PGA TOUR Expands Content Through NBC, CBS, ESPN+

PGA Tour connects with ViacomCBS, Comcast/NBC Sports Group, The Walt Disney Company’s ESPN+ - TOUR will significantly expand its content offerings. LPGA will also receive expanded exposure.

In my experience, golf beginners are so absorbed with all aspects of the game that they tend to flip to every event they can find, whether it be on television, or on the web. As you become more of a player, experience tends to lend itself more towards playing the game and watching the higher-level tournaments.

Whatever your desire, if you are itching to watch more golf on TV, the PGA Tour is now going to make it easier than ever to find content. The below press release describes the current portfolio-building efforts of the PGA Tour.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marking the culmination of a long-term strategic planning process designed to best serve fans through traditional broadcast, Over-the-Top streaming (OTT) and emerging technologies, the PGA TOUR today announced its new nine-year domestic media rights portfolio for 2022-2030.

“Following a comprehensive process of studying the market, talking to all interested parties and analyzing our various options, we’re excited to announce that we have entered into new agreements with our existing partners ViacomCBS and Comcast/NBC Sports Group, while establishing a new long-term relationship with Disney and ESPN+,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.

“We were extremely pleased with the interest we received from the market – both with incumbents and other media companies – and are excited that our current partners shared our vision for the future, and we are equally excited to be back in business with Disney and ESPN+.  These new deals will be a major win for our fans, bringing an elevated commitment from all three partners to help us expand and innovate our content and its delivery.”

Financial details will not be disclosed, but Monahan continued, “The nine-year deals will put us in a position to significantly increase player earnings, deliver more value to our tournaments and sponsors, and ultimately allow us to continue to grow our charitable footprint. Additionally, we are now able to reinvest in our sport in a way never before possible, including production, personnel and technology, and are well positioned to best serve and grow our fanbase in the years to come.”

Broadcast & Cable Television
CBS and NBC will maintain weekend coverage of most FedExCup tournaments, with CBS averaging 19 events and NBC eight events each season through the life of the agreements. Under the new schedule, one network will televise all three FedExCup Playoffs events each year, starting with NBC in 2022 and generally alternating with CBS, creating powerful, three-week coverage of the conclusion of the race for the FedExCup.

NBC Sports Group also will continue as the TOUR’s cable partner, with GOLF Channel providing all early-round coverage and early weekend coverage of every FedExCup event each season, along with PGA TOUR Champions and the Korn Ferry Tour. Further strengthening the ties, the TOUR and NBC Sports will expand their collaborative content and programming relationships.

Another central component of the new agreements will see the PGA TOUR assume responsibility of the onsite production area and technical infrastructure each week, enabling the TOUR to more efficiently aggregate, distribute and develop content for its various platforms worldwide. CBS and NBC will still use their own production and announce teams, led by their producers, directors and production personnel.

Additionally, the TOUR and its media partners will collaborate on creating more sponsorship and marketing opportunities, inside and outside PGA TOUR golf coverage, including access to the vast resources of ViacomCBS, Comcast/NBC Sports Group and Disney and ESPN+.

“We’re excited to extend NBC Sports’ historic partnership with the PGA TOUR as its foundational media partner.  We will continue to utilize our extensive platforms to showcase golf with unparalleled live tournament coverage, comprehensive news and high-quality content. Golf is a part of NBCUniversal’s DNA across our broadcast, cable, streaming and digital properties – nowhere more so than GOLF Channel,” said Pete Bevacqua, President, NBC Sports Group. “With more live golf coverage than all other U.S. media companies combined, our relationship with the PGA TOUR also includes THE PLAYERS and Presidents Cup, as well as elevating the PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry TOUR and LPGA Tour via our world-class coverage.”

“Extending our successful long-standing relationship with the PGA TOUR was a top priority and we are thrilled to add nine more years to this terrific partnership” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “As the PGA TOUR’s primary broadcast network, we are excited to showcase over two-thirds of all broadcast network coverage of the PGA TOUR, expand our schedule with all three FedExCup Playoffs events in alternate years, and to increase our use of PGA TOUR content across all CBS Sports platforms, with even more expansive content exclusivity.  For over 60 years the PGA TOUR, its tournaments and sponsors have been outstanding partners. We look forward to many more years of growth and success together.”

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+
For the first time, the TOUR’s digital rights were negotiated concurrently with its linear offering and will have a new, exciting, direct-to-consumer home: ESPN+.  As a result of the new agreement, PGA TOUR LIVE – the TOUR’s subscription video service that was launched in 2015 – will live exclusively on ESPN+ beginning in 2022 and will be dramatically expanded to include multiple live content channels nearly every week of the FedExCup season.

Jimmy Pitaro, President, ESPN and co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks said, “We are looking forward to working with the PGA TOUR to bring current and future golf fans the next generation of TOUR coverage. ESPN+ will offer golf fans unprecedented access and storytelling at an incredible value on the industry’s leading sports streaming platform.”

Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer, PGA TOUR added, “The relationship with Disney and ESPN+ gives the TOUR the opportunity to expand and diversify audiences and the TOUR and ESPN will work together to bring new and unique content to our fans.”

ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN, has grown quickly to reach 7.6 million subscribers (as of February 3, 2020) and the new relationship will provide a significant growth opportunity for PGA TOUR content via ESPN+’s digital reach, innovative platform and young and diverse audience. 

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will bring fans more access to the 30,000-plus golf shots hit each week on the PGA TOUR by delivering more than 4,000 hours of live streaming coverage annually.  PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will include live coverage from 36 tournaments – from the TOUR’s Hawaii events in January all the way through the year – with at least 28 events having four full days of coverage, with four simultaneous live feeds each day. PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will also feature on-demand replays of PGA TOUR events, original golf programs, edited speed round recaps and more.

All of this will be available to ESPN+ subscribers as part of the base subscription, alongside more than 12,000 other live sporting events, an unmatched lineup of studio programs, original series and documentaries, along with a library of other, on-demand programming. 

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com.  It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ at a discounted price.

LPGA
As part of its Strategic Alliance with the LPGA, the PGA TOUR also successfully negotiated rights agreements that will see the LPGA Tour continue as anchor programming on GOLF Channel, along with expanded exposure for LPGA Tour events on NBC and CBS each year, beyond the U.S. Women’s Open, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and AIG Women’s British Open, which are already on network.

Specifically, the TOUR secured the long-term extension of the LPGA/GOLF Channel partnership (2022-2030) with ancillary programming, including a season preview, season review and Road to the CME Group Tour Championship.  In addition, GOLF Channel will provide dedicated programming for the Symetra Tour each year, as well as enhanced marketing and promotional assets and expanded benefits for LPGA sponsors.

