Atlantic Canada Review – Part 1

It’s taken me about a week to catch up with everything after being gone about 10 days on a 1600 mile trek to play courses in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island or PEI. First, I must thank our hosts; Amanda Steward and Barry MacLeod of Golf PEI (Prince Edward Island) and Chris Stacey of Golf NB (New Brunswick). It may sound like an easy job, taking writers around to golf courses, hotels and restaurants, but you have to be always on your game while catering to a diverse set of needs. They not only put up with us but showed us why golfing in Atlantic Canada is worth the trouble of getting there. If you need help with anything to do with golf in PEI or NB, please contact these folks, they’re a pleasure to work with.

First, an overview and general impressions of golf up north, then in follow-up blogs I’ll go into some of the details of where we played, stayed and ate. Compared to the U.S., everyone in Atlantic Canada is laid back and calm, which means you can come here and recharge your batteries. Forget traffic, crowds and rude service personnel, they don’t exist. In this way, our trip up north was very much like going to Scotland. Sum it up and golf is not only challenging in Atlantic Canada, it’s also fun.

Golf is not only plentiful but of a very high quality. The courses we played would be comparable to many of the best courses in the major golf destinations in the U.S. But…. the cost is much lower and you won’t find the crowds. I was amazed at what they were charging for rounds and even more amazed by what season passes cost – enough so that my wife and I hope to go back next year for an extended period. The weather is much like New England, but cooler – which isn’t bad after the scorcher we’ve had this year. I’d say lodging cost is about the same with food being a bit higher.

If you can afford to stay for awhile, you’re going to get all the golf you want. PEI has 22 good courses within about 45 minutes of each other and there’s lots of variety and lots of different layouts. In NB the courses are more spread out, but again you can find lots of good ones if you’re willing to drive an hour and a half to three different locations. Most of the courses we played and saw had really nice practice facilities, which is a pleasant change from many of the courses here where condos are more attractive to developers.

My wife and I took our time driving up because we wanted to travel the coast of Maine and New Brunswick, places we hadn’t been. If you’ve got the time there is lots of ocean scenery and interesting destinations like the Hopewell Rocks where you can see 50 foot tidal changes and sample rhubarb wine! Straight through from Portland, Maine to Charlottetown, PEI looks to be about 700 miles. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of flight options from the U.S. which makes the cost of air travel high. I know the various tourist bureaus are working to change that. New Yorkers are lucky in that there are direct flights from Newark.

There are plenty of cultural events in both PEI and NB during the summer – such as music festivals - and this could be an extra bonus if you plan accordingly. Both Golf PEI and Golf NB offer attractive ‘stay and play’ deals as well as discount play cards. All in all it was a great way to spend 10 days in August!

Key Move: Press Forearms Together

There are no secret moves that are going to overcome a slew of bad golf habits. Golf is a complex sport and a lot harder than it looks. It’s brought many a brain surgeon and star athlete to their knees. There are some key fundamentals that can be overlooked or just forgotten from time to time. Pressing your forearms together is one of these.

Both on the backswing and dowswing it’s important to feel your forearms pressing together. It helps maintain a consistent link between the body and the club and forces the arms to work together instead of add odds with one another. This helps release the club at impact among lots of other good things.

Keeping the forearms pressed together won’t guarantee a great golf shot, but not doing this almost always guarantees trouble. The concept works for short shots and putts as well as the full swing. Add this to your list of quick checks when you’re in the middle of a round trying to figure out why you’ve gotten off-track. During the next pro tournament watch players like Dustin Johnson, you can see them demonstrate how important this is.

If you haven’t checked out the ‘Lost Episode Part 1 – TPI Golf Fitness’ video at right, make sure you do. Besides practicing the short game, golf fitness is probably the most beneficial thing we amateurs can do for our games.

I Wish Corey Had Chosen Charlie

I don’t envy Corey Pavin’s job of making his 4 captain’s picks for this years U.S. Ryder Cup Team. It’s got to be tough to make that final decision and, maybe even worse, calling those who were close but didn’t make it. From an emotional standpoint I was rooting for Charlie Hoffman after his terrific come-from-behind win at the Deutsche Bank. Based on who’s hot, he’s a shoe-in. I decided to look at some statistics to see if I could understand Corey’s thinking.

