Golf Podcast: Tiger Woods blows pre-putt routine, Club Glove Aficionado III Stand Bag review and USGA Rules of Repair on the Green

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A single uncharacteristic putt for Tiger Woods has given Nick O'Hern the title of "The Man who broke Tiger Woods' win streak". David took down Goliath for the second time in match play!

Yes, this was a day of mental errors for Woods, from a shot that landed in the drink right down to that four-foot putt on the nineteenth hole which, as Woods claimed, left a "totally" repairable ball mark.

We at Golf for Beginners, discuss the USGA Rules of Repair on the Putting Green as well as how you can avoid Tiger's costly mistake.

Barry and I also review the Club Glove Aficionado III stand bag. It's extra-light (only 5.6 lbs. fully loaded) as well as amazingly strong. The Izzo dual-strap design coupled with a thick, large lumbar support makes it comfortable and easy to carry.

A super-nice feature of the Club Glove Aficionado III is that all pockets are easily removable for lighter practice rounds although don't be fooled by this golf bag! It's large enough to comfortably fit a full set of clubs. Check out our review!

Finally, congratulations to Henrik Stenson on his win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship! I knew he was going to win all along...right RonMon? Too bad I'm not a gambler!

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Golf for Beginners Podcast: Women's golf clubs challenge men's, RedEye i330 laser putter review and a golf tip by Bob Toski

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Our first battle of the sexes debate originated from an article featured in
Golf for Women Magazine. Leave it to Stina Sternberg to cause more controversy ;-) as she claims in the February 2007 edition of Golf Digest Magazine, "Now your wife can start beating you".

Do golf clubs really make the player or can a player hit any golf clubs and score?

"Effortless power", a thought mentioned by PGA Tour golfer/instructor extraordinaire Bob Toski, is our golf tip of the week. Toski regularly maintained that golf is not a game of brute strength. "An ounce of touch is worth a ton of brawn", he claimed.

Accuracy in putting brings confidence which translates into lower scores. With this thought in mind, Barry and I review the RedEye i330 Laser Putter. The on-board laser guidance system quickly and easily unscrews to allow use of this USGA-approved putter on the golf course. The Electronic Smart Target laser sensory system showed Barry that his alignment needs work.

We believe that this combined putter/training aid will improve Barry's putting over time (for now it only comes as a right-handed model; lefties like me have to wait until next spring) but we reserve rating the i330 and will bring you part two later in the season.

Congratulations to short game guru and Champions Tour golfer Tom Watson on his terrific victory at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Podcast: Woods and Wie take a break, "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" of celebrity golf, a putting tip for Clint Eastwood and Specfit

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The ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is much like the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. They're both like "silly season" events, heavy on celebrities and good will, but top golf professionals are in attendance getting the rust off their games instead of being on the slopes awaiting a new year of challenges on the PGA Tour.

Giving the ATT Celebrity Pro-Am it's due, Barry and I discuss handicaps of some of the notables this week; who really takes it seriously and who plays there for the laughs and scenery of Pebble Beach.

Take, for example, the celebs who could really use a golf lesson. Clint Eastwood, although a respectable eleven handicap, "could be one of the worst putters I've ever seen" said Jesper Parnevik.

Not that Eastwood needs our help, but we dole out a golf tip that could improve his putting.

Amateurs should really make an attempt to watch these events because as celebrity swings are analyzed, we also can also realize the faults within our own games. One of the most noticeable problems for amateurs and celebrities alike has to do with trying to help the ball go up. Listen for this week's golf tip on how to stay down with your shot.

Best of the celebrities? That distinction goes to Kenny G., a scratch golfer!

Who rates the worst? Listen to this week's broadcast and find out!

BTW, I respectfully disagree with Brandon Tucker's blog which calls Danny Gans a "self-absorbed loser". I believe Gans is trying to cover-up his lack of golfing ability with his impressions but that's what he does to maintain his celebrity and that is what this event its all about. Getting more people involved in golf who normally wouldn't watch a televised event by merging comedy and sport creates more interest for newbies.

We also talk about the new Specfit headgear created by Rissotta, which allows you to hold sunglasses in place as well as pencils, tees and even unlit cigars (although I'm not a fan of "stogies"!)

The magnets sewn into the sides of the cap are great for anything metallic that you can think of, from ball markers to divot tools. We think this idea is creative and we give it "two thumbs up" for originality and ingenuity.

Finally, a hearty congratulations to my golf hero, Phil Mickelson, for being able to rebound and win his first tournament of 2007, the ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. You are the celebrity, Phil, to all of your "Phanatics".

Mickelson tied the tournament record (20-under) with the low round of the day (66). He also won both the professional and amateur events with partner You, the first to do so since Fuzzy Zoeller over twenty years ago. This brings Phil's number of PGA Tour victories to thirty (his third win at this event) but I'm sure this is only the beginning of his 2007 win season.

