Podcast: Tiger Woods takes the wheel at the Buick, Mickelson's legacy in jeopardy, G-Clip 4-in-1 mini review, golf tip from "The Greatest Game Ever Pl

January 2007
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There's much to offer our listeners in this week's episode of Golf for Beginners, from discussion involving the ever-astonishing Tiger Woods right down to knee-surgery, which is becoming more routine.

Barry can now say that he has something in common with Tiger Woods, namely a repaired left knee. We explain how arthroscopic surgery (Barry had a partial "Meniscectomy"), although becoming more mainstream, is not as easy to recover from as doctors may claim.

We also review the G-Clip 4-in-1 mini golf tool, an innovative product from Fine Tune golf. It's versatility on the course should make golfers more excited about fixing ball marks on the green as well as being "at the ready" to dispense a tee if ever a playing partner should be searching for one.

One of our quick golf tips comes from Fine Tune Golf packed away with their compact golf tool. "How to repair a pitch mark on the green" is rarely done correctly so we offer up this suggestion hoping that our listeners will repair not only the one they created but another one as well.

Some movies are loaded with great golf tips as in the case of "The Greatest Game Ever Played". After watching this film the other night, Barry and I relate a putting tip that would not only help us but also Tiger Woods after missing some short putts at this week's Buick Invitational.

Aside from the miscue on some of his short putts, Tiger walked away with his seventh straight win, the second longest win streak (Byron Nelson comes in first with 11) in PGA Tour history, number 55 on the win-meter and his fifth Buick Invitational trophy. Not bad for being "a little rusty".

The Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson rivalry created by the media is our focus on this week's "How we see it". We respond to an article written by Cameron Morfit which wonders if Phil Mickelson must beat Tiger Woods head-to-head in order to secure his place in history.

Continue sending 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.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

The Golf Escort

January 2007
Golf Escort?

No, we're not talking about the police that escort professional golfers around a golf course. Read on and you'll find the new definition of a golf escort.



One of the characteristics you need to play the top 100 golf courses in the world is an open mind, a great sense of curiosity and a love of golf, travel and adventure. It is in this spirit that I am always looking for new ways to get onto golf courses I haven't yet played.

Thus, I was intrigued by an item I saw on-line recently. It is one of a new genre of e-books that are only published in electronic format and not through traditional means. Not knowing for sure whether it was a scam or a legitimate deal, I purchased it to find out and see maybe if there wasn't a tip or two in there about how to access golf courses. As an added bonus, the book promised that you can "Get paid for playing golf".

The premise of the book is that business executives will often times hire people to play golf with their clients, although personally I have never met such a business executive. The idea of a "Golf Escort" sounded shadowy enough for me to spend the ten bucks and buy the book, plus how could I resist the line promising "four selling points you can use on private golf clubs when asking permission to entertain clients there". Sounds right up my alley.

And I was enticed by the offer of a list of businesses most likely to pay for your services and how to strum up business for your golf escort business. Sounds intriguing in a seedy sort of way. I have been accused of being a golf-whore before, maybe this is a way to formalize my talents. Although, personally a like the more upscale sounding, "Golf Courtesan".

As I read through the 'book', it explains that business people are getting too busy to fit golf into their schedule. In an example of taking outsourcing to an absurd extreme, the book tells us that busy business people hire golf escorts to play the game for them. Well, we are outsourcing our manufacturing to China, the development of software to India; why not outsource your recreation too? It suggests you can position yourself as a golf escort to be hired by business executives to entertain clients on their behalf.

HELLO!

Isn't the point of playing the game relaxation, bonding, enjoying people's company and experiencing the out of doors? The book is not off to a promising start.

Access to private clubs

The earth-shattering suggestion in the book is to go and talk to the manager of the golf club. Tell the golf club that you were hoping to get permission to entertain influential people at their clubs. It suggests trying to tell them how much their revenues would go up by your bringing wealthy golfers to their club and how it will lead to increased pro shop sales and increased revenues. You should offer to play at "dead hours" of the day like early afternoons. The assumption is that they will be impressed by your pitch and your potential to bring influential executives and money to their course. Strike two.



