Jack Nicklaus, Great Champion

I ran across the article today on Golf.com titled “Golf has never had a greater champion than Jack Nicklaus” by Michael Bamberger. Ironically enough, I just got back from a business trip to Columbus, Ohio. While driving through Columbus last night, I passed the Jack Nicklaus Museum on the campus of Ohio State University. As most golf fans know, Jack grew up near Columbus and played his college golf at Ohio State University. As I was passing the museum, I told myself that I really need to stop in there one of these days and check out all the cool stuff inside. I can only imagine there are tons of great photos, trophies, clubs, etc.

Anyhow, to the real story at hand, which is: what makes a great champion?

When I think of professional golf and great champions in the modern era, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are the first two who come to mind. I realize there are many others; Hogan, Snead, and Watson, just to name a few. However, since Arnold grew up less than thirty minutes from my hometown and Jack only about four hours away, I guess they stand out a little more to me than the others. In addition, since the dawn of golf on TV, these two gentlemen have defined the sport and dominated the coverage. Jack was, and still is, a great champion on so many levels. Below are a few thoughts as to why I believe he was one of the greatest champions to ever play the game.

• Other players claim that Jack was gracious in defeat. If you were fortunate enough to beat him, he would shake your hand, look you in the eye and congratulate you.

• Greg Norman said he learned how to lose from Jack. What he meant from that, I believe, is that Jack knew how to lose with grace and Greg learned that. Remember the embrace with Faldo at the 96 Masters? That loss had to sting, yet, Norman handled it like a champ.

• Nicklaus inspired millions of players around the world by his play as well as his book “Golf My Way”. Vijay Singh credits that book for making him the player he eventually became. For a guy who won more tournaments in his 40’s than any other player, that speaks volumes.

• Who can forget the 86 Masters, when Jack won the tournament with a back nine charge shooting six under thirty to take the title for the sixth time at age 46. Only a GREAT champion has the nerve to do that.

• Jack has fielded endless questions since Tiger was 18 years old about Tiger breaking his record. Jack has never avoided the questioning and in all of the interviews I have ever seen, he has never avoided the questions, always giving a sincere answer.

• When Jack was playing the tour full time, he always told his wife Barbara that he would never be away from home for more than two weeks in a row unless the family traveled with him. It’s sometimes hard to believe that the greatest champion of all time has that kind of commitment to his wife and kids, prioritizing them above golf.

I wanted to end with a bang and that last one describes Jack as a great champion. Perhaps, Tiger can learn something from Jack in the family department. Oops, too late. Tiger has already three putted that one.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,2056523,00.html#ixzz1FaDX7800

source;midwestsportsfans.com



Grand Cypress Orlando, FL Course Review

Grand Cypress is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. The course has four nines; North, South, East and New Courses. A few days ago, I played the North-South courses; it was an enjoyable round.


The first thing you notice when driving into the facility is the water. There is water all over the golf course so bring a lot of balls. I took a sleeve of Pro V’s and managed to get through the round without buying more. At $18 per sleeve, I was not too excited about dropping $6 per ball.

There is a very nice practice facility to hit a few balls and warm up before your round. They also have a food and beverage cart floating around with plenty of snacks, drinks and very good sandwiches.

The blue tees on the North and South courses are very playable. There is a set of championship tees behind the blues and will stretch the course to near 7,000 yards. Most holes offer generous landing areas on the opposite side of trouble. In typical Nicklaus fashion there are plenty of left to right holes with forced carries.

A few of the holes have very sharp doglegs to the right with a significant carry across water. Jack’s course design gives you the chance to shave as much as you want off of the hole, but you’ll need to carry the ball anywhere from 240 to 270 yards. If you successfully carry the water, you will have a very short approach shot. If you play safe and away from the water, there will be a very long approach shot into the green. As with most Florida courses there are many bunkers and Bermuda grass greens. The greens are a modest speed, which you would expect from a resort course. Because the greens have a significant amount of grain, you have to pay attention to the direction of the grain or will have a long day on the greens.

