GolfDash Blog | Golf Instruction, Online Golf News, Best Golf Deals

Dumbest Golf Game of 2010 (So Far)

doug — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:54:44 +0000

So last weekend I headed out to the National Golf Expo show in Boston. I will be sharing some of my observations in some upcoming posts but I first wanted to share with you my “Dumbest Golf Game Product of 2010″ (who knows, maybe there will be more but, in my opinion, this is a front runner!)

The product is called the Arnold Palmer Indoor Golf Game and obviously it looks like it is somehow endorsed by “The King.” Are you kidding me? This was, head and shoulders, the biggest piece of crap I saw at the show. How could Arnold endorse this thing? Maybe he was under the influence of NyQuil or something when giving the OK. Maybe it’s got nothing to do with him, who knows?

So, first, I picked it up and it is shabbily made. It is a long metal tube with a trigger on the end where you hold it which controls a little plastic golfer on the end (I guess it’s supposed to be Arnold) and allows you to control the swing (see pics) and hit these little golf balls.

Second, the golf balls are these little plastic things that are so tiny they remind me of spit balls I used to shoot in 7th grade music class. I can see all sort of problem with kids, animals, whatever choking on these ridiculous golf balls (as well as all the other tiny and loose components)

Third. Where’s the challenge? As far as the game goes, I just don’t get it. I watched people try to play this and I would honestly rather be arranging my sock drawer at home than waste my time playing this. I really see virtually no correlation to what makes the game of golf fun and challenging.

It appears you try to hit ball int the mini-greens the game comes with and there are water hazards and sand traps included. But these tiny plastic golf balls were bouncing all over the place and it just looked like there was no skill involved whatsoever to play this game.

Hey I’m happy to be completely wrong about this game and maybe it’s taking living rooms by storm as I’m writing this but I can think of (what’s the highest number in the universe?) things I’d rather be doing than engaging with the AP Indoor Golf Game.

The Game Content includes: Authentic size club with miniature Arnold Palmer golfer attached. Miniature sized felt green with cup and flag. Tee and instruction booklet. Two movable sand traps and one fillable water hazard. Golf balls. Scorecards. Snap in interchangeable driver, 4 wood, 5 iron, 7 iron, wedge and putter.

The game sells for $59.95 and can be found at the Arnold Palmer Indoor Golf Game website.

Hip Slide To Stay Behind The Ball

John — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:09:07 +0000

You’ve probably read a lot of golf instruction that tells you that you to stay behind the ball at impact, or at least keep you head behind it. Have you tried to do this, but found it nearly impossible? Here’s a magic move, if you’re not already doing it, that will dramatically improve your contact, consistency and distance and who couldn’t use some of that.

Try this without a club; stand in your address posture and clasp your hands behind your back (we don’t want any distractions). Now rotate towards the target (no backswing coil yet) and pay attention to your head and your right hip. The best you can do like this is to keep your head over the ball and not behind it. Many of you will find your head chasing forward. Now focus on your right hip, it moves outward towards the ball from the get-go. Imagine how easy it would be to come over the top with this type of motion and/or to ‘chase after the ball’.

Now let’s try something a little different. Assume the same position. This time ‘bump’ or laterally slide your hips forward first (parallel with the target line) and then rotate. Make sure you keep your head where it started when you ‘do the bump’. If you do this correctly your spine tilts slightly backwards. This makes sense if your hips go forward (bottom of the spine) and the head stays where it started (top of the spine) The Ben Hogan swing sequence above shows the lateral hip slide very clearly.

Here’s where it gets interesting. What happens to your right hip and head as you rotate after you’ve done the lateral slide? Your left hip has to move away from the ball as you start to rotate or you’ll fall forward. The right hip moves forward and then rotates, which means it doesn’t move towards the ball very much, if at all, and you’ll feel how it’s no problem to keep your head behind the ball at impact. This move allows you to open up a big space to attack the ball from the inside on your downswing. It also starts the critical weight shift to your front foot.

