Who's Buying 'Timberlake's Guide to Golf'?

Who died and left Justin Timberlake as the executor of all of golf’s guiding principles?
Surely, even the meteoric Major tournament champ Payne Stewart would get his knickers in a bunch if he’d lived to hear that the modern world’s most famous alumnus of the Mickey Mouse club and the late ‘90s “boy band” phenomena is positioning himself to be golf’s next great ambassador.
According to splashy headlines from New York to New Delhi, is pursuing a book deal that would allow him to ruminate on the game he’s enjoyed since childhood. He would be following in the footsteps of the acid rocker/avid golfer Alice Cooper, who penned “Golf Monster: A Rock ’n’ Roller’s Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict” in 2008.
There must be dozens of serious PGA Tour players who are more equipped and qualified to write an instructive memoire than Timberlake. Who, after all, knew much if anything about the pop performer before his choreographed “wardrobe malfunction” with Janet Jackson at Super Bowl XXXVIII?
Other than the fact that he’s rich and famous, who really cares about where Timberlake has played and with whom over the years? This smacks of more evidence that the literary world too often defers to style over substance.
To Timberlake’s credit: He has managed to maintain a longtime relationship with the vivacious actress Jessica Biel. How he gets up and down in that arena would in all likelihood be a far more eye-opening read.

PUNCH DRUNK LOVE: Get ready to view the British Open in Style Saturday, July 18 as Fore!BlackGolfers and the Dantanna’s sports grille at Atlanta's CNN Center host the "Wales, Whisky and Woods" bash. It’s FREE to all guests who RSVP by contacting rsvp@mrpratl.com. (Tell ‘em Scott sent ya.)
In addition to FREE FOOD and FREE SCOTCH WHISKY TASTINGS, spectacular skyline views from the deck and assorted giveaways, guests will also be treated to a signature cocktail dedicated to the shot Tiger Woods will need most to drive the slim fairways at Turnberry and win his 15th career Major. We call it “Tiger Punch”.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to network, create foursomes and talk “smack”!
Stay tuned to Fore!BlackGolfers for more details.





Photos: flickr, golfdigest.com

Let Me Play Through...Or Else!

Chris Rock’s classic joke about the O.J. Simpson murder trial came quickly to mind when I read Friday’s United Press International report about a man sentenced to 21 months in jail for clubbing a golfer in the foursome playing ahead of him.
“I don’t condone it. But I understand.”
Anyone who’s had the misfortune of playing with me often knows that I’m as impatient as they come out on the course. To make matters worse, I play weekly at a 9-hole public course where the only rule, seemingly, is there are no rules. If you don’t tee off by 8 a.m. at Candler Park, you run the risk of getting stuck behind groups of five or six; hackers toting more six packs per player than golf bags. Types who can’t spell the first three letters of “Golf Etiquette”.
So part of me pities this guy Nicholas Shampine who, according to the UPI story, has a long stay in the King County (Wash.) jail ahead of him because of an argument over slow play. Only part of me: Shampine’s foursome was the one accused of playing too slow.
He was convicted of using a golf club to fracture the skull of a man who waged a verbal complaint that turned physical.
According to the prosecution, Shampine admitted that, “I though that my brother was in trouble and, you know, I just, I snapped.”
Talk about your good walks spoiled...
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE: Get ready to view the British Open in Style Saturday, July 18 as Fore!BlackGolfers and the Dantanna’s sports grille at Atlanta's CNN Center host the "Wales, Whisky and Woods" bash. It’s FREE to all guests who RSVP by contacting rsvp@mrpratl.com. (Tell ‘em Scott sent ya.)
In addition to FREE FOOD and FREE SCOTCH WHISKY TASTINGS, spectacular skyline views from the deck and assorted giveaways, guests will also be treated to a signature cocktail dedicated to the shot Tiger Woods will need most to drive the slim fairways at Turnberry and win his 15th career Major. We call it “Tiger Punch”.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to network, create foursomes and talk “smack”!
Stay tuned to Fore!BlackGolfers for more details.


Photos: Flickr (chrisjensenyeah, thelunch_box)

British Open: No 'Three-peat' for Harrington

Raise your hand if you think either Sergio Garcia or Padraig Harrington has a shadow of a chance of beating Tiger Woods at the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry, Scotland.
Okay…now put your money where your mouse is. All two of you.
Since Woods won his AT&T Challenge by one stroke over a “hard charging” Hunter Mahan, Las Vegas has changed the odds that he’ll win his 15th career Major. Tiger’s gone from a 9-to-4 favorite to the 2-to-1 pick.
Garcia, who continues to suffer similar putting woes to Vijay Singh’s, is considered a 20-1 pick according to golfodds.com. So is the bucktoothed prodigy, Rory McIlroy. The two-time reigning British Open champ Harrington has 30-to-1 odds against him.
In total, only nine players in the (7-to-2) field weigh in at less than 40-to-1.
The Ailsa course has recently been lengthened by 247 yards, but the fairway driving options are no less harrowing than they were during the previous Opens held there. The globe-trotting Woods, reportedly, has never set foot on the premises.
With all that (and much more to come) in mind, is anyone willing to bet against Tiger?