The golf call girl

How exactly do you 'strum' up business? It is suggested that you put an ad in local area papers given out at hotels. This strategy will help you get in touch with out-of-town executives who are in town and bored, I kid you not. Instead of turning 'tricks' like a traditional call girl, you offer to play golf with their clients. I will forgo further discussion of the scripts to use when prospective clients call in response to your ad. Imagine having a severe case of the piles and riding in a stage-coach and you can skip this "chapter" of the book.

The mystery golfer

You may have heard of the idea of a mystery shopper; someone who goes around buying products and services for companies as a way to either do market-research or test quality control. Well, the idea of a mystery golfer has apparently arrived. The book says your objective is to get onto a courses' mystery golfer list and offers methods to do so. Call me a cynic if you will, but somehow I think it unlikely that Cypress Point and Seminole use mystery golfers to check their quality.



Alas, there is no silver bullet for my quest. I will return to my tried and true methods of getting on to the courses. As for my buying the book, what was it that P.T. Barnum said about suckers?

Podcast: Will Phil Mickelson be any competition for Tiger Woods in the FedEx Cup race, Sorenstam "flip-flops" on baby issue, a look at GolfSpan Mobile

January 2007
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Vijay Singh began the golf season at the Mercedes-Benz Championship where he showed great form after the holiday layoff.

Second in the PGA Tour rotation was Phil Mickelson, who, although a bit rustier than Singh, provided viewers with more than just a glimpse of his spectacular drives and relaxed demeanor.

Finally, the time that golf fans have been waiting for is over: Tiger Woods is making his 2007 debut at the Buick Invitational. Taking the "gone skiing" notice from off of his front door, Woods readies himself for the long road ahead where he'll be challenging both Singh and Mickelson for not only top position on the money list but also for the lion's share of FedEx points.

Is a $10 million deferred bonus enough to make Tiger Woods get his head into the game or...

Could this tournament mark a change in interests for the reigning number-one golfer on the PGA Tour now that he has a child on the way? Will he be able to defend this week's title for the third time? I'm not so sure. Tiger Woods exclaimed on his website recently, "I just haven't been able to prepare. I usually spend one week working on my game before a tournament, and have been unable to do that this year."

Barry and I examine not only Mickelson and Woods' debut but also LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam's retraction of a comment she made to a Swedish newspaper where she claimed she was ready to retire and have children.

Also on this week's broadcast, we take a look at GolfSpan Mobile, a new technology in which you can learn golf right from your own cell phone with the assistance of top PGA professionals such as Hank Haney, Jim McLean, Jane Blalock and more. Is this video technology too advanced for current wireless networks? We'll give you the pros and cons from our perspective.

Finally, we offer up a golf tip which is useful whether you're a beginner or even a professional golfer!

Continue sending 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.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Podcast: Michelle Wie gets "plutoed", which Phil Mickelson will show up for his 2007 debut and stop chunking, chip with a hybrid

January 2007
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While it's unlikely in the foreseeable future that Michelle Wie will make a cut in a PGA Tour event, we do not necessarily agree with Tim McDonald either. Barry and I talk about how Wie went awry, from her wrong choice of clubs right down to allowing the tournament pressure to get the best of her.

In stark contrast, 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa showed fans that having fun has its advantages as he became the second youngest golfer in PGA Tour history to make the cut. While Tadd is probably relishing this new "factoid", Vijay Singh is cringing at Sam Snead's record. Thank goodness that television cameras focused on this up-and-coming golfer who, at 15, also qualified for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Could someone as vertically challenged as Fujikawa be the next Tiger Woods?

Everyone except Tiger, watch out ! My golf hero, Phil Mickelson, is making his 2007 debut at the star-studded Bob Hope Chrysler Classic this coming week.

Whereas I ask the question, "Which Mickelson will be in attendance...safe or aggressive Phil", Barry wants to know if "dumb shot Phil" will show up instead?

Hybrids are hot on tour and are quickly replacing long irons in our golf bags. With the help of Golf Digest Magazine, we tell you how to eliminate chunking your chips with the use of these clubs.

Continue sending 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.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.


P.S. The word "plutoed" was chosen as the 2006 word of the year by the American Dialect Society.

