My wife’s son, Andy Lesenski, is heading off to North North Carolina in a few months to pursue his dream of playing on the PGA Tour. He will start on the eGolf Tour, based in North Carolina and his goal is to make it to Q school (PGA Tour Q School).

I first met Andy when my wife and I first got together. We were actually high school sweethearts and met again 20+ years later – so it’s a pretty cool story. Anyway, I think Andy was about 14 or 15 at the time and was winning club championships. I think he won back to back club championships when he was 15 and 16. I think he went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie to shoot 65 on the last day to win – that was fun to watch.

He was a great player in high school but decided he was going to work instead of going to college. Like a lot of younger folks (me included) he was trying to sort out his direction and what he wanted to do.

I think it became very clear to him in the last couple years (he’s 23 now) that he wanted to give professional golf a go. I had the privilege of playing with him a number of times this year at Crumpin Fox Golf Club (which were are both members) and it’s always fun watching him play and playing with him. Especially those 300+ yard drives

Oh and he won the Club Championship at Crumpin Fox this year as well with the lowest score ever. So no doubt he’s got the talent. But so don’t a lot of people.

In some ways it’s odd to me. I was always an OK athlete. Nothing special by any means. So when you see an athlete like Andy it’s immediately clear the talent he has. It’s very clear.

A lot of us (as in me for one) have to do a lot of digging to find our passions and talents. Sometimes they are just not that obvious or they bloom in later years.

However, as I mentioned, talent will probably be the least of his problems. It’s all the other stuff. It’s going to be the paying of bills with him and his girlfriend, the times when nothing is working, the utter frustration with golf, the feeling you might not be as good as some of the other players – the mental crap.

That’s when the rubber hits the road. Those experiences and feelings and what and how you manage those. It won’t be easy. It never is. Closing in on 50 I can tell you it never works the way you think it will. But that’s the beauty of it too.

There are many, many stories of successful pros who have slept in cars, schlepped pizza or cell phones and who have gone on to great success on the PGA tour. They did what they had to do.

I know what it’s like to struggle and be broke. The trick is how you use that. The successful ones dig deeper, practice more when that’s the last thing you feel like doing and when you’re standing alone on the range in the rain pounding balls, hands bleeding, wondering what the hell you’re doing.

You focus on the things you can control. Your fitness, your practice, your nutrition, your mental management. You vow to not have anyone outwork you or out practice you. You give it all you got so you’re clear you’re not taking the easy way out.

In some ways I wish I could say something that would make a difference to him. Maybe I have – I’m not sure. I know one thing: we’re very proud of him not only as a terrific golfer but as a terrific young man and wish him nothing but luck as he pursues his dream of playing on the tour.

So if you see Andy out and about, say you heard about him first at the GolfDashBlog! Then you might ask him why your divot points left and your ball is flying to the right – I’m sure he’ll be able to give you a few golf tips.

PS: Here are a few vids of Andy’s Swing:

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Three cheers for the R&A and the USGA, they’ve finally agreed to change/update Rule 18-2b – Ball Moving After Address. To quote from the R&A website:

“A new exception is added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.”

What this means to most golfers, you no longer have to penalize yourself if you’ve addressed your putt on a slick green with the wind blowing and your ball moves before you strike it. The rule no longer made sense with todays ultra slick greens. That loud sighing you hear is Tour Pros around the world giving thanks. The rule goes into effect January 1, 2012.

Click HERE to visit the R&A website section on rules. It’s very nicely done and has tons of information, examples, decisions and even videos on understanding and applying golf’s rules.

Spend a little time browsing and you’ll be the ‘rules expert’ in your foursome. That’s much better than being the guy who knows next to nothing and may even be suspected of cheating. Knowing the rules will also help you relax while you play, knowing you’re not going to embarrass yourself needlessly.

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Recently I have been getting very interested in golf course architecture. Not that I haven’t before but I’m reading more, studying more about it and hope to share more of my finds with our GolfDash friends.

I posted the video above just give a glance at what golf course architects actually do. It just a short clip of Jack Nicklaus discussing various holes on a recent project.