BRITISH OPEN VIEWING PARTY!: In the mood to watch the British Open with friends? Then stay tuned for Fore!BlackGolfers updates on an exclusive scotch-tasting event at downtown Atlanta's hottest steak-and-sports grill, Dantanna's. Exciting details coming shortly. Mark your calendars for noon-3 p.m. on Saturday, July 18.

British Open Could Smash Ratings Records!

The CBS television network now has Tiger Woods to thank for one of its biggest ratings boosts since the sudden death of Michael Jackson and the latest episode of "The Mentalist".
While Woods was having his way with "Nike nephew" Anthony Kim Sunday in the final pairing of the AT&T national, TV ratings spiked three times higher than they were last year when left knee surgery kept him from playing.
If I understand what Associated Press reports correctly, 11 percent of all the TVs turned on in America were tuned in to the man in the red shirt.
No doubt, the ad sales execs at ABC are salivating over the bonus money awaiting them after next week's broadcast of the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry.
It's a British Open course Tiger's never played before. And since his return from surgery, he's lost out on two-of-four chances to win a 15th career Major Championship this year.
Out on a limb? Tiger makes the cut at Turnberry; where his driving prowess will be tested to the max, but his sheer force of will will keep him in contention.
Which will make his play on Saturday (July 18, noon-3 p.m. on ABC) must-see viewing for anyone hoping he wins and wishing he didn't.
Stay tuned to Fore!BlackGolfers for news on the best British Open viewing party Atlanta has to offer on that fateful day...
Photo: YahooNews

Despite U.S. Open flop, Tiger feels "groovey"

How do you feel about the “imperial” decision that PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem made this week to outlaw U-shaped grooves on players’ golf irons, effective January 1, 2010?
Do you relish the spectacle of today’s top players having far more trouble spinning their balls from the rough onto the green than they ever did before?
Is it a given now that Tiger Woods will gain some sort of advantage on tour because he’s already accustomed to playing a softer Nike ball that tends to create more spin?
And does the “official” rules change which doesn’t apply to recreational golfers until 2020 convince you to make sure and (eventually) replace all your V-shaped groove irons with clubs that are PGA-compliant?
As an unflagging and unaffiliated Ping devotee: I toe the company line on this issue.
Ping chairman and CED John Solheim reported issued an 11th-hour plea to the PGA to at least stall the new groove standards for at least another year to allow players and manufacturers to better adjust. As a golfer who’s not even good enough to give much thought to the degree of spin I get out of my far-too-numerous shots from the rough, I tend to concur with the Golf Digest’s quoting of Ping pioneer Karsten Solheim, who “called U-grooves ‘a gift to golfers’.”
The face of golf, Tiger Woods, reportedly wore a Cheshire grin upon hearing about the ruling and told the press: “I think it’s great….we’ve had plenty of time to make our adjustments…I’ll have to make less adjustments than most.”
Granted, the PGA’s new equipment ruling should be kept in perspective. Bloomberg News cited a study that showed how casual golfers hit the green from 100-200 yards out less than 15 percent of the time, while elite players showed almost a 50-50 propensity for doing so.
As for me, there’ll be no rush to swap out my (Black Dot) Ping Zing irons. I just wonder how much, more or less, watching tour events will be next year when players have to increasingly alter their shots to match the courses they play.

Senate Says 'Sorry' for Slavery: Discuss!

Here ya go, Souljaboi! A sincere, U.S. Senate apology for the way your country literally and figuratively held your ancestors in bondage for centuries. (That fabled "forty acres and and a mule" promised back in 1865 to enlist blacks' assistance in winning the Civil War? STILL not included.)
Now, with an African-American serving as Commander in Chief, our legislative branch has reached tacit agreement that it's about time America admitted "my bad" to all those slavery/Jim Crow atrocities of the past and, for gosh sakes, let bygones be bygones.
The only caveat, as the New York Daily News quipped Thursday to many frothing bloggers' delight: "reparations" ain't coming.
Ponder that while you're waiting for the fairways at Bethpage Black to dry out enough so you can watch Tiger Woods compete for his 15th Major victory and another U.S. Open win. Better yet, talk that over while you're out on the links this weekend, striving to score your personal bests.
According to a UPI report, the resolution to apologize for all that brutally enforced servitude and segregation way back when included a carefully worded caveat. It "did not authorize or support claims against the United States and did not serve as any settlement against the United States."
Speaking for the Congressional Black Caucus, California representative Maxine Waters called the inclusion of a disclaimer against lawsuits, "unnecessary".
Besides: What would you do with a mule?

