Anyone Golf Talking and playing golf for a while comes to understand how important hitting irons is to lowering your golf scores. Statistically, as we discussed previously in How To Take 3 To 5 Shots Off Your Golf Score-Fast, 80% of our golf shots are taken from 150 yards in front of the green into the hole.

80% ! Those are all long iron, short iron and putter shots from 150 out.

It took you either one or two shots, probably, to get there off the tee. So, let's see: One really good tee shot on a par-4 hole leaves you 150 yards from the hole...you pull a four or five iron, step up and top the ball to 100 yards out. Now, you smack a nine iron to within 20 yards of the hole, chip over the green, chip back to 15 feet of the pin and three putt. H-e-l-l-o-o-o, Snowman!

As you probably know, each golf hole is designed to be two-putted for par. That means that on a par-3 hole, your tee shot needs to land on the green - leaving you two putts to put it in the hole. On a par-4, your second shot needs to land on the green to give you a chance at two-putting for a par. That par-3 tee shot was either a long iron or a short iron...depending on the length of the fairway, and your distance with the clubs. The par-4 second or approach shot, also, was either a long or short iron. Putters are, of course, the shortest iron club in the golf bag. Belly and chin putters are still considered to be a "short" iron.

The point I want to make - (No, I am not trying to bore you into a coma!) - is the fact that the ONLY way to shoot low golf scores is to learn to use long and short irons accurately. Most of us hate to hear that because it means PRACTICE. In our minds that usually means mind-numbing drills and hours on a practice range. There is a cheap, fun alternative, however, that doesn't take any more time than going to the driving range.

When I got back into golf at the beginning of my 60's, I went in search of my golf swing at the range, but it quickly turned into "work". The driving range I went to, fortunately, was located in the middle of two short golf courses, and I always saw players coming or going to the par-3 course on my way in. During one boring session working on my irons, it ocurred to me that I could get the practice I needed with those clubs by playing the par-3 course, rather than spending a couple of hours on the range. When I checked it out, the green fee for nine holes on the the par-3 circuit turned out to be about the same as two buckets of balls on the practice range...and took about the same amount of time that I had been spending on the range, bu should be a lot more fun. That was a no-brainer for me.

After reminding myself that I was playing to PRACTICE with my irons, I played the par-3 course at least twice a week in the morning or evening, as I had time. It really worked out great because I kept my focus on using the correct club in the appropriate circumstance...and, on set-up and execution with each club. It didn't take long to see a change in my golf game, evidenced by lower scores. Being able to score my practice shots also proved to be an advantage to me.

So, if you're having problems practicing golf, look for a short and inexpensive par-3 course convenient to your home or job. By approaching it as PRACTICE, you can really get in a lot of golf in an hour, and make practicing fun!

Hit 'em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, short iron, golf swing, talk about golf, golf talking,

This week's Golf Talk has been consumed with my lousy golf swing. All week long, I either topped the ball or hit the ball fat - striking the ground before the ball. Not a good thing. Golf balls don't like to go very far or very straight when struck by a bouncing golf club.

When this kind of slip occurs, the first thing to do is to go back to basics. Is my grip correct? Is my set-up correct? Am I placing the ball in the correct spot in my stance? Are my knees flexed? Do they stay flexed during my swing?...AH,HA!

What surfaced is that I had been straightening my left or lead knee a bit during my downswing. What that does, of course, is change the plane of the golf swing. When the swing-plane changes during the swing, the golf club face is raised a bit (causing it to hit the golf ball thin on or top). The club face can be lowered during the golf swing if the knee-straightening causes me to tilt toward my right or swing side. That's when the golf club strikes Mother Earth before the mother ball.

Finally realizing what was going on, I concentrated on keeping the knees flexed and swinging through the ball. Miracle of miracles, the golf ball started going where I was aiming!

It is so important to go through your golf set up and swing check list when your golf swing goes awry. If you don't have one - MAKE ONE TODAY. Almost always, you have changed one little thing in your golf routine or set up process. A quick correction can get you right back on plane and back in the game.

Hit 'em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, golf swing, talk about golf, golf talking,

Yesterday, Saturday, while working in the backyard, alongside the Sidewinder golf course, I was golf talking to myself about how the number of golfers coming by has diminished. I thought "Well, it is May...and this is Arizona...and our winter visitors started going back home last month". They have to get back to do taxes, of course, and Grandma wants to be home for Mother's Day.

Another thing did occur to me, however, while I was working hard at watching those folks putting out on the 15th green - We better support our local golf course during this recession if we want to enjoy our sport when it's over. .

Keeping a golf course in good playing condition is an expensive proposition. We see the workers and the equipment every day outside our window, so we have a pretty good understanding what it takes to keep Sidewinder and its sister course, Dinosaur Mountain, among the best privately-owned, open-to-the-public golf courses in the state. Consequently, we know how tough it must be to keep the bottom line black for any golf course during these difficult times.

So, we just wanted to remind our fellow golf lovers to play and support your local or home course. Yea, we know it's fun to go play courses in other towns, but their local players will take care of them. If you want the grass to stay green, and the greens to stay fast at your course, go to the driving range, play a round of golf - and take your Mother to brunch at your local home golf course.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you Mom's. Where would we all be without you?


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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, talk about golf, golf talking, Sidewinder Golf Course, golf course, Dinosaur Mountain Golf Course,

While playing our home course at Mountain Brook Golf Club yesterday, I got a simple - but important - Golf Talk anatomy lesson from my friend and golf coach, Jack Challender. Maybe, it will help you, too.

My round started off well enough with a nice tee-shot out in the middle about 200 yards. Jack's, of course, was about 65 yards farther down the fairway. But I was pleased with my drive. Then, I set up to hit the approach to the green, another 200 yards ahead. That's when it started.

