Golf Practice-zine Newsletter
for February 2011

Thanks for signing up to receive the February 2011 (Issue #28) of the Newsletter. A poll was taken of TV Golf announcers and reporters; we review and analyze the results. Turfco is an industry leader in golf course agronomy equipment and we describe a new tool to aid in topdressing of fairways. I bought a Players Towel and review it for style, durability and use. Camillo Villegas and his idol, Gary Player are in the news about their fitness habits so we take a look at what sets them apart. The USGA has developed tougher eligibility criteria for players seeking to play in the US Open in 2011 and 2011 we see what gives. I hope you find these topics interesting and have a good read!.

Newsletter Contents:

1. TV Golf Poll
2. Topdresser Technology
3. Players Towel
4. Dynamic (Fitness) Duo
5. US Open Eligibility Criteria Get Tougher
6. News Tidbits

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1. TV Golf Poll

Golfweek Magazine announcedTV Golf Poll results from a survey taken in late January. Announcers were rated, as were tournaments, analysts, on-course reporters, and interviewers. Interesting categories, interesting results. The sample was 1,459 viewers. Ratings are summarized below:.

Favourite Tournament to Watch

• Masters 67.9%
• U.S. Open 15.0%
• British Open 14.1%
• The Players Championship 1.9%
• PGA Championship 1.1%

Would have been interesting to see ratings for Ryder Cup and President's Cup here. I think that fans love the intensity of the Ryder and President's Cups. Serious competition, emotion and pressure raises the bar of play and interest. They are very well-suited to television in my opinion.

Favourite Tour to Watch

• PGA Tour 78.9%
• LPGA Tour 8.8%
• European 7.5%
• Champions 3.6%
• Nationwide 1.4%

The European Tour result is surprisingly low. I expect it will gain in ratings over the three other tours in the coming and future seasons. Europeans are the highest ranked players. Only one American won a major last year and Westwood, Kaymer, McDowell, Poulter, McIlroy, Karlsson and Casey are becoming very well known in the U.S. They make the European events higher-rated in terms of World Rankings points awarded for strength of field over regular PGA Tournaments. European TV ratings suffer only because of the time differences. Early morning air times don't offer premiere sponsor ratings, which is all that holds them back. That and the fact that Tiger Woods can only draw flies, not fans with the way he is playing lately.

Favourite Golf Technology (used to describe action)

• Protracer (CBS) 33.8%
• Swing Vision (CBS) 29.3%
• Aim Point (Golfchannel) 21.7%
• TrackMan (NBC/ESPN) 15.3%

Reason Most Likely to Make You Turn Off the TV During a Golf Telecast

• Don't see enough golf shots 45.7%
• Coverage focused too much on Tiger Woods 28.6%
• Commentators are annoying 19.1%
• Prefer watching sports other than golf 6.6%

Good stats here. Technology and reasons to turn off are a good pairing. Golf suffers from the same flaw for TV as hockey: fans can't follow the puck/ball. They can't follow ball flight; they can't read putts or see the breaks. Commentators and analysts are making good use of technology to break down these limitations. High def TV virtually started at the Masters. So the viewers are starting to benefit in terms of what they can see. The more they can see, the more they will appreciate the shotmaking, ball-striking and touch of the phenomenal players on all Tours.

A problem that persists, however, is the limited amount of time you actually see golf. The Masters is special and unique; 15 minutes of ads per hour or no TV period. Fans wish that this was the case for many more events I'm sure. Otherwise, normal is player swings, hits shot, camera changes to green, we watch ball bounce close while commentators blah, blah, banalities; we break for commercials equal in duration of the action we just saw and repeat. Golf lends itself to commercial interruptioin like no other sport. Unfortunately sponsors and networks take more than full advantage. No wonder they have become so dependent on Tiger. Fans do not see enough golf shots, and when they do it is all Tiger, all the time. Lately Tiger is not enough to sustain that degree of attention (at least not on golf networks).

Favourite Golf Anchor

• Jim Nantz (CBS) 54.7%
• Mike Tirico (ESPN) 17.6%
• Dan Hicks (NBC) 11.9%
• Kelly Tilghman (Golfchannel) 10.0%
• Brian Hammons (Golfchannel) 5.8%

Least Favourite (Worst) Golf Anchor

• Kelly Tilghman (Golfchannel) 37.1%
• Mike Tirico (ESPN) 21.3%
• Brian Hammons (Golfchannel) 15.6%
• Dan Hicks (NBC) 14.4%
• Jim Nantz 11.6%

Golf anchors have a difficult job. Personally I don't pay much attention unless I'm watching the European Tour telecast. There, silence is golden. European golf has an approach that lets the action speak for itself. Announcers speak when they have a reason, not to fill dead air as the US tours do.

