Start Your Putts On-line

Sorry, its been a while since my last post. I have changed jobs and am now really getting settled in at Eldorado CC. It's all going great!

I have talked before about the gate drill when practicing your putting. The single gate drill helps you make consistent, solid contact with your putts, as well as make a pure stroke. 

Today, I want to talk about the "Double Gate Drill". This drill still promotes solid contact and a pure stroke, but adds another gate that will make you start the ball on your target line every time. Below is a picture of the gate drill. Ill explain...

The ball starts between the first gate (bottom) which is just barely wider then your putter. Take a practice putt to see what the exact line of the putt is, then put two more tees (the second gate) about 1/3 of the way to the hole. This is about a 5 foot putt. 

The second gate's width is vary depending on your skill level. I put the tees very close the the ball on either side so there is little room for error. You can make them wider if you want, but I would not leave more than a half inch gap between the ball and the tee on each side, any wider would defeat the purpose of the drill. 

You will find that if you can split the second gate when you putt, the ball will go in EVERY time, and if you do not start it on line, you will bang into the tees and the ball will go nowhere.

Try to make 20 putts from two different locations. You will definitely feel a difference in you putting stroke and your confidence when you start to hit putts without tees everywhere. 

Note: Dont let yourself get too frustrated if you hit the second game a few times in a row. You will be surprised how many putts you do not start on your intended line. This is a very difficult drill but you will really notice the benefits quickly. 

Good Luck!

Stop Your Slice With A Baseball Bat

The most common miss for the average golfer is a slice. There are many ways to slice a ball, but there is one particular problem that causes this problem in many golfers. In this post, I will describe what that swing fault looks like and provide tips for a quick way to fix it.

Almost every golfer has heard of the term "over the top" when used when describing a swing that comes steeply from the outside to the inside through impact. The "over the top" motion is only part of what makes a golf ball slice. The actual slicing of the golf ball comes from a club face that is either open or in the process of opening at the moment of impact. Swinging over the top with an open club face only emphasizes a slicing ball flight. It is also common for a player to have an over the top swing and hit a ball that goes straight but to the left (for a righty golfer). That just means that on that particular swing the player managed to square up the club face to the outside in swing path. The ball would have sliced if the club face was open to the outside in swing path.

To cure this common mistake, there are two keys to focus on:

1) Square the club face. The club face must be square to your swing path in order to hit the ball straight. The key to squaring the club face is to start the release of the club earlier in the downswing so that by the time the club reaches the ball, it has time to be square. Practice this using a baseball bat and imagine you want to hit an outside corner pitch over the shortstop's head. Meaning you are completely extending your arms while rotating your wrists so that the ball will be hit to the left.

2) Swing on the proper swing plane. Eliminating the "over the top" swing fault is also crucial to straightening out your ball flight. Swinging over the top is really a club path that is too vertical coming into the ball, and needs to be flattened or rounded out. Swinging a baseball bat is a very round golf swing, and it will definitely help improve your swing plane. Take continuous swings forward and back with the bat and get a good feel of the rounded arc of the bat. Then you can transfer that into your golf club. Hold the club at address and lift it a foot off the ground. Make several golf swings that start at that point and come back to impact at that point a foot off the ground. You will feel a rounder swing (more like Matt Kuchar or Ricky Fowler). After many repetitions, decrease the height to six inches and swing more times. Eventually work your way down to hitting a ball off a generous tee height and feeling the round and shallow swing.

When combining the rounded out swing with the great release you learned in key one, you should see a great change in your ball flight. Hopefully you will get rid of your slice and hit the ball straighter and farther.

Good Luck!
Coach Chad

Eldorado, here I come!

Well, it is official. I am now the Teaching Professional at Eldorado Country Club in McKinney, Tx. This is as close to a dream job as you can get at my age, so I had to make the move. I will be responsible for the teaching and golf education at Eldorado, as well as running the Eldorado Junior Academy.

I have a variety of programs ready to go for all the Eldorado members, and for you all too! The best program going right now is what I call the Eldorado Player's Academy. This academy meets once a week, for an hour and a half, and there is a low monthly charge for the students. Learning this way is the most effective way to learn, aside from taking individual lessons each week. The program is limited to 6 players for each session so that I have some good one on one time with each student. We will go through everything from video analysis to chipping and putting to trouble shots on the course.

I am most excited about taking over the junior golf academy. There is much room to grow the junior academy and I plan to take it from where it is now to hopefully double or triple it's size within a year. I will also be instructing all the summer junior camps and will be putting together a junior golf team that will play teams from other country clubs in the area.

Another noteworthy achievement is that I finally finished all my PGA work and am now a PGA Class A Professional!

I am very excited about this opportunity, and want to urge you all to come and get some golf training. Contact me if you want to get into some golf lessons, or if you know somebody that wants or needs to get into one of my programs.

Thanks!

Chad
cmoscovic@gmail.com
214-578-7921

Set Up For A Perfect Downswing

This is a simple comparison of two completely different backswing positions. The purpose of the backswing is to give yourself a chance to make a proper downswing.

The backswing on the left is a common problem among golfers. If you look closely, there are three major problems that will cause an "over the top" downswing, causing a ball flight with slice spin.

1) Width. Look how close his hands are to hit head on the left view, and how much space he has to work with on the right view. The right view will give his hands and arms a chance to fall down on plane in the downswing. In the left view, there would have to be many compensations in order to get the club into the proper position, and compensations equal inconsistency.

