Golf News

By Alex Myers

How much does Michael Jordan love golf? He couldn't even tear himself away from the course for his own wedding weekend.

Related: 10 Rules For Competing From Michael Jordan

Actually, with upwards of 2,000 guests, a golf course was a logical choice, especially one located in the NBA legend's backyard. On Saturday, Jordan wed longtime girlfriend Yvette Prieto and the reception was held at the Bear's Club, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf club and community in Jupiter, Fla.

According to JeffRealty.com, Jordan's wedding tent was 40,000 square feet -- 5,000 bigger than his mansion, which looks to be located about a solid 3-wood away from where the reception was held in the picture below.

The realty company called it the "largest tent in wedding history," so you can add another line to the competitive Jordan's career accomplishments.

Reported guests included Tiger Woods, Patrick Ewing, Spike Lee and Ahmad Rashad. The music entertainment was as impressive with Usher, Robin Thicke, K'Jon, DJ MC Lyte and The Source all performing.

Related: Golf Digest goes behind-the-scenes with Jordan

Nicklaus granted Jordan permission to have the celebration on the course's driving range. We're just wondering if Jordan and Woods were able to sneak out to hit a small bucket.

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Photos courtesy of Jeff Lichtenstein, who markets homes in Jupiter and Palm Beach real estate for sale.

Written by: Dave Wolfe (@Golfspy Dave)

So did anyone happen to watch The Masters?  I know, I know, we all watched The Masters.  One of the interesting things to think about though is the different ways that we watched it.  I’m not talking about how we watched it: on the computer, the phone, HDTV, boring regular TV, or uber cool Google Glass specs.  Instead, I am talking about what we paid attention to during the coverage.  Some of you zeroed in on the beauty of Augusta National, while some of you marveled at the beauty of Adam Scott.  The more gear-headed tried to see details about the clubs the pros were bagging, because obviously those specs would work for Joe-average as well.  I’m giving the gear guys grief, that’s what I usually check out during the tournament (sorry Mr. Scott).  My putter-philia really takes over during the majors.  I want to know what the best players in the world are rolling during such an important tournament.

There were a couple of real putter standouts in the coverage.  Jason Day’s Taylormade Ghost Spider S Slant helped him to get close, again.  We all saw Adam Scott drain the winner with his supposedly unanchored long Cameron Futura X prototype.  I usually don’t pay as much attention to the custom tour putters  though because I know that I don’t fiscally stand a chance of bagging anything with a Circle T on it.  Why I’m barely able to fund coffee at Circle K.  Rather than drool over putters I can’t have, I always look for putters that we all have access to, no tour van required.  In my opinion, the putter that made the largest off-the-rack splash at The Masters was Angel Cabrera’s Ping Scottsdale TR Shea H.  Mr. Cabrera came awfully close to chipping in on that first playoff hole, possibly sending Australia back with a second place, again.  I think for second you win the green boxers.  Anyway, Cabrera did putt lights out with the Scottsdale TR Shea H, but he was not the only Ping pro who performed well with one during the tournament.  Lee Westwood also bagged a Shea and finished T-8.  Nothing tour-only about either putter.  You can likely find  an identical one in your local shop right now.  That definitely warrants taking a closer look at a few of the models from the Ping Scottsdale TR putter line.

• Black PVD Finish
• Variable-depth-groove technology insert
• Fixed-length and Adjustable-length shafts
• Multiple Shaft Options for Stroke-Type Fitting (mallets)
• Oversize Winn grip
• Twelve Head Shapes (Anser 2, Anser 2B, B60, Carefree L, Greyhawk, Piper C, Senita, Shea, Shea H, Tatum, Tomcat S, & ZB S)

We will start with the classic Ping head; the Anser 2 is truly iconic in the putter world.  This version of the Anser 2 has a single sight line, full-shaft offset plumbers neck, and fits a slight-arc putting stroke.  If you have bagged an Anser 2 in the past, you will immediately feel comfortable with this one at address, and then pleasantly surprised with the feel of the insert when it rolls the ball.

It has been a couple of model runs since we have seen a center-shafted Piper C from Ping.  I think the last one came around in the G2 line, and even that one was a bit different from this one.  The Piper C features two widely spaced alignment lines, a central spud neck, and fits a straight putting stroke.  Not much offset with this one, but that is what center-shafted players usually look for anyway.  The insert is wide across the face and really provides a great deal of forgiveness for off-center strikes.

