Salman - King of Wedges.

Salman & Juno played Chester W. Ditto in Arlington yesterday.  It was Salman's first time playing 18 holes and we picked a very challenging course to do so.  He played very well and had some amazing shots with his wedges. 

Salman scored +10pts +1 High Five, by shooting a 113, losing 3 balls, draining a FAR chip shot, and one-putting after chipping from off the green on two holes.  (B0, D1, G3, G6).

Juno scored +6pts, by shooting a 103, losing 2 balls, playing a course two days after his last round, and one-putting after chipping from off the green.  (B1, D2, F6, G6).

"I switched back to an interlocking grip. My driving was much better than usual. I was hitting far and accurate; but I was mishitting some crucial shots around the green and missed some easy putts.  I also misplaced some long shots with my hybrids, despite making solid contact.  Back to the drawing board." -Juno

Great job on holing that chip in on the 15th Salman! It was from so far away that we could've had a conversation during the time that ball spent rolling on the green! Mega props!

Season Point Totals as of 1/30/12

• Juno: 74 pts
• Phong: 34 pts
• Salman: 27 pts
• Jeremy: 11 pts
• Tony: 4 pts
• Soks: 1 pts
• (i)Patrick: 0 pts
• (i)Jon: 0 pts
• (i)Jason: 0 pts
• (i)Vu: 0 pts

Tip: Make All Your Short Putts

Here's how to stabilize your body on short putts so the putterface remains square: Put pressure on the instep of your front foot at address, and keep it there. This allows your shoulders, arms and hands to work on a consistent track. If your weight moves toward your front foot's heel on the downstroke, your body is twisting open, causing the putterface to close. This problem is often a product of turning to see where the ball is going. So keep your weight on that front instep.

—David Leadbetter / Golf Digest Teaching Professional

Best Place to Start? And congrats to Phong!

Vu got his starter golf club set yesterday and we talked about what I thought the most efficient way for him to get started was.  We're both in similar positions with a general lack of time to practice; so I wanted to help him avoid the mistakes I made in the beginning that prevented me from progressing at maximum efficiency.

Here are two very helpful links.

• Grip
• Address Setup: Posture, Stance, Alignment

I definitely want to hear everyone's input on this, and I'll be linking the related forum topic to the image to the right.  Just click the noob in the center and let us know your thoughts.

Mega-props to Phong for being the first player to get the +10pts F1 achievement by playing The Old Course of Firewheel Golf in Garland, TX. That marks 5 different 18 hole courses that Phong has played in 2012, and January isn't even over yet!!!  Great job Phong!
This is also the 2nd course he's played within 7 days so he scores an additional +1. (F6).

Season Point Totals as of 1/23/12

• Juno: 58 pts
• Phong: 34 pts
• Salman: 17 pts
• Jeremy: 11 pts
• Tony: 4 pts
• Soks: 1 pts
• (i)Patrick: 0 pts
• (i)Jon: 0 pts
• (i)Jason: 0 pts
• (i)Vu: 0 pts

Dustin Johnson Shows the Way

Tip: Don't Waste Your Waggle

If you aren't paying attention to what you're doing right before you swing, you're missing a great chance to rehearse a good takeaway. Use your waggle to ingrain three things: You want the club to hinge up and move inside and the clubface to rotate open relative to the target line. The clubface should stay square to the arc of your swing, so as the clubhead tracks to the inside, the face has to rotate open (left). Get this takeaway right, and you're off to a good start.

—Hank Haney / Golf Digest Teaching Professional

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Waterview Golf Club

Phong played Waterview Golf Club in Rowlett, TX today.  Shot a personal best of 100, lost 2 balls. (B2, D2) 

Points are up to date as of 1/13/12.  Friday the 13th and a stellar performance!  Well done Phong!

In other news, Jeremy replaced his hybrids with fairway woods.  Juno purchased a new driver plus a new midsize grip for his putter and is eagerly awaiting their arrival in the mail.  Keep an eye on the player profile page for the gear changes!

What is the Origin of 'Skins,' as in 'Skins Game'?

Tony and Juno played a short game of match play yesterday.  Tony scored 1 pt and Juno scored 2 pts.  Point totals are up to date as of 1/12/12.

What is the Origin of 'Skins,' as in 'Skins Game'?

A "skins game" is a golf betting game that pits members of a group of four (or three or two) against each other in a type of match play. Each hole carries a value, and the winner of the hole wins that amount. Ties, or halves, result in the bet amount being carried over to the following hole, adding to the pot. When a player wins a hole, they are said to have won a "skin." Which leads us to our frequently asked question: Why "skin"? Where does the term "skins" originate?  Find out more after the jump.

