In The Swing
By Clive
Why Bad Shots Go Right
One of the most common complaints in golf is that, for right-handers, too many shots go to the right. And the most common denominator for a shot leaking to the right is hitting up at the ball.
The act of hitting up at a golf ball requires an action that causes the clubhead to deviate from its natural swing path. A proper swing path will see the leading edge of the clubface square with the target line at address. It will rotate open to a position parallel to the target line on the backswing (when the shaft is parallel to the target line and level with the horizon, toe pointing skyward), rotate back to square at impact, and then continue to rotate to a position parallel to the target line again on the follow-through (shaft parallel to the target line and the horizon, toe pointing skyward).
The swing path of a hitting up action will not see the clubhead return to square at impact. Rather it will remain open as the clubhead rises straight up, causing the ball to fly to the right. The perception of the relative "squareness" of the clubface on the follow-through can be very deceiving here, because an upswing will leave the clubface in a position that appears to be square with the target line. However, after impact, we do not want the clubface to be square with the target line, we want it to be square with you, and you should now be facing your target (whereas at address you were side-on to it). The same applies to your backswing. Despite the perceived logic of keeping the clubface on, and square to, the target line on your backswing, doing so is actually:
a) moving the clubhead away from its power source (you),
b) keeping the face shut, and
c) preventing rotation of the clubhead as it is swung back.
We have to accept that, unlike bowling, our body is not pointing down the target line but rather we are side-on to our intended target. For so long as we stand to one side of the golf ball (and therefore the target line) we must accept that the clubhead will swing back inside the target line on the way up, swing out and beyond the target line on the way down, and finally swing back inside the target line after impact. In fact, the clubface will be square with the target line for a relatively brief period of time - but when it counts, at impact. Consider a swinging door you might see at the entrance to a kitchen in a restaurant. Let's say the handle of the door is your clubface, pointing at your intended target (and therefore on our imaginary target line). At rest, the door is square. When it opens, the outer edge of the door (and the handle) does not go straight back down the target line, but rather it rotates inside. Then upon closing it rotates again, this time in the reverse direction but on exactly the same path as when it opened. And where is the door when it reaches the closed position? Square again. Each and every time.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Mortgages made simple
with Brent
Mortgage Brokers Undercut Banks!
Financial Post – 2012
Mortgage brokers are once again undercutting the banks and some are willing to buy down your rate — eating part of their commission in the process — to gain customers.
Steep mortgage discounts from the major banks have all but disappeared from the market, leading mortgage brokers to make sacrifices for market share amid new rumours that another major Canadian bank is going to bring its business completely in-house.
“There are so many options out there besides the banks. [These latest rate hikes] have given brokers an edge because bank pricing is notably higher,” said Rob McLister, editor of Canadian Mortgage Trends.
Mr. McLister reported that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is rumoured to be putting its discount arm, FirstLine Mortgages, up for sale.
He cited sources that said CIBC would exit the broker channel after the sale.
A CIBC spokesman said it is policy not to comment on industry speculation.
CIBC, which would be joining Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal in abandoning mortgage brokers, is said by Mr. McLister to have been the largest broker lender in the market in second quarter of 2011 with a mortgage book of $47-billion.
By the third quarter CIBC had fallen to fourth as it pulled back from the mortgage broker channel in favour of selling through branches.
Mortgage brokers have been facing more competition from banks, which are using so-called mobile mortgage specialists who are employed by financial institutions but go into the community to reach out to consumers.
The Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals noted in its fall survey that 27% of consumers had obtained a mortgage from a broker in the previous 12 months, up from 25% a year earlier.
It was a month ago today that Bank of Montreal surprised the market by lowering the rate on its five-year, fixedrate closed mortgage to 2.99%. It came with conditions – limits on prepayments and only a 25-year amortization period – but it was the lowest rate in history for the most popular term among Canadians.
The BMO offer was quickly matched: Some banks offered the same rate over a four-year term with fewer restrictions. However, the all-time low rates have since disappeared.
BMO, which advertised its offer as a two-week special, now has a special low rate on a five-year term that is back up to 3.49% – still a discount from its 5.24% posted rate – but nowhere near what Mr. McLister said is obtainable by shopping around. “Since the special ended, we have had improvements in rates from a variety of our lenders,” he said.
