Ramblings from the Rough (3/12)

How do I tell Tony that I read Penick's little red book, and that I wasn't all that impressed overall? I probably should read it one more time before I pass final judgement. More detail to follow. Loved Yang's attitude over the weekend. He wore his heart on his custom-printed sleeve. Kudos to fellow bloggers Devil Ball (http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf) and Waggle Room (http://www.waggleroom.com/2009/3/9/786522/thank-god-that-pesky-honda) for beating on a local Florida reporter who kept making everything at the Honda about Tiger. I think my feelings on the matter have been fairly well documented (http://www.thegolfspace.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Lazy-Stupid-Journalists.html/Itemid,0/) I wonder whether it will be possible to get my swing analysed without having the outcome be that I need $600 in lessons and $800 in new equipment. Northern Trust were pressured to repay $1.5 Billion after catching grief about their lavish entertainment at their tournament in California. Meanwhile congressman Barney Frank is crawfishing from some of his very harsh statements about sponsoring events like golf tournaments, but he still feels like there shouldn't be any client entertainment. One writer described it as "It's OK to sponsor a tournament, but you better not have any fun". So they want these companies to spend the money to sponsor tournaments, but not reap any of the benefits that will help dig them out of the financial hole they're in? That kind of logic puts the "mental" in "governmental". They paired AK and Sergio in the first two rounds of the CA Championship, along with Ern'. Smooth. Tiger's with Weir and Karlsson. Ogilvy is playing with talented youngsters Oosthuizen and Watney. Bubba and Poulter are bringing up the rear, in what will probably be the most colorful group of the day. Masters Martini, "Green Jacket", recipe #2: Zen green tea liquor, peach schnapps, and vodka. Not as good as the first iteration (which had midori instead of Zen). Sometimes contrasting flavors can mesh and become very tasty (such as cranberry and Cuantreau). This was not one of those times. I've been very intrigued by comments by Geoff Ogilvy about the mental aspects of golf, both in interviews and on a recent "Playing Tips" episode. He's talked about how in the past he's gotten trapped in the pursuit of that good feeling you get now and then when your swing is in the groove, rather than going to the range to find out how he's hitting his shots that day and then take that knowledge to the course. I'll have to study this further. "Tavistock" ... isn't that Nathan Lane's character in The Producers? I can just hear Ulla answer the phone "Tavishtock and Beh-LOOOOM". David Duval keeps saying he's close to raising his game to winning level again. This may be true, but it's also true for 200 pros who are struggling every week, struggling to make the cut and counting every dollar to make things go around. The margins are infinitesimal, and anyone who claims to know what truly makes the difference are talking out of their tuccus. Non-confirmed 7-foot fact #1: Someone said that the best way to improve your short game and avoid three putts is to work on your 6-8 foot putts. Non-confirmed 7-foot fact #2: I've read research somewhere to the effect that almost half of all putts you miss is in the 6-8 foot range. Either way, I've been working a lot in that range, and even if I don't make them all it's amazing the confidence it gives you when you're standing over a four footer. That is all.