The clubhouse has a fully stocked pro shop and golf attire is required. I did not have my clubs and rented Nike woods and irons. Even though the shafts were stiff, the driver shaft was not stiff enough. It took about six holes to get used to the flex; so if you are a low handicap player or a player with a lot of speed you will need to slow it down. Otherwise, be prepared for big hooks like I did on the first few holes. In addition, the golf carts have a very sophisticated GPS system with flyover views of each hole before you get to the tee. This really helps to speed up play and there is no need to walk around trying to determine a yardage.

For after the round the clubhouse has a very nice lounge where you can get some great food and drinks.

Overall, it was a very good experience and I would definitely go back to Grand Cypress again. If you are in Orlando and are looking for a very nice resort course, I do recommend Grand Cypress. I know you will enjoy the round and the facility.

Source; fcwtgolf.com Grand Cypress Golf

Tommy Two Gloves Gainey

I wrote two posts in the fall -- one titled; Where Have All The Characters Gone and the other called Golfer Nicknames. Tommy Two Gloves Gainey seems to capture the essence of both posts. You have to root for a guy that wears two gloves while playing his round and embraces the handle Two Gloves.

Tommy burst onto the golf scene a few years ago as a contestant on the Golf Channel’s reality show Big Break. He wears two gloves while playing because of his days as a baseball player growing up. He certainly is not your typical PGA Tour Player, which is one reason why people follow him and cheer him on. He does not have a polished, traditional golf swing. He does not dress like he just stepped out of the pages of Golf Digest’s fashion section. He does not speak like he has a Harvard education. However, what he does do is play the game with passion, his way, and it is exciting to watch. I believe this is another reason why the average fan pulls for players like Tommy Gainey. They can see themselves in these types of players. Anytime a PGA Tour player is a bit unorthodox and has success, every fan says to the themselves “if that guy can do it so can .I. Players like Boo Weekley, John Daly and Rocco Mediate are of a similar mold. They may not look, sound or act perfect all the time but that is what the fans want to see. Fans can relate to a player that is more like them.

I believe Tommy Gainey will have a good career on the PGA Tour, not due to his talent but due to his drive, motivation and passion for the game. He obviously has talent; no one gets onto the PGA Tour by accident. However, what keeps them on tour is preparation, dedication and motivation. Like any other job or profession, success oftentimes comes down to the intangibles. Are you willing to put in the practice? Are you willing to learn, grow and stretch? I believe Tommy has all of those qualities.

I hope Tommy remains on tour for many years to come because the PGA Tour needs players like Tommy. No offense to the perfect swing, perfect-look players but they are not all that exciting to watch. However, what is exciting to watch is a player with a homemade-looking golf swing coming down the stretch on Sunday with a chance to win a tournament.

What type of players do you like to watch?

Martin/Getty Images

Tierra Del Sol Golf Resort Aruba - Course Review

I had the opportunity to play the Tierra Del Sol Golf Club this past week while in Aruba. Tierra Del Sol was designed by American Golf Course Architect Robert Trent Jones II. It is the only 18-hole Championship Golf Course in Aruba. The resort is on the north side of the island and lies along the coastline. It offers some spectacular views of the Caribbean and several high vantage points to take advantage of the sights. I would recommend bringing the camera along if you play the course as you will have the opportunity for some nice photos. Or, in my case I brought my wife who is my official vacation photographer. The course is a short five to ten minute ride from the main high rise hotels area of Aruba. So, if you are staying in the northern part of the island near Palm Beach it is a quick trip.

The resort offers not only golf but also accommodations on the property should you wish to rent a home or villa during your stay. Tierra Del Sol has a full clubhouse and well stocked pro shop. They have everything you might need including; shorts, shirts, balls, rental clubs, etc. In my case, I forgot my socks so had to pick up a pair. I was even able to rent some stiff shafted Nike woods and irons for my round which was pretty impressive. Most courses only offer regular shafts in rental clubs. There is not much in the way of locker facilities so show up to the course prepared to play in golf attire.

