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Hey, Hot List: Where are the high-handicap testers?

Thursday, March 31, 2011 Comments
We get a lot of mail about our Hot List presentation, both online and in the magazine. But this question doesn't get asked often, and it's a very good one:

Your Hot List review included only 4 players that had a handicap of 14.4 or above. I am a 16-handicap and feel that most of the comments are for the "better" players that are looking to move the ball instead of keeping it in play. All the reviews I have read regarding the Ping K15 driver talk about how it helps the middle-to-high handicapers, but with only four players in that category it does not seem it's been evaluated by an appropriate number of players on your "team." Your reviews seem to slant more to better players than the average "Joe" like me.
Jerry Kamp, Peru, NY
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We asked Hot List judge and Golf World Equipment Editor Mike Johnson to respond. 

 One of the reasons that we do not have a large number of higher handicap players among our testers is that as handicaps gets higher, they tend to be less reliable in terms of being able to repeat the swing. Therefore, their evaluations may be based more on “the mistake swing” where they crush the ball ("Boy, this club is awesome!") or conversely, some bad swings may produce negative evaluations. The player testers on our panel that are among the higher handicappers generally have more reliable swings than one would expect. That said, we re trying to expand this group when we find players with swings we feel are consistent enough for our testing purposes. As for better players testing clubs such as K15, this is one of the reasons we have one editor with every two testers. We watch closely and since we know what the club is supposed to do for each player type, we take that into consideration. For instance, if a better player who tends to hit a draw is hitting the K15 more left than he wants to, that will not necessarily be a negative for a driver such as K15. Although we ask our panelists to grade clubs, the Hot List judges are the only ones with an actual vote. We take all this information into consideration when making our evaluations. 

Thanks, reader Kamp for an excellent question, and thanks, Mike for that response.
Bob Carney
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Readers: Golf World's Backspin Issue's a winner!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 Comments
Golf World's Backspin Issue offered "Words from the Wise" from the likes of Dan Jenkins, Peter Alliss, Jack Burke Jr., Judy Rankin and Deane Beman among others. A gallery of photos and notable quotes appears on golfdigest.com. 

 Here's Judy Rankin on the LPGA: gwsl06_backspin_th.jpg

"I wish I had an answer for the LPGA. On the plus side there are more good players than there has ever been in women's golf. With all that talent it's hard not to believe that there isn't something right around the corner that will let them reach the heights they should. But problems abound -- some are of their own making and some aren't. The media does not recognize the quality of play. If it got a little more attention, its star would rise automatically." 

Readers loved the issue. 

Thanks for the great interviews in the sections on "Words Fom the Wise." I especially liked Peter Alliss (would love to sit and talk to him anytime) and the interview with Judy Rankin (lots of respect for this lady). 

One of Judy's comments said that she thought par was an unreasonable goal for the recreational golfer and it made me think of a way for the average Joe or Jane enjoy keeping score. What if you take the course and slope rating for a particular course and use the handicap of the golfer to develop a card that reflects par by hole for that individual? Instead of a 16-handicapper using a scorecard with a par of 72 the individualized scorecard might be a par of 92. This card could be printed when the golfer checks in at the club house. 

Using this method, four golfers playing a match would have an easy way of determining who wins each hole without figuring "strokes" which takes up time at the end of each hole. I would also take the par number off the golf holes on the course. Having the distance and hole layout is enough for the average golfer. Keep up the changes you are making to your magazine. I know hundreds of ways to fix a slice or hook (still can't do any of them though!) but did not know a lot about Peter Alliss or Judy Rankin!
Dick Taylor, Bonita Springs, Florida

I thoroughly enjoyed the "Words from the Wise" in the Backspin issue. I really appreciated reading just their words without the filter of a storywriter or editor. Please consider continuing this format with the many other interesting and successful people who have contributed to our game.
Jim Porter, PGA, Red Hill Country Club, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Bob Carney

Photo: Brett Humphreys
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Why do you put Tiger Woods on the cover?!

Sunday, March 27, 2011 Comments
Golf Digest's decision to put Tiger Woods on the cover of our April issue, especially after officially ending our playing-editor relationship with Woods, drew notice and criticism from a number of readers. 