My first approach swing topped the ball, sending it forward about 30 yards to the right. Not happy, but OK, I set up to make a second approach to the green...again, squirting it to the right side of the green. Now, I'm lying 3 off the par 4 green, when I hit a pitch REALLY thin and way past the hole, realizing that bogey was the best I could possibly do on this first hole. That thought, of course, played around with my head, and I walked off with a four-putt quadruple bogey.

Needless to say, the next few holes weren't much better, as I struggled to leave that crappy first hole behind me. Golf shot after golf shot went squirting or slicing to the right, as my blood pressure began to heat up my collar.

After another lousy approach shot to the sixth green, I asked Jack if he would point out anything he saw me doing to cause such a poor swing. He said the problem was that I needed an anatomy lesson. I thought "What the hell is he talking about?", but to him I simply said "What kind of anatomy lesson?" That's when he gave me the Golf Talk lesson of the day:

Jack said, " You see, your head and shoulders are connected, but your head doesn't have to turn with your shoulders when you swing through the ball. Remember, your shoulders are designed to turn under your chin, while your head remains still - looking at the club go through the ball."

It was one of those moments when you hear something you already knew...and had heard a thousand times before...and wondered why you had to hear it from someone else to realize what you have been doing. Golf!

From that point on, my golf swing improved dramatically as I consciously swung through with my arms and shoulders - without moving my head. In fact, I hit a couple of approach shots with a three wood onto the green from about 185 yards out. Near the hole. too.

So, that's our Golf Talk anatomy lesson for the day. More importantly, when we get caught up in those moments when things are going wrong, and the blood begins to boil, we need to pull ourselves up and go back to the basics. In fact, awhile back I made a checklist of golf swing set up points to go through, just for those times. Now, if I could just find the darn thing...


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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, talk about golf, golf talking, Mountain Brook Golf Club, Jack Challender,

Anyone who thought The Masters had lost "it" - that the major had become dull and boring, that all the "birdies" had flown away from Augusta National, and the roar at Amen Corner had become the echo of tournaments past - got blasted away Sunday. The 2009 Masters will go down as one of the most competitive and edge-of-the-seat golf matches in history.

It had everything to golf talk about:

- Great shots (Kenny Perry's tee shot on the 16th for birdie...that almost aced it).

- Drama (we lost count of the number of times the lead changed throughout the day).

- An incredible charge for the lead (Phil Mickelson's front nine: par, birdie, birdie, par, birdie, birdie, birdie, par - to take him from 7 back to one under).

- A persistent challenge for 18 solid holes by a player to almost become the oldest winner of a Major in history (Kenny Perry, age 48).

- The No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world putting on the show-of-shows performing against each other in the same pairing (Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson playing stunning golf almost all day).

- The No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world showing that they are still human, after all (Phil using the wrong club to bounce it into the water, and Tiger slicing it into the pine needles - only to chip into a tree).

- A dark horse lurking and lurking all day, keeping the pressure on and staying in contention (Angel Cabrera patiently waiting for the right moment to win it).

Shakespeare couldn't have staged it any better.

Those who think golf is a declining sport must have been startled by the swarms of fans willing to pay up to $200 for a four-day badge to the tournament, or $36 to $41 to catch practice early in the week. Augusta National doesn't disclose the actual numbers at which they limit attendance (so everyone has some room to comfortably move around to follow the action) , but current estimates are 40,000 for each practice day and 25,000 for each round of the tournament. Tournament badges were sold out early in the week for all four days - with a waiting list, and each practice day had fans outside the gate hoping for a ticket.

What other sports event can you pay that low a price to almost mingle with the best players the sport has to offer from the whole world - sometimes standing a few feet away?

It gets even better when you get inside the magnificent "theater" that is Augusta National. Breath-taking flowers, plants, trees...and that grass! It's like being cuddled in the palm of God's hand for a little while.

You realize that you are really participating in a class act from the moment you arrive. Parking is free. After 44 years in Los Angeles, that blows me away . FREE parking?

And if that doesn't impress you, how about a buck-and-a-half for a hot dog? Or, $6.25 for a club sandwich, beer and chips? The last time I had a beer at Dodger's stadium, it cost $6.00 by itself!

Our compliments to Billy Payne, Chairman of Augusta National, and all the club's members. In these difficult times, The Masters was a wonderful reminder of the best America has to offer.

Thanks, Guys. We needed that.


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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, talk about golf, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, Angel Cabrera, golf talking, The Masters, PGA Tour

It was all there and all familiar: Trailing by 5 going into the final round. Bearing down to put on the pressure on the back nine. Clutch shots. Suspense. A 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th to win it and bring down the house at Bay Hill. Talk about superb golf. Talk about Tiger Woods!

Sean O'Hair held in there for most of the round, but only scored one birdie. He led Tiger by one stroke until coming up short on the approach to the 17th green. It was a beautiful looking shot sailing right at the pin. We all cringed when it landed about 5 feet short of the top of the bank in front of the green, rolling back down into the water. The blood drained from his face as his heart dropped. It was painful to watch a fine young man experience the disappointment of another hard-luck finish. He knew that he had just given Tiger Woods the opening he had been looking for all day.

Tiger closed with a 3-under 67 for the one-shot victory. The first since his return to the PGA Tour after major knee surgery.

After a smiling and affectionate greeting by Arnold Palmer, Woods said "It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush. It's been a while, but God, it felt good."

When that winning putt drained into the hole, Tiger exploded with his animated, fist-pumping celebration, throwing his arms around his caddie. Steve is a big guy and in his excitement literally lifted Tiger off the ground with a bear-hug...or, maybe, he was keeping him from floating away.

Thanks for giving golf something to talk about, Tiger.