Durban Country Club - Golf in the Zulu Kingdom

January 2007

Looking back from the 2nd green at Durban Country Club

I have found the ideal antidote to having your in-laws over for the holidays. A golf trip to the southern hemisphere works wonders for both parties. In what can only be described as an ideal situation I was able to go to South Africa while my in-laws were staying at my house.

Travel to South Africa

I have previously written that getting to Royal Dornoch and Sand Hills was difficult. Well, my latest experience, golf in sub-Saharan Africa, takes the travel experience to an unprecedented level. The Durban Country Club (ranked #70 in the world) is located in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. This area of South Africa, now called The Zulu Kingdom, formerly known as The Zululand, took me more than 24 hours to get to once I left my house. I took back to back red-eyes with a change of planes in London. I arrived in Gatwick, then took the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, took one of the world's great remaining institutions, the London taxi, to Paddington Station for the trip to Heathrow. As you already know I love all things British. I opted for British Airways instead of a direct flight from New York because I was told that the plane stops in West Africa and can be a bit dicey, plus this itinerary allowed me to bypass Johannesburg in favor of Cape Town. Also, the direct route is eighteen straight hours, and stopping in London allowed me to break the trip up a bit, although terminal four at Heathrow is a poorly designed corrugated-tin disaster.



I also forgot how much better a wide-body jet is than a narrow-body. I fly a lot on 737s and regional jets and it was nice to have a two-tiered 747 with a more open feeling. Our flight flew over the continent of Africa all night and there can't be a much better view from the air than approaching Cape Town with the sun rising on a new day. You get a full panoramic view of the ocean, the city and Tabletop Mountain behind the city, which is both larger than it looks in pictures and closer to the city and water. It is a soul-stirring scene.

Cape Town - worth the long flight

Durban

Finally, a two hour flight to Durban on South African Airways and I was there. Durban is Africa's largest and busiest port city and also is a beach resort that reminded me of a cross between Miami and Mumbai. Picture it as 1950s South Beach with saris instead of bikinis and you get the idea. A sub-tropical city, Durban grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when its main industry, sugar cane, was booming. Many laborers from India were imported to South Africa during this period as indentured servants. Remnants of this historical period remain within the fabric of Durban today. The city still has a very large Indian population, the largest Indian population center outside of India. The city remains a major working port and is still a center for sugar. As you drive in from the airport the road is lined with warehouses, sugar processing plants and grain elevators. Durban is a much different city than the more polished and cosmopolitan Cape Town.

Durban Country Club

Durban Country Club has several unique aspects among the top 100 golf courses in the world. It is the only course on the Indian Ocean, the only on the continent of Africa and the course located closest to the Tropic of Capricorn. The course is located ten minutes from the city center between a rugby stadium and the Indian Ocean. The Durban Country Club was shaped from the bush and dunes of the KwaZulu-Natal coast during the early 1920s by a local golf professional George Waterman and Laurie Waters. Colonel S.V. Hotchkin who also worked extensively on one of my favorite courses in England, Woodhall Spa, made changes to Durban in 1928 and these are evident when you play this gem of a course. Additional changes were made by Bob Grimsdell in 1959.




In vestiges of its British colonial heritage, local rules at Durban indicate what to do should balls inadvertently come to rest on one of the two grass bowling greens.

The Golf Course

I liked Durban Country Club as a golf course, although it does not have 18 strong holes. It has a particularly strong start, especially the first five holes that are narrow, hilly holes that play in the bush. The middle holes, 9-15 are average at best, but the course has a strong finish with the last three holes. The front nine are near the Indian Ocean and thus are more impacted by the wind. The course is not directly on the ocean; there is a busy and loud highway that runs between the course and the ocean. On the first day I played there were many windsurfers and parasailers out on the water enjoying the strong wind, which usually isn't a good sign for golf, but it turned out ok. The back nine is away from the water and not as impacted by the wind. The massive Durban Stadium towers over a couple of holes on the back nine.

So how is it that a course with seven average holes wedged between two concrete structures is ranked in the world's top 100? The answer is because the good holes are so good that they more than compensate for the weak holes. Plus, the attraction of playing in the bush really makes it unique.

