Corey Pavin won the Allianz Championship at Boca Raton

Corey Pavin collected $270,000 and his first win on the Champions Tour at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Florida.

Throughout his golf career, the 5’ 9”, 155#, Pavin has been one of the shortest hitters on tour.  He has averaged around 260 yards off the tee which has always ranked him near 200^th in driving distance.  Because of this deficiency he was forced to develop a complete golf game.

He is known as being able to control the flight of his golf ball better than anyone since Ben Hogan.  He has the ability to hit the ball high, low, with a fade or draw, whatever the shot may call for.

Corey’s nickname on tour is “Bulldog”.  He is a veracious player especially in match play.

He has 28 wins world-wide including 15 PGA Tour wins.  Pavin won the PGA Tour’s money list title in 1991, rallied from three back to win the 1995 U. S. Open in Shinnecock Hills, and climbed as high as fifth on the Official World Golf Rankings.

Pavin was even selected to Captain the 2010 U. S. Ryder Cup Team.

Corey Pavin has done it all in golf and has had a long and illustrious career.  For all younger golfers out there that are frustrated with their lack of length off the tee, learn to shape and control ball flight, work on your short game.  Nothing frustrates a long hitter more than their short hitting opponent knocking down pins while they are hitting wedges 25 ft from the hole.

Corey Pavin learned this a long time ago and has had a marvelous 30 year career.

18 year old LPGA rookie Jessica Korda won the 2012 ISPS Women's Australian Open

The LPGA joined forces with the Australian LPGA and Ladies European Tour to co-sponsor the ISPS Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

The overall purse was increased by $400,000 in 2012 to $1.1 million with $165,000 going to eventual winner, 18 year old, LPGA Tour rookie, Jessica Korda.

Korda bested two Koreans, Hee Keyung Seo, and So Yeon Ryu, Mexican born, Julieta Granada, and two American players, Brittany Lincicome, and Stacy Lewis in a two hole playoff to claim her first LPGA win.

This gives the Korda family two Australian Open titles.  Jessica’s father Petr Korda, originally from the Czech Republic, was a professional tennis player and won the 1998 Australian Open.

Jessica earned her LPGA playing privileges by making it through Q school at the end of 2011.  She was a top ranked amateur for several years and had been a runner-up in the U. S. Women’s Amateur.

Two-time defending ISPS Women’s Australian Open Champion, Yani Tseng, played well in the first round posting a three-under par 70 but struggled in round two with a three-over par 76.  She rebounded on the weekend with rounds of 71-74 eventually finishing at one-under par and tied for 8^th place.

As always Royal Melbourne Golf Club provided a superb test for the ladies and remains one of the best golf courses in the world.  Only nine golfers broke par for the week and the cut came at +7.

The LPGA now moves to Thailand and Singapore for the next two events in February before the RR Donnelly LPGA Founders Cup from Phoenix held March 15-18.

Don't be this Guy.

Have you ever started your round with a double bogey or worse and allowed it to spoil the rest of your round?

A poor first hole has ruined any chance you might have had at a good score so now you become defeatist or start pressing trying to make birdies to make up for the lost shots.  Either way it creates negative energy that will continue to affect your performance.

Confidence and Trust are two very important factors of the golf game.  You must have confidence that the type of shot you have decided to play is the correct one.  Then you must trust the club and swing to compete the action.

If you let a poor hole bring your energy level down it will diminish your confidence and trust and affect the balance of your overall game.

To help maintain better balance and positive energy throughout your round, break it up into 3-hole segments.  Give yourself 6 chances for success.  Don’t let one bad hole affect the entire round.

Dividing the round into smaller segments also allows you to better analyze the strengths and weaknesses in your game.  These then become the parts of your game that you can take to the practice range for work and improvement.  You now know what areas of your game need help and through practice you will do better the next time out.

A positive plan for improvement equals positive energy.  You feel better about your overall strategy for improving golf rather wasting energy and dwelling on the things that cause poor performance.   A poor shot or hole only become a step on the path to better golf.  It is not the end, only the beginning.

Look Familiar? Anybody you know?

Dividing your attention to smaller segments will also help you maintain focus.  Once a 3-hole segment is completed stop obsessing and concentrate on the next 3-holes.

A golfer plays not only the course but himself during his round.  If you feel that all hope of a good round is lost then you will lose concentration and focus.  This again creates negative energy and you lose the enjoyment that playing golf should provide.

