Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Law and the Game of Golf: The Warning Shout of FORE and Personal Injury Liability while playing the Game of Golf in New York State

Michael Virtanen of the AP has a write-up of a story about personal injury liability while playing golf in New York State at Top NY court upholds dismissal of golf 'Fore' suit.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Golf: A Changing of the Guard

What a terrific article on pro golf and professional golfers by Sally Jenkins at the Washington Post: see Golf is undergoing a changing of the guard, to the young and bold.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

EQUIPMENT | In The Open Bag: Louis Oosthuizen | golf.de

The German golf site golf.de tells us what British Open champion Oosthuizen had in his bag for his amazing victory, with Project X X6B7 shafts on the woods and new Ping S56 irons, played for the first time in this tournament. See the clubs and the commentary thereto (in German) at EQUIPMENT | In The Open Bag: Louis Oosthuizen | golf.de: (below we have inserted English translations of the German terms used at golf.de)
"* Driver: Ping 'Rapture V2' (9 [degrees]; [shaft]: True Temper 'Project X X6B7')
* Fairway [woods]: Nike 'SQ Sumo' [woods and] 5 (13 und 19 [degrees]; [shafts]: True Temper 'Project X X6B7')
* [irons] (3-9): Ping 'S56' ( [shafts]: True Temper 'Dynamic Gold X-100')
* Wedges: Ping 'Tour S' Rustique (47, 54 und 60 [degrees]; [shafts]: True Temper 'Dynamic Gold X-100')
* Putter: Ping 'Redwood Anser'
* Ball: Titleist 'Pro V1x'
* [shoes]: FootJoy 'Icon'
* [golf glove]: FootJoy 'SciFlex'"

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

World's Best Golf Resorts at Condé Nast Traveler via Via Michelin

Via Michelin Travel refers to the June 2010 Condé Nast Traveler magazine Fourteenth Readers' Choice Survey of best golf resorts in the world.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Golf Carts Take to the Streets : Prior Art in Lincoln, Nebraska nearly 50 years ago

This AP report hit the news stands yesterday: The Associated Press: Golf carts all the rage in Lyons, Colo..

One of the amazing things about life is how slow the American public has been to get the energy message. It is now 2010 and golf carts are only now taking to the streets?

In Lincoln, Nebraska at the time that I went to high school (1961-1964), my father, Arvids Kaulins, built an electric golf cart which ran on car batteries and we drove it on the streets regularly. In fact, my father often drove it to work and back (about 20 blocks each way on residential streets) -- and on some of those days I thus got to drive our 1957 Cadillac to school, which of course was a great thrill. The Caddy was of course an immense gas guzzler, but it was set off by the minimal energy used by the golf cart.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Louis Oosthuizen, Gary Player, The British Open Championship and Letters From St. Andrews Blog - ESPN

Letters From St. Andrews Blog - ESPN features a great golf writing from Wright Thompson about Gary Player, Louis Oosthuizen and the British Open Championship, among other things:
"Gary Player remembers ... how one Sunday afternoon can change everything.

'It's the biggest day of his life,' he says. 'Biggest day he'll ever have.'"
Read it all.

British Open Live Coverage: Round 4 Blog with Farrell Evans - Press Tent

British Open Live Coverage: Round 4 Blog with Farrell Evans - Press Tent: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Steady Oosthuizen still in charge after three rounds at British Open - Game On!: Covering the Latest Sports News

Steady Oosthuizen still in charge after three rounds at British Open - Game On!: Covering the Latest Sports News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Louis Oosthuizen - A Star is Born? at the 2010 British Open: How Could this Happen? What Clubs Does He Have in His Golf Bag? Project X?

Is the virtually unknown golfer Louis Oosthuizen (pronouced Lou-ee Wuhst-hy-zen) going to win this year's British Open (the British call it "The Open Championship")?

The guy has a great golf swing -- see the video:





He has also greatly improved his attitude about golf and life, which is probably the most important change. See pga.com.

Does Oosthuizen's sudden emergence also have anything to do with the clubs in his golf bag?
Being a bit of a golfer myself, I thought I would check out what I could find online.

After the third round of The Open Championship, Oosthuizen has produced both the most accurate iron play and most accurate driving in the entire field, judging by the stats published at the official website of The Open Championship, where Louis has thus far hit 47 of 54 greens (87 %) and 42 of 48 fairways (87 %) on an average driving distance of 319.33 yards! This has put him far ahead of the rest of the field statistically and he goes into the last round now at 15 under par, holding a 4-stroke lead on 2nd placed Paul Casey and a 7-stroke lead on 3rd-placed Martin Kaymer. A great swing is one thing, but such accuracy is another.

