August 7th - 10th on TNT and CBS Sports

Sand wedge anyone?

It’s crunch time on the PGA Tour. One final opportunity to claim a Major Championship this season. Whoever lifts the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday will have to contend with Oakland Hills…or as Ben Hogan named it, “The Monster”. It’s also the last chance to secure a position on this year’s US Ryder Cup squad. All in all there’s plenty of pressure to go around this week.

The South Course was designed by Donald Ross, who upon seeing the land said, “The Lord intended this for a golf course.” Any Ross designed course is sure to have one thing…multi-tiered greens. Find yourself on the wrong level and putting will become an adventure to say the least. Bring on the 90th PGA Championship. Visit the site for more.

Editor’s Inside Tip: GP’s got an inside look at DIRECTV’s enhanced and expanded coverage of the PGA Championships. Tune in to Channel 701 for free services that include: three unique channels that will focus on a group each day, featured holes and “Players In Depth” segments. Score and stats available at the push of a button, and the creme de la creme - an Interactive Mix Channel (shown right) that offers all four channels on one screen. ESPNZone action in the comfort of your own home. [click on image to enlarge]

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Every golfer should play the right golf ball for his game. And by right I mean long and straight. I might as well throw in lots of bite while we’re at it. I know, sounds more like a wish list than any ball you’ve played before. Distance balls fly like hell off the tee but are worthless when trying to hold the green. Softer balls are great for the short game, but the average Joe can’t keep them in play, let alone unleash a bone crushing drive. Well, after playing the past few rounds with the new Tour ix ball from Callaway Golf I have seen the Promised Land and it is sweet.

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4-time Open winner Bobby Locke famously, and rightly, stated that you, “drive for show, putt for dough.” Nothing ruins a good round or my patience more than dismal putting. Blowing a two-footer or three putting for a bogey will crush your score, and your will to live for that matter. Technologic advances aren’t just for the latest drivers, putters are now hoarding in on the action. The Rossa Monza Spider putter from Taylormade golf uses some of the same cutting edge technology as their drivers. [Read on to find out how and see additional images]
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Everyone wants to bomb it off the tee. There’s nothing more satisfying than blistering a golf ball down the middle of the fairway (in golf anyway). Unfortunately, there is only one way to hit the ball further: generate faster ball speeds. TaylorMade Golf has come up with a solution that doesn’t require swinging out of your shoes, the Tour Burner Driver.

I could bore you with talk of incredible MOI, proprietary inverted cone technology that produce higher COR or new superfast technology that delivers an extra 11 yards over the competition; suffice it to say golf balls should beware. If you care to, you can read more about the super fast technology here. The Tour Burner bombs, blasts and bludgeons golf balls so far your buddies will cower in your presence. I air-mailed their drives so many times I ran out of disparaging remarks by the back nine.

I don’t put a driver in my bag for its technology, just for its results and this driver is in my bag. Forget moveable weights and square headed drivers that sound like empty tuna cans. Trust me, you’ll get used to being the longest one in your foursome in a hurry. [More images after the jump]

What this mean for you: You’re going to need more wedges, a lot of ‘em.

Cost: $399 @ Golfsmith
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Gail force winds, horizontal rain, frigid temperatures and even the poor British dental system couldn’t deter Padraig Harrington from defending his Open crown. Some questioned whether Harrington really won the crown last year or was given it, but no one can take away from what he did this week at Royal Birkdale. Paddy now becomes the 24th man to ever win multiple Majors and the first European in over 100 years to defend an Open title. It seems that the best preparation for a Major this year is to hurt yourself right before. I wouldn’t be surprised to see half the field show up to the PGA Championship at Oakmont a little gimpy.

We should also pass along our thanks to Greg Norman who stepped into the spotlight this week injecting his charisma and flair, like he did when he was the #1 player in the world, and filled an obvious void created by Tiger’s absence. He provided the media frenzy experts were convinced would be lacking. Just shows you what they know.

Simply known as The Open. To be considered one of the all-time greats of the game capturing golf’s oldest trophy, the Claret Jug, is a must. Winning a Major Championship is career defining, to do it in the birthplace of golf is truly special. Read on for more of GP’s Salute to the British Open.
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If you’ve ever tried to calculate your golf handicap index then you know it’s a lot like rocket surgery, yeah… rocket, surgery. Fortunately for you Gear Patrol has a few mad scientists on staff ready to tackle such a challenge. I won’t go into the details, but you should at least know the following:

• A handicap is the average of your best scores, not all of them.
• Each score is adjusted for the difficulty rating of that course.
• Final scores are adjusted based on a maximum number of strokes per hole given your current handicap.
• You use a different number of scores depending on the number of rounds you’ve played.
• You should never use more than your last 20 rounds.
• Don’t expect to beat your handicap often; it only happens about 20% of the time.

If you’re going to improve you need to track your handicap. Gear Patrol has created a handicap index for you to download, use and share with all your golf buddies - FREE OF CHARGE. It’s just the kind of guys we are. We’ve also include a space to track Greens in Regulation & Putts per Round, two stats that are crucial to becoming a better player. Detailed instructions are included with the calculator.

Download link after the jump.

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The next time you head to the range to pratcie your swing take along a little extra help on your iPod. The good people at Golf.com now offer their instructional videos from GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers via podcast.

Best of all you’ll have access to all the latest featured GOLF Magazine videos that will be downloaded automatically for you. Just sync you iPod, grab your clubs and hit the mats.

Cost: Free @ iTunes [link will launch iTunes]

Also See: Bushnell Tour V2 Rangefinder

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Golf is challenging enough and chances are you’re making it harder on yourself by playing with crap golf balls. As it turns out that little white golf ball is the only piece of equipment the average hacker uses that is identical to the pros. I would wager that unless you’re a low handicapper or Daddy Warbucks the biggest influencer in your buying decision is price.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that we all switch to the Titleist Pro V1 (~$4 per ball). On the contrary I’m suggesting that you find a ball that fits your game… or lack there of. Do the smart thing and check out LostGolfBalls.com to find a recycled like-new version of your ball at reasonable and attainable prices. Golf balls, after all, have a tendency to disappear.

My full review after the jump.

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If you missed any of the gut wrenching drama of the US Open then you missed one of the most spectacular showdowns in all of sports. Four rounds and an 18-hole playoff were not enough to settle it between the #1 ranked played in the world and the 158th that it had to go to sudden death. Tiger called this win his greatest championship and I have to agree. He showed a new level of fortitude and perseverance that we have yet to see from him, and that’s saying a lot. Winning when you’re 100% is great; gutting it out when your not is what separates the true champions.

My thoughts after the jump.

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