The Specs on Phil Mickelson’s New Belly Putter

Phil Mickelson’s latest addition (Courtesy of Odyssey)

MAYBE YOU HEARD. PHIL MICKELSON slipped a belly putter into his Callaway golf bag last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. I’m being facetious. Of course you heard. The belly putter is all the rage. It’s dominating golf news.

So, in case you’re curious, here’s the dope on Phil’s new magic wand, as reported by the Hot List 365 blog at GolfDigest.com:

According to Odyssey, Mickelson’s belly putter is an Odyssey Sabertooth with a White Hot XG insert. The club is 45.5 inches long with a lie of 70 degrees. The putter also was custom weighted to put more weight behind the face. Lefty worked with Austie Rollinson, Odyssey's principal designer, on the putter.

The plan was to build Phil a belly putter like the one used by PGA champion Keegan Bradley, a Mickelson pal and practice partner. But Rollinson made some tweaks after he and Lefty met recently at the Odyssey Putting Lab in Carlsbad, California. The Mickelson version is a half-inch shorter and two degrees more upright than Bradley’s.

Phil had mixed results with it last week outside of Boston, finishing in a tie for 10th. His 9-under total included a 63 in the third round.

Do you think the switch will help Lefty putt better and win more?

−The Armchair Golfer

9/11 Tribute at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Includes Free Admission

Yani Tseng

TO MARK THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY of 9/11, all active and retired service personnel (along with family members) and all fire, police and emergency employees will be admitted free to the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship during the entire week of the LPGA tournament. The event is held at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.

On Sunday, September 11, the tournament’s final day, American flags will serve as pin flags on all 18 greens. Representatives from the four military branches and fire and police personnel in full uniform will serve as pin flag bearers. Hosted by U.S. Representative and military veteran Steve Womack, a brief 9/11 program will be conducted on the 18th green at the conclusion of play.

This year’s championship will have its best-ever field, with 47 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Rankings and the top 10 players on the LPGA money list competing in the event. Since the tournament’s inception in 2007, the purse has risen from $1.25 million to $2 million, and is now the highest non-major U.S. purse on the LPGA Tour.

World No. 1 Yani Tseng will defend her title. Last year Tseng fired 13 under (67-68-65) to beat Michelle Wie by a shot. Tseng has four wins this season, including two majors.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo: Courtesy of Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons License)

Bjorn Again—Ryder Cup Captaincy Ahead?

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following excerpt from Brian’s Irish Golf Desk is used with permission. 

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

Courtesy of CallwayGolf.com

PAUL MCGINLEY FANS WILL BE appalled but Thomas Bjorn must be regarded as a likely candidate to skipper Europe when the Ryder Cup is played at Gleneagles in 2014. Judging by the blistering 62 he shot to win the Omega European Masters and jump to the top of the 2012 Ryder Cup qualifying table, the 40-year old Dane is playing well enough to make the 2014 team as a player. After all, his four-shot triumph over Martin Kaymer was his second win in a row and his third of the year.

Add to that the fact that he finished fourth in the Open and he fits the identikit picture of a Ryder Cup captain that McGinley and others declared as the standard when Colin Montgomerie was given the role two years ago.

Bjorn is very much a respected, current player but along with Darren Clarke, he is also the biggest threat to McGinley’s hopes of winning the ‘14 captaincy. The list of those likely to succeed Jose Maria Olazabal is not massively long but while it was always assumed that Clarke or Bjorn would do the job in the US in 2016, leaving 2014 to McGinley, that is far from clear cut with three years to go before the next home match.

One thing is sure, like Clarke and McGinley, Bjorn would have the respect of the young guns on tour, such as Rory McIlroy. The 22-year old opened with two birdies in Crans to top the leaderboard but then missed a series of chances on the greens and by the time he made back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th, Bjorn was out of sight.

“I’ve really gotten to know Thomas well over the years,” said McIlroy, who finished five behind in joint third after a 68.

“He was assistant at the Ryder Cup and when I played the Vivendi in 2009, he was the captain of the European team. To shoot a 62 is very impressive and I don’t think I could have done anything to beat that.”

