I mentioned Ryan Moore the other day, and did a bit more looking into what clothes he’s wearing. I’m so sick of golfers looking like a Nascar. I was pretty interested in figuring out what shoes he wears, and after a bit of research think that he’s wearing these Ecco Street Premier Golf Shoes. I think golf shoes are very uncomfortable and should look more like sneakers; these do. Think I’ll be buying a pair or two.

This weekend I caught a little coverage of Ryan Moore in a golf tournament. He’s been a favorite of mine since he decided to forgo sponsorship deals so he could be himself and go back to playing the game he loves. I respect that.

I had read previously that he had worked out a deal with my favorite golf club manufacturer, Scratch Golf (here’s a review I wrote for The Sand Trap), and was getting some flack for taking on a sponsor. I hadn’t thought much of it, but finally read the details while I was watching the tournament this weekend and it turns out he’s a part owner of Scratch. He wants his play to help build a company. I like it.

I almost forgot. How can I not like a guy when Gary McCord says, “that Moore looked like a mix between Ellen DeGeneres and Justin Timberlake.”

I finally got around to reading Buzz Bissinger’s Vanity Fair article on Tiger Woods. Nothing really to say about the article itself, but I will say my preference of who I rooted for was Tiger. I want to see history and wanted to say I saw the best golfer of all-time play. There was something that always bothered me about him, but I couldn’t figure it out. Bissinger’s article brought to my attention a point I hadn’t really thought of.

Some pro golfers, such as Phil Mickelson, wear their hearts on their sleeves during these sessions. Mickelson could talk candidly about his game and the impact of his wife’s having breast cancer. He could also be snarky and pissy.

That’s true. And the opposite can be said about Tiger. Sure he’s a winner, but I think I’m figuring out that I want someone to tell me their round sucked if they played bad. My complaint about Phil Mickelson was always that he was too phony and hammed it up on camera. So, I can’t say I’m a Phil fan yet (although his style has vastly improved over the years and that helps), but as I learn more about him – read Failure Fuels Me – I’m beginning to appreciate him and will likely begin rooting for him.

Here’s a similar style strategy (live in the past / buy older equipment) I suggest to people when asked what golf equipment they should be buying.

It seems to me that the best way to instantly raise your standard of living is to live in the past. If you subsist entirely on two-year-old entertainment, and the corresponding two-year-old technology used to power it, you’re cutting your fun budget in half, freeing up that money for more exciting expenditures like parking meters and postage.

My exact words are usually something such as, “Go to the golf store, find something you like, then go to ebay and buy last year’s model”.

There are so many opposing items at the Bridge Golf Club, but I think that may be why I’m so fascinated by it.

In short, the Bridge — despite $600,000 membership fees, which make it one of the most expensive clubs in the country — is an anti-country club of sorts. It is not just the first high-end club in America that dares to be hip but, seemingly, the first one that cares to be hip.

This is something that has absolutely drove me nucking futs since I was a child, the uniforms of the USA in both the Ryder and President’s Cups. They’re horrible. Always. And, if Michael Jordan can be an adviser (not that I don’t like him on the team, just saying), I should be able to consult (for free!) with the captain on what is necessary to look good because I believe  you need to look good to play well. So, I’ve outlined what I think needs to happen. Some of my inspiration comes from how Umbro thought about England’s Kits.

/Hats/ How come we can’t get fitted hats for these guys? Tiger doesn’t look himself with an adjustable lid, but Justin Leonard does. Second, who says they all have to wear the same style? I want visors, painter, floppies, straw, caps and baseball hats for my guys. Let them pick. All will be the same color on the designated day so as to keep the team look, but let them have some individuality. The International Team follows this concept and they all look like a team.

/Outerwear/ Sweaters will all have the same pattern and in different cuts; crew neck, v-neck and vest. Players pick so as to be comfortable. Did did you notice on Saturday that Phil Mickleson was the only one without an argyle sweater? I did. He was wearing white. Also, this year I haven’t gotten to see the rain wear, but I have definite opinions on it. Maybe I’ll add more to that later.

/Pants/ This year’s aren’t terrible, but I believe in the Bonobos (use code ‘joshpremuda’ if you want to save a bit of cash on a pair) philosophy that all pants aren’t created equal for men. So, my suggestion is let’s get one company to tailor our pants to the guys. No more out of the box measurements. I want my guys comfortable. I want a breathable, athletic fitting and stylish pant. Let’s face it, Kenny Perry and Phil Mickleson need a traditional cut while Anthony Kim and Tiger can wear a more tailored pant. Why make AK and Tiger look like Phil?

/Shirt/ Same mindset here as on pants. Let’s lose the boxy cut for some of the guys. Shouldn’t the women in the audience get to see Tiger’s pipes? Or maybe Tiger wants a loose fit to swing freely? I don’t know. And, that’s the point…let’s let the players decide what they want in a shirt. It’s my guess that no one gives the players a choice. Maybe we offer mock, zip, button-down collar and traditional button shirts?

/Shoes/ This has to change. Make the shoes all the same style and color. I don’t want to see a mix of white, saddle and black shoes. All my guys will have the same colored shoes. I may ask Hunter Mahan who his shoe guys is.

/Fit/ I’ve already hinted at this but it’s been my thought (for a while) that fit is something not considered in golf apparel. There are fabrics that stretch, breath, protect from sun and bugs, but they’re all cut in a way to fit “every man”. I’m not “every man” so in my wardrobe there are only a few shirts I’ll golf in (Green Lobster anyone?). For me, I like a higher sleeve, but longer torso. I’m guessing Steve Stricker likes a loser fit, but why should he have to have only one fit? He shouldn’t. I want bespoke shirts and I want my guys measured to the extreme.

/Style/ BIG issue here. Let’s have a bit of fun with this. Would it hurt they guys to pay tribute to Payne Stewart and wear knickers? Me thinks no. But if we’re keeping it traditional, let’s talk colors. To be patriotic, I believe you don’t need wear red, white and blue together. We can get across our patriotism in different ways. My suggestion for a 4-day team play is as follows (I put this together quickly, so I may need to tweak a few things):

• Thursday – setting the tone that we’re here to walk all over you, with our style and play; white pants, white/red ribbon belt, red shirt, red hat, red/white saddle shoes.
• Friday – we’re toning it down a bit here; navy/white pinstripe pants, white shirt, white belt, navy hat and white shoes.
• Saturday – just another day at the office, time to work boys; grey pants, navy shirt, navy hat, navy embroidered belt, black/white saddles shoes.
• Sunday – the opposition will think they’re at a funeral; black pants, black shirt, black/red hat, red belt, black shoes.

Lifted from Kottke, this little blurb about Jack Nicklaus and dreamful attraction is quite interesting.

Wednesday night I had a dream and it was about my golf swing. I was hitting them pretty good in the dream and all at once I realized I wasn’t holding the club the way I’ve actually been holding it lately. [...] So when I came to the course yesterday morning I tried it the way I did in my dream and it worked. I shot a 68 yesterday and a 65 today.

In the past, I’ve wondered (outloud to some friends) how difficult it would be to become a professional golfer. Before I dive in, I’ll throw some assumptions (and my golf pedigree) out there.

money is available, but in limited quantities / access to a golf course and practice facility / access to exercise facility / golf equipment is current technology / weather would allow year-round golf / I’ve played golf since I was 5 / My handicap as of September 2008 is 1.4 / I played golf in high school, but not in college

Before I tick-off the professional golfers who are serving their time on the mini-tours and struggling to get by, I’m not saying I can or ever would be able to compete on the professional level. (As an aside, I know many struggling professional golfers who are great players; with the way I currently play, there is absolutely NO WAY I can compete with them, they are that much better). I’m just asking the question, how close could I come to that competition if I took a year off and completely focused on my game?

There’s been a few attempts from people to do similar things. ESPN featured Kathryn Bertine on a two-year quest to make the Olympics (spoiler: she failed).

This also brings up something I’ve been meaning to take a closer look at: deliberate practice and the 10,000 hour rule. While I won’t dive into what these both are right now, expect to read more about these ideas.

[Deliberate practice]  is activity designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher’s help; it can be repeated a lot; feedback on results is continuously available; it’s highly demanding mentally, whether the activity is purely intellectual, such as chess or business-related activities, or heavily physical, such as sports; and it isn’t much fun.

…

Gladwell repeatedly mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule”, claiming that the key to success in any field is simply a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of 10,000 hours.

I don’t know if this is possible, but it’s fun to think about. Like I said I know plenty of guys who are struggling on the mini-tours and can mop the floor with me on the course, so I’m highly hesitant to say it’s possible. Thoughts?

From the department of “I just link to whatever Kottke posts” is his remark on his memory which could pass for mine on the golf course.

…If you were to ask me tonight what I’d posted to kottke.org today, I doubt I could tell you more than one or two items (out of the seven to nine items I post during a typical day). When I see friends outside of work, they sometimes remark on stuff I’ve posted recently and it usually takes me a few moments to remember what it is they’re referring to.

Relating to golf, I don’t know if this is good or bad, but it seems to work for me. I know guys who can remember can shot-by-shot what everyone in their group did. While impressive, I feel it says something about the ‘mental side’ of their game.

Just thinking outloud here, but it could be that I’m focusing on the next shot/situation/improvement while they’re dwelling (or boasting) on the past.