They're off and running on the Monterey Peninsula for this year's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, one of the most picturesque PGA Tour stops of the year. And we're excited to be sending a couple Team Titleist members and their guests to take it all in.

Added to the to the guest list at "Crosby's Clambake" are Team Titleist members Mark. D and Bill M., who won tickets to the event through Team Titleist and will be enjoying one of the tournament's best weather reports in years: Sunny and in the upper 60s, with zero percent chance of precipitation.

PGA Tour rookie and Titleist Brand Ambassador Joe Affrunti recently told Team Titleist that if he could only play one course for the rest of his life, it would be the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

"I'm not a big sightseer kind of guy, and I've been a lot of places in the world, but Pebble is unbelievable," Joe said. "I could play that course every day."

Affrunti (New Pro V1) is one of 107 players in this week's field trusting Titleist golf balls, more than seven times the nearest competitor and more than all other competitors combined. Titleist is also first this week in Iron Sets (42); Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (137); and Putters (63).

TV coverage of the tournament is as follows (all times ET):
• Thursday, Feb. 10: 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Friday, Feb. 11: 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday, Feb. 12: 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
• Sunday, Feb. 13: 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS)


For more information about the tournament or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.attpbgolf.com/.

Team Titleist had a blast catching up with longtime Titleist Advisory Staff Member Michael Breed while down in Orlando, Fla., recently for the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show.

Michael – the Head PGA Professional at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., and host of Golf Channel's popular golf instructional show, "The Golf Fix" – was gracious enough to spend some time answering questions submitted by members of Team Titleist, working from an impromptu set in the Titleist booth on the show floor. (Thanks, Michael!)

Check out Michael's answers to five of those questions in the videos below. We'll post his answers to more of your questions soon.

• • •

Dan B. asks: Hi Michael, I watch your show all the time and enjoy all the insight you bring to the game. My question is: Living in the North where it is cold and we can't get the outdoor practice in, what should we do to keep our game in shape, so we are sharp when it warms up (other than move to a warmer climate)?

Terry W. asks: Mike, I've been playing golf for a long time. I sure would like to know a tip about keeping my head down during the golf shot. I feel this is one of the biggest problems golfers have.

Ron P. asks: 

Do you have a favorite drill that helps students understand "the coil," that the legs and lower body perform in the back swing and then release/transfer on the forward swing?

Paul G. asks: Michael, I love your enthusiasm for the game, but how do you keep going at such a crazy pace?

Wayne asks: 

I'm a high school golf coach and I'd like to know some drills that I can do with my team using alignment sticks. Thanks!!!!!!

We would like to congratulate Team Titleist member James L (jiml15) for being selected as the winner of our Team Titleist & PGA National Sweepstakes Grand Prize!

Team Titleist and PGA National will be hosting James and his guest March 4-6 at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where they will enjoy luxury accommodations,  first-class golf and watch many of the PGA Tour's best take on PGA National's Champion Course during the Honda Classic.

James and his guest will also receive Team Titleist gift bags and attend a private Team Titleist reception.

Of course, all Team Titleist members are invited to join in the fun!

We've teamed up with PGA National on a Honda Classic Package Promotion similar to our Grand Prize, available exclusively for members of Team Titleist. Check out all of the details below:

Special Team Titleist rates includes:
• 3 nights luxury accommodations at PGA National Resort & Spa (Friday, Saturday and Sunday of tournament week - March 4th, 5th and 6th)
• Tickets Friday, Saturday and Sunday (March 4 - 6) to The Honda Classic
• Upgraded Tickets one day to The Bear Trap hospitality area with cash bar and food options
• 1 round of golf per person per day of stay on The Palmer, Haig, Squire or Estates courses
• Team Titleist Gift Bag
• Team Titleist private reception Friday evening, March 4 (Venue TBD)
* Rate does not include tax, resort fees, or gratuity.

To book your Honda Classic Package Promotion, please call PGA National at 1-877-553-4672. For a closer look at PGA National Resort & Spa, please visit their Web site at www.pgaresort.com.

• • •

We would also like to congratulate Team Titleist members Ron D. and Joe R. – our runner-up winners in the Team Titleist & PGA National Sweepstakes. Ron and Joe will each receive a Team Titleist prize pack, including a limited edition Team Titleist T-shirt, hat and golf balls.

Titleist Performance Institute co-founders Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips dropped by the Golf Channel studios recently to film a live version of the "The Golf Fix with Michael Breed."

