Have a look at some of golf related pictures from my travels. Make yourself comfortable and get ready for some serious blogging.

As always...stay tuned and keep that bag fresh.

-Gourmet Golf 

This is the entrance to the driving range in Shanghai. It's on the Pudong side of town and under the watchful eye of the 88 story JinMao Tower/Grand Hyatt Hotel. It must be tough for all the business men to stare out of the window and watch people hitting balls all day.

This is the view from the second floor of the 3-story driving range. Not bad. If you go back to this same spot next year, the skyline will be dramatically changed. On this day, only the first two levels were open. There are 50 stalls on each level and every stall was filled. The driving range is considered a "golf club" and memberships are available. It seemed like members hung out all day to hit balls, relax, socialize, eat, drink, and hit some more. Imagine all the people in China and imagine all the balls they would hit at the driving range.

Now, imagine having to pick up all of those balls....by hand....or by foot....or whatever that contraption is. I've spent plenty of hours picking range balls from a gas powered cart. I thought I was doing hard labor, but it is nothing compared to what this guy deals with.

Here's a closer look at the range picker. No motor, not much protection, and no chance of dodging all the hostile golf balls. This can not be efficient.

This golf shop was around the corner from the driving range. It's a tiny little shop that sells American and Asian golf clubs, bags, and accessories. I picked up a snazzy Mizuno duffle for 210YUAN (about $30). It was fun to check out some of the "China-only" grips and accessories, although I question the authenticity of some of the products. Regardless, the service was great and the bargaining was intense. I tried to take some pictures of the unique merchandise, but the owner would not allow it. If you're ever in Shanghai, China I recommend a trip to the shop to see what they have on the shelves

My trip to China was fantastic and enriching and I left with a sense of the growing golf market. The trip was everything a sabbatical should be. 

Still searching for your good deed of the day? Check out these eBay listings, bid for a chance to caddie at The Crowne Plaza Colonial, and contribute some cash to the charities of CaddyForACure.com.

If you're lucky enough to win the auction, you'll have the pleasure of lugging around a staff bag full of energy bars during a practice round of The Colonial. PGA participants for this tournament include Tom Lehman, Rory Sabbatini, Stephen Ames, and John Rollins. The auction also includes a 3 days and 2 nights for two at Bison Homes Torreon Golf Course and Golf Villas. It looks like the bidding starts at $1500.

Participating golfers in other events include Stewy Cink, Z. Johnson, Serge, Retief, DLTRES, Badds, etc. The benefiting charities include Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, the PGA Tour players charity of choice, the PGA Tour host charity of choice, and the PGA Tour Caddie benevolent fund.

If you're carrying that bag and you feel warm and fuzzy inside, it's because all of your money will be helping a charity and not because your heart is working overtime. Let us know if you end up on the bag at the Colonial. 

Thanks Texas Golf Blog for the lead. 

A quarter scale replica of the 17th hole at Sawgrass has been constructed in New York City's Rockefeller Center and will be there through the weekend. On a coffee break, golfers can come down from their skyscrapers and hit a shot to the island green and watch a live telecast of the tournament on a big screen. If you're not good enough to hit the green, instructors from the Tour Academy at TPC Sawgrass will be on hand to give tips.  What better place to hype The Players Championship than The Big Apple? 

The metaphor is airtight. It's bringing the little island to the big island. Putting the little apple in the big apple. Let's put the little apple island on the big apple island. Not even the brain power of all of the advertising and public relations agencies in New York City could craft such a brilliant marketing campaign. It's just too perfect. Mayor Bloomberg's swing (above), on the other hand.... not so perfect.

Check out the ASAP video here.

Has any of our NYC readers had a chance at this par 3? Let us know in the comments below.

[photo: pdxguide.com]  

Here at Gourmet Golf, we've been thinking a lot about the golf swing and making it better. It turns out there are easy ways to do this from the comfort of your own home. Last week we did a feature on the free downloadable swing analysis software from V1 Golf Academy.

Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh.

-Gourmet Golf

[photo: the golf channel] 

While browsing the web I came across some interesting software that lets golfers capture, compare and improve their golf swings. It's called the V1 Golf Academy and the best part is the cost. It costs $0.00 for consumers.

Similar to the BizHub SwingVision that you see on PGA telecasts, this software lets you import your golf swing video and simultaneously compare it to video of professional golfers. Once you have the video on your computer, the software allows you to use overlaid drawing tools to monitor things like head position and spine angle.

Compare this year's swing to last year's. Drop that sexy swing into slow motion to satisfy your vanity. The skies the limit...almost. The BASIC version of the software is available for free download. To really unleash all of the software goodies, you'll have to purchase the PREMIUM version for $39.95.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. At least you can demo the software in the comfort of your own home. If it fits your eye, drop a few bones and get bring the full service into your home. It's a small price to pay to get that out-of-body experience. The only thing you need to do is rent some of Johnny Miller's time so he can sit next to you at your desk and make snotty remarks while your video plays. It could be fun. 

If anybody uses this software, give us some comments and let us know if it's worth our time. 

What a coincidence. Gourmet Golf's 42nd week coincides with the "Big 42" of Jackie Robinson. If you watched any Major League Baseball last week, you got a complete retrospective of Jackie's life. Here's a look back at week 42 at Gourmet Golf.

First up, your chance at a free putter. Anyone that shows up at a Callaway Demo Day in the next month, invokes the spirit of Phil Mickelson, and drains 10 putts in a row will receive a brand new Odyssey Marxman putter.

These days, when Justin Timberlake says he's going on tour he doesn't mean he's going to be twisting his hips on stage. He means he wants to play with the big boys on the PGA tour. This topic is getting a lot of talk on Golfwrx.com Check it out.

Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh.

-Gourmet Golf 

Justin Timberlake plans to take his own path to the PGA Tour. Pop super-stardom provides the time and money. Dance classes provide balance and flexibility. A solid work ethic earns him a 6 handicap and ambitions to play in PGA events by the age of 30.

According to AZcentral.com, Timberlake's "aim is to make it into a pro event - just for a tournament or two. He practices every day, has a coach and takes his clubs wherever he goes."

He's always on the road touring and is known to sneak out to the golf course when he has spare time. I caught him rolling into Olympic Club in a decked out H2 Hummer about 4 years ago, when he was in Oakland for a show. The kid's a decent swinger. The guy must follow me around 'cause we recently caught each other in Palm Springs. Lot's of golf over there too. He's been recently spotted on Carnoustie Golf Links and Muirfield.

He takes his touring mantra from Alice Cooper. "Either drink all day or play golf." 

Golf. Now that's the way you bring sexyback. 

[photo: charles laberge] 

For those of you with The Golf Channel, you've probably seen Phil and Pelz working on the short game. There's plenty of footage of Phil's drill, where he surrounds the hole with 10 balls and proceeds to make his way around the circle and drain every putt. Now's your chance to be like Phil and earn some free kit.

If you can get yourself to a Callaway Demo days from April 13- May 31 and make 10 of 10 putts a-la Phil's drill, a Callaway rep will hand you a brand new Marxman Putter. Make at least 8 of 10 putts and you'll be entered in a drawing for a 3 day short game extravaganza with the Pelzinator himself.

Check out the Callaway site for a list of Demo stops and more details.

Thanks to the "My Daily Slice of Golf Blog" for the lead.
 

Follow-up Masters coverage included words of wisdom from the field and a casting call for Zach Johnson's stunt double in his next made for TV movie.

Last week we were keeping it smooth as silk on the putting green with our review of the Odyssey XG#9. It looks the like the readers at Golfwrx.com were in agreement about the merits of the putter.

Stay tuned and keep that bag fresh

-Gourmet Golf 

This putter review has been a long time coming. Since Phil used it so "masterfully" to win last year's tournament, I especially wanted to blog this here XG#9 during The Masters. Here are some thoughts. Better late than never.

I've had a chance to spend some quality time with the Odyssey XG #9. It took some time to get familiar with a new putter, but we're getting along just fine now.

Phil Mickelson, known to favor traditional looking putters like the Wilson 8802, except for his momentary tryst with the Futura, provided the inspiration for Odyssey's XG#9 putter. This putter stays true to traditional aesthetics, but combines it with technically modern insert materials. The XG#9's classical and modern themes conjure images of Frank Gehry's deconstuctive architecture. Odyssey has always been the innovative leader in putter material science.

Inspired by the latest technological developments in multi-layer golf balls, the XG#9 has a multi-layer insert that is a blend of two materials with differing levels of firmness. This provides improved feel off of the face of the putter, regardless of the type or construction of the golf ball being played. The core of the insert is made of a soft and highly resilient elastomer material for enhanced feel and the thinner  outer striking surface contains urethane for fine-tuned responsiveness. Combined, these two materials are one-fifth the weight of steel, allowing more weight to be moved to the perimeter for a higher moment of inertia, more forgiveness and a truer roll. The face also includes a Textured Impact Zone, which enhances feel and clearly defines the optimum impact area on the insert face.

The heavy weight of the head encourages a smooth, sweeping stroke. The feeling of at impact is lively, but not as "jumpy" and "skiddy" as some of the previous inserts that I have tried. Compared to the "huge block of steel" feeling of other high-end and tour caliber putters, impact feels lean, energetic, and nimble. I sense the ball begins to roll immediately off of the face and I receive immediate feedback in my hands.

In design, Phil sticks with a toe-weighted, heel shafted, flange blade putter that has treated him so well in the past. The putter has a long hosel with a half-shaft offset that will help you sweep the ball like Phil. At first glance, the simplicity of the putter, its clean lines, and satin finish are pleasant to my eye. On a sunny day, glare is minimal. From address, sight lines on the flange and the top line provide the perpendicularity that I require to sink putts and keep me focused on my line.

