Today, I am at the Accenture Match Play World Championship in Tucson, AZ at the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton Golf Course. The WGC- Accenture Match Play was established in 1999 and has been at Dove Mountain since 2009. The field is comprised of the top 64 players from the official world golf ranking. I am surprised how few spectator there are here, it is a great course to watch a tournament at.
What is match play? Match play can be played against an opponent or teams. If you make the same score as your opponent the match remains at all square. If you lose or win you will go one point up or down. This format of play is great because it allows the player to concede the hole if they have a blow up. You will also see players say a putt is “good” and then the opponent will not have to putt it. After the hole is complete the players are allowed to practice putting on the green. The match concludes when the number of holes or opportunities to square the match is less than the deficit of points the player is ahead in the match.
Today there are 16 matches. Tomorrow there will be eight matches. Saturday will be the quarter-finals and Sunday will host two semifinal matches including a championship and a consolation match.
This is one of the few opportunities to watch the excitement of match play on the PGA Tour. If you don’t get a chance to visit Tucson this week it will be aired on the golf channel. Match Play competition is deep seeded in the tradition of the game and I encourage everyone reading this post to play match play with your playing partners on the course this week. Until then, I have more golf to watch! Have a great day.
Megan Padua is a PGA Certified Instructor, LPGA Member, TPI Level 2 Junior Golf Certified, a TPI Level 1 Golf Professional, Coutour Certified Putter Fitting Professional, and a Staff Teaching Professional with JRG/TSGA programs at the Raven Golf Club Phoenix
Jeff Ritter is a coach, author and speaker specializing in peak performance and life inspiration! In 2010 he was named by Golf Digest Magazine as one of the “Best Young Teachers in America!” Click Here for more information on private and group coaching with Jeff Ritter, Martin Chuck and the entire JRG/TSGA Staff.
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Today’s blog post is for an avid student of the game from New York that sent along some clips of his full swing to me for review. He also included pictures of his grip. Thank you Phil, for providing today’s topic, I hope this tip helps you control the clubface better to hit more accurate shots.
Here is Phil’s Grip for full swing shots in the left hand.
The key to a creating leverage and allowing the face to rotate naturally is to hold the grip in your fingers and under the pad of the left hand. Phil your grip is very much in the palm of your hand, which means you have a lot of potential to hit it longer, straighter and with ease! In the putting stroke, I would like your grip completely in your palms and the shaft running through your forearms, but this palm position is a killer to the full swing. The goal for putting and full swing is very different, therefore a completely different grip is required. The following is a drill that I use with students to get their grip more in their fingers and less in the palm for full swing shots.
In this picture the student is pinching a tee in between the gap of the left hand (for a right handed golfer). This pinch forces the grip to get more into the fingers. My preference is to see a slightly stronger left hand and a neutral right hand. Try taking the grip with your left hand to the side of your body and then hinge the club up. The up and down hinge motion is like a hammer, this is the same motion you will use to hit the golf ball. Finally, add a couple of waggles to loosen tension and get the hands ready to move. In athletic motion you never want to freeze of the ball, you always want a little bit of motion to get you started. Best of luck Phil and please keep those great questions coming.
Megan Padua is a PGA Certified Instructor, LPGA Member, TPI Level 2 Junior Golf Certified, a TPI Level 1 Golf Professional, Coutour Certified Putter Fitting Professional, and a Staff Teaching Professional with JRG/TSGA programs at the Raven Golf Club Phoenix
In this video is a great tip that Martin Chuck demonstrated during a Tour Striker Golf School at The Raven. Many people make the mistake of setting up too close to the ball on the driver. This is due to the optical illusion of the club sitting on the ground versus when it is up in the air (which is where it will be during the strike). If the ball were teed up at the height of a tee ball tee, it would be necessary to set up much further away in order to hit the sweet spot at impact. This tip will help you get more yardage off the tee and keep your driver in the fairway.
Megan Padua is a PGA Certified Instructor, LPGA Member, TPI Level 2 Junior Golf Certified, a TPI Level 1 Golf Professional, Coutour Certified Putter Fitting Professional, and a Staff Teaching Professional with JRG/TSGA programs at the Raven Golf Club Phoenix
Today’s post is dedicated to Kyle Stanley. Congratulations to him on his first PGA Tour victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open yesterday! In a time of adversity, Kyle dug down deep to find greatness.
Who is Kyle Stanley? Kyle isn’t just a young kid that won a PGA event in Phoenix, he has a record of excellence and will be someone that we will hear more and more about as he continues to shake up the PGA Tour.
