Golf for Beginners Podcast: Ernie Els takes Michelle Wie to school, Tiger Woods' preschool fame and a lesson on bounce

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Michelle Wie's recent acceptance to Stanford gave us pause this week to reflect upon a golf lesson offered up by Ernie Els during the 2006 Sony Open.

Perhaps if Michelle Wie practices with more determination this year, all of her PGA Tour dreams might come true…including entrance into the Masters or even a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team?

Our next subject on this holiday edition of Golf for Beginners answers a reader's email about bounce. When is it best to use a sand wedge and when should a golfer opt for a more bladed club? Can a putter be used out of a bunker?

Finally, we offer up some astonishing facts about a much younger Tiger Woods.

Seasons greetings!

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 browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Annika Sorenstam's one-handed swing and tips on winterizing your golf bag

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Annika Sorenstam is one busy entrepreneur, from her successful association with Ginn Resorts right down to giving advice to golfers in both Golf Digest and Golf for Women magazines. Barry and I discuss Sorenstam's one-handed drill that is sure to provide both the golf beginner as well as the intermediate player with better ball contact which will also generate more clubhead speed.

We continue with golf tips for winterizing your golf equipment. How do you determine which clubs should remain in your bag and which should be traded out for something more reliable? Perhaps swapping a three-iron for a hybrid? Hmmm, food for thought!

Happy holidays to all from Golf for Beginners!

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 browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

GFB Podcast: Nicklaus and Leadbetter's putting tips, Annika Sorenstam keeps it simple and a training aid that will keep you dry: Umbrella Plus!

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Here is a conundrum for our listeners and readers. What functions as both raingear and a golf training aid? Why an umbrella, of course! And not just any umbrella, no! The rain reflector we're discussing in this week's podcast, Umbrella Plus, has also been hailed by The Teaching Network, a panel of PGA teaching professionals who only accept products which "show true value in the players learning process".

We not only concur with the findings of these golf instructors but we also laud the Umbrella Plus' versatility and ease-of-use. Listen to the details of our findings on this weeks Golf for Beginners podcast.

Also, Barry and I take a tip from the latest Golf Digest in which we expound upon David Leadbetter's putting theory of "standing tall to the ball" in relation to Jack Nicklaus' crouched position.

Lastly, our quote of the week comes from Annika Sorenstam who never second-guesses before her decision to commit to a shot.

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 browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Tiger Woods and Elin do non-golf activities-what's best for you and a winning quote from Arnold Palmer

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Not all husbands and wives are meant to share the game of golf. Tiger Woods and his wife Elin, for example, enjoy other activities together as she is an expert downhill skier. As Tiger stated, "Being married to a Swede, you have to ski, no choice."

This week a listener asks about the probability of getting his wife to learn golf. This question started a "friendly" confrontation and an all-out battle of the sexes debate quickly ensued!

After a brief reminiscence as to how Barry helped get me interested in the sport, I thought about something that he reiterates after every round he plays with his foursome, namely that the game doesn't end until that final putt drops in on the 18th green. Until then, it's anybody's game.

I personally selected a quote from living legend Arnold Palmer in a moment that reflected the true soul of my husband, Barry. I hope you all enjoy it!

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 browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Be like Tiger Woods and learn to focus, how not to toe the line and our quote of the week from Patty Sheehan

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With the assistance of his father, Tiger Woods learned early on how to focus not just on the shot at hand but also on that little golf ball directly in front of him. We discuss clarity of mind which helps all golfers including Tiger Woods) free themselves from all other distractions to concentrate on the task of hitting that ball squarely off the tee.

We also answer an email from a reader who hasn't played golf in a while and finds himself hitting off the toe of the clubface. What is he doing wrong and how can he start hitting more squarely?

Our quote of the week comes from six-time major winner on the LPGA Tour, Patty Sheehan, who gives us her thoughts on course management.

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 browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Ipod golf tips for the driving range and we battle over practice techniques

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This podcast is a biggie, filled with lots of golf tips for the driving range. Our listeners have spoken, letting us know that they take their ipods (and our weekly tips) with them when they practice so we have created this session with them in mind.

One email battles over whether or not an instructor can do more harm than good. Can a golf swing suffer from the wrong teaching method? We use a bit of advice from Butch Harmon who feels that a golfer should not try and change a less-than-perfect looking swing but work within his natural abilities. Jim Furyk is a great example of this swing philosophy.

Barry and I wind up battling it out over whose practice techniques work better, his or mine. Who do you think wins this argument?

During our break, I was working on a list of our archived Golf for Beginners podcasts (I'm never really on vacation). I have not yet finished but almost all of our yearlong golf tips and more can now be found by clicking here.

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 browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.