Golf Tips & Quips

My First Round Of Golf Walking A Full 18 Holes

2012-01-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

I finally got to one of the courses I have been wanting to play since I moved to Phoenix in Aguila Golf Course. Not because it is famous or well known, but rather because one of my Stracka buddies, Pete-HEFF-L has been trying to get me to play it for a while now. Ironically, I didn't play it with him and I am a little hesitant to let him know that I did without him.

As I said in my last post, none of my regular golfing buddies could make it so I went out solo. As always I am paired with interesting people and this round was no different. I had the good fortune of playing with a family originally from Denver Colorado. I met John first and he introduced me to his wife Vickie and their son Brandon.

They were pleasure to be with on the course. They cracked jokes the entire time which took off a lot of the pressure that is sometimes felt when playing with strangers. They all played really well. John, while never hitting a driver off the tee, was an ace with his 3-wood. Straight as an arrow. Vickie stayed in the fairways. I think she hit all but three. And when Brandon got a hold of one, he sent his ball booming down the fairway.

I played pretty well, posting an 82 despite hitting only 3 of 14 fairways. Most of my misses were to the right. I wasn't really slicing it, but it made some of my approach shots into the green a bit more difficult than they needed to be. I'll be working on remedying this problem. Fortunately, my short game was on point.

Most of the nine pars that I recorded were due to great chipping around the greens. When I missed a green in regulation, I was able to chip it to within gimme range. It was a warm day, so I didn't have the same problems I have when starting early in the morning. If I had made a few more putts, it would have been a record breaking round for me. Not worried. That will come as I play more.

So back to the title of this post. I always book my tee times with Golfnow.com and Aguila is one of the few courses that allows golfers to walk the course. So it was either pay $51 to ride or pay $29 to walk. Always looking for a deal, I decided to walk it just to see how I would fair.

Many of the courses in Phoenix, or at least the ones that I have played, wind in and out of the mountains and walking them would be a chore. The drive between some holes can be nearly half a mile and then there are the elevation changes. It would take up to six hours to play some of these courses if one decided to walk them.

I consider myself to be in pretty good condition but I definitely felt it after the round. Let's just say, I slept really well last night. I have a new found respect for the pros that walk courses day in and day out. Granted, they have caddies carrying their clubs, but to do it for four rounds and with extreme pressure, I understand why they are flanked with a support team which includes personal trainers and nutritionist.

Aguila Golf Course is definitely recommended if you visit the Phoenix area. The staff was very friendly and I soon discovered that this may be a good place to practice. They have a driving range, chipping and pitching area, along with several putting greens. This course also has a par 3 nine hole course, which I'm told really tests your short game.

Aguila certainly gets a thumbs up from me. Pete-HEFF-L was telling the truth when he said it is a great place to play. Now that I have my first walking 18 under my belt, I'm looking forward to my next. It certainly is good exercise and I actually felt at one with the course. I had time to take in the scenery between shots which actually calmed me down after a poor effort.

Two days off in a row next week will hopefully yield two rounds in a row. Until then I may have to pay a visit to Aguila before or after work for a little practice. One thing is for sure. I'll be looking into a good push cart so that I don't have to carry my bag during my next walking round. Maybe that will keep my shoulders loose and help my putting;-) Have a great round and always hit your target.

Let The 2012 Golf Season Begin

2012-01-12T00:47:00.000-08:00

Now that the pros are back and playing, it's time for me to get back on the course on a regular basis. Or as regular as my schedule will allow for. I was able to play two rounds last week and I was definitely a little rusty. Golf is a sport that requires that you play with some consistency if you want to get better. Because I had not played for about a month, the first few holes of each round were a bit of an adventure.

My buddy J.B. and I played at San Marcos Golf Club for my first round back. To be honest, my poor play on the front nine was due to the fact that I couldn't feel my hands. At the start of the round it was about 48 degrees and breezy. It wasn't until the 10th hole that I could actually feel my fingers. I shot a 47 on the front and a 40 on the back for a total of 87.

Despite not being able to feel my hands, I drove the ball really well, hitting five of seven fairways for the front. Where I had trouble, was around the greens. I consider my self to be a "feel" player and when my hands are frozen, chipping and pitching becomes very difficult. I sculled a few. Hit a few fat. It was very frustrating. Once it began to warm up, my touch returned and my short game immediately improved.

The second round was played at Camelback Golf Club(The Padre Course). This was my first time playing this course. I have visited Camelback before, but played the Indian Bend Course. The Doctor had played it the week before, and thought that I would enjoy it. While the Indian Bend Course is mostly flat, the Padre Course, has fairways with more undulation, which made for many uneven lies on approach shots.

Case in point. I came to the the short par 4, 16th and hit a great drive. I was left with only 65 yards into the green for my second. The only thing was that I had a down hill lie and there was a bunker guarding the pin which was on the front of the green. I proceeded to hit my worse shot of the round, hitting it fat, and advancing the ball about 30 yards. I turned a potential birdie hole into a double bogey. Ouch!

Despite this, I managed an 84. Not my best, but it was a step in the right direction. I plan on playing tomorrow. None of my regular golf buddies can play, so I'm going solo. Since it is peak season in Arizona, I know I won't be alone. I like getting out there and meeting new people on the course. For the most part, the golfers I'm paired with, are interesting and diverse. It will be a late morning start so I know I will be properly thawed out before starting. Hopefully this will allow me to get off to fast start. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Finding Trouble Off The Tee

2011-12-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Arizona Grand Spa & Golf Resort is one of my favorite courses to play here in the Phoenix area. That is...it's one of my favorites when I am playing well and hitting the ball straight. My last round proved to be, not-so-fun due to the fact that I couldn't find the fairways for the life of me.

Arizona Grand has a gorgeous layout with elevation changes that showcase a beautiful desert style course nestled into the rocky ridges of South Mountain. While the scenery can be breath taking, ending up in the desert after a golf shot spells disaster for any chance at scoring well.

Trouble for me started on the first. The tee shot calls for a blind shot up and over a hill. At the top of the hill, on the right hand side, sits a little pond, that if it is your first time playing the course, you have no idea it's there. I aimed way left of the pond but ended up slicing it right into the drink which led to a double bogey.

I actually hit two great drives on holes 2 and 3 which lead to pars. Again, if you keep it in the fairway on this course, you give yourself a great chance to do well. I only managed to hit two more fairways for the rest of my round and found myself having to drop because of multiple unplayable lies. Instead of playing for birdies and pars, I was often playing for bogeys and doubles.

Looks like I need to get back to working on my long game again. Mike Southern of Ruthless Golf wrote an article about which is more important, the long game or the short game. We often hear teachers say that amateurs need to work on their short game because that is the part of the game in which the pros excel. Mike, however, has a different take on it.

In my case, Mike would tell me to work on my long game. Off the tee, I did not give myself a chance at getting onto the green in regulation(if you don't know what this means, Mike explains it fully in his article). The short game is a very important part of golf, but if I'm still off the green after my third shot on a par 4, now I have to chip in just to save par.

So, for me, I'm going back to the beginning. I only had three pars during this round and no birdies. When I was able to play more frequently, I was averaging nine pars and at least two birdies a round. My greens in regulation had climbed from 17% to around 45%. This is why I was shooting in the high 70's-low 80's.

