Did women's long drive winner shaft the competition? Things to think about during golf's off-season.

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Recently, a former SWAT team cop from Los Angeles won the golf RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship. The nearest competitor lost by only a few yards in windy conditions and, where some of the challengers didn't seem to mind the outcome, a few had problems with it. Why, you may ask?

By the way, I am not talking about newly crowned RE/MAX long drive champion Jamie Sadlowski, who, with his 160-pound frame, defeated guys almost twice his size with great timing and a convincing hockey-esque style slap shot. Instead, this blog focuses on the controversy surrounding 55-year-old Lana Lawless, a 175-pound transgender who once weighed in at 245-pounds and was considered by law enforcement peers to have a very "tough and mean exterior" as Lawless admits. Lawless took women's RE/MAX honors this year after a narrow defeat at last year's semifinals.

Clubhead speed, not power alone, made the difference in the case of Sadlowski who carried his drive 400 yards. Lawless claims that her muscles have atrophied with the help of drugs that stem the flow of testosterone and that she is, for all intents and purposes, more woman than man. Sure she had drives of over 300 yards but she only bested her nearest opponent, 21-year old former long drive champion Phyllis Meti, by four yards.

About three years ago the Ladies Golf Union, which oversees that British Open, allowed transgenders to compete and Mianne Bagger took them up on their offer, becoming the first transgender since Renee Richards to play a professional sport. Looking at Bagger's 2008 stats, she appears to be a solid player with no advantage over the other players in the field but instead seems to fit right in to the middle of the pack.

The question is then, is there a definitive advantage of transgenders over "real" women and should transgenders be allowed to compete against their "peers"?

Three-time world champion Sean "The Beast" Fister said, "It's not an apples-to-apples deal. Men and women are different." Former women's world long drive champion Lee Brandon added, "if a woman has the knees, hands and feet of a man, she has genetic real estate that is more gifted."

Fox Sports polled the internet asking if it is fair for women who used to be men to compete as women and, out of almost 90,000 respondents, the answer was an overwhelming "No".

Where the average person may have trouble accepting transgenders into the fold, the media has said, "Vive la difference!" with ABC-TV leading the way featuring characters in both "Ugly Betty" and "All My Children". Of course transgenders don't have to physically compete in this platform so the question of athleticism still remains but, as long as proper procedures and guidelines are followed to ensure that transgenders do not have an unfair advantage, I think they should be allowed to compete. However, for those men who cannot adequately compete alongside their own gender and choose to make the switch solely for one-upmanship over the fairer sex, think again. Is the mandatory onsite testing really worth it?

I guess we won't be seeing "Philomena" Mickelson on the LPGA Tour any time soon!

This week on the Golf for Beginners show we not only talk about transgenders making their way onto the sports scene but also offer some great golf tips courtesy of Butch Harmon.






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Nicklaus builds a golf town, will Tiger Woods erect a city? Also, playing in the zone.

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Don't tell Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods that the country is in a recession and that the rest of the world is suffering as well because neither will believe you. Both golfers have moved forward with plans to build high-end communities in spite of the downward trend perhaps hoping that the number of "haves" will be enough to pave the way for future development.

Nicklaus, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Grupo Viveros to create a private town complete with two hotels, marina, airstrip, hangars, two hundred fifty high-end villas as well as a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course on a currently uninhabited island off the coast of Panama. Oceanfront lot prices start at $530,000.

Tiger Woods, is working on courses in Dubai, Punta Brava and in the high Carolina area where two of Jack Nicklaus' Signature golf courses are already situated alongside of courses designed by Gary Player and Tom Fazio.

Woods mentioned recently during his tour of the Punta Brava site, "My goal is to design a collection of amazing golf courses around the world." Following in Nicklaus' footsteps as he has chosen to do will be a lifelong venture as the Golden Bear currently has 337 courses open for play in 33 countries with 55 golf courses and projects under construction in 45 different countries.

Will Tiger Woods find filling the shoes of Jack Nicklaus an easy feat and will he be able to conquer all of Nicklaus' accomplishments both on and off the golf course? Nicklaus recently stated that he doesn't want Tiger to break his records. Do you blame him? Just ask kids today if they ever heard of the Beatles and about their contribution to music. Nicklaus just doesn't want to fade into obscurity.

As for the race for "best golfer ever", Woods may well be on his way to beating Nicklaus' record but, with a recurring bum knee thrown into the equation, only time will tell.

