Tiger Woods match play rumors wrong…

So the rumors about Tiger Woods returning for this week’s Accenture Match Play were wrong. And the deadline for the Masters tournament entry has come and gone with no news of TW entering. Tiger would really be sending a message that he’s serious about taking a break from professional golf if he didn’t play in

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Tiger Woods match play rumors wrong

DeMystifying the Putting Stroke, Preventing the Yips

Having just watched The U.S. Open, I want to share some observations on the putting stroke. I hear announcers constantly talk about the stroke and what should happen. They reference keeping the putter low, releasing the putter and acceleration, to name a few things. Frankly, I have heard enough and I feel compelled to offer a little common sense on the stroke. If you follow the advice about keeping the putter low, you may develop the yips or already have them. Here is why: You simply must understand the design of the golf club, or in this case the putter. It is essentially a weight on a stick, and the shaft goes into the head at an angle, usually around 70 degrees. What that means is that it is supposed to travel on an arc, and it should be allowed to come out of the ground. The headof the putter will travelup on the backswing, and come down into the ball before eventually going back up. If you keep the putter low on the backswing, you are putting downward pressure on the club. The bottom of the arc moves inches behind the ball. At this point, you have two choices; you can let it swing and hit the ground behind the ball, or you can accelerate the putter with the right hand and arm to try and get the bottom back to the ball. The finish will be severely high. If you continue to rely on your right side to bail you out, a motor pattern gets established between your brain andthe firing of theright hand. It may take years, but eventually the right hand is ready to go before the stroke happens. It knows that it will be pressed into service momentarily. A twitch develops. All because the putter has been kept too low and the bottom of the swing has moved behind the ball. Add in tension and anxiety, and the putter is kept even lower going back. A vicious cycle has occured. I recently wrote an article for Texas Links Magazine talking about some of the ways pressure is applied to the putter at set up. I will post it when it comes out. For a quick video demonstration, look to my post on the article from The Dallas Morning News and there is a link. The PGA Tour is full of players who keep the putter low going back. It can be done, but it takes impeccable timing and steady nerves. Loren Roberts comes to mind. However, strokes like these have their good and bad days, even good and bad holes. They tend to not hold up under pressure. If you are an astute watcher of professional golf, the evidence is everywhere. Peter Kostis did a nice job of illustrating the differences in the strokes of Brian Gay (correct) and Robert Allenby (too low to high.) I enjoy watching Phil play, and I am certainhe could dominate me in ping pong or pool with his hand-eye coordination. Yet primarily because of his tilt at setup to his left, his putter goes back much too low and he tends to pull and push putts under pressure. He is simply out of position and has towork too hard to square it up at impact. Jim Furyk is so far over the ball at set up, his eyes are slightly outside his line. He puts a great deal of downward pressure on the shaft and his putter goes back extremely low and with resistance. He is forced to rush it forward. Same thing with Ricky Barnes, hence the claw. Sergio now uses a belly putter, with a fixed point for the butt of the club. He must be leaning on it, or “kickstanding” it, because he is defying the odds by having his putter go back too low. Show me a guy who is struggling with the putter at any level, and I will show you a backswing that is too low. It goes against the design of the club! If you want to see less effort and more freedom, look no further than Tiger, Geoff Ogilvy, Zach and Anthony Kim, to name a few. They allow their putters to swing freely. They do not try to keep the putter low. Remember, there is no try in golf. It equates to tension and effort. Putters are accelerated from the weight of the club swinging. It is natural if your backswing is free. There is no need to force acceleration. Finally,from a “physics for dummies” standpoint, ofwhom I am clearly one, theputter head has the farthestto travel in a swing, followed by the handle (hands,) followed by the shoulders. They should not all travel together, there is a sequence that needs tohappen. The shoulders move, but they respond to the swinging of the head and the hands. If the wrist joints are free (see the grip), the head will travel further than the handle. I will continue to preach that the set up determines EVERYTHING. When you are set up correctly, the stroke happens as it should, based on the design of the club. Let it work for you. The best strokes are the ones you don't remember…

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DeMystifying the Putting Stroke, Preventing the Yips

Tiger and Team Isleworth ready to take on Lake Nona

Tavistock Cup, the crosstown rivalry between Isleworth and Lake Nonas professional golf members, has finalized its field and set its pairings for the team competition, which takes place March 16 and 17.

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Tiger and Team Isleworth ready to take on Lake Nona

Furyk’s Hawaiian estate for sale. Anyone have $7.5 million I can borrow?