Even if he does not win tomorrow, he has the golf world buzzing. How has he done it?

So what does Oosthuizen have in his bag? This is not an ad, just our curiousity.

According to
My Bag: Louis Oosthuizen at the 2010 British Open - The Shop Blog
Louis has new Royal Precision Project X shafts on his Ping Rapture V2 9° driver and his Nike SQ II fairway woods (13° and 19°).

It is not fully clear however whether he is playing that same precise Project X shaft in the British Open.

He also allegedly plays Ping S56 irons (3 through 9) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts.

I have Grafalloy Epic and Prolite shafts on my clubs -- Grafalloy is a sister company of Royal Precision -- and I hit the ball as far as anyone, but I also spray my drives all over the golf course. I need more precision. Hey, if Royal Precision wants to send me a 460cc driver with the same shaft that Ooostuizen is using - 1 inch longer than normal length,  I will try it out and report on my success here. Just a thought to that company.

Obviously, Louis can play golf ... extremely well. Now we have to see if his nerves hold up tomorrow and if he can maintain his attitude of having fun - and winning. That is the key. Play to win and have fun. We will see.

ForeGolf named GCA World Clubmaker of the Year « ForeGolf Blog

Already earlier this year 2010...

ForeGolf named GCA World Clubmaker of the Year « ForeGolf Blog
"Derek Murray of ForeGolf, Naas, Co Kildare has been named 2010 World Clubmaker of the Year by the Golf Clubmakers Association, the first time the award has left the USA since it began 20 years ago."

A Golf Blog That is a Must to Visit: The ForeGolf Blog

The ForeGolf Blog is a must visit for golfers. The postings about new golf equipment developments and golf custom fitting are outstanding.

Oosthuizen Makes a Name for Himself at the British Open - NYTimes.com

Oosthuizen Makes a Name for Himself at the British Open - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Titleist.com - News: News

Titleist.com - News: News

Jury finds Callaway Golf Ball Patents Invalid for Obviousness in Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Acushnet, the maker of Titleist Golf Balls

We are a bit late in our comment, but we are dealing here with a patent decision that truly matters - the jury invalidation for obviousness of four Callaway patents on golf ball technology. All the world's golfers, especially the users of Titleist Pro VI golf balls, can breathe a sigh of relief.

Ever since the LawPundit began playing golf, which is more than 50 years ago, Titleist golf balls, as made by Acushnet (now a part of Fortune Brands), have led the golf ball market. As written at the Wikipedia under Titleist:
"The Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x are the most used golf balls on the PGA Tour, European Tour, Japanese Tour, LPGA Tour, Asian Tour, and Nationwide Tour.
First played in the U.S. Open in 1949, Titleist golf balls are the top-selling golf balls in the United States.[1]"
So what was the Callaway patent claim? The Wikipedia tells the story:
"The [Titleist] Pro V1 made its debut on the PGA Tour at Las Vegas on October 11, 2000, the first week it was available to the pros. A longtime Titleist user, Billy Andrade, won that first tournament with the new ball. The Pro V1 was available to the public by December. The Pro V1 was a dramatic departure for Titleist, which had traditionally used a wound-ball construction (with a liquid-filled core center) for its top-of-the-line golf balls
In December 2007, Titleist lost a patent infringement suit brought by Callaway.[1] The following November, Callaway won an injunction in a Delaware court, ruling that sales of the Pro V1 golf balls should be stopped from January 1, 2009, with professionals being able to continue with their use until the end of the year. Acushnet immediately announced that they would be appealing against the decision.[2] Titleist has redesigned the Pro-V1 with a more durable shell and other minor changes that saved the acclaimed performance but differentiated the ball enough to continue distributing the ball without a concern of patent infringement. However, on August 14, 2009, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated the judgment against Titleist and ordered a new trial.[3]"
See the Jolt Digest and the Slip Opinion in Callaway Golf Co. v. Acushnet Co., 2009-1076 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 14, 2009).

The jury in the subsequent trial in the case Callaway Golf Co. v. Acushnet Co., 06cv91 (SLR), U.S. District Court, Delaware (Wilmington) determined that the four patents in question -- 6,210,293, 6,503,156, 6,506,130 and 6,595,873 -- were obvious.

As written at the Los Angeles Times by Nathan Olivarez-Giles:
"Callaway had patented the use of multiple layers of different materials inside its golf balls, which Titleist contended was an obvious approach to construction."
The court order that Callaway had initially obtained against Acushnet to stop it from selling Titleist VI golf balls can now be ignored.

