Why do people play golf?

Being outdoors is attractive compared to being stuck in an office space. Challenging oneself to master a difficult game would be on the list for many. Getting together with your friends- a golf course is a good place to do that also.

Now imagine if you had to play the same golf course every day. I don't mean being a member at a club and playing your home course every day. I mean, imagine if every golf course was the exact same.

Every course in every corner of the globe looked exact in design, yardage, elevations and slope, green contours, green speeds, Every hole had 40 yard wide fairways. Every hole had out of bounds on the left side of the 9th and 18th holes. Every bunker was placed 240 yards from the tee area sitting in the right side of the fairway. Every hole had the same trees that were cut to the same height.

Would you play? Would you get bored?

Read more: The Divot Debate

Currently some of my Facebook friends are hashing/rehashing the question about golf coaching. The question-- "When choosing a golf coach, do you think it's important that they can play golf?"

To enhance the question, as the discussion took off the intention slipped over to more along the lines of does a coach have to be a great player? Several examples of PGA coaches were instilled into the conversation and how many of them weren't successful players but were extremely successful as instructors.

Having come from both sides of the circle I thought a dive into the pros and cons of each was important for golfers to take into consideration when selecting a coach to help them move forwards with their game.

Read more: What Makes A "Great" Golf Coach? Part 1

The Address Position

What can we learn from the address position of a great player such as Curtis Strange ? (pictured above)  For starters Strange has set himself up in a nice balanced orientation- especially with the width of his stance. 

With a driver the stance should be wide enough so if we drew a line down from each shoulder that line would drop down to the ground very close to the insides of the feet. That is the stance width necessary to remain in balance once the club starts moving up and around the body with motion. 

Read more: Address & Impact- What's The Difference?

The last time the US Open was held at Torrey Pines was 2008. The victor? None other than Tiger Woods.

Playing with a stress fracture in his left leg Tiger summoned all his courage and resolution to do the remarkable- willing his ball into the hole from all kinds of weird and wonderful places. No more lasting image is more memorable than his jubilation in holing a 12 foot birdie putt on the 72^nd green.

Despite all his antics of chip ins and long sweeping putts finding the bottom of the cup throughout the tournament it still came down to him having to make just one more putt to tie Rocco Mediate on the very last hole. And in the words of commentator Dan Hicks when the ball bounced along the imperfect grass and slid into the right edge to complete the tie “Expect anything different”…we all came to know one more time that Tiger Woods was anything but normal

Read more: US OPEN 2021- My Picks

Ben Hogan, the man and his image has been wrapped up in mysterious shroud of mystery for well over half a century.

Some would call him blunt and aloof. Others insist once you knew him he was friendly and mischievous. No two people are alike so copying Hogan the person has been left alone.

Copying Hogan's dress sense is a little more fashionable and attainable. Copying Hogan's golf swing has been a quest for thousands with a success rate of next to nothing.

Why? 

Read more: Ben Hogan's Swing- Many Have Tried But Most Fail