PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Evidence of golf’s charming caprice was on display all over TPC Sawgrass during Thursday’s first round of THE PLAYERS Championship, particularly at the top of the leaderboard where fun, frolic and two rounds of 7-under 65 were had by Ian Poulter and Martin Laird and a carefree 66 was shot by Blake Adams.
There were 27 rounds in the 60s, a first-round total exceeded just twice in the past decade. And with a forecast for high skies and breezy conditions likely to make the golf course progressively firm and fast, the fellas might as well have a little fun early.
Because it isn’t likely to get any easier between now and Sunday.
And easy is just how the course was made to look by Laird and his flawless seven-birdie round, and Poulter with his eight-birdie, one-bogey round that included nine straight one-putt greens. Blake Adams made his eight-birdie, two-bogey 66 sound like a day at the beach.
And, this is where the caprice part comes into play: though none of the top three players saw their low round coming, all believe it resulted, at least in part, from a positive outlook prompted by a change in circumstances.
First consider Adams and his route to 66. The 36-year-old Georgian, whose best PGA TOUR finish is a second at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Classic, found himself getting into a rut of perfectionism. After spending the almost half the season in search of the perfect shot, he decided to lighten it up this week.
“I’ve been working really, really hard since Jan. 1, and just have not seen a whole lot of results,” said the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Adams. “Starting this week I told my swing coach, John Tillery, and my caddie, Barry Williams, and my wife, Beth, that I think I just haven’t had like — just been out having fun. I’ve been trying to hit perfect golf shots, going out there and just trying to be too, too, precise with every club and every putt, and just got away from having fun with it.
“That was my whole mindset was just go out there and have fun. I’m very, very blessed, very fortunate. I play golf for a living. I mean, how hard do I really have it, you know? So just enjoy life and just have fun.”
Poulter, the garrulous Englishman whose last U.S. victory was the 2010 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, recently shed a large burden when the home he has been building in Orlando, for a very long time, was completed. He spent last week packing and unpacking boxes, and didn’t hit a shot.
“But it was also a big week for me to try to finally get in this house,” Poulter said. “The more I could get done of that, the more I could relax my brain to actually going out there and playing some good golf.
“It’s no surprise to me to be fresh in the mind this week; to know that I’m finally in the house and I’m relaxed and the family are happy, and all of the hassle and stress is over, and I can just go out and play golf. And I have felt relaxed this week. Two years and nine months is abnormally long to build a house.”
Refreshed, his mind free of extraneous clutter — “I do fill my brain full of lots of funny things at times,” as Poulter put it — freed up his swing, which in turn resulted in birdies at all four par 5s, birdies at three of the four par 3s, almost holing a wedge at the par-4 fourth hole and birdieing the par-4 10th and 12th holes with a 7-footer and an 18-footer.
Laird’s fresh outlook came last week at the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte, where he changed caddies, hiring longtime friend Shay Knight, after a four-and-a-half year run with Alan Bond. He also altered his attitude about putting and came into this week armed with a new driver and 3-wood from his equipment sponsor, TaylorMade.
Of the caddie change, Laird said, “It’s definitely kept me a little more relaxed on the golf course,” and also has changed his approach to putting. He had 24 putts in the round, which was his lowest at TPC Sawgrass by five strokes.
“I worked with Dave Stockton Jr.,” Laird said, “and the whole thing they work with is trying not to care on your putts. I consciously have been doing that the last couple weeks, not trying to try too hard because I know I haven’t putted well here before, just have a quick look, see what you think the line is and let it go. Don’t study it too much and don’t think about it too much.”
There’s a lesson there somewhere for perfectionists of all stripes, a variation of which helped three very different players arrive at the top of the leaderboard. Staying there is the next challenge. Just four first-round leaders in the past 29 years have gone wire-to-wire at TPC Sawgrass. Changing that will be hard.
Larry Dorman is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.

The technology of the Ping G15 Irons provide the high-launching, maximum forgiveness benefits that the majority of golfers rely on to bring consistency to their iron play. The stainless steel iron’s cavity design features a floating Custom Tuning Port (CTP) which expands the perimeter weighting and increases the moment of inertia. Weight savings from a thinner face is re-positioned to the toe for added forgiveness on miss-hits, and the G15′s wider sole produces a higher launch angle. Stronger lofts combine with a center of gravity located low and farther from the face to produce longer shots without sacrificing the higher launch angle required in a maximum forgiveness iron.

The wider sole of Ping G15 Irons does definitely gives it a look of a game improvement iron. But if you can get past this minor detail, you’ll find it extremely forgiving, playable and most likely become your best friend.

he majority of the G15′s features should be familiar. The groves are painted the same with one final grove painted in white to help with alignment. The hosel has the same characteristic gouge all PING irons have had in recent years. The sole of the club utilizes the same font as it has in the past. Essentially, besides the cavity of the club, the Ping G15 could be mistaken for the G10. However, the redesigned cavity pushes the club from plain to pleasing.