During their segment, Greg and Dave shared a few quick tips on improving your flexibility and maintaining your posture, including a couple of their favorite pre-round stretches.

Check them out in the video below:

For more great tips and learn more about the Titleist Performance Institute, go to www.mytpi.com.

We consider ourselves very fortunate to have many of the game's most dedicated, knowledgeable and enthusiastic golfers on Team Titleist. There have already been thousands of valuable stories, tips and experiences shared by our members, all of whom have personal connections to the game.

Starting today, we thought it would be great to take time out each month to shine the spotlight on some of our Team Titleist members and their stories.

In this first spotlight, Team Titleist member David Browning was kind enough to share some insight into his passion for the game. And from our discussions, it's safe to say David is thinking about golf at this very moment.

"Golf is the only thing on my mind 24/7/365," he tells Team Titleist.

Let's find out why...

TEAM TITLEIST: How did you get started in golf? Who introduced you to the game?

DAVID BROWNING: Way back in elementary school, my best friend and his brother were both very good players. They won all types of stuff at the club. I'd always work on my game with them. The older I got, the more serious I became about the game. When I was in late middle school, I knew that I wanted to have a career in the golf industry.

TT: How often are you thinking about your golf game and getting better? What are you currently working on?

DB: Ask anyone that I know... there isn't a second that goes by that I don't think about my game and how to get better. I'm always working on all areas of my game.

TT: What's your best score and where did you shoot it?

DB: My best score was a 68. I shot it at a nice, public course around my hometown, called, Darby Creek (Marysville, Ohio).

TT: Can you recall the best golf shot you've ever hit?

DB: Well...let's see. I've hit a lot of good shots, but I have a couple of favorites. The first one: I was teeing off with my 3 iron on a very sharp, dogleg right. I hit a nice, high fade around the dogleg, but all of a sudden, the wind picked up and it blew my ball just in the rough, behind some trees. When I got to my ball, it was well above my feet and there were tons of trees in front of me. I was just outside of 100 yards. I decided to take a 7 iron and play a low shot with as much spin as I could put on it (thanks to my Pro V1). It hit the right edge of the green, spun just like I wanted it to, rolled down the tier slowly and into the hole for an eagle. I guarantee that every one on the course that day heard me scream for joy!

But that wasn't my first eagle, which is my other favorite shot. On the hole I made it on, I usually use a 3 wood off the tee. That day, I hit my driver because of the high winds. From the back tees, it's a blind tee shot. As I was getting up the hill, I noticed a few carts hanging around the green. As I got closer, I started hearing clapping. I didn't see my ball anywhere... yet. I knew that I hit a great shot, but was expecting my ball to be on a landing area just before the green. There was a guy who waved me down to the green. As I got there, I finally found my ball. It was 1 foot from the hole! I made my putt for my first eagle and was congratulated by everyone there. I still have my Pro V1 from that day.

TT: What's the most special moment you've ever had on the golf course?

DB: It was the first time that I golfed with my mother. She doesn't play, but would always go to my tournaments, or just hang around the club, watching others, drinking her coffee. The course was very busy that day. All of the members knew everyone, especially my mother. Which is why they didn't care that we took so long to play 9 holes. She shot 154 – yes, one-five-four – for those 9 holes. A VERY long day, but that day meant a lot to me.

TT: What's the best piece of golf advice you have ever received?

DB: Never give up. Everybody has their good and bad days.

TT: What's your favorite Titleist club in the bag? Why?

DB: I have a couple. One is my Scotty putter. Although it isn't a triple black 009, it's the best Scotty that I've ever owned. Nothing can compare to the feel/sound/looks of a Scotty. The other is my 60° Vokey wedge. I LOVE that thing. I have a whole arsenal of shots with that club.

TT: Do you consider yourself a tinkerer? How often do you change equipment?

DB: Not really. I want to feel comfortable with my equipment. If it's not broke, and it works great for me, why fix it?

I'll tinker with new clubs when I'm practicing but am completely happy with what I have. Although, a triple black 009, some satin MB's and some TVD wedges would be nice!


TT: How do you mark your Titleist golf ball? Does it have any special significance?

DB: I mark my Titleist Pro V1's with a black dot to the left of the number(s). Nothing special. I just like my stuff clean and simple looking.

TT: If you had to play one golf course every day for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

DB: Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. I NEVER get tired of that course.

Augusta National is second.

TT: How did you hear about Team Titleist? What are some of your favorite features of the community and what kind of things would you like to see in the future?

DB: My whole life, I've played with Titleist equipment ONLY. I absolutely LOVE Titleist and am always on the site every day. So, I found out about Team Titleist on my own, just browsing through the site one day. I enjoy being a member of the Team. It's a place for Titleist enthusiasts to interact with each other and people working for Titleist keeping us up to date with the latest Titleist news. The site is perfect the way it is. Although it would be neat to go behind the scenes at Oceanside, Tour Van, Pro's, etc.. Perhaps a live, moderated, chat room.


TT: Favorite golf movie?

DB: There's a lot of them. I'm going to say "Caddyshack." It never gets old. When I was younger, I'd watch that movie every single day, more than once a day and never get tired of it. I know the words to the whole thing.


TT: Favorite golf book?

DB: Tough question. I'll have to say Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul. It's good to hear such positive, amazing, stories.

TT: Favorite golf destination?

DB: Pebble Beach. There's so much history there and the course almost always plays a little different each time that you play it.


TT: Favorite 19th hole meal?

It depends on where I'm at. I love chili cheese dogs.

Pro V1x loyalist Mark Wilson earned his second victory in three starts to begin the 2011 PGA Tour season, capturing the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a Monday morning playoff with Titleist Brand Ambassador Jason Dufner.

Wilson, who opened the year with a two-shot victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii, closed things out on the second playoff hole, after hitting his approach on on TPC Scottsdale's par-4 10th to 9 feet above the hole. He rolled in his Pro V1x golf ball for birdie, only further validating a new green-reading technique he's been using since a trip to the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) during the offseason.

"Thankfully I started it on line and knocked it in," said Wilson, 36, now a four-time PGA Tour winner. He also won the 2007 Mayakoba Classic and 2009 Honda Classic.

Dufner (Pro V1) was facing a 7-foot par putt when Wilson dropped in the game-winner. Both players shot four consecutive rounds in the 60s and ended regulation at 18-under 266, finishing up their final rounds Monday morning because of several frost delays throughout the week.

Titleist golf ball players have now won four out of the PGA Tour's first five events of the season. Pro V1 loyalist Jonathan Byrd won the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions and Pro V1x loyalist Bubba Watson won last week's Farmers Insurance Open using the New Pro V1x golf ball.

This week, a total of 91 players trusted Titleist golf balls for their success at TPC Scottsdale, more than eight times the nearest competitor with 11 and more than all competitors combined. Titleist also was first in Iron Sets (40);  Sand, Lob and Approach Wedges (114); and Putters (53).

After both of his victories this year, Wilson has pointed to his offseason work with Dr. Greg Rose of the Titleist Performance Institute, specifically on his putting and short game.

"I think I've been a little bit better practicer. I've got a new green-reading technique that I learned from Dr. Greg Rose there at Titleist Performance Institute (in Oceanside, Calif.)," Wilson said. "Dr. Rose helped me split the putts into two parts always, and that really has helped me see the line better for some reason. I started that. The first time I did that was at Disney and finished 6th and have had two wins since, so I'm just going with that."

Said Wilson after his Sony victory: "Those guys out of (the Titleist Performance Institute) really helped me out last November. I owe a lot to those guys. They really helped me… I always thought I was a great practicer, but they gave me some neat ideas, a short game thing, and I've really just been focusing on my wedges this year 100 yards and in … I've been practicing a lot, the 50-, 60-, 40-yard kind of pitches and getting them up-and-down."

Wilson, a Wisconsin native and die-hard Green Bay Packers fan, led the field this week in Greens in Regulation (84.72 percent). He ranks third in that statistic (79.91 percent) on the PGA Tour. Wilson is currently No. 1 in Scrambling (76.6 percent).

In three starts this season, he is a collective 47-under par.

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR: Pro V1x loyalist Yani Tseng made it back-to-back victories at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, cruising to a seven-shot victory at Commonwealth GC.

"It feels very good to win by seven shots," said Tseng, who closed in even-par 71 for a 16-under 276 total. "I have not had that feeling before and it feels very good."

EUROPEAN TOUR: Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters with 77 players, more than three times the nearest competitor with 23.  A total of 45 players relied upon the same New Pro V1 (8) or New Pro V1x (37) golf balls. Titleist also was first in Iron Sets (36);  and Sand, Lob and Approach wedges (135).