July 9, 2009
2009 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW (page 124)
The PGA Championship heads back to Hazeltine National Golf Club this summer, the site of Rich Beem’s memorable win over a charging Tiger Woods in 2002. The Chaska, MN course first hosted a major in 1970, the U.S. Open, and was criticized that week by runner–up Dave Hill when he told the media “What it lacks is 80 acres and a few cows…they ruined a good farm.” Senior architecture editor Ron Whitten takes a look at the history of Hazeltine and the changes it’s gone through to earn major status once again.
Golf Digest Editor–in–Chief Jerry Tarde learned to play the game on a small muny course outside of Philadelphia where they used dried sunflower stalks with beer cans on top as flagsticks. And contributing writer Steve Rushin honed his skills on a patch of land that was supposed to be a community center and is probably the most played course in the state of Minnesota. In this issue, both Tarde and Rushin celebrate the soul of American golf — the public course. In addition, Golf Digest brings you a new set of lists, from America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses (re–ranked by price) to the Best Muny in All 50 States.
Everyone knows Bubba Watson as the big hitter, the guy who has led the Tour in driving distance for the past three years. But there’s more to Bubba’s game than his famous pink driver. Tiger Woods has even commented that Bubba’s shot–making ability is “phenomenal.” So why hasn’t the 30 year–old lefty won a PGA Tour tournament yet? Senior writer Jaime Diaz examines how an undiagnosed disorder may be preventing Bubba from reaching the top of his game.
AMERICA’S 50 GREATEST TEACHERS (page 88)
For the fifth consecutive time since the inception of the list in 2000, Butch Harmon has been voted as the top teacher in America by his fellow instructors. But this time it was close. Harmon beat out #2 Hank Haney by a mere seven votes, the smallest margin to date. The 2009 ranking features a tip from all 50 instructors and includes four new teachers on the list. And although the only tips you’ll probably ever get from Harmon or Haney lie in the pages of Golf Digest, the 2009 ranking of the Best Teachers In Your State has just the pro for you.
TEN RULES FROM COREY PAVIN (page 118)
Fifteen–time PGA Tour winner Corey Pavin has played extremely hard courses his entire life and, unfortunately, has seen one or two amateurs get eaten up on those same tracks. This month Pavin offers up 10 Rules For Playing A Really Difficult Course. From reining in your ego to mastering the hybrid, Pavin paves a path to a more enjoyable round on a tough course.
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