Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger

Does it ever drive you crazy that there’s all these totally amazing golf courses in your area that are unavailable to you because you can’t (or won’t) dish out the $100k+ annual membership fee associated with the course? I know it does for me..

For those kindred spirits who feel the same gnawing ache to play these private courses, I give you Boxgroove.com..

This website is such an awesome concept that I was surprised it took someone this long to come up with it…

In a nutshell, Boxgroove.com is the golfnow of private golf courses. To dumb it down even more (for those of you who may not know what golfnow is..), Boxgroove.com is a website where you can book tee times to private golf courses within your area!

How cool is that?

For those fellow Orlandoians, that means a potential opportunity to play courses like Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Isleworth Country Club (helloooo Tiger Woods), and not to mention a little course known as Bay Hill..

All these completely awesome golf courses are no longer going to be out of reach for those of us “common” golfers.

The structure of the website is pretty cool, along with playing private golf courses, you get to be a part of a golf community where you can interact with other, like minded golfers. I had an hour long conversation with McRedmond Morelli (yes, that’s his REAL name) discussing all the features and possibilites of Boxgroove.com and I was thoroughly impressed with some of the ideas he has. I’m sure I’m going to forget to mention a few of them but I’ll do my best to recall all the features we discussed.

Once you sign up, you create a profile, upload your picture and answer some general interest questions about yourself. Once that’s complete, other golfers can view that info and evaluate you as a potential playing partner. So, for example, if you’re both Orlando Magic fans, who like smoking cigars and betting you’re more likely to hit it off than someone who is allergic to smoke, hates the magic and is recovering from a gambling addiction. When you find someone who could be an awesome playing partner, you can schedule a round together.

Once the round is done, you can leave feedback on the person you played with so that other members will know if so and so is a stand up guy, or the opposite. I think this is a pretty cool feature, because no one wants to be stuck on a golf course with a guy who is constantly grating the nerves…

Depending on the course, you as a member of boxgroove.com can book and host a round for players who are not currently members. I think this has the potential to be a great business tool. How impressive would it be to a perspective client if you could get them on to some swanky high dollar establishment?

Also, if you’re a member of a country club, you can post up invitations to other folks in the area who you might be interested in meeting or getting them out to the course.

As a member, you’ll also be able to request tee times to play particular courses that aren’t presently offering any tee times in a given time slot.

I’m sure theres some other features I’ve missed, but this is the gist of what the website presently does.

There’s an annual membership fee of $49 bucks, but man, compaired to what you get, that’s a drop in the bucket.

Let me know if you sign up, i’ve got a profile up there and I’m member # 11521

Check it out!  Boxgroove.com

-Dave

Oh, if you’re a private golf course who’d like to get involved with boxgroove, shoot me an email or give me a call and I can forward all the contact info on to you.

HELP MYSTIC DUNES GOLF CLUB RAISE FUNDS FOR AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY BY PLAYING IN THE PINK RIBBON GOLF CLASSIC

CELEBRATION,FL (September 22, 2009) – At the young age of 30, Jill Levin heard the news that would change her life. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. With the help and support of the American Cancer Society, Jill was able to fightand winthe battle!

Upon receiving the news from her doctor, Jill went online to find more information about breast cancer and its treatments. She knew she wanted reputable information, and was pleased with the information found on the American Cancer Society’s web site.

“The information on the ACS web site allowed me to talk intelligently with my doctors,” said Jill.

A few days later, Jill underwent a mastectomy. When leaving the hospital the nurse informed her that as part of the discharge process, her surgeon had the nurse fax Jill’s information to the American Cancer Society. Two days later, Jill received a phone call from a volunteer with ACS’s “Reach to Recovery Program”. The volunteer delivered a gift bag to Jill’s home and offered moral support.

“The volunteer made me see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Jill. “She was leaving my home to meet friends for a game of tennis. I couldn’t believe she was so active! It made me realize that I would get my life back, too!”

