Ever wonder how many calories you are burning during a workout?  It is very important to monitor your calories intake and output to manage your weight.  In order to maintain your ideal weight you need to expend the same amount of calories as you are in-taking.  If you want to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you are taking in. Here is a quick and easy way to figure out how many calories you are burning during a workout.Visit the following link and you will be able to calculate quickly the amount of calories that you have burned during an activity, so that you are able to balance your meals accordingly.http://dftools.ivillage.com/healthtools/calc_cb.cfm 

RICOH Women’s British Open

Sunningdale Golf Club

Berkshire, England

Thur/Fri TNT

Sat/Sun ABC

Defending Champion…Lorena Ochoa

Front 9…

                  1.  (3-1)…Lorena Ochoa…In 5 career appearances, Ochoa has 3 Top 10’s; Ochoa has 11 Top 10’s, 9 Top 5’s and 6 wins in 14 events this year.

2.  (16-1)…Paula Creamer…In 3 career appearances, Creamer

has 1 Top 10; Creamer has 9  

Top 10’s, 5 Top 5’s and 3 wins in 17 events this year.

                  3. (16-1)…Annika Sorenstam…In 14 career appearances, Sorenstam has 6 Top 5’s including a win in 2003; Sorenstam has 8 Top 10’s, 7 Top 5’s and 3 wins in 13 events this year.

                  4. (28-1)…Na Yeon Choi…This is her first career appearance; Choi has 8 Top 10’s and 5 Top 5’s in 17 events this year.

                  5. ( 25-1)… Ji-Yai Shin…This is her first career appearance; Shin has 2 Top 10’s in 5 events this year.

6. (28-1)…Suzann Pettersen… In 6 career appearances, Pettersen has

no Top 10’s; Pettersen has 4 Top 10’s and 3 Top 5’s in 13 events

this year.

                  7. (28-1)…Yani Tseng…This is her first career appearance; Tseng has 5 Top 10’s & 4 Top 5’s, including a win at LPGA McDonald’s, in 15 events this year.

                  8. (30-1)…Christie Kerr…In 8 career appearances, Kerr has 2 top 10’s; Kerr 5 has 7 Top 10’s, 2 Top 5’s in 16 events this year.

                  9.  (35-1)…Angela Park…This is the her first career appearance; Park has 5 Top 10’s, 5 Top 5’s in 17 events this year.

Karen’s Picks

1.    Paula Creamer

2.   Na Yeon Choi

3.   Lorena Ochoa

Listen to Karen and Ken Hartis from Hound Dog’s LPGA Blog (www.hdlpga.blogspot.com) review and preview the LPGA Tour every week on the Prime Sports Radio Network at www.primesportsnetwork.com.Every week we present the top 9 contenders and discuss their performance records.  Please send your questions and comments to Karen@swingbladegolf.com. This Week’s Show: 

Evian Masters

Evian Masters Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France

July 24-27

Thursday-Sunday GC

Defending Champion…Natalie Gulbis

Front 9…

                  1.  (13-5)…Lorena Ochoa…In 5 career appearances, Ochoa has 5 Top 5’s; Ochoa has 10 Top 10’s, 8 Top 5’s and 6 wins in 13 events this year.

2.  (12-1)…Paula Creamer…In 3 career appearances, Creamer

has 2 Top 10’s and 1 Top 5 including a win in 2005; Creamer has 8  

Top 10’s, 5 Top 5’s and 3 wins in 16 events this year.

                  3. (15-1)…Annika Sorenstam…In 8 career appearances, Sorenstam has 5 Top 10’s and 3 Top 5’s including 2 wins in 2000 and 2002; Sorenstam has 8 Top 10’s, 7 Top 5’s and 3 wins in 12 events this year.

                  4. (20-1)…Jeong Jang…In 6 career appearances Jang has 2 Top 10’s and 1 Top 5; Jang has 5 Top 10’s and 5 Top 5’s in 16 events this year.

5. (22-1)…Suzann Pettersen… This is her first career appearance;

Pettersen has 4 Top 10’s and 3 Top 5’s in 12 events this year.

                  6. (25-1)…Yani Tseng…This is her first career appearance; Tseng has 5 Top 10’s & 4 Top 5’s, including a win at LPGA McDonald’s, in 14 events this year.

                  7.  (25-1)…Karrie Webb…In 7 career appearances, Webb has 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 5’s including a win in 2006; Webb has 4 Top 10’s and 3 Top 5’s in 11 events this year.

                  8.  (28-1)… Ji-Yai Shin…In 1 career appearance, Shin has 1 Top 5; Shin has 2 Top 10’s in 4 events this year.

                  9. (33-1)…In-Bee Park…This is the her first career appearance; Park has 7 Top 10’s, 2 Top 5’s and 1 win in 17 events this year.

Karen’s Picks

1.    Paula Creamer

2.   Lorena Ochoa

3.   Jeong Jang

Although Lorena Ochoa leads the HSBC Women’s Champions Tournament, shooting 66 in Singapore, South Korea’s women are making their mark in women’s golf. Since the beginning of the year, South Korean women have been playing amazing golf and in my opinion, will eventually dominate women’s golf. In the past 5 weeks, South Korea’s lady golfers have had an amazing run, check it out …

1. Women’s World Cup of Golf

South Korea’s Ji-Yai-Shin and Eun Hee Ji were beaten only by two strokes by Team Philippines in South Africa at beginning of year.

2. Women’s Australian Open

Karrie Webb defeated Ji-Yai Shin from South Korea after both players finished tied at eight-under-par 284 in regulation. 

Webb rolled in a twelve-foot birdie putt on the first play-off hole to take her fourth national title.

