Rules, Rules, Rules.

The subject of the rules of golf seems to have reared its head on more than one occasion this season. Whether it was long putters, incorrectly replacing divots, bunkers or no bunkers or Petersson’s flying leaf at Kiawah. It seems to be the latest obsession for those rules geeks out there who think it is okay to call in rulings having seen a possible infraction on high def TV. It’s hard to think of another sport where this happens – imagine its 3^rd and goal and someone calls in the right guard twitching on the offensive line, even though the refs missed it. Doesn’t happen does it? And for good reason, the referee is in charge and makes the call, not some guy sitting on his couch drinking beer and eating doritos. Let’s just let the on course rules officials do their job and resist the temptation to make the call! 

3 Pure Products from the PGA Show

It was a PGA show with something we haven't felt in a few years...buzz! And amongst the buzz were some really cool and pure products. Here are 3 "pures" that caught my eye.

1. G-Fore Golf Gloves. Yes, that is the suave Marty Hackel on their booth. If it's possible to be as equally well dressed as Mr. Style, then Mossimo Giannulli, the owner of G-Fore pulls it off. Mr. Giannulli's company does one thing - it makes beautiful golf gloves in all the colors of the rainbow. You can see the company's website here. No, they are not cheap at $35, but imagine the statement you make teeing it up with one of these wonderfully rich hued gloves.

2. TRUE Linkswear. It's no secret that I love "TRUES" and this year the company has somehow managed to improve the shoes and even extended the line into 3 price points. The PHX, named, I guess after their new office location is $99, The TOUR is $149 and The Stealth is $199. Playing golf and walking in these shoes is such a delight and they really feel like playing golf in barefeet. The picture above is the new TOUR in white with a green sole and yes, they are on order!

3. Seamus Golf Head Covers. When I saw these I fell in love with them! Made in Oregon and in very limited batches per design, these are the epitome of Pure! I have 3 already. They are currently available only through ETSY here and if you like a particular style, buy it, because it may never be made again! I hear their website at www.seamusgolf.com will soon have a store too. You can see it here.

Askernish - An Old Tom Morris Masterpiece

At last weeks Affordable Golf Syposium there was a wonderful presentation by Gordon Irvine from Scotland about the magnificent, natural golf course called Askernish. Located on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, the course was laid out by 4 time Open Champion Old Tom Morris in 1891 and was abandoned in the 1920s. In recent years a team, led by Irvine, has resurrected the course using traditional methods and created something very special. I strongly recommend the article listed here and also the Askernish website which goes into more detail than space here allows. Looking at the website I notice its possible to join for $160 - yes, that right... join! There's a wonderful T & L piece by John Garrity here about the history of the club. And here is the Askernish website with wonderful pictures and the whole story.

Fishers Island - one of the purist (and most fun) golf experiences ever!

I'm not sure if it gets any better than golf on Fishers Island. Big statement for one of the truly great golf courses in the world. Even getting to the club is part and parcel of the experience - see the small fishing boat rented from Wild Bill...really, that's his name.
Here are some great photos of a great day (thanks to Chip for the pics). The hole numbers are not listed and you know what, it doesn't matter - there isn't a weak one out there and all 4 of us on our trip ranked it number 1 of the 5 courses we played in the NY/CT area.

An Impure Golf Club Logo? Well Here are 3 to Start!

At dinner the other night someone asked me, after seeing the best logos on the blog,  "So, what's the worst golf club logo out there?"
That got me thinking. I should stress that my choices have nothing whatsoever to do with the quality of the golf course. The choices are based on aesthetic, ease of use for, say embroidery, quality of design and memorability.

I'm not quite what the folks at Dallas National were thinking - ok, so you have bridge, but do you need to put it front and center. The logo would be perfect for a bridge construction company!

Ah, The Members Club at Four Streams. Four streams, not 1 or 2 or 3 streams as depicted in the logo. The logo is so confusing it's tough to know where the stream is and where the banks are!  So how do they have a logo without 4 streams in it - the current logo would seem to be at least 1 stream short of a golf club!

All of the Trump golf clubs have the same logo, which is great, because collectively I can say they are all dreadful. The only difference between Trump National in D.C and LA is in the copy underneath the fake royal crest. For the master marketer, Trump, to have a such a mess of a golf logo is truly astounding. Donald, hire a great design firm and simplify the mess.

Let me know any other candidates for the Hall of Club Logo shame.

Iliac Golf - Bringing Back the Pure

Bert La Mar is bringing back the pure to golf. His Carlsbad based company, Iliac Golf creates cool products including retro style leather headcovers and bags as well as up to the minute stylish clothing in modern fabrics. Iliac likes to say "Understated elegance with hidden performance and cutting edge technology."

Bert is a skateboard and snowboard dude turned golfer and it shows in his refreshing approach to the traditional game of golf. He likes to do things his way and his way is classic with a twist. You can read his story here.

Iliac has made amazing inroads into the leading clubs in the country with his products and it is unusual to visit a top club and not see his wool or leather headcovers presented in funky Iliac wooden crates. You'll be seeing a lot more of Iliac's products out there in 2011 as they ramp up in other categories.

I have his leather headcovers, naturally in green, and they'll last a lot longer than me and they make a statement, which is 100% Pure.

They say "I love the game of golf and my equipment says so!"

1966...the year of The Ping Anser

The year was 1966. England were winning the World Cup for the first and possibly last time and in Redwood City, California a GE mechanical engineer named Karten Solheim was designing the most successful putter of all time, The Ping Anser. His company name, Ping came form the sound of his original putter, the 1A.
With its familiar "plumbers neck" more golf manufacturers and putter companies have copied this design than any other in history and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, than Mr Solheim must have been a proud man.
The Anser is classic - every golfer has used one based on Karsten's design at some point and with its heel and toe weighting it is as relavent today as that day in 1966 when it first saw the light of day.
Ping stills sells bucket loads of the new model Anser or you can easily pick one up an original for $50 on ebay.