2) Position of the right elbow. In the left view, the elbow is more in a baseball position ("elbow up") and this causes the player to push the club forward in the downswing, contributing to the "over the top" move again.

3) Position of the club and clubface. In the left view, the club has gone too far past parallel, and the clubface is wide open. You can also see this by looking at the left wrist which has a slight cupping. In the right view, you can see the club pointing slightly left of target and short of parallel with a perfectly square clubface and flat left wrist.

From the position on the right, he has a chance to make a proper downswing and start striking the ball from the inside creating the draw spin that everyone desires.

If you need help finding the proper backswing position, please feel free to contact me. I would love to help you!

A Birthday To Remember

For the past two years, I have been invited to host a birthday party on the golf course. Caden Varner is one of my juniors from Prestonwood, and he loves golf. He has requested me to host his birthday party for the last two years and I love it!

Caden and his friends are only about seven years old, but they have a passion for golf that you wont find in most grown-ups. I mean, who would have their birthday party on a golf course in 102 degree Texas heat at age seven? Shouldn't he be at the water slides, or the bowling ally? That is certainly what I did when I was seven, I think...

But Caden wants a golf birthday party, so I provide. Even though its 102 degrees, these eight party goers lasted they entire two hours I was there, and spent another 45 minutes playing golf afterwards! They love the game, and I can only hope the passion stays with them their whole life!

First exercise was frisbee golf. They didn't know it, but they way I had them throwing the frisbee mimics a proper impact position in the golf swing. So even though they were throwing a frisbee, they were learning how to find a proper impact position as well!

Next was water balloon bunkers, where the kids learned the proper way to get a ball (balloon) out of a bunker. If the use the sand to lift the ball out of the bunker, the water balloon does not break. But if they catch balloon (ball) first, they will find themselves splashed with water. They really love this game!

Then, because it was 102 degrees, it's only natural for the water balloon bunker game to turn into an all out water fight! Above is me dumping a bucket of water on the birthday boy.

We ended the party with a fun an educational putting obstacle course game where the kids learned the rules of the putting green, had to wear funny hats, and also received some instruction on their putting.

Also, thank you to my wonderful wife Courtney for helping with the event!

The kids all had a great time, and I can't wait until next year's party!

Happy Birthday to Caden!

In honor of The Open this week....

This post is meant to give you a few pointers on how to play in the strong wind you might see at the British Open....or Texas...

First and most important is the old saying "when it's breezy, swing it easy". There is nothing more true when playing in the wind. I watched Luke Donald's press conference today and he said he hit a 114 yard 7 iron because of the wind. Any more club would have lofted too high into the wind, so he hit a smooth 7 iron. This is exactly the play that good players will make, and average amateurs will not. Average players will try to hit a hard wedge or 9 iron and almost always come up very short.

Playing in the wind is very tricky because it takes a lot of feel to judge the wind strength and direction. How much will the ball be blown to the right after I hit it? How strong is the wind into my face? 2 club wind? 30 yard wind? How do you know??

The feel comes from playing in the wind often, but one trick is to watch the flag stick and how it is blowing. As a general rule, if the wind is blowing hard enough to have the flag looking full, the wind is somewhere between 20 and 30 mph, so that would equal anywhere between 2 and 3 clubs depending on the shot you choose to hit. So use this as a starting point, and don't be afraid to play and practice in the wind to develop your feel.

2 ways to play in the wind:

1. I've heard Jack Nicklaus played this way for a while. He would judge how much wind there was and how much it would move his ball in the air, and he would hit a standard shot aiming to a point where the wind would blow it to the target. No special stance, launch angle or club selection, just estimating the wind direction and strength. I don't recommend this approach.

2. This is the way I suggest to play in the wind and the way almost all modern players play. KEEP THE BALL LOW. The only time I get the ball in the air is a downwind shot, and even then I am careful because the wind can knock the ball down instead of push it forward. The key to keeping the ball low is to take more club and swing smooth. Slower club head speed means lower ball flight and more control over the shot. To keep the ball low swing smooth, choke up on the grip of your club, play the ball a bit further back in your stance, and abbreviate your follow through. Use one or a combination of more than one of these factors in order to produce the shot you need to hit.

Don't be afraid of going to play or practice in the wind. However, if you are practicing in the wind, practice your wind shots, and not your standard shots. If you are playing in the wind, try not to get too frustrated, the more you play in the wind the better feel you will develop and the better you will be able to manage your game. So watch the British Open closely this week and watch the different trajectories of the shots hit by the players if the wind is blowing, and the different swings they use to produce those trajectories.

Putt Like The Pros

For those of you who missed this months Golf Magazine, there is a great article on how the best putters in the world put versus how amateur golfers putt. Some facts are intuitive, and some may surprise you, but all of them will be good for your putting statistics.

The first key involves the length and acceleration of your stroke. The majority of the best putters on tour have putting strokes where their backswing matching their follow through in length. Also, studies show that the putter (at impact) has stopped accelerating, but has not started decelerating, they are calling it a "flat spot" in the stroke. This is important because it will determine how well you can control your speed on different lengths of putts.

The second key for for your forearms to be aligned square to the target. It makes less of a difference if your feet are aimed at the target if your forearms are aligned properly. Most amateur golfers' right forearm sits too high and aims the forearms to the left of the target (hence the cut stroke). For proper forearm alignment, feel like your right elbow is tucked into your right side.

