A Golfers Holiday Wish List

Within the holiday season upon us I thought it might be imperative to assemble a small wish list. Golfers always appreciate a gift related to the sport – and if it is something off this list they will be really excited!!

The Gift Certificate
As cold as it may seem the universal gift is the gift certificate. Find out which is your golfers favourite shop and get it from there. This way they can pick up exactly what they want and there will be no issues with sizes or getting the club that fits properly. Consider making the certificate for an item like a Golf Lesson or a Launch Monitor Session.



TaylorMade R7 Draw Driver
Ever hear the golfer of the house complaining about a nagging slice? It is a very common problem for many golfers so TaylorMade decided to address this with their new series of Draw-Biased clubs. The driver is available in men’s and ladies models and each feature a large 460cc club head and the innovative Fujikura RE*AX Graphite shaft. www.taylormadegolf.com



Scotty Cameron Putter
Putters are special things to many golfers and one of the most sought after brands is Titleist’s Scotty Cameron Series. Popular on the professional tours, the wide range of models feature sleek designs constructed with care and precision using only the best materials. The latest model is the Detour with the Circa ’62 and Studio Style models still very popular. www.scottycameron.com




Mizuno Mp-67 Iron
Shiny new irons never looked better than when they come in a box under the tree. Premium brand Mizuno (now in business 100 years) takes craftsmanship seriously and their MP-67 irons would be welcomed by any better player. These irons blend some of the most popular features of Mizuno’s much heralded iron line-up. A version of 1025E mild carbon steel was used to craft the iron heads. www.mizunocda.com



Ecco Golf Shoes
Any avid golf will tell you that having comfortable golf shoes is a big priority. It always helps to have the latest technology supporting you as you play – and a little style never hurts as well. Shoes by ECCO Golf, for both men and women, meet all those standards. Waterproof leather uppers, strong warranties, and a wide range of models to suit a variety of tastes make them an excellent gift choice.www.eccogolf.com

Yes, it is a short list but maybe it will give you a little guidance. For best results, visit the gift recipients’ favourite shop and talk to the staff. You would be surprised how often they remember the items your recipient covets. If not they can likely steer you in the direction of the items that every golfer want this holiday season!

On a lighter note...

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States and the holiday season set to start for most of us, I thought I would post something a little lighter today. Many of you have seen this list before but it always provides a laugh no matter how many times you have read it. And for those reading it for the first time – feel free to cut and paste and pass it on. The author is unknown but to whomever you are – thanks for the chuckles. How many of can say that these laws really don’t apply to our games?

Enjoy…

20 Golfing Laws

1. No matter how bad your last shot was, the worst is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.
2. Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.
3. Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.
4. Golf balls never bounce off of trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.
5. No matter what causes a golfer to muff a shot, all his playing partners must solemnly chant "You looked up," or invoke the wrath of the universe.
6. The higher a golfer's handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.
7. Every par-three hole in the world has a secret desire to humiliate golfers. The shorter the hole, the greater its desire.
8. Topping a 3-iron is the most painful torture known to man.
9. Palm trees eat golf balls.
10. Sand is alive. If it isn't, how do you explain the way it works against you?
11. Golf carts always run out of juice at the farthest point from the clubhouse.
12. A golfer hitting into your group will always be bigger than anyone in your group. Likewise, a group you accidentally hit into will consist of a football player, a professional wrestler, a convicted murderer and a tax agent -- or some similar combination.
13. All 3-woods are demon-possessed.
14. Golf balls from the same "sleeve" tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into the water (see Law three)
15. A severe slice is a thing of awesome power and beauty.
16. "Nice lag" can usually be translated to "lousy putt." Similarly, "tough break" can usually be translated "way to miss an easy one, sucker."
17. The person you would most hate to lose to will always be the one who beats you.
18. The last three holes of a round will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.
19. Golf should be given up at least twice per month.
20. All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until the sunset of the same day.

Holy Hybrids! Ams Can Take Another Lesson From The Pros

Four years ago I finally put a hybrid club (you know - those half-wood type clubs that replace irons) in my bag. It was a no-brainer after hitting that first successful shot from a downhill lie, across a lake, to a firm green that I could have NEVER hit with the same precision with a 3 iron.

Since that day I have not looked back. The Hybrid has become a go-to club for me and I can easily call it one of the clubs that has changed the game of golf in the last decade.

Surprisingly, this style of club has modern roots (you can also find historical clubs with similar shapes) dating back to the 1980's when Spalding was pushing their XE set. Unfortunately, as much as the clubs were easy to use, the look at the time went against the grain of acceptance and further attempts by other companies to market similar clubs failed.

And then the age finally dawned where people actually began to put clubs in their bags that were easy to use, rather than just the ones that they thought would make them look like a pro.

