For some considerable time I was under the false impression that the name of "Titleist" golfballs was pronounced as "tit-lyste". I figured it was an obscure German name which had an unfortunate sound in English.

It was years and years later that I overheard someone say it..."title-ist". What a revelation! It made sense right away.

I was immediately relieved that I hadn't embarrassed myself by pronouncing it incorrectly within hearing of those in the know...but there wasn't too much risk of my doing so, because I don't think I've ever been on a golf course...nor watched more than maybe a minute of the game on TV at any given time. It was probably someone on the TV that I heard pronouncing the brand name in the normal and correct fashion.

There probably are no Titleists in Germnay after all. The people, I mean...