Tag: tour players

My Day at Augusta with Nicklaus Palmer and Masters Predictions

April 4, 2012

I’ve been attending the Masters since 1998 but until you can share it with someone who has never been, well it is just a place that every golfer needs to go. In 2001, it was my father in law Butch that went with me for the first time. He never takes this trip for granted. Butch battled Leukemia and won but in the process he missed the trip to Augusta two years ago so he has a great appreciation for Augusta. I knew it was going to be a great day when he looked at my son, Nicklaus as we approached the gate on Monday (acting like a kid himself) and said,”This will be one of the greatest days of your life!’ and that we are so blessed to be here. He was right.  I was so excited to share this special day with my 10-year-old son, Nicklaus Palmer (you have to love the name) who has become a passionate golfer in the last 2 years. Ever since he started going to the Wachovia (now the Wells Fargo Championship) he got the bug and I love it. We are entering the gate and he pulls out a plastic  baggie to put some Augusta grass into. That is what passionate golfers do and I love it. Nick couldn’t believe the condition of the golf course and he loved walking the golf course and seeing all of the holes that he had only seen on the internet and TV. After walking the course and watching Tiger and a few others play a few holes, we hit the range to watch the boys practice which I hoped would be educational and it was. He loved watching the short game area as we witnessed Hunter Mahan (one of his favorite players) take a pitching lesson. Is that what you want me to do daddy? Is all he said as he studied the technique of Hunter and Patrick Cantlay hitting wedge shots. The day would not have been complete without Nick’s favorite golfer making an appearance. Rickie Fowler. Even though it was 2:00 and we were getting tired, his step quickened as we caught up with his idol on the second hole. We followed Rickie throughout every shot on the front nine and Nick managed a couple of responses from all the “nice shot Rickie” that he kept throwing out after every shot and even got a high-five on no. 6 tee (I don’t think he has washed his hand). He even managed a few autographs such as Jack Fleck, which I thought was pretty cool. All in all it was a spectacular day spent with my boy and I think we created some memories of a lifetime. As we walked out of the gate Nick said,”Dad, can I come back next year?” You got it buddy, thanks for sharing this day with me and Papa. On the ride home, Nick told me the list of things that he learned from the day and that he couldn’t wait to get back and practice them on the golf course……..like father like son, always trying to learn and get better and I love him for that. He said that he will be playing in the Masters in 10 years (Big Dreams never hurt).

So to my Masters Picks:

1. Tiger: I know he is on everyone’s list but I don’t think I would have said this a couple of months ago. After watching him practice in person, there were no multiple rehearsal swings that I am used to seeing him make as he is working on his swing changes which means that he finally trusts his new move. As Phil Mickelson said in his press conference,”That Sucks for the Rest of Us.” He is as confident as I have seen him as his body language reflects it.

2. Rory McIlroy – redemtion time

3. Matt Kutchar- looked good Monday and I think is ready to win a major

4. Adam Scott – great showing last year and the new putter is working which has been missing in past majors

5. Padraig Harrington – was spotted working with AimPoint inventor, Mark Sweeney. Big advantage and has been hitting it better of late

Dark horses to watch out for:

Rickie Fowler – did not miss a shot the nine holes we walked with him. Puttng is the only problem. If he figures out the greens he could be dangerous

Bo Van Pelt – Aimpointer that has played well in the past. I like him to get another top 10

Bill Haas – Has the game to compete in the majors and has the length

I am not sure there has been a more anticipated Masters as this one and it should not disappoint. It looks like the course will play soft and long so you have to carry the ball far and hit the long irons well so we will see. Who is your top five picks? Thanks for reading and enjoy the Masters.

Guru

 

Europe gets it’s first U.S. Open Champion in 40 years as top American players crumble

June 22, 2010

Wow! Was this the most frustrating U.S. Open Championship to watch (unless you were from Northern Ireland). Poor Dustin Johnson succumbing to the Open pressure, let the entire field back into the tournament with his horrific start. I saw the funniest tweet from one of my golf pro friends (as he was hitting the ball left-handed and shanking another pitch shot in the matter of 30 seconds that read): Somebody tackle that guy! That is when the caddie has to step in and get him to regroup and take some time in between shots that was spiralling out of control. If ever Tiger was going to get a lay up to win his 15th major or Ernie his 3rd Open, this was the time. Continuous mental errors, missed putts and just plain sloppy play allowed Graham McDowell to gut it out and hang in there for his 1st major championship. What a blood bath! If Tiger shoots 72 he is in a playoff. The 3 self-proclaimed mental errors on (#6: wrong club off the tee and a hole that most players were making birdies on with McKeel making an albatross, Tiger makes bogey) and missing the green from 120 yards on #10 on the short side). These are things that the old Tiger never did. So Irishman Graham McDowell plays solid in the early going, as he has to witness the demise of Johnson and holes some key putts to hang on for the one shot lead. As always, I like to see what we can learn from the winners golf swing. This time we have a swing that is not what many call ideal and includes some unusual moves that we can take a look at. As you know I enjoy these types of swings because it shows us golfers that there are many different ways to play great golf. Here is my analysis of our U.S. Open winners, major championship swing

1. His setup is solid

2. As he takes the club away, he doesn’t let the shaft get below his right forearm and sets the club on a little steeper angle which is common for good players

3. Unusual Move: at the top of the backswing, his left wrist bows and he lays the club off (points the shaft to the left of he target). This allows him to get a head start into a solid impact position. As long as he doesn’t let the right hand take over, he can rotate his body as fast as he wants to square up the face.

4 Notice his great lower body movement in the downswing that allows him to keep the face square through impact. This move coupled with the bowed left wrist reminds me of a young Lee Trevino (maybe the best ball striker ever).

Graham mentioned that he worked hard on his short game and it paid off with a win for the ages. Tony Jacklin was very proud as he sent McDowell a text message in congratulations. What a class act to follow

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

GURU TV – Federico Celano: The Tour Player Chronicles

May 31, 2010

Welcome to another addition of “So you want to be a tour player” This week I am highlighting one of my new students that is playing the “e-golf tour“. Federico Celano is a very talented young player from Italy that is destined to be a great player. As we started working together and evaluating his stats, it was apparent that his putting was his weakness. He was averaging around 13 to 14 greens in regulation and about 33 putts per/round. In order to compete at the highest level we must get his putting average to about 28 to 29 with the occasional 24–25 putt round if he is going to contend. I won’t go into what we are working on is the putting as I will hook up some video of his stroke at a later date. Today, I want you to enjoy a very sound golf swing and pay attention to some of the things that we are working on together as they may be similar to what you are working on in your game. You can follow Federico’s progress on the e-golf tour by clicking on the link provided above. Enjoy the show and any comments would be appreciated.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

www.danarader.com

704-542-7635 To work with the Guru