Chasing The Ultimate Photo

Golf journalists come in all types. Some write for local papers, some craft their words exclusively for electronic publications or magazines, while others toil in a variety of mixed media ranging from video to graphic design.

As a golfer first and then a member of the media I have always been interested in the capture of that "perfect golf moment" in a photograph. It is hard to argue the beauty of a stunning golf course photo.

With the Canadian golf season now in full swing and the foliage in full bloom, I finally have the opportunity to snap a few golf-related pictures.

It can be painful work to not only "see" the right image but capturing it effectively can also be a challenge. Of course, there is a wide variety image enhancing software out there to dress up your pictures but it feels a little like cheating. For me, the best images are those created right there in the camera, not at a desk at a later time.

A few weeks ago, I got lucky and nailed "one of those" images. I was travelling to Renfrew, Ontario, Canada and standing outside the pro shop of the Renfrew Golf Club I took a look over to their 18th hole. Then I ran for my camera!!

Now you know why...Isn't golf great?

Presidential Treatment

If it seems that the Blog has been a little slow of late - my apologies. Golf season is in full swing and a mutltitude of other projects and magazines have diverted my focus. In exchange I offer a olive branch of sorts - some special coverage to rival the Nike "Oven" photos from earlier this season.

On Monday (barring unforseen circumstances) I will have the great fortune of being part of a group that will tour the Royal Montreal Golf Club Blue Course as a preview to the 2007 President's Cup that will be played September 27-30.

Even better is the fact that our tour guides to observe the changes made by Rees Jones to the venerable layout will be none other than the respective Captain's during the upcoming matches. Yep, you heard right - Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will personally be on hand to give their thoughts and strategies based on the layout as they get a firsthand look.

Check back next week to hear details and see photos of the Captains on their tour and images of the layout itself.

I will also add my own observances as the course gets it's first crack at beating me up!!

Westwood Benefits From Calcavecchia's Woes

Interesting news just in from Ping. There was much speculation about the exact origins of the putter used by Lee Westwood over the weekend on his way to winning the Valle Romano Open de Andalucia.

Well, the speculation is over. It is in fact the PING prototype putter designed and built with major input from Mark Calcavecchia. Westwood was the beneficiary of a bad bout of putting that Calc had nearly two months ago.

The prototype is a fully machined aluminum mallet design with an Anser hosel that Calc used in the first round of the Pod's Championship in March. Even though he eventually won the tournament, it had more to do with the prototype putter leaving his bag. In fact Calc took 36 swats with the proto putter during the first round and then shelved it. In its place he bagged the infamous store-bought Redwood Anser (thanks Edwin Watts) that he rode to a hot putting streak and another PGA Tour win.

As for the proto putter, it's fate was lost until last Friday when it showed up in the hands of Westwood at the Aloha Golf Club in Andalucia, Spain.

After Calc won at the Pods he had returned the prototype putter to the PING Tour Trailer where it sat for two weeks. The story came full circle at the Shell Houston Open where Westwood was in search of a new wand. In working with PING Tour Rep., Matt Rollins, Westwood discovered the Calcavecchia rejected flat stick and took it to test along with a few other PING putters.

Westwood experimented with the unique putter at The Masters and took it along to Spain. He played the first round in Andalucia with a PING li'l C mid-length putter but a frustrating opening round of 72 send him in search of replacement.

In came the prototype for round two and the stage was set. The 15-year pro posted eight birdies that day on his way to a 64. He followed it up with a 65 in round three that included seven birdies and an eagle, vaulting him into the lead.

Westwood topped it all off with a 67 that included eight more birdies on his way to a two-shot victory.

As they say, one man's garbage is another man's treasure. I imagine a thank-you note from Westwood to Calc may be forthcoming.

CHAMP Launches PINK-ON-THE-LINKS™ Program To Support Breast Cancer Foundation

-PGA And LPGA Players To Wear Pink Spikes On Mother’s Day Weekend-

It may not be readily apparent if you are not looking for it, but something different will be "underfoot" this weekend on the LPGA and PGA Tours. And it will all be for a worthy cause.

CHAMP Spikes, the most popular brand on today recently unveiled its inaugural Mother’s Day Pink-On-The-Links™ program designed to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. Coinciding with both PGA and LPGA Tour events to be played on Mother’s Day, CHAMP will make a donation in the player’s behalf to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Total funds contributed to the BCRF will be based on the number of total participants wearing the commemorative pink spikes at both The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida) and the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill (Williamsburg, VA).

Several leading footwear manufacturers and CHAMP partners who have already committed to participate in the Mother’s Day Pink-On-The-Links spike campaign including Nike, ECCO, and Hi-Tec. These companies represent many of the world’s finest golfers and CHAMP anticipates a vast majority of players that wear their spikes on a weekly basis will participate, helping make this grassroots awareness effort a success.

