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.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Choosing the Correct Golf Ball.
One of the most productive services we offer at our Academy is to help our friends find the right golf ball for their game. For most, the first choices are the golf balls we receive as gifts or those we find on the golf course. It is hard to argue with this plan but the reality is that all golf balls are not created equal, and if you are looking to improve there is a better golf ball for you.
Step one in finding the right golf ball is to answer the following question, “Do I need more distance or do I need a golf ball that improves my performance around the green?” Think hard about this. It is easy to say we want more distance but what will help your score the most? When considering your short game. The important question is whether you use spin or loft and trajectory to control the golf ball.
Step Two. Spend some time getting an accurate appraisal of how fast you swing the golf club. The latest generations of golf balls are tweaked to perform best at certain speeds.
Step Three. How much are you willing to spend? Golf balls come in three basic prices, $20.00- $30.00 per dozen, $30.00 – $40.00 per dozen and more than $40.00. There are some that think like to buy recycled premium golf balls, but I can’t recommend it. You never know where they came from and if they have been sitting in a pond they are sure to be duds.
Step Four. Find a knowledgeable person to help. Let’s assume you have determined that you while you could always use more distance, your short game is better when you use a lower trajectory shot around the greens. This requires a ball that spins. Let us also assume your swing speed is around 85 mph with the driver. Not all high spin golf balls perform well at speeds of less than 100 mph, but every manufacturer makes a golf ball for this speed without sacrificing distance. Finally, your budget demands a ball in the moderate price category. When a salesperson is presented these facts they should be able to make a recommendation. Once they make the recommendation be sure to ask what it is about the construction of that particular ball that makes it best for my game. If they don’t know why, they might be recommending a ball they need to sell. An educated sales person will be able to tell you why.
Step one in finding the right golf ball is to answer the following question, “Do I need more distance or do I need a golf ball that improves my performance around the green?” Think hard about this. It is easy to say we want more distance but what will help your score the most? When considering your short game. The important question is whether you use spin or loft and trajectory to control the golf ball.
Step Two. Spend some time getting an accurate appraisal of how fast you swing the golf club. The latest generations of golf balls are tweaked to perform best at certain speeds.
Step Three. How much are you willing to spend? Golf balls come in three basic prices, $20.00- $30.00 per dozen, $30.00 – $40.00 per dozen and more than $40.00. There are some that think like to buy recycled premium golf balls, but I can’t recommend it. You never know where they came from and if they have been sitting in a pond they are sure to be duds.
Step Four. Find a knowledgeable person to help. Let’s assume you have determined that you while you could always use more distance, your short game is better when you use a lower trajectory shot around the greens. This requires a ball that spins. Let us also assume your swing speed is around 85 mph with the driver. Not all high spin golf balls perform well at speeds of less than 100 mph, but every manufacturer makes a golf ball for this speed without sacrificing distance. Finally, your budget demands a ball in the moderate price category. When a salesperson is presented these facts they should be able to make a recommendation. Once they make the recommendation be sure to ask what it is about the construction of that particular ball that makes it best for my game. If they don’t know why, they might be recommending a ball they need to sell. An educated sales person will be able to tell you why.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring Golf - Are you ready?
There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs at the United States Golf Academy every year about this time. Regardless of weather conditions, the Monday after the time change, the phone starts to ring. With every call comes the same question, “When is the golf course going to open?” This latest round of extreme weather was no help but for us the answer is soon, very soon. Are you ready for the new season? The following are a couple of simple tips to help make the start of the season a little easier and hopefully more enjoyable.
Check the grips on your clubs. Over time rubber grips become slick, even when not in use. Wash them thoroughly with hot water, soap and a nylon brush. For grips a year old or so this is usually enough. If the grips are more than a couple of seasons old it may be time to replace them. A good solid grip is a basic fundamental and holding on to the club is obviously easier when the grips are fresh and a little tacky.
Start Simple. There are only two things that influence the flight of the ball, the position of the club face at impact and how fast the club it is moving. Experiment with your hand position on the club to find the grip that brings the club back to square at impact.
