The key to a better golf swing - Swinkey

Everyone has a chronic problem (or two or three) in their golf game.   For some, it's the dreaded yips, while others struggle big time with slicing off the tee. For me, it's alignment. I am forever offline when I go to hit my ball.

My pre-shot routine is pretty standard. I go into my "think box" behind the ball, find a small target way out in the distance, find a natural marker (dirt mark or blade of grass) just ahead of my ball that lines up with my target, step into my "play box", making sure my feet are parallel to the line made by my ball and the marker I chose, do one practice swing, look up at my target again and then and hit the ball.

I am sure I have everything "just right", but more often than not, I'm just wrong. I can't tell you the number of times my coach, Ginny, will stop me just before I hit the ball and say, "Drop your club along your toes...Now step back behind the tee box and look where you are aiming."   Oh dear...

The other issue I have in golf is coming over the top. I don't slice the ball usually (because I overcompensate with my hands on the downswing), but it doesn't go as far as I'd like because I don't get the right to left spin on the ball.

Ginny has given me some helpful tips to solve this problem - e.g. reminding me to hit the ball at "5 o'clock" and practicing my downswing very slowly to really feel it and create that muscle memory. She's even had me pretend I'm going to send the ball to Ichiro in right field, but actually hit it towards the 2nd baseman (yes, I like baseball).

These two issues plague me more than most and I've often wondered if I should get something to help me while I was in Maui in November. Well, I found the right swing aid for me. It's called the "Swinkey".

The Swinkey an 'all in one' toolbox of training aids that you can carry in your golf bag.  It includes:

• A weighted fitness pole
• Alignment aids
• A putting stroke trainer 
• A club protector

It even has a camera monopod on the top so you can set up your video camera on top of your golf bag. No more lugging around my tripod.

The Swinkey fits in your bag like a club, sitting a bit higher than your driver so you don't have to worry about your clubs being broken by over-zealous baggage handlers.  Given the shape of my new travel bag when I got to Maui, I am happy I had the Swinkey in there. What is it with luggage handlers?!  Sometimes I think they fancy themselves as training Olympians, using our bags to practice javelin or hammer throws. 

Anyway, during my 3 weeks golfing in Maui, I used my Swinkey to warm up every day.  I started by swinging the weighted pole.

It made a cool swishing sound and felt great - much better than just swinging my driver or a couple of irons around.  I also used it to balance myself as I stretched out my back and legs.

Once I was warmed up, I set up the alignment poles and practiced with my 7 or 8 iron - making easy shots that got me swinging easy.

When it came time to work on my "draw", I stuck one of the alignment rods into the ground on an angle so that when I swung down on the ball, I was forced to keep my club inside the rod.

The first few times I tried it, I whacked that rod right out into the range.

Haha...I knew then, that I had the perfect tool - instant feedback without even looking at my ball.

The Swinkey also offers some useful putting tools as well.  I didn't really practice putting while in Hawaii, but I definitely plan on using these tools now that I am back at home.

Now... I have made some pretty stupid impulse buys off the Golf Channel over the past few years, looking for the perfect training aid.  So before trying the Swinkey, I was pretty skeptical.

But I have to say, the Swinkey surprised me. It really is a great "all in one" tool for any golfer of any caliber.


Prices for different models range from $69-$119.  Swinkey is a great Xmas gift for your golfguy or golfgal.  It even comes in lots of different colors, including one with the Canadian flag on it (a friend of mine has that one).

And if you want one for yourself, just leave the Swinkey website open on your partner's computer.  I find that works every time! ;)

Golfgal

For the golfer who has everything - give them a laugh this Xmas

A while ago I received a couple of books from a publisher asking if I'd like to review them.  Never one to turn down the opportunity to read about more golf tips, I said, "Sure, I'd love to read them." 

Well, to say they were a bit of a surprise is an understatement, but they couldn't have come at better time.  During a very hectic fall, I had little time for any heavy reading and these two books were perfect.  Not only did they make me laugh out loud, they slapped me upside the head as well.  When you read them, you'll understand what I mean.

How to Line Up your Fourth Putt, by Bobby Rusher is a delightfully funny look at the oddities of this infuriating game.

Broken down into bite sized chapters, it's the perfect "library book" ;), but I read it, and Bobby's second book (below), back to back in front of the fire in my living room, with a glass of red wine close by.

Within minutes I was chuckling; and by the time I got to chapter 14, "What to do if you Lose Your Mind Before You Lose Your Ball", I was laughing out loud, calling over my golfguy to say, "Hey, check this one out!" That went on until the end of the book.

