LPGA Tour bottling Evian as major magic potion?

Golf commissioner Mike Whan recently announced the Evian Masters as the official "fifth major" on the LPGA Tour but, before being awarded "Championship status", a few changes needed to be made.


Unaware that the Evian Masters was already considered a major event on the Ladies European Tour schedule with, perhaps, many more fans (and even Tour players, see below) equally unaware, @LETgolf tweeted, and posted a blog, to confirm status on their Tour first:


"The Evian Masters presented by Société Générale, which is already a major on the Ladies European Tour schedule, will become a major championship on the LPGA from 2013 and will be renamed: ‘The Evian’."


In order for the Evian Masters to be "worthy" of major status and of becoming the new "Dinah" on the LPGA Tour, this is what is said will happen:

1. Name Change to "The Evian Championship"
2. Golf course redesign including the "Fantastic Finish" where fans can watch the final four holes from an amphitheater setting
3. Date Change for flow and so it doesn't interfere with the Women's British Open
Hmmm, perhaps a new crystal Evian bottle as the trophy? Will the ladies be encouraged to learn french?

LET golfers, however, believe that this event already has the Kraft Nabisco "fun factor".

Laura Davies, back-to-back Evian Masters winner in 1995 and 1996, described the tournament as “one of the best events of the year on and off the course.”

Lee-Anne Pace, 2010 LET Henderson Money List leader said: “It seems like it is the ’fun’ unofficial major of the year. People are more relaxed and the atmosphere is great.”

Unofficial? Didn't the LET say the Evian Masters was an "official" major event on their schedule?


Mike Whan stated that the schedule inclusion will give the LPGA something that it has been missing for quite some time, "major media, major fan appeal, a major field..."

"The Evian will be a tournament, a location, and an atmosphere that young women will strive to be part of for the next few decades," Whan continued.

Major disagreement! So far, weekend play only will be viewable on network TV, as are the other majors currently on the schedule; the field is already superior and the championship purse already matches with the U.S. Women's Open winnings.


The idea of a fifth major has come under fire by some and has been welcomed by others. Twitter responses, always short and to the point are always the most telling. Here are a few comments based upon hearing the news of a fifth major.

European Tour golfer Francesco Molinari's thumbs moved quickly after hearing the LPGA's plans: "What's all the noise about ladies fifth major? We have five, too. Everybody knows the Italian Open is the fifth major."

@USPuttingTour tweeted, "Quick. What are the other 4?"

In stark contrast, @crossgolfusa tweeted, "Like it. Golf should rest on tradition but not be constrained by it."

Ideas for an Asian major event, perhaps the HSBC Women's Championship, are also under consideration as the LPGA Tour is now dominated with top-level golfers from Japan to China: Ai Miyazato won the 2011 Evian Masters and Yani Tseng currently holds the number one spot on the LPGA money list.

Six majors? It could happen but would it help or hurt the LPGA Tour?

Senior Travel Editor of Golf Digest and Golf World, Matt Ginella, reflects my personal sentiments in a recent tweet:

"For a tour without a lot of tournaments, they sure have a lot of majors."

Voice your opinion on Golf4Beginners on Twitter and on Facebook.


Read Golf for Beginners blogs here.

LPGA Ambassadors on Olympic Golf Mission to Brazil

Three top golfers on the LPGA Tour have decided to become golf ambassadors in order to gain more interest in the sport and to insure future Olympic success.

Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen and Meghan Francella are "on a mission" to Brazil to spread the word about the great golf the LPGA has to offer. The three ladies have committed to play in the HSBC LPGA Brazil Cup at the Itanhanga Golf Club in Rio De Janeiro on May 28/29 partly because golf will be featured in the 2016 Rio Games. The field will be made up of thirty golfers and event purse will be $720,000.


Another reason for Suzann's call to action is because Pettersen was part of the official delegation that successfully presented golf’s "case" to the IOC in Copenhagen sixteen months ago. She believes the HSBC LPGA Brazil Cup has a vital role in growing the popularity of golf in South America before it returns to the Olympic family for the first time since 1904.

Pettersen further said she wanted, "sports fans in Brazil to know who we are and how good we are and we need to build their desire to see us in five years’ time."

More golfers on both the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour should reach out worldwide to grow the game of golf. Greg Norman and Annika Sorenstam attend forums considering ways to attract newcomers and this grass roots approach of going out and gaining fans with the sole purpose of showcasing their talents will go a long way in promoting the sport.

Crisite Kerr said, “This is the biggest single opportunity that women’s golf has ever had! It’s not about who wins the gold medal in five years’ time; it’s about an opportunity to grow and expand the sport more than it has ever grown before"

"We," Kerr maintained, "as the current stars of women’s golf will absolutely kick ourselves if, in ten years time, we can’t look the new young professionals coming through in the eye and say we did everything we could to make being in the Olympics a success. That’s why we need to be in Rio now!”

 
credit: Getty Images

Voice your opinion on Golf4Beginners on Twitter

Read Golf for Beginners blogs

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Ochoa wins Asia's biggest Golf prize, Montgomerie incurs penalty.

