Golflogic.ca

In simulator world, at least… I was able to play the first few holes of Pebble Beach this afternoon, fulfilling a golf-long dream ever since slowly cruising the real 17-Mile Drive 6 years ago (which winds through a few holes of the famed golf course in Monterey, California, as well as an exceptionally high-class wooded/beachy residential neighbourhood)

I really enjoyed my experience at InnerGolf this afternoon - since opening mid-February in King West Village Toronto, they have become quite busy (book weekend SIM times at least 5 days in advance) and are continuing to expand - soon they will double the number of SIM booths to 6 and now feature a new yoga studio (I especially loved that!), CPGA Pro instruction with one of my Toronto fave’s Dave Cooke, associated spa & gym all under one golf-loving roof. 

You can wear what you want & they have decent sets of golf clubs available to rent…  But the liquor license isn’t quite ready yet, so they can’t technically serve or sell any alcohol at the moment; food is truly only for the real ‘gamers – chips, chocolate bars & soda – the most ‘proper’ golf food they had available for gluten-free me was water.

From my personal golf-fitness perspective, I am not 100% sold on the effectiveness of the simulator - the exercise of walking 4+ miles in a real-life round (you could expect to burn 1,000 or so calories during 5+ hours of paying) can’t possibly be there when you can play 18 holes in only 1 hour… the pitching, sand and putting shots are all a wee bit odd physically and I have some concerns about development of ‘golfer’s elbow’ if you hit too many off the mats (taking deep virtual divots), but I found the driving and fairways to be quite forgiving for my own swing, fun AND unexpectedly realistic… 

The rest of your body, mind & swing technique can all be trained & maintained with the other services available and the simulators ARE truly entertaining.  I think I may become a member myself through the next year, so I can still ‘play’ even when the weather is bad or I don’t feel like actually getting my oh-so-cute golf shoes dirty…

If you really want Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh to come and play in Canada just call the event the Moe Norman National Open Championship. These guys owe some part of their game to the little guy with the comic book face.
 
My nominee for Canadian golf legend remains Moe Norman. His achievements in the sport outweigh many others who played the game at its high-test level. 
So why isn’t Moe an icon the same way other big names in golf are? He didn’t act or look the part. He was neither corporate nor cool material. He was poor much of his life, living for golf and living at times in his car.
 
Despite his teaching prowess and competitive successes he was unlikely to be asked into a clubhouse afterwards because he might befriend someone in one moment and rebuke them the next. He was called shy, yet boasted feats no Texan would own up to. His constant chatter belied a deep intelligence that was baffling to those of a lesser acumen. He loved the limelight and was anxious away from it. The course was one of the few places he felt safe and in control.
 
Somehow Moe managed to survive a demanding career with a chronic mental condition that might have been overcome or at least managed better had it been medically treated. He also had a more serious affliction that was left undiagnosed almost up to the time of his death in 2004.  He was, you know… Canadian, eh.
 
All this meant Moe was off kilter, remote and gentle yet brusque and funny. And nearly always acting over the top. If he were alive today he’d have his own website, columns, television show and a bit part in a movie about his life. Canada celebrates its anti-heroes who lambaste the pretentious and come from behind, winning when they’re not supposed to. They poke a finger in the face of any conventional wisdom. (Trailer Park Boys, anyone?)
 
Only later in life was Moe recognized for his genius and his enormous courage. When his name is mentioned, people who knew of him usually smile. He was a guy who overcame his limitations in a game that demands perfection. He was more than a journeyman golfer. He was more like a character in a Homeric poem. Moe is worthy of a sculpture cast in bronze. All the rare birds in the world would fly on a pilgrimage to pay homage to the little man sitting on the back seat of the very car he lived in on his way from one tournament to another.
 
Sam Snead had the foresight to befriend Moe at an important time. Snead recognized in Moe the heart of a square peg trying to sink a putt into a round hole. Many, at the top of their game, have come to appreciate Moe’s talents once he got the stick in his hand and taught them – in his own way – along with millions of golfers, to love the game.
 
Yes, if invited, Tiger would come to the Moe Norman National Open Championship. Other luminaries too would play to honor a man who broke rules and broke new ground in a sport they now excel in. Moe deserves to be honored by the best in golf as well as by the rest of us misfits.
 
http://www.moenorman.com/
The Man, The Myth, The MOE

If our 6 months of winter (non-golf season) were a desert, I’d have to say I found an oasis in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the home stretch between Christmas and the start of golf season…  I recommend the Scottsdale Golf Guide (download it from the web, since it takes a while to arrive by mail…) to plan where you’ll golf, stay, eat, spa and/or shop. 

