Saturday, April 2, 2011

Masters Predictions - Augusta Week Arrives - My Birdie Book Wisconsin Discount Golf Masters Special

Augusta & Who Will Win The Masters

GolfGirl Infographics - 2011 Masters, Early Picks

Infographics are awesome.  Marketers love them - that's a given - but so do regular folks, and these days they're everywhere; offering a whimsical visual representation of virtually anything,  from the cause of jet lag... to the cost of a latte... to the demographics of the internet.
At their simplest infographics are merely charts or graphs,  but they can also be compelling works of an illustrator's art.

The Masters begins in a week and already it's THE major topic of conversation in golf. The tournament's distinctive history and unique traditions... combined with the wealth of statistics that come out of it each year makes it quiet "infographically friendly".
I've put together a quick word visualization infographic (above) based on early 2011 Masters picks (about 60). I culled them from predictions posted in the forum at sandtrap.com and randomly on Twitter.  Yes, Tiger dominates, thus his name kind of stands out on the above. Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Nick Watson were also popular, then came Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell ... and so on.  The tiniest names had only been picked by one fan as of Wednesday 4/30 PM.  The pie below can only accomodate a few of the top picks.  I must work on that.  Anyway it's a start.
I have a feeling I'll be creating a few more visual representations of the 2011 Masters before it's over.

Also...
3 votes - Hunter Mahan
2 votes each - Lee~Westwood, Anthony~Kim, Rickie~Fowler, Rory~Mcilroy, Luke~Donald, K.J.~Choi
1 vote each - Sergio~Garcia, Miguel~Jiminez, Angel~Cabrera, Ryo~Ishikawa, Ian~Poulter, Ernie~Els, Alvaro~Quiros, Justin~Rose,  Ricky~Barnes, Mark~Wilson, Steve~Stricker, Retief~Goose, Francesco~Molinari
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Going for the Green – Masters News & Wisconsin Golf Specials – Birdie Book

Nicklaus Turns To Foley to Prepare For Masters Return on 25th Anniversary of 1986 Win

By Robert Thompson |   April 1, 2011 |  8 Comments
Jack Nicklaus prepares for an appearance at next week’s Masters with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley (left). (Photo courtesy I. Andrew Media)
According to various news sources, Canadian swing coach to the stars Sean Foley is working with legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus to prep him for one final Masters tournament, despite the former green jacket winner saying he was done playing at Augusta. He last played The Masters in 2005.
Nicklaus’ appearance at the event comes on the 25th anniversary of his last win at Augusta. Nicklaus talked to the Associated Press about the decision this morning.
“I felt I couldn’t be competitive [at The Masters],” Nicklaus said, when asked why he stopped playing . “But I’ve been working with Sean and I’ve really found my swing again.
“I liked some of the things he had to say about my golf swing and where I needed to go,” Nicklaus added. “I like the direction because I was able to hit some of the shots I used to be able to hit feel-wise. When you get that kind of contact again, it’s good. I still want to pick his brain. I don’t really have all of his whole concept yet. But I would like to get to know him more before I fully get into it.”
Nicklaus, who has had a hip replaced more than a decade ago, was introduced to Foley by Tiger Woods, who has been working with the Canadian since last year’s PGA Championship.
Nicklaus said he had a discussion earlier this year with son Jackie, who caddied for the Golden Bear at his 1986 Masters win. It was Jackie who convinced him to tee it up at Augusta one more time.
“I’m not going there to win, but I feel that I can still be competitive and have a lot of fun out there with Jackie,” said Nicklaus.
Foley told ScoreGolf’s Bob Weeks that he’s spent the last few weeks either working with Woods or Nicklaus, adding the Golden Bear is hitting the ball longer than he was in his prime.
“With age, Jack’s swing has changed,” Foley told Weeks via e-mail. ”But with my knowledge of biomechanics, I’ve helped Jack reverse the aging process. If he takes the club more from the inside while limiting the use of his legs, I know we can get Jack to the point where he can be competitive. He’s put a lot of time into it.”
Foley says he’s thrilled to be working with Nicklaus, and is learning as well as instructing the golf legend.
“Everything concurs with one another –  everything is everything,” Foley said. ”I could watch a successful lawyer who’s extremely successful at what he does and learn more about what I do. Also, with the golf swing, to this day, I still don’t know what’s right, but I have a pretty good idea of what’s wrong. It’s more of trying to get people, especially Tour players to stop doing the wrong things and allowing them to be their instinctive, genius selves. There’s no bigger genius than Nicklaus. He’s the talent. I’m just there to guide him, answer his questions and I don’t have all of the answers. I always try to get the answer. Sometimes it’s not just showing him videos when it’s not going right. It’s actually keeping the videos from where it’s really good and then recognizing where he was in his life from an energy level, if he was being optimistic or pessimistic. Everything is everything.”
Asked if the time spent with Nicklaus and Woods would take away from his other students, namely Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose, Foley said it wouldn’t be an issue.
“My wife does my scheduling and Jack is near Orlando, so I make it work,” said the diminutive swing coach. “Tiger only spends a limited time with me. So fitting in time with Jack isn’t really an issue.”
Foley said as a past Masters winner, Nicklaus doesn’t have to notify the tournament that he intends to play. But Nicklaus isn’t going to Augusta in a ceremonial capacity. He has served as an honourary starter in the past. Foley said he didn’t have a sense of how Nicklaus might perform at the tournament. “I don’t like to talk about expectations,” Foley said. “I’m more about goals and I think Jack just didn’t want to embarrass himself.”
Nicklaus said he’s made significant strides while working with Foley despite having largely given up competitive golf.
“I only ever enter a golf tournament with the goal of doing my best, playing the course and seeing what happens,” Nicklaus said. “Augusta is a special place to me and this is a celebration of my past successes there.”
Nicklaus added that more than anything, Foley has changed his perspective on his career and life.
“Working with Sean is really refreshing because he is an intellectual and is so well read that you can’t help but enjoy the time you spend with him,” Nicklaus said. “We’ve been working hard, but it has been fun at the same time.”
Foley said he was excited by Nicklaus returning for the tournament, and wasn’t worried about his critics.
“Look, I’m a Canadian who at 19 was a white kid at an all-black university,” said Foley, who played college golf at Tennessee State. “This couldn’t even be called criticism what I’m going through now. This is much bigger than that.”
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Tigers New Putting Drill Gets Him Ready For The Masters – Birdie Book Discount Greef Fee Book in Wisconsin