3. ANZ Ladies Masters

England’s Lisa Hall came from one stroke behind the overnight leader South Korea’s Hyun Ju Shin to post a three round winning total of 13-under-par 203.

4. SBS Open at Turtle Bay

Annika Sorenstam wins while South Korea’s Jane Park finishes 2nd and Angela Park finishes T-5 after receiving a two- stroke penalty.

5. Fields Open

Paula Creamer wins after South Korea’s Jeong Jang lead almost the entire tournament finishing one stroke behind.

Be prepared to see not only South Korea’s ladies on top of the leader board more often, but also women from other Asian nations. There are 66 players from six Asian nations on the LPGA Tour.

Even after winning his sixth straight tournament title and passing Arnold Palmer on the U.S. PGA Tour’s all-time wins list with a record-setting victory in the final of the World Golf Championships Match Play event, Tiger Woods says that the game is hard and that he doesn’t have time in the day to practice all the different parts of the game.

After being asked about the state of his game in the press room at the post-round interview, he said that he still felt that there is room for improvement in his game. He said (and I am paraphrasing) “the game is fluid, it is always changing. When you are putting well, the ball striking may leave you, when you are hitting the ball well, then you start to putt badly. It is impossible to do everything well. I just feel that there is not enough time in the day to practice all the different parts of the game.”

Tiger must be human because that is the way I feel!

If Tiger doesn’t have enough time in the day to practice his game, what about the rest of the poor guys on the PGA Tour?

When you think of rock stars, you think of hillside mansions, all night parties, people in and out of rehab, and self indulgence. Tico Torres, Bon Jovi drummer, is the antithesis of the “rock star” persona. Over the past 23 years, Tico has been a member of one of the most successful rock bands of all times selling over 120 million albums worldwide and topping the music charts with 19 top 40 hits.

This year Bon Jovi was nominated for a Grammy for their “Lost Highway” CD, and Sunday, Tico had to make a choice - go to the Grammys with his band and party like a rock star or stay in Florida and run his charity golf tournament to raise money for one of his favorite charities, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation that happened to be on the same day as the Grammys.

He could have just as well blown of his own event to attend the Grammys. No one would have blamed him, but he didn’t. Tico, a 7 handicap, stuck around to play in his own tournament at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He wanted to make sure that he met and thanked paying participants for coming out to support his charity.

During the event Tico patiently signed autographs and took photos with everyone who asked, and even shelled out $70,000 of his own money at the live auction at the dinner the night before the tournament.

So in this day of out of control and over paid celebrities, it is nice to know that some are doing good and giving back. Amy Winehouse couldn’t attend the Grammys because she had just been released from a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Tico Torres couldn’t attend because of a nobler reason: he had to play golf.

Tico Torres, Karen Palacios-Jansen and pro-am team

Tico Torres Tees off.

The Secrets to Distance

Hit the Ball Straighter Not Harder for More Distance

To get more distance, try hitting the ball straighter instead of harder.  Concentrate on hitting the ball in the sweetspot of the clubface.  If you have ever hit sweetspot, you know that these shots fly farther than the shots you hit off center in the heel or toe.  For every quarter inch you hit the ball outside the sweetspot, you lose 10 yards of distance.  So for maximum power, improve you swing technique to consistently hit the ball in the center of the clubface.

Here are elements of the swing that will help you hit the sweetspot of the clubface.   

1.      Alignment2.       Swing Plane3.      Angle of Attack4.      Squareness of Contact5.      Speed 

It is impossible to have too many thoughts while you swing, so work on each one of the elements separately and you will soon see an improvement in your ball striking.

WHY YOU HIT FAT GOLF SHOTS

Step 1: Losing height at set-up
The first cause of fat shots is putting your body too low at set-up.
This can happen if you do not keep your left arm straight enough at set-up.
The weight of the clubface will straighten your arms out in the downswing.
So if you don’t compensate by raising your body, you will hit the ground behind the golf ball.
 
Step 2: Bending your knees too much at set-up
If you set up with your knees too bent, it is likely that your weight will be on your heels and your upper body upright.
In this golf swing plane, the golf club travels much lower than if you swing it straight, and will hit the ground before it reaches the ball.
 
Step 3: Bad foot position at set-up
If you set up to the ball with your right foot pointing outwards, your weight will naturally shift to the outside of your right foot during the back swing.
It is then difficult to transfer your weight across to your left foot on the down swing, so your centre of gravity stays too far behind the ball and you hit a fat shot.
To find out more about how to keep a good posture and hit the ball cleanly, see our video “stop hitting fat shots”.

If you slice your driver, you may have what is called a weak grip. To Promote the correct clubface-check your grip at address.  If you are right-handed, make sure that your left thumb is rotated to the right (away from the target) instead of straight down the shaft.  When you look down at our hand, our left thumb should be angled towards the right.  You should see at least two knuckles of your left hand. 

If you slice, you may have a faulty takeaway.  If your clubface rolls to the inside on the takeaway this will cause the clubface to open.  To prevent this from happening, practice taking the club away keeping the back of your lead hand pointing to the ground.  This will keep the clubface square on the takeaway and help you get rid of the slice.

 If you slice, you may be “Coming over the top”.  Coming over the top is easily the averages player’s most common fault.  If you initiate the downswing by spinning your shoulders and upper body towards the target, you will throw the clubhead away from your body and hit the outside of the ball at impact causing a slice.  To correct this, imagine a line running from the tip of your chin straight down to the ground.  Make your normal takeaway, but on the downswing be sure your hands and arms pass underneath your chin: don’t allow your hands to pass outside that