Labor Day weekend is upon us.  Labor Day is an American federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 3 in 2012) that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.  Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events... and GOLF!

Many golf associations hold multi-day tournaments on Labor Day weekend.  The PGA Tour moves their four day schedule from Thursday to Friday, with the Deutche Bank Championship ending on Monday rather than Sunday.

Patriot Golf Day

Perhaps the best part of Labor Day weekend in golf is Patriot Golf Day.  Having a good golf friend who is a disabled Iraq war veteran myself, events like this hit close to home.

The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association are sponsoring the 6th annual Patriot Golf Day.  1200+ golf facilities around the country participate in this fundraiser, started by golf pro and F16 pilot Major Dan Rooney.  This fundraiser has raised nearly $13 million for the children of fallen and wounded service men and women.

For more information on Patriot Golf Day, click the link in the previous paragraph, and/or read more in this NY Times article.

If you play golf this weekend, check to see if your course is participating in Patriot Golf Day by clicking here, then give them some support!  Have a great weekend.

PGA Tour

The PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs continue this week with round two at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, MA.   On the line this week is advancement into round three next week at Crooked Stick.  The top 70 in FedEx Cup points after the Deutsche Bank qualify.  The purse for this week is the same as last week, $8 million with the winner taking home $1.44 million and 2500 FedEx Cup points.

The venue this week is the TPC of Boston.  TPC Boston is a 7,214 yard par-71 track.  This track features tree lined holes, rugged bunkers and deep natural grasses which will gobble up errant shots.  The short 530 yard par-5 finishing hole should provide some great drama coming down the stretch.

The field this week comes from the top 100 players in FedEx Cup points, knocked down from 125 last week.  One marquee group features last week's winner Nick Watney, paired up with Brandt Snedeker and Tiger Woods.  A 2nd key group to watch includes Rory McIlory, Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner.  For you fans of the long ball, the grouping of Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and Carl Petterson should do the trick.

TV Schedule

• Fri: 3-6 p.m. (GOLF)
• Sat: 3-6 p.m. (GOLF)
• Sun: 1-3 p.m (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)
• Mon: 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. (GOLF), 2-6 p.m. (NBC)

With the holiday weekend this week, the tournament begins on FRIDAY and ends Monday.

Champions Tour

This week the seniors are off.  Play resumes on Friday September 14th in Hawaii at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship.

To view the complete Champions Tour schedule click here.

LPGA Tour

The ladies are also off this week.  LPGA play returns on September 6th in Williamsburg, VA for the Kingsmill Championship.

To view the complete LPGA schedule click here.

There is a literal golf "mecca" in northern Michigan, in a town named Gaylord.  This area is a resort town which features skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling in the winter and golf in the summer.  The Gaylord area boasts roughly 20 courses within a 20 mile radius.  One resort area which is home to five courses is the well known Treetops resort, home skiing and 81 holes of golf.  Today we are covering a very unique course at Treetops called "Threetops."

Threetops Overview

Threetops gets its name because the course is a par-3 course.  Stay with me.  This isn't your typical dog-track par-3.  Threetops boasts being the #1 par-3 course in America, and some say it is the #1 par-3 course in the world.  Those who have played the track would agree.

Design

Threetops was designed by famous golf instructor Rick Smith, who uses Treetops as his home teaching course.  You may know Mr. Smith from the original Golf Channel Big Break at Treetops, or by the fact that he coaches Phil Mickelson and other tour players.  Threetops holes vary from under 100 yards to over 220 yards.  Total yardage for the 9-hole course is about 1,400 with a par of 27.

Each hole is framed by dense and mature forest with tall trees.  Tee shots feature many forced carries and some severe elevation changes.  As many as a 3-4 club adjustment is needed to compensate for the drastic drops from tee to green on some holes.  Calculating the correct club is challenging and fun.  Tee shots on the severe drops are a blast as they seem to be in the air for hours.