As part of the agreement, the LPGA maintains control of all of its media rights outside the United States and receives expanded digital content rights.

“This agreement is an important milestone in the strategic partnership between the LPGA and the PGA TOUR and a great example of the collaboration happening among golf’s biggest stakeholders,” said LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan. “Thanks to the enhanced agreement with GOLF Channel and increased network coverage on NBC and CBS, more viewers in the U.S. and around the globe will experience the quality and diversity of the LPGA Tour. This gives us a domestic broadcast partner to help deliver another decade of unprecedented growth and provides a foundation that will springboard the women’s game into the future.”

“The LPGA is a very important industry partner, and we are proud that our strategic alliance has enabled these results,” said Monahan.  “I’m so impressed with Mike Whan’s leadership and the world-class talent of the LPGA’s athletes, and it’s exciting to know that when fans want to watch professional golf at the highest level, they are going to see both Tours on the same platforms – with the same partners – for the foreseeable future.”

Evolution Media Capital, a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), served as the media advisor to PGA TOUR.

About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.

The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 29 countries and territories (93 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2019, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $204.3 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to more than $3 billion.

Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, on the PGA TOUR app and on social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram (in English, Spanish and Korean), LinkedIn, Twitter, WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao and Douyin.

About the LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla., the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 2,300 Members representing more than 30 countries. With a vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while the Symetra Tour, the official development and qualifying tour of the LPGA consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. Additionally, LPGA Professionals directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management.

The LPGA demonstrates its dedication to the development of the game through The LPGA Foundation. Since 1991, this charitable organization has been committed to empowering and supporting girls and women through developmental, humanitarian and golf community initiatives, including LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the LPGA Women’s Network and the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.

Follow the LPGA on its television home, GOLF Channel, and on the web via www.LPGA.com. Join the social conversation at www.facebook.com/lpga, www.twitter.com/lpga and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo, and on Instagram at @lpga_tour.

More news and content are available on Twitter @Golf4Beginners - Follow Us!

Strengthen These Muscles to Improve Your Golf Swing

Phil Mickelson's calves are trending!

The internet is abuzz about Phil Mickelson's calf muscles, previously visible to friends and family but now seen by all those who search thanks to a new PGA ruling allowing shorts during practice rounds.

Calf muscles (aka gastrocnemius and soleus muscles), combined with other muscles of the leg, "help you to keep a solid base during the swing, and also are responsible for generating some power through impact, adding swing speed," states Paul Myers in his swingmangolf.com article.

The @PGATOUR just announced that shorts are allowed for pro-am and practice rounds. Word is they saw my Insta-structionals in shorts and felt this move needed to happen. Well played, Sir. Well played!😎 pic.twitter.com/vGCM36EoEF

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 18, 2019

A fitness regimen which includes calf flexibility exercises can improve power in your golf swing.

What other muscles should you work to improve your golf swing?

In addition to leg muscles, the buttocks, chest muscle, obliques, forearms and Latissimus Dorsi, when used in concert and properly functioning, all aid you in your golf swing.

It isn't just about muscular strength, said Mickelson after winning the AT&T at Pebble Beach. Proper stretching and a nutritious diet are helping Phil stay competitive against the PGA Tour's up-and-coming 20-somethings.

“The science is so much better nowadays than it was in his time,” Mickelson said. “The medicines, the fitness knowledge, the nutritional knowledge in all these areas, we're able to take advantage of that and get our bodies to recover, get our bodies to perform to function much more efficiently." ...Phil Mickelson

At almost 49 years old, Phil Mickelson is still a force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour, attributing his success to increased recovery time, a healthy diet, exercise and creating a more stable base rather than working at building bulk.

For the young guns of the PGA Tour, take a tip from Phil and get started on a fitness regimen today and you might still be competitive when you hit the ripe old age of fifty!

Is Mickelson getting stronger on the PGA Tour? Voice your opinion in the comments section of Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Is Winning or Losing in Golf in the Putting?

Two golf tournaments ran simultaneously recently, the Quicken Loans National and the U.S. Senior Open - for both winners, it all boiled down to putting skills.

Both Francesco Molinari and David Toms were rolling phenomenal putts; Molinari's 50-footer for eagle at the 10th hole made putting look easy.

The AP article on PGA Tour website said about Toms, "On a course where the greens perplexed the entire field for four straight days, Toms rolled in a 15-footer for a go-ahead birdie on No. 16, then coaxed in a downhill, 20-foot slider to save par after driving into a fairway bunker on the 530-yard, par-4 17th." 

In a previous Golf for Beginners blog, we discussed Golf Shots You Need To Practice to Score Low; golf gurus such as Ben Hogan thought the tee shot was the most important while "PGAProfessional " thought that putting was of top priority. After both tournaments, I think we can concur that, without a solid putting game, most golfers can not score low.

Using Tiger Woods' performance at The National as an example, although a tie for 4th place is worthy of accolades, his inconsistent putting game is what stopped him from gaining momentum...you just can't miss four-footers! As Tiger concurred after his defeat, "Those are things I can't afford to do and expect to win a golf tournament."

David Toms is 5th in putting average on the Champions Tour with a 1.734 putting average while Molinari's putts per greens-in-regulation are at 1.8...similar statistics gaining similar results although, as GolfWorld states, "putting has kept him from raising a few trophies in America previously", further provides evidence that it is the flat stick which wins tournaments.

So, how can the average player putt to win against his or her mates? Golf for Beginners have a few putting tips:

In the blog, "Easy Golf Tips to Inspire Confidence on the Putting Green", the one golf tip which resonates is that "touch is one thing very good putters have in common. Touch is the core ingredient for long-term success."

And, as a simple reminder from Tom Watson's book "Getting Up and Down", "Aim the putter, then align your body. Just like a golfer sets up at the tee box, the same is true when standing over a putt. Proper set-up is the beginning of a solid putt."

We encourage you to add to golf putting tips in the comments section below and tag us with your tips on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Photo by tyler hendy from Pexels

Hope vs Guts for the Glory of #Golf - West or East Coast Swing?

Eleven of the top-20 golfers in the world will be swinging their clubs from west to east coast this week, kicking off the PGA Tour "Florida Swing" and advancing the season into high gear. How, if at all, does this cross-country expedition energize players and strengthen the fan base?

The West Coast Swing begins a fun and exciting journey into a new season with fans and media reviewing wins and shots from the previous season, buzzing about how top golfers like Jordan Spieth are going to come out of the gate and with the joviality and hi-jinks that are standard fare at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.

