Golf's strongest connection to Winter Olympics isn't Tiger

By John Strege

At first glance, golf seemed to have only a tenuous connection to the Winter Olympics -- downhill skier Lindsey Vonn's boyfriend, Tiger Woods, and a few NBC/Golf Channel golf broadcasters, Dan Hicks and Steve Sands among them.

A stronger connection is provided by former University of Wisconsin golfer Erika Brown, whose college coach was Dennis Tiziani, Steve Stricker's father-in-law and instructor.

For the third time, Brown, 41, is a member of the U.S. curling team, having competed (and finished fifth) in the Calgary Games in 1988 and in the Nagano, Japan, Games in 1998. She is a three-time U.S. Curling Association female curler of the year.

As for golf, Brown played for Wisconsin's Big 10 championship team in 1994, was twice the Wisconsin state high school champion, and won the Madison City Women's Championship in 1994.

Do the two sports have something in common other attempting to hit a target?

"Both of them [require] being able to repeat a motion over and over and make adjustments based on a particular shot and fine-tuning it," she said in this article at uwbadgers.com. "And then, they both take a long time. They're both slow, slow sports, with a lot of time to think. You have to manage your mental space during a round of golf or during a curling game, which can last about three hours."

She played four years at Wisconsin, but when golf and curling were in conflict, Tiziani, according to the story, deferred to curling.

Hicks, incidentally, is the anchor for NBC's coverage of alpine skiing, while Sands will be reporting on speed skating. Jimmy Roberts and Terry Gannon also will have roles on NBC, as will Vonn, who will be unable to compete as a result of a knee injury.

(Getty Images photo)

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Nike Announces New VRS Covert Forged Irons

New Nike VRS Covert Forged Irons are Longer and Hotter

- NexCOR face technology and a deeper high-speed cavity back deliver faster ball speed and more distance in a forged construction -

BEAVERTON, Ore. (January 30, 2014) – Built with metal wood distance in mind, Nike Golf’s new VRS Covert Forged irons provide high-speed performance in a premium design. Nike Golf engineers incorporated a NexCOR face, Nike’s proprietary variable face thicknesstechnology that delivers faster ball speed for greaterdistance. The new ironsalso feature a high-speed cavity back design with a lower, deeper center of gravity for longer and straighter shots.

“We focused on improving distance and off-center hit performance with the VRS Covert Forged irons,” says Chris Savage, Nike Golf Irons Innovation Engineer. “It’s the first time we designed a forged iron with a high-speed NexCOR face, and engineering the variable thickness really amplifies the trampoline effect off the face. We further enhanced the performance with balancedperimeter weighting via a deep, engineered cavity back design. In our testing, the VRS Covert Forged irons delivered up to seven additional yards in distance compared to last year’s product.”

“Our research shows that more than 80 percent of player impact is between the center and the toe side of an iron,” Savage adds. “So another key focus on this product was to shift the center of gravity to the center of the face. By moving the true sweet spot to the area where most people hit the ball, we enhanced the iron’s feel and improved off center performance by as much as 17 percent.”

Nike’s X3X groove technology features grooves that are closer together and deeper on the clubface. Nike Golf engineers added width to the shape of the existing high-frequency X3X grooves to maximize spin and maintain ball flight, resulting in a 50-percent decrease in long iron dispersion from difficult lies.

VRS Covert Forged irons

Availability: January 31, 2014

Specifications: 4-AW, Nippon 950 GH: S/R (RH); SW, Nippon 950 GH: S/R (RH)

Street price: $1,100

How golf brought the Arizona Diamondbacks closer together

By Alex Myers

The Arizona Diamondbacks finished second in the National League West standings in 2013, but in 2014, they're already jumped out to a huge lead over the rest of Major League Baseball when it comes to team camaraderie.

Related: Notable baseball players who love to play golf

On Wednesday, four of Arizona's players showed up at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to support teammate Aaron Hill, who was playing in the pro-Am. How could you spot the quartet? Easy. They were the ones walking around TPC Scottsdale holding up Fatheads with the likeness of their beloved second baseman.

