Every so often, when we’re out on the links or reading/writing stories about amazing feats by unbelievably talented golfers, it’s worth remembering: This is a sport that’s been populated by some real jackasses.

Charlie Sifford, the legendary golfer who broke the game’s color line half a century ago, doesn’t need reminding. He lives it every day, even to this day. And when the L.A. Times this week asked him for his thoughts on golf’s most revered tournament, he didn’t hesitate:

“[Expletive] Augusta.”

You can probably guess what the expletive stands for. Sifford continued:

“When I was good enough to play there, the Masters never invited me, so why would they invite me now? … I could have been invited, I should have been invited, but a long time ago they thought all golfers should be white and all caddies should be black. I’ve never been to Augusta and I’m never going.”

Sifford spoke on the occasion of his induction into the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame. And if he sounds like he’s still a bit bitter — “I’m not sure about everybody calling me the Jackie Robinson of golf, because Jackie Robinson had a team behind him, and I had to do it alone” — well, it’s not really for us to judge, is it?

The team-vs.-individual aspect can’t be overstated. As the L.A. Times recounts, Sifford once pulled a pin only to find the cup filled with feces. Spectators would regularly kick his ball through the rough or hide it under trash.

And Sifford bears some anger over the fact that there aren’t more golfers of African-American descent on tour now; only Tiger Woods and rookie Joseph Bramlett can claim that distinction.

“This was just never a black man’s game,” says Sifford. “It’s just too hard, too expensive. You can’t just walk out off a caddie pen and play; you have to go to college. It’s too much for most African-American kids.”

Still, while you don’t see many African-American players on the course, that doesn’t mean you can’t; that in itself is a shift from Sifford’s time. Change is slow, and nowhere is that more true than in golf, but Sifford’s sacrifices have made it possible for the game to advance beyond its narrow-minded origins. How far we’ve gotten since then is a matter of personal opinion.

You know, this whole Internet thing just might stick around after all. This weekend, Golf Channel will debut a new feature, “Social Media Saturday,” in which the channel’s commentators offer up their perspective via Twitter on the on-course doings at the Nationwide Tour Championship in Charleston, S.C.

For part of the telecast, Golf Channel’s on-air talent will switch over to Twitter one-liners over live video and audio feeds. The effect, then, will be something like reading the feeds on your phone while being at the event itself, or something like that.

Tweeting from the course will be Rex Hoggard and Randall Mell, and the format will be exactly what you’re seeing above. And even if you’re not watching the tournament, which you should, you can follow on Twitter by searching out the hashtag #SocialSat.

Now, this is a nice idea and all, and Rex and Randall know their stuff inside and out, but there’s an opportunity here. The greatness of social media is that it opens the door wide to amateur commentators from all over the planet, many of whom are much funnier and more incisive, at least for one tweet, than the professionals. (Trust me on this. Many’s the time I’ve come up with a killer one-liner, only to go to Twitter and see someone blow it out of the water with a gem of their own.)

So this is a great idea, and nice job to Golf Channel for innovating. Next step, though: let the rest of us in on the fun. What could possibly go wrong?

(Oh, and tip to Golf Channel tweeters: be very sure you’re not tweeting out what’s supposed to be a text. That could go very badly indeed.)

Welcome to Devil Ball’s Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf equipment through its paces. Today we get a chance to look at some of the best new irons out there in the Mizuno MP-59s.

Tester — Shane Bacon — Handicap: 1.9

Target golfing audience — +2 – 13 handicaps

When I first started chatting with the Mizuno people about getting some irons to review, I was excited. The new MP line was coming out and their MP-69s looked exactly like the blades I once had owned in my Titleist 690-MBs. It’s true, nobody, not even Tiger Woods, needs to hit blades with the technology out there these days, but having those in the bag is just cool. Sadly, the curse of the southpaw got me, as I was informed the 69s wouldn’t be molded lefty.

The disappointed lasted until the box of 59s arrived. A “full cavity forgiveness in a player’s half cavity design” as their site informs us, the 59s are exactly what I was looking for. Playing 18 holes with my uncle, the most popular cart partner in my golfing Rolodex, confirmed it. He admitted that carrying these irons would get more of the “player that thinks he needs blades even though he doesn’t” group interested, because they’re just so darn good looking without all the additions that can make certain irons look clunky.

Initial Thought

No golfer will ever say that pulling new clubs out of the box is a bad experience. Getting a new golf club is the spa treatment of the golfing world, and the first impression is always an important thing.

My first thought? Beautiful. They’re astonishingly well made, as I’ve always heard Mizuno irons were, and I was so impressed with the simple look and feel right out of the box that I was disappointed I don’t have a local night range in the area.

