Making the turn.

Well it is getting hot. I played a couple of times in July and it was 100 degrees.

We are working hard on the reworking of View from the Fringe.  We are excited about the new direction and design.

Until then a few chip shots:

Last week I played at Meadowlands Golf Club. I got off to one of my best starts in a while going birdie, birdie, birdie, par, birdie, par, birdie. Five under through the first seven! Wow! Then I woke up and pared the last 11 holes in a row. Lesson: Keep in the moment one shot at a time.

Saw Bubba Watson out there. I haven’t seen him in since we were jrs. competing. It is awesome to see him winning and playing well. When we were kids he used to wear pink socks and promptly win everything he played in. Nice guy and great talent. Keep up with him on Twitter at @bubbawatson.

Global Golf Post continues to deliver great golf content. If you don’t subscribe and you love golf, you are missing a great digital magazine.

I’m in the market for a new driver. Any good suggestions?

Why did I do this?

A few weeks ago I started reshaping with Ted Bonham at Precision Fitness. Why did I do this? What was I thinking embarking on a journey with painstaking cardio and stability training? And I am not even to the hard stuff yet.

I promise to give you weekly updates about the process moving forward. Here is a summary of where we are now.

Session #1: Met with Ted for an evaluation of my flexibility, strength, and mobility. Let’s just say I failed all most of the tests. “This is good” Ted explained because the testes gives us a starting point of where you are at. We can use the data to move forward and develop your body into reaching its potential.

Session#2: Ted gave me a personalized workout and we went through the exercises. They are designed to build a foundation for which phase two is built upon. For me, I need to gain flexibility in my hips, wrists, ankles, shoulders, back,…um is there anything else. The other area I need to retrain is cardio. I used to play soccer and could run for 120 minutes at interval speeds. Not so much now. I can walk across the room briskly. I only run now if I am being chased.

Session #3: Ted went over the exercises with me after I had done them for a week to see how I was doing. This was really helpful. My form was a little off in a few exercises and a few others needed to be modified to make sure I got the most out of my workout.

Session #4: coming soon (diet and check up)

Last thing….New View From The Fringe site coming soon. I am excited for you guys to see the new look and feel.

Reshaping with Precision Fitness

Yesterday it started.  I made the decision a while ago to reshape myself. Part of this process is returning to a level of fitness my body hasn’t seen in almost a decade.  When I played professional golf, being in fit was part of the job.  Tiger Woods changed what it meant to be a golf athlete.  I remember working with a guy in the Triad who helped me find limitations in my body that inhibited consistent golf swings.  I still have nightmares about the two-hour stretching routine.  Thinking back, man I was in good shape.

Today things are different.  I am still in good shape. Unfortunately the shape is more oval or round.  The athletic physique I used to see in the mirror has laid dormant underneath a warm layer of insulation. No more!

On Wednesday I met with Ted Bohnam at Precision Instruction.  He is taking me through his TPI (Titleist Performance Institute)  fitness program.  Ted is a certified TPI instructor and a black belt in multiple disciplines of martial arts and runs the Precision Fitness division of PI. He will guide me through rebuilding my body from the inside out. The program is thorough. After an evaluation to determine where my body is physically, we will work on balance, flexibility, strength, nutrition, endurance, speed, and power.

Ted will create a specific program for my body to reach my peak fitness levels. Doing this will minimize the restraints of my body that produce improper tendencies in my golf swing.  My goal is to reduce variables that cause me to  make poor golf swings.  The freedom that comes from this is amazing. When your body can DO what you are training it to DO – then reaching your goals is a matter of time and effort.

I hope you can learn something about the role fitness plays in improving your golf game.  I will post about things I am learning both mentally and physically. You can also follow our adventure on the Precision Instruction blog where Ted will share from his perspective.

photo credit: Scott Ableman

A visit to Old Chatham

Last week I received a great invitation from my friend, Justin, to play at the Old Chatham Club in Durham NC. He recently joined and is making the rounds with friends who love golf as much as he does. I felt honored to get the call. This course has been one I have wanted to play for a while and it was a great way get golf ROI in prep for the US Public Links.

