Golf News

Both players are using various iterations of the Nike Covert 2.0 Tour driver but in Dubai Rory McIlroy is playing a “balls out” fully committed draw while Tiger is trying to engineer what he calls a ‘pull cut’ off the tee. Rory’s shot shape is a product of confidence, having found some swing keys with Michael Bannon after the last years Fed Ex Cup and finally discovered a driver ball combo that produces the spin rates to allow him to hit fairways again.  That was evidenced by his high hanging drawn tee shots travelling on average 316 yards in round one.  Rors is so comfortable with his swing right now, that he only arrived on the range 20 minutes before his round two tee time to work on feel. Follow @golfcentraldoc Tiger’s oxymoronical ‘pull cut’ tee shot on the other hand is an engineered cut shot, designed to remove the left hand side of the golf course from every shot.  It needs to be constantly worked on. Tiger is muscle bound, the swing is shorter,...

In a statement released through The Vatican this morning, The Lord God Almighty has sacked his only Son Jesus Christ and replaced him with French golfer Raphael Jacquelin. “I’ve grown tired of Jesus’ antics over the past few years” said God in the statement adding “He’s up in his room all the time and never off that internet.  The curse of damnation be on it.” “Dont get me wrong” God continued, “Jesus used to be a nailed on certainty for celebrity appearances, the odd miracle and keeping an eye on those fiddly priests but lately he always seems be in the one place at any given time and in this job that’s just not kosher.” God then revealed that Jacquelin was always on his shortlist to replace Jesus. “We actually looked at the two Rafas but quickly ruled out Nadal because of his bad knees and his pained facial expression which doesn’t really go down too well in the sub-continent where we are trying to grow our numbers.  He is brilliant at doin...

You might think that Rory McIlroy’s new NIke Covert 2.0 Tour driver is different to the retail version because lets face it, they usually are. But just last week I spoke to Nike Golf’s top man in the know Tony Dabbs to discuss the driver and he told me that Rory’s driver is “exactly” the same as the version available to the public. Follow @golfcentraldoc Tony said that Rory was given a standard production Nike Covert Tour 2.0 (8.5 degree) head with a stock Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 70TX shaft. Here I am talking with Tony about the driver and Rory and Tiger’s specs at the 2014 PGA Show. Click here to view stocks of all Nike drivers new and pre-owned on Golfbidder Technorati Tags: Rory McIlroy , Nike 2.0 Covert Tour Driver , Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 70TX Shaft

Thanks to regular GCD contributor on equipment Finnian O’Doherty for bringing my attention to a glut of Chinese golf club copies that you could end up with in your bag if you’re not careful. Openly made and flaunted by the GuangZhou Leeho International Trade Co., Ltd and posing as golfscottycameron.com online, these forgeries are being brought into Europe and the USA in large numbers.  They forge every club you can dare to think of. Take a look at the photo below and see if you can spot the differences between genuine Ping G25 and the fakes. Five Easy Ways to Spot G25 Fakes Looks: The stainless steel in the genuine irons is much brighter than the copies. The hitting area of the genuine irons is a brighter shade of grey; in the fakes there is no difference. The sole width of genuine G25’s gets thinner from long to short irons.  The sole width in the fakes are uniform throughout. Genuine G25’s have pronounced heel and toe support bars and a toe weight when vi...

The tale of woe that is JB Holmes is pretty lengthy. A former two winner in Phoenix,  Holmes is back this week, nine months after breaking his ankle rollerblading. Why a man that has had brain surgery and vertigo would ever think it wise to go rollerblading is a question Holmes probably now gets.  A year too late. "I'll probably give them to somebody," he said of the rollerblades he never ever intends to use again. Follow @golfcentraldoc Playing on a medical extension this season Holmes has 19 events to earn just over a half million dollars and retain his card. The big hitter has been sidelined largely since 2011 when he was diagnosed with vertigo.  Then came brain surgery after Chiari malformations were discovered after a scan.  During that operation, Holmes had a metal plate inserted in his skull which became infected resulting in a second emergency operation involving an air ambulance transfer from Kentucky to Baltimore. All of this prior to breaking his ankle. F...

Those pesky kids, you never know what mischief they will get up to next.  Three teens, the oldest of which was 16, were caught red handed by police after a golf buggy theft and vandalism spree on a grand scale at at Yosemite Lakes Park Golf Course in Fresno, California. The meddling teens first broke into the buggy bay through a side entrance, then rammed the door from the inside using three buggies until it gave way.  They then drove the buggies about the golf course ripping up fairways and greens.  A fourth buggy is still missing.  Police are investigating whether this could have been driven into a pond or was taken by a fourth accomplice who got away. Follow @golfcentraldoc The kids also stood on the buggies to tear down security cameras around the golf club and attempted to burn them. Police were alerted to a disturbance at the course and arrived in time catch all three teens in the act. "While they managed to steal the cameras, they didn't manage to demolish the...