Another glass of wine and I was ready for Bobby's second book, When to Regrip Your Ball Retreiver.  Now, I assumed that he'd have a hard time finding more ridiculous and yet 'oh so familiar' antics to write about.  Boy, was I wrong!

I'm lucky I didn't choke on my wine when I got to Chapter 2: "What it Means When the Only Way for You to Hit a Good 'Ball' is to Step on a Rake" OUCH!  The cartoon that accompanies this chapter tells the whole story.

I won't ruin the books for you by telling you too much more, but I can say that inside those 41 + 47 chapters, I found more than a few situations that made me squirm - they hit just a little too close to home.

You can't read these books without remembering an embarrassing situation in your own game.  And after reading these books, there is no way you can ever step on tee box, enter a bunker or line up a putt without thinking about something Bobby said.

These are great gifts for the golfer who has everything - especially bad habits you want to see them break.  Hopefully they will help enlighten them, but even if they don't, I am sure your golfing buddy will thank you for the smile they brought to his/her face.


I hope Rusher does a third book. I have a glass of wine waiting for it!

Golfgal

Birdies and Bogeys on my way to 17.5

On January 5th, 2010, I started my 10 step journey towards “better golf”. I wanted to prove to myself that at “my age” I could put together a program that would help me reduce my handicap by 3 points in 12 months.

I learned a lot of lessons along the way and thought I’d share some of them with you. As in all things golf, there were good things that happened, bad things that happened, and darn right ugly things that occurred in my journey. Here are a few you might recognize in your game…

The Good

1. My golf coach – Ginny Golding

Ginny was a game/life saver for me. She has an effective teaching style for players of any level and never uses all the jargon we normally hear from pros.

She has not only improved the fundamentals of my swing, she makes lessons fun and has taught me some “tricks” to improve on the most important part of my game – my confidence.

A big fan of Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson, co-founders of VISION54, Ginny has shared some wonderful tips on how to stay focused, remain positive and have fun, even when things aren’t going my way.

Here are a few "mental" tips she’s given me:


Keep a filing cabinet in your brain of good golf thoughts. 

Pull out one of those memories when you need a boost of confidence over a tough shot or are feeling down about that last 3-putt.

When you hit a good shot, file it for future reference. I have a terrible memory, so I also started writing down all the good shots I hit during a round. I then add them up at the end and walk away saying, “Hey, I hit 10 good shots today!” Meanwhile my partners are still grumbling about that one slice or duck hook off the 7th tee.

Sing or hum a tune when you swing (in your head or out loud if you’re with playing partners who don’t mind).

It blocks out all those swing thoughts and helps improve your tempo at the same time. One of my favorite tunes is “Time after Time” by Cyndi Lauper. And my "limitless vision", friend Donovan Tildesley likes, Pat Benetar's "Hit me with your best shot!"  You should find yours.

Smile when you hit a good shot and smile even more after a bad one. 

I’ve seen Anthony Kim doing this and it impresses me that he’s turned his anger upside down. Laughter is the best medicine, so chuckle your way around the course. Oh, BTW...gritting your teeth doesn’t count. ;)

besides this tips, Ginny has also improved my swing this year - incredibly actually.  I'll share more of that in a future post.  But if you start with these, I bet you'll see a difference in your game without even touching your golf swing.

I am heading to Arizona in March 2011 with Ginny, Canadian legend, Sandra Post and a bunch of other women from Vancouver to attend a golf school.  It includes a lesson from Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott of Vision 54.  I can't wait!

2. My fitness program

All my girl friends are skinny; I really hate them deep inside. But my co-working buddies at the gym are like me – love a good meal, good wine and good times. So when I see them at 7 AM every morning and watch the sweat run off their faces as they push their bodies to the limit, I’m encouraged. If they can do it, I can do it.

Of course, they are 20 years younger than I am, but they think of me as their peer, not their mother. THAT makes me feel good too.

If I can’t make it one morning due to another commitment, one of them always makes a point of coming into my office, looks down his nose at me saying, “Hmmm…And where were you this AM, Ms. Moss?” Only real friends would raze you like that. My workout buddies are a great incentive to drag my butt out of bed every morning.

Jonathan, my personal trainer, who takes great joy in “shocking” my body into fitness once a week is always there smiling and “gently” encouraging me to keep pushing harder. Every time he makes me do something I hate (like running), I think he’s a masochist.  Funny...he thinks he’s my best friend. I guess it's true what they say, ”No pain; No gain!”