The Senita is one of the two large mallets in the line, with the other being the Grayhawk.  The Senita was also present in last years Scottsdale line, and I think that comparing the 2012 to the 2013 Senita really demonstrates the less-is-more improvement in terms of finish.  I found the maroon color and white circle on the previous Senita to be distracting, and definitely visually inferior to the new, simpler black and white scheme.  Additionally, both of the mallets in the Scottsdale TR line also feature the ability to customize the shaft to fit a players stroke like we saw with last year’s Ping Nome.  That means that you can play the Senita with a straight, slight arc, or strong arc putting stroke.  Just order it with the appropriate shaft.  I can’t even think of any other company that is making a strong arc large mallet right now.

The Tatum is a bit of an off-shoot in its head shape.  It’s a blade that plays like a mallet.  We are back to the blallet head shape.  I think that this is the first appearance of the Tatum, but I am not 100% certain as all of my research online seems to lead me back to Channing Tatum and I don’t think that his MOI conforms to the rules of golf.  Unlike Channing, this Tatum has a good deal of mallet-like perimeter weighting, paired with a blade-like slanted neck.  The angle of the neck and the neck’s position give the Tatum face-balanced toe hang, perfect for straight “arc” players.

Ping has put together a great looking line of putters with the 2013 Scottsdale TR line. I think that that statement is significant, because their “looks” track record has been a little suspect in years past.  The 2012 Scottsdale line had way too much maroon and white.  The holes in the iN line prior to that were an optical miss.  The Anser Milled line is gorgeous, as was the, also higher-end Redwood line.  Ping’s entry line of putters has lacked visual pop, until this year.  Whoever decided to go matte black with simple alignment graphics made the right decision.  These putters look great in play, on TV, and seeing 20+ all lined up side-by-side in the pro shop is very impressive.  Even the large-headed mallets look SR-71 sleek with the black finish.

I love the feel of the Ping Scottsdale TR insert, and I really didn’t like the one in last year’s Scottsdale.  This insert feels far livelier to me, really putting a nice roll on the ball.  It’s got some pop, and yet retains the soft feel that makes people look to inserts in the first place.  That’s only part of the story though.  Ping has done something novel with this insert; they have deadened the sweet spot.  That’s right, if you hit it in the sweet spot, it rolls less than it could without the deadening.  The result of this madness is that now the edges of the insert are hotter than the center.  With most putters, off center hits will result in a loss of distance when compared to the sweet spot hits.  By making the middle less responsive, Ping has actually created an insert that should produce similar roll distances, regardless of where you hit the insert.  More consistent distance, no matter where you hit the face, seems like a great recipe for the amateur and pro golfer alike.

Alignment schemes are simple with the Scottsdale TR, and that’s a great thing.  I think that the simple black and white color scheme combined with single sight lines on most models makes for putters that most players will feel comfortable aiming.  Even the Senita, with its complex head geometry, just sits on the turf and points its line at the hole.  These are very easy to aim as a result.

Don’t change your stroke. Change your putter.

The Ping Scottsdale TR line features putters that will fit all three of the strokes identified by the iPing app:  Straight, Slight Arc, and Strong Arc. A quick jaunt to the Scottsdale TR product page will let you know which of the other models in the line may be right for you.  Remember, you can get the mallets with different shafts that will allow even a strong arc player to roll a mallet.  No longer must the strong arc-ers be stranded in the land of heel-shafted half mallets.

Ping has also included adjustable shafts as an option in this year’s line.  You can still order your putter from Ping with a standard shaft, but the adjustable shaft lets you customize length all on your own.  There is a collar below the grip that releases the grip section from the shaft with the assistance of the threaded tool (included).  Traditional models adjust from 31” to 38”, belly models go from 37.5” to 46.5”, and brooms can be adjusted between 44.5” and 55.5”.  That’s a pretty huge variation of lengths.  No longer do you need to hope that a shop has your correct length.  Now the shop doesn’t even need to have multiple lengths in inventory.   Rather you can now just customize the length to fit the customer. That’s pretty win-win on both sides of the purchasing equation.

The grip will come all the way off if you open the collar all the way.  To avoid  ugly drop-induced dings keep the head on the ground when you loosen the grip.  Also, be aware that the grip can also rotate open and closed when you adjust the length.  This will take the grip out of square with the face.  Some people will love this, as they now can easily adjust their putter slightly open or closed without re-gripping the putter.  If you want to get it back to square though, it definitely takes some practice to re-square the face after adjusting the length.  What I found to work is to slowly loosen the clasp until the shaft just turns.  The added tension from the just-loose clasp will hold the shaft in place a bit better while you square the grip.  Just practice a bit and you will get it.

