SwingVision Spotlight on Sergio Garcia

This Swing Vision Spotlight is on Sergio Garcia. Garcia has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings (over 250 weeks between 2000 and 2008). He reached a career high ranking of two after winning the HSBC Champions tournament in November 2008.

Sergio has the strength to hit the ball incredible distances. The first shows him hitting a ball 250 yards with his 4 iron. AMAZING.



- Creates lag in the wrist and cranks the angle.

2007 Nissan Open


- Has more narrow stance.
- Garcia's shoulder turn is way pass 90 degrees

2008 Barclays

World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play

Tiger Woods has been back starting yesterday for the World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play. All eyes were on Tiger Woods in his return. He was able to defeat Brendan Jones in the first round. Woods birdied the first hole from 4 feet, earned a conceded eagle on the second. The world's top player handled 64th-seeded Brendan Jones of Australia 3 and 2 Wednesday in the first round.

"I thought it would take me a little bit longer to get into the rhythm of the round and try to find it," Woods said. "But I came out and felt good."

Woods showed and apparently felt no ill-effects from surgery last June in which the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee was reconstructed, one week after he beat Rocco Mediate in their Monday playoff at Torrey Pines.

SD Golfer Contest #1 - Official SD Golfer Logo

This is my first attempt setting a blog contest. If you have the graphic skills or really creative know how to make a killer logo for the SD Golfer (San Diego Golfer) I'd love to see it. The winner will receive a The Golf Wherehouse Gift Card (Site Affiliate). We will use this logo as an iphone graphic as well as the fav icon on your browser. And quite possibly printed on a limited run of t-shirts. I looking forward to seeing everyone's entries.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave any comments. And I'll get back to you.

Please send your submissions to thesdgolfer@nyms.net.

The contest will end March 31st.

Recommend Equipment: The Golf Glove

Different sports use gloves. Baseball players have there gloves to catch or to bat. Football players use gloves for better grip on the ball. We even use gloves to keep us warm from the freezing elements. When you think of gloves you usually wear one for each hand. It's weird with golf. I always that thought it was odd that you only need one glove. Although it's not required it is recommended.

Usually a golfer will wear one glove, on the lead hand (the lead hand is the top hand of your grip - for right-handed players, the left hand; for left-handed players, the right hand). The reason why a golf glove is recommend is that the human hand simply isn't as tacky as the material used in golf gloves. Especially when sweating or when grips are wet. A golf glove will provide a more secure grip.

Most gloves in the market are made out of soft cabretta leather that is flexable and breathable. There are a lot of gloves on the market from Taylormade to Footjoy. It's all personal preference. I owned a Nike Dri-fit Tour glove and it was thin and soft. However, I wanted a little bit more padding in my palm area that would reduce my grip tension. I have a tendency to over grip the club. I went with the Bionic Glove. It has all the padding I need.

If having a glove feels uncomfortable you can go without the glove. You have to make sure your grips aren't aren't damp or else the club will slip.

I found an article on how to purchase a golf glove on eHow.com

Step 1
Buy a pair of leather golf gloves. Leather contours to the hand perfectly, and remains moisture-free even in adverse conditions. Buy a slightly smaller size than normal since leather gloves stretch with use. If they get wet, let them air out naturally, don't pop them in the dryer.

Step 2
Warm your hands in cold weather with winter or thermal golf gloves. Thick, knit playing gloves can be worn on both hands. They keep the hands warm and allow the player to concentrate on his shots.


Step 3
Select an all-weather glove that adapts to humid and wet conditions. Perfect for the golfer who ventures to course even in the most inclement weather, these synthetic gloves let your skin breathe and cling to your hands during wet weather.

Step 4
Slip a mitt over your golf gloves in the winter. This keeps your hands extra warm between rounds. You can't play with them on, however, so just slip them off when you're ready to hit the golf ball.

Step 5
Wear synthetic golf gloves if you want a more lightweight, durable material. While synthetic materials make up small parts of a glove, like the knuckles or finger joints, some manufacturers sell gloves made entirely from synthetic materials. While not as good-looking as leather gloves, they do last longer.

