Are TaylorMade and Callaway making conventional golf clubs a thing of the past? Also, techniques to improve ball striking and course management

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The new ruling handed down by the USGA allowing golfers to interchange shafts and clubheads prior to a game depending on course (and human) conditions have clubmakers Callaway and TaylorMade quickly putting out new technology.

Callaway's I-MIX adjustable FT-5 driver and TaylorMade's Tour Van in a Box interchange shafts and clubheads with the golfer optimizing the driver to his or her own comfort level. For example, as Jeff Colton, Sr. VP of Research and Design for Callaway states, "if they're feeling a little weak that morning, play a lighter shaft, or if it's been raining that week, drop some loft on a clubhead using your normal shaft."

I say, "Huh?"

Am I the type of person who will constantly interchange shafts and heads depending on if I'm hitting a fade or draw that day? I can't even hit a fade or draw on purpose most days and am extremely happy when my drive propels 200 yards straight down the fairway.


Callaway I-MIX Interchangeable golf clubs


Adding or subtracting weights or switching out heads with Callaway's "revolutionary system" doesn't suit the average amateur golfer but would be an innovation for club fitters and for those low handicappers who wish to "tweak" their club.

Unfortunately, the average golfer needs more tweaking with their swing and should send a message to these clubmakers that, for $350 for a driver head and yet another $350 to be shelled out for the interchangeable driver shaft, this marketing strategy will be a dud.


TaylorMade Tour Van in a Box



Manufacturers at the PGA Show forum lauded the new club innovation stating that the next step are the ability to change grip, loft, lie and bounce. Golf Channel's Chief Technical Advisor, Frank Thomas advises that, "the USGA is opening a can of worms that will soon get out of hand and be difficult to monitor."

This week, Golf for Beginners discusses the pros and cons of this new convertible technology and it's impact on the masses.

We also offer up a few easy drills and golf tips designed to improve ball striking. Jim Flick's discussion about "risk-reward" taken from Golf Digest Magazine is also analyzed. Sam Snead shaved strokes off of his game by using this technique and we show you how in our weekly golf podcast!


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

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Will Palmer lash out at Tiger Woods for dethroning him? Also, easy golf tips from Haney, Woods

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When Tiger Woods first tied, then surpassed, Arnold "the King" Palmer's PGA Tour win record, the press was quick to gobble it all up and regurgitate it incessantly. Buzz regarding when Woods will gain ground on Jack Nicklaus' record and finally achieve top-dog status by pushing past Sam Snead's long held eighty-two win feat are now mentioned in almost every golf fanatics conversation.

As Tiger and company head over to Bay Hill this week to try to conquer this tough course once again (Woods is seeking his fifth victory), another record is in fear of being trounced, but with much less fanfare.

Defending champion Vijay Singh will be looking to climb to the very top of another "most wins" column, that is, the all-time win list internationally. Currently tied with Harry Cooper (31), success at Bay Hill would secure Singh his own bragging rights.

But we all know how Singh is about bragging. When Vijay was told he beat Sam Snead's record, he snubbed it complaining, "there’s no trophies for doing it." Conquest for Singh this week would bring his "over-forty" streak to twenty possibly agitating him as the press recognizes this achievement in tandem with the more influential international one.

This week on our Golf for Beginners podcast we discuss Tiger's winning streak at Bay Hill and Palmer's needling Woods with an "earful" after his slip of position on the PGA Tour's all-time win list.

We also offer up a few easy-to-picture golf tips from both Hank Haney and Tiger Woods regarding proper pre-shot routine and hitting the ball straighter.