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

The 4-Passenger, Street-Legal Luxury Golf Car

GARIA, A EUROPEAN MANUFACTURER OF LUXURY golf cars, has introduced a new model that seats four passengers. As shown at right, the Garia 2+2 comes with a rear seat and space for two more passengers.

“The Garia is essentially a very versatile vehicle that can be used for local transportation, golfing and daily errands,” said Anders Lynge, designer of the Garia. “It is also a great option as a utility vehicle for hotels and resorts.”

Garia 2+2 features include:

• Spacious carpeted 15 U.S. gallons
• 58 liter storage room under the seat
• Seat belts on rear seat
• Gas damper to keep seat bench in upright position when accessing the storage space under the seat
• Non-slip floor foot rest
• Additional storage space between the seats suitable for umbrellas, jackets, or other items

Seat belts!?! (See photo at left). Why? I guess because the Garia 2+2 has everything and it’s street legal. (It comes in street-legal and off-street versions.)

The Garia 2+2 also offers the same body and seat color choices as the other models (Garia Golf Car, Garia LSV and Garia Monaco). Other options include a refrigerator built into the dashboard.

Although it’s called a golf car, I have no idea where you put the golf clubs.

The street-legal Garia 2+2 starts at $29,000. Want to drive one?

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
You Could Walk Or You Could Ride in This

(Photos: Courtesy of Garia)

Free Golf for Military at Pinehurst on September 5

(Photo: Pinehurst No. 8)

VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. – Pinehurst Resort will host its third annual Military Appreciation Day on Monday, September 5, providing complimentary golf and special discounts to active members of the military and their spouses.

Golf will be offered on Pinehurst No. 8, with tee times running from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Active duty military also will receive a 50 percent discount on all spa services, a 20 percent discount off merchandise in the resort’s retail shops and a 15 percent discount at resort restaurants.

“With the sacrifices the military makes for all of us, we wanted to show Pinehurst’s appreciation,” said Chad Campbell, Pinehurst’s director of golf.

More than 700 active military members took part in the event’s first two years. Pinehurst anticipates this year’s total to surpass 1,000 participants.

Active duty military will need to show a military ID upon arrival, but are encouraged to make advance reservations. Tee times can be booked beginning September 1 by calling (910) 235-8760. Appointments for the spa can be made immediately by calling (910) 235-8320.

2011 Deutsche Bank Championship TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP, the second event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, is underway at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. Troy Matteson has the early clubhouse lead after a first-round 65.


Purse: $8 million
Winner’s share: $1.35 million
Defending champion: Charley Hoffman (at right)

2011 Deutsche Bank Championship Leaderboard

Field
Course
Tee times
Interviews
Tournament overview
Tournament news
Tour report
FedEx Cup guidebook


TV SCHEDULE

TV coverage of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Championship is on Golf Channel and NBC.

Fri, Sept 2
3-6 p.m. (GOLF)

Sat, Sept 3
3-6 p.m. (GOLF)

Sun, Sept 4
1-3 p.m. (GOLF) & 3-6 p.m. (NBC)

Mon, Sept 5
12-2 p.m. (GOLF) & 2-6 p.m. (NBC)

SIRIUS-XM broadcast times


−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: zzazazz, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

How I Caddied for Long Putter Pioneer Orville Moody

IF IT HADN’T BEEN ORVILLE MOODY, some other name player would have been the first to win regularly with the long putter. The 1969 U.S. Open champion, Moody put the broomstick in his bag after turning 50. He went on to win 11 times using the long putter on the senior circuit, including the 1989 U.S. Senior Open.

It was controversial. Other players didn’t like the long putter and tried to get it banned, Moody told me four years ago at the Baltimore Country Club. He was an unpopular pioneer. But for the first time in his life he could roll putts with consistency and confidence. An Army veteran, Moody soldiered on with the long stick.

I can tell you from firsthand experience that Orville was a character. He was funny and had more than a few golf tales. I enjoyed his company on a couple of occasions. Following is the story of how I caddied for Moody in 2007 at a Grand Champions event that preceded the Senior Players Championship.

***

“You want to ride with me? It will be easier to keep up.”

Sure, I said to Orville Moody.

I was at a Grand Champions event in Baltimore, the prelude to the Senior Players Championship. I had been on the golf legends circuit throughout the year, attending events at Savannah, Hickory (North Carolina) and then Baltimore.

