The 2007 Volvo Masters

October 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Paul McGinley wins the 2005 Volvo Masters Colin Montgomerie has criticised Ernie Els and Lee Westwood for missing the European Tour season-ending, Volvo Masters at Valderrama. Els and Westwood have instead opted to play in this week’s Singapore Open. This seems a bit odd given that Westwood has already gone on record in accusing the European Tour of “mismanagement” in the scheduling, by moving Valderrama back one week to accommodate the New Portugal Masters.

Although Els cited contractual obligations (he signed a three year contract back in 2006) for not being at Valderrama, he seemed less fussed, jokingly saying that he “gets the wheelbarrow out” this time of year and goes round the world, filling it with cash.

The failure of the European Tour to co-ordinate with the Asian Tour, means that Els could win the Order of Merit, without actually being at the grand final. Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose will be trying to make sure that this doesn’t happen, and in so doing may just save the blushes of Tour officials.

Niclas Fasth has an outside chance but is still recovering from his third round, 79 at the Majorca Open. With this went his chances of defending the title, but he was refreshingly honest, when he said “sh1t” happens! The guy’s definitely gone up in my estimation.

Majorca Tour Card scramble

October 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Sergio Garcia is the star attraction at this week’s Majorca Classic - but the battle to stay alive on the European Tour could steal the show at Pula Golf Club.

Garcia, runner-up in the Open at Carnoustie in July, is seeking his second win in four appearances in the event and will start as a hot favourite to top the leaderboard.

But with the tournament also marking the last chance for players to secure their cards for next season, the tension and interest will be arguably even higher back in the field.

As things stand, the top 118 on the Order of Merit on Sunday evening will retain their playing privileges for 2008 - with their fate possibly decided by just a few hundred pounds.

There will inevitably be tales of woe, near-misses and, in some cases, delight - as the tournament unfolds on a course renovated by double US Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal.

Last season, England’s David Carter approached the tournament in 120th place on the money list but produced a gutsy display to finish in a tie for 27th, which elevated him to safety - 117th of the 118 players who earned their cards by right.

Among those seeking a similar last-minute reprieve this year is Scotland’s Andrew Coltart, a former Ryder Cup player who has struggled in recent years to reproduce the form which saw him receive a wild card from captain Mark James in 1999.

Coltart, who featured in the singles only at Brookline and lost to Tiger Woods, is a lowly 169th on the money list but is 41st on the all-time European Tour career money list.

The top 40 in that category also receive a tour card, and Coltart is just over £22,000 behind Seve Ballesteros - leaving the 37-year-old needing to finish 13th or better

Reduce your Golf Handicap with EFT

October 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment

EFT for Golf Discover how a revolutionary tool called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), originally used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in war veterans, can reduce your golf handicap – without additional practice.

In the mid 1990’s Stanford - trained engineer Gary Craig turned the psychology world on its head with the introduction of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is a meridian-based therapy, often referred to as “do-it-yourself acupuncture without the needles” Instead you simply “tap” on a few “clearing points” on the face and body while focusing on the negative emotion, in order to “clear” it.

Sounds a bit unusual, eh?

It is unusual.

But so are the results.

Gary and his team achieved “astonishing results” while working with war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These men had recurring nightmares, phobias, paranoia, shame and guilt among other socially crippling conditions and feelings. EFT was able to give them peace and hope in a matter of hours, where more traditional therapies had failed for years.

So what does this have to do with reducing your golf handicap?

Well, if EFT can help a war veteran with PTSD, then your first tee jitters, yips, or anxiety about hitting over water don’t really stand a chance!

Try it for yourself.

The next time you are faced with a shot that is causing you any sort of negative emotion, do the following:

Step away from the ball.

Identify the negative feeling and focus on it while performing the “tapping” as described below.

Using the tips of your index and middle fingers, tap on the bony area about one inch directly below one eye – approximately 10 times.

Next tap 10 times on the bony area just outside the same side eye

Then tap the insides of your wrists together approximately 10 times

Finally, take a deep breath, step up to the ball and swing away.

Yes, it really can be that simple to eliminate the mental and emotional barriers between you and consistent peak performance.

The above demonstration is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the enormous potential inherent in these techniques to reduce your golf handicap and increase your enjoyment out on the links.

Stephen Ladd is a Renegade Golf Mental Game Coach, pioneering breakthrough energy psychology techniques, and the creator of Renegade Mindset Techniques for Golf . Visit RMT for Golf, for free reports, newsletters and products to catapult your game to a new level today!

Barbie Golf Set

October 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Barbie holes out on the 18th Mattel is launching a Barbie golf club set, aimed at girls aged 4-6. Their research indicates that, “a big part of a little girl’s life is about being active”, which seems to contradict popular thinking that kids are getting obese in front of Playstations and XBoxes.

