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 The life of a super-elite movie star is full of drama. Leonardo DiCaprio, well known for his portrayal of Howard Hughes, an avid golfer, in The Aviator, was recently playing golf in Los Angeles with Jack Nicholson. The Hollywood actors will be co-starring in Scorsese's new film "The Departed" and Nicholson spent some time teaching DiCaprio some of the finer techniques of the golf swing. DiCaprio, a native of the concrete jungle of Los Angeles and unfamiliar with the wildlife of authentic jungles, was so startled by a bobcat that walked in front of him that he and Nicholson got in their cart and fled. From what I remember from my trips to the zoo as a pre-pubescent, bobcats are slightly larger than house cats and seem cute and harmless. Leo must be spending too much time in front of the green screen and should probably stick to Celebrity Pro-Ams. I'm sure Tiger would have handled the situation differently.
 Apparently, Akron, Ohio is the newest and hippest place for the PGA elite to bring their female companion. 
Sergio Garcia, formerly the PGA's most eligible bachelor, was spotted at the Bridgestone Invitational @ Firestone last week with Morgan-Leigh Norman, a student at Boston College. Is Sergio trying to harness the almighty power of the Screaming Eagles of BC to improve his golf game? We all know that a few more eagles would have helped him at The Open Championship this year. Morgan-Leah is Greg Norman's daughter. Isn't that interesting? With Greg being the gold standard for morality on the PGA Tour these days, I'm curious to know how he feels about Sergio's image and how he's portrayed in those Michelob commercials. In Greg's pressence, imagine Sergio asking Morgan if she's a "hooker or a slicer" and giving her those Spanish eyes.
With regards to Morgan, Sergio said, "she's a wonderful girl and we'll see how it goes."
 It's four for Tiger, not fore.
It's been a great summer for Gourmet Golfwrx and we're sad to see Labor Day on the horizon. As if we were a kid again, we've done some great golf-traveling and met some new golf friends along the way. These life-experiences, on and off the golf course, give Gourmet Golfwrx its depth and an old, familiar patina. Last week we weighed-in on the PGA Championship and refilled your supply of cocktail party trivia tid-bits. In the essence of America, we channeled The Doors to provide some lyrical inspiration for our Ryder Cuppers. There is more cell phone fun for golfers, this time from Korea. GPS and MP3s will make practicing on the driving range enjoyable. Greg Norman makes some noise and points a finger. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh. -G.Gwrx
 Athletic journalism du-jour has involved drugs in sports. A lot of the rumbling is speculation and media hype and I never felt compelled to be a part of it. However, as speculation turns into accusation, the story, as it relates to golf, gains some depth.
Greg Norman points a finger at the PGA Tour and Comissioner Tim Finchem for having its "head in the sand" on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs. Norman persists, "It's been rumoured for over 20 years, players using outside substances to help their performances. If you're playing for $5 million a week, you've got to take advantage of it the best you can. There's probably a multitude of drugs out there we don't even know about." Norman recently described the tour's drug policy as a "bunch of bulls--t", accusing the policy of being "asleep at the wheel." "I think our organisation, as big as it is, should have something in our bylaws stipulating substance abuse. You hear about it all the time on tour and if there are no rules and regulations in place, you don't blame the players for doing it. Just put rules in place," the former world No.1 said. In fairness to Finchem, he retorts, "I don't think we're being naive ... but we need more than somebody just saying why don't you go test and make sure." Finchem notes that golf's value relies on being fundamentally different than other sports, but does admit that, "there may come a time, and I'm not dismissing the notion that there won't, where we have to change direction." I'm not sure why Norman, a lurker on the Champion's Tour, is so worried. It's not like he has any remaining records that have gone unbroken. There are no asterisks in play. I do believe in integrity and I respect Greg for that.
 Here's another gourmet exclusive. We were first in the blogosphere to blog on Nokia's N93 Golf Edition and now we bring you a viable competitor from Samsung.
If you're as crazy about golf as most Koreans, you should snag one of these SCH-B570's from Samsung. The South Korean electronics company offers an 8GB hard drive-equipped phone that targets hardcore music listeners that play golf. No need for multiple devices. Now you can have your tunes (8GB worth of MP3s!!!), wireless communication, and handy-dandy (much cooler than your golf buddy's) game-improving golf gadget incorporated into one device. You'll have a hard-drive in your pocket and hard drives off the tee.
