Golfing Eighteen Blog

Ok, so there really is no such thing as perfect putting —— but you can get pretty close. Just follow some of these helpful tips:

GRIP and STANCE

Start with the correct grip. Lightly place your hands on the club. It’s not a python you have to squeeze to death before it kills you. Use a very light version of your normal grip, but with the pinky on the club, rather than overlapped or interlocked. When you close your fingers, don’t force the club into an angle. Address the ball squarely. Relax.

Read the rest of the article on golf putting.

Golf — Hooks: In Fishing, Good. In Golf, Bad

Since there are an infinite number of wrong paths for a golf ball to fly, but only one right path, the odds are not in your favor. But, as Hans Solo said: “Never tell me the odds!” Beat them by looking at the cause of a hook and practicing the cure.

A hook is a shot that moves to the left of the target line. (For right-handers, for lefties reverse the directions.) Sometimes it starts out to the right, then veers left; sometimes it starts left and curves further left. (If it shoots off behind you, you have a different problem…)

As with any undesired path, the causes are many and varied. Still, some fundamentals remain. A hook is the product of one or more of: (1) incorrect grip, (2) poor stance, (3) wrong swing. Any or all can contribute to a closed clubface, producing counter-clockwise spin and a shot that moves left of the target line.

Read the rest of this article on golf hooks.

Typically, the prizes for ladies’ tournaments are much lower than those of men’s.  But not in the case of this year’s LPGA.  The prize for the LPGA playoffs, which will take place at the ADT Championship, is the largest in the history of women’s golf - $1 million.  Read more about the event at LPGA.com.

LPGA’s new Player of the Year - Lorena Ochoa - is likely to be the favorite going in.

How great is that?  Stop over at Golf Online to get some top notch instruction on how to read greens, on which swing tips to take and which ones not to, , pitch shots, bunker basics, and curing your slice.

Out of Naples, FL, the AP reports that “Jerry Kelly and Rod Pamling won the Merrill Lynch Shootout on Sunday, beating Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank with a bogey on the first hole of a playoff in the Greg Norman-hosted event… ‘We had a ton of fun out all day every day we were out there. We just really enjoyed each other’s company,’ said Pampling, who teamed with Kelly after Peter Jacobsen dropped out after having a hip replaced…  Pampling and Kelly split $675,000 from the $2.75 million purse.”

Read more on Kelly & Pampling at the Merrill Lynch Shootout at Golf.com.

This tournament also had the first female to ever play in the Shootout - Annika Sorenstam.

ESPN reports that “Craig Kanada played his way onto the PGA Tour on Sunday, holing dramatic chips on the final two holes for a one-stroke victory in the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship…. Kanada, 10 positions out of a PGA Tour spot at the start of the week, shot an 8-under 64 on Friday and closed with a 66 to finish at 13-under 275. Matt Kuchar (73) and Andrew Buckle (69) tied for second.”

Read more on Craig Kanada and the PGA Tour at ESPN

ESPN covers the LPGA and writes “Lorena Ochoa wrapped up the LPGA Tour’s player of the year award with a record-setting finish in the Tournament of Champions… The 24-year-old Mexican star shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a 10-stroke victory and a tournament-record 21-under 267 total. She ran her winning streak to three with her sixth victory of the year and earned $150,000 for a season total of $2,492,872.”

Read more on Lorena Ochoa at the LPGA at ESPN.

South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun surprised everyone this weekend when he won the HSBC over Tiger Woods and other top contenders.  “Woods failed to win a 72-hole tournament for the first time since July 9, finishing two shots behind South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun in the HSBC Champions on Sunday.  Yang, a regular on the Japanese tour who has played infrequently outside Asia, closed with a 3-under 69 Sunday for a 14-under 274 and a two stroke victory over Woods at the HSBC Champions tournament. Yang won $833,000.”

Read more on Yang Yong-eun at ESPN.

Here we aim to bring you all the latest in golf news and new golf equipment, as well as some fun facts and quotes along the way!