Kyle Stanley has always possessed an incredible amount of talent. When Kyle was 17 he went to TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) for the first time and his ball speed 186. His ball speed today is 175. In high school Kyle won 4 AJGA events and won the Southern Amatuer two times. When Kyle was a freshman at Clemson University he established 18 individual scoring records. During his college career, Stanley was the only Clemson golfer in history to finish in the top 10 at 3 different NCAA National Events. He joined DJ Trahan and Jonathan Bird in the Clemson history books as one of three to win 3 consecutive First Team All ACC awards. As a sophomore in 2007, he played on the Walker Cup Team. In 2009, as a senior in college, Kyle won the Ben Hogan Award as the best amateur player. After completing his last year of college golf Kyle turned Professional in 2009.
Last Sunday, 24-year old Kyle Stanley was brought to tears at Torrey Pines after a devastating loss after leading the Farmers Insurance Open by seven shots in the final round. As he stood on the 18th tee box, he had a four shot lead and preceded to make a triple bogey and then lost in the playoff to Brandt Snedeker. Did he crumble under pressure? Not necessarily…
Though he could have and maybe should have gone for the hole in two shots, he laid up which most would say is the right play in this situation. He put a little too much spin on his approach shot which would have panned out differently if it landed a few feet further. Instead the ball trickled into the water. He ended with a three-putt from 45 feet away from the hole. On his playoff hole, he lipped out his putt that would have kept him in the hunt. It wouldn’t be fair to say that he totally blew it or that he wasn’t ready to win. Kyle Stanley was READY TO WIN and he had a few tough breaks at Torrey Pines.
This week, Stanley got his redemption at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, our local PGA tour stop at TPC Scottsdale.
Similar to the change of events last week, the recovery from being 8 strokes behind is an unlikely occurrence. At the 18th tee the mood was much different. This time he was not trying to protect his win; he was determined to capture it. As the group stood ready to address their shots a lunactic fan decided to swim across the lake and into the fairway. He was tackled by 3 officers and dragged away. After a few laughs the tour professionals, had to focus in and finish strong. Kyle sank a 4 foot putt on the 18th hole to capture his first win on the PGA Tour.
Facts About Kyle Stanley
(Resources: The following information I got from pgatour.com and my friend Andrew Black, PGA professional from Mayacama Golf Club and Clemson PGM Graduate)
At the beginning of the year Kyle Stanley’s world golf ranking was 148th
Today’s World Golf Ranking is 52nd
FedExCup Ranking: 1st with 846 FedEx Cup Points
Kyle earned an exemption to play his favorite course Augusta National in the Masters this April. His first opportunity to play in this major event.
Kyle is also exempt to play in the Accenture Match Play Championship Feb. 22-26th at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Arizona.
Scoring Average 68.47
Turned Professional in 2009
Born in Gig Harbor, Washington and still lives there
College: Clemson University
Earnings from the Waste Management Phoenix Open: $1,098,000
Career Earnings: 3,492,361
Career Victories: 1
Height: 5 ft 11 inches Weight: 165 Lbs.
Kyle Stanley’s Golf Instructors: Mike Taylor and Dr. Milt Lowderas
Kyle has one sister and thanked his Mom and Dad during his victory speech at TPC Scottsdale.
Other Fun Facts about Kyle Stanley
Favorite Pro Team: Seattle Seahawks
He is superstitious about wearing the color blue
Favorite TV show is ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
Favorite Athletes to watch: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James
Dream Foursome: His Dad, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus
On His Bucket List: To win all four major championships
Has made 4 hole in ones.
Check out What’s In Kyle Stanley’s Golf Bag
Megan Padua is a PGA Certified Instructor, LPGA Member, TPI Level 2 Junior Golf Certified, a TPI Level 1 Golf Professional, Coutour Certified Putter Fitting Professional, and a Staff Teaching Professional with JRG/TSGA programs at the Raven Golf Club Phoenix
This simple drill is a great way to “swing” the club(s) in rhythm with the correct alignments. I do this drill during a round when I have a few moments between shots. Give this parallel club trick a try and I bet you start hitting your irons a little more crisply with better timing.
Martin Chuck is the Inventor/Instructor of the Tour Striker Training Products and Tour Striker Golf Academy. Click Here to learn more about programs with Martin Chuck, Jeff Ritter and the entire JRG/TSGA Staff at the Raven Golf Club Phoenix!
