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July 31, 2006Week In Review- Week 13
Some technical difficulties have kept us off the keyboard lately. Like Corey, we've hit a few bumps in the road but now we're back. Thanks for understanding. We'll make up for it. We promise. We did manage to squeeze in some "Phil" time. Last week, we further corroborated our previous story about Phil and the St. Andrews Grand. That was quick. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh! -G.Gwrx July 30, 2006Phil Doesn't Own Hoylake. He Owns St. Andrews.....Kinda
Last month we reported on Phil's time-share in Ireland (yeah, we're on top of it). New information has recently surfaced and it turns out that Phil is actually a part-owner of the St. Andrews Grand Club. He may never get part-ownership of the Claret Jug, but he'll always have a piece of The Old Course. The St. Andrews Grand renovation, beginning summer 2006 and ending by 2008, will preserve the exterior architecture of the Victorian red sandstone building. The job will be done by the Hurd Rolland Partnership in Edinburgh, which specializes in restoring historic buildings in an environmentally responsible fashion. Award-winning architect Van Tilburg, Banvard and Soderbergh and internationally renowned Randall Ridless will collaborate on planning and interior design. The club will feature luxury three and four-bedroom residences overlooking the Home of Golf, where the Open Championship is played every five years, allowing buyers to own a share of a timeless treasure. Only 115 memberships to the St Andrews Grand will be accepted.
Soon after announcing its plans to develop the St. Andrews Grand at the Old Course, Wasserman Real Estate Capital, LLC has acquired a co-controlling interest in Kingsbarns Golf Links, which has become a popular golf destination. The course runs along the coast from St. Andrews and is designed by Californians Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen. Kingsbarns is a par-72 course that extends to 7,126 yards for the championship tees and features sea views along 1.5 miles of scenic coastline. July 24, 2006Week In Review- Week 12 Gourmet Golfwrx congratulates Tiger Woods for his Open Championship victory. Aside from Tiger, I'm glad to see some life in the field. I have a feeling that we're bound for an exciting Ryder Cup this year. We've been grooving some swing fixes at Gourmet Golfwrx in order to continually bring you quality content. We blogged the heck out of it last week. Here's a recap: Since Royal Liverpool has been so reclusive since her facelift, we decided to start the dialogue and reintroduce her to her suitors. She gave us a quick "Hi" and a little bit of a wink. I think she might like us. Her suitors quipped back with some words of their own. After some time together, the pros had more great things to say. Her post-surgery debut appears to be a success and I'm sure her dance card will be filled for some time to come. Pot bunkers and all, we'd be delighted if we could score a slow dance with her. In the spirit of updated-old-fashioned golf, we profiled Rocket Tour head covers and debuted some of their newest colors. Don't forget, the first reader to send in a picture of Bubba Watson and his Rocket Tour covers will receive a free head cover of their choice. If you're like the R&A and into high tech gadgetry, you'll be interested to know how the images get to your television and how the Trackman feels about golf balls. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh! -G.Gwrx July 22, 2006Off The Radar The R&A's new trackman radar technology has measured the average clubhead speed for players driving from the 16th tee in the second round at 114 miles per hour, producing an average ball speed of 167mph. This resulted in an average carry of 270 and a drive distance of 301.
