Infoman golf tip

Last week, I was golfing with some buddies when I landed a drive just short of turning the corner on a dog leg par 4. I had a tree between me and the green. I stepped up and hit a high shot over the tree and onto the green. My buddies immediately asked me how I did it. So, here is another pure point golf tip. Line up to the ball and align your spine behind the ball. Instead of straight up and down, tilt your spine toward your back foot and finish high with your swing, pointing toward the sky. A little practice and you'll master it in no time. It doesn't look like your classic swing, but its very effective. One of our buddies, Tom, thinks that he is a golf swing guru with tips he gets from a golf tips mag. He means well, but Toms golf tips aren't always accurate. If your struggling with your game, scroll down to the bottom of the page anyou will find a golf link that addresses a problem you may be having. The main thing is that when you golf about with your friends, remember to not pressure yourself and to relax and have fun and respect other golfers around you. After all, we are a world golf society, meaning everyone at all ages and levels are playinf golf on a global scale. Again, if you want to learn about golf, use this site to educate yourself and practicepractice, practice. See you on the blog side.

Big Break X: Michigan

Here we are at the start of another Big Break challenge in it's 10th season. This Big Break is going to be all about team effort. It all begins with 8 teams, with each team consisting of one guy and one girl. Some teams are married, unmarried, and some are just good friends. The bottom line is they have to compete and win as a team and as each week goes by, I think we are going to see tempers flare and lots of frustration.

The 8 teams competing in this Big Break are: Casey& Rachel, David& Sally, Haymes& Bernie, Hugo& Camila, James& Andrea, Michael& Sherri, Otis& Rachel, and Robby& Amber. By the way, Amber is the younger sister of the Big Break V winner, Ashley and Haymes is the brother of PGA player Brandt Snedeker. Otis and Rachel was the first team to go into the elimination challenge. They had to play 3 holes against 3 teams of their choosing and had to either match each team or beat them by one stroke. Otis and Rachel pulled it off and there were no teams eliminated on this week's episode, but stay tuned for next week when the frustration begins to set in.

Each member of the winning team of Big Break X will receive:
1. The female champion receives an exemption to the 2009 BELL MICRO LPGA CLASSIC
2. The male champion receives an exemption to the PGA TOUR'S 2009 CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC
3. All of their 2009 Q-school fees paid for, compliments of SkyCaddie
4. Each member of the winning team will receive a brand new BMW 328i Coupe
5. A Dick's Sporting Goods prize package that includes, $5,000 in cash and $2,500 in prizes
6. An Adams Endorsement Contract which includes $5,000 in cash


Tune in next week to see which team will take that first walk down elimination alley. See you on the blog side.

Tiger And Wife Elin Are Expecting Their Second Child

Tiger Woods announced today, on his website, that he and wife Elin are expecting their second child in late winter. He, of course, would not give any specific date. Woods, although sidelined, has really enjoyed spending time with Sam, his 1 plus year old daughter, and Elin. As all of us proud parents know, there is nothing like spending quality time with our children.

If you are wondering where the name Sam comes from, let me clue you in on a secret. Tiger's dad Earl, Pops to Tiger, had a special nickname for Tiger and the name was Sam. Earl used the name Sam so that he could get Tiger's attention in a crowd, without attracting attention. Just another brilliant ploy from Earl Woods, God Bless the man. After all, he is the main reason why Tiger is where he is at today and Tiger would agree.

Tiger was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last week and was asked if he has begun to practice at all. Tiger said; "I haven't even picked up a club and I won't until I'm ready." He was then asked a date when he might return, in which Tiger replied with that 'ole Tiger smile; " In the future." I think Tiger might have a political future.(LOL) Anyway, Tiger has plenty to keep him busy for the year. Rehabilitation, working on his $1.1 Billion golf project in Dubai, and preparing for the arrival of his second child. Enjoy life Tiger because it's a fast one. See you on the blog side.

Vijay Singh Wins The Deutsche Bank Championship!

In the last couple of weeks, Singh has kept telling himself that he is the best putter in the world. With today's consecutive playoff win, it proves just how powerful positive thinking can be. Vijay was a birdie making machine today! He made two, long 35 foot putts, as well as, a 60 foot putt for birdies on the back nine. Singh finished at 22 under, beating Mike Weir by a five-shot margin. Vijay won $1.26 million today and moved into first place, over Tiger Woods, on the money list at over $6.4 million for the year. This is actually the third championship win for Singh in five weeks, moving him to NO.3 in the world ranking.

This win gives Vijay a big jump on the FEDEXCUP playoff points. In fact, you can all but say that Singh will win the FEDEXCUP this year, along with $10 million plus. Sergio Garcia is NO.2 in the points race, but he is 12,225 points behind Singh. Mike Weir is a distant NO.3 in the points race. It's going to be all but impossible for any player to catch Singh at this point. In other words, Singh would have to come in last in the two remaining tournaments at the BMW and East Lake Championship's, in order for another player to have a chance. Let's see if Vijay can keep his putter smoking through next week's tournament. Comments? See you on the blog side.

Highway 18-No Elimination Yet

The first challenge on this week's episode begins with an unusal twist. All five teams start out at the studio's of the GOLF CHANNEL. Each team has a scripted show to perform, where they have to report some statistics in an analyst format. The teams are judged and released for the road challenge in the order of on how well they performed and reported their storyline.