“What I hear from my sources is there is less discretion from the bank’s mortgage specialists to lower rates,” Mr. McLister said.
On the discount front, fiveyear fixed mortgages can still be found for as low as 2.99%, if you accept some restrictions. A mortgage with full features like 20% prepayment of the principal per year is closer to 3.19%.
What has put the broker community back in the game are rising bond rates, which have increased the cost of capital for banks and squeezed their profits.
Farhaneh Haque, director of mortgage advice and real estate secured lending at Toronto-Dominion Bank, which had dropped its rate as low as 2.99% for a four-year fixed closed mortgage before increasing it to 3.39%, said competition drove the discounts.
“But bond yields changed and your cost of funds changed, therefore the banks had to [raise rates],” Ms. Haque said.
Sensing opportunity, brokers are fighting back. Some are willing to eat into their commission to lower rates.
Peter Aceto, chief executive of ING Direct Canada, which has been pretty consistent in discounting rates and offers a five-year mortgage for 3.34%, says consumers should ensure the product fits their needs before signing.
“Ask questions about the flexibility [of a mortgage product] and if you get the answers you want, take it, don’t come to us,” says Mr. Aceto, adding that was his response to BMO’s 2.99% mortgage.
About Brent: Accredited Mortgage Broker with 25 yrs industry experience, negotiating from 40 lenders for the best products and lowest rates, all at no cost or obligation.
brentjmorgan.com
with Brent
Mortgage Brokers Undercut Banks!
Financial Post – 2012
Mortgage brokers are once again undercutting the banks and some are willing to buy down your rate — eating part of their commission in the process — to gain customers.
Steep mortgage discounts from the major banks have all but disappeared from the market, leading mortgage brokers to make sacrifices for market share amid new rumours that another major Canadian bank is going to bring its business completely in-house.
“There are so many options out there besides the banks. [These latest rate hikes] have given brokers an edge because bank pricing is notably higher,” said Rob McLister, editor of Canadian Mortgage Trends.
Mr. McLister reported that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is rumoured to be putting its discount arm, FirstLine Mortgages, up for sale.
He cited sources that said CIBC would exit the broker channel after the sale.
A CIBC spokesman said it is policy not to comment on industry speculation.
CIBC, which would be joining Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal in abandoning mortgage brokers, is said by Mr. McLister to have been the largest broker lender in the market in second quarter of 2011 with a mortgage book of $47-billion.
By the third quarter CIBC had fallen to fourth as it pulled back from the mortgage broker channel in favour of selling through branches.
Mortgage brokers have been facing more competition from banks, which are using so-called mobile mortgage specialists who are employed by financial institutions but go into the community to reach out to consumers.
The Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals noted in its fall survey that 27% of consumers had obtained a mortgage from a broker in the previous 12 months, up from 25% a year earlier.
It was a month ago today that Bank of Montreal surprised the market by lowering the rate on its five-year, fixedrate closed mortgage to 2.99%. It came with conditions – limits on prepayments and only a 25-year amortization period – but it was the lowest rate in history for the most popular term among Canadians.
The BMO offer was quickly matched: Some banks offered the same rate over a four-year term with fewer restrictions. However, the all-time low rates have since disappeared.
BMO, which advertised its offer as a two-week special, now has a special low rate on a five-year term that is back up to 3.49% – still a discount from its 5.24% posted rate – but nowhere near what Mr. McLister said is obtainable by shopping around. “Since the special ended, we have had improvements in rates from a variety of our lenders,” he said.
“What I hear from my sources is there is less discretion from the bank’s mortgage specialists to lower rates,” Mr. McLister said.
On the discount front, fiveyear fixed mortgages can still be found for as low as 2.99%, if you accept some restrictions. A mortgage with full features like 20% prepayment of the principal per year is closer to 3.19%.
What has put the broker community back in the game are rising bond rates, which have increased the cost of capital for banks and squeezed their profits.
