Mar 21, 2007 @ 12:16 pm by Yoga For Golfers
While working with Katherine Roberts in Scottsdale earlier this month, we talked about her association with GolfGym and their line of golf performance training products.
Currently, GolfGym is offering a FREE PowerGrip Squeasy (you only pay shipping costs) which comes with a $10 coupon to apply to any future GolfGym training product purchase. I realize you may currently need a US address to ship the Squeasy to, but I am in contact with GolfGym to see is they will be willing to extend the offer across borders to Golf Logic members as well.
Using the Squeasy is great to help you “feel the club” in your fingers, not in the palm of your hand; David Ledbetter makes the case for the club being gripped in your fingers and not in your palm. ”If your glove gets worn out in the heal portion, you are holding the club in your palm and not in your fingers. Move the butt end of the club out past your palm.” All you have to do is take a look at your old gloves worn out in the exact spot to be convinced you may benefit from holding the club in your fingers instead of too far to the end and in your palm.
The Squeasy comes with 11 exercises that can help with your grip and the “feel” of the club being in your fingers and not in your palm, as well as stretching your upper body and shoulder area.
Mar 19, 2007 @ 11:03 am by Nigel Da Costa
Just received a press release announcing Henry Brunton has been named one of Golf Magazines top 100 Golf Instructors for the second straight year. Henry is the only Canadian to ever receive this honour. Aside from his coaching skill, Henry is a fantastic guy. I have had the pleasure of working with him in numerous capacities over the last few years and I can’t say enough about what a great guy he is.
Congratulations on your well earned success Henry! The press release can be found HERE.
Mar 18, 2007 @ 10:49 pm by Nigel Da Costa
Congrats to my man Vijay for winning at Bay Hill! It was also nice to see Sergio battling out there…if he could ever get his putter working, he might be able to win a major one day. There is nothing more frustating then a cold putter.
I was once played 18 holes with a nice German fellow. Since Germans and Canadians both like beer, I thought it would be great if we had a friendly wager on the match – the loser would buy at the 19th hole. We were both around the same skill level so it seemed to work out well.
The round went well and we were both shooting around the same score. I would have been killing him had I been able to make a few putts. He was very sporting however, each time I missed a putt he would yell Shady Froid. Froid in French means cold…so after each missed putt he was telling me I had a cold putter and would pat me on the back.
Finally, with the match on the line at the 18th, I pissed a 6-footer and he screamed Shady Froid once again. He shook my hand and proceeded to the beer I had paid for for the next 2 hours.
Later that evening I decided to find out exactly what he kept saying during the round so I called up a German friend of mine who spent the next 5 minutes laughing at me. Turns out Shady Froid is actually Schadenfreude…which roughly translates from German to English as satisfaction derived from someone else’s misfortune!
Mar 16, 2007 @ 12:27 pm by Nigel Da Costa
Natalie Gulbis is getting her own credit card. What is this world coming to?
Mar 14, 2007 @ 12:57 pm by Nigel Da Costa
Bart Simpson once called an Australian boy to ask him if his toilet flushed clockwise or counter-clockwise. It made me curious…I wondered if putts in Australia lip out clockwise or counter-clockwise? So to get the answer (or not) I decided to contact Jason Savidge from Iseekgolf.com for the next installment of our Par 5 Series.
GL: Jason, how did Iseekgolf.com start?
JS: We started the site in response to a lack of online golf course directories here in Australia at the time. We personally were looking to play golf in different regions and could never find information about which courses were in in each area so we thought we would do it ourselves…it has grown from there to cover all areas of golf now.
GL: Was the growth immediate or did it take some time for people to catch on?
JS: It took a year or two to grow as we really grew with the internet usage in Australia. In 2000, people were still on dialup and the major telcos had the price of broadband so high that it took another few years for things to really happen and for internet usage to become the norm.
GL: What is the most popular area of the web site?
JS:The most popular areas of the site are the forums, the course directory and our user equipment reviews.
Mar 13, 2007 @ 09:27 am by Michael Shandrick
It’s my opinion that the pros—the guys who actually make money playing golf— would not wear their clothes anywhere else but a golf course.
Then there are millions of men who purchase polyester shirts and thick white leather spiked shoes and play in 30 degrees C. They wear this stuff because 1) they want to fit in 2) they don’t think they have a choice 3) they are lousy shoppers 4) they think golf clothing should be silly and uncomfortable.
Where did fashion go wrong in golf? Perhaps at the beginning when some high-hats set themselves up as judge and jury of golf wearing protocol. Both Harry Vardon and his playing partner Ted Ray created their own styles and were criticized for wearing clothing ‘unsuitable for gentlemen.’ Walter Hagen was both praised and despised for his sartorial splendor. Ever since, anyone defying the day’s golf police was labeled “eccentric”. They could play the course but were snubbed in the Club. The same is true today.
