Will Tiger Woods win a major in 2014?

Will Tiger Woods win a major in 2014? A few years ago, that would have almost been a forgone conclusion, but now the jury’s out. And depending on your reading of the game, you could profit from your view.

There’s a whole market out there debating this very question and if you think Tiger really is back to his former glories and you think he’ll land at least one major this year, then the odds are with you.

Currently with betfair.com, the world’s biggest peer to peer gambling exchange where there are only backers and layers with no bookie involved, the Tiger is odds-on not to win one. But it’s a narrow market. As things stand, you can get a best-priced 6/4 against him winning any of the four majors during the calendar year 2014. Conversely, he’s around 3/5 not to win a major.

Tiger Woods hasn’t won a major since 2008 and after his much-publicized problems off the course- with a fair few on it as well – he slipped to 50^th in the world rankings. But he’s rallied, of course, and has now worked his way back up to the world number two spot, having regained the top-spot for a while.

There’s also a bit of a market and a great deal of debate as to whether Tiger can ever equal or surpass Jack Nicklaus’s all-time record of winning 18 majors. Sir Nick Faldo doesn’t think it’s possible for Woods in the modern game; others disagree. But Woods is still only 36, remarkably, which is plenty of time yet to win the five he’d need to outdo the Golden Bear.

And if he’s to start making inroads, he’ll surely have to win at least one of four this year. But will he? That’s for you to decide and to place your bets accordingly if you’re feeling lucky or confident enough.

gbelts A Belt For All Seasons - A Review In Pictures

I first was introduced to gbelts through their Instagram page. What first struck me about their belt/buckle combinations was the simplicity and style of the design. With my busy lifestyle I've had the chance to wear one of their belt/buckle combos pretty much everywhere or the last while. Whether it was on the golf course where I both worked and played or on my route as a mail carrier.  The gbelt did not disappoint. As a father of three I like to be stylish the gbelt fit the bill.

 The gbelt Buckle in Antique Brass w/ Hybrid Strap in Safari Black - Killer Combo

 On or off the golf course the antique brass buckle was stylish, understated, a real winner.

 A buckle from gbelts will run you $50. Antique nickel and black matte also available. Great price for a quality buckle.

 Soft Italian Leather with nice antique brass snaps accents. All buckles are designed to be easily interchangeable with gbelt straps. Hybrid straps will run you about $60. Bourbon Brown, British Brown, Coal River Black also available.

 Nothing better than the classic rustic look

 Why not pick up a stylish gbelt hat too, my son Gus loves it for obvious reasons.

Puma Biofusion Golf Shoes #PGAShow #PGATour

Some of my favorite golf shoes over the years have come from Puma. From the lightweight Faas Lite Mesh shoes from last season to the 80s flashback of the Cell Fusion Special Edition Golf Shoes from a few years ago. They always seem to blend style with performance and comfort. This season the new Biofusion golf shoes seems to be leading that same charge. Biofusion Tour available Feb.1/2014. Biofusion Lite and Biofusion Spikeless Mesh available March 1st/2014.

 Jesper Parnevik sporting some Biofusion Lite shoes last weekend at the Humana Challenge

 Rickie Fowler with some special edition Beetroot Biofusion Tour Shoes

The ever popular Vibrant Orange/White Biofusion Tour Shoes - Sunday Rickie at Humana Challenge

Great pic from Sandbox8.com of the Biofusion Spikeless Mesh shoes #PGAShow

 Biofusion Spikeless Mesh shoes #PGAShow courtesy Hackers Paradise

My Favorite the Black and White Puma Biofusion Tour

DeLaet Poised For 2014 Win

Weyburn, Saskatchewan's own Graham DeLaet plays his first tournament of 2014 - the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course - that begins this week in San Diego. What's not to like about a golfer that seems to firing on all cylinders. Especially when he's Canadian and bound for the Masters this April.

A top-30 placing on the money list - DeLaet finished 21st w/ $2,834,900 earned. DeLaet received his invite this past December, his first invitation to the Masters. 

The sweet swing of Graham DeLaet at Torrey Pines Golf Course. His power and accuracy should bode well for a breakout win this season.

Sometimes Graham's love of hockey shines through on the golf course like this hockey inspired glove head cover from Golf Trends Inc. Talked to Gord at Golf Trends Inc. and he said contact your local proshop/retail golf establishment about pricing and availability for a headcover just like Graham's. Photos courtesy of GolfWRX.com.