1st hole

Rough/bush at Durban Country Club 1st hole


One of the defining characteristics of Durban Country Club are the massive undulations in the fairways, especially the 5th, 8th and 17th. The course was built on sand dunes and they are large and interesting. At Durban, you don't have trouble in the traditional sense we find it in the U.S. or British Isles. Off many of the fairways is thick sub-tropical vegetation. This bush is pretty much unplayable if your ball goes in it.

2nd tee

View from the second tee box

The par five third hole is one of the best in the world I have had the privilege to play. It has a high elevated tee with a view of the Indian Ocean. You hit down a narrow valley surrounded on both sides by thick bush. When you are down in the fairway you can't hear any external noise, including the ocean or the highway. You can hear the wildlife and birds chirping away, though. I saw several exotic birds, including the brilliant black and red scarlet-chested sunbirds flying back and forth between the trees on this hole. This hole and its environs are a miniature bird sanctuary. The wildlife here is so rich that the Country Club allows visiting bird watchers to tour the course when they want.

Once you putt out from the elevated green on this hole you walk through a path in the bush to climb to the next tee box. This same scene is repeated on the next tee to green walk as well.

third hole

Durban's world class third hole - Par 5 in the bush

Durban is a shot makers course that you have to think your way around. My caddie didn't hand me a driver until the 8th tee due to the narrowness of the opening holes.

The 8th hole is a very good par five that requires a long and straight drive. The hole then turns sharply to the left and the approach to the green is uphill and to the right. The beauty of the hole is that unless you are on the far right side of the hole, you have no shot at the green. After your drive, the hole requires back-to-back well struck short iron shots over two large dunes to an elevated green.

12th - POW1

12th hole par 3 - "Prince of Wales" hole

There is a half-way house with seating between the 9th and 10th tees. The custom at Durban is to stop at the halfway house and have some beverages and food, which every group did both days I was there. Since you are in the tropics, the need to cool down and take a break from the heat and humidity trumps the need to keep playing and complete a round quickly.

The 12th hole, pictured above, caused Edward, His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales to card a 16. In return, for posting his score honestly, he was rewarded with his name on the hole in infamy.

While playing the 16th hole, I experienced a uniquely Durbanesque experience. I hit my tee shot into the left rough on this par four, near the bush and under a tree. As I walked over to assess my lie a monkey dropped from the tree, to look both me and the ball over. The look on his face (captured below), tells me he wasn't particularly impressed with my tee shot. He sat nearby and watched me hit my second shot fat, or as my caddy said in the local parlance, "it was a rank shot". In my defense, it is hard to concentrate with a monkey as your gallery. I ended up making a double bogey, or as it is called in South Africa a "double drop".

My gallery at Durban about to watch a "rank" shot

The 17th, pictured below, is a particularly good example of how wild and crazy the undulations are at Durban.

17-5

17th hole approach to the green

I drove the 270 yard par four 18th hole (below) with a three wood. The feat actually wasn't that impressive since the hole played downwind, which is the prevailing wind. It seems like a good risk-reward hole for match play since pulling the ball would leave you in the bush and slicing it runs the ball down a steep bank toward the practice range. Along with Prestwick and North Berwick it is among the shortest finishing holes anywhere in championship golf. Personally, I would change it to a par three and make the course a par 71. It would make one hell of a par three. The finishing hole has yielded eighteen holes-in-one according to the plaque in the clubhouse.

I was quite proud to have played the same ball at Durban for all 18 holes. I kept my ball in play with irons off many tees and did not lose any in the bush.

18th hole looking back from the green

My caddie the first day at Durban didn't wear shoes, as many of them here do not. They carry your bag around bare foot. There is also no automated ball machine at The Durban Country Club driving range. On the narrow range, you hit balls and a caddie stands in the range and picks up and cleans each ball as you hit them. Durban is a unique golf course and the course was in exceptionally good condition when I played there, especially the umgeni grass greens.

