McGladrey Classic joins the 2010 Kodak Challenge

Kodak and the PGA TOUR today announced that hole Number 13 at The McGladrey Classic on October 7-10 has been added to the 2010 Kodak Challenge schedule. Infamous (?) number 13 at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club in Sea Island, GA was selected based on the recommendation of tournament host Davis Love III.

The McGladrey Classic will be the 27th of 30 holes in the $1 million Kodak Challenge competition. Rickie Fowler currently leads the Kodak Challenge at 12-under-par.

“Basically unchanged since its original design in 1920, Number 13 at the Seaside Course is a classic par-4, as beautiful as it is challenging,” said Love. “For this reason, it fits perfectly into the Kodak Challenge. The late season action of the Kodak Challenge looks to be exciting again this year, and we’re pleased that the players and fans of The McGladrey Classic can be a part of it.”

The Kodak Challenge celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR and challenges players to perform their best on 30 designated Kodak Challenge holes.

A few of the memorable Kodak holes this year were the 18th hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the "Wild Hole" at TPC Scottsdale.

Credit

PGA Tour golfers must play at least 18 of the 30 designated Kodak Challenge holes. The player with the lowest cumulative score on his best 18 Kodak Challenge holes will win $1 million. The Kodak Challenge concludes on No. 17 at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic on November 11-14. The McGladrey Classic joins the Kodak Challenge at a highly competitive juncture. Fifteen PGA TOUR players are currently within three strokes of Fowler, and another eighteen sit four shots back.


According to Steve Powell, director of program development for the Kodak Challenge, The McGladrey Classic is a great addition to the final chapter of the Kodak Challenge season.

“No. 13 at The McGladrey Classic brings added excitement to the final stretch of the Kodak Challenge, as it gives pros a challenging, yet viable scoring opportunity. With just seven holes to go and more than 30 TOUR players within striking distance of our leader, our Kodak Challenge hole at Sea Island is sure to deliver some great action,” Powell commented.

About the Par 4, 408-yard Hole #13 at The Seaside Course:

Golfers need to take steady aim off the tee as this dog leg left has bunkers along the entire right side of the fairway and a marsh along the left. Depending on the wind, a driver will still leave golfers with a middle iron in to the green, which is protected by a front side bunker.



Kodak Challenge Provides Picture-Taking Moments

Since the Kodak Challenge records a player’s best 18 Kodak Challenge holes scores, pros with a full Kodak Challenge scorecard can move up the leaderboard quickly. Once a player reaches 18 holes, subsequent holes (beyond 18) provide the opportunity to replace bogeys and pars on their Kodak Challenge scorecards with birdies (or even eagles!). This can create a one, two, or even three-shot swing in a player’s score on just one hole.

Several players within striking distance of Fowler have bogeys to replace, including Steve Lowery (-10), Jimmy Walker (-9) and Aaron Baddeley (-9). Three other players at 8-under-par have bogeys on their Kodak Challenge scorecards.

Kevin Streelman claimed the first Kodak Challenge title at the PGA TOUR’s final event of the 2009 season, the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Streelman’s early-round birdie at No. 17 on the Magnolia Course clinched the Kodak Challenge crown, netting the second-year TOUR professional the Kodak Challenge trophy and the winner-take-all $1 million prize.

Here's the up-to-date Kodak Challenge Leaderboard (as of 8/18) with the name of golfer, holes played and score:

Rickie Fowler 16 -12

Troy Merritt 17 -11

Brendon de Jonge 17 -10

Ted Purdy 17 -10

Steve Lowery 15 -10

Charlie Wi 14 -10

Carl Pettersson 16 -9

Mark Wilson 16 -9

Jason Bohn 15 -9

John Senden 13 -9

Zach Johnson 12 -9

Congratulations to my Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA) friends!

CONGRATULATIONS

DORAL COMPETITIVE

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!

Annie Brillantes

&

Terri Munch

GOOD LUCK THS WEEKEND to our

EWGA SEMI FINALISTS 

at Villa Roma  GO GET 'EM Ladies!

   First Flight 

Kelly Hnatt
Sherri Wilson 

Second Flight

Wendy Kellogg

Sonia Hallenbeck

Third Flight
Becke Buffalo
Stephanie McCoy

Fourth Flight

Camille Boxhill

Ramona Perez

Scramble

Linda Boyer

Barbara Spinelli
Ann Marie Brillantes
Susan O'Dowd

 

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

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Can the Innovative Axis1 Putter Help Lower Your Golf Score?

The new Axis1 putter has received its share of accolades, from "Most Innovative Putter" to "Best New Golf Product". The creator of the "Eagle" putter (Luis Pedraza) adopted a scientific approach to this "alien-looking" flat stick (?) giving it a shape that it not only looks unique but for many performs when the heat is on.

The Axis1 Eagle putter was designed to be perfectly balanced so that it resists being "pulled open" when twisted in your hands allowing you to lighten your grip without the clubface opening. The weight is pushed forward "with a patented heel counter weight that places the center of gravity right on the center of the striking face perfectly aligned with the axis of the shaft."

The result is that the golfer should have fewer off-line putts, resulting in lower scores.

But, isn't a putter a very personal golf club? You have to like it, from the feel within your grip to the style of it. The putter should instill confidence each time you pull it out of your golf bag and every time you make a stroke on the putting surface.

Although there have been numerous testimonials confirming the "physics" and design of the Axis1 putter from Pro Golfer Patrick Sheehan (who uses it on Tour) to equipment reviewers and golf club manufacturers, how well did the Axis1 Eagle Putter perform in the hands of a mid-handicap (12-15) golfer?

Since the time of this article the Axis1 has only been created for right-handed golfers (sadly, the majority of players.) I had to hand over this unconventional putter which I was to test to my husband Barry, asking him to swap out his trusty Odyssey Two-Ball for review.

Unique Look of the Axis 1 Eagle Putter

Here are his thoughts.

It isn't easy to replace your trusted putter for a new one. New golf clubs take time to get used to, no matter what club you change out of your bag. That being said, Barry liked the Wynn grip which he said "has a great feel to it." It's also a "good-looking putter which can lead to a confident putting stroke."

The balance of the Axis1 putter was also commended for not having a single pushed putt. The shaft is perfectly balanced with the face and the weighting allows the putter to glide without the golfer having to add force. Technically speaking, "the center of gravity is right on the center of the striking face and perfectly aligned with the axis of the shaft."

Barry did have one "visual" complaint when he stood over the Axis1 putter:

"The reason my eyes have trouble getting used to the putter is because when I look down the shaft, I see the shaft in the middle of the ball which makes me think I may hit the ball with the shaft instead of the putterhead." Although he still has some difficulty with it, another golfer who tried the Axis1 putter had a similar reaction.

This putter is a conversation-starter. When Barry pulled the new Axis1 putter out of his golf bag, he was greeted by curious stares from fellow golfers who asked to try it out on the green.

Wonder at the design caused initial interest and upon first try, each of the golfer's reactions were similar. The Axis1 does not produce immediate results right out of the bag: it takes time and practice to get accustomed to the change in stroke caused by the balance of the putter. Many golfers' strokes are personal as putting goes hand-in-hand with "feel" and not necessarily with science.

The Axis1 Eagle putter can help reduce the number of pulled and pushed putts and help straighten off-line strokes.  Combined with the correct speed and distance caused by a confident stroke,  this putter can be a solid addition to both novice and low handicap golfer.

Read more about the Axis1 Putter.