I see a lot of amateurs step up to the tee and see nothing but hazards. Their thoughts are consumed by how to carry the water or stay left of the bunkers. They never really focus on where they want the ball to go... which should be down the middle of the fairway.

It suddenly occurred to me that I've noticed that too. I've got several friends who actually verbalize a checklist of exactly what they shouldn't do with their drive without any mention of what they can do.

I'm no expert, but I know I've heard lots of golf experts profess the value of fixing your mind on where you want to be instead of where you do not want to be. It's no wonder my friends with the bad tee-ball habits watch a good percentage of their drives go exactly where they focused their mind on ...right in the crapper.

Thanks Greg! I'm storing this little gem away and plan on reviewing it again as the spring season approaches.

1. Dress for success

Even if your just out for nine holes you'll want to wear warm clothes that minimize swing restriction. Bundling up in heavy winter-wear will surely kill your free flowing swing plane. So plan your garb with lightweight layers underneath finishing with outer layers of wind protection.

That's right... I said layers. Three or more layers can work wonders if they permit a free flowing swing. Don't worry, you can always peel off the outers if the afternoon temperature creeps up to a balmy forty-something degrees.

2. Acclimate before kick off

We've all know the kooky brother-in-law who never wears a coat when the temps fall below freezing. He's nuts! The key to surviving enjoying a cold weather round is to avoid extreme change in temperature.

Take 20-30 minutes for a cold weather pre-game warm up on the practice range. Use the time as you normally would for stretching, hitting balls and swing practice, but most importantly get used to being outside. Use the extra time to fine tune your outerwear and headgear before you step up to the first tee.

Be ever-vigilant with head and hand protection. Although the age old myth that "most body heat is lost through our heads" has been officially debunked, if you're outdoors for an extended period you'll want something to cover your noggin. Even a little wind-chill dip can wreak havoc on unprotected ears.

Gloves are a bit tricky in cold weather. And although there are lots of specialized "golf glove" products out there, the bottom line is this. If you keep your hands warm between shots you'll easily go the distance without discomfort.

So use regular gloves and keep your hands in your pockets in between shots. And if you need a little more insurance against cold hands throw a couple of these into your bag.

3. Club down to go the distance

Let's get real. You can suit up with the best cold weather gear money can buy and you'll still be using an abbreviated swing. Don't expect record breaking distances off the tee or massively long iron play. It's not gonna happen.

Add one to two clubs to your normal shot distances and all will be good with the world. Playing in frigid weather requires a slightly different set of expectations. Think of it as a golf adventure.

4. Have some new golf fun

Don't miss new betting opportunities that may arise, like closest to the pin from the snow-field. Or up and down snowys instead of sandies.

Avoid any temptation to venture out onto a frozen pond because you can see your ball sitting perfectly on the ice surface. Breaking through the ice is an absolute game over scenario.

Our final recommendation for a long and frigid day on the links is to get your head right with the cold weather game. And although your adventure may not require a St Bernard rescue dog complete with a keg barrel collar, you may want to pack a little rescue plan of your own.

Here are six awful Turkey Day zingers to tell around the feast tonight.

1. What did the mama turkey say to her naughty son?
If your papa could see you now, he'd turn over in his gravy!

2. If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?  Pilgrims!

3. Why can't you take a turkey to church? Because they use such FOWL language.

4. What do you get when you cross a turkey with an octopus?  Enough drumsticks for Thanksgiving.

5. What did the turkey say before it was roasted?  Boy! I'm stuffed!

6. What happened to the Pilgrim who was shot at by an Indian?  He had an arrow escape!

Share and enjoy!

There isn't much about Thanksgiving that doesn't appeal to me. I love the meal with all its elaborate soups, side dishes and desserts. And for the most part I'm sidelined from the kitchen during the preparation ceremonies. My job is to make sure that cocktails and soft-drinks are in plentiful supply. And that I can manage with ease.

After Dinner Entertainment by Bobby Rusher

And this year I have a special treat to share with my soon-to-arrive guests and golf cronies. I'm going to pass around my recently acquired copies of Bobby Rusher's golf humor books. I've had How to Line Up Your Fourth Putt and When to Regrip Your Ball Retriever for a few weeks now and I have not been able to install them on my bookshelf just yet.

If you're looking for a humorous addition to your coffee table collection, Bobby Rusher will fit the bill. The single page chapters give the casual passer-by a quick-witted look at the ridiculous side of golf. A few of my favorite chapter tiles will give you a taste of what's inside. 