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As a married father the same age and with two kids near the same ages as Woods', your shameless exaltation of him on your cover was too much. His upwards-looking, ear-to-ear smiling visage only required you to airbrush an encircling halo to complete your unabashed, drooling, institutionalized worship of a great golfer but an utterly pathetic father, husband, and role model to millions.
Jason Kerkezi, Marbleton, GA

I applauded you when you pulled out of your magazine and I indicated that if you brought him back I would not renew my subscription. Well the April 2011 Cover pretty much took care of that. Seems that very few of us have any kind of standards left.
Charles Pinkerton, Cottage Grove, WI

I am disgusted to see Tiger Woods on the cover of the April issue of GD. I don't think he deserves to be on the cover after all the embarrassment to his wife and children. I thought he was great up to that point. After that I have lost all respect for him.
Ruth Suina, Pena Blanca, NM

Thanks for your letters. Tiger Woods is an extraordinary golfer, and the mastery of golf is what our magazine is all about. He is also an extraordinary story, partly for the very history you mention in your letters. He is finally a man who has confessed his mistakes--publicly--and vowed to turn things around--in particular to be a conscientious father. We respect that intention. What we've learned about Tiger, we think, ought to make us less apt to judge him on a perfectionistic scale, and more likely to see a human being, not an icon, who is one of the best ever to play our sport. He is certainly a contender for the first major of the year, the Masters. For those reasons we feel he deserves to be on the cover.
Bob Carney
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Yes SIR, we'd love another '86 Masters!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 Comments
Golf World's March 21st issue contained compelling stories about the '86 Masters and your letters are proof that they hit home. A highlight of the issue was Chris Millard's revisited the broadcast, with extensive comment by Verne Lundquist about his own emotions as Jack played 17 on Sunday: images-9.jpeg

"I'm sitting there watching Jack Nicklaus playing the 71st hole of Augusta National at 46 years of age with his son on the bag," says Lundquist, "and I did think to myself, 'Keep it simple.' I thought about [Frank] Chirkinian: 'Stay out of the way.' And then I thought to myself: 'For God's sake, don't screw this up.'" 

Then Millard and Lundquist take us through the wonderful call of that unforgettable birdie putt:  

Fifty-four seconds in, the ball eked right, steadied its course, acceded to the dictates of history and ducked its head from the thunderous wave. "...Yes SIR!" 

You loved the story, as well as Dave Shedloski's "A Sunday Like No Other" that relived the final round, hole by hole, through the observations of everyone from Fred Couples and Lee Trevino to Phil Mickelson and Seve Ballesteros--and of course Jack and Jackie. Ballesteros' comment about his approach to No. 15 is the saddest: "I tried to hit a soft 4-iron. Then everything went wrong for me." 

 "Yes, SIR!" As I'm reading this funny, entertaining piece, I'm listening to the smooth Texan, a master in his own right, calling tournament basketball on CBS. Class act. Classic story.
Ed Smith, Dayton, OH

I thoroughly enjoyed your article about the '86 Masters....Verne's call on 17---"Maybe...yes SIR"--was legendary but his best call, in my opinion, came in 2005 on No. 16 when Tiger chipped in on his way to winning his fourth Masters...."Oh my goodness......WOW.....in your life!..have you seen anything like that?!" ......I saw Verne at the 2006 Masters and told him that I thought it was one of the best calls in sports history...and that he couldn't have done a better job if he knew it was going in and had time to write it. Being the consummate gentleman and professional that he is, he thanked me and told me that it meant a lot to him. That brief conversation with Verne Lundquist meant a lot to me.
Regis Luger, Beaver Falls, PA

Dave Shedloski's recap of the 1986 Masters was priceless and the capper was Chris Millard's article about the Verne Lundquist / Frank Chirkinian coverage. That afternoon my wife had just returned from shopping when Seve put his second shot in the water on 15. She asked me, "What's happening at the Masters ?" My reply: "Son of a bitch, you won' believe it!" What a wonderful memory your writers have captured.
Richard Prendergast, Fallbrook, CA
 

I have been a reader for many years and I can tell you one thing: When the mailman delivers my copy of Golf World, it is read cover to cover before the sun sets. But this week the 1986 Masters articles made me read it with tears in my eyes. Fantastic!
Frank McGinn, Boynton Beach, FL

Fantastic, indeed. Could the return of a prodigal son to win his fifth Green Jacket in 2011 match it?

Bob Carney       
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Reader: Forget oversize holes. They make no difference.

Monday, March 21, 2011 Comments
Golf Digest's recent experiment with oversized holes--we organized a round at Pine Needles recently with 15-inch holes--reminded one Oregon reader of the original oversize-hole experiment. 