3. Skinny jeans

Although I didn’t start this program with a weight goal in mind, and I never stepped on the scales until 9 months after I started, I did buy a pair of skinny jeans about a months into the program that were intentionally too small. Two months later, I put them on and was delighted that they fit.

I couldn’t really see any change in the mirror, but skinny jeans don’t lie! When I told Jonathan, I got a hi-5 from him. I actually think he felt proud – he beamed like a new papa! Today, those jeans are too big on me. Woohoo!

The Bad

Boy is this a tough nut to crack! I had to deal with this problem the whole year and I'm still working on this one.

Here's just one example...

I spent a week playing golf in Palm Desert in April – my first real golf of the season because Vancouver was so cold. I had been practicing on the covered range quite a bit during the winter and was feeling pretty good.  So when I had sunshine, heat and no work pressures in CA, I could just see the birdies filling up my score card.

Unfortunately, my expectations got way ahead of my talent and my first hole of the week, I triple-bogied! I was devastated. But my loving golfguy reminded me of that old cliché, “There is lots of golf to be played.” 
Ya Ya!

But you know he was right.  And so after that 7 on the first par 4, I knew I had to let go of my unrealistic expectations.  And guess what...I parred the next hole. The “I told you so” grin was all over his face, making me laugh my way around the next 16 holes. I did break 100 that day, but not by a lot. But it felt good to know that 1 bad hole did not a bad round make.

The Ugly 


1. My Rollercoaster Handicap

Went UP a full point in one week! Yikes! It is supposed to go down, not up!!!! Sigh...

Repeat after me:
There’s more golf to be played…
There’s more golf to be played…
There’s...
Haha...

Frankly, I wasn’t too worried. Golf in Palm Desert wasn’t easy that week. We played some wonderful courses, and I really think I was hitting the ball better. I just wasn’t scoring. Where have you heard that before? ;)

Of course, not knowing the courses, I played stupid shots I would not have tried had I known what lay beyond that hill or dogleg.

And 50 mph winds didn’t help either. I was actually blown off the green on one hole by a gust of wind – seriously knocked me right back. Not trying to make any excuses, but you know it’s windy when the club manager comes over to you at the turn and gives you a coupon for a free round of golf, saying, “I would hate to think you’d leave here remembering this course this way; it’s usually not this bad. Please come back another time and it’s on the house.” Free golf – now THAT’s not ugly at all!


Next week, I’ll share with you more of the “good” things I experienced this year on my journey -- some were books, some training aids, some swing tips and some life experiences. Hope you’ll come back for those and let me know if you have any thing to share that has helped you in your game.  I'm always looking for a good tip. ;)

Golfgal

Guest blogger BlueFalcon wraps up Big Break Dominican Republic

Hey everyone!

I received a detailed comment from one of my readers, BlueFalcon on my last Big Break DR post. It was too big to fit into the little comment box, so I am happy BlueFalcon agreed to be a guest blogger on golfgal.ca once again.

BlueFalcon always provides terrific commentary, as you may remember from his post in Sept when we kicked off the series.   And even if you don't agree with everything he says (just like you may not always agree with me ;)), you have to admit...he's passionate about golf and the Big Break!

Frankly, I think he nailed it!

Thanks BlueFalcon!

From BlueFalcon:

Another "Big Break" season is in the books and it was definitely exciting, coming down to the last match and the last hole, but in the end, the ladies-as I predicted earlier, I have to brag a little bit-emerged victorious. The men fought valiantly, but in the end, came up just a little bit short. Here now are my thumbnail thoughts on each of the players and their performances this season, starting with the men:

Andrew Giuliani: Mea Culpa # 1. I admit that when I saw his name on the show, I was definitely biased against him. Andrew is the son of former NYC Mayor and National Senate candidiate Rudy Giuliani, and it would be fair to say that the elder Giuliani's and my politics aren't always on the same page. Fair or unfair, I held that against Andrew at the start of this season.

However, Andrew really impressed me this season. Even though he didn't win MVP for the men-Anthony Rodriguez did, Andrew impressed me the most among the men with both his game and his demeanor. He was very supportive of his teammates and was a huge surprise to me. Good job, Andrew.

