From Tee 2 Green

“Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.”  ~Bobby Jones

I walked onto the ninth tee box having played the first eight holes about as well as I could have this weekend. After an early bogey, I birdied four holes in a row and played the difficult eighth hole just the way I planned. Now the only thing that stood between me and going out in 33 was a 205 yard par three. What I didn’t realize is that I had already made the mistake that would cost me a three under front nine. [Read more →]

Tags: Lessons, Thoughts, Tips// Category Lessons, Thoughts, Tips, Uncategorized // 1 Comment »

I am a golf fanatic, but I will admit that I would rather play than watch. That is except for four weekends out of the year – the Majors.  I really enjoy the Majors and although I think The Masters is my favorite major, having played a bit of links golf in Europe, I hold a special place in my heart for The Open every year.

This year I was very disappointed with The Open and the lack of drama or excitement. The Open was played this year at the home of golf, St. Andrews, a course I have had the privilege of walking. This was the 29th time the open has been played at St. Andrews and the biggest names in golf have won there; Daly, Faldo, Seve, Nicklaus and Woods, to name a few. Every professional golfer will tell you that winning The Open is a dream, but winning it at St. Andrews, is what they fantasize about.   [Read more →]

Tags: PGA Tour, The Open// Category Majors, PGA Tour, The Open, Tournaments // Add Comment »

Paul Goydos became only the fourth player in tour history to shoot a 59 with an amazing opening round at the John Deere Classic on Thursday. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t had a top-40 finish since early May and has not won on the tour since 2007.

“I’ve been very good at playing poorly now for the last 10 tournaments or so,” Goydos said.

Well, not anymore. His tee shots found the middle of the fairway. His approaches stuck on the green. And, most importantly, his putts found the middle of the cup over and over again. Goydos birdied every hole on the back nine except for No. 15, where he holed a 6-foot par putt to keep alive his hopes. He finished off with three birdies, the last one from 7 feet to join the most exclusive club in golf.

So he shot 59 in the opening round and he is leading by ONE!  Steve Stricker shot a smooth 60 almost holing out on 18 to tie Goydos.  Maybe there will be golf worth watching in the US this weekend.  Interesting Facts after the jump: [Read more →]

Tags: PGA Tour, Tournaments// Category News, PGA Tour // Add Comment »

LUSS, Scotland (AP) — Phil Mickelson is choosing competition over course conditions as he prepares for the next major.

In a year when several players are skipping the Scottish Open, Mickelson tops the field at Loch Lomond, which also features U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell. A victory or solo second by the left-handed American would put him at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The Masters winner is the only player from the top 10 entered for the $4 million event which starts Thursday.

“I always look forward to these two weeks,” Mickelson said. “I really enjoy this tournament and obviously really enjoy next week’s event, too.

“I think the best way to get in playing condition for the Open is to play well, get into contention and compete on Sunday for the title here. Having lost a couple of times in close matches here, I would like to win this tournament. It would mean a lot for me to win here.”

Mickelson insists reaching No. 1 is not his priority this week.

“It would be cool to go to the home of golf as No. 1 but it’s not something I’m thinking about yet,” he said. “I’m just trying to get my game sharp. I always felt like if I play well enough, the results would happen. It would mean a lot to me to break through and finally win.”

Tags: PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson// Category News, PGA Tour // Add Comment »

Swaying back to shift your weight, or sliding, is a common mistake for golfers. To combat it, think about turning over your feet. On the range, try practicing backswings with your stand bag just to the right of your right hip, then move your bag in front of your left hip and practice swinging through. This will help you get your shoulders and hips turning.

Tags: Lessons, Tips// Category Lessons, Tips // Add Comment »

I guess I missed on the Tiger is back article…this week was the first week that he did not break par over four rounds in a regular PGA Tour event – likely something he will want to forget quickly.  So, not exactly back. Having played this game a long time now, I know that progress always starts with a glimpse on the course and then it gradually works its way into your game permanently. Maybe I saw his glimpse…or maybe he is just done. Either way I am looking forward to The Open next week.