Farhaneh Haque, director of mortgage advice and real estate secured lending at Toronto-Dominion Bank, which had dropped its rate as low as 2.99% for a four-year fixed closed mortgage before increasing it to 3.39%, said competition drove the discounts.
“But bond yields changed and your cost of funds changed, therefore the banks had to [raise rates],” Ms. Haque said.
Sensing opportunity, brokers are fighting back. Some are willing to eat into their commission to lower rates.
Peter Aceto, chief executive of ING Direct Canada, which has been pretty consistent in discounting rates and offers a five-year mortgage for 3.34%, says consumers should ensure the product fits their needs before signing.
“Ask questions about the flexibility [of a mortgage product] and if you get the answers you want, take it, don’t come to us,” says Mr. Aceto, adding that was his response to BMO’s 2.99% mortgage.
About Brent: Accredited Mortgage Broker with 25 yrs industry experience, negotiating from 40 lenders for the best products and lowest rates, all at no cost or obligation.
brentjmorgan.com
In The Swing
by Clive
Face Angle
What I am about to say may come as a bit of a shock. More so, though, I hope it comes as a pleasant surprise; perhaps even a relief. Too much emphasis is put on keeping the face to the club square at impact. Far too much.
The fact is, you can hit a perfectly straight shot with a slightly closed clubface. You can also hit a banana slice with a square one. There are so many moving parts to a golf swing that it would be very difficult (but not impossible) to chart every combination of action and its resultant shot pattern, but it is naïve to think that the clubface must be square to hit a good shot. Naïve, and pressure-riddled.
The thing to remember is that, aside from face angle (the angle of the clubface at impact) key elements at play include:
- angle of approach
- pronation of the clubface
- swing speed
What matters the most (more than clubface angle) is that the clubhead is swinging from inside the line to outside the line, and that the clubface is pronating (rotating from open to shut). If the clubhead swung exclusively up and down the target line, then a square clubface would be of paramount importance. However, in this crazy game, we stand to one side of the ball, thus to one side of the target line, and we swing the club back over our right shoulder (assuming we are right handed). The fact that the clubhead approaches the ball from inside the target line means that, if the clubface is pronating, the combination of a club that is essentially swinging to the right and a face that is rotating to the left can net out to: a straight shot.
Conversely, and this is a very common scenario, if your clubface is perfectly square but the club itself is travelling from out to in (outside the target line on its approach and then inside the target line after impact) you have a perfect recipe for a slice. Interestingly, one of the leading causes of an erroneous outside to in swing is a feeble attempt to swing up and down the target line. The target line that we are standing to one side of, and have no business trying to swing up and down.
Even in bowling, where the arm can conceivably swing straight up and down the target line, it rarely does because the bowler would be too limited in shot pattern if this were the case. Bowlers, like golfers, like to work the ball and vary their swing slightly to do so.
So, when working on your golf swing, look at the big picture, not just one tiny aspect of it, such as purely face angle. You will actually find it liberating.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
by Clive
Face Angle
What I am about to say may come as a bit of a shock. More so, though, I hope it comes as a pleasant surprise; perhaps even a relief. Too much emphasis is put on keeping the face to the club square at impact. Far too much.
The fact is, you can hit a perfectly straight shot with a slightly closed clubface. You can also hit a banana slice with a square one. There are so many moving parts to a golf swing that it would be very difficult (but not impossible) to chart every combination of action and its resultant shot pattern, but it is naïve to think that the clubface must be square to hit a good shot. Naïve, and pressure-riddled.
The thing to remember is that, aside from face angle (the angle of the clubface at impact) key elements at play include:
- angle of approach
- pronation of the clubface
- swing speed
What matters the most (more than clubface angle) is that the clubhead is swinging from inside the line to outside the line, and that the clubface is pronating (rotating from open to shut). If the clubhead swung exclusively up and down the target line, then a square clubface would be of paramount importance. However, in this crazy game, we stand to one side of the ball, thus to one side of the target line, and we swing the club back over our right shoulder (assuming we are right handed). The fact that the clubhead approaches the ball from inside the target line means that, if the clubface is pronating, the combination of a club that is essentially swinging to the right and a face that is rotating to the left can net out to: a straight shot.
