Larry says it as well as we could, so just go read his story. Colin Montgomerie will be a force to reckon with in the Ryder Cup now, mark my words!
Monty’s Divorce is Final
Colin Montgomerie is officially divorced.
Author: Erik J. Barzeski
Yardage Calculator
An online yardage calculator… that’s useless.
This is just about the lamest thing I’ve ever seen: a yardage calculator.
Today’s tip of the day is a simple one: take enough club. Most trouble is at the front of a great. Very rarely are there bunkers and water behind the green. 90% of the time, amateurs come up short. Often, perfect ball-club contact would result in the proper shot, but 90% of the time perfect club-ball contact is not made. Choose the club that’s most likely to get you to the hole, imperfect contact and all. If that’s a 7I from 150 instead of a 9I, hit it. The confidence you’ll have in the club will do more for you than swinging harder at a weaker club.
Of course, this is an affront to our masculinity, is it not? We all want to hit 9Is from 150, right? It’s great to say to our partner “I’ll just hit an easy 9I” from 150 yards. But unless your playing partners are watching you very carefully, saying you hit an easy 9I is completely independent of the soft 7I you just hit. Besides, there’s a rule against giving advice. 🙂
To summarize today’s tip: you’re a bigger man 10 feet from the hole with a stronger club than the guy who hits it into the front bunker with a weaker club.
Torrance: Europeans Have an Edge
Sam Torrance says that the Europeans have an advantage playing the Ryder Cup abroad.
Sam Torrance, former captain of the European Ryder Cup team, said Wednesday:
There’s a little bit less pressure playing away from home than playing at home. In front of your home crowd, everyone’s cheering you on and you feel like you have to play well.
A bit of gamesmanship? A bit of truth? Americans play well in the British Open, yet the reverse is not true.
You know the crowd’s going to be on the Americans’ side. You just have to use it and not let it get you down. When the USA chant starts, just let it annoy you. Let it build you up, let it make you mad and play better golf.
Good advice indeed. The US side, of course, can just as easily use the chant to boost them. But this is why we adore the Ryder Cup so much: because it is a battle. Because the underdog has a real chance every time. Because it shows a man’s will – a team’s will – more than any other tournament or competition. Raw competitiveness, raw humanity on display. That’s the Ryder Cup.
Double-D David Duval: T13
David Duval makes a cut – and finishes tied for thirteenth.
Let’s not overlook David Duval this week. David not only made the cut – something he’s failed to do for 14 months or so – but he finished T13 with a 4-under 67 on the closing day of the Deutsche Bank Championship. This is his best finish since T6 in a 2002 event in Las Vegas.
David will win a tournament in the next two years. That’s my prediction and I’m sticking to it.
Singh Number One
Vijay has taken over the World #1 ranking. How long until Tiger gets it back?
Vijay Singh is now the number one golfer in the world, according to The Official World Golf Ranking, by a slim margin: 12.72 to 12.27.
Congrats to Vijay. Hard work does pay off.
Now, the question being asked is simply this: how long until Tiger gets it back? He played really well last week…
Moe Norman Dies
Moe Norman is dead at 75.
Moe Norman, the eccentric Canadian golfer with a “Natural Golf” swing, has died.
The two-time Canadian Amateur champion died of heart failure in a Kitchener hospital, Royal Canadian Golf Association spokesman Victor Cui said. Norman had battled heart problems since having a heart attack two years ago.
It’s tough to say whether Moe Norman’s swing or eccentricities will be missed more, but both will be missed quite a good deal.
Paula Creamer: Amateur For Now
Paula Creamer is going to remain an amateur… for now. She’s hedging her bets.
Paula Creamer, 18, is going to remain an amateur for now, says ESPN. Paula will compete as an amateur in the LPGA Q-School in order to compete in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Puerto Rico in October. By remaining an amateur, Paula also preserves the option to compete in college if she fails to get her card.
Paula Creamer finished T13 (with Wie) in the US Women’s Open and 2nd at the Shoprite LPGA Classic in June. LPGA Q-School begins September 21.
The Simple Physics of Your Slice
The physics of ball flight are simple: your slice may not be a matter of swing path, but an open clubface.
A lot of people worry and wonder about their slices (or hooks). It’s very easy to get caught up into thinking that your slice is caused by one particular thing, such as an over the top move.
Guess what? You can buy the Inside Approach swing aid, come down the line or even slightly from the inside, and still hit a big honkin’ slice. How? Your clubface is open, stupid.
The physics of hitting a golf ball are relatively simple. If the angle of approach is not perpendicular to the angle of the clubface throughout impact, your ball will curve in the direction of the clubface. Slicers who come over the top and square the clubface hit a slice. If their clubface is square to their swingpath, they pull the ball. If their clubface is somewhere in between, the ball starts to the left and fades back to center.
Changing the angle of the clubface at impact is often a far easier solution than changing your swing to accommodate a new path of attack. Have an observer stand behind you and tell you exactly where the ball starts out off the clubface. If it’s dramatically right of your swing path, your clubface is open.
It’s simple physics.
BHMGolf.com
I recommend that you DO NOT buy equipment from BHMGolf.com. Ever.
A few months ago, I purchased a Titleist 983K from bhmgolf.com (I’m not linking to them for a reason). They were $50 cheaper than my neighborhood shop. I forgave the abrupt fashion in which the owner (Brian) handled my transaction as “he’s probably busy, getting lots of orders for his stuff.”
I was more than accurate. I called again a day or two later to check on the order status and was treated rather rudely. I received the club a week later… with the wrong shaft. I’d wanted the YS-6, not the Graffaloy. I called – during his business hours – and left a message. I called again the next day. I sent emails. I called some more. I never received a return call or a return email. One time, I did get ahold of Brian and was sworn at and hung up on.
I exchanged the club at a local shop for one with the correct shaft. The $50 extra I would have paid to simply buy it from them in the first place is $50 I’d have gladly paid to avoid the hassle of dealing with BHMGolf.com.
Clearly, Brian H. Meyer of BHMGolf.com does not want my repeat business.