Charles Brewer, Eric Chavez, Josh Collmenter and Patrick Corbin were the Diamondbacks in Hill's cheering section. Hill, a two-time Silver Slugger award winner, showed off his pop by driving a golf ball through one of the oversized heads. Billy Horschel, one of Hill's playing partners, got in on the fun by doing the same. Here's the video:

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(Photo by Rob Schumacher)

Is India next on Tiger's itinerary?

By John Strege

The Tiger Woods World Tour reportedly will move from the United Arab Emirates to India next, apparently for a one-day exhibition in Delhi on Tuesday, multiple publications there are reporting, including the Hindustan Times.

The Hindustan Times, citing "unconfirmed sources," said Woods will be paid $2.2 million for the outing. Woods currently is playing in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic (he shot four-under par 68 in the first round on Thursday), where he likely received an appearance fee of at least that much.

ESPN golf writer Bob Harig wrote from Dubai that Woods is likely to pass on the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, which means that he probably won't be seen again until the Florida swing beginning with the Honda Classic on Feb. 27.

Related: Tiger, Turkey and the silliest season

Last October and November, Woods played tournaments or exhibitions in China, Singapore, Macau and Turkey.

(Getty Images photo)

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Stats show Rory is playing about as well as at this time last year, and only a win in Dubai can change that

By Luke Kerr-Dineen

Rory McIlroy's opening round 63 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic seems to reaffirm that the slump the World No. 6 was in for most of the 2013 calendar year might be behind him ... or does it? Is it really a sign that good times are ahead?

Instead of waiting to see how the rest of this week's tournament -- or the rest of this year -- finished to answer that question, we decided to do some snap analysis that compares Rory at this point in his 2013-14 season to where he stood at the same time in the 2012-13 season.

To do this, we specifically analyzed just the events where Rory was able to collect Official World Golf Ranking points, and only the four-month time frame from the conclusion of the FedEx Cup season to the end of January.

Here then is how Rory's results looked between his final 2012 FedEx Cup event and Jan. 29, 2013:

And here's how his results look between his final 2013 FedEx Cup event and Jan. 29, 2014:

Now for a side-by-side look:

What can we gather from this solid stretch from Rory? Well, perhaps we shouldn't jump to any conclusions that this season will be remarkably different from a year ago since he's actually playing at a level almost identical to this point in 2013.

Despite competing in two fewer events a year ago, Rory finished with as many wins and top-three finishes as he has now. His scoring average, too, was a touch lower. And before Thursday's 63, Rory's low round in both time periods was a 65, shot once each time. 

Related: 100 Best Modern Players

What's perhaps more interesting is how Rory does when he plays poorly now compared to a year ago. In 2012-13, Rory finished either really good -- top three or better -- or really bad, as in missed cut. In 2013-14, his performances have been less erratic -- no missed cuts and more top 10s. That's why his average point total per start is slightly higher this year. Granted, it's a small sample size.*

(*The one thing we haven't touched upon here, of course, is the complicating factor of McIlroy's equipment switch from Titleist to Nike clubs at the beginning of 2013. How large a role that played in his subsequent struggles last year is subject for debate. Presumably, though, that factor potentially contributing to his 2013 slump isn't a variable he'll be fighting in 2014.) 

Either way, a win in Dubai would change some things. Most notably, it would give him about 48 World Ranking points, meaning that, on paper, he'd be playing better than at this point last year.

Anything outside of that, however, and the question of whether he's really playing better right now than he was 12 months ago remains.

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Throwback Thursday: That time Tiger Woods had his gallery perform manual labor and move a boulder

By Sam Weinman

There are all the obvious reasons why it's good to be Tiger Woods -- oodles of cash, 79 tour wins, free shoes from Nike. And then there are the less obvious ones -- like if you happen to land a tee shot behind a boulder, you can easily recruit enough spectators to move the boulder for you.

This actually happened, as you probably recall. The USGA certainly does. Playing the Phoenix Open in 1999 -- two years after he famously aced the par-3 16th hole in the tournament -- Woods drove his tee shot on the par-5 13th hole left and behind a boulder.

