Hybrids, rescues, utility clubs – whatever you call ‘em, they’re changing the game of golf. They cut through the rough like a blade, but can be as forgiving as a pitching wedge. They’ll sweep a ball as cleanly from a tee as they will the fairway and get you on the green from way back, or you can choke up and chip from the fringe with one. This Caveman will be taking a look at a handful of ways you can use these versatile clubs and you’ll see why so many pros (and duffers!) have added them to their bags.

For the most part, you’ll want to hit your hybrid like your 7-iron, with an emphasis on swinging down at the ball. But as you’ll see below, small adjustments in specific circumstances will help you get the most out of your hybrid:

• From the Tee – keep the ball tee’d low and in the center of your stance. Focus on your follow-through to maximize your power.
• From the Fairway – move the ball closer to the center of your stance but remember to still swing down on the ball. Concentrate on following through on your stroke to ensure you get the full force of the clubhead on your ball. You’ll want to take only a small divot – you sod farmers out there are likely losing distance by tearin’ up monster divots in the short grass.
• From the Rough – take only a three-quarters backswing to maintain control, but you can add power by accelerating down and through as you contact your ball. Make a complete follow-through and finish your stroke normally.
• From the Bunker – as long as the ball isn’t buried, a normal fairway swing with your hybrid (with a slightly shorter stroke) can add distance to your recovery shot. If your ball IS buried, your only option is to use a wedge and dig it out to a better lie.
• From the Fringe – choke down on the grip and use your regular bump-and-run chipping swing. Experiment on a practice green to hone your distance.

Just as you would with any new club, you’ll want to take some extra time to practice different shots before you hit the links for real. I think you’ll find a new hybrid, rescue, or utility will quickly become a go-to club and a valuable addition to your set.

-Scratch

As always, I’m lookin’ for responses from my Rock Heads! If you’ve got another tip for hittin’ a hybrid, be sure you add it in a comment below!

Golf is back on the program for both the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games! The IOC gave the offical “thumbs up” after hearing a pitch that included a videotaped message from Tiger Woods.

The last time a golfer got a gold metal was in 1904, when George Lyon of Canada won the individual competition and a group from the US won the team event.

This time around they’re plannin’ a 72-hole stroke-play tournament for 60 men and 60 women, with the top 15 world players automatically qualifying. So far about 30 countries are looking to compete in 2016, but there’s still plenty of time between now and then so don’t be surprised if that changes.

Meanwhile, just about everyone seems to be glad to see the gentleman’s game back on the list! But some object to allowing Tour pros to compete: “The Olympics [should] be a career high,” says this blogger – not just another notch for the millionaires most of us watch each Sunday. I see his point, but could anyone really look forward to a bunch of no-names battling for the occasional birdie? Big names like Tiger mean bigger TV ratings – and hopefully more new fans & golfers around the globe!

All this Caveman can say is stay tuned, Rock Heads! It’s a long road to Rio ’16 and I’ll be keepin’ you covered on all things Olympic.

-Scratch

See what my Rock Heads had to say back in August and find out why I wanted to keep golf OUT of the Olympics!

If you were thinkin’ the end of the FedEx Cup meant you’d be without great competitive golf action on the tube, think again! The Presidents Cup kicks off Thursday at Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco and both the US and International teams are STACKED with A-list talent:

Regardless of who wins, I’m lookin’ forward to watching some of the top names on Tour take one more crack at each other. But not everyone’s excited for the Presidents Cup…. here’s one blogger who thinks it is "too little, too late" especially after all the excitement at the Tour Championshp. This caveman can certainly see his point, but how about you – are you gonna watch this weekend or did your spectatin’ season end with the FedEx Cup?

And to tell you the truth, I’m thinkin’ the International squad might just pull this out! I know, I know, they haven’t won since ’98 and the US is packin’ one heckuva one-two punch with Tiger & Phil. But the depth of talent on the Int’l team should serve them well through the different formats of play. What’s your pick – US or International?

-Scratch

Hey there Rock Heads! So I was digging through the attic the other day and found an old report I did for college a few years back. So of course I had to share it! I won’t share the grade I got though…hopefully you like it a bit better than the professor did. Keep in mind that in the report below me and my friends may be referred to as "historians", "professors" and "scientists" *cough cough*.