The longest drive on 16th was achieved by J B Holmes from Kentucky with a blow of 352 yards. The ball carried 318 yards with a club speed of 125 mph, a launch angle of 13.3 degrees and a spin of 2,300 revs per minute. On the fifth hole, which runs in the op posite direction, the longest drive was by Marco Ruiz at 323 yards. On the 202-yard sixth hole Tiger Woods' clubhead speed was 104mph using a six-iron compared to 107mph on Thursday using a seven- iron. Of the first 30 players to tackle the hole, 50 per cent used four-irons, but 75 per cent of the final 30 players used seven or eight-irons. Ball speed and landing angle decreased throughout the day, despite the use of more lofted clubs, due to the influence of the wind. July 21, 2006Eenteresting
TNT stands for "Technology and Technology" and the cable channel is double dipping in the technology bowl in order to give us some great coverage of the British Open. Their marriage of steady-cam and segway looks like a success. However, it's not the first time the segway has been brought to the golf course. Because good technology goes unnoticed and TNT's too humble to press-release this, we're giving you the first look inside of "inside the ropes". However, we're far from a blogospheric consensus. The Golf Blogger feels that "this [bringing segways to the golf course] is just too much." If the fine gentlemen at Segway are reading, we've always been a supporter of your product and we'd be forever grateful to be the first to review your product on the golf course For some odd reason I'm up at 5AM PST AND my cables out... I guess I'll just imagine my way through the third round of the British Open. Get Ready For The WeekendRoyal Liverpool's a good conversation starter. Here's some of the talk that's coming out of the press tents (from BBC): "Rounded?" "It could be some crazy thing like lifting a piece of luggage or wrapping the cord around a vacuum cleaner." "I wasn't expecting to put myself under that much pressure. I was hoping to get a nice quiet draw, maybe with Mr Watson or Mr Ballesteros. Maybe that's what the crowd would have liked. Instead I get Tiger and get thrown into the deep end." "A pigeon flew past and crapped on me, and I guess that was the message. I knew something was coming." "As you're not using your driver, could Matthew have it?" "I figured if he's 12 under there's some birdies to be made out there. I felt I had to get my share of them." "I know where you're going with this." "Because I'm not here with the Claret Jug." "One through 18. If I can just take care of those holes, I'll be alright." "Who cares? As long as we have a good champion and we've had a good win." "No. I will go and have my beer now and maybe wine with lunch. Then I will have a nice big cigar." "It wasn't the best of days and now that I have Mr Woods gallivanting out in front of me the pressure could be off." "I didn't sleep well, no, but I'm going to put that down to the heating and not nerves." "I have had a great peace about me this week. I know that when she used to come to tournaments she couldn't see much. But she's got the best seat in the house now." "It's kind of going to plan. It just seems Tiger is playing a bit more to plan." "This course can bite anyone, even Tiger. He's not fool-proof." "I was a few over and would probably have had to shoot the lights out coming in." July 18, 2006Its A Pleasure To Meet You, Royal Liverpool....
After proper introductions, an exchange of pleasantries, and a little pomp and circumstance (some tea and scones may have been involved), an international crowd made a few remarks about their gracious host (from Reuters):
Show Your True Colors
ALERT: The first Gourmet Golfwrx reader that sends in a picture that includes Bubba Watson, his bag, and his Rocket Tour covered clubs will receive their own Rocket Tour headcover. The picture will need to be fairly recent, because he just started flaunting the Rocket Tour. Please use the "Golf Buzz" or "Contact" link for correspondence. Well, if you haven't guessed or don't already know, Rocket Tour is a new competitor in the head cover business. The cornerstone of the business is their distinct, retro-styled headcover. Their knit covers, with and without pom poms, are retro-Americana with an "edgey varsity" feel. Think of them as Jan Craig's cooler, older brother or America's answer to J.Lindeberg. The Classic Rocket Sox (with pom) are great for representing your alma mater's colors and the Skinny Stick (sans pom) covers give your hybrid shaft the protection that many OEMs fail to address. The knit covers are heavy and substantial and will easily protect your clubs from the bag chatter. They do fit on the new 460cc driver heads, albeit a little snug. The company also offers a line of vinyl Hoodies with similar, yet unique styles Gourmet Golfwrx is proud to debut some of RocketTour's new colors. To go along with a plethora of pre-existing colors, the company has added new flavors like the light blue/red (pictured), the appropriately timed red/white/blue (pictured), and many others...too many to name here. If you have color requests, leave them in the comments. Maybe Helena and Ron (Rocket Tour owners and great folk) will see it and take note. This is no one-trick pony. RocketTour also offers accesories and apparel. Keeping with the retro-hip-motif, they have released a limited edition "rodeo buckle" and belt. These chunky white belts are similar to those worn on tour (a la J.L.), but with their own twist. To match your new belt, they've also released a line of Rocket Pocket Leisure golf shirts. Imagine a gauntly tailored, quasi-urban, "Penguin" polo. If this style fits your personality, you may have found your final stop for head covers and apparel. If you want to stand out further from the crowd you can even have your purchases customized. Imagine Gourmet Golfwrx head covers...