It is very difficult to maintain concentration on anything for 4 ½ – 5 hours.

Professional golfers learn to give 100% of their focus to the shot that faces them for the 1-2 minutes it takes to decide what shot to hit and then perform the shot itself.  They then switch off those actions, move on to other trains of thought and relax their mind between shots.

For most amateur golfers jumping on a cart, tweeting on their smart phone while checking their email, and guzzling a quick swig of beer helps to break up concentration between shots.  This is not really what I had in mind but if the shoe fits.

Golf courses are generally pristine bits of nature at its finest.  Neatly maintained fairways and greens along creeks, or ponds that blend into wooded glades, provide a pastoral walk through nature.  Not a race on a golf cart or a rant about bad shots.

Enjoy golf, always remember, “We play golf…..We don’t work golf”.

Find ways to turn the negatives into positives.  Break your round into smaller segments and look for those positives.

Robert Rock bested Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy to capture the Abu Dhabi HSBC on the European Tour

Robert Rock is the Jimmy Johnson of the European Tour.  He never wears a hat and is always perfectly coiffed.

Robert, starting his 12^th season on the European Tour, has made 136 cuts in 229 starts.  He has 24 top tens, including two wins and has earned €3.7 million.

If you remember the 2011 U. S. Open, Rock was one of the alternates that gained entry at the last minute and had to rush to obtain a visa to enter the United States and play at Congressional.  He arrived on Wednesday and hit the first tee on Thursday, eventually finishing a respectable T-23.

He did have a T-7 in the 2010 British Open and T-38 in the 2011 British, the only other major tournaments that he has been eligible to play.

Robert entered the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship ranked 117^th in the world.  With his win this week he will jump up into the top 60 and become eligible for all the WGC events.  If he can just move up a little more into the top 50 will qualify for the Masters.

With all of the attention given to Donald, Westwood, McIlroy, Kaymer and Tiger Woods, Rock was able to slip by all of them and capture the Falcon Trophy.

He was in the same group with Tiger on Sunday, looked him straight in the eyes and out played him.  Tiger shot even par 72, eventually finished T-3.  Rory McIlroy playing in the group ahead, shot a final round 69 and finished runner-up.

It was a great win for Robert Rock and should give him even more confidence to contend as the year progresses.

Tiger Woods leads Rory McIlroy by two shots heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods played a 9-hole practice round together on Wednesday and were in the same grouping for the first three rounds of the tournament.  Tiger clearly got the better of young Rory.

Although Rory has played well posting 67-72-68 and sits at -9 under par good for T-3 heading into the final round, he has clearly been a little rattled.

The 36 year old Woods has been consistently longer with the driver than 22 year old Rory.  Plus McIlroy had a complete brain freeze during the second round and brushed sand from his line on a putt from the fringe which incurred a two shot penalty.

The “Tiger Factor” appears to be working as McIlroy seems to be pressing just a wee bit to out do Woods.

Robert “The Hair” Rock is tied with Tiger at -11 under par and they will be paired together in the final round.  The real tournament for me though is watching Rory and his attempt to overtake Woods.

There is a lot going on in the desert this week.  One aging super star is trying to show a young aggressive super star that he still has a lot of game left and plans on regaining his true place at the top of the golfing hierarchy.

The Harbour Town Yacht Club is offering an extremely affordable 3 day/2 night package

Want to break away from the snow, slush, and cold weather?  Maybe get reacquainted with those golf clubs that are hiding in your garage.

The recently renovated Harbour Town Yacht Club is offering a package that you simply can’t refuse.

Harbour Town Yacht Club can provide the perfect winter escape that combines pristine golf, first class accommodations, quaint shopping, and a plethora of fine dining possibilities.  It is the finest address on Hilton Head Island.

For more than 20 years people from all over the world have traveled to Hilton Head and the Harbour Town Yacht Club for the finest amenities and to experience the island lifestyle.

A $1.5 million renovation of the 31 deluxe rooms and suites of the Harbour Town Yacht Club was just completed in 2011.  The finished product offers comfortable, classic, and traditional elegance.

Add in the waves gently rolling through Calibogue Sound, a variety of water sports, the white sandy beaches of Sea Pines and you have an equation that yields fun, sun and pampering for your entire family.

The best part of this vacation extravaganza is the current Discovery Package that Harbour Town Yacht Club is offering through May 25, 2012.