Senita, no question.  I had fully expected to bond with the Tatum, as it has the square body shape that I seem to be leaning toward these days.  The Senita was way more consistent for me.  Honestly, I was amazed.  This may come as a shock to you but I really didn’t care for last year’s Scottsdale Senita.  It was too big, busy, didn’t feel that great, and was overall uninspiring.  Yes, you read that right.  There is a putter out there that I don’t like.  100% in the other direction we have the Scottsdale TR Senita, one of my favorites to play on the course with this year.  The insert feels great, it’s easy to aim, and playing to my golf bag vanity, the Senita looks amazing.  It was painful to move on to other putters.  All for you faithful readers…

Straight to the point, Ping has really nailed it with the Scottsdale TR line this year. There is great variety in the line, both in head shapes and shaft options.  The adjustable shaft may be a short-run novelty, or it may be something that changes the putter market, we will need to watch and see on that one.  Huge kudos to the Scottsdale TR’s insert though.  It almost bagged one major victory already this year.  I would not be surprised if a Scottsdale TR gets one (come on Westy).  The price is right on these as well.  The non-adjustable shaft models can be had for about $150, with the adjustable shaft setting you back a couple of extra Hamiltons.  It’s a great looking, great rolling putter at a solid price point. Well done Ping.

By Tim Rosaforte

From the April 29 edition of Golf World Monday:

Summit View GC in rural Grant-Valkaria, Fla., (pop. 3,850) is totally overgrown today, but the memories are still vivid for Billy Horschel Sr. This 2,611-yard, par-58 is where his son grew up playing golf, back when Senior was a foreman for a local construction company, and before that part of a crew that put up dry wall and framing.

At his brother-in-law's home yesterday, Horschel watched his son win his first PGA Tour event with wife, Kathy, and four other family members. What did they do to celebrate Billy Horschel's victory in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans? "We all jumped into the swimming pool because we knew Billy couldn't with all those gators [in the ponds at the TPC Louisiana]. We jumped in clothes and all, shoes and everything. Then we broke out the champagne."

Golf's breakout star of 2013 couldn't have come from a more blue-collar background. With a win, a T-2, a T-3 and a T-9 in his last four starts, Horschel, 26, has moved to third behind Tiger Woods and Brandt Snedeker in the FedEx Cup standings and has qualified for the Players and next year's Masters. He is also the PGA Tour's most consistent player, having made 23 straight cuts. That's quite a leap considering he started the 2012 season without fully exempt status on the PGA Tour.

Related: For Horschel in New Orleans, heartburn, but no heartbreak

"I'm proud of where I came from," Horschel said from his car on the way to a night of celebrating in the Big Easy. "There are people back home who helped me out from the time I was a little kid to get me where I am now. Some people are still there, some have passed away, but they all know who they are."

Billy Horschel Sr., now 61, is at the top of the list. The story goes that before Horschel was allowed to play Summit View, his father made him hit a golf ball over their house. When Billy played baseball, his father was the coach. When I asked where Billy Jr. got his competitive toughness, there was never any hesitation from his dad.

"Probably from me," he said after his son shot 64 and birdied the 72nd hole to win by one. "I was always tough on him, but the Horschel family was always competitive. Between myself and Buddy Alexander, we molded him into what he is today."

Alexander, the University of Florida coach, told me he passed on a recruit who was a better player, "because something in Billy stood out with me." Part of that was the toughness, part of it the golf IQ. As a freshman he was an All-American. As a sophomore in 2007, he played on the same Walker Cup team as Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Kyle Stanley and Webb Simpson. When he beat Rory McIlroy in singles at Royal County Down, Horschel didn't consider it an upset. "If you ask Billy, he'd say he was the equal of Rickie Fowler in college," Alexander said.

Related: Who is the best player without a major?

Over the past month, Horschel doesn't have many equals in pro golf. Riding in the car with him last night, Florida Gator big brother Chris DiMarco grabbed Horschel's cellphone and concurred.

"This is like my kid, and I'm not going to lie to you--he's so good, it's ridiculous," DiMarco said. "There's not a better golf swing on tour. There's not a better player on the planet right now."

Back home in Grant-Valkaria, they were still drying off.

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(Photo by Getty Images)
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If you were terminally ill, would you want your doctor to tell you? That’s the subject of a provocative discussion in the British Medical Journal. The L.A. Times, which reports on the debate, presents the arguments for and against. Those opposed to sharing the bad news argue that “we’re all dying” and “you never really know when and of what a patient will die.” One the other side we have “knowledge allows better decisions” and “a patient can still have hope — to live to see a daughter married or achieve a cherished goal or to die a peaceful death at home.” What can they agree about? This, according to the L.A. Times: Patients whose lives will probably be limited or ended by a disease deserve a forthright explanation of what treatment is available and what it probably would, and would not, accomplish if undertaken. What do you think? Know or not know? Tell us in the comment space below.