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“Phil Mickelson: Secrets of the Short Game” Reviewed(DVD)
After a recent round with two chip-ins for birdies and several other up-and-downs for pars, my playing partners were asking me, “Hey, what’s going on with your short game?” I had to confess, “I...
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Patti Butcher Named the 2010 Golf Professional of the Year by LPGA T & CP
This past month Patti Butcher, Director of Golf and Club Operations for Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich., was named Golf Professional of the Year by the LPGA’s Teaching and Club Professional...
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The Best Highlights of 2010
With my clubs now stored in the basement, it’s the time of year when I reflect on some of the highlights and personal favorites of the past golf year. Best bounce back: You know about “bounce back.”...
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Golf and Life Lessons from Vision54
“Get a notebook!” According to VISION54 founders Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson, heeding that simple piece of advice is at the heart of playing better golf and enjoying the game more, especially among...
View ArticleMasters Notebook
University of Michigan’s Lion Kim didn’t make the cut in the Master after firing rounds of 76-72 but he had a memorable week. Earning a spot in the field due to last summer’s U.S. Public Links title,...
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Snedeker wins The Heritage with assist from PGA Teacher of the Year
Easter Sunday was notable not only for The Heritage winner Brandt Snedeker but also for his instructor, former Michigan resident Todd Anderson, the current PGA National Teacher of the Year from Sea...
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Remembering Seve Ballesteros
My first brush with Seve Ballesteros, the legendary Spanish golfer and five-time major champion who passed away on May 7, occurred during a practice round at the 1985 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills CC....
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Best golf advice I’ve ever received
Glenn Johnson: five-time Michigan Amateur champion It was something shared by five-time Michigan Amateur Glenn Johnson that has stuck with me through the years. I don’t even recall how the subject came...
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Q & A with Dave Stockton, Part I
My pick for the best golf instructional book of 2011 is Unconscious Putting: Dave Stockton’s Guide to Unlocking Your Signature Stroke (Gotham Books.) Two autumns ago, I said Stockton, a two-time PGA...
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Q & A with Dave Stockton, Part II
Dave Stockton My pick for the best golf instructional book of 2011 is Unconscious Putting: Dave Stockton’s Guide to Unlocking Your Signature Stroke (Gotham Books.) Two autumns ago, I said Stockton, a...
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Book review: Moe & Me by Lorne Rubenstein
In Moe & Me: Encounters with Moe Norman, Golf’s Mysterious Genius, author Lorne Rubenstein expertly explores the life and times of one of golf’s most eccentric figures and certainly one of its...
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A golf lesson with Charlie Sorrell, Master PGA Professional
This past winter when my wife and I spent some time in Florida we drove across the lower middle of the state, starting west from Naples to Port St. Lucie. It was a pleasant drive and we saw parts of...
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Drew Preston: self-reliant and self-taught Michigan Amateur champion
Drew Preston This season there’s been chatter about players “owning their swing.” In Lorne Rubenstein’s excellent new book about Canada’s Moe Norman, Moe & Me, the author quotes Tiger Woods as...
View ArticleQuotes and tidbits from Friday’s matches
A few favorite quotes and tidbits from Friday’s competition: A baiting British writer asked Phil Mickelson, who won both of his matches with Keegan Bradley, to comment on BBC commentators wondering how...
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The Best of 2012
Looking back on 2012, here’s an assortment of “bests” from travels near and far. Traverse City G & CC Best in-state golf experience: A threesome of golf cronies played Traverse City Golf &...
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A few suggestions for Father’s Day
So Father’s Day is approaching and you’ve yet to come up with a gift. Well, as the old joke goes about the federal government, I’m here to help. Here are a few considerations: ECCO Golf Shoes: These...
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Q & A with Andrew Chapman, 2013 Michigan Amateur Champion
Andrew Chapman With a 20-foot birdie on the 18th green at Muskegon Country Club, Andrew Chapman beat Mike Ignasiak 1-up in the final match of the 102nd Michigan Amateur Championship conducted by the...
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Q & A with Craig Harmon, PGA Head Pro at Oak Hill
Rory McIIroy with Craig Harmon at Oak Hill during Media Day The long-time head professional at Oak Hill talks about his course, as well as growing up in the ultimate golf family. For the past 40 years,...
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Putter grips: Supersize me!
Who would have ever figured that one of golf’s hottest products this year would be a putting grip? And a fat one at that! But that’s the case of jumbo and oversized putter grips once Tour players...
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Product review: Bettinardi’s Kuchar Model 2
“There’s golf and then there’s tournament golf.” —Bobby Jones Competitive players have always identified with Jones’s truism. One’s typical weekend round with its casual atmosphere and generous gimme...
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Top ten Michigan golf stories for 2013
So what are the ten biggest Michigan golf stories of 2013? Funny you should ask. This is what I’ve come up with, but not in any particular order. And remember: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”...
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Q & A with Lou Guzzi, 2013 PGA National Teacher of the Year
Lou Guzzi, owner and PGA Director of Instruction of the Lou Guzzi Golf Academy at Talamore CC in Ambler, Pa., is the 2013 PGA National Teacher of the Year. The PGA of America’s 28th Teacher of the...