New Putting Drill Has Tiger Ready for Masters


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I KNOW THIS WILL arouse suspicion since today is April Fool’s Day. But I don’t consider it any more far-fetched than the daily hullabaloo about Tiger Woods’ swing. The original source is The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.
The putting drill is pretty simple. You putt a large baby into its diaper. It can be a baby boy or a baby girl (pictured). It really doesn’t matter. Make sure the baby is face up and the diaper is clean.
Devised by an unnamed putting guru, there are a few key ideas behind the novel drill:
1. It prevents your putting stroke from breaking down. The drill forces you to use the big muscles and follow through toward the target.
2. If you can get a baby rolling smoothly, then you can stroke any golf ball and master any putting surface with ease.
3. It builds confidence.
For Tiger, it’s all about the process, and this drill is restoring the kind of putting confidence that helped him win four Green Jackets. Don’t be surprised if next week at Augusta National you hear Tiger say, “Get in there, baby!”
You’ll know why.

−The Armchair Golfer

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

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Madison Wisconsin Golf Clubs & Drivers Deals/Specials - Taylormade R11 at Nevada Bobs - Birdie Book Golf Coupons

TaylorMade R11 and R11 TP Driver

Published: February 04, 2011
TaylorMade R11 driver
Schecter Lee
TaylorMade R11 driver
From Golf Magazine (March, 2011)
R11
Category: Game-Improvement Drivers
We tested: 9°, 10.5° with Fujikura Blur 60 graphite
Key Technologies: "Flight Control Technology" (eight settings create +/- 1° loft change), "Moveable weight technology" (25 yards of left/right trajectory difference) and "Adjustable sole technology" (Neutral, Closed or Open for +/- 2° of face-angle adjustment) create 48 head settings.
OUR TESTERS SAY: Eye-catching, 440cc white head is one of the top-rated drivers. Excellent adjustability features contribute to straighter, longer drives.
PROS
DISTANCE: Shots range from "above average" to "bombed it, one of the longest tested" for majority of testers.
ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Very consistent results, it's both highly forgiving and accurate; R11 is a straight shooter.
FEEL: Dampened, muted, soft feel with some spring in the face; a well-balanced club that's easy to swing.
PLAYABILITY: Several faster swingers make aggressive swings without fear of a hook due to clubface adjustability; many testers hit it higher than normal.
LOOK: White head looks odd initially, but a majority of testers find that the distraction quickly becomes a non-issue; white makes clubhead look larger.
CONS
The white paint job and crown graphics have detractors; a few testers don't care for cushioned impact feel.
R11 TP
Category: Tour Drivers
We tested: 9°, 10.5° with Fujikura Blur TP graphite shaft
Key Technologies: The adjustable soleplate can be rotated into one of three positions to determine face angle at address (2° open, 2° closed or neutral). This combines with "movable weight" technology and "flight control" technology to create the company's most adjustable driver to date. Now you can adjust face angle and loft independently of one another.
OUR TESTERS SAY: Among the top drivers tested; excellent playability results.
PROS
DISTANCE: Provides solid distance, particularly when testers get it set up properly for their swing.
ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: The center of the clubface is easy to find, which is mighty helpful when trying to correct directional misses.
FEEL: Pleasing, solid thud on center hits with little harshness on mis-hits.
