Web-Series offers a 'Behind the Greens' look into the 2010 PGA Championship

Did you ever wonder how a golf tournament is created? Most people rarely realize the dedication and hard work necessary to transform a course such as Whistling Straits into the venue needed for the PGA Championship.

In the new web-series "Behind the Greens", fans can share in the excitement in the "building" of the 92nd PGA Championship, following the Course Superintendent, Operations Manager and Championship Director as they plan the event.

From the initial "build-out" on June 20th, you will be able to watch as Whistling Straits is transformed into a "small city", adding bleachers, tents, skyboxes and making sure there is "enough power cords to keep the mini-city running."

The web-series officially begins Thursday, June 3rd, but you can watch this cool trailer of Behind the Greens right now!

Is Nicklaus ready to skin Woods before the Memorial?

When Jack Nicklaus instituted the first nine-hole skins game before the 2009 Memorial Tournament, he chose Tiger Woods as one of this group. Fans got an eyeful watching the two greatest golfers in the world play side-by-side with Woods chipping in at eighteen to seal the deal.

Last year, Nicklaus said, "They had me paired in the other group, and I said, uh-uh. I said, 'I haven't played with him for nine years. I'd like to play with Tiger.' So they said OK. I'm really looking forward to it."

This year tells quite a different story as Nicklaus has extricated himself from Woods' group instead pairing himself with Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Sean O'Hair and Kenny Perry, all perceived by the public to be stand-up guys.

Not that Steve Stricker (one of my favorite golfers besides Mickelson), Zack Johnson or Jim Furyk won't add a bit of pizazz to Woods' foursome (Rory McIlroy has possibilities as you can watch the girls swooning all around him) but what was the method to Nicklaus' decision?

Bleacher Report asks, "Couldn't Jack have played with both of them?"

A Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson pairing would have left all of the other great PGA Tour golfers struggling for television time. The only way you could get the cameras rolling on Team "B" would be if there was a hole-in-one or if one of the guys started cussing about something (microphones will be in use by the players.)

It's also good to switch up the golfers from one year to the next. Kenny Perry played in the 2009 Woods/Nicklaus group and he isn't in the Golden Bear's 2010 "fivesome".

Maybe Jack just doesn't want to hustle too much. In 2009 Nicklaus "made fun of himself for playing several of the par-4s like par-5s and suggested he needed to play from the forward tees." Tiger may be a tad too competitive for Nicklaus. Mickelson, just cut from the Colonial last week, may be more to his pace.

This feels a bit like Ryder Cup whimsy, doesn't it?


Free admission for kids tomorrow and, for those fans nowhere near Dublin, Ohio, you can catch the action on the Golf Channel from 1:00p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Do You Think Tiger Woods Should Represent the USA at the Ryder Cup?

Corey Pavin recently said that Tiger Woods would have to earn his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

"I'm not going to treat Tiger any different than any other player," Pavin stated. "He's certainly not going to be an automatic pick. He's just going to be treated like everyone else. I'd love to have him on the team, but I want him to be playing well."

I agree with Pavin that Woods should be treated equally with regards to his past Ryder Cup record.: 10-13-2 is not as great an accomplishment as another option for the team, namely Tom Watson, who has a 10-4-1 record. Problem with Watson is he may have already mentally defeated himself by saying, "I've never played the golf course before. That's where the Europeans have out-smarted us."

Woods has only been on a winning Ryder Cup team once in 1999 and didn't even play when Team USA ended it's losing streak in 2008.

With Woods' limited play this year, inconsistencies in his game may translate into lazy play against Team Europe. Pavin doesn't want to risk a loss.

Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers to have ever played the game and is extremely close to tying Jack Nicklaus' all major record of 18 (Tiger is only four events shy of this feat.) Jack Nicklaus believes Corey Pavin would need a "brain scan" if he left Tiger off the team but the negatives may outweigh the positives in this instance.

And so I ask the public, if you were Captain Corey Pavin, would you ask Tiger Woods to play in the Ryder Cup?


Ask Team Europe and I'll bet the answer will be a resounding "NO!"

Back 9 Network wants golf fans to help create Must See TV

Move over Golf Channel, there's a new golf network making its way to a television, PC/MAC and mobile device near you. Welcome Back 9 Network!

What makes Back 9 Network different than what you have ever experienced on current television is that this station is going to be created, "by the fans, for the fans" as stated by its President, Dennis Allen.

How is Back 9 Network planning to do this? With the help of the fans. Fill out a brief (5 minute) survey about what you like, and don't like, about current golf programming.

Take the survey now:  http://bit.ly/9maac7

Tell Back 9 Network what kind of golf shows you want to see...they're listening!

You can also follow Back 9 Network on Twitter. What do you think of their logo?

Great golf photos and finishes at the Sybase but not for Michelle Wie

After a wonderful day of watching the best LPGA golfers on Tour, I have a great picture diary to share with my readers. I suggest that, if you ever get the opportunity to see a professional golf event live, GO! For those people living in the New York, tri-state area, there are still tickets available for the final round of the Sybase Match Play Championship, under an hour from New York City.

Hamilton Farm Golf Clubhouse

We arrived just before the Quarterfinal matches and watched the LPGA ladies prepare at the driving range and on the greens. Here is Amy Yang in her backswing and in her downswing. It's amazing what you can do with a speedy shutter!

Michelle Wie and Yang on the putting surface:

Watching the professional golfers tee off. Amateur golfers can learn a great deal from the LPGA finish position:

For golf aficionados, it's amazing how close you can get to the action!

Here are a few more pictures from the 9th green.