I'm not too worried. It will come back to me. Whenever my game gets a little sketchy, Mike gives me a little advise and reminds me that "I am close." In recent weeks, Tiger has been saying this a lot, because he knows, now that he is able to practice like he used to, it's the subtle tweeks in his game that are getting him back to the player he once was. Like Tiger, I'm close and now that I know what I need to work on, I'm even closer. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Something To Be Thankful For

2011-11-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for all of you who have taken the time to share in my exploits on the golf course. Your comments have been an encouragement to me and they push me to keep moving towards my goals. Have a great Thanksgiving Day everybody.

Photo found here.

I Need A Full Time Caddie

2011-11-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

I was watching an episode of Golf Channel Academy today which featured Greg Norman and some of things he does on the golf course to be successful. The segment that caught my attention was when he was talking about visualizing his shots. Visualization and picking specific targets are aspects of the games that separate us as amateurs from the pros.

We have talked about visualizing our intended shots before and I do all I can to stay focused on the course, but sometimes there are just too many distractions that lead to poor shots. Norman talked about how amateurs see all the hazards and everything that can go wrong before a shot. Pros, on the other hand, have tunnel vision. It's like they have those horse blinders on. They don't see the trouble. I've heard pros say that they sometimes narrow their focus to something as minute as a leaf on a tree as an aiming point. We, however, see the entire tree.

The greatest advantage that professionals have over us in my opinion, is that they have caddies to help them stay focused on their targets. Caddies are meticulous when mapping out yardages and gaining overall knowledge of the course (s)he and their player are navigating. If I had a caddie, I would probably be a scratch golfer by now.

As I thought about it, my best rounds have been when I played on courses I had never played before, but was paired with someone who played it regularly. I remember playing at The Phoenician with Patrick Gibbons one afternoon, and even though I had played it once before, I couldn't remember how all of the holes played.

On one particular hole, like a caddie, he told me where I needed to hit it to have the best look into the green for my approach shot. I stepped up to the tee and hit exactly where he had told me to. He commented, "must be nice to hit where you're supposed to."

On another day, I played at Silverado Golf Club for the first time and I was paired with a gentleman who knew the course like the back of his hand. He guided me through the course for the whole round and I produced some of the best shots I had ever hit in my career.

There was one par 4 that had a blind tee shot over trees in order to get to the fairway. My playing partner pointed out a pole that everyone used as an aiming point. He told me that if I hit it long and just right of the pole, I would end up in a good position. Again, I hit it just as I was instructed to do and was left with an 80 yard shot into the green.

If I always had someone telling me where to hit it, my scores would drop dramatically. It's almost like I didn't have to think about the shot, I just had to execute it, and I think this is a luxury that the pros have. Caddies take a lot of the guess work out of the game. They keep their player in a positive state of mind which translates into better quality shots.

I love when the producers mic a professional during a tournament and we get to hear the conversation that takes place between caddie and player. They talk about what they want to accomplish and it always ends with, "I like that shot" or "I feel good about that." After all the calculations have been made, they know exactly what they are shooting at and in their mind, they have already executed it.

Sure professionals hit poor shots from time to time but more often than not, they are dead on with what they wanted to do. While it is still on the player to hit the shot, a good caddie can be the difference between a shot ending up on the green or ending up in a hazard. This is why I want a full time caddie. Any takers? Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

I Can't Feel My Fingers!!!

2011-11-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

When I woke up for my round at Apache Creek Golf Club yesterday, it was a balmy 48 degrees. Brrrr. There is a low pressure system that is making it's way down from the Pacific Northwest and we are beginning to feel the effects of a cold front that is sweeping through the Phoenix Valley.

I have been very spoiled in the fact that I have lived in places where I can play golf year round. I have always been treated to great weather and have never really had to play in uncomfortable conditions. In Miami we had to deal with rain and high winds, but for the most of the year it was still warm.

The tee time was set for 6:50AM by J.B. whom I had met through this blog via Facebook. We had been trying to set up a time when we could get in a round for months but something always came up whether it was work or family related. J.B. whom I soon found out can hit the ball a country mile, is a morning golfer. During the summer when the sun rises earlier, he is often the first one on the tee for a 5:30 start.

Keeping true to form, we were the first golfers at the course, arriving before any of the employees. It was still dark and for me, very cold. I just kept looking towards the eastern horizon, hoping for a glimpse of sunlight. As we chipped around the practice green with glow in the dark golf balls that J.B. had which were pretty cool, my hands began to get numb. I was beginning to wonder how I would be able to hold my clubs.

After checking in at the pro shop, we headed to the driving range to warm up. Except there was no warming up for me. I had no feeling in my hands and it was hard for me to keep a handle on the grip. It reminded me of my days playing baseball in New England during early March. Mishits with an iron felt like the stinging sensation you get when you hit the baseball off the wrong part of an aluminum bat.

My drive from the first tee tailed off to the right which left me with a long approach of about 205 yards into the green. I hit hybrid and fell short and right of the green. I chipped it pass the hole about 20 feet and was left with a downhill putt. I held the putter as best as I could, let my shoulders swing, and drained it to save par.

Great start. Unfortunately, my hands could not warm up and I missed every fairway on the front nine. When you miss the fairways at Apache Creek, you are at a huge disadvantage. This is a true desert style course and golfers are penalized severely for wayward shots. Having to play many of my shots off of a hardpan lie led to four double bogeys on the front.

It wasn't until the turn that I was finally able to feel my fingers again. The sun had come out, and even though it was still in the low 60's, because of the bright sunshine, it felt a lot warmer. It showed in my tee shots. I hit four out of the seven fairways on the back nine and my iron shots into the greens were a bit more accurate.

I wasn't pleased with my overall performance, but I didn't expect much since I hadn't played in almost a month and a half. While much of my struggles were due to the weather, some of it had to do with being mentally rusty as much as mechanically rusty. When I look back on the round, I made decisions that I know I wouldn't have when I was playing three or four times a week. When I was playing regularly, my golf IQ improved as well as my swing which led to better scores. I just need to get out more and I'm sure it will all come back.

I have a new found respect for professional golfers when they have to compete in less than perfect weather. This past weekend, The Champions Tour held their season ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship at TPC Harding Park GC in San Francisco, California. The temperature was similar to what I faced and on top of that, they had to deal with windy conditions. Yet many of them were still able to shoot par or better. They are that good.

It looks like I'm going to have to invest in some warm golf mittens especially if I'm going to be playing more rounds with a "crack of dawn golfer" like J.B. The cold front is supposed to remain for a while and I would like to have some "feeling" in my shots. It's either that or wait for it to warm up again, but for me, that might take too long. Have a great round and always hit your target.

My Clubs Are Dusty...

2011-10-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

...literally. I finally got out to the driving range yesterday. I hadn't touched touched my clubs since my last round on September 28th when I played at San Marcos Golf Club. Nearly a month has passed and when I pulled the clubs out of the garage they were covered with a layer of dust.

It felt good to pick up the sticks again. I wasn't expecting too much out of the practice session, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started hitting good shots. I didn't want to think too much so I only kept two swing thoughts in my head.

1.) One piece takeaway - If you have read this blog before, you know that I have been working hard on the one piece takeaway. It was taught to me by Mike Southern because he noticed that I was twisting or rotating my forearms as I took the club away from the ball during the backswing. This was causing me to start my swing on too flat a plane which forced me to come over the top on my downswing.

2.) The second thought has to do with this image from a recent post that Mike did called The Top Of Your One Piece Takeaway.

The bottom picture is what caught my attention. Although I understand the one-piece move, I sometimes get a little out of whack after the club passes waist high. This birds eye view gave me a good mental picture to take with me to the driving range. Once I was able to repeat this position, the rest of the swing fell into place.