PLAYABILITY: R11 TP really shines here; testers execute a wide variety of shots with relative ease.
LOOK: Attractive shape and deep clubface frame ball; white crown and black clubface provide a unique alignment system.
CONS
White crown takes some getting used to; a few find it's not a particularly powerful feel at impact.
From The Shop Blog (January 2, 2011)
After the success of the r7 and R9 drivers, the release of TaylorMade's third generation R11 adjustable driver was bound to cause a buzz in the equipment world.
But even before the pros at Kapalua start tinkering with TaylorMade's newest model, they'll notice the glaringly obvious thing that sets it apart—it's white.
"The satin white finish, along with the black face, creates the maximum contrast between face and crown to help you align the club more easily," says Tom Olsavsky, TaylorMade's director of product creation (metal woods). Olsavsky adds that the white finish helps to reduce the hot spots and glare often created on glossy-topped drivers.
Rumors have been swirling over the past few months that TaylorMade was planning to release a white driver, but many those rumors failed to mention the R11’s new level of customization. In previous models, TaylorMade's torque wrench was used to adjust the face angle, which automatically changed the club's loft as well. In the R11, loft and face angle are adjusted independently.
In the r7 and R9, an aluminum sleeve attached to the shaft, which screwed into the head in a variety of face angles. Not anymore. Now the R11's sleeve has eight settings to increase or decrease the effective loft by as much as one degree.
Face angle is controlled by an adjustable aluminum sole plate. By moving the red triangular plate into the closed, neutral or open position, you can adjust the look at address. The face settings range from 4 degrees open to 4 degrees closed.
Like the r7 and R9 drivers, the R11 features weight ports—one in the heel and one in the toe—that allow for a draw or fade bias. The R11 comes with a10-gram screw and a 1-gram screw. Positioning the 10-gram weight in the heel promotes a draw, while putting it in the toe encourages a fade. According to TaylorMade, the movable weights provide up to 25 yards of right-and-left adjustability.
Because the club is so adjustable, the R11 driver will be available in only two lofts — 9° and 10.5°. Olsavsky says that's all the loft options that are required, even for Tour pros.
To make his point, Olsavsky says you could theoretically set a 9° R11 to have an open face at address, a draw weight bias and an effective loft of 10°. The same club could be adjusted to have a closed-face at address, a fade bias and 8° of playing loft.
In addition to all that adjustability, Olsavsky says the R11's head shape is more aerodynamic, making it at least 6 yards longer than 2010's R9 SuperTri.
The standard R11 driver will come with a 45.75" Fujikura Blur shaft and retail for $399. A TP version of the club will feature an identical head and several shaft upgrades for $499. Both drivers should arrive in pro shops in mid-February.
From The Shop Blog (December 6, 2010)
Golfers who are really into gear have been buzzing for weeks on message boards and blogs about white drivers. First, there was the all-white Cobra Limited Edition ZL, which Ian Poulter put into play and won with in Asia.
Next down the Great White Way will be TaylorMade's yet-to-be-released R11, the next generation of 2010's R9. A few images of Sean O'Hair testing the club were obtained by Golf.com.
As you can see, the crown of the club is white, but the sole is black.
The video below shows several TaylorMade staff players's reactions to the R11 driver:$399 (R11), $499 (R11 TP)
Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/equipment/article/0,28136,2025130,00.html#ixzz1IEMtyLFd