Start Slow. When coming off a layoff it is not the mechanics of your golf swing that have changed as much as the timing and tempo of your swing. Go out in the back yard and start swinging a golf club with your eyes closed. You will quickly find out how fast you can swing the club before you lose your balance. For the first couple of outings of the year try to maintain that speed and no faster. Focus on making solid contact with the ball at the slower speed. You might find you have been working way too hard and the early season swing tempo produces the same or greater distance with less effort.
Start Short. Find a place to hit some wedges and short irons before you grab the driver and start whaling away. Once you find a swing that works with the short clubs, the swing for the long clubs will easily come back to you.
Invest in a lesson. None of us have extra money to throw around these days, but a ½ hour lesson with the right pro can do your game a lot of good. Look for teachers who are full time instructors or teach some everyday. There is a rhythm in golf instruction just like anything else and teachers can get rusty just like students. Talk to the instructor prior to the lesson. Tell them you are just looking for a review of your fundamentals. Now is not the time to go to a “method” teacher and overhaul your game. Look for the pro that can enhance what you do, rather than change you to their preferences.
Check the grips on your clubs. Over time rubber grips become slick, even when not in use. Wash them thoroughly with hot water, soap and a nylon brush. For grips a year old or so this is usually enough. If the grips are more than a couple of seasons old it may be time to replace them. A good solid grip is a basic fundamental and holding on to the club is obviously easier when the grips are fresh and a little tacky.
Start Simple. There are only two things that influence the flight of the ball, the position of the club face at impact and how fast the club it is moving. Experiment with your hand position on the club to find the grip that brings the club back to square at impact.
Start Slow. When coming off a layoff it is not the mechanics of your golf swing that have changed as much as the timing and tempo of your swing. Go out in the back yard and start swinging a golf club with your eyes closed. You will quickly find out how fast you can swing the club before you lose your balance. For the first couple of outings of the year try to maintain that speed and no faster. Focus on making solid contact with the ball at the slower speed. You might find you have been working way too hard and the early season swing tempo produces the same or greater distance with less effort.
Start Short. Find a place to hit some wedges and short irons before you grab the driver and start whaling away. Once you find a swing that works with the short clubs, the swing for the long clubs will easily come back to you.
Invest in a lesson. None of us have extra money to throw around these days, but a ½ hour lesson with the right pro can do your game a lot of good. Look for teachers who are full time instructors or teach some everyday. There is a rhythm in golf instruction just like anything else and teachers can get rusty just like students. Talk to the instructor prior to the lesson. Tell them you are just looking for a review of your fundamentals. Now is not the time to go to a “method” teacher and overhaul your game. Look for the pro that can enhance what you do, rather than change you to their preferences.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Winter Help
We are extremely fortunate to have a year round golf facility at the United States Golf Academy, so even as Mother Nature decides what type of precipitation she wants to dump on us today, we can at least swing a golf club, and take out some of our frustrations on that little white ball. Over the years there has been a number of theories as to the benefit or detriment of hitting golf balls indoors. We believe it can be very good for your game and the following are some ideas on how to make the most of the “indoor season”.
Avoid Mindless Repetition. There is no real gain from practice without a purpose at any time of the year. Hitting a couple hundred golf balls into a net just for the sake of hitting balls probably does more harm than good. Instead, now is the time to develop that routine you have heard would help but you were never able to accomplish on the golf course. Pick a spot on the net, aim the club at the spot, and then use the club as the reference of your alignment to the ball. Make your swing and watch where the ball strikes the net. Even this simple feedback is beneficial as you relate your setup process to the result. Another good practice is to note where you strike the ball on the clubface. Take a dry erase marker with you and mark the ball on the side closest to the golf club. The dry erase will leave a mark on the clubface so you can see the impact point on the club.
Video Tape Your Swing. Winter is the best time to get with a PGA professional and video tape your swing. As we said earlier feedback is a good thing and nothing points out the flaws like video. A word of caution; make sure the camera or cameras are positioned correctly. If you are looking down the target line make sure the camera is parallel to the target line, directly behind your hands. If the camera is face on it should be perpendicular to the target line and pointed at your sternum. Video taken from positions other than these can give you an inaccurate picture of your swing and lead to improper conclusions.
