So was Tiger sending a subtle message or request to those rich golfers over in Augusta? I personally don't believe so. I am sure that many would argue. But it seemed to me, and Tiger even said it, that it was his putter that kept him from winning another major in his relentless march towards destiny. And Tiger is not a whining golfer.

And I, for one hope that Augusta National remains the same challenging golf course for 2009 that it was for 2008. That is one of the things that I enjoy about watching the Majors. We amateur golfers get to see the pros struggle, at least to some degree, with the game of golf like we do. I just don't enjoy those golf tournaments where the winning score is somewhere around 23 below par.

And there are those that say that one of the reasons that we are no longer dominating the Ryder Cup is the easy to score golf courses that many of the PGA tournaments are held on these days. And there may be some merit to that argument.

So my message would be, "Don't change Augusta National. Make more golf courses on the pro tour tougher and let's see what happens then." I like the setups for the major tournaments and I'm not saying make the rest of the year's golf tournaments that tough, but these golfers are pros, so let's see em work for it a little more often.

First let’s understand what an uneven lie really means. There are two types of lies. One is where the golf ball is above or below your feet. And the second is where the ball is even with your feet, but is either on an uphill slope or a downhill slope. These golf shots take different approaches, so I will break them down and look at each one individually.

In this article, I am going to focus on the ball being below your feet. Many golfers consider this to be the hardest shot in golf, but I can show you how to easily make solid contact and advance the golf ball a decent distance down the fairway.

One of the reasons many golfers hit this shot poorly is that they don’t make the correct adjustment and then tend to hit the ball really thin, top it, or whiff the shot completely. The key on this shot is to GET DOWN to the golf ball. And it’s also key to understand that your objective is to get off the hill and get a little distance, not to hit a miracle golf shot to within birdie distance on the green.

At this point you have a bad lie and you don’t want to compound the problem trying to create a miracle. So addressing the ball correctly is critical. First your need to bend your knees more than normal. You also need to bend over towards the ball.

One additional thing that sounds crazy is I want you to also choke down slightly on the club. This sounds crazy because the ball is farther away from your club head than normal so won’t choking down cause more problems? It could, but we are not going to take a full swing and I’ve found that choking down slightly on less than a full swing helps to ensure solid contact.

Now because the golf ball is below your feet AND because we are not taking a full swing, the ball will tend to go right. So aim a little left of where you want the shot to end up.

Now take the club back to about 60-70 percent of your full swing. And hit through the golf ball to about the same percent of your follow through. As you make this golf swing, the club will almost feel like it wants to go up more than normal on your back swing and that’s ok.

Don’t try to swing hard on this shot and be sure to focus on not standing up or straightening up as you swing the golf club. Also make sure your knees stay bent and that you stay bent down over the golf ball.

That’s it! It sounds simple and it is, if you don’t try to do too much with this shot. Give this a shot on the practice range a time or two and you should see instant improvement.

But now look at what the PGA has done. Now the Tour will look to see if more than 78 players make the cut, they won't cut it down after two days. There will now be a 54 hole cut after the third round of golf. I can't find any logical reason why they made this policy change.

Oh and get this. Those golfers who make the 36 hole cut but not the 54 hole cut..... They will still get paid the minimum amount; the same amount for those that play all four rounds. I think in most tournaments these days this is roughly around $10,000.

So you do the math. A pro golfer can be even below mediocre, miss the cut after 54 holes 35 times a year and still make around $ 350,000. Unbelieveable. I knew that I should have taken up golf as a kid.

Again, I think this just proves my point that all the money that is going into golf isn't all good for the game. The bigger purses and rule changes are very likely to lower the quality of competition over the years.

One final note. I used to use golf as an example compared against the problems of long term contracts in other sports. In golf, it used to be if you don't perform you don't get paid or at least not enough to make it. Unlike a pro football quarterback who signs a $50 million dollar contract and tanks in year three of that contract.

But I don't think that I can say that anymore. I remain greatly concerned about this issue. Let me hear your feedback.

The main thing for a beginning golfer to remember is that the the golf swing with the driver is more of a sweeping motion. With the irons you normally strike on the ball. But with the woods you want swing the golf club almost like you are sweeping a broom along the ground.

In fact, one quick drill that can help you work on this is to take a broom and do exactly that. Take a broom and swing it 3-5 times along the ground taking a normal golf stance and visualize a golf ball on the ground.

Then take out the driver and hit a few golf balls. Then repeat the swing with the broom a few more times. Hit a few more golf balls and see if you have stopped hitting the ground behind the ball.

Try that and then let me know if this helps. Good golfing!

My buddy makes a 9 but the two players that quit the hole said "We both took an 8" so my buddy tells me that the correct ruling is you can't hit over an 8 on any hole and shaves a stroke off his score.