Conversely, and this is a very common scenario, if your clubface is perfectly square but the club itself is travelling from out to in (outside the target line on its approach and then inside the target line after impact) you have a perfect recipe for a slice. Interestingly, one of the leading causes of an erroneous outside to in swing is a feeble attempt to swing up and down the target line. The target line that we are standing to one side of, and have no business trying to swing up and down.
Even in bowling, where the arm can conceivably swing straight up and down the target line, it rarely does because the bowler would be too limited in shot pattern if this were the case. Bowlers, like golfers, like to work the ball and vary their swing slightly to do so.
So, when working on your golf swing, look at the big picture, not just one tiny aspect of it, such as purely face angle. You will actually find it liberating.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
In The Swing
By Clive
Speed
I become increasingly incensed every time I see a golf product or book claiming a solution for one’s ailing golf swing, with no practice required. Now, there are lots of people out there claiming to have the secret ingredient to the golf swing, and many no doubt have valuable information to contribute. However, if mixed in with their claim is the statement or even inference that you can potentially play great golf with no practice, consider a red flag raised, right there.
I can easily come up with a long laundry list of reasons you need to practice but today I am going to focus on just one: speed. Here are a few things you need to know:
- clubhead speed equals distance
- practice equals repetition
- repetition develops muscle memory
- muscle memory enhances speed
- clubhead speed equals distance (just in case you missed it the first time).
Even if, theoretically, your technique was perfect, only the repetition one gets from practice is going to allow you to develop speed in your golf swing. I often compare this to things as simple as tying your shoes, or things as demanding as typing (properly). You can tie your shoes quickly because… you have done it a million times. The more you type, the faster your typing becomes and with far fewer errors. Imagine rarely typing, and then when you do, trying to type very quickly. It is going to be far more difficult and likely riddled with errors.
I know what you are going to say next: what if I just play a lot? Isn’t that the same as typing a lot? Not quite. Playing golf is a little more like typing a sentence, then getting up and going to the living room and pushing a few buttons on the remote control of your television, followed by a trip to the kitchen and setting the timer on your microwave. In a game of golf you are always facing a different skill requirement, and the actual repetition is minimal. In fact, a person who shoots mid-nineties will probably only hit about thirty full swing shots. That is barely half of a small bucket of balls. Over a four or five hour period. You would have to play eighteen holes four times a week to gain the equivalent of two small buckets, and even then the repetition would not be concentrated enough to truly develop muscle memory.
Finally, what’s wrong with practice? I honestly cannot think of a sport wherein the practice element is as enjoyable as golf. It can be social, healthy, yet not overly demanding or fatiguing. And, it is far less time demanding as a full game, so why not set aside a wee bit of time this week to practice. Enjoy it, and then make it a habit. You know, repetitive.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
By Clive
Speed
I become increasingly incensed every time I see a golf product or book claiming a solution for one’s ailing golf swing, with no practice required. Now, there are lots of people out there claiming to have the secret ingredient to the golf swing, and many no doubt have valuable information to contribute. However, if mixed in with their claim is the statement or even inference that you can potentially play great golf with no practice, consider a red flag raised, right there.
I can easily come up with a long laundry list of reasons you need to practice but today I am going to focus on just one: speed. Here are a few things you need to know:
- clubhead speed equals distance
- practice equals repetition
- repetition develops muscle memory
- muscle memory enhances speed
- clubhead speed equals distance (just in case you missed it the first time).
Even if, theoretically, your technique was perfect, only the repetition one gets from practice is going to allow you to develop speed in your golf swing. I often compare this to things as simple as tying your shoes, or things as demanding as typing (properly). You can tie your shoes quickly because… you have done it a million times. The more you type, the faster your typing becomes and with far fewer errors. Imagine rarely typing, and then when you do, trying to type very quickly. It is going to be far more difficult and likely riddled with errors.
