TGM Tour Talk & Golf Tips with Paul Newman

Tiger's Second Start of the Year...

2010-04-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Tiger's second start of the year should be a good one. This weeks venue fits his game perfect. Phil and Tiger should be there at the end. Tiger is using a new proto-type driver from Nike that he is hitting better than anything he has ever used. I think it still goes back to how many putts he can make this week. Phil is putting as good as he has ever putted since working with Dave Stockton and has gone back to a blade type of putter which fits his natural stroke. My sleeper is the young gun Bill Haus, son of PGA Tour Star Jay Haus. Bill has played this course a bunch of times in college and it is almost like his home course. VJ Singh should be there as well, a past winner here and he loves this layout. This week should provide a bunch of birdies so whoever is hot with the putter will have the best chance. By the way, I think David Duval will have a good showing this week. See you next week!

Check out the Shots of the Week from the 2009 Quail Hollow Championship http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-0VUwydO6Q

2010 Top Picks for Drivers

2010-02-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

My two top picks for drivers this year are somewhat surprising. Adams Golf has moved up with their new driver and Callaway has taken the top spot this year for me. Taylor Made keeps coming out with good product, but in my opinion they change their models too soon! Also, we have several smaller companies trying to compete with the big boys this year more than ever before.

Callaway FT-IZ

Compression-cured carbon-fiber body behind the cupface weighs just 43.5 grams, allowing weight saved to be placed in the heel, toe and deep behind the center of the face. The purpose is more consistent ball speed, stability and spin on off-center hits. A chemically milled process on the face improves the precision of the variable thickness. An absolute awesome golf club!

Adams Speedline Fast 10

Making a driver aerodynamically efficient and forgiving would seem like a difficult challenge. But that's the intent of the Fast 10. Adams engineers studied computational fluid dynamics and used wind-tunnel testing to reshape the curves along the undercarriage for improved airflow. They also pushed the center of gravity (CG) low and deep to improve forgiveness and to help average golfers launch the ball higher. A great choice for everyone!

Next week we will look at wedges and talk about Tiger!

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New Groove Change

2010-02-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

With the new groove change I thought I would further clarify the rule change. Below is from the PGA of America and it outlines who the rule change will affect. The change will no doubt put more pressure on the ball manufactures to continue to improve the golf balls spin rate. I personally want to see what happens in the U.S. Open when the rough will be very penalizing. Next week I will report on the new equipment for 2010.

The early weeks of the 2010 PGA Tour season have included considerable discussion about the new groove changes implemented by the USGA (and adopted by other governing bodies, including The PGA of America for its Championships). With that in mind, The PGA wants to ensure that its Professionals are prepared with answers the questions about the changes that are likely to be coming from club members, customers and even fellow Professionals in regards to how they will be affected.

In a nutshell, the impact on PGA Professionals will vary depending upon who they teach, and in what events they play. Let's start with the two main points:

As you can see in this attached Q&A prepared by the USGA, the vast majority of golfers will not be affected in the slightest. Whether they carry a USGA handicap or not, amateur golfers can continue to play with their current clubs until at least 2024, unless they intend to try to qualify for the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open or the U.S. Senior Open. Furthermore, even if they did switch to the new conforming grooves, most would see little to no difference in shots from the fairway or the tee. The new groove rules are intended to reduce spin on shots from the rough, and it's likely that not many of the amateurs you come in contact with are spinning shots from the rough onto the green very often anyway.

How the new rules affect PGA Professionals who play in competitive events will depend upon what levels of competition you aspire to. The PGA has adopted the new rules as a condition of competition only for the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, and has recommended their adoption for the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales. For the foreseeable future, the condition of competition will not be in effect for any of the PGA Member Championships, including the PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional National Championships, the PGA Winter Championships, the Tournament Series, Junior events and the Playing Ability Test.

Those two points certainly seem to narrow the scope of PGA Professionals who will be directly affected by the rules changes to the following: those who teach elite players who plan to play in events where the new rules are included as a condition of competition; and those who intend to play in those events. Let's look at those two categories first.