The third key is that all most great putters have an arch in their putting stroke and the putter approaches the ball from an inside path. There are very few good players that have strokes that cut across the ball and end up left of the target line. It is very difficult to have a "straight back, straight through" stroke, so let the putter swing naturally for better results.

The fourth key is to let the putter release. The old way of thinking is that golfers need to hold their leading wrist in front of the putter blade the entire time, even after the ball has been struck. It is much more effective, for speed and accuracy, to let the putter release past your hands after impact.

St. Lucia Golf

If you all didn't know. Courtney and I tied the knot last week and spent an amazing 7 days in St. Lucia. During our trip we had the opportunity to play a round of golf at the resort course where we stayed. 

St. Lucia has only 2 golf courses on the entire island, the one at our resort, and a private country club at the north part of the island. Our resort course was a 9 hole, par 33 with very tight holes. There were many nice par threes, but the par 4's and par 5 were terribly tight holes. The fairways were lined with jungles and creeks, but the grass was as green as you will see and the conditions were as good as I could have expected (greens rolling at about an 8).

Courtney and I each had our own caddie to fill us in on the local knowledge (and they were required), and I quickly learned that these guys have almost no clue what they are doing, but they act the part very well. The best part is when you ask them to read a putt for you, and he tells you a spot to aim for. But once you aim your putter to that spot and look back up to the target, he has moved the aim point a couple inches. I ended up trusting my own green reading skills (or lack thereof).

Aside from their green reading, the caddies were actually very nice. They pulled a fresh mango off a tree for us in between two holes, and we had the best mango I have ever tasted while walking down the fairway. You don't get that option at most golf courses! 

After the round, and losing about 6 golf balls in the jungle, we bought our caddies a Piton Beer (local brew) and talked about their lives and culture. 

It was a great experience for both of us, and I suggest it to anyone that visits St. Lucia. There are some pictures posted on facebook about of golfing adventure and the rest of the trip if you are interested!

Masters Tickets 2012

For the first time ever, tournament round tickets will be available straight from the Masters. Usually, you have to go through a broker, friend, etc. to get tournament round tickets. Not anymore!

The Masters has a lottery drawing for practice rounds each year. Anyone can sign up online and enter this lottery. The odds are slim that you will get tickets, but they are better than no odds. So now, you can sign up for tournament round tickets the same way.

Just go to www.masters.com and click on the tickets tab. From there you can follow the directions to applying for the lottery. You will be able to enter the lottery for 4 tickets each of the practice rounds, and for 2 tickets for each of the tournament rounds. I believe practice round tickets are $50 each and tournament round tickets are $75 each if you win. Beats buying them on Ebay for $900!

Good luck, and remember where you got this info when you do win the tickets! :-)

Golf Marathon!

I plan on playing 100 holes of golf in 10 hours on May 2nd. Why? To benefit The First Tee of Dallas. Although I didn't grow up in a First Tee program, I had countless opportunities to help the First Tee program in San Diego while I went to school. I would go there frequently just to practice my short game, but always got caught in a chipping game or entire match with five or six elementary school kids who wanted to beat me for bragging rights and golf balls (if you lose, you have to give the winner your golf ball).

The First Tee program is amazing, taking what would be troubled youth after school and setting up a golf program that will teach them the values, morals, rules and ethics that come from golf but are transfered over into their life. Aside from being great kids, they are fantastic golfers. Some of the kids had up to 20 holes-in-ones by the time they are 12 years old! Granted, it is a very short par 3 course, but it is still very impressive.

Once a year, our whole SDSU golf team would meet out at the First Tee San Diego and we would have a match against their best players. Sadly, as confident as we seemed, we always knew we had to "bring it" to actually beat these guys. And some matches came way too close in the end!

The bottom line is that I loved hanging out with these kids, and watched a lot of them grow into really great golfers in the 5 years I played there.

The First Tee of Dallas Golf Marathon is my chance to give these kids more than just my time. So please make a donation on my page if you can. I have personally seen how this money is spent and it does a great thing for our youth today. Everything from the practice facilities, training devices, classroom education, and even rides home at the end of the day are all covered and improved by your donations. I have already made my $100 dollar donation, along with the grueling 100 holes of golf in 10 hours!!!

Here is the link to my page! Thanks!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/chad-moscovic/The-First-Tee-of-Dallas-Golf-Marathon

My favorite putting drill

I call this the 3-6-9 drill. It is VERY difficult and will test (and improve) your putting stroke, consistency, and how well you putt under pressure. I have completed this drill only a hand full of times in my life, and used to do it almost every day when I played college golf.

Obviously, the goal is to complete this drill, but if you try it for 20 minutes each time you practice, your putting will improve, guaranteed!

Pick a fairly straight putt and get three tees out of your bag. Put the tees in a straight line, one at 3 feet, one at 6 feet, and the last at 9 feet. You will need three golf balls for this drill.

Start at the 3 foot tee. The goal is to make 9 putts in a row from three feet, then you can advance back to the 6 foot tee. Make 6 in a row from that tee in order to advance to the 9 foot tee. Make three putts in a row from the 9 foot tee and you have completed the drill. The catch is that if you ever miss a putt, you have to go back to the 3 foot tee and start over. All in all you will have to make only 18 putts in a row, all inside 10 feet. But trust me, you nerves will be tested when you are standing over the final 9 footer needing to make it to finally complete the drill.

Good Luck!