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In his book, The Short Way to Lower Scoring, Paul Runyan talks about the tournament (Florida Year-Round Open in 1934) at which Gene Sarazen talked the officials into having 8-inch holes on the greens. Sarazen thought this would give shotmakers the advantage he thought they deserved. Runyan predicted that "less-skilled putters would make more putts, but so would good putters." He therefore decided not to change his putting strategy at all, and won the tournament with no three-putt greens. "Others fell prey to the siren's call." They charged when they should have lagged, and ignored breaks on short putts. Olin Dutra four-putted twice. Bill Mehlhorn three-putted 13 times, and Sarazen three-putted seven times. End of experiment.
Bob Jones, Salem, Oregon

What would move professionals to even consider such an innovation? Runyan's incredible short game seemed an almost unfair advantage to some. (In 1938, for example, Runyan won his second PGA Championship when he defeated Sam Snead 8-and-7, the most lop-sided victory in PGA match-play history.) It also seemed to set the game on its end. Should putting be so important? Some pros didn't think so, and wanted to "fix" it. The oversize hole was the way. But for a short-game genius like Runyan, it was no barrier at all. He just made longer putts, and chipped in more often.
Bob Carney


Photo of Paul Runyan: PGA.com
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Reader: Do 12-hole rounds really make sense?

Friday, March 18, 2011 Comments
Among the initiatives discussed by the industry to attract golfers without the time or desire to play 5-hour, 18-hole rounds is one reported on by Golf World: 12-hole rounds. Its news items prompted several letters. 

I appreciate the acknowledgment that there is a call for 12-hole golf courses for all the good reasons listed. Beyond that I'm not sure you are doing golf any favors. No one is trying to make 12-hole golf courses mainstream as much as an alternative for those with little time, resources or the desire to have their brains beat in by most of the golf courses built in the last 25 years. There are are a pitiful few golf courses out there conducive to the beginner, youth, aged. Twelve-hole golf courses may address all of those audiences and at about half the cost to provide.
Dan Gawronski, PGA, Bonita Springs, FL


Your 12-hole article reminded me of High Hampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers, NC. The owner had just bought the Inn and wanted a golf course. One day the contractor came in and asked for a draw to pay his workers. The owner reviewed the bill and asked how many holes had been finished. When the contractor said “Twelve", the owner ordered him to stop immediately. The contractor exclaimed there are no 12-hole golf courses and the owner said, “There are now!” Happy ending, they now have 18 well kept up, fun golf holes.
Mr. Ivey Jackson, Birmingham, AL

I think we "avid" golfers forget sometimes just how many less-than-18-hole rounds we play--and enjoy.  Our club's 11th hole ends at the clubhouse, as does the 13th. Many afternoon rounds finish at one of those holes and nearly every late Sunday afternoon round the Carneys play does. At the very least, courses ought to consider charging by hole, as some clubs have begun doing. As any dedicated golfer knows, any number of holes is worth it.

Bob Carney
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Do antiquated rules hold our game back?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Comments
Could it be that the Rules of Golf, which seem to confound another tour player every week-- are also keeping potential players from taking up the game? Some of our readers think so. And these aren't casual golfers, either. I love golf; play hundreds of rounds each year. I do not know the rules; my fellow golfers do not know the rules; PGA touring pros do not know the rules! Yet the USGA insists on these pure rules in the most bizarre circumstances. The masses see these rules and think, "what a silly game." Play is down--why play a game with rules so weird that no one knows them? Some TV viewer halfway around the world watches a HD DVR in slow-mo after golf is over and calls in a violation! The naked eye could not see it. On & on! Time to change all this: Have one of the"afflicted" watch all telecasts--his call is final; just like an umpire. Players police each other to the best they can. Get rid of these silly calls: Play golf!
Gene Henry, Atlanta, GA
A California reader cites two rules in particular that don't make sense to him. Some of the "Rules of Golf" are not practical for the weekend golfer. Returning to the tee to replay a shot, on a busy Saturday morning on a public course, with one or more foursomes waiting to tee off, is a case in point. The "stroke and distance" for out-of-bounds is really lame. It should be one stroke for hitting it out of bounds and then playing your second stroke from the tee.
Clarke Marek, Manteca, CA
We're not sure the rules are what is holding our game back. Our experience is that most golfers adopt their version of a "reasonable man's rules of golf," as these readers do. But some golfers seem to take pride in making golf as mysterious and complicated as it can be, enjoying the fact that beginners have learn and "earn" their way in to the sport--rather than simply encouraging them to play. By the way, if you've got a rule you think should go, tell us about it.
Bob Carney
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Reader: Diaz had it right about Tiger

Monday, March 14, 2011 Comments
Jaime's Diaz's Golf World column analyzing Tiger's (most) recent struggles drew praise from one reader, obviously tired of commentators who seem to revel in the former No. 1's troubles. Based on Tiger's Sunday 66, earning him a Top Ten at Doral, these discussions may seem like old hat very soon. Diaz argued that Tiger's personal challenges, now in the way of his game, would not necessarily keep him down for good. 

