Tuesday's Tip: Hitting Many Range Balls? READ THIS!!

Do you hit a lot of range balls? Especially this time of year when the weather is keeping many of us away from the golf course, hitting range balls (indoors from a mat) may be your only option.

When hitting shots from a mat, you get the luxury of not having to worry about frequently cleaning dirt and grass from the club. However, if you take a close look at the picture below you will see that the wedge on the left has a dark spot, almost like a dark film, on the face where clearly impact with the ball has been occurring.

When I look into the golf bags of my students this time of year, it is not unusual for me to find several of their club faces that look like the one on the left. So what’s the big deal?

It wasn’t until my recent purchase of my Bushnell Launch Pro that I started to notice a problem. I have long known that in order to get the most spin and accurate performance from your wedges that the club face better be free of anything that may reduce friction with the ball*. Ask any student of mine about my insistence that they keep their clubs clean for further proof.

*Side Note on Spin

Spin is a very valuable tool in making your wedge shots accurate and predictable. Created when friction occurs between the ball and the club face, spin will help your ball flight remain consistent as well as makes what the ball does when it hits the green more predictable. A wedge shot lacking in spin will have a tendency to “run up” the club face resulting in inconsistent launch angles and carry distances. When you’re inside 100 yards and can’t predict how far the ball will go due to low spin numbers, good luck getting as close to hole as you may want to be.

So when I started training my students with the LaunchPro, I noticed that their spin numbers on their wedges were very low. For example, on a 60 yard wedge shot, we were recording spin rates around 2100 RPMS. Ideally you would want spin about 1000x the distance of the shot (6000 RPMS for a 60 yard shot).

When I first noticed this I went through the usual suspects for low spin: grass clumped on the club face, wet golf ball, poor delivery of the club through impact… etc. But silly me had missed something very obvious.

Their clubs were “clean”, the ball was dry, and I could detect nothing in their delivery that made me concerned. That’s when I noticed what we see in the picture above. Depending on the type of range ball, the cover will literally melt an extremely thin layer of plastic (or whatever the cover of the ball is made of) when the friction occurs between the ball and the club face. After several shots this layer can become quite noticeable.

The only thing worse then having a dirty club face would be literally having a layer of film, kind of like a nonstick pan surface, on your club face. This dramatically reduces spin, and therefore creates the problems mentioned above.

When we cleaned the face, and made it look like the wedge on the right in the photo, spin returned to 6000-7000 RPMS instantly. Ball flights came down and the carry distance dispersion was tighter.

So the moral of this story is to make sure you are keeping your clubs clean! Even if the only thing on your club face is that annoying mark left from a range ball.

The most effective way to clean your club face is to use a brush similar to the one below:

Tuesday's Tip: Tips for the Busy Recreational Golfer

Tips for the Busy Recreational Golfer

When you are a working professional that loves the game of golf, it seems like there is rarely enough time in a day or week to spend adequate time on the golf course or working on your game. Unfortunately the work life balance is set for many, leaving a small, finite time to get better and enjoy your golf game.

If this sounds like you, consider the 3 tips below to make sure you are getting the most from your game when you do get to play.

GASP

GASP simply stands for Grip, Aim, Stance, Posture. Believe it or not, if you can manage these 4 simple keys when you play your chances of getting the most from your golf game significantly increase. Unfortunately many players simply hit the course on the weekends or after work throughout the week with little to no thought about these keys.

If you are unsure of your ability to accurately execute these four skills, it may be time to schedule that first (or next) golf lesson. Any competent golf instructor should be able to guide you to executing GASP effectively in one session.

Once you know the information, it is time to execute and sharpen your skills. This can be done with as little as 10 minutes per day at home with a golf club in your hands. No swings or golf balls needed. I’m yet to meet anybody that doesn’t have 10 minutes they can spare each day to work on GASP.

Mirror Work

If you do not have a full length mirror at home it may be time to get one. One of the key ingredients to effective practice is feedback and there is no better form of feedback than watching what you do as you do it (in a mirror).

Not only will it make working on GASP that much more effective, you can also work on any key positions in your golf swing that may be of concern. This obviously requires that you have quality information about your golf swing and a clear plan to improve. And yes… lessons are your most direct way to get that information and formulate that plan.

