Golf Tips & Quips

The third aspect of the game that Michael Breed talked about as a key to being successful this weekend is having a good wedge game. A good wedge game is very important at Pebble Beach especially is you miss the fairway off the tee. The pros at this years playing of the 110th U.S. Open are facing some of the toughest rough they will see all season. Any errant shot into the long grass disappears.

The course actually played easier during the second round. There was a marine layer that settled over the layout and kept the grass moist which slowed the greens down a little bit. Approach shots were easier to stop on the surface from the fairway, but when shots missed the green, the players often found it hard to get it up and down.

The greens are very tricky at Pebble Beach. There are many different tiers and undulations that make reading the breaks and the pace an absolute nightmare, often leaving players hanging their heads low. If you fail to make the green in regulation, bogey is almost inevitable.

Paul Casey found out how difficult it is to get up and down with a wedge, even when he was in the fairway. Casey took an 8 on the par-five 14th when he pitched onto the green short, and watched the ball roll back to where he had originally played the shot. He then hit his next pitch over the back edge, leaving another difficult wedge shot back up onto the green. Three putts later, he had a snowman on his card.

Pebble Beach requires that you hit pinpoint areas on the green in order to get it close. When you miss this areas you pay the price. Most of us will not face conditions as difficult at our local course, but it is still necessary to get good with the wedges.

As amateurs, we have a lower percentage of greens in regulation. This means that we rely more on shots from 100 yards and in, to try and save par. If you practice your wedge game, you will definitely save more pars. Getting it close from just off the surface, takes some of the pressure off of your putting.

The player that wins the U.S. Open is the one who can get up and down when they are in trouble. The goal on this course is to keep the mistakes to a minimum. There are few holes that the pros will be able to attack with confidence. Escaping with par and then sneaking a few birdies in here and there gives them a chance at the championship.

If the sun comes out for the third round look for the winds to start blowing and the greens to firm up. This will make shots into and around the greens even more difficult. Regardless it should make for interesting play.

The following videos gives us some great tips to playing the wedges effectively. Practice these shots and you will start to see your scores improve. Have a good one and always hit your target.





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The weather is very unpredictable at Pebble Beach. It can be sunny and calm one day and then cold and windy the next. Such is the case this year at the 2010 U.S. Open. The first round was a perfect day for golf. The sun was shining. It was the type of day that photographers and painters dream of when looking for inspiration.

Today is just the opposite. While it is not too windy, the temperature has dropped into the mid fifties and the air is heavy and damp. If the wind kicks up it could make for a difficult round for the afternoon tee times.

Much of Pebble Beach is situated along the Monterey Bay Peninsula and Carmel Bay. The wind is often howling off the shores, making it hard for golfers to choose the proper club. It really becomes a guessing game and then hoping that the wind does not take the ball to far off line.

Michael Breed used the studio simulator that they have on The Golf Fix to mimic the condition on the 7th at Pebble Beach. On paper it doesn't seem like a difficult hole. It only measures 106 yards, a lob wedge for most pros under ideal conditions. The problem is the conditions are rarely ideal.

The wind was very strong during the last round of the 1992 U.S. Open. Tom Kite used a 6-iron to hit a knockdown shot into the 7th which sits right on the water. Miss it right, water. Miss it long, bunkers then water, Miss it left, deep bunker. Miss it short, bunker. There is no place to miss it and if you get it up to high in the air, the ball is at the mercy of the wind.

Kite missed the green left in the rough, but it was "safe". He was in contention and all he wanted to do was to escape this treacherous hole with a par. How about a birdie? Kite chipped in from a tough lie to hole out for a birdie two. This gave him the confidence to go on the win the championship.

Living in S. Florida, I deal with windy conditions all the time. I have been working on the knockdown shot. On distances that I would normally hit a wedge, I will practice with my 7-iron, trying to hit the same distance but with lower trajectory.

Golf is a game for the creative mind. In an article for Golf Digest, Jim Flick said that a golfer should learn how to hit all fourteen clubs to a distance of a hundred yards. This drill teaches you versatility and creativity. The more shots you know, the better you will be prepared in every situation.

So far the pros have escaped the winds, but they will come. They always do. The golfer that wins this year will be the one who can play a variety of shots under ever-changing conditions. Take a look at the following videos. They will show you the technique needed to hit this very useful shot. Learn it, love it, then use it. Have a good one and always hit your target.





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The 2010 playing of the U.S. Open begins today at Pebble Beach. Over the next four days we are going to look at the keys to winning on this difficult course. The four areas that Michael Breed talked about on The Golf Fix are,

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

Driving the fairways is a must at Pebble Beach for three reasons. First, many of the fairways on the back nine are located near the cliffs and shorelines. Any wayward shot can end up in Carmel Bay. The views are beautiful but you don't want your ball to become part of the landscape. Hitting out of bounds incurs a penalty and now you are struggling for par.

Second, the USGA goes out of their way to make the course difficult for the players to navigate if they miss the fairways. If you end up in the rough, you will struggle to make par. In some instances, if you miss the fairway, you can end up in the sea-grass which can be six inches tall and higher. Getting out of there for a green in regulation becomes almost impossible.

