Written by Greg Shaw, co-owner of Tattoo Golf

3-13-08

It's no secret John Daly's game has fallen far from it's peak in the 90's and his personal life has always been a disaster but it seems things are taking a turn for the worse - if that's at all humanly possible!

He finally seemed took steps toward getting his game back on track by hiring coach-to-to-golf-stars Butch Harmon but no sooner than it began, it ended with Harmon severing ties due to Daly's fondness for the booze. Harmon very publicly gave specific reasons for the split citing Daly's drinking several times and basically saying that he won't continue to waste time with someone so uncommitted to the game. "My whole goal for him was he's got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life," Harmon said. "And the most important thing in his life is getting drunk." Can't say I blame him.

Since Daly no longer holds an exempt PGA tour card, he now plays strictly on sponsor's exemptions, which fortunately for him means he plays a lot. Daly hits the ball a mile and remains a huge crowd favorite so what sponsor wouldn't let him play? So during the recent PODS tournament, John spent a 2 1/2 -hour rain delay during the first round in the Hooters corporate tent behind the 17th green and when play resumed Big John had Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden on the bag for the rest of the round and ended up shooting a 77!! Funny but not a stunt an elite professional should pull while in the midst of an attempted comeback. Things didn't get much better the next day as he shot an 80 (with his regular caddy) to miss the cut.

Not one to miss a party, he returned to the golf course Saturday afternoon and spent a few hours back in the Hooters tent drinking beer, chit chatting with fans and signing everything in sight including the back of one female fans' pants!! Again, fun stuff but probably not the PR he needs at this moment in time. His reputation is that of a boozehound so common sense should dictate that he walks the straight and narrow but it's just not in his genes. Coming to his own defense he said he thought he was doing a good thing by promoting Hooters, signing autographs, and playing the jovial big man but Harmon, among others, simply doesn't see it this way!

Daly learned of the Harmon situation Wednesday morning and not from Butch but rather from the media! Pretty crappy way to hear the news but maybe Harmon was trying to administer a lesson in tough love by making the split so public? "I just wish Butch had called me before getting slapped in the face" Daly said when asked about the sudden split.

A call would have been nice but a slap to the face is really more appropriate at this stage of the game. Fans are still enjoying themselves watching Daly and sponsors are still tossing big bucks his way but it can't, and most certainly won't, last forever.

Written by Greg Shaw, co-owner of Tattoo Golf, a golf apparel company

September 25, 2007

Football? Sure. Baseball? Yep. Cycling? Definitely. Track & Field? No question. But golf? That's the question now that the PGA Tour will begin implementation of their own anti-doping plan in 2008 as part of an overall World Golf Foundation policy.

The World Golf Foundation not only includes the PGA Tour but also the European Tour, LPGA, the USGA, Augusta National and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. With the Asian, Canadian, Japanese and Australasian Tours all signing on to support the plan, we've essentially got an anti-doping plan that reaches every corner of the globe.

PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem had long held fast to the belief that there was no need for anti-doping intervention but has changed his position during this past year. Said Finchem earlier this year "…there's no sport that's inherently immune to doping. It's a sad commentary, but it's true."

Is it true? And is it really necessary? Golf has always been looked on as a gentleman's game, one equated to honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship where players self-police and in many instances, call penalties on themselves for unseen infractions. But times apparently are a changing!!

Is this merely a sign of the times, a preemptive strike to keep up with the policies of other professional sports or is there some evidence of cheating that the PGA is hiding from us? Is there a potential Barry Bonds-like abuser lurking on the PGA's leader board? The only player as beefy as a steroid popping ball player is Tiger Woods yet he's also the most vocal proponent of this anti-doping plan and has publicly volunteered to be first in line for testing.

I can't think of another player out there who looks or golfs the part of a doping violator. The guys that hit it 300 yards seem to have reached this mark via advanced technology (i.e. Hotter club faces & balls) mixed in with a bit of exercise but even assuming there is substance abuse on tour, you still have to hit the ball straight! And once the driver is in the bag, players don't really need muscle, they need technique. They need to hit a wedge 100 yards to a tightly tucked pin location and I'm not sure there's a drug out there that can help with this. And just how will any banned substance help a professional read and sink a 15 foot putt with a double break in it?

The illegal substances that generally get all the attention are the muscle pumping, strength inducing drugs so prevalent among the Popeye forearmed baseball players of recent years but what about some of the other prohibited substances on the list for testing? The list includes everything from anabolic steroids and hormones to beta-blockers. Now I can see how beta-blockers may be of help to a PGA Tour professional as they basically block the affect adrenalin has on your body. In other words they make you relax! Additionally they facilitate smooth muscle control which explains their prevalence as being a treatment for various heart ailments including cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks (prevention post-attack).

Woods recently reminded reporters that Nick Price once admitted to using beta blockers but said they actually hurt his game rather than help but drugs have varying effects on people so who's to say it won't help the next guy? A few beers usually help calm me down but it certainly doesn't seem to help my game any! It's not farfetched to think that beta-blockers may help someone down the road.

It's better to be proactive rather than reactive so Finchem's making the right call here but I'm betting on betting on the players and believe golf will not be shamed and dragged into the mud like so many other sports these day.

Written by Greg Shaw, co-owner of Tattoo Golf.

Right from the get-go I found the idea of a playoff system in professional golf a strange idea to say the least. When first announced, the main selling point was the wonderful news that one of the already filthy rich golf professional's would receive a $10 million dollar check for winning this crazy event. To me that meant a yacht upgrade for Tiger but I'm naturally cynical. As viewer ship wanes during the post-major season, the FedEx Cup was supposed to be a shot in the arm for professional golf and was supposed to create an NBA-lie post-season excitement but it's never going to happen! The Tour is an individual game played by individuals, not teams - you just can't build that type of excitement in golf but they found a sucker in FedEx so away we go!

Now assuming we buy what the PGA is selling then how does one go about winning this thing? The short answer is, who the hell knows?? I've tried to understand it but found myself saying, "I don't really care" so that's it for me. Personally I'd watch golf on TV anyway so this FedEx thing does nothing for me but I sincerely doubt that it's going to raise viewer ship by much, if any, at all.

This is just my point of view but NOW, the players are speaking up both with words & action! The guy slated to win this inaugural cup, Tiger Woods, is now saying he's skipping the first event in this 4-event playoff season being held this weekend at Westchester CC in New York. Fatigue coming off his PGA Championship and a need for rest are the reasons given although a crying baby certainly can't be helping the situation either.

Sooooo, now what does Finchem and the PGA do? He was clever enough to get FedEx to pony up some $40 million bucks to kick start the PGA playoff season but without the world's number one player, this balloon is losing air fast so brace yourself for some great spin from the powers that be! Interestingly enough, through months of multi-media ads & endless hours of conversation during tournaments & on the Golf Channel, we've been told that this season-ending playoff is of the utmost importance and would provide high drama yet by skipping this first event, Tiger tells all that this event is no big deal at all.

So much for the actions, now onto the words..... Journeyman Jeff Maggert told the Greensboro Newsrecord last weekend "Probably half the players out here couldn't care less about it....and the other half are indifferent." Speaking of Finchem, Maggert had this to say "I mean, this was his idea. He really didn't consult any of the players. He kind of shoved it down our throats and said, 'This is what we're going to do.'" OUCH

It's too late to change course this year so ahead they will plow but the $40 million question now is, will FedEx deliver again in '08??

About the author - Golf fanatic Greg Shaw is the VP of Sales for Tattoo Golf (http://www.tattoogolf.com/) and has extensive experience in trend marketing. Greg can be reached at greg@tattoogolf.com.