Top 10 Golf Fashion Don'ts

Golf fashion has evolved rapidly in the past few years.

I mean, just look at Rickie Fowler in his fluorescent outfits, John Daly in his Loudmouth pants and Hunter Mahan in his rapper style golf hats...

Let's face it, though, popular PGA Tour pros can get away with it.

Others can't.

Like these guys...

1. Wearing Your Shirt Out to Hide Your Gut--Nothing says, "Hey, I'm trying to camouflage my massive boiler/beer gut" like guy who wears his golf shirt over his belt.

2. Oversize Non-Golf Belt Buckle--Wearing a buckle sporting a skull or beer company logo might be more appropriate at Daytona Beach Bikefest. On the golf course, ya might want to tone it down a bit.

3. Cargo Shorts--If you're a college student, vacationer on a safari or ornithologist, you're welcome to wear cargo shorts. If you're on a golf course, not so much.

4. Golf Sandals--Can we just leave sandals to surfers. Just because you're in the bunkers all day, doesn't mean you have to sport this footwear.

5. Jeans--It's a great American fashion statement, but just not on the golf course. The fabric doesn't breathe well, there is no pocket room for golf balls, tees and markers and they make you look like a ranch hand with a golf club. Other than that, I guess they're ok, right?

6. Hawaiian Shirts--Please save these for luaus and backyard barbecues. They never looked good on Duffy Waldorf and they don't even look that great on Hawaii golf courses.

7. Visors--Please leave the visors to Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson and Steve Spurrier.

8. Watches--Unless your "Phil the Thrill" scoring some big endorsement dollars for wearing one, you don't really need a watch to tell you how slow the group in front of you is moving.

9. Knickers--Should only be worn by those participating in a hickory stick tournament or by the goofy emcee at a charity golf tournament. Please leave the knickers (plus fours) in the closet.

10. Matching Hat and Shirt with Masters Logo--It's okay to wear a shirt or even hat separately, but when you wear both at the same time it screams: "Hey, I went to the Masters, you didn't, and you wish you could be me."

Twitter: Top 10 Golfers to Follow

The next best thing to following big name golfers in tournaments is, of course, to, uh, follow them on Twitter, right?

If you want to read and respond to some of the best tweets in the golf kingdom, try some of these:

1. Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter)—Poulter takes great pride in his Twitter banter and you never know what he’ll come up with from day to day. He’s brash and sometimes annoying, but always interesting.

2. Paul Azinger (@PaulAzinger)—The outspoken “Zinger” comments on everything from politics to golf and other sports. He’s never dull.

3. Stewart Cink (@stewartcink)--He has an amazing 1,157,740 followers so he must be saying something interesting on a regular basis.

4. Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory)—The young Irish phenom seems to drone on incessantly about his great girlfriend, tennis star Carol Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki), but also has personal tidbits about his daily life.

5. Bubba Watson (@bubbawatson)—Known for his offbeat tweets like “View of 16^thhole in Bermuda from jet ski”, Watson keeps you posted on his great life.

6. Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis)—The LPGA’s glamour girl keeps you updated on her life on and off the course and always provides a lot of eye candy with great photos.

7. John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly)—Nobody lives a wilder life on the PGA tour than J.D. He was made for Twitter because you never know where he’ll be and what he’ll say.

8. Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA)—One of Tour’s rising young stars, Fowler’s interests go well beyond golf. He sort of over tweets on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (where he attended college), but he’s still a good one to follow.

9. Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany Lincicome)—Good behind-the-scenes LPGA information available here. Lincicome and LPGA’er Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) recently got into a highly entertaining Twitter dust up.

10. Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods)—He has the most followers in the golf industry (2,718,053), but he never seems to say much that’s enlightening or interesting. Here’s a classic mundane tweet by Tiger: “Amazing first visit to Turkey. Thanks Turkish Airlines, event organizers and fans. Very special place and a really fun event.” Yawn.

Best and Worst PGA Tour Golfers to Watch

Best Player to Watch

There's nothing like the "oh no" moment when the television camera in the tower focuses on a slow and annoying golfer playing in a PGA Tour event.