Without much of a shot to the green, Woods inquired whether the boulder was a loose impediment and could be moved. When the answer was yes, Woods enlisted members of his gallery, including then-caddie Mike "Fluff" Cowan, for their help.

Related: This time, Brandel Chamblee goes too far on Woods

"Always lift with the legs."

With the boulder moved back, Woods was given a clear shot to the green. He got home in two and made birdie, but still finished three shots behind winner Rocco Mediate.

The incident remains controversial because it spoke to the advantage Woods had in having a large gallery. Would a Monday qualifier in the first grouping get the same help? Probably not. But 15 years later, the USGA
maintains what the player did was perfectly within the Rules of Golf, citing
Decision 23-1/3: "May spectators, caddies, fellow-competitors, etc.,
assist a player in removing a large loose impediment?" The answer is
"Yes."

For all that hospitality, it's worth noting Woods' experience at TPC Scottsdale has been mixed.

That same year, a fan who was following Woods was arrested when police discovered he was carrying a gun in his fanny pack. Two years after that, a fan threw an orange onto the green when Woods was putting. Perhaps it's no coincidence that was the last year Woods played the tournament.

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Golf architect Larry Packard, 101, dies

Larry Packard, one of the most prolific golf course architects of the post-World War II era, died at on Jan. 28 at his home at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla. Packard was 101 years old.

Golf Digest rank the 100 best modern golfers on PGA Tour

Five Australian golfers feature in Golf Digest’s list of the 100 best modern players.

Golf Digest love a list and their latest instalment comes in the form of the best ranked golfers since 1980; and guess who gets ranked the best?

Golf Digest picked 1980 because that was the year that “the PGA Tour created a database with complete scoring and performance statistics that made “apples to apples” comparative analysis more possible.”

And so using some sort of complicated algorithm that included a focus on performance (avoiding any subjectivity) and weighting majors and a golfer’s best golf more heavily, Golf Digest ranked the best 100 golfers on the PGA Tour since 1980.

Player Diary: California's Joel Stalter (Part 5)

Second-team All American Joel Staler will blog for Golfweek during the 2013-14 season and take you behind the scenes at college golf tournaments, on and off the course.

Augusta National flourishes in winter weather

Pictures show Augusta National Golf Course, site of the Masters, covered in a layer of snow.

Putter, ball help Bridgestone make splash

Bridgestone's booth at the 2014 PGA Show stayed consistently jam-packed, thanks to a revolutionary putter named True Balance and a new golf-ball formulation called Hydro Core technology.

Tour Tracker: Round 1, Phoenix Open

Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley. They'll provide plenty of on-course fireworks, while the crowd promises to be as rowdy as it normally is in Phoenix. Follow our Round 1 live blog now!

TaylorMade Tour Preferred, Tour Preferred X golf balls

A new cover material on the TaylorMade Tour Preferred golf ball is designed to create more greenside spin and control.

Pebble Beach finally has practice facility to brag about

By Jeff Patterson

The majestic views of the Pacific seen from half its holes ensure Pebble Beach Golf Links will never, ever, EVER be known for its practice area. But the fact that America's No. 1 public course had far from a first-rate range for visitors making their bucket-list trip to the Monterey Peninsula has finally been addressed. 

Officials at the resort left no stone unturned in building its new practice facility, which opened last week to accompanying acclaim. The 350-yard, double-sided range complements almost an acre of greens and bunkers, devoted to short-game practice. 

Related: Golf Digest ranks the World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses

Pebble Beach Golf Academy director Laird Small, who is going into his 26th year working at the facility, says the plans to replace the old range were some two decades in the making. But well worth the wait. Pebble's prior range was something out of the Stone Age. This one, though, is built to last, as it fits in with the resort's long-term vision, says Small (below, left). 

Photo by TGO

A few years back, while I helped survey 45 pros for Golf Digest on which practice facility was the best on the PGA Tour, Pebble's was among a handful singled out as the worst. When the AT&T pro-am returns next week, those averse views will likely be reversed. "Now the pros have a wonderful surface to hit from and a variety of target greens to simulate game conditions," Small says. "I think they're going to be over the moon." 