I ended up hitting around 300 balls. The golfers around me would hit half a bucket and leave. I was happy to pick up where they left off and finish the already paid for bucket of range balls. Needless to say, I am extremely sore today. My shoulders, back, and abs feel like I just finished a CrossFit workout. Even my right hamstring is tight from bending over so much to tee up my ball.

Work has still been hectic and a lot of the courses are continuing the over-seeding process. I'm dying to get back out there. It's a wonder that I have been able to survive without playing for so long. In any case, I am pleased with the way I hit the ball and hopefully it will carry over into my next 18 holes. If not, oh well. At least I'm on the golf course. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Top photo found here.

Taking A Little Time Off During The Fall Series

2011-10-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'mmmmmm baaaaaaack!!! With the onset of the Fall Series on the PGA Tour, I decided to follow in the footsteps of some of the upper tier professional golfers by taking some time off. This is the time of year when the games best take a month or so to recharge their batteries. Which sounded like a good idea to me.

Some players are fighting for their playing cards. Some are trying to get into the top 30 on the money list, which nets them an automatic invite to The Masters. Some, like Webb Simpson, are trying to win as much money as possible. Not that he's greedy. Quite the opposite. He is in a tight race with Luke Donald for the title of Top Money Earning on tour. For those who have secured their cards for the 2012 season, this is a time to catch up with family and friends. The PGA Tour schedule is very hectic and juggling both worlds can get kind of dicey.

My wife and I celebrated our 6th month together on the day I wrote my last post. Since then and now, we were able to spend some quality time together. Both of our schedules had become so busy. We were finally able to relax for the first time since the wedding day.

We took a trip to Las Vegas. Sensory Overload! I'm not much of a gambler, but there was enough sites and sounds to keep me occupied and up all night. I saw The Beatles, Love, my first Cirque De Soleil show. That was spectacular. Looking forward to seeing a few more. We also caught up with some friends we hadn't had a chance to hang out with in a while.

My clubs have been collecting dust during this time off. I'll probably get out at the beginning of next week. I'm anxious to see what kind of shape my game will be in. Currently, I am sitting at a 10.0 on the handicap index and my goal is to get down to single digits before the end of 2011. I'm a little apprehensive because if I am rusty, it will effect my handicap negatively.

I'm hoping that muscle memory will take over and I will be able to pick up from where I left off. Either way, it will be good to get back on the course. This is the time of year when most of the courses in the Phoenix area do their over-seeding. So in reality, I timed my little hiatus perfectly. My favorite courses should be just about ready for play.

Lastly, I'd like to thank those of you who have been following my progress. The Facebook fan page for this blog is nearing the 1000 mark and I m getting good feedback from others who are trying hard to improve as well. Hears to strong finish to 2011 which sets us up for more success in 2012. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Practicing The 60 Yard Pitch Shot During My Round

2011-10-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

During my last round, I took the advise of Jordan Caron who publishes a blog called Peerless Golf Experience. After I wrote a piece about the dreaded 40-60 yard pitch shot, he had a few suggestions for me.

His first suggestion was simply to avoid the shot if at all possible. His belief is that if I layup to a more comfortable yardage, I will not have to worry about it. I can totally agree with that and I would attempt to do so except for one thing. I have a difficult time hitting my 3-wood. I'm either going to hit driver which sometimes puts me at this awkward yardage, or I'm going hit hybrid and be left with a long iron.

He mentioned that the pros always layup to a distance that allows them to hit a shot they know they are confident executing. That's why we always hear the announcers say, "(s)he's pulling something less than driver to avoid trouble or to leave him(her)self with a shot from 100 yards or so."

Mike Southern has giving me some things to work on as far as my 3-wood is concerned, but I just haven't had the time to practice them. Work and the heat of the Phoenix summers have kind of put my practice sessions at bay. I hit balls before each round, but that is not the time to be learning and trying something new. The weather is cooling down so I will be able to give my fairway wood the attention it deserves, but for now, I just have to get better at this in between shot.

The second suggestion Jordan had for me was that if the course was not busy, go back and hit a few shots from this distance. Going back to my last round, I had a long wait once I arrived at the 17th. For someone reason, there was a three group wait, so after I finally finished the the par 5, 17th and was waiting to tee off on the last, I went back to about 60 yards and hit a bunch of shots.

There was no one behind me, so I had all the time I wanted. If you decided to do this, just make sure you refill your divots and move around a little so that you don't leave a patch like you would on the driving range. Your course superintendant will truly appreciate it.

During this little mini practice session, I was able to hit some good shot. Some of which checked up nicely and ended up near the hole. Mike wrote this article about the fact that there are many ways this shot is taught and just as many ways to play it. This is a great read if you are struggling with this shot.

I just need to get better at hitting this shot so that I can keep lowering my scores. Mike once told me that if I can keep my driver in the fairway, then by all means hit driver. If this is going to be my philosophy then other parts of my game need to be in sync as well. It's a constant work in progress I guess. Have a great round and always hit your target.

When Back 9's Attack

2011-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have to thank The Doctor for the title of this post. We played at The Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort and after I told him my scores for my front and back nine's, he aptly stated, "when back nine's attack."

I had a great front nine, shooting a three over 39. I had two doubles on the front but I was able to get a couple back as I birdied the par 5 fifth hole as well as the par 5 ninth. The only other blemish was a bogey to begin the round on the first. The other four holes resulted in pars.

On pace for a round in the 70's, everything went haywire, and my round quickly went south. The major problem was with my tee shots. I only hit one of seven fairways which led to lots of approach shots from the rough.

San Marcos is more of a traditional course as opposed to the desert courses I had become accustomed to playing. The rough on a desert course and the rough at San Marcos are completely different. On desert courses, everything is perfectly manicured. If you find yourself in the rough, in many instances, you will still have a good chance to get up and down.

The rough at San Marcos however is unforgiving. I lost a couple of balls because the grass was so tall and gnarly. On top of everything else, the crew had just finished mowing and there were clumps of loose grass everywhere(See picture on the right). There were a few times when I was hitting a ball, I could barely see.

So back to the back nine. I began with a double, quadruple, double bogey, and bogey through the first four holes. From three over to twelve over just like that. The quadruple came as a result of a bone head decision on my part. I drove it into the opposite fairway and had a tall tree between myself and the green. I was only an 8-iron away but the tree was tall and the sensible play would have been to pitch it back into my fairway and play for par and at worse bogey.

Instead I went for it and hit the ball fat because I wanted to see where the ball was going to end up. I then hit a poor pitch back into my fairway and had a shot over a bunker to get to the flag. It wasn't a tough shot, but I was still thinking about had just happened. I lost focus, and put it in the bunker. The bunkers were horrible. They looked nice but they were hard as rock. I actually putted it out of the bunker and then 3-putted to finish with an eight.

I completed the back nine with a 48 which netted me an 87 for the round. Despite such a poor effort on the back nine, I managed to stay in the 80's. One of my goals for the second half of 2011 was to keep my score in the 80's and lower. There was a time when 87 would have been, "drinks on me". Now it's like, "I need to go straight to the range."

On a good note, I am currently on pace to having a 10.0 handicap average. The day before this round, I played at Club West Golf Club. The 81 I shot that day put me at the 10.0 mark. Despite my 87, the course was a little bit harder with slope of 122 and a rating of 70.7, which I suppose kind of evens it all out.

Another solid round should put me in the single digits and I will be able to cross off another one of my goals for the year. The key for me now is making the right decisions. My quadruple taught me a valuable lesson. It's better to take my medicine and play the smart shot. I would have salvaged the hole and kept myself in a good state of mind. It's better to just give myself a chance. Have a great round and always hit your target.

