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Tiger Woods won his own tournament again by 7 strokes.  He pulled away from Jim Furyk on the back nine.  All winnings were given to his foundation for charity.  Annika Sorenstam gets first win in 2007.  She won on a European tour event against an easier field but she was happy none the less.  Callaway wins a patent suit over Titleist and its Pro V1.  They plan to have Titleist make adjustments to its golf balls immediately along with handing over cash for damages.

Research and study yield golf balls that are designed to make your driver more forgiving.

By Rob Sauerhaft
Managing Editor (Equipment), GOLF Magazine
Published: December 11, 2007

TaylorMade engineers used the firm’s proprietary swing-analysis system to measure 85,000 swings from golfers like you. Their research shows that players, regardless of handicap level, hit 70-plus percent of drives on or above the center of the face. Yet shots struck high on the face produce 1,200 rpm less spin than center hits. Those struck in the middle of the club, toward the toe or heel, have 500 rpm less spin than center hits. The spin reduction adds up to shorter drives because the ball won’t stay in the air quite as long.

Schecter Lee

TaylorMade LDP

Armed with this data, the firm’s ball gurus built new products (TP Red, TP Black, Burner TP and Burner) with LDP (low drag performance) dimples. Each dimple is designed with its own depth and edge angle, to reduce overall drag (the force that pushes against a ball as it travels through the air) without increasing lift (so it won’t balloon). Bottom line: TaylorMade says its balls stay airborne longer on mis-hits, to the tune of six to 18 more yards, than competitors’ balls.

The most efficient, effective putting stroke is one in which the putter swings like a pendulum, back and forth, smoothly and rhythmically. But the stroke doesn’t come naturally. You must train your body to produce a perfect pendulum-like motion. Once trained, you must practice regularly to maintain your stroke’s fluidity and rhythm.Here are 6 keys to making a smooth, pendulum-like putting stroke:

1. Keep your grip pressure light
2. Maintain a steady head
3. Keep the front shoulder down
4. Strike on the upstroke
5. Keep the wrists firm
6. Accelerate through the stroke
Keeping your grip pressure light and maintaining a steady head throughout the putt are two “musts” in putting. A light grip provides more feel when putting, and feel is a big part of putting. A steady head—with your eyes directly over the ball—keeps the putter square to the target line. Moving your head throws your putt off line.

The takeaway is a one-piece action. Move the arms, shoulders, and putter away from the ball together, with the hands remaining passive. If you think “front shoulder down,” you’ll produce the correct motion. Make a smooth, rhythmic stroke and accelerate the putter through the ball. If your ball position is correct, the pendulum action enables you to strike the ball on the upswing.

In addition, keep the wrists firm through impact and follow-through—one of the most important moves in putting. Try imagining them encased in plastic casts. Accelerate the putter-head through the stroke, even on short putts, and make sure your follow-through is as long as the takeaway.

A useful putting drill that builds fluidity into your swing is to start by taking a normal practice stroke, using a smooth, rhythmic motion. Then address the ball, close your eyes, and repeat the motion—letting the ball get in the way of the stroke. This drill helps make the real stroke more like a practice stroke, and improves putting accuracy.

From Howtobreak80 newsletter

The SUMO2 5900 features a square-shaped head, a deeper face, a convex crown, and redefined body shape to increase ball speed and accuracy. With the MOI at the maximum allowed of 5900, the SUMO2 5900 offers greater forgiveness on off-center hits with a tighter shot dispersion. This result is the straightest, longest and most accurate driver Nike Golf has ever made.

Featuring Nike’s Powerbow weighting, the weight in the SUMO2 5900 is repositioned to the farthest corners of the Nike PowerBow design, optimizing head stability and delivering ultimate accuracy. The SUMO2 5900 has a multi-thickness face, which maximizes faster ball speeds from every point on the face.

The SUMO 5000 is a more traditionally round-shaped driver with a deep-face profile. This gives golfers the freedom to shape the ball or hit it long and straight. The PowerBow design strategically positions weight in the club head to optimize the center of gravity location.

The SQ SUMO2 5900 and the SQ SUMO 5000 are both 460cc, feature SasQuatch/Diamana shafts, and are available in 8.5-, 9.5-, 10.5-, 11.5-, 13- and 16-degree lofts. The SQ SUMO 5000 also is available in a 13-degree offset. The SQ SUMO2 5900 will carry a suggested retail price of $499.99. The SQ SUMO 5000 will carry a suggested retail price of $360.00.

By Glenn Deck
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: May 01, 2007

The Problem: You miss putts that break hard from right-to-left or left-toright because you focus on the hole rather than the

The Solution: Follow this three-step process on every putt.

1.         After judging the amount of break you need to play, focus on the point where the ball will stop moving away from the hole and start rolling toward it - the

2.         Stand behind the ball and look down the line you’ve selected - not the line from the ball to the hole - to confirm your aim.  Then make a few practice strokes while remaining behind the ball.  As you practice your stroke, focus on the speed, not mechanics. 

3.         A smart way to ensure that you aim your putter correctly on all putts (breaking or straight) is to align the logo on the ball (or a line drawn through it) with your aiming point.  As you step into address, set your putterface square to the logo or line on the ball.