570 million years BC
The Cambrian period begins and spans 78 million years. It is the earliest period of the Palaeozoic era. Golf is not yet known, leading golf historians to call this, “The First Dark Period." 78 million years of boredom ensues.

http://www.cwac.net/forests/forest.JPG

38 million years BC
The Eocene epoch begins and spans 17 million years. Rodents become the dominant small mammal. Golf groundskeepers wage war on the pesky rodents in what’s commonly referred to by golf historians as the "17 Million Year War". Ultimately the groundskeepers prevailed, driving the rodents underground where they continue to live today. Despite the war ending millions of years ago, skirmishes between groundskeepers and rodents continue until this very day. On a more positive note, many common tools, including the hose and shovel, were the direct result of this war.

http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/entertainment/08/01/04_caddyshack_lgl.jpg

20-12 million BC
The chimpanzee and hominid lines evolve with chimpanzees becoming the dominant spectator class – the first golf claps are heard around this time. Oddly enough, no shouts of "Get in the hole!" can be traced back to this time period, leading scientists and historians alike to believe that this was a more "civilized" era in the golfing timeline.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiswango/459274260/in/set-7215760007741895

10,000 years BC
Holocene epoch – end of the last Ice Age  –  the first golf course is aptly named Saber Tooth Tiger Woods. Scientists believe this is where the word "hazard" first stems from. It’s also widely accepted that the first speed golf was played here, as it was important to stay one step ahead of the "cats" on the course.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/zelerick/3473261722/in/set-72157617184664308/

2 million years BC
Widespread use of stone tools leads to the development of golf course accessories such as the divot tool, ball marker and crude weapons to scare away "hazards" (see previous excerpt). The actual use of these tools quickly leads to the widespread adoption of the caddy.

http://www.charleskerins.com/

700,000–300,000 BC
Period known as the Acheulean, when H. erectus made large stone clubs out of flint and quartzite. During this period the first composite drivers are made. Quite crude at first, MOI is discovered and new club head designs are developed, leading to what golf experts refer to as the “Great Leap Forward

Illus. © Oakley, K. P. (1973). Fossils collected by the earlier palaeolithic men. In Mélanges de préhistoire, d’archéocivilization et d’ethnologie offerts à André Varagnac, pp. 581-584. Paris: Serpen. Plate 1B.
http://www.originsnet.org/hndsclpgallery/pages/o)swanscmprt1.htm

130,000 – 22,000 BC
The Neanderthals and Modern humans were contemporaneous species and the archeological record reinforces the conclusion that the Neanderthals were not merely swept away by advancing modern humans. It is at this time the first controversies about Overlapping Hand Grip and the Interlocking Hand Grip are thought to begin.

               
© Brian Kelley
http://golf.about.com/od/golftips/ss/griptypes_3.htm

4800 – 4600 BC
Early Neolithic Linear Ceramic cultures are found to have built large arrangements of circular ditches. These are thought to be the first “sand traps”, which quickly lead to the use of the first swear word.

Carnoustie’s 13th © Brian Ewen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8266893@N07/517455694/

3300 BC
It is determined that Oetzi The Iceman – a naturally well-preserved mummy of a man that is found in 1991 – died while looking for a golf ball he hit out-of-bounds. This leads to new rulings about “provisional-ball” play.

http://www.viewzone.com/oetzi.html

1200 – 500 BC
Iron Age begins and the dominant European Hallstatt culture is divided by archaeologists into four phases – during the last phase we find the first appearance of high-quality, low-cost irons allowing the average worker to start playing the game. Wives throughout the world are furious as men begin to disappear throughout the weekends.

http://www.viewzone.com/oetzi.html

800 – 1100 AD
The Viking Age and their domination of Western Europe leads to over a thousand words becoming part of standard English, among them; stroke, score, skin, landing, again, give, take. The earliest plans for links golf courses also come from this period. The development of these courses directly leads to over a thousand more curse words being added to the English language. I won’t provide examples here.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/U_922%2C_Uppsala_cathedral.jpg