Related: The 75 Best Practice Areas

Similarly, for those staying and playing the course the other weeks of the year, the upgrade is sure to be appreciated. "For the resort guests who have been here before, they just can't believe it," Small says. "They think it's amazing. Stunning. There aren't enough adjectives to explain how they feel about it. 

"Those that are here for the first time," Small adds, "really don't know any different, yet they realize that the range is a wonderful accent to the golf courses out here. It just fits in. There are wonderful practice facilities all over the world, but now ours is right up there with them." 

TaylorMade Tour Preferred Golf Ball is LETHAL-IER

The latest in a recent run of poorly kept secrets has been revealed. Today TaylorMade officially (it doesn’t count unless it’s official) announced their new Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X Golf Balls.

Sorry guys, the LETHAL’s run is over.  I know…I was right there with you. I mean who here wasn’t desperately hoping for the 2014 LETHAL-IER, or perhaps something even more regal like SUPER DEATH NINJA (TP of course).

The absolute fact of the matter is that TaylorMade knows LETHAL was a stupid name. Really…they really do know it. When I discussed the subject with Josh Talge, TaylorMade’s VP of Metalwoods and Golf Balls, he suggested that in addition to the ridiculous name, packaging the balls to look like a Metallica album perhaps wasn’t the shrewdest marketing move either.

Keep in mind, Josh came from Old Spice. When the guy whose former company brought us “I’m the man your man wants to smell like” and “I’m on a horse” willingly concedes that aspects of the previous product were a little too over the top, you might have gone just a little too far.

While LETHAL was a really good ball that sold pretty well, it turns out that the heavy metal crowd isn’t one of golf’s key demographics.

Exit LETHAL. Enter Tour Preferred.

Like LETHAL Tour Preferred is a serious golf ball (actually it’s 2 golf balls), for serious golfers (and anybody else willing to spend $45 per dozen). Unlike LETHAL it has a name that isn’t going to chase anybody away before they actuall hit it, and packaging that’s a whole lot less Enter Sandman.

Enough About the Name What About the Ball?

As you might expect given the Tour Preferred’s position as TaylorMade’s latest and greatest, TaylorMade is claiming that the Tour Preferred franchise is the best performing ball the company has released to date.

Who would have guessed.

As you might imagine, there are a few key features of the new balls that TaylorMade would like you know about, so I’ll just copy and paste them right here:

• REACT™ Core for greater ball speed on all shots for increased distance.


• Spin Mantle™ designed to deliver precise and consistent spin rates on given shots throughout the bag.


• Low-Drag Performance Aerodynamics (LDP™) A 322-dimple pattern designed to minimize distance loss on low spin shots and also maintain a penetrating ball flight into the wind.

“Golf ball innovation doesn’t just happen overnight. Rather, it is a series of ongoing conversation with our Tour players. These conversations have led to the introduction of breakthrough technologies including low drag aerodynamics for ultimate wind resistance, a five-layer construction for superior control throughout the club set and now our softest and most durable cover.” - Dean Snell, Vice President of Golf Ball R&D, TaylorMade Golf

The other featured technology found in the Tour Preferred balls is what TaylorMade is calling Soft Tech™. Soft Tech™, is marketing speak, or maybe marketing double-speak for a cover material that TaylorMade claims is softer and more durable than anything they’ve ever produced.

The end result is a ball that lasts longer while providing softer feel around the green.

The Cover Really is Thinner…and Softer

Keep in mind, when it comes to thinks like cover thickness, improvements are generally measured in micrometers, but when TaylorMade’s Lindsay Main (TaylorMade’s Product Manager for Golf Balls) pulled samples of LETHAL’s cover and Tour Preferred’s cover out of her purse for me to compare, the differences were substantial.

Tour Preferred’s cover is significantly and noticeably thinner, and again, that’s no small thing considering the scale we’re talking about. Tour Preferred is, as TaylorMade suggests, actually noticeably softer as well, which absolutely did make me question the durability of the new ball.

Main assured me that the new material, despite the softer feel, is absolutely more durable. I haven’t spent enough time with the new balls to confirm, but I will say that I experienced the occasional shearing problem with the LETHAL.

