The Colonial PGA Tournament Preview & Golf Tips
Click here to watch my video analysis of Phil Mickelson, Brian Gay, & Stephen Ames This is the Colonial. No matter what company foots the bill to have their name attached to it. It has been since the first event in 1946, and it will always be so long as it is played at the great Colonial Country Club. This year Crowne Plaza has taken over the privilege of being apart of this great tournament. This event has also been synonymous with the great Ben Hogan. How could it not? He was born and raised in Texas and he won the first 2 Colonials in 1946 and 1947. He then came second in 1948. He cut the others players a break for the next couple of years, before winning another set of back to back titles in 1952 and 1953. He actually won the Colonial one more time in 1959, for a grand total of 5 wins and 1 runner up finish. Yes. Ben Hogan owned this event. When you watch the coverage this weekend, you can bet that you will see numerous features on the great Ben Hogan. No one has dominated the Colonial like Hogan, but there have been some other great champions. Billy Casper won twice, as did Julios Buros, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw. Most recently Kenny Perry was a two time winner by winning in 2003 and 2005. He may become a 3 time winner considering how he has played the last 2 weeks. Players in the field this week to pay attention to: 
This is truly a great PGA Tour event. I certainly hope you enjoy the coverage. Now let’s take a look at the course. Colonial Country Club This course actually hosted the US Open in 1941 before it became the home course for the Colonial. It also hosted a Women’s US Open in 1991. This shows that it really is a great test of golf. To be more specific, this course demands accuracy over power. It plays at only 7054 yards and a par of 70. Like many courses it has become easier to score on with the advance of technology. In 2005 Kenny Perry set the tournament scoring record at 19 under par. The Horrible Horseshoe The course still demands great accuracy, and you can still get yourself into all kinds of trouble. The front nine has the “Horrible Horseshoe”. This is comprised of holes 3-5. They are a 476 yard par 4, 246 yard par 3, and a 470 yard par four. The pros will have to shape tee shots to land the ball in the fairway. As for the par 3, it is long and to an elevated green. It makes sense that no one has ever had a hole in one during tournament play. Ideally the pros will need to have their left to right ball flight working for them this week. Many of the driving holes will require a fade (for right handers) in order to follow the dog legs. This should be a fun week to watch as it will great to see who will dominate…the shot makers or the bombers. Can a bomber, over power the course? Will the shot makers, shape their way around the course? We should see a good mix of players. I hope you enjoy the 2008 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. 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 Colonial Copyright 2006-2012 Free-Golf-Lessons.com
 |
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.