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Is Phil Mickelson The Best At Golf?

2012-03-12T09:37:00.020-07:00

Ask anyone in the golf world who the best golfer on tour is and you will likely hear the name Phil Mickelson. With career winnings in excess of $65 million, a green jacket and an ability to make the most incredible backward shot ever, its hard to argue.

But lets not just look at earnings as an indicator of greatness. Lets examine his performance through the years. Phil has been on the tour for 2 decades now and has some impressive stats to show for it. He is currently ranked 13th in the world and with 835 points he is ranked 5th in the Fedex cup this season, which many consider to be the truest indicator of who is playing the best golf. His average score per round is an incredible 69.64! That's low enough to hurt your feelings.

Although he has suffered from injuries, he still is playing at the highest level. His best finish on the PGA TOUR in 2012 was 1st at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He ranks 22nd in scoring average on the PGA TOUR and has two top 10 finishes this season. With only six events played this year he has pursed $1,845,431.. Not too shabby!

Below is a comparison of Phil's present day stats to his early days on the PGA Tour.

1993

2012

From this data we can see an overall improvement over the past 20 years. His driving distance increased, his putting and scoring average dropped significantly and he is getting birdies and eagles more often. By far the biggest improvement has been in his earnings. From being ranked 90th in 1992 to 4th in 2011 he has seen a huge improvement, one that I'm sure he is happy about.

It is interesting to note that in 1993 his driving distance was 269.2 and he was ranked 25th. Today he hits farther at 291.8 but is only ranked 66th. This could be attributed to the rise in the level of play in the last decade, advances in equipment technology or a combination of both.

So, is Phil the greatest golfer to play the game? The short answer, perhaps. His career stats are impressive and he is one of the highest earning golfer's ever. He is currently faced with tough competition from a new generation of golfers. But if the past is any indicator of the future, we should expect to see Phil assert his dominance up and down the course. Look for him playing later this month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.

Tiger Woods’ Uncanny Caddy is Unusually Lucky

2011-08-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods finished his last round of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational feeling "Absolutely encouraged", as he ended the tournament with a score of one over par. Although Woods did make the headlines, it was not for his play on the course, but rather his connection with the man who beat him by 18 strokes Sunday.

Adam Scott won the tournament with a score of -17, four strokes better than second place finishers Rickie Fowler and Luke Donald. This week Adam Scott and Tiger Woods developed a unique connection that ended up keeping Tiger’s name in the news regardless of his sub-average play. On July 20^th, Woods fired his longtime caddy and close friend Steve Williams. Williams carried Tiger’s bag for 12 years and 13 Major Championships. This came to a major surprise to Williams and the golf world. An even bigger surprise is the fact that Steve Williams was the winning caddy for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, for his new employer, Adam Scott. Scott and Williams should thank Woods for firing Williams and giving him the opportunity to work together in what Williams said was the “best week of my life”.

Not the best week for Tiger

Is Steve Williams good luck? Does he know golf secrets that can propel his partnered player on a regular basis? Maybe this is just an uncanny coincidence.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

What is the best golf drill for learning how to control the golf ball, and improving power and distance?

2011-08-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

One of The most important thing in golf is controlling the golf ball. Control is accomplished by solid club face to ball contact, while the club face is square to the target line, and traveling on the target line swing path.

One of the best drills for accomplishing these two goals is the L to L drill. The picture to the left is of Tiger Woods hitting a full shot. Notice the L formed by his arms and the shaft in the downswing. If you are unfamiliar with the drill, google “golf L to L drill”. There are many links that will demonstrate how to do it properly. I would check out a few links as there are differences in what some feel is important. Here are two of my favorites: L to L one. L to L two.

