Golf Etail Blog

Think you know your golf facts?

Golfweek has a new video trivia challenge on its Web site called Outsmartin’.

Golf trivia guru Sean Martin, AKA Smartin’, takes on three contestants who vie for prizes like the hybrid golf clubs featured in episode 1.

The questions aren’t incredibly tough – if you consider yourself a golf buff – but it’s easy to make an honest mistake. You’ll see what we mean when you watch this.

You can even be a contestant on the show if you live in the Orlando area. Information to be considered is at the end of the video.

If you make it on, let us know. We’ll be so proud!

You kids and your video games…

I’ll probably never understand the obsession with those cockamamie contraptions, but I thought I’d give all you GolfEtailers a heads up on the new “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.” Mrs. Spooner and I just bought it for our son for his 30th birthday (I don’t think that boy will ever grow up!) and before we could slip out the door to hit the real-life links, he roped me into a couple of rounds. I may not be well-versed in the world of Wii sports – whoever came up with that name needs a stern talking to, by the way – but this old man’s still got a little power in his swing – digital or not. That’s right – I showed my boy who’s still the boss; he’s not too old learn a lesson or two!

Anyway, the reviews are in on “Tiger 10.” Here’s what unbiased folks are sayin’:

“‘Tiger 10′ is the definitive golf game, but it is by no means a revolution.” -Matt Casamassina, IGN.com

“Digital duffers, you’re in for some nice upgrades: real-time weather conditions, a fancy precision putter, and tournament modes that let you battle other gamers or try to best the pros in live competitions. So even if you didn’t make the cut for the real U.S. Open, you can still tee off against Tiger Woods. Best of luck with that.” -Entertainment Weekly

“You wanna go? I’ll put a pixelated hurtin’ on you that’ll make you run home to momma. Rain or shine.” -Brassie Spooner, GolfEtail.com

Apparently – and my son made me write this down – “Tiger 10″ is available on PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and XBox 360. All those numbers and letters … It’s like an algebra equation.

Ironic. Because if my boy was half as good at math as he is swinging an imaginary golf club in front of the TV… well, he probably wouldn’t be living above our garage.

Good news for Phil Mickelson fans: The two-time Masters winner (2004 & 2006) will return to golf this month as he vies for his fourth title (he won the PGA Championship in 2005) at the U.S. Open at Bethpage from June 18 to 21.

Just a couple weeks ago, Mickelson announced that he was taking a hiatus from the Tour to be by his wife’s side as she battles breast cancer. But after encouraging news from doctors regarding her condition, “Lefty” is back in business.

In anticipation of the Open, Mickelson will “warm up” at the St. Jude’s Classic, which kicks off Monday, June 8, in Memphis.

The DealTeam is elated to hear the good news, and we’re sending positive thoughts to Mickelson and his family.

Daydreamt about teeing up at Augusta National?

The DealTeam does too. But until we receive our exclusive invitations in the mail, we’ll settle for Redstone Golf Club – located just 15 minutes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas – which was prepped in 2006 to mimic Augusta.

Seems like just yesterday. Time sure does fly for this ol’ codger!

Since then, the Shell Houston Open has attracted the top players in the world, and in the weeks following the tournament, many wannabe golf stars (like us!).

I could rave about this diamond in the not-so-rough all day long, but I’ll let you decide for yourself with this review of the course on WorldGolf.com.

Besides, it’s time for my afternoon siesta.

Oh, I almost forgot (that’s happening all too often lately!) – how’re you faring in Fantasy Golf? Let us know!

Is there still some white on the green? Well, soon the snow will be gone and the greens keepers will be busy. We will be watching Tiger and getting excited about the new season of golf. Now is a good time to drag out our equipment and make sure we are ready for that day when a buddy comes along looking for a fourth.

A few questions are in order: Is the driver still “state of the art” or could I get ten more yards with a new one? I certainly need a new golf glove or two and a couple dozen new golf balls. Do I still have golf tees? And I seem to remember my golf shoes were in pretty bad shape. My bag is still OK but I did like that “Heavy Club” commercial I saw on TV, maybe I should get one and work on my tempo before I go out to play. So many decisions, good thing I have GolfEtail online. In this economy it’s good to know where I can get discount golf products I need and still have enough left over to pay my greens fees.

To all my golfing buddies, hit em’ long and straight, and sink a few putts too.

He’s Baaaaaack.

