Interview with a PGA professional (part 1), U.S. Open qualifying, golf tips for the tee box and a different way to hit the fairway

April 2006

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Our golf podcast moves along at a brisk pace this week and is chock full of instruction mostly provided to you by PGA Professional Martin Nolletti. I had the opportunity to sit down with my coach from Fairview Golf Center and his simple tips are perfect for both the beginner as well as the advanced player. Listen to part one this week.

Golf cart oddities and an unbelievable "save" on the fairway are brought to you in our own inimitable way.

Over 8,000 entries were accepted by the USGA for the 2006 U.S. Open but if you were interested in playing it's too late as the deadline has now passed.

Here are a couple of "fun facts" about this year's qualifying (as compiled by Mike Overhiser, USGA):

Three guys named "Tiger" entered (we all know ONE of them). There are twelve "Wood" and nine "Woods".

At the time the US Open is played this June the youngest qualifier will be only thirteen (move over Dakoda Dowd). Can you guess the age of the oldest qualifier?

As always thanks for your comments and questions. We appreciate them! Continue to send all golf chat to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

You can also subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or subscribe through iTunes.

Come have fun with us as we romp through the world of golf!

Podcast: Golf tips, Sting headlines Tiger Woods' Jam, Korea woos Wie and Nicklaus goes fishing

April 2006

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Barry and I will, unfortunately, not get to hear the legendary Sting perform at this year's TigerJam IX. I'm really disappointed because not only will the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas ROCK on April 29th but it is for a really good cause. Every year since Tiger Woods created TigerJam, he has drawn the hottest talent from around the globe so expect to be treated to a star-studded list of celebrities from film, television and sports.

Tiger Woods donates the proceeds from his event to the Tiger Woods Learning Center as well as local Las Vegas charities. Both former President Bill Clinton and Maria Shriver recently christened the education facility and it promises to help kids in reading, math, science and technology.

Michelle Wie will not be in Las Vegas celebrating with Woods but will be flying halfway across the globe to participate in the Korean Pro Golf Association’s SK Telecom Open. Being a professional golfer now makes the 16-year-old Hawaiian eligible for appearance fees. Guess how much Wie is raking in on this trip?

This will be the "Big Wiesy's" eighth attempt to make the cut in a men's golf tournament. Perhaps the eighth time is a charm?

Jack Nicklaus may not be playing in as many golf tournaments as he is now "semi-retired" (although watch for him at the TELUS Skins game this summer) but perhaps this was just a guise for Nicklaus to pursue fly-fishing. The "Golden Bear" has been an enthusiast for most of his life and he has now agreed to be the national spokesperson for the Federation of Fly Fishers. As Jack stated, "I am an avid outdoorsman and few activities or sports provide me with as much joy as fishing". Uh, Jack, what about golf?

Our golf tips segment focuses on a letter from one of our listeners.

We read all comments and questions sent to us, so keep them coming! Send all golf chat to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

You can also subscribe to our weekly golf podcasts through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or subscribe through iTunes.

Until next week's podcast, play good golf!

Hogan Edge and Adams Idea hybrid clubs a big hit, golf tips and is LPGA winner Lorena Ochoa following in Phil Mickelson's footsteps?

April 2006

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Both Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie certainly are impressive LPGA golfers but watch out for the hottest female golfer on tour, now the number-one golfer on the ADT Money list dethroning Juli Inkster, namely Lorena Ochoa! Not only did the 24-year old fresh-faced Mexican superstar take second place in an exciting playoff at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she has now won this week at the Takefuji Classic! I'm betting that she wins at least one major tournament this season.

Besides Ochoa's great victory she takes home a check for $165,000 as well as now being eligible for a $1 million at the season-ending ADT Championship.

But does she remind you of 2006 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson? I think so because she seems to come so close to victory then chokes near the end...ah, but not this week! Perhaps those days are over for both of them!

Barry and I also discuss the hottest hybrid golf clubs on tour! Why are we both so fond of our new Adams Idea a2 OS and Hogan Edge CFT sticks? Listen and find out!

And, we always stock our golf podcasts full of golf tips, so check in and see what we have for you this week!

Keep your comments and questions coming. We appreciate them! Continue to send all golf chat to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

You can also subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or subscribe through iTunes.

Congratulations also go out to Aaron Baddeley, "Bads", for his impressive win at the Verizon Heritage. His exciting victory over Jim Furyk gives the Australian's an edge at this tournament. Aussie Peter Lonard grabbed last year's trophy at the beautiful Harbor Town Golf Course.

Will "Bads" now receive an invite to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot? It doesn't matter because I think Baddeley will have no problem qualifying if he has to!

