The Golf Club: May 31, 2014
BOSTON (CBS) - On the latest edition of The Golf Club, Hardy caught up with Joe Leary of the DCR, trainer Paul Gozbekian of the Titleist Performance Institute, Andrew Green of Golfsmith and assistant golf pro Kristen MacDonald.
Andrew Green, a sales associate at Golfsmith in Watertown, educated Hardy on the different types of golf bags available on the market and much more.
"I love bags. Anything that contains the thing that you love is great," said Hardy to lead the interview.
You've heard of pull carts, but push carts seem to be "in" right now in the golfing world and are much more user friendly.
Both push and pull carts get a bad rap and have this reputation of being for the elderly only. But that's not the case. In fact, Hardy bought one last year. Even though his friends poke fun at him for it, he thinks they're just fantastic.
"I don't use it every time I play when I carry my clubs. If I'm walking nine holes I'll still just carry my clubs, but if I'm walking 18 holes yeah I want my push cart. There's a lot of reasons to like these things," said Hardy.
Green pointed out the added stress of carrying a heavy bag on your shoulders and how it can ruin your round.
Listen below for Green's push cart recommendations and much more:
Andrew Green Of Golfsmith
Next up was Paul Gozbekian, a personal trainer at Equinox and the Titleist Performance Institute.
Paul (reluctantly) promised Hardy he wouldn't talk about nutrition, the benefits of stretching and how important it is for golfers. Rather, Gozbekian had a different topic of discussion this time around.
For most of us golfers we get in our stance, grip it and rip it. Chicks dig the long ball, and we try for our longest drive every time we approach the tee.
But there's a point of diminishing returns with that line of thinking, and it's often painstaking to weigh the benefits of driving distance vs. driving accuracy. It's a fine line that few of us can seem to figure out.
Hardy referenced Bubba Watson, who can hit the ball a mile off the tee. Often times he's outdriving his fellow golfers by 30-40 yards. Sometimes his ball might land in light rough when his counterparts are on the fairway, but where would you rather hit? It's a tough dynamic.
Strength is a very important part of the game, and Gozbekian recently got back from a training conference in Dallas that spoke mostly to this very subject.
Listen below to hear what he learned and how you can improve your strength:
Paul Gozbekian
Joe Leary, the director of golf for the Department of Conservation and Recreation for the state came on the show to talk about Ponkapoag in Canton.
Ponkapoag came to Hardy highly recommended from Howie Sylvester, producer of the Bruins and Patriots broadcasts here on the Sports Hub. So who better to have on to discuss the course than Leary?
"It's an old, beautiful Donald Ross designed golf course with 36 holes, 9 of which have been unplayable for the last 12 years. We just started a restoration project to reopen those 9 holes. It's going to be 95 percent back to its original Donald Ross shape. There's a company in there now doing the irrigation for it," said Leary.
Ponkapoag was a tournament course in the 1940's and 50's, and Leary and his staff are determined to bring it back to what it used to be.
Listen below to hear the storied history of the course and much more:
DCR Golf Director Joe Leary
Lastly, former college star and golf-professional-in-training Kristen MacDonald spoke with Hardy about making a living out of golf as a woman and much more.
MacDonald was a three-year captain at Fairfield University and after her college days she entered the amateur ranks. In 2012 she won the New England Women's Amateur Championship and now she's in the PGA Professional Golf apprentice program and works at Thomson Country Club in North Reading.
"Do you feel like a lone wolf out there sometimes? Because let's face it there aren't a ton of women professionals out there," said Hardy to start the conversation.
"There's a very limited few of us. I think there may be five or so in the New England section alone. It's definitely a special kind of thing for me to do," said MacDonald.
Listen below to hear some of her tips, including her take on the LPGA:
Kristen MacDonald
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