Golfers, particularly the elite ones on the professional tour, are finicky about their equipment, including balls, so it’s always interesting when one of them decides to switch brands. The most recent example is Sergio Garcia, the spectacular Spaniard who last year won the Masters. It officially ended the albatross he carried around as the best player on the PGA Tour not to win a Major. It also was a year in which he married. But for more than just his historic win and his marriage, Garcia made news in October, 2017 when it was announced he was ending a 15-year partnership with manufacturer TaylorMade in what was to become a move to Callaway early in 2018.

If you are looking to buy a gift for a golfer that just might make an improvement in his or her game, I recommend the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x ball. TaylorMade introduced both balls to the market in 2017, essentially to compete with the Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x, and the manufacturer had instant success with both if you take into account the men’s PGA Tour and the current world rankings.

When Tiger Woods announced recently he was planning to make his latest comeback, I wondered if the golf world and, to an even greater extent, the sports world cared. This will be the second time Woods tries to launch his return to the game through the Hero World Challenge, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, at Albany, Bahamas.

Bobby Charlton loves golf, in particular playing and collecting balls. The 68-year-old retired resident of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada has been playing recreationally for 30 years. He plays about 75 times a year at various courses in North America, has an eight handicap and usually hits the ball straight.

Image Credit: ew.com Read it, roll it and hole it. Those are the simple words from a caddy to a golfer in my favorite golf movie, The Greatest Game Ever Played. There have been numerous movies that Hollywood has created with golf as the theme, some based on actual events, others totally fictional. The fictional ones probably resonate more – Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore, Tin Cup – if only because they are funny, if not totally outrageous. You don’t have to be a golfer or someone who follows golf to like them.

Image Credits: AP News, SB Nation, Heard County Parks & Recreation, & Reuters Now that the PGA season for 2016-17 is in the books, here are my thoughts about some particular noteworthy moments. Who would have ever imagined a season without a win by Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson? Collectively, they played in 56 tournaments, but were never truly in any of them.

Image Credit: Rezdy Sometimes you need to take a break from watching golf on TV of whatever means you use to watch the action, and check out some social media, specifically Instagram. It’s quick and provides photos that can be entertaining and useful to learn more about players and products, notably balls. Here's some Instagram accounts that you should be following:

Image Credit: My Gold Daily It’s been said in golf that a tournament cannot be won in the first round, but it can be lost in the final round judging by what has happened in some of the men’s Majors this year. The PGA Championship looked like a battle between Kevin Kisner, Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Stroud. Kisner held a one-shot lead over the other two going into round four. Justin Thomas sat two back. By the end of the tournament, Thomas won by two, shooting a three-under 68.

Image Credit: Golfweek It’s been an interesting season so far in terms of the Professional Golf Association Majors, which concludes with the PGA Championship, starting Thursday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. So here are some of my predictions for the player I expect to win and some longshots. Insofar as the PGA Championship is concerned, it is hard to go against Jordan Spieth. Spieth is listed as either the favorite or second favorite on most betting sites.