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I haven’t kept up with equipment too much. I wonder if they will announce the igolf? Yep, it is Apple’s newest product launch on the heels of the recently unveiled ipad.
The new device actually allows you to swing like Fred Couples, Jonathan Byrd, or Michele Wei depending on which app you download. The putting app produces a Mutual of Omaha putting line on the green which makes it easier to line up putts.
Ok, just kidding.
I am curious to see what the golf world will unveil this week. What are you looking forward to hitting?
The other day I dreamed of being in a climate conducive to playing golf in January and February. North Carolina normally has breaks in the winter weather which allows some of us to escape for a round or two. This year that has not been the case. To be honest, I have hardly thought about the game until recently as the PGA tour started its season. My golf itch typically doesn’t need scratching until the crowds start to gather around Amen Corner in April.
This mini-sabbatical is a good idea for all golfers. While many links players are aided in their leave of absence by snow, ice, and blizzard conditions (Michigan, Vermont, and Canada come to mind), our friends in balmier climates have to force themselves to take time off.
I know for me, coming off the break I am recharged and excited about the process of practicing and fine tuning my game for the summer. So Enjoy your break, watch some sports, spend time with the family, and get ready for the golf bug that bites in the Spring.
What do you do in the off season while waiting for the greens to thaw?
The PGA tour kicks off this week in Hawaii. I really feel for those guys being stuck in tropical bliss while we freeze in the lowest temperatures Greensboro has seen in 30 years.
No Really, my heart goes out to the players that have to endure this
photo credit: roy_'s
all week.
I will stay here wrapped up like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” while Geoff Ogilvy and company work on their golfers’ tan (Oh, how I look forward to the dividing line around the ankle that separates copper-tone legs from ivory white feet).
Golf seems so distant. I am sure I should be hitting the gym hard, in preparation for the approaching season. I am sure I should be working on my set up and club positions with a mirror. But I am not. My prep for golf season begins Feb 1.
I have set my goals and devised my plan Here is a recent guest post I wrote on setting golf goals for a soon to be launched golf blog.
A new year is upon us. Now is the time for new year’s resolutions and goal setting for 2010. Have you created any golf goals for next year? If not, now is great time to start. You may want to set a goal to walk instead of ride or play more often. Many golfers strive to lower their handicap or set a new career low. These are all noble pursuits. Here are a few key tips for setting and reaching your goals in 2010.
1. Be specific- Make your goals clear and concise. A lot of folks develop goals that are vague. The clearer your goals are the easier they are to hit. Instead of having a goal to improve your putting why not have a goal to reduce the number of three-putts per round by sharpening your lag proximity.
2. Create a plan- We have a goal. We now need to develop a plan. Your PGA professional can help you create this plan by recommending drills and practice tips designed to help you hit your goals. Think of this as a road map with a time-line. The teaching professional also acts as a GPS guide by helping you steer your way along the map. Just like when the mechanized British voice tells you to make a right in 2 miles, your instructor will help stay on course.
3. Visualize Success- More than half the battle is believing you will. Take time to see yourself hitting your goals. Imagine the feeling and joy of accomplishing your goals. I remember hearing a story about a college basketball coach that spent and entire practice having each player cut down the net like when winning a championship game. We should do this as well. Drain a 3 foot putt on the practice green and visualize it being a new career low.
I think these three things will help you accomplish your goals in 2010. I would love to hear about what goals you have for this year.
I recently finished a post looking at the Tiger situation from the perspective of building a brand or business in today’s marketing landscape. If you are into business or would like to read it, here you go: A lesson in authenticity from Tiger Woods and John Daly.
A few days ago, Robert Bruce, a blogging acquaintance of mine, posted a great response to the drama on his site, Game Under Repair. I would encourage you to check it out. Robert’s site is one of my favorite golf related blogs to tune into.
To echo Robert a bit, I haven’t followed the ordeal in detail. What I have seen has been the unavoidable snippets, due to the story getting the lion’s share of coverage (on every channel). I would like to also second that I am saddened for his family. I am also sad for the parents around the world that have had to answer many questions from their children on why Tiger is on tv when it’s not golf season.
My hope is that he does repent and rebuild. He is one the most passionate and driven people on the planet. I hope he can get radically driven and passionate about saving his family and his marriage. I believe with a lot of humility, immense grace, and forgiveness, he can overcome this storm. Love is the undisputed champion of the world. It has never been defeated. I hope he and Elin will learn that and overcome.
This time of year golf slows down for most of the world and yields to the gridiron of the NFL or College Football bowl season. Some dream-chasers however, are making a final stride towards realizing life long goals to compete on the PGA Tour. Christmas will come early on December 7th for the 40 or so golfers making it through the arduous six round marathon.
The fall classic, as it is affectionately called, always produces some of the year’s best stories. This year will it be David Duval’s rebirth (I thought it might come at Bethpage) or the right of passage for Rickie Fowler?
One player I will be watching is Chris Mundorf. He and I played Jr. and collegiate golf around the same time but became friends while students of the same coach, Robert Linville, at Precision Golf School. Chris has been looping for Troy Matteson this year on tour. As timing would have it, Troy won the Frys.com Open the week Chris took off for the first stage of Q-school. Chris figured going to first stage cost him six-figures.
I think it will be a good opportunity cost if he makes it through this week. You can can follow Chris here as he chases an early Christmas.
