Two well-known names in golf circles, Bobby Jones and designer Jesse Ortiz, are at the crux of the new Bobby Jones Golf Company.

The company name, of course, derives from the legendary amateur player who, in 1930, captured the original Grand Slam and then went on to establish the Masters.

Ortiz is well-known to equipment aficionados as the key designer at Orlimar who began making wooden-headed clubs under his father’s tutelage, and then became a pioneer in his own right with low-profile fairway woods and multimaterial metals.

Working out of his Ortiz Design Studio in Hayward, Calif., Jesse Ortiz joined last year with entrepreneur Walter Rosenthal to establish Bobby Jones Golf. The name is licensed via an agreement with the Jones family and Hartmax, the parent company of Hickey-Freeman, which produces the Bobby Jones apparel line.

Earlier this year, Ortiz — who is highly regarded for his knowledge and use of strategic weighting and advanced materials — unveiled his first full lineup of Bobby Jones Golf clubs, focusing primarily on drivers, fairway metals and hybrids in a Players Series for men, and counterpart series for seniors and women. The clubs have a handsome, classic look, but are infused with the latest in technological materials and development.

Tests of the clubs have been overwhelmingly positive. In both practice and on-course testing by a variety of players assembled by GolfWeb, all the clubs have been highly praised. Bearing a stamp of “The Players Series by Jesse Ortiz,” they are priced in the mid to upper-mid level tier, with the drivers carrying a suggested retail price of $250 to $300, and the fairway metals and hybrids at $180 to $200.

Tiger Woods is more than halfway home.

The resurgent legend wrapped up a wire-to-wire victory at the British Open Sunday, claiming his 10th major at the ripe old age of 29. He’s now only the second golfer to win each of the four major championships twice — the other is Jack Nicklaus, offering his farewell in his last major championship. And Woods is more than halfway to the Golden Bear’s record of 18 majors, a mark once thought unreachable.

In 2000, Tiger Woods’ swing was considered close to perfection. It brought him a haul of seven major titles out of 11 in a golden period from 1999-2002. And yet by the end of 2002, Woods had decided to change his swing, a decision that left him without a major win in two years. Fast forward to 2005 and the decision appears to have paid off - Woods’ Masters and Open triumphs this year have come with a different coach and a brand new swing. But why did Tiger Woods decide to deconstruct his golf swing in the first place? And is it really better than his old one?

Tiger’s statistics
Driving accuracy vs GiR*

2000: 71.2% - 75.2%
2001: 65.5% - 71.9%
2002: 67.5% - 74%
2003: 62.7% - 68.6%
2004: 56.1% - 66.9%
2005: 57.2% - 71.2%
*Denotes greens in regulation

In 2000, Woods topped the greens in regulation figures - which record the percentage of times a player reaches the green within two shots of par. And he is still fourth this year despite his sometimes wayward driving.

BBC golf commentator and former Ryder Cup player Ken Brown says both versions of his swing are effective.
He says: “Tiger’s old swing enabled him to hit it straight more consistently but I think his new swing enables him to play more shots. “His swing in 2000 was almost flawless. Now it’s more effective in different ways, it’s got more moving parts to it.”

Respected golf coach Nick Bradley agrees that Woods’ swing is less consistent. “Tiger’s swing now still looks a bit narrow and explosive through the ball,” he says. “Basically Tiger Woods is still a hitter and not a swinger.
“He’s taking his club on a wide circle on the way back and on the way down his club shifts into a smaller circle.
“That causes ‘lag’, which is stored power and that’s where all the power comes from at impact.

“But he’s getting this extra power at a price. OK he’s just won his second major of the year but he wouldn’t have been in contention in the US Open if it hadn’t been for his short game and likewise he wouldn’t have won the Masters.”

So if observers think that his swing was better back in 2000, why change it? The short answer is that he decided to back a new coach with different ideas of where his swing should be. When Woods was winning four majors in a row, people needed to know where his near-perfect swing came from. Enter Butch Harmon. The Nevada-based coach was the man behind the phenomenon but rather than staying behind the scenes, Harmon became the story.

