Golf instruction - what is essential to the swing and what is merely style?
Golf Instruction - What is essential to the swing and what is merely a matter of style? A page for everybody who loves golf! Here I will discuss the swing, architecture, equipment, players and the general state of the game.
This book has been written to show all golfers' what style elements they can do without and what functional elements are integral to soundly struck golf shots. What is pretty and what works? Forget about form and focus all your attention on two simple keys that make all the difference in the world.
Read MoreWow! After watching the happenings at Turnberry yesterday I can emphatically state that the Open Championship (and not the 'British Open' as we Americans prefer to call it!) is the greatest golf event in the world! At what other championship would a 16 year old, an almost 60 year old and a champion all be involved in the awards ceremony? From the history, to the ever changing weather, to the golf courses, to the true international 'openness' of the event I love everything about it. Stewart Cink:
Old Tom Watson: (and I call him that with admiration!)
The Golf Course:
As you can tell I like old school. I like old school championships, golfers, courtesy and courses! What do you like?
Hey, thanks for reading and please tell your friends about this amazing new website that is the latest and greatest golf blog in the whole wide world!!
One of the greatest choking hazards a golfer faces is a large lead with 18 or fewer holes to play. And here's why; any golfer within 8 strokes of you has a legitimate shot at catching you! When a golfer get's out in front they often start to play a different style of golf and we have all seen the results of this change - Norman in '96 Masters (I could put multiple events for Norman here), Van de Velde in the '99 Open, Palmer with a 7 shot lead and 9 holes to go in the US Open at Olympic......
(Did you know - Jean Van de Velde's ball crossed the burn 8 times on the 72nd hole of the '99 British Open!)
With a big lead the mind and approach tends to change and when that happens you are in big trouble. Think of it this way - if you were competing in a one round event against all the players within 8 strokes of you, you could play relatively well, yet still lose to one or more of the players in that limited field by more than 8 strokes! And that's without any change in approach!
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have a large lead (and I hope you do!) forget protecting and go out and play golf the way you played to get yourself in that position! Play the event as if it were a one round shootout and all the golfers are tied with you starting the round. A golf tournament is a marathon; you can only play protective golf (and get away with it!) with three or fewer holes to go.
A FURTHER UPDATE ON THE "RELEASE THE PUTTER" POST:
I thought the following two photographs might clarify the difference between a proper release of the putter and a non-release.
I hope the above pictures help to clarify any confusion that there might have been. The furthest point from the axis of a pendulum travels the furthest.
Let the putter head swing!
U.S. Open Notes:
If you are ever in the Hilton Head area and are looking to go and catch some fish please look up my friend Capt. Christiaan Pollitzer on the Bulldog. I fished with him yesterday and we caught 6 cobia and a red snapper amongst various other denizons of the deep! I actually invited friends to a cobia dinner before we even left the dock - the man is a fishing legend!
Pleasant words promote instruction. Proverbs 16:21
As a parent of young golfers it has been an interesting education for me to learn what it would take to get them to 'want' to play. When I first exposed them to golf I went out of my way to get them to 'do golf properly'.
"No you cannot stand there!"
"There's no fooling around out here!"
"Don't do that!"
I am thankful now that for a few years I failed miserably at nurturing any passion for golf in them. I am thankful because I am of the opinion that there are two ways to learn something; by seeing the right way to do it and the wrong way to do it! Eventually my boys did not want anything to do with golf. It had become clear that I was going about things the wrong way. I was trying to get them to play golf 'too correctly'.
I became crazy about golf because I love the game. In my 'infinite wisdom' I decided, after a year break, to try to get my young golfers to love the game. A novel approach! I went out of my way to not push and to make it as fun as anything they did. They enjoyed snacks and sodas while playing, they drove the cart (while in my lap with me controlling the pedals!), they became experts at the Happy Gilmore swing and above all else, experts at laughing on the course. We celebrated the great holes and forgot the rest. Golf was fun and I even found myself having a better time! There were no scorecards, few rules and no pressure.
I have come to the conclusion that in order to get a spouse, friend, son, daughter, brother, aunt or grandparent to enjoy the game and to want to play of their own accord you must give them a reason to love the game. And when they love the game they will come back often enough to learn the rules and etiquette and respect that most of us seasoned golfers already embrace.
The other day my youngest son was hitting his 'gold' golf ball up and down the eighteenth fairway at 7:30am barefooted. He followed that up with several rounds of 'yard golf' with his friends (Yes, the divots are bad!) and at 7:30 at night he asked me if would take him to the range to 'whack balls'. I smiled to myself because I knew I must be doing something right!