I know what you are going to say next: what if I just play a lot? Isn’t that the same as typing a lot? Not quite. Playing golf is a little more like typing a sentence, then getting up and going to the living room and pushing a few buttons on the remote control of your television, followed by a trip to the kitchen and setting the timer on your microwave. In a game of golf you are always facing a different skill requirement, and the actual repetition is minimal. In fact, a person who shoots mid-nineties will probably only hit about thirty full swing shots. That is barely half of a small bucket of balls. Over a four or five hour period. You would have to play eighteen holes four times a week to gain the equivalent of two small buckets, and even then the repetition would not be concentrated enough to truly develop muscle memory.
Finally, what’s wrong with practice? I honestly cannot think of a sport wherein the practice element is as enjoyable as golf. It can be social, healthy, yet not overly demanding or fatiguing. And, it is far less time demanding as a full game, so why not set aside a wee bit of time this week to practice. Enjoy it, and then make it a habit. You know, repetitive.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
In The Swing
By Clive
Relax
Today I want to write about the need to relax when swinging, and what that really means. But first I will digress to a not completely unrelated topic. A short while ago I was watching the annual skills competition for the national hockey league, the main league for professional ice hockey in north America. Their skills competition is a prelude to their annual all-star game.
One of the competitions in the skills contest sees a player standing mid-ice, and having to hit each of four targets which are attached to the goal net in the upper and lower right corners, and the upper and lower left corners. As the top ice hockey players in the world battled to hit these targets the commentators made the pertinent point that each time a player missed a target, the pressure mounted as they tried increasingly harder to ht the target they missed. They also noted, again quite accurately, that almost never would they find themselves in a similar situation in an ice hockey game. There would be no time to over-analyse what they are doing in aiming for said target; the emphasis would be on getting the shot off quickly and getting the heck out of there before someone impassively knocked them down. The more time they had, in the skills competition, to force an accurate shot, the harder the task became. Naturally, this made me think of the difficulty a golfer faces each and every shot.
As much as many (non-golfers) think golf must be easy because the ball is just sitting there, and one has seemingly all the time in the world to hit it, this is precisely why golf is not easy. Interestingly our minds and bodies respond much more naturally in an “action environment”. Ironically, another benefit of an action environment is the ability to relax physically. When we are on the move, whether running, or skating etc., our muscles, while working, are loose and fluid, not tight and stiff. Far too many of us golfers, in our efforts to attain “perfect” physical positions, tighten every muscle in our bodies and our motion becomes robotic rather than fluid, let alone fast.
I remember a time as a young pro (which is incredible as it is with increasing rarity I even remember being young) when I was having my swing analysed on video by two well respected peers. I was hitting the ball horrendously, yet each time we consulted the video it seemed all my positions were excellent. This had the two of them scratching their heads as they were challenged to point out what was going wrong with my swing. I was too upset to scratch my head.
Cutting to the chase, it was not until much later that I realized what was going on that day. I realized when teaching a student where a similar scenario was unfolding. I had been so intent on being “perfect” when under the scrutiny of video and my peers that I had been as stiff as a board. I was achieving desired positions, but there was no speed, no elasticity, no fluidness, and certainly no athleticism in my swing action. It might as well have been a rusty old garden gate hitting balls that day. So, aspire for perfection, sure, but not at the expense of good old fashioned, relaxed, athleticism. A “reasonable swing” is much more desirable than a “perfect whack”.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
By Clive
Relax
Today I want to write about the need to relax when swinging, and what that really means. But first I will digress to a not completely unrelated topic. A short while ago I was watching the annual skills competition for the national hockey league, the main league for professional ice hockey in north America. Their skills competition is a prelude to their annual all-star game.
One of the competitions in the skills contest sees a player standing mid-ice, and having to hit each of four targets which are attached to the goal net in the upper and lower right corners, and the upper and lower left corners. As the top ice hockey players in the world battled to hit these targets the commentators made the pertinent point that each time a player missed a target, the pressure mounted as they tried increasingly harder to ht the target they missed. They also noted, again quite accurately, that almost never would they find themselves in a similar situation in an ice hockey game. There would be no time to over-analyse what they are doing in aiming for said target; the emphasis would be on getting the shot off quickly and getting the heck out of there before someone impassively knocked them down. The more time they had, in the skills competition, to force an accurate shot, the harder the task became. Naturally, this made me think of the difficulty a golfer faces each and every shot.
