The majority of the golfers we work with at the United States Golf Academy are female. Our female students are players of all types; some are competitive, some social, some are young and some are like me who have been young for a long time. With the exception of some political issues which many of us in the industry are diligent about changing, golfers are golfers and their problems are the same.
1. Their clubs do not fit their posture or swing. Easily the most common problems we address are club fitting issues. Too long and too heavy being the most frequent. Unfortunately, many women play with “hand me downs”, which are often old technology and much heavier than we play today. We have seen some miraculous results for players by just changing equipment.
2. More club speed. I am “gender blind” when it comes to golf swings. Every player I work with man or woman has problems that are unique to them. So for every player there are two ways to develop more club speed. Physical strength or better technique. Technique is what holds most players back and so time spent to improve technique is valuable, especially when combined with a proper club fit.
3. Neglected short games. Physical strength or stature has very little to do with shots around the green. Putting and chipping are learned skills and have the most influence on our final score. Again you want to make sure you have equipment that fits your stature. Especially when it comes to a putter. There is very little room for error when it comes to shots around the green making our equipment choices much more important than shots form the fairway or off the tee. Simply put, for shots around the green, you need a club that lofts the ball in the air, one that you hit on a lower trajectory that runs out, and a putter that fits your posture.
4. Find your favorites. For less experienced players, we encourage them to find their favorite clubs and use them. You need a favorite from off the tee. You need a favorite for longer shots from the fairway, for shorter shots from the fairway and clubs for around the green. As you get better you will add more favorites to your bag, expanding your options, but for now don’t hit a shot with a club you don’t like. It takes the fun out of the game.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
No Bad Shots
The first point we try to make when we work with a new or inexperienced player at the Academy is the idea that you will never hit a “bad” golf shot. Now I am sure you are thinking, “Of course I hit bad golf shots; in fact I hit more bad than good.” In reality that might be true but there are a number of reasons for you to not judge every result.
1. The difference between a great shot and a poor one is very small. Take for example a topped shot that just runs along the ground. The difference between hitting the ball on the bottom of the club and the one you strike in the center of the club face is at most about ½ inch. Let’s say you have a golf club that is 42 inches long. To miss by ½ inch is less than a 2% error. You were 98% correct.
2. It is human nature to try to fix the previous shot on the next attempt. We see it all the time. The ball goes into the woods on the right. I promise you on the next shot the player will aim a little farther left to make sure they don’t repeat the same mistake. The shot goes off without a hitch, they hit the ball where it was aimed and the target is now missed to the left. Next shot goes right to fix the left and now we are a mess. There is a name for this phenomenon, it is called Army Golf. Left, right, left right.
3. Good shots can produce bad results and bad shots can go in. My only hole in one bounced out of a tree and off a bank at the back of the green. Awful shot – great result.
The only way your game is going to get better is to be consistent. In order to achieve this consistency you have to do things the same way for every shot, regardless of result. Create a routine, use the same grip on every shot. Align yourself to the ball in the same manner every time. Swing the club the same length back and through. Try to swing each club and make each swing with the same tempo and rhythm. If you do this you will find your ball striking will become more consistent as well. The results might still be “bad”, but the mistakes will be similar. It is easier to fix one miss than many different ones.
1. The difference between a great shot and a poor one is very small. Take for example a topped shot that just runs along the ground. The difference between hitting the ball on the bottom of the club and the one you strike in the center of the club face is at most about ½ inch. Let’s say you have a golf club that is 42 inches long. To miss by ½ inch is less than a 2% error. You were 98% correct.
2. It is human nature to try to fix the previous shot on the next attempt. We see it all the time. The ball goes into the woods on the right. I promise you on the next shot the player will aim a little farther left to make sure they don’t repeat the same mistake. The shot goes off without a hitch, they hit the ball where it was aimed and the target is now missed to the left. Next shot goes right to fix the left and now we are a mess. There is a name for this phenomenon, it is called Army Golf. Left, right, left right.
