character that keeps you in the present moment not getting to far ahead of yourself.  Even Steve Jobs said, “The journey is the reward.”  Sports psychologists will tell you by setting intermediate goals that can be reached on a daily basis are one of the best tools for making long-term improvement.  Being able to take small steps enables you to keep your ideas simple, not introducing too much change in your game to quickly, and moving positively toward your goal of changing habits for stronger play.  Some weeks all I focus on is acceptance and allowing things to take place without trying to force events, this stops focusing on a result that you want which can short circuit the improvement.  I love achieving small steps along the way, because it helps you feel like you are moving toward a brighter future.  It gives you real hope. This is one of the reasons that I enjoy working out. Exercise helps me feel like I’m giving myself the best chance to swing in the best way possible. I hate feeling like I can’t make the moves needed to be my best. Playing a lot of golf is very physical, especially stressing your small tendons and ligaments, so you have to condition yourself if you want to have longevity in golf, but most importantly, if you want to have a life free of pain so you can stay active and enjoy your life long into your 80’s.

One of the great big products of acceptance and gratitude is the thankfulness you’ll feel when your life has real purpose and direction. So by not overstressing, pressuring, and “wanting” so much you’ll find that you have a much happier attitude. Therefore, I recommend that you have a mental goal that you can accomplish no matter how you play, putting yourself in the best possible mode for reaching into 2012 with enthusiasm and joy.  So keep the faith and have a wonderful time going after your heart’s desire.  See you in the next few weeks; the first tournament that I’m playing is the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Florida the week of February 10.  Happy New Year! I hope to see you in a positive state of mind.

Get the birdie feeling

The Champion’s Tour is finally finished and just in time for Thanksgiving, which is so appropriate for such a great year that I had. I’m so thankful for all the people that I’ve met this year, the special events that took me to new places, and also for the safe travel of my family that is spread out all over the US. 2011 was a break out year for my game, I felt that I’ve played better in the past; however, I scored better this year through good putting. Callaway really set me up with

Chip Beck & Caddy Chris Frame

my equipment where for the first time I was able to play softer shafts to get a little bulk out of the club, but most importantly to get away from graphite shafts in my irons and play light weight steel shaft that are more stable or more consistent.  With the testing of the Razr Fit driver this week I’m headed for one more fitting which I know I’ll be even in better shape with my equipment for next year.  People don’t realize how important equipment is until they either have trouble or something breaks.  The pros know that equipment is one of the biggest pieces of the whole puzzle of playing professional golf. The support Callaway gives their players is beyond anything I have experienced in the past and I’m very thankful for all their diligence, professionalism, and kindness that they have shown me. I look forward to another great year in 2012.  There will be a new adjustable three wood in January which will be a great new addition to the brand. I can’t wait since most par fives are reachable with a three wood that is really strong and consistent.  Most rounds are improved by playing well on the par fives.  My best years have been when I’ve scored lower on the par fives. Even Jeff Sluman said he plays his best golf when he has a strong three wood, which allows him to hit the par fives.  Recently, he told me he hit a shot ten feet from 275 yards away and scored an eagle.  So this gives you some indicator how important to the psyche this ability is.

This month I’m looking forward to spending time at Grey Oaks in Florida with all the wonderful members from all over the world.  It’s such a great combination of challenging golf, interesting people, and an outstanding staff that makes for great food with an indescribable environment.  On top of all that add the Florida weather and you have something close to paradise.

Also, in the next few months I’m headed to Atlanta to celebrate with my 1% Club to raise money for my Alma matter, Georgia.  What happens is that we are going to go the SEC Championship game, have a great dinner and play some golf, while the players donate to the Georgia Golf Team 1% based on my earnings from this past year?  Coach Hack started this program for junior golfers when he was running a national program before he became coach of Georgia. By reinstituting the 1% Club for the Georgia Dawgs it gives the professional golfers a chance to contribute to a great cause that really helps the school but more importantly, it really helps the team reach their goal of being the best in the country.

So in closing, I’m truly thankful for the family blessings of this past year, both from my family of origin, and my wife and children, along with all my friends that encourage me every week.  Happy Thanksgiving to all my fans and my God bless you all fully in this Holiday Season.  Sincerely, Chip Beck

through the past six years. I feel so grateful for all the nice people I’ve met through being involved with the Champion’s Tour. When I started out I was just getting out of the insurance business where I was like a caddie learning everything I could by tagging along following John Vitt all over the Chicagoland area trying to make a sale and a good impression. So when I played my first event, I was apprehensive to get started, however, I was determined not to be in a situation where I was like a second fiddle. Fortunately, I have been able to climb the charts throughout the past five years, steadily getting comfortable with the competition where I can play relaxed to better display all my hard work through good play. The competition is very stout. Every week someone gets hot shooting great scores. On the tour today there are so many new players that are coming up you really have to be at your best to compete. This year we have had 18 new winners, of which, the last three events have had new winners which is the first time in Champion’s Tour history that there have been three consecutive first timers to win. This statistic shows how competitive the events are and how great the talent is coming up through the ranks.

