Why Follow The Web.com and Challenge Tour? #golf #infographic

Golf fans excitedly watched this season as Jordan Spieth decisively climbed the PGA Tour ranks to become number-one atop the world rankings and, although fans think this is a wow factor, there are other tours and players who are out there grinding it out but rarely receive much attention.

Have you ever followed the Web.com or Challenge Tour?

Recently, fifty players on the Web.com Tour graduated to the PGA Tour and became card-carrying members with a chance of, one-day, winning events, getting more recognition and, perhaps, a few big-name sponsors. Some golfers' names are recognizable and others are just getting their start but one thing is for sure...dreams are alive on every Tour!

Meet the fifty Web.com winners who earned a spot on the PGA Tour.

The Challenge Tour is the European Tour's answer to the Web.com Tour and has produced such recognizable names as Martin Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen.

The Challenge Tour is now featuring a "Road to Oman" Challenge ranking system - if you are a golf fan, you will know that a recent winner is a first from Italy, Matteo Delpodio.

Although fans can't possibly watch every tournament, it's interesting to follow along with lesser known tours like the Web.com or Challenge Tour.

Keeping an eye on the rankings makes you feel closer to the struggles of golfers as they attempt to rise through the ranks and into the spotlight. The "feel" of each of these Tours is quite different and offer a look into venues and countries that inspire the average golfer to improve while understanding that, in golf, we're always learning!

Do you follow the Challenge or Web.com Tour? Let us know on Twitter @Golf4Beginners or on our golf blog.

See entire infographic at GolfOnline.co.uk
Web.com photo - pgatour,com

Swapping Sports - #Golf Challenges Cricket - Have You Seen This?

Golf for Beginners recently published a blog about ways to introduce new people to the game. We think we found another great idea - sport swapping challenges!

The ladies of Cricket challenged the professional European Ladies Tour golfers to a "Hit 'Em for 6 CricGolf" event - basically, How Far Can You "Whack" a Ball.

The twelve sports women who took part in three challenges, basically "swapping sports" and attempting different skills from both sports, are:

Team Cricket - Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Katherine Brunt, Natalie Sciver, Lydia Greenway and captain Charlotte Edwards.

Team Golf - Mel Reid, Dame Laura Davies, Amy Boulden, Stephanie Na, Hannah Burke and Holly Clyburn.

Just a hint...Laura Davies can really whack a cricket stick!

In my opinion, this is a great way to expose lovers of two sports to each other's challenges, don't you agree? Which team won the Challenge? Watch the SkySports Action here:





Do you think that this is an interesting way to introduce players to different sports? Which combinations do you think would work? Tweet to @Golf4Beginners and post below on this blog.

Golf Horoscope for 2013

Even though the foremost astrologers utilize the aspects of the planets and stars at a given moment, the future still remains unpredictable. Utilizing the past as a barometer, Golf for Beginners makes several predictions on the future of the game and some of its players in 2013.

1. Tiger Woods will win two golf tournaments this year and one major event. Based upon his past performance in the majors, the current number-two money leader in the world will win the PGA Championship...it's about time to collect another Wanamaker Trophy, isn't it? On his golf blog Woods said, "Looking ahead to next year, I'm just trying to win those big four tournaments."



2.The Rory McIlroy-Tiger Woods competition will continue to heat up and fans will see several final round close calls this season. McIlroy will easily win the Masters after remembering what he said after squandering a four-stroke lead at Augusta in 2012. "I'll get over it," said Rory, "it was a character-building day, put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it," and so he has with his major victory in 2012 at the PGA Championship.

3. The 2016 Anchoring Ban (belly putter) will force advocates such as Webb Simpson to change their putters and revise their putting strokes. Watch for new and unpredictable grips for belly-putter golfers and for new equipment on the golf course. Will we see Keegan Bradley trying out a new claw grip this season?



4. The LPGA future will further take root in Asia. American LPGA golfers will be asked to learn Korean and Mandarin to keep up with the further globalization of the Tour. Instead of "foreign" Tour players being penalized for not speaking English, ladies such as Cristie Kerr on the LPGA will brush up on Korean to follow the sponsors, "follow the money".

Could it be that, down the road, American LPGA golfers will be penalized for not speaking Korean?



5. Two female members will be allowed to join Muirfield's "Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers" (so one can play golf with the other without disturbing the men) with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club following suit after much ballyhoo.

Stay tuned for mystical Tarot predictions by Stacy Solomon throughout the 2013 golf season!

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Will Tiger Woods golf season debut be a hit or a “Miss”?

Tiger Woods has been the target of a golf media thashing for two years and frankly I would prefer to concentrate this golf blog on his debut "form" and career objectives rather than on his latest “unprofessional” slamming by Hank Haney. 

Was Haney justified in releasing a Tiger Woods “tell-all” book, “The Big Miss”, just prior to Woods’ first appearance? Sixty-six percent of fans who were asked said “No”. 

That being said, the 2012 golf season is taking on momentum and Woods will be making his debut this week in Abu Dhabi at the HSBC Golf Championship. The stage for a Woods return was unofficially set in December when Tiger walked away with his first win in two years at the Chevron World Challenge.

