Out with the Long putter, in with the cross handed grip

Cross handed vs conventional putting grip

Putting has become the controversy in the golf world especially with Ernie Els’ most recent win at the British Open using a belly putter. I am sure that it would have been worse if Adam Scott secured his first win using the long putter, however that debate can be delayed for one more tournament. Instead I want to look at the differences between cross handed putting and conventional putting. While both offers benefits I am slightly bias towards cross handed. Due to my previous putting woes I made the switch to cross handed putting about 3 years ago. I was encouraged by my instructor because the left hand low enabled my shoulders to be level. Before make the switch I could not make a 3 foot putt to save my life. With the conventional style and my left shoulder being slightly higher, I would block the short putts to the right. The cross handed mentally allowed me to keep the 3 footer online and hold my follow through towards the hole. I think the key to the last statement is MENTAL, that is ultimately what putting comes down to. You should use the grip that feels right in your hands. I am not a pro but recently in the media the debate on inclusion of the long handed and belly putter has sparked considerable controversy, that is why I decided to outline the benefits on cross handed. My last word on the cross handed grip is that Ricki Fowler, Jim  Furyk, Padraig Harrington and Stuart Appleby use it, that is not bad company to be in!

Lazy Sunday Afternoons!

While I am torn that it is the end of the weekend, a small consolation is watching golf on Sunday afternoons. Currently Marc Leishman is the leader in the clubhouse with 2 holes left to play, and I am relaxed on the couch urging on a relatively unknown in Roland Thatcher, and the winless Brian Davis to force a playoff. That is what us hackers hope for every Sunday, just a bit more golf that extends later into the day. Although we want to see guys like Tiger and Bubba coming down the stretch, ultimately it doesn’t matter who it is when there is a potential playoff looming, we just cheer for the chaser. Everyone loves to see the underdog making shots when it counts, it is crazy that the PGA never disappoints on Sunday and as I write this, Thatcher just made a birdie to get within 1 of the lead with one to play. This is what I am talking about, it seems the PGA has some magical touch that always provides excitement down the stretch. It has happened 88% of the time in 2012, which means, 22 out of 25 tournaments have been decided by 1 or 2 shots on Sunday. A golf fanatic like myself could not ask for anything more.

Masters 2012!!!

Easter Dinners Suspended Everywhere…as the Masters courtesy of Bubba Watson served up some serious excitement for golf fans on Sunday. For the first time in my life my family and I sacrificed the dinner table tradition for cushions in front of the television to witness a 2-hole playoff at the Masters between Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen. The excitement overshadowed the fantastic fare as the whole fam was glued to the set, hoping Bubba would take home the green jacket. Although Bubba’s chances were looking bleak after Oosthuizen made a double eagle on 2, he did not give up, birdying 4 in a row at 13, 14, 15, and 16 to continue to a play-off. When Bubba was standing in the trees on the 10^th hole, I said to my family “out of all the golfers on tour who can hit this shot it’s Bubba”. He did not disappoint hooking it around the trees to 10 feet, ultimately tapping in for par.

Although Bubba is known for his ridiculous length of the tee he is also known for his ability as a shot maker. One of my favourite highlights is from the par 5, 18^th hole at Kapalua in 2011 where Bubba began with a 348 yard drive, then followed it up with a 305 driver off the deck. It was only about a 50 yard right angled cut from a downhill lie, where he then made a 10 footer for eagle. I mean c’mon man.  Bubba entertains on and off the golf course, from his golf boys video (if you haven’t seen it yet http://youtu.be/PM2NocuEihw) to the birthday present for Ellen Degeneres where he made a shot through the house, over the patio, over the pool, flying it into a red bucket! I am sure we have not seen the end of impressive shotmaking from Bubba Watson, but the wedge out of the trees will certainly make his career highlight reel, securing him a place in Master’s highlight history as well as a green jacket.

Woman Ask Me About Business on the Golf Course

Many women ask what they should do if they are going to play golf for business purposes. I usually recommend having a few golf lessons to learn about etiquette, dress code and the basic swing for short game and hitting off the tee and fairways.

