The NEW Golf Fan?

Been a while since I have blogged, please forgive me. With a new job and a daughter starting college I have been a shade preoccupied.

I had the most remarkable conversation with a father and son duo while at Firestone that really brought to life for me all that is wrong with golf. The team had consumed several beers and engaged me in a conversation as I pressed closer to the ropes in an attempt to catch a glimpse of one Tiger Woods.

In a lound and very obnoxious manner they lamented to anyone around how unfriendly the PGA players were and how unwilling the players were to sign autographs during the final round! Then they intimated that the next time they chose to spend their entertainment dollar they would do so on a more fan friendly sport like football.

Normally I ignore such outbreaks but on this hot, humid Sunday I couldn't resist. I pointed out that in the spectator guide that players were prohibited from signing autographs during play. I also mentioned that Derek Anderson, LeBron James and other Cleveland athletes don't sign autographs during their games.

I also reminded my friends that at a football or baseball game they couldn't get nearly as close to the players as they would be to Woods in a few minutes. They were not impressed. "We bought the tickets," they said. "There are other ways to spend our money."

This illustrates the bigger problem we have in golf today. Golf used to be a niche' sport. It has its loyal following and still is a great demographic for advertisers seeking to hit its lucrative demographic.

Then Tiger came along.

Marketing gurus decided that golf would become the popular sport for the masses. Golf courses were built, Nike got heavily into golf, we opened First Tee facilities like Lowe's builds stores. The Tour Championship was going to take the place of NFL Sunday.

But it never happened.

For better or worse golf will always be a niche game. We should never exclude anyone from enjoying it, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Some will think it is too slow (it is a lot). Most kids still don't think it is cool. But then again it never has been cool.

The most important thing in life a person can do is decide who they are and then live like it. Golf needs to learn this lesson.

What I learned at Firestone

I had some fun this week as I went down to the Bridgestone Invitational which is located about a half an hour from my home.
The Bridgestone has some very special memories for me.
As a young pro in 1981, I went to the tournament when it was "The World Series of Golf" one Sunday to get away from the golf shop and contemplate my next move in life. I had just graduated from college and after only playing golf seriously for one year had decided to take an assistant professional position.
The idea most people have is that golf professionals play a lot of golf, and nothing could be further from the truth. Long hours, barely breaking 100, and making the princely sum of $700 per month was the norm. As I was considering what to do next (I had a degree in journalism) out of the locker room walked 1981 PGA champion Larry Nelson.
I had read somewhere where Nelson had taken up the game up seriously at 21 and three years later he was on the PGA Tour. He had also spent a couple of year working as an assistant pro. Since he had been down the same road I figured I would approach him and see if he had any advice.
Larry couldn't have been any nicer (maybe because his son's name was Drew). He spent about 45 minutes with me talking about the steps he had taken. He directed me to Ben Hogan's book "The Five Fundamentals of the Golf Swing." I bought that book immediately and read it cover-to-cover several times. He also gave me several tips on playing well and coping with the club pro lifestyle. Larry also helped me to meet my best friend, someone who has stuck with me "closer than a brother". His last words to me that fateful day were, "See you in three years."
I will never forget the kindness of Larry Nelson. Through some well spent time he was able to help me recharge my batteries and renew my focus in life. I would like to say that I made the PGA Tour in three years, but I didn't.
I did go on to be medalist in the PGA Playing Ability Test, win two section events, qualify for my state open twice and go on to a rich full life as a club professional being around this game I care for so much.
And that's what I learned at Firestone.
It was also through Larry and my parents that I was able to meet my best friend

Karsten's Way Part 2

There is no doubt that most serious golfers are aware of the Ping brand and its founder, Karsten Solheim. After all there are only 3 golf club company founders who have their own biography-Ely Callaway, Barney Adams and Karsten. What most people don't know are the behind the scenes things that Kartsen did both on his own and partnering with many family members.



For instance there was Karsten's idea of never firing an employee. Karsten felt that Ping existed for the purpose of providing jobs so that people could have "a decent standard of living." This idea was stretched to the limit when a woman who they later discovered was bi-polar chased Karsten's sister, Sandy, around the factory one day with a hammer. Order was able to be restored and they were able to get the proper employee medical attention.

During the mid-90's there was a slowdown on the sales of Ping clubs as Callaway and other competitors were making inroads in cavity back iron sales. Instead of laying people off Karsten had his employees sweep, paint, clean and anything he could to keep his people working. At one point he did have to lay some people off, a move that crushed him emotionally.

The best example that I have heard concerning Kartsen's kindness involves a man we will call Steve.

Steve was a collegiate All-American and came on the tour in the early 70's. He had been one of the earliest Ping players in an era where the putters had gained some acceptance but their irons where considered too futuristic for most good players. Steve faithfully supported the product and had a mildly successful run on the tour.