First, let’s deal with Tiger. Corey had no choice. If he hadn’t chosen him the ongoing media discussion would have overshadowed the competition itself. Every other comment would have been about Tiger. The Cup should not be overshadowed by a media circus. As far as Tiger’s actual ability at the moment, his game is coming around. You could really see it in Norton, Massachusetts. I expect good things at Cog Hill this week. And…Tiger may have more to prove at the Ryder Cup this year than anyone. A good showing puts him right where he wants to be for next year and would offer him no small amount of redemption for an otherwise troubled year.

Back to the numbers. If stats were the only consideration then Zach Johnson is my first pick. He and Steve Stricker are probably the steadiest players on tour. Zach’s also been there and that definitely counts. And let’s not forget he’s a terrific player year-in and year-out and has won at Augusta.

That leaves us with Cink and Fowler. Rickie is the kid, the young upstart and I can understand captains choosing his kind. You need that young energy and fearlessness and you’re hoping to build a base for future teams. He’s our first year Sergio Garcia.

That leaves us Stewart who’s best finish in 2010 was a T5 at the Accenture Match Play Championship early in the year. He hasn’t done a whole lot since. He’s been to the Ryder Cup 4 times and has a 4-7-4 record. The thing that stands out is the 4 losses. Corey himself went 8-5-0.

Looking at tour stats Charlie mostly loses to Stuart except in putts per round and proximity to the hole. For me, the decision comes down to the subjective issues. Charlie is hot, he’s never been to the Ryder Cup and I love his ‘almost quit golf until this comeback’ story. Stuart isn’t hot and he’s been to the Ryder Cup 4 times. Let someone else have some glory and embrace Azzinger’s idea that a late season hot streak can get you on the team. I’m sure golf purists won’t like my choice, but there’s more to sports than meets the eye. Sometimes the golf gods point the way and those who ignore them do so at their own peril.

Tiger Is Still The Old Tiger

Is the golfing world really topsy turvy, with Tiger falling fast and changing the face of Tour golf that we’ve come to expect during the last decade? I don’t think so.

First, golf is still golf. Tiger’s recent playing profile only proves that. It doesn’t turn it on its head. Tiger has always fought his swing – sometimes less and sometimes more – but fought it nonetheless as all golfers do. Looking back, Tiger has missed a lot of golf from 2008 until now. When any golfer plays less over an extended period their golf suffers and so it is with the great ones as well. Tiger has been the best for a decade, but he hasn’t changed the immutable laws of golf.

I watched coverage of yesterday’s Deutsche Bank Championship and I think we might see the old Tiger again pretty soon. Maybe not full force this year, but watch out for 2011. Tiger’s misses were at least all one way, to the left. He’s working diligently with Sean Foley and diligently for Tiger is any other golfer’s fanatical. According to Frank Nobilo, Sean says that Tiger is perhaps the most efficient at practicing that he’s ever seen. And Tiger needs to be on top once again to establish the identity he lost to scandal. That’s scary for any pro thinking they can unseat Tiger for good.

It looks to me that Tiger is closing in on beating his demon of the left turning shot. This has been his bugaboo for a long time, but don’t forget that the laws of golf demand that every player has their issues. Tiger can hit straight shots, as last week’s driving statistics show. Now he just has to remove the demon in his mind and that’s always the hardest part of game improvement. But not impossible for the game’s best, especially as he’s done it many times before. Even the great Ben Hogan took a couple of years of hand blistering practice to slay the hook.

Bottom line: the old Tiger may not emerge until 2011, but he’s definitely coming back barring a physical injury or a moral collapse.

A couple of  unrelated closing comments: Doug, don’t forget your partner here. I’m expecting an invite to play at Crumpin Fox. Also, stay tuned for my review of Atlantic Canada golf. I don’t want to give anything away, just let me say that my wife and I are starting to scan property listings up North…..

New Member at Crumpin Fox GC

So I just joined my 1st golf club in like 10 years. I am now a member of the Crumpin Fox Golf Club here in Bernardston, MA. Previously I was a member of Hickory Ridge GC in Amherst, MA.

I took advantage of the end-of-the-year special, where you pay so much to play the rest of the year then that fee is subtracted from next year’s membership.

So why did I take the plunge and join? For a number of reasons.

1. The course is just a gem to play. I have played it many, many times and just love the layout and beauty of the course.

