Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Palmer tells us why Tiger Woods beats Mickelson, a golf tip for kids and more!

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.


Arnold Palmer believes that Tiger Woods is "every bit as aggressive as Phil (Mickelson)" in the June issue of Golf Digest Magazine. There is one difference, however, which gives Tiger the edge. Find out on this week's episode of Golf for Beginners.

In the same interview, Palmer gives us a simple putting tip which Barry questions in certain circumstances. When should you give yourself the option of playing it safe and when should you make sure you drain the golf ball in one shot?

We also discuss the proper form for hitting out from under a tree, commonly known as the "low shot". Practice this shot and you'll get out of trouble and back into the fairway in fewer strokes.

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Michelle Wie "Dancing with the Stars" at the Samsung, hybrid tip and an email asks lefty or righty?

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.

Will Michelle Wie accept an invitation to the Samsung World Championship in October, "Dancing with the Stars" of the LPGA's finest?

The PGA Tour's John Deere Classic is also awaiting a response from Wie, B.J. Wie that is, to confirm her status in yet another PGA Tour event. In the interim, swing coach David Leadbetter is probably wishing that he hadn't mentioned Wie's possibility to "commit herself" to the women's tour.

She has the right stuff and everyone, including Golf for Beginners, wish that she would take the step from competitor to winner. We offer Wie a mental game tip from Dr. Robert K. Winters, a sports psychologist whose tip we found on the David Leadbetter website.

We follow up with a discussion of the hybrid, how efficient it is compared to long irons and how to use ball position and proper setup to maximize each shot you take with it. You may never use a three-iron again!

Finally, a beginner asks what golf clubs she should purchase, left or right-handed?

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Tiger Woods' escape from deep rough, Zagat Golf Course Guide and Stan Utley's chipping drill

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.

Tiger Woods may not have had a stellar performance at the Players Championship (his putting let him down once again), but at least he came away with a smile on his face on Sunday after redeeming himself with a five-under-par 67.

Although Tiger might have difficulty putting, rest assured that Woods is one of the best putters around. He is also terrific out of deep rough. We give you a Tiger tip to assist you when the rough is as deep as it was at Winged Foot during the 2006 U.S. Open.

Also on Golf for Beginners, Barry and I look at the new Zagat guide:America's Top Golf Courses. With input from over 6,000 golfers (most were men) and a rating system similar to their popular nightlife and restaurant guides, this Zagat Guide is an interesting addition to their lineup.

Stan Utley is a professional advisor to Golf Digest. In this month's magazine he gives us a very easy-to-learn chipping drill. We pass it along to you.

Finally, congratulations to Phil Mickelson! Lefty is now second only to Tiger Woods in FedEx Cup points. The race for PGA Tour dominance is on!

With Butch Harmon on his team, is Mickelson now feeling confident enough to take on Tiger Woods head-to-head?


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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!

Monday, May 07, 2007

PGA Tour discovers Turning Stone, a great New York weekend getaway plus putting drills and driving range tips

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.

"Turning Stone leaves no stone unturned!"

That's Barry's quote, plain and simple, after we accompanied a group of golf travel writers to Turning Stone Lodge. Our mission? To let our listeners in on the buzz accompanying this multidimensional casino/resort. The PGA Tour has chosen Atunyote golf course at Turning Stone for the start of its 2007 fall series.

From beginning to end our weekend at the Lodge at Turning Stone offered us the opportunity to relax, unwind and forget about our day-to-day routine.

We boarded the Turning Stone motorcoach in Manhattan. This coach is hired for corporate conferences and "team building". Our "team" got to know one another here and we were offered massages, food, gaming table and all of the amenities necessary to comfortably carry about twenty people the four hour drive to Verona, New York.

Once there we received our itinerary which included a tour of the premises and several opportunities to sample the gastronomic wonders created by Chef Daniel Graban. Our supper at Wildflowers and lunch at Rodizio were memorable events. Wildflowers offered creative cuisine, right down to the "donut soup" at the end of our meal. Rodizio is a Brazilian steakhouse where roasted meats are served tableside. This restaurant is a meat-lovers paradise!

I decided to try my first ever spa treatment at the highly touted Skana Spa. "Lavender Dreams" will not disappoint spa afficionados although there are a wealth of treatments available. You will want to relax here all day (especially if the weather doesn't agree with your golf plans), either lazing by one of the several fireplaces sipping herbal tea or taking a dip in the mineral pool.

