If you are under 40 years of age, chances are you have never seen the great Ben Hogan swing. He was widely regarded as the greatest swingers of his generation and his writings on the fundamentals of golf are regarded as a bible to a huge number of touring pro’s. Enjoy watching the great Mr. Hogan rip it!
The Who, What, When Quiz
Great news! You never have to miss US Tour golf a
gain, (well for a whole year anyway!) The good folks at Setanta have given us a free one year subscription to Setanta Sports to give away to a lucky SpinDoctor reader. Four weekly winners over the next four weeks will go into a draw for the big prize. To win, just e-mail examinerspindoc@eircom.net with the answers to the following questions.
Q1. Who is set to battle it out with Rory McIroy in Lough Erne’s “Duel On The Lough” on July 22nd?
Q2. What Dublin golf club is Peter Lawrie affiliated with?
Q3. When will St. Andrews next stage the British Open?
What’s In Nick Dougherty’s Bag
Place of birth: Liverpool, England
Height and weight: 6ft 1in 13st 6lb (185cm 85kgs)
Interests: Flying, socialising, football, music
Turned Pro: 2001 (Plus 4)
Bag Check Irish Open 2009
Bloggy Underfoot: Dear Mr. Lowry…….
Dear Mr Lowry,
On behalf of the European Tour we would like to welcome you. Please find enclosed your laminated pass, note that this expires in 2012. Show this to the security guard at the gate each week to gain entry to the event. As a new member of the Tour please allow me to offer some useful advice and set out our basic ground rules.
Language: Our events are extensively televised. As such, the use of foul or offence language on course is strictly forbidden on the Tour. Please note 
we are also very well aware that the Gaelic term for “word” is “focail”; we will be watching out for sly use of this also. Breach of this rule will cost you €5,000, so choose your words carefully.
Dress Code: Please note that the maximum size of logo’s players may wear on their shirts is 40mm x 80mm. Our sources tell us that you plan to wear an Offaly GAA jersey with the phrase “Offaly, now we’re Awfully Good”; please note that this is not permitted despite what Tom Cribbin might tell you.
Sponsorship: As regards equipment contract, you may choose whoever you like but when it comes to other sponsorship deals we have one all encompassing rule of thumb- “Arab and Chinese, thank you please!” In other words if anyone under five foot tall or wearing a white sheet offer you money, you should bow and take it!
On The Range: Speaking of bowing, players are assigned defined practise areas on the range in which to practise. These are allocated on a first come first served basis, with one exception. If Colin Montgomerie enters the range and expresses an interest in practising in your area you must vacate immediately. Do not make eye contact and only speak if spoken to. If you are permitted to speak, all sentences spoken to Mr. Montgomerie should end with “Your Eminence”.
Nickname: As you know all Tour players must choose a nickname for advertising and media purposes. We have given it some thought and suggest the name “Lumpy” which is currently not being used in Europe. We wondered how you felt about it. Please let us know.
Finally: Off the course please bear in mind that in all aspects of your public life you still represent the European Tour. As such you are not permitted come within 500 metres of John Daly outside of playing time. We dread to think of the consequences for the future of the tour if you two got together.
Yours Sincerely,
Georgie Porgie, Director of the European Tour
You are playing a par 5 and you did not catch your drive.
If the ball is sitting up, consider taking your driver and hit it off the deck. However, if you have a poor or tight, go for your three wood instead.
This is something you can practise in your back yard or at the driving range. To hit your driver off the deck, you will want to set the ball back a little farther in your stance than normal. Open your stance and set your hands so they are aligned with the ball. Keep your lower body still. Focus on maintaining a good rhythm as you make a full shoulder turn and sweep the ball off of the grass. This is not the kind of shot that you want to catch the ball on your upswing because do not want to allow grass to come in between the ball and the clubhead.
What goes around, comes around and the niblick is back. If you are
having trouble with the Damien Duffs around the fringes, the niblick could help you. Bringing together the greatest characteristics of a wedge, putter, iron and hybrid, this ultimate hybrid scoring club is a fantastic way to improve your approach, recovery and pitch shots. Features zip grooves for extra stop. €125 from Golfstyle, Galway.
Bet Your Balls- European Open and Colonial
Odds with thanks to
The European Open
The London Golf Club
Ash, Kent, England
28 May 2009 - 31 May 2009
Ross Fisher 12/1
Let’s stick with Ross Fisher again this week. Showed us some decent form under pressure from his home crowd at Wentwoth.Romped to a seven stroke victory last year in the first staging of the European Open at its new home, The London Club. The Nicklaus design provides a long tough test which much of the field struggled with last year.
Graeme McDowell 30/1
The Northern Irishman had to withdraw due to shin splints in Baltray after shooting the course record in the second round. Returned to demonstrate decent form in Wentwoth. Finished third last year but promised so much better going into the final round.
Stephen Dodd 66/1
Whether this week will or will not provide the breakthrough for Welshman Dodd is debateable but one thing the tour pundits all agree on is that Dodd’s form has shown positive signs over the past number of weeks. In 2005 Dodd won over €1 million including the Irish Open but that is in stark contrast to the mere €24,000 earned last season. I wrote this tip before his excellent Wentworth performance so let’s hope he hasn’t shot his bolt.
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
live on
Colonial CC, Ft. Worth, Texas
Kenny Perry 30/1
With Tiger searching for a new coach, Phil caring for his wife and Paul Casey home in England, the Colonial needed a saviour. Enter Kenny Perry, the Kentucky slugger. Winner early at the FBR and second at the Masters, Perry has triumphed here in 2003 and 2005 so must be well worth a flutter.
Rod Pampling 40/1
The former Irish Open winner loves this event. Has finished in the top three in 2006 and 2008. Shot a third round 63 on his way to tied second last year with Tim Clark. The defending champion is Phil Mickelson who has pulled out of the tour indefinitely to support his wife in her battle with cancer.
Stephen Ames 33/1
Didn’t disgrace us in Texas with a fine top ten finish after a string of poor results. With career earnings of over $16 million, the Trinidad native will not be happy with is current 60th spot in the Fed-Ex standings. Ames has finished tied second, third and tied fourth in previous stagings of this event. Will 2009 provide the elusive win?