2. It’s like 12 minutes from our house.

3. I really want to re-dedicate myself to the game and improve in every area.

4. My “day job” is as a software engineer and after sitting on my butt all day in a corporate environment it is pretty nice to do something physical (like play golf)

5. I have a number of friends who play/are members there.

6. I want to play more competitive golf in tournaments, etc.

6. Got the OK from my wife

Pretty sound reasons, right? Anyway, really looking forward to playing a lot more golf.

If any of you readers are up in the area and would like to play a round, let me know and we can perhaps set something up. Guests of a member also get a discount on greens fees.

When Your Golf Swing Goes Bad (I mean really bad)

I was having the damnest time recently with my swing – really coming over the top in a wickedly fashion and having the ball too far forward which was causing me to “flick at the ball’ with my hands, therefore, I was not getting a solid strike to the ball. The ball could have gone anywhere – and did. Some good, mostly bad.

It was really driving me mental and culminated in my breaking my driver after I slammed it into the ground in a round a few weeks ago. (see the pic below)

Actually this is the 1st time I have ever done this and not proud of it at all. It’s just what happened. So I took a few weeks off and did what any recreational player should do – go see a PGA professional.

I think this is even more critical if we don’t play on a somewhat regular basis as it is SO easy to drift away from solid fundamentals. And there are certain fundamentals we need to practice (and be reminded of) because, particularly in golf, even the smallest things will get us to overcompensate is SO many different ways.

Interestingly, what happened to me this time (and I was very cognizant of it) was my mind started to “tell a story” about what was happening. That I have a little arthritis in my right hip, I’m getting older and therefore it’s OK to lose 20 yards on your drive, that I’m just not he player I used to be, etc. etc. All nonsense – and not necessary.

It was really getting wicked. But one way to halt this dead in it’s tracks is to see a PGA pro. He immediately saw things that started to become comfortable to me – like having quite a closed stance and having the ball well forward with my irons.

Once I moved the ball back in my stance (with my short-mid irons) and got he shaft leaning forward at impact immediately the feeling of a solidly compressed golf ball started to come back. And it was IMMEDIATE. That’s how quickly a pro can help.

The other thing was opening my shoulders a bit so I have a better path through the ball. Funny, all of a sudden (I’m left-handed) I could see a new vast amount of space over my right shoulder – as previously my stance was become so increasingly closed.

Really for them, I suspect, this stuff is rather easy to see on the amateur/recreational level where things can get exaggerated very quickly. With a professional on the other hand, things become a lot more subtle as they have a well set pattern in place of solid ball striking but it’s STILL the same process – something has crept in (somehow) and it’s producing un-consistent shots.

For the pros it’s all about precision. If they are not precise in their ball-striking, they won’t get the proper distance and the 15-30 foot puts they need to make to score. And this won’t feed the family. No wonder they all have “entourages” they assemble. They need to be constantly monitored like a hospital patient.

That is really the fun and maddening part of golf right there. When you’re on the game (and controlling your golf ball)becomes a sublime experience – it’s almost magical. But when your off it’s like (as a friend once said) “hitting frogs with a stick”

So if your game starts to head South for you, don’t wait too long to see your local PGA pro. They’ll immediately come up with a plan for you and instantly stop all the nasty “brain chatter” we create for ourselves.

Although it’s always a work in progress and I’m not quite there yet, ultimately it was never as bad as I thought or was “making” it up to be. Just a few simple tweaks. Amazing.

Why Amateur Golfers Don’t Improve

Since everybody else seems willing to pontificate about what’s wrong with the amateur golf swing, I might as well give it a go. Here’s the inside scoop; It’s all about knowledge of what really happens in the golf swing.

Up until the last few years, golf teaching has been based on what a star player felt or what a star teacher thought he saw a star player do. Unfortunately golf is too fast to really see what’s going on with the naked eye. And what a star player thinks he’s doing is often quite different than what a video shows.

It’s only been in the last few years that technology has provided the tools for scientifically analyzing good golf swings. Tools like high speed cameras, muscle electrodes and video x-rays have all given tremendous insight into what is really happening. We are just now finding out that much of what we thought we knew about hitting a golf ball is just plain wrong.

Did you know that 76% of your power comes from cocking and releasing the wrists. Another 11% comes from the elbow hinge. Now there’s 87% accounted for and we haven’t mentioned the torso at all. Shocked? I was when I heard that statistic.

