The 10-Second Swing Fix | GOLF.com

The 10-Second Swing Fix | GOLF.com

“I have a tip that can take five strokes off anyone’s golf game: it’s called an eraser.”

- Arnold Palmer

Eat Sleep Golf: Golf Properties For Sale

Eat Sleep Golf: Golf Properties For Sale: Bubba Watsons House

2012 Masters Tournament champion Gerry Lester “Bubba” Watson, Jr., just finished up a great weekend and an exciting month as well. According to Forbes, the 33 year old Masters champion is selling his home. Watson and his wife purchased their waterfront home in North Carolina for $1.1M back in 2009, and recently put the lake house on the market in February for $1.45M. The couple are not only selling the home, but the furnishings are negotiable as well. In addition to listing their home, a few weeks ago Watson and his wife Angie adopted their little one-month-old boy, Caleb.

Watson’s contemporary 3 story waterfront home on High Rock Lake includes roughly 6,500 sq-ft of living space with 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and is located on a private and gated 0.66 acres. The home features 2 indoor kitchens, a private den, Master Suite with huge walk-in closet, custom stonework/slate, steam shower, and a detached 3 car garage with living quarters above it. There’s also an entertaining area outside the main house with a full outdoor kitchen and stainless steel appliances, heated salt water pool and spa, an outdoor fireplace and TV, a floating aluminum pier, boat house, dock, covered boat lift, and double jet ski dock.

Listed by Timothy Taylor of Tim Taylor Realty.

For more information about Sports Relocation, other Athlete Homes, & Seattle real estate, visit my Golf Properties for Sale

Tiger Woods Swing Vision Slow Motion Swing

Tiger Woods Swing Vision Slow Motion Swing

Bubba Watson's son with matching jacket

@bubbawatson

Why You're to Blame for Slow Play

Why You're to Blame for Slow Play

Ever get stuck golfing behind shanks, hook, skull and slice? Of course you have. It sucks, doesn't it? Well, chew on this: Someone in your foursome is probably to blame, if not yourself.

More on that in a moment. But first, let's state the facts:

Slow play is a serious problem in amateur golf

Slow play is a serious problem in professional golf

Slow play is never tolerated, yet is rampant everywhere

That last fact is perhaps the most important. I've played a ton of golf courses and almost every one has a statement on their scorecard (or on a sign) regarding slow play (e.g. "slow play is not tolerated" or "keep up with the group in front of you" or something to that effect). Why?

Well, because slow play is everywhere. It's not isolated to a select few - I would even venture to say it afflicts about 1 in 4 golfers. Now I don't have any data to backup my statement (not sure any even exists), but think about the foursomes you've played in - probably at least one person in each foursome could be labeled as a "slow player." Sure, sometimes you're able to push this person along gently, but other times you find yourself waiting on them (especially while the group behind you is waiting on the tee).

In any event, slow play is rampant. So much so, the powers that be in golf created the Tee it Forward campaign, which, as we stated in a recent post, was implemented mainly to curb slow play.

So who's to blame?

Well, I say 3 in 4 golfers are to blame. Not the slow player, but the rest of the group (e.g. you). Slow play is a direct result of poor etiquette. Someone, somewhere, at some point introduced the slow player to the game of golf. It was up to that someone to instill the fundamental rules of etiquette in that new golfer - including an emphasis on slow play.

We are all responsible. We must make it a point (right up there with don't step on someone's line) to teach about the poor sportsmanship of slow play. This lesson needs to be learned right at the beginning - DO NOT hold up the group behind you - if you're hitting your 12th shot on one hole, perhaps it's time to pickup and move on to the next hole (your score doesn't matter at that point anyway).

But there has been a lax in teaching proper etiquette to new golfers. It's obvious - poor etiquette and slow play can be found in every foursome - and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Keep this in mind the next time you're introducing golf to someone new.

Wednesday Course Feature - Cabot Links Teaser Video

Apparel - Trends in Golf Style

Apparel - Trends in Golf Style

The answer is no, not necessarily -- all that's required is a bit of body self awareness.

Hanson wears Galvin Green, a prestigious brand that may be best known for their high end Gortex outwear. Galvin Green is on the slimmer side of golf apparel when it comes to fits, and while Hanson far from being someone who we'd categorize as overweight, he could do with moving one size up on the rack to remove all doubt.

