“Tom Watson: Lessons of a Lifetime” Two-DVD Set Reaches a Milestone

Video Excerpts:

• Putting Lesson 1: The Putting Grip 
• Putting Lesson 2: Alignment 

Press Release:

World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson’s comprehensive two-DVD set, “Tom Watson: Lessons Of A Lifetime,” has reached 10,000 units sold in the first 6 weeks of its release, it was announced today by the eight-time major championship winner and Tom Watson Productions.

“Selling 10,000 copies of “Lessons of a Lifetime” in the first 6 weeks is not only an amazing milestone, but also a true testament to Tom Watson’s popularity with golfers everywhere,” says Director Terry Jastrow, award-winning president of Jastrow Productions.

That impressive figure includes strong sales on Tom’s website, the recently debuted and informative www.tomwatson.com.

The two-DVD set—filmed at the famous Greenbrier Resort located in White Sulpher Springs, WV, where Watson is the Golf Professional Emeritus—is the golfing superstar’s first-ever instructional program and represents the culmination of more than 50 years of playing the game and learning from others. 

The two-DVD set’s approximately three hours of content provides the ultimate Tom Watson learning experience, covering all facets of the game—from the grip to full shots, to chipping, confident putting and effortless-looking drives, plus specialty shots including those required in strong wind conditions. Watson shares lessons learned from his childhood through competition, and gifts from the great teachers he has encountered. Watson—who has played with and against some of golf history’s greatest players during his 38-year career—shares lessons he learned from his father and from longtime club professional Stan Thirsk, as well as many professional golfers such as Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Bryon Nelson.

Watson has long-standing professional relationships with Adams Golf, Golf Digest, The Greenbrier Resort, MasterCard Worldwide and Polo Ralph Lauren.

The two-DVD “Tom Watson: Lessons of a Lifetime” set is now available for $49.95 at select golf and sporting goods retailers, pro shops and at www.tomwatsondvd.com. The set is also available to purchase by calling 1-800-993-5589.

Putter Meme: August Golf Lessons

Fred Couples: What I’ve Learned
Keep head still, the benefits of the belly putter, try something new
Golf Magazine

Eric Johnson: Make a Confident Stroke
How to handle fast greens from the director of instruction at Oakmont (home of ridiculous fast greens)
Golf Magazine

Steal Jack’s Putting Secret
Keeping your right elbow tucked like the Golden Bear gives you a perfect path every time.
Golf Magazine

Pat O’Brien: Understanding Alignment in Putting
The importance of eyeline and targetting, de-emphasizing eye dominance.
SeeMore Blog

Stan Utley: My 18′ Putting Drill
Treat a 3′ putt like an 18′ putt.
Stan Utley Blog

Stewart Cink: 10 Rules For Winning All Your Matches
Become automatic on short putts by practicing lots of three footers. Always putt first!
Golf Digest

Guru Wars
Some candid talk about the short game and putting from Dave Stockton, Dave Pelz and Stan Utley | side by side table
Golf Digest

Press Release: Face-On Putting—The Next Revolutionary Technique in Golf?

“Face-On™ putting is the future of putting. It’s a completely different and more effective way to putt. From a physics standpoint, it has several advantages over the traditional side-on method,” says Dr. David Cook, a top sports and performance psychologist recognized by Golf Digest as one of the leading mental-game coaches who has worked with hundreds of PGA Tour players.

To illustrate the superiority of Face-On putting, Dr. Cook uses this example:

If you were asked to throw him your keys—you wouldn’t pick up your keys, then stand sideways, look down at the keys and put both hands on them to throw sideways—you’d just toss the keys while looking at him and most likely use just one hand to do it. You’re not throwing the keys from memory; you’re actually looking at where you want the keys to go.

Similarly, on the golf course, Face-On putting has the player looking at the hole using the full power of binocular vision, which is superior and allows for a truer picture of the target and line. There’s also just one moving joint swinging freely in a straight line like a pendulum with the feel focused in one hand. This is different than the traditional side-on method which has the player putt to a memory rather than looking at the target and where the putter is anchored at the top and the feel is focused in two hands.

So if Face-On putting is so superior why are golfers continuing to use traditional putting techniques that aren’t physically or mechanically pure and that actually hinder the results they want?

Resistance to change runs deep in golf with its rich traditions says Cook in his new book Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia (Zondervan, August 2009). (Even Arnold Palmer admitted that, among the thousands of putters he owned, he got his best results with a long putter, but rarely used it because it was non-traditional at the time.)

Cook says, “We started out by thinking that the object of the game is to hit the ball far and towards a target. That’s why players hit the ball side-on to create torque for power and velocity.