The course does not offer much in the way of practice facilities either. The website indicates a full length driving range but I was reaching the end of it with a 3 wood and it is downhill so it cannot be more that 250 yards in length. The driving range is little more than a pasture with some sparse, rough grass on a sand base. If you show up preparing to beat a bunch of balls to loosen the muscles you will be sadly disappointed. They also have a very limited putting and chipping area. However, it is sufficient to warm up and take a few swings.

The course itself offers four sets of tees and measures 6,811 yards from the Championship. That may not sound terribly long but it is - for one good reason. Wind, wind and more wind. If you ever read anything about the island of Aruba you will quickly learn it is a windy place. In addition, the island itself is a desert landscape. So, that results in a golf course on the coast, with cactus and very few trees completely exposed to the wind. The wind blows at 15-20 mph constantly and can gust up to 30 mph at times. So, that is an element you need to be prepared to face. Most holes offer very generous landing zones off the tee to help compensate for the wind.

The wind even effects putting. Since the greens are Bermuda you have to factor in grain as well as the wind on every putt.

Overall the course is very playable and is challenging enough to play more than once. So, if you are staying on the resort property or in a nearby hotel you will enjoy playing this course and taking in some amazing vistas.

Enjoy

http://www.tierradelsol.com/



2011 Golf Goals

As January gets under way it is goal setting time. I usually lay out my personal, professional, financial and golf goals for the year each January. In 2010, like most years I achieved some of my goals and missed others. There are usually a few “left over” goals that seem to be on the list every year. One that seems to make the list each year is to improve my lag putting. I learned in a management class a long time ago that if you write down your goals you are more likely to achieve them. So, since then I have been doing so and it has become part of my New Year routine.

Here are a few of my golf related goals for 2011 and some other good ideas. If you have never set goals before, take some time, reflect on what you would like to achieve this year and write them down. At the end of the year it is fun to see what you achieve or accomplish versus what you still need to work on. The key to this exercise is to periodically look at your list to make sure your focusing on the goals. Use your own results to see if this is a good tool you can add into your life for improvement.

Some of the goals may be general

• Improve my lag putting

• Reduce three putts

• Focus on the shot at hand, stay in the present

• Turn pars into birdies, bogies into pars, double bogies into bogies, avoid the big number

• Focus on hitting the fairway off the tee

Some of your goals may be more specific but they may also require that you keep some stats

• Improve average score from 85 to 82

• Reduce your handicap from 15 to 12

• Get up and down out of the greenside bunkers 33% of the time

• Average less than 34 putts per round

Other Goals may include personal achievements

• Win your club championship flight

• Enter three competitive events in 2011

• Get some lessons from your PGA Professional

• Take a golf trip with some friends

• Read some instructional books or magazines

• Commit to practicing your short game for at least two hours each week


What are some of your golf goals for 2011?

2011 Golf Predictions

Well, 2011 is finally upon us and in the world of professional golf it does not take long to get started. The PGA Tour was in Hawaii last week for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. So, with 2011 off to a good start, I thought it might be fun to throw out some of my predictions for this year in Pro Golf.

• Tiger Woods will win a Major Championship (ok, I said it).

• We will see some more 59’s. The once allusive number is now suddenly en vogue to obtain. With the equipment, training, talent, and quality conditions, the number of players who achieve this will grow.

• Rory McIlroy will win multiple PGA tour events this year. I believe he is probably the greatest young player in the world and his second year on tour will pay dividends.

• Comeback Player of the Year; Tiger, Boo or Anthony Kim – they all had sub-par years in 2010 and considering they all have high expectations of themselves, each has a reason to play well in 2011.

• Rookie of the Year; Jamie Lovemark –I am betting on him to win the award.

• Scoring Title; Phil Mickelson – I’m not sure why but I believe with Tiger coming back full time this year, Lefty will have a little extra motivation to play well in the big events. Who knows, maybe he can grab the No. 1 title before Tiger takes it back.