I’d had unique access to many golf legends—players I watched or knew of while growing up. Thanks to my association with Jack Fleck, I ate in the players’ dining rooms, hung out in the locker rooms and shuttled back and forth to hotels where I rubbed elbows with several former tour pros. You can bet I heard plenty of golf stories, too.

‘Sarge’

Back to Moody, or “Sarge,” my companion for 18 holes at the Baltimore Country Club East Course, a rolling, old-style layout with sloping greens created by famed architect A.W. Tillinghast.

Nicknamed Sarge because of his Army days, Moody was the last local qualifier to win the U.S. Open, coming from virtually nowhere to claim the trophy in 1969 at Champions Golf Club in Houston. It was the only tour win for a sweet ball-striker who couldn’t putt.

When the Champions Tour (called the Senior Tour at that time) was cranking up in the mid 1980s, Sarge turned 50 and started winning tournaments in bunches, thanks, in large part, to his long putter, considered a novelty in those days. Moody is one of only four men who has won both the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open.

That weekend four years ago Sarge was partnered with Jack Fleck in a best-ball tournament that featured several legends—Jim Feree, Fred Hawkins, Gene Littler, Don January, Billy Casper, Bob Goalby, Dow Finsterwald, Doug Ford, Doug Sanders, Lee Elder and Billy Maxwell, to name most of them.

Caddie by Default

Many of the legends don’t hire caddies for these events, so as we rolled down the second fairway I realized I could caddie for Sarge. I would steer clear of yardages, club selection and reading greens. I’ve been around golf, but I’m not going to pretend to be a real caddie. Still, for 40 or so years Moody had been accustomed to handing his golf ball and clubs to somebody. In Baltimore, I was that somebody.

There was some chit-chat, mostly initiated by Orville. I was not going to yap at him or do anything to distract him from his work, which I could tell he took seriously, even if it was just a legends best-ball event for a quarter-million dollar purse.

How serious?

On the 8th hole Sarge removed his shoe and sock to have a go at a ball in a greenside pond. He slipped on the bank and almost fell in the drink. Then he slashed at the ball with his 60-degree wedge, splattering mud on his dark slacks and pale green shirt.

There I was on the green toweling off his muddy, grassy bare foot. It seemed like the right thing to do. (Orville’s lower back bothered him and I figured bending over to towel off and slip on his sock and shoe would be a problem.)

Sarge was a mess and a bit flustered, too. It was awkward. Yet my instinct was to help my player.

I enjoyed watching Moody’s shot preparation. I did, in fact, give him yardages off sprinkler heads, adding and subtracting based on the pin placements. Once Sarge pulled a club and got over the ball there was no hesitation. His compact swing produced low straight shots with the hint of a fade. His speed on the slick, sloping greens was good. Determining the correct lines was another matter.

After coming off the 18th hole, I thanked Moody for allowing me to ride along. “I’ll probably see you at the Legends in Savannah next April,” I told him.

I knew Sarge wasn’t thrilled about his play—especially on the back nine—but he said I made the day more enjoyable. I felt good about that.

Postscript: That was the last time I saw Orville Moody. After a massive stroke, he spent much of the following year in a nursing home. He died in August 2008.

−The Armchair Golfer

The PGA of America Turns 95

By PGA of America

THE PGA OF AMERICA MARKED its 95th year on Wednesday by returning to the site of its founding, the Radisson Martinique on Broadway in New York City. The world’s largest sports organization and historic hotel celebrated the occasion by opening a permanent PGA history exhibit.

A reception featured PGA of America officials, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Anderson and John Wanamaker-Leas, the great grandson of department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker. Wanamaker hosted The PGA’s first organizational meeting in 1916 and later donated a trophy that became the signature hardware of the PGA Championship.

The PGA of America’s founding on April 10, 1916 took place on the second floor of then-named Hotel Martinique, where a constitution was formed, a charter signed and 78 individuals were elected into PGA membership.

Today, The PGA of America represents 27,000 men and women professionals, upholding the solemn pledge of its founders to be leaders on all levels of golf and to grow interest and participation in the game.