Congratulations to Berkeley Hall student Tim Tang on winning the Charleston City Amateur by seven strokes and a -17 total (66-66-67) Well done Tim and we look for big things from you in the future!
When was the last time the top 10 players in a major were a combined 55 under par on day one? When in a major have 57 players shot under par on any day? The PGA Tour is trying to buy their way into a major championship by touting The Players as the "5th Major". Not many people are aware that the PGA Tour does not operate or run a single major championship. The Masters is run by Augusta National, The US Open by the USGA, the British Open by the Royal and Ancient and the PGA by the, well, PGA. With the Players Championship the PGA Tour is making a vain attempt to get into the mix. From the monstrous clubhouse, to the monstrous purse, to the monstrous PR spin they put on the event they are eagerly attempting to join a closed club.
My primary reason for voting out the Players is the golf course! Sure the holes we see all look frightening, with tremendous risk and reward, but what about the rest of the course. Ever notice how much the Tour focuses on the closing holes? Please don't get me wrong - you must be a ball striker to do well here, but this is simply Harbourtown where rough has replaced trees. Distance does not make a great course , but give the best in the world ten opportunities from inside 140 yards and look out. There are 10 short, legit birdie opportunities on the course (holes 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17). Holes where every player in the field, from the longest to the shortest, should be thinking birdie or par at worst.
I have taken the rounds of those two players, the longest and the shortest, namely Bubba and Freddy Funk and broken them down for your perusal. Let's start with Fred Funk who played earlier this morning. When it comes to driving distance Fred Funk is currently 62nd on the Champions Tour with a distance of 265.9. That would leave him at 183 out of 185 on the PGA Tour ahead of only Faxon and Pavin. His driving distance was 260 today and he scored a +1 /73. The following numbers indicate the yardage he had into each of the 10 selected holes in regulation. They include all four par fives and a par three.
1-156yds, 2-82yds, 4-115yds, 6-115yds, 9-87yds, 10-146yds, 11-101yds, 12-81yds, 16-4yds, 17-137yds for an average of 102.4 yards.
The shortest player in the field averaged just over 100 yds into 10 holes on a major championship course?
Now let's check in with Bubba Watson who is playing nicely and shot -5 /67. He is currently the longest hitter on the PGA Tour at 313.8 yards per poke. Today he averaged 318 yards off the tee. His yardages into each of the ten selected holes were:
1-90yds, 2-53yds, 4-91 yds, 6-104 yds, 9-76 yds, 10-139 yds, 11-29 yds, 12-92 yds, 16-3 yds, 17-137 yds for an average distance in of 81.4 yards. I wonder how many drivers Bubba used on these holes?
The facts indicate that every player in the field is faced with 10 holes on a supposed 'major championship' course where the longest shot they are required to hit is approximately 140 yards. And this is with a rainy night before the tournament got under way. What major course has a four hole stretch (9-12) where no approach shot of over 125 yards is required?
In 2008 the greens had just been reshaped and surfaced and as a result were rock hard. The wind blew between 15 and 25mph each day starting at 10 am. In other words conditions were as tough and challenging as they could get and yet, the playoff number was -5. Can you imagine conditions being brutal at Winged Foot or Carnoustie and -5 playing off! Grow all the rough you want, make the green rock hard and roll at 13 on the stimp, but my belief is this; if they have soft conditions and windless days the winning score will be lower than -15. You heard it here first - this is no major, just an over-sized, over-promoted PGA Tour dream.
I love the event, just not the way the Tour is painting it!
I watched the broadcast from Quail Hollow yesterday and was shocked at what I saw; these golfers were playing some of the hardest holes I have ever seen with 9-irons and wedges for their approaches. I have been to this event and the 'Green Mile' holes are as they have been promoted - BRUTAL! The leaders made them look a little silly (even though none of them managed to hit the 17th green!):
I firmly believe that the USGA and RnA has dropped the ball (pun intended) on this matter and something needs to be done soon. Gone are the days of upper echelon golfers hitting a 3-iron into a par four unless weather conditions exist. Without changing the ball the only way that could be done would be to have par fours of over 530 yards and golf courses that measure 8,000 yards! Whether it means changing the size of the ball, it's dimples, materials or construction, something needs to be done.
For more detailed quotes and information on this topic please link to http://www.geoffshackelford.com/the-list/
Things to ponder:
The Spring issue of Golf Digest/Index magazine just came out and ranked the top 75 practice facilities in the USA. When I first started teaching at Berkeley Hall in April 2001 I contacted Golf Digest asking them to do a piece on on the premier practice grounds in the country. They rank everything else in golf, from courses, to instructors, to golf balls, why not an integral part of any golf operation - the practice area!
