Golf Practice-zine Newsletter Number One

The practice-zine will provide monthly news, views, tips and conversation about your golf game and the world of golf. The plan is to broaden the reach of the website to keep up with the dynamic happenings in the sport.

The website focuses on golf basics: the fundamentals of the golf swing, practice techniques, fitness plans, mental game concepts, ways to track and improve your playing performance, game development strategies, equipment and you.

Most of all you. Hopefully the site can reach out and touch people with these common interests around the game of golf. Here at BSFBG, I want your feedback; your reaction to the ideas this site expresses; the ideas you have; your golf experiences and take on the game we play today.

The site salutes those who play the game and more important the golf professionals and industry players who make the game possible. My main motivation for the site is to express my thanks to the many golf professionals, fitness instructors, physios and medical professionals that have instilled in me my love of the game of golf. They've made it possible for me to play the game and enjoy it. Golf has been a gift that has given me a reason to retire early.

The other reason is that last November, 2006 I was diagnosed with heart disease and underwent triple bypass surgery at the Ottawa Heart Institute. I was 55 years old at that time, one month past my birthday. I was, I thought, in the best shape of my last 10 years. Not so. Two weeks after the diagnosis, I had my operation. I made my doctors promise that I would make the start of golf season the following April. No problem they said.

I won't say it was 'No problem" but to make a long story short, I made it. But I'll have more on that story later. Much of my motivation stems from that experience. My focus on fitness, for example, is directly related. The golf instructors who helped me back and the physios who helped me back had all worked with me before the heart episode.

The experience has deepened my respect for those who make a living serving the game. Not to mention the people in the medical profession. I wish to identify with them through this newsletter and the website. It will be part of the way I can, in a small way, give back to the game and to those who aided my recovery.

Tiger's Gatorade Deal

Gatorade is due to release Gatorade Tiger in March of 2008. The contract is the first of its kind they've done "sweat testing" in their human performance labs at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to determine what minerals Tiger's body loses during exercise. They can "design those elements" back into the drink to restore lost electrolytes.

The licensing agreement is the first for Tiger and his first contract with a beverage company. The deal is for five years and an estimated (not verified) $100 million over the period. Gatorade says that Tiger picked out the flavors himself -- they will be a 'cherry blend', a 'citrus blend', and grape. Salut!

The Gatorade deal puts Tiger together with Michael Jordan amongst Gatorade's stable of stars. Gatorade is owned by PepsiCo and is included with Gilette, Accenture, Buick and Nike as Tiger's major sponsors. Tiger has added Golf Course design to his portfolio and now has two courses underway -- one in Dubai (Al Ruwaya), the other in South Carolina (The Cliffs). Gillette, Gatorade and Course Design are filling in nicely for American Express which ended in August of 2007. American Express was Tiger's $65 million deal that he closed before he even swung a club as a pro back in 1996.

By the way, as Tiger visited Dubai in December to finish the first three holes of the course design, he stopped by the site of his soon-to-be-built 50,000 square foot mansion as part of the course real estate development. He hasn't really got down to the design of the home yet, that will happen later. The course is part of a regional tourism and leisure project sponsored by the government comprising 55 million square feet of hotel, community center, luxury homes and a golf complex.

European Tour Deserves A Look

This month - January - I think I'd rather watch the televised golf on the European Tour than on the PGA Tour. I'll probably watch them both, but if I had to choose, I'd watch the tournaments shown from the courses in the Middle East. I like the European model better. They take pro golf to the world. They play world class courses, impeccably groomed, well sponsored, international fields, high quality of golf and their stars show up.

Compare the schedules. For the European Tour:

Abu Dhabi golf Championship in UAE, January 17 - January 20. Field: Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, David Howell, Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey. Adam Scott, Luke Donald

Qatar Masters features Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald and Retief Goosen on January 24-27.

Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates G.C, UAE January 29 - February 3: Tiger Woods but usually features those from the Abu Dhabi tournament plus Ernie Els as it has in the past.

For the PGA Tour, over the same time period:

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Palm Springs, CA January 16 - 20 Field: Charlie Hoffman defending otherwise, who cares? This is "star watch" time for the Americans. They turn out in droves to watch Kenny G, Alice Cooper, Bill Murray and Kevin Kostner schmooze with the crowd, crack jokes and ham fist the ball around with their pro partners. Not my favourite tournament to watch.