Starting out the season playing golf in Hawaii, moving through Arizona and then back to California had the pros playing on some of the most breathtaking courses in the world, relaxed and ready after the holiday season.

"Optimistic", "hopeful", "nervous" - three sentiments communicated during an interview of Phil Mickelson at the start of the golf season on the west coast.

Onto the East Coast Swing this week and the "Bear Trap", the 15th, 16th and 17th holes of the Jack Nicklaus Champion course considered to be the toughest in golf...now the season is getting serious.

As Jack Nicklaus said of his lair, "That stretch is about precision,. That stretch is about guts."

After the Honda Classic this week, the next stop on the PGA Tour is equally grueling as the players visit Doral for the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship - visiting "The Blue Monster", a golf course in the middle of a swamp with wind and water and, perhaps, a drop-in from presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Tiger Woods? Fans should definitely be watching this tournament as prior year duels at eighteen between Woods and Mickelson at dusk took on a decidedly serious tone.

Onto Innisbrook, then Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer's gem) and finally The Shell Houston Open which all lead up to...The Masters at August National...enough said.

Basically, while the West Coast Swing kicked off the season like sipping on a breakfast blend while relaxing to a beautiful sunrise, the East Coast Swing is a completely different "animal" as mentioned by Geoff Shackelford in Golf Digest, complete with bears, a monster and snakes! It's positively terrifying and, as David Duval confirmed, "There’s no faking it around any of these golf courses running up to the Masters."


West Coast or East Coast Swing - which do you prefer? Voice your opinion at the end of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

photo: Pinterest

Is Golf Tiring for You? PGA Tour Rookies to Excite Fans.

An article on CBSSports.com stated that "golf is sort of tiring right now" due to a never-ending season. Do you agree and what would you change to make golf more exciting for the fans?

For many golf fans, it's the same old stories, from Tiger Woods' surgeries to whether or not Phil Mickelson still has game. As the new season begins with rookies to liven up the action, is that enough to increase viewership or, at least,m maintain the status quo?

Or, could it be that fans need more than fresh-faced Tour pros to sink them into a comfy Stratolounger?

Golf for Beginners believes that a combination of rookies heating up the course and new programming designed for millennials can save the sport from being relegated to a search for the leaderboard link on Sunday night or a quick flip to the News at Ten. Here are a few newbies we think will heat up the PGA Tour.

1. Smylie Kaufman: Earned his wings on the Web.com Tour and jumped right into the winners seat  at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Can shoot low on a Sunday, when the pressure is on.

2. Emiliano Grillo: Should be nicknamed, "Second Chance Grillo", feeling his oats early in the season with near misses and a season-opening rookie win. Gets into playoffs and gives himself chances; learning how to be a confident winner. Playing on the European Tour for five years, could already be considered a seasoned pro.

3. Patton Kizzire: Leading money winner on the Web.com Tour and already a top-five finisher in two events this season, a Golf Channel writer mentioned, "You may not know who Kizzire is now, but you will soon."

Perhaps an increase in viewership won't come directly from watching tournaments or from rookies having break-out seasons but from new fluffy shows like "Celebrities in Golf Carts" or action-packed events such as the latest Big Break series? Only time will tell what millennials and beginners to golf will need in order to become attracted to, and to stay in, the game.

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on our golf blog!

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

Is #Golf Becoming an Impolite Game?

When I watched golf on television for the first time as a youngster, I happened upon two players whom I later found out to be Nicklaus and Palmer - later on I was to learn the significance of "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf".

I felt like I was a part of their game; the cameraderie, the etiquette displayed, all made me wonder if women also played this sport. If so, I was going to get in on the action one day.

But, being from The Bronx, I also didn't know of any golf courses in my immediate vicinity (now I know better - there are, of course), just the concrete jungle. I continued watching, studying the actions of the players, the handshaking, the comments which always complimented another member in the foursome and wondered if other sports had the same standards.

“The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly.”  

― Kahlil Gibran

Politeness, etiquette, even dressing for the event were all "givens" about thirty years ago but it looks as if some folks believe that this part of the game serves less of a purpose if golf is to survive, and thrive, in our "modern" times. Are we taking one step forward to move two steps back?

What is golf etiquette anyway? Well, in my opinion, it's more than just having manners and it's more than just an unwritten set of rules - it's the way the game should be played. Arnold Palmer's tips in Golf Digest include keeping your temper under control and being a silent partner.

Here are basic fundamentals of golf etiquette published by PGA.com.

Let's also add to our list of etiquette "do's"; keeping pace with the group ahead of yours and not cursing out loud on the course.

We have all seen slow play on the PGA Tour - from Kevin Na to Ben Crane and fans have all witnessed foul language after an unpleasant shot...(think Tiger Woods during The Masters) and even spitting on the green (Tiger Woods in Dubai) but the problem with seeing this type of behavior from the pros means it has the ability to trickle right down into the local publinks and to impressionable children watching the sport with the family on a Sunday afternoon.

If the PGA Tour pros are going to be seen erring in etiquette, does that mean that it's okay for the average hacker to go ahead and do it? Should golfers have to pass an etiquette test or should we lessen the rules to get more people into the game?

As etiquette is an integral part of the game, and, just as in playing the game itself, you have to call infractions upon yourself. If you find yourself cursing, or if you're going to step on a fellow golfer's putting line, it is up to you to stop for a moment and think about common courtesy whether you play nine holes of golf or eighteen, or whether you play on a par-3 or an executive course.

Golf is a sport, a game and a heritage all wrapped up in one. Making changes now will certainly impact the future - looking back fifty years, I hope fans continue to see the humility and civility of the game.

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on this golf blog.


photo: https://www.pinterest.com/Sandy_Kress/sandy-kress-golf-50s60s/, refe99.com

Five Questions You Need to Ask Your #Golf Instructor

You head to the driving range every week or so with your golf instructor and receive valuable tips and drills on the swing, on course management and more but how does that information translate when you're out with your foursome during a round?

So you can recognize and correct mental and physical blips when your instructor is not with you, here are a few really good questions to ask your pro compiled by Golf for Beginners.

Your instructor should be able to provide you with mental keys for each of the five situations below. We have started you off with a few quick golf tips and suggest you make your own list based upon your weaknesses.

How do I correct my aim when I start to pull or push the ball on the golf course?

Dr. Jim Suttie, 2000 National PGA Teacher of the Year suggests, "If you are a puller, go ahead and close up your stance a little, and you will immediately hit it better. Also, check the lie angles of your irons. They may be too upright if you are pulling a lot of short irons."

How do I stop topping (or chunking/hitting behind) the golf ball?

