The SpinDoctor US Masters Week

Under The Masters Microscope: Defending Champ Trevor Immelman

Birthday: December 16 1979
Birth Place: Cape Town, South Africa
Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 12 stone 2lb
Turned Pro: 1999

Trevor took up golf aged five and is from a family steeped in golf. His older brother Mark is also a professional and his father Johan was a former commissioner of the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.
Trevor married his childhood sweetheart, Carmenita, on 6 December 2003. He withdrew from the 2006 Open Championship to be with her for the birth of their first child.
In December 2007, Immelman withdrew from the South African Airways Open due to severe discomfort around his ribcage area. He underwent surgery one week later and doctors discovered a lesion approximately the size of a golf ball on his diaphragm. (Immelman remarked in an interview on the obvious irony of the size of the lesion). It was diagnosed as a benign calcified fibrosis tumor. Nevertheless, treatment and recovery caused him to miss the first eight weeks of the 2008 PGA Tour season. However, Immelman then came back to win the 2008 Masters Tournament.

What’s In The Bag
Driver
Nike SQ Sumo 5000 with str8-fit technology. 10.5º loft but adjusted two clicks open and less one degree allowing Trevor to launch high with low spin. Fitted with 45 inch, Fubuki 73g, x-flex shaft
3&5 Wood
Nike SQ Dymo. Designed with the input of Immelman these clubs have the weight positioned back in the face to allow high launch from tight lies. 83 Fubuki x-flex shaft.
Irons 3-PW
Nike Victory Red forged split cavity back irons with true temper X100 shafts. who want the look and feel of blade, with the forgiveness of a muscle back. The Victory Red Irons didn’t come about of some marketing idea to produce another set of golf clubs for the sake of selling. This new line of golf clubs are a part of an evolutionary process over the past three years by Nike Engineers to develop a set of irons based on feedback from its Tour players.
Wedges
54º and 60º Nike Victory Red forged tour wedges with S400 shafts. Custom grind by Nike. Changed every six months because the grooves get worn from practise.
Putter
A moveable feast but probably an odyssey 34 inch heavy blade at Augusta.

Faldo Ruined My Masters!
1 Toothless Shark (1996)
At the time “The Shark” was untouchable. Going into the final round of the Masters in 1996, Greg Norman lead by six shots. What transpired thereafter went down in history as one of the greatest meltdowns in Major history. Norman poked it around in a dreadful 78, six over par, losing a six-stroke lead to cardigan clad Nick Faldo, who finished with a brilliant 67. "I screwed up," was Normans philosophical conclusion afterwards.






2 Do the Chokey Hoch-ey (1989)

He’s the man that single handedly unified and inspired so many European Ryder Cup teams but did you know that Scott Hoch missed two tiddlers to win the Masters in 1989. The first was at the 17th, where his missed par putt allowed Nick Faldo to draw level. Hoch and Faldo played off and on the first hole of sudden death, Hoch’s 30 inch putt never even threatened the cup. Faldo birdied the next to win. "I'm glad I don't carry a gun with me," said Hoch in the press room after. Can’t say I share his sentiments!

3. Floyd Fills His Pants (1990)

At the 1990 Masters, 47 year old Ray Floyd took a four-stroke lead into the final round. By the 17th the lead was down to one shot. Conscious of his position, Floyd three stabbed on the green to fall back into a share of the lead with Nick Faldo. I remember my Dad woke me from my sleep just in time to watch Floyd hit a 7-iron into a pond beside the green on the second playoff hole. Faldo parred the hole, to retain the title. "The pressure basically got to me," said Floyd after. He’s obviously never worked for a newspaper or he would know that “Pressure is for tyres!”