But for golf lovers, it's all about the courses, right? Although Atunyote was off-limits, being groomed for its debut on the PGA Tour, Barry played Shenendoah GC, one of three eighteen hole courses operated by the Oneida Nation and rated by Golf Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play". I decided to take a lesson with PGA Professional Steve Campanaro. His putting drills and golf tips for the driving range were easy to understand so we discuss them in this week's Golf for Beginners podcast.

The golf dome is great for short game practice. Turning Stone is now building a tennis dome connected to the golf dome by a clubhouse for times of inclement weather.

Although there is also a main casino hotel, in my opinion the place to stay is at the Lodge. Be sure to inquire about a fireplace and plasma screen television in your suite as these items add to the ambience of your stay. The robes and slippers in the room as well as the spa bathroom are also a nice, upscale touch.

The main resort is elegant and has a more cosmopolitan feel, making you wonder if you are staying at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun rather than the adirondack feel of the Lodge. The smell of cigarette smoke emanating from the Casino into the main lobby made me feel as if my healthy spa experience had come to a shrieking halt.

Video slots instead of the "one-armed bandits" and a special card that must be constantly refilled when the money runs out are both positive and negative experiences. We're not big gamblers anyway but I found that I didn't invest as much as I normally do when I travel to Atlantic City.

This is a BYOB establishment but we were told that there are shops that will deliver liquor to your room.

Turning Stone is a luxurious, upscale and restorative resort for a long weekend jaunt. There is plenty to do if you're seeking action and adventure but also gets the "thumbs up" when you're looking to unwind and alleviate stress from the week.


Check out other great New York Hotels.

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!

Monday, April 30, 2007

Sorenstam needs Wie for Ginn Tribute, Big Break's Cindy Miller gives slice advice and Q-Link review

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.

This week, Golf for Beginners discusses the Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika Sorenstam. Although Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor's exemption at the end of May, we wonder if Annika Sorenstam's back injury" will prevent her from playing in her own event. Will Michelle Wie's wrist be mended one-hundred percent in time to compete? And, could Sorenstam be depending on Michelle Wie's fame to contribute heavily to the gate? This might be a good time for Annika to shift focus onto her many other projects, allowing the younger ladies to take the reign's over at the LPGA.

Lorena Ochoa and Julieta Granada tied for second place at the Corona Championship (held this past weekend) and continually gain ground in the rankings, honing their skills, waiting patiently for Michelle to emerge from her self-inflicted cocoon. Can Michelle Wie finally prove herself to the many people who believe her to be just a "flash in the pan"? The latest Rolex Rankings place Wie in the twentieth position but she's going to have quite a struggle as she pushes past these women who have been playing regularly on the LPGA Tour.

We also review the Q-Link bracelet. I have been wearing the Q-Link for over a month now, hoping that the claims of both heightened energy and increased focus would work for me. Lorena Ochoa and Charles Howell III are just two of the many tour players who are confident that this technology has assisted them in times of stress and distraction.

Ochoa stated, "Since I started using my Q-Link, I have won three times and I feel calmer in tough situations. It really makes a difference under pressure."

Are these just endorsements or does this bracelet really work? Listen to this week's broadcast and I'll give you my findings.

One of this week's golf tips comes from Cindy Miller. Miller was a contestant on both Big Break III:Ladies Only and again, albeit briefly, on the Reunion show. Her simple tip will help those of you who slice. Try this one at the practice range!

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Podcast: Mickelson hires Butch Harmon, 4-in-One Golf Club System review and tempo/balance

Golf for Beginners logo


Click here to listen.

Butch Harmon, a top golf teaching professional and Phil Mickelson's new swing coach, helps us (and our listeners) with the short game this week. Although it is reported that Mickelson hired Harmon to help him with his erratic driver after an unimpressive Masters, I'm betting that Lefty will also receive help with his wedges.

We have discussed pre-season exercise routines to get you stretched and ready for the spring season. We have talked about the mental game and how slowing down your breathing and allowing your heart to guide your head can lower your scores. This week, in honor of our first twilight golf game together, we relate the importance of tempo and balance.

The 4-in-One Golf Club System is reviewed this week, an interesting choice for golfers who travel but don't seem to find the time to practice their short game. Now there is no excuse!

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.

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

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

My Podcast Alley feed!