“The PGA of America takes pride in the commitment of its men and women member professionals who after 95 years have elevated themselves by their dedication to a sport that elevates the human spirit on many levels,” said PGA of America President Allen Wronowski.

Opening in 1898 and completing a renovation last year, the Radisson Martinique unveiled a PGA of America photographic history exhibit on its second floor and dedicated the boardroom where The PGA of America founding fathers signed the association’s charter almost a century ago.

More coverage of The PGA of America’s history and 95th anniversary

NPR: ‘The Best Player You Probably Never Heard Of’

ON FRIDAY NPR’S MORNING EDITION spent three minutes and 57 seconds telling its large audience about a “little-known” golf phenom named Yani Tseng, the world No. 1 player who is dominating the LPGA Tour and crashing the record books.

Reported Tom Goldman:

Tseng has been powering and smiling her way around golf courses—and making history. She has already done something that no one who has swung a golf club has done before: At the relatively tender age of 22, Tseng has won five major championships.

Tiger Woods was 24 when he won his fifth major. The legendary Patty Berg, who holds the LPGA record with 15 Grand Slam titles, was 25. Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam was 32.

Goldman went on to call Tseng a triple threat, possessing accuracy, touch and power. The tour’s longest hitter, she averages nearly 270 yards off the tee. He also explained that while popular in Asia, where she is stopped on the street, Tseng goes largely unrecognized here as a non-American on the U.S-based LPGA Tour.

“Come on, people,” Goldman said. “Five majors.”

Such is ladies’ golf, especially if you’re from Taiwan and still learning English. Tseng seems to take it all in stride. Currently the most dominant player in the game, she deserves all the attention she can get.

Listen to NPR’s report on Yani Tseng

The next tournament on the LPGA Tour schedule is the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on September 9-11. The defending champion is Yani Tseng.

−The Armchair Golfer

Fifth Time Is a Charm for Thomas Bjorn

FIVE WAS THE NUMBER at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland. Five players—George Coetzee, Bernd Wiesberger, Pablo Larrazabal, Mark Foster and Thomas Bjorn—completed 72 holes at 11 under par. The five men headed back out to the 18th tee to settle the matter in a sudden-death playoff.

It took a while. The men played the 18th, a par 5, five times to decide the championship. The last two men standing were Bjorn and Coetzee, and then it was just Bjorn when his South African opponent couldn’t match his third straight birdie on the finishing hole.

It was Bjorn’s 12th career title on the European Tour and second victory this season.

“I’m delighted,” Bjorn said. “The way I played the last three playoff holes, I couldn’t be more proud. When I’m under the cosh I feel pretty calm and good.”

Foster was not delighted. A bogey at the 72nd hole prevented the Englishman from capturing his first tour win since 2005. Foster dropped out of the playoff after a bogey on the fourth extra hole.

While Hurricane Irene shortened The Barclays in New Jersey, fog and swarms of wasps disrupted play at Gleneagles. But the fog cleared and left a sunny Bjorn to contemplate his first-ever playoff win—and his first win since turning 40.

“If life begins at 40, then I’ve made a pretty good start!” he exclaimed.

It has been a very good year for the Dane, who now finds himself just outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Bjorn won the Qatar Masters in February and led the British Open at Royal St. George’s before finishing fourth. Fourteen months ago he won the Portuguese Open, breaking a four-year victory drought.

Indeed, Bjorn, which means bear in Danish, is looking strong at 40.

−The Armchair Golfer

‘Golfing With Dad’ and Other Golf Titles

THE GOLF BOOKS HAVE BEEN piling up in my email inbox and elsewhere. So let’s run through some of them.

Golfing With Dad: The Game’s Greatest Players Reflect on Their Fathers and the Game They Love
By David Barrett
A heartwarming collection of golf’s best players’ favorite memories with their fathers and how those memories shaped them not only as players, but the men they are today. More

Deane Beman: Golf’s Driving Force
By Adam Schupak
The inside story of the man who transformed professional golf into a billion dollar business. More

The Swinger: A Novel
By Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck
The most famous athlete on the planet is a bit off his game. More

FOUR DAYS IN JULY: Tom Watson, the 2009 Open Championship, and a Tournament for the Ages
By Jim Huber
“Jim Huber’s book captures those magical four days superbly.” —Peter Alliss, golfer and BBC commentator. Q&A at ARMCHAIR GOLF

