Richie

Phil Mickelson’s Over the Head Shot

Phil Mickelson is considered one of the best short-game players in the world. In this short video he demonstrates his over the head flop shot. This is a clip from Phil Mickelson’s Secret of the Short Game DVD.

Great Deal on Golf Digest Magazine

Discount Mags.com has a Father’s Day special on a subscription of Golf Digest Magazine. If you order this week, just $4.99 for a year (12 issues). It is a really good deal, so I thought that I would share it.

Here is the link…

http://www.discountmags.com/product/4732/golf-digest?offer=EMAILPROMO&a=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=men-s-fitness-4-99-gq-4-99-espn-4-99-car-and-driver-4-99-golf-digest-4-99&utm_term=1,229,511&mc_cid=8c97680afd&mc_eid=446c1fafec

How to Re-Grip Your Own Clubs

It is recommended that you put new grips on your golf clubs at least every two years, if not annually. Also if you ever buy used clubs, you should install new grips. Most golf stores can do this for about $5 plus the cost of the grip. But if you are doing a full set of clubs it can get expensive.

I recently put new grips on my clubs. If I can do it with my DIY skills, then anyone can! It was relatively simple and took only a few minutes for each club. Here is how you go about it;

What you need

Workbench vice
Rubber vice clamp
Sharp knife
Paper towels or old rag for cleaning
Adhesive grip tape (double sided)
Mineral Spirits
New grips – enough for all your clubs. If you are doing this for the first time you may need a couple of spares in case you mess up.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Remove the old grip with a sharp knife. Be careful not to score too deeply and damage the club shaft. Under the grip will be the old adhesive tape; remove this also. If it doesn’t simply peel off you can use a special tool for this. I just use a standard stanley knife and scrape it off.

2. Place the club in a workbench vice. Use a rubber vice clamp so the shaft does not get damaged. You can get them for about $2 from most golf stores. It is really important that you use a vice to secure your club. Otherwise you will not be able to apply the pressure to put the grip on. I picked up a small portable table-top swivel vice from Harbor Freight for less than $25.

Rubber vice clamp

3. Apply the adhesive grip tape onto the shaft of the club. The tape can be found at most online/ retail golf stores. Measure the grip to ensure that the tape will not show once the grip is on. Allow about 1/2″ of the tape to stick over the end of the shaft. I then twist it together and stick into down into the top of the shaft. This ensures that no liquid can get in the inside of the shaft and cause any rust.

4. Spray mineral spirits in the inside of the grip. 3-5 sprays should be good. There is no need to by shy, the more you use the easier it is to apply the grip. Put your finger over the end of the grip and swirl it around. Then pour the mineral spirits out and onto the adhesive tape which is attached to the shaft.

5. With one hand hold the shaft of the club and with the other hand slide the grip on. Do it quickly and in one smooth motion – do not stop until the grip is fully on. If you have used enough mineral spirits the grip should slide on easily. If you do not use enough mineral spirits the grip will not slide on and most probably get stuck or rip.

6. Wipe off any excessive mineral spirits from the club using an old rag or a paper towel.

7. Remove the club from the vice and allow to dry for an hour or two before use. The mineral spirits will evaporate and allow the adhesive tape to stick to the grip.

Here is a short video I found on YouTube to demonstrate the process…

Golf Grip Fitting

I use Winn Excel RF soft midsize grips in copper color (part # 6715W-CP). I love the feel of them – the grips feel really nice and soft in the hand. Also the color makes a change from generic black. I recommend that you go to your local golf store and try different grips to see what suits you. Also they will have samples where you can get fitted for size.

Typically golf grips come in three sizes; regular, mid-size and over-size. Here is the quick fit method for grip sizing (courtesy of http://www.rhodygolf.com):

Take your grip with the left hand only.
Take notice of where the ring and middle finger end up.
If these fingers end up wrapped into the palm (like making a fist) then the current grips are too small.
If the fingers on the other hand almost form the letter “c” then the grips are more than likely too large.
A properly sized grip will fit in the players’ hand with comfort and the ring and middle finger will almost touch the palm

All of the parts required to do this can be purchased reasonably online through a website such as Hireko Golf.

Here is a link…

Practice Center Review #4 – De Bell (Burbank)

1500 E. Walnut Ave
Burbank, CA 91501
(818) 845-0022

Hours: 6am-10pm

Small bucket (30 balls): $3
Medium bucket (60 balls): $6
Large bucket (130 balls): $10

De Bell is a golf complex in Burbank which comprises of a tight and hilly 18 hole 5,633 yard (par 71) course, a small par 3 “pitch n putt” course and a driving range. The par 3 course is at the bottom of the complex off Harvard. The range and par 71 course is up the hill on Walnut Ave, just past the Starlight Bowl. It is really far up in the Burbank Hills. The location is really nice. It is landscaped beautifully and very peaceful. The clientele here is very good. There is a parking lot next to the range. There is usually no problems with parking. However if you go daytime Saturday or Sunday you may need to park a little further on the street.

