Wednesday, June 18, 2008

U.S. Open Pressure-Tiger Woods persevered, Phil Mickelson collapsed and Rocco Mediate had fun with it. Adidas, "golf equipment for your eyes" and Stac

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Poor Tiger Woods! Yes, he has won his fourth U.S. Open but was it at the expense of his knee? Is winning a trophy more important that your health? The answer? Season-ending knee surgery!

Tiger's message to his adoring fans let on that his injury is more aggravated than he made it look this week.




"I think I need to shut it down for a little bit. I pushed it pretty hard this week and I just want to enjoy it. And we're going to reevaluate after this event and see what happens," claimed a tightlipped Woods who may have been grimacing from the inside but, with his elevated mental focus, it was anyone's guess as to what was really going on after twisting his knee on several occasions this past week.

That focus and determination to not allow any distractions was best related by Tiger's dad, Earl, during a Nike commercial that aired for Father's Day weekend in which dad related to both his son and the audience, "I promise you that you will never meet another person as mentally tough as you your entire life. And he hasn't, and he never will."

This week's Golf for Beginners podcast wonders how Tiger Woods can remain so steadfast in his determination to win a golf tournament while Phil Mickelson, who mentally and physically prepared for this event, fell apart. Other players such as Rocco Mediate and Lee Westwood didn't feel the pressure as much believing that they were "long shots" in the event.

This week's show also reviews the latest advances in golf-specific eyewear from Adidas. The new Adivista sunglasses for men and Adilibria Shield for women should be viewed as necessary golf equipment rather than just fashion-forward apparel, although the fact that Natalie Gulbis had input into the design of the women's glasses truly make them hotter than the average eyewear!




Both Adivista and Adilibria Shield are super-comfortable to wear and protect your eyes from the sun's damaging rays with UV protection, offering scratch and fog-resistant polycarbonate lenses. Listen to this week's show to hear why we recommend these new Adidas sunglasses and why you should try them too!

Finally, while testing my new Adilibria Shield sunglasses in the sand trap (where it did a fabulous job of protecting my eyes against particles of sand), alas, it couldn't help me to get out of the sand. I wonder if Adidas can help find a cure for my sand trap woes?


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This podcast is supported by MyrtleBeachGolf.com, 866-409-2177.


Photo Credits: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times, VisionMonday.com

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Monday, June 02, 2008

Ochoa and Sorenstam entertain at McDonald's, drive a Callaway get free gas, reduce spin off the tee and casting for golfers/Harley Davidson riders

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In March Callaway Golf, using Morgan Pressel and Ivanka Trump as their celebrity "faces", launched a GEMS golf club set designed specifically for women.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen Ivanka promoting Women's Golf Month with the same enthusiasm, even though she is an avid golfer who is listed on Golf for Women's Twenty-Five best female celebrities. The sport could certainly use an infusion of notables to increase interest in the game.

Perhaps next year Donald Trump will also lend a hand by utilizing his golf courses for the good of the game.

That being said, I had a great time this past Sunday at Knollwood Country Club. PGA representative Walter Janeczko gave a lesson on basics and more to a group of eager ladies who outnumbered his original estimate!

This week, our Golf for Beginners podcast discusses the inability of any female golfer to attain the coveted Grand Slam of Golf in a single year. Lorena Ochoa has a great chance of winning her third major in a row at this week's McDonald's LPGA Championship but with Annika Sorenstam back in form, this could be a battle worth watching! Annika is looking to make this her best year ever, now that she has announced her retirement!

Find out what AOL Food Critic thinks about McDonald's Grilled Chicken Sandwich!


Businesses from every area of the economy are using the rising price of gasoline as a way to utilize rebates and discounts to their advantage. Callaway Golf is no exception as they have joined forces with American Express to offer a $100 gas card when golfers purchase a new driver. Listen for the details on our show.

Also, do you ride a Harley Davidson, love golf and want to appear in a weekly television series? If you live in the New York tri-state area, a casting director wants to hear from you. Send us your information and we'll pass it along!

Finally, with the help of the Golf Learning Center, we focus on how to reduce spin and add distance off of the tee with the driver.


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


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

This podcast is supported by Grand Bahama Vacations, 1-800-422-7466.

Photo Credits:Stayfreemagazine.org

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

American Express/Play Golf America, Women's Golf Week, The Art of the Lay Up

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Whereas the internet may be all abuzz about Phil Mickelson's lucky break at the Colonial, this week's Golf for Beginners show focuses in on the amateur ladies of the sport.

Play Golf America, in conjunction with American Express, has had over 68,000 women attend its prior yearly outings, bringing together the art of the sport with all of the "extras" that may enhance the ladies experience. This June, participating golf facilities will try once again to peak interest in both golf and the encounters surrounding it.

My husband, Barry, believes that, aside from the golf instruction, men wouldn't be that interested in the many other activities planned for the month of June, such as the networking receptions, golf rules and etiquette seminars, club fitting and equipment demonstrations, golf apparel fashion shows and luncheons. (Okay, the fashion show might be a bit much for a guy to stomach!)

He believes that these additions lessen the competitive nature of the sport. Instead, teach them how to compete and then win! I think there's more to golf than that cut and dried notion. Allowing women to experience all the facets of golf may just increase the number of women who take up the sport and stick with it.

The faces behind this year's initiative are Nancy Lopez and Suzy Whaley. Lopez has among her accomplishments 48 LPGA wins (3 of them majors), Whaley was the first woman golfer in 58 years to qualify for a PGA Tour event (the 2003 Greater Hartford Open) paving the way for Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie's venture into men's professional events.

We also discuss the new American Express website dedicated to golf which offers a smattering of everything from video golf instruction to the ability to purchase tickets to 2009 events such as the U.S. Open at Bethpage.

Our golf tip focuses on the Art of the Layup and how placing your ego on hold is only the first step to accurately hitting greens in regulation.



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.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
Click Here
to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!
Check us out on MySpace!

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

This podcast is supported by MyrtleBeachGolf.com, 866-409-2177.