Golf Views » PGA

Tips & Tricks with Dr. Gary Wiren: Chad Billingsley, Jonathon Broxton, and Chris Sale

Rob — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:49:29 +0000

Watch these two videos as Mizuno Golf Master Instructor Dr. Gary Wiren puts his teaching skills to a unique new test, analyzing the swings of Los Angeles Dodgers Pitchers Chad Billingsley and Jonathon Broxton, along with Chicago White Sox Relief Pitcher, Chris Sale. And find out how well their skills transfer from the baseball diamond to the golf course.

Chad Billingsley

During his Mizuno Golf custom-fitting session in Arizona, Billingsley showed that speed and power applied both to his pitching and his golf game, registering a swing speed of 94 mph on Mizuno’s Shaft Optimizer and gaining 16 yards with the JPX-800 6-iron over his previous 6-iron.

Jonathon Broxton

What may be surprising is that this 300 lb mountain of a man, possesses a golf swing that’s as smooth and picturesque as they come. A 5-handicap and arguably the best golfer on the Los Angeles roster, Broxton displayed a level of finesse at his Mizuno Golf custom-fitting session that belies his “full-tilt, full-time” approach to pitching.

Chris Sale

Sale was introduced to golf at an early age and played on his high school golf team back in Lakeland, Florida. The fact that Chris “has game” was on display during his Mizuno JPX-800 Challenge and custom-fitting session in Arizona.

Want to see more Major League Baseball Players? Visit mizunochallenge.com and take part in the JPX-800 Swing to Win Challenge for a chance to win one of eight hundred prizes including the grand prize – a dream foursome with a guest and PGA Tour stars Luke Donald and Jonathan Byrd.

Make sure to “like” the Mizuno Golf North America on facebook.

About Dr. Gary Wiren

Mizuno Golf Master Instructor Dr. Gary Wiren is a golf educator, a Master member of the Professional Golfers Association of America and a former national PGA staff director. Dr. Wiren is also one of only three people to be inducted into both the PGA Hall of Fame and World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame.

mizunochallenge.com

Tips & Tricks with Dr. Gary Wiren: Todd Helton and Corey Hart

Rob — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:24:43 +0000

Watch these two videos as Mizuno Golf Master Instructor Dr. Gary Wiren puts his teaching skills to a unique new test, analyzing the swings of Colorado Rockies First Baseman Todd Helton and Milwaukee Brewer’s Outfielder Corey Hart, and see how well their skills transfer from the baseball diamond to the golf course.

Todd Helton
A magician with a baseball bat and a career batting average of .324, Todd Helton is considered one of baseball’s truly elite hitters. A humble and reluctantly self-professed single-digit handicapper, Helton impressed his friends from Mizuno Golf in Arizona, showing that while he’s a magician with a bat, he’s not too shabby with a 6-iron either.

Corey Hart
Over the past four seasons, Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart has become one of the most dangerous hitters in the big leagues, amassing more than 80 HRs and 320 RBI over this span. Well known among baseball fans for his highlight-reel “moon shots,” Hart displayed this ability to hit the “long-ball” during his Mizuno Golf custom-fitting session in Arizona, hitting the JPX-800 6-iron 17 yards further than his current 6-iron.

Make sure to “like” the Mizuno Golf North America on facebook.

About Dr. Gary Wiren

mizunochallenge.com

Tips & Tricks with Dr. Gary Wiren: Los Angeles Angels Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson

Rob — Tue, 17 May 2011 01:22:42 +0000

Watch these two videos as Mizuno Golf Master Instructor Dr. Gary Wiren puts his teaching skills to a unique new test, analyzing the swings of Los Angeles Angels Catchers Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson, and see how well their skills transfer from the baseball diamond to the golf course.

Jeff Mathis
Not many people can say they’ve been able to slay a dragon. But in 2009, Jeff Mathis did just that with his heroic 11th inning walk-off RBI double that defeated mighty New York in one of the most dramatic playoff victories in baseball’s last decade. While out in Arizona with Mizuno Golf for his custom fitting session, Mathis gained nearly 10 yards of distance using JPX-800 irons. Clearly, the prospects for his golf game are growing brighter, as his big league status as a starting catcher does as well.

Bobby Wilson
Bobby Wilson has proven his ability to handle pitchers, and he did a great job of displaying his skills in handling a golf club during his JPX 800 custom-fitting session. With a surprisingly smooth swing that belies the rugged demeanor of a big league catcher, Wilson not only gained compliments from the Mizuno Golf team, but also gained roughly 7 yards in distance over his current 6-iron.

Make sure to “like” the Mizuno Golf North America on facebook.

About Dr. Gary Wiren

mizunochallenge.com

Tips & Tricks with Dr. Gary Wiren: Chicago White Sox Carlos Quentin and Juan Pierre

Rob — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:19:47 +0000

Watch these two videos as Mizuno Golf Master Instructor Dr. Gary Wiren puts his teaching skills to a unique new test, analyzing the swings of Chicago White Sox Outfielders Carlos Quentin and Juan Pierre, and see how well their skills transfer from the baseball diamond to the golf course.