Being able to watch a position in your swing helps to build the connection between what you do and what you feel like you do. For many golfers there is a huge disconnect between the reality of what you’re doing and what you’re thinking. 15 minutes in front of a mirror every couple days in between practice sessions can go a long way in helping make that connection.

Time Management

You may have noticed by now that the tips I’ve discussed today have minimal time requirements. After all, you are busy so finding time to play golf is hard and practicing golf is next to impossible. However there is hope.

If you truly want to improve your golf game you can with as little as 1 hour a week of effective practice. That’s right… 1 hour a week. Here’s what that could look like:

Monday: GASP (10 minutes)

Tuesday: GASP and Mirror Work (15 minutes)

Wednesday: GASP (10 minutes)

Thursday: GASP and Mirror Work (15 minutes)

Friday: GASP (10 minutes)

Is this the pathway to becoming a scratch golfer? Nope. Not even close. But if you commit to this kind of practice plan I can promise you, with the right information from a qualified instructor, you will begin getting the most from your golf game.

Need help getting started? Click here to schedule your first lesson today and let’s get you going on the right track!

Tuesday's Tip: Most Important Skill to Improve Putting

Helping golfers improve their putting is a passion of mine. I firmly believe that just about anyone can be a good putter, and many can become great. But that doesn't mean that putting is easy. Yes… the physical skills required to be a great putter may be very different (and less strenuous) than having to bomb a drive 300 yards down the middle of a fairway. But putting presents its own unique challenges that seem to affect every player a little differently.

Keeping in mind that there is seemingly no “one way” to become a great putter, I wanted to share with you what I believe is the most important skill that will be required in order for you to improve putting to any degree.

SPEED CONTROL (aka distance control)

Speed control is so important because it not only helps you get closer to the hole, it will determine your read of the green.

Now that I am AimPoint Certified (click here to learn more about that) I have an even deeper understanding to how closely connected reading the green and controlling your speed is. It is so closely connected, that many AimPoint clinics will combine their green reading class with a speed control class.

The bottom line is this… you can’t effectively read greens if your speed control is off. And I’m not talking about blasting a 10 footer 5 feet past the hole. Your speed control will need to be way more precise than that if you want to make more putts.

How precise should you try to be? First of all you need to divide your putts into 2 categories:

20’ and Closer

• Your goal when you are 20’ and closer is to make sure you hit a putt with enough speed that if it misses, the ball will travel past the hole at least 12-24 inches (check out the picture that came along with this post). Anything shorter or longer than that and you risk over or under reading your putt.

Outside 20’

• Your goal when you are outside 20’ is to simply make sure the ball can stop within 10% of the overall length of the putt from the hole. For example; if you have a 30’ putt, the ball should stop within 1.5’ short or 1.5’ long of the hole (adding up to 3’). Just think of how many of your 3-putts will go away if you could accomplish this! Even from 60 feet… you’re just trying to get 3 feet short or 3 feel long of the hole!

To summarize, it is forgivable to leave putts outside 20’ just short of the hole. However, it is not forgivable to leave putts 20’ and in short of the hole. So the next time you are on the practice green, see how good you are at making the ball stop within the parameters above. Hint: golf tees are an excellent tool to help indicate where the ball should go if it’s not in the hole.

Knowing how long your putt is before you hit it is important for many reasons. If you keep stats (correctly) you will always need to know the length of your first putt so that you can calculate your make percentages (as well as determine your effectiveness in your approach shots/chipping and pitching). Knowing this information is important so that you can set your expectation level correctly and so you can begin prioritizing your practices to strengthen any weaknesses.

Too many times have players come in complaining about their putting, only to find out that they are statistically almost as good as the PGA Tour! After all, the make percentages on tour are very easy to find (i.e. the make percentage from 8 feet is about 50%) so in order to strengthen your mental toughness on the greens, you should probably know what putts you should be making.

Will improving your speed control directly lead to you making more putts? Maybe! Especially if your current speed control skills are lacking. Otherwise, sharpening your skill of speed control on the greens will then make the other two skills (1) reading the green and (2) hitting your line, much more useful.

