April 19, 2013 |
Effective bounce |
Posted by MB |
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Entry moved to new location, "Effective bounce" in the "Ask the Pro" section
April 14, 2013 |
Masters Sunday 2013 |
Posted by MB |
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Wow, the rain has really changed the character of the course. Not only is the ball flying a little shorter (which is pretty easy to adjust to), but it is also behaving somewhat differently on landing (again, fairly easy to adjust for). The most dramatic thing, however—and you can see this by how many putts came up short, or WAY short, or went through the break/did not break as much as usual—is the speed of the greens. These guys are so used to how the greens are on the weekend (i.e., SLICK) that it is impossible to force themselves to add more speed, or enough more speed. And when they are successful at forcing themselves to do it, they usually play it through the break. Human beings are not machines... even "golf gods" with that much experience.
The beauty of the golf course is not as magical in gray, wet conditions. But the tournament is still exciting. For me, the combination of the overwhelming artistic visuals of Augusta with the familiarity of knowing the course so well—from having seen it every year since the early 70's—makes the Masters by far the most fun tournament to watch.
And let's face it, that finish of regulation play is about as good as it can get: two birdies to tie? Awesome.
How do human beings pull off that kind of spectacular performance (i.e., the last hole of regulation for both Scott and Cabrera) under that kind of pressure? Surely it is not just skill. Of course, there is a tremendous amount of skill because of all the technical work, and years of practice, and playing under pressure. But in environmental conditions with that many variables to adjust to and that much emotional energy flowing through a nervous system do you really think that any human being actually has that much control over their mind and body and golf ball? So is it luck? Is it guts? Is it a combination of skill, luck, and guts? Whatever it is, it seems magic, and amazingly fun to watch.
Lastly, what an elegant playoff. No mishaps (although I would hasten to point out how different the approach shots on eighteen were for both players in the playoff than in regulation (from an even shorter distance for both), to support my point that human beings just don't have that much control over their minds, bodies and golf balls. Hearty congratulations to Adam Scott on his first major victory (although he has won The Players Championship, which really is just as serious as any of the majors).
A great tournament. Really enjoyed it. Hope you did too.
April 9, 2013 |
Here comes The Masters, baby! |
Posted by MB |
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I'm feelin' it.  Here's to a classic and exciting tournament with somebody huge and famous winning in a nail-biter on the last hole. 
February 15, 2013 |
Staying down through the ball after surgery |
Posted by MB |
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Entry moved to new location, "Staying down after surgery" in the "Ask the Pro" section
February 13, 2013 |
Golf Dictionary milestone! |
Posted by MB |
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My Golf Dictionary or Glossary is now over 700 golf words and phrases and counting. Hooah!
February 8, 2013 |
Height for dropping |
Posted by MB |
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Entry moved to new location, "Height for dropping" in the "Ask the Pro" section
January 22, 2013 |
How Much? |
Posted by MB |
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Wow, okay, so $200 million seems like a lot, for just about anybody to do anything, no? Like, how much would it be worth to completely fix global warming, end world hunger and eradicate all diseases? $200 million seems about right, don't ya think?
Earlier Posts
Golf Instruction with Mark Blakemore - PGAProfessional.com
Work on any part of your game with PGA Professional Mark Blakemore, author of this website, in person at two locations in the east bay area of San Francisco. Or get the books (see below or in right column).
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