Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger

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I found BirthGolfDeath.com through twitter and Joseph Coonick (Creator/Owner) was kind enough to send me a shirt to demo. I was sent one of the “Life is Short. Play Golf Daily” Tee and I must say, it fits really well with my perspective on life! (now if only my wife could see the light!)

Now in order to make this work, I had to find the the highest paid clothing model I could find…. Look at that pizazz!

The shirt is very comfortable and stylish (at least as far as I can tell), but keep in mind, this is coming from a man who used to wear button down silk shirts with fish designs on them… (Sigh…. I miss those shirts, but thanks honey! )

It’s made out of 52% Cotton & 48% Polyester and it fits really well. It’s a lighter material so it’s, in my opinion, perfect for the summer heat. There’s a couple things I hate about a t-shirt, excess fabric (a dress t-shirt) or really heavy fabric (a t-shirt sweater) and this is neither.

As for the logo, I’m not really a big fan of skulls, skeletons, the undead or anything associated with bones. So, for me, the logo was not terribly impressive. But having said that, it’s not so in your face “badass sporting skulls” that I feel uncomfortable wearing it.

Now, I’m not saying skeletons should not be on golf shirt, they’re just not really my style. Take old John Daly for instance, I also don’t have much interest in loudmouth golf pants, but he (and others i’ve seen) pull them off …..well.

I would like to say that I think the logo is a very accurate representation of the company. Now this is probably my crazy left field deduction, but I interpret the logo like this… The cigar is representative of birth (IE “It’s a boy celebratory stogies), the golf clubs represent death…… hah! j/k, the clubs obviously represent the addiction we all crave and the skeleton golfer represents death, or atleast some persona of the end of the road. I suppose it’s also a safe interpretation to say that the cigar he’s puffing on, could also symbolize death or the pursuit of the afterlife……

Well, I suppose, enough of my ramblings. Below is the press release announcing their new spring/summer line 2009.

B.G.D. (BIRTH. GOLF. DEATH.) LAUNCHES
SPRING 2009 GOLF APPAREL COLLECTION
May 12, 2009 (Denver, Colo.) – Denver-based Birth.Golf.Death. (“B.G.D.”) has just released fresh new designs for the spring/summer 2009 season. The new designs include T-shirts, long and short sleeve polo shirts, windbreakers and jackets, each featuring B.G.D.’s signature logo of a skeleton golfer.

Many of the pieces are designed with an alternative flair, while others reflect a Zen-like golf experience, with Buddha and planet Earth featured in the designs.
“B.G.D. is golf apparel with an edge for today’s modern golfer,” said Joseph Coonick, B.G.D. creator and owner. “A unique and hip alternative to classic golf apparel, B.G.D. T-shirt designs are thoughtful and eye-catching, while the clothing is made from innovative modern fabrics to assist in keeping cool and dry on the course.”

Two recent showings by B.G.D. at the Denver Golf Expo in Denver, Colo. and the North Texas Golf Expo in Dallas, Texas have also emphasized the growing success of the company. Several designs sold out and numerous requests by pro shops, golf stores and tournaments were made to carry the B.G.D. line. Coonick, an avid golfer with a single digit handicap, personally creates the designs and is passionate about each and every new design he creates.

I was given a 15% off coupon code to pass on to you guys, it’s OB15. If you get a moment, check out their website and see if there’s anything you like.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter! Many cool things to come from it.

-Dave

Manhattan Federal Court Judge Denny Chin threw the book at Bernie Madoff, he gave him the maximum penalty, 150 years in prison.

“Here, the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff’s crimes were extraordinarily evil,” Chin said. “This kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll.”

Bernie Madoff, engineered a $65 billion dollar fraud scheme that rocked the financial world to its core.

Madoff’s sentence will be little consolation to his many victims, who include Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax, Mets owner Fred Wilpon, talk show host Larry King, studio exec Jeffrey Katzenberg, actor Kevin Bacon and famed director Pedro Almodovar.

Madoff also ripped off millions from major Jewish organizations, including Yeshiva University, the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and the Gift of Life Foundation, a Jewish bone-marrow registry.

As one victim put it, Bernie Madoff stole from the rich, the poor and the in between, he even stole from a Nobel Prize-winning Holocaust chronicler Elie Wiesel.

Here’s a link to the NY Daily New’s article ” Bye, Bye Bernie.”

Today’s Orlando Golf Lesson is “How to Hit a Punch Shot” or “Knockdown Shot.”

A punch or knockdown shot is a shot played with a very low trajectory, usually to avoid interference from tree branches when a player is hitting from the woods. Similar to the knock-down, it can also be used to avoid high winds.

The setup is relatively simple.

• Place the ball towards the back of your stance near your back foot
• Shift your weight forward
• Move your hands forward so that you decrease the angle of the clubface
• Choke down on the club close to where the grip meets the shaft
• Take a normal swing, stopping about 3/4 of the way to the top
• Keep your hands ahead through impact
• Stop the follow through 3/4 way to the top

I’ve often read that this is an “advanced” shot and mid-high handicappers don’t need to focus on it. I completely disagree I think for us hackers this would be a great addition to the arsenal. Think about it… Who spends the most of their time in the trees?

Here’s a couple videos I found to help illustrate the shot.

I really like this shot for a couple of different reasons…although typically, you’ll use 3I-8I for a punch shot, you can use pretty much any club in the bag.

It’s a shot that has significant room for error. What I mean is, if your body is aimed at the target and you hit a bad shot, there’s a good chance its still heading in the right direction and you’re still going to be moving the ball in a forward direction.

Hope you’ve learned something useful today!

What’s your take on the punch shot?

-Dave

Holy busy Friday!

I’m going to change the format a bit today and instead of a long post on a single topic, I’m going to a long post a couple of different topics.

First things first. Everyone’s Favorite Golf Ball, the Top Flight Gamer Ball is on sale at GolfSmith. They’re running a special 2 for $35! Not a bad deal at all! You can pick em up in the store or online. If you’re looking to buy, click the image below so I’ll make like $.20 cents from it

If you haven’t heard about this ball, it’s a super sweet, relatively inexpensive Golf Ball. It received a gold rating on the Golf Digest 2009 Golf Ball Hotlist. Click the link below to read about it.

Golf Digest Golf Ball Hotlist 2009 – Top Flite Gamer

and here’s a slightly dated, yet still relevant review of the ball.

Top-Flite Gamer Golf Ball

If you play or if you’ve played this ball, I’d like to hear what you think about it.

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I’ve just started reading Carl Hiaasen’s newest book called “The Downhill Lie.” I’m not very far into it, but I can tell already it’s going to be an interesting read. Within the first couple pages, there comes a scene where two guys are using golf clubs to hit toads off their front porch!

Stay tuned for a full review!

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Golf Tip of the Day – Be mindful of the leading shoulder

Recently, I’ve been hitting an unusually high number of fat shots. The divot was starting about two inches behind the ball instead of infront of it. With a little help from the world famouns Brendon Elliott, I soon realized that I was dipping my lead shoulder during my back swing.

This bad habit started when I was attempting to hone my weight shift. By emphasizing my weight shift to my back foot on my back swing I was inadvertantly dipping my lead shoulder which lead to some seriously screwed up shots. I’ve thus begun correcting this oversight but it did cost me some strokes.

So, if you’re experiencing some fat shots and can’t figure out why, you might be dropping that lead shoulder on your backswing. When you’re on the range, concentrate on keeping the shoulder up and twist more with your upper body.

Just my two cents.

Happy Friday!

-Dave