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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, March 15, 2007

GOLF REPORT
Home on the range to work on fundamentals

 •  State champion Kim taking game to Arizona

By Parker McLachlin
Special to The Advertiser

2006 Hawai'i golf calendar
See a listing of all Hawai'i golf events this year.

Golf Tips logoGolf tips
Here are some tips to keep your game in tip-top shape!

Golf Guide logoAdvertiser golf guide
Here is a look at all of the golf courses in the state, with contact numbers, yardage and green fees.
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Join us as we take a tour on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a former Punahou athlete. McLachlin earned his PGA Tour card for this season. He joins Castle alum Dean Wilson as the only Hawai'i golfers on the PGA Tour. McLachlin, Waikoloa's touring pro, will write his impressions on events that he's just completed and tournaments that are upcoming on his calendar.

I'm back in Phoenix now after playing in back-to-back tournaments in Florida and I'm going to spend the next two weeks going back to the basics.

When you play as many tournaments in a row as I did, your fundamentals tend to get away from you a bit. I am excited to spend some time on the range and get it ironed out for the Shell Houston Open in a few weeks. It will be good to focus in on some key facets of my game I feel have been a bit off.

Last week at The PODS Championship I felt that my club face was a little bit open and facing to the right on the downswing. I also felt that my putter was aiming left. One point I have alluded to in previous weeks is the difference in the courses on the PGA Tour compared to what I faced week in and out on the Nationwide Tour. Innisbrook in Tampa, Fla., was no different. There is no chance to hide a weakness. You have to be sharp in every part of your game. If you are not, it will show on the scorecard.

In addition to working on my game this week, I teamed up with Mars, Inc. on a program to help inspire kids to live a healthy and active lifestyle. On Wednesday, I went to a local YMCA in Phoenix with a sergeant from the Phoenix Police Department and we helped educate and celebrate physical fitness by maintaining a proper lifestyle and eating healthy.

Mars has come out with a new line of healthy snack foods, KID-DIDITS, and it was great to talk to the kids about the importance of eating healthy. I was lucky to get involved in sports at an early age and have parents that were active and showed me the benefits of athletic activity and healthy habits. It's great to use my platform as a professional athlete on the PGA Tour to give back and educate kids through programs such as this and to partner with a group like Mars, Inc. is an honor.