Fundamentals Part 4: Top of the Backswing

Now that you have learned the first three fundamentals, this fourth fundamental should be pretty natural. The best way to check your backswing is use a full length mirror placed in the "down the line" position.

From the take-away position, your shoulders will turn until they are 90 degrees from where they started, your hands will raise while continuing to rotate around your body until your hands are over your back shoulder. At this point the club should be pointed parallel to the target if it is parallel to the ground. Your hips will have rotated about 45 degrees with neither leg straightening up. Your weight should be about 70 percent shifted to your back leg with the pressure being felt by the inside of the right leg and foot (for right handed players).

Things to remember:
-Try not to completely straighten either leg during the backswing.
-Dont let your weight shift outside your back foot.
-Dont let your spine angle tilt towards the target or away from the ball.
-Try to keep your left wrist (for right handed golfer) as flat as possible.

From this position in your backswing, you are able to make a proper move back to the golf ball that will put the golf club on the arc it needs to hit good, consistent golf shots. The more times you can practice this position in a mirror, the more consistent your swing and ball striking will be.

Good Luck!

Talk about a Hole In One!

Today, my good friend Jim McIntyre made his first hole in one. He is a very good golfer, and hits the ball very well. That got me thinking about the odds of a hole in one, because my dad is a very good golfer too, and has played for almost 3 times as long as I have, and he is yet to make a hole in one. Then there are others, like myself, who get lucky all too often (7 times) and feel like I am stealing from those not so fortunate golfers like my dad...

Turns out that the odds of making a hole in one are about 12,000 to 1. Not so good. The odds obviously go up if you are a better golfer, and the odds of a professional making a hole in one are about 3,000 to 1.

That means, if an average golfer plays 2 rounds per week it would take about 29 years for the odds to catch up to that player and give him/her a hole in one. So, I can understand how some players go their whole lives without making one.

But think about this. At Prestonwood CC, I would say there is a hole in one every other month (on average), meaning there is 12 holes in ones per year because we have 2 golf course. Each course plays about 30,000 rounds in a good year meaning the odds of making a hole in one at Prestonwood is 5,000 to 1 on average. The same odds as a low handicap golfer would have. I would say our membership is at an "average" golfer skill level. Interesting. Maybe we have easy par 3's. Or maybe our "hole in one club" gives our members extra incentive....

Anyway, congrats to Jim McIntyre, he "slam dunked" a 5 iron from 175 at Stonebriar CC. Im sure there was a breeze in his face and he flighted it down beautifully.  ;-)

Want more distance in your golf game?

Are you out-driven by your buddies? Can't get over that water hazard on hole 11? I'm here to help you conquer any distance related golf challenges you may have in your game.

There are a few keys to gaining more distance on your shots, and there are some tricks for each of those keys that I will share with you.

Key #1: Clubhead Speed

Yes, it is easier said then done, but it can be done if you focus your attention in the right direction.

Each MPH you gain in clubhead speed equals about 2.3 extra yards on your driver.

First, you must understand that gaining clubhead speed means swinging FASTER NOT HARDER. The difference is in how your body works in the swing. When someone tries to swing harder, they usually get much more upper body involved and throw off the swing plane and timing at impact. The key is to swing your arms faster from the top of the backswing through the ball. Your arms and clubhead give you the leverage you need to create speed in the clubhead and send your ball for a ride.

Turn your front foot out just a little bit at address. This will keep your body rotating through the shot  better so that your arms can continue to swing faster through the ball.

Let your back leg straighten (a little). Never lock your back leg, but letting it straighten up just a bit will help you make a larger shoulder turn which will produce more speed.

RELAX. Tension in your body, arms and hands only slows down your golf swing, so loosen up and let your body work as it is designed so the club can move faster and give you more distance.

My favorite gadget for gaining yardage is the swing fan. This builds all the correct muscles you need to swing the club faster and gain distance. Long drive competitors use the swing fan an average of 45 minutes a day to develop and keep their clubhead speed.


Key #2: Centerness Of Contact

It is estimated that for each 1/4" you hit away from the sweet spot you will lose 7% of your distance. So, for a 150 yard shot hit 1/4" off center your ball will only travel 140 yards. That will leave you a 30 foot putt (assuming your are online).

The quickest way to lose distance is to mishit the center of the clubface. Golf clubs are being designed more and more to accommodate off center hits, but there is no substitute for a square impact.

The best way to ensure solid contact is to put tees in the ground on either side of your clubhead at address. Hit the ball normally without hitting the tees and you will be much closer to hitting the sweet spot of your club.

Another good way is to buy impact tape and stick it to the clubface during practice sessions. This will give you great and immediate feedback of where you are striking your shots.

Use these keys and tips to gain some much needed yardage on all your clubs, and you will be outdriving your buddies and sailing past water hazards in no time!

Good Luck!

Fundamentals Part 3: Take-away

The take-away is one of the most important positions in the golf swing because it immediately decides if your swing has the possibility of being on plane. Yes, it is possible to start off plane and re-route the club to be on plane coming into the ball (Jim Furyk), but it is not the most efficient or easiest way to swing.

From your address position hinge and unhinge your wrists vertically to get the feel of how the club will hinge on the back swing. Then when you are ready to swing, feel like your hands are arms are moving straight back while your shoulders turn slightly back and the club hinges vertically in your hands. This will produce an on plane take-away that will set you up for the rest of your backswing.