One thing is sure after this legal case - we will NEVER buy a Callaway product again. The place for golf ball manufacturers to win or lose customers is on the golf course, on the pro golf tours, in the golf pro shops and golf stores -- but not in patent court. This is especially true since the unnecessarily strict regulations of golf's ruling bodies on golf clubs and golf ball specifications make any real innovation in golf ball design unlikely. The balls must meet certain standards and limitations, so, beyond changing the number, size, shape and depth of dimples and playing around with the surface and interior layers, what's to invent? The "window of invention" allowed in golf has been rendered very small by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.  Any really significant innovational change would make golf balls non-conforming.

Hat tip to IP-Contingency-Lawyer.com at Court rules Callaway Golf patents invalid in patent infringement lawsuit against Acushnet.

Crossposted from LawPundit.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Tiger Woods withdraws from the Players Championship due to Pain from a possible Bulging Disk in his Back: Is his Current Golf Swing at Fault?

The Associated Press (AP) headlines that Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Players Championship due to what might be a bulging disk in his back.

Could it be that Johnny Miller has it right that Woods should go back to his old swing of a decade ago? Or should he revamp his swing altogether?

Perhaps the current swing puts too much strain on his back.

Speaking for myself as a long hitter whose length of drives still rivals those of the pros, as I have gotten older (I am 63 now and was men's champion at my golf club at 61 3/4 years of age) I have had to change my swing in the course of time to reduce the pressure exerted on the back by the superfast rotation required to get the high club speed needed for superlong distance.

There are some tricks to do this but I am not divulging them here.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Rory McIlroy Shoots a Closing 62 to Win 1st PGA Tournament

Rory McIlroy became the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win a PGA Tournament by shooting a closing 62 to beat Phil Mickelson.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Woods First News Conference at the Masters in Augusta Georgia

Ron Kroichick at the San Francisco Chronicle SFGate writes about Tiger Woods at his first news conference of th Masters tournament week at Augusta, Georgia.

Woods offers apologies, injury details; explains relationship with doctor

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Golf Shaft Reviews | Golf Gear Select

A very useful website for the selection of golf equipment is golfgearselect.com:
Golf Shaft Reviews | Golf Gear Select

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Walking Golfer – Driver Shaft Comparison

This article proved useful to me in my research about getting the right shaft for my driver:

The Walking Golfer – Driver Shaft Comparison

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Go, Go, Golfers: Car of the Year 2010 : Garia? Mercedes Audi Aston Martin Lamborghini Bentley Land Rover Jaguar Porsche Shelby Allard Aileron BMW

The current issue of the Robb Report is a feast for car drivers not only with its Car of the Year 2010 competition - plus its unrivaled Car of the Decade - but also because of additional photographic feature reports on the long-awaited Lexus LFA, Maserati and, for the golfers of this world, the incomparable Go, Go, Garia:
"The Danish-designed Garia Golf Car (www.garia.com) ... is the first golf cart manufactured in an automotive facility—the same Finnish factory where the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are built. Notable features on the cart include handstitched weather-resistant seats and a roof-mounted air scoop that channels fresh air into the cabin. Priced from $17,500, the Garia comes in three standard colors (cream, white, and red) but includes custom painting—along with bucket seats and an onboard mini-fridge—among its many options."
You know what. The Garia is OUR choice for Car of the Year 2010. Why don't we all drive more of these around town and less so the gas-guzzling giants which are essentially road machines not well-suited for city driving?

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

"Braking" Golf News: Modern Golf is Being Destroyed by USGA and R&A : Now Grooves on Irons Being "Rolled Back" : Absurd!

For someone who yearns to play golf the way the game was played in days of yore, there is the laudable Hickory Tour of the Hickory Golfers, where players play tournaments with hickory-shafted clubs and otherwise bask in golf nostalgia. Nothing wrong with that.

But holding back the development of the game of golf - which has otherwise been keeping pace with technological development - is idiotic, and in recent years, that is precisely what golf's ruling bodies, the USGA and the R&A have been doing, neither preserving the "original" game of golf nor permitting the modern game to develop naturally. These "brakers" on the game of golf are in our view nothing more than people overimpressed with their own importance.

We love the game of golf - but by no means its ruling bodies - and recently posted our opinion about the new "grooves rules" in golf - which make a laughing-stock of the sport, requiring irons used by the pros to be individually measured to make sure they abide by arbitrary stuffed-shirt specifications effective starting this year 2010, but exempting recreational golfers, who will be bound by the new rules only starting in the year 2024. The whole thing is absurd and is intended by some self-appointed "golf gods" to make it more difficult for pros - and in 14 years also the amateurs - to impart spin on a ball when it is in the rough. Hah! Why not have the pros use a "rake" to strike the ball if it is out of the fairway - that will send the scores up.