The Nine Tenths Rule
By Stephen E. Mitchell
A Bainbridge Diaries golf themed legal mystery novel (Kindle Edition). More

Brassies, Mashies, and Bootleg Scotch: Growing Up on America’s First Heroic Golf Course
By Bill Kilpatrick
Bil Kilpatrick’s memoir of growing up on golf courses is at once a window on another time—when golf was played mainly with balata balls, hickory shafts, and handmade spoons, mashies, and cleeks—and a ground-level view of what maintaining a golf course meant when artisanship, instinct and experience carried the day. More

The Hershey Hurricane
By Seamus McGee
A biographical account of Henry Picard, a top PGA Tour player in the 1930s and 1940s (26 tour wins) and mentor to Ben Hogan and others. More

−The Armchair Golfer

Paul Harney, 1929-2011

SIX-TIME PGA TOUR WINNER Paul Harney died this week. You would have to be a student of golf history to know Harney, who played alongside greats such as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Billy Casper. Along with the legendary Francis Ouimet, Harney is considered to be one of the best golfers to hail from Massachusetts. He attended Holy Cross and was captain of the golf team. Harney joined the PGA Tour in 1955 and played the circuit full time through 1962. His first victory came at the 1957 Carling Open. A second win followed two weeks later at the Labatt Open.

A dedicated family man, Harney became a part-time player in 1963 when his oldest child (he and wife Patricia would raise six children) entered school. He took a club pro job in Northern California and then returned to his native Massachusetts to work for Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton.

Harney still managed to compete and win as a part-time player on the PGA Tour. He won three more events, the last trophy coming at the 1972 San Diego Open where he edged Hale Irwin by a stroke. He won no majors but did have six top 10s, including a fourth at the 1963 U.S. Open. He was 0 for 4 in playoffs. Three losses came to Palmer, one to Tony Lema.

Harney’s kids now run the golf course (Paul Harney Golf Club) their dad opened in Falmouth using prize money from his win in San Diego. Son Mike is the head pro. Daughter Erin is the general manager. In 2006, Mike recalled his dad’s days on the winter tour, a family affair.

“The family station wagon was dad’s office,” he said at golholycross.com. “We’d all jump in the car and go to work with him.”

Harney and family would log 10,000 miles in the station wagon driving from event to event. In 1971 the part-time player finished in the money in 14 of 15 tournaments, earning in excess of $40,000. That was good money in those days.

Later, Harney made $436,063 on the fledgling Senior Tour, more than what he collected in 18 years on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve been lucky,” Harney said in 2006. “Holy Cross gave me a tremendous education and the Jesuits gave me a good perspective. Patti gave me six terrific children, and now we have 14 grandkids.”

−The Armchair Golfer

2011 Barclays TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 BARCLAYS, THE FIRST EVENT of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is off to a weather-interrupted start at the Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey. With the rain-delayed first round still in progress, Harrison Frazar is the early leader at 7 under.

The tournament is expected to be threatened by Hurricane Irene as the storm moves up the Atlantic coastline this weekend. PGA Tour officials are mulling their options for completing the first leg of the playoffs. One is to play 36 holes on Saturday and award the trophy before Irene reaches New Jersey. Another option is to finish on Monday or Tuesday.


Purse: $8 million
Winner’s share: $1.35 million
Defending champion: Matt Kuchar (at right)

2011 Barclays Leaderboard

Field
Course
Tee times
Interviews
Tournament overview
Tournament news
Tour report
FedEx Cup guidebook


TV SCHEDULE

TV coverage of the 2011 Barclays is on Golf Channel and CBS.

Thursday, August 25
3-6 p.m. - Golf Channel

Friday, August 26
3-6 p.m. - Golf Channel

Saturday, August 27
1-2:30 p.m. - Golf Channel, 3-6 p.m. - CBS

Sunday, August 28
12-1:30 p.m. - Golf Channel, 2-6 p.m. - CBS

SIRIUS-XM broadcast times


−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Let the FedEx Cup Playoffs Begin

THE FEDEX CUP PLAYOFFS get underway on Thursday with The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey. The four-event playoff series, which includes the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship, concludes in Atlanta with the Tour Championship.