Northern Trust Open Results! Mickelson Wins!

Last years champion Phil Mickelson defended his title sucessfully at the Northern Trust Open last week. It was a close match for Steve Stricker, who finished one shot behind. KJ Choi, Fred Couples and Andres Romero finished two shots behind. It was the 35th victory of the San Diegan's career, and easily one of the hardest earned.

“When I wasn't swinging well, and I needed to make some birdies and make something happen, I just blocked everything out, looked at he pin and swung to it,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson drained birdies at 16 and 17, and made a relatively routine par on the last to eke out a 1-over-par 72 and win the $1,134,000 prize at 15-under 269.

The Haney Project: Charles Barkley

I just saw a cool television show advertisement on the Golf Channel called The Hanely Project: Charles Barkley. We've probably all seen Charles Barkley's horrible golf swing. He has this hesitation on his down swing and his mechanics are all wacky. Hank Haney (Tiger Woods swing coach) attempts to fix NBA great Charles Barkley's golf swing. This is something all of us can watch and learn.

The show premieres on March 2nd at 9PM ET.

Here's a short video clip of Charles Barkley's Golf Swing

BREAKING NEWS! The Tiger is Back

Eight months after winning the U.S. Open on one good leg, a healthy Tiger Woods is returning to golf. Woods said on his Web site Thursday that he will defend his title next week at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, believing that his reconstructed left knee and his game is fit enough to play.

"I'm now ready to play again," Woods said.

2009 Northern Trust Open

The 2009 Northern Trust Open starts today at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. Phil Mickelson won last year's tournament. Now he has to defend his title. Up for grabs is $6,300,000.00. Let's see if Phil can bounce back from his recent slump and win this bad boy!

The Word Golf...

I was to this home furnishing store yesterday with my mother and I noticed a Golf art frame. It said "Golf is a four letter word" I smiled briefly and found it quite amusing. Golf can be frustrating and from time to time. And those times when things don't go too well one can blurt out another set of four letter words.

I did some searching and found this:

Golf - The Four Letter Word Explained

• Golf can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle.



• I wish I could play my normal game...just once.



• Golf is harder than baseball. In golf, you have to play your foul balls.



• If you find you do not mind playing golf in the rain, the snow, even during a hurricane, here's a valuable tip: your life is in trouble.



• Golfers who try to make everything perfect before taking the shot rarely make a perfect shot.



• The term "mulligan" is really a contraction of the phrase "maul it again."



• A "gimme" can best be defined as an agreement between two golfers...neither of whom can putt very well.



• An interesting thing about golf is that no matter how badly you play; it is always possible to get worse.



• Golf's a hard game to figure. One day you'll go out and slice it and shank it, hit into all the traps and miss every green. The next day you go out and for no reason at all you really stink.



• I play in the low 80s. If it's any hotter than that, I won't play.



• If your best shots are the practice swing and the "gimme Putt", you might wish to reconsider this game.



• Achieving a certain level of success in golf is only important if you can finally enjoy the level you've reached after you've reached it.



• Golf is the only sport where the most feared opponent is you.



• Golf is like marriage: If you take yourself too seriously it won't work... and both are expensive.



• The best wood in most amateurs' bags is the pencil.



• To some golfers, the greatest handicap is the ability to add correctly.



• In golf, some people tend to get confused with all the numbers... they shoot a "six," yell "fore" and write "five."



• Swing easy. Hit hard.



• If you find yourself pleased that you locate more balls in the rough than you actually have lost, your focus is totally wrong and your personality might not be right for golf...it is also just a matter of time before the IRS investigates your business.



• Why is it twice as difficult to hit a ball over water than sand?



• Golf! You hit down to make the ball go up. You swing left and the ball goes right. The lowest score wins. And on top of that, the winner buys the drinks.
  

cure to swing speed issues

In my previous driving range sessions I've encountered issues with my swing speed during the downswing. When I tried to experiment with increasing the speed it caused me to hit the ball inconsistently.

