June 2012 - Vol 3 Issue 3 Vancouver Island, British Columbia
|
|
|
How to Subscribe....
Do you have a friend who might like to read the Peninsula Golf Journal?
We welcome any e-mail addresses of those you think might enjoy receiving the monthly letter. Thanks!
|
Time to get Official
Click on the logo to visit the BCGA website and learn how to establish a registered handicap. Your official handicap will allow you to participate in all BCGA sanctioned events; plus enable you to monitor your game performance on line. Believe me, it will help make you a better player!
|
Please click on the Youtube logo above to visit my
Youtube Channel and video lessons.
There are five topics:
Sand Play, Simple Alignment System, The Fairway Trap Shot, Putting Basics and Sticky Lies around the Green
|
On Monday, September 17th I will be hosting the 3rd Annual Van Isle Tradition golf tournament and fundraiser at Uplands Golf Club. All proceeds raised will go to the B.C.Golf House & Museum. If you might like to join us, please e-mail me and I will forward you the details. (Click logo) Thx!
|
|
|
EDITORS TEE-TIME
|
Just up the Road...
For all you folks who enjoy watching the game played at a very high level, why not check out "The Victoria Open" being played at Uplands Golf Club this weekend. Besides the excitement of the competition, its a great opportunity and learning experience to see how fine players execute their shots. Uplands is a superb venue for the spectator; from the clubhouse, it is only 50-100 yards to 4 greens and 4 tees, (plus close to the burgers, hot dogs and beer!)
As most of you are aware, the Canadian Tour (est. 1970) has been a fantastic developmental tour, having turned out many significant world class players, such as, Mike Weir, Steve Stricker, Chris DiMarco, Stuart Appleby, Stephen Ames, Paul Casey and a host of others. Believe me, it's a great afternoon of fun....See you there!
|
JACK SAYS...
|
Jack says...
However you choose to start the swing, make the initial movements-during the first 12 inches-as smoothly and deliberately as you possibly can, swinging rather than taking the club back. And keep the club face looking at the ball until your body turn naturally moves it inside the target line. click the bear
Scott says...
Jack is describing what we call a one piece takeaway. As I say to my students, your greatest chance for success is to start the backswing in the correct manner. If the backswing begins with an early wrist cock, the player denies himself of loading his weight (or building of power) into his right side. Early wrist cocking can also lead to reverse pivoting, lots of skied tee shots, having too upright a swing plane and creating a lot of heavy divots. My recommendation for those that break their wrists early is to take the club away from the ball more with the forearms than hands. This will keep your club low to the ground at the start and maximize the width in your swing. More width, more power! The image below of Ben Hogan I believe captures this concept nicely. Think of the shoulders, arms,wrists and hands as a unit.
|
|
|
|
THE MAN WHO HIT IT STRAIGHT
|
Why am I the greatest ball-striker? Because I have the least moving parts. "I keep it simple."
"I'm good with numbers . . ." "Number of courses played: 434" "Number of courses I can remember the exact hole yardages: 375" "Age when I saw my first doctor: 68" "Most balls hit in one day: 2,207" "Total balls hit in my lifetime: About 5 million, not counting chips and putts."
Hope and fear, hope and fear, that's how people play golf. Not me. No, not me. I see happiness, I see happiness."
* * * *
My own personal experience with Moe was I think worth sharing. I first met Moe in 1971 at the Glendale Golf Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We were both competing in the Peter Jackson Manitoba Open. I was just an 18 year old kid with tons of desire, a decent golf swing and an appetite for endless golf. Somehow it was just Moe and I at a table; he having a tall coke (as expected), and certainly me too being under the legal age. I recall he was very friendly and we got along well. Shortly after we were joined by Vaughn Trapp, (the son of Paul Trapp HP @ Victoria Golf Club) and Dale Talon, the 1st pick of the new Vancouver Canuck franchise, both Canadian Tour players. A lively conversation followed with Moe defining very clearly his total command of the golf swing. Moe was totally consuming, and his level of confidence regarding his golfing abilities was simply daunting.
A few weeks after Winnipeg, in Vancouver at the 1971 B.C. Open at Marine Drive Golf Club, Moe and I had tied, with Bill Wakeham and Tom Nettles (of the Golf Channel) at -6 for 3 rounds. U.S. tour player and Vancouver native Wayne Vollmer (playing in the last group) holed a wedge shot on the 54th and final hole for eagle to beat us all. Perhaps the most climatic B.C. Open ever played....the finish was simply unbelievable.
Fast forward....my next encounter with Moe was at the Rattlesnake Golf Club in Milton, Ontario in 1999...some 30 years later; I was receiving an award from Score Golf at their annual national awards banquet. Myself and the other award recipients Lori Kane, Gary Cowan, Mike Weir (absent) plus 5 others were sitting at a head table with Score Golf's Bob Weeks MC'ing the event. So who walks by but Moe... I said "hello Moe......do you remember me", he stopped, turned and simply said....."B.C. Open 1971, Marine Drive". A very cool exhilarating moment indeed!
