Almost every golfer knows about the "triangle". Maintaining the triangle formed by the shoulders and hands while accelerating the putter head through the ball usually results in a putt that has a good chance of finding the cup. This fundamental has always worked for me, at least until the start of last season when my hands decided to take control.

After struggling on the greens for a few weeks I made a small change in my focus that really turned things around. When I set up to putt, I envisioned the sides on my triangle now running from my shoulders to the putter head, not to my hands on the grip. This new mind-picture helped me take my hands out of the moment and enabled me to hit my putts with a much smoother stroke.

During the next couple of weeks I focused on my new triangle when I practiced my putting. My confidence and feel returned, along with my distance control. Business and family kept me from playing a lot last year, but when I did my putting was usually pretty good.

Birdie Byte: When you're on the practice green, spend some time putting to a tee or a coin. This will make the hole look huge and increase your confidence with the flatstick. More confidence equals more birdies and pars. Have fun!

An Italian, a Frenchman, and a Scotsman were playing golf on a links course when they spotted a stunning mermaid on the shore.

They all dropped their clubs and ran down for a closer look. The mermaid was incredibly beautiful and voluptuous.

The Italian, burning with desire, asked the mermaid, "Have you ever been hugged?" "No, I haven't," whispered the mermaid. So the Italian walked over and embraced and touched her warmly. The mermaid said, "Hmmmm, that's nice."

The Frenchman, not to be outdone, said, "Have you ever been kissed?" "No, I haven't," answered the mermaid. So the Frenchman went over and kissed her long and slow. "Hmmmm," sighed the mermaid, "that's nice."

Finally the Scotsman asked her, "Have you ever been screwed?" "No, I haven't," said the mermaid. "Well, you have now," said the Scotsman, "'cause the tide's out!"

For almost 25 years I have relied on "Stripes", my battle-scarred Ram Zebra putter to turn my bad rounds into decent ones and my good rounds into great ones. My lovely and understanding wife accepts the fact that "Stripes" has more frequent flier miles than her.

I finally decided to embrace modern flatstick design and technology by ordering the B3-M from Heavy Putter. I have been a fan of the Heavy Putter since I tried it at the 2005 PGA Show. Its increased weight quiets your hands and forces you to make a smooth stroke with your chest and shoulder muscles. So long "Stripes", old friend.



Visit Heavy Putter for more info.

Update: I'm still diggin' it. I played around with the weight kit and tuned my B3-M, which I affectionately call "The Bomber", into a certified WMD. I never miss inside four feet and my percentage inside 15 feet has gone up. Developing good feel on long range putts takes a bit of practice, but on the hole, it's all good.

With one small exception... If the War Department (that's Mrs. Ready Golfer for those of you under 40 years old) ever finds out what I paid for "The Bomber" she'll bury me deep in a bunker somewhere in the Middle East.

For more visit Life in the Trap

I've had lots of great times on the golf course with my family and friends, but one of my favorite golf moments occurred while I was in Salt Lake City on a business trip about 10 years ago. Before a flight home I decided to play 18 at Wingpointe Golf Course, which is an outstanding links layout on the grounds of the SLC airport. From some of the holes you can see the passengers in the planes waving to you as they take off and land.

It was a beautiful morning. I had a great warm-up on the range and expected to post a good score, but I started bogey, bogey, double bogey. I wasn't rushing. I had plenty of time before my flight and the course was wide open. After a couple of pars I got back on the bogey train and stumbled my way to a front side 44. I was steamed and considered quitting. I would have rather sat in the airport terminal and finished my sales reports than played like that.

But I decided not to quit. As I stood on the tenth tee and looked back at the inspiring mountains that frame Salt Lake City I took some deep breaths. One of my playing partners shared a good joke and another encouraged us to "relax and have some fun." I told myself to forget about the scorecard and be grateful for the bright blue sky and the company of my foursome.

After three solid pars I made a 30-foot putt for a birdie on the 13th hole. After another par I made three birdies in a row. Somehow I had slipped into "the zone". On the final hole I made an up-and-down for a par that gave me a 32 for the back side, the best nine-hole score of my unheralded golf career. By the time I finished it seemed so easy and effortless. Go figure. I felt defeated and was ready to walk off after the front nine. I'll admit to doing that a few times when I played poorly. I'm glad I didn't that day. Just by turning my attention away from my score, I "stayed in the game" and shot one of my most satisfying rounds ever.

Technology

A "technology" heading for a towel? You bet.

The Amphibian towel is a large square towel with two of the four sizes sewn together. This forms a sort of "pita pocket" shape. The inside of the towel is a bamboo terry and is used as the wet part for cleaning clubs, balls etc. The outside is cotton and stays dry, despite the inside being wet. So you clean your clubs with the inside and dry them with the outside. Very cool.

On the course

I used to wet a large towel about half way down, so the bottom half was wet and the top half dry. Now I can have the same single wet/dry towel but one that keeps the two completely separate. The inside of the Amphibian stays wet for most of a round and hot hot days may need a small boost of water about half way through the round.

The towel is also very soft and plush. When I have some sweat to wipe off my face or hands (from the pressure of trying to win a $2.00 nassau), the Amphibian feels very nice.

I like the spring loaded clip which mounts the towel, similar to a mountain climbing clip. This clip is much better than those old standard wire towel clips which bend and break. Of course you only find that out after you've lost your towel.

Dry towel in the rain

On rainy days it is hard to keep a towel dry. Reversing the concept of the Amphibian you can use the outside as the wet side and the inside as the dry side. Since the two stay independent, the rain can soak the outside fine and the inside is still dry!

Critiques

The only minor critique I have which isn't a factor with the ball version, is that it can sometimes be hard to get leverage for really scrubbing and rubbing the wet side. There can be enough slack in the two sides to make scrubbing difficult.

Conclusion

The full sized Amphibian is another great product from Frogger. The fabric is as plush and soft as any golf towel I've ever used. The wet/dry concept is implemented very well and works perfectly.

For more reviews and other fun golf stuff click on the following link.

Another birdie Comrade! You shot 54 again!

What Is Interfering With Your Swing?

Is improving your swing at the top of your "golf improvement list?" Did you spend a lot of time and effort this summer trying to improve your swing and are still hoping that will happen? It's likely there are some things "getting in the way" of your optimum swing that you didn't realize...

Recently, I published a post about "What Are You Holding On To That Is Holding Back Your Game," with the main point being that it is a common mental practice (although not usually realized by the individuals) for golfers to hang on to bad shots, bad golf moments, and general negativity which has the unfortunate consequences of weighing you down, holding you back, and leading to less-than-positive golf experiences. All of those "could haves," "should haves," and "if onlys" literally take away from mental energy that could otherwise be put to good use on constructive thoughts that will help your game. There is a lot of mental energy you can be putting to good use!

For more visit Positive Golf

"Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing."
Ben Hogan

"What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive."
Arnold Palmer

"Courage is being willing to lay up on a par three."
Tom Watson

"Self-trust is the first secret of success."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results."
Sir Winston Churchill

"These greens are so fast I have to hold my putter over the ball and hit it with the shadow."
Sam Snead

"I was just going to putt it if I had a regular lie, but I figured with so much grass between the ball and the blade, a three-wood was the only safe shot. Gave it the old whiskey flick with a three-wood."
Carl Petterson, winner of the 2006 Memorial Tournament

Visit Boynie at Caddie Golf Tours