Although technically retired, former LPGA golf legend Lorena Ochoa stepped back into competitive golf holding off Colin Montgomerie to win Asia's largest prize at the inaugural Mission Hills Star Trophy event in China this past weekend.

Credit (Alexander F. Yuan / AP)

The international celebrity pro-am golf tournament, held at the new, five-star Mission Hills Resort Haikou on tropical Hainan Island consisted of eighteen teams with one celebrity and a professional. A few notable golfers on the celebrity front included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Grant, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Phelps and Christian Slater. They joined forces with golf heavyweights and Host/Ambassador of the event, Greg Norman along with Annika Sorenstam, Sir Nick Faldo, Rosie Jones, Montgomerie and Ochoa.

In the team event, played in the four-ball stroke play format, LPGA golfer Candie Kung and Hong Kong celebrity Eric Tsang emerged as champions. They added a blistering 63 to yesterday's five-under 68 to finish on 15-under 131 and beat home-town favorites Kong Wei Hai and Ye Zhao Ying by one shot. China pop star Sun Nan and LPGA player Feng Shanshan were another shot behind in third place.

Ochoa and Montgomerie added sizzle to the Mission Hills Golf Tournament staging a seesaw battle all afternoon, with the pair each recording four birdies for the day, swapping the lead on numerous occasions. Montgomerie reached four-under and took a one-shot lead with a ten foot birdie putt on par-four 17th, before making a regulation par-five at the last hole.

However, it was the 2010 Ryder Cup-winning captain, playing two groups in front of Ochoa, who incurred a two-shot penalty after his caddie moved an advertising sign at the par-four 16th. Combined with Ochoa's up and down for birdie at the final hole, Lorena earned a two-shot buffer and the US$1.28 million check.

After winning the trophy, Lorena Ochoa said,

"It was really an amazing day. It was just a case that everything went well over the two days and I was a 100-percent focused on every single shot. I tried to do my best all the time and it paid off.

"I made some great par saves, making some six and ten-foot putts and I think that's why I'm here (as the winner). Right now I'm going to enjoy it, there's no more golf to think about. I'm going to enjoy it and go home really happy."

The Mission Hills Star Trophy was beamed to over 150 countries around the world from Africa to Russia but no golf action seen on United States TV!

The press release that I received mentioned, "The Mission Hills Star Trophy is one of the first major events supporting a government-led initiative to make Hainan a leading international tourism destination in the coming years and reaffirms Mission Hills Haikou as the world's most memorable golf resort."

Note to esteemed broadcaster Terry Jastrow,  veteran Emmy-winning sports producer of sixty-eight golf majors and six Olympic Games during his career and to those people responsible for improving relations and golf initiatives (Mission Hills Group for one?) between Asia and the USA:

In order to introduce Asian golf and the latest resorts and travel destinations in Hainan (and throughout Asia) to the USA, it would have been a good idea to send the television signal out to the millions of golf fans here so that the average fan could watch the tournament. Reading a by-line on the internet and after-the-fact post scripts rarely work as golf is a visual sport.

Check a few of the posts on Sharkwatch.com where Norman fans say, "Wish we could have watched you in action!"  Me too!

Read the latest Golf for Beginners blogs

Follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Can the PGA and LPGA Tour bring Asian golf to the ROW?

The popularity of golf is escalating to a fevered frenzy in Asia but can the PGA and LPGA Tour help bring this emerging market to the rest of the world?

With the WGC-HSBC Champions event combining the talents of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for a possible dream match and Michelle Wie needing a bodyguard to keep fans at bay during the LPGA Malaysia, Asian golf fans are coming out in droves to witness star power in professional golf.

The Asian golf market is relatively unknown here in the USA but has plenty of events during the season sanctioned by the Asian Tour, OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour. It appears as if all of the Tours operate independently of each other instead of combining strength to create one professional commission with larger purses and better known talent. The LPGA has already established the Japan and Korean Tours but the Ladies Asian Golf Tour remains a separate entity.

In July, Tim Finchem made rumblings that there may be more PGA Tour events springing up in China, Japan and Korea. Currently there are two such events; the inaugural Asia Pacific Classic in Malaysia (co-sanctioned by both the PGA Tour and Asian Tour) and the HSBC-WGC event in Shanghai.

In other words, if you can't bring the Asian Tour to the USA, bring the action of the PGA Tour to Asia.

Although the number of Asian golfers is "increasing in the majors" as Tim Clark has mentioned, Ernie Els doubts that golfers will make the long trip to the region. This, in my opinion, may keep Asian golf segmented from the rest of the world.

"It's a very long way from the U.S. to Asia so any more golf tournaments over here," said Els. It's going to be tough for players to travel. They have a full schedule anyway in the U.S. but it will be interesting to see what the commissioner [Tim Finchem] thinks about it."