The low runner is a low risk shot. You need plenty of green for this shot and a tight lie. You also need the least loft of any of the three shots. Play the ball back in your stance, keep your front shoulder lower than the back shoulder, and lean the shaft forward.

The mid-trickler is a moderate risk shot. You need a moderate amount of green for this shot and a rather grassy lie. Play the ball in the middle of your stance, keep your shoulders level, and lean the shaft forward slightly. You want to take advantage of the true loft of the club.

The high softie is a high-risk shot. You need the least amount of green for this shot and a rough-like lie. Play the ball forward in your stance, keep the back shoulder higher than the front shoulder, and maintain a vertical shaft, adding loft to your club.

 From Howtobreak80 Newsletter

As we look back at 2007 on the LPGA tour it is easy to see who’s stock was up and who’s went down.  Lorena Ochoa certainly became blue chip this year along with Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Suzann Petterson, and Christie Kerr.  Mi Hyun Kim, Seon-Hwa Lee, Jeong Jang, and Morgan Pressel all showed they deserve to be called elite as well.  The biggest drop off in my mind would have to be Michelle Wie as she lost any momentum she had going into this year but she wasn’t the only one.  Karrie Webb failed to show up this year along with a slip up from Ai Miyazato who was supposed to dominate.  Julieta Granada never seemed to live up to her win in the 06′ championship and Annika Sorenstam’s back kept her out of any meaningful competition this year.  It should be an interesting 2008 with my bet on Lorena to dominate again, but watch out for ”Pink Panther” Paula and another strong year from Petterson. 

Callaway golf has created a collectors item with a 25th anniversary version of their FTi driver.  Only 2500 will be made and each will be individually numbered.  The main difference from the standard club will be that the crown, sole, shaft, and grip will be silver in color.

If you are looking for a great deal on golf in Florida on the suncoast look no further than www.Bigsummergolf.com.  They have great discount rates on many courses in Manatee, Sarasota, and adjoining county courses.  It runs from early April through late September on most of the courses and offers substantial discount rates.  Check it out and save big bucks! 

By Jack Moorehouse

On difficult courses, hitting good approach shots is often the key to scoring well. On these courses, good approach shots are as critical as driving and putting well. But conquering a difficult course doesn’t just happen. If you’ve never played the course before, studying it will tell you whether or not you need to concentrate on hitting better than average approach shots.

How can you recognize such a course? These courses often have what Jack Nicklaus calls “created challenges”— narrow fairways, hard-to-hold greens, and heavy, thick rough. Add to these things, awkward tee shot angles, uneven fairway lies, and small and elevated greens, and you have a course where hitting a good approach shots is a must. If you play the course a lot, you must learn how to hit precise approach shots to maintain your golf handicap.

On The Tee
Hitting a good approach shot starts on the tee. Rather than blasting the ball as far as possible with your drive, play target golf. You’ve probably read about playing target golf in my golf tips. The key to doing it is picking specific targets for your shots, targets with a real purpose. On courses where good approach shots are vital, playing target golf usually means finding level ground. Sacrificing some power off the tee in favor of hitting the right spot is the smart play, even if you have to tee off with a short club.

Why level ground? Hitting a 5-iron into a green from a level lie beats hitting a
7-iron from a severely angled lie every time. In other words, if you have a course with undulating fairways and you have to hit the ball high to have any hope of stopping it on the green, catching flatter spots from the tee is critical. On difficult courses you often find yourself in situations where it’s next to impossible to hit shots with the high trajectories needed to hold greens, like a steep downhill lie. So target these spots whenever you can.

Below are five keys to a hitting a shot with a high trajectory. As usual some of the more important elements are built-in at address

* Play the ball a little farther forward in your stance
* Keep the clubface slightly open
* Hold your hands level with or slightly behind the ball.
* Swing under the ball, not around your body
* Release the club freely with your hand and wrists
As far as your swing is concerned, there’s not that much different when hitting a high trajectory. Swing the club pretty much as you normally would, although you may want to swing a little more upright, if you really want to deaden the ball when it hits. Using a fade spin on the ball also helps. Also, try keeping your hands from turning over during the release until well after impact.

Around The Greens
In addition to hit the ball high, you may want to put some backspin on the ball. Backspin works best when the greens are not too hard and there’s some moisture. When the greens are hard, dry, and slick, the ball tends to skip off the green. Also, the more elevated the green, the shallower the trajectory into the spot, so the harder it is to deaden the ball and the stronger the skip off the green’s surface. Also, the smaller the target, the less skipping room the ball has when it hits.

The problem with having the ball bounce off the green is that you never know where it will stop. Depending on the landing spot, you need to consider your options carefully. Choosing the wrong option can really cost you strokes. Depending on the lie and the situation, hit a shot you have confidence in and are proficient at, not a shot you’ve never player before. Staying conservative in this situation saves strokes more often than not, as I’ve said in my golf tips.

If you see players hitting a lot of shots with high trajectories, you know you have a course where hitting good approach shots are a must. Learning to hit approach shots with high trajectories will help you conquer many difficult courses and will keep your golf handicap from ratcheting upwards. Conquering these coursed is a challenge. But it can be done with the help of a well-conceived pre-round strategy and technically sound swing. So don’t be intimidated by them.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.