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I Might Actually Watch Golf Again…

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A couple weeks back I watched a three way playoff between Haas, Mickelson and Bradley for the Northern Trust Open. This is the first time I watched golf on purpose in a long, long time. And for the first time in a long, long time I was enjoying golf on TV. Fast forward a week or so later and Stinky Golfer Chris posted about the PGA needing their own Jeremy Lin. I agree.

In the meantime, as we wait for a new star to emerge, I’m watching golf to see who will take over the throne. It’s exciting times in the pro golf universe. With all that negative hoopla the media was giving golf because Tiger couldn’t keep it in his pants, it’s actually refreshing to see a clean slate and a top spot yet to be filled. It’s all about turning the negatives into positives, right?

So, who’s it going to be? Let’s take a look at the top 5 in the FedExCup standings.
Rank
This
Week 		Rank
Last
Week 		Player Events Points # of Wins # of Top 10’s Points behind Lead Reset Points
1 1 Kyle Stanley 6 935 1 2

2 2 Johnson Wagner 6 860 1 3 75
3 3 Phil Mickelson 5 807 1 2 128
4 6 Mark Wilson 6 802 1 2 133
5 4 Bill Haas 6 752 1 2 183

Isn’t this a change of pace? Kyle Stanley leading the pack. Wait…who? Kyle Stanley? Not so bad for someone that is ranked 48th in the world. What about the #1 ranked golfer in the world, Luke Donald. Again…who? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking these guys. I find it funny how golf, or the media rather hasn’t found its star in this group of leaders.

What’s the issue? Are they waiting for Tiger to mount his comeback? Come on man! It’s time for new blood. There’s a whole pool of young guns worthy of the limelight. These guys have such a great opportunity right under their noses. As long as they battle it out and vie for that top spot, the tour will make my TV channel rotation on Sunday afternoons. I just hope it stays interesting for a while.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Golf Needs Jeremy Lin

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Well, if you haven’t figured it out by now, it’s official.  Linsanity is running wild throughout the basketball world.  Actually, make that the whole world.  Being a basketball fan, I’ve been sucked in.  And why shouldn’t I be?  Here’s an Ivy League kid who wasn’t offered a scholarship by any school, went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors, was then cut by two teams before signing with the Knicks.  And supposedly was about to be cut by them if not for injury problems on their roster.

But then one game comes along and he outplays an all-star.  He starts the next game, lights it up and his coach decides he’s going to “ride Lin like freakin’ Secretariat.”  No looking back since then.  Eleven straight good, if not great, games and a star is born. 

But it’s not only Lin or the Knicks who are benefiting from this new-found stardom.  TV ratings for the Knicks are up.  Ticket prices have risen.  The international fanbase is growing again.  Hell, even stock prices for Madison Square Garden are up about six percent!  The NBA couldn’t have made-up a better story!

Now, I’m not really one for the “manufactured” story, but creating a Jeremy Lin may be something the PGA wants to look into.  I mean, why not?  Look at what it’s done for the NBA!  And coming off of a lockout, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. 

With golf’s TV ratings as low as they are, the sport’s biggest star clearly not what he once was and overall interest in the game falling every year, golf needs a knight in shining armor.  Think sixteen years ago to 1996 when Tiger first came on the scene prefessionally.  That’s what golf needs now in 2012. 

So who will it be?  Who knows?  How about they start with the next relatively unknown player to finish high in a tournament?  Remember, he doesn’t have to be a great player, or even a player who will compete for the win in every tournament.  It just has to be a player that everyone can get behind.  Lin is not a top-ten player.  He’s probably not even a top ten player at his own position, he’s just on a serious hot streak.  But that’s not what matters to fans.  First and foremost, it’s the story that matters. 

The beauty of competitive golf is that not alot of strokes separate the best 18-hole round from someone in the middle of the pack.  So taking a player and saying he finished only four strokes back might, in actuality, be a long way behind.  But it doesn’t sound like much, and that’s the key.  Losing by four makes you sound like you had a good shot down the stretch.  Play that out and hope.  And you never know, maybe you catch lightning in a bottle!

Well, I don’t know if this makes any sense really.  Just looking for ideas to help as usual.  Besides, who would you start with?  How about John Huh?  Who?  Exactly.  Some of you may know him now, after yesterday.  But you didn’t know him two days ago, did you?  Only the hardest of the hardcore golf fans did. 
 
This is a chance for the PGA to jump on it’s own Jeremy Lin-like hype.  You see what it’s done for the NBA.  Why can’t it do the same for the PGA?  It has to start somewhere.  Here’s as good an opportunity as any.

Swing ’til you’re happy!                   

Golf Questions Answered Part 3

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You ask golf questions; we answer them ridiculously.
You ask golf questions; we answer them ridiculously.