Photos: flickr,yahoo.com

The OTHER Black Guy at The U.S. Open

I, for one, have slept on the fact that there may actually be another person of the "negro" persuasion besides Tiger Woods who has the glimmer of a chance to win this year's U.S. Open.
Until three days ago when he gave Woods a respectable 9-hole workout at Bethpage Black, who knew anything about James Kamte?



In remote circles, Kamte (26) is known as "The Cobra", and he's reported to be the first true South African to represent at a major in 20 years. (Ernie Els and Gary "The Black Knight" Player don't count.)
Kamte doesn't have a glorious resume: just a handful of wins on the South African and Asian Tours. He qualified to play at Bethpage Black at the Sectionals in Columbus, Ohio.
What a way to encounter the pinnacle of American golf? And what better way for America's golf enthusiasts to discover him?

The "Daly Rules" Don't Apply to Every Golfer

If pro golf's bad boy, John Daly, can thumb his nose at the game's standards of decorum, why, you may ask, can't I?
Because you're not The Big Dog/The Lion or whatever nickname the loveable loser Daly (left, at the St. Jude Classic) answers to these days.
The one-time major tourney champ holds a wide segment of the golf-viewing public's interest in a way few players can, or ever would. All the boozing, Marlboro butts, botched marriages and brushes with the law somehow allow _ if not encourage _ Daly to stay in character.
How else to explain his decision to return from a six-month suspension imposed by the PGA dressed like a super-sized billboard for the most egregious brand of clothes ever seen on tour? Seeing Daly dressed by Loudmouth Golf for the St. Jude Classic in Memphis last week conjured Jack Nicholson spitting, "You want me on that wall! You NEED me on that wall!" at Tom Cruise during the pivotal scene in "A Few Good Men".
Daly dares pro golf to sanction him for his blatantly commercial antics. No dress code for him, no matter how his look may demean the game.
But for us, brethren, dress codes can make or break an outing. So get to know them, where ever you plan to play.
That's a lesson I learned the hard way as my 10 a.m. tee time at Charlie Yates (the revamped step-sister to Atlanta's revered East Lake Country Club) came and went kaplooey today.
My playing partner for this "Customer Appreciation Day" round came dressed appropriately for just about any other recreational event: a silky, "Sunday Red" golf shirt and steam-ironed, knee-length denim shorts.
There laid the rub: there's no denim allowed at Charlie Yates.
No argument my acquaintance hurled at the club's firm-but-fair pro worked to gain an exception. He even insinuated that some sort of racial stereotyping might be in play. I'm told the exchange grew more heated long after I'd stowed my sticks back in the SUV and driven back here to FBG's HQ.
Even if my lower back (achy and breaky lately from too much Wii boxing) hadn't held up for more than nine holes, a free round at Charlie Yates on a gorgeous day like this would have been a treat. But I really can't complain. It's reassuring to know that some places still uphold certain standards, no matter how sorely they need the money.

Photo: Getty/Loudmouth Golf

Caution, Tiger: The British Is Coming!

As much as Fore!BlackGolfers anticipates watching Tiger Woods compete in next week’s U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, we can’t help but relish the drama set to ensue a month later, on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry, England, even more.
Winning a 15th Major tournament (and a fourth U.S. Open) should solidify in any analyst’s mind that Woods is fully “back” from his season-ending knee surgery in 2008.
But , win or lose at the 2009 U.S. Open, Tiger is certain to attract even more attention at the British Open (July 16-19) because its greater potential to sway golf history.
If Tiger wins this year at Bethpage Black, the golf world will hum relentlessly about how much closer he is to snapping Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories. And if he loses the U.S. Open, he'll have only two more chances in 2009 to win at least one more Major to his list of accomplishments.
And there’s no guarantee that Woods’ surgically repaired knee will hold up long enough for him to play at full throttle during the August 13-16 PGA Championship (which he’s won twice) at Hazeltine.
So, go ahead and enjoy viewing what unfolds at Bethpage Black as much as we will. Still, give some forethought to how much historical significance this year’s British Open may hold.
COMING NEXT...Reasons why the new British Open course will cause Woods problems
Photo: flickr/richard carter

Tiger At Bethpage Black: A Sucker's Bet?

Five bucks will get you two if you bet on the latest, repeat Memorial Tournament champion, Tiger Woods, to win the 2009 U.S. Open.
Those are the odds in Woods' favor of winning according to VegasInsider.com. If you're a gambler, you can take Tiger or the field at 5-to-2, or take a flying leap on Phil Mickelson, who was a 7-to-1 underdog to win at the storied New York public course, Bethpage Black.

The oddsmakers give Padraig Harrington, Geoff Ogilvy and Jim Furyk equally distant chances (15-1) of winning the U.S. Open. As for the rest of the players? Major longshots.

In your mind, does Mickelson have a chance of giving Woods a run for the money? Who do you suppose will melt down first in this, the second opportunity of the year to snag a Major tournament win?