Mercifully, there are signs of a fashion renaissance. Both the young women and men now moving up the ranks on the pro tour are sleek, fit and not afraid of showing off their sexuality. They are experimenting. Their formula: Fashion = Function + Fun + Forgetting the critics.
Mr. Golf Style, Marty Hackel, a self-styled apparel guru, however, tells us that only outgoing people do well with bolder colors and trend-driven styles, i.e. Camilo Villegas. Hackel also wants us to tuck in our shirts a bit. Like, that’s going to really make a difference.
Most North American tournament male players look like they lost their luggage at the airport, borrowed their outfits from smaller guys, and had to change at the last minute in the hotel elevator before hitting the course. And this is supposed to be an elite sport? Some golfers are so tagged with logos that they are starting to look like NASCAR drivers. At the other end of the spectrum, John Daly and Phil Mickelson remain icons for thousands of men who gave up looking into a mirror long ago.
As a lifetime non-conformist, I still yearn for the retro look with plain soft cotton knit shirts, pleated gabardine pants and straw brimmed hats and under-stated shoes. Clothing was not obvious. I saw all this, of course ages ago, in black and white when the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges looked like they belonged on the course with Sam Snead, Bob Hope and Bobby Jones. It seemed to me that, back then, men and women golfers looked comfortable in their skins if not their clothing. There — I might have answered my own question.
Mar 10, 2007 @ 04:19 pm by Nigel Da Costa
I arrived at the show last night around 6pm and I was able to pick up media credentials for the first time which was nice. The crowds were starting to leave so I was able to walk around and speak to everyone with little trouble. As usual, the number of travel booths by far outnumbered all other booths…this is just a simple reality which I haven’t been able to get comfortable with.
There were also the usual non-golf related booths but not as many in the previous years. They had some chef demonstrating his non-stick pots and pans and somehow he had a crowd gathered around. But can someone please tell me why mutual fund companies set up booths? I understand it is their demographic however, who actually goes to the show looking for investment advice? These poor guys basically sit in their booths reading magazines or talking on their cell phones for 3 days.
The star of the show, as usual, is the Golf PEI booth. Every year they send down the most friendly guys who serve up oysters and mussels and glow about how great PEI is. Good on them!
I spoke with 4 golf course managers and all of them once again questioned if they should have made the trip and paid the fee. There was a time when it was a neccesary evil but these days it seems to be more of an unwanted cost.
I really feel the show is in serious need of a major shake-up. What that is, I have no idea but as with most businesses, you must innovate or die. The Toronto Golf Show has been suffering a slow death for some time!
Mar 09, 2007 @ 12:14 pm by Nigel Da Costa
I am heading to the Toronto Golf Show this evening and will report back tomorrow.
The show has really been going downhill over the years. Initially it was a great place for golfers to see (and try) new products and even spend time talking with course owners and managers. As the show expanded, it became less about golf and more about travel. Then last year it took an even bigger turn for the worse…it became a gimmick show. People selling trash and trinkets, many unrelated to golf!
As a paying guest, it was a major disappointment to see the lack of quality booths and in speaking with many golf course GMs, they were disappointed to see the quality of attendees, most seemed to be there looking for freebies. I had a booth many years ago and was not impressed.
I have heard the organizers were hoping to put the show back on track this year. Let’s hope they do!
Mar 07, 2007 @ 09:49 pm by Nigel Da Costa
Dana Snyder, the campaign coordinator sent me this info for their upcoming 2007 tournament. It is a great cause so please check it out!
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Tournament Name: 19th Annual Swing for the Kids Golf Tournament
Date: Friday June 8, 2007
Location: Thundering Waters Golf Club (Niagara Falls)
Information: Annual tournament where all proceeds help to support the many programs & services we offer the region’s youth. Cost is $175/person and includes;
18 holes, power cart with GPS, lunch, Prime Rib dinner, welcome gift, prizes and much more!
A premier Silent Auction will also be held during the event. For more information please contact Amanda or Dana at 905-357-2444.
Mar 06, 2007 @ 06:43 pm by Nigel Da Costa
I am back from Vegas but as required by Nevada law, all my stories must remain there.
I must say I am only functioning at about 6% right now. A horrible travel schedule featured a cancelled flight and no gate at Pearson Airport – we landed and they didn’t have a gate for us to dock at, so we sat in the plane for over an hour Monday night…finally leaving the aircraft around 12:30am.
I really could have used the extra rest as I am starting a new job. I have been surrounded by sports my entire life and it has always been a dream to work in the industry. Recently a friend introduced me to the rapidly growing sports media company InSight Sports. Before I knew it I had an offer in front of me. After looking at the impressive Board of Directors and Management team, I realized this was an opportunity I should jump all over. The company is led by Kevin Albrecht, former head of IMG Canada. Also new to the company is Dan Cimoroni, Mike Weir’s former agent.
I am looking forward to joining the team but don’t worry, the blog will continue as usual. In fact, it can only have a positive impact on the blog! Dan has promised some great Weir stories if I take him out for a beer.