Thumbs Down, THE POWER MOVE Blog

All Eyes on Tiger

2010-04-13T14:10:00.002-04:00

This past week as the Masters ushered in the official beginning of the major golf season and spring in my part of the world, all eyes were on Tiger Woods. As I’m starting to put the finishing touches on this article it’s 1:20 PM on Sunday April 11th, forty minutes before the final round TV coverage begins. Even though Lee Westwood leads by a shot over Phil Mickelson, who lit up the course on Saturday with two straight eagles and under a foot from a third, the talk and all eyes are on Tiger who’s in a tie for third. Since I finished this article after the conclusion of the tournament, now it’s appropriate to say, all eyes are on Phil Mickelson. Congratulations! You deserve to be this year’s champion.

As a follow-up to my last article “Copy a Pro”, I’ve provided these three one minute swing sequences to highlight what the best player in the game actually does. They feature what I believe is the portion you (and me) as recreational players need to copy. In the first one you’ll probably watch in awe as I did how perfect everything is. I highly suggest you just appreciate the first ¾ of Tiger’s swing and don’t feel discouraged if you can’t copy it. Instead, focus in on the portion of his downswing when his hands reach around waist height (the impact zone) and continue towards the ball into impact. Watch as the wrists begin to unhinge, then see how the hands rotate onto the ball at impact, then continue rotating beyond impact into his follow-through. Pay close attention during the first foot after he makes contact with the ball how his energy moves on a line toward the target. This is the portion of the swing where all the best players look almost identical. It’s the most important split second of the golf swing; the portion of a pro’s swing we need to copy and execute like they do. As we know, prior to the impact zone every player does it differently. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C80TQtE203Y&feature=related

On the second video you won’t clearly see Tiger’s hand movement. As you watch the ball compressing in super slow motion, pay attention to the club’s position and how it squares. Also, see how the toe returns to its original starting position, then turns slightly past square as it continues toward the target. This microscopic view shows the club getting into the ideal hitting position. It reveals where to focus as the top priority in order to hit longer, more accurate shots, more often. Fortunately, thanks to Thumbs Down The Power Move, mastering this is easier than you ever imagined.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3tazW9h7do&feature=related

The third video from behind reveals the next elements to copy in a pro’s swing they all do the same, for increased distance and improved alignment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp1BvVQbUTQ&feature=related. The first obvious one is how they all accelerate and hit down on the ball. Next, look at his setup position and especially his hands. See how the arms drop straight down on a line with the front of his shoes and how close to his body his hands are and stay during the entire swing. This puts you closer to the ball than most recreational players are used to, which helps in two ways:
1. Increases power, by keeping the arms and upper body connected as one piece
2. Improves alignment, by swinging along your body line

As Tiger takes the club back see how the left shoulder comes straight back to his chin. Pause the video there and draw a line straight down to the ground. Watch during the downswing into impact how the right shoulder returns to that line and continues toward his chin again as he follows through to the target. This is the simple secret for improved alignment and more accurate shots that I learned after watching dozens of these slow motion sequences on TV from behind. At regular speed it looks like the best players bring the club straight back, then straight forward, never leaving the target line. The beauty is that the shoulders and lower body turns as recommended, but everything stays on the line to the target.

One afternoon in 2004 in my backyard I tried this while hitting balls into a practice net. In the process of striking the ball online to my target as perfectly as I can, I created a training aid that I’ve used ever since. What makes it unique from other training aids is that it’s virtual, which means you can practice with it, then bring to the course and use as you play, legally under the rules of golf. It provides a virtual swing guide and it’s included in the back nine section of my book, as part of the Pro edition. I’ll be happy to explain it in detail and teach this to you as part of a virtual lesson that comes with the Pro edition of Thumbs Down, Golf Instruction Made Simple. To order visit www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/Products/Products.htm

In sharp contrast I’ve included this video swing sequence from an expert, which describes in detail Tiger’s alignment problem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1OJElUMOrw. It explains how he often looks perplexed when his drives go off into the right rough. Technically, it measures a 267% increase in his front spine angle between address and impact, which opens his clubface, pushing the ball to the right. It shows how this problem can be avoided simply by changing the downswing sequence and maintaining a constant spine angle. Oddly enough as I watched his exit interview with Peter Kostis, Tiger sounded equally angry about all the pulled shots left during his final round at the Masters.

Once again my thanks to the creator of this video for its quality and detailed information. Tips like this only re-enforce my simple messages for recreational golfers like you and me, that a pretty swing don’t mean a thing and that if the club isn’t square, the ball can go anywhere. My direct comment is, “GIVE ME A BREAK”. It’s one thing for us observers to think of Tiger Woods as a machine, but this video literally compares him to a machine, which he’s not. Personally, I believe what we saw during the weekend at the Masters was the rust that developed in Tiger’s game after five months of layoff. Let’s not forget that Augusta National is one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. Although I expect his public image to take another beating because of his newest Nike commercial, there’s no doubt that his golf game is still golden.

After watching the video and watching Tiger struggle at the Masters I wonder if the spine angle recommendation that would fix his pulls is the same that fixes the pushes. Either way, it’s anything but Simplicity at Last. In my opinion this is way too technical and would cause a high percentage of negative results if applied by most recreational golfers. What do you think? I’d welcome your feedback.

Lastly, although I glanced over the importance of hitting down on the ball, it’s a vital part of the golf swing you need to master. The expert on this subject is Clive Scarff and his Hit Down Dammit products, which include DVD's, videos and eBook with simple drills and lessons. All are focused on the importance of hitting down on the golf ball, a fundamental "must do" for better ball striking, practiced by all great players. To learn more and receive a discount if you order visit http://www.string-thing.com/thumbs_down.htm

Tiger's Tale

2010-03-13T12:37:00.004-05:00

If you’re a golf and/or sports fan the odds are high that you either watched, read or heard about the 13 ½ minute press statement given by Tiger Woods on Friday February 19. In probably the most anticipated, highest rated TV news coverage since the OJ Simpson verdict some fifteen years ago, Tiger finally appeared in front of a worldwide TV audience.

Did he wait too long to come forward? Did he reveal enough detail? Rather than ask all the other million “did he” questions I’m coming out of my own self induced silence to tell my story and give my own 2 cents on what I saw and some of what I think. For starters, I believe Tiger put himself in a no win situation, at least from an announcement perspective. Also, from an article I read in January, Tiger lied about what didn’t happen on Thanksgiving night, when he said his wife Elin didn’t hit him.

Before I watched the speech, I had already pre-named the title of this article ‘Lip Service”, because I expected it to be nothing but a bunch of doubletalk he needed to say to pacify everyone. Tiger stood nervously in front of his mother and a worldwide audience hungry to learn the details of his infidelity and when he would return to the world of competitive golf on the PGA Tour. What they got was neither.

Instead, he delivered an emotional and carefully selected collection of words that told us things we never heard from him before. He revealed that for 45 days from the end of December to early February, he was in inpatient therapy receiving guidance for the issues he now faces. With lots of conviction, Tiger appeared to be sincerely sorry as he apologized to his family, friends, fans, and business partners about his irresponsible and selfish behavior.

He pointed out that his real apology to his wife Elin will not come in the form of words; it will come from his behavior over time. As Tiger looked directly into the camera he told the media that although the couple has a lot to discuss, what we say to each other will remain between the two of them. He explained that he has a lot to atone for and there is one issue he really wanted to discuss. Then he made an error, that might end up becoming his eventual public downfall when he delivered this statement; “some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever.”

I want to be clear when I say that I really don’t care about Tiger’s personal life and that what happened between him and his wife has nothing to do with the enjoyment I get from watching him play golf. But, his comment completely contradicts an article that appeared on January 6, 2010 by Pat Burns the former NHL coach and Florida police officer. After Tiger crashed his SUV into a tree in late-November, Burns reached out to his local police buddies to get the inside scoop on what really went down that night. According to Burns, Tiger was knocked in the face with a golf club by his wife and was left with a deep cut on his cheek. Apparently, he went to watch television ... then suddenly, bang! A nine-iron in the face!

As he left the house running without shoes, Elin followed him with the club. After he drove off in his Escalade she broke two or three windows. That's why he hit the tree. She took him by ambulance to a hospital in Orlando where she called his agent, who suggested that they meet. Once there, the doctors said he needed plastic surgery to repair broken teeth, but only one institution could do it, in Phoenix Arizona. They flew to Phoenix for emergency dental and plastic surgery, making him unavailable to local police after the news broke. This explains Tiger’s absence when the police wanted to meet him the following days.

During his speech, Tiger became very self-critical, revealing how he stopped living by the core values that he was taught to believe in. He knew his actions were wrong, but convinced himself that normal rules didn't apply to him. He never thought about who he was hurting, instead thought only about himself. He ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by and thought he could get away with whatever he wanted to. Tiger went on to say that he had worked hard his entire life and was entitled to enjoy all the temptations around me. As the rock band Queen wrote in their song “We are the Champions”, thanks to fame and fortune and everything that goes with it, he didn't have to go far to find his temptation.

Tiger admitted he was wrong. He was foolish and that he doesn't get to play by different rules. “The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me. After a lot of time to think about what I've done, it’s time to make amends and start living a life of integrity.” He made it a point to explain how he drifted away from Buddhism, which teaches how to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. He lost track of what he was taught, then went on to say how hard it was to admit that he needed help, but realized he did.

Tiger repeated that the issues between he and his wife were their business. He appeared upset that the media made up things that never happened; like that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Also, he didn’t appreciate things written about his family and how his children were followed to school. Unfortunately, this is the price and everything that goes with fame, that celebrities often have to pay. Nick Faldo, commented on the Golf Channel during the Accenture Match Play how the British tabloids treated him similarly after his divorce many years ago.

Finally, the question about when Tiger would return to the PGA Tour was explained with this comment; “I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.”

Now that it’s several weeks later, we’ve learned that Tiger has returned home from more time in therapy and has started working out and hitting balls. The speculation is that he’ll return in time to play in The Masters, in his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles. My guess all along was that he’d play at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill tournament, so he’d have a few tournaments to prepare for The Masters. Since there’s been no official announcements, it’s only a guess.

60 Second Golf Tip:
Hitting down on the ball is probably the most important ball striking fundamental and probably the most misunderstood, especially with the driver. In his March 3 Hit Down Dammit newsletter, Clive Scarff a teaching professional from BC Canada (where they recently held the Olympics) gives a simple explanation with pictures to one of his subscribers.

Here’s the question from his Letter of the Week, that I often hear from my customers. “ I am now hitting down well with my irons, but struggling with the driver. I think I am having trouble with the bigger transition a driver requires - can you help?” Here’s the beginning of the answer. “I get a lot of letters about troubles with the driver, and in my experience especially on the teaching tee, it is because people treat the driver as a different animal. Even though they struggle with the driver, most golfers insist on treating the driver differently, and when success is not found they don't think to mimic their iron swing, they look for an even more different remedy for their driver.”

For me, hitting down on the ball always came naturally. Although it’s a more controversial subject with the driver, I found that accelerating into the drive with my Thumbs rotating Down at the ball on a descending angle, returns the best results. It’s also why I’m good with my fairway woods. For beginners, hitting up seems to make more sense, but it’s not the correct way to hit a golf ball. Simply put; for better ball striking, combing the Thumbs Down rotation with hitting down on the ball squares the club and produces more powerful, more accurate and controlled shots, more often.

If you want to improve your ball striking and improve your game, I highly encourage you to sign up for Clive Scarff’s “Hit Down Dammit” newsletter and purchase his DVD series. You can do both and receive a $10 discount at http://www.string-thing.com/thumbs_down.htm. For another great game improvement value, the Pro edition of Thumbs Down, Golf Instruction Made Simple costs less than a dozen premium golf balls. “Teach Yourself” the same ball striking POWER MOVE used by all the best players in the world at http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/Products/Products.htm. It includes 2 videos, drills, do’s and don’ts, plus a one-on-one virtual lesson with me. The Pro Plus System includes the Impact Bag, with 3 hours of personal instruction. I look forward to working with you.

The Rules of Golf

2009-09-29T17:02:00.001-04:00

Most golfers would like to know the rules better …or so you’d think. Do you think you know the rules of golf and do you think you play by the rules? I believe most golfers want to have a better understanding of the rules, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they want to play by them.

Why? I can tell you first hand that although most golfers wouldn’t call themselves cheaters, too many players cheat to satisfy their own interpretation of the rules and produce the numbers they expect to see on their scorecards. After playing the majority of 2009 on public courses for the first time in 24 years and seeing many different golfers, I’m shocked to see the liberties in the rules so many golfers take. For that matter, the previous statement also applies to people I’ve played with for many years.

On TV we see all the situations where the rules help tour players shoot lower scores, like when balls hit the gallery or grandstands instead of going out of bounds or into trouble areas. Remember when Tiger Woods hit a tee shot onto the roof of the clubhouse and received a free drop, then made par? Or who could ever forget when the fans moved a boulder that was blocking his shot in the desert? After watching these events the announcers point out how the rules were meant to help players, not penalize them.

Golf is a unique game where during the course of every day play, rules are enforced and self-policed by the individual player and not referees like in other sports. That’s both the good and bad news. I’m all for taking advantage of the rules, but when taking advantage means consistently posting lower scores than a player deserves, I don’t know what else to call it except cheating.

A few of the most common and obvious examples of what I often see are these:

· More often than not golfers don’t finish a hole by putting out, but count the last putt as good, even if it’s several feet from the hole. Of course I realize that missing a tap-in of a few inches is uncommon, but if there ever was a game where you can’t assume anything, it’s golf.

· Playing preferred lies is a subject that can easily be debated. When I first started playing, the rule of thumb was that you could move the ball onto a good lie in the fairway, but leave it alone in the rough. This is referred to as winter rules. On tour when conditions are wet, the pros may play lift, clean and place. The key point in all cases where the rules allow the ball to be moved is this; IT SHOULD NEVER END UP CLOSER TO THE HOLE. I find it amusing when I see golfers trying to gain the advantage of inches or fractions of an inch.

· Other areas where golfers often take liberties and don’t play properly are: lost balls, hitting out of bounds, unplayable lies and hitting into water hazards. Where do you play the next shot from and how many strokes is the penalty? You’d be surprised to see how many different interpretations golfers play by, without giving it a second thought.

Regardless of whether you play by the rules or not, I still believe that most golfers want to know the rules better. If you’ve ever read the rules of golf book you’ve probably been frustrated because it wasn’t very user friendly. I know I have. Well that’s all changed thanks to Barry Rhodes and his book, '999 Questions on the Rules of Golf'. It’s filled with real-life situations, with answers conveniently located immediately beneath each question that directly reference the applicable Rule of Golf, or decision on the rules.

Bobby Jones once said there’s golf and there’s tournament golf; and the two are not very much alike. Simply put, if you’re a serious tournament golfer, '999 Questions on the Rules of Golf' is a must read. The book pays attention to the many rules that differentiate stroke play, match play and stableford events. It’s one thing to want to play by the rules and another to need to play by them. This assures you don’t suffer costly penalties or a disqualification that could have easily been avoided during tournament play.

Barry Rhodes makes it easy to learn and remember the rules, by repeating many common questions, answers and explanations to the myriad of situations on the golf course that golfers may encounter. Regardless of whether you play in tournaments or recreationally, '999 Questions on the Rules of Golf' creates a user-friendly environment for golfers of all levels of skill and experience. The questions are tiered into three knowledge levels:

· There are 333 simple questions that every golfer should be familiar with

· There are 333 more difficult questions relevant to both casual golfers and Golf Club Members

· There are 333 advanced questions for those seeking to expand their knowledge of the Rules

For variety, the questions are subdivided into three formats; true or false, open answer and multiple choice. A detailed index provides an easy way for readers to reference specific situations as they arise. There are multiple questions on every one of the 126 sub-sections to the 34 Rules of Golf.

I give '999 Questions on the Rules of Golf' my highest recommendation. After reading the book I found it much easier to navigate through and now have a better understanding the rules of golf book. Priced at $19.99 (US), '999 Questions on the Rules of Golf' can be purchased on all the popular online bookstores. With the holiday season coming, it makes an ideal gift that any golfer would enjoy having. For a value packed gift idea that can’t be beat include a copy of ‘Thumbs Downâ, Golf Instruction Made Simple’, priced at $12.95 and available at all the popular online bookstores. Here are links to Amazon http://golftwitt.com/jjww, Borders http://golftwitt.com/7v2, Barnes and Noble http://golftwitt.com/7thm.

Wie’s good for the game

2008-12-11T12:32:00.001-05:00

Whether you love, like or hate Michele Wie, it doesn’t really matter. Why? Because the plane truth is Wie’s good for lady’s golf and it’s good that Wie’s made it to the LPGA show. Even though we’ve known Wie for so long, it’s time to realize this reality; Wie’s good for the game of golf period.

If you read my previous articles Wie Bad http://www.thumbsdownmethod.com/2007/10/16/wie-bad/
or What is Wie Doing
http://www.thumbsdownmethod.com/2008/08/01/what-is-wie-doing/
you’d think maybe I was anti-Wie or the head of the he-man Wie haters club, but I’m not. I’m just one of many that quickly got tired of watching her on the PGA Tour trying to make the cut against the men. The novelty wore off quickly after almost qualifying at her first two tries. It was time a long time ago that Wie’s better off winning against the ladies than just qualifying against the men, because so far Wie’s done neither.

In an age where professional athletes are treated like rock stars, it’s more important than ever that they be good role models too. Since her early teen years over six years ago when she almost won the Woman’s US Open, we’ve seen a lot of Wie. The real Wie has proven so far that she enjoys the limelight and celebrity that comes with being a “Tigerlike” phenom. To Wie’s credit, even during the last few years while struggling with her game, nagging injuries and negative PR, she’s handled it well. Wie’s proven to be a solid citizen with her head on straight, well beyond her teen years. As the father of two teens I know first hand.

Her role model status looks better every day, especially when you read the news stories about athlete arrests for gun possession and drugs or players who refuse to play for their teams. Athletes should be grateful playing a game for a living and making a King’s ransom along the way.

Wie’s a super talent that was meant to play the game of golf, just like Tiger Woods. She looked to be on the fast track when she qualified for her first LPGA Tour event at age 12. Wie played in the final group of a major at 13, shot 68 on the PGA Tour at the Sony Open a year later, had a share of the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Women’s Open at 15 and shared the lead on the back nine of three straight majors by the age of sixteen. Equally amazing was her downfall into adulthood.

At the ripe old age of 19 as a student at Stamford Wie’s dealing with all the uncertainty that comes with being an adult growing up. A wrist injury that severely hurt her golf game, didn’t help, but somehow we all knew there would be a happy ending coming soon. Finally, after all the years of playing by invitation or sponsor’s exemptions, Wie earned her LPGA Tour Card. Fortunately for her, winning isn’t the only thing when it comes to Q-school. Since just finishing in the top 20 makes you a winner, the media temporarily lowered their standards and didn’t criticize her for not winning as the medallist, or lowest overall score.

Finally, it’s time to see what Wie has. As Annika Sorenstam departs, waiting for Wie on tour are seasoned pros under the age of 25 like Lorena Ochoia, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and others who are already proven winners. Wie’ll need to play like she did in her early teen years to win against today’s LPGA players. My gut tells me Wie’s on her way and she’ll do just fine! What do you think? Email your comments to ajm.me@thumbsdownmethod.com

GOLF IS DEAD without Tiger

2008-09-16T20:15:00.003-04:00

Do you remember the initial reactions after Tiger announced he'll miss the rest of the 2008 golf season?

On Tuesday June 19th, the day after the Monday US Open playoff battle between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, I called a senior producer at Golf Channel I've known for a few years. He was noticeably worried about Tiger's condition because without him their ratings could fall off the charts. In the world of TV, ratings are everything. After the announcement that reconstructive surgery was required, the media immediately reported that all the drama has left the game of golf with Tiger on the sidelines. At that stage of the season, Tiger as player of the year was already a foregone conclusion, with two more majors and the FedEx cup still to be played.

The word circulating around the world of golf news going into the British Open was that golf is dead without Tiger and no one cares about the this major tournament in the middle of July. Just in case you fell into the trap and didn't follow any of the action, you missed enough drama to fill a typical season, and it ain't even over yet.

Here's a recap of the drama you missed, times three:
Playing out exactly according to the historic script, The British Open was played in cold and nasty weather with 30-50 mph winds throughout the tournament. A surprise name familiar to all also surfaced, as Greg Norman went back in time and challenged at the top. I'm sure the early morning ratings skyrocketed, as myself and millions of fans viewed, sentimentally pulling for the great white shark. The early predictions counted out Padraig Harrington the defending champion, due to an injured wrist that almost prevented him from playing. In the same fashion as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, Harrington hung in there, letting the field drop out of contention, before taking charge on the back nine of the final round to win.

Suddenly there was a back-to-back British Open champion and a European to boot, both rarities. Immediately the media counted out any chance of Harrington winning the PGA because Kenny Perry was the favorite and Phil Mickelson is always expected to win if Tiger isn't there. Besides, Tiger is the only player in many a year to win this often, so we're not used to picking the same guy to win too often. Ironically, Perry had to withdraw due to an eye problem.