Q&A With Dick Gray of PGA Village Port St. Lucie Florida

Under a few feet of snow here in Ottawa it's great when I can email a golf course superintendent like Dick Gray a few questions. Being in charge of PGA Village and nearby PGA Country Club, in Port St. Lucie Gray oversees the grounds and maintenance of three courses designed by Tom Fazio and Pete Dye at PGA Golf Club; the 35-acre PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance golf instruction, practice, technology and fitness park; and the private 18-hole PGA Country Club, designed by Jim and George Fazio. He's one busy guy, can't wait to catch up with him when I visit PGA Village this winter.

 Dick Gray

OG: Why would a golfer come to PGA Village over the other 40+ resorts in Florida?

We offer pure golf! We don’t offer shopping or the beach. That’s all available but that’s not our focus. We do golf by legendary architects Pete Dye and Tom Fazio.

We plan on re-grassing the Ryder greens, tees and renovating the bunkers to give the course a whole new look and feel. We’ve also contacted Pete and plan on re-grassing the Dye fairways, greens and around the bunkers. We’ll be able to maximize the ability of the grasses to provide championship playing conditions on a daily basis. Our maintenance mission statement is to prove championship playing conditions, everyday.

We have three great layouts by the two best designers in the world. What more could you ask for? Our weather is better than any place north of us and our location is an easy one hour drive from West Palm Beach Overall, we offer a much better value than any place south of us. Why wouldn’t you come here?

OG: For golfers that have been to PGA Village before, what differences are they going to notice from the three golf courses since you’ve taken over as Superintendent at PGA Village?

Gray: From the entrance to the bag drop and four hours later, our guests will notice a little more spring in the steps of our employees. Right from the first tee, we’re cleaner, sleeker and more open. We’ve trimmed down over-grown palmettos on every hole and hauled away thousands of yards of debris. Overall, the courses have a better feel. We’ve got all new sand in the Dye bunkers. With improved equipment, our maintenance is gotten much better with a more uniform cut on the greens, tees, fairways and roughs. Our bunkers are raked daily and edged weekly. Greens run 11-plus on the stimp daily. Course signage is completely new.

OG: Have there been any new ecological changes?

Gray: We’re living up to our billing as a certified Audubon wildlife sanctuary. We are removing all exotic and invasive species of trees and shrubs. We’re planting native grasses along our perimeters and will continue to manage the growth of palmettos, one of our very important native plants and golf course landscape features.

OG: If you could work with any course designer, who would that be and why?

Gray: Pete Dye because he’s a master strategist and inspires confidence in those around him.

OG: What course superintendent would you like to switch jobs with for a week and why?

Gray: Nobody! At this point in my life, greenskeeping can’t get any better than this.

OG: What do you look for when hiring staff at PGA Village and how many individuals make up your maintenance staff on the three courses?

Gray: First thing I hire is a heart and second is attitude. Next is pride, then competitive ego and lastly is brain. At PGA Village, we have a staff of about 72 people.

Think Outside The Box When It Comes To Weekly Fantasy Golf Picks

With my Fantasy Golf Leagues in full swing, this time of the year always gets me thinking outside the box when it comes to my weekly fantasy picks. Of course it always seems a little more thought goes into leagues that actually involve real hard earned cash but that’s pretty standard.

Crunching the golf stats of the various PGA Tour pros each and every week takes on a new level during the winter as there’s no actual golf being played by this golf blogger but only dreaming about golf, planning my next golf vacation or cleaning my clubs.

My sources vary from the “Hot” golfers on GolfStats.com to the latest odds for pro golfers at golf with 888sport. Some weeks it just pays to look at the in depth player stats on PGATour.com. Although they can trip you up any given week.

It's not always who’s playing the best at the time but a combination of hot play and courses that the Pros love. Remember most of these guys don’t have to play each and every week and can pick and choose which courses set up for their particular golf games. Keep your ear to the various Social Media channels as well and you just might get that pick that clicks for the week. Humana Challenge is this week, so good luck everyone.

The sweet swing of Holly Sonders 2014 Humana Challenge Pro-Am courtesy GolfWRX.com

Nothing Like An Albatross To Jump Start Your Round - James Hahn Albatross Video

Most can only dream of a shot like this, heck I just wish I was golfing someplace warm like James Hahn in Hawaii at the Sony Open. In the second round of the 2014 Sony Open in Hawaii, James Hahn holes his 193-yard second shot on the par-5 9th hole for the rare albatross.