Bloggy Underfoot- State of the Nation Going Into The First Major
Its Masters time again and personally I can’t wait! Is it going to be one of those years where an over par score wins or will be closer to ten under? The general consensus on the matter is that the need for distance off the tee is not a huge factor in Augusta this year. The weather has been kinder and the going is good. Mind you distance hasn’t proven the key in either of the last two years either; Trevor Immelman is a 270 yard-ish driver that could afford a final round 75 in gusting winds and still win at eight under last year. The year before Zach Johnson laid up at all the par fives on his way to victory. Let’s have a glance at the chances of this years usual suspects.
The obvious favourite is Tiger Woods or as I like to call him now “The Incredible Hulk”. True, Tiger’s form is amazing having romped straight back into the winner’s enclosure in Bay Hill, but does this major hurdle come a little bit early on in his comeback? I think it does, his driving hasn’t been great over the last couple of weeks and straight driving wins at Augusta. Last year Immelman was number one in “fairways hit” over Masters week, the year previous, Johnson was second in the stats. So it’s not quite nailed on for Tiger.
Next up is big Phil, or rather, leaner meaner Phil. He is coming off two big wins at the Northern Trust and the WGC CA Championship but they were on bombers courses, 19 and 15 under won respectively. We’ll also have to forgive him for his performance in Houston; he got caught on the wrong side of the draw and thus the weather. Mickelson says he loves his new Callaway driver but I still don’t like the way he sits in behind it, there’s just too much chance of a massive pull hook off the tee. In Augusta, even with Phil’s amazing powers of recovery, a bout of dodgy driving would surely put paid to his chances.
What about Harrington, to my mind the most intelligent course manager in the field? He surely has the mental toughness to deal with any stumbles Augusta might have in store for him. I’m pretty sure too I caught a glimpse of that glint in his eye when he was holing out from everywhere in Bay Hill. He again proved rock solid in Houston. As Frank “the knob” Nobilo said on the Golf Channel, if Paddy puts the whole three in a row thing out of his mind, he has a great chance. If he lets it bog him down, he will be a faller.
What about the rest? You have to like the way Retief Goosen has come back this year. Winner in South Africa and in the Transitions on the PGA tour, Goosen has the game and the putter which is arguably suited best of anyone for Augusta, but just don’t mention words like “Bawk” or “Collapse” anywhere within ear shot of him on Sunday. It’s hard also to make a case for the likes of Ernie Els or Adam Scott who seem to have lost their magic powers and Vijay, who seems to have returned to quick from leg surgery.
Of course the Masters has a way of throwing up the most unlikely of winners. What do I think? Probably Tiger, but I have a hankering for Harrington or get this, Jim Furyk. I heard he did a huge amount of putting practice in the off-season and you can’t argue with his driving, his irons or his temperament. Bring it on!
I Want One Of Those
Masters Green Jacket

Some people will go to any lengths to get an autograph. The guys at gottahaveitgolf.com are the world’s undisputed memorabilia kings. Being that Masters Green Jackets are about as rare as Government tax cuts, they have actually produced their own exact replicas and had some of the most famous Augusta winners sign up. You can pick up a signed Jack Nicklaus jacket for a mere $4995.











Tailored Shorts
Augusta Changes
Augusta National will be shorter for the Masters this year -- but only by 10 yards on the scorecard, with the option to trim off a few more yards depending on the weather.
The back of the first tee was moved forward seven yards, primarily to help the movement of the gallery between the tee and the putting green. An additional 10 yards was added to the front of the tee on the 450-yard seventh hole, and nearly 10 yards were added to the front of the 530-yard 15th hole, although neither hole required a change in the official length. This allows tournament organizers the flexibility to move the tees depending on the wind. Gusts of up to 20 mph were a factor in the final round of last years event.

Augusta’s Par 3 Course
Wednesday at Augusta is traditionally with the par-3 competition where pro’s skim balls on water, kids caddy, holes in one are plentiful and basically anything goes. Watch out for it on TV again this year. The course is built around two ponds which are in play on almost every hole. The greens are tiny and also have tightly mowed banks sloping severely down to the water. Paul Azinger once called it "the best golf course in the world." The winner of the par-3 competition has never gone on to win the Masters.

Food Fight at Augusta
They say the folks at Augusta are stuck in the 20th century and it seems the food prices for spectators bear that out. This weeks menu includes a choice of eight sandwiches for $1.50. A famous Master Club sandwich will set you back $2.50. Even if you have one of everything on the Patrons Menu (that’s Masters insider talk) it comes to less than $30.

