John Holmes's blog

Golf course openings in the United States remain at historically low levels, according to a new report by the National Golf Foundation. Measured in 18-hole equivalents, the NGF said that only 13.5 courses opened in 2012, while 154.5 courses closed. A total of 68 percent of those closures came among lower-priced public facilities, which continues a trend that has run throughout the economic downturn.

How do you get your motor running for a big golf tournament? Well, this week some PGA Tour players did it by, literally, getting their motors running.

On Tuesday, Ian Poulter – well known as one of golf's greatest motorheads – hosted several of his colleagues at the Palm Beach International Raceway. At the small track near West Palm Beach, Poulter arranged for Ferrari USA to provide a stable of ''prancing horses'' for the players to test out.

Serena Williams spent part of her Friday at the Honda Classic, where she followed Tiger Woods for a little bit. The tennis superstar – who lives near PGA National, where the tournament is being played – wanted to take a photo of Woods with her cell phone, but an ever-vigilant marshal caught her in the act.

Amazingly, someone caught the incident on video, and you can see it here.

Williams admitted her infraction later on Twitter:

A new discovery of an old grave could become the latest tourist attraction at the home of golf.

That's what several golfing groups in Scotland hope, anyway.

Arnaud Massy – who made history as the first non-Briton to win the British Open back in 1906 – was buried in the Newington Cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland, after his death in 1950. But no one seemed to remember that fact for 63 years, until his unkempt grave was recently rediscovered.

The recovery of the golf economy, like the recovery of the economy in general, is happening in fits and starts, and accelerating in some places more than others. One area where golf seems to be bouncing back better than most is Dallas-Fort Worth.

A recent story in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram highlighted how several golf facilities are starting to step on the gas for the first time in several seasons.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem provoked quite a bit of reaction on Sunday when he announced that the tour might not go along with the ban on anchored putting strokes being advocated by the USGA and R&A.

European Tour stalwart Colin Montgomerie was "positively aghast" at the idea that the PGA Tour might ignore the proposed anchor ban, according to the PA Sport newswire in England.

Of the three new sets of 588 Cleveland irons, the 588 Tour Trajectory (TT) irons are the most ambitious. Like the MT (Mid Trajectory) models, the TT irons are named after the flight pattern they produce – a lower, more piercing trajectory preferred by better players.

The 588 TT irons feature a constant clubface height throughout the set, but have a progressive face length to promote more forgiveness in the long irons and a more penetrating, controlled trajectory in the short irons. The 588 TTs also have forged clubfaces to enhance feel and ball speed.

Adjustability is the dominant trend in drivers these days, and the new R1 driver continues TaylorMade's mastery of this current generation of custom-tunable drivers.

Who says golfers can't multi-task? Despite being halfway around the world for the Honda LPGA Thailand, several of the LPGA Tour's finest have been keeping up with the happenings leading up to the Daytona 500.

When it came to creating a set of irons to round out its new line of AMP Cell drivers, fairway clubs and hybrids, Cobra didn't hesitate to go bold. So, when choosing a set of AMP Cell irons, golfers can pick from four different accent shades, allowing them to color-match them with other AMP Cell clubs or create a personally mixed set. For traditionalists, silver irons are the stock option, while the other choices are the Vibrant Orange, Directoire Blue and Barbados Red that are also available in the AMP Cell drivers, fairways and hybrids.