It is important to realize your time on the golf course is primarliy for relationship building and demonstrating that you are a good sport. Typically you will be on the course with someone for 4 to 5 hours. This is not the time to start any in depth discussions or complicated debates since you could take the other persons concentration off their game and end up with someone frustrated at you instead of inspired by your critical thinking!

Remember your time on the golf course is best kept for relationship building!

Why I should be Tiger's new Caddie!

Currently Tiger Woods has enlisted his childhood friend Bryon Bell to be his caddie this week at the WGC – Bridgestone and at next week’s PGA Championship.  When asked if Bell would be a permanent fixture Tiger replied “Have you seen his legs?” So the question then becomes, what kind of legs is Tiger looking for? One would have to assume he wants fit legs, a pair that would be able to handle 4 rigorous days of carrying and walking. Tiger has indicated that he wants someone that emulates both  Mike "Fluff" Cowen and Stevie Williams in the caddie department. Well I say that is a tall order because Fluff has short stumpy legs and Stevie has taller fit legs. My legs do however land in that spectrum, further substantiating my claim that I would be Tiger’s best choice. Throughout the years Tiger’s caddies have been excellent at maintaining crowd noise. I believe that my previous teaching experience and classroom management skills would enable me to excel in this department. Finally, by employing me, I can help to rebuild Tiger’s image since I am a female – need I say more. Should for some crazy unknown reason Tiger decide not to hire me, a huge mistake of course, I will continue to cheer for him, mostly in part to shut up the broken record that is the media. 

Fair Weathered Golfers

Have you heard the term “Fair – Weathered Golfer”? It seems that I have witnessed it more this year that previous ones. It may be that I am a bit more of a golf enthusiast than others; however a light misting or hot temperatures certainly does not keep me from playing. Canada = Cold weather, I don’t have to tell you, my fellow Canadians, that it is cool to freezing from October to April (7 months), cool –warmer May and September, and if we are lucky, awesome weather June, July August (3 MONTHS). This year we happen to be lucky, the temperatures have been consistently in the mid to high 20s. I realize that last week was an exception when we had almost record setting highs but we should be embracing the warmth. I can’t support the statement “it is too hot to play”, I think a new brand name is needed for such golfers. In this instance fair weather doesn’t seem to fit because in December we long for hot temperatures to play in. How about “Can’t make up my mind golfer”, or “Need any excuse not to play golfer” or even “Can’t call myself a golfer”. Come on people, everyone was looking forward to a long hot summer as predicted in April and May. Well the weather people have actually come through this time, so far it has been a hot one and I am going to enjoy it on the golf course with the rest of the golfers!

The first round of the British Open has proved to be an exciting one at Royal St. Georges in Sandwich, Scotland. Thomas Bjorn, a reserve, is currently leading at 5 under par. I was getting so sick of hearing the Rory vs Luke debate all week - it was so over done on the Golf Channel. I wish the analysts would just commit to someone already, I liken it to weathermen predicting the weather. I am very excited for Bjorn, because of his previous collapse in 2003 where he blew a 3 shot lead with 4 holes to play, ultimately losing to Ben Curtis. It occurred on the par 3 - 16 where he took 3 shots to get out of the bunker resulting in a double bogey. Bjorn had a small victory on the 16^th today with a birdie, but I have to wonder if he was thinking about his dreaded finish while standing on the tee.  Hole-16 provided even more excitement with Dustin Johnson’s HOLE IN ONE and his finish. He was +4 through 13 holes, finishing birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, bogey to finish at even par - so exciting to watch! Other notable reserves include Kyle Stanley (currently -2) who finished second at the John Deere last week allowing him an entry and Rickie Barnes (currently -2) who got in due to a freak scooter accident injuring Nicolas Colsaerts. I know that it is VERY VERY early in the tournament, there is still a lot of golf to be played and I am loving all of the coverage on TSN, especially since I started watching at 6 in the AM. We are always pulling for Bubba in any tournament, but it’s fun to see some of the underdogs throw up some red numbers!