What is getting me really intrigued is the art of course design. You get a certain set of conditions and you have to work with them. Much like an artist working with oil paint. Oil paint intrinsically has much different properties than acrylic, watercolour, tempera, encaustic or any of a number of different kinds of paint – so you need to know what you’re working with to bring out the best inherent properties.

It’s fun to hear Nicklaus talk about certain holes. It’s sort of like 3 dimensional chess – you have to think on a number of different levels at once – for the average golfer, the senior player, the skilled player, etc. etc. and what would make it a fair test for all and what options were built in.

I hope it’s going to give you a new appreciation and enjoyment of this great game. I know learning more about it has really opened up a new insight into golf. I hope it does for you to.

I’m going to share a few books I have really enjoyed on golf course architecture. They all go to Amazon. You can’t help but enjoy them

A classic – The Spirit of St. Andrews

The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture

Expensive but a great investment – Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses

Loved this one! – Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes, Revised and Expanded

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1. Why did you decide to write a book on Ben Hogan? (The Secret of Hogan’s Swing)

My main purpose was to give John Schlee more credit for his time with Ben Hogan and to bring to light some of Hogan’s fundamentals and principles that have been miss-represented over the last twenty years.


2. Why does Ben Hogan still continue to have a mystique after all these years?

I believe it was his guarded personality and how he carried himself. He always felt that people were going to say what they wanted to say no matter what. So he never gave anybody an opportunity to dig deeper. He gave out very little so everybody wanted more.

3. There is so much information/mis-information on the Hogan “Secret” Can you shed any light on exactly what the “Secret” is?

The “secret” is really a combination of actions in the swing along with the grip setting. First, you have to have the proper grip for all the actions to work perfectly. Mr. Hogan called it a ‘proper’ grip, everybody else called it an extremely weak grip.

Even in her new book Kris Tschetterexplains that she couldn’t get her grip weak enough to satisfy Mr. Hogan. In the ‘proper’ grip the left hand is neutralized to be only the guide and the right hand is the power hand.

Then the arms can work correctly in the backswing and downswing allowing for the left elbow to turn toward the left hip. Simple.

4. What can an amateur golfer learn by studying Ben Hogan’s swing?

One can see and imitate Hogan’s “chain action”. From the top of the swing the unwinding starts with the lower body all the way through to the finish. Don’t copy his lateral motion. He really didn’t like that part of his swing. He felt it was unnecessary to move from side to side like that but he was to old to change. Takes too much practice, to time the strike in the impact area.

5. What couple of “sure-fire” golf tips would you give your neighbor amateur golfer?

I would suggest first – to keep the core of your body still and rotating. Try not to sway. Too many amateurs feel they can get a running start when they sway back away from the ball.

Next I would have them keep their backswing more compact. I believe there is no reason to get your hands above shoulder level on the backswing. Once you get your hands shoulder high it’s easier to initiate the downswing with the lower body.

6. What do you know now that you didn’t know before studying Ben Hogan?

The golf swing is simple. We just make it complicated. There are a lot of variations based on body types – no two swings will look the same, but the fundamentals will apply to all golf swings.

7. What mistakes do you see amateur golfers making over and over?

The main problem most golfers have is the inability to start the downswing with their lower body. A lot of people think they do, but most want to slash the club with their hands like a sword.

8. How important is practice to improving one’s golf game?

The human body needs to feel comfortable when trying to perform a task. The more we try the more comfortable we feel and the better we get. Just make sure you are following the proper procedures.



9. Where can we get your terrific book, “The Secret of Hogan’s Swing” and any other resources you would like to share?

My website is TheSecretofHogansSwing.com.  I have a variety of books and DVD’s to help any level golfer with their swing. I invite all your readers to take a look.

Also, get the book here on Amazon: The Secret of Hogan’s Swing

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First, let me congratulate Keegan Bradley on a very impressive win. I want to make sure that anyone reading the rest of this blog doesn’t think I’m demeaning Keegan in any way, shape or form. Playing the Atlanta Athletic Club course as he did, and considering who he beat and how he beat them speaks volumes about what a terrific golf talent he is.