David Mobley, aka "Captain Bench": Mea Culpa #2. I ripped on David in my preview, and now I am not ashamed to admit that I was wrong about him. I compared him to Fred Flinstone in my preview but now I'm going to compare him to another 60's TV character, Bret Maverick. He is, to borrow a title of a country song by Tracy Lawrence, from the the movie version of "Maverick", a Renegade, Rebel and Rogue, but a good one. David was a jerk at times-as was everyone on the show this season-but I understand now that a lot of what he does is for entertainment value and not out of malice. So I apologize, David.

Blake Moore: Blake really didn't do anything to stand out to me. He was just kind of there. Not that that's a bad thing, but I didn't see anything really standout from him.

Anthony Rodriguez: A-Rod was the men's MVP. He was also the second biggest jerk among the guys, coming across to me as an insecure, needy child at times. However, to his credit, he did win a match against Christina when he was seriously ill and went on to win the Men's MVP, and the exemption into the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. While the announcement that A-Rod got the exemption was a little contrived-I get the feeling that the MVP of the losing team would have gotten their gender's respective tournament exemption anyway-the genuine emotion Anthony showed upon learning that he would get to play in his first PGA Tour event in 14 years moved even someone as jaded and unmovable as I am. I did choke up along with A-Rod, and that doesn't happen very often.

Brian Arnold Jack Tiger Skatell-I'm being sarcastic of course about the middle names. This segment can only be described as Total BS. No one-maybe ever in "Big Break" history-has talked bigger and produced smaller than Brian. I still don't know if he truly believes that he's God's gift to golf, which is the way he talks about himself. The only positive was his "romance" with Elena, which was not suprising-she's hot!-but the two most insecure, needy, attention-seeking people on the show finding love? Not sure how long that will last.

William "Football" Thompson-My favorite among the guys. Football reminds me a lot of former Big Breaker Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey. William just comes across as such a good guy, the kind of person you want to have a beer with-in my case it would be orange juice as I haven't had a drink in over 30 years-and he's definitely got game. I really hope he makes his golf dreams come true.

And now, on to the victors, the Ladies!

Lori Atsedes-Mea Culpa #3. I ripped Lori up one side and down the other after her actions on Big Break Ka'annapali, but I saw a completely different Lori in the Dominican. Whether it was her looking at herself and deciding to not act that way again or some other reason, Lori was impressive from start to finish this season, both on and off the course. "Grandma"-her expression not mine-stood out in particular for two shots. During the increasing length challenge, when players had to hit shots further than the preceding shot, when Lori's turn in the rotation came up, she had to hit her shot farther than 104 yards. She did. Lori hit her shot 104 yards...and three inches, which helped propel the ladies to a win in that challenge. And then, in episode 9, Lori hit the Shot of the Series, which, had she not, the ladies might not have gone on to win it all.

In episode 2, co-host Stephanie Sparks made the announcement which got everyone excited. The goal this season was to put two strikes on players on the opposing team, thereby permanently benching them for the series; although they would remain on the show, they would not hit any more shots if they accumulated two strikes-a gimmick taken from "Highway 13". If a player holed out from off the green, they would earn a Strike Eraser, allowing them to take a strike away from a player of their choosing, even themselves. In episode 9, Lori had a 104 yard shot-If I were Lori, I'd be playing the numbers 104 every day in the lottery for the rest of my life-and lo and behold, she dropped a dime. The only Strike Eraser in the show changed the complexion of the game, although the decision on who to bring back wasn't without controversy-more on that later. Without Lori's Strike Eraser, I don't think the ladies would have won this season. So, kudos to you, Lori, and I apologize for what I said about you earlier.

Sara Brown-One of my all time favorite Big Breakers, she is so freaking adorable-I don't know many 20 something year old women that want to be called adorable-but she is in addtion to being hot-yes, that matters to me a great deal. Sara's definitely got game in many ways, and now that her love of golf is coming back to her, it's starting to pay off. I believe I read on a blog that she has made it through preliminary qualifying school on the LET, and she's got a big week coming up on this side of the Atlantic-more on that later.

Christina "The Human Rain Delay" Lecuyer-She may be the slowest golfer I've seen in quite a while, but give her credit for the shot which clinched the victory for the ladies this season; quite an accomplishment considering that Christina isn't playing competitive golf right now. Whether she plays competivively again or not, Christina will always have her match win over Blake as a high point of her golf career. Way to go, Christina!

Brenda McLarnon-Mea Culpa #4. I ripped on Brenda earlier too. Now, I owe our Wild Irish Rose an apology. Brenda didn't play particularly well while she was in the series-she isn't playing competitive golf anymore-but she was more impressive without a club in her hand for the class, grace and selflessness she displayed in supporting her teammates to victory. Sadly, not everyone displayed those same traits.

