Slow Play Causes

Ever thought how you could speed up the time it took to play a round? Avoid the following and see the length of your round go down while the enjoyment goes up.

Trap Five LogoSlow play is at an all-time high. It’s pretty tough for a guy who has a family, work, a lawn to mow, kids to raise, and a host of other responsibilities to get away for a round of golf. When you do play it’s no fun to wait on every tee and fairway to hit the next shot. Five- and six- hour rounds are a bummer and all too common.

Take a peek at some of the causes of slow play and see if you can’t turn your next slow round into a faster one by eliminating a few.

Byron Nelson’s Best

This is the first Byron Nelson Championship without it’s namesake. Let’s take a look back at the greatest events in his storied career.

Trap Five LogoByron Nelson holds one of the most impressive records in the history of any sport. When you consider that golf is an individual not a team game it is even more remarkable.

He won with one of the most fluid easy swings in the history of the game. His compact swing became the template for future players. “The mechanics of my swing were such that it required no thought,” said Nelson. “If you have to think about your swing it takes that much away from your scoring concentration.”

And he did score. And win. Take a peek…

Greatest Golf Courses

I’ve ranked what I believe to be the top-five greatest golf courses in existence. Put these on your “top-five courses I’d love to play” list.

Trap Five LogoRanking golf courses is a subjective exercise. Clearly, some courses are better than others, but narrowing down the very best is difficult. Like a fine bee…, er, wine, much of the decision is based on personal tastes.

Unfortunately, I’ve never played any of these courses but count it my solemn responsibility to go where only fools dare to tread. So all other ranking systems aside, here’s my choice for the greatest golf courses in the world.

Zach Johnson

From out of nowhere comes Zach Johnson. The unexpected, yet deserving winner of this year’s Masters.

ProFilesA lot of ink has been spilled over Zach Johnson this week and I’m going to add to the mess by way of Internet clutter and this ProFile.

From his runner-up finish to former Masters champ Mark O’Meara in the par-3 tournament to winning the entire enchilada, Johnson has had an amazing week. Plus I’ll bet that’s the first time someone’s called the Masters an enchilada. I’m a trend setter, plain and simple. Classy too.

Best Golf Swings

Five of the greatest swings are on display in this week’s offering. Most of them will be remembered among the greatest champions of all time.

Trap Five LogoGolf, like fly-fishing (another sport I love), can be poetry. While we see more jerks and hacks than poems in our weekend foursomes, thankfully there are some swings worth emulating.

After some deliberation, I’ve chosen the best golf swings of all time and ranked them in order from five to one. See if you agree.

Nine Holes With Gary Player

Come along for a quick nine with Gary Player. One of golf’s best known characters, Gary Player stalked fairways and won tournaments for many years.

ProFilesThere is no question in my mind that Gary Player is one of the greatest golfers in the history of the game. The South African native turned pro in 1953 and out of relative obscurity started winning. And for many, many years he never stopped.

With virtually an unassailable international victory total Player is a remarkable competitor, international figure, and ambassador of the greatest game.

Most Likely First-Time Major Winners in 2007

With help from several Sand Trap Forum members I’ve compiled my picks for most likely first-time major winners in 2007. See if you agree with my picks.

Trap Five LogoWe’re predictions fanatics at The Sand Trap, and this week’s installment of the Trap Five underscores this compulsion. It has been an exciting start to the season for young talent. Charley Hoffman, Aaron Baddeley, Charles Howell III, and Henrik Stenson have all, as relatively young players, won on the PGA Tour. While the number of Americans (outside of Woods, Mickelson, and Furyk) is lacking, there are plenty of current European and Australian players making history on the PGA Tour.

Besides the usual suspects vying for another slice of history there are some viable candidates for first-time major championship winners in 2007. The year has already showcased a few talented young players and odds are good that this trend will continue. Perhaps there is a Tiger-slayer in training we aren’t aware of. Perhaps one of the candidates for first time major winner below will be the one to take a title from him. Let’s take a look…

Memorable Quotes

Professionals have become known as much for what they say as the shots they hit. It’s sometimes as satisfying to contemplate their thoughts on the game as it is to watch them create magic with a golf club.

Trap Five LogoGolf has a rich oral history. Unfortunately all we can do with the Trap Five is scratch the surface of golf’s memorable quotes. Often players and famous personalities crystalize our collective thoughts on golf well.

For every group of weekend warriors there are usually a collection of witty golf-isms thrown around. “Does your husband play,” one will say when a put comes up short, “That’s Tiger-right” for a ball way in the woods, and “He’s hit a worm-burner” for anything hit thin. Yes, my partners are so funny.

Let’s check out some quotes actually worth remembering…

Goofiest Swings

Thankfully golf is as diverse as the people who play it. The following players show us that you don’t have to be an orthodox swinger to find success on the course.

Trap Five LogoWith swings only a mother could love, the following players have made our list of the five goofiest swings in golf. While none of these swings looks quite right, they share one thing in common: they are repeatable. The golfers who employ(ed) them can repeat the train-wreck time and again.

Some important things are illustrated by the following players:

  1. The game is about scoring, not aesthetics.
  2. A repeatable motion is vital to success.
  3. Golf is unique to each individual.
  4. An outside-in takeaway followed by an inside-out swing path is shared by most good players.

So have a look at professional golf’s wackiest swings and see if you agree with my take.