Wie and Pressel in Celebrity Death Match?

Golf for beginners 02-12-06 episode fourteen wants to see

Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie duke it out!

Thegolfblog.com quoted Pressel as saying, "I don't think she (Wie) needs an exemption. I've been through qualifying. Everybody who doesn't make it on the money list, other amateurs, other professionals that aren't members of the tour, they all have to go through qualifying, too. I don't see why she shouldn't, or why she should be afraid, or expect an exemption."

This week's "Blogger Weekly" had a field day with this one, quoting bloggers who agree wholeheartedly with Pressel. Of course Wieblog.com fought back claiming, "Teenage girls can be so catty… about LPGA exemptions. Wie earned her Women’s Open exemption because her virtual winnings in events she participated in would have put her into the top 35 on the LPGA money list." MEOW!

This readers, is great for professional women's golf. More interest creates more advertising dollars which fuels the sport. I'm really happy about that and will continue to report on this subject and on women's golf in general.

My personal opinion tends to agree with Pressel but allowing Michelle Wie to play in such a venue would undoubtedly increase appeal in the LPGA. Purses will increase and the ladies sport will continue to gain momentum. Just look how much interest was generated when Michelle Wie played golf at the Sony Open?

Our question of the day comes from Karl at justsayok.net. He asks, "When do you consider yourself a golfer?"
Check out our response and think about when you officially became a golfer.

We also talk about the Pebble Beach Celebrity Pro-Am. Although Phil Mickelson won wire-to-wire in 2005 he wasn't so lucky this week. He wound up with a 77 in final round action. This wasn't his best event and I sure hope Phil watches the tape and corrects his mistakes. The Masters is coming up in the blink of an eye.

And just a few handicaps which might intrigue our readers.

Our favorite player at the Pro-Am was undoubtedly Bill Murray who actually enjoys this tournament and isn't afraid to show it. His clothes fit his mood and his 14 handicap is very respectable. Murray has a membership at Sleepy Hollow CC right down the road from our house and although we have taken lessons there before, we haven't played golf there yet with Bill!

Other interesting handicaps include:
Dennis Quaid - 2 handicap
Andy Garcia - 11 handicap
Donald Trump - 6 handicap
Tommy Smothers - 18 handicap

And, did you know that Olympian downhill skier Bode Miller plays to a 10 handicap?

For questions or comments please email us at: golfforbeginners@aol.com

Check Out Stacy's Golf Swing!

It's time for all of my readers and listeners to see the golf swing behind the blog.

It's early in the season and this is my first time at a driving range but I think it's worthy of a visual. All I can say is thank goodness for my impact bag. Isn't it amazing how much stuff we golfers collect around the house which we hardly use? The impact bag has long been one of my favorite training aids but has been sitting around lately gathering dust.

I personally think that my golf swing looks pretty good!

If you have a video camera it is always a good idea to bring it with you to the driving range.

Although you may not notice a flaw in your swing upon first inspection, I think that you will be able to compare it to other professional golf swings and notice a difference. It might also be in your best interest to take the video you create over to a professional golf instructor so he/she can evaluate it for you.

I'm taking my movie (and my golf swing) over to my swing coach, Bill Moro, for an evaluation. I have one lesson remaining in my group series before I have to purchase another set. If you are serious about the sport and want to take lessons it might also be a good idea to purchase a set of four or five of them. Not only does it come out cheaper but it may take a few lessons to ingrain that new, improved swing into your practice.

Your comments or questions are always welcome.
Email me at golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Tiger Woods in the 2008 Olympics?

Golf for beginners 02-05-06 episode thirteen asks the question,

"Should golf be an Olympic sport?"

People's Daily Online, a Chinese online periodical in English quotes Secretary General of the China Golf Association, Cui Zhiqiang as saying that the decision, "made sense as the game was becoming increasingly popular in China with about 200 courses and 200 more under construction."

Golf has been on the Olympic program twice, in 1900 and 1904. There were two golf events in 1900 - one for men and one for the ladies.

GolfToday.uk added, "They gave away gold medals for synchronized diving, beach volleyball, fencing and badminton at the Olympics in Athens. The world's best basketball players were there (minus several American defections), along with stars in softball and tennis. There were 28 sports involved, but no golf."

Previous Olympic sports have included Tug-of-War, Polo, Rugby, Lacrosse, Cricket, Croquet and water-skiing. I think it's about time that there were some form of amateur form of golf at the 2008 Olympics but it won't be feasible if professionals are allowed to play because the USA will undoubtedly win gold (who could possibly take a gold medal from Tiger Woods?).

This week's "Blogger Weekly" section focuses on yet another left-handed golfer, Gerry "Bubba" Watson. We are possibly looking at another John Daly. Bubba stated in http://www.golf.haabaa.com/blogs/?p=68, "If it ever comes down to where I need a lesson, I’m quitting. I’m never going to have a lesson. People say, ‘Quiet your hips,’ and I don’t have a clue what they mean. I just hit it."

Bubba's longest recent drive? Over 422 yards in 2004!

And finally, Barry and I discuss how using a video camera at the driving range could show you hidden flaws in your swing.

We took a camera to the range and taped my swing so look for my swing video in this week's blog.

For questions or comments please email us at: golfforbeginners@aol.com