Charl Schwartzel

Rory McIroy

Jason Day

Gary Woodland

Martin Kaymer

Any thoughts? Anyone out there better than these five?

I would have to say that honorable mention goes to Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen, and Jhonattan Vegas.

Jeff Rude from Golfweek gives a candid video interview to Ernie Els. Interesting to hear Els’ commentary about his ‘94 US Open win and the significance that Nelson Mandela and Arnold Palmer had for him that year.

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Well played Graeme! You played like you actually wanted to win while everybody else around you couldn’t wait to get their hands off the trophy.

My thoughts:

• Pebble Beach is great place, but I believe the course needs work. When 7 out of 84! of the best golfers in the world hit the 17th green (on Sunday) in fairly benign weather conditions there is a problem. When the shortish par 5 14th hole plays as the most difficult hole on any day there is a problem. No major changes required – it just needs to be made a little more playable. That being said I thought the course was beautifully set up for the week.
• Tiger’s stock is down once again after a week of better ball striking. Could somebody please teach him how to give a post round interview? Let’s start with congratulating the champion….! Much better swing though.
• Hank Haney (who was at Mission Hills in China during Open week) – if Tiger’s numbers were so much better with you than any other coach, then I would expect hordes of Tour golfers to be waiting on your doorstep now that you can teach golfers other than just His Highness.  How is that going for you? (BTW – don’t bother emailing me on this one)
• Ernie Els let another one slip from his grasp. Of the 17 full swings he made on the back nine, 8 were in the poor category and that’s not to mention a handful of makeable putts sliding by the edge.  I really thought he would pull it out.
• Phil was just plain flat!
• Dustin Johnson will be doing some soul searching today. He is a tough kid who has the ability to let things slide of his back and I firmly believe he will come back stronger than ever. To those who might blame his swing for the breakdown on Sunday, please be quiet – Graeme McDowell has almost the exact same left wrist in his swing and that held up just fine. It’s all about impact!
• Gregory Havret played the best out of all contenders on the back nine. He actually had a real shot at the trophy on the last two holes. Great looking swing and I found myself wondering why he doesn’t do well more often. Strange game we play! Did anybody think Steve Martin in Pink Panther during his post round interview?
• I loved the way Graeme McDowell chatted with the camera coming up the eighteenth hole. He showed confidence and personality. Not that any Irishman has been short on personality! He seemed friendly and likeable.
• Out of the last eight events on the PGA Tour there has been one US winner! Can you believe it – 7 out of 8 have been foreign. It is such a global game and in my opinion that only makes it more interesting.

Graeme McDowell’s Equipment

Happy Father’s Day - I hope you have been as blessed as I have with my dad, Bill Rice. What a truly great man. I owe everything in my life to you Willy – thanks.

• Tiger Woods eclipsed the $10 million mark again – Steve Stricker, his nearest challenger was more than $4 million behind!

Steve Stricker

• No majors for Tiger.  If he does not win at Augusta next year I predict Hank Haney will be looking for some new students.
• Biggest surprises in the top 20 on the money list: Kevin Na; Z. and D. Johnson; Y.E. Yang; Brian Gay; Lucas Glover.
• How about this list of golfers outside the top 125: Chris DiMarco; Carl Pettersson; Stuart Appleby; Rocco; Chez Reavie; Johnson Wagner; Trevor Immelman; Ken Duke and multiple other tour winners.
• The highest finish on the money list for a golfer playing fewer than 10 events: Tom Watson who finished 114th after playing only 2 events.
• Brian Gay and Zach Johnson had breakout years.  Zach Johnson, in particular, showed that he has the potential to be a top 5 in the world player.

Brian Gay

• Kenny Perry, Phil and Steve Stricker had big years. They all won multiple times, but could not win the all important major championship necessary to be able to begin to challenge TW.
• Rickie Fowler will be at the final stage of Q-school. His haul of $570,000 in three events was not enough to earn a card.  There is a good crop of exciting young bombers who should get on tour for 2010 – look for Fowler, Lovemark or Stanley to make a minor splash.
• Watney, Casey and Geoff Ogilvy faded badly after promising starts.
• Furyk, Toms, Tim Clark and Els win the Close but No Cigar/Check Casher award for raking in tons of $$ without ever having the final say.  Furyk and Els seem to be making a habit of winning this annual award.