***This is one of those shots from the mowed rough. You can't see it but there was a tree in front of me. Double Whammy! Hit it fat, but at least got it back in play.

Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Crowne Plaza (San Marcos Golf Resort)

Tees: Championship, Slope: 122, Rating: 70.7

San Marcos Golf Resort Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	5	36
	5	4	5	4	4	6	4	3	4	39
FIR
Putts	2	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	11
GIR
Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	5	5	36
	6	8	6	4	4	5	4	5	6	48
FIR
Putts	2	3	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	17
GIR

Birdies:	2
Pars:	7
Bogeys:	3
Doubles:	5
Other:	1

Par 3 Avg:	4.3
Par 4 Avg:	5.1
Par 5 Avg:	4.8

FIR:	6 / 14
GIR:	5 / 18
Putts:	28
Putts per GIR:	1.6

Scrambling:	4 / 13
Bounce Backs:	5 / 8

Maybe We Should Blame The Undertaker For Tiger's Inconsistent Play

2011-09-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

I watched a lot of professional wrestling growing up as a kid. It actually continued into my college days. I used to live right across the street from the old Miami Arena (if you click on the link, my former apartment is the one on the right facing the arena) and my roommate and I would go to every show that came to town. WWE and WCW were the organizations that we like the best.

I haven't kept up with the characters in recent years but there was a time, (and I'm not sure I should be sharing this), that I made my college class schedule so that I wouldn't ever have to miss WWE's Monday Night Raw or it's rival WCW's Nitro.

One of the legends in the WWE was and apparently still is The Undertaker. No one instilled fear into the heart of a wrestler like The Dead Man. As soon as you heard his trademark GOOOOOOONGGGGG, you knew that, as Jim Ross liked to put it, "business was about to pick up!"

Everyone is speculating as to when Tiger is going to regain his form, but after watching the following video, I can understand why it may be some time before the 14 time major champion gets back to his winning ways. The Undertaker is ultra intimidating and when he gets in your head, it's over. Even for someone who was regarded as being as mentally tough as anyone in the game of golf.

Photo found here.

The Dreaded 40-60 Pitch Shot

2011-09-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I played a round at Arizona Grand Golf Resort. Although they don't have much in the way of a driving range, it is one of my favorite courses to play. They do, however, have an nice area to practice your chipping, pitching, and putting before your round, of which, I should have taken better advantage.

I drove the ball pretty well, but problems arose when I was left with a second shot of between 40-60 yards. I hear it all the time that this is one of the hardest shots in golf, and after this round, I'm not going to argue.

I ended up shooting an 82, but there were four or five situations that if I had executed the shot better from this distance, I probably would have shot a 75. Like we talked about in my post about the fairway bunker shot, this is a shot that most golf courses don't have the facilities to practice such a shot. It can become very nerve racking when faced with a shot that is unfamiliar.

Being able to execute this shot is what will have me consistently in the 70's. I'm driving the ball well. My full shots into the green are improving, and I am not 3-putting as much. When I hit the green in regulation, I am averaging 1.8 strokes, which all but guarantees that I make a par.

I found the following video with a swing thought that I think I can grasp. I've stated before that I am more of a feel player, and the technique described goes along with that philosophy. Hopefully I can start to see improvement in this area. It may be the only thing that is holding me back from getting into the single digit handicap range.

If you have any thoughts, drills, or even your own frustrations with this shot, feel free to share them. Those of you who have set goals, and are really trying to improve, know the frustration that comes from struggling with a part of your game that may be holding you back. But I am convinced that if we take it one step at a time, we will get better. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Tiffany Joh Shows Us How To "Grip It"

2011-09-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

First it was The Golf Boys. Then we had The Golf Girls. Now we have are latest music video by Tiffany Joh and a few of her LPGA friends. If this trend continues, we may be hearing from some of the elder statesman on the Champions Tour. Keep dancing ladies. Life and golf is meant to be fun.

Check out Tiffany's acoustically depressing version of The Golf Boy's "Oh, Oh, Oh."

The Doctor Shares His Experience At Pebble Beach

2011-09-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I showed you the gifts The Doctor brought back for me from his visit to Pebble Beach Golf Links. The following is his review of his time at one of the mos famous golf courses in the world. After reading it, I am even more jealous. One day I'll get there. One day...

The Doctor's Round At Pebble Beach.

With Spyglass Hill under our belt, after a good dinner at the Tap Room (a steakhouse at the Lodge at Pebble Beach), and a relaxing night by the fire pits at the Inn at Spanish Bay, we were giddy to get out and play the links at Pebble Beach. Our tee time was at 10:10. Our plan of attack; Wake up early, get out to the course so we can take in breakfast at one of the most historic golf courses in the world before our tee time.

Let me just tell you, as you drive into the grounds at Pebble Beach, you cannot help but acknowledge that you are entering hallowed ground. The mist still prevalent, as you wind to the club house, you note the Peter Hay par 3 course that you can play for a reasonable price. No better place to grab a few clubs, a cold drink, and work on your approach shot accuracy, judging distance in the heavy, foggy air, and working on putting. No time to stop there, we had a date with the links.

As you pull up to the bag drop, a rod iron archway inscribed with the words “Pebble Beach” makes itself noticeable. Again, service is outstanding. The clubhouse is slightly more ornate and visually stunning when compared to Spyglass. Again, each clubhouse seems to fit its surroundings perfectly. The Pebble Beach clubhouse has a retail section where you can find almost any souvenir, item of clothing, or other trinket. Adjacent was the golf shop. We checked in, and the gentleman let us know we could go hit some balls, putt, or grab some food. As we already ate breakfast, off to the range we went.

At Pebble, you must take a short shuttle to the driving range. The facilities are amazing. This time on the practice tee, my goal was to relax, focus on tempo, and keep my head down. I was striping balls the entire time. It seemed my pre shot routine, tempo, and swing thoughts were in the right groove. After hitting a small bucket, we chipped, and then putted, then looked at the clock. 9:55???!!!! Gotta get to the tee and meet our caddies.

This time, we had Nathan and Tony. They were both very nice, displaying their knowledge of the course from the get go. We met the starter, he wished us luck and hopefully some sun, and our round was underway.

My dad hit a perfect tee shot. Hole 1 is a dogleg right par far with a slightly elevated green. My pops put his drive about 120 yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. Mine was just right of the fairway about 180 yards out. My hands got a little ahead of me on my downswing and I didn’t hit the best drive. No worries, 5 iron from the rough, faded a bit and I was hole high, right of the hole, needing to pitch over a bunker and hopefully keep it on the green. My caddie says, you want to keep it left of the pin, there is a back stop that should help keep the ball on the green. Only problem, was the grass was so thick. Relax, breathe, tempo. Lucky me, I succeeded in holding the green. Just missed my par putt, walked off with bogey.

Now I’m 1 over on Pebble beach, walking to the tee box of a shortish par 5 with trouble right, bunkers left, and a large ravine that splits the fairway at about 100 yards from the green. Nathan says, “You want to hit driver, keep it right of the bunkers on the left, and avoid hitting it right. Some miracles happen and this drive was one of them.

I pasted it just where Nathan asked. Left me about 200 yards from the green. He suggested I lay up short of the ravine, making sure I kept right of strategically placed trees that were on the left side of the fairway.