After all, there's nothing wrong with having a healthy apetite and maintaining a high style quotient -- just ask Miguel Angel Jimenez, who has likely never said no to a fine meal and a bottle of wine, but has been rocking the finest selection of slim trousers and Italian golf shoes from Nebuloni we've ever seen, topped by right-sized polos from Lacoste that give Miguel room to move.

Eat Sleep Golf: Divot Tool Pencil Sharpener

Eat Sleep Golf: Divot Tool Pencil Sharpener: We've seen all kinds of golf gadgets, contraptions and inventions.  Some are cutting edge and others are a little off the wall.  They also have a wide range of complexity which can often be their downfall.  This product is far from complex, and provides two simple functions. What is it? That's right, a Divot Tool Pencil Sharpener! 

At first I couldn't help but chuckle at the Divot Repair Tool Sharpener, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see myself using one of these genius devices. 

If you're anything like me, you probably have a dozen broken golf pencils scattered throughout your golf bag.  For me, this handy device would have come in useful countless times on the course.  Also, being the cheap golfer that I am, I am constantly picking up broken tees which often have a frayed end.  With the help of a Divot Tool Pencil Sharpener I could easily make those broken tees good as new.

They aren't on the market... yet.  What do you think, is there a need for this?

Slow motion swing sundays

A little old, but look at the power generated. Something to think about next time you are at the driving range.

9 things you never knew about Bubba Watson

Tiger's masters meltdown

I think we have all had this feeling - luckily we don't have a couple million dollars on the line

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Undressing golf's dress code -

Undressing golf's dress code -

The most iconic golf style photograph I can think of is one of Sean Connery, circa 1962, sporting a driving cap, and a vibrant red jumper paired with turned up denim, with a golf bag slung with style over his right shoulder.

That's right, denim, aka, the kryptonite to golf clubs near and far.

So here we have Connery, the Bond who spoiled it for all other Bonds between he and Daniel Craig, coming from or going to the golf club. Do you think there's a club professional alive, or perhaps dead, that would tell the best Bond of all time that his choice of trouser was unacceptable on their links? Highly unlikely.

But exactly what is it with golf's dress codes, and why is it that denim has been widely banned from high end private facilities to municipal tracks alike? What exactly have we been afraid of here? An overwhelming invasion from the proletariat?

Frankly, yes, that's exactly it. Let's keep out the riff-raff shall we? Pfft!

Denim's early association with the common working man was a likely dress code catalyst, for the man who gets his hands and his trousers dirty during the course of a day's toil surely isn't the type of folk with whom we should associate. Right? Surely there would be nothing more unsavoury than to see the result of a hard days work front and center on the first tee, or strolling through the grill room for that matter.

Later, denim's ongoing association with pop culture was a likely motivation behind the ban. Wild youth and all. Ruffians every single one of them, with their rock and roll and complicated shoes.

Ask any well heeled country club member as to their anti-denim stance, and he or she will likely respond using words like 'tradition', 'respect', and 'etiquette', or will simply state 'that's just the way it is'.

It goes without debate that tradition and respect are both wonderful things, and there's every reason to maintain them both when it comes to golf. But do we really need to be overbearing zealots about it? Similarly, golf etiquette should be preserved, and even celebrated, as it is a large part of the appeal of the game. Proper etiquette is not entirely unlike a security blanket for golfers, helping us feel at home wherever we may tee it up. No need for changes there.

Perhaps it is the very nature of those who play golf to be fastidious about everything that surrounds the game. We're constantly tinkering with our games in a life-long effort to lower our scores -- modifying our stance, our grip, and our posture; adjusting weights in our drivers, adding a critical extra layer of tape under our grips. But where we have failed control our slice and lower our scores, we have latched on to that which we can control, extending our obsession to govern even elements of lesser impact, from which the creation of a strict dress code is one of the results.

We've all seen the signage telling us about the need for collared shirts, shorts of a certain length, socks of a certain type, and of course, no denim. Or singlets. Don't ever forget the singlets.

In many respects, golf's dress code has had just as much to do with turning people away from the great game as have more commonly cited factors such as time and cost. These arbitrary apparel edicts have erected mercerized barriers to accessibility, dictating uniformity in an effort to homogenize the collective.

While this is not a call for a complete reexamination of why we do things a certain way on the golf course, it is a call for common sense when it comes to what someone is wearing -- and this is coming from a guy who's as obsessed with golf style as you'll ever find.

Fortunately, there are so many more options through which golfers can express themselves.

Golf apparel brands have recognized there's room for everyone in the game, and companies such as Dunning Golf and Hugo Boss have marketed a five pocket golf pants with 'jean cuts' in recent years. If done right, there's no reason a golf denim shouldn't work. Shouldn't it? I know I'd wear them for a late season round or two.