Tim Clark

• Players who Appeared Out of Nowwhere in 2009: Ross Fisher was the Robert Karlsson of 2008; Michael Bradley (where’d he come from?); Brian Gay; Mark Leishman; Matt Kuchar; James Nitties; and the biggest surprise of all Y.E. Yang.
• Players who Vanished into Thin Air in 2009, the “What was That Award?”: Aaron Oberholser (229); D. Hart (196); Shaun Micheel (180); Bart Bryant (167); and Trevor Immelman (156).
• The “UnderAchiever Award” nominees are: Vijay Singh; Aaron Baddeley; K.J. Choi; Anthony Kim and Adam Scott.

Aaron Baddeley

• The majors were a little uninspiring in 2009 with the winners being Cabrera, Glover, Cink and Yang.  With a little tweaking we could have had Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson or a resurgent David Duval, the greatest victory of all time with Tom Watson at the Open and Tiger destroying all comers at the PGA.  I like the latter line up a little better.
• The greatest event of the year that never happened: The Barclays at Liberty National - Heath Slocum holed a par bomb on the 72nd hole to keep Tiger, Stricker, Ernie and Padraig in the club house and out of a text book 5-way playoff.
• Michelle Wie has finally won! Great news for both her and the sputtering LPGA.

Michelle Wie

• The longest hitter: Robert Garrigus (127).
• The straightest hitter: Joe Durant (182)
• GIR leader: John Senden (27)
• Best putter: Steve Stricker (2) I think this is a case for “drive for show and putt for dough!”
• Best Moment of the Year: Y.E. Yang’s birdie on the 72nd hole at Hazeltine in front of TW.

Y.E. Yang

• Classiest Player of the Year: Tom Watson at Turnberry.  It will be a long time before we see golf being played the way it was meant to be played, like the way Mr. Watson showed us.
• Worst Hole of the Year: The 72nd hole at Bethpage Black - when did you ever hear of a US Open Champion playing the final hole with a 6-iron and a wedge?

Bethpage Black #18

Predictions for 2010:

• Tiger wins a major after he boots HH (he goes it alone for awhile).
• Phil Mickelson makes a serious run at Tiger’s domination – he also wins a major!
• Ernie Els continues to make $$ and does not win a major – or any other US event.
• Tim Clark and John Senden win a PGA Tour event.
• Michelle Wie wins again.
• Annika Sorenstam plays more than one event on the LPGA tour.
• Lorena asserts herself as the queen of ladies golf – again!
• The LPGA tour actually finishes the season with the same commissioner it started the year with.
• Players who re-appear in the winner’s circle: Boo Weekley,  Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia.
• The PGA Tour continues to struggle to find sponsors and finally agrees to lower purses at multiple events.
• The book “It’s All About Impact” becomes a hit and sells more copies than the publisher can print……;-)

Thanks for all your support this year.  Watch next week for a major Full Swing article.

Both these golfers are at or approaching the top of the backswing.  Notice how their right side is flush up against the 84 degree line.

These illustrations are just two of the 45 that you will see in “It’s All About Impact“. They will all sell you on the idea that preparing the body to get to impact is what the focus of the swing should be. After all, there are many ways to swing the club, but only one way to hit the ball!

I have always believed there should be a measure of “hit” in every putting stroke.  In studying the top putters, it is uncanny how they seem to pop the ball off the center of the putter face; it’s almost as though they manage to compress the ball with the putter face. True, there is no divot involved (call me if there is – soon!), but there is definitely a louder and crisper impact sound when an expert putts the ball.  Throughout the stroke, the putter seems to load in the backswing, lag in the transition, pop through the hit, and release into the follow through — a similar motion to the one required to crack a whip, yet on a substantially smaller scale.

The “Pop” Drill:

The Pop Drill

This is an excellent drill to help you acquire the feel of a solid strike: Gather a dozen balls in the center of a green and quickly and casually “hit” them back to a point off the side of the green — just like when you are clearing a putting green by hitting all the balls off the green with your putter.  Do not emphasize a target; don’t take time to set up; just pop the balls off the face of the putter. When done correctly, you should be able to feel how efficient the stroke is.  There should be a minimal amount of follow through, the strike should feel crisp, and the sound should be louder than what you are accustomed to. When I see a golfer struggling with the putter, they are almost always overemphasizing the “stroke” element and have lost the concept that there needs to be some impact or “hit.”  The problem most often is that their motion is long, slow and overly mechanical.  I have watched Vijay Singh and Ernie Els struggle with this problem for most of the year. Watch the video below of one of the finest putters on Tour, Brandt Snedeker, and check out his “hit”….

Pop the ball into the hole!

The Cover Shot

It has been a long road, but “It’s All About Impact” is finally with the editor and should be ready to go to the printer in 30 days if all goes according to plan.  Cindy Whitman, my editor has encouraged me to take a look at my writing and after she is finished tweaking and “grading” my work this book will be something that every golfer needs to have - a book that is completely true to it’s name, a book that really is all about impact!

This book has been written to show all golfers’ what style elements they can do without and what functional elements are integral to soundly struck golf shots.  What is pretty and what works?  Forget about form and focus all your attention on two simple keys that make all the difference in the world.  The same two keys that every great golfer has had in their golf swing – no matter how different their swings might look!  This book is about ball compression; trapping the ball; squeezing the ball off the turf; ball striking and really not much else!  Yet it will help your iron play, driving, pitching, chipping, sand shots and even putting because the strike and impact is what great golf is all about.  If you can hit the ball correctly, it will go straighter and further, more consistently and I haven’t met a golfer who does not want that in their golf game.

Do you know what makes up a correct impact position?  The same position Padraig Harrington has been working to improve all year.  Do you know what the primary factors that influence impact are?  After reading this book you will have a clear picture and understanding of what is required to hit the ball like some of golf’s all-time greats.

  “It’s All About Impact – The Winners of Over 100 Majors Prove It” will be available as a presale at this website on September 30th, 2009.  All readers who purchase their copy as a presale will receive a signed edition and have their shipping charges (within the USA) covered.

 If you do not have enough time to work on your game; if you are overwhelmed by the amount of technical information about the golf swing; if you regard yourself as a feel player; if you have taken a golf lesson and only regressed and yet you still want to get better then this book has been written on your behalf.

The book will be released online in November 2009.

•  While Tiger is very good for golf I thought it was fantastic to see Y.E. Yang take him down yesterday (in a major and while playing with him!). What a gutsy display!  Congratulations to Y.E., his coach and my former teaching associate, Brian Mogg and all of South Korea!
• I believe the win at Hazeltine will be worth $25 million to Yang!  As the first Asian born golfer to win a major it certainly has the potential to be the most lucrative golf tournament ever won.
• Lee Westwood was the bridesmaid of 2009, similar to what Ernie Els experienced in 2000.  I do believe the nine logos he wears above the waist might pay him enough to get over the agony.
• If only the “Big Uneasy” (Ernie Els) could have made a putt this year. He very well might have won two majors…..
• I still believe that Tiger Woods is a strong-minded, modern day version of Seve Ballesteros.
• What’s the over/ under on days until Hank Haney is shown the door? I do not think he’ll see the light of 2010.

Thanks for reading and please subscribe to this blog in the box in the top right corner of your screen!

Pearl Valley

South Africa has so much to offer, but for the golf fanatic and wine connoisseur there is no better, or more scenic, place in the world!  Our destination is Cape Town with stunning Table Mountain, it’s mix of classic and modern styled golf courses and the beauty of the surrounding vineyards.

The grand course to play in the Cape Town area is Pearl Valley  in the tiny wine village of Franschoek (French corner in Dutch). Designed by Jack Nicklaus as one of his signature courses in 2003 it has all the modern amenities one might expect at a top-class facilty.  The course is known for it’s world-class conditioning.  This December it will host it’s third consecutive South African Open!