Thanks to the iPod, we all know the capabilities of the hard-drive enabled MP3 player (I've seen Poulter rockin' his iPod on the range many times). With respect to golf, the mobile device comes equipped with a GPS receiver that provides your distance (yards? meters?) to the green... a la SkyCaddie. The phone also recommends the appropriate club to use from that distance. Imagine the look on Tiger's face when a phone tells him to lay-up because he doesn't have enough club in the bag to reach that 5Par.
For now, the SCH-B570 is offered in Korea and for Korean golf courses. There is no word about plans for North American localization. I imagine that it would be easy for Samsung to offer the golf software on any of their GPS enabled phones and convert the measurements from meters to yards. Koreans, already light-years ahead of everyone else in mobile device technology, will use their technology to keep churning out more vicious LPGAers. They'll do this in style, while listening to the newest download, watching the DMB TV, taking psychological tests, and playing motion-controlled video games on their cell phone. No wonder Korean golfers are so coordinated. The device costs KRW800,000-900,000 ($837-941/£443-499/€654-735). Once again, we shamelessly offer Samsung our services and time to get a chance to test-drive and report on one of these bad boys  .
Ride-on Ryder Cuppers. Make yourself proud. Make U.S. loud. Riders on the storm. Team America: Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson Jim Furyk Chad Campbell David Toms Chris DiMarco Vaughn Taylor J.J. Henry Zach Johnson Brett Wetterich Stewart Cink Scott Verplank Tom Lehman- Cpt 
 Did you know that the Wanamaker Trophy weighs 27 pounds? Silver is heavy and it's not cheap. Did you know that a full size replica of the Wanamaker Trophy costs approximately $35,000? The actual trophy is probably close to priceless. Did you know that PGA Champions are not allowed to keep the original Wanamaker for the year? The trophy is just for the presentation ceremony and the winner get's a smaller version to take home. Now you know.
It's been four months and a great summer here at Gourmet Golfwrx. I think we're starting to get the hang of this blogging thing. Do you guys have any comments, suggestions, or requests? Use the contact link or the comments section to get in touch with us and we'll do our best to accomodate you.
Leading up to last week's tournament, we heard that Phil and Amy were getting a little "arts and crafty." Phil's gift to previous PGA Champs was an album filled with newspaper articles. As blogging replaces traditional media, I wonder what will fill Mickelson's future albums. Gourmet Golfwrx printouts, perhaps? A mid-tourney quote survey was all that we could muster for this year's PGA. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh! -G.Gwrx
Mediah can render some golfers speachless, but a few brave souls have decided to chime in on the progress of the tournament.
 "I'm in an awfully good position."
Henrik Stenson reveals to the world that he refined his superb English by watching repeats of the Penelope Keith classic "To The Manor Born".
"I'm a calm guy, but when I lose my temper I really lose it."
Stenson then offers his version of the Hulk's famous 'don't make me angry' line.
"I've won a lot of tournaments around the world but nothing on as great a stage as a major, or even the PGA Tour."
The 1993 Johor Bahru Open champion Daniel Chopra makes it clear that he has the pedigree, if not the previous, to win at Medinah this weekend.
 "It took me a little longer to get to three over par than yesterday, it took me three holes rather than one."
Davis Love III is clearly obsessed with the number three - after a triple-bogey si x on Thursday, he ran up three straight bogeys on Friday.
"That was a real grind. The club felt alien in my hands."
David Howell goes all sci-fi on us after a battling one-under 71.
An everlasting question: What to give a man that has everything?  Gifts from previous PGA champions include electric guitars (from Shaun Micheel), personalized humidors (Tiger Woods), and ostrich skin cowboy boots (Rich Beem). After all is said and done, especially when you're on a budget, it's the thought that counts. At this year's PGA Championship dinner, Phil Mickelson reaffirmed his seat as the  All-American man and father of the perfect family. Straight from the pages of Martha Stewart Living, Phil and his wife put together leather bound albums consisting of newspaper artlicles from each PGA Champion's year of birth. I can just see the question marks appearing above the head's of previous champs and the forced smiles that appear when you don't quite know what to say about the gift you received. Shouldn't Phil have spent his time practicing for the PGA? What, no second driver for everyone?