Although all of the ladies were cheered on, the one with the throngs of followers was none other than Michelle Wie.

I was standing next to the loudest of Michelle Wie's cheering section, Christina Kim, who mentioned that she wasn't "tweeting" today, but I was! You can see my cell phone action pics on Twitpic.com and you can always friend me on Twitter.com/Golf4Beginners.

As for Michelle Wie, she was eliminated by six-time LPGA winner Jiyai Shin. After winning 2&1, Wie was asked about her game and she said, "I didn't play as well as I wanted. I think I know exactly what I need to work on. I'm going to work hard the next two weeks and try to win."

Perhaps Wie shouldn't have been so concerned with changing outfits during the break...

Too bad both Ai Miyazato and Michelle Wie were knocked out of contention at the Sybase event but there will be great final round golf action tomorrow when Shin rallies against Sun Young Yoo and Angela Stanford battles against Amy Yang.


For more information visit the Sybase Match Play Championship or LPGA.com website.

Stacy Solomon, Golf for Beginners Bio

Stacy Solomon has been a student of the game of golf since 2000 and blogger for "Golf for Beginners, because we're always learning" since 2004. She has written hundreds of articles and blogs for well-known internet websites such as Worldgolf.com, AT&T and IBM and her work has been reprinted on thousands of sports websites.

Hi Friends,

Golf for Beginners started out as a way for me to keep my lessons in a format where anyone could see them and benefit from them. The website has grown to include PGA Tour and LPGA Tour commentary, equipment news and reviews of travel destinations. I am very proud to consider Golf for Beginners a worldwide blog, realizing that golf is growing on a global level!

An amateur golfer, my handicap stands at about a sixteen which drops as the year progresses and as my short game improves! As I always say, "the game is played from 100 yards and in!"

Although I began my writing career in 2004 working for various online media outlets, in 2006, I was asked to join the Worldgolf.com golf blogger team. In addition to a weekly column on their site which reached out to over 2.5 million golfers per month, my husband and I also produced the popular five-year long Golf for Beginners Podcast, a regular top-ten on iTunes amateur sports listings. We earned kudos as a pioneer of podcasting by several newspapers including New Jersey Jewish News, "Couple Uses Media Technology to Teach golf to beginners" and The Working Musician. Portions of the Golf for Beginners podcasts have been reproduced on radio stations as far-reaching as South Africa!

I am very proud that I have helped to make Golf for Beginners so recognizable: my blogs can found re-posted in the NY Daily News Sports Section online and in South Florida Golf Magazine. My editorial selections can be accessed via Riversip News app.

Golf Channel has scrolled my tweets on TV in order to highlight their 2012 U.S. Open rebroadcast, I have partnered with corporations as an "Influencer" for IBM in order to bring awareness to their vision of Smarter Commerce and with AT&T to introduce their latest smartphones as well as to bring visibility to the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

I am proud to have worked with Legends Invitational Golf Event to bring awareness and support to the National Navy UDT SEAL Museum, a patriotic and worthwhile charity which educates, enlightens and helps families of fallen SEALs - I am very honored to have been of service.

I have been invited as a guest on several radio shows such as AOL Sports Radio, the GolfClubRadio Show with Danielle Tucker and the Enlightened Golfer Radio Show. Ms. Tucker has mentioned that Golf for Beginners offers "positive and constructive feedback plus great blogs and insight." My most recent radio appearance was as a guest on the On Par Radio Show with Anthony Scorcia. 

Inciteful and instructive interviews have been conducted through email, podcasts and Twitter with some of the best-known golfers and thinkers in the industry including Hank Haney, John Daly, Morgan Pressel Jim Furyk and former PGA President Brian Whitcomb.


Golf4Beginners has taken flight on Twitter and, because of the thousands of friends I have made there, was recently asked to reveal some of my expert secrets in the premier issue of 914 Inc. Magazine.

I had initially chosen to keep Golf for Beginners on Facebook for personal communications but now, since many of my golf fans are friends, I publicized it to my many friends in the social media arena. Within six months of going public, I now have about 3,000 golf-loving friends and have just begun a Facebook page for Golf for Beginners so that all fans have a voice!

Dennis Allen, a twenty-five year golf industry veteran and Executive Vice President of the new Back9 Network stated, "she cares about the game of golf and is insightful. She has lots of ideas percolating in her head that she willingly shares."

Probably not even realized by many in the industry is that, because of both my husband Barry Solomon's and my continued fight for the rights of new media talent to be considered as knowledgeable and respected writers, we helped set the stage for bloggers to gain media credentials at professional golf events such as the 2010 Sybase Match Play Championship and the Puerto Rico Open.

My career has been as varied as a Party Planner for Billboard Magazine to Circulation Sales Director with magazines at Fairchild Publications. I accepted a volunteer position on the Steering Committee for The Club Cup, an inaugural social media event designed to help grow the game of golf among the masses with the assistance of PGA and LPGA Tour players. For the past several years, I have committed myself fully to internet media as a Digital Content, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Manager.

An honor graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, I chose to remain in my hometown attending New York University on a full four-year scholarship. I love new technology and to be able to explain and engage others with my passion. Combining my love of tech with golf has been a long-term goal for me.

Several years ago, I became a member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association and am very proud to be one of the few females in the group as well as one of the only golf writers exclusively serving the online community.

I have always promoted causes that are near and dear to my heart and will never compromise on my resolve to be the best person I can be. The message in golf is a good one and I live by the rules of the First Tee Program; be honest, have integrity, confidence, and respect, play by the rules, and persevere despite challenges!