In what started out as a ho-hum major tournament played on a monster of a course, the PGA at Oakland Hills in Michigan played out as a significant event in the history of golf.With a rainout on the Saturday third round, the players were forced to play 36-holes on Sunday. The leader board changed throughout the day and going into the final round Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis and Padraig Harrington rose to the top and were tied after 16 holes. Once again Harrington took over with a birdie on 17 and a scrambling par on 18 to win back-to-back majors and three of the last six. Tiger who?

So much for the regular season, bring on the playoffs. For the second year golf has a second season. Like most other sports, golf has it's version of the playoffs and it's Super Bowl equivalent called the FedEx Cup, a $10 million prize to the winner. Also like other sports, the regular season standings only got you in or out of the playoff season, which consists of four events. Now you'd better perform or your season could end quickly.

The opening tournament, the Barclays was played at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New
Jersey. After three days of many players jockeying for position at the top, tour rookie Kevin Streelman was the leader going into the final round. On the back nine, where most tournaments really begin, the cream rose to the top as Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia battled with surprise co-leader Kevin Sutherland, forcing a 3-way playoff.

Garcia thought he had won it after he drained a 30-foot uphill birdie putt on the 18th hole, but Singh spoiled the celebration with a 25-foot gem of his own to extend the playoff between those two players. When Garcia found the trees off the tee on the par five 17th hole Singh took over, by bombing a perfect drive, then easily reaching in two and making a 2-putt birdie. The win vaulted Vijay into the FedEx Cup playoff lead.

Personally, I like watching good golf and think it's very entertaining. Because the tournament was in New Jersey I attended round one and watched good golf up close and personal. The difference was that unlike other tournaments where I moved all around following different players, I followed one group primarily this time and one player in particular. What I noticed earlier in the season was how naturally he performed Thumbs Up on the back swing and Thumbs Down at impact.

60 second golf tip:
What I've noticed as the main difference between amateurs and pros is how naturally pros load up the wrists on the back swing and strike down on the ball with active hands through the impact zone. Because it happens so fast, it takes the Biz Hub super slow motion cameras as shown on the telecasts, to actually see what their hands are doing as they make contact and continue into their follow-throughs. To get a better idea of what I call My Secret, checkout this page: http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/MySecret/MySecret.htm

If the putts don't go in, you don't win

2008-07-07T19:51:00.004-04:00

Shaking in their boots. NOT!
Just listen to the announcers at any pro tournament and you will hear them talk about how much pressure the contenders are feeling (except Tiger of course). They'll typically describe in detail the pounding of their hearts and the feeling of veins bulging out of their heads.

For any pros that may be reading this story, I realize I might be way out of bounds for my viewpoint. After all, I'm not a pro and will never live in a pro's shoes, so I'll never REALLY know how much pressure or how nervous pro golfers get while they're in contention for a win. What I do know is how I've reacted during club golf tournaments for the past twenty-five years, including this past weekend. Again, I realize it's not the same as playing for big prize money, but it's not as different as you may think.

To me, there's a big difference between pressure and nerves. What I've experienced is that I'm constantly putting pressure on myself to perform to the best of my ability. In golf it means always hitting good shots and making the make able putts. The ironic side is that the bigger the situation, the less nervous I actually feel. Pressure is a completely different story. All too often it's the pressure I put on myself that leads to poor shot-making and bad decisions, not nerves. Nervousness is a feeling that happens before the opening tee shot and usually lasts until the first putt drops. After that, it's over.

Do you remember Annika Sorenstam's opening tee shot at the 2003 Colonial, when she played in the men's event? After months of anticipation you could tell she was extremely nervous on the first tee. After she saw her first tee shot land in the fairway I'll bet the nerves disappeared, but the pressure was constant. The pressure to make birdies lasted until her final putt in round two, when she officially missed the cut. A few more putts made and she would have gone where no woman ever has.

Throughout my college football and tournament golf experiences, the more competitive the battle, the more intense my concentration level. Instead of nerves, a feeling of calmness and increased focus takes over, which explains why I've performed my best in some of the most pressure packed situations. Having said that, all too often it works in reverse. All it takes is one or two mistakes early for the pressure demons to re-appear, causing more mistakes in a hurry.
I can only believe it's a similar feeling for professional athletes while they are competing. At the recent Buick Classic, Woody Austin said he choked when he didn't make two closing pars to win. In my eyes he simply put too much pressure on himself to get the job done, including ramming his birdie putt on eighteen (to win) fifteen feet past the hole. Woodie suffered the dreaded birdie to bogey three-putt syndrome and lost by one shot. Although the announcers would have you believe otherwise, it wasn't because he was nervous.

We all put pressure on ourselves. Just look at the recently completed Women's US Open, where Paula Creamer shot a front nine 41 in the final round. The day before I watched her miss several make able birdie putts on the back nine, which would have given her the lead. For some reason the hole seems to shrink when you need to make the putts the most. In golf, scoring is all about making the putts. She missed them all and I believe it's because she wanted to win so badly, putting too much pressure on herself. In tournament golf, when the putts don't go in, you don't win.

When I was in the computer business the word FUD meant that a competitor was building up the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt in the market. A good comparison is a political campaign, when candidates of opposite parties campaign by creating Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt in the voter's mind about their fellow candidate.

FUD is also a good description of the feeling a golfer has on the greens, when make able putts won't go in. Failure on the greens is contagious and all too often I'll putt defensively, in fear that if I run it past the hole more than a couple of feet, I'll miss the come backer. As crazy as it sounds I've had some of my worst putting days when I hit the best shots onto the green. Missing make able birdie putts is frustrating enough, but when birdies turn into three-putt bogeys, you just want to kick something and cry. (I highly suggest crying because the last time I had a major tantrum was about ten years ago during a member-guest tournament. On the first hole of the second day I three putted, then went to kick my golf bag and instead hit the metal post on the pull cart head-on with my big toe. I thought I broke my toe and limped around the final seventeen holes in pain). We've all seen Woody Austin's approach to letting out steam by smacking his head with his putter until it's bent out of shape. Let's not forget, it's just a game!

When David Feherty or Gary McCord talk about veins bulging from a player's necks, I just don't believe that's what pros are feeling. Professional athletes are conditioned to compete. Although I'll never have a first hand experience, I believe the playing field in the heat of the battle is where they feel most comfortable, not nervous. To best prove my point, did you see the Wimbledon final? You don't hit shots like Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal hit in the fifth set and throughout the tie-breakers when your nervous.

60 second Golf Tip
I hope you appreciate how difficult it is to find a 60 second golf tip these days and how rare it is to actually understand and relate to it when you practice.

When I was having ball striking problems in the early 1990's I naturally read what the experts in the top golf magazines suggested, expecting to practice their tips and turn my game around. What happened was just the opposite, mainly because I couldn't understand how to apply the pages of technical jargon and mechanics they described. I found that keeping it simple is what they all preached, but rarely practiced.

To show how the old is forever new, I just finished reading a two page article about golf's newest swing sensation called the stack and tilt, and how it's being used by more and more tour players every day. It's funny because conceptually what they're describing is simple and makes sense to me. In fact, it's a component of my swing I recently needed to re-discover, again.On paper it's a different story. I'm sorry, but I can't relate to pages that tell me to release my hips so that the butt muscles push them upward and toward the target. When they tell me to feel as if I'm jumping up as the club comes down, it doesn't help me hit more fairways and greens.

The skinny of what I read in the article is this, "keeping your weight on your front foot is the simplest way to control where the club hits the ground, which is the first fundamental of hitting the ball. Golfers who shift to the right (for righties) on the backswing have to make precisely the same shift back to the left by impact. That complicated maneuver is the biggest source of frustration in the game today". My swing-thoughts to myself consist of only a few words, so this is how I translate that statement: Keep weight centered, then shift onto the left side into impact. I'm at my best when the brain is quite, my swing is rhythmic and full of feel.

For me, the more time I spend on thoughts about my swing the worse my ball striking and accuracy gets. When I hinge my wrists as I take the club back and delay my thinking until my hands reach waist height on the downswing, then fire them down on the ball, everything just happens as it should. Translation: Thumbs Up on the backswing, then Thumbs Down at impact. What could be simpler?

To discover Simplicity at Last, go to www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com and checkout the Pro Shop. Be sure to notice the Summer Special of three hours of virtual coaching included with the Pro Edition. Cure your slice and teach yourself to be a better ball striker in minutes by adding Thumbs Down, the missing ingredient. Vist my blog for past articles and other products and topics of interest at www.thumbsdownmethod.com. My media center was recently updated to include an article in the Philadelphia Golfer (thank you Nate Oxman!) about me and my appearance on the Golf Channel's Fore Inventors Only.

Enjoy the Open Championship from Royal Birkdale!

Dead Center - Tiger Woods' historic victory at the 2008 US Open

2008-06-24T21:18:00.002-04:00

Anyone who says golf on TV is boring, doesn't watch it or wasn't watching this year's US Open, or both. As I'm finishing this story, the Monday playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate is already over a week old. All too often major sporting events with this much hype and anticipation, end with disappointing outcomes. Just like most of the major golf tournaments in my recent memory this one was filled with drama, as I was glued to my seat until the final putt.

If that wasn't enough, how about the startling news revealed after the tournament about Tiger's injuries and "out for the season" status? Hey, I'll bet that professional golf writers around the world have already written millions of words about the announcement, the planned surgery and details about the trickle down of effect of this stunning set of circumstances, that rocked the world of golf. As I'm not a professional writer I wrote this through the eyes of an amateur, with my own spin on what I saw. Here's a few of the many words I read that showed up in my email inbox the following day, that I thought summed up the 2008 US Open rather nicely. Regardless of who you were rooting for, you have to appreciate the history that we're experiencing: "Words no longer do justice to Tiger Woods. First, his winning of the U.S. Open in his first tournament since knee surgery - and without having walked 18 holes of golf in two months since that surgery - was impressive enough. But then to learn that he actually had a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee, plus two stress fractures in the left leg?"

The 2008 US Open will be remembered for it's high drama, uncertainty and doubt until the last putt was struck, as Tiger Woods finally prevailed. That statement is actually true for both regulation play and the playoff. As a golfer, this tournament spoke volumes about how exciting and dramatic major golf tournaments are. In the game of golf, just being able to hang in there and not crumble when shots are not going as planned is difficult enough. The ability to grind, re-group and post a score that's still better than most, is a skill only a few in the game have ever had. Add to that the circumstances around Tiger's injuries and this one will be remembered as TRULY SPECIAL in golf history. There's no doubt it will go down as one of the greatest performances by any athlete in any sport.

As a viewer I felt similar drama watching this year's Players, the Masters, last year's British and US Opens, plus most of the majors in recent memory. To me, "golf is great theatre" is more than just a slogan, it's a great description. The majors during the last few years have lived up to the hype, but there's just more interest when Tiger's in the hunt. He's proven time and time again that anything can happen when he's in a position to win and don't ever believe it's over, till it's over.

There's no secret I love watching championship golf on TV. For me, when the coverage starts late in the afternoon lasting through prime-time, it's an added bonus. As if it were scripted by NBC on Father's Day night, the final pair came to the 71st hole with both players (Woods and Westwood) tied for second place and the leader (Mediate) up ahead on the 72nd hole, with the tournament still up for grabs. I can't recall a major tournament where the last three players to finish all had a chance to win like this. At 8:52 PM EST, Tiger had the stage all to himself. On this occasion, he needed the entire hole to birdie the 18th. As we know by now, he rolled in a 12-footer to tie Rocco, forcing an 18 hole Monday playoff. I watched it all unfold. As usual, it did not disappoint.

How did Tiger even get to that final putt to tie? Let's rewind back to Friday. On his first nine holes he was slopping it up at 3-over par. Fortunately, a few over par still keeps you within reach at the US Open. He managed to hang in there with the help of an eagle on #13, sandwiched in-between four bogies, playing what's described as military golf, hitting it left, right, left, right... all over the course. On many shots it was clearly visible that Tiger's knee was hurting, BADLY.
On his back nine (which was actually the front nine of the course because they played the back nine first) it didn't start off any better, as Tiger's drive on hole #1 ended up next to a tree and just off the cart path. Because he was standing on the cart path he was entitled to a free drop, but because the ball could easily have ended up behind the tree, he decided to play it from where it lied. There was just enough room between the ball and cart path to hit it cleanly. The announcers poured it on thick, pointing out that Tiger wears metal spikes and the worry was that his leg would slip, injuring himself worse. In typical fashion, he not only hit it clean, he flushed it right onto the green and made the birdie putt. This was the spark that turned on the light switch, as he made three more threes and added another birdie for a score of thirty. As expected he found a way to enter moving day Saturday on page one of the leader board.

During the third round Rocco Mediate was clearly the best player in the field. He entered his back nine with a three shot lead and six shots over Tiger, who struggled with a two over-par 37 on his front nine. On the back nine it was complete role reversal, with Rocco faltering at two over-par and Tiger turning on the switch again, shooting a 3-under par 33.

After his second shot on #13 almost flew into the hole on a fly, it ended up over 60 feet away. If you're looking for a turning point, this would be a good place to start, as Tiger made the eagle putt. It was a tough down-hiller with a big break left, that was motoring until it landed DEAD CENTER in the cup. On the par three 17th , he missed the green with his tee shot, then chipped his second shot high into the air from an uphill lie on the side of the bunker. It landed a few inches from the hole on a fly, then hopped up and hit the pin DEAD CENTER, and dropped straight down into the hole for a birdie. Even Tiger had to laugh as his shot looked like it was going at least a few feet past before the hole swallowed it. This put him one shot behind Lee Westwood, the leader at that time. He then reached the par 5 18th hole in two. His eagle putt was a sharp breaking left to right slider from the top of a ridge, so it was going to be fast. DEAD CENTER is the only way to describe how the ball entered the hole. Now Tiger had a one stroke lead entering the final round and we all know his record when leading after three rounds in a major. Here's a hint (he's 13 & 0).

Remember the original Wizard of Oz movie, where the first part was in black and white and the rest of the movie was in color? In comparison, the black and white portion of this year's US Open was Mediate's first 54 holes. The color came on starting when Tiger went double-bogey, bogey on Sunday's first two holes and Westwood also began to slide. Rocco was now in the lead and only Bob May in the 2000 PGA has challenged Tiger like this in the final round of a major.

Up until now, the US Open was a story about Tiger Woods, his struggle and his determination, playing on one leg. Early on Sunday, the storyline was becoming more of a fairy tale about a journeyman pro golfer named Rocco, who everyone loved, but who hadn't won a pro tournament in six years. In fact the last and only time he was this close in a major was in the 2006 Masters. Entering the 15th hole on Saturday, Rocco found himself right in the thick of it, then he slipped and injured is back. If you remember him yukking it up in the TV booth in early 2007, this is why. He spent all last year rehabbing and this year needed to play his way into the US Open as one of the low qualifiers, before getting this opportunity. Like a heavyweight boxer with a shot at the title (just like in Rocky) Rocco knew this was probably his last chance to beat the best, and he gave it everything he had. Unfortunately, he was up against possibly the greatest the game of golf has ever seen.

Will Tiger Woods break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors and every other major record on the books? Will he go down as the best there ever was? OR will injuries prevent him from reaching these goals? What do you think? I welcome your comments. Please feel free to reply via email and I'll post them on my blog or go to the blog directly at www.thumbsdownmethod.com and post your comments.

Trivia Question
What is the size of the golf hole? (Hint: it's smaller than a breadbox)

60 second golf tip
Here's an excerpt from page 57 of my soon to be published book, Thumbs Down - Golf Instruction Made Simple, by Morgan James Publishing. It stresses the importance of not only thinking "delayed hit", but also implies the need for delayed thinking. "Remember: you can't hit the ball during the first 3/4 of your swing, so don't try to. Instead: keep your swing under control as you reach the slot, then accelerate into the impact zone on the downswing." Translation: Keep the swing slow and rhythmic and wait until the second part of the down swing, then accelerate down and kill the ball at impact.

This past weekend I played in a two-day club tournament. The 7th hole is a par 3, 180 yards, where I usually hit my 6-iron. During the first round the tees were up a few yards with a slight wind at our backs and the ground very firm in front of the green. Since the pin was up front I decided to hit a hard 7-iron. Usually when I try to reach for a little extra I start with a strong back swing, followed by a lot of acceleration from the top, followed by a miss-hit, most of the time.

What I remembered on this shot was to delay the acceleration until my hands reached waist height on the downswing (the first 3/4 of my swing), then I fired Thumbs Down at the ball. I've found that the longer I can delay my thinking, before accelerating down on the ball, the more consistent a ball striker I am. I struck it as well as I could and bounced it up onto the green. I had a terrible putting weekend so of course I missed the birdie (a defensive down-hiller), but at least I didn't blow it past and three-putt the hole.

Summer Special
For the summer I'm offering the Pro Plus edition ($197 and includes 3 hours of one-on-one virtual coaching) for the same price as the Pro edition $47 (plus $4 S&H). Also, if you purchase the Front Nine eBook ($9.97) I'll give you 100% trade-in towards the purchase of the Pro Edition. Order yours today or as a gift at www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/Products/ProEdition.htm and Tell-A-Friend.

US Open Week - Torrey Pines

2008-06-12T22:22:00.001-04:00

With the month of May in central New Jersey cold and rainy, and the temperature for past few days in the mid-high nineties, I'm finding myself singing the words "hot town summer in the city" in my mind all day. In the Midwest there's tornados, thunderstorms with baseball sized hail and flooding rains. Although Mother Nature can't make up her mind what season it is, it's finally that time of year when the world's media attention turns to golf. It's US Open week.

Whether you love or hate Tiger Woods, the question of will he win his fourteenth major championship in his quest to pass Jack Nicklaus' record of eighteen, at Torrey Pines, a course where he's already won earlier this year; or if Phil Mickelson will win in the San Diego are where he grew up playing, are the buzz all over the world this week. As the number one and two players in the world, you'd expect them to be the favorites. Who will win? I'm not making any predictions... except why do I think Tiger has a great shot to win (or finish on the leader board), even though he's playing his first competitive round since having arthroscopic surgery following the Masters? Because he plays the majors a lot like Jack Nicklaus did.

Even when he didn't have his A-game Nicklaus, who finished second a record nineteen times, seemed to find a way to hang in there until a majority of the field eliminated themselves. Follow all the hype and you'd think there were only two players in this year's field, Tiger and Phil. We all learned how terribly wrong "all the buzz" can be this past weekend, as Big Brown was trying to become the first horse in thirty years to win the Triple Crown. We all know what a lock and "sure thing" he was at 1 to 4 odds to coast to victory, at least if you followed all the buzz prior to the race. I've learned my lesson, that in sports there's no way to predict the outcome. Every year I see more bizarre events and upsets I never thought could happen (like the NY Giants winning this year's Super Bowl). Nothing in sports surprises me anymore. That's why they play the game.

This week's 60 second Thumbs Down method golf tip.
In this 2007 article from a major golf publication in, Tiger Woods describes the benefits of turning knuckles down to the ground. Although he's not using the exact same words, he's describing Thumbs Down, a move all the great ball strikers do, whether they realize it or not.
Most great iron players have at least one thing in common: They take a divot, whether the ball is teed up or on the turf. And it usually comes from a shallow angle of attack, which produces a long, shallow divot about the size of a dollar bill. Conversely, high-handicappers either make a steep downswing and dig a crater through impact, or they don't take a divot at all. Both mistakes lead to inconsistent contact and poor shots.

To improve your ball striking (and your divots), try shallowing out your backswing--swinging a little more around you. That sets up a shallower angle into the ball and a long, thin divot. It also helps if you turn the knuckles of your top hand to the ground through impact, like I'm doing here. This is a clear sign that you're compressing the ball, trapping it between the clubface and the turf, which will result in a divot on the forward side of the ball.

For more information about the Thumbs Down method go to www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com and vist my new blog at www.thumbsdownmethod.com. There's plenty of golf and other topics of interest like airport security and travel tips, alternative energy and environmentally friendly products, articles and information. And now there's a book store. Check it out.

Cheating 101 - A Golf Etiquette Primer

2008-06-12T22:17:00.003-04:00

Bobby Jones once said, "there's golf and there's tournament golf ...and the two are not very much alike". I say, "there's beginner golf and there's serious golfer's golf"...and the same can be said. They're not very much alike.

When a beginner doesn't follow the rules it's usually because they don't know right from wrong. When guys (or gals) get together and play "beer golf" just for fun, it's OK not to keep score and just play for fun. Just comply with these basic etiquette rules of golf and others:-Respect the golf course. Replace divots and repair ball marks on the green.-Play as fast as possible, maintaining a pace of play that doesn't hold up any players behind you.-Stand still and quietly while other players are hitting and don't walk in anyone's putting line on the green.

BUT, it's a different story when experienced players feel that interpreting the rules "their way" is a right no one should dare to question. For these players, there's only one word to describe what they're doing; CHEATING! Maybe I'm just noticing it more lately, but it's amazing to see club players or members of the golf industry blatantly cheat and think it's OK. They treat mulligans, do-overs, preferred lies anywhere, and mental lapses in counting their actual strokes like it's a normal part of the game that no one notices. They're wrong, I'm noticing.

One of the many beauties of golf is that each player is their own umpire or referee, responsible for enforcing their own rules. With all the talk about golf being a game of honor, a sport that epitomizes the balance between skill, competition and integrity, why is cheating such an accepted part of the game for some players? I'll never understand what they're thinking, except the golf course does make an ideal setting for any person with the mentality of "what they don't see won't hurt them".

