-
-
POWWWWWWWWWWWW!
- by14STIX on5th October, 2009 inBlog
-
I had almost completely forgotten about Jack Hamm, legendary long-drive champion and Martina Navratalova hair-twin. I remember watching infomercials for the Air Hammer Driver as a kid but I don't think I ever fully appreciated them for their true comic value. It's sort of like how Top Gun was originally a drama but is now clearly a comedy, despite where Blockbuster and NetFlix have them categorized.
I caught Hamm's new infomercial for his Hammer X-Driver on the Golf Channel the other day and the memories just came flooding back faster than Goose could eject from a F-16 caught in Iceman's jetwash. As G4TV cleverly points out, the Hammer X appears to be activated by visceral screams of POWWWW!, BOOOOOOM!, and ARRRRRRRRRRGH! (what, is thing designed for pirates?).
Enjoy the vids and remember, screaming adds 50 yards to your drives.
Want to win free gear from 14 STIX? Send us a video of your best Jack Hamm impression. You could win something cool, but probably not as cool as an autographed 8"X10" of Jack.
*By submitting your photo/video you are giving 14STIX.com an unlimited, free license to use the photo(s)/video(s) in any media for any purpose. Photos/videos may be used in 14STIX.com marketing and advertising campaigns, may be posted on 14STIX.com, or any affiliated web sites, or may be filed for future use. There is no direct paid or unpaid compensation for photos/videos. You will be identified in a credited byline or watermark on any published photos/videos.
-
-
-
Green Man Strikes at The Buick Open
- by14STIX on5th August, 2009 inBlog
-
Tiger Woods won the Buick Open on Sunday, turning in a relatively pedestrian (for him) final round 69 for his 69th career victory. The Buickiswas known for having some of the rowdiest and most vocal fans on Tour, but apparently some are also classically trained dancers - or maybe just fans of the best show on TV, FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Either way, if Green Man makes an appearance on Tour you can bet that I'll be writing about it. Oh, and if you're in the market for your own Green Man suit you can get one here. I hear that the ladies love a man in full-body neon green Lycra.
[Video Courtesy of Stealing Happy Hours]
[Hat Tip to Deadspin for the pic]
-
-
-
Pre-Pre-Round Routine - You Got One?
- by14STIX on26th June, 2009 inBlog
-
I'm convinced that tension is the single biggest culprit in bad golf. It's awfully hard to make a fluid, athletic swing if you're rigid, nervous, knotted ball of tension.
A relaxed rhythm or tempo in the swing is the key to hitting solid shots and I'm a firm believer that having a pre-pre-round routine (yes, two pre's) produces tremendously positive results on the golf course, especially before tournaments but even just meaningful rounds at your club or local public track. I'm talking about how you prepare yourself before your car is parked at the golf course.
There are three main components to my pre-pre-round routine: positive thoughts, stretching and, most importantly, music.
From the minute I wake up on the day of a tournament I immediately begin thinking about hitting good golf shots, making putts and picturing positive outcomes. I don't think about scores, per se, but I try to conjure up the good feelings and emotions that come along with them. It helps get my mind framed up in a positive way so that when adversity happens on the course I'm able to forget about the problem and focus on the positive - the next good shot.
I also make sure to get a good stretch in just before I get in the car to head to the course. I like to feel warm before I get to the range so I can focus on hitting shots with good tempo and not worrying about loosening up stiff muscles. I use a broomstick or dowel to stretch my shoulders, back and arms and then stretch out my hips and legs. The last thing I do is make 10-15 swings with a weighted club to really focus on the muscles used in the swing.
The best part of the pre-pre-round routine is the drive to the course. I've got an iPod wired into my car and I listen to a bunch of different stuff - right now stuff like Sex On Fire by Kings Of Leon, Hammer Bros. by The Cool Kids, Scenario by A Tribe Called Quest, and 3:16 by Murs - but I always (at least for the past 3 seasons) I listen to the same song right before I get out of the car: Staring at the Sun by TV On The Radio (that's them up there). I don't know what it is about it, but the song gets me ready to play. Check it out.