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.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Podcast: Is Groundhog Day un-American, a golf tip from Caddyshack and improve ball striking for a couple of pennies

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Barry's constant lecturing during driving range practice prompts this week's discussion on solid ball contact. He's right because hearing the "click" each time you strike the ball is the surest way of achieving proper distance control.

With the help of Golf Magazine we relate a great golf tip that should have you hitting your irons center-cut so when spring arrives, you're ball flight will be consistent and true.

Also, while cleaning out our golf bags, Barry and I chat about one way of acquiring proper aim while putting.

Our wedding anniversary falls yearly on Groundhog Day (it's our fifteenth). Kind of funny that the decision-maker as to whether spring is near is a relative of the rodent family. This year Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring...only four more weeks of winter. Nope, he didn't see his shadow.



Being a native of the Bronx, how would I ever know the difference between the two critters? I looked it up and found that not only are groundhogs larger than gophers but also hibernate and are good swimmers.

But is Groundhog Day un-American? Did this country really come up with such a foolish tradition? Find out this week on Golf for Beginners and get a great golf tip from the movie Caddyshack.

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.

"Off to Osaka" and "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

Podcast: Tiger Woods takes the wheel at the Buick, Mickelson's legacy in jeopardy, G-Clip 4-in-1 mini review, golf tip from "The Greatest Game Ever Pl

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There's much to offer our listeners in this week's episode of Golf for Beginners, from discussion involving the ever-astonishing Tiger Woods right down to knee-surgery, which is becoming more routine.

Barry can now say that he has something in common with Tiger Woods, namely a repaired left knee. We explain how arthroscopic surgery (Barry had a partial "Meniscectomy"), although becoming more mainstream, is not as easy to recover from as doctors may claim.

We also review the G-Clip 4-in-1 mini golf tool, an innovative product from Fine Tune golf. It's versatility on the course should make golfers more excited about fixing ball marks on the green as well as being "at the ready" to dispense a tee if ever a playing partner should be searching for one.

One of our quick golf tips comes from Fine Tune Golf packed away with their compact golf tool. "How to repair a pitch mark on the green" is rarely done correctly so we offer up this suggestion hoping that our listeners will repair not only the one they created but another one as well.

Some movies are loaded with great golf tips as in the case of "The Greatest Game Ever Played". After watching this film the other night, Barry and I relate a putting tip that would not only help us but also Tiger Woods after missing some short putts at this week's Buick Invitational.

Aside from the miscue on some of his short putts, Tiger walked away with his seventh straight win, the second longest win streak (Byron Nelson comes in first with 11) in PGA Tour history, number 55 on the win-meter and his fifth Buick Invitational trophy. Not bad for being "a little rusty".

The Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson rivalry created by the media is our focus on this week's "How we see it". We respond to an article written by Cameron Morfit which wonders if Phil Mickelson must beat Tiger Woods head-to-head in order to secure his place in history.

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.

Podcast: Will Phil Mickelson be any competition for Tiger Woods in the FedEx Cup race, Sorenstam "flip-flops" on baby issue, a look at GolfSpan Mobile

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Vijay Singh began the golf season at the Mercedes-Benz Championship where he showed great form after the holiday layoff.

Second in the PGA Tour rotation was Phil Mickelson, who, although a bit rustier than Singh, provided viewers with more than just a glimpse of his spectacular drives and relaxed demeanor.

Finally, the time that golf fans have been waiting for is over: Tiger Woods is making his 2007 debut at the Buick Invitational. Taking the "gone skiing" notice from off of his front door, Woods readies himself for the long road ahead where he'll be challenging both Singh and Mickelson for not only top position on the money list but also for the lion's share of FedEx points.

Is a $10 million deferred bonus enough to make Tiger Woods get his head into the game or...

Could this tournament mark a change in interests for the reigning number-one golfer on the PGA Tour now that he has a child on the way? Will he be able to defend this week's title for the third time? I'm not so sure. Tiger Woods exclaimed on his website recently, "I just haven't been able to prepare. I usually spend one week working on my game before a tournament, and have been unable to do that this year."

Barry and I examine not only Mickelson and Woods' debut but also LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam's retraction of a comment she made to a Swedish newspaper where she claimed she was ready to retire and have children.

Also on this week's broadcast, we take a look at GolfSpan Mobile, a new technology in which you can learn golf right from your own cell phone with the assistance of top PGA professionals such as Hank Haney, Jim McLean, Jane Blalock and more. Is this video technology too advanced for current wireless networks? We'll give you the pros and cons from our perspective.

Finally, we offer up a golf tip which is useful whether you're a beginner or even a professional golfer!

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.