Smooth Your Stroke

photo credit: mscaprikell     Fast greens can be a real  nightmare and they can ruin your day on the course,  if you let them.   Next time your confronted with lightning fast greens try the following:

1) Light Grip Pressure – To control the pace of your putt, you must certainly control the  speed at which your putterhead moves.   A tight grip will not allow you to do that.   With a tight grip, the tendency is to over-control the club which  results in  an erratic stroke.

2)   Make a Smooth Stoke –   Focus on making your stroke as smooth as possible.   The follow-through has to be longer than the backstroke because it is important that your clubhead accelerate throught the ball.   On shorter putts (6 feet or less), a shorter backstroke becomes even more important.   Spend more time on the practice green !

U.S. Open Comments

photo credit: danperry.com     “I'm glad I  brought this course, this monster to its knees.” > Ben Hogan, Oakland Hills C.C. 1951   “I don't know whether to practice or cut my wrists.” > John Schlee,  Winged Foot G.C 1974.   “The USGA can rest easy.   Par has been preserved.” >  Hale Irwin, Inverness 1979.   >  ”I will never, ever play an Open (again) at Oakmont, even if I'm lucky enough to be defending champion.”   > David Graham, Oakmonst C.C., 1983.   “”The pin at 18 was a joke, I had a three-footer (downhill) for a double bogey and I didn't have a chance.” > Tom Pernice, Oak Hill,1989 Open.   “If we played a course like this every week, there wouldn't be anybody left at the end of the season.   We'd all quit the game.” > Mark Calcavecchia, Medinah C.C. 1990.

Public Championship Golf Courses

photo credit: Brian J. McDermott     Some golf courses where major championships have been played are open to the public, here are a few:   < Bethpage  Black (2002/2009 U.S. Open).    Farmingdale, NY.   < PGA National  (1987 PGA) Palm Beach Gardens, FL.   < Pinehurst No.2 (1936 PGA; 1999/2005  U.S. Open) Pinehurst, NC.   < Pebble Beach Golf Links (1977 PGA; 1972, 82, 92, 00,  U.S.  Open) Pebble Beach, CA.   < Whistling Straits (2004 PGA) Kohler, WI.   < Tanglewood Park (1974 PGA) Clemmons, NC.   Pecan  Valley Golf Club (1968 PGA) San Antonio, TX.   < Seaview  Marriot Resort & Spa (1942 PGA) Absecon, NJ.   < Kemper Lakes Golf Club (1989 PGA) Hawthorn Woods, IL.   < Keller Golf Course (1932, 54 PGA) St. Paul, MN.   < Hershey Golf Club (1940 PGA) Hershey, PA.   French Lick Springs Resort (1924 PGA) French Lick, IN.

Fail to Practice ~ Prepare to Fail

photo credit: tnarik     1)   Practice Constructively:   Most weekend golfers, just don't have the time to practice the way the Pros do.   When you go to the range, work on the most effective way to reduce your scores and that  is the short game.   Practice your pitching, chipping and putting.   Don't neglect your fairway game altogether, however.  

2)   Know What to Work on:   “Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent.” This means that unless you are practicing the right things, you simply won't improve.   Take lessons regularly.   Devise drills on the practice range that will help you during play.

3)   Practice During Play:   Go to the course in the evening hours by yourself and utilize the time practicing many different shots from all sorts of locations.   This is equivalent to O.J.T. (on job training).

The Putting Grip

photo credit: dan taylor     If your palms aren't facing each other at address you are missing a lot of putts.    When not facing,  they tend to work independently of each other so one hand becomes more dominant than the other.   This  will throw the putter off it's natural swing arc.

When the palms are facing at address, they naturally want to return to a square position as they swing through the ball.   Grip your putter as follows:   (for right handers) – Use an overlap grip with the little finger of the right hand overlapping the second finger of the left hand.   The forefinger of the left hand extends downward and over the fingers of the right hand.   The club should be held in the lifeline of both hands (the section between the heel of the hand and thumb pad) with the thumbs extending downward.

Your Consumer Rights

photo credit: viakali     In order to complete a foursome, its a  common practice for courses to pair strangers together.   Ponder this:   If you went to dinner and were told to sit at a table of strangers, what would your reaction be?    Would you  refuse and walk out?   So what's the difference when you're asked to play  golf with a complete stranger?

As  a paying customer, you have  the right to  the tee time you reserved without being asked to play with someone you've never met.   Why should you spend  four to five hours  on the course, making friends with someone instead of playing golf?    If you  have a 5 handicap and you've been asked to play with with a 20 handicapper or vise-versa you should  refuse, ask for your money back and go to another course.    Remember YOU are the consumer.

Bob Hope

photo credit: n0nick     Bob Hope, who's jokes fill 85,000 pages in the Library of Congress Archives, was an American icon.   Here are a few:   <”On one hole, I hit an alligator so hard that he's now my golf bag.”   <”I've played all over the world, which means there isn't a country with a course where I haven't three putted.”   <”Golf's a hard game to figure.   One day you slice it, shank it, hit into all the traps and miss every green.   And then the next day, you go out and for no reason at all you stink.”   <”When I play golf I look like a polo player without a horse, or Grandma Moses trying to keep warm.”   <”I played golf with President Eisenhower yesterday.   You can't beat a guy who rattles his medals while you putt.   Ike uses a short democrat for a tee!”

LPGA or Korean Tour?

photo credit: Playadura*     Of the leading money winners on the LPGA Tour, fifty seven were from the far east.   In the latest LPGA Tour event, seven of the top ten   money-winners,  were far Easterners.  

Watch any LPGA event and  it feels as if you are watching it being telecast from the far East.    The American LPGA Tour is  a North American  organization  isn't it, or is it?

Last year the LPGA came out with a directive, stating that all foreigners on the LPGA Tour had to speak English in order to remain eligible to play.   Shortly afterward, the LPGA rescinded their directive and nothing further has been said on the topic.   Why the rescission?

Should there be a limit on  non-citizens playing in LPGA Tour events?   Should it be mandatory that all players speak English?

Smooth Your Tempo

photo credit: akeg     A common mistake that most amateurs make is to try to kill their driver.   Trying to “strong arm” your swing, only makes it quick and snatchy.   By swinging slower you allow your body and arm movement to work in harmony  resulting in greater power.    It begins with  a relaxed grip.

Try taking several deep breaths during your set-up.   Filling your lungs with fresh air relaxes your muscles which makes them more elastic and effective.   We all know that relaxed muscles work much better than tense muscles.    Never hold your breath.    

Try a one, two count.   On  the count of  ”one,” the club is taken back.   On the count of “two,” the club starts the downswing.    Many PGA Tour players  use this method to tame their tempo when  things get too  fast.

Hovering the Driver

photo credit: Lisa Sanderson     One way to maintain a  fluid tempo is to hover your driver during the address.   Although not for everyone, it may be a good alternative to getting too “tight” on the tee.

Try not grounding your club when teeing off.   To some, this is an excellent way of staying loose and not allowing your muscles to tense up.   Remember, the purpose of the “waggle” is to keep your muscles relaxed.   Not grounding your club may help.

Another  way to  maintain a relaxed swing pattern is to swing at only 90 % of your maximum.   Most of the time when you swing “flat out” your shot will be errant.   Swinging too hard  also destroys  tempo.   Maintaining  your tempo for consistency and lower scores.

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