Tom Stickney, PGA Instructor's quick fix for a topped shot: "To cure the topped shot in a hurry, imagine you’re hitting two golf balls at the same time. The first is where you normally tee it up. The second is a few inches in front toward the target. By concentrating on the second ball, you’ll be more inclined to make a sweeping motion through the first ball, thus preventing the topped shot." Golf Tips Magazine

How do I stop a downward mental spiral?

Betsy Shoenfelt, Ph.D. suggests you replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations, 

"Positive self-talk focuses on what you can do, what is right about this situation. Tell yourself - This is a difficult shot, but I can make it. I don’t like this lie but I can deal with it. This is not fair, but life is not fair and I can deal with it."

How can I stop the yips on the green?

"The yips are a fear," caused by stress and all in your mind says Golfsmind.com. Best way to cure them if they start to appear on course? "Control your breathing. Start breathing deeply, in and out regularly....Take a deep breath in, hold it for a second, let it go with a sigh. All of your muscles relax instantly."

How do I remain focused on my shot?

Golf course maintenance crew mowing the lawns, change jingling around in your playing partner's pocket and more are distractions which the average golfer may, or may not, brush off while taking a shot. This is all part of the mental game of golf.

Take a tip from PGA Tour golfers; 

Create a specific pre-shot routine and follow it.

Keep your mind focused on your golf ball in front of you.

Take a nice deep breath walking to your ball and visualize your shot.

One more deep breath before you take your swing.

Walk to your next shot with confidence and enjoy the scenery.

Easier than it sounds but focus comes with practice.

Remember that your golf instructor is your link to playing better golf. Just like going to the doctor, if you tell them the problems you are having with your game, they will help figure out solutions!

Voice your opinions below on our golf blog and through Twitter on @Golf4Beginners!

Photo credits: wikimedia.org, womenoncourse.com

Top Five Environmentally Friendly Golf Course Repurposes

In honor of the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open tournament, Golf for Beginners has found this offbeat, environmentally friendly list of Golf Course Repurposes from RepurposedMaterialsInc.com, a company that re-uses industry waste and byproducts to be used in a completely different industry.  Enjoy!

 

Top Five Golf Course Repurposes:

 

1.      Advertising Billboards repurposed as Tarps for Equipment, Pond Liners, etc.

2.      Beverage Filter Cloths repurposed as Lawn Tarps for Pruning Waste

3.      Swimming Pool Covers repurposed as Sun Shade Screens

4.      Street Sweeper Brushes repurposed as Turf Rollers

5.      Conveyor Belting repurposed as Golf Cart Path

 

 

 

See many more fun economically and environmentally-friendly ideas and materials for golf course and more at www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com.

 

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

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Golf Tips To Help With Your Long Putts

Guest columnist and Director of Golf Instruction at the beautifully elegant Club at Mediterra, Adam Bazalgette, shares with readers of the Golf for Beginners blog why lag putting is the secret to a low handicap.

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

Long putting, or lag putting as it is often called, is a key to good scoring in golf.

 On the PGA Tour, the players make an average of just fifty percent of their putts from eight feet, which means that the everyday golfer will do well to make fifty percent of their six-foot putts! The current strokes-gained putting leader? Bryce Molder! These may seem like low averages, but there is a lot that can go wrong on a short putt; spike marks and other imperfections on the green, a slight misread, a lip out, etc.

When putting from, say, more than twenty-five feet, you will find it is very easy to misjudge the distance by six feet or more, whereas it is unlikely that you will miss left or right by more than a couple of feet. This is why distance control is so important.

 The two biggest components in good distance control are good visualization, or green reading, and proper rhythm in the stroke. Both require practice to become reliable.

Simply watching a lot of putts roll (practice) will help you read greens and become a good visualizer of putts. A test of your visualization skills is that once a long putt is a third of the way to the hole you should be able to estimate pretty accurately whether it is going long, short, or about the right distance.

Only when a golfer can fairly accurately see the ball rolling in their mind at the correct speed across the green BEFORE they step over the putt can they expect to be able to feel the desired stroke.

Regarding rhythm, there are a few objectives to understand:

• In a pendulum, the length of the backstroke and through stroke are the same; this is due to gravity.
• It is also true that in a pendulum maximum speed is reached at the very bottom of the arc. However, most people don't realize that at the bottom of the arc there is NO acceleration, it has reached maximum speed.

The middle of the arc is, therefore, right where we want to make contact with the golf ball in our stroke, the point with the most speed and the least "Hit" or acceleration. I strongly recommend that you practice this at times without aiming at a hole, just focusing on your motion.

A great drill is to place two tees in the green, say three feet apart (vary this drill), and hit some putts placing the ball right in between the tees, and slightly to the side of them in order to allow you to hit a putt. Don't over-control the putter with your hands, but feel the pendulum rhythm of your stroke until the putter head goes evenly from tee to tee and you can roll several balls the same distance. Once this becomes natural you are on your way to better putting!

One final point, the time each stroke takes (think of a metronome) should always be the same. This means that the putter will have to be swung faster throughout the motion (not just in the forward swing) on longer putts than shorter putts. The rhythm, such as tick-tock, will then always be a constant.

Best of luck with this...now go practice!

 About the Author: 

Adam Bazalgette grew up in London, England, where he took up golf. He has been teaching golf full-time since 1992.  
Adam worked for David Leadbetter in Orlando and in 1994 was promoted to the Academy Director at the Leadbetter’s Naples facility.  

Adam currently is the director of golf instruction at The Club at Mediterra in Naples Florida and has held this position for the last six years.  Make sure to visit his site at http://adambgolf.com for private lessons if your going to be in the Naples Florida area!

Say hi to Adam Bazalgette on Twitter and like on Facebook!   



AND...Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook!

photo credit: activerain.com, Adam Bazalgette

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

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

Ryder Cup anchors Woods, Stricker, Furyk sink ship for Team USA

Team USA fell to pieces on Ryder Cup Sunday as its three anchors, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, lost their putting skills on the final two holes at Medinah, handing over the cup to a jubilant Team Europe.

 

 

Jim Furyk, devastated by his loss to Sergio Garcia was in obvious denial commenting, “I’m pretty sure Sergio would tell you that I outplayed him today”.  

 

My thoughts?  Jim Furyk, although a great golfer, probably should never have been chosen by Captain Davis Love III in the first place, with Furyk known this season by the way he fizzles down the stretch in the finale.

 

Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods were placed in the clean-up position by Love, in spite of the fact that they lost every team match. Captain Love made mention that he wanted experienced talent just in case it was needed to win the cup but did Love take into consideration both Woods’ and Stricker’s season strokes gained putting average before making his final decision?Did Love forget the beating Stricker and Woods took by Adam Scott and KJ Choi at the Presidents Cup?