When you do the lateral slide and create a natural backward lean of the spine, you’ll begin to feel how this move automatically moves the club down and into the slot. Once it’s there rotate and you’ll create a downswing that comes from the inside – right where you want it. You’ll also be able to drive forward off the back leg as you move toward contact. In fact, it starts to happen automatically as soon as you start the lateral shift.

Play around with this at home. First alternate both moves so you can feel where the differences are. Do it at slow speed. After awhile you can add some backswing coil, still without a club in your hands. Now’s the time to start learning this move so it that will be automatic by the time the season starts. You’re going to love the results!

Golf in Portugal

doug — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:05:53 +0000

I am going to make it a point to start covering more “world” golf here at the GolfDash blog. There are just so many cool courses, venues and styles of golf – particularly on the European Tour.

One upcoming tournament is the The Estoril Open de Portugal which will return to the Penha Longa Hotel Spa & Golf Resort from April 1-4, one of Europe’s most avant-garde golf venues following a 2 million refurbishment program.

The Atlantic course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and is typically ranked in the top 30 courses in continental Europe.

To see the beauty of the course take this Photo Tour.

Duarte Nobre Guedes, President of Turismo Estoril, said: “Penha Longa is on the ‘jewels in the crown’ of the Estoril and Sintra Region, and the natural, magnificent setting is now enhanced by all the impressive refurbishment which the Resort has undertaken in order to raise the bar even higher. We are looking forward eagerly to welcoming back The European Tour professionals to enjoy the facilities.”

If you are looking into possibly attending the Portugal Open they currently have a number of inviting golf packages for folks attending the tournament at the Penha Longa Resort. They are worth checking out.

Finally, if you are a wine lover, like me, you might want to explore some of the most underrated (and excellent) Portuguese wines in the world. Wine is one of the most noted Portuguese exports and the country is the seventh largest exporter of the product worldwide, by value.

Golf in Portugal is not often thought of as a first golfing destination but maybe after reading this article, it should be.

Curing A Shank With The Wedge

John — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:42:23 +0000

I enjoy watching ‘The Golf Fix’ with Michael Breed on the Golf Channel on Monday nights.

I also liked his piece during the Bob Hope Classic earlier in the year when during the Thursday rain delays he dissected swing problems on the practice tee and I wish the Golf Channel would do this more often.

So what about shanked shots and what do they have to do with Michael Breed. During his show last Monday he took an email question from a viewer who was having problems with shanking his wedge.

While Michael gave some good tips on correcting the shanks in general, I think he missed an important point for someone who is only having trouble with a wedge. This isn’t the reason everyone shanks a wedge, but I think it’s common.

Here’s what happens. With a short wedge shot, including bunker shots, it isn’t uncommon to setup with an open stance and corresponding open clubface. In other words, while your clubface is aiming one direction, your feet/hips are aiming another.

If you don’t practice this shot routinely, you can be tempted to swing towards your target – where the clubface is aimed – rather than along your body. This is the kiss of death. You’re almost certain to swing the hosel into the ball with a shank the likely outcome.

As a way to protect against this, take a few practice swings setup as you would for the actual shot, making sure to swing across the body and not toward the target. If you condition yourself to do this, your results will improve and shanks are likely to go the way of the Dodo bird.

‘Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf’

John — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:03:20 +0000

My good friend Brandon Williams was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of Claude & Butch Harmon’s golf instruction book, ‘The Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf’. I was excited to add it to my growing golf library, but, to be honest, I was prepared to chalk it up as just another ‘how to’ book on golf.

I have to report that I was pleasantly surprised, almost shocked on how good this book is. As far as I know it hasn’t ever been that popular since it was published in 1996. Too often ‘how to play golf’ books go into way too much detail. To wit, Nick Faldo’s ‘Golf – The Winning Formula’ that was published in 1989. It’s not that it doesn’t have good information, it’s that it has way too much. Nick describes about every 1/10th of a second of the entire swing and after 30 or so pages you don’t know if you’re coming or going.