So, do you have a pre-pre-round routine? Got a playlist? Let us know what's on your mix.
-
-
-
Meet The PGA Tour's New Pace of Play Official
- by14STIX on25th June, 2009 inBlog
-
Meet Edwin Dailey, the PGA Tour's enforcer for pace of play. When aksed by Tour officials during his job interview about his stance on slow play, Mr. Dailey indicated that he feels a "moral obliagtion to destroy" those players bottlenecking play on the course and that the Tour's one-stroke penalty is not severe enough punishment for slow pokes.
The Tour first caught wind of Mr. Dailey following his arrest on Monday for pulling a gun on three golfers at a local Austin muni. Dailey was irritated by the slow play of the group in front of him and was peeved by the way they were improperly parking their cart. He argued with the group on the 9th hole and continued to do so throughout the rest of the round. But matters escalated after the round in the parking lot.
"Dailey reignited the confrontation and told the three men to stay away from him because he felt threatened.
After a verbal exchange, Dailey pulled out a .25-caliber Browning handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets and pointed it at Nader, the affidavit said. The three men took cover behind cars, fearing for their lives, the affidavit said. Dailey then concealed the gun and went back to the clubhouse while the men called 911, the affidavit said.
He later returned while they were on the phone and said, "If I feel threatened, I am morally obligated to destroy you," according to the affidavit."
Speed it up Ben Crane. Edwin Dailey has you on the clock...
Man, 73, accused of aiming pistol at slower golfers [Austin American-Statesman, via Deadspin]
-
-
-
U.S. Open Preview - Groups To Watch
- by14STIX on17th June, 2009 inBlog
-
Sorry for the lack of posts around here lately. With the U.S. Open starting tomorrow I figured I had to at least get something up - after all it is a major and our National Championship. So, let's take a look at some of the more interesting pairings for Thursday&Friday:
Group #5 - 7:44 AM - Vijay Singh, Jeev Milkha Singh, KJ Choi
Group #21 - 8:17 AM - Andres Romero, Eduardo Romero, Miguel Angel Jiminez
Ha! We put two guys named Singh and two guys name Romero together and they're not even brothers! Good one, USGA. Actually, the first group is one of the more talented pairings. Vijay is the only major winner in the group, but the Jeev and KJ are as steady as they come. Both have games very well suited for U.S. Open conditions. Don't be surprised if Vijay finishes behind these two on Sunday.
Group #7 - 8:06 AM - Padraig Harrington, Angel Cabrera, Tiger Woods
These three players combined have won 7 of the past 8 majors going back to 2007. Harrington winning the 2007&2008 British and the 2008 PGA, Cabrera with the 2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters, and Woods with the 2007 PGA and 2008 U.S. Open. 99.9% of the attention will be on Woods as he defends his title, but that also means a big spotlight on the group. Paddy and Cabrera are both battle tested enough to handle it - but this is still Tiger's tournament to lose.
Group #19 - 7:55 AM - Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk, Paul Casey
Another group of really solid Open contenders. Ogilvy and Furyk are both open winners and given Ogilvy's hot start to '09 and Furyk's track record in the Open - both figure to be in the mix on Sunday. Casey has had a breakout year - getting his first win on U.S. soil and backing it up with a win at the European Tour's BMW PGA Championship.
Group #31 - 1:14 PM - JB Holmes, Alvaro Quiros, Nick Watney
This is probably the longest hitting group in the field. It'll be interesting to see if their bomb-it-and-go-find-it approach gives them a big advantage on one of the longest courses in Open history (7,445, Par 70).