Dear Mr. Diaz: Thank you for a fair commentary on Tiger. You have not changed the way you write about him. Always fair. Other writers and announcers suddenly give negative comments about him, unlike the way they extolled Tiger prior to his many problems. I happen to love Tiger even now. I have a scrapbook of him since 2000 when I was in Scotland when he won the British Open. I am a 69-year-old grandmother who prays for him every night and offer a votive light on Sundays in church for his good health.
Luzviminda G. Veloso, Ridgewood, NY

And you have been consistent in your support for Tiger as well, Luzviminda. Thanks for your letter.

Bob Carney
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Tiger, take some risk---and play more!

Monday, March 7, 2011 Comments
Interesting and observant letter from a high school student about Golf Digest's March Risk- Takers issue. Strong words on Tiger Woods, as well. gd201103_cover_th.jpgI really like the article about Risk Taking. 

I am a senior in high school and soon will be going to college so taking risks is something that's about to impact me a lot more than it has before, and it was interesting to see risk takers in the world of golf. 

 However, one thing in the article piqued my interest: the page on Tiger Woods. I enjoyed reading the part about risks he's taken lately, but I don't agree with the statement, "He has handled the corresponding risk of failure extraordinarily well." You mention changing his swing; he has, and he hasn't won anything since then. Golf-wise he's doing the wrong thing. Playing in 12 tournaments isn't taking a risk, that's trying not to fail. He did't play in a large number of tournaments in 2010, and when he did his performance was sporadic: tying for fourth at the Masters, losing to Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open, and finishing 13 shots behind winner Louis Oosthuizen. Why does he pick and choose so few tournaments to go to? I know the Tour schedule is long and exhausting. He doesn't want to play in low-money tournaments, and his personal life still needs fixing, but from a golf standpoint, he needs to get back out there. The more competition he faces, the sharper he'll get and he'll face the pressures brought on by his personal life a lot faster. 

Whether people like it or not, Tiger Woods makes golf better, and that is why he needs to go back on Tour and risk failure.
James Booth, Cincinnati, OH

James, I'm not sure what you plan to study in college, but let me suggest that you might check out journalism. Nice job.
Bob Carney
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Step by step: How to play slow

Monday, March 7, 2011 Comments

Dave Shedloski's Golf World column on slow play, following some excruciating Accenture examples of it, prompted this letter from the "Slow Play Golf Association." 

The Slow Play Golf Association Membership is simple. 

1. Arrive in the parking lot at your tee time; that way the starter will try to hold everyone else up while you pay your fees and get your cart. 

 2. No two people out of the cart at the same time. One player has to complete his shot and return to the cart before the second person can exit the cart and begin planning his shot. 

 3. Take plenty of practice swing-- five or six minimum. 

 4. Wait for the group ahead to clear. Even though your best drive is 170 yards, the group ahead has to be on the green of the 400-yard par 4 before you can hit your drive.  

5. Use all electronic devices GPS, rangefinder, iPhone App, etc. before every shot. Immediately answer all cell phone calls and text messages. Tweeting frequently is encouraged. 

6. Use the same club the pros use Phil Mickelson hits his 7 iron 170 yards and you should be able to hit yours the same distance. 

7. Following every bad shot, hit a mulligan. 

8. Look for lost balls no matter how long it takes. Leave the cart parked in the middle of the fairway so the group behind knows you are still looking. 

9. Park the cart in front of the green or at least on the opposite side of the green from the next tee. 

10. View all putts from all four sides the pros do and so should you whether it is the first, second, third or fourth putt. 

11. After putting out, stroll back to the cart, return to the green to pick up the club you forgot, clean the clubs, place them in the bag, get into the cart, recount each stroke on that hole, record the score and then, and only then, drive to the next tee. 

12. Never, ever wave the group behind through. 

13. Never take a lesson from a golf Pro it may invalidate your membership in the SPGA.
Dave Savage Collingswood, NJ

Dave, I hope you don't mind if we pass on the SPGA. Seems like it's got plenty of members already.
Bob Carney
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