Luke Donald has agreed with Els adding that more events on the PGA Tour roster may make the field "a little bit diluted." On the flip-side, Donald sees golf as global adding, that "people want to see the U.S. players playing in Malaysia, China or Japan"

"New events like this tend to increase fan support for the game and create awareness that there are great places around the world to play golf in."

Even though every win still counts and the event money is good, the Asian Swing might deter golfers because of the distance to travel. On the flip side, the Asia-Pacific Classic has a very solid group making the trip: the top twenty-five players on the FedEx Cup standings along with the top ten golfers from the Asian Tour and five sponsor exemptions for a select group of forty will play in this week's event.

Adding the star power of Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis to the region for last week's LPGA event in Malaysia will also help gain momentum for an Asian Swing. With all of the professional Tours working together to bring golf into the region by coinciding their events, this Asian Swing can be a success for the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Asian Tours and most importantly, the fans and the growth of golf.

Also read about golf supremacy in Russia?

Follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Natalie Gulbis cooks on Celebrity Apprentice

Could Natalie Gulbis, LPGA super-golfer, become the next Celebrity Apprentice?

Donald Trump's latest attempt at capturing viewers includes a cook-off with Gulbis and the possibility of catfights with Deal or No Deal's Claudia Jordan, filling the show with more surprises than the recent bankruptcy deal which Trump Casino filed and, in a huff, the Donald walked away from. No bailouts here!

Expect other players in the mix like Dennis Rodman, Herschel Walker and double-threat Melissa and Joan Rivers to add to the mayhem! Andrew Dice Clay looked like he was even sassing "the Donald" in a recent advertisement which means that this show is really digging deep to come up with greater commercial success. Trump tried once in 2007 to rally publicity with a Rosie O'Donnell feud but ratings slumped to an all-time low which showered the television reality show premiere of Grease with more viewers, and that turned out to be a prime-time bomb!

Has Donald Trump assembled the most creative cast of characters yet or is he just searching for ratings? If this show survives, perhaps he should seek out Michelle Wie for a tryout? She may need the job if her new career in the LPGA doesn't come to fruition!

Does Michelle Wie version 2.0 still have glitches and is Tiger Woods too tired for golf?

Click here to listen.

With LPGA Tour card in hand, Michelle Wie is presenting the upgraded version of herself to fans this week at the SBS Open. You might even consider her "M.W. version 2.0", but don't expect any new surprises as she still remains the same golfer but in a shiny new package.

Although her parents have allowed her a bit of wiggle room by allowing Wie to live on campus they still maintain ultimate control, living close by and even following her around in a cart three times a week during practice sessions. She alleges that she's "to the point where I don't care what other people think of me, if they think I'm weird or something" which obviously means she is still concerned about the opinions of others. The now nineteen-year-old Wie is also probably fearing what may happen to her endorsements if she should not succeed on the LPGA Tour. Yes, Michelle Wie has demons that she needs to exorcise in order to successfully play in the zone and make a name for herself among her peers.

In other words, the computer desktop may have a new theme but bugs in the operating system need to be fixed before she can successfully release this new edition.



On a more positive note, Wie will get a kickstart in Hawaii in an event which, as a fifteen-year-old amateur, nailed her a tie for second place. Michelle has finally secured her Tour card, validating her ability to play by the rules and, for at least the start of the season, she is the darling of the LPGA, offering Golf Channel shows like Grey Goose 19th Hole plenty of fodder with Carolyn Bivens agreeing to sit in as a featured guest this week.

One question to consider over the upcoming season is, will MW's "play-whenever-you-want" ideology prove successful or detrimental to the new star of the LPGA Tour?

Golf for Beginners also wonders if Tiger's stamina during practice will improve with the addition of newborn Charlie Axel or will the world's number-one golfer fall prey to late-night feedings?

Congrats to the Woods family!

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.

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

Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by OrlandoGolf.com, 866-443-8566.

Photo Credit: © Golf Digest

Michelle Wie ditches Stanford for LPGA Tour; Bivens celebrates. Also, unusual golf rules and easy driver drills

Click here to listen.

"I finally feel like I really earned it!" claimed a relieved Michelle Wie after realizing that she had, in fact, secured a place on the LPGA Tour for the 2009 season. This time there was no exemption, no secure feeling that Wie would just arrive and everyone would cater to her every whim. Michelle was on her own and at the end of a grueling week it felt as liberating as "high school graduation".

Wie has clearly been offered the easy route throughout her career but that isn’t necessarily the best way to attain a goal. It can make you soft, easily distracted and can weaken your determination, as it did to Michelle, being given fifty-three exemptions over the past seven years as well as contracts through Sony, Nike and Omega.

Her drive was replaced with crybaby fits, deciding how best to leave an event and how to blame everyone but herself if the weather or the situation was uncooperative. She was young, claimed the media, urging golf afficionados to be patient and watch as she blossomed into maturity.