For only $199.00/ couple, the Discovery Package includes:

The 18th hole leads right back to the Sea Pines Lighthouse

• 3 days/2 nights accommodations in a luxury suite located on the  harbour
• Golf for two at Daufuskie Island Championship golf course
• Access to the Member’s Club Room and Veranda
• Complimentary cruise on the yacht club’s own 42’ Mystique
• Complimentary tennis at Sea Pines Racquet Club

For reservation information call:  888-412-7375

or email:  Jory@harbourtownyachtclub.com.

The atmosphere and beauty of the Harbour Town Yacht Club, as well as, Hilton Head Island itself offer a winter vacation experience that you will never forget.

Founder of Augusta National Bobby Jones

 Competitive golf is played on a 5 1/2 inch course….the space between

your ears……Bobby Jones

How many times have you finished your round and obsessed over a bad drive, a poorly struck iron , a chunky chip, or a missed 3 foot putt?

The “Law of Attraction” is a metaphysical belief that basically states; like attracts like.  If you choose to focus and feel emotion for the negative events in and around your life, you will then attract more of these same negative events.

The opposite is also true, positive thought and emotion will attract more positives into your life.

Next time you finish your round and are in the 19^th hole with your favorite cold beverage and sharing lies with your friends, don’t dwell on your bad shots and feel angry.  Concentrate on only the best shots that you hit during the day and how they gave you joy and satisfaction.

-Think about the best drive that you hit during your round.
-Focus on your swing and the flight of a particularly well struck iron shot.
-Remember that 15 foot putt that you drained to make a birdie or
save an important par.

When away from the golf course perform the same visualization.  Always focus on positive shots and emotions for mental reinforcement.

Even while at home lounging on the couch watching tour professionals on Golf Channel hit 325 yard drives, strike laser-like irons shots and make treacherous putts, let your mind recreate the best shots of the day.

Do you remember the old Bing Crosby song?

           You've got to accentuate the positive

           Eliminate the negative

           Latch on to the affirmative

           Don't mess with Mister In-Between

Change your perspective to become more positive.  Your golf scores will improve but more importantly so will your enjoyment of the game.

You just might find that it may also carry over into your everyday life.

Phil Mickelson has had one of the best short games in the history of golf.

Most weekend golfers are not able to correctly read greens, hit world class iron shots or have the ability to chip like Phil Mickelson. Therefore they continuously leave themselves a long way from the hole with difficult 3-putts just waiting to happen.

The art of reading greens is greatly hindered by the use of golf carts.  Golf carts are a necessity at most golf courses.  They help speed up play, provide a great place to store your beer, and are a significant portion of every golf course’s revenue stream.  Because of this most golfers don’t walk anymore.  They hit their shot, jump onto their trusty cart and roar up to the green, texting on their smart phone all the way.

Personal observation here:  Cell phones should not be allowed on the golf course.  They are a distraction for you, as well as, your playing companions.  They reduce your ability to concentrate, limit the enjoyment that you can have on the course, and are a disruption for your playing partners.  A few hours away from your cell phone is good for you anyway.  But I digress.

Observing the slope of the terrain as you approach the green is the first key to better putting.  Put down the cell phone, park the cart 20-30 yards short of the green and get your MickeyD’s oversized butt out and actually walk up to the green.  Check the fall lines, what is the slope of the green, where has the course designer established the catch basins and run off areas, these will tell you the green’s lowest point and will affect how putts will break.  Slope, elevation, and drainage are all very important facts to know before you even walk onto the putting green.

Once you have established the slope of the green speed becomes the second factor of the putting equation.  How hard must you stoke the putt to keep it inside a 3-foot radius of the hole if you should do the unthinkable and miss the first putt.  All you are trying to do here is make sure the next putt is manageable.  You don’t want to hit the first putt so hard that it goes merrily racing by the hole and leave yourself a nasty 10-footer for your next attempt, especially on downhill putts.

One of the easiest ways to limit 3-putts is to become a better chipper.   Amateur golfers rarely hit 5 greens in regulation during an 18-hole round.  That leaves 13 opportunities to hit chip shots.  Just like putting, it is important to understand the slope of the green when chipping.  Chip the ball onto the green trying to ensure that your ball will end up below the hole.  Uphill putts are much easier to manage than downhill putts.  Downhill putts can get away from even the best of golfers and tend to turn into 10-foot comebackers, all of sudden Mr. 3putt shows up.

Don’t spend so much time on the driving range trying to knock out 300 yard drives.  You will take strokes off of your scorecard quicker by spending more of your practice time chipping.  Fact:  Good chippers rarely 3-putt.  You can look it up if you want.

