Marc and I are not only excited about it being Valentines Day, but we are also pumped about the upcoming changes you are going to be seeing on our show. Not only do we have a really cool new banner, but the show format is going to change a bit….and our new website is looking really great…wait til you see it. As far as the show…shorter, more frequent and more focused segments…of course humor and lots of good information related to your golf game (and some not).

Keep an eye out, by tomorrow morning you will see the next episode.

Have a great V-Day!

But only during the putting stroke…really…you want to stay as still as possible. As for the full swing…it’s OK to breathe (Marc). Just remember to keep your mind and your eyes out on the target…think about what you want the ball to do. We’ll talk about the best way to increse the chances of this happening…some pre-shot thoughts…very important…stay tuned.
Coach Dave

We seem to be getting better with each show and Episode 4 does not disappoint! We discuss what we think an average golfer is and then break down Marc's bag and talk about club cleaning. We wrap this episode up with the mental side of golf. It's a great show... please leave comments, email us questions and follow us on Twitter:

• Golf is Hard TV on Twitter
• Coach Dave V on Twitter
  

Special Thanks to

• Swing Reminders

One of my favorite golf bloggers to follow is Pink Diva Golf. I have 2 daughters, so anything the world of golf can do to encourage more girls to play is good in my book. I am looking forward to the day my girls outdrive and outplay me.

Pink Diva recently had what I can only imagine was the thrilling opportunity to talk with World Cup & Olympic Soccer Champion Brandi Chastain recently. It’s a fun interview although there is something in particular that I do want to complain about…

Brandi politely says she doesn’t have a favorite club. I doubt that very much. Golfers always have a go to club in the bag just in case (go on, admit it!). For me, that club has been my 5 hybrid. Not only do I hit it from any lie, I’ve chipped with it, putted with it and had a slice of pizza and beer with it. I just love that club. I’m sure Brandi has a favorite too, but perhaps she doesn’t want to offend the rest of her bag. Either way, she should try to be more honest when doing interviews!

BTW, I didn’t know this, but n the history of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am there has only been one woman celebrity to play in the Celebrity Challenge -Lisa Fernandez. Brandi is #2. That’s surprising.

Check out the interview and Pink Diva’s blog.

Well, it’s great to hear that Marc got out today, really unbelievable since it has been sub-freezing for weeks. It sounds like he hit some good shots, not bad after hitting 5-7 balls after 3 months off in 42-degree weather (which is why I didn’t join him).

Reading about Marc’s experience today brought up yet another topic: what is the best way to warm up either during a practice session or before a round? Marc was on track by starting with 1/2-swings…especially after a long layoff, in cold weather, with extra clothing, staring at 130 balls and pumped about his new golf show (heck…I would have taken driver out of the bag immediatley and started ripping away). So after a few swings he starts to lengthen his swing, makes sense. No surprise he was struggling a bit but did realize that he was probably going too fast.

If I had gone out with Marc today, I would have most likey brought just a wedge, a 7-iron, gloves and a hat (you have seen my head) and hit about 60 shots (your average large bucket). I hopefully would have left feeling pretty good about things…keeping it light. Sounds like Marc left feeling good about his swing…which is really the goal.

This brings up yet another topic we need to address on golfishard…practice strategy/goals. Very simple…but not often “practiced”.

Nice win by Nick Watney today…if you watched episode #3, you will know what I am talking about!

Stay Warm! ttys!

We finally got a decent break in the weather here in CT this weekend and I took a few hours to hit the range for the first time in more than 3 months. Armed with my new Nike Driver and grip lessons from Coach Dave, I bought myself a supersize bucket of balls $13!!!) and started to work on some things.

I took Dave’s advice and really loosened up my grip, trying to keep it at a 2 out of 10 on the pressure scale. I like to warm up with half swings using a 7 iron first and after 5 or 6 balls, I was connecting solidly and started taking some full swings.

It was ugly. Slices and hooks all over the place! I went back to taking half swings and once I started hitting the ball solidly again, I worked my way back to taking full swings. I was better this time and moved up from the to the 5, then 5 hybrid, 3 wood and finally my driver.

It felt great. I tried to stay loose and keep my grip nice and light. I hit the wood and driver really well which felt terrific.

With 16 balls left, I challenged my friend to a chipping contest - 8 balls each to a green about 40 yards away. Using my lob wedge, I was close on almost every shot, but only stuck one. I won in a tie-breaker, my 5th shot landed on a fake sand bunker connected to the green and my buddy gave it to me as a tie-breaker. Only sticking 1 of 8 wasn’t great, but it was good enough today!

Now it’s your turn! Do you have any video of your swing? Upload the video to Youtube (or any online service) and e-mail us the link. We’ll take a look, give you a review and help you improve your game just like that! Golf is Hard, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help you get better!

The photo is me in mid-waggle… I put my phone on the ground and let it take some short video!

Episode 3 of Golf is Hard TV features new lighting (although we still have work to do) and a new set. The upgraded audio will be ready in episode 4 if all goes well!

This episode features segments on putting and grip, super bowl pick re-caps and our Buick Invitational picks as well. We also discuss golfing with kids (especially your own).

As always, send us your thoughts and comments!

Special thanks for questions and Twitter goodness to:

• Robbie Camacho (in Brazil!)
• The Golf Girl
• Mr Business Golf
• The Frugal Golfer and Bob Schecter

A quick “behind the scenes” and outtakes video!

Green grass is what golf is all about right? How do you feel when you pay your greens (pun intended) fees and walk onto a course that is not so green? Now…take that feeling home…how do you feel about your own lawn? I am really into having nice, healthy, green grass (no green weeds and no green crabgrass).

Yeah…I know it’s still frigidly cold here in the Northeast & Midwest, however if you are into your grass, there are things you must know and things you must do if you have northern-cool-season grass…and very soon.

Bottom line this is…step 1 needs to go down no later than mid march (if you live in upper NE), if you live in CT or south, you must put it down in mid-late Feb. This is earlier than you may have done in the past…but it will prevent crabgrass. Did you have crabgrass in May/June? then you put it down too late. Step 1 has no fertilizer, meaning you can’t put down too much.

Go get step 1 now and better yet, buy all 4 of the “Scotts Best” program from your local garden shop (not Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, etc. because they do not sell the best Scotts stuff), have your garden shop person explain. You will get a rebate check from Scotts and your local folks should give you another 10% off for buying it all now.

By being a Golf is Hard fan, your golf game will get better and your grass will be greener. Wait til we talk about grilling and Italian cooking…

We have a lot of work to do on lighting and sound (we are listening and have lights on order!) and a new issue with Blip.tv… the video is skewed for some reason. Don’t ask me why, I thought I was doing everything right. I’ll fix it eventually.

For now, watch the “skinny” Marc and Dave talk about Golf Lingo and make their “Fantasy Foursome” picks.