Reali...Wii

Now that I am classified as a "phenom" on the Wii-Nationwide Tour...I felt I had the chops to take my newfound confidence to a real golf course...terra firma...the reality yin to the virtual yan. I mean 3 months of learning my new swing from the Wii feedback should shave a few shots off my real score...right?

Ummm...well, yes and no...

During my trial by fire on the Wii, I realized that I could get 100% swing speed by forcibly using both arms as one on the downswing (before I had just been using my left arm and my right had been along for the ride). This knowledge is the basis for my new swing.

As I approached the range, I looked at the range balls with lust as I clamored for my 7-iron (my tempo club) to take a few swings to appreciate my "new" swing.

...clunk...shank...top....thud...

...okay, enough of the verbs...you get the idea. I stood there in wonder (and nervous sweat) where my swing went.
I started cussing-out the Wii. I took my Driver..."dammit...I'm gonna force a solid connection....

...pie-yowwww...as it swooped in on the loblolly pines to my extreme right.

What the $&%?! I'm desperately hoping my playing partner is not watching this meltown...

Time to take the wedge, and after a few methodical, solid connections...I had gained some confidence to walk to the first teebox.

Overall, I played pretty well. I think my Ranger Rick episode was more about the weight of a golf club (the Wii controller obviously is not congruent to mimic a golf club) than anything else.
The grid you see on the Wii when putting I think helps read real greens...I think you are more aware of the green, and not the line you are trying to find, and that actually helped.
As for using both arms to forcefully swing..yes it really has helped figuring that out on the Wii and bringing it to the course. Both woods and irons were flying accurate and solid. I actually want to practice on a real range now...something I don't relish...but I see where I can make some good strides to increasing the power in my game...something I've always lacked..oh, and thanks to the variety of accessories...so I can accessorize...I'm picking out better golf clothing....ya know...fake it 'til ya make-it.

....now where can I find some lead tape to put some weight on the controller?

Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB

School record

Quick: Which college loves playing golf across the pond?

Answer: Georgia Tech: 3 British Open wins: Bobby Jones, David Duval and Stewart Cink.

BTW: Stewart Cink played with another Tech alum during his victory: Bryce Molder. If he keeps playing well, he will make it a fourth on the firth.

I remember back in the day, Cink winning the Nike Tour Championship (now it's called the Nationwide Tour) at Settindown Creek in Atlanta. A links course that stimped 15 on the final day. I was a scorer for a group a couple groups back...there names escape me now...fame is so fleeting...but I do remember Stewart Cink mowing the field down like a weedwacker on auto-pilot.
He was good at Tech. Everyone knew he was the next big deal out of the storied golf team of Georgia Tech. He almost won the US Open if not for a screwed-up final hole that was harder than #6 at Joe's Mini-Golf and Ice Cream Emporium...save for the windmill.

I still don't agree with belly-putters, but, until the USGA bans it, we have to accept it, and it has revitalized a great player...and it doesn't take away the fact that Cink beat a field on Scotland's hallowed turf only reserved for the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.

Stewart Cink was to Tom Watson what Nick Faldo was to Greg Norman...what was a written script, only to be snatched away, scribbled, erased and edited.

Difference is, this editor took us all along for the ride with his Twitter account. He's a helluva, helluva engineer!


Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB

14 months

14 months:



That's how long Tripp Isenhour will spend in jail thinking about his over-reaction.



14 months:



For completing a "one-in-a-million-shot" to the chest of an endangered Red Hawk, sentencing it to death.



14 months:



Nearly 1 month in jail per swing he took trying to stop the bird from squawking during his precious golf tips show.



14 months:



To locate new a resort that will allow him to film his instructional videos, since Grand Cypress (where he was filming) revoked his practice passes after the incident.



14 months:



To figure out how to recover from this PR disaster, so brutal, that even his 3 adopted cats are distancing themselves from him.



14 months:



For Tripp, an accomplished cook, to figure-up new recipes to serve to his fellow players when he returns from his penalty box...



...word has it that endangered fowl will not be on the menu.



14 months:



An accomplished YellowJacket and top 10 money winner in '06, that has been clawing (pun intended) his way back into the PGA ranks via taking his lumps on the Nationwide Tour... Tripp will have some time now to figure how to get his slumping birdie and eagle stats up from golf's murky depths...no word yet on his hawk stats...



...but we know his driving accuracy is spot-on.





Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,



JFB

It's a southern thing

I must admit, after the birth of our daughter Wed night, I haven't been able to do much more than walk around in a daze from sleepless nights filled with determining the correct way to dispose of stinky diapers without having to fumigate the house come morning. So when I got to sit down and read today's Sports section in the AJC it was really a treat.

More treats occurred when I read the headlines that were colored in yellow-and-blue, and red-and-black. Yep, looks like the folks up at Sugarloaf Country Club are going to "hunker down for a good old-fashioned Southern brawl." As Larry Munson might have put it.

We have YellowJackets and Bulldogs atop the leaderboard at the South's other golf tournament in Buford GA...the one sandwiched between a season of The Masters in Augusta, and The Players Championship in Atlanta.