I’ll have more specific details to come very soon on my thoughts about the Westin Kierland Golf Resort & Spa, Legend Trail GC and SunRidge Canyon GC (no its not ALL good), but for now I just want to plant the seed - if you want a multi-faceted, fun-for-everyone winter golf & spa vacation, start saving and planning for next winter soon!  When it comes to Scottsdale in March, the early bird gets the worm (hotel rooms, tee times and scheduled tours are only available at least 3 months in advance of March - the PEAK season!)… 

Tip #1: the free PING Factory tour, which the knowledgeable concierge at Westin Kierland gave me all the info on, IS fully booked 3 months in advance - even for me.  Now, he’s not a golfer but says a lot of hotel guests come back from the tour absolutely raving about it, so if you go, please let us what you thought of it!  Walking tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 AM. Reservations are needed and the tour takes between 1:45 - 2 hours. Call 1-800-474-6434. 2201 W Desert Cove Ave Phoenix, AZ 85029
Tip #2: Kierland Commons is a gorgeous outdoor shopping/dining experience, across the street from the Westin, and is comparable to the best shopping malls in North America including Madison Avenue and the Bloor/Yorkville area, except perhaps not quite as overpriced and even (dare I say it?) offers AMAZING sale prices! 

Surprisingly, even though I prefer “moist” heat to dry heat, and I like to refer to myself as a “picky” eater (I don’t eat anything that includes any wheat or has even touched wheat, because it makes me so sick), I loved Scottsdale - the weather in March was really a treat (I still have a great tan!) & great for the achy joints, the desert/mountain scenery is gorgeous during early morning/late afternoon golf rounds, mountain hikes, bike rides and patio dinners through sunset AND I was able to find an Italian restaurant with a separate and FULLLY gluten-free menu, called Pizza Picazzo where I was able to enjoy a couple of wheat-free beers with lunch after my round at SunRidge Canyon! 

Now, I definitely plan to go back again, hopefully at least once every year (this was my 2nd time there), I’ve made a few very interesting friends in the Scottsdale area, and in coming trips I will make time for excursions up to Sedona, Grand Canyon, and possibly even Monument Valley, Utah…

MORNING,

Isn’t it wonderful to see the world coming back to life?  The seasons are changing and spring will soon be here, so now is the time to drag the clubs out of hibernation, clean them up and get ready.

First I would like to mention the world No. 1 in our beloved sport.  Can he be beaten at Augusta?  Is it too early to think Grand Slam?

Reading around the press since the weekend, a lot of very reputable analysers have said that the lack of threat from any rivals left Tiger with no adrenaline to press his advantage home.  For a man who has made it his life-mission to break records, I find it hard to believe that an absence of adrenaline or motivation would hinder him in any way.  Having said that, I fully expect he will win by 5 shots at the Masters and average about 25 putts per round.  Tiger has a way of making it work, that’s why he’s the best (right now). 

Tiger has in his golf game one massive strength, it is probably the main reason (besides his mental aptitude) he has won so many tournaments, his short game.  You can hit the ball as far as you like, it will still have to end up in the hole to count as a birdie. 

The variety of shots and distance control Tiger exhibits is staggering, much of this comes from practice and experience.  There are many drills that one can do to improve the quality of play from within 100 yards, I’d like to briefly explain two such drills, and hope that the new season motivation will inspire some wedge practice.

The equipment required for these drills are:

• 100 Yards of Practice Ground, ideally with grass to hit off, matting is a poor substitute but acceptable if no ground is available.
• A Target to aim at, again a green would be preferable, but an upturned umbrella or golf bag will be fine.
• Wedges, bring all wedges, and maybe nine iron too
• Golf Balls, 40 is the optimum number for these two drills
• 1 ‘Technique’ Drill

While watching professional golf, you often hear commentators say things like, “Joe Bloggs left himself with a good number there.”  This means that the player had a yardage to the flag that they were comfortable with, a distance they know and trust.  This distance knowledge comes through practice, and this drill will give you some personal distances that you can feel comfortable with.

Take your most lofted club (sand or lob wedge) and divide you ball quota into three piles (ideally ten per pile)

• Find a piece of flat practice ground, there is no need for a target for this drill, just somewhere for the balls to land!
• Hit ten balls with a ¼ backswing and follow-through, arms going back to waist high, then through to waist high finish.
• Hit ten balls with a ½ backswing and follow-through, arms to chest high
• Hit ten balls with full swing.

Once the three types of shot have been hit, pace out to the middle of each circle of balls, to give three different distances for that club.  Repeat this process with your other wedges and maybe nine-iron to give 9-12 different ‘numbers,’ which can be implemented on the course, so you too can be a master of distance control.

2 ‘Feel’ Drill

Some players like to visualise the distance to a particular green, and use their natural ‘feel’ to gauge how far to hit the ball.  This approach is perfectly acceptable, and this practice idea will help to improve your natural feel for distance control.

First identify a target, whether it is a flag on a green, an umbrella or golf bag.

