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Richard’s Quick Tip:
Three Foot Putts
Three footers can be tough. They can ruin your day. Part of the
problem is everyone expects you to hole it. You begin to fear
what the reaction of your playing partners might be should you
miss and that takes your concentration away from the job at hand.
Also, three or four foot putts can have some break in them
(sideways movement caused by a slope) and a strong breeze will
certainly affect the path the ball takes too. That can make some
short putts anything but straightforward.
The secret is to be hold, take the break out of the putt and aim
straight for the hole. You may miss some by being too bold but
you will definitely hole more than you miss as the temptation to
second-guess yourself over the line of the putt, usually a fatal
error, will be removed. Another good tip is to focus on hitting
the back of the cup. Don’t try to dribble the ball over the
front edge as this will let any break in the putt take hold of
your ball and push it to the side of the hole. Apart from that,
use your normal positive, pendulum stroke. The Body Golf Short
Game video covers this and much more on putting.
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Comments from subscribers:
I am very happy with the body golf booklet and DVD's I purchased
a couple of weeks ago and I am recommending this powerfull
material to my friends as well. my handicap is currently 23 but I
feel I am moving towards a breakthrough because of the double
clubbers and your other tips.
I do have a problem though. Since the double clubbers my irons
game has improved and so has my short game. I have gained 15
yards distance with my irons without losing any accuracy. On the
range I tend to have a bit of a strong draw but with your tips I
am sure to get rid of that as well.
However for some reason my woods (I usually play with 3, 5, 7
wood and irons from 4 to LW, driver is still to risky for me
allthough I do have one of course) seem to be out of control. I
mishit balls completely. Heel, toe, too thick, too thin,
everything except the sweet spot. Whenever I do hit a ball
properly the ball fligt is rather OK but in many cases the
improved rithm, pace and swingspeed that has helped my improve my
irons game has taken away my usually pretty decent woods game.
For some reason I can't seem to keep my swing under control and
start swinging with too much force and too much focus on hitting
the ball in stead of swinging.
Can you recommend me a drill or any other thing to get me back to
my usual woods game and improve that as I have been able to do
with my irons?
Thanks in advance.
Rene Jongen, The Netherlands
Answer by Sensei Mark Montaquila
Rene
OK...here is what I think is the problem.
You are trying to kill the ball with your longer clubs.
People think that because the club is supposed to send the ball
further, that they have to swing harder. It's exactly the
opposite.
You have it in your mind that you should be able to max your
distance every time you swing with these clubs.
Try this...
Pick a specific target which you KNOW is easy to reach with
whatever club you're swinging. (make sure that you're shotting
for about 3/4 of the max distance)
At that point, you'll mentally relax because you'll not have that
pressure of trying to MAX IT OUT and swing for the fences.
becuase you're relaxed, you'll make better, more consistent
contact with the ball and it will tend to go straighter.
When someone is tense and tries to muscle the ball, it usually
doesn't work out the way we expect, OR like.
The main point of this is that you should stay within yourself...
Hope that helps...
Mark Anthony Montaquila
To last weeks question about hitting the ball fat, this is
Gerry’s thoughts:
I hate to jump in, but it has been my experience if I hit it fat
I probably am too flat and not actually turning back and through.
A flat arm swing is probably the problem
Richard,
I think anyone who gets upset or mad at a player for stepping in
his through line has already missed the first putt. The best attitude
is to know you are going to sink the first putt and not worry about the
rest. I would rather hear it holed, than see it missed.
bp
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Another testimonial from golfer that Body Golf videos have
helped improve his game.
I purchased the complete body video some time ago and have had a
great deal of success with it. I wear a permanent prosthesis on
my lower right leg below the knee so balance has been a very
difficult achievement for me. Swinging the multiple clubs has
vastly improved my balance and along with that I have learned to
"tuck" the right elbow which has greatly improved my distance
since the amputation. I am the proud achiever of again reaching
bogey golf in my quest to returning to my previous standing of
"shooting in the 80s"
Thanks for all your assistance....
