The Masters is professional golf’s most prestigious major tournament and this year the attention will be on Tiger Woods. Since last November when the incident occurred involving the his alleged fight with Elin and the car crash outside his Orlando home, Tiger Woods has become the main focus of the media and justifiably so.

The Masters Tournament will be the first time Tiger will be interviewed by the media since his hiatus from golf last year. His many fans are curious as to how he will perform after his exposure as a sex addict and his subsequent enrollment in a sex addiction treatment clinic to overcome this complusion. He has his golf clubs in hand and is prepared to show the world that he will  overcome this setback and return to the game he loves. In a few days we will learn if Tiger’s layoff has affected his game or if it is business as usual. Tune in and Happy Golfing to All!

I am looking forward to getting away for a few days as this winter has been tough on the golfers this off season with all the torrential rain, heavy snow and consistently inclement weather in general for the past three or four months. If you have not yet visited Myrtle Beach it is a golfers paradise and I would highly recommend a vacation there. It is not known as “The Golf Capital of the World” for nothing. I have been visiting the Grand Strand for the pasty twenty years or so and I hope to retire in this area one day. There are so many excellent golf courses, all located  in a radius of about 30 miles and one better than the other. I will fill you in on the trip upon my return. Happy Golfing to All!

Direction and speed are the two key components to the putt. It may take some time to be able to read the slope of the green to determine direction. This ability will come from practice and experience as you play. Some techniques I now utilize to aid with consistency in putting are the following:

1) Line up the writing on the golf balls and place your ball on using this line in conjunction with the read you determined after viewing the slope of the green.

2) Check the slope of the green from at least two or three directions.

3) Keep your head down until your hear the golf balls drop into the cup or until well after the ball is struck with the putter. {Fore: If you pick your head up too quickly it can pull your putt off line.}

4) Follow thru with the Putt - Do not stop acceleration of the putter once you hit the golf ball.

5) Wedge your left elbow into your left side to hold your putter steady and make sure your shoulders and arms move in a pendulum motion as you start and hold this position until you finish the stroke. 

Try these tips and see if they help your game on the green. Happy Golfing to All!

This breach of golf etiquette became more blatantly apparent this past weekend when I was the single and two groups in front of me were ingnoring the common courtesies associated with the game. I played the first six holes alone and finally caught up to a twosome and played behind them for a number of holes. I approached the tee and even thought they were still on the teebox they never asked if I would like to join them or play through until about four holes later. I finally played through and was behind a foursome who was more discourteous than the twosome as they never even acknowledged that I was waiting indefinitely on each hole as they proceeded to hit golf balls, one shot worse than the other. I finally left the course around the 17th hole because I was waiting at least 20 minutes on each hole for them to clear the hitting area. This amount of time was well above the average total of  about 15 minutes normally allotted to play an entire golf hole. If it were a beautiful sunny day like the previous weekend I may have hung in there but the cold blustery conditions made it tough to wait so long for each shot.

Golf Tip for the day {Fore: Observe Golf Etiquette and allow a single to join you if you have three or less golfers in your group. Also let a single player or  twosome play through if you notice them behind your group and waiting on every shot.}

Less than two weeks ago it looked like Tiger Woods and Elin were trying to work out their problems and hopefully salvage their marriage. He had completed the first part of his sex addiction treatment and seemed to be making a concerted effort to get back together with Elin. It is now rumored that Elin will be returning home to her parents in Europe with their children and Tiger Woods will be competing in The Masters without his wife and family by his side cheering him on. This is a good indication that the reconcilliation is not going well and the relationship may be beyond repair.  

The big question on the minds of his peers, his golf fans and the media is will his personal problems and the lay off from golf competition affect his performance in The Masters? This is a very tough venue for Tiger to make a first appearance after such a layoff and it will be a true test of how his leave of absence from the PGA Tour and personal problems have affected his golf game. It should be quite apparent by how he is hitting golf balls in the first two rounds if he will be around on Sunday to make a run at a fifth Green Jacket. What are your thoughts? Fell free to send in your opinion and comments. Happy Golfing to All!

Many of the tee boxes are elevated and afford spectacular panaromic views of Easton, the Delaware River and the other areas of the golf course. It felt good to hit golf balls again and shake some of the winter rust off. After golf we enjoyed lunch at the 19th hole in the clubhouse which offers excellent dining and ambiance. We sat outside at a table overlooking the 18th hole and watched the other golfers finish their golf round as we dined and enjoyed some refreshing libations. We are looking forward to playing golf again very soon especially since I need to prepare for my Myrtle Beach trip at the beginning of April during Masters week. I played well this past weekend but I still need to fine tune my game and get the rust off before the trip. My comrades are as competitive as I am so I need to bring my A- Game or I will be paying the tab at the 19th hole which I certainly do not enjoy. Happy Golfing to All!

This is the first weekend in months where the weather will be most enjoyable for golfing. Hitting golf balls is one of my favorite pastimes and having seventy degree temperatures to actually play on a golf course in March is just the icing on the cake. I look forward to the weekend and golf on Saturday and maybe even Sunday? Happy Golfing to All!

This goal has been in the forefront of Tiger’s mind since he first held a golf club in his hand as a youngster. In a few short weeks, beginning on April 8th we will see how the layoff and his personal dilemma has affected Tiger and his golfing skills. Will he return in true Tiger form or will he miss the cut at Augusta, one of the toughest major venues on the PGA roster? Either outcome is possible but I’m looking forward to his return to golf and to watch him hitting golf balls again as he does like no other since Jack. Happy Golfing to All!

Tiger Woods

I’m sure it will be difficult for him at first to face his golf fans, his peers and the press if he appears for the first time in public at The Masters which commences play April 8th but warm up rounds will most likely begin Monday the 5th, which is a few short weeks away. If we know anything about Tiger Woods he will be looking to make a statement by staying in contention from the start to finish of The Masters. We will soon see if the lay off has hurt his chances for victory or if he will be back in Tiger form hitting golf balls and competing again in the game he loves. At this stage of his career I can’t see him foregoing such an important opportunity to edge closer to golf history and Jack Nicklaus’s remarkable 18 major record. Happy Golfing to All!

Some tips to shake the winter rust off are as follows: 1) Take about ten to fifteen minutes each day and stretch. This will loosen your golf muscles and allow for a better fluidity in the swing and help avoid injury once the golf season arrives. 2) If weather permits grab a few clubs or a weighted club and swing in the backyard or in your home, if space permitswhich will also promote a more consistent golf swing. 3) Get out the putting cup and practice rolling those putts whether in your living room, bedroom, den or any other available space in your home. Though not the same as putting on the golf green, you can still practice your set up, lining up your putt,  your grip on the putter, making sure your head stays down, and your putting stroke, etc. 4)If you have an area in your backyard to actually hit golf balls or a golf net then take advantage of this opportunity. If the golf range is open in your area this is another opportunity to check out your full swing and get the kinks out prior to the season arriving.  Happy Golfing to all!