Featured Articles
1. Good Practice Habits
2. Playing the Wind
3. Solid contact is the key
4. Spring tune up for your equipment
5. Basic rules
Quiz...Rules of Golf (2)
1. A few years ago PGA Tour player Woody Austin was so mad at his putting that during a tournament, as he walked off the green he whacked himself in the head with his putter shaft so many time that the club actually bent!
What is the ruling?
Besides for a sore noggin, and a bruised ego for Mr. Austin (who will get to replay that moment for the rest of his life on sports blooper shows) there is no penalty. But since the putter was bent it must be taken out of play. Only a club broken in the "normal" course of play may be replaced. So Woody had to putt with something other than his putter for the remainder of the round.
2. Two golfers are playing a par 3 hole where you cannot see the bottom of the flag due to a large mound short of the green. After hitting two great looking tee shots the golfers proceed to the green to find one ball in the hole and one ball resting one inch from the cup. At that moment they both discover that they are playing the exact same type and number ball, and neither had put any identifying marks on the balls.
What is the ruling?
Because neither player can identify their ball - both balls are considered lost, and the players must go back to the tee and hit their third shots (stroke and distance penalty).
Some Basic Rules
Most of us will do more than aspire to play like the boys and girls on television, and thus may never play in an actual tournament. But this doesn't mean we shouldn't know the rules. I think all of us know someone who likes to play by "their own rules" while on the course. There are no golf police, and the game is meant to be fun - so if that is how someone chooses to play, that's ok. But when I have to answer rules questions while in the clubhouse I wonder how many of the basic rules that your average golfer knows. So, with that in mind here are a few of the more common (and commonly abused) rules.
1. Out of bounds - when your golf ball crosses the out of bounds marker (white stakes, or something defined as being the boundary of the course -ie. a road) you MUST replay the shot that went out of bounds and incur a one shot penalty (shot and distance). We do play our league out of bounds being the same as a lateral hazard (see below), so make sure that you and your partners are on the same page if you are going to use "local rules".
2. Lateral hazard (red stakes) -red stakes indicate a lateral hazard, and you have 5 options when your ball lies within one. (a) replay the previous shot with a one shot penalty; (b) go in and hit it out making sure not to ground your club at anytime except when hitting the ball; (c) take 2 club lengths away from the spot that the ball crossed the margin of the hazard and drop the ball with a one shot penalty no nearer the hole; (d) draw an imaginary line from the hole (flag) to where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard and go back on that line as far as you want and drop the ball with a one shot penalty; (e) go to the other side of the hazard the same distance from the hole and drop the ball within 2 club mengths no nearer the hole.
3. Direct hazard (yellow stakes) - a direct hazard has 3 options that you can use. They are letters a, b and d from the lateral hazard list above. Remember many courses will provide a drop area for you to use instead of these options.
4. Lost ball - when you lose your ball you only have one option under the rules of golf. You MUST replay the shot with a one shot penalty. Remember you can play a provisional ball if you think it is lost.
Have fun playing golf!! That should be the main goal for all of us. So if you choose to strictly adhere to them, or play by your own rules -do it in a way that enhances your enjoyment of the game. But remember, if you really want to see how you compare to the good players - you need to play by the same rules.
Teaching Tip
Spring is a great time to check your equipment.
Someday, when winter is over and we get to play golf again (and this is coming from a Minnesotan) take a few minutes to check over your equipment. The golf companies are always introducing some new game improvement stuff, and maybe it's time to give your golf game and equipment an overhall.
The number one problem I see is clubs that don't fit their owner. Length, shaft flex, loft, grip size and the composition of the head are all things that go into club fitting. You can find the greatest deal of a lifetime on a club, but if it doesn't have specs to match your game it can be worthless. Take a few minutes to talk to your PGA Pro, and maybe grab a spring tune up lesson and get your equipment questions answered then. Believe me, if you are using clubs that are more than 10 years old, you may be missing out on some great game improvement technology.
If you are happy with your clubs, and they fit your game - take a look at your grips. Your grips should be replaced every 2 years at most (maybe more for the hardcore player). Today there are a multitude of different types of grips. Some will last longer, some are softer, some have different compounds in the grip itself - take a look and find one that agrees with you. New grips are very important to your swing, and are an easy way to get the feel of new clubs.
Some other quick things to check are your spikes, gloves (if you wear them), supply of tees, marking pen, rule book and your golf balls. I know they are all round and white (mostly), but there is a difference in golf balls too.
While there is nothing wrong with playing a ball you find, make sure it is (1) in decent enough shape to play; (2) the characteristics of the ball fit your game. It amazes me sometimes when I see the condition of some of the golf balls that people play. Hint - If your ball bounces when you putt it, or has a flat side on it, or has pieces of the cover coming off it is time for a new one. I'm willing to bet most of you guys have found a couple dozen since you started playing that one. If you are a player who needs distance, and tends to slice the ball or hook it (impart lots of spin on the ball) use a harder ball. If you are a more adavanced player and want some more feel around the greens, but keep the ball in play use a softer ball. It can make a difference.
I look forward to seeing you in 2010. Please feel free to contact me if you need help with any facet of your game!
Tom
Teaching Tip
Solid Contact is the Key
It is hard to think that swinging easier is the way to go when we are constantly bombared with the swings of Tiger, JB Holmes, John Daly, etc. on TV. But for us mere mortals of the golf world, striking the ball solidly can be a huge key to playing well. This is especially true when hitting shots into the "gentle breezes" that we sometimes experience here in the great state of Nebraska.