When it comes to TaylorMade golf clubs there’s only ONE man to talk to and that’s Brian Bazzel.  Brian has one of the toughest yet most exciting jobs in golf as Head Of Product Creation for the leading most innovation company in golf today. Myself and TT from Golfbidder are old friends with Brian and he took time out of his hectic schedule to talk us through all the latest TaylorMade club releases at the 2014 PGA Show in Florida. When you consider the buzz around TaylorMade on the biggest day of their year, that’s some feat!  If you are in the market to buy TaylorMade clubs make sure to check out all the new and pre-owned stocks on Golfbidder   Follow @golfcentraldoc Note: I will add new videos to this post as equipment is released   TaylorMade JetSpeed Driver   TaylorMade JetSpeed Fairway Wood and Hybrid   TaylorMade 2014 MB, MC and CB irons   TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons   TaylorMade SLDR Driver   TaylorMade SLDR ...

During last week's PGA Merchandise Show, TaylorMade CEO, Mark King, made a splash with his Apple-like announcement of Hack Golf. Hack Golf is a simple idea, and online platform, to discuss ways to make the game of golf more fun for people that are taking it up, and simplifying the rules so that the beginner actually enjoys playing the game even when they struggle with it. The idea immediately made waves in the golf world, with people slamming the idea of an "easier" golf game, something that softens the blow of golf to people trying to get interested in taking up the sport. Don't want to play a 7,000-yard course? We have just the game for you! Sick of missing every two-footer because you still don't get alignment or feel? This alternative to the four-letter word could be more your style! The idea was met with resistance, just like instant replay was lambasted by critics of certain sports when it was introduced, and how a lot of new ideas are met with the old...

Wow this Brett Avery list in Golf Digest must have taken an age and at least eight AA calculator batteries to prepare.  Avery has delved deep into the PGA Tour annals to compare thousands of rounds, scores and stats and come up with a list of the top 100 players ever ON THE PGA TOUR SINCE 1980. Easy in your bed there Monty! To make the list  a player needed either a Major and two wins, or three or more PGA Tour wins since 1980.  The equation used considered performance metrics, versus-peers metrics and a few square root signs. Get down I said Monty! Also with the proviso that several players on the list are still active and may move up or down, here is the top 10. Follow @golfcentraldoc 10. NICK FALDO Score: 9.651 | Seasons: 1984-97 | Best season: 21.239 (1992) | Stroke differential: 1.250 9. RORY MCILROY Score: 9.728 | Seasons: 2009-13 | Best season: 16.869 (2012) | Stroke differential: 1.289 8. DAVID DUVAL Score: 9.733 | Seasons: 1995-2001 | Best season: 16.314 (1999...

Tiger Woods endorsement earnings are in the tens of millions of dollars each year.  Sadly here are a few endorsements we are pretty sure the World will never see! 1. IKEA 2. Ann Summers 3. Durex 4. Love Spain 5. Los Pollos Hermanos Chicken 6. The AVK Fire Hydrant Company   Follow @golfcentraldoc   Technorati Tags: Tiger Woods Endorsements Funny Pics

One thing is for sure in golf, you don’t ban a caddie from doing something that’s fun, entertaining and perfectly legal. But that’s what the PGA Tour organizers of the Phoenix Open have done, by decreeing that the famous caddie races on the par 3 16th are banned this year. However I have it on good authority that caddies will defy any such ban, as there’s no basis for it anyway, and it contributes hugely to the crowd atmosphere on the hole. Follow @golfcentraldoc The killjoy in question is Andy Pazder of the PGA Tour who told the Golf Channel: "We have advised the folks at Colonial and out in Phoenix to discontinue the caddie races. It was a situation where we developed a little concern about caddies' safety. Running 150 yards puts caddies at risk for injury. I had caddies come to me in Phoenix and at Colonial saying, 'This is ridiculous, it's like we are a carnival show.”’ Padzer was most likely referring to the incident last year when Brent Henley ...