 

Poor putting under pressure ultimately lost the Ryder Cup for Team USA.

 

With all of the pressure falling squarely on Stricker, who is 65^th in strokes gained putting average on the PGA Tour this season,  the eighteenth hole was hardly the time for a “mis-read”.  And, Tiger Woods should never have missed a 3 1/2 foot putt…never.

 

To further show that Tiger has lost pride in his performance, here is Woods quote after his Ryder Cup tie with Molinari, “You come here as a team and you win or lose as a team, and it's pointless to even finish. So 18 was just, hey, get this over with."  Pointless? Tiger Woods, for certain, has gone soft.

 

I think Tiger should have sat out on Sunday and contemplated Furyk’s Ryder Cup statement, “It’s the lowest point of my year.”

 

Congratulations to Team Europe. They deserve the accolades!

 

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

 

photo credit

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

THIS Tiger Woods won't win the Masters!

Tiger Woods at 2011 Masters Press Conference

Tiger Woods is back in contention and is listed on most golf sites to win the 2012 Masters, but he is also being shunned beacuse of inconsistent putting and long-term physical and emotional injuries. Although Woods is also a favorite on many a bookmaker's web site (some sites with odds as low as 4-1), not far behind is Rory McIlroy with Phil Mickelson galloping close behind. Is the new and improved Tiger Woods finally ready to win a major tournament?

 

SportsBettingOnline.com has Woods' odds at a respectable 5-1 with head odds maker Dave Johnson stating that Tiger's win this year at Bay Hill gave him a "mental edge" but that the only thing that could possibly defeat Tiger is, well...Tiger. Woods downplayed his recent victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitiational in spite of the fact that it was his first in over 900 days on Tour, noting that his win was not in a major championship; this statement in itself may reveal a weakened mental state. In my opinion, a PGA Tour win is a win and should be lauded and built upon for the next competition.

 

Mike Colbert, risk director for Cantor Gaming added Rory McIlroy's name to Woods' as contender for the coveted Green Jacket. "Of course it's a golf tournament and anyone could win, but two guys stand out," Colbert said. "The fact that Tiger Woods obviously hasn't been himself this year, but now is starting to come into his own, can't be ignored."

 

In stark contrast, golf portals like Bleacher Report are taking a different approach, telling bettors not to take a gamble on Tiger Woods when making a Masters pick because of his putting maladies, "ranking 67th across the PGA Tour with 1.768 across 2012."

 

Rory McIlroy, because of his big collapse in Augusta 2011 and a lack of accuracy should also be avoided for all of you Fantasy Golf aficionados. Probably the worst choice to lay your money on according to B/R is Adam Scott, yes even though Steve Williams will be by his side.

 

Other naysayers from Devil Ball Golf conclude that, even though Woods may have one or two good rounds in him he will not win this event, to ...

...sports "know-it-all" Sportige who believe that "more than two year's of injuries and simply playing bad doesn't disappear into thin air" may have to go head-to-head against ESPN Senior Golf Analyst Michael Collins whose position is simply, "How could you NOT make Tiger Woods the favorite to win the Masters?"

 

Who do I believe will win the Masters this year? Although I am not really a gambler (unless you consider my $2 Nassaus and occasional trotters picks at Empire Raceway in Yonkers, NY), I'll take Phil Mickelson as my pick but I'm certainly not saying that Tiger Woods can't win.

 

Many of my golf and social media friends call me "predictable" because I always root for Phil or Tiger but, the reason I'll keep both names at the top of my very short list is as Ovid stated,

"A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace." Woods and Mickelson are two golfers that take this saying seriously.

 

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on Facebook.

 

Photo Credit

 

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

#Golf Tournament puts Social Media to Good Use

The March of Dimes will be the beneficiary of social media good will. The Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament in association with the PGA Tour will be donating $10 for every like they receive on Facebook.

All you have to do is click on the link below, "LIKE"  the golf tournament and Farmers Insurance will help give preemies a chance at life. You don't have to reach into your pocket, just reach into your heart. Another great cause helped through social media.

As of today, 7,124 people have clicked the "Like" button.

Read the note I received below and make sure to donate with a simple click of your mouse!!
www.facebook.com/farmersinsuranceopen

Be a fan. Support babies!

Stacy,

Exciting golf and a rare social media charity partnership will greatly benefit
premature babies - with the public's help only!  We'd appreciate your support in spreading the word on this....

Make your "like" count for something today. Farmers Insurance and the PGA TOUR are kicking off the upcoming Farmers Insurance Open with a generous pledge that will give babies born prematurely a fighting chance at life.

For every "like" on Facebook of the Farmers Insurance Open until January 29th Farmers will donate $10 - up to $50,000! - to the March of Dimes.

Already hundreds of thousands have been raised.  With a simple click of a button, you can help a wonderful cause at www.facebook.com/farmersinsuranceopen.

The 2012 Farmers Insurance Open is taking place at Torrey Pines in San Diego from January 23-29.


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Signs that Phil Mickelson may be getting too old for the PGA Tour

Although he will always be the fan favorite, Mickelson’s season-opener at the Humana is a challenge for Phil and for the event. Both had glory and are now trying to reclaim it.

Humana is using charming ex-President Bill Clinton as its new host replacing the incomparable Bob Hope. Once a five-day star-studded event, the Humana has scaled back in size and scope hoping to regain its popularity; the two biggest names in the field this week are Mickelson and Greg Norman, another "sentimental favorite".

Mickelson will be attempting to get 2012 off to a strong start in a comfortable setting where he is the leading money winner in order to help reclaim his top-ten spot in the OWGR. Lefty currrently resides in the 14th position in the world rankings.

Humana Tournament Chairman Larry Thiel, while welcoming Mickelson to the event, mentioned that Phil chose a comfortable start over a more intense one. 

 “Everyone who has the privilege of watching Phil play sees a true master at his craft and we are thrilled our fans will have that opportunity in a venue that Phil is comfortable playing in.”

The Humana Challenge has a better chance of enjoying a resurgence than Phil.

1. Rory McIlroy joined the PGA Tour this year with the sole purpose of dethroning Luke Donald from the top spot in the rankings. Lee Westwood has also joined the battle. With only ten spots available, Phil is going to have a tough time doing battle with these young guns and will have to revert to using his famous “phony smile”...a lot.

 2. Over-forty Phil struggles with a debilitating illness, Psoriatic arthritis, a pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints. At twenty-two, a sore back and a few aches and pains are easily removed with an Advil.

