Old Palm News

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150"] Golfchannel.com[/caption] Old Palm Golf Club resident and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen was recently featured on Golf Channel’s “Playing Lessons with the Pros.” The episode was shot at Old Palm with host Holly Sonders, who played golf for Michigan State University and helped the Lady Spartans win a Big Ten Championship. While on the driving range at Old Palm’s Golf Studio, Oosthuizen discussed his pre-tournament warm-up routine, which usually only lasts a half hour. “I go through my bag really fast,” he admits. “I’ve seen so many guys hit balls for an hour, and then they’re tired when they get to the golf course. For me, hitting balls is purely to loosen up the body.” Moving on to Old Palm’s spectacular Raymond Floyd-designed golf course, Oosthuizen demonstrated how he plays a flop shot over a bunker where there’s not a lot of green to work with. He says the key is to imagine hitting a long, full shot so you don’t decelerate the club on the downswing. “You’ve got to be committed,” he explains. “Just open the clubface and make a big, nice swing.” Walking between holes with Sonders, Oosthuizen shared how he spends free time during our winter, which is summer in his homeland of South Africa. Much of the season is spent at his 150-acre farm in South Africa, where his brother oversees the cattle breeding. “When I go there, the golf clubs are in the cupboard,” says Oosthuizen, who typically plays nearly 30 professional events each year, a demanding schedule. “It’s a great spot to go, relax and play on my tractor.” Nevertheless, that schedule may change when Oosthuizen’s children start attending school. He and his wife, Nel-Mare, have a home in Old Palm’s Golf Estates neighborhood and three daughters, the youngest being born just this year. After shooting “Playing Lessons,” Sonders posted a photo of the newborn and tweeted “And thanks again for allowing me to meet the newest Oosthuizen.” For more behind the scenes photos visit GolfChannel.com.