Vote for Brooke!!!!

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now you know just how proud I am of Brooke Henderson.   She is a star athlete in my eyes and continues to grow with Canada backing her ever move.  My Uncle Mark is a big reason she’s on the short list for inductees for 2015.  Please take the time to vote for her because she has made such an amazing impact on not only the LPGA but Golf Canada.  She is our future so lets get behind her and show her how proud we are of her hard work and dedication.

Brooke Henderson’s standout season on the golf course has her in the running to be named the 2014 Ontario Athlete of the Year.

If the Team Canada member and Smiths Falls, Ont. native is successful in receiving the Syl Apps Award, she will become only the second golfer to receive the honour and the youngest award winner in its 16-year history. The only other golfer to earn the honour is Mike Weir, who received the award in 1999, 2000 and 2003.

Henderson is up against some stiff competition, including Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Russel Martin of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, Milos Raonic (tennis) Patrick Husbands (horse racing) and Cory Perry of the Anaheim Ducks.

Voting for the award is conducted annually by the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Those eligible to vote include Ontario-based sports writers, broadcasters/personalities with at least 10-years covering sports in this province, members of the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors and the Hall’s Advisory Board.

To be eligible for the award, athletes must be born in Ontario or play for an Ontario-based team.  They also must have made an outstanding and memorable contribution to Ontario sport during the previous calendar year.

The public is encouraged to vote for their favourite athlete online.  http://www.oshof.ca/ The voting widget is located on the left side of the home page and will be available until December 5, 2014.

Team USA Ryder Cup Board....

 

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games were in one word: Triumphant to us Canadians.  We dominated in our national pastime hockey, curling, skiing, figure skating and more.  This doesn’t happen over night these athletes are handpicked and groomed into champions.  The PGA of America is doing their own “grooming” when it comes to the Ryder Cup failures that were seen this fall.  Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are among the 11 member Ryder Cup Task force that was announced Tuesday to spear head these meetings.  The co-chairs are PGA chief executive Pete Bevacqua and Derek Sprague, next in line to be president of the PGA of America.  

The goal of the task force is to examine all aspects of the Ryder Cup, including selections of captains and players as well as how the week of the competition would play out.  "This is a great step by the PGA to accomplish what we all want -- to win the Ryder Cup," Woods said in a statement issued by the PGA.  The past captains on the committee are Davis Love III (2012), Tom Lehman (2006) and Raymond Floyd (1989). Mickelson and Woods are joined by Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Rickie Fowler.  The U.S. has lost six of the past seven Ryder Cups, including a 16½-11½ defeat to Europe two weeks ago in Scotland.  Nine-time Ryder Cup selection Lee Westwood, who went 2-2 in his four matches at Gleneagles, took pride Tuesday in noting on Twitter that the Europeans' victory forced the U.S. into this decision.

You know it and I know it the USA does not like to lose.  They didn’t take to kindle to getting beat by us in Olympic Hockey back to back Olympics they don’t take kindle to losing Ryder Cup after Ryder Cup.  So I say good for them for making changes and inventing a board of members to make changes so they can see some success again.  But the difference between the US and Europe will always be Europe players are friends.  They travel, live and practice together all year round because it makes more sense for them.  The US players are thrust into the limelight and expected to play with guys they hardly know who they have been battling head to head all season. 

Why Take A Lesson???

With the 2014 season coming to an end it is now time to reflect on this past summer.  We all know it was a tough one for not only the golf industry but any summer seasonal industry.  I hope that the time that was spent on the golf course was a positive one and that while we clean our clubs one last time and put them in storage for those of us not lucky enough to go south for the winter we take the time to appreciate how fantastic golf is.   

I hope 2014 was filled of many memories whether they were good ones like a golfers first birdie or the laughs shared when you hit not one but two shots directly into the same pond.  I tell my students all the time golf is the most humbling sport there is, I feel like as soon as we lose focus for that mini second our game has turned its back on us and we find ourselves in big trouble.  

The PGA states the following for when to take lessons:

Does your boomerang slice or sweeping hook have you feeling down? Then it’s time to turn that frown upside down.