Now a new grown-up Wie is emerging, hoping that the ladies of the LPGA Tour who have scorned her in the past will be a bit more accommodating now that she has gone the proper route. She intends to work hard and is "looking forward to people having that high expectation of me."

David Leadbetter made mention that Wie would stick with the LPGA Tour and would not participate in men’s events for at least a few years. Michelle countered his opinion by stating, "I still definitely want to pursue that." It’s not a bad thing to want something but it is in Michelle’s best interests right now to concentrate on the task at hand; that is, making a name for herself on the LPGA Tour.

Carolyn Bivens attempted to maintain her composure mentioning some of the other great players who are going to improve the visibility of the 2009 LPGA Tour. Although Q-School medalist Stacy Lewis was prominently mentioned as she should be, and Michelle Wie’s name was deliberately left off until the end, it was understandable how Bivens must feel relieved that the new year should bring a bevy of deals to the ailing tour.

Perhaps Bivens, Leadbetter and Wie should take this quote to heart by Alexander Pope who stated, 'Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed'.

This week on our Golf for Beginners show we congratulate Michelle Wie on her LPGA Tour accomplishment with Barry cynically querying if PGA Q-School is next for the recent "graduate". We also have some great golf tips from the PGA website on how to drive the ball better and some unusual rules we found in the 2008-11 Golf Rules Quick Reference Guide.


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.

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

Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by San Diego Golf Central, 866-825-4094.

Photo Credit: © Zimbio.com


Don’t forget to check out our Holiday golf gift-giving guide!

Sorenstam, Inkster see future of LPGA in fortune cookie. Also, Your golf swing could hinge on these tips

Click here to listen.

China, food for thought?

In addition to keeping up with Russia and the U.S.A. with a newly developed missile system, China is also intent upon improving their visibility in the golf world and proving, as Annika Sorenstam said, that the LPGA is becoming a "global tour".

Shanshan Feng, the only Chinese player on the LPGA Tour (so far) believes that, "China can become another Korea for golf. I believe so. Maybe not now but in the future." In order to familiarize China as a golf destination, Feng, in the final round this week, even wore a shirt with a red China map on it.

Go China! The Empire is alive and well. The force is definitely with them.

Don't underestimate the growth of golf in Korea and Japan either, two countries who are hosting the 'triple-play' of this month's venture into Asian territory. This past week, out of a sixty-three player field, two-thirds were of Asian descent with over fifty of the ladies appearing in the upper crust of the LPGA money list.



What does this mean for the LPGA Tour? Juli Inkster contends that, instead of forcing the girls to learn English (as was the intent of Ms.Bivens) and suspending them if they did not, perhaps a more subtle approach is needed.

Inkster's thought is that an experienced golfer should play in their foursome to show them how it's done. As the seasoned veteran mentioned, "If I get four Korean men in this pro-am, even though I don't speak their language, I'm going to make it fun for them."

And fun is the name of the game as Sorenstam learned during the pro-am. Even though an interviewer mentioned the men were "depressed" over the way Sorenstam hit the ball longer and straighter than they did, she managed to do what is done in every part of the world when it comes to golf...create business opportunites for herself on the course. Annika shared some of her "secrets" with the guys (one a big developer stated Sorenstam) in a possible exchange for the opportunity to build a course in Asian territory. As Annika divulged, she "was trying to throw my name into the pool, and we'll see."

Only time will tell if this will be good for the LPGA Tour. If sponsorships favor Asian interests, Korea, China and Japan could very well form their own mini-tour taking both American and Asian hopefuls with them by making purses more attractive and keeping the LPGA out of the loop.

The European Tour is starting to offer bigger prize money right now and PGA Tour stars like Phil Mickelson are gung-ho at the prospect. Only time will tell.

All I can say is thank goodness Michelle Wie is both Korean and American! She may keep the LPGA alive!

Golf for Beginners also gives sound advice about one of the most important parts of your swing, the wrist hinge.


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.


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

Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages, 1-866-444-0992.


Photo Credit: © Seoul Sisters

Furyk Clinches Ryder Cup for USA, Mickelson disappoints and Wie advances. Golf Magazine's "How to Hit Every Shot"

Click here to listen.

It was hard not to notice the dejected expression in the eyes of Anthony Kim on Saturday after his teammate, Phil Mickelson, blew his putt on the seventeenth hole to lose to Stenson and Wilson. Kim's outstretched hand failed to find Mickelson's even though earlier pairings found the team of Kim/Mickelson to be a solid one.

Kim's victory against Garcia on Sunday proved that it was Mickelson who was the taildragger for Team USA. I understand that Phil is interested in obtaining his European Tour card. I say, let's trade Lefty to Team Europe in 2010 for Justin Rose!

By the way, since July, Mickelson's estate has been up for sale. A sign of things to come? Golf has been very, very good to me!