Very interesting Golf Digest article written by Geoff Ogilvy about the Tiger Woods Brandel Chamblee affair.  Ogilvy says golfers live in some kind of fantasy land with the all the pampering they get and the media are like family members are best friends whose job is to bring them back down to earth as it were. Maybe tour players are just too spoiled. Because we are pampered in so many areas of our lives, we perhaps have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the media. In general we'd be better off not being so precious about what appears in print and on-screen. Our relationship with the media should be similar to what we have with our parents or closest friends: one where absolute frankness is best for all concerned. We all watch Golf Channel and read magazines like this one -- or at least I do -- in order to be more informed about what is going on in our little world. If that material is clouded by a need to give only a sanitized view, then the whole thing is failing in its...

You’ve got to feel for LPGA player Marina Alex who got unceremoniously dumped out of her very first LPGA event as a full member, when she inadvertently stepped "about three feet" outside the scoring tent without signing her card. Organizers of the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic steadfastly insisted that Alex had technically left the scoring area without signing her card.  The 23 year old told the Golf Channel “It was really bizarre. I took one step outside scoring, about 3 feet, but it is what it is. I was upset, but I was more mad at myself. I knew I wasn’t focused in scoring the way I should have been, and I paid a price for it.”   Follow @golfcentraldoc Alex then described the bizarre circumstances that led to her disqualification. “I was going through what I normally do, checking my scores hole by hole, but I didn’t have a great day on the course, and I was a little distracted,” she said. “My hip was bothering me, and I was thinking I need to get over...

also check out my 2014 Dubai Desert Classic Tips here Graham DeLaet 33/1 The form man in the field. Burst through with top 3 finishes in the Barclays and Deutsche Bank in the Playoffs and finished 2013 with a seventh at the CIMB and a sixth at the WGC HSBC Champions. The Canadian took up right where he left off with a T2 at The Farmers last week. With Scottsdale set to be set up 64-yards shorter than 2013 at 7,152 yards it throws the tournament wide open but nobody will start more confident than Graham.   Follow @golfcentraldoc Webb Simpson 16/1 Finished 2013 very strongly with his win at The Shriners along with two other top 10’s and hit the ground running with a T3 at the Hyundai Tournament Of Champions. The top 10 streak was broken with a T23 at The Humana which has to be taken with a pinch of salt given that Webb got it to -18 for the week. Simpson didn’t play here last year but finished T8 on both previous occasions he competed in 2012 and 2011. Priced about right at...

We’ve all seen Tiger win when he was skinny, we’ve all seen Tiger win when he was ripped.  But ex coach Hank Haney thinks Tiger actually looks bigger and buffer than ever this year; so much so that it may not be a good thing for his game. Haney said on his radio show “My opinion is he did too much of that. He does a lot of the gym stuff. I know you need to do some for golf, no doubt about it. You need to be in shape, you need to avoid injury, but my opinion is he really overdoes that. … I look at him now and a lot of guys mentioned on the telecast, he looks bigger this year. I think Peter Kostis mentioned that. He looks like he’s gained more muscle mass. When he was thinner and younger he was actually faster then. The strength maybe helps you get out of the rough but I’d agree that he’s overdone it. But he loves to work out.” My personal opinion is that Tiger’s obsession with muscle development is to help insulate him against some of the injuries that have dog...

For golfers, it's the week where you might want to invest in some earbuds. For fans, it's the biggest week of the year in any sport, and for people coming to Phoenix it's a chance to experience one of the most incredible spectacles in all of sports come Thursday at TPC Scottsdale. The Waste Management Open has a special place in my heart, from the college days when me and my buddies would carpool up from Tucson to bum around Nos. 16 and 17 with simple general admission tickets to these days when I go out for work but still get to enjoy a great PGA Tour event happening in the middle of the biggest party you'll ever see. If you're heading out to Phoenix this week, let this guide help you figure out what exactly to do, where to golf and what to eat. "What is the best day to go out and watch golf?" -- The interesting thing about the Waste Management Open is it's a party with a golf tournament happening around it. Don't let the plush greens fool ...

Favourites With Rory McIlroy in at 7/2 and Tiger Woods now stretched out to 6/1 following his Farmers 79, it looks like the American is the value bet. However I’m going my chance on avoiding these, at least until after round two as I’ve identified some much longer odds each value I think can bring us s a profit. Rafael Cabrera Bello 25/1 When he’s not pumping iron in the gym, Rafa plays the occasional game of golf and he’s not half bad. Followed a tied fourth in Abu Dhabi with a tied third last week in Qatar where he ranked second in GIR. When you also consider the Spaniard edged out Stephen Gallacher for the win here in 2012, those odds of 25/1 are quite inviting. Thorbjorn Olesen 28/1 The Dane found form with a T3 in Qatar, his first top 15 in six events. He also tied third here last year, unable to catch Gallacher on a blustery final day. You have to think there’s so much to come from Thor; it’s two years since his Sicilian Open win. Peter Uihlein 66/1 Fits the mould...