Carlos Quentin
Chicago White Sox Right Fielder Carlos Quentin is known for being a power hitter, as one of Chicago’s most-consistent power hitters. Truly a fan favorite for his slugging prowess and his affable and laid-back demeanor, Quentin has earned nicknames “TCQ” (THE Carlos Quentin) and “Q-perman” which is carried out in-stadium through Superman-like imagery of Quentin brandishing a “Q” on his chest like the classic American superhero.

Juan Pierre
Chicago White Sox Left Fielder Juan Pierre arrived at his Mizuno Golf fitting session in Arizona having never picked up a golf club in his life. In an amazing display of the natural talent of an elite athlete, Pierre was immediately hitting the JPX-800 6-iron more than 190 yards consistently. Find out how a Pierre is able to generate so much power for someone who has never played golf before. Truly amazing!

Make sure to “like” the Mizuno Golf North America on facebook.

About Dr. Gary Wiren

mizunochallenge.com

Tips & Tricks with Dr. Gary Wiren: Matt Cain and Jeremy Affeldt

Rob — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:10:35 +0000

Have you ever wondered if World Series Champion Pitcher, Matt Cain could step onto 1^st tee at Augusta and drive the ball 300 yards down the middle of the fairway? Or if Juan Pierre’s skill on the bases transitions into his golf swing? How about if the precision Rockies 1^st baseman, Todd Helton, displays in the batter’s box carries over into his iron play?

Watch these two videos as Mizuno Golf Master Instructor Dr. Gary Wiren puts his teaching skills to a unique new test, analyzing the swings of San Francisco Giants Starting Pitcher Matt Cain and Relief Pitcher Jeremy Affeldt, and see how well their skills transfer from the baseball diamond to the golf course.

Make sure to “like” the Mizuno Golf North America on facebook.

About Dr. Gary Wiren

mizunochallenge.com

PGA of America Warns Against Purchasing Pirated Hospitality Packages for 2012 Ryder Cup

Rob — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:21:16 +0000

Medinah Country Club

The 39th Ryder Cup is two years away, but that hasn’t stopped vendors from selling unaffiliated PGA of America hospitality packages for the 2012 Ryder Cup.

The PGA of America is advising local companies to check the source before purchasing corporate hospitality packages for the event, to be held Sept. 25 to Sept. 30, 2012 at Medinah (Ill) Country Club. The PGA of America is the only source to offer official hospitality packages, and only official hospitality packages are on the actual event grounds at Medinah Country Club.

The Ryder Cup is golf’s most patriotic and prestigious international team competition matching the top United States golf professionals against those of Europe, and due to high demand and limited availability, it has become common practice for independent entertainment companies to market unofficial hospitality packages to the local corporate community. These packages often falsely imply an affiliation with PGA of America and the 2012 Ryder Cup and do not provide access to the grounds of the tournament.

“Midwest companies deserve a world-class experience, so we feel it’s important to stress that the only way to get the full experience on the grounds of Medinah is through official hospitality packages sold by The PGA of America,” said Don Larson, Medinah Country Club General Chair for 2012 Ryder Cup. “Businesses need to be cognizant of what they’re actually paying for when buying a corporate hospitality package and need to know that the only way to entertain on the grounds is to work directly with The PGA of America.”

General Public Ticket Lottery
A limited number of grounds tickets to the Ryder Cup will be sold to the general public. Given that the demand for tickets has historically exceeded the available inventory, individual tickets may only be purchased through an official random draw conducted by The PGA of America. Applications for the draw will be available in Spring 2011.

For more information or questions regarding other hospitality sales offers, contact Larry Sinclair, Sales Director for the Ryder Cup at 502-245-2000 or visit www.rydercup.com/2012

What’s in the Bag: Jim Furyk 2010 Tour Championship

Rob — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:51:56 +0000

Jim Furyk's bunker shot on 18 helped him clinch the Tour Championship on Sunday. AP/Photo Dave Mart

Jim Furyk clinched both the FedExCup and Tour Championship with an amazing sand save on 18 to conclude the PGA Playoffs in high fashion, amid a ton of confusion by the players and the media. Jason Sobel over at ESPN summed it up best, “The PGA Tour gave media members a sheet offering explanations, but it would have been more legible in Portuguese. Worst yet, even the players had no idea.” I still think you need to be an actuary to really understand the FedExCup system and that needs to change to really get the fans behind the playoffs.

“Coming up 18, I assumed I was playing for the FedEx Cup,” Furyk said, “but I wasn’t 100 percent sure, to be honest with you.”

