Everywhere you look some association is busily handing out awards. Male athlete of the year has been bestowed upon Tiger Woods by both the GWAA and by the Associated Press, Lorena Ochoa was given the women’s honor by the same organization and the Sports Illustrated models even gave Michelle Wie the nod by pronouncing her one of the top “hotties” of 2006. Are there any more accolades to be doled out before the start of the 2007 golf season? The LPGA Tour has decided to pay homage to their own, in the same vein as the ESPY’s which gave Annika Sorenstam her ...

Click here to listen. Michelle Wie’s recent acceptance to Stanford gave us pause this week to reflect upon a golf lesson offered up by Ernie Els during the 2005 Sony Open. Perhaps if Michelle Wie practices with more determination this year, all of her PGA Tour dreams might come true…including entrance into the Masters or even a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team? Our next subject on this holiday edition of Golf for Beginners answers a listener’s email about bounce. When is it best to use a sand wedge and when should a golfer opt for a more bladed club? Can a ...

Did Tiger Woods text-message Annika Sorenstam to gloat after winning his eighth GWAA player of the year award? Probably not because he must be too busy preening over being deemed Biography Channel’s “Biography of the Year". Catch the Tiger Woods documentary December 21st. Check your local listings. Did Lorena Ochoa inwardly chuckle after snatching that same award from Annika Sorenstam’s grasp? The Golf Writers Association of America believed Ochoa to be more worthy of receiving this year’s accolade than Sorenstam and rightfully so. The Mexican sensation finished off the 2006 season with six wins on the LPGA Tour versus half that ...

Click here to listen. Annika Sorenstam is one busy entrepreneur, from her successful association with Ginn Resorts right down to giving advice to golfers in both Golf Digest and Golf for Women magazines. Barry and I discuss Sorenstam’s one-handed drill that is sure to provide both the golf beginner as well as the intermediate player with better ball contact as well as help generate more clubhead speed. We continue with golf tips for winterizing your golf equipment. How do you determine which clubs should remain in your bag and which should be traded out for something more reliable? Perhaps swapping a three-iron ...

I now have the eyes of the tiger…Tiger Woods that is! It’s now about two weeks since lasik surgery has been successfully performed on my peepers and I must admit, it feels as if it happened a lifetime ago. Even with the new technology of intralase bladeless lasik versus the original Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, I still chose the original procedure. The price was much more reasonable and I figured that the surgeon (and the VISX machine) would have already had plenty of experience carving that microkeratome into my baby browns. Barry got the opportunity to watch as the operation was televised. The ...

Click here to listen. Here is a conundrum for our listeners and readers. What functions as both raingear and a golf training aid? Why an umbrella, of course! And not just any umbrella, no! The rain reflector we’re discussing in this week’s podcast, Umbrella Plus, has also been hailed by The Teaching Network, a panel of PGA teaching professionals who only accept products which “show true value in the players learning process". We not only concur with the findings of these golf instructors but we also laud the Umbrella Plus’ versatility and ease-of-use. Listen to the details of our findings on this ...

Click here to listen. Not all husbands and wives are meant to share the game of golf. Tiger Woods and his wife Elin, for example, enjoy other activities together as she is an expert downhill skier. As Tiger stated, “Being married to a Swede, you have to ski, no choice.” This week a listener asks about the probability of getting his wife to learn golf. This question started a “friendly” confrontation and an all-out battle of the sexes debate quickly ensued! After a brief reminiscence as to how Barry helped get me interested in the sport, I thought about something that he reiterates ...