IT’S THE MEMORIAL


This week the pga tours pit-stop is at the memorial tournament which is being hosted by non other that the great Jack nikalaus at the murifield village.This week there will no tigerwoods who has not sufficiently recovered from artroscopic surgery on his left knee .Phil& Sergio are the two hot players to look for this week.last years champion k.j. choi is also quietly confident of defending his title.

The golf course was designed by jack himself making a masterpiece. The golf course is in good shape and all the players are eager too play good solid golf before the US open.
So every one enjoy the memorial tournament and happy golfing.

Don't hang back



Transfer your weight on uphill par 3s

Even good players have trouble on uphill par 3s. I remember a great comment JohnnyMiller made about the 11th hole at Shinnecock Hills during a U.S. Open. He said on an uphill par 3 like the 11th, people tend to miss to the right because they hang back on their right sides in an effort to hit the ball higher. I'll never forget what he said.
By hanging back on the right foot in an attempt to add loft to the shot, you swing up on the ball too much. The left shoulder thrusts too high in the hitting area, and the clubface stays open. The result is a miss to the right.
The solution is to keep the shoulders more level at impact by making sure you transfer your weight to your left side on the downswing the same way you would on a normal shot. The clubface will square up for better contact and accuracy. Your weight should go mainly to your right heel at the top of the swing and to your left heel at impact.
THOUGHTS FROM TOM WATSON
Nutrition plays an important part in performing your best. You want to have enough energy to get through a round without fatigue or dehydration. My snacks of choice on the course are trail mix and an orange. I also like to keep hydrated in warm weather with a sports drink, diluted with water so it sustains my energy without giving me highs and lows.

<Annika To Retire:


Do you believe it? , Yes you should. After her victory at Michelob Ultra Open at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA, the Swede who transformed herself into the one-word superstar "Annika" told Golf World she was retiring from competitive golf at the end of this year. This was her72nd win on lpga tour-mind boggling isnt’it.

The news was not completely surprising. There always had been an unspoken understanding implied in Sorenstam's commitment to perfection that she would walk away from the game on top. In that way, she is more like Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at 28 in 1930 after winning the Grand Slam, then co-founded Augusta National GC and started the Masters. Sorenstam finished off a seven-stroke victory on the River Course at Kingsmill and broke the tournament record by five strokes with a final-round 66 in which she hit every fairway and putted or chipped for birdie on every hole. It was, as she said, like "old times" -- relentlessly methodical golf that wore down and ultimately overwhelmed her opponents. "The time is right," Sorenstam said about leaving the competitive stage. "I have seven more months and there is a lot of golf left to play, and I look forward to that. But it takes a lot of effort to be at the top, and there is a part of me that doesn't have that desire anymore. It is just the daily grind. I'm not a person who can be out here just to be out here. Today almost makes it even better. I proved today I am back, and I am leaving on my terms."
A year ago Sorenstam had to skip the Michelob because of a ruptured disk in her neck. While she was injured, Lorena Ochoa passed her to become the No. 1 player in the Rolex Rankings. And while Ochoa, with 19 wins since 2006, is the best in the world right now. Paired with Ochoa for the first three days, Sorenstam gave a lesson of her legendary consistency. She went 53 holes before making a bogey, and while Ochoa hung with her for two days -- the duo combined to make 23 birdies and an eagle over the opening 36 holes -- she cracked 44 holes into the Swede's demoralizing run of consistency, missing a five-foot par putt on No. 8 in the third round that triggered a tumble of four bogeys in five holes. " Sorenstam birdied five of the first eight holes on the back nine, all after approach shots inside 10 feet. Her 19-under 265 was seven strokes clear of Jang, Kim, Karen Stupples and Allison Fouch. Ochoa finished T-12 at 277 after a closing 70.

If one word can describe Sorenstam it is balance. Both physically and emotionally she is always in control on the golf course. Her swing has the rhythmic repetition of a metronome, classified by Hall of Fame player and TV analyst Judy Rankin as one of the three most reliable in the history, along with Ben Hogan and Wright. At her best, in an astonishing display from 2001 through 2005 when she won 43 of 104 LPGA events and finished in the top three 67 times, Sorenstam's most memorable shots were her poor ones because there were so few.
Dan Jenkins, the Golf Digest writer who has witnessed virtually every significant event in golf for nearly 60 years, has said Annika's opening tee shot at Colonial -- a 257-yard 4-wood off the 10th tee -- might have had more pressure on it than any single shot in the game's history. It was perhaps the most important shot in the history of women's golf and her superb execution in an opening-round 71, combined with the classy way she handled the attention, earned women's golf new fans and enhanced respect. "Colonial was my mission," Sorenstam said Sunday as she looked back over her career. "It was my path, my journey and I felt like people accepted that, 'Hey she's an athleteand she wants to get better' I've always let my clubs do the talking. And I felt like people accepted me for that."

'The drive' at Colonial in 03'

"Golf has taught me a lot about life, about making decisions," Sorenstam said. "I want to help the game, use the game and be part of the game. I'm going to be very active but not competing. My sponsors are sticking by me and are very supportive. There are a lot of things I can do with my knowledge and my excitement and energy -- [for example] golf in the Olympics, who knows what I can do there?"
Sorenstam rose to leave, moving toward the waiting Mike McGee, whom she will marry in January, then paused. "It's been worth every second," she said.
"From the outside you see the glamorous part, but you beat your body up week after week and I just think I am at a good part in my life, and I'm stepping away from competition on my terms. This is exactly what I want.