Tiger Woods believes, however, that it was in Australia where he gained his greatest confidence, "Australia was big. I hit so many good shots, especially when the wind was howling at thirty mph, with gusts at more than that," and confidence is key to forging ahead. 

Woods also claims that he is the fittest he has been at the start of a golf season in a "long, long time" and is excited to be competing alongside of up-and-coming players (and first round playing partners) Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald. Does Tiger Woods feels it necessary to test himself against the "new generation" to see if/that he can "rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes of his former self?

Ultimately, Woods is focused primarily on winning the majors and using the remainder of the events he will play in as “tune-ups’. Tiger confirmed, “Ultimately, I want to have my game peak four times a year." 

At least he's dancing...  one of his New Year resolutions?

Get to know Tiger Woods a little better on Friday; he’ll be answering questions on his Twitter feed @TigerWoods... should cause Twitter to burst at the seams.  

Voice your opinions on Tiger Woods on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook

******** 

I would like to share with you the press release I received along with the above Getty Image:

   

TIGER MOVES TO HSBC’S ABU DHABI BEAT

Golfing Giants Get Traditional With Emirati Ayala Dance

Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tuesday 24^th January, 2012: He’s been in Abu Dhabi for less than 24 hours, but Tiger Woods - one of the headline attractions at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which starts tomorrow (Thursday 26 January) – wowed onlookers at Abu Dhabi Golf Club today as he shook off the trans-Atlantic cobwebs and ‘moved’ to the UAE capital’s distinctive traditional beat.

Abu Dhabi debutant, Woods, an eye-catching contender in what is the strongest field ever assembled at a Middle East tournament, was joined by world numbers two and three, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, for an impromptu celebration of traditional Emirati ayala (celebration) dancing on his first National Course appearance.

 “That was pretty special,” said Woods, a 14-time Major winner. “It’s my first time in Abu Dhabi and although as golfers we are used to travelling all over the world, we don’t usually get welcomes like that. It’s always fantastic to experience new cultures and traditions and I really got into the ayala beat; I’m not sure the canes would be too good on the putting greens this week though.”

The ayala dance celebration officially ushered in the seventh annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which will see triple and defending champion, Martin Kaymer, lock horns with Woods, Westwood and McIlroy, as well as world number one, Luke Donald, in the hunt for the Falcon trophy. Reigning Major champions, Charl Schwartzel (US Masters) and Darren Clarke (The Open), Australian hot-shot, Jason Day, Korea’s top ranked player, KJ Choi, Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington are also in the star studded line-up.

******** 

Is the PGA Tour or European Tour now more important to McIlroy, Westwood?

One year has passed since Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood adamantly stated that they would not, under any circumstances, join the PGA Tour, deciding instead to support the growth of the European Tour. This year both golfers have changed their tunes and are accepting membership in the PGA Tour. Why? Can the Euro Tour thrive without them as full-time supporters?

McIlroy's reasons to remain only on the Euro Tour in 2011 were selfish to some degree using excuses that he was helping to grow the Tour and that he wanted to stay closer to home. The schedule was longer and tiresome on the PGA Tour, and money could not buy a golfer happiness.

Now that Rory's attachments to a former longtime girlfriend has been severed and a new connection has been made with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, McIlroy has decided it important to match his girlfriend's ranking. It's interesting to see what gets this 22-year-old golfer's juices flowing. Money? Not necessarily. Girlfriend? Top player on Tour? Definitely!

McIlroy confirmed earlier this year, "She's number one in the world and I've got a major, and we sort of both want what each other have. It's a big goal of mine. I want to become the best player in the world."

Westwood used a blend of sentiments: he was forced to sit on his couch and pine away while the Players Championship took place and also complained that he never took place in FedEx Cup events.
McIlroy and Westwood's change of sentiments are a far cry from last year's outbursts but perhaps it's time for both the PGA Tour and Euro Tour to work together in order to make schedules fit for all of the A-level players while improving the visibility of upcoming stars. This way, golf fans will get to see new talent as well as a wide variety of European and PGA Tour standouts.

On the "top end" of both Tours, talent is pretty much equal. Looking past the top-100, golfers don't get as much exposure as they should in order to give them opportunities to be seen and get into the mix.

Luke Donald has been making waves on the PGA Tour and now McIlroy and Westwood have also decided it important to chase glory. With Tiger Woods back in action for the PGA Tour 2012 season, it looks as if the European Tour once again will fall to the sidelines for golf fans. Great talent like Oosthuizen and the 2012 Race to Dubai will certainly pale in comparison to a possible Tiger Woods, McIlroy duel on Sunday during a major tournament.


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

photo credit: PGATour.com

Tiger Woods spurns pals, do fellow golfers want him back?

Although sports media is quick to report splits between Tiger Woods and caddie, former swing coaches, management and friends, PGA Tour and European Tour golfers have been standing together to welcome the former number-one golfer back onto the fairway.

PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer said it best, "We need him, we really need him. He's the best player who ever played that game."

Darren Clarke, winner of the 2011 Open Championship and paired with Tiger Woods for the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, commented, "Tiger Woods could be a hard man to beat because of his record around this golf course. He loves it so much and has played so well here before. I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a really, really good week."