The drill will help you develop a good weight shift, proper hand action through the ball, and a feeling that you are controlling the golf ball. I recommend using your 7 iron. While performing the drill concentrate on extension on both sides of the ball, letting the right knee, and hip lead the arms through the shot, keeping your head behind the ball until after contact, staying balanced, and holding the finish with your weight on your forward side and your back foot up on the toes. If you swing a little past the L on the forward swing, that is OK. Do not try to muscle the ball. Concentrate on a smooth motion and solid contact. All experts agree that the number one key for more distance is solid contact. That is what you are trying to groove with this drill. Swing, don’t hit. This is also a great drill to practice Hogan’s Power Move.

You can keep track of your progress by seeing how many shots it takes to hit ten perfect shots. A perfect shot will be defined as one where there is good crisp contact, and the ball is traveling on the intended target line. You should usually be able to complete a session in 10 to 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes, you still have not reached 10 “perfects”, just record how many perfects you had that session.

When you are ready to hit a full shot just extend your swing, and use the same action you grooved through the hitting area. You will also become very proficient from a hundred yards in (the scoring zone) once you get the feel for how far the ball will travel with the L to L swing using different clubs. You will hit these short shots with confidence knowing that you will make crisp contact and the ball will be sailing straight to the target.

Now there is only one problem, finding time to perform the drill. Anyone can find 10 or 15 minutes, but we put off practicing because getting to the range takes time. The perfect practice aid that will allow you to perform this drill, using a real golf ball, in the limited area of your own backyard is the Ropeit. Just click here to see a youtube video of the Ropeit in action so you can check it out. After viewing the video you can get your own Ropeit at www.theropeit.com. It comes with an unconditional money back guarantee, so all you have to lose is strokes off your handicap.

Perform this drill three or four times a week, in total less than an hour of practice, and I guarantee that your ball striking will improve immensely. Please post a comment and let us know how the drill has worked for you.

A great golf gift for under(25) twenty five dollars, and the most unique golf gift ever. Give a present of lower golf scores.

2011-07-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

You could get the golfer in your life some boring balls, tees, gloves, a tie, or some Old Spice after shave, and all of those gifts would be nice. But if you are looking for a unique golf gift, that any golfer would love, then give the gift of lower golf scores. Get the golfer in your life a Ropeit.

The Ropeit is a golf practice aid that allows a golfer to hit full swing golf shots, using a real golf ball, in their own backyard. The Ropeit is the ideal gift for the golfer that only has a limited amount of time to practice. It allows them to practice anytime, anywhere, and on their schedule.

So if you want to make any golfer happy, with a great gift, get them a Ropeit. They’ll be glad you did.

Click, SEE THE ROPEIT IN ACTION to preview a video on youtube. Or, go to www.theropeit.com to order yours now.

Who will be Tiger Woods new caddie?

2011-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

In case you haven’t heard, Tiger Woods has fired long time caddy Steve Williams. Williams had been Tiger’s caddy since 1999. This is a bit of a surprise, as they have won together 72 times around the world, including 13 majors. There was also more than a player caddy relationship. Williams acted as a buffer and a body guard, and they were friends. They vacationed together, and were in each other’s wedding party. They will always be linked together as a great winning combination.

Williams was last seen caddying for Adam Scott at the British Open and it looks like that relationship will continue. He is only the second caddie that Woods has had on a regular basis. The other was Mike “Fluff” Cowan. Under Woods Fluff was becoming a celebrity in his own right, and he was let go when Woods felt that he was using him for self promotion.

So who will be Tiger’s new caddy? How about Michael Jordon? Both of them have the: win at all cost attitude, and they share sexular, I mean similar interests. The celebration party’s would be legendary. Another possible candidate would be Charles Barkley. He could certainly replace Williams as the body guard. There would have to at least one stipulation: Barkley would not be allowed to swing a golf club when Woods was around. How about Sean Foley, Woods’ swing coach? And my last candidate: Kristi Hommel, you may remember her as Steve Scott’s caddy. She has just about everything that Tiger looks for. Hmm?

Please post a comment and let us know who you feel will be Tiger’s new caddy.

Don’t forget to check out the Ropeit to help sharpen your own game.