By contrast, Harmon gets to the basics of the swing quickly and simply. The book is a little over 200 pages, but I read most of it in a day – it goes fast. I didn’t read all the historical sections, but concentrated on the instructional bits.

Besides a very nice piece on the core components of the full swing, there are sections on chipping, pitching, bunker play and putting. They aren’t long, but they are to the point. You get simple instruction and practice routines that you can actually remember and use.

I also enjoyed the section on ’specialty shots’ and Harmon’s Hints. If you’re more than a rank beginner, you want to learn how to play all the lies and conditions that aren’t flat and in the short grass. Here Harmon covers most of the situations you’ll run into with just 2 or 3 sentences each. If you find yourself in a tough situation and you’re trying to recall if you should play the ball back or forward and make a flatter or more upright swing, this guide will be very welcome. The most accurate detailed instruction is of little use if you can’t remember it on the course.

Lastly, I enjoyed the chapters where he discusses the work he did in the early nineties with Greg Norman, Davis Love III and Tiger Woods. Here Harmon discusses the changes he made and how they relate to the core principles of the first chapters. It’s refreshing for amateurs to see how small fundamental changes for even the best in the world can make all the difference in scoring. Trust me, your game can benefit from some of the same instruction.

I’m always surprised when I have a preconceived notion about something, only to discover that I was completely wrong. Harmon’s ‘Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf’ is just such a book. If you want a solid, simple accurate reference manual on how to play better golf, then this book is as good as any. This is a book that won’t just gather dust!

Tiger’s Scary Future As A Tour Pro

John — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:10:27 +0000

Let me first acknowledge the 400 pound gorilla, Tiger’s apology on Friday. As a golf fan, I don’t feel that Tiger owes me an apology. Of course, we’re all entitled to our own opinion on this one. If he had announced that he had been using performance enhancing drugs for the last 5 years, then yes an apology to all golf fans would have been in order.

Tiger’s issues are in his personal life and with his business partners and that’s where he needs to make amends. As far as the Tour goes, whenever he makes his first appearance, the ratings will skyrocket. With fame, it only matters if they love or hate you, just as long as they don’t ignore you.

Now down to business. As a golf lover, what struck me during his ‘apology’ was an almost missed moment when he said he intended to ‘respect’ the game more when he returns. To me, for starters, that means no swearing and club throwing and probably tone downed end-zone dances when he makes a key putt. That I’m anxious to see.

Tiger has shown a tragic character flaw with his infidelities. His apparently wasn’t just a one off with someone he thought he was in love with, this was an uncontrolled addiction to sex without love. To fix himself it will take a makeover of his ego, not just controlling an impulse. If he does change at his core, his approach to golf will change. I’d even go so far as to say that if the same old Tiger returns to golf, he won’t have really addressed his inner demons.

What’s fascinating is what the new Tiger might be like. If Tiger once again embraces Buddhism as he eluded to, will he become the Zen golfer? Now that could be scary. Personally I’d love to see it. Imagine Tiger hits a wayward drive then the camera shows him walking down the fairway with a beatific smile on his face. Tiger already scares most golfers, but that could be downright unnerving.

Let’s face it, as humans we are most influenced by those we put atop the highest pedestals. If Dale Earnhardt runs Quaker State in his car, then a lot of NASCAR fans are going to do the same. Tiger could have one of the most dramatic effects on a sport that we’ve ever seen if he takes on the task of exposing us all to the true nature of the game, letting wins and fame take a back seat.

You can fall from grace and still do great things. Maybe you have to fall from grace to do the greatest things. Tiger, forget beating Jack and show us all the true nature of golf.

What we can learn from David Duval

doug — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:08:04 +0000

I know, I know – enough David Duval . . . but I really did want to mention something that I think is important in golf and sports in general.