At first glance you can easily miss the understated entrance off Jordan Lake Rd. Many travelers don’t notice the small wooden sign marking the entrance to the piedmont oasis. This is just how they like it, hidden in plain sight among the tall pines and rolling hills. The Rees Jones design stealthily opened in September 2001. The select membership call it a “golf club” not a country club. There is no pool, tennis courts, or bridge club. The clubhouse is warm and quietly luxurious but it is not the mantel piece. The epicenter here is 7,247 yards of perfect greens and tree-lined fairways.

It was a beautiful day to play and Justin and I carried our own bags from the championship tees. I have played many Rees Jones courses (he is one of my favorite architects) since my first walk down his fairways at  the Emerald CC in New Bern NC. His style is distinct.  Mounded fairways,  large bunker complexes, and tough par 3s. I love that his courses are out in front of you. There is no trickery or blind deception. His courses stand toe to toe with you, testing your skill and shotmaking. Old Chatham was classic Rees Jones.

The most memorable holes were the 11th, and signature 17th. The 11th hole is a 622 yard par 5. All three shots ( I dare you to get there in two) require thought. The day we played, the hole location was +10 and there was a one club headwind. It played long. Real long. Justin calls it the “longest hole in Chatham County” and I believe him. It might be the longest hole in the world, or at least it played that way. The 17th hole is a great hole. The 226 yard par 3 has water down the left side which cradles the back left part of the green like a  mother lion protecting her cub.  Bunkers on the right sing like Homer’s sirens as you stand on the tee. The green is generous to the player that hits it. Let me know when you meet him or her.

My only critique of Old Chatham is that the course was good. There isn’t a single bad hole on the course but there aren’t many great holes either. But it wasn’t great. I don’t remember every hole like I when I played Taconic or Grandfather CC. I remember the experience and I have never met a nicer staff and membership at a club of its caliber. Kudos for that. Even as a guest I felt welcomed and accepted. Proving again that golf bridges the gap between age, social status, and ethnicity.

photo credit: oldchathamgolf.org

Mission Public Links Bryan Park

This year the US Amateur Public Links is being played at Bryan Park Golf Club near Greensboro NC.  In some delusional state of confidence I entered the tournament. All you have to do is have a handicap under 4 and not belong to  a private club. Check and Check.

What I thought I would do (to hold myself accountable to some form of preparation) is begin tracking my progress towards competing in one of our national championships.

Stay tuned if you wish to follow my journey. Let the prep begin.

How to get the best ROI on your golf game

Spring has finally arrived. It is time to get your clubs out of hibernation and dust off the footjoys. I am asked all the time about how I get back into playing shape after the winter layoff. Today I want to share how to get the best ROI on your golf game this season.

For me, the best investment for golf (or any endeavor) is in yourself. Don’t worry about buying the newest equipment yet. I know, you watched Jim Furyk break a three-year winless streak and you immediately look to see what is in his bag. If you must know, check this out from sandbox8.com.  I say take that $500-$1000 and invest in YOUR game.

Here are three things, in addition to practice, you can do now to get the best return on your golf investment.

Get instruction- Every spring I begin the season with an assessment and lesson from my coach, Robert Linville. I have done this religiously since 1994. This does two things for me. It allows me to see what natural tendencies have resurfaced that I can work on. Second, I let my coach know my golf goals for the year and we come up with a plan for improvement that I can execute.

Play somewhere new- Get away from the familiar. I know guys that can play their home course blindfolded. They know every break on every green, they know every club to hit off the tee, and every decision. This is great for playing nassau against some weekender. This is not good for learning how to manage yourself around a golf course.  I recommend going to a course you’ve never played before or are unfamiliar with once a month.  The green fee is an investment into lowering your scores. Playing a new layout will teach you to read greens better and assess targets and club choice. These are great skills that can be learned.

