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MI Golf Holidays

MI Golf Holidays / Events

Events

Upcoming Events

22

Jan
Tue

Final Say: Why Obama Should Play More

How the President's presence on the golf course can send a positive message about the game.

21

Jan
Mon

Phil Mickelson's history of unexpected rants

By Sam WeinmanPhil Mickelson: four-time major champion, short-game wizard, and personable fan favorite.Let's also not forget: world class axe-grinderIf Tiger Woods is often guilty of a string of forgettable, vanilla sessions with the media, Mickelson at least has been known to turn the interview podium into his personal soapbox when something strikes him as unjust -- whether it's obscure equipment rules, course setups, or now even, state and federal tax codes. Photo by Getty ImagesRelated: Golf's Most Regrettable InterviewsMickelson's remarks after the final round of the Humana Challenge in which he hinted at "drastic changes" to his schedule because of hefty taxes in California is just the latest example of the lefthander's curious way of getting something off his chest. Among some of our favorites:Phil objects to Oakmont's "dangerous" rough: After narrowly missing out the year before at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, Mickelson was primed to make another run at the national championship at Oakmont. But in a scouting mission at the Pittsburgh-area course two weeks before the Open, Mickelson hurt his wrist in the thick rough. When he went on to miss the cut at 11 over, Mickelson made a point of criticizing the USGA for hazardous conditions. "With the liquid fertilizer and this new machine that makes the grass suck straight up, it is absolutely dangerous," Mickelson said. For the record, he has mustered the courage to play the Open in years since.Phil sends The Commish a message: One of the early highlights of the new FedEx Cup was Mickelson's two-stroke victory over Tiger Woods at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2007. But what should have been a celebratory moment for Mickelson and the tour took a bizarre turn when Mickelson, in his post-round remarks, expressed disappointment with Commissioner Tim Finchem for not heeding his advice about the new playoff format. As further protest, Mickelson skipped the next week's tournament in Chicago.Related: Q&A with Phil MickelsonPhil objects to a loophole by exploiting loophole: Before there was a debate over anchored putting, there was the friction caused by a groove rule introduced in 2010. That rule banned the use of a certain type of grooves in wedge, but a handful of players exploited a loophole that allowed Ping wedges with the grooves in question made prior to 1990. When Mickelson put the Ping wedge in play as well, he became the most high-profile player to enter the fray, and he did it, he said, to prove a point. "I'm very upset with the way the rule came about, the way one man essentially can approve or not approve a golf club based on his own personal decision, regardless of what the rule says," Mickelson said. "This has got to change." Mickelson took the club out of his bag soon after, but not before threatening to put it back in play if the game's governing bodies didn't get their acts together and close the loophole -- which they soon did.Phil blames Rees Jones for ruining golf (or something like that): When par-3 15th hole at Atlanta Athletic Club measured 265 yards for the PGA Championship, Mickelson took it as an opportunity to lament how "modern architecture is killing the game." Specifically, Mickelson criticized course architect Rees Jones for making changes to courses that were suitable for professionals but overly penal for amateurs. Mickelson even went on to cite a statistic that said play at AAC was down by 25 percent because of intimidation. Whether that number was accurate or not, the club wouldn't say. "Phil is not a member, so I don't know where he got his information," club general chairman Tom Adderhold said.Phil would prefer not to underwrite the entire government: Mickelson shot three rounds in the 60s en route to a T-37 in his season opener last week at the Humana, but that wasn't as interesting as his announcement that he needed to rethink his schedule and his state of residence. All this, apparently, because Mickelson was concerned about the hefty taxes he would have to pay at the federal and state level. Mickelson said taxes were also the reason he withdrew from his plan to take an ownership stake with his hometown San Diego Padres."If you add up all of the federal and you look at disibility and unemployment and the social security and the state, my tax rate is 62, 63 percent," Mickelson said last Sunday. "So I've got to make some decisions about what I'm going to do." Follow @SamWeinman !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

21

Jan
Mon

Bushnell Golf adds JOLT tech to its laser rangefinders

By John Strege One issue with laser rangefinders has always been the uncertainty that you've zeroed in on the right target and not, say, a tree behind it. Bushnell Golf has taken steps to...

21

Jan
Mon

The Golf Digest 50: What The Game's Biggest Stars Earn

Golf Digest presents its tenth annual ranking of the top money makers in golf.