Chapter 2: What it means when the only way for you to hit a good ball is to step on a rake.

Chapter 8: What to do if you hit the ground well before you hit the ball poorly.

Chapter 46: Why you should never exaggerate your score more than 10% in either direction.

I know Bobby Rusher's humor will be a big hit with my friends and family this weekend. As a matter of fact, that one special uncle may well burst into a spontaneous session of reading aloud, after the proper social lubrication is applied in sufficient quantity.

And with rave reviews from the likes of Donald Your Fired Trump and former President George H. W. Bush, how can you go wrong.

Bobby Rusher's humor fits with serious golfers as well as not so serious golfers. It's even a hit with non-golfers, golf widows, seniors and kids.

If your ready for a few golf chuckles surf on over to 4 Putt.com and browse the complete Bobby Rusher collection. And if you're racking you brain over the perfect gift for your golf obsessed spouce, look no further. 

What do you think? 

"How bout we launch'em from the tips today, boys?"

And so begins the long and irreversible eighteen hole grinder that finds these overdressed aficionados in the trees, long grass rough and other off-course hazards that they wouldn't normally see.

So what is this false promise of greatness that comes with a snappy shirt and pant combination? Why do we imagine an improved swing plane once long pants are on the course?

I believe we all suffer from a bit of the old "I play as well as I look" syndrome. And much has been written about how a good mental pre-game strategy consists of setting your mind up to play well.

Unfortunately, looking good on the course has never guaranteed an exceptional score. In fact, this particular foursome has distorted this pre-game mindset well beyond it's intended conclusion.

Just ponder how many well-dressed pros flame out of big tournaments when they miss the Friday cut. Those stylish new trousers didn't count for diddly-squat that week.

So as your pouring over which shirt/slack combination will look best for this weekend's round perhaps you should have another look at this treasured 2008 video featuring a shirtless and shoeless John Daly and focus simply on having more fun.

What do you call a person golfer who doesn't dress up for Halloween?

A Halloweenie!

And now for a little something to scare the children. It's the famous story of Stingy Jack and how he managed to trick the devil, not once but twice!

Take caution all you golfing tricksters... If you welch on those lost golf bet's, you may end up like Jack!

I want a do over!

Later that day when the golf-pain had passed I realized I had made a few bad mental decisions that may have caused me to blow up. When my original drive hit the water I should have reconsidered hitting the driver again. My 3 wood is a more consistent club and I might have easily avoided the left rough.

A well struck middle iron would have put me into the same lay up area at 120 - 135 yards from the green. Without the frustration of three lost balls I might have executed the simple wedge shot onto the green and walked away with a two-putt bogie.

The key to avoiding the dreaded blow up is not to lose your cool after an errant shot. Don't let yourself attempt the low percentage Hail-Mary shot in a ditch effort to salvage par. Back your mind down and position yourself with shots you're confident you can make.

Stay off that runaway-train of bad shot decisions and you'll keep that scorecard intact. Get your head right with the game and you'll have more fun on the course!

It's an amazing thing to watch a newbie golfer rip his or her way around the links with little regard for what the outcome will be.

Most would call it beginner's luck, but there is something worth noticing about a golfer who is just starting out. The great Zen master Roshi explains it simply in Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game...

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; In the expert's mind there are few."

The fact is new players minds are empty and open. They are receptive to almost everything. Since they have no experience they have no expectations. Poor shots are dismissed and good shots are lucky. It's a natural learning process that most of us have experienced in one way or another.

With more seasoned players, our experience inadvertently becomes our expertise. Over time our minds fill with swing thoughts, techniques, tactics and strategies. There is little room left for new ideas and we often become stale.

Is it possible to break the pattern and return to a beginner's mindset? Yes absolutely! If you can embrace the idea that there is more to learn then you're perfectly positioned to experience golf through a beginner's mind once again.

Ben Hogan, one of the world's finest players, never stopped practicing. In fact, he was known to relish it. He was a lifelong student of the game. Ben never lost the mind of a beginner because he understood there was always something new to learn.

Maybe you could use a little beginner's luck on your next golf round? Read Zen Golf and begin again.

high school photo by eagle102.net

Observe, understand and replace

The first step to clearing the monkey chatter in your mind is to recognize that it exists. Step outside yourself for a minute and take notice of what's happening ...when it happens. Our minds can run like a stream of useless TV ads with us flipping the remote every 30 seconds.