The optional graphite shafts are a little softer than we would like to see for an iron.

It’s said that PING clubs have been called ugly for years. Honestly, I believe PING almost took pride in that statement claiming that they chose brains over beauty. However, the Ping G15 irons are not ugly.

Ping K15 Irons PK Ping G15 Irons

With the Ping Irons Series, Ping have produced exactly what we’d expect from them, another range of quality Ping K15 Irons that will make the game easier for us mere mortals.
Ping K15 irons

The Ping K15 irons have lightweight titanium faces on stainless steel bodies, with the weight saved in the face repositioned to the sole and perimeter. The hybrids, Ping says, are lower-spinning and help golfers achieve a higher launch. The larger Ping K15  set combines a lightweight titanium face with a stainless-steel body to increase both forgiveness and launch conditions. Four hybrid options (3 through 6) rely on a patent-pending design that creates lower-spinning, higher-launching shots that fly straighter and longer. Ping K15 Ironsfeature a larger, lightweight tinium face that saved 27 grams, which were allocated to the perimeter and the sole to increase the MOI. The titanium face insert allows for increased ball speeds across the entire hitting surface and the steel body construction gives players the patented Ping feel that folks from around the globe have come to love and trust.
It is necessary for you to purchase the Ping K15 which is the new golf clubs for 2012. It is one of the discount golf clubs in the coming of Christmas. You will benefit a lot on it. Christams is coming, it is time for you to prepare gifts for your relatives and friends.
Ping G15 Irons
The Ping G15 Irons are simply the easiest irons to hit on the market. The “Custom Tuning Port” technology shifts weight to the perimeter, and a thinner face shifts mass to the toe. What does all that mean? You’re getting improved head stability, maximum accuracy, and that beautiful forgiveness that so many mid handicap golfers need. Many mid handicap players suffer from the dreaded slice, and these are the best irons for mid handicap golfers to eliminate the slice, and those other annoying spray shots.
And,these Ping G15 have stronger lofts than more traditionally designed Ping iron sets, but the company says the low and deep center of gravity keeps the launch angle high. In terms of forgiveness, the performance of the Ping G15 irons was very impressive. Off the fairway the clubs were so accurate, and the golf ball always held its line very well once airborne. Anyone who has trouble hitting enough greens in regulation could certainly see some benefit in using these Ping irons.

MARANA, Ariz. (AP) – No one is quick to embrace change until money is involved.

That’s one reason the Players Advisory Council gave its blessing last week to the concept of the Nationwide Tour being the primary path to the big leagues, PGA Tour cards being awarded in a three-tournament series and a new season starting in October instead of January.

It now goes to the policy board on March 27.

The details – and there are many – remain very much under discussion.

This is not just about making the developmental tour attractive to a new title sponsor. It’s about making the fall tournaments relevant, and the only way to do that is to include them in the FedEx Cup season. Otherwise, the likelihood is they would go away. That equates to as much as $24.3 million in prize money, not to mention the loss in charity money, the backbone of the PGA Tour.

“We’d be the first professional sport to vote down money,” said Joe Ogilvie, part of the 16-member PAC. “That’s what we would be doing if we voted it down. When you put it in those terms, a lot of guys went from, `We shouldn’t do this’ to `You kind of have to.”’

Change appears inevitable.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem suggested as much last week in an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News when he said that while the system is not broken, “we feel there’s a better way to do it.”

Even more telling was what followed.

“We’ve had so much success with the FedEx Cup that we feel it’s important to get everything oriented to the FedEx Cup,” he said.

Change will not be easy.

The original plan was to take the top 75 players from the Nationwide Tour and players who finished from No. 126 to No. 200 on the PGA Tour money list and have them play three tournaments, with the top 50 getting their tour cards.

When choosing a Ping iron set, be sure that look for a set that addresses your swing strengths and weaknesses. Today, I will compare g15 irons and k15 irons.

The Ping G15 iron set is built for players who struggle to hit the ball consistently. They feature maximum forgiveness, oversized clubheads, medium trajectory and a large offset to help eliminate slices. The Ping K15 iron set is for players who want maximum forgiveness, high trajectory and large clubfaces.

I have a theory that every mid-handicapper aspires to be able to hit with confidence, Mizuno clubs with an MP prefix. Mizuno MP 53 Irons is the most forgiving and longest Mizuno MP iron ever released.

The MP-53, however, is more my kind of club and my first impression, as will many in the mid-handicap range who try it, is of a club we should aspire to with a top line we can handle and a bigger sweet spot from a smaller head.

