Every person has heard that practice makes perfect. In reality it is often not possible to go to the golf course or driving range several times a week and hit balls or work on drills. Recreational golfers have jobs, family and other responsibilities that are far more important than anything that happens on the course. With some creativity and a couple household items you can practice at home  and still improve your game.

One of the best things for your short game is to practice chipping with a Ping Pong ball. While they are roughly the same size as a golf ball they are obviously too light to cause any damage and have good feedback. First of all make sure you have plenty of room to swing the club without hitting anything breakable. Using a sand or lob wedge practice hitting a Ping Pong ball onto a couch or table. Short game is all about feel and creativity and sometimes you have to get pretty creative when hitting a Ping Pong ball onto a dining table. Practice hitting down on the ball to get it airborne faster with spin and adjust ball position to the back of your stance to keep the ball low. Practice this a couple times a week and you will definitely see results.

If your putting is a concern simply grab a 4×4 that is roughly two feet long. By keeping the heel of your putter against the side of the board you can get the feel of a straight back and straight through putting stroke. This is a great drill when you cannot log time on the putting green, it is also a great drill at the course. Great players often do this drill for hours without hitting a single golf ball. The repetition of the stroke is what matters when the pressure is on.

Next time you feel you need to get some practice in but just can’t find the time to get to the course just get creative. By practicing twenty minutes a day or even every other day at home you will see improvement.

Tags: chipping, Golf Practice, indoors, winter golf
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Camilo Villegas and David Toms are tied at 9 under par after the first round of the Humana Challenge at PGA West.  For the veterans that skipped the Hawaii tournaments this will be the first event of the new year.  David Toms nearly won the Player’s Championship last year, then won the following week.  He is one of many aging golfers that have shown players can compete well into their 40′s.  Ted Potter Jr. is only a shot back after a strong performance last week in Hawaii.  The Nationwide graduates look ready to handle the pressure of moving to the PGA Tour.  The depth of talent on the Nationwide Tour is becoming incredibly strong.  The graduating players have shown that they are ready to compete immediately.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, Phil Mickelson is a full 11 shots behind the leader at 2 over. He is currently tied for 134 place. Mickelson looked poised to win another Master’s last year but failed to compete. Not much was heard from him the rest of the year. Like Tiger Woods, Mickelson has been having health issues along with illness in the family. Fans are hoping that with Tiger Woods healthy, Mickelson can step up his game and renew the best rivalry golf has seen in the last 50 years.

Tags: CA, California PGA, Humana Challenge, LaQuinta, PGA TOUR, PGA West
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Tiger Woods is set to make his 2012 debut in February. After finally winning late last year, it looks like Tiger may be ready to complete his come back. Tiger Woods has several things going for him this season. In all the time he was struggling, no other player could step up and win consistently. There were times when Rory McIlroy looked ready to be the next dominant player but he could never string together good finishes. It appears that Phil Mickelson, who is dealing with health and family issues of his own, is nearing the end of his incredible career. If Tiger Woods can win a few tournaments early this year, the intimidation factor could come right back.

No matter what Tiger does this year, it is good that he is back. The game lacked excitement when he was missing. There has never been another player that has advanced the game of golf as much as Tiger Woods. If he is able to become the top player once again, he may encourage yet another generation to take up the game.

Tags: PGA TOUR, San Diego Golf, Tiger Woods, Tiger's return
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Every major golf manufacturer offers free custom fitting with all of their clubs. Even though this is the case most golfers simply go to the pro shop and grab a club. This is often because they heard something good about or read a review in a magazine. The truth is that every single golfer can get more out of their clubs by getting them properly fit.

Getting fit involves several steps and factors. Companies essentially estimate what the average golfer needs and builds their clubs to those standard. These specifications vary from company to company. When clubs do not properly fit changes must be made in the swing to accommodate the problem. There are many factors that can be custom fitted. Some of the most important are length, lie, shaft flex, grip size, and shaft weight. Since there is no industry standard on any of these specifications the only way to be sure you have the correct clubs is to get a personal fitting. Your local PGA Professional would be the best choice for this. While some big golf stores train their employess to custom fit, your local PGA Professional will  fully understand how every variable works with your swing. You should have every club fit, even the putter. There are three popular lengths in putters today ranging from 33″ to 35″. Often times these three options are not correct and people simply play with something that is not right for them. If your putter does not sit flat on the green when you are putting, or if you have to choke down or bend over more than comfortable, your putter does not fit. A simple fitting can fix this in a couple minutes.

