Guide for Beginning Golfers

The United States in now zero for three in the last three major golf tournaments. European golfers have been victorious in two of the three, setting the stage for the Ryder Cup competition, which is quickly approaching  in September. Phil Mickelson won the Masters, which is the first major of the year but we have not heard much from him since. The US had a number of opportunities to win this one but it was not meant to be.

The hardest pill to swallow for the US golf fans was the Dustin Johnson debacle, when he inadvertently grounded his club in a so called sand bunker. This so called bunker, by all appearances looked like a worn out area of the course, trodden down by the many fans milling around it. Dustin received a two stroke penalty and lost out on his playoff opportunity and a chance to claim his first major. His -9 finish was two strokes back of Kaymer and the other US player, Bubba Watson, who finished at -11, tied for the lead. The players were supposedly informed that all sand areas at Whistling Straits, this years PGA venue, were to be treated as bunkers and the sand rule of no club grounding would apply in this case. Watson had played well and also allowed himself a chance for the title. Zach Johnson, another US player and major winner and Rory McIlroy gave it a valiant effort as they finished one back at -10. Watson was waiting patiently for the final outcome as he took his golf clubs to the range to warm up for the playoff looming ahead.

The two man, three hole playoff ensued and Bubba Watson was tied with Kaymer after two holes. Watson lost it on the third hole when his approach shot found the water and he could not recover. Congratulations to Martin Kaymer, a young man with a lot of talent and who I don’t think we have heard the last of. Good Luck to Corey Pavin and the United States Players in the Ryder Cup next month. Happy Golfing to all!

One place where I never tire of visiting for vacation is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, fondly known as the “Golf Capital of the World”. Since golf is a  priority to myself and my significant other we try to plan our trips around the best and most affordable golf venues, with the least amount of travel involved. We drove down on a Sunday morning and arrived about noon time, having left at 2:35am in order to avoid as much traffic as possible. We made good time going down, about 9 hours and fifty minutes but it took almost two additional hours to return home to Sayreville, NJ, due to road construction and heavy traffic on the NJ Turnpike heading for the shore and Six Flags Great Adventure Park.

The travelling aspect aside, we enjoyed another fantastic golf trip.  We did encounter some hot weather and the occasional thunderstorm, but that is typical of the southern regions at this time of the year. This summer season happens to be particularly hot throughout most of the country so we had to learn to adapt, which we did.  We played five terrific golf courses, Glen Dornoch on Monday, located near the border of the Carolinas and a beautiful course overlooking the intercoastal waterway, Heritage, another excellent golf venue, located on the south strand in Pawleys Island, Blackmoor, a Gary Player course and one of our favorites, Caledonia, the most beautiful and scenic course on the strand and our personal favorite, and last but certainly not least, The Thistle ( See photo), a course with a flavor of Scotland, located in the Calabash area of North Carolina. This was our first time playing The Thistle and it did not disappoint. The designers spared no expense with the construction of the club house and the adjacent grounds, as they utilized many of the architectural features used in the Scotland in the early to mid 1800’s. The Thistle is a 27 hole complex, the North, South and the West, which are the names for each of the nine hole layouts, one nicer and more challenging than the next.

After 27 holes there on Friday, we visited Market Commons, a new shopping center that opened a few years ago. It features some fine restaurants, such as Tommy Bahama’s, where we dined and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance and fine cuisine, Travinia’s, another fine Italian restaurant, which is on our list for our next trip, and all of the finest shops, including a Grand 14 Movie Theater for those who prefer indoors or who may just want to get out of the heat for a few hours.

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I can’t even say his name let alone acknowledge his victory at the British Open but Oostuizen’s  performance and final total score of -16 speaks for itself. The next player, Lee Westwood, finished seven shots back  at -9 which is an indication of how well  Oosthuizen really played for this prestigious tournament at the world’s oldest and most revered golf venue, St. Andrews. I have to admit this years Open was a bit boring for golf fans in the United States as the top American player, Sean O’Hair finished at -6, ten strokes back and tied for seventh place. None of our players even sniffed at  a chance for the top three spots, which is unusual for the U.S. team.

