Georgia and Georgia Tech are producing champions. Hudson Swafford, University of Georgia grad stunned the Nationwide contingent in Athens holing out on the fly out of the bunker on the 485 yd par four 18th to shoot 62 and win by a shot. The Swafford family and the Weaver family have been friends for years. DeWitt 111′s wife Michele’s roommate in college was Hudson’s sister. Dee 111 was able to help Hudson get started with his golf. Matt Kucher, Georgia Tech grad blew away the field with his consistent play at the TPC Players Club this past week. The tour has really been exciting this year with all the new and veteran winners. Ricky and Bubba, another Georgia guy, have added real thrills to this wonderful game of golf. If you want to know what is common in all these players is the position of the left arm as it folds and connects with the torso throughout the swing allowing the club to release on its own. My original teacher Sam Byrd took me from a 3 handicap player to a plus 3 within a year at age 23 simply by having me connect the left and fold it correctly. Any young person does this naturally until he is taught different, such as Tiger Woods has in the past few years. Stay patient my friends.

Always the strongest field of the year played on Pete Dye’s famous masterpiece usually brings out the best ball strikers to contend for the Championship. With the way Rory McIlroy is firing on all cylinders I expect him to win going away. New champion Ricky Fowler will be right in there as well as Lee Westwood but won’t keep up with the kid from Ireland. As from now on and for a long while I have continued to select my favorites strickly by golf swing and these three have the best I can think of right now. Fowler has a little more of a Hogan look especially at the top of the backswing. He still has a slight cup in his wrist yet a bit laid off allowing him to release everything into the ball without too much fear of the left side. All three players have wonderful address positions with relaxed arms and reasonably weak grips allowing the arms to fold naturally on the downswing. This great move allowed me to compete on the tours and hit the ball in the upper center with the driver and in the center with the irons. This is the secret to solid hits and distance control. If any of you want to try out a tour experience with yours truly at The Players Club we can work it out. Ps 37:4

Finished 6th in the pros with 75-75. Congratulations to Mark Benefield winning the championship by two over Sonny Skinner, Craig Stevens and Gregg Wolff.

From: Willow Lake Golf Club Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 8:18 PM To: dweaver@dwgolfsolutions.com Subject: Dan J. Parrish Senior Classic

Notice from DeWitt Weaver

Finally, after fifty years of playing golf, I have developed a new follow through that allows me to hit a more consistant fade than Lee Trevino. The secret is in the way I lift my right foot off of the ground and keep the shaft of my club parallel to the ground at the completion of my swing. Also, notice how lightly I am holding the grip end of the club with my thumb and pointer finger of my left hand. This light grip pressure allows the clubface to stay slightly open through impact. When I want to draw the ball, I simply lift my right foot another two feet off of ground, point the shaft of my club downward to about 45 degrees and increase my body rotation ever so slightly so that my stomach faces the target at the end of my swing. This new finish position has also increased the strength in my left leg! For more information on this new and exciting developement in the golf swing, please contact me by e-mail at dewittweaver.com.

Your friend, D

PS – Dancing With the Stars has already contacted me to be on next years show!

What a Glorious Day! Easter service, dinner, egg hunt and the Masters with my most precious family made me think, how can I possibly be so blessed? Not by what I have done but by the Grace of God do we have the blessings we have. Even the not so good things that happen we need to be thankful as they should make us stronger in our faith. Bubba the UGA Bulldog put on an unbelievable show for all of us to see that anything is possible. And yes he is just Bubba. Our children and grandchildren saw a real role model in a gentleman that walked the walk in his behavior and emotion. How wonderful he was as he expressed his love and faith to all who would listen. Even the non golfer saw happenings that would enhance the soul in what a human can do with a little white ball. The Masters had it all once again as fans saw two hole in ones, a double eagle two on number two from 253 yards out with a four iron by truly on of the best ball strikers on the tour today Louis Oosthuizen. Then finally a forty yard hook off pine straw from 153 yards with a pitching wedge to within ten feet by just “”Bubba” that dreams are made of. As I was into the latter part of my senior career the Champions Tour I exclaimed, “When I was young there was no way I had dreams this good”. Enjoy this great game, play the game with hooks and slices, have some fun. I have seen many of you hit forty yard hooks and slices, but not intentional. And yes let us all be role models for the youth of today as God and our country needs you.