 Gourmet Golfwrx appologizes for last week's minimal blogging. We were busy wandering the fairways of Scottsdale, Arizona. We were practicing for our future as a host of a hit television show. We're back and ready to cover the PGA Championship.
So, stay tuned and keep that bag fresh! -G.Gwrx
I’ve never been much for reality TV. My reality has always been three dimensional and on the golf course. What if my “reality” was paired with reality TV? That’s an idea I can get behind. Fine Living is in the process of producing their second season of Wandering Golfer, a 13 episode series. They are searching for golfers like you and me to be the host for next season. As the host, you get paid to travel and play golf at some of the most desirable golf destinations in the world. Destinations for the current season’s show include Whistling Straits, Bandon Dunes, and Carnoustie. Chad Maulsby, a regular guy, is currently the host. Get your videos in soon because the application period ends September 15. I was going to keep this a secret in order to minimize the entries and increase my chances, but it seems like this is making it around the blogosphere fairly quickly. It was also given a little space in this month's Golf Digest. May the best man or woman win.
 Another day, another dollar. The Buick Open is closed, but Gourmet Golfwrx marches forward. Medinah or bust. Here's a recap of last week. Before his trip to Michigan, Tiger made a top-secret mission through the fairways of Medinah. Top-notch security was on hand and Medinah officials were given last minute notice of the visit. Information was on a need to know basis. Tiger might as well be the next President of the United States of America. Getting reacquainted with the course, Tiger carded a casual 67. You can watch Tiger and the boys from your cubicle (if you're into that kinda thing) by checking out the webcast on PGA.com. The webcast will also bring you "Greenside Live," the "Player Cam," "Inside the Ropes," and the "PGA Learning Center."
Cool tech news comes from Nokia. The N93 GolfEdition is a phone and digital video camera and comes with the Pro Session Golf application. Now you can video tape your friend's horrendous swing, critique it with evidence, and then send it to all your friends. All of this is from the convenience of your cell phone. Last March, Joe Kwok and I were at the Callaway Performance Center for some club testing. We had a great time on the range but we weren't able to check out the edifice of the Performance Center. We're happy to announce that the edifice has been repaired and reopened bearing the name of Ely Callaway. Callaway Golf has outdone itself again. Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh! -G.Gwrx
Joe Kwok and I spent some time in Mecca, I mean Carlsbad, last March. After Joe finished his Champion's Tour Pro-Am, we made the rounds and had the pleasure of being entertained by a marketing guru at the Callaway Performance Center. We had the entire range to ourselves, and all of Callaway's new equipment offerings (at the time) at our disposal. If it wasn't for the unexpected thunderstorm, Joe and I may have never left the driving range. I believe the only other people on the range that day were Ricky Barnes and his brother. A thunderstorm would usually send us into Callaway's Performance Center, where we could take advantage of the range from indoors. However, we were told that a water main had broken and the building was closed for repair. We never saw Iron Byron (aka Big Bertha) swing or test any of their techy gadgets.  Repairs have been completed and the Ely Callaway Performance Center was reopened last month. The research and fitting center bears the name of the company's founder and features climate controlled fitting bays illuminated to replicate natural outdoor light. Golf analysis is based on the technical infrastructure of Callaway Performance Analysis (CPAS) and Club Impact System (CIS) systems, proprietary programs for capturing club head and golf ball metrics. CPAS measures clubhead speed, path, attack angle, ball speed, launch angle, back spin and side angle. It also measures the efficiency of the alignment of clubhead and ball centers of gravity at impact. CIS measures clubface angle and impact location relative to the geometric center of the clubface as well as clubhead closure rate, dynamic loft, dynamic lie and clubhead path and attack angles.
Putter fitting is handled in the Odyssey Putting Studio, using a Science and Motion (SAM) analysis system to capture multiple precision data points. The SAM system captures rotational rates and impact location. Multi-camera measurement systems in the Studio capture ball skid and roll, putter path, face angle, and dynamic loft and lie data. On-board sensors measure putter face rotation, and angle at impact.