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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, talk about golf, Tiger Woods, Sean O'hair, golf talking, Bay Hill, PGA Tour

We are all deluged by golf ball ads on the golf channel, in golf magazines and in the pro shops. What is the best golf ball to use? Here at Golf Talk, we have believed for some time that the best ball on the market is the Titleist Pro V1, which is the golf ball we play. But, that doesn't make it THE best ball. So, we decided to do some research to see if we could determine what golf ball out shines all the others.

Titleist, it turns out, is the #1 golf ball manufacturer in the world. They produce and market an extensive line of balls: Pro V1, NXT Tour, DT Solo, Pro V1x, and NXT. Each ball is designed to - supposedly - contain certain characteristics. More distance, softer cover, harder cover, more control, etc. The most expensive in their line is the Pro V1x, which has a retail price of about $58.00 per dozen or...$4.83 a ball. Does being pricey make it the best? Not necessarily, but it could have the high price because it IS the best. We'll see.

Callaway markets the HX Tour, HX Tour 56, HX Red and Blue, Big Bertha Red and Blue, HX Hot, and the Warbird. The HX Tour golf balls from Callaway sell for $50 (12 pack). Mhmmm...the HX Tour is almost as expensive as the Pro V1x. Could it be the best golf ball on the market? Let's look further.

Nike sells the Nike One golf ball, Tiger's ball, for $39.95 a dozen, and they market a cheaper ball called the Nike Power Distance Super Series 2 for $15.95 a 12-pack. That's only $1.33 each! Now, we're talkin'...but can it be the best golf ball for such a puny price?

How about all those other brand names out there: Precept, Max-Fli, Dunlop, Bridgestone, TopFlite, Pinnacle, etc., etc., etc.? They all sell for around $18.00 a dozen. Could one of them be the best? How can we tell?

Well, let's see which golf ball sells the most? According to a press release put out in 2007 by Titleist, the Titleist Pro V1 and V1x sales accounted for 43% of all the money spent on golf balls during that year.

Even more impressive, the Pro V1/Pro V1x on-course market share in 2006 was more than the brand shares of Bridgestone, Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade, Top-Flite and Maxfli, according to Golf Datatech - combined! And the Pro V1 has maintained its position as the best-selling golf ball - on-course and off - ever since.

We live in a community in Gold Canyon, Arizona, that is set around three great golf courses: Mountain Brook Golf Club and Gold Canyon Golf Resort, which has the Dinosaur Mountain Course and the Sidewinder Course. The golf courses are surrounded by the beautiful Sonoran Desert, which means Saugaro, prickly pear, Cholla and other cactus, along with Sage brush and rattle snakes. Consequently, there are hundreds of thousands of golf balls left out there.

One of our neighbors, Bob, likes to go out into the desert looking for those wayward golf balls, and he has about 10,000 of them at any given time. He separates them by brand and quality, and offers them for sale.

We made a stop at his house the other day to see what he had in stock, and he had every brand known to mankind. I picked up a dozen Pro V1's in perfect condition for $9.00, but I was really interested in finding out what ratio of brands he finds. He had lots and lots of Pinnacle, TopFlite, Precepts and the other low-priced golf balls, which would seem to make sense. He also had quite a lot of Titleist, Nike and Callaways. We were shocked and puzzled to find that he only had about five dozen Titleist Pro V1's and 4 dozen Pro V1x's, which he really likes to find because so many people ask for them.

We asked him why he thought there were so few Pro V1's out of all the thousands of golf balls he finds. His answer was a bit stunning - "People who are willing to pay for Titleist Pro V1 and V1x are better players, so they loose very few balls. They probably put more in the lakes than they hit out of bounds into the desert."

All the other players are buying cheaper balls because they know they're going to lose them in the lake, the desert or the snake. That's why Bob had so many more of them.

So, we have concluded that the Titleist Pro V1 and V1x may be the best ball in golf. If the best players are playing it, and paying more for that priviledge, it must perform better for them than all the others out there. These people are after the lowest scores they can achieve on a golf course, and they would be hitting a rock if they could play scratch golf with it. They wouldn't spend five minutes with a Pro V1 if it didn't deliver.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!


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Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, arizona golf, tiger woods, phil mickelson, fred couples, golf talking

After day 1 of the Accenture Match Play Championship at Marana, we were really golf talking about Tiger Woods playing Tim Clark from South Africa in his second round. After all, he gave us everything we hoped for in the first match, starting off with birdie, eagle to eliminate Brendan Jones of Australia 3 and 2. Jones gave Tiger a respectable challenge, which gave us a chance to see the Number 1 golfer in the world once again rise to the challenge.

PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem had to be breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Tiger walking down the meticulously groomed fairways at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club just north of Tucson, twirling his golf club like a baton and moving like the Tiger of former championship years. As one headline shouted, "Tiger's return not a big deal -it's huge."

That sigh must have turned into a lump in Finchem's throat on Thursday, though, as Tim Clark played impeccable golf, sending Woods to his private jet after 16 holes.

Tiger said he was pleased with his game - and his knee, but just didn't have an answer for Clark's brilliant play. His knee was holding up so well, in fact, that when he found his golf ball out in the desert after teeing off on the 15th, he refused a ride in a golf cart and walked the 350 yards back to the tee box.

Clark said later that "I knew I had to play out of my mind to beat him." Did he ever! Six birdies and constant pressure on TW, including a tee shot within 4 feet on the 16th. When Tiger missed the chip-in from off the green, he conceded the hole...and Clark had won the match 4 and 2. Played out of his mind, indeed.

That opened the door for Geoff Ogilvy, an Aussie living in Scottsdale, Arizona, and his English friend Paul Casey, who was a former star at ASU in Tucson, to rise to the top for Sunday's final 36-hole match for the title. Ogilvy never looked back and never trailed during the match, winning the event for the second time in four years by besting his buddy 4 to 3.