Also…the woman carries golf ball parts around her purse. Did you catch that? That’s kinda hot, right?

We’re Number 2!

One of the more interesting aspects of the TaylorMade Tour Preferred Press Release is the right-out-of-the-gate mention that they are The #2 Golf Ball Brand on the PGA Tour.

Generally speaking, “we’re 2^nd best” isn’t the best way to advertise your product, but in this case, I think it actually makes sense. Titleist is #1. Everybody knows Titleist is #1, and you know what, if everybody is willing to be total honest about the situation, they’ll tell you that Titleist is going to stay #1 for the next little while.

Probably worth a mention as well, TaylorMade is not the #2 brand at retail, so I’m guessing the thinking is your basic pyramid of influence stuff. If it is on Tour, it often is with the consumer too. Right now there’s not a clear #2 as far as market share is concerned, and before you can make any kind of serious run at Titleist, you have to be the most dominant #2. And so…hey…we’re number 2…we’re number 2.

If you can’t beat ‘em (and nobody can right now), join ‘em.

To that end, TaylorMade has moved away ridiculous names (LETHAL, RocketBallz), colors (TP Red, TP Black), and even softness designators (S, not S) in favor of the regular vs. X approach of Titleist and one or two others.

If you’re trying to paint yourself as a viable alternative to the leader, you’ve got to make it easy for the consumer to understand which of yours compares to which of theirs. When I play Titleist, I play the ProV1 X, so it probably makes sense for me to take a look at the Tour Preferred X.

That was easy, right?

The two new balls are nearly as similar as they are different. Performance off the tee and around the green should be comparable. You can expect even more greenside spin than LETHAL. Performance differences will be more apparent on mid-to-long iron shots. In those situations, Tour Preferred will spin more and launch a little higher.

Comparatively, on those shots, Tour Preferred X will spin a bit less and provide a more penetrating ball flight. TaylorMade estimates that roughly 80% of its Tour Pros will settle into the Tour Preferred X.

TaylorMade isn’t making any noise whatsoever about the number of layers in each of the new balls. It’s not good for anyone if golfers approach the new lineup with a 5 layers is better than 4 approach. Like most anything else in golf it’s about finding what fits you best. That might be the 5 layer Tour Preferred X, it might not.

There is no best, only what’s best for you.

Hands On With TaylorMade Tour Preferred

I’ve only played a fairly miserable 18 with the new golf balls. What I can tell you based on my poor performance is that that Tour Preferred is that it’s really good off the tee and it doesn’t’ float. I’ll spend some more time with it once my game crawls out of the dumpster behind Arby’s.

It’s early yet, but TaylorMade can already claim 3 Professional wins with the Tour Preferred X. Sergio Garcia has won twice (Thailand Golf Championship and Qatar Masters), and Jessica Korda just won the Pure Silk Classic with the same ball.

Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X will be available at retail on March 1st at $45.99 per dozen. For more information, please visit www.taylormadegolf.com

LPGA notes: Lewis' momentum; Francella's gig; more

Stacy Lewis' second thought: 'I'm doing a lot of stuff right' amid strong momentum, while Meghan Francella takes on a new gig and Lydia Ko sets up her schedule -- plus more in Beth Ann Nichols' LPGA notes this week.

Irish hotelier: The west is the best

Hotelier Alan Maloney is one of the biggest boosters of Ireland’s western seaboard, touting its beauty, culture, fabulous links and affordability -- and has plenty to say about his region's golf and amenities.

Women's spring preview: WAC

During the month of January, Golfweek will preview the 2014 spring season for each conference. Today, we look at the WAC.

Men's spring preview: WAC

During the month of January, Golfweek will preview the 2014 spring season for each conference. Today, we look at the WAC.

Mickelson says he is healthy, ready to defend WMO title

Phil Mickelson arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday to defend his title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Tiger Tracker: Round 1, Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Tiger Woods will tee it up in his second tournament of 2014 late Wednesday night, playing alongside friend Rory McIlroy in the first round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Follow along with our live blog!

