Featured Events

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Wow, what an exciting last 5 holes of The Open. I’m a huge Spieth fan, but I also like Kucher. It provided a little bit of everything. With that said, here are my favorite Opens, and also, most crushing losses in the Opens.

My favorite Opens:

1. 2017 Open: Spieth Wins, how, nobody in the golf world can explain how, except he has an incredible talent to dig deep into his competitive soul to somehow figure out a way to win. When he sliced his drive on #13, 21 minutes later, to end up with a bogey was incredible feat! And then to go 5-under par after that was unbelievable! I don’t know what “It is”, but what ever “It is”, Jordan Spieth has “IT”!
2. 1977 Open, Watson and Nicklaus put on a show: Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus were tied on the final round. With an 8-shot cushion, the Champion would be one of the two. They traded birdies the entire day and came down to the 17th hole where Watson birdied, Nicklaus parred. Everything looked over, until the final hole where Watson had a short birdie putt, Nicklaus had a long 40-footer, and made it, causing Watson to have to make his, and he did! The two embraced afterwards as one of the greatest battles between two competitors the game has ever seen.
3. 2013 Open, Lefty finally did it!: Phil Mickelson is one of the best players of all time, but everyone always said he would never win an Open Championship. At age 43, he showed them wrong with a strong performance that brought back thoughts of when he first arrived on tour. Plus, Phil Mick is one cool cat.
4. 1995 Open, Grip it and Rip it: John Daly, playing at St. Andrews played a fantastic final 18-holes on Sunday. Everything looked he was going to win, until an obscure Italian, Constantino Rocco, after duffing his third shot, holed a 40-foot par putt to force a playoff. Daly dominated the playoff for his second career major championship.
5. 1979 Open, Seve makes a birdie from the parking lot: Seve Ballesteros hit a flying hook off the tee-box with three holes to go into the parking lot. It was so far to the left that the golf course was not even marked as a boundary because the rules officials didn’t think it would come into play. Seve took a drop from the car that was close to his ball, hit a beautiful shot, and birdied the hole.

Most Crushing Losses:

1. 1999 Open, the Jean Van de Velde Collapse: If you haven’t seen this, go to You Tube to watch what true agony of defeat truly is. Van de Velde had to make a 6, or double bogey to win the Championship. After narrowing escaping with a way ward driver, he still decided to go for birdie on his second shot. Unfortunately, it went into the high grass, then he hit it into the canal, thought about playing it, took a drop, dumped it in the sand trap, and made a 20-foot putt for a 7, or triple bogey to get into a playoff, where he eventually lost to a one-hit wonder, Paul Lawrie. The following year, he played the same hole with just a putter, and believe it or not, made a 5 which would have won the Championship. Van de Velde never was the same after the collapse.
2. 2009 Open, Tom Watson at age 59 should have won: Watson who at age 59 would be the oldest champion in golf had to par the final 72nd hole. After a beautiful tee-shot, he hit an 8 iron, precisely in the middle of the green. Unfortunately, the ball released over the green where he had to chip, and eventually made a 5, one-over which made him have to be in a playoff to eventual winner, Stewart Cink. It was painful to watch the playoff, he never had a chance in it.
3. 1970 Open, every putt counts!: Doug Sanders from Houston was an accomplished golfer but never had won a major championship. He had his chance to win the Open with a 3-foot putt on the 72nd hole. After backing away several times, and standing over it which looked like an eternity, he not only missed the putt, but not even hit the hole! He lost to Nicklaus the next day in a playoff, never to play the high caliber golf he once did.

I hope you enjoyed my favorite major of the season. Up in two weeks, the PGA Championship. Name me two Hall of Fame golfers that lacked winning the PGA Championship to complete their respective Grand Slam titles…………

 

Bert Walker
Head Golf Professional – Prairie Lakes Golf Course
bwalker@gptx.org | 972-237-4156

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Congratulations to the USGA for hosting a fantastic US Open without a “hick-up”. As I’ve said to others before, I think the fantastic field needs to thank Tiger Woods for how far the game has come.