But Rory McIlroy, fresh off his latest twitter escapade involving golf writer Jay Townshend, appeared a bit ambiguous and on-the-fence about his true feelings regarding Tiger Woods taking center stage, "It’d be maybe a little intimidating if you knew for sure if [Woods] was going to play the way he did in 2000, 2001, but no one knows that."



With Tiger Woods' return to golf this week, internet sports have been abuzz with sorrowful tales of short-lasting unions between sports celebrities...sniff...

Could it be that Tiger Woods really wasn't great friends with sports legends like Charles Barkley and Roger Federer, or even really tight with caddie Steve Williams? As outsiders, fans tend to receive snippets of information as if we were playing "Telephone", an old game where a sentence is whispered to many, one-by-one, and is spewed out differently than it started. The media also enjoys photo-ops and creating buzz around sports superstars, so hanging out at a club "gambling and partying" could easily have been misconstrued.

A true friend, Charles, does not change his cell phone number without sharing it with you...as Barkley continued, "I’ve been trying to get to him and can’t get to him,” he said. “It’s very frustrating.” ..hint, hint

Convenience has a way of playing a role in many people's lives. Roger Federer, for example, was number-one in the world of tennis, Woods was the top golfer in the world; so easy to create a relationship built on similarities. With both Woods and Federer slipping from their respective perches, their friendship might have ended along with the "back-patting." This would explain the ease and apparent readiness in which Woods separated himself from his former "pack".

With Tiger Woods clearing his head and life of distractions, it is only a matter of time before the former champion shows signs of greatness. Champions are made, not born.

As the great golfer Sam Snead once said, "The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat."



Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook
Read more Golf for Beginners blogs here.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

 

Without Tiger Woods can American golfers rally at The Open?

The latest headlines read, "Tiger Woods out of AT&T National". Notah Begay has postponed his charity event until the former number one recovers and is now suggesting that Woods may also step away from the British Open. Although American PGA Tour golfers, without Tiger Woods in the field, are winning their share of weekly events, they have handed over the last five majors to European Tour golfers, leaving American "grinders" shaking their heads in disbelief.

PGA Tour golfers like Nick Watney are fed up and tired with their sub-par level of play, saying that it's time for Americans "to step up.”

Scott Verplank, being "very honest and very American" plainly stated, "It’s just that Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and those guys are playing better than us.”

Even Steve Stricker is disappointed with his inability to win majors, stating after the 2011 U.S. Open, "These major championships are kind of new to me. I’m going in with kind of low expectations." 

With Stricker (etal) not expecting to mount much of a contest, he surely won't.

Without Tiger Woods in the field challenging the level of play, the PGA Tour is undergoing major restructuring, stating on their website, "nearly one-third of 2011 TOUR winners are first-timers."

Has the lack of one popular (almost super-human) golfer, the level of play and the sport itself been depleted as Ed Berliner states, "falling in popularity behind billiards, MMA, and the Wii version of "Duke Nukem: Guns & Gusto at Augusta”? If so, are Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy the only golfers who can save it?

Fans need a hero who can delight and excite the crowd...and they want to cheer on a "likeable guy".

Being "very American" myself, allow me to mention two players who have made waves in golf this weekend.

Nineteen-year-old Patrick Cantlay took low amateur honors at the 2011 U.S. Open and shot a course record of 60 during the Travelers Championship, the lowest round ever for an amateur on the PGA Tour. He's young, collegiate and the future of the sport.

Nationwide Tour golfer Eric Compton, has overcome two heart transplants to win this week's Mexico Open. Enough said, as this golfer already has the fans "hearts."

The Americans are out there grinding (even if a Swede did win this week), as a group they just have to band together, raise their collective expectations, step out of the shadow of Tiger Woods and prove their mettle. New faces are constantly emerging: whether it be from the PGA Tour or European Tour, one golfer will eventually come forward to take over where Tiger Woods left off: it has happened before, it will happen again.

Having said that, golf is becoming more of a global sport with each event won on either side of the pond. Many European Tour golfers have studied/bought property, played golf in the U.S.A. and conversely, PGA Tour players like Mickelson have shown up to play in events such as the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Fans should cheer their favorite player (as they did with Tiger Woods) and not where he or she heralds from in order to get the most out of the game.

But, since fans still 'root for the home team', will an American PGA Tour golfer playing in The Open capture the Claret Jug and end the drought? If so, will his name be quoted in numerous articles as the next Tiger Woods?


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners
Friend Golf for Beginners on Facebook

Rory McIlroy, a Chandler-Slam and other hot 2011 U.S. Open golf topics

Surely the hottest buzz during the 2011 U.S. Open was in response to Rory McIlroy's tremendous golf game but there were other side stories that kept the media, and fans, humming. Here are a few memories from the 111th U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club.


1. A Chandler-Slam?  Rory McIlroy's stupendous comeback after a misstep at the Masters to become one of the youngest U.S. Open champions set the stage for a possible 2011 Chandler-Slam. Andrew "Chubby" Chandler's stable of top-notch golfers has given him a few major wins including last year's Open winner Louis Oosthuizen and 2011 Master's Champion Charl Schwartzel. Could Lee Westwood grab this year's "British Open" or will McIlroy's confidence carry him through the rest of the season?


2. The next Tiger Woods?  McIlroy will have to win quite a few more tournaments to be placed in the same league as Woods, but leave it to the media to make comparisons to get fans' juices flowing. In majors it's still Tiger Woods-14, Rory McIlroy-1.