What's interesting in the survey stats above, is that the same announcers are both loved and hated. Though we don't have the number of respondents in each category, you could say that Jim Nantz is 43.1% loved on net; Mike Tirico and Dan Hicks are more hated than loved (net -3.7% and -2.5% respectively) and Kelly Tilghman has the highest downside at -27.1%.

Other ratings include:

• Favourite on-course or tower reporter ( David Feherty, CBS 33.3%; Gary McCord, CBS 13.5%)
• Favourite essayist/interviewer (Rich Lerner, GC 41.8%; Jimmy Roberts, NBC 26.2%)
• Analyst most likely to make you throw your remote at the TV (Johnny Miller, NBC 45.3%)
• Analyst most likely to say something you think is interesting (Johnny Miller, NBC 33.5%)

The analyst and reporter ratings do not surprise me. Given the situation, Johnny Miller can be loved or hated at any moment. I actually like Johnny Miller and appreciate his insights to the game. I have some of his golf videos and find him an excellent teacher. Miller is just a very outspoken individual and I like that aspect of his character. On television or in any other kind of reporting, I think an honest, open approach is best. It points to credibility of both network and announcer. The other kind of TV commentary is too often politically correct, promotional to the point of pandering (to players and sponsors) so that too many issues are passed over and behavior goes without comment. So, good for Johnny Miller. For me, golf is a reason to have a television and a reason to hope that networks and their employees do it right.

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2. Topdresser Technology Anniversary

As golfers, we don't often recognize the effort that goes into the care and feeding of our place of play -- the golf course. Golf course superintendents live a quiet, invisible life. Their turf is our turf, so-to-speak, and we damn well should appreciate it. Golf courses are amongst the nicest places to be on earth. The biggest impression my Golf Tour made on me in 2008-- even within some of the most astounding scenery Canada has to offer -- I had to marvel at how well the golf courses I played fit within that awesome environment. We should learn to apprreciate what goes into the making and maintenance of these beautiful arenas in which we play.

Turfco, of Blaine, Minnesota is a leading manufacturer of turf management equipment supporting the golf industry. This year, Turfco is celebrating its 50th Anniversary of inventing the mechanized topdresser with help from golf course superintendents. This invention sparked half a century of turning superintendent insight into advanced topdresser technology.

As a way to say “thank you” for the many years of collaboration, Turfco is giving superintendents a chance to win great prizes throughout the year. Superintendents can register to win one of 10 Apple® iPads®, one of which will be given away each month from February through December. At the end of the year, Turfco will give away a WideSpin™ 1540 EC topdresser to one lucky Superintendent as the Grand Prize winner.

To further commemorate the occasion, Turfco is giving away individually numbered, limited edition divot tools to Superintendents attending the GIS Show ( February 9-10 in San Diego, CA) who visit Turfco’s booth (#2740).

Widespin™ 1540 EC Topdresser

Widespin 1540 EC Topdresser (photo: Turfco)

To register for the Turfco Anniversary Giveaway and learn more about Turfco's 50 years of topdresser innovation, go to the company website.

A History of Topdressing Innovation

Turfco has an impressive track record for innovation:

• 1961 - Turfco introduces the first mechanized topdresser.
• 1981 - Patented ground-drive system introduced on Mete-R-Matic® topdresser.
• 1993 - Patented Chevron® belt revolutionized topdressing.
• 2002 - Patented WideSpin™ technology introduced for quick, light and consistent application.
• 2006 - Patented TriWave™ Overseeder revolutionizes seeding.
• 2009 - Patented Electronic Controller introduced with new WideSpin™ 1540, delivering unprecedented control, performance and ease-of-use.

Serious advances in agronomy and management practices coupled with equipment innovation and manufacturing have evolved their way into modern-day golf. These developments are at least as impressive as the gains in golf club design. Congratulations, Turfco, on being voted the number one brand in topdressing equipment (National Golf Foundation Turf Brand Share Report).

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A Personal Golf Towel

Players Towel was originally designed for golf. Created by a former tour caddy, the Players Towel was conceived with the ability to personalize its design to a golfer's content. The towel is made from microfibre and is unique in several respects that I have seen:

1. dimensions are 41inches long x 22 inches wide with a 3.5inch slit (optional)in the middle. You can slide the towel over your putter to keep it in the bag.
2. border trim and base colours are your choice
3. you can add your name and company/personal logo on the towel. Font size, style and colour are also your choice.

I ordered one online from the Players Towel website. Delivery was within 5 business days. Towel material seems smooth and absorbent as advertised. The towel is good quality, large format and durable. It iappears to be a very serviceable design from my point of view. I fully intend to try it out this season. I've used it in preliminary club cleaning and it works swell. I ordered two. My policy is to always have a backup.

My golf game might not be good enough to warrant a bag with my name on it, but now I've got a towel. Not a bad second-best and a good way to start the 2011 season.

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Two Examples of Modern Golf Fitness

Gary Player and Camillo Villegas two players that are great advocates for golf fitness. You would be hard-pressed to find two more iconic gentlemen as testament to the role of fitness in golf.

Gary Player
Player's website illustrates his life-long commitment to working out as a way of maintaining a competitive edge over Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies, Player symbolized the dedicated, physically-fit golfer. He says, he became known as the, "Jack Lalane of golf." He was openly criticized for this dedication. The prevailing attitude of the time was that working with weights would tighten swing muscles in a "muscle-bound" physique. People thought Player would never last, but despite his small stature and a growing trend to longer golf courses and dependence by equipment makers on technology, his fitness obsession caused him to excel.

Gary's website, like the man himself, is an inspiring essay on how passion and commitment can lay the foundation for a game that endures. The section Gary Player on Fitness is a highly recommended read. Nobody says it better than the legend himself. Player goes on to describe specific exercises covering: legs, abdominals, lower back and hands-wrists-and-arms. These exercises are great for anybody, but senior golfers should play special attention

Camillo Villegas
Camillo cites Gary Player as his early sports hero. This is very fitting as he expands on his own fitness philosopy in the February 2011 issue of Golf Magazine. At 29 years old, Villegas has built his great physique form "...a 138-pound wisp" that showed up in the Florida Gator locker room at 12 percent body fat, by adding 25 pounds of muscle and body fat of 4.5 percent in just 4 years.

Motivation is not Villegas' problem. He works out every day, tournament or not. On non-event days, he is up at 6:00a.m. for 2 hours in his home gym, or sometimes alternating this with time on his road bike. He is an avid marathon bike racer, having won 4 of the 6 100-kilometer races he has entered. The problem, say his trainer, is getting Villegas NOT to overtrain. His work level caused him to fatigue later in the 2010 season, so he has stated that too much of anything can get in the way of his goals. Balance is the focus this year. In the last 10 years, Villegas says his longest period without working out has been 7 days. His fitness philosoph is stencilled on the wall of the home gym: Sacrifice or Regret...You Choose!. As with Gary Player, Camillo realized with his small stature and a dream of maintaining his PGA Tour card, he would have to work on his fitness to compete with modern fields at pro tournaments. He says, though his approach seems, "...obsessive or ritualistic. "It's not a program or a regimen. It's a lifestyle."

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Eligibility Changes
The U.S. Open in 2011 will be played June 16-19 at Congressional GC in Washington DC. This year, USGA officials are toughening eligibility criteria in a number of ways:

1. players ranked in the top 6o in the World on May 23 and June 13 before the championship will be eligible. Last year, eligibility depended on whether players were top 30 on the money list and top 15 on the European money list. Now, money list levels no longer apply.
2. players in the top 10 and ties from the 2010 US Open are exempt -- before, rankings in the top 15 and ties were accepted
3. winner of the Players Championship will be exempt for 3 years -- previously the exemption was for 1 year
4. players with multiple wins on tour within a 12-month period between Opens will not receive exemptions into the US Open in 2012,
5. the top 2 players on the Australasian and Japanese tours were eligible as long as they were ranked in the top 75 in the World. For 2012, this exemption will no longer apply.

Changes 1 and 2 apply in 2011, 3, 4 and 5 come into effect in 2012.

The increased emphasis on World Rankings (at least for 2011) appears to favour European and/or non-PGA Tour players. Though the PGA Tour retains exemptions for those of its members in the final 30 of the FedEx Cup, rankings will increase access possibilities for non-North American players. Competitively the move is intended to retain the democratic nature of the field -- over half the field must enter via qualification, the most of any major -- and keep the quality of the field on as high a level as possible.

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Other News bits of interest:

• Globe and Mail reports that former Canadian PGA Tour pro, Jim Nelford has been hired as Director of Academy Experiences for Clublink Corp, a major owner/operator of golf courses and resorts in Eastern Canada.

• Phil Mickelson's swing trainer, Sean Cochran, recommends the following drill to help improve the rotational power of your swing.

• Golf Digest has annouced that David Fay, former head of the USGA has joined the magazine as a monthly columnist. Beginning with the April 2011 issue, Fay will weigh in on golf issues and events.

• Odyssey (part of Callaway Golf) has announced a new alignment aid for its putters, theDirection and Realignment Technology (D.A.R.T.) utilizes a spearhead-like design on the putterhead to make lining up with your target easier when addressing the ball. The basis of the design is the Gestalt Effect, which originated in the 1800s and theorizes that the senses are, .." able to visually create whole forms rather than just a collection of simple lines and curves." The DART design employs a design which enables refined alignment and,.." helps golfers make more putts."

• Barry Sharpe, well-known and well-liked editor of BC Golf News is undergoing rehab at Vancouver General Hospital. In early December, Barry underwent quintuple coronary heart bypass surgery. BCGN expects to return to full operation on Barry's recovery and with a renovated format to the site coming soon. All the best, Barry!

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