Tiger Woods, who has not yet returned to true form, struggled with the putter and had to settle for a tie for 23rd with a -3 finish total on Sunday. John Daly, who was on the leader board on Thursday with a first  round sixty six, Stewart Cink, last years winner in the Open over Tom Watson, and Phil Mickelson, a fan favorite, all shot plus one and tied for 48th place, which is not so impressive for these U.S. players. I had high hopes for Phil Mickelson coming into this championship but he his play has been less than stellar since his Masters victory in April of this year.

The British Open has been the second major golf tournament in a row where the European and other top world players have stymied the United States from the leaderboard. In the U.S. Open in June, the top three places went to McDowell, the barely known Frenchman,  Havret and Ernie Els from South Africa. The outcome and lackluster performance by the American players in these last two major venues does not bode well for the U.S. in the coming Ryder Cup championship in September of 2010. Corey Pavin, the captain for the U.S. has his work cut out for him if the Amercian team is to be competitive enough to win this years Ryder Cup. I wish them the best of luck as they may surely need some this year. Our players had better get to the golf range and start hitting golf balls to prepare for the challenge they face ahead.

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The world’s top golfers gathered for the 110th playing of the prestigious American PGA Tour event, the U. S. Open. Pebble Beach is one of the top golf venues in the country located in Monterey County, California maybe second only to Pine Valley Golf Course  in New Jersey. Pebble Beach was long renowned as the #1 or #2 golf course in the country and the world for an extended period of time and will always be a favorite of tour pros and amateurs alike. This years set up at Pebble Beach was one of the toughest tests of golf skills for the PGA Tour Pros in recent history.
I was hoping for a Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson battle for the championship on Sunday, but three foreign born players, Graeme McDowell, Gregory Havret and Ernie Els held off their charge and finished one, two and three respectively leaving the world’s two top players tied for fourth and no trophy for the United States in 2010. Dustin Johnson, an excellent American golfer, who was playing lights out through Saturday could not handle the heat on Sunday as he collapsed under the pressure shooting an 82 and finishing tied for 8th.  Dustin held the lead over eventual winner, Graeme McDowell, by two shots at the start of the final round and seemed to have tamed the beast but he gave back shot after shot in the final round as Pebble Beach showed her fangs and bit back. During the final round it appeared as if the players were all going backward and the title would go to the golfer who could best hold on for dear life. The final scores tell the tale of how difficult Pebble Beach was playing, as even par won the event, when these players can shoot between 12 and 20 under par under normal golf tournament conditions.

Tom Watson, a fan favorite, showed his tenacity as he hung on for a tied for 29th place finish. Tom could have finished tied for 27th had he made a short putt on the 18th hole but he let it slip off to the side as he was not the only player at Pebble Beach to miss on the short grass. There were three putts from inside two feet at this years Open. Tom Watson can still hit golf balls with the best of them as he bested the likes of VJ Singh and Stewart Cink, who just edged him out at last years British Open. Can this be Tom Watson’s last U.S. Open? In my opinion, I would have to say he is not yet done and we’ll see him back next year. Congratulations to Graeme McDowell on his victory as he held on for one stroke lead over Gregory Havret, the frenchman, who finished plus one and solo second place.  Next up – The British Open! Happy Golfing to All!

For the past  few weeks my golf game has hit the skids. I have played my last few rounds like I never held a golf club before. Maybe not quite that bad but not too far off target either. In golf, as in other sports,  you can’t let it get you down. There are highs and lows in all stages of life and a persons golf game is not impervious to being subjected to this roller coaster ride of ups and downs.

In fact someone once said, “The consistency of golf is the inconsistency of golf” and truer words were never spoken. Golf can be a roller coaster ride of emotions, even during the same golf round. On one hole you may score a par, birdie or perhaps even an eagle if you are skilled enough but the next can be a bogie, double or even triple bogie if you lose concentration and make an error in your golf swing thoughts or mechanics.

When I go into a slump with golf, I find the best method for an expedient recovery is to lay off for a week or so and then schedule a session at the golf range to help regain the confidence in your swing. Hitting golf balls at the range will help, at least it works for me. Remember, don’t despair if you lose your golf swing temporarily for it will soon return. Happy Golfing to All!