I might have found a cure that help golfers with the same issue! I'm going to practice during the range and see if i can see better results.


Speed 101
Golf Medic

Cure

Tension will cause you to grip the club too hard, reduce flexibility, and thereby reduce power in your swing. Focus on relaxing your arms and lighten your gripping pressure. Work on improving your swinging technique and sequencing to help encourage a free, relaxed, and powerful swing.

Therapy

If your feet are too narrow, you will not be able to support a proper hip turn. Your feet should be the same width of your shoulders when using iron shots and a little wider with woods. Your head should be just behind the ball from setup all the way through impact.

If your hands are too close to your body, it will prevent you from gaining the width you need during your backswing. By the time you reach the top of your backswing, you should have made a full shoulder turn with the shaft of the club far above and behind your head so that it is parallel to the ground.

If you hyperextend your forward arm and allow your shoulders to lead the downswing, it will cause you to shift and rotate your hips; this will throw off your balance, tempo, and you will lose power with your shoulders open at impact when they should be square. A BIG cause for slicing and loss of power is from starting your forward swing with your arms and upper body.

The goal is to allow the clubhead leading your arms into the downswing as it passes in front of your body and knees. Your hands, shaft and clubhead must remain on the same swinging plane that you created during the backswing as the clubhead moves down into impact.

The toe of the club will pass the heel of clubhead as it follows along the target line at impact. Your body weight should shift onto your forward foot as you complete your follow though with your belt buckle facing the target.

I hope this helps.

Celebrities Sighting at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Every February the stars decend at Pebble Beach for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Tomorrow celebrities such as Michael Bolton, George Lopez, Peyton Manning, Bill Murray, are scheduled to tee up tomorrow at the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am with your favorite PGA stars.

Practice rounds actually started on Monday at all three courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Poppy Hills Golf Course. The real winners of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am are the hundreds of nonprofit organizations which benefit from the proceeds of the tournament.

The entire list of celebrities attending the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am can be found here

Related Articles:
Celebrity Challenge comes down to a short putt
Contra Costa Times

Golfers, Fans, Stars Descend on Pebble
MSNBC

SwingVision Spotlight on Phil Mickelson

This week's SwingVision Spotlight will focus on another fan favorite Phil Mickelson. I've included Swing Vision videos from 2006 to 2008 so we can analyze the varies changes that Mickelson has made.

In 2006, Mickelson uses a lot of hip and shoulder turn. In 2008, he shorten his swing but has a few issues with his timing. What we can learn from Mickelson's varies swings is that small tweaks can make a whole lot of difference.

2006 Torrey Pines

- Phil Mickelson has a great amount of hip equals a great amount of shoulder turn.
- If his leg work is good his shots are tremendous

Byron Nelson Classic 2007

- Very interesting swing comparison video from 2004 and 2007.

2008 Colonial

- This video is the most recent version of his swing. You can see his golf swing has shorten. He maintains the flex in his knee which helps maintain his spine angle.


- Cool bunker shot analysis.

callaway x22 better than x20?

I currently have a set of Callaway x20 irons with graphite shafts in my bag. I've had them for less than a year and have enjoyed them so far. I'm able to hit the ball with ease. The X20's last year received a GOLD in Golf Digests 2008 Game Improvement Irons.

"Callaway has always made irons that are easy to hit, and this one ranks near the top. Plenty of distance, loads of forgiveness and a look that, if not exactly slim, inspires confidence. Lie-angle options that can be as much as 3 degrees flat or upright help with fitting."

At last year's 108th US Open, PGA Golfer Rocco Mediate was actually swinging with X20 irons in his playoff performance with Tiger Woods. Who would have thought a PGA golfer such as Rocco Mediate would use game improvement irons in a tournament.

Last November, Callaway Golf released its next generation X22 irons. I wondered what could they have improved from the previous generation.

- I found out that the MOI (moment of inertia) has been increased by 10%, meaning that you get a higher rate of forgiveness on off-center hits.

- A modified Tru-Bore design assists in the vibration dampening and enhanced feel.