The range is outdoors and is relatively small. There are about 20-25 stalls. You hit of mats, which are in good shape. They provide the plastic tee’s for free. Inside the range office there are buckets of tee’s at all the different lengths. You can just help yourself to whatever they need. Despite being a small range is usually quiet. If you arrive at a peak time (i.e. weekend morning) you may have a short wait. Otherwise it is normally wide open. I have been around 7pm in the evening during the week and only seen may be 5-6 other people there.

The range itself is set in the hills. It is short as it is only 175 yards to the mountain at the back. There are lots of targets/ mini greens to hit at. The prices seem standard range prices and they offer discount if you buy in bulk and load up a key. The balls are really great and clean! They are Nike and in A1 condition.

They have a practice putting green outside the pro-shop which is across the street from the range. It is immaculate and runs like a PGA green would.

The professional here is Zach Allen. He does lessons and has a strong emphasis on video recording and analysis of your swing. I remember reading a Golf Tips magazine last year and he was named in the top 10 of golf coaches in the USA.

This is a very nice range. It is very peaceful up in the hills and everything is nicely taken care of. I just wish that the stalls had some kind of covering. They are open to the elements, so on a summer’s day it can get really hot being out in the direct sun. Also I wish it was 50 yards longer. If it was, I would have given it top marks. Other than that I highly recommend this facility.

David Coulthard Catches Golf Ball with Mercedes-Benz SLS

Former F1 driver David Coulthard catches a 178mph golf ball in a Mercedes SLS. The ball was hit by pro-golfer Jake Shepherd. This video was filmed on the famous test track from BBC’s TV show, Top Gear.

Map Feature

There is a small map at the top of the right sidebar. If you click on this image it will bring up Google Maps. This map will display all of the courses and practice centers which I have reviewed. From there you can easily see where different facilities are located. You can also get directions to these facilities by using this feature. This works well on a cell phone and will sync to your cell’s navigation software.

Also if you click on a facility it will bring up a link to the review on my website. If you come across a place with no link, it means I have played and reviewed the location but the post is awaiting publication. Upon publication onto the site the review link will appear on Google Maps.

The green golfer icon indicates a golf course, the blue flag icon indicates a practice center.

If you require any help or support using this feature please shoot me a message.

Marriott Manhattan Beach – par 3

1400 Parkview Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 939-1465

9 holes (par 27)

Yardage: 1,213 yards

Hours: 6.30am-6pm
Green fees: $17

The Marriott Hotel par 3 course is located in Manhattan Beach, CA. You turn just after the hotel and there is a separate parking lot which is free. If you park at the actual hotel then you have to pay. The course has a small practice putting green and no hitting area to warm up. As the course is located at a hotel, there are obviously lots of amenities close by. They have an alcohol policy where you can take any alcohol with you which is purchased at the hotel.

The course is a 9 hole par 3 with the longest hole being 182 yards off the white tees. There are a handful of bunkers spread throughout the course and two holes have water in play – hole 1 and 8. Hole 8 is the star of the course. It is a long 180 yard par 3 with a lake going up to the front of the green. There is an area to the right where you can play it safe, if you do not wish to take on the lake.

The course is really nicely maintained. The greens are good and the grass is well cut. The white tees are generally grass and the red tees have mats where you hit from. Each hole has a ball washer. The course is generally easily to navigate around. Each hole is clearly marked and there is a good flow around the course. Although the course is well maintained, it is not quite as stunning as the Marriott official pictures on their website and on the scorecard. The pictures appear to have been photo-shopped. The hotel is actually brown, not white as pictured. Also the grass is not as green and the colors are less vibrant.

Now the main negative… we played on a holiday. We reserved a tee time and it was very busy. There were lots of kids which slowed down play. It took 2+ hours to complete 9 holes of par 3. Also there were kids running around the course and getting in the way of play. These were guests from the hotel and not paying golf players. Although we had some issues playing on a holiday, I hear that the course is quiet during the week when kids are at school. The course is located in Manhattan Beach which is a very affluent area. As a result you get a more elitist and less down-to-earth crowd on the course; compared to other courses in the Los Angeles area.