Here is a picture of KJ Choi to show a proper take-away:

Notice the club head is in line with KJ Choi's hands and the club shaft is pointed parallel to his target line. The wrists are starting to hinge up and shoulders and hips have turned the proper amount. The club head is NOT back behind his body or way out in front of him. 

This is the start to a great backswing, which will set up your downswing and allow you to make proper contact with that ball. Practice this take-away many times at home before you take it to the course. 

On another note: 

What happened to Tiger yesterday? Did anyone else see him block his tee shot 30 yards right into the water on number 3? Unreal.

Hopefully my winning pick of Nick Watney stays in the game, tough match today versus the #1 player in the world though, Lee Westwood.  

My favorite part about the match play tournaments is that you see everyone play, not just the top players who are on their game all week. Notice how many bad shots and missed putts your saw yesterday and will see today. Just goes to show you that professional golfers are not perfect, their mistakes are just easier to manage then the amateur golfer.

Good Luck!

Teaching the Teacher Experience: Distance Wedges

I had the pleasure of attending Tim Cusick's Teaching the Teacher seminar the past couple days. Tim is the Director of Instruction at Four Seasons Las Colinas and is regarded as one of the best teachers in the country. I had been excited about attending this seminar for the month leading up to it, and it did not disappoint.

In the following days, there will be blogs about different aspects of this seminar because it is not possible to fit it all into one. In this blog, I want to talk about one of the best parts of the seminar for me, and that was watching LPGA and Korean Tour player Ilhee Lee hit balls and take a lesson from Tim.

Ilhee is 22 years old and has recently moved to Dallas from South Korea to work hard on her game with Tim and to play more events on the LPGA Tour. She has a beautiful, graceful swing and a wonderful personality go to along with it. She works very hard on her game, and especially on her short game. Ilhee was 88th on the LPGA money list last year, and even though her swing looks almost perfect, the real reason she is that high on the money list is her short game, especially her distance wedges.

Distance wedges are very important to all golfers, and even more important to very good golfers. (See Phil Mickelson Blog as an example). Ilhee showed off some of her wedge shots and it was amazing how tight the grouping of balls was that she would hit to a certain yardage. How does she do it? A good system to swing the club the right length, and lots of practice....

Here is the system, and how it can work for you...

Il Hee has 3 wedges: a pitching wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge

She makes swings based on her body. For example, one swing may be from hip to hip, meaning hip height on her backswing and through to hip height on her follow through. That produces a consistent yardage. The next height would be her chest, and the next her shoulder. That means she has three different heights for backswing and follow through, with three different clubs. That automatically covers 9 different distances from inside of 100 yards.

Knowing exact yardages and swings from 9 different yardages from inside 100 yards would improve the average golfers handicap by at least 5 strokes. It takes some time to figure out, but once you have the yardages down, it will benefit you for the rest of your golfing life.

Here is how to understand how far those wedge shots go:

You will need a friend, wife, or pro at your course, a laser range finder, and an open driving range.
Take each club and hit five solid shots from each height of your body (hip, chest, and shoulder) and have your partner run out to where the balls landed and laser back the yardage. You will get three yardages for your first club. Repeat the process for each of your wedges and you will end up with 9 distances (12 distances if you carry four wedges).

Write all these yardages down on a sheet of paper, or on a bag tag attached to your bag and keep it until you have memorized the 3 different yardages for each of your wedges. I promise your scores will immediately fall if you put in the time to measure out how far each wedge goes using the different body parts as a guide to swing length.                                                                          
                                                                                            Ilhee hitting pitch shots
Good Luck!

Tiger Says, "It Clicked"

Word has it that when Tiger was practicing on Monday, he said that his swing "clicked".

What is the significance?

Hank Haney says that every time Tiger said "it clicked" while he was working with Hank, he would go out and win the next tournament.

Here is one of Hanks more recent tweets: HankDHaney Hank Haney 

I read where John Cook said it all clicked for Tiger on Monday with his swing I remember when that happened with me, he should win next week

I think I might agree. Tiger is showing all the signs of a player getting used to a swing. He goes low some days, meaning very low under par, and the next day he can post a 74. Some days he feels very comfortable, and others he needs to go straight to the range to figure things out.

The only concern I have is how his short game will hold up. It seems he has been putting a lot of time into his swing and has a bit of a rusty short game as a result. The good news is that the next event is match play format, which may play right into Tiger's paws. He is still very intimidating, and I think especially so in match play.

I don't know if I would put money on it, but I have a feeling Tiger will play well next week! Should be fun to watch anyway!

Fundamentals Part 2: Grip and Setup

This section contains some of the most important information about the golf swing. Having a proper set up and grip is essential to having a solid and repeatable golf swing. Here are some of the more important factors in the setup:

-Feet are about shoulder width apart, but comfortable. Front foot slightly turned out, back food perpendicular to your target line.
-Knees should be flexed but not too much, and your upper body should be bent over from the hip sockets.
-Back should be relatively flat with your butt sticking out slightly.
-Arms should hang naturally from the shoulders.
-Weight distribution should be even and resting mostly on the balls of your feet.
-Club should be pointing toward your belt buckle.

Grip

How you grip the club is one of the most important fundamentals in golf because it is the only contact you have with the golf club, so it needs to be good. I will be explaining the grip for a right handed golfer.