Blair O'Neal-Overall winner, Big Break Dominican Republic. Memo to Golf Channel, SIGN THIS WOMAN!!!!!!!!! And Sara and Carling Coffing as well. I don't care what it's for, whether it's kissing Tiger's butt like everyone else there does or reading a laundry list. There's plenty of dead wood at GC that can be jettisoned to make room for this Diamond.

Blair is the total package. She's hot! She can play, she's well spoken, in short, she is an asset that GC needs to get and keep. Although depending on what happens this week, she may have bigger fish to fry and may not need her exemption into the 2011 Kia Classic - more on that later.

Elena Robles-Elena is an enigma to me. On the positive side, she's hot! And from tee to green, she's decent at golf. However, once again, her putter let her down in a head to head matchup-with Kelly Sheehan on BBSR and in the Dominican against Andrew and later against A-Rod and Football. That, however, is the least of Elena's issues.

The bigger issue, to me, with Elena, is her occasionally petulant attitude. She pouted earlier when she wasn't selected to be in a challenge, then became Insane Drama Queen when Sara was selected to be brought back into the game as opposed to herself. While I do appreciate her competitive nature and her desire to play, the fact is that if I were in Lori's position, I would have made the exact same decision. Even more damning to Elena's position is the fact that Brenda was benched before and was on the bench longer, yet she didn't clamor to be reinstated. Brenda was thinking about what was best for the team; Elena was thinking about what was best for her. I do give Elena credit for working out the differences with her team later, but the fact that the incidents took place at all is cause for concern to me.

And now to what I've been hinting at. This week, 147 ladies are desending on Daytona Beach, Florida to play in the LPGA's Final Qualifying Tournament, aka Q-School. Six have ties to Big Break-Sara Brown, Blair O'Neal, Seema Sadekar (Big Break Sandals Resorts), Briana Vega (Big Break Trump National and Big Break Reunion), and Kim Welch (Big Break Ka'annapali) are trying to gain LPGA status next season. A sixth, Ryann O' Toole (Big Break Sandals Resorts), has partial status for 2011 via finishing inside the top 10 on the LPGA Futures Tour money list and is trying to improve her standing in Daytona.

(An aside: Gerina Mendoza from BBPEI will become the second female Big Breaker to play full time next year on the LPGA as she finished inside the top 5 on the LFT this past season (the 1st was Kristy McPherson from Big Break Trump National)).

Overall, it was a fun season, and of course I'm happy for the ladies winning. The only drawback to me was the large amount of trash-talking and poor sportsmanship which took place on both the men's and women's teams. It's a sad sign of the times and unfortunately one which I don't see changing anytime soon. It's sad to me that the genteel game of golf is being affected by that disease.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Since the next Big Break is all male, I won't be watching-I never watch men's golf at any level-but the next all female or unisex Big Break, you'll definitely hear from me. Thank you, Gayle, for providing a forum for me to express my small thoughts at large. Please add your comments or suggestions. Until next time, I am in the wind.

Thank You.

Sincerely,

Bluefalcon

Big Break Dominican Republic Finale: No choking by this golf gal!

I've been doing weekly interviews with Big Break contestants since 2008, when Big Break Ka'anapali aired.

My first post-episode chat was with Christina Lecuyer.  That one post set me up for many future interviews with golfers who sometimes left me speechless, sometimes angry and sometimes laughing out loud.  But they never left me bored. I loved them all!

When I saw Big Break DR was going to run throughout the fall, I was sad that my crazy schedule did not allow me to do weekly interviews.   How great it would have been to hear from those  memorable characters who were the drama kings and queens of past Big Breaks. Oh well, life sometimes gets in the way of having a good time.

But I knew this past Tuesday that I could not walk away from this series without at least one conversation.  So, I went back to where it all started, calling up the golfgal who clinched it for her team - the talented and beautiful, Christina.


Reconnecting with Christina was wonderful.  We could have talked for hours; there was so much to catch up on.  But I tried to keep it under 20 minutes (I divided the "public" interview into two parts).  Check out what Christina thought about the new format, the contestants and the drama, from day 1 until the finale...

Thanks Christina.  Sure hope you'll give golf another try.  I'd love to host you for the Canadian Women's event in Vancouver next year. 

Many congratulations also to the winning team and MVPs! 

And...If any of you other Big Breakers wants to share your thoughts on the show, you know where to find me! :)

Golfgal