(FYI: The red/blue pom pom is on Callaway's FT3 driver; The red/white/blue pom pom is on a 340cc Tourstage MR23; The red/white/blue skinny cover is on a Callaway XTourFW; The blue/gold skinny cover is on an FT3 hybrid)
July 17, 2006Hi. My Name Is Royal Liverpool
Many of you don't know me that well. I've been absent from the scene for quite some time, 39 years to be exact. In lieu of getting to know one another, I've listed some trivia to help you get better acquainted with me and the surrounding area (taken from the BBC). Cheers, -R. Liverpool the XI
1. Built in 1869, Hoylake is the second oldest links in England. Only Devon's Westward Ho! predates it. For the first seven years of its life Royal Liverpool shared its home with the Liverpool Hunt Club and the links doubled up as a racecourse. Hence the names of the usual 1st and 18th holes, Course and Stand. 2. Prolific seven-piece The Coral hail from Hoylake. They describe their hometown as the "anti-Blackpool" on their myspace page and say the annual highlight is Lifeboat Day. The Coral aren't the only music combo to come from Hoylake - Depeche Mode-lite synth popsters Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark met at school in the seaside town. 3. For the record, the Hoylake Lifeboat Station dates back to 1803 and is one of the oldest in England. The lads from The Coral had a blast at the station's bicentenary in 2003. Probably. 4. Nearby villages Caldy, Heswall and West Kirby are footballers' wives country. Apparently you can't move for current or former Everton or Liverpool stars. WAG wannabes should try Heswall's Devon Doorway or Terrace C. 5. Sir Paul McCartney has a place in Heswall, while Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife, was born and brought up in Hoylake - she even sang in the parish girl's choir. 6. Hoylake hosted the first ever Amateur Championship in 1885. It was also the venue for the first international match between England and Scotland in 1902. And to complete the hat-trick of firsts, Hoylake also hosted the inaugural international match between Great Britain and the US. This contest would later become known as the Walker Cup. 7. Golf isn't Hoylake's only sporting pastime. Cycling star Chris Boardman was also born there. And Hoylake RFC enjoyed a run to the final of the Tetley's Bitter Vase at Twickenham in 2001. Sadly, the Wirral men lost 36-20 to Malton & Norton but a great day out was had by all. 9. Hoylake's beach is one of Britain's top sites for sand yachting, which sounds like a lot of fun. The 2007 European Championships are going to be staged there. I have no idea if Hoylake was off their rota for nearly 40 years too. 10. Royal Liverpool greatest player John Ball won the Amateur Championship eight times and became the first amateur and first Englishman to win the Open in 1890. Ball's closest rival in the voting for Hoylake's number one golf hero, Harold Hilton, won the Amateur title four times, the Open twice and the US Amateur once. He was also the first editor of Golf Monthly magazine. 11. Bobby Jones, the most famous amateur golfer of all, won the Open at Hoylake in 1930 - the year he won all four "majors" he entered, the so-called "impregnable quadrilateral". 12. Arnaud Massy won France's only Open title at Hoylake in 1907. He named his next daughter Hoylake. Fred Daly won Ireland's only Open title at Hoylake in 1947. He didn't name anybody Hoylake. 13. Australian Peter Thomson became the last man - and only the fourth ever - to win three straight Opens when he claimed first place at Hoylake in 1956. 14. About half of Royal Liverpool's 63 hectares are left in their natural state as a haven for wildlife. And amid all this untrammelled outdoors is a unique item of flora. The rough between the 11th and 14th holes is the only place in England you will find McKay's Horsetail. And no, I have no idea what it looks like. The course can also boast of a knab of rare natterjack toads. 15. Hoylake might lack nightclubs and cash points but it is well served in the public house department - La Bodega comes recommended as a potential spot for celeb-spotting, while The Lake, The Plasterers Arms and The Ship are suggested for more relaxing post-Open pints. 16. Hoylake is also relatively well served by public transport. The best way to negotiate the eight miles from the centre of Liverpool to the centre of Hoylake is by train. Hoylake has two stations - Hoylake and Manor Road - with the former being only a par-five away from the golf course. 17. The course offers wonderful views of the Dee Estuary and North Wales. The estuary, apparently, is very popular with wading birds and wildfowl. They love the 450,000 worms per square meter of mud that can be found there. 18. With the weather set fair on the Wirral next week an excellent place to cool toes and eat fresh seafood is nearby Parkgate. And the ice-creams are superb - perfect post-Open fare. Week In Review- Week11
Not many people, not even Tiger, are familiar with Royal Liverpool. To get a better feel for what the best golfers in the world will face, have a look at the detailed depictions in the FilmLoop above. Last week on the blog we focused on channeling the spirit of Mike Strantz, Monterey Peninsula CC, and gourmet golf. Surrounded by positive ions and hectic reality, we felt it necessary to realign ourselves with the organic, raw, and pure aspects on which this game was built; the essence of The Open Championship. As Jay Flemma puts it, push "away from over-marketing and price gouging, worthless, meaningless superlatives and self-aggrandizing billionaire developers." It didn't hurt that we've been donning a Trion:Z. Its minus ions and magnetic therapy have been flowing through our blood stream, bringing us into balance (thanks Trion:Z). As you can tell, we're excited and ready for this week's tournament. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh. -G.Gwrx July 11, 2006Along The Lines Of Gourmet Golf