Jim Furyk impressed the crowd although, if I was Jimenez, I don't think I would have given him that final three-footer for the win.

In addition to our Ryder Cup wrap-up, Golf for Beginners also discusses the new book from Golf Magazine entitled, "How to Hit Every Shot." This glossy is a follow-up to their top-selling title, GOLF: The Best Instruction Book Ever!, and offers assistance for difficult shots with the aid of the Top 100 Instructors. The "restricted backswing" tip, for example, is one you probably have never even heard of and is worth a try!

Finally, we talk about current and future stars of the LPGA Tour, Anna Rawson and Michelle Wie. Where Wie didn't stand out from the crowd of female golfers this week she certainly did what was necessary to get the job done and move on to Q-School finals.

Move over Natalie Gulbis! With her rookie year on the LPGA Tour less eventful than her status of being one of the "Sexiest Women Golfers","Anna Rawson should probably be more interested in stardom than golf. Instead of relying on her golf swing, and with only $50k made from the Tour, Rawson has been setting herself up in the world of fashion, as a golf writer and now has made it possible to hear from all of those swooning fans who pant when they see her in a bikini!

We reveal her cell phone number on this week's show and let you know which other stars want to hear what is on your mind!





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.

Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! and check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by MyrtleBeachGolf.com, 866-409-2177.


Photo Credit: © Fred Vuich/SI.

No stopping Asian invasion on LPGA Tour believe Inkster, Ochoa. Also, look down go down and turn bad shots into new opportunities

Click here to listen.

Golfers Lorena Ochoa and Juli Inkster are struggling to keep up with the influx of hard-hitting Asian women entering the LPGA Tour. Players from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea flooded the top of the Ricoh Women's British Open leaderboard this weekend with only one American, Cristie Kerr, noticeable in a high-ranking position.

There were always foreigners ensconced in the LPGA Tour. Many of the ladies play amateur golf here while attending school. So what's all the fuss about Asians sharing the spotlight?

Well, for one thing, a bogey-free round with six birdies is a tough act to follow. Even number-one seed, Lorena Ochoa, is starting to worry. "Now we can see that the Asian Tour is becoming very strong," Ochoa mentioned. "The top players are coming to the States and they can also win in the States. Before it was a different story."

Mexico's Ochoa was the "Lady of the Lake" at the Kraft Nabisco, Taiwan's Yani Tseng grabbed the LPGA Championship, Korea's Inbee Park took the U.S. Women's Open and now Ji-Yai Shin, also from Korea, easily won the British Open. Where are all of the American hopefuls?

Juli Inkster is double the age of some of the latest LPGA entrants and is feeling the heat. Although she led the Open in the first round, the American slid behind ninth place finishers, Creamer and Gulbis, on Sunday. "They're all coming," Inkster noticed. "And it's not stopping either."

With Annika Sorenstam stepping down, could Inkster be far behind? Furthermore, is this "new era" helping or hurting the LPGA Tour's television presence? With venues in jeopardy for the 2009 season, perhaps the LPGA should be looking towards Suzuki, Toyota or Honda for an influx of much needed revenue.

Dave Hollander believes that the advent of the 'Wilhelmina 7' will add much needed "exposure" to the floundering Tour. Adding an Asian golfer to the lineup could successfully incorporate these women into the fold while introducing them as a viable asset to the Tour.

Ji-Yai Shin, ranked number one on the KLPGA, originally planned her future in Japan but just received an invite to join the LPGA Tour. "I want to play here, because very big tournaments...and great players,'' she said. "Yeah, I want to play here."

In addition to a discussion on the influx of Asian golfers on the LPGA Tour, Golf for Beginners talks about our weekend round at Casperkill. A positive attitude and the ability to turn bad shots into golden opportunities were our targets as we navigated the course. Find out what we had to pull out of our bags to accomplish our goals!

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!
Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by GolfCanadasWest.com 877-323-3633

Photo Credit: © North Point Photo, Campeonato, Jamd, Scoregolf.

Can Michelle Wie save the LPGA? Also, one way to conquer a troublesome course and can Stacy bring team spirit to stroke play?

Click here to listen.

Michelle Wie didn't make the cut and received no exemptions for the Ricoh Women's British Open this week so what does she do? She shrugs it off and goes Tour-hopping, increasing the box-office revenue at the Reno-Tahoe Open instead!

With a star-studded list of PGA Tour professionals attending the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, tournament directors at the B-List event realized that offering a precious exemption to a relative unknown was tantamount to television suicide, so why not offer the golden ticket to the princess of DQ's and MC's?

Add to that the last minute entry of David Duval and you have a recipe for the highest ratings ever on a Sunday. Could you imagine a final round pairing of Duval and Wie? That's like Frankenstein going head-to-head with Godzilla in a celebrity death match!