Practice your Short Game. Now is the best time to get familiar with your wedges. Learn to hit shots with different length swings. Work on using an even tempo. Short game strokes (less than a full swing) have a three beat rhythm. 1 starts the club back. 2 is the transition from backswing to forward swing and on 3 you accelerate the club to the finish. This is also the best rhythm for putting as well. Hitting short shots thinking only of rhythm and tempo will pay real dividends at the end of the season.
Avoid Mindless Repetition. There is no real gain from practice without a purpose at any time of the year. Hitting a couple hundred golf balls into a net just for the sake of hitting balls probably does more harm than good. Instead, now is the time to develop that routine you have heard would help but you were never able to accomplish on the golf course. Pick a spot on the net, aim the club at the spot, and then use the club as the reference of your alignment to the ball. Make your swing and watch where the ball strikes the net. Even this simple feedback is beneficial as you relate your setup process to the result. Another good practice is to note where you strike the ball on the clubface. Take a dry erase marker with you and mark the ball on the side closest to the golf club. The dry erase will leave a mark on the clubface so you can see the impact point on the club.
Video Tape Your Swing. Winter is the best time to get with a PGA professional and video tape your swing. As we said earlier feedback is a good thing and nothing points out the flaws like video. A word of caution; make sure the camera or cameras are positioned correctly. If you are looking down the target line make sure the camera is parallel to the target line, directly behind your hands. If the camera is face on it should be perpendicular to the target line and pointed at your sternum. Video taken from positions other than these can give you an inaccurate picture of your swing and lead to improper conclusions.
Practice your Short Game. Now is the best time to get familiar with your wedges. Learn to hit shots with different length swings. Work on using an even tempo. Short game strokes (less than a full swing) have a three beat rhythm. 1 starts the club back. 2 is the transition from backswing to forward swing and on 3 you accelerate the club to the finish. This is also the best rhythm for putting as well. Hitting short shots thinking only of rhythm and tempo will pay real dividends at the end of the season.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Arc or Straight
The Putter Path Myth
The putter-face at impact determines approximately 82% of the direction of the ball moving away from the club. The remaining 18% of the direction the ball leaves the putter is influenced by the direction of the shaft plane as the putter swings through the ball. So the path the putter takes is of much lesser importance than the face angle at impact. However for the player, the perception of the direction of the putt is almost entirely the direction of the path of the stroke. The conflict can come either visually or by feel, but the results are usually the same as diagramed by the illustration at the top of the page. When a stroke starts "off line" it is the effort to correct, by twisting the putter-face or re-routing the putter during the forward swing that causes the miss. Trying to steer the putter in the forward stroke is easily the most frequent reason for a missed putt. If my stroke doesn’t match my perception of the direction I am trying to roll the ball as dictated by our vision, it is our nature to attempt to correct the error. This explains the success of having player not watch the putter as it swings away. They are less likely to react to the path created by alignment and posture and therefore less likely to attempt to correct the stroke. It also explains how for many of our students they are more successful by performing the stroke with their eyes closed. Without the visual influence or interference the stroke performs as it should.
There is also a great deal of misinformation out there due to the efforts to “market” aids and systems that are based on perfect path direction. Most teaching systems are based on achieving a putter path that parallels the intended line of the putt at impact. In general, there are two accepted descriptions of putter-paths, both of which assume a path that at impact has the putter moving in the exact direction of the intended line of the putt. These descriptions are known as the straight back and straight through method, which assumes that the head of the putter moves on a straight path during the stroke. The other method is called the arc. This is a description of the appearance of the putter when it is allowed to move on a natural inclined plane. Both of these descriptions are two dimensional descriptions of a three dimensional motion and the net effect is more confusion than solution. When measured accurately the putter actually does both. The shaft of the putter and the motion of the hands is a straight motion. We define this aspect as the stroke plane direction. The head of the putter, when examined separately moves on an elliptical path when traced in relationship to the ground and in two dimensions. This is because of the fixed length of the player’s arms and the attachment of a putter at a fixed length. As the shaft moves on a straight path along the inclined plane, as the putter head travels along as it comes up off the ground it moves along the plane slightly to the inside of the path of the shaft. The size and shape of the arc is determined by the distance the player is from the ball, the lie angle and length of the putter. The farther away the flatter the shaft plane angle and the more pronounced the arc. Because this path shape is a consequence of the stroke plane direction and the measurement and fit of the putter itself we feel the description of path shape to be of no importance.
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