 Golf club testing utilizes Big Bertha, a golf club swinging robot. She tests the limits of the 345-yard long range and provides live tests on prototype drivers and clubs. Proprietary measurement systems provide information to the Callaway Golf R&D team. There is so much technology in this place that Callaway Golf engineers can accurately predict, within one yard, the outdoor result of a shot hit indoors. I wonder if Callaway has been able to accurately predict the performance of their stock? The best part about the place is that its availability to host a variety of high-end events, including corporate gatherings, sales meetings, customer events and other public relations functions. The Ely Callaway Performance Center is definitely "gourmet golf" at its finest and we can't wait for our next chance to get back to Carlsbad and make our way through their new toys. We promise to give you a full report. Right Joe?
 I've been pondering the leap to vlogging (i.e. video blogging for the uninitiated) for some time now. It's actually more like a few hurdles, an obstacle course and then a leap. Ideally, I would like to get setup with a mobile phone that has a digital video camera. This entails a hefty cellular data package and some cool software like vPod. Initially, the startup costs were astronomically high. The prices are still high, but pulling a few strings makes it manageable. I was about to settle for the Nokia N90 (Symbian OS- what more could I ask for) until I saw the N93. WOW!! EARTH SHATTERING!! The ramifications are endless (please excuse the inner geek). I must get my hands on one of these. If Nokia is reading, Gourmet Golfwrx is prime for a demo of your beautiful product The N93 Golf Edition has been released in conjunction with the company's sponsorship of the European PGA Tour. This phone comes with the Pro Session Golf by Nokia application with the N93 multimedia computer so that anyone can video your golf swing and analyse it via the software. The best part is that all of this takes place on the phone. you don't need to bring a computer or cables to the course. Pro Session Golf features a split-screen swing comparison and you can share tips, swings, drawings and more via MMS. Nokia will promote the phone at five tour events in Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and Spain. Spectators can try out the device and buy the special Golf Edition.
 Here's some Mediah news to get you geared up for the PGA Championship. Mike Scully and Brad Conklin, Medinah's head and assistant pro respectively, had a surprise visitor yesterday. Tiger, on his way to the Buick Open, was in town and got his first look at the renovated No. 3 course at Medinah CC- host to the 88th PGA Championship. Traveling like a diplomat, very few people knew of Tiger's schedule and security was extremely tight throughout the course. Conklin had the pleasure of taking the loop and got very close to some extreme ball striking. Conklin was amazed at how Woods handled the 605-yard, par-5 14th. ''He hit a drive into the wind and was left with 287 to the pin,'' Conklin said. ''He hit a 4-wood to four feet and made eagle. It was pretty cool, and [Tom]Pernice (also practicing at the course) told him that was the most awesome ball-striking he'd ever seen.'' Woods missed only two fairways, and according to Scully and Conklin, he repeatedly praised the course that was changed drastically by architect Rees Jones since Woods won the 1999 PGA at Medinah. Scully walked 13 holes with Woods, including the entire back nine. A few weeks back, Scully played a practice round with Masters champion Phil Mickelson. “Tiger shapes his ball differently than Phil; he hits it a lot higher,” Scully said. “He was very relaxed today, busting my chops.” Woods shot a 5-under-par 67 in the casual round. The PGA Championship starts the week of August 14th and will be the first golf tournament in the U.S. to be simulcast online for free, according to Time Warner Inc.'s Turner Broadcasting. The PGA of America, which stages the PGA Championship, will make 11 hours of the tournament available on its Web site, PGA.com, beginning Aug. 17. The online coverage will include live commentary from broadcasters for Turner Network Television and CBS Corp. The two networks share the tournament's broadcast rights. In addition to the network simulcast, called ``Greenside Live,'' online viewers will also be able to choose from a ``Player Cam,'' which will follow a designated group throughout the day, an ``Inside the Ropes'' feed, which will feature press conferences, course flyovers and player profiles, or a ``PGA Learning Center'' feed, which will feature online instruction from PGA professionals.
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