Things radically changed for Steve in 1986. He started exhibiting strange tendencies. He didn't show up for tournaments. He would disappear for weeks at a time. He would go on rants about subjects unrelated to golf. When word got to Karsten he found Steve and brought him to Phoenix.

While he was there Karsten arranged for him to see the best specialists where they diagnosed him as bi-polar. Karsten housed Steve in his own home during the 1 1/2 years of treatment and paid the bills of Steve's family who were without income during his treatment.

After Steve got better, Karsten trusted him with a job as a Ping sales rep. Leaving Phoenix for the mid west, Karsten took care of Steve's expenses until he could get going, reunited Steve with his own family and even gave Steve his personal car to make sales calls.

That was Karsten's way. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Karsten's Way

The year 1959 was very good in several ways. America was a booming, growing nation. Jobs were available, families grew, cities were established. This author was born.

And Karsten Solheim decided to go into the golf club business. Golf would never be the same.

As promised in my first post, many golf legends need de-bunked but not Solheim. He was a humble man who rose to the top of the golfing industry because he believed in God, family, integrity and some simple engineering principles. We need more men like him today.

Karsten Solheim was born in Norway and made his way to the United States with his family in the early 1900's. The family settled in the Seattle area and one of his first jobs was installing quality leather heels on shoes at the family business.

Despite never having graduated high school, Karsten showed an ability for engineering and problem solving. He worked several jobs after marrying his wife, Louise, including selling cookware door-to-door. His focus changed when he hooked up with the General Electric Corporation. While with GE he helped invent several innovations like antenna's for television sets and jet aircraft engines.

GE sent Karsten to Ithaca, NY, which is where our story really begins. While at the upstate New York plant he was invited to play golf. A good athlete, he could hit the ball pretty good but really struggled on the greens. Like all golfers do, he blamed his poor putting on the putter and began to examine the design of putters.

He determined that instead of all the weight being evenly distributed, the weight should be moved to the perimeter of the club. This would prevent twisting and keep the ball more on line to the hole. Prototypes were made and on the weekends Karsten and his family would travel to golf shops and tour events trying to convince pro's to sell them to their members and use them in tour events.

Breakthrough came in 1967 when Julius Boros won the Phoenix Open using a Ping Answer. Despite their awkward looks, the putters took off based on their performance. Virtually every star player from Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods have used a Ping at one time in their career.

Solheim then moved on to irons and his first to catch on was the K-1, which is ranked by Ralph Maltby's Playability Factor as one of the most playable irons ever. Karsten also designed the Eye 2 iron, which up until a few years ago was the number one selling iron in golf history.

Among the innovations Solheim pioneered were:

1. The use of investment casting-This enabled him to use extreme perimeter weighting for playability and forgiveness.

2. Custom Fitting-Every set was made to your specs with correct length, lie angle, and grip size.

3.Lob Wedge-Ping was the first to develop the lob wedge and its Eye 2 version is still popular among tour players.

4.U-Grooves- Karsten implemented the U-shaped grooves to increase spin and prevent flier lies.

5.Stand Carry Bags-These lightweight bags allowed golfers to walk and carry their clubs without setting the bag on wet ground.

6.Solheim Cup-Always a strong supporter of women's golf, Solheim and his wife funded the start of a Ryder Cup like competition for women professionals.

7. Exotic Metals-Ping was the first company to use metals like beryllium copper and nickel to produce iron heads. He also suggested the use of titanium to produce metal woods in an article published by Scientific American in 1986.

8. Designs that stood the test of time- Look at the design of most popular putter and you will see that Karsten had thought up that design 20 years ago. Virtually every popular iron set has the same characteristics of the Eye 2. Unfortunately patents have an expiration date.

While Karsten Solheim was a genius, his greatest achievements may be those which few people know. In the future we will visit the personal side of the man who made golf just a little easier to play.

Touched by an ANGEL

The finish to yesterday's Masters was another classic punctuated by a second major championship win by the Argentinian, Angel Cabrera. I really like to watch Angel Cabrera play.

For me he exemplifies all that is good in golf.

For those of you who don't know his story, Cabrera grew up caddying in his native land. I'll always have a soft sport for caddies who add so much life and color to the game. It's a shame that caddie rolls in this country are declining. Caddying provides young people with an opportunity to earn some money, be around the mover and shakers in a community and in some cases earn a free ride to college (see Evans and Ouimet Scholarship programs.)

As Cabrera progressed in his game, he was spotted a sum of money by Eduardo Romero, who at that time was playing the European PGA Tour. Cabrera was torn about leaving Argentina because he had recently married a woman with seven children (he obviously has courage). With Romero's encouragement and the assurance that no mouths would go hungry, Angel took a chance and the rest is history.

There are lots of reasons to like this guy.

How can you not like a guy who is so happy when he plays. He is constantly smiling even under the most pressure packed situations. How can he be so happy? That's what happenswhen you come from a country where you can support a wife and seven children on about $60 US per month. He has a full realization of where he has been and the blessings that he has received in his life. Golf is not an end-all for Cabrera.