Hailing from Georgia Tech: Troy Matteson, and not far behind, just in from his yo-yo-like travails from The Nationwide Tour, and my favorite player: Matty Kuchar.
Then we have, coming from The University of Georgia with the shot of the day: Ryuji Imada.

This will be a fun one to watch as Sugarloaf will be super firm and fast, as we've had no rain in a month. Also, Sugarloaf has one of the best finishing holes in all non-major events.

As for me coming from the great state of Ohio (and a big Buckeye fan), I've learned...

...that Gators will also eat bees and bulldogs...

...so I'd watch out for spidey-man himself Camilo Villegas, who hails from The University of Florida. The greatest sports program in the nation.

Yep, I'm going to sit back and enjoy this Sunday's final round...it's a gorgeous day in The South. The bees are buzzing...the dogs are leashed...and the alligators are sunning themselves in the southern paradise known as Buford Georgia...

And my daughter is asleep. Now Hush Y'all.

Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB

From camo pants to Snoop Dog

In a nod to very good timing, The Nationwide Insurance Company recently introduced a website that focuses on the trials and tribulations of graduates, and current residences of The Nationwide Tour. No longer a mediocre tour with backwater settings, the Nationwide Tour consists of the real rookies...kids that are the raw up-and-comers in golf that really put the spice in the game...and coincidentally, is what the PGA Tour is so desperate in need of.

Team Nationwide focuses on a select group of graduates from the 2006 Nationwide Tour currently competing on the PGA TOUR.
Nationwide also created the site as a springboard to generate fan interest in the Nationwide Tour. Visitors can view player bios, watch videos, participate in contests and learn more about the success of Team Nationwide on the PGA TOUR and the top players competing on the Nationwide Tour.

As an added bonus to checking out their site, Nationwide is also giving golf fans an opportunity to win a trip for 2 to the PGA Tour's 2008 Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu , Hawaii . Fans can visit www.nationwide.com/teamnationwide to enter. One grand prize winner and a guest will receive tickets to the 2008 Sony Open, an opportunity to play in the Tournament Pro-Am courtesy of Nationwide, meet Nationwide Tour graduates, and receive airfare and hotel accommodations for five days along with a complete set of Nickent golf clubs. Throughout the season, 14 weekly winners will also receive Nickent Golf 4DX Hybrids....

...show of hands that don't want to go to Hawaii....I didn't think there were any.

To whet your whistle, here's a snippet from the site. A Q & A with recent winner (and Nationwide Tour grad) Boo Weekly:

Q& A with Nationwide Tour graduate Boo Weekley

Can you tell us anything about how your life has changed since winning the Verizon Heritage?

People want to shake my hand and tell me they enjoyed watching me play. I still approach the game the same way though. I still practice hard. I hope to win a couple more times this year. Every time I tee it up, I’m there to win.

There are a lot of former Nationwide Tour golfers who are experiencing success on the PGA Tour, like Zach Johnson, Jason Gore, Camilo Villegas and yourself. How do you think the Nationwide Tour prepared you for the next stage of your career?

The Nationwide Tour made me mentally strong. There are a lot of guys on the Nationwide Tour that are really good players who are ready to play at the next level. So my experience playing against those guys prepared me mentally and for the travel.

What was your most high pressured shot ever?

Probably my putt at The Honda Classic – the second put to win, which I missed. I was trying to pick a good line, stay focused, keep my head still and just stroke it and let it happen. When I missed, I took my club and stuck it to the bill of my cap and told myself it just wasn’t my time.

I felt like I rushed myself on that putt. From that experience I learned to slow it down and take my time to try to blow my nerves off.

Is there one piece of advice or technique that really took your game to the next level?

My advice to others would be - work on your short game and your putting, because we all hit it the same.

What would you say to a young golfer who wants become a professional?

Believe in yourself and don’t let anybody tell you no different. If you believe it, you can do it. If you’re serious about wanting to play, trust yourself, trust your instincts and work hard on your short game.

If you had to pick one golfer that you'd aspire to be like, whom would that be and why?

Ben Hogan. I read a couple of his books. He believed that every day you have to practice to be good. Every day you miss a practice you have to put in more work to make up for it. He was a firm believer in himself. He got in a car wreck and they told him he wouldn’t be able to walk again. He showed them when he got back on the golf course again.

Obviously your goal was to make the PGA TOUR, but are there aspects of the Nationwide Tour you miss or remember fondly?

I have a lot of memories from the Nationwide Tour. I haven’t been on the PGA Tour long enough to forget them. We became a family. The Nationwide Tour always took care of me.

Do you still hang out with guys you played with on the Nationwide Tour?

Yes. All the guys who came through the Nationwide Tour, we still all talk and hang out.

Anything that people would be surprised to know about you?

I like rap. My favorites are Nelly, Snoop Dog, MC Hammer, I like all of it – old school, new school. I don’t rap myself, I just listen to it. People can find out more about me if they visit www.nationwide.com/teamnationwide

I'm glad there were no fashion questions for him...oh wait...there were...

...those were deleted.


Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB