Hank and Rush

AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGMENT, I watched the premiere episode (a repeat) of The Haney Project Rush Limbaugh. It was my first look at the new season. To my surprise, I got a small bang out of it.

A digression: I said against my better judgment because The Haney Project is not my brand of cereal. Nothing against Hank. I just don’t go in for that type of golf programming. I mostly stick to tournament coverage. I did watch a few of the Charles Barkley episodes. Charles is so unfiltered and the most bizarre ex-basketball golfer who ever lived. I passed on Ray Romano.

Hank and Rush were not appointment TV. It came on after Friday’s coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open and I didn’t change the channel. (The Haney Project Rush Limbaugh airs on Golf Channel on Tuesdays at 9pm ET.)

The first episode could be summed up this way: Rush has zero confidence in his golf abilities. He is also suspicious of instructors. Nothing has ever worked for him. He is clueless and freely admits it.

Rush is said to be an 18 handicap. His golf pals, one of which is former Kansas City Royals baseball star George Brett, thinks Rush has it in him to be a 9 or 10. This is what friends are for—to see your potential or to be totally delusional. It’s a very fine line. If Rush is an 18, then I’m a scratch golfer.

But I agreed with Hank’s diagnosis of Rush the golfer. Rush has something to work with. His swing wasn’t bad. In Rush’s words, he was striping it on the range. (Don’t we all?) I could see him as a legit 18 in short order. From there, who knows?

By the way, Brett, who bats left, has a sweet golf swing. Don’t play him for money.

Hank thinks he can fix Rush. He wants to work on Limbaugh’s head. Good luck with that. I’m telling you, there’s not a positive golf thought in there. Not one. Godspeed, Hank.

During the episode, Rush said golf is the only thing about which he thinks everybody knows more than he does.

Thank you, Golf. My love for you is reaffirmed.

−The Armchair Golfer

Marshall Faulk Scores Ace at American Century Championship

MARSHALL FAULK AND I have two things in common: We’re both San Diego State grads and we’ve both made a hole-in-one. (Although Marshall made his ace on TV. Showoff.)

If celebrity golf is your thing, the American Century Championship begins tomorrow in the Lake Tahoe area. Hank Haney students Charles Barkley and Ray Romano are playing, as are Tony Romo, Don Cheadle, Michael Jordan, Ray Allen and many others. More info

Play with the stars in 2011: Enter the 2011 Celeb-Am Golf Sweepstakes for a chance to win two player spots for the July 12, 2011 round, as well as a two-night stay in South Lake Tahoe and two player gift bags. There also will be other prizes awarded. To enter the sweepstakes, visit www.edgewoodtahoe.com.

American Century Championship TV Schedule:
Friday, July 16 - ESPN 2, 7-9 p.m. ET (tape delay)
Saturday, July 17 - NBC, 3-6 p.m. ET (live)
Sunday, July 18 - NBC, 3-6 p.m. ET (live)

−The Armchair Golfer

Tiger’s Swing Challenge: In Search of More Fairways

HANK HANEY HAS RESIGNED as swing coach for Tiger Woods. I won’t pretend to know anything about Tiger’s swing and what he should and shouldn’t do in regards to a coach. There are plenty of would-be experts on that subject. But I do know the fairway is there for a reason, and throughout his career Tiger hasn’t spent as much time in it as he would like.

Missed fairways have put tremendous pressure on other parts of Tiger’s game—which admittedly are brilliant, like his recovery play and putting—but it’s reasonable to expect that those skills will fade over time. His putting, even pre-scandal, has been suspect in recent majors. Almost all of the great ones who’ve played the game have eventually lost their touch and nerve on the greens.

Whether it’s a tweak or a rebuild, I think Tiger needs a swing that will put his ball in play much more often. That’s the bottom line. It will be increasingly important as he ages as a player. The putts will not always drop. And those miraculous recoveries and short-game Rembrandts depend on consistently making the five, eight and 10 footers.

A lot has changed in golf over the years: equipment, courses, swing gurus, mental coaches and more. But for all that’s changed, the game is still simple: get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. And to do that, especially in the majors, it still comes down to that old adage, “fairways and greens.”

There’s this story about Hogan. Ben was complaining within earshot of his wife, Valerie, about not making more birdies. His challenge at that stage of his career was the putter. What was Valerie’s response? She suggested that her husband hit his iron shots closer to the hole. I love that. (And I think he followed her advice.)

Tiger has won 71 times, including 14 majors, with a persistently wild driver. Which is amazing, just crazy. Some have said he has the driver yips. Maybe so. Now it’s time to fix the tee ball. At 34, and with all the young guns coming along, I don’t think hitting it all over the ball yard is a sustainable strategy for winning a record-setting number of majors.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Gordons/Flickr)