Joey D checks in from Charlotte, NC

Here we are in Charlotte, North Carolina this week; one of my favorite tour stops. Great city, wonderful people and full of some pretty hardcore golf fanatics and real sports fans. The attendance at this event is always huge. It used to be the Wachovia, but has since been renamed the Quail Hollow Championship.

Tiger Woods is in the field this week, which is always a big deal as it forces the rest of the field to raise their game. Competition drives everything out here. These guys want to win every week and they're all capable of it. Having Tiger back forces everyone to kick things up a notch.

We had a few great celebrity ProAms this week. Tiger was paired up with Peyton Manning, which drew a solid crowd. I saw some of the ESPN guys out there, as well.

The weather again looks unbelievable this week. I can't remember a time where we've seen it this good this many weeks in a row. The conditions look great for the guys right now and it should continue through the weekend.

A little hitch on the biomechanics front for us coaches as we don't have the trailers out here this week. For some reason we never have trailers at this event and we end up using the clubhouse to train the guys. They have a great facility here and we appreciate the ability to use what the have on property. The only drawback is the break in routine, forcing us all to make adjustments.

There's something about the trailers that's familiar to both the coaches and the players. We have a pretty tight set up and one of the best traveling shows in all professional sports. Weeks like this remind the Tour guys how good they have it on a week to week basis, especially since we revamped the trailers this off-season.

For those of you unfamiliar with the set up out here, we have four trailers -- two on the PGA Tour and two on the Champions Tour. For each tour one is used for physical therapy and has a chiropractor, while the other has the strength & conditioning and biomechanics coaches all doing our thing.

Looking forward to a great week out here. Last few days were strong. I have a full field out here, minus one so I'm going non stop with five guys that are in here up to twice a day.

Pat Perez is back after two weeks off and he's ready to go. I know he was back in Scottsdale training for one week and I believe he made the trek down to Cabo for a member/guest, where he relaxed and got himself prepared for two big weeks in a row. He loves the Charlotte event as well as the PLAYERS. Like PP, Ryuji Imada is back after some active rest and will be getting after it these next two weeks. Both guys have been on hiatus since the Masters.

Jason Dufner is ready to get after it again this week, after a great run in the past few events. Jason is playing some incredible golf right now and there's a good chance he's played himself right into the PLAYERS Championship. I think he's right on the bubble, but a good showing this week could be the difference-maker. I've mentioned it time and time again in the blog here. Watch out for Mr. Dufner. He'll sneak up on you and right now he's playing the best golf of his career.

Jason Gore is back in the field this week, after missing the cut in New Orleans. As soon as J knew he wasn't going to see the weekend, he rented a car and drove straight to North Carolina so he could start working and prepping for this week. He's had a rough run as of late, but people need to realize how much goes into making a swing change.

He's working non-stop with his swing coach Mike Abbott and he's getting there, but we have to remember that swing changes take a while to sink in to the long-term memory. The muscles have to understand the function and the neuroreceptors drive the muscles and range of motion. JG is a big, strong, powerful guy and when you're trying to do what he's doing right now, you have to be patient as it takes time. It'll all work out. Jason just has to keep trusting his swing and working hard.

Tom Pernice Jr. is back this week, as well. Attitude is positive and he's feeling good about all he's been doing lately. The putter is back a little bit stronger and he's feeling pretty confident. Tom remains consistent and we're hoping for a breakout week.

As for Charlie Wi, one last congrats on last week's run. I'm so proud of what Charlie has been able to accomplish lately. He gave it a hell of a run on Sunday and you really can't ask for anything more out of him right now. He's giving it his all and has more than earned this week of active rest before next week's event in Jacksonville.

Tournament action kicks off tomorrow. Keep your eye on Joey D's stable of guys. Hoping for some good things this week.

Check back later in the week for updates on the Quail Hollow event as well as my fitness tip of the week.


Joey D.