With the LPGA struggling to keep several of its its events alive for 2009, it would be a wise idea for Carolyn Bivens to consider giving Michelle Wie a full-blown exemption for the new season. The Ginn Company, primarily a real-estate business, pulls the strings to the tune of $25 million over four yearly events on the circuit. A restructuring due to a downturn in the economy means that the Ginn Tribute will be out of the loop next year. The Safeway, the Fields Open and the SemGroup Championship have also backed out their support of the Tour.

A lack of television exposure doesn't help either, making the climate ripe for Michelle Wie to earn her weight in gold!

This week Golf for Beginners addresses television dynamo Michelle Wie, and whether or not it was a good idea for her to jump ship, leaving the LPGA for greener pastures.

Last week we discussed the three steps to go from beginner to winner. Taking Barry's advice, I wound up winning a team best-ball event, posting a terrific score at Branton Woods in the process. Find out how I did it!

Finally, I offer Barry an easy way to defeat Hudson Hills golf course, where blow-up holes abound.

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!
Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by Grand Bahama Vacations 1-800-422-7466

Inkster, Creamer insist practice makes perfect, Lorena Ochoa just wants to have fun. Buried lies and easy to avoid DQ Rules

Click here to listen.

Although an announcer during the U.S. Women's Open mentioned Young Kim's swing thought of "fairways and greens", it's much easier to think it than it is to bring it to fruition. The simple practice of envisioning what you want to achieve is sometimes the key to a positive round.

Basically, if you think happy thoughts, chances are you won't throw your seven-iron in anger!

On the flip side, the average weekend duffer tends to clutter his mind with either what he has learned or needs to practice instead of a simple meditation geared to a positive outlook. The result tends to aggravate instead of calm.



With the golf season being in "full swing", Golf for Beginners looks at the thought processes of LPGA golfers during a major tournament. Don Huebscher asked several of the brightest stars on tour their thoughts in the heat of the moment and what helpful hints they can offer to weekend warriors after an encounter during the pro-ams.

Is regular practice more important to a solid round than a good mental game?

We also discuss gnarly grass which thoroughly surrounded my golf ball this week and how I managed to get out of it. With superintendents allowing longer rough on the Publinks, it's really important to learn how to get out quickly, take your "medicine" and get your ball back in play.

Finally, we mention a couple of simple DQ rules you might take for granted.


Send 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.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!
Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by GolfCanadasWest.com 877-323-3633

Photo Credit: AP Photo by Lynne Sladky

PGA Tour needs Mickelson, Bivens says LPGA prospers without Wie, Tom Watson says don't be a slouch and how to proceed when your ball is unfit for play

Click here to listen.



Jeff Quinney patiently stalked Phil Mickelson during the final round of the Northern Trust Open, waiting perhaps for Lefty's golf club to become entangled in the kikuya grass or for Mickelson to erupt as with his eleven last week. Four birdies over a six-hole stretch for Quinney placed Lefty in a precarious position leaving the possibility of another playoff and yet another close call.


Mickelson is used to hanging tough, but rarely for making a charge and instilling fear into his opponents.

Instead, Mickelson watched as the tables turned and Quinney fell to pieces, bogeying four of his final six holes at Riviera. It might have taken Phil longer to come out of his winter cocoon but the results couldn't have come at a better time.

Still, the "I can beat Phil" mentality makes any tournament in which Lefty contends exciting and that is precisely why the PGA Tour needs Phil Mickelson.

In contrast to the interesting faces on the men's tour, Carolyn Bivens claims that the rising stars of the LPGA are enough to sustain it without Michelle Wie's assistance.



"The fate of the LPGA doesn’t rise or fall with any one woman, and that includes Michelle." voiced an emphatic Bivens last month.


But, like Phil Mickelson, Michelle Wie is exciting to watch. Whether she's up or down, heading for an 88 or mixing it up with Annika Sorenstam, golf fans will tune in to an LPGA Tour event not as much to watch Morgan Pressel or Paula Creamer but to see what commotion will come from the Wie Camp. This week's Fields Open should prove very interesting as to the emotional and physical state of Michelle Wie.

Golf for Beginners podcast this week questions the success of the LPGA Tour without Michelle Wie. Can Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa maintain the ratings that Wie can achieve? We also discuss Rule 5-3 from the Rules of Golf which deals with the replacement of a damaged golf ball. Tom Watson posture tips rounds off this week's popular internet radio 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! Coming soon
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 Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations and Florida Golf Travel.

Mickelson answers putting question, Tiger Woods tenaciously scrambles. Also, Laura Davies doubts Michelle Wie's mental state. And, Odyssey XG Two-Ball

Click here to listen.

My Odeo Channel (odeo/401119bca2a25dfb)

It's easy to see why professional golfers become distracted when Tiger Woods is somewhere in the pack. If he's only a few strokes back, chances are his resolve will carry him to victory. That is precisely what happened this weekend at the Dubai Desert Classic.

On the flip side, no one seems to be afraid of Phil Mickelson.