There was some resistance in recent years to the hybrid trend - mostly by the players who still felt they could "work" a 2 iron just as well, staunch traditionalists that pointed to the pro tours and figured if it was good enough for the pros it was good enough for them.

So what will they do now that the pros are flocking to the hybrids in droves? The recent use on the Nationwide and PGA Tour testifies to the fact that even the best players in the world realize how versatile and efficient these club designs are.

One company buoyed by the "hybrid revolution" is Adams Golf, a Plano, Texas based manufacturer (distributed by Fletcher Golf in Canada) that has been leading the charge towards hybrid use for ALL golfers and points to the trend on tour as the example to follow.

"The substantial amount of Idea Pro Hybrids (Adams latest hybrid introduction) that were put in play this year by Nationwide Tour pros is not only a testament to the outstanding quality and performance of our product, but it's also a resounding message to all golfers that these elite players, who are competing for a future on the PGA Tour, have made the transition by replacing their long irons with hybrids," says Chip Brewer, Adams Golf CEO and President. "When 47 of 60 players at the Tour Championship have at least one hybrid in their bag, it's a clear indication that the traditonal iron set is a thing of the past. Hybrids and hybrid iron sets are the present and the future...."

While clearly a somewhat self serving message considering the number of hybrid clubs and sets that Adams Golf offers, few people in the golf industry will refute Brewer's vision of where the traditional golf set is going for all players. A quick look at current lines from most manufacturers sees many hybrid offerings with more scheduled for introduction in 2007.

I am sure a few amateur golfers will continue to hang on to their long irons (and maybe it works for them) but one Canadian Tour golf professional I recently played with (who now has 2 hybrids in his bag) summed it up nicely. "If I can save a stroke of two a round just imagine how many strokes a 20 handicapper who has trouble getting the ball in the air could save!!"

Surely food for thought coming from someone who counts on their clubs for a living.

If the pros find hitting long irons a challenge and have turned to hybrids as a solution - what does that say for amateur golfers?

While the strokes we save might not be paying for our mortgage, for most amateurs they probably feel even MORE important than that.

Maybe it's time to make an addition to your Christmas wish list.

Will Weir Split Bring New Life To His Game?

What’s wrong with Mike Weir? It is a question posed often of late, especially since his decline in play after winning The Masters just a short few years ago.

Injuries have hampered the Ontario lefty some but even when healthy he appears to be struggling with his consistency. Of course he is not the first, and certainly won’t be the last professional golfer to get into a “slump” but there is a certain special magnitude to his problems. Canadians do not have a lot of golf heroes and even fewer that have ever been within the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings on a regular basis.

That being said, nobody feels the pressure to stay at the top of the sport more than Weir himself and thus he has decided to make a change to his team heading into the 2007 season.

It is a major one too as he will no longer be working with Mike Wilson, the same coach who groomed him all the way from the Canadian Tour to the top echelons of the sport.

Will this be a step forward or drive Weir even deeper into a hole?

Who knows but the decision to change coaches (for now at least) has been made.

“Mike and I have enjoyed a lot of success during our time working together, but I think there are times in your career when a new perspective and a fresh set of eyes can be a productive thing,” said Weir of Wilson. “I’m heading into the off-season, an important time to accomplish goals in preparation for next season, so if a change was to be made, now was the right time. Mike has played an important role in my career over the past decade, and I’d like to thank him for all of his valuable contributions to my career.”

Weir will be working with Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, a pair of teaching professionals headquartered in Philadelphia. The two teachers instruct four first-time winners on the PGA Tour – Aaron Baddeley, Dean Wilson, Will McKenzie and Eric Axley.

Weir is scheduled to join Tiger Woods, Geoff Ogilvy and Jim Furyk later this month in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at the Poipu Bay Golf Course and Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa in Hawaii. He will replace Master Champion Phil Mickelson in the field.

Weir and Jim Rutledge will then represent Canada at the 2006 World Golf Championships – Barbados World Cup December 7-10 at The Country Club Course in St. James, Barbados.

The change comes at a key time for Weir. Not only does he have the aforementioned events to get ready for, it would seem a shame if he were not in Montreal next fall as part of the International squad competing for the President’s Cup. It was he and Tim Finchem who announced the event coming to that site during a press conference in 2005. Whether he is a sentimental favourite or not, no team captain wants a struggling player in his midst, even if they happen to have been born north of the 49th parallel.

Whatever the case, in true good guy fashion expect the lines of communication to remain open between Wilson and Weir – they have just been through too much together. And if things don’t work out with Plummer and Bennett, I wouldn’t be surprised if you see the duo reunite. As much as the new guys might bring a fresh perspective there is usually no substitute for the “girl you brought to the dance”.

Chasing the prom queen usually brings nothing but heartache but maybe this is the way Weir can find his way to get his own crown back.

One thing is for sure - all of Canada eagerly awaits the outcome.