Of the former, Joe Hallett, PGA General Manager of the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance in Port St. Lucie, Fla., says that due to the rules change on Tour, PGA Professionals who work with elite players are studying changes to strategy, set makeup and swing techniques in order to "find repeatability and reliability" in how the ball reacts once it hits the green.

"Elite players need to know, when they make their swing, is the ball going to hit and spin back a few feet on the green, or is it going to release and run after impact," say Hallett. "Predictability is their goal, and the PGA Professionals working with them might be telling them, 'O.K., when we're coming out of the rough we're not going to fly it past the flag anymore, but rather hit a lower shot that lands short and releases.' The end result may call for a shallower swing plane, a less lofted club or some combination of both."

The main change – and ultimate intention of the new rules – may not be seen in the shots that players hit from the rough, but in the shots they hit before they end up in the rough. "Proper course management will be rewarded and the benefit of simply blasting the ball as far as possible and still being able to control the ball into the green will be marginalized, so teachers, caddies and players collectively are going to be rethinking strategy on many layouts," notes Hallett.

A prime example of the latter, a PGA Professional who will have to contend with the rules change for his own game, is reigning PGA Player of the Year Rick Schuller, a two-time PGA Championship participant who is preparing to play in a Nationwide Tour event this spring. Schuller says the changes should add "another degree of difficulty" to preparing for a professional tour event, but, at age 47, thinks players of his era might initially have an advantage in adjusting to the change because of their familiarity with the V grooves.

"I have many memories of having to read lies carefully before taking a swing, so I'm sure they will come back to me in short order," Schuller says, adding that his sponsor, TaylorMade, has provided him with a set of conforming irons to use in anticipation of playing in upcoming events where they are required (he expects the same will apply to all 20 PGA Professionals who qualify for the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits this August). Still, he echoes Hallett in noting that "you have to put the time in to know how the ball is going to react," and, with wedge shots in particular, "might have to change your trajectory in order to hold greens."

As noted earlier, all PGA Professionals are likely to be asked about the groove changes, and therefore the changes should be viewed as an opportunity to further enhance your position as an expert on all matters relating to the game and business of golf, including equipment issues. In this case, positioning yourself as an expert can also lead to some instant business, as Eric Hogge, PGA Director of Club Fitting at the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, explains.

"The new groove rule has caused quite a stir and confusion for most players," notes Hogge. "The philosophy is to make shots from the rough more difficult to control for the elite player, but the question on the mind of the golf masses is, 'how this is going to effect play for our games at the local level?' The short answer is that it will not affect the average player and the weekend games played with friends. As a club fitter, though, I'm using the opportunity when asked about the grooves to recommend that they change their grips about three times more often than they are currently."

2009-12-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

With Tiger on the sidelines until who knows when we will have a wide open 2010. Phil will surely be gunning for the #1 player spot in the world, but "not so fast my friend" as Lee Corso says. There is a guy that goes by the name of Zach that would like to elevate his game in 2010 to the next level. At times during the 2009 campaign, Zach Johnson flirted with the top spot in both the FedExCup and on the PGA TOUR money list. Another challenge in 2010 just might end up differently if Johnson can build on this career year. Johnson set the tone for 2009 early when he tied for sixth at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Maui and then hopped over to Oahu where he fired a 65 in the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii to beat David Toms and Adam Scott by one stroke. Johnson also successfully defended his title at the Valero Texas Open where he shot 60 in the third round and eventually beat James Driscoll with a birdie on the first hole of sudden death. Along the way, he tied for second at the John Deere Classic and finished solo third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. His tie for 10th at the PGA was the 2007 Masters champion's second top-10 in a major and one of a career-high eight top-10s for the season. Johnson earned more than $4 million for the first time in his career and finished sixth in the FedExCup.

Next week we will talk about my sleepers in 2010 and your chance to to play with me in a SOPGA PRO-Am in 2010. See you next week and have a Happy New Year!

Go Bucks! Sley the Ducks!

Happy Holidays to All!

