Podcast: Michelle Wie gets "plutoed", which Phil Mickelson will show up for his 2007 debut and stop chunking, chip with a hybrid

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While it's unlikely in the foreseeable future that Michelle Wie will make a cut in a PGA Tour event, we do not necessarily agree with Tim McDonald either. Barry and I talk about how Wie went awry, from her wrong choice of clubs right down to allowing the tournament pressure to get the best of her.

In stark contrast, 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa showed fans that having fun has its advantages as he became the second youngest golfer in PGA Tour history to make the cut. While Tadd is probably relishing this new "factoid", Vijay Singh is cringing at Sam Snead's record. Thank goodness that television cameras focused on this up-and-coming golfer who, at 15, also qualified for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Could someone as vertically challenged as Fujikawa be the next Tiger Woods?

Everyone except Tiger, watch out ! My golf hero, Phil Mickelson, is making his 2007 debut at the star-studded Bob Hope Chrysler Classic this coming week.

Whereas I ask the question, "Which Mickelson will be in attendance...safe or aggressive Phil", Barry wants to know if "dumb shot Phil" will show up instead?

Hybrids are hot on tour and are quickly replacing long irons in our golf bags. With the help of Golf Digest Magazine, we tell you how to eliminate chunking your chips with the use of these 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.


P.S. The word "plutoed" was chosen as the 2006 word of the year by the American Dialect Society.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: A golf tip from Sam Snead helps us go from beginner to winner and improving your chip shot using the "bump-and-run"

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This week on Golf for Beginners, Barry borrows a quote from the great Sam Snead to describe why my first ever possible even-par round (over five holes) turned into a mediocre event. No, it has nothing to do with Snead's effortless swing but it does have something to do with the mental game. Snead said that the golf game is 70 percent mental but at the 2003 U.S. Open, when Padraig Harrington was asked about that statement he quickly commented, "I'm not going to argue with Sam, but I'd say it's 90 percent mental."

It appears as if my progression from golf beginner to competitive amateur stops at the space between my ears. Trying to solve this dilemma will take some effort as my swing doesn't need fine-tuning but my lack of focus at the task at hand and the ability to forget what's written on the scorecard is interfering with the possibility of a score in the 70's and a single-digit handicap.

I also borrow a line from PGA teaching professional Mel Sole to identify the basic bump-and-run. A good chip shot can be accomplished with several different golf clubs, but do you use the right one for the best result?

We're both happy to be back for another season of Golf for Beginners. Travel along with us as we borrow exploits from our own golf games on the publinks to help lower scores for all of us!

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.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Woods put a Tiger in his bag and so can you. Also, how to keep fit during golf's off-season

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What sets professional golfers like Tiger Woods apart from amateurs like us? Okay, so our swing speed hasn't been measured at 125 m.p.h. but it's not all in the physical aspects of our golf game. Amateurs sometimes fall into a comfort zone, expecting no more than what they know they can achieve as opposed to setting goals which can improve skills and change habits ingrained through improper practice.

Where the mental game is extremely important to a golfer's success, don't forget the physical aspect of the game either! It's easy to sit around and watch the New York Jets struggle for Super Bowl supremacy but it takes effort to get off your duff and exercise!

Improve your chipping with Umbrella Plus or start hitting your impact bag!

Barry and I discuss the importance of keeping limber during golf's off-season and how remaining physically charged can ready you for your first swing in the spring.

What better time to discuss setting both physical and mental goals to achieve a more consistent score than on New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year to all of our readers and listeners!

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.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Ernie Els takes Michelle Wie to school, Tiger Woods' preschool fame and a lesson on bounce

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Michelle Wie's recent acceptance to Stanford gave us pause this week to reflect upon a golf lesson offered up by Ernie Els during the 2006 Sony Open.

Perhaps if Michelle Wie practices with more determination this year, all of her PGA Tour dreams might come true…including entrance into the Masters or even a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team?

Our next subject on this holiday edition of Golf for Beginners answers a reader's email about bounce. When is it best to use a sand wedge and when should a golfer opt for a more bladed club? Can a putter be used out of a bunker?

Finally, we offer up some astonishing facts about a much younger Tiger Woods.

Seasons greetings!

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.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Annika Sorenstam's one-handed swing and tips on winterizing your golf bag

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Annika Sorenstam is one busy entrepreneur, from her successful association with Ginn Resorts right down to giving advice to golfers in both Golf Digest and Golf for Women magazines. Barry and I discuss Sorenstam's one-handed drill that is sure to provide both the golf beginner as well as the intermediate player with better ball contact which will also generate more clubhead speed.

We continue with golf tips for winterizing your golf equipment. How do you determine which clubs should remain in your bag and which should be traded out for something more reliable? Perhaps swapping a three-iron for a hybrid? Hmmm, food for thought!

Happy holidays to all from Golf for Beginners!

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.

GFB Podcast: Nicklaus and Leadbetter's putting tips, Annika Sorenstam keeps it simple and a training aid that will keep you dry: Umbrella Plus!

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Here is a conundrum for our listeners and readers. What functions as both raingear and a golf training aid? Why an umbrella, of course! And not just any umbrella, no! The rain reflector we're discussing in this week's podcast, Umbrella Plus, has also been hailed by The Teaching Network, a panel of PGA teaching professionals who only accept products which "show true value in the players learning process".

We not only concur with the findings of these golf instructors but we also laud the Umbrella Plus' versatility and ease-of-use. Listen to the details of our findings on this weeks Golf for Beginners podcast.

Also, Barry and I take a tip from the latest Golf Digest in which we expound upon David Leadbetter's putting theory of "standing tall to the ball" in relation to Jack Nicklaus' crouched position.

Lastly, our quote of the week comes from Annika Sorenstam who never second-guesses before her decision to commit to a shot.

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.