Buick Invitational, San Deigo, CA Torrey Pines, GC: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson okay, okay, I'm watching this one. Plus it's a preview of this year's U.S. Open, but I'm still going to watch the Qatar Masters.

FBR Open, Scottsdale Arizona, TPC Scottsdale, Field: Aaron Baddeley defending. I love Badds, especially watching his putting, but otherwise this does not hold a candle to the Dubai Classic.

I say European Tour wins this matchup quite easily. What do you think? The purses are half what the PGA Tour pays, if that, but (in the Middle East at least) the ET makes up for it by paying appearance fees -- we know that in Tiger's case, it's a documented $2 million which is last year's rate. I don't like that practice, by the way, but I'm talking about the golf here, not the business practices.

Adams Golf Makes a Statement

Adams Golf, famous for their mixed sets of clubs -- a graduated set starting with cavity-back irons (8-PW), hollow-back & fat sole mid-irons (6-7) up to hybrids (3,4, 5) -- to maximize playability for the average golfer. They pioneered the hybrid with their Tight Lies club and the mixed set philosophy to enhance forgiveness in their clubs with a large moment of inertia (MOI) in their design. They first gained traction on the Champions Tour and now may-ny pros carry hybrids in their bags and other manufacturers have followed suit.

This year Adams have become more aggressive in sponsoring tour pros on the PGA Tour. They've just announced three new pros to their stable: Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini and Tom Gainey.

Sabbatini, ranked sixth on the Money List and number 11 in the world in 2007 had been playing Nike equipment. At least until he ticked Tiger off by making an early and rude exit from The Tiger World Challenge tournament after playing long enough to collect the minimum $170,000 pay cheque but leaving early after shooting himself out of contention and not even staying around to the end or even so much as thanking tournament organizers for the invitation. Rich Lerner, annouciing on the Golf Channel telecast of the Mercedes Benz tournament in Hawaii bluntly stated that Rory's mistake was getting on Tiger's wrong side and that Tiger influenced Nike's decision not to have Sabbatini around for 2008. I don't know, Sabbatini is not talking to the press lately, and until he tells his side of the story, Lerner's comments are just that, attention-getting commentary.

Sabbatini's Adams deal is to carry their tour bag, play their a3 irons, an Idea Pro hybrid and the Insight Driver for 2008

Aaron Baddeley, was another surprising addition to Adams player list. Finishing 10th on the Money List, Badds had his best year ever playing MacGregor clubs. Aaron held the distribution rights for MacGregor clubs for all of Australia and Southeast Asia, which was a real business coup for someone so young and new on Tour. However, Greg Norman moved into the MacGregor orbit mid-year in 2007 so maybe that influenced MacGregor's decision to change horses. Who knows, since no word on reasons for the switch has so far emerged from either side. But it is strange, since Badds has finally begun to live up to his promise, with two PGA victories under his belt, plus he won the Australian Masters down under in November, so you'd think the marketing people would be doing double-flips. Stay tuned.

Anyway, Aaron will be carrying the Adams Tour bag, and will begin 2008 gradually by playing just the Adams Insight 3 and 5 woods. Badds had quite a time adjusting to MacGregor clubs when he made that shift, so I guesss he doesn't want to make that mistake again. He had also ditched his Aussie coach and moved to David Leadbetter so he had a lot on his plate at the time. Never mind, he has his release from MacGregor, let's hope for the best with Adams. Badds can afford to take his time.

The final Adams note is that Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey is also part of their roster. Gainey, who became famous by winning the Golf Channel's Big Break IV -- famous enough to gain a deal with Adams right then -- really hit the big time in 2007. He handily played his way onto the Show by making it through Q School at Orange County National in Orlando in December.

So Adams has some really interesting guys to watch this year. It will be fun to see how they finish.

Modern Golf Transport

Segway, the Dean Kamen invention that self-balances a transporter that resembles a pogo stick with handle bars and two wheels(see picture) is starting to appeal to me. They have a marketing arm in Canada and a GT4 model that looks like a winner for golfers. The GT stands for Golf Transporter and its been around since 2005.