Watching one of these agonizingly methodical pros work through a seemingly endless pre-shot or putting routine drives me crazy. These guys really know how to ruin good televised golf.

Here's my list of  favorite players to watch and some of the worst culprits of slow, hard-to-watch golf:

BEST-Mark Calcavecchia--The ultimate shotmaker, "Calc" is also a fast player. In 1992 in the final round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, he played a round with John Daly in 2 hours and 3 minutes.

BEST-John Daly--I've followed Daly on the course for years and he never, I mean never, stands over a shot for more than a few seconds. Better still, love him or hate him, he's exciting to watch with his exaggerated driver swing that goes way past parallel and his phenomenal wedge play.

BEST-Rickie Fowler--You gotta love Fowler. Put a stop watch on him and he typically takes less than 15 seconds to hit a fairway shot or a putt. (once he steps over the ball). In a world dominated by technically obsessed pro golfers, Fowler is a feel player brimming with confidence. I find myself wanting him to succeed and rooting strongly against slow players.

WORST-Jim Furyk--I like Furyk. He's one of the classiest guys on Tour. In fact, he generally plays at a steady pace on the fairways, but once Jimbo reaches the green he goes into slow motion. The worst is when he stands over the ball about to pull the trigger only to step away and reevaluate. When Furyk gets to the green, I'm heading to the fridge for a brewski.

One of worst slow play culprits

WORST-Sergio Garcia--Right behind Kevin Na as one of the slowest players on Tour, Garcia has actually improved somewhat over the years. Back in 2002 at the U.S. Open at Bethpage he was heckled unmercifully by the rowdy crowds put off by his endless waggles. He solved that problem but still takes way too much time before hitting a shot or putt.

WORST-J.B. Holmes--You never like to bum kick a guy that's come back from brain surgery, but Holmes is one of the slowest players on Tour. That said, I still like to watch the guy because he's got serious game.

BEST-Dustin Johnson-He's the ultimate lock-and-load guy who plays fast in the fairway and on the green. You've got to follow Johnson in person on the course to get a true appreciation of his athletic ability. He's got tremendous flexibility and it's a joy to watch this guy off the tee.

BEST-Rory McIlroy--Fortunately the World No. 1 is a fast player. To be sure, I never get tired of watching that beautiful, natural swing of McIlroy's. Just think, we've got another good twenty years of watching Rory.

BEST-Phil Mickelson--I enjoy watching Mickelson play because he respects the game on so many levels. He's a relatively fast player on the greens and there's nothing like watching Phil hit a "hero" shot when he's in trouble ala his 6-iron on the 13th hole at the 2010 Masters.

WORST-Kevin Na--You're the champ, big fella. Na has the reputation as the slowest golfer on the PGA Tour. He takes forever on the fairway and the green. You sometimes think he goes through his endless pre-shot routine just to jack with fans. Who can forget Na at this year's Players Championship with his never ending waggles. Five, six, seven waggles.....just hit the freakin' ball will ya. Glaciers move faster than this guy.

WORST-Tiger Woods--You can't argue with success (14 majors and 74 PGA Tour victories), but Woods likes to take his time. While it was tolerable when he was dominating, now it's just annoying. This guy grinds over shots with the best of them. He analyzes every shot like it's his last and while that may be good for his game, it's boring to watch over four days.

10 Disturbing Trends in Golf

1. On Course Weddings--Golf courses everywhere are struggling and looking for more revenue streams. It looks like they found one. I'm seeing more weddings take place on clubhouse verandas and around the 18th green than ever before. Whatever happened to getting hitched at halftime of an NBA game or in a Vegas chapel?

2. Colored Golf Balls--Please take those yellow and pink golf balls to the miniature golf courses with the volcanoes and windmills. A major golf ball manufacturer states, "If you see the ball better, you'll play better." Puhleeeese! They've tried this yellow ball thing before and it didn't catch on.

3. Cargo Shorts--Leave the cargo shorts to hikers and college students. Sadly, I've even seen President Obama wearing them while playing golf. Enough already!

