Golf Tips & Quips

I turned on the television to watch the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship and I had to do a double take and rub my eyes a little because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Phil Mickleson was wielding a belly putter? I had just come in from cleaning the pool, so I was squinting a little as I walked in from the sunlight to the inside light. I seriously thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Phil must be thinking that his putting was holding back his game, and is joining an ever growing list of professional golfers who are turning to the "long stick." Adam Scott needed to do something so I wasn't surprised when he made the switch. Seeing Jim Furyk using one was surprising, but he's a "thinker" so he's always looking for a new way to do it better. 

And now there's Phil. Maybe he was tired of getting beat by rookies like Keegan Bradley who used his to win the 2011 PGA Championship. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Right? What strikes me as odd is that Bones, Phil's caddie, was asked on Feherty, if there is one thing he could change about the PGA, what would it be? He said, "long putters that are held against the body." Does Phil ever listen to his caddie?

Patrick Gibbons, who makes these exotic belts and accessories, and I were playing a few months ago and we started talking about the long putter controversy. I remember Patrick saying that he didn't have a problem with them. He went on to say, "it's not like anyone has used one to win a major." Who would have thought that a short time later, there would be such a dramatic shift.

I've only tried the long putter once. I really didn't like the way it felt. It was like I was too far away from the ball. I use 33 inch putter. Not quite as short as Robert Garrigus' putter, but I really like to let my arms and hands hang straight down. I've heard some instructors say that it is a good way learn the proper pendulum motion. I can see the benefits and that may be the problem.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the debate on whether the long putter should be deemed illegal. Some of the purist say that it is not a true golf stroke because there are two points of contact, the hands and the chest(or belly), which give the user an unfair advantage. An anchor if you will. On the flip side, others argue that it is not illegal and that they should use every advantage they can. And since it's not illegal, then everyone has the same advantage if they choose to use it.

So if they made it illegal, what would that mean? Would it only be illegal on the PGA Tour and European Tour. What about the Nationwide Tour and all the mini-tours? Would it be illegal on the Champions Tour? A lot of the legends have opted for this method of putting which is easier on the back. Would it be illegal for amateurs like you and me? Would the manufactures risk losing what I'm sure are millions of dollars in order to adhere to the new rule? I doubt it. They are making too much money. And the media is getting a nice piece from the advertising dollars.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. If they keep it illegal, maybe we'll even see Tiger using one as a last ditch effort to find his touch again. What are your thoughts? Do you approve or disapprove? Do you, yourself use one and how does it help you? This one, I'm sure, is going to be debated for some time to come. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.

Fred Couples talks about the belly putter.

Steve Stricker pulled off one of the greatest shots I have ever seen this past weekend to win the John Deere Classic. The usually mild mannered Stricker showed some real emotion and we were treated with the "Stricker Fist Pump" after he holed his winning putt. This was one of the most exciting moments in a non-major event that we have seen so far in 2011. If you missed it, here it is.

Everything was difficult about this shot. The stance. One foot in the bunker. One foot out. The lie. Way below his feet. The shot length. 182 yards out of a fairway bunker(some say one of the hardest shots in golf). The situation. In need of a birdie for the win.

I didn't think Stricker had a chance. At best I thought he and Kyle Stanley would be going to a playoff. Unfortunately for Stanley, who missed his par putt, Stricker had nothing but 3-peat on his mind.

Everyone was impressed that he made the 25 foot putt to clinch the victory, but as I was watching it, I was much more impressed with the shot that gave him the chance at birdie. A seasoned veteran who has won "come back player of the year" twice, he took his time, analyzed the situation, and nailed it.

Like most amateurs, I fear being in a fairway bunker. Let me rephrase that. I don't fear it, but I do get a queasy feeling in my belly when I find my ball in a sand trap that is not close to the green.  And it is sure that I would have never been able to pull of that shot. Even under the most relaxed of conditions. Knowing how to execute this shot, however, can help to shave a few strokes during a round.

I would have loved to have found a video of Stricker demonstrating how to hit this shot, but there wasn't any that I could find. Instead I found a video from Phil Milckelson's DVD. Not a bad substitute considering he is a four time major winner.

I know most of us are right handed but just think of Phil as your mirror image. For the lefties, this is one of the rare occasions when you can get instruction from a fellow south paw.

Listen to what Phil has to say and remember Stricker's shot the next time you are faced with a similar situation. More importantly, don't put so much pressure on yourself. This will surely cause you and me, as I am talking to myself as well right now, no chance at hitting a good shot. Have a great round and always hit your target. 

In my last post I devised a plan before playing at Kokopelli Golf Club. The pros are always well prepared before a round and I thought that I should do the same. The plan ended up being right on point. Execution of the plan, however, proved to be difficult at times.

The Doctor and I booked an early tee time so that we would be done in time to see the leaders at The Masters as they made the turn. Unfortunately, our tee time was pushed back by about 40 minutes due to the fact that there was a golf outing schedule for the same morning. It was a bit irritating, but it made no sense to get upset. It is what it is.

Besides the late start, we had an excellent time. We were paired with Bob and Wayne, a couple of retired coaches from Colorado. It so happened that they were part of the outing that held everybody up. Wayne told me that the group makes the trip to Phoenix every year, playing different courses every time they visit.

I stuck to my game plan, taking hybrid off the tee on most of the holes. A lot of the fairways are narrow and staying in the short stuff is important on this course. The rough isn't really grass. In most places, you end up in thick clay(see pictures below). There is no way to predict how the ball will react from this lie.

The par 5's ate me alive. I posted double bogey, triple bogey, double bogey, and bogey on these four holes. They are the four hardest holes on the course, so if you miss each of the fairways off the tee on these holes like I did, posting pars becomes very difficult.

My short game was pretty good. I had four pars for the round and each of those were a result of a great up and down from difficult positions. The highlight of my round occurred after I found myself buried near the top of the lip of a greenside bunker. Another foot and a half and my approach shot would have found the green.

I could hear the murmuring of my fellow playing partners in the background as I approached my ball. They thought I had no chance at getting out, and believe me, I had my doubts as well. Then I remembered this drill that I saw Phil Mickelson demonstrate. It is a clip from his DVD, Secrets Of The Short Game. It starts at about the 5:40 mark on the video.

My ball was in just about the same position as the first ball uses to demonstrate his drill. From the look of it, I had no chance. I dug into the sand with my feet to have a stable base, took a few practice swings(being careful not to touch the sand) and then I chopped into the sand just as Phil had. With sand in my face, I looked up just in time to see the ball land less than six inches from the hole. Shot Of The Day! Thanks Phil!!!

My putting was alright. Despite starting the round with two 3-putts, I finished with 32 total putts. Eight less than my last round at Eagle Mountain Golf Club where the greens had a lot of undulations, many of them being two tiered and all of them being super fast. Kokopelli's greens are by no means easy, but slower greens made it easier to read the breaks.

Overall it was great round. I didn't execute my game plan the way I wanted to but now I realize that it definitely helps to have a strategy going into a round especially if it's a course I have never played before. I'll continue to work on my game. Hopefully I can begin to put the two together and start seeing better results. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Wayne, The Doctor, Bob, and Dex