Tiger hopes to play at Memorial and US Open



ST LOUIS: World number one Tiger Woods said on Monday that his recovery from left knee surgery is going well and that he hopes to play in the Memorial tournament in two weeks as well as the US Open.

Speaking from his Florida home to reporters gathered here at the site of a US PGA Tour playoff event in September, Woods said he has not progressed beyond chipping and putting but plans to do so soon. “The rehab is going well. I’ve been training hard,” Woods said. “I’m getting sick and tired of riding the bike, though. That gets old fast. “I’m chipping and putting. I’m not doing anything beyond that. Hopefully I’ll start hitting balls, start progressing soon and work my way up the bag.” Woods’ target is due to return to the tour by May 29, the opening round of the Memorial event hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Dublin, Ohio, and be ready for the second major tournament of the year, the US Open on June 12-15 at Torrey Pines. “Everything in my life is doing great,” Woods said. “I’m just trying to get the leg organised enough to where I can play and hopefully I can play before. If not, if I can’t play before, then hopefully at the Open.” Woods has won 13 major titles, five shy of matching boyhood idol Nicklaus for the all-time career record. He has won six times as a pro at Torrey Pines, including an eight-stroke triumph in his 2008 debut this campaign to start a run of four victories in a row to begin the season. Woods, who has undergone three operations on the knee, has made swing shifts over the years to try and ease stress upon his legs. “That’s one of the reasons why I’ve made changes in my swing over the years, to alleviate the stress I put on my legs,” Woods said. “It has gotten better and hopefully it will continue to get better.” After Spain’s Sergio Garcia won the Players Championship on Sunday, he joked that he was glad Woods did not play. “I think he was just poking fun,” Woods said. Woods expects a more difficult layout than PGA events at Torrey Pines when he sees the San Diego course next month. “I’m sure (the fairways) are probably narrower. The rough will certainly be deeper and the greens will be dried out and baked out that time of year,” Woods said.

“I’m really looking forward to it, looking forward to getting back there and playing. I haven’t played in those conditions, dry and fast, since probably the Junior World days. “But it was nowhere near as difficult as it will be during the US Open.”

Activate Your Legs
Make two adjustments at address, and you'll hit it flush
In the setup: kick in your right knee to create torque, and flare your left foot for a quick turn through.

Amateurs make two mistakes at address that keep them from hitting the ball solidly. They set their left foot straight, or perpendicular to the target line, and they stand with straight knees.
You should kee the left foot toed out about 30 degrees so that you can turn your hips through the ball quickly. The right knee should be flexed and kicked in slightly toward the ball -- this helps to keep your posture during the swing. Some top players push the right knee a bit toward the target as a forward press, which is another way to do it. Gary Player has been a notable example for years.
If the left foot is turned out, and the right knee stays kicked in and flexed, you'll be able to create torque with your shoulder turn going back. Then you can shift your weight to your left foot coming down. The club will accelerate freely through impact.

THOUGHTS FROM TOM WATSON
Putting feel can be learned. Hit uphill putts on the practice green, then try the same length putts coming back downhill, making the same stroke and seeing how far past the hole the balls go. Do it from different distances, then reverse the sequence, putting downhill first. Focus on making solid strokes and repeating them from each position. See if you dont improve at judging speed and distance.

BOMB AND GOUGE:(PART ii)

How Power took over:


Bomb and gouge- the term popularized by instructor Chuck Cook-starts with monster drives, which in large part can be tracked to new technology. Average driver size on the tour is approaching the maximum 460 cubic centimeter head, and most players use a modern lightweight shaft. Pure hits rocket of the face, but off-center strikes lose only a fraction of the distance lost with the previous generation of drivers. But that’s only part of the distance explosion. The tour’s new power players are optimizing their driver ball flight by using computer launch monitors that measure take-off factors but the entire flight as well as the bounce angle

Another major factor is modern ball. Tour players today hit multilayered, urethane-cover balls that spin less of the tee than would ball of decade ago. With the right impact conditions, players launch the ball high but with a lower spin rate, which lengthens but also straitens the flight. We have seen tiger take on the relatively short par 4’s by bombing the driver of the tee with so mach height and also being able to stop it as soon as it pitches on the green. That’s what Bomb and gouge is all about. But still bombers miss more fairways than shorter hitters, but that’s where sharp clubface grooves come in. Today’s box shaped grooves are cut so sharp they can scuff the cover of even the harder modern ball. The result is players can gouge the ball out of the thick rough lies and still spin it enough to stop it on the green.


As hot as the power game is, it’s hardly new. Top players have often had a distance advantage, but they’ve usually used it cautiously. Jack nicklaus was the bomber of his generation ,but he played a decidedly conservative game .Nicklaus was famous for plodding his way around with 3-woods and 1-iron off the tee until he needed a big drive .then he’d hammer one 50 yards by his playing partners.

Finding the feel
Control on fast greens starts with a lighter grip



Don't squeeze: If your grip tightens during the stroke, you won't release the putter.

I love fast greens. As far as I'm concerned, they can't be fast enough, even when they're extremely sloped. That's when feel and imagination come into play the most.
Light, consistent grip pressure is one of the keys to negotiating lightning-fast greens. A lot of amateurs either grip the putter too tightly from the start or increase grip pressure during the stroke. Either way, they have trouble controlling pace, which is just as important as line. Ratchet down your grip pressure depending on the speed of the greens.
Grip pressure on an average tour green might be 5 on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the lightest and 10 the tightest. Gripping it light allows you to release the putterhead, a critical factor on super-fast greens.