McIlroy perfecting the Tiger Woods fist pump

3. If Tiger Woods makes a comeback, can he compete against a younger group of golfers?

Tiger Woods' physical (and mental) issues could prevent a comeback. His body is not recuperating as easily as when he was Rory's age. The youth, talent and mental strength of McIlroy may have the Tiger by his tail.


4. European Tour and Asian Tour globalize the U.S. Open. During the U.S. Open, there were questions as to whether or not an American would finish in the top-ten; if not, it would have been the first time since the early 1900's that an American could not rise to the occasion. During his reign, was Tiger Woods so overpowering as to leave a gap in the strength of the PGA Tour? European/Asian Tour players did not have the same distraction week after week.



5. Fashion sense (?) Bubba Watson's camoflage pants ; you either loved them or hated them but either way, fans had something to say about them. Come to think about it, pink pants were stylishly worn by Ryo Ishikawa but similar threads donned by Davis Love III didn't go over well, especially by a man who rides a custom chopper.


Finally, during the NBC opening sequence of the final round of the U.S. Open, a few words were noticeably left out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Although hosts apologized for the "under G-d" mis-hap, it was an unfortunate bloop (?) to make but still not as bad as Christina Aguillera's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."


Photo Credit: Washington Post, Huffington Post, Blog.Syracuse.com

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on our Facebook page.

Tiger Woods learns that loose lips incur fines on European Tour

A portion of the $3 million appearance fee Tiger Woods reportedly earned in Dubai will go towards paying off a fine incurred on the 12th hole of Emirates Golf Course.

Announcers were quick to berate him about it.

"Disgusting, what he has just done there," said Sky Sports commentator Ewen Murray. "But there are some parts of him that are just arrogant and petulant. Somebody now has to come behind him and maybe putt over his spit. It does not get much lower than that."

The Huffington Post, in addition to posting a video showing Tiger Woods' spittle on the green, reported a derogatory comment issued by comedian Bill Murray regarding the incident, "one of the ugliest things you will ever see on a golf course."

Tiger Woods spitting incident was indeed ugly (did he realize the cameras were on him?) and I noticed that Woods spat a few times during his round but it did not look intentional. Although I'm not defending his actions, he has done it before without receiving a fine; according to Michael Bamberger, on the 18th tee at the Masters, but, as Bamberger defended, due to allergic reactions to the great outdoors.

In stark contrast was Sergio Garcia's intentional blob of goo directed into the bottom of the cup after missing a putt on the 13th green at the 2007 WGC-CA Championship at Doral GC. (If I remember correctly, Tom Lehman was the next to putt.)

Garcia's response showed a lack of class, "Yes I did it," he admitted. "I'm not going to pretend I didn't. But there was nothing to it. I missed a putt and I was not too happy. Don't worry, it [the spit] did go in the middle. It wasn't going to affect anybody else and if it did I would have wiped it off."


Tiger Woods has been tight-lipped about his indiscretion up until now but I hope that he will accept his penalty with grace and polish. (see update, below)

The next question is how closely is the code of conduct and etiquette to be followed in golf?

The European Tour, it appears, will outwardly and staunchly hold to the code of golf remaining a "gentleman's game" (in other words, carry a handkerchief) by issuing a fine but I'm interested in seeing whether or not the PGA Tour follows suit in making expectorating without good reason an etiquette violation.

Or, will it be the fans who start calling into the PGA Tour every time a loogie is dropped?

Tiger Woods Update: I mentioned above that I believed Tiger Woods would show grace under fire...and so he has! Woods stated the following on his Twitter account today:

"It was inconsiderate to spit like that and I know better. Just wasn't thinking and want to say I'm sorry."




Voice your opinion on Golf4Beginners on Twitter
Read more blogs on Golf for Beginners

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

 

Kaymer defense of Tiger Woods honor refreshing but ...

Martin Kaymer is standing up for Tiger Woods before their two-day golf pairing at the Dubai Desert Classic this week, defending the now number three's right to sort out his private life for the sake of the game.

"Tiger shouldn't be getting a hard time," number two golfer in the world, Kaymer, told reporters, declaring that the world of golf should be "thankful" for what Woods has done for it.

Lee Westwood, playing in the pairing with Kaymer and Woods at Emirates Golf Club, may not be defending Woods' honor but understands that Woods still adds excitement to the game, "I'm watching how Tiger is playing. I'm seeing if he's playing well."

Speaking of a great honor, golf fans around the world should congratulate Westwood for being awarded lifetime membership on the European Tour.

George O'Grady, Europe's chief executive, said of Lee Westwood, "the fact that only 12 other players have claimed the position of Number One over a 25-year period speaks volumes for the enormity of his achievement. He has done this through the quality of his golf and sheer force of personality – and is undoubtedly one of our greatest champions."

 
Mickelson has a sword in his hands! Is he looking to depose all three of the world's top golfers? ;-)

credit: MyAvidGolfer.com


Although the top two European Tour golfers are concerned with playing their own game, Kaymer's "fan" status has placed him in a precarious position. The "stars" in Martin's eyes for his teen idol could blind him from a Woods thrashing if Tiger's game rebounds in Dubai. Kaymer believes and insists that Tiger is still "the best player in the game."