I looked on the USGA site and it says any player failing to hole out is disqualified (Sounds a bit harsh for amateur golf, especially very amateur golf). Do you have any idea of the ruling on this? I'm sure the pick up and take an 8 isn't right, I shoot 10's and 11's pretty regular, I could drastically improve my game if that's the correct ruling. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

However, since you are a beginner, let me add this. I have only seen this enforced in tournament play. All golfers that I know and play with allow a frustrated partner to pick up and move on to the next hole. We have all been there where we just can't seem to mentally finish a golf hole and the best thing for our round is to pick up and start again on the next tee. It's technically against the rules but most golfers do it.

Now as to the recorded score. If you are following the rules, it's a moot point because you are disqualified. However, the handicap system addresses this issue of what is the correct score to record. And this is how the golf groups that I play with handle this.

First, the USGA handicap system states: "If a player does not finish a hole or is conceded a stroke, record the most likely score for handicap purposes. A most likely score is the number of strokes already taken, plus in the golfer's best judgment, the number of strokes needed to complete the hole from that point more than half the time."

Second, the handicap system has a maximum score that a player should record on a hole when he scores a number significantly higher than normal. It is based upon his/her handicap. So when someone scores an 8, 9, 10, 11 etc. the score that they should record for turning in the card for their handicap goes as follows:

Handicap------------Score to Record

9 or less------------ Double Bogey
10-19---------------------7
20-29---------------------8
30-39---------------------9
40 and above--------------10

Most golfers I know just use the above handicap rule and tell them to record a double through 10 depending on their handicap when a golfer picks up. It keeps it easy and consistent. So your buddy was wrong that the highest you can record is an 8.

Thank you for the question and good golfing.

But today it doesn't seem that Tiger has any golfer like that to push him or challenge him week in and week out. In any given golf tournament, someone may jump up like this past weekend and outplay Tiger. But no one or two golfers are argued to even be in the same class that Mr. Woods is in.

And, unfortunately, I don't think this will change in the short term. Why? Because of money. Not greed, just the abundance of money available in the game of golf today. Keep reading before you click away and let me make my point.

I think that the success of professional golf, particularly on the men's tour, is creating a real problem for the game. How many golfers are going to come along with the kind of talent or potential of a Tiger Woods AND have or sustain the intensity and drive to succeed that he has?

Not many professional athletes that have achieved the level of athletic and financial success would remain as driven as Tiger has. He is focused and while it may be Jack's record of major tournament wins, it seems to go deeper than that. He appears to me to want there to be no question, no doubt in anyone's mind that he was the greatest golfer of all time.

And I believe that the combination of that drive and talent, and the ability to keep that drive is nearly next to impossible in today's professional game. Look at it this way. How many of you golfers out there have heard of Johnson Wagner? Well, maybe his Mom and just a few others of you, but I don't know who he is. But in 2007 he was in position # 98 on the PGA Tour money list with $1,013,024 in winnings. A MILLION DOLLARS! And he probably got some endorsement money as well.

Now I know that professional golfers have expenses and all of that. But here's the bottom line. If you could net say about $400,000 in income playing what amounts to mediocre golf at the professional level, how motivated would you be to work out and practice all the time? I mean sure, these are professional golfers and they want to win and they want to get better. But what will really drive them if they aren't already driven, especially when they can make that kind of money and be average?

So unfortunately for the game of golf, for golf fans, and even for Tiger himself, I don't believe that Tiger will have his Jack or Arnie to ever push him day in and day out. So we may never see the ultimate in how good of a golfer Tiger could become. He has already proven to have more talent AND more drive than anyone out there by a long shot. And I am just afraid that there won't be another exceptional individual like that for some years to come.

Success tends to breed complacency. And if you don't believe that or don't agree with me on this that's ok. But go look at numbers 50 through 100 on the 2007 Men's Professional Golf Money list and see if I don't have even a small point here.

Good golfing!

1) In the woods, you hit a tree, the ball bounces behind you farther into the woods.
2) Around the green, you catch the ball thin and hit it over the green into the woods/behind a tree.

In these circumstances, can you declare the golf ball unplayable and take the "stroke and distance" penalty? The confusing thing for me is that after taking a stroke, you would actually be dropping closer to the hole in these cases.

Rule 28 deals with a "ball unplayable". And the rule reads "The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard." And the rules state that the golfer is the person that makes the call on declaring the golf ball unplayable.

So this golf rule implies that the answer to your question is yes. But I still was wondering the same thing that you were. So I wanted to double check. And in the rules of golf, there are things called decisions. These are situations and questions that clarify interpretations of the rules. And one of these answers your question.

Decision 28/8 discusses a golf ball striking an object and landing farther away from the hole. And it says that, yes, a golfer may declare his golf ball unplayable in this situation.

Thanks for the question and enjoy the upcoming golf season!