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Splitsville: Tiger Woods and Sean Foley. What’s next?
The teaching “process” has ended between Tiger Woods and Sean Foley On Monday, Tiger Woods announced on his website that he and his instructor Sean Foley had parted ways, ending a teaching relationship...
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A fitting gift for any occasion
Even if my golf cronies aren’t listening—and really I can’t blame them for wearing ear plugs—I often repeat one of my trusted sayings: don’t obsess over not having the latest equipment and technology....
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Masters week begins Sunday with Drive, Chip & Putt Finals
Five Michigan juniors hope to have their winning photo taken on Sunday Here’s a regret for which I’ll receive no sympathy: I won’t arrive at the Masters until next Monday. OK, let me explain. Last year...
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Mickelson center stage at the FOG
Phil Mickelson with the Lowerys at the FOG Recently, I played in a fog. I don’t mean facing a low-hanging cloud at the first tee or even trying to overcome a hangover. No, I’m talking about FOG, the...
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A review of Dan Jenkins’ Unplayable Lies
If you’re looking for a good golf book for Father’s Day you might consider Dan Jenkins’ Unplayable Lies (Doubleday, $25.95.) One of the foremost golf writers of our time, Jenkins has compiled a tome...
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Q & A with Cameron McCormick, Jordan Spieth’s teacher, Part I
It figures that someone who had his first golf lesson with a pro named Nicklaus might go on to greater heights. Even though it’s not that Nicklaus (Jack), Cameron McCormick holds the distinction as...
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Q & A with Cameron McCormick, PGA Teacher of the Year, Part II
Cameron McCormick It figures that someone who had his first golf lesson with a pro named Nicklaus might go on to greater heights. Even though it’s not that Nicklaus (Jack), Cameron McCormick holds the...
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Masters notebook, 2016
A big congratulations to Michigan’s four “champions” in the Drive Chip & Putt National Finals on Sunday: Traverse City’s Anika Dy (Girls 14-15); Traverse City’s Kyla Layman (Girls 7-9); Jackson’s...
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Secret Golf: ‘it’s in the (digital) dirt’
Psst! Want to know a secret? Well, let me introduce you to Secret Golf, a possible last minute Christmas gift suggestion for the serious, competitive and/or passionate golfer on your list. Available...
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X-Golf Marks the Spot for Play, Training and Fun
X-Golf: now with four locations in Michigan Here’s a nice problem to have for a new golf business: figuring out its target audience because its appeal is so broad. That’s the case with the X-Golf...
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The Story of the West Michigan Golf Show
This weekend the 30th West Michigan Golf Show takes place at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. So how did the Golf Show come about? The germ of the idea was planted after I attended the first...
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A return visit to Austin’s Topgolf
Austin’s Topgolf location This week is one of my favorite weeks to watch golf on television. It’s the week of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Texas....
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Wie Love the PGA Jr. League
Scramble teams squared off at Binder Park A few weeks ago I traveled to Binder Park GC in Battle Creek to check out the PGA Jr. State League Championship. My grand nephew was competing on a team from...
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Miles of Golf: still leading the way in club fitting
Brent Norton: Club fitting specialist at Miles of Golf So a guy walks into a bar that also doubles as a club fitting center and says, “Give me a beer and a driver that I can hit straighter than mine.”...
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Q & A with Chris O’Connell, Matt Kuchar’s teacher
Chris O’Connell Chris O’Connell has been Matt Kuchar’s teacher since 2006. Given Kuchar’s lofty status on the PGA Tour which includes two wins already this season, that in itself is a testimony to his...
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How Johnny Miller Almost Became a Headliner at the WM Golf Show
Johnny Miller With the news that this Saturday will mark the end of Johnny Miller’s celebrated career as a TV analyst and announcer for NBC, I remember when he almost became a headliner for the West...
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Mac O’Grady and me
Mac O’Grady As some of my golf buddies will attest, I had a brief but memorable encounter with the legendary Mac O’Grady, the former PGA Tour player of the ‘80s best known for attending qualifying (Q)...
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Golf’s ongoing distance debate
Preserving the game’s dimensions Unlike other major sports, golf hasn’t done a good job in regulating the effects of technology on the traditional dimensions of the game. In contrast, Major League...
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What’s it take to make a college golf team?
Auburn University currently boasts the top ranked men’s golf team Recently, a friend called me and asked if I’d be willing to talk to a high school student with aspirations for playing college golf....
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More on Slow Play at the Masters & Elsewhere
Patrick Cantlay In my Masters wrap-up article last week, I ended my notes section quoting a post-round comment by runner-up Brooks Koepka when asked about the pace of play on Sunday: “Yeah, the group...
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BRG: Taking Golf Instruction to a Different Level
Brandon Roby The other day I visited one of the most impressive indoor practice and teaching facilities in west Michigan. Located at the busy nexus of 28th St and Breton Road in Grand Rapids, the BRG...
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Golf book suggestions for Father’s Day
My dad was a golfer, so I often conspired with my brother and mother for Father’s Day to get him an appropriate gift. Presents like golf balls—such as Sweet Shots (loved that name), Spalding Dots,...
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