This last week’s PGA has proven to me that I don’t understand much about the modern game of golf. First, I don’t understand the pro game and world rankings. The top 3 ranked golfers have never won a Major. This isn’t an indictment of the golfers. It’s more about the state of the game.

It’s impossible to predict anymore who will win the next major. They come from everywhere. I believe I read where the last 13 majors have been won by first-timers. If Tiger doesn’t return to form does this mean the trend will continue for 5 or 10 years? The guys who are supposed to be the favorites in these events weren’t ever in the running this time around.

Maybe this year’s PGA was different. Could it be that the course was so long and tricked up that it threw all predictability out the window. If you want your course to host the next US Open or PGA Championship does it mean that you have to change it to the point where it’s unplayable by your membership.

Who can regularly play a par 3 that’s 265 yards and protected by water? What is that? Are there some evil forces at work trying to take over the game. Do such holes really test the pros or are they so extreme that they bring an inordinate amount of luck into the contest. I don’t get it!

We are now living in the connected age. I understand that more and more people are even moving away from TV to get content on their handhelds and iPads. I tried to watch and/or listen to the PGA Championship via their ‘Live’ coverage. It didn’t work! Should it have? Based on trying the same thing with the British Open I would say yes, definitely!

The British seem to have figured out how to stream video to their website as well as making live audio available. I was without TV during the British Open, but I felt I really could enjoy the game on my computer and iPad. Not so with an American event, hosted by the nation that thinks it invented the internet.

As a footnote, the commercials showed up quite nicely – thank you very much. I don’t understand why the PGA is so far behind in technology. You’d better figure out how to broadcast events other than on TV or you are going to lose viewers.

I don’t get the long putters. I can see that they work great for at least some players, just look at Adam Scott and Bradley Keegan. Are they magic or just a trend. Will we see Adam and Bradley back to ‘regular’ putters by next year’s Masters.

Should these putters ever have been allowed in the first place? I my mind the answer is no, but then again I’m not a club manufacturer looking for continuous equipment upgrades. How does an average Joe or Jane take such a thing on a plane? Do you have to get a new golf travel bag?

Lastly, I don’t really get why golf is so, so ….fickle? Every time I play I’m amazed that I can hit a great shot followed by a terrible shot. How can you hit beautiful drives for 3 holes and then not find the fairway for the next 5? Putting is even more mysterious.

How do you go from lagging puts to within a foot to leaving them 6 feet long or short over the course of a couple of holes? How does Darren Clarke, an exceptional golfer, go from winning the British Open to missing the cut badly at the PGA.

How does Louis Oosthuizen play such incredible golf at last year’s British Open and then all but disappear? How can Padraig Harrington win 3 majors and then not really compete in any tournaments since? I really don’t get it! If you’ve figured it out please let me know!

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Are we in fact on a precipice or? Is this one of those points we’ll look back upon and think, ‘yeah, that’s when things started to change’. In case you haven’t been keeping up to date; the days of Arnold, Jack, Raymond, Tiger, Phil and rest like them are gone.

Waiting years to join a country club – gone. Having to know how to hit a fade or draw – yeah that’s gone too. Or maybe not! Maybe the times are about to change. Maybe the pendulum has reached the end of an arc and is now, momentarily suspended, getting ready to head back the other way.

Perhaps Golf isn’t about leaving the wife, smoking cigars, drinking too much and riding around in a cart mindless even of what type of grass is on the greens. Could this sport, game, past-time or even ‘good walk spoiled’ really be about something else? Something that Francis Ouimet, Bobby Jones, Old Tom Morris and Alister McKenzie knew about?

If there’s someplace that deserves to be the turning point, what better place than the Open. In many ways an Open embodies much of what Golf represents – a level playing field to test physical and mental alignment. I didn’t say strength. That would be over simplifying something that’s much more complex and nuanced than any single characteristic could evoke.

For big change to happen, the King has to go. Without Tiger, Golf has lost it’s bigger than life rudder, a rudder that dwarfed much of the boat and rigging. Tiger’s 2-3 years competitive absence from the game has left the sport ready for something new. The game now is a great broiling mixture of old and new swing theories, equipment, course design, rules, celebrities and financial strength. Unlike other popular professional sports, Golf requires, for the most part, an audience that actually plays the game. It’s unique in that way.