This was probably not the outcome the promoters and the PGA had in mind, but they should still feel good about it. Tiger is back, even though he didn't play up to his potential...and, the PGA Tour has once again showcased the outstanding talent of the young players, who are gaining experience and credibility in the game.

Looks like it's going to be an interesting and exciting year for golf!

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!


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Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, arizona golf, tiger woods, phil mickelson, fred couples, golf talking

It is impossible to talk about golf this week without talking about Tiger Woods returning to the PGA Tour. In fact, it appeared to me that all the players at Riviera last week may have had Tiger on their minds.

Phil Mickelson had a great start for the first time this season, only to dump it under Sunday's pressure and have to regain the lead in the last few holes for the win. Steve Stricker was playing brilliantly, but just couldn't seal the deal on a few 12 foot putts that would have given him the tournament. My main man, Fred Couples looked strong with several 300 yarders off the tee, but muffed his chance under pressure on the 18th.

Were they all just getting tired after a tough golf week? Or, were they distracted by the Tiger lurking in the rough? Could they have been thinking "I better win this one because he's coming back next week...and I'm gonna' be playing for second place"? There is no way of knowing, of course, but I have to believe that thought was floating around out there on Riviera's beautiful fairways and greens.

It was definitely on Jim Nance and Nick Faldo's minds. They brought up Tiger's return numerous times during the weekend, after all the hoopla and PR announcements on Friday that Tiger will be playing in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana this week, here in our beautiful Arizona desert .

Everyone knows that Tiger has been pounding balls with a zealous, lazer focus. We all know he doesn't just want to come back. He wants to come back and kick some butt. I have no doubt he has been in the gym daily, hitting 500 or a thousand golf balls daily, on the putting green daily and watching every move all the other guys have been making - daily. He has been stalking them on television and in the sports sections, plotting how to take them out. That's what tigers do, and he didn't get the name accidently.

Yeah, he's coming back this week, and everyone on the PGA circuit is holding their breath - hoping that the old Tiger shows up in Marana and lights up our sport once again. Everyone, perhaps, except Phil, Steve, Fred, VJ, Sergio and all those other guys.

Should be a terrific week of golf. Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

Click on the “COMMENTS” button above to post your golf tips and thoughts on the game.


Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, arizona golf, tiger woods, phil mickelson, fred couples, golf talking

As we pointed out last October in our Golf TAlk post Golf Is Getting Crunched By Wall Street , the golf industry was starting to be impacted by the economic collapse that was being felt across the nation. In fact, we suggested that "This winter we should all be watching the market for fire-sale deals on those golf clubs we've been dreaming about...or scouring the local papers for killer green fee offers at golf courses we normally can't afford." Turns out that was pretty good advice.

This morning's Valentine Day edition of the Mesa Republic newspaper featured an article entitled Golf Slowdown Linked To Economy by Angelique Soenarie and Luci Scott, reporting that golf travelers willing to pay more than $100 for a round in Phoenix and the surrounding Southeast Valley has dropped by about 20%. Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, they point out, saw their players decline from 200 last year to 160-180 on current weekdays, dragging down rates and revenue with them.

Most of those high-dollar players are winter business visitors, whose companies give them golf perks to keep their businesses perked up. The recession, however, has caused corporations around the world to cut back on such goodies. That means fewer golfers from Canada, Minnesota, Iowa, etc. So, the pricey golf courses in the Valley of the Sun started offering perks of their own to enable those companies to reward employees with a get away from the snow and cold.

This has really produced a windfall for all of us ordinary peasant players who are always looking for golf bargains. In addition to good tee times being readily available, good golf courses in Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Gold Canyon and other surrounding communities are running weekend specials as well as weekday discounts. Many green fees include lunch, and Web site specials often offer 20-25% discounts to entice local golfers to drive 40 or 50 miles to play. Right now, for example, you can play an afternoon round on the #4 course open to the public in Arizona (where our patio happens to face the 15th green) - the Gold Canyon Sidewinder Course - for $59. That's a 49% discount!

The point is, if you are thinking about getting out from under rain, snow, sleet and misery, now is the time to visit Arizona. It ain't called the Valley of the Sun for nothin', and you can play some of the best golf courses in the country for very little dinero. Here are some great places to check out:

Gold Canyon Golf Resort
Mountain Brook Golf Club in Gold Canyon
Augusta Ranch Golf Club
Longbow Golf Club
Painted Mountain Golf Resort
Talking Stick Golf Club

Thanks for stopping by to Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

Click on the “COMMENTS” button above to post your golf tips and thoughts on the game.


Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, arizona golf, discount green fees, talk about golf, golf talking

Every golfer wants to "hit" the fairway with his or her golf shot. Golfers are always excited when they put it right down the middle of the fairway off the tee, or right at the green with their second shot. The reason we get excited is because too many times we spray the golf ball left or right off the tee - hooking or slicing the golf ball into the rough...or worse. We don't golf talk much about those shots, and sometimes we can't shut up about the one down the middle.

The question is: Why do I hit some shots left or right, and others down the middle of the fairway or right at the target? Recently,I discovered the answer, and it turned out to be pretty simple.

When I hit the ball left, it is usually because I have taken the golf club back at too steep an angle. Then, when I start the down swing to hit the ball my brain knows the club is off plane, and automatically tries to get back on plane by taking the club head outide past the target line and back in again to hit the ball. That means the club face is sweeping from the outside of the golf swing to the inside to hit the ball - sending it left.

Hitting it to the right is usually caused by me turning my body ahead of the club head, which causes the club face to open on contact with the ball...sending the ball to the right.

It really comes down to what way is the club facing when it actually contacts the ball. No matter how you got it there, that is the direction the golf club is going to send the golf ball. That's why even PGA pro's who have strange looking swings can hit the ball to their target. Guys like Jim Furyk, for example. Sometimes he looks like he is swinging a rope rather than a stick, but he is able to get the club face to point right at the target when it hits the ball. Guess where it goes most of the time: Right at the target.

