Jack and Roger Federer...Role Models. Tiger?

Jack and Roger Federer have proven to me today that they are indeed champions and understand the relevance of what's truly important in life.. I had a boss once who  when he became my boss, introduced himself to me by explaining that he was a simple man. "I take care of my health, my family and I work", he said. He also Drank, Danced and Ducked but that's another story for a different Blog..;)

Watched RF win his second round match at the the Australian Open on Jack's 70th (or so) and was somewhat fascinated by a post match interview conducted by Jim Courier who asked him primarily personal questions about his new family. Roger's friendship with Tiger has been well documented and I couldn't help but think how decent this guy is and how hopeless Tiger is... I know a bit about addiction having helped hundreds of people change over the past 30 or so years... We have failed a lot more than we have succeeded.. the odds are terrible.. three "experts" put their best guesses on the success rate of our best practices as 3%, 7% or 12%... how they come up with those numbers I'll never know... I know this: The most important statistics in Jack life are 5 and 50. He and his wife Barbara will soon celebrate their 50th anniversary. and they have raised 5 decent children to become contributing members of society.. with 22(?) grandchildren..

At some point in every addict's life they come clean or they die. Their priority must be recovery with any reservations. They are not in denial. They are mental and spiritually defective. Very Sick....and without any concern for their place in society or history they need to spill the beans (with some guidance from someone who has been there and done it). This is not a management/spin issue.. this is about life and death. There are years of work for Tiger to do. He will need to unwind everything he has learned and perhaps never play Golf again... and it will take years of concerted effort and giving back to others ...not with a check, but with his time. The odds are terrible... few ever change. One of the most accomplished therapists in the business puts the odds at 100 to 3... and what made Tiger a great Golfer will work directly against him. Self knowledge and will-power do not work... nor does fear... Faith does however.. it will be a long road.. and his friends who are leading decent lives will never understand. Only those who have recovered will. Luck has very little to do with it.. and the longer he stays out of the Public Eye, the harder it will be for him to begin the process of coming clean. He has a chance. It seems he is getting more bad advise. Advise based on Money... not life. He has met his toughest opponent.. and it is him. Welcome to the club!

In the Groove Box...Much Ado about Nothing?

"The only clubs I have had to change are my wedges, they are a little more inconsistent from rough, from a tight lie no real change at all." -Ian James Poulter

So Bob Estes says that Mark Wilson and John Daly have not complied with the spirit of the rule change ( by using Eye2 wedges with "exempt" box grooves)  and the amateur message boards have been lit up for months about who will be impacted... I had a very fine national class Am wonder aloud what happens in a Pro_Am with a National Class Am (Groove rule applies) and a 10 'capper (Rule does not apply) ... think most of the Pros I talk with are somewhat amused that the only people who really seem to care are guys outside the ropes... Think Christina Kim has is down: "Got satin finish wedges in 52/54/56/58/60 degree with bounce varying from 8-12degrees. Gonna see what combo I need to make some magic!!"... seems much ado about not that much... less wedge spin seems to help some of the super high spin guys like DL III... as he holed out in the Hawaii... guess he thought... "No Problem..."

BTW--Gotta Get one of these:

The Christina Kim.. "Swinging From My Heels"

Alan Shipnuck facilitated and This has got to be the most anticipated golf read in a while...She's gonna have a good year too (you can feel it). Release date is April 27. Looking forward to this one...Love good Golf Books! Rocco's was good.

Christina has a new Blog up and growing as well....She is  the Real Deal!

The Ball Four of the LPGA —a funny, bold memoir of life on the women’s golf circuit, from one of its most unique and memorable players.

Christina Kim is the brashest, bawdiest, funniest player on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. Golf fans know her for her colorful wardrobe, even more colorful on-course antics, and an explosive game. But in this rollicking account of the 2009 season, Kim invites readers deep into her life, providing an intimate diary of a young woman’s struggles on and off the golf course, and revealing the glory and heartbreak of life on the tour.

Once known as a prodigy who shot a 62 in her first LPGA event some six years ago, Kim has newly rededicated herself to realizing her potential, and she takes readers between the ropes for all the action, including her nail-biting near misses at two major championships. She also goes inside the team room at the Solheim Cup, revealing the hijinks and late-night gab sessions that bonded the victorious U.S. team. Along the way we get intimate portraits of her close friends on tour, including tour leaders such as Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, and Natalie Gulbis.

In this courageous telling, no topic is out-of-bounds, as Kim dishes about the LPGA’s sexual mores, the culture clash of an American-based tour increasingly dominated by Koreans, the tumultuous economic forces squeezing the players, and her own battles with body image and her traditional upbringing. Winsome and good-natured, but never afraid of a laugh line or choice profanity, Christina Kim provides a must-read for anyone who loves golf or has wondered about the inner self of a professional athlete.