 3. The “unspoken law” of the over-forty crowd. When you finally make it to forty, the body doesn’t recuperate as easily or quickly as it once did…ask Phil.

 4, When a committee votes you into the World Golf Hall of Fame, you have to be over-forty years old, a PGA Tour player (on the PGA Tour ballot) for ten years and have either ten Tour wins, two majors or two Players Championships to be considered. Ask Ernie Els how well he's fared since his entrance into the HOF.

5. The probability of winning a U.S. Open lessens with age. In the 110-year history of the U.S. Open, only three golfers have won after the age of 40. Mickelson has a 0 for 20 record at the Open.

I hope that Phil Mickelson has a great 2012 golf season starting with the Humana Challenge.

Although he is my favorite golfer and I will be cheering for him, his time for greatness on the PGA Tour is running out and players who might have once feared his footsteps are now dogging them.


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

photo credit: TeeTimes.info

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

Whisper it! Kaymer reveals HSBC Abu Dhabi golf secret

Germany’s Martin Kaymer returns to the UAE in January as the first of the new generation of golf stars to have both a Major title and a World Golf Championship trophy to his name. Having won last year’s renewal of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and November’s HSBC Champions he is also on the verge of an unprecedented treble. As Tim Maitland reports, there’s a good reason why he has such a remarkable record in Abu Dhabi.

Only ten players have ever won both a Major Championship and a WGC trophy. Since the World Golf Championships series was introduced in 1999, that tiny exclusive club has slowly grown, the founding member being Tiger Woods. Next in was Ernie Els in 2001. Surprisingly late arrivers were the two main challengers to Tiger at his brilliant best: Vijay Singh only claimed his first WGC in 2008, while Phil Mickelson’s 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions victory in Shanghai got him into the group.

Last November in Shanghai, Martin Kaymer, at twenty-six years of age, added the WGC-HSBC Champions to his 2010 PGA Championship.

Given how long we’ve been focused on emerging wunderkinds like Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Matteo Manassero, you’d be forgiven if you don’t immediately grasp how precocious the German’s talent is.

Rory McIlroy with Martin Kaymer Round 4 Abu Dhabi HSBC

This simple fact proves it: Kaymer is seven and a half years younger than the previous “baby” of the elite ten, Geoff Ogilvy, and just two days short of nine years junior to the next youngest in the list... Tiger Woods himself.

Just how far Kaymer is ahead of the rest of his generation is felt nowhere more strongly than in Abu Dhabi, where he is aiming for a unique sponsor’s treble. While the rest of the world can claim to have seen a trajectory to the young Dusseldorf native’s career, in Abu Dhabi, but for a missed cut right at the very start of his European Tour career, he has just been consistently brilliant.

It’s hard to believe, now that at the age of twenty, Kaymer was an amateur when he won his first event on the third-tier German-based EPD (European Professional Development) Tour in 2005. He turned professional that year, won the EPD’s 2006 Order of Merit and the chance to play on the Challenge Tour, winning his first event and again, a month later, sealing his European Tour card in just eight tournaments.

The outsider can see a logical development in his career from then on: from five top-ten finishes in his rookie season through to winning his first Major – the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits – and the Race to Dubai in 2010, and claiming the status of the world’s number one player in 2011.

The spectator whose one taste of tournament golf is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship each year would be forgiven for thinking Kaymer just emerged from the pram that good: in four years he was won the event three times and, in an ‘off year’ in 2009, finished second.

But just as that fan would struggle to understand that Kaymer’s career has actually been one of progressive improvement, so Kaymer would have problems communicating why he now owns three trophies and has played 80-under-par over the past four years.

“It’s tough to explain, but it’s a combination of a lot of things, why I play well there. It’s just the whole package, I believe: I come from five or six weeks’ break, so first of all I’m very motivated to play golf again and to play a tournament again. Then we always stay at an unbelievable hotel at the Emirates Palace. I really like the people there; when I come to the clubhouse – I’ve known them four or five years now – we always recognize each other, we talk a little bit. It’s a very nice environment there. It’s a nice atmosphere and the way HSBC runs the tournament [with the ADTA], it’s very comfortable for us players,” says Kaymer, whose comfort levels must soar once he steps out onto the first tee.

“Every year you get to know the golf course better and better, but I think I know how to play that golf course in the easy way for me; that might be my advantage. I feel comfortable on every tee box I stand on; I really can feel the tee shot, I know where I can miss the tee shot in order to still have a shot towards the green, and another big advantage is that I can read those greens very well,” he continues, seemingly trying very hard not to use the ‘fits-my-eye’ phrase that can only really be understood by those who spend 25 weeks or more each year playing a different layout each week.

“If we compare Abu Dhabi to Augusta, for example, almost every tee shot in Abu Dhabi I stand on the tee box and can hit a little cut into the fairway or I can use a short cut over some bunkers; I just feel very comfortable. Even if I were to miss a shot, I’m still OK. My misses are fine. At Augusta I don’t feel very comfortable on a lot of the tee boxes when I stand there. The look of the hole in Abu Dhabi is very different,” he reveals.

That most temperamental of mistresses – the shortest stick in the bag – has also always behaved like an angel for Kaymer in Abu Dhabi, which probably goes without saying considering he has averaged five-under-par per round over his last four visits.

“I’ve always putted well there. I can read the greens well. I feel comfortable. I can still remember a lot of the putts that I’ve made in the past and that helped me a couple of times last year when I won again. Sometimes you have golf courses where you struggle to read the greens and sometimes you have golf courses where you go there every year and you know you’re going to putt well. It’s just one of those events where I know I will putt well.”

Though Kaymer wouldn’t say it feels like the course was made for him, given the chance, he would make it for himself.

“If I could build my own golf course it would be very close to the golf course in Abu Dhabi for sure. I just play very good golf on that golf course.”

Perfect Practice

There are plenty of theories, most of them proposed in jest, among the tour players as to why Kaymer has been so dominant at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Spain’s Pablo Martin, with tongue firmly in cheek, tested a few of those suggesting the German has no fun during the winter holiday.

“Everyone just competes for second place because Martin must not have any Christmas; he just practices. That’s why he wins by twenty-five shots! Everyone else is at home drinking and eating,” kids the two-time winner of South Africa’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, ignoring the fact that for that theory to stand up Kaymer would also have to fastidiously ignore his birthday, which falls three days later.

In joking around, Pablo inadvertently comes up with an explanation that even Kaymer doesn’t seem to have considered that much. As well as Kaymer, England’s Paul Casey has a ridiculous record in Abu Dhabi, winning in 2007 and 2009. Yes, both are long, straight hitters who can putt, but both share the same winter home, too.