Golf is a special sport, with a large majority of golfers honest and trustworthy. My earliest memories at the golf course recall seeing bags of beautiful clubs standing unattended in front of the clubhouse and thinking anyone could steal these at anytime. I remember my father telling me that the golf course is the safest place around, because golfers are the most honest people you'll find anywhere. Around the clubhouse is one thing, but on the course where no one's looking (or so they think) is a completely different story, especially once the competitive juices start to flow and egos take over. Nothing surprises me anymore.

For the record I personally don't consider it cheating when you violate a rule without realizing it. (The Rules of Golf has never been an easy read or very understandable). I also believe that a player should not be penalized due to the poor condition of the golf course, but the rule's of golf Gods don't agree. During my youth playing on public courses the rule of thumb was preferred lies on the fairway and leave it lie in the rough.

Most friendly and casual games are played using paradise rules, which means moving the ball onto a preferred lie on any shot, is OK. This is especially the case when golfer's are first learning to play the game. The only BUT in the last statement is this; if you're going to move the ball, DON'T move it closer to the hole, EVER.

The cheating I'm describing is either when the rules are violated or the score on the card doesn't reflect the actual number of swings at the ball, OR BOTH. They usually go hand in hand.
Have you seen the TGW commercial on the Golf Channel with two guys in a cart adding up one player's score. After replaying many shots, plus one in the water and one out of bounds, he says give me a four. I realize this is a bit far fetched but let me share some of what I've seen on the golf course battlefield. These are actual events I've witnessed, with each player's name disguised, to protect further personal embarrassment.

Player 1 - Have you ever played with someone they call "the umpire". That's because he always keeps an extra ball in his pocket and drops it out when he can't find his original shot. One round when I watched him look for a ball that sliced out of bounds I saw him take a ball out of his pocket and throw it ahead to play it. I called out, "you're not going to play that one, are you"? He had a sick look when he realized I caught him.

On another occasion I watched him search 20-30 yards beyond where his ball. In fact I found his ball (I know that because I saw the logo on the last green while he was putting), then called out "what ball are you playing"? His back-up plan just in case this happens is to say it has a Court TV logo. Since it never does, he drops one plays on without penalty.

When he's not moving the ball in the rough (almost always closer to the hole) and giving himself a preferred lie, this player often times picks up the ball and places it, (again closer to hole). This is the same player who criticizes his former group for doing the same. When he does have a bad lie and misses the shot he blames the course and takes his do-over. After skulling the first shot into the face of the bunker he tries it again, then get's pissed off and starts swinging wildly.
On the greens, he takes liberty with concept of "the gimmee". When his approach shot stops within four to six feet of the hole he putts with the pin in, so if he misses he counts it as if he made it, a gimmee. He almost always steals an extra inch (or more) by marking the ball on the green closer to the hole.

Last but not least, never play this player in a match or expect to watch every shot like a hawk. That includes asking him and agreeing on his score after every hole. Even during tournaments he'll leave a stoke or two off the total when it takes four or five out of the bunker. In fact, as I'm finishing this story, I have a good example of this from yesterday's round. On the 16th hole he pops up the tee shot about 150 yards, leaving 200+ yards to the green. The second shot goes left and ends up in high grass near a tree just short of the green. Shot three lands short. A chip and two putts. As he taps in the sixth shot he says, bogey and puts a five on his card. This is very common, as his scorecard often reads bogey or occasionally double-bogey or more. I know this because the new pull carts at our club have a clip for the scorecard which he now uses. Until this year he used one of my Cardkeepers and had his scorecard and pencil in his back pocket, hidden. Bottom line; after cheating all thorough the round, the score he ultimately posts for his handicap is now lowered once again. He's been described as the world's worst player, that plays almost everyday.

Player 2. - This is a member of the golf industry who often plays in events. During the ten times we've played together I've seen him taking mulligans on any hole, on any shot. I can't remember ever seeing him with a bad lie. That doesn't mean he's never hit the ball in the rough, behind trees or in the tall grass around the greens. He always picks his ball up out of the rough and replaces it where he prefers it. When there's a tree in his way he moves the ball out of the way (I guess that's why they call it preferred lies).

One day on a par 5 he hit a good drive and went for the green on his second shot. The ball went far to the right. There was a creek beyond where he was looking and we never found the ball. Because he knew around where the ball was he felt he was robbed and deserved to play three from a free drop. After an up and down, he celebrates that he made a great par. To me, it doesn't pay to question it. Just play on. Like Player 1 he'll conveniently count only certain shots. What do you post on the card when you pick-up and say, that's enough?

Player 3. - This one really shattered me inside. I have a friend I've played with for over twenty years. . He always wants to beat me and out drive me, but when we play for money, even just a few dollars, it gets real competitive. The first time I caught him cheating was during my first Myrtle Beach golf-o-mania vacation in March 2006. On the first hole of our first of eight rounds, he wanted a 3-foot gimmee, which I didn't give. As he went down to mark his ball he tried to hide it with his body and then snuck the mark a few inches closer the hole. I didn't say anything and never trusted him after that. I saw him do it a few more times at our home course and stopped playing for money until recently, after finally confronting him about cheating. Are you surprised to hear that he denied everything?

Player 4. - This one hurt financially. A regular member of my group in the 1990's inherited a lot of family money. His basement looks like a golf club hall of fame, with a putting green and more new sets of clubs than most pro shops.

One day during a multi-hole Skins game carryover, I was about to win about $20. On a par 5 I'm on the green in three, with only a five needed to win. As his third shot ran just off the back of the green up against the tall grass, he groaned. As we approached the green I saw him scoop the ball with his wedge and move it a few inches closer, onto the fringe. I asked both players in the group if they saw what I just saw. They didn't. Instead of a very difficult wedge shot to even make a par, he putted and of-course made it for birdie, robbing me of some much needed cash.
He didn't need the money, but his ego couldn't live with the loss. This is the same player that carries a +1 handicap (which means he's under-par) because he only posts his low scores. Yes, he's a good player, but maybe a 3 or 4 handicap.

Usually I end my stories by saying Golf is Great Theatre. This time is goes like this; Golf is a game that brings out the worst in people and offers the perfect setting for cheaters.

Golf's Answer to Houdini

2008-04-25T11:24:00.002-04:00

Yogi Berra said it best when he reminded us It Ain't Over Till It's Over. Do you have your own personal favorite expressions with similar meaning? Here's just a few that come to mind: "Almost Doesn't Count ...except in horseshoes"."Close, But No Cigar"."I Can't Believe What I Just Saw".

I'm sure there are many good ones I've left out. Either way, if you were watching last week's Accenture Match Play Championships you saw what I saw, starting with Wednesday's opening matches. If you missed it just trust me, ALL these clichés and more apply to the escape acts performed by Tiger Woods, golf's answer to Harry Houdini. Starting his 2008 golf season the way he ended 2007, Tiger is sending his own message to all those trying to beat him; Forget About It!

We all have a soft spot in our hearts and like to root for the underdog. I'll even admit rooting against Tiger on several occasions, including each of his US Amateur final match victories, his first wins as a pro and Masters win in 1997. Back then, I didn't think he was worth all the hype. I've since learned to enjoy watching him compete, appreciate how good he is as compared to every other player and the history he's making. Yes, I still continue to root for someone to put up a legitimate challenge each tournament, but I'm not holding my breath anymore. I'm also not a believer that Phil Mickelson is that steady challenger. What's incredible to me is that the guys who can't beat Tiger, are the rest of the best players in the world. These guys play a different game than the rest of us, (who's passions are to steadily break 80, 90or 100) and Tiger plays a different game than all of them. To put things into their proper prospective, think about how many times you were ever under par during a round, beyond the first few holes. Be honest now.

For those who still root against him, thinking he can't be that good, that he's made a deal with the devil (GB), get used to suffering for many more years. With 63 wins and Arnold Palmer's 62 victories now in his rear view mirror, Tiger takes aim next at Ben Hogan's 64. It's just a matter of time before he beats Jack Nicklaus' 73, Sam Snead's 82 and holds all the records. He can't go undefeated for the year, can he? Of course not, that's absurd. What about twelve in a row, beating Byron Nelson's record of eleven? This record was always thought of as sacred, never to be broken, just like Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak Well maybe he can't win every tournament he enters, but why not the fours majors? Tiger has the unique luxury of losing and still being the big winner, especially if he pulls off the Grand Slam. My take on Tiger, "never say never".

To put the official wrap on the Accenture Match Play, here's the quick version of what I saw:Simply put; Tiger was good TV. I watched in awe as he shifted into another gear on Wednesday making three birdies and an eagle, as he performed his Houdini-like escape, a 3-down with 5 to play death grip by JB Holmes. Then on Friday, he out dueled Aaron Baddley in an entertaining birdie fest, where Baddley had multiple make able putts in regulation, before losing in extra holes in sudden death. In the spirit of basketball's March Madness, the bracket wars saw their share of early upsets by top players. The most notable was Ernie Els, who lost 6 and 5 to Jonathan Byrd in round one. Phil Mickelson's early exit can at the hands of red hot Stuart Appleby, where birdies chirped throughout the match for both players before Mickelson made a crucial mistake, three putting on the final hole. The biggest surprise was watching Stewart Cink humiliate his opponents throughout the week, but as the final script read, IT GOT LATE EARLY for Cink, losing 8-7 to Tiger in the 36 hole final. What a surprise!

Today's 60-second golf tip:
With all this talk about perfection, is it just me or do you see all the BAD shots I do by tour players? Here's a few lowlights from Wednesday:Tiger's opening tee shot out of bounds rightThe tee shot on 18 of Henrik Stensen, (last year's winner and this year's winner of the consolation match for 3rd place). This low hook off the heel with his 3 metal (I still don't know what to call it) was replayed by Johnny Miller and described as the worst tee shot he'd ever seen by a pro.

More and more I see bad slices off the tee, as the top players strive for the perfect plane and timing of the knees, hips, shoulders, arms and chest. Wanna get confused too? Just listen to the telecasts and see the replays of a player's swing as they're analyzed by the experts in spectacular super slow motion. They do a good job of showing off their knowledge, with technical terms only a physics major understands. For me, the moment I worry about my left side "getting stuck" on the down swing, not allowing the club to release (quoting Nick Faldo), I lose touch with what's most important, squaring the club into impact. Squaring the club by turning the hands with Thumbs Down as you strike the ball, makes all the right things happen automatically, without thinking. That's the way I like it. This discovery was the magic formula for me, "like money in the bank", as it cured my out of control slice in the mid 1990's.

In case I haven't made this good new public knowledge yet, Morgan James Publishing will soon publish Thumbs Down, the virtual golf lesson, Front Nine edition. Checkout my new and improved website at www.golfinstructionmadesimple and see all the new products and videos available. Pay particular attention to the "Promo Item" button on each page that shows how Thumbs Down makes a unique promotional item for business. Contact me for pricing at: info@thumbsdownmethod.com. While you're on the website see "visit my blog" button or at www.thumbsdownmethod.com.

Aloha and Welcome Back

2008-04-25T11:18:00.002-04:00

Aloha and Welcome Back to the professional golf season 2008!

After an off-season break, I'm back in the saddle with many stories and interesting information already teed up to share with you throughout the year. Each story is also posted on my new blog at www.thumbsdownmethod.com, which is also a website with a new Turn Golf Into Business theme. Please check it out, but pardon the appearance during the next few weeks, as it's still under construction.

While the NFL playoffs heated up and football fans like me were enjoying the first three rounds,the 2008 PGA golf season officially kicked off in Hawaii. Even though most of the game's big names didn't play at the Mercedes and Sony Opens, it was still fun to watch the rest of the world's best golfers make the game look easy. Coincidentally, last weekend Tiger Woods made itlook too easy as he coasted to victory by eight shots at the Buick Invitational, after leading by eleven on the back nine of the final round. Stay tuned for more on this.

This weekend it's Super Bowl XLII (42), with my NY Giants playing the role of this year's Cinderella team, against possibly the best team in football history. After suffering with my Gints for forty years (with the exception of two Super Bowl wins and the 2000 Super Bowl loss), a die hard fan can only hope the magic lasts one more week, as they try to spoil the New England Patriots historic unbeaten season. While the football teams are in the desert in Arizona, Tiger and a few friends: Mark O'Meara, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Darren Clark and Thomas Bjorn are in the desert in Dubai. On the eve of the opening round of the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates, I'm watching the Golf Channel's telecast of the team competition.

I love watching great players do what they do best, but I'm getting tired of seeing their fluid swings, perfect ball striking and follow-throughs in super slow motion, then listening to the experts as they analyze what we just saw. This year, a new toy called Track Man shows each player's ball and club speed, spin rates and gives even more feedback. I have absolutely no problem with the quality of the commentator's credentials and expertise, but their explanations are filled with technical information I don't understand, in a language I can't relate to. In their attempts to keep it simple for all of us, most of the messages go right over our heads, better suited for the top 1% of all golfers. In sharp contrast, the Thumbs Down method is targeted at the other 99% (10's of millions of us), because it was created by a peer (ME), not an expert. My big advantage is that I relate to amateurs better because I live in your shoes every day.

It drives me crazy when I see and hear instructors do side by side comparisons between the best in the world and recreational players. Hey, don't get me wrong because watching the best players (Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, etc) on TV is how I learned and taught myself to play golf. I also learned to bowl by watching Dick Weber and started hitting topspin forehands by watching Bjorn Borg destroy the world of tennis in the 1970's. It's a mystery to me why the golf swing is analyzed more than in any other sport. Unfortunately for too many golfers, the term paralysis through analysis applies all too often.

I have a very strong opinion that a majority of the instruction to focuses on the wrong order of importance for the average player. To me, a pretty swing don't mean a thing unless you're making solid contact and able to control where the ball is going. Golf is a lot like skiing in that it's essential to initially learn the correct fundamentals first, but after that you're on your own. Like it or not, we learn and teach ourselves every time we do it.

This year I'm branding the Thumbs Down method as the premier "Teach Yourself" method and myself as a Teach Yourself virtual coach, with a virtual coaching program using the internet. Contact ME to learn more.

This issue's 60 second Thumbs Down method golf tip emphasizes one of my pet phrases, "start with solid ball striking …then works backwards. See what I mean by checking out my new video at www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/Downloads/FreeStuff.htm. It was filmed live for the Inside Golf show (6:00PM Saturday's on Comcast Sportsnet) on November 14, as I cured the producer's slice and made him a better ball striker in minutes, just as advertised. The video tells my story exactly as it was originally intended.

On Feb 4 I'll be unveiling a new website look, with a unique Pro Shop and Online Store. Check it out and tell your friends to do the same. As always, your comments, replies and input are welcome.

Happy Thanksgiving 07

2007-11-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving (ready or not here comes the holiday season).

My main goal in publishing these newsletters is to provide you with the best golf instruction resources I am aware of. To date I've mainly included the Thumbs Down method, but I'm pleased to announce an affiliation with Chuck Evans. For those of you not familiar with Chuck, he's one of only 31 Teachers in the world to hold the designation of "Doctorate in Golf Stroke Engineering", and a Golf Magazine Top Teacher. He's been called, The Teacher of Teachers and has been touted as one of the most highly sought after instructors in the world not only by players but other teachers as well!

Evans Golf Group recently announced the merger of two golf companies', Chuck Evans Golf and Medicus, now known as Medicus Golf Institute. Medicus has long been known for their game improvement training aids and programs. These two power houses have come together to form a company that combines both instruction and training aids to enhance, and improve, your golf game.

Chuck's written a wonderful ebook and he's also offering his entire golf training system for $67 (sorry, his half price offer has expired). Included as a bonus are interviews on 2 downloadable CD's and if that wasn't enough....he also has agreed to come on a "live call with you personally! For a limited time you can talk with Chuck Evans and ask him any golf question you have, would that help you and solve some of your questions? You will be able to ask him anything you want. Hurry up, as he will only be accepting so many customers because Chuck is busy!

To receive your FREE Secrets to Better Golfing interview with Chuck Evans go to:

http://www.masteryourgolfgame.com?lid=&a_aid=93a827ca

While you're there take advantage and purchase Chuck's entire golf training system.

Wie Bad

2007-10-16T18:16:00.000-04:00

Now that you’re an adult answer this question (honestly please). Do you now believe that all the hype you heard while growing up about how great it would be to be an adult, was highly overrated? Most people do. Why else do we always hear adults wanting to turn back the clock and become kids again? We all do it, right?

Think for a moment about how true the statement is these days for Michele Wie, who turned 18 less than a week ago and is now legally an adult. Her 18th birthday was October 11, but it seems like only yesterday that she was a 14 year old phenom, on her way to conquering the world of golf, both women’s AND men’s. In the summer of 2005 at the age of 16, Wie drew a large crowd watching her play and almost making it, during US Open qualifying at Canoe Brook in New Jersey. Not that long ago it looked like she was a can’t miss.

If her first few days as an adult are any indication, Wie should begin efforts to brand her name and capitalize on what she’s already accomplished, because her golf game has suffered a meltdown, no one could see coming. Forget about competing against the men anymore, because Wie can’t even make a cut competing against the women (no offense intended!). Who would have thought that just a few short years ago Wie would be at a crossroad in her career, at the ripe old age of 18. Talk about a case of teenage burnout on steroids!

Blame it on her wrist injury. Blame it on her new life in college, or even blame it on her change of caddies, after her parents fired Greg Johnson, her long standing caddie. (If I was still a betting man, I’d bet heavily that the parents are a big part of this problem.) Regardless, Wie’s game over the past 15 months has abandoned her, coming apart at the seams by pro’s standards. One day she’s the darling of the media, almost making the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, then a few short years later she’s shooting rounds in the high 70’s and 80’s, not in the 60’s as required to compete. To put it all into perspective, last week at the Samsung World Championships Michele Wie shot 79-79-77-71 for 18 over par while Lorena Ochoa, the winner shot 68-67-69-66, 36 shots better at 18 under. Her ballooning scoring average in 2007 rivals the spectacular train wreck performed by the 2007 NY Mets in September, as they collapsed down the back stretch of this year’s baseball season.

At least Wie’s in good company. While the world was discovering her on her way up, Annika Sorenstam was the queen of golf, even more dominant than Tiger Woods was in the men’s game. For the past two seasons though, Lorena Ochoa is #1, with Suzanne Pettersen her main competitor each week lately. Now it’s Annika’s turn to try and get back on top, as she battles back from an early season neck injury that sidelined her for a few months.

Golf, more than any other sport has a way of coming and going and sometimes never coming back again EVER, at least at the same high level. To validate this, you only need to remember when the names David Duval and Ty Tryon filled the Golf Channel headlines and how quickly they disappeared from the radar screen. The major difference these days of course is that when golfers win tournaments and finish in the top 10 frequently, like David Duval did in the late 1990’s through 2001, they make a boat load of cash to carry them through the rough times.

In the case of Michele Wie, I somehow think she’ll survive this and chalk it up to a learning experience. My 2 cents prediction is that she’ll put her game face back on and compete on the LPGA Tour in the years to come. Whether she does or doesn’t, the women of the LPGA Tour are more fun to watch than ever before. What do you think?

Please send me your comments and I’ll post them on future blog entries.

President's Cup week

2007-09-26T10:06:00.000-04:00

On Sunday 9-23, both New York football teams won their first games of the 2007 NFL season. The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays to pull to within 1 game of the Boston Red Sox in the all important loss column for first place, going into the last week of the baseball season. It appears almost certain they will at least clinch a playoff spot in the American League East, but it’s still anyone's guess who will play who and where they’ll play, as the playoffs begin next week.

The real question in sports this week is, does anyone REALLY care what’s going on in golf these days, besides the players, their families, sponsors and some devoted fans? (AND of course the entire city of Montreal and a few Canadian provinces, if not more.) Does the anticipation for the President’s Cup raise your adrenaline levels like the Ryder Cup, The Masters or ANY of the majors? ME either! In fact, it’s that time of the year when football, baseball’s finale, then hockey (especially hockey) and basketball take over mind share for die hard sports fans (like ME).

The golf season for ME typically lasts into the first week of December, or longer some years like last year, when a member of my 3-some played in shorts on his 55th birthday, Jan 6. I play nine months out of the year and think golf non-stop. TV golf, well that’s a different story. The President’s Cup has always been played this time of year when my focus changes with the seasons. A recent example can be found in last week’s newsletter and blog article, where I wrote about Tiger shutting it down for the season last week to become a full time dad. I said he’d gone fishing. Well, I believe it’s still true but I had completely forgotten about the President’s Cup in Montreal this coming weekend, September 28-30, so shame on ME. Also, shame on you for not noticing my mistake OR al least sending ME a comment about it.

No, it’s not the Ryder Cup, but each President’s Cup over the last ten years has been entertaining, as the best players in the world battle for their country’s team, just like in the Ryder Cup. Too bad the mind share just isn’t there, AGAIN. Am I alone? Do you feel the same way? Your comments are always welcome.
________________________________________________

It’s Alan Martin, with a 60 second Thumbs Down method golf tip about the power source in the golf swing. Where does the power come from? What’s your answer? Please reply to ajm.me@thumbsdown.info or feel free to call ME 609-448-4331.