4. Adjustable Drivers--Do we really need these things?  We got along without them for almost 500 years. Seriously, if you only play a few times a year and swing like a drunken lumberjack, an adjustable driver is just another club not worth the hundreds of dollars you paid for it. I don't want to see you adjust it and tell me how it has improved your game. You're just as annoying as the iphone guy bragging about all the bells and whistles on his phone.

5. Stupid Shoes--Stop with all the skateboarder looking shoes. You're playing golf not getting big air at the local skate park. Freddie Couples can pull it off, you can't.

6. Old Guys Wearing Rickie Fowler Gear--Hey, if you're over forty, please don't wear those fluorescent orange Fowler shirts with the flat-brimmed golf cap. Seriously-- the only guy, no matter what age-- that can pull off this fashion statement is Fowler. Everybody else just looks silly.

7. Long Putters--Just go get a boat oar, will ya.

8. Greens Fee Boasting--With companies like Golfnow and Groupon offering discounted greens fees, the obnoxious guy sitting next to you on a flight who bragged about his great deal, is now on the golf course.

9. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Guy--Please tell this guy I don't want to wait at the tee while he takes his obligatory photos so he can post in "real time" to all his buddies back home.

10. Goofy Tees--No I don't want to see your tee shaped like a martini glass or the one emblazoned with the logo of your favorite NFL team. Just hit the freakin' ball.

Is Tiger Woods Finally Back?

All aboard, we're now loading up on the "Tiger is finally back" bandwagon.

Everybody get your red shirts, black pants, TW caps and those goofy looking white athletic golf shoes because Tiger Woods is back.

With the fire hydrant in Isleworth, sex clinic in Mississippi and Perkins Restaurant distant memories, Woods is finally back on his game following victory at Jack's tournament (The Memorial).

Even the most devoted Tiger hater must appreciate the way Woods sealed the victory. Bringing back memories of his phenomenal chip at the 16th hole at the 2005 Masters, Woods executed a similarly memorable shot at The Memorial.


It was the type of timely shot that only Tiger seemed to hit prior to the Escalade escapade.


Is Tiger back?


No, at least not the invincible Tiger.


This 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 or whatever version of Tiger will probably play more at the level of Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Luke Donald.


Woods will be good, even great at times, but not nearly as dominant as his glory years when he was rattling off Major victories.

At age 36, with a slew of knee and personal problems, there is no way Woods will ever get close to his prime.

When you look back at the year 2000 when Woods was 24 years old, he won an amazing 11 events (9 PGA Tour titles, a European Tour event and the PGA Grand Slam) and three majors (Masters, U.S. Open and British Open).

Let's face it, Tiger set the bar so high that any future accomplishments by him and other golfers pale in comparison to that year. 

You hear all the talking heads rattle on about TW being one of the favorites to win next week's U.S. Open, but nobody really knows which Woods is going to show up.

Will we see the struggling, floundering Woods we saw in the Masters (following his Arnold Palmer Invitational win) or the new, improved Tiger that hits fairways, sinks five foot putts consistently and executes miraculous shots?

To be sure, the ratings for the U.S. Open will be off the charts because of Tiger. 

Both the bandwagon types and haters want to see Tiger either win his first major since 2008-- when he won the U.S. Open on a bum leg-- or crash and burn and miss the cut.

I'll be watching intently. 

Admit it, so will you.


Read more great GURU on Facebook.

Turn Out the Lights Tigermania

Has the Tigermania train finally pulled into the station?

While most of the media (including me) are still enamored with the power of Tiger, my guess is more and more fans are tiring of all things Tiger.

Let's face it, Woods still moves the needle for television viewers and if you put his name in a headline, you're sure to get lots of clicks on the Web.

You clicked on this column, didn't you?

That said, as a fan I'm weary of seeing Woods as the main storyline before every tournament he's scheduled to play.

The same old scene is getting real tired and played.

Here's how it goes:

Tiger does his obligatory pre-tournament press conference (with the exception, of course, of a couple of weeks ago when he did that silly Internet Q and A with lame, softball questions by fans).

Anyway, the main question is always the same: Tiger, you've been working with Sean Foley for quite some time now, how is your game progressing?

Tiger's pat answer: "Uh, I'm getting close, very close".