After much criticism and formula tinkering, the FedEx Cup points race has slowly gained acceptance. No, it’s not the majors or the Ryder Cup. No, it can’t compete with football. But it’s far better than the days when everyone tuned out after the PGA Championship. With all that cash up for grabs, the top PGA Tour players surely welcome the playoffs and gladly play deep into the month of September. That’s good for core golf fans.

Above are PGATour.com’s top 10 shots from The Barclays. I remembered three of the shots. Four, actually. After seeing it again, I did recall Sergio Garcia’s putt in his 2008 playoff against Vijay Singh. Of course, I also remembered Vijay’s long one that he made on top of Sergio. And there was Matt Kuchar’s iron out of the rough to three feet. That was last year.

I think Heath Slocum got robbed, though. Slocum’s tournament-winning 20-footer in 2009—the biggest putt of his life and the one that beat Tiger Woods—is No. 6 on the list.

Really? Only No. 6?

That’s just wrong.

−The Armchair Golfer

9 Returning Players on U.S. Solheim Cup Team

U.S. SOLHEIM CUP CAPTAIN Rosie Jones called forming her team “an extremely exciting and difficult selection process.” Jones made two captain’s picks—veteran Vicky Hurst and LPGA Tour rookie Ryann O’Toole. That may have been the hard part, but the rest of the 12-player squad—all automatic qualifiers based on a points system—looks like it was as easy as an 18-inch putt.

This year’s U.S. Solheim Cup team will include nine of the players that won the Cup two years ago at Rich Harvest Farms west of Chicago, Illinois. They are world No. 2 Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang, Christina Kim and Juli Inkster. Stacy Lewis, a Solheim Cup rookie, was the other player to make the team on points.

In addition to playing, Inkster will serve as an assistant captain to Jones. Playing will come first said the 51-year-old Inkster, the oldest player to compete in The Solheim Cup.

“I feel like most of my career I’ve worn two hats as a mom and as a player,” Inkster said in reference to her dual Solheim Cup roles, “but it will be a challenge.”

The European Solheim Cup Team will be announced on August 29. Alison Nicholas will serve as captain. Melissa Reid, Laura Davies, Suzann Pettersen and Christel Boeljon have already made the team based on the Ladies European Tour point standings.

The Solheim Cup will be played at Killeen Castle in Ireland on September 23-25.

−The Armchair Golfer

God Puts Long Putter in Bag

THE GROWING POPULARITY OF THE long putter has now spread from country club gates to the pearly gates, as God Almighty announced in a statement that he has added the “broomstick” to his set after a few experimental practice sessions. The creator of the universe has watched with interest as players have won with long putters for three consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour.

Adam Scott was the first, rolling to an impressive win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. PGA Tour rookie Keegan Bradley followed, winning the PGA Championship with a belly putter in his first major appearance. And on Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina, Webb Simpson claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory using a long putter.

The strong momentum of the long putter among the professional ranks caught the attention of God—who historically is not easy to impress—and was the impetus for the switch.

The Lord admitted that he putted “very well” with a conventional putter but wanted to try the long putter to see what all the fuss was about.

God expected some good-natured barbs from St. Peter, who is part of his regular group, but said with a chuckle, “I can handle Simon Peter. I’ve long known his weaknesses, both on and off the golf course.”

God characterized himself as a recreational golfer, yet declined to reveal how many rounds he has logged this year. Asked how much he plays, God simply said, “More than the Pope and less than President Obama.”

Next up, he added, is one of his favorite golf outings, the annual father-son tournament.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Weary of Golf, God Rains Out Viking Classic

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

Win Callaway Golf Clubs in GolfChannel.com Sweepstakes

By Golf Channel

CELEBRATING ITS RECENT RE-LAUNCH, GolfChannel.com has launched an online sweepstakes titled “New Site. New Set.” that will award Callaway Golf equipment to daily and weekly winners. Fans can enter-to-win at www.GolfChannel.com/WinClubs.

A daily winner will be awarded a Callaway driver, hybrid, 3-wood, or wedge. Each week, one winner will be randomly selected to receive a new set of Callaway RAZR X irons (four weekly winners in total). The New Site. New Set. promotion runs through Sept. 11. Fans are eligible to enter the contest once per day.