TIP: Get used to making putts

This simple drill helps build confidence on the greens. Start by holing a one-foot putt. Then move back in one-foot increments until you miss: Go to two feet, three feet and so on (left). When you do miss, start over at the one-foot distance. If you get out to eight feet, pat yourself on the back. If you're struggling to get past two or three feet, clear your mind and focus on accelerating the putterhead through the ball.

—Tom Watson / Golf Digest Playing Editor

Tenison Park & Sherrill Park

Phong played at Tenison Park Golf Club & Sherrill Park Golf Course this weekend.  He lost three balls on Tenison, and one on Sherrill (D1, D2, F5).   So far Phong is already up to four different 18 hole courses for the season and it's only the 9th of January.  Good job Phong!

Points are up to date as of 1/9/12

Sean Foley Wisdom

"Many golfers suffer from a reverse identity crisis, meaning they have a mind-set about how well they should play.  When a 10-handicapper birdies a hole, how often does the next tee shot sail out of play?  Conversely, when scratch golfers make a triple bogey, they get so upset, as if they didn't think they could still make triple.  Don't let score dictate the kind of golfer you are.  There's so much about golf you can't control.  Focus on process over performance.  Otherwise, you'll always play at the same level." 

 -Sean Foley, Golf Digest Teaching Professional.  (from Feb '12 issue of GD)

Juno's New Swing

Last swing is way flatter at the top compared to the first few swings.  Hope this change sticks.  Feels good making my driver relevant again, because before today my distance with the driver was just about the same as my 3 hybrid.
-Juno

Tip: Easy Fix for Poor Chipping

Fat or thin chip shots often result because the club travels too far inside the target line on the backswing and then back to the ball. This shallow path causes the club to either touch down before impact (the chunk) or catch the ball on the upswing (the skull). Instead, hit your chips with a putting stroke. Take the club straight back and up with minimal wrist hinge then down into the back of the ball, re-creating your address position (left). The club should finish low to the ground, with your left wrist flat.
—Jim Flick / Golf Digest Teaching Professional

Reasonable Golf & Helpful Tools

Most of these we already implement since we're pals.  But it's important that, when playing casually with friends, the main focus is keeping the round going at a good pace.  Don't want any human rain delays.

Also, shotbyshot.com had a pretty cool scorecard that should help you keep track of your stats efficiently on the course.  The site featured a helpful tutorial on how to use the scorecard too.

• Scorecard in pdf format, from ShotByShot.com 

• Instructions on how to use the scorecard

Links at Land's End

Juno played the Links at Land's End golf course today.  Shot a 106, and lost three balls.  (B1, D1, F5)
Almost got the distance achievement, but unfortunately the course is only 121 miles away from the house.

"It was a pretty rough round but still a lot of fun.  I played with my uncle and we played at a nice relaxing pace since the course was pretty empty.  I put up my driver at the fifth hole because it just wasn't working for me today.  I also learned how much visual distractions can affect your swing.  Holes 5-14 feature a big lake in your sight line and the water really affected my focus and aim.  I think I was hooking the ball right subconsciously to avoid slicing into the lake at all costs.  The coolest holes were the 9th and 16th because the green was on a peninsula, which provided a very interesting approach.  The course is definitely worth a road trip."
-Juno

Point totals are up to date as of 1/3/12 and Juno is in the lead with six points.

Buffalo Creek Golf Club, Rockwall, TX

Phong & Juno played at Buffalo Creek in Rockwall, TX today with two of Phong's friends.
Great round, congratulations to Phong for getting on the green in two on a par 5.  Missing his eagle putt but draining the birdie putt like a boss.  (A3)
Juno hit a 35 foot putt with a left break to save par on the 18th hole, lost 3 balls total, and shot a 96.  (A9, B2, D1)

Point totals have been updated and as of 1/2/12 Phong is in the lead with 5pts.

Happy New Year!

2011 is over and 2012 is here.  Congratulations to all of you for all your accomplishments.  I could spend hours reflecting on what 2011 taught me, but what's most important to me are the people still in my life at the end of the year.
To Phong for being consistently amazing in school and becoming Taylormade's No. 1 fanboy. 
To Salman for another successful year at Ericsson and all your golf accomplishments.
To Soks for powering through many hardships that would've had lesser men giving up.
To Tony, congratulations on being the first to score and best wishes to you, Jenny, Greyson, and the bun in the oven, Liam. 

I'm glad I have such a great group of friends.  Here's to golf, school, work, & king of fighters 13.

Cheers,
Juno