Jill underwent eight months of chemotherapy, followed up by radiation. During chemo treatment, Jill made an appointment to visit ACS’s “Gift Room” where she able to pick up prosthesis, wigs, scarves and more at no charge. She also went to an ACS beauty class, “Look Good, Feel Better” with other cancer patients where she learned new skills like how to draw eyebrows and deal with changing skin.

“The room was filled with laughs. I left feeling like a million bucks,” said Jill. “In fact, while there, I almost forgot I had cancer.”

Two weeks after radiation, Jill became an official volunteer of the American Cancer Society by volunteering at a tent at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Today, ten years later, Jill still volunteers with ACS. She is cancer free and enjoys participating in triathlons and half-marathons.

Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club will raise funds for the American Cancer Society by hosting its 5th annual Pink Ribbon Golf Classic on Friday, October 9, 2009

“We are proud of our company’s commitment to community service, and we invite our friends, neighbors and community partners to join us for a fun day of golf and camaraderie in support of this great cause that touches the lives of so many,” said Roger Farwell, President and CEO of Tempus Resorts International , parent company of Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club.

The tournament will feature a four-person scramble format. Registration will begin at 12:00 noon and the scramble starts at 1:00 p.m. A reception including a silent and live auction will round out the day. Tournament fees are $95 per player or $350 per foursome, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. Mystic Dunes Golf Club is located at Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club, 7900 Mystic Dunes Lane, Celebration, FL 34747. Pre-registration for the tournament is required and can be done by visiting www.mysticdunesgolf.com or by calling 407-787-5678 or 866-311-1234.

A limited number of hole sponsorships are available. Hole sponsors receive s ign recognition on 1 of 18 holes during the event, positioning on all LeaderBoard presentations throughout the day, and the option to place a promotional item in the tee gift bag. Companies interested in becoming a hole sponsor may contact Keith Bielski at 407-787-5639 or bielskik@tempusresorts.net.

Book Your Next Discounted Tee Time on GolfNow.com

I hope you’re having a great Friday! Here’s a little golf humor to help you get through the day.

The Rules of Golf

• The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% mental.
• If you want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.
• Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three.
• When you look up and cause an awful shot, you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again.
• Any change works for a maximum of three holes and a minimum of not at all.
• No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.
• Never keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.
• When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one
  more club or two more balls.
• Golfer’s who claim they don’t cheat, also lie.
• If you’re afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead
  of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank
  lay-up, or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.

• The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing.
• The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all your errors.
• If it ain’t broke, try changing your grip.
• It’s not a gimme if you’re still away.
• Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot.
• A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponent’s luck.
• It’s surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you’re lying 10.
• Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.
• Non chalant putts count the same as chalant putts.
• The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a
  straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.
• There are two kinds of bounces: unfair bounces, and bounces just the
  way you meant to play it.
• You can hit a 2-acre fairway 10% of the time, and a 2-inch branch
  90% of the time.
• Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.
  If you want to hit a 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to lay up just short of a water hazard.
• To calculate the speed of a player’s downswing, multiply the speed of his backswing by his handicap. Example: backswing 20 mph, handicap 15, downswing 600 mph.
• There are two things you can learn by stopping your backswing at the top
  and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove.
• Hazards attract. Fairways repel.
• You can put “draw” on the ball, you can put “fade” on the ball, but no golfer can put “straight” on the ball.
• A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.
• If there is a ball in the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your ball is the one in
  the bunker.
• If both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint.
• Don’t buy a putter until you’ve had a chance to throw it.

Book Your Next Discounted Tee Time on GolfNow.com

I’ve received multiple questions from the readership asking if I could give them a list of Orlando golf courses that allowed walkers to play the course. So, I did the leg work and called almost every golf course in Orlando and the list below are those that allow walkers to play.

I was a bit shocked at how few courses are “walker friendly” and I was pleasantly surprised at a few that were.