Although the course is well maintained, I am not sure that this course is somewhere I would play often. We are spoiled with so many courses in the Los Angeles area and I simply have options just as good (if not better) which are less than the 45-60 minute drive required for me to play here. If you live in the local area then this course is worth playing. You also have several other par 3 courses in the local vicinity, such as The Lakes at El Segundo.

Richie says… “Well maintained course with some interesting holes to play. Although nicely presented, not as good as the pictures portrayed. Probably best to play here weekdays and avoid weekends and holidays.”

Chris says… “Overall the course itself is nice, but it is a little hoity-toity. The people in front of us gave the appearance of hedge fund traders off work for the holiday and showing their kids how to play. The worst thing for me about the course was the people. Too much slow play. The course itself isn’t bad.”

Hole by Hole

Hole 1 – 120 yards

Hole 2 – 98 yards

Hole 3 – 130 yards

Hole 4 – 155 yards

Hole 5 – 146 yards

Hole 6 – 153 yards

Hole 7 – 147 yards

Hole 8 – 182 yards

Hole 8 – green

Hole 9 – 82 yards

Chipping vs Pitching

When around the green we have several options of which shot to play. We can putt (if the grass is short), play a pitch shot or play a chip shot. Here is the difference between a chip and pitch shot…

Chip shot (9 iron): The chip is best used when you are within 10-20 yards of the green or when on the apron of the green. Using a putting stroke the ball will fly low in the air and for a short period of time. The ball will land on the green and roll along it. This shot can only be played when you have a clear path to the green – i.e. there are no bunkers between the ball and green.

Pitch shot (56-60 wedge): Used when you are about 20-50 yards from the green or in a green-side bunker. The ball is hit with a lofted club and will go high in the air. This is a much harder shot to execute than the chip shot.

Recommended order for which shot to play around the green:
1. Putt whenever feasible (that means whenever the ball will roll rather than bounce).
2. Chip and run when you can’t putt.
3. Pitch only when you have no other choice.

Golf Trick Shots by College Kids

I have no idea of how many attempts it took for each shot, but it is pretty cool video. Looks like a great way of practicing your chipping. If you are trying this at home, note they are using ping pong balls, not real golf balls!

La Junquera Municipal Golf Course (Spain) – Executive

de Cudeyo
La Junquera
29130 Pedrena (Cantabria)
Spain
(942) 50-10-40

9 holes (par 32)

Yardage: 2,212 yards

Hours: not known, call club for info
Green fees: 14 Euros, 8 Euros if you are under 18 years old

La Junquera is a 9 hole executive golf course in the northern Spain town of Pedrena. Pedrena is on the Bay of Biscay and just across from the city of Santander. Pedrena is known as the home of Seve Ballesteros. Seve grew up and lived in this village. I understand that his body was laid to rest in the local church.

Water hazard with reeds, hole 4

The course has 5 mid-range par 4’s and 4 par 3 holes. The designers really did a great job to fit such an interesting golf course in such a small area of land by the coast. The course is very tricky and probably the most challenging I have played to date. Every hole has hazards whether it be bunkers or water. There are 20 bunkers on the course and several pounds containing long reeds. In fact only 2 of the 7 holes have no water in play. In addition to all of the hazards you have to contend with the wind. The course is right on the coast and the wind from the Bay of Biscay can be pretty tough to navigate. On a couple of holes I hit a straight shot, then a gust of wind would take hold of the ball and send it 30 yards to the left.

The starter was very friendly. As I was there on vacation and did not have my own set of clubs, she gave me a bag to carry around for free and I shared by brothers clubs. The course was pretty quiet. We played at 5pm on a Friday. There were a few people ahead of us playing at a very good pace. We had about a 2-3 hole break behind us to the next group. Which made for a very nice relaxing round. It took about 2 hours to complete the 9 holes.

I found that holes 2, 3 and 4 were a real tough stretch of the course. These 3 holes border the ocean and they were hard to play. One of the highlights on the course was hole 7. It is a 118 yard par 3. You have water in front of the green and directly behind it. There are no ball washers on the course, but each tee has a nice sign with a picture of the hole and yardage (or meters as it is in Europe).

The course is in good condition for a municipal course. The greens are nice, although not excellent. The tee boxes are in good shape. My only gripe would be that the grass on the fairways should be cut a little shorter. Apart from that the course is in good shape. It is obviously very green from all of the rain.

If you are looking to play some golf in the Santander area then I highly recommend this course. The holes are interesting with lots of hazards to make you think about every shot.

View of the ocean from the golf course

Richie says… “Really nice find of a golf course. Most challenging I have played – plenty of hazards on every hole. Also being on the coast, there can be a lot of wind to contend with.”