I don’t often cover pro golf, but sometimes I just can’t resist, especially because I love the majors so much. Today I was fortunate to have an opportunity to sit down and have a telephone chat with Alan Shipnuck, Sports Illustrated senior writer, about the upcoming 2009 U.S. Open tournament, ready to kick off next week at Bethpage Black on Long Island. The U.S. Open was last there in 2002, where Tiger Woods won by three strokes over Phil Mickelson and was the only player to finish the tournament under par. We discussed a variety of topics, including: The course Tiger Phil Is there an older player that can make a splash like Rocco did last year? Young guns, specifically Rory McIlroy A possibly surprising dark horse pick Click the little player below to listen to the interview. Or, if you’d like to download it and listen on the player of your choice, you can access the file here. Thanks to Court for helping me clean up the audio some!
From the Publicity Wire: AT&T’s “Favorite Foursome” Sweepstakes
I get a lot of publicity-type information flowing into my inbox and I like to share the ones that you all might find interesting. Recently, I heard about a contest that AT&T is running. Here are the particulars: Between now and June 22nd, golf fans can enter AT&T’s “Favorite Foursome” Sweepstakes through AT&T’s Facebook page or by texting to win. One lucky winner will receive four VIP tickets to the final two days of the 2009 AT&T National Tournament, four round-trip flights, two hotel rooms, transportation passes, access to the Grey Goose® Lounge, and more. Ways to Enter AT&T Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/ATT) – Upon entering for a chance to win on the AT&T Facebook page and inviting three friends to join their “Favorite Foursome,” fans will receive a special AT&T National sweepstakes graphic posted to their Facebook wall. Users can extend the invitation and send personal messages to encourage friends’ participation for a chance to win. (click the “Promotions” tab) Text-to-Win – All wireless users across carriers can text TRIP to 21234 to be automatically
If Tiger Needs More Loft, You Probably Do Too
Club gurus have been screaming for a long time that amateur players don’t play enough loft in their drivers. If you’ve ever read Tom Wishon’s books, you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve ever been fitted for clubs by a skilled club fitter, then you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve ever had a launch analysis done with fancy technology then you know what I’m talking about. Yet people still play low-lofted drivers, at the expense of distance. Maybe that will change, now that Tiger Woods has switched to a more lofted driver, going from 9.5 to 10.0 degrees. He charged from behind to win the Memorial last week, hitting over 87% of the fairways for the week, including all 14 on Sunday. His stellar driving was not completely equipment related, though. As Michael Breed showed on The Golf Fix this week, his swing mechanics are improved as well, probably because of his repaired left knee and the natural evolution of his work with Hank Haney. We’ve discussed before how achieving the proper
Better Green Reading Through Mechanics
I’ve become a fan of The Golf Fix on The Golf Channel, hosted by Michael Breed. I was skeptical of his frantic pace on the show at first, which made me wonder how much one could glean from a bunch of disjointed tips and fixes for swings phoned and e-mailed in. I must say, however, that I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve learned from those dozens of rapid-fire tips, fixes, and information. The show gets a big thumbs up from me, but that’s a thought for another day. A while back, Breed took a question from a viewer who had problems reading greens. I was very impressed with the perspective he provided on the topic. He made the point that reading the break on greens is all about good mechanics. You may have had the same reaction I did: “Huh?” He went on to explain, though, that what players do, is look at a putt and subconsciously “remember” similar putts they’ve stroked in the past and then kind of just “know” how much
From the Blogosphere
If you’re a regular reader, you may have seen comments from Harry, ak.a. Yardage Pro, who has been working on a website of his own. Harry, along with his brother-in-law Paul, write as Hack and Scratch. They concentrate on club comparison, equipment reviews, golf information, and tips. Reviews are given from the perspective of a self-described hacker and from a scratch player, providing a view from both ends of the spectrum. In case you wondered if Scratch really plays to scratch – he opened the Kenridge Invitational in Charlottesville, VA with a 4-under 66. Their site is called Tee to the Green. Stop by for a visit.
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