Golf Tips & Quips

If you have ever visited this blog before you know that I love The Golf Fix with Michael Breed. He has been like my personal instructor, via television, for the past two years. I never miss an episode on Monday nights. I make sure I have everything in order by 7:00 PM to insure I get my weekly lesson.

Today begins the 92nd playing of the PGA Championship and The PGA is broadcasting live from their website. They have several features to help enhance your golf viewing experience.

They have a par 3 cam which features the par 3's on the course at Whistling Straits. They also have a picture-picture option for people like me who just can not get enough . If they had an option to follow each group, I would opt into it. Then again...maybe a bit much.

GolfTraxx is a GPS hole tracking system which allows the viewer the ability to see the ball flights of the players. The simulation of the course is great. It looks like the real thing. This is a good feature if you are interested in how the pros shape their shots. Navigating this difficult course successfully will require working the ball around the bunkers and into the tough pin placements.

The 3-D feature highlights the 12th and 17th green(that's the two holes on the right). You will have to download some software and purchase the glasses. If I had known about this beforehand, I might have downloaded it. It would be kind of interesting to see the ball coming into the green in 3-D action. The landscaping will probably look amazing as well.

The whole experience is centered around the Marquee Group. Each round will feature a group that they will follow for their entire round. Today's group includes, Vijay Singh, Y.E. Yang, and Tiger Woods. There is some history between Tiger and these two talented players. It will be interesting to see how this group does playing together for the first two rounds.

As an added bonus, viewers can send in their questions to Breed via email, twitter, or facebook. This is great because, so far, Breed has been going though each shot step by step. It is a great way to get a little insight into how the pros play the game from a course management aspect.

There is a lot of golf to be played over the next four days. It may go even longer if the mornings continue to start out as foggy as it did today. Continued delays will make it hard to finish on time on Sunday. I would not mind. It would be more golf to watch. TNT and CBS will be splitting the television coverage duties. If that is not enough for you, now you have another way to get your golf fix. Have a good round and always hit your target.

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Are you kidding me!?!? Just in case you missed it, here is video from the final round of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational of a miraculous golf shot. Kenny Perry gave himself an early birthday present by wielding a seven iron and nailing this shot from 177 yards away on the par four, sixth hole. Seriously???

We sometimes see the occasional approach shot roll and run up to pin and drop in for eagle. We have seen shots played long and then back up into the cup with the spin that seemingly only tour pros can produce. But a swish? Straight in the hole? Rarely do we see this. It looked like a Michael Jordan jump shot. Nothing but the bottom of the cup.

The shot helped him to finish at a respectable two under for the tournament and a tie for nineteenth overall. Hopefully this strong finish will give him confidence going into the 92nd playing of the PGA Championship. Perry had been struggling this year and for the first time in his career, we heard rumors that he might be thinking about heading to the Champions Tour.

Perry still strikes the ball well, as evidence by this shot. He has the game to compete with anyone on the tour, but does he have the will? I like watching him play because he is the type of player that plays the course. If you want to learn about course management, then follow Perry for a round. He plays within himself and puts the ball where it needs to be in order to shoot good scores.

A very happy birthday to Kenny Perry. I hope he does well on the difficult layout at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. With over 1000 bunkers strategically(deviously) placed in areas that make you think about each shot, excellent course management will be key to winning this years championship.

1000 bunkers? Good luck with that. Have a good round and always hit your target.

I haven't played a round of golf since returning from my trip to Hilton Head Island, SC so I was excited about my round today at Crandon Park Golf Course on Key Biscayne, FL. Unfortunately Mother Nature has her own agenda. It is raining and raining hard. As I am writing this the rain is literally blowing sideways. Not what I had in mind for today.

Normally we would venture out to the course anyway and try to wait it out. Even if we started the round, we could always seek shelter as the weather in S. Florida can change from minute to minute. The weather right now though, is borderline tropical storm. Looks like I will be watching golf instead of playing golf today.

The main reason I wanted to get out there today was to film my golf swing from a down the line view. A few post ago I was thinking about maybe picking up a Medicus Dual-Hinge Driver to get rid of the loopy motion that has become my swing. I need something or someone to show me what to do to put me back on the proper swing plane.

I posted a video of my swing from the face on position and received some great feedback. Mike Southern of the Ruthless Golf blog said that he might have some ideas for me on how to fix "the Loop", but needs to see a down the line shot. He is a sympathetic soul as he confided that he had suffered from the same problem. After working with his swing coach and changing something in his takeaway, the swing flaw was eliminated.

I have been itching to get out there since going back and forth with Mike, so you can imagine my disappointment. I might try to get out there for a late afternoon round, but the whole reason for playing in the morning was so that I could watch the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Wait a minute. Wait just a second. Is that sun I see? South Florida weather is crazy. Maybe I will be able to get that round in after all. If anything, I can always catch the tournament replay on The Golf Channel at 9:00 PM. Please send positive, good weather vibes my way. Have a good round and always hit your target.



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~I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win~ Arnold Palmer

~Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character~ Arnold Palmer

~Concentration, Confidence, Competitive urge, Capacity for enjoyment~ Arnold Palmer

~Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you~ Arnold Palmer

~Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented~ Arnold Palmer

~Here is a philosophy of boldness to take advantage of every tiny opening toward victory~ Arnold Palmer

~Putting is like wisdom - partly a natural gift and partly the accumulation of experience~ Arnold Palmer

~What do I mean by concentration? I mean focusing totally on the business at hand and commanding your body to do exactly what you want it to do~ Arnold Palmer

~Winning isn't everything, but wanting it is~ Arnold Palmer

~It is not a dreamlike state, but the somehow insulated state, that a great musician achieves in a great performance. He's aware of where he is and what he's doing, but his mind is on the playing of the instrument with an internal sense of rightness / it is not merely mechanical, it is not only spiritual; it is something of both, on a different plane and a more remote one~ Arnold Palmer





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I was perusing my twitter home page and I came across this tweet by the Golf Girl, Patricia Hannigan.

Absolutely @SET_Scramble ~ Your timing is perfect... On so many levels. :o)

I think I need some "Medicus" attention. Is there a doctor in the house? Infomercials for the Medicus Dual-Hinge Driver have been on The Golf Channel for years now. The people at Medicus boast that the "Medicus Driver has been chosen by golf pros as the #1 swing trainer club in the world." And that "it is the best selling golf training aid ever!"

The Medicus Driver is supposed to improve all aspects of your swing from the takeaway to downswing. The Medicus will break if there is an error in your swing, which is instant feedback as to which part of the swing you need to work on. Lately, I have developed some bad habits and I'm wondering if this device can help me.

When I first started playing golf, people used to compliment me on having a nice, natural, smooth swing. Lately, I'm not so smooth. Well...I'm still smooth, but the swing is not so pretty. I have developed what some are calling a reverse Jim Furyk swing. It has all kinds of loops and swing plane changes, it is a wonder I can even hit the ball.

I don't know how it started. I don't know where it came from, but it is here and looks like it is here to stay if I do not do something about it. I have been working on trying to correct it on my own. To date, I have still yet to take a formal lesson. The Golf Fix, videos on youtube, and golf related websites have been my instructors.

I got rid of "the loop" for about two weeks. I figured out that I was taking the club back way too far to the inside. This happened because I started my backswing with my arms instead of with my body. I worked on feeling as if my left hand was pushing back at the start of the swing instead of the feeling of my right side pulling to start the swing. This seemed to help me make a good full turn on the proper plane

It did not last though and I have fallen back into the bad habits. It does not happen all the time, but every now and then, I get real loopy. It seems to happen the worst when I have too long a backswing. Taking less of a backswing seems to help take out some of the loop.

Some of my buddies are saying that I should embrace my swing. In the movie "The Legend Of Bagger Vance", Bagger tells Captain Rannulph Junuh that he had lost his swing. He said, "each of us has an authentic swing". Maybe this is my authentic swing. Maybe I should just embrace it. Maybe...but I don't like it.

I do pretty well with my swing. I am averaging about 260 to 270 off the tee, but where I think it is hurting me the most is with my mid-irons. I get away with it using my wedges, but I know I am losing distance with my irons.

I have way too many moving parts. As you can see in my picture, I do get back to a pretty good position at the top of the swing. Still, I feel I need to get to where Jack Nicklaus is in his picture. That's the problem with so many moving parts. My timing has to be perfect in order to be successful. If I can stay on one plane, I know I would strike the ball more consistently and generate more distance.

My buddy has one of the original Medicus iron. Maybe I'll demo that first before I get the new driver addition. I hope it will work for me. I need help. Unfortunately with my swing, it will probably collapse on it's own when it sees me coming. Ugh!

Instructors, feel free to critique my swing. I can use all the help I can get. I wish I had footage of my swing down the line. This would really reveal my loop. More video to come as I work on my swing. Have a good round and always hit your target.