“Our hope is that all of the players will wear them,” said Harris MacNeill, President of CHAMP. “We wanted to create a program that would be highly visible so that the players could make a statement, yet not take their attention away from their game. This was a perfect opportunity for us to honor mothers everywhere and directly fund research to find a cure for a disease that affects so many women. We hope to expand this program in the years to come and make this an annual event until a cure for breast cancer is found.”

Don't be surprised if you catch your favorite pros "checking" their spikes if they get some TV time this week. Cheers to all the those taking part in the unique program.

A Different Approach - Miura Clubs Far From Ordinary

You can sense nothing but passion and enthusiasm in the voice of Bill Holowaty. Even working his way through relentless Vancouver traffic his attitude remains joyous as we speak by phone, and with good reason. Holowaty, a member of the UBC Sports Hall of Fame and a part of Canada's 1985 Spengler Cup hockey contingent, knows the company for which he is the Vice-President of General Operations, Miura Golf Ltd., (www.miuragolf.com) is definitely on the rise.

But this is not the story of some new-to-the-golf industry upstart. Each year there are plenty of those that arrive, most with hopes of becoming the next Callaway Golf, TaylorMade or Titleist. But that is not what Miura is about and certainly not why they garner so much respect from those consumers and golf industry people "in the know."

The golf equipment industry is a strange and evolving landscape. Many "hot" new clubs arrive and pass each year and while fortunes can be made (and lost) this way - it is far from being part of the Miura philosophy. In fact, with recent popular trends in the golf club industry, such as custom fitting and a whole new appreciation for craftsmanship, consumers are steering directly toward exactly what Miura does offer.

"It has been a quiet evolution for us," says Holowaty of the company that was founded in 1994 and counts President and lawyer Douglas Buchanan and the legendary Katsuhiro Miura as the key shareholders.

It is Miura, the master craftsman from Himeji City, Japan, who set up Miura Manufacturing Company in the early 1960's, having entered into his journey as a celebrated forged iron clubhead maker at the age of 16. Himeji was where the art of sword-making developed and it was the same techniques used to make those precise instruments that Miura adapted to his club heads. The highly guarded 14-step process is what creates the unique properties of his forgings, known for their soft, crisp feel. As a result, Miura was in high demand to create club heads for many manufacturers, unbeknownst to consumers who simply thought the companies whose names appeared on them had produced them.

Those exacting tolerances and favourable characteristics not only created a following among tour professionals but it also attracted the attention of Buchanan and Holowaty (the duo both played pro hockey in Japan where they became familiar with Miura) who set up Miura Golf Ltd. to bring the exquisite creations to the North American market as a "pilot project."

"We (Bill, Mr. Buchanan and another company Director) were playing Miura clubs for many years (before their Vancouver start-up)," Holowaty explained. "We would come back home and guys would look at our clubs and comment on how great they looked. They would hit our clubs and go 'wow, that is different' and we would come back with stories about all these OEM clubs made at the Miura factory. I am not sure we had any basis for why we thought it would be good here but we just thought that here was a gentleman, a craftsman, Katsuhiro Miura, who had something that was obviously very unique and special. We thought he should have success outside of Japan."

Thirteen years later they are gaining stride - at their own pace.

That gradual progression is self-imposed in some ways - it is a result of the careful production process, one eschewed by most other club companies more concerned with mass production. "We have evolved as we went," says Holowaty when asked about the rate of growth in their operation. "That has always been our way of doing business - if it is good for consumers, good for the dealers and good for us, then it works for everybody."

Obviously the approach must be valid, as you just have to read about consumer reaction to Miura products on Internet golf message boards to see the reverence for their clubs. Avid golfers passionately seek out any clubs known to be forged by Miura, whether it is their current line-up, past products, or those created for other Original Equipment Manufacturers. A "cult-like" status is certainly a truthful description. And with players like the No. 1 golfer in the world having depended on Miura forgings, you can understand the attraction. "The golf gear heads, as we affectionately call them, are keenly aware of who Miura is," says Holowaty. In response to the growing demand, various iron designs (with more to come) are now offered with fairway woods and hybrids soon to expand the scope of the product line.

The V.P. says a good barometer of the Miura momentum is the fact that if you put the word "Miura" in the Google search engine in 2002 you would have usually come up with alot of plumbing and automotive products. Today that same search spits back predominantly golf references.

The number of Miura dealers (each must pass rigid qualifications) is growing but the intense process needed to make each set will always regulate the pace of sales. All clubs are crafted for the individual with precise tolerances (within half gram for clubhead weights) followed. Each set is in essence, a fitted masterpiece.

As Mr. Miura recently said to Holowaty (Miura, now in his mid-60's still sits in the lead chair in the grinding room), "Ultimately I build clubs to perform first and sell second."

If you are a golfer trying to get better, how can you not respect that?