Annika Calls it quits

Annika Sorenstam has announced her retirement from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season. She will be leaving a legacy behind her. She is a hall of fame member and a winner of 10 major championships. She stated that it was very important for her to have a family and at 38, she feels the need to be thinking about these things and spending time with her fiance/soon to be new husband. Lets all wish Annika good luck for the rest of 2008 and happiness is the life after golf.

wachovia acts as warmup for next weeks players championship

This week Wachovia Championship is the PGA Tours last warm up before the coveted Players Championship. David Toms fired a first round 67 to lead the tournament by one shot. Toms is a past champion at this event so look for him to continue his good play. To follow all the shots for the Wachovia, go to:

www.pgatour.com

Get more distance off the tee

To hit the golf ball farther, try this tip. Tee the golf ball a little higher and move your head to the right a little at address. On your back swing, try to stretch the body back as far as you can and be a little more deliberate on the take away. When you start down feel your weight go into the the left side and try to accelerate the club to the fullest finish you can get. This will help you hit the ball farther. To search for more tips go to:

www.aviaragolfacademy.com

In honour of Byron Nelson

This week the PGA Tour stops off in Dallas, Tx to pay honour to the late Byron Nelson. The tournament will be played at the TPC at Los Colinas. Look for a Texan to try and win this prestigous event. We here are looking for Scott Verplank to have another great performance.
Stay tuned and lets see how the tournament plays out.

Play golf where South Africa's best play

Ever dreamed of playing the same golf courses as the pros. Give Pearl Valley Golf Estate in Paarl, South Africa a try. Pearl Valley is the host to the 2009 South African Open, a co-sanctioned event between the European PGA Tour and The Sunshine Tour. The tournament will host players such as Immelman, Els, Goosen, and many more. When your are done head off to some of the best wine tasting in the world. You can even try wines at Ernie Els' own winery. To view the estate go to:

www.pearlvalley.co.za

To view Ernies wines go to:

www.ernieels.com

Cheers to great golf and wine.

Eve of The Masters

It is finally here! The Masters is upon us and another green jacket is to be handed out on April 13th. Tiger Woods is the odds on favorite to win this years tournament but we think there are some other golfers that deserve respect. Phil Mickleson has to be considered a favorite as he has a proven track record around The Augusta National Golf Club. Also to be considered are Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker, Reteif Goosen, Aaron Baddely, and Fred Couples. We here are leaning towards Australian Geoff Ogilviy. We just like his recent form and his attitude now. Stay tuned and to learn more about the tournament, go to:

www.masters.org

Ochoa poised again!

Mexico's Lorena Ochoa is poised to win her 2nd major at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. It would also be her 2nd major in a row and it will help solidify her position a the number 1 ranked women's golfer in the world. She has a 1 stroke lead and she is playing with confidence reminiscent of Tiger Woods. In reality, she is dominating the game of golf more than Tiger is at the moment. Tune in tomorrow and see if Lorena can clinch the first women's major of the year.

At home in Houston

The final tune up before the Masters began today at the Shell Houston Open. This is also the final chance to get into the Masters with a win. The first round leaders are Adam Scott and Johnson Wagner. Scott is no stranger to the lead at Houston. He is the defending champion and also has another top 10 finish. Even though he was born in Adelaide, Australia and currently resides in Switzerland, he may want to consider moving to Houston. A little known fact about
Adam is that his caddy, Tony Navarro, caddied for years for Australian golfer Greg Norman.

Way to go Andres!

Yesterday, Andres Romero of Argentina captured his first PGA Tour Title in New Orleans. You may remember him from last years British Open when he had the lead with 2 holes to play and finished with a double bogey and a bogey. Look for him to be a very bright star in the future as he has decided to make the US PGA Tour his home.

To have a look at the clubs that Andres plays, go to: www.tmag.com

Improve your putting through better distance control

If you want to improve your putting, you must improve your distance control. A easy way to do this is go to your local putting green and find a fairly flat putt. Walk 10 feet away from the hole and put a tee into the ground. Then go another 10 feet and place another tee in the ground. Keep doing this until you get to 40 feet and have 4 tees in the ground at once. Now hit 3 putts from each tee. Your goal is to let the ball have just enough speed to get just past the hole. After doing this twice, mix it up and hit 1 ball from the tees in a random order. This will get you prepared for the golf course. Pay close attention next week to The Masters Tournament, the winner will have excellent distance control on his putts. Good Luck and good putting.

To follow all the action at The Masters Tournament go to: www.masters.org

Quote of the Week: Arnold Palmer

Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. - Arnold Palmer

We couldn't agree more!

Tiger Wood's New Gatorade Ad

No monkey business on the course!

Here' s a sign you won't find on your typical Golf Course! This novel sign was spotted by the Bogeys Team next to the tees at the stunning Pezula Championship Golf Course in Kynsa, South Africa. These attractive wooden bins conceal the on-course trash cans. Apparently humans aren't the only ones that find this golf course irresistible. The breathtaking, award-winning 18-hole course rates amongst the best and the most scenic golf courses in the world.

Check out the Pezula website for more info http://www.pezula.co.za/golf/index.html

Els testing the waters with new coach?

Ernie Els was seen working with Butch Harmon recently. Could this be a split from long time coach David Leadbetter? Ernie has said that it was a trial and he will elaborate when more details are available. Ernie has also been meeting up with his trainer Josh Salzmann at the gym at Wentworth and has kept up to speed with the fitness side of things. As Ernie wrote on his website www.ernieels.com , " That’s a big deal for me now. I mean, I would say I’m in even better physical shape now than I was 10-12 years ago. That makes a big difference in terms of my flexibility and my strength, which has a seriously positive impact on the golf swing. It’s one of the key things that will help keep me playing my best golf this year and in years to come. "

Let's hope the Big Easy can find his way back to the top of his game.

Retief ready for The Masters?

South Africa's Retief Goosen has his game rounding into shape for the Masters. His joint second place finish at the World Golf Championship played at Doral this past weekend along with his 14th place finish at Bay Hill the week before are showing signs of the "Goose" of old. Look out for him at Augusta in a few weeks.

The Streak is Over!

Olgivy ends Tigers streak! Australia's Geoff Ogilvy ended Tiger Woods win streak with a 1 shot victory at the World Golf CA Championship played at Doral over the Easter weekend. Tiger finished 2 shots back in 5th place. Ogilvy's performance was nothing short of remarkable, as he only made 1 bogey in 72 holes played out over 5 days due to rain stopping play on both Saturday and Sunday. Congratulations Geoff!

Wide World of Golf

Welcome to the Bogeys Team Blog. The Bogeys In The Bush team is headed up by Grant & Penny Halverson. This blog combines our 2 great passions; golf and South Africa.

We are updating and revamping our existing website http://www.bogeysinthebush.com/. We hope this blog informs & inspires. We will have weekly features including golf tips, golf course profiles and reviews, spotlights on our favorite South African wines, travel tips, hotel reviews and so much more. Keep checking back for updates.

Cheers for now!

The Bogeys Team