Is it the large muscles of the shoulders, or the legs, or the hips? I believe a majority of golfers would say yes. Once upon a time I was one of the more than 50 percenter’s that turned and pivoted my body like a corkscrew into the ground for power. I hit the ball hard and relatively long for a 5’7”, 150 pound man, but after 25 years of that kind of thinking I ended up with these results: 20 less yards with every club in my bag (putter excluded) and an out of control slice. I still hit it hard.

OR is it the arms that swing, with the forearms, wrists and hands that generate the REAL POWER in the golf swing? If you’ve read any of my Thumbs Down HOW TO guides (Front Nine, Back Nine, Preview, Drills or Pro editions) on curing a slice and teaching yourself to become a better ball striker, you know how much I believe this is where the secret lies, ESPECIALLY for amateur and recreational players.

Pro’s play a different game than the rest of us. They can afford to fine tune their swings to perfection, but for the tens of millions of others, squaring the club at impact with the smaller muscles in the forearms, wrists, hands (and don’t forget those thumbs) provide the missing ingredient's for increased power, accuracy and control.

Don’t forget, for a limited time I’m offering Better Ball Striking for under $10, then a 100% trade-in (means it’s FREE) for an upgrade to the new and improved Back Nine or Pro Plus editions. Both include virtual lessons via the internet by ME.

With the holidays approaching, the gift of golf ALWAYS scores points with family, friends and business. Please visit http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/

Tiger in the Spotlight ...yes again

2007-09-20T15:36:00.000-04:00

If it looks like the focus of my last few stories has been Tiger Woods, I admit it, but there’s a good reason. I realize, NOT everyone agrees with my view point, (some of you more than others as your comments imply) BUT this guy is the real deal! He’s the kind of athlete one can admire, (try to) imitate and enjoy watching perform with the utmost respect, both for his talent level and endless desire to win, but also as a person. Today it’s rare to find that combination in a professional athlete, especially one who’s consistently re-writing the history books (both hard copy and on-line versions) AND ALWAYS in the spotlight with every move he makes. Once there was a guy named OJ who seemed to own the world (…but we won’t go down that road).

With all the historic achievements bestowed on him, Tiger Woods did something last Sunday 9-16-07, he had never done before. No, I’m not referring to his hitting into the group in front of him (Sergio Garcia and Zach Johnson) with his second shot from 286 yards with a 5 wood, while they were on the ninth green of the par 5 hole. I’ll bet he’s hit into many groups during his storied career. This was the first time Woods walked away from one tournament with two trophies. Along with winning the TOUR Championship and its $1.26 million prize, he was a runaway winner of the inaugural FedEx Cup and the $10 million that goes into his retirement account.

The PGA TOUR's "new era in golf" came to a familiar conclusion Sunday when the world's #1 player captured the TOUR Championship in record-setting fashion, closing with a 4-under 66 for an eight-shot victory at East Lake and his seventh title of the season.

Since the beginning of August, when Tiger took it up to a gear NO other golfer can, he’s won everything in site: The WGC, The PGA, The Tour Championship and The FedEx Cup. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll see highlights of his wins this season a plenty, but we won’t see Tiger on the golf course again until next season’s opener in early January, the Mercedes Championship from Maui. It’s time to give someone else their turn to win.

The FedEx Cup didn't change anything but Tiger Woods' bank account. What’s dramatically changed is this; Tiger’s a dad now! So DON'T be surprised if he’s hung a big sign outside his door that says, “Gone Fishing”.

The cream rises to the top

2007-09-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

Alan Martin here, with a 60 second Thumbs Down method golf tip titled: A Pretty Swing don't mean a thing.

On hole #4 of the Front Nine edition of Thumbs Down, the virtual golf lesson I explain how "if the club isn't square, your shots could end up anywhere". Translation: the #1 priority of the golf swing needs to be squaring the club at impact, NOT having the prettiest swing. It's nice to have a smooth rhythmic swing, but golf has had and continues to have champions with average looking or downright ugly looking swings, so it's not a must. Miller Barber, Jim Furyk, Jim Thorp, Alan Doyle and of course that guy Arnold Palmer are a few examples of champions who have gotten the job done without the prettiest of swings. Instead, all pros look basically the same coming through the hitting zone, striking the ball to perfection on almost every shot.

Throughout the Front Nine I tell you to focus on a method that squares the club and to concentrate your precious swing thought time on the moment "just before" ball contact. That's what the Thumbs Down method does. Bottom Line: Better Golf, More Often.

Checkout http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/. Take advantage of my limited offer of "better ball striking" for less than $10. I hope you enjoy today's story below titled "The cream rises to the top".

On the official starting Sunday of the 2007 football season, the best players in the worlds of professional golf and tennis helped take the meaning of this well known expression to the next level, TOTAL DOMINATION.

During the 1970’s I enjoyed watching a stoic yet classy Bjorn Borg play tennis, hitting top spin passing shots with his tiny wooden racket (the Donnay Borg) from every possible angle, on his way to five straight Wimbledon titles. Unfortunately for Borg, Jimmy Conners, John McEnroe and other rivals stood in the way of his ever winning the US Open.

After completing his sixth consecutive Wimbledon victory earlier this year, Roger Federer did what Borg couldn't. He made it look easy as he completed his forth year in a row hoisting the US Open trophy, as he played in his record ninth straight grand slam final match. Can anyone beat this guy? Yes, but the upsets are few and far between!

As Federer’s match against Novak Djokovic was beginning, Tiger Woods was showing Steve Stricker, Aaron Baddley and the rest of golf what being #1 is about, finishing them all off during the FedEx Cup playoffs at the BMW Championship. Any bets on who will finish runner-up in the FedEx Cup race and the $10 million prize? (Actually, it’s a deferred annuity not a lump sum, so take out your violins for Tiger).

Normally, I root for the underdog, but it’s hard to root against these two dominators in their respective sports. Instead I’m enjoying watching history take place, as both Woods and Federer show why they’re in a class above every other player that ever played their sport. Sorry to fans of Jack, Arnie, Ben, Bobby, Bjorn, Arthur and all other past champions in golf and tennis, but it’s true. Thankfully, both are class acts and true role models, a characteristic missing from most professional athletes today.

Do you agree? Disagree? Email your thoughts to ajm.me@thumbsdown.info

The greatest inventions of our time

2007-09-04T12:24:00.000-04:00

Alan Martin here, with a 60 second Thumbs Down method golf tip titled: The Truth Be Told

Pros control the clubface and control their shots ...by letting the club do all the work. ALL great ball strikers use their hands and wrists for hidden power, whether they know it or want to admit it. A common denominator that exists with all the best players is how they have the ability to square the club and put it in the ideal hitting position at impact on every shot.

Discover for yourself (as I did) how pros maximize the true source of power and control that comes from the correct use of the hands, wrists and forearms. Visit http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/ for more details.

It’s ironic timing, yet very fitting that my subject matter for this blog story comes on the eve of the conclusion of the Golf Channel’s Fore Inventors Only. After all, this new program, which was conceived by the same people who created "The Big Break" program series, helped begin the process of taking my Thumbs Down efforts for the past 10+ years to the next level.

On a perfect weather Labor Day late afternoon, after dropping my daughter off at college for her freshman year, I kicked back and watched two major league battles in two sports I love to watch, golf and tennis. These events were especially special because it was the final round of the first ever playoffs in golf, at the Deutsche Bank Championship and the end of the first week at the US Open in tennis, which is always a treat. These events were particularly timely for me because they followed an emotional week, where my daughter developed a nasty throat infection and missed all the weekend activities that the university planned for incoming freshman, prior to her first day of classes (today).

As I constantly switched back to watch every stroke from both events, a strange thought and question crossed my mind that went something like this: What’s the greatest invention of my lifetime? The TV, PC, golf and automobile have to rank as 4 of the my top 5, but watching these events almost simultaneously made one stand out high and above the rest, especially when dealing with a sports freak (ME) and my description of late weekend heaven. The winner in my book as the most useful and valuable tools during my lifetime is the TV remote control.

There’s no question of the importance of the computer and specifically the laptop, a handy device I’d have difficulty doing without. How else could I bring you such an entertaining story as this one? But the personal computer ranks as a distant fifth to the others and especially to the remote control. Living equidistant between New York and Philadelphia really helps because there’s a choice of channels between both major markets, which usually assures easy viewing with just a press or two.

On this Labor Day Monday you couldn’t have asked for more action and drama as I watched the back nine on NBC where Phil Mickelson battled head to head in a 2-some against Tiger Woods, holding on to win the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, while a five set thriller on CBS between James Blake and Tommy Haas was televised at the US Open. Their match jockeyed back and forth, with both players ahead then behind, each with match points until Haas finally won it with an ace that made it in by ¼ inch during the tie-breaker.

So, what do you think is the greatest invention of your lifetime? Also, after tonight’s conclusion to Fore Inventors Only, I’d like your opinion of who the winner should be. If you didn’t watch the show you can see the inventions at http://www.golfchannel.com/. I’m interested in knowing if you watched the show and if you voted. If yes, who did you vote for? If no, who do you think should have won? Please email me your comments at ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info.

...AND DON’T FORGET I’m offering a special for a limited time to customers and subscribers (you) to improve your ball striking with my Front Nine eBook for under $10, then get a 100% trade in (which means it's FREE), to celebrate the opening of the new Back Nine and release of the Pro Plus editions of Thumbs Down, the virtual golf lesson.

Both include foundation ball strikng information and drills that are priceless, for less than the price of a round of golf and lunch at a typical country club. PLUS, I include a virtual lesson using the internet, which let’s us connect to review the lessons and answer questions, just like as if we were together. Please visit my website www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/ and www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/order.htm for product details.

Eye of the Tiger

2007-08-06T21:03:00.000-04:00

Who do you think will finish second at the PGA Championship?

In 2000, I just began a new job and remember the first time meeting my new Regional VP at a local sales meeting and talking golf. After the initial introduction, the above question was the first I asked him. Of course back then I was referring to fact that Tiger Woods was winning every major tournament in sight ...and there was no reason to think anything would change, so the field was playing for second. Little did I realize that was the year the PGA Championship at Medina would come down to an epic battle between Tiger and Bob May.

Yesterday, I took my kids to see the NY Yankees baseball game, a 1:05 start in the Bronx. Planning ahead, I set the timer for 1:00 to tape (an old fashioned VCR) the WGC Bridgestone Championship. Rory Sabbatini held a one shot lead over Tiger going into the final round and was confident, trash talking at every opportunity. All Saturday night I saw replays of the press conference earlier this year at the Wachovia Championship, where Sabbatini also held a lead over Tiger going into the final round, saying how he thought Tiger had lost his edge and was beatable. NOT! Tiger won that event as Sabbatini faded. At Saturday's press conference Tiger reminded everyone how he’s won as many tournaments this year alone as Sabbatini’s career grand total.

As I returned home from a fun afternoon around 7:00, I sat down with my dinner and turned on the replay, not having any idea what had happened. As I began watching, the TV crew explained how going head to head in the final group with Tiger was REALLY hazardous to the game of his competitor. Although their game plans are to play well, be patient and follow their plan, it usually takes only a few holes for them to hit a few bad shots or miss a few putts, then implode. Typically they shoot in the high 70’s or even 80 or above. At the same time, Tiger plays steady, makes pars plus adds a few birdies to take the lead, then pulls away from the field.

All I can say after watching the first few holes yesterday is WOW…WOW and more WOW! It was déjà vu all over again, an instant replay of the past. Like many before him, Sabbatini scrambled on the first hole for par, then started missing fairways. On this day at Firestone Country Club, where Woods has won many times before, the conditions were US Open-like. The rough was long, thick and wet, thanks to a steady rain all day. Sabbatini slopped it up with bogies and doubles on the front nine, while Tiger hit fairways and greens, making pars and birdies and pulling away. He lead by seven shots before the end of the front nine, but put an exclamation point by chipping in twice from off the green.

Tiger is one modern day athlete you don’t mess with, especially when it’s the final round and he’s in your rear view mirror.

Golf’s Majors – Events that never disappoint

2007-07-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

For all those who criticize golf and insist it’s NOT a real sport, what have you been watching for the past forty + years? Ever since I was ten years old and watched Arnold Palmer win the 1964 Masters, I’ve been glued to the TV every year, four times a year during the majors: Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship.

This year’s final round of the 136th British Open (or more officially known as the Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links), won by Padraig Harrington in a playoff vs Sergio Garcia, was yet another nail biting finish that did not disappoint. Isn’t it amazing how even after 72 holes of 300 + yard drives, 250 yard iron shots during regulation play and another four playoff holes, that once again the final outcome came down to a short putt?

Think back to the last time a big time sporting event actually came through with the drama and heart-pounding suspense it was hyped up to be. From my own experiences, the majority of Super Bowls I’ve watched over the years have been mainly disappointing blowouts. The worst hyped events were the big boxing matches. When Ali was at the end of his boxing career I remember getting psyched up a few weeks prior to each fight, only to watch endless rounds of boring clenching and holding. I love baseball and hockey, which is my favorite action packed spectator sport, but when your team is out of it (like my NY Rangers), it’s on to the next season. The other problem that occurs with most other sports is when referees, umpires, judges, etc make judgmental calls that negatively influence the outcome and ruin the game. The recent betting scandal with Tim Donaghy the basketball referee, only accentuates the beauty of golf’s “self policing” style of rule enforcement.

Watching a great golf tournament on a great golf course like the one's they play the majors on is always a treat, even if I’m not rooting for a specific player. This week, I must admit I was rooting for Sergio to break through and erase the demons that haunt those winners who haven’t won a major. Funny thing, Padraig Harrington was in that category himself (for a lot longer) until he shot a final round 67 vs Garcia’s 73 on Sunday, then won the playoff one stroke up. All I can say is, who cares what anyone else thinks. GOLF IS GREAT THEATRE!

Here’s a few questions to leave you with. Your answers and comments are important and welcome, which I plan to post on each blog to make it more interactive and interesting for all:

1. For Sergio, was OPEN week a dream or his worst nightmare?
2. What business related relationship do the winners of the last two British Opens at Carnoustie have in common?

Tiger, a lot like Jack

2007-06-21T13:13:00.000-04:00

U.S. Open
Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
June 14-17, 2007
Defending Champion: Geoff Ogilvy

Everyone remembers Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships and Tiger Wood's relentless pursuit to break it. After watching Tiger move up on the leader board only to come up short to finish second, like he also did at the Masters I quickly remembered how Nicklaus finished runner up 19 times, also a record. To match Jack, Tiger has a lot of disappointment to experience before eventually surpassing him as best of all time. What I clearly noticed at this year's first two majors is how similar these two champions are in their mental approach to preparing for majors.

At major tournaments with the toughest playing conditions, Nicklaus always felt like he had an immediate edge. His reasoning was simple; most of the field eliminated themselves. Look at the scores at Oakmont this year, Winged Foot last year and US Opens since the mid 1960's and you'll see very similar results. With rare exception, the winning scores are near or over par, but a closer look at the entire field shows many top players posting embarrassing rounds in the high 70's or 80's. Finishing scores of +20 or higher are very common.

Tiger, like Jack has the knack to hang in there, grind it out and minimize the damage until there's only a few players left standing to beat. Even when he's way down the leader board after rounds one and two, Tiger almost always seems to get himself back into contention, heading toward the top on Sunday. I would have given great odds that he would come back to win during the final round at Oakmont.

The conditions played into Tiger's favor but at the end the one stroke margin of victory came from the same place it usually does at the pro level, on the greens. The winning edge came from Angel Cabrera's ability to make birdies when he had the chances verses Tiger Wood's inability to do the same. At the end it wasn't how many fairways, or 395 yard bombs off the tee, or greens in regulation as it was getting the ball to drop into the 4 ¼ inch cup at the right time.

For those who don't think golf is a real sport, wake up. Golf is great theatre!

US Open Week, June 14th-17th

2007-06-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

The best golfers, most dedicated fans and media from around the world are in Oakmont, Pennsylvania to see this season's second major championship, the U.S. Open at famed Oakmont Country Club, for a record eighth time. The last time the Open was played at Oakmont was in 1994. Ernie Els claimed the first of his two U.S. Open titles by fending off Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie, in the first three-way playoff since 1963. Oakmont is much different than it was in 1973 when Johnny Miller shot a U.S. Open record round of eight-under 63, beating John Schlee by a stroke. Over 5,000 trees were removed to regain the original links style design plus length added to measure well over 7,200 yards.

Remembering back to last year at Winged Foot, when Geoff Ogilvy gutted out the win as Jim Furyk, Colin Montgomery and the heartbreak loser Phil Mickelson, winner of the previous two majors -- the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2006 Masters, all had finishes they'd like to forget.

Television coverage this week is as follows: ESPN and NBC from 10:00 a.m. (et) until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. NBC will be on air from 3:00-5:00 p.m., while the remaining seven hours of action will be on ESPN. NBC will be on air from 1:00-7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Here are pairings and tee times for days one and two:
# 1 Thursday/# 10 Friday
7:00/12:30 - Ken Duke, Sam Walker, Johnson Wagner
7:11/12:41 - Craig Kanada, Jon Mills, Tom Gillis
7:22/12:52 - Allen Doyle, Olin Browne, Tom Byrum
7:33/1:03 - Nick Dougherty, a-Trip Kuehne, Ricky Barnes
7:44/1:14 - Ryuji Imada, Vaughn Taylor, Michael Campbell
7:55/1:25 - Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, Pablo Martin
8:06/1:36 - Tiger Woods, a-Richie Ramsay, Geoff Ogilvy
8:17/1:47 - Justin Leonard, Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly
8:28/1:58 - Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, Angel Cabrera
8:39/2:09 - Bob Estes, Johan Edfors, Ryan Palmer
8:50/2:20 - Woody Austin, Mathew Goggin, Pat Perez
9:01/2:31 - Jason Allen, Mike Small, Geoffrey Sisk
9:12/2:42 - Michael Berg, a-Jason Kokrak, Kyle Dobbs
12:30/7:00 - Jeff Brehaut, Andrew Buckle, Darron Stiles
12:41/7:11 - Martin Laird, a-Alex Prugh, Todd Fischer
12:52/7:22 - Joe Durant, Steve Stricker, Joey Sindelar
1:03/7:33 - Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Paul Casey
1:14/7:44 - Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson
1:25/7:55 - Jeff Sluman, Fred Funk, Toru Taniguchi
1:36/8:06 - Camilo Villegas, Lucas Glover, Aaron Baddeley
1:47/8:17 - David Howell, J.J. Henry, Rod Pampling
1:58/8:28 - Lee Westwood, Chad Campbell, Carl Pettersson
2:09/8:39 - Brett Quigley, Anthony Wall, Hunter Mahan
2:20/8:50 - Kevin Sutherland, Soren Kjeldsen, Eric Axley
2:31/9:01 - Joe Daley, a-Martin Ureta, Miguel Rodriguez
2:42/9:12 - a-Chris Condello, Adam Speirs, Jacob Rogers

# 10 Thursday/# 1 Friday
7:00/12:30 - Michael Putnam, a-Rhys Davies, Lee Williams
7:11/12:41 - Boo Weekley, Nobuhiro Masuda, Bubba Watson
7:22/12:52 - a-John Kelly, Graeme McDowell, Kirk Triplett
7:33/1:03 - Colin Montgomerie, Chris Dimarco, Tim Clark
7:44/1:14 - Ernie Els, Zach Johnson, Padraig Harrington
7:55/1:25 - Thomas Bjorn, Ben Curtis, Stephen Ames
8:06/1:36 - K.J. Choi, David Toms, Mike Weir
8:17/1:47 - Stuart Appleby, Scott Verplank, Robert Allenby
8:28/1:58 - Todd Hamilton, John Rollins, Anders Hansen
8:39/2:09 - Niclas Fasth, Arron Oberholser, Nathan Green
8:50/2:20 - Nick Watney, Peter Hanson, Harrison Frazar
9:01/2:31 - a-Philip Pettitt Jr, Warren Pineo, John Koskinen
9:12/2:42 - Andy Matthews, a-Jeff Golden, Michael Block
12:30/7:00 - Jason Dufner, Darren Fichardt, Chris Stroud
12:41/7:11 - Brandt Snedeker, Christian Cevaer, Steve Marino
12:52/7:22 - Shaun Micheel, Charl Schwartzel, Tom Pernice Jr.
1:03/7:33 - Nick O'Hern, Brett Wetterich, Robert Karlsson
1:14/7:44 - Kaname Yokoo, Paul Goydos, Kenneth Ferrie
1:25/7:55 - Ian Poulter, Ryan Moore, Shingo Katayama
1:36/8:06 - Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk
1:47/8:17 - Lee Janzen, Steve Elkington, Rich Beem
1:58/8:28 - Charles Howell, Justin Rose, Sean O'Hair
2:09/8:39 - Anthony Kim, Jeev Milkha Singh, Dean Wilson
2:20/8:50 - Tim Petrovic, Marcus Fraser, Tripp Isenhour
2:31/9:01 - D.J. Brigman, a-Richard Lee, George McNeill
2:42/9:12 - Frank Bensel, Todd Rossetti, a-Mark Harrell

Q&A: Who can qualify for the US Open?
Any professional golfer, or any amateur with a USGA men's handicap index of 1.4 or lower, can attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. Many golfers are exempt from sectional qualifying, or exempt from local qualifying but not from sectional. Most of the exemptions are based on such things as performance in other majors, performance in other USGA championships, standing on the money list or world golf rankings, and so on. Assuming you don't qualify for an exemption, then you'll have to take part in a local qualifier. In 2006, local qualifiers were held at 110 locations across the United States, with more than 7,000 golfers taking part.