Too many governing bodies have been asleep for a couple of decades or maybe just paralyzed about what decisions to make. The public media has lost the storyline of golf that made it appealing to the common man and woman for hundreds of years. Tour players, like pro sports figures in most every media promoted sport, make too much – not compared to their peers but to the average, middle class golfer.

So why might this Open signal a turning point? It’s got a links course that’s as much about strategy and decision making as executing shots. (If that kind of thinking gets you excited then you’ve got to watch THIS VIDEO – the Open Championship Part One under Features – on the Open website. Padraig Harrington explains to anyone who’s listening what Golf is about over the course of playing the 18th hole at Royal St. George’s.)

There’s an amateur tied for the lead after Day 1. There are 15 very good golfers in the hunt, none of whom is dominant and a few that could control the World Rankings for a few years. It’s got a course that isn’t flat, with fairway mounds that funnel well struck balls into bad places. It’s got a public that still gets what the sport is about. And it might just have some weather, weather that should be a part of any true test of the game.

Watch closely. You might just be able to recall this date in 15 years and remember fondly that ‘you were there when it began to unfold.

Troy, if you’re listening, why don’t you write in your thoughts. Anything catch your attention in this Open?

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Unfortunately we live in a world gone mad with consumerism. And it’s unbridled consumerism that’s killing golf. To those making the big bucks in golf, everything looks rosy. That’s probably what Nero thought before he saw the flames devouring Rome.

Equipment companies are having a feast, though they probably feel more like junkies – ‘wish we could stop this technology madness but I don’t think we can live without it’. Golf ball manufacturers are in the midst of the ‘Great Golf Ball Wars of the 21st Century’. Pretty soon even us slugs will be able to manage a 410 yard drive. Our old par 71 course will be reduced to a par 50 or maybe just 7 holes averaging about 600 yards.

And only a few have been brave enough to standup and say anything. Some who should be listened to, like Jack, are politely ignored. TV commentators, some so painfully honest that they’ve never seen a really great golf shot, can’t be bothered. Or, maybe they fear for their jobs.

I like technology. I like my perimeter weighted clubs and I like golf balls that are really round. I enjoyed my first big bomber driver when I gained an extra 15 yards to offset my age. But we don’t know how or when to stop anymore.

Where are the governing bodies? Has someone gotten to them – told them to bury their heads if they know what’s good for them. There have to be some limits somewhere. Limits are good for you. I’m most disappointed by the R&A. I’ve always assumed that they have a much better appreciation of ‘tradition’ than the USGA.

America has been clearly about money since the end of WWII. But doesn’t ‘old Europe’ have a bit more common sense? At any rate, let’s have a dialogue – you know, a friendly discussion of the situation. Let everyone express themselves, hear all sides – amateurs, tour pros, club pros, retailers, equipment makers, and organizations.

Amateurs, let’s not forget that we are the driving engine. It’s our money that pays for everything else including the tour pros. Without us the whole thing sinks like a 55 Caddy in a peat bog. Go to the forum sites and make yourself heard and to the blogs.

It’s not just about saving ourselves some money, or saving courses, it’s about saving the game we love. If the governing bodies won’t do it, then we’ve got to do it ourselves fighting hand to hand combat.

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Europeans and Internationals dominate the game, 340 yard drives are routine and politicians are being praised for taking time from work to play a little golf. Could it be that the North and South poles have reversed themselves while we weren’t looking?

Congrats to Rory McIlroy for playing spectacular golf and winning his first major, the U.S. Open at Congressional. He’s come so close in the past that I don’t think anyone was rooting against him in this one. I’ll join the crowd in predicting he’ll win a lot more. He’s such a nice guy that it’s easy to pull for him.

Welcome to the age of ‘Power Golf’! Finesse will be locked away until golf’s ruling bodies do something to reduce distance and/or increase driver spin. Guys like Zach Johnson and Justin Leonard don’t stand a chance on 80% of the tour courses. If you can’t regularly drive it over 300 yards you’d better take up a new sport if you want to win. For any youngsters pursuing a pro golfing dream, focus on your driver, wedge and putter. Who needs anything else! Poor YE Yang, Rory had him by two clubs on every shot it seemed. It’s tough to hit 8 when your opponent draws wedge.

