Nine core values that Tiger Woods lives by, Chicken Soup for the Woman Golfer's Soul and the man who embodies the spirit of Bobby Jones

2007
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This week on our Golf for Beginners podcast, we discuss why the recipient of the 2008 Bob Jones award was selected. George H.W. Bush, Sr. not only embodies the spirit of the game but his ancestors have long been intertwined with the USGA, offering the former President of the U.S.A. the ability to follow in the footsteps of his patriarchs.

Earl Woods would have been another great choice for the Bob Jones Award. The First Tee National Academy hosted it's inaugural project at K-State, home of Woods' National Youth Golf Academy. We remind our listeners of the importance of the nine basic principles that all selected youth are taught at the First Tee Program. I'm sure that Tiger Woods has these ingrained in memory and will pass them along to Sam Alexis.

Finally, we discuss the book, "Chicken Soup for the Woman Golfers Soul". Where it's certainly inspirational, there are points which miss the mark.

Happy New Year to all of our readers and listeners. We'll be back next week but, if the weather prevails until then...PLAY GOOD GOLF!


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"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

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Why does boxer Oscar De La Hoya get KO'd on the first tee? Also, USGA rule change for 2008 and charity abounds in golf

2007
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Although boxers like Oscar de la Hoya and Sugar Ray Leonard fight in front of thousands, using the squared circle as a stage to proudly display their ability, they seem to lose their edge and become wrought with anxiety when walking up to the first tee. Instead they become the "amateurs", stepping into an arena in which they are uncertain of their skills. In fact, De La Hoya was once quoted as saying, "I'd rather be fighting in front of 100,000 people than teeing off in front of ten."

Who would have ever thought that the average amateur golfer's mental game could be superior to a fighter who trains his mind daily in order to beat his opponents?

Trainer/kickboxer Kobus Huisamen mentions that "as a fighter trains, his mind also trains." With the intense preparation prior to a fight, shouldn't boxers make better golfers?

Golf for Beginners also discusses a change in the Rules of Golf for 2008 which allows players to swap out equipment shafts and heads before a round. Is this a "wink" from the USGA to bolster golf club sales?

In the spirit of giving, it is heartwarming to see entertainers offer their name and services to humane causes. Nick Lachey, whose "Clash of the Choirs" win recently gave $250,000 to charity is teaming up with Nascar's Jimmie Johnson to form the Super Skins Celebrity Golf Classic. The PGA Tour is also allowing Justin Timberlake to host his own
PGA Tour event.

So what's next? Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z hosting the PGA Tour's Urban Golf Classic for inner city youth?


Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Subscribe to our newsletter! Sign up and receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free HERE!

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
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Cheyenne, a splinter off Tiger Woods' family tree. Seniors give us a lesson in scoring low and stop topping the ball

2007
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Tiger Woods looked a bit like Phil Mickelson and family after his win at the Target World Challenge with grandma holding up baby Sam to receive a wet one while Elin proudly looked on. Perfect Kodak moment!

Now it's time for a six-week respite. Perhaps a holiday aboard the yacht, then Christmas with the relatives?

Or, maybe a powow with the lesser known side of the family? Cheyenne Woods signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at Wake Forest University so a bit of catching up couldn't hurt, especially since Tiger and Cheyenne both share a common bond. Earl Woods Sr. gave his granddaughter her first set of golf clubs and, as Tiger remarked, "she started in the garage where I started. I'll never forget that day."

Besides the apparent similar features, Cheyenne, daughter of Earl Woods Jr., is becoming an accomplished golfer. But she lacks Tiger's humble nature, commenting in an interview earlier in the year that she doesn't just want to be known as "somebody's relative" making sure to mention that "other people tell me that I play a little bit better under pressure and that my composure on the course is Tiger-like." Perhaps there is a bit of sibling rivalry between Earl Jr. and Tiger? Still, they're not your typical family.

This week Golf for Beginners podcast discusses Cheyenne Woods, the Earl Woods legacy and the probability of defeating Michelle Wie in competitve golf.

We also have a bevy of golf tips including a discussion on how seniors can beat younger players on the course and easy ways to stop topping the ball.

P.S. Crybaby Rory Sabbatini may have escaped with $170,000 of last place payout under Tiger Woods' radar but I'm sure the only thing that bothered Woods about this issue was that the Foundation could have used the money. I'll bet that Sabbatini won't be asked to come back next year. (Hmmm, did Sabbatini pull a Michelle Wie or was he gracious enough to thank the host before he disappeared?)



Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

What Should Be Your Golf Training Priority

2007


What Should Be Your Golf Training Priority
by: Mike Pedersen


This is a question that is often asked for the simple reason that knowing one’s golf training priority will enable them to improve their game within the shortest possible time.To answer it correctly a golfer needs to know what their particular area of weakness is. For example if they tend to slice the ball in their golf swing then their golf training priority should be exercises that address that particular weakness in their game.Other times a golfer will have a nagging back problem which refuses to go away despite medication. Many times the back pain will be in the lower back and will usually be aggravated by playing golf. The golf training priority of such a golfer is to get golf specific exercises that will give them endurance and strength. The exercise must also be targeted directly at the lower back. There is in fact such an exercise which I have described in several of my other articles. The result of this exercise is that the pain will disappear and the golfer will be able to hit the ball on the course and enjoy playing golf virtually the whole day without the discomfort and pain that previously occurred or was aggravated whenever they previously played a round of golf.Many times your golf training priority exercises may involve the use of dumb bells. However this is not as strenuous as it may sound as the exercises are geared to wards building strength and not muscles and usually much lighter weights will be used.To be able to fully understand what your golf training priority is, it is useful to consult with golf exercise experts who will usually recommend a program that will do miracles to your golf game. It is important that your golf-specific exercise program starts with the correct golf training priority for you and your game.About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness swing trainers in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and manual at his golf swing tips site - Perform Better Golf.

Campo de Golf El Saler

2007

My expectations prior to playing El Saler (ranked #93 in the world) were not high. I have talked to several golfers who have completed or are playing the top 100 and they universally said El Saler was over-rated. Golf Magazine re-ranks courses every two years and El Saler was a one-shot wonder. Its only appearance on the list was in 2003, which happens to be the list I am playing. I none-the-less went there with an open mind.

El Saler is located just south of Valencia, Spain along the Iberian Peninsula on the Mediterranian coast. Valencia is a city with great modern architecture. One of the premier architects of our generation, Santiago Calatrava was born here and went to architecture school here. He designed a bridge over the Turia river, the opera house and a science museum. For the architecture fan, Valencia is a must visit city.