Mizuno have worked hard at the sound of the face at impact as this is directly related to feel. The pocket cavity removes 14 grams of weight and allows it to be redistributed around the cavity. The shorter irons progress into a muscle-back design for added control.

The Mizuno MP features a diamond muscle design and a “V” slot milled pocket cavity. Those that are very demanding shot makers will be very happy with the head size and the playing profile of these irons. Mizuno has spent many years developing and testing this iron and they are very pleased with the results that have come from all the hard work they have put in.

These MP 53 Irons have been designed with 14 grams less weight in the cavity that has been repositioned around the cavity instead. This helps to give the club a larger sweet spot making it an easier to hit iron. They also feature harmonic impact technology, which delivers the desired sound for the golfer and also delivers more feel at impact.

So, if you have a high handicap you may find that you will struggle with this type of design. These irons are designed to fit the better golfers and are made for scratch golfers and single digit handicap players.

The letter S is for speed, and 2012 is a speed year.

Nike’s new family of clubs is the VR_S. This is the updated and, we are told, speedier version of the original VR line. So Nike added an S for Speed.

Meanwhile, TaylorMade has followed the R11 with the R11S. TaylorMade, citing increased clubhead speed because of improved aerodynamics, just added an S, too.

Both Nike and TaylorMade are reminding consumers that more clubhead speed means more ball speed, which means more distance.

What Nike club designer Tom Stites has created for the VR_S is called NexCOR Club Face Technology. NexCOR can be found in drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons.

What NexCOR has done, according to Nike literature, is help the company make “what is the fastest and hottest family of golf clubs that Nike Golf has ever produced.”

NexCOR focuses on the face of each club in the VR_S lineup. The faces have multiple thicknesses and are optimized for maximum flex and better ball compression.

In general, the VR_S line is designed for golfers with swing speeds that do not match those of touring pros. This is complemented by the VR Pro LE, aimed at players with faster swing speeds.

Fairway woods get special treatment from Nike. “Low hanging fruit” is what Stites calls the fairway wood category. That’s because in recent years improvements in fairway woods often have been superseded by the development of hybrids.

With the VR_S, Nike has something called L-Face Technology in both the fairway woods and hybrids. This means the face is wrapped around the clubhead from crown to sole, eliminating a weld on the face. Welds on the face sometimes hamper ball speed by creating what is known as a “cold zone” in a portion of the impact area. Nike’s objective was to have a hot face from corner to corner.

VR_S drivers with NexCOR are fully adjustable through Nike’s STR8-FIT system.

NexCOR also is featured in the VR_S irons, which are available in two versions, one cast and the other forged.

The forged iron, with an undercut cavity in the back, was developed primarily for the Japanese market. Stites wanted to provide a soft forged feel in a clubhead that is slightly larger than normal for a forged iron. The result was so pleasing that Nike decided to sell it in the United States.

The cast iron is even more oversized for forgiveness, yet the club offers a clean profile for a game-improvement iron.

“NexCOR is a very big deal for us,” Stites said. “I think we’ve got some great faces in all the VR_S products. It’s there in the irons, too. You just can’t see it.”

If You Shoot Over 100If you currently shoot over 100, you are probably new to the game.  Golf is game that takes plenty of practice and understanding.  At your level, you’re probably very excited to just get out to play.  You always have a big grin on your face because you’ve found a new hobby that gives you a little exercise and gets you breathing some fresh air.  Unfortunately, shooting over 100 will get old very quickly, especially if you’re a competitive person by nature.  So your smile will start to turn into a frown, and you may end up giving the game up.  It is quite easy to break 100 if you know what to do.

What to Do To Break 100If you’re new to the game, you have not ingrained any bad habits yet.  So before you do, take some lessons from a qualified pro.  It’s usually quite easy to teach you the proper fundamentals of the golf swing because you’re eager to learn and never second guess the teacher.  If the relationship between the
student and teacher is good, the speed at which you will see results is very quick.  Usually within a month or two, the “over 100″ shooter can easily take 10- 20 shots off of their game.  Once you break 100 on a regular basis, you’ll start to see the game differently.  Although shooting in the 70′s is a few years into the future, it may be attainable because taking lessons initially has given you a great start on the game.

If You Shoot Over 90If you currently shoot over 90, you’re someone who has to play more often.  You’re probably playing about 20 – 30 rounds a year and most of these rounds
are in corporate tournaments.  Corporate tournaments are a definite game wrecker.  The usual scramble format leads you to just bashing the ball as hard as you can trying to get that one drive that helps your team.  Unfortunately, this leads to a HUGE slice with the driver — which doesn’t help your team at all. I know it’s fun to try to hit the ball as hard as you can, but If wailing away at it was the way to play good golf, everyone would be a pro.  You will also find the short game very difficult.  Although the short shots around the green look easy, they quickly become a nightmare to you because of the amount of touch that’s required.  