Now I know why Bob Toski was able to hit a driver 240 yards from his knees. I know it’s true, because I saw it. Because of these recent discoveries, we now see many of the pros changing their swings. Have you noticed that they’re getting simpler all the time? We can now eliminate many swing doodads that we used to think were critical.

The most common fault for the amateur golfer is coming over the top, right? Did you know that this isn’t caused by the shoulders. It’s anatomically impossible for your shoulder rotation by itself to get the club out in front. It’s the hips where the problem is.

Rotating the hips early on the downswing moves the shoulder arc out over the ball causing the outside in swing. (By the way, I charge for my instruction so be sure to put the check in the mail.)

So we’re finally learning what really goes on in the golf swing . . .

Golf Trip to PEI and New Brunswick

 

This is a really quick note about a golf trip to Atlantic Canada that my wife and I are beginning tomorrow. We are going to be traveling Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick sampling some of their best courses, restaurants and lodging.

The plan is to come back with lots of photos and maybe even some video and a full report on what a golf holiday in the Maritimes is like. One thing for sure, it’s going to be cooler than it is around here. We can’t wait to leave the 90′s and head for low 70′s high 60′s. Just for fun I’ve laid out the trip on a new website at Tripline. Click HERE for the link.

I haven’t had time to post a lot, but you can see our basic itinerary. When you get to the site, click on the link for the Atlantic Canada Golf Trip. You can navigate the map by clicking the destinations or look at the tripline below. Check it out and let us know if it has potential.

PGA Championship – Golf Survives Nicely

I don’t care if Tiger or Phil weren’t in it on Sunday, the PGA Championship was exciting right up to the conclusion. It’s too soon to anoint new superstars of golf, but some of the young guns we saw Sunday are going to replace the World’s top ranked golfers before too long.

Forget the mistakes and blunders, Whistling Straits is a tough course especially with the wind blowing. If you watched you saw a lot of good golf and some miraculous recovery shots under a lot of pressure.

Some have taken exception with the way the tournament unfolded, even calling it tainted as Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal implied. I say golf survived very nicely and demonstrated why it’s the game it is. It’s one of the few sports where the rules are really the RULES and they don’t change by the player or circumstances.

When I first saw that they were going to penalize Dustin Johnson 2 shots for grounding his club in a bunker, I admit I was upset. Until, that is, the PGA official came on camera and explained that the local rules clearly state that all sandy areas at Whistling Straits are bunkers, even if they have people standing in them, footprints and tire tracks. The official went on to describe how they went to great pains to post this everywhere so that no player would be uniformed.

I can see how this would upset someone who’s not a golfer and typically follows sports like basketball where the rules have been so decimated and abused that no one really knows what they are anymore or how a given official on a given night and for a given player is going to interpret them. We golfers don’t have that problem. The rules are the same for you and me as they are for Tiger Woods. They can’t be bent, broken or selectively interpreted. And that is what makes Golf the game it is.

Players like Dustin Johnson are a credit to the game and represent what it stands for. He didn’t pout or duck reporters or threaten the officials. He took his punishment like a man and said he should have read the rules more carefully. He probably won’t make that mistake again. His caddy ought to do penance for not explaining the situation before his man even got near the ball.

This isn’t the first time that golf’s rules seemed cruel. But that’s the point, the game, like life, can seem cruel to those who don’t understand the rules. Golf is about the only sport or game that I know of where players are expected to call penalties on themselves.

Golf may be just a game, but like the First Tee ads claim, it’s also about core life values. Show me an honest golfer and I’ll show you a good human being.

Whistling Straits – One Awesome Course

This year’s PGA Championship is a must watch if for nothing other than to check out the Whistling Straits course. Nick Faldo called it ‘cool’, I call it ‘way cool’. I’m including a couple of shots from the course website to wet your whistle. Click on the first one and visit the Whistling Straits course site. There you’ll find descriptions of all the holes and even flyovers. We are going to see some demanding recovery shots to say the least. On this course if it isn’t fairway, it’s tall grass or sand. If you counted everything that looks like a sandtrap, then there must be a thousand. To top it off the course is set on the dunes/cliffs of Lake Michegan. If the greens are right, this course is as good as any played this year and that includes Augusta, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews – not bad company to be in.

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