Elsewhere in professional golf:

EUROPEAN TOUR
OPEN DE SAINT-OMER, Aa Saint Omer Golf Club, Lumbres, France
Last year, Cesar Monasterio closed with a four-under 67 to overcome a five- shot deficit and claim a one-stroke win over Martin Maritz and third-round leader Henrik Nystrom

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby, Somerby Golf Club, Byron, Minnesota
Last year, Brandt Snedeker needed two extra holes to defeat Jeff Quinney. Both players have been playing well this year on the PGA Tour as Snedeker is 43rd on the money list, while Quinney is 27th. Each has practically secured their PGA Tour card for next year with over a $1 million earned to this point in the season.

Last Week's recap:
PGA TOUR
Woody Austin fired a final round eight-under 62 to capture the Stanford St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. Austin played the round of his life when it counted for his fifth win on the PGA Tour.

LPGA TOUR
Suzann Pettersen won the McDonald's LPGA Championship on Sunday and moved up eight places to # 4 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf. Karrie Webb finished runner-up for the second year in a row and knocked Annika Sorenstam from the # 2 position. Sorenstam, the longtime No. 1 before Lorena Ochoa supplanted her earlier this season, is the new # 3.

EUROPEAN TOUR
Richard Green bogeyed the final hole of the BA-CA Golf Open to tie Jean-Francois Remesy at 16-under-par, winning on the first playoff hole, his first win since the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic.

CHAMPIONS TOUR
Jay Haas bogied the final two holes but had a big enough cushion to win The Principal Charity Classic by three strokes.

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Kyle Thompson shot a one-under 70 over Bob Burns to win the Rex Hospital Open in wire-to-wire fashion, his first Nationwide Tour victory.

Pro Tour Recaps - Week of May 31 - June 3

2007-06-05T10:11:00.000-04:00

PGA TOUR
Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village GC
Dublin, Ohio
Defending Champion: Carl Pettersson
Purse: $6,000,000

K.J. Choi overcame a 5-shot deficit to win the Memorial Tournament. Choi, a self taught pro learned to play golf by reading books by Jack Nicklaus and spending hours watching his videos. Australian’s Adam Scott and Rod Pampling, both had leads but could not hold them, as Choi endured for his fifth TOUR win. Full Field Scores

Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA
RiverTowne Country Club
Charleston, South Carolina
Purse: $2,600,000

Nicole Castrale fought from behind to win her first LPGA Tour victory, beating Lorena Ochoa on the first hole of a playoff. Ochoa, was up by six shots Saturday and still ahead by two shots with three holes to play Sunday, but bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes allowed Castrale to tie at the end of regulation. Castrale, who watched Ochoa's drive land in the hazard on the first playoff hole, found the fairway and made a routine par for the win. Full Field Scores

CHAMPIONS TOUR
The Boeing Championship at Sandestin
Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Resort
Sandestin, Florida
Defending Champion: Bobby Wadkins
Purse: $1,650,000

Loren Roberts won The Boeing Championship for his first Champions Tour victory of the year, closing with a 6-under 65 and a 16-under total, for a three-stroke victory over Argentina's Eduardo Romero. Full Field Scores

EUROPEAN TOUR
The Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Resort
City of Newport, Wales
Defending Champion: Robert Karlsson

Richard Sterne of South Africa made a 7-foot putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Wales Open after Bradley Dredge missed a 5-footer that would have forced a playoff. Full Field Scores

NATIONWIDE TOUR
LaSalle Bank Open
The Glen Club
Glenview, Illinois
Defending Champion: Jason Dufner
Purse: $750,000

John Riegger ended a 20+ year draught, winning his first professional tour title. Riegger fought from behind as he holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to finish at 17- under, one-stroke better than B.J. Staten. Full Field Scores

The Girls Rock in New Jersey

2007-05-22T11:31:00.000-04:00

LPGA Tour
Sybase Classic
Upper Montclair Country Club
Clifton, New Jersey
Defending: Lorena Ochoa
Purse: $1,400,000

This week the LPGA made their annual stop in New Jersey, but instead of the usual Shopright Classic from Seaview Marriot, the Sybase Classic took center stage. Playing for the first time at Montclair Country Club, defending champion and the No. 1 player in women's golf Lorena Ochoa won, finishing three strokes ahead of tournament frontrunner Sarah Lee. Ochoa closed the deal with a 4-under 68 for an 18-under tournament total. The duo distanced themselves from the field the day before, turning the outcome into a match play event. The victory was the second of the season and the 11th of her career for the LPGA Tour's top player in 2006. Full Field Scores

Editorial comment:
When I see scores like this, the first thought is that the course was short and easy. It blows my mind to see how low pros go, because as a handicap golfer for over 40 years I know “there’s nothing easy about it”. There’s no such thing as an easy golf course and par was meant to be broken, only by a chosen few. Pro golfers make it look easy because they are that good, miles above the rest of us. Oh well, I’ll just have to settle for breaking 80. Golf’s still the best good habit in my life. Email your thoughts to: AJM.ME@thumbsdown.info.

Also this week in the world of NJ Golf:

Matt Davidson from West Windsor, who qualified to play on the PGA Tour in 2005 shot a 65 in the final round to finish in sixth place (his best finish of the year) and on the Hooters Tour. Davidson finished at 12 under par and now ranks 24th on the tour’s money list.

Davidson had an unusual “be careful what you wish for” experience in 2004 by playing the best six rounds of his life at Q-School, qualifying to play on the PGA Tour. In his first round as a pro he was paired with Michele Wie during the 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii. As his father put it, “it’s like he started his career with the NY Yankees. A great learning experience, but talk about pressure”.

This week's other Pro Tour events:

PGA Tour
AT&T Classic
TPC at Sugarloaf
Duluth, Georgia
Defending: Phil Mickelson
Purse: $5,400,000

Master’s Champion Zack Johnson validated is credentials as a PGA winner at the AT&T Classic (formerly the Bell South), beating Ryuji Imada on the first hole of a playoff. After Imada slightly pulled his approach shot into the water, Johnson abandoned his conservative strategy that helped him win the Masters, by laying up on par 5’s. This time went for it and landed his second shot onto the 18th green, leaving a 60-footer for eagle. His approach putt finished a few inches from the hole, with a tap in for the victory. Johnson, also the 2004 winner, closed with a 5-under 67, 15-under par. Full Field Scores

European Tour
Irish Open
Adare Manor Golf Club
Limerick, Ireland
Defending: Thomas Bjorn

Padraig Harrington became the first Irishman to win the Irish Open in 25 years Sunday, beating Welshman Bradley Dredge on the first hole of a playoff. Full Field Scores

Nationwide Tour
BMW Charity Pro-Am
The Cliffs
Greenville, South Carolina
Defending: Ken Duke
Purse: $650,000 ($117,000 to winner)

Nick Flanagan birdied his final three holes Sunday and shot a 7-under 65 to win the BMW Charity Pro-Am, his second Nationwide Tour victory in a row. In the final round he pulled ahead of third-round leader, Richard Johnson and Tommy Gainey, a contestant from the Golf Channel series "The Big Break" who had a disappointing final round of 77. Full Field Scores

Champions Tour
The Regions Charity Classic
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Hoover, Alabama
Defending: Brad Bryant
Purse: $1,600,000

Brad Bryant repeated as champion by beating R.W. Eaks on the third hole of a playoff, becoming the first player to win the tournament twice. After both players parred the 470-yard par-4, 18th hole twice in the playoff, Bryant sank a 13-foot birdie putt to win. Full Field Scores

Canadian Tour
Iberostar Riviera Maya Open
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Spencer Levin finished with a 7-under 65, for a 21-under-par total to win his first tour title. Full Field Scores

Pro Tour Recaps - Week of Apr 26-29

2007-05-07T19:42:00.000-04:00

EDS Byron Nelson Championship
TPC at Four Seasons
Irving, Texas
Defending: Brett Wetterich
Purse: $6,300,000

Scott Verplank won the tournament he's always wanted to win, in front of the home town crowd. After his 2-foot par putt fell into the hole for a dream victory, Verplank dropped into a squatting position and looked skyward, almost in disbelief. He did his best Ben Crenshaw imitation, after he won the 1995 Masters.

Back then Harvey Penik, Crenshaw’s childhood mentor who died the week before the Masters, provided the inspiration that seemed to make all the difference. Crenshaw fell to his knees and cried after his victory. This year’s host the late Byron Nelson ,who died last year at the age of 95 played a similar role for Verplank as a young player. If you ever believed in fate, these two player’s victories gave plenty of reasons to believe. Luke Donald started the day up by one stroke. His lead had grown to three after making a 12-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole, where Verplank began a his own 3-hole birdie run.

The tournament shifted at the ninth hole when Donald’s tee shot hooked into the trees and he made double bogey. Verplank closed with a 4-under-66 at 13-under, a stroke ahead of Luke Donald for his fifth PGA TOUR victory, his first since the 2001 Canadian Open. Phil Mickelson, Jerry Kelly, Rory Sabbatini and Ian Poulter tied for third at 10 under.

Mickelson played in his first tournament since the Masters and officially switching swing instructors from Rick Smith to Butch Harmon. Do you think players of this caliber need swing coaches? Email your opinion to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info.

This victory was much more valuable to Verplank than the $1.134 million check and a custom-made motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers. It was the 21st Nelson tournament for Verplank, who considers the event his fifth major because of the man for which it's named -- and who used to write him encouraging notes. Verplank wasonce a standard bearer at the tournament, where his mother was a volunteer. Full Field Scores

Corona Championship
Tres Marias Residential Golf Club
Morelia, Mexico
Defending: Lorena Ochoa
Purse: $1,300,000

Italy's Silvia Cavalleri won her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 66 and a 20-under par total, for a two-stroke victory over Lorena Ochoa and Julieta Granada. Cavalleri had seven birdies in her bogey-free final round in light rain and earned $195,000. Ochoa, the 2006 winner playing her first tournament as the No. 1 player in the world, shot a 68. Granada, also second last year, also finished with a 68.

Cavalleri took the lead with birdies on Nos. 5-7, forcing Ochoa to take a more aggressive approach. The Mexican star pushed hard, but missed several birdies. She lost a ball on the 15th, but came back to par the hole. Pat Hurst shot a 70 to finish fourth, five strokes back at 15 under. South Korean rookie Na On Min (72) followed at 13 under.

Stacy Prammanasudh, the Fields Open winner in Hawaii in February, closed with a 70 to finish at 12 under. Prammanasudh began the day well, birdieing six of her first 10 holes, but then stumbled with a bogey on the tricky 13th, followed by a double bogey on the 14th and a bogey on the 18th. Full Field Scores

Open de Espana
Centro National de Golf
Madrid, Spain
Defending: Niclas Fasth
Purse: $2,715,000

Charl Schwartzel claimed his second European Tour title, with a 15-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole to shoot a 5-under 67 in the final round to beat Jyoti Randhawa by a stroke. The South African hit a spectacular 3-iron shot more than 230 yards into the wind at the end of a long day. Schwartzel bogied the 18th and finished at 16-under. His first win came in December 2004 at the age of 20 at the Dunhill Championship.

Randhawa, still looking for his first European Tour win, ended alone in second place at 15-under following a round of 67. He missed an 18-inch par putt at the 15th hole which turned out to be the difference. Carlos Rodiles shot a 72 and finished in third place at 14-under. Simon Dyson (71) and Mark Foster (68) tied for fourth place at 13-under, while Fredrik Andersson (68) and Andres Romero (66) finished another shot further back at 276.

Three days of weather delays totaling nearly 12 hours pushed the bulk of the third round to Sunday morning. When the last round finally began, Schwartzel was three shots off Rodiles' 54- hole lead. But as it wound down, he found himself chasing Randhawa, finally catching the leader with a birdie at the 13th hole. Full Field Scores

Henrico County Open
The Dominion Club
Glen Allen, Virginia
Defending: Matt Kuchar
Purse: $500,000

Nick Flanagan the 2003 U.S. Amateur champion needed three playoff holes to earn his first tour win. Flanagan, birdied the third extra hole to defeat Chris Baryla for the title.

Roland Thatcher and Bryn Parry had been eliminated on the first two extra holes. Flanagan carded a 2-under 70 in the final round to finish at 13-under-par. Baryla, Parry's playing partner, matched that 70, while the final pairing of Parry and Thatcher each carded final-round 71s to force the extra session. At the third playoff hole 18th, Baryla found a greenside bunker with this second shot. Flanagan's second bounced just over the green into the rough. Baryla blasted out to 4 feet, then Flanagan chipped within a foot. Baryla missed his birdie putt as Flanagan tapped in for birdie and his first tour title. "That's about the longest half-foot putt I've ever had," joked Flanagan, who picked up $81,000 for the win. Full Field Scores

Pro Tour recaps - April 19-22, 2007

2007-04-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

PGA TOUR
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Defending: Chris Couch
Purse: $6,100,000 ($1,098,000 to winner)

Nick Watney won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, closing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Ken Duke. Watney became the fifth first-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season and the fifth first-time winner in the last six years at New Orleans' annual PGA TOUR event. He joins Chris Couch (2006), Tim Petrovic (2005), Steve Flesch (2003) and K.J. Choi (2002).

After sleeping on a two-stroke final round lead, Watney got off to a shaky start. He bogeyed two of his first four holes, before the shot of the tournament occurred. On the par-4 fifth Watney holed his132-yard approach shot for an eagle, to pull back into a tie for the lead. The turning point of the tournament didn’t occur until the 14th, when Watney stuck his tee shot to short birdie range while Duke's tee shot landed short and left of the green. When his chip went 7 feet past the pin and he missed the par putt, he fell two shots back. Watney parred the final four holes, missing the fairway only once off the tee and hitting every green in regulation.

TOUR rookie Anthony Kim had the best round of the day, a 65 -- one shot off the course record that fellow rookie Kyle Reifers set Thursday. The round of nine birdies and two bogeys left him tied for third with John Mallinger at 11 under.

Heading into the final round, 13-time winner Mark Calcavecchia was the only player in the top five with a previous victory. He started the day only three shots back and appeared primed to close in on the lead, but never seriously challenged. With a final round 71 Calcavecchia tied for fifth with Bubba Watson and Chris Stroud at 10 under.

The tournament switched locations from the course at English Turn to the current location in 2005, only months before it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Over 2,000 fallen trees clogged drains and flooded the course, which was closed for 10 months, with $2 million in repairs to 30 acres of damaged turf.

Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11101&dv=7396180&select=9617

EUROPEAN TOUR
BMW Asian Open
Tomson Golf Course
Shanghai, China
Defending: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Purse: $2,300,000

Raphael Jacquelin was helped by early birdies during the final round to complete a wire-to-wire victory. The Frenchman made four bogeys on his last six holes, but held on for his second European Tour title.

Jacquelin's 1-over 73 was good enough at 10-under for a two-shot win over Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen who finished alone in second place at 8-under. Kjeldsen made a double-bogey at the 14th and a bogey at #16, one of a handful of players who made the win easier for Jacquelin. Asian Tour regulars Simon Yates (74) and Scott Hend (75) tied for third place at 7-under while 2005 champion and world #5 Ernie Els (72) shared fifth place with Richard Sterne (69), Sung-Man Lee (73) and Markus Brier (74) at 6-under. Kjeldsen, Yates and Hend played the final five holes a combined 8 over par.

Further down the leader board, several of the biggest names in the tournament posted commendable finishes. Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 73 Sunday and finished in a five-way tie for 10th place at 4-under. World #8 Retief Goosen closed with a 71 and tied for 15th place alongside eight-time Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie (77) and two others at 3-under.

Scoring was considerably higher Sunday than it had been in the first three rounds. A windy, rainy Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club was tough on just about everyone, especially down the stretch.

Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11105&dv=8732923&select=9762

CHAMPIONS TOUR
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa
Savannah, Georgia
Defending: Jay Haas
Purse: $2,500,000

Jay Haas parred the first playoff hole to defeat Tom Kite and successfully defend his title at the Legends of Golf on Sunday. Both made spectacular up-and-downs at 18 in regulation, a feat others were not able to accomplish. Kite came up short with his second, then chipped to 12 feet and made the putt. Haas hit a spectacular bunker shot to 2 feet to join Kite at 9-under-par.

In their playoff, Kite and Haas both found the fairway on the difficult 18th hole, but neither player hit the green in regulation. Haas had mud on his ball and the approach shot sailed long and right, then he chipped to 2 feet, all but guaranteeing a par. Kite hit a poor shot 55 feet short of the stick, then left himself with 4 feet for par as his long birdie putt for the win sailed past the hole. Kite then missed the par putt, as Haas tapped in for his eighth Champions Tour victory and his second this season.

Mark James, who held the lead throughout much of the final round, lost first place when he three-putted the 17th hole. He was tied for the top spot on 18, but he ran his birdie putt 7 feet by, then missed his par effort. Wayne Levi also stood atop the leader board on Sunday, but an errant drive hurt him on the closing hole. He landed in the right rough and hit his approach into the same bunker Haas saved par from in regulation. Unfortunately for Levi, he was not as fortunate as his 6-footer that could have gotten him in the playoff stayed above ground.

James and Levi both shot 70s and tied for third place with Gil Morgan (67) and Brad Bryant (70) at 8-under-par. Nick Price posted his best showing on the Champions Tour thanks in part to a 7-under 65 on Sunday. He tied for seventh place with Hale Irwin, who carded a final-round 69, at minus-7.

Eduardo Romero had a final round of 6-under 66 and tied for ninth with Bobby Wadkins as he shot a 5-under 67. Both finish the tournament at 5-under-par. Loren Roberts' Champions Tour record of 37 consecutive rounds of par or better came to an end on Sunday as he posted a 3-over 75 to tie for 16th at minus-2.

Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9722

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Athens Regional Foundation Classic
Jennings Mill Country Club
Bogart, Georgia
Defending: Paul Gow
Purse: $500,000

Martin Laird birdied the 72nd hole on Sunday to collect his first Nationwide Tour victory. He posted a 2-under 70 and won with a score of 16-under-par.

Laird did not get off to a great start Sunday as he bogeyed the 3rd hole, but birdies at #4 and #6 and another at #10 gave him a two-shot lead, then added back to back birdies at #13 and #14 to pad his advantage.

Justin Bolli and Jeremy Anderson both fired rounds of 6-under 66 on Sunday and watched as Laird birdied 18 to cost them a chance at a playoff. They completed four rounds at 15-under-par. Michael Letzig carded a 6-under 66 to take fourth at minus-14, while Robert Damron moved up 21 spots in the final round thanks to an 8-under 64. He came in fifth place at 13-under-par.

Bolli was 2 under on the front, but recorded four birdies in his first seven holes of the back nine. Anderson was even through 10 holes with one birdie and one bogey, but he amassed six birdies in his final eight holes to suddenly become a clubhouse leader at minus-15. Things became undone quickly for Laird after he bogeyed 15 and 16 to tie him for the lead with Bolli and Anderson. Laird then birdied the par-5 closing hole to secure his first victory on the Nationwide Tour. He earned the victory despite the great back-nine play from his closest competitors.

Hunter Haas and David Hearn both posted rounds of 5-under 67 on Sunday and shared sixth with Nicholas Thompson, who trailed by one at the start of the round, but only managed an even-par 72 in round four. The trio finished at minus-12. John Riegger shot a 66 and claimed ninth at 11-under-par.

Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11103&dv=5321798&select=9828

Pro Tour recaps - April 12-15, 2007

2007-04-19T13:08:00.001-04:00

Welcome to a new chapter in the evolution of The Thumbsdown Method blog. For those of you who receive my newsletters, the changes will be transparent. Be aware that a new audience comprised of readers from a top regional golf magazine will be joining you. Checkout http://www.njgolflinks.com/

During the next few weeks this blog will be transitioned to a new format called, Turn Golf into Business, driving business through the power of Golf. At that time my audience will begin to grow exponentially. Again, everything will be transparent to you. You're still just a click away from interesting recaps of each week's Pro Tour events, plus questions you can respond to and view in the next week's blog. The blog's future content will be a combination of many sources of golf and business related material that fits the theme, including your input which is always welcome.

Email all comments to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info

Enjoy last week's Pro Tour recap:

PGA Tour
Verizon Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Defending Champion: Aaron Baddeley
Purse: $5,400,000 ($972,000 to winner)

Boo Weekley, the 33-year-old country boy from the Florida Panhandle didn’t need his putter on either of the two final holes on this challenging Monday finish, after play was cancelled on Sunday, due to unplayable weather conditions. Don’t think for a moment that his lack of a putter implies that he coasted to his first victory. It was anything BUT!

As I tuned into The Golf Channel, playing conditions were brutal as winds, though not as fierce as Sunday, continued to tilt flagsticks on Harbour Town's three closing holes when play resumed at 8:00 a.m. The sand from a bunker along the left side of #16 covered a large part of the fairway.

Weekly had just teed off at #16, a par 4 into a 25+ mph crosswind. At that point he was tied with Stephen Leany, until Leany hooked his second shot to #16 into a tree and out of bounds for a double bogie. Weekly missed a 4-foot tester for a bogie and a now had a one shot lead over a charging Ernie Els, who had just birdied the par 5, 15th. That’s when the drama started.