So, not long ago I began to concentrate on getting the club face to point right at the target (middle of the fairway or the green, for instance) when it makes contact with the ball. In that process I discovered a simple, but very effective, way of doing just that.

I reminded myself that I should be swinging the club on a single plane that actually travels from the inside to the outside of the target line, striking the golf ball in the process. In order to accomplish this, I began to focus and concentrate on hitting the ball at five o'clock on the back of the ball instead of three o'clock. I swing right handed, so if you think of looking down at the ball as if it was the face of a clock, three o'clock is the spot at the exact center of the back of the ball. That's where I have always tried to have the club strike the ball.

What I discovered, however, is that by aiming at and striking the ball at the five o'clock mark, which is just a bit toward me on set up, the club contacts the ball during an inside-out arc during the swing plane. Magically, the club is facing directly at my chosen target, sending the golf beautifully right at it. Even more amazingly, my percentage of clean or pure ball strikes has increased dramatically, giving me more distance with almost every golf club.

Now, when I set up to hit the ball after selecting the target out front, the only thing I try to think about is swinging inside-out at five o'clock. No more thoughts during my swing about taking the club back correctly or not too steeply. It is all about hitting five o'clock. Beautifully simple...amazingly accurate.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.


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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, golf talking

The other day I was talking with our neighbor, Art, and once again realized what an incredible sport Golf is. Art, you see, is 86 years old and still plays golf about once a week. As he said, he doesn't hit it very far anymore, and he usually doesn't finish all 18 holes. But, he loves every minute with a golf club in his hand, swinging away at that little white ball.

After my conversation with Art, I thought it would be good to point out here on Golf Talk how fortunate we are to have golf in our lives. It is an activity that we can enjoy with our spouse, kids, friends, business contacts or colleagues...or complete strangers. What's really great is that they may be strangers at the beginning of a round of golf, but they'll be buddies by the end of it. What other pursuit in life can you say those things about? There may be one, but I'm not familiar with it.

Heck, you don't even have to play the game in order to enjoy it. Many of the millions of viewers who tune in to watch Lorena, Tiger, Anika, Jack, Paula, Arnie, Phil, VJ and all the other magnificent PGA and LPGA golfers have never swung a golf club in their life...never felt that little thrill each of us gets watching a golf ball getting smaller sailing down the fairway after we struck it cleanly. Those fans still appreciate the skill and discipline it takes to play really good golf. Watching the people at the Frys.com Open recently was a graphic illustration of just how much we enjoy watching the best players execute their art.

What professional sport - other than golf - offers the opportunity to stand a few feet away from its best players in the world, almost within arms length sometimes, while he or she sets up out on the fairway to hit an approach shot to the green? The closest one I can think of is basketball - if you can afford to spend a thousand bucks for a front row seat.

One of my regrets is that I wasn't playing golf when our kids were small, so I didn't have the chance to teach them the grand old game. Now that they are grown up with careers and children of their own, it's difficult for them to get the time and interest. But I'm workin' on 'em.

So, here's to Golf, Art, and my old buddy Dick in California who has been playing golf "only on days that end in Y" since WWII.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

Thanks for stopping by Golf Talk.


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Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, golf talking

We've all heard the old expression that "A miss is as a good as a mile." Well, yesterday Jack Challender- my good friend and professional Natural Golf coach - taught me that 1/4 inch equals a miss of 8 feet.

We were at the practice green , and Jack was observing my terrible chipping performance about 60 feet out from the hole. I have been playing well off the tee, and my second shots have been solid and pretty straight. When I pull a wedge out the bag to go to the green, however, it's an entirely different story. Sometimes the ball squirts right, sometimes left...and usually burns the grass on its way. The result has been a complete lack of confidence when I set up to chip or pitch, giving back the precious ground conquered with a solid drive. The word "frustrated" just doesn't describe that feeling.

After Jack watched me hit 20 or 30 golf balls, he called my attention to the way they were sprayed 8 to 10 feet to the both sides of the target hole. He suggested that I try two things in my swing. The first was to make sure that I was not only bringing the club straight back from the ball, but that it was also pointing or facing right at the hole after watching the golf club strike through the ball. As I paid close attention to that process, I realized that sometimes the club face was pointing left of the hole at the end of the swing, sometimes right - depending on whether or not I turned my shoulders during the swing.

Keeping my shoulders square to the target line, the ball would consistently travel about 8 feet right of the hole. That was when Jack taught me that 1/4 inch equals 8 feet. He asked me to set up to hit a ball, so I addressed the ball, soled the club behind it and looked to the hole. Jack then asked me to look where the club face was pointing. When I did, it looked alright to me, but Jack pointed out that the face was open just a little, as he turned the wedge in my hands about 1/4 inch toward the left. I must admit that I thought he was just being knit-picky, until I struck the ball. It flew right toward the hole, settling about 6 inches to the left. I said "You've gotta be kidding me!" He just smiled and said "How sweet is that?"

Jack explained that the first thing he does when addressing the ball is to place the club behind the golf ball, making sure it is pointing directly at the target. Then, he steps into position to hit it - the opposite of how I had been setting up. As I practiced that, it was amazing how I could catch myself wanting to open the club a bit. The simple step of aiming the club first produced amazing results.

Old habits die hard, so I will have to pay close attention to keeping the club face straight. Who the heck would think a 1/4 inch turn would produce an 8 foot miss? Actually, it wasn't a miss, at all. The golf ball just went where I was aiming.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, golf talking

Welcome to Golf Talk. Here are a few golf myth busters that surprised me at the Titleist website...hope you find them interesting, too.