You might be guessing I’m in a sour mood and you’d be right. Golf has always been a game, at least until now, where the playing field was level. Not anymore. Bomb it or forget it. Even 300 yard drives may leave you too far back as a number of players routinely hit it 340. With less side spin from drivers, even if you hit it crooked you won’t be too far off line – nothing a wedge can’t fix. I remember when playing golf required 14 clubs, but that seems like ancient history.

Enough sour grapes. The ‘Age of the Internationals’ is now upon us in full swing. First it was beating us consistently and soundly in the Ryder Cup, now they’re taking over the Majors. Where were the upcoming U.S. stars during the Open? Looking at the leaderboard you might think that many opted out of the field. That may not change soon.

Phil is showing his age and Tiger is physically beat. Behind them are a few old horses and a slew of young guns that appear to be shooting blanks most of the time. Well, these things happen and I expect someday the Americans will have a resurgence. Could it be that the European tour is a better developing ground than the US Tour? Don’t expect to see British bookmakers rate American golfers as anything but long shots for the upcoming British Open.

Hope you didn’t miss one of the most interesting golf events of the weekend; President Obama and Speaker Boehner playing golf to help improve their relationship and maybe even solve some of our problems as a nation. The real event is that the press actually played up the benefits of golf rather than knocking our leaders for wasting time.

If you ask me, golf should be mandatory for all politicians. They should have to get out to the links with their rivals on the other side of the aisle at least once a week. It would be a good first step to reminding us that we’re humans and fellow citizens first and foremost. Plus you learn more about someone during a round of golf versus a year of grandstanding in Congress.

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I just recieved a copy of Tripp Bowden’s book ‘Freddie & Me’ for review. The timing is particularly appropriate as the story mostly takes place at Augusta National where Tripp became the first full-time white caddy. Freddie is Freddie Bennett who was the Caddy Master at Augusta National for more than 40 years and mentored Tripp in golf and life.

This book is a little bit about how to play golf, growing up, Augusta National, the rich and famous, professional caddies, the mystical characters that constantly pop-up in golf stories and translating golf’s lessons into life lessons.  Unfortunately the operative phrase in the last sentence is ‘little bit’. None of the above story lines gets fully formed which leaves you feeling a bit empty at the end of the book.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable read if you love all things golf, particularly what goes on from a caddy’s standpoint at one of the most storied clubs in the world. The book starts slowly, but picks up steam and interest in the last chapters as Bowden explains the peculiarities of carrying bags for some of the most powerful people in the world and how their approach to the game mirrors their approach to life.

In the book, the author is very honest about his own challenges growing up and how golf nearly trapped him, but ultimately saved him. I was all ears when Tripp writes about his experiences carrying bags for Augusta’s high profile members and their guests. For Tripp Bowden, caddying at Augusta probably helped him along in life more than if he had gone to graduate school at Harvard.

The title character, Freddie Bennett, sounds like someone every serious golfer would love to meet.  He’s one of those ‘characters’ that golf seems uniquely able to produce – part friend, task master, psychiatrist, seer and Buddha. Here’s a man who lives simply and elegantly, passing wisdom to those smart enough to listen and sometimes leaving an indelible stamp on the lives of others.

What Tripp Bowden may have written isn’t a novel, but an idea piece for an excellent golf movie. All the little stories that this book tries to tell could be woven into a great script in the hands of a skilled writer.  Tripp, you need to find a Hollywood director/producer who loves golf. Might that be a certain Mr. Eastwood?

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Hello to all. I’m finally back from touring the North Carolina countryside just in time for the Masters. Before we get consumed by this week’s events, I’d like to post a link to a wonderful video of David Feherty.

It’s not about the Pro Tour or how to cure a slice or eliminating the yips. It’s a lot better than that. It’s about the power of golf to heal. There’s a power of good in golf that goes way beyond the feeling of a longest drive or holing out from the fairway.

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I did and thank my good friends for bringing this to my attention. Click HERE for the video or just click on the photo.

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