Alan Shipnuck has been covering professional golf for Sports Illustrated since 1994. He is the author of the national bestseller Bud, Sweat, & Tees: A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour. He lives in Northern California with his wife and children.

a Tiger-less Tour? No Problem?

Nothing too crazy here... I am a former CEO and ran a 450 million dollar company with a few thousand dedicated and valued employees taking care of 60,000 customers... so I get what Tiger has done for the purses and what the ratings do when he's not around...but if he never comes back, I would be alright with that. The game is bigger than he is despite his obviously monstrous ego .. (exemplified by the attitude of "I won't get caught").

I wrote earlier that he has brought a lot of football/basketball game influences to the game that this conservative (in many regards) guy could do without...and frankly would not miss... there are plenty of good players around that I stay away from because of all sorts of little things that amateurs do on the course that as a former professional caddie I just find inexcusable.. and I'm good with that... I have seen plenty of commentary lately about Tim Finchem's state of denial when asked about Tiger's absence. Of course sponsors and advertisers will not pay as much for a Tiger-less tour. Nor will the Networks... The Golf Channel btw deserves one more year to get their act together... as in pick the anchor who can really do the job... not one of Arnie's favorites. Dump the Goof-Balls too... no names necessary.. the on-line forums have done the list.. many times over. They also have neutered, to some degree, Johnny Miller. I enjoyed the tell it like you see it JM. After all he did shoot a final round 63 to win the US Open on a mean course... Hogan like if you ask me...love faldo but he's no Miller..and vise versa.

So Tiger will come back to a media circus.. He may win and he may be distracted but the human spirit is resilient and everything will adjust to some level less than what we had a few short months ago when the elite on tour played for close to 2 million a week at times... and a Mill every week... or maybe the economics gets cut back a little if Tiger is taken down by all this. I'll wait and see. Either way the game will be fine. The Game is Grand and will remain. Bigger than even the Greatest Player to play the game. That name, for now, remains Jack Nicklaus.

a peek inside The Titleist Performance Institute and How the Pros Train...

The Key to Fixing Your Golf Swing Is Synching It With Your Physical Limitations.

 Found this article in the Wall Street Journal... really worth the reading...

...and Love the Conclusion: 

"Ideally you want a team approach—a physical guy to evaluate your body and a coach to work on your swing in coordination with the trainer," said Mr. Phillips. Even golfers who have no intention of going to the gym can benefit because the instructor can build a swing around his known limitations, he said. More typical clients, however, are avid 10-handicap types who want to get down to scratch and say they will do whatever it takes.

"When a guy tells me he's willing to work out for 90 minutes four times a week, I interpret that, from experience, as 15 minutes, three times a week," Mr. Gill said. "But I can give him a focused 15 minute workout that will make a big difference in his game."


That's sounds very familiar..;)...just what I need!

The Golf Ball 2K10 from a Pro's perspective...

Got the following email last week and thought it had a good perspective on competition, the new groove rules and it's impact on balls:

These sentiments by you are sounding like the Penta ball is TM's answer to a softer, balata clone that will deal with or be their option for those that will be forced to use non-aggressive groove wedges. Most of what you are describing in your blog about the Penta ball appears to be very similar to balata ball performance characteristics.

Just from one day of short game testing with the Bridgestone e7, it is obvious that this ball's drawback is the lack of spin around the green. Almost impossible to impart enough spin for delicate touch shots. Most people who are up in arms about the USGA conditions of competition groove rule, to me, are clueless to just what impact this rule will have on wedge play. Without enough spin, many shots from 100 yards and in are going to be impossible to hit well. Especially shots close to the hole where the ball is nestled down in longish grass. Those shots were extremely difficult with balata balls, let alone, with whatever the OEMs come up with today and in the future. No way could I hit shots with the e7 that I can hit with a Titleist Pro V1.

I'm looking forward to the Penta TP, I'm sure it will perform beautifully with those shots around the green, especially with my MD groove Cally tour wedges. But, dealing with my reality of less clubhead speed, I will have to lean towards insuring enough distance, especially off the tee, than having ultimate spin for delicate lobs and pitch shots. Fortunately I'm very adept at short game shots around the green. The RX sounds like a ball that may address both issues well for me, so I'm very anxious now to play with that ball.

I can see having to switch balls when playing with non-aggressive grooves, but, I don't think that will be a huge issue as long as I'm playing with other senior players. Against the kids, I need plenty of roll off the tee and a hot putter. This year will be an interesting one for me. I'm either going to be able to take all this technology and excel as a competitor or be sadly and rudely disappointed.