PGA Tour Professionals Visit Iraq

Most of us take for granted how lucky we are to be able to go out and play a leisurly round of golf. We are able to go out and forget about everyday life and the freedoms that are given to us and enjoy this wonderful game we play. For the men and women who are defending our freedoms in war torn areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan, enjoying the game is reduced to the occasional opportunity to watch the PGA Tour on international television or read the Golf Digest that a relative or friend has sent.

My brother Ryan Buytenhuys, who is stationed at Camp Fallujah in Iraq is one of those individuals who truly loves the game. Ryan often spends his free time in Iraq hitting old golf balls off the hard desert sand, hoping that he does not brake the only club he has, when he catches it just a little heavy.

Recently, Ryan and the other servicemen and women stationed at Camp Fallujah were treated to a visit by Butch Harmon, David Fehrety, Tom Watson, Tom Lehman and other PGA Tour Professionals as part of a PGA USO Tour to the Middle East. This was an extra special break from the war they are fighting and extra special for guys like Ryan who love this game.

It also reminded me what a great game we play and the fact that individuals like Watson, Lehman, Fehrety and Harmon are true ambassadors of the game and that is the way it was meant to be. Thank you for bringing a piece of the game to our troops and more importantly thank you to our troops who put their lives in danger on a daily basis to protect our freedom.

Maclain Huge

I am fortunate to have a wonderful group of students who work extremely hard on their golf game. I believe in developing programs and not just giving that quick fix. Because of that I often see my students games improve over an extended period of time, which is very gratifying. However, every so often an individual comes along who you know is extra special.

About 18 months ago a father approached me about working with his 12 year old son. I agreed to see him and am I happy that I did. When Maclain Huge first came to see me he was about 5’6” and reminded me of a young Ernie Els. He was shooting in the mid 80’s but had a real desire to get better. Maclain’s swing was good but it had a lot of moving parts. Maclain tried to produce his distance by hitting with his upper and lower body which caused a steep outside to in swing. Over time we have worked extremely hard on shallowing his plane and reducing the amount of body movement. We also spent a lot of time on developing a putting stroke, and I say developing because this was by far the weakest part of his game. Since we first met Maclain he has grown to just over 6’ and so the changes have been a challenge because his body is continuously changing, but it has also been a wonderful learning experience for both him and me.

I am very proud to announce that because of Mac’s commitment and hard work he has managed to have one of the greatest season’s I have ever seen. Mac capped off his 2007 campaign with a very impressive win in Virginia Beach over the weekend. In 30mph winds Maclain shot rounds of 75-77 to win not only his division (13 under) but also the overall title (19 under). Not bad for a 13 year old. Below is a recap of Mac’s year:

MAPGA Spring Fling- 2nd place
PJGT Herndon - 1st place
Wake Forest Camp Tournament - 1st
MAPGA Fairfax National - 1st
MAGA Boys Championship @ Holly Hills CC- 1st
MAPGA South Riding - 1st
Bobby Bowers-2nd
VSGA 13 under State Championship – 1st
MAPGA Piedmont-1st
Nordlinger Cup – 1st
PGJT Arnold Palmer Old Dominion Adventure – 1st

Wow, what a year.

MyTPI.com

As a golf instructor it is critical that I be in tune with each one of my students physical make-up. Often, I have students come to me who have been battling a particular problem in their swing only to find out that they are struggling because of a physical limitation. Whether it is a lack of flexibility or a lack of strength in a certain muscle group, diagnosing the problem and addressing it can lead to improved golf swings.

Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips, PGA co-founders of the Titlest Performance Institute have spent countless hours researching all aspects of the golf swing in relation to the body. This knowledge has been put together on a website called MYTPI.com. MyTPI.com is the largest collection of golf-specific health and fitness information from the world's leading experts in the game.

Through MYTPI.com golf professionals like myself are able to offer students a complete golf fitness assessment and custom build a workout program that will help build flexibility and strength in areas that are directly affecting your golf swing.

Winter is a perfect time to begin a program like this mainly because we have the time do commit to the program as we are not able to play due to cold temperatures. Also, when working on your golf swing and physical fitness their will be an adjustment period to get used to the changes in your swing and how your body is working. These changes can be frustrating in the middle of the season because it leads to poor scores. However, if you make these changes during the winter you can come out firing with all cylinders early spring.