Now that you recognize what's happening, take a moment to reflect on the chatter. All these important tasks and mental issues will resolve themselves in due course. The mental issues, obligations and otherwise minor distractions that fill our minds fall into two basic categories. They are either in our future or in our past. And as such, they do not require your immediate attention.

Understand that what you need to focus on now is the putt... and only the putt.

Now that you've recognized your chatter and you understand that it's primarily thoughts of future or past events, you can let it go and train your mind to focus on what's happening now.

Take a moment to notice and appreciate the beauty of the course your playing. Watch and observe various cloud formations during your round. Discuss today's weather with your teammates. Whistle your favorite tune or replay a favorite movie scene in you head.

These mental exercises can help to replace the monkey chatter with the simplicity of the moment and allow your head to focus on making the putt.

You can learn more about how to improve your focus by subscribing to our email newsletter. You'll get a FREE copy of our Subtract 4-8 Strokes ebook just for signing up. It's all about some simple ways to have more fun on the course.

Now go ahead and win that Nassau jackpot!

photo by Ihourahane

But these are PGA professionals, they would never stray into the dark arts of head game manipulation at the great Ryder Cup competition! Au contraire, my fellow golf enthusiasts ...these boys will be using every trick in the book to get inside the heads of their formidable opponents.

And often it's nothing more than a distracting cough in a backswing or some pocket change jingling when an opponent is about to putt.

Consider the tactics of master head gamer and golf intimidator, Seve Ballestaeros. A seemingly innocent question about his opponents missing wife, whom Seve knew had recently filed for divorce, was just enough to knock his rival's mind off the game and into his personal tribulations.

Seve was also known to stand too close to his opponent, continually fidget with gadgetry and refuse to concede short putts. These little gestures created a constant stream of distractions that would often provide him a significant competitive advantage if his opponents were unable to remain focused.

The 1969 Ryder Cup witnessed an ungentlemanly tiff involving American golfer Ken Still and England's Bernard Gallacher. According to the British press, Ken Still, in the first-day foursomes, had been accused of gamesmanship when he regularly stood too close when his opponent was putting. Later in the matches, Still squawked about some recurring gamesmanship by Bernard Gallacher. He reportedly knocked aside Gallacher's ball marker and conceded loudly, "You can have the hole – and the goddamn Cup!" The two nearly ended up in a fistfight.

Golfs true gentleman prevail

In the final match of the competition that year Jack Nicklaus conceded, what many believed (including American captain Sam Sneed), was a missable putt to Tony Jacklin. It halved their match and ended the 1969 Ryder Cup in a first ever tie at 16-16. The Americans retained the cup.

The challenges and contoversies of the 1969 Ryder Cup ignited a golf media frenzy on both sides of the Atlantic. It fueled stories of manipulative head games, Britain's unexpected competitive performance and Jack Nicklaus' generous and good natured sportsmanship. It provided a much needed boost to The Ryder Cup's somewhat tarnished image.

Pay close attention to how the players interact with each other this weekend. Their game faces will be on and their body language will be strategic. It's the entertainment behind the entertainment.

Do you know any juicy stories of Ryder Cup head game shenanigans? If so, leave a comment. We'd love to hear them. Who knows... you may pick up a few mind bending tricks you can use in your next match.

The 2010 Ryder Cup is going to be an awesome display of super premium golf. I just hope he hangs on to that $39 putter. It has already served him well. 

Well... Duh!

Steinberg goes on to say that the longer Tiger doesn't win, the harder it will be for him to win. He's got one hell of an mental uphill battle in front of him.

But if anyone can pull it off, Tiger can. Here's a man who has been to the mountain top. It wasn't that long ago that the so-called golf experts placed Tiger Woods well above the rest of the PGA tour. He was the on the "Tiger Tour."

Sport psychology consultant Dr. Jack Llewellyn, who has counseled professional athletes whose performances suffered because of turbulence in their personal lives, says he believes Woods can return to the "Tiger Tour," if and when he admits there are flaws in his mental game armor.

Llewellyn believes if Tiger takes care of himself mentally and physically, he'll rediscover the quality energy he needs to play his very large game.

So, Let's hear your opinion. Is the "Tiger Tour" gone forever, or can he rediscover the lost mind game assets from his pre-disaster days?