For the first time since I started playing the Champion’s Tour I have qualified for the top 30, which is a great milestone, due to all the great players that continue to play well in spite of age or illness. Golfers are truly gifted and I’ve really enjoyed playing with Hale Irwin, and all the great players because even at my age you can learn about yourself and keep improving.  The true joy of playing the great game of golf is that no matter the age or deficiency you can get better in so many areas of the game that it never gets boring.  As I’ve aged, I’ve spent more time keeping in shape working my body out, forcing myself to push a little harder and smarter to stay healthy to improve my game. On our tour, the great equalizer is health, and most of the attrition on the tour comes from illness or injury. So most players pay careful attention to staying in shape to enjoy a longer career.

Therefore, I would love to thank all my fans for sticking it out with me and helping me with words of encouragement. All my friends, coaches and family from my childhood like Tony Evans that have followed me with an unabiding love and concern for my well being. I couldn’t have made it without all your help. So thank you so very much for getting to this point in my life where the future looks so bright. All the best for a great week.  Chip

The most satisfying aspect of the last few weeks is that I’ve been able to finish well on Sunday’s round. At the Senior British Open I was a couple of shots out going into Sunday and had a very bad day shooting 77. I was truly upset and heartbroken over the collapse. I thought I was ready to really play my best.  So coming back last Sunday in New York with the lowest round by two shots was a great come back. I was proud of myself for not letting the poor British slow me down too much. Sometimes in the past it was very hard to get over, however, this time I just took it in stride not making too much out of it.  This attitude allowed me to come back and I’m glad that I’ve been able to accomplish this because I now have a chance to win and secure a top 30 for the season.  This is the first time that I’ve been this far up the money list this late in the season. Therefore, I’m looking forward to a strong finish.

I’m headed home for a couple of weeks, and then it’s off to Korea, which I’m really looking forward to.  I’m hopeful to work with Doc Suttie as much as I possibly can. Also, it will be great to watch my son Carl play some matches for his High School. Tomorrow, he’s playing Willow Hill Golf Course and I looking forward to me being there. So for now, I’m headed to the “Red Eye” for an early arrival in Chicago! I look forward to catching up later in the week.  Have a great few days.  Sincerely,

Chip Beck 

Grip Guide Training Aid

Well, I’m headed out to play in the Constellation Energy Championship in Rye, New York, which I’m so excited about. It’s one of the Champion Tour’s majors, but also, from 1979 until almost 2000 I played at the Westchester Country Club,  which I’ve always enjoyed the community where I’ve made many friends that have become my closest and lifelong companions. I always enjoy going back to see all the wonderful people of New York, they love their golf and have supported the PGA Tour for as long as any community.  Therefore the whole PGA Tour family is also excited to be going back to Westchester.

The past few months I haven’t bogged much due to working so hard on my game and my family having so many changes taking place lately. Like John going to college last week, was a big event in our family because John is such a home body and just one of the kindest persons in the world. We were wondering how he would navigate all the happening of going away. I’m so happy to report that John has had a wonderful first week. My wife and I were so surprised that he even did a round of laundry. A couple of my friends that were very familiar with the Greek Life at Georgia helped my son settle in. John Gibbs and his brother Bill were so nice to introduce John to many friends that made him feel very welcome. He   pledged KA, which made him so happy. John, Being so quiet normally, I wondered how it would all turn out, but he has passed the first real challenge of being away and school starts on Monday. It seems that college is the rite of passage with respect to getting on your own, making your own decisions for your life, and becoming a real adult. Fortunately or unfortunately, whichever way you see it, all that is left is for parents to just pray.  So I’m wishing all the best to parents and children in this wonderful process of going to college.

One highlight in my life this year has been getting involved with Grip Guides For Golf. This is an adhesive product that you put on your club which will help every golfer improve his grip which in turn helps their game. Next Monday after Westchester I’m headed to Las Vegas for the fall PGA Of America Golf Show to help with the unveiling of this new product. Everyone is excited about my clinic set up on Monday to explain how Grip Guide works and how it will improve their games. Also, the Big Break contestants are going to be there and Grip Guides will have a product for each person to help them win the show. Pretty exciting stuff for a new company just hoping to get a good foot in the door. Keep an eye on Grip Guides For Golf I think they will sell like hotcakes.