You may notice that alot of today's newer players on tour have shorter backswings than their predecessors from a few decades ago. Equipment ceratinly has something to do with this, but also more importantly the players are concentrating on making solid contact, and it is usually easier to repeat this with a shorter backswing. And for any of you that have seen my swing, I obviously just write these things, and don't read them!! So as we get into the 2008 season (finally - thanks Mother Nature) I would like you to consider working on this.
While on the practice tee (hint, hint) try taking half swing, with a slower tempo than you are used to and just work on making solid contact with the ball. I would recommmend trying this with all your clubs, but maybe start with a wedge. This way you are not only working on contact, but also practicing a shot (40-80 yards) that you will benefit greatly from if you can improve on it. Take relaxed, slower half swings and I think you will see something happen during your practice. The ball will start going almost, or as far or even farther than your normal swings with whatever club you have chosen. That is because instead of hitting the ball with a glancing blow, you are now making more solid contact and thus gaining distance. As well as distance, you will also take alot of side spin off the ball which will create a more boring ball flight through the wind. And will keep your shots more on line.
Give this a try and maybe 2008 will be a "breakout" year for your golf game. See you at Woodland Hills Golf Course.
Tom
Teaching Tip
Build Good Practice Habits
Practice makes perfect. A nice old saying that sometimes is very true. Especially in golf, where being able to repeat a certain movement in the correct manner allows us to play consistently, practice is extremely important.
Without practice, one will have trouble creating any type of muscle memory which will cause a lack of consistency and thus, poorer scores. So practice is essential, but only if done correctly.
There are good practioce habits, as well as bad practice habits. I am sure evryone knows a "range rat". My definition of this person is someone who thinks that if they hit a ton of balls their game will automatically improve. By hitting shots until their hands bleed their scores will have to improve. This is all fine, as long as they are practicing the right way.
When practicing, we are trying to adapt our bodies to something new, or to reinforce an already existing good habit. If you are practicing something, make sure it is a habit that will be good for your golf game. Otherwise, you will just be reinforcing a bad habit, and that habit will be very hard to get rid of once you have deeply ingrained it with a lot of work in the practice area. So don't keep hitting the same bad shot; learn how (and what) to practice.
When working on your game, you need to know two things: what areas of your game to which to devote your time and what movements or swing thoughts to apply when practicing.
Chipping and putting should constitute 50 percent of your practice time. This area of the golf game is very often overlooked, and can be the quickest way to lowering your scores available to you.
Depending on where your troubles are lying, is how to divide the rest of your practice time. If your irons are giving you the most problem, devote 60 percent of your remaining time to them. The same would be true with the other areas of your golf game. Just be careful that you do not concentrate so hard in one area that the rest of your game suffers.
Just as important as what part of your game to practice is to make sure that what you are practicing is correct. Find out from an instructor what and how to practice. Do this before you start your regiment. Remember, reinforcing a bad habit is as easy (or maybe more easy) than reinforcing a good one.
A good thing to remember is quality, not quantity when it comes to practice.
I guarantee you will see better results when you are practicing correctly for a shorter time rather than hitting thousands of balls the wrong way.
Good luck, see you at Woodland Hills Golf Course.
Playing the wind -
Being a new resident of Nebraska, I thought my first tip should be on a topic that seems to be a little more prevalent than in my native Minnesota. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that it is windy here. The wind can cause all level players to do some pretty remarkable (dumb) things on the golf course, and since I have been told that it's going to blow all year long this tip should help when playing at Woodland Hills this season.
The number one thing that I see all players do when playing in the wind is to try shots that they couldn't pull off if it was perfectly still. Have you ever seen a person who hits a big slice all the time aim up right and try to ride one in on a right to left wind? I have, and the results are more often than not bad. Granted, if you are a natural highball player, you are going to have more trouble (on the holes into the wind) than someone who hits it low. But if you keep your cool, and play within yourself, you can keep up with anyone wind or no wind.
I am going to give you 2 thoughts for playing in the wind. Number one involves figuring out yardage, or how much you think the ball will move into a crosswind. The first PGA Professional that I ever worked for was Dick Tollette (Master Golf Professional at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minnesota annual site of the State Open since 1979, and host to the Coldwell Banker Senior PGA Tour stop). Dick was published in Golf Magazine for this tip many years ago, and I think it is a wonderfully simple, and fairly accurate way to determine how many yards to your target factoring in the wind. For every mile per hour of wind add one yard. For example if I am playing a 150 yard shot, and I have a 20 mile per hour wind behind me, I am actually playing a shot of about 130 yards. You can also use this on cross winds (you must take into account your natural ball flight also, i.e. right to left or left to right). If you hit the ball relatively straight and you have a 10 mile per hour cross wind, the ball should move 10 yards in the air.
The second tip is to swing the same as you usually do in calm conditions. The best example of this is the late Payne Stewart. No matter what the conditions, or what club he was playing, his swing never varied. Too many times players will try to hit it "harder" into the wind. This usually results in bad tempo, and poorly struck shots have more side spin, and will end up farther off line. If you use the wind gauge that I mentioned earlier, you will not have to try to hit the shot harder. Say you hit your 6-iron 160 yards, and you have a 160 yard shot into a 10 mile an hour wind. Instead of trying to hit a low, hard 6 iron try taking the 5-iron and swinging normally. Trying to keep your swing the same will not only help your consistency, but also your tempo and balance. Being able to play in the wind is a necessity if you are going to enjoy your golf here in Nebraska. Try to think of the wind as an added challenge, that at times can make the game more interesting, and can give you those added yards you need on those long par 5's.
Good luck! see you at the golf course.
Tom
