Podcast: Exercises for good "Golf Rx", Adeo GPS fitness trainer and grip tips

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An article in this week's New York Post asks, "What do Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love III all have in common?" Aside from their highly accurate irons, the answer is the unfortunate decision to have missed an event due to lower back pain.

Yes, I am a sufferer of occasional aches and pains (along with about fifty percent of my fellow amateurs) but I try to exercise and stretch regularly. But what about those recreational golfers who head right from the office to the golf course?

Vijay Vad, PGA Tour physician and author of the book, "Golf Rx: A 15-Minute a Day Core Program for More Yards and Less Pain", says the abdominals are partly to blame. He offers up golf-specific exercises which we discuss in this week's episode of Golf for Beginners.

Spring makes us want to get outside and exercise, instead of being cooped up in a stuffy gym, jogging endlessly on the treadmill while watching CNN. This week, Barry and I took a long walk while using the Adeo Fitness Trainer. This new GPS system gives audible encouragement while you train for that triathlon and can be used either with an iPod (or any mp3 player) or solo. Adeo comes with Motion Lingo software which is easy to use and allows you to upload your workout (once complete) to both your computer as well as the internet. We were both impressed by the amount of information the Adeo stored and recommend it for outdoor fitness fanatics who want to keep track of their workouts.

Finally, our "grip tips" are sure to help you swing smooth and easy!

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Michelle Wie's ranking tumbles, Tiger Woods' negative self talk, The Shoe Tool

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Michelle Wie has fallen to seventeenth position dropping beneath rival Morgan Pressel in the latest Rolex Rankings. Although her cast has been removed, it is unknown if Wie's wrist will be in perfect working condition for the Kraft Nabisco, the first LPGA major of 2007.

Should Wie play anyway or would a bad showing do more damage than good, in more ways than one?

Even Tiger Woods gets frustrated from time-to-time, as evidenced after the third round of this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. Lamenting to reporters about his "pathetic" game, Tiger also felt his putting let him down and, as Tiger stated, "on this golf course, if you miss a fairway, it's almost an automatic bogey."

Negative self-talk never helped any player win a golf tournament!

We also talk about how to temper your swing by controlling your aggression and give a review on The Shoe Tool, a thoughtful new creation which solves a common problem both during and after a round of golf.

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Golf club trade-in values, Tiger Woods putting tip, Velocity Wipes review

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Tiger Woods may have blown that four-foot putt at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship but he is still one of the best short-game artists on the PGA Tour. We borrow a golf tip from Tiger which is simple enough for the amateur golfer to learn and practice.

Spring is in the air and the snow is beginning to thaw off the fairways. Barry and I have been unable to play and driving range practice is limited so we have been practicing in-house, he with his new RedEye i330 laser putter (which he says is really helping his alignment) and I with Umbrella Plus.

Spring cleaning also included removing our golf clubs and checking the grips and making sure the clubs were clean and ready! Instead of using the old cleaning system of brush and wax, we used Velocity Wipes, pre-saturated handy wipes that easily cleaned the scuff marks off both irons and woods as well as making my Odyssey two-ball putter sparkle. These wipes are strong, non-caustic and each wipe cleans an entire set of clubs. We were both very satisfied with the results.

Finally, Barry and I discuss how you can now check the trade-in value of your golf clubs in case you're interested in one of those great new sets listed in Golf Digest. Two good sites to start your search are PGA and Golf Blue Book.

Hmmm, maybe it's time to trade-in my Titleist 905T driver for one of those new square-head clubs?

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Golf Podcast: Woods and Mickelson: PGA Tour royalty? Divot-Rite training aid and stop chunking the chips!

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Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are two of the best known "celebrity" golfers on the PGA Tour, but are they becoming royalty? Is the PGA Tour controlling the action or are the powers-that-be allowing them too much leniency?

This week's question on "How we see it" is:

Do Tiger and Phil have a responsibility to both the fans and the PGA Tour to play in more events?

After all, in most other sports, you don't get to choose when you play.

Sometimes the simplest devices can be the most effective. Divot-Rite has created a golf training aid which is supposed to correct one of the most popular swing faults of the average golfer, namely hitting the ball "fat". This small, plastic swing trainer also develops proper alignment, stance and shot accuracy. Does Divot-Rite work? Listen to this week's review and find out!

While using Divot-Rite, Barry and I thought it would be great to offer up a golf tip specifically about how to avoid hitting the golf ball "fat" while chipping.

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Golf Podcast: Tiger Woods blows pre-putt routine, Club Glove Aficionado III Stand Bag review and USGA Rules of Repair on the Green

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A single uncharacteristic putt for Tiger Woods has given Nick O'Hern the title of "The Man who broke Tiger Woods' win streak". David took down Goliath for the second time in match play!

Yes, this was a day of mental errors for Woods, from a shot that landed in the drink right down to that four-foot putt on the nineteenth hole which, as Woods claimed, left a "totally" repairable ball mark.

We at Golf for Beginners, discuss the USGA Rules of Repair on the Putting Green as well as how you can avoid Tiger's costly mistake.

Barry and I also review the Club Glove Aficionado III stand bag. It's extra-light (only 5.6 lbs. fully loaded) as well as amazingly strong. The Izzo dual-strap design coupled with a thick, large lumbar support makes it comfortable and easy to carry.

A super-nice feature of the Club Glove Aficionado III is that all pockets are easily removable for lighter practice rounds although don't be fooled by this golf bag! It's large enough to comfortably fit a full set of clubs. Check out our review!

Finally, congratulations to Henrik Stenson on his win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship! I knew he was going to win all along...right RonMon? Too bad I'm not a gambler!

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Women's golf clubs challenge men's, RedEye i330 laser putter review and a golf tip by Bob Toski

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Our first battle of the sexes debate originated from an article featured in
Golf for Women Magazine. Leave it to Stina Sternberg to cause more controversy ;-) as she claims in the February 2007 edition of Golf Digest Magazine, "Now your wife can start beating you".

Do golf clubs really make the player or can a player hit any golf clubs and score?

"Effortless power", a thought mentioned by PGA Tour golfer/instructor extraordinaire Bob Toski, is our golf tip of the week. Toski regularly maintained that golf is not a game of brute strength. "An ounce of touch is worth a ton of brawn", he claimed.

Accuracy in putting brings confidence which translates into lower scores. With this thought in mind, Barry and I review the RedEye i330 Laser Putter. The on-board laser guidance system quickly and easily unscrews to allow use of this USGA-approved putter on the golf course. The Electronic Smart Target laser sensory system showed Barry that his alignment needs work.

We believe that this combined putter/training aid will improve Barry's putting over time (for now it only comes as a right-handed model; lefties like me have to wait until next spring) but we reserve rating the i330 and will bring you part two later in the season.

Congratulations to short game guru and Champions Tour golfer Tom Watson on his terrific victory at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.