In this week's Golf for Beginners broadcast, we discuss "King" Nicklaus atop his huge empire and Tiger Woods' need to build equally large scale private communities for the wealthy. With the assistance of Joan King we also identify "the Zone" and discuss ways that the average golfer can use the mental game to their advantage.

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Photo Credit: NY Daily News/Haynes/Getty

Barack Obama swings left on the course. Kodak waves checkered flag for PGA Tour. We have the fix for your mental game.

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It has been said that you can tell a good deal about a person by the way he/she plays golf, and former Presidents are no exception. Which of our Commanders, for example, exemplified the integrity of the game and which men have bent the rules in their favor?

In his book, "First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers and Cheaters From Taft to Bush", Don Van Natta Jr's neatly organized categories helped define Presidential proclivities noting that more than just a few in the top job have "improved their lie" during a round.

Both Clinton and Nixon made it into the book's "Hail to the Cheats" category with number forty-two often giving himself "billigans" and "Tricky Dick" often not counting wayward shots. FDR, Ford and Kennedy, on the other hand, were considered "purists."

So, where does that leave President-elect Barack Obama?

According to a golf swing analysis by Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs, Obama is a good study of preparedness however the outcome lacks aggressiveness, pushing his shots far left. Perhaps that makes the future president just like the "Average Joe"?

The category which President-elect Obama falls into will eventually become apparent as the story unfolds.

In addition to our assessment of Mr. Obama, we also discuss techniques for positive thinking from William Oliver's new book, the "Law of Focus for Golfers". A few fixes from his ebook, "Master the Mental Game of Golf" are also mentioned.

Kodak, the EWGA and a notable distinction for Turning Stone Resort round out our News summary.





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Photo Credit: © USAToday.com, Alex Brandon, AP, LifeintheTrap.com

Why does boxer Oscar De La Hoya get KO'd on the first tee? Also, USGA rule change for 2008 and charity abounds in golf

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Although boxers like Oscar de la Hoya and Sugar Ray Leonard fight in front of thousands, using the squared circle as a stage to proudly display their ability, they seem to lose their edge and become wrought with anxiety when walking up to the first tee. Instead they become the "amateurs", stepping into an arena in which they are uncertain of their skills. In fact, De La Hoya was once quoted as saying, "I'd rather be fighting in front of 100,000 people than teeing off in front of ten."

Who would have ever thought that the average amateur golfer's mental game could be superior to a fighter who trains his mind daily in order to beat his opponents?

Trainer/kickboxer Kobus Huisamen mentions that "as a fighter trains, his mind also trains." With the intense preparation prior to a fight, shouldn't boxers make better golfers?

Golf for Beginners also discusses a change in the Rules of Golf for 2008 which allows players to swap out equipment shafts and heads before a round. Is this a "wink" from the USGA to bolster golf club sales?

In the spirit of giving, it is heartwarming to see entertainers offer their name and services to humane causes. Nick Lachey, whose "Clash of the Choirs" win recently gave $250,000 to charity is teaming up with Nascar's Jimmie Johnson to form the Super Skins Celebrity Golf Classic. The PGA Tour is also allowing Justin Timberlake to host his own
PGA Tour event.

So what's next? Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z hosting the PGA Tour's Urban Golf Classic for inner city youth?


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Golf swing tips to regain flexibility, improve balance and posture with a foam roller and does the helicopter training aid f

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I'm told, as we get older we lose some of our flexibility. It's usually because a golfer denies the inevitable, making excuses for a sore back, aching legs or inability to make a good shoulder turn. Barry's meniscus surgery served as his excuse as to why he hasn't been as limber for several months.

I found (and we discuss) a few golf tips in the latest Golf for Women magazine which helps the amateur player take a solid swing and overcome the stiffness and lack of elasticity due to age or lack of exercise.

Not that you have to be able to stretch like a rubber band but sometimes you don't even realize that you are not as bendable as in the past!

We also review the Helicopter training aid from sdfgolf.com. The plastic yellow and red blades of the Helicopter serve as an extension of the golf club. The claim is that, with the help of the Helicopter and enclosed DVD (and lots of practice), you will see both the position of your body and the clubface through the golf swing and gain muscle memory. We'll let you know if this device flies with us!

When I'm working out at the gym, I usually plan a schedule strong on core improvement and balance exercises. One of my favorite training aids is the foam roller, which Golf for Women Magazine maintains is great for posture as well. We discuss uses for this simple piece of foam maintaining that the best training devices don't have to cost a fortune and are sometimes in plain sight!


Click here to see Stacy's golf swing video.


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