Greens are guarded by strategically placed bunkers and other bunkers which may not normally be in play but provide a great aesthetic to the hole.  The greens are not difficult to putt, featuring subtle undulations.

Rounds on Threetops take about an hour, which is fantastic for those who simply don't have the time to put in 4-5 hours for a round of golf.  Not to worry though, those nine short holes pack as much fun and possibly even more than an 18 hole track.  Just think about it.  There are NINE chances to score a hole in one.

Facilities

The Treetops golf facility features a large clubhouse with a great pro shop, stocked with everything a golfer needs.  The practice facility has a large driving range which could accommodate a large number of players.  The practice green is very fun with some very large undulations.  Inside the clubhouse one can find a great restaurant as well as men's and women's locker rooms.

Resort

When traveling to the area, staying at the Treetops resort is a great option.  The resort at Treetops features a hotel with indoor/outdoor pool, jacuzzi, spa, salon, restaurants, a fun bar and a rustic mountain setting.

Contact

Treetops Resort
3962 Wilkinson Rd
Gaylord, MI 49735
1-866-348-5249

http://www.treetops.com

At the PGA Championship I watched Tiger Woods practicing with a glove under his right armpit.  He was hitting ball after ball, and the glove stayed there.  I've seen other players and instructors discuss the glove in the right or left armpit to help keep the arms close to the body or "connected."  Vijay Singh practices this way quite a bit.

Benefits

As mentioned, trying to keep the glove (or in our case a Frogger Ball Towel) in the armpit during the swing keeps the arms close to the body.  This can help prevent the dreaded chicken wing, the breaking of the elbow in the takeaway as well as the finish.  Keeping the upper arms close to the body also helps promote a better turn and coil with the body and hips, and not just the arms.  Having the upper arms close to the body in the swing also promotes a "one piece" takeaway.

As mentioned, Tiger would practice many shots with this technique and the glove would not leave his right armpit.  But what about the left?  The left is a bit different.  If you are working on "control" shots or punch shots, it is fine to use a glove/ball towel in the left armpit (right handed players of course) for a shorter finish of about 1/2 to 3/4.  The towel will stay in the armpit if the proper technique is used.  But if you are working on a full swing, the glove will fall out about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the follow through as the left or front arm separates from the body.  It should fall out at the same point in the swing every time, consistently.

Other methods say that the towel should stay in the left armpit at all times and I would disagree.  Look at photos of your favorite pro swing in the finish and try to imagine it staying there.  You'll see that there's quite a gap.

Conclusion

Experiment with this technique at the practice range or even while making practice swings without hitting a ball.  You should find that your turn will be more around your spine and core, depending less on the arms.  The arms will also stay on a better and more consistent plane, not moving outside the target line or too far inside.  Feel the upper body and arms connected as one piece as you make your turn, rather than the arms and body being two separate moving parts.

PGA Tour - FedEx Cup Playoff Round One

The FedEx Cup playoffs have begun.  Round one of the playoffs was contested at the famous (or should we say infamous) Bethpage State Park Black Course.

We have a new leader in the race for the FedEx Cup and the $10 million prize, Nick Watney.  Watney fired four solid rounds this past week at The Barclays, 65-69-71-69.  Solid tee-to-green play to make up for some struggles on the putting surfaces in the final round, where Watney logged 34 putts.

The marquee grouping of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlory didn't quite live up to the hype over the four days.  Through two days, Woods had McIlory beaten by three shots, -5 to -2.  But on the weekend both players faded out of contention.  Woods fired a poor final round +5 76 which featured six bogeys and a double-bogey.  The low finish dropped Woods from #1 in FedEx Cup points to #3, behind Nick Watney and surging Brandt Snedeker.

Sergio Garcia held the lead for much of the weekend, looking to record his 2nd victory in a row.  A final round 75 which only had one birdie opposed to five bogeys, dropped Garcia to a tie for 3rd.