J.B. Holmes' memories of a 2006 victory at the FBR Open was all he needed to maintain his purpose for this year's event. And, the claim to fame that he beat Mickelson was also a good incentive.

Phil's putter let him down once again claiming that a misread putt and a few that "slid by the edge" contributed to a playoff. Although Butch Harmon has been working with Mickelson on his 150-yard approach shots, Lefty found that his golf ball wasn't as close to the hole as was Na's. That must have also frustrated him.

This week on our Golf for Beginners podcast we discuss Mickelson's views from the putter. Is it better to keep your eyes over, or behind, the ball?

We also talk about how the amateur golfer can use Tiger Woods' scrambling ability and tenacity to improve your own game.

****************************************

Michelle Wie takes center stage once again as she receives an exemption to the Fields Open. Has her physical injury healed? Has her mental game improved? All questions will be answered in two weeks.

Is Michelle Wie ready for 2008?

Laura Davies believes that psychological damage that Michelle Wie endured from playing golf in men's tournaments will take a year to heal. She also thinks that her own game is ready for the next level, affirming that this is her year to dominate the LPGA Tour..and that includes toppling Lorena Ochoa! At least Davies understands what it takes to win, but, at forty-four years old and with a plethora of new stars on the horizon as well as Annika Sorenstam back in form, the LET star is going to have her hands full.


****************************************

The Odyssey two-ball putter has become a mainstay on the PGA Tour. From professional golfers to amateurs, all gain assistance from the golfball-sized white discs on top of the clubface which help align a ball to its target.

Where the design was initially unusual, the technology which offered exceptional resiliency and performance became the mainstay of Odyssey's line-up of putters. And, with the introduction of the elasticore multi layer insert technology, the advancements are noticeable.

With the introduction of the Divine Line of putters designed specifically for women, I wondered if I would notice a difference between the new White Hot XG and the Divine, or if one should rely on a putter's performance predominantly based upon the length of its shaft?

This question, and more, are answered in our golf podcast.


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.

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

Photo Credit: © Art By Grant.Photo Credit: © Cartoon Stock.Photo Credit: © ESPN.

Nike begs Michelle Wie, Just Do It...PLEASE! Also, golf tips for body rotation and wrist hinge

Click here to listen.


Although Nike is still standing behind Michelle Wie even after her horrendous showing at the Samsung World Championships, her agent, Greg Nared, apparently has parted company with both Wie and the William Morris Agency.

It is understood that an agent who quits is quite common, but, in my opinion, Nared should be given a raise for hanging around Camp Wie for as long as he did (one year, so far her worst!). He consulted with Wie on the sixteenth hole of the Ginn Tribute where Wie was dangerously close to an all-time high score of 88 and I'm sure he was also mulling about his decision as Wie showed a thirty-six stroke difference between her score and winner Lorena Ochoa's final tally. The William Morris Agency, unfortunately, cannot shake Wie from its roster as the parental units would only sign with the agency if the contract was not based upon Wie's performance.

At least Michelle Wie was proud of herself "for not giving up this whole week". I wonder if Nared feels the same way.

Carolyn Bivens' optimistic belief in Wie makes me feel that she should manage a career which is currently winless in forty-one pro women's events. "It was unrealistic to expect any player, at any age, to enter the LPGA and dominate right away," the LPGA Commissioner stated. "… It's way too early to give up on her, and it's way to early to know what kind of career she will have."


Besides our Michelle Wie summation, Golf for Beginners also offers up some easy golf tips on the pivot and the wrist hinge, two essential parts of your golf swing.


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. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

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

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

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

Mickelson surpasses Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie proves publicity trumps merit, easy slice fixes and other quick tips

Click here to listen.



While watching the Deutsche Bank Championship final round, I had an unsettling feeling that Phil Mickelson was going allow his lead to slip away as soon as Tiger Woods began his ascent. Isn't that his modus operandi when placed in a pressure-cooker situation?

Tiger's pawprints were never felt as his putter let him down and Mickelson remained in control going head-to-head with "the great one" despite his double bogey "miscalculation" at the twelfth hole. With Phil now leading in the FedEx Cup standings, could he snatch the ten million dollar purse from Woods, considered to be the favorite for this cup? Maybe Woods could use a bit of help from Butch Harmon! Surely a secret or two about Phil could help Tigers' cause, or could it?

This week, Golf for Beginners cheered Mickelson to victory. We also discuss (click to listen) the interest the new 2008 HSBC Womens Champions event has in Michelle Wie, offering her an exemption in spite of the fact that all of the women golfers were offered a position based on their top-thirty status. I'll bet that ticks off more than a few of the qualifiers! Michelle has no victories but she does have what the tournament desperately needs; that is, a wealth of publicity. We therefore ask the question, "Does publicity trump merit?"

There are a few factors to consider while making your decision. For example, this event will be held in Singapore where the mention of MW's name is followed by swooning kids and more television cameras than those that cover stateside LPGA events. The event is new and the publicity could help several women's tours with the results trickling past the Duramed Futures Tour and Asian Tours even, one day, as deep as the amateur level.