Here's the part that could hurt Kaymer's mental game. Kaymer said of Woods, "At the moment, Lee and me, we are Numbers One and Two, but in every golfer's mind, he is the best player in the world."

Kaymer's sensitivity to Woods' plight might also take down his guard.

Still, all Martin Kaymer wants is a fair fight, wishing to go one-on-one with Woods in a Sunday duel.  
May the best golfer win.

What do you think? Voice your opinion on Golf4Beginners on Twitter.

Read Golf for Beginners blogs here.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Tiger Woods vs Phil Mickelson at Torrey Pines? It could happen!

The 2011 PGA Tour season didn't officially begin this week, but with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson debuting at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, expect the pace to ramp up a bit.

Now imagine these two golfers, with everyone anxiously awaiting their return, playing head to head on Sunday! It's a stretch but it could happen and did occur with their "dream pairing" at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Six wins at Torrey Pines for Woods (at the Farmers, one win at U.S. Open) with three for Mickelson show that these two golfers are confident that they made the right decision starting their 2011 PGA Tour season at this golf course.

credit

Should Phil have begun with business as usual at the Bob Hope Classic? With two wins at this event, it might have made a more positive impact than his decision to tune-up in Abu Dhabi.

PGA.com contended that Mickelson "lost interest in recent years when the tournament started moving away from its traditional rotation of golf courses," resulting in his overseas trip to Abu Dhabi where he placed in the 37th spot.

Both Tiger and Phil have expectations of winning at Torrey Pines but it seems that priorities have changed a bit in the past few years: the Tour is now taking a back seat to kids and their lives. Will this impact their respective games?

As Woods said in his press conference today, "The determination hasn’t changed, it just needs to be put into a proper perspective. I went down a path I never should have gone, so my priority is to keep my life in proper balance.”

Is Tiger or Phil more likely to succeed this week at Torrey Pines?
Devil Ball Golf editor Jay Busbee believes that "Tiger seems to be closer to putting it together than Phil."
Fellow writer Shane Bacon concurred adding, "If one of these two are winning this thing, it's Tiger. He's won the last four times he's played in this event, and took down that U.S. Open you might remember on one leg."

First round playing partner Rocco Mediate didn't say whether he felt Tiger Woods could win this week (memories of that 2008 U.S. Open?) but he does believe that Woods could come away with at least four wins this 2011 PGA Tour season.
A third possibility is that both Tiger and Phil struggle through another 2010 stretch and one of the young guns takes center stage. The wrath of Tiger Woods has eased on his playing partners since his winless season and Mickelson never really made anyone feel nervous on the golf course.

Voice your opinion at Golf4Begnners on Twitter

Read more great blogs at Golf for Beginners

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Holes 7-12 with Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Quiros, Stenson

Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Q: How do you make one of the best tournaments on the European Tour schedule even better?

A: Lengthen the course, toughen up the bunkering and bring in one of most innovative sponsors in golf.

Tim Maitland sat down with some of the world’s top players to work out how to plot your way to success at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

A great event is just about to get better. The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the Abu Dhabi Golf Club have produced some great championships and some great champions: Martin Kaymer and Paul Casey, who seem to have taken out a time-share on the trophy, would feature on anyone’s list of Europe’s elite golfers.


In today's golf blog, Tim speaks with a select group of European Tour golfers including Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer about how best to navigate through holes 7-12 of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Hole 7 Par 3 200 yards 182 metres

Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland)

Winner of 2010 US Open Championship at Pebble Beach, California; 2010 Celtic Manor Wales Open and 2010 Andalucia Masters at Valderrama, Spain. Claimed the decisive point to seal Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup win.  

This is an intimidating-looking par three. It’s a 200-yard slightly-downhill shot and you’ve got some rocks at the front of the green sitting up and looking at you. 

It’s an interesting green because the front of it is elevated and the rear of the green is elevated as well. So, it requires a very accurate three to a six iron depending on the wind direction – generally a four or five iron in the prevailing wind – into a bowl shaped green. You’ve really got to just try and beat the front edge. It’s really the hump at the front that you’ve got to be aware of. 

It’s a good hole: a bowl-shaped green and you’ve got to be on the correct side of the pin: you want to be beyond the front pins and short of the back pins. 

The mistake you don’t want to make: It’s a difficult green and you don’t want to go missing this one. You certainly don’t want to short-side yourself. To back flags, over the back is not good and to front flags, short’s not good.

Hole 8 Par 5 597 yards 546 metres

Alvaro Quiros (Spain)

 Winner of the 2010 Open de Espana in Seville, Spain and the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters. One of the longest hitters in the game, in 2008 Alvaro eagled the eighth hole when it was playing into the wind, hitting driver and two iron to 10 feet.

This is a very tight fairway at the end. It’s wide, but it turns left. Most of the time you are hitting it to a very small area. They’ve made it 23 metres longer this year, but before I could hit it straight – I didn’t need to hit it with draw. I just focused on two palm trees on my line, so I would finish just to the left of the bunkers that are at the end of the fairway on the right hand side where it turns. 

It depends how the wind is and the conditions, but if I catch the fairway normally I can hit it in two. If I have a little bit of wind helping I could use a five, four or three iron. Without wind I would say three wood or five wood.

