The 2008 John Deere Classic Preview & Golf Tips
John Deere Classic
TV Coverage:
Defending Champion: Jonathan Byrd The John Deere Classic as it has been known since 1999 has seen a wide variety of champions. In 2003 Vijay Singh (3 time major winner) took home the title. Other than him we have seen some of the young guns who are supposed to challenge Tiger and the top Tour players get a win. David Gossett (2001), JP Hayes (2002), and Sean O’Hair (2005) are just a few of such players. Last year another young player won, Jonathan Byrd. This may be because many of the top players don’t make this event. The tough part for the John Deere Classic is the timing of the event. It is two weeks before the Open Championship. Many players are gearing up for that event as they have already left to play an event in Europe. This does give the younger players a chance to start making their mark, however not against the best competition. Unfortunately many of the best players miss out on a great event on a great golf course.
A few players to watch in the field:
TPC at Deere Run When the organizers decided to make a TPC course they called on 3 time Quad City’s Open winner and local Illinois native, D.A. Weibring. He came in and designed a beauty. He took 400 acres on beautiful rolling Illinois countryside and with barely disturbing a thing turned it into a challenging TPC layout. This course has everything; doglegs, blind shots, big elevation change, 78 bunkers, and water. The greens aren’t too severe but the chipping areas around them can be quite difficult. If you like watching players hit different shots, then this will be a good weekend for you to watch. The stretch run of holes 14-18 will certainly provide some entertainment for the finishing of the tournament. The 14th hole is the now classic drivable par 4. It is 361 yard downhill tee shot to the green. The risk is huge as there is a massive valley of sin short left and no recovery if you go long. You had better hit a very accurate 361 yard driver if you plan to make a 2 or 3. The 16th hole is a gorgeous little par three over water with a shale face at the front. It is certainly is the signature hole, but the players had not get too distracted by it’s beauty or it could come up and bite them. The 17th hole is a reachable par 5 for the longer hitters, but like the tee shot on 14 they had better be very accurate shots. The 18th is a great finishing hole at 465 yards. It is a strong 2 shot par 4, and with the tournament on the line there are plenty of places the players don’t want to hit it. I hope you enjoy the 2008 John Deere Classic from TPC at Deere Run. 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 John Deere Classic 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.