I Disqualified Myself!!!!

Hi Guys,

Well not a great golfing weekend for me but definately a golfing lesson learned.

This past weekend I was playing in the Armada Deutsche Bank Pro Am here in Poland and had managed to make the cut for the final round.

I was one of the early starters on Day 2 and was teeing off on the tenth. After bogeying my first hole I then pulled my tee shot on my second hole into rough.

My ball was sitting down and I could only see that it was a Titleist 1, so I turned my ball to identify that it had a green R marked on it.

I then took my second shot which I could only move forward about thirty yards and again in thick rough.

My playing partner found the ball and yes it was a Titleist 1, but this time I did not check and played my next shot up onto the green about ten feet from the cup.

When I got up onto the green I marked my ball and put it in my pocket, my playing partner holed out and I reset my ball back on the green using the Titleist logo to line up.

From there I holed the putt and put the ball in my pocket. It was not until I got on the next tee that I realised that the ball I finished with was not my own. It was my mistake which of course was too late.

I played on for the next three holes until we could find a marshall. I explained that I thought I should be disqualified and he confirmed this.

Not one of my best golfing days but a serious lesson learned.

All the Best

Richard

Burning Golf Problems

Hi Guys,

Not had a chance to post over the last 10 days but just wanted to try and get afew of you involved in helping me get some questions together for a set of GOLF PRO interviews i am doing for the blog.

I need you guys to leave your comments on any golfing question or problem you are facing right now and we will try to get them answered during the interviews we do with the golf pros.

I cannot tell you who we have but it will include some very high quality teaching pros.

All the Best

Richard

Phil Mickelson does a backflip

Hi Guys,

You will not believe this video, just take a look at something i found on You Tube and thought you should see this for yourself.



I hope you try this out because i sure am next time i am on the course.

Go get em Tiger....... Oops I meant Phil

All the best

Richard

Smith Tops US Open Leaderboard

"Today at the US Open, newcomer and amateur Richard Smith shot an outstanding 64 to claim a six shot lead after the first round of arguably the toughest of the four majors.................."

Ok, so who is this Richard Smith? Well it's me. Yes I know i am not really at the top of the leaderboard but we can all dream can't we!!!

As the first round of the US open gets underway today everbody will be wondering if the inevitable tough conditions will play into the hands of one Zach Johnson. After winning a very tough Masters by playing very steady golf is it possible that Johnson could win again.

It is certainly a possibility.

However, I am rooting for Justin Rose to produce his first major after some very solid performances this season.

Please leave a comment and let all of our blog readers know who you fancy to be crowned champion on Sunday Evening.

To get all the latest scores go to PGA Tour.com

All the Best

Big Golf Buddy

A Big Golf Lesson

Hi Guys,

I am not sure if you have seen many interesting golf articles lately but i have just upddated my website Big Golf Lesson with a number of new articles and fresh design.

The articles are covering a number of different areas of the game and I am sure their is something of interest on the site for most of you golfing fanatics.

Please pop over to Big Golf Lesson and check it out. I would love to get you comments about the site and also about the Blog.

All the Best Richard

Golf Balls or Easter Eggs

Hi Guys,

Hope you all had a great Easter Holiday and did not eat too many Choccie Easter Eggs or Golf Balls for that matter.

So how about that for a "CRACKING" (no pun intended) golf tournament. This Masters will live long in the memory for being a total rollercoaster ride for all involved. The players and the fans

However at the end of the day it went to the guy who drove the ball well and kept it in the fairway.

Our congratulations go to Zach Johnson who produced a fantastic final round to see off all challengers including Tiger and lift his first major title.

Lets hope other tournaments take notice of what has happened at Augusta and make the game more of athinking and pressure situation.

All the Best

Richard

What shall I ask a European Tour Pro

Hi Guys,

I have some very exciting news for you today and i also want to ask for your help.

I have just agreed to do a series of audio interviews with the founders of Instinctive Golf, Kendal McWade, Paul Affleck and Paul Eales.

Kendal McWade has now worked with 1000’s of golfers of all standards, from the complete novice through to Ryder Cup stars like Paul McGinley..

Kendal now delivers his message to professionals throughout Europe as part of the PGA’s Continual Development Programme. Instinctive Golf is undoubtedly at the cutting edge of golf coaching and Kendal is totally committed to helping as many golfers as possible have more fun learning and playing this great game.

Paul Affleck, during his time competing with Europe’s best golfers played in over 200 European tour events, including 3 Open Championships and represented his country, Wales on 2 occasions in the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews.

Paul is now part of the R and A Development Team committed to promoting golf in countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia. As part of the 2005 programme Paul played La Paz the highest golf course in the world, and during the trip he holed a 4 wood for an albatross two on a 600 yard par 5. The ball does travel a very long way at 5000 feet above sea level, but nevertheless it was still a magnificent piece of skill.