Keen Major punters will have been watching the form over the weekend at Torrey Pines, which was strangely set up just as difficult as when it staged the 2008 US Open. My tip to perform well in the Majors in 2014 is Jordan Spieth and though he fell down the leaderboard at the weekend, had a darn good reason. Spieth contorted his ankle late in the second round and was unable to load and unload during the swing, leaving his confidence in tatters.  On Friday he said, "My ankle's pretty messed up. I guess from there I just stopped loading as well on it and I started missing fairways. All in all I had no control over the golf ball today whatsoever with any club. It was tough." "This is really the first event since as long as I can remember where I really just had no idea where the ball was going to go." Spieth had physio on the ankle and had it strapped before the weekend rounds. He is expected to be recovered before the AT&T National Pro Am in two weeks. In t...

Well sort of.  Golf.com has it that The Golf Writers Association of America have given GMac an award for being the equivalent of a “sound skin.” "Listen, I take my relationship with the media very seriously," a teary eyed McDowell said in his acceptance speech. "As you know, I'm pretty honest to a fault at times. You guys give us exposure globally. You're a very important cog in the whole golf â€" and sports â€" machine. I respect how much work you guys do and it's important â€" good, bad or ugly â€" to give you an idea of what's going on in my head and with my game." GMac gets to receive his prize, a free meal with writers, on April 9th.   Technorati Tags: Graeme McDowell , golf writers association of america

The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" got a nice little surprise on Friday when Phil Mickelson showed up to chat about his British Open win this year and what he has planned in the coming months and years. Mickelson has already said that his entire focus is on completing the career Grand Slam with a win next year at the U.S. Open, and it would be a perfect storm of sorts since he nearly won his first major championship back in 1999 at Pinehurst #2, the site of the U.S. Open next season. Phil talked about that tournament and how it helped mold him later in life (specifically a chip shot he hit on the 16th hole at Pinehurst back in '99 that helped him with a chip shot he hit at the 2005 PGA Championship to set up a winning birdie on the final hole), and he reflected on the late Payne Stewart who obviously beat him at that event some years ago. Maybe my favorite part of the interview with Mickelson was when he talked about what he is doing now to prepare for major c...

It was beautiful while it lasted but Katharina Boehm has ended her relationship with Sergio Garcia, as his caddie. Despite Sergio’s protestations, Katherina strangely decided against continuing to carry a heavy weight five miles around a field for the foreseeable future. "I wanted to keep going, but she fired me," Sergio Garcia said. Together, they won the Thailand Golf Championship. "It was something she wanted to do since we started dating, and I thought that would be a good week, being the end of the year and maybe a little bit more relaxed." Neil Wallace takes over on Garcia’s bag for the year opener in Abu Dhabi. Something she wanted to do since they started dating?  Maybe Sergio thought he heard “I want to be on your bag” when Katharina actually said “I want a Louis Vuitton bag!”   Technorati Tags: Sergio Garcia , Katharina Boehm Girlfriend Caddie

Great news for one of the nicest men on European Tour, Phil Bonham on the Wilson Tour Truck with the news that Marcel Siem is to join the playing staff.   Siem, a three time Tour winner and big personality will debut his Wilson Staff Tour bag with the matte black Wilson Staff FG Tour M3 irons and FG Tour TC wedges at the Volvo Golf Champions event in Durban starting tomorrow.   “I’ve always admired the unrivalled success of the Wilson Staff brand in the Major championships and look forward to competing in more Majors with my new clubs in the future,” said Siem, who joins Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie as European Tour brand ambassadors and Kevin Streelman who games Wilsons on the PGA Tour. Hopefully this is just the start of a resurgence for Wilson on the European Tour, something the quality of the equipment, and the service richly deserve.   Technorati Tags: Marcel Siem Wilson Staff

Stand in caddie Ted Scott wore his cap with “Isaiah” written on the bill again in the final round of the TOC. Isaiah is the name of the newborn son of Webb Simpson’s regular caddie Paul Tesori.  The baby suffered health complications immediately after being born and his parents are keeping a beside vigil. It’s just a small insight into the fraternal nature of the caddies life.   Technorati Tags: Paul Tesori , Ted Scott , Isaiah

