Friend's Driving Range Video

My friend and I went to the range last Saturday. At the beginning of our driving range session we both looked really rusty. After I made a few adjusts and felt more relax I was able to hit decently.

My friend was a different story. He was struggling at the get go. Trying to remember what I taught him previously his shots weren't going well. He got a couple of good ones in there when using the Nike clubs. I think the added forgiveness of the clubs actually helped him.

I had the opportunity to record his swing on video and noticed a lot of things that need to be fixed.



I'm not a golf instruction by any stretch of the imagination but I notice a few things wrong.

Golf Swing 1
- The first thing I noticed is his grip. As you can see, his hands are slightly apart. They need to be closer together.

- The take away looks good. When he goes to his back swing his left knee bends too far back and the left ankle is off the ground. This causes some imbalance in his swing.

- His left arm bends as well. The left arm needs to be straighter and his wrists need to hinge on the top of the golf swing.

- In his down swing his head moves out of position during impact. He needs to keep his a steady.

Golf Swing 2
- On the downswing he moves his head up ultimately missing the target.

Golf Swing 3
- He kept his head down on this swing and made contact with the ball.

Tips for Chip Shots.

One tip that I've been working is opening the club face while chipping. This accomplishes a few things. It allows me to swing the club a little harder so I can pop the ball a bit up. It also gives me additional control because when the ball lands it doesn't roll so much. When opening the club I had to open my stance a little more. Also, when the club face is open I had to shift my body in the direction of my target.

Give this a shot and let me know how it goes.

Jimmy Kimmel and Justin Timberlake Hit Some Golf Balls

I was flipping through the channels late last night and decided to watch Jimmy Kimmel. Justin Timberlake was the current guest. Although I'm not a Justin Timberlake fan I like Jimmy Kimmel. In the middle of the conversation they talk about Timberlake's golf game. Justin has been raving about the new Diablo driver from Callaway Golf... He says he actually gained an additional 50 yards with the driver. Then Jimmy Kimmel challenges Timberlake to a simulated golf challenge. Check out the clip below and you'll see how it all unfolds.

The SD Golfer at Twitter

Have you guys ever heard the buzz about twitter? It seems like everybody is talking about it a lot lately. So I decided to set up a new twitter account. I think this twitter thing will provide more frequently golf updates. However, the SD Golfer blog will contain more detailed posts but for those brief news stories and product releases it will be on twitter. You can check out my twitter at http://www.twitter.com/thesdgolfer.

Let me know what you guys think.

New SD Golfer Template Transition.

I've been working on the san diego golfer blog template lately and will be switching to it very soon. So if you see that my blog is not working it's due to the fact that my blog is undergoing the transition from the old template to the new template. Thanks for your understanding

The New Masters Champ is ..... Angel Cabrera

This year's Masters was exciting. There were leader changes during the tournament. It started with Chad Campbell then Kenny Perry then Angel Cabrera. We also had the pairing of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson on the last day. Both golfers were clawing there way up the leader board. However, both golfers didn't make crucial putts in the end that cost them a chance to win the prized "green jacket". Mickleson ended up finishing fifth with -9 and Woods eventually finished 6th with three other golfers.

At the end of the third round Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry, and Angel Cabrera tied with -12 forcing a playoff. It was Perry who looked poised to become the oldest major champion at the age of 48 years, 10 months. He made 11 straight pars, birdied the par-3 12th from 30 feet, the par-5 15th with two putts and the par-3 16th with a spectacular shot to 1 foot.

Cabrera's approach at 18 on the first extra hole came up short, but he clutched up again by making a 6-footer for par. This is the first Masters win for Argentina.

Signifiance of the Masters Tournament

I always wondered what the importance of the Masters Tournament was. People getting into golf wonder what the Masters Tournament is. So I did some research to learn more about the tournament and it's significance.

The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters is one of four major championships in men's professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year. Unlike the other major championships, the Masters is held each year at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in the city of Augusta, Georgia, USA.

The tournament has a number of traditions. A green jacket is awarded to the winner of each tournament, which must be returned to the clubhouse after a year. The Masters isn't just about the "green jacket" and the cash prize. It's all about being part of a special group of people.

As with the other majors, winning the Masters gives a golfer several privileges which make his career more secure. Masters champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship) for the next five years, and earn a lifetime invitation to the Masters. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to The Players Championship for five years.

Masters round one completed

On top of the Masters Leaderboard aren't your star studded cast. Chad Campbell after the first round is on top. Campbell got off to the greatest start in Masters history with five consecutive birdies, reeled in another four straight on the back nine, and despite bogeys on the last two holes, shot 7-under-par 65 to take sole possession of the lead. The course record of 63 was out there for him.

However, the tees were moved up, the pins were easy on the eyes, and the weather was ridiculously perfect. Tiger Woods on the hand is within striking distance. And Phil Mickelson, second favorite to Woods here, is eight back after a 73 because he couldn't very well make birdies from the trees. He used the word "terrible" four times to describe his play.

The Race for the Green Jacket.

Tomorrow brings the awaited "Master Tournament" at Augusta. Last year Trevor Immelman won the prized green jacket beating big time golfer Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. This year there are lot of expectations for a lot of golfers.

For Tiger Woods it's been 3 years since he won at Augusta. Woods is looking to end the drought. “The last couple of years, my putting has been streaky here,” Woods said. “I get on rolls where I make everything, and I get on rolls where I didn't make anything. You have to be consistent around this golf course.”

Phil Mickelson on the other hand with a win will rank him number 1. “It would be an incredible feat, regardless of the fact he did not play for eight months. It still would be a great feat,” Mickelson said.

Media Circus Featuring Tiger Woods

Looks like the media has been crazy about Tiger since his first win since the US Open. It's so facinating that the game of golf seems to revolve around one man... Tiger Woods. He put more excitement and fun to an otherwise not so hype sport. I didn't get into golf because of Tiger. I got into golf because it was fun. Having Tiger Woods as ambassador introduces new players into the game of golf. Young people idolize Tiger Woods as they would Lebron James or Michael Jordan. It's always fun to see Tiger giving the PGA professionals a run for there money. I can't wait to see what's in store for this year. Maybe another remarkable win ala US Open. Only time will tell...

It's good to have Tiger back! Go get 'em Tiger!