Casselberry Golf Club	407-699-9310
Disney’s Oak Trail (9hole)	407-938-4653
Dubsdread Golf Course	407-246-2551
EagleCreek	407-273-4653
Eastwood Golf Club	407-281-4653
Fairways Country Club	407-282-7535
Faldo Golf Institute	407-238-7677
Grand Cypress North, East South Courses	407-239-1975
Grand Cypress New Course	407-239-1975
Grand Pines Golf Club	407-239-6909
Harmony Golf Preserve	407-891-8525
Hawk’s Landing Golf Club	407-238-8910
Highlands Reserve Golf Club	877-508-4653
North Shore Golf Club	407-277-9277
Ritz Carlton Golf Club	407-393-4900
Sugarloaf Mountain	407-544-1104
Victoria Hills Golf Club	386-738-6000
Wedgefield Country Club	800-573-3118
Winter Park Country Club	407-599-3339

Amateur golf seems to have adapted itself to the laziness that taken over our country. Yes, I know, golf courses are a business and they need to push through as many people as possible in order to stay in business, but out of all the courses I called, only 18 were walker friendly… That seems wrong to me.

One of the primary benefits of golf is the fact that if you forego the golf cart and walk from hole to hole, you’re actually walking between three to five miles. Considering that many courses have an ever changing topography, you could be climbing uphill and downhill, working several muscles in the process.

Walking is a low-impact cardiovascular activity that gets the heart pumping. Many doctors advise walking over jogging because it isn’t jarring on the knees and feet. Walking is often an important part of a workout routine and can promote weight loss and a healthier heart. For golfers who do not have a caddy, carrying a bag full of clubs adds some resistance while walking.

Research has indicated that playing a round of golf has the same health benefits of a full 45-minute fitness class. It will burn fat and also improve your good cholesterol levels. Some estimates suggest that playing a round of golf and carrying your clubs can burn over 400 calories, while walking with a pull cart can burn over 300 calories.

Swinging clubs and putting are also physical workouts. Repetition can help tone muscles in the arms, back and shoulders. It may also improve flexibility and range of motion. Golf also helps to strengthen hand-eye coordination and balance. It can be a great way for older players to remain spry and active in a low-impact way.

Apart from the apparent physical benefits, playing golf also has some mental health benefits as well. Simply being outdoors on a beautiful day can boost a person’s spirits. Provided you’re not caught up with the competition aspect and gunning to win, golf can also be a relaxing endeavor that helps stress melt away. There’s also the camaraderie of golf: spending time with friends and other players and engaging in conversation.

Golf has many benefits, and despite not being as high-energy as baseball or football, for example, it still remains a sport that can prove beneficial to your health.

exerpt taken from FortWayne.com

I’m just as lazy as the rest of us, but I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to walk atleast 1/2 of the rounds I play. What brought all this about was a couple weeks ago when I played out at Winter Park Country Club. It’s a nine hole course that I played twice and when I got back to the clubhouse I felt like crap, I was completely drained, and I’m still a “relatively” young man!

Also, something I saw a couple do one time, if you’re playing a course that’s cart-only, you and your playing partner can alternate walking and riding, one drives the cart whilst the other walks to their ball.

Do you prefer walking or riding?

Holy Crap!

A global network of criminals duped eBay customers into buying millions of pounds worth of fake golf clubs in the largest fraud uncovered by the online auction site.

The golf clubs, as well as clothing, accessories and passes for an airline lounge, were sold “on a scale that, it is believed, has never been seen before”, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told yesterday.

These guys were in business from mid-2003 to early-2008 and made millions from selling counterfeit golf clubs, clothing and accessories.

Adam Davis, for the prosecution, said: “Nearly every major golf brand has been affected by the sale of counterfeit goods through the eBay accounts. It is the belief of the fraud investigation unit at eBay that this case represents the single largest counterfeiting conspiracy yet uncovered on their website.”

Here’s the article:

Fake golf club scam ‘cost eBay customer millions

Really makes you think twice about purchasing clubs on eBay, no?