Bunkering on the 7th hole

Sewsunker "Papwa" Sewgolum

One of the unexpected things I am finding on this quest is some of the lost stories in the history of golf that I have stumbled across. Sewsunker Sewgolum, whose nickname was Papwa, is one of them. In 1963, Sewsunker, a 5-foot-4-inch, 150 pound caddie and self-taught golfer of Indian descent became the first non-white to compete in a white only tournament in South Africa, the Natal Open, played at the Durban Country Club. He had the temerity to actually win the tournament, beating a field of 113 white golfers. During the awards ceremony, Sewsunker was presented the trophy in the pouring rain while the white club membership was snug inside the clubhouse watching in dry splendor. The white runners-up were awarded their prizes in the clubhouse. Sewsunker played and won under great adversity. He took his meals during the tournament with the black caddies and had to change his clothes in a car. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, which was government owned at the time, cancelled coverage of the tournament once Papwa entered and did not report the results on its news program. All this occurred at the height of the apartheid period in South African history. When the picture showing Sewsunker receiving the trophy in the rain (image below) was shown around the world it caused an outrage and put pressure on the South African government to change its apartheid policies.



The Durban Country Club's 1982 club history includes a comical explanation of why he was slighted - The laws of the day were such that Indian people were not allowed inside the clubhouse. An infraction of those laws could have resulted in the club losing its liquor license and being closed down. They also state that if they had moved the ceremony inside Sewsunker's fans wouldn't have been able to see him receive the trophy. To quote, "It certainly was not a slight to Papwa - rather one of consideration to enable his fans to see him in his moment of victory." I don't know, does that sound like consideration to you?

In 1965, in the same tournament, Sewsunker played again and won, beating Gary Player, who won the US Open in that same year. Unfortunately his success was short lived - the following year he was banned from all local tournaments and the apartheid government withdrew his passport, preventing him from playing internationally. He could not even enter courses as a spectator. Prior to banning him, Sewsunker played in the South African PGA tournament while two Government agents followed him around the course to make sure that segregation laws were enforced. Under the laws at the time, non-whites could play only among themselves before spectators who were also non-white. The crowds at the tournament were segregated. During this period, security police regularly followed him around and harassed and threatened him frequently. He had to apply for permits to play in white tournaments and sometimes they were granted but often times they were not.

In another highly offense remark in the club history they say, "Sadly, brilliant golfer that he was, Papwa seemed to lack the determination and discipline to remain at the top." What an absolutely disgraceful statement. Ban the poor guy from playing and then say he lacked the will to play?

Prior to the ban, Sewsunker competed internationally with great success. While he was not caddying, Sewgolum worked in an Oil of Olay factory putting the tops onto filled bottles. He was befriended by the founder and owner of Oil of Olay who took him to Europe to play. Prior to his going on the first trip in 1959, however, they had to teach him how to write his name so that he could sign his scorecards, since he was illiterate. They also had to teach him how to use a knife and fork since previously he had only eaten with his hands. Before he was banned, Sewgolum won the Dutch Open championship in 1959, 1960 & 1963. He played in the British Open Championship a handful of times including at Muirfield in 1959 and Royal Lytham in 1963, where he made the cut. He shot 71 in the first round, the same as Jack Nicklaus. Through 36 holes he was tied with Gary Player and two strokes ahead of Arnold Palmer.

What makes Sewsunker's story even more amazing is that he played the game with a back-handed grip, hands positioned the opposite way to the traditional grip. The unorthodox grip is now known as the Sewsunker grip - named after Sewgolum because he used it with such success. Imagine for a minute a back-handed grip or kack-handed grip as it is also sometimes called. How is it even possible? The game is hard enough, could you imagine holding the club wrong, with your left hand beneath your right?




There are those that would prefer we only recount the great history of the game and let incidents like this fade away, but I think stories like these are worth re-telling. I offer no apologies to those that think I am besmirching golf and its reputation. Unfortunately, golf has had a history of excluding people of race, and while not a proud chapter at many of the country clubs on the top 100 list, it is a chapter none-the-less. Stories like this also remind me that what golfers like Lee Elder and Tiger Woods have been able to accomplish are all the more impressive given the history of segregation and apartheid.

To their credit, The Durban Country Club recently honored Sewgolum, creating a memorial plaque in honor of him, unveiled in 2005. Club Chairman Ray Lalouette described the 1963 Natal Open awards ceremony as, "an ignominious debacle that must have been the source of much embarrassment and humiliation for a fellow human being at a time when he should have been experiencing joby and jubilation."