Taking golf lessons from a PGA Professional is the single best way to improve your game. The PGA Professional is uniquely skilled at evaluating your game and can help you:

·         Hit the ball longer and straighter

·         Play better on and around the greens

·         Improve your course management skills, and 

·         Make sure your equipment properly fits you

All of this can lead to lower scores and a more fun.

FIND A PGA PROFESSIONAL NEAR YOU

There are three primary types of instruction – private lessons, group lessons and clinics. In a private lesson, you’re the only student working with the PGA Professional. Group lessons may provide a more comfortable learning environment.

If you’re not sure if you’re ready for a lesson, consider attending a golf clinic hosted by a PGA Professional. Golf clinics are typically offered during group golf outings and usually focus on a single topic, such as bunker play, chipping, putting, or the full swing. A big difference between a clinic and a lesson is that during a clinic, you’re watching the PGA Professional explain how he/she would hit certain shots, rather than you actually hitting the shot yourself.

This can also be a non-intimidating way to socialize with other golfers.

In short, if you want to play better golf … take a lesson. Playing better golf will make the game more enjoyable and allow you to experience hitting more shots exactly the way you envision it.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.  I am always looking for way to improve my game.  Please take a moment to go to the Goderich Sunset Website http://www.sunsetgolfclub.com/ and under news feeds select Christmas Voucher to see what I have made up for 2015 Season as a Christmas gift.  If that’s not exactly what you are looking for look under lesson rates as lessons individual or packages can be purchased between now and Christmas and used in the 2015 season.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Ryder Cup 2014 Preview...

The Ryder Cup is fast approaching.  Who will you be watching??

For the European team, all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy to continue his golden season. Individually, the Northern Irishman has had a marvelous campaign, winning both the British Open and the USPGA Championship; now the 25-year-old will be hoping to spur Europe on to their third consecutive Ryder Cup win.  Alongside him on the European team is Mr. Ryder Cup himself, Ian Poulter. It's worth noting that Poulter has never lost a match in the Ryder Cup.

While the hosts are undeniably the big favourites this time round, Tom Watson will be able to call on a few quality players himself, perhaps most notably Rickie Fowler.  You all know I am a big fan of Rickie!  I am so pleased with how he has played this season I wish him the best of luck at the Ryder Cup.  

Daily schedule

The Ryder Cup is made up of 28 different matches which are played over the course of three days, all of which are in match play format. The schedule for the first two days is much the same.

There will be four foursome matches in the morning, where the captain of each side picks pairings to play together and they take alternative shots. Then in the afternoon its the four-ball matches—four games again—where each player has their own ball, and the lowest score on each team counts.

Once those 16 matches have been played across the opening two days its on to the singles, where all 12 players on each team go head-to-head. It sounds simple enough, but it can be an extremely tactical affair, as captains deliberate on whether to put their best men out first and accrue some early momentum, or put some of the key players at the back of the field when the pressure could be on.

How do you score points?

The aim is to get to 14.5 points, a coveted number that would give either nation guaranteed victory. If the match is drawn at 14 points each, the holder of the trophy will retain it. So this year, if after three days of slogging it out the score ends up at 14-14, it’d be Europe that keep hold of the cup.

This is what we golfers live for.  After very exciting Majors to finish of the season with the Ryder Cup is the icing on top of the cake.  In fact in my eyes I see the Ryder Cup as a Masters.  So hand on to your boots Ladies and Gentlemen its going to be a bumpy but explosive ride.

	Europe	United States
Captain	Paul McGinley	Tom Watson
Player 1	Rory McIlroy	Bubba Watson
Player 2	Henrik Stenson	Rickie Fowler
Player 3	Victor Dubuisson	Jim Furyk
Player 4	Jamie Donaldson	Jimmy Walker
Player 5	Sergio García	Phil Mickelson
Player 6	Justin Rose	Matt Kuchar
Player 7	Martin Kaymer	Jordan Spieth
Player 8	Thomas Bjørn	Patrick Reed
Player 9	Graeme McDowell	Zach Johnson
Wildcard	Stephen Gallacher	Keegan Bradley
Wildcard	Ian Poulter	Webb Simpson
Wildcard	Lee Westwood	Hunter Mahan