20

Jan
Sun

Humana not up to the challenge vs. the NFL

By John Strege The golf on Sunday, in the event you missed it, and we're reasonably certain you did, was at least entertaining, notwithstanding its B-list cast. The A-listers on which golf was depending to avoid indifference were Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Nos. 1 and 2 in the World Ranking. They were around on the weekend, but only via an amusing Nike commercial. Each missed the cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, exposing the downside to a sponsor committing seven-figure appearance fees. Meanwhile, back in the USA, the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, or the Hope, as it was known in simpler days, had the misfortune of opposing a thrilling end to the 49ers-Falcons game and the start of the Ravens-Patriots game. Colin Kaepernick and Tom Brady or Brian Gay and Charles Howell III (or Scott Stallings and David Lingmerth)? Football was a prohibitive favorite and you won your bet if you gave the points. The Humana Challenge winner was Gay, who contributed to the entertainment factor with one of 10 rounds of 64 or better Sunday on the Palmer Private Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. The kind of warm, sunny January day that explains the winter popularity of the Palm Springs area was the impetus for the kind of low scoring that typically amps up the drama. Gay won on the second playoff hole, prevailing over Howell and Lingmerth, but it was less the story of the day than the collapse of Scott Stallings. The Humana Challenge, admirably, is dedicated to the promotion of healthy living and was an advocate of taking 10,000 steps a day, or the equivalent of what a tour pro takes in the course of a day's work. Of course, doing so is no guarantee of good health. Stallings exceeded 12,000 steps, according to a Golf Channel graphic, yet he presumably felt sick afterward. Stallings, twice a winner on the PGA Tour, began play on Sunday with a four-stroke lead, and increased it to five for a time, before his own indifferent performance opened the competition to all comers. Of the top nine finishers, Stallings was the only player to shoot higher than 65, a number he exceeded by five strokes. More to the point, he bogeyed two of his final three holes, including the last, when he yanked a 6-iron second shot to the par-5 18th, the ball bounding into the pond left of the green. Dare we say that this native of Oak Ridge, Tenn., also known as Atomic City for its role in the development of the nuclear weapon that ended World War II, bombed on the back nine? Stallings, 29, played the first 60 holes without a bogey and was bidding to become the first winner to play a tournament without a bogey since Lee Trevino in 1974. That ended when he carelessly missed a two-foot par putt on the seventh hole, the beginning of his demise. Gay won for the fourth time with birdies on the two playoff holes, defeating Lingmerth, a Swede playing only his second PGA Tour event, and Howell, who finished second for the 14th time to remain stuck on two victories for nearly six years and counting. Played opposite NFL football with Super Bowl berths at stake gives us a clearer understanding of the Challenge in the Humana. Follow @JohnStrege!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

18

Jan
Fri

McIlroy switches back from new Nike putter

By Alex Myers The Rory McIlroy-to-Nike-equipment rumors persisted for months before becoming true. His return to one of his old clubs took far less time. Before his second competitive round representing Nike at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, McIlroy ditched the company's putter for his trusted Scotty Cameron. In a post-round interview, McIlroy told the Golf Channel, "I just felt like I wasn't getting the ball to the hole. The greens here are a little slow and the Nike putter I used yesterday is quite light, so for practicing on fast greens it's great, but when you get on greens that aren't quite as quick like here, I felt like I was having to hit it a bit more. So, it's just a weight issue. The one I used today is a bit heavier, so I thought I could stroke it a bit more, so that was it." Related: Golf's all-time costly equipment switches Whatever the reason, it didn't seem to help much. The world No. 1 shot a second-straight 75 to miss the cut in his first tournament of 2013 and his first-ever event as a pro not playing Titleist clubs. Photo by Getty ImagesNike probably won't be too pleased with the putter swap and all the publicity it will bring. Many analysts, including six-time major champion Nick Faldo, were already questioning McIlroy's switch to the Swoosh. McIlroy isn't the first big name to take the Method putter out of his bag. Tiger Woods first put the club in play during the 2010 British Open only to switch back to his Scotty Cameron before the final round that week. He would eventually go back to the Method and is currently putting with it. Like McIlroy, his missed cut this week -- thanks in part to a two-shot penalty -- wasn't exactly what Nike had planned when they commemorated the duo's 2013 debut by airing a commercial of them playfully competing on a driving range. Related: A side-by-side comparison of Tiger and Rory's careers At his press conference announcing his switch to Nike on Jan. 14, McIlroy was specifically asked if his new contract would allow him to switch back to his old putter. He dodged the question by praising his new equipment and saying he didn't want to get into contract specifics. Despite being the world's best player, putting has been the worst part of McIlroy's game. He ranked 82nd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained/putting, and struggled particularly from four to eight feet, where he ranked a dismal 158th. Follow @AlexMyers3 !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

18

Jan
Fri

Fitness Friday: You need strength and power

By Ron KaspriskePicture two boxers. One is a mountain of a man. All muscle. Tall, too. The other is muscular, but much smaller in stature. He looks fit, but you can't help but fear for...

17

Jan
Thu

Cleveland upgrades wedge face technology

By Brendan MohlerIn a move that builds on the successful shape of the 588 and the breakthrough laser-milled face texture of the CG15 wedges, Cleveland Golf has announced the release of two new wedges: the 588...

17

Jan
Thu

Woods and McIlroy start season with a thud

By John Huggan ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- On a day when the preponderance of inappropriate long grass and an ever-rising breeze made good scoring the preserve of a fortunate few, the two best golfers on the planet joined the majority of the morning field on Day One of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship in performing some way short of their potential. Tiger Woods described the conditions as "so hard out there," en route to an opening 72 that was three shots better than his playing companion and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy. Amidst a flurry of perplexingly wild shots, the Ulsterman made a brace of double bogeys -- one the result of a drive that found a distant car park -- and only two birdies in a round that was both his first competitive outing in eight weeks and his first ever with a set of gleaming Nike clubs in the bag. Related: The costliest equipment switches ever Which is not to say that Woods -- who admitted his short game had been "very sharp" all day -- did not match McIlroy in the duffing department. Most notably, the pop-up tee-shot he hit off the first tee (his tenth) failed to carry the 100-yards necessary to reach the fairway. Estimates varied, but the consensus seemed to be that the 14-time major champion's club contacted the turf somewhere between one and two inches behind the ball. Whatever, it was certainly more "splat" than "swoosh." Photo by Getty Images"My plan was to hit a 3-iron or a 5-wood off that tee," he explained. "Especially with this wind. But I changed my mind on the tee and wasn't committed to the shot. I didn't want to hit it. I should have backed off and followed my game plan. But I didn't do that and so paid the price." "You just have to look at the scoreboard to see how tough it is out there," continued Woods, who three-putted his final hole for a disappointing bogey. "A lot of guys are struggling. This is a very difficult course in this wind. The fairways are narrow and a lot of holes are played in a crosswind. It seemed like we were banking up against the wind pretty much all day. " Related: The week in golf and beyond All of which is true. But still, it wasn't that hard. By lunchtime as many as eight players had posted scores in the 60s, a fact that only emphasized the relative mediocrity produced by the two highest-profile players in the game. Typically, however, McIlroy was making no excuses for a decidedly dodgy performance dotted with uncharacteristically-wayward shots. His tee shot at the short, 186-yard 12th hole missed its target by a good 30 yards right and eventually led to the first of those double bogeys. The second came at the 439-yard third hole, where his first drive found the aforementioned car park way to the right -- admittedly after ricocheting off a tree -- and his second the left rough. By most estimates, there was at least 150 yards between the two balls. Not surprisingly, McIlroy put his struggles down to "rustiness" rather than anything equipment based. But he did acknowledge that adjusting to his new clubs was an ongoing process. "My problems were more swing-related than club-related," he insisted. "Whenever the wind was right-to-left I was comfortable enough cutting the ball into it. But when it was blowing the other way I had trouble releasing the shot properly. "When you go out with new stuff you are always going to be a little bit anxious. I was hoping I was going to hit it on the course like I have on the range, but today that wasn't quite the case. Still, I learned a few things. Apart from that one shot on the par 3, my irons were pretty good. Hopefully I can put them into play tomorrow. "I'll be out on the range this afternoon, working on it. I obviously need to play a bit better if I'm going to make it to the weekend. It wasn't all bad, though. While this obviously wasn't the round I was looking for, there were a few good signs out there." Related: A side-by-side look at Tiger's and Rory's swings As for the level of social interaction between the two Nike stars, it was, as Woods pointed out, "difficult to talk too much when we were both trying to grind out a score." Another factor in those lengthy silences, of course, was that only on their final hole did both men find the fairway from the tee. Things, one feels, can only get better. For both. Follow @johnhuggan !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

17

Jan
Thu

Butch Harmon: Beat buried lies easily

When your ball is buried in a bunker, you have to tweak your technique to get it out.