Also I usually recommend a shortened back swing to help you control the the club easier. I also recommend taking a little extra club and finishing with only a partial follow through. Both of these I have found to work more effectively for amateur golfers.

When I have seen golfers take a full back swing and follow through on their golf swing, it seems to be harder to make solid contact with the golf ball in this situation. So take a look at your distance and use some extra club with this method.

You can practice this at the range with just a golf tee. Stick a tee in the ground where the ball would be laying in the divot. Practice swinging so that your divot starts where the tee is and goes forward from there. After practicing this on the range, you should be more comfortable when you face this golf shot on the course.

Good luck and good golfing!

The Swing-Tempo is about the size of a cell phone (see picture below) and is designed so that you can wear it on your belt, in your pocket, or you can even lay it on the ground. I like being able to wear it on my belt like a pager or cell phone.

The basic operation of the Swing-Tempo is to swing along with the timed signals. Swing-Tempo emits three signals during your golf swing to get your tempo slow and consistent. The device signals you once at your ready/address position, again at the beginning and duration of your backswing, and third, at the start and duration of your downswing to complete finish. Again, the idea is to swing along with the timed signals. I would strongly recommended using the LED lights on the front to get accustomed to the timing method.

And Swing-Tempo is the only thing I’ve seen that allows you to adjust the time between all three signals to make sure that it matches the exact tempo that is best for your swing. To help find your ideal swing tempo, Swing-Tempo includes recommended tempo settings to start with. Feedback is instantaneous and digitally accurate. That is one of the things that make the Swing Tempo different from any other device on the market.

Another nice feature about this device is that it has three different learning modes. Some people are more visual learners and others like auditory or other types of reinforcement better (I am one of these). So the Swing-Tempo lets you learn the way that you prefer. If you are a visual leaner, the device has a series of red LED lights in a curving line that flash in a sequence to indicate the signals for your tempo. You can lay the device on the ground to use it this way for putting or your full swing. If you prefer a sound, it will beep the three signal durations. Or you can use the vibrate function like I do. I like this because I always have my cell phone on vibrate and I am very used to something vibrating on my hip.

Let me tell you how I use it and that will give you a better idea how it actually works. I wear it on my belt in vibrate mode. I have it set to a pretty slow tempo because the slower I swing the better I hit the golf ball. So when the device vibrates I get ready to start my backswing. During the second vibration is the start and duration of my backswing. The third vibration is start and duration of my downswing to complete finish. The idea is to practice with the Swing-Tempo until you can do this consistently. Similar to listening to a broken record, this is how Swing-Tempo ingrains one consistent tempo and rhythm when you swing.

On the practice range first I take a few practice swings without a golf ball. After a few practice swings in a row with the Swing-Tempo, my tempo starts to feel smooth and buttery. Then I step up and hit a couple of golf balls with the device running. Again, my focus is on matching my tempo to the Swing-Tempo. I will repeat this entire process a couple of times and then go through my normal practice routine. If I find my golf swing speeding up, I turn the Swing-Tempo back on until I get my tempo back.

I haven’t seen anything like this training aid available in the marketplace. I found one other device that someone mentioned to me but it didn’t begin to come close to the Swing-Tempo. It’s called the Metronome, but it really only has one series of beeps that you just speed up or slow down. You can’t make the adjustments to each swing point like with the Swing-Tempo and the Metronome doesn’t have a visual or vibration mode. To me, there is nothing available today that really compares to the Swing-Tempo.

Golf Nuts, I try to limit the golf products and golf training aids that I talk about so that you golf nuts out there don’t think that I am always pushing products, but this is one that I felt that I had to tell you about. I strongly encourage you to get this device if you are trying to get your tempo down to a smooth easy tempo. I use it and I love it.

Check it out at:
www.swingtempo.com

‘Till next time.
The Golf Nut

Do you just play more golf? Play more than the year before? Are there any particular golf tips or golf drills that you always start the new golf season with?

We have many golf tips and suggestions here on the site. But many of you may have helpful suggestions that our visitors and readers would love to learn about.

So please follow this link to our golf survey. There is no obligation and we will not send you annoying spam emails as follow up. We Promise!

The Golf Nut.

Now for a large percentage of golfers, there is usually one of three things causing your hook. If you are not doing any of these, email me at thegolfnut@the-golf-nut.com and let me discuss this with you one on one.

The first very common issue is a grip that is too strong. Look at your hands when you are addressing the golf ball with your driver. If you can see three knuckles or more of your left hand, your grip is too strong. Rotate your left hand to the left (for right handers) until you can just barely see the second knuckle on your left hand. This can provide a pretty dramatic impact on the ball flight. Now you may have to move it back and forth a little to get it the way that works best for you, but give this a try.

Another thing that you can try is to open your stance a little to the left. This normally causes a slice, but if you are hooking the ball pretty severely, it sometimes can provide a quick and simple solution to the hook.