As much as many (non-golfers) think golf must be easy because the ball is just sitting there, and one has seemingly all the time in the world to hit it, this is precisely why golf is not easy. Interestingly our minds and bodies respond much more naturally in an “action environment”. Ironically, another benefit of an action environment is the ability to relax physically. When we are on the move, whether running, or skating etc., our muscles, while working, are loose and fluid, not tight and stiff. Far too many of us golfers, in our efforts to attain “perfect” physical positions, tighten every muscle in our bodies and our motion becomes robotic rather than fluid, let alone fast.
I remember a time as a young pro (which is incredible as it is with increasing rarity I even remember being young) when I was having my swing analysed on video by two well respected peers. I was hitting the ball horrendously, yet each time we consulted the video it seemed all my positions were excellent. This had the two of them scratching their heads as they were challenged to point out what was going wrong with my swing. I was too upset to scratch my head.
Cutting to the chase, it was not until much later that I realized what was going on that day. I realized when teaching a student where a similar scenario was unfolding. I had been so intent on being “perfect” when under the scrutiny of video and my peers that I had been as stiff as a board. I was achieving desired positions, but there was no speed, no elasticity, no fluidness, and certainly no athleticism in my swing action. It might as well have been a rusty old garden gate hitting balls that day. So, aspire for perfection, sure, but not at the expense of good old fashioned, relaxed, athleticism. A “reasonable swing” is much more desirable than a “perfect whack”.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
In The Swing
By Clive
Shanking
“Dear Clive,
I've gone out four or five times trying to learn the "Hit Down' system. I have ordered and use the E-Book, and have just ordered the DVDs. I seem to be getting worse instead of better. I think I have the "hit up" syndrome so ingrained I can't shake it. I'm not giving up I'm just very frustrated. I'm shanking a lot of shots, especially on the irons. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jack”
Dear Jack,
First, I have to emphasize that hitting down is not a system. All good golfers hit down at the ball, and that is what compresses the ball and gives it flight, power, and backspin. That said, many amateur golfers hit up at the ball and yes, if you have been doing it for a long time it will take more than four or five attempts to rid the old habits and develop new ones.
The key is the drills. You will see all the drills in the ebook, but when your DVDs arrive there is a separate Drills
Your shanking, I am confident in saying, is because you are trying to hit down, no doubt, but without uncocking your wrists. What typically happens in this kind of scenario is you get to the top of your backswing, and then stab down at the ball with the butt end of the club. You feel like you are hitting down, as opposed to up, but the clubface remains open (because the wrists are not uncocking) so the hosel or "shank" of the club is what leads to the ball. What I am about to ask you to do, in comparison to what you are used to doing, is going to feel very "wristy" (at first). You really need to emphasize an uncocking of particularly the right wrist TO START YOUR DOWNSWING. Waiting until impact, or just prior to impact, will be too uncertain and invariably too late to do this.
I am pasting here a link to a video which is from the DVDs, which explains a little bit about what the hands need to do in the golf swing. The hands are your link to the club, just as a baseball pitcher's hand is his link to the baseball, and they must be loose and proactive.
Here is the link: http://youtu.be/8qg70nOJNFs
Let me know how you make out Jack. Stick with it and do the drills, and soon you will be hitting it like another Jack we know in the game of golf.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Friday, January 20, 2012
In The Swing
By Clive
2012
I would love to start by telling you I am writing this first article of 2012 from some exotic, warm, golf location such as Durbin, South Africa. But I am not. In fact, as I write, I am wondering if the snow plough will have blocked my car with snow by the time I finish for the day and make the drive home on slippery winter roads. It is nice to dream, however.
What I can also do is speculate about what might transpire in this 2012 golf season. It should not rank as a big deal (yet somehow it seems to) that Tiger Woods won an event at the end of 2011 yet somehow that win fuels speculation as to whether Mr. Woods can find the winner’s circle again in Oh-Twelve. It should not rank as a big deal because, first of all, a Woods win should not be an oddity, and second, because it was not a full field event. In fact, it was his own event. And we all know you are supposed to let the boss win his own tournament.