Rude: Too early to critique Woods

if this were May and there was a trend of sloppiness, there would be reason for concern about Tiger Woods. But it isn’t, so we can all take a breath.

Tour notes recap: Riley, Woods, Mickelson, more

Recap senior writer Jim McCabe's news and notes from this week's world of pro golf right here.

Fantasy Fix: Can a Canadian conquer the desert in Phoenix?

By Alex Myers

Any discussion of this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open begins with Phil Mickelson. The local favorite, thanks to his Arizona State ties, is the defending champion, but he also returns with a bad back that caused him to withdraw after the second round at last week's Farmers Insurance Open. Mickelson has seen a back specialist and he's going to try to play, but can you trust him enough to put him in your fantasy lineup? Especially knowing that an early Sunday tee time -- or no tee time at all -- gives him more time to relax on his couch with a big plate of nachos and watch Super Bowl pre-game shows? Didn't think so. Here's who we'll go with instead.

The Grind: The best part of Scott Stallings' win and a Super Bowl prediction

Starters -- (A-List): Brandt Snedeker. Yes, we picked him last week, and yes, he missed the cut. But Snedeker can't have two bad weeks in a row, right? Oh, he finished T-58 the week before in Palm Springs? Well, then, he can't have three bad weeks in a row. Right?

(B-List): Graham DeLaet. Another guy we touted last week, but who actually did well, earning his second runner-up on the PGA Tour. DeLaet has had little success at TPC Scottsdale, but he's finished T-7 or better in his last three starts.

Related: Meet the PGA Tour's new top-10 machine

Now that's a game face.

(B-List): Hunter Mahan. The 2010 Phoenix winner was rusty in his opening start of 2014 at Torrey Pines, but he's shot in the 60s in nine of his previous 10 rounds at TPC Scottsdale. 

(C-List): Ryan Palmer. How has golf's "other" Palmer fared in two events so far this year? Just a T-8 at the Sony Open and a runner-up at the Humana Challenge. He finished fifth at this event last year.

Bench/Backups: Patrick Reed, Keegan Bradley, Brian Stuard, and Charley Hoffman, aka Mr. Waste Management. 

Related: 11 sleepers to watch in 2014

Knockout/One-and-done pick: Graham DeLaet. What's the use in having prior success at a course? Scott Stallings won last week despite never previously making a cut at Torrey Pines before. No, we're riding recent form instead and picking this Canadian to conquer the desert for his first PGA Tour win.

Previously used: Tim Clark (Sony), Bill Haas (Farmers) Charles Howell III (Humana), Martin Laird (Kapalua).

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Remembering Charles Price, one of Golf Digest's indelible voices

By Jerry Tarde

One of the forgotten talents who graced our pages for many years was the incomparable Charles Price. He dabbled in architecture and music criticism for magazines such as Newsweek and Cosmopolitan, but Price made his name in golf writing.

He wrote for a fledgling Golf World, was the founding editor of Golf Magazine, and in the early 1980s came to Golf Digest where he authored a monthly column that was the closest thing to literature in sportswriting at the time. He was part of what I still think of as the Golden Age of Golf Writing in our pages, accompanied by Peter Dobereiner, Dan Jenkins, Peter Andrews and occasionally Herb Wind and Alistair Cooke. Many other great writers still with us began contributing to Golf Digest back then, too.

Charley died exactly 20 years ago Wednesday at the end of a long battle with cancer. Recently Golf Digest Senior Writer Guy Yocom reminded me of a letter Charley faxed to our offices on Feb. 1, 1993, just about a year before his death. It's accompanied by some notes on what he considered the elements of good writing, a few of which are excerpted here:
 

The reader: Write as though your reader is an ignorant genius. He doesn't know anything, but he's capable of understanding everything. In other words, never write down to him, never labor a point. He may have spent all his life in Moosejaw, Alaska. But he could still have an I.Q. way beyond your own.

Clarity: Write everything as though it will make sense 50 years from now. That's not the same as saying your prose should seem deathless. Some of O.B. Keeler's accounts of Bobby Jones winning a championship read as though they happened yesterday. Putting the situation another way, don't write as though you are "hip." How people popularly put things things today may already be on the way out. In 1956 the most popular lyric in America was "Some enchanted evening." Six months later it was "You ain't nothing but a hound dog."