In 2002 Woods said: “My relationship with Butch has changed. As you get a little bit better and you understand your own mechanics and your game, you don’t rely on a teacher quite as often.” Harmon’s increasingly revelatory comments on US TV also played their part and Woods and Harmon parted company by the end of 2002. Woods’ driving accuracy slipped further in 2003 (62.7%) and, more importantly, whereas his short game had been unaffected in the past, he was now only hitting 68.8% of greens in regulation. (See table above) . The rot had to stop and early in 2004 Woods employed Hank Haney. During this time his averages actually worsened, but Tiger was now a work in progress - there was now an end goal.

Woods claims that he and Haney have changed “probably 15 to 18 things” in his game. Ultimately Woods did this because he took his friend Mark O’Meara’s advice and backed his coach. And according to Nick Bradley that’s where Woods’ swing took on a different slant. He says: “The vision of a golf coach is very different from one to another. “Butch Harmon had Tiger’s swing going up and down the target line whereas Hank Haney has it going around the body more.”

Once Woods began to move away from Harmon, you could argue that things began to unravel. But Ken Brown believes there was another factor. Brown says: “I think he made the changes to his swing when he had his knee injury at the end of 2002.

“He thought that the swing he had was effective for a fully fit 22-year-old but might not be right for a 42-year-old. “I believe he thought his technique was going to cause too much wear and tear on his body.” Bradley adds: “Tiger’s gone from a better swing in 2000, to a model now which is not as consistent in motion but probably feels a lot better for his body. “That’s an important point. For a player to play well, he needs to feel well. Who’s to say that the model he had in 2000 functioned better, but didn’t feel as attractive as the one he has now?

“If it feels good and you’re still winning majors then you go with it.” As Tiger put it on Sunday: “I have been criticised for years now over why would I change my game. “This is why. First, second, first in the last three majors, that’s why.”

Sergio’s New Move

Golf swings are unique, like fingerprints — and almost as tough to change. That said, Sergio’s swing may always include his signature downcock. But that shouldn’t be a problem as long as he begins the downswing in the proper sequence, which will guard against the club’s dropping behind his body — a move that has plagued him. To develop the right sequence, he needs a stable base and support for the club at the top.

It looks like he’s addressing these issues with his recent swing changes. When Sergio’s arms reach horizontal in the backswing (frame 3), he’s hinging his left wrist more than he used to. His wrist cock is completed earlier, and he can let his body rotation move his arms and the club to the top (frame 4). Until now, Sergio had trouble setting the club at the top before his lower body started back toward the ball.

In his old swing, Sergio’s hips were well into their uncoiling action before his arms and club finished the backswing. When his hips started unwinding too early, the club dropped behind his body, making it nearly impossible to get the clubface square at impact consistently.

By improving his sequence at the transition — his lower body starts forward just as the club reaches the top — Sergio now has the club in a better hitting position on the downswing (frame 6). The shaft moves on a more vertical plane and stays more in front of his chest instead of getting stuck behind him and lagging into impact.

If you’re looking to steal one key from Garcia’s new swing, try hinging your wrists earlier in the backswing. Many golfers lose control of the club at the top because they don’t complete the wrist hinge before starting the downswing. Setting the wrists early adds stability at the top and makes it easier to start down in the proper sequence. Result: a consistent release that boosts distance and accuracy.

Michelle Wie today returns to the Evian Masters for the second time. She may be only 15 and still an amateur, but she is treading familiar paths as she tries to blaze a trail to the top of women’s golf.

Wie, though, has not been content to restrict herself to the ladies’ tees and has made no secret of her desire to play the ‘real’ Masters alongside the men at Augusta.

She came close to qualifying last week when she won three matches in the US Public Links event, where the winner earns an invitation, and has played three tournaments on the men’s PGA Tour, where she expects to make the cut next time. “I made the cut on my fourth women’s event”, she points out.