Shadow Creek

April 2006

Seventeen of the courses on the top 100 list were in existence before the town of Las Vegas was even founded in 1905. Shadow Creek (ranked #89 in the world), located in Las Vegas, opened in 1989, the same year Royal County Down celebrated its centenary. Shadow Creek is obviously not on the list of top courses in the world because of its heritage. It is there because it shouldn't even exist, yet it is one of the most amazing places ever created to play the game. Built by Steve Wynn and Tom Fazio, they took a patch of desert and created Shadow Creek by spending $40 million, moving 2.8 million cubic yards of earth and planting 21,000 mature pine trees.

Many courses have been built in the desert and are great golf courses. They use the natural features of the land, have fairways only where necessary and create mostly a 'target' golf environment. What makes Shadow Creek so unique is that they built a non-desert course in the desert. If someone brought you to Shadow Creek blind-folded and you had to guess where you were you could easily guess the Pacific Northwest or the Carolina Pines.



I have avoided going to Las Vegas for most of my adult life because I like traditional cities and I don't gamble. I remember the first time I flew into Las Vegas about three years ago. I arrived close to midnight from the East Coast. Landing in Las Vegas is an odd feeling, you almost feel like you are landing in the middle of the city. McCarron Airport is only a half dozen blocks from the Strip. As soon as you step off the plane you know you are somewhere different with the slot machines ringing and the general buzz in the air. No where else that I've traveled to does the city smack you in the face immediately. The place is an adult Disneyland and it epitomizes what everybody wants: a chance to strike it rich, a chance to make it, a chance to overcome the odds. While Las Vegas has certainly come a long way in the last 20 years and is touted as a family destination, it is still sin city. As you walk down the street every block or two there are people giving out 'business' cards for escorts, strip clubs and prostitutes. One taxi we took, the driver handed us a black book with hundreds of these cards inserted into them. Certainly, Las Vegas now has very good restaurants and a lot of golf, but the underlying driver of the economy is clear. As the ultimate social commentary of life in the 21st century, in 2001 Las Vegas replaced, of all places, the holy city of Mecca as the most visited place on the planet!

When Shadow Creek was built it used to be that you had to be a high roller to play the course. It was the personal playground of Steve Wynn and he invited stars and big spenders. It is now possible to play Shadow Creek if you stay at the Mirage hotel or an MGM resort and fork over the $500 greens fee.

You don't drive to Shadow Creek. In certainly one of the more unique aspects of playing the top 100 courses, you are picked up by a stretch limousine at the hotel and are transported north of the city to the golf course. Shadow Creek is located between the Strip and the testing grounds used to detonate atomic bombs, which are located about an hour and 20 minutes north. The first test occurred in 1951 and 120 bombs have been exploded there over the years. I have, in fact, noticed that I have lost a lot of hair since playing Shadow Creek, but I'm sure it's not related.

The course is surrounded by a big black wrought iron fence in a 360 acre area. The clubhouse is a decidedly understated affair, and it is your first indication that Shadow Creek is not about glitz. You are given a golf cart and assigned a caddy. Since the temperature is normally around 100 degrees, a golf cart is probably a good idea, but we didn't use it. Instead, we walked and the caddy used it to drive the bag around so he didn't have to carry it. Forget everything you've heard about it not being that hot - after all, it's a dry heat. Dry heat my ass. Shadow Creek is more like something from the Carolina Pines and thus actually has humidity which is created by all the moisture coming out of the ground. My advice is don't wear your best shirt when playing Shadow Creek on a sunny day. I drank eight bottles of water and although you can't feel yourself perspiring, the salt stains on my shirt after the round should give you a good indication of what it's like.

Despite my preconceived notions of the city, I actually came to like it. It has a certain energy and vibrancy that is unique. It was much the same with Shadow Creek. I was skeptical before playing it; thinking it was just a $500 tourist rip-off, but I came to appreciate its uniqueness. The course is beautifully laid out and challenging. The mountains in the background create a dramatic backdrop. There are pheasantÂ’s running loose throughout the course and they are a nice touch, if a bit surreal. The back nine has some really nice holes and water is artfully worked into the design. The creek that runs along the fifteenth fairway (below) somehow makes this one of the most serene holes you will ever play.

The 17th hole is a dramatic par three that plays downhill and has an elevation change of 30 feet to a tiny green set behind a lake.

The locker room is allegedly modeled after Seminole's but it felt a bit forced to me, especially putting famous peoples names on lockers, which they could have done without. Playing Shadow Creek was a memorable days golf and I'd love to tell you the score I shot at Shadow Creek, but as the saying goes: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".

Las Vegas is a city that continually reinvents itself. The bottom line is that there is not enough water in the Western United States to support all the Sunbelt cities in the manner they currently exist in. It is conceivable that the water bill needed to maintain the course will not be economical over time or the novelty of the experience will wear off. When that happens the conglomerate that owns it will one day find the land is worth more for another use. That's the downside of no tradition. My advice is to play Shadow Creek while it still exits. Building this type of course in the middle of the desert is madness and the course most certainly will not exist to celebrate its centenary.