Golf transport is for one at a time, so it takes to Segways to equal one golf cart. Or, from a golf course point of view, they get to rent out twice as many vehicles per group on the course, so it could be a revenue bonus. That, of course depends on demand. Would you try one? I would if the price is right -- just from a novelty perspective. Being able to bomb around on a Segway looks like a riot, but it's the closest thing to walking while riding the course. It speeds up play as a player can ride right up to his ball without having to drag a playing partner along for the ride.

The GT4 can cost as much as $7,000 but there is also a PT x2 (Personal Transporter (pictured below) that can be had for $5,500. The GT4 costs about as much as a regular golf cart, so you'd figure they'd rent on golf courses for about the same -- that's pricey. The PT might go more respectably. Course managers would have to take a close look at the economics of Segways.

So far, I know of two golf courses in BC that have rented Segways to players:

• Mayfair Lakes, Richmond, BC
• Riverside GC, Fairmont Hot Springs, BC

They are definitely high tech. The low pressure wide tires are turf friendly for the fairways -- initially the regular, narrow tires didn't get enough traction. The batteries are good for 12 miles across country, even on hilly courses. The problem might be the drivers. Players get a 15-20 minute lesson on balance, steering and stopping before they're turned loose on the course. The neat thing is they balance themselves, even with the golf bag attachment. When you stop and get off, the can just stand there or tilt back into a stand mode as pictured. There is also a wireless key that determines your maximum speed. Beginner mode is set to 6mph and regular mode if you're a practiced user goes to 12.5 mph.

If you've tried a Segway, send us an email, we'd love to know what you think of them. The email is info@best-strategies-for-better-golf.com.

Music Makes Your Muscles Fonder

Your IPOD or Music Player is your workout and practice aide: Put some music in your workout. Good music has always been a great motivator for me in my workouts. Turns out, science says I'm right, too! An article in the Journal of Journal of Sport Behavior, 1997 indicated that when listening to music during exercise, athletes frequently report feeling a sense of less drudgery and that their chances of becoming bored is much reduced.

I definitely feel better with some good 'adrenalin rock' in my ears while on the treadmill or bike -- any cardio exercise, really. The music gives me a rhythm to run to and time flies by much more easily -- I even push myself harder if the tunes inspire me on the track. Now, I cannot work without my iPod Shuffle; it's permitted me to extend my workouts and has made a regular routine possible. It weighs about one ounce and, after getting a decent set of Sennheiser headphones, the buds fit my ears comfortably whatever I'm doing.

Going to the iTunes music site, you see countless playlists by runners and outher workout fanatics with whole sets of musical motivations. A soundtrack for the track.

I think you have witnessed this for yourself. Check the athletes at practice or even warmups at major sports. I've seen Chris Bosh with ear buds in place during training camp and even in pre-game warmups for the Toronto Raptors, for example. Richard Zokol is famous for carrying a Sony Walkman with him during rounds on the PGA Tour (in the days before iPods were invented) he earned the nickname 'Disco Dick' but the music was a calming influence on his game, allowing him to relax and focus on what mattered during the round.

Now, with the new 60 gigabyte video iPod and the video capabilities on the new Nanos, a new dimension of practice aid is opening up. For example, the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins have been taping and editing various pitchers against their batters. They upload the edits to the players' iPods and they can practice against whoever gives them the most trouble at the plate. Pitchers can refine their strategies against batters and scouts can record pitcher outings before their teams face certain hurlers.

Can golf be far behind? What better partner on the range than to have your swing analysis with you on an iPod. Or have a set of drills you want to practice from a training video that you like? Check best-strategies-for-better-golf.com in the coming months. We will have more on this software and how it can help you as you get ready for the 2008 season.

Moe Norman Movie

Moe Norman movie called "Dance the Green: The Moe Norman Story". Barry Morrow, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for the 1988 film Rain Man, has written the Moe Norman story for film. George Gallo will direct the film, and shooting is expected to begin in the spring, according to Tim O'Connor, the Canadian author of a highly regarded book on Moe, "The Feeling of Greatness". Producers of the project include Wayne and Janet Gretzky. Moe Norman is a Canadian and world-renowned golfing legend. Everything about Moe was unorthodox: his swing was entirely self-taught but amazingly simple and dependable; his clothing was garrish and unconventional, his speech pattern was repetitive and high-pitched, leading many to assume he suffered from autism. He had a phenomenal skill with numbers, being able to multiply two-digit numbers together in his head almost instantly and was great at card counting.

