Tseng, Sjodin Tied for Lead at Kraft Nabisco

I find it rather commonplace anymore to ask this question heading into the final round of an LPGA event: Where are the Americans?

Well, we’ve got 2 inside of the top-15 heading into Sunday – Vicky Hurst and Lexi Thompson, with Hurst T9 at 5-under par and Thompson T12 at 4-under. As for the rest, or the next closest anyway, we’ve got Angela Stanford, Paula Creamer, and Cristie Kerr all primed to shoot career-low rounds on Sunday. Or maybe not. Yeah, I’m guessing that’s not going to happen.

Let’s face it: most of the Americans are so over matched and underwhelming that they should consider giving them strokes to make it more competitive. But I digress….

Yani Tseng had a bit of a struggle on Saturday, firing a 3rd round of 1-under 71 and allowing Karin Sjodin to pull even with her heading into Sunday after shooting 4-under 68 in her 3rd round. At least someone’s there trying to apply some pressure to Yani and make her earn her 6th LPGA Major.

Beth Ann Baldry over at GolfWeek talks about her 5 things to consider heading into Sunday’s final round at the Kraft Nabisco.

“Yani Tseng is likely to win her sixth major championship tomorrow. On Monday, will anyone care? In a perfect world, the headlines and storylines the day after would center around Tseng’s complete dominance. The reality is that the Kraft will be a distant memory as the golf world turns its attention to Magnolia Lane. That being said, pay attention to Tseng on Sunday. Appreciate the kind of talent and mental toughness it takes to dominate at this level. At age 23.”

For a full look at 2012 Kraft Nabisco leaderboard, click HERE.

Oosthuizen Takes 2-Shot Lead at Shell Houston Open

Getty Images

Courtesy of Golf.Com

“Louis Oosthuizen shot his second straight 6-under 66 on Saturday to reach 17 under and take a two-shot lead over Hunter Mahan after the third round of the Houston Open. The 29-year-old South African shook off two early bogeys on a sunny, windy afternoon at Redstone. He reeled off four birdies in a row on the back nine to surge ahead. “It’s a great leaderboard behind me,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s going to be tough, but I feel like I’m ready for it.”

Quick Look at the First Page of the Leaderboard

Leading: Louis Oosthuizen @ 17-under par. He fired 5-under 67 in his opening round, and shot back-to-back 66’s on Saturday to take a 2-shot lead heading into Sunday.

2nd place: Hunter Mahan @ 15-under par. Hunter opened with a 3-under 69, then shot 5-under 67 in his 2nd round, and 7-under 65 in his 3rd round Saturday.

T3: Carl Pettersson and Brain Davis @ 14-under par. Pettersson fired rounds of 65, 70 and 67, while Davis shot 68, 65 and 69. They’re both 3 back of Oosthuizen.

5th: James Driscoll @ 12-under par, 67, 66, 71.

T6 @ 11-under par: Keegan Bradley (67, 69, 69) Phil Mickelson (65, 70, 70) Ryan Palmer (71, 68, 66)

For a full recap of Saturday’s action at the 2012 Shell Houston Open, click HERE.

The lesson is over. Now what?

Well? Seriously, now what?

I ask because I often watch our range and see either my students or the other Instructor’s students and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what they’re working on!

If you’re truly taking lessons to affect a change, why are you there just banging balls? Instruction is a two way street. Both student and Instructor have a job to do. As a parent, would you really wonder why your child has bad grades if you don’t emphasize or help them with their homework? Golf instruction is no different.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that most drills are BORING. Some are hard. However, if they’re hard it’s because it’s a skill set that you must need the work on. If they’re boring it’s because you aren’t willing to do the “boring” work to achieve a level of proficiency. If you’re serious enough about your game to invest the time and money into instruction, then why won’t you take the final step and invest in “your homework” too?

One of the best ways that I know to maximize your lessons is to come back with questions and observations from the drills you’ve been given. It’s that two way street of communication that allows and promotes progress.