Group #32 - 1:25 PM - Sergio Garcia, Camillo Villegas, Adam Scott
Subtle. Very Subtle, USGA. Putting all the man-candy in one group. If you're at the Open and wondering where all the ladies went, start looking for group#32. Sergio is newly single and coming off a major victory, Adam Scott has been linked with Kate Hudson, and Camillo and his beach muscles are always a female fave. If you hear 'GET IN THE HOLE!' shouted from this group's gallery, expect that it might have a slightly different connotation than it typically does.Group #40 - 1:36 PM - Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Phil MickelsonThis group will probably receive more fan support than any other. Phil was the fan-favorite when the Open was last at Bethpage so expect more of the same given the battle the he and wife Amy are facing in her fight to beat breast cancer. The fans also love the Big Easy and the Goose and as former Open Champions maybe they'll be able to use the positive energy to inspire something special this weekend.Group #41 - 1:36 PM - Rocco Mediate, Kenny Perry, Tom LehmanAs much as the Sergio/Camillo/Scott group was geared toward the female crowd, Group #41, with a combined age of 146 years has got to be an appeal to the Cialis/Flomax set. Last year's almost-Tiger-killer, Rocco Mediate, probably won't be able to duplicate the dramatics of last year, but he will no doubt put on a great show for the fans. Kenny Perry has had a great year and is looking for a little redemption for the one that got away at Augusta, and Lehman won in his first event on the Champions Tour.
-
-
-
Does TW Need a W at The Memorial?
- by14STIX on3rd June, 2009 inBlog
-
Here's an interesting stat about Tiger Woods that I picked up from Shane Bacon at Fanhouse via Waggle Room. In the years where Tiger has won the U.S. Open (2000, 2002, 2008) he has never won when entering the event with less than two victories.
As it stands now, Tiger has one win (and five top 10's in six events) this season, so according to Shane he'd better be shaking Jack's hand on Sunday if he wants a shot at the Open at Bethpage. Fortunately, Tiger has won the Memorial three times (1999, 2000, 2001) so he should feel pretty good about his chances, but another 3-time Memorial winner, Kenny Perry (1991, 2003, 2008), is playing good golf this year and is probably looking for a litle redemption after letting the Green Jacket slip off his shoulders in April.
But does Tiger need to win this week? Not really. The 'two-win' stat is a little misleading Tiger has more than one win heading into the week of the Open every year he has been a professional on the PGA Tour except for 1998 and 2004. That means he's had at least two wins heading into 10 of the 12 U.S. Opens he's played as a pro ('97, '99-'03, '05-'08). If anything the more intriguing stat is that Tiger has only won the Open three times in the ten years where he has two or more wins heading into that week.
A win a the Memorial would help pull the finger off the 'will-Tiger-ever-win-again?' media panic button, but even if he doesn't he'll still be the odds-on favorite to win at Bethpage. The guy thrives when the odds are stacked against him (see U.S. Open - 2008) so expect a very determined Woods in two weeks whether he wins this week or not.
-
-
-
In The Bag: Steve Stricker - Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
- by14STIX on2nd June, 2009 inBlog
-
(Martin/Getty Images)
A win on the PGA Tour is a win even if it comes arrives gift-wrapped on your doorstep. Yes, Steve Stricker donned the plaid jacket (Seriously, why do tournaments insist on making their champions look like used carpet salesmen circa 1970? Don Cherry and Craig Sager think that jacket is ugly) and hoisted the trophy but it was Tim Clark that should have been swaddled in polyester. The 33-year-old South African bogeyed the 72nd hole to force a three-way sudden death playoff with Stricker and Steve Marino and then missed a straight-up-the-gut 7-footer to win on the first playoff hole. Stricker froze his approach on the second playoff hole to 3 feet and watched as Clark nearly knocked down the flagstick with his approach only to watch it cruely caromb off and roll some 20 feet away. Clark missed. Stricker made. And the engraver had put in a little extra effor to change T - I - M to S - T - E.
"I can't take anything positive from today," Clark said. "I have a lot of work to do when it comes to closing out golf tournaments."
Well, at least he's not taking the loss very hard. But the pain is understandable. Clark has won more than $13 million in the U.S., owns four wins on foreign tours and has finished top-three at the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA - and you guessed it - 0 wins on the PGA Tour.
Ryan Ballangee over at Waggle Room had and interesting recap on the event - pondering whether or not 'being there' before matters much on the Tour. Seeing that the eventual winner was the only player with a PGA tour win I'd have to lean towards yes, being there before does matter but not nearly as much as putting what was learned from the experience into practice. Let's hope Tim Clark (and Steve Marino) were paying attention.
