Two Peas In A PODS
 

This past Tuesday and Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of working with PGA TOUR player Brian Gay at the PODS Championshiip at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. Tuesday was spent on the range with a few dozen of the best players in the world and on Copperhead, site of the Championship. Wednesday was spent on the Island course, with both Brian and his caddy, Kip Henley ripping shots from tee and fairway.

Now, if playing golf with your caddy seems a bit out of the ordinary for a PGA TOUR player, consider the following dossier of one Kip Henley, III:

-- Born in Crossville, Tennessee, and raised in Chattanooga.

-- Member, PGA of America, since 1988.

-- Tennessee State Open Champion, 1982 and 1987.

-- PGA Section Player of the Year, five times.

-- PGA Section Championship, three times.

-- Winner of "zillions" of other tournaments (including the self-professed runner-up in the Grassy Cove Invitational (Hint: there is no Grassy Cove Invitational and there is barely a 'Grassy Cove' :laughing9 ).

-- Winner, The Golf Channel Big Break II.

Now, just what do you get when you're a Big Break II winner?

-- 4 Nationwide Tour Exemptions (best finish: -2, Missed Cut).

-- Car (Ford 500)

-- $10,000 cash.

-- Total 'take' with various endorsements -- "about $150,000."


And yes, he declared it all! :evil5:


Trust me: Kip is one-of-a-kind and an all-'round good guy. He and Brian are a great team. Expect to hear more about these two...

Much more.

Meanwhile, I shot a brief video at the PODS Championship...Kip and me 'just talkin' about gettin' the job done on TOUR. We will get it up soon in the LBG Gallery.

Well, let's start a Grassy Cove Invitational ! :sunny: A LBG sponsored invitational. Let Kip pick a charity and a Yoda Thorphy for the winner.

The Candy Store
 

From the Atlanta airport, it was 'wheels up' at 6:35 a.m. Tuesday morning heading for Tampa, Florida, and the PODS Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor. I was met at the airport by PODS volunteer Charles Smith and ferried to the course in a Buick courtesy car. Thanks, Charley...and Buick!

After depositing my luggage in the players' locker room -- :happy3: -- I hopped on a cart and headed toward the range. Brian Gay would be driving in from his home in Orlando, and we would be meeting up about noon. Meanwhile, 'ol Yoda had the place to himself!

#1 Charley Smith and me in the Transportation 'War' Room at Innisbrook.

#2 Player Registration. You meet the nicest people, and if you're lucky, can scrounge a Krispy Kreme doughnut!

#3 On the way to the range you pass the first tee, and even at this early hour, big doin's are underway...

#4 Recognize this guy (Stuart Appleby)?

#5 He can hit it!

#6 The putting green, including 'set-ups' by more than one or two of the fine folks who market their wares directly to the 'world's best.'

#7 From a vista above the Putting Green, the scene of the day's work lies before me -- The Range. It is already being populated by the greatest players in the world, and I can hardly wait!

The mothership called LBG has landed. The revolution will be televised.

Heath Slocum And Mark Blackburn At the PODS Championship
 

Way back in 2005, Heath Slocum was struggling. He was playing poorly and in danger of losing his PGA TOUR card. That year, Heath met Mark Blackburn, PGA, GSEM, my student and LBG friend, and a partnership was formed that would transform his game. Before the year was out, Heath won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic and in 2006 would post career-high official money winnings of $1,180,681. http://www.pgatour.com/players/02/22...dia-guide.html

This year, he is off to a red-hot start. With back-to-back top-10s -- a 4th at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and a 6th at the FBR Open -- and one top-20 in his first three starts, he has won $505,000. Not coincidentally, he also leads the PGA TOUR in Scoring Average.

"Leads the PGA TOUR in Scoring Average."

Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

:)

Here are a few photos of Heath and Mark gettin' it done on Tuesday. I filmed some video in the afternoon, including a Q&A on what they're working on. We'll get it up soon!

#1 Mark and Heath still dressed for an early morning Florida chill.

#2 Their own 'Battle Central' located at the far end of the range. The strapping young fellow immediately to Mark's left is Heath's caddy, D.J. Nelson. D.J. and Heath played on the same college golf team, and trust me, this guy can hit it!

#3 Sharing a laugh between two stations.

#4 Heath in a 'Slow-Mo' drill programming his entire stroke. This is after Start Up and into the Backstroke. Check out the bag in the lower left corner...would those be dowels? ;-)

#5 The Finish of a fine golf shot.

#6 More 'Slow-Mo.' This time, at the Top (Hands at Right Shoulder and On Plane).

#7 'Slo-mo' drill -- at Release. BTW, in the background, that's Brian Mogg working with Joe Durant.

#8 A beautiful Pivot with a centered Head position. If anybody is wondering what we teach, you're looking at it. And on golf's biggest stage.

#9-#11 Mark tweaking the 'Slow-Mo' alignments (at Address and Release).

#12 Back at it after lunch. No need for those pullovers now!

Results?

In Thursday's opening round, Heath shot a blistering 3-under par 68 and is T-6 in a 144-man field of the game's greatest players. Congratulations, guys, keep it going! :salut:

But don't get too comfortable, 'cuz...

Brian Gay is only a shot back at 69!

Grassy Cove Invitational
 

Kip will be making a special appearance at our LBG Academy at Falcon's Fire next week. We'll see if we can't get something like this started!

Also, I filmed a brief interview with him at the PODS Championship. We'll get it up soon. He's a special guy, and I want everybody to get to know him.

Man oh Man. Those Dowels are hot stuff in those bags. What is it a sercet club or something? Wonder when TGC notices.

Only at lynnblakegolf.com! This place is amazing!

I noticed Yoda that you have a green id tag, very nice!

Not For Sale
 

Thanks, Matt. 'Preciate those comments!

I am proud to have qualified for that PGA TOUR INSTRUCTOR credential you mention. It gets me onto the Practice Tee and into the Locker Room and Clubhouse at all PGA TOUR events. It's a good thing! :-D

And trust me...

It ain't for sale at Edwin Watts!

:laughing9

I really like Heath Slocum's game. There must be something in the water around the Milton/Pensacola area with Slocum/Weekley/Watson & Durant all doing well.

Why would Joe Durant leave Ron Gring after being a top 10 ballstriker all these years to work with Leadbetter disciple Brian Mogg? Not hating, just asking.