Good work Media Guru, Eat Golf, Bogey Lounge, John Flemma fairway wood craftsman

Yes Geoff Shackelford and Rob Thompson are the Gold Standard when it comes to golf weblogs, but others have strong content and unique individual voices too.

Bogey Lounge and Hooked on Golf (aka the media guru) have been part of the Golf Blog family since near the beginning. Both blogs have grown into useful websites on a wide variety of topics from the tours to equipment to courses. They have also grown their brands...literally in Bogey's casey as he has the Brand Lounge. Media Guru started his my space for golfers project and as seen alot of success. I'm guessing Jam Boy had the kibosh put on him when he got a promotion. Shame he writes so little now - he and Golfers Muse were really funny. Where have you gone Musey? We miss you.

Towards the end of last year, we saw another spike in new blogs. While Texas Golf and GolfChick have carved out niches as really nice people and fun little reads (Texas - GREAT job reporting the Barton Creek sale!) and while Luke Swilor's Road to the tour makes for a good story, the cream of that crop is Rich from Cali's Eat Golf. Rich recently asked me to provide him with a review of my driver. I was happy to oblige and wanted to reprint the piece here so you'll all have something to read while I wing west to North Dakota with my fellow entertainment lawyer Jay Kogan. Here it is:

"You'll laugh but I'm a few years in the past with my Driver. I swing a Big Bertha Steelhead Plus I bought in 1999. I'm 5'7" and 134 lbs and a Hobbit sized guy needs to swing a Hobbit sized club - not a football helmet on a stick. It's a small roundish head with a steel shaft, but it feels great slipping into the slot and flies straighter than any Taylor Made I've used. I suppose when someone gets me a Titleist, I'll be off like a shot, but after a year of futility with Taylor Mades seraching for an extra 30 yds and only hitting 4 fairways a day, its was just common sense to trade back. I make up the lost ground now with my Pixl Wedge and Ping Pal 2 putter. Besides - Technology Schmechnology. It's not who can play with a tennis racket and a superball - It's who can play with a rake and an Easter Egg."

One last thing on golf blogs. I want to encourage every blogger who remembers him to honor Mike From Texas, one of the original golf bloggers and a great correspondent who passed away last year due to a heart attack on 6/3/05. My own remembrances are two: first, he had a singular sense of us being a community and strove to keep us together and writing often to and about each other. Sadly, while we have grown alot in the last year, the sense of interconnectedness and community has suffered some. I'll also remember Mike as being a huge fan of both Mackenzie and Mike Strantz. He got me to visit one of his favorite courses - Pasatiempo and I know architecture better for it. What are some of your favorite remembrances of Mike?

For those of you scoring at home, the rest of my bag is as follows:

3,5,7 woods - Perhaps the best clubs in my bag, this set are Tight lies knock offs for heads (Toski brand), with Paragon low torque shafts and Golf Pride Lite wrap grips. These were custom made by my 82 year old dad in the basement and not only do I vouch for them, but many players across the country too. From Bandon Oregon to NYC, people who tried my woods have called dad for a set. He makes other clubs, but his "Flemma Family Fairway Woods" are rightly famous for craftsmanship, quality and excellent value. One guy from Bandon pulled out my three-metal for his second shot on #9 at Bandon form about 265 out. He hit it on a trajectory I dream about - a penetrating ball flight. It dropped 8 fet from the cup and he made the eagle. He called dad in a couple days and bought a 3-5-7 set. Other "lunkhead entertainment industry golf buddies" (as I call them in my U.S. Open preview piece for Cybergolf), have ordered sets of two or individual clubs. I swear by my set and can't wait for dad to teach me to make 'em.

4-9 iron, sand wedge. Original Ping Eyes. Red. Circa 1983.

48 degree wedge - Wilson forged. Very little bounce and sharp blade.

52 degree wedge - Pixl with trademark and patented hexagonal grooves (hell yeah, it's legal).

Ping Pal Putter - vintage 1983.