1. About.com
  2. Sports
  3. Golf

Belly Putter Fitting

Belly Putter Fitting 2 - use a ruler to measure the necessary shaft extension

If you're thinking of switching from a conventional putter to a belly putter, see how to fit yourself for the new putter's length and lie.

More on Putting
Golf Spotlight10

Callaway's 2012 Lineup

Thursday January 26, 2012
Callaway Golf used its time at the ongoing PGA Merchandise Show to unwrap its lineup of new clubs and balls for 2012. The headliner was the RAZR Fit driver, which was actually first introduced a few weeks ago and featured on About.com here.

So it's the other stuff - and there is still plenty of other stuff - in the 2012 Callaway lineup that we focus on in this gallery.

That includes the RAZR X Black driver, plus multiple sets of irons, along with fairway woods, hybrids, wedges and balls. View Callaway's coming clubs for 2012.

Mallon Named 2013 Solheim Captain for US

Thursday January 26, 2012
Meg Mallon will captain the United States team at the 2013 Solheim Cup, the LPGA announced on Thursday.

The 2013 Solheim Cup takes place at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo., Aug. 16-18.

Nobody can doubt Mallon's qualifications for the role. She's an 18-time winner on the LPGA Tour, including four major championships, who is very popular with her peers and younger players alike. She's also well-prepared for the role, having served as an assistant captain at the 2009 Solheim Cup, and as the captain for Team USA at the 2011 Junior Solheim Cup.

Mallon also played in eight Solheims, earning the second-most points (16.5) of any American golfer in the competition. Her win-loss record as a player is 13-9-7.

Team Europe has yet to name its captain for 2013.

See also:
Meg Mallon biography and career details

Big Break's Maiya Tanaka On Next 'Amazing Race'

Wednesday January 25, 2012
Professional golfer Maiya Tanaka is one of the contestants on the The Amazing Race 20, the Emmy-winning CBS reality series that sends 2-person teams racing each other across the globe.

Tanaka is paired with her sister Misa as one of 11 teams on The Amazing Race 20.

The Tanaka sisters are from San Diego, Calif., and both played golf for their high school team. In fact, the two of them started their high school's golf team.

Maiya went on to play collegiately at UCLA, where her teammates included Ryann O'Toole and Tiffany Joh. Since turning pro, she has played events on the Futures Tour and Canadian Women's Tour.

But Maiya is still best-known as a contestant on the Golf Channel's Big Break franchise. Tanaka appeared in the Big Break Sandals Resorts season.

Can a golf background help Maiya perform on The Amazing Race? In the Tanakas' cast bio, Maiya says yes: "I'm competitive, have a lot of mental and physical talent and drive - I want to win!"

The Amazing Race 20 premieres on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 19.

See also:
Maiya Tanaka pictures

Bubba Busts Out All-Pink Driver for Charity

Wednesday January 25, 2012
bubba watson pink driver Bubba Watson loves pink. He's long had a pink shaft in his Ping drivers. We've seen him in pink shirts, pink pants, pink socks.

"Pink has always made me stand out," Watson says.

Now, Watson will be swinging an all-pink driver as part of a charity effort with Ping. The driver, whose clubhead is pictured in two views at right, is a Ping G20 whose clubhead carries the words "Made Exclusively for Bubba."

As part of a larger fund-raising effort called "Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million," Ping will donate $300 for every drive of more than 300 yards that Watson hits with his pink driver. Up to a maximum of 300 drives - because Bubba hits a lot of 300-yard drives, he averaged 315 yards per drive in 2011.

Money raised with the pink driver goes to Phoenix-area charities selected by Ping with Watson's input.

"... I have extra motivation to hit the ball as far as I can," Bubba said. "My goal is to make Ping pay every cent."

Bubba's pink Ping G20 driver has a loft of 8.5 degrees; a 44.5-inch True Temper Grafalloy Bi-Matrix shaft (also pink); a Ping 703 Gold grip with 10 wraps of tape under his right hand and 12 wraps under his left hand. Look for it this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.

It's been a big week for Bubba. He also purchased the original "General Lee" car used in the television The Dukes of Hazzard.

(Photo courtesy of Ping Golf)

Discuss in my forum

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved. 

A part of The New York Times Company.