The Buick Open Preview & Golf Tips
The Buick Open
Defending Champion: Brian Bateman TV Coverage:
Tournament History Buick sponsors two of the best regular PGA Tour events during the year. This year’s Invitational was won in a landslide by Tiger Woods. With Tiger undergoing season ending surgery after his amazing performance at the US Open, there will be no Buick mini Slam this year. This leaves the Buick Open…well…open. Whoever is going to take home this title will have to shoot the lights out at a Warwick Hills Course that yields low scores. Winning scores are typically in the -15 to -19 range. A couple of rounds in the mid 60s are almost a necessity to give a player a shot at winning. That was not always the case, as the winning score back in 1958 was -3. That is understandable as the course actually played longer back then than it does now. Yes…you read it right. It was 7280 yards, and this year it will play 7127. With most courses being lengthened to keep up with the modern player and technology, Warwick Hills went the other way. That is one of the reasons players must make lots of birdies to win. This must be one of the few events that Jack Nicklaus did not win. Tony Lema won back to back Buick Open in 1964-65. He was the only back to back winner until Vijay Singh did it in 2004-2005. Can Brian Bateman be only the third player to accomplish this great feat? 
Players to watch:
Warwick Hills This course was shortened and now it is a shooting gallery. The par fives is reachable in two. There are two par fours on the back nine that are drivable without much danger for wayward shots. The fun begins at 12 which is the first of the drivable par fours. It is followed by a par five where the player must make birdie or he will definitely lose a shot to the field. The next hole is another drivable par 4. It is possible that a player could go 2-3-2 over this stretch for a total of 6 under par. 
The home stretch does get a little tougher; however it will still take birdies to win. Pars are usually not enough at this event. It certainly will be different than the last few weeks which saw pars win golf tournaments. I hope you enjoy the 2008 Buick Open at Warwick Hills Golf Course. Please remember to check back here for my Tour Tips of the leaders before the start of the third round. Return to the Home Page from the Buick Open Copyright 2006-2012 Free-Golf-Lessons.com
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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Steve Stricker on his victory at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
I believe the commentators said he has won 9 times in his 40s. That is amazing!I also agree with Sir Nick and Johnny Miller that his swing will be copied in the future. Technology has reduced the need for hand action in the golf swing to generate power. Watch the old videos of Bobby Jones to see how much action he created compared to that of Steve Stricker.
A great objective for any player is to eliminate any unnecessary movement. Stricker does a great job of that. His hands stay very quiet on the backswing. His wrists hardly hinge at the top of his backswing. You can see from the above video that his backswing is all shoulder turn.
His downswing starts from the hips and he simply turns everything through the golf ball at the same time. His hands and wrists release naturally without any effort. This is a great way to have a consistent rhythm through the golf ball on every shot. This swing delivers enough power to win on Tour.
European Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen and his victory at the 2012 Africa Open.
Louis burst onto the scene with his dominating performance at the Open Championship. Many have predicted multiple wins for this player. His victory this past weekend is likely one of many to come.
In the video above pay really close attention to when the video ends. Take a look at his left foot. Notice how all his weight his on his left heel. This is a great sign that he has cleared his hips properly.
One of the key reasons for starting the downswing with your lower body is to clear your hips out of the way to create more room for your arms to swing through impact. It is a great indicator as to how well you cleared your hips, when almost all your weight is on your heel.
If your weight is leaning on you toes or even the middle of your foot then you have not rotated and cleared your hips enough through your downswing and past impact. You really want to feel the pressure of your weight on your heel like Oosthuizen.
Make sure you start your downswing with your lower body. At the top of your backswing; either pull your left knee or your left hip (right handed player) towards the target. Also make sure your hips keep rotating through impact and into your finish position with your weight on the heel.