Shadow Creek

Tiger Woods not the only "cat" on the golf course, play extreme golf, putting tips and what's YOUR handicap?

April 2006

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From bobcats to alligators, animals on the golf course can wreak havoc with a golfer's game. But what happens when they attack? Two men recently found out and Barry and I report about it in our own inimitable way.

We also talk about the other ways in which people enjoy golf, from an extreme viewpoint, that is!

Our "golf tips" section focuses on both putting and building confidence.

It's also time to sign up for your handicap if you have not already done so.

Thanks for all of your comments. We appreciate them! Continue to send all golf chat to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

You can also subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or subscribe through iTunes.

Last but not least, a hearty congratulations to 2006 Masters winner Phil Mickelson from Stacy, your number-one lefty fan! You've got great game!

And WKW, praise me instead...I was the only one to pick Phil Mickelson this week, by way of podcast and blog!

Webb Wins 2006 Kraft Nabisco - Gulbis Close

April 2006

Natalie Gulbis had a great run at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship finishing in a tie for 3rd place with Michelle Wie. Showing the determination that will make her a winner sooner than later, Natalie Gulbis shot a 4 under par 68 on Sunday to be in contention on the final hole of regulation play. Only a missed birdie putt on 18 kept her from a playoff with Karrie Webb and Lorena Ochoa.

After starting the tournament 11 shots behind Ochoa after round 1, Natalie fought back on the weekend for a combined 8 under par on Saturday and Sunday. Natalie could have easily just tried to finish the tournament and make a paycheck, but her desire to be the best allowed her to fight her way to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.

Never tee up the same again, "bulls" or "bears" on the golf course and our Masters picks!

April 2006

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After our windy and rainy stay in Myrtle Beach it sure is great to have warmth and fair weather in the air. In honor of spring Barry and I discuss solid practice routines on the driving range. The Barry and Stacy "mini tour" gets started with a win by Stacy (who played a round of "happy golf" this weekend).

We also talk about our favorite picks for the Masters. Being a true lefty, you can probably guess my choice to win this year at Augusta. A hint? He's the guy who tore up the course at the BellSouth Classic this weekend!

Our product review takes the normal wooden tee and revamps it.

Thanks for all of your comments. We appreciate it! Continue to send all golf talk to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

You can also subscribe to our weekly podcast through iTunes by clicking here or download our weekly feed at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners.

Have a great season and play good golf!

Golf in Atlanta - Peachtree and East Lake

April 2006

I recently returned from Atlanta where I had an opportunity to played the two top 100 courses located there. I have always liked Atlanta for its Southern charm, weather and respect for tradition that is part of the culture. Atlanta still has true gentleman. Peachtree (ranked #87 in the world) is the better of the two courses. Golf in Atlanta and Bobby Jones are inseparable. Jones grew up playing golf at East Lake Country Club (ranked #99 in the world). The story goes that Jones and a group of his friends grew frustrated at slow play at East Lake and thus founded Peachtree. Bobby designed the course with Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1948.

Peachtree only has 225 members and on the beautiful Spring day I play it we saw only two other group all day. The terrain is some of the hilliest I've played thus far (although the Olympic Club Lake course is hillier). It is not an exaggeration to say that the only flat lies you are likely to get all day are on the tee boxes. Many of the approach shots are to elevated greens, thus the course plays longer than the card indicates. I have encountered only two courses with faster greens than Peachtree: Merion and Oakmont. The course also has an ever-present creek that winds its away around the course and is always ready to catch a wayward shot or to penalize those that should have hit three wood off the tee but through their hubris take the driver.



Comparisons between Peachtree and Augusta are inevitable because Bobby had a hand in designing both; their respective topographies are very similar and Peachtree, like Augusta, was previously a nursery. Several of the vistas a Peachtree could be mistaken for those at Augusta. Peachtree is a decidedly low key affair, the clubhouse is understated, the grill room is understated and the membership is both low key and low profile. I am a fan of golf clubs like Peachtree.

An interesting historical note is that the Union General William Tecumseh Sherman slept in one of the clubhouse buildings at Peachtree, which at the time was a private residence, on his march through the South.

East Lake, on the other hand has a very corporate feel to it. The course has many corporate memberships, who apparently stepped in to rescue it through a charitable foundation when the course started to founder in 1993. The course is located within the city and is hemmed in on four sides in a rectangular grid. The course is not a brilliant design and is not particularly picturesque either. The tudor style clubhouse is a shrine to Bobby Jones and it is hard not to think of him playing here over the years as you walk the fairways.

East Lake Web Site