a video teleconference using webcams. For those of you who are curious, Skype, AIM, and Google Talk don't allow for more than person-to-person chats. So, we found and used ooVoo to do it. I recorded the short interview where the two of them talk with me about their match yesterday, which John won in a close one!
Take a look!
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Two Superbowl Golf Ads That I Wish Were Shown Today
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 7, 2010 7:51 PM EST
in Golfiness
34 comments
Every year, there are some Superbowl ads that are controversial, rejected by the broadcast network, or are just plain awesome. There are two this year that are somewhat related to golf that I wish were shown.
The first is one that was submitted by kgb - the text service that tells you answers to random questions for a buck per pop. It was rejected by CBS and labeled offensive.
I don't know. Based upon some of the political leanings (read: ignorance) of some PGA Tour players, that ad isn't all that inaccurate of a portrayal.
The other is totally fictional. Apparently, Google is launching its first search ad at the Superbowl. Unfortunately, it's going to be kind of lame. So the people at Slate decided to make it a little more topical, and exciting.
If only Waggle Room came up in that Uchitel search, we could've all been stars, people.
[H/T to NiceBallz for the kgb ad, and Slate via Winston Wolfe via Steph Wei for the second]
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Lefty's Pick for the Superbowl? The Saints, Sponsored by Callaway
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 7, 2010 7:39 PM EST
in Golfiness
8 comments
Callaway Golf made a concerted effort to get its name back out into the public spotlight in a way that has nothing to do with wedges. They bought 90 seconds of ad time to debut some of their new equipment. And, as part of a sponsored segment on CBS' Super Bowl Today pregame show, Mickelson made his pick for Super Bowl 44.
He had two golf balls - one representing each of the teams in the game. Whichever Mickelson hit further, that would be his pick. (Given the age-old rumors of Mickelson's gambling issues and that his deal with Callaway was predicated on their paying his gambling debts, this only seems ironic.)
The team that won? The Saints.
As for his attempt at a threepeat in Los Angeles, Mickelson finished T45 after a final round 73 shot him down some 27 places.
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LIVE! LPGA Star Christina Kim Takes on Fellow Pro John Raser
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 7, 2010 12:25 PM EST
in Pro Golf
17 comments
A couple of pals of mine - LPGA star Christina Kim and up-and-coming pro John Raser - are facing off against each other live as we speak down in Orlando. I feel somewhat responsible for this match since I kinda introduced the two, so I feel equally responsible to broadcast it! They're showing it on UStream, which is embedded in this post.
What's on the line? The loser caddies for the other. If Xtina wins, John will caddy at the new old Atlantic City event. If Speed Raser wins, it'll be her turn to loop on the Tarheel Tour.
Either way, enjoy the show and participate in our live chat, integrated with Twitter!
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