- Another addition is the new precision notch weighting. This means that the weights of the club are moved to the perimeter of the iron to create a hotter club face, while maintaining the lower center of gravity for ideal trajectories and feel.

All these new improvements seem very impressive. However, I will need to visit my local golf shop and try them out myself to see if it's a worthy upgrade.

Releated Article

DESIGNING THE X-22 IRONS: An interview with Callaway Golf R&D

Golf Monthly Review

Whats in Nick Watney's Bag?

After a spectacular come from behind win at the Buick Invitational, I wondered what's in Nick Watney's Golf Bag. His entire bag is full of Titleist clubs.

This is what I found

Driver
He currently uses a 11.5-degree Titleist 905R with a UST Proforce V2 CB 79 shaft, X-flex, 45 inches.

3-wood
Watney's 3-wood is a 15-degree Titleist 906F2 with a UST Proforce V2 86 shaft in there.

Hybrid
Watney has opted to go with a Titleist hybrid 585.H, 21 degrees, with a UST Proforce V2 104 shaft.

Wedges
For his short game Watney uses the Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled, 56 and 60 degrees. What makes them unique is that they're stamped with his nickname, "Rube," on the back.

Irons
He split his iron set to get more help in the long irons. The 3- and 4-irons are Titleist 704.CB. His irons are 1- to 2-degrees weaker than standard.

5-iron
Watney's 5-iron through pitching wedge are blades, Titleist 695.MB, with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts. He also uses grips are Golf Pride New Decade MCC with an extra wrap of tape.

Putter
His putter is a protoype Scotty Cameron Newport Squareback Xperimental by Titleist. It has an extra wide sole that helps him with his aim

Nick Watney Passes Rollins and Villegas for the Win

What an interesting turn of a events at the last day of the Buick Invitational. We saw the lead shift from Camilo Villegas to John Rollins to Nick Watney.

Watney rallied from 5 down to secured his second career victory. He made a curving 38-foot putt for birdie on the 16th hole to get a share of the lead for the first time. Then coaxed a 63-foot effort to 3 feet below the hole on 18 to make a final birdie finishing 4-under-par 68 on the South Course.

John Rollins had a disappointing performance. Rollins had a three-shot lead with five holes to play until making a bogey with a poor chip on the 14th. On the 16th he had another bogey. And in the 18th he failed to hit the green on the par-5 leading to a par. Rollins shot a 74.

Both Camilo Villegas and Lucas Glover also had there chance.

Glover was within one shot of the lead until he pulled his tee shot on the 17th and missed a 7-foot par putt. He then birdied the last hole for a 68 and tied for third, two shots behind.

Villegas was also within one shot until a three-putt from 10 feet on the par-5 6th. He made bogey on the 17th and in the 18th hole his 40-foot eagle putt stopped a few inches above the hole. He closed with a 72.

Practice Session in the Rain

I went to the driving range tonight to fit some practice in. There wasn't any rain when I left the house . It was slightly cold but wasn't bad. It was like a ghost town at the range. Nobody was there except the girl running the pro-shop. Half way into my practice the rain started to pour.

This was the first time practicing in the rain. It was tough to focus on my shots. I felt rushed setting up for some shots. I now know how it feels to play in the rain. Fifteen minutes later the rain stopped and I was able to resume my normal session.

My overall session was okay. I hit my irons good. I just had to slow my downswing down. I noticed that if I tried increasing the speed during my downswing the ball would push right. When I slowed the downswing I was able to hit the ball straight.

The Golf Medic recommends:

"Move the ball up in your stance because you might be setting it too far back.
Therapy

Do not try too hard to hit the ball fast or hard. Practice swinging the club while focusing on your unifying your body and arms as you swing. Use a nice and relaxed grip to help encourage a free release.

Many push slicers tend to grip the club too hard and unwind their shoulders too quickly, causing the club to move through the impact zone well after their body. You should also make sure you are not swinging too much inside of the target line, causing the club face to open at impact."

