Ryder Cup Matches

With the Ryder Cup matches coming up in a few weeks. I thought I'd investigate the potential use of "performance enhancing golf equipment" by either side. What I learned is worth mentioning, although most golfers will not recognize it as an advantage by the European side.

As far as the use of drivers, fairway metals, irons, and wedges is concerned, both teams seem to be using similar equipment. However, it is in the area of putters that the European team seems to have the advantage over the American team.

At least half of the European team members are using putters that have larger than average grips. That's right, their grips are fatter than usual.

How is that an advantage? As a manufacturer of one of the most performance enhancing golf putters of all time, the PROBE 2020, I know what can improve a golfer's putting stroke. My 2020 was inverted-shafted, where the thin end of the shaft was in the grip, and the fatter, heavier end of the shaft was in the center of the brass putter head.

This guaranteed a pure pendulum stroke instead of the usual jerky stroke encouraged by virtually all other golf putters. The well-known "yips" were virtually impossible to imitate with a PROBE 2020 putter.

We also made the 2020 with larger than usual putter grips, which encourages each golfer's hands and wrists to remain calm during the stroke. It was virtually impossible to "strangle" the fatter grip with too much grip pressure, which can cause the hands to push or pull the putter off-line.

I have noticed that European tour players use fatter putter grips then do most American tour players. When I tried to search for different putter grips online this past week, I was surprised at what I found, or should I say what I did not find.

I could not find any manufacturers of fatter putter grips listed on the Internet. I could find article after article about name tour players using a righthand low grip, or a lefthand low grip, or a claw grip, or whatever. That described how they all held the putter grip, but there was no mention about the thickness of the grips preferred by each player.

Could it be possible that the Europeans understand how the thickness of a putter grip can give a player an advantage, and that the Americans have no clue about the subject?

That alone could determine the outcome of the Ryder Cup matches this fall.

America vs. Europe!

What is the state of American professional golf at this time? The Ryder Cup matches are coming up in a few weeks, and the Europeans seem to be stronger than the Americans at this point in time.

As a manufacturer and inventor of revolutionary new golf equipment from 1987 through 1994, I noticed something I have never noticed before when I was watching the European tour event this morning on The Golf Channel. Two European golfers I was watching on one green were putting, back to back, with putter grips I had never seen before!

At that moment I asked myself whether European pros could be using golf equipment that was completely different from the equipment being used by American pros! That would seem to be almost impossible considering how small the globe is with the internet in this day and age.

But the thought lingered most of the day while I ran errands around Ashland, Oregon today. I remembered last year when K. J. Choi was seen using a fat, round, white putter grip at the Memorial. I had never seen that grip before.

So for the next week or so I am going to do some investigating to see what I can learn about the golf equipment European Ryder Cup team members are using, and whether it may differ from the equipment American Ryder Cup team members may be using in the upcoming Ryder Cup matches.

Golf equipment may seem to be the same, but subtle differences can make a huge difference in performance. For example, members on both teams may use Taylor Made drivers, but the shafts used can be different, and grips can make a huge difference. The putting grips I saw on TV this morning had flat sections running from the top of the grip to the bottom of the grip, and there were many flat sections. I would guess the grip, each one, had at least eight, possibly ten flat sections. I had never before seen such a putter grip.

The two putting grips I saw this morning were similar, but one was orange and one was white. They could be the same grip, except for the color. Then again, they could be entirely different.

Stay tuned for the next few days and I'll report what I am able to learn about the differences in golf equipment used by both the American Ryder Cup team and the European team members. This should be interesting!

PGA Tour back to normal!

The PGA Tour is finally getting back to normal. No more "Oost-who's" winning majors, no more Tiger Woods's missing cuts. Tiger is in the Ryder Cup and Phil once again misses out on his (many) opportunities to move into the Number One Golfer In The World position by missing two-foot putts because he has to play a Callaway putter! Will Phil ever put winning tournaments ahead of his endorsement of poor golf equipment?

Tiger's game is coming around just in time for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks, now that he is putting his personal problems behind him.

This weekend in the Fed Ex playoffs Phil Mickelson was contending until he missed a bunch of putts down the stretch on Monday's final round, including one from under two feet. Phil just doesn't have the mental strength to move into the Number One position every time he has the opportunity to do so.

This morning, Corey Pavin announced his choices to complete America's Ryder Cup team, naming Tiger, Ricky Fowler, Stewart Cink, and Jach Johnson to the team. Ricky fowler seemed to be the questionable pick to some in the golf media, but I think Ricky will bring youth and excitement to the team.

The American team needs to start building an experienced young team for the future as well as for this year's competition, and Ricky Fowler is a good place to start. The Ryder Cup is always exciting, if not too exciting when Johnny Miller's announcing style comes into play. If we listen to Johnny during the very first match on day one, each putt in his mind will decide the outcome of the entire matches on day three!

I hope Johnny relaxes a little this year and lets the television viewers relax as well. We don't need Johnny causing millions of viewers rushing to the medicine cabinet for their Valium thirty minutes into the first day's matches.

Don't worry about Tiger!

Tiger Woods got off to a terrible start in this week's Deutsche Bank Championship, being four over par after the first 7 holes before returning to finish at one over par for 18 holes. But that is understandable for a man who is making major changes in his swing at this time.

He followed up that round with a six-under 65 on day two. Tiger will recover from his poor golf at the beginning of this year now that his personal problems are more or less behind him. In addition to his new swing changes, his personal life is now making major changes as well, moving from Florida to New York to live, for example.

Give him a few weeks to settle down in his new environment, and the old Tiger will be back in stride. And now that he is a single man again, his game will return to its best once he can settle on a new, steady girlfriend.

I can't stress enough the importance of a man having a good relationship with a woman and a happy home life in order to play good competitive golf. Tiger must have many women practically throwing themselves at him since his divorce, so the sooner he can settle down with just one woman the sooner his game will be back with a vengeance.

Yes, Tiger is back!

For months, many months, eight to be exact, avid golf fans have asked, "What is wrong with Tiger's game, and when, or will, he ever be back?"

The answer is, "He has had personal marriage problems on his mind, and he will not be back until he can put them behind him."

Last week his divorce from Elin was finalized, and although he will still think about it often, his focus can now be directed back to his golf game. And, "Yes, he will be back to his winning self very shortly."

He will go on to pass Jack's record of eighteen majors, even though competition is getting tougher every year with the new young talent that is emerging on the PGA and European tours.

Last week in the first of four FedEx playoff tournaments Tiger finished seven under par, five shots behind the leaders. He is working on a new swing, and just one swing on Saturday, where his old swing got in the way, cost him three of those five strokes.

As time passes Tiger will think less and less about his personal problems and more about his golf game. He will stand up to each shot and visualize the shot, where it will fly and where it will land. He will not stand up to many shots and wonder where his kids are, or what is Elin doing at that moment.

Tiger is confident his game will be back very soon, as evidenced by the $54 million mortgage he took out last week on a new home for the future in Jupiter, Florida. In the meantime he has moved into a bachelor pad in New York where he can start a new life with new friends and get away from his memories of the last ten months.

Yes, Tiger is back, and back to stay.