The third reason that it is a must to hit the fairways, especially on par fours, are the firmness of the greens. The greens will be playing very fast and with the new groove configurations, it will be difficult to put enough spin on the ball to stop it out of the rough. Bogey and double might become the norm if players don't position themselves properly off the tee.

I feel that this is going to be a great U.S. Open. There are so many compelling stories surrounding this tournament. There's Phil Mickelson trying to get the world's #1 ranking. Tiger looking to prove to himself and others that he is still the best golfer in the world. Tom Watson returning to the venue where he made probably the greatest chip shot in the history of the championship. And then don't forget about the young guns looking to make their mark on the tour.

All the story lines are there. Pebble Beach seems to attract great moments. Who will win the 110th U.S. Open? Time will only tell, but my guess it will be someone who hit a high percentage of their fairways. For those that miss a lot of fairways, it will be a long, frustrating, but scenic walk at Pebble. Have a good one and always hit your target.

Here's a couple of videos about hitting the driver.





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I love the World Cup. There is so much excitement surrounding the event. People become united as they support their countrymen in their quest for the ultimate prize. Living in Miami, I am exposed to many different cultures, many of which are considered "soccer nations." Everyone is wearing their jersey proudly representing their team and their country.

The best thing about soccer(football) are the celebrations after a goal. They have become choreographed displays that the fans just eat up. They might as well make the most of it. Soccer is a low scoring game and anytime a player gets a chance to celebrate, they have fun with it.

You might see players forming a conga line. They have been known to row imaginary boats. Taking imaginary pictures seems to be popular as well. Players are becoming more and more creative with every goal.

Could you imagine a PGA pro going into a full dance routine after holing a putt. What about Angel Cabrera breaking out into a salsa step after winning the Masters? I highly doubt that we would ever see that. The closest we have come was Boo Weekly riding the bull at the Ryder cup or Rich Beem after a hole in one at the 2007 Nissan Open.

I will be flipping back and forth between the World Cup and The U.S. Open this weekend. Hopefully I can sneak in a round without missing too much. Check out this commercial. It's a little history lesson of the man who started it all. Have a good one and always hit your target.



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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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Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. Facebook has become a part of everyday life. If you are not on Facebook, you are out of the loop(or so they say). Just about everyone I know has an account. And just about every blog or website has a fan page as an extension of the main site.

Facebook has over 400 million users and many of them are golfers. There is a huge community of golfers that exchange ideas on all things relating to golf. I get about twenty invitations a day to join various golf groups or events.

Following the trend, I started a fan page for this blog in March. The main reason I started the page was to get in touch with the average player. It is a place where golfers can share tips, drills, and techniques that will help to lower your handicap.

Stop by and visit Golf Tips & Quips on Facebook here, or click the like button on the widget located on the side panel. Members are encouraged to share the tips that have helped them to become a better golfer. Together we can help each other get better at the game we love(and sometimes hate, but mostly love). Have a good one and always hit your target.

Since I started playing golf three years ago, I haven't really thought about what ball I should be playing. I usually buy whatever is cheapest in the pro shop, which is usually something from Pinnacle. But now that I am beginning to improve, I started thinking about finding a ball to suit my game.

The best way to find out what ball is right for you is to get fitted. You can attend an event like the Bridgestone Golf Ball Fitting Challenge which uses a launch monitor to evaluate a golfer's current ball versus one from the Bridgestone line. Golfers can also go to stores like Golf Galaxy and Dick's Sporting Goods to be evaluated.

The June 2010 issue of Golf Digest revealed the top 30 Hot List for golf balls. They evaluated these balls in the following four categories. Performance, innovation, feel, and demand. You can read the article here to find out exactly how they came to their decision for their picks.

After reading the article, I decided to try out the Top-Flite Gamer V2. It is the only three-piece ball in the $20 and under category. According to the article, "the thick and soft mantle aims to reduce driver spin, and the dimple-in-dimple pattern is designed to optimize carry." I could definitely benefit from a few extra yards off the tee and less spin will help to promote a straighter shot.

I am anxious to see how the balls reacts from 100 yards and in since this is where the majority of the shots during a round take place. For such a low price, this ball offers the most technology per dollar than any other ball on the list and uses the same core technology found in Callaway's Diablo. This is good because even with all that technology, it won't hurt so bad if I put one in the water.

I will be sure to do a follow post on my results after I play a few rounds. I'm very interested to see if there will be a big difference, or better yet, if I will even be able to tell that there is a difference. I plan on going to the next ball fitting event that comes to my area but until then, I have to rely on the gurus at Golf Digest.

Here's the evaluation of the Top-Flite Gamer V2 as seen in Golf Digest. Have a good one and always hit your target.

TOP-FLITE GAMER V2

PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: topflite.com

TECH STORY: The only three-piece ball in this category, the V2 has a low-compression core, a polymer mantle, and a slightly firmer ionomer cover than last year's Gamer to limit scuffing on iron and wedge shots. A thick and soft mantle aims to reduce driver spin, and the dimple-in-dimple pattern is designed to optimize carry.

WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: MID
Spin: MID

VERDICT: Last year's Gamer offered more technology per dollar than any ball in golf. That's still true, but this year's version offers improvements in ball speed (the same core technology found in Callaway's Diablo) and durability.

I wonder if this is a method of self motivation that some of the professionals use. Could you imagine world class golfers standing in front of their bathroom mirrors before a tournament round going through this routine?

They are probably not as animated as little Jessica, but a lot of players are employing the services of a "mental coach". Visualization is an exercise that can be used in the game of golf. It is important to have mental images of what you want to accomplish before you take each shot. If you can see the shot, and love the shot, then the same result will happen in reality.

I'm going to start doing this every morning changing up the words a little bit to suit my golf game.

I love my driver...I love my 3 wood...I love my hybrid...I love irons...I love my wedges...I love my putter...I love my swing...I love my outfit...I love my playing partners...I love my golf course....I love my golf cart...I love my Top Flite(insert your ball of choice)...I love my tees...I LOVE MY WHOLE GAME...My all around game is great...I can do anything good...yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...I can do anything good...better than anyone...better than anyone...

You never know. It might work. Anything to lower my handicap right? Have a good one and always hit your target.

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Tonight is the final episode of The Haney Project with Ray Romano. As we know, Ray is on a quest to break 80. Throughout the series, Ray's biggest nemesis has been his own mind. He is not the most positive person on the planet and that is not a good trait to have as a golfer.

Golfers, both professional and amateur, go through countless ups and downs. That is what brings us back to the course. We are looking for that elusive dream round. A round in which we hit all our fairways, make all our putts, and get all the bounces.

When a newbie hits there first pure shot, they are hooked. There is no other feeling like it. Time literally stands still. I hear a symphony orchestra playing in my head. A great shot is pure art, and all of have a need to express our artistic side. Golf can be that outlet.

There is a lot of hype over the "final five minutes" of the show. Something unexpected is supposed to happen. I'm guessing that he is going to do it. As far as the surprise, my guess is that he is going to hole out a shot from the fairway of the 18th for an eagle to break 80 by one shot.

I hope he does it. He is as passionate as any when it comes to golf. There has been a lot of criticism towards Haney about his choice of students. Some are saying that he should choose a "nobody" for the next season. It really doesn't matter to me who is on the show. I have learned a lot from his time with Ray as well as when Charles Barkley was his pupil.

We will have to wait and see who they choose for the next Haney Project. I, for one, would love to have the experience. So Hank, if you are reading this, I will be your loyal student. Choose me please.

By the way. How do you think it will end? Send me a comment. Have a good one and always hit your target.

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I don't know what to think about this one. The golf ball was shot at a steel plate traveling at 150 MPH. That's fast but I am not sure that there would be that much compression. I would love to see the report that accompanied this experiment. Or better yet. Be there to see it with my own eyes.

So what do you think? Real or fake? Regardless, I think it is a cool visual effect. Have a good one and always hit your target.



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Lately I have been struggling with my driver. I am putting myself through a swing change and consequently my fairways in regulation percentage has suffered. In trying to rid myself of the dreaded slice, the "pulls" have become the norm from the tee box.

I hit fifty percent of my fairways overall during my last round at Miami Springs Golf & Country Club. Pretty good for me, but I still didn't feel comfortable swinging my driver. I missed the fairways of both the tenth and eleventh badly. One going left and the other right. I was quickly becoming frustrated. I had to do something or else my round would continue to slide.

My breakthrough came on the next hole, a long par 3 that measures 248 yards on the scorecard but was playing 268 yards from a new tee box. For some reason I love this hole. Even though I have to hit driver, I have hit the green in regulation the previous three times I had played it.

As I stepped up to the tee I remembered a lesson from Fred Funk from an episode he did on Playing Lessons From The Pros on The Golf Channel. He is known as one of the most consistent drivers of the ball. Funk said that he concentrates on his posture and really trying to keep his spine on the same angle throughout the swing. He makes sure to maintain this angle and swings along this plane. He keeps it simple and avoids rerouting his club which leads to other problems. A proper address and the ability to maintain this spine angle ensures that the golfer will make good contact with the ball.

I took my address and set my spine and swung. The ball took off right at the flag. It landed about ten feet short of the green and work it's way uphill to about twenty feet from the pin. I two putted for a par and I was feeling good again. I managed to hit four of my last five fairways and the one that I missed was only a foot into the short rough.

I didn't want to lose the feeling so I coaxed my buddy into playing nine more holes. I ended up playing the front nine in two under of what I had posted the first time around. This was due to the fact that I hit all but one of the fairways. I am a believer. Better posture leads to a better golf swing. Try it and see if it works for you. Have a good one and always hit your target.

Miami Springs Front Nine Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out Par 4 4 4 3 5 4 4 3 4 35 6 5 5 5 5 4 7 4 4 45 FIR: # Putts: 2 2 2 2 2 1 3 1 1 16 Back Nine Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Par 4 4 3 5 4 5 3 4 4 36 5 5 3 5 5 6 4 5 5 43 FIR: # Putts: 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 14