I also practiced chipping with my pitching wedge. I made good contact and the shots were felt crisp. I had problems hitting with my hybrid and my 3-wood. My last session I was hitting the hybrid and the 3-wood with ease. Maybe I was just having an off night hitting those clubs. If i were to grade myself for this practice session. I'd be a C.

Whos John Rollins?

Who's John Rollins? He is the one top of the leaderboard at the Buick Invitational. Rollins is currently ahead 3-shots (12-under) of Camino Villegas, who was the previous leader.

Rollins had two birdies in the first four holes to take the lead. Villegas struggled from the sand and on the greens. The only disappointment for Rollins came from a trio of three-putt bogeys, including a missed 3-footer for par at the 18th. The ball caught the left edge and horse-shoed out.

San Diego's own Phil Mickelson's hopes ended on Saturday when he failed to get going and shot a 73, leaving him 11 shots behind. Let's hope "Lefty" can make a come back! Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers made a brief appearance on the broadcast... He talked about his interest in golf and the Charger's post season surge. Pretty cool.

GO CHARGERS!!

The Setup Secret for Monster Drives

We all want to drive the ball longer with the driver. Longer drives equal lower scores. I usually set up with the aligned to my left toe. Since the shaft is longer my back is a bit upright. My weight is a bit balance but slightly favoring the right foot at address. I feel by having some weight on the right side I can shift my weight to create more power. I found out that it's wrong.



According to December 2007 issue of Golf Magazine:

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD
Take your address position with a driver in front of a mirror and set 60% of your weight on your left foot. Make sure that you're balanced over the balls of your feet, not your heels.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Check the mirror again and see if your right shoulder and right hip line up. It's not uncommon to lean your upper body toward the target when you try to set more weight over your left foot [above, left].

This forward lean increases the chance of a reverse pivot and a slice. But when your right shoulder and right hip are in alignment and you're balanced over the balls of your feet [above, right], your upper body tilts correctly away from the target and sets you up for a full, powerful backswing turn.

Buick Invitational UPDATE

The Buick Invitational 2009 kicked off yesterday at Torrey Pines. The Columbian, Camilo Villegas, is currently the leader after Thursday's first round of golf. Villegas made five scores of 2, a pair of chip-ins, and fired a 31 on the back nine to tie his career low by shooting 9-under-par 63 on the North Course. Much of the round was played under a mix of clouds and sunshine. Then the the wind came up and the rain arrived just after 2:30 p.m. It continued to rain into the evening, ensuring both courses will play longer Friday.

We'll see if the rain shows up this weekend. If bad weather leaves CBS with air time to fill, it'll rebroadcast last year's Buick Invitational, won by you-know-who...

Golf Fashion Trend - Big and Bold Belts

A new fashion trend among Tour Players is the big, BOLD belt buckles. These belts are reminiscent of the western style buckles. Tour players can now express themselves fashionably. The first golfer that I noticed wearing such a belt buckle was Anthony Kim. The large initials AK appear on his belt buckle. It looked silly at first but it definitely seems trendy. Companies such as Adidas, Nike, Oakley, Puma and other companies have flooded the market with there belts.

My favorite belt buckle would be either the Adidas "Trophy" leather belt with trademark three-stripe brushed metal buckle or the Puma riveted leather belt with die-cut buckle.

BLING! BLING!

New SD Golfer Layout Coming Soon!

I find it fitting to improve my blog with a fresh new layout for thesdgolfer blog for 2009. I really like how it's turning out so far. Justin, my brother is a graphic designer at San Diego State University mocked up the design. I'm looking to have everything done in a week or so. Below is a sneak peek of the header graphic of the new blog :)

SwingVision Analysis Spotlight on Tiger Woods

The best way to learn the perfect golf swing is to watch the pros on television. Each golfer has there own unique style whether it be adding more hip turn or lifting the left heel slightly (right handed golfer). They use the basic fundamentals and tweak them to fit there style.

