Golf Confessions

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 11:10 AM

As you can see, I first addressed this question in 2005.  Well the riders won out in this issue.  Most of the new arrivals to this tour do walk since they are fresh off the PGA.  If a golfer can walk and play competitive it is probably in his best interest, this will help him stay in shape and give him a rythmn to the round. 

There is a new look on the Champions Tour this year(2006). The tour decided to take away carts except for the pro-ams and two tournament sites where the terrain change is very severe.  Several of the senior players have been voicing concern about this move and are talking about the possibility of legal action.  A lot of these  concerned players have some major health issues they are dealing with and may not be able to play if they are denied the use of golf carts.  Some of these players have been on the Champions Tour for a short period of time and others have been around since the inception of the tour in the early eighties. 
 
Ed Fiori has suffered through some heart problems and could face the possibility of not being able to play without the use of a cart.  Tom Purtzer has fought back problems for many years and may be looking at a limited playing schedule if he can’t ride.  And Chi Chi Rodriguez at the age of 69 says” many of the players want the use of carts”.  There is talk about taking some legal action before the Florida tournaments. 
 
A lot of the senior players have been walkers ever since their arrival on the Champions Tour and support the idea of no carts.  Some players have pointed to the fact that most of the tournament winners have not used carts.  This issue will probably not go away soon and could be a dividing point among several of the players. 
 
I hate to see any issue in this game be drug into the courts.  But as is the case so many times, there a going to be valid points on each side. Many years before the Casey Martin issue with carts, I asked Sam Snead about this very question-if you had been born with a handicap or had an injury and could not walk and play golf do you think the tour should make an exception for you to play out of a cart?  Sam did not think that any exception should be made and that he would have missed the opportunity to play golf professionally.  Again, we have our different opinions, but I for one would hate to think the talent of a Sam Snead could possibly have been missed. 
 
I hope this problem can be worked out and the integrity of the game will be preserved.

The differences were worked out and the Champions Tour is continuing with great success. 
 
We welcome your comments concerning this issue.
 
See you on the next tee. 

Today the selection for golf balls is a varied as the golf equipment that you have to choose from in order to pound these balls down the fairway.  Just a fews years ago the golf ball world was very simple compared to today.  There were very few brands to choose from and you usually only had two choices with each ball manufacturer, and this was a 90 compression or a 100 compression.  This limited world was made up of Titleist, Maxfli, Spalding and Wilson for the most part.  Some of you may remember playing with the Acushnet Club Special.  I ran across one of those old relics in a draw the other day.  The world of golf balls has certainly changed, just like the clubs.  Now each brand has many different balls to choose from.  The modern ball is designed to go high and straight.  And of course and rightly so each manufacturer has a ball designed for the lady golfer.

One of the most noticeable qualities of the modern golf ball is its durability.  In years gone by the balata ball was the top ball for the better amateurs and pros.  This balata ball gave the player the most feel, but with it’s thin cover the ball would suffer severe wounds if you caught it a little thin.  Even when watching tour players you would see players constantly checking their ball after reaching the green to see if any damage had been done and the ball needed to be taken out of play.  Today with the modern ball and its durable covers a player could play the same ball forever.  The story goes that pure swinging Sam Snead once played an entire Los Angeles Open with one ball.  It boggles the imagination to think what Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and the likes would have done if they would have had the modern golf ball.  These tour players of today can select from a wide range of balls to fit their individual swings and equipment.  They can choose from low spin, high spin , soft feel a little harder feel or what ever the conditions may require.

Sam Snead was one of the first players that I saw that had his own personalizrd golf ball.  Sam played Wilson equipment most all of his career and he also used Wilson Staff balls.  Wilson printed balls for Sam that had the number 0.  Today Greg Norman has a shark, Tiger Woods has Tiger on his ball and several players have their names or a personalized logo for their identity.

In order to find what ball fits your swing and equipment best, you can check with your PGA pro or see a swing doctor that has all of the modern computerized equipment to analize your swing.  The things you hear so much today is all about spin, launch angle and ball speed.  To optimize all of these critical areas you will then get the most out of your swing. 

Annika Sorenstam after missing the better part of last year on the LPGA with back problems is in the field this week trying to gain ground for the top spot on the world rankings.  Annika (70) and number one in the world Lorena Ochoa(68) and  Suzann Petterson(68) both of these players are one shot off the lead set by Carin Koch and Teresa Lu who both shot 67.

Ochoa is certainly on a roll, she has won her last three starts and is looking to duplicate Sorenstam’s four in a row in 2001.  Paula Creamer(72) and Natalie Gulbis(73) may be in danger of missing the cut should they have a poor second round.

Davis Love has been struggling with his golf game since his ankle injury last September.  Davis missed one of his favorite tournaments when he failed to qualify for The Masters last week.

This week finds Love in a tournament that he has won more than anyone.  Davis has worn the plaid jacket at Hilton Head five previous times.  The Hilton Head course is comprised of narrow tree lined fairways and the tours smallest greens.  This would seem an unlikely fit for someone that can be one of the longest drivers of the golf ball when he wants to really let it out.  But, it seems that the surroundings are quite soothing for Love.  The area is quite similiar to where Love calls home and that is very close at Sea Island.  With a win at this tournament Love would once again qualify for his beloved Masters.

Davis will face stiff competition in his pursuit of his sixth jacket.  Tied at the top of the leader board is previous champion Justin Leonard and several of the top players in the world are also in the field.  Ernie Els continues to struggle opening with a first round 72 one over par.  Brandt Snedeker(-1), Steve Flesch(-1) and Stewart Cink(-3) look to rebound from their close call at The Masters.