Unfortunately, they stayed with that technique for putting even though accuracy—rather than torque—is necessary for putting.”

Cook believes if putting had been invented before the game of golf that people would have approached it just like the free throw, darts, or bowling.In Golf’s Sacred Journey one of the book’s key lessons is challenging truth over tradition.

“In each generation, there are innovators that rise up and challenge tradition. Long-standing techniques have been challenged in recent years, especially in putting. The long putter and belly putter have emerged along with the claw grip, split grip, and left hand low,” notes Cook. He believes the same will eventually happen with Face-On putting.

About Dr. David Cook
Dr. David Cook is one of the country’s top sport and performance psychology consultants having served as mental coach for over 100 PGA Tour players, NBA World Champion San Antonio Spurs (two MVPs David Robinson and Tim Duncan), NFL, MLB, Olympics, and collegiate national championship ranks as well as Fortune 100 business leaders. Dr. Cook speaks around the country and has been the featured speaker at two National PGA Teaching and Coaching Summits. Recognized by Golf Digest as one of the leading mental-game coaches, his work has also appeared in Golf Magazine, Golf Illustrated, and Golf Tips. Dr. Cook also directed the Mindset Academy at the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, a nationally recognized mental training academy for aspiring competitive golfers from 2001 to 2006. He began his career as the Director of Sport Psychology at the University of Kansas (1984 to 1996) after receiving his PhD from the University of Virginia and studying under sports psychology pioneer, Bob Rotella. He is president of peak performance firm David Cook Consulting, Inc. His business clients have included Exxon/Mobil, Sprint, American Express, and many others. He lives with his wife Karen and their two daughters in Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country.

For more information, visit www.linksofutopia.com

Release Date: August, 2009
Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia
Published by Zondervan
ISBN-13: 9780310318859
Hardcover, 192 pages, $16.99 (USD)
ISBN-13: 9780310320654
Audio CD, Unabridged, $21.99 (USD)

Putter Meme (20090528): Sabbatini’s Taylormade, Casey’s Nike Red Prototype, Switches to SeeMore

Sabo’s Sizzling Putter Sets New Tournament Record at HP Byron Nelson Championship
After an 8-foot putt at No. 17 for his third straight birdie, Sabbatini got to enjoy the champion’s walk up No. 18. And it didn’t matter that his 7-foot par putt slid past and he had to tap in for bogey.
Official Website

Rory Sabbatini’s HP Byron Nelson winning clubs
Rory Sabbatini has played with golf equipment made by several manufacturers over the past few seasons, but on March 13 he signed a new endorsement deal with TaylorMade. His win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship was his first using the company’s gear.
Golf Magazine Shop Blog

Precision putting puts bounce back into Rory’s step
Yet on Saturday he said the one constant during the first three days of the Byron Nelson was his putter. How’s that for putting extra pressure on your putting when you’re trying to win a tournament?
Business Day

Tiger Shark Putter Grip Helps Byron Nelson Champion Set New Course Record…Followup
In only his fourth tournament using a Tiger Shark UltraTac grip, the current 7th ranked player on the PGA Tour set a course record and earned $1.17 million for his fifth PGA Tour victory this weekend at the Byron Nelson Classic.
Golf Business Wire

Nike Golf’s Paul Casey Wins Third Title in 2009 Elevating him to #3 in World Ranking
After switching to the new Nike prototype putter, Casey has jumped from 196th in putts per round on the PGA Tour in 2008 to 56th in 2009. His overall putting average dramatically improved from a 193rd ranking in 2008 to 23rd in 2009. In the BMW PGA Championship, Casey ranked seventh in putts per round.
Golf Business Wire

Nike Golf’s State-of-the-Art Research and Design Facility has Expanded
Nike Golf formally unveiled the expansion of its full service, state-of-the-art research and design (R&D) facility known as “The Oven,” in Fort Worth, Texas. The newly enhanced 49,100 square foot facility, which originally broke ground in October 2002, has increased its total square footage by 17,600.
Golf Business Wire

Rankmark: Annual Putter Test Results
Atlanta, GA based golf equipment testing company Rankmark, announces the results of the 2009 putter test to the media, prior to being posted on its website.
Golf Business Wire

Notebook: Switching to SeeMore
The SeeMore putter’s alignment aid is working well for D.A. Points. If you can see the red dot, the putter is not aligned correctly…HP Byron Nelson Championship third-place finisher D.A. Points was sixth in putts per GIR (1.635) and putts per round (26.8) using a new SeeMore flat stick.
Golf Press Association