This is always one of my favorite times of year in golf because so many professionals are in the hunt to make their dreams come true. When I was playing golf as a youth I made numerous putts (in my mind) to win my spot on golf’s main stage. Now, as a grown man with my season of playing behind me, I love watching the guys grind it out.
Last week the Nationwide tour graduated its class of 2008 to the PGA Tour. The top-25 money leaders for the season earned the coveted pass to join Tiger and company on the big tour.
One guy that punched his card this year is Chad Collins. This will be Chad’s sophomore campaign on tour and I believe a breakout year. His game matured immensely during 2008, highlighted by a win at the Miccosukee Championship.
Chad was a rival of mine in collegiate golf. He played for Methodist College and I played Greensboro College. During his four years at Methodist he was the number one ranked player in NCAA Division III every year. Many times we played head-to-head in collegiate events and many times he beat me like Brock Lesner vs. Pee Wee Herman.
I knew Chad was going to make it on tour during his freshman year when he drained a putt on the 72nd hole of 40 feet from off the green to win the NCAA Tournament. Clutch! Over the next three years we watched him break scoring records and win countless medalist hardware. We knew it was just a matter of Time.
Here is a video (courtesy of pgatour.com): Meet Chad
I hope you will tune in next year and watch the crop of young players in pursuit of their golf legacy.
Last week’s President’s cup is further proof of the Tiger and the Dip theory. Here are 3 other observations that will help you in building teams.
1. Everyone needs a Wingman. Phil Mickelson proved to be the ultimate wingman. Like Iceman to Maverick, Phil’s partnerships with rookies, Anthony Kim and Sean O’ Hair were close to perfect. Phil’s talent and experience helped the young guns to stay in the present. It was also apparent that he was able to transfer confidence when his team needed it most. Successful teams from every arena have an experienced veteran that brings out the best in his teammates.
2. Create a “have fun and win atmosphere”. Fred Couples’ decision to bring in Michael Jordan as “assistant-assistant” captain seemed odd to many. I believe it was a stroke of brilliance. Anytime a team can draw from an advisor (s) with a thought process of success there will be benefit. A person like Jordan helps create the atmosphere of a winning team. If the atmosphere is right a team will achieve peak perform.
3. Unity. Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods gel better than Danny Ocean and Rusty, than JB and KG, than Tango and Cash, than Milo and Otis, than..well, you get the idea. My main point here is that two or more teammates who work that well together will inspire a whole team. Their unity was energizing and helped set the example for the whole team. A team acting as one is always powerful.
Recently PGA.com posted the article “How to choose an instructor”, giving the prospective golf student the criteria for selecting a teaching pro. Master Professional John Hughes’ advice is sound, highlighting compatibility, accreditation & experience, swing aides, video, follow up, and playing ability as the key factors to evaluate when choosing an instructor.
Golfers I know and meet, regularly ask me who they should take lessons from. Remember, the greatest teacher in the world is not the greatest for everyone. If so then all of the men and women tour players would probably use the same person. What makes a coach the best for you is that they are the best for YOU. My philosophy for choosing the right golf mentor is simple:
Goals- Your golf coach should be 100% committed to helping YOU achieve your goals. First, make sure they ask you what you want to accomplish with your lessons. Some golf pros have an agenda that is self serving or short term. Run from these. Your instructor should be about helping you get what you want out of your game.
Communication- It is important that your chosen one allows you to give feedback(communication is two-way) during the lesson. Pick someone that talks with you not at you. Make sure you and your coach speak the same language. It is important that each of you can get what the other is saying. Nothing is more frustrating than leaving a lesson and having no idea what the pro talked about.
Connection- Select a golf instructor that clicks with you. You like their style and their attitude. If you are low tech, maybe they are low tech. You relate to their stories and analogies and they relate to yours. A coach that you connect with will pull the best out of you.
There is something special about a student-teacher relationship. It gives the student someone to perform for and the teacher someone to pour themselves into. Good luck finding your coach, I know the relationship will bare much fruit and help you reach your potential on the course.
This week the Wyndham Championships is in town. I always enjoy spending time at this tour event walking the fairways with some of my contemporaries from the amateur ranks. Formerly considered a party event (think Nascar + fraternity kegger), the previously named Greater Greensboro Open has reinvented itself since moving to its new venue, Sedgfield Country Club, for the second consecutive year.
My reason for attending this year is can be summed up in one word, Freddie.Fred Coupleswas my childhood hero and remains my favorite golfer to pull for. Many times I played with Couples in the afternoons while the shadows grew long as the sun kissed the horizon. Sure, this was all in the mind of my youth, but I never played alone while I dreamed of one day sharing the bentgrass stage with Boom Boom.
Yesterday watching him play brought me back to those days, as he strolled down the fairway in his signature nonchalant gate. The pre-shot routine is the same after all of these years (tip). The sound of impact sounded more like it was fired from a howitzer than struck with a driver, just like it did as I witnessed him shooting 64 at the Emerald Golf Club in 1996.
There is joy in being in the presence of greatness. There is awe in being in the company of those you admire. I hope you have the chance to relive your childhood dreams as watching Freddie enabled me to do. It will remind you of the time when you believed your dreams would come true. We must fight to hold on to that simple childlike faith. The world may try to steal it or destroy it but it is up to us to preserve it, to nurture it. Go revisit your childhood heroes and renew your mind to believing again.
