The A Position

On the Golf Road Warriors site stories are categorized by days: Day 1 of the trip, Day 2, and so on. I propose we make a change for this Scotland adventure, the first of the GRW treks to go international. This posting should be labeled “Day 1-1/2” because it’s way too early in the morning—here in Scotland anyway—to be today and I’m pretty sure I’m done with yesterday. I think. I’d forgotten about the not-so-friendly effects of jet lag when crossing the Atlantic to play golf. Flying to Glasgow from New York isn’t quite long enough to take an Ambien, so ...

We Road Warriors have a hectic schedule. However, in the interests of research, I managed to squeeze in a session at the Ugadale Hotel’s Serenity Spa in between rounds of grand golf, gourmet meals and vintage whisky tastings. The Ugadale Hotel in The Village at Machrihanish Dunes reopened in February after being restored to the former glory it enjoyed back in its heyday during the 1900s. Back then the Ugadale welcomed captains of industry and their families from Scotland the U.S. who would descend upon Machrihanish for summer holidays filled with rounds of golf, beach strolls and extravagant parties. Nowadays visitors to ...

Rhode Island is closely associated with the classic designs of Donald Ross. The prolific Scotsman—who maintained a summer residence in Little Compton—crafted several notable courses throughout the Ocean State. Metacomet, Misquamicut, Newport, Point Judith, Sakonnet, Triggs Memorial, Wannamoissett and several others bear his imprint. But there’s more to golf in the nation’s smallest state than The Donald’s inverted saucer greens and grass-faced bunkers. Shelter Harbor Golf Club in Charlestown, which debuted in 2005 and was the first private club to open in Washington County in more than 100 years, can stake a claim as one of Littly Rhody’s finest courses. Laid out ...

  Fifty years ago golf changed. The exact moment was the conclusion of the 1962 United States Open which had been contested over the Oakmont course outside Pittsburgh. Arnold Palmer, “The King” was defeated by someone nicknamed “Ohio Fats.” Golf had changed. Palmer, given his sobriquet by adoring fans and enthusiastic journalists, was the dominant figure in golf. He had style and swagger, good looks and personality and he was a winner. Often he took the trophy by charging from behind, which of course was thrilling to watch for everyone…except the second place finisher. Palmer won the Open in 1960 with just such a ...

  In terms of innovation, Odyssey’s new Flip Face putter is a breakthrough product. It’s a putter with interchangeable faces built into the design. No need here to install and correctly align different inserts. Rather, the Flip Face allows players, with the use of provided wrench (that’s ingeniously serves as part of a divot tool) to unscrew the face, allowing it slide open, rotate, and presto a different face. No fuss; no mistakes. The two face inserts are distinct but not radically different: an aluminum Metal X-insert versus a White Ice insert. The Metal-X insert is firmer, delivers more rebound and ...

Have you noticed that discussions between PGA Tour players and their caddies seem to be getting longer and longer? It used to be that the caddie would give the yardage, the player would pull the club he wanted to hit, and that, usually, would be that. There might have been a consultation if the player was between clubs, if there was some wind, or if there was a decision on whether to lay up or go for it. Even then, it would generally be brief. Now a growing number of players seemingly will not hit a shot until they have ...

The CaddyTrek robotic golf cart is officially the coolest golf gadget since a bunch of crazy Scotsmen declared, “Let’s play 18!” The sleek, compact, next-generation golf bag schlepper leaves its remote-controlled predecessors in the deep rough when it comes to truly hands-free navigation around the craggiest of golf courses. Specs. First, the techno-geek and related jibber-jabber: 250-watt dual motors Lightweight 10Ah lithium ion battery, good for 27 holes or 10 miles on a full charge Three-way folding aluminum frame (35 pounds without battery) Multi-function remote control/transceiver Wide-track drive wheels with matching caster wheels LED Mode indicators for SB (Standby), FL (Follow), RC (Remote Control), and OA (Object Avoidance) ...

Callaway Golf Company  has signed  U.S. Amateur Champion Kelly Kraft to a multi-year contract to play and endorse Callaway Golf® equipment. Terms of the contract will not be disclosed. Kraft will endorse Callaway Golf woods, irons, wedges, and golf balls and also use an Odyssey putter. He will also wear Callaway footwear, carry a Callaway Golf logoed bag and wear the Company’s logo on his hat, according to the company. After winning the 2011 U.S. Amateur, Kraft earned a spot in this year’s Masters Tournament, where he made the cut using Callaway equipment. he made his professional debut last week at ...

As technology in golf evolves ever more spectacularly and the sport’s media keeps players and fans bang-up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations, it’s hard to understand why some golfers out there still buy their balls straight from the shelf. Ball-fitting, pardon the pun, is now par for the course, and there’s little excuse for not understanding how a golf ball can improve your game. Custom-fitting of clubs has now become an integral part of a player’s purchasing process, but when you think the average golfer will go through two or three balls per round, surely we need to be spending ...

The Clicgear Cart is, as its website says, “the original compact three-wheel  golf pushcart.”   The Clicgear Cart won the 2007 Best New Product Award at the PGA Merchandise Show, providing a terrific promotional boost.  The cart has great word of mouth, too.  Two of my regular playing partners swear by it, in part because it’s easier to push a cart than to pull one, and we’re all dedicated walkers.   Setting up the cart and bag takes just seconds. What’s unique about the Clicgear Cart is, in fact, how easily it can be folded up into a small, portable, and ...

There’s a great deal of talk in golf right now about renovation: Donald Trump is planning to spend $150 million to renovate the Doral Resort; the PGA Tour is renovating Q-School; Bubba Watson is renovating his trophy case. The game of golf is always changing, always evolving: Equipment improves, courses get longer, players get stronger. But is that enough? The writers at The A Position, the web’s top site for golf and travel don’t think so. In fact, they have a few smart suggestions for renovations that would truly improve the game. Joining them is actor Bruce McGill, who has had a ...

Those entering the World Golf Hallof Fame Monday night arecertainly deserving; iconic golf scribe Dan Jenkins, LPGA veteran Hollis Stacy, two time major winner Sandy Lyle, Peter Alliss who moved from winning tournaments to being the voice of golf…and of course PhilMickelson. Mickelson among his contemporaries has the most wins on Tour (40) after Tiger Woods with his run beginning at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open as a junior amateur atArizonaStateand thelatest at this years’ AT&T Pebble Beach NationalPro-Am. His college career was outstanding: the onlyleft-handed U.S. Amateur Champion, one of four to win NCAA Championship and U.S. Amateur in same ...

Bubba is back. But now Bubba Watson is more than just Bubba. He’s a major champion, the top-ranked American, the refreshing new face of golf, the next big thing. As he returns to action at the Zurich Classic for the first time since winning the Masters, Watson is the center of attention, and it will be that way for a while. The combination of a heart-on-his-sleeve personality, a sense of humor, some quirkiness, a public-course background, a homemade swing untouched by any swing coach, a unique talent that makes him both the game’s longest hitter and most creative shotmaker, and ...

Last Sunday at the $600,000 TPC Stonebrae Championship Nationwide event in Hayward, CA, Grand Rapids native Matt Harmon fired a nine-under par 61 and tied for second place with a 271 total, one shot behind winner Alex Aragon. Earning $44,800, the former All-Big Ten player from Michigan State automatically qualified for the next Nationwide event to be held April 26-29 in Valdosta, GA. This week Harmon is competing in a NGA Tour tournament in North Carolina where I caught up with him by phone. Here are excerpts of our conversation. You can follow Harmon via Twitter at @mattharmongolf. ...