Dave Pelz Schools

photo credit: linein     Dave Pelz, a Golf Channel instructor, is known for his short game wizardry.   You can get caught up on his methods at his teaching schools at the following locations:   3-Day Schools – Chateau Elan Resort in Atlanta, Ga.   The Club at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo.   Homestead Resort  & Spa in Traverse City, MI.   Turing Point Resort & Spa, Syracuse, N.Y.   The Grand Del Mar, San Diego, Calif.   Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, Fla.   PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach, Fla.

1-Day  Clinics – Calabasas C.C, Los  Angeles.   Centennial G.C., New York City.   Chateau Elan Resort, Atlanta, Ga.   French Lick Resort, Indianapolis, Id.   Highlands Ranch G.C., Denver, Co.    Oak Marsh G.C., Minneapolis.   TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, Seattle.   To learn more about  the Pelz schools go to:   www.pelzgolf.com.

Scotty Robertson

photo credit: Speed-pics     Scotty Robertson, the creator of “The Robertson Grip,” makes his residence in Scottsdale, AZ.    A former golf instructor, with a clientele of over 10,000 students, Robertson  discovered his new grip when in his 30's.  

During a recent round  with him  this writer, Robertson bombed  a drive over 400 yards as well as averaging 350 yards on the other par fours.   Scotty Robertson, the man who made the most radical change the game has ever seen, is currently working on his game with a clear focus on the Champions Tour later this year

“Preparing for the Champions tour will require about 3 months,” said Robertson in a recent interview.   “At present I am looking for investors and sponsors to make it happen,” he stated.   To learn more visit: www.ScottyRobertson.com or email him  at ScottyRobertson@cox.net.

Snap Your Writsts

photo credit: Philip Larson     Some say the most critical phase of the golf swing is when the ball is struck, I agree!   “Releasing” the wrists at impact is what Professionals do best.   Pros realizes that in order to generate  maximum clubhead speed, the wrists have to released (snapped) properly at impact.

Amateurs tend to swing with their arms and fail to release their wrists at impact,  this results  in loss of distance and blocked shots (ball goes right).

(Right Handers) A split second  before impact your right hand should “turn over” the left.   Done correctly and at the right moment, a proper release occurs resulting in much greater clubhead speed.   Think of throwing a baseball, at the moment the ball leaves your hand the wrist releases or snaps.   The idea is the same when striking  the golf ball.

Grip Pressure

photo credit: dno1967     Nothing hinders distance and accuracy more than the wrong grip pressure.   The way you hold the club has a huge impact on the outcome of each shot, putting not excluded.

The tendency for amateurs is to try  to “direct” the outcome of each shot.   By gripping the club tighter the golfer has a sense of achieving  more control over the shot (distance/accuracy), the reverse occurs.   Gripping the club tighter creates muscle tension in the arms.   The hands and arms should remain passive in a good golf swing.   Using more grip pressure encourages the arms to get more involved in swinging the club which is the root of the problem.

Grip the club only tight enough so it won't fly out of your hands and maintain this pressure throughout the swing.   Simply learn to  TRUST  your golf swing.   Don't try to control the shot.

GOLF DIGEST’S Greatest Teachers

photo credit: Mel B.     Making it on  GOLF DIGEST'S  list of “America's 50 Greatest Teachers” is the epitome of success as a teaching professional.   Below are some names from that list  starting with Butch Harmon who is presently working with Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and  several other noteworthy PGA Tour Players.    They can all  be reached at the phone numbers provided.  

No.s (1)   Butch Harmon, Henderson, Nev.  702 777-2444.   (2)   David Leadbetter, Orlando, Fla. 407 787-3330.   (3)   Hank Haney, McKinney, TX. 972 346-2212.   (4)   Jim McLean, Miami, Fla. 305 591-6409.   (5)   Jim Flick, Carlsbad, CA. 888 546-3542.   (6)   Chuck Cook, Austin, TX. 800 336-6158.    (7)   Jim Hardy, Houston, TX. 281 807-4176.   (8)   Rick Smith, Gaylord, MI. 989 732-6711.   (9)   Stan Utley, Scottsdale, AZ. 888 988-8539.   (10)   Mike Bender, Lake Mary, Fla. 407 321-0444.