This listing and photos, courtesy of Sakamoto Properties, is for the Hawaiian Estate of Jim Furyk. The home is located on the Plantation course on Kapalua, HI. Man I knew I should have been a professional golfer when I grew up. Here’s the original listing: Price: $7,500,000 Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 3.5 Square Feet: 4085 Lot size: 2.525 Acres Listed By: Roy

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Furyks Hawaiian estate for sale. Anyone have $7.5 million I can borrow?

Fantasy Golf 2009 – Week 10 Results

FANTASY GOLF WEEK 10 NOTES Two more weeks until the 1st 3rd of the season is in the books and someone wins a pair of VedaloHD sunglasses! I’m happy to announce that my good friend and fellow golf blogger Rich (EatGolf) won week 10! Week 10 winner: “EATGOLF“ Winners contact me to claim prizes! PRIMARY SPONSORS (click now and thank ‘em!) Weekly

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Fantasy Golf 2009 – Week 10 Results

Explanation of The PGA

Dedicated to the promotion of the game of golf everywhere, the American Professional Golfers Association (PGA) can trace its origins back to 1916 when a group of New York area golf professionals, accompanied by several prominent amateur golfers attended a luncheon hosted by department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker. The purpose of the gather was to discuss forming a national organization to promote interest in the game of golf.

The PGAs first order of business was to establish the organizations objectives. The members agreed to the following:

* Promote interest in the game of golf

* Elevate the standards of the golf professionals vocation

* Protect the mutual interest of its members

* Hold meetings and tournaments for the benefit of members

* Assist desesrving unemployed members to obtain positions

* Establish a benevolent relief fund for deserving members

* Accomplish any other objective which may be determined by the Association from time to time

The first PGA Championship tournament was held in October of 1916 at the Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, NY. Jim Barnes defeated Jock Hutchison. Wanamaker honored his pledge and donated a prize purse of $2,580 and the trophy which today still bears his name.

When the PGA of America was formed, there was no distinction between club and touring professionals. As the PGA began to develop and promote tournaments, it became easier for the touring professionals to devote their efforts to just playing toumaments and exhibitions. In 1968, PGA tournament players, who comprised a small percentage of the membership, broke away from the Association to form a Tournament Players Division and acquire more control of the tournament schedule.

In 1975, the Tournament Players Division was renamed the PGA Tour. Today, the PGA Tour is headquartered in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The PGA Tour and the PGA of America maintain a close working relationship, and most professional golfers maintain dual membership in the organizations.

The PGA of America conducts more than 30 tournaments for its members and apprentices. Through a network of 41 section offices, the Association maintains a total commitment to the club professional, helping the membership meet the demands of today’s marketplace and addressing vital issues such as pace of play, environmental concerns and accessibility.

Since 1916, the PGA of America has established new standards of excellence by expanding educational opportunities, programs and services for its members. However, the Association stands firm and continues to flourish on the principles that were set down by its founders.

Professional Golf Dreams

Qualifying to play professional golf is another story altogether. The field is very competitive and it can be extremely difficult to break through. Some people try their whole lives to qualify and always come up short. It takes a lot of practice, a lot of dedication, and an ability to take a lot of disappointment to play professional golf, so know what youre in for!

To get started playing professional golf, you will first have to qualify for “Q School” or Qualifying School. Q Schools are annual qualifying tournament for leading golf tours like the PGA and the LPGA. In Q School, a fixed number of players win membership to the tour for the following season. In professional golf, this is referred to as your “tour card”. You will then be able to play in most of the tours events without having to qualify.

Getting through the Q school is very competitive and most professional golfers never achieve it. There can be up to four stages to negotiate each of them like a regular golf tournament with only a small number of players going on to the next state. The final qualifying school may be played over up to six rounds compared with the standard four rounds in a professional golf tournament. However, players who are successful at Q school can reach the elite level of competition very quickly.

You can also qualify to play professional golf in other ways. Finishing near the top of the money list on the tours developmental tour, winning a tournament on the tour after qualifying or as a sponsors invitee, or winning enough money on multiple events on the tour to meet whatever criteria the tour may lay down for promotion to full membership. This last one was how Tiger Woods gained his first tour card.

Playing professional golf is not an easy career to pursue, but it is a great way to make a living! Persistence, patience, and a great game of golf can all get you on your way to playing professional golf, but be realistic and know that it will take time.