Do What The Pros Do 

A clip or comment that I read somewhere last week (5-Sept, 2007) suggested that late this summer Tiger Woods changed his set-up to a slightly more upright position. Apparently he had not been playing up to his standard as he was approaching the Fed-Ex tournament series, and, after some evaluation, decided his set-up had slipped to some degree.

He addressed the issue by re-establishing one of his basic set-up fundamentals, namely posture at address. He set to a more erect position and has been able to better control the clubface and the ball. His performances at the Fed-Ex demonstrated his improvement compared to only a few weeks prior to that tournament.

The important point is that a golfer as great as Tiger Woods can further improve his game by focusing on the basics, such as his set-up, and by making certain that he is in exactly the best position for him to strike the ball.

When average golfers start playing golf it seams that they want to just start swinging the clubs and hitting balls, forgetting, or not knowing, that a proper set-up and pre-shot routine places them in a position to make the best swing they can.

Hit them straight!

Phil

Right now, we are buried in snow and ice here in Michigan, (US), but there are many very nice warm-weather places to visit and play golf for a reasonable price.

The warm weather was ideal, as temps were in the 70s and low 80s ºF, and as you can see in the pictures, the sun was shining bright.

Boulder City, NV

The municipal courses in Boulder City were in good shape and uniquely challenging. The afternoon (after 2PM) prices were in the $50 to $60 range. 

Although I was in the LA area during the time of the Santa Anna winds and the brush fires, I was able to get to a couple of golf courses. One course that I was able to play was very nice and very challenging, the views were spectacular, the service was great, and the price was within a reasonable budget at $39.

If this winter you are in the Corona area east of LA, I suggest you try the very nice Eagle Glen golf course.  Be sure to keep it in the fairway and on the greens!  

Eagle Glen Golf Course, Corona, CA 

Florida Golf: Snowbird Retreat

To define, a snowbird is anyone who leaves the ice, snow, and cold of the north to spend some time during the winter in Florida (or, I suspect southern Arizona, California, or Nevada).

Many are unacceptably expensive for the average golfer with family responsibilities, or for seniors who have dwindling incomes, but there are courses where reasonable prices can be found if you are willing to do a little research and play in the afternoon, especially during the week.

I will not provide a research project on Florida golf, as there already are considerable advertisements and other available information on golfing in Florida.

I will mention a  few golf courses that are somewhat reasonable in price and may be a good challenge and fun to play, and a few activities along the east coast of Florida (north to south) that may be interesting to all family members.

Jacksonville / St. Augustine area

If you can spend any length of time in the St. Augustine area you should visit the World Golf Hall of Fame, located just west of I-95 exit 323. 

I was impressed!  In addition to the history, information, and memorabilia presented at the Hall of Fame, the admission includes your try at one hole at St. Andrews via a golf simulator, admission to a movie at the onsite Imax Theater, and one round of play at an 18 green putting course.

18-hole Putting Course at the World Golf Hall of Fame 

If you need to test your ego, for $5 you can take a couple of shots to a real island green that imitates a par 3 at the TPC Sawgrass.

There is one golf course onsite adjacent to the Hall of Fame. The Slammer & Squire golf course is a top of the line course that provides a professional level golf experience. Another snowbird who played the course told me that; “The fairways are like fine carpet". He said that they are nicer than most of the greens that he plays on in his home state. 

Slammer & Squire Golf Course          

For $20 at the Slammer & Squire Golf Course you can use the practice range for the entire day. There is also an excellent putting green and a chipping and sand trap practice green. 

Section of the Practice Range at the Slammer & Squire

A short drive away in another area of the World Golf Village is the King and The Bear. This is also a very beautiful high-end golf course. 

Although these two courses are out of my price range, I can appreciate their condition, challenge, and beauty. (NOTE: Summer rates are lower.) 

There are a number of golf courses in the immediate area that are also very nice and quite challenging, yet can be played at a reasonable price, especially on weekday afternoons.

These include; South Hampton; Cimmarone; St. Johns Country Club; Royal St. Augustine Golf and Country Club; St. Johns County Municipal Course; Magnolia Point; The Sanctuary Golf Course (in Georgia, north of Jacksonville). 

The sun is now setting on this winter's practice in Florida. 

Hope you enjoy the article. Hit 'em straight!

Phil Lawrence (e-mail: lessons @ golfinstructioncourses.com)

We finally had some decent weather here in Michigan. Still cool and windy, but many golfers have been out playing.

And, the best of all, spring rates are in effect. We can play at fairly reasonable pricing, e.g., anywhere from the $20 to $35 range for 18 holes with a cart at many very nice courses.

