The way they decided things in the old days. The way the law of the jungle decides who bleeds and who breeds.

For the 2012 presidential election, let it be decided by stroke play over 18 holes. At a classic American venue. Torrey Pines South Course. From the blues.

Anyone caught cheating is automatically out.

Mitt Romney, the current front-running challenger, tees off first. His drive goes left. Or was it right? No one seems to remember. But his swing earns a polite smattering of applause.

Next up is the incumbent golfer-in-chief who has what the other candidates have termed an ‘Unfair Advantage.’ Fortunately for President Obama, President Eisenhower installed a putting green on the White House lawn. Obama often steps out between meetings or after Michelle and the kids go to bed. But no one is quite sure if he’s practicing or trying to channel Ike’s ghost .

His tee shot starts out way left but comes to rest somewhere in the middle.

‘Next on the tee, from Marrietta, Georgia, Newt Gingrich,’ the announcer says over a megaphone. Gingrich turns from unsuccessfully trying to kiss a baby and steps up and launches a drive that careens off a spectator’s head but lands in the fairway.

Ron Paul hits next. Unfortunately the Dr.’s week drive doesn’t make it past the white tees. But even after the 9th hole and being far back of the other candidates, Paul refuses to bow out.

John Huntsman, the reigning Governor of Utah hits next in this fivesome. No one is really sure why he’s here but he’s dignified, handsome and nice. So why not? If only he golfed as well as he spoke Chinese. His drive lands down the middle but well back of the leaders.

A simple game to decide the chief executive of the Free World will end in one day. No primaries. No fundraising. No yearlong presidential campaigns. Just one golf match.

After a few double-bogies, Gingrich is disqualified on the third hole for trying to bribe a rules official.

Huntsman and Paul made the contest more interesting but neither never really had a chance.

Romney, who despite being a multi-millionaire, played with an old set of K-Mart clubs. Apparently, all of Obama’s night putting paid off a little. But he’s still tied with Romney after 17.

As Romney and Obama step up on to the 18th tee, they are greeted with a fanatical crowd roar. Both smile and wave but their smiles fade when they realize the roar is coming from behind them, back on the 17th green.

Despite never having golfed a day in his life and double-bogeying several holes on the front 9, Tim Tebow, has just made another birdie, and now one down to the politicians.

The site of Tebow causes the two candidates to spray their drives into opposite fairway bunkers.

Tim Tebow’s drive lands down the middle 316 yards from the tee.

Romney and Obama are away. Each hits an identical lay-up shot on the par 5 finishing hole just short of Devlin’s Pond. Commentators criticize Romney’s shot and praise Obama’s and vice versa.

Does anyone know what time it is? That’s right folks, it’s Tebow Time!

The quarterback who looks more like a tight end laces a two iron that gingerly comes to rest next to the hole for a tap-in eagle!

With both players’ balls equidistant from the green, Romney politely insists Obama go first. After much debate, which can be seen on C-SPAN4, Romney and Obama are assessed 2-stroke penalties under USGA Rule 6-7 for undue delay.

After Tim Tebow makes his eagle, he is sworn-in on the 18th green as 45th President of the United States. Though he doesn’t quite meet the minimum age requirement in the Constitution, our new Golfer-in-Chief earned the job by outperforming the field in a gentleman’s game.

Believe it.

Leupold GX-4 Laser Rangefinder

Featuring an incredibly compact body formed by a solid block of aluminum. Add the bright OLED display to the standard Fog Mode and Prism Lock and this rangefinder will play along in any weather.

Snap on the included Smark Key faceplate and the GX-4 instantly becomes a coach, providing accurate ranging information that matches your personal striking distances to the slope of the shot and current atmospheric conditions, even suggesting which club to use.

$499.95 at TGW.com

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“OGIO has built a reputation for combining breakthrough innovation with cutting edge style,” said Dan Jelinek, global vice president, strategic development, OGIO. “As we embarked on the brand’s progression into distinctively unique golf apparel, we set out to redefine the category by creating a lifestyle collection that could be worn with confidence on the course, on the town or in the board room.”

OGIO’s first ever golf apparel collection for men consists of more than 30 unique designs. Polos are available in 14 distinctive styles enhanced with performance and mechanical stretch fabric, UV protection, moisture and bacterial control and intelligently designed anti-roll collars. In addition the collection includes pants and shorts offering OGIO-exclusive prints and features such as articulated seams for better range of motion and gel gripper waistbands. The fashionable golf collection is rounded out with a variety of outerwear options that feature distinctive styling with performance attributes such as mechanical stretch fabric, wind and water resistance and unparalleled comfort.

“Inspired by OGIO’s unique design, coupled with tremendous amounts of research on leading global fashion brands and performance trends, we are proud to introduce an intelligently designed, exclusive collection infused with performance, comfort and game changing style,” said Tony Palma, CEO, OGIO.

In tandem with OGIO’s already comprehensive golf and travel bag arsenal, golfers will now be able to utilize OGIO as the definitive source for all their golfing needs.

OGIO golf apparel will be available at specialty golf stores and resorts in February 2012.

For more information about OGIO, please visit OGIO.com.

Featuring bold colors and unique patterns, FASHION PERFORMANCE combines tour-proven performance technologies with contemporary, fashion-forward styling. Vibrant color combinations make for a dynamic, confident look with each piece offering a tailored, comfortable fit without sacrificing performance.

