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The Travelers Championship - A New Era Begins

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This Week's Video Golf Lesson

- The Pitch

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This Week In Golf -by Kevin Ferrarotti Owner of the Premier Golf Academy

LEFTY IS LUCKY AT THE PLAYERS

Phil Mickleson started the week with some big news: switching from long time swing instructor Rick Smith to Tiger's old coach, Butch Harmon. Luckily, the end result proved very successful, as Phil was the only player down the stretch to keep the ball in play, to win the Player's Championship at the newly re-designed TPC at Sawgrass.

Though Tiger proved to be the biggest disappointment of the week as we watched his usually solid putting stroke fail him; the biggest heartbreak of the week was watching young phenom Sean O'Hair make a quadruple bogey on the par 3 17th, and subsequently taking him out of 2nd place, and thus losing almost $700,000 in prize money.

The Travelers Championship

A New Era Begins

-by Champion Golf Pro Mike Colandro, owner of Colandro Golf

The Travelers Championship will be played June 18-24^th at TPC River Highlands and the PGA Tour players will be competing for the biggest purse ever ($6 million). With a new name, sponsor, and now part of Fed-Ex Cup, the field includes: Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, David Toms, Padraig Harrington, Masters Champ. Zach Johnson, Brad Faxon, Peter Jacobson, Rich Beem, Corey Pavin, Stewart Cink, and many more top PGA Tour players.

The practice facility, opening June 2008, will serve as The First Tee of Connecticut headquarters. Along with a 360 yard long range, it will include a giant putting green, chipping green and a 3 hole short course.

On June 20^th, the Celebrity Pro-Am will be played with many stars from the entertainment and sports world, with ESPN’s Chris Berman and Paul Newman heading the list. At the Media Day, “Boomer” interviewed defending champion J.J. Henry. J.J. is the only Connecticut native to have won the Hartford based event in some 55 years. J.J. said, “I am really excited about defending my title and very impressed with the new, state-of-the-art, practice facility.”

Charity is the big winner each year and Tournament Director, Nathan Grube said, “This event has donated more than $25 million to the Greater Hartford Community over the past 55 years.” This year, The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Camp, in Ashford, Connecticut, will also benefit. Hollywood icon, Paul Newman, founded the Camp and he said, “It is all about the kids, most all of them seriously ill, and the Camp offers a critical experience in each kid’s life."

The Greater Hartford Jaycees are a premier membership organization for young men and woman, ages 21-40, with a focus on leadership development through community service. This year’s Greater Hartford Jaycee Tournament Chairman is Mitzi Koninis, and she has been a Jaycee since 2001. Mitzi is a good golfer herself and is a graphic designer and production manager of Konica Minolta Printing Services in Windsor, Connecticut. She said, “We are very pleased that Travelers has signed on for four years as major sponsor and welcome any volunteers to help out during the tournament.”

So come on out the week of June 18-24^th and be part of Connecticut’s Premier Sporting Event, “The Travelers Championship” at TPC River Highlands Golf Club in Cromwell, Connecticut. A New Era Begins!!!

Visit www.travelerschampionship.com/volunteers.htm for more information

This Week's Golf Tip

-by Kevin Ferrarotti, Owner of the Premier Golf Academy

Set Up

A perfect swing begins with a perfect set-up. By aligning our body and our club square and on-line to the target, if we hit it correctly, the ball will go exactly where we “hope” it will go. Our alignment however, is just one piece of the puzzle. With a correct neutral grip, we can now set-up to the ball.

Whether you are hitting a driver off the tee box, or chipping around the green, having a correct set-up is essential. A perfect set-up always includes two important parts: posture and balance. Perfect posture means that no matter what the shot, you are comfortable over the ball, and are in an athletic position. Since golf is a sport and golfers are athletes, it goes without saying that all athletes must “look the part”. To do this, first, relax. Tension is the #1 killer in all golf swings. When addressing your ball, your spine should be angled in such a way that has your shoulders on top of your toes and our arms hanging freely down from the shoulders. A good way to test this is by getting into position, and taking your right arm off of the club and let it hang freely. If you let your right arm swing loosely, it will come right back to your club. With this, bend your knees just enough to earn our second point of discussion, balance.

Without balance, it is guaranteed our perfect swing will fail. Our weight should be centered over the sole of your feet, and your feet should be spread accordingly:

- For chips, pitches, and your low irons (8,9) your feet should be closer than shoulder width apart.

- For your mid-irons (5-6-7) your feet should be shoulder width apart.

- For your long-irons and woods, your feet should be wider than shoulder width apart, because with the increased shaft length means increased stability.

Balance also comes with swinging within your limits. A controlled tempo golf swing will incorporate balance, so know your limits. Good exercise programs and proper practice techniques will help you develop a sound swing!

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