Q. Can a golf ball be hit an unlimited distance?

A. Nope.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has regulated the distance a golf ball can fly since 1976. They updated their method of regulating the ball in 2004 because of the dramatic changes in both the equipment the professionals use, as well as the physical or athletic condition of the modern day players themselves. The rebounding characteristics of the official golf ball, technically known as the Coefficient of Restitution (COR), have been regulated for more than 60 years. Unless you can hit a golf ball longer than Tiger or J.B. Holmes, however, you shouldn't be concerned about exceeding the ball's regulated distance.

Q. Is the old golf expression Drive for show, putt for dough accurate?

A. Yep.

According to PGA statistics, some of the longest hitters - like Tiger and Phil Mickelson - have also been top money earners on the Tour. However, as a group, the long-ball hitters have been ranking between #77 and #103 in recent years. In fact, drive statistics have become a less important indicator of earnings on the Tour during the past 25 years, while putting has become a more accurate money winning predictor. That means the other old expression "Short game, Short game, Short game" is true, too.

Q. Doesn't the average PGA professional swing the club more than 120 mph?

A. Nope.

The average PGA Tour pro has a clubhead speed around 113 mph. Some - Tiger, Phil, J.B. and a few other members of the grip-it-and-rip-it gang - go over 120 on their swing speed, but not many. In the real world, however, the typical amateur player swings about 90 mph. Maybe, that's why the big guys get those big bucks.

Q. Does top-spin make a ball go farther through the air?

A. Nope.

When a golf club strikes the ball cleanly, it causes the ball to compress and rebound off the club face with back-spin. The back-spin creates lift, keeping the golf ball in the air until it is pulled down by gravity. When the ball hits the fairway, the back-spin is arrested or abruptly stopped, making it bounce or skip forward. It's a lot like stubbing your shoe while running down a basketball court, which will catapult you forward into the air...just before the "owey".

If you would like to learn more than you ever wanted to know about a golf ball and its characteristics, visit the Titleist Technology website. Anything not included there, you don't need to know.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, golf talking

Last evening I decided to go practice with a Golf Talk club that has been in my golf cabinet in the garage for three years. It had been spanked and put in the dark for being a really naughty club - it never allowed me to hit good shot. It's a 60 degree wedge.

For some reason, I thought this was the time to make up with the 60 and learn how to hit it. So, out to the golf course we went. The first shot from in front of the practice green was a disaster. The hole was about 20 yards uphill at the top of the green, and I hit the ball with the leading edge of the club - rocketing it completely over the green.

On the second shot, I reminded myself to just take a half swing with this devil of a golf club, and to keep my left arm and wrist straight. The club pitched the ball up into the air, as I watched it go through contact. My brain exploded with "YES!", then I looked up to see the golf ball coming back down to earth about seven yards in front of me. My only thought was "How the hell do you get any distance with this thing?".

The next tactic was to move the golf ball either forward or back in my stance during set up. Taking smooth half swings with as little wrist action as possible, I discovered that with the ball forward toward my lead foot I could hit it almost straight up in the air with the 60 degree. Wow, that'll really come in handy...Yeah, right!

Moving the ball back toward my trailing foot, the 60 lifted it beautifully into the air, but I couldn't hit it more than 30 yards toward the target. Keeping the ball back in my stance, and adjusting my swing to about three-quarters put the ball up really high, and out about 40 yards. Then, I decided to try a full swing, and skulled the ball about 100 yards over the green.

After about seventy or eight shots with the 60 degree, I was able to hit the ball 35 to 40 yards with some consistency, and some accuracy, using a three-quarter golf swing. I won't even think about using a full swing with that diabolical little B#@$&*D!

Can't swing it inside that dark cabinet, anyway.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf course, golf club, golf swing, practice green, talk about golf, golf talking

It's difficult to Golf Talk without discussing the importance of having a solid foundation to support your golf swing.

The Natural Golf wide stance, single plane setup always reminds me of Moe Norman. As we said in our earlier post Tuning Up The Natural Golf Swing For Accuracy And Distance , Moe spent his life striving to hit a golf ball to a target consistently, and is considered to be one of the two best ball strikers in the history of the game. To achieve this, he created his own golf swing - the single plane swing - which became the Natural Golf swing.

The single plane setup starts with a wide stance. In order to swing a golf club on one plane consistently or repeatably, we need a solid foundation from which to swing back and forward through the golf ball. That solid foundation comes from a wider stance than in a traditional golf swing. In the single plane swing the feet are placed just outside the shoulders, setting up a strong triangular base with the feet, legs and torso.

Over this foundation, or golf stance, the arms and shoulders can be rotated into the back swing without throwing the golfer off balance. By keeping the lead arm and wrist straight with the club becoming an extension of the arm, and folding the trailing arm toward the body as the club moves into the back swing, the lead arm and club stay on one plane traveling around the golfers torso.

See if you can visualize this: The club head behind the golf ball is facing directly at the target, the players arm and the club stay on one plane through the back swing, that single plane is maintained through the forward swing - bringing the club face precisely back to the same position facing the target when it goes through the ball. That's what gives Moe's Natural Golf swing so much consistency. In fact, once you are comfortable swinging the golf club this way, you can actually hit the ball with your eyes closed!

It all starts, however, with that solid foundation. You will be pleasantly surprised how sturdy you feel by simply moving your feet further apart when swinging the golf club.

From this wide setup we are able to turn the shoulders to begin the back swing without turning or "winding up" the hips. With the single plane swing, the lower body remains relatively still and parallel to the target line. No swaying, and no "coiling" of the body to produce torque or club head speed. Club head speed and torque comes naturally with a single plane golf swing on a solid foundation.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, talk about golf, golf talking

We know that we promised that the next Golf Talk posting would be about the Natural Golf wide stance setup, but yesterday my buddy Jack Challender and I had such a great day at the Frys.com Open in Scottsdale, Arizona, that I decided to jump in here and tell you about it.