Huge Week for SeeMore as Brand Momentum Explodes
What a week, actually what a year for SeeMore.  Zach Johnson’s accomplishments are off the charts, his latest being his 6th PGA Tour victory  and 5th in last 26 months dating back to his Masters Victory  in April 2007.
Official Site

50 years after founding, Ping follows innovative traditions
PHOENIX — Fifty years ago Karsten Solheim founded a golf equipment company on the premise that science could disprove the game’s myths. A tinkerer at heart and an engineer by training, Solheim was a pioneer in applying the principles of science and engineering to something as simple as a golf club, which had no moving parts.
USA Today

Axis 1 Golf
Axis 1 Golf founder and CEO Luis Pedraza has announced the introduction of golf’s first perfectly balanced putter- the Axis 1 Eagle.
Golf Business Wire

Circle T Lost & Found
It’s not every day that you’ll find a Scotty Cameron Tour putter at a pawn shop for $20. You have even less of a chance of recovering a Tour putter that goes missing from your bag after a round.
Official Site

Golfsmith acquires MacGregor Golf
MacGregor Golf’s 112-year run as an independent equipment brand came to end May 20 as it announced its sale to Austin, Texas-based retailer Golfsmith International.
Golf Week

Players Use Real Putter And Balls In Virtual Minigolf Game
Chicago Gaming Co.’s latest coin-op novelty challenges players to use a real putter and golf balls to test their dexterity on virtual miniature golf courses. According to the manufacturer, Putt! Championship Edition is the first golf videogame to use genuine equipment.
Vending Times

Glen Coombe, The Putting Doctor schedules next clinic
Golf Professional Glen Coombe, “The Putting Doctor” will hold his next putting clinic at Carolina Lakes Golf Club in Sanford, NC on Saturday May 30th. The host for this clinic is PGA Golf Professional Ron Hall.
Golf Business Wire

Golf Digest and Golf Magazine Putter Roundup (June 2009)

Each month, we review the BIG 2 golf monthlies and scour their putting articles:

Golf Digest June 09

• Cover Story: How To Make More Birdies w Camilo Villegas
  Money quote: When I’m getting ready to putt, I always try to remember the best putts I’ve ever made. Or I imagine it’s match play, and I’ve got this birdie putt to beat one of my teammates from college who I hated losing to. I get so focused, and it helps me make a nice, aggressive stroke.
• Mass Hysteria: Mallet Designers Differ on How to Use Weight pp 66-68 featuring Nickent Pipe Dream, Rife IMO, Slotline SL-783 Stealth, Titleist Scotty Cameron Kombi, Yes! Madison
• Goosen Gets His Groove Back Goosen’s experiments with belly putters (Yes! Golf Tracy putter)
• What’s in My Bag Ernie Els Odyssey Milled stainless blade prototype (35.5 inches) pg 72
• Can You Feel It Stan Utley Uses real life metaphors to describe the putt, chip, pitch pg 97
• Sittin Pretty w Phil Mickelson Talks about putting changes in the off-season (resetting the loft) p 132-138
• Pickup an Issue Today!

Golf Magazine June 09

• How to Kick Start a Smooth Stroke: This setup trick turns jabs into flowing things of beauty w Don Kotnik pg 57 Nice setup trick
• How to Fix a Faulty Putting Stroke w Scott Munroe pg 60 Putting obstacle course!
• Trust Your Instincts w Geoff Ogilvy pg 104
• Here’s What I Play: Geoff Ogilvy Newport Protype 4 degree loft, 35 length pg 130
• Pickup an Issue Today!

Putter Meme (20090522): SeeMore, Pilates, Scotty Cameron Honey Dipped

Zach Wins Again
It is shaping up to be quite a nice year for my friend.  As always, his success is a team effort.  Mike Bender has him hitting the ball so well, Morris Pickens has really helped Zach elevate his mental game.  Damon Green keeps him cool on the course, and is one of the best Bermuda green readers alive!  Chris Noss keeps him in shape, and I keep him rolling it well.  In the end, Zach puts it all together and executes among the best in the game.
Pat O’Brien Blog

SeeMore Salutes Valero Texas Open Winner’s Second Straight Championship!
The SeeMore Putter Company congratulates the winner of the 2009 Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, who used a new SeeMore FGP Stainless blade to repeat as Champion by shooting an incredible 3d round 60 and then win a sudden death playoff on Sunday with a dramatic, 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.
Golf Business Wire