Calatrava's Valencia Arts and Science Center

The golf course at El Saler was built in 1968 by Spanish architect Javier Arana. The course is located in the El Saler nature reserve, between a protected wooded area and sea-side sand dunes. It is one of the few courses in the world outside the British Isles that is truly a links course by the strict definition.

The course's design took into account its integration in the protected landscape with native plants such as the famous pale stonecrop plant, locally called "cat's claw". The course layout is varied, ranging from a links layout reminiscent of the famous British and Irish golf courses, to areas of typical Mediterranean forest. The par 72 course measures 6,468 meters (7,110 yards). Bernard Langer won the Spanish Open twice at El Saler, in 1984 and 1989.

I have also heard that the course was difficult to appreciate because its conditioning was not very good. I found the course to be in excellent shape when I played it this fall on my way back from France. I played the course with two locals who spoke as much English as I speak Spanish. I gathered that it was a father-daughter team since at the end of every sentence she called him "papa". It was a nice round, and he tried to help point out to me which way the holes went. Everyone showed good etiquette, and it is one of the great things about golf that you are able to play anywhere, with all level of golfers and have a pleasant time of it, even if you don't speak the language.

The course has an interesting routing that starts out in a pine forest with unique Arregle Piques trees. The first four holes play in the trees: then, beginning at the fifth hole you start to approach the Mediterranean and get the links feel of the course. Arana designed some interesting and challenging greens with many contours, like the second, seen below.

El Saler 2nd green

The third is a world-class par five with a blind tee shot and a double dog-leg left that plays to a narrow green. The green has deep bunkers on both sides and two trees protecting the front of the green. The fairway slopes left to right. This hole is ranked as one of the 500 best in the world according to George Peper's book of the same title. The difficult green is oblong and protected by deep bunkers on both the left and right. It is a very good strategic hole with a narrow fairway from tee to green that requires precision the entire way.

El Saler 3rd green

Bunkering on the third green
El Saler 3rd approach to green

3rd approach to green with trees on both sides

After playing the fourth hole, you walk through a clearing in the trees up a rise in the hill and hit a blind tee shot on the fifth. As you walk up the fifth fairway and over the crest of the hill, the feel of El Saler changes as the water and mountains now become visible. The next four holes play along the water. Both the fifth and seventh greens are set in dunes near the water.

The eighth is a very good short par four that plays along the Mediterranean. There is a sand dune about twenty feet high to the right of the green. The fairway snakes along to the right and then to the left prior to getting to the multi-tiered green that is sighted between the big sand dune on the right and the sand dunes protecting the ocean on the left.

ES 8th

8th green

It is a very nice hole that plays directly along the water while the sound of the waves crashing is audible from tee to green. The other benefit of this hole, that I probably should have mentioned first, is that you can see the beach from the tee box. It is the only hole in the world´s top 100 where you can see topless sun bathers from a tee box.

El Saler 8 green

Uphill fairway to 8th green with sand dune on the right

Holes nine through sixteen are average, but seventeen is an outstanding par three that is set within the sand dunes and reminded me of playing at Maidstone in the US and Sandwich in the UK. In a stroke of luck, I was just able to finish playing El Saler before a major thunderstorm hit. As a result, the picture below is a bit darker than I would have liked, however, you can still see the large natural sand dunes surrounding the green that is elevated and very well bunkered.

El Saler 17th

Par three 17th hole


As you can see below from a close-up of the green, once you hit it, the challenge continues with the big contours.

El Saler 17 green

17th green

So, how would I rank El Saler? It's probably not a course worthy of being ranked in the top one hundred, especially since some fabulous courses have been built in the last ten years, although I liked it and it's a very nice golf course. According to Tom Doak, El Saler's high point was when a Spanish Open was played there and the course was in great condition and was still fresh on the minds of panelists that rank courses.

As a public course that costs 100 Euros, El Saler is a good value. If you are in Spain, I recommend playing El Saler as it has three world-class holes: #3, #8 and #17. I would most certainly rather play El Saler than either Medinah or the TPC at Sawgrass, particularly in high season when the sun bathers are out on the beach.

Spain

This was my first visit to Spain and I found the Spanish people to be very gentle, pleasant and likable. I flew out of Valencia after playing El Saler and stayed in Madrid before flying home the following morning. I was exhausted after playing and traveling, so I went for a walk to get something to eat. It took me all of about five minutes to get into the Spanish way of eating. I went into several tapas bars and enjoyed the atmosphere, food and drink immensely and since I was alone on this part of the trip, I wrote this while enjoying the evening.

Madrid1

Madrid

One of my favorite things to do is to explore cities early in the morning. I went for a pre-dawn walk in the old quarter near the Prado. I wandered into a smoky little cafe before seven AM while the locals were enjoying their morning coffee, cigarettes and pastry. The Spanish lifestyle seems very nice. There is such a difference in the way they lead their lives here. It is a more civilised and less hurried way to live. There were hundreds of little unique shops spread throughout the quarter that were the antithesis of most American cities that are becoming an alarming amalgamation of chain stores without character. As I do in almost every European capital I visit (except Brussels), I can envision myself living here quite easily.


Madrid

Madrid

Tiger Woods' daughter begins early training to defeat Michelle Wie by age ten. Also, how to lower your score at the driving range

2007
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Tiger Woods is probably just as interested as the rest of the world in knowing whether or not his daughter will take to golf as early as he did. Although I think it's too soon to bring a five-month old baby to the driving range, obviously Tiger believes that placing Sam in this environment will nurture her taste for the sport, and maybe it will. As Woods said, "She kind of shakes every time I hit a shot, like, she gets excited. This could be good."

Yes, this could be good on several fronts. For one thing, it would make for great television. ESPN has already bought the rights to air the Masters Par-3 contest starting next year, most possibly in anticipation of Sam Alexis buzzing alongside of daddy in her electric crib, handing Tiger is putter.

And, if by the time she's five Sam takes to golf, she might have the opportunity to play veteran Michelle Wie for a winner-take-all LPGA tournament (I'm sure the LPGA will offer Sam an exemption!)

Sam's future is already laid out before her, thanks to Woods. Nike is probably planning a line of baby clothes and short sticks to offer parents interested in the "Tiger Woods method". If baby Sam inherits Elin's good looks, look for her face to be splattered all over the media, eventually taking over the top spot of the Forbes' 20 under 25.

Golf for Beginners also discusses Tiger's probable top-five finish at this week's Target World Challenge. But it might not be so easy for Woods this year. Look for a pumped-up Calcavecchia, who just took home a win at the Merrill Lynch Shootout and was given an exemption by the Foundation, to be nipping at Tiger's tail.