1457 AD
The first documented mention of golf, as is widely quoted, is in Edinburgh on 6th March 1457, when King James II banned ‘ye golf’, in an attempt to encourage archery practice, which was being neglected. This proves once and for all that a bad day golfing beats a good day at work.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/thesportswall_2061_2623234402

1618
"Featherie" (or "feathery") golf ball comes into play. Wet feathers are stuffed into a leather sphere, which is sewn tightly shut. The feathers expand as they dry, creating a rock-hard golf ball.
For the next 200 years or so, the rock dove of the English Isles teeters on the edge of extinction.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Columba_livia_22_days_old.jpg

1754
The St. Andrews Society of Golfers (later to become known as the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews) is formed. The wind at St. Andrews often causes men to lose their fashionable powdered wigs from which arose the term “to wig out”. Sadly enough, these are not the days when the golf dress code is at it’s worst.


http://www.pcaworldwide.com/history1.htm

1891
Steel-shafted clubs are first advertised. The first major Father’s Day golf equipment sale happens the following year in this bustling downtown Arlington, Texas location. The most popular clubs are quickly sold out, and riots ensue. Over the next few years, the steel industry booms as supply struggles to catch up with demand. Thousands of jobs are created, and soon steel is found to have more purposes than simply being used to create golf club shafts.

http://library.uta.edu/spco/timeframes/Images/photos/MineralWell1900.jpg

1930
The Spalding Kro-Flite is the first liquid-center golf ball. Its liquid center is covered with wound rubber and a balata surface. The liquid center is long-rumored to be 17 year-old scotch.

www.antiquesports.co.uk/

1938
Ralph Guldahl wins the U.S. Open. He is the last person to win the Open while wearing a necktie during play. The relaxing of rules leads to widespread performance-enhancing substance abuse by many competitors. Rules for professional golfers are quickly put in place…baseball continues unchecked.

http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/Images/pings/cokewinesml.png

1953
The Tam O’Shanter World Championship is the first golf event to be televised. Thousands of people instantly agree that while golf on TV is ok, they’d much rather be playing 18 themselves.

http://www.pga.info/Content/Images/Features/2009/05/GetOutPlayWentworthRyderCup1953.jpg

1960
Grandstands are first used at the British Open. Polyester soon becomes de rigueur while “garish” becomes the buzz word. And while over the next few decades the trend seems to fade, some certain golfers, to the delight of this Caveman, are making sure the legacy lives on.

1960′s                                             2000′s
   
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1813195_1722160,00.html
http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/did.you.see.that.0529/images/john-daly.jpg

1975
Tiger Woods is born and Jack Nicklaus was PGA’s money leader at $298,149.17. If Jack knew then what we know now…,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tiger_woods_on_Mike_Douglas_show.jpg

1993
Softspikes are introduced, signaling the demise of metal spikes. Softspikes are easier on the golf course, particularly greens. Moms everywhere love ‘em because Softspikes also track less dirt in the house. Consequently, the introduction of soft spikes leads to a much more relaxed appearance all around the golf course. Sightings of shorts are reported on golf courses. Sandals with spikes are invented. All this leads up to a very relaxed look which is now referred to as the "Sorensen". Consisting of nothing more than boxers/breifs and a golf glove, golf courses across the world race to quickly implement dress codes.

http://iguanagolfcondos.com/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_6345-733850.jpg

2010
The first four-wheel drive Monster Truck golf cart becomes commercially-available. Gun racks are modified to accomodate golf clubs. Bunkers and shallow ponds are no longer referred to as "hazards". This is also the year "Get In The Hole" tatoos are first reported.

http://www.bitchinsweet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/monster-golf-cart.jpg

2017
Golf clubs finally become standard issue in the military. New recruits are issued a sand wedge along with all other basic gear, which they are expected to polish three times a day. Camo fatigues become common on the golf course. And somewhere Boo Weekley has a big smile on his face.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_X7Uy1lugkpI/ShWSLNp2KYI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/xqIJgRIvbCI/s400/MFF+golf.jpg

2022
As old naval vessels are mothballed, entrepreneurs repurpose them as floating golf resorts touting their overall security.

http://www.aviationexplorer.com/aircraft_carrier_golf_course.jpg

2029
Champions Tour expands to 35 events in Tiger Woods’ first year on tour. Tiger Woods wins his first three events on the tour, including The Scooter Store Open in New Braunfels, TX.