We have no idea who these idiotic new equipment rules are intended to serve. Fans want to see birdies and eagles by the pros and not bogeys and double-bogeys - they see enough of that in their own game. If we read the USGA correctly, they are telling us that the pro golfers are getting to be too good and that they are starting to impose artificial impediments to keep those scores higher. How stupid is that!!

We are NOT fans of the current USGA nor of the European R&A. Both of these bodies are outdated, anachronistic throwbacks to an age long gone by and they have outlived their usefulness. Moreover, they have gotten to be far too big for their knickerbockers. Golf does not need them and would get along better without them. I can not think of a single instance in my golf life where they were useful for anything. A simple rule book - the USGA and the R&A now produce the "Rules of Golf" - can be produced by high-school students and calculating golf handicaps is child's play in the computer age.

The manner in which these bodies are increasingly meddling in golf club construction in recent years is a case in point, now even outlawing both new and 20-year old clubs because of the type of grooves on the clubface. In our view, this is simply insanity personified, as Phil Mickelson is quoted as saying:

Grooves problem resolved after Ping waives legal rights | Reuters
"'It's cost manufacturers millions of dollars. It continues to cost them money as we now have to hire people to scan, document and store data of every groove on every single club.'"
One way for Tiger Woods to get back on the positive side of fans like me would be to team up with Phil Mickelson, opt out of the idiotic USGA and R&A and their stuffed-shirt leadership and paternalistic nostalgia, and start up a new MODERN golf association permitting golf club and golf course construction according to the state of the art of current technology.

This leaves everyone at the USGA and the R&A to join the Hickory Golfers, who can straighten them out as to what the game of golf "used to look like".

Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Golf Perfect Software

I was reading about this The Golf Perfect Software: "The Golf Perfect Complete Golf Clubmakers Business Kit™". #

Does anyone out there have any experience with this kit? If so please send us comments. Thankx.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Golf Site to Check Out : GolfWRX.com

Golf Site to Check Out: GolfWRX.com

Also has a good forum.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

O'Meara feels 'let down' by Woods - Golf, Sport - The Independent

O'Meara feels 'let down' by Woods - Golf, Sport - The Independent
by James Corrigan
"Even Tiger Woods' best golfing buddy has not yet spoken to him. Mark O'Meara admitted last night that not only have all his calls gone unreturned but also that he was disappointed with the world No 1."

Golfers and Golf Equipment at Golfbidder - Specialist in Buying and Selling Used Golf Clubs or Exchanging Old Clubs for New

We generally do not buy used golf clubs, but we have in the past made an exception for putters, and at Golfbidder one can also buy new clubs - drivers, fairway woods, iron sets, wedges, putters and hybrids - and get money for old clubs in exchange.

Who is Golfbidder?

About Golfbidder writes:

"Based in South-West London ... We are now one of the busiest online golf retailers in Europe....

Every club you see on the site is here and ready for despatch at Golfbidder HQ.... All clubs come with a full 12 month warranty - and a 7 day no-quibble money-back guarantee....

You can buy online - or by phone if you prefer....

Although we do buy used clubs directly from the public, we source most of our stock from hundreds of golf club professionals around the UK.... Golfbidder is proud to have been appointed The Official Club Exchange of the PGA....

Golfbidder In Europe

France - www.golfbidder.com/fr

Spain - www.golfbidder.com/es

Germany - www.golfbidder.com/de

Denmark - www.golfbidder.com/da

The Netherlands - www.golfbidder.com/nl

Sweden - www.golfbidder.com/sv

This is not a paid ad, but merely an informational posting at GolfPundit.

Monday, February 01, 2010

Nearly 600,000 Registered Golfers and nearly 800 Golf Clubs in Germany : Source - DGV (German Golf Association)

Although some persons still continue to view golf as an "elitist" sport, especially in Germany, golf has grown dramatically in recent decades as a sport suitable for "everyman", so that the Deutscher Golf Verband (DGV, the German Golf Association at golf.de) grew 4.2% last year to a total of nearly 600,000 (exactly 599.328).