For normal human beings? It’s not that bad a situation for the rest of them, because if you can’t reach the green in two the lay-up is not that tight. They have a simple, comfortable third shot with a 58 degree wedge. These guys are really good with a 58 degree wedge.

Obviously if I can reach the fairway I have an advantage. I definitely have an advantage. 

The green receives the ball on an upslope – this is the good thing – this is why I can hit a long club and stop it easily. It’s not one of those typical holes where you really have to stop the ball quickly. The great thing about the golf course is that normally it is in a perfect condition. Everything on the green can finish in the hole if you hit a good putt. It makes a difference!

The mistake you don’t want to make: No, the eighth is a good hole for me, but the 10^th I have no advantage over there because the fairway becomes very tight at my distance and not for the others.

Hole 9 Par 4 456 yards 417 metres

Rhys Davies (Wales)

Winner of the 2010 Hassan II Golf Trophy Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco.

You know exactly where you are in the world standing on the tee. I think that clubhouse is fantastic! The falcon is a great starting point for this hole: depending a little bit on the wind you’re looking at picking out a point of the wing as an aiming point. The bend in the wing is a good point if you want to take an aggressive line down the right-hand side; otherwise you might favour somewhere slightly further left. 

You try to get a good solid tee shot away, preferably a strong fade, but it’s a hole you could do with a good drive on.

It’s a long par four that often plays into the wind, so you’ve often got a long second shot. It can be a five, four or even a three iron and you’re looking at a slightly angled green. The bunker comes into play on the right hand side of it, particularly when the pin is tucked away in the back, right corner, which it often is on a Sunday of the tournament. You might look to hit a gentle fade and try and run the ball up the length of the green.

The mistake you don’t want to make: Mistake? If you can put the ball into the middle of the green and pin high you’re always going to be happy on this hole. It is a demanding hole; I think it’s one of the tougher ones on the golf course and if you could find the middle of the green four days out of four you’d be very pleased.

Hole 10 Par 5 582 yards 532 metres

Martin Kaymer (Germany)

Defending champions and two-time winner of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Winner of the 2010 Race to Dubai and the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Added two more wins in consecutive tournaments at the 2010 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Scotland and the 2010 KLM Open in the Netherlands. Also claimed the 2010 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.  Member of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup-winning team.

I usually hit driver over the left side of the bunkers at the front of the fairway. They’ve added length to the hole with the new tee, but before if I was on the fairway I would have a chance to go for the green in two, probably with a five wood or three wood. If it’s in the rough, I lay it up, but I’m still going for birdie with the wedge approach.

If I go for the green I find it’s always better to be left of the flag. The bunker to the left of the green is never bad, although they’ve made all the greenside bunkers deeper this year, so we’ll have to see. From there you always used to have a realistic birdie chance. 

The pin positions are normally two in the back and one on the right, so three times it was a realistic birdie chance out of that bunker. If the pin is short left it’s a tough one, so then you’re miss should be the bunker on the right in front of the green.

The priority is to hit the fairway in order to get home in two. Otherwise you lay it up to a comfortable number – for me it would be 95 metres or 100 yards. 

The second year I played here, this was my first hole and I started off with an eagle, so obviously it is possible to make putts here.

The mistake you don’t want to make: On the right side of the green there are some trees and that is obviously the worst place you can be.

Hole 11 Par 4 417 yards 381 metres

Ross Fisher (England)

Winner of the 2010 3 Irish Open at Killarney, Republic of Ireland. Member of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup-winning team.

Eleven is quite a tough par four. It’s not a long hole and you can either hit driver and take on the traps, or you hit something down towards the left-hand trap, probably with a three wood. If you lay-back you’re going at it with anything from a nine iron to a wedge. If you’re a bit more aggressive off the tee, you’re going in with a sand wedge or a lob wedge. 

 I can’t really remember the green that well. From memory there’s a little bit of a tier to the green, but it’s pretty simple, although it’s not the biggest green.

The mistake you don’t want to make: Off the tee you’ve got to put it on the fairway.

Hole 12 Par 3 186 yards 170 metres

Henrik Stenson (Sweden)

Winner of the 2009 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, Florida, the 2007 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic and the 2006 Commercialbank Qatar Masters. Member of European Ryder Cup teams in 2006 and 2008.

It’s a cute little par three. I like the shorter par threes and I think most of the really good par threes around the world are a seven-to-nine iron. I’m not too keen on these three iron par threes. This is one of them. The tough thing is to get close to the back pins. There’s always a pin placed back-right. Other than that you’ve just got your wind direction right and hit a good shot. There’s nothing more to it really.

It would take quite a big miss for any of us to hit it in the water; obviously the bunkers are in play, especially for the back pins. Just as they always put some pins at the back, for sure they will put some pins close to the hump at the front of the green. Especially if it’s playing downhill, that makes it a bit harder to stop the ball. You’ve got to land it just precisely at the front and that little hump can make it tricky as well. 

The mistake you don’t want to make: You would leave yourself a tricky up and down if you go over the back. So get your yardage control, hit a good shot and you should be fine. The worst mistake would be the chunk in the water though. I’ll leave that one for you to make (laughs). 