I have always used anser-style putters because of the boxy, perpendicular, and geometric aspcets that help me align my putts. Along similar lines but on a different tangent, the XG#9 from address resembles a protractor from high school trigonometry class. The putter design and the metaphor of the protractor provides the right angle for attacking each putt and lends well to the Stan Utley School of putting.

The only downside to this putter is the lack of a functioning head cover. I can see how it would fit Odyssey's boxed-shaped, anser-style putters but the irregular curves of the XG#9 leaves the cover extremely unsettled. To make matters worse, Odyssey has opted for a neoprene and nylon hybrid cover (everything's hybrid these days). Odyssey's use of snug fitting neoprene always made sense to me, but the nylon adds weight and fits like an oversized shoe; clumsy and insecure.

If I had been using the head cover, I'm sure I would have lost it by now. All of this could be solved with liberal amounts of Velcro to secure it more firmly. However, Odyssey has gone anemic on the prickly fuzz. The lonely centimeter squared of Velcro should be put out of its misery and removed. It just gives me reason to reach out for some cool after-market putter covers like these.  An interesting element to the putter cover is the incorporated pocket and the poker chip that fits inside.  We first blogged on the poker chip way back in the day. At first I thought its was just a novelty item, but Joe Kwok astutely suggested that the chip should be used as a target when practicing at home or on overcrowded municipal practice greens. This gives new meaning to the term "putt for dough."

Is it just me or is there a striking resemblance between Zach Johnson and Joaquin Phoenix?  Here's a few pics. They both look like they're singing. They both wear green jackets.  They both win things.

Works for me.

The course conditions and leaderboard intensity generated a lot of thoughts and opinions from the players. Here's a look at what some of the best are thinking. If anything, it kinda gives you hope for more exciting Master's Sundays in the future.

- - - - - - - - - -  

"This is very, very surreal. I have dreamt about it for years."
Masters champion Zach Johnson, describing what one suspects every golf fan who ever lived has dreamt about at some point.

"This being Easter, Jesus was with me every step. I felt him. It was awesome."
Johnson reveals how he did it.

"This was not disappointing today. I threw it away the two days (Thursday and Saturday) I finished with two bogeys."
Tiger Woods reflects on missing a fifth Green Jacket, or at least a play-off for one, by two shots.

"I never felt very comfortable. You may not know where Tiger is but you can feel him. It wasn't over until he hit his second shot on 18."
Johnson on the animal magnetism of Tiger Woods.

"Somewhere along the way he got it into another gear. If he's not Superman, who is he? Superman's brother maybe."
Augusta local Vaughn Taylor on close friend Zach Johnson.

"I'm Zach Johnson and I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That's about it. I'm a normal guy. I feel honoured to play golf for a living."
Johnson denies he is Superman, but then so did Clark Kent.

"I said to myself after five or six holes, 'Let's make it one of the best comebacks Augusta has ever seen'."
It wasn't quite, but Justin Rose showed some real grit at Augusta until his challenge died following a double bogey on the 17th.

"I'm already thinking about the US Open, I'd like nothing more than to come back with a victory."
Defending champion Phil Mickelson had an outside chance going into the final day but fell away with a 77.

"I will walk away from this tournament knowing I have a game capable of winning the Masters."
Padraig Harrington tied for seventh place but was undone by a bogey on the long 15th, the hole he had struggled with all week, taking eight, four, seven and six.

"I thought it could be my year to win here."
Luke Donald reflects on what might have been after triple-bogeying the ninth to see his challenge falter.

"I was kind of thinking I had a better chance of winning the par-three than I did the tournament. It's got to happen at some point so let's try to win both. It was a long chip."
Johnson again (sorry, but he did win) on how he had a chip to win the par-three contest. The winner of that has never gone on to clinch the Masters in the same year.

"The course was ultimately the beast this week."
Overnight leader Stuart "Apples" Appleby reflects on what the 2007 Masters will be remembered for most.

[soucre: bbc news]

Yesterday was Easter Sunday at The Masters, and newsroom metaphors were as abundant as Augusta's azaleas and golfers' puzzled looks.

Well, you're almost guaranteed to be bored some time at work this week. When you're bored of surfing the web and can't think of anything else to Google, hop on over to The Masters web site for some multi-media distractions.

You can listen to international super stars discuss there approach to Amen Corner. Once you're done with that, you can partake in the daily poll or take a quiz.

If you don't want to waste your brain power, Amen Corner will be webcasted LIVE for your viewing pleasure. Here's the webcast schedule:

Even though Phil has been on a diet lately, there's always reason to splurge when you're celebrating. As the defending champion, Phil presided over tonight's champion's dinner at The Masters and ordered up a southern meal that would even satisfy Paula Dean. Everyone was served southern fried chicken, baby back ribs, beef brisket, and smoked sausage. If that's not enough to bust an artery when you're making your way around Amen Corner, vanilla ice cream was served for desert.

Looks like Phil will be doing a few more sit-ups tomorrow morning.

Hmmmm....I wonder if The Masters provides a vegetarian alternative?