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Photo Credit:PE.com, Rediff.com

Ochoa replaces Sorenstam as "Tiger Woods" of LPGA, Ping G10 irons vs Mizuno MP-30 Forged, how to work your waggle and the Ryder Cup on Wall Street

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It was kind of comical (in a purely charming and farfetched way) watching Lorena Ochoa handily defeat her closest opponents wire-to-wire by eleven strokes at the HSBC. Annika Sorenstam could not muscle up the cojones to take her on. Paula Creamer hadn't enough reserves in her tank. And according to Ochoa, "on the weekend I wasn't as good with the putter but I managed to shoot under par every day."

Could Lorena Ochoa be the next "Tiger Woods" of the LPGA Tour?

Woods/Ochoa being groomed for greatness

Perhaps Annika's record prior to 2007 is strong like Tiger's but, if Lorena continues her winning ways, Sorenstam may be just a golf memory, making babies instead of birdies by next season.

Annika Sorenstam had a successful run a few years back, with accolades that included numerous majors, Vare Trophies, mulitple wins in the same event, etc. When one looks at her career, it is worthy of a place in history. But, after an injury sidelined her last year, Sorenstam is now struggling to place second instead of clearing the field like the stallion of yore. Still, some players never even achieve six top-ten finishes in a single season with a healthy back.

But it was Ochoa who compared best with Woods last year. Lorena took home eight trophies; Tiger garnered seven wins including the coveted FedEx Cup.

So hats off to Mexico's Lorena Ochoa whose quick and easy work made the rest of the field look like amateurs in her presence!

As for this week's Golf for Beginners podcast, Barry compared Ping G10 irons to Mizuno's MP-30 Forged irons at the driving range. Find out which golf clubs suited him "to a tee" and which of these two sets might improve your distance and feel!

Also, we offer a golf tip from Hank Haney straight out of Golf Digest Magazine. Find out how you can make your waggle work for you.

And Barry wonders if, after my "audience" with the Ryder Cup, it now has my named etched upon it?


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

This podcast is supported by SGHGolf.com and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!.


Photo Credit:http://www.golfforwomen.com.

How to play positive, Leadbetter's long distance putting and could you live with a tainted trophy?

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During last year's Honda Classic one caddie remarked to another, entirely off-the-cuff, that his player used a certain golf club off of the tee. PGA Tour golfer Mark Wilson wound up calling a two-stroke penalty on himself after finding out about this infraction, thus proving to viewers the importance of playing by the rules. In spite of losing the two strokes he still won the tournament (in a sudden-death playoff), and with his integrity intact!

Wilson continued, "The rules should be held in high regard by every player."

With the honor of the game at stake, some people may find Rule 8-1 to be a bit illogical noting that you must still hit the shot no matter what help you receive in selecting a club. Other common rules infractions I regularly behold on the publinks include improper ball marking on the green as well as failing to hole out.

Do golfers really want to abide by the rules or simply use whatever guidelines they remember hoping they don't get caught? Everyone remembers the Wie/Bamberger incident forcing a DQ on Michelle?

The fact that the enforcement of the game lies predominantly from calling penalties on yourself, I have noticed that golf is one sport where players really want to keep the competition above-board!!!

As the great Bobby Jones once said, "When you cheat in golf, the only person you're cheating is yourself."

Greens at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship are an average of 90 feet which means long putting was the order of the week. Although Tiger Woods' putting was dynamic throughout the contest, David Leadbetter helps us get closer to the hole (and even sink a few) with an easy reminder on this week's Golf for Beginners podcast.

We also offer a few simple mental game tips to instill a positive mindset!


Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

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

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Photo Credit:http://honda-classic-golf.com.

PGA Tour needs Mickelson, Bivens says LPGA prospers without Wie, Tom Watson says don't be a slouch and how to proceed when your ball is unfit for play

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Jeff Quinney patiently stalked Phil Mickelson during the final round of the Northern Trust Open, waiting perhaps for Lefty's golf club to become entangled in the kikuya grass or for Mickelson to erupt as with his eleven last week. Four birdies over a six-hole stretch for Quinney placed Lefty in a precarious position leaving the possibility of another playoff and yet another close call.