“More sports fans have been turning to GolfChannel.com every day for breaking news and information,” said Tom Stathakes, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming, production and operations.

“The New Site. New Set. promotion provides another way for us to connect with our existing users, as well as creates a new opportunity to attract new fans to experience everything the site has to offer.”

In June, Golf Channel unveiled a complete redesign of GolfChannel.com. The redesign features enhanced editorial content and video for expanded coverage of the game; integrates the leading online tee-time booking service GolfNow.com; provides easy access to instruction and equipment; and offers a more robust user community experience—all working to help golfers play better, and play more often.

A Golfer Looks at 60

By Charles Prokop
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

Copyright © Charles Prokop. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

JIMMY BUFFET LEADS OFF the B side of his 1974 album A1A with A Pirate Looks At 40. The song is the musings of a lover of the sea, looking back on the years so far. I’ve been doing something similar, but much less poetic and smaller scale. I’ve been looking back on my last five years or so of golf, the years that bridge my 60th birthday.

My golf scores have followed a regular pattern. My handicap goes up in the winter, creeping into the double digits by February or so. It then begins a slide down through the warmer weather, reaching a minimum around October. It then holds for a while, waiting to begin its upward creep as the weather cools.

I stayed in single digits all winter this year, and my handicap is sliding down a little faster than usual this summer. So what’s different?

I’m not playing more this year. In fact, I’m playing a little less. That may actually be a good thing, because when I play I’m more eager for the game. I’m not practicing more, either. I haven’t been to the range except to hit a few warm-up balls, and with the exception of a little putting on the carpet, I haven’t worked on my short game.

I’m playing with irons that fit me better. I got my new set last year, and I know I’m hitting them more solidly more often, so that may be some of it.

I’ve lost a few pounds, but not many. I’ve always been in decent shape, and I haven’t done anything serious to get into better shape, so I doubt that’s a significant factor. I have found that oatmeal makes a good breakfast, and it holds me longer into the round than most other meals. (Try it with brown sugar, cinnamon, dried cherries and strawberries. And use the stuff you really cook—not instant. It’s good.)

But there has been one change that makes the most sense to me. I’m paying attention. As I mentioned in Report to the Sand Crab, I’ve recently been tracking my greens in regulation and number of putts. There’s substantial psychological data that shows that just measuring a behavior is likely to lead to a change. Keep records of your calories, and you’re likely to consume fewer just because you’re paying attention. It’s kind of like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle—measuring something changes it.

More than that, I’ve been trying to keep my head in the game and not get distracted by stray thoughts or other people’s games. I’m trying to enjoy Stooge Ball at the same time I keep my head in my own game. I’m trying to stay in the moment, whether the moment is ridiculing the Chipping Lizard for his last shot or it’s going into the cone of silence so I can focus on my own shot.

So we’ll see how it goes, and if it holds up. I’m betting it’s the oatmeal.

Charles Prokop is a clinical psychologist who writes about golf at fairwaywords.

(Photo credit: smiteme, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

VIDEO: Caddie Interviews for Former World No. 1

IN CASE YOU ARE wondering how the caddie interviews are going for a certain
former world No. 1 player, above is a sneak peek from ESPN Golf.

Nothing is easy. Nothing.

−The Armchair Golfer

Golf Digest: Are You as Athletic as a Tour Pro?

YOU’VE PROBABLY SEEN THE periodic stories that question whether golf is a sport and whether those fancy-pants tour pros are athletes. They’re good fun, right? Often they’re accompanied by photos of players of the Mark Calcavecchia and Tim Herron variety.

Well, Golf Digest is throwing out a challenge in its September issue: “Are you as athletic as a tour pro?”

It’s no joke. It’s a part of the magazine’s athletes issue. Functional Movements System founder Gray Cook wants to “test your fitness with basic competency, core stability and balance exercises.”

If you can do this stuff, then Golf Digest says “you have the potential for greatness.” And if you can’t, you might not want to make fun of guys who wear white belts and chase golf balls for a living.

TAKE THE GOLF DIGEST COMBINE AND SEE HOW YOU STACK UP

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)