"No matter what the background, or the rules of the land, it must have been an experience that caused hurt and shame for him and his family."

"It is therefore fitting and appropriate that I, as the current chairman, take this opportunity on behalf of the members of The Durban Country Club, to apologize to Mrs Suminthra Sewgolum and to Mr Sewgolum's Son, Rajen, and his family for the suffering you have endured as a result of that most unfortunate incident."

"We have commissioned this plaque to serve as a permanent reminder to all those (and especially golfers) who walk this way, that 'Papwa' Sewgolum was a remarkable man."

Remarkable indeed. Good recovery on the part of Durban Country Club, in my view.

South Africa

In a sign of full progress, I played on the first day at Durban with an Indian member who was proud to show off his course and he was a delight. He bought me several beers afterward and even drove me back to the Royal Hotel where I was staying. If your travels ever take you to this fascinating continent, I recommend visiting Durban Country Club, to experience this unique golf course and to honor the memory of Papwa Sewgolum.

Although a former British colony and Western by many standards, Durban at times feels very African. There are lots of white mini-vans plying up and down the streets with music blaring and each is packed with people. Designed to carry at most ten people, they usually had about twenty people packed in. They stop every few blocks and serve as local taxis. They make the city chaotic since they seem to stop and start at will. There are also still vestiges of apartheid present - blacks and whites still don't mingle and there are strong undertones present; wherever you go you notice race. An afrikaner cab driver I had was ranting against the ANC, now the ruling party, about how they have ruined the country. On the other side, my caddie praised the ANC for restoring equality and moving the country in the right direction.

The rugby stadium from the back nine

Several people including the hotel staff and members of the club told me to be careful, that parts of the city are quite dangerous. At times, it was a bit uncomfortable, but honestly, no more so than in certain parts of Los Angeles, New York or Miami. I did note that parts of the golf course were discretely surrounded by barbed wire around the perimeter. Parts of Durban are seedy and raffish, but it's the real world my friends. It helps me to broaden my perspective to get outside my comfort zone every now and again and visit cities such as Durban.

Playing at Durban is something I will never forget. Playing the world's top courses sometimes gives you a myopic view of the world since you get to visit some of the world's most beautiful and premier locations. In an eye-opening experience, on the drive from Cape Town airport to the city center, you drive past the second largest "township" in South Africa after Soweto. The tiny, hand-made shacks that make up the township look unfit for human habitation. Their scale and magnitude is hard to take in, they go on for miles and are tightly clustered in a very high density. South Africa is a land of extremes that is hard to convey in words or pictures; the extreme beauty juxtaposed with the crushing povery. The great wealth and natural resources opposite such large scale suffering.

A Strong Finish


During my trip I never quite figured out the local currency, the South African rand. The exchange rate is obscenely good, however. I ate breakfast for US$2 and the golf was only US$60 including rental clubs. A very good bottle of wine at a vineyard in South Africa is US$10.

Like Ben Crenshaw at the 1999 Ryder Cup, I am a believer in fate. In what I take as a good omen for my quest, I bumped into Nobel Peach Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu coming out of the lavatory on my flight back from Cape Town to London. Although my hair was sticking straight up after ten hours in a coach seat, he gave me a big smile and a friendly hello.

By the way, my little in-law experiment worked out so well that I'm already planning another trip to the Southern Hemisphere for the next holiday season, this time perhaps a trip down under to play in Tasmania?

Golf for Beginners Podcast: A golf tip from Sam Snead helps us go from beginner to winner and improving your chip shot using the "bump-and-run"

January 2007
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This week on Golf for Beginners, Barry borrows a quote from the great Sam Snead to describe why my first ever possible even-par round (over five holes) turned into a mediocre event. No, it has nothing to do with Snead's effortless swing but it does have something to do with the mental game. Snead said that the golf game is 70 percent mental but at the 2003 U.S. Open, when Padraig Harrington was asked about that statement he quickly commented, "I'm not going to argue with Sam, but I'd say it's 90 percent mental."