3-putt avoidance can also start before you hit the course.  Before you jump onto the first tee, take a few minutes to get the feel of the greens on the practice green.  Course conditions change everyday.  Just because you played yesterday the speed and condition of the greens could be completely different today.

Here is a simple drill to improve those short 3-5 foot putts that everyone misses from time to time.  Place 10 balls in a circle 3 feet around the hole and practice making all 10.  Keep score and track your improvement.  Continue the drill until you make at least 9 out of 10 every time.  Professional golfers are not satisfied until they do 10 replications of this drill and make 100%.  When you are satisfied that you can make at least 90% move the circle out to 5 feet, then 7 feet, and eventually to 10 feet.  Understand that your rate of success will decrease as you increase the distance from the hole.

Spend more time practice putting.

From 5 feet for example 70% makes are acceptable, from 7 feet 50% makes are good, and at 10 feet 25% makes, are acceptable.

This is another drill that will help to improve lag putting.  Place dimes in a 3 foot circle around the cup.  Putt 10 balls first from 20 feet, then from 30 feet, and even farther.  Keep track of how many putts you can get into the 3 foot circle of coins.  The higher percentage that you can get within the 3 foot circle the more 2-putts you will make and hence avoid the deaded 3-putt.

Lower your scores, have more fun on the golf course, and avoid those nasty 3-putts.  You might even be able to take a couple extra bucks from your regular weekend foursome.

Alexis Thompson was given special exemption for 2012 LPGA Tour

The LPGA is making a lot of noise this off season.  Commissioner Michael Whan has announced four new events for the 2012 schedule.  These new events will add nearly $7 million in prize money over the course of the year for its members.

The lady pros will begin the season in the land down under.  Royal Melbourne, recently the site of the Presidents Cup, will host the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, February 9-12.

After the Australian tournament the ladies’ schedule features tournaments in Thailand and Singapore to round out February.

The LPGA finally hits the continental United States with three events in March.  The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will be held in Phoenix.  The Kia Classic and the first women’s major of the year the Kraft Nabisco Championship will both be held in southern California.

Yani Tseng has dominated the women’s tour over the past two years.  The special exemption made by the LPGA to allow 17 year old Alexis Thompson to compete on the tour adds an air of excitement and anticipation to the LPGA season.

If Lexi and Yani could be factors on leader boards or better yet if Lexi could win out over Yani in one of these early season events fan interest would sky rocket.

Yani Tseng has dominated the LPGA the past two years

American players such as:  Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Stacy Lewis, and Cristie Kerr could also help provide some competition to ‘Tseng and make the LPGA stronger.

The LPGA needs an American player to become the face of the women’s tour.  Commissioner Whan has the tour going in the right direction.  He just needs the players to step up and keep the train rolling down the tracks.

Tiger will start 2012 in Abu Dhabi

The PGA Tour is currently playing its third event of 2012, the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation in beautiful La Quinta, California.  Nope, Tiger is not there.

He did not make an appearance at either of the previous two events held in Hawaii either.

With no wins in 2011, or 2010 for that matter, TW was not eligible to play in the season opener the Hyundai Tournament of Champions from sunny Kapalua, Hawaii.  He would not have shown up even if he was eligible anyway.

The Sony Open held in Honolulu was the first full field event for 2012 and the man with two last names, Johnson Wagner, collected his third career PGA Tour win.  Tiger felt that it was just too much of an inconvenience to fly the GV all the way to the island paradise just to play a little golf.

Woods will make his 2012 debut in Abu Dhabi next week.  Abu Dhabi what state is that in?

Abu Dhabi is in the middle east, a part of the United Arab Emirates, you know, oil wells, lots of sand, sheiks, and Rolls Royces.

There will be a strong field in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.  All of the top European Tour players will be there.  Oh by the way, Tiger will collect a $3 million fee just for showing up.  That will easily cover the jet fuel and be $2 million more than if he would win the Farmers Insurance Open held the same time at Torrey Pines near San Diego.

As a consolation to the PGA Tour, Tiger will tee it up in two weeks at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with his new best buddy, Dallas Cowboy Quarterback, Tony Romo.

Ticket sales have sky rocketed for the Pebble Beach tournament, Monterey’s gain is San Diego’s loss.

These two tournaments should give us a glimpse of what we might expect from Woods in 2012.

Will he contend for major titles and get back on track to pass Jack Nicklaus?