Before I jump on a plane and head to Scotland for The Open, I figured y'all would have some questions, and boy did you.
Thank you for these, everyone. They make me feel "connected" to you on a week when we all might feel a little disconnected from one another.
Enjoy!
#askESPNcaddie what is Joey LaCava up to these days? Does @TigerWoods have him on retainer?
— Robert Kimball (@robert_kimball) July 6, 2016
Collins: Bob Harig actually spoke to LaCava earlier this year and wrote a great piece about it. He is being a dad and husband hanging at home waiting for the New York Giants' season to start (maybe not as eagerly as in years past). While he never said he was on retainer or being paid to wait for Woods, the fact that a caddie of his experience and stature is not willing to work for any other top players while Woods is out speaks volumes.
@ESPNCaddie #AskESPNCaddie what's the deal with Lydia Ko wiping her hands on a towel before many putts? Seems a little unnecessary and quirky
— Dave Andrews (@PopsandSunshine) July 8, 2016
Collins: Lots of players (men and women) do that before hitting shots, especially when it's hot and humid out. Part of hitting great shots is about light grip pressure, so when your hands sweat, it's easy to hold the club tighter than you should. By toweling off the grip and your hands, it sets up a routine to subconsciously remind yourself, "light grip."
@ESPNCaddie Why are yardages on tour from fairway measured to front of green, while most courses have yardages to middle? #AskESPNCaddie
— Amol Yajnik (@amolyajnik) July 8, 2016
Collins: Every day the hole location changes, while the front of the green distance from the sprinkler heads always stay the same. Wednesday-Sunday (yes, they do it for the pro-am, too) the tour prints out a hole location sheet. Caddies and players will then walk off the distance from the ball to the sprinkler heads to get the exact distance to the front of the green. After they have this number, they add the yardage to the hole for an exact distance. Afterward, they calculate for hills, wind, etc. before choosing a club.
@ESPNCaddie Beside damage, when a ball can be changed?
— Garry Scott (@Aroma_Bean) July 8, 2016
If a player isn't feeling w/Ball X, can Ball Y come at the next tee?#AskESPNCaddie
Collins: You can switch golf balls after every hole if you want to, but -- players must use the same kind of ball for the entire round. Can't switch from a Titleist to a Srixon or TaylorMade during the round. It's even illegal to switch from a Titleist Pro V1 to a Pro V1x during a round. To be super technical, for a tournament it's illegal to switch from a 2009 Pro V1 to a 2013 Pro V1 during a round as well because they're different golf balls. It falls under USGA rules 15-1 and 15-2.
@ESPNCaddie #AskESPNCaddie other than wind what is the biggest difference at The Open from other majors?
— Christopher Lee (@da_squatch0418) July 8, 2016
Collins: Green speeds. Like you said, The Open is known for its windy conditions, and because of that, the green speeds are normally kept much slower than the other major championships to prevent golf balls moving on the greens. We had big complaints last year from players at St. Andrews (including Dustin Johnson) who had to play in conditions that were later deemed unplayable when golf balls wouldn't stay still on the greens. Slowing the greens down also helps keeps scores down because mishit putts will not stay on line or reach the hole like they could on super-fast greens.