However, the move has been welcomed by golfing organizations which they hope will see the wider marketing introduce the sport to more youngsters, and look beyond it’s best customers, who are mostly male.

The Barbie Golf Clubs will be a 3-club set (Mattel has provided no information on flex and loft) and will include a carrying bag, ball and visor. You will not be surprised to hear that they will be supplied in pink, providing that Mattel doesn’t announce a product recall soon after launch.

The golf set will allow those kids who were inspired by High School Musical II, to ‘live’ the dream.

The concept has not been met with universal approval with Ashley Mayo, assistant Editor of Golf For Woman, sounding off, “I don’t think girls should be introduced to golf with Barbie clubs. Barbie’s figure imprints in girls’ minds an unattainable impression of what young women should look like. Let’s not bring this old stereotype to the golf course.”

Do Golf Lessons work?

October 24, 2007 | 1 Comment

Tiger offers some advice ………yes they do, but with a caveat - not straight away, so be prepared for your form to take a dip…and your pride a slide. My wife recently bought me 3 lessons for my birthday of which I have now availed myself of two.

I felt I needed help with my long-iron, game so this is what we concentrated on. My instructor said that I was using my irons simply as an extension of my arms and not ‘cocking’ my wrists to produce the power and accuracy. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going wrong but when he said this (and backed it up with video evidence) it made perfect sense.

My problem is that my swing is now somewhere between my ‘old’ swing and where I know it should be, but will take time to get there. What this translates to on the course is a huge amount of frustration, embarrassment and ultimately - lower scores.

For me, Golf lessons mean one-step back and then, over time, two-steps forward. Boy though, is that one-step back, hard to take, particularly when generally speaking, you’ve been making such good progress. You just have to keep telling yourself that it’s for the greater good of your game, and resist the urge to revert back to type.

I don’t plan to take the third lesson for some time as I practice what I’ve been shown. Hopefully I can begin to enjoy the fruits of my labour, for a little while at least, before my game is ripped apart again by the Pro.

Meanwhile it looks as though the Golf Punk has taken golfing lessons to new levels with NLP and Zen. BTW does anyone know how much Tiger charges for a lesson?

update: If you’re fed up with the cost and hassle of traditional Golf lessons then you may be interested to hear about Nick Bayley’s new Online Consistent Golf School

1 Hour Golf Practice Plan for Improvement

October 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Nikki Garrett If you can spend an hour of your time practicing your golf game here is what I suggest you do to get the most benefit out of this time.

When you arrive at the practice area the very first thing you should do is a few stretches to warm up and you should do this for anything up to 5 minutes or until you’re warm. Once you’re loosened up the next thing you should do is to start off hitting a couple of wedge shots and then slowly go through each club in your bag, hitting a few shots with each one until you reach your driver. This process should take about 20 minutes. When hitting these shots you should treat each one as though it’s a real shot on the golf course. In other words, choose a precise target for each shot and then go through your normal pre-shot routine.

Once you’ve finished the 20 minutes of hitting full shots you should now practice pitching for 15 minutes and you should do this by hitting shots to all different distances.

What I mean be hitting shots different distances is that you should aim to hit one shot 30 yards, the next one 60 yards, one 75 yards, the next 40 yards etc, etc. And remember to treat each shot, as you would on the course i.e. pick a target and do your pre-shot routine.

Now practice your chipping and bunker play for the next 10 minutes and once again pick a target and go through your pre-shot routine for each shot. It’s important that you treat each shot as a real one and not some practice shot that doesn’t matter.

When practicing get yourself into the mindset that you have on the course. That way when you get to the course you’ll be better prepared.

You’ve now got 10 minutes left to work on your putting. And I suggest you practice putts outside of 10 feet, concentrating on your distance control and then end the practice session with some short putts (e.g. 2-3 footers). Do this so you leave your practice session on a successful note. Here’s a summary of your 1 hour practice session …

1 Hour Weekly Practice Session

5 minutes of stretching to get warm.
20 minutes of hitting a couple of shots with each club, starting with the wedge and then progressing through your clubs until reaching the driver.
15 minutes hitting pitch shots different distances i.e. 20 yards, 45 yards, 60 yards, 30 yards etc. Never attempt to hit a shot the same distance during this 15 minutes period.
10 minutes of chipping and bunker shots.

Final 10 minutes of putting, mainly working on distance control on putts outside of 10 feet and then finishing off this time with some successful short putts.

Remember To Approach Each Practice Shot As Though It’s Real Shot On The Golf Course

Article used with permission from Nick Bayley (Professional golfer) who has discovered just one golf swing fault that could be stopping YOU from ball striking consistency and success. But luckily for you, now you can take a simple 2 minute golf swing test to see if you have this swing fault or not. So don’t delay! Go here to take The Golf Swing Test™

Webster wins inaugural Portugal Masters

October 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Englishman Steve Webster hit a stunning final round of 8-under-par, 64 to clinch the inaugural Portugal Masters, only his second Tour title since picking up the Italian Open in 2005. His 25-under-par, total was the lowest of the season’s Tour.

