|
|
|
Mental Skills-Adapt and Overcome
We have all heard the phrase “adapt and overcome” but when faced with a situation that challenges us it takes skill, practice, and discipline to implement this strategy. To adapt requires flexibility; to overcome- resolve. These skills are not...
Need Some Help With Your Golf Swing?
What should you do if you need some golf swing aids? Where do you find golf swing aids? What golf swing aids are available? There are many golf swing aids to choose from. Golf swing aids will help improve your golf game. If you are looking for...
The Best Golf Vacation You Will Ever Have
"What If You Could... Have the perfect group golf vacation, save
money and have a sensational time setting it up?" Instead of
buying "the package", design your own optimum, personalized
vacation.
Remember last year?
You waited all...
The merits of rowing machines
One of the fastest growing sports around is indoor rowing. Whether its for competitive reasons or fitness reasons or both, the advantages of indoor rowing are clear. You are indoors. You probably haven’t had to travel more than a few yards from one...
The Wheel of Golf Success
Good sports coaches work on The Wheel of Success. There are four arcs to The Wheel of Success:
1. Hard Work makes people more Confident.
2. Confidence enables them to Win.
3. Winning is Enjoyable.
4. Enjoyment makes Hard Work easier.
...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Mercedes Championships: PGA 2006 Begins
Right, Max. Hawaii, Max.
It`s not just that California`s had a run of really wet weather
lately (possibly forecasting the rain-delayed 2005 West Coast
swing that revivified the age-old debate about indoor golf),
it`s that the famous line from Annie Hall---"California, Max",
as in, "if we lived in California, we could play outdoors every
day, in the sun"---doesn`t apply this week because the PGA Tour
kicks off the 2006 season with the Mercedes Championships at the
Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii, where the usual weather
event comes in the form of trade winds, not steady drenching
rains.
Every year I talk about what a great tournament this is: TV
cutaways to and fro, commercial breaks of beautiful vistas, sun
and sea from the course`s tall hills; a solid field of last
year`s Tour winners; 400-plus yard drives on the last hole; and
the possibility of long money on quality golfers in a small
field. Because Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and
Padraig Harrington are not playing (or Ernie Els, by the way,
who didn`t win in his injury-shortened 2005) and because there
were so many low-ranked winners on Tour last year, this week`s
Mercedes is a smaller (28-player), more bargain-filled field
than normal. Mickelson and Goosen didn`t do the Silly Season
tour like Woods and Harrington, and the latter`s decision to not
play in Kapalua is curious as he`s never played in the
tournament. Hawaii`s a long flight from anywhere, fine,
but it`s
a guaranteed paycheck. And I have to figure the islands are
sunnier than Ireland this time of year. Hawaii, Padraig.
There`s always the flipside to the strength-of-field approach.
Maybe the favorites---Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, David Toms and
Sergio Garcia---do look more likely to win than 50-1 shots like
Jason Bohn, Jason Gore and Ted Purdy. But given that there`s no
cut, the pressure is off slightly, and so is the intimidation
factor, which is significantly less a factor anyway because
Tiger isn`t playing. Even if the world #1 was playing, though,
I`d still look at other golfers. Bart Bryant, an unknown, won
twice last year: the Memorial and season-ending Tour
Championship where he held off guess who? Purdy won the Byron
Nelson last May, fending off Singh.
As for the course, there are the peaks and valleys of Kapalua,
and those trade winds (which are almost always at the players`
backs on the last hole, yielding those 400-500-yard drives). The
greens can be slick, which might be a factor for the favorite,
Singh. Two months doesn`t account for much of an offseason; who
can say if Vijay`s come to a happy place with his putter?
Jeremy Church covers Nascar for Brian Gabrielle Sports
About the author:
Jeremy Church is a documented member of the Professional
Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers
.com/Jeremy_Church.htm
|
|
|
|
|
|