Do you need help with your speed control? Come visit me at the High Performance Golf Academy and I can promise you’ll get what you need to begin improving immediately.

GOLF TIP: Aligning the Club Face at Address

If you have directional issues when hitting golf shots it could be that your club face is misaligned at address. Check out this tip to get back on track!

GOLF TIP: Thoughts on Grip and Grip Pressure

I recorded this video tip for one of my lessons recently and thought it would be good to share.

GOLF TIP: Clubface Control

This was a brief video tip I recorded for one of my coaching sessions that describes how you can prevent the clubface from getting too closed at impact, caus...

GOLF TIP: Stop Hooking the Ball!

I filmed this for one of my students recently who needed help straightening out a nasty hook.

End of The Week Tip: Use Rhythm to Manage Distance Control on the Greens

Every Friday I will be posting a new golf tip here on my blog. Feel free to comment, ask questions, and especially make suggestions for future topics in the comment section below.

Managing the distance of your putts is the #1 factor in becoming a good putter. You could be the best green reader in the world and know how to start your putt on the exact line you wish every time, but if your speed is bad, the putt will likely not go in.

There are a couple different things that need to happen in order to roll a putt with the correct speed. Making solid contact with the ball, or more importantly consistent contact (on the same spot of the putter every time) is one key that must not be overlooked. 

Another key that most good putters have is consistent rhythm. The rhythm you swing the putter allows you to make a consistent stroke and be a better judge for how fast the ball will come off of the putter face.

To improve your rhythm, try the following:

• Sync your stroke with a metronome. Begin by setting the metronome between 70-80 beats per minute (bpm) and match the "tick-tock" sounds from the metronome to your putter going back and through. You can adjust the tempo up or down to match what feels comfortable.
• No metronome? No problem. Simply swing the putter back and through over and over with out stopping and you will settle on a consistent rhythm. By changing the length and speed of the swing you can increase or decrease the length the ball will travel.
• The ladder drill. Between a defined area marked with 2 tees about 5-10 feet apart, see how many balls you can stop in that area with each ball traveling slightly past the one before it. If your defined area is 10 feet long and you are 15 feet from the area, try to fit 7 balls or more.
• Visit me for a Sam Putt Lab evaluation. Not only will we be able to evaluate the rhythm of your stroke, but we will be able to pinpoint which area of the stroke gives you the most trouble.

Want to learn more? Click on the "About" tab to find out! 

Developing an Efficient Golf Swing

Happy New Year!! Be looking forward to more tips in 2017!!

An efficient golf swing is exactly what you think it would be: a swing that requires minimum effort and has repeatability.  All elite level golfers have repeatability in their swing because they have developed efficiency in their golf swing.

With the help of 3D motion technology like K-Vest, learning how to build an efficient golf swing is much more attainable for your everyday golfer.  Here are a few things I’ve learned from K-Vest that will help you build an efficient golf swing:

·       Develop the correct kinematic sequence.  Kinematic sequence is the order in which different parts of your body move throughout the swing.  K-Vest focuses on three main areas: lower body, upper body, and the club.  For example, a correct downswing sequence begins with the lower body, then upper body, followed by the golf club.  A great way to feel a good sequence is to make a throwing motion.  When you throw an object, pay attention to which part of your body moves first (i.e. step toward the target with your lower body, turn the upper body, and release your arm).

·       Master your posture.  Efficient golf swings require solid fundamentals.  K-Vest actually measures the angles your upper and lower body makes in your posture and compares them to a range of tour player averages.  To guarantee you’re posture is good, you will need feedback.  K-Vest provides great feedback, but so will video, a mirror, or your golf instructor that can tell you if your posture is good or not.

·       Swing within yourself, then train to improve.  Most golfers will have physical limitations that will affect their ability to make efficient swings.  Strength and flexibility are 2 factors that can limit most players.  Use balance as your guide to make efficient golf swings.  If you find yourself off balance at any point throughout the swing, chances are you’re over-swinging.  If you want to improve your strength and flexibility so you can make more aggressive swings, get with a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified instructor and train your body to make the swing of your dreams!