Doc. Suttie and I have really worked on my game the past month, improving my driving and putting has been a life saver. What is so surprising is that I’ve actually hit the ball very poorly since the Rock Barn tournament; however, I have putted better than I have in a long time. The game is so much easier when you’re putting well. So hopefully the next few weeks will be more successful with a little more consistency in my ball striking.  Doc came to our last tournament in Minneapolis, and my game showed real steady improvement. I don’t think I have played with such a neutral face position in my life. What happens when you have your backswing in the proper place there are fewer compensations to make on the downswing, giving you a freer flowing swing into the ball and through. Hale Irwin even commented to me how well I was driving the ball on Sunday when we were paired together.

On that note, Hale is probably the best wedge player that I have ever seen. For so many years, I don’t think anyone has hit it closer to the hole with his wedge than Hale.  I know Steve Stricker set a remarkable record last year within a hundred yards never being outside of a few feet all year, but Hale really impresses me with how many times he hits the flag with his ball.  Last Sunday he hit the flag at 16 stopping one inch from the hole and on 18 he hit another wedge close for birdie with trouble all around the hole.  Watch him play his wedges if you have a chance, no one in the game is better. Also, while you watching Hale doesn’t forget to watch him drive the ball. He has won so many US Opens I forget if it’s 4 or 5, but he has the best pre-shot routine on every hole no matter how narrow or difficult the hole might be. He lives with his driver and puts it to work for him no matter what the consequences are. Some of the narrowest holes where I’m hitting three wood he takes his driver placing it 20 yards closer to the hole making the hole a lot easier for him. The 16 holes that I just mentioned in Minneapolis I hit three wood off the tee leaving myself with almost 140 yards to a very tight hole location. Hale hit his wedge one inch. Off the tee there was water all down the right side and a bunker cutting off the fairway at about 280. He just lets it go, I’m always impressed with his courage every time we play.  It’s no wonder that he has won 45 times in his career.  An amazing stat that will never be touched on the Champions Tour again.  Congratulations Hale you are my hero! I also remember Hale at the Ryder Cup in 1991 when Dave Stockton asked him to bring in the ship at the end of the Sunday rotation. Hale didn’t bat an eye and said it would be his honor. What I knew was that at that time Hale was one of the shortest hitters on our team and played a left to right fade, which made the finishing holes the most difficult for this type of player. If you remember Mark Calcavecchia hit the water to the right of the par 3 seventeen just about every time due to the wind that was so dense with water it would move your ball right every time.  Just a very difficult finish for anyone, but Hale knew he had to be up before making the turn back to the clubhouse because the last five finishing holes were so difficult.  On the last hole, if you remember Bernhard Langer hit a 4 iron while Hale hit a 3 wood into the green which is quite an advantage for one player over the other. Hale just was so tough mentally that he really did “bring the ship home.”  An amazing feat in my mind knowing the Ryder Cup was at stake. I have always loved Hale Irwin due to his guts and mental toughness.  One of the all time greats of the game, that’s for sure.

It’s raining today, so I’m hoping to practice this afternoon. I was going to play Hudson National on the Hudson River just north of Rye, however, the weather is just too bad and the men I was scheduled to play with decided work looked better.  Hudson National is probably in Tom Fazio’s top 5 courses that he has built. The finishing eighteenth is voted the best hole in New York which is truly the prettiest finishing holes in all of golf with its ten mile vista of the Hudson River. If you get a chance to play it, please do so, you’ll have a great experience on a well groomed course.

Until next time, I pray that you have a great week of golf and that we have many new great champions like Keegan Bradley who just won the PGA Championship.

On the First Tee in Montreal

I’m so thankful today that I’m in Canada, which is a very peaceful and vibrant country. With what is going on in Athens, Greece, I’m honestly thankful for my family that we are Americans living in homeland peace.  My missing the US Open qualifier in Hamilton, New York yesterday at the Colgate University golf course, Seven Oaks, I’m not so worried that I shot 74. We are so lucky to have our country right now, we just need to protect and make the right decisions politically in the next few years to protect our economy to prevent the slide that is happening all throughout Europe.

The second annual Montreal Championship is happening this week at the 7,105 yard Club de golf Le Fontainebleau, which is a very modern, classic layout featuring undulating greens, and well placed bunkers. Le Fontainebleau’s three closing holes, nicknamed the “Hat Trick” build to a great climax around a large lake. It’s something the members look forward watching to see if a player will score a “Hat Trick” birdies on the final three holes of the championship.