Jack Nicklaus once said to me “I will do anything to make a putt, try to hook it in, cut it in, hit the ball off the toe to deaden the ball on right to left downhillers and strike the ball on the heel to hold the ball left on left to right putts”. The reason I am telling you this is that I do not expect any golfer using the long putter can win at Augusta. Long putters are great but take out the tremendous feel you need to handle the slopes at Augusta National. Keegan Bradley definitely has the game and will contend but will falter with the putter at the Masters. McIlroy seeks revenge on the Butler cabin and definitely has the game to overwhelm the field. Luke Donald will be right there with Phil Mickelson. This week I see no long shot contending with the exception of the surging Tiger Woods if he can stay away from my record on number 7. Tiger will scare a few folks, but will fade in the end. Overall I expect the leaderboard to be crowded on Sunday and another exciting finish. Enjoy this great week of golf and redemption. PS 37:4

Forty years ago I drove down Magnolia Lane with my wife Sheri and our soon to be third child Brian. Sheri’s father Lloyd Busbee was also in the car as I felt I was making my way to Heaven. Total excitement was in the air as I anticipated the first tee shot. Sheri exclaimed, ” why are you so excited, isn’t it just another tournament?” She found out just what I felt when she was hanging around Palmer, Nicklaus and Trevino. I never had the short game to challenge the greats at Augusta, but did make the cut on the nose by making birdies on 13 and 15 the second day. The third day was a record setting day as I faced an impossible shot on #7 from the right trees. Spotted a hole up in the trees and fired an eight iron perfectly through the hole. As fortune would have it I was fifteen feet from the hole, except buried in the back bunker. I saw no possible way to get the ball on the green except one I had recently practiced in Florida. A hooded four iron as in Tin Cup, would hit the lip, pop out and go in the hole. Whoops, I missed the lip sending the ball into the front bunker, blasted the ball back into the back bunker, left the ball in the bunker, then proceeded to skull the ball into the fairway short of the green. From there I was able to get the ball up and down for a record setting 8 that stands today. I glanced over to see where Sheri and her dad were only to see them on the emergency cart headed to the clubhouse. Sheri almost had Brian right there but did bring that precious child into the world two weeks later. Overall the trip to Augusta was amazing and a place I could only dream of playing when I was young. Once again in 1973 I played at the Masters and was fortunate to play with Gene Sarazen in his last Masters the second round. What a thrill to play with a legend and great gentleman. Even got a putting lesson during the round. Have a fabulous Easter week as we celebrate our Father’s resurrection that allows all of us to reach that place called Heaven.

Dee/Palmer/Trevino – Par 3

Teeing Off – Par 3

Dee/Sheri

Pop Buz / Eisenhower Cottage

Every top golfer on the PGA Tour or on the world’s top 50 list should have played or should play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Seven of the top ten on this list of to 50 did not play and should be ashamed for without the great Arnold Palmer there would hardly be a PGA Tour, at least what it is today. Tiger had no real pressure from the contenders and felt quite at home as he did last fall in his own tournament. Wow, I wonder what it would be like to make 57 of 60 putts in side of ten feet. I will give him lots of credit for putting it together for another win. After what he has been through and what he accomplished on this past Sunday was rather amazing. His swing has improved tremendously, but still has its moments of lack of trust. My prediction of him not winning another major four years ago has not wavered. I will say I can relate to him and his reconstructed knee as it seem to totally give away a couple of times causing just an unbelievable bad shot.

Always an emotional tournament I am picking by alphabet, Love, Mickelson and Mahan  Just got a feeling. Never will forget my first Bay Hill Classic back in the early 70′s when I shot 76-67. Finished early the second day, stayed around all day waiting to see if I made the cut, had a few toddies, especially when I missed by one. By the way never wear a cap in the Bayhill clubhouse, you may get your hat knocked off by Palmer himself, the greatest ambassador of golf ever. Enjoy your shots, even your bad ones as they may be worst tomorrow. You will meet a different class of folks over the fences. Ps 37;4

Nice to see Goosen and Els back in contention at the Transitions. With all their problems I welcome either of them to come out a champion, but look out for Donald and Furyk.

Tommy Aaron, Danny Yates, Charlie Harrison and I received the Cherokee Arrow Award at Cherokee Town and Country Club’s annual Jubilee, March 14th during their evening banquet. The award read “In Recognition For Your Outstanding Contributions To The Game of Golf”. We were treated with outstanding hospitality, golf on an immaculate course, the North Course, with fantastic greens, and a first class banquet attended by the most gracious two hundred members and staff you could find anywhere. The four of us shared war stories from the PGA and Senior Tours, the best of amateur tournaments, Ryder Cups and Walker Cups. We all learned more about this wonderful game of golf on a magnificent eighty degree day that the Lord had made.