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J. Vegas Prepares for Augusta - Masters Inside Info & Predictions - My Birdie Book Wisconsin Golf Coupons


vegasblog29.jpg
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Jhonattan Vegas will enjoy a home game this week at the Shell Houston Open, a 20-minute drive from his house.
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Mar. 30, 2011
By Jhonattan Vegas, Special to PGATOUR.COM
Jhonattan Vegas will write a blog for PGATOUR.COM periodically during the 2011 season.
March 29, 2011
It is so much fun to come back to Redstone and the Shell Houston Open, the place where I got to experience my first PGA TOUR event. Just to be able to come back and relive the memories when I played here in 2003, because that's when I pretty much decided this is what I wanted to do for a living.
We played the other course at Redstone then, when I got into the tournament as a Monday qualifier, but I was still here with my teachers, Franci Bettencourt and Kevin Kirk and my dad, meeting the guys and having a good time. We didn't play that good, but we made the decision to work on the things we had to do to get here.
I live here in The Woodlands, a 20-minute drive from the course. This week, my Mom and Dad are flying in from Venezuela and my brother Julio, who is playing at Texas and having a good time, is coming over. It should be a lot of fun.
It's different since won the Bob Hope Classic. I get a little more attention here at home in The Woodlands than I used to. It's nice, but totally different. I'm not used to going to a store like HEB or Kroger and having someone come up to me and say, "hey, Jhonny Vegas." We're going to get used to it.
I feel my game is headed the right way, been playing good. Some up and down weeks, but still have the confidence and playing great. Only God knows what's going to happen, but I'm going to try and win this week.
I am excited about playing Augusta. I went over and played two practice rounds and it was super exciting. I was there as a spectator in 2009 when Angel Cabrera won, so I was able to see the course that way. But I was never able to experience the whole Augusta National like I did playing a practice round. It was really exciting.
I took a friend with me. I played Monday, then on Tuesday I was able to play with Dustin Johnson and Charley Hoffman. We played a quick practice round and that was super fun because Dustin has been there quite a few times and told me a few little things you have to know about the course. It's always good to hang around with people who can teach you about Augusta. There is so much history around that place. That made life pretty nice for those couple of days.
The thing that surprised me the most was how undulating the course was. And how much you hit shots from sidehill lies. Up and down, left to right, right to left, that's what caught my attention. I don't think you hit a flat shot on that course, except on par-3s and on tee boxes. It really amazed me. It was a different perspective of the golf course. you have to really get your eyes adjusted to hit shots. It's not as easy as just hitting the ball on the fly.
I'm flying there Sunday night and will play a practice round with Angel on Monday and Ben Crenshaw, who also played at Texas, on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to talking to Ben about the greens.
I want to try to experience the full Augusta National experience . I'm going to go have a good time I'm not going to worry about it. Someone just told me Fuzzy Zoeller was the only rookie to win the Masters (editor's note: Gene Sarazen won in 1935, the tournament's second year). I'm going to try to do that too.
But first, this week.
We started off with a practice round on Sunday and a barbecue at Angel's house Sunday afternoon. A full Argentinian asado, as real as it gets. It was fun hanging out with people who have the same culture. We were just joking, talking, cooking and had a couple glasses of wine. Such a great evening.
I asked Angel about so many shots at Augusta. It was a really really fun experience. Andres Romero and Michael Connell were there too. We played cards -- a game called truco. We really went at it. It's a ranking kind of a game, played with Spanish cards.
Today, I played a practice round with Angel, Andres and Fabian Gomez. We had a little Argentia-Venezuela match going. It was Andres and Angel against me and Fabian. There was a lot of talking going on. They were 3-up after nine. We came back and beat them at 17.
So, there was little magic going on. Maybe it set up things for the whole week.

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Tiger Woods Selling 'Privacy' Yacht: Report (PHOTOS) - Breaking Golf News - Birdie Book Wisconsin Golf Coupons

Tiger Woods and his new girlfriend Alyse Lahti Johnston won’t be spending any more time on his yacht named “Privacy.”
The Palm Beach Post reported on Tuesday that Tiger is selling his 155-foot yacht:
Privacy is now back at its home-port in North Palm Beach’s Old Port Cove, and Woods is shopping for a broker to list it for $25 million.
The Daily Mail reported last week that Woods and his new 22-year-old girlfriend have been spotted his yacht.
Woods reportedly offered it to his ex-wife Elin Nordegren during the divorce-settlement talks, but she turned it down.
Scroll down for photos.