Paul Eales joined the European Challenge Tour in 1990 ultimately winning in Hamburg in 1991, and finally graduating to the main Tour in 1993.

His only win to date on the European Tour was in 1994 when he came out top in the Extemadura Open.

Although no longer active as a player on tour, Paul remains a member of The Board of Directors of the European Tour.

Paul has a great passion for helping others and is a fully qualified Instinctive Golf Master Coach.

And now YOU can get help with your game by adding your questions to the comments section of the blog. Make sure you leave your e mail address as well so that i can send you a copy of the interviews. I am very excited about this and know that you will learn a lot from these interviews.

All the Best

Richard

Can Golf Be A Simple Game?

Now I have a question for you:

Can Golf Be A Simple Game?

I have just finished reading a golf book titled "Golf Can Be A Simple Game"

When I first saw the website for this book I thought it would be a bunch of garbage like so many other golf products out there, however I decided to get the book as I do like to read different teachings on golf to see if there is anything new or different.

Now the book is over 90 pages in length and I will be honest, it is not an easy read, however it is an EYE OPENING read.

The first 5 sections cover the main issue with playing golf and that is the GOLF SWING. The Author of this has put together a resource which teaches the swing in 8 simple steps.

The first four steps cover the backswing and the next four steps cover the downswing and contact.

The way that he teaches and describes how you can get the perfect simple golf swing are really eye opening and this is a method I could see many amateurs being able to use to teach themselves without the expense of lessons.

I would certainly recommend taking a look at Golf Can Be A Simple Game.

All the Best Richard

Did Adam and Morgan play "INSTINCTIVE" Golf

Hi Guys,

And first off we would like to offer our congratulations to Adam Scott and Morgan Pressel for their wins this weekend. What a victory for the young 18 year old, the youngest ever winner of a major title in the women's golf realm.

But going back to the title on the post. Did Adam or Morgan play "Instinctive Golf"

I was sitting with a friend of mine on Friday, his name is Andy and he is a teaching pro here in Poland. He was telling me about a new teaching method called "Instinctive Golf' which has been developed by one leading teaching pro and two former tour players in the UK.

Andy was telling me that rather than tell the pupil what to do, the method is more focussed on asking the golfer to describe why he/she made a bad shot and how they would rectify it.

I know this sort of radical, but maybe it might just work.

Andy attended their session for teaching pro's and will be setting up some workshops here in Poland which i think I will attend.

Andy mentioned that one of the drills was hitting a ball from a three foot high tee peg with just the clubhead of a driver attached to a golf grip, weird eh!!

Even so, he thinks it will catch on and maybe you should take a look at it.

Instinctive Golf is totally committed to becoming the worlds most effective and empowering coaching “method”. How? Well by moving the game away from thinking, and moving it towards feeling. You see FEEL is what we use to perform all the amazing motion skills we possess. You don’t think how to walk, you FEEL how to walk. You don’t think how hard to throw the piece of paper into the bin, you FEEL how hard to throw it. And if golf is to change then it must align itself accordingly, because more information is not the answer.

You can visit the website at www.instinctivegolf.com

All the Best

Richard

Mental Golf Instruction - Making Par 5s Easy!!!

Hi Guys,

Today I want to ask you if the mental part of the golf game is important and maybe at the end of the post you could leave your comments and tips for other readers of the blog.

Today i want to give you a mental golf practice routine that you can use on your home course to more or less guarantee a par on the long holes.

I want you to visualise the first Par 5 at your course and write down the easiest way to play it. Now please take note i said "easiest way to play it" and not the way you would usually play it

I'll give you an example.......the first hole on my home course is a 490 yard Par 5 with a tee shot over water of about 170 yards to find the fairway, this would be followed by a shot of about 180 yards to leave you a third shot of about 140 yards (again over water) to a nice big green.

Now when you read that it sounds quite easy apart from the water.

Lets break it down:

Shot 1 170 yards (4 or 5 iron) Everyone usually takes a driver
Shot 2 180 yards (4 iron or 5 wood) A lot of people are already in the water or in rough because the shot with the driver has gone AWOL
Shot 3 140 yards (7 or 8 or 9 iron)
Shot 4 Putt
Shot 5 Putt

There you go!!! A nice Par to start the round with and I didn't need to take a driver.

This is just a mental thought!!! Does a tee shot mean you take your driver out of the bag every time? It does not have to.

Sorry for rambling but this golf lesson and instruction will help you lower your scores without a shadow of a doubt.

I want you to do what I have done above and write out for every hole the easiest way to reach the green in regulation by breaking the hole down into small pieces (One shot at a time)

If you then plan your game around this i guarantee you will shoot your lowest round. I can say this because other golfers who have subscribed to my free mental golf drills course have had the same results.

All the Best

Richard

A special post for our Lady Golfers and readers

Hi Guys, (and Girls)

I hope we are looking forward to this weekends PGA and LPGA events, and talking about the LPGA i have been searching the web for stories for our lady readers out there and spotted this one about American Express supporting the game of golf for women.