Ian Poulter in the fairway at Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Thanks again to Tim Maitland for this great interview with European Tour Golfers for the 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship!

2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Holes 1-6
2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Holes 13-18


photo credits: Getty Images/Tim Maitland


How to negotiate holes 13-18 of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club will be seen on Golf for Beginners blog later this week.

Follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter

2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship: Holes 1-6 with European Tour players

Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Q: How do you make one of the best tournaments on the European Tour schedule even better?

A: Lengthen the course, toughen up the bunkering and bring in one of most innovative sponsors in golf.

Tim Maitland sat down with some of the world’s top players to work out how to plot your way to success at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

A great event is just about to get better. The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the Abu Dhabi Golf Club have produced some great championships and some great champions: Martin Kaymer and Paul Casey, who seem to have taken out a time-share on the trophy, would feature on anyone’s list of Europe’s elite golfers.

“I don't know if it can be better than the last few years, because it was always fantastic the way they did it.  But I'm sure HSBC the way they are involved in [the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai] – the way they handle that event – I think that they can improve it still a little bit,” mused Kaymer, the defending champion, who returns to Abu Dhabi with his first Major under his belt. 

“I think HSBC since many years is a huge sponsor of golf, a huge supporter of golf, and for us players, it's always nice to go back to Abu Dhabi, especially for me, the last three times I've played there, I won twice.  But HSBC together with IMG, I am pretty sure they are going to put a fantastic event together,” added the 26-year-old German. 

The falcon, the unique and symbolic clubhouse that stands sentinel as the season starts each year, will watch over an event that is new and improved in every way. The trophy is also in the shape of a falcon!

Firstly, the plain and simple fact of the European Tour’s domination of the 2010 worldwide season – the lion’s share of the Majors, the World Golf Championships and the Ryder Cup – has sparked a debate: I many ways it may well now be the world’s strongest pro circuit. 

The course has had an overhaul; greenside bunkers are deeper and more punishing, the sand traps around the fairways have been added to or strategically altered to further complicate the options off the tee.

And then, joining up with the tournament’s driving force – the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority – you have the new sponsor, whose main target in year one of their involvement is to help enhance the experience for the golf fan and to make the event more accessible and enjoyable for the golf-curious.

“You wouldn’t, as a sponsor, want to make broad, sweeping claims about improving an event as good as this,” said Giles Morgan, HSBC Group Head of Sponsorship.

“But we do have a track record in golf and a reputation for state-of-the-art spectator villages, so it’s a good starting point. We’ll reach out to people and see what we can bring to the golf community and see whether we can bring new people out to enjoy the event.” 

While the world’s local bank may sound modest about its potential impact, the players seem to have fewer doubts that a strong tournament is about to get better.

“It’s happy news!” said Peter Hanson, part of the wining European Ryder Cup team.

“It’s been a strong tournament for a number of years, but hopefully it will be even stronger with HSBC coming in. They definitely make a difference. They’ve proven that in [Shanghai]. I played all of [the HSBC Champions] since the first year in 2005 and that tournament just gets bigger year by year.  The Abu Dhabi golf course is good and we’ve been spoiled staying in one of the best hotels in the world. It’s a favourite week of the year!”

Let's tee off along with the Euro Tour Golfers as they let you in on the secrets of navigating through the Abu Dhabi Golf Course!

Hole 1 Par 4 405 yards 370 metres

David Horsey (England)

Winner of the 2010 BMW International Open in Munich Germany, numberone ranked player on the 2008 European Challenge Tour.

This is a great chance of birdie really. If you hit driver between the traps and down the right side, you’ve got only a wedge into the hole. As you stand on the tee the ideal line is between the right-hand and left-hand traps; it’s about 280 yards to run out into the left-hand trap, which is about my distance, so I just need to keep it in front of that bunker. Some of the flags are quite difficult to get to because they’re cut quite close to the edge of the green, but generally it’s a great birdie chance. The green is quite slopey and you can spin it back to a right-hand flag because there’s a bit of a backstop there. On the left there’s a little hump in the green so, depending on where the flag is, you need to control where the ball bounces and spins.

It’s a great chance to ease yourself into the round.

The mistake you don’t want to make: It’s a nice gentle start, compared to the rest of the course. You can get a bit cute around the greens sometimes: short is dead. You can spin it off the front of the green and end up with a 40-yard pitch shot, but probably the worst you can do on this hole is bogey.

Hole 2 Par 5 600 yards 548 metres

Colin Byrne (Republic of Ireland)

Caddie for Eduoardo Molinari for his 2010 Barclays Scottish Open win and 2010 Ryder Cup

I’d have to say this is a chance. The hole plays shorter than the yardage: the wind is normally helping and the fairway has got a bit of run to it, so if you can get your drive away you can really get it down there. I know 600 yards looks a lot to amateurs, but these guys have got the name on their bag. They don’t usually struggle for distance.

Off the tee the line is the right column of the temporary arch that is usually there in the distance and there are no real tricks to the hole, although there is a new bunker to the left of the landing area this year that might complicate things. 

Even if you get in the rough, there’s a chance of getting a flyer which can actually help you get there in two.

There’s water to the right of the green, but if you can reach it in two you have to go for it even if the green is quite small. Even playing it as a three-shotter, these guys are absolutely deadly with a wedge in their hands. 