Some greens may only be in fair condition. Some are likely okay, while others are growing in, as many are aerated and/or recently dressed.

IMPORTANT: You have not been playing for months, the weather, despite some sunshine, is cool and windy, and your unused golf muscles are like tightly wound rubber bands. This is the time of year to heed some warnings.

Be sure to thoroughly warm up and get some practice in before you start blasting your shots on the course. You do not want an early season injury that continues to affect you over the summer months.  

A quick practice routine might begin with some of your favorite general stretching exercises to loosen up. Then you can do some putting practice followed by some short chip shots with a wedge, followed by perhaps a 9 iron or an 8 iron.  Then move your way up to a mid-iron and a hybrid or fairway wood before bringing out the driver. 

10-minutes of putting practice followed by only a few shots with each of the clubs mentioned will help you be ready to play and to get your round, and your season, off to a good start. 

Golf Instruction

Early in the season like this you might feel as if you have never hit a golf club before. A long lay-off can do that to the best golfers. Parts of your game might respond well, but other parts are simply not sharp.  For example, you might have your putting touch but can’t seem to chip it or pitch close. Or perhaps your driver feels like a hammer throw. 

This is a good time to refresh yourself with some at-home fundamentals practice to help you re-acquire your rhythm, and your eye to hand to club coordination. Practice some drills that you may already be familiar with, or take the online instruction, “Set-up, Swing, and Success”, to help you quickly get back into your proper set-up and swing. 

Hit ‘em straight!

Phil Lawrence

Due to family issues I was unable to go to Scottsdale, AZ in May, so I have no report at this time on affordable courses in that area. Perhaps next year?

I see two common areas of concern among the students and many other average golfers who are now trying to enjoy their time on the golf course.

Putting - The first area of concern is in putting. Some golfers over-do the time it takes to line up a putt and make their stroke, only to still miss the putt. This often leads to aggravation, more tension, and even longer time for the next putt.  

Taking too long builds tension and provides time for too many thoughts.

Other golfers continually make the same basic mistakes and do not seem to understand what they are doing wrong or how to correct it.

Without a focused pre-putt routine, you are simply guessing and likely setting yourself up for a number of 3-putt greens.

To help all golfers establish a solid routine, assess their putt situation, and make a higher percentage of their putts, we have developed a new training course appropriately named “Improve Your Putting”. 

The training provides focus on technique, successful putting methods, and process for improving accuracy and distance control.

The course includes 7 student booklets with learning exercises, and access to ten video demonstrations.

If you are a beginning golfer there is no better place to start that to develop the feel for contact with the ball using the putter.

Watch your scores quickly improve.

Hybrid Clubs- The second area of concern is a combination of club selection and the lack of use of hybrid clubs.

Many golfers choose the wrong club for the lie or distance situation. They still do not understand that hybrid clubs will help them hit the ball higher, straighter, and farther than typical mid and long irons.

Let’s assume that you have a reasonably good drive but it is in the first cut of rough along the edge of the fairway. The distance to the middle of the green is 170 yards.

The green has a pond along the right edge, a large sand trap along the front center and left side, and brush / woods over the back. It slopes from back to front and the cup is located in the front left, just behind the bunker.

For a low handicap golfer this is not a difficult shot or club selection. Choose your 170 yard club, focus on left center of the green, staying away from the right / pond side, take your two putts, maybe one if you’re lucky, and be off to the next hole.

For the average golfer who typically shoots 95+, this could be a scorecard wrecker.He/she sees the pond and the sand trap. The 170 might be a 4-iron or even a 3-iron or a fairway wood.

If you have a reasonable swing, this might be an excellent shot for a hybrid. 1^st, the lie in the light rough on the edge of the fairway provides a good situation for a hybrid club. The grass won’t catch the clubhead as easily as it might with the iron.

The ball should quickly rise and land on the green with less roll distance than it would have if struck by a corresponding iron, thus keeping the ball on the green.   

The hybrid is likely more forgiving, also minimizing the likelihood of going right, into the pond.

If you are not convinced, or if you cannot acquire a hybrid at this time, then you could play the ball short of the green and to the right of the sand trap. This would provide you with a good angle toward the flag and perhaps an opportunity to chip or pitch a shot close and one putt for a par.

There are many brands of hybrids available, and each brand has a variety of lofts. For example, a 21 degree hybrid might replace a 4-iron or a 3-iron. A 24 degree might replace a 5-iron. And don’t be afraid of trying a 29 degree. This is an excellent club for the 130 to 160 yard range, depending on your swing speed.

Well, it’s time for me to go play some golf.  

Hit ‘em straight.

Phil Lawrence