Our golf tips focus on how Tiger Woods prepares for a tournament at the driving range.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
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Will Lickliter lose his PGA Tour card in 2008? Also, regroup, regrip, reevaluate and getting from the rough to the green

2007
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Frank Lickliter may be making Q-School look easy this week, but, taking a look at his 2007 stats, you would never think that this same man was cut from ten PGA Tour events and DQ'd twice! Even if he becomes the medalist this year, how well do you think he's going to perform in 2008?

On the flip side, many of the guys struggling out there this week may work even harder to keep their card once this pressure-cooker is finished. Breathing easy will accompany that final 18th hole putt for some and, for others, many a tear will be shed in the privacy of their RV's and/or motel rooms.

After reading an article by funnyman/caddie Michael Collins I better understood how golf may be a game to some but, at the end of a week of Q-School, it is more of a relief than a sense of joy and accomplishment.

The golf course and range are eerily silent during those final six rounds. Collins claims that you can almost tell which golfers will be around for the final day by their demeanor and attitude...whose shoulders are slumping, "shoulders at the belly button, bottom lip on the ground." Collins claims that you can "see it in their eyes, they haven’t 'quit', but they have accepted the fate."

This week we place the onus of Q-School on the average golfers shoulders. Tivo the final round of Q-School tonight, when the pressure is really on, and replay it right before you go out for eighteen holes. You might play better than you think!

Meanwhile, Greg Norman and John Daly make their appearance at the Merrill Lynch Shootout. This particular "silly season" event is better suited for the likes of both golfers. Could they survive, at this point in their careers, if Q-School was their only option? Or, have they both become too comfortable?

New York's first official snow fell this weekend, but that doesn't stop Barry & I from thinking about the importance of a practice ritual over the winter. In addition, we advise you on ways to regroup for opening day on your favorite course. We also offer golf tips to get you to the green (instead of just back into play) from the rough with the assistance of Kevin Walker, a Golf Magazine Top 100 instructor.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
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How to lower your golf handicap

2007
Many people who turn to the services of a professional golf school have tried the sport before and felt unable to learn it on their own. It is natural that together with other beginners you will definitely lower your golf handicap. Yet, we should mention that being bad at golf is usually a problem of self-image, not of talent. Once you practice more and learn the basic moves, you’ll definitely lower your golf handicap and start feeling more confident. After all, you’re doing it for fun, right? Let’s see how you can actually lower your golf handicap.
It is said that golf is good for business, and many deals are struck over an amiable game. However, to be more in control of a situation, executives often turn to private trainers to help them lower the golf handicap if one actually exists. Playing naturally and with pleasure is good for health, well-being and business at the same time. If you find it difficult to lower your golf handicap during the classes, you can very well continue to practice in the privacy of your backyard. After all, you just need to swing and take some short shots around fifteen minutes a day in order to lower your golf handicap.
For instance it is essential to go further than simply hitting the green; you will actually have to take a shot at a par or a birdie. This is the part where most of you need to lower your golf handicap. You need to learn how to target a specific area of the green with precision. Here are the main tips to lower your golf handicap for short shots. First try to open your stance slowly, then, keep the feet close together and flex the knees more than usual. This should lead to a compact swing and a good scoring. Apply them and actually lower your golf handicap.
A tip here to help you lower your golf handicap is to practice the body swing while sitting on a chair, since you thus prevent the hip movement that most often ruins the shot. All kinds of clubs are good to practice this move; as you get more familiar with them, you will definitely lower your golf handicap and gain self-confidence. It is a good idea to have a look at professional players and analyze their moves technically, thus you’ll understand the logic behind the perfect shot.

Tiger Woods moving on up, Greg Norman selling out. Also, how to get out of hardpan sand and putting tips

2007
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The world's most affluent zip code has been getting a workout as of late. Tiger Woods is flattening existing edifices on his estate, replacing the original mansion and assorted other buildings, with updated but "quite modest" appointments.

Approved plans include a 10,000 square foot dream house, a guard house, small golf course, pool and other amenities necessary to the enjoyment of the world's richest PGA Tour golfer and family. Famous neighbor Celine Dion won't be angry with the constant commotion as she began building her new digs earlier this year.

Not to be outdone by Tiger Woods, Greg Norman is seeking $65 million for his home on Jupiter Island after a messy break-up to his estranged wife. Originally purchased for $5 million sixteen years ago, the Shark is looking to make a real estate killing. Always the saavy businessman, Norman realizes that the elite will pay BIG to live near the greatest golfer on the planet (Jupiter?).

The rich just keep getting richer. But just how much is too much?

The cold weather has not put a damper on our golf activity but we must remember the importance of playing smarter and considering every shot. For example, Barry found himself in a sand trap that had frozen over. Golf for Beginners discusses the correct way to exit this trap the very first time. We also talk about an easy way to visualize your putting line.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

Somerset Hills Country Club

2007


Many people form their impression of New Jersey based on driving down the New Jersey Turnpike after leaving New York City or arriving at Newark Airport. The impression is not a pretty one with the unsightly Pulaski Skyway, industrial wastelands, refineries, landfills and a generally miserable look to that area.

The reality of New Jersey can be quite different than the first impression, particularly as you get away from the Turnpike. Somerset Hills is located about forty minutes west of Manhattan in an affluent part of the state, in the town of Bernardsville. The Bernardsville-Basking Ridge-Far Hills area is New Jersey's equivalent of Greenwich or of Manhattan's Upper East Side. This is horse country, made up of gently rolling terrain and sprinkled with mansions made from Wall Street and pharmaceutical fortunes. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Meryl Streep were one time residents of Bernardsville. The area is also home to the U.S. Equestrian Team and the U.S.G.A. The course takes its name from the name of the county it is located in. The club's logo incorporates the crest of the (English) Duke of Somerset. Given its proximity to the U.S.G.A., located about ten minutes away, and its storied place in the game, Somerset Hills has a long-standing tradition of letting executives from Golf House play the course. For the rest of us, we have to be invited by a member.

Somerset Hills represents the type of club that I like very much. It is old, traditional and conservative. It reminded me of Myopia Hunt Club in Massachusetts with its original, reassuring and discrete clubhouse and civilized and understated approach to everything. In other words, it is the antithesis of the nearby Trump debacle, which is overdone, tacky, ostentatious, crass, coarse and over-engineered in its need to show how impressive it is. At Somerset Hills, they don't have to try to impress, because they are the genuine article. The small clubhouse, pro shop and outdoor deck fit perfectly into the landscape and have a patina that can't be bought and only develops with age and a respect for the past. The course has two perfectly manicured grass tennis courts, confirming its gentrified and genteel approach as a private club.

The Golf Course


The golf course at Somerset Hills Country Club (ranked a beguiling #69 in the world) was built by A.W. Tillinghast in 1917. Part of the course was carved out of a former racetrack. A par 71, Somerset Hills plays to a total yardage of 6,659 and a slope rating of 132. As was Tillinghast's tradition, each of the holes at Somerset Hills was given a name by the architect.


Redan #2


#2 Redan - hard start to the round

Tillinghast went with the 'difficult start' philosophy at Somerset Hills. The first hole, "Orchard" plays through an old orchard and is a very testing 448 yard par four that doglegs to the right. The second hole is a classic "Redan" hole, seen above, and it's a beauty. At 175 yards it has all the classic elements of a Redan and it plays very difficult, even though it is rated as the #15 handicap hole.

3rd green

Uphill approach to the 3rd green

The third hole, named "Bunker Hill", is a shortish, 378 yard par four that plays to an elevated green that is well protected by bunkers.

SSH 5th green



5th green with the big hump cutting across

The fifth hole, oddly enough named "Nairn" (I guess it reminded Tillinghast of the town in Scotland?) has a green design that Tillinghast used on several holes at Somerset Hills. As can be seen in the picture above, there is a very large hump running across the green. As a short course by modern standards, Somerset Hills is by no means an easy course. Part of the reason is green designs such as this, and also, very fast greens.



6th ravine1

Old race-course running through the 6th hole

I liked the par five, sixth hole ("Plateau"), which has the outline of the old racetrack still running through the fairway. You can see where the track winded around the edge of the property, through the sixth and seventh ("Racetrack") fairways and where it turns at the end of the seventh fairway and heads back toward the clubhouse. You can see the big dip in the fairway in the picture above.

6th racecourse


You can still imagine the races running through the 6th hole

Many thanks to my caddy for providing the proper perspective and sense of scale to this unique hazard. You can get a good feel in this picture of how Tillinghast used the racetrack to great effect. It was a brilliant design decision on his part.

Some courses have a front and back nine that are reasonably similar in feel and style. Somerset Hills does not. It has two distinctly different sets of nine. The front nine is relatively flat and plays on relatively open ground in the area where the former racetrack was situated. The back nine is set within the forest, has many tree-lined holes, and has much more change in elevation.

11th green

Approach to the 11th green

The eleventh hole, aptly named "Perfection", is rated as the #4 handicap hole at Somerset Hills, but in my book is clearly the most difficult hole on the course. It is a 412 yard par four that requires the golfer to hit his/her tee shot through a narrow chute of trees to a landing area that slopes left to right down a hill. Shots hit too far to the right are blocked out, leaving no approach to the green, so the tee shot requires precision and the appropriate position.

11th green

The hole is a sharp dog-leg to the right after the tee shot. The second shot plays from an uneven lie, over a creek, to a difficult, elevated and well-bunkered green.


View from 11th green back up to clubhouse

In addition to being a difficult and brilliantly designed golf hole, the eleventh hole is also scenically beautiful. There is a pond left of the green and right of the green is a sharp hill that rises to the clubhouse and is covered in fescue (seen above).

12th green



#12 par three named "Despair,"

The next hole, a 151 yard par three named "Despair", shows off a design feature Tillinghast didn't use often, which is a green set within/around water. It requires a precise shot because the area you hit from is narrow and there are trees encroaching on the right side.

#13 green

The thirteenth green, above, shows that even on relatively straight forward driving holes, there is no letup at Somerset Hills, given the big undulations used strategically by Tillinghast. This one looks like a wave rolling in from the sea.

The par four fifteenth hole, named, "Happy Valley," joins a small list of truly world-class holes that I have found in my travels playing these elite courses. See the entire list here. The 407 yard par four is seen from the tee below.

15th from tee



15th from tee "Happy Valley"

You can see the strategic options off the tee, which allows a player to hit safely to the left, or to choose a bolder line over the bunker and be rewarded by cutting off the corner of the dogleg and advancing the ball significantly down the hill toward the green.

15th from tee1

15th hole sloping fairway

You can see the big left to right slope in the fairway as it plunges down the hill toward a small green protected by water in front and on the left side by both water and a weeping willow tree.

15 green

15th small green down in the valley

It's during this stretch of the course that I realized why I like Tillinghast routings like this one, Quaker Ridge and Baltimore Five Farms. There is so much change, variation, brilliant use of terrain and character to his routings that they just charm you into submission. I appreciate this type of layout more than a Winged Foot or Baltusrol where so much of the character and challenge is in the greens only.

16th green

Par three 16th "Deception" green

The back nine meanders through the hills. The fifteenth plays down the big sweeping hill. The next hole, the 170 yard par three sixteenth, is carved into the side of a hill. The hole after that, the seventeenth ("Quarry"), a par four with a blind tee shot over a hill, features a second shot down the hill to a tough green. The back nine has a set of holes that fit together like a glove and are as good as any you'll find.

The eighteenth is a short, 335 yard par four that plays up a big hill toward the clubhouse and is not that hard. It is the only hole that is worthy of the slightest bit of criticism on the back nine.

Getting everything right at a golf club is more art than science, but at Somerset Hills they have it all figured out. The small locker room and bar, the discrete, respectful staff and a refined approach to everything. Maybe it was hard for me to be objective playing here. As you can see from my pictures, I played it on such a nice fall day that the course really shined. I love to golf during the fall with its shorter days, crisp weather, diffused light, the sound of leaves crunching under your spikes and the sound of birds flying south (yes, I'm still a fan of Canadian Geese despite what they've done to Medinah). Since this was a home game for me I made it back home in time for dinner to appease my delightful wife who is becoming increasingly irascible about my golfing travels. I wonder why?

After having now played all of A.W. Tillinghast's courses, I would personally rank them in the following order: 1. San Francisco; 2. Somerset Hills; 3. Bethpage Black; 4. Baltimore (Five Farms); 5. Quaker Ridge; 6. Winged Foot (East); 7. Winged Foot (West); 8. Baltusrol (Lower).

Tiger Woods advice an about-face to Daly's "Golf My Own Damn Way". Also Ernie Els on reading your lie in a fairway bunker

2007
Golf for Beginners logo


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While PGA Tour leader Tiger Woods and LPGA's number-one golfer Lorena Ochoa maintain a strict workout and practice regimen in order to achieve their highest goals, John Daly's offbeat approach of how to "Golf My Own Damn Way" relies on unconventional wisdom.

He claims he prepared for his Open win by downing ten chocolate-filled croissants. He also loves M&M's and ate twenty packets in a single round. Daly says that your belly is the key to a solid golf swing.