Oh really.

Other than that victory earlier this year at Bay Hill, all we get from Tiger is a bunch of excuses about the putts not falling, reverting back to his old swing, blah, blah, blah...

Tiger, why not tell the truth?

Your brain is still scrambled from the Escalade escapade, the ensuing divorce and the huge amounts of energy and angst it took to fight off TMZ, The National Enquirer and other tabloid journalism outlets. Moreover, you still have doubts that come with any swing change and these young bucks are harder than heck to beat.

Even if Tiger returns to form, the twenty somethings like Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson and others like Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan are much more difficult to beat than the opponents he faced during his fabulous run to 14 majors.

The current crop of young contenders aren't shooting 74 in final rounds like Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els to make your victories easier and Phil Mickelson is not the easy mark in majors like he was earlier in his career.

We saw the future of how fascinating and exciting the PGA Tour can be without Woods, who missed the cut, with the playoff between Rory and Rickie (D.A. Points, too) at Quail Hollow. These are two immensely dynamic players who could give us years of great golf.  They're full of energy and flair, especially Fowler with those fluorescent golf shirts, Ringo Starr haircut and wispy, jazz musician mustache. C'mon Rickie, bring out the beret, please.

I want to see more of Rory and Rickie and less of Tiger.

There will never be anything like Tigermania in golf again. It was great to witness Tiger in his prime and winning majors by double digit stroke margins.

Those days are just distant memories now. It's sad, but every train eventually pulls into the station.

Goodbye Tigermania.

Hello Rory and Rickie mania.

5 Reasons I Love to Watch Rickie Fowler Play Golf

1. His quick swing is the antithesis of the overt mechanical style favored by golf instruction gurus.

2. Fowler is more of a “feel” player and doesn’t resemble most of the robots on the PGA Tour.

3. Fowler plays the game with a unique intensity that most likely was nurtured back in his early teens when he used to race dirt bikes.

4. You can always spot the guy from hundreds of yards away with his in-your-face, brightly colored Puma outfits.

5. He’s unpredictable. You never know when he’ll pop up on a leaderboard and make a run against the best players in the world.

To read more great GURU, go to my Facebook Page.

Tiger Woods 2.0 a Big Dud

So far, Tiger Woods’ return to tournament golf has been about as exciting as the movie Caddyshack II and Michael Vick 2.0.

Instead of the swashbuckling Woods that stalked the fairways before his “Cocktail Waitresses Across America Tour”, we’re getting the somber, somewhat bewildered Woods who misses cuts and bails out because of a sore neck.

It seems so long ago that CBS's Jim Nance would wax poetically about “Tiger being on the prowl”. Nance always seemed to notice “the look in Tiger’s eyes”.  Now, the only thing Nance can drone on about is whether Tiger will make the cut. Hey, that super slow mo of Tiger's errant swings off the tee is interesting, too.

On the course, instead of magical shots to win tournaments, Tiger gives a weekly lesson in military golf-left, right, left, right… That seems to be where most of his drives end up.  If I want to see crappy driving like that I can go to my local muni and camp out at the first tee.

Why does Tiger continue to wear his red shirts on Sunday? The intimidation he once exuded is long gone. Heck, it seems like every twentysomething on the PGA Tour, from Rory Mcllroy and Jason Day to Rickie Fowler and Ricky Barnes has shown Woods up lately. Even 16-year old amateur phenom Jordan Speith has grabbed the spotlight from Woods. Tiger might want to switch Sunday colors, perhaps a lavender or chartreuse?

Off-the-course, Woods actually seems to be grateful and accommodating to interviewers like CBS’s Peter Kostis. The grumpy, suspicious Woods after a round is a distant memory.

You gotta wonder, too. What happens if Woods gets his act together and actually wins a tournament?  Most likely his estranged wife and kids won’t rush out to greet him. Sadly, he might be surrounded by his agent Steinie (Mark Steinberg) and perhaps a Las Vegas showgirl.

It’s so sad. Truth is, I’d rather watch Caddyshack II than watch Tiger Woods play golf these days. No, it's not that bad, but I certainly don’t enjoy watching Tiger Woods 2.0.