If you haven't been to a PGA tournament, you owe it to yourself to do so. We have been going to the Frys.com Open for the past few years, and every time I come away with a deep appreciation for the talent and discipline these players have. It is so much better to see them perform in the real and beautiful surroundings of Grayhawk Golf Club than to watch it on television. Television coverage is wonderful for watching the entire tournament. The producer, director, camera operators and announcers all deliver a terrific story of the event, the place and the people. But, it is still not like being there and seeing the real people hit the golf ball.

The day started on an up beat for us when a fellow passenger on the shuttle bus from the parking lot held out two tickets to the Open and asked if I knew anyone who could use them. I politely reached across the aisle to grasp the ducats (worth $50) without pulling his arm out of its socket, and then genuinely thanked him for the courtesy. I told Jack "It's a good day. Maybe, we should buy a lottery ticket."

As we walked along the cart path leading to the clubhouse area - clustered in the center of the 1st tee, the 9th green, the 10th tee, driving range, practice green and all the vendors and food caterers - we were surrounded by fans, players and caddies. What other professional sports event can you think of where Aaron Oberholzer says "Excuse me" as he crosses in front of you on his way to the driving range? We stood for a while watching Oberholzer, Mike Weir and Nick Watney hit five irons out to the 200 yard marker. Drivers put the ball out of sight...and every shot hit clean and to the same place. Great stuff.

Our next stop was the 1st tee, where we sat in a small grandstand directly behind the teebox...about 15 feet from the 16th pairing of Steve Flesch, Jeff Magggert and Rod Pampling waiting to tee off. Close enough to hear them talking with their caddies, and close enough to watch each player's golf bag being inventoried before play began.

Until a few years ago, I never knew that everything in a pro's golf bag was inventoried as he starts the golf tournament. It makes a lot of sense, though. The sponsors have a right to know that the player they pay is actually using their golf ball, putter or golf shoes. Believe it or not, there have been golfers play tournaments with equipment other than their sponsor's.

It happens in other arenas, too; Barbara, my wife, recently told me about a lady singer who had photos taken for some event wearing a wrist watch other than the one she had been paid a million bucks to advertise and wear. When the sponsor saw the pictures in a magazine - bye, bye contract.

After lunch, Jack and I found a fabulous spot under a shade tree on the shore of the water hazard directly across from the 515 yard 18th fairway and green. What a spot! The teebox was hidden behind a stand of mesquite trees on the left, but we could see the tee shots land 250 or 300 yards out, depending on the player. That left another 250 or 200 yards to the green. It was like watching a huge 3-D screen as the players set up to hit their approach shots onto the green...or in the water...or into the crowd at the back of the green. Steve Lowery got two wet before struggling to the green.

The best example of how good these guys are was Davis Love III. His tee shot on 18 went a little left, landing in a fairway bunker about 220 yards from the green. He hit a beautiful second shot out of the sand that had to have 15 seconds of hang time, sailing into a greenside bunker on the left - releasing a loud groan from the grandstands.

Davis, looking like he was strolling through the park from our vantage point, walked down the fairway, climbed into the bunker and hit an amazing sand shot into the air, trickling to within 6 inches of the hole. He tapped in for par 4 - after hitting into two bunkers! Unreal.

Don't ever let anybody tell you these guys are like the rest of us. Although, if I had hit a million golf balls in my lifetime, I probably could have been that good, too. Nah!!

Do yourself a favor...get out there with the Big Dogs, where it's up close and personal. It really makes golf come alive again.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

Click on the “COMMENTS” button above
to post your golf tips and thoughts on the game.


Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf course, golf club, golf swing, golf tournament,grayhawk, natural golf, talk about golf, golf talking

During the past year, in addition to writing articles for Golf Talk Club, one of my goals has been to improve on hitting the golf ball where I want it to go…and a little farther out. In order to do that I decided to examine the basic fundamentals of my golf swing – the Natural Golf swing.

With the Natural Golf swing created by Moe Norman, one of the all-time great ball strikers and historical Canadian pro, the club swings on a single plane, and the lower body stays still. Moe developed the swing in his life-long quest to simplify the golf swing, and make it extremely repeatable by any player. Being human, however, means that we do things imperfectly; and over time my brain made little changes that were mucking up my swing. It was time for a tune-up.

The first step was to analyze my performance of the four characteristics of Moe’s golf swing: natural palm grip, wide stance, single plane swing and facing the ball at impact. Today, we will take a look at the natural palm grip.

The golf club is gripped by the lead hand in a very natural way - with the shaft nestled in the crook of the first knuckle of the index or first finger and extending across the calluses at base of the fingers, pushing up on that little pad of muscle on the heel of the hand when the fingers close around it.

This probably sounds a bit strange, but it is very similar to reaching out and picking up a long twig by one end. I wouldn’t grip the twig across the “lifeline” in my palm, I would grasp it with my thumb compressing it across the middle of my index finger, trailing back across the heel pad. That’s Moe’s natural palm grip.

It was obvious, upon paying a little attention, that I was allowing the butt of the club to drift up too much into the center of my palm, which would affect the angle of the club extending from my hand.

Remember, Moe’s idea here was simplicity. The golf club shaft is supposed to be the natural extension of the lead arm, with the arm and club making a straight line from the shoulder down to the golf ball. If I maintain that line, I can swing the lead arm back across my body and, then, back with the face of the club in the same position to the ball every time.

My sloppy grip was putting a slight angle in that arm-club line…just enough to create a small slice. The slight correction of gripping the club across the callus line on my lead hand would immediately bring the ball back on target.

A little drill that helps to get the arm and club lined up correctly is to grip the club with my lead hand as described earlier, grip the club with my trail hand (I use a baseball style, 10 finger grip) with the palm pointing to the target. Holding the club straight out horizontally in front of me, I make sure the club face is aimed directly at the target, and then lower it down behind the ball.