Weekly hit his seven iron to the par 3 17th, 30 yards long, once again right into the teeth of the wind. His first pitch looked like one of mine as he half hit it 10 feet short into the bank and uphill to the green. He took almost no time before chipping up, then rolling 20 feet right into the hole for par, retaining his lead on Els.

On #18 Weekly did it again, after coming up short and right of the green on his second shot, then chipping his third through the green, one role away finishing unplayable down on the rocks. This time he had a severe sidehill stance, with an uphill chip into a fierce sideways wind, about 20 feet. His chip ended up with the same result and a par, but this time for his first win.

The last scare BOO! faced (sorry, I had to throw that it) was when Els needed to hole out from the 18th fairway to tie and just missed by two feet, for a tap in birdie. Boo Weekly’s first PGA Tour win was well deserved, especially after coming so close at The Honda Classic, when he missed a 3 footer to win. This win got him a spot in next year's Masters.

Jerry Kelly, the third round leader who had a hole-in-one on Saturday, watched his chances to end a nearly five-year-old victory drought, slip away when he drove into the water on #10. He finished with a frustrating 77.

Trivia Question: What connection does Weekly’s finish have in common with Craig Perks? When and where? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.

For full field results, click here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9615

LPGA Tour
Ginn OPEN
Reunion Resort & Club
Reunion, Florida
Defending Champion: Mi Hyun Kim
Purse: $2,600,000

Brittany Lincicome, started the day four shots behind Lorena Ochoa and Laura Davies, but survived a blustery day and a six-hour round better than everyone else to shoot an even-par 72 and win her second career LPGA Tournament. Last year, Lincicome surprised an elite field to win the HSBC Women's World Match Play, at Hamilton Farms in New Jersey.

Conditions were simply brutal. Morning storms delayed play for 2 1/2 hours, and once the sky cleared, the wind followed. A 41 mph gust was measured in the area Sunday afternoon, and the wind steadily blew in the 20-25 mph range, causing an already tough course to nearly become unbearable.

The 21-year-old battled and hung in there on a day where only one player broke par and earned $390,000 for the win. She finished at 10 under, one shot better than Lorena Ochoa (77) - who was 6 over on her final six holes. It was a stunning collapse that cost Ochoa an opportunity to pass Annika Sorenstam for the top spot in world rankings.

Laura Davies (79) had the outright lead with two holes to play, but three-putted her way to double bogey at the 17th and then bounced around bunkers for a disastrous triple bogey at the last. She finished alone in third at 7 under, one shot better than Juli Inkster and Nicole Castrale. Se Ri Pak finished tied for sixth place, which gave her enough points to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, as soon as she completes her tenth tournament this year.

The day's average score was 76.5, 4 1/2 shots higher than it was Saturday. Natalie Gulbis, who started the day tied for third and four shots off the lead, shot an 80 and finished 2 under, and 10 other players shot in the 80s. "Tough conditions prove who's the best player," Ochoa said. "And today it was Brittany, for sure."

Give your opinion: Today, active LPGA players qualify for The Hall of Fame. Do you agree with that format or should they wait until after their playing days are over, like in men’s golf and all other sports? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.

For full field scores: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9825

European Tour
Volvo China Open
Shanghai Silport Golf Club
Shanghai, China
Defending Champion: Jeev Milkha Singh
Purse: $2,000,000

Austrian Markus Brier won the China Open by five strokes with a final-round four-under 67 to finish at 10-under par. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (69), Andrew McLardy of South Africa (70) and Scott Hend of Australia (71) tied for second. South Africa's Richard Sterne chipped in for an eagle on #18 for a 70, finishing a stroke back. Brier earned $333,390 out of a purse of $2 million at the tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9837

Nationwide Tour
South Georgia Classic
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
Valdosta, Georgia
Purse: $600,000

John Kimbell, a 38-year-old Nationwide Tour rookie, shot a 3-under 69 for his long awaited first career win. Kimbell made a birdie at #16 to edge Australia's Matthew Jones by one shot, finishing at 10-under-par overall. He was the only player who broke 70 during the final round, claiming the $108,000 first prize.

Jeff Klauk (71) and Chez Reavie (72) tied for third place at five-under, with former PGA Tour player Carlos Franco (73) another shot back. Paul Dickinson, who shared the overnight lead with Jones, struggled to a seven-over 79 and tumbled all the way into a tie for 13th place at one-under.

The tournament was decided from holes 12-16. Jones bogeyed the 12th to fall one shot back, then tied Kimbell again with a birdie at the 14th. But Kimbell pulled ahead for good when he birdied the 16th, then held on with consecutive pars to win in just his ninth Nationwide Tour start.

Just like all other pro tours on Sunday April 15, wind wreaked havoc. Kimbell scored more than six shots better than the field average for the final round, on a course he knows well, having won his third Hooters Tour title there last September.

For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9567

2007-02-24T19:18:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the recap of this week's feature event and a Thumbs Down method instruction tip.

WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship
The Gallery at Dove Mountain (South Course)
Tucson, AZ
February 21 - 25
Defending Champion: Geoff Ogilvy

A golf tournament is typically like a four day marathon. You can't win it on the first day, but you can lose it. In match play events, like this week's Accenture Match Play Championship it's a sprint all the way. Bottom line, win today's match or go home.

As Jack Nicklaus suggested, match play teaches a player to close the deal every day. In match play format a player can play well and lose or play just OK and win. With players of this high level, seed rankings mean nothing. Just like the famous football expression goes "on any given day anyone can beat anyone". What happened yesterday is ancient history. Finding a way to win is all that matters day after day. In this event a player needs to win five tough matches just to make the 36 hole final.

On day one, with a field of 64 players competing for $8 million of total prize money, most of the favorites won their matches. The most notable exception was Ernie Els, who made a quick exit. When your putter escapes you, it makes for a long day as Els missed four putts inside 10 feet, losing 4 and 2 to Bradley Dredge of Wales.

On day two, Tiger Woods kept his hopes alive to win his 8th straight PGA TOUR event by beating Tim Clark 6&5. However, on this day many upsets of top bracket seeds occurred, including Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and VJ Singh.

On day three, Nick O'Hern established himself as the modern times Tiger slayer. O'Hern accomplished something no one else in the world of golf has been able to. In a shocker, he beat Tiger Woods for the second time head to head in a match play event. There goes Tiger's winning streak and this weekend's TV ratings.

It was a day that Woods simply didn't have it. The weather didn't help either, as it was windy and frigid by desert standards, with a little rain added at times. His drives were blocked right and pulled left on a horrendous front nine, where he would surely have scored in the 40's if it was stroke play. Who would have thunk that!

After clawing back from a 4-down deficit to tie the match on 18, (in typical Tiger fashion) the REAL shocker happened when he missed a 4-foot birdie putt to win on the first extra hole. This time it was Tiger's turn to experience the meaning of "sudden death", as O'Hern saved par with a 12-foot putt that barely snuck into the hole, to win on the 20th hole. He made a nice up and down on a long greenside bunker shot, after watching Tiger fail to get it within 20 feet on his chip from off the green.

It was no surprise for me to see Tiger make a strong comeback after falling behind. He was 4 down after eight holes and looked more like a club player than the world's #1. As he stood over his 10 foot birdie putt on 18th to tie the match, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was a virtual gimmie. You knew he would make it and he did.

What happened in the playoff was a different story, one of those "I can't believe what I just saw" events. No one ever thought Tiger would miss a 4 footer to win, then NOT getting up and down and losing was a rare event. If you missed seeing this, you missed golf history. After watching it on TV live, as a golfer I don't remember feeling so human.

For current standings of all brackets paste this link into your Internet browser: http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/leaderboards/current/r470/

Thumbs Down Method Instruction tip:
Start with Solid Contact … and work backwards

What this means is that although ALL the steps that make up the entire golf swing are important (all 10,000+), learning to square the club at impact should be on top of your list. Simply put; First teach yourself to control the clubface (with the hands), using it as a tool to get the job done. For best results, discipline yourself to focus your practice sessions on the impact zone.

Try this Drill: Take slow motion swings only to calf or waist height, making a Thumbs Down motion as you strike down on the ball. After getting the feel of making solid contact on the sweet spot, your confidence level will dramatically improve, along with your game. Lower scores are not a guarantee …they are the natural results.

Thumbs Down method - Newsletter2, Feb 07

2007-02-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

On Super Bowl Sunday the final round of these pro tour events were played:

PGA TOUR
FBR Open
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona

Aaron Baddeley shot his second straight 7-under 64 and took advantage of Jeff Quinney's collapse down the final four holes to win the FBR Open by one shot. Trailing by three strokes with four holes to play, Baddeley made three consecutive birdies from No. 15 to secure his second career PGA TOUR victory, completing the lowest weekend score in tournament history.

Formally the Phoenix Open, this tournament which finishes annually on Super Bowl Sunday enjoys a football game-like atmosphere. It's louder and routier than any other event all year, with the only exception being the Ryder Cup, where the Golf Gods permit (and expect) heavy fan participation like this. The 16th hole is unique in all of golf, resembling a stadium where booing is permitted, but Noonan's are not allowed. It's also lined with corporate boxes which account for a majority of the tournaments revenue, loyal is the only other tournament that even this kind of more like a than golf.

It ain't over till it's over is a Yogi –ism, which has never played so true to form as it has so far this season on the PGA TOUR. With the exception of season opening Mercedes Championship, each week has seen the leader going into the final round falter and NOT finish the deal, even when it looked like they were going to win.

Quinney, a former US Amateur Champion and Nationwide Tour grad seemingly handed Baddeley the win. He had the opportunity to put it virtually out of reach but missed a short birdie putt on 15. Later, he hooked his tee shot into the water on 17, made a great chip within 4 feet, before missing the short putt and settling for bogey, then another on 18. He finished one shot behind John Rollins, who slipped into secondplace at 20-under after quietly shooting the round of the day with an 8-under 63. Rollins may have forced a playoff if he hadn't gotten unlucky at the 18th. His approach shot was dead-on, but it hit the flag stick and rolled back off the front of the green, where he made par. In my recap of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic I referred to Rollins as a "who is this guy?"unknown player. He's owed more respect than that, as he's playing very well this year so far. Here's a trivia question: Who's the current FedEx Cup leader? Answer: John Rollins.

Baddeley, meanwhile earned the victory when he made a 10-footer for birdie on 17 and pulled ahead by one shot. He closed with a routine par at the 18th to finish at 21-under-par to win the $1.08 million first prize.

EUROPEAN TOUR
Dubai Desert Classic
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

Playing the final round in sandstorm conditions in the desert, Henrik Stenson won the Dubai Desert Classic. The Swede closed with a 4-under 68 to finish the tournament at 19-under-par. Third-round leader Ernie Els, finished second at minus-18. The three-time winner struggled early with three bogeys on the first six holes to shoot a 1-under 71.

Tiger Woods steadly moved up the leaderboard every day and had his chances to challenge Stenson, but had a frustrating day on the greens to finish two back. Woods birdied four of the final six holes to shoot 3-under 69, tieing for third place with Niclas Fasth, who shot a final round 68, at 17-under-par. Ross Fisher, who held at least a share of the lead after the first two rounds, closed with a 71 to finish in fifth at minus-16. Fisher joined Woods, Els, Fasth and Stenson as the five players who owned at least a share of the lead during the final round, before he finished with all bogeys from the 16th.

Peter Hanson shot 1-under 71 Sunday to take sixth at 14-under-par 274. Simon Dyson, Prom Meesawat and Jyoti Randhawa were one stroke further back at minus-13. Thomas Bjorn, shared 10th place at 12-under-par with Robert Karlsson, Maarten Lafeber and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

WOMEN'S EUROPEAN TOUR
Australian Women's Open

Karrie Webb shot an even-par 72 in the final round of the Australian Women's Open for asix-stroke win. Webb, who began the day with a four-stroke lead over Wei Yun-jye of Taiwan, never saw her lead drop below three shots to finish at 10-under. Wei shot 74 to finish second at 4-under.

Paula Marti of Spain and Minea Blomqvist of Finland, each with closing 69s, finished tied for third at 2-under. Brittany Lincicome of the United States and Shin Ji-yai of South Korea also finished with 69s and were another shot back tied for fifth. Katherine Hull of Australia shot a 7-under 65, the best round of the day, to move into ninth place at 1-over. Two of the highest profile golfers in the field had disastrous final rounds. Laura Davies shot 77 to finish at 13-over, while Natalie Gulbis had an 81 and finished at 14-over.

Hot off the presses:
U.S. Women's Open Adopts Three-Hole Playoff

Beginning in 2007, the playoff format for the U.S. Women's Open will be changed to a three-hole aggregate total immediately following the end of regulation play. Until this year, players tied after 72 holes faced an 18-hole playoff the day after regulation play to determine the winner, like last year at Newport (R.I.) Country Club when Annika Sorenstam defeated Pat Hurst. The 2007 Women's Open is scheduled from June 28-July 1 at Pine NeedlesLodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

Thumbs Down method - Newsletter Jan 28

2007-02-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

This week on the pro tours:

PGA TOUR
Buick Invitational
SAN DIEGO, CA
Jan 25-28

Tiger Woods won his third straight Buick Invitational, for his seventh consecutive victory on the PGA TOUR, the second-longest winning steak in history. Byron Nelson set the record in 1945 with 11 in a row, another one of those records nobody thought was in reach of ever being threatened.

With Tiger, the final result is becoming all too predictable, even when he's on the second page of the leaderboard during the early rounds. These days it's just a matter of WHEN and not IF he'll catch the leaders and win, especially when the top contenders combined have a total of one win. Woods caught up to the pack during the final round with an eagle on the 9th hole, then buried the final challengers on the back nine for a 6-under 66. He got help when Andrew Buckle and Jeff Quinney, who shared the lead on the back nine until they both stumbled on a cool, breezy afternoon at Torrey Pines. Charles Howell III provided the final challenge with three birdies in a four-hole stretch and tour rookie Brandt Snedeker, who held the lead from the opening day with a 61 closed with a 71 and finished third.

The way Woods is playing reminds me of the 2000 season when he won six in a row, including two majors, the US OPEN and PGA. To put it in perspective, since July he's finished no worse than second in stroke play anywhere in the world. Even though Nelson's record was a true winning streak and Wood's isn't because he lost once in Europe and twice in Asia since September, it counts in the PGA TOUR record books.Should Byron Nelson's record be in jeopardy of being broken? My own personal opinion is that Nelson won eleven tournaments in a row and that's the record. The tour he played them on is irrelevant so Nelson's record should stand. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

EUROPEAN TOUR
The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
DOHA, Qatar
Jan 25-28

Playing the 17th hole in the final round Nick O'Hern held a two stroke lead, then quickly lost it to Retief Goosen who finished birdie - eagle to win over a stunned O'Hern. Goosen, O'Hern and Richard Green started the final round tied for the lead. With two holes remaining Goosen held a share of the lead until he bogied the 15th, then fell two back when O'Hern birdied 16. Green fell off the pace during the final five holes with three bogies an eagle and a birdie on 18 to finish tied for fourth with Graeme McDowell and Stuart Appleby. 2005 champion Ernie Els, finished third with a 5-under 67.

CHAMPIONS TOUR
Turtle Bay Championship
KAHUKU, Hawaii
Jan 26-28

Fred Funk cruised to his second Champions Tour victory after posting his second consecutive round of 8-under 64 in the final round at the Turtle Bay Championship. Funk's 23 under par is the lowest score in relation to par in a 54-hole tournament in Champions Tour history. His birdie on the final hole and Tom Kite's bogey made the margin of victory 11. That bested the previous Champions Tour record for largest margin of victory by two.

Kite threw away an easy runner-up finish down the stretch. He dropped three shots in the final two holes and fell into a tie for second at 12-under-par. He was joined by Loren Roberts, the 2006 champion, Tom Purtzer, Denis Watson and Kiyoshi Murota. Tim Simpson, D.A. Weibring and David Eger shared eighth place at 11-under-par. Scott Simpson, David Edwards and Mike Reid tied for 10th at minus-10.

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Movistar Panama Championship
PANAMA CITY, Panama
Jan 25-28

Miguel Carballo fired a 5-under 65 in the final round to win the Nationwide Tour's 2007 season-opener. He finished at 6-under-par for a two-shot victory over three players: Jim McGovern, Hunter Haas and Patrick Sheehan. Third-round leader Marc Yurnesa shot a 73 and slipped into a tie for fifth place with Camilo Benedetti.

Carballo is the third Latin American to win on the Nationwide Tour after Paraguay's Angel Franco and Keoke Cotner and Esteban Toledo of Spain. His victory came at the same course, Panama Golf Club, where another famous Argentine golfer won: Hall of Famer Roberto De Vicenzo. Jeremy Anderson shot a 67 to move into a tie for seventh place at 2-under. He was joined there by Chris Nallen, Tim Wilkinson, Richard Johnson and Gary Christian.

Thumbs Down method - Newsletter Jan 20

2007-02-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

While many of us were watching the NFL playoffs on Sunday January 21 to determine this year's Super Bowl finalists, these pro golf events were taking place:

PGA TOUR
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
PALM DESERT, CA
Jan 17-21

Justin Rose shot a 6-under 66 to take sole possession of the lead after three rounds of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at 18-under-par and looked in control to win his first PGA TOUR event. Unfortunately for Rose, he joined last week's final round leader Charles Howell III as frontrunners, hungry for a win but who couldn't close the deal. Rose finished one stroke back to the eventual winner Charley Hoffman (who??), who finished regulation with a birdie and an eagle to post at 17-under-par. Hoffman then defeated John Rollins (another who??) on the first playoff hole.

Low scoring, sometimes 30 or more under par is the norm for this five round, 90 hole tournament, the only one on the PGA TOUR schedule. It's rotated over four courses for the first four rounds: Bermuda Dunes Country Club, the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West, La Quinta Country Club and The Classic Club, which will host the final round on Sunday. This year's winning score defied past history by going in reverse during the final round, mostly due to gusting winds over 40 mph. The winds were so severe they almost cancelled the final round. Last year in January I played a round in Florida with this same type of wind. You know the conditions are difficult when the wind is howling so hard that the ball actually wobbles on the green as you're putting.

With the exception of defending champion Phil Mickelson, who kicked off his 2007 season at this event, the leaderboard consisted of very few familiar names to the casual viewer. In addition to Hoffman and Rollins, other lesser known players in contention included: Lucas Glover, Charles Warren, John Senden, Matt Kuchar, Dean Wilson, Heath Slocum Vaughn Taylor, Charles Warren, Cliff Kresge and Jeff Quinney to name a few.

Think about how good these guys are. Every week they battle and typically finish their four rounds under par, ending up so far down on the leader board that we don't even notice. When was the last time any of us had a round under par, let alone four? NEVER is the honest answer. Hey, these guys are REALLY GOOD! As for Mickelson, he closed with a 6-over 78 to share 45th at seven-under-par. Not bad for a week the press described as atrocious.

CHAMPIONS TOUR
MasterCard Championship
KA'UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii
Jan 19-21

Anyone who thought Hale Irwin was too old and washed up is sadly mistaken. Irwin showed how competitive and determined he was in the off-season, as he won the Champions Tour's season-opening MasterCard Championship, beating Jim Thorpe and Tom Kite by five strokes for his tour-record 45th victory. Coming off his first winless season in 12 years, the 61-year-old Irwin closed with a 7-under 65 for a 23-under winning score.

Last year, he was shutout for the first time since joining the Champions Tour in 1995 and saw his streak of seasons with $1 million in winnings end at 10. On Saturday, Irwin had 10 birdies and almost shot his age, but missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 and settled for a 62. He has dominated in Hawaii like no other golfer, winning nine times on the senior tour, including the 1997 MasterCard and also taking the 1981 Hawaiian Open on the PGA Tour. As a side note, Gary Player is still playing on the Champions Tour and CAN STILL play, as he shot his age of 69 two out of the three rounds.

Jay Haas and first-round leader Brad Bryant tied for fifth place at 15-under-par. D.A. Weibring and Tom Jenkins both shot rounds of 5-under 67 and shared seventh place at minus-14. Eduardo Romero (68), Tom Watson (68), Jerry Pate (70) and Allen Doyle (70) tied for ninth place at 13-under-par. Dana Quigley, the iron man of golf who won here in 2003 and 2005, was in contention until fading in the final round.

Just think about this for a moment. Athletes in their 50's and 60's are competing in a sport and playing at such a high level. WOW! Only in golf is this possible. I remember when I was first watching professional golf in the mid 1960's when the top players were: Billy Casper, Orville Moody, Miller Barber, Bob Murphy and an out of shape Jack Nicklaus. These guys could hit it far and shoot under par (with yesterday's equipment), but didn't look anything like our vision of professional athletes. Arnold Palmer was one of the few that wasstrong and athletically built. In those days Gary Player was the rare exception in that he worked out frequently, but back then it meant he was doing hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups each day.

LPGA TOUR
Women's World Cup of Golf
SUN CITY, South Africa
Jan 19-21

Paraguay won the Women's World Cup by seven strokes over the United States at the Gary Player Country Club. Celeste Troche and Julieta Granada who won last year's ADT LPGA Championship combined to shoot a 7-under 65 Sunday in betterball for the easy win.
Granada had five birdies and Troche added three more, including a chip-in at the 17th, to win at 9-under 279. The United States team of Pat Hurst and Juli Inkster finished second, seven strokes back. South Korea (67) was third at 287.