And it was something David mentioned in the last post I did called, David Duval – Back in the Saddle Again – and it was part of the press conference he did after he came in second at the 2010 Pebble Beach AT&T Pro Am – and I will highlight what David said in the quote below:

“I just believe — my guess is that with where I’ve been and what I’ve gone through, I think that the fact that – at least I feel like I’ve kept my head high through it all and acted like a professional and haven’t quit”

I was thinking of all the professional golfers who have gone into terrible tailspins, some notable – like Seve and Ian Baker Finch and a slew of others – whose game got the best of them.

Hey, and I can sympathize – anyone whose has played golf for a while knows the tenuous and fleeting nature of the game – but sometimes it takes good old-fashioned work and time. Like Hogan said, “Dig it out of the dirt”

And that’s what Duval seems to have done and he did it like a consummate professional. Just like he mentions above. Not once did I ever really hear him complain, argue or cry about anything. Just that he is working on it and seeing progress.

With all the Tiger crap going on nowadays it’s nice to see someone – even in the midst of extreme golfing turmoil – act and conduct himself like a professional and not quitting.

And I used to watch those interviews (still do) of all those questions he answered – about his swing, and what happened, and how his progress is coming, and his health, and does he care, and will he ever be competitive again and on and on and on. Not many people could take that year after year.

Quitting, after all, is the easy way out. It takes guts, perseverance and inner determination to forge forward. And that’s what world class athletes and successful individuals do – they forge forward – despite any lack of evidence they may be experiencing.

I mean there was a time when he was hitting 180 yard duck-hook drives and later not having any clue where the ball was going. That can really cause one to create “stories” in your head about what’s happening. But Duval did not succumb to those voices. He rose up. And he reminded me of what professionalism and not quitting are really about.

David Duval – Back in the Saddle Again

doug — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:49:50 +0000

It sure was nice to see David Duval come in tied for second at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. He had four rounds of 67-68-67-69. Those are solid scores in anyone’s book.

Believe it or not, this early in the season he is now 16th on the money list with over $557,000 earned in 2010.

John and I have been big fans of Duval here at the GolfDashBlog and it is just nice to see someone who has been to the dark side of golfing depths for some time but now seems to be emerging into the light again.

I just read his post-round interview at Pebble Beach and Duval shared some interesting insights on his state of mind and his current golf game:

Q. I was following you on the golf course for a time today at the closing holes, 16, 17, and 18. The first thing I really noticed was the fan support. Everybody really strongly backing you. What’s that feel like to have when you’re coming down that stretch?

DAVID DUVAL: Well, it’s important. It’s a nice thing. I’m very appreciative of it and very cognizant of it. I just believe — my guess is that with where I’ve been and what I’ve gone through, I think that the fact that – at least I feel like I’ve kept my head high through it all and acted like a professional and haven’t quit – I think that people — I think that if anything, that tends to endear you with fans.

Q. How does your schedule shape up for the rest of the year? How many more events are you gonna play?

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I don’t know exactly. I’m playing in Mexico next week. Playing at the Honda and Transitions, be at the Masters.

You know, after that, I haven’t really looked a whole lot after that. I’ve gotten a fairly good reception, I think, from the tournaments when I’ve asked for spots. As a guy who’s played a long time and is in a position that I was unfamiliar with as far as asking for spots, I take a little pride in maybe showing that, Hey, I was worth giving the spot to by having a good week and performing.

Q. That you’ve been this close after all you’ve been through. I guess there would be a feeling, Hey, it’s been a while. Are you gonna be nervous? You seem to say that all that stuff emboldened you when you’re in this position?

DAVID DUVAL: I think so. You know, in the end, I kind of see it as this is what I do, and I’m pretty good at what I do. I’ve had some struggles for a while, long while, and I feel like I’m kind of getting back on top of everything how I want to. This is what I expect of myself. I expect to play well.