“FASHION PERFORMANCE means so much to adidas Golf because it allows a specific segment of golfer to benefit from performance while staying true to their personality on course,” said Tiss Dahan, Sr. Director of Global Apparel. “Uniting adidas Golf’s renowned CLIMA technology allows us to deliver key performance benefits, optimal fit and comfort in the training tops and bottoms while allowing Fashion Performance players the welcome opportunity to express their individual style.”

The line debuts in a variety of uniquely-detailed designs for both men and women, and includes color blocked polos, fashion bottoms, training tops and stylish sweaters made to match and amplify personal style.

adidas Golf Tour Staff professional Jason Day will wear FASHION PERFORMANCE apparel on Tour starting in 2012. “I love the strong, confident colors. It really looks unbelievable; these guys killed it! I think this is going to go a long way,” said Day. “I can’t wait to start wearing it – I’d love to take it with me right now! I think adidas Golf has the best product out there and I am really excited to be a part of this – it makes me want to go out and work harder.”

For the first time, adidas Golf has created a line meant to transition off the course as lifestyle-wear uniquely designed to express individuality, with each piece being easily identifiable as Fashion Performance by its striking combination of patterns, color, modern design and the new, modernized logo.

Introduced in 1999, the adidas Golf logo represents performance, athleticism and an attitude that welcomes challenges on the golf course. The new FASHION PERFORMANCE identification mark, characterized by the adidas name linked with the flag brand mark, symbolizes the stylish, contemporary and tour-proven performance of this exciting new apparel line. The various logos play an important role in representing the strength of adidas Golf’s performance collections and now the addition of a line emphasizing contemporary fashion.

FASHION PERFORMANCE apparel will be available in the USA on November 1, 2011 and worldwide on February 1, 2012. Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) in US dollars range from $50-$80 for various pieces in the collection.

A decade ago not many people knew of the area, but as the wine industry has flourished, so has tourism. Paso Robles (30 miles north of San Luis Obispo) can easily be put in the same category as Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara as one of the top wine producing areas in the country. Every year during the months of September and October the quiet rolling hills of Paso Robles start bustling with commotion as the vineyards start the “Crush”. As the grapes ripen in these months, they are harvested, crushed and processed into wine. This is definitely the best time to visit as the tasting rooms are full of patrons and the fields are at their most beautiful.

Paso Robles and the immediate surrounding area host more than 180 wineries. Everything from your mom and pop to the industry titans like Meridian, J. Lohr and Wild Horse. With such an abundant offering, my tasting strategy consists of visiting my favorite wineries as well as finding a few new ones. One of my mandatory stops is Tablas Creek Winery. It is on the far western outskirts of Paso Robles, but when you taste their wine you’ll understand why I always make the drive.

The history of Tablas Creek is quite intriguing. In 1990, the Perrin family imported varietals from their established vineyards in the Rhone region of France. After a three year USDA mandated quarantine it took another four years before they were able to harvest their first crop suitable to bottle. Three years later, in 2001 they finally debuted their flagship wine, Esprit de Beaucastel. This is the wine that keeps me coming back year after year.

Tablas Creek specializes in blends that you would typically find in the Rhone region of France. The red wines, comprising about two thirds of the vineyard’s production, are made from Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Counoise. The white wines are made from Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, Picpoul Blanc, and Grenache Blanc. These blends are not typical in the Paso Robles area, which can be quite refreshing when sip after sip of zin, cab and merlot grow tiring.

The temperate microclimates that produce these fabulous wines also are ideal for another favorite activity of mine; golf. Most of the quality courses in the area are public, which is great for people who are visiting. Even a few of the previously private courses such as Avila Golf Resort have now started to open up to the public. (This has been a common trend as country clubs struggle with membership revenue.)

You can spot golfers a mile away. The collared microfiber shirt and logoed hat are dead giveaways. Golf apparel has never exactly been at the forefront of fashion.

But that’s changing.

Led by brands like Travis Matthew and Puma, a more contemporary take on golf fashion is emerging. And not just with apparel. Golf footwear is beginning to walk away from the old-timey saddle-shoes and hyper-athletic styles that for years have been golfers’ only options.

Enter the spikeless street shoe.

Inspired by iconic old-school kicks as well as surf and skate culture, many of these new-school golf shoes could actually be worn on the street, without embarrassment. Of course, now that this trend has started to gain traction, nearly all the big players have jumped on the spikeless street shoe bandwagon, including adidas, Nike, Footjoy, ECCO, Callaway and Ashworth.

On nearly all spikeless street shoe models, soft spikes have been replaced with a spikeless outsole made up of a lot of little nubs or lugs. Unlike soft spikes, these nubs are permanent and not replaceable. But who knows, by the time the nubs wear down, the spikeless street shoe trend may be RIP.

So, do spikeless street shoes work on the links?

The short answer is yes. Unless you’re a Tour pro generating huge swing speeds and tons of torque, a spikeless street shoe should work just fine.

Interestingly, a number of pros have put spikeless street shoes in play. Fred Couples launched the trend with a pair of ECCO street shoes at last year’s Masters. More recently, Justin Rose won the BMW Championship rocking adiSTREET shoes. If Rose can win at soggy Cog Hill with spikeless street shoes, they’re probably good enough for the rest of us.

Whether or not you play them, spikeless street shoes are a giant step forward for golf.