2009-12-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

A happy holiday to all! I just have so many topics to talk about, but am choosing Ken Green. Many of you know him from the 80's and early 90's when he won five times on the PGA Tour. I had the pleasure of hosting him at Forest Oaks when he won the Greater Greensboro Open in 1988. He was very outspoken and worked extremely hard for what he received. Today he is in the biggest fight of his career coming back from a tragic RV accident on the way back from a Champion Tour event. A blown tire caused him to loose control killing his brother, girlfriend and dog. Ken was thrown thru the windshield and lost his right leg from the knee down. Ken is determined to come back and if anyone can he will. Good luck to Ken he is a true gentlemen and friend.

2010 will be very interesting with the groove change. I just received my new irons with conforming grooves. I will let you know what I think after the holidays.

When will Tiger return? I think that's the big question. E-mail me when you think he will return and the winner will receive a free swing evaluation. paulnewman@pga.com

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PGA Q-School, Tiger and More

2009-12-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

With the PGA Q-School complete we now can look forward to another great season in 2010. Columbus native and Northwestern standout Chris Wilson will be playing on the big stage in 2010. Wilson played only one tour event in his young career at the Memorial last year missing the cut. Since graduating from Northwestern in 2007 he has been playing the Hooter's Tour. He finished in a tie for 12th at -12 for the week. Joe Ogilvie from Lancaster will be back also, he finished in a tie for 15th @ -11.

Okay... I cannot go on without a comment or two about Tiger. We now know the guy is human, I was wondering for a while. Do you think this may be a reason Phil and Tiger do not get along? I have to say that's the rumor right now.

Let's say this, for many years PGA Tour players have had a less than perfect record when it comes to marriage. Fred Couples is a good example of that. Professional athletes get more attention than the average guy can imagine. So good luck Tiger in getting you life back in order. This one is far from over...more to come!

Jim Furyk ended a two year drought this past weekend by holing two key putts on the 17th and 18th holes. On seventeen he holed a thirty five footer for par and then birdied 18 for the one shot victory. Lee Westwood continues to play well finishing one shot behind.

Final Stage of Q-School

2009-11-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

The field is set for the final stage of Q-School. 132 Players will try to attain 25 tour cards. David Duvall and Paul Stankowski are two notibals trying to get back to the big stage. The final stage of the PGA TOUR Q-School will be held on Dec. 2-7 at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, FL. The event will be contested over 108 holes and only the low 25 scores and ties will earn their PGA TOUR cards for 2010. The rest of the field will have some degree of status on the Nationwide Tour.

The purse for the event is $1,012,500 with $50,000 going to the champion. Following is a list of players entered at Bear Lakes who were exempt into the final stage:

Lee Westwood continued his dominant play this year by capturing the Debai World Cup. His last round of 64 helped him secure the order of Merritt. Westwood led by two shots entering the final round and opened it with five birdies in his first seven holes. He later revealed caddy Billy Foster had given him some advice at the beginning of the week in Dubai. "Billy told me to go out and bully other people. To make them take notice of me, rather than the other way around."

With that said we will have no skins game this year. I miss the old days with Jack, Lee, Tom and Arnold on Thankgiving. We probably will never see a skins game again until Phil, Tiger, Sergio and Padraig get to be 50.

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I hope everyone has a Happy Turkey Day! Be Safe and Thankful!

Let's Talk Q-School

2009-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

I am back from the PGA Annual Meeting in New Orleans. This was my first ever and it was well worth the wait! I spent 3 days playing two tour courses, English Turn, TPC of Louisiana and the historical New Orleans Country Club. The area has bounced back some but still has a long way to go. The devistation from Katrina is still everywhere you look even four years after... My heart goes out to all the people who suffered through that horrible disaster. My many thanks to the Golf Coast Section for their hospitality.

Enough of that, let's talk Q-School.

The first two stages consist of 72-hole tournaments. A predetermined number of players from each first-stage event advance to the second-stage and from the second to the all-important final stage at Bear Lakes in West Palm Beach, FL. The final stage will be held December 2-7, 2009.

The finale is contested over 108 mind-numbing and stomach-churning holes that determine where a player will work in 2010. Every player who reaches the finale has some degree of status on the Nationwide Tour, but only the low 25 and ties are exempt on the PGA TOUR for next year.

