World-Class Golf

If you think November is a dead time of year for golf . . . think again! Amazing weather has kept the pins in at our local courses, and golf is on the television around the clock as world-class players compete across the globe.

The biggest golf stories center around the two most recognizable names in the sport: Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie.

Wie silenced her critics and awed her fans this past weekend with a tremendous victory over Paula Creamer at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico. Crediting Dave Stockton on her improved putting, she can head into the season-ending championship this weekend with her head held high.

Tiger rebounded quickly from the previous week’s loss to Phil Mickelson with a win at the Australian JB Were Masters. Record crowds gathered to see Woods play with reports of up to 8,000 spectators for his morning practice round last Monday.

On the European Tour, The Race to Dubai took an exciting turn this past weekend in China. Rory McIlroy finished second, which vaulted him to the top of the European money list for season earnings. This was his second finish in two weeks in the runner-up position. Hopefully, he won’t be a bridesmaid for the Tour Championship, which starts Thursday in Dubai.

On American soil, the journeymen and future contenders are battling it out for their 2010 PGA Tour Cards. The regular season for the PGA Tour ended this past Sunday at The Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Orlando.

For many players this was their last chance at moving up into the top 125 on the money list, which would assure them playing privileges for 2010. Many veterans fell short of their mark and will have to either rely on exemptions or qualify school to play on tour next year.

This weekend’s golf forecast is looking good as well! Here’s a list of what you will find:

• Second Stage PGA Tour qualifying school

• LPGA Tour Championship

• The Dubai World Championship

—Gerald McCullagh

First Swings

Golf is an amazing sport that has something for everybody. From the athletic competitor to the recreational golfer, there is always a reason to return to the course. However, the first swings can be quite humbling for those who have never played.

Don’t wait until next spring to tackle this sport. The “off season” can provide you with the most valuable asset in learning how to play—that is TIME. Moreover, our golf courses will be inaccessible for a few months, so you can develop your core skills without the added pressure of performing in front of others.

Your winter game plan should be simple: work on the shorter shots as they are easier to master and provide the foundation for your full swing. I recommend putting, pitching, and full-swing shots with a shorter iron. You can find great tips for these skills on our Web site.

If you don’t own clubs, go to a used sporting goods store or surf the Web to find a few used clubs. The quality of the tools isn’t that important for off-season work to the new golfer. Once you have found your footing, you will be in a better position to invest in your equipment.

While swing fundamentals are vital, the new golfer also needs to acquire a working knowledge of the rules and etiquette to truly feel comfortable on the golf course. A great resource is the Play Golf America Web site which is organized by the PGA of America. Here you will find videos and written material to help you step onto the tee with confidence.

Last, tune into golf on television and learn from the best players in the world. As a kid, I loved to go out in the yard and imitate swings I had watched on the television.

Don’t let the perceived complexity of the game keep you from starting. Those first swings will quickly turn into experienced swings over the winter.

Good luck!

—Dee Forsberg

A Great Day For the Irish

This past Monday marked a great day for the Irish: our most recognized golfer over the past 60 years was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame under the veteran’s category.

With 43 professional titles in his playing career, his pedigree reads a bit like our own “King,” Arnold Palmer. He is a hero in Ireland and is known by all as “Himself”—which is a common Irish phrase that shows affection to someone of greatness.

In 1966, I first saw Christy O’Connor play at the Gallaher Ulster Open, which was contested at my home club of Shandon Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

My first impression was his long, free flowing swing and incredible ball striking.

The seventh hole at Shandon Park is a par five with a fairway that curves sharply from left to right. O’Connor hit the most perfect draw off the tee and held the ball up on the slope on the left-hand side of the fairway. I was amazed to watch his next play; he pulled out his driver and knocked it stiff from a downhill lie. It was the greatest eagle I ever witnessed.

“Wristy Christy,” as he was known by his peers, had the greatest pair of hands and wrists in the British Isles. Lee Trevino had a wonderful quote, where he said, “O’Connor had a swing that flowed like fine wine.”

I read an article written by Tom Keogh on Christy O’Connor. At the end of the article, he relayed the story of Christy and his wife.

But the good days were not too far away for Christy and Mary Collins the girl from Tuam, County Galway he married and who has walked the fairways with him ever since they tied the knot on October 12, 1954.

“We have no money,” said Mary as they walked down the aisle. “Don’t worry,” Christy whispered, “I’ll win it, and you can mind it.”

—Gerald McCullagh

Golf as Far as the Eyes Can See

Gerald and I traveled last week to Pinehurst, North Carolina, at the invitation of our very good friend Dr. Doug Knudson. This was our second visit to this marvelous golf destination, and it left us with the sense of returning home.

Pinehurst is a special place for golfers because it’s both a town and resort dedicated to the golf lifestyle. It is bursting with history, and everywhere you look there is golf as far as the eye can see.

During our previous visit, we sampled courses both on and off the resort—but this time, it was all about Pinehurst. We had times to play courses Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 during our four-day stay.

While everyone raves about No. 2, which has hosted countless championships, and No. 7 for its design and premium country club feel—the true gem we discovered was the often overlooked No. 1.

On the card it looks to be a short par–70 course, but the reality was this baby plays long and hard. Gerald and I both loved the traditional feel of this course; it was pure, undiluted golf.

The fall is a perfect time to visit this incredible resort. The fall colors are perfectly showcased amid towering southern pines and gentle rolling hills. The sense of peace that pervades your soul as you stroll down the fairway leaves you wondering if you accidentally wandered into heaven.

—Dee Forsberg

Mind, Body, and Swing

I am a voracious reader of golf books, for it provides me with a variety of resources to communicate with my students. One book that I find myself opening up frequently is Golf Mind Golf Body Golf Swing by PGA professional Michael Hebron.

I would like to share some of his thoughts on the golf swing.

• Golf cannot be taught, it can only be learned.

• By definition, speed has no direction. Speed can kill the swing.

• The most significant motive force causing movement is the pull of gravity.

• The body is basically a system of moveable segments (bones) or links, where big links move smaller links.

• The skeletal muscle system that moves bones receives its directions from the brain.

• All movements of the body are caused by forces external to the body.

• Muscles produce their maximum power at one-third of their maximum velocity.

• The eyes do not see; the mouth does not taste; the ears do not hear; everything happens in the brain first.

• The body moves for one of three reasons: 1. reflexes 2. anticipation 3. or when the mind’s eye has visualization for the body to copy.

• Momentum, by definition, is a constant rate of motion and is the most important force in the golf swing.

• When the inside portion of a system moves a few inches, the outside portion moves several feet.

• Where the clubface and the ball make contact (impact), where the ball leaves the face (separation), are two different stages of a sound swing.

• The clubface needs to be square to the line of flight only at the point of separation. Trying to have a square face at impact causes a bent left wrist.

• Sound swings move from wide to narrow as the face stays square to the arc of the swing. The club head is outside the handle in the backswing and inside the handle in the downswing.

• The most important alignment in golf is a flat left wrist, bent right wrist and elbow at and through impact.

• Sound swings deliver a slightly open clubface to the inside corner of the ball; not a square face to the back of the ball.

Mike Hebron is a great believer in the geometry and physics of the golf swing. His concept of the swing is golf, which equals geometrically orientated linear force.

—Gerald McCullagh