DRIVER:Titleist 910D3 (9.5°) with an Oban Devotion 70 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Burner TP (15°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83 X shaft
HYBRID: Cleveland Launcher DST (18°) with a Fujikura Speeder 904 Graphite X shaft
IRONS: Srixon Z-TX Forged (3, 5-PW) with Apollo Hump X shafts
WEDGES: Cleveland CG15 (50°, 56°) with Apollo Hump X shafts, Callaway X Series JAWS (60°)
PUTTER: Yes! Sophia
BALL: Srixon Z-Star X

www.srixon.com

An Actuarial Feat: Determining Who Will Win the FedExCup

Rob — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:45:35 +0000

The Tour Championship is set to conclude today and there is a slew of possible outcomes for determining who wins the FedExCup. I’m no actuary, but Kin Lo, one of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup experts broke down the likely scenarios involving Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, and Geoff Ogilvy.

If Furyk, Retief Goosen or Geoff Ogilvy wins the event, he will win the FedExCup if Charley Hoffman and Paul Casey finish outside of the top three
If Luke Donald wins the event, he wins the FedExCup
If Casey or Hoffman wins the event, he wins the FedExCup, regardless of how anybody else finishes

Read more of the specifics on Kin Lo’s breakdown on the PGA Tour Wrap-up

I’m No Actuary

I don’t know about you, but two things come to mind when looking at the scenarios:

1) The FedExCup points system is too complicated and needs to be easier to understand. It shouldn’t require you to be an actuary to figure who will win the FedExCup, with all the different scenarios, projected points, etc. This has been a big point of contention since the FedExCup started three years ago and casual golf fans, are probably thinking “huh?” I really wish I paid more attention in math class.

2) A winner take all scenario would be much better way to determine the FedExCup winner. The players would still earn FedExCup points, like they do now leading up to the Tour Championship and determine the top 30 point leaders to compete in the final event, but instead of using points, just win the tournament and its done. Could you imagine if the NCAA Tournament used a FedExCup points based system to determine the National Championship, team A beats team B in the final game, but team B wins the National Title because they had earned more points. You’d have a lot of angry college basketball fans and probably a backlash against the NCAA.

Regardless of what happens today at East Lake, there are a ton of possible outcomes for who will win the FedExCup and should make for a thrilling ending, even if it means my brain will hurt from crunching the numbers.

Who do you think will win the FedExCup?

Giving Back: Support Patriot Golf Day 2010

Rob — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:56:29 +0000

Today is the start of Patriot Golf Day (September 3-6, 2010), which is a joint initiative of The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association that encourages golfers across the country to add $1 or more to their greens fees over the Labor Day weekend. Sparked by the vision and dedication of PGA Golf Professional Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot in the 125th Fighter Squadron of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, Patriot Golf Day has raised $5.1 million during its first three years.

How to Participate

There are several ways to participate in Patriot Golf Day 2010:

Play golf this Labor Day weekend at a participating golf course
Make a donation to Patriot Day and Folds of Honor Foundation Online
Buy a Bushnell Tour V2 Patriot Pack-a percentage of the sales goes to the Folds of Honor Foundation

About Folds of Honor Foundation

The Folds of Honor Foundation (FHF), the beneficiary of Patriot Golf Day, provides post-secondary educational scholarships to the spouses and children of service members disabled or killed as a result of their military service to our great nation. FHF was founded in 2007 by Rooney, also a golf course owner, PGA Professional and USGA member.

“We have lost more than 4,000 soldiers and Patriot Golf Day is a way for patriotic Americans to assist families of military personnel who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” said Rooney, who returned from his third tour in Iraq in 2008. “Bushnell Golf’s support of Patriot Golf Day has added a critical fundraising component that is going to allow us to reach more families with scholarships and other forms of support.”

How will you show your support for Patriot Day?

www.patriotgolfday.com

8 Things I Learned from Bunkergate and the PGA Championship

Rob — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:50:38 +0000

Dustin Johnshon with rules official David Price on the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship-via Reuters

With all the hoopla that overshadowed Martin Kaymer’s 3-hole playoff victory over Bubba Watson, here are the 8 things I learned from Bunkergate.

1. Dustin Johnson displayed the epitome of honor and good sportsmanship, after being eliminated from the playoff for grounding his club in a bunker. To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, “He kept it classy.”

2. It’s only a matter of time before Dustin Johnson wins one of golf’s majors. This is the second time this year he has come so close to winning, but it eluded him once again in the home stretch.

The bunker that cost Dustin Johnson two strokes and knocked him out of the playoff for the PGA Championship-via ESPN.com

3. Rules are rules, no matter what. There is no grey area in the rules of golf for grounding your club in a bunker. Even, if you don’t know you’re standing in a bunker that spectators where just in. To quote David Feherty, “But it looks more like, I don’t know—a manger?”

4. Whistling Straits needs to hire Shane Bacon to label all the bunkers.

5. I’m getting used to unknown golfers winning majors and learning to pronounce and spell their last names. Oosthuizen!

6. Four of the players who were in contention to win the PGA Championship all wore flat front pants. Steve Elkington, it’s time to lose the pleated pants and update the wardrobe.

7. “This totally reminds me of when Twitter blew up after the Roberto DeVicenzo incorrect scorecard incident at the 1968 Masters.” Jason Sobel via Twitter.

8. Kaymer’s caddie Craig Connelly goes by the nickname “Wee Man.”

What do you think people will remember most about the 2010 PGA Championship?