EUROPEAN TOUR
Abu Dhabi Golf Championship
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates
Jan 18-21

Paul Casey shot a 7-under 65 Sunday to win the by one stroke over Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson. Defending champion Chris DiMarco was fourth at 15-under. Casey had five birdies on the front nine and three on the back, easily overcoming his three-stroke deficit from the third round. Jimenez, who was even with Casey after 16 holes, bogeyed the 17th and wasn't able to birdie 18 to force a playoff. Padraig Harrington, Jean Francois and Retief Goosen tied for fifth at 14-under.

2007 Intro Newsletter

2007-02-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

Happy 2007 to you and yours!

This year's Thumbs Down Method newsletter has changed quite a bit from last year's. They're more frequent, so expect to receive 3 or 4 each month throughout the year. Each issue will include a recap of the recent Pro Tour events with my comments and opinions, golf related topics of interest, plus ball striking tips from ME. To be removed from the list please email me at info@thumbsdown.info

Many of you who receive this newsletter are customers of the Front Nine edition of Thumbs Down, the virtual golf lesson. I'm pleased to report that a lot of progress has been made in completing the re-construction of The Back Nine edition, which provides step by step ball striking drills in a graphical format that let's each picture tell thestory. The images were designed to easily understand, remember and replay in your mind, so you can give yourself a Virtual Golf Lesson anytime, anywhere. The Back Nine is positioned as a HOW TO guide and training aid you can practice with, then legally use on the course as you play.

A short Sneak Preview is now available (holes 10-13), which I'd like to personally share with you on request FREE. If you'd like to receive an electronic copy please email info@thumbsdown.info. For those of you in the US, I'd also like to introduce a new technology product, which I use to electronically deliver the book using the Internet and discuss will you one-on-one in real-time. Soon this technology will include a video component and made available to teaching pros for giving live lessons remotely.

Now, I NEED YOUR HELP. On February 1st I will be attending a Golf Channel audition for an upcoming show on new golf inventions. My presentation will describe how I developed (invented) the Thumbs Down method to cure my slice, by squaring the club at impact and how it improved my ball striking and ball flight to hit a draw.

If you've used the Thumbs Down method and have experienced positive results I would appreciate a few encouraging words as a testimonial (I won't name names), which will be included in my presentation. Please email info@thumbsdown.info with your comments and results. Thank you, Alan.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship
KAPALUA, Hawaii
Jan 4-7

The new era in golf began with many of us scratching our heads, wondering why Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson decided to skip the season-opening and Fed Ex Cup ribbon cutting tournament. I don't know about you but ever since The Western Open, one of golf's oldest and most respected venues changed it's name to The Cialis Western Open, golf lost some of it's shine. In an era when athletes are a far cry from the roll models of yesteryear, golf was in my eyes squeaky clean. Ever since the re-naming a few years ago I've noticed Tiger and Phil acting bigger than the game, playing whenever they wanted. As an example, what's up with Phil missing the World Series of Golf, which features the winners of all 4 majors. As winner of the 2006 Masters, Phil was the lefty that was supposed to play, not Mike Weir. I really don't care anymore who wins many of these tournaments, but players have always had an obligation to play in certain events and always did, until recent years when they make millions even if they don't win a tournament. It's a sign of the times in sports I guess.

Coming off his least productive season in five years, the old version of Vijay Singh showed up and delivered a strong statement that he's still around. Singh closed with a 3-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Adam Scott. This is Singh's 30th PGA TOUR win and with that he reached three milestones. He became the 17th player with 30 or more wins in PGA TOUR history. The title was also his 18th since turning 40. That broke the tour record for victories over 40, previously held by Sam Snead. Finally, the $1,100,000 winners check pushed Singh over the $50 million mark in career earnings on the PGA TOUR. He is just the second player to break that plateau, joining Tiger Woods, who has over $65 million in career earnings. Will MacKenzie was by far the crowd favorite all week. He contended for the lead until falling behind Adam Scott, who finished second. Trevor Immelman was alone in third at 9-under-par 283. Davis Love III, the 1993 winner, fired a five-under 68 to share fourth at minus-8. He was joined there by J.B. Holmes (72) and Mackenzie (72). Luke Donald took seventh place at 7-under-par 285 after his third straight 71. Former PGA champion David Toms closed with the best round of the day, a 6- under 67, to end in a tie for eighth at minus-6. He ended alongside K.J. Choi and J.J. Henry. Stuart Appleby, who won this event the last three years, shared 13th as he closed with three straight rounds under par.

Sony Open in Hawaii
HONOLULU
Hawaii
Jan 11-14

With ALL of the buzz, ALL of the talk and most of all, ALL the hype about Michele Wie's attempt to finally qualify on the PGA Tour , another Hawaiian fenom Tadd Fujikawa stole the spotlight. Never mind who won the tournament, these two teenagers received a large majority of the media's attention all week. Wie left very little doubt that this wasn't her week when she shot herself out of contention early. An opening round of 78 was followed by a 76 to miss the cut by 14 shots. In the past, the media would have interviewed her into submission, asking about her lack of success trying the make the cut vs the men and how much did her wrist injury affect her play. I for one am glad that we weren't subjected to that. Instead, Michelle virtually disappeared from the TV stage, replaced by Tadd Fujikawa as he played the Back Nine during his second round. At 5 foot 1 and just turning sixteen years old earlier in the week Fujikawa closed in on history right before my eyes. I began watching him on The Golf Channel starting on the 15th hole at 1 under par, with the cut line at even par. After a bogey, he ended the round with a dramatic eagle on the 18th hole for a 66, finishing at 4 under par. Fujikawa became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA TOUR. I for one think it's time for Michelle Wie to forget about competing against the men and focus her efforts on regularly playing the LPGA Tour and winning against her peers, women pros. Those girls can play! What do you think? Email me your comments at info@thumbsdown.info

Oh bye the way, Paul Goydos staged a rally with three birdies in the final four holes to win the tournament. It was his first victory in 11 years after passing third-round leader Charles Howell III, who looked like the eventual winner with a 2 stroke lead with three holes to play. Instead, it was a crushing defeat for Howell who hasn't won since 2002. He tied with Luke Donald for second, a stroke back. During his post tournament interview with Jerry Foltz of The Golf Channel Goydos answered the question about whether he thought he would win again on the PGA TOUR by saying in a very laid back tone "I like to win at least once every decade". Golf

Thumbs Down Golf Tip:
The Truth Be Told

AJ Bonar sold millions of videos called "AJ Reveals The Truth About Golf" on The Golf Channel over the past few years. In the October issue of Golf Magazine, Bonar was featured and established himself as a maverick teacher by accusing teaching pros of teaching incorrectly to their students. With too much focus and attention on swing planes, too many teaching pros and instructors overlook the importance of controlling the clubface using the hands, wrists and forearms. I agree with AJ and wrote this quote for the 11th holeon The Back Nine edition. "All great ball strikers use their hands and wrists for hidden power, whether they choose to admit it or not".

Over the River and Through the Woods

2006-10-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Imagine you're on the game show Jeopardy and this was the answer.
Of the two choices below, what would be your correct question?
1. How do you get to Grandmother's house
2. What is a fitting description of a Disc Golf course layout

If you selected question #2 you're probably already a player or you thought it was a trick question, but I assure you it wasn't. Yes, I said disc golf, it wasn't a misprint.

To go one step further with the description, add the lines "in-between the buildings and around the maintenance facilities". This would apply if the course was located on the campus of Douglass / Cook College at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Truth be told the river is actually a pond, but that minor fact didn't matter to over 100 professional and amateur disc golfers who played at the 34th annual Jersey Jam on August 19th and 20th respectively on the Rutger's course. Disc golf ...who would have thunk it? More about this event follows below.

They're real and they're spectacular! Well, maybe that's overdoing it a little, (as a fan of Seinfeld I just like that expression) but disc golfers are for real and the way the professionals make the disc fly is nothing short of magnificent. Yes, there are pro disc golfers and there is a professional tour where men and women compete for prize money. In addition, hundreds of regional events are scheduled year round for amateurs to play and compete (checkout http://www.pdga.com/ for all the details). In fact, disc golf is played in over 22 countries around the world.

Before jumping ahead to quickly, rewind back to the early 1960's when Vince Lombardi addressed his new team the Green Bay Packers, for the first time. To stress the importance of the basics, he uttered his infamous remark (as he held up a football) "gentlemen, this is a football. Am I going to fast for anyone"?

So that I don't make that mistake, it's important to step back and review the basics of disc golf.

What is Disc Golf?
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, with the exception of the chosen weapons and the intended target. Instead of hitting a ball with clubs into a small hole in the ground, players throw a flying disc, or Frisbee(r) into an elevated metal basket. The sport was formalized in the 1970's, modeled after traditional ball golf.

A plethora of similarities exist between the two sports that include, but are not limited to the following:

- The objective of the games are the same; to complete each hole in the fewest number of strokes, or in the case of disc golf the fewest number of throws.

- A hole begins when a golf disc is thrown from a tee area toward the basket, typically a par three or four, measured in hundreds of feet, not yards. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer (I'm sure there are courses with holes over a river, as the title implies, although I haven't witnessed it). Therefore, the player's strategy can vary from flying the disc over or around the obstacle, or play "a roller", which hits the ground running hard toward its intended target. My observations compare playing roller type golf to "links golf" in that certain shots work out better by keeping the disc on the ground, especially in windy conditions. Remember, disc golf is played all year round, in all conditions. Finally, when "the putt" lands in the basket the hole is completed.

- The game is played in the same sized groups and combinations: singles, 2-somes, 3-somes, 4-somes, partners etc. They play shotguns, scrambles and partner better ball.

- Discs are stored in a bag, described as similar to a gym or small duffle bag with pockets, with anywhere from a few to over 12-15 or more different discs, for the different types of shots required. A large majority of golfers carry the bag, but I'm starting to see more pull carts being used, during the tournaments I observed. During a tournament I saw a wife was caddying for her husband (just like you often see on the pro golf tours).

- Disc golfers share the same joys and frustrations of traditional golfers, whether it's sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway.

There are some differences, however.

- The most significant is the cost. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee( You won't need to rent a motorized cart. The equipment needed to start includes: One disc (approx $10-$15) and a bag costs around $30( Disc golf uses a rating system to rank each player. There is no handicap system like in ball golf, where any player can play any other player fairly, by giving them strokes on designated holes to make up for the differential in ability. ( Dress code is a major difference. In contrast to the business casual look of khaki pants or shorts and collared shirts worn in traditional golf, disc golfers overall have a much more relaxed look, with jeans, tee shirts and sneakers or hiking type boots (no disrespect intended). Note, in tournaments a collared shirt is typically required.

Who Plays Disc Golf?
Just like ball golf, disc golf is played by boys, girls, men and women from school age to old age. It's designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status. As you would expect, pros are typically strong and athletically built, but recreational players are a diverse group that come in all different shapes and sizes; from king sized "big dogs" to the twiggy thin. The game today is played by the baby boomer generation, predominately men, but women are always welcome and encouraged to join in. Disc golf is easy to learn, so no one is excluded. Players merely match their pace to their capabilities, and proceed from there.
The Professional Disc Golf Association, with over 16,000 members, is the governing body for the sport, and sanctions competitive events for men and women of every skill level from novice to professional. Permanent disc golf courses are found throughout the United States as well as in countries worldwide.

Where do you play?
Many city parks have golf courses already set up. Most are free to play as often as you like. Disc golfers who do not have the benefit of a permanent disc golf facility in their area often "make up" courses in nearby parks and green spaces. One of the great features disc golf shares with traditional golf is that they are both played in beautiful settings. A nine-hole disc golf course can be established on as little as five acres of land, and a championship-caliber 18-hole course on 30 to 40 acres. Disc golf courses can coexist with existing park facilities and activity areas. The ideal location combines wooded and open terrains, and a variety of topographical change.
The need for more courses is constant, as the sport continues to grow in popularity. The PDGA has created standards for the design and installation of new golf courses, to ensure their success in the community.

In Summary: Why should you play?
The ongoing fitness boom finds more and more people taking up recreational activities in an effort to improve health and quality of life. Disc golf provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities that allow very little risk of physical injury. Concentration skills increase by mastering shots and negotiating obstacles. Players of limited fitness levels can start slowly and gradually increase their level of play as fitness improves. Scheduling is also flexible; a round takes one to two hours, and may be played alone, eliminating the difficulty of scheduling tee times. And as in traditional golf, disc golfers find themselves "hooked;" increasing the likelihood of frequent participation. Disc golf is played year-round, even in rain or snow. Perhaps the greatest attribute of the sport is the expense - or rather, the lack of it. A professional quality disc costs less than $10, and it only takes one for basic play. And, of course, there's the sheer fun of the game - no matter what your age or skill level!

Below is a recap of two events which occurred in our region during July and August of 2006.

Skylands Classic Pro / Am event - July 22 & 23 Warwick, NY
Brakewell Steel / Warwick Town Park Disc Golf Course is a beautiful park like setting in lower upstate New York. The 18 hole course was designed and created between August 1998 and April 1999 by many volunteers around the area that share a love for disc golf. The course features challenging terrain that includes wide open fields and narrow wooded fairways nestled in a scenic environment that offers beautiful vistas and pronounced elevation changes. Rolling hills and natural boundaries along the wonderfully manicured landscape provide a dynamic golf experience, while wind currents that vary from day to day, will occasionally require tricky shot adjustments.

The Warwick course has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most versatile, challenging, and fun courses in the United States. What makes Warwick especially unique is that they have two permanent baskets on all 18 holes. Combined with two concrete tee pads per hole, the Warwick "Animal" course offers four distinctly different layouts that range from a Pro Par of 54 to a Pro Par of 68.

This event attracted the best men and women pros from around the country as well as International players from Sweden, Finland, Japan, and other countries, plus many of the areas top amateurs, 90 in total. I attended as a spectator on the second day, following the top men's and women's groups during their final round. Congratulations to:David Feldberg, Des Reading, Bryan Motley, and Jay Gobrecht for winning the 2006 Skylands Classic!! The leader board also featured others who cashed at this event. For the men: Nate Doss, Ken Climo, Barry Schultz, Brian Schweberger, Steve Rico, plus New Jersey's own Steve Brinster and Bob Graham. For the women, Carrie Berlogar, Val Jenkins, Leslie Demark, and Mandi Snodgrass. Not exactly household names like Woods, Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus, but in the game of disc golf these are some of the game's best.

Jersey Jam - August 19-20, 2006 the 34th annual
The Jersey Jam is the longest running tournament in the country, now in it's 34th year. Two 18 hole rounds are played each day with a lunch break in-between, Saturday for professionals and Sunday for amateurs.

Early on a hot and sunny Saturday morning, 47 pros from NJ, PA and the surrounding states throughout the Delaware Valley and the Northeast and further south were scattered all over the course warming up. Then, tournament director and principal figure of the NJ Disc Devils Eddie Nathan yells out to all players BRING IT IN, for the pre-game meeting. Just saying that Eddie yells out does not do it justice, so trust me when I say that this isn't just any yell. It sounds more like a good imitation of the horn on the TV show Survivor, as he screams at the top of his lungs. After the meeting the players proceed to their opening hole, anxious to hear Eddie yell out TWO MINUTES, as play is about to begin.

I attended this event as a sponsor. My product, The Cardkeeper is a wallet style scorecard and pencil holder, which I donated for use as prizes to the winners of CTPs (closest to the pin contests). During tournament play each group of four players stored the official scorecards in The Cardkeeper wallets. As a commercial plug, my product is quickly becoming a popular accessory item by disc golfers throughout the country. Marshall Street, http://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/, one of the game's top on-line distributors of disc golf products sells The Cardkeeper.

On this day I volunteered to help out on the course, so they put me on Hole #1 as a spotter. The opening hole is a par 3, 291 feet. From the tee the hole is straight ahead, however there are a few obstacles to avoid along the way. At about 120 feet out, there are several trees 15 -20 feet high spread across a landing area 100 -120 feet wide. Next, you need to fly the disc over a large hedge 8 feet high and 20 feet wide before landing safely for the next shot. Don't go too far right on the tee shot or you'll be blocked out by a thickly wooded row of trees that separate the course from the Eagleton Institute building and parking lot (it's out of bounds and a 1 stroke penalty). Go too far left and you hit another university building or one of two large trees that stand near bye it.

For the better pros the obstacles hardly seemed to exist, as their discs flew over the hedge and safely onto the fairway, within 100 feet of the hole (actually it's a basket). Just like in ball golf, the objective is to get the second shot close enough to putt for a par. Throughout the round I saw only a few birdies and many pars, plus several that went very right or very left that resulted in bogies. It was actually a tough opening hole. After a fun morning round (and a great sun tan) they served a barbeque lunch for all. A special thanks goes out two Andrew Sweeten, the President of the Bucks County Disc Golf Alliance for his efforts through the sweltering heat as main cook AND for the awesome burgers and hotdogs.

The afternoon round paired the players with the lowest scores together to determine the winners of the total purse of $3,270. In a playoff, Steve Brinster defeated Joseph Mela to take the first prize of $550, followed in third place by course pro Bob Graham who won $255.

On Sunday, with the weather equally beautiful and a gusty wind, 55 amateurs and recreational players went through the same drill as the prior day. As you would expect, there was A LOT more for me to spot on this day, compared to the pros. The obstacles I described earlier did their jobs rather well, as many shots hit the first rows of trees or the hedges caught them. I must admit that there were a few laughs to be had, from some of the positions in the hedge the players had to take, in order to play the next shot. Like ball golf you have to play it from where it lies or move it and take a one stroke penalty. For many that made it over the initial trees and hedge, their banana shaped shots found the wooded area to the right, which left no bargains for their second shot either.

I witnessed the same joys and frustrations from the players as those experienced in traditional golf. At the end of the day, everyone enjoyed themselves and the event was once again a success. After all, that's what playing disc golf is all about.

Creating a successful tournament

2006-08-08T16:56:00.000-04:00

The article to follow was written by me for a regional golf publication in 2005. If you're organizing a golf tournament, outing or event as they're all referred by, it should provide a tip or two which I hope benefits you.

Throughout New Jersey in 2004 well over one hundred thousand rounds of golf were played by tens of thousands of golfers that attended thousands of golf tournaments. If you multiply these numbers times the totals from every other state across the nation, the result is a mind-boggling number that rivals the amount of transactions per second performed by a computer.

What possible reason could account for the increasing popularity of these events each year? The answer is simple. Organizing a golf outing fits well in a wide variety of scenarios: They're an easy way for a non-profit organization to raise funds for their favorite cause. Golf outings are an easy way to pay tribute to a friend or loved one who lost their lives, or for old friends to get together for a day of fun and camaraderie. When networking groups need a venue where they can spend several hours together with their customers, suppliers, peers and / or prospects, or when a company wants to show appreciation to their employees and customers, a golf outing is the easy way to bring them together. It might appear easy from the outside, but if it's your job to organize the event or if you're a volunteer who just wants to get involved and help out, you know first hand that there's nothing simple or easy about it.

The subject matter which follows takes you "inside the ropes", giving first hand experiences from a few brave souls that run annual tournaments, the courses that host them and an event management company which provides complete event solutions. It was designed to provide you with a hands on guide in a format that should streamline your efforts, whether you're a first time event planner or a group that needs to improve on a previous year's performance. Highlighted throughout are subtle Do's and Don'ts, to help you create your successful event.

Let's take a step back and define what we mean by a golf tournament and clarify the terminology. Throughout this article the terms tournaments, outings and events all refer to the same thing. Tournaments come in all shapes, sizes and reasons for being organized. They range from small groups of twelve or more golfers celebrating a birthday or holding a bachelor party, to charities or corporations with hundreds of attendees (and everything in-between). "All formats that have a winner are technically considered tournaments", states Tim Kreps, the General Manager at Harbor Pines in Egg Harbor. Golf events are designed to be fun, but the fact is they're a billion-dollar industry which accounts for millions of fundraising dollars each year. The proceeds provide needed scholarships and money that benefits many causes. Golf outings help fuel local economies, the golf courses and their concession businesses, plus the food and beverage industries with a high level of guaranteed business each season, regardless of weather conditions.

When Dave Acolia, a manager with UPS first decided to get involved at his district's annual golf fundraiser for The United Way, he just wanted to help. Eleven years later Acolia has taken charge, heading up the event with a passionate approach. When asked why he takes on this challenge each year, the conviction of his belief was clear. "Once I started volunteering at United Way community work days and saw first hand where the money goes, I was hooked. It's a year round effort organizing sponsors, asking business owners for prize donations and restaurants for gift certificates. I'm constantly asking for contributions and soliciting help from peers to raise awareness internally, but it's well worth all the effort. My time is also spent attending sports memorabilia shows, looking for interesting items to auction off at the dinner awards ceremony. A key to the success of our fundraising efforts is constant email communications, stressing the importance of registering with payment months in advance. Everyone is well informed of the opportunities to win prizes through hole-in-one, longest drive, closest to the pin and double your money contests throughout the round. Also, it's a good idea to have special attractions such as a comedian and offer unique food items on certain holes. This assures that everyone is well fed and happy to contribute to the fundraising cause. A detail, which cannot be overstated, is developing a close relationship with the golf course. Mike Beal, club pro at Miry Run in Robbinsville who's hosted the event for several years knows our group well. He worked with us to reschedule last year's September rainout to early October. I can't stress enough the importance of surrounding yourself with people who understand your needs, to assure a successful tournament."