Could you imagine Tiger Woods utilizing this advice? Daly's book is like the Antichrist to Woods' book, "How I Play Golf".

Daly's approach to a solid golf score far from scientific but he does make some interesting points which might help the amateur. And, he's just plain funny. Golf for Beginners realizes that a happy demeanor during your round will offset the occasional poor shot and so this week's podcast is chock-full of golf tips from John Daly's new book.

This is golf's "silly season"...what did you expect?

On the serious side, we also discuss a tip from Ernie Els, found in the pages of Golf Digest Magazine. The fairway bunker offers many challenges because it's not necessarily a shot you regularly practice. This tip on how to correctly read your lie and select the appropriate golf club for the situation will take the guesswork out of your next bunker challenge.


Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

The Key To Golf Mastery

2007
The Key To Golf Mastery
by John J. Lynch

The key to golf mastery is simplicity.
Golf is actually really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. You can increase your understanding of any complex subject by progressing from the simple to the complex.
Take the fundamentals of a sound golf game and divide it into the following five parts and focus on these ONLY.
1. The grip. 2. The setup. 3. The back swing. 4. The down swing. 5. The short game (chipping, sand play, and putting)
Master each one of these parts, and becoming a scratch golfer will not be too difficult. By understanding the simple, you can understand the complex.
Becoming a scratch golfer is simple after you have arrived at it. But it is simple only when you know what IT is.
Nothing is simpler than greatness: for to be simple is to be great.
Divide your golf game into simple parts, master each part, and you will become a great golfer!
The hardest thing for golfers who have been playing for a long time is to change a bad habit. If your bad habit is you sway off the ball and you are working on swinging around a stable spine, this move will feel very different to you.
You may even think it is wrong because it feels so different...
In fact, there is a good chance that your golf game will suffer the next time you hit the course.
Most golfers revert back to their old bad habit because of ego, embarrassment, or whatever...
Don't fall into this trap...
"There is no room for God in him who is full of himself." -- Hasidic saying
These golfers will never get any better and will always stay on the same plateau they have been on for years.
Some golfers have been on the same plateau as far as golf skill level for 30 or even 40 years. If you are happy with the plateau you are on...
Fine.
However, if you truly are committed to reaching that next level in your golf game you need to go through the pain of learning the proper moves which will eventually eliminate the bad habits you have acquired over the years.
I know this is some bitter medicine for some of you to swallow.
I am NOT here to offer you a quick fix...
I'll leave that to the multitude of so called golf gurus out there to sell you their snake oil...
The road to mastery has many plateaus...
Learn to love these plateaus!
You will have to practice any new move in golf for 21 consecutive days before it becomes habit.
This biological fact has already been proven by kinesthetic scientists...
So accept it for crying out loud!!
If this new move causes a major change in your golf swing, I recommend only working on the new swing move and nothing else during this 21 day period.
Divide the complex into simple parts...
Master the simple and you will achieve greatness in your golf game!
Don't work on too many things at the same time, this will lead to paralysis by analysis.
If you decide you want to play golf during the period you are learning a new move...
Play golf!
Don't work on this new move on the course, dance with which you brought to the course...
You should only be thinking about getting the ball in the cup in the least amount of strokes...
Play golf...
Don't play golf swing!
Practice on the range or at home, not on the course.
If your scores and ball striking suffer while you are learning a new move in your swing, tell your self this simply means you are working toward the next level in your game and this is normal.
Have fun on the course!
Hit 'em Long & Straight!

John Lynch
About the Author
John Lynch is owner of How2MakeMoneyOnline.org and writes on a variety of subjects. To read more golf articles like this John recommends you visit: http://no1golfbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Pressure creates drama for Mickelson at HSBC Champions, high-tech golf instruction with K-Vest and Annika Sorenstam's tips off the tee

2007
Golf for Beginners logo


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Phil Mickelson earned the title of "Champion of Champions" at the HSBC in China, narrowly defeating two Englishmen in a sudden death showdown.

Tiger Woods wasn't in attendance and so Mickelson could also be considered the "Best of the Rest Champion". Lefty's play was less-than solid but still good enough to defeat Lee Westwood who made as many cuts as there were events during the PGA Tour season, currently ranked 177th on the money list. Oh, and then there was Ross Fisher whose only experience on the PGA Tour this year was at the Open Championship where he m/c'd: his rank is 257th.

Still, this is a checkmark in the "win" column and Mickelson will have this memory to comfort him during his long winter's nap, along with the knowledge that a 76 was all that was needed to get him into a playoff.

This week on Golf for Beginners, we discuss how the pressures of the game can throw away a five-stroke lead, making even the top golfers in the world look amateurish. Mickelson had six penalty strokes in his final round and more golf balls found the water than the fairway.

We also talk about how new technology is helping golfers become their own instructors. In the past we reviewed the Suunto G6 watch, a great training aid for tempo and rhythm. We also assessed the RedEye i330 laser putter which forces your eyes to see the correct line on a putt.

This week the K-Vest is featured, techno-gear which gives a three-dimensional view of your golf swing and offers immediate feedback of your alignment and posture. This vest could be the wave of the future for golf instructors!

Annika Sorenstam says she has fully recovered from her spinal injuries. Even so, Sorenstam has been busy with other ventures including but not limited to course design and the new Annika Academy. Golf Magazine featured her tips on safe play off of the tee. We review these pointers querying when it is better to use a three-wood versus a driver off the tee.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

Winged Foot, Baltusrol and Bethpage

2007

A.W. Tillinghast has eight courses ranked in the world top 100, more than any other architect. I have just recently completed playing all of A.W. Tillinghast's courses that are on the top 100 list. Six of his top 100 are located within 30 miles of Times Square. Nowhere in the world is there such a large concentration of courses in the top 100 by the same architect. The next closest is Alister MacKenzie's body of work in Australia.

Before reviewing the New York area Tillinghast courses, I would point out that his best design might be one of his earliest efforts - San Francisco Golf Club. Tillinghast's major New York area courses are: Winged Foot West (ranked #18 in the world), Bethpage Black (ranked #30 in the world), Baltusrol Lower (ranked #45 in the world), Quaker Ridge (ranked #61 in the world), Winged Foot East (ranked #66 in the world), and Somerset Hills (ranked #69 in the world). Not surprisingly, Tillinghast did a lot of his work in the New York area since his practice was based in New York City and Englewood, New Jersey. Tillinghast was a legendary figure. He never went to college and used to walk around the course sites he was designing with a pistol and a bottle of booze.