These guys were in business for almost five years and sold millions of pounds of goods. Wonder what their feedback rating was? I’m thinking it had to be pretty high in order to convince customers to purchase from them..

This is pretty shocking that they could dupe some many people with these counterfeit items, they had to be pretty good forgery’s in order to last that long. I’m guessing they must have hit pretty good too, or at least, well enough that no one was the wiser..

Crazy stuff….

Your thoughts?

Book Your Next Discounted Tee Time on GolfNow.com

A little while ago,  I made my way to Grand Cypress Golf Club and to the TaylorMade Performance Lab located in the Academy of Golf. While out there, I played some golf, went through a custom club fitting and toured the facilities.

To sum the experience, let me say, “Grand Cypress is amazing.”

Grand Cypress Golf Club boasts 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus signature golf. There’s two courses, the Old course and the New course.

The Old Course is comprised of three nine-hole courses called the North, East and South Courses. Within these 27 holes, the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed North, South, and East Nines provide three distinctly unique 18-hole masterpieces.

For the full round of 18, courses can be combined as the North-South, South-East, or East-North Course.

Each combination provides a distinctive playing experience, which will challenge even the best of golfers.

The North, South, and East Nines offer a variety of mental and physical stimuli that test accuracy rather than strength and distance. The original North-South combination, marked by sharp ledge fairways, tall shaggy mounds, and plateau greens perched above water or sand, is a demanding, target-style test. The sportier, more wooded East Nine is more generous, with less bunkering (particularly in front of the greens) allowing for more run-up shots.

I played the East-North combination while I was there. The East course was down right brutal, left me wondering if I was fit to wield a club. The North was much more forgiving and helped to offset the pounding dished out by the East. The course was in superb shape, not very crowded and presented many opportunities for a variety of shots. The greens were tough and a little tricky but for the most part, rolled true.

The New Course is Jack Nicklaus’ tribute and homage to the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. This Scottish links masterpiece is complete with double greens, stone bridges and walls, gorse mounds, burns, and pot bunkers as deep as 12 feet, all in the spirit of true Scottish original.

There was great care put into creating a course that was very similar, and to a certain extent, exactly like the Old course at St. Andrews.

They’ve created a replica of the Swilican Bridge that golfers for centuries at have trudged over on the 18th hole at the Old Course in St. Andrews. It’s said to be a very spiritual moment, as you cross the bridge, reflecting on just how many have come before you and will come after.

You can almost visualize the many golf’s “greats” that have crossed that very path, decades and centuries before. This is as close as it’ll ever get to the real thing, with the added benefit of the Florida sunshine!

While you’re there, you can also take advantage of the Academy of Golf, they offer so many different things, that I guarantee that there’s something for everyone. I can tell you from experience that the driving range is immaculate. There’s nothing I hate more than going to the range, and trying to work on your game on ground that’s both uneven and beat all to hell. I was very impressed with the care the give the range and how great the conditions were. They also offer range finders that everyone can use, free of charge, so you can better gauge your distances.

It’s been rated one of golf’s “Top 25 schools” since 1999 and because there’s so much to offer, they’re always running special packages and rates on lessons.

I highly encourage you to check out the TaylorMade Performance Lab whilst you’re there and see if Travis can squeeze you in, it’s well worth the investment.

For the fitting, they put twenty six sensors on your body which are read by the nine high speed (180 FPS) cameras that are strategically located throughout the room.

Once you’re all suited up, you stand in the middle of the room and they turn the cameras on and take a snapshot of your body structure and upload it to be used during your fitting. Thankfully, it’s rather slimming and does a good job of masking the expanding girth..

The whole club fitting process utilizes (initializing copy-paste) Motion Analysis Technology by TaylorMade technology (MATT) to provide golfers with an experience that far exceeds anything previously available to the public.

It gathers vital swing information and statistics using multiple high-speed cameras and distills that information to create a remarkably sophisticated three-dimensional computer-animated image of your swing viewable from every angle. MATT also executes a multitude of calculations and measurements to develop a data-driven personal club recommendation.

