Golf Tips & Quips

On the last episode of The Golf Fix, Michael Breed talked about the keys to playing well, or at least surviving at Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach is said by many to be the best public course in North America. It is one of the most scenic golf courses that you could ever hope to play. Just not during U.S. Open week.

The USGA goes out of there way to make the U.S. Open the toughest major. A true test of a golfers skills over a four round tournament. To make the course harder, the USGA lengthens tee boxes, allows the rough to grow taller than normal, and employ some sinister pin placements.

Breed spoke about four areas of the golf game that need to be on point in order to have a chance at winning this weekend.

1.)Drive the fairways
2.)Know how to hit a knock down shot
3.)Have a good wedge game
4.)Make the putts.

Over the next few days we will talk about each of these points and how we can improve in these areas. Although we may not be playing Pebble Beach, we may encounter similar situations on our home courses. It is important for golfers to hone their all-around skills. That's how the pros win tournaments. That's how we win bragging rights from our friends.

For my next post, we will talk about the importance of hitting the fairways at Pebble Beach. The pros are good at scrambling and getting out of bad situations after a wayward shot. Not this week. Every player knows that they will struggle out of the rough, and will do everything to avoid it at all cost.

The U.S. Open is my favorite major. The others are great. The Masters with mystique and lore. The (British)Open Championship with its rich history. The PGA Championship. The professionals championship.

The U.S. Open, however, is the peoples championship. It is the only major in which the so-called "nobody" has a chance to qualify. If you have an approved USGA men's handicap index of 1.4 or lower, you can attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. It is a chance at an ultimate dream.

In a recent interview, Tom Watson said that finally winning America's National Golf Tournament in 1982 was one of his biggest accomplishments. It took a solid four rounds and an improbable chips shot on the 17th green to do so. He said that he wanted it bad. He wanted to be able to say the he won America's National Golf Championship.

Tomorrow we will begin with the importance of hitting the fairways off the tee. The top players are in the field this week. They all possess tremendous skill. They do things with a club and ball that we can only marvel at. But if they miss the fairway, the USGA's setup will have the pros scratching their heads.

Here's Tom Watson's memorable U.S. Open moment on the 17th. Have a good one and always hit your target.



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