Monday, January 14, 2008

Tiger Woods goes public about Grand Slam win, Mickelson silent. Michelle Wie seeking LPGA glory and Leadbetter power tip

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.


When PGA Tour golfers mention their season ambitions it's usually hypothetical, mixing dreams with unspoken fears, hedging their bets with terms like "goals", "desires" and the "significant improvements" made over the previous year.

Not Tiger Woods. Simply put, a single exclamation on his website is all that is needed to jump on the Grand Slam bandwagon. "I think it's easily within reason," said the world's number-one, confident of his abilities.

Taking the lead from Woods is Ernie Els who isn't as positive but remains hopeful. Although Els has been a non-event in the U.S. for several years (he claims that putting under pressure lets him down), he has now decided that he has to "start winning tournaments...fast!" His insecurities are magnified by his statement, "anything is possible. Dream big…and who knows?"

Phil Mickelson remains silent in his ability to win four consecutive major events in a single year but is buoying himself up with the prospect of playing Torrey Pines, where he won his first professional event. Although Mickelson is confident of a future Green Jacket and his ability to win another PGA Championship, he has made no claims that this is even a goal of his, hedging his bets with comments about his difficulty in making the cut at Royal Birkdale in 1991!. Perhaps Phil is smarter not making predictions, although he is betting on equipment changes that he thinks will "lead to lower scores".

This week Golf for Beginners discusses the difficulties in achieving the elusive Grand Slam and the slim possibility of one man making history.

Michelle Wie's absence from the Sony Open is also probed as well as the possibility of a future commitment to the women's tour. Is it in the LPGA's best longterm interest to bestow exemptions on a girl who may be using ladies' events as a springboard to the PGA Tour?

We also feature a golf tip regarding core coil from David Leadbetter , Michelle Wie's instructor, and talk about the upcoming PGA Merchandise Show.

Send 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.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
Click Here
to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!

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

This podcast is supported by Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!
.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Woods and Mickelson hibernate, Chopra and Stricker take their place. Golf Podcast features winter tips and drills

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.

While Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson quietly enjoy their respective breaks from the PGA Tour, Daniel Chopra and Steve Stricker shouted out to the golf world that they are contenders for this year's FedEx Cup.

Dangling a new Mercedes-Benz like a carrot on the end of a stick was one good reason that Stricker stroked only eight putts in the final eight holes of the Championship but I'll bet that Stricker's long-term goals include dueling it out with the big names and a major win.

Chopra's use of Playstation to get to know the Plantation Course might have helped him manage the fairways but his lackluster performance on the greens almost handed Stricker the victory.

This week, Barry and I discuss our own struggles on the driving range. With cold weather hanging over the Northeast, we can only dream of Kapalua and instead must rely on overhead space heaters to keep our swings intact.

We offer an easy drill to keep your irons crisp, talk about the all-important pitch shot and discuss how to keep your focus through your shot.

Even though Mickelson and Woods are not in aggressive mode, they both constantly think competitively. Tiger has mentioned on his website that he has been "testing some new Nike irons". Woods makes his 2008 PGA Tour debut at the Buick Invitational (January 24-27) and Mickelson is due to make his first appearance at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic so Chopra better get his putter working!

Send 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.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
Click Here
to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!

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

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel.