Urgently needed - help finding my game!! I had it two weeks ago but now I've been out 2 times in the past 2 weeks & it's gone. Fat shots, shanks, pulls & pushes, it's completely frustrating and I've got a tournament tomorrow at my club so it better come to me in my sleep! This isn't the first time my game's gone AWOL which probably means that it won't be the last unfortunately.
Has anybody else experienced this & what the hell did you do about it?
What a crazy game golf is...
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wie can't go on like this.
Big news in the desert this weekend! Michelle Wie placed 19th in the Samsung World Championship played in Palm Desert at Bighorn Golf Club and this helped more than double her earnings for the entire year! Sounds good if it not for her total earnings so far this year being less than $10,000 plus the fact only 20 players participated in the Samsung tourney. Her 1 under 71 (only the 2nd sub par round this year) helped push her ahead of Germany's Bettina Hauert & come up just 36 strokes behind winner Lorena Ochoa.
Anyone else and I might be inclined to feel sorry for her but aside from winning the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links title in 2003, she's done absolutely nothing! She's really starting to embarrass herself and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Someone needs to set her off on the right path quick. If I were her advisor (or her Daddy) I'd say "Golf or college, make a decision" If it's college then great - play maybe 2 or 3 LPGA exemptions a year & spend the rest of the time studying. If it's golf then let's focus on winning a woman's tournament before ever teeing it up with the men again. Unless she's absolutely stupid, why continue to go against the men? She can't win, damn, she can't even make the cut so what's the point?
Anyone else and I might be inclined to feel sorry for her but aside from winning the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links title in 2003, she's done absolutely nothing! She's really starting to embarrass herself and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Someone needs to set her off on the right path quick. If I were her advisor (or her Daddy) I'd say "Golf or college, make a decision" If it's college then great - play maybe 2 or 3 LPGA exemptions a year & spend the rest of the time studying. If it's golf then let's focus on winning a woman's tournament before ever teeing it up with the men again. Unless she's absolutely stupid, why continue to go against the men? She can't win, damn, she can't even make the cut so what's the point?
Friday, October 12, 2007
Photo shoot
If you live in So. Cal. & you're a golfer then you've more than likely heard of Southland Golf Magazine. It's a fantastic super-gloss golf mag w/ tons of great product info, course reviews, player interviews, etc. & it's absolutely free! Tattoo Golf advertises in there every month & they've done some TG product reviews over the past year but now we're gearing up for a full-on editorial which should be rolling in out in their Nov. issue.
My partner Bill & myself met up with Eddie Meeks, Southland's photo editor, today at Chevy Chase CC in Glendale for a photo shoot to capture our mugs on film for the article. Eddie is Vietnam Vet & a real colorful character with plenty of great stories was just a blast to work with. He specializes in golf & auto racing but he's a real pro so he basically can do it all. Check him out at www.eddiemeeks.us or community.webshots.com/user/golfphotographer and don't forget to check out Tattoo Golf in November's issue of Southland Golf!
My partner Bill & myself met up with Eddie Meeks, Southland's photo editor, today at Chevy Chase CC in Glendale for a photo shoot to capture our mugs on film for the article. Eddie is Vietnam Vet & a real colorful character with plenty of great stories was just a blast to work with. He specializes in golf & auto racing but he's a real pro so he basically can do it all. Check him out at www.eddiemeeks.us or community.webshots.com/user/golfphotographer and don't forget to check out Tattoo Golf in November's issue of Southland Golf!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Swede's Golfing is Sweet
Jesper Parnevik, winless since 2001, seems to have found his game over the past 2 days down in San Antonio at the Valero Texax Open. In a field almost completely void of any top 50 ranked players, Parnevik is a stunning 14 under after 2 rounds and hopes to continue his amazing run when he tees off in a couple of hours.
It's a Swedish party at the top as Parnivik's playing partner is Mathias Gronberg who trails is countryman by 4 at 10 under.
Every since he lost his nanny to Tiger Woods Parnevik's played like a Swedish meatball but I'm rooting for him and maybe his time has come.
It's a Swedish party at the top as Parnivik's playing partner is Mathias Gronberg who trails is countryman by 4 at 10 under.
Every since he lost his nanny to Tiger Woods Parnevik's played like a Swedish meatball but I'm rooting for him and maybe his time has come.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Woody Takes the Plunge
Even better than the solid beating the American's handed out to the rest of the world during the recent President's Cup was Woody (Aquaman) Austin's graceful dive/fall into a water hazard at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. Always the colorful character, Woody outdid himself this weekend! Gone were the flamboyant Tobasco brand scenery shirts but under the fashionable USA team garb lied our old, lovable Woody.
He was as animated as ever & a joy to watch as he made clutch putt after clutch putt during his pairing with Phil Mickelson to help pad America's lead during the 4 day event. Following his quick mid-round dip, Woody toweled off & proceeded to birdie the final 3 holes to lift him and playing partner David Toms to a tie in their 4 ball match with the South African team of Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini.
Having now played in his first President's Cup at the age of 43, he's already got his sights set on 2009 and if he continue's playing anywhere near this level there's no way he doesn't make that goal.
Greg Shaw
Tattoo Golf
He was as animated as ever & a joy to watch as he made clutch putt after clutch putt during his pairing with Phil Mickelson to help pad America's lead during the 4 day event. Following his quick mid-round dip, Woody toweled off & proceeded to birdie the final 3 holes to lift him and playing partner David Toms to a tie in their 4 ball match with the South African team of Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini.
Having now played in his first President's Cup at the age of 43, he's already got his sights set on 2009 and if he continue's playing anywhere near this level there's no way he doesn't make that goal.
Greg Shaw
Tattoo Golf
Thursday, September 27, 2007
PGA to begin anti-doping policy in 2008
Football? Sure. Baseball? Yep. Cycling? Definitely. Track & Field? No question. But golf? That’s the question now that the PGA Tour will begin implementation of their own anti-doping plan in 2008 as part of an overall World Golf Foundation policy.
The World Golf Foundation not only includes the PGA Tour but also the European Tour, LPGA, the USGA, Augusta National and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. With the Asian, Canadian, Japanese and Australasian Tours all signing on to support the plan, we’ve essentially got an anti-doping plan that reaches every corner of the globe.
PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem had long held fast to the belief that there was no need for anti-doping intervention but has changed his position during this past year. Said Finchem earlier this year “…there’s no sport that’s inherently immune to doping. It’s a sad commentary, but it’s true.”
Is it true? And is it really necessary? Golf has always been looked on as a gentleman’s game, one equated to honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship where players self-police and in many instances, call penalties on themselves for unseen infractions. But times apparently are a changing!!
Is this merely a sign of the times, a preemptive strike to keep up with the policies of other professional sports or is there some evidence of cheating that the PGA is hiding from us? Is there a potential Barry Bonds-like abuser lurking on the PGA’s leader board? The only player as beefy as a steroid popping ball player is Tiger Woods yet he’s also the most vocal proponent of this anti-doping plan and has publicly volunteered to be first in line for testing.
I can’t think of another player out there who looks or golfs the part of a doping violator. The guys that hit it 300 yards seem to have reached this mark via advanced technology (i.e. Hotter club faces & balls) mixed in with a bit of exercise but even assuming there is substance abuse on tour, you still have to hit the ball straight! And once the driver is in the bag, players don’t really need muscle, they need technique. They need to hit a wedge 100 yards to a tightly tucked pin location and I’m not sure there’s a drug out there that can help with this. And just how will any banned substance help a professional read and sink a 15 foot putt with a double break in it?
The illegal substances that generally get all the attention are the muscle pumping, strength inducing drugs so prevalent among the Popeye forearmed baseball players of recent years but what about some of the other prohibited substances on the list for testing? The list includes everything from anabolic steroids and hormones to beta-blockers. Now I can see how beta-blockers may be of help to a PGA Tour professional as they basically block the affect adrenalin has on your body. In other words they make you relax! Additionally they facilitate smooth muscle control which explains their prevalence as being a treatment for various heart ailments including cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks (prevention post-attack).
Woods recently reminded reporters that Nick Price once admitted to using beta blockers but said they actually hurt his game rather than help but drugs have varying effects on people so who’s to say it won’t help the next guy? A few beers usually help calm me down but it certainly doesn’t seem to help my game any! It’s not farfetched to think that beta-blockers may help someone down the road.
It’s better to be proactive rather than reactive so Finchem’s making the right call here but I’m betting on betting on the players and believe golf will not be shamed and dragged into the mud like so many other sports these day.
The World Golf Foundation not only includes the PGA Tour but also the European Tour, LPGA, the USGA, Augusta National and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. With the Asian, Canadian, Japanese and Australasian Tours all signing on to support the plan, we’ve essentially got an anti-doping plan that reaches every corner of the globe.
PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem had long held fast to the belief that there was no need for anti-doping intervention but has changed his position during this past year. Said Finchem earlier this year “…there’s no sport that’s inherently immune to doping. It’s a sad commentary, but it’s true.”
Is it true? And is it really necessary? Golf has always been looked on as a gentleman’s game, one equated to honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship where players self-police and in many instances, call penalties on themselves for unseen infractions. But times apparently are a changing!!
Is this merely a sign of the times, a preemptive strike to keep up with the policies of other professional sports or is there some evidence of cheating that the PGA is hiding from us? Is there a potential Barry Bonds-like abuser lurking on the PGA’s leader board? The only player as beefy as a steroid popping ball player is Tiger Woods yet he’s also the most vocal proponent of this anti-doping plan and has publicly volunteered to be first in line for testing.
I can’t think of another player out there who looks or golfs the part of a doping violator. The guys that hit it 300 yards seem to have reached this mark via advanced technology (i.e. Hotter club faces & balls) mixed in with a bit of exercise but even assuming there is substance abuse on tour, you still have to hit the ball straight! And once the driver is in the bag, players don’t really need muscle, they need technique. They need to hit a wedge 100 yards to a tightly tucked pin location and I’m not sure there’s a drug out there that can help with this. And just how will any banned substance help a professional read and sink a 15 foot putt with a double break in it?
The illegal substances that generally get all the attention are the muscle pumping, strength inducing drugs so prevalent among the Popeye forearmed baseball players of recent years but what about some of the other prohibited substances on the list for testing? The list includes everything from anabolic steroids and hormones to beta-blockers. Now I can see how beta-blockers may be of help to a PGA Tour professional as they basically block the affect adrenalin has on your body. In other words they make you relax! Additionally they facilitate smooth muscle control which explains their prevalence as being a treatment for various heart ailments including cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks (prevention post-attack).
Woods recently reminded reporters that Nick Price once admitted to using beta blockers but said they actually hurt his game rather than help but drugs have varying effects on people so who’s to say it won’t help the next guy? A few beers usually help calm me down but it certainly doesn’t seem to help my game any! It’s not farfetched to think that beta-blockers may help someone down the road.
It’s better to be proactive rather than reactive so Finchem’s making the right call here but I’m betting on betting on the players and believe golf will not be shamed and dragged into the mud like so many other sports these day.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)