Oh, and one last thing, don’t let your Instructor off easy. If you don’t understand how to or the why of certain drills, interrupt him or her. YOU need to be able to walk away from the lesson tee with a clear vision of what you need to do in order to be prepared for the next lesson. If not, won’t the next lesson be the same as the last?

Come on folks. Let’s get to “work” and see how much “fun” this great game can truly be.

 

Play well,

Nick

Sports Radio Shock Jocks Bash Haney During Live Phone Interview

Thanks to Geoff Shackelford for sharing THIS HORRIBLE, UTTERLY TASTELESS INTERVIEW-GONE-AWFUL by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, as these pieces of work paired up on Hank Haney earlier this week on NY’s WFAN.

I’m over halfway thru the book… and the vitriol that is coming out of the critics’ mouths over this is beyond me, especially considering that most of the critics have admitted that they’ve not even read the damned thing. Rest assured that Tiger’s Fanboys will always come to his defense, even if it means name calling and making total asses out of themselves. The funny thing is that Tiger himself would never find a situation in life where he would want the likes of these two idiots defending him. Kuddos to Haney for maintaining his composure and simply hanging up on them. If WFAN was the only sports station I had to listen to, I think I’d drive to the middle of the Verrazano Bridge, open my door, walk to the edge, climb the rails and jump.

 

 

Golf Magazine 2012 Club Test

Schecter Lee

With the season officially getting underway next week, I wanted to provide my readers with a direct link to Golf Magazine’s 2012 Club Test.

I also want to offer a few tips to those who are considering upgrading their equipment.

• It’s not just about looks.

I remember falling for the Ping i10 irons a few years back, and committed the cardinal sin of allowing the appearance of a club to have the most influence in my buying decision. Sound familiar? For me – it ended up being a $600 mistake. Looks are important, but obviously not the only primary consideration. And it’s also proof that just because you get properly fitted for a new set of irons, that doesn’t mean that the model of the iron itself is a fit for your golf game. The biggest mistake I see committed by golfers year in and year out is the same boo boo I made with the i10 irons – buying more club for less game. Game Improvement irons might not be the eye candy that your golfing taste buds desire, but don’t make the mistake by assuming that you’re above a little more forgiveness.

• Ditch the long irons, get the hybrids.

The last set of irons I purchased was back in the fall of 2011, the TaylorMade R11’s. Except I didn’t purchase the complete set. I ordered the 5-iron thru A-wedge, since I already had 3&4 hybrids in my bag setup, which removed the need to needlessly purchase the 3&4 irons that usually come with the set. This is becoming more of a standard practice now, especially since hybrids have become increasingly popular because of their relative ease to hit, and the money saved with not purchasing the 3&4 irons is quite significant. In some instances, it could be as much as $250-$300 dollars less.

•   Check your loft progressions.

The reason you want to check the loft progressions of potential new irons is because each manufacturer might have different specs, particularly as it relates to loft. A degree or two here, a degree or two there – suddenly you might find yourself with a notable gap either at the long end or the short end of your bag. Case in point: my R11 6-iron has 28* of loft. Not taking the time to reference this, I purchased a set of Callaway Razr hybrids (3&4) and at the last minute decided to give a 5-hybrid a try as well. That Cally 5-hybrid has 27* of loft, only one degree less loft than the R11 6-iron. In essence, I hit my 6-iron nearly as far as I hit the 5-hybrid. So if you play one brand of irons and maybe a different brand of hybrids or wedges, take note of the loft progressions and compare. And lastly, take note of the strengths of your shorter irons, particularly the pitching wedge and gap wedge. If you’re like me, preferring more of a non-stock specialty wedge (like the Cleveland CG14’s, for example) you’re going to want to keep that 4* or 5* at-most progression. It could mean that the 56* wedge that you’ve traditionally played is 6* less than the stock gap wedge that comes with the iron set (50*). Try to maintain 4* – 5* progressions throughout your bag to maintain distance continuity. One last thing: just because there might be 2* of difference doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go out and purchase new wedges. It’s not an issue for a club builder to bend the wedge the 1-2 needed degrees to comply with your preferred loft gaps.