I grabbed the correct club, easy swing, hit a great shot but it had a draw. I actually split the trees and my ball pitched a little bit forward. I was 80 yards out, just in front of the trees with an awkward stance. I focused, and with my lob wedge hit the ball pin high on the left side, about 10 feet. THE BEST SHOT OF MY LIFE!! At this point, I could tell that my caddy Nathan was getting excited, thinking, “I guess this guy is ok”. He helped me with the read, and believe it or not, I sunk my birdie putt!!!

Yes, After 2 holes at Pebble beach, playing from the gold tees, I’m EVEN! I remarked, "I should just head into the clubhouse so I can head on a high note." Hahaha. I needed more. Hole 3 and 4 proceeded as we approached the coast line with each step forward. Bogey, bogey on those holes. And then, as if someone was looking over us, the sun started to come out, blue skies breaking through the mist and fog that was hanging over our heads.

Funny note about hole 4: My drive was in the middle of the fairway, still stroking the ball purely. I had 100 yards or so to the pin. I grabbed my lob wedge relaxed and hit a perfect shot, or so I thought. I heard Nathan saying “Get down, Get down”. My ball flew over the green just beyond a greenside bunker. Nathan asked, what did you hit, by now knowing how far I hit certain irons. (It was this skill that amazed me the most, after only a few holes, he knew how far I hit my irons and would actually anticipate what club I’d need). I answered, “Lob wedge”. As I handed it to him he smiled wryly, showed me the club I gave him and it was my approach wedge. I had made the mistake of grabbing the wrong club. Had I picked out the correct one, I’d be putting for birdie, not left scrambling to get up and down for par. Nathan says, “How about this, from now on, you let me know what club you want to hit, and I’ll hand it to you”. Point taken. Needless to say, I did not get up and down and walked off with a bogey.

Number 5: A Short par 3 with amazing views of the water, cliffs, and amazing homes. I drew the ball slightly, just missing the green. Once again, up and down takes highly skilled, precise shots, which I could not muster. Bogey me up again.

Playing holes 6, 7, and 8 was a religious experience. Hole 6, a long par five with a large elevation that needs to be dealt with on the second shot. That shot cutting the corner of the ocean, elevation somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 feet. One of the most spectacular holes I’ve ever seen. I hit the best drive of my life, right down the middle, about 250 yards from the hole. The next shot was a five iron. My second shot, was the first bad shot of the round (other than the one on 4 where I chose the wrong club out of the bag, I hit that one so well, I don’t consider it a bad shot, just bad club selection). I let the imagery of the elevation and water creep into my swing thought, I tried to swing too hard, and topped it. Fortunately it stayed in the fairway and advanced about 50 yards. The 3rd shot was much better, easy swing, good tempo, it sailed up the fairway, over the water, up the elevation, leaving me middle of the fairway about 60 yards away. The green has a false front, and my caddie suggested a bump and run but I need to practice that shot before I’m proficient. I chose sand wedge, much to my caddie’s chagrin, and pitched it to the green.

My goal was to make sure I was putting. I hit it too hard and left my putt about 30 feet from the hole, down hill, breaking right to left. After Nathan’s read, I almost holed it out for par. Walking off with a bogey kept me more than satisfied. I should comment that my dad, chipped in for par from right of the green (probably his shot of the day).

Hole 7- short downhill par three, out on a peninsula. Water and cliffs right and long of the green. I chose a sand wedge as the yardage was about 110 to the hole. Fortunately wind did not play a factor. Sun still shining, our group having way too much fun. I hit my shot just long of the green, but still playable, leaving a tricky downhill chip out of thick grass. I chipped it about 8 feet short of the hole, and walked off after a two put. Bogey check, no shot in the ocean…check, having the time of my life, check.

Hole 8. Par four, blind tee shot, and what my father described as “one of the most amazing views in golf once we get to our drives. Not knowing what to expect I asked Nathan what the play was. He advised, “Perfect shot needs to go about 230, aiming just right of that rock” (a directional aid for us amateurs no doubt). He asked me “so what club do you like”. I answered my hybrid, he smiles and said “I think your 3 wood is the shot”. Deferring to his expertise and how quickly he became accustomed to my shot and distances, I pulled out the 3, and thought to myself, “let’s get it.” I actually hit a perfect drive. Leaving my about 10 yards short of a sheer rock face, that while standing on the tee box, I had no idea was out there.

My dad was right. Standing over my ball, looking towards the green, one cannot help but notice that the same elevation we went up on hole 6, we now had to descend to the green on number 8. It’s a gentle dog leg right, over this cliff, and water, to a tiny green surrounded by sand. Ocean, beach, and residents of Carmel are like ants from our vantage point. As amazed as I was from the view on number 6, I was blown away with this view. I had about 170 to the pin. Chose a 6 iron and unfortunately looked up at the last moment, causing me to fade it into the sand. How can you blame a guy for looking up on this hole?? The view is too nice to be missed. In hindsight, I wish I kept that urge in check.

As Dex and many others know, my sand game needs work. Ultimately resulting in a double bogey, after 2 good shots, it’s a shame that it took 4 shots to get up and down out of the sand.

With those 3 holes complete our round continued. Every hole is a testament to how beautiful the world can be. The course is so well maintained, and can hurt you at the slightest breakdown in concentration. I played mainly bogey golf from here on out, with a couple of high numbers. Pebble beach has the smallest greens on the PGA tour and the difficult part is that when you miss the green, you have to craft amazing shots in order to achieve the up and down. This is what mainly contributed to my score. Even when I had the distance right, if your alignment is off, and draw the ball unexpectedly, or fade it, you can have a very difficult shot from just 5 feet off the green. If you couple that, with greens that are deceptive in speed and break, I understand why the slope is what it is.

My experience at Pebble Beach exceeded what I could have expected. You see the course on television, you see how the professionals navigate the course, but until you walk it yourself and have to deal with the anguish and elation of your own shots, it is difficult to truly realize how perfect the course is. It is visually stunning, challenging, rewarding, punishing, diabolical, and angelic all in one.

The bad shots take a distant second to the memories of the good shots. I will never watch another event at Pebble beach the same way again. From the very instant you enter the grounds, you feel something special in the air. As you walk around the Lodge, viewing the trophies on display, the pictures of G-Mac, Lefty, among others really helps you see how special of a place it is. Numerous restaurants and shops are on the premises(for those golf widows of course). Just be careful of the $133,000.00 ring on display at the jewelry store. That could make for one expensive round of golf!!! Pebble Beach surly has something to offer almost anyone.

All photos courtesy of The Doctor

The Doctor Returns From Pebble Beach Bearing Gifts

2011-09-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

A few post ago, I talked about being jealous of The Doctor and his trip to Pebble Beach. This historic course is on just about everyone's list of courses to play that I have talked to. I can only imagine the feeling that one might have as they swing off the first tee that has been graced by many of the greats of the game.

The Doctor no longer has to imagine because he has lived it. Besides playing Pebble Beach, he also had the good fortune to play Spyglass Hill Golf Course and The Links at Spanish Bay. I was going nuts because I wanted constant updates of the trip, but apparently, cell phone reception is really poor in that area. I was left to fantasize about the experience until he returned.

There was no disappointment in his trip. He said it was everything he could have asked for and more. I won't go into details because I will be posting his reviews of his trip in the days to come. He has some great pictures that captured some of the sights of the course and the surrounding areas.

Every time I play a new course, I purchase one of their logo balls. I am up to 51 in my collection. I should have a few more but not all of the courses have had them available. Knowing this, The Doctor brought back the package that you see in the pictures.