• Tiger retakes the position of No. 1 player in the world –with the personal issues behind him, a new coach, and a lot of motivation, I’ll be watching out for him to climb in the rankings.

• LPGA Player of the Year; Michelle Wie – she has enough experience as a pro and combined with her school load winding down , I believe she is poised for a great year.

• Graeme McDowell continues his good play with at least one win on the PGA Tour and multiple wins in Europe – why not; the guy rolled into 2011 right where he left off in 2010 playing great and making a ton of putts.

• Champions Tour Player of the Year; Fred Couples – now that Freddie has seen the course and is familiar with it, he could be dominant.

• The International Team will win the Presidents Cup – for one, it is in Australia- Greg Norman’s home country and I believe his mates will play hard for him. Plus, it is not easy for the US team to make that trip and play refreshed.

• Dustin Johnson and Natalie Gulbis will not be dating this time next year.

• Champions Tour Rookie of the year; Tommy Armour III – because he knows how to cash in week after week and is pretty consistent. You could argue Kenny Perry because he is still technically a rookie, but I believe he will still play very few events on the Champion Tour to focus on the PGA Tour.

Do you have any predictions for 2011?

Book Review; The Art of Scoring by Stan Utley

Over the past few days I read the book “The Art of Scoring”- The Ultimate On-Course Guide to Short Game Strategy and Technique” by Stan Utley. I have read dozens of golf books by famous players like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Ray Floyd. I would have to put this book in the upper echelon of books I have ever read on the short game.

Most authors cover a lot of ground in their books and only spend a small amount of time on the short game. What is great about this book is that it is solely focused on the short game. This part of the game is where amateur golfers struggle the most and waste a lot of shots. Stan does a great job of breaking down the game into simplistic, easy-to-understand concepts. He draws mental pictures with words in describing how to get into the proper position to perform the stroke. He stresses the importance of feel and visualization over talent or technique throughout the book, which I really like. He begins with this theme on the very first page of chapter one when he states “I’d put more weight on their ability to see what shot to hit than I would on their ability to understand the mechanics of how to hit it.” I agree with this advice and wrote a piece this summer about the why in golf instruction, not just the how.

I am a big believer in knowing why an instructor is asking you to approach a shot a certain way or to make a certain change. Stan does a great job of explaining why and how. The book doesn’t just tell you how to get into position, grip the club, or make a stroke. He outlines why you should make a change or approach the stroke in a certain position.

Another great point he makes in the book is setting proper expectations about the results of a short game shot. Very few players are scratch golfers or professionals. So, the average to high handicapper can get a lot out of this book in course management and expectations. He explains that sometimes just getting the ball on the green is good enough. He also relates how to turn double and triple bogies into bogies and pars. That is a lesson we all need to follow a little more closely.

In speaking about bunker play, Stan challenges the conventional notion of how to setup to and position the golf ball. He teaches playing a square stance when conventional instruction always teaches approaching a bunker shot with an open stance. I found this very interesting and am curious to try it on the practice ground myself. He also spends time going through how to diagnose sand conditions when you enter the bunker. It gives information on how to play the shot, how hard to hit the ball, and where to land it.

In my opinion, one of the most important points in the book is regarding lag putting. Stan makes it very clear that the key to good lag putting is sound contact between the putter face and ball. He stresses the importance or hitting the ball in the middle of the putter face every time. For someone like me who struggles from time to time in gauging speed on lag putts, this is music to my ears. I experimented with this very concept last season as I was tired of three putting and I have to say it works like a charm. Consistent, clean contact on the ball is crucial to rolling the ball the correct speed on a consistent basis.

To conclude, I think this is a great book and instruction manual for mid to high handicappers, which defines most of the golfing world. If the average player takes his advice and follows the tips he outlines, I believe they could make a dramatic impact in lowering their scores and handicap. If they do that they will have a lot more fun playing this great sport.