• Get on a launch monitor.

Most modern golf retail outlets (like Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, etc.) have the ability to check your true swing speed, your spin rate, your launch angle, your carry distance, and your swing tendencies (hook, straight, or slice) with a launch monitor. I always encourage players looking to upgrade to new irons (or any club for that matter) to take one of their current irons (one that they hit reasonably well) and do a launch monitor comparison with the potential new model of iron they’re considering purchasing. Always do a comparison if possible, because it gives you a much greater sense of just how much of a difference there might be in the performance. A knowledgeable club fitter can take the data from the launch monitor and help steer you in a better equipment direction, pertaining to both shaft flex and club model design best suited for your golf swing.

• Take advantage of Playability Guarantees

Not all golf retail outlets do this, but some actually offer a grace period of sorts with new club purchases. TGW.COM offers a 30-day playability guarantee for new clubs purchased from their website, providing that the club isn’t altered, damaged, has excessive wear, or is a special custom order. It’s a great insurance policy to have, knowing that if the new club doesn’t perform as expected – you can return it and get in-store credit to apply to something different.

 

Golf equipment isn’t inexpensive, but millions of golfers continue to purchase golf clubs that are either ill-fitted or not what they were expecting performance-wise. They then take an enormous loss by trying to auction it on eBay for half of what they paid for it retail. If you’ll do your homework, you can save yourself both time and money by following my tips above and avoid Golf’s revolving door of hit it, sell it, and buy something else.

 

Augusta National Finds Itself in Membership Quandry

Interesting tidbit from THIS Bloomberg article released on Wednesday.

“As Augusta National Golf Club prepares to host the competition next week, it faces a quandary: The club hasn’t admitted a woman as a member since its founding eight decades ago, yet it has historically invited the chief executive officer of IBM, one of three Masters sponsors. Since the company named Rometty to the post this year, Augusta will have to break tradition either way.”

Two years ago, Billy Payne took to his Masters podium and talked openly and sternly about the poor example that Tiger Woods set. Maybe it’s time that they start focusing on getting their own house in order as well. They reserve the right, but that doesn’t make it right in my view. Now is a perfect time to do the right thing.

Tour Instructors Weigh In About ‘The Big Miss’

Scott Halleran / Getty Images

As I noted earlier this week, I’ve yet to read Haney’s book all the way through and will post my own review on it as soon as I do.

But there’s some serious blow back from the vacuum that he’s created and it’s all centering around the ‘professional code’ that many of his fellow instructors believe he completely ignored with writing the book. A couple of days ago I posted an article about Rick Smith taking dead-aim at Haney without any reservations whatsoever, and since Smith spoke out, several others have felt obliged to give their two cents as well. All of the quotes below are courtesy of THIS ‘Golf Central’ Golf Channel news segment.

“Within the realm of coaching there are a number of things that are said in confidence. There are things that players discuss with you that are very confidential, how they are thinking, their life outside of golf that should not be written about. If it was just about the golf game that would be OK. The golf swing is on public display and I have no problem commenting on that, but nothing that would be personal.” ~ Dale Lynch, swing coach for Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley and Matt Goggin

“If there’s something about him and his wife or his kids or his phobias – those are out of bounds. There are certain parts you don’t mess with, that would be out of bounds no matter who you were. But if you’re giving insight into the person you are teaching there is nothing wrong with that. I don’t think Hank gave any type of tomahawk to Tiger, he simply wanted to write about his time with the best player of all time.” ~ Randy Smith, swing coach for Ryan Palmer and Colt Knost

“When you’re an instructor you become part of a player’s inner circle and in doing so you learn a lot of personal things. What Hank is doing might set a bad precedent going forward when a player is looking at hiring a swing coach. In my books I’ve talked about other players but only from an instructional standpoint, which is fine.” ~ David Leadbetter, swing coach for Michelle Wie and Trevor Immelman

It’ll be interesting to see if Butch Harmon decides to capture part of the spotlight and comment about Haney in the coming days and weeks as well, especially since Haney referenced him several times throughout the first couple of chapters. I also find it interesting that Sean Foley has stayed out of the fray, but I’m gathering that Tiger has allowed Steiny to speak on behalf of the team and prefers to minimize the distractions that the book has created.