3. Good shots can produce bad results and bad shots can go in. My only hole in one bounced out of a tree and off a bank at the back of the green. Awful shot – great result.
The only way your game is going to get better is to be consistent. In order to achieve this consistency you have to do things the same way for every shot, regardless of result. Create a routine, use the same grip on every shot. Align yourself to the ball in the same manner every time. Swing the club the same length back and through. Try to swing each club and make each swing with the same tempo and rhythm. If you do this you will find your ball striking will become more consistent as well. The results might still be “bad”, but the mistakes will be similar. It is easier to fix one miss than many different ones.
Tips for the Ladies
Article
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The majority of the golfers we work with at the United States Golf Academy are female. Our female students are players of all types; some are competitive, some social, some are young and some are like me who have been young for a long time. With the exception of some political issues which many of us in the industry are diligent about changing, golfers are golfers and their problems are the same.
1. Their clubs do not fit their posture or swing. Easily the most common problems we address are club fitting issues. Too long and too heavy being the most frequent. Unfortunately, many women play with “hand me downs”, which are often old technology and much heavier than we play today. We have seen some miraculous results for players by just changing equipment.
2. More club speed. I am “gender blind” when it comes to golf swings. Every player I work with man or woman has problems that are unique to them. So for every player there are two ways to develop more club speed. Physical strength or better technique. Technique is what holds most players back and so time spent to improve technique is valuable, especially when combined with a proper club fit.
3. Neglected short games. Physical strength or stature has very little to do with shots around the green. Putting and chipping are learned skills and have the most influence on our final score. Again you want to make sure you have equipment that fits your stature. Especially when it comes to a putter. There is very little room for error when it comes to shots around the green making our equipment choices much more important than shots form the fairway or off the tee. Simply put, for shots around the green, you need a club that lofts the ball in the air, one that you hit on a lower trajectory that runs out, and a putter that fits your posture.
4. Find your favorites. For less experienced players, we encourage them to find their favorite clubs and use them. You need a favorite from off the tee. You need a favorite for longer shots from the fairway, for shorter shots from the fairway and clubs for around the green. As you get better you will add more favorites to your bag, expanding your options, but for now don’t hit a shot with a club you don’t like. It takes the fun out of the game.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The majority of the golfers we work with at the United States Golf Academy are female. Our female students are players of all types; some are competitive, some social, some are young and some are like me who have been young for a long time. With the exception of some political issues which many of us in the industry are diligent about changing, golfers are golfers and their problems are the same.
1. Their clubs do not fit their posture or swing. Easily the most common problems we address are club fitting issues. Too long and too heavy being the most frequent. Unfortunately, many women play with “hand me downs”, which are often old technology and much heavier than we play today. We have seen some miraculous results for players by just changing equipment.
2. More club speed. I am “gender blind” when it comes to golf swings. Every player I work with man or woman has problems that are unique to them. So for every player there are two ways to develop more club speed. Physical strength or better technique. Technique is what holds most players back and so time spent to improve technique is valuable, especially when combined with a proper club fit.
3. Neglected short games. Physical strength or stature has very little to do with shots around the green. Putting and chipping are learned skills and have the most influence on our final score. Again you want to make sure you have equipment that fits your stature. Especially when it comes to a putter. There is very little room for error when it comes to shots around the green making our equipment choices much more important than shots form the fairway or off the tee. Simply put, for shots around the green, you need a club that lofts the ball in the air, one that you hit on a lower trajectory that runs out, and a putter that fits your posture.
4. Find your favorites. For less experienced players, we encourage them to find their favorite clubs and use them. You need a favorite from off the tee. You need a favorite for longer shots from the fairway, for shorter shots from the fairway and clubs for around the green. As you get better you will add more favorites to your bag, expanding your options, but for now don’t hit a shot with a club you don’t like. It takes the fun out of the game.
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