Sunday, June 25, 2006

Podcast: Phil Mickelson's course management mistakes can help you play smarter, baseball swing versus the golf swing and become a better ball striker

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Barry and I discuss how Phil Mickelson's recent lapse of judgment at the U.S. Open can help me combat my own course management shortcomings.

With summer in our sites and most people playing more than one sport, we answer a letter from our email bag about the baseball swing versus the golf swing.

Also, stop swaying and become more consistent!

Continue sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your web browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Michelle Wie eclipses Annika Sorenstam in Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. Tiger Woods remains in top five spot

I can understand how Tiger Woods can be the highest ranking athlete among Forbes' 100 most powerful celebrities but Michelle Wie (74) trumping the number-one female golfer on the LPGA tour? Incredible!

Forbes "used a combination of factors including income, web references as calculated by Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ), press clips as compiled by Lexis/Nexis, TV/radio mentions from Factiva and the number of times a celebrity's face has appeared on the cover of 26 major consumer magazines. Earnings estimates are for June 2005 to June 2006 and are dollars earned solely from entertainment income."

Wie's "buzz factor" is high right now coming off a run for a spot in the U.S. Open. Her face is everywhere and when you do a google search of Wie, 4,280,000 results can be found. That isn't counting the variations on the name "Wie". That and the $10 million in endorsements thrown at her before the tender age of 16 makes Michelle something of a phenomenon both inside the ropes of professional golf and in the eyes of the media.

Annika Sorenstam barely made the list (91), even after her venture into LPGA commercials with aging rock superstars and old, leathery "vampires". Her P.R. could use a bit of work although her cover shot on the latest Golf for Women magazine looks terrific! Perhaps her public image IS improving!

Phil Mickelson enters at at respectable 18 on the Forbes list which should make him feel a little less depressed after his recent collapse at Winged Foot.

The number-one most powerful celebrity is not a sports figure but none other than Tom Cruise. Although I try to dislike him, every time I see one of Cruise's movies I see that he is, indeed, a terrific actor. With over 40 million google searches, his weird behavior, controversial ideology and tons of movie credits to his name keep Cruise in the public eye. That's what it's all about anyway. It doesn't matter if it's good press or bad press, just get the attention!!! Right Tom?

Monday, June 19, 2006

Phil Mickelson and Colin Mongomerie implode on U.S. Open Sunday. Geoff Ogilvy claims trophy at Winged Foot

Wow. I'm as devastated and as dumbfounded as Phil Mickelson today...well, almost. Winged Foot 1, Mickelson and Montgomerie a big fat 0.

Barry and I finished our latest podcast and posted it then sat for several hours watching the final round of the U.S. Open. After cheering Phil Mickelson for several hours with the probability of him adding yet another major title to his growing list, something peculiar happened.

Mickelson changed from "Masters Phil" into that golfer that never won a major (affectionately called "Friday Phil" by my coworkers because that's when he always makes his move). He chose a driver on the 18th, knowing full well that he only needed to get the golf ball out onto the fairway and then a possible long iron onto the middle of the green. If he would have missed the green and bogeyed he was sure to get into a playoff as Geoff Ogilvy saved par on both the 17th and 18th greens.

Instead, Phil did what he does best. He made poor club selections and then tried to be a hero by taking a long iron out of the woods and positioning the ball onto the green. He had been doing that successfully all day during the final round, making only a few fairways and continually getting out of trouble, so why not this time?

Well, we all know the outcome. I'll bet that Mickelson won't be taken seriously for a long time to come, no matter how many tournaments he plays and wins. Even if he is victorious in the final two majors of the year, this will be the most memorable for both Mickelson and his fans.

I felt sorry for Mickelson because of the months of work that he put into training for this major tournament. He knew what he did. As Phil stated, "I am still in shock that I did that. I just can't believe that I did that. I'm such an idiot."
Don't worry Phil, everybody makes mistakes...usually at the most inoportune times.

My friend who works at Winged Foot stated that the atmosphere was somber in the dining room as there was a big shindig setting up for Phil's victory with room for over a thousand celebrants.

I'll still keep cheering for Phil...and I hope that he won't be making judgment errors any time soon.

And please remember that not only did Mickelson falter...so did Colin Montgomerie, Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Kennie Ferrie, Vijay Singh...and the list goes on!

Podcast: With Tiger Woods in absentia at Winged Foot, Phil Mickelson gains ground as U.S. Open favorite. Also, golf tips for better ball control

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Watching Phil Mickelson and Kenneth Ferrie in the final pairing at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot G.C. this week inspires Barry and I to address simple golf tips for better ball control.

As Tiger Woods sails into the sunset the remaining golfers struggle to keep the ball on the fairway.

Keep sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Phil Mickelson uses special driver at the U.S. Open

Phil Mickelson isn't fooling around this week at the >U.S. Open. He came to Winged Foot with a strategy. He had created a single driver "that was a bit shorter and had a little bit more stable head". Still a bit dissatisfied, Mickelson feels more comfortable with the "fade driver" that he "used at Augusta".

Not only has he removed a driver but his three-wood as well.

Lefty has also included another "wedge" because as Mickelson stated Tuesday in the USGA media center:

"...a new 64-degree wedge to help get it out of this rough with a lot less bounce and to help me hit higher, softer bunker shots. Because the bunkers are so deep here and there's so much undulation on the green, I want it coming in as soft as possible."

Mickelson's golf tips can help anyone's game. He really is a master out of bunkers and out of the short rough near the green. The average golfer can benefit from a solid golf game from within 100 yards.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Podcast: Take the Golf Digest challenge, golf tips on improving aim and posture and Barry dodges another email "bullet"

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Improve your game by taking the advice of the best golf professionals in the world! Hank Haney, Butch Harmon, Phil Mickelson and more give golf tips based upon your game. Sign up for free playing lessons at golfdigest.com/challenge.

One of our listeners voices a greivance against Barry for the harsh words he called one of his playing partners on last week's podcast.

We also offer up golf tips on aim and posture.

Keep sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Sorenstam versus Wie: the ratings tug-of-war, American Express' Women's Golf Week and golf tips on staying cool

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This is the week that we've all been waiting for. Will Michelle Wie qualify for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and play golf alongside the top PGA players in the world?

We also consider Sorenstam versus Wie for a Celebrity "Ratings" Deathmatch. Why hasn't Annika stepped up and attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open?

ESPN will update Wie's progress every half-hour and The Golf Channel will have a special on Michelle on Monday evening. I guess they understand who gets the big ratings!

Attention all women! This is OUR week! Go to Play Golf America, find out which course is hosting American Express Women's Golf Week and attend! There are 565 facilities taking part this year offering a variety of activities from clubfitting and equipment demonstrations to golf apparel fashion shows and contests. I'll be playing scramble format at Pelham/Split Rock Golf Course in the Bronx and I hope to see you there!

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Go Red for Women, helping women to understand and defeat heart disease. Every woman counts!

Barry and I also offer up our usual "slew" of golf tips. Playing happy golf takes on even more importance when you're playing people with whom you don't get along!

We also include some fun facts about the U.S. Open.

Keep sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.worldgolf.com/stacy_solomon or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.