Haney has taken to the airwaves to explain/defend his right to write the book, as well as his credibility with some of the content. He’s not fared too well, especially as it relates to THIS audio podcast earlier this week from ESPN’s Mike and Mike morning talk show on ESPN Radio. One thing appears certain… all indications suggest that Hank Haney has officially offed himself as a Tour instructor, at least given the fallout by his fellow instructors. Then again, maybe this was Haney’s exit strategy from the Tour Limelight all along.

Good Read on Rory McIlroy

Courtesy of Irish Central

“Last year’s Masters was definitely a defining moment for me. It could’ve been a crossroads in my career. I could’ve  done what I did on Sunday at Augusta and let it affect me and let it get to me, and maybe go into a slump, or get down or feel sorry for myself. But I had enough good people around me not to let that happen. It was a big crossroads for me in my career, and I was able to go down the right path and put things right by winning the next Major. All I wanted to do was put myself in that position again just to see if I could handle it better – and I proved to myself that I could.” ~ Rory McIlroy

He’s not afraid to talk to the sports writers, and speaks candidly. He’s got a boatload of confidence, but not so much that he comes across as arrogant and cocky. And the manner in which approaches the game mentally, as well as physically, is refreshing, exciting, and leaves you wanting for more.

There’s nothing to like about this kid, Rory McIlroy, and I do think that he’s a product of good people that he hangs around.

May we hope that fame and fortune doesn’t change him.

Okay, I Lied. I Just Bought Haney’s Book….

Please forgive me. I know that I remember saying earlier last week that I wasn’t going to promote Haney’s new book about Tiger, but I couldn’t help it…. kinda like walking into an Edwin Watts Superstore, or any golf equipment shop for that matter. It’s not easy to just say no, especially considering that I spend a great deal of time writing about the Tour, which includes Tiger Woods from time to time.

Call it doing my homework, stepping up to my responsibilities as a blogger wanting to keep his readers informed, if you will.

I downloaded the eBook version onto my iPhone this morning, and I tended to some errands early and had some free time this afternoon to dive into it. I read for about 90 minutes, getting through 2 chapters. I won’t offer my review until I’ve read it completely, but I will tell you that it’s been an enjoyable read thus far. “Enlightening” I guess is a better word. And I’ll also add that outside of a very quick blurb about his (Haney’s) observance of Tiger and Elin’s sometimes “cool” relationship, I’ve not read anything through these 2 chapters that (1) sounds unreasonable or unbelievable and (2) would paint a picture of Tiger that would be all that different from any other major sports icon.

I will be giving my review at some point over the next week.

Stay tuned.

PING to Unveil Adjustable-Length Belly Putter

I’m actually surprised that they’re the first major equipment company to come out with this. I’m not sure how popular they’ll be, especially considering that there’s a notable movement happening currently to have longer putters banned, but it’ll be interesting to see if PING might branch the concept over into their other models at some point if they do become popular. The model they’ll be introducing for the adjustable-length belly putter concept is the Nome 405, the same model  that Hunter Mahan brandished exceptionally well in his win at the WGC Matchplay back near the end of February.

“At PING, custom fitting is our priority and with the popularity of belly putters, we saw a unique fitting opportunity because shaft length is so critical to performance,” said PING chairman and CEO John A. Solheim. “Adjustability is key because the standard 42-inch belly putter fits a narrow range of people. When the shaft is too long or too short, it alters your distance from the ball, your eye position, and the path of your stroke,” he added. “Adjustability lets you experiment until your posture is comfortable and your eyes are over the ball, which helps you make a consistent stroke and solid impact. We’re pleased to have USGA approval of this easy-to-use, innovative technology,” said Solheim.