NOT Old School

I'm definitely of the opinion that what golf needs is a more authentic, no-frills attitude. These days there's too much to distract you from experiencing golf as it should be. The following is brief a list of 'fluff' that is decidedly NOT old school:

Fancy Putter Covers
Do you think Jack Nicklaus put a cover on White Fang? It's okay to let your flatstick get dinged up a little. Also, having to constantly mess around with a cover, taking it off then putting it back on, it's just a pain in the rear. If you have a $350 Scotty Cameron to protect, then, well, I'm sorry but you paid too much. Get yourself an old Bullseye or a $60 bronze Ping. Some putter covers today are "worth" more than that you say? Well that's just sad. You only need one if you want to be a prima donna like most of today's tour pros. Oh yes, I almost forgot - if you have an insert putter (the insert needing protection) then please click away from this blog immediately and don't ever come back. Insert putters are terrifically awful.

Laser Range Finders
C'mon. We're not shooting artillery here, this isn't the army. Golf is a game of feel. You'll get more out of training your eye than relying on some machine. Leave the high tech gear for the Navy SEAL snipers.

Stand Bags
I don't know when golf bags became so special that you couldn't lay one on the ground. When I was a kid our bags didn't have legs, and they didn't need them. I still remember the first time a kid showed up at practice for our high school golf team with a stand bag. Sacrilege! The coach nearly died and the rest of us (rightly) called the kid a freak and drove him off the team (kidding). I won't deny it, I have owned and used stand bags, and have one still. But I can't get comfortable with it and prefer my good old standless Jones bag. I find it's a lot less fuss. If you want to walk but don't want to put your bag on the ground, or maybe you have a bad back and the bending over is an issue, go ahead and get a pull cart. They're a perfectly acceptable old school alternative to carrying your clubs on your shoulder.

Headcovers That Look Like Spacesuits
The worst thing about the latest in titanium drivers and fairways is the grotesque headcovers the manufacturers put on them. Most of them look like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. A simple faux fur barrel cover or, better still, a pop-pomed knit cover will give your clubs a nice touch of old school class. Also, I don't care what Tiger does, animals covers are ridiculous. The one exception I'll make is Ian Poulter's Ian Poulter cover, which has outfits matching his real outfit. That's the most hilarious paradoy I've ever seen, so I'll let it pass.

Do yourself a favor. Get back to basics. Forget all the fluff. Just play.

Anyone else have some ideas? What else can we do without in order to purify our golfing experiences?


Okay, I'll confess, I do usually use a putter cover on my Ping Anser. It's so soft and delicate. But I use a PLAIN one, not one with hula dancers or tartan-clad doggies on it. On the other hand, I am working on myself to let it go and allow the Ping to get nicked up a bit. That's called 'character' and it's okay.