James Hahn double-eagles No. 9 at Sony Open.

Preview Videos - Ping i25 Irons

Last February Ottawa Golf Blog got to test out the G25 irons in my first ever Ping Fitting by Andrew Donaldson of The Marshes Golf Club. Ping this week announced the release of the i25 irons in February and there's quite the buzz already from one of golf's top iron manufacturers. GolfWRX has a great video from Zak Kozuchowski, Managing Editor of GolfWRX.com interviewing Marty Jertson, director of product development for Ping. You can follow Zak on Twitter @ZakKoz. 




i25 Irons

The 17-4 stainless steel irons deliver forgiveness and distance with control to inspire confident shot making. In the progressive set design, the long irons are designed with head sizes and sole widths that deliver high trajectory and extreme forgiveness. The more compact mid and short irons have narrow soles and less offset for enhanced accuracy and scoring. Narrow face-stabilizing bars in the long irons increase ball velocity for added distance and height while wider bars in the short irons produce a controlled, lower ball flight with softer feel. The careful design details in the club’s shape and set progression are captured with an inspiring foggy chrome finish. Tungsten weighting in the low toe increases forgiveness. A machined face and grooves deliver control and consistency.

- Available 3-9, PW, UW, SW, LW
- Stock steel shaft: PING CFS^® (Soft R, R, S, X)
- Stock graphite shaft: TFC 189i (Soft R, R, S)
- U.S. MSRP: $ 110 per club w/steel shaft; $137.50 per club w/graphite shaft.

Graham DeLaet Brings Canadian Style To Puma Golf's Powerhouse Apparel Line

Not surprising Graham DeLaet jumps apparel ship from Sligo to Powerhouse Puma Golf. With DeLaet's breakout 2013 season and his Canadian presence Puma Golf has a great fit when it comes to personalty and golf game. Look for another great year from Graham DeLaet.



GRAHAM DELAET SWINGS INTO 2014 IN STYLE WITH PUMA GOLF
PUMA Golf Inks Deal with Canadian Superstar

Enhancing its already robust team of professional golfers and brand ambassadors, PUMA Golf has announced the signing of Graham DeLaet, a celebrated Canadian golfer on the PGA Tour who can be recognized for his steady climb in world rankings and success during 2013. His top performances in 2013 included a second place finish at The Barclays, taking third place at Travelers and Deutsche Bank Championships, and 11 Top 25 finishes. DeLaet ended the 2013 year ranked 36th in the world and will continue to climb the rankings in style with PUMA Golf in 2014.

“Graham DeLaet is a perfect fit for the Puma Golf team,” said Bob Philion, president of Cobra Puma Golf.

“He is a world class performer who brings a fresh look to the course, making him the perfect representation of the style and performance blend that Puma Golf embraces,” he added.

“We are excited to support Graham as he continues his success on tour and embodies the Puma Golf energy on and off the course,” said Philion.

DeLaet will kick off the 2014 season at the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 23. He will be fully suited in Puma Golf apparel, accessories and headwear. This season, he will play in Canadian red and white every Sunday on tour.

Puma Golf will support DeLaet’s signature Sunday look by sharing photos socially, using the #CanadianSunday hashtag.

“Puma Golf is a great fit for me and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the team,” said DeLaet.

“I have always been a fan of the brand and the innovative combination of function and fashion they bring to the game,” he added.

“Their unique style is matched with top-performing gear that will undoubtedly help improve my game and I look forward to represent Puma Golf on tour in 2014 and beyond,” said DeLaet.

DeLaet will wear apparel and accessories from Puma Golf’s Spring/Summer 2014 Collection. He will wear the Golf Tech Polo, featuring coolCELL technology for its combination of moisture-wicking properties and anatomically placed airflow for temperature regulation.

The polo’s breathable mesh panels, placed in the centre of the shirt’s back, offer ventilation to one of the body’s sweatiest zones while the three button placket and self-fabric collar provide the classic golf style.

He will also be featured in Puma Golf’s 2014 campaign through print, online and social ads as well as in-store signage alongside Rickie Fowler, Jonas Blixt, Jesper Parnevik and Blair O’Neil.

The campaign will highlight DeLaet’s key looks from each collection, including his #CanadianSunday look, which he will wear during the majors in 2014. The first two looks of the Spring/Summer 2014 Collection are available at retailers and online now. The next offering, with fresh styles and colors, will be available at retail February 1.