For the third year in a row American Express will be the title sponsor for American Express Women's Golf Week.

How good it is to see a large corporate taking an interest in women's golf, this event is a golf development program and is held nationwide in the US from June 2-9, 2007.


This programme will provide women who are 14 years of age and older to take their first steps to learn and play golf in a women-friendly environment.

American Express is pioneering in these outreach efforts to reach women golfers.

Women's Golf Week has been developed in response to input from leaders in the golf industry.

PlayGolfAmerica.com is the ultimate search engine for accessing information on player development programs for adults, women and families nationwide.

An exert from the article says:

"This is the third year for the American Express Women's Golf Week, and each year participation increases dramatically," said Trish Davis, EWGA chief operating officer and chair of the American Express Women's Golf Week committee.

"The chance to once again team up with a company like American Express is exciting for us, as we know they are just as committed to growing the game of golf among women as we are."

This year it is estimated that more than 50,000 women will attend an American Express Women's Golf Week event at a course in their community. This has to be good for the game and hopefully it will lead to more families becoming involved in both the competitive and social aspects of the game.

If mums get "into the game" then so will their kids and this whole exercise will hopefully see the next Tiger Woods and the next Paula Creamer emerge.

In it's first year more than 10,000 women attended and this increased to 24,500 women golfers participating in various American Express Women's Golf Week activities in 2006.

Events for Women's Golf Week are customized at each facility and include complimentary instruction, among other golf and social events. In addition, many facilities will also offer exclusive savings for American Express Card members, such as 20 percent off a round of golf at participating courses.

After advancing the program for two years, GOLF 20/20 handed over management responsibility for Women's Golf Week to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA), The PGA of America and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA)
Consumers can find more details about the 2007 American Express Women's Golf Week, including a complete list of participating facilities, details on specific events and access to online registration at www.PlayGolfAmerica.com beginning in May.

So come on girls, get out there and take part in what will be a fun and fantastic week of golf

I hope you have enjoyed this article and please take a look at our website www.biggolflesson.com where you can find more golf articles.

I have also just released a golf instruction book which you can check out at www.21daystobettergolf.com

All the Best

Richard

One top 25 and that's not his guitar solo

Hi Guys,

This week sees the PGA tour move to the Shell Houston Open where it will be party time for many golf revellers and here is one golf writer who is hoping that we might see the atmosphere at the Houston Open spark up a revival in everyones favourite Big John Daly.

Daly has only played 7 events this season and has only made two cuts of which one ended in a top 25 finish.

Even so, there is no better sight than seeing John Daly unleash those exorcet missiles he calls drives.

We can all learn something from Daly even though his results are not what both he and us would want them to be.

Daly has a coil in his upper body which to most people would be difficult to master, especially for a big guy like John. But it his flexibility that allows him to get into this very powerful position.

I will be watching closely this weekend and hope that one of the real true characters of golf can give us something to shout about, i am sure the fans in Houston will be cheering whatever the result.

For more golf articles please take a moment to visit www.biggolflesson.com

All the Best

Richard

Don't worry LEFTY will get it all RIGHTY

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to write this post this morning before the final round get's underway for the CA World Championship and it looks like young Mr Woods is turning the whole affiar into a procession.

After starting the third round with an Eagle it was clear pretty early that Tiger was on fire and now as we head into the final round today he looks a cetainty to pick up his 14th World Championship event in just 25 starts which is a phenomenal golf record.

But what about Phil Mickelson? Well Lefty is definately out of the running for this one at Doral and i am sure many golf writers will be writing off his chances of defending The Masters title.

This is apparently Mickelson's final event before the first golf major of the season, He is not taking part in the Housten Open.

But i do not subscribe to the view that his indifferent start to the season will have an effect. In truth I believe he will get his preparation spot on and win another coveted green jacket.

Please add your comments on who you think will win the first major of the season and dont forget to pop over to www.biggolflesson.com to pick up a free golf tips course

Have a great day and enjoy the final day if you are watching

All the best

Richard

Spring is in the Air

Hi Guys,

As you are probably aware I have not posted for some time now but just wanted to let you all know that I have just completed my new golf learning product which has been released this week.

You can check it out at www.21daystobettergolf.com

So here we are again, a new season nearly upon us and The Masters just around the corner to get us excited and primed to do our own version of Tiger Woods. I am sure everybody, you included are asking can Tiger do the SLAM???

I think it is just too difficult, but i do believe he will win at least two of this seasons majors and i think LEFTY will win the other two.

As for your game, what plans do you have to improve? I have just finished writing a new report for my subscribers at www.biggolflesson.com and will be placing this on the blog over the coming weeks. It is a series of articles about improving and developing your golf swing.

I wish everybody the best for the new season and hope you achieve all of your goals.

All the Best

Richard