Normally, pro shops just have their logo ball in a bucket or maybe a nice glass fixture. Not Pebble Beach. They have a classy box and each ball is embedded in it's felt casing. Along with the balls, he also gave me a bag tag. It has some weight to is and it looks like one of the medals I may have won back in my track and field days.

Check back soon for The Doctor's review of his trip. I'm still a little jealous, but my time will come. Until then I guess I will have to live vicariously through the tales that he tells me. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Déjà Vu At The Phoenician Golf Club And Resort

2011-09-10T04:20:00.000-07:00

I had a repeat performance from my last round played at The Arizona Blitmore Golf Club. On that day I shot a 37 on the front and a 44 on the back nine to finish with a ten over 81. Today, at The Phoenician Golf Club And Resort, I scored exactly the same. 37 on the front. 44 on the back. This time I was 11 over as the course played to a par of 70.

The Phoenician is comprised of three nine hole courses. The Desert, The Canyon, and The Oasis. Today Patrick Gibbons and I played the combination of The Desert and Canyon courses. With my new Srixon Z-Star golf balls in tote, I was anxious to play one of my favorite tracks in the Scottsdale area.

The beginning of the round started out pretty uneventful. I began with a double bogey and followed it up with a bogey. Things began to heat up after that as I went birdie, bogey, birdie, then finished out the front nine with four straight pars.

The first birdie came as a result of a missed fairway, with a second shot that past the pin but spun back about six feet to leave me with a six foot birdie putt. The second birdie happened on the par four 5th which plays severely uphill. I hit a nice drive up the right side of the fairway which left me with about 120 yards to the pin.

The green was about 20 feet above my ball and I couldn't see the bottom of the flag. I hit my sandwedge to make sure I had enough club to get it there. My swing sent the ball sailing over the flag. I thought I was going to be left with a long putt or maybe even worse. To my amazement, when I got to the green, I was five feet away from the hole. It must have checked up and again spun back to the hole.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the performance of the Srixon golf balls. There is a new confidence to my game because I can now go after a shot with my wedges knowing that it will possibly check up.

With approach shots spinning back towards the hole, I am also more confident with the short stick because I'm putting from shorter distances. When you land your approach shot to within ten to fifteen feet, their is less pressure on birdie putts. At the very least I should be walking away with par so I might as well make a confident first stroke.

I putted well throughout the round. In my last round, poor putting contributed to my 44 on the back nine. Today, it was poor club selection. The wind picked up during the second nine and we were often hitting into the wind. On several occasions, I came up short of the green because I didn't take enough club and had to scramble to have a chance at par.

As we arrived at the par five 18th, I just needed to par out to finish with a 79. Unfortunately, I hit my worst tee shot of the day, sending the ball dead left into a creek that lines that side of the fairway. I dropped and hit a nice hybrid shot, leaving me with 9-iron to the green. I then pushed my approach shot and the ball ended up in a bunker that is right of the green. Unbelievable!

Disaster reared its ugly head again as I left my next shot in the bunker. I managed to get the ball out and onto the green and made the putt. A double bogey seven to finish the round. BOOOOOOOO!!!

All in all, it was a good round. Even though it should have been better, I shot in the low 80's which brings me closer to my 2011 goal of having a single digit handicap. After this effort, I'm a 10.1. One more score in this range should get me to what I have been after all year, and then, maybe it will be time to rethink my goals...again. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Posted: Friday, September 09, 2011

The Phoenician (DESERT/CANYON COURSE)

Tees: Championship 18, Slope: 129, Rating: 68.3

DESERT/CANYON COURSE Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	3	5	35
	6	5	4	6	5	4	4	3	7	44
FIR
Putts	2	3	1	3	2	2	2	2	1	18
GIR
Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	5	3	4	35
	6	6	3	4	3	3	5	3	4	37
FIR
Putts	2	2	1	2	1	1	2	1	0	12
GIR

Birdies:	2
Pars:	7
Bogeys:	5
Doubles:	4

Par 3 Avg:	3.7
Par 4 Avg:	4.4
Par 5 Avg:	6.0

FIR:	4 / 12
GIR:	6 / 18
Putts:	30
Putts per GIR:	1.8

Scrambling:	4 / 12
Bounce Backs:	5 / 9

The Srixon Z-Star May Be My New Golf Ball

2011-09-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I talked about winning a dozen Srixon Z-Star golf balls from the Facebook page of Golfballs.com. Thanks again guys. A couple of days ago I had a chance to try them out at Arizona Biltmore Golf Course. I am now a firm believer that the golf ball you play makes a huge difference.

When I first started playing, I just used whatever was cheapest at Target or in the pro shop at the time. Most of these are two piece balls and don't have much to them. Just a core and an outer shell. Technology in golf balls are ever evolving and as my game is improving, it's time for my equipment to improve as well.

Recently I have been using TaylorMade Burner LDP golf balls after reading some positive reviews on the Internet. It is the first three piece ball that I used and the difference was evident. The ball flew a little straighter and it was better around the green, but I still had trouble getting the ball to check like I wanted to. I had to make sure I picked the right club or else the ball would go sailing past my target after hitting the green once.

The Srixon Z-Star golf balls are also a three piece ball but I definitely liked the way the ball felt coming of the clubface with my irons, driver, and wedges. Here are some of the features of this ball as stated on the packaging...

1. Superb spin performance on approach shots with extremely soft feel.

*My iron shots felt crisp as the ball made contact with the club. It didn't have that "tinny" or hollow feeling that comes with a cheap ball. I hit a lot more greens in regulation than I normally do which set me up with chances to make birdies.

2. High resilience with low spin for greater distance.

*I hit the ball great with my driver. The ball flew straighter as well as further which resulted in nine out thirteen fairways in regulation. The fairways that I did miss were just off the short grass, so I was never really in a bad spot. Again the ball felt a lot softer coming off the clubface. I could definitely tell when I hit the sweet spot.

3. Superior soft feel for excellent performance on and around greens.

*Remember how I was complaining about not being able to spin it back with the TaylorMade ball. Well, there were a few shots that I hit with my wedges that I thought were going to hit once and skip over the green and into trouble. Instead, they skipped twice and checked up, and one occasion, the ball spun back about six feet. This is going to prove very useful.

I had a decent round shooting an 81. The round started out bogey followed by a double bogey, but I bounced back with a birdie on the third and then parred the next six holes to finish two over after the front nine.

The back nine is the tougher of the two and it showed as I carded one double, six bogeys, and only two pars. I was still pleased with my ball striking even though I didn't score as well on the back. I missed a lot of putts that would have made those bogeys, pars. I can only remember three terrible shots during the round which led to my two doubles. I was able to recover from the third bad shot and save what they call "a good bogey."

Only one ball was lost during the round so I have a few rounds left with the balls that I won. Today I'm playing at the Phoenician Golf Resort with Patrick Gibbons. I have played this excellent course once before about two years ago, and I remember it being one of the tougher tracks I have ever played. It will be interesting to see how my game holds up with my improving swing and Srixon Z-Star golf balls.

As always I will be back to tell you about how the round went. My attention before this round will be on putting. If I remember correctly, the greens at the Phoenician are well kept, fast, and undulating. The only thing that held me back from another sub 80 round at the Biltmore were a few missed putts that burned the edges.