Next time you are in the market for new clubs do not be afraid to ask your local professional for a fitting session. It is certainly worth the short wait to custom order clubs and ensure they are exactly what you should be playing with.

Tags: add yards, custom clubs, longer tee shots
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Every amateur golfer hates hitting out of a green side bunker. More often than not people just do not understand how to get the ball out of the sand and this leaves them hacking away unsuccessfully. The truth is most bunker shots are quite easy when the right technique is used. All too often amateur golfers  hack down at the ball and the club stops in the sand. This may occasionally work but will often lead to a chunk and yet another shot out of the same bunker. When playing bunker shots the key is to accelerate through the ball. The club should enter the sand just behind the ball and slide under it. This will ensure the ball pops out and gets onto the green.

There is an easy drill to practice bunker shots that will help with the visualization along with technique:

When you are in the practice bunker take a tee and bury it in the sand until it is even with the sand. Place a ball on the tee and work on sweeping the tee out from under the ball. If this is done correctly the tee should break and the ball will come out softly. The key is to accelerate through the ball and finish the swing. Practice this on a regular basis and green side bunkers will no longer be a problem.

Tags: bunker lesson, golf shots, Golf Tips, sand shots
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The controversial move to use a captain’s pick on Tiger Woods is not working out well so far. After a 7 & 6 loss on Thursday, Tiger and partner Dustin Johnson lost again on Friday to Australians Jason Day and Aaron Baddeley. Fortunately the remainder of the American squad is playing well enough to hold a two point lead going into the Saturday matches.

In the first two days Woods found himself in what could have been some uncomfortable situations. Adam Scott, who picked up Steve Williams after Tiger fired him, played against Woods on Thursday. Woods was then paired with Dustin Johnson on Friday; Wood’s current caddy was hired away from Johnson this August.

Despite the captain’s pick faltering, the remainder of the team is playing well. Mickelson, Furyk, Watson, and Simpson have won both matches they have played and appear to be the best teams in the competition.

Saturday brings double duty with alternate shot in the morning and best-ball following in the afternoon. Mickelson and Furyk remain paired and Woods and Johnson will have one more chance to secure a point Saturday morning.

Tags: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, President's Cup, Tiger Woods
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The President’s Cup will take place in just one month. Freddy Couples added Tiger Woods as a Captain’s Pick, a very controversial move. Tiger Woods has not progressed much in 2011. We are approaching the two year anniversary of the car crash and ensuing scandal. Tiger Woods has a new caddie, a new swing, and has fallen to number 52 in the World Golf Rankings. Woods finished in a tie for 30th place at the Frys.com open, a full ten shots back of Bryce Molder. If Tiger is struggling to compete in a Fall Series event, with a relatively weak field, how much can be expected at the President’s Cup next month?

As silly as Couple’s pick seems, there is a slight chance it will pay off. TV ratings will certainly be higher with Tiger being involved. Whether he plays well, or loses every match, people still want to see him. The biggest issue will be the team dynamic, Woods has never been known as a team player. This year, many of the players may resent the fact that he is there at all. He certainly did not earn his place on the team with his recent play, that could cause some issues. The only logical conclusion would be that Fred Couples felt pressured to select Woods for the attention it will bring, not necessarily his ability to strengthen the team.

The best case scenario would be that Wood’s plays well, really well. American golf needs a leader and Tiger Woods is probably the most talented golfer in history. He has made some incredibly stupid mistakes, but everyone does. If he can pull his game together and contribute to the team, he may gain the confidence he needs to move forward. If he continues to struggle and the U.S. team loses, it could set him back even more and move American golf further down the ladder.

