Image Credit: PGA Tour Some random thoughts for the golf world: Jordan Spieth looks be to be back in form from two years ago after a somewhat disappointing season in 2016. His four-stroke win in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am was stunning, if only because he came into Sunday’s final round with a resounding six-shot lead and essentially had to play cautiously or, according to his caddie’s suggestion, “boring golf.”

Getting a grip on your golf game has literally become more important than ever. Oversized grips have changed the game, and it’s certainly become a major topic. Like anything, once something has some kind of success, it becomes more popular.

Image Credit: PGA As Jon Rahm made a 60-foot putt from off the fringe to register an eagle on the final hole of the Farmers Insurance Open – a shot that would lead to his first PGA Tour victor – did you notice the brand name of the ball? It was a TaylorMade TP5x.

Image Credit: Forbes The news about Tiger Woods attempting to return to competitive golf on a regular basis, coupled with the equipment he is using, are generating a huge buzz in the industry and, to an even bigger extent, the mainstream sports world. When one of the greatest stars of this generation is coming back after what was considered a possible end to his career because of injuries, combined with the fact he is 41, people take notice. This is 21 years since Woods took the golf game by storm and then went through a roller-coaster of events on and off the golf course.

Image Credit: CNN Choosing a golf ball that’s right for you and learning how to hit to maximize distance and accuracy can make a huge difference in your game. But how do you determine which is the best ball for you? Paulin Vaillancourt, who has been instructing for 35 years and taught current LPGA star Brooke Henderson as a junior, says most players, especially amateurs, should be using a softer ball.

There are many ways to become interested in golf and turn it into a career, either playing or teaching. In the case of Paulin Vaillancourt, he accomplished both and can lay claim to coaching a current top-10 LPGA player, Brooke Henderson, and her sister/caddie, Brittany.

Former NHL stars (left to right) Marcel Dionne, Rick Vaive, Mike Gartner and Gary Leeman. Image Credit: B'nai Birth Canada During my conversation with former National Hockey League player Gary Leeman, I asked him for some tips about golf. You can read more about Gary's NHL career and how he got into golf on my previous post. As someone who was a decent amateur and is now a three-handicap, Gary told me that physical fitness, in particular strengthening the core, can help improve your game.

Image Credit: CBC Gary Leeman is among a select few players in the National Hockey League to score 50 goals in a season, but he also happens to be a good golfer. I caught up with Gary at a Toronto Maple Leafs alumni game to talk about hockey and golf. Gary surpassed the coveted 50-goal plateau for the Leafs in 1989-90, and later became part of a 10-player trade, the biggest one in National Hockey League history, and also had the good fortune of winning a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1992-94.

Image Credit: GolfWRX The golf manufacturing business never stops. At the start of 2017, Nike announced it had signed Jason Day, the world’s top-ranked men’s professional, to a golf apparel deal. Day had previously been affiliated with Adidas. The significance of the deal, aside from the fact it made a successful, undisclosed offer to Day, is that Nike is taking an aggressive approach to golf after announcing last August plans to cease producing balls and clubs.