“Paul and Martin both live in Arizona; either there is something in the water in Arizona or it doesn’t feel like Christmas in Arizona because it’s too hot!” Pablo Martin adds.

 “I really should get myself to Arizona next Christmas!” he laughs.

He should.

Specifically, if Pablo wants to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, he should probably get himself to the Whisper Rock Golf Club, because the more Kaymer thinks about it, the more he realises the weeks he spends preparing for the season at his winter home is the perfect preparation for the tournament.

“It has nothing to with the water! Paul and I, when we practice in Arizona, we have very similar conditions and facilities [to the course in Abu Dhabi]. It’s a very similar golf course that we play in Scottsdale,” says Kaymer of the course, which is reported to have over 30 Tour professionals as members, including the designer Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Geoff Ogilvy and Aaron Baddely.

Among the winners of the annual club championship there are PGA Tour regulars Kevin Streelman (a former Whisper Rock caddie), Todd Demsey, Chez Reavie and Billy Mayfair, which instantly tells you the course is set up as close to tournament standards as you can get week-in and week-out.

The similarities are endless. The Upper Course at Whisper Rock even has exactly the same yardage from the back tees as the Abu Dhabi Golf Club will have for the 2012 tournament: 7,600 yards. Right down to the desert air, Kaymer couldn’t have picked a better place to practice.

“That’s what Arizona is about; it’s got a lot of desert. It has very similar bunkers and the sand in the bunkers is very similar. The greens are a little grainy, but not too much. Everything is very similar. The ball goes a similar distance. The weather is very similar; it’s 20 to 25 degrees [Celsius] when we practice there and when we go to Abu Dhabi it’s the same. So there’s no adjustment necessary when we come from the break,” Kaymer explains.

In a nutshell, in spending his winter preparing to challenge the world’s best for the next season, Kaymer is inadvertently yet very specifically preparing to excel in Abu Dhabi in the first week of his season. 

Champions’ Boost

By his own reckoning this winter’s preparations were energised by finishing the 2011 campaign with a World Golf Championship record-setting comeback at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

“To win such a big event, the HSBC in Shanghai, a World Golf Championship event with the best players in the world participating, it definitely gives you a boost. All of a sudden you want to practice even harder, you want to win more tournaments; it gives you a little bit more motivation for the next year. I can’t wait to tee it up in Arizona when we play the next one [the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship] and when we play Doral, another World Golf Championship event, and going towards the Masters,” says Kaymer, whose nine-under-par 63 was the lowest final round by a winner in the history of the WGC stroke-play events.

“Before the win in Shanghai it was not a great season, but if you win such a big event – the year before, I won a major; last year I won a World Golf Championship – in Asia! I’ve won a few tournaments in Europe already, I won a Major in America and now I’ve won in Asia: in all three continents, I’ve done something very special. The win proved myself again. It proved …that hard work will pay off! I worked really hard in the summer time and the fall; I was practising very hard on my game and I was working out really hard in the gym and I really wanted to achieve something. I was running out of tournaments, so was really happy that it still happened and for it to be such a big event. I wouldn’t say it saved my season, but it definitely made it more satisfying.”

That season certainly had not lived up to the anticipation created by the way he opened the year. Much to his own amazement, Kaymer’s winning in Abu Dhabi had lifted him above Tiger Woods in the world rankings. Reaching the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he lost 3 & 1 to Luke Donald, took him to the top spot for the first time. What followed – including missed cuts at the Masters Tournament and the US PGA Championship, and only five other top-ten finishes between his personal HSBC double – was, by the standards of his seemingly inexorable rise, a relative disappointment.

Kaymer has repeatedly said it was down to the unexpected aspects of topping the Official Golf World Rankings. The golf world, including many players, has talked about Kaymer altering his game with an eye on the Masters, something he emphatically denies.

“Everybody says I changed my swing for Augusta, which is not true. I’m not changing my swing for one golf course! With my golf swing I’ve become number one in the world; there’s no reason why I should change it! The only reason why I wanted to adjust my golf swing was because I saw room for improvement. That improvement, if I could get there, would help me in Augusta and maybe that’s why people might say ‘He changed his swing for Augusta’, but it’s not true,” he explains patiently.

What is true is that Kaymer did work hard last winter to try and improve his ability to shape the ball right-to-left to complement his natural fade. He views it as adding another weapon to his arsenal, but asserts that the fact that other people don’t interpret that way doesn’t bother him.

“To be able to hit the draw – if you can add another option to your ball flight it will definitely make you into a better player. I would have more possibilities for golf shots on different golf courses – of course in Augusta – and I think that would make me more comfortable in Augusta if I could add a couple of things to my golf.

“I know what I need to do and I know what I do, and I talk to my coach about it and that is the most important thing. What people make out of it in the end is not in my hands. If people ask me, I will tell them the truth and what I feel about it; what they write and say after that is out of my hands. It doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t disturb me.”

Being #1

What he does admit disturbed him was the reaction to his becoming world number one. Compared to the sport’s traditional heartlands, a successful German golfer lives in relative anonymity. That changed when his Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship win and runner-up finish at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship thrust him above first Tiger and then Lee Westwood.

Looking back at that period immediately after his WGC-HSBC Champions win in November, Kaymer told a packed press conference why it was a struggle.

“It was a tough stretch of months, because it's not normal that at my age you become No. 1 in the world.  All of a sudden, you have more attention: Doesn't matter really where you go. In my own country, I became the German golf face. In America, a lot of people recognised me because obviously golf is a little bit bigger in America than in Germany. But it has been, you know, a little awkward situation sometimes, because I was just not used to be that much in the spotlight,” he said at the time.

With a little more time to consider, Kaymer says it wasn’t just how number one status affected him, but that it affected everyone to whom he was close.

“The whole thing in the beginning was very strange because no-one in my inner circle [had experienced it]: my manager had never had a player who was number one in the world; all of a sudden my family and me had more attention in Germany; and, the people I work with found it a little bit difficult to begin with. Now we know what’s going to happen,” he says, revealing just how high being number one again sits in his list of priorities.

“I will set new goals for the new year: to play well again in the World Golf Championship events and in the Majors. And for sure the goal is to get back to number one in the world, now I know how it feels to be number one; how to approach it and how to handle that position. Obviously it was fun and I learned a lot and I’d love to be back on top.”

Fearless Defender

Getting back to the top might depend on whether the current incumbent, Luke Donald, continues with his run of stunning consistency in 2012. All Kaymer can do is get back to playing at the level with which he bookmarked his 2011 season.