Tags: Australia golf., Fred Couples, Freddy Couples, President's Cup, Tiger Woods
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It would have been hard to predict Bill Hass winning the FEDEX Cup at the beginning of the year. Looking back, there were not many big surprises throughout the year. Everyone with a working knowledge of the game expected younger players to take center stage this year. The fields are so deep, it is difficult to pick specific players for any given tournament, but as a group they came through. I believe the most disappointing season would have to be that of Phil Mickelson. He exuded confidence early on, only to struggle throughout the year.

Rory McIlroy appeared ready to solidify his place at the top with an incredible performance at the U.S. Open. He just couldn’t live up to that for the remaining tournaments. Darren Clarke and Keegan Bradley showed that players on both ends of the age spectrum can win big tournaments and Luke Donald remained number one in the world at season’s end.

The PGA Tour, and the professional golf world in general, is still in need of lasting rivalry. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson provided so much excitement for fans that anything else feels disappointing. It appears that it may be awhile before we see a truly dominant player. There are a host of candidates, but none has proven they can win consistently. Throughout the year, the media and fans were looking for a new leader. Many people handed McIlroy that title after his runaway win at the U.S. Open. We are all finding that replacing Tiger Woods is a task that may take years to complete, if it can be done at all.

Tags: Donald, FEDEX Cup, Keegan, McIlroy, PGA TOUR, Woods
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Joe LaCava has all the skills and experience a professional golfer could ask for. He has been on the bag during majors and for several of the best players in golf. LaCava caddied for Fred Couples for years, and was working for Dustin Johnson for the last couple years. Now he is the new man on the Tiger Woods team. Woods made headlines earlier this summer after firing Steve Williams, who was his caddie for all but one of his major championships. The came as a shock to everyone, including Williams. Now Tiger has hired Joe LaCava, but the Woods team is insisting that LaCava approached Tiger about the job. This is important because the last thing Tiger needs is another scandal and being accused of stealing another man’s caddie. To make the ordeal more awkward Johnson and Woods will be teammates at the President’s Cup after Fred Couples mysteriously chose Woods as a Captain’s pick. Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon, who is currently Johnson’s coach, was quick criticize the handling of the incident.

Tiger Woods has not shown much progress over the last year. Injury has been couple with scandals and has left many in the golfing world wondering if he will ever return and win another major. The timing and manner of his decisions seems to match his egomaniac demeanor. He seems to take joy in showing others he still has the power to control who works where and that no player is safe from his nonsense. It was apparently too difficult for Woods to call Johnson prior to going public. Why couldn’t he wait a week and let Bill Hass enjoy the glory of winning the FEDEX Cup? One would also have to wonder why LaCava felt that Woods would be better than Johnson in the long run. Sure Tiger is one of the greatest of all time, but he simply doesn’t have that form any longer. Johnson has had a checkered past, and for all we know may be difficult to work with. Either way there are several questions that may never be answered. One thing seems to be clear, Tiger will take any opportunity to steal the thunder and does not really care about the results of his actions.

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Perhaps the confusion surrounding the final round of the Tour Championship helped Hunter Mahan and Bill Hass concentrate on the tournament. So many people had an opportunity with to take home the $10 million dollar prize even the players in contention did not know what was going on. The geeks behind the scenes have always had the goal of having a field of 30 players at the Tour Championship that have the opportunity to win the highest purse on the PGA Tour. Bill Hass took home $11.4 million USD with his win yesterday yet his first question to Jimmy Roberts was asking who won the cup.

The FEDEX Cup is kind of a mixed bag for the game of golf. The non-stop calculations during the coverage take away from the Tour Championship, an extremely important event in the history of the game. The absence of any players that are not PGA Tour members also throws a stick in the spokes. Rory McIlroy is probable the biggest name missing, but there are many other top players that don’t meet the requirements to play in the FEDEX Cup. While it is exciting to see them play for that much money, it may be more exciting to throw the top 50 golfers on a course and tell them that winner takes all. That would be the ultimate test of nerves and skill and viewers could watch without getting a math lesson every five minutes.

Tags: Bill Hass, FEDEX Cup, Hunter Mahan, The Tour Championship
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