Left hand first:

The club should be held in the middle of your left hand, not in the fingers and not in the palm. The pad of your left hand (on the pinky side) should rest directly on top (spine) of the club as the grip runs along the life line of your hand and out between the knuckles of your pointer and middle finger. You should be able to see two knuckles of your left hand at setup, and the "V" formed by your thumb and pointer finger should point towards your right shoulder.

Right hand:

Look at your right hand and find where each finger connects to your palm, this is where the grip will lie in your right hand. Your hands will fit together naturally with your left thumb fitting nicely between the palm pads of your right hand. The "V" formed by your right thumb and pointer finger will also point towards your right shoulder.

Connection of the hands:

I prefer my students to use either an interlocking grip or an overlapping grip and grip pressure should be light but not too light, maybe a 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-10. Lighter grip pressure lets the wrists work properly and gives you a chance to release the club at the right time.

Make sure these two fundamentals are correct, and you will have a much better chance at making a proper golf swing.

Good Luck!

When it's breezy, swing it easy

The windy season is blowing into Texas, so it's time to give y'all (you all, for non-Texans) some pointers about how to play in the wind.

Facts about wind and golf:
-Hitting directly into the wind will accentuate any spin on the golf ball.
-Hitting directly downwind will minimize the affect of the spin on the golf ball.
-High downwind shots can sometimes come up short because the wind knocks the ball down instead of sending it farther.
-Players should swing smooth/easy in the wind (I will explain why).
-The wind can effect short shots and even the roll of a putt!
-The only way to really tell which way the wind is blowing is by looking at the tree tops.

So, why swing easy when it's breezy?
-Swinging the club slower and smoother reduces the MPH (miles per hour, duh) of your golf club. When the MPH of your golf club slows, the amount of spin you can impart of the golf ball goes down and the trajectory of the shot will be lower. Having less overall spin on the golf ball means the ball will be less effected by the wind and therefore will not miss so far left or right.

For example... You normally hit an 8 iron 150 yards and you have a shot of 145 yards into a 10 mile per hour wind. Most players first instinct is to hit the 8 iron a little harder to recover the extra 5 yards taken away by the wind. WRONG CHOICE. Swinging harder means you will produce more back spin which will make the ball shoot straight up in the air and come up short. A better play is to take a controlled three-quarter swing with a 7 iron, which will produce less backspin, a lower ball flight, and will travel the distance you want.

Tips to keep the ball low:
In order of ease of execution
1) Grip up on the club. This will effectively shorten the shaft of the club. You will lose a few yards of distance, but the ball will fly considerably lower with more control.
2) Abbreviate your follow through. An abbreviated follow through will also take some yards off the shot, but will keep the ball flight low and reduce the amount of spin on the ball to make up for those yards.
3) Move your ball position back. Moving your ball position closer to your back foot will take loft off the club at impact and keep the ball down. This is the most difficult to execute because you still produce backspin and you start to mess with swing shape and angle of approach concepts which may impart more sidespin then intended.

If you swing it easy when its breezy, you will have a huge advantage over your playing competitors who are trying to overpower the wind.

Good Luck!

Fundamentals Part 1: Ball Position

Many rumors fly around about the correct ball position in the golf swing. But in reality, the ball position only moves a total of about 4 or 5 inches depending on the width of your stance, assuming you are hitting a normal golf shot.

For all your shorter clubs the ball shouldn't be further back than the middle of your stance. As you move up to the driver, the ball should be teed directly in front of your left heel (for a right handed golfer). And all the other clubs will fall in between the wedge and driver position.

The above ball positions are for "stock" shots. If you have to play an extreme shot - low, high, or curving - these ball positions can change. Especially when chipping comes into play. On a standard pitch or chip, I like to see the ball position just back of center to make sure the player contacts ball first, then turf.

As for distance away from the golf ball, players should stand at a comfortable distance from the ball, and have enough room between the butt end of the club and their pants to swing their fist through without hitting anything.

Good Luck!

Shankapotamous?

My Swing Feels Like an Unfolding Lawn Chair 21 sec - Aug 13, 2009 Uploaded by wwpascoe youtube.com

I know that "shank" is a dirty word to most golfers, but to most good golf instructors it's really no different than slice, hook or chunk...

The shanks seem bad to the golfer, but they are actually one of the easiest faults to fix in the golf swing, if you know what your doing. For example, a lot of times when I am working with a student, the changes that we are making cause a few shanks here or there but you might catch me saying "great swing" or "thats very close". Im not saying that to boost your confidence after a horrid shot. It is true, you are probably on the right track to success. 

One student I had recently made a pretty significant swing shape change, and he shanked about 15 shots in a row. He was on the right track with his swings, so I let him keep hitting the shanks and I kept telling him that it was OK and that he was doing great. When I sensed his frustration was growing too big, I added one small tip, and he didn't shank another ball the entire day. I didn't add the tip earlier because I wanted his focus to stay narrowed on the key swing change. It really is that easy, and I can probably fix your shanks without even seeing your swing!

There are 3 swing faults that cause a shank, so work through these until you find the one that is causing your shanks...

1. You are set up too close to the ball at address - When you are set up and ready to hit take your right hand off the club and try to swing it between the butt of your grip and your pants. If your hand passes easily, you are at a proper distance. If your hand does not fit, adjust your stance so your hand can pass through easily.

2. You are moving closer to the ball while the swing is in progress - Usually this move comes during the backswing when your body shifts over the ball. It is easy to check for this mistake with a mirror directly behind you down the target line, or have a buddy watch your forehead to make sure it is not moving closer to the ball at all during the swing.

3. Your swing path to too drastic from inside out or outside in - Meaning, you are coming in at such as sideways angle that "el hosel" gets in the way no matter what you do. To correct this, put a alignment stick on the ground about 6 inches behind your ball aiming straight at the target. Make a slow motion swing to analyze whether you are coming from outside to inside, or inside to outside. Then use the stick to guide your backswing and downswing so that they are "on plane" longer and you will have a better chance of catching the ball solidly. 

Or take the Tin Cup approach (not recommended by your pro) - You can turn your hat around backwards, put all your change in your left hand pocket, stick a tee behind your ear and tie your right shoe in a double knot... that may work too.

More than anything, the "shanks" is just scary for most golfers. Maybe because its embarrassing, or maybe because the ball doesn't go anywhere. Either way, next time you hit a hosel rocket, remember to try these three fixes first. And don't sweat it, it's not as bad as you think!

Good Luck!

Winter Practice Sessions

Winter is a notoriously bad time for most golfers. The rust on your clubs match the rust on your golf swing, but there are things you can do to keep the rust off while the weather remains uncooperative...

Slow motion swings with a weighted club is one of the best ways to train your body, even in good weather. Having a mirror to monitor where your swing positions are is a great advantage as well. Think about a proper setup, most instruction books or DVDs have proper setup technique. Then continue on with your swing in SLOW MOTION checking positions in the mirror. Refer to any notorious golf instructor for proper swing positions. 20-30 slow-mo swings a few times a week is all you need to remind or even train your body to swing properly.

Another great way to keep the rust off your game is to go to Walmart or Target and buy a pack of whiffle golf balls for a couple bucks. Use them to chip inside your house on your carpet. The only thing you need to focus on is chipping the ball solidly and making sure you are hitting "ball-turf". Meaning, you catch the ball with the wedge first, then continue on to make contact with the turf, or carpet. Now, I'm not saying take a divot out of the carpet, but just a nice brush of the carpet AFTER contact with the whiffle is perfect. Pick a target (a box, cup, doorframe, etc.) and see how many times you can make the shot, but make sure your focus is on proper impact. I have my fiance, Courtney, do this all the time because she wants to improve but has little time to go to the range after work. This helps her focus on proper contact on her chips which will translate into proper impact in her full swing when she gets a chance to go to the range and hit real golf balls.

Practicing these 20 foot chips and making weighted slow motion swings in your living room just 3 or 4 times a week and you will have a huge advantage over your golfing buddies when it's finally time to play again.

Good Luck!

*Please email me if you would like a suggestion on the better golf instruction books.

Four Keys To Great Putting

When you practice your putting (if you do), do you focus on something specific? Or do you just putt around without a purpose hoping to get something out of it?

You should be putting with a purpose while you practice. I'm going to explain the 4 keys to successful putting, and give a drill or two for each to help you out.

1. Striking the center of the putter consistently: Striking the putt in a different place on the putter face will make the putt go a different distance each time, and as you will learn in #3, distance control is pretty important.
Drill 1: Wrap two rubber bands about 3/4" to an inch apart around the sweet spot of the putter. The closer the rubber bands are, the more precise your contact will have to be. If you don't contact the putt in the sweet spot you will get immediate feedback from the rubber bands that you didn't.
Drill 2: The Gate Drill- Put two tees in the ground at address position, one just outside the toe of the putter and another just outside the heel of the putter. The closer the tees are to the putter, the more precise your strike will have to be. Hit putts making sure you do not clip the tees as you strike the put.

2. Starting the putt on its intended line: If you cant start the ball on your intended line, you have no chance at making a putt, this key is critical to putting well.
Drill: The two gate drill- The first part is set up the same way as drill 2 of Key #1, but in addition to the gate surrounding your putter, you need another gate no more than half way to the hole that is about 3 inches apart. Your goal is to stroke the putt without hitting the first gate, and make the ball go through the second gate without touching the tees. That way you know the ball started online.

3. Distance control: This is the most important part of good putting! There are hundreds of drills for distance control, but ill give you my favorite two.
Drill 1: From about 30 feet, place a club or flag stick about 18 inches behind the hole. But at the hole, but not necessarily trying to make the putt. Instead, just try to stop the ball between the back of the hole and the club/flag. You will be surprised how many putts actually end up going in!
Drill 2: Using 8 tees, put one in the ground about 15 feet from the hole, then put one on the exact opposite side of the hole at the same distance. From each side, in a straight line going away from the hole, place another tee in the ground every 3-4 feet. Start at the first tee on either side, and the goal is to putt the ball and make it stop no more than 18 inches past the hole. Once you do that, you circle to the other side of the hole and the first tee there, and putt to 18 inches. If completed, circle back around to the first side and putt from the second tee.. keep doing that until you have completed all 8 putts in a row. If you ever hit a putt and it does not rest between the front edge of the hole and 18 inches past, you must restart from the first front tee.

Competition Tip: The best tip I have received about distance control in competition is from Mitch Lowe (PGA), he told me: When you are getting ready for competition, make sure you will be ready if you are faced with a 40 foot birdie putt on the first hole.

4. Reading the green: Green reading is an art, you must train your eye in order to learn how to read greens correctly.
Drill: For 15 minutes while you practice, use only one ball, and pick a different putt each time. Before you putt, read the green as you would in competition and place a tee or a coin at your "aimpoint" or the high point of the break of the putt. After you putt, whether make or miss, evaluate the actual line and break point of the putt versus what you decided your aimpoint would be. This will help train your eye to reading greens better.

