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Watching Tiger Woods tame the TPC last weekend got me fired up for the US Open, and looking forward to whether the bomb and gouge crowd will have the discipline to keep the driver in the bag on many holes.

And one of the most tempting holes for many of them will be the short par 4 10th. Too add even more excitement… it will be the final hole for half the field on Thursday and Friday, when they use double tees due to the large field. Instead of starting on #1 and #10, they’ll start on #1 and #11 those two days.

Can you imagine standing on the 10th tee Friday afternoon… needing a birdie to make the cut? Do you try to drive the green despite all the trouble up there (including OB over the green) … or do you play it by the book… short and right to set up a relatively easy pitch shot and try to make your birdie that way?

It should be great theatre, and I talked about that with Merion member, and former Walker Cup Captain Buddy Marucci.

His thoughts on #10, and how Merion will hold up against the world’s best, are in this podcast:

Joe Logan brings us up to date on the plans to restore Cobbs Creek Golf Club to its original design — or close to it.  We had heard whispers that those behind the move were very close to getting it done… or perhaps even had closed the deal and were waiting to make a big splash with the announcement during US Open week when media members by the hundreds would be in town.   Joe’s piece doesn’t confirm that… but lends a little more credibility to those rumors:  click here for the story at MyPhillyGolf.com.

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From the archives:

Here is a podcast I did last year on this project with its main movers and shakers: Joe Bausch, a Villanova Chemistry Professor, and Mike Cirba, Chief Information Officer for a health care network in Allentown:

Click here to go to the Friends of Cobbs Creek website…

Click here to access the history book online…

Wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone say: I was hittin’ it great during the lesson, but it never works when I get out on the golf course.

If that scenario — or something similar — is familiar to you, Fred Shoemaker says maybe it’s time to come at it from a different angle. Shoemaker is the founder of Extraordinary Golf, which starts with the premise that your perfect swing is already inside you, and it is the job of a coach to bring it out, not jam a bunch of new positions or swing thoughts in there to mold you into a golfer.

It is an approach that can be refreshingly simple, yet very deep in the way it explores the power of our minds and bodies.

Shoemaker has written a couple of books on the subject:   Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible, and Extraordinary Putting: Transforming the Whole Game.    He was in the area recently to conduct seminars for some area golfers and PGA Professionals, and I had the chance to spend a few minutes exploring what his learning techniques are all about:

Here’s a bit more in this video:

And now the most important question:  Where around here can you get this kind of coaching?

Brandywine’s head PGA professional, George McNamara, has been practicing this method for several years. George and three others, Mike Caldwell (Brandywine) , Meg Donohue (White Manor), and John Poole (Chester Valley) have now teamed together to offer Extraordinary Golf coaching at their home clubs and at Blue Bell Country Club.

Their website is SwingWithFreedom.com, and you can find all their contact info there.

Relax.
Enjoy the game.
Visualize.
Positive self-talk.

Golfers are familiar with all those concepts, but when push comes to shove out on the golf course… they all tend to wither in the heat of the moment, when your swing gets shorter and your tempo disappears.

It doesn’t have to be that way, according to behavioral therapist Dr. Steven Rosenberg of Elkins Park. He has helped tens of thousands of smokers kick the habit, numerous pro athletes with their visualization skills, and says there’s a simple breathing exercise that can really help golfers deal with the jitters in those key moments.

That and more are in this podcast… a four-minute investment of your time that could pay off for years to come out on the course. Our conversation began with a simple question: What can golfers do improve their mental game… and play better?

Contact info:
Steven Rosenberg, Ph.D.
8080 Old York Road
Suite 206
Elkins Park, PA 19027
215-782-8414
www.QuitItNow.com

Everyone agrees that golf is hard enough… we should at least have equipment that fits our swings.

But getting those clubs can be a long and frustrating process. Why is it that your buddy’s driver, which is supposed to be the same as yours, produces a much different ball flight than your gamer? And why do you hit his 7-iron 10 yards longer than you hit yours?

Two of golf’s mysteries? No mystery at all says Mike Morrison, co-owner of Izett Golf in Ardmore, PA. It is simply because those flex ratings silkscreened on the shaft, the loft numbers stamped on the driver head, and the numbers on the bottom of those irons are virtually meaningless.

It doesn’t take a PhD to sort through the contradictory and confusing world of golf club specifications, but it certainly helps to have decades of experience in dealing with equipment like they do at Izett’s. And a few minutes invested in listening to this podcast could do you (and your game) a world of good…

Commonwealth National’s Travis Deibert captured the two-day Burlington Classic at Burlington Country Club, finishing the event at 6-under par, one shot ahead of Hidden Valley’s Terry Hatch.

Here’s the write-up at PhillyPGA.com…

The complete leaderboard is here to check the score of your home pro…

In case you missed it on Friday… Blue Heron Pines has new ownership.  Ron Jaworski has taken over the club, which joins Running Deer, River Winds, and Valleybrook as courses now owned and operated by his management company.  Here’s the news release:

Blue Heron Pines Golf Club Acquired by Ron Jaworski
Former NFL Great expands his Golf Management Company  to Atlantic County

Egg Harbor – June 1, 2012: Ron Jaworski Golf is proud to announce the newest addition in its award winning line of golf courses. Blue Heron Pines Golf Club is located in Egg Harbor, New Jersey mere minutes from all shore points. Blue Heron Pines features a spectacular 18-hole championship par 72 layout. The course takes full advantage of the natural beauty of the pinelands, with majestic tree lines framing breathtaking vistas. Golf World Magazine has ranked Blue Heron Pines 34th in the country. The course has been selected by The Press of Atlantic City, Casino Connection Magazine, and numerous other publications as the best 18-hole course at the Jersey Shore.
 
Ron Jaworski is very excited to have Blue Heron Pines a part of his Signature Golf Course Collection. After experiencing overwhelming success with his New Jersey courses; Running Deer Golf Club, Valleybrook Country Club & RiverWinds Golf & Tennis Club, Jaworski has found yet again another jewel to add to his collection! “We are going to revolutionize the shore golf experience one customer at time! And as always our meticulous attention to detail is what sets our courses a part from the rest”! says Ron Jaworski, Owner. 
 
Blue Heron Pines is the perfect setting for a day of golf or any event. Whether it’s a golf outing, a wedding reception, a business meeting, or a celebration with friends and family, our expert staff will coordinate every detail, making your event truly memorable. 
 
Ron Jaworski Golf will start operating the golf course Saturday, June 2nd. For more information on memberships, the wedding and banquet facilities, or tee times, contact Blue Heron Pines at (609) 965-1800.

For a video tour and other information, click here for the Blue Heron Pines page here at TeeItUpPhilly.com.

They are just two guys with a passion for golf architecture, golf history, and a dream that Cobbs Creek Golf Club could be something very special.

Joe Bausch, a Villanova Chemistry Professor, and Mike Cirba, Chief Information Officer for a health care network in Allentown, would like to see Cobbs restored to its original design, which included land now occupied by the City Avenue Driving Range.

Two big-name architects have already donated their time, walking the property and developing a routing plan based on the original documents, and Cirba says they were very excited about the possiblities.

The restoration would involve turning Karakung into a redesigned 9-holer, moving the range onto some of the old Karakung holes, and turning Cobbs Creek Golf Club into a showcase that would attract golfers from all across the region — the grand course envisioned by architects Hugh Wilson (Merion) and George Crump (Pine Valley).

Crump? Yep. Many golfers in the region already knew that Wilson was the main force behind the Cobbs layout, a heritage the muni shared with the famous course farther up the creek. But the research by Cirba and Bausch uncovered the fact that Crump and others were also part of the committee. That’s just one of a number of interesting facts in a mountain of historical information on Cobbs that the pair has put online for your enjoyment.

More on that, and the potential restoration project, in this podcast:

Click here to go to the Friends of Cobbs Creek website…

Click here to access the history book online…

PGA Professional Scott Reilly beat the humidity and proved he can handle the heat of playing for big bucks… as he breezed to victory in the Haverford Trust Company Classic at Sunnybrook.  It was a nice payday for the Philadelphia Country Club Professional, who took home the $50,000 first place check after a stellar  6-under par 66.  He finished five shots ahead of Laurel Creek’s John DiMarco.

“To be a part of such a first class event was an honor from the beginning but to come out on top was truly a thrill,” Reilly said. “Knowing the caliber of players in the Philadelphia Section makes this win even more incredible. I also would like to thank the team at Haverford for providing us with such an amazing experience.”

Here’s the full article at the Philadelphia PGA website…

The full leaderboard is here…