It appears as if my progression from golf beginner to competitive amateur stops at the space between my ears. Trying to solve this dilemma will take some effort as my swing doesn't need fine-tuning but my lack of focus at the task at hand and the ability to forget what's written on the scorecard is interfering with the possibility of a score in the 70's and a single-digit handicap.

I also borrow a line from PGA teaching professional Mel Sole to identify the basic bump-and-run. A good chip shot can be accomplished with several different golf clubs, but do you use the right one for the best result?

We're both happy to be back for another season of Golf for Beginners. Travel along with us as we borrow exploits from our own golf games on the publinks to help lower scores for all of us!

Continue sending 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.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Woods put a Tiger in his bag and so can you. Also, how to keep fit during golf's off-season

January 2007
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What sets professional golfers like Tiger Woods apart from amateurs like us? Okay, so our swing speed hasn't been measured at 125 m.p.h. but it's not all in the physical aspects of our golf game. Amateurs sometimes fall into a comfort zone, expecting no more than what they know they can achieve as opposed to setting goals which can improve skills and change habits ingrained through improper practice.

Where the mental game is extremely important to a golfer's success, don't forget the physical aspect of the game either! It's easy to sit around and watch the New York Jets struggle for Super Bowl supremacy but it takes effort to get off your duff and exercise!

Improve your chipping with Umbrella Plus or start hitting your impact bag!

Barry and I discuss the importance of keeping limber during golf's off-season and how remaining physically charged can ready you for your first swing in the spring.

What better time to discuss setting both physical and mental goals to achieve a more consistent score than on New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year to all of our readers and listeners!

Continue sending 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.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

2006 The Year in Review

January 2007

It has been exactly one year since I began writing my blog. While I have been playing the courses for a much longer period of time, actually writing about them began on New Years Day 2006. It has been a rich experience, forcing me to think hard about what makes a course unique or great as opposed to just writing that I like it or not.

I have included hyperlinks in this post on courses played in 2006 in case you missed a writeup on the course you can just click.

2006 turned out to a very strong golf year. One of my personal goals is to always play 50 rounds of golf a year and I achieved it and then some this year. I was also able to play fifteen new courses on the top 100 list and play golf on three continents. I was also surprised to see that I have readers in sixty countries including such far-flung places as Azerbaijan, Mauritius and Kazakstan (could it be the famous lover of the U.S. & A?). I was also surprised to see how many people appreciate my idiotic sense of humor.

I was fortunate enough to be able to play Maidstone again this year and this time brought my digital camera. The 14th hole, a par three along the Atlantic Ocean is one of my personal favorite holes and I have included two pictures of it in this posting.


The world-class 14th at Maidstone

During 2006 I also completed (again) the perfect trifecta of playing Maidstone, Shinnecock and The National all in the same year. Standing on the 17th tee box at The National, it is hard not to feel on top of the world. You stand at the highest point on the course with the windmill behind you, the Shinnecock clubhouse on the hill in the distance, the National clubhouse on your side, a view of the Sebonack Golf Club to your left, the punchbowl green below you, Peconic Bay stretching out below you and one of the great holes in golf awaits you. Mountain climbers strive to climb Everest. You've reached one of golf's summits when you climb out of the punchbowl green to the 17th tee at The National. It was made even more special this year playing with three new friends in the brilliant sunshine.

As the year began, I thought it would be remembered for playing the Open Championship courses in England. I planned on playing the four courses in England on the Open rota - Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Royal St. George's and Royal Liverpool. I did indeed play all four and came away forever changed by my experience. Royal Liverpool and Royal St. George's in particular, were out of this world, despite my little incident at Royal St. George's.

When the year began I hadn't anticipated playing any courses in the U.S. heartland. As fate would have it I ended up playing five - Southern Hills in Oklahoma, Prairie Dunes in Kansas, Crystal Downs in Michigan, Inverness in Ohio and Sand Hills in Nebraska. Amazingly, three of them are ranked in the top 25 in the world. All of this is chalked up to serendipity. I'm very flexible when presented with the opportunity to play a top golf course. It's a good lesson to extend to your life beyond golf as well; be flexible and see where it takes you. Undertaking this quest has changed my whole outlook on life. For example, when flying previously, I never, ever spoke to passengers around me. I flew in quiet isolation; in solitary reflection; in peace. Now, I actually embrace the chatty seat-mate and most people I meet. You never knows who you'll meet. I have come into contact with a gentleman on the waiting list to get into Augusta National, several members of clubs on my list and several other interesting golf related characters.