Recent Q-School Medalists and how they did...

2008 Harrison Frazar - The veteran PGA TOUR player was on the top 125 bubble until he tied for seventh at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. He's No. 104 on the money list.

2007 Frank Lickliter II - Lickliter, who has graduated from Q-School four times, failed to retain his TOUR card for 2009 and is outside the top 125 again this year, having played 14 events this season.

2006 George McNeill - After getting his TOUR card, McNeill won the Frys.com Open in 2007. He has surpassed $1 million each of the last three seasons.

2005 J.B. Holmes - The long driver won the FBR Open twice, in 2006 and 2008, and added a secondplace finish when he lost to Paul Casey in a playoff at theis year's Shell Houston Open.

2004 Brian Davis - Davis came over from the European Tour in 2005 and has retained his TOUR card each year since with three runner-up finishes.

2003 Mathias Gronberg - Since 2003, the Swede has successfully navigated Q-School twice (2005, 2008). He won a Nationwide Tour event this year and is a pretty safe bet to make "THE 25".

2002 Jeff Brehaut - Brehaut hasn't been a full TOUR member since 2005. He reappeared this year and led the U.S. Open after a rain-soaked Thursday and tied for 58th.

2001 Pat Perez - Perez has been a mainstay on TOUR since medaling. He broke through with his first win at the 50th Bob Hope Classic in 2009. He's a poster boy for Q-School success stories.
2000 Steve Allan - The Australian worked his way up to post runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2004, but has faded since. He's made one cut in 17 PGA TOUR events this year.

This year will be some of the most fierce competition we have seen in recent years. Players are bigger, stronger and hit it further than ever before. The groove change from box grooves to the traditional v grooves will make driving the ball in the fairway a must. Stay tuned next week for the results!

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World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions

2009-11-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

First Time in history Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be teeing it up on Asian Soil. The field is loaded with 7 of the top 10 players in the world. Sheshan Golf Club will host the event. The course is noted as having some of the most difficult greens in Asia, rolling close to 12.5 on the stimpmeter. Measuring 7200 yards: A wide open front nine and a tight tree lined back nine proves to be a true test. Interesting note: the Grinko trees that line the back nine are over a thousand years old.

MY 3 PICKS

1. Tiger Woods coming off a dominating performance for the Americans in the President's Cup, he was undefeated in his 5 matches. This title has eluded Tiger, but not for long.

2. Ian Poulter won last week's Singapore Open coming in confident and loves to compete against Tiger.

3. Phil Mickelson, Lefty, tied for eighth here last year and reportedly is coming in sharp and focused!

Tip of the Week

HITTING THE BALL LONGER: Getting more distance is what everyone wants. Here are a few tips that might help you achieve getting more distance.

At address, keep most of your weight on your right foot (right handed golfers) ~ Widen your stance ~ Tee ball high and hit it with an ascending blow ~ Use a strong grip and light grip pressure ~ Waggle to relax muscles and rehearse hinging of the right wrist ~ Make a wide arc and strive for maximum extension ~ Maximize coil, place left shoulder and hip behind ball on backswing keeping the right knee flexed will help maximize the coiling ~ To maximize coiling, don't lift left foot on backswing ~ Hinge wrists fully at top of backswing ~ Be sure to complete the backswing to put the club in the right position ~ Don't let your left are bend at the top of the backswing ~ Start your downswing by pointing the butt end of the club toward the ball ~ Relax arms, make a shallow approach, delay turning of shoulders on downswing, let arms extend and pull shoulders into finish ~ Accelerate the club slowly on downswing ~ Rotate shaft through impact ~ Try to generate maximum clubhead speed when the clubhead passes the ball, not at or before impact ~ Keep head and upper body behind ball throughout swing ~ Try to keep your right heel on the ground longer on downswing to help keep your body back ~ Hit the ball on the upswing ~ Throughout the swing, the only pressure point in your grip should be at the point where the lower pad of your right thumb meets the knuckle of your left thumb.

All of these components can help create extra distance that we all want and need!