It’s time once again for the first major of the LPGA season to take place at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. But the big news in Palm Springs this weekend is not if Annika Sorenstam will hoist another Dinah Shore Trophy and jump into Champion’s lake for a fourth time. And the news is not even whether or not Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer will be attempting to win their first major in spite of the fact that in the LPGA’s history, only three rookies have made their first Tour win a major. And it’s not even ...

Click here to listen. Trick-shot artist Tony Musto, a.k.a. Deuce Mulligan, shares his golf teaching methods on our latest Golf for Beginners Podcast. The gauntlet is thrown down at John Daly’s knees. Will he respond? The LPGA moves into PGA of America territory. Will the men move over? We review an inexpensive balance training aid. And we pull a “love” letter out of our email bag. Barry eats crow after our initial discussion about finding love on the golf course. Please direct your questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. You can also subscribe to our weekly podcast through iTunes.

From the recent dealings between Michelle Wie and Omega, Sony and Nike to the latest sponsorship of Morgan Pressel by Polo Ralph Lauren, apparel and accessories have become a hot commodity among the younger set of LPGA golfers leaving some veterans out in the cold. Prematurely poised for their ages and adored by teenagers who are said to spend dollars as easily for earrings as ringtones, these youngsters are going to transform women’s golf into a multimillion dollar industry. The age difference doesn’t seem to play as big a part when sponsors endorse golfers on the PGA Tour. For example, Tom ...

Click here to listen. On our latest Golf for Beginners Podcast we talk with sports hypnotist/mind coach Pete Solana at the Lower Hudson Valley/Journal News PGA Golf Show. His great mental game tips will help you whether or not you believe in the power of hypnosis. The “impact bag” is our training aid selection of the week. We relate the importance of the “moment of impact” and how to use the bag properly for best results. With the tours now in “full swing", Barry and I touch on Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour as well as Annika Sorenstam, the number-one golfer of ...

The Safeway International sponsored by Coca-Cola is always an important tournament for the ladies on tour. A few events have been played and comfort zones are being established. The girls are starting to sling the hash about their dreams of surpassing the number one golfer on tour and are busily trying to amass points for the ADT Championship finals and the $1 million prize that goes along with it. This week heralds an event that is essentially a tune-up for next week’s first major of the season, the Kraft Nabisco Tournament. Sorenstam’s victory last year had many people conjecturing the possibility ...

A new radio spot being released in conjunction with the Kraft Nabisco Championship next month features aging rock star Alice Cooper doing a “one-upmanship” with Annika Sorenstam. Why are they comparing someone who is past his prime to a current superstar? If the LPGA were trying to make themselves more current why did they pick an over the hill glam star as a comparison? I mean, when was the last time Cooper came out with a new song? He’s not only living in the past off his early successes he’s now more interested in playing celebrity golf than creating new music! Okay, so ...

My title sounds easy enough to accomplish, but I assure you it is one of the hardest lessons that I’ve set out to achieve this season. Two simple words, “play” and “happy” were taught to me as soon as I could enter a sandbox but it appears that I have forgotten the true meaning behind them. Allow me to explain. Winds were whipping, rain fell heavily and it was bone-chilling cold last week in Myrtle Beach. Temperatures rarely rose above 50 degrees. With the lack of sunlight and clothing that I brought for spring-like conditions my focus dwindled with every passing hole ...

Okay, so it was not only FREEZING, it was windy and rainy too! But the elements couldn’t stop us from playing golf in Myrtle Beach! Download our latest Golf for Beginners Myrtle Beach Podcast and listen to our adventures first-hand from our comfortable ride on Spirit Airlines’ upgraded service to our not-so-comfortable golf experiences at Meadowlands Golf Club in Calabash, NC (just a hop, skip and a jump from Myrtle Beach), the infamous Tidewater Golf Club and finally, Myrtlewood Palmetto Golf Course. (Not to mention my husband’s chauvinistic comments!) But it’s not all about golf in Myrtle Beach. Experience the ambiance from ...

In this week’s Golf for Beginners Podcast Seventeen Barry and I talk about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson’s 2005 showdown at Doral’s Blue Monster and the possibilities of another exciting finish this year at the Ford Championship. A dramatic ending usually occurs here at the 18th hole. Also, learn a little more about Tiger Woods this week. What’s his favorite movie? How does he like to spend his time? How does his wife, Elin, fit into his plans? In honor of this weekend’s 78th Academy Awards we discuss how the LPGA has moved into the mainstream by inclusion into this year’s celebrity ...

In honor of this week’s high profile Ford Championship at Doral, all other tours call it quits for the week. Tiger Woods versus Phil Mickelson again? Wouldn’t THAT be a good ratings boost for NBC! Especially since the recent Olympics were a ratings flop for the station. We can only hope that NBC doesn’t cut away in the middle of the event as other channels have done (ahem, CBS), usually for issues that could have waited until the nightly news! With all of the major players coming out for this battle with the Blue Monster, expect a weekend of dueling sticks and ...