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

December 2007

Click here to listen.


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!


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!.

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

December 2007

Click here to listen.


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!.

Cheyenne, a splinter off Tiger Woods' family tree. Seniors give us a lesson in scoring low and stop topping the ball

December 2007

Click here to listen.

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

December 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

December 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.

Bunkering on the third 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

December 2007

Click here to listen.


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!.

Will Lickliter lose his PGA Tour card in 2008? Also, regroup, regrip, reevaluate and getting from the rough to the green

December 2007

Click here to listen.


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!.