That kind of typically German accuracy in numbers is made possible by the fact that all members of all golf clubs in Germany are registed with the DGV and pay golf dues. Here is the DGV growth development by year, number of golf clubs and number of registered golfers:

Year...Number of Golf Clubs...Number of Golfers
(footnotes excluded - see the original list for those)

1907............8..........-
1914..........16..........-
1918..........10..........-
1922..........14..........-
1923..........18..........-
1924..........19..........-
1925..........21..........-
1926..........23..........-
1927..........23..........-
1928..........27..........-
1930..........35..........-
1931..........38..........-
1932..........45..........-
1933..........46..........-
1934..........54..........-
1935..........54..........-
1936..........56..........-
1937..........55..........-
1938..........55..........-
1939..........62..........-
1942..........56..........-
1946..........22..........-
1948..........30..........-
1949..........34..........-
1951..........39................2,700
1952..........38................3,400
1953..........41................4,000
1954..........41................4,100
1955..........47................5,000
1956..........50................5,500
1957..........51................6,300
1958..........54................7,000
1959..........58................7,800
1960..........62................9,200
1961..........65..............10,400
1962..........73..............11,200
1963..........74..............12,400
1964..........77..............13,500
1965..........84..............16,200
1966..........88..............17,300
1967..........88..............18,400
1968..........89..............19,200
1969..........97..............19,400
1970..........100............21,000
1971..........107............23,300
1972..........111............24,700
1973..........123............27,100
1974..........130............29,300
1975..........137............32,500
1976..........142....... ....36,382
1977..........148............39,172
1978..........153............42,301
1979..........155............46,161
1980..........160............49,211
1981..........167............52,222
1982..........180............56,889
1983..........197............62,917
1984..........206......... ..67,332
1985..........214............71,862
1986..........229............84,824
1987..........238............95,863
1988..........260..........109,207
1989..........293..........124,209
1990..........313..........141,885
1991..........336..........163,130
1992..........380..........184,713
1993..........407..........206,546
1994..........437..........225,001
1995..........472..........252,559
1996..........504..........272,830
1997..........546..........296,370
1998..........575..........318,284
1999..........601..........345,206
2000..........621..........370,490
2001..........642..........399,016
2002..........653..........428,076
2003..........670..........457,237
2004..........692..........483,172
2005..........712..........506,746
2006..........736..........527,427
2007..........748..........552,388
2008..........769..........575,176
2009..........782..........599,328


Friday, January 29, 2010

PGA.com :: Features :: Complete coverage of the new grooves policy

PGA.com :: Features :: Complete coverage of the new grooves policy

My opinion of the USGA and the Royal & Ancient Club in recent years is zero.

Last year I had to buy a new driver because mine was ruled ineligible at 464cc instead of 460cc on the one model they tested - they did not test MY club. I bought the driver at a reputable company who said it was conforming.

So the USGA cost me lots of money for nothing and they will be on my negative list for years to come. Nor do I have any guarantee that they may not outlaw everything in my bag. Who knows.

This new groove thing is just more of the same.

You can't hold back progress. Fools.

Next thing you know we will be playing with rubber balls like 100 years ago.

Are these golf ruling bodies composed of too many stuffed shirts overimpressed with their own importance. Who needs them? Not this golfer.

They should be replaced by a futuristic body with some actual contact to the real game of golf today.
The number of people playing golf in the USA, for example, is receding, and people like the USGA are directly responsible for that development.

Grow, or die. That's the rule of life.

USGA Launches New Rules Of Golf Application for iPhone and iPod Touch

USGA: 2010 Golf App News
"Far Hills, N.J. – The United States Golf Association has announced the launch of the official application for the 2010-2011 editions of “The Rules of Golf,” “Decisions on The Rules of Golf” and “Rules of Amateur Status” for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The Rules of Golf App is designed for golfers who want instant access to the official Rules and Decisions. With this application, which features simple navigation and a convenient word and phrase search function, users can quickly answer questions about every Rule, Definition and Decision.

Users can purchase and download the Rules of Golf App in the iTunes store for $3.99."
Looks like a great deal.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Feedback to Improve Your Putting by Karen Nicoletti Posted by Charlie King

Feedback to Improve Your Putting by Karen Nicoletti
Posted by Charlie King on Tue, Jan 20, 2009 @ 05:20 PM

"Tour Players don't make everything they look at. They focus on making a good stroke and having good speed control. I wanted to share some statistics from the PGA Tour that I found on-line. These statistics might surprise you and help you with your confidence.

Percentage of Putts Made by PGA Tour Professionals-

2ft 99%
3ft 91%
4ft 81%
5ft 70%
6ft 62%
7ft 54%
8ft 47%
9ft 43%
10-14 ft 31%
15-19 ft 19%
20-24 ft 14%
25 ft & greater 6%"

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