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The Newstand: Soaring Cost of Titanium,
Cobra's New Speed Drivers,
Golf is #2 Sport in India,
Golfclubdemo.com IdeaInterview with the Guru: Kevin Downey, President,
Innovex GolfPerfect Fit: The PCS Seal of AcceptanceShe Golf's Too: Books for Women GolfersComponent Corner: Next Frontier - Iron Face Design, Clone Clubs Discussion,
Eidolon Wedges,
SMT Custom Driver ColorsGolf of the Weird: Buffalo Bill the Golfer,
World's Longest Golf HoleClubbuilder Questions: What is Swingweight?
Website Spotlight: www.golfshoesonly.comSponsor:
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Steroids in Professional Golf?
I just ran across a very interesting article that appeared in
ESPN.com, but was originally written by Matthew Rudy from
Golf World. With steroids all the rage right now in professional baseball, he asks the question: Do steroids have a role in professional golf? Before this article, I really didn’t think about it. Most major sports test for illegal substances and the rules regarding them are outlined in each union’s collective bargaining agreement. The World Anti-Doping Agency tests nearly 170,000 samples annually and the International Olympics Committee is religious about its testing. Yet, golf has no rules to address this.
A major reason might be that golf does not have a player’s union. Another could be that golf is considered a gentlemanly sport. Gentlemanly or not, if a player can win $925,000 in one tournament like Fred Funk just did, getting a little extra help from steroids could mean a heck of a lot of cash over a golfer’s career. It might benefit our sport if the PGA and LPGA looked at this more closely before the Congress feels compelled to. Let’s use just one example. Of the 384 college golfers tested in the NCAA’s anti-doping program, 7 flunked their drug test. Perhaps steroids are more prevalent than we think.
We've just uploaded our second podcast! Tell us what you think.
Subscribe here.My Odeo Channel (odeo/54e9b16f3640f899)
The Newstand:Testing for Golf Balls Hasn't Got off the Ground,
Callaway Nabs Thai Counterfeiters, Cool Golf Cars with AC, Orlimar is Back,
Bobby Jones Players by Jesse Ortiz,
Scotty Cameron Putters: Too ExpensiveInterview with the Guru: Jason Hiland, President,
Diamond Tour GolfPerfect Fit: The Search for the Perfect Golf Club by Tom WishonShe Golf's Too: Website Targets Female Sports FanComponent Corner: Laser Link Rangefinder System,
Intelligent Clubs by SmartSwing,
Putt Pal,
Innovex CfD DriversGolf of the Weird: Bobby Riggs: Golf Hustler,
eBay Auctions CorpseClubbuilder Questions: Do Shafts Lose Their Flex Over Time?Website Spotlight: www.thesandtrap.comSponsor:
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PGA Points Race Not Necesarily A Good Thing
Like Nascar, The PGA Tour is going to go very mainstream by establishing a end-of-year points race. Starting in the 2007 season, the Tour is hoping to keep golf viewers glued to their sets until well after the final major, the PGA Championship. It will be called the FedEx Cup (like Nascar’s Nextel Cup). The competitors will come from the top 144 money winners and the Tour Championship that just concluded last week will be the season’s final tournament to determine the big winner and the awarding of the FedEx Cup. The goal is to keep both player and viewer interest up past September.
Although that sounds very nice in principal, I would argue that the FedEx Cup will be stacked up against a formidable lineup of NBA basketball, NFL football, college football, and NHL hockey. In Minnesota where I’m located, we see a precipitous drop in golf right after Labor Day. Summer vacations end, golf leagues are over, kids are back in school, and we need to get ready for winter. Our minds are no longer on golf, but on other sports and activities.
In addition, for the players, they’ve already participated in a grueling ten month season and want to spend some time at home. It is my guess that top players like Phil, Tiger and VJ are likely to skip a lot of tournaments throughout the year if they are expected to keep playing into October and November. This will just dilute the number of top players competing in each tournament and reduce the number of head-to-head matchups of the stars. The PGA might gain some viewership at the end of the season, but I think the average viewership will suffer during the rest of the year, effectively reducing the value of this new schedule.