The winner would also be crowned "Champion of Champions" as in the HSBC Men's event scheduled in November in which Phil Mickelson pledged to attend (more important than next week's BMW Championship?) Wouldn't it be interesting for MW to finally win this crown, putting all doubts of her ability to rest? As Barry likes to point out about Michelle Wie, "you'll see her name at the top of the leaderboard. All you have to do is flip it upside down!"

An invite to Leewood Country Club over the weekend prompted us to offer up a few golf tips from our round. We discuss the dreaded slice (who doesn't have trouble with this problem?) as well as sidehill lies and fixes for when you find the thick rough.


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. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

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

This podcast is supported by Golf Canada's WestMyrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

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

Is Michelle wie delusional, lag putt debate and how to hit fairway woods from different lies

Click here to listen.


As Lorena Ochoa's star rises and her mental game grows stronger, Michele Wie's game continues to decline. The problem is that Michelle does not notice that she is on this slippery slope. She actually believes that her game is better than it really is! For example, when Wie missed the cut this week at the Safeway Classic, she actually thought that she was playing well and didn't really understand how her score didn't reflect her ability. As Michelle queried, "I felt like I didn't shoot this bad. But, like I say, the score didn't show how I played today."

Is Wie deluding herself into believing that she is still very much "in the game" or is she just putting up a facade for the cameras?

Can it really be just a single year since Michelle Wie admirably challenged the ladies on tour, finishing among the top five in three major events? Is this the same teenager who thumbed her nose up at the LPGA, believing that her future would be better served playing against the men on the PGA Tour? I'm not really sure if the LPGA would even want her to sign up at this point in her career!

Even websites devoted to Michelle Wie have stopped her promotion. There hasn't been an entry on Wieblogging.com since May (nothing to write about?) and although hometown newspapers like The Honolulu Adviser and websites like MissMichelleWie.comstrive to show Wie in the best possible light, it is becoming evident that there is little good news left to print about her golf game.

This week on Golf for Beginners, we discuss Michelle Wie's latest missed cut at the Safeway Classic and also offer a number of great golf tips from tee to green. Our disccusion on the lag putt should not be missed!

Congratulations to both Lorena Ochoa for her third win in a row and to Steve Stricker for his success at the Barclays! Here is a link to ease any confusion about the FedEx Cup.

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. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

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

This podcast is supported by Golf Canada's WestMyrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

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

Does Michelle Wie stand a chance at the U.S. Women's Open, dealing with adversity, proper drop technique and more!

Click here to listen.


Lorena Ochoa will be heading into the 2007 U.S. Women's Open exuding confidence after her sudden-death victory at the Wegman's LPGA this past weekend. She has also successfuly knocked Annika Sorenstam off of her perch as the number-one golfer in the Rolex Rankings. Congratulations Lorena!

Michelle Wie will also be in attendance at the Open (since this Golf for Beginners broadcast was produced) but we believe, with less self-assurance than in previous years. Wie has decided to skip the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic due to the length of the course so it is uncertain how she will fare at Pine Needles. Confidence is everything in a match-up where ladies like Ochoa and Kraft Nabisco winner, Morgan Pressel, are tuning up their games seeking the coveted title.

Barry and I offer you our predictions this week as to whom we feel has the right stuff to hoist the trophy.

We also discuss how we fared on our rounds and the lessons we have learned from them. Barry and I played about two holes of twilight golf when darkness appeared and the sky opened up. The following day, both of us played in different groups. My foursome included a guy who tried to teach me the game in the middle of my swing. The game lies in your mental fortitude, folks!

During Barry's round, one playing partner had to take a drop but did so improperly. He could have received a one-stroke penalty had Barry known this Rule of Golf for proper drop technique. You can't be expected to know every rule, so keep a copy of the book in your golf bag.

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!

Michelle Wie "Dancing with the Stars" at the Samsung, hybrid tip and an email asks lefty or righty?

Click here to listen.

Will Michelle Wie accept an invitation to the Samsung World Championship in October, "Dancing with the Stars" of the LPGA's finest?

The PGA Tour's John Deere Classic is also awaiting a response from Wie, B.J. Wie that is, to confirm her status in yet another PGA Tour event. In the interim, swing coach David Leadbetter is probably wishing that he hadn't mentioned Wie's possibility to "commit herself" to the women's tour.

She has the right stuff and everyone, including Golf for Beginners, wish that she would take the step from competitor to winner. We offer Wie a mental game tip from Dr. Robert K. Winters, a sports psychologist whose tip we found on the David Leadbetter website.

We follow up with a discussion of the hybrid, how efficient it is compared to long irons and how to use ball position and proper setup to maximize each shot you take with it. You may never use a three-iron again!

Finally, a beginner asks what golf clubs she should purchase, left or right-handed?

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!