Champions Tour

The Champions Tour was in the northwest this past week at the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Washington at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.

Tom Jenkins took the lead into Sunday, attempting to become the oldest Champions Tour winner at the age of 64.  He faded Sunday, opening the door for the surging Mark O'Meara and Jay Don Blake who tied at the end of regulation.  On the first playoff hole, O'Meara missed a very make-able birdie putt and both players tied with a par.  On the 2nd hole of the playoff, Blake was greenside in two and nearly chipped in for eagle, leaving an easy tap in birdie for the win.

The win marks Blake's 3rd Champions Tour win, with two in 2011.

LPGA Tour

The ladies were in Canada this past week to contest the CN Canadian Women’s Open at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, BC, Canada.

Amateur golfer Lydia Ko, the South Korean born in Auckland, New Zealand, became the youngest winner in the history of the LPGA with the victory in Canada, 15 years old.  The old record was set just last year by Lexi Thompson.

"It's great to win, and the last few holes, it got a bit nerve wracking, but Stacy Lewis after my birdie on 15 she said, you know, you can do it, and it was really great to have another player that I look up to giving me that much support.  So it was really awesome.” ~Lydia Ko

Here's a fun game to try this weekend which keeps team players on their toes, even when their partner is shooting a better score.  That's because they're still trying to beat the other team's higher score.

4 Point Game

The 4 Point Game is played between groups of two golfers.  Points are awarded as follows:

• Two points for the lowest individual team member score
• One point for lowest of each team's high score
• One point for lowest team total score

Note that team or individual scores above can be either gross or net, depending on whether or not the players in the group play at similar handicap levels.

Let's look at an example for a par-3 hole, though the par of the hole doesn't really matter.

Team A's scores are 3-2.  Team B's scores are 3-3.  Team A wins two points for low score for the 2 and the low-high score is tied so no points are awarded.  Team A also scores one point for low total score (3+2 is better than 3+3).

Team A's scores are 4-3 and team B's scores are 4-5.  Team A wins two points for low score (3) and one point for the low-high score (4 beats 5).  Team A scores one point for low total again.

There are many combinations and ways the game can be varied.  Use this as a guide and make adjustments for your game and handicap levels.

At the end of the round, or even nines, total points can be added up and assigned a bet value.  It is even possible to contest the format as a nassau, with front/back/totals bets.

PGA Tour

Crunch time.  The FedEx Cup playoffs are here.  This week marks round one of the playoffs at the Barclays. On the line this week at the Barclays is a purse of $8 million with the winning share clocking in at a cool $1.44 million.  Almost more important than the money, is the 2500 FedEx Cup points.  Most tournaments during the PGA Tour season are worth 500 points, but in the playoffs wins are much more valuable.

Bethpage State Park's Black Course is the host venue.  The Black course, located in Farmingdale, New York, was the infamously difficult host to the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens.  The course measures at 7,468 yards with a par value of 71.  The course is extremely difficult and will certainly test all of the players this week.

Naturally the field will be star heavy this week, with the FedEx Cup on the line.  The top 125 in the FedEx Cup point standings are eligible this week.

The featured grouping this week is huge.  Golf's two biggest stars will be battling each other.  Tiger Woods and Rory McIlory are paired together for the first two days.  Set your DVR now.  You're not going to want to miss this one.  Schedule below.

Thursday 8/23      3:00 - 6:00PM GOLF
Friday 8/24           3:00 - 6:00PM GOLF
Saturday 8/25      1:00 - 2:30PM / 3:00 - 6:00PM Golf/CBS
Sunday 8/26        12:00-1:30PM / 2:00 - 6:00PM Golf/CBS

Champions Tour

The Seniors are in Snoqualmie (don't ask me to pronounce that), Washington for the Boeing Classic.  This is a standard Champions Tour three day event with a purse of $2 million with the winner's share coming in at $300K.  Mark Calcavecchia is the returning champion.

Host course this week is TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, a 7,264 yard par-72 track which is the only Jack Nicklaus design in the Pacific Northwest.  Jack designed this course as a dual purpose track.  The course is suitable for public play but still challenging enough to be a "TPC" course capable of hosting PGA Tour events.

Fri, 8/24: GOLF 6:30p - 8:30p ET

Sat, 8/25: GOLF 6:30p - 9:30p ET

Sun, 8/26: GOLF 7p - 9:30p ET

LPGA Tour

The ladies are in Canada this week to contest the CN Canadian Women's Open. Purse of this week's 72 hole event is $2 million.  Returning champion is Brittany Lincicome.

The host course is Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, BC, Canada.  This track is a heavily tree lined course with numerous water and sand hazards.  Rough in places can be very deep.  Total yardage for the ladies is 6,427 with a par of 72.

TV Schedule

Aug 23 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST
Aug 24 - GC 12:30 AM-2:30 AM EST
Aug 25 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST
Aug 26 - GC 2:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

PGA Tour pros are so amazing at "releasing" the club.   What does this mean?  If you watch a pro just after impact you can see that their hands have turned over.  The right hand is on top of the left.  Many of us amateurs, myself included, don't do this.  Instead we break our left wrist, which makes the left elbow break toward the target, producing the dreaded "left arm chicken wing."  The released club vs the chicken wing is no contest.  Winner: release.

Full release produces higher club head speed and thus longer distance.  The chicken wing reduces distance and increases the likelihood of a block or slice.

Release Tips

Here are a few thoughts on how to get your club to release.

Take a baseball bat and swing it as you normally would in a baseball game.  Notice how your right hand turns over your left.  That's the feel.  Try to repeat that with a golf club.  In fact, try a baseball swing with a golf club.  Get the feel of that release, then move it down to the regular hitting position.

Another way to promote or feel the release has another baseball analogy.  Instead of bringing the club straight through impact or cutting across the ball to the inside after impact like most amateurs do, imagine that you're hitting a ball to first base or right field.  Hit inside the ball, extending to the outside of the target line.  This will help prevent the chicken wing and promote a better release.  It may even help you hit a draw, rather than a fade or slice!

Timing

The release is all about timing.  Do it too soon and your power curve will be past max before you hit the ball and the shot will go hard left.  Do it too late and you'll block the ball and it will sail far right.  With the drills above you'll feel the speed zone in the middle of the impact area.  If you can release the club at just the right time, you'll knock it straight and considerably farther than the old chicken wing swing.

Go practice your release!

PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is STILL contesting the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Play was suspended yesterday due to weather conditions, with the leaders having not even finished the front nine.  Coming into today, Sergio Garcia is holding onto a one shot lead over Tim Clark, Jason Dufner and Frogger favorite rookie Bud Cauley.

Play resumes at 9:00AM ET today (Monday).  Garcia and Cauley have finished four holes, while Clark and Dufner have finished five.

LPGA Tour

The LPGA Tour contested the Safeway Classic in North Plains, Oregon this past week.

Mika Miyazato fired a final round 70, finishing the tournament at -13 for a two shot victory over the nearest competitor Brittany Lincicome.  Lincicome put on a charge with a final round 67 but it was not enough.  Miyazato started the tournament with a leading 65 and never looked back.

With five top 10 finishes in 2012, Miyazato finally captured the elusive first win.

Champions Tour

Michael Allen and Willie Wood finished regulation tied at -13 at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, New York.  Brad Faxon was tied for the lead through his 16th hole in the final round, but a bogey on the par-3 17th shot down his hopes for making a playoff or perhaps winning.  He'd par the final hole to finish one shot back.

In the two man playoff, Wood versus Allen, all it took was a par from Wood to seal the victory on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th.  The victory at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open marks the first Champions Tour victory for Wood.