This was Webster’s first win since the death of his mother from cancer, just 5 months ago. A tearful Webster paid tribute to his mother and said that he found strength out on the course, knowing that she was watching out for him. He celebrated by blowing a kiss to the skys.

Robert Karlsson (65) of Sweden was second. Lee Westwood (68) and Vancsik (71) were next in a group of four at 19 under.

I can now also announce the real reason that random drug testing is being introduced into Golf… apparently 90% of Addicts prefer Golf to any other sport. The recent poll was taken by offenders who wish to rebuild their lives through sport….who would have thought? Then again, it probably saved Alice Cooper, although he did rather worringly once call Golf, “The Crack of Sports”…..hmm, maybe Golf wasn’t the best idea after all? Look out for recovering addicts at a fairway near you!

Cabrera triumphs in Bermuda

October 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Angel Cabrera is back in the news again having just won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which this year was held in, golf mad, Bermuda. The event brings together the winners of Golf’s four Majors, who play off against one another over two rounds.

This year’s Major winners were Angel Cabrera (US Open), Padraig Harrington (British Open), Zach Johnson (The Masters) and Tiger Woods (PGA Championship). Tiger produced a doctor’s note to say, that he was too exhausted and could he be excused - his place was taken by Jim Furyk.

Cabrera clinced the title and the $1.35m prize money after winning a play-off with Padraig Harrington.

Meanwhile in Vilamoura at the Portugal Masters, German rookie, Martin Kaymer who is in his first year of the European Tour, has stormed into the lead with a blistering first round that saw him card an 11-under-par 61, and in the process take two strokes off the course record. Kaymer who last year shot a 59 in the second round of the Hasbserg Classic, leads by three, with Nick Dougherty five behind and Rory McIlroy 10 behind. McIlroy put his lack lustre performance down to tiredness, admitting that he was “Frazzled” after his recent professional debuts.

It will be interesting to see if Kaymer can keep up this pace, but I have to admit that this weekend my attention will be elsewhere; tomorrows Rugby World Cup final in Paris and the last race of the Formula 1 season in Brazil, to decide this year’s champion.

South Africa Double Delight

October 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Ernie Els won the HSBC World Match Play Championship, for the seventh time, and landed the richest prize in Golf of £1million. Over the four days Angel Cabrera had looked a more likely winner, but Ernie’s continuing good form saw him through a final day of 36 holes, which petered out in a bit of an anti climax, winning 6 & 4.

The competition took place on the West Course at Wentworth, a course which Els helped re-design and where a stray drive, might have left him in his own back yard, by the sixteenth fairway on the Wentworth Estate - clearly no stranger then to the course or the prize money, having now picked up in excess of £4million.

Els was probably thankful of an early finish, because no sooner had the award ceremony closed, he then hopped onto a private jet, to make the short journey across to Paris for the Rugby World Cup, Semi-Final - and another South Africa/Argentina clash…..as in the golf, South Africa triumphed and go on to meet England in Saturday’s final.

Also at the weekend the Northern Irish teenager, Rory McIlroy put in another creditable performance by finishing joint fourth in the Madrid Open. McIlroy admits he’s, “done very well…over the last few weeks” (he’s pocketed £187,000, in less than a month as a Professional), and now moves on to the Portugal Masters for his fifth, Pro event.

And lastly……Ever wondered why you slice or hook the ball? If you have, go over to the Hireko Golf Blog for an in depth analysis.

Nice Guys sometimes Win

October 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Nick Dougherty won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and picked up prize money of £400,000 After a nervous, bogey-bogey, start on the final day at the Old Course, St. Andrews, Dougherty finished with a final round of 71 and an 18 under par aggregate score. This was enough to leave him two shots clear of Justin Rose and three clear of Rory McIlroy. The Dunhill trophy is only Dougherty’s second win, having won the Singapore Masters, two years ago.

Justin Rose’s second place closed the gap on Padraig Harrington for the European Tour’s Order of Merit (£21,000 behind) while the emerging talent, McIlroy secured his tour card for next year, in only his second tournament as a professional, meaning he is the youngest player to have done this since Sergio Garcia. How I’m going to enjoy following his progress through the professional ranks.

Ernie Els continued to discover something like his old form and was in contention for much of the final round, however his push for glory came to an abrupt end on the 17th hole. Incredibly, he caught the wrong side of a slope and putted into the bunker, which left him with a sequence of shots which read: putt, bunker-shot, 3 more putts!

Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie go on to the HSBC, World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, which begins tomorrow.