This Week at WorldGolf.com: Dec. 21, 2005

By opting out of Mercedes Championships,
Tiger and Co. say no to an endless summer

Tiger Woods will be skipping the season-opening trip to Hawaii for the '06 Mercedes Championships at Kapalua's Plantation course in January and he's not alone.

Once again, Phil Mickelson won't be there, again citing family reasons (you'd have to think that, at some point, even Lefty's kids are going to get sick of seeing so much of him!). Padraig Harrington won't be leaving the Emerald Isle for the trip to Hawaii and Retief Goosen will be staying in South Africa.

Vijay Singh, being sort of a local guy will be the top name in the field, with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk the only other two from the top 10. This is assuming they don't beg off too. So, no matter what plotline the tournament and PGA Tour flacks try to sell, the big story in Hawaii is going to be the absence of big dogs.

Which begs the question: What exactly is it going to take for PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem to listen to Tiger and the others? They've been saying over and over that the season is too long, but are getting nowhere. "I haven't had an offseason and I need one," Woods told reporters.

I'd like to think guys like Mickelson, Harrington and Goosen figured the only way to get Finchem's attention is to stop talking out of their butts and - instead - just start sitting on 'em!

I don't have the time or inclination here to dig out the stats, but we all know what happens to attendance and viewership when Tiger doesn't play. The same goes for any of the top guys, though certainly to a lesser degree. Yet Finchem skips along merrily, trotting out gimmicky playoffs, made-up majors, and imitation Ryder Cup Matches. Sure his intentions are good - to increase interest in pro golf. But he's got to remember two things. First, there is a saturation point. Hey, if X number of tour stops is good, twice that's got to be better, right!? Wrong! Secondly, Tiger and co. are your product; listen to them! Without them in the field, you're left trying to sell guys like Ted Purdy, Jason Bohn and Tim Petrovic.

As always, WorldGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Mauna Lani gives a
classic taste of Big Island golf

Flying in to the Kona Coast of Hawaii's Big Island, you're apt to notice one thing: lava. It's everywhere, an entire coastline of inky black rock. You'll wonder how anyone could have chosen to build a resort on this stark moonscape. The Mauna Lani Resort, however, is an oasis of palms and kiawe. And the emerald green of Mauna Lani's two golf courses, the North and the South, offer a classic taste of Big Island golf.

Full story | Also: On Maui, don't miss the Wailea Gold, Emerald courses

Winning golf bets as a hopeless high handicapper within your shaky reach

Few things can match the pure fun of collecting money on the golf course - especially if it's from an obnoxious, much superior player. The shame is that many high handicappers never get to experience that rush. It doesn't have to be that way, though. It's possible to hit your driver every which way, to send your wedge shots flying over the green into another county and still walk away with your pockets stuffed with George Washingtons.

Full story | The Original Cheap Bastard: Official blogger of BadGolfer.com!

Kool Tee could benefit golfers
with chronic back problems

Pres Kool wanted to keep playing golf but a chronic back problem made teeing up the ball torture. Calling on friend and inventor Konrad Marcus, the two came up with Kool Tee, which enables golfers to tee up their ball without bending over. The idea seems simple, but Marcus put in serious work to make it a reality, and he estimates that as many as four million people will benefit from his back-saving invention.

Full story | Also: Want to a WorldGolf.com reader reviewer?