A.W. Tillinghast

When you play a golf course designed by A.W. Tillinghast, you know it. Tillinghast's oeuvre is distinctive. His courses have what is called a "Tillinghast Polish". They are visually dramatic, especially his use of bunkering; his courses are a pleasure to look at.

Bethpage Black

The only public course of the six, Bethpage Black is the clearly superior of the New York area courses. It is built on the hilliest terrain of all his local courses and has the most variety. The 4th hole at Bethpage Black (pictured below) is a par five with three levels of elevation and is unquestionably one of the best in the world. A dog-leg left, you have to hit three good shots to get on the green. And you have to hit them to the appropriate side of the fairway, the right side being the more favorable coming in on your third shot. This great hole is immediately followed by the 5th hole, a very hard par four where you need to hit the ball a good 220 yards, albeit, downhill, to hit the fairway. Good luck if the wind is blowing at you as it was when I played. Your second shot plays very hard uphill. The beauty of the hole, among its visual splendor, is that the best shot off the tee should be played left to right and the best shot to the green should be played right to left.

DSCF4567

The world-class par five 4th at Bethpage Black

5th from tee

The difficult 5th at Bethpage from the tee box

Bethpage doesn't have an easy (or a bad) hole on the course. Another beautiful example of Tillinghast's design style is the par four sixth which plays 408 yards from the back. The tee shot is blind and the second shot is down hill to this well protected, beautiful green guarded by a swale.

6 green

Bethpage Black's sixth green

Bethpage doesn't feature any par three's where you hit a short iron. The 161 yard par three fourteenth is as close as you'll get to an easy shot. If you consider a green this well bunkered easy, that is.

14

Bethpage Black's par three 14th hole

The fifteenth hole at Bethpage is a 470 yard par four that plays MUCH longer than the yardage indicates. It is not a terribly difficult fairway to hit, but the second shot plays as uphill as any shot you will ever play. It's almost straight up-hill. Definitely one of the hardest shots I have had to hit (and hit and hit) thus far playing the top 100. To give you some sense of scale, the green sits about four stories above the level of the fairway.

15 from fwy


The exceedingly difficult 15th hole at Bethpage Black

I didn't experience any of the legendary waiting in line that the course is famous for. Nor did I have to sleep in my car the night before. I played with a friend who is a New York state resident and can book tee times up to a week in advance. I would comment that the Long Island male, though, is a unique breed. They are a cross between two distinct and not necessarily complimentary personality traits. Half the time charming, funny and entertaining and the other half in-your-face obnoxious. Staying to have a beer in the clubhouse after the round is mandatory so you can soak up the true attitude of the Long Island male in all his regal splendor. You will no doubt remember it.

Winged Foot

The opposite end of the universe from Bethpage from a social status standpoint is the Winged Foot Golf Club located above New York City in Westchester County. Along with St. Andrews, Pebble Beach and Pinehurst, it is an undisputed golf Mecca. When you turn off Mamaroneck road, Winged Foot has an impressive winding entry drive and a dramatic, beautiful clubhouse that sits in the middle of the site surrounded by tall trees. You know you are someplace special when you arrive at Winged Foot.


The fifth green at Winged Foot West

Winged Foot has perfected that uniquely American art of the country club. There is a ritualized process to everything about the club. You arrive and the caddie master takes your clubs out of your trunk and welcomes you. After you park, you go into the locker room where the attendant organizes a locker for you and offers to change your spikes if needed. While playing, he cleans your street shoes off. Next, your caddie awaits to guide you around the course. After the round, you enjoy some food and drink in the grill room where the elegant wooden boards proclaim the past winners of championships held at the course. You are served by employees that have perfected the art of service and making you feel at home. Winged Foot is known for being very generous with its employees, many of whom have been in long service at the club and are treated like family. When Henry Longhurst wrote "one of the great unpurchasable assets in any golf club is the continuity of staff", he must have been thinking of Winged Foot.


The entry drive at Winged Foot

Winged Foot is the only club with the distinction of having two courses ranked in the top 100. I played the East and West courses at Winged Foot on different days and at different times of the year: The West on a brilliant summer day. The East on a cool, drizzly, fall day. Both times I very much enjoyed sitting around the clubhouse, the first time on the outdoor patio, under the awning, with its signature green-and-white stripes near the 18th green, at the end of a great day's golf. The second time, in front of the over-sized fireplace in the grill room with the fire crackling as the outside temperature dropped and a slight drizzle was falling. Sitting in that room with the dark woods and rich tones is a nice way to take the chill off and savor the overall Winged Foot experience.

Winged Foot Clubhouse

Despite the grandeur and majesty of the club, however, I would not rank the West Course at Winged Foot as one of my personal favorites. After the round as I tried to think back about the holes, many of them blend together as being tree-lined par fours and fives with slight doglegs. I know certain fellow aficionados and technical analysts pile on to anyone who doesn't love Winged Foot West. They will sight how the genius of the course is in the green complexes, and I understand how dramatic and artful they are. But even if you take that as given, it leaves 80% of the golf course as being not all that distinctive and somewhat repetitive.



The par three 10th hole at Winged Foot West

I don't hate the West course. I think the par threes are among the best in the game, especially the 3rd and 10th holes. And the 11th hole is a very interesting and memorable hole. Sixteen is also quite a good hole as well. Thus far, it is my only eagle playing the top 100. Overall, I didn't come away awe-struck by the West Course. When a course ranks in the top 25 in the world, I think it should have a distinctiveness that jumps out at you like at Merion, Sand Hills, National Golf Links or Crystal Downs.

Even if you disagree with my assessment of the West Course, you must admit, points are to be subtracted from any club that has Donald Trump as a member.

Baltusrol

In the same vein, Richard Nixon was a one-time member of Baltusrol. The club is also old, exclusive and proper and like Winged Foot has a brilliant club-house. Baltusrol, along with Cypress Point, Augusta, Los Angeles Country Club and San Francisco Golf Club requires long pants to play, although they recently loosened up the rules so that you can wear shorts between the 4th of July and Labor Day. The Lower course at Baltusrol is a lot like Winged Foot West. A lot of relatively straight tree-lined holes without much variety, in my view. Again, yes, interesting and challenging greens, which is why the USGA likes both courses.



These two courses are frequent hosts to major championships and have revered history and no doubt I'm missing something, but to me, they lack that special quality that distinguishes them from some of the other really good and interesting courses on the list. Both get an A+ for conditioning and fast greens, but I wouldn't put either on my short list of courses to play again quickly. Bethpage Black is a course I would return to. It has better terrain, more change in elevation, a more varied and interesting routing and is a more imaginative design.

The East Course at Winged Foot, by comparison, is an under-rated course, especially compared to the West. I found that the East Course had more shot variety and more interesting holes. I especially liked the par three 13th hole with its elevated green and massive fingered bunkering.

On my own personal rating scale I would place the courses in a different order in the world rankings and rank the West Course somewhere in the thirties or forties and the East in the fifties. If I returned to Winged Foot, I would play the East course again ahead of the West. I would rank any number of courses ahead of both Winged Foot West and Baltusrol Lower including Carnoustie (#26), San Francisco (#27), Kingsbarns (#65), Sunningdale Old (#44) and Royal St. George's (#32), to name a few.

Like at Baltimore Five Farms, Quaker Ridge and Somerset Hills, I feel that some of Tillies best work was done on courses that are not as well known as those that play host to major championships.

Why doesn't Leadbetter cut Michelle Wie loose? Also, putt like Tiger Woods and a new line of golf gloves by Taylor Made/Adidas

2007
Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.


Michelle Wie's golf career has been in a downward spiral for the past year. She has run the gamut from physical to emotional trauma. Her "people" have been jumping ship, most recently Greg Nared, her second manager of the year. As you know, everyone loves a winner, and Michelle Wie hasn't won.

Wie has gone from media darling with cameras frantically clicking and both PGA and LPGA Tours throwing exemptions at her to being shunned by the Casio World Open, an event on the Japanese Tour which has, in the past, always welcomed her with open arms. Spokesman Yuichi Miyakawa contended, "We have concluded that it is important for her to fully recover from her hand injuries before playing to her potential". The key word here is "potential".

Golf.com has even decided that Michelle Wie is no longer "hot".

But in all of the darkness that surrounds Michelle Wie there is one bright light, one person who will stick by her no matter how far she falls...besides B.J. and Bo, and that person is...David Leadbetter.

Leadbetter realizes that he stands to gain either way from remaining on Michelle Wie's payroll. If she does indeeed make a comeback (which is possible if she reinforces her mental game), he may claim that it was because of his steady instruction that she persevered. If she fails, Leadbetter can always shrug his shoulders and say that he tried...and he did.

You have to give David Leadbetter credit for his dedication to Michelle Wie in the face of her overbearing parents, her lack of common courtesy and somewhat dubious knowledge of the Rules of Golf.

In this week's Golf for Beginners podcast we discuss the Wie/Leadbetter relationship. A putting tip by Tiger Woods regarding grip is also featured. Since we're on the subject of the grip, we also take a look at the new golf gloves being offered by Taylor Made and Adidas for the 2008 season.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

Could Tiger Woods continue his reign without a golf instructor? Also easy drills for weight transfer and clubhead speed

2007
Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.


The rumor mill, once it gains momentum, just doesn't seem to let up. The discussion of the possible split between Tiger Woods and Hank Haney appears to have been initially fueled by that ever-effusive announcer, Johnny Miller, during the FedEx Cup playoffs. Miller insinuated that the newly enhanced swing of Tiger Woods was a blend of both Harmon's and Haney's instruction.

But aren't all of us products of our environment? It would be ludicrous to believe otherwise and so, in my opinion, Johnny Miller made an astute judgment. Techniques taught to Woods by Butch Harmon over nine years most certainly left its imprints. Remember when Coach Harmon told Mickelson to watch for Tiger's idiosyncrasies during a round to try and throw off his game?

Haney states that his teaching principles involve a golfer "to help someone become more independent, to become their own teacher." Top golf professionals like Tiger Woods learn how to "fix themselves", Haney explained. They're not like the amateur hacker who needs regular tutelage on the basics. "They figure it out themselves."

Although "Tiger (Woods) has gotten really good at fixing himself," he still keeps in constant contact with his golf instructor. Even the top golfer in the world needs to keep his swing properly tuned and, for now, the person helping Tiger improve and grow remains Hank Haney.

Golf for Beginners also offers up several drills this week. With help from Duncan McGillivray, a.k.a. the Golf Drill Guru, we learn how a balloon can help you transfer your weight more effectively. We also discuss a swing thought you can use while chipping from just off the green.

In addition to these drills, learn from Golf Courses Guide how you can release the clubhead more effectively and gain distance and power!

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

Can A Golf Swing Video Change your Game?

2007
Can A Golf Swing Video Change your Game?
by: Mike Pedersen

There are many golfers who have been exposed to many a golf swing video and yet there has been no effect on their game. At least not a positive one.In fact for some their game has consistently gotten worse whenever they try to implement stuff that they learnt from a golf swing video somewhere. So the truth of the matter is that there are many golfers who do not believe that a golf swing video can have any sort of impact in a golfer’s game or even its’ quality.There are several reasons for this. For instance there is no way a golfer can perform consistently or even hope to see their game gradually improving, without being physically fit or at least golf fit. The truth of the matter is that the game has changed tremendously in recent times. For example the trend towards larger club heads and therefore heavier ones has put additional strain on the required physical strength and endurance that a typical golfer requires to perform at any level and not just the highest. Is it any wonder that the golf swing video does not impact most games?The fact is that the golf swing, for example is a very unnatural swing action to the body. In fact the more unnatural it is, the better effect and results a golfer will tend to have. This is the reason why it is usually difficult for most golfers to implement the swing techniques they view frequently in golf swing videos. There really is only one effective solution to the problem and that is exercising and conditioning the golf muscles in the body to find the golf swing as natural as possible. This can easily be achieved by enrolling in any golf-specific exercise program carried out by somebody who is qualified and knows what they are doing.That’s really the only way a golfer can fully benefit from the useful advice and techniques available in most golf swing videos.About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness swing trainers in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and manual at his golf swing tips site - Perform Better Golf.

Quaker Ridge Golf Club

2007





I am blessed to live within a three hour car ride of fourteen of the top one hundred golf courses in the world. For someone seeking golf's holy grail, there is no better place to live. I recently played Quaker Ridge Golf Club (ranked #61 in the world) on a beautiful, crisp fall day. I have now completed playing all eleven of the world-ranked courses in New York.

Quaker Ridge is located in New York's Westchester County, immediately adjacent to Winged Foot, in Scarsdale, New York. Scarsdale is an extremely affluent suburb of New York and has a bit of a New England feel to it with its rolling terrain, low stone walls bordering many properties, and its stately, mature trees. Quaker Ridge takes its name from a group of Quakers who used this land for farming beginning in 1726. The "ridge" part of the name becomes obvious when you play the course. Quaker Ridge is blessed with much better terrain that its nearby neighbor Winged Foot, which is on more-or-less flat ground.

Quaker Ridge is one of the least well known of the world's great courses. I like to research courses prior to playing them and had a hard time finding much information about Quaker Ridge. They have published no club history; it is hard to find pictures of the course and they shy away from publicity. As is their right, the members like to keep it a low-key affair.