Mickelson is used to hanging tough, but rarely for making a charge and instilling fear into his opponents.

Instead, Mickelson watched as the tables turned and Quinney fell to pieces, bogeying four of his final six holes at Riviera. It might have taken Phil longer to come out of his winter cocoon but the results couldn't have come at a better time.

Still, the "I can beat Phil" mentality makes any tournament in which Lefty contends exciting and that is precisely why the PGA Tour needs Phil Mickelson.

In contrast to the interesting faces on the men's tour, Carolyn Bivens claims that the rising stars of the LPGA are enough to sustain it without Michelle Wie's assistance.



"The fate of the LPGA doesn’t rise or fall with any one woman, and that includes Michelle." voiced an emphatic Bivens last month.


But, like Phil Mickelson, Michelle Wie is exciting to watch. Whether she's up or down, heading for an 88 or mixing it up with Annika Sorenstam, golf fans will tune in to an LPGA Tour event not as much to watch Morgan Pressel or Paula Creamer but to see what commotion will come from the Wie Camp. This week's Fields Open should prove very interesting as to the emotional and physical state of Michelle Wie.

Golf for Beginners podcast this week questions the success of the LPGA Tour without Michelle Wie. Can Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa maintain the ratings that Wie can achieve? We also discuss Rule 5-3 from the Rules of Golf which deals with the replacement of a damaged golf ball. Tom Watson posture tips rounds off this week's popular internet radio show.


Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

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

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Mickelson and Singh pursuits fall short of Tiger Woods perfection. Getting out of a divot and onto the green, sweet spot myth and when balls collide

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Where an eleven on a hole is a mishap which any golfer would prefer to forget, Phil Mickelson will be reminded of his m/c at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am for weeks, even months to come. He wasn't even in the list of golfers on the cut line who got paid for their efforts and went home...nope, not Lefty. He made sure that this collapse would be one for the history books. Recall the 2006 U.S. Open? I'm sure talk of that previous loss will now be regurgitated along with this mishap throughout the golf season until Mickelson returns to form, does something spectacular and/or wins a major tournament.

And what about Vijay Singh who easily had the edge on Sunday but fell apart when his solid play needed to carry him to victory? Singh held a three-stroke lead with only five holes remaining...the deck was stacked in his favor! Defeated by Steve Lowery, a player who was 305th in the world rankings prior to this weekend and had a seven-year gap in the "win" column of his PGA Tour resume, this loss looks strangely familiar to last week's playoff defeat of Mickelson to relative unknown J.B. Holmes.

Singh stated, "One bad shot after another, three holes in succession." Phil's statement? He's says striking the ball well but he "never felt good on the greens".

Those words could have been echoed by either Vijay or Phil, take your pick. Playing aggressively instead of safely, choosing the wrong clubs, problems with the putter...these errors happen to even the greatest golfers. Well...almost all of the top golfers...all except Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods has the mental game needed to rebound from a slight lapse in judgment. He doesn't dwell on his mishaps but uses quick thinking to adjust to his surroundings and overcome obstacles. Both Mickelson and Singh made errant shots which caused their following efforts to careen into a downward spiral in which they could not mentally recover.

This could be the difference between winning the Grand Slam this season and simply accepting loss as a part of the game. As Phil remarked, "Well, it's just the way it sometimes goes. Sometimes I just don't score well, and I try not to weigh too much into that because I hit a lot of good shots this week." Would Woods have taken an eleven in such a matter-of-fact manner?

This week's Golf for Beginners podcast is loaded with tips from the fairway to the green. What happens when your beautifully hit tee shot woefully lands in a divot? How do you recover? We also discuss the sweet spot myth with the assistance of LPGA Teaching Professional Lana Ortega and the Rules of Golf that pertain to hitting another golf ball either when chipping up, or, from on the green.


Send 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.

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Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!

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

This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations and Florida Golf Travel.

This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!.