Next time, we will dissect Moe’s wide stance set up. Until then, thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Click on the “COMMENTS” button above to post your golf tips and thoughts on the game.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf course, golf club, golf swing, natural golf, , moe norman, talk about golf, golf talking

OK, let's Golf Talk about how badly golf is being beat-up by the fiasco on Wall Street and in Washington.

In my opinion, this mess is going to impact the golf world like a sledge hammer. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. The reason I am pretty sure of this is because there are no golf balls in my back yard.

We live on the 15th green of Sidewinder, one of the most beautiful public golf courses in Arizona. It is ranked #4 in the state for courses open to the public, and its sister course - Dinosaur Mountain Course - a few blocks up the stree is ranked #1. Obviously, these are very popular golf courses. Players normally fly in from all over North America to stay at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort that owns both courses.

Until a few weeks ago, we would sit out on the patio and watch a party of golfers putt out the 15th green, while another group was teeing off over at the 16th tee box. There were usually other golfers back up the fairway, waiting to hit their approach shots to the green. But not so much now.

Now, there are at least 20 to 30 minutes between golfing parties parked under the trees at the rear of our property next to the cart path. Estimating the cost of the workers it takes every day to cut the grass, groom the green and the surrounding bunkers, fertilize, water and trim shrubs and landscaping; the long silence between players is very expensive. Observing what they have to do every day to keep a top-ranked golf course top-ranked leaves no question about why their green fees are top-ranked, too.

A lack of players equals a lack of golf balls in our yard. No shanked approach shots, no skulled chip shots - no golf balls in the yard. Last year we had about 260 balls deposited over or through the wrought-iron fence. I keep and play all the good Titleist Pro-V1's that aren't knicked or scuffed up. All the others go into a pot on the patio, and I sell them to a golf ball recycler not far from our house.

A neighbor down the street, about 150 yards in front of the 15th tee box, had over 1000 balls per year sail into their yard until they erected a screen to catch and drop them to the ground inside their fence. They paid for the screen by selling all of the golf balls to the recycler. But not now.

It's not my intention to bum you out with all this. Actually, I think it is very similar to the stock market. When everyone else is panicked and selling at a loss is when smart investors are buying. This winter we should all be watching the market for fire-sale deals on those golf clubs we've been dreaming about...or scouring the local papers for killer green fee offers at golf courses we normally can't afford.

This whole mess will eventually blow over. In the meantime, remember there is always an opportunity in every crisis.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Click on the "COMMENTS" button above to post your golf tips and thoughts on the game.

Hit 'em long, straight and often!

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Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf course, golf club, golfer, golf resort, talk about golf, golf talking

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to Golf Talk with a young golfer – 12 years old – who was wondering if shooting 85 on a par 72 course with one and a half years experience was a good score. My response to him was that it was FANTASTIC. In fact, I told him, most amateur golfers around the country would kill to shoot 85. Too many consistently score over 100 for 18 holes, no matter what they say when they talk about golf.

My new friend was delighted to hear that those few “stats” probably placed him in the top 20% of amateur golfers. The whole conversation illustrated to me, once again, how few statistics most of us know about the average golfer. That keeps us from having a realistic perspective on our own game. So, I decided to do a little research.

In 1990 L.J. Riccio, Ph.D., a statistical analyst in New York, analyzed golfers ranging in ability from Jack Nicklaus to players with a 35 handicap. His findings are very enlightening. If you are willing to risk brain warp, you can actually predict your average score by the number of greens you hit in regulation (GIR). For example, if you can reach 5 greens out of 18 in regulation consistently, you will have an average score of 85, like my young – 12 year old - friend. Do you know how many people who have been playing for 20 years would LOVE to shoot 85? And he’s doing it at 12!

In case you don’t know what hitting greens in regulation means, golf courses are designed for two putts on the green. That means that on a par-3 hole you are expected to put the ball on the green with your tee shot, leaving you two shots or putts to get it in the hole. If your tee shot lands on the green, you “hit the green in regulation”. On a par-4 hole, you need to put your second – or approach – shot on the green in order to hit it in regulation, and have two putts to hole it for par. A par-5 hole would, of course, require your third shot to land the green to be there in regulation.

According to Dr. Riccio, a player who has a GIR average of 12 (being on the green in regulation on 12 of 18 holes) is going to score 71 consistently. (They are usually called Pro’s.) Those of us who never hit a green in regulation can expect scores of 95 and up.

Want to lower your scores? Hit your tee shots straight enough - and long enough - to give yourself a chance at landing your approach shots on the green in regulation. That doesn’t mean we have to crush a driver 250 or 300 yards out, but we do have to keep it in the fairway to be close enough to reach the green with an iron or hi-brid. Sometimes, we can actually make up for a weak drive with a strong approach shot…if the tee shot stays on the fairway. Straight is a good thing.

Oh, yeah, in order to score that 85, my friend had to keep it in the fairway 46% of the time, be accurate with one out of three iron shots (33%) and have an average of 34 putts for 18 holes. That means he hit it straight on 8 or 9 fairways, hit 5 greens in regulation, and had fourteen 2-putts and four 1-putts for the round. (Don’t doubt yourself on those 1-putts – Remember, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.)

By the way, it really helps to know how far you hit each of your irons or fairway woods. If you don’t, how will you know which golf club to pull to go for the green…in regulation?

So, what is Dr. Riccio telling us? My interpretation of his study is that we really need to focus our golf time and energy on getting as good as we can with our short irons and putter. How many times have you given back the drive of your life with three more shots to reach the green and, then, have a two or three putt? Personally, I can’t count that high.

As much as we all hate it, the answer is practice, practice, practice.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

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Hit ‘em Long, Straight and Often!

Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com

Tags: golf, golf talk, golf ball, golf course, golf club, golf swing, golf statistics, golf tips, golf practice, talk about golf, golf talking