MATT provides a superior club-fitting and/or instructional experience by supplying club-fitters and instructors with an unparalleled level of practical data, giving them the power to analyze your swing and identify your needs with remarkable precision. Your clubs will fit better, improving your game — and your score. (end copy-paste)

For my fitting, I hit three clubs, a six iron, driver and putter. I hit about four shots with each club and after every shot we’d analyze the shot on the big projector screen they have set up. MATT captures every aspect of your swing and it can be viewed a couple of hundred different ways. Here’s a slightly complete list of the different aspects it captures.

* Clubhead Path
* Swing Planes
* Speed Planes
* Center Of Gravity
* Body Line on Shoulders, Hips, Knees, Toes, and Spine
* Face Angle
* Target Line
* Ball Position
* Head Position
* X – Factor ( Relationship between Shoulder Turn and Hip Turn)
* Shaft and Shoulder Plane
* Wrist Cocking Angle
* Shaft Line
* Shaft Deflection
* Posture Lines
* In/Out Path of Club
* Up/Down Path of club
* Hand Speed
* Clubhead Speed
* Effective loft of the club at impact
* Ball Speed
* Launch Angle
* Backspin
* Side spin
* Ball Trajectory
* Computed Distance and Roll

Evaluating my swing, Travis concluded a couple things; On ALL of my clubs (driver, irons, putter) my clubface is open at contact, my swing plane varies pretty significantly from the take away plane to the downward motion plane, and he surmised that it was probably due to the fact that I’ve been hitting clubs that were too short for me. So instead of going straight back and straight forward, I’m taking the club back and while doing that, I’m pushing my hands forward which is causing my head to drop a bit and then i’m pulling the club in at impact which is causing my open club face and causing me to come across the ball putting some sideways spin on it.

Not only was Travis able to identify my swing troubles, he showed me how to fix them. Soooo, real quick, totally awesome club fitting session AND golf lesson! It’s been some solid advice too.

Once the fitting is done, the system uses some sophisitcated algorithm and compares your swing to 1,500,000 others and comes up with a recommended set of custom TaylorMade clubs for you. The master club fitter then looks it over, makes any corrections he/she deems necessary and then sets out to build a set of demo clubs for you to go to the range with. The recommended driver for me was the TaylorMade R9 460, 10.5 degree loft and the clubface closed two degrees. The irons were the 2009 TaylorMade Burner Irons 3I-PW -.5 degree flat.

We went to the range to hit these custom fitted clubs and after a couple swings, I was bombing them down the range. It was such an awesome feeling! Needless to say, I’ve since ordered a full set of TaylorMade Burner irons that I’ve been very pleased with. Now, I’m not saying that every shot is straight and perfect, but custom clubs have made my misses ALOT more manageable.

After the fitting was over, he burned all my swings onto a CD as well as the club recommendations for me to take home. I spent a good while just replaying my swing and checking out the different components.

Regarding lodging, there’s two options that are on site, the Villas of Grand Cypress and the Hyatt Regency at Grand Cypress. Both have tons of amenities and activities for you and the family to engage in. The location is perfect for families as well, for those who aren’t crazy about golf, you’re right next to Walt Disney World, so send them to the attractions and head to the links!

For all of you locals, just an FYI, they’re starting an initiative to get more of us out there, so you should definitely inquire about what sort of special rates they’re running for Orlando residents.

For further reading, check out the Travel Guide Orlando

A while ago I mentioned that Phil Mickelson: Secrets of the Short Game were available on Netflix, which is totally awesome.

I finally finished up my Battlestar Galactica series and received the first of two DVD’s. So far, so good.

The first disk is broken down into three sections, Introduction, Putting and Chipping. I’ve watched through the intro and the putting section (pretty lengthy and informative).

The intro is pretty much Phil telling us how awesome he is (but not in an arrogant Shooter Mcgavin way) and how with lots of practice, his DVD’s and training aids, we can be awesome like him.