Alan Wood
R.M. Thank you Alan for letting us know how the videos have
helped you. Would appreciate your comments on using the Body
Golf videos.
click here to improve your golf swing
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Quote of the Week:
"Any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected
encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each
day."
Booker T. Washington
1856-1915, Educator
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Golf quote of the week:
After all these years, it's still embarrassing for me to play on
the American golf tour. Like the time I asked my caddie for a
sand wedge and he came back ten minutes later with a ham on rye.
Chi Chi Rodriguez, on his Puerto Rican accent
=================================================
Questions and Answers by Teaching Pro Mr Joe DeLorenzo THANK YOU
for taking your time to answer these Joe.
Joe is also available for private lessons. "For private or group
lessons in Chicago's northwest suburbs, contact Joe at
golfwithjoey@yahoo.com
A Bit of Golf Trivia:
Which "Rookie" was the ninth alternate to get into the playing
field for the PGA, and then won the tournament as his first-ever pro victory?
Hint: His motto is "Grip It And Rip It"? (answer below)
Joe,
I can get out of sand bunkers, but just barely, so how can I get
more distance control?
Hi Wayne,
Try a sand wedge that has more "bounce", which is the downward
angle of the bottom of your club measured from front edge to back of the sole.
Some sand wedges have very little bounce, which is better for coarse or
packed sand, while other sand wedges have around ten degrees of bounce, which
is better for softer grains of sand. The bounce prevents the clubhead from
digging too deeply into the sand, sending the ball further than a club
without as much bounce.
Wayne
Joe,
My buddies and I had a discussion, since golf is a never ending
search for perfection, and we cannot agree on what a perfect round of golf
would be, what is your opinion?
Ronnie
Hello Ronnie,
Be reasonable, nobody is going to score 18 for 18 holes. No
matter how good a player is, many players can shoot their best round ever and
still say there were a few more putts that they could have made. So
absolute perfection is an unrealistic goal. Instead, look at it in terms
of realistic expectations vs. "successes" or "good feelings" about
having achieved something. Unless you play every day, you should not
expect to shoot in the 60's. Unless you play more than once per week, you
should not expect to shoot in the 70's. If you play less than once per
week, you probably should not expect to break 90. Those who play only once
or twice per month should be happy to break 100. So what brings the good
feelings of success? If you have never broken 100, but that is your goal, it
is a perfectly good feeling when you finally do it. Even if your
score was not your best, but you won a match, that's a success and a perfectly
good feeling. If you don't have a match, create your own against the
course. If you had more good holes than bad holes, that's a win. If you hit
more fairways and / or greens than you missed, that's a win. If you
one-putted more times than you 3-putted, that's a win. If you avoided lost
balls or penalty strokes, that's a win. Learn to enjoy each of these
wins. Even if you did not accomplish any of these things, your misadventures
can always get a few laughs during the recap of the round afterwards with
your friends. Laughter is the best medicine, a good feeling, and what can be
more perfect than that?
Joe
Joe,
Any idea about what happened to Kenny Perry's swing?
Kenny
Hi Kenny (hmmm, this would not be the real Kenny, would it.
nawww?),
KP has an unusual backswing, which supports my theory that the
only purpose of the backswing is to arrive at a strong position at the top of
the backswing. That position may be different from person to person,
so this position is studied carefully by serious golfers. When they are
playing well, they have their swing videotaped, and then when they are
not playing well, they compare their current swing to their best swing and
look for differences. One of the things they seem to believe, which I do
not think is so important, is to point the club down the target line at the
top of the backswing. I believe there are other things more important to
look for, and to focus on that "mannerism" may distract attention to
other
"fundamentals" that occur during the downstroke. KP and Tiger have
both gotten
concerned when they viewed themselves "coming across the line" at the
top.
As we have pointed out before, many successful golfers come across the
target line all the time, so maybe that is not the right thing to focus on. I
would prefer to look at the path of the downswing, the amount of weight shift,
and the position of the back elbow before impact. Good luck, Kenny.
Joe
Question for the Evil Twin:
Jody, what is the most satisfying thing about golf?