You've got to love him for the speed at which he plays. I switched the channel during the playoff for no more than 30 seconds and flicked back to find Angel already playing his second shot, a tough one off of pine needles in the trees. I guess maybe you can play fast and well.

I love the yellow shirt too. It probably wasn't the same one he wore at Oakmont but it was very cheery and looked great with the green jacket.

I first got turned on to him a few years ago at the Bridgestone Invitational. I had followed his scores online for a few years noting that he almost always played well in majors. As a golf teacher I was amazed by his fundamentally sound swing (despite what the announcers say), solid short game, and prodigious long ball.

Long ball hitters have always attracted me, maybe because I play small ball most of the time. The first hole I followed Cabrera was the 14th, a par 4 that measured about 480 yards. The hole is a soft dogleg with extremely tall trees guarding the right side of the hole.

Cabrera took the ball right over the trees and had a lob wedge left. I became an instant fan.

Bravo Angel, bravo!

Ask.....JEEV!

As you read this blog you will discover that I have a very unusual sense of humor and an attraction to things out of the ordinary. It comes out of a deep sense inside me to find out what is true, right, pure and good. I'm not an existential, I don't have a guru but after 25 years in this game I feel that I have a handle on what I really enjoy about it.

To that end, the players that are my favorite are not those who others like; Tiger, Vijay, Ernie and Phil. I have a tendency to follow unusual golfers, mainly those found playing on the tours most of us didn't know existed. I'm one of the few people that would watch the Andalucia Open on the European PGA Tour to see how far Alvaro Quios is hitting it (probably about 30 yards longer than JB Holmes). I'm very pro-American, but to me the players on these foreign tours are more personable, more real.

One of the characters that I watch with interest is the Indian golfer, Jeev Milkh Singh (no relation to Vijay). How can you not like a golfer with the first name Jeev? Besides the cool first name, he has a swing only a mother could love. He takes it back very flat and re-routes it just enough to get the club face so square at impact that he is currently ranked #28 in the world.

However to me the most important thing about Jeev that I like is what's in his bag. There are countless sites on the web where golfers debate the importance of equipment. If you want to start a fight on one of these sites all you have to do is suggest that a blade is better than a cavity back (or vice verse). Two thousand posts later you'll still be fighting.

Meanwhile Jeev is cruising along at #28 playing equipment designed fo 28-handicappers! His irons are Callaway Fusion (which have a very high MPF, see above post) and his wedges are Ping Zing. The wedges are the most interesting part of his arsenal.

The Zing model was one of the last designed by Karsten Solheim before his death. While very functional, they were to say not very attractive. The model sold so poorly that they came out with the Zing 2 almost right away.

So what's the morale?

Frank Thomas, respected author and authority on golf equipment, said it up best in his book, Just Hit It. While fitting and design are important, you have to "...find the music inside you."

Looks like Jeev found the music.

The Easy Way To Choose Golf Clubs

Last weekend I attended a manufacturer's demo day at which I had the chance to try many of 2009's newest clubs. I was especially drawn to one brand that had won a national magazine's "Gold" award in each category. As I tried these new models I noticed that even though my swing was a little rusty, these models did not perform as I had expected. I wondered why the discrepancy between the gold rating and my experience. Then I remembered:

Maltby Playablity Factor

MPF is based on dimensional and mass properties of iron heads. In addition, the pliability factor utilizes two mathematically based tables to adjust the pliability factor. This adjustment can either improve or reduce the playability factor. The adjustments are based on dimensional and mass properties that either fall outside accepted parameters or enhance accepted parameters.

MPF is broken down into 6 categories. The categories range from the easiest, most forgiving clubs made today (Ultra Game Improvement) to extremely difficult to hit clubs that only very accomplished players should attempt to use (Player Classic). The 6 categories allows the player to honestly look at his or her game and make a decision. The final result of this simple, easy to use process is a satisfied golfer, playing with the correct equipment, who finds this game much easier to play and certainly more enjoyable.

Click here for a full MPF rating chart-http://www.golfworks.com/article.asp?ai=870&eid=IronMPF

The MPF was devised by Ralph Maltby who has been designing and evaluating golf equipment for more than 40 years. He is universally regarded as one of the premier golf equipment experts in the world.

Ralph began his career designing and engineering for a number of major golf equipment manufacturers. He went on to found The GolfWorks in 1976, providing club makers and other golf equipment experts with club components, club making tools and supplies, and technical information.

Ralph created the Maltby Pliability Factor club rating system, through which he has tested and rated the performance of more than 1000 golf clubs. He has published seven books, secured multiple patents and lectured at more than 250 PGA Business Schools. Ralph has released a wide range of instructional videos and is a frequent guest on The Golf Channel.

In 1991 he was listed by Golf Digest magazine as one of the 36 most powerful men in golf and in 1996 was inducted into the “Professional Clubmakers Society” Hall of Fame.