Rife Wins Regions Charity Classic #1 on Darrell-Survey
Rife would like to congratulate the winner of the Regions Charity Classic held this past weekend at the Robert Trent Jones Trail at Ross Bridge in Hoover, AL. This was his second Champions Tour win of the year, and his third Champions Tour victory overall since switching to his RIFE 2 Bar Blade putter. He ranked 1st in Putts Per GIR with a 1.600 earning a paycheck for $255,000, proving once again that it pays to play a RIFE Putter!
Golf Business Wire

Golf products company (Slotline) expands portfolio
Henrico County-based golf products and stroller company Dynamic Brands Inc (makers of Slotline). is adding some brands to its product lineup.
Richmond Times Dispatch

Photos released of new Scotty Cameron ‘Honey Dipped’ putters
Say hello to the ‘Honey Dipped’ putters.
Golf Magazine’s The Shop

Toms using new putter
Toms’ new putter is a yet-to-be-released Scotty Cameron for Titleist Modern Classic #1. It has a honey-dipped finish and a channel cut out of the sole to adjust the feel and sound at impact.
Fan Nation

Latest putters from Never Compromise
Never Compromise, the distinctive grey and black brand of putters consistently used by Vijay Singh, is soon to introduce a new line of NCX-RAY models.
GolfMagic.com (UK)

Rossa Monza Spider Balero putter unveiled: TaylorMade develops the idea of a ball image behind the clubhead
The Monza Spider Bolero is the latest addition to the TaylorMade Rossa Monza family of putters. It’s a large mallet-headed club which the makers claim is ‘dramatically easier’ to aim correctly.
GolfMagic.com (UK)

Yes! Golf announces putter promotion offer to open the season
- Yes! Golf announces a promotion to kick off the golf season. Yes! Golf is offering consumers who purchase a C-Groove putter a free Yes! Golf embroidered towel.
World Golf News

Physical Techniques Needed for Good Putting
No More Back Pain, a Pilates-based golf conditioning program, can quickly increase yardage, sometimes in as little as a few days. But the surprising result for my clients is how applying Pilates techniques to the golf swing will also help putting. Here’s how.
NoMoreGolfPain

HP Byron Nelson Championship Coverage
-Putting’s Decisive Role: No Club Can Do More to Make or Break a Player
-Putters can be a mixed bag for potential buyers
-Purtzer’s famed putt at Colonial was one of a kind
-Putting guru Pat O’Brien stresses fundamentals
Dallas News (Special Reports on Putting)

A Craftsman And His Tools
Nelson’s putter was a Harry Cooper model made by Spalding (whom Nelson had an association with during the early part of his career) in the early 1930s. Nelson used the flat stick during his entire career before giving it to his friend, Harold “Jug” McSpaden, who then proceeded to break the club when he tried to adjust it.
Golf World

Golf: Quick tip – Stop pulling putts
On a putting green, have the flagstick parallel to your target line and three balls set up with just enough room between them to swing your putter. Next, set up as you normally would with your feet.
San Antonio Express-News

Tom Patri: Here’s how to work on your putting stroke
After teaching and coaching this game for almost 30 years, when a recreational golfer comes to me and asks, “What is the quickest, surest way to lower my score?” the answer is actually very simple for me: Putt better.
Naples Daily News

The Putting Arc
The Putting Arc congratulates Keith Fergus and Gene Jones for their one/two finish at the Regions Charity Classic on the Champions Tour. And, congratulations to Jay Don Blake for his top five finish in his second tournament ever on the Champions Tour. Congratulations also to Zach Johnson, James Driscoll, and Bill Haas for their one/two/three finish at the Valero Texas Open.
Golf Business Wire

An Exclusive Interview w Dr. Joe Parent

A few weeks ago, we published a press release about an upcoming book by Dr. Joe Parent featuring the iconic drawings of Anthony Ravielli  (GOLF: The Art Of The Mental Game).  “Dr. Joe” is considered one of the top mental golf coaches in the business having coached the likes of Vijay Singh, David Toms, and Cristie Kerr.  Kerr has become one of the best putters in the world (her “putts per gir” stats are better than most men’s PGA players!).  In a recent Golf Digest interview in January, Kerr gushingly credited Parent’s mental training  for “getting her putting back.”

When Joe Parent talks about putting, you should listen.  We conducted a brief interview with him recently:

What is the most important thing to focus on in becoming a better putter?
Focus on quality of execution rather than results. See Zen Putting, “How to Make Every Putt” for distinction between “making” and “holing” a putt. If you execute a stroke that 1) has a solid, square, impact on the sweet spot that gets the ball rolling end-over-end 2) on the path you intended 3) at the pace you intended, then you “made” your putt. That’s what to focus on. If it goes in the hole, you “holed” your putt. You can control the former but not the latter. However, the better you get at making the putts you intend, the more often you’ll hole them as well.

