For any golfer who wants to play great golf
PGA Tour
PGA Tour: Tee-to-green key to Donald’s rise
Jun 1st
Interesting article with an in-depth look at Luke Donald’s stats. With Luke Donald ranking low on the driving distance category you would have expected him to rank higher in accuracy, given that his low ranking in distance would put him at a disadvantage on approaches from the rough.
I’ve always considered myself a decent iron player, but I’ve made a concerted effort as well to improve my accuracy off the tee. I’ve noticed an improvement in my scores from that. Here’s what Luke had to say about his improvement in this area.
Rickie Fowler – He gets it
Feb 25th
Watching Morning Drive this morning, I was in total agreement with the comments that Brandel Chamblee (@BrandelChamblee) made about Rickie Fowler.
“You understand the best way to play golf, this is my opinion, is to go out there and try to hit shots…You know,it’s the big lie to me, that you can go out there and swing perfectly. And I understand why guys do it. I mean literally they’re trying to play this game in the most organized fashion, there’s so much money out there, and if you can stay on tour a long time, you can get ridiculously rich. So what are you gonna do? You’re gonna work out, you’re gonna get a sports psychologist And you’re going to take all these lessons ’cause you want everything to be perfect. And Rickie’s like ‘No, I’m gonna go out and I’m gonna hit golf shots. I’m gonna hit it high, I’m gonna hit it low, I’m gonna draw it, fade it.’ And I know it’s because of the way he was taught the game. His teacher was very much into hitting golf shots. And that’s why he plays fast. Because he’s not out there thinking about a pre-shot routine, and he’s not out there thinking about swing mechanics. He’s out there thinking about golf shots.”
There’s a ton of wisdom in what Brandel said this morning. This is why Rickie is the future of golf. And I think he is going to stun us with what he is going to accomplish in his career.
McIlroy shoots course record to win the Quail Hollow Championship
May 3rd
Rory McIlroy put on an incredible performance to win The Quail Hollow Championship.
“I suppose I got into the zone, I hadn’t realized I was going in 9, 10 under. I just know I got my nose in front and I was just trying to stay there,” said McIlroy after the round. In his post round interview he also said that he was really seeing his shots, and hitting them, and that he saw his lines much clearer. He wasn’t being technical or addressing the ball full of swing thoughts. He was visualizing and executing, and it’s a great way to play golf.
One of the amazing things about that round is that he stayed in the zone and in the moment. He wasn’t trying to break the record. He wasn’t forcing shots. He recalled a similar time that he had been in the zone like that and it helped keep him going.
Understanding the new USGA Groove Rule
Jan 29th
Cleveland Golf has put together an excellent video explaining the new controversial USGA groove rule. It does it clearly and concisely and explains how and why the USGA wanted to increase accuracy off the tee. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.
Spotlight Swing: Anthony Kim
Jan 28th
Here is a nice Face On view of Anthony Kim with a driver. (Driver)
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What you can learn from the groove change
Jan 23rd
As we know the USGA has adopted a new groove rule that went into effect this month for the PGA Tour. These new “v” grooves are not as sharp and have 40% less volume than box grooves. While this change does not affect the vast majority of amateur golfers we can all learn by how PGA Tour players are adapting to the change.
Amateur players should watch how the pros approach shots from the rough especially close to the green. Because these new grooves don’t have the same kind of bite, tour players have adapted by playing the shots differently.
How this helps amateurs
Amateur golfer typically do not have the swing speed or technique to generate the kind of spin the pros do. The example the pros have set the past few years typically does not translate well to amateurs. Although those shots (high spinning, stop on a dime shots) are beautiful to look at, most amateurs just aren’t going to pull them off very often. But now we have an opportunity to watch shot making return to the game.
Spotlight Swing: Hunter Mahan
Jan 11th
Hunter Mahan has a wonderful swing that we can learn from.
Hunter’s swing is uncomplicated and allows him to be very consistent. Watch how he gets on plane, and stays on the same plane coming down. There is no wasted movement, no extra effort added. It is a swing that conserves as much energy as possible to be transferred into the ball instead of into compensations.
Doesn’t it just look like a simple, repeatable motion?
Steve Williams to support Tiger
Dec 5th
Not exactly a shocker. Tiger Woods’ caddy Steve Williams has stated that he will continue to support his boss.
See the original article.
Pro’s Slow Motion Swings
Nov 10th
Here are some of my favorite swings from the PGA Tour.
Anthony Kim
Vijay Singh
Zach Johnson
Tiger Woods, first athlete to a billion
Oct 1st
So Tiger’s got another honor. First athlete to earn 1 billion dollars. That’s 1,000,000,000, or 1 thousand million. Crazy.
He has earned it. He has an amazing track record, legions of fans, has singlehandedly kept the golf industry alive, and even when he doesn’t play, he almost wins the tournament (except for the British Open, or The Open as it is called, where he missed the cut).
As someone who is working toward becoming a scratch golfer, Tiger’s accomplishments seem so unreal. Don’t get me wrong, the man is not perfect, and he is not a saint. He is a human being, with an enormous amount of talent, at the right place, and the right time, and has an incredible work ethic to top it off.
It just amazes me that anyone could accomplish what he has. I think human potential is virtually unlimited, and for the most part untapped, except for a few people who somehow make extraordinary things happen.