14th at Maidstone from behind the green

The bad news for me in 2006 is that playing Sand Hills has actually dampened the experience of playing all the other courses, just a little bit. Every course played is now compared to Sand Hills. Sand Hills is such a good course and unique place that in the back of my mind a little voice keeps saying, "this is great, but Sand Hills is better."

Low-lights for the year include Medinah, being pulled over in the middle of the night by army troops in the Dominican Republic after playing Casa de Campo and being hit up on at Prairie Dunes. The year was capped off with a once in a lifetime golf trip to Africa (my next post) that featured monkeys as my gallery and a brief visit with Bishop Tutu.

I have also completed another major milestone in 2006, having completed over half the world's top courses. To celebrate this feat I have taken at crack a ranking the top courses, broken down into U.S. and non-U.S. listed below. I have added in other courses I have played that are not ranked, just to give them perspective relative to the others. The list is obviously not complete, I will provide a complete personal integrated list when I complete the top 100.

I tentatively have lined up another 10-12 courses for the new year, hopefully included in there will be my aspirational French course Morfontaine. Perhaps I will see some of you on my planned travels.

Happy New Year, looking forward to a strong 2007!

Non-US Ranking

1. Carnoustie
2. Sunningdale (Old)
3. Royal St. George’s
4. Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
5. Royal County Down
6. Woodhall Spa
7. St. Andrews (Old)
8. Kingsbarns
9. Cruden Bay
10. North Berwick (West)
11. Royal Dornoch
12. Ballybunion (Old)
13. Turnberry (Ailsa)
14. Royal Liverpool
15. Muirfield
16. Prestwick
17. Ganton
18. Walton Heath (Old)
19. Old Head
20. Casa de Campo
21. Durban
22. St. Andrews (New)
23. Lahinch
24. Ballybunion (Cashen)
25. Royal Troon (Old)
26. Ballyliffin (Old)
27. Portmarnock
28. Royal Aberdeen
29. Machrahanish
30. Royal Lytham & St. Annes
31. Crail (Old)
32. Gleneagles (Kings)
33. Wentworth (West)
34. European Club
35. Royal Birkdale
36. Royal Portrush (Valley)
37. Crail (Craighead)
38. Lossiemouth (Moray Old)
39. Tralee
40. St. Andrews (Jubilee)
41. Nairn
42. Dunbar
43. Waterville
44. Gleneagles (Queens)
45. Druids Glen
46. The K Club
47. Western Gailes
48. Gullane #1
49. Brora
50. Addington
51. Skibo Castle
52. Royal Troon (Portland)
53. Turnberry (Arran course) - now defunct

United States

1. Sand Hills
2. The National Golf Links of America
3. Merion (East)
4. Bandon Dunes
5. Pinehurst #2
6. Shinnecock Hills
7. San Francisco
8. Maidstone
9. Pacific Dunes
10. Crystal Downs
11. Garden City
12. Prairie Dunes
13. Bethpage (Black)
14. Oakmont
15. Pebble Beach
16. The Country Club (Brookline)
17. Inverness
18. Southern Hills
19. Los Angeles (North)
20. Myopia Hunt Club
21. Shadow Creek
22. Riviera
23. Winged Foot (East)
24. Winged Foot (West)
25. Olympic (Lake)
26. Kiawah (Ocean)
27. Baltusrol (Upper)
28. Baltusrol (Lower)
29. Bel-Air
30. Oak Hill (East)
31. Peachtree
32. Piping Rock
33. Whistling Straits
34. Fishers Island
35. Pinehurst #8
36. Aronomink
37. Torrey Pines
38. Blackwolf Run
39. Portland Country Club
40. TPC at Sawgrass
41. East Lake
42. World Woods
43. Troon (Scottsdale)
44. Bighorn
45. TPC at Summerlin
46. Pine Needles
47. Mayacama
48. Country Club of North Carolina
49. Medinah #3
50. PGA West

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