A few months ago I had the pleasure of playing the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Everything about the experience was pure and my overall impression was sublime, like the view from Strantz' signature 15th tee (my opinion) where the fairway seems to extend and blend into the sky. It's a blind tee shot leading to an approach to a perpetual pool of a green that reaches out to the hazy ocean. If I remember correctly, there is a commemorative plaque between that green and the next tee where Mike Strantz speaks of dancing cypress trees and the value of this shared experience. It was a special day and the first time I had the realization of "gourmet" and "organic" golf. It was a natural feeling, not exclusive or expensive. I felt extracted from my immediate life-situation, relatively alone by the ocean, surrounded by dancing cypress trees, and pure. At that moment, I had no immediate needs or desires. This experience was an answer to my previous blog post on the concept of organic growth and Gourmet Golf. It was more than just a way to occupy five hours of my life. Experiences like this are the solution to the manufactured and artificial golf experiences that try to consume us. According to Jay Flemma at the "A Walk in The Park" blog, we are the audience to a movement towards pure golf experiences....it's a "movement away from over-marketing and price gouging, worthless, meaningless superlatives and self-aggrandizing billionaire developers. Playing these courses at the turn of the millennium, when they were young and raw and undiscovered was a singular experience. It was an experience which unified, galvanized and energized everyone who was there as a witness. It meant something. No explanation, no flowery prose, no physical memento can match the feeling of knowing that you were there at that time in that place and joined by others just as unified, galvanized and energized by the course as you were. It was as though our energy and love of the game had struck sparks and roared in flame time and again." I agree with Jay. We are in a new golden age, a revival, of course design, where pioneers are claiming land and making statements that will last lifetimes. We are the audience by default and it is up to each golfer to be an active participant. Don't let the opportunity pass you. I admit all of this is slightly idealized, but I think that it can be realized through the momentum of a community of golfers with varying opinions. It may not be immediately accesible, but, in some ways, thats the point. The struggle makes the experience more potent. July 10, 2006Week In Review- Week 10 I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but Gourmet Golfwrx is gaining traction in the blogosphere. We've been keeping a low profile to get a sense of the other golf blogs, and we'll have our blogroll up soon so you can get a better view of the action. Then we'll take it up a few notches. Here's a look back at last week.... Phil's now playing well. It looks like he decided to move his change to his left pocket, tie his left shoe in a double knot, turn his hat backwards, turn his hat back around, and stick a tee behind his left ear. The status of U.S. golf is uncertain. Not only are Phil's and Tiger's skill under scrutiny, but David Toms is blaming a back injury for his withdrawal from The Open Championship. Hopefully these guys are "back" for the Ryder Cup. Jim Flick has a new business card and it reads, "Golf Ambassador- TaylorMade adidas Golf". Apparently he got tired of the heat in Scottsdale and prefers the temperate climate of Carlsbad. Mackinzie Kline, a thriving amateur golfer with a congenital heart defect, was featured on Gourmet Golfwrx last week because the USGA was denying her the use of a cart. Our noise on the Internet has given the USGA a change of heart and Mac's getting a cart. Check out her website. She's raising money for the Children's Heart Foundation. www.mackline.com Our observations lead us to believe that we're all turning Japanese. Japanese journalists have been hunting for "bag pics" just like all of us at Golfwrx. Cool. Oh... And Tiger got out-Nike'd by Trevor. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh. -G.Gwrx
July 09, 2006Photo Safari Like many of the folks at GolfWRX, Japanese reporters have been stalking the professional golf tours with the sole purpose of photographing golf clubs, but not the golfers. The tour has become a pseudo-safari, where hunters rapidly click their digital cameras to catch their prey. These photo safaris are an effort to satisfy a Japanese fascination with the equipment of top golfers. What's next? Will ornamental horticulturists scour the rough and fairways to analyze the different grasses across the world? Elko Oizume, editor of Golf Today, recently came to the U.S. to capture images of golf clubs. She has covered the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open, and the U.S. Senior Open. What a great job. She plans on taking her pictures back to Japan and reporting on the new, unusual, and prototype golf clubs. Sound familiar? No matter what country they're from, golf fanatics are all the same. July 08, 2006"You're Cute, But Sorry No Cart For You"