If you have used the Srixon Z-Star ball before, I would be interested to hear your opinion. Any stories about other brands that you use are welcome as well. The important thing is that you find a ball that suits your game so that you can have fun and post the best scores possible. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Posted: Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Arizona Biltmore Golf & Country Club (Links)

Tees: Champion, Slope: 125, Rating: 69.5

Links Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	5	3	4	3	4	4	3	5	35
	5	7	2	4	3	4	4	3	5	37
FIR
Putts	3	2	1	2	2	1	1	2	1	15
GIR
Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	5	3	4	4	4	3	4	4	5	36
	6	3	5	5	5	4	5	6	5	44
FIR
Putts	2	2	3	2	1	2	2	2	2	18
GIR

Birdies:	1
Pars:	8
Bogeys:	7
Doubles:	2

Par 3 Avg:	3.0
Par 4 Avg:	4.8
Par 5 Avg:	5.8

FIR:	9 / 13
GIR:	8 / 18
Putts:	33
Putts per GIR:	2.1

Scrambling:	3 / 10
Bounce Backs:	3 / 9

Thanks Golfballs.com For My Srixon Z-Star Golf Balls

2011-09-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

As we know, Facebook is no longer about keeping up with the going ons of your friends. It is a way to promote your business, your ideas, and anything else you think others might be interested in. Being that I am into golf, I visit a lot of golf related pages to check out what my fellow hackers are doing within the industry. Even I have a page for this blog.

My new favorite page on Facebook is Golfballs.com. Each week they hold a contest which gives their fans an opportunity to win a dozen free golf balls. All you have to do is like their page and pick the winner of that weeks PGA Tournament and their winning score. Tie-breakers are determined by whomever is closest to the winners final tally. The contest begins after the second round is complete so you only have to choose from those who have made the cut.

Picking the winner of a tournament on any given week is basically a crap shoot, especially this year, with all the first time winners on Tour during the 2012 season. I got lucky and was able to win their contest as a result of picking Scott Stallings, winner of the Greenbriar Classic.

I'll be honest, it was kind of a eeny, meeny, miney, moe thing. I didn't know too much about the native New Englander, who is in his rookie year, but I was impressed with his play up to that point in the tournament. Plus, only one other person picked him as the winner, so I figured I had a chance if I could pick a good finishing number and hope for the best.

I was excited when Stallings came through. Mainly because I like to win, but also because it was a chance to try out the Srixon Z-Star, used by some of the top players like Vijay Singh, Graeme McDowell, and recent winner, Keegan Bradley. Their, "I switched to Srixon" campaign has been all over the Golf Channel and I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Their are only a few tournaments left this year, but I encourage you to visit the fan page of Golfballs.com. Besides this contest, they also have a "guess the golf ball" contest, which I am confident I will never win, but I will keep on trying.

I have already used my new golf balls during a round at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club and the results were interesting. Stay tuned for my next post to see how I did. In the mean time head on over and like Golfballs.com to give yourself a chance to win. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Phil Mickelson Goes Belly Up With His Putter

2011-09-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

I turned on the television to watch the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship and I had to do a double take and rub my eyes a little because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Phil Mickleson was wielding a belly putter? I had just come in from cleaning the pool, so I was squinting a little as I walked in from the sunlight to the inside light. I seriously thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Phil must be thinking that his putting was holding back his game, and is joining an ever growing list of professional golfers who are turning to the "long stick." Adam Scott needed to do something so I wasn't surprised when he made the switch. Seeing Jim Furyk using one was surprising, but he's a "thinker" so he's always looking for a new way to do it better.

And now there's Phil. Maybe he was tired of getting beat by rookies like Keegan Bradley who used his to win the 2011 PGA Championship. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Right? What strikes me as odd is that Bones, Phil's caddie, was asked on Feherty, if there is one thing he could change about the PGA, what would it be? He said, "long putters that are held against the body." Does Phil ever listen to his caddie?

Patrick Gibbons, who makes these exotic belts and accessories, and I were playing a few months ago and we started talking about the long putter controversy. I remember Patrick saying that he didn't have a problem with them. He went on to say, "it's not like anyone has used one to win a major." Who would have thought that a short time later, there would be such a dramatic shift.

I've only tried the long putter once. I really didn't like the way it felt. It was like I was too far away from the ball. I use 33 inch putter. Not quite as short as Robert Garrigus' putter, but I really like to let my arms and hands hang straight down. I've heard some instructors say that it is a good way learn the proper pendulum motion. I can see the benefits and that may be the problem.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the debate on whether the long putter should be deemed illegal. Some of the purist say that it is not a true golf stroke because there are two points of contact, the hands and the chest(or belly), which give the user an unfair advantage. An anchor if you will. On the flip side, others argue that it is not illegal and that they should use every advantage they can. And since it's not illegal, then everyone has the same advantage if they choose to use it.

So if they made it illegal, what would that mean? Would it only be illegal on the PGA Tour and European Tour. What about the Nationwide Tour and all the mini-tours? Would it be illegal on the Champions Tour? A lot of the legends have opted for this method of putting which is easier on the back. Would it be illegal for amateurs like you and me? Would the manufactures risk losing what I'm sure are millions of dollars in order to adhere to the new rule? I doubt it. They are making too much money. And the media is getting a nice piece from the advertising dollars.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. If they keep it illegal, maybe we'll even see Tiger using one as a last ditch effort to find his touch again. What are your thoughts? Do you approve or disapprove? Do you, yourself use one and how does it help you? This one, I'm sure, is going to be debated for some time to come. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Fred Couples talks about the belly putter.

The Spotted Warrior

2011-08-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

I received my new MacBook Pro in the mail the other day and I'm back in business. I'll be able to save everything that was on my old hard drive which is a good thing. By the way, if you don't have a back up drive. Get one. I got lucky this time. It's not worth losing all of your information.

One of the features I like about my laptop is that it comes with iMovie '11. I had '07 on my old laptop and never really used it anyway. Unlike the older version, '11 allows you to take footage and put it into slow motion. I've been wanting to do this so that I can analyze my swing like Peter Kostis does during PGA tournaments.

Besides being able to edit your videos using this application, they have added themes so that you can make professional looking movies with trailers and all. After reading/viewing the tutorials and hacking around a little bit, I was able to put together a nice looking trailer featuring my Great Dane Athos.

You may remember him from an article I did on using the Kodak Playsport Zx3 underwater. That was one of the first times he had been in the pool. Now he can't get enough. All I have to say is, "you wanna go swimming?" He jumps up and bolts for the back door. It's too hot to take him and Tank(he's the black Dane in the video) on walks during the day. When we wake up in the morning it is already 95 degrees at six in the morning. Swimming becomes a good way to tire out a hyper two year old who can go for days if you let him.

I'm looking forward to using slow-mo during practice. I can get into bunkers and slow it down to check my technique. Could be useful on the putting greens as well. Although I would like to be more of a feel players, seeing myself will show me what I need to change so that I am not repeating the same mistakes over and over.

Enjoy the trailer and let me know what you think. I think we may have a star in the making. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Soooo Jealous Right Now

2011-08-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

I just got off the telephone with my buddy, The Doctor. He had just boarded the shuttle that was taking him to The Inn at Spanish Bay, which their website describes as "...nestled among majestic Monterey pines and fronted by a Scottish-style links golf course that touches some of the most breathtaking coastline in the world..." The Links at Spanish Bay is one of the courses that is affiliated with the Pebble Beach experience.

Yes, The Doctor is at Pebble Beach and I am stuck at home. He and his brother have treated their father to a couple of rounds at two of the nations most famous golf courses, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach. Now do you understand why I am so jealous.

Pebble Beach, I'm sure, is on every golfer's bucket list of courses to play before being called to the "great golf course in the sky." This is one of those trips that you start thinking about as soon as the reservations are made, and every second thereafter until you finally tee it up on the first hole.

Their plan, as The Doctor tells it, is to get in some practice at the Links at Spanish Bay today. Tomorrow they play Spyglass and then finish out with Pebble Beach on Sunday. I know that The Doctor has been scouting the courses online. We were actually supposed to visit one of the local indoor golf course simulators and play the courses so that he would have a feel for what he was getting into. We never got to it as our schedules were too conflicting.

I have never had a chance to play a course that is on the PGA Tour schedule. The closest I have come is Crandon Golf Course on Key Biscayne, FL which used to host a Champions Tour event up until 2005. I have attended the WGC-CA several times at Doral Country Club, but never played it. I've been to The Waste Management Phoenix Open(formerly the FBR Open) held at TPC Scottsdale, but still haven't given it a go. I snuck onto the 18th green at Hilton Head last summer just to take a picture, but that was the closest I have been to being inside the ropes on a tour quality course.

If you have been following the weather, Florida is feeling the affects of Hurricane Irene. The Doctor's dad lives in the Sunshine State and was scheduled to fly out today. As a precaution, he changed his flight and left a day early to ensure that he didn't get stuck at home. Can you blame him? I would have done the same thing.

Pebble Beach has cameras on the 1st tee and on the 18th green. They are supposed to tee off at 11AM PST on Sunday. I'm expecting a text right before the first shot, so I get to watch them and become even more jealous. One day I'll get there. It is a must. Until then, I guess I'll have to live vicariously through them.

Have you had a chance to play any of the courses on the Tour Circuit? If so, feel free to share your experience. Was it everything you expected? Was the course harder than you anticipated? This is your chance to make me even more jealouser(I know that's not a word, but, you know what I mean). Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

No Wonder Amateurs Stink From Fairway Bunkers

2011-08-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last night Michael Breed of The Golf Fix demonstrated how to play from various different lies and situations. He talked about the fairway bunker shot, the dreaded bunker shot from 40-80 yards out, and finally various greenside bunker shots.

During the segment on fairway bunkers, Breed confirmed something I had been thinking about. He said that most amateurs struggle from fairway bunkers because we don't get a chance to practice this shot.

When the average golfer arrives at the golf course for a round, they get a bucket of balls and head to the range and start banging away. Some courses don't even have a place to hit out of a bunker, and if there is a bunker facility, in my experience, very few take the time to get in there and practice. Maybe it's because it's not really fun to practice from the bunker. Maybe it's because they don't want to get dirty before a round. The other reason is that some golfers show up 15 minutes before their round and there simply isn't enough time.

Getting back to fairway bunkers, when have you ever seen a fairway bunker in the practice area? I would venture to say never. It's no wonder we stink. We never get a chance to hone our skills in this area of our game.

So how do we get better from the fairway bunker? You could get into the bunker that is meant for greenside practice. This might prompt a visit from the starter asking you to leave the course. That's not good. The alternative is to watch videos on the subject. Don't just watch though. Pay attention to what the instructor is saying and mimic their actions as best as possible. It's not an impossible shot, we just need to use the proper technique.

Normally I would post a video, but I am still posting from my iPhone. So get on YouTube and browse around. BTW...My online swing coach, Mike Southern, who publishes Ruthless Golf, just wrote an article entitled "Digging A Buried Ball Out Of The Sand". It is one more bunker shot that Breed didn't cover during the show. You can find his blog to the right under Golf Fanatics.

Good luck with this shot if you find yourself in a fairway bunker during your next round. Of course the best defense is not to hit in there in the first place so that it doesn't even become an issue. Keep it in the fairways. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

180 Yards With A 9-Iron? Seriously?

2011-08-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

As the final round coverage of the Wyndham Championship began, they highlighted the play of Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey. He had an approach shot from 180 yards out. He pulled out a 9-iron and knocked it onto the green and left himself with about 20 feet for an eagle putt.

9-iron from 180! Are you serious? And Gainey isn't even one if the long hitters. It's no wonder the pros are so good. With length like that, they are giving themselves great chances to score well. 180 for me is a 6-iron and since I still struggle sometimes with this club, I might use my 22 degree hybrid and choke down a little.

Gainey isn't a big guy. He's not small in stature either, but he's not Dustin Johnson or Gary Woodland. It probably has to do more with club speed. I get compliments on how smooth my swing looks and I have improved on my distance in recent months, but how much more confident would I be with a 9- iron in my hands from 180 instead of a hybrid club.

I think it may be time to start looking into what drills or exercises I should be doing to get even longer. I was thinking about doing a more golf specific workout program. Just like in any sport, certain muscles need to be developed to maximize efficiency for that activity.

I'm not complaining with where I am right now, but we can all use a little more distance right? Have a great round analways hit your target.

*I'm still posting from my iPhone, so if things are not as pretty as they usually are or if there are a few typos, that's why. Editing is the tough part.

Photo found here.

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

2011-08-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is a first for me. I'm writing this post on my iPhone. Why am I using my iPhone? It's because my laptop is no longer working. Why is it no longer working? It's because my 180 lb. Great Dane thought he heard someone outside and jumped over me and my laptop, knocking over the drink that was sitting on the table. Ugh!!!

I dried it off as quickly as I could, took out the battery, and left it to dry overnight, hoping for the best. It actually worked the next morning, but when I returned home after running a few errands, my laptop had given up the ghost.

Wishing for a miracle, I took my laptop to The Apple Store to see if they could work a little magic. After a few minutes in the back, Nick came back with his diagnosis. He said it didn't look good. The cost of repairs is high enough that I might as well buy a new one. I certainly didn't budget for this mishap.

I will try and keep up my post until I get a new computer. It's a little annoying, but as I'm writing this, it's not so bad. I'll still be practicing on my game so I'll continue to share my exploits. The game must go on. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Positive Affirmations (Thoughts) + Actions = Results

2011-08-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

I received a comment from Jordan, a fellow golf blogger, on the post in which I talked about setting new goals. I thought I would answer him with this post. You can check out his blog, Peerless Golf Experience. Lots of good information on how to keep your mind focused while on the golf course.

The last part of his comment was, "Obviously you worked hard on your game but did you try using any positive affirmations?"

I don't necessarily say positive affirmations, but I do try to keep my thoughts positive. I'm a big believer in the fact that our thoughts shape the outcomes in our lives. When I stand over a ball, I am thinking that I am about to hit a really good shot. If I'm thinking about what could go wrong, that is probably what will happen.

Another practice I'm into is visualization. At the beginning of the year, I began to see myself as a single digit golfer. I began to act like a single digit handicapper. The instruction I received from Mike added to my confidence. Once I received the proper tools to succeed, my belief became stronger because now I had a game plan.

I'll agree that positive affirmations work. Remember this little dynamo? The important thing is attaching some action to your affirmations. I used to say them and just wait for things to happen. It doesn't work that way. Once we have a thought, we must act on it. More action, more results.

As soon as I decided that I was going to be in the single digits, I began to do the things that would get me there. Things like practicing(the right way). Paying more attention to how the pros play the game. I really take note of what they do in certain situation and then when I'm in a similar situation, I try to mimic the action. I'm like a chameleon. I become that golfer for that shot.

Sounds a little wacky, but I believe it works. There are many ways to improve in whatever you are trying to do. This seems to be working for me so I'm going to stick with it. No more negative thoughts. No more doubts.

Once again I would like to thank Jordan for his comment. It made me think a little bit about my approach to the game. To all of you out there who are working on your golf game, let me know what techniques you are using to improve. Would love to hear your thoughts. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.