Will Ernie Els return to form in 2012, after a season that just saw one Top 10 finish on the US PGA Tour? Or is it just too late for Ernie. As a “Big Easy” fan I am cheering for a comeback, but I do worry. I should not worry, as it was not that long ago (2010) that Ernie led the FedEx Cup points race for the season, finished third in money earnings (US PGA Tour) with two wins and seven Top 10 finishes. Already a World Golf Hall of Famer with three majors in the bank, one could ask if Ernie has enough to strive for to motivate a big comeback, other than pride. We can never underplay pride, however, especially with elite athletes. So I am switching from worrying, to predicting at least one worldwide win for Ernie Els in 2012.
2012 is a Ryder Cup year. I truly do not think you need to be American or European to be absolutely riveted to this biennial golf event but if you are American, you are going to be extra motivated to see the Americans try to avenge a narrow defeat last time out (2010). The fact the 2012 edition will be contested at Medinah, in Chicago, will not hurt their chances. Not to bring up that Tiger name again, but surely many eyes will be on him this season as he tries to qualify for the US Ryder Cup Team and not have to rely on being a Captain’s pick, as was the case with last year’s Presidents Cup. That said, I believe the final round of the 2011 Presidents Cup was a pivotal day in Tiger regaining some true form that led to his eventual tournament win at the end of the year.
Finally, will 2012 see a young gun win a second major? I speak of a Rory McIlroy, or a Keegan Bradley, or a young man named Schwartzel or Oosthuizen? There is so much young talent out there that, while his name is overused and he is over scrutinized, the affairs of a Tiger Woods are not critical to the success of an absolutely exciting golf season. I for one, look forward to it!
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
By Clive
2012
I would love to start by telling you I am writing this first article of 2012 from some exotic, warm, golf location such as Durbin, South Africa. But I am not. In fact, as I write, I am wondering if the snow plough will have blocked my car with snow by the time I finish for the day and make the drive home on slippery winter roads. It is nice to dream, however.
What I can also do is speculate about what might transpire in this 2012 golf season. It should not rank as a big deal (yet somehow it seems to) that Tiger Woods won an event at the end of 2011 yet somehow that win fuels speculation as to whether Mr. Woods can find the winner’s circle again in Oh-Twelve. It should not rank as a big deal because, first of all, a Woods win should not be an oddity, and second, because it was not a full field event. In fact, it was his own event. And we all know you are supposed to let the boss win his own tournament.
Will Ernie Els return to form in 2012, after a season that just saw one Top 10 finish on the US PGA Tour? Or is it just too late for Ernie. As a “Big Easy” fan I am cheering for a comeback, but I do worry. I should not worry, as it was not that long ago (2010) that Ernie led the FedEx Cup points race for the season, finished third in money earnings (US PGA Tour) with two wins and seven Top 10 finishes. Already a World Golf Hall of Famer with three majors in the bank, one could ask if Ernie has enough to strive for to motivate a big comeback, other than pride. We can never underplay pride, however, especially with elite athletes. So I am switching from worrying, to predicting at least one worldwide win for Ernie Els in 2012.
2012 is a Ryder Cup year. I truly do not think you need to be American or European to be absolutely riveted to this biennial golf event but if you are American, you are going to be extra motivated to see the Americans try to avenge a narrow defeat last time out (2010). The fact the 2012 edition will be contested at Medinah, in Chicago, will not hurt their chances. Not to bring up that Tiger name again, but surely many eyes will be on him this season as he tries to qualify for the US Ryder Cup Team and not have to rely on being a Captain’s pick, as was the case with last year’s Presidents Cup. That said, I believe the final round of the 2011 Presidents Cup was a pivotal day in Tiger regaining some true form that led to his eventual tournament win at the end of the year.
Finally, will 2012 see a young gun win a second major? I speak of a Rory McIlroy, or a Keegan Bradley, or a young man named Schwartzel or Oosthuizen? There is so much young talent out there that, while his name is overused and he is over scrutinized, the affairs of a Tiger Woods are not critical to the success of an absolutely exciting golf season. I for one, look forward to it!