What is your favorite putting drill?
I have several and it’s important to know that there’s a difference between warm-up and practice. My favorite drill for practice is called the Around the Clock Drill: Putt from six feet away to a hole on a slope. Work your way around in a circle, rolling putts at intervals a foot or two apart around the circle. Notice how the break changes from putt to putt. Practice this and you¹ll get better at reading putts because a) you’ll learn to identify the fall line, meaning the line that putts roll straight downhill and uphill, and b) you¹ll learn more from others’ putts coming from every direction.

If you only had 10 minutes on the putting green before your tee-time, what is a good, quick putting drill? (I know, this is kind of an un-Zen question)
Answer: If you have ten minutes, start with the Putting to Nowhere Drill, just stroking the ball on the sweet spot, not aiming at a hole. Then roll long putts to get a feel for the pace of the green. Then roll several two-foot putts to reinforce the sound of success. Now you’re ready to go. This is an abbreviated version of the pre-round warmup presented in Zen Putting.

To purchase Dr. Parent’s latesat book Golf: The Art of the Mental Game (100 Classic Golf Tips) visit Amazon or Rizzoli.

Also, visit Dr. Parent’s website: Zen Golf.

Golf Magazine March 2009 Putting Articles

Last month’s Golf Magazine almost had a putting theme.  This month’s issue not so much, but there is a fantastic lesson by Dave Pelz on “Crack(ing) the Wedge Spin Code.” pp 89-94.  Develop backspin, and putts become easier. Pelz’s backspin equation = swing quality + ball type + groove structure.

Here are the rest of this issue’s putting articles:

• How to Practice a Perfect Stroke: It takes ten minutes and an extra club to iron out the kinks in your motion (pg 64) Ricky Berry’s drill for unifying your putting stroke using a second club.
• Here’s What I play w Paul Goydos  (pg 116) TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spider, 33 1/3″…Goydos’ Money Quote: “A 30-hadicapper shouldn’t buy $1000 clubs. He should buy $200 clubs and take $800 worth of lessons.  It’s the Indian not the arrow.

Pickup the issue today to read all the stories!

Golf Digest March 2009 Putting Articles

• Annika Sorenstam on 3 Keys to Making four-footers (pg 32)
• Tom Watson on How to See the Line (pg 37) Get low, keep eyes level to find the line
• What’s in my bag? Stephen Ames (pg 65) Anser style Nike Prototype
• Finally (available online): What Tour Players Really Think: Our wide-ranging survey of the game’s elite reveals what they’ll say when promised anonymity (pp 114-116) Nothing to do with putting but ROTFL stuff! Here’s my favorite question:
  WHO WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE DINNER WITH: PHIL OR VIJAY?
  Phil: 50%
  Vijay: 50%
  COMMENTS: “What are we eating?” … “So either I listen to Phil tell me everything he thinks he knows, or I sit with Vijay while he says nothing.” … “Give me a choice!”

Pickup the March Issue Today for the rest of the stories!

Golf Magazine February 2009 Putting Articles

Two Front Page “Putting” articles grace the cover (Pelz on New Sweet Spot and Quick-Fix Putting):

• How to Play Like the Best with Stewart Cink (pg 26)- Cink shares his 12 foot ladder drill.  Dom DiJulia suggests a similar around-the-clock drill.
• There’s Only One Sweet Spot (pg 31)- Dave Pelz Stresses the importance of hitting with the club’s sweet spot.
• Rules Guy (pg 33)- What if your putt hits the set-aside flag?
• Your Game: How to Roll the Ball True (pg 54)- Eddie Merrins believes loft and sweet spot are the key.
• How to Stop Pulling Putts (pg 56)- Eden Foster’s drill using the flag. 
• Recommended! Back to Golf School: Three lifelong pals learn there’s more to scoring than booming drives at Dave Pelz Short-Game School (pp 66-69)- Quote of the Day: “Attitude, Albert explained, is fundamental to the art of putting. You have to believe you can roll your rock. “
• Here’s What I Play with Camilo Villegas (pg 101)- The flexible Colombian uses a Scotty Cameron Circa 62 No. 6, 35″ (it’s probably his oldest club dating back two years)
• Private Lessons: Back to Basics: Keep Your Head Still (pp 112-113)
• Special Advertising Insert: Golf in the South (Kingsmill Resort and Spa) Yep, nothing to do with putting, but I always like to highlight Virginia golf courses. Kingsmill’s River Course is simply one of the best in the country (and you can play it).

Pickup the issue today to read all the stories!

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