For a few weeks at the beginning of the 2007 PGA Tour season, Charles Howell III was leading the FedEx Cup points race. Howell was #1 on the money list.

Fast forward to today, where there’s no sign of Charles Howell III on Callaway’s player list. Callaway’s pro tour players list only has 11 players surprisingly.

Where will CHIII end up? Titleist (burned bridges?), Ping, Mizuno, Taylormade?

Donald Trump’s plan to build a mega golf resort in Aberdeenshire Scotland has been rejected….er, a… Trumped.

A couple of reasons included the worry that Aberdeenshire’s coastline would be compromised by the construction of the course and the housing development which would accompany it. Another political/business conflict was that some of the land was owned by Michael Forbes who didn’t want to sell to accommodate Trump.

I’ve been saving a few of my reviews for the right time. Since the weather is below freezing and there’s snow on the ground in my neck of the woods, now is a good time to review the Sindelar Stick To Golf Learning System.

Overview

The Sindelar Stick To Golf Learning System is an educational golf package which includes mats, balls, targets, lessons and guides on how to practice your short game. If the name Sindelar sounds familiar that’s because the system is presented by PGA Tour player Joey Sindelar. The system was originally designed to be taught as part of school education programs but is now available for individual or family use as well. Though young golfers are a majority of those who will benefit from this system, beginning or even advanced adult golfers would benefit from the practice and drills as well.

Teeny Target & Teeny Mat

The Teeny Target is a neat target with a real hole, and imprints for bunkers, water, fairway and green.

The Teeny Mat has imprinted instruction for stance and and technique to help the golfer and instructor.

The player chips from the Teeny Mat using his own club or the optional pitching club. Players score points for holing out or getting near the hole. To increase the challenge simply increase the distance between the mat and the target.

Individual or group games can be played to help improve short game skills. I played against my pop (see video) which watching a college football game on TV.

Putting Station

The Stick to Golf Putting Station includes one 27 inch long Teeny Green, one putter and one regular golf ball.

A scoring system and drills screened right onto the Teeny Green provide instruction, fun, games and competition. The Teeny Green has a teeny hole. If you start making putts on the Teeny Green, a regular golf hole on the course will look like a 10 gallon bucket.

The Teeny Green is thin and light and can be easily stored or rolled up to take with you on the road. If you travel, you could easily take the Teeny Green with you to practice putting in your hotel room.

Scholastic Instructor’s Manual

The Stick to Golf Scholastic Learning System Manual by itself is a great resource. Inside are many lessons on not only golf but life skills & activities, science, math, English and social studies. The scholastic manual teaches each of these subjects with their relationship to the golf world. The lessons are nicely structured for a scholastic calendar year’s worth of education.

Inside the manual is also a list of golf terminology and a neat planning guide for a golf course field trip. I wish I got to go to a golf course as a field trip when I was a kid in school.

Thousands of young golfers are already utilizing the Sindelar system via The First Tee and other organizations.

Packages Available

There are many packages available from individual units to complete classroom packages. Refer to the Sindelar web site for more info.

Gallery

I have more images of the Sindelar Stick To Golf system in the HOG Sindelar Photo Gallery.

I’m back home from Vegas. That was the most expensive “free” trip I’ve ever been on. But I had a great time. Man there are some HUGE construction projects there. It was interesting to see the moth-balled Frontier Hotel & Casino. I used to stay there all the time and back in ‘89 I hit them for $20K on the blackjack tables.

Change of seasons

When I left Salt Lake people were still golfing. In fact my buddy Dave called me to let me know he shot a 64! Wow! He was struggling but he must have figured something out.

Two days ago I was sitting by the pool having a frosty beverage in Vegas at the Wynn Resort. I hit a snowstorm on the way home and the snow was flying sideways. Today I’m looking out the window at the snow plows going by.

It may be hard to tell but look at the size of the snow flakes in the picture here. It’s time to start planning my trips to Southern Utah or Mesquite, Nevada to keep the golf game from going straight down the can.

I’m on vacation for a few days. I’m staying at the amazing Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. I’m poolside, golf blogging. Here’s a shot I took this morning.

I’ll be getting interviewed by Mike & Billy Saturday morning (11/23/07) on Golf Talk Radio from 8:20-8:35am PST.  Tune in to hear Mike & Billy ask me questions about The Golf Space and Hooked On Golf Blog!

Golf Talk Radio airs LIVE from San Luis Obispo, California on ESPN radio 1280am every Saturday from 8:05am to 10:00am (PST) and is also syndicated LIVE in Bakersfield, Ca. on KEGO 1230am. You can probably log on to the radio stations’ web sites for live feeds you can listen to on the web if you are not in their area.

Check out their web site for more into at www.golftalkradio.com or visit Golf Talk Radio’s Golf Space profile at www.thegolfspace.com/Mike%20Brabenec .

Fellow golf blogger and good friend Jay Flemma also has awarded his version of the HOG Turkey Awards, called the Jazzy awards.

Check here to see who won Jay’s Jazzy awards.

I feel Fred Couples’ pain in more ways than one. He’s a divorced, sharp looking golfer with a great swing who has back problems (sounds familiar haha).

Freddy will be making yet another appearance this year in the tournament nobody is better at, The Skins Game.