Answer: I agree with Henry Longhurst. The most exquisitely
satisfying act in the world of golf is that of throwing a club. The full
backswing, the delayed wrist action, the flowing follow-through, followed by
that unique whirring sound, reminiscent of a passing flock of birds, this is
without parallel in sport.
Answer to the trivia question (above): John Daly, 1991
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Golf Potpourri
by
Mac Stevenson
Don’t Quit After Labor Day
A lot of golfers put their clubs in the closet and call it a
season when Labor Day arrives. That’s a big mistake.
Some of our best golfing weather, year in and year out, is in
September and October. Trees turn red and gold and yellow and the
summer humidity turns to crisp, cool invigorating air. When a
cold front approaches, large flocks of noisy geese and ducks
streaming south add to the joy of being outdoors.
The golf games are a bit more relaxed in the fall. With the
season coming to a close, the serious tournaments and gambling
games grind to a halt. Occasionally, it’s fun to just play and
forget the bets. You may be surprised to find you play better
golf when you’re not grinding in a tournament or competitive
foursome.
As for your golf game, the shorter the winter layoff the better.
If you take off from September through February (six months),
you’ll have a difficult time regaining your rhythm and timing and
swing thoughts. You’ll also discover--following a long
layoff--that your short game has deserted you; it will take a lot
of time-consuming practice to get it back.
As far as practice is concerned, it’s best to concentrate on your
short game in the fall and winter. It’s harder to find time to
practice full shots during these busy months, and you’ll find you
have to depend more on your short game. Also, 20-30 minutes of
work on your short game before you tee off--after a layoff--will
be of great benefit. This is especially true with your putting
stroke. A few minutes on the putting clock before you tee off can
shave strokes from your score.
If you quit after Labor Day, you’ll lose the benefit of a lot of
good exercise. Walking at least nine holes is much easier to do
during crisp fall weather than it is while suffering through the
smothering heat of summer.
The only bad thing about fall is that it’s followed by winter.
Even then, you should plan to play as often as time and weather
permit. On the Central Plains, you can enjoy playing golf when
the temperature is hovering around 35-40 degrees so long as the
wind isn’t blowing and the sun is shinning.
On cool fall days when the wind is blowing, be sure and wear
layered clothing. And it’s most important to have a nylon-type
shell as the top layer. Cold wind will go right through a
sweater, but a nylon jacket over a sweater will keep you
comfortable and unencumbered enough to make a full golf swing.
Don’t be afraid to wear long johns; it’s no fun to be so chilled
that you’re uncomfortable while trying to play golf. That takes
all the pleasure out of it. And put a stocking cap in one of the
compartments on your bag. You can always take some clothes off,
but you can’t put ‘em on if they aren’t with you.
Nylon slip-on pants work as well as long johns. And the best
feature of the nylon bottoms is that they are easy to slip on and
off, unlike long johns. When the weather is changeable in the
fall, the nylon pants are a better option than the long johns
because it’s just as unpleasant to be too hot as it is to be
chilled.
The key to playing or staying inside in the fall and winter is
the wind. No matter how well you prepare, it’s no fun playing if
it’s cold and the wind is blowing. And it won’t help your game to
play when it’s so cold that you’re uncomfortable.
But keep your clubs in the front of your closet throughout fall
and winter; you’ll miss some great exercise and your game will
deteriorate if you lay off for six months every year
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Richard’s Thoughts
Forty Foot Putts
The task from this distance is to get down in no more than two
shots. You can’t realistically hope to hole a putt of this
length but you can avoid an ugly three-putt every time. A very
effective way to ensure you get down in no more than two is to
imagine the hole is the size of a trash can lid. Creating this
bigger target in your mind immediately takes some of the pressure
off you and allows you to make a smooth stroke with your normal
tempo.
Once you get your ball inside the trash can lid the second putt
should be easy. Good tempo is crucial on putts this long.
Continue to use the “one-two” or what ever works for you, but
make the stroke longer. If you watched the same pro golfer for
18 holes you would notice his tempo for every single putt, be it
four feet or 40 feet, is the same. The only thing that changes
is the length of the stroke.
Until next week…good golfing!
Dr Richard Myers
www.thinkandreachpar.com
www.superbabysitting.com
864.675.0038
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