Solheim wants equipment ratings to be part of handicap calculation

DAVID CANNON / GETTY IMAGES

John Solheim wants players' equipment to factor into their handicaps.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - John Solheim, the chairman and CEO of Ping Golf, wants to rate players' clubs and balls when calculating handicaps, just like courses are rated as part of the current system.

Ping announced Wednesday that Solheim has applied for a patent for a new system that would factor in equipment ratings when determining a player's handicap. The patent application will be published and made public on Thursday.

"The tone coming from the USGA and R&A in recent years suggests another significant equipment rollback may not be far away," Solheim said in the news release. "We've already seen it with the groove rule and the proposed rule banning anchoring. We continue to hear whispers of more changes. But ... many directly involved in the game favor more equipment options, not fewer."

In other words, why ban clubs and techniques when you could instead account for the variety of clubs when determining handicaps? For example, shooting 80 with a persimmon driver and Condition of Competition wedges would do more to lower your handicap than shooting the same score on the same course with a 460-cc driver and square-grooved wedges. When players entered their scores, they'd enter their equipment information in addition to the course's slope and rating.

During an exclusive phone interview, Solheim said that manufacturers could, for example, fine-tune golf clubs for slower-swing players to help them perform better and enjoy the game more. Scores shot with these easier-to-hit clubs would then be adjusted to account for the advantage they provide.

"The drivers of today are tuned much more for the tour-level player," Solheim said. "If we build golf clubs for slow swingers so they could get the maximum distance, the tour players would break them quite quickly."

Solheim pointed to baseball, where amateurs use aluminum bats and professionals use wooden ones. He also noted the different types of squash balls, one for beginners and intermediates and another for more experienced players.

What about the allure of playing the same courses and equipment as the pros? For golfers who see that as part of the game's appeal, bifurcation - adopting different rules for the game's elite players and weekend amateurs - would be going against the spirit of golf.

Solheim doesn't like to use the word "bifurcation," but his position on the topic is very clear. "I'm for one set of rules, if they can write the rules to give players more options through the handicap system," he said.

Solheim says a major goal of the patent is to help create a dialogue and get people talking about how to draw more interest in the game. He was not pleased when the USGA and the R&A recently announced the proposed ban on anchored putting methods.

"It was just sad, because I know an awful lot of people that anchor the club, and it's helped them enjoy the game more," he said on the phone. "It also means that they don't stand over a putt because they are afraid they are going to yip it. It's sad that [the USGA and R&A] would take that away from so many people."

Ping and Solheim are no strangers to being at the heart of equipment-related stories that have riled golf purists.

In December 2011, after the average driving distance ended above 290 yards for the first time in PGA Tour history, Solheim feared that the USGA and the R&A might change the rules of golf. He proposed "replacing today's single golf ball distance limit with three different 'Ball Distance Ratings.' One that is the same as today's limit, one that is shorter and one that is longer."

Ping also filed a lawsuit against the USGA to keep the Ping Eye2 irons legal; the case was settled in 1990.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/equipment/pings-john-solheim-wants-equipment-ratings-be-part-handicap-calculation#ixzz2GSLyBIN1

Grip it and Sip it - John Daly goes into Adult beverage market

John Daly is following Arnold Palmer into the beverage business, but you’ll need ID to buy one of Daly’s drinks.

The Original John Daly Cocktail will debut in BevMo liquor stores in Arizona, New Mexico and California, Daly said on Twitter. The cocktail will be available in three flavors: sweet tea lemonade, peach tea lemonade, and raspberry tea lemonade.

Like Palmer’s famous iced tea and lemonade mixture -- recently celebrated in an ESPN short -- Daly already had a drink named after him. The John Daly is an Arnold Palmer with a shot of vodka, which is as good a metaphor for Daly’s game that we’ve ever heard.

However, Long John was not happy when restaurants were offering the drink. He said it was trademark infringement and he asked his Twitter followers to let him know when bars and restaurants were serving “John Daly” drinks. Now Daly is taking a page from Palmer, who partnered with Arizona Iced Tea to create an official “Arnold Palmer” drink.

“Tired of my name on menus. I don't drink but I want people to have same John Daly drink poor right out of bottle,” Daly said on Twitter.

I personally think it is a great venture for John....while he had some notoriously bad (and interesting) history, I feel he deserves to make money off something named after him....I also look forward to seeing him in a few years when he turns 50 and see how he will do on the Senior tour.

Till then, Cheers to John!

GRIPS - Cleaning and Maintainance...on and off the course

Grips –

Grips can be either those most ignored item on the club, or sometimes the item on the club some people obsess over too much.

In other words, we have taken in clubs where the grips were so bad and worn that they adversely affected the player’s game…and most likely the safety of those nearby! Conversely, we have repeat customers who bring in their clubs and want to be re-gripped…when in actuality; all they needed was a decent cleaning.

Let’s talk about those that simply need a cleaning and how to easily do it not only between rounds but DURING the round.

Between rounds, you can use the age old method or warm soapy water where you rinse, then use the soapy water solution with a soft brush to scrub them clean…followed with more rinsing, then dry off.

The other MUCH easier way of cleaning the grips is by using a wonderful tire cleaning solution called “Westley’s Bleche-Wite” (see image) that you can pick up at any auto parts dept.

You simply find a ventilated area, stand up wind and spray and wipe off. Not only does this clean the grips very fast, but it also rejuvenates and restores most if not all of the original tackiness.

(NOTE: Keep this stuff around as I will be referencing it periodically for other great uses for golf equipment).

So this is all cool and easy to do…but what do you do when the grips get dirty and lose their tackiness in a round of golf?

A wet towel might help….sometimes it will still leave the grip wet, whereas the glass cleaner evaporates fast and residual free.

I believe it was Tom Wishon who shared this hint…which was carry a small 2-4oz spritz bottle with everyday glass cleaner.

When the grips get dirty or slippery, spritz on the glass cleaner and the grip immediately is cleaned…and unlike other cleaners made for cleaning, this will not adversely affect the grip, as some some cleaners are not designed to work with various rubber compounds.

Incidentally, along with the small spritz bottle, I also keep a 2-4oz bottle of  Anti-Bacterial hand cleaner with me. This keeps your hands clean and tacky as well!

Helpful Golf Hints - Golf Shoe Maintenance (Spike removal)

Today’s blog will be the first of many from us that will address easy solutions to common problems or tasks that all of us golfers go through.

No, I am not talking about swing fixes or how to make your game better…..heck, after years, I have not figured those things out yet, so I should be the last one to attempt to teach it now.

However, along the way we have stumbled across some great tips to maintain and (in some cases) prolong the life of your equipment and accessories.

So let’s begin today starting from the bottom….. Golf shoes.

The biggest problem golfers have with shoes is replacing the spikes, specifically, getting the old ones out! By the time arrives that you need to pull out the old spikes they have been walked on exposed to dirt, mud and all sorts of crap that seems to develop a “cement like” affect making the removal of them like pulling teeth.

Fear no more my friends…. Good ol’ Rory has got a simple solution to this dilemma!

When your wife is not looking, sneak into the kitchen and pull out one of her cookie sheets/ baking pan. (hint, they look like this)

First, heat up some water and pour it into the baking pan to where the water level is just shy of the top.

Now place your golf shoes on the sheet, spikes down. Done correctly, the spikes will be under water and the water level is about even to the sole of your shoes…..wait about five minutes, remove the shoes and with a spike wrench, the spikes will come off very easy….it never fails!

Now with the spikes out, it’s a good time to take a soft brush and clean the bottoms of the shoes, including the spike holes….then might as well clean the entire shoes.

If yours are leather, I recommend using saddle soap. It’s a great cleaning agent that not only cleans, but it has lanolin that keeps your shoes soft and prevents aging

PS – Oh crap! I almost forgot…do yourself a favor and make sure you clean out that cookie sheet and put it back where ya found it!

Note my emphasis on “CLEAN OUT” the cookie pan…for some unknown reason, apparently some women get real sore when they pull out a pan to bake something and find it caked in dirt, grass shavings…etc.