Phil take the putting stroke, dissects it into a bunch of pieces and covers each piece in a way that gives you the technical reasoning why it should be done this way and then if you still wish to do it your way, gives you corrective measures to help enhance it. I thought this was pretty interesting, many of the instruction videos/books I’ve read, have been pretty much “this is the only way to do it!” Now there are certain areas where he applies this philosophy, but it makes sense why he does it.

Here’s a couple of the areas he discusses in the DVD.

General Principles of Putting

This section contains an overview of the putting stroke, eye positioning, angle the clubface should be at impact and ball placement in your stance.

I’ll give you a teaser, Phil Mickelson says that eye’s directly over the ball is not the correct eye positioning, he says back behind the ball and short of the ball is where they should be.

The Stroke

This section covers (obviously), the putting stroke and talks about the proper follow through and how to avoid blocking the putt. It mentions also the wrong way to do it and why it’s wrong.

Teaser…”There is one must to be a good putter.. your hands have to continue to the target.”

To Forward Press or Not

This section discusses what a forward press is and answers the question “Should I forward press or not?”

Aiming the putter.

All the above information only makes up about 10% of putting, the other 90% has to do with face angle… where the putter face is aimed. That’s the most important thing…

Plugs the “Pelz Putting Tutor.”

Phil’s Basic Putting Concept

The core and foundation of Phil’s Putting Philosophy, the 3ft circle drill. He mentioned an interesting statistic that I think is safe to mention, see below.

At 3ft you can make 97-100% of your putts.

At 4ft, your percentage drops below 90%.

At 5ft, it goes down to 75%

At 6ft, it drops to 55%

You need every putt and every chip to be within 3ft and since your goal is to be here, you need to be infallible from this range.

He discusses the drill he uses, the putting stroke to use, and explains how working this drill constantly will increase confidence, help you deal with pressure and sink more putts.  He also discusses pitfalls you can find from this range and how to avoid them. I found this image via google and it isn’t exactly the same, but it’s close to what’s in the Secrets of the Short Game. And, No, that’s not a newer slimmer Phil…

Read The Putt

This section was a little confusing to me, but he talks about how almost every golfer never reads enough break in their putts and shows an example of how we justify our misread. It seems like the goal of this lecture was to take double what you think the break is and putt straight at that point and let the break do the rest…

Hah, he mentioned this quote that I can’t help but agree with, “Dave Pelz did a study that high handicappers under-read their putts 100% of the time!”

Long Putts, 40,50,60 foot putting drills

Phil discusses his philosophy on long putts and how the object isn’t to sink them, but to get them within the infallible range, he also describes a drill he uses for this, which reminds me very much of an article written by Butch Harmon,

Little Pre-Game Advice Courtesy of Phil

Stay Tuned for more!

-Dave

Book Your Next Discounted Tee Time on GolfNow.com

Just saw on Golfnow that you can play ChampionsGate tomorrow for only $18 dollars!

The only requirement that I saw was it had to be atleast a twosome.

Check it out.

Orlando Tee Times – ChampionsGate Golf Club

-Dave

64-year old Ruth Day, shot two holes-in-one in the same round out at Whitley Bay Golf Club, where she’s a member.

TWO in one round!!

The first was on a 149 yard par three and the second, ten holes later was on a 161 yard par three. She’s been playing golf for ten years and this was her first time scoring an ace….twice.

Man, I can’t wait until I’m a 64 year old woman, perhaps then I’ll get my first Ace…..

Retired 64-year old woman shoots two holes-in-one

How old were you when you shot your first ace?

-Dave

Book Your Next Discounted Tee Time on GolfNow.com

Perhaps “slightly” inappropriate, but still pretty funny.

Who says women golfers are at a disadvantage to men?

Matching lavender outfit: $2,000

New pair of French sunglasses: $100

Nike product endorsements: $10,000,000

Having that ’special place’ to hold your putter…. PRICELESS

Book Your Next Discounted Tee Time on GolfNow.com