John Duncan Dunn designed a nine hole layout here in 1916, and A.W. Tillinghast was brought in during the 1920s to redo the course and expand it to eighteen holes. Tillinghast is responsible for the course we find here today. The course was rebunkered, and some other minor alterations were made by Rees Jones before the 1997 Walker Cup matches, which were held here.

The defining characteristics of Quaker Ridge are the trees, the out of bounds and the greens. The greens are very good, subtle and very fast; sixteen of them slope back to front. The course is in many ways a typical course found in Westchester County, which are all tree-lined. I mean this in no way to be a negative, because Quaker Ridge can hardly be described as a typical course. The other thing you notice about Quaker Ridge when you begin playing is that the angles you take coming into the greens are of paramount importance. This is the sign of a brilliantly designed and thoughtfully laid out course.


Approach to the 4th green


A good example of why the angles coming in the green are important can be illustrated with the fourth hole above. The fourth is a 384 yard par four with a narrow fairway and a green that falls sharply off a hill on the left side. As you can see above, if you are on the right side of the fairway, the trees come into play, making your approach shot likely to fall off left of the green in a large bunker. In the interest of good blogging, I actually field tested this scenario (by design, of course!) and ended up in the bunker.


4th fairway from the tee


The smarter play on this hole is to hit the ball to the left side of the fairway off the tee. Well, that's easier said than done. When you stand on the tee, you see a big grass bunker that slashes across the fairway, creating an intimidating line that you have to hit over to a blind landing area. This is a good example of the type of strategic Tillinghast design you will find at Quaker Ridge.

The same principles apply at the signature eleventh hole. There are two trees on the left side of the fairway that block your shot to the green if you are not correctly positioned on the right side of the fairway. The shot to the green tightens up your anus ever so slightly because you hit to a narrow green guarded by a stone-wall lined creek (burn for all my Scottish fans) that meanders in front of the green. Meander might be too nice a word to use because it is quite a menacing little stream, seen below.


11th green


My guess is that if Charles Blair Macdonald ever played at Quaker Ridge he would have had a tough go of it. Macdonald was famous for designing his courses to favor a slicer, a category he was prominently featured in. Piping Rock, The National Golf Links of America and Chicago Golf Club, all Macdonald designs, penalize those that hook the ball, but are friendlier to the slicer. The first eight holes at Quaker Ridge have an out-of-bounds along the right side of the hole.

The first eight holes circle the property in a counter-clockwise fashion, which is the mirror image of Chicago Golf, which circles in a clockwise fashion. The next six holes at Quaker Ridge circle back in a clockwise fashion, before play goes back toward the club house. I know that Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) is probably the most famous world-renowned course that has a lot of O.B. Having played both courses, I think Quaker Ridge is a much sterner test of trying to keep the ball in play. At Hoylake, the O.B. really doesn't come into play unless you are truly wild. At Quaker Ridge, it comes into play if you are only mildly off line.


Approach to the seventh green


As if all the O.B. on the right side of each hole is not enough, the 7th hole, a par four seen above also has O.B. if you hit the ball long. For the record, I didn't hit a ball O.B. while playing Quaker Ridge. A sigh of relief is in order when you get to the ninth tee box and most of the O.B. is behind you.

The best stretch of holes on the course are six through eleven. Six and seven are back to back, dog-leg right par four holes. Eight is a good 335 yard short par four and nine is a tough par three with a tiny green. Six and seven might be as difficult a pair of par fours as you will find on any course. They are the #1 and #3 handicaps, respectively. The sixth has a creek running down the left hand side and is in play off the tee. The right hand side of the hole has a grass slope on the right (with the obligatory O.B.), and the fairway between the slope and water is about twenty five yards wide. The hole plays longer than its 434 yards because the shot to the small green plays uphill. The dog-leg is quite severe and to add additional difficulty there is a big tree on the right side of the hole that must be avoided off the tee. In his book, The 500 Greatest Golf Holes, George Peper, ranks this hole in an unprecedented three categories of composite courses of eighteen holes. Among the 18 most strategic holes in the world, it ranks as one of the 18 best holes ever designed by A.W. Tillinghast and as one of the 18 most difficult holes in the world. I would have to agree on all counts.

There is no let-up on the next hole: a 419 yard par four that also has a sharp dog-leg, a stream running through the middle and also plays to an uphill green. This tee shot is also quite difficult because there is again O.B. right, and if you hit too far left your ball will run through the fairway.


8th hole from the tee


The genius of the routing at Quaker RIdge is how the holes fit brilliantly together. The eighth is a unique Tillinghast hole with a huge grass bunker in the middle of the fairway which rises up a hill and between rows of trees. This hole takes advantage of the typical Westchester County hilly, tree-lined terrain and is a welcome potential birdie hole after being beaten up on the last two holes. This type of varied layout makes for a continual change, and Tillinghast weaves together a coherent eighteen holes that are challenging without being overwhelming. Collectively, the layout is much greater than the sum of its eighteen individual holes.


Fourteenth green


As you come in to the closing stretch of holes, it becomes clear that there must have been a circus in town as Tillinghast completed the layout. Sadly, several elephants must have died as the circus came through New York since Tilly buried three of them under his greens. The 14th, 15th and 17th holes have major undulations in them and several ridges and humps reminiscent of buried elephants. If you look closely at the picture above, and to the right of the pin on the par five 14th hole, you can see one such hump. They are quite good and add a lot of character to the finish at Quaker Ridge. Most of the other holes at Quaker RIdge have very subtle breaks to the fast greens; these are not subtle.

Although Quaker Ridge doesn't have that "Tillinghast polish" that you see on many of his courses, especially with regard to the bunkers, the course is varied, interesting and world-class. It's a unique Tillinghast design that he adapted to the local conditions, creatively using the terrain, the elephants, the stream and the trees.

Between the 1920’s and 1940’s many prominent business leaders became members of Quaker Ridge. The list included Louis Gimbel and Samuel Bloomingdale, founders of the department stores that bear their names, and Alfred Knopf, the publisher. George Gershwin was also a member (with a ten handicap) and often entertained members of the theatrical community at the club.




I like the sense of humor they have here. Look at the suggestion box, put twenty feet up a tree, near the tenth tee. The club's yardage book has a quote from Ken Venturi, in which he states during a golf telecast that Quaker Ridge "is one of the greatest courses you'll never play". Then, it goes on to say, "clearly he was not talking about you. Enjoy."

We did indeed.



The par three 5th over water


The par three 9th with tiny green


Greenside bunker on par four 12th hole

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