If you don’t have a problem with the grip or don’t like the open stance, try moving the golf ball forward in your stance a little. You don’t have to change anything about your swing, but it may straighten out the shot some.

These are quick and simple things that you can try as a short term fix. The big problem may be something that will require a little more one on one. So as I said earlier, feel free to email me at thegolfnut@the-golf-nut.com to discuss in more detail if you would like. Or here are some additional golf tips about fixing a hook.

Good luck until the next tip golf nuts!

The handicap system helps to equalize the game so that golfers of all abilities can play together. But to me it's more than that. Look at it like this. I will never run a 4.4 40 yard dash. I will never jam my elbow down the rim on the basketball court. I will never crush the baseball 500 feet.

But in golf, every now and then I hit that really sweet golf shot that goes exactly like it's supposed to. I don't even feel the golf ball make contact with the face of the club. The ball flies straight and true with just the hint of a draw. And it lands perfectly in the short grass right in the middle of the fairway.

Many times, that one shot is enough to keep us golfers coming back for more for many months to come. And that's what I love about golf. It's that all of us, no matter what our current handicap, have the hope that we can get better and hit more and more of those perfect golf shots this year. Otherwise why would we keep playing this crazy game that makes us say "I love this game, I hate this game" almost in the same breath?

I don't know about the rest of you golf nuts, but this time of year I am already thinking with eternal optimism about the strokes that I am going to cut off my game this year. And I can't wait for warm weather and the golf season to begin! To all of you that are crazy about this game like I am, best of luck in 2008!

We had a total of 140 responses, so thank you golfers for your input. Just to let you know some of the additional results, TayorMade and Nike were tied for second with 15% each of the votes. The remaining votes were pretty much scattered out among Precept, Callaway, Top Flite, and Maxfli and then some miscellaneous votes for a variety of other golf balls.

One interesting note was that regardless of the golf ball that they were voting for, our golfers listed two items as the most important to their preference: feel and distance. Distance had a slight edge on feel, but many golfers mentioned those two together as their criteria.

Thank you again golfers and be looking for another short term question which will be asking all of you to name the question for our next full blown survey.

Good luck golf nuts!

But the issue is that we aren't really improving our game if we don't count all the strokes. I am not trying to be the golf handicap "police" here, but I have found myself in a golf tournament early in the season on more than one occasion and I wasn't as ready as I should have been because I had been practicing with too many "do-overs". So force yourself to count 'em all and get your golf game in shape as quickly as possible.

The second thing that I focus on early in the season is using fewer clubs until I get my golf swing grooved. I revert to those golf clubs that I am really comfortable with in my first several rounds. For me those are, in particular, the 3 wood, the 7 and 9 iron, and my gap wedge. I just always seem to hit these well. Then as my golf swing settles down and I progress further into the season, my frustration level is lower and I generally am more comfortable as I start using the more difficult clubs for my game, i.e. the long irons and the driver and my lob wedge.

The last thing is one of those things that we all know to do but keep forgetting, is to slow down the tempo of your golf swing. Tempo, tempo, tempo. I have found that the more that I focus on this at the beginning of each golf season, the better chance I have of staying with a slower, smoother tempo for more of that season. This is, of course, one of the big things that I struggle with, speeding up my tempo as the season, or even an individual round of golf, goes on. So an early season focus really helps me.

I hope that you are looking forward to the new golf season as much as I am. And I hope that these simple golf tips help you start on the right track.

And for more help getting ready, here are some additional golf swing tips for your game. Hit 'em long and straight this year all you golf nuts!

Now there are a lot of variations to when a ball is moved, such as the ball moving after the golfer has addressed it, the golf ball moved as part of measuring, etc. But in your case, it appears to be straight forward. Since wind is not an outside agency, and you were not addressing the ball, the ball is played where it ends up after being moved by the wind.

I have seen golfers think that they needed to move their golf ball back to where it was before the wind moved it. But if they move it back and play it from the spot where it was before the wind affected it, it is actually a two stroke penaly. Yes, TWO strokes golfers, so pay attention here.

Decision 18-2a/7 states that if a golfer replaces his golf ball moved by the wind he "incurred one penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a, and, before playing his next stroke, he should have replaced the ball on the spot where it came to rest after being moved by the wind. If he did not do so, he incurred a total penalty of two strokes"

Let's clarify. Rule 18-2a states that if a golfer moves his ball, except as permitted by the rules, he incurs a one stroke penalty. Now having moved his ball back when it was not moved by an outside agency, he incurs that penalty stroke. But if he doesn't correct the error, he is playing his next shot from the wrong place and incurs a penalty stroke under Rule 20-7a(ii).

It can be confusing, but a good question. I hope this clears it up for all of you golf nuts out there!