Mackinzie Kline is a rising star on the junior amateur circuit. She's done this while managing a congenital heart defect that has recently caused her to feel disoriented while walking a golf course. Doctor's have discovered that here blood is not getting enough oxygen. Against doctor's wishes, Kline has decided to play the U.S Girls' Junior tournament at Charlotte's Carmel CC. She has petitioned the USGA to be allowed to use a golf cart. Her petition was denied because of a rule that requires players to request golf carts when they register for the tournament. However, Kline's condition has recently flared and she did not know she would need a cart when she registered. The girl is only 14. Give her a break. I know junior golf is competitive and snarky, but I doubt any player or parent would object to a doctor's recommendation. We all understand the integrity of the game and the rules of golf, but even the USGA rules book is open to interpretation or ruling. This girl has overcome being born with a single ventricle, I doubt that she is trying to manipulate the system or gain some unfair advantage. The USGA is taking the easy way out of this and they should be more compassionate with their rulings. The public should be outraged. "I can't believe after what I've gone through... that they would do this on a technicality, shooting down this precious little girl who just wants to play golf." said Casey Martin. "This is absolutely shocking." The Supreme Court awarded Casey Martin the use of a cart on the PGA tour. If you feel the same as Casey, let the USGA know. Flick Takes 'Em All To School
Flick's resume carries more weight than a junior caddie at Olympic Club pulling a double loop for Japanese business men and their staff bags. He's from Indiana and was educated at Wake Forest, where he was roommates with Arnold Palmer. Career highlights include being on Jack Nicklaus' and Tom Lehman's payroll. His teaching experience runs the gamut from club professional, to high profile golf schools, founder of the Golf Digest School, and founder of his own school with Nicklaus. He's a fixture on Golf Digest's list of top teachers and has been honored as PGA teacher of the year. I wonder how many times Jim has said the words "spine angle"? Golf Ambassador? Yeah, I'd say he earned it. July 07, 2006Strong Game. Not So Strong Body
David Toms announced today that he has withdrawn from July's Open Championship at Hoylake, citing a back injury. David's body has not been as consistent as his golf game. Along with the back injury, David scared us all by leaving the 84 Lumber Classic to take care of heart irregularity. David's resignation makes room at The Open for Jeff Sluman, the next non-exempt player listed in the world rankings. Phil Mickelson, and probably the entire field, is most likely relieved that David will not be in England. David, always a factor at the Majors, beat Phi Hey Dave...get some rest. Take care of yourself and make sure you're ready for the Ryder Cup. Sonya, get this guy back on the course... deep tissue massage and heat packs. July 05, 2006Fun With Photoshop
July 03, 2006Week in Review- Week 9 As the champion of the 2006 U.S. Women's Open, Anika Sorenstam will have reason to celebrate on Independence Day. She is free from the media's talons and has silenced her critics. Gourmet Golfwrx congratulates Anika Sorenstam in her playoff victory over Patty Hurst. Sorenstam's 70 easily handled Patty Hurst's 74. These weekday finishes are great to watch, but are really cutting into my work schedule. Gourmet Golfwrx is celebrating too! We're two months old. Thanks to all of our loyal readers and we welcome your comments and questions. Here's a summary of last week at Gourmet Golfwrx: Phil Mickelson withdrew from last week's ING Par-3 Shootout. He claims that he couldn't pretend like he was having fun after the U.S. Open and didn't think it was fair to the fans. Following the trend of outstanding, young female talent, UCLA's Tiffany Joh wins the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh. -G.Gwrx July 02, 2006Age Before Beauty
Once again, maturity and experience prove useful at a U.S. Open. On a course where par is a good score, slow and steady wins the race. Well done ladies
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Phil: "I really enjoy the course. I think it's terrific. The bunkers are so well placed in the movement of the holes and the little intricacies. The more I've played here, I really appreciate how well the golf course was designed. Most of the holes have at least two ways to play, sometimes three."
Ernie Els: "It's not a very long course so you can go with an iron or the aggressive route with the driver (off the tee). So it really suits all players. But you've still got to be careful about running into some of these pot bunkers in the fairways. Right now, I'll take four rounds of 70 and you'll be very close (to winning)."
After the recent Major Championship meltdowns, we spent last week gearing up and mentally preparing for 
Jim Flick is TaylorMade's Ambassador of Golf and teaches at the TaylorMade Performance and Research Laboratory in Carlsbad. He won't have far to move, since he's been teaching at his own school in Scottsdale. I'm curious to know what kind of perks come with a job title like "Ambassador". I imagine a full motorcade to and from work and secret service agents at all times. I've never heard of anything like this before and I'm not sure if the other OEM's have similar roles at their companies. If anyone can shed some light on this, please do so in the comments. I'm also curious to know how TaylorMade and Flick's students will handle the conflict of interest between TaylorMade equipment and their other sponsorship obligations.
l by a stroke for the 2001 PGA. 
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