Compete- Nothing gives you a better learning experience than posting a score. You don’t need to enter the U.S. Open to compete. There are any number of local and regional tournaments you can play in. How about a club championship, city amateur, or charity event? Any of these give you the opportunity to tee it up when it counts.  If you are uncomfortable, enter a tournament that is flighted by skill level. Who cares where you finish. This is an investment into you.

I am not saying you don’t need to buy new equipment ever. I am just saying that if you gave Anthony Kim a set of Northwestern irons he would still be a tour player. The secret is his fundamentals and deposits into his own game. By the same token, take my brother Doug, a new set of Mizuno irons will not have him playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week. If you are playing Wilson Staff Goose-neck blades then I suggest spending your money on something made since Google was born. Other than those cases, invest in yourself, you will play better and have more fun.

Are you investing in your game this year? How?

18 holes at Fire Rock

Last week I spent time in Scottsdale, AZ  visiting a few clients. I love working with folks in the golf industry. We spent most of our time answering the two most important questions.

Thanks again to Eddie at Victory Golf Works and Fred and Tim at Golf Academy of America- Phoenix for treating us so well. I think I would work for free golf if my family didn’t have crazy demands like eating regularly or shelter.  I did get the opportunity to play at Fire Rock Country Club outside of the Phoenix-Scottsdale area.  This was a treat for me since I had never played in the desert before. The contrast of the fairways and greens with the desert was beautiful.

Enjoy the pics below. Does anyone have a great southwest golf  experiences to share?

[ No. 1 fairway ]

Funny, it is sunny 350 days a year. We hit one of the 15 days it rains.

[ Par 3 over the desert ]

[ Oasis in the valley ]

[ Definitely unplayable ]

Do you have an amazing golf story?

Need your help here at View from the Fringe.

I am working on a project and need golf stories. If you or someone you know has any crazy, funny, I can’t believe that just happened, amazing, or memorable stories related to golf, and you like to be a part of something big, please send them to me. I have included a simple form to fill out below if you are interested in sharing.

I am excited about rolling this out and I look forward to sharing the details soon. Thanks!

Submit your golf Stories

Thinking about golf posture (when I shouldn’t)

Last week I found myself sitting in a breastfeeding class. In my defense,  I was there supporting my wife.  We are expecting our first child in a month and I felt it was my duty to be there with her. Ok, I am not fooling anyone. She made me go.  I will say this, there is way more to it than I thought, and I did learn a lot despite my mind wanting to revert to back to 4th grade (when the word nipple was funnier than almost anything).

One word that kept coming up in the class was posture.  I was amazed at how important getting the baby and mother in the right posture is to successful…well, you know.  In the golf swing posture is also key.  This time of year when it is cold and outside practice is limited, one thing we can always work on is posture.  I try to do this a few times a week leading up to the warm season. A mirror is all you need (club optional).  Practicing your posture is one of the best off-season uses of your time.  Please check out this post on posture by my friend Chris Guy. He is a golf instructor and touring professional from across the pond.

P.S . Congrats Freddie on your first Champions Tour victory! Talk with you soon.

Golf’s big dance

Every year the PGA Merchandise show converges on Orlando.

Anything and everything golf related makes a splash.

Check out the Link to the HQ

Follow the action with some of the top golf bloggers in attendance

Sandbox8

Hooked on Golf

Also check out the streams from #pgashow on twitter

I haven’t kept up with equipment too much. I wonder if they will announce the igolf? Yep, it is Apple’s newest product launch on the heels of the recently unveiled ipad.

The new device actually allows you to swing like Fred Couples, Jonathan Byrd, or Michele Wei depending on which app you download. The putting app produces a Mutual of Omaha putting line on the green which makes it easier to line up putts.

Ok, just kidding.

I am curious to see what the golf world will unveil this week. What are you looking forward to hitting?