I like the timeliness of the outcome of this week’s tournament. I am reading a book by Dr. Bob Rotella and the mental approach to the game he describes seems very fitting to the great win by Justin Rose this week. Not sure if you remember, but he had a four shot lead going into Sunday the week before at the Travelers Championship and shot 75 to lose the tournament.  And although it looked like he was going to give away the tournament this weekend, he managed to hang on and come away with his second win in five weeks.  Remembering your successes in golf and forgetting your failures is so important for your mental self image. If you don’t think you will make a putt or hit a good shot or come through under pressure, then you won’t, I guarantee it. See my favorite Rotella book after the jump. [Read more →]

Tags: PGA Tour, Tiger// Category News, PGA Tour, Thoughts, Tournaments // Add Comment »

I am not sure how many of you got to see Tiger’s opening round play at the AT&T National, but I think he showed that he is ready to get back to playing the golf he is capable of playing.  Sure if you look at the score it doesn’t look like he had a great day, he shot a 3-over par 73 and is outside the cut line after the first round.  However, that score can be directly attributed to a horrendous day on the greens.  Tiger took 30 putts all day and even hit the ball in the water on the 17^th for a double bogey.

What I noticed was the fact that he hit the ball better from tee to green (with the exception of 17) than he has since coming back to golf.  His driving was pretty much perfect all day.  He played with Davis Love III and Dustin Johnson, two very long hitters, and Tiger out drove them all day.  The driving distance stats had him bettering them by 20 yards in round one, as they are measured by the PGA Tour.  This is a far cry from a few weeks ago when Tiger and Dustin Johnson played in a practice round together and Tiger said he couldn’t even keep the ball in the same zip code with Dustin.

If Tiger continues to hit the ball like he did yesterday, then the rest of the field should start to worry.  There is no chance that, arguably the best putter ever, is going to continue to miss putts under 10 feet like he did in round one.  In case you didn’t know, he leads the PGA in putts made under 10 feet – something like 70% – wouldn’t you like to make 70% of your putts from ten feet and in?  I will be watching to see if he really has straightened out his tee shots or if Thursday was just a fluke.

Take a  tip from Tiger: [Read more →]

Tags: PGA Tour, Tiger, Tournaments// Category News, PGA Tour, Thoughts, Tournaments // Add Comment »

To improve your swing path and promote a square clubface at impact, practice making half swings so the club stops parallel to the ground on each side of your body.  At these two positions (half backswing and half follow through), the leading edge of the clubface should be parallel to your spine.  If it is, it means the club is rotating correctly.

Tags: Tips// Category Tips // Add Comment »

I played in one of the best events this week I have been part of in a very long time, and there was even a three hour rain delay. I was fortunate to be asked to play in the Dubliner Classic this year at the Glenn Dale Golf Club. This is an event that has been put on for 32 years by Daniel Coleman, owner of The Dubliner in Washington D.C.  The Dubliner is one of the best Irish pubs in D.C. and is located by Union Station. I could tell this was going to be a fun event from the moment I arrived on Monday. It might have been the coolers of drinks and beer already set up for us, to the BBQ lunch that was being prepared or maybe the many Irish accents I heard – I mean who has more fun than the Irish?

The thing I loved about this tournament was, in Danny’s words, “it is the only real golf tournament left.” We did not play the traditional scramble format you find in so many of these events. Instead we played net two best balls in the foursome. Basically, it was real golf – play your ball from tee to green and take the two best scores. They also required you to prove your handicap so I don’t think we had the normal sandbagging going on. They also had Irish crystal trophies for the first five places in the tournament. Read more about the event and how we did. [Read more →]

Tags: Thoughts, Tournaments// Category Thoughts, Tournaments // 2 Comments »

Golf Tip:  For soft chips, open the face of a wedge, take it back outside the target line and up quickly, then slice across the ball – hard.  The ball will pop up in the air, go a shorter distance and land softly.

This was the tip on my golf hole a day calendar.  This is a really good tip and although I believe it is important to understand how to hit a high, soft chip, I think they should have started with a disclosure:  USE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY! One of the biggest problems I see with most people I play with is they are constantly trying to hit a flop shot.  They don’t understand how to execute the basic bump and run and only try lob shots around the green.

The flop shot is one of the toughest shots to pull off and should almost never be your first option.  The basic chip and run is almost always a better option.  A bad bump and run will always end up closer to the hole than a missed flop shot.  Your chipping priority should always be: putt – bump and run – lob…in that order.  Always, always putt the ball if you can from around the green.

How to incorporate the bump and run in your game after the jump. [Read more →]

Tags: Lessons, Short Game, Thoughts// Category Lessons, Thoughts, Tips // Add Comment »