Right Knee Angle

photo credit: greg.robson     Everything that moves needs a brake, the golf swing is no exception.    During  the backswing, most of the weight is shifted to the right side (right leg).   When the weight shift occurs there can be a tendency to “sway,”  when this happens a reverse pivot occurs.  

In the address position, try tilting your right knee (right handers) to the left, slightly in the direction of the left knee.   This small adjustment will improve your backswing coiling action, therefor, generating greater torque which results in more distance.   This is a minor change that will make a major difference in your game.

Footnote:   Notice how many PGA Tour Pros do not use this  technique.   If you check out the address position photo's of any major champion, you will notice this method is present.

Tiger Woods Practice Session

photo credit: SimonDoggett     Tiger Woods could not have achieved his great success without a huge amount of practice and discipline.   A typical day of practice is more vigorous than most  could endure.

According to Hank Haney, Tiger's coach, Tiger's day begins at 6:30 a.m. at the gym.   After a rigorous workout for 1 1/2 hrs., it's over to the practice range.    Tiger spends 1  hour  hitting balls and then over to the putting green for a  1/2 hour.   After putting practice, it's off for nine holes of golf.  

Tiger has  1 hour for lunch and then back to the practice range for  2 hours.   Chipping and  pitching practice for  1 hour and then off for another nine hole round.   When play is complete it's back to the putting green for  1 hour.   Whew !

Handle Behind the Ball

photo credit: mandj98     One of the most important aspects of driving the ball well is to hit the ball at the end of the, so called, flat spot (the imaginary area which is located about 8 to 12 inches behind the golf ball).   When the ball is hit in this fashion there will be maximum clubhead speed at impact  and  the ball's trajectory  will be optimal.

The best way to accomplish good trajectory is to set-up at address  and make sure the handle of your driver is behind your golf ball.   This automatically sets the angle of the clubface properly and will help you to hit the ball on the upswing rather than on the downswing.   Your ball will fly higher and travel farther.   Try it and you will achieve excellent results.

The Proper Fit

photo credit: Matthew_Miller     Supplying  a junior golfer with clubs that are too short, or too long is a major mistake.   This occurs all too often because the parents do  not want to spend a big buck to  purchase a quality set of clubs  and have their son or daughter fitted properly.

For a junior golfer,  using improperly fitted clubs can  create serious future problems.   Youth is a time impressions are made.   If a junior golfer has learned to play with clubs  that aren't fitted properly it will be very tough to adjust to a set of clubs that  do fit.  

Young people grow by leaps  and bounds and changing clubs every so often can be expensive, however, if you want to give your kid/s the  greatest opportunity to play well, make sure they are  using good  clubs that fit.

Golf Lesson Fundamentals

photo credit: preciouskhyattLet's face it, not everyone can afford golf lessons but if you  are fortunate enough to  be taking  lessons make sure that your instructor is zeroing in on  all of the basic swing  fundamentals.

When  the golfswing is broken down, as it should be, there are two categories:   Preswing and Swing.  

Pre-swing, or address position, consists of:    (1).   Grip   (2).   Posture   (3).   Ball Position   (4).    Alignment of Feet   (5).   Body Alignment    (6).   Aim   (7).   Weight Distribution.

Swing consists of:    (1).   Clubface  Angle  During Swing   (2).    Left Arm, Shaft and Clubface Angle   (3).   Follow Through.

If  these topics are not being addressed write them down and  present them to  your PGA Professional Instructor or check out www.purepointgolf.com for the best in affordable  online instructions.

« Previous Page — Next Page »