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
In The Swing
By Clive
Wrap Up
As the holiday season starts to amp up, golf in many ways wraps up for a short time, especially in my part of the world, the North Pole. Okay, Canada. This is my last column for 2011 and as I look forward to a potentially exciting golf year in 2012, I will leave you with some random thoughts, particularly as they relate to recent developments in the golf world.
Last week, I communicated a gut feeling that Tiger Woods might have turned a corner (with his golf game, not his car) based on his singles play, and win, at the Presidents Cup in Australia. Luckily, I am not the type to say I told you so. He, of course, returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday by winning the Chevron World Challenge. Granted it was his own tournament, and with a very small field, but it was a strong field and in professional sports a win, is a win. Psychologically it is a huge monkey off his back, limited 2010 to being the only year he did not register a professional win, and has to be a mental boost as he looks forward to next year, and taking on others who are what he used to be: the best in the world.
Those current “best in the world” were going about their own business while Tiger was doing his this past weekend. World number one, Luke Donald, had a top ten finish at the Nedbank Challenge, finishing seventh, and has a chance to top the order of merit of the European Tour to go with his US PGA Tour money title. A threat to that European Tour order of merit crown is Rory McIlroy, ranked second in the world. Rory confirmed the threat by winning the Hong Kong Open on Sunday. Number three in the world, Lee Westwood, was busy defending, successfully, his Nedbank Challenge title, and former number one in the world, Martin Kaymer, now sitting ranked fourth, finished just behind Donald at eighth spot at the Nedbank. So, in one weekend, the current top four in the world plus arguably the number one player to ever play the game combined for three wins, a seventh, and an eighth around the world.
All this spells plenty of excitement for an upcoming 2012 golf season, and we have not even touched on the exciting young American contingent of Messrs. Simpson, Fowler, Johnson, Kuchar, Mahan, and more. I do think Tiger winning, and returning to some kind of form, is good for golf. But there is a fantastic group of players now who will not be intimidated, and conversely, will welcome the challenge. See you in 2012.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
By Clive
Wrap Up
As the holiday season starts to amp up, golf in many ways wraps up for a short time, especially in my part of the world, the North Pole. Okay, Canada. This is my last column for 2011 and as I look forward to a potentially exciting golf year in 2012, I will leave you with some random thoughts, particularly as they relate to recent developments in the golf world.
Last week, I communicated a gut feeling that Tiger Woods might have turned a corner (with his golf game, not his car) based on his singles play, and win, at the Presidents Cup in Australia. Luckily, I am not the type to say I told you so. He, of course, returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday by winning the Chevron World Challenge. Granted it was his own tournament, and with a very small field, but it was a strong field and in professional sports a win, is a win. Psychologically it is a huge monkey off his back, limited 2010 to being the only year he did not register a professional win, and has to be a mental boost as he looks forward to next year, and taking on others who are what he used to be: the best in the world.
Those current “best in the world” were going about their own business while Tiger was doing his this past weekend. World number one, Luke Donald, had a top ten finish at the Nedbank Challenge, finishing seventh, and has a chance to top the order of merit of the European Tour to go with his US PGA Tour money title. A threat to that European Tour order of merit crown is Rory McIlroy, ranked second in the world. Rory confirmed the threat by winning the Hong Kong Open on Sunday. Number three in the world, Lee Westwood, was busy defending, successfully, his Nedbank Challenge title, and former number one in the world, Martin Kaymer, now sitting ranked fourth, finished just behind Donald at eighth spot at the Nedbank. So, in one weekend, the current top four in the world plus arguably the number one player to ever play the game combined for three wins, a seventh, and an eighth around the world.
All this spells plenty of excitement for an upcoming 2012 golf season, and we have not even touched on the exciting young American contingent of Messrs. Simpson, Fowler, Johnson, Kuchar, Mahan, and more. I do think Tiger winning, and returning to some kind of form, is good for golf. But there is a fantastic group of players now who will not be intimidated, and conversely, will welcome the challenge. See you in 2012.
About Clive: A writer on Vancouver Island who has been a golf instructor for 17 years. He has written two books - “Hit Down Dammit!” and the soon to be released “Why You Suck at Golf”. His website is hitdowndammit.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)