After your round a visit to Boekenhoutskloof winery to taste through a line up of what arguably may be South Africa’s great red wines is a must. Try pronouncing that name after tasting through their wines!  Should you be hungry try Reubens Restaurant which was voted the top restaurant in South Africa in 2005.

 The primary wine growing region in the Cape is Stellenbosch, home to DeZalze Wine and Golf Estate. This course winds through vineyards, olive groves and lavender fields and was designed by my friend Peter Matkovich.  It hosted the World Amateur Team Championship in  2006.  Matkovich has quickly become the top course designer in Africa and has perhaps designed the most scenic course ever built in Pinnacle Point, a little further up the coast.  Peter was recently interviewed by Golf Club Atlas.

The View from Ernie Els Winery

DeZalze Wine and Golf Estate

When in the Cape Town area I would also recommend playing at another Matkovich design, Clovelly Golf Club and Trevor Immelman’s boyhood course Erinvale Golf Club.  For a links flavor with incredible scenery of Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town give Milnerton Golf Club a try, but watch out for the ‘Cape Doctor’ a fierce wind that will challenge the best ball strikers.

In summary this is what to expect:

• Golf: good to very good, good blend of old and modern style
• Caddies: great experience and personality, request class A caddie, a worthwhile upgrade
• Red wines: very good to excellent, try Pinotage, South Africa’s indigenous grape
• White wines: excellent, sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc are as good as anywhere
• Food: spectacular, steak and seafood is truly world class
• Value: excellent, the Dollar is currently about R10-$1, a great dinner with wine for four will run about $25 per person! Green fees will never be more than $100!

For your next exotic golf trip consider South Africa.  It has great golf and so much more available! To read more on traveling the South African winelands click the link.

Timing is very important throughout the golf swing. When a golfer feels quick the first thing they do is try to ’slow down’!  In an attempt to get some rhythm in the swing they go overboard in slowing everything down. That leads to an overly slow start to the swing, which in turn leads to a rapid change in pace in the transition and on into impact.  It is this drastic change in speed that conveys the sense of quickness and aggression in the swing.

Ernie Els

The PGA Tour average time for the backswing is 0.74 seconds, with an additonal 0.25 seconds to make the down swing and get to impact. Notice that there should be a 3:1 ratio backswing vs. downswing. That means that a Tour golfer will invariably strike the ball in less than a second from when the swing started.  Ernie Els, one of the smoothest swings out there, takes in the vicinity of 0.78 seconds to complete his backswing with Anthony Kim, one of the fastest swingers taking 0.60 seconds.  The vast majority of golfers I teach invariably take well over 1 second to complete the backswing!  In watching Els or even Kim, most golfers believe they swing a lot faster than either of those two top players.  Wrong!

Anthony Kim

Each of the above golfers are able to maintain a good rhythm in their swing because they maintain that 3:1 ratio in their swings.  When a backswing takes over a second to complete the golfer is now faced with a 4:1 or even 5:1 ratio which feels way out of rhythm.

Here are a few pointers when trying to get the timing back into your swing:

• Don’t try to speed your backswing up too quickly – take one pill a day and not the whole bottle!
• The body should not feel hurried; the wrists and arms will create much of the necessary speed.
• Try a few shots with the clubhead starting 2-3 feet ahead of the ball and then flow into the backswing in one motion. This gives the club a rolling start and gradually increases the pace.
• Remember that rhythm does not have to be slow!
• Stay patient and gradually build up to it; try to blend the downswing speed into the transition and backswing.

Things to Ponder:

• In the six events Tiger Woods played in 2008 he won more prize money than Jack Nicklaus did in his entire career! That is crazy!
• Lee Trevino is a legend, but I cannot stand watching him teach or commentate on TV.  He is just too much “Lee” for me.
• Tim Clark cannot be feeling too good this week. How about the four swings he made in the playoff only to lose?
• Sorry for the slow down in posts this week, but I am floating on a boat with my family this week in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ll be back at full force next week!