Here it is – my favorite weekend of TV watching all year.

The Masters.

What I love most about this tournament on TV is watching the creativity that these guys have to exhibit around the greens . . . and on the greens. And we all can learn a lot from watching how the best players in the world navigate the most challenging track they face all year.  If you watch the Masters with your eyes on the right things, you can learn more from this tournament than any other.

Here’s The Wedge Guy’s Guide To Watching The Masters:

Watch where these guys miss the greens. This year the greens are firmer and faster than in recent years. Brandel Chamblee was talking yesterday about the fact that all the leaders hit many greens, as the course is not conducive to scrambling your way to par. As you watch the next few days, notice how often they arrange to miss the green on the wide side of the hole, giving them a better chip or pitch. The lesson: On many holes, on many normal golf courses even, your best odds are to play to a certain side of the hole and make sure you miss on the “wide” side, where the up-and-down is easier.

Observe the short game techniques. This year, pay particular critical attention to the techniques of these best players when they have a short pitch or chip. Watch the position of the hands at address and impact – we’ve been talking about them being low, with the arms hanging naturally. Watch their tempo. These guys are being very precise, so you’ll notice a slower, more deliberate swing tempo. And notice the body engagement. Even on the shortest chips, they rotate their shoulders and arms in one piece.

Focus on the putting. The Masters always demands a good putter to win. Watch the leaders, as they are the ones putting best this week. You’ll notice very comfortable setups with most. You can almost see how lightly they are holding the putter. And also watch how they break down these big breaking putts into the path the ball has to take to get close to the hole.

Play along. I think watching golf tournaments with your putter and wedge handy, and spending time mimicking what you see these guys do, can be a great learning experience.  When they are taking practice swings and hitting shots with their wedges and putter, the camera will show you plenty of reps. Pick up your putter or wedge and mimic their pace.  You’ll see how slow and deliberate these guys are.

So there is The Wedge Guy’s Guide To Watching The Masters. I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week with comments on the tournament.