Of course he starts in his happiest of happy places, Abu Dhabi, where his domination could be described as Tiger-esque. Living up to such a fantastic record would eventually weigh on most players, but like Woods, Kaymer seems to react differently: wins follow wins.

If you group together his three Abu Dhabi wins as one packet, three more of his career victories came in three successive appearances in 2010, when he sandwiched a victorious Ryder Cup appearance in between winning his Major and claiming the KLM Open and the Dunhill Links, while his two wins in 2009 came in back-to-back weeks. That’s eight of his 10 stroke-play wins since earning his European Tour card neatly bundled in bursts of unbridled confidence.

When you consider all of that, it’s no wonder that once again facing all the attention that comes with defending his title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship doesn’t bother him in the slightest.

“I don’t think it’s more pressure at all. If you’ve won a title there shouldn’t be more pressure at all. It should give you even more confidence to do it again because you know you’ve been successful at that golf course already, so it shouldn’t add any more pressure. I don’t feel that at all. I really like defending titles because if you’ve got all that good experience from the previous year I think it gives you the belief that you can win again. I can approach the tournament in Abu Dhabi with a very, very positive mindset.

“It could happen that I don’t win this year – I could not even finish top 10 there this year – but the combination that I come from a long break and am motivated to play again, that you go to a golf course where you’ve been successful and a golf course that you know very well and that you feel very good about… The last four years worked out quite well for me, but I don’t know what’s going to happen in 2012. The predictions are quite good!”

This year he will have to overcome the best field he’s ever faced in Abu Dhabi, and what organizers say will be the best ever assembled in the Middle East, as well as his own hero.

“It’s great for Abu Dhabi that Tiger Woods is coming and more international players are coming from America. Last year Phil Mickelson played and it proves how good that tournament is and how much fun it is to be in Abu Dhabi and play the HSBC tournament. It’s not making it easier to win there, but I’m not going there to pick out an easy win. It’s nice to have the challenge and see if I can win again.

“Tiger Woods, in the last couple of years maybe he didn’t play great golf, but he’s played unbelievable golf since 1996, since he first came to the Masters. He’ll always be one of the big players at any tournament he goes to. He’ll always be great for us players as well, to have him there,” says Kaymer, who was almost in awe when he learned after his Abu Dhabi triumph in 2011 that he had passed Woods in the rankings.

“It was something very special; he’d been number one in the world for around eight years and there was no-one really close, ever! Then all of a sudden you overtake the best player who ever played the game,” Kaymer marvels.

“It felt a little unreal, but it also told me that I was able to do things that I maybe thought I wasn’t able to do in the beginning.”

 

Martin Kaymer in Abu Dhabi

2011: 1^st 264 -24

2010: 1^st 267 -21

2009: 2^nd 268 -20

2008: 1^st 273 -15

2007: MC 144 EVEN

The 10 Major and WGC winners

Tiger Woods (USA)

b. December 30, 1975 (1975-12-30) (age 35)  

14 Majors and 16 World Golf Championships (plus 2000 World Cup)

Phil Mickelson (USA)

b. June 16, 1970 (1970-06-16) (age 41) 

4 Majors and 2 World Golf Championships

Ernie Els (South Africa)

b. 17 October 1969 (1969-10-17) (age 42) 

3 Majors and 2 World Golf Championships (plus 2001 World Cup)

Vijay Singh (Fiji)

b. 22 February 1963 (1963-02-22) (age 48) 

3 Majors and 1 World Golf Championship (2008 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational)

Geoff Ogilvy (Australia)

b. 11 June 1977 (1977-06-11) (age 34) 

1 Major (2006 US Open) and 3 World Golf Championships

Darren Clarke (N. Ireland)

b. 14 August 1968 (1968-08-14) (age 43) 

1 Major (2011 Open Championship) and 2 World Golf Championships

Martin Kaymer (Germany)

b. 28 December 1984 (1984-12-28) (age 26)

1 Major (2010 PGA Championship) and 1 World Golf Championship (2011 WGC-HSBC Champions)

Stewart Cink (USA)

b. May 21, 1973 (1973-05-21) (age 38) 

1 Major (2009 Open Championship) and 1 World Golf Championship (2004 WGC-NEC Invitational)

David Toms (USA)

b. January 4, 1967 (1967-01-04) (age 44) 

1 Major (2001 PGA Championship) and 1 World Golf Championship (2005 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship)

Mike Weir (Canada)

b. May 12, 1970 (1970-05-12) (age 41) 

1 Major (2003 Masters Tournament) and 1 World Golf Championship (2000 WGC-American Express Championship)

Martin Kaymer Profile:

Personal

Nationality: German

Born:  28^th December, 1984 Dusseldorf, Germany

Height/Weight: 6ft 1/2 in/11st 9lb (184cm/74kg)

Lives:  Mettmann, Dusseldorf, Germany and Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Other interests:  Football, basketball and go-karting

Career

Professional wins:

2011:

WGC-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China

Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE

2010:

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, Fife & Angus, Scotland

Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales

KLM Open, Hilversumsche Golf Club, Hilversum, Netherlands

US PGA Championship, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, USA

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE

2009:

Barclays Scottish Open, Loch Lomond Golf Club, Glasgow, Scotland

Open de France, Le Golf National, Paris, France

2008:

BMW International Open, Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE

European Challenge Tour

2006: Open de Volcans; Vodafone Challenge

EPD Tour

2006: Hockenberg Classic; Winterbrock Classic; ; Coburg Brose Open; Habsberg Classic; Friedberg Classic

2005: Central German Classic (Am)

Other Professional Landmarks:

November 2011 Became only the 10^th player to win both a Major and a WGC title with his victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions

February 2011 Moved to career-high 1^st in Official World Golf Ranking after reaching final of WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship final

January 2011 Moved to career-high 2^nd in Official World Golf Ranking after Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship victory

December 2010 Joint winner of Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year with Graeme McDowell

November 2010 Winner, European Tour Race to Dubai

August to October 2010 Recorded four wins in four consecutive appearances starting with his first Major and including the Ryder Cup.

January 2010 Moved to career -high 6^th in Official World Golf Ranking after Abu Dhabi Golf Championship victory. First time in top 10 of OWGR.

July 2009 Won back-to-back in successive weeks at the French and Scottish Opens.

January 2009 Moved to career -high 34^th in Official World Golf Ranking after Abu Dhabi Golf Championship victory. First time in top 50 of OWGR.  At the time, the only player under 25 years of age in the top 50.

November 2007 Became first German to win Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year

October 2006 Earned European Tour card by finishing fourth in the 2006 Challenge Tour Rankings, despite playing only eight events towards the end of the season

photo credit: Zimbio.com 

 

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

 

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous