The Steve Bann Blog

2010-08-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Appleby "frees it up" en route to best finish of season

2010-04-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby sent out the following message on his Twitter on the Sunday before the 2010 Verizon Heritage tournament in Harbor Town:

"Time, age, quality, coaching, competition, direction....many more. All of those but still to know how then play like a kid...swing away....Your direction, what you want.Paint the picture of how you want your game to be.To putt with confidence you need to be ok with missing putts...that's the most important thing. All good putters don't get wrapped up in missing only excited at the chance to make the next putt".

Appleby stayed true to those words all week as he "played like a kid" all the way to a t-8 finish at Harbor Town Golf Links, his best of the season so far.

Shooting rounds of 69, 67, 73 and 67, Appleby finished at 8 under par, 5 shots outside the playoff between Jim Furyk and Brian Davis, which Furyk went on to win. The 67's he shot in the 2nd and 4th rounds were his best scores of the season, one in which he has continued his struggles from last year.

Prior to this week, Appleby's best finish of the 2010 PGA Tour season was T30 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This coming on the back of his worst season on the PGA Tour where he lost his playing privileges finishing outside the top 125 on the money list. For a man who is ranked 16th in career earnings on the PGA Tour, this was uncharted territory. In fact, he is using his one-time exemption for being ranked in the top 25 in career earnings to play on Tour this year.

For the likable Aussie's fans around the world, it has been a frustrating experience watching a player with such beautiful technique struggle this way. However even the best players in the world can sometimes get too caught up in being technically perfect and lose sight of the most important thing in golf: get the ball in the hole in the least amount of shots.

Judging from Appleby's tweets before this week, he understood the need to go back to having fun playing the game, like he did as a kid. His coach Steve Bann spoke earlier in the week about their preparation for the Verizon Heritage:

"Harbor Town is a course where even if you're in the fairway, you often have trees in your way and it just forces you to be creative with your shot making. Add to that the fact that these are some of the smallest greens you'll see on Tour all year, and you've got a course where you need all the shots....Stuart and I have been working on our 9 ball drill a lot in practice, i.e draws, fades and straight shots at low, medium and high trajectory. It really brings out your creative side and makes you visualize shots...he's had lots of fun with that".

The numbers tell the story: Appleby ranked T8 in Greens in Regulation and T19 in Putts per Greens In Regulation. That translates into lots of birdies and par saves, exactly what you need to do well at Harbor Town.

Appleby's legion of fans will be hoping this is just the spark he needed to kick off a run of strong play to get back to being a regular contender on the weekends.

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this article.

Choi contends, finishes T4 at Masters

2010-04-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

South Korea’s K.J Choi has emphatically announced his return to top level form with a stellar performance in the final round of the 2010 Augusta Masters to finish T4.
Choi was tied for the lead heading into the business end of Sunday’s final round, however consecutive bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes put paid to his chances. Still, Choi has plenty to be proud of, having demonstrated that he is once again playing the kind of golf that saw him become a world top 10 ranked player earlier in his career. He has recently played his way out of a slump and his results have been very impressive already this year, having finished 2nd at the Transitions Championship and making the cut in every event he has entered.
Choi had the unique distinction of playing all 4 days at Augusta National with Tiger Woods, and contrary to many people’s expectations prior to the tournament that his game would suffer due to the distraction, Choi reveled in the spotlight and matched the world number 1 blow for blow. He might have come up a little short in his title challenge (eventually finishing 5 shots behind champion Phil Mickelson) however Choi will surely take many positives out of this week:
“I’m satisfied and it was gratifying for me this year and the fans were very supportive and just playing with Tiger for the last four days was a very good experience for me,” said Choi, who has previously won Tiger Woods’ event, the AT&T National.
The strongman from South Korea was trying to emulate the feat of his countryman Y.E Yang, who beat Woods at the PGA Championship last year to become the first Asian to win one of golf’s majors. Yang also finished inside the top 10 this year at Augusta, perhaps another sign of the growing influence of Asian golfers in the men’s game. Choi spoke about the increased belief amongst Korean and Asian players that they belong on the world stage:
“In the past … the mindset of the Asian players was that when it comes to the Masters, there was a fear factor there, that we can’t do it. Now I hope that this gives motivation for the younger players, other players, that they can do it at big tournaments like the Masters.”
His coach Steve Bann had been very pleased with the way K.J prepared for this year’s event, having spent a lot of time working on his short game and lag putting and trying to stay fresh by not playing too many practice rounds. “K.J has done a great job of balancing his practice routine to make sure his short game is sharp while his ball striking is the best I’ve seen it for quite some time” he said earlier in the week.
Choi’s game was certainly sharp for the best part of the tournament, and if he keeps playing this way it can’t be too long before he breaks through for his first major win.
Written by on April 12, 2010

Nick Flanagan IIG

2009-09-03T15:27:00.001-07:00

Nick Flanagan came to IIG www.iofgolf.com to work with me for 2 days. Nick is preparing for the last 8 events of the Nationwide Tour. Nick has been back in Australia for 2 months recharging his batteries. He has been surfing with his dad and mates daily and as a result his physical condition and upper body strength has improved tremendously. In the picture we are working in our swing catalyst room www.swingcatalyst.com at IIG. We use this room to accurately assess weight distribution and movement, ball trajectory, speed and spin and motion analysis with the combined camera, launch monitor and force platform. We are looking forward to Nick getting back to his winning form.

Putting Technique

2009-04-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

The most important element of technique in putting is aim. 80% of the influence of the direction of the ball is the face. What we found with Stuart Appleby's putting early this year was a tendancy to aim the face left. The putting triangle he is using to correct his aim in the photo is also used to practice reading. Stuart has placed a tee behind the hole at his aiming point. Once he makes 3 putts on the triangle he takes it away and makes 3 more from the same position using his normal routine. He then moves to another putt from a different position and starts the routine again. We have been doing this drill for 10 weeks now and his reading and aim have matched up again. More importantly Apple's has been making a lot more putts the last few tournaments. Some good results are very close.

Hee Young Park

2009-03-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hee Young Park has career-best week. Second-year LPGA Tour member Hee Young Park had a career week at the Honda LPGA Thailand, despite being ill early in the week, recording a runner-up finish behind World number 1 Lorana Ochoa, at 11-under-par 277 (79-64-69-65). Park, who earned $139,852 of the $1.45 million purse on Sunday, overcame an opening-round 7-over-par 79 with a career-low 8-under-par 64 in the second round to move from a tie for 59th into a tie for 19th after 36 holes. Her third-round 3-under-par 69 moved her up to a tie for fifth entering the final round, which started off with back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes. On the par-4, 287-yard fifth hole, Park sank a 60-foot putt after driving the green. From there, she was flawless with birdies on holes eight, 15 and 16, where she made 25- and 30-foot putts, respectively, to move into second place.

Hee Young spent 3 weeks in Melbourne with me in January before returning to the US LPGA Tour. My prediction for Hee young this year is she will win on the LPGA and move into the top 10 on the money list. She is a fabulous young lady to work with and has a terrific, fun and bubbly personality.

Aussie Golf Ranch

2009-01-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Australian PGA professional Rohan Walker has created his dream at Philip Island which is about 90 minutes out of Melbourne. The Aussie Golf Ranch is on the foreshore at Red Rocks Philip Island. Rohan has built a 9 Hole par 3 course that requires a complete range of shots. He also has built a pitch and putt, practice putting green and short game practice area. The Aussie Golf Ranch has 1 and 2 bedroom cabins and is a great place to get away and holday at one of Australia's premier tourist destinations while enjoying a game with the whole family. For the more serious golfer, it is a great place to spend a few days to work at your game. In the picture Stuart Appleby is out playing a few holes with his 4 year old daughter Ella and me in between Christmas and New Year. Apples and his family were the first to stay at a new 2 bedroom cabin. We played holes and practiced at the short game area. When the wind blows, which it does most days on the foreshore, we used clubs ranging from 2 iron to wedge from the back tees.

BMW Bellerive St Louis

2008-09-04T07:05:00.001-07:00

Wednesday after the morning pro-am both KJ and Apples were getting some final short game practice before the first round of the BMW at Bellerive in St Louis. Both guys need a strong finish this week in the 3rd Fedex Play Off before the Tour Championship in Atlanta in two weeks. KJ is currently 12th on the standings and Apples is 17th. Vijay is way out in front after winning back to back in the first two playoffs. KJ and Apples will be happy with their years if they finish in the top 10. To do this they both will need two top ten finishes in the last two events.

The Fedex Cup Playoffs

2008-08-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

We were in New Jersey last week for the 1st of this year's Fedex Cup Playoffs. The Barclays Classic at Ridgewood Country Club was a good event for both KJ Choi who finished 12th and moved to 11th on the rankings and Stuart Appleby finished 19th and moved to 13th. Both, if they have a win or 2 top 5 finishes the next 2 events will go to the Tour Championship in Atlanta in 4 weeks with a chance to win the 10 million dollar Fedex Cup bonus. In the picture KJ is working on his pitching. If you look closely you will see a glove under his right arm. We work on this to keep his arm swing linked to his body turn. This creates far more consistency with contact, spin and distance control. KJ's full swing is very good now and I think he can find a shot or two a tournament with improved pitching. He shot 68, 69 and 68 the last 3 rounds at Ridgewood to move from making the cut on the number to 12th and had sevral tap in birdies after great pitch shots.

The PGA Championship 2008

2008-08-10T07:13:00.001-07:00

We are in between the 3rd and 4th rounds at the PGA at Oakland Hills in Detroit. Apples went back out and finished his 3rd round after Saturday's wash out. Apples had 6 holes to play. He had a difficult 3 putt bogey on the 13th and then played solid golf coming in with some good sand saves at 14 and 15. He shot 69 and it looks like that will move him into the top 20 for the final round this afternoon. 76, 70 and 69 is following the same trend as last week at the WGC, where he is now getting more focussed and free as the tournament goes on. A good round of 1 or 2 under this afternoon should get him a top 10 finish and place him well for the start of the Fedex Cup playoffs in two weeks.

WGC Bridgestone Invitational

2008-08-04T04:38:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby had his best finish for the year when he finished tied second with Lee Westwood, one shot behind Vijay Singh at the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational. The great thing about this weeks event, and a turning point in the year for Apples, was that he was 5 over par for the tournament after 7 holes in the first round. He made some ball position and mental adjustments and managed to make 5 birdies to get get back to even par for the day. Stuart hasn't been finishing tournaments off well after being in good positon several times in the past 2 years, but this is the type of comeback that builds confidence and momentum. On Sunday he was through the turn at one over for the day and at that stage 5 shots back from the lead. He had another great back 9, shooting 3 under and had hit a very good birdie putt from 20 feet at the last to force a playoff withh Vijay that just stayed out. This week we are at Oakland Hills in Detroit for the last major of the year, The PGA. I think Apples will be going into this major with great belief after his strong finish at the Bridestone.

Birkdale The Open 2008

2008-07-16T10:40:00.001-07:00

I caddied for Stuart Appleby on Monday for his first practice round at Birkdale. The course is in sensational condition, with the best greens I have ever seen at an Open. We worked out some strategies for tee shots and approach shots. The course is very penal of the tee and a few holes have been lengthened since 1998. It is difficult judging the wind and bounce, but Apples settled in well, so I feel really confident that our week in Ireland will pay good dividends this week. On Tuesday we had a practice round with KJ, which always makes my day easier when I can watch both guys at the same time. KJ's swing is back to it's best and he struck the ball beautifully. So I am looking forward to a good week as both KJ and Apples are ready to play.

Waterville Ireland

2008-07-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

Apples and I spent from Wednesday to Sunday at Waterville in Ireland. We were guests of JP McManus and stayed at Waterville house. We played every day at Waterville, which is one of the Worlds best links courses. It was great preparation for the Open this week as we had all the wind shots and links bounces to get used to. Even though Waterville house has fantastic practice facilities we only spent the week playing holes and experiencing all the shots that Apples will need this week. JP then organised to fly us to Birkdale in his chopper.

Stuart Appleby Junior Development Camp

2008-07-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

SAJG CAMP WRAP

The first SAJG Development Camp was held at the Moonah Links Golf Academy from July 1-3, 2008. Fifteen eager participants assembled at Moonah Links for what proved to be a highly successful and informative 3 days. Despite the weather being “wild” the camp schedule proceeded as planned.
On hand to kick off the week was VIS scholarship holder Lachlan Cain, who provided an insight into his years in junior golf and what was required to get to the most out of your golf at his age.
From there, our guest coach, Steven Bann (of Bann Lynch Golf), commenced what was to be 2 days of wonderful information and coaching. Steve covered all aspects through a holistic approach to the game, equipping all attendees with the knowledge of how to develop their own golf games technically through set up structures and ball flight variations, whilst also providing structures and routines to develop confidence as part of practice and on course play.
The second morning of the camp was spent working on fitness for golf. Darren Lay from the Melbourne Golf Injury Clinic presented insights into the common physical issues for golfers and worked through a routine of exercises to increase physical performance.
Players then proceeded to take on the Open Course over 12 holes in gale force winds and driving rain….a task that would prove difficult for the most experienced tour professionals!!!
The third morning saw an improved warm up process and then a move out for 18 holes on the Legends Course. Calmer weather prevailed and players really enjoyed the strategic challenges of this course. Winners of the day were Peter Short from Spring Valley GC and Travis Summers from Royal Melbourne GC.
The camp wound up with another chance to hone the skills introduced by Steve and then a revue session.
Present at the camp were SAJG Manager, Ashley Marshall, and Development Officer, Ben Sweeney. Also assisting were Christian Rainey from the Mathew Goggin Foundation in Tasmania and Paul Christianson from the University of North Dakota in the US. The 2 evenings were spent relaxing, discussing golf and also hearing primarily from Paul about the US College Golf system.
SAJG would like to thank Moonah Links for their support and also Christian and Paul for their input. Also special thanks to Steve Bann for taking 2 days out of his busy schedule before heading off to the British Open to work with Stuart.

2008 US Open Torrey Pines

2008-06-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

We arrived in San Diego this morning after a very hot, humid and windy week in Memphis last week. KJ didn't play Memphis. He arrived at Torrey Pines on Saturday and has already had a couple of practice rounds. I walked the front 9 holes with KJ this afternoon as Apples practiced his chipping and putting. Stuart finished 2nd in Greens in Regulation last week, so his ball striking is right where he wants it coming into this week. He just needs to shrpen his short game and I think he will have a great week. I think the course setup from what I saw today is the fairest US Open setup I have ever seen. The rough is layered, so the first two cuts just off the fairway give the golfer a chance to get the ball to the green. The last few years if you just missed a missed a fairway, it was hack it out sideways with a wedge. The greens will be firm and quick, but I don't think outragiously so like the past few Opens. I think with good weather, which is forecast we will see a few under par win this year.

The Players Championship.

2008-05-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

Apples is working on some shot making skills and sharpening his visualisation as his final preparation for the first round of the Players Championship. The skill work he is doing in the photo is hitting shots through the two trees in the background and then hitting draws and fades around them. Finally he works on hitting shots through gaps and actually trying to hit nominated branches on the trees. I think he is back in good form for this week after two weeks back in Australia after the Masters where he had minor knee surgery. Last week his set-up was out of whack as he has been compensating for his knee and his body was out of balance.

Setup Control

2008-04-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

KJ Choi is working on controllong his setup. In particular, he now finds that if his aim and posture are consistent, his swing and shot pattern repeat nearly every time. KJ is running 2nd in greens in regulation this year on the PGA Tour, and key to this is a consistent set-up. The practice exercise I have given KJ in the photo is a simple and effective way of checking and adjusting your own set-up. KJ has a stake pointing to the target that he wants to set his eyes, shoulders, hips knees and feet parallel to. He has his putting mirror on the ground at an angle that he can look at each of these checkpoints and adjust if needed.

The Masters

2008-04-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

Monday of the Masters and I was the caddy for the day for Stuart Appleby. The Masters sticks to the tradition of only player and caddy inside the ropes. Stuart's caddy Joe took the day off so I could walk the course with Apples and we could map the greens and discuss the strategy of how he will play certain holes depending on the pin positions. this is Apples 12th Masters and after last year leading into the final round he is finally full of confidence that he can play this course and be a genuine contender come Sunday. Last week at Houston he drove the ball very well, finishing 7th in accuracy and 17th in distance for the week and 10th in greeens in regulation. That is a very good sign that his ball striking is back to it's best. The key to playing Augusta is precision with irons and the ability to keep the ball on the right side of the pin. some times that means missing the green can be the best option as it can mean a simple up hill chip or bunker shot.

Shell Houston Open Club Testing

2008-04-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

This week we are in Houston for the Shell Houston Open. Between Dale Lynch and I we have 9 players in the field that we work with. Dale works with Geoff Ogilvy, Matt Goggin, Steve Allan and Mark Hensby and my players are Stuart Appleby, Kj Choi, Nick Flanagan, Nick O'hern and David Lutterus. KJ Did some comprehensive driver testing on Tuesday. Most of the manufacturers have launch monitors available for use when the players are trying to find the best combination of head design,shaft and ball to maximise their distance and control. KJ looks for a driver that produces 2500 rpm of backspin and between 10 and 12 degrees of launch angle. We tried about 8 combinations before he found one that spun at 2400 and launched at 11 degrees consistantly. This allows KJ to play his preferred fade and still get some run when the ball hits the ground, so he doesn't give up distance. This driver is in the bag this week and hopefully he will be comfortable with it and take it into the Masters next week full of confidence.

KJ Choi A Reason to Smile

2008-03-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

An interesting article on KJ - Reason to Smile

Mayakoba Classic Nick Flanagan

2008-02-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

Nick has been working hard to get off to a good start in his first year on the PGA Tour. He has been close, but only made one cut so far at the Buick in San Diago. This week at the Mayakoba Classic in Cancun Mexico he started with a 5 over 75 and looked to be missing another cut, but then followed up with rounds of 67, 68 and 64 to earn his first top 10 finish for the year. We have been concentrating on his short game by introducing more skills testing in practice. In the picture Nick is practicing the chipping ladder drill, where he must land 3 in a row in each step to progress up the ladder. When he misses a shot he comes back down a step. This adds a similar sort of pressure to the course and better prepares you to focus on the shot at hand and the landing area. Nick is a confidence player and the momentum of this weeks result he will take into the next few weeks with a stronger belief that i am sure will result in some more good events.

International Institute of Golf

2008-02-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Dale Lynch and I have signed an agreement with the Cliffs to set up and operate the International Institute of Golf at the Cliffs at Keowee Springs. This is Dale's and my first academy in the USA. The goal is to set up a holistic academy that encompasses all the services that we created and delivered at the Victorian Institute of Sport. These services will include technique, physical conditioning, mental skill development and strategy training. The Cliffs at Keowee Springs venue on Lake Keowee in South Carolina has a 7200 yard Tom Fazio course and the practice facility that they have created is going to be the most totally complete facilty, where every shot in the game can be learned and practiced. The Cliffs team and Tom Fazio have gone out of their way to create what I think is the best practice facilty in the world. Cliffs touring pros Lucas Glover, Charles Warren and input from Dale Lynch and myself has been taken on board and Tom Fazio has personally dedicated his attention to creating the facilty. In the pictures at the top taken last August you can see that the area for the range had been cleared and the fairway started shaping and on the right last week the entire facilty has now been turfed. The short game area has 3 usga standard geens and the Institute end has another 2 greens, one for putting and another for short game. The Institute building includes a movement room, putting studio, full swing analysis and club fitting, meeting room, offices, bathrooms and everything else we could think of. Dale will be moving to the USA with his family and base himself fulltime at the Springs. I will be regularly visiting for weekend schools and events. The planned opening date for IIG is the first of August this year.

2008 FBR Open Phoenix

2008-01-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

I am back in the USA for my first 3 week coaching trip for 2008. We are at TPC Scottsdale for the FBR Open. Nick Flanagan and Stuart Appleby went out for an early morning practice round. Stuart played his first event last week in San Diago at the Buick event and got off to a good start by finishing 8th. Importantly he finished 2nd in greens in regulation for the week with just over 80% hit. If he an keep that up for the year he will have some good finishes when he has solid putting weeks. The last two weeks before we came over here we worked every day on solid fundementals of pivot (with the leaderboard) and plane (with a plane board). Nick has struggled with his back swing position for the first 3 events and only made the one cut so far. We did some good work with a backswing drill yesterday and he was much happier with his ball striking out on the course today.

Aussie Open Sunday

2007-12-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

Apples has another great and final chance to win a tournament in 2007. He is 1 shot back from James Nitties and Rob Allenby at 9 under. I was on the range with Nick Flanagan during his warm up when the wind was starting to get up. My comment was "here comes Apples" and Nick asked what did I mean?. Stuart plays his best in the wind and in tough and dry conditions, because he can turn it into a chipping and scrambling competition. When it is tough, everyone misses greens, and around the Autralian there are lots of run offs and difficult chips. Apples has chipped or pitched in 4 times this week, but missed a bunch of makeable birdie chances. Craig Parry is right there as well, which is no suprise as he is another master in tough conditions around the green. I think Apples will put a great effort in today and in particular be very strong mentally. Hopefully by tonight he will have won his 2nd Australian Open title.

The Australian Open

2007-12-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

We are at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney for the final event of the year, The Australian Open. I have a busy and exciting week ahead. This week I am working with Stuart Appleby, Nick Flanagan, David Lutterus, Terry Pilkadaris and Andrew Pitt. This is Stuart's last chance to finish off with a win in what he will feel has been a quiet and at times frustrating year with no wins to date. Nick is looking forward to a good Aussie Open after his best year to date after graduating to the US Tour after his 3 Nationwide wins and Dave Lutterus is on a high after winning his US Tour card at the gruelling 6 round Tour school in Florida two weeks ago. I had a win myself this week, when I was awarded the Australian olf Digest coach of the year at a dinner here in Sydney on Monday night. It is very rewarding to be acknowledged for what you do in the industry and I am feeling pretty pleased with myself. You know what they say "if you can't play, coach" Anyway a win is a win.

Hong Kong

2007-11-17T01:39:00.000-08:00

I am in Hong Kong working with KJ Choi at the UBS Hong Kong Open. I haven't seen KJ for a few weeks since the Tour championship and a few problems had crept in to his technique. He was setting up with his weight to much in his heels and his hips were closed to the target. The main problem was that from this setup position he couldn't load up into his right knee on the back swing and he had lost power and was at least one club shorter than he had been all year. We have worked on getting this before, but feel is a strange thing. KJ felt that he was creating the same position as earlier this year when he won twice and yet the position that feel put him in was totally different. KJ asked me to do some work with a young Korean golfer that he has been mentoring. His name is Sung Man Lee. Sung is representing Korea in the world cup next week. What is remarkable about Sung is that he is totally deaf. Deaf golfers often struggle with their balance, but Sung Lee is a fantastic athlete and I think from what I have seen this week , he will be a world class player to look out for.

Turning Stone New York

2007-09-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

In the picture, Nick Flanagan and I are standing next to an exact replica of the New York Stock exchange bull. The bull is in between the first and tenth tees at Isleworth Golf Club in Orlando a. Isleworth is home to many of the world's top players including Tiger Woods, Stuart Appleby and Nick Ohern. Nick practiced and played at Isleworth on Saturday, Sunday and Monday with Nick Ohern and Stuart Appleby after spending a few weeks back in Australia after his third Nationwide win earnt him his full playing rights on the PGA Tour. We hit some balls and putted each day before heading out and playing a few holes. Nick's game is obviously in great order and he is looking forward to playing for some serious cash. The purse this week is US 6 million which is about 12 times what they play for each week on the Nationwide Tour. Nick will play probably 5 events in the fall finish and it will be all extra experience and a money bonus as his exempt status cannot go backwards for next year. If he plays well, he can even improve his playing opportunities early next year by getting into some of the limited field events like the Players Championship. He looked very comfortable practicing and playing with Apples and Nick and with now nearly 4 years experience as a pro I am confident he will play very well.

The Tour Championship

2007-09-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

I am at the Tour Championship at East Lakes in Atlanta. I have been working with KJ Choi getting him ready for the Fedex Cup final. KJ is swinging very well now after and an indifferent last couple weeks due to some lower back pain. He has been closing his feet stance and his back swing shoulder turn was getting to flat, causing a lift at the top and to steep a down swing. This was totally due to trying to protect his back at a subconscious level in his backswing. Now his back has freed up, he has comfortably gone back to a square stance and the steeper backswing shoulder turn that we have worked on the last 12 months. I head to Orlando for the weekend to work with Nick Flanagan for two days before his first PGA Tour event since his 3 win promotion from the Nationwide Tour. The event is at Turning Stone in New York next week. Nick will practice with Stuart Appleby and Nick Ohern at Isleworth. We will do some technique work, but I don't expect there will be any major issues. Then we will work on some target work and skills testing with some head to head competition against the guys on the course and range. This will sharpen all the guys up for next week and help get Apples more in a Matchplay mode as he gets ready for The Presidents Cup in Montreal in two weeks.

The BMW Championship Cog Hill Chicago

2007-09-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

Both Stuart Appleby and KJ Choi shot 3 under par 68's in the first round of the BMW ( formerly Western Open ) in Chicago today. For Apples it was a good turn around of form, particularly with his putting which has been horrible the last two weeks in Westchester and Boston. Apples had 26 putts today, which was 11 less than his 2nd round last week. We went back to some very simple basics of reading the putt from all sides, aiming down the assessed line and then committing to good speed down that line. Stuart's reading has not been good lately, but his stroke has been excellent. That can be frustrating when you know that you are rolling the ball well, but there not going in. On the practice green he has been using just one ball and reading putts and going through his routine on each putt the same as he would out on the course. KJ is playing wth Tiger the first two rounds and continues his good form. He pulled out after feeling a twinge in his back during the first round last week and went home for a few days rest. KJ is in great position to win the Fedex Cup, he is currently in 4th position, and a strong finish this week will set him up in a good position to contend for the 10 million dollar prize next week in Atlanta. Apples is currently in 36th place in the rankings and only the top 30 go through to the Tour Championship. He will need a top 5 finish this week to make it through. If he keeps putting like today, I think he will do it.

Nick Flanagan 3rd win earns PGA Tour card

2007-08-20T01:22:00.000-07:00

Nick Flanagan shot 63 with an eagle and 5 birdies to come from 7 shots behind and win the Xerox Classic in Rochester New York today. This was Nick's 3rd win on the Nationwide Tour this year and it earns him a battleground promotion to the main tour. Nick is only the 8th player ever to achieve this. The upcoming Fedex Cup playoffs means that he will have to wait patiently for the next 4 weeks before he gets his first start at the Turning Stone event in New York the week after the Fedex Cup final. This is a great result for Nick as he will get about 6 events playing for 4 to 5 million at the end of this year and start next year with a full card which will get him starts in everything except the limited field invitationals. Well done Nick. Now the real hard work starts, but I have no doubt you are up for it.

The Presidents Cup

2007-08-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

The PGA was a very good week for Australian Golf. 5 Australians finished in the top 20. Australian Open Champion, John Sendon the best of the 5, finishing 4th and securing a start in next years Masters, which will be his first Masters, and a dream goal for every Tour Pro I know. Stuart Appleby finished 12th, which was good enough to get him in the top 10 automatic picks for the Presidents Cup by 3/10ths of a World Ranking point over Nick O'hern. This will be Apples 5th straight Presidents Cup. Something that only Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh have achieved as well. When Stuart bogeyed the 18th hole on Sunday to drop just outside a top ten finish, I didn't think he would get enough points to make the top 10 and would have to rely on a pick from Gary Player. Fortunately it all worked out very well with Gary picking number 11 Nick O'hern. Nick has beaten Tiger twice in the WGC World Matchplay, so he is a must pick, because he is probably the only golfer in the World who knows he can beat Tiger. Gary Player also picked Mike Weir. Mike was well back at about 20 in the qualifying, but as Vijay said last week. He is a national hero in Canada and worth at least 2 wins extra with the crowd support the Internationals will get up in Montreal next month. Mike started to come back in to his best form last mont by finishing 8th at the British Open before tweaking his neck and struggling the last couple of weeks. I am sure he will great value and the Presidents Cup in Canada will be a great event for further prospering the game internationally.

PGA Southern Hills

2007-08-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

We are at the PGA in Tulsa Oklahoma at Southern Hills Golf Club. Southern Hills was the site for the 2001 US Open that Retief Goosen won. Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational was disappointing for Apples. He was 1 under for the day and even for the tournament afte 9 holes. Even on the back would have been good enough for a tie for 2nd, but the driver let him down and he missed every fairway to the right except one. He salvaged a birdie on the 18th and a tie for 14th. Stuart is 12th in the president Cup rankings, with this week being the last week to make the top 10. There are two captains picks to make up the 12 man team, however the general consensus is that Gary Player will pick Mike Weir which I totally agree with to get the Canadian crowd support in Montreal. the other pick will probably go to a South African either Tim Clarke, Richard Stern or Chars Schwartzel. Gary picked Trevor Immelman at the last presidents Cup and he had several world class players ahead of him in the rankings. It proved to be a good selection with Trevor going on to big things and winning on the PGA Tour the following year. So the job for Nick Ohern 11, Apples 12, Badderly13 and Richard Green 14 is to have a great PGA this week and get another Australian or two in the team with Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy. It is quite amazing that the top 14 players for the rest of the World team are now in the worlds top 30 rankings. I remember the 1998 Team that won in Australia at Royal Melbourne had two players ranked in the 60's to make up the 12 man side.

Bridgestone World Golf Championship

2007-08-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

We are at the Bridgestone Invitational at the famous Firestone Country Club in Akron Ohio. Stuart Appleby got off to a good start today in the first round shooting a 2 under 68 and KJ Choi 1 over 71. Stuart putted nicely today and looked very comfortable on the greens again. This was very good to see, as he didn't putt well at the British Open. I think this was due to some lost confidence after five 3 putts in the last round in Washinton 3 weeks ago. Stuart has changed his putter grip to a fat grip called the two thumb grip. The new grip helps him to keep his shoulders level and forearms on plane in the set up and promotes a pendulum stroke, more from the big muscles rather than the hands. In the picture you can see that KJ also is using an oversize grip called the super stroke. KJ feels that he can roll the ball with the palm of his right hand with this grip and his fingers won't rotate and close the face through impact. KJ has putted great the last few weeks and this grip plus his disciplined approach to doing our one hour putting program every day has made him a world class putter every week he competes. In the picture KJ is working with his putting track for technique. He does this for 15 minutes every day.

KJ Wins AT & T Congressional

2007-07-10T03:58:00.000-07:00

KJ was just awsome coming down the stretch again. I am thrilled at how his swing changes have taken effect and that he has the confidence to win with his improved action. CBS analyst Peter Kostis demonstrated the improvements in KJ's swing plane, set up and transition using the super slow motion camera during Sunday's final round. The highlight was the holed bunker shot for birdie on the 71st hole to take a 3 shot lead into the final hole. There is no reason why he can't be very competitive every week with the way he is swinging and with his mental discipline and confidence level. This was KJ's 6th PGA Tour victory and 3rd win since we started working together last August. He has now moved to just outside the World Top 10 rankings. I am in Ireland this week staying and practicing at Waterville where Stuart Appleby and I will work every day toward his British Open preparation. Apples put himself in great position to win on Sunday in Washington, but got off to a horrible start with two bad tee shots and three 3 putts in the first 7 holes that blew him out to 6 over for the day. At least he fought out the round well from there and managed to play the last 11 holes even par and finish in a tie for 3rd with Jim Furyk. We won't dwell on what went wrong on Sunday, except to analyse errors that could have been avoided. Mainly, we will focus on consolidating the things that got him into the lead before the final round.

Apples, Choi Boy, Flano & Pilks

2007-07-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

I am currentlyback in Australia. I head over to Ireland tomorrow to catch up with Stuart Appleby next week, as we practice for 5 days at Waterville, and get ready for the British Open. It looks a lot like both Stuart and KJ Choi are already as ready as they need to be. They are both tied for the lead at 7 under in Washington at the AT&T at Congressional after the first two rounds. Both the guys have had a good week off after the US Open to clear their heads and re focus on the important stretch of tournaments coming up. Technically they are both in very good shape, and with KJ coming off a win at Memorial a few weeks back, he will still be mentally sharp. Apples has been in contention on Sunday in this year's first two majors, and this is a big step toward his goal of being more competitive in the big events. I spent the last couple of days down in Melbourne with Nick Flanagan. He has been home in australia for a couple of weeks and is now ready to go back to the USA for the run home on the Nationwide Tour. Nick's goal is to finish number one on the order of merit, if he doesn't have another win an achieve the 3 win automatic promotion to the main tour. Number one gets starts early in the year in most events, and this is a huge advantage in getting off to a good beginning, setting the playing schedule and working toward keeping your card in the first year out. We had a game yesterday morning at Kingswood with Terry Pilkadaris and it was about 3 deg C. I think Nick thought we were mad and couldn't quite see the point, being that it is about 35 deg most days on the US Tour. Terry is getting ready for the British Open as he qualified earlier this year in South Africa. Cold and windy could be a possibility in Scotland this year. The only one of the group who didn't quite look ready to compete was me, so I better stick to coaching.

US Open Oakmont 2007

2007-06-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

We had our final practice round at Oakmont before the first round of the US Open tomorrow and it is all smiles at this stage. Oakmont is set up as the hardest tournament venue in history. There is no let off on any hole from the 1st. Every miscued or offline shot will be punished to the max. The greens are big, hard fast and have a lot of slope to them. Lag putting from long range will be key and both KJ Choi and Apples have put in extra time on their long putting. The fairways are the usual 20 to 30 yard US Open width, but often with a camber the the left or right. Unless a player can draw or fade their tee shots, mostly with a 3 wood, they won't hold the fairway and the ball will run off into the brutal rough. The only option out of the rough is a pitch out side ways and then work on keeping the double bogey or worse off the card. The best player technically, skilled, strategically and mentally will win this week. The score may well be closer to 10 over par than even. It all depends on how the weather pans out and the mood of the USGA and just how sadistic they are with the pin placements. My pick is a golfer that can keep the ball in play, putts well and has a bunch of mental experience at this level. I wouldn't be suprised if someone like Fred Funk plays well. I think if KJ drives the ball like he did at Memorial 2 weeks ago he will do well and I know Apples has the short game and nerve to play the course. For him it will depend on how straight he drives the ball.

K.J. Choi Memorial

2007-06-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

K.J Choi shot a final round 65 to win his 5th and biggest US Tour event, The Memorial at Muirfield Village on Sunday. K.J shot 67, 65 on the weekend and a very impressive 6 under 30 on the front 9 on Sunday to take the lead. The most impressive statistic was his driving accuracy for the week at 83% of fairways hit. K.J said he felt very comfortable with the changes I have made to his swing and feels that the old bad pattern is gone for good. When I first started working fulltime with KJ last August he stated he had 2 goals, one to be the first Asian to win 4 times on the US Tour ( he has won 5 times now) and two to be the first Asian to win a major. The US Open has a premium on driving accuracy and from all reports , Oakmoant, this year could be the toughest yet. K.J's game, body and mind are now right where he wants them, to give him his best chance at achieving his major goal.

Friday Players Championship

2007-05-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon was as tough as golf conditions get on the US Tour. Wind gusts of up to 40 mph, hard greens and a tough golf course. Peter Lonard's 69 in the afternoon was a great ball striking round in the conditions. Peter hit 14 greens in regulation and 2 others from just off the putting surface. The Aussies usually come to the fore when the wind gets up and the course is bouncy. There is a lot of chipping and running the ball, as opposed to the usual up in the air target golf in the USA. Friday was even better for the Aussies, with 10 making the cut and 9 of them within 6 shots of leader Phil Mickleson at 5 under. Nathan Green is the best at -4 and Lonard and Pampling at -3. If the weather stays dry and windy this could be another Players Championshp win for an Aussie. Stuart Appleby made 19 pars in a row from his 9th hole on Thursday to the 11th on friday when he finally 2 putted for a birdie. Stuart only hit 17 greens in regulation for the 2 rounds, so to be on a 1 over total demonstrated his remarkable scrambling ability. He made 15 from19 up and down attempts over the 2 rounds. As Apples walked past me on the 8th hole today and said his feet were turning into camels hoofs because he had spent so much time in the sand. We are planning on hitting a few more greens on the weekend and making some birdie putts to get in contention on Sunday.

The Players Championship

2007-05-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

We are at The Players Championship, played at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Florida. This Tournament is considered the 5th major by the players. It has the strongest field in all golf with virtually the entire World's top 100 players in the field. This year we have a new date and a US $60,000,000 renovation to the course including a 30 million dollar clubhouse. The new date, by moving it from April gives us a major event in every Month from April on, and the course now has no overseed. It is all bermuda grass greens and fairways and firm and fast as we move into the hotter months. They have lengthened a few holes including 8, 11 and 18, which I think was an unneccessary change due to the obsession with the length the modern player hits the ball and added some fairway bunkers, but fundementally the course is the same layout. The work that has been done is remarkable and hard to believe it has taken only 12 months. I read that if they lined up all the trucks end to end with the amount of soil moved the line would be 7 miles long. In the picture Stuart Appleby is working with an overhead string line for his aim. He is on the new putting green with the clubhouse in the background. Stuart has moved the ball back toward the middle of his stance and brought his hands back so the shaft is vertical in his setup. Apple's tendency is to lean the shaft toward the target and deloft the putter. This has caused some aiming issues, that this change in his setup seems to have corrected. Stuart is striking the ball beautifully, and if he can make a few putts and keep the doubles and triples off the card I think he is in for a very good week.

Nick Flanagan's 1st USA Nationwide Win

2007-04-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

Nick Flanagan has held off three challengers to win the Henrico County Open on the third hole of sudden death play-off on the Nationwide Tour today. This was Nick's first win on the Nationwide Tour, and it is the result of a steady development as a player on his path to the PGA Tour. I have no doub't that Nick will be a complete player in every facet of his game when he gets to the PGA Tour. A golfers Technique, Physical, Mental and Strategic skills must be ready when you play on the PGA Tour or the statistics say they won't be competitive. Nick after winning the US amateur in 2003 as a 19 year old turned pro. Some will say that this was to early, but my opinion is that you don't win the US Amateur at that age unless you are already years ahead in golfing maturity. Nick has now played in The Masters, US Open, 2 British Opens and this is his 2nd year on the Nationwide. In the picture above Nick is having a practice round at the Masters with Tiger Woods and Stuart Appleby. These experiences are all valuable in developing the confidence and self belief not to mention the experience required to play against the best in the World. Nick's first USA win on Nationwide is another step toward achieving his goal to play and win on the PGA Tour. Well done Nick.

Northeast PGA Instructors Conference

2007-04-25T03:42:00.000-07:00

I am back in the USA and the past two days I have been presenting at the Northeast PGA instructors conference for the Connecticut section. Over the two days I presented two 75 minute indoor powerpoint sessions. The first day on the 3 ways technique can change and the second on building a winning game. Building a winning game is an overview on the holistic approach to training and is based on the programs we developed at the VIS and is now world renowned for its results. Each day I then did 3 break out sessions, splitting the attendees (about 80 PGA members) into three groups, and we did workshops on training with the Leaderboard and Clubkite and how activating a new motor pattern and putting it under resistance will create a new pattern of movement to replace the old habit. The final sessions I presented were on skill development using the 9 shot drill and the confidence cycle, demonstrating competitive games and skills testing. There were two other presenters: Henry Bunton from Canada, Henry presented on Long Term player development and how Canadian golf has adopted a similar approach to Australia by adding golf into their Institute of Sport programs. Henry was also very close to Moe Norman and was able to give us some wonderful insights into who Moe was and what his genious was about. Fred Shoemaker was the third presenter. Fred, the author of Extrodinary Golf presented on transforming the Paradigm of teaching and coaching and personal exploration and discovery. Fred gave us an insight into a different approachch to learning, that could well be the future of golf instruction.

The Masters Sunday

2007-04-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

What a week!!!!Andy Prodger, KJ Choi's caddy and former caddy to Nick Faldo and Jose Olazabal summed it up perfectly when he asked Wayne Grady in front of a couple of Augusta officials "What is it like commentating on double bogeys?" Prodg is qualified to ask the question because this was about his 20th Masters as a caddy and he has seen all the changes to the course that resulted in the highest winning score in history. In the end it was a great tournament and a tremendous result for Zac Johnson. Zac is focussed and a hard worker with a great nerve and determination. Not to mention he is a very humble and an all round good guy. I thought Stuart Appleby was going to get the job done and win Australia's 1st Masters. After a nervous double on the 1st he settled and by the 12th he was equal leader at 3 over. He aimed to far right and caught a gust. The ball caught the edge and rolled back in the water and he doubled for the second time during the week on the 12th. He could only manage 6 pars coming in for a tie for 7th, which is still his best result at Augusta. Stuart now has the belief that I think he needs to win majors, so I am sure one or more will be coming his way in the near future. He won't spend to much time dwelling on what could have been? He will analyze what was good and what mistakes he made, and work out a strategy to minimise those big numbers in the future. I am heading back to Australia for 12 days before going back to the USA to present at a PGA coaching conference in Conneticutt and then meet up with Apples and KJ for the build up to the Players Championship in May.

The Masters

2007-04-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby had his last practice round on Wednesday afternoon before the Masters starts tomorrow. In the photo he is hitting off the 16th tee to one of the dramatic and famous finishing holes at Augusta. Stuart's preparation has been his best and most experienced one this year. This is his 11th straight Masters. It is very difficult not to get caught up with all the hype and emotion of the event. Lee Trevino once said thet even his car chokes when he drives up Magnolia Drive. This year Stuart just practiced short game on Monday, played 18 holes with KJ Choi on Tuesday and Today he hit one bag of balls, played the back 9 only and then putted for an hour before heading home early to relax and spend time with his family. I think he will play well this year, as he is coming off a confidence booster after finishing second last week in Houston and it is his 5th event in a row, so he is well conditioned to competitive stress. They call it match fit in other sports.

Shell Houston Open

2007-04-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby has played his way back into good form after a slow start this year. Sunday's final round at Houston was fantastic spectators golf. Both Adam Scott and Stuart were paired together at 11 under par, 3 shots behind Bubba Watson. Adam birdies the 1st hole and then Stuart and he traded birdies and were both 4 under for the day and in the lead after 7 holes. For the next few holes the birdies dried up until Adam birdied the 12th and then Stuart the 13th. Adam made a 10 footer for par and 14 and Stuart missed his par. They both birdied 15 and then Adam broke 2 clear after Stuart 3 putted the 16th. Apples came back strong with a birdie at 17 to get within 1 and then the 18th was a debarkle. First Apples drove into the fairway bunker but had a good lie and then Scotty pulled his into the water. It looked as if all Stuart had to do was hit his second on the green and then there would be a playoff. Stuart went for the kill by going straight at the pin and he pulled his into the water. Scotty found the right side of the green safely and then holed a 40 foot putt for par for what ended up a 3 shot victory. But it was much closer than the end result. We flew to Augusta last night and I have to say with the most confidence I have had for Apples game in a few years. Ther are now 5 australians in the top 20 players in the World and quite a few experts are predicting an Australian win at the Masters from one of them to break the Aussie drought at this major.

Shell Houston Open

2007-03-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Isleworth got a good old thrashing from Lake Nona in the Tavistock Cup. It was the fourth year the event has been played and Isleworth had previously won twice and tied one, so Lake Nona has balanced the record book a bit. The first day 4 ball matches were a white wash with five matches to nil and 10 points to the Lake Nona team. The highlight was Henrick Stenson and Chris Dimarco beating Tiger and John Cook by 8 shots with a 15 under par 57. In the singles on day 2 we managed only 8 points to Lake Nona's 12 and ended up losing 22 to 8. Stuart Appleby beat Ian Poulter 69 to 71 and tied Henrick Stenson 69 a piece. My caddying skills were under pressure , but I think I came through with the goods. Tiger won the individual with a 64 after 7 straight birdies through the middle of his round and picked up 2 points by beating Els in one match and Goosen in the other. The winning team receive $1,000,000 divided into $100,000 each to donate to the charity of their choosing. Stuart Appleby is defending the Houston Open this week in it's new date the week before the Masters. Stuart would be the first player to win the event 3 times if he is successful. The Houston Open has been a good event for the Aussies over the years and I think it has a lot to do with the Texas climate being similar to Australia with drier and windier conditions. Bruce Crampton, David Graeme, Bruce Devlin, Steve Elkington, Rob Allenby and Stuart Appleby are all Aussie winners of this event.

WGC Miami & Tavistock Cup

2007-03-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tiger was to good for the rest of the world again with his 2 shot victory at Doral today. It was a tough week with strong winds blowing across the course on all four days. The shot makers come to the for in tough conditions and on a good golf course, so it was no suprise that Tiger finished on top. The Aussies played exceptional golf as well with Rob Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy finishing tied 3rd with Sergio and Nick Ohern and Aaron Badderly tied for 6th. The Aussies are used to windy and difficult courses from their experience growing up in Australia. This was Rob Allenby's 6th top 10 finish this year and surely he will break through for his first US Tour win since 2001 soon. Stuart Appleby played better each day after a terrible 79 start and finshed 35th after a 71,71 weekend. Monday and Tuesday this week we are playing the Tavistock Cup at Lake Nona for the 4th year. The Tavistock Cup is a 2 day interclub event between the Lake Nona Team and Isleworth. This doesn't sound like much more than a local pennant match until you see the teams. Lake Nona headed by Ernie Els with Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman, Ian Poulter and Isleworth with Tiger Woods, Charles Howell, Stuart Appleby, Rob Allenby, Mark Omeara. I am caddying again for Stuart for the two days, which gives me a great opportunity to get close when he is competing and fine tune any adjustments we need to make leading up to the Masters.

WGC Doral Miami

2007-03-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Miami on Monday night from Australia after a 26 hour trip. One day they are going to have to find a shortcut!!! Today I worked with Stuart Appleby. Stuart played 18 holes, putted for 2 hours and hit balls for another 2 hours. He looks to be close to good form and is hitting the ball solid. Golf is a funny game and often great confidence is only a couple of shots away. I am sure in the next few weeks, Stuart will be back to his best.

WGC Matchplay Tucson

2007-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

It was an average 1st day of the World Golf Championship Matchplay for the Aussies at the Gallery in Tucson. Stuart Appleby was beaten 4 & 3 by the hottest player on tour at the moment in Charles Howell. It wasn't so much that Charles was hot but Stuart cold, particularly with the putter. Apples had several chances early to get two or three up in the match, but never looked confident on the greens. Charles never made a bogey, made 3 birdies and holed all his clutch putts inside 10 feet. Stuart and I are heading to his home in Orlando to work hard for a few days on his game, so he can have a good build up to the Masters. Of the other Aussies playing Adam Scott, Rob Allenby and Richard Green lost. I thought Rob Allenby would be a great chance to go all the way through this year as he has been in great form with 4 top ten finishes already. Aaron Baddeley, Rod Pampling, Nick Ohern and defending champ Geoff Ogilvy all got through and progressed to the second round. Ogilvy and Pampling both had convincing wins. K.J Choi got up for a 2 & 1 win after being two down early against Carl Petterson. K.J is happy with the progress he has made with his putting and chipping changes we have made and his continues to consolidate his swing. I catch up with K.J for two days next week at his club in Houston, Carlton Woods.

Appleby LA Open

2007-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Stuart is swinging the club very well at the moment so there is no need to do any technical work. What we are working on for his preparation for this weeks LA Open is starting the ball down the correct line. There are a lot of illusions in golf because we are trying to play a precise target sport from side on. In the drill we are working on in the picture Apples has two shafts down pointing to the target on the target line. One behind the ball and one in front and another shaft standing up a few feet down the line. The object is to start the ball on line and hit the stick down the line. Often when we do this drill at first he will miss the shaft to the right until his coordination adjusts. But after two days of practice he managed to totally destroy the shaft we had sticking up vertically on the target line. The modern ball doesn't curve much in the air, so if you can start it down the correct take off line you will hit a lot of fairways and greens.

Nissan LA Open

2007-02-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

I am in Los Angeles this week for the Nissan LA Open. Rivierra Country Club is one of my favorite courses in the world. It has hosted US Opens and US PGA's and been the home of the LA Open for many years. Ben Hogan won four times at Rivierra in his career and interestingly Tiger Woods has never won here. This is the only tournament on the US schedule that tiger has played more than once and not won. In fact Tiger has played this event 11 times, with one of those times as a 15 year old amateur. Tiger is not playing this year for the first time in many years. Rivierra is a classic traditional design with subtle doglegs and by todays standards small and often elevated greens. they have lengthened many holes over the years to keep up with the advancements of technology, but this hasn't altered the character of the course. You have to drive it well, place your irons below the hole and as always putt well, if you are going to win. Stuart Appleby's best finish here was 3rd behind Mike Weir three years ago. Stuart finished 3 shots behind Mike, but had 15 more putts than him for the week. Stuart led greens in regulation that week, but just couldn't convert enough birdies.

KJ Choi Pheonix

2007-02-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

KJ birdied the last three holes to shoot one over today. He is happy to keep working on his swing changes for the next two weeks as he wants to be totally comfortable by the LA Open and World Matchplay coming up. We worked very hard on Wednesday on his back swing pivot. I want him to turn his shoulders on a steeper plane. He does this very well in practice, but not so good on the course yet, as everyone who has tried new things in their swing will understand. Normally on the Wednesday the day before a tournament we work on very little technique and like to concentrate on shot making and short game. In particular, we practice hitting the shots that the course the player is playing requires. It was obvious for the first 12 holes today tha KJ was too swing conscious, and as a result, tense in his arms and upper body. As he relaxed and focussed more on playing golf the last few holes he looked good. We worked for a couple of hours on chipping this afternoon as well. He left four shots out there because he didn't get up and down in situations that a player of his skill normally would. On Friday, even though he is still thinking predominantly technique, I expect he will shoot a good round on the back of today's finish and make the cut for the weekend.

The PGA show Orlando

2007-01-26T04:25:00.000-08:00

Vern McMillan and I are at the PGA show in Orlando demonstrating the Leaderboard. The Leaderboard was developed by Vern and me initially to train effective and permanent improvements in the Tour pros we work with. Over the last couple of years we have found many uses for recreational and club golfers. There was tremensous interest at the show from the teaching pros here in the USA. They can all see how the Leaderboard can improve their teaching programs and benefit their students. We are at the show for the next two days before we head to Pheonix. I will be catching up and coaching with KJ Choi for the first time this year and Vern will be training Geoff Ogilvy at the tournament.

Junior Golf

2006-12-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

The final of the Stuart Appleby Junior Golf Club Teams Championship was held at Kingston Heath on Tuesday 12th December. 72 kids from all over Victoria competed. Bridestone Golf donated some fabulous prizes as their continued generous approach to sponsoring the program. Kingston Heath is one of the best golf courses in the World and a wonderful opportunity for the kids to experience what many will remember as a very special day. The team from Traralgon took out first place and they all were awarded a personally signed Precept Tour bag. I had a chat to the group at the presentations about Stuart's career from the time I first met him. Hopefully a few of the kids will go away with the same inspiration, belief and dedication that Apple's still puts into his golf and life, and if so, one day we might see the next group of international stars.

Australian PGA Coolum

2006-12-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Australian PGA starts at Coolum on Thursday and it is the last event of the year for most of our golfers. The PGA has a great field this year. The best from a World ranking depth and standpoint for many years. Adam Scott (world number 4) and Geoff Ogilvy (world number 11) are Australia's best two golfers at the moment and yet both have not won in Australia. We all know that that is just a matter of time, as both guys have had multiple wins on the US Tour and both have contended well and had good chances for their first win in Australia in the past couple of years. Having said that, Graeme Marsh won multiple tournaments all over the world for many years and always came back to Australia as one of the hot favorites, and only one one tournament late in his career, being the 1982 Australian PGA at Royal Melbourne. Maybe that is an omen for Geoff and Scotty? I have a few of my clients playing this week that I expect to perform well. Stuart Appleby has continued to work hard on his game and is determined to have a win on home soil this year. Stuart won the Coolum classic a few years back, so he always goes to Coolum with a good feeling about the course. Nick Flanagan has arrived back from the USA Tour school after a disapointing tournament, but he still has a full Nationwide card to look forward to in 2007. Nick needs a solid 4 round performance to use as a confidence builder to carry forward into next year and Terry Pilkadaris is starting to find form and gain confidence with the improvements we have made to his technique in the past couple of months. If Terry makes a few putts this week, I think Coolum is a good venue for his style of play.

The Australian Masters

2006-11-26T01:15:00.000-08:00

I was the Trainee professioanl at Huntingdale Golf Club in the late 1970's under the head professional Geoff Flanagan. Tournament promoters David Ingliss and Frank Williams created the Australian Masters at that time and right from the outset it was a fabulous Tournament made for the sports mad Melbourne crowds and marketed around the aura of Greg Norman. Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernard Langer and all the best Aussies made up the cast. It was common for the crowds to line every fairway 6 to 10 deep to get a peek at the Shark going head to head with the internationals or multple aussie winners like Craig Parry, Peter Senior and Ian Baker-Finch. Crowds for the week of 100,000 spectators were estimated. I was lucky enough to play in a few of these Masters and have a couple of top 10 finishes. In 1988 I actually had a 2 shot lead with 3 holes to play. I finished with 2 double bogeys and ended up running 7th behind eventual winner Ian Baker-Finch. I remember standing on the first tee on the last day and looking down the 1st fairway which was lined at least 10 deep both sides all the way to the green. Greg Norman was 2 groups behind me that day and spectators were jostling for a good view. I don't know what happened but this years Masters was flat, lacked energy and the crowd numbers were very poor. Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy didn't play and that probably contributed to the lacluster atmosphere, however Paul Casey and Michael Campbell did play as well as 50 players off the European Tour. So the argument that we need a strong International contingent for an event to be successful doesn't work. I think the current tournament organisers need to take a leaf out of Paul McNamee's and the new Golf Australia's fresh 'can do' approach to promoting our players and re-invent the Australian Masters. The Melbourne crowds are still here, they just need a new marketing strategy to get them enthusiastic again. Build it and they will come.

Australian Open

2006-11-19T04:09:00.000-08:00

I think this was the best Australian Open I have seen or been a part of. Royal Sydney was setup perfectly as a tournament venue that gave all of our top players the opportunity to showcase their skills. A quality tournament venue in my opinion provides a mix of long driving and iron placement of the tee. As well as greens that demand precise positioning of approach shots and a variety of short shots around the fast and undulating, but not rediculous greens. Royal Sydney has all of these qualities and it is not suprising to hear that it is being considered as a future Presidents Cup venue.Thursday was just an awefull day with wind gusts up to 40 mph, rain and cold. The morning was very tough and the the afternoon wind was almost unplayable. Stuart Appleby has been practicing and setting himself for a few weeks for this years Open, and when he started with a double bogey and was 3 over after 3 holes with even harder holes to come into the wind, the tournament could have been over early for him. He hung tough and recovered for a 75. 68 and 71 left him 3 shots off the lead going into Sunday and playing with US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. Many thought the winner would come from this pairing or world number 4 Adam Scott, who was 2 shots of the pace. Stuart and Geoff played magnificent golf, going head to head all day matching each other with birdies. Both got to 7 under and leading after 16 holes and we thought at worrst, it would be a all Victorian playoff. John Sendon who shot 67 on Saturday hit the shot of the day on the 235 yard par 3 17th to 1 foot to tie Apples and Geoff and then in the group in front hit a 6 iron to the tough 18th hole to 4 feet to finish birdie, birdie at 8 under and a 67, 65 (course record) weekend. Stuart needed a birdie at the last to force a playoff and hit a great looking approach that was half a club to far and went over the back, leaving him a almost unmakeable chip, which he had a go at but ran it past 15 feet and bogeyed. Geoff hit his second to 15 feet and ran his attempt past the edge. So in the end it was a great tournament and my congratulations go to John Sendon on his first Autralian Open win to go with his break through win in the USA this year. My congrats also go to John's coach Ian Triggs. Triggsy has had a great year this year with his successes getting Karrie Webb's career back on track and John Sendon's great year.

Carlie Butler

2006-11-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am back home in Melbourne coaching at MGA for a few days before we head to Sydney next for the Australian Open at Royal Sydney. Carlie Butler has been down from Sydney for the past two days and we have been working on her strategy and plan for improvement next year on the European Tour. Carlie had a reasonable year this year, making a lot of cuts and securing her card for 2007. Carlie knows she has the ability to take a step up and be a tournament winner. The main areas we are working at are powering her swing up. Technically, Carlie swings the club as good as any player, but the fact is she needs to be more dynamic and hit the ball further. Carlie works hard in the gym and over the past couple of years has developed good core strength and stability. As a result she now has the base to generate more club head speed. We are working with the same power training program developed by Vern McMillan and myself. A combination of The Leaderboard exercises and resistance training using the Club-kite. Carlie's club-head speed at the momement is just under 100mph. She will get that to 105mph in the next few months, and that will equate to an extra 10 to 15 yards off the tee. The net result will be instead of needing to hit 2,4 and 5 irons for second shots, she will need a couple of clubs less and as a result her average distance from the pin will be closer and she will make more birdies. Par 5's will offer more birdie chances when she can comfortably get up around the green for two. Carlie is a hard worker and now with a few years experience of competitive golf behind her I think she is ready to go to the next level.

Adam Scott

2006-11-08T02:51:00.000-08:00

I am fairly confident that the next number 1 player in the world will be Adam Scott. It might take another 10 years to catch Tiger, but of all the potential challengers I have seen in the past few years around the world, I have no doubt that Scotty has all the tools to get there. Adam and Stuart appleby were paired together on Friday of the Tour Championship, and I got a good look at Adam's new composure and maturity on the course. He was patient, he played away from a lot of pins and noticably, only swung at his driver at about 80% power. Adam's short putting seems to have improved and his chipping and bunker play are now World Class. We predicted about 5 years ago that he would break into the Top 10 in the World, based on his junior and amateur career achievements. Now at 26 years old and number 4 in the World, he is a Major or two away from being one of Australia's best ever.

The Tour Championship

2006-11-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Stuart Appleby is 1 shot back from the lead after the 1st round of the Tour Championship here at Eastlake in Atlanta. Apples bogeyed the first 2 holes in cold and windy conditions and then settled down and played very solid tee to green golf. A bogey on the 235 yard into the wind last cost him a tie for the first round lead, but he is in good position to set up a weekend challenge if he continues his good form. Stuart and I have been working on a swing drill that stops him from dropping the club inside on the downswing, causing blocks and hooks of the tee. I felt he drove the ball pretty straight today, so there were good signs. K.J Choi had a 2 over 72 and is still in good position as that was by no means a bad score in the conditions. K.J's new swing gets better and more comfortable for him at every session. I think he will chalk up another win before the end of the year with the confidence he has going. Nick Flanagan arrived tonight and is staying with us for the next 4 days and working on his game before he goes to Houston next week before the Nationwide Tour Championship. Nick probably needs a top 3 finish next week to finish top 20 and secure his card, that aside, he is straight in to the Tour School final in Palm Springs in late November for finishing in the top 35 on the money list.

K.J Choi Chrysler Championship

2006-10-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

K.J Choi won the Chrysler Championship at Innisbrook in Tampa in fine style today. This was K.J's fourth US Tour win and makes him the first Asian golfer to win four times on the US Tour. K.J opened with a 20 foot eagle putt on the first hole and no-player got any closer than two shots fromhis lead throughout the day. We have worked very hard on changing his posture, backswing plane and posture through the ball. For this all to come together and K.J hit the ball so strong and straight in a couple of months is great testiment to his physical and mental talent. K.J is a pleasure to work with, he has an incredible work ethic and focus on what he wants to achieve in golf. K.J has now qualified for the Tour Championship next week and the Mercedes Championship in Kapalua in January. Stuart Appleby finished nicely with a 2 under 69 and finish at a 1 under total and around 30th place. Apples made two triple bogies in the first round and a double in the last. Take those bad holes out and he would have been right there in the mix on the weekend. We are happy with his game as he started to drive the ball with more confidence. We are looking forward to the Tour Championship next week at Eastlake in Atlanta. The fairways are very narrow and the course calls for quite afew mid and long irons. Nick Flanagan was tied 9th going into the last round at Miami on the Nationwide Tour. Unfortunately Nick got off to a bad start and never recovered finishing 2 over for the day at 5 under and a tie for 25th. Next week Nick is rooming with me late in the week and we will practice and work hard getting him ready for the final event at the Nationwide Tour Championship in Houston the week after.

The Golf Channel

2006-10-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby and I shot seven segments for Academy Live on the Golf Channel yesterday. The show was aired last night and will be replayed a few more times this week. In this photo we are demonstrating a 3 target pitching drill that Stuart does every week for his pitching distance control. This week we are in Tampa Florida for the Chrysler Championship. The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is one of our favorite tracks on Tour. It is a wonderful traditional design and a great test of golf with quick firm greens and ver good bunkering. Today we had a practice round with Craig Parry and K J Choi. This is Craig's last event in the USA as a full member. He is heading to Japan next year to play a full season as he is still exempt because of his Japan Open win a few years ago. Stuart and K J both hit the ball and putted very well today and we are looking forward to a great week. Nick Flanagan drove down from South Carolina afer the Nationwide event. He got to Stuart's place at Isleworth at 10.30pm after a 6 hour drive and slept on the couch. We worked on his putting stroke for a couple of hours before he drove down to Miami for the second last event of the year. Nick needs a couple of top 5 finishes or better to secure his PGA Tour card next year. He is hitting the ball well and need to just flat out go and make a bunch of birdies in these two events.

K.J. Choi

2006-10-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

K.J Choi worked for a full day today on everything from short putting to driver. We mainly worked on technique with his full swing, concentrating mainly on a big muscle take away and then setting the club on plane. K.J has always had a tendacy to start his back swing with his hands and the club would set on to flat a plane. In the photo K.J is working on his speed putting. In this drill, called the ladder drill he has to hit 3 putts in a putter length semi circle behind the hole to move up the ladder. If he leaves one short or outside the zone, he goes back down the ladder ( just like the board game Snakes and Ladders). There are 4 steps to the ladder at 5,7,9 and 11 yards. We complete this drill from up hill, down hill, left to right and right to left. This might take up to an hour some days. The result is always great touch with more long putts made and very few 3 putts from poor speed.

The Speed Stik

2006-10-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

I visited the Speedstik factory in Omaha and met with the president of Speedstik Juan Elizondo on Friday. I was very impressed with the engineering and precision tolerences that goes into every Speedstik made. In the photo we are looking at the new baseball line that is about to be released. We are bringing the Speedstik to Australia in the next few weeks and it will be available for purchase through www.golf.com.au. The Speedstik is a fantastic training tool for developing power, correcting plane, swing motion and timing problems. We use the Speedstik as a part of their power training programs with Stuart Appleby and K.J Choi. I am now in Houston Texas for two days working with K.J Choi before we head to Orlando on Monday for the Disney PGA Tour event next week, where both Stuart and K.J will be playing and doing their best to chalk up a win before the end of the Tour.

The road to the US PGA Tour

2006-10-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

Nick Flanagan shot a 77 on Thursday and a 69 on Friday to miss the cut by 1 shot at the Nationwide in Midland Texas. Nick had a 2pm tee time on Thursday and the wind was very strong in the afternoon. Unfortunately I felt he made only 3 key errors on the front 9 that set his round up and had him 4 over par early. The main error was on the 3rd hole, where after two nice pars to start he hit a 5 iron short in the water for 2 on a par 5 and made bogey when he was in perfect position for a birdie. He fought back well over the last 27 holes and missed the cut by just a solitary 1 shot. I feel every aspect of his game is in good shape now and with 3 tournaments to go before the end of the season I expect he will have a very strong finish to the year and give himself a shot at the top 20 on the money list. If he doesn't make top 20, but finishes in the top 35, he gets to come back to Palm Springs for the Tour School final in December where the top 30 finishers over the 6 round final secure their US PGA Tour cards.

Nick Flanagan

2006-10-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

We worked well and had a thorough practice session today. Nick and I got to the course by 7.30 and hit a few balls for a warm up. He then played 18 holes with Michael Sim, Aaron Price and Tim Wilkinson. The guys played a match to keep them focussed and the standard was hot, with 17 holes either birdied or eagled. After lunch we practiced bunkers and chipping for an hour and worked mainly on his routine and focus during the shot. His mind has been wandering and he has been a little negative on these short shots. We then hit full shots for two hours and worked on the timing of his release. I felt from Nick's feedback that he has been a fraction late with his arms in the downswing and has been very wristy through impact to catch the club head up. We worked on maintaining his right wrist angle through impact and the shots started coming of the club more solid and with a better trajectory. We finished up with an hour of speed putting and when we left the course at 6.30pm Nick was exhausted. I reinforced that, this is a standard days work if he really wants to be as good as the guys on the US PGA Tour and as a famous football coach once said 'talent is nine tenths of nothing' The same applies equally in golf.

The Nationwide Tour

2006-10-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

I arrived at Midland Texas this afternoon after the usual 20 plus hour journey. There are five more Nationwide events for the year. The top twenty players on the order of merit will earn a full card on the PGA Tour next year. There are a bunch of Aussies in contention for the top twenty. Paul Sheehan and Gavin Coles are virtually a lock. Andrew Buckle and Jarrod Lyle are just in the twenty and Nick Flanagan who I am working with this week is 25th. Every shot counts and the tension at this end of the season is always apparent as players are trying to position themselves with a Tour to play next year. All the Aussies stick together on this tour and help and encourage each other at every opportunity. If one or more succeed at this level it works as inspiration for more to follow. We had dinner tonight at the Outback Steakhouse with a group of 12 Aussie players and caddies. I will be working with Nick until Friday. If Nick makes it into the top 20, he will be the 3rd youngest Australian to earn his US Tour card, behind Aaron Badderley and Adam Scott.

The Amex WGC

2006-10-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Tiger extended his PGA Tour victory streak to six in a row with an eight shot win at the Amex WGC at the Grove Resort in England. More importantly from my point of view, Stuart Appleby played his way back in to form after a four week lay off back in Australia. Stuart shot a final round 66 to finish 11 under sixth and notch up his 5th top ten to go with his two wins this year. Apples is coming back to Melbourne for another week to practice before we go back to the USA for the last three events finishing at the Tour Championship. I will head back next week to spend 3 days with Nick Flanagan at Midland Texas on the Nationwide Tour and 2 days working with K.J. Choi at his home in Houston. Then fly to Orlando to catch up with Stuart at the Disney, which is the first of the final three events on the US Tour this year.

Ryder Cup

2006-09-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

I love teams golf. The Presidents Cups that I have been involved with, especially 1998 in Australia have proven to me that even with an individual, and often selfish sport like golf, the old adage of "a champion team will beat a team of champions" still applies. The European team that is leading USA 10-6 after Saturday's play will go on and beat the USA tomorrow at the K club in Ireland. They are a very good team, but as individuals no body in their right mind would think that you could dominate a team that includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson and Jim Furyk. Some how Europe over the years have come together with national pride that rivals that even of the americans. How can a team that is made up of a multitude of countries, and as indivuals that don't match up on paper, be so dominent over a team of champions? We as the Presidents Cup team need to create the same energy and team spirit as the Europeans next year in Canada because I have a feeling that the USA won't take kindly to losing another Ryder Cup.

Apple Rangers

2006-09-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

The pilot program for the Apple Rangers skills teams challenge went very well. We ran it over three weeks with two teams of ten kids. Team Tiger and Team Apples. Each kid in the team is paired off in a match against an opponant from the other team in a head to head skills match. The skills include 4 60cm and 4 1m putts, distance control from 3,5 and 10 meters. Tee shots through a 20m goal, mid irons through 15m goal and short iron through a 10m goal. Then pitch shots to a 4m diameter box and chip shots to a 2m box. The kids all alternate between shots and hit a total of 35 shots in an hour to complete their match. Team Tiger won the final after the three weeks. Which is not suprising, considering how Tiger has been playing of late. The winning team all won a glove and a couple of balls each and Team Apples all received a ball each. Most importantly all the kids went home looking forward to next season and being a part of a team playing golf and having fun while improving their skills.

Back at MGA for 6 weeks.

2006-08-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

I am back home in Melbourne for 6 weeks. I will be coaching at our Bann Lynch Golf facilty at MGA for the next 6 weeks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays. The booking number is 9558 3688 or enquiries@bannlynchgolf.com. On Monday nights we are running a pilot program for Stuart Appleby Junior Golf called Apple Rangers. Apple Rangers is a teams event for kids, where each child competes with set skills from putting through to driving. Their score then goes to their teams overall score. There is a ladder and the opportunity for the kids to progress through skill levels. The whole time the kids are having fun while learning the finer skills of golf and competition. I will keep you up to date with the event as it procedes or for more information go to www.stuartappleby.com.au.

Bridgestone WGC Saturday

2006-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

The Bridgestone WGC has been a mixed week. Stuart Appleby has just not been able to get anything going and I think he will be looking forward to a few weeks off to rest, recover and get ready for a strong finish to the year. I have worked on some new things with KJ Choi that he was prepared to try this week and not be concerned by the results. KJ has always tried to start his back swing with his hands. My belief is that can be unreliable, as the small muscles in the hands can tense up and create tempo problems. K J has swung the club better every day and is encouraged that he is on track to bigger and better things with his new posture and big muscle take-away. Aaron Stewart (17 year old son of Payne Stewart)is one of my up and coming young students. Aaron is up in Akron for the weekend so I can work on his swing and he can get some time with Vern McMillan in the gym. Vern showed Aaron some new exercises to add to his work out program. We made very good progress with Aaron's full swing. His technique had dropped off as he has been concentrating on playing tournaments over the summer.

Bridgestone World Golf Championship

2006-08-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Wednesday at The Bridgestone WGC at Firestone Country Club in Akron Ohio. Our preparation, practice and the course are in very good shape. the greens at Firestone are faster and firmer than last week at the PGA. I don't think the scoring will be anything like Tiger's 18 under par PGA winning score. Stuart Appleby and I are continuing to work on keeping his arms in front of his body on the backswing and downswing. This definetely improves his timing and accuracy with the driver and longer clubs. I worked with K.J Choi's posture in his setup and on working a bit steeper shoulder turn on the backswing, so he could keep the club on plane, rather than peeling it inside early on the back swing. By coincedence they are drawn together for the first two rounds starting tomorrow. So that makes for a relatively easy watching day for me, as I can keep an eye on both and their progress.

Sunday PGA

2006-08-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby played some good golf today shooting a 2 under 70 and finishing 4 over for the tournament. He finally played the back 9 in even par, after being 11 over par on the back 9 in the previous 3 rounds. We flew to Akron on Sunday afternoon. The Bridstone WGC is here this week. It is an important tournament for Stuart for a few reasons. One it is Bridestone's first year as sponsor and Stuart is one of their marquie players and it is in his wife Ashley's home town and the place that they first met 5 years ago. So he has plenty of home town support. Nick Flanagan is driving across from the Nationwide event in Pensylvania where he just finished 5 under. We will work tomorrow for a few hours checking out all aspects of his game before he heads to his next event and continues his quest for a top 20 finish and a card on the PGA Tour.

PGA Saturday

2006-08-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have a horrible day? You go to the range and the gym,or you go to the bar. We went to the range. Stuart's driving is still a problem. He is not missing the fairway by much, but at a major just off is normally worse than way off. Stuart is 5 under for the front 9 this week and 11 over for the back. He hit 200 drivers after the round focussing on his upper arms staying connected to his body as he rotates through impact. This keeps the club on plane and stops it flipping over, which has been causing hooks. After the range session he went to the gym for an hour to work out and stretch with his trainer Vern McMillan and do some drills on the Leaderboard (as seen in the photo). We need a good round tomorrow for some confidence looking ahead to next week at the Bridestone World Championship at Akron.

Friday PGA

2006-08-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby warmed up well on the range. He focussed mainly on shaping the ball and staying connected and on plane as he released through impact. He started on the 10th hole with a good drive, second shot and pitch to 12 feet and made the putt for birdie to go 3 under. We thought we were off to a good round, but then he hit four hooks off the tee in the next eight holes and dropped four shots to go back to 1 over and in danger of missing the cut. On his back 9 he rallied and worked hard making 2 birdies and 7 pars to shoot 73 and a total of 1 under to make the cut, 7 shots behind the leaders, but with a good 60 something on Saturday he can still be in contention come Sunday.

Thursday 1st round PGA

2006-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby played some very good golf today. He started with four regulation pars and then eagled the 5th hole when he holed a 20 yard bunker shot. His goal today was to hit fairways and greens and give himself some birdie opportunities, and he did that for the first 13 holes getting his score to 5 under. But then a wrong club on the long par 3 13th came up short and two missed fairways in the next 4 holes and he dropped back to 2 under. Stuart had two good birdie chances on the last two holes. He hit solid putts, but they didn't drop. 2 under was slightly disapointing, however when we spoke after the round he was very up and positive about how his swing felt and how he hit the ball. Stuart is looking forward to an early start on Friday and smooth greens, for a chance to make some birdies and get into contention for the weekend.

King of the kids. Wednesday PGA

2006-08-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the record for autographs signed in a day is, but whatever it is I think Stuart Appleby must have set a new one today. There were hundreds of kids lining the the walkways from every green to tee seeking a signature. On the 14th hole Stuart signed every kids hat, book, program or flag. When he got to the top of the walkway he got a round of applause from all the parents and adult spectators for taking the effort. On the golf side in his last practice round he drove the ball well and his irons and putting were solid. Stuart is playing with Colin Montgomerie and JB Holmes tomorrow at 1.30pm Chicago time.

Tuesday PGA

2006-08-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

We decided to get out and practice early today to beat the rush. We arrived at Medinah at 5am and had to enter through the maintainence gate because everything was still closed. It was very beneficial being first out on the course. We were able to take our time on each hole, have a good look and prepare a strategy. Stuart practiced about two hours of full swing shots in the afternoon, working mainly on his swing plane and connection through the ball. He hit the ball well and then he worked for about one hour on putting.

US PGA

2006-08-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

We are in Chicago for the US PGA this week. The course is Medinah, where we last played in 1999. Stuart Appleby finished tied 19th at the International last week. There were a lot of good signs, but some not so good tee shots with 5 balls in the water for the week. That was probably the difference between a top 20 and being in contention on Sunday. Stuart has played every major since 1996 with his best result in the PGA tied 4th in 2000.

First round International

2006-08-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Stuart Appleby had a very solid start in the first round of the International, highlighted by an eagle when he holed a bunker shot from 20 yards at the 14th hole for eagle and 5 points. He finished with a total of 11 points, tied second behind Mattius Gronberg from Sweden on 13 points. Stuart blocked several drives out to the right in the first round, but we are confident that we worked that out on the range afterwards. I felt that he was perhaps a little tight and swing conscious rather than relaxing his setup, focus on the target, move the club away slightly inside and swing positively at the target. He hit some beautiful drives to finish on the range, so I think he will take that to the course tomorrow with some confidence.

The International

2006-08-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am in Castle Pines in Denver Colorado for the International. I flew from Melbourne and arrived on Monday night after the usual 20 plus hours travel time. The International is a modified stableford event. 5 points for an eagle, 2 for a birdie, 0 for a par, -1 for a bogey and -3 points for a double or worse. I love this event beacuse it encourages aggressive positive play, with lots of biries. 18 pars would be 0 points, whereas 6 birdies, 6 bogeys and 6 pars would total 6 points. So even though two players may have the same stroke score, the player who makes birdies and bogeys will come out ahead on points. This is Stuart Appleby's 10th straight International. His best finish has been second behind Phil Mickleson in 1997. So this year we are looking for a win, which would be a great lead in to the PGA next week.

Mathew Giles

2006-08-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

I worked with Matthew Giles for the first time today. Matthew is the current World Junior Champion. We spent four hours working through his technique, skills and training program. Matthew is 16 years old, and from what I have seen so far has as much talent as Stuart Appleby and Rob Allenby at the same age. I will be working in a team approach with Matthew's primary coach Barry Bent from Sydney. This team approach is one of the key successes of Australian coaching, giving the students the power of accumlitive knowledge without the egos demostrated by many coaches around the World.

British Open Practice

2006-07-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

I flew from Melbourne to Orlando on Sunday. Stuart Appleby is preparing for the British Open next week. We have worked on some technique improvements in his downswing the last 3 days. He was dropping the club inside and under the plane causing a loss of power and some innaccurate driving. We fly to Ireland on Thursday for 4 days of playing a lot of holes at Waterville and climatising to British Open conditions.

Geoff Ogilvy 2006 US Open

2006-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Geoff Ogilvy and his coach Dale Lynch on winning their first major, The US Open at Winged Foot NY. He hung tough and kept himself in a position on a course that anything could happen on, and it did! Geoff was quoted as saying earlier in the week that he wanted to get himself in a position with 9 holes to play to see how he could handle the opportunity.
Many peoply will argue that the trophy was handed to him, with first Jim Furyk missing a short putt, then Colin Montgomerie a double bogey 6 on the 18th from the middle of the fairway and "what will Phil do next?" another double on the last when a bogey at worst would get him in a play off. Geoff's up and down on the last after being terribly unlucky to roll off the front of a green when he hit a great shot out of a sand filled divot from the fairway, will go down in my mind as one of the most couragous saves of all time. He gave himself a chance and the pressure of the final hole of the US Open did the rest. Geoff was left the last man standing at 5 over par which was the highest winning score since Hale Irwin's 7 over at Winged Foot in 1974.
I first gave Geoff some early fundemental lessons when he was a 13 year old in 1990 and to me his prodigious talent was obvious back then. I was asked in 2000 by the media in the USA who I thought would be better out of Aaron Badderly and Adam Scott and my reply was Geoff Ogilvy. It got a few laughs at the time, but I was quite serious because I saw a certain mental toughness and skill in Geoff that was very similar to Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby. Geoff has been coached by Dale Lynch since he was 15 and came into the Victorian Institute of Sport program when he was 16. Dale Lynch and I were the founding Head Coaches of the VIS and proudly look back to the graduates of that era and their achievments. Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Richard Green, Aaron Badderly to name just a few. We now have 15 US Tour wins, 8 graduates gaining their US tour cards and Geoff's latest and far from last victoryin my mind, the 2006 US Open. My congratulations again go to Geoff and my good mate Dale Lynch on achieving a career long goal.