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American Express and PGA Friend of a Cardmember/May is PGA FREE Lesson Month

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Are you an American Express cardmember?  Have you and your golf buddy been talking about getting some tips on your game but just haven’t done anything about it yet?  Has your son/daughter/niece/nephew recently shown an interest in golf?  Is your significant other talking about taking a golf lesson trying to figure out what you see in the game?  How about a private golf lesson for the two of you? 

American Express and The PGA of America are offering a private lesson from a PGA Professional where you can bring a friend along at no extra charge.  Just find your nearest PGA professional, set up a time and pay with your American Express card.  Get help with that slice or hook.  Improve your tee shots or your putts.  If you or your regular golf buddy spends more time in the trees or the sand than on the fairway, this is your chance to reduce the time you spend looking for the ball so you can spend more time enjoying the game!

Or choose to introduce your son/daughter/niece/nephew/significant other to the game you love, they learn the basics while the PGA professional helps you build on your existing knowledge.

The following Golf Wish partners around the country are participating in the Friend of a Cardmember promotion:

ARIZONA: Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa.

ILLINOIS:  Chalet Hills Golf Club in Cary,  Cog Hill Golf  in Lemont, Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort in Galena and Prairie Landing Golf Club in West Chicago. 

KENTUCKY: Lafayette Golf Club At Green Farm Resort in Falls of Rough.

MICHIGAN:  Black Bear Golf Club in Vanderbilt, Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville, Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee, The Highlands Golf Club in Grand Rapids and The Otsego Club – The Tribute in Gaylord.

WASHINGTON: Carnation Golf Course in Carnation.

WISCONSIN: Abbey Springs Golf Course in Fontana and Morningstar Golfers Club in Waukesha.

Or find a participating PGA Professional by going to:

http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=foc  and schedule your ‘Friend of a Cardmember’ lesson today!

Is your schedule too busy that you don’t have time for a full lesson, or maybe a lesson for everyone in the family won’t work with the budget?  May is PGA Free lesson month, when you can get a free 10-minute lesson and/or family clinic designed to help golfers improve their games.  Head to one of these Golf Wish partners:

ARIZONA:  Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa

FLORIDA: Winter Park Country Club in Winter Park.

ILLINOIS: Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva.

MICHIGAN:  Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville and Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee.

 Or find a participating PGA/LPGA professional near you by going to: http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=flm.  Schedule your free 10-minute lesson or family clinic today and play better golf this summer.

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The Tee Shot Adds Up

Monday, April 18th, 2011

So what do you do when your tee shot ends up in the trees?  One option is to have another go as Kevin Na did last week on the ninth hole in the first round of the Valero Texas Open.  Unfortunately for Na, his second attempt wasn’t any better and ended up in pretty much the same place as the first. By the time he hacked his way back onto the fairway he was in double figures and by the time the ball was in the cup, he was 12 over par for that hole.

Sometimes your tee shot heads for the houses as it did for Rory McIlroy on his final 10th hole at the Masters.  He took a triple bogey on that hole and it was the beginning of the end of his dream of a green jacket this year.

In 1998, it took John Daly 18 shots to get to the hole on the 6th at the Bay Hill Invitational, and six of those were into the water!

But according to the PGA Tour website (www.pgatour.com), the highest single-hole score in history goes to Tommy Armour for a 23 on the 17th hole at the Shawnee Open in 1927. Ray Ainsley is also attributed a 23 on the 16th at the U.S. Open in Cherry Hills in 1938, but other records indicate it was only a 19.

Some days all the practicing in the world is no match for bad luck!

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Was Tiger Rude at The Masters?

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

There seems to be quite a bit of commentary about whether or not Tiger Woods’ interview by Bill Macatee from CBS after his final round in The Masters should be perceived as rude and curt or whether it was just Tiger’s way of minimizing face time with the media. When Macatee asked if he was “back” after shooting a round of 67, Tiger’s response was “Yeah, I’m one back. We’ll see what happens.” So did Tiger misunderstand the question…interpreting it to be asking if he was ”behind” the leader? What was Mr. Macatee really asking?  While some took Tiger’s response as being short and rude to the media, others simply saw it as a simple answer to a simple question. What’s your opinion?

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Who is Charl Schwartzel?

Monday, April 11th, 2011

For anyone watching the final day of the Masters, you’ll recognize that name as the newest wearer of the coveted green jacket.  He finished the final nail-biting round at Augusta National with a 66, giving him a 14-under-par total of 274.  He created a new record for the Masters by scoring birdies on the 4 final holes, and led his closest rivals, Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott by 2 shots.

