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September 2013 - Vol 5 Issue 6 Vancouver Island, British Columbia |
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Please "CLICK" on the YouTube logo above to visit my YouTube Channel and video lessons.
There are 5 topics:
~Sand Play
~Simple Alignment
~The Fairway Trap Shot
~Putting Basics
~Sticky Lies...Chipping
Check out these easy to follow golf videos. Give it a try...a path to better golf!
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FedExCup PLAYOFFS | |
With the final two events of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs about to start this weekend, it might be interesting to review the event and the current standings (as of Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 ). For those who are unfamiliar with the event the FedEx Cup, sponsored by FedEx is simply a tournament within a tournament. FedEx points are awarded and accumlulated during the PGA season for player performance in each tour event. The FedEx Playoffs are the last four events of the season. They are The Barclays, The Deutsche Bank, The BMW, and the finale... The Tour Championship. To qualify a player must be in the top 125 point achievers during the regular season. The playoffs start with 125 players, the 2nd event 100 players, the 3rd event 70 players and the final event will sport the 30 finalists. The winner will earn $10 million dollars, and payouts are given to all 125 players on a declining basis.
BMW Championship...Conway Farms G.C. (Chicago)
Past champions are: 2012/ Brent Snedeker, 2011/ Bill Haas, 2010/ Jim Furyk, 2009/ Tiger Woods, 2008/ Vijay Singh, 2007/ Tiger Woods
Current 2013 standings:
Leader #1...Henrik Stenson, 2. Tiger Woods, 3. Adam Scott, 4. Matt Kuchar, 5. Graham DeLaet*, 6. Phil Michelson, 7. Justin Rose, 8. Steve Striker, 9. Brandt Snedeker, #10. Jordan Speith, 11. Keegan Bradley, 12. Jason Day, 13. Jason Dufner, 14. Gary Woodland, 15. Jim Furyk
One might think the payout seems excessive, but I believe the main underlying reason for the event is to ensure the highest earning players will play the final events of the year and thereby close the PGA season on a high note for golf fans.
* Canadian Graham DeLaet...Weyburn, Saskatchewan
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GOLF...NHL STYLE |
I recently acquired the card above of hockey showman Eddie Shack climbing aboard NHL great John Ferguson. What makes the card particulartily appealing to me is the card is a promotional item for Shack's Golf course, "Vaughn Valley" in Woodbridge, Ontario. The card shows Eddie's copied signature on the front, but does sport the real thing on the reverse. Hockey has always been a big sideline activity for NHL players, especially given the seasonality of their profession. It must be noted also hockey players donate a considerable amount of time to charity golf endeavours, and must be commended for their strong benevolent contribution. On a personal note in 1972 I met the great Gordie Howe at Royal Colwood, and played with Montreal Canadian's Peter Mahovlich at Uplands in a Heart Fund Pro-Am; both noteworthy moments and cool people to meet in my golf journey.
It should come as no surprise the sport of hockey lends itself well to golf; the necessity of hand eye co-ordination, combined with hitting something in front of you with a lengthy implement all makes sense given the similarities of the two activities.
So who are some noted golfing NHL players and their respective handicaps...
Joe Sakic (2), Cam Neely (4), Brett Hull (0), Mario Lemieux (1), Sidney Crosby (15), Jeremy Roenick (0), Wayne Gretsky (10), Mike Madano (1), Marc Sivard (0), Brendon Morrow (3), Grant Fuhr (0), Mike Cammalleri (4), Jamie Longenbrunner (1) & Bobby Orr (6)
   
Brett Hull Grant Fuhr Marc Sivard Jeremy Roenick |
WHY DID I DO THAT...by Scott, the Guy with the funny hat? | |
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of playing the Nanaimo Golf Club. As mentioned in an earlier edition of the Journal, Nanaimo Golf Club just opened the doors to their new clubhouse in early August; believe me, it's a beauty and well worth a visit.
Anyway, things went well on the front nine....I hit 7 greens in regulation, carding 2 bogeys, two birdies to finish the nine even. On the short 10th hole I decided to hit my driver and placed my tee shot in a grove of trees on the left side of the fairway. From that spot I attempted a near mission impossible shot (x2) through the trees and eventually tapped it in for a 7...was I hot! As John Daly said at Shaughnessy in the Canadian Open..."it's all about limiting the damage". Need I say more?????????
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GOLF TEES...PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE | |
I think we can all agree Golf is a big game! Having said that I thought it might be interesting to examine the history of a small, but perhaps arguable a big component and contributor to the game...the simple golf tee. One would think golf tees must of been around for 100's of years...not so!
The first patent of a golf tee which "pierced the ground" was in 1892 by an Englishman named Percy Ellis...."the Perfectum". Before that tees were shaped from sand provided on each tee box...(please note the play on words). Serious marketing of wooden style tees was cultivated in the 1920's with PGA players such as Walter Hagen marketing this easy to use product. The image below shows a grouping of different styles of tees dating back to the 20's. It should be noted most of the tees are very short given today's examples; this had much to do with the depth of the face of the wooden headed club.