This week's road challenge was a race to the NICK FALDO INSTITUTE in Orlando, Florida. The teams had to participate in a 30 foot chipping challenge from just off the green. Both members of the teams had to make the chip before heading off to the clubhouse challenge. The Ashly's chipped in their golf balls back-to-back and was first to complete the challenge. Unfortunately for Peach, of the Peach and Jay team, making the chip proved to be quite a challenge. Not only did they finish last in this challenge, it gave them a very late start for the clubhouse challenge.

The clubhouse challenge began with a 97 mile road trip to the Innisbrook Golf Club just outside Tampa, Florida. The teams would have to play a selected hole at the CopperHead Golf course, where each team had to finish the hole in a combined par format. The Ashly's arrive first at Innisbrook, so, they got to choose which hole they wanted to play. As a bonus for arriving first, they also get to assign the remaining designated holes for the other teams. The Ashly's, of course, picked the easiest par 3 to play. Meanwhile, Peach and Jay finally arrive at Innisbrook and are way behind the other teams. Even though they quickly played their assigned hole, it was just too much time to make up. Peach and Jay finished last and that now means that four of the five teams have one strike against them. Rob and Charlotte are the only exception. The pressure will be on next week because the percentages will be high that one team will likely be eliminated. The winning team of Highway 18 will be rewarded with some awesome prizes.

The winning team will walk away with $50,000.00 cash, a skycaddie, a set of AP1 or AP2 Titlest Irons, a year's supply of PRO-V1 golf balls, and $50,000.00 worth of air travel from Orbitz.com. Not bad for playing a game that we are all passionate about. Tune in for next week's challenge and the likely elimination of the first team. Any predictions on which team that might be? See you on the blog side.

Golf Putting Tips By Infoman

Let me first start out by saying that there is no wrong way or right way to putt,but there are some basic fundamentals to follow. One of the first things to do is figure out how you're going to grip your putter. Most golfers, like myself, use basically the same grip that I use with all my golf clubs. This is what you would call your basic grip. There are some others that include the reverse hand grip, and the claw grip. Again, you need to find what works best for you.

The next thing that you need to develop is a routine. It doesn't matter what that consists of, the important objective here is to develop a routine and use it every single time. I'm sure you have seen the PRO'S back off and begin their routine again after an interruption or disturbance. Your routine will help you to remain calm and tension free during your putt. My routine is to read the green and determine my line that my ball will travel. After that, I take a calm deep breath and approach my ball. I adjust my putter to my ball and my line path first, and then I set my feet to where I'm balanced and comfortable. Don't set your feet first and then your club or everything will be off and you won't make the putt. Next, I follow my imaginary line with my eyes from my ball to the hole. Actually see the putt in your mind's eye. Then, I follow the line from the hole back to my ball. I repeat this and then I go.

Your grip pressure is the next thing to implement. This is a big problem among amateurs. I can't tell you how many times in a month of rounds where I see golfers strangling their putters when they set up. This creates tension all over and it will create a plethora of problems. Refer to my "grip pressure" article from 08/06/08. Hold on a minute and let me make this putt. Okay, the main objective here is to hold your putter as lightly as possible, almost to the point where it falls out of your hands, but still in control.

The next assignment, which is absolutely crucial, is to learn how to read the greens. If you can master this, I guarantee your scores WILL come down. There are a lot of variables involved in reading the green. Such as whether your putting up hill or down, or putting with or against the grain, if it breaks right or left, etc... The main thing is to practice, when possible, and get a feel for reading greens. Your short game, especially putting, is about 60 percent of your game. I'll post an article in the near future on reading the greens.

Next, you need to concentrate on striking a true, centered stroke on your ball. Your ideal putting stroke should resemble a pendulum swing. Take your putter ever so slightly inside on your back swing, then square your club face up at impact, follow through with your putter coming back inside slightly. Make sure to follow through with your putt and don't decelerate. One more important element here is to NOT break your wrists throughout the putt. Don't ever flip your wrists when making your putt. The result will be inconsistent putting and never developing a feel for putting. Two quick tips to help you in developing your putting stroke and not breaking your wrists. To keep your wrists from breaking, tape a popsicle stick on the back of both of your wrists and practice until you develop the feel for your memory. Also, to develop your pendulum swing, try placing your left foot directly behind your right foot. Now, lean over and make your stroke. You can see how the shoulders, arms wrists, and hands work together in a pendulum motion. Try it. Practice it. See the shot in your mind with the ball rolling in.

These are all important factors that we just went over, but the most important one of them all is, yep, you guessed it. Practice, practice, practice. Find a special place in your house or apartment or wherever you can and devote a little time to it. I do mine at night across the floor(flat carpet) in my office. I usually practice around 15 to 30 minutes. You will be amazed at the difference it makes. Remember, go through your whole routine with every putt, including taking a relaxing, deep breath.

One more thing that the PRO'S do that I want to share with you. A lot of practice produces confidence and confidence produces lower scores, it's a proven fact! When you see a PRO get really hot with his or her putter, they all say two things. One, that they are confident that they can make any putt, and two, they imagine or see the hole as being the size of a bucket. They see the shot. They trust it. Their confident that the ball is going to go in the hole everytime. You can learn everything about golf possible, and its necessary in developing your game, but ultimately the true key to golf is right between your ears. Correct instruction coupled with practice and positive mental attitude will bring you to heights in your golf game that you thought were unapproachable. Figure out any weakness in your game and work on improving it. Be sure to go through the Archives for more valuable golf tips. See you on the blog side.