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The Golf Channel(TGC) is now available online through Veetle. Veetle is a Web TV platform which was created by Stanford University graduate students. Here, you have the ability to watch and broadcast video in TV and High Definition quality.

Some cable and satellite providers do not offer TGC as part of their package and golf fans have to wait for updates via the internet or maybe ESPN. Also, TGC is not available everywhere internationally. A lot of our oversea golfing friends are missing out live tournament action. I would be lost if I couldn't watch Michael Breed and The Golf Fix on Monday nights.

Thanks to Veetle, that has all changed. Just download the software and you have TGC live 24/7. The stream quality is subject to the broadcaster's computer and internet speed, which is very good. There is no lag and the picture is always clear.

I have added TGC to the sidebar on the right. For of those you who do not have TGC through your local provider, you can visit Golf Tips & Quips everyday to get your golf fix. Everyone deserves the right to watch golf whenever they want to. Have a good round and always hit your target.

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In the late 50's, if you were not hip, the kids of the day would call you a square. Being a square meant that you were out of the loop. Not cool. When I was growing up, that is how I viewed golfers. It was not a cool sport, and only nerds played it. So the kids that played it were a bunch of squares.

Now that I play the sport, all want to be is square. At impact that is. It is the coolest thing you can do for your swing. I was practicing the other day, and I was hitting it alright, but towards the end of my session I started pushing a few too many balls to the right. Sometimes I get into a funk and I make the same mistake over and over. I could not figure out how to fix this push.

Just as I was about to pack it in, I remembered a drill I saw that emphasized squaring the back of the left hand(for right-handed golfers) at impact. I took a few swings keeping this in mind and it made all the difference. The ball jumped off the club face and my shot were straight.

I ended up spending another hour just working on this impact position. I am learning that golf is a sport in which you have to pay attention to every part of the swing. The slightest swing flaw will send your ball hurtling in every which direction.

I am about to go out for a quick session to get ready for my round tomorrow. The plan is to continue to work on squaring up at impact. I want to improve my greens in regulation so that I have chances at birdie putts.

I have been hitting my irons to the right distances but I am still missing shots left and right of the green. I am constantly trying to get up and down to try to save par. If I ever want to shoot in the 70's, I know that I must improve my ball striking.

Here is a video about being square at impact. The instructor shows us what positions we need to be in to become a better ball striker. Hopefully this will help me break the elusive 80 barrier. Have a good round and always hit your target.



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I played a lot of golf over the past week on Hilton Head Island. I played pretty well averaging an 89 per round. Not my best. I want to be shooting in the mid 80's. That would put at around an eleven/twelve handicap. My goal from the start of the season is to get to a twelve on the handicap index.

My buddy said that we were at a disadvantage playing new courses. I kind of agreed but deep down inside I know that that was not the real reason. The real reason is that I did not chip and putt well. I hit the ball well off the tee and improved my ball striking with my mid-irons. When I missed the greens I still left my self in good positions to save par.

Unfortunately, I could not chip for the life of me. I had a tough time dialing in my wedges around the green. Usually that is a strong point for me, but not this week. I left a lot short. I ran a few by. Others, I shanked. Instead of having tap-ins for par, I left myself with a lot of longish putts. The four to five footers that we all anguish over.

Despite all my mishits, I am still encouraged. I was only a few good wedges and a few missed putts away from playing in the low 80's. I want to keep all my scores in the 80's from this point forward. In order to this I have to get rid of the double bogeys that creep onto my scorecard. Which means I have chip better.

I will be working on this aspect of my game for the next week or so. I have to become comfortable again around the greens. I am always amazed at how well the pros get up and down on a consistent basis. That's why they are pros and I'm an amateur(for now).

Check out Phil Mickelson and his chipping tips. Mickelson is considered to be one of the greatest short game players ever. We can all learn from him(even if you are not left handed). Learning these techniques will definitely help to improve your/my short game.

Have a good round and always hit your target.



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I spent last week on vacation on Hilton Head Island. This is truly a golfers paradise. There are so many great courses to choose from. All of the courses are in great condition and the people are very friendly.

I played four rounds at three different courses. I love playing new courses. If I could play a different track every day, I would be in heaven. Hilton Head offers all types of courses to challenge the ardent golfer. And the scenery is quite breathtaking.

I took a lot of pictures of my time on the island. My favorite are the photos that I took of the golf courses. If you ever get a chance, take a trip to Hilton Head. You will not be disappointed. Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite and if you have any Hilton Head stories feel free to share.

Have a good round and always hit your target.