From a trivia perspective "how many trees" are needed each year to fill the U.S. tee quota? Well, most tees are most commonly sourced from the birch tree; it is estimated each tree represents an average of about 40,000 tees. it is suggested each golfer will expend approximately 7 tees per round (which accounts for breakage). In the Unites States there are approximately 400 million rounds played each year; this would total 2.8 billion tees. At 40,000 tees per tree that would equate to 70,000 trees per year....a lot of wood!
Like so many other things in life, big change is happening in the tee world too. Eco friendly tees are taking a strong hold in the golf scene, and bio-degradable tees have been introduced and are used at many golf facilities today. Plastic or synthetic tees have made a revival of sorts....for many years plastic tees were discouraged because of paint chipping on wooden clubs; with the adoption of metal woods this factor is no longer a big concern.
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THE GOOD OL' DAYS | |
The image above is that of myself at Point Grey Golf Club in 1974. The photo was taken as a promotional piece (at the greenside lake on hole #18) for the 1974 B.C. Open held at Point Grey. The image was taken for the Columbian Newspaper. I started my golf career in 1972, doing the 1st year of my CPGA apprenticeship at Royal Colwood Golf Club. The remaining 4 years I apprenticed under national award winning Head Professional Dick Munn at Point Grey Golf Club. Hey! That was 40+ years ago...check out those cool pants!
Thought the graph-check photos of my swing (in the early 70 s) might be fun to show!
The top image is from my opening tee shot at the Sun Match Play at University Golf Club in 1976. The second picture is from the 1st tee at Point Grey standing on the cart path in street shoes. The Polaroid graph-check camera was considererd great technology in the early 70's and provided some in depth informative images.
Golly, I keep everything!
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Champions of the Game... | |
With the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King"s "I have a dream" speech in Washington having just past, I thought it would be noteworthy and interesting to explore the participation of African American golfers on the PGA Tour. Research indicates African American golfers were not eligible to play on the PGA tour until 1961; before that they were most commonly found in the caddie ranks. The Masters tournament in Georgia was perhaps the premier example; all caddies used at Augusta were Black before 1983. I thought a most revealing quote by Augusta club founder Clifford Roberts says it all... "As long as I'm alive, all golfers will be white and all the caddies will be black". Thank goodness, times have changed...African Americans were given membership entitlement in 1990 at Augusta.
Pete Brown Lee Elder Tiger Woods
Calvin Peete Charlie Sifford
The first African American golfer to earn his PGA card was Charlie Sifford; he would go on to win 2 PGA events in his career, the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and the 1969 Los Angles Open. Sifford was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
Though Sifford (with trade mark cigar in place) was the first African American American to earn his card, Pete Brown was the first African Amercian to win a PGA sanctioned event, the 1964 WacoTurner Open. He would also win the 1970 Andy Williams San Diego Open.
Lee Elder would deliver a splendid record with 4 wins on the PGA tour, plus 8 wins on the Champions Tour. What made Elder particularily signicant was (in 1975) he was the first Black man to play in the Masters, and in 1979 the first to play in the Ryder Cup.
Calvin Peete would post a superb PGA record, winning the 1979 Greater Milwaukee Open, plus 11 other PGA victories...Peete was the most prolific PGA winner until Tiger Woods. Other credentials would include playing on two Ryder Cup teams, plus winning the PGA Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average in 1984.
Lastly the "BIG GUY".... Tiger Woods... 79 PGA victories and still going strong at age 37...In my mind withstanding any unforeseen injuries, Tiger will certainly eclipse 100 victories. The current record of most wins is that of Sam Snead with 82. |
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THE DRIVER SET-UP POSITION | |
Recently I have been working with a few students on their set up position with the driver. Here are my thoughts and recommendations, plus some great Tiger images :
a. I really like the set-up position to look comfortable and efficient. An athletic balanced position would seem logically the best
b. The set-up procedure should remain the same as the rest of the clubs. Pre-shot routine...Set the club at target/ then set the feet/ then set the hands
c. The width between the feet (with a driver) should be a little wider than with the iron...bigger club, bigger platform...makes sense
d. A forward press with the arms and hands at address is discouraged...if you forward press you will be apt to leaning on your front leg...reverse pivot?
e. The ball most often is played by PGA professionals off the leading heal; in the front half of your stance is acceptable too
f. The butt of the club should be about the width of a wide span of your hand from your body...too much space will make you bend over too much and compromise balance?
g. An excellent rule to follow is the hands should be below the chin
h. The knees should be slightly flexed in an athletic manner
i. Your eyes should simply look out to the ball...do not force your head down
j. Sit your backside back just a touch...like leaning against a table top...body weight should be in the "balls to heels" of your feet...not "balls to toes"
The set-up is so much about posture....done right the game is made dramatically easier! An easy way to check your current address position is by either reflection in a window, or having a friend take a picture of you (with a phone camera). Compare your images to the set up position of Tiger in the images provided. Hey! Be a copy cat! Good luck! |
GOLF INSTRUCTION with SCOTT |
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Email: scottkeenlyside@hotmail.com
Website: www.highlandpacificgolf.com
Highland Nine - 2nd hole
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Good golfing to all!
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