So let's keep our eyes on what's really important, let's preserve everything we love about the game of golf while we strive to welcome new people into the game -- and let's let them know that it's ok to express their individuality, regardless of dress code. Well, provided they do it with style of course ;) 

Happy Easter

9 Surprising Secrets About the Masters -

9 Surprising Secrets About the Masters -

9. Amen Corner wasn't always called that

Lately it seems like every golf course has branded a set of signature holes, from the "Bear Trap" at PGA National to the "Snake Pit" at Innisbrook. But the original is Amen Corner, the name for holes 11 through 13 at Augusta National. Surprisingly, though, the name isn't that old: it was coined by sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind in 1958 and didn't immediately catch on. That means that for more than 25 years of the tournament, the world's most famous stretch of holes were best known as just "the 11th, 12th and 13th."

8. The Crow's Nest isn't that nice

Sure, it's an incredible honor to stay in the Crow's Nest during Masters week-you have to have won the U.S. Amateur or another elite amateur tournament-but it's no presidential suite. This apartment-style dwelling at the top of the clubhouse is more dorm room than luxury villa, with shared living space and bedrooms that lack floor-to-ceiling walls. With all the college players who've stayed here, it's amazing that no one has brought a young lady back and pulled the whole "sock on the doorknob" routine, leaving the other amateurs to sleep out on the first teebox.

7. Augusta is a trendsetter

With a tight rein on tradition and seemingly never-ending controversy about its membership policies, Augusta National is an unlikely place to be on the cutting edge. But the truth is, the Masters is responsible for several of the innovations that golf tournaments still use today. The Masters was the first 72-hole stroke play event to be held over four days (now a professional standard) and the first to report scores on the over/under par system we now see on TV every weekend. Now if only the other tournaments would follow Augusta's lead on dirt-cheap concession prices.

6. There's a Secret Service-certified house onsite

In the 1950s, Augusta liked Ike-and the feeling was mutual. In fact, President Eisenhower visited so frequently that the club built him the eponymous Eisenhower Cabin just 200 feet from the main clubhouse, providing a home-away-from-home for the Commander in Chief. The construction of the house reportedly followed Secret Service security guidelines and even hosted President Reagan in 1981.

5. Green Jackets have to stay on the grounds-unless you're Gary Player

When you imagine yourself winning a Green Jacket, you probably see yourself wearing it for years-lounging around the house, laughing with friends as you sip on eggnog during a holiday party, maybe even getting your driver's license picture taken in it. But technically, each champion can only take his Green Jacket home for a year; afterwards it has to remain on club property. That is, unless you're Gary Player, who won in 1961, 1974 and 1978. He took his jacket back to South Africa and has refused to return it, despite several chairmen asking him "pretty please."

4. The clubhouse has another name

The clubhouse you see on TV every year-also immortalized in miniature as the Master's trophy-was originally called the Dennis Rodman house. Wait, that's not right. It's the Dennis Redmond house, named after the original homeowner who built it in 1854 as his plantation home. Bonus fact: Rae's Creek, probably the most famous water hazard in all of golf, was named after settler John Rae, who lived along the creek starting in 1765. Ironically, Rae hated when kids would play sports on his lawn.

3. The course is a glorified cow pasture (or at least it used to be)

These days you'll hear shouts of "Tiger!" echo off the pine trees at Augusta National, but in the 1940s you were more likely to hear people grumbling about all the cows. Forced to shut down for two years during World War II, the club tried to pull in some money by raising turkeys and cattle on the property. The disappointing revenue taught the club two things: the land is better off as a golf course, and there's a lot more profit in pimento cheese sandwiches than in turkeys.

2. Bobby Jones planned a 19th hole

During course construction, Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones wanted to build a 19th hole-and it had nothing to do with chugging Miller Lites with his buddies. Jones proposed building an actual extra hole, a short par-3 that would help settle bets from casual rounds. The plan never came to fruition, although between his fame and taste for whiskey, an unofficial 19th hole probably sprung up wherever he went.

1. A tragic death haunts the property

Bobby Jones gets a lot of press, but less is said about his counterpart, club co-founder Clifford Roberts. That might be because of Roberts' horrific death that occurred on the property: suffering from poor health, he shot himself on the club's Par 3 course in 1978. With the Par 3 course now serving as the site of a playful, family-friendly exhibition, I have a feeling this won't be mentioned on this year's broadcast.