Dear Three Guys Golf Readers

I would like to thank everyone for their support but after two years writing for Three Guys Golf, I have decided it is time for me to resign. Despite the fact that I have enjoyed my time working on the site, meeting lots of people and sharing ideas, I have realized that I must forsake golf and everything it encompasses.

It all came to a head yesterday when, like always, I strolled to the first tee with visions of grandeur. Unfortunately visions of 75, quickly turned into the nightmare I now call golf. Snap hooks, and putts that never had a chance left me with a card tattered with sixes, sevens and “others”. It was time for me to face reality. The fact is I am a horrible golfer.

The situation came to a head on #17 where the green is protected by water. In a rash decision, I threw down the gauntlet to the golf gods:  “If this goes in the water, I am done. Done with golf and everything that goes with it”.

No surprises, chunky monkey into the heart of the lake. It is therefore with mixed emotions that I am quitting the game and everything named golf. No Masters, no Sunday tee times, no more free swag, no blog, no nothing.

I leave this blog to Matt and Wade who will surely screw it up. So good luck fellas. I am out!

Sincerely, Adam

The Putting Perfection DVD is one in a series of instruction videos that goes by the name 100 Yards and In Wins. With 60% of your scores coming from shots within 100 yards the DVD looks into the 40% or more of your strokes that come in the form of putting. It’s a simple philosophy, improve your game from 100 yards and in and you’ll improve your scores.

Having valuable information is a must for an instructional video but how that information is communicated is equally important if you are to actually learn anything. In other words, it’s not just the message, it is the messenger. The Putting Perfection DVD hits both of these marks by teaming up Maria Palozola, a Top 50 Golf Instructor and Jay Delsing, a PGA Tour Veteran.

Maria Palozola has been a teaching professional for 18 years and has racked up a rather impressive resume. Golf Magazine: “Top Teacher in Midwest”, Golf Digest: “Top 10 Teacher in State (Illinois), LPGA Midwest Teacher of the Year (2008 & 2011), Top 50 LPGA Teacher (2008-present).

Jay Delsing has competed in over 550 PGA Tour events and enjoys a lengthy 20 year career on the PGA where he earned well over $3.5 million. I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal with the amount of money that the current players on the PGA are bringing in, but Mr. Delsing did this back in the early 90’s long before the Tiger money made its way on to the tour. Plus in 1992 he was ranked in the top 16 in putting. So yes, they have street cred!

In terms of the DVD, it is based on the 5 principles of Putting Perfection.

1. Having a Solid Set Up
2. Aiming the Putter Correctly
3. Making a Pure Path
4. Hitting it in the Center
5. Controlling the Speed

Maria and Jay go into each principle a length to provide clear explanations of the topics. The information is easy to understand and they are careful to not use confusing terminology that may scare away the less experienced player. Sure, most golf DVD’s are pretty boring but I found myself grabbing a notebook so that I could put some of the principals into action the next time I’m out on the putting green for practice. Yep, even I, who reads way too much golf instruction found some very noteworthy information on the Putting Perfection DVD.

Included in the DVD is a bonus section that has in it additional tips that I found almost as important as the information that was provided when going over the 5 principles.

The bonus sections consists of:

1. Putting Lessons from a Pro
2. How to Practice Putting Effectively
3. Common Mistakes Amateurs Make

I would say that the Putting Perfection video is designed more for the beginning player or for someone that is in a putting funk and needs to get back on track. If you find yourself not performing up to the standards that you like to with your putting, I recommend checking out the 100 Yards and in to Win video Putting Perfection.

You can order the DVD and see all the other products offered at www.mygolfinstructor.com

You know how much most bloggers get paid? Yup –  nothing, squat, zippo, nada. Sure we sometimes get some free swag but honestly with the time we spend, we would be better served learning the phrase “would you like fries with that?” Now, before you tune me out as a spewing hateful blogger, let me get to the point. If you enjoy reading blogs then every once in a while you owe it to yourself to help out just a bit. No I am not passing the hat to support my golf habit but I am suggesting that you support worthy fundraising done by your friendly neighborhood bloggers.

I recently found out about an event called The Death Valley Challenge (DVC). The DVC is the dream-child of blogger Mathew Wangrycht who writes the The Breakfast Ball. The basic concept is that Mathew and his buddy will be playing golf in a virtual hell to raise money for the 1st Tee of Southern Nevada. Not a bad idea and a worthy cause right? So the way I look at the situation, it’s an easy way for me to give back to the game I love and show a little suport for a golf blogger who provides me a bit of interesting prose. Two birds, one stone as they say.

Do you have any 12:30 Tee times?

I am not saying you need to dig deep, but a few bucks is a nice gesture of support. It only takes like 2 minutes and you will feel much better about yourself. So how about it? You can donate by just clicking on the below flyer.

Mobitee GPS Mobile Golf Assistant App: Even though I have never been much of a GPS guy, I’ve really enjoyed having the Mobitee GPS on my droid. Part of the reason I have not had a GPS is because I play 90% of my golf on the same course. I guess I was of the mindset that there is not much use for a GPS app on a course that I have played a few thousand times, but I was wrong. In terms of ease, it loaded quickly and without hassle on my phone. Here is a quick look at the features taken from the Mobitee website.

FEATURES

• Complete golf guide for each of 30,000+ courses
  (Nearby courses, addresses, reservations, rates, route guidance…)

• Precise GPS tool with moveable target to calculate distances on the course 
  (Distances for back, middle, and front of green; obstacles, doglegs, distance traveled…

• Satellite, aerial view of each hole

• Flyover videos

• Virtual coach 
  (Club advice for each hole)

• Interactive, automatic scorecard for up to 4 players 
  (Net scores, Stableford, index simulation)

• Scorecards can be shared via email  

• Updates are free

• Simple, truly spectacular interface

It was a snap to find my course given all the courses that are included, and the way they use your location to help you know where you are is excellent. One quick warning: there is an app rating query that comes up immediately and you need to close it prior to moving to the next hole. Once I got rid of the question about rating the app, by simply closing it, my world began to get a lot clearer with this app in my hands.

Mobitee GPS App is available for the iPhone and Android phones. You can learn more on the Mobitee Website

Recently I did a review for FixYourGame.com in which I touted the benefits of filming your swing and having it reviewed by a PGA professional. I still stand by that idea, but I also think there is a lot of value in filming your swing for your own instant review. In the past I have used an iPhone for this purpose, simply propping the phone up on my bag and filming a few swings. Unfortunately, the playback on the iPhone will not allow me to go frame by frame, which is critical for spotting problem areas like an early release (hypothetical of course). As a result, I just cannot see what I am looking for with the standard playback on the iPhone because it skips over too many frames. The work-around for me was to download the video to my computer and watch the raw .mov file, where I could click through the video frame by frame. This process works okay but still does not solve the instant analysis problem.

Now with the Hank Haney iPhone app you have the ability to instantly review your swing in stop motion (or close to it). So while everyone at the range thinks you are texting your supermodel girlfriend in between swings, in reality you are nerding out over your sweet, sweet clubhead lag, inch by awesome inch.

While this is the part of the app I use the most, there are two other tools that come with the free app: the ability to take a snapshot of your swing and the capability to draw lines on the screen (angles and such). Both of these tools are fairly handy, but ultimately for me it is just a great way to capture swings, store them, and check to see if you are making progress on a certain issue. This of course assumes you know what you are looking for, which is probably a big leap of faith.

While the app is free, Hank does offer a service to have your video reviewed by his staff (I think it is like $25.00 per lesson). Since I just had a video review from FixYourGame.com I have not gone though that process, so I cannot speak to its value.