At the time Berkeley Hall was without a doubt the premier place in the country, if not the world, to work on your game. My request was in vain, yet I am glad to see they have finally caught on and ranked some of the top facilities.
There is good news and bad news - I'll start with the good! Berkeley Hall has over 31 acres of practice area, 6 acres of which are dedicated to the short game. We have a $1 million learning center that includes 4 indoor hitting bays, 3 V1 Swing Analysis stations, a TOMI software indoor putting room, a video room for indoor analysis, a lounge with fireplace and 500 year-old Black Cypress wood bar, two private lesson tees, four oversized practice tees (two on each end), a wedge only tee with six 14ft diameter sand target greens and a lazer to determine distances to each flag, a Cover Shots unit under which 6-7 golfers can escape the elements (rain and sun) and hit off grass, four putting greens, two of which are bent and two of which are tif-eagle bermuda and eight bunkers from which to hit greenside shots from, a few from which you can also hit fairway bunker shots.
Did I also mention that each hitting station on the practice tee is equipped new Titleist NXT Tour balls, a bag stand with distances that are lazered to each target flag daily, bug spray, tees and a towel. There are also Schaefer fans located at each station to cool in the summer, or drive off a pesky bug or two in the spring and fall.
The short game area has three tif-eagle target greens that are maintained in the same fashion as the greens on the course. There are lazers located at strategic locations to help determine how far you might be hitting that new L-wedge. Designed by Fazio, the area allows for pitches over water or sand, uphill or down and from fairway or rough. You can even hit shots from 180 yards out to a raised green!
Now for the bad news! Berkeley Hall, with all the above amenities, is ranked 16th! The ranking, compiled by the Golf Digest Course Rating panelists, reeks of politics. I am not exactly sure why I'm surprised or upset at that.
Pine Valley gets top billing, and while I have never been there, I have taught many members from there and spoken to many people who have visited. Pine Valley has a good practice ground, but it is not world class! It has a driving range and 10 additional holes designd by Tom Fazio. In my opinion a par three course or a short course is not part of a golf courses' practice facility. A practice hole or two, yes, but a par three or executive course - no!
Courses ranked ahead of Berkeley hall include, World Woods (big and round), Muirfield Village (big and round), Caves Valley (nice, but no Berkeley Hall), Desert Mountain (four ranges -how many can you use at once?), PGA West (huh?), and Kinloch G. C. (where they have a 120 yard wedge area and stones marking 10 yard increments!?)
Having been fortunate enough to see many of the facilites on the list I can safely say there cannot possibly be more than 4-5 facilities in the US better than what we have here at Berkeley Hall. FACT!
I wonder how those course rating panelists enjoyed their day at Pine Valley?
Congratulations to Angel Cabrera on winning the Masters and his second major. It's true what they say about the Masters, "It all comes down to the back nine!" The difference this year was that it all came down to the final two holes. Seventeen and eighteen favor a straight or left to right ball flight and I believe that really made all the difference in the outcome. The major players were Cabrera, Perry, Campbell and Mickelson. Cabrera was fading the ball comfortably all day, Perry and Campbell are known drawers of the ball and Lefty had his fade working.
Mickelson attempted three draws on the back nine, all with poor results - tee ball @ 11 (trees), tee ball @ 12 (water) and tee ball @ 18 (bunker). Every other tee shot on the back nine played into his fade perfectly.
Perry and Campbell started to come unglued down the stretch with typical mistakes that drawers of the ball make - blocks and hooks. They both hit a few of each and it was clear that the recent constriction of 17 and the fade required off 18 did not fit their eye. Now, they both hit the 18th fairway in the playoff, but the doubts raised by their earlier mis-steps remained and eventually proved to be their undoing.
Cabrera was a different story. His fade seemed to hold up when he needed it most (18 in regulation and the second at 10) and with a few saving par putts he was able to keep himself in the game. What a beautiful shot he hit into 10 for his second!
Here are a few points that caught my eye during yesterday's broadcast:
Remember this - draws go further, but require more timing and are thus less consistent. Fades finish straighter, require less timing and are thus more consistent! Every good golfer I have ever taught is seeking consistency.
Andrew Rice Golf. Providing golf instruction for all levels of golfers. Here you will find advice on golf instruction, golf course management and golf tips. Andrew Rice Golf is located at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Golf Club. Three-Day Golf School information may also be found here.
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