Transitioning

My old irons were the first generation Titleist AP-2s, a bit larger than the 59s I got in the mail. It might seem like going to a smaller iron would be a tough transition, but I actually started hitting these great right off the bat. The main reason? How easy I felt they setup over the ball.

The other crazy thing? I actually am hitting them about a half-club farther. With my old irons, I would hit a 7-iron about 180, but this one is flying anywhere between 185 and 190. It has taken some getting used to, (mostly mentally convincing myself that “yes, a 7-iron from this distance is the right club”) but I was surprised at how long they are.

Playability

The thing you need with a good set of irons is something you can mis-hit. A very good playing friend of mine once told me that you hit about three or four GOOD shots a round, so it’s really just playing those foul balls all day. That’s what makes a decent player good, and a good player great. You have to be able to play your bad shots.

I loved that about these 59s. The mis-hits are workable. Unlike blades, that force you to lotion up your hands after a bad shot, the ball goes just as true when you don’t catch it as solid.

As my game continues to deteriorate, that’s something I really need, and I’m glad these provide that.

Final Verdict

I love them. I love them so much. I’ve played about five rounds with them and get more comfortable each time. On Monday, out on the golf course, I had a moment where I wanted to “chip” a 9-iron to a distance I could easily hit a pitching wedge. Normally these are the shots I pull, because the swing shortens, you get your weight to the other side quickly, and things break down. With the way these irons lay down, I just put my weight forward, made a soft swing, and BAM, hit the ball to eight-feet.

I couldn’t do that with my old irons.

Mizuno MP-59 Rating — 9 out of 10

Price – $879-$999

Welcome to Devil Ball’s Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf equipment through its paces. Today we get a chance to look at some of the best new irons out there in the Mizuno MP-59s.

Tester — Shane Bacon — Handicap: 1.9

Target golfing audience — +2 – 13 handicaps

When I first started chatting with the Mizuno people about getting some irons to review, I was excited. The new MP line was coming out and their MP-69s looked exactly like the blades I once had owned in my Titleist 690-MBs. It’s true, nobody, not even Tiger Woods, needs to hit blades with the technology out there these days, but having those in the bag is just cool. Sadly, the curse of the southpaw got me, as I was informed the 69s wouldn’t be molded lefty.

The disappointed lasted until the box of 59s arrived. A “full cavity forgiveness in a player’s half cavity design” as their site informs us, the 59s are exactly what I was looking for. Playing 18 holes with my uncle, the most popular cart partner in my golfing Rolodex, confirmed it. He admitted that carrying these irons would get more of the “player that thinks he needs blades even though he doesn’t” group interested, because they’re just so darn good looking without all the additions that can make certain irons look clunky.

Initial Thought

No golfer will ever say that pulling new clubs out of the box is a bad experience. Getting a new golf club is the spa treatment of the golfing world, and the first impression is always an important thing.

My first thought? Beautiful. They’re astonishingly well made, as I’ve always heard Mizuno irons were, and I was so impressed with the simple look and feel right out of the box that I was disappointed I don’t have a local night range in the area.

Transitioning

My old irons were the first generation Titleist AP-2s, a bit larger than the 59s I got in the mail. It might seem like going to a smaller iron would be a tough transition, but I actually started hitting these great right off the bat. The main reason? How easy I felt they setup over the ball.

The other crazy thing? I actually am hitting them about a half-club farther. With my old irons, I would hit a 7-iron about 180, but this one is flying anywhere between 185 and 190. It has taken some getting used to, (mostly mentally convincing myself that “yes, a 7-iron from this distance is the right club”) but I was surprised at how long they are.

Playability

The thing you need with a good set of irons is something you can mis-hit. A very good playing friend of mine once told me that you hit about three or four GOOD shots a round, so it’s really just playing those foul balls all day. That’s what makes a decent player good, and a good player great. You have to be able to play your bad shots.

I loved that about these 59s. The mis-hits are workable. Unlike blades, that force you to lotion up your hands after a bad shot, the ball goes just as true when you don’t catch it as solid.

As my game continues to deteriorate, that’s something I really need, and I’m glad these provide that.

Final Verdict

I love them. I love them so much. I’ve played about five rounds with them and get more comfortable each time. On Monday, out on the golf course, I had a moment where I wanted to “chip” a 9-iron to a distance I could easily hit a pitching wedge. Normally these are the shots I pull, because the swing shortens, you get your weight to the other side quickly, and things break down. With the way these irons lay down, I just put my weight forward, made a soft swing, and BAM, hit the ball to eight-feet.

I couldn’t do that with my old irons.

Mizuno MP-59 Rating — 9 out of 10

Price – $879-$999