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/clockingin/13996785%20-%20SCOOTER%20STORE%204%20-%2002_18_2009.jpg

With sponsors seemingly droppin’ like flies lately, the LPGA needs to shake things up and get more fans into the galleries and tuned into the TV next season or things could pretty rough. And since you can count this Caveman among the LPGA’s supporters, I thought I’d make a quick list of things I’d do if I were the commissioner of the ladies’ tour:

• Battle of the Sexes – Take a look at tennis, one of the few sports worldwide where the womens competition rivals the mens in popularity. While today’s superstars would no doubt be getting their fair share of attention on their own, ladies tennis got one heckuva jolt from the famous 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the so-called “Battle of the Sexes.” So how about pitting the stars of the PGA against the LPGA’s top players? Could make for an exciting skins match for a great cause if a charity or two were set up as beneficiaries.
• Playoffs – It’s not perfect, but the PGA’s FedEx Cup playoff system finally had it’s first thriller of a finish this year! I’d be all for a similar end-of-the-season set-up for the ladies. Sure, it’d be subject to the same troubles as the mens, but a points system would provide another aspect to competition and could draw in a few more viewers if it stayed close down the stretch.
• Public Appearances – Even many “middle of the pack” PGA players have better name recognition with the public than some of the stars competing in the LPGA today. While a few names have transcended the game (Lorena Ochoa, Natalie Gulbis, Annika Sorenstam, for example), I’d love to see more players get exposure from manufacturers and other media outlets. The winners of a major on the PGA Tour usually get to read the Top Ten list on Letterman – let’s get the ladies out there, too! Speaking of Annika, I think it’d be great to have her be a part of the TV coverage for LPGA and PGA majors.
• Youth Outreach – One sure-fire way to grow the LPGA’s fan base is to work towards getting more girls on the golf course! While organizations like The First Tee are doing a great job getting youngsters involved, I think an extra committment to girls’ golf teams and the like are a great way to ensure there will be no shortage of lady golfers in the future.

What do YOU think? What else can the LPGA do to get back on course and help its players earn the recognition their stellar golf games deserve? Let me know in the comments below!

-Scratch the Golfin’ Caveman

While the technology and materials used to construct today’s golf clubs are light-years away from the persimmon woods and balata golf balls golfers used back in the day, golf courses really haven’t changed all that much. That’s part of the charm for some with history like St. Andrews, but aside from adding obstacles or movin’ the tees back, many golf courses play just like they used to.

Now this Caveman’s been called a lot of things, but “golf visionary” ain’t one of ‘em. Still, I’ve put together a short list of ideas I think might shake things up for today’s golf course designers. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, so make sure you chip in with a comment or two below!

• Multiple fairways - Imagine standing on a tee box, lookin’ straight out towards the pin and seein’ not one fairway, but TWO mowed paths around a central obstacle: woods, heavy rough, or even a small lake! Both could be about equal length and difficulty, or a serious risk/reward decision could be called for if one fairway was, say, shorter but narrower and the other wide open but longer.
• Exaggerated elevation changes - If you haven’t already seen this hole in Africa, take a moment and watch the video. Requiring a helicopter to reach the tee box, this 900-yard par 3 gives golf balls over 20 seconds of hang-time and no doubt requires more than your average divot tool for ballmarks! It may be on the extreme end of the scale today, but I’d like to see more holes with large changes in elevation. Hittin’ off a cliff or bluff looks as cool as it feels, and lofting a shot up a steep fairway would take some mental gymnastics to play just right.
• Par 6+ - Augusta National famously lengthened its track in 2001 and again just recently, turning Bobby Jones’ favorite course into something the legend might not immediately recognize if he walked it today. But only a handful of courses have taken the next step and raised par to six. It could be in the cards though if golfers keep gettin’ longer like they have been for the past couple decades.

I dunno, maybe there’s too much tradition and too little to gain by rockin’ the boat with this crazy Caveman’s crackpot schemes, but if any of these come to be standard features on a golf course, you and me will both know who thought of ‘em first!

-Scratch the Golfin’ Caveman