Paying attention to details is the key for Sally Roslow, a certified fundraising executive for the New Jersey Hospital Association. Talk about pressure, for the past seven years Roslow has run a tournament for CEO's, Board and Trustee members each September at TPC Jasna Polana in Princeton. As you would imagine expectations are high. "From the moment they drive through the gates and are welcomed at the bag drop, the number one goal is for our members to have a day of fun and camaraderie, networking with their peers," says Roslow. "Every detail is taken care of beginning with spelling each participant's name correctly on the master list, then presenting it to the golf course several days in advance of the event. Years ago we made sure we didn't lose money, but now it's become a serious fundraising event for scholarships. As a rule, payment must be received with registration form prior to the event. The entry fee is inclusive of a donation, plus all golf and food expenses, so the only time members need to reach into their pockets is for a golf ball, a tee or ball marker, etc. Each participant receives a quality tee gift and a chance to win prizes for a hole-in-one. One major detail which cannot be overlooked is this; raffles, mulligans and door prizes fall under the gaming laws of the State of New Jersey. They all require a license to be legal. The donation of a car cannot include any additional expense, so it can't be a lease. Be sure to get adequate hole-in-one insurance, competent witnesses and don't forget to send a 1099 to the winner. It's a year round planning process. Knowing your audience is important for a number of reasons, but especially when planning a stroke play format. Pairing foursomes is always a challenge. It's important to make every effort to avoid personality conflicts while assuring that a round of golf is played in the allotted time". With two groups starting on each hole (except on par threes), keeping track of the speed of play and where groups are at all times is just another detail Roslow pays personal attention to. "Never forget to recognize your sponsors, the foundation for supporting your event. Like many things in life vendors change, so expect to always be cultivating new sponsors and be sure to show your appreciation often. You can only control so much," but giving the personal touch is something she takes great pride in providing to all members.

Ask the question, "what makes a good tournament from a bad or mediocre one" and without hesitation Kim Rifici will tell you about the merits of an organized committee. As a veteran of five years coordinating events at Valleybrook Golf Club in Blackwood, Rifici highly recommends committees meet regularly, communicating on a weekly basis. Cooperation between groups and the golf course benefits both parties. How does she measure success? "When a group rebooks immediately, we know that the event was a success and planning next year's event has already begun". She adds, "book well in advance and don't try to do everything yourself. Give as much to participants as possible, like planning a picnic lunch prior and an awards dinner after golf. Because fundraising accounts for the majority of our events, many sponsorship opportunities are part of every event. Examples include tee signage on each hole, prize holes and beverage carts. Remember, the real dollars raised come from prizes, sponsors and extras, not the golf".

As simple as it sounds, "expect the unexpected and set your priorities," says Todd Edelman, Golf Outing Sales Manager at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township since 1998. Edelman, a veteran of many years of personal experience in his current role also acts as the coordinator of his own annual event. He runs a memorial fundraiser for a childhood friend who died in the events of September 11. With more hands on experience than most he suggests that a group first needs to plan ahead and determine what's most important to the success of their tournament. As examples, are they looking for a low price with an ala carte buffet style for lunch or a higher quality complete day with several meals and all the amenities? If this is your first event or if you're looking to improve on a past years, don't be afraid to ask the course for help or work with a Golf Event Management company that does this as a core business.

"When groups come to me I suggest they have a few checklist items prepared, which include:

Select a preferred date plus an alternative or two, just in case the course is already booked
Have a budget range already set
Determine main objectives. Ex: Is it a fundraiser, business appreciation, memorial?
Organize a committee of dedicated volunteers who have experience with organizing events
Have more than enough sponsors
Plan on giving yourself at least six months in advance to prepare. Never think it's too early to start
Advertise the event several months in advance. It's better to overbook than under subscribe
Getting registration and money well in advance of your event
Suggesting a suitable format for the participants. Scramble, stroke play etc."

Thus far there's been no mention of the main obstacle for a successful tournament, the weather. Frost delays are easier to deal with than rain by scheduling starting times after 10:00 before mid May and after Labor Day. Like the expression, "the best way to get out of a Full Nelson is to not get into one in the first place"; it's best not to schedule your event on a day when it's going to rain. All kidding aside, we all know that predicting the weather several months in advance is not a viable option. At Fiddlers Elbow Country Club in Far Hills, they've come up with some creative ways to deal with rainy days. Just in case conditions are absolutely unplayable, their 54-hole facility affords the flexibility to re-schedule later in the season. There's so much planning and effort involved that canceling is not an attractive option for the event's planners. On rainy days, Golf Event Manager Joe Febonio and his staff work with the committee on ideas like adjusting the format or playing nine holes and moving up dinner, to allow the group's main purpose to continue. "With Monday - Thursday designated for tournaments, it's our job to assure that the show can still go on as scheduled".

The golf outing at the New Jersey Chapter of Meeting Professionals International "MPI" represents each year's largest fundraiser and networking event. A long list of responsibilities are delegated to their team of committee members, all hard working professionals with full time careers and families to juggle. Topping this year's list was issuing a request for proposal for selecting a new course to host the event. Along with meeting their budget requirements, a central location weighed heavily into the selection because members are spread throughout the Tri state area. Next, last year's sponsor's are contacted by the entire committee, asking for their continued support. With the financial issues behind them, MPI focuses on their main objective of networking. The golf tournament represents a priceless opportunity to spend a full day in a relaxed setting. Members can make connections and conduct business without cell phones and the typical everyday distractions. With 144 golfers of all skill levels, a five or more hour round is factored into the plans and actually a positive thing. There's time to network with peers, suppliers and friends, plus give their mental batteries a well-needed charge. Overall success is often times measured by a group's ability to master tiny details, that seem minor but aren't. Cathy Reynolds, who heads up all special events for the MPI chapter, reminds us that people often remember the first and last events of the day. That means making sure to have a warm welcoming committee at check-in and don't ever take for granted the importance of the PA system at dinner. This assures that your awards ceremony leaves a positive lasting impression.

When your event needs an experienced hands on partner with industry connections, a Golf Event Management company may be a no brainer solution. For sixteen years, Greg Porcino President of GEM Marketing based in Somerville, has made a business of assisting a diverse group of tournament organizers achieve their goals. Need to do a better job reaching your target market, improving your identity or just freeing up employees to do their real jobs? Working with an event management company will quickly justify the investment by allowing committees to focus on selling the tournament, achieving revenue goals. Maybe your group needs help being recognized or simply more entertaining for guests. If so, you can leverage their relationships with media outlets, entertainers / celebrities, special attractions and product / equipment manufacturers. For first timers, they can eliminate the learning curve, reducing both risk and anxiety. With today's busy lifestyles tournaments are constantly challenged to maintain attendance and profitability. For any or all of these reasons Golf Event Management companies may be the right choice for creating your successful tournament.

When Bill Kennedy, assistant sports editor and golf writer for the Times of Trenton attends an outing, it's usually because he wants to play the course that's hosting it. For the past six years, Kennedy holds his annual reunion for high school alumni (he's in his sixties) and friends, as part of The William Morton Foundation golf tournament. Each year the fundraising effort provides a student athlete with much needed money for college. Kennedy will admit that he breaks most of the rules like doing almost all of the work himself and playing in his own event. He also takes verbal registrations, trusting that his friends will attend and pay him because they said they would. "I play in the event to keep my sanity. At the end of the day, everyone has fun and money was raised for a good cause. That's what running a tournament is all about".

There are no hard and fast rules for creating a successful golf tournament BUT unless you enjoy living life on the edge, follow the Do's and Don'ts (in no particular order of importance) below:

Do's:

1. Organize a strong committee and delegate responsibility

2. Have constant communications with attendees and committees

3. Develop a good relationship with key event sponsors

4. Send a "thank you" to sponsors and attendees

5. Advertise the event aggressively

6. Form a strong partnership with the golf course

7. Provide quality prizes and amenities

8. Insist on early registration and payment

9. Plan next year's event early

10. Keep the awards ceremony short

Don'ts:

1. Try to do all the work yourself

2. Select a site before budget is set

3. Have an alternative date for holding the event

4. Cut corners on food and beverage issues

5. Take verbal registration and payment commitments

6. Under subscribe sponsors

7. Play in your own event

8. Overbook with too many players

Thank you for subscribing to the Thumbs Down Method newsletter, published throughout the 2006 golf season. Please distribute this information freely to fellow golfers, friends, family, etc. As always, email me with your comments on what you think, any questions about your ball striking or your golf game in general at mailto:atInfo@ThumbsDown.info.

To order a copy of The Front Nine edition of my Ebook go to www.GolfInstructionMadeSimple.com.

Alan Martin

A Pretty Swing ...don't mean a thing

2006-05-22T12:20:00.000-04:00

It is high, it is far, it is??? If you've ever watched a baseball game on TV or listened on the radio you've heard the announcer use this expression (or a similar one) after the ball is hit and looks like it's on its way out of the park.

The idea for this article came to me recently when I saw a picture in the newspaper, showing one of baseball's power hitters, just after he finished his swing, in a perfect follow-through pose. Was it a home run? OR was it off the wall? OR was it just a long out OR foul back? (In this case I watched the game the night before so I knew it was a home run). QUESTION: What would the swing have looked like if the batter hit it on the end of the bat or a fraction of an inch too high on the bat and just missed, or popped it up? MY ANSWER: It probably would have looked exactly the same. Isn't it funny how in baseball, the exact same swing can produce a foul ball, a towering pop-up, a screaming liner right at someone or a monster blast, depending on where they hit the ball on the bat? Simply put: It's all about SOLID CONTACT.

Have you ever wondered why in golf, a good or bad shot is almost never explained in those simple terms? I know I have. Instead, if a shot is hit off-line the TV coverage typically replays the swing in slow motion and analyzes it something like this: See how the club is not parallel to the target line on the back-swing? Notice that the hips haven't cleared yet, allowing the club to swing on-plane? All too often we hear technical language only a physics major would understand, not typical amateurs like you and ME.

As a side note, it's good timing that I write this article comparing the golf and baseball swings, as we're witnessing history being made. At the present time, the most legendary figure in the history of sports, Babe Ruth has had his once insurmountable home run record of 714 tied. As the baseball and golf seasons are in full swing (no pun intended), what better time to put the golf and the baseball swings side by side.

In baseball, they talk in terms of "did he get it all"? OR get good wood, OR hit it on the fat of the bat. Again, did he make solid contact? In golf, the shot stayed right because the player did not release the club through impact.

Another side-note; during my round this weekend a member of our three-some brought an old, classic wooden driver (from the 60's), to hit just for laughs and to compare it against today's high tech golf weaponry. On the 14thhole I took a cut with it off the tee. Because the original grip was still on the club, I almost gave the term RELEASE a new meaning when I hit it, because my right hand slipped off and my left hand held on for dear life just after impact. Imagine being a relatively new player and having an instructor tell you to release the club. If they swung and let go could you blame them? What else could itpossibly mean? Here's my 2 cents: If you really want to Keep IT Simple, speak in a language the typical player can understand and can relate to, PLEASE!

In baseball, a hitter is taught to drive the hands through the swing, break the wrists and hit it hard. In golf, we don't have the luxury of just hitting the ball hard. It needs to go in the right direction and there are NO DO-OVERS, like a foul ball in baseball. When a player uses active hands at impact to square the club, manyof today's instructors refer to it as flipping, and that's definitely taboo. Instead, they teach the best players (the guys who hit hundreds or thousands of balls a week) to turn your hipsinto the ball and let centrifugal force square the club naturally. MY ANSWER: Most of us are amateurs who don't have time to practice and "there's nothing natural about it". Watch what the best players actually do with their hands (not what they say they do) and what you'll see is that great ball strikers have great hand action.

What both swings have in common is they happen in a flash. In golf,the ball makes contact with the club for less than 2 seconds TOTAL during the entire round. A pretty swing is nice, but more than one half of the swing is just preparation to impact. Therefore, the most important split seconds of the golf swing are just before, during and immediately after the club strikes the ball. This is the portion of a Pro's swing you need to copy. In simple terms; IF THE CLUB ISN'T SQUARE ...the ball could end up anywhere.

Thumbs Down, is my simple method any player can quickly learn,which SQUARES THE CLUB WITH YOUR EXISTING SWING, plus adds an extra pop on the ball without over swinging. It's based on the same sound swing fundamentals taught by the best instructors ...made easier than you ever imagined. Bottom Line... better golf, MORE OFTEN.

Thank you for subscribing to the Thumbs Down Method newsletter, published throughout the 2006 golf season. Please distribute this information freely to fellow golfers, friends, family, etc. As always, email me with your comments on what you think, any questions about your ball striking or your golf game in general at mailto:atInfo@ThumbsDown.info.

To order a copy of The Front Nine edition of my Ebook go to www.GolfInstructionMadeSimple.com.

Alan Martin

Why pros are PROS

2006-04-28T10:05:00.000-04:00

Thumbs Down Method Newsletter - April 2006

Welcome to the maiden Thumbs Down Method newsletter, the first of many throughout the 2006 golf season. My inspiration for this first issue was actually the same as the one which prompted my decision in 1996 to write the Thumbs Down guide(s) for better ball striking. Back then, self preservation lead me to search for a cure to correct my out of control slice and save my golf game, which I never found until I developed Thumbs Down and fixed it by myself.

Not only did I never find my cure, but all the articles I read in the magazines, all the simple TV tips from pros and top instructors only made it more complicated, confusing and counter-productive for me. Simply put: things got worse, not better for me. There's no questioning the knowledge or credibility level of the top sources in golf, but I found they rarely communicate their message in a language a non-pro (the typical player like me and you) can relate to and even understand. Trying to apply their tips when I practiced all too often ended in frustration instead of the joy I initially intended.

I couldn't have scripted the perfect example of what I'm describing any better then recently after scanning through a copy of the leading golf magazine and reading a tip written and demonstrated by one of the world's best pros. Anytime a top player offers a way to generate more power with less effort, a large audience of amateurs (like me) are anxiously reading and wanting to know more. This quick tip shows a picture of the player just after striking the ball, with head down and forearms rotating as the club extends about two feet beyond impact. I've seen this pose dozens of times and refer to it as classic power position. The typical player that views a picture like this is hoping for a simple explanation to discover some new magic move or secret that changes their game forever, but rarely gets it. Instead they use a lot of technical language we don't understand and the average amateur can't relate to. Watching a world class athlete do what comes natural to them, then hearing their explanation of what they're thinking is often not what we're expecting them to say. In fact, most of the time it's a frustrating and confusing experience.

To elaborate, when a player describes that one of their key power moves happens AFTER the ball is struck, it means that solid ball striking comes too natural to them. I guess hitting thousands of balls every week does that for you. For the rest of us, there's nothing natural about it. In fact, I believe that the moment of the golf swing that's all too often "glanced over" is the most important split second in the entire golf swing (all 10,000+ steps). For me, unless the club makes solid contact with the ball, with the clubface squared and following a line to your target, nothing else really matters. It's clear that pros and instructors agree, but it's confusing when they describe it by telling you to "shake hands with the target." To further drive my point home, go to the practice range and try this tip: Match your swing plane on the through-swing with your backswing and downswing. I dare you!

In sharp contrast, I've dedicated an entire book on the importance of starting with solid ball contact, then working backwards to the golf swing. I believe that the first 3/4 of the golf swing is merely preparation to impact and the final 1/4 (on the downswing when your hands are just above waist height) is where the swing REALLY begins. It's the zone you need to master when you warm-up and practice. The Thumbs Down method is all about MASTERING THE IMPACT ZONE first. Get this part right and your swing magically gets better.

Golf is a complex game. There's no question there are numerous steps in the golf swing that are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - too many at times. All I know is that when I taught myself to square the club at impact, I finally learned to consistently hit the ball solidly with all my clubs and control where the ball is going. Oh, bye the way ...my swing has also noticeably improved as a by-product of changing my swing thought priorities with Thumbs Down.

Professional golfers are in a class by themselves. They're SO good as compared to the rest of us it's mind boggling to believe. What they do and how they explain what they do is equally difficult to fathom at times. In their attempt to KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID "Kiss", pros and top instructors use technical terms which don't often translate into better golf for the rest of us.

To REALLY kiss, it's as simple as
Thumbs Down ...for Thumbs Up results.
In golf ...it doesn't get easier than this!

Thank you for subscribing to the Thumbs Down method newsletter. The subject matter in this issue forms the foundation for future newsletters, published throughout the 2006 golf season. Please distribute this information freely to fellow golfers, friends, family, etc. As always, email me with any questions about your ball striking or golf game in general at Info@ThumbsDown.info. To order a copy of The Front Nine edition of my Ebook go to http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/ Also visit my blog and comment at www.ThumbsDownMethod.blogspot.com

Alan Martin

A Thumbs Down Attitude Helps Me Discover Scoring Opportunities in Every Shot

2006-04-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

...by Nick Petti

Has one awkward shot ever thrown you off your entire game? Do you know the kind I mean? A shot that throws you so off balance you take it into the next shot, and the shot after that, until you've made a complete mess of your scorecard?

The kind of shot that has you begging for golf instruction from your golf equipment supply guy?

Here is a great way to discover the scoring opportunities hidden in every one of those awkward shots and how you can gain the edge-up on your opponents who are not aware of what I'm about to tell you.

Please forget about your swing for one moment and burn this piece of golf instruction made simple into your brain.

Golf is a mind set.

It is cerebral. It is a thought process. Of course a little good luck never hurts, but, to achieve the advantage of that winning mind set, you have to acquire an attitude that is becoming of relaxed focus.

Use whichever attitude works best for you to gain that winning mind set and get ready to lower your score and add 20 yards to every club in your bag - except your putters of course.

Now, for me, it's a little secret I call my thumbs down attitude - which is perhaps a story for another day - and my Callaway golf attitude. If I'm swinging what the best in the game swing, my attitude toward my game improves.

When I'm faced with one of those awkward shots, I think it through. I put on my Callaway golf and thumbs down game face, and I focus.

I see myself swinging true. I see myself keeping my balance and my head from moving, then...

I see the line my Callaway golf club must travel. I set up my shot by considering where the club head is in relation to where it needs to be for the greatest distance and accuracy. And I keep in mind that the ball is going to have contact with the club head for several inches through my swing.

After a few practice swings I judge what relationship my feet should have with the line and I find a comfortable stance - then relax.

Relaxed focus and attitude are keys to golf success.

When you try this, first be aware of any problems you may encounter keeping your balance. Shift if necessary until you find a comfortable position where there is no tension in your swing. Keep from swaying as you are about to the hit the ball, but stay loose.

I free my muscles and focus my mind on swinging my Callaway golf club smoothly. Thumbs down keeps my relaxed focus as I address the ball, which enables me to stay square on impact.

Remember, if you are fidgety when you address the ball, you are not going to achieve relaxed focus. This is not a time to be thinking of golf instruction from your golf equipment supply guy.

It is a time to keep your feet still and make sure you see the ball from the beginning of your swing through the end. An awkward shot demands relaxed focus.

This will be your edge-up on opponents.

You really can discover the scoring opportunity hidden in every awkward shot. Just remember that a relaxed golfer is a focused golfer and a focused golfer usually scores lowest.

Don't let the awkward shots beat you. Relax and think them through. Maintain the edge-up on your opponents and you'll beat them every time.

That's what I did today, despite the rain and 30 mph wind gusts.

Now, there is some "golf instruction made simple" worth sharing with my golf equipment supply guy: my focus from relaxation and my attitude from Callaway golf and thumbs down.

Control your shots. Improve your game!

2006-03-26T18:47:00.000-05:00

Are you frustrated by your inability to control your shots? Let Thumbsdown show you:

How to swing to square your club at impact.

How to swing to correct your slice.

How to swing to play a draw.

How to become a consistently better ball striker.

How to quickly discover to hit more accurate shots more often.

What drills to practice to get the feel of squaring the club.

The best way to warm-up in a few short minutes before tee-off time.

Thumbsdown Testimonials

2006-03-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

"It's almost golf for dummies! There are no confusing words or swing thoughts."
Dan McCarthy, Head Professional, Springdale Golf Club, Princeton, New Jersey

"There's nothing not to like about Thumbsdown!"
Dan Pasternak, Head Professional, Panther Valley Golf and Country Club Allamuchy, New Jersey

"In its simplest form, the Thumbsdown technique calls for the golfer to turn down their strong hand thumb as they strike the ball." Bill Kennedy, Trenton Times,

"I like it! Now I have something meaningful to visualize during my downswing. I'm confident I'll hit the ball solid and online" Ted K

"Alan, you really have something here! The ball went right where I was aiming and a lot longer than ever before." Jonathan C

"I'm amazed! It was simple and I saw the results from the first shot I hit. Lookout, the dreaded straight ball is back in my game." Chris H

"Thumbsdown gave me the most fundamental improvements to my golf swing in the past 20 years. Thank you." Henry K

Shop Callaway Pre-Owned

2006-03-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Raise the level of your game with Callaway.

I have mine!