Top Of The Pops
Augusta has been named by the best course in the world by the all-seeing, all knowing Golf Digest magazine. Augusta, which was ranked third in the 2007-08 listing, has come under fire of late from legends such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer who believe recent changes to lengthen the course and pinch some fairways have weakened Augusta, not strengthened it. The folks who vote in the Golf Digest rankings clearly disagree. Augusta pips Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey to top spot.

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Having the Balls To Succeed- The SpinDoctor Goes Behind the Scenes at Titleist

The mere thought of the Titleist Pro V1, conjures up images of highly skilled tour professionals, scientists, shiny gold boxes and trophies held aloft. You visualise Padraig Harrington’s Carnoustie Open winning gap wedge fizz up to the flag, then rip to a stop, as if on a string. Or Rory mashing a monster drive in the desert. Yes, for those of us lucky to own a sleeve, the Pro V1 is a thing of beauty, a prized possession to be carefully dotted with red sharpie at the kitchen table the night before play. Many men I know love their Pro-V’s so much they impose strict usage conditions; never use one in practise, where “out of bounds” flanks a fairway and absolutely never on any hole containing water.

My quest to get deep behind the gleaming exterior of the Pro V1 brought me to the quiet town of Fairhaven about 50 miles from Boston in Massachusetts and home of Titleist. On entering the reception, I thought for a second I was in Willy Wonka’s golf factory, as laid out before me was a treasure trove of the latest gleaming Titleist clubs, bags and balls while the walls were adorned with the latest model Footjoy shoes (also part of the parent brand). I was greeted by Rick Veitch, a highly engaging marketing guru for Titleist who eventually gave in to the SpinDoctor’s Paddy’s Day request (aka begging session) for a tour of the Pro V1 manufacturing process. “My wife is a “Hughes” from Cork”, he proudly exclaimed within 30 seconds of first shaking hands. I think that’s what may have secured my golden ticket.

The Pro V1 plant is located about ten minutes drive from the Titleist administrative building near the Acushnet river which gives the parent company its name. Before heading up there, Rick and I chatted about all matters golf. We talked about recession; Titleist hadn’t escaped its tsunami like force with layoffs in all areas. We talked about the power of the brand and how the kids that fished Pro V1’s from ponds ten years ago are now the grown up single figure handicappers who wouldn’t use any other ball. I ask Rick a somewhat tricky question about "defectors" (my words not Gregs), like Tiger to Nike, Phil to Callaway, Sergio to TaylorMade and Vijay to Srixon to which he philosophically replied “They all started out using the Pro V1”. Where the sales and marketing strategy of the new high end ball companies is to offer huge amounts of cash to marquee players to switch to their ball, Titleist adopt a different tack. “We have a plurality approach to cultivating and supporting our Brand Ambassadors”, Rick tells me. “We want wide representation of top players from every level of play, from the worldwide professional tours, down through the developmental tour, PGA club professional, college and amateur ranks”. In lay mans terms Titleist reps worldwide ensure every budding amateur talent always has a Pro V1 to reach for in their bag, so when the day finally comes that they do turn professional, they might remember on which side their bread is buttered. This is borne out by the stats which show on average five times more wins worldwide with Pro V1’s than with any competitor ball and why players like Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas are among the host of current greats who represent the brand.

Rick then points to a grey door across the hall. Every few minutes, the door opens and an anxious looking man strides out. He has that preoccupied facial expression, as if mentally working through the final steps of a complex quadratic equation, the solution to which may lead to an earth shattering breakthrough. I recognize him. He’s a scientist. The Research and Development section of Titleist comprises 50 such chemists, physicists and engineers constantly locked in a battle to push the barriers of ball technology to even greater levels.

As I travel in Rick’s car the short distance to the Pro V1 ball plant, so begins the process of myth shattering that is to continue apace throughout the day. Sizing up Rick, I see an ex-professional golfer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Titleist. He is part of an elite team charged with marketing the brand worldwide, a position I always regard as being like a goalkeeper; one fumble and the whole team suffers. Yet he doesn’t wear a tie, his car is not like something from Top Gear and holidaying abroad is not an option right now because of the drop in value of currency. Yet, I think he is enjoying getting out of the office for a few hours. At the door of the Titleist Pro V1 plant, we are kindly greeted by senior director of the facility Dan Gendreau. I notice Dan’s shirt sleeves are rolled up; always the sign of a hard worker. Chuffed, I explain that it’s an honour to meet the director, such a gesture in Ireland is reserved only for auditors and bank managers.