What to Do To Break 90For starters, you have to get out to the course more often.  You can still play in corporate events but you have to do so with a new attitude.  You have to quit trying to be the hero and start actually helping your team.  This can be done by swinging easy and trying to get the ball in the fairway or the middle of the green.  If you swing easier and try to become more accurate, you will be amazed at how many of your shots the team actually uses.  You would greatly
benefit from weekly lessons.  The lessons would not only give you a better swing but they would get you out to the range and course on a regular basis.  
Finally, you have to take at least one short game lesson to see how easy it can be.  This will create a better understanding of the short game which will then make practicing it more enjoyable.

If You Shoot Over 80You’re the kind of person the major club manufacturers love.  You think that you can “buy your game,” so every opportunity you get to try the latest and
greatest clubs you take it — because you don’t think that your swing is the problem.  So you buy that new driver and for a while you hit it great.  A few
weeks later that great new club isn’t so great anymore, and it’s back to your old game.  This leaves you scratching your head because you thought you had it and now it’s gone.  At some point in your golf career you probably have taken 1- 3 lessons and you always try every golf tip you hear about. Because of these constant changes in both your swing and your clubs you never really have the opportunity to get used to anything, so you are left in a state of limbo — always thinking that the elusive 70′s are just around the corner.

What to Do To Break 80In order to break 80, you have to admit that it’s not the clubs.  It’s about developing a repeatable swing and a great short game.  To create this
repeatable swing and great short game, you have to work with a qualified teacher on a weekly basis.  You’re going to forget trying different tips and quick
fixes because you will destroy the changes the teacher is trying to make.  This whole process is not going to be easy because you basically have to re-learn the swing (making changes to your swing may cause you to hit some very poor shots at first because you’re not used to it and you’re in between swings). If you stay determined, you’ll start to hit some shots that will totally amaze you. These amazing shots are telling you that your hard work is paying off and pretty soon you will be playing in the 70′s.

Read more: tomsgolftips.com

HONOLULU (AP) – Lucas Glover is leaving Hawaii without hitting a single shot in competition.

Glover limped from the practice range back to his hotel room Wednesday after withdrawing from the Sony Open with a sprained right knee that still is not strong enough for him to play golf.(Ping G15 Driver)

“It’s getting better,” Glover said. “But I’m not going to risk making it worse.”

The former U.S. Open champion sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee on Dec. 31 during a freak paddle boarding accident upon arriving on Maui for the PGA Tour’s season opener. His foot caught the side of the board as he fell into the water, sending his body one direction and his knee the other.

Glover withdrew from the Tournament of Champions, but thought he might be able to play the Sony Open because Waialae Country Club is relatively flat and easier to walk.

He hit three wedges and a 9-iron on the range before his pro-am before deciding to withdraw.

“It was a long shot, but I was here and I wanted to try if I could,” he said.

Glover doesn’t believe the injury is more than a mild sprain, “it’s just taking a little longer to heal.” He planned to fly home to Sea Island on the Georgia coast and see another doctor to make sure it’s nothing worse, and he hoped to be in San Diego in two weeks for the Northern Trust Open at Torrey Pines.

The timing for an injury is tough for Glover. A winner last year at the Wells Fargo Championship, he is No. 71 in the world ranking and had hoped to play a full West Coast schedule to get into the Match Play Championship (for the top 64 in the world) at the end of February, and perhaps another World Golf Championship event at Doral in early March.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) – Tiger Woods has rediscovered more than just the ability to win again.

Having ended 2011 with his first victory in two years, Woods said the joy of being able to play ping g15 irons with a healthy body has returned as well.

He told The Associated Press by email that he has fully recovered from the leg injuries that ruined much of last season. He also hopes his recent victory at the Chevron World Challenge in California is the “start of another great run.”

“The lowest moments (last year) came from the fact that I wasn’t healthy and couldn’t put in the time on and off the course that I wanted and needed to, and that was frustrating,” Woods said. “I was playing with pain and that isn’t fun. The last couple of months have been really fun and that is mostly because I am feeling healthy again and building week on week.”

Woods is preparing for his first tournament of the year and his first in Abu Dhabi. He will be facing a world-class field that features U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Luke Donald and defending champion Martin Kaymer.

The tournament starts Jan. 26 and will give a first indication of whether Woods can maintain his level of play Callaway X22 Irons at the Chevron in December. That was his first victory since a car crash outside his home in 2009 led to revelations of extramarital affairs that derailed his marriage and golf game.

“I am looking to get off to a fast start in Abu Dhabi and keep building from there,” Woods said. “Now that I am healthy, I feel I can keep building my game and confidence week on week, much like I did at the end of (last) year – from the Australian Open to the Presidents Cup to, finally, a win in California.”

Woods finished third at the Australian Open, and then delivered the clinching point for the American team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.