Pressure creates drama for Mickelson at HSBC Champions, high-tech golf instruction with K-Vest and Annika Sorenstam's tips off the tee

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Phil Mickelson earned the title of "Champion of Champions" at the HSBC in China, narrowly defeating two Englishmen in a sudden death showdown.

Tiger Woods wasn't in attendance and so Mickelson could also be considered the "Best of the Rest Champion". Lefty's play was less-than solid but still good enough to defeat Lee Westwood who made as many cuts as there were events during the PGA Tour season, currently ranked 177th on the money list. Oh, and then there was Ross Fisher whose only experience on the PGA Tour this year was at the Open Championship where he m/c'd: his rank is 257th.

Still, this is a checkmark in the "win" column and Mickelson will have this memory to comfort him during his long winter's nap, along with the knowledge that a 76 was all that was needed to get him into a playoff.

This week on Golf for Beginners, we discuss how the pressures of the game can throw away a five-stroke lead, making even the top golfers in the world look amateurish. Mickelson had six penalty strokes in his final round and more golf balls found the water than the fairway.

We also talk about how new technology is helping golfers become their own instructors. In the past we reviewed the Suunto G6 watch, a great training aid for tempo and rhythm. We also assessed the RedEye i330 laser putter which forces your eyes to see the correct line on a putt.

This week the K-Vest is featured, techno-gear which gives a three-dimensional view of your golf swing and offers immediate feedback of your alignment and posture. This vest could be the wave of the future for golf instructors!

Annika Sorenstam says she has fully recovered from her spinal injuries. Even so, Sorenstam has been busy with other ventures including but not limited to course design and the new Annika Academy. Golf Magazine featured her tips on safe play off of the tee. We review these pointers querying when it is better to use a three-wood versus a driver off the tee.

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!.

Will Daly's six-pack and Mickelson's roll of the dice challenge Woods for FedEx cup, RedEye i330 laser putter update, deep rough maneuvers and more!

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Even though Phil Mickelson resumed a practice regimen for the PGA Championship, it still wasn't enough to beat (or even compete against) Tiger Woods, who won his thirteenth career major after a sweltering weekend at Southern Hills.

Did practice make a difference for Mickelson or should he have taken the "John Daly approach", going in cold after a diet of casino play and cold beer? Both Mickelson and Daly finished with a +6 after four rounds of play and both appeared to be in good spirits afterwards with Phil claiming, "I don't want to be hard on myself because, for a couple, I wasn't able to make the swings and hit the shots I needed to try to hit," feeling that his Players Championship victory is "what salvaged the year for me."

John Daly, ever optimistic commented, "It was a good week, just take small steps."

Mickelson looked confused and tired. Should he have just said, "the heck with it" and played agressively this weekend? Mickelson would have probably had more fun and may have scored better! Although Daly's approach to Southern Hills finished with the same results, in the end, Daly looked like he played the better game.

So what's next for Phil Mickelson? He says he's excited about the FedEx Cup playoffs but will we see a showdown between Lefty and Tiger Woods? My guess is that Woods will walk away with the ten million dollars although Daly is always an unknown.


This week on Golf for Beginners we give you an update on Barry's progress with the RedEye i330 laser putter, golf tips on dealing with the rough and how to stop topping the ball.

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 San Diego Golf Central and Florida Golf Travel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continue sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continue sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

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

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