I’m not really sure what I expected in the Pro V1 ball manufacturing facility but images of men in white coats with clipboards standing around nodding in agreement whilst robots carved out balls were floating around in my head somewhere. The reality is altogether different. The process of ball manufacture though heavily reliant on machine is actually also highly labour intensive and about as glamorous as an East German weightlifter. The production floor is a kind of marriage between a bakery and a car factory. Parts of the factory are extremely noisy, others are hot, yet others again very damp. Smells range from the distinctive aroma of hot rubber to the sharp niff of lacquer. One thousand highly organized workers busily weave in and out through countless machines each churning out a vital component in what is a very complex process. Today’s quota is 580,000 Pro V1’s.

Here’s how they do it!
Step 1. Powders are mixed in giant silos and rubbers and chemicals added on conveyors to make a giant dough like mixture. Of course the ingredients are top secret but I’m sure I saw “limestone” on one the silo’s!

Step 2. The rubbery dough is extruded into sheets. Each sheet will become the core of approximately 42,000 balls.

Step 3. The rubbery dough is then cut into strips. Each strip is then further chopped into cork like shapes called “preps”. The left pic is the core of the Pro V1x, the right is the core of the Pro V1

Step 4. These preps go into moulds where they are heated and compressed into circular cores. Pro V1-x’s actually have two cores, which explains the difference in performance characteristics of the finished ball. The cores are given a shave to remove any rough edges.

Step 5. The cores are then placed in a clear casing made from a material called surlyn. More heat and compression moulds the surlyn onto the core. The seam of the surlyn covered core is then smoothed up and its surface heated by a flame to ensure its next coating bonds to its surface.

Step 6. Liquid urethane is poured into a half ball shaped dimpled mould and the surlyn covered core then precisely positioned in the mould. Two moulds flip together seamlessly, are bolted and fused to create the familiar golf ball shape. After smoothing, it is practically impossible for the eye to identify the seam of the ball.


Step 7. The balls are then painted white and screened printed with the iconic Titleist and Pro V1 logos. The final clear coat bonds the print and helps make the ball more durable.

Step 8. Every ball is scrutinized by robots as well as good old fashioned expert human eyes. Balls with even the tiniest imperfection or ink smudge do not make the grade.

Step 9. At the end of the production line, pristine Pro V1’s and Pro V1x’s pop out like everlasting gobstoppers. Balls destined for all regions of the world are stored in giant tote bins, packed and readied for shipping.

Just like with Willy Wonka, there are plenty of people like “Mr Slugworth” seeking to acquire the magic recipe, but that’s a story for another day. Seeing the countless containers at the end of the line brimming with endless Pro V1’s made me want burst into song and dive right in. After two hours touring, I emerged fascinated, educated and full of admiration for the hard working staff in the plant. Though working in a bustling environment there is a huge sense of contentedness and pride among the workers. The fact that the average employee here has at least 15 years experience is testimony to that fact. Our guide David Glynn, senior machine design engineer, has been here three years, which makes him still a rookie! Thanking all for the visit, I leave to find a place to watch the rugby, vowing never again to complain about the price of golf balls and deciding that from now on, my Pro V1’s shall be treated like my children. They’re worth every cent and should be cherished for the short time you have them!

Stay in touch with all the Titleist action on their excellent tour blog http://www.titleistblog.com/

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The SpinDoctor Meets The Best of The Irish On Show in the USA. A Paddy’s Day Special

Amidst the financial doom and gloom worldwide, it’s as if golf businesses are like soldiers going over the top of the trenches only to get cut down after a few short steps. There are however, the chosen few that avoid the snipers of recession and go on to succeed. I met up with the top three Irish exhibitors at this years PGA show in Florida to issue them their “purple heart” for outstanding bravery in the face of grave financial adversity.

Stephen Riley and Kevin Funnell http://www.premier-licensing.com/

I never knew what I wanted to do with my life when I was still in school. I’m still not sure. When I met Stephen Riley the MD of Premier Licensing from Down, I couldn’t believe it when he told me he gave up life as a PGA pro golfer based in South Africa to pursue a life in sales. One look at his product however and I saw the light. Exceptional quality Liverpool golf bags, Chelsea umbrellas and Manchester United headcovers are just a few of their brand new products on display at the PGA show. “I had a lovely Arsenal headcover on display here too,” Stephen tells

me, “But Ian Poulter just ran up and nicked it!” “It’s going to be in his bag at the Masters!” adds the brains behind the operation, Kevin Funnell. Having seen the success of branded sporting goods such as in the NFL and collegiate sports in the USA, Riley and his team took the idea and ran with it, straight to the doors of the premierships top teams. So impressed were they at the range and quality of the products, the leading clubs all entered licensing agreements. It wasn’t easy and negotiations to seal the deals took two years. But when Real Madrid and the British and Irish Lions heard that Man. United and co were producing golf merchandise, they excitedly came to Premier Licensing seeking a piece of the action. Premier Licensing now boasts the most complete range of golf accessories for the die hard supporter or the perfect present for the sports mad birthday boy! All the branded products are now available in Irish sports and golf stores but for some real father-son bonding time check out the website http://www.premier-licensing.com/. I tried it and I don’t know who was more excited, my seven year old or me!


Martin Greeves http://www.shaftskinz.com/

Young product designer Martin Greeves from Antrim is the inventor of shaft “skinz”. What are skinz? We are all now familiar with all the colours and patterns on graphite shafts. Well, “Skinz” are a simple way to pimp-up (ahem! decorate) boring old steel or stale grey shafts. The technology behind skinz is not new, it has been used in packaging for many years. For instance every plastic lucozade bottle has it. The decoration on the bottle is simply a plastic “skin” which is heat sealed onto a blank curved bottle. What shaft skinz does is to bring this technology to golf; all you need is a shaft skin and a hairdryer. Yes, a hairdryer.
The simplest ideas are always the best. When Martin Greeves produced his first test batch of skinz, 13 out of the first 15 shops he introduced it to, bought the product. The Golf Channel even loved skinz, featuring it on their show “Fore Inventors Only” where the product made it into the top ten out of 13,000 new golf products. Martin then took his skinz to The Crowne Plaza Invitational on the US Tour and even from outside the ropes, managed to catch the eye of then defending champion Rory Sabbatini, who immediately fitted them to his putter. Five players used skinz in last years British Open and the product is equally popular on the ladies tour. Shaft skinz are now sold worldwide. They don’t affect the club in any way, are funky, cheap and removable in seconds. Who needs Dragons Den when you have Rory Sabbatini to use your product? But the best laugh came when my wife saw me heading off with the hairdryer. “You have no hair” she said. When I explained I needed it for my “shaft skinz” she was pretty horrified. I think you can probably guess the rest. Check out http://www.shaftskinz.com/

Eamonn Kennelly http://www.golfvacationsireland.com/

You would think that only a mad man would want to be in the golf vacations industry nowadays, but I checked, and Eamonn Kennelly the MD of Dublin company “Golf Vacations Ireland” is as sane as they come. Eamonn’s company offers inbound golf tourists a never to be forgotten golfing holiday package which include Ireland’s top links courses. Destinations such as Old Head, Ballybunion, Murvagh and Ballyliffin are all on Eamonn’s itinerary. After verifying his sanity, I learned that the US tourist market is actually on the up again and what I thought were the boom times weren’t actually so. Eamonn gives me a lesson in geopolitics. “In February 2001 we had ‘Foot and mouth’ and the image of burning pyres of carcasses on CNN and the Cliffs of Moher being shut down didn’t do much for tourism. In September we had 9/11 and then SARS came along, both of which had a huge impact on international travel. Then came the Iraq war and the subsequent drop in the value of the dollar.” Add into the mix the huge inflation in Irish clubs’ green fees at the time and you begin to see why tourism has suffered over the past eight years. Hope springs eternal however and with the dollar now strengthening and the euphoria over Barrack Obama’s appointment still in the ether, Ireland is once again becoming an attractive proposition for golf tourists. Eamonn is optimistic that 2009 will be a good year for tourists to visit and play golf in Ireland. As a big supermarket says “Every little helps” the Irish economy.

