44 September 21, 2006 NJJN – MetroWest
Life&Times
Couple uses media technology to teach golf to beginners
by Ron Kaplan
NJJN Staff Writer
T
he professional golf circuit
may be winding to a close for
2006, but for avid amateurs
the season never ends.
Stacy and Barry Solomon are
reaching out to newcomers to the
ancient game through Golf for
Beginners, their blog and podcast.
According to a National Golf
Foundation 2005 report, 28 million
adults play on over 11,000 public
and private courses in the United
States at least once a year. In 2002
— the latest figures available —
they spent more than $24 billion on
equipment and fees. Approxi-
mately two to three million people
try the sport out for the first time
each year.
Even though she’s been playing
for five years, Stacy Solomon still
considers herself a “newbie,” while
Barry has been playing for more
than 20 years. They created their
project as a labor of love, for now at
least. In their “day jobs,” they own
and operate a service station and
used car business on Long
Island.
“I started a Web site
called ‘Golf for Begin-
ners’ in 2005,” Stacy
Solomon wrote in an
e-mail. “I wanted to
record lessons from
my instructor as well as
help other golfers who
were beginners. As the blog
grew in popularity, I was
asked by another Web site to
Pair from NJ among Jews in NFL
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED NFL
season is finally under way.
Among the Jewish players suit-
ing up this fall are local favorite
sons Josh Miller, 36, of East
Brunswick, punter for the New
Former Washington Redskin Lennie Friedman discussed life as a Jewish pro- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before
fessional football player with visitors from the Jewish Federation of Greater the start of the season.
Washington’s Affinity Networks in 2005.
Stacy and Barry Solomon, shown here at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck,
NY, encourage budding duffers to “play good golf!” — the sign-off for their
weekly podcast.
write an LPGA [Ladies Professional
Golf Association] blog. I did that
for a year.”
At the same time, Solomon said,
she heard about podcasting, an
audio or video program available
for downloading to a computer or
portable device such as an iPod. “I
researched it and asked
Two
for Tee
Barry if he
would
like to try
it, letting
England Patriots, and Lennie
Friedman, 29, of Livingston, an
offensive lineman with the Cleve-
land Browns.
In an e-mail to NJ Jewish News,
Friedman said, “I’ve had the good
Photo courtesy Stacy Solomon
him know that I would do all the
producing and he would be the
cohost. He agreed and we put out
our first podcast during the last
week of October 2005. We haven’t
missed a week since.”
The podcast caught fire,
becoming so popular that World-
golf.com, operated by Golf Pub-
lisher Syndications with a reach of
more than two million readers,
sought to host both the podcast
and blog on its Web site. The
Solomons also entered into an
agreement with Phonecasting.com
and the Mobile Broadcast Network
to make the podcast available as
cell phone downloads, which, said
Stacy Solomon, are just beginning.
“It’s looking good but the medium
is so new that it will take some
fortune of playing for four teams
with a rich history and great fans:
Denver [Broncos], Washington
[Redskins], Chicago [Bears], and
Cleveland. As soon as I arrived in
these communities, fans in general
and the Jewish communities in
particular have always made me
feel welcome.”
Friedman, whose family oper-
ates Camp Vacamas in West Mil-
ford, recalled a particularly wel-
coming gesture. “I was in
Cleveland for three days when a
Jewish reporter…told me where all
the good Jewish delis are.”
Other Jewish players on NFL
rosters this season include:
• Igor Olshansky, 24, San Diego
Chargers, defensive end
• Mike Rosenthal, 29, Minnesota
Vikings, tackle
• Mark Seidman, 25, Carolina
Panthers, tight end
Robin Meadow, 23, hoping to
make his pro debut as a guard for
the Buffalo Bills, was released by
the team Sept. 13. Former Jet quar-
terback Jay Fiedler was released by
— RON KAPLAN
time for people to accept it.” you have basic technical knowl-
The feedback has been inspir- edge.” For people who have their
ing. “Some golfers who have writ- own Web site the know-how
ten to us prefer listening to the needed is a bit more demanding
podcast as opposed to reading the but not difficult to find on the
blog.….They download it to their Internet.
iPods and take it to either the golf Despite the name, Solomon
course or driving range. They say it said, Golf for Beginners offers
relaxes them and makes them something for all levels of play.
laugh, which is good before you’re “We get many listeners who might
ready to go out and play a round.” need a brush-up or who want to
The information offered by fine tune their game.” Podcasts on
Golf for Beginners — which myriad topics seem to pop up
Solomon said attracts about daily, but Solomon said she
13,000 readers/listeners a month at believes theirs is still one of the
last count — runs the gamut. “We best of its kind, which she attrib-
have golfers who ask questions utes to the gentle format. “Perhaps
about equipment, the basics, golf it’s the husband/wife banter that
tips, and even tell us a little about people enjoy. It’s short, to the
their own games,” she said. “I love point, and we make people laugh.
hearing people brag that they We dole out plenty of tips while
scored their lowest score ever and discussing our own games in the
they credit it to our podcast.” process. People feel they can relate
Solomon learned how to pro- to us because we’re amateurs.” ■
duce the podcast from the Inter-
net. “There are several [simple]
Ron Kaplan can be reached at RKa-
programs you can use, as long as plan@njjewishnews.com.
Offering a brief clinic, Stacy Solomon of Golfforbeginners.com sug-
gests three things beginners should do — and avoid:
DO
• take instruction from a PGA professional. Even if you take just a few
lessons to get the basics, it’ll help immensely.
• aim for the middle of the fairway and the middle of the green.
• practice your short game; shots under 100 yards and putts account for
most of the action.
DON’T
• overswing; try to keep it at 80 percent of full power.
• get aggravated when you hit a bad shot. Recovering from a bad shot is a
major part of the game.
• listen to friends and family offering advice. Seek out a golf pro — or lis-
ten to our podcasts.
Fitness Corner
JCC MetroWest hosts
women’s Health
& Fitness Expo
JCC MetroWest will hold its third annual
Women’s Health & Fitness Expo at the Lautenberg
Family JCC in Whippany on Sunday, Oct. 22.
The theme of this year’s event — scheduled
for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — is “A Day to Enhance Mind, Body, & Well-
ness” and will feature educational programs, fitness samplers, and
health screenings.
Meredith Drench, PhD, will discuss 21 Tips for a Healthy State of
Mind in her keynote remarks, which will be followed by breakout
workshops. The closing session will be conducted by representa-
tives of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Participants should wear comfortable clothing suitable for exer-
cise. A continental breakfast will be available throughout the morn-
ing. Cosponsors of the expo include Jewish Family Service of
MetroWest, the Morristown chapter of Hadassah, Morristown Jew-
ish Center Beit Yisrael, the Women’s Department of United Jewish
Communities of MetroWest NJ, Adat Israel Congregation in Boon-
ton, and National Council of Jewish Women-Essex County Section.
Advance registration is $15, $10 for JCC MetroWest members;
walk-up registration is $20/$15. For more information, contact
Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu at 973-530-3455 or rsirbu@jccmetrowest.org.
To register, contact Brittany Humphreys at 973-530-3423 or
bhumphreys@jccmetrowest.org.