In the last few weeks, Lorne Rubenstein, Canada's most noted golf journalist has released a new book on Moe Norman, entitled "Moe and Me"...If you want to know more about a most fascinating (one of a kind) man, a Canadian golf legend, it's a great read...check it out!
|
2012 U.S. OPEN
|
U. S. Open Preview...
June 14-17th
Olympic Golf Club...San Francisco
Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy
The course...7170 yds., Par 70
Four Open wins...Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Willie Anderson
Three Open wins...Hale Irwin & Tiger Woods
Four U.S. Opens have been played at Olympic Golf Club...Year & Winner were...1955 Jack Fleck, 1966 Billy Casper, 1987 Scott Simpson & 1998 Lee Janzen
First U.S. Open event...1895 Winner Horace Rawlins (England)
Note: The other evening my wife and I watched the golf movie, "The Greatest Game Ever Played". The film is a true story about 1913 U.S. Open winner Francis Ouimet's
U.S. Open triumph over his boyhood idol, the great Harry Vardon. We both agreed it started a little slow, but finished strong. Enjoyed it!
|
GOLF QUIZ
|
Connecting the Name to a Handle...(difficulty factor rated 1 easy-5 tough)
Get a perfect score and I'll give you 3 new Pro-V1's.
a. Who is the Black Knight? (3)
b. Who is the Golden Bear ? (1)
c. Who was Champagne Tony? (3)
d. Who was referred to as "the Sargent"? (5)
e. What golfer was called "the Squire"? (3)
f. What golfer is known to as "the King?" (1)
g. Who is the "Big Easy"? (2)
h. Who is "Boom, boom"? (1)
i. Who is known as the "Boss of the Moss"? (4)
j. Who was known as "The Machine"? (4)
k. Who is the "Merry Mex"? (3)
l. Who is known as "Popeye"? (5)
m. Who is Radar? (5)
n. Who is the Walrus? (2)
Clues...the toughies!
Radar Sargent Popeye
|
FEATURED CLUB...POSTCARD PICS OF THE MONTH
|
Fundy National Park Golf Course...this nine hole gem located in the Fundy National Park was built in 1948 by the world famous golf architect Stanley Thompson. The list of Thompson courses is too long to name, but it is interesting to note the significant work he did in our National Parks. The park courses are...Banff, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, Riding Mountain, Queen Victoria, Green Gables & Highland Links.
www.stanleythompson.com
|
THE MAGIC IS BACK!
|
Not to seem stuck on the Tiger issue, but how good was the PGA Memorial Golf Tournament on the weekend? Can this Tiger Man do it or what?????? Super suspense, and did you check out Tiger's shot from the rough on the 16th hole. Like Nicklaus said describing the shot, "If your short no good, if you're long in the water".
An interesting note about the shot and a great tip hitting lob wedges, notice the acceleration he applies when hitting the shot. Notice also the length of the follow through; Tiger was completely committed to the shot. Though the video does not show it, Tiger took a significant amount of time surveying and analyzing the shot. As all great players do, he imagined the shape, created a plan, then executed the shot. Truly a thing of beauty! Enjoy!
Tiger Woods Chip-in at the Memorial Golf Tournament |
GOLF INSTRUCTION with SCOTT
|
Golf Instruction with Scott...
With the golf season now in full swing, perhaps you might want a few new ideas to work on regarding improving your game. Lessons are available with Scott at Highland Pacific weekday afternoons and weekends. Send an e-mail or call Scott to find a time that works best for your schedule. Sometimes a small change or adjustment can make a BIG difference. All lessons include video and an e-mail summary. Look forward to hearing from you! Cheers!
Email: [email protected] or Call: Highland Pacific Golf Shop @ 250.478.4653
|
MORE WAYS THAN ONE
|
In the early seventies I had the opportunity of playing in the high profile Northwest Open. The event was held at the beautiful Sahalee Golf Club in Seattle, Washington. The first round I was paired with the well known Oregonian golf star Bob Duden. Bob was a fine player, with an illustrious playing career and well known as a very tough, spirited competitor. Our third in the group was a young aspiring professional from California.
Anyhow, upon meeting Bob on the first tee, introductions were made including Bob's female caddie. She was a fine looking lady with an hourglass figure; I must say it was simply impossible to overlook her because she was dressed in tight jeans with a very, very low cut tee shirt. I have to admit my other playing partner and I were quite overwhelmed with her presentation, at least I was! Hello! One has to remember, this happened in the early seventies, not a time of provocative presentations.
So off we went with (obviously) the biggest gallery of the day, with all eyes occasionally drifting over and bobbing about Bob's caddie. It was tough not to look, she was simply lovely! When I think back, I can only surmise, when Duden saw the twinkle in the eyes of his two young playing competitors, it was easy for him to conclude, of the 140 players in the field he had only 137 to worry about!
Many of you might remember Bob invented the unique Duden putter. It was a putter bent in the middle and used between the feet much like crocket. Short lived, it was not long after its introduction the putter, and method was designated illegal in golf. The photo above shows the putter and the man....just a neat bit of Pacific Northwest golf history!
www.sahalee.com
|
PREVIOUS EDITIONS
|
Click on any month to read previous editions
2011
April May June July August September October
2012
January February March April May
|
|
Good Golfing to all!
|
|
a. Gary Player, b. Jack Nicklaus, c. Tony Lema, d. Orville Moody, e. Gene Sarazen, f. Arnold Palmer, g. Ernie Els, h. Fred Couples, i. Loren Roberts, j. Gene Littler, k. Lee Trevino, l. Craig Perry, m. Mike Reid, n. Craig Statler
|
|
|
|
|