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Rory McIlroy's Golf Swing In Biz Hub Swing Vision Slow-Mo Style and What's In The Bag with Donal Hughes Irish Examiner

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Robert Karlsson's Golf Swing In Biz Hub Swing Vision Slow-Mo Style with Donal Hughes Irish Examiner

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What's In The Bag Padraig Harrington

Check out the weaponry that led Padraig to two majors in 2008.

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The SpinDoctor’s Guide to the Ultimate Golfing Christmas Present

My auntie was also a great woman for Christmas presents. Every November she would ring my mother and after some small talk about hummel figures and the benefits of royal jelly she would always enquire as to what the kids were into this year. “Get Donal anything to do with golf” was my mother’s stock response when it came to me. The presents would duly arrive and I would spend two weeks rattling the pack, mad keen to unveil the wondrous contents. Alas the anticipation always proved the most exciting part as the presents, which ranged from three pairs of Ping winter socks, to a sleeve of pink Molitor balls and a warped wooden three piece putter never quite matched the expectation.

I may be all grown up now and suffer from a debilitating bald patch but I’m still like a Clarkson with a Bugati when I see a golf shop or find a new golfing website. Here are my five top Christmas gift ideas from low to high price range for the discerning golfer. Mammy if your reading, any of the expensive ones will be fine!

Level 1: Cheap and Cheery

The Pitchmaster Divot Tool

Okay these things may seem on the face of it a stingy present, but trust me, they’re ten times better than the likes of a digital scorecard kit and they will be used. The Pitchmaster is the Ferrari of pitchmark repairers with a shed load of designs available. I don’t know how many times I have looked at these on the counter of the pro-shops but could never quite justify the €10 price tag, but they make an excellent stocking filler that no golfer will turn their nose up at.

Level 2: I Love You, but not that much

Head Covers

A couple of years back some of the world’s top pro’s endorsed a range of personalised head covers. For instance Tiger’s headcover is a lion and Sergio’s is a Spanish bull. These are probably the most popular but I like the Tim Clark penguin which is surprisingly lifelike and the Pat Perez “Double P” boxing glove which nicely sums up his, let’s say, questionable temperament. Look out also for the Shrek, Puss in Boots and Donkey headcovers which may be a better present for juniors. Widely available from about €20 in golf shops and online at http://www.onlinegolf.co.uk/.

Level 3: I’m willing to pay to get you out of the house!

Shag Bags

Are you old enough to remember Peter Shilton running out at Wembley with a little purse to hold his Sondico gloves? If you are, and still cant play golf, you could do with one of these. Despite the unfortunate name, nothing sets you apart from the other hackers on the range more than tipping 75 muddy top-flites out of a pristine “shag bag”. Cheaper nylon bags cost about €20 while the top of the range leather Titleist bag will set you back around €50.

Level 4: I want an eternity ring in return.

Sunglasses

Even though our Irish climate is best described as “slobbery”, the Sun has been known to appear for a few minutes around 8am on a Summer’s morning. Whether you choose to wear sunglasses on the course or prefer to let them lie backways on your hat like the pro’s, these things are all the rage. The most popular brands as found on the tours are Bolle and Oakley and range in price from about €70 to €160 or sometimes more depending on the style. Equally cool when worn behind the wheel of a car, this is one present that will be appreciated.

Level 5: You’re a diamond in the rough.

GolfGlider

The ultimate golfing present. Unlike Bernard Dunne, when it comes to electric caddies the Golf Glider is still the lightweight champion. While the rubbish trolley imposters you buy in DIY stores crash and burn after six months, a Golf Glider will last a lifetime. The great news is they’re made in Ireland by a team of elves supervised by a Santa like figure called Mark Sturdy. It’s believed that faults with Golf Gliders are so rare that air accident investigators have to be sent in to investigate. The “Classic” golfglider is available from €450 while the top of the range “Microlite” is around €570. You can locate retailers on http://www.golfglider.com/.

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