With that said, that doesn’t mean, you know, you’re gonna have a chance to win every week. But to expect to be in control most of the time with what you’re trying to do.

So, um, for some reason I was blessed and I was given a gift. I had some struggles with it, but I feel like I’m pretty good at it still. It’s what I certainly want to do.

I’m just gonna go, you know, try to hit a lot of fairways in Mexico next week and hit a lot of greens. It’s really a simple recipe. Successful golf is a very simple recipe. I will try to do that again next week.

‘We Are Golf’ Campaign – What Does It Mean?

John — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:27:22 +0000

In today’s world, everything that smacks of ’greed’ is under scrutiny by the rank and file who are looking for someone to blame for their economic plight.

To many, private country clubs are viewed as exclusive hideaways, tour players are grossly overpaid and golf in general is too expensive for anyone who has to ‘work’ for a living.

It’s not surprising then that some of the traditional sponors of tour events are having second thoughts about their association with the game.

Golf is a complex game and it’s impact on society in general is complex as well. It has it’s dark side with elitist clubs, player scandals, astronomical greens fees and tour players that don’t embody the spirit of the game, just to name a few.

It also has it’s bright side with beautiful public courses available to all, a built-in integrity enshrined in the rules, the ability for players of all levels to play and compete together, and a wonderful tradition of raising money for charity.

The challenge for golf’s ruling bodies is to continually monitor the game against a set of core values on which they should be well versed. There will always be missteps and good ideas turned bad, but with its stewards keeping a watchful eye, the game will outlive us and many more generations. So what’s to be done?

Our recent economic crisis can be a blessing in disguise for the game or a terrible body blow that will see courses put to the plow. The pro tours have gotten out of hand with extravagant purses while many fans can’t put together enough scratch for a round at the local 9-holer.

The sport is still too hard to learn for most amateurs.Golf manufacturers should think twice about outsourcing production oversees. Tour players who serve as role models can reevaluate their on course behavior, play quickly and stop throwing clubs.

Now is the time to build short walkable courses, with tees next to greens, play speedy rounds and charge greens fees that the average amateur can afford. Golf may not be Wall Street, but it has seen it’s share of excess of greed and extravagance. Golf can’t afford to put its collective head in the sand.

Golf must honestly assess itself, it’s image, motives and heritage and get back on track. To be successful an effort like this requires everyone to participate – plain old golfers like ourselves, touring pros, ruling bodies, manufacturers, golf instructors, sponsors, course architects and the deep pockets that provide the financing for it all.

Last weekend I saw my first “We Are Golf” ad, and it’s a good rallying cry for the game. If ‘We’ really are the game, then we should all be a part of the effort, not just the sponsoring organizations: the PGA Tour, the Club Managers Association of America, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the National Golf course Owners Association.

Until all golfers get involved, this will be just another lobbying effort who’s purpose is to keep the fat cats ‘fat’ instead of making this wonderful game accessible to more people.

Today’s Best Full Swing Instruction

John — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:42:39 +0000

I just spent 3 days in the Adirondacks with some old friends. I brought with me the latest copy of Golf International magazine, though there was little time to read it between Euchre, Pig and the occassional beer.

However, I did have enough time to read the best article on swing mechanics that I’ve seen in a long, long time.

I’ve read a lot of golf instruction articles and books and seen my share of video, but the article titled “In ‘Sync” by Denis Pugh takes the cake.

He has hit the nail directly on the head for explaining the key components of a consistent and durable swing for any age player.

Read the entire article HERE. This is a link to an electronic magazine, read the instructions and get yourself to page 24. The effort is well worth it.

Or, go get the latest issue at the newstand, there’s a lot of good information in this publication. It’s also nice to get a different slant on the game, which the British certainly have. Bret, this article is for you as I’m guessing you didn’t read it like I told you to at camp.

Get Denis Pugh’s concepts and your game is going to improve dramatically this year!