Logical construction: Everything must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. In writing they must interconnect, like the three rings of logic. The first ring is your proposition: what the hell is this piece all about? The second ring contains the proof of the proposition. The third ring draws a conclusion from the proof. The trick, though, is to make the third ring interconnect with the first somehow. Thus the reader is reminded of whatever it was you were trying to prove.

Increasing your vocabulary: Everybody has three vocabularies: The largest is the one you read with. You can gather the sense of an unfamiliar word from its context. Next is the one you write with. It permits you the luxury of second thoughts. The smallest is the one you speak with. Since nobody likes to put his foot in his mouth, you only use words that are second nature. Consequently, the only way to improve all your vocabularies is by reading. The others follow.

Reading: Read what you ought to read, not just what you want to. Three hours a day is an absolute minimum. Any writer who can't find those three hours is in the wrong business.

McIlroy: 'I'll give it a go' on par 4 offering $2.5 million for ace

By John Strege

Final round, 17th hole, one-stroke lead. A 325-yard par 4, a hole-in-one prize of $2.5 million. Do you go for it?

"There are not many chances you have to win $2.5 million in one shot, so I'll give it a go," Rory McIlroy said according to this Reuters report. McIlroy is playing in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club beginning on Thursday.

Tournament organizers, for the last two rounds only, are offering the sum, which equals the total tournament purse and far exceeds the $414,383 offered the tournament winner, though not necessarily the appearance fees a few players, including McIlroy and Tiger Woods, no doubt received.

"If you're confident enough with your driver, why not?" McIlroy said. "It might not even be a driver. If they move the tee up, it's only going to play 295 or 300 yards. It's a 3-wood. Why not?"

The listed yardage for the 17th is 359 yards and it is a dogleg right that requires cutting the corner for the adventurous.

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Mike promotes Mike’s Golf (shop): original and dubstep remix videos

Add this video to the list of videos I didn’t get around to posting last year – and I regret not doing it because it’s a cracker.

Mike is trying to promote Mike’s Golf – shop and he decided to make a video to remind everybody that “we buy golf clubs!”.

The panning to include the golf shop sign and repetitive shouting is hilarious. Thank goodness for the internet. We would never have seen this otherwise.

Loudmouth unveil Autumn 2014 collection

Loudmouth Golf launch five exciting new patterns for Autumn!

Loudmouth Golf aren’t ones to sit on their hands. The leader in bold and bright golf and lifestyle apparel is excited to announce the release of their highly anticipated Autumn 2014 collection.

The new line consists of five designs:

“Augusta Magic” – This design is so slick, it’s like they were bikini waxed. They won’t last long….just ask Gary McCord.
“Scribblz White” – Grab a handful of crayons at the Loudmouth Bar & Grill (coming soon!) and scribblz on the tablecloth.

2014 Invitational Series Schedule

Six events highlight the 2014 Junior Invitational Series

Cathrea leaves Oklahoma State

Casie Cathrea won’t return to the Oklahoma State roster this spring. Instead, the 18-year-old will remain at home in California, perhaps playing in some pro events with her main focus on the Curtis Cup.

Riley recognizes shortcomings but is OK with it all

Chris Riley successfully took on the 'whim' of a Monday qualifier to get into last week’s Farmers Insurance Open -- and his MC by a shot didn't change his contentment.

Tiger yet to settle whether to play Match Play

Tiger Woods will not play in the upcoming WGC-Accenture Match Play, according to a report, though his agent told Golfweek on Wednesday afternoon that decision has yet to be finalized.

Toy Box Extra e-magazine: Jan. 29, 2014

Take a look at our putter issue, ranging from a Q&A with Dave Stockton to David Dusek's flatstick moments to new putters from Ping, Odyssey and Scotty Cameron.

Texas' Richards: I won't coach again after season

Texas women's golf coach Martha Richards said after stepping down: “The recovery time for me takes a little longer. This job is getting harder and harder.”