Tiger invented the modern day professional golfer domination of power to the game. Yes, there was Jack and Arnie who attacked golf courses in their prime, but the level of true athleticism from top to bottom of the field is becoming increasingly stronger and stronger every year. No longer are athletes choosing to play football, baseball, basketball, or soccer (for the world-wide players), but now they have entered golf.

Enter the 2017 US Open Champion, Brooks Koepka. Strong, tall, good-looking that not only can kill the ball with his drive, but also can putt. Let’s not forget the 2016 US Open Champion Dustin Johnson who is another true-athlete and is not afraid to hit the ball far and make putts when needed.

The point that I’m trying to make is that at the highly competitive professional golf level, the game is changing, and changing fast. I’ve noticed this for over the past 10 years. Gone are the days of getting a little “swing-lubricant” after a round staying out all night.

The professional golfers of today take extremely good care of their bodies, eat very nutritional meals, work out like a professional every day, work on their games tirelessly every day, and work hard to get every ounce of talent out of every round. The reason, there is soooooo much $$$$.

Every modern professional golfer needs to send Tiger a thank you note. Thank you for changing the game. Thank you for elevating the prize money. Thank you for making professional golf a sport that people barely followed, to now having a Golf Channel solely devoted to golf.

 

Bert Walker
Head Golf Professional – Prairie Lakes Golf Course
bwalker@gptx.org | 972-237-4156

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I can’t tell you how many times driving around the golf course I see players get absolutely upset about their games. They put an extreme amount of pressure, tension, and personal pride each and every time they play. The reality is, most of these players do not prepare enough to become a better player.

If you’re a golfer, you understand how incredibly difficult the game of golf is. Not only do you have to drive the ball well, but you also have to hit your irons well, pitch well, and putt well. That is why professional golfers spend a lifetime practicing, learning, and reaching for success. Most amateurs simply play once a week, or month, or for some, a year. No practice in between rounds, but the thought of teeing it up and having the “miracle” round is always on the mind!

The fact is it would be a miracle. If I asked you, could you go run a marathon without any training by next week, the usual reply would be “heck no!” Golf, like everything in life, requires lessons, practice, and a desire to become better.

So next time you tee it up at the beautiful Prairie Lakes G.C., don’t get mad about playing one of the prettiest golf course in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, go out and have FUN! Enjoy the journey of playing a round and the friendship of your group. And if you want to get better, don’t get mad, go get a lesson and practice!

 

Bert Walker
Head Golf Professional – Prairie Lakes Golf Course
bwalker@gptx.org | 972-237-4156

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Every week, someone will come into the Pro Shop proclaiming they are the worst putter in the world. If only they could putt, they would shot so much better. What the problem is that most players continue to use the same technique time and time again.

If you’re struggling with putting, Try This! Most right handed players (opposite for left handed players) place their hands similar on how they normally hold a golf club. The left hand is high on the grip and the right hand is lower on the grip.

I see two problems with this set up. First, by gripping the putter this way, the tendency is that the shoulders will be open as compared to the putting line (or in layman’s terms, where you’re trying to hit it). This will cause the putter to either cut across the ball at impact, or pull the putt left of the target. Second, most right hand players are right eyed dominate. Although the shoulders are open, another tendency is to aim to far to the right, again setting up for inconsistency on the putting line.

Here is a solution to the problem! Try gripping the club where the LEFT hand is lower than the RIGHT hand. I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but it works, and for some, it works really well. Just ask Jim Furyk, who is the only person to shoot not only a 59 in a professional tournament, but also a 58! There is another young man, by the name of Jordan Spieth who is known for his incredible putting skills, at a young age and has won just a few tournaments!

The LEFT HAND LOW technique, or commonly referred to as CROSSHANDED, solves two issues that players who struggle with putting can improve on: 1) It puts the shoulders parallel to the putting line (where you’re trying to hit it), and 2) it helps line up to the target more consistently.

Try it out, and if you need additional help, please call me at 972-237-4156 or email me at bwalker@gptx.org.

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