Moe also had excelelnt hand-eye coordination. In tournaments while waiting for playing partners to hit, he would bounce a ball with his driver and continue bouncing it while walking toward his ball down the fairway. In one famous story, a man in the crowd bet Moe that he couldn't bounce the ball fifty times without missing. Without saying a word, Moe began the click-click-click off his driver with the crowd softly counting as the watched. While walking on to his ball Moe stopped at 65 he'd walked over 200 yards.

In his amateur days he would pick tournaments on the basis of what first prize was. It might be a new suit or a television set. He won so many TVs, he would frequently sell them after the tournament to raise needed expense money. This drove the RCGA nuts since it violated the rules on amateur standing.

When he won a tournament, Moe's notorious shyness prevented him from showing up for the ceremony. He was extremely backward socially; he had even run off and hid down a riverbank on one occasion to avoid organizers who tried to get him to speak. This shyness often arose when adults approached him for casual conversation. Moe would frequently insult them or raise his voice in anger to leave him alone, since he was very defensive with strangers.

He also hated being introduced on the tee. Often while the announcer was saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, on the tee, from Kitchener, Ontario....", whack, Moe had teed the ball up, swung and was off down the fairway after it.

In 1992, Jack Kuykendall, incorporated Noman's swing methods into what he marketed as Natural Golf. He hired Moe to demonstrate the method at corporate outings.

In 1995 Norman was inducted into the Canadian Golf hall of Fame. Later that year, long past his playing days and in poor health, Moe was debt ridden and pretty much living out of the trunk of his car. Wally Uihlein, the president of Titleist announced that the company would pay Moe $5,000 per month for the rest of his life at no obligation to the company.

Sadly, after receiving the recognition he was due for so long, Moe Norman passed away in September of 2004 of heart failure.

Sam Snead said Moe Norman was the best ball striker he'd ever seen. Today, golfers like Mike Weir, Lee Trevino, Nick Price and Tom Watson have all said that nobody else has ever been able to strike the ball lie Norman.

Pace of Play Matters

I think one of the factors hurting golf participation is the slow pace of play. Courses shouldn't have to have marshals to push players along. Marshals can be so much more than that. Here are some good ideas (I think) that are pieced together from Golf Digest, the web and course policies where I've played:

- in Ottawa, the Canadian Women's Golf Inc. (CWGI) are a league that emphasizes a friendly, nurturing atmosphere in which to play and learn golf for their members. Players of all abilities are encouraged to mix and mingle with one another. The better players are encouraged to mentor the newbees along regarding the rules and etiquette of the game. They play on courses throughout the Ottawa Valley and have been wonderful customers to have. They have what they call the Golden Rule to play by. The rule states that new players, if they haven't reached a par four green in four (for example), should pick up their ball and place it on the green about 10 feet from the whole and putt out. Score is going to be a six with an 'x' for the newbee indicating a part of the game they need to fix by end of season. This philosophy makes so much sense to me. It shows respect for the game, the course and non-CWGI groups playing around them. Why can't everybody do this? When you're out of a whole, why play for a 10 or 12 score? You'll be in a lousy mood anyway, why make it worse. Put bad holes behind you, learn from them and move on. Don't make other groups suffer.

- play ready golf at all times. On the tee, on the fairway and on the greens.

- let faster groups play through. Foursomes should let twosomes move through. Faster groups should not even have to ask. If you are the faster group, be ready to play through. Get to the tee, few or no warmup swings and get moving.

- if a ball is lost, move on. Five minutes max. is the time to look for it. This is golf, you are going to lose a ball. When I'm playing a slow round I will donate balls to the player who has lost one so they can play on. If you're playing a ProV1 in a casual round what are you thinking? Five bucks a ball into the trees is worth buying used balls for until later in the season or for tournaments when premium equipment makes sense. Invest wisely. Time is worth more to your foursome and the one waiting behind you than that ball is to you.

- do not over-read putts. PGA Tour pros are worth emulating to a point. But they're putting for huge bucks, that's why they walk all around the ball for so long. Play ready golf on the greens. If you are in order, be ready to putt when your partners say it's your turn. You should be lining your putt while they are taking theirs.