Third time’s a charm, or so it has been said. You know, I would really like to think so. Considering Golf Questions Answered…The Golfstinks.com Way! was a success and Part Dos! faired just as well, it’s only natural to continue.

So, keeping with the tradition, we’ll get to the general inquiries but this time around we’ll touch upon some personal stuff too. Let’s get to it!

Q: Why is Tiger not winning any more?
A: Let’s break it down:

  1. August 1996 – November 2009 – Butt load of women=butt load of wins.
  2. November 2009 – present – No women=no wins. Do the math.

Q: What does John Daly carry in his pockets?
A: This took a little research.

  1. 1987 – 1990 – money, bottle opener and cigarettes.
  2. 1990-2010 – a lot less money, cigarettes, bad stuff we were told to ‘just say no to‘ and a half pint.
  3. 2010 – present – a copy of his album (yes, he actually recorded an album) and…cigarettes.

Q: Who’s the biggest ladies’ man on the tour?
A: Well, thanks to TW, you’ve got a better shot at bringing peace to the mideast than finding this out.

Q: If I ground my wedge in a sand trap and no one sees it, should I say anything?
A: In the words of Judge Smails: “The most important decision you can make right now is what you stand for; goodness…or badness.” Come on man, Judge Smails was a fictional character! No harm no foul.

Q: What are some good drills when I’m off the course? A: Dewalt, Black & Decker or Makita. Any more questions?

Well, that wraps up another successful Q & A session. If you have any golf questions please forward them to pete@golfstinks.com. Thank you yet again and I really look forward to part 4!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

PGA Pay To Play

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So I really wanted to go on one of my rants today. I wanted to get frustrated about the fact that, once again, the media is shoving Tiger (the third place finisher) down our throats, instead of taking a good story such as Robert Rock (the actual winner of the tournament) and running with that.

Here’s a guy who has been a European pro for over 13 years now, with only 1 win under his belt. But he outplayed both Tiger and Rory (the almost completely unmentioned second place finisher), as well as the rest of the field, to take his second. Instead…it was the same old, same old.

But rather than go that direction, I want to get some opinions on another matter. This matter is, I’m sure, not new to many golf fans. But for someone like me who doesn’t follow the tour, I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. It’s the whole appearance fee thing. I know this doesn’t take place on the American tour. But paying an appearance fee is how they get some names to come out to a tournament such as the Abu Dhabi Championship. I don’t know about you, but I have a slight problem with this.

For me anyway, it cheapens the tournament. The way I perceive it is, a golfer is looking at this tournament with no real interest in playing. But then they offer him money just to show up, so now he’ll play? I’m sorry, but that sounds like crap to me. It sounds to me like you’re running a b.s. tournament and you need to do anything you can to get people to pay attention. Is this an exhibition or is a legit tournament? Well, if you have to pay players just to show up…you tell me.

But, at the same time, I look at if from the other side. Is it a good idea? Would it get more of the tour stars to participate in more tournaments? Would some of these smaller tournaments get more attention?

Let’s face it – if the PGA Tour isn’t going to implement an actual season full of tournaments that matter toward some type of a real playoff system, all leading to a season ending champion, then maybe the pay-to-play system is the way to go. I hate the idea considering these players already have sponsorships, endorsements and the opportunity to win good money on the tour stops, but if that’s how they can make the PGA Tour a little more exciting, then maybe that’s also worthy of some consideration.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

It’s Not The Clubs, It’s The Player.

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What a huge, steaming pile of hypocritical bull excrement! I hear that statement a lot and it always made me wonder. I mean, I’m pretty sure if you give a pro a starter set he or she will still shoot well. My issue is the whole up selling when it comes to buying clubs. I also understand the sales people need to make a living too…but to what extent?

You never see a golf club ad or commercial showcasing it’s bottom of the barrel clubs. It’s always the pro they sponsor smashing the ball into outer space because they are swinging the newest product. Then there are some of the golf pro’s that sell clubs out of their shops. Try to tell them you want to take up the game and are looking for an inexpensive set.

The next thing you know this guy has you trying out different clubs and measuring you for a custom set. I thought “it’s not the clubs, it’s the player…” Yeah but their answer to that is “You can grow into these clubs.” What the f%$# does that mean? I bought a nice set a few years ago with the whole “growing into them” theory and guess what…I still suck. Grow into them…I got something to grow into them.

What I want to see is a tour pro walking down the fairway while his caddy is carrying his bag full of old rusty clubs because…”It’s not the clubs.” That would be the best to see Tiger bust out a 3-wood with duct tape on it or even Rory have an old tube sock as a head cover. Nonetheless, whether your clubs cost $100 or $1000 just get out there and have fun.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

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