The mistake you don’t want to make: I don’t care what anyone else says, you have to think this is a birdie chance.

Hole 3 Par 4 439 yards 392 metres

Simon Khan (England)

Winner of the 2010 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, England

It’s a deceptive hole. This tee moved back two or three years ago. You never used to hit driver. It used to be a three wood over the corner off the forward tee. They moved it back a good 60 yards and you had to hit driver and the bunkers are definitely in play down the left. So you would hit driver at the right-hand trap over 300 yards. Even though it’s downhill you shouldn’t reach that; I don’t reach that. I haven’t seen how the bunker on the right has been reconfigured, but I’m told it’s more in play, so the game-plan might change this year.

It’s a slightly uphill second shot to a really sloping green from back to front and a bit left to right. On a calm day you’re going to have 130 yards to the front, so an eight iron to the back and a nine iron to the middle. When the pin’s back it’s a hard pin to get to.  You’ve got to be quite aggressive to get back there.

The front right pin everyone hits it to the left of the pin [to avoid the bunker on the right side of the green] but then you’ve got a tricky downhill left to right putt, so it’s not one of the toughest holes but it grab you as well. If you hit your tee shot left and because it’s not easy to hole putts. 

The mistake you don’t want to make: The bunkers on the left tempt you a little bit. It dog-legs left and you think you can just hit it over those bunkers, but it’s a big hit to carry over there. Into the green it’s easy to spin the ball back to the front and you’ve got a tough two putt from down there. It’s not the longest hole, but it’s full of danger.

Hole 4 Par 3 174 yards 159 metres

Peter Hanson (Sweden)

Winner of the 2010 Czech Open and 2010 Iberdroia Open Cala Millor Mallorca. Member of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup-winning team.

It’s a great hole; a fantastic hole. If the pin is on the front of the green it’s playing a lot easier than if the pin is at the back. All the pins on the back of the green are a lot more difficult. Normally the prevailing wind is off the right, when we play this hole and it can be pretty strong. You need to hit a seven iron or six iron into the wind. A great hole! It can play so differently difficulty-wise when you move the pin around. The green is covered by bunkers on all sides and they’re even deeper and more difficult this year.

The ridge across the green is big enough that you have to get it up there if the pin is up the back. If you’re playing a little too conservatively and don’t get onto the back level the chance of a birdie putting from front to back is very, very small and you might be looking at a three-putt.

I like the shorter par 3s rather than these 240-yard or 250-yard holes where you’re hitting three woods or three irons. This is about accuracy and about controlling the ball and controlling the flight.

The mistake you don’t want to make: The one place you don’t want to hit it is long. If you hit it into the back bunker you have a very difficult up and down. That’s the big mistake. You’re pitching onto a down slope and that’s why the back pins are so difficult. You’re on a little bit of a top tier and from the back bunker you’re in big trouble.

Hole 5 Par 4 469 yards 428 metres

Fredrik Andersson Hed (Sweden)

Winner of the 2010 BMW Italian Open in Turin

The fifth hole is a really tough one. It’s normally played into the wind (if I remember it correctly) and it’s a long hole with a green that’s quite undulated and tough when you get there. It’s 430 metres long and the wind makes it play more like 460 or so; so it’s a tough par four.

I remember it as a driver-three-iron/driver -four-iron hole. We don’t get tested that often for length – there are a few holes in the world that are really long – but it seems the courses, the new courses, get longer and longer.

You definitely have to be on the right level of the green to make putts, but the middle level is quite big so you can still have a chance to hole a decent putt from a decent distance.

The mistake you don’t want to make: If it’s into the wind you can’t fly the bunker on the left and they’ve added a new bunker in the landing area on the right this year. You have to play down the right, but the closer you get to the left side the shorter your second shot.

Hole 6 Par 4 469 yards 428 metres

Abu Dhabi Golf Course - 6th Hole

Billy “Foz” Foster (England) 

2009 HSBC Caddie of the Year. The other half of Lee Westwood’s rise to world number one; caddied for Lee at the 2010 Ryder Cup. 

I have absolutely no idea about this hole! The one time we played Abu Dhabi Lee missed the cut doing handstands and I can hardly remember this hole! 

It must be selective memory loss. Something like that.

I seem to remember there is water that comes into play down the left and the tee shot sort of snakes to the right. A lot of guys were hitting a three wood off the tee in the region of 270 yards, which would leave probably an eight-iron into the green. Some guys were trying to take it on; being more aggressive, cutting a driver and feeding it down into the neck of the fairway to leave a wedge in. There’s a new tee  and they’ve added a fairway bunker in front of the water on the left so until we see it, it’s hard to know exactly how it’ll play.

Looking at the yardage book, there’s a longer carry to the right side of the green and it breaks from right to left in the middle of the green. It doesn’t look too funky a green.

The mistake you don’t want to make: Driver certainly brings the water into play on both sides off the tee.

Photo credits: Getty Images/Tim Maitland

Golf for Beginners (and Tim Maitland) will bring you hole-by-hole golf tips from European Tour golfers playing in the 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships all this week.

2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships holes 7-12
2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships holes 13-18


Follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter and voice your opinion!