• Measure 25,50,75 and 100 yards from the target
• Deposit 10 balls at each interval and take all wedges to first station
• Hit shots with a variety of clubs from each position; try hitting both low and high shots.
• Forget all technical mechanics, and just concentrate on getting the ball as close to the right distance each time

The outcome of this drill will to show that the same distance can be achieved with differing shots.  When hazards need to be avoided, use a high ball, and when there is nothing between the ball and the flag, maybe a running shot would be more appropriate.

The most important thing to take from these exercises is that some shots will be more comfortable than others.  It is these comfort shots that we use most often, because it should eliminate major mistakes.  If you can remove these errors and maybe even improve the good shots, your scores will tumble and golf will become more fun. 

That’s what it is all about.

Got this story from Jon Snow at the Sports Business Daily…

—

Nike Golf is introducing Tiger Woods Limited Edition footwear to celebrate the decade that has passed since Woods won his first Masters in ‘97.   The line includes four different styles — one for each of the four majors this season.  A special “TW 10” logo is etched on the heel and a Tiger Woods Foundation logo appears inside the spike. The line will be available at select retail stores and golf shops for a suggested retail price of $220.

Woods will debut the first pair (white/dark army) at The Masters beginning next Thursday.  The shoe hits retail on Sunday.  He will don a carmel/bronze-colored spike at the U.S. Open (retail June 1), black/varsity crimson at the British Open (retail July 1) and white/black-dusty red at the PGA Championship (retail August 1). As part of the promotion, Nike Golf is offering an online giveaway of eight Woods-autographed shoes — one pair for each major.

Tiger Woods once again showed that he is head and shoulders above the competition, especially in the head.  Needing only to do no worse than Double Bogey the final hole at Doral for the win, Tiger played for an easy Bogey, hitting 5 iron, 8 iron, wedge, 2 putt, win.

In a recent interview, Phil Mickelson commented on his playing philosophy and an insight into his mental game. You can read it here . I dare say that if Phil had of played the last hole for Bogey at the U.S. Open last year, we would be calling him a genius.

It’s true in other sports as well, the truly great evolve mentally just as much as physically.  There is an example in the NCAA basketball tournament.  Xavier was up by 3 points with seconds to go, Ohio inbounds the ball and if Xavier foul him, he gets TWO free throws, so the best Ohio could do was to be one point down or intentionally miss the 2nd free throw and try to get the rebound.  Instead, Xavier lets Ohio take a 3 point shot and make it to tie the game. Ohio goes on to win in overtime.

If the average golfer wants to lower their score, take a page from Tiger this week.  If there is a hole that you always make a big number on, try finding a way to play it to get an easy Bogey.  At the end of the day, it’s all about shooting the lowest score.

I still have no idea why Sergio spit in the cup after this weekends tournament but his response was pretty weak:

“Yes, I did it, but there was nothing to it. I missed a putt and I was not too happy. Don’t worry. It did go in the middle. It wasn’t going to affect anyone else. If it did, I would have wiped it off.”

This is soo embarassing.  On Thrusday night while taking out the garbage my cat got out of the house.  He really took off and I ran in hot pursuit.  Running full tilt, I trip on my neighbours lawn and land, left arm out stretched, on their driveway.  Went the next day to the hospital and found out my arm is broken !!  No golf for at least 4-6 weeks more.

And yes, I was able to get the cat.

Well its taken me a few days (at least!) to decompress & process everything I experienced during 2 weeks in the USA cities of Scottsdale, Arizona, Los Angeles, California and Washington, D.C. but I think more than anything I am impressed by the overall recognition Katherine Roberts’ Yoga For Golfers program (which I teach in the Toronto area) is finally starting to receive with the North American PGA pros.  

Katherine invited me back to Scottsdale for the 2nd time and I did get a lot of growth from the 2nd time around - but what astounded me even more was the presence of PGA Pros at the training!  I’ve Googled “Swing Flaws & Fixes” and found most people agree they are not actually swing flaws, but physical flaws, a fact the PGA teaching & professional community seem to be accepting with more & more openness.  Proof of point in that we had 2 PGA pros with us in the training; they already know quite a bit about Golf physics & the kinetic chain of swing power generation, acceleration and deceleration throughout the body and still found the time & funds to attend this Yoga For Golfers training program - the fact that Katherine is the Fitness Expert for The Golf Channel’s programming obviously wouldn’t hurt either.   more…

My Toronto Raptors are kicking ass once again!  I was at the game Friday where they destroyed the Denver Nuggets 121-94.  The game was great especially since my guest at the game was a Nuggets fan.  He told me he ordered Nuggets golf bag and I was going to have to use it for a month if Denver won…a Raptor victory meant a nice steak dinner next week!

The funniest part of the game was when the crowd started chanting Denver Nougats!  The players didn’t seem to like it too much but I had a good time with it!