Combining these keys to putting with focused practice will knock strokes off your score in a hurry, guaranteed!

Good Luck!

No Rough in 2014 US Open

US Open to be played at Pinehurst #2 in 2014... interesting piece of information...


“Mike Davis (the USGA’s director of rules and competition) has told me the 2014 US Open will be the first to be played on a course with no rough. We wanted to make sure they were comfortable with what we were doing and they are. Some of the fairways are going to be 40 yards wide, but they say that is fine with them. Mike says they will not grow rough. Which will be unbelievable. I really hope it happens. If they get the fairways firm, the course will be just as difficult.”


Im not sure how I feel about this decision yet. Yes, it is different, and depending on the slope and roll of the fairways, it could play very hard. But for me, and for many other Sunday TV watchers, some of the best footage comes from watching professionals such as Tiger and Phil hack out of 8 inch rough with a lob wedge just to get it back in the fairway or try to get a little too aggressive and hit the 15 yard grounder that stays in the rough. I cant see how miles of fairway is a tougher test then the 8 inches of thick rough which is synonomous with the US Open, but we will see!

Did he really just tend the flag.... from 75 yards out!!??!!

This past weekend at the Farmer's on Torrey Pines Golf Course, I watched something that I never even imagined would happen. Here is the situation...

Phil Mickelson is walking down the 18th fairway toward his 3rd shot on Sunday as he watched Bubba Watson drain a 15 foot birdie to take a two shot lead over him. Everybody knew Phil had to hole out from about 75 yards away in order to force a playoff with Bubba, but what happened next was unbelievable...

The first thing that people thought to be a bit silly was when Phil wandered all the way up to the green to read the break around the hole. My buddy turned to me and joked, "I think he is going to fix some of the divots around the hole." And to be honest, I would not be surprised if he did, now. But what happened next is really astounding... Bones (Phil's caddy) walked up to the green while Phil took his practice swings and prepared for his shot. Then Bones stood right next to the flag as Phil addressed the shot. I thought to myself, "He is having the flag tended from 75 yards out! Are you kidding me!"And that is precisely what Bones was doing... Once Phil made contact with the ball, Bones pulled the flag and stepped a few feet out of the way....

Just a couple seconds later the TV camera zooms in one the flag-less hole and Phil's ball pitches about 1 foot to the left of the hole, takes a nice skip forward, and starts to spin back tracking toward the hole. Phil left the shot about 2 feet above the hole. Are you kidding me?

Moral of the story:
For all you beginning, avid, or professional golfers, this is the importance of a good wedge game. There was no doubt in Phil's mind that he could (and would) make that shot. He didn't get lucky, or guess right. He practiced that exact shot hundreds of times just in case he had this situation. Talk about having confidence in your wedge game!

Here is video of Phil's wedge on Sunday if you missed it.

Phil Mickelson's eagle attempt on 72nd hole at Torrey Pines | Videos | Golf.com

Now for you junior golfers, my friend Chris Smeal said it best:

Christopher Smeal

Pretty good with a wedge when you have the flag tended from 74 yards and almost make it. Notice to juniors! - work harder on inside 100! However- do not do this in ourevents as we don't have time for that.

Good drill to practice wedges:

Set a marker down (towel, hula hoop, etc) at ten yard intervals out on the driving range. Set up 4 or 5 markers starting about 30 yards from where you will be hitting balls. Laser each marker to make sure the distances are exact. Select two or three different wedges and figure out how long your swing needs to be to hit those different clubs to each marker. Write down what your observations so you don't forget. Training this way will really dial in your wedges and help you get up and down from inside 100 yards more often! 

Good Luck!

In the beginning, there was Happy Gilmore...

This purpose of this first blog is to introduce myself and describe where I come from and how I teach and understand golf. Every golf instructor has a different philosophy shaped by the many lessons, training sessions, and observations they have had in their career. In future postings I am going to share with you some good tips, drills, stories and anything else that pertains to golf and life that I think you all might find interesting.

So a little about me:
I started playing golf at the age of 12. I played mostly with my dad, but played infrequently until I watched the movie Happy Gilmore. Happy made me realize golf is a fun sport and after taking a few running golf swings and failing miserably, I decided to keep my feet planted and try it that way. After that, I started to love the game and really started to improve quickly. By age 14, I was outdriving my playing partner (my dad), and by age 15, I was beating him consistently. I made the varsity golf team my freshman year of high school played in the "number 1" spot for 4 years. I earned a golf scholarship to San Diego State University where my game really evolved, and in my final year our team placed 14th in the country at the NCAA Championships.

I graduated from SDSU with a Master's Degree in Financial and Tax Planning, but decided to become a golf professional instead of a financial professional. I currently work at Prestonwood Country Club and have been there for almost 2 years as the Assistant Golf Professional.

While at Prestonwood, I have discovered that my passion in the golf industry lies in teaching others how to enjoy the game as much as I have over the years. I currently teach private golf lessons, junior camps, adult clinics, and on course lessons. I observe other professionals teaching as much as possible to increase my golf knowledge so I can pass it on to my students. I have been teaching golf for about 4 years now, and learn something new every single day.

Im excited to be able to post my thoughts here, and hope that they will be very useful to you all.