This was Schwartzel’s 2nd appearance at the Masters.  He played at Augusta for the first time last year.  Just prior to that, he was at Ernie Els’ Autism Golf Day and got the opportunity to speak with Jack Nicklaus about the famous course.  They started talking about hunting then the conversation turned to chasing the little white ball.  Schwartzel asked for some advice about the course and Nicklaus took him on a verbal tour of all 18 holes.  I guess he heeded the advice!

Schwartzel (26) is from South Africa, where his family has a chicken farm outside Johannesburg.  His Dad played with Ernie Els when Charl was very young.  Charl was an affiliated member of the Fancourt foundation started by Els that helps young South African golfers, and Els considers Charl to be ‘like a little brother’. Schwartzel’s brother, Attie has also been bitten by the golf bug, and is a pro golfer on the South African Sunshine Tour.

Sunday was the 50th anniversary of fellow South African Gary Player’s Masters win, the first international player to win the prestigious title following a playoff round against Arnold Palmer. His father was a gold miner who played golf and encouraged Player to take up the game. Player was involved in other sports and wasn’t very enthusiastic about golf initially.  Player competed for 52 Masters titles and won the green jacket 3 times.  He was in Augusta for the Masters again this year.

In closing, I’ll leave you with a few things to ponder:

  • For the first time in the history of the Masters the top three did not include an American
  • For the first time since 1994, none of the 4 major titles are held by an American
  • Seven of the top 10 finishers at the Masters were international players

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Transitions Championship Won by Gary Woodland

Monday, March 21st, 2011

In his first PGA Tour win this weekend at the Transitions Championship, Gary Woodland made a 10 foot putt for par to break the tie on the final hole. Woodland has been working with his coach over the last 18 months to improve his game and it paid off with this win that gives him an invitation to Augusta National.  This was his 34th start in the PGA Tour.

The World’s #1 golfer, Martin Kaymer tied for 20th.

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PGA – Free Fitting and Trade-Up Month

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

This April why not take advantage of a free 15-minute expert club fitting at a participating PGA/LPGA Professional near you?  Or trade up those old clubs for a new set, just in time for the start of the season. 

Did you know that 9 out of 10 golfers play with ill-fitting clubs? After a custom fitting, 80% of golfers strike the ball more accurately and 92% see immediate results.

This is your chance to get your clubs fitted by an expert.

If you live in Illinois, the following Golf Wish partners are participating in the PGA Free Fitting and Trade-Up Month; Cog Hill Golf in Lemont, Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort in Galena, Whitetail Ridge in Yorkville, and Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva. 

For residents in the Mesa, AZ area, visit Augusta Ranch Golf Club or find your closest participating PGA/LPGA professional by clicking on http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=fft.

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Mickelson to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Monday, March 14th, 2011

The World’s #6 ranked golfer, Phil Michelson will play in next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida.  The addition was made to Mickelson’s schedule after he finished 55th out of 66 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, his worst finish in seven months.    “I need a little bit more competitive golf. I’ve got some work to do,” he said.

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Tiger’s on the Move

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

In a recent blog posting on his website, Tiger woods has revealed that he will soon be moving into a new house on  Jupiter Island, Florida, about 150 miles southeast of the home he shared with his now ex-wife, Elin.  The house boasts a new golf practice facility including 4 greens, 6 bunkers, a video center and a putting studio.  According to Woods, “If no wind is blowing, the longest club I can hit is a 7-iron. It’s also set up so I can hit shots out of my second-story studio.”

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Martin Kaymer is Number One Player

Sunday, February 27th, 2011

As Tiger Woods drops down the rankings on the Official World Golf Ranking website (wwww.officialworldgolfranking.com), the #1 spot goes to Martin Kaymer, a professional golfer from Germany who is only the second German (after Bernhard Langer) to be the top-ranked golfer in the world. 

In 2010 he was also only the second German (after Bernhard Langer) to win a major championship.Kaymer moved from the #2 spot to #1 on Saturday when he swapped places with Lee Westwood.  Kaymer, aged 26 is also the second youngest player to be ranked as #1 (Tiger Woods was 21 when he made #1 in 1997).

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Luke Donald Makes History in Arizona

Sunday, February 27th, 2011

In the Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain in Marana Arizona, Luke Donald:

  • became the first player to play for an entire week without trailing in any match
  • played in only 89 holes in 6 matches
  • became the first player to win any golf tournament without ever playing the 18th hole

The previous record for fewest holes (112) was set by Tiger Woods in 2003 when the final lasted 36 holes.

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