On the downside of playing professional golf, this past weekend I missed my nieces wedding in South Carolina. Therefore, I’m catching up on all the activities through my wife who attended and had a wonderful time with all of my family. It’s hard to make all the weddings since my ten siblings have 36 children. Just this year we have had three weddings to date. So there will be lots of parties for the Becks in the near future, which I pray occur opposite my playing schedule. People always look at the “glamour” of the tour but forget about all the sacrifices that have to take place to perform well. I think players miss most of all the daily happening and events of their families, and when we look back this just goes with the territory of most jobs that require you to travel. Kind of like the American Dream, going for it and exploring new territory, which is in our blood as golfers and Americans.

Also, at this time I’m looking forward to playing at Pebble Beach next week for our First Tee Tournament out on the Monterey Peninsula. I’ve not been there in the summer since the US Open back in the 80’s, so I’m hoping it’s not the coldest winter I’ve experienced to date.

Check us out this week in Montreal via the Golf Channel; I’m sure it’s going to be a great and exciting tournament, especially with the world’s largest jazz festival going on in Montreal this Fourth of July. To give you some scope as to the size of the Festival International de Jazz, there will be 30 countries represented, 3000 musicians, 650 concerts, bringing out 2.5 million people.  It will be a lot of fun from noon until midnight every day this weekend, I’m sure the golfers will catch some of the action.  So until later hit em straight and have a great week.  Chip

Dr. Adams has raised over 100 million dollars each of the past five years, which is added onto the 650 million dollars raised for the UGA Archway To Excellence Fund. All of these efforts have helped UGA become a very prominent public university in the United States, along with the major research that has taken place.

With Dr. Adams contract being up for renewal for an additional five years I would say that the university will renew his contract. More importantly I pray that Dr. Adams will want to continue the stupendous work that he has begun, and bring his brilliant career to a wonderful conclusion at UGA.  Quite extraordinary! Oh I forgot, he also started a medical school along with an engineering school.   This May will be the completion of the first graduating class at the medical school, which is going to be a great asset to the state, but also, for the University because of the large Federal grants that the school can now vie for.

The Athens Classic hosted by Stadion/Tim Chapman the Chairman and founder of this 8 billion dollar money management company, has truly forged a great partnership. With all the infrastructure of the University, from food services, which was voted #1 last year for all universities, to all the volunteers, staff, and alumni, Stadion will take this tournament to the highest levels on any tour. Georgia is the only university that owns a PGA Tour tournament, which has outstanding synergies for raising lots of charity dollars for the local community. I was proud to Co-Host with Bubba Watson, who brought so much enthusiasm to the community, especially since he won The Zurich Classic in New Orleans just last week. I was hoping to have a driving contest with him, however, it was probably good for me since he has hit some of the longest tee shots in the history of the tour. What is truly special for all juniors looking to make it to the PGA Tour, Georgia’s tournament allows two spots for its team members, which lead to UGA Senior and three time All-American, Russell Henley winning the tournament.

My son John, who will be attending UGA this fall was with me, had a wonderful time as the Commissioner of his Fantasy Football league meeting A. J. Green, and Mathew Stafford. Being able to report first hand that Stafford’s shoulder is in tip top shape really made his week. Also, all the celebrities were so nice to engage the press along with playing in the Monday Pro-Am, especially, A. J. Green due to the uncertainty of his NFL contract, in which he was drafted just a few days before.

Onto Birmingham for the Regions Tradition which is our first major. Birmingham holds a special place in the history of Civil Rights. It has come a long way from the Freedom Riders attacks on Mother’s Day in 1961, along with the four beautiful children that were bombed at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in 1963.  For the golf world, Shoal Creek is symbolic for the changes that took place right after the 1990 PGA Championship where all the ruling bodies of golf adopted policies that disallowed discriminatory clubs from hosting golf events.  I’m so proud of all the major golf associations that have come together to make the golfing world a better place, for all Americans to have fun around our great sport.  Shoal Creek has set a wonderful example of how to go about making our world a better place, through adopting and changing with the times of not discriminating with regard to race, sex, religion, or national origin.   Mike Thompson, the founders son, was so generous with all the guests, sponsors, and players, which made the week really special for me and my family. Condoleezza Rice is a member of Shoal Creek, and was the Honorary Chair of the Regions Tradition this past week.  Consequently, on Mother’s Day I was moved by all the changes that have taken place in our country, and am so proud of how far we all have come through the courage and strength of our nation.  I’m so thankful that Shoal Creek and the PGA Tour have forged a wonderful relationship for the future; it’s better for golf and the local communities that we visit, but most importantly it makes our country stronger.  If you are ever fortunate enough to play Shoal Creek, I think you’ll enjoy one of Jack Nicklaus’ finest designs. The course has just the right amount of challenge, within a beautiful setting, which will leave you with the desire to play it again.  I’m off for a few weeks preparing for the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, so until later play well.