Here's a look at the tools Steve Stricker used to win the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial"
Driver: Titleist 909D3 (8.5 degrees; UST Mamiya Proforce V2 86-gram shaft)
Fairway Wood: Titleist 906F2 3-wood (13 degrees; UST Mamiya Proforce V2 96-gram shaft)
Hybrid: Titleist 585.H (17 degrees; Fujikura Hybrid Speeder 904 shaft)
Irons (3-PW): Titleist 755
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (54 and 60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot #2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Footwear: FootJoy SYNR-G™ (Champ spikes)
-
-
-
Sergio Garcia Wins A Major
- by14STIX on29th May, 2009 inBlog
-
You can remove Sergio's name from the "Best Player without a Major" list after his landslide victory in becoming Fairfax High School's Prom Queen. Yes, Queen.
"I felt invincible," Garcia said in a press conference after the victory. "I think that this is just the first of many big wins."
The win came as somewhat of a surprise after his stunning loss to Morgan-Leigh Norman about 10 weeks ago. Said Garcia of the loss, "It hurt...It took me a while to get over it....Do I still think of [it] all the time? No. It is pretty much back in the past [especially] now."
No word on whether the newly crowned Garcia will be in the field at next week's Miss Teen West-Covina Classic.
[via Hugging Harold Reynolds]
-
-
-
Win Free Stuff from 14 STIX & MyGolfSpy.com
- by14STIX on21st May, 2009 inBlog
-
Chances are if you spend time here at 14 STIX you like getting great deals on golf gear, so when the folks at MyGolfSpy.com told us about their idea for the 'mother-of-all-golf-giveaways' we knew we wanted to be a part of it and share it with our faithful followers. "The Most Insane GOLF Blog Contest Ever!" is your chance to win a part of the $10,000 in prizes they are giving away. As part of the contest, 14 STIX is hooking one lucky winner up with an shirt and pair of shorts from travis Mathew clothing and a dozen TaylorMade TP golf balls with the number 14 and 14 STIX logo. All you have to do is go to MyGolfSpy.com and enter.
The contest ends June 1st, 2009 so go check it out NOW! Entering involves two simple steps:- Provide MyGolfSpy.com your name and email address.
- Give them your best ideas for the new slogan for MyGolfSpy.com in 10 words or less.
(Maximum of 5 total entries. One entry per-day.)
-
-
-
In The Bag: Zach Johnson - 2009 Valero Texas Open
- by14STIX on20th May, 2009 inBlog
-
AP Photo/Eric Grey
I'm a little late with this weeks In The Bag post but that isn't an indication of my opinion of this week's winner, Zach Johnson. No, in fact Zach is generally one of my favorite players to watch each week. He's always reminded me of a modern day Corey Pavin. Like Corey, Zach has a funky swing, favors finesse over power, chips and putts beautifully and is a gritty competitor that is typically unflappable under pressure. Just about everyone on Tour hits it long these days so I find it refreshing that a player like Zach finds ways to win consistently (six times in his career with three wins in the last seven months) and post some ridiculously low rounds (he's the only player on Tour to record two rounds of 60). In fact, Zach's consistency is exactly why he finds himself on top of the Fed Ex Cup points list, 3rd on the PGA Tour's 2009 money list and 19th in the World Golf Rankings.
Here's a look at the tools Zach used to win the 2009 Valero Texas Open:Driver: Titleist 909D2 (8.5 degrees; Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 73 shaft)
Fairway Woods: Titleist 909F2 3-wood (13.5 degrees); Titleist 909F2 5-wood (18.5 degrees)
Hybrid: Titleist 909H (21 degrees)
Irons (4-9): Titleist AP2
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (48 and 54 degrees); Titleist Vokey Spin Milled (60 degrees)
Putter: SeeMore FGP Stainless
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Footwear: FootJoy Synr-G (Champ spikes)
Glove: FootJoy SciFlex
Apparel: Dunning
-
© 14 STIX GOLF 2008.