CBS Sports has a feature on there broadcast called SwingVision with Peter Kostis. SwingVision essentially uses various high-speed cameras that shoot at 40,000 frames per second, capturing unique pictures such as the compression of a golf ball upon impact or the subtle nuances of a player's swing. SwingVision was developed by CBS Sports and first used on the PGA TOUR in 2004. Peter Kostin provides an in-depth analysis from beginning to end.

These SwingVision segments are a perfect reference for any golfer looking to learn more about swing mechanics. I find it fitting that we first start with Tiger Woods as the first golfer.

Torrey Pines 2006

Buick Invitational 2007

89th PGA Championship 2007

New for 2009 from Cleveland Golf

For 2009 Cleveland Golf has released HiBore Monster and Laucher club models.

The new Cleveland HiBore Monster XLS line drivers comes in three different flavors: Monster XLS Tour, Monster XLS Draw and the Monster XLS. Golfers who've hit with this club say that the club looks like a monster off the tee. The face is 16% larger than the previous Hi-Bore XLS. The sound during impact is quite loud. It produces a higher ball speed than any of the other Cleveland drivers which means better energy transfer.

The Launcher model comes in a Driver, Fairway Wood and Hybrid. Cleveland states that the Launcher driver has a 21% larger face than both the original Launcher 460 and Launcher Comp allowing generous room for miss-hits resulting in maximum forgiveness.

According to Golf Magazine

"This Launcher has an exaggerated sloped crown, to pull weight lower and more toward the rear for added forgiveness. In short, the Launcher is designed to produce midlaunch shots with low spin, for a flatter trajectory. By contrast, the HiBores deliver higher-launch, higher-flying shots."

I'm not to fond of the conventional looking head design. It has a traditional look at address. I like the square looking clubs from Callaway and Nike.

Cleveland Launcher Driver video review from Golf Monthly

2009 Buick Invitational @ Torrey Pines in San Diego

Golf is back in San Diego for the 2009 Buick Invitational this week. Just last year at the 108th U.S. Open, Tiger Woods walked the Torrey Pines fairways in pain, holding off Rocco Mediate in a very memorable 19-hole Monday playoff win. Tiger Woods was hoping to make history at the Buick Invitational to win five straight. There are plenty of other stars looking to capture a win including Retief Goosen, Rocco Mediate, Corey Pavin, and Phil Mickelson.

The key players to watch at the 2009 Buick Invitational are:

Phil Mickelson
Lefty surprised everyone with a missed cut in the FBR Open, his first event of the season.

Living in San Diego has its advantages, since this Rancho Santa-Fe resident knows the course like the back of his hand.

Padraig Harrington
Harrington didn't fare well at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open finishing in a tie for 36th.

We'll see if Harrington can make a come back after coming off a career-best season with victories at the British Open and PGA Championship.

Hunter Mahan
Mahan has been a Buick regular since 2004. His best finish at Torrey Pines came in June when he tied for 18th in the U.S. Open. He tied for 29th at last year's Buick.

But he comes to Torrey Pines in '09 having shown the extent of his talent at Valhalla with a 2-0-3 record in his first Ryder Cup.

It looks like it will be a great week of golf for San Diego!

Stay Tuned!

Tiger Woods speech @ Opening Inaugural Celebration

I found this video on YouTube of Tiger Woods speaking at President Obama's Opening Inaugural celebration.

Kenny Perry wins FBR Open

At the FBR Open, Kenny Perry and Charley Hoffman duked it out in a playoff. Both Perry and Hoffman went an extra 3 holes.

The playoff opened at the par-4 18th, Hoffman and Perry drove into bunkers. Both PGA golfers settled for bogeys. The playoff then moved to the 10th hole par-4 (403 yard), which Hoffman birdied in each of the first three rounds. Hoffman bombed his tee shot off a cart path and over the green, then chipped to 13 feet. Perry drove into the left rough, then hit an iron 20 feet from the cup. Both players two-putted, and the playoff dragged on to the 17th.

In the end, Perry finally finished off Hoffman, making a 22-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole. It was the 13th PGA Tour victory for Perry. Perry received $1.03 million for his win.

More coverage of the FBR Open 2009 can be found here