Yesterday, amidst furrowed brows of speculation, Tiger Woods declared that he was officially returning to action. Tiger is going to be playing in next week’s Match Play in Marana, Arizona, his first competition since he had knee surgery.

Check out what the top golf minds think about his chances of winning:

GOLFWEEK ON TIGER’S RETURN

Will his return be glorious or will he be unable to match his prior brilliance? We’ll let you place your bets on that front. As for me, I’m heading to the driving range. It’s the middle of winter in New York, but that’s never stopped me before…

Clear your schedule for the end of February 2009. With the upcoming birth of Tiger’s 2nd child and the rebirth of Tiger’s reconstructed left knee, the world of golf is going to be buzzing with excitement.

Will Tiger bring the same juggernaut amount of talent and intensity that has led him to become one of the best golfers of all time?

According to James Achenbach at golfweek.com, there are two prevailing points of view about his return:
1.)    In the words of Ezekiel 25:17, Tiger will return with “great vengeance and furious anger” to smite his opponents.

VS.

2.)    Tiger will concentrate more time with his wife and cubs in the homestead leading to a soft return.

In our opinion, Tiger will prey on his opponents in 2009 for a successful season. Tiger’s play and demeanor have reaffirmed his dire passion for golf over and over again. In his own words, he declared, “Well, I don’t want to be the same. I want to be better. I want to become better than I was, and this leg will help me in that process.”

With a surgically reconstructed knee, we’re even more convinced that the man who has won about 25% of all professional tournaments is a walking 18-hole cyborg.

What do you think? Will Tiger have a successful return or will he falter in 2009? Give us some spirited responses in the comments section.

GOLF.com surveyed more than 2,600 readers to find out what they deemed the biggest stories of 2008. The results are in.

1.    Tiger Woods limps to a playoff victory at the U.S. Open, then has reconstructive surgery on his left knee and misses the rest of the season. (48%)
2.    John Daly is found passed out outside a Hooters in Winston-Salem, N.C., and spends the night in jail. (24.2%)
3.    Captain Paul Azinger leads the U.S. to victory in the Ryder Cup. (5.3%)
4.    Rocco Mediate comes from nowhere to tie Woods and force a playoff in the U.S. Open. (4.4%)
5.    Padraig Harrington wins two straight majors, the British Open and the PGA Championship. (4.1%)
6.    Annika Sorenstam retires. (4.1%)
7.    After a difficult divorce, Greg Norman marries Chris Evert and contends at the British Open at 53. (1.5%)
8.    Tiger wins four tournaments in a row (1.3%)
9.    Seve Ballesteros has multiple surgeries for brain cancer. (1.2%)
10.  The LPGA says that all players must speak English or be suspended, but then backs down.

According to this GOLF.com article, a survey published in a recent issue of Street & Smith’s SportBusiness Journal revealed that a meager 30% of avid golfers (described as “someone who looks up Tour scores several times a week, watches at least 11 tournaments per year and has a favorite player”) are aware that mail carrier FedEx is the title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s season-long points race and four-tournament playoff series.

To make matters worse, 4% of respondents named Nike as the Tour’s playoff sponsor while 3.5% percent claimed that Coca-Cola held the title.

Unfortunate news for FedEx, right? It’s all relative.

The mail carrier is “enjoying higher awareness levels than many of the Tour’s other partners,” the paper said, including MasterCard, which was correctly identified as the Tour’s official credit card by only 17% of avid fans. Adding insult to injury, 35% of those surveyed thought American Express, which has no ties to the Tour, was the official card.

Joining AMEX on the list of would-be sponsors getting something for nothing: AT&T. Thirty-six percent of avid fans think the telecom giant is the official wireless carrier of the Tour – despite the fact that the Tour has no wireless partner.

Donald Trump’s plan to build an exclusive $2.4 billion golf resort on the Aberdeenshire coastline in Scotland has been approved by the Scottish government, according to this article on The Australian, the online edition of Australia’s biggest-selling national newspaper.

Proposals for the property include more than 1,000 home and holiday apartments, a 450-bedroom Gothic-style hotel and two golf courses.

Trump said he’s “deeply honored” by the decision.

Completion of construction is expected by early 2011, and the resort will create upwards of 6,000 jobs, 1,400 of which will be permanent positions.

“In tough economic times, substantial investment of this kind is at a premium,” said Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister.

Expect fees and dues at the resort to be at a premium as well – if Trump’s stateside golf resorts are any measure. Green fees for Donald Trump’s existing public clubs in California and New York can cost up to $375 on weekends.