Geoff Shack has this most amazing story of Scottsdale golf club which seems to have been taken over by some kind of ruthless dictator. I dont know how golf courses operate in America but here in Ireland, this kind of behaviour would leave the owner with a field and no friends. Bob Parsons who founded GoDaddy is the new owner and while he’s already done several upgrades it’s coming at a non negotiable cost to members. Parsons noted that some members were playing golf every day (isn’t that what members do?) and took offence saying in a letter "In fact, many members who are at the club each and every day spend nothing and do not support the club at all. This will not continue." In future members will have to pay a $100 fee every time they play and will be restricted to 30 rounds a year. Parsons is not without a little heart however, he’s offering anyone who doesn’t like his new rules the chance to get out. Here’s his letter to members thanks to Geoff .  George Orwel...

Poor old Leftie has had to withdraw from the Farmers Open with a dodgy back. Mickelson battled through two rounds at Torrey Pines spraying tee shots left and right, obviously altering his swing to find a way around his back spasm.  Shotlink showed an average Phil drive of 265 yards, in 2013 it was 289. "I have the entire year. I've got majors coming up. I've got other tournaments coming up and I don't want to get in bad habits," Mickelson said. "My game is pretty sharp getting ready to start the year and I could tell I'm making terrible swings out there relative to the way I've been swinging." Mickelson says his back first started acting up in Abu Dhabi, where he finished second. Phil is slated for Phoenix and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the West Coast.  He will not however be at Riviera or in the desert for the Matchplay because his children have spring break from school during those two weeks and everyone knows Phil is a fam...

Irate Farmers will stage a rally later today to protest at the poor performances of the stars at their annual golf tournament. Spokesman for the world’s Farmers, Willie Milker, told reporters The Farmers is our only self titled PGA Tour tournament and we demand the big names to perform.  We are Farmers for God sakes, we always get what we want.  Who does that Tiger fella think he is, playing rubbish like that?  And that pussy Phil Mickelson pulling out with his sore back?  I once ploughed a field with a broken back. Without a tractor. Milker says Farmers will protest en mass today, blocking the entrance to Torrey Pines with tractors, cows and slurry spreaders. We drive our tractors at ridiculously slowly on main roads to attend this tournament, have you any idea what that costs us in diesel? Everyone knows we have absolutely no money whatsoever yet we are expected to use valuable hot water and expensive Old Spice to make our bodies smell beautiful and for wha...

Thanks to John Byrne in the Royal Tara Pro Shop for putting me onto the new 2014 version of the Adizero golf shoe. They look the bomb and are in shops now . As I see it the theory over the last few years has been to move away from the clunky old traditional golf shoe and evolve it to somewhere between a runner, astro soccer boots and a pair of kicks you might wear out to the pub whilst keeping all that grip, support and functionality of a golf shoe.  These new 2014 Adizeros might just have cracked it. I want a pair! Even Sergio seems to be getting animated about them. Technorati Tags: 2014 adidas adizero , sergio garcia , video

Over the next 10 days, until we get to the New Year, we will be rolling out the top-10 best golf moments of 2013. After much deliberation and debate, we picked what we thought were the 10 moments you will remember about this season a decade from now. We continue with No. 5 and Justin Rose's win at Merion. (No. 10 is right here , No. 9 is here , No. 8 is here , No. 7 is here , No. 6 is here ) You know what major championships bring each year? Storylines. We sit around thinking of every possible story that might come from Olympic Club or Pebble Beach or Augusta National and present it without really having any idea who might emerge victorious come Sunday. In the last 10 years we've had Tiger Woods win majors as predicted, but we've always seen Tom Watson nearly win a Claret Jug at the age of 59, Darren Clarke actually win a Claret Jug out of absolutely nowhere, and Charl Schwartzel birdie the final four holes at the Masters to win as barely a blip on the radar before the ...

T aylorMade have a massive presence at the 2014 PGA Show showcasing a myriad of products.  However what will interest many is the golf giant is also launching a range of ‘illegal’ oversized non conforming products.  The reason?  Too make golf easier and attract players to the game.  The new non conforming driver, iron, wedge and putter are used with a bigger than normal 2 inch golf ball on courses with larger 15-inch diameter cups. The standard cup is 4.25 inches. The illegal driver has a wildly illegal characteristic time, or spring-like effect, has higher than normal loft, no markings on the face and grips moulded such that only a correct grip can be used. TaylorMade are also working on two new non conforming clubs appropriately entitled the the Mother of All Drivers and the Mother of All Irons. The driver head features visually outlandish wings while the irons contain four springs at the extremities of the face. Will this idea catch on?  Or will golfers s...